PASSAGE: Revelation 20:4 - "Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." PAUSE: The book of Revelation describes a future trial that will come upon all who are living at this time of great tribulation. One of these end times events is the Antichrist demanding that the world worship him alone. If this person is a government leader, should we bow in obedience? For followers of Christ, it's an easy answer -- of course not! But for some, the threat of punishment, persecution, or death will be too much for them to resist. When we are pressured to break the commands of God, even to the point of death, there will be a great reward for those who refuse to do so. Whenever your test may come, stand firm in obedience to God's kingdom! PRAYER: Lord, one day a ruler will oppose You in an ultimate showdown. Give me the faith of one who would never deny You, no matter the cost! Amen.
PASSAGE: Acts 5:29 - "But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men." PAUSE: We won’t always agree with every rule and regulation our government decides upon, but as citizens of this country we are obligated to obey even the laws we don’t care for. But as we see in this passage of Scripture, there is a clear exception. When it comes to obeying God or government, there is a line! We stay subject to government whenever possible, even to a fault. But when obeying government means disobeying God and His Kingdom's mission, we must follow God! Peter and the apostles were told not to teach in the name of Jesus, but they boldly proclaimed their foremost allegiance to God. PRAYER: Lord, I want to be a good citizen. And I want to honor and obey You in all that I do. Help me to do both for Your glory! Amen.
PASSAGE: Acts 4:19-20 - "But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." PAUSE: The mission of the church is to share the good news of Jesus Christ to a lost world! (See Acts 1:8). Even when the world tells us to “shut up about that,” we must find ways to proclaim Christ! The history of the church is filled with Christ followers courageously and strategically sharing the good news. In the early days it was person to person. As Christians went about they took the gospel with them and shared it. When the printing press came along they put the gospel message in print and spread it everywhere they could, and even places they weren’t supposed to. Then radio signals came about and Christians sent the gospel message into territories completely closed to the Christianity. Interestingly, it is a common conviction that the most effective way to share the gospel today has returned to the person to person approach. Because of the skepticism of many toward Christianity we must build relationships of love with others and them allow God to open the door for the right time to share Christ with that friend. What would it look like for you to move forward with an evangelistic way of life? Who are you building relational bridges with that is far from God? PRAYER: Lord, the good news of Jesus Christ is the hope of the world. Give me courage and clarity to share Christ with others no matter what. Amen.
PASSAGE: Daniel 3:17-18 - "If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” PAUSE: An Idol is anything we worship other than the One True God! The world will often pressure, and sometimes demand, that we bow down to its idols. DO NOT DO IT! I think that an idol in the modern age is more slippery to identify than in Daniel’s day. For them, an idol was a literal carved object or image that was ascribed to be a god. Pretty straightforward. But in our context, idols are anything that we live for, that we turn to in order to gain our sense of significance or purpose, other than God. It can be our job, our family, our kids, our church, our reputation, control, power, a hobby, an addiction. Quite often it is a good thing that we have turned into a “God” thing! I say that it is slippery because our hearts are very slow to own that a good thing has actually become an idol to us. I think we should take everything that we are passionate about in life and prayerfully ask God to reveal to us if any of those passions have become idols. Finally, the best remedy against idolatry is to keep our relationship to God vibrant and growing. We need to actively choose God as the priority of our lives. Is He currently the unquestioned King of your life? PRAYER: Lord, the world often lifts up things for me worship other than You. And my own heart can make an idol out of just about anything. Help me to have no other gods in my life but You and You alone! Amen.
