Moments with the Master: A Daily Devotional Guide for Today's Christians

By Bob Winston

Each devotion contains a reference to a brief Bible passage, a key verse and then the author's thoughts for applying the teachings of the passage to the reader's situation in life. The book has evolved from a quarterly comb bound book of devotions for seniors in a retirement center. Because of the positive response of readers it was expanded to a yearly comb bound book. A number of median and young adults used the book and found it meaningful and urged that it be revised for adults of all ages and published in ebook format.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483514307

Book preview

AMEN

JANUARY 2 - Repentance

READING: Matthew 3:7-17

KEY THOUGHT: Bear fruit worthy of repentance. -verse 8

In this past year, we have all had many opportunities to say, I’m sorry! Each time these words have been sincere but many times the actions, which followed the words, have not lent to their credibility. True repentance is fruitful. It is only when people see in our attitudes and actions towards them, genuine repentance, that they will be able to believe our words. It is only when people see our faith in action that they will be able to move closer to faith themselves. A faith without works is indeed a dead faith. Words of love without deeds of love are indeed hollow and empty words.

PRAYER: Lord, the world around me today needs desperately to see your love. May I be living proof of your love today! AMEN

JANUARY 3 - Temptation

READING: Matthew 4:1-11

KEY THOUGHT: He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards...the tempter came and said to him...- verses 2, 3

Temptation almost always comes upon us when we least expect it. Therefore, if we are to resist temptation when it comes, we must be ready with a storehouse full of a variety of tools with which to repel the assault. The Bible offers us many such tools.

Jesus fasted in preparation for His temptation. He was constantly in touch with the Father through prayer. He had a thorough knowledge and understanding of the Holy Scriptures. He knew how to recognize the temptation even when it came with attractive offers. Can we afford to be any less prepared?

PRAYER: Lord, help me to lay up a supply of tools today to use against the temptations that will come. AMEN

JANUARY 4 – Physical Fitness

READING: Matthew 4: 1-11

KEY THOUGHT: One does not live by bread alone...- verse 4

The Apostle Paul reminds us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19). Our physical bodies are a significant gift of God. It is through them that we are able to communicate with the world around us. Our senses of taste, touch and smell help us to enjoy the world around us. They are often also our sources of greatest temptation. It tastes so good, so we eat too much, or we eat that sweet that as a diabetic is forbidden fruit.

Jesus was tempted to gain a following by offering to provide these creature comforts as an incentive to follow him. Eve was offered forbidden fruit. Eve yielded to the temptation. Jesus, on the other hand, did not yield. If he could do it, so can we, if we rely on the tools he has left us.

PRAYER: Father, help me to avoid temptation today! AMEN

JANUARY 5 – Spiritual Fitness

READING: Matthew 4: 1-11

KEY THOUGHT: Again it is written, do not put the Lord your God to the test. - verse 7

Today Paul reminds us that we also have a spiritual body (ICorinthians15:44). It is with that body that we experience the world of the Spirit of God. Because we have the Spirit of God within us, we are easily tempted to ask for special Spiritual Powers reserved only to God. Sometimes we are even tempted to command God to give us spiritual favors. We pray, God, you have got to ___ , rather than saying, God, please ____, but nevertheless not my will but yours be done.

Jesus was tempted to gain a following by showing off his Spiritual Power. Fortunately he was able to resist the temptation to come down, not only from the pinnacle of the temple but from the cross as well. Our spiritual bodies also give us the power to resist when we are tempted to play God.

PRAYER: Father, help me to show forth your true spirit to those you send my way today. AMEN

JANUARY 6 – Relationship Fitness

READING: Matthew 4:1-11 KEY THOUGHT: Worship the Lord your God and serve only him. -verse 10

Relationships are an important part of life. We all develop a number of very deep and meaningful relationships. It is tempting to place our deep human relationships equal to or above our relationship to God because we can experience our human relationships with all our physical senses, but our relationship to God can only be experienced spiritually.

Jesus had some deeply personal human relationships (the disciples, Lazarus, etc.) but he never let them come between himself and his Father.

