Smyrna PCA Devotions

Smyrna PCA Devotions Welcome to Smyrna PCA Devotions where you can enjoy daily devotions by Pastor Dan Ratchford!

05/24/2025

May 24 Saturday

“The rod and a rebuke give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother. 17 Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; he will also delight your soul.” Proverbs 29:15,17
These verses are obviously dealing with childrearing….there are two basic choices:
1) Permissive parenting = allowing a child do what THEY want, the child “gets their own way”. This style of parenting has few limits, few rules and few consequences. The parents focus on love, peace and understanding and allow the child to determine their own way.
Correction and discipline are viewed in a negative light. GOD says this approach to parenting is foolishness…according to the Lord, this path will lead to shame and disappointment to the parent. And often the result is that the future adult will continue to demand that they “get their own way”.
2) Biblical parenting is teaching moral right/wrong, training the child to obey their parents, learning self-control and discipline in every area of life. The child has a sin nature and will naturally rebel and disobey…the parent must lovingly and patiently teach them and correct them…at times they must use the “rod” as a tool of discipline for rebellion and disrespect. GOD says that this style of parenting is wise and leads to comfort and delight to the parents as they see their children grow into adulthood.

05/23/2025

Friday May 23

“A fool always loses his temper, but a wise person holds it back. 22 An angry person stirs up strife, and a hot-tempered person abounds in wrongdoing.” Proverbs 29:11,22

Two verses that remind us of the danger of anger…anger is a powerful emotion…anger is a sinful reaction to anyone or anything that inconveniences us or blocks our desires or gets in the way of what we want! We get angry when we are forced to wait, when something breaks, when someone says “no”, when someone irritates us, when other drivers act stupidly, etc. Anger can be explosive (yelling, profanities, red in the face, etc.) or anger can be internalized (like a volcano building up fire and gas right below the surface)…but it is still anger and it is dangerous. Anger leads to foolish and sinful thoughts, words, attitudes and actions and can deeply harm relationships (especially with those we love the most). We do not have to get angry…it is a choice we make. A person of spiritual wisdom chooses not to get angry and with the Spirit of GOD’S help learns to control their anger and remain at peace.
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee because he trusts in Thee.” Isaiah 26:3

05/22/2025

May 22 Thursday
“Then His mother and His brothers came, and while standing outside they sent word to Him, calling for Him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, ‘Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.’ 33 Answering them, He said, ‘Who are My mother and My brothers?’ 34 And looking around at those who were sitting around Him, He said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, this is My brother, and sister, and mother.’” Mark 3:31-35
A follower of Christ has two families…your biological family (parents, grandparents, siblings, etc.) and your spiritual family (other followers of Christ with whom you are in fellowship on a regular basis). Both of these family bonds are different and both are important. In this passage, Jesus was putting a priority on the spiritual family of GOD…He defined a spiritual family as those who seek to do the will of GOD in their lives…those who are walking in obedience to the Lord…those who are walking in the Light (I John 1:7). Jesus is not rejecting His earthly biological family…He cares for His mother until His death…we are to love, care for, and honor our earthly families… but in these verses, Jesus is making a priority of His spiritual family. Am I actively involved with a community of disciples of Jesus…do I love them, care for them, pray for them, study GOD’S Word with them? We need to be in a spiritual family and that spiritual family needs our involvement!
“Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,” Acts 2:46

05/21/2025

Wednesday May 21
“‘Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons and daughters of men, and whatever blasphemies they commit; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’— 30 because they were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’” Mark 3:28-30
The “unforgiveable sin” has been discussed throughout time…is there one specific sin that will keep me out of Heaven? Which one is it? Have I already committed it? The context of this verse is the comment in verse 22…the scribes said that Jesus’ power and abilities are Satanic…that Jesus is not divine but evil. This is a blasphemy/the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit! Blasphemy means to deny Him, to reject Him, to show/express disrespect and evil toward the Lord. When the Holy Spirit is rejected…that individual is guilty of an eternal sin. GOD is the Judge and only GOD knows a person’s heart and eternal destiny. If you know and love the Lord Jesus Christ…you are forgiven and assured of eternal life! “And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” I John 5:20

