Category: First Things First Devotional

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Hebrews 1:3 HCSB

I just recently replaced the water filter in our refrigerator. It cleans and purifies the water before making ice and for the drinking water that is dispensed in the door. We also have a water purifier on our sink faucet. Additionally, there is a water pitcher in the refrigerator that has a filter that purifies the water. The sale of bottled water that is purified has multiplied in recent years. Globally, sales have reached $60 billion and in the United States, over 30 billion bottles of water are sold annually. Thirty or forty years ago no one would have even thought of selling bottled water. Now there are towns that are banning the sale of bottled water because of the environmental impact from the plastic bottles. We all want to drink clean purified water and do not want any contaminants in our water.

If only we were as concerned about keeping sin out of our lives. Sin is just like a contaminant in water. Sin makes us “dirty” before God. Our lives need to be purified of our many sins, but we do not have any way to filter our sins. It is only through the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross at Calvary that our sins can be filtered and washed as white as snow. Jesus is the only way our lives can be purified.

Challenge: Place your trust in Jesus to filter and purify the sins from your life. If you have trusted in Him as your Lord and Savior, you can be assured your sins are cast as far as the east is from the west and they are remembered against you no more (Psalm 103:12).

In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him. Hebrews 1:2 HCSB

In history, there are many records of the son of the king becoming the heir of the throne and the kingdom. Even today there is an heir to the throne in England. The chosen person is heir to the throne and becomes the king or queen when his or her parent dies.

God, the Father, has appointed Jesus, the Son, as the heir of all things. He is the ruler of the universe and has all power. It is hard for us to understand with our human minds how God can be three in one. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This Scripture even says that Jesus was present at the creation of the universe.

Challenge: Jesus Christ is the ruler of all things. Some day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. It is important to make that confession now and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. He came and died for your sins so you could have forgiveness of your sins and have eternal life in heaven when you die. You will either confess Him as Lord now or someday you will confess Him as Lord when you stand before His judgment. If you do not make Him Lord while living here on earth, you will face condemnation and eternal punishment. Don’t wait, tomorrow may be too late.

In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him. Hebrews 1:2 HCSB

The Left Behind series is a set of 16 novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins dealing with the End Times. The series was adapted into three movies. There is a reboot of the series set to release in October 3, 2014. It is a fictional account of what the End Times might be like. The Bible predicts that there will be a time of great tribulation prior to the return of Jesus Christ.

It is unclear if the writer of Hebrews was referring to the End Times or if he was referring to the recent events of the last few days. There was a belief that Jesus was going to return very soon and the writer may have thought that he was in the last days, but the writer could have also been referring to how God had spoken through His Son, Jesus Christ, as Jesus lived and spoke to His disciples and followers in recent days.

Challenge: Either way, the message is clear that God spoke to the early Christians and speaks to us today through His ultimate revelation of Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus was not just a spokesman but was God in flesh. We should follow His teachings and the example that He set for us while living here on earth.

Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. Hebrews 1:1 HCSB

I cannot say that I have heard God audibly speak to me, but there have been several times in my life when I have felt God speak to my heart or impress upon my mind something that I should say or do. Over the years as I have counseled people seeking God’s will in their lives I have told them to listen for God to speak to them through four ways: 1. Prayer; 2. God’s Word; 3. Friends and Family; 4. Feelings of what is right. I believe God uses these four ways to speak to us today.

This first verse in Hebrews is referring to God speaking to the people of Israel through prophets and many different ways. Some of the ways recorded in the Old Testament of how God spoke to His people were through dreams, signs, visions, direct encounters, people, and events. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush and He spoke to the prophet Balaam through a donkey. God is all powerful and can do anything.

Challenge: God still speaks today, but are you listening? Seek God’s will for your life in everything you do. Listen and God will lead you and give you direction. It may not be in an audible voice or a writing on the wall, but He will speak to you. He wants His children to seek Him and trust Him. He will not fail to show you the truth and the right way to go.

But as for you, go on your way to the end; you will rest, then rise to your destiny at the end of the days. Daniel 12:13 HCSB

With age it is only natural to worry about declining health and if there will be enough money in retirement. With older age comes the death of loved ones and concern about the future and who will care for us if needed. We may even worry about what death and heaven will be like.

Daniel was assured that he did not need to worry. God was in control and everything was in His capable hands. God does not want us to be burdened by worry; He especially does not want us to worry about the future, but instead to trust Him. God’s Word reminds us, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6 HCSB

Challenge: Are you ready for the end of the days? With God you do not have to worry because He has everything under control. Trust Him to take care of all that concerns you.

“He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.” Daniel 9:27 HCSB

A church where I have served discovered that the gym and school had been built with concrete blocks without any steel rebar to give the walls structural integrity. As a result, the church spent a great sum of money to have steel and concrete put in the walls to strengthen the structure. The engineer said that the walls in the gym were standing by the grace of God. He was surprised that the walls had not come down as a result of strong winds or some seismic activity.

