Course 1 - Lesson 5 : Personal Devotion

How many times have we heard these familiar words while we were yet children at home: “It’s time to grow up.” It is expected that a child will continue to grow and develop according to their age. When this happens, we say that person has “matured.”  Just as there is natural growth or maturity, there is also spiritual growth. In John 3:1-7, Jesus taught that a person “must be born again.” In Matthew, Jesus instructed them to continue on to perfection.

Matthew 5:48 KJV  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Developing as a Christian is not optional. It is a rightful expectation that God has for us. Growing spiritually is a process that continues our entire life. At times, it is very rapid growth. At others, it takes a little time. Our desire should be to continue daily growing in our Lord Jesus.

Acts 2:42 KJV  And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

The name Christian has taken on various meanings throughout history. Certainly, when those early believers were called Christian, it was not intended to be a kind label. The basic definition of a Christian is a follower of Christ. The name Christian was not given to someone simply because they possessed certain behaviors that Jesus exhibited. It was a name given to those who were disciples of Jesus. Those who diligently pursued and studied Jesus in order to become like Him.

We must embrace and take up everything about Christ if we desire to wear the title “Christian.” Remember, it was not the believers who called themselves Christians. It was the unbelievers who recognized the transformation into the image of Christ that first called them Christian. Many want to simply claim the blessings or the benefits of Christ. They want to be Christian in title but not in lifestyle. Jesus instructed us to learn of Him and to put on His yoke.

Matthew 11:28-30 KJV  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  (29)  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  (30)  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons that the church has today. It is also sadly the most underused weapon. Prayer is a two-way communication that God established between Himself and us. In your bible, many prayers are recorded there for our benefit. Hannah prayed for a child, God gave her a son. (1 Sam 1:11) The church prayed for Peter while he was in Jail and God led him out by an angel. (Acts 12:5) Jairus prayed that Jesus would heal his dying daughter, and He did! (Mark 5:23) Moses prayed a very interesting prayer and asked to see God’s glory. (Exodus 33:18) The disciples asked that Jesus teach them to pray. He did not introduce a prayer language. He gave a model/template prayer as a pattern for us to follow, not to repeat. Your relationship. The kingdom. Our needs and the needs of others. Search your heart and ask God to forgive you of anything you have done that displeased Him. Pray for direction and the leading of the Spirit in your life. 

Immediately following the Lord’s teaching on prayer, he continued with a lesson on fasting. Fasting is when we abstain from eating food for a period of time for religious purposes. According to Jesus, there was a right way to fast and also a wrong way. Fasting should never be used as an attempt to convince God to do what we are asking Him to do. We are not to use fasting to bring honor or glory to ourselves. In general, no one but God should know that we are fasting.

It is one of the most effective spiritual weapons that we have access to. Fasting has many physical and spiritual benefits and it should be done with a purpose. Though the act of fasting can be extremely uncomfortable, the rewards are great. Proper preparation is often helpful. Prepare ahead as many days as you intend to fast. Cutting out all sugar and caffeine beforehand will help reduce the headaches and cramping.

In the modern times that we live in, reading any book is quickly becoming something that people seldom do. This is particularly true with the reading of God’s Word. A Bible is a wonderful thing to possess; it is an even greater thing to read. The more we read it, the more we understand it. The more we understand it, the more we can apply it to our lives. The more it is applied to our lives, the more Christ-like we will become.

In a moment of great temptation, the “tempter” came to Jesus to cause him to sin. Jesus’ response was to use the Word of God. The Bible is the very words of God that “proceeded out of His mouth” and given to us. Paul told Timothy that “ALL scripture is God-breathed and useful.” (2 Tim 3:16)

We must never become satisfied with a lack of spiritual growth in our lives. Though the pace at which we grow can vary, it is critical that we never stop. Just as some children do not mature because of illness, a deficiency in their body, etc., this can also happen to the child of God. Some Christians have spiritual illnesses that must be corrected for growth.

If your spiritual growth has slowed or ceased, prayerfully examine your life to determine the cause. Our goal should be to grow until we reach heaven. Every day becoming a little more like Jesus in this life. When some part of this life affects that growth, we should commit ourselves to eradicate whatever the cause.

Mark 9:43-47 KJV  And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:  (44)  Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.  (45)  And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:  (46)  Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.  (47)  And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

Jesus was not advocating that we do ourselves bodily harm. He emphasized that we must not allow anything to keep us from getting into heaven. It does not matter how important it seems to us. Anything that slows your spiritual growth should be viewed as a threat to you making heaven your home.

We live in a world that wants instant gratification. Declarations are made each New Year to lose weight, pray more, get closer to God, etc. Most of those resolutions are abandoned as quickly as they were started. The wisdom in the Proverb is that those things we often need the most require consistent action. Every day doing the right thing until the right result happens.

Faithfulness is a characteristic that should shine in the lives of every believer. In order to be Christ-like, how can we be anything but faithful? There is none so faithful as our God. He never changes and even His name is Faithful and True. (Rev 19:11) Through every adversity and challenge, He remains the same.

Hebrews 13:8 KJV  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Faithful saints of God have persevered throughout time. Standing firm and sure despite the challenges they faced. They were faithful because it was in their character, not because their life was easy. They were faithful because they understood that their God had been faithful to them. If we are to see the blessings and the rewards that they received, we must learn to endure and be faithful.

Matthew 24:13 KJV  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Text: 1 Peter 4:7-10 NASB The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.  (8)  Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.  (9)  Be hospitable to one another without complaint.  (10)  As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.

Intro: To understand the Biblical doctrine of stewardship, we must first get a revelation of the fact that everything belongs to God.  He is the creator of all things; therefore, all things fall under His dominion.

Psalms 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

The Biblical idea of stewardship means that God’s children have the responsibility of wisely managing the resources that God has so graciously granted to our care. Scripture has a lot to say about managing finances.

Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Money is the test of our character. Whether we put God first or last in our affairs, reveals how we feel about God. God does not want all our money or time—He just wants to be first in our lives. Seek ye first…