Tim’s Daily Devotional
It is Better to Give than Receive
December 2, 2012

Matthew 25:34-40, NIV

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

At The Well Church of Lewisville, we have been talking about the body of Christ demonstrating the love of Christ through acts of compassion. In our discussions, the question has come up, “What if someone does something generous and the receiver of the generosity squanders it away”?

This unfortunately does happen. Does that mean that we assume that all who are in need will take advantage? Does it mean that we should not help the needy?

When we encounter a person in need and the Holy Spirit grabs our attention to respond, we are to respond out of obedience and leave the results to God. We are simply called to be compassionate and obedient. The two go hand in hand. As Pastor Josh has pointed out, we should be diligent and not random in how we help others. We need to let the Holy Spirit guide us and simply be obedient when He calls us to respond.

Recently, the news captured a police officer buying an expensive pair of boots and giving them to a homeless man on a cold New York street. This story touched the hearts of many. Today, the media explained that Hillman, the man who received the boots, is without boots again. Hillman realized how much the boots were worth, so he hid them in order to spare being robbed or killed. Did the officer do the right thing? I would say yes. If he felt called to do this, then he did what every Christian should do. His reward is in heaven as Jesus has stated many times.

Jesus tells us we are to clothe those in need of clothes and to feed those in need of food. He says in doing so, it is the same as doing these humanitarian acts for Christ himself. God is the final judge. The police officer had compassion for a man in need. Whether or not the man in need used the boots as intended or not, the Lord will use this situation for His purposes.

Hillman’s  brother Kirk explained that his Hillman has been given options, but chooses the life style he is in. Regardless as to whether Hillman chooses to be shoeless on a cold New York street or not, if God prompts you to do what the police officer did, we are to be obedient in our compassion toward God’s creation and show His love. Let’s leave the rest to Christ and know that we did the right thing.

The story can be read at http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/nypd-homeless-man-boots-tillman-134758145.html.

May you be a blessing to others this Christmas season. May the Lord lead you to acts of kindness as His ambassador. May the love of the Lord be seen through you and may his grace fall upon you and all you do.

Be blessed in all you do!

Your brother in Christ,

Tim

Tim Vanderwater
Pastor
The Well Church of Lewisville

Mark 13:34-37

It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

This past Sunday, I spoke about the urgency we should all feel in our Christian walk. When I say urgency, what I mean is a real passion for Christ. Jesus tells us that we do not know the day or hour in which he will return, but tells us that we should not lose our Christian zeal as though we have been abandoned. He has given us each a task and that task is to carry the gospel to all nations (Matthew 24:14, 28:19, Mark 13:10, Luke 24:47).

We are living in a time like no other. If ever there should be a sense of urgency to see others come to Christ, it is now. We must pray for revival: in our church, in our city, in our state, in our nation, and in the whole world. We are not called to be passive Christians, but are called to be filled with passion for the grace given through Christ. The Apostle Paul said, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God” (2 Timothy 1:6, NIV).

I want to share a story that I shared on Sunday.

Peter had a friend, John. Peter was a devoted believer in Christ, but was he a follower?

Peter and John are co-workers and often enjoy sporting events together. Peter did not know much about John’s faith (or lack-off). The sad thing is John didn’t know about Peter’s. As time went on, John and Peter hung out and worked together often, but Peter never asked John about his faith, nor even tried to share, not once!

One day, the Lord returned. As Peter was brought up with Jesus and all of the believers, he saw his co-worker John standing on the earth. As Peter watched, it dawned on him that his friend was not coming with him. All of a sudden a great earthquake shook the earth and a huge pit opened up and swallowed John and all of the other non-believers.  Screams of horror could be heard all the way up to the heavens. Everyone, including the angels in heaven, felt the most intense sorrow for what had just taken place.

Peter just realized that he could have helped John come to know the Lord. Peter could have been the instrument that God could have used to place John in heaven with Peter.

Do any of us want to be Peter? This day is coming, and it is coming faster than we realize. There is an urgency to turn your Christian belief into an unstoppable Christian Force!

Let us all fan the flame for Christ. Let us not be passive, but be focused on bringing others to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Do not let an opportunity pass you by. Will you be like Peter in my story above or will you be one who God used to bring others to know Him?

