Weekly Devotions

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all flaming arrows. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…. be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:11-18

I worked out for an hour the other day and left my fitness tracker behind. Darn! So all those burpees, squats, kettle ball swings, and sit-ups were to no avail – right?

That’s how millions of us look at it. We are consumed by meeting our fitness goals – walking 10,000 steps or closing our Apple Watch rings.

What if we went out and forgot to put on our armor of God? What if we failed to measure acts of grace?

Take a look at Ephesians 6:11-18:

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all flaming arrows. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…. be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

I may make sure I fasten a fitness tracker around my wrist every day, but I certainly don’t adorn a breastplate, shield, helmet, and sword. The passage makes me stop and think, though.

God knows what we’re doing. I don’t have to wear an Apple Watch to measure my steps or activity level. In the same way, I have no need to count the times I smile at someone, write a kind note, take a casserole to a neighbor, or contribute to a Go Fund Me for church members who experienced a house fire or other tragedy.

In fact, God would rather us NOT keep track of such things. Remember in Matthew 6:2 when we are told to never announce our good deeds “with trumpet fanfare.”

Praying is always a good exercise, and we can do it quietly and without fanfare. The best part is that the more we do it, the more spiritually fit we become. We should strive – privately – to close by bedtime these three rings: Faith. Hope. Love. In other words, we should remember each day to be in God’s word, to pray, and to count our blessings.

Let’s not forget that tracker!

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:33

It’s beginning to look a lot like…

You fill in the blank. A lot like Thanksgiving…Christmas..busy…full…Christmas programs,  cookie swaps, lists, lists, lists?

Jesus knows busy. Look at his time in Mark 1 starting at verse 21

Teaching in the synagogue

Healing a demon possessed man

Visit to Simon Peter’s house and healing Peter’s mother-in-law

Then an evening filled with many sick and demon possessed. The whole town gathered at the door and Jesus healed many…v 33

Then verse 35: Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up…Another day had begun for Jesus. More doors would open, people needing him, a mission to live well.

Busy is real. It’s what we do before the busy that can shape us. What shapes you before the busy? What do you and I do before the busy begins is what gives us strength, perspective, priorities.

Starting or ending the day with words from our compassionate God will help restore His image in us.

Lectio 365 is a daily devotional app that has a regular phrase that starts the devotional: “As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly, to re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God.”

Pausing on that phrase “to re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God” every morning, reminds me I am scattered. But coming into the presence of God Almighty, Jesus my Savior, and the Holy Spirit, my comforter, I can re-center. I can become new again, pliable and surrendered for the day.

That is what Jesus did regularly, often, alone, intentionally. And Jesus was able to finish all the work on earth God had given him. (John 17:4)

What’s at your door today…in your home, at your work station, your car or public transport, your to do list? Are you ready? Jesus is waiting at your heart’s door, ready to come and sit with you.

P.S. Did you get stuck on ‘re-centre’. The writers of Lectio 365 are from the UK and so it is ‘re-centre.’

“Jesus called a little child to him and stood the child before his followers. Then he said, ‘I tell you the truth, you must change and become like little children. Otherwise, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is the one who makes himself humble like this child.” Matthew 18:2-4, NCV.

Jesus often spoke of things that confounded His listeners. When He told the Pharisee, Nicodemus, that “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3), the learned teacher understandably asked, “How can a man be born when he is old?” (4). Again, Matthew in his writing quotes Jesus as if He is suggesting one should act like a child instead of an adult. Really? Is Jesus telling us to “go back to our childish ways?” Taking a closer look, Jesus is not telling us to act childish, rather “child-like;” there is a big difference!

Picture the scene: Jesus is surrounded by His disciples. The topic of discussion is philosophically deep… “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” someone asks (1). Thinking Jesus will declare one of them the deserved recipient, instead He “called a little child” standing nearby, saying, “one who makes himself humble like this child” is the “greatest person in the kingdom of heaven.” Ego’s deflated, the Halleluiah Chorus ringing in their self-righteous ears silenced,Jesus once again demonstrates to His followers both then and to His followers today, that heaven is not a place for the proud and haughty.

