Daily Devotional For Friday, March 14, 2025
Hey, it's F-R-I-D-A-Y!! Your weekend is almost here. In case you have not noticed, we live in a very shaky, unpredictable world. It is filled with wars, famines, crises, heartache, disappointment and evil. Hearing good news on the nightly news has gone the way of the dinosaurs – into extinction. I believe that in spite of the uncertainties in our time, one thing is certain. God still is in control. I believe that God is attempting to arouse us from our spiritual apathy and comfort to a state of ministry significance.
The responses of God’s people to the crises we face are essential. Your persistent prayers, your expressions of humility, and your repentance and obedience are creating an opportunity for God’s purposes to break forth. It is important for us to remember that while we are the sheep of God’s pasture, we are also ambassadors for the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
The world has heard enough of the bleating of confusion, fear, and hatred. It desperately needs to hear the roar of truth and righteousness. As God expands our opportunities, we will need courage and boldness to be His ambassadors. But there is no reason for us to fear because God has given us everything we need: His Word, His power, and His Spirit. The Bible says this in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (NASB).
This means as Christ’s ambassadors in this world are to be bridge builders and reconcilers. God wants to reconcile the world unto Himself. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 says this, “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, (19) namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (NASB). Four times the Apostle Paul uses a word that is a variation of the word reconciliation. That should tell you something.
We have the tools to assist God in this: His power, His love and His discipline. We are not helpless nor hopeless. We are more than fit for the task as God’s ambassadors. Though we may think we are inadequate, we are not. Our excuses are simply that – excuses. To not love people as God does is not to love God. Since the Bible says in Romans 1:20 that the lost are without excuse for claiming they have no means to know about God, we have no excuse for claiming we have no means to know about God’s purpose for the world – reconciliation.
The world is going to be against us. And when you experience that fear instead of retreating or denying, push through that fear with faith. Reconciliation has a price. Consider the true story below:
“On January 26, 2001 Seiko Sakamoto, a plasterer working in a Tokyo subway station, fell into the path of an oncoming train. Lee Su Hyun, a Korean student in Japan for language studies, leaped down on the tracks to save Sakamoto. Both Hyun and Sakamoto were unable to exit the path of the oncoming train and were killed.
This selfless act by the Korean student on behalf of the Japanese laborer has caused many people in Japan to reconsider their long-held prejudices directed toward Koreans. Strong feelings of distrust between the two countries go back to World War II atrocities inflicted upon Koreans by the Japanese. Many Japanese people, including the Prime Minister of Japan, have openly expressed sorrow over their previously held stereotypes of Koreans and have begun to talk about reconciliation. Nobuaki Fujioka, a 62- year-old Japanese said, "I felt a kind of shame. A young foreigner sacrificed his life for a Japanese person. This is not an easy thing to do."
Reconciliation rarely occurs without sacrifice. By giving his one and only Son, God took the initiative in healing our broken relationship with him. He made the supreme sacrifice for us so that we might be reconciled to Him” (Source: Lee Su Hyun).
Think about this: If you feel fear when people oppose your biblical worldview, be honest with the Lord and ask Him to help you realign your responses. He will be faithful to help.
Questions To Consider
- Do you really believe 2 Timothy 1:7 and apply the truth of this Scripture to your life to help God in His quest for reconciliation to the lost?
- Would our Lord say you are a bridge builder of reconciliation to those who have hurt and harmed you? Why or why not?
- This heroic act by that Korean student to save that Japanese worker started a change of heart bringing down the wall of prejudice of Japanese against Koreans. Do you think the sacrifice was worth it and if so, why?
- Are you willing to sacrifice for the Lord Jesus Christ what is required to build a bridge of reconciliation to anyone who has hurt or harmed you or someone you love? Why or why not?
Scripture To Meditate On: Romans 11:15, “For if their (Gentiles) rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Heavenly Father, forgive me for when confusion and fear prevent me from standing boldly for Your truth. I repent and am determined to present Your message of reconciliation through the cross to all who will hear, especially to those who have hurt and harmed me or someone I love.. Thank You for granting me the power and authority to be Your ambassador. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly