Daily Devotion by Ray Stedman

[Obadiah]

A daily devotion for September 30th​

Return To Eden​

Read the Scripture: Revelation 22

On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. … There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
Rev 22:2-5

What a glorious picture of abounding fertility, of life on every side — a river of life, a tree of life. Both of these are found in the Old Testament. Psalm 46:4a says, There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. Ezekiel describes a river flowing out from the throne of God. It is a wonderful river to swim in. And the tree of life is found in the Garden of Eden. It is right there in the Garden, along with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but here it is back again.

The river symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, on one occasion, of those who believe in him, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38 KJV). The tree is a symbol of Jesus himself. He is the way, the truth and the life, the tree of life. When we obey the Word of God, we are eating and feeding on Jesus and drawing life from that nourishment. The word of God brings spiritual health. We flourish when we follow his word and obey and live by it.

No wonder that, from this magnificent scene of life, there flow three wonderful ministries: First, empowered service. His servants will serve him. There is nothing they could ask for more than that; there is no greater pleasure or joy than the service of God. Second, they will be in intimate fellowship — they will see his face, and bear his name, just as a bride bears her husband's name and sees his face.

Third, they will have enlightened authority. They shall reign forever and ever. Do you think heaven is going to be boring? No, boredom is a sign of selfishness. When you are bored, it is because you are selfish. You want someone to do something for you; you want some excitement to minister to you. But all selfishness will be ended then, and therefore there will be no boredom in heaven. There is continual excitement, discovery, anticipation, and constant gratitude and praise.

Lord, thank you for this glorious vision. Help me each day to feed upon your nourishing word, obeying it out of grateful love. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Are you bored, or are you feeding on Jesus and drawing life from the nourishment that obedience brings?


Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 1st​

How To Break Temptation's Power​

Read the Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. Jesus answered, It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:1-4

It is important to notice that as our Lord meets these temptations, each time he used the same weapon. It is the same weapon available to us all. He retreated immediately behind the Word of God. He didn't argue or debate. He took refuge in the Word, in utter dependence upon the fact that God had spoken. The minute he did so, the battle ceased. The moment Satan was confronted with the Word of God and saw Jesus was taking refuge in it, there was no longer any struggle.

This is very important. Our continuing struggle comes because we are so reluctant to take our stand on God's revelation. We feel the force of the devil's alluring lie that we will gain something by this action or thought or attitude that is tempting us. We think if we don't do this thing, life is going to pass us by — we're going to lose something. And if we do it, we will gain a hidden kingdom which will be a satisfying and blessed experience. That is the force of the temptation. But when we retreat to what God says is the truth about it, then we discover immediately the end of the struggle. When it looks as though we are going to gain by disobeying, our one retreat must always be into the Word of God, for here is the revelation of things as they really are. This is the way to confront temptation, not with our weak, failing humanity, but with the power of the Word of God himself. When Satan finds himself up against that, he turns tail and runs.

I have a sign hanging on the wall in my study, capturing three truths that oftentimes have been a source of deliverance for me in times of temptations. The first of the three: It is written. Proof enough. God has told us the facts about life. The second: It is finished. Provision enough. On the cross, the Lord Jesus has done all that needs to be done to break the power of temptation in our lives. The third: It is I. Presence enough. His indwelling life within us is constantly available to us in order to break temptation's power.

This is a radical, revolutionary thing. There are few who seem to step out into this kind of living, but wherever it is attempted, strange things begin to happen. Not that the life suddenly becomes spectacular and people go around doing miracles; but in the quiet, daily experience of life, there is a quiet trust in the wisdom of God to meet each decision, and things begin to work out in unexpected ways, with unusual results that follow usual decisions. Extraordinary things follow ordinary activity, as God begins to work in human life. This is the secret of human life, as our Lord is demonstrating it, making it available to us as we by faith receive Jesus Christ, that his life may be lived again in us.

Father here in your book you have set forth the facts about life, things as they really are. Deliver me from the shimmering illusions and fantasies, the phoniness and emptiness of the devil's lies. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Think of one specific area in which you are dealing with temptation. Find a verse or passage of Scripture that will allow you to fight this with God's Word.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 3rd​

Under Authority​

Read the Scripture: Luke 24:13-51

He said to them, How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Luke 24:25-27

As Christians, we have no right to hold a different view of Scripture than that held by Jesus himself. This is the first fact we must hold in mind as we consider the authority of the Word. To put it another way, the authority of the Bible rests squarely upon the authority of Jesus Christ himself. To be a Christian means that we have fully accepted the authority of Jesus. If we have not, we are not Christians — except in name only. It is an utter inconsistency to say that we accept what the Bible says about Christ and reject what he says about Scripture. We cannot say of Jesus that he is the image of the invisible God, but he is quite wrong about Adam and Noah and Jonah and the rest of the Old Testament.

