The following devotions are written and shared weekly by Pastor Steve Harmon.
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Day One
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 11, we are told that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. And that’s true. You don’t need faith to know that something is true if you can see it and touch it. So folks who say that they have to see it to believe it are no longer talking about faith. They are talking about a certainty that can only come if they can see it and feel it. That is a fruit of our western culture since the Age of the Enlightenment when human reason was elevated above the revelation of God’s Word. So how can we talk about a certainty of faith in such a climate? How can we talk about faith when much of what we talk about can’t be seen or touched? Where does that certainty come from? It comes from God’s Word. We can look at His work in the past. We can look at the many times that He fulfilled His promises to His people. We look at Abraham’s life. We can look at God’s work to deliver His people from their slavery in Egypt. We can look at Jesus’ life and His work. Paul describes Jesus as the YES to every promise of God. How can Paul speak with such certainty? He can do that (we can do that) because the tomb is empty. Jesus rose and lives. Because He rose just like He said, His Word is true.
Day Two
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Here (James 2:13) James writes that judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. That reminds me of the parable that Jesus tells about the unforgiving servant. His master forgives him his debt – a debt that this servant could not possibly pay. It was a gift. When that same servant confronts a fellow servants who owes him a few dollars, he shows no mercy. He does not treat his fellow servant in the same that the master had treated him. He was in fact despising the forgiveness that he had been given when he refused to share it with his fellow servant. As a result, the master called him in and had him thrown into prison until the last penny of his debt was paid. That’s why James writes that judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. The wicked servant’s actions are evidence that he had not received the master’s mercy as the gift that it was. Because of that, he was still living under the judgment of the debt. The master simply confirms that when he puts him in prison. If we lose sight of the gift that forgiveness is – of the grace of God that He has poured out upon us through that gift – then we run the risk of becoming like that unforgiving servant. However, if we continue to give thanks for the gift that we have received – if we continue to come to God in confession and hear His forgiving Word – if we continue to hold it up as the gift that it is, we will have no trouble sharing it with others who are in need of Word of pardon that we have received.
Day Three
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I reprint this devotion for August 14, 2019 from “Portals of Prayer.” “Ignorance is bliss. If I’m unaware of something, then I cannot worry about it. Here in Romans 10, Paul is not commenting on being unaware. Instead, he is commenting on choosing our own way instead of God’s way. God revealed that His plan of salvation was through the suffering, death and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus. People rejected that truth by substituting their own ‘good works’ for their salvation. Do you know someone today who is still working to earn salvation? Is it you? Deuteronomy, Joel, Leviticus, Nehemiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Nahum and Psalms are all quoted by Paul in Romans 10. This chapter flows beautifully, and it is difficult to choose just one section to focus on. Verses 3 and 4 bring us back to the heart of the Gospel: in Jesus, there is no eternal death or condemnation for believers because Jesus is the end of the Law. In Psalm 19:7, David writes that ‘the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.’”
Day Four
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Here in Hebrews 7:25, the writer talks about Jesus as one who intercedes for us. What does intercession mean and how does Jesus do that? Webster’s defines intercession as the act of interceding. It defines intercede as this: to act between parties with a view to reconciling differences. Who are the parties here in Hebrews? The parties are God and man. What are the differences between God and man? What has separated them? It is the sin of Adam – the sin that we inherited from Adam. It is the sin that we are and the sin that we do. How is that difference reconciled? Jesus became sin for us. He took our place under the Law and satisfied its demands perfectly. He then took our place under the curse of the Law and suffered the death that sin deserves – that we deserve. Then through the power of God’s Word at work in and through the waters of Baptism, we are united together with Jesus in His perfect life and His death. We died with Him so that we could be raised to new life in Him. Because of Jesus’ work done for us and in union with Him, we are now forgiven. He stand before the Father’s throne with confidence because Jesus has and continues to intercede for us.
