Who I Am In Christ Devotionals

  The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the person who seeks him. It is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.  Lamentations 3:25‭-‬26 He Is Working Waiting. Patience. I so need this gentle reminder. Waiting implies trust (I know He is working). In my flesh, I can rush into confusion and make a mess (I don't see Him working; I'll take over). How about if I slow it down and wait (Lord, I know you are here). I am not used to waiting, to resting, to listening. I need this verse. It says, "The Lord is good to those who wait." What a simple thing to do. Why is it so hard?  The Lord says hold on. He's handing things. Listening to God Waiting also seems to imply prayer. Listening in prayer. Part of this waiting is seeking Him. How many times I've looked for something for 20 seconds only to declare I couldn't find it. Then, another walks up and actually seeks and finds it. That's embarrassing. Seeking implies effort and patience. I don'...

  It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8 Is He With Me? When I take a minute to look at what blessings I have as a believer, I am in awe! Look at how this verse opens: the Lord goes before His people. He checks things out before I get there and this, for my good. How many times I've really thought or acted like the the Lord must not be paying attention! I've felt like He didn't care about what was going on in my little life. That's my ignorance for sure. He goes before me. Why? Because I am His child and He cares like that. And He sets things up as he sees fit, for His purposes. There is no such thing as deism, the idea that God made it all but isn't really present. All of scripture speaks of His presence, His interaction with His people, the covenant, His care for His children. He is with me. Now. God Matters I can think He is troubled with something more important,...

  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15 Let is a funny word. I believe in the Lord, that He died for my sins and rose again. These instructions from Paul are for me. Let. Funny word, let. It means I do something. Let what? The peace of Christ rule in my heart. I don't know about you, but I have usually thought of peace in my heart as something that happened to me. Or mostly not happened. If I don't have peace in my heart, something happened to take away my peace. That's how I think. I had a bad day. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. The stock market collapsed. That all happened to me and ruined my day, right? Philippians 4:6 says, "Be anxious for nothing." So, I've missed something. Let. There's something I can do. I can let the peace of Christ rule in my heart. And the word let implies that it's easy. Like let the cat in. Or let me have a bite of that. Let. ...

  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you will receive them, and you will have them. - Mark 11:24 When Believers Talk to God Believers talk to God. Right? Talking to God is not simply adding CO2 into the air, or moving electrical thought pulses around my brain. It is talk. It's engaging with the one true God. "Always pray in the Spirit," He says. I am reading a verse which says WHATEVER you ask, BELIEVE, and YOU WILL HAVE them. This verse is written for the children of God. That matters. Because His children know how to ask for good things. They are redeemed, washed. When I act like a heathen, the prayer He awaits is a prayer of repentance, restoring the relationship. If I am not seeking His face, He is pressuring me to do it. God is Not a Casino When I am filled with the Spirit, walking in the light, I am filled with good desires, and He answers those with joy. He loves to answer the prayers of His children. God is not a casino. So...

  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:33‭-‬34 Trusting Jesus This verse summarizes my desire today. Seek first His kingdom. Trust Him. Anxiety goes. Believers trust Jesus. Still, I must daily reset my trust. If I don't, I shoulder my own burdens. This adds to my worry. One day without trusting Him leads to another day and to another. And the devil pounces on that. He's like a cat waiting at a gopher hole. Thank the Lord that he's on God's leash. Worry on top of worry, I dog paddle the ocean deep. But I don't have to do that ever again. Ever. Filling My Mind With True Things About Jesus I can simply seek Him and His righteousness. Trust Him. And not be anxious. What does that look like? "Be still and know that I am God," He says. That's prayer. That's...

  Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:18-19 He Pardons I am a child of God. Still, I can work up some real worry about my standing with God. I've found that I must remind myself regularly, with His word, where I stand. This verse clearly states God's compassion toward me (written hundreds of years before Jesus lived). He pardons iniquity: sin. He passes over transgression: more sin. For the remnant of His inheritance. That's believers, those who still believe, who still love Him even after so many have fallen away. So many seem to have fallen away today too. When the people in the land turn to evil and call it good, God acts. His actions effect even believers. The rain falls on the just an...

  There is no salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12 Time and Time Again Jesus is the only way to salvation. Just Jesus. That's it. So what is this salvation? It is being washed by Jesus, being made acceptable to the Father. It's preparing me for heaven. It's giving me what I need to prevail over sin and darkness in my life. It makes me part of His people, His church. I need not go looking for salvation answers elsewhere. There is no other name... Of course that does not mean that I don't listen to other believers. They have pointed me back to Jesus time and time again. And I can and do learn important things from non-believers. Even things about how to think. Only Jesus It's good men who told me that I mattered to God when I had trouble believing it. They told me that He would heal me in this work of recovery and they told me how He had worked in their lives. They told me that I needed to...

