Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Topic Introduction with headline.
Scripture
Romans 8:15
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
Devotional
Abba, Father.
Dad, daddy, pop, papa, what do you call your father informally?
When you climbed up in his lap as a kid and looked up into his face, what name did you use to get his attention?
That’s what Abba means.
Jesus addressed His Father, the Eternal God, the Creator of all things as Abba, Daddy
Expresses an intimate relationship between father and son
Compassion
Nurture
Me
ntoring
Protection
Sharing of values
Passing on a legacy from generation to generation
We are made in the image of God, Jesus is more than the image of God, He is God and calls the Father, Abba
He invites us into that kind of intimate relationship and come to know the Father as Abba
Know His love and compassion
Know His peace and protection
Learn of His legacy and loveliness
Let Him share His wisdom and pass on the knowledge He wants you to know
The Creator will embrace you as a loving father embraces his children
As daddy, papa, abba
With an intimacy only a perfect father can express to his children
No matter what you might be going through today, remember you have a loving Father in heaven who loves you enough to become flesh and blood to rescue you.
He loves you enough to wrap you in His strong arms and protect you from whatever you might be facing.
He wants you to know Him as Abba, daddy, papa
Worship the God of all creation today and get to know Him as Abba.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
You can have an appointment with the creator of the cosmos. All you have to do is call His name and He will make time on His calendar for you.
Scripture
John 16:23-28
Jesus: When all this transpires, you will finally have the answers you have been seeking. I tell you the truth, anything you ask of the Father in My name, He will give to you. Until this moment, you have not sought after anything in My name. Ask and you will receive so that you will be filled with joy.
I have been teaching you all of these truths through stories and metaphors, but the time is coming for Me to speak openly and directly of the Father.
The day is coming when you will make a request in My name, but I will not represent you before the Father. You will be heard directly by the Father. The Father loves you because you love Me and know that I come from the Father. I came from the Father into the cosmos, but soon I will leave it and return to the Father.
Devotional
I’m not sure we understand the implications of Jesus’ words to the disciples most of the time or we would do things a lot differently
You will be heard directly by the Father
Think about who He is
Creator of the cosmos
Billions of galaxies, farthest one we can see is 32 billion light years away
Each galaxy has billions of stars
960,000 earths in our star, the sun, not even mid-sized, more on the small size
If our solar system was the size of the United States, earth would be the size of a quarter
God spoke and it came into being
God keeps everything running smoothly just for His pleasure
Created this earth with just the right amount of air and water and all the elements necessary for life
Created you
Miracle of birth, life started, you took a breath, an impossibility when you count the odds
Think of how insignificant we are in comparison
What have you created lately?
Anything you created came from ingredients that already existed
God made everything out of nothing, He provided the raw materials you might use for your creative bent
Yet He calls us to talk with Him and ask for His help, to ask for things that will bring glory to Him
He opens His appointment book for us
We don’t understand just who He is
We become too familiar and fail to stand in awe of the Creator of all things
We don’t take advantage of His open invitation to come into His presence
Balance between the two.
Creator
Father
Talk with Him today
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Topic Introduction with headline.
Scripture
John 14:13-14
Jesus: Whatever you ask for in My name, I will do it so that the Father will get glory from the Son. Let Me say it again: if you ask for anything in My name, I will do it.
Devotional
When I was growing up, there was a show in which a multimillionaire went around the country and just arbitrarily wrote a check to people for several thousand dollars.
Not worth quite as much today, but a lot of money then
Never showed the millionaire’s face or mentioned his name
Show focused on what the recipients did with the money
Some squandered the money on frivolous junk
Some spent it on things that seemed like good investments, but only on themselves
Some did charitable things for other people
Sometimes we read these verses with that kind of thought in mind
Santa is coming
Get whatever we want
Just ask and it will appear
All we have to do is tag on His name at the end and it will happen the way we want
Twisted view of these verses
About His name, not ours
About His ministry, not ours
About His plans, not ours
About His wants, not ours
Jesus wants to answer our prayers to bring glory to Him which gives glory to the Father
Goes back, then, to what is the Father’s desires and plans for this world
Desires that all will know His saving grace and follow Him
That all will recognize Him as God and serve Him as God
That all will come to a saving relationship with Him
That all will worship Him
Do our prayers reflect that attitude, that request, that outcome as an end result?
He will answer
He wants the glory
First commandment, He is a jealous God, He will not share our devotion with anyone or anything
He alone deserves our worship
He wants His name untarnished
Ask in His name
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Is silent prayer effective? Yep. Is vocal prayer effective? Yep. Is prayer effective? Yep. When it’s for the right reason.
Scripture
John 11:39-42
Jesus: Remove the stone.
Martha: Lord, he has been dead four days; the stench will be unbearable.
Jesus: Remember, I told you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God.
