January 1
““Lord, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is! Behold, thou hast made my days a few breadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in thy sight. Surely every man stands as a mere breath!”
(Psalm 39:4–5, RSV)
(Psalm 39:4–5, RSV)
King David, a man who scripture called, "the apple of the Lord's eye" was very close to our God. He was known for his cunning and wisdom. His son, Solomon, was said to be the wisest man who ever lived. David certainly knew much about life, about the world, about philosophy, and about God. One day, David wrote a song about life. We find that song in Psalm 39 written above. In it, David said, " Lord, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days just a few breaths..." (Psalm 39:4-5) David was amazed at how quickly time passes. He wrote in these verses of life as fleeting, and seems only a few breaths long. He asked God to let him know "what is the measure of my days." In essence, David is saying, "God keep reminding me how short my days in life are and how to use them well."
Each of us are now in a new year. We, like King David, need to be reminded by God how short life is and how we must use these days wisely. Did your life go by quickly this past year? As one person said to me this week, "The older I get, the faster life passes me by." Well, King David didn't want life to just pass by. He wanted you to use each day as a gift of God. He wanted God to keep reminding you of things you’ve got to do for Him; that your work is yet undone.
Recently an author wrote these words: " Soon in your hand will be placed a priceless gift. Look at it closely. There is no price mark stamped on it. It cannot be weighed, because no scale can balance its value. A king's ransom in comparison is as nothing yet it is given to beggar and prince alike. The giver asks only that it be used wisely and well. This jewel, rare and unique, is not displayed in any shop window. It cannot be purchased, cannot be sold. No other treasure holds the possibilities this gift offers -- none can surpass its golden splendor. Of all gifts, this is one of the most precious. It has been offered many times before; today, from the depths of a limitless love it will be given again. It will be left to you to find the golden thread running through it. Only with great care will the jewel retain its luster. Carelessness, ingratitude and selfishness will tarnish the brilliance, break the unspoiled thread, and mar the perfection. Guard it closely, lest through weak fingers it slip from the hand. Look often at its faultless beauty. Accept it as it is offered from the heart of the giver. Consider it the most treasured of possessions, for of all gifts it is by far the greatest. It is the gift of the New Year."
Just a few weeks ago, I was told about a twenty-six-year-old man who died suddenly. The family is hurt beyond words. I've done funerals for children and babies. I’ve seen many who died suddenly, who were here one moment and gone the next. Life is always too short. As King David wrote, "Life is mere breaths" (Psalm 39:5) in length. It goes by so quickly. Use each moment the way God intended it. Don't put off things that you need to change in your life. Put your priorities in order.
A professor stood in front of his class with a big glass jar. It was full of large rocks. The professor said, "Is this jar full?" Everyone agreed it was full. He said, "No its not full." He then pulled out some gravel and filled the jar. It took a good amount of gravel to fill it! Then, he said to his class..."Is this jar full now?" They answered, "Yes". He said, "No its not." And he took sand and put about two or three cup-fulls in before there was no room for more. The teacher then said, "Is the jar full now?" The class said, "Yes, we think so." He said, "No, it’s not." And he poured about three cup-fulls of water in it. Then the teacher said, "The lesson I'm teaching you is this.... If we'd have put in the water first, we couldn't have fit in the other things. If we'd have put in the sand first, we'd have never had room for the rocks or gravel. If you put big things first in your life, and you order things, you will have room for them." Essentially, the moral of this story is that when you put your priorities straight, you will have room for whatever is left. If you put the big things first, there will be room for lesser things. If you put trivial things first in your life, you are bound to be too tired or too busy to do the big things which are most important.
Erma Bombeck gave advice to people for many years. Some people read her column in the paper before any other part. As Erma Bombeck was dying of cancer, she reflected on her own life. I'll end today with her words:
IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER
I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.
I would have watched less television.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was my only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
Each of us are now in a new year. We, like King David, need to be reminded by God how short life is and how we must use these days wisely. Did your life go by quickly this past year? As one person said to me this week, "The older I get, the faster life passes me by." Well, King David didn't want life to just pass by. He wanted you to use each day as a gift of God. He wanted God to keep reminding you of things you’ve got to do for Him; that your work is yet undone.
Recently an author wrote these words: " Soon in your hand will be placed a priceless gift. Look at it closely. There is no price mark stamped on it. It cannot be weighed, because no scale can balance its value. A king's ransom in comparison is as nothing yet it is given to beggar and prince alike. The giver asks only that it be used wisely and well. This jewel, rare and unique, is not displayed in any shop window. It cannot be purchased, cannot be sold. No other treasure holds the possibilities this gift offers -- none can surpass its golden splendor. Of all gifts, this is one of the most precious. It has been offered many times before; today, from the depths of a limitless love it will be given again. It will be left to you to find the golden thread running through it. Only with great care will the jewel retain its luster. Carelessness, ingratitude and selfishness will tarnish the brilliance, break the unspoiled thread, and mar the perfection. Guard it closely, lest through weak fingers it slip from the hand. Look often at its faultless beauty. Accept it as it is offered from the heart of the giver. Consider it the most treasured of possessions, for of all gifts it is by far the greatest. It is the gift of the New Year."
Just a few weeks ago, I was told about a twenty-six-year-old man who died suddenly. The family is hurt beyond words. I've done funerals for children and babies. I’ve seen many who died suddenly, who were here one moment and gone the next. Life is always too short. As King David wrote, "Life is mere breaths" (Psalm 39:5) in length. It goes by so quickly. Use each moment the way God intended it. Don't put off things that you need to change in your life. Put your priorities in order.
A professor stood in front of his class with a big glass jar. It was full of large rocks. The professor said, "Is this jar full?" Everyone agreed it was full. He said, "No its not full." He then pulled out some gravel and filled the jar. It took a good amount of gravel to fill it! Then, he said to his class..."Is this jar full now?" They answered, "Yes". He said, "No its not." And he took sand and put about two or three cup-fulls in before there was no room for more. The teacher then said, "Is the jar full now?" The class said, "Yes, we think so." He said, "No, it’s not." And he poured about three cup-fulls of water in it. Then the teacher said, "The lesson I'm teaching you is this.... If we'd have put in the water first, we couldn't have fit in the other things. If we'd have put in the sand first, we'd have never had room for the rocks or gravel. If you put big things first in your life, and you order things, you will have room for them." Essentially, the moral of this story is that when you put your priorities straight, you will have room for whatever is left. If you put the big things first, there will be room for lesser things. If you put trivial things first in your life, you are bound to be too tired or too busy to do the big things which are most important.
Erma Bombeck gave advice to people for many years. Some people read her column in the paper before any other part. As Erma Bombeck was dying of cancer, she reflected on her own life. I'll end today with her words:
IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER
I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.
I would have watched less television.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was my only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
January 2
“And when he [Jesus] drew near and saw the city he wept over it, saying, “Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast up a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation.”” (Luke 19:41–44, RSV)
The scripture above gives an account of Jesus seeing Jerusalem from afar. As Jesus traveled, he neared the city and finally sighted the temple on a hill in the middle of the city. He was back near the holy city! But His response to Jerusalem was not what the disciples expected. They were shocked as Jesus wept upon seeing Jerusalem. Why did Jesus weep? He knew what was in store for the city. He knew they would reject God in the near future. Just forty years after Jesus died, the temple was utterly destroyed by the Romans. The city and surrounding areas were laid waste. Jesus foresaw that destruction in these verses above. He noted that "enemies will cast up a bank about you and surround you.... they will not leave one stone upon the other" (Luke 19:42,44). It is sad that the Israelites weren’t moved by the tears of Jesus. It is unfortunate they didn’t repent. It’s hard to see someone you love, knowing they are soon to suffer or die.
“Will Rogers was known for his laughter, but he also knew how to weep. One day he was entertaining at the Milton H. Berry Institute in Los Angeles, a hospital that specialized in rehabilitating polio victims and people with broken backs and other extreme physical handicaps. Of course, Rogers had everybody laughing, even patients in really bad conditions; but then he suddenly left the platform and went to the rest room. Milton Berry followed him to give him a towel; and when he opened the door, he saw Will Rogers leaning against the wall, sobbing like a child. He closed the door, and in a few minutes, Rogers appeared back on the platform, as jovial as before.
If you want to learn what a person is really like, ask three questions: What makes him laugh? What makes him angry? What makes him weep? These are fairly good tests of character that are especially appropriate for Christian leaders. I hear people saying, "We need angry leaders today!" or "The time has come to practice militant Christianity!" Perhaps, but "the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:20).
