Rejoice In Your Afflictions – Romans 5:3-5

Rejoice In Your Afflictions – Romans 5:3-5

by | Oct 25, 2019 | Devotions

“And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Romans 5:3-5

Because of our peace with God and salvation through Jesus, we have been given the Holy Spirit that will help us endure through difficult situations in life.
 
The prosperity gospel is a false teaching that claims God will bless you socially, physically, and financially as a result of your faith in Jesus. Prosperity teachers claim that the more faith you have, the more material blessings you will receive. This is a lie and false teaching. The Gospel brings blessings in spiritual matters, by which we are richly blessed by the grace and mercy of Jesus, but God does not promise financial and physical blessings as a result of following Jesus. After all, Jesus was homeless, beaten, and killed for His beliefs.
 
This false teaching of the prosperity gospel has infiltrated many Christian’s understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. Many well meaning Christians have proclaimed that “life will be better and easier when you follow Jesus.” This isn’t exactly true. Sure, Jesus gives life to the fullest (John 10:10) but a full life isn’t measured by material blessings or the avoidance of suffering but rather the presence and lordship of Jesus who will guide and comfort you as you navigate pain and suffering in this world.
 
Paul tells the church in Rome that they should “rejoice in our afflictions.” Paul did not say that we would be exempt from suffering but that we should continue to praise God for our salvation and situation.
 
Suffering produces endurance.
Endurance produces proven character.
Proven character produces hope.
 
The suffering you experience will shine a spotlight on your faith and character. Paul uses the phrase “proven character” to show that enduring suffering will test your character – what your believe and how you behave. When your hope is in Jesus you will be able to endure suffering with Christ-like character.
 
Suffering cannot be avoided but it can bring hope with we are willing to persevere in the Gospel.
 
Live It:
• Is your character being tested? Is your character Christ-like?
• How are you relying on God and His people to help you endure a season of suffering?
    Chase Snyder

    Chase Snyder

    Writer, Pastor

    Chase Snyder is an author and pastor in Metro Atlanta. Chase’s aim is to help people apply the Bible to their life by take their next step of faith in Jesus. He is the founder of Ministry Bubble – a content creation company that helps people turn their ideas into ministry to serve the local church. Chase writes, speaks, blogs, and hosts the Spiritual Conversations Podcast. He and his wife have two children. 

    Blessing and Cursing – James 3:10-11

    Blessing and Cursing – James 3:10-11

    by | Oct 24, 2019 | Devotions

    “Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening?” 

    James 3:10-11

    Do your words build others up?
     
    James directly addresses a common problem for Christians – how Christians use their words. It is hard to trust God’s Word when you can’t trust the words of a Christian.
     
    Many Christians have lost opportunities to share the Gospel because they were spreading gossip.
    Many Christians have lost opportunities to share the truth of the Gospel because they were spreading lies.
    Many Christians have lost opportunities to share hope because they were spreading doubt.
     
    James uses the imagery of water flowing from a stream to teach about the power of one’s words. Every word that flows out of the mouth begins in the spring of the heart. The words that flow out of your heart show the condition of your heart.
     
    Loving words come from a heart that has been loved.
    Healing words come from a heart that has been healed.
    Restoring words come from a heart that has been restored.
    Merciful words come from a heart that have received mercy.
    Truthful words come from a heart that has not been deceived.
    Encouraging words come from a heart that has been encouraged.
     
    The words you use today will either be encouraging or discouraging. God has positioned you to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) with words that are consistent with your walk of faith.
     
    Live It:
        • Who do you need to encourage today? How will you be encouraging with the words that you use?
        • The words you use show the state of your heart. How is your heart? Is unforgiveness, pride, or fear affecting your spiritual life?
    Chase Snyder

    Chase Snyder

    Writer, Pastor

    Chase Snyder is an author and pastor in Metro Atlanta. Chase’s aim is to help people apply the Bible to their life by take their next step of faith in Jesus. He is the founder of Ministry Bubble – a content creation company that helps people turn their ideas into ministry to serve the local church. Chase writes, speaks, blogs, and hosts the Spiritual Conversations Podcast. He and his wife have two children. 
    Trust In The Lord With All Your Heart – Proverbs 3:5

    Trust In The Lord With All Your Heart – Proverbs 3:5

    by | Oct 23, 2019 | Devotions

    “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;”

    Proverbs 3:5

    Have you ever been canoeing or kayaking?
     
