WFC Daily Devotional Blog

Week’s Theme:  Commitment Week

Today’s Theme: Having a God-Listening Heart

Key Verse

Philippians 1:9-11  And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Meditation

Do you realize that we have a performance-oriented faith?  That may startle some because we also follow a grace-filled faith.  It is not our works that earn us righteousness: only Christ’s free gift of salvation.  That is always true and my focus on performance today is not meant to diminish this truth.

God does expect us to act on His commandments.  He expects us to fulfill His Great Commission.  He expects us “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

Consider what Jesus taught His disciples when He compared Himself to a vine and us to His branches.  He said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:1-4)

As Ken Blanchard explains in his great book Lead Like Jesus, we must have productive hands for Christ.  We must be performance-oriented.

Question to Consider

When I get my performance review from God, what might He say?

This Week’s Theme:  Commitment Week

Today’s Theme: Having a God-Listening Heart

Key Verse

1 Kings 3:8-10  “And now here I am: God, my God, you have made me, your servant, ruler of the kingdom in place of David my father. I’m too young for this, a mere child! I don’t know the ropes, hardly know the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of this job. And here I am, set down in the middle of the people you’ve chosen, a great people—far too many to ever count.   “Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?”  (The Message)

Meditation

During this week’s message we got to hear from a living saint.  I wish we could have heard more from Dr. Christopher Premdas.  It was apparent that he had a heart for God.  He is a living example of the commitment we should have.

Author Ken Blanchard has a wonderful model that I would like to examine this week.  His four Hs of leadership and commitment are the Head, Heart, Hands, and Habits.  Let’s start by considering the Heart.

Consider Solomon’s pray in the above verse.

He had just become king and was feeling inadequate and ill-prepared for the job.  He admitted his limitation and asked for the only possible solution to his problem; he wanted a God-listening heart.  Some translations use the phrase ‘a discerning heart.’  Solomon started his reign committed to listening to God’s gentle whispers and soft urging.  Solomon put his trust in God.

As we Westsiders move forward with God, we need to have God-listening hearts individually and collectively.  God has called us to reach the unchurched and the lost locally and globally.  What a privilege we have!

Question to Consider

Do I have a God-listening heart?  What do I need to do listen better?

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

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: “Destiny Project”

 “Community Change” by Schaun Colin

Today’s Theme: “Are you my neighbor?”

Key Verses

²⁵On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” ²⁷He answered: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” ²⁸“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³²So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” ³⁷The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37)

 Meditation

The above passage places great emphasis on this concept of loving your neighbor.  However, as this crafty expert asks, how are we to define the word neighbor?  Let us start by assessing how we often define this term.  Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines neighbor as “one living or located near another.”  This is an idea that is likely to fit our understanding of neighbor.  It is much easier to associate that word with our neighborhood.  Individuals that live close to us, on our block, in our cul-de-sac, in our sub-division, those are neighbors.  While it is true that those who live close to us are neighbors, this definition does not come close to encompassing the worldview that God has for humanity that we discussed previously.

Rather, Merriam Webster’s seconded definition for neighbor provides us greater clarity into how God would have us to view this term.  Webster’s second definition is “fellow man (kindred human being).”  God would have us to, not only view those that live close to us as neighbors, but view the entire world as one giant neighborhood.  As Jesus expresses in the parable of the Good Samaritan, our neighbor is anyone in need. 

On Sunday, Shaun exposed us to millions of people around the world that are in need.  These are people with which, as Americans, we have very little in common.  We do not share geography.  There are great cultural and social differences.  In some cases, there are religious differences.  However, God has not called us to consider these differences.  He calls us to consider the needs of our fellow man.  He has called us to be a neighbor. 

 Question to Consider

How is God calling me to be a neighbor in the global neighborhood?

This week’s devotional author is Marquel JaCoway. 

He can be contacted at svh071880@yahoo.com

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: “Destiny Project” 

 “Community Change” by Schaun Colin

 Today’s Theme: “Rejecting Isolation”

 Key Verses

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation (Mark 16:15)

 Meditation

Every day it becomes easier to live a life of virtual isolation.  The continued advancement of digital communication i.e. cell phones, text messaging, internet communities, etc makes it easy to avoid face-to-face contact with others.  Our digital age allows us to foster self-absorbed behavior.  In some ways, it is easy to begin to look at the Bible through this self-absorbed lens as well.  It can become easy to look at what God is only saying to us.  However, scripture is clear that God is not only concerned with us as individuals; God has a worldview of humanity.  Scripture says that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son so that those that believe in Him can have eternal life.  God is in love with the entire world, not just us.    

