Matthew 22:20-22 – Rendering to Caesar

Daily Devotional Bible Verse

And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s,” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away. (Matthew 22:20-22 ESV)

The Pharisees were plotting against Jesus, attempting to “entangle him in his talk” (Matthew 22:15). The Pharisees, being cowards like many overly religious people, sent their disciples to Jesus with a controversial question, hoping to provoke a condemnable response. The Pharisees’ lackeys approached Jesus and prefaced their question with flattery to deceive him, and then asked, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” Matthew records here that, “Jesus, aware of their malice” (Matthew 22:18) asked the hypocrites why they put him to the test, and proceeded to give a gospel answer that encompasses all of life.

He held up a coin and it was plain that Caesar’s image was upon it, stamped as a sign of ownership, validating Jesus’ response to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”. That answered the deceitful question, but Jesus went one phrase further saying, “and to God the things that are God’s.”

These men each would have been well acquainted with the Old Testament, and given the context, would have understood the implication of Jesus’ statement. It was an unstated question, “Whose likeness and inscription is on you?” It was a gospel answer to a sinful question, encompassing the whole of life. We bear the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), and we are to render unto God, that which is God’s; our life. Marvel at the brilliance of Jesus today, knowing that we bear his image and likeness, and are made alive through the Holy Spirit who lives within us (I Peter 3:18).

What have you not rendered to God today?

Micah 6:6-8 – Walking With God

Daily Devotional Bible Verses

“With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:6-8 ESV)

God does not want just our sacrifices or our good deeds. He will not share us with our ambitions or hobbies. He wants all of us. Sunday mornings and a few quick prayers said before we lay down to sleep are not enough. He wants us to relentlessly pursue him. Not because he needs us, but because we need him.

We were created for worship and to bring honor and glory to his name. When we don’t give ourselves fully to God, we are the ones who suffer. The endless pursuits of personal pleasure always lead to emptiness. God is jealous, not because our rejection hurts his ego, but because it hurts his heart. He knows our greatest needs and that he can only truly fill us with joy.

When Jesus said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt6:33). He made it clear that everything we needed would be given if we would simply put him first. This is in no way a prosperity gospel. Jesus made no allusions that the Christian life would be easy. He meant that He is all we truly need. Paul got this. He learned to be content no matter what his circumstances. He learned the secret of true happiness. When he said “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ” (Phil 3:9). He was essentially saying Jesus is enough.

Jesus is not one of many great things, He is the only great thing. I am tired of serving the god of self. I am tired of giving Christ only part of my heart. I want to do the will of my Lord. I will seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with my God!

Are you walking humbly with God, or are you serving the god of self?

Isaiah 43:2 – Growing Pains

Daily Devotional Bible Verse

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you. (Isaiah 43:2, ESV)

Endurance. Perseverance. We hear these words, but usually we secretly hope we never have to exercise these spiritual muscles. We face a myriad of problems in life, usually involving loss of some sort. How we handle that will determine whether our faith strengthens or fades. We can sound lofty and idyllic all we want, but if we fade with the coming of trials, all our speech is for naught.

The really hard trials, the loss of a child, a terminal disease, prolonged unemployment, the loss of one’s home, etc. These things can break us, but that is not always bad. When we are truly broken, we find we are not enough in ourselves to make it through. It is at that moment that we either let bitterness and depression get a foothold, or cry out to God for help, which He is always faithful to give. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. (Psalm 91:4 ESV)

God may not always change our circumstances, but has promised to see us through and never leave us. At first this can seem like little comfort and help, but as we grow and mature, we see the true gift that it is. Quietly trusting, even when our hearts are absolutely breaking, will bring us through to the other side with a confidence in our God that we had not before experienced. Which leads to greater faith for whatever comes. We are strengthened, with an unshakable belief that God will never fail us, which enables us to minister to those around us. Literally being a trail blazer to another sojourner in need of a scout to show the way.

I pray that we all experience this kind of intimacy with the Savior, resulting in an even closer bond with the One who is Everything.

The Walking Dead are all around us.

The Walking Dead are all around us. They're at work, at the market, on the streets, even at church.

