THE GREATEST GIFTS – Day 5

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THE GIFT OF WORK TO DO AT GOD’S REQUEST

Could it be that work is a gift? Absolutely! And not just any work, but work to do for God. Important work. Necessary work.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, NASB).

Now, at first blush, this may seem quite contrary to the previous verse of being saved by faith alone, but really it is not. It is actually an affirmation.

Do you know that God has something for you to do today? He has ordained it. Good works, not for our benefit nor even so that we will earn our salvation, but a project, a deed, a word to speak, a hug to give, a stack of dishes to wash, a bed to make, or a prayer to offer. Yes, God can rearrange circumstances so that these works, these tasks that we do in His name, could come from someone else, but He delights when we do them because, by our doing them in His name, our faith is built up, and we are then drawn into a deeper relationship with the Father.

Let us not forget that Jesus did good works, even when it was considered unlawful to do so!

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. (Mark 3:1-6, NIV).

The Pharisees didn’t know what to do with a law-breaker like Jesus when He performed good works.

When we do good works, this is what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Feeding the poor. Handing out a water bottle to someone in the park on a hot day. Building a wheelchair ramp. Cleaning up a widow’s yard overgrown with weeds and shrubs. Simply loving our neighbor.

But please be careful. Many well-intentioned folks will tell you that your good works will earn you a special place in heaven. Only God’s grace and unconditional love grant us access to the eternal Kingdom.

Do you know that the word “workmanship” means we are God’s masterpieces? He is Creator. We are the created ones. Lovely. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Works of art. The best way to showcase God the creator, God the artist, is to do the good works He has for us. So, let’s do them out of love for the Creator! Out of love for the ability, the gift, of doing them so that His Kingdom is increased.

So, roll up those sleeves and get going. You have work to do! Receive this gift joyfully, the gift of work to do on God’s Behalf.

PRAYER

Father God, help me to be your hands and your feet today. Help me love my neighbors as I love myself. Help me to do good works in your name. Not because it will benefit me, but so that You may be glorified and so that Your Kingdom will come on this earth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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This advent devotional can be found on the YouVersion Bible App here.

THE GREATEST GIFTS – Day 4

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THE FREE GIFT OF SALVATION

Have you ever received something totally free, with no strings attached? Marketing executives often create advertising campaigns around free giveaways. They’re called “B1G1F.” That’s advertising speak for “Buy One, Get One Free!” Or “BOGOFree!” You know deep down that whatever they give away isn’t free, is it? Somebody had to pay for the free product being given away, right? That person is usually you, in the form of buying something else in the store at a greater markup to cover the cost of the free giveaway.

Well, the gift of salvation is free for you and me. All we have to do is ask for it, and God is quick to give it to us.

Immense in mercy and with incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in the highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah. Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play a major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. (Ephesians 2:4-9, MSG).

When you read this, you can’t help but see that the gift of salvation is a beautiful gift of faith, given not because of anything we’ve done but because of God’s love. He wants to shower grace and kindness upon us. Do you remember when someone just showered grace and kindness upon you? Even when you didn’t deserve it? Perhaps it was a parent, a teacher, a spouse, or a close friend.

God gives. We receive.

If you are a giver, sometimes it can be really hard to receive, can’t it?

There was a season in my life when I gave and gave and gave. I had this spreadsheet all worked out, and I was on track to give away half of my income by the time I turned 50 years old. And then I lost my job. It was my turn to receive. Boy, was that ever a challenge! But God taught me something. In order to truly appreciate the gift, I had to joyfully receive it. During this time, an almost complete stranger gave us a couple of thousand dollars. It was a sacrifice for them to give. I didn’t want to receive it. But then, I realized that if I minimized the gift, I minimized the giver.

Thanks to Jesus’ death on the Cross of Calvary and His gift of laying down His life, we have the gift of life and life eternal. And if He hadn’t been born during this Advent season, He could not have given us this incredible gift.

So open your hands, get down on your knees, and receive this most wonderful gift- the free gift of salvation.

PRAYER

Thank you, God, for the ultimate gift, the free gift of salvation. Please give me a heart that truly appreciates this gift and the giver. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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This advent devotional can be found on the YouVersion Bible App here.

THE GREATEST GIFTS – Day 3

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THE GIFT OF BEING SEALED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

Trained bank tellers and others handling money can distinguish between real currency and counterfeit. The real stuff has markings embedded between the bills’ fibers that can be seen when one knows how to examine the money. Real. Genuine. Authentic.

The third gift is being sealed with the Holy Spirit.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14, NIV).

It is a gift to be sealed in Him by the Holy Spirit!

