Pastor Gary's OYB Devotion Archive for January 6

FEAR NOT

From: January 6, 2024

‘After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”’ (Genesis 15:1 ESV).

After Abram had led an army to rescue his nephew Lot from captivity, and had refused to take his portion of the spoils, “the word of the Lord came” to him, saying, “Fear not.”

Abram perceived this “word” in a “vision.” A vision is a thing seen, but how does one see a spoken word? Surely this Word is the preincarnate Christ, whom the apostle John described in his gospel saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

So the Word came to Abram, calling him by name, seeking to alleviate his fears and offering him solace. But what was it that Abram feared? Abram had not voiced any fears. Yet, the Lord knew his heart, so there must’ve been anxiety there. Did the Lord say, “I am your shield,” because Abram feared the reprisal of the kings he’d defeated in rescuing Lot? Did the Lord promise him a “great reward” because Abram now regretted refusing to take his portion of the spoils?

Perhaps. But more likely the source of Abram’s fear was revealed in his response to the Lord when he said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir” (Gen. 15:3). Abram was getting older and his great fear was that he would die without the Lord having given him a son.

In response, the Word came to him again saying that his servant wouldn’t be his heir, but that his “very own son” would be his heir, indeed his offspring would be like the stars of heaven. And Abram believed the LORD, “and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6).

Soon God would give Abram a son in his old age. Yet the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise to be his shield and his great reward wouldn’t be fully realized until centuries later when the ultimate offspring of Abraham was given, namely, Christ Jesus. For Christ Jesus is the promised Seed of Abraham (Gal.3:16) and the Word made flesh (John 1:14). And all who believe in Christ are children of Abraham by faith too. Therefore, “Fear not!”

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for Jesus. He is our shield and our very great reward. We need not fear for Jesus is ours and we are His. Thank you for the confidence and freedom from fear we have in Jesus. For in His name we pray, amen.

GOD’S UNFAILING LOVE

From: January 6, 2023

“Return, O Lord, and rescue me. Save me because of your unfailing love” (Psalm 6:4 NLT).

In weakness and affliction, David cried out to the Lord. He felt distant from the Lord, so he prayed that the Lord would “return” to him, as if the Lord had somehow moved away. He cried out for “rescue,” asking the Lord to save him because of His “unfailing love.” This “unfailing love” is from the Hebrew word, “chesed,” which can be translated “lovingkindness,” or “loving-mercy.” It is a close synonym for the Greek word, “agape,” which is God’s unconditional, sacrificial love.

David knew that he was a sinner that needed mercy, so he prayed according to God’s “chesed” love. He prayed that God would respond according to His own character of love, rather than David’s deserving of it.

We may sometimes feel that God has turned away from us, when in actuality, we have turned away from Him. At times like this, let us remember His promise, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). And let us join with David in trusting in God’s unfailing love for us.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we draw near to You this day. Forgive us of our sins. Purify our hearts. Draw near to us that we might be encouraged and strengthened. Give us this day all that we need to serve You. According to Your unfailing love and in the name of Your Son, Jesus, we pray, amen.

“Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away” (Genesis 15:11 NLT).

From: January 6, 2022

CHASING AWAY DISTRACTIONS

Abram had prepared the sacrifice as the Lord had commanded. Yet, as he waited on the Lord, vultures swooped down to eat it. Abram chased them away. He would not let them steal his offering, nor distract him from waiting on the Lord. He was focused on hearing from God.

When we commit to offer a daily sacrifice of Bible reading and prayer to the Lord, many “vultures” attempt to distract us. External distractions like pets, a ringing phone, social media and even family members, can distract us from focusing on God. We must learn to chase them away by finding a quiet time and place away from such distractions.

Then there are the most difficult “vultures” of distraction. These are the ones that come from within us. Distracting thoughts that come from anxiety, doubt, fatigue, temptation, and even busyness of mind. Like Martha, we must hear the Lord’s voice saying, “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed” (Luke 10:41). That “one thing” we need focus on is Jesus!

So, let’s be determined to chase away every distraction. For we know that “birds” will try to “eat the seed” (See Mark 4) of God’s Word before we can take it in. But we must chase them away!

PRAYER: Lord, there are many things both within and without that try to distract us from hearing from You. Help us to chase away every distraction and focus on Your Word and on Your Spirit. We are weak and easily lose focus, but strengthen us to wait on You, being satisfied with nothing less than Your voice. In Jesus name, Amen.

“Turn, Lord! Rescue me; save me because of Your faithful love” (Psalm 6:4 HCSB).

From: January 6, 2021

HAS GOD REALLY TURNED AWAY FROM YOU?

In weakness and affliction, David cried out to the Lord. He felt distant from the Lord, so he prayed that the Lord would “turn” towards him, as if the Lord had somehow moved away. He cried out for rescue, asking the Lord to save him because of His “faithful love.” This “faithful love” is from the Hebrew, “chesed,” which can be translated “lovingkindness,” or “loving-mercy.” For David knew that he was a sinner that needed mercy, not justice. He therefore prayed that God would base His response on His own character of “faithful love” and not on David’s character.

We often feel the that God has turned away from us, when in actuality, we have turned away from Him. Let us recognize our need to humble ourselves before the Lord, repenting of our sin and drawing near to the Lord. As the apostle James wrote, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you” (James 4:8-10).

PRAYER: Dear Father, we draw near to You this day. Forgive us of our sins. Purify our hearts. Draw near to us that we might be encouraged and strengthened. Give us this day all that we need to serve You. According to Your faithful love and in the name of Your Son, Jesus, we pray, amen.

“Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away” (Matthew 5:42 NKJV).