PRAYER: Father, help me to worship no one but you today. AMEN

JANUARY 7 - Ministering Angels

READING: Matthew 4:1-11

KEY THOUGHT: ...and suddenly angels came and waited on him. -verse 11

When we think of fighting temptation we usually use the word resist. We say, I was tempted to ___ but I resisted the urge! This word carries with it the meaning of concerted mental and sometimes physical effort. When we have successfully resisted a particularly strong temptation we are often physically and emotionally exhausted. It is at these times of greatest need, that we have available to us the ministering angels of God. Sometimes these angels come to us in human form. At other times they come to us through written words or that still small inner voice of reassurance and comfort. God's ministering angels are all around us. To receive their ministry, all we need to do is to be open to see and hear them.

PRAYER: Father, help me to see and hear your angels around me today! AMEN

JANUARY 8 – The Kingdom of God has Come

READING: Matthew 4:12-25

KEY THOUGHT: Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near. -verse 17

When John preached that the Kingdom of Heaven was near (Matthew 3:2) he was preparing his followers and the world for the coming of Messiah. Even he was surprised when Jesus came proclaiming the same message as he began his journey to the cross and the fulfillment of the Heavenly Kingdom on the earth. We tend to think of Jesus' second coming at the end of the age as the time when God's Kingdom will come, but today we live as citizens of two kingdoms the kingdom of this world AND the kingdom of our Lord.

PRAYER: Father, may I prove to be a good citizen in both kingdoms today. AMEN

JANUARY 9 – Spiritual Blessedness

READING: Matthew 5:1-12

KEY THOUGHT: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. -verse 3

The Beatitudes or Blesseds are one of our favorite teaching passages of Jesus. They bring us peace and happiness and tend to comfort us when we need it. Their real lessons, however, lie just below the surface of the words. For example, to be poor in spirit has nothing to do with our financial status nor does it mean that we are poor (lacking) in the presence of God's Spirit. Jesus is simply telling us that when we have a true spirit of humility in our relationships to others AND to God we will indeed find blessed happiness and peace in our daily lives. On the other hand a haughty spirit will drive a wedge between our neighbors and us and shut us off from intimacy with God's Spirit.

PRAYER: Father, help me to humbly serve everyone you send my way today. AMEN

JANUARY 10 – Spiritual Comfort

READING: Matthew 5:1-12

KEY THOUGHT: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.- verse 4

Should we feel truly blessed and happy when life brings events into our lives that cause us to mourn? Obviously not! The true meaning of our key verse is found in its second part, for they shall be comforted. Times of grief and mourning are always painful. Often in these times we cannot find comfort even from our closest relatives and friends. (See the book of Job) It is in these times, however, that God's comforting Spirit is available to us in all its power to bring us comfort beyond even our own understanding and also beyond the understanding of those around us.

PRAYER: Father, help me to find comfort in your Spirit today. AMEN

JANUARY 11 – Spiritual Inheritance

READING: Matthew 5:1-12

KEY THOUGHT: Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth -verse 5

In our world strength and power are sought after and looked up to. Most children are taught early in life to defend themselves ---to fight back. TV, computer games and movies all encourage aggressive action. What could Jesus possibly have meant when he said, the meek will inherit the earth?

Just as being poor in spirit has nothing to do with poverty, neither does meekness equate to weakness. A spiritually meek person is one who has ultimate and complete confidence in whom he/she is as a child of God. In the strength of that knowledge one does not have to always be bragging, boasting and being aggressive to have self-confidence. Where we are meek, God is strong, and God will win the battles of life for us. He is our sure defense!

PRAYER: Father, help my meekness to win over any of your enemies that come my way today! AMEN

JANUARY 12 – Spiritual Hunger

READING: Matthew 5:1-12

KEY THOUGHT: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled. -verse 6

Would you like to biggie size that? Is the mantra of the fast food industry. Many people flock to those restaurants that offer all you care to eat buffets. Jesus is saying to us today to keep our physical hunger and thirst in check while giving in to an insatiable appetite for the nourishment that comes from feeding constantly on His word and drinking deeply from the pool of His wisdom. Jesus puts it very simply when he says that when we hunger and thirst for spiritual food, we will be filled!

