S. O. A. P.

Here’s Your 90 second AM Devotional!

S-cripture:

Matthew 18:1

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

O-bservation:

The disciples of Jesus, before His crucifixion, were a work in progress. This passage tells us that the disciples asked the Lord who the greatest in heaven would be. Can you imagine such a question? They weren’t wondering if God was the greatest in heaven or any of the angels, who we have been made just a little lower than (Heb. 2:7). They were asking which human would be the greatest in heaven. They were wondering if any of them would be considered the greatest!

A-pplication:

Think of these disciples of Jesus. Jesus had called Peter out to be a rock. James and John had asked if they could sit on either side of Jesus in the new heaven. And, of course, Judas, who betrayed Jesus for cash. These men were nothing if they weren’t all guilty of COMPETITION. As I look across the church in the Western hemisphere, I believe this is one of the most significant challenges the church faces. COMPETITION stands in the place of church unity. It took Christ’s death and resurrection and the empowering of the Holy Spirit to see these disciples change and work together to build the church. COMPETITION on the part of God’s men and women flies in the face of unity. We already have the power of the Holy Spirit. May we choose to come back to UNITY across church lines and see an Evangelism Explosion. In Jesus’ name!

P-rayer:

Dear Jesus,

I want to be unified with Christians in my community, my country, and the world. I’m so tired of COMPETITION and being judged by numbers instead of my Christian faith. Help me be a unifier and not a competitor against my brothers and sisters in the faith. Amen

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