Devotions

in debt

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Romans 1:13-17

¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles.¹⁴ I am in debt both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.¹⁵ For this reason I am eager to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome as well.¹⁶ Because I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power to deliver everyone who believes, first to the Jew and also to the Greek.¹⁷ Because the righteousness of God is being revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.”

in debt

Paul emerged from the rich, interconnected world of the first‑century Roman empire—a world where ideas, cultures, and peoples moved along the same roads that carried armies and commerce. His own formation reflected that environment. He had absorbed the disciplined reasoning of the philosophical schools, and he had been rigorously trained in the Torah. Yet neither philosophy nor Torah study alone produced the apostle who wrote to the Romans. What transformed him was the revelation of Jesus Christ and the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Through that encounter, everything he had learned was reoriented toward the gospel.

Because of this, Paul felt a profound obligation toward the Gentiles. The word he uses carries the sense of indebtedness—not guilt, but responsibility. He had received something so life‑altering, so filled with divine power, that withholding it would have been unthinkable. The gospel entrusted to him was not a private treasure but a message meant for the nations. It was God’s power to deliver anyone who believes, regardless of background, status, or culture. In a world divided by ethnicity, class, and religion, Paul proclaimed a message that crossed every boundary.

This gospel was nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it was the most glorious truth he had ever encountered. The crucified and risen Christ had revealed the righteousness of God—a righteousness not earned by human effort but received by faith. Those who dare to believe this message enter into life. They are drawn into a new existence shaped by trust in the One who conquered death. Faith becomes the doorway into a life empowered by God himself.

And once this gospel takes root in a person’s heart, it creates its own sense of obligation. Those who truly know it feel compelled to share it. The message carries an inner momentum. It presses outward, seeking others. The same Spirit who awakened faith also stirs a desire to see that faith awakened in others. Paul’s missionary passion was not an extraordinary exception; it was the natural overflow of a heart seized by the grace of Christ.

Lord, thank you for the truth of the glorious saving gospel of grace. This message has rescued us, and now we owe it to those who have not yet heard. Send laborers into the harvest. Send us where your grace is needed.

Posted in evangelism, gospel, missions | Tagged Romans 1 | Leave a comment

prayer and mutual encouragement

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Romans 1:8-12

⁸ First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.⁹ Because God, whom I serve in my spirit by preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness that I keep thinking of you¹⁰ and I am always asking in my prayers, if maybe now at last I may get the chance to visit you, within the will of God.¹¹ Because I long to see you, so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,¹² but this is so that we may be mutually encouraged by one another’s faith, both yours and mine.

prayer and mutual encouragement

Prayer and mutual encouragement rise and fall together, each strengthening the other. Those who are carried in prayer remain present in the heart, and those who remain present in the heart become natural recipients of encouragement. Prayer forms a kind of spiritual pathway between believers, opening doors for shared strength, shared joy, and shared perseverance. When a name is lifted before God again and again, affection deepens, concern grows, and opportunities for mutual blessing seem to appear with greater frequency. Prayer does not merely accompany encouragement; it prepares the soil in which encouragement can flourish.

For Paul, the letter to the Romans did not initiate this relationship of shared strengthening. Long before pen touched parchment, he had already been nourished by the testimony of the Roman believers. Their faith had become a kind of holy rumor, spreading across the empire. Reports of a thriving Christian community in the very heart of imperial power stirred Paul’s spirit. The gospel had taken root in Rome itself—a miracle of grace in the capital of the world’s mightiest empire. That reality ministered to Paul. It encouraged him. It awakened in him a longing to see firsthand what God was doing there.

As Paul prayed for the Roman Christians, that longing matured into a sense of divine calling. Prayer shaped desire, and desire ripened into mission. His intercession for them became the seedbed of his apostolic burden to visit them, strengthen them, and receive strength from them in return. The epistle itself is an expression of that calling—a way of participating in their life even before he could stand among them. And every subsequent attempt to travel to Rome was fueled by the same conviction: God had placed these believers on his heart, and prayer had made that burden impossible to ignore.

This pattern continues in the life of the church. Prayer enlarges the heart for the nations. It awakens compassion for those who have never heard the gospel. It stirs a desire to encourage believers in distant places and to be encouraged by their faithfulness. Prayer becomes the quiet birthplace of mission.

Lord, spark within us a longing to strengthen—and be strengthened by—those in other lands who need Christ. Call laborers from among us. Send us where your gospel is needed.

