June 3rd Devotions

Living like a dead man

Being a Christian is not what you think it is. Maybe you think it’s just a religion, just like Hinduism or Islam. Maybe you’ve been told it’s all about a relationship and you need to be best friends with Christ, maybe you were told it is all about belief and if you say the right prayer you just have to suffer through this life till you can get to heaven.

Well, Christ’s call is much harder, much deeper, and much more challenging than all these ideas.

Luke 9:22–25 NIV

And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

We have something very different in Christ. it count be found anywhere else, there is nothing like it.

We must deny ourselves:

What does this mean? we have to learn to deny what we want. we can want good thing, and we can want bad things. both have to be put away in order to follow christ.

You don’t experience life, because you won’t let go of what you have.

We must take up our cross:

What does this mean? We have to live in Christ death, so others might experience His life

What Christ offers comes at a cost.

Daily:

When do we do this just on Sunday? We do this every day, moment by moment.

Follow Him:

How do you follow someone? you must stay close, imitate their moves, you should look like they look.

Whatever you hold onto will be destroyed.

We can’t keep anything, we can’t save anything, what we latch onto, if it becomes an idol, we will destroy it, and it will destroy us.

Galatians 2:20-21 (GW)

Galatians 2:20–21 GW

I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live I live by believing in God’s Son, who loved me and took the punishment for my sins. I don’t reject God’s kindness.If we receive God’s approval by obeying the laws in the Scriptures, then Christ’s death was pointless. 

So if Keeping the Law isn’t the point… What is?

The fruit is the point.

John 15:5–6 GW

“I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who live in me while I live in them will produce a lot of fruit. But you can’t produce anything without me. Whoever doesn’t live in me is thrown away like a branch and dries up. Branches like this are gathered, thrown into a fire, and burned.

Imagine three different trees, One is thick and strong looking, full of green leaves, but absent of fruit.

another is weak and scrawny, barely surviving and no fruit to speak of.

When a tree won’t bare fruit it is because it needs to be pruned.

The law shows us where we need to be pruned. We don’t obey the law to be saved.

To bear fruit we must be part of the life giving vine, and to be part of the vine, we must die to self and carry our cross.

If you don’t see the fruit of the spirit in your life, What vine are you attached too?

Galatians 5 GW

Christ has freed us so that we may enjoy the benefits of freedom. Therefore, be firm ⸤in this freedom⸥, and don’t become slaves again.  I, Paul, can guarantee that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. Again, I insist that everyone who allows himself to be circumcised must realize that he obligates himself to do everything Moses’ Teachings demand. Those of you who try to earn God’s approval by obeying his laws have been cut off from Christ. You have fallen out of God’s favor.However, in our spiritual nature, faith causes us to wait eagerly for the confidence that comes with God’s approval. As far as our relationship to Christ Jesus is concerned, it doesn’t matter whether we are circumcised or not. But what matters is a faith that expresses itself through love.  You were doing so well. Who stopped you from being influenced by the truth? The arguments of the person who is influencing you do not come from the one who is calling you. A little yeast spreads through the whole batch of dough. The Lord gives me confidence that you will not disagree with this. However, the one who is confusing you will suffer God’s judgment regardless of who he is. Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching that circumcision is necessary, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the cross wouldn’t be offensive anymore. I wish those troublemakers would castrate themselves.  You were indeed called to be free, brothers and sisters. Don’t turn this freedom into an excuse for your corrupt nature to express itself. Rather, serve each other through love. All of Moses’ Teachings are summarized in a single statement, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” But if you criticize and attack each other, be careful that you don’t destroy each other.  Let me explain further. Live your life as your spiritual nature directs you. Then you will never follow through on what your corrupt nature wants. What your corrupt nature wants is contrary to what your spiritual nature wants, and what your spiritual nature wants is contrary to what your corrupt nature wants. They are opposed to each other. As a result, you don’t always do what you intend to do. If your spiritual nature is your guide, you are not subject to Moses’ laws.  Now, the effects of the corrupt nature are obvious: illicit sex, perversion, promiscuity, idolatry, drug use, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, angry outbursts, selfish ambition, conflict, factions, envy, drunkenness, wild partying, and similar things. I’ve told you in the past and I’m telling you again that people who do these kinds of things will not inherit God’s kingdom.  But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There are no laws against things like that. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their corrupt nature along with its passions and desires. If we live by our spiritual nature, then our lives need to conform to our spiritual nature. We can’t allow ourselves to act arrogantly and to provoke or envy each other. 

A special warning to those who want to fake it

Christ rebukes the fig tree.

He was harsh on the religious leaders, not the poor and lowly.

Jeremiah 8:4–15 GW

“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:  When someone falls, he gets back up.  When someone turns away from me, he returns.  The people of Jerusalem turned away from me without ever returning.  They still cling to deceit.  They refuse to return.  I have paid attention and listened,  but they weren’t honest.  They don’t turn away from their wickedness and ask,  “What have we done?”  They go their own ways like horses charging into battle.  Even storks know when it’s time to return.  Mourning doves, swallows, and cranes know  when it’s time to migrate.  But my people don’t know  that I, the Lord, am urging them to return.  “ ‘How can you say that you are wise  and that you have the Lord’s teachings?  The scribes have used their pens to turn these teachings into lies.  Wise people are put to shame, confused, and trapped.  They have rejected the Lord’s word.  They don’t really have any wisdom.  That is why I will give their wives to other men  and their fields to new owners.  All of them, from the least important to the most important,  are eager to make money dishonestly.  All of them, from prophets to priests, act deceitfully.  They treat my dear people’s wounds  as though they were not serious, saying,  “Everything is alright! Everything is alright!”  But it’s not alright.  Are they ashamed that they do disgusting things?  No, they’re not ashamed.  They don’t even know how to blush.  So they will die with those who die.  They will be brought down when I punish them,’ ” says the Lord.  “ ‘I would have gathered their harvest,’ ” declares the Lord,  “ ‘but there are no grapes on the vine.  There are no figs on the tree,  and the leaves have dried up.  What I have given them will be taken away.’ ”  Why are we just sitting here? Let’s get up!  Let’s go into the fortified cities and die there.  The Lord our God has condemned us to die.  He has given us poison to drink  because we have sinned against the Lord.  We hoped for peace, but nothing good has happened.  We hoped for a time of healing, but there’s only terror. 

The refiners fire

How the lord refines us.