 As Christ followers, we have a responsibility in Gods passion for the world.  As Jesus told His disciples, go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.  Making sure that we grow in our personal relationship and understanding of Christ is very important.  However, at the same time we cannot overlook the call to share the same good news that saved our lives with the rest of the world.

 Question to Consider

How can I help share the gospel with the world?

This week’s devotional author is Marquel JaCoway. 

Marquel can be contacted at svh071880@yahoo.com

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: Destiny Project
Week Two: Community Change
Today’s Theme: Share Your Story

Key Verse:

The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

“I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.”

Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.

They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”  John 4: 1-42

When I was growing up, I remember hearing numerous testimonies from people that went something like this:  “I used to be a horrible person.  I got drunk and high everyday, had sex with lots of random strangers, and sometimes kicked small children and dogs for fun.  But then I met Jesus, and now I don’t do those things and my life is so much better.”  I used to envy these people for this dramatic testimony, and felt that mine was somehow inadequate because I was introduced to Christ at a young age.

But over time I began to tire of this type of testimony.  I started to realize that they were advertising some sort of fix.  That meeting Jesus had somehow made them sin-free, or at least not as bad of a sinner.  Getting to know some of these people better made me wonder how true the testimony really was.

Look at the difference in the testimony of the woman at the well.  Her testimony was simple: “He told me everything I ever did.”  He exposed her sin, and granted her forgiveness anyway.  People in her town knew what a sinner she was - it was public knowledge.  And the fact that he knew what she did and offered her forgiveness anyway was what attracted them to Him.

It’s important to share your testimony, but it’s vital that it’s honest testimony to the power of the Gospel.  Evangelists, pastors, and all of us are quite good at sharing our past sins that God has forgiven us for, but what about the ones we are still being forgiven for?  My friends know me.  They know I’m a sinner.  So I have to tell them about the love and grace that has saved and continues to save a wretch like me.

Today’s author is Matt Davis.  He may be reached at kcillini77@everestkc.net

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: Destiny Project
Week Two: Community Change
Today’s Theme: Build Relationships

Key Verse:

For John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.”

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”

Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”

“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.

Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”

Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”

“That’s right,” Jesus said. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.

“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?”

And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:33-50

Have you ever stopped to wonder why Jesus was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of sinners? Well, it seems obvious, but it’s because he was a friend of sinners and he ate and drank with them. Being fully God and fully man, He was capable of doing this without sinning Himself. But the fact that we are tainted by sin should not scare us away from the fact that if we are going to follow Jesus example, we must associate with and love our fellow sinners, especially those who don’t know the grace of Jesus.

Why is it that we have created a Christian culture that says we have to get our own lives somehow straightened out before we can be an effective witness? Why do we think that witnessing means setting an example of good behavior? Our message, the Gospel, is Good News. That we are powerless to achieve salvation of our own merit but that God offers it to us while we are still sinners. It’s a message of grace that everyone needs to hear. And people don’t listen to those that are shouting at them. They listen to those that are in loving relationships with them.

The other day I read a news story in the Kansas City star about the new policy allowing gay marriage in Iowa. It chronicled Christians who were protesting the decision as well as Christians who thought it was about time. While I think applause for the decision is inconsistent with a Biblical worldview, I also cringe at the defensive words of one of the protestors – “We don’t hate anyone… Most of us, I hope, don’t hate homosexuals. That has nothing to do with it. It’s ‘Love the sinner, hate the sin’.” The common refrain of “Love the sinner, hate the sin” has good intentions when spoken by a Christian, but can you imagine how it sounds to someone outside the walls of the church? The non-Christian knows full well that we Christians are as full of sin as they are, so the message that is heard is, “I love you, but I hate your sin, and I hate it worse than I hate my own sin.” It’s hard to love someone when you are concentrating on hating their sin.

What did Jesus focus on with the immoral woman in Luke 7? Loving her and forgiving her for her many sins? The woman at the well? Same thing. I don’t see any lectures or even explanation of her need for repentance. Just love, grace, forgiveness.

What relationships have you been avoiding because you hate the sin of the person in question? It’s time to lay that aside. Your job as a Christ follower is to love and to extend grace, just as it’s been given to you. You can’t build relationships from a distance. You can’t love from a distance. You can’t bring someone water from The Well by throwing it in their face. You have to sit with them. You have to listen to them. You have to spend time with them.

Sin and God are incompatible, and as we are sanctified, our desire for sin should lessen. But it’s not our job to rid the world of sin. That will come when Christ’s work is complete. Our job is to love. Period.

