Category: First Things First Devotional

You are My friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father. John 15:14-15 HCSB

We just celebrated my mother’s 90^th birthday with a surprise party. I was reminded of the classic Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which is one of my favorites. I usually watch it during the Christmas season. This movie reminds us that money, power, and possessions are not really important. Friends, family, and relationships hold the most importance. I was inspired to see so many friends and family help celebrate my mother’s 90 years and to reflect upon the many ways God has blessed her and used her to touch the lives of many other people.

Just imagine – Jesus is our Lord and we should be His servants; instead He calls us His friends. What a privilege! We are a friend of the Lord and Ruler of the universe. That is hard to imagine. God has richly blessed me with many earthly friends, but my greatest friend is Jesus!

Challenge: A good friend is always available to celebrate with you and to walk with you through the difficulties of life. What type of a friend are you? Thank Jesus for being a faithful friend. I am reminded of the old hymn: “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”. Listen to Alan Jackson sing this great hymn on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X35JDIdQF5A.

“I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:11-12 HCSB

What brings you complete joy? For me, it is being with my family. There is nothing that I enjoy much more than being with all of my children and grandchildren. Being a part of seeing someone come to know Jesus as personal Savior also brings me great joy as does helping someone in need.

Jesus wants our joy to be complete. How can our joy be complete? By loving one another as He has loved us. Jesus loved us with “agape” love, a love that does not expect anything in return – a love that is willing to literally give one’s life for another. Jesus gave His life so we might be forgiven and have eternal life. As we truly love others as Jesus loves us, we will experience complete joy.

Challenge: Thank Jesus for His never ending love for you and for His willingness to die in your place and pay the penalty for your sins. How are you doing in following His command to love one another as He loves you? What can you do to love those you encounter today? Are you experiencing complete joy? If not, then try a little more love.

“As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love.” John 15:9-10 HCSB

It is a song that we all have sung as children, “Jesus Loves Me This I Know.” The lyrics are “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.” Jesus challenges us to remain in His love and to keep His commands.

Jesus taught His disciples many things but He gave them a new command, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul”, and “Love your neighbor as yourself”. If we follow these two simple commands we will fulfill the other commandments and teachings of Jesus. Our obedience to His commands is an expression of our love for Him. Love compels obedience and obedience nurtures a greater love for Him.

Challenge: Jesus modeled the perfect “love” relationship between Himself and God the Father. How do you measure up against Jesus’ love? What type of “love” relationship do you have with God, the Father? What can you do this week to improve your relationship with God the Father and to specifically love those whom you find hard to love?

“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers.” John 15:5-6 HCSB

Last year I planted some small mums on each side of our driveway. This year they grew to be three to four times bigger than when they were first planted. Their branches were weighted with beautiful yellow blooms. One Wednesday October night I rolled the trash can to the end of the driveway for pick up the next morning as usual. The next day the trash men emptied the trash and without taking care, they tossed the can back toward the driveway where it hit one of the plants and severed a stem that had several blooms on it. Within a day the stem had withered and died. It did not produce any more blooms because it received no further nourishment from the plant. Consequently, I had no option but to discard the withered branch.

As believers we must stay connected to Jesus if we are going to produce any fruit. The fruit mentioned here is more than just evangelism and bringing others to Christ. This Scripture also refers to the fruit of the Spirit that is mentioned in Galatians 5:22-24: love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As we remain in Christ and His teachings, we can produce fruit that brings honor and glory to God’s kingdom.

Challenge: Are you producing fruit or are you withering? Review the fruits mentioned in Galatians and rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being low and 5 being high on how well you are doing with each fruit. What can you do to remain in Christ and produce more fruit for Him? The closer you stay to Christ, the more fruit you will produce.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. John 15:1-2 HCSB

Each fall I trim back or prune our bushes and landscaping. I want to make sure each bush or plant has the room to grow properly and maintain the right shape. This past summer my wife’s siblings and our families re-landscaped my father-in-law’s yard. We removed and replaced some plants and others we just trimmed and shaped. I noticed the other day that some of the bushes we planted this summer already need to be pruned in order to remain proportionate to the other plants. Pruning is necessary to promote growth and to keep the yard looking well- manicured.

Jesus used the analogy of a vine and a branch to describe the relationship that we as followers have to Him and the importance of allowing God the Father to prune us and shape us to be more like Jesus Christ. When God observes some activity, behavior, or thought that needs to be removed from our lives because it does not make us more like His Son, He carefully prunes us back so we can bear more fruit for His kingdom.

Challenge: Jesus is the vine and we are His branches. Only when we remain in Him can we produce fruit for His kingdom. God, the vine keeper, will prune back any unproductive branches and will remove anything that hinders our growth. He wants us to be more like Jesus in order to produce more fruit.

Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough – because there was no room for them at the lodging place. Luke 2:7 HCSB

The traditional scenes of Christ in the manager surrounded by shepherds and wise men with the bright star shining down to light the scene is probably not very accurate. Realistically, the scene would have been very dark with minimal light because it would have been inside a cave, which was where most stables were made to hold animals. There probably would have been several different types of animals – sheep, goats, horses, and cows. One can only imagine the odor from the animals. The manager or feeding trough would have been made out of stone with hay inside it.