Be blessed in all you do!

Your brother in Christ,

Tim
Pastor
The Well Church Of Lewisville

Our Attitudes in our Homes Must Reflect Christ.

1 Peter 3:7 (NIV)

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Earlier this week, I wrote about hindrances to prayer, which is the topic we are studying at The Well Church of Lewisville. As mentioned on Tuesday, our heart must be right when we come into prayer. The hindrance I spoke about on Tuesday was self-righteousness and insincerity. Sincerity and humbleness is required when coming to God with our requests. This is just one of eight hindrances that I have identified throughout scripture.

Today I am going to talk about another hindrance to prayer, which is the way our hearts are toward our family. Although Peter was discussing the attitudes of husbands toward their wives, I believe this principal also pertains to our hearts toward our family in general.  Allow me to explain.

One thing to remember is that scripture does not contradict itself. We must look at it through a broader context. The fifth commandment given by God to Moses in Deuteronomy 5 is “Honor your father and mother” (5:16). Secondly, Paul says to the Ephesians, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4, NIV). Solomon writes in Proverbs, “a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof” (19:13). As you can see, the Lord wants our hearts toward our families to be pure. We are to edify our spouse, our children, and our parents. If your heart towards your family does not reflect the love of Christ then how can your heart reflect Christ outside of your home? Isn’t this considered hypocrisy?

We must make every effort to reflect the love of Christ toward our family when coming to the Lord in prayer. Peter tells that by not doing so, our prayers will be hindered. There is a difference between false humility toward our family and a sincere attitude of love towards them. Our Christian heart begins in the home. When that attitude is right, then we can line up with God’s perfect will and submit our requests to Him with a pure heart. In doing so, your prayers will be like a fragrant offering to our sovereign God.

Be blessed in all you do!

Your brother in Christ,

Tim

Luke 18:9-14 NIV

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

This past Sunday at The Well Church of Lewisville, we have been studying hindrances to prayer. Prayer is our way of pouring our heart out to God. It is our way of letting our desires, our hurts, our fears, and our thanksgiving be known to our Father in heaven.

God desires to have a one-on-one relationship with his people. He has made it clear that our heart is what he wants, not our outward appearance or meaningless words. When our hearts are in the right place, then our prayer life will reflect our desires to line up with God’s will, to pour our hearts out for His desires, and to see miracles take place.

In the parable that Jesus taught in Luke 18, Jesus used two examples of heart conditions and prayer. One was the prayer of a Pharisee who was full of pride and self-righteousness; the other was from a sincere and humble tax collector, who was considered a horrid person by the Jewish community. Jesus made the statement that the tax collector, who cried out in humility to God, was justified, whereas the Pharisee was not.

How often do we pray like the Pharisee? When we speak prayers that reflect a self-righteous attitude, our prayers are hindered. God desires a humble and sincere heart when we come to him in prayer. We have all sinned, which the tax collector openly confessed to God, and we are all at the mercy of God’s grace, which leaves no room for self-righteousness. Our righteousness comes through what Christ did, not what we did.

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul reminds us that, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Romans 3:22). The Pharisee claimed righteousness through his own actions, while the tax collector received righteousness through his humble faith.

When we come to God in prayer, come to him with a humble and sincere heart, remembering that it is only by His grace that you have received righteousness through Christ. In doing so, may your prayers be heard by our sovereign God who “opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6). And may the Lord answer your plea and answer swiftly.

Be blessed in all you do!

Your brother in Christ,

Tim

and he is gracious to that person and says to God,
‘Spare them from going down to the pit;
    I have found a ransom for them— (Job 33:24, NIV).

 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:23-26).

Many of us have known someone, or it may even be ourselves, who has placed self-condemnation upon him or herself. Sometimes, others place this condemnation upon another. One thing that we must never forget is that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). I don’t think anyone can dispute this biblical truth. So if all have sinned and God’s grace has freed you from sin, then why do others condemn themselves or others?

The Apostle Paul called himself the “worst of sinners” (Romans 1:15). Moses murdered an Egyptian (Exodus 2:12). David had an affair with a married woman and then had her husband murdered (2 Samuel 11:12, 2 Samuel 11:17). All of these men are known for great sins in their life, yet God’s grace was still upon them.