    Canoeing can be a difficult activity for a newbie. First off, you have to carefully get into the canoe. If you carelessly step into the canoe you could flip the whole thing and end up in the water. I’ve seen plenty of people roll into a lake while trying to get into a canoe! Once you are sitting in the seat you have a little more stability but even sitting in the small boat is no easy task. The slightest shift in your weight can send the canoe into a roll.
     
    Canoes require that you center yourself in the canoe. You will fall if you lean. While a canoe is easy to tip over, it is a powerful tool to navigate the water. If you stay centered you can navigate the wind, waves, and rapids with ease.
     
    Proverbs 3:5 gives us a picture of what life looks like when we place our understanding at the center of our lives. Absolute commitment and trust are essential for your walk with Jesus.
     
    The understanding and wisdom of God surpasses any wisdom that we will be able to obtain or reach on our own. Leaning on your own understanding will cause you to be shaky in the decisions that you make, just like a canoe starts to shake when you lean too far one way or the other. Jesus is at the center of everything. He is above all, before all, and in all (Colossians 1:15-17).
     
    Walking with Jesus requires a commitment to trust Jesus’ leadership and lordship for your life.
     
    Trusting Jesus keeps us mindful of the centrality of Jesus.
     
    When we set our eyes on other things we begin to lean away from God and trust in our own abilities. We lose our stability when we rely on our abilities.
     
    Live It:
        • Is Jesus the center of your life?
        • Where are you tempted to lean on your own understanding and abilities?
    Chase Snyder

    Chase Snyder

    Writer, Pastor

    Chase Snyder is an author and pastor in Metro Atlanta. Chase’s aim is to help people apply the Bible to their life by take their next step of faith in Jesus. He is the founder of Ministry Bubble – a content creation company that helps people turn their ideas into ministry to serve the local church. Chase writes, speaks, blogs, and hosts the Spiritual Conversations Podcast. He and his wife have two children.

    The Truth Will Set You Free – John 8:32

    The Truth Will Set You Free – John 8:32

    by | Oct 22, 2019 | Devotions

    “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”

    John 8:32

    What does it mean to be free?
     
    For most of us, we tend to think about freedom as being a “freedom to” not a “freedom from.”
     
    Freedom becomes a conversations about the things that we are free to do.
    “I am free to vote.”
    “I am free to travel.”
    “I am free to speak my mind.”
     
    This is one side of freedom, but this isn’t what Jesus is referring to in this passage.
     
    The freedom that is mentioned here is a “freedom from.” Through Jesus, humanity is freed from the bondage of sin and sting of death. Humanity is no longer slaves of unrighteousness but are not freed from their sins.
     
    Knowing Jesus is knowing truth. Jesus is “the way the truth and the life” (John 14:6) because He is the only way to experience liberation from sin.
     
    Recognizing that we are freed from something creates an appreciation for the One who rescued us.
     
    There is an old saying that “freedom isn’t free.” This is a true statement that can be applied to both our national freedoms and our spiritual freedom.
     
    Because of Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection, we not only have a freedom to live as children of God, we have the freedom from the oppression of sin.
     
    It is tempting to believe that lies will keep you from trouble. This is a naïve notion that we fall victim to. Lies do not bring freedom. In fact, lies bring bondage. A man unable to recognize that he is a slave is unable to be freed. Confession becomes the avenue of recognizing that our sin is enslaving us and that Jesus is our only hope for deliverance.
     
    Live It:
    • What lies are you telling yourself about your sin?
    • How can a realization that God has freed you from sin, not just freed you to walk by the Spirit deepen your worship of Jesus?

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    Chase Snyder

    Chase Snyder

    Writer, Pastor

    Chase Snyder is an author and pastor in Metro Atlanta. Chase’s aim is to help people apply the Bible to their life by take their next step of faith in Jesus. He is the founder of Ministry Bubble – a content creation company that helps people turn their ideas into ministry to serve the local church. Chase writes, speaks, blogs, and hosts the Spiritual Conversations Podcast. He and his wife have two children.
    What Do People Say About Your Faith? – Acts 4:13

    What Do People Say About Your Faith? – Acts 4:13

    by | Oct 21, 2019 | Devotions

    “When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus” 

    Acts 4:13

    What do people say about your faith? Maybe they don’t say much about your faith. Perhaps they don’t even talk about your faith in Jesus. 

