Celebrate Jesus!

God commanded us to observe the Sabbath, a day to rest and refocus on the Lord (Exodus 20:8). 

Sadly, by the time Jesus came to earth, the Pharisees had turned the Sabbath into a burdensome, legalistic observance. Their man-made rules distorted the meaning and purpose of the Lord's Day (e.g., Luke 6:1-10).

God's purpose for the Sabbath and other special holidays (holy days) is to help His people remember and celebrate His love and faithfulness (e.g., Passover). 

Although we can rest in Christ's love daily, it's healthy for us to have a day each week to refresh ourselves physically and spiritually, a day to celebrate our salvation, God's Word, and Christian fellowship.*

 

It's also good to step back from time to time to ask ourselves if we've let elements of our faith become legalistic and burdensome.

 

If our Sabbath has lost some of its meaning, we can consider ways to make it more meaningful. We can also create monthly, quarterly, or annual family traditions to celebrate our faith. And let's be sure to plan ahead to joyfully and deliberately celebrate The Two Most Important Days in History.

 

I'd love to hear your ideas for celebrating your faith. Why not leave them in a comment.

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Check out this devotion for some ideas: 5 Creative Things Christians Can Do to Improve Well-being.

 

Additional Notes:

 

* The Sabbath commandment is the only one of the Ten Commandments not restated in the New Testament. This may be because every day is a Sabbath to the Christian. After all, we can “rest” in the finished work of Christ (Hebrews 4). See Is One Day Holier than Another.

 

Sadly, some Christians still view the Sabbath very legalistically. They judge other Christians by the day of the week they celebrate the Lord's Day, violating the commands in Colossians 2:16:  

“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.”

Let's celebrate the Sabbath according to our conscience and not judge others who celebrate it differently.

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Never, Never Forget This Important Aspect of True Faith!

God loves us and He's given us His wonderful Word. Let me name a few of the millions of awesome things about God's Word: 

✔ It’s not like human books. It's powerfully alive and active (Hebrews 4:12).

✔ It’s necessary in forming faith, correcting misunderstandings, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

✔ It’s 100% reliable (Proverbs 30:5).

✔ It’s life-giving nourishment for our souls (Matthew 4:4).

“A recent LifeWay Research study found only 45 percent of those who regularly attend church read the Bible more than once a week. Over 40 percent of the people attending read their Bible occasionally, maybe once or twice a month. Almost 1 in 5 churchgoers say they never read the Bible—essentially the same number who read it every day.” (Source)

This is sad and dangerous. Without a growing knowledge of God’s Word, we remain baby Christians, never fully understanding God’s plans and purposes for our lives (Ephesians 2:10). We’ll be unable to understand how biblical truths fit together (2 Timothy 2:15). And we’ll be easily taken in by half-truth lies.

If you are neglecting God’s Word, I encourage you to take a couple of days to carefully read through Psalm 119, noting what it teaches us about God’s Word and our attitude toward it. 

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I'm presently working on the final edits of my book Lies in Disguise which is scheduled to come out in October 2025. It reveals many of the half-truths that have disguised the real teachings of Scripture and misled many of God's people.

For examples of some of the things that are deceiving many Christians, see: 3 Lies that Deceive Us and Lies about Jesus: Shame and Guilt.

 

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"Why Obey Commands that Cause Abuse?"

A woman asked why I believe in male leadership in church and home when it so often causes abuse. 

In When Male Leadership Is Misused, I explained: “When people abuse God’s commands, that doesn’t mean the command is wrong. It means the person is wrong.” 

We don't give up on traffic laws because of reckless drivers, and we don't blame rape laws for the cruelty of rapists. Why do we blame God's leadership laws for bad leaders? 

And when it comes to “abusing” God's Word, recent studies show that a majority of female pastors lead the way, choosing human wisdom above God's wisdom (1 Corinthians 3:18-20). 

For example, 77% of women clergy support abortion, compared to 44% of male clergy. And 58% of female pastors support LGBTQ marriage, compared to 27% of male pastors. 