PRAYER: Father, may your spiritual food be more enticing to me today than my favorite foods. AMEN

JANUARY 13 – Spiritual Mercy

READING: Matthew 5:1-12

KEY THOUGHT: Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy -verse 7

The Bible talks a lot about mercy. Jesus told a story once about a man whose only prayer was, God be merciful to me a sinner! (Luke 18:13). Mercy is something we all want when we have been caught in a wrongful act or with a wrongful attitude. Mercy is also something most of us want to see shown by others who have caught a friend, neighbor or family member in the wrong. Mercy is not as often what we want to give to someone who has wronged us. Jesus teaches us that mercy and forgiveness are available to us from God in the same measure that we give out mercy and forgiveness to others. Therefore when we feel others around us have an unforgiving spirit, it would be wise for us to first examine our own spirit of mercy before we pass judgment on them!

PRAYER: Father, help me to show mercy to someone today so I may receive a full measure of your mercy. AMEN

JANUARY 14 – Spiritual Purity

READING: Matthew 5:1-12

KEY THOUGHT: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. -verse 8

Our look at the beatitudes today reaches the beginning of its climax. Today Jesus startles us by saying we can really see God, but we can only see him when our heart is 100% pure. We can do this only by mastering all of the previous lessons he has taught us. Some would say this is not possible here on earth. Certainly this is not something that is easy to attain, but Jesus would not have challenged us to be this way, if it were not possible for us. Remember, all things are possible with God!

PRAYER: Lord, Take away all my impurities in order that I may catch a glimpse of your face today! AMEN

JANUARY 15 – Spiritual Peace

READING: Matthew 5:1-12

KEY THOUGHT: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. -verse 9

Genuine peace is a rare commodity these days. Cease fires, truces and peace negotiations abound, but there is little of the peace on earth Jesus came to bring. Why do you think this is? I believe it is because all those involved in trying to make peace have their own agendas. Each party wants to negotiate from strength and to come out a winner. As Jesus so clearly pointed out, the only people who can truly be peacemakers are those who approach their task with pure hearts. It is only on the shoulders of those who have honestly become children of God that the task of peacemaking can successfully be achieved. What we need in our communities and nations today is not just great statesmen; rather we need men and women whose hearts are pure and whose main focus is on making peace, not just trying to keep it!

PRAYER: Father, may I be an instrument of yours today to make peace among my neighbors where there is no peace? AMEN

JANUARY 16 – Spiritual Persecution

READING: Matthew 5:1-12

KEY THOUGHT: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake ... -verse 10

Jesus' final lesson from these verses is one that seems strange and is one that we do not really want to hear. When we have achieved all of the other blessed, instead of a life of blissful happiness, we face a life of misunderstanding and persecution. Strangely enough, Jesus finishes his lessons with exactly the same promise with which he began, ...for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5;3).So, even if we face trials and tribulations here on earth on account of our faith, we can know that there awaits us a New Kingdom and a place especially prepared for us. No matter how difficult our lives may be today there will always be a tomorrow full of hope and promise if we indeed are children of the king!

PRAYER: Father, help me to be faithful to you today no matter what trials may come my way. AMEN

JANUARY 17 – Spiritual Preservation

READING: Matthew 5:13-20

KEY THOUGHT: You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? -verse 13

Have you ever asked yourself, Why am I here? Most of us ask this question many times during our lifetime. The answer to the question will always be different from individual to individual and often changes from day to day, and even from moment to moment. Jesus, on the other hand, has several answers to the question that apply to all of us who are Christians. Today's key verse provides some of those answers.

Jesus says we are to salt the earth. We are to be the preservative that keeps the world around us usable to God. We are also to be the flavoring that adds zest and pleasure to life for ourselves and others. But there is still a third way in which we are to be salt. Fishermen often salt the water by throwing scraps of bait overboard. This draws the fish to the boat so they can be caught. So another reason we are here is to salt the waters of the world around us so those with whom we come in contact will be drawn to Jesus and be caught by his love. Remember he called his disciples fishers of men!

PRAYER: Father, I want to catch fish for you today. Help me to salt the waters. AMEN

JANUARY 18 – Spiritual Light

READING: Matthew 5:13-20

KEY THOUGHT: You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill that cannot be hid. -verse 14

Darkness is frightening and even dangerous. In our age we are spared this most of the time, but when the electricity goes off we can still easily become disoriented and unable to move about. Light is so important to us that it was the first thing God created in beginning to build our world. (Gen 1:3) Jesus is telling us today that another answer to our why I am here question is that we are here to shed light into the darkness of this sinful world. Remember, we are called to be God's candles, not his spotlight.

