Category Archives: Daily Devotionals

Daily Devotionals by Cross Points Church

A Beautiful Jar and a few Silver Coins by Pastor David

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Matthew 26:6-16

Jesus contrasts two people in Mark chapter 14.  An unnamed woman and Judas.  

Jesus’ feet is anointed with costly perfume by a woman. Some estimates state the value of that one bottle of perfume was around $20,000! It was an extravagant gesture, a waste in the eyes of many, yet Jesus commends her.

When Judas hears Jesus’ response Judas is furious and immediately leaves to betray Jesus.  Why was Judas so angry that the perfume was wasted on Jesus? 

John 12:4-6

4But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5“That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.”6Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.

We know money had gripped Judas’ heart and emotions long before he turned Jesus over to the leaders of the Jewish people.  His heart was already owned by finances and comfort and wealth.  He did not possess money, money possessed him. In fact Judas sold the Savior of the world for 30 pieces of silver. For Judas, money was the seed of betrayal in his life.  

If we are not careful, finances can quickly become a stranglehold in our own lives and pierce us through with many griefs!

Matthew paints a powerful choice for the life of a believer.  Will money grip your heart or will you control your finances?  You can choose to do good with what God has given you like the unnamed woman or you can choose to spend all of your wealth on yourself.

It’s a startling choice. Whose life will you follow? What will you choose – a beautiful broken bottle or 30 silver coins? Which will define your life?  

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (I Timothy 6:10)

I’m sure the apostle Paul had Judas in mind when writing to his young son in the faith.  These Scripture passages are just as relevant today as they were 2,000 years ago.     

Your finances can be used for much good or become seeds of betrayal.

Don’t allow the pleasures of the world to lead you to 30 silver coins, rather, live life like a beautiful, broken bottle!   

Don’t allow money to possess you, instead possess money and use it to further God’s kingdom here on earth! 

Grain, Cross and Glory by Pastor David

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Isaiah 6:1-10

Grain, Cross and Glory

Woven into the Apostle John’s narrative are three pieces of a puzzle that show how humanity is brought into right relationship with God.

The three puzzle pieces are comprised of a kernel of wheat, a cross and glory. A kernel of wheat which dies alone in the ground brings multiplication.  The cross of intentional sacrifice draws all to Jesus. Finally the glory of Jesus Christ either opens or blinds eyes. 

John 12:20-50

Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground….

There is no multiplication unless something dies.  In fact in God’s economy abundance comes from death.  It’s a paradox. It doesn’t make sense in our economy but in the spiritual economy it makes absolute sense.   Jesus not only confirms that He will be like a seed planted in the ground, His disciples will follow him too.  Are you willing to be a grain of wheat planted into the ground?  What does that look like in your life? 

When I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to myself…

Jesus knew where He was going.  He went with intention and for a purpose.  His reason was to draw people to himself. Without His sacrifice and without His shed blood there would be no Peace.  Humanity would forever be separated from God without his sacrifice.  He knew what was required and Scripture says, “for the JOY set before Him, He endured!”  He went to the cross intentionally, having every opportunity to avoid it, but He willingly laid down His life. What was the JOY?  You and me in restored relationship and intimate friendship. What a friend we have in Jesus! 

Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him….

It’s fascinating that John introduces the concept of glory in a passage marked with suffering and death.  The passage from Isaiah which John references is perhaps the most significant encounter an Old Testament prophet has with God Almighty.  Isaiah actually mentions that he “sees” the LORD.  For a Jew to say this would be outrageous, for even Moses could not look at God!  Yet, here in this passage Isaiah SEES God and he immediately recognizes his sin and God’s amazing glory.  John clarifies for us that Isaiah actually saw JESUS in his open vision.  

John 12:41 “Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this, because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah’s glory. 

Isaiah saw Jesus as the Messiah. But when the Jewish leaders saw Jesus and all of His miraculous signs their eyes were closed. They refused to believe.  They didn’t see their sins and His glory they saw their own righteousness.  

John’s point is clear.  When you look at Jesus and all that He has done, are you convicted of your sin and recognize your need for a savior or are you blinded and convinced of your own ‘goodness’?

As we read through the last week in the life of Jesus, prayerfully reflect, worship and praise Him for His goodness toward us as he intentionally moves toward the cross for you and for me!

The First Progressive Dinner by Pastor Andy

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In the days of Elisha, Jerusalem was under siege. No one was going out and nothing was coming in. Food was scarce, and people were dying.

As you can imagine, things were bad for the common person, but for the poor it was even worse. Then there was the leper. Lepers were literal outcasts – couldn’t live in the city, had to declare “unclean” everywhere they went, separate from family.

During this siege, four lepers are sitting near the city gates, starving like everyone else. They come to a realization. No matter what happens they will die – starve here, starve there, starve anywhere. Why not head over to the enemy camp, and see if we can elicit some pity and get some food? Worse case scenario..we die a quick and dirty death.