What we need today is not anger but anguish… like Jesus displayed when He cleansed the temple and then wept over the city. The difference between anger and anguish is a broken heart. It's easy to get angry, especially at somebody else's sins; but it's not easy to look at sin, our own included, and weep over it.” (Warren Wiersbe, The Integrity Crisis, p.75)
There have been a number of times that I had to cry over the pain someone was suffering. It hurt when someone I loved was dying. My heart was broken when a friend held her stillborn baby for the first time. Our modern world is full of people who fight for rights, fight for a cause, bully an enemy online, push around people using harsh words in a tweet or chat, or attack someone who is different. Not enough people just cry with and for someone. Tears can sometimes change a person’s mind, where anger will not. Tears may melt the hardened heart. They may also ease the soul.
There is an expression more common years ago that I don’t hear much anymore. When I was young, I was told that someone who was grieving needed a “good cry” in order to feel better. Sometimes, tears can be great healers. Shedding a tear may soften the soul. Jesus shed tears for the great Holy City of Jerusalem. He knew they were on a deadly path of sin, but couldn’t stop their lust for evil. There may be times you also need to cry because there’s nothing you can do to make things better. At those moments, you may just find that those tears bring God’s comfort. Do you need a “good cry” at this period of your life? Holy tears display for God a righteous heart.
“Will Rogers was known for his laughter, but he also knew how to weep. One day he was entertaining at the Milton H. Berry Institute in Los Angeles, a hospital that specialized in rehabilitating polio victims and people with broken backs and other extreme physical handicaps. Of course, Rogers had everybody laughing, even patients in really bad conditions; but then he suddenly left the platform and went to the rest room. Milton Berry followed him to give him a towel; and when he opened the door, he saw Will Rogers leaning against the wall, sobbing like a child. He closed the door, and in a few minutes, Rogers appeared back on the platform, as jovial as before.
If you want to learn what a person is really like, ask three questions: What makes him laugh? What makes him angry? What makes him weep? These are fairly good tests of character that are especially appropriate for Christian leaders. I hear people saying, "We need angry leaders today!" or "The time has come to practice militant Christianity!" Perhaps, but "the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:20).
What we need today is not anger but anguish… like Jesus displayed when He cleansed the temple and then wept over the city. The difference between anger and anguish is a broken heart. It's easy to get angry, especially at somebody else's sins; but it's not easy to look at sin, our own included, and weep over it.” (Warren Wiersbe, The Integrity Crisis, p.75)
There have been a number of times that I had to cry over the pain someone was suffering. It hurt when someone I loved was dying. My heart was broken when a friend held her stillborn baby for the first time. Our modern world is full of people who fight for rights, fight for a cause, bully an enemy online, push around people using harsh words in a tweet or chat, or attack someone who is different. Not enough people just cry with and for someone. Tears can sometimes change a person’s mind, where anger will not. Tears may melt the hardened heart. They may also ease the soul.
There is an expression more common years ago that I don’t hear much anymore. When I was young, I was told that someone who was grieving needed a “good cry” in order to feel better. Sometimes, tears can be great healers. Shedding a tear may soften the soul. Jesus shed tears for the great Holy City of Jerusalem. He knew they were on a deadly path of sin, but couldn’t stop their lust for evil. There may be times you also need to cry because there’s nothing you can do to make things better. At those moments, you may just find that those tears bring God’s comfort. Do you need a “good cry” at this period of your life? Holy tears display for God a righteous heart.
January 3
““Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9, ESV)
In the scripture above, Jesus was teaching. His topic was peace. His statement was that peacemakers are not only “blessed” but called “sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). This scripture is part of the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are considered some of the greatest wisdom sayings of Jesus. As such, Jesus saw peace-making as not only a wise endeavor, but one which is blessed greatly. So, how good are you at peacemaking?
Some people think that the way to make peace is to have two children who don’t like each other just say they are sorry and get on with it. Some say couples who fight should just “kiss and make up”. I’ve seen people think they were doing great peacemaking by saying “play nice” to those under their charge. Telling leaders that the best way to keep people civil is to carry around a big stick doesn’t work so well with bullies. Bullies like to find bigger sticks. Telling people to act civil, play nice, or forcing them to ignore their feelings and make believe that things are nice is not peacemaking. If anything, it’s peace-faking. I do not in any way think peace-faking is blessed by God, yet people seem to believe this is how we make peace.
In Luke 19:42, Jesus felt sorrow for the leaders in Jerusalem. He warned them: “Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes!” Jesus knew that the Jewish leaders of his day did not make peace in godly ways. Often, they were peace-faking by using power and politics as tools to manipulate rather than help people to cooperate. Sadly, in many places in our world, politicians and generals and those in power use manipulation and armies to force a bartered peace. True and lasting and godly peace involves something different. It involves being willing to work through differences, find compromises, get people to see both sides of a problem or argument, and show love and compassion and trust throughout the process. This takes hard work. Many people do not have the patience and stamina to work for peace. They find shortcuts that just don’t last.
Pastors, social workers, and marriage counselors should be great peacemakers. Sometimes, they are. Sometimes, they are not. Some of the worst peacemaking I’ve seen by these mediators was to use manipulation to get one spouse to knuckle under to what the mediator saw was the problem. I’ve seen these counselors get romantically involved with those in their charge. I’ve seen them take sides. Most of these mediators were pretty good peacemakers. They learned to use a lot of faithful, psychological, and practical tools in order to get couples to talk out their differences, make covenant agreements as a part of the compromise, and find the love that went missing.
In your world, you must be a peacemaker as well. You may not have the degree or education of a mediator, counselor, or pastor, but you do know God. That gives you an edge. You know what makes for a godly life. You know what is required to “love one another” with a holy love. When things go wrong in relationships around you, it is part of your calling by God to find a way to make peace. That doesn’t mean that you rush to fix things before everything has simmered down. That’s peace-faking. With prayer, you need to determine when to speak and when to be silent, what to do and what not to do (Ecclesiastes 3). God will always help to show you how to make peace happen. Just make sure you follow God’s advice. Don’t push it, meddle, poke your nose in where it doesn’t belong, or manipulate. Remember: Peace-making is not Peace-faking!!!!!
You are on the front lines in a world where peace is seldom present. I’ve seen more fighting in families than ever before in my life. Political party affiliations are tearing this world apart. People care more about getting their own way than loving one another. So, dear Christian, find ways to make peace in your world. Think out of the box. Pray with options in mind. Let God show you novel ways to find and make peace. Through it all, you will be blessed. One day, you may even be known as a true “child of God” for the peace that you helped find and share (Matthew 5:9).
Some people think that the way to make peace is to have two children who don’t like each other just say they are sorry and get on with it. Some say couples who fight should just “kiss and make up”. I’ve seen people think they were doing great peacemaking by saying “play nice” to those under their charge. Telling leaders that the best way to keep people civil is to carry around a big stick doesn’t work so well with bullies. Bullies like to find bigger sticks. Telling people to act civil, play nice, or forcing them to ignore their feelings and make believe that things are nice is not peacemaking. If anything, it’s peace-faking. I do not in any way think peace-faking is blessed by God, yet people seem to believe this is how we make peace.
In Luke 19:42, Jesus felt sorrow for the leaders in Jerusalem. He warned them: “Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes!” Jesus knew that the Jewish leaders of his day did not make peace in godly ways. Often, they were peace-faking by using power and politics as tools to manipulate rather than help people to cooperate. Sadly, in many places in our world, politicians and generals and those in power use manipulation and armies to force a bartered peace. True and lasting and godly peace involves something different. It involves being willing to work through differences, find compromises, get people to see both sides of a problem or argument, and show love and compassion and trust throughout the process. This takes hard work. Many people do not have the patience and stamina to work for peace. They find shortcuts that just don’t last.
Pastors, social workers, and marriage counselors should be great peacemakers. Sometimes, they are. Sometimes, they are not. Some of the worst peacemaking I’ve seen by these mediators was to use manipulation to get one spouse to knuckle under to what the mediator saw was the problem. I’ve seen these counselors get romantically involved with those in their charge. I’ve seen them take sides. Most of these mediators were pretty good peacemakers. They learned to use a lot of faithful, psychological, and practical tools in order to get couples to talk out their differences, make covenant agreements as a part of the compromise, and find the love that went missing.
In your world, you must be a peacemaker as well. You may not have the degree or education of a mediator, counselor, or pastor, but you do know God. That gives you an edge. You know what makes for a godly life. You know what is required to “love one another” with a holy love. When things go wrong in relationships around you, it is part of your calling by God to find a way to make peace. That doesn’t mean that you rush to fix things before everything has simmered down. That’s peace-faking. With prayer, you need to determine when to speak and when to be silent, what to do and what not to do (Ecclesiastes 3). God will always help to show you how to make peace happen. Just make sure you follow God’s advice. Don’t push it, meddle, poke your nose in where it doesn’t belong, or manipulate. Remember: Peace-making is not Peace-faking!!!!!
