Author: Ken Crawford

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
— 1 Peter 1:8-9

Can you trust what you don’t see? Of course! What kind of question is that? Our lives depend on what we cannot see — things like gravity and the air we breathe, just to name two. Faith in Jesus is as natural as faith in each of those things. The problem is that our hearts are skeptical. We find it hard to believe that anyone divine would love us so much. Our experience says, “If it seems too good to be true, it is.” That skepticism is just the twisted form of the response God longs to see from us: “inexpressible and glorious joy.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve tasted both. I prefer joy over skepticism!

What joy fills my heart, Father, when I anticipate what it will be like to be in your presence — to have you wipe each tear from my eyes and to have you introduce me again to those I love and to those I’ve only known by reputation. Please never let me outlive that sense of anticipation and never let that hope dim in my heart, no matter what else may happen in my life here. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
– Matthew 5:11-12 (NIV)

The sentiments of this verse often seem foreign and strange, but among those who closely study persecution, believers in Christ are enduring perhaps the greatest amount of persecution in the history of Christianity. For those of us who live in cozy places where belief is tolerated and Christians are just considered out of vogue or a bit out of touch, we need to be thankful that our lives make enough of a distinction from our culture to be noticed, even if it’s a bit unfavorable. But at the same time, we need to pray for other believers throughout the world who are undergoing the wrath of hell for the faith.

Lord and Redeemer, we have many who call on your name with faith in Jesus who face persecution and hardship every day. I pray that they will not lose heart and give up their confidence. I pray that you will bring deliverance from this time of persecution. I pray that their sufferings will be the source of powerful witness so others will come to see the great value of Jesus and our allegiance to him. This I pray in Jesus’ precious and holy name. Amen.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
– 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NLT

I love the variety that God has placed in his creation. I love the variety of people that have answered the call of Jesus. I am amazed at the different abilities the Spirit has given God’s children. Yet, in this variety, I realize that there is one constant: the One True and Living God. All this variety is necessary for us to get a glimpse of the profound complexity and generosity of God, the very God who knows all of us intimately as his children who all bear some striking resemblance to their Creator.

I am amazed, Almighty God, at your nearness and your vastness, your gracious love and your eternal complexity. I am humbled, dear Father, that you would make me from my mother’s womb to be in your image and to fulfill your divine purpose in some important way. Please help me remember both my uniqueness and my connectedness to your nature and to your work in the world. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

[Paul said,] “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.”
–  Acts 20:22 NIV

A rocket is propelled by rocket fuel. A follower of Jesus is compelled by the Spirit of the living God and the love of Jesus. So let’s honestly look inside our hearts and ask ourselves this important question: “What compels and propels me?” All sources of compulsion and propulsion other than the Spirit of the living God and the love of Jesus will either run out on us or burn us out and destroy us. What is my fuel?

Father God, you bought my freedom from sin at the cost of Jesus. You have filled me with your Spirit to empower me and inspire me to do your will. Help me discern the false sources I depend on to fuel me, motivate me, and propel me. I want to be compelled and propelled only by your Spirit and the love of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

“Live as though Christ died yesterday,
rose from the grave today,
and is coming back tomorrow.”
– Theodore Epp

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
– Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

The goal in Christian communication is not just clarity. The goal is not just to be understood. The goal is not just to be truthful. The goal is to be appropriate, encouraging, and building up others based on what the needs of the other person are.

Tender Shepherd, give me a heart that is pure so that my words may be pure. Give me a heart that is kind so that my words may be kind. Give me a heart that is full of joy and encouragement so that I may share these with those you bring to my path and with whom I share conversation. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
— 1 Chronicles 16:11

After restoring the presence of God to their people through the Ark of the Covenant, David and Asaph gave the people a song (1 Chronicles 16:7-37) to perpetually remind them of the importance of seeking God’s strength and presence (face) because:

• Our strength is found in the Lord’s presence (Psalm 27:2 Corinthians 12:8-10; Ephesians 6:10).
• Our grace and mercy come from the Lord’s loving presence (Isaiah 63:7-9; 2 John 1:3).
• Our hope centers on seeing the Lord face-to-face in his presence and knowing him even as we are known by him (1 John 3:1-2).

As children of God, we can look to the Lord and his might. We don’t have to rely only on our strength and wisdom to chart our paths. As we seek the Lord’s face while leaning on his gracious and powerful presence, the Lord leads us with his Spirit, empowering us as he works in our lives for our ultimate good (Romans 8:12-17, 28-29).

O Lord, I know you created me uniquely as you fashioned me in my mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-17). Yet I know I can never have the freedom or creativity in my life that you long for me to discover unless I first seek you and your strength. Please bless me with the assurance of your nearness as I seek you with all of my heart and use my abilities in creative ways to bring you glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others.
– Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)

Do you remember one of the earliest questions in the Bible? “Where is your brother Abel?” To which Cain responded: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Paul’s answer is a clear and undeniable yes! We must look to the interest of others and not just our own. Yes, we are responsible for helping the homeless, the helpless and the weak.

Father, teach me to love your family as you do. I get so caught up and distracted with my own world and my own problems that I forget to notice those who are hurting around me. Help me to grow more aware and more attuned to those needs so you may minister through me. In the powerful name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
– 1 Peter 4:10-11 NLT

Why does God get the glory when we do what Peter commands in this passage? Because we do those things by God’s powerful presence, the Holy Spirit living in us. We speak and we serve by the inspiration and power of the Spirit. The gifts that we are given come from the Holy Spirit — that’s what the term “spiritual gifts” means. Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit on us when we came to him (Titus 3:3-7), and the Spirit gives each of us gifts to use in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:4-7) and to help others (Luke 10:25-37; Galatians 6:10). The glory belongs to God — Father, Son, and Spirit — because God is the source and the strength of all of the good that we do.

Almighty God, Father and my Savior, the Son of God, and the indwelling Spirit — bring yourself glory as I seek to use the gifts you have given me to bless others. All glory be to you forever and ever. Amen.

[Jesus said] “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”
John 5:30 (NIV)

“So who you trying to please, anyway?” There are only two we must please: First, our Father in heaven, because all praise and honor is due to him, and Second, ourselves, because we want to know that we’ve done the best we could do and been the best we could be. But I guess I’ve learned over the years that I can’t begin to do the second of those very well without seeking the first one. Don’t you hope that someday you reach the place where you can join Jesus in saying with absolute assurance: “I seek not to please myself but him who sent me!” The closer we approach that reality, the more we realize that we can’t do anything of eternal significance on our own. Only when we live to honor God do we find the significance and have the impact that our lives were made to have.

Almighty and Righteous Father, I know that without you I can do nothing that is of lasting significance. I have tried my own way and failed. I have sought my own good and seen my success short-lived. I want to live now, today and the rest of my life to please you. As I do this, I am confident that you will provide what I need and that you will empower me to do what you would have me do. In Jesus’ name I thank you. Amen.