Langdon's Devotional

Colossians 4:5-6 – “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious . . . so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” Witnessing to others is rarely as simple as telling someone that God exists and them accepting Him into their heart where they stand. Minds are not easily changed, and hearts are not easily softened. Not if we try to do it ourselves, at least. Those things can only happen through God’s amazing power – so how can we help allow that to happen? I think breaking this verse down could help to understand how we can put ourselves in a position for God to work through us. 1. Be wise. (v. 5) I’m sure it doesn’t need to be said that having a solid understanding of the Gospel is crucial to witnessing to others. Even so, walking in wisdom in this context means a lot more than just being knowledgeable of scripture. Wisdom is not just intelligence – it’s good judgement as well. It is so important that we use good jud...

James 2:26 – “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” Lukewarm Christianity can be so much more dangerous than those that recognize themselves as open opposition to the word of God. Treating salvation as an excuse to live comfortably in sin is even more treacherous than fully acknowledging Christianity in condemnation. In the second case, there is at least some kind of admission of what is required to truly be a follower of Christ. While we should be conscious of how lovingly we treat those that appear to be lukewarm, we should also be very cautious about not falling into the same pitfalls – this is easier to do than we may assume. Don’t get it twisted – works are not what get us into Heaven. There is no debating that. However, working to expand God’s kingdom should instead be proof of our salvation. When we are truly followers of Christ, we desire to do God’s work. When we find ourselves in a lukewarm position where we question whether...

Galatians 6:9 – “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” We are hard-wired to be discouraged by failure, even when we know that a failure is a direct result of us doing the right thing. A good example is the “nice guys finish last” mentality that a lot of young men and women adopt, whether it be conscious or subconscious. Instead of allowing our moral guidelines to influence our outcome, we tend to let our outcome influence our moral guidelines. If being “good” truly makes us finish last, then that’s not a race we should want to win. This verse is encouraging to me because it recenters me. Being who I want to be is never accomplished through how I want to do it. And we hardly ever expect that. Why should we be surprised that doing good becomes tiring? If we didn’t grow weary doing what God instructs us, then we wouldn’t have to be instructed to do it in the first place. But we need not wonder whether it pays off to do good and fo...

Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) – “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Let’s be clear: our Lord is not a “clockwork God”. He is very involved with our lives, and not only that, but He cares deeply about them. The Holy Spirit is meant to be active in our lives, especially within our prayer lives. It follows that there are no things that are too small (and especially not too big) to be brought forth in prayer. God wants to hear from us, and He wants us to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, through prayer . At the same time, this is how we are meant to stay involved in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Prayer is a blessing because it gives us a way to impact the lives of fellow believers. When prayer is frequent and habitual within the church is when God’s power is the most noticeable to us. A gift that powerful is too special for us to take for gran...

1 Corinthians 13:12 – “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” I’m a planner. I like to have a baseline for every big situation or event that I can mentally prepare for. Things can go differently, and that’s usually okay with me, but I need to at least rehearse things in my mind before they happen, so that I have something to compare to reality. A lot of people are the same way, and it leads to us feeling as though what we rehearse in our minds is what reality should be like in the future. Yet, who are we to dictate what the future should hold? We are as temporary as anything or anyone in our lives that has been corrupted by sin (which is to say, everything but God ). As long as we are living in that sinful world, we have no definite view of what’s ahead of us – only what’s behind. Spending too much time trying to look dimly into or past a mirror can rob us of current opportunities, leavin...

Colossians 2:6-7 – “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” I knew a lot of kids in grade school that were clearly very bright, yet something held them back from reaching their full potential. Whether it’s rooted in laziness, a bad home life, or just a bad work ethic in general, no one likes seeing wasted talent. That person is still naturally talented – and that will never change – but it’s unlikely that they’ll take it any further. The danger of treating our salvation as a contingency plan is that it gives us this idea that our faith is just a “plan B”, and so we fail then to sanctify ourselves and grow our faith. After we accept such a wonderful gift, we leave it untended to until we “need” it after death. What a waste! We always need God and His gift to us. Failing to build on it and walk with Him is to say that the gift we’ve been given to us is ...

Psalm 118:13 – “I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me.” I find that the people I meet that are the most on fire for God are the people that have been targeted the most by the enemy. Those that have felt themselves being pushed again and again, falling into sin each time, know more than anyone the many blessings of the Lord. Why is that? Because who is the One that helps us up once we’ve fallen? Surely not ourselves, we can hardly get back on our own two feet without assistance. Like countless others, I can attest to the fact that I have never needed to – the Lord helped me . Our “success” is never defined by how many times we allow the enemy to push us down – he will eventually push us hard enough for us to fall. We often hear that success is rather defined by how many times we get back up. This is undoubtedly the truth, but I’d prefer to take it a step further than that. Our success is about how many times we reach out to the Lord for Him to help us up . An...