You see the utter inconsistency of that position? We cannot call him Lord, and say he has the right to choose our mates, and to pick our line of work, and to govern our life in all its attitudes and ways — even to trust our eternal destiny into his hands — but we cannot believe him when he speaks of the creation of man, or the sanctity of marriage, or the sinfulness of certain sexual acts. We are utterly inconsistent if we do.

We need only to read the New Testament to see that the Lord Jesus casts the mantle of his authority over all of the Old Testament, and, by anticipation, over all of the New. Over and over again he quotes from the Old Testament, usually the very books and passages which the scholars say are in dispute. But our Lord receives them, quotes freely from them, uses them as authority. In his own ministry, it was with the written Word of God that our Lord turned the tables on the enemy when he came to tempt him in the wilderness, and utterly defeated Satan in his attack upon him.

You may be an old and experienced Christian with a thorough knowledge of the Bible, or you may be a brand new Christian who hardly has any knowledge at all of what it says and have many questions about various aspects of it, but if you are a Christian at all, and have received eternal life through believing on Jesus of Nazareth, you must, by that very act, also be subject to his authority in this matter of accepting or rejecting the Scriptures.

Lord Jesus, I place myself under the authority of your Word. In calling you my Lord, I choose to trust your view of Scripture as the written Word of God. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Do you separate your submission to the person of Jesus Christ from your submission to the Word of God? Get to know what Jesus himself said about Scripture.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 5th​

Of First Importance​

Read the Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:3-7

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…
1 Corinthians 15:3

As Christians, we have no right to views of Scripture which are different from the apostles' view of Scripture. The apostles, like our Lord, are our teachers. We are not theirs. Karl Barth wrote, We cannot stand and look over the apostles' shoulders, correcting their work. It is they who stand looking over our shoulders, correcting our work. The apostles declare that their authority is simply the Lord's authority. They rest the authority of their words squarely upon the authority of the Lord Jesus. This is not a fabricated message. It is not something borrowed from this philosophy, and that authority, and this way of thinking. It is not, Paul says, received from men at all.

The apostles are very conscious that the words of the message they preach are the words of God. Listen to Paul as he is writing to the Thessalonians: And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Here is a clear declaration that he was conscious of speaking more than his own thoughts, more than his own ideas, more than his own theological concepts.

The apostles regarded each other's words in this same light. There is that striking passage where Peter says regarding Paul's letters, He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). Peter makes it clear that he accepted Paul's writings as Scripture, and the early church accepted these apostolic writings as the very words of the Lord Jesus from the beginning. In view of this, when a professor behind a desk in Chicago or London makes a pronouncement that differs from what Paul, Peter, James or John has said, then reject it. These men who lived in the 1st century and associated with the Lord Jesus, who heard his words, and who so ministered in power throughout the world of their day as to transform the generation in which they lived, knew far more about what God thought and said than any man studying theology today.

Father, I pray that your church would embrace your Word and so minister in such power that we would transform our own generation in which we live.

​

Life Application​

Do you trust the pronouncements of men or of God? Is God's Word that which forms the conviction behind your work and ministry?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 6th​

A Most Powerful Weapon​

Read the Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-17

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…
Ephesians 6:14a

…with the belt of truth around your waist. — that is always the place to start whenever you are under attack. Whenever you feel discouraged, defeated, uncertain, confused, downcast, depressed, or indifferent, this is the place to start: Gird up your loins with truth. The officers in the Roman army wore short skirts, very much like Scottish kilts. Over them they had a cloak or tunic which was secured at the waist with a girdle. When they were about to enter battle they would tuck the tunic up under the girdle so as to leave their legs free and unimpeded for the fight. Girding the loins was always a symbol of readiness to fight.

That is why this is first. You cannot do battle until you first gird up the loins with truth.
When you are threatened by discouragement, coldness, and similar moods, how do you fight back? Well, you remember that, when you became a Christian, you girded up your loins with truth.

What does that mean precisely? It means to remind yourself that, in coming to Jesus Christ, you found the truth behind all things, you found him who is in himself the truth, the key to life, the secret of the universe, final reality! You find the truth used in that sense in this very letter.

In Chapter 4 the apostle says to these Ephesians, You did not so learn Christ! [i.e., in uncleanness and licentiousness, etc.] — assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus. (Ephesians 4:20-21 RSV)

He is the truth, he is reality, he is the key to life. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, (Colossians 2:3). Well, someone says, how do you know that? How do you know you are not performing an act of blind faith without any supporting evidence at all? You say you believe in Jesus, but you have accepted him as the authority without any evidence to support it. That's blind faith. But that is not what a Christian does. Christian faith is not blind faith. When we believe Christ is the truth, we believe it because he demonstrated he was the truth. We need to put it on that basis.

Grant to me, Father, that I may see the challenge of the hour in which I live, and realize that I have been uniquely called to stand against the enemy with the powerful weapon of your Word. Amen.

