WFC Daily Devotional Blog

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: “Deal With It”

Week One: “Anger” by Pastor Dan Southerland

Today’s Theme: “Fueling the Fire” 

Key Verses

²⁰ Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant that I laid down for their forefathers and has not listened to me, ²¹ I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. (Joshua 2:20-21)

¹Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ²Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” ⁴Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.   ⁵He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. (Mark 3:1-5)

Meditation

This week, Pastor Dan’s message called for us to consider areas of anger in our life.  Without question, these areas need attention.  However, let us take a moment today to look a little deeper at this issue of anger.  Anger seems to be a very important topic to God, as it is used more then 230 times in the Bible (KJV).  Most of these occurrences of anger involve God being angry at the disobedience of his people (Joshua 2:20-21).  In fact, we see in the New Testament Jesus is angered by the stubborn hearts of the religious leaders. 

 It is important to understand that anger in itself is not wrong.  God declares that He gets angry.  In Exodus 34:6 God declares to Moses, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,…

 We as human beings, made in the image of God, will also experience this emotion of anger.  However, we have a responsibility to consider why we experience this emotion and especially how we respond to it.  Throughout scripture, God’s anger is usually fueled by his desire for his people to do what is good for them (by following His law).  In Mark 3, the response to Jesus’ anger was healing for a man in need.  Our anger can often be fueled by selfish desire and cause us to respond in a way that accomplishes only our own personal goals. 

Questions to Consider

What is the fuel of my anger? 

Who benefits from my anger?

This weeks devotional author is Marquel Jacoway.

Marquel can be reached http://svh071880@yahoo.com

The Caution We Should Not Forget

Deuteronomy 6:10-12 ““Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you shall eat and be satisfied, then watch yourself, lest you forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery”

Meditation

It is said that as triumphant Roman generals paraded through the streets of Rome with crowds cheering and paying homage, a servant stood on the chariot with the general and whispered in his ear, “All glory is fleeting.”  It was a quiet caution offered at the height of success. 

The children of Israel were preparing to enter the Promised Land.  Moses stood before the people and said, “These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord  your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.” (6:1-2)  Moses continued and gave the warning written in the above verses.  Moses was cautioning the people to not become complacent.

Arguably, complacency is the biggest threat to our faith.  We can easily recognize overt sin like pornography, dishonesty, and drunkenness (to name a few).  Complacency is dangerous because it creeps into the heart and mind subtly and slowly.  It takes over without people realizing because they are so comfortable and feeling so blessed that they fail to pursue new goals or new challenges.

Mike Riley, a minister in Texas, wrote, “A careful assessment of our own spiritual blessings in Christ, coupled with an unvarnished look at the world around us should lead us to the conclusion that there are still too many without the hope that we have. That should spur us on to try to reach others with the gifts of the gospel.”  This applies to us at Westside.  We are so blessed with the talented people serving, and the resources God has provided.

It is exciting to recall and remember what God has done.  It is also exciting to look to the future to which God is calling us.  There is no room for complacency.

Thoughts to Ponder

Is there anything in my personal life that is causing me to be complacent in my service and worship of God?  What must I do to avoid complacency?

Ted Davis is this week’s devotion writer.  You can contact him at tedavis@grace4success.com

Joshua 4:20-24 “And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan.  He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’  tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’  For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over.  He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

Meditation

God made it clear that He wants us to both remember what He has done and to teach it to our children.  A culture is passed from generation to generation by its lore – its stories, arts, and songs.  God wants His precepts, principles, promises, and precedents passed from generation to generation.  God told the children of Israel to use monuments to remember and to teach.  Such was the case when the tribes of Israel crossed of the Jordan River as we see in the above verses.

I’ll bet when you hear the name ‘Ebenezer’ you immediately think of Charles Dickens’ character in The Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge.   Actually, Ebenezer is a biblical location.  It was the place of another monument.

The event was recorded in 1 Samuel.  The Israelites were in fear of the Philistines and begged Samuel to beseech the Lord for deliverance.  Samuel did, and the Lord did His part.  This is summarized in chapter 4 where it reads, “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far has the Lord helped us.’ So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines.”  Ebenezer meant ‘stone of help,’ so it was a fitting memorial for God’s deliverance. 

As I wrote above, culture is passed in song.  Robert Robinson wrote the great hymn Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing in 1758.  In the second stanza he wrote, “Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Thy help I’m come; And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.  Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood.”  Like Joshua and Samuel, Robinson created an Ebenezer to tell the story of God’s great blessing and grace.