Any good builder lays a solid foundation and then makes sure the walls are strong and reinforced. The steel in the walls provides the strength needed to withstand strong winds, earthquakes, and even fire and floods. As believers we need a strong foundation in Jesus Christ, but we also need reinforcement to help us weather the storms of life. With Christ as our Foundation and God as our Protector, we can face the many obstacles that life throws at us. In the end times there will be tribulations, but with Christ we can stand strong against whatever Satan may bring our way.

Challenge: Are you ready for the end times? Even though you may face trials and tribulations, you can be assured that God is with you to strengthen and help you when you face obstacles that seem unsurmountable.

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city – to bring the rebellion to an end, to put a stop to sin, to wipe away iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place.” Daniel 9:24 HCSB

How would you describe your perfect world? Would it be a place where there was no more pain or suffering? Would it be a place where everyone had enough food and clean water? Would it be a place where everyone was happy and got along with others? Would it be a place where people willingly loved others without any prejudice? The perfect world is what God created from the very beginning of time, but man contaminated it by rebelling against God and bringing sin into the world. Because of our sin against God we live in an imperfect world.

This verse promises that we will encounter suffering and pain, but eventually there will be a place where there is no more sin or iniquity. There will be everlasting righteousness. Would your perfect world be a place of everlasting righteousness? It is hard to imagine what everlasting righteousness might look like.

Challenge: Pray for everlasting righteousness. Do what you can to create a perfect world. Pray for those who may be suffering and do not seem to have any hope. Assure them that God is in control and someday the Messiah, Jesus Christ, will return to our world and He will bring everlasting righteousness. There will be a perfect world where there is no more suffering, pain, or death. Praise God for making it possible for you to be a part of His eternal, everlasting world.

“At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured by God. So consider the message and understand the vision.” Daniel 9:23 HCSB

My father passed away about eight years ago as a result of a brain tumor. He was my best friend. Anytime I had a problem or question I always went to my father for his advice. I miss him but know that he is now in a much better place. I have my father’s Bible that he used while preaching and another smaller Bible he used for funerals and weddings. I treasure both of these Bibles and use the smaller one whenever I perform the ceremony for a funeral or wedding. To me, they are priceless treasures.

It is interesting that the messenger from God tells Daniel that he is treasured by God and that God had heard his petitions and has answered through the vision Daniel had seen. The messenger was going to provide an interpretation of the vision so Daniel would understand. Certainly, Daniel was treasured by God because he sought to follow God’s plan and direction in his life and was willing to go against the crowd and popular opinion to do what was right in the eyes of God.

Challenge: Do you think you are treasured in the eyes of God? If not, what do you need to do to be treasured by God? How could you become more like Daniel and seek God’s will and direction in your life? Pray for wisdom and guidance in everything you do. Be willing to take a stand and go against the common thoughts and ideas of today.

While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sins and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before Yahweh my God concerning the holy mountain of my God – while I was praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the first vision, came to me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering. Daniel 9:20-21 HCSB

Have you ever really prayed urgently and with passion? I can remember several years ago praying for our daughter, Sarah, with that type of fervency. I received a phone call from my wife telling me that Sarah had been involved in an auto accident and the emergency medical technicians were putting her in an ambulance to take her to the hospital. I was attending a conference three and half hours away from home. As I made the long drive home, I prayed for my daughter to be healed of her injuries. I arrived at the hospital to discover that my daughter had three compressed vertebrae, a broken nose, a sprained knee, and a broken orbit around her eye that later had to be repaired with surgery. I don’t believe I have ever prayed as hard and as fervently as I did that day. Sarah will always have the effects of that terrible accident that was not her fault, but she has healed as much as possible and is currently a stay at home mom for our grandson, Logan, and is expecting another child
in February of next year.

Each day Daniel fervently prayed confessing not only his sins but the sins of others. He took his requests to God. We have the same privilege to take our petitions and requests to God. He wants to have a conversation with you and earnestly seeks to have a relationship with you.

Challenge: Make a list of your requests and petitions. Take these before God in prayer, seeking His will to be done in each situation. Thank God that you can take your requests to Him and that He hears your prayers.

“But the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever, yes, forever and ever.” Daniel 7:18 HCSB

There seems to be a never-ending quest to stop the aging process and live forever. Men and women dye their hair. Some have plastic surgery to tighten sagging skin so as to look younger. Others exercise and eat a healthy diet in an attempt to stay young and live longer.

There is only one way to live forever and that is to invite Jesus Christ, the Son of God to be your personal Lord and Savior. The Bible is clear that everyone has sinned and rebelled against God and the result is death and separation from Him. Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross as a way of paying the penalty for all of the sins of the world. He was then buried and three days later came back to life. Through Jesus Christ, all can be forgiven and receive eternal life.

In Daniel’s vision he was told that the holy ones (believers in Jesus Christ) will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever. In John 14:2 Jesus promises His disciples that He is going to prepare a place in heaven for them and that He will come again and take them to be with Him. As believers in Jesus, we have that same promise. Someday we will possess the kingdom of God and we will live forever and ever.

Challenge: If you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can pray and invite Him into your life. It is as simple as A-B-C. Admit you are a sinner. Believe Jesus is the Son of God and He died and rose from the dead. Confess Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. If you are already a believer, share with someone how he or she can live forever by believing in Jesus Christ.