1. Who God is…
2. Who I am…
3. What I am called to do…

I believe that God wants us to look to the Scriptures and understand how these three fit together.  You can print out this one page devotional chart for your own personal use by clicking here.

How can I get the most out of this devotional?  Read and meditate on each passage of Scripture.  Meditation simply means that you take a few minutes to prayerfully think deeply and ponder what is written.  Jot down some notes, in a journal, as you go along .  Each day has a main theme, so as you go through each passage try to draw out the main theme.   Look at the relationships between who God is, who you are and what God is calling you to do.  Who we are and what God has called us to do should mirror who God is.  Finally, apply the truths to your own life.  Ask the question, “How do these passages identify me and cause me to live differently today as I interact with the world around me?”

• Read and prayerfully meditate on the passages.
• Draw out the main theme.
• Apply it to your life today.

It is critically important that we do not read the Scriptures as a book of “do’s and don’ts”.  God desires that we know Him intimately, that we understand Jesus Christ has come to save us from our sins and redeem us back into a loving relationship with God.  May you read, meditate and bathe yourself in the truth of God so that you walk away transformed by His love and grace.

Here is an example of one day:

Who God is…Ephesians 4:4-6

There is one God and this one God who is a Spirit is over all things.  God is sovereign, God is in control.  God watches over me as my Father.

Who I am…1 Corinthians 12:27

I am a member of the body of Christ.  All believers make up the whole body of Christ, but God has also called me to be an individual member, with specific gifts and living out a specific role He has for me.

What I am Called to Do…Ephesians 4:15-16

I am to be a part of a growing body, the church, the body of Christ.  I am to grow individually, but also corporately with everyone else.  I am to speak the truth in love.

The devotional really is that simple.  But I think you see the progression of Biblical thought.  The beauty of this study is that you can take ten minutes to prayerfully meditate on the passages or an hour, whatever you like.

All for Jesus,

Fletch

“For because He [Jesus] himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”  Hebrews 2:18. 

I don’t  always think of “suffering” through temptation.  I usually think of temptation as annoying and bothersome, like being outside when the mosquitoes are really bad.  But this verse says that Jesus “suffered” through temptation.  He had to endure it and it was not pleasant.  But we don’t like pain, we crave pleasure, we avoid pain at all costs.  So we give in to temptation because it is more pleasurable (at least in the short run) than suffering and enduring through and not giving into temptation.  But we must see the reality of life in a fallen world, where the battle rages for our souls.  The reality that temptation will always be present (until Jesus comes back) and so we will always be in a constant state of suffering, of enduring and fighting off temptation.  Suffering in this life is inescapable, but thanks be to God who has given us a Savior who not only can empathize with our suffering but gives us the grace and strength to endure it and fight it off.

I John 2:15-17 shows us the Truth:

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For everything in the world– the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does– comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

Ask the Lord to give you strength and grace to suffer and not give into sin just because it seems more pleasurable – for ultimately sin kills and destroys us – only holiness and purity bring life and this is what Jesus has clothed us with.  Pray that God will satisfy you with Jesus and His overwhelming love rather than the passing things of this world.

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” John Piper

All for Jesus,

Fletch

The following was taken without permission from Tripp’s book, Whiter than Snow; Meditations on Sin and Mercy.  I highly recommend this to purchase.  My wife Julie has been reading this book in her devotional time and thought it would interest me.  It obviously did and so I am passing it on to you.

“Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.”  Psalm 51:13

   Do you know that God has called you to be a teacher? You say, “Come on, Paul, you’ve got to be kidding! I’ve never been to a seminary. I freeze up whenever I have to say something in front of a crowd. I don’t feel that I’m as biblically literate as I should be. I don’t think God really intends me to be one of his instructors.”

   Let me explain what I’m talking about. It’s true that God sets apart a certain people for formal teaching ministry in the church. He gives them the gifts and grace necessary to do the thing he’s called them to do. But the formal ministry of the Word in the body of Christ is only one aspect of the church’s teaching ministry. Paul says, in Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.” It’s clear here that he’s talking about the myriad of everyday-life ministry opportunities that God will give every one of his children.  According to Paul, you have been called to teach. And if you want to understand what that means, you need to understand that there’s no real separation between life and ministry. Rather, the Bible teaches that every dimension of human life is, at the very same time, a forum for ministry.

   This is where David comes in. He says, in Psalm 51, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways.” David is reminding us that what qualifies us to teach in the personal ministry context of daily life is the grace that we have received in our own moments of need.  This teaching isn’t about laying out a comprehensive theology of grace. Most of us wouldn’t be qualified to do that. No, what it’s actually about is realizing that my story of God having rescued me by his grace is a tool that God intends to use in the lives of others. As I teach others, by being willing to share my own story, I am actually being a tool of transforming grace in their lives. In this kind of one-on-one, informal ministry, I’m not teaching the person about grace.  No, I’m sharing my experience of grace. People learn, not because I’ve opened the dictionary of grace, but because I’ve shown them the video of grace in operation.

   So, are you a good steward of your story of grace? Have you thought about how to tell your story in a way that puts God and his grace in center stage? Have you looked around and considered who’s living with or near you who could benefit from your story of grace? Where have you tended not to let your gratitude shine as brightly as it should? Where have you been unwilling to talk honestly about how much you were (and continue to be) a person in need of rescue?

   So, it’s true; you have been called to teach.  Maybe not as a pastor, small group leader, Sunday School teacher, or foreign missionary. But you have been called to a daily life of gospel transparency, where you’re ready, willing and waiting to share your gratitude for the grace you’ve been given someone who needs it just as much as you.

All for Jesus,

Fletch