Devotions

Most of Jesus’ parables relate to him and his church. In Matthew 18 he describes a king who calls his servants to account. Evidently, the king was dealing with servants who had been exposed for committing crimes and the servant in greatest debt was one of the first offenders to be brought before him. In some way, this man had managed to fall into tremendous debt, owing the equivalent of hundreds of millions of dollars. When he was called to account, “he was not able to pay” (Matthew 18:25). So the king commanded that he be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he possessed.

This servant immediately cried out, “Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all” (18:26). The man had nothing of value to exchange for his criminal act — so he fell on the mercy of his king. “Give me some time. I can make up for my sin and satisfy all your demands.” But the truth was, this servant couldn’t possibly pay for his crime.

“Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt” (18:27). And then we find that the servant wasn’t repentant at all, he was merely trying to play on the king’s feeling, seeking his pity. The king knew this, but he had compassion because of the awful sickness that plagued this man’s mind and heart.  

The king in Jesus’ parable knew just how crushing the consequences of his servant’s sins were. And he could see that if he gave him over to those consequences, the servant would be lost forever. Without forgiveness, he would spiral downward hopelessly and become hardened for life. So the king forgave him and declared the man to be free and clear, releasing him from all debt.

How did the forgiven servant respond to his master’s grace and forgiveness? He went right out and attacked a fellow servant who owed him a small amount of money (18:28-30). What an abominable sin; the blackness in his heart was revealed, even after he had been forgiven.

Are you getting the message? We cannot ever repay God for our trespasses; we must just accept his grace and mercy toward us. And we must be tenderhearted and loving to one another: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

Disobedience is walking contrary to God’s revealed Word. Stubborn disobedience brings a spirit of slumber and apathy. We all know the story of Jonah when he was fleeing “to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” God sent a great storm and “Jonah [went] down into the lowest parts of the ship … and was fast asleep” (Jonah 1:3, 5). His disobedience had brought on a fierce storm but he was oblivious to the chaos and pain he was causing and drifted into a spiritual stupor.

The captain of the ship awakened Jonah from his sleep and the crew questioned, “For whose cause is this trouble upon us?” (Jonah 1:8). Jonah urged the crew to cast him overboard, but they ignored him and headed for land (1:13). Their actions said they knew they were on their own.

Jonah was utterly powerless. Even if he was spared from the storm, he was in no condition to prophesy to Ninevah, which had been his original calling (see 1:2). Scripture tells us, “The Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (1:17).  Why would a merciful God take Jonah so low? He was in a living hell, but after three days and nights, “Jonah prayed to the Lord his God” (2:1). Why didn’t Jonah pray before this? It was because he was convinced, “I am cast out of Your sight” (2:4). He thought, “I’m a dead man; I can’t go any lower. God has turned his back on me.”

Nothing could have been further from the truth! When Jonah went overboard, the fish was there, ready to swallow him — evidence that the Lord was at work. Satan had succeeded in robbing Jonah of any hope of God’s grace for three days and nights, but the truth was that God was speeding him on his way to Ninevah — his place of obedience. Soon the prophet would be walking in sunlight again, fulfilling his calling.     

The storm you’re in is meant to give you a revelation of God’s mercy and grace. If you’re walking in disobedience, run to him now, quickly repent, and pour out your soul to him. He won’t keep you long in the whale’s belly because he is a loving God who longs to restore you. The intensity of your time “in hell” will speed you on your way to complete victory — so keep your trust in him.

The Bible is clear that in these last days, the church of Jesus Christ faces the wrath of Satan. He is hell-bent on destroying marriages, alienating children, pitting family members against each other with the simple goal of bringing ruin and destruction to every home he possibly can. Jesus referred to this demonic work when he described Satan, saying, “You are of your father the devil … He was a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44).

The tragedies plaguing families today are simply beyond belief. All over the world, the devil is wreaking absolute havoc and he will not stop until he devours every family in his path. Amid all this destruction, Satan has not overlooked Christian homes. Many believing families have been wracked by chaos, sorrow and pain through divorce, rebellious children, and addictions of all kinds.