Jeremiah 1:7-8 – Confidence in Our Calling

Daily Devotional Bible Verse

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 1:7-8 ESV)

This was a tall order the Lord was setting before Jeremiah, as he was called to declare the coming of God’s judgement upon the nation of Judah. This would frighten anyone. Jeremiah had never done this before and appears not to have been an eloquent speaker (Jeremiah 1:6). But, God encouragingly assured he would be with him, and that is the most important to any calling, God with you. Jeremiah didn’t have to worry, because God called him to speak not on his personal authority, but on God’s.

Each of us has a calling upon our life and we all have our part to play as a member of the Body of Christ.  This can be a scary thought for us too, as we imagine the responsibility we have to other believers.  The amazing thing about God’s call though, is that it will never necessitate us to lean on our own talent and ability first and foremost, but upon him and his empowerment! God doesn’t require us to equip ourselves before he calls us. Rather, he equips us whom he has called. What has God called you to be?

Read and meditate on 1 Corinthians 12 today, and consider your calling.

LOVE WAS BORN

The Greatest Story Ever Told:  God goes to great lengths to rescue lost and hurting people. That is what The Christmas Story is all about—the story of the Bible, God’s great love affair with humanity.  The Story sweeps you into the unfolding progression of Bible characters and events from Genesis to Revelation. Using clear, accurate, and easy-to-understand text, it allows the stories, poems, and teachings of the Bible to read like a novel. And like any good story, The Story is filled with intrigue, drama, conflict, romance, and redemption—and this story is true!

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Genesis 1: 1-2
Genesis goes on to tell us how God created light on the 1st day; water and the atmosphere on the 2nd day; the earth and vegetation on the 3rd day; the sun, the moon and the stars on the 4th day; the sea, creatures and birds on the 5th day; and man and animals on the 6th day.  Genesis 1: 26-29,31  "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'  And God said, 'See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.  Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good."

So God created man to fellowship with Him and He provided food for them and blessed them.  He created a garden of paradise for them to live in.  "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 16-17   What a beautiful garden God made for man to fellowship with God!  He provided for all their needs.  They were able to enjoy God's fellowship, because of their innocence.  
But you see the devil was a fallen angel and he wanted to be like God, so he tempted man to rebel against God and man did sin and lost fellowship with God.  Adam's sin caused all men to be born into sin and to be in need of a Savior!  Then we see they experienced shame for the first time, because of their disobedience to God.

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.  She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.  And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.  Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.  And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Genesis 3: 6-11
We see that God created the Heavens and the earth, man and woman, a beautiful garden filled with plenty of food for them to eat, so that He could fellowship with them and He loved them.  Because they sinned and ate of the one tree God told them not to eat, they were driven out of the garden.

God continued to love and bless His people and to speak to them through many prophets.  But man continued to rebel against God.  God knew He would have to send a Savior to pay for the sins of His people from the very beginning.  You see, Jesus was with God during the creation.  Let's look at John 1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."  John 1: 1-14

Jesus was the means to knowing God as Creator once again.  God is the subject of the Bible, and is always the subject of our study.  It is not the Bible we worship, but the living God, who came to this very earth as a human, as Jesus, to die for all of our sins.  The Son of God entered the world in the meekest way, He came as a helpless baby who was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.
There are many prophesies throughout the Bible that told of the coming of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation.  More than 700 years before the Savior was born, Isaiah prophesied: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end” Isaiah 9:6-7   "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Isaiah 7: 14  Have you ever stopped for just a moment to ponder the majesty of the word Immanuel?  It is incredible to consider that when Isaiah, the holiest man in Israel, prophesied, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel,” he was literally predicting that in the future the One who spoke the limitless galaxies into existence would tabernacle in flesh among men. Indeed, that is precisely what the word Immanuel means — “God with us.”  How amazing it is that God so loved us that He put Himself in human flesh to be with us — Immanuel! Today, let’s be reminded that the Messiah came not only to rescue and redeem, but to be with us because we are that dearly loved.