If God forgave our sins on the cross, then there is no condemnation for those who’s faith is in Christ Jesus. Turn and ask God to forgive your sins and remember that if Paul, the self-proclaimed “worst of sinners” was justified through his faith in Christ, then you too are justified by your faith in Christ.

May God’s grace reassure you of your place in His kingdom. May God’s grace be sufficient to hold you firmly to this gift that you have received. May the Lord Jesus Christ and his atonement be your ladder to crawl out of the pit of self-condemnation today.

Be blessed in all you do!

Your brother in Christ,

Tim

Open my eyes that I may see
 wonderful things in your law (Psalm 119:18, NIV).

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45).

What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us (1 Corinthians 2:12)

The Word of God is full of insights that we can easily skip right over if we are not reading it through a spiritual lens. God has revealed His truth, His love, His purpose, and His grace through the Words so eloquently inspired by the Holy Spirit. When we turn to the Bible, we should first pray, asking God to reveal to us His Word through the lens of the Holy Spirit. The same Word that we seek to understand says that the Spirit of God gives us the ability to understand what God has freely given. He has opened our minds to understand the scriptures.

When we read the Bible without asking for God’s revelation, we often miss just that! There are so many truths that can be revealed in a small verse, but missed when reading with the mindset of a historian or if reading the Bible as one reads a novel. For example, consider this verse:

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32).

When looking at this passage with human eyes, one might see that Satan was attacking Simon and Jesus prayed a prayer of protection over him. However, when viewing this through the spiritual eyes given by revelation of the Holy Spirit, one might understand additional revelations. For example, Peter’s faith needed to be strengthened in order to carry out a future mission that Jesus assigned to him. Jesus knew that without divine faith, Peter would not serve his purpose as a church planter in the middle of massive persecution that was on the horizon. In addition, Jesus set an example that we must pray for the unfailing faith of Christian leaders.

Before you begin to read your Bible, pray and ask God to give you wisdom and understanding before you read. You might find revelations in the truth of God that you have not noticed before. The Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesians, when he wrote:

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people (Ephesians 1:17-18).

This is my prayer for you as you move on your journey to know the Lord better.

May God give you wisdom and revelation that will bring forth all understanding that surpasses the knowledge of this world.

Be blessed in all you do!

Your brother in Christ,

Tim

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5, NIV).

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6).

Remain in me, as I also 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 15:4).

It astonishes me how people go to great extremes to disprove that God exists. I recently saw a documentary that theorized mankind came from extra terrestrial beings (i.e. aliens). The theory is that these beings from outer space simply combined their genetic code with that of a Neanderthal man and out came the human race. Let me ask those who believe this theory a question? Who created the DNA that could even make such a theoretical idea possible? More than that, who created the space men?

As scientists journey through the question of creation, many atheistic scientists, who set out to disprove the existence of God, end up concluding that creation cannot just exist without an “intelligent designer”. They are close, but pride leads them to state an “intelligent designer”, while refusing to acknowledge that God, the creator of all things, is the responsible party for creation.

God has made himself known to the world. This is what theologians refer to as “general revelation”. When we look at God’s creation and see how sophisticated life really is, and we see how everything works so eloquently together, why do some fail to recognize God?

The former atheist and writer for the Chicago Tribune, Lee Strobel, went on a quest to disprove the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As a highly regarded legal journalist with a law background, he looked for substantial evidence that could proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, in a court of law. In his quest, the evidence he uncovered was so substantial, that his research led him to the fact that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ cannot be denied. This brought Mr. Strobel from a diehard atheist into a believing Christian. He documented the research in his book, “A Case for Christ”.

So, why do people deny God?

When Christians are living a fruitless faith, others look and ask, “Where is God in your Christian life?”. When we thump people over the head with the Bible and judge people according to the Ten Commandments, how can anyone clearly understand a message of grace as it was delivered in the New Testament? I don’t know of anyone who has received Christ through being abused by scripture. However, every professing Christian that I personally know has been led to Christ through seeing the grace in another’s life.