James 3:17 – “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” I can think of several very smart kids I grew up with in grade school that I don’t remember too fondly, simply because they were know-it-alls. It’s funny how childish pride can turn knowledge and wisdom into a bad thing, and while kids are more often guilty of this, it’s not necessarily something that everyone grows out of. I’ve found that the desire to be seen as intelligent is a personal flaw of mine, and I find it to be rooted not only in a desire for validation, but in sinful pride as well. As sinners (just as with children), we default to assuming that our own wisdom and knowledge is king; we fail to prioritize any “external” wisdom, as that would somehow make our own less valuable. In all honesty, it’s less than shocking that the wisdom that we consider to be our own, holds little value in the first place. Divine Wisdom, however, i...

James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.” I think that a misconception about maturity is that it comes from the wisdom that we already have. The wiser we currently are, the more mature we display when involved in tough situations. Instead, I propose this: spiritual maturity does not come from the wisdom we already possess, but rather the desire to gain more wisdom under God . In other words, we can only have as much wisdom as we ask for from God. God’s wisdom does not change. It’s always perfect, and it’s always available. When we are unsure how to solve a problem in our lives, the solution already exists. The Lord knows the answer to every question and knowing that puts our issues into a completely different perspective. Instead of us having problems with solutions that don’t exist yet, we now have problems with solutions that we haven’t gotten yet. The wisdom we seek to overcome hardships and...

1 John 4:20-21 – “… for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen … whoever loves God must also love his brother.” No one is surrounded with hypocrisy more than the lukewarm Christian. This is evident when we imagine the life that the Gospel tells us to live versus the life that we are the most comfortable living. However, the Christian that feels “on fire for God” can fight with hypocrisy all the same. Any contempt that we hold for those we know or those we don’t has a way of getting between us and the person we wish to be. Disdain or disgust that is rooted in Christian beliefs is especially sly (and illogical). Followers of Christ that are truly “on fire for God” should not use that fire with the sole intention to burn others. Instead, we should use that fire as a light to display the grace of God – and what a Grace it is! Don’t get it twisted – it’s very important to stand firm in our belief of God’s teachings, but allowing ourselves to ...

Hebrews 4:15 – “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” As they begin to learn about and experience genuine hardships for the first time, teenagers often hold onto this belief that whatever they are going through, they must be alone in it. No one – especially not parents – could possibly understand what they’ve been put through. Personally, I think that deep down I always felt like being the only person that has experienced something painful almost gave me some kind of merit. Like some mental medal of honor that sets me apart from my peers and even superiors. By nature, I want to feel like I’ve overcome this extraordinary obstacle that was unique to me, so that no one else could get recognition for sharing the pain that I went through. Like most things, as we hold onto this mentality by pushing away our parents / loved ones, we do the same to God. After all, our God is ...

1 Thessalonians 5:17 – “pray without ceasing” I try my best to stand by this belief during times of growth: improvement comes from being the person you want to be, when you don’t want to be them . If we choose to be that person only half the time, then at best we will only be half of that person. The same goes for our prayer lives. We seek for God to help us grow, but we often only communicate with Him half of the time. Some people feel naturally inclined to go to the Lord when they feel as if they owe Him for the good things that He’s been doing in it recently. Others only go to Him when they feel that they have nowhere else to go. Regardless, this is no way for us to live a life that is conducive to the Holy Spirit.  In order to grow as followers of Christ, we need to stay in touch with Him. Praying when our hearts overflow with thanks. Praying when they feel defective or empty. Praying when we are unsure how we feel. Never pausing, never ceasing. Otherwise, we can only be a frac...

John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” One of the biggest sources of hatred on Earth is the inability to trust others. While most of the time this is a way to protect ourselves, it is often rooted in ignorance during times when vulnerability is important. In any case, it’s an understatement to say that God deserves our trust before anyone or anything. So, why then are we subconsciously skeptical of His ability to give us peace? The reason that I love this verse so much is that God reiterates such a simple truth that sinners still need to hear: “My peace is different.” Sometimes, when we familiarize ourselves with God so much, we begin to view God as just another human being involved in our lives. While being familiar with God is indescribably important, and He absolutely is the greatest friend we’ll ever have, it’s important that we’re quick to remember just how...