​

Life Application​

What are the weapons you are using to fight the enemy? How will you arm yourself with the belt of truth today?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 7th​

Stewards of the Mysteries of God​

Read the Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
1 Corinthians 4:1-2

How do you know the Bible is the Word of God? There are many very legitimate approaches to answering that question. But what to me is the most convincing evidence that this book is God's revelation of ultimate reality, of final truth, is the fact that here in this book I find revealed about life certain truths which are essential to me to be able to live life as it was intended to be lived. I find this nowhere else.

They are certain essential elements which I must know if I am going to handle life properly. These are what mark this as God's book about life. In 1 Corinthians 4:1, the apostle Paul calls these the mysteries God has revealed to us. The thing that grips me is the fact that to us — we plumbers, carpenters, doctors, bankers, housewives, laborers and construction workers — to us have been committed the mysteries of God. We are stewards of the mysteries of God. They are given to us so that we might understand them, and begin to live on them ourselves, and then by that demonstration to impart them to others around us.

Do you have any idea how dark and hopeless this world would be, were it not for the dissemination of these mysteries of God through the centuries already? And we have a responsibility to our own generation to be faithful stewards of the mysteries of God.

I am disturbed at how few of our people have habits of personal Bible study. We all love to go to church and listen to the truth expounded. But many only go and drink it all in, but never go beyond that. You will never be a faithful steward of the mysteries of God that way. You will never be able to demonstrate these secrets in your own life until you personally begin to dig deeper into the Scriptures. It is only as you take these guidelines and begin to translate them into your own situation, that these truths begin to come alive and the community starts taking notice that here indeed are people who have learned to live in a wholly different way. Only thus can we become faithful stewards of the mysteries of God.

The ultimate demonstration is what takes place down in the blood, sweat and tears of the marketplace and the home and the school and wherever we are. This is what makes me know the Scriptures are the Word of God. They solve the problems of life. Ask yourself how faithful a steward you are of these great secrets. These are the riches God has entrusted to us to disseminate through our lives to others.

Father, forgive me for the neglect of your Word. What a fantastic treasure of knowledge is here in these pages! Help me to give myself to it. Amen.

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Life Application​

In what area of my life do I need the Scriptures in order to handle life properly? Where am I counting on my own wisdom instead of His?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 8th​

The Main Thing​

Read the Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer.
1 Timothy 1:3

It is highly significant that the first task the apostle set Timothy to doing in Ephesus was to guard the teaching of the church. The teaching is the most important aspect of the ministry of a church. It must be kept pure and unsullied. As someone has well put it, The main thing is to see that the main thing remains the main thing.

The central task of leadership in any church is to see that the teaching is in line with the apostolic revelation, the word about Jesus — which Paul calls the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. (1 Timothy 1:11). This is the body of teaching to which a church should give itself. There are many other subjects that are right for Christians to pursue (the Scriptures encourage us to pursue various dimensions and divisions of human knowledge), but when you come to the church, there is one body of teaching and only one.

The church exists to declare this unique body of truth. Anything that differs is not to be taught in church. This does not mean that many in the congregation will not have things they are struggling with. I have always thought it a mistake to ask brand new Christians to sign a doctrinal statement. How can they sign something they say they believe when they have not yet understood or even studied it? So there may be people in a congregation who are at various stages of doctrinal understanding. But when it comes to teaching, that teaching must be clear and straight and true, and according to the apostolic witness. That is the first thing Timothy is charged to do: Stop the teaching that is different, and oppose these wrong concepts.

It is essential that there be unity in the teaching of a church. There are differences of style that are quite permissible; there are different gifts among teachers; there are different choices of subjects of the revelation of God. The heart of truth, however, must remain unsullied, because the Scripture is the most powerful weapon the church has to correct error and to deliver people from bondage into freedom. The teaching of the truth, therefore, must be central in the ministry.

Thank you, Father, for the truth of the gospel. Grant to me, Lord, that I may learn more fully to believe it and how to appropriate it, that I might enter into life as it is in Jesus; that new life which is available to me. Amen.

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Life Application​

How does my personal ministry contribute to the sound teaching of Scripture? Am I able to discern when the main thing is no longer the main thing?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 9th​

Continue in What You Have Learned​

Read the Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:10-17

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:14-15

In this passage, Paul outlines the process by which the Scriptures lay hold of our minds. He says to Timothy, Continue in what you have learned. That is the first thing to do with the Bible — learn what it says. Timothy had only the Old Testament and, perhaps, just a few of the books which we call the New Testament. But he had the written Word of God, and Paul commands him to learn what it had to say.

This requires repeated reading. There is no other way by which you can be exposed to the thinking of God except by regularly reading the Word of God. In the Bible he has condescended to give us his thoughts on everything about ourselves, about the world in which we live, the times that come upon us, and about the morals and ethics of our behavior. The Word of God will drastically alter your own thinking. You will think differently about yourself and others; you will regard your husband, or your wife, and your children in a totally different way. You will regard the frantic pursuit of wealth and pleasure in a different light. You will make decisions on a totally different basis. This Book will drastically alter the way you behave.

