Christian Devotional

Have you ever let something spoil in the refrigerator? You meant to eat it, but didn’t. Later, you discovered the leftovers, opened the lid, and whew – it stunk! It had perished. It was ruined. 

Not so with God, His seed, and word. He is imperishable as 1 Peter 1:23 points out, “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” 

The Greek word for imperishable in reference to God is aphthartos and means uncorrupted, not liable to corruption or decay. 

What a contrast between God’s seed that is imperishable and Adam’s seed that is corrupted and perishable. 

Peter is not the only apostle who wrote about the imperishable nature of God and of believers inheriting His nature. 

In 1 Corinthians 15:50, Paul wrote, “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable;” continuing in verse 53, “For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

The great news is that the imperishable uncorrupted Christ is in believers. We’re indwelt by the imperishable Jesus through the living and enduring word of God. Hallelujah! 

Lord Jesus, I worship You, the IMPERISHABLE One. Thank You for making it possible for me to be born of Your imperishable, uncorrupted seed. I love and praise You! 

Believers will inherit Christ’s imperishable nature, but we can also live by His divine nature while we’re here on this earth. Want to learn how? Grab a copy of Debbie’s 2 Peter Bible study, Living by the Divine Nature Instead of Our Fallen Nature, HERE. You can also access the free accompanying videos and podcasts by going HERE.

Have you ever wondered if the word “judgment” is used in reference to believers? First Peter 1:17 as well as other Scriptures answer that question. “If you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth.” 

Although we are not saved by works, God judges how believers act; as Peter points out in 1 Peter. We might consider if: 

• We fervently love one another from the heart, 1:22. 
• We put aside deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander, 2:1. 
• We proclaim the excellencies of Christ, 2:9. 
• We keep our behavior excellent, 2:12. 
• We follow in Christ’s steps, 2:21. 
• We’re harmonious, sympathetic, kind, humble; not returning evil or insults, but give blessings instead, 3:8-9. 
• We don’t speak evil and lies, 3:10. 
• We turn from evil and do good; seeking peace, 3:11. 
• We keep a good conscience, 3:16. 
• We live for the will of God, 4:2. 
• We live in the Spirit according to the will of God, 4:6. 
• We’re hospitable to one another without complaint, 4:9. 
• We use the gift God’s given us to serve one another, 4:10. 
• We cast our anxiety on God, knowing He cares for us, 5:7. 
• We resist the devil, firm in our faith, 5:9.

Yes, God judges our actions and attitudes. Which of the above do we need to confess that we have failed to do; ever grateful that God forgives us? Which do we need to pray for the Lord to empower us to do?

Lord, thank You for being an IMPARTIAL JUDGE who calls and empowers me to walk in newness of life. 

Would you like to do a more in-depth study of 1 Peter? Grab a copy of Debbie’s 1 Peter Bible study, Experiencing Grace and Peace in Cultural Chaos, HERE. The study includes free accompanying videos and podcasts, which can be accessed HERE. 

Have you ever been with a person whose convictions changed with the culture? Perhaps they started their Christian walk by believing in Jesus and who He said He was, Lord and Savior. But along the way and through the years they drifted. Christ’s teachings weren’t fresh in their minds. Social friends influenced their thinking. Instead of Jesus being Lord, He became one of many teachers who pointed the way to heaven. Instead of the Bible being the authoritative word of God, it became an outdated book filled with symbolism and not relevant to today’s culture.

The truth is, God, not the culture, is reliable. The Bible is the revelation of His character, which is unchanging as Hebrews 13:8 clearly affirms. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” 

What difference does it make for you that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever? 

It means that what the Lord called holy yesterday is holy today and will be holy tomorrow. What He called sin yesterday is sin today and is sin tomorrow. And most important, the grace God extended yesterday is the grace He extends today and extends tomorrow. 

It means that when cultural debates about moral issues arise, we don’t have to be confused or compromise. We speak the truth in love and stand on the solid foundation of the Word of God, Jesus, and the Bible. We follow and serve an unchanging, immutable God. 

Lord Jesus, I praise You, IMMUTABLE, unchanging Lord God! 

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God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM;’ and He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ …This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations'” (Exodus 3:14-15b).

A person’s name represents the person. If you say “Billy Graham,” not only is a visual of the man formed in your mind, but also what Billy Graham represents. If you say the name, “Hitler,” another visual pops into the mind, along with his character.  

When Moses asked God what His name is, God states that His name is, “I AM;” meaning “I am the One who is.” His name, “I AM,” emphasizes “God’s dynamic and active self-existence.” ¹ He is not only the God who was. He is not only the God who will be in our future. He is the God who is presently active, dynamic, and self-existent today.  How aware are we of His active, dynamic presence in our life?

Lord, I praise you, the great I AM!

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¹ Charles Ryrie, Expanded Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition, New American Standard Bible, pg 94.

“For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth” (Isaiah 54:5).

“What does your husband do?” Many women are asked that question when first getting to know someone. For a single woman who longs to be married, such a question can be exasperating. For a woman whose husband works in a position she doesn’t respect, the question can make her uncomfortable. But what if someone asked about your husband and you replied, “He’s God of all the earth, the Lord of Hosts.” 

God chose to describe Himself as our husband who is committed to us for eternity. He cares for us. He loves us. He is our provider and protector. He’s prepared a place for us to live. That’s something to smile about.

