Fred's Devotional # 54 "Christ, Our Perfect High Priest"

Today's Devotional was written by Bill Bauerle

Hebrews 7:26-28:
"For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever."

The Levitical priesthood were themselves sinful men and had to offer sacrifice, daily, for themselves before they could for the people. On the other hand Christ is holy, innocent, undefiled and separated from sin and it was fitting (necessary) that Christ would be such, in that, His sacrifice could then be permanent. The sacrifice of priests had to be made over and over, but Christ’s sacrifice was a once for all thing and it was in His perfect sacrifice that we could be clothed with His righteousness. The old system shows us that trying harder could never accomplish salvation, where as, Christ's obedience is able to provide salvation for his covenant people. While the Old Testament priest may have had a true heart for the people of Israel, they did not have the ability to save them, nor could they even save themselves. Christ on the other hand needed no salvation for Himself and therefore what he merited in His sacrifice could then be reckoned to His people.

In the finished work of Christ we have perfect salvation, and empowering for us to live as obedient children.

Bill

Have a blessed Lord’s day

53 "Looking Out for our Struggling Brothers and Sisters"

Paul shares a good word about being sensitive to our brothers and sisters with weaknesses or shortcomings.

1We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me."[a] 4For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Fred's Reflections: Every Christian doesn't have it all together all the time. The truth is, sometimes we struggle. In those cases, the last thing the struggling Christian needs is for someone to "put him or her on blast" Instead, we should listen to them with sensitivity, pray for them and encourage them that they can overcome through the mighty power of Jesus Christ! If necessary, we can pray with them and walk with them, holding them accountable if they need it. The key to helping a struggling Christian is humility, love and speaking the truth. Do not excuse their sin, but let them know that God has helped you to overcome and he will help them as well. Most of all challenge them to stay in the word and be transformed by the renewal of their minds.

Prayer: Save me from self righteousness when it comes to ministering to struggling Christians. Help me to remember that others have helped me in my times of struggle. Help me to reach out to them with a spirit of humility, while speaking the truth in love. In Jesus Name, Amen

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Fred's Devo #52 : "Jesus is the Gate to Salvation"

7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:6-10)

Just before this passage, Jesus describes himself as a shepherd, caring for and loving us, His sheep. In this passage, Jesus describes himself as the gate, the way to salvation. Jesus makes it clear that as both the gate and the shepherd has the best interest of the sheep at heart. He is not like Satan the thief, whose purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. Instead his purpose is to bring us life-a rich and satisfying life!

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for sending Jesus as our Shepherd to care for us and as our Gate to lead us to salvation. Protect us Lord from the evil one who comes to kill, steal and destroy! Help us to remain in your fold and invite others to accept Jesus and join the fold as well.

In Jesus Name! Amen

Fred's Devo # 51: "Every Believer Must Give a Personal Account to God!"

6 "Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. 7 For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.

10 So why do you condemn another believer[a]? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For the Scriptures say,

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bend to me,
and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.

12 Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. 13 So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. Romans 14:6-13

Fred's Reflections: "Every believer must give an account to God". Usually, when I think of this scripture, I think of it in connection win God judging the believer for sin. Actually, the context of this scripture is the liberty of the individual Christian to decide before God how he or she will live their lives in the grey areas. In other words, Christ will be my ultimate judge for how I choose to live my life in the gray areas (as well as the clear cut/ black and white areas). The passage tells us that the motivation of the believer is to honor the Lord. If we are focusing on honoring the Lord and not our weak brother and sisters, that will keep us from selfishness and insensitivity as we exercise our liberty in Christ.

Prayer: Lord, I know that you will ultimately judge me when it comes to the choices I make about how I live my day to day life in the gray areas. Lord, are there areas in my life where I am not honoring you with my choices? ...Yes Lord, I confess to you that I can be a better steward of all of the things you have given me. I ask for your help as I make changes in the area of personal stewardship and management.
In Jesus Name! Amen

Fred's Devotional # 50 "How to Handle Differences over Disputable Matters

Some things are clearly right and wrong. We know it's wrong to lie, steal, or commit adultery. There are other areas that are not so cut and dry and my depend on where the individual is in their walk with the Lord. Today's passage will give us some guidance in this area. Read it thoughtfully.

1 Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.
2-4For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ's table, wouldn't it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn't eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.

5Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience". Romans 14:1-5, The Message

Fred's Reflections: In matters of how we dress, how we wear our hair, what we eat; these are matters that the individual Christian must decide before the Lord, depending on where they are in their walk with God. The questions they have to ask are these: Does it draw me away from God? Does it offend my brother? Does it bring shame on the name of Christ? Can I glorify Christ while doing this thing? Does it bother my Christian conscience? For example, before I became a Christian I loved soul and R & B music. After I got saved, I had to stop listening to it because it drew me away from Christ and back to thoughts of my previous lifestyle. Today, as an mature Christian, it does not hinder my relationship with God to listen to a James Brown or Marvin Gaye song. On the other hand, If I was riding in my car with a young believer who just gave his life to Christ, I would not turn to an R & B station if I knew this music could draw him away from Christ.

Let's pray: Lord help me to obey you in the things I know to do right. In the grey areas, help me to me to live my life in a way that keeps me close to you, honors Jesus and is sensitive to my brothers and sisters. In Jesus Name! Amen

Fred's Devo # 49: Wake Up! It's Later Than You Think!

"This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. 13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires."
Romans 13:11-14, NLT

Jesus will be returning sooner than we think! As Christians we need to wake up from our slumber and slackness and realize how late it is! We need to put off sin and unrighteous living and live as children of the Lord! We only have a limited amount of time to share the gospel with others! We cannot think and live like people in the world if we want to reach them. We have to think, act and live righteously if we are going to have an impact.

Prayer: Lord, where am I asleep? Where have I conformed to this world? Speak to your servant Lord!... Lord , I confess to you that I have been self absorbed and have not thought much about my unsaved neighbor. Help me to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. Help me to wake up, be alert and get busy with your priorities and purposes for me.

In Jesus Name! Amen

Fred's Daily Devo # 48 " You Can Do No Wrong When You Walk in Love"

-10"Don't run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other.

When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along.

The law code—don't sleep with another person's spouse, don't take someone's life, don't take what isn't yours, don't always be wanting what you don't have, and any other "don't" you can think of—finally adds up to this:

Love other people as well as you do yourself.

You can't go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love." Romans 13:8-10

Lord, where am I in relationship to this word today? Am I walking in your love? Where am I failing to walk in love? Help me to grow in your love, for the more I grow in your kind of love, the less I will walk in sin and disobedience.
In Jesus Name! Amen