Not only did Timothy learn these things, he believed them. Paul says to continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of (2 Timothy 3:14b). Timothy acted upon what he had learned. You do not really believe something until you practice it. James tells us not just to be hearers of the word but doers (James 1:22). It does not do a bit of good to just say you believe the Bible from cover to cover. Do what it says. Practice the truth, act on it. The process begins with the mind being instructed, then the heart being fully convinced, and then you practice what you believe.

There were two factors here which helped Timothy believe the Scriptures: First, the Scriptures came to him through certain loved and trusted people. It is much easier to believe what the Bible says when it comes to us through people we trust. The second factor is that this came to Timothy at a very early age. Parents should not miss that emphasis. Childhood is a wonderful time to get the truth of the Scriptures into a young person's heart.

The result of learning and believing the Scriptures is salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. The effect of the Scriptures is to save us, to transform us, to keep us from the downhill slide that is evident in every life not in touch with the Word of God. Everybody starts out life with certain hopes, dreams, and ideals, but unless he has the guiding of the Scriptures, inevitably he will find himself not moving toward, but away from the high ideals with which he began. This is the certain fate of those who do not have the guideline of Scripture.

Thank you for the Scriptures, Lord, and thank you for those who have taught me. Help me immerse myself in them, act upon the truth I find there, and pass them on to those you have entrusted to my care.

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Life Application​

Am I continuing in what I have learned? Am I growing in my knowledge and application of the Scriptures? Who has God placed in my life to pour into?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[civic]

Devotion for Today — October 9th​

Continue in What You Have Learned​

Read the Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:10-17


In this passage, Paul outlines the process by which the Scriptures lay hold of our minds. He says to Timothy, Continue in what you have learned. That is the first thing to do with the Bible — learn what it says. Timothy had only the Old Testament and, perhaps, just a few of the books which we call the New Testament. But he had the written Word of God, and Paul commands him to learn what it had to say.

This requires repeated reading. There is no other way by which you can be exposed to the thinking of God except by regularly reading the Word of God. In the Bible he has condescended to give us his thoughts on everything about ourselves, about the world in which we live, the times that come upon us, and about the morals and ethics of our behavior. The Word of God will drastically alter your own thinking. You will think differently about yourself and others; you will regard your husband, or your wife, and your children in a totally different way. You will regard the frantic pursuit of wealth and pleasure in a different light. You will make decisions on a totally different basis. This Book will drastically alter the way you behave.

Not only did Timothy learn these things, he believed them. Paul says to continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of (2 Timothy 3:14b). Timothy acted upon what he had learned. You do not really believe something until you practice it. James tells us not just to be hearers of the word but doers (James 1:22). It does not do a bit of good to just say you believe the Bible from cover to cover. Do what it says. Practice the truth, act on it. The process begins with the mind being instructed, then the heart being fully convinced, and then you practice what you believe.

There were two factors here which helped Timothy believe the Scriptures: First, the Scriptures came to him through certain loved and trusted people. It is much easier to believe what the Bible says when it comes to us through people we trust. The second factor is that this came to Timothy at a very early age. Parents should not miss that emphasis. Childhood is a wonderful time to get the truth of the Scriptures into a young person's heart.

The result of learning and believing the Scriptures is salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. The effect of the Scriptures is to save us, to transform us, to keep us from the downhill slide that is evident in every life not in touch with the Word of God. Everybody starts out life with certain hopes, dreams, and ideals, but unless he has the guiding of the Scriptures, inevitably he will find himself not moving toward, but away from the high ideals with which he began. This is the certain fate of those who do not have the guideline of Scripture.

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Life Application​

Am I continuing in what I have learned? Am I growing in my knowledge and application of the Scriptures? Who has God placed in my life to pour into?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

Amen continue is an ongoing principle taught by Jesus and the Apostles much like enduring, persevering, steadfastness, obedient etc........

 

[Obadiah]

Amen continue is an ongoing principle taught by Jesus and the Apostles much like enduring, persevering, steadfastness, obedient etc........

We have to keep on keeping on. But we don't do it alone. Living the good life that God offers us requires us to be obedient to His way of being and doing. He gives us the strength to follow His teachings, but we must choose to do it. God won’t choose for us. He helps us, but we must participate by choosing to obey His Word instead of simply doing whatever we feel like doing.

 

[civic]

We have to keep on keeping on. But we don't do it alone. Living the good life that God offers us requires us to be obedient to His way of being and doing. He gives us the strength to follow His teachings, but we must choose to do it. God won’t choose for us. He helps us, but we must participate by choosing to obey His Word instead of simply doing whatever we feel like doing.

