The Race to Finish

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Focus Verse: Hebrews 12:1  "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

Maybe you have noticed when you watch a race, some runners start out very fast.  But if it is a long race, those runners may become too tired to finish the race well.  Because they have not paced themselves, they either quit the race early or finish with a poor time.  Smart runners don't carry backpacks or luggage when they run.  No, they have just the clothes they need to wear and a good pair of running shoes.

The apostle Paul compares the Christian life to a race.  He says "let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."  As I work in ministry in Kenya, I know that all of Africa will not be saved through my own efforts,  but I do know that God will help me disciple some to follow Him.  Some of those will, in turn, also make new disciples.  This can branch out like a tree of runners. 

So we pace ourselves in this Christian life to do what God enables us to do.  Paul has also told us to take off the backpack of anything that slows us down, but especially sin so that we can run this race strong.  Ineffective Christians are carrying the luggage of sin or other weights on their backs.  Paul says strip it off, get rid of the things that weight you down.  In Philippians 3:14 Paul writes, "I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."  He encourages us to finish the race strong.

When we come to the end of our life, let us be able to say as Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7  "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful."  Are you a disciple ... running?

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Choices

Scripture Reading: Genesis 13

Focus Verse: Genesis 13:12  “So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain.”

We are faced with choices everyday.  Some are important choices and some don’t seem to be very important.  Abram gave Lot a choice of where to take his flocks and Lot chose the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley.  But this was also near the city of Sodom which was a very wicked city.  This was not a good choice for Lot because this wicked city dragged Lot and his family down spiritually. Why do you think Lot made his choice?

One of the greatest gifts God has given mankind is the ability to choose.  Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, were given this gift of choice by God.  And we see early in the book of Genesis they made the wrong choice and disobeyed God.  God could have forced mankind to obey Him but God knows that when we choose to obey and love Him then it is a true love.  What if I forced my wife and children to love me?  I don’t want to receive that kind of love.  I desire them to choose to love me so then I know it’s a true love.

Sometimes we make the wrong choice and some wrong choices are sin. If you or I had been the first man or woman in the Garden of Eden we would have made the same choice to sin against God.  We can, however, be thankful that God has a plan for our sin.  God’s only Son Jesus paid the penalty for our sin on the cross when He died.  But the power of God raised Jesus to life three days later, and has power over death and the grave.  Even though we can suffer consequences on earth for our sin, you can make a good choice to humble yourself, surrender and call on the name of Jesus today and ask forgiveness for your sin, and He will forgive you instantly.  You can start a relationship with God today through Jesus and the Holy Spirit can empower you to begin making right choices.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

Nation Against Nation

Scripture Reading:  Matthew 24:1-14

Focus Verse:  Matthew 24: 7  “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.”

You may have heard in the news that Israel has been attacked, and Israel has declared war.  But these wars that happen between nations should not be a surprise to us because Jesus predicted this would happen in the last days.  Jesus also predicted famines and earthquakes.  We have seen many famines across Africa with thousands of people starving.  And earthquakes are happening with more frequency than ever before.  There are many signs happening that indicate we are living in the last days.

These signs should not strike fear in us.  We should be joyful, because these signs indicate that our Savior is coming soon.  So what should we do when we see all these signs happening?  We should continue to do what we (hopefully) have been doing, declaring the good news of the Gospel.  There are still many people and nations that need to hear the good news of the Gospel before it’s too late.  Jesus said in verse 14 “And the good news about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then the end will come.”

Maybe you will be the person who tells the last person about the Gospel before Jesus returns. That would be exciting.  So let’s not be too distracted by all that is happening in the world, but looking to the Lord , keep our lives ready, and continue with the task of making disciples for Jesus, and spreading the good news of the Gospel.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

Bread of Life

Bread of Life

Bible Reading: John 6:10-14; 24-27; 35

Focus Verse: John 6:35 "Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

What is your definition of a miracle?  It is something that only God can do.  When God decides to make a miracle, he has a purpose.  In the scripture reading above, we read about how Jesus fed over 5,000 people by multiplying the food.  The people were happy to have been fed and followed Jesus.

The focus of this event isn't the food or that people were fed, but that Jesus was teaching something about Himself.  He wants us to hunger for Him and to seek Him first.
 
Be hungry, not because of the blessing of the food, but to understand the Giver. The good things in your life are not for the sole purpose of your enjoyment, but that our Lord has decided to reveal Himself to you.  Over the next few days, challenge yourself to pray that God will open your eyes to understand more about who He is.  He reveals Himself clearly in the Bible.