Lord, HUSBAND, Maker, Lord of hosts, Redeemer, Holy One of Israel, God of all the earth, I love You and thank You for Your sacrifice and commitment to me. Help me be faithful to You as You are faithful to me. 

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“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2).

Why is our Lord described as the horn of salvation? Scholar Herbert Lockyer explains: “The figure of the horn is taken from those animals whose strength is in their horns. Because the horn was once the instrument of the oxen’s strength, it became the symbol of power. And our God and Savior came as a horn, or mighty instrument of salvation. In addition, when horns were fixed to an altar they became projections to which sacrifices were bound and to which those who needed protection could cling.” ¹

If Jesus is your horn of salvation, then He has all the strength to keep you saved and safe. He is not like the Grecian king described as “the great horn that was broken” (Daniel 8:8, 21, 22). Nothing or no one can break our indestructible Horn.

HORN OF SALVATION, I praise You, my strength and salvation…today and for eternity. 

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¹ Herbert Lockyer, All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1975), 40.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26).

Prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, He prepared His disciples for His departure; comforting them that the Holy Spirit would come to them. Can you imagine their confusion? Their frame of reference for the Holy Spirit was the Holy Spirit anointing individuals for divine work. The names Elijah and Elisha certainly came to mind. But them? “Dazed and confused” might have described the disciples as they listened to Jesus tell them about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would be their Helper. God the Father would send Him in Christ’s name. The Holy Spirit would teach them “all things” and bring to their remembrance all that Jesus said to them. Holy. Spirit. Isn’t that what God knows each of us needs? So, He sent Him, a who, not a what, to live in us. Are we treating the heavenly presence who abides in us as a welcomed, Holy guest?

I praise You, God the HOLY SPIRIT, sent in Christ’s name, to be with me forever. 

Want to deepen your understanding of the Holy Spirit? Check out Debbie’s Bible study, Listen UP! 31 Points Every Christian Should Know About the Holy Spirit. This study will help you understand the Holy Spirit’s role in the Christian life and respond to His leading and presence. Click HERE to listen. 

“In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him….And one called out to another and said ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.’ And the foundations of the thresholds trembled…” (Isaiah 6:1-4a).

I don’t think there’s any way we can get our minds around what the holiness of the Lord is like. I don’t think we have the slightest idea of what the glory of heaven is like. Those who glimpsed the Lord and heaven were dramatically changed. Their response? They gave their lives wholeheartedly to God and served Him unreservedly. Isaiah’s reaction? “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips—And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). All Isaiah could think in response to seeing the Lord was that he was unclean.

Were it not for Jesus bearing our sins on the cross, we couldn’t live eternally in the Holy, Holy, Holy Lord’s presence; which is why we praise Him today and every day!

I praise You, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY Lord!

In a world where truth is often blurred, we’re called to live holy lives and stand firm in our faith. Debbie’s study, Contend Earnestly for the Faith: Jude Bible Study, will help you recognize deception, pursue holiness, and stand for the truth. Click HERE to learn more and order your copy. 

Do you ever wonder what in the world is going to happen? 

Wars and rumors of war seem to increase in spite of temporary peace agreements between nations. Hostility, not peace, is an ever-present undercurrent in spite of who is sitting in power. 

In the book of Daniel, he records God’s vision to him of future events. There will be a war and God’s saints, believers, will be overpowered until the One who is more powerful than any other, the Highest One, steps in.

He writes, “I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom” (Daniel 7:21-22).

In the midst of Daniel’s prophetic vision of end times, one fact is clear. God is the Highest One and believers, who are referred to as “saints” belong to Him and His kingdom. 

Do you feel as I do—honored to be on the Highest One’s side? And not only to be on His side, but also identified as His saint: forgiven, cleansed of sin, and gifted with His Spirit? 

When you hear discouraging news or someone comments, “I wonder what in the world is going to happen,” assure them. The Lord, the Highest One, will prevail.” In the meantime, look to Him, pray to Him. Live for Him. 

Lord, there is none like You. You are the exalted HIGHEST ONE. I worship and praise You and am honored to be called Your saint. 

Happy Mother’s Day! Today we celebrate all the moms who selflessly love and care for others, while also remembering those who are grieving the loss of a mother or carrying the unfulfilled longing to be a mom. We pray your day is filled with love, blessings, and the peace and presence of God.

If you’re looking for encouragement or a meaningful gift for someone you love, From My Heart Poems of Faith offers heartfelt poems, prayers, and reflections that point you back to the love and truth of God, the Highest One.

Can you imagine what it would be like to be accountable to a high priest who didn’t sympathize with our weaknesses? How haughty would that high priest be? How unrelenting might he be? Yet, that is not our Lord. Yes, He is a high priest. The highest of highs. Yet, He is merciful and sympathetic. We can approach Him and say, “I messed up! I sinned! I failed…again.” And, the remarkable thing is, He offers mercy. He extends grace. He admonishes us, “Go and sin no more.” Why? Because He loves us and doesn’t want us bound in sin. 

If we’ve been avoiding Jesus because of our sin, today is the day to turn and draw near to our High Priest, and be encouraged by the words found in Hebrews 4:15-16.

“We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

I praise You, Lord, that although You are high and lifted up, you sympathize with my weaknesses. Thank You, Jesus, my HIGH PRIEST!

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