I like to say its the healthy version of co-dependency

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 10th​

The God-Centered Life​

Read the Scripture: Psalm 1

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
Psalms 1:1-2

This is a description of the God-centered life. It begins with the word Happy. In our version the word is Blessed, but blessed is one of those code words which only Christians use — it really means happy. Here is the secret of happiness. He gives us a description of this man's life, both negatively and positively.

First is the negative: who does not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers. This is a description of unbelievers. Notice also the progress of evil, speaking of the wicked, of sinners, and of the mockers. The ungodly are characterized by a totally different way of life. To walk is a reference to the decisions which must be made all day long. We take steps all day long, making decisions about all kinds of matters. That is walking, taking a series of steps. To stand is a picture of the commitments we make to various causes. We give ourselves to certain things, we take our stand upon certain matters. To sit is a picture of the settled attitude of the heart, the continuous disposition of life.

Now look at the positive side: but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. Here is the reason why this man is able to reject the world's philosophy. It is because he has learned to delight in the law of the Lord. The law of the Lord is another name for the Scriptures. It includes the whole revelation of God. This godly person has learned that in the book of God he is given a completely different view of life than what he gets from the world. In the book of God he is told the truth about life. He has learned to delight in the fact that here is a book that tells him the truth and shows him a whole new way of life; and more than that, it reveals a power by which he can fulfill it.

When he says he has learned to meditate on God's law day and night, he does not mean that he goes around thinking about the Scriptures and repeating them over and over all day long. What it means is that this person has learned that a wonderful new life is made possible by God and is available for any situation. Whenever he needs strength, he draws upon the Lord for it. He does not attempt to mobilize his resources or to find some kind of encouragement from outsiders, and thus to depend upon external circumstances for peace and rest; he learns to draw only upon the strength of God. This is what makes the difference. This is the secret of the godly life. This is the way any of us can learn to be selfless, obedient, and cheerful under every circumstance.

Lord, we thank you for having come to teach us the way of godliness, and to show us in your Word how your life can be manifest in us. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Am I living a God-centered life? Where and with whom am I walking, standing, sitting? Take some time today to delight in God's Word and meditate on it.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 11th​

Learning to Rest​

Read the Scripture: Hebrews 4:1-16

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 4:11-12

We do not have what it takes to live the Christian life, and we never did have. The only one who can live the Christian life is Jesus Christ. He proposes to reproduce his life in us. Our part is to expose every situation to his life in us, and by that means, depending upon him and not upon us, we are to meet every situation, enter into every circumstance, and perform every activity. We cease from our own labors.

This is the way you began the Christian life; you came to the place where you stopped trying to save yourself. You quit trying to be good enough to get into heaven. You said, I'll never make it. You looked to the Lord Jesus and said, If he has taken my place, then that is all I need. Thus, receiving him, and resting on that fact by faith, you stopped your own efforts, ceased from your own work, and rested on his.

The instrument by which we enter into God's rest is the Word of God. This living, marvelous word is an instrument in the hands of the Holy Spirit with a two-edged action. It strips off the false. If we seek to obey it, as we read it we shall discover that it exposes the entrenched power of the flesh in our life and strips off all pretense. Our flesh can be utterly ruthless, moving in on us, backing us into a corner, taking down all our fences and facades, worming its way right into the heart of our nature.

But the Word has a two-fold action. It not only strips off the false, but it unveils the true. When we come to the place where we are ready to take a good look at ourselves, then there comes the delivering word that sets us on our feet again and shows us, in Christ, every provision for every need. We need no longer go on fighting a battle that is already lost, but we can step out each fresh, new day into the glorious experience of a victory that is already won.

Normally, it is expected that a Christian who comes to know the Lord Jesus will be led into the experience of rest within a few years after his conversion. It may take no longer than a few months. But even if you have been living in the wilderness of self effort for many years, it is yet possible to die to your unbelief, and to leave the carcass of self-sufficiency behind.

Lord, how this word has searched my heart. It is exactly what you declared it to be, that which can discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. Thank you for this wonderful surgery that sets me free. Amen.

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Life Application​

Is my life more characterized by rest or restlessness? Commit yourself to expose every situation you face to the provision and presence of God in your life.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 12th​

Preach the Word​

Read the Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1-4

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.
2 Timothy 4:2

This is the one essential that must be carried on to advance the kingdom of God. When we read the phrase preach the word, we think that this is addressed to preachers. No, this word includes all the people of God, for it does not merely mean to preach. The word is really announce, proclaim, set it forth. It is not something you argue about; you declare it because God himself has said it. This can be done over a cup of coffee, in an office, or in a car while you are driving to work. Where human hearts are open, there is the opportunity to preach the word.

Then Paul tells Timothy, and us, how to do it: First, Be prepared in season and out of season. Some have taken this to mean that you are to push the gospel on people whether they want it or not. But as John R. W. Stott has wisely said on this point, This is not a biblical warrant for rudeness, but a biblical appeal against laziness. Do it whether you feel like doing it or not. Do it whether the opportunity seems good or barely feasible. In either case, be ready to proclaim the Word.