Therefore, let us remember that we must help others to see God through the lens of grace. Our faith must testify by the way in which we live our lives. By remaining in Christ, your faith will bear fruit, and the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which surpasses all understanding, will be made known to those around you. Let us pray that this grace will manifest and be known by those who are looking for God.

May God strengthen you and guide you. May the knowledge of Christ be seen through your faith in action.

Be blessed in all you do!

Your brother in Christ,

Tim

Tim’s Daily Devotional
When Insults are Hurled

Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.

 

“He committed no sin,

    and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

 

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (2 Peter 21-24, NIV).

Have you ever been treated unjustly? Of course this is a rhetorical question. If you live in the same world as I, then the answer is obviously yes. We have all been treated unjustly in one-way or another. However, as one who claims Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, how are you to respond to such treatment? As Simon Peter tells us, we are to model Christ. Christ trusted the Father’s judgment and left it in His hands. Retaliation is not the answer. This does not insinuate that we are to be walked over, but we are to be gentle in spirit, meek at heart and humble in our attitudes.

When we remember that our sins were abolished on the cross through grace, we should not be so quick to receive this grace while passing judgment upon another. The same blood that was shed for you was also shed for those who offend you. Since grace was shown to you, will you show the same grace to others? When we trust the Father’s judgment, as Jesus did, we must trust that justice will be served. The Psalmist writes:

“The Lord is known by his acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands” (Psalm 9:16). And “the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice” (Psalm 50:6).

May you be quick to forgive, slow to anger, and abound in the grace of Jesus Christ.

Be blessed in all you do!

Your brother in Christ,

Tim

Tim’s Daily Devotional
A Divided House Cannot Stand

I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them (Jeremiah 32:39, NIV).

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;  one Lord, one faith, one baptism;  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:4-5).

I have experienced divisions amongst Christians and this breaks my heart. The Lord has given us singleness of heart, yet we see divisions. Why is this? I believe it is because one of the hardest things to do as a human being is “deny self”.  James points this out clearly when he wrote:

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures (James 4:1-3).

We see divisions amongst our brothers and sisters, not only in the church itself, but also amongst husbands and wives, children and parents, brothers and sisters, all from the same faith. This is not in accordance with the Spirit you received. If you want to be an effective Christian, then it starts with being effective in your personal relationships. We must agree with God’s Spirit daily that we are to put others before ourselves.

Jesus commands us to “love one another” (John 13:34). God does not cause divisions, people who are walking in disobedience to God cause divisions. Jesus reminds us that, “a house divided against itself will fall”. (Luke 11:17). This is Satan’s hope for you. He is out to seek, kill and destroy all of the goodness of God. By allowing your desires to cause divisions, you are breaking down the defenses, allowing the enemy to achieve his mission, which is to cause divisions that paralyze the body of Christ.

May you walk in the calling that Paul gave to the Ephesians, through one body, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, and one baptism. In doing so, you will see the power of God released, strengthening the church, and seeing others come to Christ; receiving the same Spirit that binds everything together in perfect love.

Be blessed in all you do!

Your brother in Christ,

Tim

Tim’s Daily Devotional
You Have Been Exonerated

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
    and the kingdom of our God,
    and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
    who accuses them before our God day and night,
    has been hurled down (Revelation 12:10, NIV).

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us  (Romans 8:33-34).

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:15).

We often focus our attentions on how the enemy is doing this or doing that in our lives. If you are a Christian, know this: Yes, the enemy despises you. Yes, the enemy wants to steal your joy. Yes, the enemy’s plan is to make your life miserable. However, you don’t have to let him. The book of Revelations tells us that the one who accuses you has been hurled down. And because Christ has disarmed the powers and the authorities of the accuser, that same power resides in you as a Christian.

When the enemy strikes, you have all of the defenses you need in Jesus Christ. James tells us, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:7-8). You can draw your attention to the enemy or you can draw your attention to God.  Remember that Jesus Christ is interceding on your behalf. His work on the cross has disarmed the enemy, while at the same time arming you. May the enemy flee from you as you draw near to Christ. May your focus be on the redemption you received from Christ and may the accuser be reminded that he can bring no accusation against those who plead the blood of Christ.

Be blessed in all you do!

Your brother in Christ,

Tim