<![CDATA[Pastor Billy Shaw

<![CDATA[Pastor Billy Shaw - Devotional]]>Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:44:40 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[god knows your max]]>Mon, 12 Oct 2020 09:26:54 GMThttps://www.pastorbillyshaw.com/devotional/god-knows-your-max

After years of putting my personal fitness on the proverbial back burner, a couple months ago I started working out every week with a certified personal trainer. During a recent workout, we did 20 reps of a deadlift exercise for endurance. He asked me, as he often does, how do you feel? He is very attuned to any pain or proneness to injury that may occur from poor form and so on. I told him that I felt good, but that I was fairly sure 25 reps would be my max.
I then added, "I hate to tell you that," and smiled thinking we would be dancing all over the max for the next several sets. What he said next reminded me of 1 Corinthians 10:13. He said, "it is helpful for you to tell me things like that, because I like to stay about 5 reps below your max."
1 Corinthians 10:13 (CSB) tells us, "No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to bear it."
At times in our Christian journey, we can feel that the limit of what we are able to bear is upon us, and it helps to know that our all-knowing God knows better than us where that point is. We can trust Him and His promise of a way to escape in that hour of temptation. As our Lord Jesus said in the model prayer, "Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Let us give God glory today that He knows our max and will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear.

]]><![CDATA[Singin' in the Pain]]>Sat, 18 Jul 2020 14:32:36 GMThttps://www.pastorbillyshaw.com/devotional/singin-in-the-pain

During my first year of studies at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC, I had the privilege of playing my violin in the orchestra pit for North Raleigh Christian Academy's production of Singin' in the Rain. The production was a lot of fun, and even now, there are times when this song and others from the musical will get stuck in my head (like right now). If we choose to sing in the rain, doing so can make us "happy again."
But what about pain? Maybe you lose a loved one. Maybe you lose your source of income. Maybe you lose your health. Maybe someone important walks out of your life. Maybe you are a victim of emotional or other abuse. Whatever the source of your pain, your first reaction is seldom if ever - to sing. But it is possible.
In Acts Chapter 16, Paul and Silas are beaten and imprisoned for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A first century Philippian prison would not be the most conducive place for singing. Despite their pain and their circumstances, Acts 16:25 tells us, "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them." How many of the Psalms (songs) in our Bible were composed out of painful circumstances! The Bible teaches that God not only gives us a song in the night (Psalm 42:8, "In the night, His song shall be with me.") but that He Himself is our song (Exodus 15:2, "The LORD is my strength and song; and He has become my salvation."
No matter how painful your circumstances may be at this moment, ask God to give you the ability to sing in the pain.

Photo Credit: torbakhopper Used by permission under Creative Commons License

]]><![CDATA[Encouragement in Forced Routine Changes]]>Fri, 13 Mar 2020 12:29:37 GMThttps://www.pastorbillyshaw.com/devotional/encouragement-in-forced-routine-changesAs I type this post, the NBA has canceled the rest of its season, and the NCAA has cancelled the remainder of March Madness. Our North Carolina government has recommended that gatherings of more than one hundred people be postponed and that employers have their people work from home, hinting that these recommendations could become mandatory. Every institution of higher learning, about which I am aware, has decided to do online only classes through the end of this semester. Many churches have gone to online only services. I rehearse this well-known info to underscore the extent to which people's routines have changed.
Such significant changes in our routines can have negative effects on our emotional, spiritual, and overall health. We can succumb to bad habits such as a slouching into a sedentary lifestyle, binge eating junk food and comfort food, neglecting exercise, personal devotions, and other important disciplines. Let me offer some biblical encouragement in such a time.
When God set up the universe, it is interesting the way that He built natural rhythms into the system. For example, we read that "the evening and the morning were the first day," (Genesis 1:5) and "the evening and the morning were the second day," (Genesis 1:8) and so on. Even if you disagree with my interpretation of those verses, Earth's rotation and orbit around the sun mark out days and years. Interestingly, God also built a sabbath rest into the pattern. There is a rhythm to life that sustains order and promotes health.
When you are quarantined or otherwise restricted from leaving your home as usual, make the most of this time to draw close to the Lord in prayer and devotion. Pray for fellow believers and loved ones to be safe from infection. Pray for those suffering to have their needs met and to lean on God for sustenance. Pray for an end to the pandemic. Keep up with your personal devotions and time in the Word. Set goals for yourself each day. Keep a checklist, and mark off your tasks as they are completed. Keep in mind that this situation is temporary. By using this time to keep the healthy rhythms of life going, you can make spiritual progress, keep your work life going, be prepared to return to normalcy, and avoid the potential negatives associated with slamming the brakes on life.