God chose Joseph, who was a godly man to be the earthly father of baby Jesus to fulfil the prophesies and chose Mary, a virgin and Joseph's fiancé, to miraculously give birth to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  
Matthew 1:18-25 "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”--which means, “God with us.”  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Jesus died over 2000 years ago.  Nowhere has HE ever been referred to in the past tense because HE 'is' the Living God!  The Christmas season is truly a wonderful time of hope, joy, and excitement. Think of all the things we have to look forward to as we head towards Christmas day: gifts to buy, food to prepare, travel plans to make…the list goes on. But in the midst of our plans and preparations, what if we are so busy that we arrive on Christmas morning with our hearts unprepared?
The message of the cross is transcendent wherever it is preached. Deep in the heart of every man, woman and child in every culture or people group, there is an innate awareness of sin and rebellion against Almighty God.  Though many seek to suppress or deny the guilt of sin, the preaching of God’s Gospel and the convicting work of the Holy Spirit work powerfully together to redeem those who respond in repentance and faith in Christ.  As we approach Christmas, remember that the reason we celebrate is because God sent His Son to earth on a rescue mission to save sinners.  That is the real story of Christmas. There is no cradle without the cross. There are no swaddling clothes without the folded garments in the empty tomb.

Both Matthew and Isaiah depict a servant leader who would have the power to heal, but who would choose not to exercise his power to gain public recognition. Jesus quietly yet steadily proclaimed the arrival of the kingdom of God.  In Matthew 12:16 Jesus asked those whom he cured not to tell others who he was.  This is evidence of his humility and desire not to draw attention to Himself.  The Messiah came to minister to the weak and heal those sick.  These images represent people rejected by others yet embraced by the Messiah. The Gospels record many instances of Jesus reaching out to those in low social standing who were at the mercy of those with power and wealth.  Jesus’ ministry to the sick and the weak and his demonstration of humility despite his great power fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 42.  Matthew recognized this fulfillment and recorded Christ’s deeds for us to appraise today.  God left paradise, the splendor and majesty of Heaven to come to the world and save us from our sins.  He loved us when we, rejected him, though we are sinners, God put on flesh and came to earth to suffer and die to pay for our sins.  We don't have to be good enough, because it is not about us, it is about excepting God's gift of eternal salvation.  God loves you and has a plan for you.  Man is sinful and separated from God.

The Bible says in Romans 3:20-26, “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.  For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
The result of sin is death, spiritual separation from God, but Jesus died in our place so we could have a relationship with God and be with Him forever. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  But it didn’t end with His death on the cross. He rose again and He still lives!  "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.  After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep."  1 Corinthians 15:3-6  "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9  Jesus is the only way to God.  Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” John 14:6

Would you like to receive God’s forgiveness?  We can’t earn salvation; we are saved by God’s grace when we have faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus knows you and He loves you unconditionally!   I ask you tonight, have you asked Jesus into your heart, to be your Lord and Savior?  Do you have a personal relationship with Him?  If you don't, I want to give you the opportunity to do that right now, because you may die tonight and lose your last chance for an eternal future.  Right where you're at, bow your heads and pray this prayer with me.
“Dear God, I know I am a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus is Your Son, who died for my sins and rose from the dead. I trust and follow you as my Lord and Savior. Come into my heart.  Guide my life and help me to do your will.  I pray these things in Jesus name.  Amen!"
If you prayed that prayer, we welcome you to the family of God!  May God bless you, protect you, mold you and make you into the person He wants you to be!   If you need someone to pray with you tonight or if you have any further questions about salvation, please private chat one of the mods or coaches.

Father God, we thank You for loving us so very much that You gave us the most precious gift that we could ever receive.  Father, we thank you for Jesus.  We thank you that through Jesus, we have an eternal promise and future.  We thank you for the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us.  We thank you that every day you mold us and make us into all we should be.  We love you and we praise You!   In Jesus most precious and holy name, Amen!
I want to thank you all for coming and I wish you a very Merry and Blessed Christmas!

We are going to close with a song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIB5rk5KlVk

Is America a Christian nation? Wake Up America!

We have mocked the prophets by arrogantly reminding them that we are a “Christian nation.” But the truth is that we are anything but a Christian nation. Our behavior as a nation makes a mockery of Christianity. We lead the world in every abomination known to man. And we will reap what we have sown.

Deu 28:15-20  "But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:  "Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. "Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. "Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. "Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. "The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.

Romans 1:24-25  Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.