Then do it, Paul says, with a variety of approaches. Notice how practical this is: correct, rebuke and encourage. Those words reflect three different approaches that we can use. Correct is a word addressed to the mind — argue, reason, set it forth in a systematic way. Many people have doubts that need to be answered. But also there may be some who will need rebuke. That points to someone who has fallen into sin and needs a word that will appeal to the conscience. Sometimes it is necessary to speak a word that points out the evil effects of wrongdoing, a word that seeks to turn someone away from this. Then there are some who need encouragement; they need their wills challenged and encouraged to act. Many people are fearful to try something new. Here is where encouragement is needed, exhorting them and encouraging their wills to set aside their fears and believe the truth of the gospel. We are to involve ourselves in all of these helpful approaches.

Finally, says the apostle, with great patience and careful instruction. We ought to beware of pressure tactics that seek to make people act or say they believe when they are not yet convinced. Many evangelists have resorted to psychological tricks to get people to commit themselves in an emotional mood that does not represent a real commitment of the heart. The Spirit does move in great convicting power, but we are not to employ pressure tactics to get people to move. Nor are we to abandon those who are slow in responding, but we are to keep on explaining, answering questions, applying the gospel to specific situations. All of that is the work of teaching.

Thank you for the power of your Word, Lord. Thank you that I do not need to make it powerful, but simply to preach it and let it do its saving work.

​

Life Application​

In what arenas is the Lord calling you to share the Word of God today? Where is correction needed? Where is a rebuke needed? Where is encouragement needed?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 13th​

Turning Aside to Myths​

Read the Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1-4

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
2 Timothy 4:3-4

Surely this is descriptive of our own day. It indicates a time when people will forsake a Christian consensus, an undergirding of the institutions of social life by Christian principles. This is the time in which we live: They will not put up with sound doctrine. Sound doctrine is that which leads to wholeness, teaching that permits human beings to live at peace, to develop themselves and enjoy life. But men and women will turn away from that and refuse to hear it.

They will do this because truth requires the admission of human weakness, which people do not like to admit; the restraint of passions, which they do not like to do; and submission to the authority of God, which they dislike and reject. They turn away from the truth; they will not even give it a hearing. It is not that they will listen to the truth and then decide whether it is right or wrong; they do not even want to hear it. They do not want you to say anything in this direction, and they resist every attempt to introduce the truth into any kind of situation.

Then, since they will not listen to teachers of truth, they will look for others who will teach them what they want to hear. There is a disease, widespread in our day, called itching ear disease. This is an ear that wants to be entertained, that is always looking for something new, that wants constant affirmation and does not want to hear anything negative. People who have this disease look for teachers who will scratch that itch, and the result is that they turn aside to myths.

What do these teachers teach? They teach attractive lies, speculative philosophies from the minds of men with no basis in fact. There are many of these myths abroad today. Take the myth of reincarnation. Many people believe that lie, which has no basis in fact. Or take the lie of human autonomy. We hear that man is the measure of all things; our destiny is in our own hands. Or take the myth that science can solve all our problems. Yet if you look at the record, all the technological advances of which we are so proud today have resulted instead in the dehumanization of people, the pollution of our atmosphere, and the increase in threat to the welfare of the world. This is the record, yet it is all set aside in the face of a lie.

We have been saturated by a world that is committed to falsehood. That is why we must proclaim the truth as it is in Jesus. Paul reminds us that the most effective thing is to preach the Word. We are all called to advance that work. Do not let anybody tell you that your life as a Christian does not count. It is the most significant thing taking place on this earth today.

Lord, grant that I will commit myself afresh to be a purveyor of the truth, preacher of the Word, herald of the good news that is in Jesus Christ. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Am I able to identify and refute the myths that abound today? Have I succumbed at all to "itching ear disease"?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 14th​

Your Word is Truth​

Read the Scripture: John 17:13-19

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
John 17:17

In a world generously supplied with con artists, wordy politicians, and outright liars, it is a great relief to know there is a place where one can always hear the truth. That place is the Bible. God is a Realist. He deals with everything and everyone exactly the way they are, and he knows what that is because he made everything and everyone. It is impossible for him to tell a lie, because he himself is Truth!

The truth is not always easy for us to hear. Sometimes it pierces me and convicts me. Sometimes I wish I could evade it, and then I am reminded that it was sent to heal me. Often it encourages me and heartens me. Sometimes it restores me when nothing else can do so. It confronts me with paradoxes of revelation which intrigue me and challenge me. It exposes the secular illusions of the day and reveals the destructive ends to which they lead. It deals honestly with uncomfortable concepts and opposes the strangleholds of tradition.

