Category: First Things First Devotional

First, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days to scoff, living according to their own desires, saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? Ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” 2 Peter 3:3-4 HCSB

Many predicted that the world would come to an end when the calendar turned to 2000. Others predicted that at the minimum, computer networks would fail world-wide. Over the years there have been those who claim they know when the end of the world is coming. They have made predictions of the exact day and time but none have been true. Jesus said that no one knows when the last day will come so if someone is predicting a specific time, it will not be at that time.

In Peter's time some ridiculed Christian believers who had said that Jesus Christ was coming back and that the end of the world was coming. These scoffers were skeptical because nothing in the world seemed to be different and they did not believe that God was getting ready to end the world. Consequently, they did not see any need to commit their lives to Jesus or change their sinful living habits.

Challenge: The last days are the days between when Christ left this earth and when He returns to this earth. We are all living in the last days. Even if Jesus does not come back in our lifetime, we are living in our last days. Everyone will die and we only have a short time here on this earth. We all need to live as though Jesus were returning today.

Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen. Jude 24-25 HCSB

There are several home security systems available on the market. Each claims to be better than the other or promises to offer the same level of protection at a lower price. A home security system is designed to protect your home from someone breaking in and stealing valuables or to protect those inside from an intruder. I have heard of people who failed to turn on the system and their home was burglarized.

These verses remind us that God is our Protector. He will protect us from the evils of false teachers if we will stay close to Him through the reading of His Word and prayer. Even though false teachers are all around us, we do not need to be afraid. We can trust God to protect us if we are rooted and grounded in Him. He provides the best security system!

Challenge: We are vulnerable to the false teachings and doctrines of today. We are tempted to give into sin. Do not give up. God will keep us from failing and guarantees that as believers, we will someday stand blameless before Him. That will be a great day of joy and we will give God all of the glory.

Have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Jude 22-23 HCSB

Having been in full-time ministry for over 40 years, I have been trained in several different witnessing programs. The first was Evangelism Explosion. The second was Continuing Witness Training, and the last one was Faith. All have different presentation methods, but the common goal is to share the Gospel message with those who need to know Jesus as Lord.

Jude is encouraging us to have mercy on those who doubt and do not believe. We are to witness to them so that they might be saved from the fires of hell. He also cautions us to be careful that we are not contaminated by the sins of the world. I like the way the Message Bible interprets these two verses, “Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven.”

Challenge: It is the responsibility of every believer to witness and share the Gospel message with others. Effective witnessing saves people from God's judgment and leads them to forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Sometimes the best way we can witness is by loving the sinner as Christ loves them. At other times we must be bold in presenting the Gospel message so we might snatch them from the gates of hell. Unbelievers are in need of salvation. We should not take witnessing lightly; it is a matter of life and death. We must love the sinner but hate the sin.

But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. Jude 20-21 HCSB

We have a Watchman Prayer Ministry at our church. Each person (Watchman) agrees to pray for one hour each week at a specific time. The Watchman assumes his “watch on the wall” and prays for the ministers and ministries of our church, then calls the person who follows him on the wall to pass the watch. The objective is to have people praying for our church 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We currently have approximately 125 watchmen who pray for one hour each week. Obviously, we need 168 people to fill every hour for 7 days. This is a wonderful ministry, and I have witnessed firsthand the results of people praying.

Jude is encouraging his readers to pray in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within each believer to help convict of sin and serve as an encourager to live in a way that would be pleasing to God. When a person prays in the Holy Spirit, he is praying with power and strength. The Holy Spirit opens our minds to Jesus and His ways (John 14:26) and teaches us about Him (John 15:26).

Challenge: Is the Holy Spirit within you? Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to control and guide you? The Holy Spirit will help you to resist temptation and know how to pray and what to say in prayer.

Many will follow their unrestrained ways and the way of truth will be blasphemed because of them. They will exploit you in their greed with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep. 2 Peter 2:2-3 HCSB

It is not uncommon to turn on the television and find ministers who are preaching messages and asking for financial support of their ministries. Many offer gifts for a contribution of a certain amount. Once a donor is on the mailing list, he will receive multiple letters requesting donations.

It seems that things were no different in Peter's time. He warned his readers of the greed of false teachers. These teachers were willing to distort the truth and say whatever the people wanted to hear in an attempt to persuade them to give more money. These false teachers were more interested in making money than in teaching the truth of God's Word.

Challenge: Before you send money to a tele-evangelist or a ministry that has sent information to you in the mail, research and make sure they are legitimate. Evaluate what they are preaching and teaching. Are they serving God or simply promoting their own interests to get more money? Is the organization being a good steward of the money that has been given to them? Are they actually using the money to benefit others and to advance the kingdom of God? Remember that gifts to other ministries should be above and beyond your tithe to your local church.

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. 2 Peter 2:1 HCSB

In the United States we just finished the presidential election. On election night I enjoyed flipping to different television stations to see what was being said about the candidates and the election results. Although all were reporting on the same event, each station seemed to have its own spin or interpretation of what was happening and to be in support of one specific candidate. The television ads leading up to the election also portrayed each candidate in a different manner. Who are we to believe? Where is the truth?

