NorMel House Devotions

For many, this week is "March break," and there are lots of planned activities and holidays. Many children don't have school this week, and their parents are often looking for ways to keep their children occupied. What if this year's March break looked a little different? What if we pointed our kids towards Bible study, engaging them in fun and creative activities meant to direct their thoughts to learning to live as the Bible teaches us? What greater activity is there for our children than learning how Christ lived and died for us, and how we ought to express our thankfulness to Him? With Good Friday and Easter Monday coming up, why not prepare your children by teaching them what those days are really meant to celebrate? Knowing what we do about Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, how do we prepare ourselves and our families to celebrate Good Friday and Easter Monday? The people in that time were not aware of what was to come and what it would mean for them an...

  Titus 3:11 “For people like that have turned away from the truth, and their own sins condemn them.” Today’s text is quite simple. Paul has been making the point that the gospel is transformative. One who has been born again in Christ will live differently than the unrepentant sinner. 1 John 2:4-6 says, “Whoever says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him. Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did.” People who have turned away from the gospel truth will be obvious because they won’t be living as Jesus did. Their actions will reveal what is in their heart, thereby condemning them. We are all sinners, condemned by our sins, but one who lives for Christ will strive to do what is right and, by the Holy Spirit, will live to do the good works God has set forth for them to do. No, Christians are not perfect, but i...

Titus 3:10 “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that have nothing to do with them.” Have you ever met a child or adult who argues a lot, someone who seems to enjoy picking fights? When a child has a bad attitude and is stirring up arguments, you don’t allow them to disrupt and disturb the whole house; you send them to their room until they can be a positive, productive, and happy member of the house. Just as discipline is important in the home, so, too, in the family of Christ. When parents fail to discipline, it affects the whole house. Paul wrote several times in his pastoral letters not to allow division and how to deal with it when it arises. When someone causes division in the church, they threaten its unity and must be dealt with. These warnings must be given to correct the individual’s divisive nature with a view to restoration in the church. Our warnings ought to be purposeful, pointing out their errors and the implications of their actions, wit...

Titus 3:5-6 “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done , but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” We often like to think that we are good people, that we generally do good, and that we deserve to go to heaven. Paul, however, points out the flaws with this ideology and the Bible is full of texts that contradict this idea. In our text, Paul is making the point that even the things we consider our “best works” cannot contribute to salvation. The reality is that there is not an iota within us that can contribute to our salvation. Salvation is only through God alone. Because of His mercy, God does not give us what we deserve, but rather, as we learned in verse 4, He sent His kindness and love in Jesus to give us what we don’t deserve. 2 Timothy 1:9 says, “He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jes...

Titus 3:4-5a “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us” If you know Paul's history, then you know that Paul was not always a servant and preacher of the gospel. Paul, formerly Saul, persecuted the Christians of his time, even putting many in prison. So, how did the persecutor become the preacher? Titus 3:4 gives us the answer; quite literally, "the kindness and love of God the Savior appeared." Saul went from persecutor to preacher, not because of anything he had done, but because Jesus came to him, and as our text says, "He saved us!" In Acts 9, we can read about Jesus' appearance to Paul, and in verse 20, it says, "At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God." The opposer became the opposed, again, not because of anything Paul did, but because God chose to reveal Himself to Paul through Christ Jesus. Jesus personifies God's kindness and love, and we can see a strong contrast between ...

Titus 2:14 “Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.” The Christian life is lived between two points: Christ has appeared, and He will appear again. We look back to what He has done, and we look forward to what He will do. Our text points us back to what He has done for us so we’ll know why we are to do what He says. Christ came and redeemed us from all wickedness, and having purchased us by His death on the cross, He released us from the power of sin. Not only are we freed from sin, but we are also purified from it’s influence and control so that we might live in accordance with God’s good and perfect will. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The Bible, quite clearly, tells us that we are not our ow...

Titus 2:11-13  “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” We’ve learned that the grace of God came to us through Jesus Christ and appeared to all men, therefore, no one can give excuse or deny this truth. But our text has more to say. Grace should have a profound effect on us and “It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives”. God’s grace stirs in our hearts a longing for good which will lead to the very thing Paul has been trying to teach us about: Christian living. The grace that saves us also disciplines us. Our lives must and will be marked by devotion and thankfulness to God. Mankind is enslaved to their own sinful desires and worldly passions, but...