In any troubled home, someone must get hold of Jesus! When an impossible situation arises, no counsel or medicine can help; a miracle must happen or else it will end in devastation. Miracles come as a result of intercessory prayer, determination and persistence.

When Christ was on the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, “a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed” (Matthew 15:22). Satan had moved into this woman’s house and possessed her daughter. Jesus didn’t answer the woman right away and the disciples even urged him to send her away so she would stop bothering him (15:23). But the woman wouldn’t leave because her daughter’s condition was a matter of life and death to her. She wasn’t going to relent in her pursuit of Jesus and the Lord commended her for it: “‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour” (15:28).

Beloved, we have been promised all the grace and mercy we need for our crises and that includes every crisis involving our families, saved or unsaved. We have been invited to come boldly to Christ’s throne with confidence! But I can assure you of one thing: good things will never happen if we simply resign them to fate. We must labor in intercession for our family and our loved ones. Make this your prayer: “Lord, whatever it takes, I’m going to do battle for my family as long as I live.”

The Lord touches every servant who is faithful in prayer. He seeks out those who are willing to discipline themselves in order to hear his voice. The Bible calls this attitude “setting the heart.” Daniel writes, “Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes” (Daniel 9:3).

Daniel then tells us, “Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God … the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering” (9:20-21). In short, Daniel is saying, “God touched me while I was seeking him in intense prayer.”

Daniel makes it clear that he did not get his understanding of God’s Word by studying under learned men or gain his knowledge of future events from Babylon’s institutions. Nobody could teach him to interpret dreams that were supernaturally given. No, Daniel declares, “While I was speaking in prayer … he informed me, and talked with me, and said, ‘O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand” (9:21-22).

Simply put, Daniel’s prayers brought forth a word from God’s throne (see Daniel 10:12 and 14). What kind of prayer was Daniel engaged in that prompted such a visitation? Scripture tells us he had spent three weeks in utter brokenness: “I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all” (10:2-3). For twenty-one days Daniel humbled himself and set his heart to receive divine understanding.

During this time, Daniel was making a declaration of war: “Lord, I won’t leave your presence until I discern what you are doing.” Right now, God’s people need a word from heaven as never before. Never in history have so many multitudes been left weary and sick from dead, dry sermons.

You may say, “Well, I can’t spend hours a day praying.” But you can “set your heart” to talk with the Father daily and worship him in your heart constantly. Your discipline in humble and broken prayer will bring great rewards.   

Any Christian will tell you, “Jesus died for my sins.” They know certain parts of the story — that Jesus died and rose again — but I’ve learned that few can tell you what his resurrection means in their daily life. They fail to apply God’s powerful truths to the way they live and believe, and that makes all the difference in the world.

What is the purpose of the resurrection? Most of us associate it with eternal life, but not with daily life. How is the resurrection significant in your marriage, your job, your family? How does it affect a life inundated by more than 200 data messages per day, a life harried by errands, chores, obligations, demands?

Paul reminds us that Christ’s death, burial and resurrection are of first importance: “It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:24-25, ESV, my emphasis). So, what does Paul mean when he says Jesus was raised so that we might be justified?

Justification has to do with newness of life. Without it, we would be stuck in an unchanging cycle of sin and forgiveness. Think about the weight that sin carried in our lives. Shame, guilt, condemnation come with everyday life; we can’t get away from it. Yet Paul tells us that Jesus was “delivered up” to cleanse us of these very sins.

This verse tells us that not only are our trespasses gone, but we are justified, meaning that it’s as if we had never committed those sins. Now we are a delight in God’s eyes, resurrected into newness of life every day!

What a great and powerful truth. Yet Christians often don’t experience this newness in everyday life. Jesus finished the work, he rose again, and he has blessed us with newness of life. In claiming his resurrection power, we can put it on like a suit of clothes. “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:54, NIV).

The power of the resurrection is that Jesus is alive. He breathes into us his own Spirit and empowers us to bring his good news — the blessed hope — to all who are lost and afraid.