What are you learning lately?  Hunger for God and seek Him first.  He will leave you satisfied because He is the Bread of Life!


Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Can Anyone Be Saved?

Scripture Reading: Acts 26:9-18

Focus Verse: Acts 26:9  “I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene.”

I went to a conference recently and our speaker shared some of his testimony on how he came to Jesus.  He mentioned how he was involved in drugs, alcohol and sexual misconduct before his salvation.  As I listened I thought how unlikely it was that he would come to Jesus and be saved. 

 

All of us can probably think of someone that we know who is unlikely to become a Christian. Our scripture reading is about one of those people.  The apostle Paul was actually chasing down Jesus followers, putting Christians in jail, having them punished and voting for their death.  But then he had an encounter with Jesus as he was traveling on the road and that changed his life forever. Jesus appointed him to be His servant and witness so that people would turn from darkness to light.

You might say you don’t have a testimony of being saved from all kinds of rough sins like drugs, theft, and murder.  If you’re a born again Christian, it doesn't matter if you had big sins or small sins, you have a powerful testimony of how you came to Jesus.  Your testimony is not about "you", but it's about God's saving grace in your life.  There is someone out there who needs to hear your testimony of how you came to Jesus!  Who knows, but they may be the most unlikely to be saved.

 

  Lastly, I want to answer the question asked at the beginning of this devotion.  YES, anyone can be saved, but only through the grace of God through Jesus and a repentant heart toward God.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

Respecting Poor Authority

Respecting Poor Authority

Scripture reading: 1 Samuel 24

Focus verse: 1 Samuel 24:5-6  " Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe.  And he said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.”"
also: Ephesians 6:5 "Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;"

David had been anointed by Samuel the priest to be the next king (1 Samuel 16).  He would rule after king Saul died.  David knew how to wait and patiently honored his king, his authority.  This was not always easy for him.  King Saul was often depressed and had a troubling spirit ever since he disobeyed God (1 Samuel 15).  Once, he threw a spear at David as he played music for the king. (1 Samuel 18:10-11) He even spent time hunting David down.  This is what was going on when we come to read 1 Samuel 24.

David could have easily killed Saul and become king, but he chose to cut off a piece of his robe.  Even this action caused David regret.  David knew the Lord would want him to have total respect for authority, even though the King was doing a poor job and even though the King was hunting him to kill him.

David's life is a good example of how we can obey and respect authority that we don't agree with or think is wrong.  I am not responsible for how our authority behaves, but I am responsible for how I react and respect that authority.  Pray that God will give you the grace and mercy to respect and obey the authority that has been placed over you.

Author's note: Realize that this is not talking about following a leader that prevents you from obeying God's commands or leads you into sin.  This does not include false prophets either. That is a different subject.  You might also like reading Romans 13 that relates to authority.

Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Beat by a Girl

 
Beat By a Girl

Bible Reading Judges 9:34-56
Memory verse: Matthew 23:12 "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Abimelech was the king.  He forced his way to the throne.  He and his hired men killed seventy brothers.  His plan worked and he was king.  He had a few good years until Gaal came into town saying bad things about Abimelech and his position.  Abimelech heard about it and it bothered him so much that he set out with four companies of men.  People were killed in the fighting and Gaal and his brothers fled the city.  The next day, the attack continued against the people in the city and many were killed.  Some people who were in the city fled into a tower.  Abimelech ordered his men to burn the tower and the people died.  The rampage continued to the next city of Thebez.  When they attacked, the people fled to the tower.  As Abimelech led the men to burn it, a woman dropped a millstone on Abimelech's head and cracked his skull.  Not wanting to be killed by a woman, he asked his armor-bearer to kill him. 

A lot of people died because of the selfishness of Abimelech and his ambition.  I never plotted to kill people in order to get to be king, but I know I have been selfish.  God doesn’t want us to selfishly knock people down in order to be at the top.  I remember when I was a kid, playing a game called “King of the mountain”.  We would have to try to be the one standing at the top of a hill of dirt.  It was just the right size mound that only one person could stand at the top.  If I ever was able to shove my way to the top, it wouldn’t last long because someone would shove me back.

Examine your life to see if you are shoving people around in order to be at the top.  Are you wanting to be a leader in your community or church?  If you talk bad about others in order to make yourself look better, is that right?  Abimelech got paid back for his crimes when a woman dropped the stone on him in self defense.  He was beat by a girl.  The Bible says that if you exalt yourself, you will be humbled.

by Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries