THE HOME DEVO

  DISCUSSION:                                      There is a growing number of health-conscious folks who are discovering that wearing a pedometer helps them increase their level of daily exercise.   Some have even bought an expensive wrist gadget called a “Fitbit” to track heart rate, exercise, activity and sleep.   These devices are both a recorder and a motivator for them; knowing how many steps that take per outing, encourages them to walk more. One woman’s goal was ten thousand steps a day. To accomplish her goal, she began parking farther away from her workplace, walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, and doing more active tasks around her office. Her visible pedometer reminded her of her daily need to produce a healthy lifestyle change. Visible reminders have a place in our Christian walk as well. When God instructed the Israelites to keep His commands in their hearts ( Deuteronomy 6:6 ), He also told them to make visible reminders of His Word: “ You shal

  DISCUSSION:                                       Shopping for a good watermelon is difficult because no matter how good it looks on the outside, it's hard to tell what it's really like on the inside.   We can tap it, thump it, and squeeze it, only to take it home and discover that the inside is not edible.      In Mark 7, we see Jesus' disciples didn't wash their hands before eating.   The Pharisees became extremely irritated because it violated one of their man-made traditions.   Jesus immediately challenged them by saying:   "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!" (v. 9 ESV) He went so far as to call them "hypocrites" (v. 6) and explained that what comes from the inside of an individual is what "defiles" him, not the other way around. (Mark 7:14 - 23).      If we're not careful, we can become so absorbed with looking good on the outside, that we forget what really c

  DISCUSSION: Read over Hebrews 4.1-11 before you go to bed tonight.    Then discuss how important it is for us to get into that “rest” that the writer is talking about.   Imagine what that rest will be like, and then discuss it with your loved ones.   Try to think of it as a family vacation that never ends, and how it would be a shame if we were not all there together.   Each member of your family is responsible for themselves when it comes to being accountable for our sins.   Talk about some things that we can do to stay motivated as a family to receive this wonderful “rest”. Remember we will not be judged as a family, but we can do our best to take our family with us. APPLICATION: Spend some time in prayer asking God to help your family stay motivated together so we can enjoy that rest together.   Prayer Requests: ____________________________________________________________    

                                      DISCUSSION: Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink’” (John 4:7). How many of us are expecting Jesus Christ to quench our thirst when we should be satisfying Him! We should be pouring out our lives, investing our total beings, not drawing on Him to satisfy us. “You shall be witnesses to Me . . .” (Acts 1:8). That means lives of pure, uncompromising, and unrestrained devotion to the Lord Jesus, which will be satisfying to Him wherever He may send us.   Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him. It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him. The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him. We are not sent to do battle for God, but to be used by God in His battles. Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself?   I praise You for that word—“Like as a

                     DISCUSSION: The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way. My contact with the nature of God will shape my understanding of His call and will help me realize what I truly desire to do for Him. The call of God is an expression of His nature; the service which results in my life is suited to me and is an expression of my nature. The call of the natural life was stated by the apostle Paul—“When it pleased God . . . to reveal His Son in me,that I might preach Him [that is, purely and solemnly express Him] among the Gentiles . . . .” Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion. But strictly speaking, there is no call to that. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identification with the nature of God. Service becomes a natural part of my life. God brings me into the proper relationship with Himself so that I can understand His call, and then I serve Him on my own out of a motiva

                             DISCUSSION: When we talk about the call of God, we often forget the most important thing, namely, the nature of Him who calls. There are many things calling each of us today. Some of these calls will be answered, and others will not even be heard. The call is the expression of the nature of the One who calls, and we can only recognize the call if that same nature is in us. The call of God is the expression of God’s nature, not ours. God providentially weaves the threads of His call through our lives, and only we can distinguish them. It is the threading of God’s voice directly to us over a certain concern, and it is useless to seek another person’s opinion of it. Our dealings over the call of God should be kept exclusively between ourselves and Him. The call of God is not a reflection of my nature; my personal desires and temperament are of no consideration. As long as I dwell on my own qualities and traits and think about what I am suited for, I will n

