by George Runyan | Jul 15, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
Hebrews 13:17 – Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give account.
The Government of God is His divine order. It is an expression of His Love for His people in the watching out for their souls. Many think of obeying another person as a form of bondage, but the Scriptures speak of obedience as true liberty. Obviously, when we are submitted to leaders there is the possibility of abuse. God’s command of our obedience to His leaders is in the context of leadership being submitted to Christ.
Earlier in Hebrews 13:7 the writer says “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.” Leadership is called to a high degree of modeling the attitude and conduct of Christ Jesus. We are called to look at the lives of our leaders and consider the results of their faith.
When Paul calls the people of God to a life of prayer, he first directs their attention to praying for all men and begins with “kings and all who are in authority” (1Timothy 2:2a). Government and authority are close to the heart of God. Paul further states the purpose of remembering these in prayer, “so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1Timothy 2:2b).
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right” (1 Peter 2:13-14). Peter affirms this to be the will of God for all those who name the Name of Jesus. The Christian is to be known as the most law-abiding citizen in society.
Peter ends his thoughts on honoring authority by saying, Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king (1 Peter 2:18). The Lord has called His sons and daughters to be the example of submitted, law abiding people as a testimony of the “divine order” of His Kingdom in the earth.
Father, I ask for the grace of the Holy Spirit in my life to obey Your word in all things. Help me in this area of Divine Order. Grace me to be a good citizen in the society, to be an example of godliness in all I do.
by George Runyan | Jul 14, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
God’s love is manifested through the prophets as they give revelation of the plans which God wants His people to know. “Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile” (Jeremiah 29:11-14).
God desires that His people have such a relationship with Him, so that He can reveal His will to them. He wants them to voice God’s will so that others will know. “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). He reveals His desire that all of His people would “prophesy” in 1 Corinthians 14:31 when Paul says “For you can all prophesy one by one.” Paul goes on to reveal that prophecy has purpose; that it is “for learning and the exhorting” of God’s people. Prophecy is not the natural man trying to figure out God’s will, but the Spirit of God making known His will to the spirit of a person. What one believes the Spirit of God has revealed to them is subject to others hearing God as well. No spirit of prophecy is “private,” but is to be confirmed by what others are hearing God say. “The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets; for God is not a God of confusion but peace as in all the churches of saints” (1 Corinthians 14:32-33).
God’s love is revealed in the Son. God so loved the world that He gave His very best – He wants our very best as well. Our best is not our efforts, but His Son revealed in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. His love is revealed in the “Gift of His Holy Spirit.” The Spirit only produces Christ’s life, not our opinions or wants.
In the Spirit, God gave a helper: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever” (John 14:16). Through the Spirit He does not leave us as orphans (John 14:18)
Father, I thank You for the spirit of prophecy. I pray for You to stir up the prophetic gift in my life. You want me to convey Your will and Your love. I choose to give You my very best, my utmost for Your highest. I am dependent for all I have from the Helper which You have given.
by George Runyan | Jul 13, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
1 John 3:1 – See how great a love the father has bestowed on us, that we would be called the children of God, and such we are.
For the next few devotions we will consider expressions of the Father’s Love.
In the Garden – God’s love is revealed through the boundaries He set for His creation. Adam was given assignments by the Lord. If he stayed within the boundaries the Lord gave, Adam would increase in the favor of God. He was given responsibility for the care of the entire Garden. He was to protect the Garden from any harm, and he was assigned the naming of all the animals. Eve’s call was as a helpmeet to Adam’s work. Proverbs 31 gives us God’s view of the virtuous women. Adam and Eve only had one area forbidden by the Lord. Don’t eat of the tree in the middle of the Garden (Genesis 2:17). Knowledge comes from God through intimacy with Him. Adam and Eve forsook that principle and lost the presence of the Lord’s favor. In God’s love He made a promise of redemption through the seed of the woman.
On the Mountain – God’s love is revealed through Moral Law. Moral law is the foundation for freedom, health, and prosperity which the Father wants for His children. Found recorded in Exodus 20:1-7 are 10 Commandments, four upward and six outward, The Law was not done away, but fulfilled, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:17-19). Jesus summed up the Law when He said, “You Shall Love The Lord Your God With All Your Heart, And With All Your Soul, And With All Your Mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You Shall Love Your Neighbor As Yourself.’ On these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets” (Matt 22:37-40).
God’s love is then revealed as He sets boundaries around our lives. These boundaries are to protect us from the schemes of the enemy and to prepare us for God’s purpose and His determined destiny for every believer. His Moral law is the expression of His love for society. Through moral law, God’s people can grow in freedom, remain healthy, and develop financially for their own welfare and to bless others through God’s favor.
Father, I thank You for both “boundaries’ and “Moral Law” to protect and guide me. I receive Your freedom, health, and prosperity in my life.
by George Runyan | Jul 12, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
2 Timothy 1:14 – Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.
I have not been able to move on from this instructive word of Paul to Timothy. I have been asking myself before the Lord, “How well do I guard the treasure?” The treasure is Jesus Christ and the life He has given to each believer. That life came through the power of the Holy Spirit and can only be kept through His power as well. Paul says to “guard” through the Holy Spirit. Daily I need to be asking the Holy Spirit for His help to protect what the Lord has given to me by His grace.
