Pastor Gary's OYB Devotion Archive for January 10

HOW WE FACE DEATH REVEALS OUR FAITH

From: January 10, 2024

“After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan” (Genesis 23:19 ESV).

The first record in the Bible of a man weeping is Abraham weeping at his wife’s death. Yet, the man of faith, did not falter in grief, nor become disheartened in despair. By faith, he bought a piece of land with a cave to bury his wife, believing that he and his descendants would one day possess the whole land. The purchase was an expression of his faith that the entire land of Canaan was promised to him and would one day belong to his children. However, as a sojourner in the land, he surely longed for that heavenly city “whose designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10). The way he faced the death of his beloved Sarah revealed his faith in God’s promises.

It is our faith in God’s promises that strengthen us to face death. For we believe the words that Jesus spoke to Martha at the death of her brother Lazarus. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).

When we are faced with death, we are faced with the same question, “Do you believe this?” For those who are able to answer, “Yes Lord, I believe,” their grief is overcome with hope.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we grieve but not as those without hope. For we believe in the promise of eternal life through faith in Your Son, Jesus. Now strengthen us to live fearlessly for Him by Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.

WHO SITS ON THE THRONE OF YOUR HEART?

From: January 10, 2023

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT).

What does the Bible mean by the “heart?” It is a metaphor for the inner self, where a person’s character, with its thoughts, motives and attitudes, dwells. The heart is the seat of the will. It is the throne of one’s life from which choices and actions originate.

In this proverb, we are essentially instructed to put the LORD on the throne of our hearts, to trust His will over our own. The proverb gives both a positive and a negative command: Trust God. Don’t trust yourself.

How many times have you regretted following your own advice? Your understanding was flawed and you suffered the consequences of relying on it. We must come to see that our own understanding is negatively affected by our fallen nature, by our sin-stained hearts. As the prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

Recognizing our heart condition, we decide to trust the Lord’s heart, the Lord’s will, rather than our own. We surrender the throne of our hearts to the Lord saying, “Lord, You take over. I want Your will, not mine.”

Doing this, we experience heart transformation. We receive a new heart that only wants what the Lord wants.

Put your trust in the Lord and in His Word. Rely on Him. He will never fail you. His wisdom is perfect. His understanding is flawless. He will guide you on the right paths.

PRAYER: Dear Father, there is so much that is out of order and upside down in our world today. There is so much chaos and confusion. Yet, we will trust in You. Lead us. Guide us. Instruct us in Your way. We surrender the throne of our hearts to You. For we will not lean on our own understanding. We are leaning on You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 8:11 NLT).

From: January 10, 2022

WILL YOU SIT DOWN WITH ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB?

A Roman centurion came to Jesus at Capernaum asking for healing for his young servant. Jesus offered to come to his home and heal the servant. But the centurion replied that he wasn’t worthy to have Jesus under his roof. Instead, he said that he believed that Jesus need only “say the word” and his servant would be healed.

Jesus was amazed at the centurion’s faith, saying he had not seen such great faith even in Israel. Jesus added that “many Gentiles” would soon come from east and west to sit down with the patriarchs of the Jewish faith. In this, Jesus was announcing that the Kingdom of God would include faithful Gentiles like the Roman centurion. For He was teaching that entry into the Kingdom was by faith in Him, not by works nor Jewish birthright. For his next words stated that those who thought themselves sons of the kingdom simply because they were Jews, would in fact be “thrown into outer darkness.”

Finally, Jesus turned back to the centurion saying, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.

There is coming a Day when those who have put their faith in Jesus will sit down at the wedding supper with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, along with this faithful centurion, and with Jesus sitting at the head. For believers from every nation, tribe and tongue who have trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior will be together with the Lord forevermore!

Have you made plans to sit at this table?

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, we look forward to that Day. Yet, we ask for strength and wisdom to serve You until that time. May we fulfill all that You have purposed for us. Until that time, may You find us faithful. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 HCSB).

From: January 10, 2021

WHERE DO YOU PLACE YOUR TRUST?

The proverb gives both a positive and a negative command: “Trust God, not yourself.” How many times have you regretted following your own advice? Your understanding was flawed and you suffered the consequences for relying on it. Have you not understood that your own understanding is negatively affected by your fallen nature? You do not actually have your own best interest in mind, nor that of others. Your thinking is infected with the lust of the flesh.

But we do not have to rely on our own fallen understanding. As the apostle John wrote: “The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever” (1 John 2:16-17).

Put your trust in the Lord and in His Word. Rely on Him. He will never fail you. His wisdom is perfect. His understanding is flawless. He will guide you on the right paths.

PRAYER: Dear Father, there is so much that is out of order and upside down in our world today. There is so much chaos and confusion. Yet, we will trust in You. Lead us. Guide us. Instruct us in Your way. For we will not lean on our own understanding. We are leaning on You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:11 NKJV).

From: January 10, 2020

WILL YOU SIT DOWN WITH ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB?

A Roman centurion came to Jesus at Capernaum asking for healing for his servant. Jesus offered to come and heal the servant. But the centurion replied that he wasn’t worthy to have Jesus under his roof. Instead, he said that he believed that Jesus need only “speak a word” and his servant would be healed.

Jesus was amazed at the centurion’s faith, saying he had not seen such great faith even in Israel. Jesus added that “many” would soon come from east and west to sit down with the patriarchs of the Jewish faith. In this, Jesus was announcing that the Kingdom of God would include many Gentiles like the Roman centurion. He also was teaching that entry into the Kingdom was by faith in Him, not by Jewish birthright. For his next words stated that those who thought themselves “sons of the kingdom” simply because they were Jews, would in fact be “cast into outer darkness.”