05/20/2025

May 20 Tuesday
23 And so He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished! 27 But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.” Mark 3:23-27
Earlier, the Pharisees claimed that Jesus’ healing powers were Satanic…they refused to accept Him as the Messiah of Israel…they were desperate to try to convince the adoring crowds that this Rabbi Jesus was a fraud. So, they concoct this fake narrative that His power is demonic. Jesus quickly reveals that their argument is ridiculous…why would Satan cast himself out? Why would the forces of darkness destroy each other? It absolutely makes no logical sense! Jesus is indicating that it is power of the Almighty GOD that is dispelling demons from people and that Jesus is GOD, the Messiah, the promised One. Today we continue to live in a fallen world and the devil and his demons are still active (they have been defeated at the cross but continue to wage guerilla warfare until Jesus returns…their mission is to “steal, kill and destroy” John 10:10). Verse 27 is a way to pray against the forces of darkness…pray for the devil to be bound up and limited to what he tries to do. Remember that Jesus Christ is the victory!
“You are from GOD, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4

05/17/2025

May 17 Saturday

20 And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. 21 And when His own people heard about this, they came out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.” 22 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” Mark 3:20-22
We tend to think of persecution in terms of physical threat/abuse or imprisonment or even death…and that is all true. But there are more subtle and equally harmful forms of persecution and Jesus experiences two of them in these verses:
1) “He’s insane”…The crowds are huge and clamoring for His attention so that He cannot even eat a meal. His family and home town friends think He has some mental instability “lost His senses”…they seek to take custody of Him (thinking He cannot make rational decisions on His own) and get Him some rest and relief…His own loved ones think He is “out of His mind”. They believe His “spirituality” is just a mental condition.
2) “He’s possessed”… The scribes think that Jesus is demon possessed…He is being controlled by the Devil…therefore all that He says and does (miracles, healings, etc.) is not legitimate and must be discounted as the rantings of a possessed man.
In both cases, Jesus’ life and message are called into question…you cannot believe an insane or demon possessed man! If you follow the Lord closely and not the world’s ways…people will think you are not right in your head…they might think you are delusional to believe what you believe and live like Jesus…do not be fooled…this is persecution…they don’t want to hear the Gospel truths about Jesus!

05/16/2025

Friday May 16

“And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 14 And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, 15 and to have authority to cast out the demons.” Mark 3:13-15

Jesus has been calling disciples (followers)…from that group of people, He now selects 12 to be His closest followers and the leaders of the worldwide Gospel movement after He departs into Heaven. Here are the details:
1) He withdraws to a mountain.
2) He summons those whom He “wants”…it is His decision, not their decision.
3) He appoints (assigns, commissions) the 12.
4) The 12 have two assignments:
a) Be with Jesus…live with Him, share life together, watch and learn.
b) Preach the Gospel…Jesus is sending them out with a life changing message, Jesus is giving them power over the forces of darkness.
The same can be said of followers of Christ today…we are to be sharing the Gospel of Jesus to a lost world…we are to be speaking about the Gospel with our friends and neighbors and we are to living the Gospel…our lives should reflect the person of Jesus Christ. But another key ingredient is that we are to be spending time with the Lord Jesus…walking with Him in prayer and thought…spending time in His Word…loving Him in our hearts! The Christian life is primarily a relationship with the living Christ.

05/12/2025

Monday May 12
“He entered a synagogue again; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 2 And they were watching Him closely to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” 4 And He said to them, ‘Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?’ But they kept silent. 5 After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might put Him to death.” Mark 3:1-6
It is the Sabbath…a holy day, a day of rest…Jesus enters the synagogue to worship with His fellow Jews…Jesus notices a man with a crippled hand and chooses to do a work of mercy and heal the withered hand and does so with just a word…a miracle, a beautiful act of compassion and grace.
But this account has another undercurrent…there is a group of scribes and Pharisees who are closely watching Jesus…watching for Him to break the law or utter a blasphemy…they are closely watching for any misstep…they are building a case against Jesus for a future trial (see verse 6)…Jesus knows what they are doing and what is in their hearts…so He asks the question: “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” but the religious leaders are silent…they refuse to answer. Jesus grieves at their hardness of heart…they put their Sabbath traditions before the needs of a hurting individual…Jesus is righteously angry at their attitude. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath and He determines what is appropriate or not, what is lawful or not…Jesus observes the Sabbath day of rest and loves on people at the same time!