I offer these suggestions as a pastor and friend, not claiming to be a mental health or other healthcare professional. ]]><![CDATA[What Is the Content of Your Character?]]>Sun, 19 Jan 2020 19:33:08 GMThttps://www.pastorbillyshaw.com/devotional/what-is-the-content-of-your-characterMartin Luther King, Jr. famously said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” On this holiday set aside in Dr. King’s memory, I certainly hope that we are drawing ever closer to the realization of his dream.

The famous quote makes me stop and think. What is the content of my character? This MLK Day observance is a great opportunity to interrupt the cycle of life’s busyness and assess where we are with this. Am I a person of character? What can I do to strengthen and build my character? Are there influences that are getting in my way of becoming the person God would have me to be?

When I think of “character,” I think of what the Bible calls “the inner man.” The outer man is obviously your body - the part of you other people see. Character is evidenced through outward behaviors and deeds, yet it remains unseen. Jesus knows the character of every person; He knows what we struggle with. He knows how deceptive our hearts can be and whether or not we truly are people of character. John tells us, “[Jesus] knew what was in man.” (John 2:25) God’s goal for our character is that we would “all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:13) In other words, “Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” If you are like me, you feel a ways off from achieving this goal. The Bible passage that contains my life verse (3:10) also says, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12) To be true to the reality that the Christian life is not a legalistic set of do’s and don’ts, here is a self-assessment you can use to evaluate your own character on this MLK Day 2020.

1. Am I a person of my Word? (Matt 5:37, ““But let your ‘Yes' be ‘Yes,' and your ‘No,' ‘No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”) Can people trust me? Do I make good on my promises? If you need help here, you are in great hands. The One who says, “I am the Truth” is your Savior. He wants to live through you (Gal. 2:20). Character is achieved when we surrender to Him.

2. Do I love the LORD my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength? This is the greatest commandment. No one will achieve God-honoring character without this as a significant priority. It is impossible to love God with 100% while being a person of poor character. Your belief will always inform your practice.

3. Do I love my neighbor as myself? This is the second greatest commandment. So many verses of Scripture teach that great character is built by putting others ahead of ourselves. Seeing ourselves as servants to the world around us prepares us to become men and women of strong character.

4. Have I invited God’s Holy Spirit to build up the character of Christ in me? Christ Jesus is the only perfect person who ever lived. He is able to live through you. This is not just in the area of truthful speaking but in all of life. Christ’s love for those society has forgotten, His love for the Father, for the Scriptures, for the message of hope and love, His burden for the brokenhearted, and more will all rub off on you as you spend time with Him and become more like Him.

On this MLK Day 2020, let me encourage you to pray for God to develop the character of His Son Jesus through you. Even if the world around you judges you by some other standard, God will judge you by this standard. And His opinion is the only one that ultimately matters.

]]><![CDATA[God Rewards Faith]]>Mon, 06 Jan 2020 13:44:52 GMThttps://www.pastorbillyshaw.com/devotional/god-rewards-faith

There are moments throughout human history that individuals or groups displayed faith, and in every example we find that God did not ignore their faith. Instead, God rewarded faith repeatedly throughout the Scriptures. Let’s survey a few examples:

Galatians 3:6, “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (see also Romans 4:3, James 2:23)

Matthew 9:22, “But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour."

Matthew 15:28, “Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”

Interestingly, the faithful described in Hebrews 1, “all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” This shows us that God’s specific reward of our faith doesn’t always take place in this life.

Also, in Hebrews (11:6), we find this faith-reward connection: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

A crucial principle is that God Himself is the reward. Genesis 15:1, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” The Great I AM said to Abram, “I AM your reward.” We can deceive ourselves into thinking that the miracle, the thing provided, the bill paid, the disease healed, or the heavenly home prepared, is the reward. But it is the measure of God’s abiding presence with us that is the reward. As believers, we have the indwelling of the Spirit as a reward of our faith in Christ Jesus.

There have been times that the reward was proportionate to the faith. As you meditate on the faith-reward connection, my prayer for you is found in this principle from Matthew 9:29, “According to your faith let it be to you.”

