Thursday, May 28 – “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11) These are the words of John the Baptist. Jesus’ second cousin, the man who baptized Jesus and knew exactly who Jesus was. He even predicted the Holy Spirit coming as fire. Water cleans, but fire purifies and burns away what is temporary, leaving only what will last. Your identity.
Friday, May 29 – “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1) A fire can’t burn, without something being sacrificed. God wants to set your life on fire. Not to destroy you, but to reveal to you, and to the world, who you are. To burn away anything that prevents you from being you.
Saturday, May 30 – “So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?” (1 Corinthians 14:23) Speaking in tongues, on Pentecost, was a gift of the Holy Spirit. Yet, it’s not the only gift of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling power of the Holy Spirit manifests itself when and how it’s best, in any given situation. The Holy Spirit will never lead you to do something or be someone that might make others think that you’re crazy.
Monday, June 1 – “After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, ‘Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.’” (Matthew 26:73) Peter denied being with and even knowing Jesus the night that he was arrested, tried and crucified. Peter got the opportunity to repent (turn around) from that misstep, after the resurrection. Peter then had the opportunity to be the voice of Pentecost. The lesson? Today is the first day of the rest of your life!
Tuesday, June 2 – “Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?’” (Acts 2:7) How many times have you made a snap judgment about someone, based on where they’re from or the color of their skin or their accent or their clothing or piercings or tattoos? No judgment, no condemnation, just being real. We all do it. Today, see how quickly you can catch yourself being bigoted and prejudiced. This will then open the door to the possibility of overcoming your bigotry and prejudice.
Wednesday, June 3 – “Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead.” (Luke 9:7) Herod had heard all about Jesus. Yet, in the absence of knowing how to explain Jesus, he started to believe the conspiracy theories that Jesus was a reincarnated John the Baptist; whom he had murdered. Herod wasn’t good at living in the “I don’t know.” His perspective of Jesus was formed out of his own fear and guilt. Have you ever done the same thing?
Thursday, June 4 – “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.” (Mark 2:22) New wine, as it ferments, as it becomes the wine that it is, will expand. Thus, it needs a new wineskin that will expand right along with it. The wineskin is your life – what you believe, your perspectives, who you are. The wine is the Holy Spirit living in you and through you. Helping you to be all that God has created and gifted you to be.
Friday, June 5 – “Inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst.” (Job 32:19) Job got it. Being a follower of Jesus isn’t something that you do, it’s someone that you are. Job had learned so much as he went through all the @#%$ that God allowed in his life. The result wasn’t Job’s abandonment of God. The result was Job’s testimony about how God had walked with him. In spite of what was happening to him. Job celebrated who he had become, not what had happened to him. That’s new wine!
Saturday, June 6 – “To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.” (Psalm 18:26) King David is describing God. “Shrewd” is having or showing astute or sharp judgment in practical matters, sometimes at the cost of moral compromise. In other words, God doesn’t change, but the way that God relates to you depends on your very own moral character. God meets you where you are, whether “pure” or “devious”. In order to move you to where God is.
Friday, May 29 – “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1) A fire can’t burn, without something being sacrificed. God wants to set your life on fire. Not to destroy you, but to reveal to you, and to the world, who you are. To burn away anything that prevents you from being you.
Saturday, May 30 – “So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?” (1 Corinthians 14:23) Speaking in tongues, on Pentecost, was a gift of the Holy Spirit. Yet, it’s not the only gift of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling power of the Holy Spirit manifests itself when and how it’s best, in any given situation. The Holy Spirit will never lead you to do something or be someone that might make others think that you’re crazy.
Monday, June 1 – “After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, ‘Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.’” (Matthew 26:73) Peter denied being with and even knowing Jesus the night that he was arrested, tried and crucified. Peter got the opportunity to repent (turn around) from that misstep, after the resurrection. Peter then had the opportunity to be the voice of Pentecost. The lesson? Today is the first day of the rest of your life!
Tuesday, June 2 – “Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?’” (Acts 2:7) How many times have you made a snap judgment about someone, based on where they’re from or the color of their skin or their accent or their clothing or piercings or tattoos? No judgment, no condemnation, just being real. We all do it. Today, see how quickly you can catch yourself being bigoted and prejudiced. This will then open the door to the possibility of overcoming your bigotry and prejudice.
Wednesday, June 3 – “Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead.” (Luke 9:7) Herod had heard all about Jesus. Yet, in the absence of knowing how to explain Jesus, he started to believe the conspiracy theories that Jesus was a reincarnated John the Baptist; whom he had murdered. Herod wasn’t good at living in the “I don’t know.” His perspective of Jesus was formed out of his own fear and guilt. Have you ever done the same thing?
Thursday, June 4 – “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.” (Mark 2:22) New wine, as it ferments, as it becomes the wine that it is, will expand. Thus, it needs a new wineskin that will expand right along with it. The wineskin is your life – what you believe, your perspectives, who you are. The wine is the Holy Spirit living in you and through you. Helping you to be all that God has created and gifted you to be.
Friday, June 5 – “Inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst.” (Job 32:19) Job got it. Being a follower of Jesus isn’t something that you do, it’s someone that you are. Job had learned so much as he went through all the @#%$ that God allowed in his life. The result wasn’t Job’s abandonment of God. The result was Job’s testimony about how God had walked with him. In spite of what was happening to him. Job celebrated who he had become, not what had happened to him. That’s new wine!
Saturday, June 6 – “To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.” (Psalm 18:26) King David is describing God. “Shrewd” is having or showing astute or sharp judgment in practical matters, sometimes at the cost of moral compromise. In other words, God doesn’t change, but the way that God relates to you depends on your very own moral character. God meets you where you are, whether “pure” or “devious”. In order to move you to where God is.
You try to eat right. You drink plenty of water. you exercise. don't forget your spirit - feed it!
daily devotions