You are on the front lines in a world where peace is seldom present. I’ve seen more fighting in families than ever before in my life. Political party affiliations are tearing this world apart. People care more about getting their own way than loving one another. So, dear Christian, find ways to make peace in your world. Think out of the box. Pray with options in mind. Let God show you novel ways to find and make peace. Through it all, you will be blessed. One day, you may even be known as a true “child of God” for the peace that you helped find and share (Matthew 5:9).
January 4
“Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”
(Exodus 33:11, RSV)
(Exodus 33:11, RSV)
In these days of digital communication, it is easy to make the mistake that there is no longer a need for people to meet or talk face to face. Sometimes, a face to face conversation can change one’s whole perspective. When you look into the face of someone, you can see more than their words. You can see their eyes and determine their willingness or sincerity. You can hear the tone in their voice to see if they are hurting or needy, angry or frustrated. Their body posture can speak volumes. Sadly, I’ve heard of many situations in which couples sent texts or chatted online when in the same house! I know youth who will text mom or dad from their bedroom when the other is in the kitchen or living room! To save money, companies are foregoing face to face gatherings and any associated costs to enable them. Don’t underestimate the value of face to face conversation. Don’t let electronic communication fool you into believing that you don’t need to spend time in the company of another.
In the scripture above, we are informed of the extraordinary relationship between Moses and the Lord. In Exodus 33:11, it makes perfectly clear that they would often speak “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” God wanted Moses to know Him intimately, beyond just the words. God wanted Moses to be in his presence and feel His intent. Face to face, they could share their impressions and hopes. Moses could inquire of God’s purpose or plan. God could teach Moses the meaning of the law. There would be no distance between them, no mask to hide their faces or expressions.
“In Basel, Switzerland each year the townspeople have a festival in which they all don masks and go through the city doing things and going placed they would never consider doing/going under normal circumstances. The mask, which veiled their identity emboldened them to do these things.” (Dr. Kenneth Gangel, Scofield Memorial Church, May 22, 1983). The mask enabled them to hide their personal feelings, expressions, and intent.
One year, the Salvation Army, concerned about the abandonment of moral standards, put up signs all over one city, which read, "God sees behind the mask." They were seeing that people put on a façade about caring for the needy, when they did not. People hid behind a façade, while in public places. In private, their true moral colors came out. In private, too many people were morally wrong and inherently selfish.
I believe that many, many people are good at masking their motives and wearing facades in order to cover up their shamefulness and sin. They put on an aire of righteousness, but inside are full of resentment, jealousy, and selfishness. I’ve known people in churches who were extremely hypocritical this way. On Sunday, they sat in the pews perfectly noble and saintly. By Monday, they were wheeling and dealing, hurting others with their business practices or destructive sinfulness. God sees beyond the masks!
The challenge for you today is to make sure you aren’t hiding behind a façade or mask when dealing with others. Do you fake being happy or righteous when you are not? Do you hide your feelings or emotions in order to beat yourself up? Do you act like others want you to act, thus concealing your true self? Do you use electronic communication to hide a part of yourself? I hope people know the real you. If you have a good faith in God, others need to know who you are and what you think. Don’t mask off yourself from others in fear of conflict. Don’t hide your spiritual identity from others or God. Be true to yourself and God. Deal with your issues. Others may learn about vulnerability and true godliness from your honesty. Let God show you how to be open and available under His terms.
In the scripture above, we are informed of the extraordinary relationship between Moses and the Lord. In Exodus 33:11, it makes perfectly clear that they would often speak “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” God wanted Moses to know Him intimately, beyond just the words. God wanted Moses to be in his presence and feel His intent. Face to face, they could share their impressions and hopes. Moses could inquire of God’s purpose or plan. God could teach Moses the meaning of the law. There would be no distance between them, no mask to hide their faces or expressions.
“In Basel, Switzerland each year the townspeople have a festival in which they all don masks and go through the city doing things and going placed they would never consider doing/going under normal circumstances. The mask, which veiled their identity emboldened them to do these things.” (Dr. Kenneth Gangel, Scofield Memorial Church, May 22, 1983). The mask enabled them to hide their personal feelings, expressions, and intent.
One year, the Salvation Army, concerned about the abandonment of moral standards, put up signs all over one city, which read, "God sees behind the mask." They were seeing that people put on a façade about caring for the needy, when they did not. People hid behind a façade, while in public places. In private, their true moral colors came out. In private, too many people were morally wrong and inherently selfish.
I believe that many, many people are good at masking their motives and wearing facades in order to cover up their shamefulness and sin. They put on an aire of righteousness, but inside are full of resentment, jealousy, and selfishness. I’ve known people in churches who were extremely hypocritical this way. On Sunday, they sat in the pews perfectly noble and saintly. By Monday, they were wheeling and dealing, hurting others with their business practices or destructive sinfulness. God sees beyond the masks!
The challenge for you today is to make sure you aren’t hiding behind a façade or mask when dealing with others. Do you fake being happy or righteous when you are not? Do you hide your feelings or emotions in order to beat yourself up? Do you act like others want you to act, thus concealing your true self? Do you use electronic communication to hide a part of yourself? I hope people know the real you. If you have a good faith in God, others need to know who you are and what you think. Don’t mask off yourself from others in fear of conflict. Don’t hide your spiritual identity from others or God. Be true to yourself and God. Deal with your issues. Others may learn about vulnerability and true godliness from your honesty. Let God show you how to be open and available under His terms.
January 5
“For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin.” (Psalm 38:18, NASB95)
This small verse above is huge in the amount of wisdom it can teach you. At first, this may not seem clear. It is a verse speaking about sin and confession. There doesn’t seem to be a powerful message for our present time in these verses. Ah, but there is. Let me show you!
David wrote Psalm 38. If you study closely the scripture above, you will see that when David sinned, he “confessed” his iniquity. He opened up to God about his sin. He openly offered his sin up to God as he confessed the sin that had tainted his soul. He longed for forgiveness. Actually, all of Psalm 38 is about how sin made David feel, about its effects on the mind, body, and heart. The effects were not good. After sinning, David felt anger from God for the sin (Psalm 38:1), and thus felt separated from God’s love. The sin caused his body to suffer ill-health (Psalm 38:3). His heart felt broken and in “turmoil” (Psalm 38:8). He felt distant from his friends (Psalm 38:11) and alone. Sin causes brokenness and suffering whenever it occurs. Sometimes, with a small sin that pain is smaller, but it is evident. With a big sin, like David’s in Psalm 38, your whole life is shaken up and feels ruined. Our scripture for today, Psalm 38:18, caps it off with the sin bringing lasting psychological damage in the form of “anxiety”. David complains that the anxiety of his sin was so overwhelming that it forced him to confess his sin before God. Have you ever been so nervous and upset because of a sin that anxiety seemed to control your day?
A man came to me for counseling. He didn’t know what to do. He had cheated on his wife years before, and had hid it from her. But now that he grew closer and closer to God, he was in anguish, wondering if he should tell his wife about the affair. As he and I spoke, I could tell this past sin was literally haunting him. His voice was shaky as he talked about his feelings. He was nervous. His eyes tended to dart around as he groped for words to describe how he felt. The sin was “festering” in his mind and soul (see Psalm 38:5!). God wanted the sinful past removed from his life. God wanted him to tell his wife of the sin in order to be forgiven. He had to confess to both God and his soulmate.
This husband didn’t mind bearing his soul to God, but was loathe to tell his wife of the affair. In the end, I helped him to confess to her and God and beg forgiveness. Being the godly woman she was, she forgave him. Together, they began to rebuild their broken relationship. Today, they are very close. He has never cheated on her since. Though her heart was broken, his renewed love for her has brought her great comfort in later years.
People tend to underestimate the damaging effects of sin. Anxiety directly related to sinful action tortures one’s mind and heart. It causes the body to slip into a fight or flight syndrome if left untreated. Millions of people take anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax and Valium to treat anxiety’s effect. For many, it’s sin that is causing the anxiety. They will continue to have the anxiety, no matter how strong the drug, because of the lingering effects of some sin. It is best to deal with the sin to release the anxiety. Drugs can’t fix the effects of a sinful act! They only cover up the problem short-term. Repentance and forgiveness form the long-term cure for much of today’s prevalence of anxiety!
If you find yourself overly anxious about something, look for sinful thoughts or actions of the past or present. Anxiety and sin are often related. Don’t let anxiety torture your day and bring worry and fear to your bed at night. God has a prescription for that! It’s called confession. It results from your desire to repent and be forgiven! David shows you that clearly in the verse for today. Yes, the wisdom in this small little verse is perfect for today’s world. How do you feel about it?
Are you anxious today? Is it a sin that has caused it? What sin might that be? Is there a mindset causing some anxiety in your life? How might that be sinful?