  Anger is dangerous and yet... Everyone gets angry. I see that anger's correct place in my life is to energize me to correct wrongs, hurts, and injustice. And Anger is dangerous. That doesn't mean that it is sin. In the hands of a godly, humble person, anger is a path to conflict resolution. My issue with anger has been that I didn't want to admit my anger, even to myself. I thought that pushing it away and not acting on it was not letting the sun go down on it. When I'm angry, I must admit it to myself. Getting cut off in traffic is not a righteous reason to be angry. Hearing the news that a friend got robbed is a righteous reason to be angry. Proper anger motivates me to righteous action. Either way, I must admit it to myself and to God. When I get cut off in traffic and get angry yet don't confess it, I create a long-term problem. I stuff it down where it surfaces later, sometimes adding heat to a situation I'm trying to handle. My anger flares for no appare...

  Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 Confessing Jesus One way that I know that I am a believer is that I confess that Jesus is who He says He is, the messiah, the Son of God who died for my sins and rose on the third day. If you look at 1 John, where it says, “them” John is referring to people who don’t confess Jesus. But I do. And the more I confess Him, the more I trust Him. I love the amazing claims that his verse makes. First it says that I am from God and have over come those (spirits) who don’t confess Jesus. And I think he is mainly talking about people, for we are all spirits moving around in a flesh tractor. My spirit is the real me. I have, past tense, overcome those spirits who don’t confess Jesus. I’m going to be honest here: I don’t always feel like some big old spiritual overcomer. Some of those people who rail against God and His church, either directly or indirectly, worry...

  Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Hebrews 13:5 Lust for Money I'm a believer who can lust for money sometimes. I can be greedy.  Apparently this problem creeps in on believers because the writer of Hebrews says to, "Keep your life free from the love of money." If it wasn't an issue, He wouldn't warn us.  It can sure creep up on me. And then the jealousies too. I can get mired in thinking that if I had more, I wouldn't have this character problem or that one.  If only. If only. If only. The Lord gently helps me and He says, "Here's what I have given you." My correct response is to be content. To be grateful. Yet, I can be like Israel in the wilderness, discontent with miraculous manna. And thank Jesus, He works on me.  Feels So Ugly I know this: I have control over my response. Otherwise, He wouldn't tell me to be content. A jealous reaction ...

  Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor. Proverbs 21:21 Pursue It I know that God wants me, His child, to be righteous and kind. He says it plainly. I'm going to focus on the kindness part in the verse. I find it so interesting that He says to pursue it. Chase it. That suggests that this kindness is elusive, it's not something where I simply say, "I'm kind now." I found this definition of kind: Showing tenderness or goodness; disposed to do good and confer happiness (Wordnik). Interestingly, one of the synonyms of the word is Christlike. Now, I'm not automatically kind. I must work for it, fight for it. It is a challenge, right? But implied in the verse is this: I can attain it. I can be righteous. I can be kind. I'm going to also say that I can grow in it. There are layers to kindness. Love in Action The most kind people try to help you get what you need, maybe even before you realize you need it. This is love...

  I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe Him. It is that same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in heaven… Ephesians 1:19 Mighty Power This year, I began journaling to dig into who I am in Christ. Now, I've been a believer since I was a child. Plus, I went to Christian schools and camps. I went on summer missions in Brazil and Scotland. I've taught Sunday School and preached sermons. Still, somehow, I missed a complete understanding of who I am in Christ. But in the last year, verses began slapping me in the face. It was like I had never slowed down to take them in. And I found myself grieving my former blindness yet getting excited about this. They were verses like the one above. Paul says to the Ephesians here "how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe Him." That's me. I believe Him. So then, His power is incredibly...

  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 Falling I am not a sinner who believes. I am a believer who sins. Maybe that's splitting hairs, but I don't think so. I am a believer. That is my definition. I am a child of the one true king. Yet, I sin. Every stinking day. And there are times when I don't admit it. That's denial. Then, God in his holiness, removes that peace and hope that I get when I obey. What I love about this scripture is that it lays it right out there: I am going to sin. Now what? Say the Truth About My Sin I must confess, which means to say the truth about my sin. I must repent which is to turn from my sin. When I confess, he is faithful to His promise. He forgives. And this is interesting: it is just for him to forgive me. Why? Because I am a child of God, not a sinner. See the sin actu...