They removed the stone, and Jesus lifted His eyes toward heaven.
Jesus: Father, I am grateful that You have heard Me. I know that You are always listening, but I proclaim it loudly so that everyone here will believe You have sent Me.
Devotional
I know people that are scared to death to pray out loud.
They are afraid they’ll say the wrong thing.
They think someone might think poorly of them because of the words they say.
They get their tongues tied and nothing seems to come out right
They’re afraid they’ll forget something they really want to say
I know others who think you really need to pray out loud to keep focused during prayer
It’s too easy to let your mind wander
It’s easier to gather your thoughts
It helps you articulate your praise to God
It helps you focus on others instead of yourself
It forces you to think more clearly about what you’re doing
Jesus shows us that prayer is effective no matter how we pray as long as it’s for the right reason.
“Father, I’m grateful You have heard Me.”
But He hasn’t said anything out loud yet. He has obviously prayed, but communicated silently with His Father.
“I know You are always listening”
“I proclaim it loudly so that everyone here will believe You have sent Me.”
His vocal prayer is heard so others will know His specific prayer to the Father for Lazarus’ resurrection
What was all of this about?
Everything Jesus did was to bring glory to God
He stated before He left for Bethany that His delay and actions would bring glory to His Father
All His prayer requests sought direction to give the most glory to God
His actions aimed glory to God and not Himself
Jesus came to Bethany to bring glory to His Father
He would raise Lazarus from the dead
He would show He was one with the Father since only God had the power to give life
He would point all of those action toward one purpose and one cause
Bringing glory to His Father
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
How hard did you work to make your father pleased when you were a kid? I sometimes worked really hard, but often failed miserably. My early days of sitting on the front pews of the church were often accompanied by spanking for my misbehavior when I got home. Not exactly pleasing behavior, I expect.
Scripture
John 8:28-29
They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”
Devotional
I’m a preacher’s kid. Growing up, my brother and I usually sat on the front seat so my dad could keep an eye on us.
Had a problem sitting still
Got in trouble almost every service
I wanted to please my father, but just had to cut up with my brother instead of paying attention to the service
I knew the rules, sit still, be quiet, and listen
I could only do that for a little while when I was in elementary school
Wanted to please, but got in trouble a lot
We’re like that with THE Father
We know the rules
We know when we are about to break them
We know what He wants from us and how He wants us to behave
Like little kids that can’t sit still, we can’t please Him sometimes
We do our own thing instead of obeying
And we get in trouble
As I matured, I learned to appreciate what the pastor was saying
First my dad
Later other pastors
I still want to please my earthly father
I want to please my heavenly Father more
Always present to help me know how to please Him
Sometimes have to guess with our earthly fathers
We think we know what they want, but we don’t
God lives with us and in us to guide us if we will listen to His voice
Earthly fathers can’t be with us all the time to help us through life and let us know what they want. God can and does
Earthly fathers change their minds and change the rules sometimes
God never does, His plan for our salvation has not changed since the beginning of time and Adam’s first sin
Do I always please Him?
No
But He always forgives when I ask in true repentance
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Matthew 1:18-25 18 So here, finally, is the story of the birth of Jesus the Anointed (it is quite a remarkable story):
Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, son of David. They hadn’t married. And yet, some time well before their wedding date, Mary learned that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, because he was kind and upstanding and honorable, wanted to spare Mary shame. He did not wish to cause her more embarrassment than necessary. 20 Now when Joseph had decided to act on his instincts, a messenger of the Lord came to him in a dream. Messenger of the Lord: Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to wed Mary and bring her into your home and family as your wife. She did not sneak off and sleep with someone else—rather, she conceived the baby she now carries through the miraculous wonderworking of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will have a son, and you will name Him Jesus, which means “the Lord saves,” because this Jesus is the person who will save all of His people from sin. 24 Joseph woke up from his dream and did exactly what the messenger had told him to do: he married Mary and brought her into his home as his wife 25 (though he did not consummate their marriage until after her son was born). And when the baby was born, Joseph named Him Jesus, Savior. 22 Years and years ago, Isaiah, a prophet of Israel, foretold the story of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus: 23 A virgin will conceive and bear a Son,
and His name will be Immanuel
(which is a Hebrew name that means “God with us”).
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
Did you ever think what it would be like to be in Joseph’s shoes? Your parents arrange a marriage with one of the local girls in Nazareth. She’s young, not too bad looking. You’ve known Mary most of your life. She won’t be too bad a catch, but her parents are rich or anything. They are the appropriate exchanges of gifts and doweries to solidify deal and now you wait for the years to pass by so Mary can become your wife.
Then just a few months before the magic day arrives you find out she’s pregnant and you know this baby isn’t yours. You haven’t had a chance to talk with her because the culture doesn’t let you talk privately. So what are you supposed to think. How could she shame you and your family this way. But then you know Mary. You know her character and that of her family. You know she would not go out and do this willingly.