It's sad that any pastor chooses to abuse Scripture, but female pastors are leading the way. 

Don't think that I'm excusing sexual abuse in the church—it's evil to the core. But the number of people hurt by that abuse pales in significance to the number of babies murdered by abortion and the number of souls damaged by LGBTQ lifestyles. 

Women can utilize their leadership and teaching skills in appropriate ways in the church, but God has designed men to hold the positions of pastor and elder. If we reject the Bible's commands about leadership, it's inevitable that we'll reject other biblical commands.

Stand firm, dear Christians. Let's trust God's wisdom, not our own (Proverbs 3:5-6)!

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This is part of a series of devotions on male leadership:

Part 1: Think God Needs "Updating"? Think Again!

Part 2: Women in Church Leadership: Complementarian or Egalitarian? 

Part 3: When Leadership in the Church Is Misused  

Part 4: My Response to Male Leadership in the Church 

Part 5: Egalitarians Actually Hold a Low View of Women and Scripture. Answering a reader's questions from Part 4.

Part 6: Examining a False Claim regarding Female Leadership

Part 7: Women's Roles: The Message of 1 Timothy 2

Part 8: What Do Adam and Eve Have to Do with Male Leadership?

Part 9: Leadership and the Fall of Mankind

Part 10: When Women Should Be Silent in Church

Part 11: When I Violated Scriptural Guidelines

    

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Divine Footprints: Psalm 77

He was so distressed he couldn't sleep.

If we'd looked through his bedroom window, we'd have seen him groaning, tears running down his face, too grieved to speak, his arms outstretched for hours. He felt God had rejected him.

Then he took his thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Have you read this true story about Asaph? God divinely inspired Asaph to share it in Psalm 77. Asaph adjusted his thinking by reminding himself that God is holy, great, miraculous, and powerful (vv. 13-14). He remembered that God redeems men and women because He's in control of all things (vv. 15-18). And I especially like the last two verses in this psalm:

 
Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Psalm 77:19-20

Asaph was remembering how the Israelites once stood with the Egyptian army on one side and the Red Sea on the other. Things looked hopeless. But God's footprints were unseen beneath the sea (Exodus 14).

 

Has God at times led you through a situation in ways you never could have imagined? Why not ponder those situations whenever you feel like things are hopeless.

 

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For more insights on this subject, see Sometimes God Has a Plan C and When You Feel Like Giving Up. For a short Bible study on this devotion and the biblical meaning of peace, check out today's Bite Size Bible Study.  



 

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Admitting My Faults

The other day a man wrote to tell me that my devotion Fools, Anger, and Repentance was ungodly because I admitted that I sometimes get angry. He said I was encouraging others to sin.  

I’d agree with him if I downplayed, excused, or defended my sins. But that’s not what I did.

I remember attending a study as a new Christian and deciding it wasn’t for me because everyone in it seemed pretty close to perfect. They didn’t share their prayer requests, but I imagined their requests would be things like “Please pray that I spend three hours in prayer each morning instead of two hours.” 

We cannot have real and meaningful fellowship with God or others if we aren’t honest about both our sins and our victories over sin (Proverbs 28:13; James 5:16; 1 John 1:8-10; Romans 12:15).

If I were ignoring God’s commands and living a sinful lifestyle, I’d have no business writing devotions. But if we are looking for perfect people to teach us, we’ll never find any.

I’ve walked with the Lord for fifty years, and I’ve grown in my faith, successfully dealing with many of my sins. But I still blow it sometimes. And if I tried to hide that fact, I’d be dishonest.

My Bible Love Notes author page (Gail) explains I'm still growing in the Lord. And I know for sure I won't reach perfection this side of heaven. 

But I’d love to hear your view. Would you rather read devotions by authors who present themselves as perfect?

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For more on this subject, see: 

When You Blow It, Don't Hit the "Backspace"

What To Do When We Blow It

 

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No Weapon Formed against Us

“If the missile complex is ever torn down, we ask that the bricks be used to build churches.”(1)

This message was found in an empty artillery shell sealed in a brick wall. Christians found it in 1992 while salvaging building materials for a church from an old Soviet missile silo. The message explained the bricks in the silo had come from churches Stalin destroyed after WWII.
 
