Author: Ken Crawford

“As for me, this is my covenant with [those who repent of their sins],” says the LORD. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants — from this time on and forever,” says the LORD.
— Isaiah 59:21 NIV

Isaiah 59:1-16 is one of the most crushingly sad sections in the entire Bible. God is frustrated and heartbroken because his people are in such blatant rebellion and have no one to lead them back to him. They have been crushed by their enemies, and they are without hope — spiritually and physically. So, God decides to act! He moves with fury and might against his people’s enemies (Isaiah 59:17-19). Then he promises to send his Redeemer. From that moment on, God’s Spirit and God’s words will rest with his people forever. As was often the case, such prophecies had double fulfillments: One was in Old Testament times and another, in New Testament times. We have just seen the New Testament fulfillment in the gospel of Matthew: Jesus is this Redeemer, and the work of the Spirit brings the dawning of God’s kingdom. While we live in difficult times for the followers of Jesus, we also live under the promise that God’s Spirit will not depart from us and that the Spirit’s presence assures us that God’s words will not be taken from us!

Father, thank you for your Word, and your words. Thank you that your Word is the great Redeemer who has delivered us from Satan and sent your Spirit to us. We praise you and thank you for this grace, and we pledge ourselves to your work in our world, transformed by your Spirit and informed by your Word. In Jesus’ name, we thank you! Amen.

[Jesus, in the synagogue, reading from Isaiah:] “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.” – Luke 4:18-19 NLT

Luke makes clear that Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb through the Holy Spirit, anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism, and empowered by the Holy Spirit into and through his wilderness temptations, and that he emerged from the temptations full of the Spirit. Today’s passage reminds us that the Spirit is powerfully upon him to focus his ministry. This quotation from Isaiah 61:1-2 is in the context of God’s servant, Jesus, bringing restoration and healing. If Jesus’ ministry was empowered by the Holy Spirit, how dare we try to minister without the Holy Spirit’s power? Release of the captives, freedom for the oppressed, and the time of God’s favor don’t come without the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the ministry of God’s servants!

Father, I know that you have given me gifts, talents, and abilities to use in ministry to bless others and to honor you. I recognize that even with these gifts, my ability to accomplish all that you have called me to do is impossible without the power and guidance of your Spirit. I ask for the Holy Spirit to help me recognize these gifts, to empower me so that I can use these gifts effectively, and to help me use these gifts in ways that honor you and reflect the character and compassion of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

We have an advocate who pleads
our case before the Father.
He is Jesus Christ,
the one who is truly righteous.
He himself is the sacrifice
that atones for our sins—
and not only our sins
but the sins of all the world.
1 John 2:1-2 NLT

The world is indeed a mess right now! People everywhere are searching for solutions to our woes. Crisis after crisis, laws and regulations are created and enforced in an attempt to make us change our behaviors. The solution to all of our problems is so simple and yet so overlooked. The message of the church today must resound: Jesus died to set you free from the guilt and punishment of your own sins. He didn’t do it just for you; he did it for everyone else, too! Spread the word!

I am humbled to the point of silence, Almighty God and Heavenly Father, that you would take your most precious gift and offer it for something as ugly and horrid as my sins. I can think of no way to repay you, but I want to thank you by sharing this good news with everyone else for whom you’ve made this sacrifice. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” –  Romans 10:15

How beautiful are your feet? People with beautiful feet are either “sending folks” or they are “going folks” who share the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. Which are you? If we’re not one of those two options, we’re Christians with ugly feet. Now nobody would want that to be said of him or her? So let’s make a partnership agreement with other believers by either going and asking for their support and help, or by helping and supporting others while they are going!

Almighty God of the nations, I know it pains your heart to see so many people in our world today that do not even know the name of your Son, much less trust in him as their Lord. Through your Holy Spirit, stir in us the desire to have beautiful feet just like our brothers and sisters had in those early chapters of the book of Acts. May the Gospel spread in our day as it did in theirs! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. – Ephesians 4:30-31

Don’t make God’s Spirit grieve! But how do we do we cause the Spirit of God to grieve? By harboring bitterness, unleashing anger-driven rage, fighting with others and slandering their name while plotting to harm them. Not only are these behaviors in direct opposition to the will and character of God, they are are also the exact opposite of the qualities the Spirit is seeking to produce in our lives — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control faithfulness (Galatians 5:22-23). No wonder such evil behaviors grieve the Holy Spirit.

