Category: First Things First Devotional

Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. 2 Timothy 4:2 HCSB

As a parent I have had to give instruction and correction to all four of my children over the years. At the same time all of my children also needed to hear encouraging words and praise. We all want to hear our parents say, “Good Job”. The same is true in the work force. As I have conducted annual reviews for employees, I have always tried to provide some positive words while also giving words of guidance if needed.

Paul encouraged Timothy to fulfill his ministry, to be persistent in proclaiming the message even when it was not easy. Timothy was to rebuke, correct, and teach the people with a spirit of patience and encouragement. There must be a balance between rebuking and and encouraging people who need direction. It is sometimes difficult to be patient when we understand what people should be doing and it appears they aren’t making the necessary effort to succeed. Paul admonishes that we are to have great patience.

Challenge – As a believer you should proclaim the Good News to those with whom you have contact every day. It should be done with gentleness and patience. If you must rebuke and correct, be sure to include a word of encouragement.

After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus – but secretly because of his fear of the Jews – asked Pilate that he might remove Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and took His body away. Nicodemus (who had previously come to Him at night) also came, bringing a mixture of about 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes. John 19:38-39 HCSB

As a former student pastor, one of the challenges I issued to students was to live out their faith and boldly proclaim that Jesus was their Lord and Savior. Many students and even adults are afraid to let others know they are Christians. They are afraid of what others might think of them. It seems as if they want to keep their devotion to Jesus a secret.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were secret followers of Christ. They were afraid of what might happen if the Jewish leaders discovered their loyalties. Both were members of the high council. Nicodemus came to Jesus in the darkness of night so as to not be discovered as someone who wanted to know more about Jesus (John 3:1). He also tried to defend Jesus before the religious leaders (John 7:50-52). These men were changed by the death of Jesus. They realized who Jesus truly was and were willing to sacrifice their reputations and openly declare that they were His followers.

Challenge: When confronted with Jesus, we should be changed and be willing to proclaim Him as Lord. Do you hide your faith from family, friends, and fellow workers? Step out from hiding your faith and boldly proclaim to others that you are a follower of Jesus.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” Then bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:30 HCSB

When I worked for the Missouri Baptist Convention I was responsible for a youth camp called Youth Development Week. Because of the popularity of the camp the numbers dictated we have three different groups. Each group had approximately 500 students and leaders. I had a team of student ministers who helped with all of the planning and details for the week. As the first group of students left at lunch time, the next group came in that afternoon. It was a huge undertaking and a lot of fun. When the last group of the week left and everything was packed up and ready to go, there was a palpable sense of relief – it was finished! With it came a great sense of accomplishment.

When Jesus said, “It is finished!” He had completed the task God the Father had sent Him to accomplish. The Greek term that is used indicates abiding, lasting results. It was more of a victory cry. Jesus was obedient to do His Father’s will. All prophecies had been fulfilled. John records that Jesus “gave up” His spirit. This is another indication that Jesus was in total control and He willingly gave His life for the sins of all mankind.

Challenge: What does God want you to do? Be faithful and obedient to follow His plan for your life.

When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple He loved standing there, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” and from that hour the disciple took her into his home. John 19:26-27 HCSB

Before my father went into surgery to remove a brain tumor eight years ago, he asked me to take care of my mother if his surgery was unsuccessful. I reassured him that I would. The surgery left my father paralyzed on the left side of his body and just a few weeks later, he made the transition from this life to eternal life with his Heavenly Father. At that time my wife and I invited my mother to come live with us in our home. God has richly provided for her each and every need and ours as well.

Even though Jesus was suffering in pain on the cross, He selflessly thought of His mother. John never identifies himself directly in his Gospel. Here he identifies himself as “the disciple He loved”. Jesus, knowing that His mother needed someone to care for her, asked John to assume this responsibility. John then took her into his own home and cared for her.

Challenge: Jesus set the example of compassion that we should have for others. We honor Christ when we follow His example. Care for your family members and others you know that are in need.

So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it, to see who gets it.” They did this to fulfill the Scripture that says, They divided My clothes among themselves, and they cast lots for My clothing. And this is what the soldiers did. John 19:24 HCSB

Thebrownhouse.net reports that according to Josh McDowell’s More Than A Carpenter Jesus fulfilled 60 major
 prophesies about the Messiah. These prophecies came from the Old Testament, the most 
recent of which was written over 400 years before Jesus was born. Genesis 3:15 prophesies the birth of Jesus. Psalm 41:9 and Zechariah 11:12-13 foretell of the betrayal and death of the Messiah. A book entitled Science Speaks, by Peter W. Stoner 
examines the probability of any man fulfilling eight of the 60 prophecies. The odds of this occurring are 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. Stoner considers only 48 prophecies of the 60 that Josh McDowell claims were fulfilled by Jesus and states, “We find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10^157.

In today’s Scripture reference, we find the actions of the Roman soldiers fulfilled the prophecy found in Psalm 22:18. Note that Jesus quoted the first verse of Psalm 22 while hanging on the cross, “My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?” This probably referred to the Psalm of David with which people would have been familiar. This was not a cry of doubt from Jesus, but rather an urgent appeal to God. Jesus willingly took the sins of the world upon Himself and suffered the burden of our sins. At that moment God turned away from His Son because He is a Holy God and can not be a part of the sin. What is amazing is that these verses in Psalm 22 were written over 800 years before the first crucifixion.