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Especially within today’s generation, young men and women often experience problems in twos. And while the use of the word “anxiety” has taken off in recent years, it’s truly nothing new to the sinner. Anytime we are able to premeditate any undesirable situations that we expect ourselves to be in, we burden ourselves by creating a new problem alongside it and worrying about those situations. We allow fear to sneak into our hearts and minds by masking it as if it’s some sort of safety mechanism that prevents us from being disappointed or unprepared. What we disguise as a safety mechanism, though, is actually one of the enemy’s choice weapons to push us from God. How ironic would it be if that weapon were to be used against the enemy? We’re told in this verse not to worry about what’s to come, but more specifically, we’re first told in Matthew 6...

Galatians 5:18 – “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” One of my favorite parts of the Bible is how it can teach us the same concept effectively, through different ways. Just like the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 and Mark 4, the verse leading up to the fruit of the spirit is what puts the entire fruit-bearing process into context. This verse more or less shows us how we can be fruitful, before the fruit of the spirit is even explained. In a sinful world, it’s not uncommon to subconsciously assume that our responsibility is to plant the seed of love, joy, peace, etc., within ourselves in order to be good people (or even to be good Christians). The Bible never tells us that, though; God ultimately tells that to be “good people”, we reflect Him. Can you think of a better person? So instead of trying to plant that seed within ourselves, we should allow the Spirit to dwell in us and take control of our lives. We call it the Fruit of the Spirit , not the fruit...

Psalm 94:12 – “Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law” Some of the hardest jobs are the ones that are best learned through experience instead of through traditional teaching. Those jobs come with the burden of learning through hardship. When we learn mostly through experience, we are almost guaranteed to make mistakes. Those mistakes and difficult experiences are precisely what we learn from. Being a Christian is hardly any different. Obviously, there are things that we learn through traditional methods (i.e., reading God’s Word), but we also learn through watching what God is doing in our lives and how we follow His word while He does it. Discipline is tough, but it leads straight to growth. And growth is pretty important, wouldn’t you say? Blessed is he who reads Your law, absolutely – but even more blessed is he who is taught and disciplined through it.

Psalm 84:5 – “Blessed are those whose strength is in you” I think people tend to confuse courage with strength. At least in my mind, courage is the ability to go head-first into the things that we fear the most, because our love for something else overpowers that fear. Strength on the other hand, is reflected by how we receive things, even when fear overwhelms us. It takes strength to build up courage, and sometimes it takes courage to build up strength. Obviously, that strength needs to come from somewhere, whether it be from our natural inclination, situational circumstances, a loved one, etc.  So, it’s important to be careful about where we take our strength from. In a previous post that I wrote on Colossians 3, I talked about how susceptible the flesh is to disappoint those that rely heavily on it. For that same reason, it’s dangerous to rely on anything or anyone other than God and His Word. They aren’t reliable; they were made to be unreliable. But God is the only person out...

Psalm 84:12 – “O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!” Around when I was in middle school, my family went to the Dialog in the Dark exhibit in Atlanta, which is a simulation of sorts that puts people in the shoes of the blind. It’s one of those experiences that might seem simple at first, but quickly becomes extremely difficult to navigate. One thing I noticed while doing it was that I depended on those around me a tremendous amount. We had impairment canes with us to prevent from walking into things or people but navigating the exhibit itself would have been nearly impossible without the voices of the people around me. The same can be said for how we walk through our lives. Some things are in our control, but ultimately, we depend on God to guide us through it. Sometimes He guides us through things that we find happiness in. Other times, through challenging experiences and uncomfortable feelings. God closes doors, God opens doors, God closes doors . Often times we will...

1 Corinthians 9:27 – “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” We should all hope to surround ourselves with those that hold us accountable for what we say and do, to make sure that we are growing as Christians. Those people are the final judges of our character – the people that see how our personality is reflected in our words and actions. Our first judge is God, who knows what we will do before it’s premeditated (even if only in the heat of the moment). Our second judge, however, is ourselves. After God, we should be our greatest critic. Discipline is what keeps us in line and allows us to grow. In this regard, surrounding ourselves with the right people is only our plan B. We should hold ourselves accountable before anyone needs to. It’s worth noting that my ESV translation of this verse is pretty tame compared to most other versions of the Bible, including the Greek translation which reads more along the l...

James 4:7-8 – “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” A harsh truth that I face daily (as I’m sure many Christians do) is that most of the time, my relationship with God feels one-sided. Of course, this is the devil trying to make me believe that God is absent in my life, simply because I can’t see Him standing in front of me. But during times of hardships, it can be very easy to turn away from God in search of temporary fixes. Temporary fixes are temporary, so the devil has his way and life goes on. In ironic fashion, our problems make us feel inclined to turn away from our only solution. We feel too sick to take our medicine. Drawing near to God during our lowest moments is the most challenging thing we could do in those times, but it’s also the most rewarding. We get close to God; He gets closer to us. When we find ourselves in situations that seem hopeless, it’s often because they seem hopele...