]]><![CDATA[Dedicating Your New Year to the Lord]]>Wed, 01 Jan 2020 13:44:18 GMThttps://www.pastorbillyshaw.com/devotional/dedicating-your-new-year-to-the-lord

Ah, a blank slate! Nothing like it. Fresh starts are God's specialty. He created the morning for the start of the new day, and He created Earth's rotation around the sun. This cyclical pattern of existence affords us the joy we've exercised in the last 24 hours of ringing in the New Year. Some of us have resolutions; some don't. Will any of us keep them? Regardless of that, you can dedicate your new year to the Lord. How? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Number your days. Psalm 90:12 says, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (NIV) Not everyone who just rang in 2020 will ring in 2021. Part of making every moment count is understanding that we don't have an unlimited number of days. In fact, life is a vapor that vanishes quickly.
2. Tell someone about Jesus. In Acts 20:24, Paul gave this testimony, "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace." The life focused on a single purpose enjoys great fulfillment. Paul recognized that he was here for one purpose and that was to tell others about the good news of salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Who is your one that you will reach this year?
3. Do all you do for the glory of God. A famous verse of Scripture is 1 Corinthians 10:31, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." Since it is not possible to sin for the glory of God, this becomes a very powerful admonition. It requires thought before speech and action. And that's never a bad thing.

While these three top my personal list of dedicating 2020 to God, there are many more verses that can clarify your North Star of direction for this year:

4. Allow Christ to live through you. Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (NIV)
5. Seek the filling of the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."
6. Set apart time at the feet of Jesus in devotion. Luke 10:42, "But few things are needed - or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Suggested prayer to dedicate your year to God: "Father in Heaven, I come before you now to dedicate every moment of this New Year to You. It is my heart's desire to bring greater glory to you this year than I did in 2019. Show me Your will, and give me the courage to obey it. In Jesus name I pray - Amen."

]]><![CDATA[Ever Thought of God as Being Social?]]>Sun, 29 Dec 2019 18:51:45 GMThttps://www.pastorbillyshaw.com/devotional/ever-thought-of-god-as-being-social

There's a lot of emphasis in our world today on being “social.” According to howmanyarethere.net, there are over 200 social networking websites/apps. Even the concept “to be social” is evolving. What I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk about, though, is the truth that God Himself is very social.

Here’s some of how we know this:

He invites us to come boldly before His throne (Psalm 100:2, Heb. 4:16, Heb. 10:22).
God the Son is preparing a place for us to be with Him forever (John 14:2-3; 1 Thess. 4:17; Rev. 21:3)
It was God’s idea to camp with His people (Exodus 13:21-22; Exodus 40:34-36)
God the Son became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)
God the Son surrounded Himself with an inner circle of three - Peter, James, and John - and Twelve disciples (the inner circle plus nine), and a following of friends 120 strong (Acts 1:15)

What do these facts about God’s social nature mean for us? For one thing, it is good news for us that God wants us to enjoy His company and vice versa. We will likely never understand why God loves us as much as He does, but we can still appreciate the lengths to which He has gone to be with us for eternity. For another thing, God created us in His image. To some degree, this reality includes our capacity for relationships. I had the privilege of studying both Hebrew and the book of Genesis in seminary under John Sailhamer, who is now passed away. There are excellent discussions on this in his Genesis Commentary and other writings. The Bible explicitly states: “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). It is God’s will for us to be social - meaning that He wants us to “hang out” with Him, with those who will provoke us to good works, and with those who need the message we bear. All of this stems from God Himself being social.

]]><![CDATA[Writing Resolutions? Start Here.]]>Fri, 27 Dec 2019 13:42:28 GMThttps://www.pastorbillyshaw.com/devotional/writing-resolutions-start-here

Whether you've finalized your 2020 resolutions, don't have plans to make any, or are somewhere in between, the best place to start thinking about change in the New Year is with the Word of God. Before you start figuring out how to get out of debt or shed those holiday pounds (and those are wonderful goals!), start with the Bible, and with prayer, ask God to guide your priorities. Even within the 66 books of the Bible, you may wonder where to begin, so here are some suggestions.