    Shortly after Jesus ascended into Heaven, Peter and John were arrested and questioned by the religious leaders of the day because they healed a man in the name of Jesus. As the religious leaders sized up these two disciples they made two observations. 

    First, the religious leaders observed Peter and John’s boldness. These two disciples were not afraid of the Jewish leaders. Where did their boldness come from?

    Did they rely on their education? No.

    Did their confidence come from their work and life experience? No.

    They were uneducated and untrained. Peter and John were ordinary men living with extraordinary boldness. 

    Where did their boldness come from?

    The second observation that the religious leaders made was that these men had been with Jesus. Peter and John’s boldness came from their relationship with Jesus. The didn’t stand on their education, nor did they stand on their experiences. If that were that case, Peter and John would have stood arrogantly in their own abilities, not in the boldness that comes from the Gospel.

    Peter and John stood with boldness because they had walked with Jesus. Their courage came from what Jesus had done, not what they were able to do. 

    The strength of your faith doesn’t stem from your education or experiences. Both are incredible skills that can further your understanding, leadership, and ministry. Boldness, however, is a quality of being confident in an uncertain situation. Standing on your own perspective and abilities, your education and experiences, may give you some boldness but it can bread arrogance. Arrogance is an exaggerated understanding of your own abilities. 

    Standing with boldness happens when you walk with Jesus. A strong relationship with Jesus will bring a boldness that isn’t based in your abilities but in Jesus’.

    Live It:

    • What do people say about your faith? 
    • What personal strengths do you tend to rely on more than relying on Jesus? 

     

    Chase Snyder

    Chase Snyder

    Writer, Pastor

    Chase Snyder is an author and pastor in Metro Atlanta. Chase’s aim is to help people apply the Bible to their life by take their next step of faith in Jesus. He is the founder of Ministry Bubble – a content creation company that helps people turn their ideas into ministry to serve the local church. Chase writes, speaks, blogs, and hosts the Spiritual Conversations Podcast. He and his wife have two children. 
    Is God Too Busy For Us? – Luke 8:45-46

    Is God Too Busy For Us? – Luke 8:45-46

    by | Oct 20, 2019 | Devotions, Discipleship

    “‘Who touched me?’ Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the crowds are hemming you in and pressing against you.’ ‘Someone did touch me,’ said Jesus. ‘I know that power has gone out from me.’”

    Luke 8:45-46

    Have you ever wondered if Jesus is approachable? Does the God of all creation have time to focus on one of His created people? 

    Jesus was on His way to heal a twelve year old girl when the crowds began to rush Him. With people surrounding him, one woman made her way through the crowd. She was trying to reach Jesus, but could only get as close to reach out and touch his robe. Instantly, she was healed of her uncontrolled bleeding that plagued her for twelve years. 

    Jesus was heading to an important appointment – healing a sick teenage girl. While Jesus was focused on an important task, he stopped, turned to find the woman who was searching for Him, and ministered to her. His to-do list did not keep Jesus from ministering to someone who was in need. Jesus stopped walking so that this woman would begin walking with God. Once He ministered to the woman, He continued to heal the teenage girl. 

    This passage shows us two truths: one about how Jesus interacts with humanity and one about how we are to interact with others. First, Jesus is approachable, humble, and ready to meet you where you are. He is not too busy to see you. In fact, He is actively pursuing you. God’s Word makes it clear that, through the Holy Spirit, we can approach the throne of God with confidence (Hebrews 4:16).

    Second, we must be approachable to those who are in need. The busyness of life cannot keep us from slowing down to meet people where they are at. The child pulling at your jacket for your attention, the friend who sent you a text message, or the parent who stops you at the grocery store to chat are examples of people who are asking for your attention and to be seen. Don’t view these as distractions from your to-do list or schedule but as opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus with your words and actions. 

    Live It: 

    • How does your perspective and prayers change when you know the Jesus isn’t impositioned by you? 
    • How can you prioritize people over your schedule today? 
    Chase Snyder

    Chase Snyder

    Writer, Pastor

    Chase Snyder is an author and pastor in Metro Atlanta. Chase’s aim is to help people apply the Bible to their life by take their next step of faith in Jesus. He is the founder of Ministry Bubble – a content creation company that helps people turn their ideas into ministry to serve the local church. Chase writes, speaks, blogs, and hosts the Spiritual Conversations Podcast. He and his wife have two children. 

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