Pastor Gary's OYB Devotion Archive for May 12

THE CHALLENGE OF SHARING YOUR FAITH WITH FAMILY

From: May 12, 2025

“For not even his brothers believed in him” (John 7:5 ESV).

Jesus had four younger half-brothers named James, Joses, Judas and Simon and several unnamed sisters (Mark 6:3) by his mother, Mary and his adopted father, Joseph. Prior to Christ’s resurrection his brothers didn’t believe in him. We don’t read much about them, but here John records how they gave Jesus advice about how to become more famous. Jesus calmly replied to them that they didn’t understand God’s timing nor purpose for him.

Often the hardest people to live out your faith in front of is your own family. They have expectations of you and when you don’t live up to them, they punish you with biting comments. Yet, Jesus was obedient to God’s will for him.

After they saw him suffer and rise again, his brothers ultimately believed. James and Judas (Jude) both authored New Testament books. James, who became the lead pastor of the first church of Jerusalem, opened his little book with “James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1). Can you think of a more convincing testimony for Jesus than this?

Does your family know your testimony of faith?

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for giving us Jesus that we might believe and be saved. Yet many of us have family members who do not believe. Soften their hearts and open their eyes that they might believe in Jesus too. Strengthen us that we might be a faithful witness to them. In Jesus’ name, amen.

THE GENTLE WORDS OF A MOTHER

From: May 12, 2024

“A gentle tongue is a tree of life” (Proverbs 15:4 ESV).

In our One Year Bible reading today I was looking for something to say to bless and encourage mothers. This passage from Proverbs seemed appropriate.

I often remember the gentle words of my mother. She always sought to encourage her children and grandchildren with her words. What made her words even more profound, was her habit of salting them with the Word of God. For she was a lover of the Bible from her youth.

My dear mother is with the Lord now, but I see this same trait in my sweet wife, Robin. Her words are always gentle and encouraging. They truly give life to our kids and grandkids. I’m thankful to have had a mother and to have a wife who offers such gentle and life-giving words.

Words have power, power to bless and power to curse, power to build up and power to tear down. Yet gentle words are a tree of life.

PRAYER: Thank you Father for the gift of mothers. You have entrusted to them the bearing of children. But more than that, You are ready to gift them with the life-giving power of Your gentleness, so that their children may be drawn to You. Lord, bless our mothers this day. In Jesus’ name, amen.

SEEKING GOD’S GLORY

From: May 12, 2023

“Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies” (John 7:18 NLT).

The crowds gathered in the Temple to hear Jesus were amazed at His teaching. They wondered how He had such knowledge and wisdom without training. He responded that His message came from God who sent Him. He did not speak for Himself. He did not seek His own glory, but to bring glory and honor to God. His answer was also an accusation against the Jewish leaders who claimed to be teachers. Jesus accused them of seeking glory for themselves.

Let us seek to be like Jesus. Let us always speak, so that Jesus gets the glory. How ugly is the human temptation to seek our own glory and to care for our own image. May we all grow in our commitment to speak in a way that glorifies Christ and not ourselves. And may we always understand that we represent Christ every time we speak.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we desire to always speak and live in a way that brings glory to You and to Your Son. As we study Your Word, set our hearts aflame with Your Spirit, so that we speak in a way that always brings You glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“For not even his brothers believed in him” (John 7:5 NLT).

From: May 12, 2022

THE CHALLENGE OF SHARING YOUR FAITH WITH FAMILY

Jesus had four younger half-brothers named James, Joses, Judas and Simon and several unnamed sisters (Mark 6:3) by his mother, Mary and his adopted father, Joseph. Prior to Christ’s resurrection his brothers didn’t believe in him. We don’t read much about them, but here John records how they gave Jesus sarcastic advice about how to become more famous. Jesus calmly replied to them that they didn’t understand God’s timing nor purpose for him.

Often the hardest people to live out your faith in front of is your own family. They have expectations of you and when you don’t live up to them, they punish you with biting comments. Yet, Jesus was obedient to God’s will for him.

After they saw him suffer and rise again, his family finally believed. James and Judas (Jude) both authored New Testament books. James, who became the lead pastor of the first church of Jerusalem, opened his little book with “James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1). Can you think of a more convincing testimony for Jesus than this?

Does your family know your testimony of faith?

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for giving us Jesus that we might believe and be saved. Yet many of us have family members who do not believe. Soften their hearts and open their eyes that they might believe in Jesus too. Strengthen us that we might be a faithful witness to them. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“The one who speaks for himself seeks his own glory. But He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him” (John 7:18 HCSB).

From: May 12, 2021

SPEAKING FOR GOD’S GLORY

The crowds gathered in the Temple to hear Jesus were amazed at His teaching. They wondered how He had such knowledge and wisdom without training. He responded that His message came from God who sent Him. He did not speak for Himself. He did not seek His own glory, but to bring glory to God. His answer was also an accusation against the Jewish leaders who claimed to be teachers. Jesus accused them of seeking glory for themselves.

