PC3 Devotions

Acts 17:24-25

24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

Throughout the Bible, we are commanded to deal with our mindset by paying attention to what our mind is focused on.  This is where we get ourselves into trouble.  We don’t set our minds on anything so it is free to drift on whatever seems to deserve the most attention. When we are faced with a difficult decision or things we cannot control, we get consumed with pressure.

Sometimes this pressure comes from within. The pressure is fueled by believing two destructive myths. First, we believe we can control more than we think. We get angry and frustrated from trying to control the things we can’t. Then there is the “messiah” myth that leads us to believe we contribute more than we actually do. If we don’t act, no one else will. If I don’t spring into action, nothing will get solved. If I don’t make the right decision, then everyone is doomed for failure.

Too often when we consider faith or trust we tend to wait and see if God will do something.  Then, and only, then will we respond to the thing that He has done.  We think of faith as “observe and decide.” This is why we are often frustrated and paralyzed in our walk with God.

Why? Because He doesn’t invite us to observe and decide, but rather to taste and see. Psalm 34:8 says,”O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” It is an interesting connection.  You don’t see with your tongue and you don’t taste with your eyes.

Taste and see is an invitation to experience.  You see not with your eyes, but with your being.  You see because you have experienced.  This is what God is drawing us towards.  This is exactly how faith is described in 2 Corinthians 5:7. We are told to “walk by faith, not by sight.”

According to this verse, we are called to walk by faith, at the expense of seeing with our eyes.  When the pressure is on you, you are not going to be able to sit and observe.  You have to step out and taste – then you will see.  Faith operates as the way you perceive the world around you and sense God’s work in that world.

When we walk with Him, we find Him to be a blessing to us as we take refuge in Him.  So walk by faith– taste and see. We need a new perspective in those moments when pressure is consuming us. When we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders and all we want to do is freak out, we must taste and see that Lord is good by casting our cares on Him.

God, all too often I put the weight of the world on my shoulders. But, that is not what I was meant to bear. Instead of cracking under the pressure, may I lay everything down at your feet. Amen.

Every moment matters.  God uses everything to shape us into the image in which we have been made.  The problem is that our eyes are drawn to so many other things.  When it comes to our freak-outs, we want nothing more than that moment to pass as quickly as possible. These moments become distractions rather than pointers.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18


16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 
17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 
18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The imagery here is very pointed.  There is a comparison.  The sacrifice and the troubles here and now are laid up against the weight of the eternal.  This is incomprehensible from our perspective.  There is nothing we can experience here and now that gives us evidence of the reality that exists beyond time.  So we are given faith.  God gives us faith to realize what is set in our hearts (See Ecclesiastes 3:11).

But the key is found in verse 17.  What you see is what you get.  If you fix your eyes on everything that is wrong, you will view the world a certain way.  If you fix your eyes on everything that you wish you had and, in fact, deserve to have, it will affect the way you live.

This is why our quest is to raise our eyes above—in view of God’s mercy—and offer ourselves (See Romans 12:1-2).  This is precisely what it means to put God on display, to reflect Him.  We live our lives in response to the riches of His grace that He has poured out on us.

Our quest is to move through these ordinary moments with our eyes fixed on the extraordinary.  We must live in the temporal with our eyes on the eternal. It will change the way we deal with things here.  So let’s fix our eyes on Him. He is the author and finisher, and our lives are secure in His hands.

Lord, my eyes always want to see things with certainty.  I am prone to calculate and manipulate to fix my circumstances.  I confess that often I depend on them for my peace and my joy.  Help me to see beyond the here and now so I can measure my circumstances and struggles in light of the incredible glory of the eternal.  Remind me to prioritize my life accordingly.  Amen.

There are some of you who might feel helpless when it comes to your propensity to freak out. A situation presents itself, and the next thing you know you are flying off the handle. In a split second, your mood and demeanor change. Reality eventually sets in, and you feel defeated. Once again you have given into your impulses, and you wonder if anything will ever change.

