Month: July 2021

Kitchen Table Devotional:  The Game of Life    Day 25

“The View of the End”

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. ³⁵ For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke 21:34-36

Don’t lose your view of the end, too many people do.  It’s easy to live for today with no view of tomorrow.  Jesus ended this teaching with our standing before the Son of Man.  We will all be there eventually.  So many people don’t think about tomorrow until they’re looking at yesterday.  There comes a day when we all must face tomorrow and it’s best to think about it today.  The Bible says that it is appointed unto man to die once and then face judgment (Hebrews 9:27).  When we stand before the Son of Man, we will receive the rewards of the choices we made today.  God loves us and wants to give us everlasting life (John 3:16).  Those who lose their view of the end will end up with a view of the lost.  Don’t let the dissipations (excess) and drunkenness and distractions (cares and worries of this life) deteriorate your view of the end.

If you don’t have a view of the end, get one!  If we live today with tomorrow in view, and we won’t have to regret yesterday.  Jesus came so that we might have a full life, don’t let the dissipations, drunkenness, and distractions keep you from living this life.  Someday each of us will stand before the Son of Man and tell Him our story.  Make it a good one.

Kitchen Table Devotions:  The Game of Life     Day 23

“View of the End”

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, ²⁶ people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”²⁹ And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰ As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. ³¹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Luke 21:25-33

If we want a vision for today, we need a view of tomorrow.  Jesus said that there was a day coming when He would return.  And there will be signs in the earth and on the people and from the heavens.  There will come a day when the Creator, the Owner, the Son of God will return.  Live for that day.  Live believing that day is coming.  Jesus said, “raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”  When we get a view of tomorrow, we can have a vision for today.  Hopefully!  We have to believe God to know what God is going to do.  If we know where to look, we can see what is coming.  We go where our eyes take us.  The only place to look is in the word of God which will never pass away and always prove itself true.

The Kitchen Table:  The Game of Life  Day 22

“View of the End”

Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. ¹² But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. ¹³ This will be your opportunity to bear witness. ¹⁴ Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, ¹⁵ for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. ¹⁶ You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. ¹⁷ You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. ¹⁸ But not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹ By your endurance you will gain your lives.                Luke 21:10-19

“Settle it therefore in your minds (hearts)…”  Get a view of the end, or where you’re going, and your words will follow.  When we don’t have an end in view, any words will work.  To reach our view of the end, we must speak the words that will get us there.  When the end is in view, the voice can and will speak the words to get us there.  God says, “I will give you a mouth and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.”  God spoke creation into existence, and we exist in creation by what we speak.  Our words determine our walk, but our will (view of the end) determines our words.  There will be conflict and chaos but keep speaking the words of God for the will of God in your life.  “Your endurance will gain your lives.” 

The Kitchen Table Devotions:  The Game of Life  Day 21

“View”

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, ² and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. ³ And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. ⁴ For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Luke 21:1-4

How will this all end?  So often that is what we lose sight of on this journey of life.  We fail to see, or we lose sight of the end so easily.  Jesus recognized this dilemma watching people give their offerings.  Some gave out of their abundance, but the poor widow gave all in her poverty.  She had a view of the end.  She knew where she was headed and who she was to meet.  Others gave out of their abundance, their ability to give without affecting their ability to live out that day.  People with an end in view live their lives for greater reasons and make greater sacrifices to reach that end. 

The disciples missed the moment, seemingly caught up in the great beauty of the moment and the monument.  Jesus knew the power of perspective.  There was and is an end coming and there will be a day when we receive what we have reached for in this life.  If we don’t have a God view of the end, any road will do, and every destination will end in disappointment.  Get a view of your end and keep it at the beginning of your every day. 

The Kitchen Table Devotions

The Game of Life Day 20

“Vocation”

And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” ¹¹ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.      Luke 5:10-11

It’s amazing what experience will do for our education.  We can have all sorts of thoughts and theories on life and living but experience is where truth is deeply discovered.  Jesus wants us to know Him, not just know about Him but knowing Him will mean going with Him onto the deep water.

Peter, James, and John were so amazed by their experience with Jesus that once they got their boats to the shore, they left EVERYTHING and followed Him.  What’s missing in so many people’s education is experience.  What’s missing in so much discipleship with doing life with Jesus.  If we want to experience the power and promises of God’s presence, we must “go” to Him, with Him, and for Him.  It’s as we walk with Him that we come to know and share His passion, purpose, perspective, and power.  Peter, James, and John came off that water with a testimony and a new tomorrow because they had gone out on the deep water with Jesus and trusted Him.

We have mundane churches because we have mundane Christians.  Mundane Christians are those who never got off the shore, they never walked the aisle to the alter, they never go on that missions trip or to that prayer meeting or with the pastor.  Anyone can stay on the shore and even hear and believe in good things but those that change the world go with Jesus. 

The Kitchen Table Devotions

The Game of Life  Day 19

“Vocation”

And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵ And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” ⁶ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. ⁷ Luke 5:4-7

We will never really know what we can do or could do until we do, do, what we can do.  Until we invest what we can we will never identify what we could.  Jesus said to Peter, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”  There’s something about the deep that teaches us what is important and there’s something about doing what we can that teaches us what is imaginable.  If we want to get something out of life, we must put something into life.  Peter invested in the words of Jesus by just obeying those words.  In doing so with his life, he found out what was possible in his life.  He found a purpose and power for life, and it wasn’t fishing for fish but fishing for man.  If he had argued with Jesus and resisted Him, He never would have known who Jesus is and what Jesus can do.  We will never know what we could do until we invest ourselves into what God says we can do.

This discovery doesn’t require finding and doing something risky, it involves risking what Jesus says to do.  The old hymn said, “Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.”  If we want to discover what we could do, we must invest what we can do by just obeying what Jesus says to do.