So you believe someone in the little village must have taken advantage of her when she was away from her parents. You’re not sure how it could happen, but that must be the explanation and you want to keep her from any further embarrassment and try to figure out how to move the wedding up to save her any further shame.
Do you understand how Joseph might have felt? He must have really loved Mary, though, because she would deliver before the expected time and the two of them would be labeled as having sex before marriage. Strictly taboo in their culture. Joseph could tell people the child was his and he could save Mary from stoning, but he couldn’t keep her from the snide remarks, the suggestive looks and comments, the isolation at the public well, all the things that went with the shunning that was sure to happen to both of them because of the supposed indiscretion between them.
Joseph would feel the pressure as much as Mary once Jesus was born. Yet until the angel came and explained her situation, he still supported her and wanted to avoid any shame and embarrassment she might endure. And then the angel came.
How could Joseph handle raising My Son? How could he support His education and mentoring as an earthly father? How could Joseph treat Jesus the same as his other children knowing who Jesus was and who his real father was? Did you ever think about how inadequate Joseph felt for the task ahead of him? But Joseph did what I ask any of you to do, your best. That’s all. No more, and no less. Just that and I’m satisfied.
Luke 15:11-32 11 Once there was this man who had two sons. 12 One day the younger son came to his father and said, “Father, eventually I’m going to inherit my share of your estate. Rather than waiting until you die, I want you to give me my share now.” And so the father liquidated assets and divided them. 13 A few days passed and this younger son gathered all his wealth and set off on a journey to a distant land. Once there he wasted everything he owned on wild living. 14 He was broke, a terrible famine struck that land, and he felt desperately hungry and in need. 15 He got a job with one of the locals, who sent him into the fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man felt so miserably hungry that he wished he could eat the slop the pigs were eating. Nobody gave him anything. 17 So he had this moment of self-reflection: “What am I doing here? Back home, my father’s hired servants have plenty of food. Why am I here starving to death? 18 I’ll get up and return to my father, and I’ll say, ‘Father, I have done wrong—wrong against God and against you. 19 I have forfeited any right to be treated like your son, but I’m wondering if you’d treat me as one of your hired servants?’” 20 So he got up and returned to his father. The father looked off in the distance and saw the young man returning. He felt compassion for his son and ran out to him, enfolded him in an embrace, and kissed him. 21 The son said, “Father, I have done a terrible wrong in God’s sight and in your sight too. I have forfeited any right to be treated as your son.” 22 But the father turned to his servants and said, “Quick! Bring the best robe we have and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. 23 Go get the fattest calf and butcher it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate 24 because my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and has been found.” So they had this huge party. 25 Now the man’s older son was still out in the fields working. He came home at the end of the day and heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the servants and asked what was going on. 27 The servant said, “Your brother has returned, and your father has butchered the fattest calf to celebrate his safe return.” 28 The older brother got really angry and refused to come inside, so his father came out and pleaded with him to join the celebration. 29 But he argued back, “Listen, all these years I’ve worked hard for you. I’ve never disobeyed one of your orders. But how many times have you even given me a little goat to roast for a party with my friends? Not once! This is not fair! 30 So this son of yours comes, this wasteful delinquent who has spent your hard-earned wealth on loose women, and what do you do? You butcher the fattest calf from our herd!” 31 The father replied, “My son, you are always with me, and all I have is yours. 32 Isn’t it right to join in the celebration and be happy? This is your brother we’re talking about. He was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found again!”
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
Have you ever really looked at what the father did for his son in the story of the prodigal son? Read it again. It gives you a little insight into the choices he allows his sons to make despite the price it might cost him. When his youngest son asks for his inheritance early, that’s a pretty brazen act. In order to give his son his inheritance, it cost the father everything! He had to liquidate his assets to do it.
Remember, an inheritance is supposed to come after a person’s death, but the father liquidated his assets, his ability to make a living for himself, to give his sons their inheritance before his death. Then a third of the value went to his youngest son and two-thirds to his oldest as was the custom. So imagine selling everything you have right now to give a third of its value to your rebellious, troublesome son. Your house is gone, your cars are gone, your furniture goes, everything. The auctioneer comes in and determines the value so your youngest can run away with everything you’ve worked for all your life.
Maybe you have been saving up for retirement and wanted to travel the last few years of your life. Now it’s gone. Maybe you planned to set money aside for your grandkids. Too bad, all whisked away in the auction to settle the inheritances. But the father willingly gave up all he had for the wayward child’s decision. Now for all intents and purposes, he was a hired hand for his oldest son. Fortunately, his son kept him on to manage the rest of the assets and the story implies other two-thirds of the family fortune grew under his father’s management.