What does it mean to be sealed in God by the Holy Spirit? Think of a letter or edict in the days of Paul. It was common for a king to write a letter on animal skin parchment, roll it up, and then dip his royal signet ring into hot wax and press the wax onto the parchment, sealing the letter, assuring that if anyone opened the letter, they would crack the seal. It made the letter authentic. It was certified as coming from the king.

So what happens when God seals you with the Holy Spirit? It makes you authentic. It certifies that you are from God and that God protects you. Whoa! Your life as God has chosen you is to be read by others as someone who is “of God.” That is a pretty big responsibility, isn’t it? However, here’s the good news. If you are sealed by the Holy Spirit and walk in the ways God calls you to walk, you reflect God naturally, or perhaps we might say “supernaturally.”

Recall that Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to his followers.

“But when He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the Truth. For He will not speak His own message; but He will tell whatever He hears and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come. He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of what is Mine and will reveal it to you.” (John 16:13, AMP).

The Holy Spirit is leading you into truth. You are reflecting that truth to others. You are sealed, and that seal “is given as a pledge of our inheritance.” (Ephesians 1:14, NASB). It’s a promise from the King! We are His children. We will spend all eternity with the King. More appropriately, we are spending all eternity with the King. He promised it. He sealed it. It’s done. What a gift!

Open your hands and receive this gift today — the gift of being sealed with the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER

Thank you, God, for the gift of being sealed with your Holy Spirit. I am your authentic child who represents the King of kings. Protect me and help me reflect You today in all I am and all I do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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This advent devotional can be found on the YouVersion Bible App here.

THE GREATEST GIFTS – Day 2

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The Gift of Being Adopted as His Children

If you do a Google search on the word “adopted,” you’ll find heartfelt story after story of a child being adopted and given a new life when the birth parent(s) could only provide much less. There are countless examples of the famous and obscure enjoying a fresh life thanks to adoption and being chosen.

God is the ultimate adoptive parent. He has given us the choice of whether we want to be adopted by Him through His Son. Being the omnipotent God that He is, He knows what our choice will be while urging us to become His child. The next gift? Adoption.

“In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1:5, NIV).

Some get hung up on the word “predestined.” Some would suggest that if God has predestined whether I go to heaven, I don’t need to get caught up in His decision. I can act as I want. Since it is mentioned in several other places in the Bible that God wants everyone to be saved, then I’ve been predestined to go to heaven. It doesn’t matter how I act, right? No, that’s not right.

Predestination means God has the plan — and it’s a good and great plan — but we choose whether we will follow it. When we choose God, we receive the inheritance, like sons and daughters. God’s plan for us is clear:

‘“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”’ (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV).

So, why wouldn’t we accept God’s plan for us? It’s a great plan. It’s a wonderful gift!

John Calvin, one of the early Christian faith leaders in the 1500s, wrote and preached much on predestination. He suggested that no one can live a Godly life without the Holy Spirit in him, without God calling that person to be a believer.

Why would a person want to be God’s son or daughter? Romans 8 says God’s love for each person is so immense that nothing can contain God’s love for us. Calvin wrote:

“When we have our adoption engraved in our hearts, then … we have a good and infallible pledge that God will guide us unto the end, and that since he has begun to lead us into the way of salvation, he will bring us to the perfection to which he calls us, because, in truth, without him we could not continue so much as a single day.”

God has called us. God has elected us.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of … the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13, NASB).

God has predestined us to follow Him, embrace the great things He has for us, and love Him. I am thankful for that gift because, with it, He is the One who guides us through this life on our path to spending all of eternity with Him. He guides. We choose.

So the second gift is the gift of adoption. Adoption, as being called God’s son or daughter, and all the love that goes with it!

PRAYER

Thank you, God, for this gift of adoption, of being Your child. I joyfully choose to be your child and receive all the love you give me as my unfailing heavenly Father. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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This advent devotional can be found on the YouVersion Bible App here.

THE GREATEST GIFTS – Day 1

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No trips on donkeys. No angels singing. Not even a baby in a manger. Yet, there are still 25 gifts God wants to give you for Christmas. We can find them in a little, six-chapter book halfway through the New Testament. These are The Greatest Gifts, as revealed in Ephesians. Along the way, you’ll find the gift of love, the gift of salvation, the gift of unity, and many more. Prepare your heart in a special way this Christmas season by receiving, and giving, God’s greatest gifts.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Advent, the season that heralds our Lord Jesus and leads to the celebration of His birth. This devotional will perhaps take a slightly different slant to the season as we open Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. Why Ephesians? You are right to suggest that the book isn’t very “Christmasy.” There are no stories about trips on donkeys, a baby born in a stable, or angels singing outside the window.

However, the book of Ephesians mirrors many writings throughout the Bible. It includes these two main points:

  • God loves you and has a plan for you.
  • That plan includes the gift of hope, glory, power, wisdom, and the love of Jesus, our Messiah.

