Category: First Things First Devotional

You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9 HCSB

The first church I served out of seminary was the Delaney Street Baptist Church in Orlando, Florida as Youth and Outreach Minister. We had a bus ministry with five buses that picked up children every Sunday. We held a children’s worship service each Sunday for all of the children. One of the songs we taught the children was “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy.” The kids loved it when we would do the song with the motions.

In these verses Peter is telling his readers that as believers in Jesus they have inexpressible and glorious joy. This joy is the result of a right relationship with God. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within each believer and helps him to live a Spirit-led life (see Galatians 5:22). It enables believers to rejoice and fellowship with other believers (see Philippians 4:1).

Challenge: Do you have the joy of Jesus in your heart? A self-seeking, pleasure-seeking person will not experience joy, happiness, and fulfillment. Look for ways that you can give of yourself to help others and you will find joy that can only be found in serving and living for Jesus. Listen to the song “I’ve Got Joy, Joy Joy” on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z29h7HUcJus

You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith – more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:6-7 HCSB

Up until last year we owned a 1982 pop-up camper. We enjoyed family outings in that little camper without any heat or air conditioning with four kids for many years. It was always an adventure and provided many fond family memories. Last year we purchased a used pull-behind travel trailer with heat, air conditioning, a refrigerator, and even a restroom with a shower. We now have all the comforts of home. One of our favorite camping activities is to sit around the roaring campfire and roasting marshmallows. The sticky marshmallows are so good with a piece of chocolate and graham crackers. The only difficulty is that the sticky marshmallows also leave a mess on the wire roasting stick. It can not be removed with a paper towel. The only good way to get the roasting stick clean is to put it in the fire and allow the fire to burn the sticky mess off.

Peter reminds us that our lives are sort of like the messy roasting stick. Life is filled with trials and messy situations. God allows messy situations in our lives to refine us and make us more like His Son, Jesus Christ. Just like gold is refined by fire, the trials of life refine us and help to mold us into the type of person God desires.

Challenge: Rejoice and give God thanks for the trials that come your way. Look for ways that you can grow and become more like Jesus through the difficulties of life. Ask God to show you what you can learn through any trials you are experiencing. Listen to the song “Eye of the Storm” by Ryan Stevenson on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw3zIA1NJU0

You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:5

God has richly blessed me with five wonderful and healthy grandchildren. Two are three years old and three are one year old. They are all up and walking and getting into things. We have to watch them to make sure they are not playing with something that could harm them. I can remember one time Ella Grace was afraid of a stranger and she came running to me and grabbed onto my legs knowing that I would protect her. There is nothing much more gratifying than to have a grandchild come running to you for protection or to be picked up.

God is our Heavenly Father and is our protector. He cares about us and what we are going through. He loves it when we come running to Him for protection. God may allow heartache in our lives, but it is always to make us more like Him. Life is not easy and we need God to protect us from the evils of this world.

Challenge: Pray that God will protect you from the evil one. Thank Him for His love and protection. The next time you are afraid, run to God for protection and comfort.

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted and unfading, kept in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3-4 HCSB

Some have grown up in a family that has been richly blessed financially and expect in the future to inherit a good sum of money from their parents. Growing up in a minister’s home I never went without, but we always struggled to make ends meet. I really do not expect to inherit a large some of money nor to leave a large sum of money for my children, but I have a richer inheritance that is not based upon finances.

Peter reminds believers that as believers we have the hope and promise of a great inheritance. As children of God we all will have a richer inheritance, eternal life in heaven with God and Jesus Christ. It will never fade away; it will never perish.

Challenge: Praise God! Thank Him for all he has done for you, especially for the great inheritance of eternal life that you have been given because of what Jesus Christ did for you on on the cross.

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted and unfading, kept in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3-4 HCSB

Have you ever forgiven someone who did not deserve to be forgiven? I watched a movie in which a little girl was killed by a drunk driver. The mother of the girl had already lost her husband in an accident. She was bitter and wanted to see the man who killed her little girl pay for his crime and suffer like she was suffering. In the end she realized that bitterness and hatred would not accomplish anything. She chose to forgive the man even though he did not deserve it.

We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We do not deserve to be forgiven but because of God’s love and great mercy we have been forgiven and been given eternal life. Because of what Jesus did on the cross we have hope for the future.

Challenge: To be like Jesus we need to have mercy on those who have hurt us, even when they don’t deserve it. Who do you need to forgive and have great mercy towards? Thank God for His great mercy towards you.

Note: I apologize for First Things First not being delivered on time. It has been delayed due to my mother being in the hospital. I appreciate your prayers for her. I will send a couple of devotions each day to catch up. May God richly bless you and thanks for reading First Things First.

But David said, “My brothers, you must not do this with what the Lord has given us. He protected us and handed over to us the raiders who came against us. Who can agree to your proposal? The share of the one who goes into battle is to be the same as the share of the one who remains with the supplies. They will share equally.” 1 Samuel 30:23-24 HCSB

Two men and a woman take care of all of the mowing of the grass, weed-eating, and management of the flowers at our church. They do it because they love the Lord and love their church. Their hard work mostly goes unnoticed. The ministers may be the ones on stage on Sunday, but these faithful servants are the unsung heroes behind the scene. If they did not do what they do, we would have to pay someone great sums of money each week to keep everything looking well-manicured and beautiful. Without their hard work we would have weeds in the flowerbeds, grass growing around the fence line, and the lawn would be overgrown.