Posted in encouragement, fellowship, prayer | Tagged Romans 1 | Leave a comment

two callings

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Romans 1:1-7

¹ From Paul, a servant bonded to Christ Jesus, a called apostle, set apart to proclaim the gospel from God.² This gospel he promised previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures,³ it being about his Son who qualified with reference to the flesh by being a descendant of David,⁴ who was shown to be the Son-of-God-in-power by the Holy Spirit raising him from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.⁵ By means of him we have received grace and our apostleship to bring about the obedient response of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name.⁶ You also are among them, called by Jesus Christ.⁷ To all those loved by God in Rome, called holy ones: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

two callings

The epistles of Paul’s letters arise from a double calling that shapes both the identity of the churches and the vocation of the apostle. These two callings meet in the life of every congregation and in the unfolding mission of God.

The first calling belongs to the believers themselves. The Gentile Christians in Rome, like the believers in every other city, had been summoned by Jesus Christ to become his holy people. Their new identity did not originate in personal aspiration or moral achievement but in the risen Lord who claimed them as his own. The resurrection of Jesus, accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit, publicly vindicated him as Lord and Messiah. Because of this divine vindication, his call carried absolute authority. When these believers encountered the gospel, they recognized in it the voice of the living Christ. Faith, then, was not a vague religious sentiment but the obedient response to the One who had conquered death and now summoned them into his kingdom. Their holiness was not self-generated; it was the result of being set apart by Christ and drawn into his life.

The second calling concerns the apostolic mission that brought the gospel to them. Their encounter with Christ did not happen in isolation. It came through the costly obedience of church‑planting missionaries who crossed cultural, social, and geographical boundaries to proclaim the good news. These apostles stepped beyond familiar worlds, entering foreign communities with the message of God’s grace. Their willingness to breach comfort zones was itself an act of faith, a living demonstration of the gospel they preached. Through their ministry, strangers became brothers and sisters, and new communities of faith were born. Paul writes his epistles because this missionary calling continues; the churches that exist through the gospel must now be strengthened, instructed, and anchored in the truth that first brought them to life.

Even in the opening lines of the epistle, the core elements of this gospel shine clearly. God’s love stands at the foundation. Jesus is confessed as Lord. Believers are called to be holy. The proper response to this divine initiative is faith—trusting surrender to the One who calls.

The heart naturally rises in gratitude:
Lord, thank you for calling a people to yourself through Christ and for drawing them to Christ through the gospel of grace. Thank you for the servants through whom this saving message has reached each generation.

Posted in missions, sanctification | Tagged Romans 1 | Leave a comment

the glowing cloud

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 40:17-38

¹⁷ In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was set up.¹⁸ Moses set up the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars.¹⁹ And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the LORD had instructed Moses.²⁰ He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and placed the propitiatory lid above on the ark.²¹ And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the LORD had commanded Moses.²² He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil,²³ and arranged the bread on it before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.²⁴ He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle,²⁵ and set up the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD had instructed Moses.²⁶ He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil,²⁷ and burned fragrant incense on it, as the LORD had commanded Moses.²⁸ He put in place the screen for the door of the tabernacle.²⁹ And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses.³⁰ He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing,³¹ with which Moses and Aaron and his sons were to their hands and their feet.³² When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they would wash, as the LORD had instructed Moses.³³ And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.³⁴ Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.³⁵ And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.³⁶ Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud ascended from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out.³⁷ But if the cloud had not ascended, then they did not set out till the day that it ascended.³⁸ Because the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

the glowing cloud

The glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle, causing it to glow even when covered by a cloud. This cloud glowed like fire in the night. The cloud would ascend whenever it was time to move to another place. I find it interesting that the Lord Jesus ascended into the clouds with a command for his disciples to make disciples to all nations. They were to set out upon the ascension of the tabernacle, which was Christ. John said of Christ that “the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory–the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.”[1]

And so we are a people always on the move accomplishing the Father’s will until the Son descends again and his glory returns to us. Our pilgrimage has a purpose.

LORD, we ask that you sanctify us through and through, and prepare us for the journey that you have in store. We await the return of your glory among us – that of your one and only.

[1] John 1:14 NET.

Posted in missions, sanctification, second coming | Tagged Exodus 40 | 1 Comment

finishing touches

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 40:1-16

¹ The LORD told Moses,² “On the first day of the first month you should put up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.³ And you should put in it the ark of the testimony, and you should hide the ark with the veil.⁴ And you should bring in the table and arrange it, and you should bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps.⁵ And you should put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the partition for the door of the tabernacle.⁶ You should set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting,⁷ and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.⁸ And you should set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court.⁹ “Then you should take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy.¹⁰ You should also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy.¹¹ You should also anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it.¹² Then you should bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and should wash them with water¹³ and put on Aaron the sacred uniform. And you should anoint him and consecrate him, so that he may serve me as priest.¹⁴ You should bring his sons also and put coats on them,¹⁵ and anoint them, just as you anointed their father, so that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing should admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”¹⁶ This Moses did; according to all that the LORD instructed him, so he did.

finishing touches

The raw materials had been collected. The furniture had been carefully constructed and preserved. The tabernacle structure had been painstakingly built, including all its intricate details that connected each part to the other. But before the tabernacle could be used for the purpose God intended, it had to be anointed with sacred oil, and its priests and high priest had to be ceremonially washed and anointed with oil as well.