PRAYER: Father, help me to use my one candlepower light wisely for you today! AMEN

JANUARY 19 – Spiritual Hearing

READING: Matthew 5: 21-26

KEY THOUGHT: You have heard that it was said ... but I say to you... -verses 21,22

The verse Jesus quotes (Exodus 20:13) focuses on the act of murder. Jesus wisely turns that from action to thought when he warns us about having angry thoughts because they are usually what lead to murder and other evil deeds. "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7-KJV).

Jesus constantly chastised the Pharisees for cleaning the outside without taking care of the inside. When the wise person makes a mistake they will look for the reason first within themselves to see what inner thought might have triggered that event.

PRAYER: Father, help me to keep my heart pure today by thinking only about you and your sacrificial love. AMEN

JANUARY 20 – Spiritual Hearing, Part 2

READING: Matthew 5:27-32

KEY THOUGHT: You have heard that it was said ...but I say to you...- verses 27, 28

Not only does sin have an opening through our hearts, it also has easy access to us through our eyes. I am reminded of a verse from a children's song I learned long ago. It goes something like this, Be careful little eyes what you see. Much of our time today is consumed with looking. We want to see the news not just hear it. We want to see what is happening with our heroes. We want to see how our neighbors are doing so we can see if we can catch them in a fault.

Perhaps as mature adults one of the greatest gifts we can give to our children and grandchildren is to help them learn to be more selective in what they allow their eyes to see!

PRAYER: Father, open my eyes that I may see only the good in people around me today. AMEN

JANUARY 21 – Spiritual Hearing, Part 3

READING: Matthew 5:33-37

KEY THOUGHT: Again, you have heard it said...but I say to you,... -verses 33, 34

Promises are easy to make but hard to keep! We say we will do something and then promptly forget to do it. We say we will stop doing or saying something and then go right ahead and do or say it. We even make promises to God and fail to keep them. Promises are easy to make, but are hard to keep.

Jesus says that we should be careful with our promises and when we do make them a simple yes or no is sufficient. God and even other people know our sincerity or lack of it. Extra words are meaningless.

PRAYER: Father, help me today to be faithful in my promises to you and to others. AMEN

JANUARY 22 – Spiritual Hearing, Part 4

READING: Matthew 5:38-45

KEY THOUGHT: You have heard that it was said...but I say to you ...-verses 38, 39

Jesus has some words for us today about our relationships with our more difficult neighbors. First, he points out that retaliation is often not fruitful and may even serve to escalate the situation. A soft word often works better.

His second lesson is about going above and beyond the call of duty. Jesus says that perhaps we should surprise them by doing more than they request. Our Christlike spirit may actually help them to see what they have been doing and make a difficult neighbor into a friend.

PRAYER: Father, help me to be patient and kind to _______________

today. AMEN

JANUARY 23 – Spiritual Perfection

READING: Matthew 5:43-48

KEY THOUGHT: Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect. -verse 48

What a challenging word! Be perfect! Impossible! We all know that nobody is perfect. How could God command us to be something we cannot be? Actually his command is not as impossible as it seems. The root of the word perfect in the original Biblical language simply means to be mature, to be fully developed, and to be like a bright red apple on the table. To be fully mature in our faith and in our relationships certainly is not easy, but it is not impossible. Since we began these studies together at the beginning of this New Year, we have all come at least a little closer to mature perfection. Just as the bright red apple grows towards maturity almost imperceptibly day by day, so should we in our journey toward spiritual maturity.

PRAYER: Father help me to be a bright red apple in the fruit bowl of life today! AMEN

JANUARY 24 – Spiritual Practices

READING: Matthew 6:1-8

KEY THOUGHT: Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them... -verse 1

Today Jesus is trying to prepare us for some significant lessons on prayer. If we are to pray effectively, we must first give ourselves to God. Worship is indeed a public activity. Our prayers and kindnesses are also often done in public. Jesus admonition here