David realized that it takes everyone doing his job to accomplish the task and that those who stayed back with the supplies were doing something just as important as those who were fighting the battle. Without the support of other people, the soldiers could not do their job. David made a law that those who worked behind the scene would be treated equally with those who fought in the battle.

Challenge: Send a thank you note to those who work behind the scene at your church to support the ministers and ministries of the church. Treat everyone with the same dignity no matter what position or job they hold in the church or community. Remember that even though your position may not be very glamorous or exciting, it is vital to the work of your church or the company for which you work.

When David came to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had been left at the Wadi Besor, they came out to meet him and to meet the troops with him. When David approached the men, he greeted them, but all the corrupt and worthless men among those who had gone with David argued, “Because they didn’t go with us, we will not give any of the plunder we recovered to them except for each man’s wife and children. They may take them and go.” 1 Samuel 30:21-22 HCSB

I have had the privilege of working with many different people over my 40 years in full-time ministry. Most are wonderful people who work hard, get along well with others, and are always willing to do whatever is needed for the team. They work with integrity and display a good work ethic. Others are much like the corrupt and worthless mentioned in these Scriptures. They seem to hide and avoid hard work. Some do not volunteer to help when help is needed and merely watch others carry the load.

Samuel describes those men who did not want to share the plunder from the Amalekites with those who had stayed back as worthless and corrupt. This is not exactly how anyone would want to be described. No one would put that on his resume. They were corrupt and worthless because they were selfish and wanted to keep the plunder for themselves.

Challenge: How would God describe you? How would your fellow workers describe you? Always set a good example and do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. Think of others as more important than yourself and be willing to share with others who are in need.

David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives. Nothing of theirs was missing from the youngest to the oldest, including the sons and daughters; of all the plunder the Amalekites had taken, David got everything back. 1 Samuel 30:18-19 HCSB

It is amazing what our cell phones can now do. With just the installation of an app I can easily get directions to any place I want to go. The app will tell me every turn to make and will even tell me where there is a hazard in the road. It can detect road blocks and construction that might hinder me from reaching my destination and will route me around accidents and traffic jams.

Would it not be wonderful if we had an app that told us what to do or not to do in life and gave us specific directions or warned us of impending trouble? God loves us, knows the future, and wants to provide direction for our lives. It may not be an app, but the Bible is God’s Word and gives us complete direction for life. We also can go to God in prayer and ask for direction. God does not play hide-and-go-seek. He is available 24/7 and wants to hear from every person.

David sought and followed God’s direction. In so doing, David was successful in recovering everything the Amalekites had taken. The Bible records that David got everything back. God is faithful to take care of those who faithfully serve Him and follow His direction. That does not mean we will not have a few potholes to avoid in our lives, but God will steer us around and through the difficulties we face each day.

Challenge: Pray for God’s direction in your life. When you know what God wants you to do, be faithful to do what He says. God loves and blesses those who faithfully follow His guidance and direction.

David said to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought it to him, and David asked the Lord; “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” The Lord replied to him, “Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people.” 1 Samuel 30:7-8 HCSB

Through the years as a minister, many times I have had to make decisions about relocating to another position of service or how to provide godly counsel. It would be reassuring if God would speak audibly or write on the wall what His will is, but it has never been that easy. I have persistently sought God’s direction and will in my life.

David needed to know God’s will. Should he pursue the Amalekites that had raided their town or not? Most of us would not have stopped to consult God if we came home and found our home burned down and our families taken. We would immediately pursue those who had done such terrible things to seek revenge with the hope of retrieving what had been taken. David was so intent on doing God’s will that he asked the priest to bring the ephod.

The ephod was the vest-like part of the priest’s robe that he wore to the temple each day. The chest-piece was usually attached to the vest and had two pockets that contained the Urim and Thummim, the flat stones that the high priest used to determine God’s will. The flat stones would be shaken from their pockets and the position in which they landed would determine God’s answer, much like drawing straws or casting lots. David got a definite “yes” from God to his question.

Challenge: Are you seeking God’s will and direction in every area of your life or are you trying to do it all on your own? Spend time in prayer and seek God’s will in all things. You do not have to rely on casting lots, Ouija boards, or a magic ball. God has promised to reveal His perfect will. Do not be afraid to ask. He will show you the way.

David was in a difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him, for they were all very bitter over the loss of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 30:6 HCSB

When have you found yourself in a difficult position? When did things look hopeless? You may have even been depressed as a result of your situation. I have been there many times. Once I was so discouraged that I seriously considered getting out of ministry. Thankfully my father, who was a minister, encouraged me to hang in there and keep going and admonished that God would let me know if I should quit the ministry and do something else.

David was faced with a difficult situation. He and his men had come home to find their town burned and that all of their wives, sons, and daughters (including David’s family) had been taken captive by the Amalekites. The men were angry with David and blamed him for their losses. They even considered stoning him to death. In a difficult position, David turned to God for help and direction.

Challenge: To whom do you turn when you are facing a tough problem? Is it a parent, a family member, or a close friend? How many times have you taken matters into your own hands and left God out of the decision? David turned to God first. He found strength in the Lord. As believers we should turn to God when facing difficulties, but too often God is our last resort instead of our first choice. Whatever the difficult situation you are facing – turn it over to God and seek His guidance for what you should do next. Seek God and His strength rather than trying to make it on your own.