Others, instead, excuse their behavior by clamoring on about the way they are wired. Their family acted this way growing up, so it is only natural they would as well.  Regardless of the point of view, both possess the same mindset. It’s those that believe they are utterly helpless in their pursuit of self-control. This runs contradictory to what see in Scripture. Consider these words found in Romans:

Romans 8:9-11

9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 
10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 
12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 
13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

According to this passage, what is the key to gaining victory over our impulses? It all hinges on who is in charge. Is your mind set on the flesh or the Spirit?  “If indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.”  This is simply an act of faith in the depths of our hearts.

Flesh is a condition in which man operates out of his own resources attempting to achieve his own acceptance and/or his own victory. For those that do not know God, the flesh is operating continuously. However, this does not mean that Christians are immune to the pull to walk in the flesh. In a Christian, the flesh is operating whenever the believer is not abiding in Christ and walking by the Spirit.

What is it about the flesh that drives us towards it? If you have been coming to Port City for any length of time, you’ve heard the saying “every longing at its core is a longing for God.” God made each of us with three basic needs: (1) security, (2) significance, and (3) fulfillment/satisfaction. What often gets us is in trouble is how we attempt to obtain these goals and needs. There is part of us that doesn’t trust God can meet those needs, so we take over control and put everything in our hands. Too often we let our circumstances, needs, and feelings dictate our actions.

Most people, even Christians, rarely see the self-centeredness of their flesh. Yet until we understand the total depravity of our flesh, we will never fully appreciate the miracle of our new birth in Christ as God’s new creations and the supernatural life He wants to live through us. The flesh fights for security and to maintain control all while building its identity around temporal things.  We control others to keep them from controlling us.  We control our emotions and try to hide our weaknesses.  We even try to control God by keeping Him at a distance so He won’t mess up our lives, at least until we run out of any other options.

The tension Christians walk in every moment is choosing to walk in what God says about us or what our flesh says about us.  The flesh is what keeps a pure expression of Christ as our new life from coming through our unique personality. We don’t know what to do when we continue to struggle with sin, fail to see growth in our walk with God, or fight to give over control of areas of ours lives to God. This starts a cycle where we begin to not only doubt our identity but also the promises of God.

Many of us have been running on empty for far too long and are desperate to break this cycle. The good news is that Christ’s death and resurrection have defeated the Devil and broken the power of sin that seeks to control our flesh.  Paul says in Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free.” No longer are you obligated to do whatever your flesh desires. Anger, lust, worry, disdain for others, jealousy, and disappointment no longer have to be your master.

The battle to walk in the flesh or the Spirit is won or lost in the threshold of the mind.  We are told to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). We can be victorious in taking captive every thought because we have been given the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) Victory comes only when we choose, moment by moment by a definite act of our will, to take every thought captive and walk in the Spirit.

Lord, help me to listen.  Allow me to identify the areas where my flesh wants something so badly that my initial reaction is to freak out. Help me to remember the truth that I have no obligation to those thoughts and feelings.  Instead, my body belongs to you, and my life is for you.  This is my obligation. I am obligated to your image, character, and truth.  Help me to live as your child.  Amen.

We let the desires of the immediate trump the concerns of the future. In those moments when we want to freak out, our greatest concern is getting the issue at hand resolved. We want the moment to pass. We desire a little bit of peace. We hope to be heard or respected. And we are often willing to get that by any means necessary.

Why is this often our response to uncertainty and situations we cannot control? Why is our natural tendency to escape these moments instead of engaging in them? The cause is often two things. First, there is no depth of character. We haven’t taken the time necessary to saturate ourselves in God’s word. When we don’t rest on His promises, we subject ourselves to all the things that will happen around us. Genesis 4:7 says that sin is crouching at the door ready to attack you. In 2 Corinthians, Paul talks about easy it is to be deceived about the things that truly matter:

2 Corinthians 11:3

3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Satan knows all to well those areas we are most vulnerable to freak out and he is just looking for an opportunity to entice us to give in. Whether we are overwhelmed, tired, anxious, angry or out of control, sin is right there hoping we choose it so we can wreck our lives. When we check out we miss out on the opportunities that are available in those moments.

