by George Runyan | Mar 14, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
Matthew 5:24 – If you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, then come and present your offering.
Wow! Jesus is raising all religious activity to a new level of personal reconciliation. It all began with the heart of God. He became one of us in the person of Christ Jesus, so He would be able to reconcile the world to Himself. He did this while we were still in our trespasses and sins. This is the reason the Father puts such high priority on reconciliation and forgiveness.
In Matthew 18, we see how important it is to forgive any that sinned against us. Here in Matthew 5, Jesus makes it clear that we must first become right with any person holding an offense toward us, before our offering is accepted by God. The Father has given each believer His nature of reconciliation through the power of the Holy Spirit. “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19).
The letters of the apostles are filled with admonitions concerning relationships among the believers. Here are a few examples: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor (Romans 12:10-11), “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32-5:1), “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed” (James 5:16). As believers, we are to walk out the reconciliation God has given us by being reconciled to one another, in the fear of God, whether it be forgiving another their offense toward us, or asking forgiveness of one against whom we have sinned.
Father, thank You for extending Your reconciling love to my life. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit to walk in the power of reconciliation. Help me to fulfill Your will to be a minister of reconciliation in this world.
by George Runyan | Mar 13, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
Matthew 6:12 – Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
The power to forgive is one of the greatest gifts the Father has given His children. Forgiveness is a lifestyle that we grow into while walking with the Lord. Offenses are a regular part of life. Forgiveness is an ebb and flow that we learn how to practice. As the Father consistently forgives us, so we are to forgive those who sin against us. We have been given the power to forgive by His indwelling Spirit.
Matthew 18:15-35 contains some of the most powerful passages in all of Scripture. The whole chapter basically deals with the subject of offenses. Here is a summation of what Jesus taught. If your brother sins against you, go to him alone and confront him. If he listens, you have won your brother. If he does not listen to you, take one or two others. If he refuses to listen then tell the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, let him be to you as a sinner. This led Peter to ask, how often should one forgive? Jesus clearly teaches us that forgiveness is ceaseless for the child of God. Jesus then gives the parable of the unforgiving servant and the results of unforgiveness, he was “handed over to the tormentors.” Jesus uses some very strong language when He says, “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart” (Matthew 18:35).
This implies that Satan, our enemy, is able to imprison and torment those who do not forgive. Forgiving others is the key to real victory in the Christian life. Through many years of ministry, I have learned how unforgiveness is at the root of most problems in an individual’s life. It is one of the greatest avenues for the enemy’s access to our lives.
Ask the Father, “Is there anyone I have not forgiven?” If so, ask for grace and power to forgive them. Yield to the Holy Spirit and be filled with forgiving grace for those who have hurt you or wronged you in anyway. Experience the liberty of walking in true forgiveness as a son or daughter of God.
by George Runyan | Mar 12, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
Matthew 6:12 – Forgive us our debts.
We are born as debtors. This view is an offense to many who refuse to accept their fallen condition before God. As an infant we are innocent, but it is an innocence that comes from a lack of knowledge. As we develop, we become aware of our guilt before the Creator. The beginning point for our relationship with the Father is when we accept our condition and ask for His forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
When we are born again through the work of God’s Holy Spirit, our sins are forgiven and removed. The Scriptures tell us that He removes our sins “as far as the East is from the West” (Psalm 103:12). We still have to deal with the challenge of sin which is in our members. Study Romans 5 for a more complete understanding of this truth. With the Father’s forgiveness, we receive a responsibility and obligation to forgive the debt of others. We remain debtors made free by the blood of Christ. We are humbled by the fact that the Father loved us in spite of the enmity that existed between Him and mankind. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are delighted to have been given power to forgive others their debt toward us.
For the individual who is living their life by the leading of the Spirit, unforgiveness ceases to be a problem. Forgiveness of others is at the core of the foundation we have in the cleansing of the blood of Christ. Because He has forgiven us, we must forgive others! The Scriptures are emphatic about this topic. When we fail to forgive as we have been forgiven, a door is opened for the enemy to attack us. Jesus’ cleansing blood is our defense against the devil, but this fact is rooted in our willingness to forgive. Study Matthew 18 for a larger understanding of the importance of forgiveness.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas in your life where you have not yet surrendered to God’s rule. Ask forgiveness and commit all He shows you to His authority. Ask Him to show you anyone that you need to forgive. Pray for His power to live a life that is above reproach for His glory.
by George Runyan | Mar 11, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
Matthew 6:11 – Give us today our daily bread.
In the Old Testament, the priests were required to bake fresh showbread every day. The showbread spoke of His Presence. God’s presence was made flesh in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Bread that came down from Heaven. Jesus said to the multitudes, “I am the Bread of life; he who comes to Me will never hunger” (John 6:35). Eating of this Bread fills us up, eating of this Bread satisfies, eating of this Bread will sustain us when everything else seems to be lacking.
The Holy Spirit of God has come as the comforter. He is the one who indwells us. He is the spirit of the Father and of the Son. He is the one who supplies us with the spiritual food necessary for our daily existence. He is the promised “daily bread.” He feeds us with God’s Word, He releases God’s gifts through us for others, and He builds up our inner man so we might mature in the Lord. Whenever I turn to the Holy Spirit, He brings refreshment which cannot be compared to anything else in this world. The Psalmist expresses it like this, “Because Thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips will praise Thee. So I will bless Thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Thy name. My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips” (Psalm 63:3-5).
Allow the Comforter to have His full way in your life today. He has Bread for you right now that will nourish and sustain you. Every day, turn to Him and say, “Give me this day the Bread you have for my life. I ask for my spirit, soul, and body to feed daily upon the presence of Your life.
Father, You are my resting place. I feed at Your table and drink from Your cup. I want to thank You for being my source and supply. It is You that sustains me.
by George Runyan | Mar 10, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
Matthew 6:11 – Give us this day our daily bread.
Our God is the God of today just as He was the God of yesterday and will be the God of tomorrow. It is today that our need is greatest. God takes from His eternal storehouse to supply us on a daily basis. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “Draw near to God with confidence to the throne of grace, so we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). James reminds us that “every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow”(James 1:17).
God just does not change. He is our Rock and our fortress. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and He shows us the Father’s will. For every need we may possibly have, we can receive the Father’s resources by the Holy Spirit. Shadows change as the sun moves across the sky, but God never changes. God spoke through the prophet Malachi stating, “I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6). God supplied all of Israel’s needs even as they demonstrated stubbornness and rebellion through disobedience. How much more will He give us our daily need because of what Jesus has established for us in a better covenant? Jesus fulfilled His Father’s will on earth and made it possible for each of us to receive our portion from the Father’s supply.
Come with confidence, asking the Father for bread. It may be natural food or it may be the bread of healing as with the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15. It may be a passage the Holy Spirit gives in order to help bring you through a tough time. We call this “the bread of His Word.” Jesus is the bread which came down from heaven to feed the whole world.
Father, I thank You for the promise that you will supply all of my needs according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus, the Lord. Please grant me an increasing grace to trust You daily. As I trust in You, help me to be an inspiration to others in their time of difficulty.
