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"MondaythruFriday" Devotional Series
MondaythruFriday
Mike MacIntosh
MondaythruFriday Mike MacIntosh Monday
And when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So Jesus said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" Who is Jesus to you? The disciples knew Jesus well. They had been with him when He raised a little girl from the dead, when He gave sight to the blind, and when He healed the sick. They'd left behind their entire lives to follow Jesus, and spent every day with Him. But that night, as they sat on a boat in the middle of the sea and saw Jesus walking towards them on the water, something was different. The winds blowing, the disciples started to panic. Peter called out to Jesus, saying, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So Jesus said, "Come." And for a brief moment, while Peter's eyes were fixed on Jesus, he walked on the water. As soon as he looked around, though, realizing that he could very well drown, he began to sink. So Jesus immediately stretched out His hand to save him -- just as He had stretched out His hand to raise the little girl from the dead, and just as He had stretched out His hand to give healing to the sick. The disciples had seen Jesus save many people from many things. This time, though, they said, "Truly You are the Son of God" (Matthew 14:33). Why now? Why did the disciples only now "truly" understand that Jesus was, indeed, the Son of God? Why would they have given up their very lives to follow Him if they hadn't "truly" believed all along? You see, the disciples knew of Jesus' power, but they'd never shared in it. They'd seen and even experienced His miracles, but had never taken a step of faith to be part of one. That night, Peter took a step of faith -- he failed miserably, but at least he took a step. Jesus was showing His disciples that they are not just bystanders -- that He would empower them, even to walk on water, if they would simply have faith. Who is Jesus to you? Maybe you know today, like the disciples did, that He is powerful -- that He can perform miracles in your life, and bring healing. But do you realize that He wants to empower you with His strength? Do you realize that He is truly the Son of God, and is not only able to do the impossible, but to empower you to do the impossible, by faith? Jesus says in Mark 9:23 that "all things are possible to him who believes." Today, you are not a bystander. Jesus wants to empower you with His power so that He can do amazing things in and through your life. Sometimes, like Peter, we fail. But you must be willing to take that first step of faith.
Matthew 14:26-31
MondaythruFriday Mike MacIntosh
Tuesday
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."
Matthew 16:24
I like the cartoon strip where Charlie Brown is doing woodwork in a shop when Lucy comes by and asks, "How's the birdhouse coming, Charlie Brown?" "Well," he sighs, "I'm a lousy carpenter, I can't nail straight, I can't saw straight, and I always split the wood. I'm nervous, I lack confidence, I'm stupid, I have poor taste, and absolutely no sense of design. So, all things considered… it's coming along okay."
You know, we're all a little like Charlie Brown. We fiddle with life, but at the end of the day, we see our frailties; we have insecurities. And marketers today know it. Entire industries thrive on exploiting our insecurities. Self-help authors promise to help you become the "champion within you." Skin products are promised to make you look and feel "younger," and exercise products will make you more "attractive." Everyone seems to be after that priceless gem of "self-esteem." But Jesus says that "if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself." It's not self-esteem that the Lord requires -- it's self-denial.
The apostle Paul was quick to admit that when it came to self-denial, he was the worst. "If anyone thinks he may have confidence in the flesh," he wrote, "I more so" (Philippians 3:4). That's coming from a man who was stoned, imprisoned and persecuted for his unyielding faith in Christ. No doubt, self-denial does not come naturally. As humans, we tend to value "self" more than anything -- otherwise, self-denial would be easy! But how can we follow Christ if our eyes are fixed on ourselves? How can we be obedient to His will if we put value in our own?
You see, our insecurities and our frailties are not caused by a lack of self-esteem. We esteem ourselves naturally. And the longer you look at yourself, the more insecure you will become. The higher the pedestal you build for yourself, the less stable your footing will become, and the further you will fall. No, our frailties are caused by our lack of self-denial to the One by whom all things were created, and in whom is all power, wisdom, and strength! (Revelation 5:12) Jesus is able to do "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think," according to His "power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20) -- but we must give Him full control. We must deny ourselves.
Today, don't fall for the myth that says you need more "self-esteem." Esteem the Lord in your life, and He will "supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).