Finally, Jesus turned back to the centurion saying, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

There is coming a Day when those who have put their faith in Jesus will sit down at the wedding supper with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, along with this faithful centurion, and with Jesus sitting at the head. For believers from every nation, tribe and tongue who have trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior will be together with the Lord forevermore!

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, we look forward to that Day. Yet, we ask for strength and wisdom to serve You until that time. May we fulfill all that You have purposed for us. Until that time, may You find us faithful. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.” (Genesis 24:4 NLT).

From: January 10, 2019

FINDING A WIFE FOR THE FATHER’S SON

Abraham instructed his most faithful servant to go to his homeland and find a wife for Isaac, his son. In this narrative a picture of God the Father sending the Spirit to the Bride of Christ, which is the Church, might be seen. Like the Spirit, the servant is fully obedient. He goes where the father sent him, he says what the father told him, and he finds a bride for the son from the father’s own family. Yes, this is a beautiful picture of the Spirit’s work on behalf of the Father, the Son and the Church.

What a faithful Servant is the Holy Spirit! He finds us and prepares us for Jesus, the Son of the Father.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for Your Spirit. He is our Comforter and Advocate. He helps us and comes alongside us and lives within us to seal and keep us. Dear Spirit, lead, guide and direct us today. In Jesus name, Amen.

“So Abraham bought the plot of land belonging to Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre. This included the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees” (Genesis 23:17 NLT).

From: January 10, 2018

The Lord had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham, yet he lived in the land as “a stranger and a foreigner” (Gen. 23:4). But when his wife, Sarah, died. he bought a plot of land for her burial. The first record in the Bible of a man weeping is Abraham weeping at his wife’s death. Yet, the man of faith, did not falter in grief, nor become disheartened in despair. He bought a small piece of land to bury his wife, knowing that one day soon, his body would be laid beside hers. By faith, he bought the plot, believing that his descendants would one day possess the whole land. However, as a sojourner in the land, he longed for that city “whose designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10).

Four years ago, I bought two grave plots for my wife and I next to the plot for my grandson, Conner, when he passed away. I bought plots that face East. I want to be facing in the right direction when the trump sounds and the dead in Christ rise to meet the Lord in the air.

‘Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour’ (Matthew 8:13 NKJV).

From: January 10, 2017

This was the centurion according to Luke’s gospel that had built the synagogue in Capernaum (Luke 7:5). He was probably the commander of the Roman garrison in Capernaum and was very familiar with the Jewish religion and culture. He came to Jesus asking Him to heal his servant. Jesus immediately agreed to go to the centurion’s home and heal his servant. But the Roman commander insisted that he was “not worthy” of having the Lord enter his home and that if only He would “speak a word” he knew that his servant would be healed. This expressed both his awareness of Jewish reluctance to enter a Gentile’s home (Not specifically forbidden by Moses, but had become a Pharisaic practice), and his faith that Jesus had the authority to heal. The centurion went on the explain his understanding of Christ’s authority, saying it was similar to how he could command his soldiers and they obeyed. Christ commended the centurion’s faith and sent him on his way, having healed the servant according to the centurion’s request. When the centurion returned home he found that his servant had been healed at the very “same hour” that Jesus had spoke.

Oh, to have such faith! To believe that Christ has authority over all things and that His Word has the power to command all things to obey.

“You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell, but you shall go to my father’s house and to my clan and take a wife for my son” (Genesis 24:37-38 ESV)

From: January 10, 2016

Abraham instructed his servant to get a wife for his son Isaac from his “father’s house,” not from the Canaanites which surrounded them. Abraham wanted to make sure that his son’s spouse believed as they did, not only for marital compatibility, but also for the future upbringing of their children. We have to be careful in drawing an application from a narrative passage, but there does seem to be one here. Believers should choose to marry other believers who belong to the “Father’s house,” and not choose a spouse from this world. Another application might be that we should let the Father help in selecting our future mate. These are practical applications. We might also see a spiritual foreshadowing in this beautiful story of God the Father, sending His Spirit to bring the bride, which is the church, to His awaiting Son, Jesus.

And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Matthew 8:2-3 NKJV)

From: January 10, 2015

Notice the approach of the leper. First, he came to Jesus, second, he worshiped, third, he asked for the Lord’s will, then finally, he expressed his faith that the Lord was completely able to heal and make him clean. We can learn much from the order and attitude of the leper’s “prayer.”
Then notice Christ’s response. First, he touched the leper. Don’t miss this. He could’ve just healed him from a distance like He did the centurion’s servant. Leprosy was a devastating disease. It made one unclean, so that they were excluded from Temple worship. Lepers were excommunicated from the community. They were required to yell, “Unclean!” as they approached to warn others away. The disease was progressive and caused sores and white scales to appear, damaging the skin, nerves and eventually muscle tissue. Extremities (nose, ears, fingers, toes, etc.) would die and rot away over time. No one would touch them for fear of catching the disease. Yet, Christ touched the leper, expressed His willingness to heal him, then with a word, said, “Be cleansed.” And he was.
Christ was willing not only to heal us from a distance, but to come to us, touching us, and taking our sin upon Himself and thus cleansing us from all unrighteousness. Christ is willing and able to save those who come to Him.