Jesus Christ had told His disciples that they should be aware of false teachers (Matthew 24:11 and Mark 13:22-23). Peter had heard the predictions and was facing the conflict created by the false teachers. They were twisting the teachings of Jesus and His disciples. They even made fun of Jesus and the significance of His life, His death, and His resurrection. Some claimed that Jesus was not a man at all and vehemently denied that He was God. Many of these teachers encouraged immorality and other sins.

Challenge: We must be aware of false teachers that we encounter each day. Many belittle Christ and His work. Any book, recorded message, sermon, or television message should be evaluated against the truths found in God's Word.

First of all, you should know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from one's own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:20-21 HCSB

Over 100 million Bibles are sold or given away for free every year in the world, according to The Economist. The Bible is the most widely distributed and best-selling book in the world. Its message is God's Word to mankind so we might know Him and understand how He is working in the world for our own good. In the United States we are fortunate to be allowed to own a Bible and to worship freely. There are many places in the world where it is illegal to have a Bible. Consequently, some believers world-wide are not privileged to have a copy of God's Word.

Peter is telling us in these verses that the Scriptures are not just words that have been made up by men, but they are actually the Words of God Himself. God allowed men to be involved in the writing of the Scriptures as each was inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit. Each prophet of the Old Testament was inspired by the Holy Spirit as he spoke and gave a Word from God. Our Creator made sure that what was written in the Bible was the message that was intended and was correctly communicated.

Challenge: Thank God for His Word and that you are privileged to have a copy. Spend time reading your Bible to know more about God and how you can live your life in a way that would be pleasing to Him. Considersupportingthe Gideon organization that faithfully distributes God's Word around the world.

So we have the prophetic word strongly confirmed. You will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dismal place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 2 Peter 1:19 HCSB

The first reference in the Bible to the morning star as an individual is in Isaiah 14:12: “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” Isaiah is referring to Satan's fall from heaven (Luke 10:18). In Revelation 22:16, Jesus identifies Himself as the Morning Star. Why are they both referred to as “Morning Star”?

The concept of a “bright morning star” is a star that outshines all the others and can still be seen even as the sun begins to come up and light the world. Satan was a beautiful creation of God, probably the most powerful of all of the angels. Jesus is the Lord of the Universe and is “The Light of the World” (John 9:5). This is in no way equating both Jesus and Satan. Satan's light only exists to the extent that God allows it to exist. Jesus' light exists to light the way to abundant life (John 10:10) while Satan's light is only a poor imitation of the one true and Bright Morning Star, Jesus Christ.

Challenge: As believers we are to reflect the light of Jesus so that others might come to know Him as Lord and Savior. How bright is your light shining? Are you reflecting the light of Jesus?

For we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; instead, we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, a voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him! And we heard this voice when it came from heaven while we were with Him on the holy mountain. 2 Peter 1:16-18 HCSB

I was sitting at the red light waiting for the light to turn green when suddenly a car coming the other direction ran the red light and struck the car that was coming from the side street. I got out of my car and began helping the girl that was in the car that had been hit. The side of her car was bent in and broken glass was everywhere, even in her hair. The paramedics came to assist her and then the police arrived. They wanted a statement from those who had witnessed the accident. I told them what had happened because I was there and had observed everything.

In these verses, Peter is referring to the transfiguration of Jesus(Matthew 17:1-7). Peter was an eyewitness when he went with Jesus, James, and John up on a high mountain. There Jesus was transfigured and His clothes became as white as snow. Moses and Elijah were present talking with Him. A voice from Heaven said Jesus was the beloved Son of God and that He was very pleased with Him. Peter used this experience to validate that what he had taught them was not something he had made up, but it was from the One and Only Powerful God of the Universe.

Challenge: Have you ever wondered how Peter, James, and John identified Moses and Elijah? They did not have pictures to reference. Evidently, they automatically knew who they were. In heaven all believers will have new bodies and will be able to instantly identify others. Thank God for the message of hope and forgiveness that Peter brought to his readers and has now been passed down through the ages to you. You may not have been a witness to the transfiguration, but you are a witness to the transforming power of knowing Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

I consider it right, as long as I am in this bodily tent, to wake you up with a reminder, knowing that I will soon lay aside my tent, as our Lord Jesus Christ has also shown me. 2 Peter 1:13-14 HCSB

Periodically, I have the opportunity to officiate at a funeral. As a part of my message I remind people that we are all going to die, we just don't know the day and time. I also remind them that there is a real heaven and a real hell and that our choices here on earth will determine where we spend eternity.

Peter knew that his time on earth was near the end. Many years prior Christ had predicted the kind of death that Peter would face (see John 21-18-19). Peter was martyred for his faith. Tradition tells us that Peter was crucified upside down at his request because he did not feel worthy to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord – Jesus.

Challenge: If you have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, you do not have to worry about where you will spend eternity. As a believer you are assured that you will have eternal life in heaven when you die. Someday you will lay aside your tent (your body). Take seriously Peter's advisement to follow the actions of faith he described in 2 Peter 1:5-7.