Devotional
There are no greater issues for us to work out in our lives than addressing the questions of, (1) “How can we know God?” and (2) “What happens after we die?” An abundance of ideas have been advanced throughout human history that claim to provide a way to know God and offer clarification as to what happens to us after we experience our Earthly deaths. In fact, there are an estimated 4,200 religions in the world that seek to satisfactorily answer these weighty questions that have captivated mankind for thousands of years. Nevertheless, every religion apart from Christianity fails to provide humanity with a way to have a personal relationship with the God of the universe or to obtain objective peace about what happens to us after we die. The Christian faith alone provides the infallible, written self-disclosure of the eternal God who has entered into His own creation in order to redeem us from the slave market of sin (Romans 6:16-23).
Throughout human history, many have challenged the notion that God has definitively spoken in the Holy Bible (Genesis 3:1). Can we really have confidence that Christianity isn’t just like the other religions of the world? When examined under close scrutiny, it becomes clear that the Holy Bible is unlike any other work of human antiquity (Psalm 119:160; John 17:17). On the contrary, the Bible contains the very words of God Himself, testifying to the grand story of how He is working to redeem a people by His Son, for His Son and for His own glory (Luke 24:25-27). From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible holds the keys to unlocking some of life’s greatest questions: “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “What is the purpose for my life?” “How can I know God?” “Is there life after Earthly death?” That is to say, the Bible doesn’t contain a mere morality checklist of “do’s and don’ts,” nor bizarre fables about the relationship between Creator and creature. Rather, the Bible is the God-ordained and God-preserved means of allowing humanity to have a meaningful, knowledgeable and personal relationship with their infinite Creator for eternity (Job 11:7-9; Romans 1:16-17).
Because of the person and work of Jesus Christ, foretold in the Old Testament and disclosed in the New Testament, we can have unwavering confidence in the absolute authority of the Bible (2 Peter 1:16-21). As truly God and truly man, Jesus affirmed the Old Testament as God’s Word and authorized those who would ultimately pen the New Testament (Matthew 5:17; John 14:16-26; 15:26-27). In doing so, the Son of God declared the Bible to be entirely sufficient for instructing us in how we can understand the world around us, as well as in how we can be who God has created us to be (2 Timothy 3:14-17). Interestingly to note, one of the greatest and most frequent condemnations that Jesus ever pronounced unto others during His Messianic ministry was, “have you not read [the Word of God]” (Matthew 19:1-12; Mark 12:1-10; Luke 6:1-11; John 10:33-38). What a tragedy it would be for us to neglect the study of and the surrendering of our lives to the authority of the written Word of God. To what other source can we go to hear the words of eternal life (John 6:66-69)? Where else can we go to taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8)? This week, make it your all-consuming effort to find your purpose, joy and contentment in the One that epitomizes absolute and perfect goodness itself: the Living God that has made Himself known through His Word and who has freely given Himself in order to save sinners from Himself (Ephesians 2:1-10).
Weekly Passages For Meditation:
Monday- Psalm 119:1-32
Tuesday- Psalm 119:33-64
Wednesday- Psalm 119:65-96
Thursday- Psalm 119:97-128
Friday- Psalm 119:129-152
Saturday- Psalm 119:153-176
Dewey is a licensed and ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Convention. He was raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is happily married to Beall, and is a proud father of Isabelle Ruth. Dewey played college baseball at Western Texas College, receiving the Associate of Arts degree in General Studies. Following his time at Western Texas College, Dewey would continue as a student-athlete at The Master’s University, earning the Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Ministries. Upon completion of his undergraduate work, Dewey went on to acquire the Master of Arts degree in Biblical Studies from The Master’s University, as well as the Master of Theology degree in Historical Theology from Campbellsville University. Dewey is currently a doctoral student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, with an emphasis in Christian Worldview and Apologetics. Over the last decade, Dewey has served local churches in a variety of ways, focusing on next generation ministries. He has experience teaching children in AWANA, serving as youth pastor, as well as leading college students and young adults. He is also passionate about personal evangelism, and has led groups in gospel outreaches in cities around the country. To strengthen his service to the church, and in conjunction with his seminary studies, Dewey has participated in several academic fellowships and cohorts. He specializes in the disciplines of apologetics, biblical theology, historical theology, and systematic theology. Dewey is also actively involved with Covenant Confessions—a ministry of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Today, Dewey serves as the Associate Pastor of Next Generation and Outreach at Metro East Baptist Church (Wichita, Kansas).
You can follow Dewey on Twitter @SlaveofChrist17
