Day 212: Without Jesus…

The Daily Word: Friday, July 31^st, 2020
2 Chronicles 29:1-36
Romans 14:1-23
Psalm 24:1-10
Proverbs 20:12
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. – Rom. 14:12-13

When you die, you will meet God face to face. You will give an account of your life to Him. You will be responsible for every word ever uttered. Every thought you’ve ever had, whether clean or dirty! Every action ever attempted or completed, whether good or evil.

Unless you’re perfect, the only way you will pass that test before the King of kings and Lord of lords is if you are hidden in Jesus (Col. 3:3)! When you receive Jesus as Lord, God no longer looks at you and sees your sin; He looks at you and sees His Son. When you are hidden in Jesus, you will receive the reward that only Jesus deserves for living a perfect, sinless life; because He took on the punishment you deserve for living a sloppy, sin-filled one!

The point is this: without Jesus, you fail. So what right do you have to judge another man or woman when you know you are hopeless without Jesus yourself?

Instead of judging, share the Gospel. Instead of pointing a finger, extend a hand and pray! Revival will not happen until we stop assuming everyone else is doing it wrong, and start allowing the Holy Spirit to convict and empower us to do it right ourselves.

Prayer:

Father, help me not to judge other people. I am so lost without Jesus; yet You sent Him to die on the Cross and rescue me from the midst of my sin. Help me to show other people the grace and mercy that You have shown me, in Jesus’ name!

Archives
See commentary from this day in 2014.
See commentary from this day in 2015.
See commentary from this day in 2016.
See commentary from this day in 2017.
See commentary from this day in 2018.
See commentary from this day in 2019.

Day 211: That’s Too Far

The Daily Word: Thursday, July 30^th, 2020
2 Chronicles 26:1-28:27
Romans 13:1-14
Psalm 23:1-6
Proverbs 20:11
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. – 2 Chron. 26:16

Uzziah was powerfully anointed. God, “…made him prosper” (v. 5). God, “…helped him against the Philistines, …the Arabians…and…the Meunites” (v. 7). Uzziah’s fame spread all the way to Egypt, “…for he became exceedingly strong” (v. 8).

But Uzziah’s strength soon became his weakness. He was so proud and his chin held so high that he forgot that God was the One who had made him strong. So he went too far. He tried to do something God had not given him permission to do. He burst into the temple, “…to burn incense on the altar” (v. 16). He tried to do something only priests were consecrated to do! And as a result, he immediately lost his strength: “And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also hurried to get out, because the Lord had struck him” (v. 20).

Strength is a blessing when it comes from God; but it is a curse when you try to produce it yourself. Do not allow your relative success to go to your head! The better your life gets, the more you should rely on God; never the less.

Prayer:

Father, I pray You would take every ounce of pride away from me. I know that I am strong because You are in me! My strength has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with You. Help me never to forget it, in Jesus’ name!

Day 210: Grace-Filled Speech

The Daily Word: Wednesday, July 29^th, 2020
2 Chronicles 24:1-25:28
Romans 12:1-21
Psalm 22:19-31
Proverbs 20:8-10
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. – Rom. 12:3

Paul spoke through grace. He did not speak in his own strength. He did not speak out of uncontrolled emotion. He spoke through grace: the “good will, merciful loving-kindness, [and] favor of God.”[1]

The Apostle Paul here is not referring to graceful (i.e. elegant) speech. We know this because he says to the Church at Corinth, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom…[and with] persuasive words of human wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Cor. 2:1, 4). Paul is referring to grace-filled speech: words that are filled with the merciful loving-kindness and favor of God.

When you speak, are you speaking through grace? When you respond to that social media post, does it demonstrate the merciful loving-kindness of our Heavenly Father? When you reply to that person who doesn’t agree with you and always rubs you the wrong way, are you showcasing God’s willingness to rescue even those who are far from Him?

If it’s not grace-filled, don’t say it at all. The world doesn’t need your opinion on the matter; it needs God’s.

Prayer:

Father, I pray You would fill my speech with grace! I want to speak through grace every day, in every conversation, with every single person I meet. Thank You Holy Spirit for strengthening me to speak through grace, in Jesus’ name!