Today’s author is Matt Davis.  You can contact him at kcillini77@everestkc.net

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: Destiny Project
Week One: Life Change
Today’s Theme: Getting Your Second Wind

I’m not a runner, but during high school I was on the track team. In spite of the fact that my events were the shot put and discus coach made me run, and so I ran. A friend offered to help me and so we met 3-4 days a week and ran a course that was about 5 miles from start to finish. I hated that run. It always made me feel sick. I never felt better at the end of the run - until one day something incredible happened. I ran as hard as I could that day, to the point of feeling sick, past any point of wanting to continue, then suddenly I felt great.

My friend called this “getting your second wind.” Some call it a runner’s euphoria. It is caused by an adrenalin surge where the body responds to a physical challenge by releasing this amazing natural chemical into the blood stream. I suddenly felt like I could run forever. It was one of the greatest feelings I have ever had.

I’m still not a runner, but I think about this experience every time I read this verse from Paul’s letter, “Run in such a way that you may win!” I can imagine Paul shouting these words to the runners as they ran the race. Run guys!  Run! 

Too many of us have fallen into the habit of what I call the “just enough” christianity. Do the basics, come to church, read your Bible occassionally, pray when you need something…. This is not what I hope for you, and it’s not what I want for myself.

Today, as you consider God’s destiny for your life, determine to run with all you’ve got! Rely on the Holy Spirit to fill you so that you can run beyond your limitations, and catch the wind of His Spirit! Be determined to run to win!

Todays devotional is written by Matt Adams.
Matt can be reached at matt@westsidefamilychurch.com

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: “Destiny Project”
Week One: “Life Change”
Today’s Theme: “Life’s Path”

Key Verse
Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. (Psalm 25:4-5)

A magnetic compass always points north. Your direction is determined by using the compass as a reference point. The compass will not tell you where you are going, but it will give you a dependable clue on your general direction. 

The writer of this psalm had his compass set clearly on God, and he asks for God to give direction to his life. The heart of the writer is expressed in the words, “my hope is in you.” He asks for God to “show me your ways, teach me your paths.”

When you woke up this morning, what deteermined your path? Habit, crisis, obligation, love, weaher - if you follow the pattern of today and live it over and over again where will you be in five or ten years, or at the end of your life? God offers direction that is sure. Meditate on the words of the psalm.

God is more than your compass to show you the error of your ways. God offers to show you the right way and guide you in them. The only sure hope is in living with God leading. Where is your hope? What is your path?   Life change begins the moment you ask God to show you his path and lead you. At that moment, your hope is in Him.

This week’s devotional is authored by Matt Adams.
Matt can be reached at matt@westsidefamilychurch.com

For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God.(Colossians 3:3)

Some of my favorite movies are the Indiana Jones sagas. These epics are filled with adventure, mystery, and secret treasures. In each movie Indiana wants to find the treasure, and so he follows the clues to solve the mystery and claim the prize. Every one of us is involved in solving a mystery that might be phrased by the question, “what is the meaning/purpose of my life?”

Wherever you are in the mystery you will benefit from looking deeply into Paul’s statement in Colossians 3:3. Your life is hidden, like a great treasure, and you will only discover your true life if you find the treasure. Paul tells us clearly that your life is hidden in Christ - Jesus Messiah.

Meditate on the idea that your life, all of it - meaning/purpose will only ever be discovered in Jesus. He is not a addition to your life, he is your life.

Prayer: Lord, help me to search for life in you.

Genesis 1:26-30 

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

Mediation

God created us for stewardship.

First, He created us for relationships.  He created us in His image so that we are hard-wired for relationships.  After creating Adam, God look around and said, “It is not good for man to be alone,” so He created Eve to be a helpmate and companion.  But that is not all that God wants for us.  Ultimately He wants us to have a committed, intimate relationship with Him.  He wants us to know Him.  As the Westminster catechism says, “The chief end of man is to know God and to love him forever.”

Second, God created us for significance.  He gave Adam and Eve an important task.   They were to “be fruitful, increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it.”  They were to be significant as parents and as managers of God’s creation.  They were to use the resources God gave them to raise a family and fill the earth.  Similarly, God gives us resources and talents to manage and to use for His glory.  He calls us to be significant in serving Him.

Third, God gave us a will.  We make decisions.  He wants us to choose to have a relationship with Him and to be significant for Him.

A good steward chooses to manage his or her boss’s resources effectively and efficiently.   A good steward knows what resources are available, what they are to be used for, plans for their use, and monitors progress.  A Christian steward chooses to view wealth from God’s point of view.  A godly steward holds what God has given with an opened-hand.  A faithful steward bears fruit for the kingdom.

Good stewardship is a godly choice to have an intimate relationship with Christ our Savior and to manage our wealth, no matter how much or how little that is, to His glory.

Thoughts to Ponder

Do my daily choices about using time, talents, and other resources glorify God?