Challenge: There is no doubt Jesus is who He said He was – the Son of God. Accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior. It is as easy as A-B-C. A-Admit you are a sinner. B-Believe that Jesus is the Son of God, He died for your sins, and rose from the dead and lives today. C-Confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

“You have no authority over Me at all,” Jesus answered him, “if it hadn’t been given you from above. This is why the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin.” John 19:11 HCSB

I have heard many illustrations concerning how Jesus needs to be in the driver’s seat of our lives, in total control, giving direction to every aspect. Too many times we want Jesus to remain in the passenger seat just in case we need Him, but we do not want to relinquish total control of our lives.

In today’s Scripture passage, Pilate thought he was in control of the situation and that he had the authority to crucify Jesus, but Jesus set the record straight and let him know that he did not have any authority or control unless God the Father gave it to him. God is sovereign and is in control of everything that happens in the world. God does not cause pain and suffering; rather, He allowed the suffering and pain and eventually the crucifixion of Jesus as a way to make it possible for all mankind to come to know Jesus as Lord and be saved. God can take the evil of the world and make something good.

Challenge: Read Roman 8:28. What can you do today to acknowledge that God is in control and allow Him to give direction in your life? God knows how to make lemonade from lemons and how to make something beautiful from the unlovely. Ask God to take the heartache in your life and make something beautiful.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged. The soldiers also twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and threw a purple robe around Him. And they repeatedly came up to him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and were slapping His face. John 19:1-3 HCSB

The flogging of Jesus was especially cruel. Jesus was tied to a whipping post that caused Him to be bent over so He could not stand up straight. There would have been two soldiers whipping Jesus, one on each side. The whips used would have had sharp pieces of rock or metal tied on the ends of the whips. These sharp pieces would dig into the skin and as the whip was pulled back, it would rip the skin, leaving a large bleeding gash in the person’s back. They probably gave Jesus 40 lashes of the whip, 20 from each side. By the time they finished, Jesus’ back would have been almost raw and blood would have been coming from almost every part of His back.

The crown of thorns would have been made out of the thorns from the date palm. Each thorn would have been long and pointed like a spike. Certainly, the soldiers pressed the thorns down into his head causing intense pain and bleeding.

As if all of this was not enough, the soldiers then mocked Jesus by placing a purple robe on Him. Purple was sign of royalty. They mockingly yelled at Him and repeatedly hit Him in the face.

Challenge: Jesus could have at any time called on a thousands angels to rescue Him from such pain, suffering, and abuse, but He did not. He did it all for you because of His love for you. He wants to have a relationship with you and for you to spend eternity with Him in heaven. Thank Him for all that He endured for your sake.

You have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at the Passover. So, do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews? They shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas! Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. John 18:39-40 HCSB

As a student pastor I counseled with many young people who were addicted to negative behavior. They willfully chose to participate in activities that were self – destructive and hurtful to those around them. Some were involved in drugs and alcohol while others were involved in sex and associating with the wrong crowd. Even when I pointed out how destructive their behaviors were, many selected to return to what would ultimately destroy them.

The people wanted a Messiah who would liberate them from the Roman rulers. That is what they had hoped and wanted Jesus to do. Just a few days earlier, these same people had worshipped Jesus as He entered Jerusalem. They sang praises to Him and placed palm branches in His path. When they realized that Jesus was not the political or military leader they were expecting, they wanted Him crucified and they wanted Barabbas to be released. Barabbas was known as a murderer who was willing to fight the Roman rulers. Even though the people knew Barabbas was an evil person, they elected to have him released instead of Jesus whom Pilate found no grounds for charging with any crime.

Challenge: Each of us are just like Barabbas and deserve death for our sins; but Jesus willingly took our place and paid the penalty for our sins so we could find forgiveness and be released from the chains of our hurtful actions. Thank Jesus for taking your place and setting you free from your sins.

“I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” “What is truth?” said Pilate. John 18:37-38 HCSB

Barna Research did a survey among American adults in 2009 to determine how many had a “biblical worldview”. Barna reports that for the purposes of the survey, a “biblical worldview” was defined as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of the world who still rules the Universe today. In the research, anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview.

Barna discovered that overall, the current research revealed that only 9% of American adults have a biblical worldview. One would suspect that the majority of those labeled as “born again Christians” would possess a biblical worldview but less than one out five (19%) had such an outlook on life. It seems that in today’s culture there are no absolute truths.

Even in Jesus’ time, Pilate asked, “What is truth?” We are all searching for truth. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” It is only through Jesus Christ that we can really know the truth. The truth of our sinfulness, God’s grace and mercy, His forgiveness, and that Jesus is the only way to salvation and the Father.

Challenge: Do you know the Truth? It is only through Christ that you can know the truth and the truth will set you free. Pray that God will help you know, understand, and possess a biblical worldview.

Then Pilate went back into the headquarters, summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” John 18:33 HCSB

I have had the opportunity to travel to London, England and actually see the royal palace where the Queen of England resides. The Queen does not actually rule England or the United Kingdom; rather, the Queen or King of England is more of a figurehead. The British government is actually run by the Parliament and the Prime Minister.

Jesus was accused of being the King of the Jews. This was an accurate title, however His kingdom is not of this world. An earthly kingdom is only temporary. Jesus’ kingdom is in heaven and will last for eternity. Those who believe in Jesus and make Him Lord of their lives will be a part of His eternal kingdom. Every person must make a decision regarding who Jesus is and if he will make Him the King of his life.

Challenge: Who is king of your life? Do you control the direction of your life or have you given Jesus control to enable you to live for Him? Make Jesus the King of your life and become a part of His eternal kingdom.