Titus 2:9-10 “Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.” Slavery was a basic element of Roman society and culture; therefore, Paul addresses Christian slaves and tells them how they ought to live. Romans 6:16 tells us we are either slaves to sin, which leads to death, or of obedience which leads to righteousness. Matthew 6:24 tells us we cannot serve two masters; we cannot serve both God and money. We are all slaves to something, either to God or to sin. Looking at Titus 2:9-10 we can apply these commands to ourselves as well. Who do you serve? The Bible tells us do all things to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). In all you say and do, do it to God’s glory. If you’re called to be a stay-at-home mom, do your duties to God’s glory. If you’re called to be an employee...

Titus 2:4-5 “Then you can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” Have you ever thought about your kids or spouse thinking something like, “I may love you but right now I don’t particularly like you”? If you’ve never thought about love like this before, it may seem a strange thing to say but the truth is that when you truly love someone there can be times when you are frustrated with them, angry at them, or really just don’t like their actions or words. Paul tells Titus to teach the older women to teach the younger women to love their husbands and families because, the truth is, we all need to be taught how to truly love one another. Love is not the wishy-washy emotions the world seems to think it is, but rather, love is a choice. We must be taught and choose to love because our sinful inclination is to be selfish, but als...

Titus 1:5 “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order , and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.” ESV God is a god of order. There is order in all creation because He is a God of consistent, complex and detailed design, intent and orderliness. Right from the beginning of creation God set in place an order for how things function and are done. Science very clearly shows the order He set in nature; there are patterns and laws to how things are made and how they function. Job 25:2 (NIV) says, “Dominion and awe belong to God; He establishes order in the heights of the heaven.” The laws of science and physics can be seen throughout all creation and all things have a set and orderly way of functioning. Our bodies, for example, are intricately created so that all parts have a set purpose. Because man sinned, chaos and brokenness came into all of creation, causing things to go wrong. When one little part of our body doesn’t function the way i...

 Titus 1:1  "Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness " Our current society would have you believe that everyone can have their own truth. That what you’re feeling is the most important thing, however, Paul tells us this is not true. Right in the introduction he tells us, “For the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness – a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life”. Paul knows there is only one truth. There cannot be individual truths; there is only the truth of the gospel. In Paul’s time, and still today, there were people teaching false doctrine and people professing their faith but not allowing it to function in their lives. Paul is telling the readers that knowing the truth of the gospel must lead us to a life characterized by faith and good works. There are some in life that are always learning but they never come to the ...

Read 1 John 1:5-10 John writes that God is light. In the beginning, God spoke, and there was light (see Genesis 1:3). He even sent His Son to be a light in this dark world. We sinned and brought the darkness. In John 8:12, Jesus calls Himself the light of the world. Logically speaking, we know you can not be both light and dark. Either light is shining on you, or you are in darkness. John tells us that God is light and we can not have fellowship with Him if we walk in darkness. Ephesians 5:8 says, "For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." We know that God is light but Psalm 119:105 tells us that God's Word is also light. "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Our text tells us that walking in the light, as He is, gives us fellowship with one another and gives us the blood of Christ to purify us from sin. Sin is darkness. If we claim to be without sin, we are, as our text says, liars, and ...

Read Ephesians 6: 5-9 Today's text is a difficult subject. Slavery was not part of God's intended design, so why do we see it in the Bible? Paul does not condone slavery; however, because of the socioeconomic situation of the Roman occupation, it was an embedded institution. The Christians Paul wrote to were subject to Roman laws, and therefore, many Jews were either slaves or masters.  Paul wrote a lot about our attitudes and how we should live our lives in the various roles we are placed in. This is why he wrote to slaves and masters. As with so many of his instructions, Paul addresses both perspectives and points them to God. No matter your station or status in this life, we are equal, in Christ, before God. Although we do not have slavery in our society here now, we can compare this relationship to that of an employer and employee. We can look at what Paul instructs and use it in whatever our job is here and now. What, then, should we ascertain from today's passage? Thr...

Read Ephesians 5:22-33 and 1 Corinthians 11:3 There's a very distinct hierarchy given in our passage today. Christ is the head of the church, and the church submits to Christ. This relationship is compared to the relationship between a man and his wife. Just as the church submits to Christ, so also, wives should submit to their husbands. Our society balks at this idea because they don't understand what it means. The relationship between a husband and wife is a beautiful thing. As a wife, it is easy for me to submit to my husband because I've been blessed with a loving and good man. This doesn't mean he's perfect; only Christ was perfect, and He loved us so much He was willing to suffer and die for us. He "gave Himself up for her (the church) to make her holy" (Verse 25).  The love of a husband should be Christ-like. In all he does, a husband should love his wife more than he loves himself. He should feed and care for her, "just as Christ does the chur...

