Ken Crawford

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.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. — Philippians 4:4-5

Because the Lord is near, we can rejoice and treat others with gentleness. He is near because he lives in us through his Spirit. He is near because his coming is at hand. He is near when we gather with other believers, serve others in need, or share the Gospel with friends and people of different cultures. The Lord is near because he has promised to be with us and never forsake us. We can be joyful and tender because Jesus lives in us, works through us, and is coming for us! Nothing is more infectious than a joyous and kind person who knows the Lord IS near!

Father, I am thrilled to know that I will never be alone. Thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus to join me when I meet with other believers, serve others in his name, and share the Gospel with those who do not know him. Please let the abiding joy I feel from his presence be evident in how I live and serve others. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen.

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.
What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
— James 4:14-15

“If the Lord wills!” Do you do short-term and long-range planning? I do. But my planning always has an invisible asterisk: “If Lord, this is your will and timing, please help me complete these plans.” I don’t know about you, but God has shown me time and again that if I am open to him, his timing is always better than my planning. Does that mean I quit planning? Nope. I plan with prayer, asking for wisdom and the Holy Spirit to help me find God’s timing to know and do his will in his timing (James 1:5-6; Ephesians 5:15-18). Life is too short not to plan. Life is too important not to plan with prayer and seek to be led by the Holy Spirit!

Not my will, Father, but yours be done… this day and all the days of my life that follow. I want to walk in your will and follow your timing. In Jesus’ holy name, I ask this. Amen.

Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.
— Psalm 144:4

Time is so precious — time with our families, children, parents, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ. How do you invest your time? Where do you invest it? You know, our time is really more valuable than the money we invest. Once the present time and its opportunities are gone, they can’t be reclaimed. So as you begin each day, ask God that you will be able to “know the time,” to see it for what it is, and to use it for its greatest good. Time passes quickly, and like the shadows of early evening, it’s not long before it is absorbed into the gathering darkness of night.

Eternal God, please give me the wisdom to use the time given me today to do what is best, right, good, and profitable. I want to invest my time in what is truly enduring and redemptive. Please help me use my time to influence and bless all those with whom I interact so that they are brought closer to you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. — Amos 5:15

While we rightfully teach our children that we must not hate others, we also must teach them to loathe injustice, evil, prejudice, and the mistreatment of the vulnerable — the foreigner, widow, fatherless, and poor, as God defined them in the Torah. Amos reminded Israel that God demands justice to be administered fairly for both rich and poor, residents and foreigners, those in families as well as those left alone. Israel’s repeated refusals of God’s commands in these areas brought destruction upon their land despite their apparent affluence, military might, and political power in Amos’ day.

Holy God, I know you are furious at the injustice in so many lands and are enraged at the ethnic hatred setting our world ablaze. Please make your people, your Church, a place of justice, equity, compassion, love, racial healing, and hope. Please begin in my heart and with my hands to build this better world. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. — Colossians 2:6

“New and improved!” That’s the strategic marketing tag to re-introduce an older product that has fallen out of public perception. Make a few changes, freshen the packaging, and re-market the old product as something new and improved. The apostle Paul wanted the Colossians to know that Jesus does not need to be updated or add some spiritually new ingredient. Instead, they needed to follow him as Lord, just as they did when they first became Christians. That is our need, too! Our lives need to be rooted and nurtured in Christ Jesus as Lord, full of thankfulness for God’s incredible gift of grace in his Son. And we must realize Jesus is more than any additive-laden, updated, or new religious fad could ever be!

Loving Father and Almighty God, thank you for the gift of your grace given to me in Jesus Christ. Forgive me when I get fascinated by what is flashy and new or wanderlust hits, and I desire something fresh and novel. Please make my walk with Jesus fresh each day. Strengthen my appreciation that his lordship in my life will help me face the difficult circumstances along the way and greet the exciting new opportunities each day with joy, strength, hope, and power. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

The wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God —
his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it
for our ultimate glory before the world began.
But the rulers of this world have not understood it;
if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord …
But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit.
It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it,
for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.
1 Corinthians 2:7-8, 14 nlt

The Holy Spirit lives in the follower of Christ. Without the Spirit living in us, we don’t belong to Christ and cannot live for God. Without the Spirit, we will not be transformed to become like Christ. What’s more, real prayer happens only because of the Spirit’s work in our hearts. Now, this verse goes one step beyond what we’ve seen to this point: we cannot truly understand the message of God — the Scriptures of God, the Word of God — without the Holy Spirit within us. Not only did the Holy Spirit inspire God’s message (2 Tim. 3:16-17), but the Spirit helps us understand this message and apply it to our lives. We cannot follow Christ without the Spirit of Christ alive in us!

Most Holy God, I cannot help but fall to my knees in humble thanks that the two things most necessary for me to be saved and to live for you were provided to me by your grace. I thank you for the gift of your Son, who died for my sins and was raised from death to ensure my salvation. I thank you for your Holy Spirit, who makes my life as a follower of Jesus possible. Please accept my heart’s deepest appreciation for providing what I could never achieve or deserve, because of your love for me. In Jesus’ name I offer you my thanks.
Amen.

I have come into the world as a light,
so that no one who believes in me
should stay in darkness.
John 12:46 (NIV)

One of the great stories in the Gospel of John is Nicodemus. He came to Jesus at night and Jesus told him that those who love the truth come to the light. Later, Nicodemus spoke up for Jesus even though he was ridiculed for it. Then, at the worst possible time politically and religiously, he showed himself as Jesus’ disciple: he took the broken and dead body of Jesus and helped Joseph of Arimathea place him in a tomb. Nicodemus didn’t stay in the darkness. Neither should we. Jesus is the light of the world; if our light cannot be found in him, how deep is our darkness!

Father in Heaven,
I want to walk in the light with you.
The darkness of Calvary did not
extinguish the light in Jesus;
it made it burn more brightly for me.
At the cross, I see your love for me.
At the cross, I realize that
Jesus took my sins away.
At the cross, I see Jesus’ love
for both you and me perfected.
Thank you, Father for your
gracious salvation.
Thank you, Jesus
for your incredible sacrifice.
In the name Jesus,
your perfect Lamb I pray.
Amen.