David wrote Psalm 38. If you study closely the scripture above, you will see that when David sinned, he “confessed” his iniquity. He opened up to God about his sin. He openly offered his sin up to God as he confessed the sin that had tainted his soul. He longed for forgiveness. Actually, all of Psalm 38 is about how sin made David feel, about its effects on the mind, body, and heart. The effects were not good. After sinning, David felt anger from God for the sin (Psalm 38:1), and thus felt separated from God’s love. The sin caused his body to suffer ill-health (Psalm 38:3). His heart felt broken and in “turmoil” (Psalm 38:8). He felt distant from his friends (Psalm 38:11) and alone. Sin causes brokenness and suffering whenever it occurs. Sometimes, with a small sin that pain is smaller, but it is evident. With a big sin, like David’s in Psalm 38, your whole life is shaken up and feels ruined. Our scripture for today, Psalm 38:18, caps it off with the sin bringing lasting psychological damage in the form of “anxiety”. David complains that the anxiety of his sin was so overwhelming that it forced him to confess his sin before God. Have you ever been so nervous and upset because of a sin that anxiety seemed to control your day?
A man came to me for counseling. He didn’t know what to do. He had cheated on his wife years before, and had hid it from her. But now that he grew closer and closer to God, he was in anguish, wondering if he should tell his wife about the affair. As he and I spoke, I could tell this past sin was literally haunting him. His voice was shaky as he talked about his feelings. He was nervous. His eyes tended to dart around as he groped for words to describe how he felt. The sin was “festering” in his mind and soul (see Psalm 38:5!). God wanted the sinful past removed from his life. God wanted him to tell his wife of the sin in order to be forgiven. He had to confess to both God and his soulmate.
This husband didn’t mind bearing his soul to God, but was loathe to tell his wife of the affair. In the end, I helped him to confess to her and God and beg forgiveness. Being the godly woman she was, she forgave him. Together, they began to rebuild their broken relationship. Today, they are very close. He has never cheated on her since. Though her heart was broken, his renewed love for her has brought her great comfort in later years.
People tend to underestimate the damaging effects of sin. Anxiety directly related to sinful action tortures one’s mind and heart. It causes the body to slip into a fight or flight syndrome if left untreated. Millions of people take anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax and Valium to treat anxiety’s effect. For many, it’s sin that is causing the anxiety. They will continue to have the anxiety, no matter how strong the drug, because of the lingering effects of some sin. It is best to deal with the sin to release the anxiety. Drugs can’t fix the effects of a sinful act! They only cover up the problem short-term. Repentance and forgiveness form the long-term cure for much of today’s prevalence of anxiety!
If you find yourself overly anxious about something, look for sinful thoughts or actions of the past or present. Anxiety and sin are often related. Don’t let anxiety torture your day and bring worry and fear to your bed at night. God has a prescription for that! It’s called confession. It results from your desire to repent and be forgiven! David shows you that clearly in the verse for today. Yes, the wisdom in this small little verse is perfect for today’s world. How do you feel about it?
Are you anxious today? Is it a sin that has caused it? What sin might that be? Is there a mindset causing some anxiety in your life? How might that be sinful?
January 6
“For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.”
(Ezekiel 34:11, NASB95)
(Ezekiel 34:11, NASB95)
A young mother nervously searched the house for her daughter. The house was eerily silent. Because of the silence that was too long, the mother began to call for her little girl. Calling out her name as she walked through the house, the mother finally heard the little girl give a holler back. The mother followed the sound of the voice to a den closet. There, the mother was startled to find seven-year-old Karen going through a new Bible storybook and circling the word God wherever it appeared on the page. Stifling her urge to reprimand the child for defacing the book, the mother quietly asked, "Why are you doing that?"
Karen answered matter-of-factly, "So that I will know where to find God when I need Him."
“Don’t miss one, then, little girl!”, the mother replied smiling to herself. The mother then said, “And don’t forget, when you can’t find God, God will find you!”
The little girl looked up and her eyes grew very large. She said, “Really, Mom? God can find me even when I can’t find Him?”
Karen’s mom assured her, “God is so smart, He even knows where you are when I can’t find you!”
With that topic in hand, mother and child had a nice chat about how great God is!
The above true story brings warmth to my heart. These kinds of interactions should occur more often. Children love to know how “big” God is, and how powerfully God seeks them out. They need to know that God is not only big enough to create the world, God cares intimately about all those who desire His presence in their lives. But it’s not just children that God seeks out. God seeks out you, too!
The scripture for today brings powerful proof that God loves the faithful. In the scripture above from the prophet Ezekiel, God reminds Ezekiel that He actively “searches” for His sheep. God “seeks them out.” Even when you are lost, hurting, hiding, or afraid, God is actively seeking you. When others have lost you, God hasn’t. God has a special place in His big heart for the faithful. He not only watches out for them, but seeks them out when they are lost or alone or in a heap of trouble.
The scripture from Ezekiel was written at a time when the Kings and priests and leaders had failed the people. Sin blanketed the land. God’s judgment had already fallen on Israel. War and exile were looming. During this time, Ezekiel harshly attacked the “shepherds” of the house of Israel. In Ezekiel 33 and 34, he prophesied against their leadership of the people. They had led Israel into sin and away from God. Our scripture today was part of God’s response. First, God was going to cause suffering to cover the land. The leaders would be dealt a heavy blow. During the war that came soon after, many of the leaders were killed, the cities destroyed, the temple lay broken. But in that time, God continued to watch over the faithful. Though they suffered and felt alone because of their sinful leadership, God reminded them that HE was like a Shepherd. He actively searched for the lost sheep of Israel. God actively sought out the faithful, to watch over their lives.
Isn’t it nice knowing that when you are lost or alone, God is actively seeking you out? When things fall apart, God will be seeking to gather up your life and reaffirm His commitment to you! Even while you are looking for Him, He’s actively pursuing you! God is affecting things in your life, reminding you that He is there!
When you commit your life fully and completely to God, from then on you are never really alone. You are never truly lost. God actively seeks and watches over you! So, no matter what is happening today, celebrate the knowledge that from the vast reaches of the universe, God is continually seeking your presence! His goal is to watch over your life of faith. You are precious to the Creator of the universe!
Karen answered matter-of-factly, "So that I will know where to find God when I need Him."
“Don’t miss one, then, little girl!”, the mother replied smiling to herself. The mother then said, “And don’t forget, when you can’t find God, God will find you!”
The little girl looked up and her eyes grew very large. She said, “Really, Mom? God can find me even when I can’t find Him?”
Karen’s mom assured her, “God is so smart, He even knows where you are when I can’t find you!”
With that topic in hand, mother and child had a nice chat about how great God is!
The above true story brings warmth to my heart. These kinds of interactions should occur more often. Children love to know how “big” God is, and how powerfully God seeks them out. They need to know that God is not only big enough to create the world, God cares intimately about all those who desire His presence in their lives. But it’s not just children that God seeks out. God seeks out you, too!
The scripture for today brings powerful proof that God loves the faithful. In the scripture above from the prophet Ezekiel, God reminds Ezekiel that He actively “searches” for His sheep. God “seeks them out.” Even when you are lost, hurting, hiding, or afraid, God is actively seeking you. When others have lost you, God hasn’t. God has a special place in His big heart for the faithful. He not only watches out for them, but seeks them out when they are lost or alone or in a heap of trouble.
The scripture from Ezekiel was written at a time when the Kings and priests and leaders had failed the people. Sin blanketed the land. God’s judgment had already fallen on Israel. War and exile were looming. During this time, Ezekiel harshly attacked the “shepherds” of the house of Israel. In Ezekiel 33 and 34, he prophesied against their leadership of the people. They had led Israel into sin and away from God. Our scripture today was part of God’s response. First, God was going to cause suffering to cover the land. The leaders would be dealt a heavy blow. During the war that came soon after, many of the leaders were killed, the cities destroyed, the temple lay broken. But in that time, God continued to watch over the faithful. Though they suffered and felt alone because of their sinful leadership, God reminded them that HE was like a Shepherd. He actively searched for the lost sheep of Israel. God actively sought out the faithful, to watch over their lives.
Isn’t it nice knowing that when you are lost or alone, God is actively seeking you out? When things fall apart, God will be seeking to gather up your life and reaffirm His commitment to you! Even while you are looking for Him, He’s actively pursuing you! God is affecting things in your life, reminding you that He is there!
When you commit your life fully and completely to God, from then on you are never really alone. You are never truly lost. God actively seeks and watches over you! So, no matter what is happening today, celebrate the knowledge that from the vast reaches of the universe, God is continually seeking your presence! His goal is to watch over your life of faith. You are precious to the Creator of the universe!
January 7
“Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?”