As Westsiders enjoy the Lenexa facility, we should view it like an Ebenezer.  The building is a testimony of God’s miraculous power.  It is both a facility and a monument.  We should tell about the facility and how God grew a great work through His people, and we will use the rooms, offices and sanctuary to teach, learn and worship.

Thoughts to Ponder

Let’s make the lesson very personal and do some homework.  Look around your home for mementos that can or are Ebenezers of God’s grace and blessing in your life.  What is the story that goes with the item?  How are you sharing the story with your family?

Ted Davis is writing this week’s devotionals.  You can contact him at tedavis@grace4success.com

Westside Family Church Message Series entitled “Blessing”

This Week’s Theme:  “Choose Joy”

Today’s Devotional Theme:  “What to Remember”

Key Verses

Psalm1105:5-9 “Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, O descendants of Abraham his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones. He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.”

Meditation

Memory is a fascinating part of being human.  Memory is the cinema of our mind where we replay our interpretation of the events and relationships of our past.  We give those events meaning and store them in that fabulous brain of ours ready to be mentally recalled and replayed at any time.  Memories are important because they give a trajectory or a direction to our lives.  Recalling our memories can either keep us on course or cause us to change direction.  Memories have a profound effect on our mental and emotional health. The renowned pastor and Bible teacher, Warren Wiersbe, once wrote, “Your spiritual memory is vital to your spiritual health.”   In writing the above verses, the psalmist David helped us understand what it is we should remember.

First, we should remember God’s wonders.  Each year our Jewish friends celebrate Passover to remember how God delivered their forefathers out of slavery in Egypt.  We Christians celebrate Easter annually to remember that Christ is risen from the grave and we serve a Living Savior.  I am sure you have truly wondrous events in your life.  Despite your struggles, you have some blessings to remember. We all have reasons to marvel at God’s grace and presence.

Second, we should remember God’s miracles.   The Bible is filled with testimonies of God’s miraculous power.  Perhaps you’ve not experienced a miracle like regaining sight, being cleansed of leprosy, or feeding a whole lot of guests on a meal meant for one, but you’ve probably experienced something in your life that can only be explained by God’s grace and mercy.  Examine your life closely.  Can you see God’s handprints all over it bringing you unexplained blessings?

Third, we should remember God’s words.  He has given us the Bible so that we may know Him, understand His character, and draw closer to Him.  The Bible contains the precepts, promises, principles, and precedents for us to live a life of intimacy with God.

Fourth, we should remember that God never fails on His promises.  He made covenants with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  He made a promise to send Christ as our Savior and did.  He has promised to never leave us or forsake us.  He has promised to bless us if we remain faithful.

Questions to Consider

What are your memories of God’s faithfulness that cause you to re-enjoy them?

Ted Davis is writing this week’s devotionals.  You can contact him at tedavis@grace4success.com

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: “Blessed″

“Choose Integrity” by Randy Coleman

Today’s Theme: “The Integrity of Christ”

Key Verse:

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14 (NIV)

Meditation:

You might have noticed that the Daily Devotional has been less than daily this week. I’ve got a lot of excuses. I’ve been tired – getting back on track after a week long business trip, and my family has been fighting off illness. But really, the main reason for the lack in output is that the topic of integrity is hard to write about. In essence, integrity is the antithesis of hypocrisy. Writing about integrity has the direct effect of bringing my hypocrisy to mind, and I struggle to find words encouraging your integrity when mine is suspect at best.

I donate to missions and occasionally help the poor, but I’m still a comfortable Johnson Countian that doesn’t get his hands dirty too often. I’ve been through the “Intimate Encounters” program through Westside, but still don’t put the effort in every day to love my wife like I should. I take my job for granted. I bristle when someone who bugs me comes my way and look for an escape. I spend much more time watching the latest episodes of House and CSI than I do reading my Bible or engaging with God in prayer.

But reflecting on this dischord, while initially making me feel guilty, has brought me further into understanding that integrity means holding fast to Christ in all circumstances, because He is the ONLY One who remains constant. With His help, I can avoid sin more and do good more, but, like an alcoholic will always be in recovery, I will always be a recovering hypocrite. So I can’t come before you and give you 3 steps to integrity, because I fail at every one. What I can do is boast in Christ, and continue to return to the cross. That is where my integrity is ultimately found, and yours as well.

Today’s devotional is penned by Matt Davis.  You can reach him at kcillini77@everestkc.net

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: “Blessed″
Week One: “Choose Integrity” by Randy Coleman
Today’s Theme: “Integrity Does Not Equal Sin Avoidance”

Key Verses
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

James 4:17(NIV)

Meditation

One of the points that Randy unpacked in the message this week is that integrity does not just mean avoiding immoral behavior. We are certainly to avoid sin to the extent that we are able. But if integrity means being true to who God is, to His very nature, we need to be doing what He wants us to do as well.