[1] Strong’s G548; Greek charis

Day 209: Goodness and Severity of God

The Daily Word: Tuesday, July 28^th, 2020
2 Chronicles 21:1-23:21
Romans 11:13-36
Psalm 22:1-18
Proverbs 20:7
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. – Rom. 11:22

God is both good and severe. He is good to those who “continue in His goodness.” But He is severe to those who “fall.” So, the choice is yours: will you continue in His goodness? Will you live your life by His Word, and listen to His voice, so that you can experience His goodness in your life?

You don’t have to fall. You don’t have to be cut off! You don’t have to expose yourself to the “severity of God.” Make a decision to follow Him with all your heart. Continue in His goodness and stay connected to Him all the days of your life!

The choice is yours. Will you align yourself to receive God’s goodness?

Prayer:

Father, thank You for being just! Thank You for being good to those who continue in Your goodness, and severe to those who do not. I want to be among the elect who live my life according to Your Word. Help me to align my life with Your promise, in Jesus’ name!

Day 208: He’s Got Power

The Daily Word: Monday, July 27^th, 2020
2 Chronicles 19:1-20:37
Romans 10:14-11:12
Psalm 21:1-13
Proverbs 20:4-6
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
“For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” – 2 Chron. 20:12

Judah was under siege and surrounded by enemies. The Ammonites and the Moabites, plus “others with them” (v. 1) came to fight against Judah. And in response, this was Jehoshaphat’s prayer:

“For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” – 2 Chron. 20:12

You don’t have any power; but God does. You don’t have the strength required for victory; but God does! You don’t have unlimited resources, but God does. Whatever deficit you are facing in your life: God is your provider and your supplier!

Jehoshaphat didn’t need a strong army; he needed a strong prayer life. And so do you. Wherever you need a miracle: bring that area of your life to God in prayer! You don’t have the power to make it happen, but God does.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for exercising Your power on my behalf! I am so grateful for Your strong right hand, and Your miracle-working power, in Jesus’ name!

Day 207: The Right Things

The Daily Word: Sunday, July 26^th, 2020
2 Chronicles 17:1-18:34
Romans 9:25-10:13
Psalm 20:1-9
Proverbs 20:2-3
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel. – 2 Chron. 17:3-4

God was with Jehoshaphat: not only for what he did; but also for what he didn’t do. Your walk with Jesus is not only about loving what He loves! It is also about loathing what He loathes. So in case you need a quick primer on how to have a fruitful and joyful life with Jesus, here it is.

What to do: Read your Bible and pray. Every day. No more excuses! If you want to walk with Jesus, you have to know the sound of His voice. And you do that by hearing His heart through 1) His Word and 2) prayer.

But don’t do this alone. Rely on the Holy Spirit for help! He will birth a love of God’s Word in you that you have never felt before. He will help you when you don’t know “how to pray as you ought” (Rom. 8:26) by praying through you!

What not to do: Don’t do things you see Jesus avoiding in Scripture. Don’t seek after other gods (most often these are relationships and money). Don’t be fake! Be real with God. And let Him know when you need help. Avoid anything that will distract you from Jesus (a.k.a “sin”), and instead commit yourself to people and pursuits that will lead you straight to Jesus’ feet.

But again, don’t do this alone. Rely on the Holy Spirit for help! It is impossible to try and live a life of purity and holiness in your own strength. But when you rely on the Holy Spirit, He will live the life you want to live through you, in Jesus’ name!

Prayer:

Father, I want to be like Jehoshaphat! Help me to not only do the right things, but also to avoid the wrong things. I trust You for wisdom and discernment, in Jesus’ name!

Day 206: They Need to Hear!

The Daily Word: Saturday, July 25^th, 2020
2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14
Romans 9:1-24
Psalm 19:1-14
Proverbs 20:1
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. – Rom. 9:1-2

Why would the Apostle Paul – the man who had a face to face encounter with Jesus on the Road to Damascus – have “great sorrow and continual grief” in his heart? How could this man who saw signs, miracles and wonders everywhere he went have anything but joy? We know Paul had joy, because he told the church at Philippi to “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4). So why all this talk of sorrow and grief?