PASSAGE: Daniel 3:12b - "These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” PAUSE: There are times when governing authorities might demand that Christians do things that are directly opposed to the clear tenets of our faith. This is when courageous faith in God must be displayed. For the Israelites in exile in Babylon this became a real situation! King Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image and demanded that all bow down and worship it or else be cast into a fiery furnace. This directly violated the first two of the Ten Commandments: You shall have no other gods before me. And You shall not make for yourself a carved image…you shall not bow down to them or serve them. (see Exodus 20:3-5). This created a line that these three men could not cross. So, in an act of courageous faith and obedience to God they refused to bow down. And they proclaimed their faith in God and that they would obey Him whether He delivered them from the fiery furnace or not. Friends, may we have the discernment to recognize when lines are created that we cannot cross and may we have the courage to trust and obey God with the results! PRAYER: Lord, I want to be faithful to be subject to governing authorities. But if the time ever comes that I need to choose between God and government give me the courage to obey You! Amen.
Join us each day for a devotional in the "When Kingdoms Collide" series. Sign up for “Devotional Reminders” in The Chapel app’s notification settings. June 3 - Daniel 3:12b June 4 - Daniel 3:17-18 June 5 - Acts 4:19-20 June 6 - Acts 5:29 June 7 - Revelation 20:4
PASSAGE: Ephesians 5:8-9 - "...for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)..." PAUSE: In a world where it seems that anything goes, believers need to be clear on what God’s Word says about what is good and what is evil. Too often we hear society or popular culture promote ideas and behaviors that clearly violate God's commands. The more we draw near to Christ, the closer we will be to the light, and the easier it will be for us to spot what doesn't belong in our lives! The darkness we used to be so comfortable in, we now recognize for what it is. But it takes more than just recognition--more than just intellectual acknowledgment. We need to walk it out! When you do what is good and right and true, you are walking out God’s good ways and walking as children of light! PRAYER: Lord, the world takes what is evil and calls it good and vice-versa. Teach us Your good ways and then help me live them out in such a way that it is like Your light shining in the darkness. Amen.
PASSAGE: Philippians 2:14-15 - "Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." PAUSE: Are you known more for what you stand for or for HOW you stand for what you stand for? I’m sure we’ve all witnessed this before—when you see somebody doing the right thing, but they complain the entire time. Maybe things like wearing a seatbelt in the car—driving the speed limit—paying taxes. Whatever it is, their words display their heart far more than their actions do, and it’s evident they disagree with the rule. You might hear them say things like, “This is so pointless… why do we have to do (fill in the blank). Let’s be clear, this doesn’t mean to never voice our opinion—there should be times we take a stand for God’s kingdom principles. But if we are too often grumbling and complaining about the trivial things, it may impact how others hear our heart behind the kingdom issues. To have a transformative impact for Christ in this world, we need to be known for HOW we stand for Him. Being a light for God and a grumbler are not compatible! PRAYER: Lord, it is so tempting, so easy, to slip into a mode of grumbling and complaining about the things in this world that I disagree with. Help me to learn to take a stand for You in a winsome way. Amen.
PASSAGE: Matthew 5:16 - "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." PAUSE: Good deeds done out of faith have two positive results. They shine the light of God’s truth to a lost world, and they bring glory to God’s name. But when we fail to live out the good deeds that God has for us it is like we are taking His light and hiding it away so that no one can see it. (See 5:14-15). And then it’s like we are all just living in complete darkness and no light is shining to show the way. Friend, look at the examples of darkness going on around you. Open your eyes and see it! Then ask God for the wisdom and courage to move into that darkness with practical acts of goodness and kindness and truth. The blind and the hungry of this world are starving for a glimpse, for a taste of the goodness of the living God. Let’s give it to them!
PASSAGE: Isaiah 49:6b PAUSE: God’s original mission for Israel that is now fulfilled in the New Testament church is that we would be a shining light in our dark world in order to draw the nations to Christ. And where Israel failed God’s mission we must succeed! The world is full of false systems of worship pointed at false gods. They need to see what a real relationship with the One True God looks like and it’s up to us to show them, to point them to Christ. We do this through faithful obedience to love the Lord God with all of our hearts. We do this by living out His good purposes in the power of His strength. We do this by sharing the good news of the gospel with those who have been deceived by the false religions of our world. PRAYER: Lord, the lost people of the world need to see a beautiful picture of what a right relationship with You looks like. Help us to be that picture of how we love one another and how we radically trust You! Amen.