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight. Ephesians 1:7-8 Drops My Jaw! As a child, I walked 1.5 miles to school. And I would take any opportunity to cut through a neighbor's yard. One day, a kind old guy came out and politely asked me to walk around, not through. I sheepishly agreed. I was trespassing; he forgave me. And that's nothing compared to what Jesus did for me; Jesus redeemed me from the power of Hell. See, I was owned by Satan from the day Adam sold out himself and the human race. Jesus paid my debt with His life. Plus, I'm redeemed according to His riches. What! That means there is wealth upon wealth of riches to go around for all who will answer the call and believe. That's His grace. The next part is the piece that really drops my jaw... He lavished that grace upon me. Lavished. Nothing Boring About Redemption I need that remind...

  Let’s strive to know the Lord. His appearance is as sure as the dawn. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the land. Hosea 6:3 Strive If the bible says that He loved us first, that He made us alive, why does Hosea say to strive to know the Lord? I think He's saying, "I'm giving you this priceless gift. Now, do something with it. Work out your salvation. Seek out the plans I have for you." Strive he says; He's telling me to put my back into it. What does that look like? How to Strive The easy parts are almost cliché. Read my bible regularly. Every believer can do that. Read it. Think about it. Listen to the Holy Spirit by reading prayerfully. Attend church. Go, sing, hear the word preached, listen, help. Ask questions. God wants me to be with other believers, to fellowship. Pray. By appointment with the Lord. And whenever I need to. The men and women of the bible sought the Lord. Many did it for great lengths of time, especially in...

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16 Inner Fight I am a blessed believer, redeemed by the blood of the lamb. Dearly loved. And I am weak. It seems like every day there is some kind of inner fight. Anger, grief, jealousy. And there's the pride, every single day. It's almost like I need to do a regular pride check. Like the dash light that tells me that my tire is low, I need a humility check. And Jesus, the King of kings, sympathizes with my weakness. This is particularly hard for me to internalize. I can have a wrong-headed message in my head that says, “You’re on your own here.” Or, “You need to go to the spiritual gym and workout to make yourself worthy enough to come to God; then, He’ll pay attention to you.” Lies....

Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 CSB Anyone Who Follows What do I believe? Do I believe my savior only when it's easy or when it's hard too? He says He is the light of the world. That's not too hard to believe. Then, He says this: Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness... Just about any believer has read that dozens of times if not hundreds. "Will never walk in darkness." Why can I feel like I walk in darkness then? I think that's a fair question, right? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that if I am walking in darkness, it's not because Jesus did something to cause it. I'm going to say the light is always available. But maybe I'm blocking it. The Light is Right Here I'm blocking it by believing something that's just plain wrong. Here's one: I can sin this one time, and I'll b...

  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16‭-‬17 Believers study the bible for good reason. Believers study scripture. And for good reason. It teaches us. It scolds us (that's what reproof is). It corrects us. It trains us in righteousness. We need all of that. We need to learn. We learn when we hear a truth and fit it in with what we know. The more we already know, the more new learning will impact our every action. The New Testament writers were constantly pointing to the Old Testament. Many of their listeners knew scripture. The bible scolds. The word reproof is probably even stronger than the word scold. I often think of scolding as a bad thing. I feel mistreated. But I know I've often learned much from a swift kick. I think it works when it comes from a place of love. God is love. Even when He disciplines ...

Prepare for Action (audio) Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16 Be Real The Lord tells me to prepare my mind. For action.  What action? Resisting temptation? A need to contend for the faith? Share the gospel? Be kind? These and more for sure! Be sober-minded: I take that to mean - be real. Don't escape. Stay in the here and now.  Then the apostle Peter says something fascinating. He says, "Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Setting My Hope That's a mouthful. Life is painful now, but part of being a believer is setting my hope on what will come later, heaven. There are three phases here: what Jesus did f...

  God will bring this about in his own time. He is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and the Lord of Lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see, to him be honor and eternal power. Amen.  1 Timothy 6:15‭-‬16 He keeps Working on Me Impatient. Rude. Temperamental. Those can all describe me. Yet, I'm a child of God. He loves me and keeps working on me. I forget sometimes that He certainly is still working. I've made the mistake of thinking that I'm over here in a corner somewhere and I'm not really on God's radar. Wrong. He loves me. When you love someone, they are always on your radar. The thing is: He brings things about in His own time. He gets to. He's God. I'm not. He alone is immortal and lives in unapproachable light. He knows everything. I am His and the sheep of His pasture, not the other way around! I've made the mistake of thinking that I know better than Him. I've quest...