The Great Commandments. The greatest commandment of all is to love the LORD your God with all your heart, your mind, your soul, your strength - your all. Pour everything you are and everything you have into loving God. What activities can you start (and stop!) that will demonstrate greater love for God in the New Year. Concrete examples may include participating in more corporate worship events at your church, taking on more volunteer opportunities, increasing the amount you donate to your church or various mission offerings, and (crucially) setting daily appointments for devotional time with the Lord. The second commandment is to love your neighbor. Concrete examples of this in 2020 may include volunteering at the shelters, donating the stuff you haven't touched in a year or more, asking your loved ones what you can do to love them more, and intentionally performing acts of kindness every week, every day. Treating people with greater respect and dignity are other examples.
The Great Commission. God's heart is for the nations to hear the Gospel and respond in faith. How will you prioritize disciple-making in the New Year? Is there someone you can take under your wing and pour into their spiritual development? Is there someone who can do this for you? How often do you pray for those who need Christ? Do you have such a list? Is God leading you to plan a short-term mission trip this year? Could you have a yard sale and donate the proceeds to missions? (P. S. The sooner you become debt-free, the more crazy-generous you can afford to become.)

The gist of both of these areas of thought is summarized in Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." You will figure out how to pay the bills, clothe the kids, pay down the debt, and shed the pounds if you set the right initial course. Get the biggest things in place, and then ask God to help you with all the secondary things.

Here are some additional Bible verses to guide your goal-setting for the New Year.

Ephesians 4:13 (NIV), "Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

Romans 8:29a (NIV), "For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son."

2 Peter 3:18a (NIV), "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV), "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

]]><![CDATA[A Most Humbling Reality]]>Wed, 18 Dec 2019 19:32:45 GMThttps://www.pastorbillyshaw.com/devotional/a-most-humbling-reality

Can you think of anything more humbling, perhaps more intimidating, than the reality that others are following us? There are times that I try to get my son Liam to copy me - words that I say, motions that I do, activities I perform. There are other times that he copies me without any encouragement - and as cute as this can be at times, it is a solid reminder that his little eyes are always watching. As I, in many ways, picked up so very much from my dad, so Liam will learn much from me. Will it be good? What kind of example am I setting for him? It really makes me think.
The Apostle Paul had much to say about setting examples as leaders and exercising caution as to those whom we might follow. Specifically in 1 Corinthians 4:15-16, he writes, "For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Therefore, I urge you, imitate me." Paul distinguishes himself from others that may have been vying for the Corinthians' attention and allegiance as the one who led them to faith in Christ. As such, he invites them to follow him. Later on in the same letter (11:1), Paul says, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."
Let this brief reminder that there are those following your lead - a humbling reality - drive you to a fresh commitment to remain locked in step with Jesus. May our steps as pastors lead every person following us along the straight and narrow path to pleasing and glorifying our Father in Heaven.

]]><![CDATA[Creation: The Roots of Christmas]]>Mon, 09 Dec 2019 10:07:22 GMThttps://www.pastorbillyshaw.com/devotional/creation-the-roots-of-christmasTo many people, teachings of a virgin birth, a star, angels appearing unto shepherds, and a Savior being born may sound odd. It would be like cracking open a book for the first time and starting to read in the middle. You don't know any of the characters, the setting, the purpose, the conflict; you just pick up in the middle of the story. This year, in my preaching and personal study, I've been setting the Christmas story in its larger Gospel narrative story. The Gospel narrative follows these major checkpoints: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration.
With Creation, we find the roots of Christmas. We find God's original plan - the Edenic perfection that God will one day restore. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Gen. 1:1) The Bible declares this. "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." (John 1:3) This is a fact that we must accept by faith. Adopting a biblical worldview with God as Creator places Him in charge. He sets the rules. We are the created. We receive our existence from Him. The purpose of our existence is inseparably wrapped up in His will. "It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves." (Psalm 100:3) Our departure from this realization created the need for Christmas.
I find it interesting that, as intelligent people, we ordinarily have no trouble inferring creative activity over against a hodgepodge of disorganized messes. For example, if I show you a fully wrapped gift that is placed under my Christmas tree, you naturally infer that someone wrapped the gift. If I place a tape dispenser, a pair of scissors, a roll of wrapping paper, and the gift on a table, how long would I need to wait for the gift to be wrapped? Years? Centuries? Millions of Years? Will it ever happen? Apart from the origins of the universe, we never apply the same assumptions about origins. And yet the universe is (obviously) far more complex than any of these other things that require agency to come together. Not to mention - wouldn't someone have to create the first matter from which all else evolved?
The story of Christmas - of God sending His Son to be the Savior of fallen mankind - can never make complete sense to people who reject the idea of creation. God created the world. He created you and me. He loves us and desires fellowship with us. The events of Christmas occurred to move us along this overall trajectory - of bringing us full circle back to the perfection God had created.

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