From the Kitchen Table

The Kitchen Table

Day 27

“Prayer

Text:  Luke 18:1-8

In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. ³ There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.                  Luke 18:2-3

The aim of our opponent is to crush and change the ambition and anticipation of our hearts.  When that happens we become just slaves and beggars of men.  The judge in this story had no reverence for God nor respect for man.  But the widow, this powerless person, did.  She knew where justice lay and who had it and it brought her out asking for and expecting it.  Until we see the injustice of our enemy, we won’t expect justice from our God.  And it’s through prayer that we tap the heart and heat of God to fight the injustice or our enemy.

The Kitchen Table Devotions

Day 26

“Prayer”

Text:  Luke 18:1-8

I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”   Luke 18:8

There’s one privilege God gives us that we dare not forget nor neglect and that privilege is prayer.  It’s important to our lives and livelihood as a believer because God can do anything He wants without us, but He does everything with us.  That happens first & foremost through prayer.  And prayer is the clear evidence of faith.  Jesus went through hell to give us heaven but we must believe it and receive it and we do that through prayer.

The Kitchen Table Devotions

Day 25

“Righteousness”

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 — ²⁶ 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 3:25-26

Being precedes behaving and believing precedes being.  Righteousness before religion.  Being “right” begins with believing in God’s sacrificial love, not behaving “right” to get His love.  We can’t become “right” without His great love.  All we can do is receive His love by believing that He loves us.  Righteousness begins with forgiveness that we can’t earn but only receive by faith in God’s love.

The Kitchen Table Devotions

Day 24

“Righteousness”

This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; ²⁶ for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:25-26

Righteousness reveals righteousness and love leads to love and we all reap what we sow.  Every one of us wants to be “right”.  If we want to be “right” then we must sow what is “right”.  The Bible says that righteousness comes by faith.  To be “right” we must believe the only One who can make us “right”.  So, it’s not what I think, it’s what He knows.  It’s not what they say, but what He says.  It’s not what I’ve done but what He did.  Jesus is the justifier of all who just put their faith in Him.  They just let His word, His work, and His will totally influence their wants, their walk, and their words.  It’s amazing!  Thank you Jesus for making me “right”.

The Kitchen Table Devotions

Day 23

“Righteousness”

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; ²⁵ whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation  in His blood through faith

Romans 3:21-25

Always keep righteousness in front of religion and always keep love in front of the law.  The Bible says, “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been manifested…”  If being right with God comes apart from the law then being right with God is found in the love of God.  So, it’s not about getting our lives right to find the love of God, it’s about finding the love of God that gets our lives right with Him.  This life begins through faith in God’s love and it’s lived that way too.

The Kitchen Table Devotions

Day 22

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,                   Romans 3:21-23

The Glory of God is the Love of God that makes us right before God.  Being right isn’t found in obeying the law, by in living in the love of God.  Holiness is living in and living out the love of God in our lives personally.  God makes us “right” by faith in His love and what His love did for us and then we become religious about that love.  Always keep righteousness in front of religion.  We are righteous because of faith, and we are religious because of love.  God makes us right by faith in the love of Jesus.  The law reveals what is wrong with our lives and right with God’s life.  But it’s God’s love that makes both right.

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.