PASSAGE: Matthew 5:13 - “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." PAUSE: Just as salt serves as a preservative or to add seasoning to food, so Christians are to live in the world in such a manner as to be used of God as an influence for His good. The lost world is like a slab of meat that is starting to rot. When believers live out their faith in ways that reflect God’s purposes it slows the decaying process happening in the world. You might remember that God said He would spare His judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah if ten righteous people were found. But He could not find even ten. (See Genesis 18-19). We serve as salt when we refuse to get tangled up in the ways of the world, but instead, live as people of integrity and truth in our families and spheres of influence. PRAYER: Lord, help me to live my life in this lost world in ways that demonstrate Your goodness and truth in a loving manner. Amen.
Join us each day for a devotional in the "When Kingdoms Collide" series. Sign up for “Devotional Reminders” in The Chapel app’s notification settings. May 27 - Matthew 5:13 May 28 - Isaiah 49:6b May 29 - Matthew 5:16 May 30 - Philippians 2:14-15 May 31 - Ephesians 5:8-9
PASSAGE: Romans 13:6-7 - "For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." PAUSE: You do not have to agree with everything the government spends your tax money on. In fact, you never will. But agreement is not a requirement for us to honor God in paying our taxes. Referring back to yesterday's devotional, this is a matter that falls under "house rules." Since the leaders governing us have decided on a certain method of raising the funds required to run the city/state/country, we must honor that as citizens of this land. When disagreements arise about how the funds are used, with respect and honor, use the means available under the law to make changes. Voice your opinions with respect, and use your power to vote to make positive impacts toward God-honoring leadership. PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for the many good things the government does with our taxes to better our society and keep it safe. We pray that our leaders will make wise, God-honoring decisions in leading this city/state/country. We pray that when they stray, we as Christians can reflect your light and point to a better way. Help me to be way more prayerful for our government leaders. Amen.
PASSAGE: Romans 13:5 - "Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience." PAUSE: Have you ever been a guest in someone's home and they explained the "house rules" to you? These expectations or guidelines might be different from the way you govern your own house, but it doesn't necessarily mean they're wrong. Some friends prefer that we take our shoes off at the door, while others don't mind if you leave them on. It is not that it is inherently sinful to leave my shoes on, but if I were to deliberately disobey the house rules, my conscience should start to nag at me and guide me to make the right decision. Many of our government's laws fall under this same category -- it's not that it's governing a matter of sin, but its explaining the way that our leaders have defined the house rules we should operate under. When you disobey a law like this, it may not be under subjection of God's wrath, but your disobedience may cloud your conscience. Since God has established government as an authority we are to submit to, we must walk in submissive obedience in order to live with a clear conscience. PRAYER: Lord, I commit to live my life with integrity concerning all things, including all my dealings with law and government in order that I might live with a clear conscience before You! Amen.
PASSAGE: Romans 13:3-4 - "For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer." PAUSE: Mamma used to say, “If you do what is right you don’t need to worry about getting in trouble.” The opposite is also true. This passage tells us that when we are wronged we do not have to take personal revenge because God has placed authorities as “avengers who carry out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” This possibly includes capital punishment. (“he does not bear the sword in vain”). Again, it is this role of governing authority that keeps a society from descending into chaos! This passage also reminds believers that our role in the world is to “do what is good!” We are not saved BY good works but we are saved FOR good works! (See Eph. 2:8-10). We are to be preserving salt in a world that is wasting away. We are to be God’s light in a world gone dark with evil. We are to get up every day and say to God, “I’m reporting for service, what acts of kindness, goodness, love, generosity do you want me to do in Your Name today?” Then go do it! PRAYER: Lord, help me to learn Your ways and help me to walk in them with Your strength. Help me to find the good that You want me to engage in and I will commit myself to living out that good. Amen.
