Daily Devotion Archives - www.HNewsWire.com

Watchman: Daily Devotional, Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 Contain Jesus’ Teaching on the Last Days. The Disciples Asked for Information About Two Separate Events. They Asked When the Buildings of Jerusalem Would Be Torn Down. They Also Lumped in a Request for Information About the End of the Age

Daily Devotional: Matthew 24:12-14 (NIV) 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. In Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, Jesus teaches about the end times. The disciples inquired about two distinct occurrences. They inquired as to when the Jerusalem structures will be demolished. In addition, they included a plea for information concerning the end of the world. They believed the two occurrences would occur simultaneously. Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D., yet the end of the age has not yet arrived. Although many prophesies speak to both the first and second comings of Christ,…

Watchman: Daily Devotional, Jesus Summarizes It All by Declaring That the Ways of His Kingdom Are Frequently in Conflict With the Ways of the World. There Will Be a Significant Number of People Who Are Currently in Last Place Who Will Move Up to First Place. The World of the Kingdom, Which Is Turned On Its Head, Guarantees to Make Things Right for Those Who Have Been Wronged

Daily Devotional: Matthew 19:28-30 (NIV) 28 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. Following Jesus’ exhortation to the rich young ruler, Peter inquired as to what it meant for them to have left everything to follow Jesus. First, Jesus assures his followers that they will hold positions of responsibility in the upcoming kingdom. First,…

Watchman: Daily Devotional, A Rich Young Man Approached Jesus. He Inquired of Jesus Which Laws Were Necessary to Keep To Enter Into Heaven

Daily Devotional: Matthew 19:24-26 (NIV) 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” 26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” A rich young man approached Jesus. He inquired of Jesus which laws were necessary to keep to enter into heaven. Many Jews believed that if they could narrow down the laws to those most important to God, they would stand a better chance of getting into heaven. Jesus asked the man to sell all he owned, give it to the poor, and follow Him. This came at a time…

Watchman: Daily Devotional, Praying for Christ’s Rule—”Thy Kingdom Come” (Matt. 6:10)–When You Pray, “Thy Kingdom Come,” You Are Praying for Christ to Reign on Earth as He Already Does in Heaven

Daily Devotional: Sin and rebellion are now rampant, but when Christ’s kingdom comes, they will be done away with (Rev. 20:7-9). When we hear the word kingdom we tend to think of medieval castles, kings, knights, and the like. But “kingdom” in Matthew 6:10 translates a Greek word that means “rule” or “reign.” We could translate the phrase, “Thy reign come.” That gives a clearer sense of what Christ meant. He prayed that God’s rule would be as apparent on earth as it is in heaven. God’s kingdom was the central issue in Christ’s ministry. He proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 4:23) and instructed His followers to make the kingdom a priority in their own lives (Matt. 6:33). He told parables about its character and value (Matt. 13) and indicted the scribes and Pharisees for hindering those who sought to…

Watchman: Daily Devotional, “Hallowed Be Thy Name” (Matt. 6:9). Prayer Should Always Exalt God. Your Prayer Should Literally Begin and End With God

Daily Devotional: Psalm 102:15 says, “The nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory. The Disciples’ Prayer exemplifies the importance that God should place on our prayers. Jesus began by extolling the Father, saying, “Hallowed be Thy name” (v. 9), and then asked for the Father’s kingdom to come and His will to be done (v. 10). He ended with a praise song: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen” (v. 13). God is the beginning and finish of his prayer. “Hallowed be Thy name” extols the Lord’s name and establishes a tone of reverence and surrender that is maintained throughout the prayer. Wherever God’s name is honored, He will be loved and worshipped, His kingdom will be joyfully expected, and His will will be…

Watchman: Daily Devotional, After Jesus’ Exhortation on How to Approach One Who Has Sinned Against You, He Followed With a Parable of Forgiveness. The Parable Tells of a Master Forgiving an Insurmountable Debt

Daily Devotional: Matthew 18:33-35 (NIV) 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35″This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” Following Jesus’ exhortation on how to approach someone who has sinned against you, He told a tale about forgiveness. A master forgives an overwhelming debt in the parable. The master summoned his servant and chastised him for not showing mercy after being shown kindness. Every one of us bears witness to God’s mercy and grace. The parable teaches us to be kind to people who owe us money. Then, in the scripture for today, Jesus issued a harsh…

Watchman: Daily Devotional, “Our Father Who Art in Heaven” (Matt. 6:9).With God as Your Father, Your Life Has Eternal Significance

Daily Devotional: Poet Thomas Hardy said that prayer is useless because there’s no one to pray to except “that dreaming, dark, dumb thing that turns the handle of this idle show.” Voltaire described life as a bad joke. He added, “Bring down the curtain; the farce is done.” Such is the blasphemy and despair of all who insist that God is uninvolved in human affairs. The fatherhood of God was rejected by Greek and Roman intellectuals of Jesus’ day because it violated their philosophical theories. According to the Stoic thinkers, all gods were apathetic and had no emotions. According to Epicurean philosophy, the greatest characteristic of the gods was full calm, or perfect tranquility. To retain their peace, they needed to be completely removed from the human condition. All such errors are refuted by Scripture, which declares God to be…

Watchman: Daily Devotional, Prayer Begins With the Recognition That God Is Your Father and Has the Resources to Meet Your Needs

Daily Devotional: The term Father is one of the most commonly used terms in our prayers, and rightly so because that’s how Jesus taught us to pray. But as common as that term is to us, it was very uncommon to the people of Christ’s day. Back then, most individuals who worshiped false gods saw them as distant, unpredictable, and immoral beings to be feared. Even the Jewish people, who were supposed to understand God’s paternity, had distanced themselves from His Fatherly care via sin and apostasy. As a result, He appeared distant to them. Even those who claimed God as their Father were chastised by Christ, who referred to them as “children of the devil” because they rejected the Son (John 8:44). Christ’s teaching was revolutionary against this context. He described God as a kind and gracious Father who…

Watchman: Daily Devotional, Peter Had Just Been Commended for His Perception of the Revelation of God That Jesus Is the Messiah. Then Peter Became an Instrument of Satan

Daily Devotional: Matthew 16:21-23 (NIV) 21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” According to a study of Jesus’ historical biography, this turning point occurred just before the transfiguration. Three of the disciples would witness Jesus’ glory. Their eyes would corroborate what their hearts had…

Watchman: Daily Devotional, This Is the Only Passage in the New Testament That Tells How to Practically Go About Resolving a Conflict Between Brothers in Christ. If We Would Follow It Carefully, We Would Resolve Many Conflicts Before They Got to the Point of Being Irreparable

Daily Devotional: Matthew 18:15-17 (NIV) 15″ If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. This is the only text in the New Bible that describes how to resolve a quarrel between brothers in Christ. If we followed it diligently, we would be able to repair many disagreements before they became irreparable. Step one: The person who has…