Morning Devotion
February 2, 2021
Today's Bible Verse
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Today's Bible Study
On the night that Jesus is arrested, He speaks to the disciples one last time. He says that He will give them peace and that they do not need to be afraid or troubled by His coming absence.
Try to put yourself in the disciples' shoes for a minute. Their leader, whom they had followed for three years and given up everything for, was about to leave them. Jesus was about to leave the people who had become His friends and whom He loved deeply. He knows that when He leaves, He won't give them money or anything like that as a sort of inheritance or goodbye gift. He gives them something far more valuable: peace.
Jesus knows that His gift is very different from what the world offers: "not as the world giveth, give I unto you." The world offers us things—money, a house, an inheritance, fame, or a legacy and each of them only lasts for a little while. Eventually the world, and all that it can give us, will be gone. Jesus, who is not of the world, gives His disciples peace for all of eternity. This peace will last beyond their lifetimes, spanning throughout all of time, untouched by the world.
Try to put yourself in the disciples' shoes for a minute. Their leader, whom they had followed for three years and given up everything for, was about to leave them. Jesus was about to leave the people who had become His friends and whom He loved deeply. He knows that when He leaves, He won't give them money or anything like that as a sort of inheritance or goodbye gift. He gives them something far more valuable: peace.
Jesus knows that His gift is very different from what the world offers: "not as the world giveth, give I unto you." The world offers us things—money, a house, an inheritance, fame, or a legacy and each of them only lasts for a little while. Eventually the world, and all that it can give us, will be gone. Jesus, who is not of the world, gives His disciples peace for all of eternity. This peace will last beyond their lifetimes, spanning throughout all of time, untouched by the world.
Because of this peace, they do not need to be afraid. When Jesus says that to them, He is repeating His words from the beginning of the 14th chapter of John, which starts with the phrase, "Let not your hearts be troubled." Jesus spent the chapter explaining why His disciples should not be troubled, and He ended with the greatest reason of all: His gift to them of peace, the opposite of fear.
Do you live in peace today? There can be moments of our lives when we get caught up in things—something went wrong, something didn't work right, something is taking too long, something wasn't fair—and in those moments we can easily forget that we are compromising on the peace that Jesus has given us as followers of Him. Whenever that happens, we can practice turning our thoughts back to Him, remembering to live in His eternal promises today.
Do you live in peace today? There can be moments of our lives when we get caught up in things—something went wrong, something didn't work right, something is taking too long, something wasn't fair—and in those moments we can easily forget that we are compromising on the peace that Jesus has given us as followers of Him. Whenever that happens, we can practice turning our thoughts back to Him, remembering to live in His eternal promises today.
Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, I thank you for offering me peace. It isn't like anything in the world, and I'm so grateful that you have given it to me. Help me to notice when I am not living in the peace that you have given me, and help me return to it quickly when my mind wanders. I love you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.
If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.
-C.S. Lewis
God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.
-Elbert Hubbard
The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.
-C.S. Lewis
If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.
-Dorothy Parker
Yesterday's Devotional
February 1, 2021
Yesterday's Bible Verse
Matthew 11:28-29
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden (meaning burdened), and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Yesterday's Bible Study
In this verse, Jesus invites us to rest in Him. He promises that when we choose to follow Him, He will give us rest. This is in contrast to how we often live: heavy laden (meaning burdened) by the guilt of our sin. Let's dig into this verse to understand how to apply it to our lives now.
First, notice who Jesus invites: those who are heavy laden. But heavy laden with what? From the context, we can infer that Jesus is talking to those who are burdened with sin. They understand that their sin has separated them from the love of God, and they long to be set free from sin. They've tried to fix themselves, laboring to make themselves good enough for God, but their inability to improve has wearied them.
Jesus invites them to "come unto him" and it is an invitation, not a demand. We can be weary from our sin and still not turn to Jesus. We have to make the decision to come to Him before we can experience His rest. We must accept the invitation first.
First, notice who Jesus invites: those who are heavy laden. But heavy laden with what? From the context, we can infer that Jesus is talking to those who are burdened with sin. They understand that their sin has separated them from the love of God, and they long to be set free from sin. They've tried to fix themselves, laboring to make themselves good enough for God, but their inability to improve has wearied them.
Jesus invites them to "come unto him" and it is an invitation, not a demand. We can be weary from our sin and still not turn to Jesus. We have to make the decision to come to Him before we can experience His rest. We must accept the invitation first.
When we do come to Jesus, submitting ourselves to His command, He gives us His yoke. We lose the burden, or yoke, of our own sin and instead put on Jesus'. Then we learn from Him. This means our spiritual growth is only beginning when we accept Jesus' invitation. Since we are freed from sin, we are now able to learn from Jesus how to walk in holiness and live through Him.
Would you say that you are weary today? If so, pray today's verse aloud. The Lord does not want you to be weary, or to live in shame or guilt, nor does He want you burdened by sin. He wants you to walk in peace with Him, and the life that He offers us is so much better than any life we might create for ourselves.
Would you say that you are weary today? If so, pray today's verse aloud. The Lord does not want you to be weary, or to live in shame or guilt, nor does He want you burdened by sin. He wants you to walk in peace with Him, and the life that He offers us is so much better than any life we might create for ourselves.
Yesterday's Prayer
Dear Lord, I thank you for giving me a new life. Thank you for opening my eyes to your love and mercy. Thank you for inviting me to take your yoke. Thank you for the freedom that serving you offers. Help me to truly put it on and live in it, knowing the depths of your love and honoring your name with my life. In Jesus' name, amen.