Read 2 Corinthians 4 What a comforting passage! God knows we are weak and sinful, so He gave us His Word. The Bible is filled with comforting passages to help us in and through the trials we will face in this life. Because we WILL face trials in this life, and how we respond to them matters. We can easily succumb to sadness, despair, bitterness, or anger, or we can turn to God. John 16:33 says, "In this world you will have troubles. But take heart! I have overcome the world!" Yes, we will have troubles and trials, but we are not to lose heart! Though we go through trials, we will not be overcome by them. Even if we die, it is for and with Christ. God raised Christ from the dead, and He will one day raise us from the dead as well. Our text helps us to understand that although our bodies are wasting away, we do not lose heart because we know they are temporary. 1 Peter 5:10 says, "After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His e...

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 and  1 Corinthians 6: 12-20 Today's text is a beautiful reminder that we are called to be holy; God wants us to be pure in all we say, think, and do. It is a call to action. We are to flee from sexual immorality because our bodies are meant for the Lord. 1 Corinthians 6:15-17 says, "‭‭Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit." When we have sexual relations with others, we bind ourselves to them. But it doesn't stop there. In all we say, think, and do we are to be pure. That means that crude jokes, lustful thoughts and fantasies, what you wear, and how you present yourself all show what is in your heart. Someone who is pure at heart will not be se...

Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 Paul wrote the letter to the Corinthians to address several problems going on in the church of Corinth. In our text, he addresses their immorality, divisions in the church, and their spiritual immaturity. It is so important that Paul actually writes about it more than once in the same letter. In chapter 1, Paul appeals to the brothers in the church to agree and be united. In order for this to happen, they must stop quarreling over who they follow. The Corinthians were divided into several factions, each claiming to follow different teachers. Paul points out how completed wrong this is. As he says in chapter 1:13, "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?" Paul goes so far as to call them "worldly - mere infants in Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:1). Oh, how easy it is for us to follow false ideas! When things like this creep into the church, we need to remember the very foundations of the gospel. Only ...

  Read Romans 5:1-5 Our passage today is a beautiful piece about rejoicing in our suffering, with a theme of faith, hope, and love. Paul tells us we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Faith is what allows us to go through hardship and suffering and still rejoice. We can rejoice, regardless of our circumstances, because we know that God's plan is being fulfilled. We don't rejoice because of our suffering, but in our suffering because we know our suffering isn't meaningless. Our suffering here is meant to build character and produces hope in God, "and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2). We are being built up in faith, hope, and love. God has poured out His love, and because of that, we can have faith in His gifts of grace and hope in the future He has planned for us. "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). Faith, without hope, is dead. We must have faith in...

Read Ephesians 4:1-16 As Christians, we are called to live Christ-like lives. We are called to be the body of Christ, and God gives us what we need to live a life worthy of our God-given call. The church is the body of Christ, and as there are many different parts to the body, so too, we have different callings in life. Some are to be apostles and prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, etc. In order to live Christ-like lives and fulfill our calling, we must be humble, patient, gentle, and bear with one another in love. Each has a part and needs to do its work. As there is only one body, there is also only one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father, and we are called to one hope. Christ is the one head, and from Him, the whole body is joined together, grows, and is built up in love. So live lives worthy of your God-given calling and realize we don't all have the same calling. For, "If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hea...

  Read 1 Corinthians 13 The book of 1 Corinthians was written by Paul to instruct the Church of Corinth on areas of immorality and spiritual weakness and to correct false teachings. Our text comes after a very well-known section about love. Paul is pointing out how we can't do anything fully without love. Love is greater than any other spiritual gifts we might be given. "Love never fails. But where there are prophesies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away." (1 Corinthians 13:10) Thus far, the chapter has been an explanation on what love is and isn't. Our text gives comparisons about our love now and what love will look like when Christ returns. He is the 'perfection to come' (1 Corinthians 13:10). Paul uses three examples to make his point. First, there is the contrast between a child and a grown man. Children need to learn and grow in order to become grown-ups. Like children, we don't...