The Random House Dictionary defines integrity as “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.” Adhering to moral principles means not just standing against something, but standing for something in its place.

We know that we cannot avoid sin. If we could we would have no need for the Gospel. So while we should not intentionally sin, integrity means sharing the Gospel in actions and words. It means that should be our consuming passion, because that is God’s consuming passion.

Questions to Consider
What does God want me to do today to bring the Gospel to someone in action or words?

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Today’s author is Matt Davis. He can be contacted at kcillini77@everestkc.net.

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: “Blessed”
Week Four: “Choose Mercy” by Dan Southerland
Today’s Theme: “Through it all, Trust God”

Key Verses
After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.” 16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. 21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her.” 22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob lay with her. 24 And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter as her maidservant. 25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?” 26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. 27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.” 28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 Laban gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant. 30 Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years. (Genesis 29:16-30)

Meditation
This week we have been discussing what to do with this notion of revenge that emerges occasionally in our lives. Perhaps the most important thing to remember as we attempt to act in mercy towards others is to maintain a Godly perspective. We serve a God that is omnipotent, He is all-powerful. There is nothing in the universe that can derail the plans of our God. Consider this morning’s passage that tells the story of Jacob in pursuit of his wife.
Now Jacob as the grandson of Abraham was part of the fulfillment of a promise God had made to Abraham to give him decedents as numerous as the stars in the sky. Furthermore, God promises to bless all people on earth through Abraham. Jacob is part of a blessed lineage. In fact, God makes the same promise of blessing and decedents to Jacob, as he did to Abraham. (Gen 28:13-15) As Jacob moved through life, the plan of God never relented from him.

Upon his father’s directive, Jacob goes to His uncle’s home (Laban) to find a wife. When he arrives, he finds Rachel and by agreement, works seven years to marry her. While seven years seems like a long time, to Jacob it seemed like only a few days because of his love for her. (Gen 29:20)

After his long toil, Jacob deceptively, is given Leah, Rachel’s older sister instead. I shutter to think of how I might have reacted in that situation. Many of us would find it difficult not to retaliate. Jacob does not retaliate, instead he focuses on his mission of capturing his love, Rachel, and agrees to work another seven year for her.

Many of us would feel that Jacob would be justified in retaliation for Laban’s deceitful actions. However, in the grand scheme of things does anyone believe that Laban’s actions could derail the plan of God for Jacob’s life? The answer to that question is no. In fact, God ended up using children of Leah to create the nation of Israel, fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham and Jacob to give them an immeasurable number of decedents.

When we find ourselves in situations that seem that people have taken advantage us or have mistreated us in some way, it is important to maintain a “God focus.” Just as in the situation with Jacob, no person can derail the plan of God for your life. We do not need to worry about trying to bring about justice, our responsibility is to trust God to fulfill the promise that he made to us to bless those act with mercy. (Matt 5:7)

Question to consider
Do I trust that God is faithful to carry out His plan for my life regardless of the actions of others?

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: “Blessed”

Week Four: “Choose Mercy” by Dan Southerland

Today’s Theme: “It is a heart thing”

Key Verses

6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  (Phil 4:6-8)

 23 Above all else, guard your heart,
       for it is the wellspring of life.  (Prov 4:23)

Meditation

The challenge for this week is to choose mercy.  As many of us can truly testify, challenging cannot even begin to describe the difficulty of making this decision on a daily basis.  While it is understood that being merciful in all situations would be difficult, the key word to focus on in the phrase “choose mercy” is “choose.”  In this phrase, “choose mercy,” it is assumed that we all have the capacity to be merciful.  The only thing in question regarding this concept, is whether we are going to make the decision to be merciful. 

 Pastor Dan described the difficulty in choosing mercy when learning of the physical abuse of his daughter.  Just as in Pastor Dan’s experience, there will be things that happen in our lives that flat out challenge our commitment to be merciful.  However, choosing mercy is not something that should always happen at the decision point of revenge vs. mercy.  Choosing to be merciful begins with making a decision to protect your heart on a daily basis.  Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts because it is the wellspring of life. 

