SonPower 2010 Prodigal Devotions Written by Nan Allen
What This World Needs In the song What This World Needs, the writer lists a lot of people and groups who may not tell you the truth. Who or what are some of them? Why are these things not always trustworthy? Read Romans 12:1-2 from a paraphrased version of the Bible such as The Message. Paul is telling the believers in Rome that change takes place in a believer s life. But where does the change start? What happens to the inside change? Where will it eventually start to show itself? Read 1 Timothy 4:9-10. In whom should we put our hope? Pray that your hope will be in Him and not in the things that will not last.
Make It Clear Ever feel like you re speaking another language when you talk to your non-christian friends about the Lord? They probably feel the same way you do. So how can you make the good news of Christ clear to them? For one thing, be prepared to tell them what God has done in your life. You don t have to know all the answers about Christianity or about God, but you can be sure of your own testimony and what you believe. Then ask the Holy Spirit to take away the language barriers for you. Speaking of making it clear, Read 1 Corinthians 14:7-8. What do you think this could possibly mean? What trumpet? What battle? Well, you ve got to go back to the Old Testament to understand it better. Read Numbers 10. God is giving instructions to Moses about how to gather the people of God for various reasons. How is Moses to do this? Are there different signals for different events? Now go back to 1 Corinthians 14:7-8. What do these two passages of Scripture have in common? What might happen if a wrong or unclear signal is sent out? Now think about your non-christian friends. What do these passages of Scripture say that can help you talk to your friends? Are there other ways, besides words, to send signals? What are they? Pray for your non-christian friends right now. Ask God to give you a clear message of witness to them.
Holy One Ever known anybody who was perfect? I mean, a girl that is drop-dead gorgeous or a guy who is incredibly handsome? And not only does the person have the looks, but smarts and a great personality, too. Perfect. Well, even though a person might seem perfect, there s only One who truly is perfectly smart, kind, wise, and beautiful. We use the word holy to describe the perfection of God. In fact, the prophet Isaiah had a vision in which an angel said this: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. (Isaiah 6:3) Besides perfection, what other word is implied in the definition of holy? Read Exodus 3:6. What did Moses do in the presence of a holy God? Why do you think Moses did this? Do you ever want to hide your face from God? What does this have to do with His holiness? When you sing the song Holy One, list all the things the lyrics say about God. Notice what the song says about all the ways to praise Him. Praise Him in prayer now. Tell God all the reasons you want to praise Him. Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Somewhere in the Middle In New Testament Bible times, there was a new church at a town called Laodicea. It is mentioned in the book of Revelation. Apparently, God wasn t happy with these people in the church, and He told them: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 3:15-16 Lukewarm. Not good if you re drinking milk or coffee. Not good if you re taking a shower. Lukewarm just isn t tasteful anytime. In fact, lukewarm Christians taste so bad that God wanted to spit them out of His mouth. How can you avoid being lukewarm for Jesus? First of all, realize that He is anything but lukewarm about you. Read Psalm 139 and reread verses 16 and 17 in that chapter in a paraphrased version of the Bible such as The Message. What does this say about God s love for you? Next, remember what Jesus did for you on the cross. Read Romans 5:8. What does this say about Jesus sacrifice for you? Then, ask God for the kind of love for Him that Simon Peter spoke of in a letter he wrote. Read 1 Peter 1:3-9. What are some reasons to be a passionate follower of Christ? Finally, know that even the most passionate of Christians, Paul, struggled sometimes with living for Christ. Read Romans 7:18-20. What is the biggest struggle for you? Now pray about your struggle and that your love for Christ will be new every day. Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Slow Fade It s sometimes called a slippery slope. Sometimes it s called the frog in the kettle syndrome. What this means is that change can take place gradually without really being detected. Sometimes that s a good thing, but in the case of sin it can have disastrous results. Read James 1:13-15. What does this say about the process of sin? Where does it start? Where does it end? Read Romans 6:16. What does this passage warn that our own sin can make us? Read 1 Peter 5:8-9. What does this passage say is the way to avoid the slow fade or the slippery slope of sin? Confess your sins to God right now. Ask Him to give you the strength to be victorious over your sins. Thank Him for hearing you and answering your prayer.
Prodigal Read Luke 15:11-32. You know this as the story of the prodigal son. The definition of prodigal is one who is reckless, wasteful, and extravagant. (The definition doesn t include the humble attitude it took to admit the wrong and return home.) What do you think this story, told by Jesus Himself, is a picture of? Is this really a story of earthly love of father to son? Imagine yourself as each character in the story. As the younger son, would you have humbled yourself and come home hoping to find your father willing to accept you? As the father, would you let your son return after all he did to disappoint you? As the older son, would you be angry and jealous if your father welcomed your younger brother home after all he had done? If you re the prodigal right now, humble yourself before your Heavenly Father. Thank Him for receiving you back into His arms.