(John 14:9, NIV84)
(John 14:9, NIV84)
There comes a time in the best relationships when you get to really know that other person. You know how they think, what they feel, even how they would respond to certain situations. It is not unusual for husbands and wives, who have lived with each other for a long time, to end each other’s sentences. They know each other very well. Have you ever realized that God wants you to know HIM that well, too?
During a teaching session with the disciples, Jesus spoke about His relationship with God the Father. Philip, excited about the possibilities, asked Jesus to show the disciples the Father in Heaven. Jesus chided Philip with the question above: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been with you such a long time?” (John 14:9). By his statement, Jesus was telling Philip that to get to know Jesus is to get to know God the Father. If the disciples want to see God the Father, all they have to do is look at Jesus. He was the manifestation of God the Father. He and the Father were so alike, they were “one” (John 10:30). Jesus’ teasing of Philip made me think about something this morning; how well do you know Jesus? Are you so close that you “get” Him? If He started speaking, could you finish His sentences?
Joshua had spent many years as a Christian. He grew up going to church. He was in all the Christmas programs, sang in the choir, and had many friends from church. When Joshua got married, it was in a church. His bride was from his hometown. After the wedding, the two went to church together, sitting most Sundays just one pew away from where he used to sit with his parents growing up. I met Joshua at a men’s retreat. There, we heard from several leaders about the various issues of faith. On the last night of the retreat, Joshua walked forward and knelt at the altar during the closing worship service. We prayed together. He renewed his commitment to God in Christ. His heart warmed, we talked later about his new commitment. He told me: “For decades, I went to church. Now, I will go to worship my personal Savior whom I love.” The statement stuck with me. It showed a man who changed from a church-goer to one who loves God. Joshua and God have been very close ever since. During that retreat, Joshua began a new type of relationship with God. He want to get to “know” God, not just visit Him on Sundays.
Do you “know” God? Are you and Jesus close? The best friendships occur when people grow close to one another. The best marriages are lived out with a husband and wife who are intimate with one another. The best relationship you can have with God involves you really knowing God. It will require you to not only know about God but to really know God personally and intimately.
Today, I long for your relationship with God to grow closer. I never want Jesus to say to you, “Don’t you know me?????” If you want to know God in Christ well, spend some time in prayer. Study God’s Word. Get to know how God thinks. Talk with God. Memorize God’s words. Trust in God’s ways. Look for God’s presence. When you die and face God, I want you to be seeing an old friend, not a distant acquaintance!
During a teaching session with the disciples, Jesus spoke about His relationship with God the Father. Philip, excited about the possibilities, asked Jesus to show the disciples the Father in Heaven. Jesus chided Philip with the question above: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been with you such a long time?” (John 14:9). By his statement, Jesus was telling Philip that to get to know Jesus is to get to know God the Father. If the disciples want to see God the Father, all they have to do is look at Jesus. He was the manifestation of God the Father. He and the Father were so alike, they were “one” (John 10:30). Jesus’ teasing of Philip made me think about something this morning; how well do you know Jesus? Are you so close that you “get” Him? If He started speaking, could you finish His sentences?
Joshua had spent many years as a Christian. He grew up going to church. He was in all the Christmas programs, sang in the choir, and had many friends from church. When Joshua got married, it was in a church. His bride was from his hometown. After the wedding, the two went to church together, sitting most Sundays just one pew away from where he used to sit with his parents growing up. I met Joshua at a men’s retreat. There, we heard from several leaders about the various issues of faith. On the last night of the retreat, Joshua walked forward and knelt at the altar during the closing worship service. We prayed together. He renewed his commitment to God in Christ. His heart warmed, we talked later about his new commitment. He told me: “For decades, I went to church. Now, I will go to worship my personal Savior whom I love.” The statement stuck with me. It showed a man who changed from a church-goer to one who loves God. Joshua and God have been very close ever since. During that retreat, Joshua began a new type of relationship with God. He want to get to “know” God, not just visit Him on Sundays.
Do you “know” God? Are you and Jesus close? The best friendships occur when people grow close to one another. The best marriages are lived out with a husband and wife who are intimate with one another. The best relationship you can have with God involves you really knowing God. It will require you to not only know about God but to really know God personally and intimately.
Today, I long for your relationship with God to grow closer. I never want Jesus to say to you, “Don’t you know me?????” If you want to know God in Christ well, spend some time in prayer. Study God’s Word. Get to know how God thinks. Talk with God. Memorize God’s words. Trust in God’s ways. Look for God’s presence. When you die and face God, I want you to be seeing an old friend, not a distant acquaintance!
January 8
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”
(Ephesians 6:10, RSV)
(Ephesians 6:10, RSV)
I find it frightening that there are parents who say that they don’t raise their children in the faith so that the children can choose later what they want to believe in. That’s like not sending a child to school so that the child can decide if he or she wants to go to school when they become an adult at eighteen years old! It’s like telling a child that you won’t teach a child to eat right or ask a child to exercise or do chores until they are old enough to decide for themselves. The spiritual component of life is not something that can just be ignored for twenty-five or thirty percent of one’s life! In a study done many years ago, most pastors decide to enter the ministry during their junior or senior high school years! Parents think they are wise to let a child grow up and decide things for him or herself. They think the school systems are wise not to teach values or religion to children because it may be culturally biased or politically incorrect. How stupid! How are children to learn the spiritual and moral components of life, through osmosis?
Even adults make the serious mistake of thinking that the spiritual life comes naturally or doesn’t need a workout now and then! How backward! Look at the scripture above. It was written by the Apostle Paul while discussing spiritual gifts and spiritual armor. He was absolutely convinced that people need to be “strong in the Lord.” How do you become strong without exercise? Does a weightlifter become strong by sitting around and thinking, “Gee, I’m growing strong now while doing nothing to help build my strength??????” It may sound rather laughable, but this is how many people approach spiritual strength. They think they get it from sitting in a pew, listening to a few audible books on faith, or reading the Bible twice a year at Christmas and Easter! Would a marathon runner run a long distance twice a year and be ready for a marathon? Spiritually, there are many people today who are unfit for spiritual service. They have not built up their spiritual muscles. They are not “strong in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:10).
Part of growing strong in the Lord is given in the second half of the verse above. In order to be spiritually fit, a person needs to grow “in the strength of God’s might”. Unlike physical conditioning, you don’t grow spiritually strong by just doing personal spiritual training. You can’t read a book and immediately be spiritually strong! Does a doctor read a book and become able to do surgery? Spiritual training involves relating with God. The stronger your connection with God, the stronger your spiritual strength. Much of your spiritual aptitude comes from this relationship with God in Christ. To help that grow, you need to exercise your spiritual stamina. How do you do that? Study and increase your prayer life. Learn more about the Bible. Read about spiritual issues. Go to church! Learn from pastors and teachers who know God well. Exercise your spiritual muscles by doing mission work and serving others, teaching others about God, helping others to pray, visiting the sick and in need, leaning on God in all situations in life. Most people have little spiritual strength because their spiritual life is sorely lacking in many of these areas.
If you look at your life, what areas of your spiritual life need extra exercise? Is your knowledge of the Bible weak? Does your Sunday School work need more prep time? Are you a weak prayer? Do you lack faith? Do you need a spiritual inventory or spiritual kick in the pants? Find a challenging speaker or spiritual leader and study their work! Don’t just read the Bible, study it! Don’t know how? Ask a pastor, visit a Bible Study, or study this web site. You need to exercise spiritually! I want you to “be strong in the Lord”!!!!!
Even adults make the serious mistake of thinking that the spiritual life comes naturally or doesn’t need a workout now and then! How backward! Look at the scripture above. It was written by the Apostle Paul while discussing spiritual gifts and spiritual armor. He was absolutely convinced that people need to be “strong in the Lord.” How do you become strong without exercise? Does a weightlifter become strong by sitting around and thinking, “Gee, I’m growing strong now while doing nothing to help build my strength??????” It may sound rather laughable, but this is how many people approach spiritual strength. They think they get it from sitting in a pew, listening to a few audible books on faith, or reading the Bible twice a year at Christmas and Easter! Would a marathon runner run a long distance twice a year and be ready for a marathon? Spiritually, there are many people today who are unfit for spiritual service. They have not built up their spiritual muscles. They are not “strong in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:10).
Part of growing strong in the Lord is given in the second half of the verse above. In order to be spiritually fit, a person needs to grow “in the strength of God’s might”. Unlike physical conditioning, you don’t grow spiritually strong by just doing personal spiritual training. You can’t read a book and immediately be spiritually strong! Does a doctor read a book and become able to do surgery? Spiritual training involves relating with God. The stronger your connection with God, the stronger your spiritual strength. Much of your spiritual aptitude comes from this relationship with God in Christ. To help that grow, you need to exercise your spiritual stamina. How do you do that? Study and increase your prayer life. Learn more about the Bible. Read about spiritual issues. Go to church! Learn from pastors and teachers who know God well. Exercise your spiritual muscles by doing mission work and serving others, teaching others about God, helping others to pray, visiting the sick and in need, leaning on God in all situations in life. Most people have little spiritual strength because their spiritual life is sorely lacking in many of these areas.