 There will be people and situations on a daily basis that get under our skin.  Sometimes people will irritate you intentionally or even unintentionally but our responsibility in those situations is not whether we are going to choose to get revenge.  Rather, our responsibility is whether we are going to choose to let our hearts be overcome by negative thoughts.  Romans 12:21 directs us in this manner, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

 In many ways, choosing to be merciful at the heart might seem like a difficult thing to accomplish but God has already provided some help for us in that area.  His Word tells us to stay focused on good things, things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Phil 4:8) However, when things begin to bother us, we can go to our Father in prayer and His peace that transcend all understanding will guard our hearts and our minds.  (Phil 4:6-7)

 As Christians, there will be some situations in our life that challenge us.  However, as we make decisions on a daily basis to guard our heart by focusing on things that He tells us to think about, we will find that there are less things to actually be bothered about. At that point we are so focused on the things that we ought to be thinking about that we may simply look past the offensive behavior.  In the event that our thoughts get away from us, we can go to our Father that is so interested in protecting us that He will give us the help that we need to protect our hearts and maintain our place of mercy. 

 Questions to consider

How often do I allow my thoughts to move beyond the list that Phil 4:6-8 outlines?

 Where do I draw my line of mercy, at the place of revenge or the condition of the heart?

This weeks devotional author is Marquel JaCoway

Marquel can be contacted at svh071880@yahoo.com

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: “Blessed”

Week Four: “Choose Mercy” by Dan Southerland

Today’s Theme: “If God Won’t I will”

Key Verses

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
       he rises to show you compassion.
       For the LORD is a God of justice.
       Blessed are all who wait for him! (Isaiah 30:18)

There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,  through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:24-26)

Meditation

Yesterday we discussed our desire to be our own boss and how that leads to a desire for revenge.  Let us take a little closer look at exactly why we often take revenge into our own hands.  One reason I submit, is that deep down, there is a mistrust that God is taking care of our troubles.  As children, we develop this habit of taking problems to where we can find the solution that we want. Often, when a child does not get what they want from one parent, they begin to go to the other parent.  If going to the other parent does not succeed, they take it into their own hands.  Some of us have taken this childlike approach to justice.  There is mistrust that God will act justly in a given situation. In turn we decide to take things into our own hands.

As Christians, we can be confident that we serve a God that is so interested in this idea of justice that He sent His own son to die as atonement for all the sins of man.  In God’s perfect system of justice, all sin must be paid for and in a demonstration of His justice, God offered up His son as a sacrifice for our sins. (Rom 3:24-26) Furthermore,  in an act of applying justice, the Bible teaches that there will be a final day of justice for all to give an account of all they have done with their lives. (2 Cor 5:10)

The Bible is clear that God is just.  In fact, one day we all will meet God’s justice.  However, rather then focusing in on the whether justice will prevail in a situation (we know by faith that it will), we should focus on the example that God sets for us in his offering of mercy and grace to those that wrong him daily. 

Question to consider

As God offers mercy in my life, can I offer mercy to those that wrong me today?

This weeks devotional author is Marquel JaCoway

Marquel can be contacted at svh071880@yahoo.com

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: “Blessed”
Week Four: “Choose Mercy” by Dan Southerland
Today’s Theme: “Who is the Boss?”

Key Verses
35 It is mine to avenge; I will repay.  In due time their foot will slip;  their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”(Duet 32:35)

19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20On the contrary:” If your enemy is hungry, feed him;  if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom 12:19-21)

Meditation
So who is the boss?  Believe me, this is more then a title to a great 1980’s sitcom.  This question if answered honestly will help you determine where you are on your spiritual walk and depending on a person’s current life stage, it is easy to determine the person’s probable answer.  As children, we are born into the world and our parents are the boss.  Then we go off to school and your teacher is the boss, and finally you become an adult and one might say, I am the boss of me.  As the boss of me, one might say, “I make all of my serious decisions.  I do what I want to do, when I want to do it.”  As Christians, we should live a life completely contrary to this idea of being our own boss.  Our heavenly father makes it clear that from the very beginning of time that he is boss.

After God creates the universe and set man in the Garden of Eden he gave him some instruction, “You must not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil”(Gen 2:17)   Through this simple instruction God established order to the relationship between man and Himself.  God reveals to man that He will be the boss; he will set the rules and respond justly to those that break them.

Many of us find ourselves attempting be our own boss in the area of revenge.  When people wrong us we often find ourselves making our own rules and deeming a proper level of justice for others.  Remember that as Christians God has already established rules on revenge.  His word tells us to leave revenge to Him. The Bible states, “It is mine to avenge”(Duet 32:35)  In fact, according to the word of God, our proper response to being wronged is to choose a path of mercy. (Rom 12:20)

Question to consider
Am I allowing God to be the boss of my life in the area of revenge?