Paul had sorrow and grief because there were so many more people who needed to hear about Jesus. His work had been fruitful! But there was so much more work that still needed to be done.

We should live in this tension as followers of Jesus. We must be full of joy at the salvation we have been given! But we should also always have a continual sense of desperate longing that more people would be saved. There is a world that is dying without the love of God! And we must give our lives to make sure they get the message that Jesus is Lord.

Prayer:

Father, I am open and willing to experience the same “great sorrow and continual grief” that the Apostle Paul experienced. Help me to be joyful, yet still never satisfied, until every single person around me has encountered the love of God.

Day 205: Set Your Heart

The Daily Word: Friday, July 24^th, 2020
2 Chronicles 11:1-13:22
Romans 8:26-39
Psalm 18:37-50
Proverbs 19:27-29
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
And after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers. – 2 Chron. 11:16

If you want to seek Him, you first have to set your heart. To “set” is the Hebrew nathan (Strong’s H5414), which means to give or deliver up. Scripture here is referring to an intentional, daily process whereby we give up our hearts to God. We make a determination in advance that His agenda is more important than ours! We decide that seeking His glory is more important than seeking our own, and structure our day accordingly.

The first moments of your day are absolutely critical. When you wake up, you have the opportunity to “set your heart” for the rest of your day. Would you start your day without setting an alarm clock? I doubt it. So don’t start your day without setting your heart to seek the Lord. Begin your day by saying, “Lord, I am setting my heart to seek You!” And stick to that plan, no matter what comes you way.

Prayer:

Jesus, I am setting my heart to seek You today! I know the “setting” is my responsibility, and You will take care of the rest. Thank You for the reminder to seek You with all my heart, in Jesus’ name!

Day 204: Resurrection Life

The Daily Word: Thursday, July 23^rd, 2020
2 Chronicles 8:11-10:19
Romans 8:9-25
Psalm 18:16-36
Proverbs 19:26
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. – Rom. 8:11

The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead:

But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” – Matt. 28:5-6

When the disciples went to check on Jesus in the tomb, they found Him gone. He was risen! Notice that Jesus didn’t have to try and raise Himself from the dead. His Spirit did all the work. By virtue of the Spirit in Him, Jesus ascended from death into resurrection life!

The same Spirit now dwells in you. You abide in Christ, and His Spirit dwells in you! The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will bring Resurrection life into every area of your life that seems dead and needs an injection from Heaven!

Not even death could hold Jesus down. You have His Spirit! So what on earth could possibly stop you?

Prayer:

Father, thank You for filling me with Your Spirit. I am not going to try and make Resurrection life happen! I am simply going to trust Your Holy Spirit and let Him do the work.

Day 203: God Hears

The Daily Word: Wednesday, July 22^nd, 2020
2 Chronicles 6:12-8:10
Romans 7:14-8:8
Psalm 18:1-15
Proverbs 19:24-25
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
…then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name. – 2 Chron. 6:33

God promised to hear His people! But He also promised to hear “foreigners.” Under the Old Covenant, a “foreigner”[1] referred to someone who was not an Israelite. As Solomon finished building the temple at Jerusalem, God made a promise that even if a foreigner – someone who didn’t know God! – came to the temple to pray, God would hear his prayer and respond to his request.

Do you know what a “foreigner” is under the New Covenant, where we are living today? Someone who doesn’t know Jesus! God’s promise is still the same. Whether you feel close to Him or not – whether You know Jesus intimately or are coming to Him for the first time! – He will hear you and respond to your prayer.

Even “foreigners” – people who are far from God – have a Scriptural right to be heard by Him. How close you “feel” to God is irrelevant! When you call, He hears.

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them. – Ps. 145:18-19

Prayer:

Father, thank You for hearing me. I am so grateful that all I have to do to be heard by You is open my mouth and start to speak. Even when I feel far from You, remind me to call. I know You hear me, in Jesus’ name.

[1] Hebrew nokriy (Strong’s H5237); meaning “alien or stranger”

No more posts.