The shepherds who came to see the Christ child probably would not have brought the sheep they were watching. Some of the shepherds would have stayed to care for the sheep while others went to the city to check out the validity of the message they had heard from the angels. Finally, the wise men would not have arrived until approximately two years later and would have found Jesus as a young boy and certainly not living in a stable.

Christ was born in a stable because there was no room for Him in the lodging place. The stable was just what God ordered. Mary and Joseph would have had more privacy in the stable for it provided a much better place to give birth to a child. I can imagine but can not prove that the wife of the innkeeper may have been a midwife or knew a midwife who could assist with the birth. Jesus came as a humble servant, not as a king or ruler. Jesus came for all people, especially for the common people, not for the priests and religious leaders. God’s plan is always best, even when it does not seem logical.

Challenge: Do you have room for Jesus in your life? Will you make time each day for Jesus or are you too busy to take time for Him? He came into our world as a little child, but we must not leave Him there. We must see the rest of His life and His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. We must see Him as our Lord and Savior and more than just a tiny child in the manager.

And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, because He has looked with favor on the humble condition of His slave. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and His name is holy. Luke 1:46-49 HCSB

I always enjoy hearing Christmas carols at Christmas time. Each song proclaims the birth of Jesus Christ and celebrates His arrival in the world and what He has done for mankind. Even though we live in a culture that seemingly rejects Christ and the message of Christianity, people are bombarded by the message of love, forgiveness, and hope for the future at Christmas time.

Today’s Scripture passage is often referred to as “Mary’s Song” because she was singing praises to God for His holiness and the great things He had done. Her song recognized God’s greatness as well as her humble, yet exalted condition.

Challenge: Reflect upon the lyrics and melodies of longstanding Christmas carols such as “Joy to the World”, “Silent Night”, and “O Come All Ye Faithful”. Put a Christmas CD in your player, crank up the sound, and sing along with the music to proclaim the greatness of God and the Good News that Jesus, the Messiah, came to our world to offer forgiveness for the sins of all mankind.

“I am the Lord’s slave,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her. Luke 1:38 HCSB

In Biblical times an unmarried girl who became pregnant faced a difficult time. Since Mary was engaged to Joseph and engagement was considered to be the equivalent of being married, she could have been stoned to death for being unfaithful to her husband to be. Additionally she could have faced being rejected by her fiance and possibly by her own father, which would have forced her into begging or prostitution in order to be self-supporting. More than likely she would have faced a lifetime of being unmarried. Telling others that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit would have undoubtedly brought ridicule and rejection from others. Even though Mary faced all of these potential trials, she willingly submitted to become a slave of the Lord and to carry out His plan.

Slavery is usually considered to be an inhumane condition that carries a negative connotation, but in this verse Mary willingly stated that she was the “Lord’s slave.” She was willing to humble herself and be obedient to God’s plan for her life even if it meant severe hardship. Many times obedience to God’s will for our lives can cause us to sacrifice and experience hardship. God is always faithful and will bring good out of the trials we encounter.

Challenge: Be willing to humble yourself and submit to God’s plan for your life. Praise God for the opportunity to be His slave and to serve Him. Be willing to do whatever will bring honor and glory to God’s kingdom.

Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?” The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 2:34-35 HCSB

In today’s world there are many who find it difficult to believe in the virgin birth of Jesus. They want to explain away the virgin birth and many miracles in the Bible with a natural explanation rather than accept that God is all powerful. He was capable of creating the world just by His spoken Word. He was capable of separating the Red Sea and making it possible for the children of Israel to walk through on dry land. And He was capable of enabling a virgin to become pregnant and give birth to a child that would be called the Son of God.

Luke, the writer, was a medical doctor therefore was credible to proclaim that Jesus was born of a virgin. Luke based his writings on eye witness accounts and made sure that what he recorded was accurate. It is believed that Luke personally talked with Mary to confirm the fact that she was a virgin and that she became pregnant without having a relationship with any man.

Challenge: Believe that God has the power to create a child in a virgin’s womb. Our God is an awesome God and nothing is impossible for Him. Praise Him for who He is and for what He has done for you through His Son, Jesus.

Then the angel told her: Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Now listen: you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call His name Jesus. Luke 2:30-31 HCSB

School teachers hesitate to admit if they have favorite students, but fellow students often label those who seem to find favor as “teacher’s pets.” Being a teacher’s pet does not always bring rewards. It can bring ridicule from students who do not find favor with the teacher.

In these verses we discover that Mary found favor with God. One would think that this special position would bring honor, but God’s favor does not always bring fame and success. Having the honor of being the mother of the Messiah brought public shame, possible abandonment by her fiancé, giving birth to her Son in a stable surrounded by animals, and traveling to a foreign land to insure her Son’s protection. Mary’s Son would eventually be hated by religious leaders who would succeed in persuading the Roman authorities to murder Him on a cruel cross. This is not exactly what one would expect from finding favor with God. Sometimes God’s plan is not easy, but it is always what is best even when we do not understand it.

Challenge: God is in control. He is always working out His plan, even when it causes pain and suffering. We must trust God and submit to His will just as Mary did. Read Proverbs 3:5-6.