Seven Days of Devotion
The Weekly Word is a Collection of Devotionals to be read on the Day Listed and presented freely as a service to and for the Body of Christ and Believers throughout the World that We may Hear God Speak to us as the Spirit of God gives us ears to hear and eyes to see what God would have for us daily in relationship to Him.
RELATABILITY
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15 (NKJV)
"You just don't understand!" How many times have you said that? Who have you said it to? Your parents, your boss, your spouse, your kids, your customer service representative?
There's one person you can't say that to: God. None of us, regardless of how tested, tried or tempted we may be, can ever accuse God of not knowing or understanding where we're at. The Book of Hebrews tells us that God Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, was exposed to the full range of human experiences, short of actually sinning.
Keep in mind that God didn't settle for reading a manual or attending a lecture on what it's like to be a human being. He didn't seek out any second-hand information. He actually became one! And by so doing, He's able to fully relate to us.
Think that one through. The One who is able to hold the entire universe in His hand, the One who spoke everything that is into existence, that same God is able to identify with everything you're going through at this very moment. You'll never hear Him say, "I'm sorry. I wish I could help you with that, but I just don't understand."
By coming to dwell in the rags of human flesh, God forever took the "you just don't understand" card away from us. He does understand, and He's able to give us the support and strength we need to overcome all things.
For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:18 NKJV)
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
MONDAY
JOYFULNESS
But the fruit of the Spirit is?joy? Galatians 5:22 (NKJV)
Contrary to many misconceptions, God isn't a grumpy old man. He's doesn't putter around Heaven murmuring under His breath about how much better things used to be. He's not cranky, cantankerous, or crabby. As matter of fact, take that irritable image in your mind, find it's polar opposite, and you'll understand God as He truly is...a God of joy.
Joy. It's more than mere happiness, which depends on external circumstances and events. You're happy when you get a promotion, when you win a free lunch, or when you receive a gift of some sort. You feel good-but take away the prize, the promotion, the free lunch, or the gift-and you're right back where you started.
That's not joy. Joy is independent gladness. It doesn't matter what's happening. Joy is glad no matter what. And when we look to Scripture, we find that God and joy are inseparably and intimately linked:
For the LORD will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers... (Deuteronomy 30:9 NKJV)
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. (Isaiah 62:5 NKJV)
The LORD your God...He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV)
You cannot get away from the fact that God is joyful, and those around Him can't help but be brought under the influence of His joy. The fruit of God's Spirit in a believer's life includes joy, and it's a good indicator of a person's proximity to God's presence.
So if joy is lacking in your life, go to God. Set aside some time, and spend it in His presence. For when you do, it won't be long before you sense His Spirit speaking and singing His joy over you!
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this,
what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
TUESDAY
Vulnerability
"But you? killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead." Acts 3:14-15 (NKJV)
The words "vulnerability" and "God" don't seem like they should go together. After all, as we've been looking at God's attributes, we've seen how He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-authoritative. That certainly prevents Him from being vulnerable, doesn't it?
It does unless He decides to make Himself vulnerable, which is exactly what He did. As unbelievable as it sounds, God opened up and made Himself vulnerable to His creation by willingly putting Himself in a position to be hurt by us both physically and emotionally.
We don't need to look any further than the cross to see this. It's there that God's vulnerability is most vivid. Not only did the Son submit to the physical torture of crucifixion, but think of how the Father's heart broke on behalf of His Son. That isn't a picture of a stoic or distant deity interacting at arm's length. That's God caring enough about His creation to be vulnerable.
And He continues to be vulnerable. In Ephesians 4:30 we're warned against grieving the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us. To grieve someone is to hurt them, and it's actually possible for us to hurt the Holy Spirit by living outside of His will for our lives. For when we do, we subject Him to our disobedience. Again, this is Almighty God putting Himself in a vulnerable position.
So what do we do with it? Do we live in blatant disregard to this amazing attribute of His? Or do we appreciate it to the point where it breaks our heart to knowingly hurt Him any more than we already have? God has made Himself vulnerable to us, so let's do Him the honor of surrendering to Him.
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
WEDNESDAY
HUMOR
Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. Mark 6:48 (NKJV)
Deep down, at one time or another, most of us have probably wondered if God has a sense of humor. At the end of the day, does God have the ability to laugh and be funny? The answer is yes, and we're given a glimpse of some heavenly humor here in Mark's gospel.
The backdrop: Jesus sent His disciples to row across the Sea of Galilee without Him. As night fell, every sailor's nightmare was realized: a storm. This storm was so violent that they had been rowing all night and had only managed to get halfway across the sea.