I have learned to appreciate the Bible most because it brings me face-to-face with my God! Or at least the relationship is so personal that it seems to be a face-to-face encounter. My heavenly Father becomes more real and closer than any earthly father. I can all but see my Lord and Savior standing beside me and talking to me as I read his words in the gospels. Sometimes the words of Scripture become so vivid and luminous that I feel like kneeling or even falling on my face before the majesty of God. No other book has such power to transport me beyond earth to heavenly places.

I am often made aware of the power of the Bible in other people's lives as well. I see it awaken a response in many readers to seize and possess for themselves the promises of God. I have watched it reshape the minds of an entire congregation to view life biblically and realistically. For many, the Bible has unfolded to them the meaning of their humanity and clarified the way it was meant to function. It awakens compassion and delivers from selfishness. It arouses a sense of true worship, grounded in the truth and issuing from the Spirit within. No wonder Jeremiah could say, When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight (Jeremiah 15:16).

Father, open my heart so that as I encounter your Word I would encounter you speaking to me. Arouse in me a spirit of true worship, grounded in the truth and issuing from the Spirit within.

​

Life Application​

Take some time to read your Bible today as if God were speaking to you in a face-to-face encounter. Let the Lord lead you into a time of personal worship.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 15th​

Hidden Faults​

Read the Scripture: Psalm 19

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Psalm 19:10-12

David, summing up all that he said about the Word of God, declares that the only thing which can interfere with the Word having its full effect is us. We are the problem. If we cannot benefit from the Word, it is not because there is anything wrong with it. It is us who are the problem. Who can discern their own errors? We are all victims of hidden failure in our lives. If we examine ourselves, we usually look fine. Everybody thinks that what he does is right. We cannot see our own errors, yet these errors are constantly affecting us so that we cannot see truth the way it is. Therefore, we desperately need to be delivered from hidden errors.

That is what hinders our desire for the Word — these hidden errors. The Psalmist faces the fact that something is wrong with us, so he concludes this Psalm with a wonderful prayer: Forgive my hidden faults (Psalms 19:12b). Is that your prayer? Do you know what will happen when you pray that way? You might think that God will take a sponge and wipe around inside you so that you will not even know what those hidden faults were.

But God does not do that. His way of dealing with hidden faults is either to send somebody to point them out to you, or to bring them out through some circumstance in which you are suddenly confronted with what you have done or said, and you find that it is ugly and you do not like it. That is the way God cleanses us from hidden faults. He opens up the secret places.

Usually he does it through other people, because we cannot see ourselves but other people can see us. These faults are hidden to us but not to others. They see them very plainly. And we can see their hidden faults better than they can. You say, I don't see how they can be so blind. Well, someone is thinking that very same way about you. We do not see ourselves. That is why it is always proper to say, Lord, forgive my hidden faults. Help me to see myself through the eyes of a friend who loves me enough to tell me the truth.

David closes this psalm with these often quoted words which are so wonderfully penetrating that we should pray them often: May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer (Psalms 19:14). That is a wonderful prayer, is it not? This is the attitude that will open the Word of God to us. When you pray that kind of prayer before you read the Word, you will find that God will speak to you in a marvelous way.

Thank you, Father, for this word of instruction to my own heart. May I follow through on this truth and live in the humble understanding that you have revealed yourself to me through your Word. Let me be ready to listen and see. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Has someone had the courage to tell you something you did not want to hear about yourself? If so, thank God for them and listen!

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 17th​

Thinking Christianly​

Read the Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:10-17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Bible can do four things for everyone who reads and believes it. First, it will teach you: it is useful for teaching. The Bible will instruct your mind about things that no one, except God, knows anything about. It will tell you things about yourself that only God knows. Everybody wants to know these things. For instance, everyone wants to know what lies beyond death. People are hungry to know that lies beyond, asking Is this all there is?. The human mind has been questing in that area all through history. But there is only one Book that will tell you the answer to that question. It tells about One who came back from the grave and told us what is beyond. This Book is a reliable guide in areas we know nothing about.

Second, the Bible has the power to rebuke. The word is really convict. How many have had the experience of reading the Bible and becoming aware that something you had been doing all your life, something you did not think was wrong at all, was the reason why you yourself were hurting or were hurting others? The Bible suddenly made you aware that, in order to be free, you had to change, you had to commit yourself to a different direction. That is called conviction. The Bible has tremendous power to point out to us the areas of wrongdoing in our lives.

Third, the Bible never does this without correcting you and making you walk in ways that lead to life. The amazing testimony of this Book is that, when taken seriously, it leads people to freedom and to life; while those who engage in practices that this Book warns about are always led to degradation, to enslavement, to a narrowing and limiting of the joys and the beauties of existence. That is a marvelous record that is universally true.

Finally, the Bible is for training in righteousness. The Bible has the power to finely tune you, like a skillful coach, to enable you to walk day by day in a more righteous way. So the Bible is able to train us, to lead us along into ever-expanding experiences of righteous living.

