Category: First Things First Devotional

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die – ever. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told Him, “I believe You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.” John 11:25-27 HCSB

I made my confession of faith in Jesus Christ when I was 10 years old. Each person is given a choice to reject or confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. That confession will determine where one spends eternity.

Martha, which means “lady of the house,” was known as being the one who was too busy to spend time with the Lord. She was known as being the busy hostess, preparing the food and making sure everything was done properly and in a timely fashion. In these verses we see the other side of Martha when she makes a statement of faith. She loved the Lord and believed He was the Messiah, the Son of God.

Challenge: God desires the same confession of faith from each of us. Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Never become so busy that you miss spending time with your Savior.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish – ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. John 10:28-29 HCSB

I am very proud of my four children. They are all responsible adults and love the Lord. No matter what they do, good or bad, they will always be my children and I will always be their father. Nothing can separate them from my love.

When we accept Jesus as Lord, we become children of God. Once a child of God, always a child of God. He is our heavenly Father. He will not reject us for any reason. Jesus promises in these verses that as believers we will never perish and that no one can take His love away from us. God has us in His hands and will hold on to us and protect us from the evil one, the Devil. We are promised that once saved, always saved. If we could lose our salvation by what we do, our salvation would be dependent upon us. Salvation is dependent only on God and what He does for us. We may sometimes question if someone has really accepted Jesus as Lord. Only God can make that determination.

Challenge: Thank God that as a believer you have the promise that you will never perish. Be assured that your salvation is secure. Once saved, always saved!

“This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father. John 10:17-18 HCSB

My father-in-law has been a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity for many years. He enjoys working with others to help build or restore a home for someone in need. He has willingly given many hours of service each year to help build walls, paint, install windows, or trim out a room. No one has forced him to volunteer, but he has willingly given of his time and talents in this way to help others.

Jesus willingly gave His life on the cross and died for the sins of mankind. No one forced Him to go to the cross and die. He willingly laid down His life and died for the sins of the world. Jesus had the right to lay down His life and the right to take it back up again.
Challenge: It is your choice to accept or reject Jesus as your Lord and Savior. God will not force Himself upon you. Voluntarily give your life to Jesus and make Him the Lord of your life.

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.

So Jesus said again, “I assure you: I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. John 10:7-9 HCSB

Have you ever stopped to think about how many doors you have in your house? I was surprised when I discovered that I have 31 doors in my house. There is the garage door, the front door, the back door, the door to the bathroom, the closet door, the bedroom door, and the list goes on and on. A door is a passage way from one location to another. The bedroom door is the passage way from the hall into the bedroom while the front door is the passage way from outside to inside the house. Without a door it would be impossible to get the different areas of my house.

Jesus proclaims twice in these verses, “I am the door.” He is not literally a door but He was illustrating that He was the way for people to come into His sheep pen (heaven) and that He would take good care of His sheep, protecting them from the thieves and robbers. He would also help His sheep (followers) to find pasture, illustrating that He would take care of their physical and spiritual needs if they would only trust Him.

Challenge: Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through Me” (John 14:6). As believers, we know the only way for people to have eternal life. We need to be sharing the Good News with everyone around us each day. Who will you open the door for today and share Jesus with them?

“I assure you: Anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the door but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The doorkeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. John 10:1-3 HCSB

My daughter’s car was locked and parked in front of our house. Overnight someone broke in and stole several items that were in her car. She had a collection of over 50 CDs that were taken. When we called the insurance agent, he said that if the CDs had been inside the house (less than 50 feet away) they would have been covered by our policy, but since they were in the car they were not. Our daughter was never able to replace all of her CDs that were stolen.

Jesus used a metaphor to describe how one who entered the sheep pen by any way other than the door was a thief and a robber. The sheep in the pen represented those who followed Jesus. The Shepherd was Jesus and the Pharisees represented the thief and robber. A thief or robber has no concern for the sheep; his only motive is to take or destroy something that does not belong to him. The Pharisees wanted to destroy Jesus and His sheep.

Note that the shepherd calls his sheep by name. Jesus knows each follower by name. He has a personal relationship with all of His followers. He knows the pain, struggles, and celebrations in each of our lives.

Challenge: Thank Jesus for being a good Shepherd. He will protect you, guide you, and lead you where you need to go if you will only trust Him with your life and your goals. He knows what you are going through and wants only the best for you.

Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and asked Him, “We aren’t blind too are we?” “If you were blind,” Jesus told them, “you wouldn’t have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see’ your sin remains.” John 9:40-41 HCSB

The church where I attend has a special needs ministry. There is a class for children with special needs called, “Special Buddies”, and a class for teens and adults called, “Special Blessings”. One of the little boys who comes is blind and has been since birth. He uses a little cane to make his way around. He has adapted very well to his unusual circumstance.

In these verses Jesus was implying that the Pharisees were spiritually blind. They could not see or understand the true meaning of God’s Word. They thought they understood because they were students of the Scriptures and even taught others about the laws of Moses and the Ten Commandments. When Jesus said, “If you were blind, you wouldn’t have sin,” He was implying that if the Pharisees really did not know the Scriptures, they would have reason to be spiritually blind but since they knew the Scriptures they should have sight and know what to do. Therefore, they were spiritually blind.

Challenge: If Jesus were your spiritual eye doctor, what would He say about your eye sight? Would He claim you are spiritually blind like the Pharisees? Open your eyes and understand the full meaning of God’s Word. Since you know God’s Word, make sure you are living out your faith in your everyday activities.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, He found him and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” Who is He, Sir, that I may believe in Him?” he asked. Jesus answered, “You have seen Him, in fact, He is the One speaking with you.” I believe, Lord!” he said, and he worshiped Him. John 9:35-38 HCSB

I work with a wonderful, godly pastor and staff. When I first came to my position they were just acquaintances, but after working with them for over two years I have a better understanding of each one. One likes Chevrolet vans, another one does not like Christmas music while another one really enjoys all types of music. One enjoys being with family, and another enjoys restoring old furniture. Each is different but the more time I spend with them, the more I learn about them and appreciate their unique talents and God-given gifts.

The more time we spend with Jesus, the more we will know Him. The blind man had the opportunity to be around Jesus and actually talk with Him. He discovered that Jesus was more than a prophet; he learned that Jesus was the Son of God. The blind man gained spiritual sight as well as physical sight. He confessed that he believed and that Jesus was Lord. He then worshiped Jesus. If we are going to really know Jesus, we must spend time with Him.

Challenge: How much time do you spend getting to know Jesus? How much time do you spend reading God’s Word and praying? Jesus wants to be your friend and guide you through the many difficulties of life. Make it a priority to spend time with Him.

Again they asked the blind man, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” “He’s a prophet,” he said. John 9:17 HCSB

Wikipedia defines prophet as: “In religion, a prophet is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or divine, and to speak for them, serving as an intermediary with humanity. The message that the prophet conveys is called a prophecy.” The Living Bible translation defines prophet as “an interpreter of the times and of people’s hearts, one who issues an oracle or word of the Lord.”

The Pharisees were trying desperately to get some evidence they could use against Jesus. They brought the man who had been healed by Jesus back into the temple to ask him who he thought Jesus was. The blind man did not claim that Jesus was the Messiah, but he did call Him a prophet. He put Jesus in the same category with Elijah and Elisha, who were great prophets of God. The blind man knew that Jesus had brought sight to his eyes. He had been healed from a disease that was believed to be incurable.

Challenge: Who do you say that Jesus is? He is more than a prophet. He is the Messiah, the One and only Son of God who died on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead to proclaim His power over death. Praise Jesus for who He is.

They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees. The day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath. So again the Pharisees asked him how he received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” he told them. “I washed and I can see.” Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He doesn’t keep the Sabbath!” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was a division among them. John 9:13-16 HCSB

While traveling in Israel I was present over a Sabbath. Orthodox Jews in Israel are prohibited from performing any work on the Sabbath. Consequently, elevators in tall buildings in Israel are shut down each Sabbath because the act of summoning an elevator would be classified as work.

To make mud, Jesus would have had to put water and dirt together, which would have been considered work by the Pharisees. They had gone to great detail to establish rules that would define what one could and could not do on the Sabbath. So by making the mud, Jesus was breaking the Sabbath ordinances according to the Pharisees. When God instructed, “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy,” (Exodus 20:8) He never intended for man to make a set of rules and regulations to prevent acts of ministry. Jesus’ actions prove that God is more interested in people resting and praising God for what He has done rather than following a set of rules.

Challenge: God intends for us to keep the Sabbath holy by resting from our normal work and devoting time to praise Him with a worshipful attitude. He knows that we all need to take a day to rest. Today’s busy culture makes it difficult to slow down and truly rest on the Sabbath. Simply following a list of rules and regulations does not create personal holiness nor does it make the Sabbath holy. Take time to rest and worship God each Sunday.