Oil was a cleansing and protective agent. Once a person or animal was washed clean, oil was used to prevent further contamination and protect against disease or pestilence. It’s symbolic, spiritual significance was connected to that practical one. A place, structure or person anointed with oil was declared pure, and protected against future impurity. Such a place, structure or person was set free to serve the intended purpose.

The LORD had instructed Moses and the architects and artisans working for him to select the best materials, carefully design and construct a sacred structure, and for the finishing touches, both the tabernacle and those who would serve in it would have to be washed and anointed. It was – and they were — to be prepared for service fit for the LORD himself. A generation of slaves were lifted up to become a generation of priests, with God himself in their midst.

This generation needs some preparation if we are to be what God has destined us to be. The good news is that Christ has done it. The New Testament teaches that “by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”[1] So, we are ready to serve. Even though we are still “being sanctified” the finishing touches that prepared us for service have already been applied.

LORD, we confidently enter your presence and serve you and your people, trusting in Christ, who has perfected us for all time.

[1] Hebrews 10:14 ESV.

Posted in plan of God, sanctification | Tagged Exodus 40 | 1 Comment

a good start

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 39:32-43

³² This is how all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the LORD had instructed Moses; they did it so.³³ Then they presented the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its utensils, its hooks, its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;³⁴ the covering of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins, and the protecting veil;³⁵ the ark of the testimony with its carrying poles and the mercy seat;³⁶ the table with all its utensils, and the Face bread;³⁷ the lampstand of pure gold and its lamps with the lamps set and all its utensils, and the oil to fuel the light;³⁸ the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the entrance of the tent;³⁹ the bronze altar, and its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin and its stand;⁴⁰ the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, and its pegs; and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting;⁴¹ the finely worked uniforms for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy uniforms for Aaron the priest, and the uniforms of his sons for their service as priests.⁴² According to all that the LORD had instructed Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work.⁴³ And Moses saw all the work, and see, they had accomplished it; as the LORD had instructed, so had they accomplished it. Then Moses blessed them.

a good start

Lots of people with good intentions of reading the Bible through get stuck just a few chapters into Exodus. It starts out reading like an epic novel, where the suppressed Israelites are rescued from the tyranny of Pharaoh by a supernatural power. Then, there is the adventure and promise of the new land, which keeps the pages turning. But then all of a sudden Exodus starts looking like a blueprint for an elaborate construction site. The eyes start drooping, and the pages stop turning so easily. What’s going on?

Exodus is about more than just getting out of Egypt. It is about getting Egypt out of us. The Israelites needed a new work to replace the work of oppression and bondage they had under Pharaoh. The construction of the tabernacle was a good start on that work. It kept the people occupied, producing something that was bigger than they were. It got them thinking about who their LORD was, and how they could serve and worship him. It helped them to redefine themselves in terms of their relationship with God.

The construction of the tabernacle is a kind of similitude to the sanctification process that believers go through this side of eternity. We are given the divine moral patterns in the Scriptures, and are called on to build our lives by those patterns. Even when we are finished with this life, and present that tabernacle to the LORD, it is not the ultimate end. It is just a start. We pray that we make it a good start.

LORD, give us the wisdom to build our lives after your instructions; to make a good start on the eternal lives you have destined for us.

Posted in discipleship, holiness, plan of God | Tagged Exodus 39 | 1 Comment

a uniform for ministering

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 39:22-31

²² He also made the robe of the ephod all of blue, woven together,²³ and the collar of the robe in it was like the collar in a garment, with a reinforcement around the opening, so that it might not tear.²⁴ On the hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.²⁵ They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around the hem of the robe, between the pomegranates-²⁶ a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate around the hem of the robe for ministering, as the LORD had instructed Moses.²⁷ They also made the coats, woven of fine linen, for Aaron and his sons,²⁸ and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined linen,²⁹ and the sash of fine twined linen and of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework, as the LORD had instructed Moses.³⁰ They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the LORD.”³¹ And they tied to it a cord of blue to fasten it on the turban above, as the LORD had instructed Moses.

a uniform for ministering

I never had a school uniform growing up, but on the mission field as a Bible College professor, I did. It seemed to make a difference for me. Putting on my school uniform every morning, I was reminded that this was more than a job. It is a calling, and it has a purpose, and that purpose goes beyond myself.