Life is filled with little foxes that “spoil the vines.” “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, while our vineyards are in blossom” (Song of Solomon 2:15). Foxes quietly sneak into the vineyard and ravage the vines while the owner of the vineyard is asleep. The enemy tries to sneak into the vineyard of our lives in order to spoil what the Lord has been growing. It is important to be diligent in guarding the treasure of His life that lives inside of us. We do this by guarding our life through the Holy Spirit. We are the Lord’s vineyard and He is looking for the fruit of the vine which Jesus calls “the new wine.”
I believe the little foxes to be “the cares of the world.” It is a subtitle because the cares of the world are tied closely with the daily needs to sustain living in this natural life. We all have basic needs which the Lord promises to supply. “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:31-33).
Part of the task of guarding is to not worry. We are to trust our heavenly Father for all. Another part of guarding is to “seek first God’s Kingdom.” It is important to evaluate our life by looking at our priorities. Does the kingdom of God take first place in everything? If not, stop and repent and then surrender that area to the Lord. Immediately ask for the Holy Spirit’s power to help you. Look up the word “guard” in a concordance and see how often believers are instructed “to guard” particular areas of their lives.
Father, I ask You to raise the level of my awareness of guarding the treasure You have entrusted to me. Show me the “little foxes” so I can drive them off and protect the vines that You are growing to produce the fruit of new wine. I trust in the help of Your Holy Spirit who “dwells in me.
by George Runyan | Jul 9, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
2 Timothy 1:11-12 – I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.
Paul is instructing a young minister named Timothy. Previously Paul had taught Timothy to not be ashamed of his testimony of Christ or of Paul who was totally dedicated to Christ through his sufferings. Paul states, “Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Timothy 1:9).
We are included in the “us” to which Paul is referring. Jesus saved you and me. Jesus called you and me with a holy calling. That means we have been separated to God’s eternal purposes and His grace. Relax, for only in Christ Jesus can we accomplish what God wants done. Paul realizes he was “appointed.” Timothy was being reminded by Paul that he too had been appointed. The Scriptures remind us as well of our appointment. Paul and Timothy took responsibility for their appointment. We too must take responsibility for His assignment in our lives. This is done through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul further tells Timothy, “By the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10). Every revelation we receive from God comes as a result of what Jesus did through His earthly ministry. Faith tells us that death has been abolished. Faith tells us that life and immortality have been granted. Faith operates because of the light which came through the gospel. Paul, in verse 11 says, “I have been made a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.” Paul is describing that he was called in three specific areas of the gospel. First, he was called to proclaim the good news (Romans 10:14). Secondly, as an apostle, Paul is a builder. “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it” (1 Corinthians 3:10-11). Finally, Paul is called as a teacher. “For this I was appointed . . . as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth (1Timothy 2:7).
We, as Paul, need to know what God has called us to in the body of Christ. We all have a responsibility to proclaim the good news. We are to be a consistent witness to others daily. We are all called to build our lives upon the Lord Jesus Christ. We are then to help others build strong Christian lives. Finally, we need to know God’s Word and be available to instruct others in the admonition of the Scriptures.
Father, I ask for divine appointments to share with others Your eternal truths.
by George Runyan | Jul 7, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
Matthew 16:18 – I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church.
Jesus came to build His church. He did not come to start a church, but to build a church. Building requires a sure footing on which a foundation can be laid. Once the foundation is laid, then the building can begin. As Jesus is talking with His disciples in Matthew 16, He asks them what the general consensus is among the people about His identity. He then got more specific with them and asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter boldly states, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Upon Peter’s statement, Jesus goes on to tell His disciples that “upon this rock I will build My church.” What rock? The eternal truth that Peter had stated!
The name Christ means, “The Anointed One” or “Messiah.” He is not only “God’s Anointed One,” but the living Son of God. The Christian faith is rooted in this eternal truth. If any one does not believe this, they are not Christian. Jesus gave up His human life on the cross, in order to build a “new building” from His resurrected life. His whole spirit, soul, and body were raised from the dead on the third day by the power of the Holy Spirit.
“You are no longer strangers and aliens, but follow-citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22).
Jesus the Rock, Jesus the Builder, Jesus who laid the foundation in both His Apostles and Prophets is building by using people as the stones of His church building. “Coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4-6). The Church is not mortar or brick. The Church is not an ecclesiastical system. The Church is a people made alive by the Holy Spirit. The Church is not “static,” but “dynamic” in its spiritual core. In other words, The Church is alive on earth. Another metaphor which Jesus used in John 15 is that we are branches which are attached to Him, a fruit-bearing Vine. Today, celebrate your life in Christ as a living stone and a fruit-bearing branch for His glory!
Father, I thank You for raising me up from the dead in Christ. Thank You for the breath of Your Holy Spirit who causes me to be a living stone in the building You are building in the earth by Your Son Jesus, the Christ. Cause me to be a dynamic force for Your glory in my sphere of influence.