The other reason we are vulnerable to choosing our immediate needs over the concerns of the future is due to a missing picture. Many of us haven’t begun painting a picture of the person we want to become. We’ve failed to give it much thought and, if we have, we tend not to make it a priority by allowing it to shape our actions and words. The best way to avoid regret is by possessing vision.

Each of us has places in our lives where we are more prone to forgo our integrity to feel loved, valued and accepted. Doing whatever it takes to meet those needs almost becomes second nature. Most of the time we act without even thinking. When we allow our lives to remain unchecked, these reflex actions build upon each other and can lead to enormous regret and hurt. They also reveal our true character and shine light on the things we truly value. The question that we must wrestle with is whether the things we label as our convictions truly matches up to our words and actions.

Eventually, you will pay attention to what matters. The question is will it be by choice or determined by your circumstances. What matters later needs to matter now. What matters in the moment is not the moment itself, but rather the impact of that moment on either your life or the life of another.

God, may I not forsake my future for the things I think I want and need at the present. Help me to not cut corners with my character. Enable me to understand that what matters later needs to matter now. Amen. 

Yesterday we reflected on Peter’s restoration found in John 21. Jesus arrived on the scene to tend to some unfinished business with Peter. He came to confront the regret that resided in Peter’s heart. It was the kindness of Christ that led Peter to repentance.

Now that this issue had been resolved one would think that’s where the story ends. They would be wrong. There was some unfinished business not only on Peter’s end, but placed on our shoulders as well. Take a moment and reread Jesus’ interaction with Peter and notice the tasks Jesus gives him.

John 21:15-19

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “FEED MY LAMBS.”

16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “TEND MY SHEEP.”

17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “FEED MY SHEEP. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “FOLLOW ME.”

Over the past four weeks or so, we’ve delved into John’s gospel in hopes of gaining better insight into the life and character of Jesus Christ. Remember, John’s purpose for writing this book is so the reader may believe that Jesus is God.  We too desire that you have faith in the Lord.

But, we also want you to understand that believing in Jesus is not where it ends. There is more to a life of faith than just belief. In light of our belief, what are we to do? Yes, we must tend to our hearts and our heads, but we must be willing to use our hands to make a difference.

We’ve got to rid ourselves of the mindset that love is a feeling. Love requires action on our part. Love must be seen. We can’t say we love Jesus while at the same time sit idly by as others are searching for significance and meaning in their lives. Our words are meaningless to a hurting and lost world if our actions don’t back up our claims. Being transformed into Christ’s likeness requires our actions to be transformed.

Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep. Follow me. What Jesus is commanding Peter to do is follow His lead. The Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18) is about to part from this world. However, there is a flock still requiring attention and care. Jesus is entrusting Peter, the disciples and us with this responsibility.

Our faith should never be about selfish gain as if the end all be all of our faith is our own salvation. It’s not about “woo…my sins are forgiven…. now I can relax.” We don’t strive to have faith in Christ solely to make our life run smoothly. It’s not about kicking your feet up inside your safe Christian bubble.

No, Christ is calling us to make an impact in this world. We are given the command to let our light shine in the darkness. We are charged with leveraging our lives for impact. Parts of Scripture refer to us as ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). In that verse found in 2 Corinthians, Paul says that God is making his appeal through us. When people see us, they must see Christ. This is our unfinished business. The time has come to take care of it.

God, help me to see that my faith in you has a greater impact than just what I gain. May your love drive me to love others even when it is difficult or uncomfortable. I desire to be used by you. I want my faith to transform my actions. Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 

14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

We fail to realize how much was at stake for God when it came to the cross. His very image and name hung in the balance. From an outsiders’ perspective, God might seem like a dictator concerned only with keeping the law. When we break a rule, He is ready to pounce on us.  This is a drastic shift in perspective to the God we see on the cross.