The father gave up more than you might initially think when you first read the story. Then look at what he does when the son returns. He welcomes him into the home as a lost son. No recrimination, no criticism. The father just opens his arms and welcomes his lost son with love, mercy and grace.
It’s a good metaphor for how I treat you. I give you a choice as to how you want to live, and it costs Me everything when you tear away from Me. I gave Myself to win you back. I gave up heaven and all its glory and became flesh to be the sacrifice for your sins. And I celebrate when you wake up and discover you can come back to Me. I welcome you home with open arms as the father in the story does when you figure out My plans are best for you.
Wake up. Discover My home is the best place for you.
John 5:16-47 16 So they began pursuing and attacking Jesus because He performed these miracles on the Sabbath. Jesus (to His attackers): 17 My Father is at work. So I, too, am working. 18 He was justifying the importance of His work on the Sabbath, claiming God as His Father in ways that suggested He was equal to God. These pious religious leaders sought an opportunity to kill Jesus, and these words fueled their hatred. Jesus: 19 The truth is that the Son does nothing on His own; all these actions are led by the Father. The Son watches the Father closely and then mimics the work of the Father. 20 The Father loves the Son, so He does not hide His actions. Instead, He shows Him everything, and the things not yet revealed by the Father will dumbfound you. 21 The Father can give life to those who are dead; in the same way, the Son can give the gift of life to those He chooses. 22 The Father does not exert His power to judge anyone. Instead, He has given the authority as Judge to the Son. 23 So all of creation will honor and worship the Son as they do the Father. If you do not honor the Son, then you dishonor the Father who sent Him. 24 I tell you the truth: eternal life belongs to those who hear My voice and believe in the One who sent Me. These people have no reason to fear judgment because they have already left death and entered life. 25 I tell you the truth: a new day is imminent—in fact, it has arrived—when the voice of the Son of God will penetrate death’s domain, and everyone who hears will live. 26-27 You see, the Father radiates with life; and He also animates the Son of God with the same life-giving beauty and power to exercise judgment over all of creation. Indeed, the Son of God is also the Son of Man. 28 If this sounds amazing to you, what is even more amazing is that when the time comes, those buried long ago will hear His voice through all the rocks, sod, and soil 29 and step out of decay into resurrection. When this hour arrives, those who did good will be resurrected to life, and those who did evil will be resurrected to judgment. 30 I have not ever acted, and will not in the future act, on My own. I listen to the directions of the One who sent Me and act on these divine instructions. For this reason, My judgment is always fair and never self-serving. I’m committed to pursuing God’s agenda and not My own. 31 If I stand as the lone witness to My true identity, then I can be dismissed as a liar. 32 But if you listen, you will hear another testify about Me, and I know what He says about Me is genuine and true. 33 You sent messengers to John, and he told the truth to everyone who would listen. 34 Still his message about Me originated in heaven, not in mortal man. I am telling you these things for one reason—so that you might be rescued. 35 The voice of John the Baptist, the wandering prophet, is like a light in the darkness; and for a time, you took great joy and pleasure in the light he offered. 36 There’s another witness standing in My corner who is greater than John or any other man. The mission that brings Me here, and the things I am called to do, demonstrate the authenticity of My calling which comes directly from the Father. 37 In the act of sending Me, the Father has endorsed Me. None of you really knows the Father. You have never heard His voice or seen His profile. 38 His word does not abide in you because you do not believe in the One sent by the Father. 39 Here you are scouring through the Scriptures, hoping that you will find eternal life among a pile of scrolls. What you don’t seem to understand is that the Scriptures point to Me. 40 Here I am with you, and still you reject the truth contained in the law and prophets by refusing to come to Me so that you can have life. 41 This kind of glory does not come from mortal men. 42 And I see that you do not possess the love of God. 43 I have pursued you, coming here in My Father’s name, and you have turned Me away. If someone else were to approach you with a different set of credentials, you would welcome him. 44 That’s why it is hard to see how true faith is even possible for you: you are consumed by the approval of other men, longing to look good in their eyes; and yet you disregard the approval of the one true God. 45 Don’t worry that I might bring you up on charges before My Father. Moses is your accuser even though you’ve put your hope in him 46 because if you believed what Moses had to say, then you would believe in Me because he wrote about Me. 47 But if you ignore Moses and the deeper meaning of his writings, then how will you ever believe what I have to say?
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
My conversation with the religious leaders recorded by John make pretty clear My position and role while I was living with you. I did the work of the Father as part of the Triune godhead while on earth. I shared His message with you both in words and in action so you would believe in Me and My mission.
One important thing to remember about the description recorded by John, the Father radiates life, and so does the Son. I will soon demonstrate the fact by raising others from the dead and after My crucifixion I will rise from the dead Myself. The Father and Son are one radiating life to all who will accept it, and judgment to all who will not. Make the right choice.