                                              DISCUSSION:      Our Lord replies to this statement of Peter by saying that this surrender is “for My sake and the gospel’s” (10:29). It was not for the purpose of what the disciples themselves would get out of it. Beware of surrender that is motivated by personal benefits that may result. For example, “I’m going to give myself to God because I want to be delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy.” Being delivered from sin and being made holy are the result of being right with God, but surrender resulting from this kind of thinking is certainly not the true nature of Christianity. Our motive for surrender should not be for any personal gain at all. We have become so self-centered that we go to God only for something from Him, and not for God Himself. It is like saying, “No, Lord, I don’t want you; I want myself. But I do want You to clean me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to be on display in Your showcase so I can sa

                             DISCUSSION:      The well is deep”—and even a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman knew (4:11)! Think of the depths of human nature and human life; think of the depth of the “wells” in you. Have you been limiting, or impoverishing, the ministry of Jesus to the point that He is unable to work in your life?      Suppose that you have a deep “well” of hurt and trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says to you, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:1). Would your response be to shrug your shoulders and say, “But, Lord, the well is too deep, and even You can’t draw up quietness and comfort out of it.” Actually, that is correct. Jesus doesn’t bring anything up from the wells of human nature—He brings them down from above. We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering only what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and also by saying, “Of course, I cannot expect God to do this particular thing.” The thing that approaches the

  In James 3. 17 we learn, “The wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peaceful, gentle, and easy to please” We must have pure religion to worship God. What is pure religion? We must have a heart for God. We want to work for Him and bring others to Him. We must be humble, not just seeking a reward. We must believe in the agenda God brings before us. We must be all in.

  When I think about Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well, several things cross my mind. The story is found in John 4. At that time, the Jews and Samaritans did not mingle together. The woman was amazed when Jesus asked her for a drink. She seemed to be comfortable talking to Jesus, until He told her that she had been married 5 times and was not living with another man. She realized very quickly there was something special about this man. What I love about this story is this; as sinful as this woman was, Jesus offers her living water. He offers her a new life. He offers her eternal life. Jesus Christ gives us chances and hope. By the way, I do not think he ever received that drink of water.

  It is always frustrating when things get in the way of your day. I am writing this as my car is being worked on and I am late for work. As difficult as that makes my day, I quickly realize it is small in comparison to so many other things in this world. Many times we fixate on the small problems of the day. There will come a time that we long for those small problems. I can remember how hard it was with three small kids in the house. My wife and I would talk about how nice it would be when they were older. Now that they are, I miss them being small. Do not wish you life away! Whatever life brings enjoy where you’re at today.

Have you watched quarterbacks at a football practice? They wear the red jersey so that everyone knows not to hit them. If you do hit them, the coaches become very upset. One of my weaknesses is wearing that red jersey in my spiritual life. I get so afraid of what the devil might throw my way, I put that jersey on. What I mean by this is, if we cruise through life and do not make waves, the devil is content. Cruising is not bringing others to Christ, cruising is not spreading His word, and cruising is showing up for worship but only going through the motions. Our great need is to put that regular jersey on and just dare the devil to come at us. We cannot be afraid of contact. God is on our side.  

  Think of all the inventions that have made our lives better in the last 100 years. We give glory and honor to the men and women who have accomplished these feats. They are intelligent and deserve recognition, but we forget that God put all this in motion. He gave us the knowledge and the resources to produce the ideas for these inventions. With God, nothing is impossible. We should never forget to give our best, but give God the glory.  

  Olympic runner Ryan Hall is the US record-holder for the half marathon. He completed the event distance of 13.1 miles (21 kilometers) in a remarkable time of fifty-nine minutes and forty-three seconds, making him the first US athlete to run the race in under one hour. While Hall has celebrated record-setting victories, he’s also known the disappointment of not being able to finish a race. Having tasted both success and failure, Hall credits his faith in Jesus for sustaining him. One of his favorite Bible verses is an encouraging reminder from the book of Proverbs that “though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again” (24:16). This proverb reminds us that the righteous, those who trust in and have a right relationship with God, will still experience difficulties and hardships. However, as they continue to seek Him even in the midst of difficulty, God is faithful to give them the strength to rise again.   Have you recently experienced a devastating disappointment or failure and