Even if you have never bowed your knee to Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, know that God loves you and has a plan for you, and He has good gifts for you, His child.

So, let’s take the month of December, between now and Christmas Day, and give Ephesians a closer look. At its core, we’ll discover 25 wonderful gifts God desires to give each one of us. They are The Greatest Gifts. Are you ready to receive them?

A prayer for you from the author and rabbi Paul:

For this reason, eve I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:15-23, NIV).

The very words of God.

Paul starts this prayer by offering thanksgiving for the people of the church congregation in Ephesus. He asks God to give them all wisdom and revelation so that the people may know God better, and then Paul prays for their hearts — that each may know His hope, His inheritance, and His power! Finally, he affirms that that power is the same that raised a dead man to life — Jesus — and, in its fullness, is available to us, filling everyone in every way.

DAY 1 – The Gift of Every Spiritual Blessing, which is the Gift of Love

December, Christmas, and gifts. They go hand in hand, don’t they? Do you remember the best gift you’ve ever received? How about the worst gift?

Sometimes, it’s a matter of perspective. My sister tells the story of a gift she and her husband once gave each other — gutters. Yep, gutters. You might not think that’s a very romantic gift, but rain gutters were an extravagant luxury for this newly married couple building their first home. So it was a delightful welcomed gift for each!

There are things we want and things we need. I believe there are three basic categories of “needs” that we all have:

Physical needs: food, water, a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs — tangible things.

Emotional needs: happiness, peace, tranquility. Those are generally easy to identify, but this third one is sometimes harder to grasp.

Spiritual needs. What are the spiritual needs we have?

One definition is from a man named Howard Clinebell. He is a clinical psychologist and a university Ph.D. He says we all have at least seven spiritual needs in our core. The first is this:

“All people need to experience regularly the healing and empowerment of love — from others, from self, and from God.”

Love!

Paul says right at the beginning that Jesus “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 1:3, NASB). Jesus is the source of spiritual blessings! So it makes sense that even the worldly scientist, Dr. Clinebell, says that spiritual blessing is love because we know that 1 John 4:8 says that “God is love.”

Jesus is the One who gives us the greatest gift we can have — every spiritual blessing. Love!

I can live without physical needs like a house or food for a while anyway. I can survive without emotional needs. I don’t have to be happy. I can choose to be grumpy, but I would say that none of us can fully live the lives that God has for us without embracing the unlimited spiritual need for love — provided by the grace-filled hands of Jesus.

That gets us back to the greatest gifts.

“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, Jesus, that whoever believes in Him may not be lost but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NCV).

Open your hands and receive the season’s first gift – the gift of love, the gift of every spiritual blessing!

PRAYER

God, thank you for the gift of every spiritual blessing. Help me receive it with joy. Help me receive Your love this Season, and help me give joy and love to others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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This advent devotional can be found on the YouVersion Bible App here.

We followed a star and our lives changed forever.

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Following a star... lives changed forever.
Following a star… lives changed forever.

We have just left the place where I, personally, experienced the most significant event in my life! We saw Him, the infant, the child, the true King of Israel, indeed the King of all kings!  And we gave Him gifts. And we worshiped Him. And we are changed forever.

Let me back up for a minute. My name is Geshnavadar. I am a Magi of the east, from Babylon in Persia. I have two companions with me, one is twenty years my senior, the other is twenty years my junior. They call us “wise men,” and I guess, we are just that, but we are not kings, we are Magi.

Our people go back to the prophet Daniel, who was one of our own. He prophesied about a Messiah. Although Daniel was a Hebrew, we are Gentiles. But we love the same God as those of the 12 Tribes of Israel. He has given us this unique gift of interpreting dreams. Some also call us astrologers, for we study the stars in the sky. But we do so with a specific purpose and anointing, as we believe they point to what God is doing now and in the future.

Recently, something strange occurred in the night sky… three stars lined up and pointed to the West, right to the city of Jerusalem in Palestine. And what was significant about these stars is they were of the constellation Aries, the Ram. Three stars, from a ram, pointing to the City of David?

Ever since King Nebuchadnezzar took the people of Judah into captivity in our home country, we have known of the stories of God’s deliverance of His people. One oft-told account recalls a ram, stuck in a thicket that God provided as a sacrifice. It was on Mount Moriah in what is now Jerusalem. The intended sacrifice was Abraham’s son, Isaac. But God had another plan. And we have heard that one day God will deliver all of Abraham’s children, both Jews and Gentiles, by way of a ram, or a lamb.

