Month: January 2022

Kitchen Table Devotions

Day 21

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; ²³ for all  have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;                                                                 Romans 3:21-24

Everyone everywhere finds themselves at one time in the consequences of disbelief and disobedience to God.  That’s called death and it can be the death of life, love, or liberty.  Jesus came to save us from the consequences of disbelief and disobedience and to make us and our lives beautiful.  We find the glory of God in the grace of God.  Jesus came full of grace and truth, and we have seen His glory (beautiful life).  (John 1:14)  Let me tell you right now, many miss the glory or beauty of God because they find religion before they find righteousness.  Righteousness is the glory of God by the grace of God for those who believe God.

The Kitchen Table

Day 20

“Grace”

For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸  No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.                              John 1:17-18

God is love and God lives in grace.  IF we want to know who God is, we must look to Jesus.  Words are not enough; we need a witness  We have a tendency to make war with words rather than find a way with them.  We couldn’t understand the words and we needed a witness and so God came in the flesh full of grace and truth.  If we want to know what the life of grace looks like, we must look to the One who lived it, Jesus!

The Kitchen Table

Day 19

“Grace”

For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.                                John 1:16-17

We cannot walk in love and not operate in truth.  Grace is about love and faith is about truth.  We put our faith in what we believe is true.  People don’t believe in a lie unless they believe the lie is the truth.  We need to find the truth so that we can know the love.  Both love and truth are found in Jesus.  We don’t have to believe that, but it’s true.  We don’t have to live that way, but we can.  Jesus came as both so that we could have both, His true undeserved, unreserved love for life. Why be jealous of perverted love when we can enjoy pure love?  Anything perverted becomes painful.

The Kitchen Table

Day 18

“Grace”

John *testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” ¹⁶ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.                    John 1:15-16

There is no beginning or ending with God and there is no beginning or ending of God’s grace.  We can never reach the end of His undeserved, unreserved love for us.  His love can take us higher than we could ever imagine, reach deeper than we could ever fall, and go further than we ever thought of traveling in this life.  Ugly lives are loveless lives.  Believing in the love of Jesus is a beautiful thing.

The Kitchen Table

Day 17

“Grace”

And the Word became flesh, and  dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John *testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” ¹⁶ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.

John 1:14-16

Beauty begets beauty.  Glory creates glory!  Jesus, the glory, or beauty of God, came to bring the glory or beauty of God into our lives.  That happens by grace, God’s undeserved, unreserved love for us.  Beauty begets beauty and Jesus showed us what true beauty looks life.  Those ugly spots are just places where we need His grace.  The grace of God reveals the glory of God.  That’s what true love does.  Don’t live ugly, you don’t have to.

The Kitchen Table

Day 16

“Grace”

And the Word became flesh, and  dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

The glory of God is found in the grace of God.  We see that glory in the Son of God who lived in the grace of God.  Jesus lived every day in the grace, the undeserved & unreserved love of God, and it was beautiful.  It was glorious on Jesus and it will be glorious on us who believe.  The grace of God is a beautiful thing, and we must not be afraid to wear it by faith.  Live loved and you’ll love to live.

Kitchen Table

Day 15

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, ¹¹ trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.                                                                 1 Peter 1:10-11

Living in and living out God’s love has always been the plan.  So often we miss it because we believe In God, but we don’t necessarily believe God.  Grace isn’t our idea, it’s God’s idea for us.  We live in that undeserved, unreserved, unlimited love of God when we just believe & behave in that love.  When we wake up, we rejoice in that love.  When we fall down, we thank Him for that love.  When we succeed, we praise him and when we struggle, we look to Him.  When we get discouraged, we declare the love of God over us.  I will believe in nothing more than the love of God for me.  I won’t let my trials & troubles tell me who my God is; I will tell my trials & troubles who my God is.  He is Almighty and he always loves me.

The Kitchen Table

Day 13

obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.                           1 Peter 1:9

Something happens when we change our words.  When we start talking from love, in love, and with love for God, we start thinking differently.  Rather than letting our heads speak seems so logical and likely in this world, what if we started just speaking about the love, light, and life God has for us.  Speaking from the heart about what we really believe.  Maybe the problem for so many who call themselves believers is that they are speaking from the heart.  They believe in God, they just don’t believe God’s word.  Peter says to love God and rejoice with joy.  When we start speaking from the heart, we are speaking from what believe, not just what we feel.  Rather than talk about our problems, let’s talk about His promises and soon we will be thinking about His passion, power, and perspective rather than our problems, peril, and paranoia. 

The Kitchen Table

Day 12

and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory                  1 Peter 1:8

Love creates hope that inspires faith and faith is what we do while grace (God’s love) is what God does.  We fall in love through words.  We get impressed with works but even works become words.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.  As we receive His words with our spirit we can begin rejoicing in His joy.  God’s love is greater than any peril or problem we might be facing.  Our trials and troubles don’t tell us who God is, truth does.  God’s word is truth.  Love is such a powerful part of our lives that it is important that we receive the right words from the right source.  Our lives, now and forever, are at stake.  Let your faith and hope take you to love and love greatly.  Heaven will be filled with great love, we might as well learn how to live in love now by rejoicing in the here and now.

The Kitchen Table 2022     Day 11

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, ⁷ so that the  proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

1 Peter 1:6-7

We all have struggles in life; we live in a fallen world with a fallen nature and falling happens.  Don’t let your trials and troubles tell you who your God is but tell your trials and trouble who your God is.  The breath of God is in the word of God.  Receive His word like you breathe in air.  Let the word of God just fill your thoughts and form your take on life.  Double down in times of trouble.  Keep receiving and repeating God’s word.  His word will become more precious than anything else in this world because the Divine is in your destiny.