From: January 6, 2020

LIVING GENEROUSLY

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He taught that citizens of His Kingdom should respond generously to those who ask for help. Of course we might think of many reasons why the one doing the asking might be undeserving, but that shouldn’t be our first thought. Our first inclination as followers of Jesus should always be generosity. Are there exceptions when giving cash to an addict is not really helping, but actually enabling. Certainly. But that doesn’t mean we can’t offer them a meal or some other help.

Jesus said that “God so loved that He gave” (John 3:16). As followers of Jesus we are those who have been saved by God’s great sacrificial love, expressed by giving His Son to die in our place. As the apostle Paul wrote, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32).

As God’s children, we are to be like Him. Are we ready to draw on God’s generosity by being those who “freely give” as our Father does?

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for your loving and sacrificial generosity towards us in giving us Your Son. We can never repay this gift. Yet, we want to be like You. Teach us to live our lives with generosity. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away” (Genesis 15:11 NLT).

From: January 6, 2019

DISTRACTIONS THAT MUST BE CHASED AWAY

Abram had prepared the sacrifice as the Lord had commanded. Yet, as he waited on the Lord, vultures swooped down to eat it. Abram chased them away. He would not let them distract him from waiting on the Lord. He was focused on hearing from God.

When we commit to offer a daily sacrifice of Bible reading and prayer to the Lord, many “vultures” attempt to distract us. External distractions like pets, a ringing phone, social media and even family members, can distract us from focusing on God. We must learn to chase them away by finding a quiet time and place away from such distractions.

Then there are the most difficult “vultures of distraction.” These are the ones that come from within us. Distracting thoughts that come from anxiety, doubt, fatigue, temptation, and even busyness of mind. Like Martha, we must hear the Lord’s voice saying, “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed” (Luke 10:41). That “one thing” we need focus on is Jesus!

So, let’s be determined to chase away every distraction. For we know that the “birds” will try to “eat the seed” (See Mark 4) of God’s Word before we can take it in.

PRAYER: Lord, there are many things both within and without that try to distract us from hearing from You. Help us to chase away every distraction and focus on Your Word and on Your Spirit. We are weak and easily lose focus, but strengthen us to wait on You, being satisfied with nothing less than Your voice. In Jesus name, Amen.

“And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Genesis 15:6 NLT).

From: January 6, 2018

What did Abram do to be considered righteous? It was not “what” he did, but “Who” he believed. For it was by believing the Lord that he was “counted as righteous.” The apostle Paul wrote of this saying, “The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” (Rom. 4:23-24). When the crowds following Jesus asked, “‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent’” (John 6:28-29).

Neither the Old, nor the New Testaments, teach that righteousness comes through law-keeping. Righteousness is credited to those who have put their faith in Jesus. As the Scripture says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

‘After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”‘ (Genesis 15:1 NKJV).

From: January 6, 2017

Abram gave his nephew, Lot, first choice of the land and Lot chose the Jordan valley, so Abram stayed in the hills of Hebron. Later, the people of the valley were caught up in a war and Lot, his family and possessions were taken as spoils. Abram mustered his men and pursued those who had taken Lot. He defeated them and brought back Lot with all the people and goods taken. Upon his return, Abram gave a tithe of the spoils to Melchizedek, but refused to keep any of the spoils for himself, insisting that he had sworn an oath to the Lord that he would take nothing lest they should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ Abram let Lot choose the best of the land, and after rescuing him and all the people and goods taken, he refused the spoils. Yet, after returning home from this great victory empty-handed, he must’ve had some fear and anxiety. For God came to him in a vision telling him not to be afraid, for the Lord Himself was his “shield” and his “exceedingly great reward.”

When we choose to answer God’s call and depend on Him for our provision, we will encounter days of doubt and fear. Often, these days will come right after a great victory. On days like this, be encouraged. For God Himself is our protector and our “exceedingly great reward!”

“But I say to you…” (Matthew 5:28 ESV)

From: January 6, 2016

A repetitive phrase that Jesus used in His Sermon on the Mount to contrast the letter of the law with the spirit of the law. “You have heard it said…” that thou shall not kill… thou shall not commit adultery… thou shall not divorce… “but I say…” Jesus listed many of the ten commandments and levitical laws and challenged His hearers to understand that even the attitude that precedes the action is sin. As Jesus illustrated, “everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Those who thought that they had kept the law and were therefore righteous, now understood that they weren’t. Jesus taught that the action of sin begins with the attitude of sin. Encountering Jesus we are convicted of our self-righteousness, the sinful attitudes of our hearts are exposed, and our need for salvation is revealed. Many will turn away, determined to cling to their own self-efforts at being “good.” But some will admit the condition of their hearts deadened by sin and receive Jesus, and their hearts will come alive in Christ!

“Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him” (Genesis 15:12 NKJV)

From: January 6, 2015

After Abram (His name before God changed it to “Abraham” – “Father of nations”) had divided the sacrificial animals and arranged them according to God’s instruction, a great sense of “horror” came over him with the setting of the sun. God was approaching. One commentator has observed, “Holy fear prepares the soul for holy joy; God humbles first, then lifts up.” This meeting with God was preceded by Abram’s questioning of God’s promised seed. Abraham had questioned, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless?”
Have you ever spent the night in prayer questioning God and waiting for an answer? If you have, you may have experienced what Abram did, holy terror. God let the hem of His holiness touch Abram and it was enough to horrify. Then, God made a covenant (Literally “cut” a covenant, as the origin of the word covenant implied the shedding of blood to seal it.) with Abram by passing between the sacrificed animals, prophesying his offspring’s slavery in Egypt and God’s deliverance. When the sun arose the next morning, Abram’s questioning and terror had been replaced with faith and holy joy.