MondaythruFriday Mike MacIntosh
Wednesday
Therefore the Egyptians set taskmasters over the Hebrews to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. Exodus 1:11-12 Why does God allow us to suffer? Doesn't He have the power to prevent suffering in our lives? As a pastor, I've heard questions like these many times from wonderful people who are enduring incredible hardships. No doubt, these questions must have been common amongst the Hebrews as the Egyptians afflicted them, setting taskmasters over them to build supply cities for Pharaoh. But the greater the affliction, the stronger the Hebrews grew. The more the Egyptians tormented the Hebrews, the more the Hebrews multiplied. You see, God didn't cause their suffering, but He used it to strengthen them. Instead of granting them a time of peace as slaves, He prepared them for a lifetime of freedom. Today, God is preparing us, as believers, for an eternity of freedom in Him. God allows us to endure tough times because they force us to rely on Him. They force us to finally let go of our self-reliance, our pride, and our stubbornness, and let Him do a work in our lives. No, adversity is not fun, and if you are experiencing tough times right now, my heart goes out to you. "In the world you will have tribulation," Jesus said, "but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33b). Our hope as followers of Jesus Christ lies in that simple fact: He has overcome this world. Yes, we will struggle here on earth, but this is not our home, just as Egypt was not the Hebrews' home. We have the promise of eternal life with Christ, through His death and resurrection. He purposefully chose to endure some of the worst adversity anyone can imagine, not for His sake, but for ours -- and He overcame it. But He didn't die so that we might live prosperous, unhindered lives here on earth. There's nothing necessarily wrong with living a prosperous life, but Jesus died to give you something much greater: eternal life. Does God have the power to prevent suffering in our lives? Yes -- He has the power to save us from an eternity of suffering. We must see the big picture as He sees it. In Him, we have hope that one day, we will live with Him where there is "no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying," and "there shall be no more pain" (Revelation 21:4). This world today, however, is broken because of sin. God didn't cause the sin -- we did -- but God, in His unknowable love, overcame that sin so that we might have hope. When those moments of adversity seem unbearable, know that God is at work. Let Him strengthen you. Let Him be your hope. A better day is coming.
MondaythruFriday Mike MacIntosh
Thursday
But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" So He said, "I will certainly be with you."
Exodus 3:11-12a
Have you ever faced a task so daunting, so overwhelming, that it paralyzed you with fear? Moses must have felt that way here. This was a man living in exile -- he had murdered an Egyptian and fled the land of Egypt; he didn't have the greatest reputation, to say the least. But this day, while tending his father-in-law's sheep in the desert, minding his own business, the Lord appeared to Moses in a burning bush and gave him an historic, monumental task: "Bring the children of Israel out of Egypt."
"What? Me?" he must have thought. Surely there were more spiritual people, more qualified people, and more respected people who could do the task. "Who am I?" he asks in Exodus 3:11, but the Lord would not be swayed. "Who shall I tell them sent me?" (3:13). "What if they don't believe me? What if they don't listen to me?" (4:1). Still, the Lord is not changing His mind. "But I am not eloquent!" (4:10). Moses pulls out every excuse he can think of, but they're not working. Finally, in desperation, Moses ditches the excuses and simply pleads for God to "please send someone else!" (4:13). But the Lord simply says to Moses, "I will certainly be with you."
You see, God's decision to use a slow-of-tongue, insecure, out-of-touch fugitive to deliver an entire nation might have been a surprise to Moses, but it shouldn't be a surprise to us. 1 Corinthians 1:27 says that "God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty." He uses insignificant people to do truly significant things. The Lord used a down-and-out man like Moses, rather than a great orator or spiritual leader, because at the end of the day, there would be no doubt who deserved the glory: God alone.
When God gives us a challenge that's over-the-top and outside our comfort zone, we shouldn't be surprised. We can make excuses the way Moses did, or we can choose to rely on the awesome power of God to be with us. Isaiah 41:10 says, "Fear not, for I am with you.... I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." God loves you more than you will ever comprehend, and when He gives you a challenge, He will not abandon you -- He will "certainly be with you."
Let me encourage you today to be obedient to the calling of God. Where He says go, be faithful to go. It may be a big step of faith, or a small one. But don't make excuses. Don't be overwhelmed or paralyzed by fear. Don't worry if you're "qualified," or "spiritual enough." God will do amazing things in and through your life -- if you will let Him!
MondaythruFriday Mike MacIntosh
Friday
Then Peter came to Jesus and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." Peter was the kind of guy who wore his heart on his sleeve. When Jesus walked on water, Peter was the only disciple gutsy enough to step out of the boat and join Him. When Jesus predicted His own death, Peter actually took Him aside and rebuked Him, saying, "This shall not happen to You!" (Matthew 16:22). And when Jesus was about to die, Peter boldly stood up and proclaimed, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" (Matthew 26:35). No doubt, he liked to make a big impression -- but as was the case in each of these instances, he often fell flat on his face. You can imagine, then, what must have been going through Peter's mind when he asked Jesus how often he should forgive a brother who had sinned against him. "Up to seven times?" he proposed, half to Jesus and half to the disciples, whom he surely knew would be impressed by such a selfless recommendation on his part. After all, it's not easy to forgive someone even once, much less seven times. Peter likely expected to hear Jesus say, "That's right, Peter. Very good." But not only was Jesus unimpressed; He shattered the disciples' very idea of forgiveness: "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." You see, Jesus was showing His disciples that forgiveness is not something you do, it's something by which you live. It's not a one-time good deed, or a seven-time good deed -- it is a lifelong pursuit. It is a constant commitment to "take up your cross" and follow Jesus; to deny yourself. Jesus said, "Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37b). Forgiveness is not easy, especially when you have been deeply hurt by someone. But you and I will never forgive anyone as much as Christ has forgiven us. We will never know the extent of His mercy to "forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9), much less His grace in making us "heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him" (James 2:5). If Christ can forgive us, we can forgive others. Today, if someone in your life has caused you pain, let me encourage you to forgive them. Show them the mercy God has shown you. And if you have wronged someone, take the chance to ask forgiveness. May we become people who live to forgive, and who live forgiven.
Matthew 18:21-22
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