Weekly Devotional – October 26-29
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Monday: The Righteous Will Inherit the Earth
This week we walk back through the sermon on Abraham together, one piece at a time. You heard it Sunday. Now let’s see how it fits your Monday.
What We Heard Sunday
The sermon began with a sobering reminder. Every person is born into the kingdom of Satan. When this life is over, every person will spend eternity as a citizen of the kingdom he belonged to on earth. Those who remain in Satan’s kingdom will suffer the endless wrath of God in the lake of fire. That makes citizenship the most important matter in any person’s life.
Then the sermon brought us to Abraham, a man who changed kingdoms. Genesis 15:6 says Abraham “believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” “Counted” is an accounting term. God credited righteousness to Abraham’s account, and Abraham was declared right with God. Through faith he was decisively leaving the kingdom of Satan for the kingdom of God. He pledged his allegiance to God, and his faith was demonstrated by obedience and commitment to God.
That led to the sermon’s question: Now that Abraham is declared righteous, what can he expect from the God he is serving? Psalm 37:29 answers, “The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.” Isaiah 60:21 adds, “Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever.” The righteous will inherit the earth. Abraham will inherit the kingdom of God and live there forever as one of its citizens.
The unrighteous face a different future. Only one kingdom will survive and inherit the earth. 1 Corinthians 6:9 says, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?” 2 Peter 2:9 says the Lord knows how to deliver the godly and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.
When Someone Asks
Someone says, “I’m a good person. Why would I need to be saved?” The sermon answered it. Every person is born a citizen of Satan’s kingdom. He stays there until he repents of his sin and forsakes Satan’s kingdom completely. He submits to King God and lives under the laws of His kingdom. When he repents and believes God the way Abraham did, God counts him righteous, and the righteous will inherit the earth.
A Grateful Heart
When you repented and believed God, you left behind old sins, old loyalties, and the ways of Satan’s kingdom. God answered by crediting righteousness to your account and declaring you right with Him. He made you an heir of the kingdom that will inherit the earth. You were born in Satan’s kingdom. You can thank Him that you now belong to His.
Tuesday: The Reward Will Be Greater Than the Sacrifice
Yesterday we saw that God credits righteousness to the one who believes Him. The sermon then turned to a decision Abraham faced, and every believer faces the same decision.
What We Heard Sunday
Genesis 15 brings Abraham to a pivotal moment. He must decide whether he will continue with the God of heaven or return to trust, worship, and serve the moon god his family served in Ur. The writer of Hebrews tells us how Abraham and his family answered. Hebrews 11:15–16 says, “And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”
“Mindful” means preoccupied. These verses warn us against being preoccupied with what we give up for God. They give us the example to follow. Abraham kept his mind and heart on the country God promised. The reward will be greater than the sacrifice.
Jesus gave the same warning in Luke 9:62: “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” A person who starts out for God’s kingdom while his heart remains in his old life of sin is unworthy of the kingdom. Paul shows us where to set our hearts in Colossians 3:2: “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
The sermon brought this into our weekly choices. Saying yes to God means turning down whatever competes with Him. That includes our time for church, Sunday School, and Wednesday Bible study. It includes the character that images God in our language, anger, pleasure, relationships, and hobbies. Obedience that shows up only when life is quiet may reveal a heart that is still looking back.
When Someone Asks
Someone says, “I gave up a lot to follow God. Sometimes I miss my old life.” The sermon answered it. Abraham had every opportunity to return to Ur. He kept his heart on a better country, a heavenly one, and God prepared a city for him. Every believer can do the same. Leave the old life of sin behind and set your affection on things above. The reward will be greater than the sacrifice.
A Grateful Heart
Every time you choose church over another plan, or godly character over an old habit, you are setting your heart on a better country. Hebrews 11:16 shows God is pleased to be called the God of people like that, and He has prepared a city for them. You can thank Him for a reward greater than every sacrifice
Wednesday: Someone Is Following Your Example
Yesterday we saw Abraham keep his heart set on a better country. From there, the sermon turned our attention to the people who watch us make that same choice.
What We Heard Sunday
The sermon asked a simple question: Who are you leading? Your family, friends, co-workers, church family, and neighbors are learning from you. Your priorities show them how much you value God’s kingdom compared to everything that competes with it. The sermon called each of us to examine those priorities, because one day each of us will answer to God for them.
Jesus spoke strong words about leading others. Matthew 18:6 says, “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” The sermon used this verse to call us to lead people toward God’s kingdom, His laws, and His character.
Then came Romans 2. The apostle Paul wrote to people who knew God’s law and taught it to others, yet broke it themselves. “Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?” (verse 21). “For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you” (verse 24). The sermon applied this warning to any of us whose values, priorities, or character have drifted out of line with the faith we profess.
