JMD Devotional 197 1 Peter 3:15-18 Positive Witness

But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully. [And see to it that] your conscience is entirely clear (unimpaired), so that, when you are falsely accused as evildoers, those who threaten you abusively and revile your right behavior in Christ may come to be ashamed [of slandering your good lives].
For [it is] better to suffer [unjustly] for doing right, if that should be God's will, than to suffer [justly] for doing wrong. For Christ [the Messiah Himself] died for sins once for all, the Righteous for the unrighteous (the Just for the unjust, the Innocent for the guilty), that He might bring us to God. In His human body He was put to death, but He was made alive in the spirit,

Saturn represents a new paradigm in the automotive business; dealerships are finally waking up to the fact that people do not want to be ‘sold a bill of goods’; pressured into a decision; to feel manipulated and coerced by an annoying and aggressive salesman. People are still buying cars; but how much better for the dealership when the customer shares with their friends and family that their purchase was a positive experience! That no one insulted their intelligence; that the sales people were informative and helpful; and gave them the space to decide for themselves. No one was made to feel awkward or stupid. Now, if only we Christians could learn to share our faith like that! If we restrain our zeal, and are sensitive to the un-churched, and maintain our highest integrity, we can.

Dear God,
I confess that sometimes I have been a bad witness. Thinking the end justified the means, I bashed and slandered other denominations and beliefs, I was bombastic and critical, rude and self-righteous. Please forgive me! Teach me how to be an authentic and compelling witness; may I first be a genuine friend without guile. I admit I get carried away knowing judgment day is coming; but help me restrain the sharp edges of my zeal so that I can sanely share my faith in an agreeable way. I ask this in Jesus’ name; for Your kingdom and glory.
Amen

All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)

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JMD Devotional 196 1 Peter 3:9-12 Transformers

Never return evil for evil or insult for insult (scolding, tongue-lashing, berating), but on the contrary blessing [praying for their welfare, happiness, and protection, and truly pitying and loving them]. For know that to this you have been called, that you may yourselves inherit a blessing [from God--that you may obtain a blessing as heirs, bringing welfare and happiness and protection].
For let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days [good--whether apparent or not] keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from guile (treachery, deceit). Let him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!] For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God), and His ears are attentive to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who practice evil [to oppose them, to frustrate, and defeat them].

The Kingdom of God is manifested in many ways; but one fundamental one is the transformation of what was evil into something good. To follow in our Father’s footsteps, we need to be transformers of our situations. This means seeing past a person’s depravity, sin and belligerence to view them as a potential Saint. One encounter probably will not turn them around; but if God has destined them for salvation, you can be sure He has strategically placed many divine appointments along their path. This calls for us to set our pride, our rights and our agenda aside and reflect the grace of God in difficult situations to difficult people. The Fruit of the Spirit must be on constant display: for our family, the clerk at the Circle K, for my boss and coworkers, for the transient: everybody. We have to be on our guard; because God is ALWAYS up to something good; and He wants us to be His transformers of a fallen world.

Dear God,
I do not want to work apart from You; that is my old, dead works. I do not want to be found idle with good intensions; because wishing is not equal to doing either. Please put me to work WITH You; guide me and lead me and make me into a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. May I get on board with Your Kingdom, Your will for my life and Your way of doing things. Help me to recognize my role in a situation; and my opportunity to shine and reflect well of Your holy influence in my life; to Your praise and glory.
Amen

All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)

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JMD Devotional 195 Zephaniah 1:12 Men Settling on their Lees

And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men who [like old wine] are thickening and settling on their lees, who say in their hearts, The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.

I am partially responsible for my own burnout and workaholism; but the other side of the 20-80 coin (20% of the people doing 80% of the work) is that my experience of church life is one of seeing tremendous needs go unfulfilled because many capable and talented people were unwilling to serve (except on their own terms). Many seniors said that they ‘paid their dues’ up North and that they came down to Florida to retire. Instead of sharing the wisdom and experience of those years with the next generation of believers, they invest their remaining lives on shopping and golf and travel. Am I being too critical to state that the same people will be the first to complain about the sorry state of the youth in the church and the disintegration of families? If God spared not the natural vine (Israel); the in-grafted branches (the Christian Church) should take careful notice! Zephaniah says God lights a lamp to find the men settling on their lees (going to seed); the implication is that doing nothing to resist evil and doing nothing to promote good are both conduct worthy of punishment.

Dear God,
It is not just seniors, Lord; everybody is growing old one day at a time; each day writes a page of our autobiographies. Please help me to number my days; to not waste precious time on vain things; to invest carefully on getting other people into Your kingdom as maturing Christians. May You not have to light a lamp to find me; make me a faithful servant of the true light of Jesus Christ.
Amen

All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
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