He provided a way out when things seemed hopeless. He desired so desperately to right our relationship with Him that He sent His son to the cross on our behalf. We no longer see a dictator, but rather a compassionate God who displays the riches of His kindness. We are led to repentance and are able to find forgiveness in a person like that.

God said he would deal with sin and leave none unpunished. If He flippantly forgave sin, just passed it by or let it go unnoticed God wouldn’t be a man of His word. Sin required appropriate attention.Through the cross, we are able to get a glimpse of the righteousness of God and His word. He is one that can be trusted. Knowing this allows us to have faith that God is who He says He is and He will do all He says He is going to do.

Very few, if any of us, have a clear picture of how extensive the law of the Old Testament was and the standard we were all held accountable to before Jesus Christ. We see only the Ten Commandments and think we are in the clear because we haven’t murdered anyone or committed adultery. There was so much more to it. The truth of the matter is that no one could obey the entire law and with that, disobedience creped into the picture.

Disobedience created sin and sin created a break in our relationship with God. The only way to restore that relationship was through the cross. As odd as it might sound, the more intimate we grow in our relationship with God, the more our eyes are open to the depths of our own sinfulness.

If the law awakens us to the depths of our sin, how much more does the cross awaken us to the depth of Him? When we see how hopeless we are when faced with the law, we begin to realize the extent of how amazing the cross truly is. God gave hope to the hopeless. He showed his loving kindness to us who are so undeserving.

It becomes crystal clear that the cross stands as the ultimate sign of love and sacrifice. God took our sin and gave us His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus didn’t come to create a religion; He came to restore a relationship. His death becomes my death and His life becomes my life.

God, thank you for restoring our relationship. Thank you for being just and also full of mercy. Thank you for the cross. Amen.

This morning, let’s focus on eternity.  Sounds nice, but this is not going to get the laundry done, the kids to school, the report finished for your boss, or your research paper turned in.  I know, it sounds a bit flighty, but stay with me.

Stuff happens.  We have heard a variety of slogans with this theme.  The idea is that somehow everything that comes our way is a product of fate or chance, but not purpose.  Yet, the Lord promises that everything that comes our way has the power to form us for the life we were meant to live, which is beyond the one here:

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

We begin this passage with a reminder not to lose heart.  Is this a threat? Are there things that happen to us and in us that cause us to lose heart?  We are reminded to stay in the game and understand that this life is not all there is.

Paul goes on and talks about “light and momentary troubles.”  This is never to make light of anyone’s struggle.  Paul understood this all too well.  He wrote this letter in the middle of his own persecution and despair. However, he is still able to consider the trouble he is facing as momentary and light.  Momentary in the context of eternity.  Paul knew that anything that he lives through God has the ability to use for his growth.

Paul understood something critical about difficulty: it achieves God’s goals.  The same principle holds true in our own lives. Every frustration and difficulty has the opportunity to form you in the deepest places of your heart.  It is a matter of sight.  We are commanded to “fix our eyes.”  Let’s focus on eternity this morning.  How are you going to gain hold of the perspective described in verse 18?

What do you suppose you are missing by only seeing what you can see, while the most glorious work of all goes undetected?  How can you have faith to see what you are dealing with as temporary? Seeing things from this perspective is the only way to make sure that your life today makes a difference in eternity.  What things will you do today that make a difference eternally?

Lord, do not let me dismiss this idea.  Eternity provides the context for my temporary life here.  Let me be diligent to find you purposes in everything that I encounter.  Help me to focus my eyes on that which I cannot see—so that I do not miss you in the middle of my life.  This is difficult for me to think like this, but this is where Your perspective begins, so I will trust you.  Amen.

Each day, not matter what it brought with it, was a gift and today is no different.  We must choose life right now. We will need to choose it again and again, but we cannot get ahead of ourselves.  We must deal with the moments we are given—in the moment they are given.

This morning, as you reflect on the places where you are struggling to reflect Christ’s likeness, I want you to look at the Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church.  He gives yet another reason why he will not lose heart.