Let us seek to be like Jesus. Let us always speak, so that Jesus gets the glory. How ugly is the human temptation to seek our own glory and to care for our own image. May we all grow in our commitment to speak in a way that glorifies Christ and not ourselves. And may we always understand that we represent Christ every time we speak.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we desire to always speak and live in a way that brings glory to You and to Your Son. As we study Your Word, set our hearts aflame with Your Spirit, so that we speak in a way that always brings You glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority” (John 7:17 NKJV).

From: May 12, 2020

THOSE WHO DESIRE THE WILL OF GOD WILL DESIRE TO KNOW AND FOLLOW JESUS

When Jesus went up to Jerusalem and began to teach in the Temple, the Jews were amazed by His teaching. For they wondered how an unlettered man from Galilee could teach with such great insight and learning. They were accustomed to judging a man’s doctrine by the rabbinic school from which he had graduated. But Jesus didn’t fit their box. They didn’t recognize His source of authority. For they looked to men, when they should’ve recognized that His authority came from God.

Those who truly desire to do the will of God will recognize that Jesus was sent by God and seek to follow Him. The one who claims to be doing the will of God, and yet rejects the doctrine of Jesus, is a liar.

No one can fully do the will of God because of sin. It causes us to fall short. As the apostle Paul wrote, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Yet, we can “will” to do His will when we recognize Jesus as Lord and Savior.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we want to follow Your will in all things. Therefore we trust in Jesus to give us not only the willpower to do Your will, but also the working power to follow it. For apart from Christ Jesus, we can do nothing. But abiding in Him we can do all things. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Gentle words are a tree of life” (Proverbs 15:4 NLT).

From: May 13, 2019

THE GENTLE WORDS OF MOTHERS

In our One Year Bible reading today I was looking for something to say to bless and encourage our mothers. This passage from Proverbs seemed appropriate.

I often remember the gentle words of my mother. She always sought to encourage her children and grandchildren with her words. What made her words even more profound, was her habit of salting them with the Word of God. For she was a lover of the Bible from her youth. My dear mother is with the Lord now, but I see this same trait in my sweet wife, Robin. Her words are always gentle and encouraging. They truly give life to our kids and grandkids. I’m thankful to have had a mother and to have a wife who offers such gentle and life-giving words to their families.

Words have power, power to bless and power to curse, power to build up and the power to tear down. Yet, gentle words are a tree of life.

PRAYER: Thank you Father for the gift of mothers. You have entrusted to them the bearing of children. But more than that, You are ready to gift them with the life-giving power of Your gentleness, so that their children may be drawn to You. Lord, bless our mothers this day. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies” (John 7:18 NLT).

From: May 12, 2018

FOR WHOM DO YOU SPEAK?

The crowds gathered in the Temple to hear Jesus were amazed at His teaching. They wondered how He had such knowledge and wisdom without training. He responded that His message came from God who sent Him. He did not speak for Himself. He did not seek His own glory, but to bring glory to God. His answer was also an accusation against the Jewish leaders who claimed to be teachers. Jesus accused them of seeking glory for themselves.

I want to be like Jesus. I want to always speak, so that Jesus gets the glory. How ugly is the human temptation to seek our own glory and to care for our own image. May we all grow in our commitment to speak in a way that glorifies Christ and not ourselves.

“I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples, And I will sing praises to You among the nations” (Psalm 108:3 NKJV).

From: May 12, 2017

David declared his intent to praise the Lord not only among his own people in Israel, but to sing praises among all the peoples and nations of the world. This is evidence of God’s Spirit at work in David. For it was always God’s intent to bless the whole world through the seed of Abraham. As the Lord said to Abraham, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 22:18).

That “Seed” is Christ Jesus, the Son of David, the Son of God. And the Spirit that worked in David to declare God’s praise among the nations, now works in us, moving us to fulfill Christ’s commission to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19).

“For not even his brothers believed in him” (John 7:5 ESV)

From: May 12, 2016

Jesus had four younger half-brothers named James, Joses, Judas and Simon and several unnamed sisters (Mark 6:3) by his mother, Mary and his adopted father, Joseph. Prior to Christ’s resurrection his brothers didn’t believe in him. We don’t read much about them, but here John records how they gave Jesus sarcastic advice about how to become more famous. Jesus calmly replied to them that they didn’t understand God’s timing nor purpose for him. Often the hardest people to live out your faith in front of is your own family. They have expectations of you and when you don’t live up to them, they punish you with biting comments. Yet, Jesus was obedient to God’s will for him. And after they saw him suffer and rise again, his family finally believed. James and Judas (Jude) both authored NT books. James, who became the lead pastor of the first church of Jerusalem, opened his little book with “James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1). Can you think of a more convincing testimony for Jesus than this?