Jesus said in Luke 12:48, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” Those who know the truth carry a greater level of guilt when they neglect or refuse to obey it. You are being watched. Someone is following your example. Every day you lead that person in one of two paths: the path of righteousness or the path of unrighteousness and damnation.
When Someone Asks
Someone says, “My faith is between me and God. Why does it matter how I live?” The sermon answered it. Your faith is personal, and it is also public. The people closest to you learn how much you value God’s kingdom by watching your priorities. Romans 2:24 shows that inconsistent lives cause God’s name to be blasphemed among the unsaved. Faithful living leads people toward righteousness and toward the kingdom of God.
A Grateful Heart
God has given you much. He gave you His Word, His church, and the truth about His kingdom. When you put His kingdom first, He uses your example to lead others. Your family sees it. Your friends notice it. Someone you work beside learns what faith looks like by watching you. What a gift that God lets people like us point others toward His kingdom! Every faithful choice you make this week is part of that work.
Thursday: Faith in God Results in Faithfulness to God
Yesterday we saw that people are following our example. Sunday’s sermon also showed us whose example to follow: Abraham’s.
What We Heard Sunday
Abraham taught us saving faith by his example more than by his words. The sermon showed us three marks of his faith. 1.) He believed the promise of God because he believed the character of God. 2.) He put his faith in the God of heaven while the promise was still unfulfilled. 3.) His faith kept him from giving up on God and returning to the gods of Ur.
The sermon said it this way: Abraham’s faith in God’s promises was proven because it resulted in his faithfulness to God’s commands.
The Bible calls Abraham the father of everyone who shares that faith. Galatians 3:7 says, “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” Verse 8 says the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, “preached before the gospel unto Abraham.” Verse 9 adds, “So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” Galatians 3:29 brings it home: “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Saving faith consciously and intentionally abandons the kingdom of Satan. It leaves behind the practice of sin, close identification with sinners, and the ways of Satan’s kingdom. It surrenders to the kingdom of God in service, obedience, and trust. Saving faith prioritizes holiness over happiness. Many things Abraham did in obedience to God brought sadness and a broken heart. Each one was a necessary step on his path to holiness and righteousness. Saving faith seeks God’s kingdom above family, finances, hobbies, pride, racial prejudice, political ambition, personal pleasure, and schedules. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
When Someone Asks
Someone says, “Just follow your heart. God wants you to be happy.” The sermon answered it. Saving faith prioritizes holiness over happiness. Obeying God sometimes means leaving something behind, changing a behavior, quitting a sin, or separating from a family member or friend. Abraham’s obedience cost him sadness, and it led him in the path of holiness. Jesus calls us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
A Grateful Heart
Following God has cost you something. You may have walked away from a habit, a relationship, or a pleasure you once loved. That obedience shows the faith of Abraham, and Galatians 3:9 says those of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. You can thank God for every hard step. Each one is part of your path to holiness.
Friday: Choose You This Day Whom Ye Will Serve
This week we walked with Abraham from the day God counted his faith for righteousness. Sunday’s sermon then brought everything to one decision.
What We Heard Sunday
Every person is a citizen of one kingdom, either God’s or Satan’s. Citizenship in God’s kingdom requires leaving Satan’s kingdom completely. A person who keeps a vacation home in Satan’s kingdom is denied citizenship in God’s. Renting a P.O. Box in God’s kingdom while living in Satan’s kingdom leaves a person a citizen of Satan’s kingdom. God’s kingdom requires a full commitment to the King and the laws of the Kingdom.
The sermon reminded us that God’s kingdom has its own immigration and customs service. Jesus explained His parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13:41–42: “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” At the end of the world the angels will sever the wicked from among the just (verses 49–50).
The sermon pictured a summons to God’s immigration court six months from now. Citizenship would be decided by submission to King God and obedience to His laws. That picture makes this week’s changes urgent. Obey God’s commands. Make God, His Word, and His church your priority. Be the husband, wife, son, daughter, or church member God requires of His citizens. Give God the firstfruits of the income He provides.
Joshua set the same choice before Israel in Joshua 24:15: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve … but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Elijah asked the people in 1 Kings 18:21, “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him.” The sermon closed with Joshua’s words: Choose you this day whom ye will serve!
When Someone Asks
Someone says, “God knows my heart.” The sermon answered it. God does know the heart. He sees whether it has left Satan’s kingdom or keeps a vacation home there, a place to return to old sins whenever it wants. God grants citizenship to the sinner who repents, believes Him, forsakes Satan’s kingdom completely, and submits to King God and His laws. The righteous will inherit the earth.
A Grateful Heart
God gave us this warning before the day His angels gather out of His kingdom all things that offend. What a merciful God! He gives you today to choose. Deuteronomy 30:19 says He has set before us life and death and calls us to choose life, “that both thou and thy seed may live.” You can answer His mercy the way Joshua did: “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”