In a state of extreme exhaustion and stress, Jesus decides to drop in on them and ultimately rescue them. He walks towards them on the water, and this is where it gets very interesting. The sacred scriptures specifically tell us the Lord made like He was going to walk right past them!
Read between the lines here: Jesus, God Almighty in the flesh, is having some fun with the disciples. He pretended to not see them and pass them by, knowing all the while they were scared beyond belief for their lives. Matthew's gospel tells us that when they saw Him they began shrieking like teenage girls at a slumber party. "It's a ghost! It's a ghost!" (Mathew 14:26). And there's Jesus, nonchalantly walking around like it's no big deal!
There's something very comforting in this. It shows us a side of God we seldom associate with...His humor. But humor is an important part of who we are, and remember that God made us in His image. So it shouldn't surprise us that our sense of humor has a heavenly source.
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
THURSDAY
VERY BAD
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Genesis 2:17 (NKJV)
As we saw yesterday, in the beginning God had created something "very good." It was perfect and flawless and man enjoyed the ultimate existence. The Lord personally created a wife for him and placed him in a fruitful and flourishing garden, abounding in beauty and provision. It was all there for his enjoyment and pleasure.
There was just one thing that God wanted him to be mindful of. There was one tree that man and woman were supposed to steer clear of...the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We all know what happened:
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6 NKJV)
It was at this moment, at this instance of disobedience, that evil entered into the human experience. Innocence became infected with iniquity, and death began its dominance over mankind. God's promise that they would die came true as their hearts became corrupted and tainted with sin. What had started out as "very good" had now become very bad.
And it's here, under the shadow of sin, that the human race remains in darkness. Everything that's wrong with the world can be traced back to this single act of disobedience. Like opening a hatch on a submerged submarine, sin came in and consumed God's creation. And as we will see over the next several days, it's against the blackened backdrop of sin that the purpose and priority of the cross can best be seen.
Think about it…
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
FRIDAY
WE’VE GOT A PROBLEM
For the wages of sin is death? Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
At this point we need to step away from the Garden of Eden so we can take a closer look at this thing we call sin. The word sin literally means to miss the mark. It speaks of the great gap that exists between God's perfection and our imperfection. Everything that does not meet His perfectly righteous standard is sin. Our thoughts, our motives, our words, our actions...it all falls short of Him, and as such, is sin.
So, we're sinners...so what? The "so what" is this: Sin is something that must be punished. As much as God loves and cares for people, there's another side to His nature that demands justice, a side that holds people accountable for sin. Understand that God cannot just look the other way or sweep our sin under the rug. If He did, He wouldn't be God because His righteousness and justice would be compromised.
Most of us acknowledge that know we are sinners and that our sin needs to be punished. But the punishment that is required is a little hard to swallow: The Bible says the only adequate punishment for sin is death. What?! Is it really that big of a deal?
Although many of us are quite comfortable with sin, we need to see it from God's perspective. From His perfect vantage point, sin is so offensive, so destructive, so opposite of what's right-that it only has one fitting fate-death! And that, my friends, presents a problem: Every single one of us deserves to die because we're all sinners. Since the moment Adam sinned in the Garden up until this very day, every human being has been guilty of sin and has earned the punishment of God's judgment. Except One.
And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. (1 John 3:5 NKJV)
Think about it…
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
SATURDAY
FIRST HINT
"He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." Genesis 3:15 (NKJV)
Take note: It's in Genesis 3:6 where we see mankind's fall from the perfect existence God had created. Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord when they disregarded His instructions, and as a result, sin infiltrated and infected humanity. But just nine verses later, in Genesis 3:15, we find the first hint of God's remedy for their failure. The Lord addresses the serpent (Satan) who had a hand in man's fall. He tells Satan that he'll face certain judgment for what he's done:
So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed." (Genesis 3:14-15 NKJV)
Notice that God says Satan's judgment would consist of an ongoing conflict between his seed and the seed of the woman. What's that all about? When we pull back and consider the whole counsel of God's Word, it's clear the serpent's seed refers to Satan's demonic forces, and the seed of the woman is a reference to Jesus Christ.
This showdown would culminate with Christ bruising Satan's head, and with Satan bruising Christ's heel. It's important to see that the wound Jesus receives isn't fatal, yet the wound Satan receives is. Christ would be wounded, but He would emerge victorious.
You don't need to be a Bible scholar to understand that this is actually a foreshadowing of the cross. This is our first hint that God had a plan in place to undo what Satan had done to us and what we've done to ourselves.
Think about it…
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
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