Day Five
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 20:32 talks about an inheritance that comes to us through the Word of God’s grace. An inheritance is passed down from parents to children. It is given because of the relationship enjoyed as a member of the family. It is a gift simply because of the relationship. We have this inheritance from God (forgiveness and eternal life) because He has adopted us into His family and made us co-heirs with His Son, Jesus Christ. That took place when we were baptized into Jesus. By the power of God’s gracious Word, we were united with Jesus in His death and life – and in His inheritance. We have been made children of God. The riches of His kingdom have been given to us. That inheritance is guaranteed because the tomb is empty. Jesus died for our sin and then rose victorious over sin and death. We have been clothed in Christ’s righteousness and there is no power in all of creation that can take that away. Our future inheritance is secure in Christ and the resurrection that He shares with us.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 11, we are told that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. And that’s true. You don’t need faith to know that something is true if you can see it and touch it. So folks who say that they have to see it to believe it are no longer talking about faith. They are talking about a certainty that can only come if they can see it and feel it. That is a fruit of our western culture since the Age of the Enlightenment when human reason was elevated above the revelation of God’s Word. So how can we talk about a certainty of faith in such a climate? How can we talk about faith when much of what we talk about can’t be seen or touched? Where does that certainty come from? It comes from God’s Word. We can look at His work in the past. We can look at the many times that He fulfilled His promises to His people. We look at Abraham’s life. We can look at God’s work to deliver His people from their slavery in Egypt. We can look at Jesus’ life and His work. Paul describes Jesus as the YES to every promise of God. How can Paul speak with such certainty? He can do that (we can do that) because the tomb is empty. Jesus rose and lives. Because He rose just like He said, His Word is true.
Day Two
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Here (James 2:13) James writes that judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. That reminds me of the parable that Jesus tells about the unforgiving servant. His master forgives him his debt – a debt that this servant could not possibly pay. It was a gift. When that same servant confronts a fellow servants who owes him a few dollars, he shows no mercy. He does not treat his fellow servant in the same that the master had treated him. He was in fact despising the forgiveness that he had been given when he refused to share it with his fellow servant. As a result, the master called him in and had him thrown into prison until the last penny of his debt was paid. That’s why James writes that judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. The wicked servant’s actions are evidence that he had not received the master’s mercy as the gift that it was. Because of that, he was still living under the judgment of the debt. The master simply confirms that when he puts him in prison. If we lose sight of the gift that forgiveness is – of the grace of God that He has poured out upon us through that gift – then we run the risk of becoming like that unforgiving servant. However, if we continue to give thanks for the gift that we have received – if we continue to come to God in confession and hear His forgiving Word – if we continue to hold it up as the gift that it is, we will have no trouble sharing it with others who are in need of Word of pardon that we have received.
Day Three
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I reprint this devotion for August 14, 2019 from “Portals of Prayer.” “Ignorance is bliss. If I’m unaware of something, then I cannot worry about it. Here in Romans 10, Paul is not commenting on being unaware. Instead, he is commenting on choosing our own way instead of God’s way. God revealed that His plan of salvation was through the suffering, death and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus. People rejected that truth by substituting their own ‘good works’ for their salvation. Do you know someone today who is still working to earn salvation? Is it you? Deuteronomy, Joel, Leviticus, Nehemiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Nahum and Psalms are all quoted by Paul in Romans 10. This chapter flows beautifully, and it is difficult to choose just one section to focus on. Verses 3 and 4 bring us back to the heart of the Gospel: in Jesus, there is no eternal death or condemnation for believers because Jesus is the end of the Law. In Psalm 19:7, David writes that ‘the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.’”
Day Four
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Here in Hebrews 7:25, the writer talks about Jesus as one who intercedes for us. What does intercession mean and how does Jesus do that? Webster’s defines intercession as the act of interceding. It defines intercede as this: to act between parties with a view to reconciling differences. Who are the parties here in Hebrews? The parties are God and man. What are the differences between God and man? What has separated them? It is the sin of Adam – the sin that we inherited from Adam. It is the sin that we are and the sin that we do. How is that difference reconciled? Jesus became sin for us. He took our place under the Law and satisfied its demands perfectly. He then took our place under the curse of the Law and suffered the death that sin deserves – that we deserve. Then through the power of God’s Word at work in and through the waters of Baptism, we are united together with Jesus in His perfect life and His death. We died with Him so that we could be raised to new life in Him. Because of Jesus’ work done for us and in union with Him, we are now forgiven. He stand before the Father’s throne with confidence because Jesus has and continues to intercede for us.
Day Five
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 20:32 talks about an inheritance that comes to us through the Word of God’s grace. An inheritance is passed down from parents to children. It is given because of the relationship enjoyed as a member of the family. It is a gift simply because of the relationship. We have this inheritance from God (forgiveness and eternal life) because He has adopted us into His family and made us co-heirs with His Son, Jesus Christ. That took place when we were baptized into Jesus. By the power of God’s gracious Word, we were united with Jesus in His death and life – and in His inheritance. We have been made children of God. The riches of His kingdom have been given to us. That inheritance is guaranteed because the tomb is empty. Jesus died for our sin and then rose victorious over sin and death. We have been clothed in Christ’s righteousness and there is no power in all of creation that can take that away. Our future inheritance is secure in Christ and the resurrection that He shares with us.