The priests under the Mosaic covenant also had a prescribed uniform. They had a calling, and a ministry, and the uniforms they wore reminded them of that ministry. They wore things that reminded them of the awesomeness of the LORD, and of the uniqueness of the twelve tribes of Israel. The priests were to be devoted to both their God and their people.

LORD, remind us each day of our calling and ministry to you, and to those you have called us to serve and lead.

Posted in consideration of others, dependence upon God, leadership, ministry | Tagged Exodus 39 | 1 Comment

revisiting the sacred pouch

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 39:8-21

⁸ He made the sacred pouch, the work of a skilled worker, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.⁹ It was square. They made the sacred pouch doubled, a span[1] its length and a span its breadth when doubled.¹⁰ And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row;¹¹ and the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond;¹² and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;¹³ and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree.¹⁴ There were twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They were like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.¹⁵ And they made on the sacred pouch twisted chains like cords, of pure gold.¹⁶ And they made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two edges of the sacred pouch.¹⁷ And they put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the sacred pouch.¹⁸ They attached the two ends of the two cords to the two settings of filigree. This is how they attached it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod.¹⁹ Then they made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the sacred pouch, on its inside edge next to the ephod.²⁰ And they made two rings of gold, and attached them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.²¹ And they bound the sacred pouch by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it would lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the sacred pouch would not come loose from the ephod, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

revisiting the sacred pouch

As we revisit the intricately fashioned sacred pouch, we are reminded of its value as a symbol of representation. The twelve names listed the tribes, and reminded the whole community that its people are important. The priesthood was not just about going through ceremonies and rituals. It was not even just about worshipping God. The LORD was in a relationship with his people, and those people mattered. To symbolize this, he made sure that the sacred pouch would be fastened securely to the high priest’s ephod.

LORD, thank you that our names are securely fastened to your heart.

[1] nine inches.

Posted in leadership, relationship with God | Tagged Exodus 39 | 1 Comment

remembering who you serve

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 39:1-7

¹ From the blue and purple and scarlet yarns they made intricately woven garments, for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron, as the LORD had commanded Moses.² He made the ephod of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.³ And they hammered out gold leaf, and he cut it into threads to work into the blue and purple and the scarlet yarns, and into the fine twined linen, in skilled design.⁴ They made for the ephod attaching shoulder pieces, joined to it at its two edges.⁵ And the skillfully woven band on it was fashioned of one piece with it and made like it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen, as the LORD had commanded Moses.⁶ They made the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold filigree, and engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.⁷ And he set them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod to be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

remembering who you serve

The design of the priests garments was intended to convey two truths simultaneously. First, the elaborate and precious nature of the ephod spoke of the worthiness of the LORD whom the priests were sworn to serve. Second, the names upon the shoulder pieces reminded the priests of the people of the nation who depended upon them to represent them in the presence of that mighty God. Those in ministry must always keep before them the reality of who they serve.

LORD, may we never forget your unparalleled holiness, nor the need of those who depend on us to represent them before you.

Posted in holiness, leadership, ministry | Tagged Exodus 39 | 1 Comment

silver and gold

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 38:21-31

²¹ These are the specifications of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded by Moses’ command, detailing the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.²² Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses;²³ and with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer and embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.²⁴ All the gold that was used for the work, in all the construction of the sanctuary, the gold that was contributed, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.²⁵ The silver from those of the congregation who were recorded was a hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary:²⁶ a beka per person (that is, half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone who was listed in the records, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men.²⁷ The hundred talents of silver were for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent a base.²⁸ And from the 1,775 shekels he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their capitals and made bowls for them.²⁹ The bronze that was offered was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels;³⁰ with it he made the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and the bronze grating for it and all the utensils of the altar,³¹ the bases around the court, and the bases of the gate of the court, all the pegs of the tabernacle, and all the pegs around the court.

silver and gold

At this point in the history of God’s people, they had lots of money. The silver and gold contributed by the Egyptians as they urged the Israelites to leave Egypt was put to good use. It became raw materials for the construction of the tabernacle of testimony.

At another point in the history of God’s people, a beggar looked up at two Israelites, seeking help. But Peter and John did not have those material resources. But they did have a name. So, Peter said to the crippled beggar “I don’t have any silver or gold, but I will give you what I do have: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk.”[1]

In the kingdom from the sky, we never lack the resources to accomplish the will of our king. If he provides silver and gold, we can use them for his glory. If we have no silver and gold, we are still able to do the work, because we have the name of our king. That is enough.

LORD, thank you for all the resources you have put at our disposal – especially those which we can never lose.

[1] Acts 3:6.

Posted in faith, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, money, prayer | Tagged Exodus 38 | 1 Comment