If you look at your life, what areas of your spiritual life need extra exercise? Is your knowledge of the Bible weak? Does your Sunday School work need more prep time? Are you a weak prayer? Do you lack faith? Do you need a spiritual inventory or spiritual kick in the pants? Find a challenging speaker or spiritual leader and study their work! Don’t just read the Bible, study it! Don’t know how? Ask a pastor, visit a Bible Study, or study this web site. You need to exercise spiritually! I want you to “be strong in the Lord”!!!!!
January 9
“Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.”
(Genesis 6:11, NASB95)
(Genesis 6:11, NASB95)
I want you to notice the connection between the first and second half of this verse from the book of Genesis written above. Both halves begin with the words… “the earth was”. It’s a description of the earth not long after man was created. It’s a description of what was happening with the earth. The first half of the sentence describes the earth as “corrupt”. In Hebrew, this word means “ruined, spoiled, wasted, corrupt”. The second half of the sentence above states why the earth was corrupt and ruined: it was “filled with violence.” Violence is man’s way of wrecking life. It ruins God’s creation. It lays waste to precious life on earth. Who caused the violence? The first two children of the Bible are God’s “Exhibit A”. Cain, out of jealousy and anger, killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8). The beautiful creation God intended from the beginning was polluted by violence. God saw how this ruined life. Not long after, God sent a flood to wipe out most of the human beings. God was going to start over with the human place in creation.
Violence wrecked or ruined or corrupted the earth in the days before Noah. God grieved over this. God hated to see the violence. God saw it as ruining the earth, destroying life, corrupting the course of human history. Do you think God has changed today? No. God still views violence as something worth grieving. God sees violence as destructive to life, a scourge upon the earth. Yet, our world is filled with violence. Why? Did God cause it? No. Jealousy, anger, envy, and all the other sinful thoughts cause violence. They caused Cain to kill his brother Abel. The inevitable violence that results from a sinful, fallen world is seen by God. It is within the sight of God. God rejects the violence and seeks to end this corruption of the earth HE created.
Normally, we think of violence as what is happening in Chicago recently. Chicago is full of violence. It is the murder capital of the United States. There were 675 homicides in just Chicago in 2017. 2937 people were shot. Thousands were stabbed, beaten, abused, neglected. The amount of violence was so staggering that Illinois led the United States as the state most likely to cause people to move out of it! States like Vermont, Oregon, and Idaho were the top three states most likely to see people move into them. They have a much lower rate of violence than Chicago. As for Illinois, people there are suffering from the violence. Where will it end?
In the book of Genesis during the time when the scripture above occurred, God was already making plans to end the violence. God was set against those who committed violence. Today, I believe the same applies. God is going to move against those places in the world that are full of violence. In cities like Chicago, God will move against violent people. In hell holes such as Syria, Darfur, the Sudan, and many other places known for violence, death, and destruction, God is going to cause pain and suffering upon those who cause violence to occur. God’s judgment will come down. If Genesis is our model, God is already plotting to put an end to those who use violence as a means to an end.
Now, while you might say, “Good, God needs to punish those who are violent”, just realize that this may include those close to you. It may even include you! God is even now plotting against those who cause fights, those who rape, those who abuse, those who verbally attack, those who steal, those who cause the suffering of others. Violence taints God’s creation. All of it needs to go. Keep it from your heart.
In your lifetime, you will need to stand against violence. You might find yourself in spiritual turmoil when violence is done to you. You might feel like responding in kind. Revenge may seem sweet, but it corrupts the soul as easily as violence corrupts the earth. It ruins the relationship you have with God. Anger, jealousy, envy, and vengeance all caused the first murder of the Bible. They still cause much violence today. In Matthew 5, God blessed peacemakers, not violent individuals. Are you one prone to violence, even violent thoughts? You may not murder someone with a knife, but do you destroy another with your words? Don’t let violence of any sort ruin your relationship with God. Don’t let it corrupt those around you. God has no patience for violence. Ephesians 4:26-27 applies here: “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger and thus give an opportunity to the devil.”
Violence wrecked or ruined or corrupted the earth in the days before Noah. God grieved over this. God hated to see the violence. God saw it as ruining the earth, destroying life, corrupting the course of human history. Do you think God has changed today? No. God still views violence as something worth grieving. God sees violence as destructive to life, a scourge upon the earth. Yet, our world is filled with violence. Why? Did God cause it? No. Jealousy, anger, envy, and all the other sinful thoughts cause violence. They caused Cain to kill his brother Abel. The inevitable violence that results from a sinful, fallen world is seen by God. It is within the sight of God. God rejects the violence and seeks to end this corruption of the earth HE created.
Normally, we think of violence as what is happening in Chicago recently. Chicago is full of violence. It is the murder capital of the United States. There were 675 homicides in just Chicago in 2017. 2937 people were shot. Thousands were stabbed, beaten, abused, neglected. The amount of violence was so staggering that Illinois led the United States as the state most likely to cause people to move out of it! States like Vermont, Oregon, and Idaho were the top three states most likely to see people move into them. They have a much lower rate of violence than Chicago. As for Illinois, people there are suffering from the violence. Where will it end?
In the book of Genesis during the time when the scripture above occurred, God was already making plans to end the violence. God was set against those who committed violence. Today, I believe the same applies. God is going to move against those places in the world that are full of violence. In cities like Chicago, God will move against violent people. In hell holes such as Syria, Darfur, the Sudan, and many other places known for violence, death, and destruction, God is going to cause pain and suffering upon those who cause violence to occur. God’s judgment will come down. If Genesis is our model, God is already plotting to put an end to those who use violence as a means to an end.
Now, while you might say, “Good, God needs to punish those who are violent”, just realize that this may include those close to you. It may even include you! God is even now plotting against those who cause fights, those who rape, those who abuse, those who verbally attack, those who steal, those who cause the suffering of others. Violence taints God’s creation. All of it needs to go. Keep it from your heart.
In your lifetime, you will need to stand against violence. You might find yourself in spiritual turmoil when violence is done to you. You might feel like responding in kind. Revenge may seem sweet, but it corrupts the soul as easily as violence corrupts the earth. It ruins the relationship you have with God. Anger, jealousy, envy, and vengeance all caused the first murder of the Bible. They still cause much violence today. In Matthew 5, God blessed peacemakers, not violent individuals. Are you one prone to violence, even violent thoughts? You may not murder someone with a knife, but do you destroy another with your words? Don’t let violence of any sort ruin your relationship with God. Don’t let it corrupt those around you. God has no patience for violence. Ephesians 4:26-27 applies here: “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger and thus give an opportunity to the devil.”
January 10
“Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “Are not you also one of his disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”” (John 18:25, RSV)
This scripture above from John 18 contains Peter’s denial of Jesus. Ultimately, Peter denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed to remind Peter of his failure. I find it interesting that the words Peter used to deny Jesus are in direct contradiction to the name of God. In Exodus, Moses asked God for HIS name (Exodus 3:13-15). In response to his inquiry, God said from the burning bush that HIS name was “I am”. Here, in John chapter 18, Peter denies being Jesus’ disciple by saying “I am not!”. If you look at Peter’s denial in the context of who God is, you can see that Peter was going directly against the name and purpose of God. Where God the Father was fully behind Jesus and ultimately raised HIM from the dead, Peter was not behind Jesus at this point in his life. Peter, in rejecting his connection with Jesus, was going against the very essence of God the Father.
In your life, you are going to have to answer for your relationship with Jesus. You can say, “I am one of Jesus’ followers” or “I am not with Jesus”. There is no in-between. You can’t be a half-follower of Jesus. It’s a total commitment, or its no commitment at all. Peter thought he was totally committed to Jesus. In fact, Peter said that if there was ever a life or death moment, Peter would gladly die with Jesus (Luke 22:33). It was only hours later that Peter would deny Jesus. It’s easy to commit to God in Christ when there is no danger, there are no downsides, there are no challenges. It’s a whole different ballgame when your life, your pride, or your money are on the line. Then, we find out where your loyalties and commitments really align.
They say that when the first gunshot of battle sounds, only then do you find out who will flee in retreat or hide. Before that moment, you never know who will be the real “stand-up and fight” soldier. Cowards and heroes are often separated in the midst of a battle. One you can count on. The other will bolt and run. The same thing holds true for spiritual battles. The spiritual hero will stand strong on the day of the spiritual fight. The spiritual coward will back off, back down, cower, or compromise. Have you faced your spiritual battle yet? Have you backed down or compromised yourself under spiritual pressure?