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin “promoted atheism through special atheistic education in schools, anti-religious propaganda, the anti-religious work of public institutions (Society of the Godless), discriminatory laws, and a terror campaign against religious believers.”(2)

How interesting that these bricks have returned to their rightful owner—God. The Society of the Godless had a short-lived history, but the Church of the Living God lives on!

If you're a Christian, you are also owned by God. And that means no matter what happens to you, God's purposes will not be thwarted.

“‘No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the LORD.” Isaiah 54:17

(1) The Missile Silo that Became a Church, Open Doors News Brief, 10-92, page 3
(2) WIKI article on Stalin

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I've always been interested in the effect of Communism on the hearts and minds of those enslaved by it. Let me explain why:

My husband is a retired Army officer, and during our twenty-two years in the military, we lived three years in Mainz, Germany, when the Soviet “Iron Curtain” still existed, separating Communist East Germany from free West Germany. Living there during that time gave me a deep interest in the Communist bloc countries called the “Soviet Union.” 

Then in 2005-2010, we lived in the former Communist country of Hungary doing Christian work. This gave us a further interest in those countries controlled and oppressed by the atheistic Communist Russian government. If you'd like to read one-minute devotions about our time in Hungary, check out:

💙4 Puzzle Pieces - how God sometimes directs our lives

💙Just Another Day in Paradise - our time on a 100-year-old farm

💙When God Changes Our Plans - how we ended up in Hungary

💙Our Divine Translator - things I learned from speaking with a translator and how they apply to us as Christians  

💙Did You Know Your Brother Is a Songwriter? - a wonderful revelation about God's family  

💙God Is Good Even When Circumstances Are Bad  - the story of being pick-pocketed

💙He Developed a Curriculum for Survival while in Prison - this is such a good testimony from a Hungarian priest!

💙My Friend Lived in a Box - the spiritual consequences of Communism

💙How Can You Shine Today? - revelations from a tram ride 

💙Praying for People in Your Path - no matter where you live

💙Caffeine-Free or Extra Espresso - what ordering in a different language taught me about God, a story that is both humorous and profound!

💙100-Year-Old Hungarian Farm - This is a pictorial look at our three-week stay in an old farm...beautiful!!

💙Commie-Condos and God's Prevailing Beauty - This devotion talks about Communism's attempt to minimize the creativity and beauty in everyday life.

💙Memory Collage - This is a creative post, something I featured the first few years of Bible Love Notes. It's about saving our memories from Budapest.

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Do You Respect Christ's Authority?

In Matthew 8:5-13, Jesus said He would come and heal the Roman centurion’s servant, but the centurion told Jesus He didn’t need to come. All Jesus had to do was speak the words, and his servant would be healed.

This centurion possessed an excellent understanding of authority due to his military background.

When his superior officers told him to do something, he knew he was compelled to do it. And he trusted that if Jesus ordered sickness to leave his servant's body, it would have to leave. 

 

Instead of respecting those in leadership, our modern culture is more likely to challenge, question, or ignore leaders. 

We may not always respect the values and lifestyles of human leaders, but we're still commanded to treat them with respect, starting with our parents and continuing throughout our lives (Ephesians 6:1-3; Romans 13:1-3; Matthew 28:18; 1 Peter 2:13-16; 1 Peter 5:5; Titus 3:1). 

We must never obey ungodly commands (Acts 4:1-21; Acts 5:27-29). But our attitude toward earthly authority is a reflection of our respect or disrespect for the authority of God's commands.

 

The centurion in Matthew 8 amazed Christ.

So let's do the same by respecting God's authority in every area of our lives, whether He chooses to heal us and free us from difficult circumstances or help us endure these difficulties for His purposes. 