05/09/2025

Friday May 9
“The Pharisees were saying to Him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?’ 27 Jesus said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord, even of the Sabbath.’” Mark 2:24,27,28
The Lord GOD created all things and He set the world in order…He established a rhythm of life…the rising/setting of the sun, the four seasons and the days of the week…one day in seven was designated as a day of rest…a day to be refreshed, to refocus, to worship…GOD called that day the Sabbath. The Sabbath principle runs throughout the Bible…we were not meant to live a 24-7 lifestyle…our bodies, our minds, our emotions, our spiritual lives were meant to stop and rest one day out of seven. Over time, the religious leaders developed “rules” of Sabbath observance…what to do and what not to do…in this passage, the disciples of Jesus have “violated” a Sabbath rule by picking grain on their journey and eating it…the Pharisees were quick to point out their “sin” of breaking the Sabbath. Jesus reminds them of the purpose and principle of the Sabbath…it is not a burden, it is not a list of rules/regulations, it is not a day to criticize others…Jesus is Lord and He determines what is the “right” way to follow the Sabbath…it is a heart issue between us and GOD and our desire ought to be to please Him and obey Him in the way that we observe this day…the Sabbath is a gift to us, it is a day to enjoy and delight in our Lord. Do you observe and practice a Sabbath day of rest?

05/08/2025

May 8 Thursday
“And it happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him.16 When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’ ” Mark 2:15-17
Jesus ministers to needy people as a medical doctor/physician deals with those with physical health issues. Jesus came to heal our spiritual need/needs…only Jesus knows our heart condition and only He can minister to those deepest needs. Jesus does not categorize people like we do…like the Pharisees, we divide people into groups of “good and bad”, and “worthy and unworthy” and “heaven bound and hell bound”…but Jesus looks into the heart of each individual and calls those whom He chooses to Himself…we can only be healed when we admit and recognize that we are “sick” and that we are “sinners”…those who think that they are spiritually “healthy” and “righteous” will not respond to His call…they are “self-righteous” and focus on judging those whom they deem “unrighteous”. Jesus associated with all categories of people…He does not join them in their sinful lifestyle, behavior or attitudes…He associates with them in order to minister to their spiritual needs. “…for I, the Lord, am your healer. (Jehovah Rapha)” Exodus 15:26

05/07/2025

Wednesday May 7

“And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking it over in their hearts, 7 ‘Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except God alone?’ 8 Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were thinking that way within themselves, said to them, ‘Why are you thinking about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—He said to the paralyzed man, 11 ‘I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet, and go home.’ 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone…Mark 2:5-12

Man puts a priority on his/her physical health…we don’t want to hurt and we don’t want to die. The man is paralyzed…he cannot take care of himself…his friends bring him to Jesus…they believe Jesus can heal their crippled friend and when they cannot get through the crowd, they remove a part of the roof in their desperation…Jesus responds to their faith (not the invalid’s faith) and He graciously heals the man. But before the man can physically walk again, Jesus heals him spiritually…Jesus forgives His sins…that is Jesus’ priority….NOT physical healing but spiritual healing. Jesus knows that this man will walk again but this same man will grow older, become feeble and eventually die…the body was never meant to last eternally…but the spiritual condition of the man is what is eternal and should be top priority! The scribes in the audience are outraged that Jesus had the audacity to “forgive sins”…that is the prerogative/purview of GOD and GOD alone (of course, Jesus is GOD…but they did not believe that…). Jesus’ earthly ministry was not focused on feeding people, healing people, rescuing people…it was on meeting the spiritual needs of those He encountered.

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