Spiritual battles are inevitable in life. They may occur when you least expect them. Jeremy grew up the son of a pastor. He was a good kid, though every now and then he got into trouble. He was well-liked and intelligent. Girls liked his good looks. Jeremy began the day of his first real spiritual battle thinking it was just another day. He went to school, attended class, and went about his normal routine. Then, when standing by the bus area, he saw Jessica. She was gorgeous in his eyes. He wanted to ask her to go out, so after weeks not having the courage, he finally walked over to her and asked her to go to the new Star Wars movie with him. He said he had tickets for opening night. She said, “I don’t date religious guys. Your dad is a preacher.” He responded without thinking, “My parents force me to go to church. I don’t really believe the stuff.” With that, she took the date. With those words, Jeremy compromised his faith. For months after that, Jeremy kept replaying those words in his head. Even after Jessica was no longer interested in Jeremy, Jeremy still remembered those words he spoke by the bus. The words bothered him for a long time after. Rightly so.
Denying God, denying your faith, and rejecting God to appear more sophisticated to others are all spiritual failures. They expose spiritual cowardice in the heat of spiritual battle. There are many ways to deny God in Christ. How might you fail in the day of your spiritual battle? What are your spiritual weaknesses and strengths?
Every one of us will have to stand for Christ or deny Christ at various times in life. Spiritual battles will occur whether you want them to or not. Spiritual cowardice is the normal response to challenges in life. Spiritual warriors do not fail God in difficult moments. Prepare yourself for spiritual battle. Reinforce your spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:11). When that spiritual battle comes, you may or may not realize it until later. Peter didn’t realize it until the cock crowed (Luke 22:61-62). It doesn’t matter always if you realize you are in the midst of a spiritual battle. What matters most are your reactions and words during that fight. The true heart of a spiritual warrior will keep the faithful on track. The faltering commitment of someone who is not truly faithful will show through.
I wonder when your next spiritual battle will occur. I wonder how you will fare. I am praying for your commitment to be true. I am.
In your life, you are going to have to answer for your relationship with Jesus. You can say, “I am one of Jesus’ followers” or “I am not with Jesus”. There is no in-between. You can’t be a half-follower of Jesus. It’s a total commitment, or its no commitment at all. Peter thought he was totally committed to Jesus. In fact, Peter said that if there was ever a life or death moment, Peter would gladly die with Jesus (Luke 22:33). It was only hours later that Peter would deny Jesus. It’s easy to commit to God in Christ when there is no danger, there are no downsides, there are no challenges. It’s a whole different ballgame when your life, your pride, or your money are on the line. Then, we find out where your loyalties and commitments really align.
They say that when the first gunshot of battle sounds, only then do you find out who will flee in retreat or hide. Before that moment, you never know who will be the real “stand-up and fight” soldier. Cowards and heroes are often separated in the midst of a battle. One you can count on. The other will bolt and run. The same thing holds true for spiritual battles. The spiritual hero will stand strong on the day of the spiritual fight. The spiritual coward will back off, back down, cower, or compromise. Have you faced your spiritual battle yet? Have you backed down or compromised yourself under spiritual pressure?
Spiritual battles are inevitable in life. They may occur when you least expect them. Jeremy grew up the son of a pastor. He was a good kid, though every now and then he got into trouble. He was well-liked and intelligent. Girls liked his good looks. Jeremy began the day of his first real spiritual battle thinking it was just another day. He went to school, attended class, and went about his normal routine. Then, when standing by the bus area, he saw Jessica. She was gorgeous in his eyes. He wanted to ask her to go out, so after weeks not having the courage, he finally walked over to her and asked her to go to the new Star Wars movie with him. He said he had tickets for opening night. She said, “I don’t date religious guys. Your dad is a preacher.” He responded without thinking, “My parents force me to go to church. I don’t really believe the stuff.” With that, she took the date. With those words, Jeremy compromised his faith. For months after that, Jeremy kept replaying those words in his head. Even after Jessica was no longer interested in Jeremy, Jeremy still remembered those words he spoke by the bus. The words bothered him for a long time after. Rightly so.
Denying God, denying your faith, and rejecting God to appear more sophisticated to others are all spiritual failures. They expose spiritual cowardice in the heat of spiritual battle. There are many ways to deny God in Christ. How might you fail in the day of your spiritual battle? What are your spiritual weaknesses and strengths?
Every one of us will have to stand for Christ or deny Christ at various times in life. Spiritual battles will occur whether you want them to or not. Spiritual cowardice is the normal response to challenges in life. Spiritual warriors do not fail God in difficult moments. Prepare yourself for spiritual battle. Reinforce your spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:11). When that spiritual battle comes, you may or may not realize it until later. Peter didn’t realize it until the cock crowed (Luke 22:61-62). It doesn’t matter always if you realize you are in the midst of a spiritual battle. What matters most are your reactions and words during that fight. The true heart of a spiritual warrior will keep the faithful on track. The faltering commitment of someone who is not truly faithful will show through.
I wonder when your next spiritual battle will occur. I wonder how you will fare. I am praying for your commitment to be true. I am.
January 11
““Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:47–50, ESV)
In the end, on the day of judgment, there will be a separation of people. According to the scripture above, people will be divided into “the good” and “the bad”. Like a fisherman who splits up his catch for the day into those he will take home, and those he throws away, the good are brought home with God to Heaven while the bad are cast away into hell. There are many people who think today that all people will go to heaven. This scripture begs to differ. While, it does say that all people will live in the afterlife in some way, how they live is determined by their worth to God. The “good” will be kept close to God, taken home with God. The “bad” will be tossed into the “fiery furnace”. They will be forever removed from the presence of our loving God. They will never experience true love again.
Did you notice who will be separating out the bad from the good in the “end of the age” according to the scripture above? God’s angels are responsible for separating out the good from the bad. Some have thought it unusual that in the Bible there are angels who bring death. In fact, on a number of occasions in scripture angels separated out who was to live from who was to die. In Exodus 12, “the destroyer” (assumed to be an angel) killed the first born of Egypt during the night of the Passover. In 2 Kings 19:35, an angel sent by God slew 185,000 Assyrians in one night so that they could not attack Jerusalem. The Israelites were spared. In 2 Samuel 24:15-16, an angel works with God to kill the evil Israelites in the land while God protected the faithful. In Acts 12:23, an angel “smote” Herod. In Revelation 8, the angels caused death upon the unfaithful in the end times through earthquakes, fires, storms, even a falling star (Revelation 8:10). In Revelation 9, plagues from avenging angels kill a third of those in the earth. During all these calamities written about in Revelation, God never hurts the faithful, only the evil. God’s angels are never loosed to hurt those who trust in God. On the contrary, angels were sent by God to protect Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:28). God sent an angel to close the mouths of the lions to preserve Daniel (Daniel 6:22). In Matthew 2:13, an angel watches over Mary and Joseph and Jesus, even warning Joseph to flee to Egypt when Jesus’ life was in danger. Angels protected Jesus, Peter, and a number of the disciples. Zechariah 1:11 clarifies that angels “patrol the earth” for God. In every one of these instances, God works with HIS angels to separate out those who were good from those who were bad, those who were to live from those who would die. God, through the angels, watches over the good and delivers justice against the bad.
God sees all people as capable of separation into only two groups: the good and the bad. I sure hope you are one of the good ones! The bad are condemned by God, rejected by God, seen as enemies by the angels, and have a future suffering in a fiery furnace. If I were you, I’d make sure my allegiance to God and the good are rock solid. If you are not sure you are worthy of being one of the good ones God watches over, there is an easy way to make sure you end up there. First, repent of all your sin to God (see Acts 2:38). Second, believe in God with your whole heart (Matthew 22:37), dedicating your every day to God. Finally, ask for and accept God’s Spirit. If you have God’s Spirit in your life, God sets you aside as one of the faithful (2 Corinthians 1:22). God’s Spirit will not stay in your heart if you are bad. Finally, pray and give thanks to God. Your future is secure. Through prayer, God will give you missions and save others. God will work through you to accomplish beautiful things. And some day soon, God will take you home to be with Him. It’s guaranteed by God for the good and faithful (2 Corinthians 5:5).
Before you today are two super-important questions: “Are you good or bad?" and "Are you sure?”. You better answer wisely. Your future depends on it.
