Grow Devotes | Grow Churches

Submission Chooses Serving

“…Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love.” John 13:1 NIV84 In John 13, Jesus was with His disciples when He “showed them the full extent of His love” as He picked up a towel and served His team. Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, demonstrating that true leadership is about real love and that real love will...

No Complaints Here

“Do all things without complaining and disputing.” Philippians 2:14 When people complain, it could be that a person is hurting or lacking in some area of their heart. If that person is surrendered to the Lord and to their authority, they will receive healing. It could be that a person sees the need for change and wants to help make something better. Others complain because their heart is rebellious, refusing...

Being Under and In

“He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward…” Matthew 10:41 When we willingly bring ourselves under the authority of a house, we receive from the blessings that are in that house. One of my favorite examples of this principle is found in the history between David and King Saul in I Samuel. Saul was a difficult authority for David to be under....

Don’t Stop Trusting People

“He who covers a transgression seeks love…” Proverbs 17:9 Trust is reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, and surety of a person. To submit to an authority in our life, we must trust. As human beings, we usually find it easy to trust until we experience disappointment by a trusted someone. I think we were created with the functionality to believe. Doubt is a dysfunction that goes against our God-originated...

From Surrender to Submission

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20 When someone surrenders to God, they trust His love to give Him their heart. They are in a yielded position. Submission goes from the yielded position into obedient action. Submission puts action to faith. Submission starts with...

Opportunity to Obey

“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” Isaiah 1:19 Inside the Garden of Eden, God had placed several fruit trees to eat from. He created human beings to require and desire food to sustain life. God also created a tree with appetizing fruit called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told Adam that every tree in the garden could...

Submission is Not a Bad Word

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear…” I John 4:18 The world can be deceptive. Have you ever been to a carnival where there was a house of mirrors? The mirrors are warped and give back to you a distorted image of yourself. You look short, you look tall, you look wide, you look narrow. What if you grew up in that house of mirrors...

Mercy for Me

“…the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:24 I’m one of those kids that was brought up in church and taught to keep the rules. I tried my best to live between the lines and to do the right thing. I grew up and married a preacher and went to Bible school. I served God and people the best...

The Mercy Measure

“…For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38b Before Luke 6:38, Jesus has taught about loving our enemies and the dangers of judging others. After Luke 6:38 Jesus taught about criticism and hypocrisy. In the middle He teaches about giving, saying that if you give, it will be given back to you – pressed down, shaken together and running over. It’s...

Reckless Love

“… receive Him forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave – a beloved brother…” Philemon 15-16 Paul is writing a letter to Philemon about a servant named Onesimus. Philemon was a wealthy businessman in Colosse that Onesimus served. Onesimus either damaged or stole property from Philemon and fled to Rome. In Rome, Onesimus connected with Paul, who led him to Christ. Paul wrote to Philemon to...

Moved By You

“For the love of Christ compels us…” II Corinthians 5:14 The word mercy used in the Old Testament is a word that is describing a love that is felt deeply. It is used to describe the depth of love that a parent has for their child. The King James Version translated this word, racham, as mercy, but also as “bowels.” In the Jewish culture, the bowels were used to illustrate...

I Never Knew I Could Love Like This

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.” Psalm 103:13 NIV One Hebrew word for mercy or compassion is “racham.” Racham is the origin of the Hebrew word for womb (rechem). Racham describes the parental kind of love that we feel deeply as a mom or dad. Often the reaction to having a child for the first time is, “I...

Love Driven Discernment

“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” John 7:24 God is merciful – oh, so merciful! I think of Christ’s story in Luke 15 about the love of the Father – looking with a yearning for the son to return, running to meet the son with the open arms of acceptance, and then celebrating his coming home with unrestrained joy! This story was an expression of...

Bring a Grace Magnet

“… God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6 God resists the proud – who are the proud? The proud are not just the arrogant ones that think of themselves as superior to others. The proud are not just the ones who brag on what they can do or what they have. The proud are not just the unsaved. The Biblical definition of being proud would...

Grace to Give

“God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” II Corinthians 9:8 Receiving blessings from God can easily become an interest of the Christian. After all, who doesn’t like to receive a blessing? Who doesn’t like to see the Lord working on our behalf? It’s a great feeling to receive a gift....