Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
The Daily Nugget is a weekday devotional written by Pastor Jim Sole. We hope you find encouragement, guidance, and conviction unto holiness through the scriptures and commentary.
Are we devoted to the Lord? I know that may seem like a silly question for readers of the nugget. I would boldly assume all of us would answer “Of course. I love the Lord. I am devoted to Him.” I would say that too, but then again, I had to stop and do some real soul-searching with the words “Am I?” and just because I am a pastor doesn’t mean I am devoted or have arrived to the point of absolute surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. My vocation is what I do; my identity as a Christian is what I am. And devotion to God is to define that identity for you and me. Today, let’s look at devotion in two ways; first from God to us, then us back to Him.
I want you to be honest. Real honest. Are there ever any Sunday mornings you don’t feel like going to church? If you were to tell me, “Nope. I have never once had a Sunday I didn’t want to go to church.” If that is you, I am envious. I cannot say that . . . I’ve experienced a Sunday or two when I wasn’t too thrilled about going to church. And I think each of you would be in my camp, but before I offer the strongest motivator possible to be faithful to church, week-in and week-out, I want to identify four reasons or excuses for missing church.
How would we define Christian faith? What does genuine saving faith really look like? What would make us assured we had the right type of faith? In defining the faith of Christianity, we are given two specific objects which are to be the direction our faith takes; the Person of our God and the revelation of that God through His two means of revealing Himself; creation and His written Word. Faith involves a trust in the God prayed to and the action of praying to this trusted God. We will find the Lord repeatedly acknowledging that true faith in Him includes both trust in His Person and acts of obedience to His Word. In today’s scripture, we find Jesus telling us this truth. Let’s consider two applications from His words.
Today’s scripture provides the necessary elements for a church to be healthy (Acts 2:42). All of these must be active, alive, and safeguarded if we are to model God’s design for the church He reveals in His Word. There are four identified by Luke. First, there must be the commitment to sound Biblical teaching or doctrine. The next element in a healthy church is fellowship among God’s people. A third element in a healthy church is observance of the Lord’s table – “the breaking of bread.” The final element in a healthy church is a vibrant prayer ministry.
I often ask myself self-examination questions like this, “Jim, are you growing in grace? Are you getting closer to Christ? Is the Fruit of the Spirit blossoming more in you now than last week, month, or year? Is spiritual maturity something you recognize happening in you?” These are difficult questions because they require honest, unhurried time with the Lord to mediate and listen to His voice through His Word in order to answer them. They also are difficult because we need another input outside of ourselves because of the treachery and self-deception in our hearts (Jeremiah 17:9). So, what are some signs that we may see in our lives that we are growing in Christ and exhibiting spiritual maturity?
One could and likely should spend significant amount of time pondering the words of Jesus as He hung on the cross. There are seven things He said. The first one revealed His love for sinners. He looked out over the mocking crowd, His weeping mother, saddened disciples, and the curious bystanders and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). In today’s scripture, are the last words He would speak before dying, “It is finished.” Let’s consider two situations we must rely upon the finished work of our Lord Jesus on the cross for our daily walk with Him.