When the arrive at the camp they discover it deserted. God frightened the enemy away. They abandoned camp the night before.

These lepers have gone from outcast to king. They move from tent to tent enjoying the first ever progressive dinner. They take gold, silver, clothing. It’s an embarrassment of riches.

They are blessed.

Making retirement plans – Will you build a beach house or mountain villa? – they have another epiphany. These are very deep thinking and astute lepers.

2 Kings 7:9-11

9…“This is not right. This is a day of good news, and we aren’t sharing it with anyone! If we wait until morning, some calamity will certainly fall upon us. Come on, let’s go back and tell the people at the palace.”
10So they went back to the city and told the gatekeepers what had happened. “We went out to the Aramean camp,” they said, “and no one was there! The horses and donkeys were tethered and the tents were all in order, but there wasn’t a single person around!” 11Then the gatekeepers shouted the news to the people in the palace.

They are a blessing.

This week we are focusing on how generosity flows from an attitude of kindness. From the beginning, God designed for blessing to beget blessing. We are generous/kind because God has been generous/kind to us.

Though the lepers motivation wasn’t completely pure (self-preservation), they shared their blessing with the palace, which then shared it with the people. Out of their generosity flowed salvation. The nation of Israel was saved from starvation because of the generosity of 4 men.

When you are generous, you open the door for God’s salvation to flow. Will you be a blessing? Will you be generous?

This week we are asking the every person in the church to give something away. As you give, as you are generous, ask God to open the door to salvation.

What thing(s) have you or will you give this week?

Greedy to Generous in 30 days!

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One of the reasons I love working for and with Pastor David is how he challenges me. Sometimes the challenges are direct, but many times the challenges are subtle and indirect. Many times the challenges are from watching him operate.

One of these areas of challenge is in generosity. Pastor David, by nature, is a very generous person. I’ve referred to him before as a “YES” person. It shines forth in his generosity as much as anywhere.

I’ve found myself saying (out loud and to myself), “You want to give what!?!” These moments have exposed my own heart – greed.

Read what Paul wrote to Timothy about greed and generosity,

Timothy 6:6-11; 17-19

6Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

9But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

11But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

17Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 19By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.

In his book, Enemies of the Heart, Andy Stanley states one of the emotions which ruins our spiritual heart is greed. Stanley prescribes the formula to overcome greed, and the formula is no different from what Paul says here.

We overcome greed through generosity.

If you are a greedy person, and by greedy I mean tight-fisted, stingy, frugal, selfish, penny-pinching or grasping, then you need March Kindness. You need to do intentionally kind and generous acts. You need God to do a work in your heart, and He will begin the work as you begin to give.

This week our challenge is to give something away. I’m talking to all of us greedy people (because the generous ones have already done it 3 times since Sunday). What are you going to give?

Personally, I gave to a friend who’s in need financially. If you need an idea, you can start with him. Let it be a springboard to generosity in your life.

Rock Chalk Joyhawk!

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March Madness

This is one of my favorite times of the year. It’s college basketball playoff time! If you are a K State or Tiger fan, you may hate this time of year. Sorry. As a Jayhawk fan, I can’t get enough.

Last night, I listened to a little bit of the coverage of KU being chosen as a #1 seed in the national tournament. Bill Self, KU’s coach, said this about the Jayhawk team,

“Right now they’re playing joyful. I have to remind them of that some times…play joyful.”

That’s a powerful statement. Play joyful.

Joyfully Generous.

Pastor David yesterday shared the second message in our March Kindness series. He gave this definition of kindness –

the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate in an effort to meet the need of others.

Let me key in on that word “generous”

 

6Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

8And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”

10For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

11Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. 12So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. -2 Corinthians 9:6-12

 

 

One of the things God asks us to do…no be, is generous. The ESV translates verse 7 as “for God loves a cheerful giver.” Which brings me back to March Madness and the KU Jayhawks.

The things we do in life should be full of joy – especially the things God asks us to do. It’s why God loves a cheerful giver. It’s why Bill Self loves a team playing joyful basketball.

This week your challenge is to give something away. Some of you may have an item, a person or a cause in mind. If not, let me offer a suggestion.

I have a friend who is in need. He’s not a believer, but he’s asking questions. His son is in the midst of an illness that doctors have no answers for. No answers in the sense they don’t really know what the problem is.

Because of this, they are traveling to a special hospital to meet with special doctors. As you can imagine, this won’t be cheap, so they are raising funds. My friend is a fine art photographer, so he’s selling one of his prints toward this cause.

If you can, be generous. It’s not inexpensive ($99 + S/H), but it’s an investment. It’s generosity. I just purchased my print. I want to support him and his family. I want to be kind.

Find theimagejournal.com HERE.

I would love for you to put on kindness too. It doesn’t have to be with Ryan. It could be someone else – something else. Not matter what it is…be joyfully generous.