 

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In this particular situation, Christ chose to heal the servant. But we must also trust Christ's authority when He chooses not to heal: 

The Biblical View of Healing

Joni Shares 5 Benefits of Suffering

Wheelchair Miracle

 

If you'd like more insights into human authority:

When to Disobey Authority

Respectfully Saying "No" to Authority

 

 

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An Excuse to Ignore Unpopular Bible Commands

I just heard a new argument for rejecting unpopular New Testament laws. It goes something like this:

 

“Jesus broke Old Testament laws, so He expects us to break outdated New Testament laws about marriage, sex, male leadership, submission, etc.”
 

Let’s address that claim:
 

1. Jesus didn’t break Old Testament commands. He fulfilled them as part of the New Covenant. 

Matthew 5:17: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
 

2. If we fulfill a contract or requirement, we don't break it. Quite the opposite. We meet the requirements. Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament laws and presented the New Covenant.
 

Galatians 3:13: “Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” 
 

Colossians 2:16-17: “So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.” 

3. Jesus was qualified to declare laws fulfilled. We aren’t. See Romans 11:33-36.

4. Christians honor New Testament laws. 
 

Paul explained he sometimes observed Old Testament laws to witness to Jews. But he clearly affirmed that he was under “Christ’s law” not Old Testament laws (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

So let's not be taken in by modern excuses to change God's loving commands.

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See Did Paul Write Part of the Bible? Yes and No. And check out Thomas Jefferson Did It and Many Modern Christians Do It Too, highlighting a famous American leader who cut out portions of Scripture he didn't like. 

 

You should also be aware of the Hebrew Roots Movement, a group that denies certain New Testament passages to support the view that Christians must obey Old Testament dietary and ceremonial laws. To read more about this false teaching that has an enormous following, see All or Nothing: Hebrew Roots Movement.

 

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What's on Your Menu?

What if there were a food that guaranteed physical health, a delicious food we could eat as often as we wanted without gaining weight? In fact, the more we ate it, the better our health.

Obviously, we'd all eat this food daily, without exception. We'd enjoy it and swear by it, and prioritize it in our menu.

But there's no such food.

But what if there were a delicious, calorie-free food that we could access daily for spiritual health? The more we ingested it, the healthier our souls. 

We don't need to imagine. There is such a food, and that's why Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). 

Psalm 119 tells us it's “sweeter than honey … fully trustworthy … full of wonderful things … strengthening us when we're weary … guiding us with its light … giving us understanding …” (verses 103, 138, 18, 28, 105, 130).

Let's make sure God's Word is on our daily menu. For example, we could:

🥗 Start with an appetizer from Proverbs, such as Proverbs 3. 

🍔 Have a midday main dish in one of the Epistles, like Romans 8 or Ephesians 5. 

🍦 Enjoy a dessert in the evening from Psalm 19.

Why not make this your menu tomorrow and see if it builds your faith? 

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For more insights, see Collect It Daily and Are You a Bottle-Fed or Meat-Eating Christian? And many Bible Love Notes readers tell us that our one-minute devotions give them the reminder and inspiration to read some of the linked Scripture passages.

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What Does It Mean to Both Pray and Petition God?

In How Thanksgiving Brings Us Peace in Difficulties, we talked about the importance of thanksgiving when we’re seeking God’s help in difficulties:

 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Another important truth in this passage is found in the word “petition.” 

 

The Greek word for petition can simply mean prayer, but when it's added to another word for prayer, it adds depth to the meaning.

A secular petition is a written request to those in authority, usually to right a wrong. In this passage, it means a wholehearted prayer with an urgency and depth beyond normal prayer.

This assures us that God recognizes how heavy our thoughts and circumstances are when we’re in the midst of trouble. He wants us to share them honestly, fully acknowledging His authority. 

We can read many examples of prayer with petition in the Psalms, where the psalmist begins his prayer in grave need and leaves with confidence in God’s character.

It’s a type of prayer that gives us complete trust in God’s ability to change our circumstances or His ability to give us the strength to endure them. 

Whenever we're anxious, it's the kind of prayer that brings us peace. 

 

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For more encouragement, see: 

Is Repetitive Prayer a Sin? 

Pray Continually....How? 

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