Devotions

As he awaited his death as a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp, the famed theologian, pastor and Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a letter about losing people we love. He wrote, in part:

There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us, and one should not even attempt to do so. One must simply hold out and endure it. At first that sounds very hard, but at the same time it is also a great comfort. For to the extent the emptiness truly remains unfilled one remains connected to the other person through it. It is wrong to say that God fills the emptiness. God in no way fills it but much more leaves it precisely unfilled and thus helps us preserve—even in pain—the authentic relationship. Furthermore, the more beautiful and full the remembrances, the more difficult the separation. But gratitude transforms the torment of memory into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as a thorn but as a precious gift deep within, a hidden treasure of which one can always be certain. 

Gratitude helps us deal with loss. Jesus faced loss and showed us one other way to deal with the grief that accompanies the loss of people we love: compassion. “Now when Jesus heard this [John’s death], he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick” (Matthew 14:12-14, ESV).

John the Baptist was Jesus’s cousin. John was murdered because of a crazed and convicted adulterer. When Jesus heard the news, he withdrew out of grief and sorrow. He went to a lonely place by himself. The big problem for Jesus was that though he wanted to be alone to grieve and process his loss, the multitudes wanted his healing. When they realized where he had gone, they followed him. Jesus saw them and felt compassion for them. 

The way out of the grief funk is not through a season of loneliness but through ministering to others. When you start to tend to others’ needs, God heals you and takes care of you. It’s dangerous to be left alone with your thoughts when you suffer great loss. It is in giving that you receive.  

^{After pastoring an inner-city congregation in Detroit for thirty years, Pastor Tim served at Brooklyn Tabernacle in NYC for five years and pastored in Lafayette, Louisiana, for five years. He became Senior Pastor of Times Square Church in May of 2020.}

The blood of Jesus is the most precious gift our heavenly father has given to his church, yet few Christians understand its value.

Christians often sing about the power of the blood. Indeed, one of the most well-known gospel anthems trumpets, “There is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb.” However, most believers seldom enter into the power of that blood, probably because we simply do not comprehend its great significance. For example, we constantly “plead the blood” as some kind of mystical formula of protection, but few Christians can explain its great glory and benefits.

If I were to ask you what the power of the blood means, you might answer, “It means that all my sins are forgiven, and I am free.” Beyond forgiveness, though, what does the blood of Jesus Christ mean to you? Can you explain to your family or to a friend or colleague the worth and significance of the blood of Jesus?

Let me share with you the benefits that flow from the blood of Jesus. 

1. Jesus’s blood redeems us from sin and the power of darkness. “In him we have redemption through his blood” (Ephesians 1:7, NKJV). We are no longer under condemnation. 
2. Jesus’s blood has purchased the whole church of God. “Shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). 
3. Jesus’s blood breaks down all walls. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation” (Ephesians 2:13-14).
4. Jesus’s blood sanctifies us. “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). 
5. Christ’s blood overcomes Satan. “And they overcame him [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11).
6. The blood gives us access to the Holy of Holies and to our heavenly Father. “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19).

Through the blood of Jesus we are able to come to our heavenly father boldly and without fear!

The only thing that can abort God’s wonderful purpose for you is the sin of stubborn pride. We see this in the life of King Saul.

Scripture tells us that God’s Spirit was on this man from the day the prophet Samuel saw him coming down the road. God had called Saul, and he was using him, but something in Saul was emerging quickly: an arrogant pride. Saul would not confess or admit his sin. Instead, he blamed others to justify his actions. He was more concerned with keeping up appearances than with what God thought of him.

Beloved, the difference between David and Saul was pride. Think about it. King David, who ruled Israel after Saul, sinned as grievously as Saul did. David even killed another woman’s husband to cover up his sin, but he quickly repented before God. When Nathan the prophet pointed out David’s dreadful act to him, he didn’t justify it. Rather, he immediately cried out, “God, don’t take your Holy Spirit from me! All I want is to please you. I know I have failed you but please forgive me. Cleanse my heart.” (See 2 Samuel 12:13 and Psalm 51.)

When Saul was caught in sin, however, he grabbed hold of Samuel’s skirt and cried, “Don’t take my kingdom from me. Please stand with me so I won’t look bad in front of my people.” (Read 1 Samuel 15:22-35.) Saul was more interested in what the people thought about him than in having grieved the Holy Spirit.

Beloved, it is pride and a haughty, immovable spirit that brings us down. A broken heart, a contrite spirit, captures the heart of the Lord. It does not matter what you have been through or how you have failed God. If you run to him and weep it all out after you have failed, he will stand with you. He always stands with those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

We all fail the Lord; no one in his church is perfect. Yet every time we are unfaithful to him, he remains faithful to us.

Peter was the man who said he would never desert Jesus. Not only did Peter end up denying that he knew the Lord, but he did it with a stream of profanities pouring from his mouth.

“And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, ‘This is one of them.’ But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, ‘Surely you are one of them…’ Then he began to curse and to swear, ‘I do not know this man of whom you speak!’” (Mark 14:69-71, NKJV).

If you had been standing near the fire listening to Peter, you may have thought, “Is this the man who was on the Mount of Transfiguration? Is this the one who laid hands on the sick, and they recovered, the one entrusted with the keys to the kingdom? Listen to what’s coming out of his mouth! How could he walk so intimately with the Lord and then blow up like this, lying, cursing and denying him? It’s all over for Peter. He might as well go back to his fishing nets. He’ll never be heard of again.”

Had you run to the Lord, exclaiming about Peter’s cursing, he would have answered, “Yes, Peter has failed me; but I know his heart. He’s going to be on a hill in a few hours, weeping and coming back to me. He is on his way to Pentecost and to a life of ministry for me. In fact, he will die a martyr, crucified upside down for me”.

“If we are faithless, he remains faithful; he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). It is true that Peter was terribly unfaithful, but God remained faithful, and his eternal purpose in Peter’s life was not thwarted. Why? Because God cannot deny who he is.

No matter what you have been through or what you have done, God looks on your heart. If you have a broken and contrite spirit, he will be there for you. His eternal purpose for you will not be ruined because he will see it through!

“After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram” (Genesis 15:1, NKJV). This verse basically means that after Abram looked around fearfully at the enemies surrounding him, after he felt dejected that he hadn’t made any progress, the Word of the Lord came to him.

The first thing God told Abram was “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward” (same verse). In this single verse, God has given us the secret to the greatest blessing any believer could ever have. The meaning for shield here in Hebrew is “protector, defender.” God is saying, “I will fight for you, and I will be your champion.”

The Lord is telling Abram, “Go ahead and look at all those armies surrounding you. Nobody can touch you because I am your protector. Entrust your life and future to my hands.” Moreover, this verse tells us the Lord is much more than a shield to us. He is also our exceeding great reward. God says to Abram, “You will have your son, and he will be a joy to you, but I will be the one who fulfills your deepest needs.”

God knows all about human nature. He knew that Abraham (as God later renamed him) would have a great measure of joy when his son was born. Abraham could then say, “God did it! He promised this to me, and he kept his word.” Yet God also knew that Abraham would not be totally fulfilled when the child came. He would still have an inner hunger, a restlessness, an inexplicable need that no human could touch.

Isn’t this what happens to us when we finally get the thing we have wanted so badly? All along, we think, “If only I can get this one thing, I’ll be happy. It will make my life wonderful and end all my problems.” No, it won’t! Only the Lord himself can fully satisfy our deepest need.

Our High Priest says, “The secret of my blessing is that I am what you are looking for. I am your answer, your blessing and your reward.”