Almighty Father, please conform me to be more like Jesus by the power of your Holy Spirit as I commit to display Jesus’ character and compassion in my life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Prove by the way you live
that you have repented of your sins
and turned to God.
Luke 3:8 NLT

Grace is given to us as a free gift. It cannot be earned or merited. But salvation that does not move us out of our self-destructive and rebellious ways is counterfeit. Repentance is a life change. It is a realization that we have been going the wrong way on a one-way street. It is an acknowledgement that trying to guide our own lives is always going to end in disappointment, disaster, and death without Jesus being Lord of both our lips and our lives. We know that God’s grace is marvelous, but let’s also learn that his will is gracious. As we do, we will change our behavior to reflect the character of the Father who sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins!

Loving and merciful God, I realize that you saved me from my past sins and also want to save me from the consequences of future sins by calling me to obedience. Please help me as I turn my life over to your will. Please strengthen me with your Spirit so that I may resist temptation and reflect your holiness. Bring to life in me the fruit that reflects your salvation and your character in me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Why do the wicked get away
with despising God?
They think,
“God will never
call us to account.”
But you see the trouble
and grief they cause.
You take note of it
and punish them.
The helpless put
their trust in you.
You defend the orphans.
Psalm 10:13-14 NLT

Just as God saw the plight of the Israelites in Egypt and heard their cries for help, he still sees and hears today. But now, he not only hears because he is omnipotent; he hears because of the intercession of his Son and our Savior, Jesus. Jesus has been here. Jesus has faced the specter of death and the pain of torture and ridicule. Jesus means God not only hears our cries for help; he also feels the agony with us. That is why he came. He is our assurance that God feels, cares, acts, and ultimately saves.

God, Father and Savior,
please be with those who
are bearing the incredible
weight of agony and pain.
Some of these I know
and pray for personally.
Others I do not know,
but they still need your
comfort, strength, and grace
to sustain them in their
days of agony and grief.
Please bless them with
clear evidence of your care.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.  –  1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV)

What determines our financial worth? Do we compute it in terms of dollars, or possessions, or investments? Paul reminded Timothy that ultimate gain, the gain of inestimable value, is really determined by a very simple formula: net worth = (godly character) X (contentment). What would happen if we recognized the truly wealthy as those who were godly in their character and contented with their blessings in life?

O LORD God,  the one from whom every blessing flows,  readjust my values from the greed  of this world to a holy set of financial convictions.  Conform my character to the godliness that Jesus demonstrated in his daily life.  Teach me the contentment that can only be found in you.  In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.

I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you and extol
your name for ever and ever.
Psalm 145:1-2 (NIV)

The way we praise God forever, the way we honor our pledge to give him glory for all the days of our life, is really pretty simple: we do it today. As long as we praise God today, the forever takes care of itself. So as you commit to lift high the name of God and praise him for all eternity, remember the place it starts: praise God today — not only in the things that you say, but also in the way that you live!

Mighty God and loving Father, today I want to tell you how marvelous and wonderful I believe you to be. You are righteous, faithful, holy, and merciful.
You are tender, loving, and yet magnificent in glory and incomparable in strength. You have redeemed me from my sin and given me hope beyond my own death.
You have filled my life full of good people and have promised me a home with you. You, O God, are without peer and without rival. You are my King, my awesome and majestic Father. In Jesus’ name I praise you, today and forever. Amen.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. — Romans 8:12-13 NLT

We have been given the power to overcome temptation and sin. Those of us with a past entrapment to sinful addictions, with current struggles, with sinfully rebellious co-workers and friends surrounding us, and with dysfunctional backgrounds don’t have to repeat the destructive patterns in which we’ve been entrapped. Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin makes us right with God. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead unleashes a new source of incomparably great power for us. The Holy Spirit who lives in us makes this power available to us. Escaping sin’s patterns, addictions, and influences is never easy. It is a daily battle to put to death these powers and influences (Colossians 3:5). Jesus described this battle as denying ourselves daily, following him, and losing our lives for his sake (Luke 9:23-24). We cannot live Jesus’ way on our own! But, when we surrender our wills to the leading of Jesus as Lord and follow the way of the Holy Spirit, we can find a new source of fresh power, the Holy Spirit. Let’s ask the Spirit to help us in our daily battle, and let’s open ourselves to the Spirit’s work in our lives. Ephesians 1:17-20, Ephesians 3:14-21, Ephesians 5:17-21, and Ephesians 6:17-18 give ways to invite the Spirit into our lives with power!

Father, thank you for this promise of the Spirit to bring us the power to live for you. Jesus, I praise you for your sacrifice. Holy Spirit, please lead and empower me to overcome the pull of sin and its addictive power in my life. In the name of the Lord Jesus and through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, I praise you for your grace, dear Father! Amen.