2 Corinthians 4:1-2
¹Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. ²Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

I want you to stop there.  What is Paul’s reason for not losing heart?  God’s mercy.  WOW!  His response is not dependent on his circumstances.  In fact, Paul’s circumstances were pretty difficult.  Yet, he would not lose heart.  I find so much encouragement in this phrase.  The opposite of losing heart is finding and keeping heart.  This is where we find passion in each moment to give it everything we got and suck the last drop of life from every moment we are given. The only way to live like this is resting on God’s mercy.

You have been given a ministry and influence. Yet, do you truly believe this? Think about the people you will come in contact with today.  Whether they are your children at home, students, or colleagues, you have a ministry and it was given to you from the merciful hand of our God.  So, what are you going to do with what you’ve been given? How can shining God’s love through your One Word influence those you come in contact with today?

Paul said he has cast off an old way of living.  I simply think of this in terms of two words:  INTEGRITY and AUTHENTICITY.  Do what you say and say what you mean—every time and to everyone.  When you live in gratitude of God’s mercy there is little to be hidden and even less that causes shame. It just isn’t that complicated.  So do not lose heart, but instead find heart for every moment you are given.

Lord, thank you for this morning and the wonderful gift of your mercy.  There are things that I am dreading today.  But I will embrace mercy for each moment.  I will take them as gifts from your hands and instead of looking at the circumstances surrounding me; I will look to the ministry available.  Give me the eternal eyes to see life as eternal moments.  Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

If you are like me, you may need to read those verses several times before you even begin to wrap your brain around what Paul is saying.  There is a lot to unpack! As we prepare our hearts to give thanks tomorrow, we must stop and reflect.

Who was made sin for us?  Jesus.  Our substitute was spotless, innocent and pure.  He was sinless and yet sin was laid upon Him, not to make Him guilty, but to take on OUR sin so we can ultimately become an EXPRESSION of His Life!

What was done to Him who knew no sin?  Christ Jesus was MADE SIN.  God laid upon Jesus all the weight of human sin.  Instead of its resting on the sinner who committed it, sin was made to rest upon Jesus, who voluntarily took it ALL.

What happens to us?  We are made RIGHTEOUS through FAITH in Jesus.  We not only HAVE righteousness, but we ARE righteousness.  Human righteousness fails, but a believer has a divine righteousness that CANNOT fail.

God has made a way for you and me to be right with Him- once and for all.  Seeing men to be lost by reason of their sin, God took man’s sin and laid it upon His Son, making Him to be sin for us.  As a result of this transference of sin, ANYONE who believes in Jesus is made JUST and RIGHTEOUS.  ANYONE.  Regardless of the awful things you have said and done – regardless of how unworthy you think yourself to be – Christ was made sin so that we might be made righteousness!

We now come to the application: we enter into this world as an AMBASSADOR for Christ.  This is not an impossible effort.  You are worthy of this assignment.  See yourself as God sees you and look for ways to GIVE.  God has a plan for you.  He will use you in ways you never dreamed possible if you will submit and be His ambassador.

Lord, I am deeply humbled and grateful.  Thank you for dying in my place.  Thank you for pouring out your heart for me, a sinner.  Grant me the courage and strength to pour out my heart to other sinners on your behalf.  Use me.  I come to give.  I am your ambassador.  Amen.

This series has helped us think clearly through decisions.  We’ve learned to “decide to decide” and go through steps of seeking information and using it to pursue clarity not certainty.  All of this is done so we decide in ways that express our faith in God and His calling on our lives.   But what about our emotions?  What role do they play in all of this?  Are they obstacles to be navigated around?  Are emotions just another set of baggage brought in with original sin?

God has emotions—he is pleased with his creation (Genesis 1:31) and angry with rebellious generations (2 Corinthians 9:7).  He seems to want us to have emotions that correspond to the truth of the matter.  Taking time to explore and process our emotions can be a great conversation starter between us and God and help us make better decisions in the process.

God, thank you for the emotions that make my life richer and more vibrant.  Please help me to bring even my emotions into alignment with your truth and will for my life.  Help me to fear what I should fear and love what I should love as part of a healthy emotional decision making process in my life.