All of this is for a purpose: so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). This Book is sufficient to do this. It does not need psychology or philosophy. Although these things can supplement some of the things the Bible teaches, they can never replace it. The Bible does not need any of that in order to produce a man or woman who is whole. That is what this Book is provided for. It is the instruction Book that will work out all your kinks and quirks, and enable you to be a whole person as God intended you to be, through faith in the Lord Jesus whom the Book reveals.

Father, thank you for this amazing Book. I confess how infrequently I open it and let it speak to me. Help me to let this Book minister to my heart and mind through Christ; that I may know him before whom one day this whole world will stand. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Think through this past week and ask yourself: What has the Word taught me? In what ways has it rebuked or corrected me? How is it training me in righteousness?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 18th​

God's Final Word​

Read the Scripture: Hebrews 1

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.
Hebrews 1:1-3a

The word which now comes to us in Jesus Christ, both by what he said and what he was, is a stronger and more inclusive word than God ever spoke through the prophets. When you read the Old Testament, you are reading the Word of God. The voice of God is heard through various forms and circumstances. All of it is of God, but all of it is incomplete. It never brings us to ultimates and absolutes. But when you open the pages of the New Testament and read the fourfold picture of Jesus Christ, you find that all the Old merges into one voice, the voice of the Son. The words by which God spoke in the Old Testament are merged into one complete discourse in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, God's word to man has been fully uttered in the Son. There is nothing more to be said. Jesus Christ is God's final word to man. Therefore, the word through the Son is greater than that through the prophets because it includes and surpasses theirs. It is also greater because the Son forms the boundaries of history. The writer says Jesus has been appointed the heir of all things, and through him God made the universe.

Further, his word has greater power than the prophets' because he sustains the matter of the universe. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. In the hills behind Stanford University there is a linear accelerator, some two miles long, a gigantic instrument. Scientists built it to be a great lever by which they can pry the lid off the secrets that lie behind matter. They are trying to find what makes the universe tick, what holds it together. And as man probes deeper into the secrets of the universe around him, he discovers more and more that he is confronting the mystery of an untouchable, unscalable force; that he stands face to face with pure force. What is that force? Scientists never name it, in fact they cannot name it, but the Scripture does. The Scripture says that force is Jesus Christ, that he holds everything in place, whether it be large or small. The reason we can sit or stand, though our earth is whirling at a furious rate, and not be hurled off into space, is simply because he sustains the universe. He is the secret behind everything that exists.

Lord Jesus, you are the One who is the secret of human life and behind all the mysteries of the universe. May you fill my life in grace and begin to reign. Amen.

Life Application​

Do you ever make the mistake of separating the Word of God from the Son of God? Think of all the things that God has spoken through his Son.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

Devotion for Today — October 19th​

The Plain Truth​

Read the Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.
2 Corinthians 4:2b

Paul knows that truth is the most exciting and attractive thing in the world. He knows that when you come to people with the truth about themselves, about their lives, and about the world in which they live, when you strip off all the veils of illusions by which man in any generation lives and reveal the basic reality of what is there, then you get instant attention.

I have gone to a number of college and seminary campuses and spoken to Christian young people. Yet in many of these places, I found that they really do not think of the Bible as being a revelation of reality. They think of it as some kind of religious flavoring to life, a kind of a low calorie dessert which is nice, but you do not really need it. They think that the real insights into life are out in the secular world. In every one of those campuses, we have opened up the Book and taught them what it says. And every time, we have gotten an instant reaction of fascinated interest. They sit quietly and listen as though they had never heard it before. They suddenly realize you are talking about them, about their sexuality and what it means, about marriage and how it operates, about how to handle the awful load of guilt, and what to do with fear and anxiety when it ties your stomach in knots.

That is reality. That is what Paul is talking about. Setting forth the truth plainly has fascinating power to attract people. It did when Jesus proclaimed it. Everywhere he went, the multitudes hung on what he said. They said to themselves, He doesn't do it like the Pharisees and the Scribes do, quoting all those authorities. Yet what he says rings a bell within us. Something inside says, That is right. This was the universal reaction to the preaching of Jesus, because that is the truth as it is in Jesus. And that is what Paul proclaimed. He said, When you've got that, you don't need any gimmicks; you don't need to bribe people and trick them to get them to come because they are expecting something else. Just take the wraps off what God has given and they will be tremendously attracted to it.

Furthermore, he says, It speaks to the conscience. A person's conscience can sometimes reach him when his mind is rejecting truth. Paul knew that. He said we should not argue with people. He warns us, Don't get tied up with arguments, because you can't reach people that way. Tell them the truth. Depend on the fact that there is a voice inside them which God put there called the conscience, that even when their minds reject what you say will keep saying to them, Ah, yes, but he is right, isn't he? Sooner or later it will reach them.

Lord, thank you for the light that has come into my darkness. You have revealed to me that I am helpless apart from the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Help me to walk in that light. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Are you relying on human arguments or are you trusting God to use the plain truth of his Word to appeal to the conscience?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.