Weekly Devotion May 12 2025

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission

Bible Study Verse: I Corinthians 15:22-23 

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. (NIV) 

Thoughts: There is just something about firsts - first place, first in the class, first string - these are the best. I remember my first deer hunt as if it were yesterday. I'm 70 now. Dad took me out for weeks ahead of that hunt to practice. We must have put a thousand rounds through that old sporterized mauser. The day of the hunt came, and I was up at 4:00 am. ready to go. At daylight, we worked our way up the ridge and then Dad sent me up one side of the canyon while he worked his way up the other side. The deer crossed in front of me at about 75 yards, and I can remember raising my rifle and coaching myself - take in a breath, let some out, now hold, aim and squeeze. The small buck dropped to the ground; and I can remember, as I was walking up to him and kept circling him, saying, "I did it! I did it!" 

Action Point: Jesus did something especially important for us, and He was the first to do it - to be resurrected after death. Sit and ponder these things. He gave His life willingly, allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross, and suffered enormously for us. Now think about this: my sins, your sins, are what nailed Him there. It's hard to imagine that, after all that, He came back to life for us and now wants us to follow Him. He wants us to follow Him; first in our daily lives in obedience, so that we can then follow Him to Heaven, and ultimately be with Him for eternity. How awesome is that! What a gift; and all He asks of us is that we believe and keep Him FIRST in our lives. That truly is a life-changing first! Remember that His work on the cross was not a tragedy, it was an awesome accomplishment for us. With that in mind, spend the first part of your day, every day, with Him. It's a small amount of time with huge rewards. 

Sportsmen's Tip of the Day: When getting a young hunter ready for their first hunt, think about setting up some life-size, cut-out targets for shooting practice; and if possible, set them up in real life situations. It helps add reality to the practice and takes away some of the first-time jitters.