Humility is the absence of self-awareness, not its’ building up. Human beings are prone to the desire for greatness. Our culture celebrates greatness and individual recognition, and if you do not believe this, check out social media platforms. We want to be “liked.”  

Faith in Jesus is simple enough for a child to grasp and profound enough to confound the most intellectual individual. This is a paradox where every human heart must begin the journey to eternal life. Humility is something we should all desire, but once we think we have achieved it, like grabbing at soap bubbles in the air, it is gone.

“He who believes in Him [Jesus] is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18, NKJV.

Human beings have a bent toward things that are forbidden. For example, if the speed limit is 25mph, we think we can safely do 30mph without getting a ticket. Right? Ask me how I know… Our disobedient tendencies are simply part of our human nature. Adam and Eve were the first people to disobey God but not the last. From birth until death, every human being since that heartbreaking incident in the Garden of Eden carries the defective gene God calls “sin.” Before you get upset with our ancestor’s, please know, if you or I had been the first humans in the garden, we would have gone “apple picking” just like them!

According to a recent news article, an apparent standoff between two opposing groups of people in Texas got heated. One group gathered in support of a local “church” who were promoting views deemed very controversial in the current social war, while the other group, many who professed traditional Christian values knelt in prayer. Individuals from both groups held signs suggesting that those who did not agree with their grievances were “going to hell!” Sadly, I wondered if the declaration was more wishful thinking than being grounded in biblical knowledge? You see, only God can determine one’s eternal destiny because God alone is all-knowing. Only God knows the intentions of the human heart.

For certain, our actions on earth will always have earthly consequences, many of them resulting in pain. History is proof alone of this fact. Some consequences involving pain are self-inflicted, other’s result in collateral damage. But the Bible is very clear about how to enter heaven, and it has nothing to do with what we have done, neither good nor bad, rather it is about Who can save us. That “Who” is Jesus Christ. If sinlessness by human effort were the criteria for entrance into heaven, hell would be overcrowded and heaven empty, except for the Triune Head, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Today, will you invite Jesus into your heart? He is waiting to hear from you.”

“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:15

When we look around the world and we turn on the news, our world looks extremely divisive and dark. This can, at times, be hopeless if we look at it with earthly eyes. We have to put on our “cross eyes” and realize that God is still in charge.

In John 1:5, we are reminded that Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome. Isn’t that refreshing? To know that Jesus is always Plan A. He is never, nor will be, Plan B. He will always be the light. His light is always perfect, always guiding and always giving direction.

We can trust that God is Sovereign. He provides light even in the midst of darkness.

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” John 4:15

Wells today may not look like they did in ages past. People may not gather there morning and evening for the day’s supply, but water remains essential for life in 2022.

Not all that long ago, the well was the center of the village. Not only did it provide a place to draw water, it was also a gathering place and a place where friendship and community were built.

The Bible tells us about an encounter Jesus had with a woman at a well. This was not a chance encounter, but a divine appointment. While this woman’s motive was simply to get water, Jesus knew the state of her heart and what she really needed was more than any earthly well could provide.

Sweet Monday has been likened to a well in a community. When women attend a Sweet Monday, friendships and community are built. But Sweet Monday goes much deeper. When Hostesses share the life-changing message of the grace and forgiveness of Jesus, they are taking women beyond the well to the spring, directly to the source of the Living Water.

We want to invite you to share in the blessing of reaching women for Christ, bringing them to the well, and sharing Christ’s Living Water. You can be a part of Sweet Monday today by helping us raise our goal of $21,000 for our annual fundraiser. We are over half-way there and every dollar you give will be matched dollar for dollar up to $21,000.

You can be a part of what God is doing as He transforms lives through the Gospel-centered hospitality our Sweet Monday Hostesses provide in their communities.

The opportunity and the invitation are yours. Won’t you join us?

Donate to Sweet Monday: https://www.sweetmonday.org/fundraising-dinners/

Sweet Monday is all about reaching women for Christ, one sweet invitation at a time through Gospel-centered hospitality. We believe in putting the Great Commission and Great Commandment into practice and exist to inspire, encourage and equip women to use their homes and hospitality to reach women for Christ by loving their neighbor and making disciples.