So, the stars pointed to Jerusalem and we, along with a cavalry of slaves and servants, ventured out to seek the meaning of the stars. You should know that some have called us Magi “king makers” for no king in all of the East became royalty without the blessing of our little fraternity. And if the stars were calling out that a new king had arrived, it was our job to sanction his monarchy. Yes, we knew Herod was the so-called “king of the Jews” in Palestine, but that was merely a title bestowed on him by Caesar Augustus so he would have some clout in collecting taxes.

We arrived in Jerusalem a couple of months, and over a thousand miles, after our departure from Persia. When Herod heard we were in town looking for a new king he was shaken and irritated. Was his make-shift reign coming to an end? He called for a meeting with us immediately. We told him of the prophesy and the stars. He was familiar with the Ancient Word, but had no knowledge of the night sky pointing us here at this time. He suggested we search the neighboring town of Bethlehem, for his advisers recalled the Biblical text of Micah that says “You, oh Bethlehem, will be the birthplace of my King…” He told us to return to Jerusalem and let him know if we found this new monarch so that he might worship this King as well.

It took just a day and a night to reach the sleepy little village. Again we sought the night sky for direction. Another star appeared, and its travel actually stopped and reversed and stopped again… right over a simple peasant home in Bethlehem.

We approached cautiously. A carpenter appeared in the doorway, amazed at our large caravan. Could this be the man we were seeking? He assured us, no, he was but a simple man. However, his son… his son…

We entered the home and immediately we knew. We just knew. The Spirit of God was in that place. God’s peace was overwhelming. The boy’s mother was radiant. The child, now at least a year in age, sat in her lap. He was not the King we expected, but He was most certainly the King that the God of the Hebrews had anointed. We were instantly humbled in His presence. We offered Him gifts we had brought, although honestly they seemed insignificant… the gold, the frankincense and myrrh… a lifetime of gifts, if you will.  And we bowed before Him, no we fell before Him and worshiped… worshiped… worshiped… The little child alternated his gaze between us and his mother. And he smiled.

We stayed as long we could. Our lives and hearts changed forever. Transformed, really.

We are heading back to Babylon, by a different route. God has told us in a dream that we must protect the new King and not tell Herod of His whereabouts. Not really sure what we will do once we get home. I know we cannot merely go back and live the life we had been living. No, it will be different. After almost 500 years, He is here now! We sought out the new King, and we found Him! We found Him!

And we will tell the people of Judah living in our land that they, too, must seek out and find their new King! And if they let Him into their life, and into their heart, they will be completely transformed as well.

 

Some of the words, actions and thoughts, perhaps, of one of the Magi of Matthew, Chapter 2.

(C) 2016 Rich Ronald.

Christmas Devotional Book. 25 Days. 25 Gifts.

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No trips on donkeys. No angels singing. Not even a baby in a manger. Yet, there are still 25 gifts God wants to give you for Christmas. And they are found in a little six chapter book half way through the New Testament.

Rich Ronald uncovers The Greatest Gifts as they are revealed in Ephesians. 25 Days. 25 encouraging Gifts. 25 devotional messages, along with a prayer and a place to write your own prayers, comments and thoughts each day.

Along the way you’ll find the gift of love, the free gift of salvation, the gift of unity and many more. Prepare your heart in a special way this Christmas season by receiving, and giving, God’s greatest gifts.

Now available in paperback or Kindle.

http://bit.ly/GreatestGifts

 

“Make my heart Your Bethlehem.”

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Available at amazon.com in paperback or Kindle

Advent continues its countdown to Christmas Day.  The great thing about the season, is that it can be just that… a season. Not just a single day.

The prayer for our family this year is “Be Born in Me.”

I’ve written a little book, based on a song, that is helping us focus this year.  The cry of Chapter 4 is “Make my heart Your Bethlehem.”

Here is an exceprt:

Bethlehem. Do you know what the word means? In Hebrew “Bet” means ‘house’ and “Lechem” means ‘bread.’ So Bethlehem is “the House of Bread.”

We can see that Jesus, the bread of life from John 6, must be born in “the House of Bread.”

Jesus came to give us life, true bread and true sustenance.  Jesus is all we really need isn’t He? He satisfies, gratifies and strengthens us spiritually, just as bread does physically. 

And what happens when you don’t eat for awhile?  You become weak, right?

When our prayer is, “Jesus, be born in me. Give me strength! Give me all I need for life!” 

He says, “I have.”

May I encourage you as you enjoy a meal or two or three with your friends and family this Christmas season, to remember that Jesus is the true bread. He is our Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, who gives us all we have and all we need.

And may you allow your heart to be His Bethlehem… to be born in you.

 
Be Born in Me is divided into five sections and includes discussion questions so you can use in a weekly small group, family devotional or class setting.
Here’s the link to the amazon web site: http://amzn.to/SNOkND.
And here’s the link to the Kindle site: http://amzn.to/RI7ODe.
(c) 2012. Rich Ronald.