Month: October 2021

The Kitchen Table Devotional:  The Game of Life  Day 70

“Eyes On the Road”

“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results. ²² No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”

Mark 2:21-22

Don’t let your past take your eyes off the road.  Don’t let where you’ve been, take your eyes off of where you want to be.  Don’t let what you used to believe affect what you do believe now.  Don’t try to patch this life together but put on the new shirt or life God gives you and pay attention to where you’re headed.  Dress for success, not for sympathy. 

The Kitchen Table Devotional:          The Game of Life  Day 69

“Eyes On the Road”

And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17

What we are conscious of determines what we are confident for in this life.  Jesus was conscious of the power of God for healing and was confident to heal.  It’s so easy to be distracted by what we can do rather than what He will do.  Here the righteous are those who think they are good and right, but it is the sick, the sinner, who will be made good and right.  When we become conscious of who we are we become confident in what we can do.  But when we become conscious of who God is we become confident of what He will do.  This world needs a whole lot more than what we can do, it needs what He will do, and God is waiting for us to become conscious of what He can do so that we will be confident in what He will do.  He will save anyone from the power and peril of sin who wants to be saved.

The Kitchen Table Devotional:          The Game of Life  Day 68

“Eyes On the Road”

As He passed by, He saw  Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He *said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.  And it *happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him.            Mark 2:14-15

When we know “who” we are serving and “where” we are going, we can share the “why” we are living.  When we’re living in our “why” we don’t have to live in the world of “what if?”.  Jesus looked at Levi and said, “Follow Me”.  Where?  Jesus could answer that question.  Why?  Jesus could answer that question too because Jesus knew “Who” He was serving.  It’s that confidence that comes from that kind of commitment that will keep us from spending our time on the side of the road asking “What if” questions.  Knowing our who, where and why will not only keep us on the road but will empower us to bring others with us.  There’s freedom in that kind of faith focus and there is fear without it.  

The Kitchen Table Devotional:  The Game of Life Day 67

“Eyes on the Road”

But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He *said to the paralytic, Mark 2:10

And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them. Mark 2:13

Keep your eyes on the road by keeping your mind on the message.  Our eyes will follow our minds.  If our mind is all over the place so will our eyes be distracted by all sorts of things.  In fact, our mind can replace our eyes and we find ourselves down the road with no memory of the moment.  Jesus kept His eyes on the road with His mind always on the message.  We look for what we think about, it seems.  Jesus had come to forgive sin and free slaves to sin, those of us who were and are bent on destroying love and life.  Keep your eye on the road and don’t allow sin and Satan to distract you from your mission in life.  It’s in the message we find our mission, our “why” on this road of life.  Know who you’re listening to and you’ll know why you’re living this life.

The Kitchen Table Devotional: The Game of Life Day 66

“Eyes On the Road”

And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17

We’ve got this big life to travel through; let’s keep our eyes on the road. It’s so easy to be distracted. And it’s easy to lose our focus right at the start of our trip. When you don’t know where you’re going, any stop will work. Jesus keep His eyes on the road, and it was at the get-go that He was bombarded with all sorts of things to distract Him. Something we can learn from Jesus’ life. Jesus knew His where because He knew His why and He knew His why because He knew His who He was living for in this life. He wasn’t distracted by those who thought they were right but was determined to help and heal those who knew they were wrong. He wasn’t here to please man but He was here to please His Father. It’s a lot easier to keep our eyes on the road when we know why we’re on the road in the first place and who we’re going to see.

The Kitchen Table Devotional: The Game of Life Day 65

“Empty”

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10   trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Ephesians 5:6-10

An empty life comes from empty love. We cannot know love by ourselves, it’s only found in the community of two or more. Selflove isn’t love at all; its only fear dressed up in pleasure. When we’re living in the dark, we can only think of ourselves and it is fear that takes us there. When we’re in the light we can see and love so much more. The light or truth lets us see that love exists because God exists. Learn to live to please Him, He will bring fulness into your life. It’s not hard; it only requires loving the One who loves us. When there is no one greater than ourselves to love and live for, we lose our ambition to love and live. That’s when the world gets to be a dark place. Do go back there but live in goodness, righteousness, and truth, learning what is pleasing to the Lord.

The Kitchen Table Devotional:          The Game of Life  Day 69

“Empty”

Therefore, do not be partakers with them; ⁸ for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light ⁹ (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), ¹⁰   trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.                     Ephesians 5:7-10

The only way to escape the sorrow of emptiness is to exit the stage of emptiness with all its excuses.  It’s no secret that there are many who believe in God, but they don’t believe God and as a result they don’t behave God.  He says that there is fruit in faithfulness and life in the light.  It’s the exit that exposes real faith and it’s the emptiness that exposes real fear.  Exiting emptiness takes faith and fearlessness.  We must believe God to behave/obey God.  Don’t go along to get along.  There’s no hope or help in that.  Live a life that challenges those around us to live up, not down.  If we don’t live empty, we won’t leave people empty.  Believe and behave God, there is light with the Lord Jesus Christ dispels darkness and ends emptiness.  He will put purpose in pleasure and pleasure in purpose as we live to please Him.   

The Kitchen Table Devotional:          The Game of Life  Day 68

“Empty”

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience Ephesians 5:6

Two things occupy the “empty” life:  Disobedience and disappointment.  Here without Heaven is difficult, deceptive, and depressing.  Here without Heaven is full of people who use empty words to get empty things.  A man without a Maker is a man without meaning.  For some reason, empty people go back to empty wells to fill their empty buckets (hearts).  Immorality births impurity that leaves us with insanity. That’s a life that makes no sense.  Disbelief and disobedience will only leave us with the disappointment of an empty life.  The Bible says, “Therefore, do not be partakers with them for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord;  walk as children of light.”  (Eph 5:7-8)  Disbelief and disobedience keep us empty and darkness keeps us blind.  Only love can bring light into our lives and it all begins with believing and behaving in the love of God.  You were made and saved to live in heaven here.

The Kitchen Table Devotional:          The Game of Life  Day 62

“Empty”

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not be partakers with them; ⁸ for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light ⁹ (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), ¹⁰   trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Ephesians 5:6-10

By our words, we walk through this life.  By the words we believe and the words we use, we find ourselves in the life we choose.  The life you’re living right now is the one you have chosen.  Make sure the words you save and speak are worth saving in your heart and speaking with your mouth.  Words without truth leave us with lives that are without hope, help and Him.  Weigh the words you hear, if they’re light they’re hollow and cannot accomplish true light and love in this world.  Weighty words will leave you happy with yourself.  When we are happy with who are, we won’t be hungry for who we wish we were.  Many people are deceived because they are displeased; they are living on empty words.

The Kitchen Table Devotional:          The Game of Life  Day 61

“Empty”

For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Ephesians 5:5-7

Don’t run on empty.  Empty will leave you worried, worn out and wrestling with empty thoughts that just don’t matter.  Keep your tank full and many of the temptations and trials of this life will pass by like mere road signs on the highway of life.  It’s when we get empty that we’re constantly detoured by empty words and empty promises.  Fill up before you hit the road. Emptiness keeps us desperate and disposed to empty promises.  Remember, Jesus will never leave you empty but we can get that way by leaving Him out of our lives.