A Prayer for a Friend The apostle Paul asked his friends to pray for him many times. As a believer, he knew very well what prayer could do. However, your friends who aren t believers may not know what they need or what prayer is for. Read Ephesians 1:17-19. This may give you a hint as to how to pray for your friends. What does Paul pray for his friends in Ephesus? (three things) Later in Ephesians, Paul prays again for his friends. Read Ephesians 3:16-17. What does Paul pray for? (five things) Make a list of your friends and family who need the things that you named above. Ask God to give you the opportunity to tell your friends that you re praying for them.
The Altar and the Door When it comes to your relationship to God, there s a difference between commitment and surrender. Sometimes when you are committing to Him, you are relying on your own strength to keep your promise. But with surrender, you recognize your weaknesses and give them up to the strength of the Lord. Read Romans 7:18-20. Even Paul struggled with slipping into sin and his own desires because his own strength was limited. Ever feel like that? Read 1 Corinthians 1:25. How does God s wisdom and strength compare to man s? In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul is pouring out his heart about a weakness he has prayed for God to remove. Read 2 Corinthians 12:8-10. What does he say about weakness and power? In the song The Altar and the Door, what seems to have happened to the writer of this lyric? In the channel or second part of the verse, what does he do? (Starts with Lord, this time I ll make it right. 1 ) Is this commitment or surrender? Confess to God the things you struggle with. Lay down the struggle before the Lord and pray for His strength. 1 Words by Mark Hall. Copyright 2007 My Refuge Music (BMI) (admin. by EMI CMG Publishing)/Club Zoo Music (BMI)/SWECS Music (BMI). All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Until the Whole World Hears Read Matthew 28:19-20. This is sometimes called the Great Commission, and it s Jesus last words before He returns to heaven after His resurrection. What does He tell those present that day (and to us today) to do? How are we supposed to do this? Look at the lyrics to this song. It echoes the words in Scripture found below. Read the passages and see how they correspond with the words of the song. 1 Corinthians 12:26-28 Matthew 5:14 Matthew 9:37-38 Jude 1:23
Rise and Sing Because you re reading this devotion, you probably believe that singing is a good thing. Songs about God and songs to God must be important to you. But do you know where the practice of singing praise songs began? Read Exodus 15:1-18. This is the first song lyric mentioned and written down in the Bible. Read the lyric and see if you can figure out who wrote it, for what occasion it was written, and to whom it was written. (Hint: You might have to read the chapter before this to find out what was happening at the time.) Record your findings here: Read verse 2 again. The writer says that the Lord is several things. These are declarations of who God is. What are they? The LORD is my and my ; He has become my. And because of these things, the lyricist does what? Now read Psalm 40:1-3. Who is the writer of this lyric? In verse 3, what kind of song has God given to the writer? Verses 1 and 2 give the reasons why the writer is singing this song. What do you think happened to the writer before this song was written? These verses imply that believers have a song that God has put there. What kind of song are you singing these days? Is it a song of praise? Is it a song of sorrow? A song of desperation and pleading? Sing it now as a prayer.
What Faith Can Do Read Matthew 17:14-20. Who came to Jesus for healing? Why couldn t the disciples heal? What were Jesus reasons for their inability to heal? How much faith does Jesus say it takes to move mountains? Why do you think He used this comparison? Now read Matthew 21:18-22. Jesus again talked about what faith can do. In verse 22, what does Jesus say about asking in faith? Is there a mountain in your life that seems impossible to climb? Pray to God about it now. Ask Him to give you the kind of faith that Jesus talked about.
By Faith The song lyric is based on three passages of Scripture in the New Testament. Read 2 Corinthians 5:1-7. Write your interpretation of this Scripture. Read Hebrews 11, the whole chapter. The writer of Hebrews (unknown to us) lists many people through biblical history who have lived by faith. Name them. Beside each name, write what each one did as acts of faith. Read Hebrews 12:2. Pray that God will help you keep your eyes on Him throughout your life.
Psalm 1 Read Psalm 1. The song lyric uses the positive version of this passage, but the psalm uses the negative ( does not ) to describe how we should live. Name three things we should avoid. 1) 2) 3) Do you think there is a reason why these three things are mentioned in the order they appear? Walk. Stand. Sit. Walking implies that you are just passing through. Standing implies that you ve paused to consider something or talk to someone. Sit implies that you ve committed to a place for a while. Verse 2 gives a remedy for avoiding the pitfalls of sin. What is it? _ Verse 3 is a metaphor for whom? Verse 4 turns to the negative again and addresses the wicked. What is the metaphor here? _ What promise ends this Psalm? _ Now, think of your own journey. Are you just walking past sinful things? Have you paused to stand and observe? Are you sitting in the middle of it all? Pray that God will give you the desire to enjoy studying His Word and that you ll plant your life in Him.