Did you notice who will be separating out the bad from the good in the “end of the age” according to the scripture above? God’s angels are responsible for separating out the good from the bad. Some have thought it unusual that in the Bible there are angels who bring death. In fact, on a number of occasions in scripture angels separated out who was to live from who was to die. In Exodus 12, “the destroyer” (assumed to be an angel) killed the first born of Egypt during the night of the Passover. In 2 Kings 19:35, an angel sent by God slew 185,000 Assyrians in one night so that they could not attack Jerusalem. The Israelites were spared. In 2 Samuel 24:15-16, an angel works with God to kill the evil Israelites in the land while God protected the faithful. In Acts 12:23, an angel “smote” Herod. In Revelation 8, the angels caused death upon the unfaithful in the end times through earthquakes, fires, storms, even a falling star (Revelation 8:10). In Revelation 9, plagues from avenging angels kill a third of those in the earth. During all these calamities written about in Revelation, God never hurts the faithful, only the evil. God’s angels are never loosed to hurt those who trust in God. On the contrary, angels were sent by God to protect Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:28). God sent an angel to close the mouths of the lions to preserve Daniel (Daniel 6:22). In Matthew 2:13, an angel watches over Mary and Joseph and Jesus, even warning Joseph to flee to Egypt when Jesus’ life was in danger. Angels protected Jesus, Peter, and a number of the disciples. Zechariah 1:11 clarifies that angels “patrol the earth” for God. In every one of these instances, God works with HIS angels to separate out those who were good from those who were bad, those who were to live from those who would die. God, through the angels, watches over the good and delivers justice against the bad.
God sees all people as capable of separation into only two groups: the good and the bad. I sure hope you are one of the good ones! The bad are condemned by God, rejected by God, seen as enemies by the angels, and have a future suffering in a fiery furnace. If I were you, I’d make sure my allegiance to God and the good are rock solid. If you are not sure you are worthy of being one of the good ones God watches over, there is an easy way to make sure you end up there. First, repent of all your sin to God (see Acts 2:38). Second, believe in God with your whole heart (Matthew 22:37), dedicating your every day to God. Finally, ask for and accept God’s Spirit. If you have God’s Spirit in your life, God sets you aside as one of the faithful (2 Corinthians 1:22). God’s Spirit will not stay in your heart if you are bad. Finally, pray and give thanks to God. Your future is secure. Through prayer, God will give you missions and save others. God will work through you to accomplish beautiful things. And some day soon, God will take you home to be with Him. It’s guaranteed by God for the good and faithful (2 Corinthians 5:5).
Before you today are two super-important questions: “Are you good or bad?" and "Are you sure?”. You better answer wisely. Your future depends on it.
January 12
“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money; nor he who loves wealth, with gain: this also is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 5:10, RSV)
I read the following from a book: “It was Christmas dinner and Father was at the head of the table. A large meal had been prepared for the family. Mother was at the opposite end of the table. Grandma and grandpa were seated at the large table as well as all the children. After the meal had been served and everyone ate and laughed and enjoyed the company, Father pushed away from the table and said, ‘Mother, what a wonderful meal. As for me, I am completely satisfied. I can’t eat another bite!’ Everyone laughed, because father was never so full that he couldn’t eat more! Mother beamed.” As I read these words from the book, it struck me that I very seldom hear people today say that they are satisfied. In a world where people tend to want the newest, fastest, or biggest thing, it felt unusual to read about someone who said such a thing. It is literally shocking how times have changed in one hundred years from when this book was written!
When was the last time you mentioned that you were satisfied with your life? When was the last time you went into a store and didn’t find something to buy? How long has it been since you considered downsizing instead of increasing your spending? Do you have enough money? When it comes to money and possessions, very few people seem content with what they have. The Apostle Paul mentioned to the Philippian church that he learned to be content no matter the circumstances (Philippians 4:11). The writer of Hebrews wrote that the faithful should “keep life free from the love of money and be content with what you have…” (Hebrews 13:5). In the scripture above from the book of Ecclesiastes, we are taught that those who love money will not be satisfied with it. They will want more. Those who have wealth will not be satisfied with their possessions. They will want more. The writer of Ecclesiastes calls the striving after money, the love of money, the need for more wealth as “vanity” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). It is a “striving after the wind.”
I have found that all these scriptures are very wise in their connection between money, wealth, and satisfaction. If a person is in love with money and wealth, they will never be satisfied with what they have. They will always crave more. Don’t get caught up in the money or wealth trap, where your worth is determined by your income. Satisfaction in life doesn’t ever occur when you are in love with money. The craving for more wealth is ever-present in the mind and heart of the money-lover. If money means too much to you, you will never be at peace with what you have, what you need, how much you want, or what is enough.
Sadly, many people are under the delusion that more money or a better paying job will bring satisfaction and happiness to life. It’s as if there’s a connection between the amount of money you have, you make, or you win in the lottery; and the amount of joy in your life. According to this verse and God’s word, these things are not connected. The love of money can never make you happy or satisfied, or joyful, or at peace. Ever. No matter how much you have or what you possess.
I have found much satisfaction and contentment when people have their priorities aligned in a godly way. When the right things matter, peace, love, joy, and satisfaction all fall into place. As we enter this new year, is there a rearrangement of priorities you need to make? Are you satisfied with the things in your life God wants you to be content with? Do you love money or wealth or certain possessions a little too much? Talk to God about these questions today!
When was the last time you mentioned that you were satisfied with your life? When was the last time you went into a store and didn’t find something to buy? How long has it been since you considered downsizing instead of increasing your spending? Do you have enough money? When it comes to money and possessions, very few people seem content with what they have. The Apostle Paul mentioned to the Philippian church that he learned to be content no matter the circumstances (Philippians 4:11). The writer of Hebrews wrote that the faithful should “keep life free from the love of money and be content with what you have…” (Hebrews 13:5). In the scripture above from the book of Ecclesiastes, we are taught that those who love money will not be satisfied with it. They will want more. Those who have wealth will not be satisfied with their possessions. They will want more. The writer of Ecclesiastes calls the striving after money, the love of money, the need for more wealth as “vanity” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). It is a “striving after the wind.”
I have found that all these scriptures are very wise in their connection between money, wealth, and satisfaction. If a person is in love with money and wealth, they will never be satisfied with what they have. They will always crave more. Don’t get caught up in the money or wealth trap, where your worth is determined by your income. Satisfaction in life doesn’t ever occur when you are in love with money. The craving for more wealth is ever-present in the mind and heart of the money-lover. If money means too much to you, you will never be at peace with what you have, what you need, how much you want, or what is enough.
Sadly, many people are under the delusion that more money or a better paying job will bring satisfaction and happiness to life. It’s as if there’s a connection between the amount of money you have, you make, or you win in the lottery; and the amount of joy in your life. According to this verse and God’s word, these things are not connected. The love of money can never make you happy or satisfied, or joyful, or at peace. Ever. No matter how much you have or what you possess.
I have found much satisfaction and contentment when people have their priorities aligned in a godly way. When the right things matter, peace, love, joy, and satisfaction all fall into place. As we enter this new year, is there a rearrangement of priorities you need to make? Are you satisfied with the things in your life God wants you to be content with? Do you love money or wealth or certain possessions a little too much? Talk to God about these questions today!
January 13
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you.”
(1 Thessalonians 4:3–6, NIV84)
(1 Thessalonians 4:3–6, NIV84)
There is a new word being bantered about online lately. It has grown out of the new types of social interactions that occur in social media. The term is called “micro-cheating”. Australian Psychologist and consultant, Melanie Schilling describes micro-cheating in the following way… “You might be engaging in micro-cheating if you secretly connect with another person on social media, if you share private jokes, if you downplay the seriousness of your relationship to your partner, or if you enter their name under a code in your phone..” In an article on micro-cheating, Will Maule points to people who have private chats online, but hide them from their spouse as an example of this micro-cheating (www.thecourage.com). Little flirtations in online chats or on Instagram, sharing “likes” in a flirtatious way on social media, or asking to communicate privately are all ways to incite micro-cheating. Both Will Maule and Melanie Schilling see these innocent flirtations as a beginning to adulterous thoughts and can lead to adulterous affairs. They are little temptations that can break down your marriage, weaken your serious relationship, and wreck a friendship. They are dangerous.
Almost two thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul penned the words written above in his first letter to the Thessalonian church. In that letter, he warned about lust or sexual immorality. He saw it as an issue of “control of [one’s] own body” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Your body is going to have control issues. You will long for food you shouldn’t have, desire things you shouldn’t eat. When it comes to sexuality, the same thing applies. You may desire a person wrongfully. Small little flirtations can easily become what pushes you to sin. You must learn to “control” your body “in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust” (1 Thessalonians 4:4). Paul explained in the final verse above that God will punish you for sinful lust that can all so easily be borne from small thoughts and actions of “micro-cheating”.
Let’s be honest, though. “Micro-cheating” may be a new term bantered about today, but the concept is age-old. For eons, a woman’s pretty flourish of the hair, wink, flirtatious comment, or sexually provocative action has led to spiritually deadly consequences, just ask King David who cheated with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:2). A man’s flirtatious comment about how a woman looks, a stare, a touch can easily become the small action that leads down a sinful road. Every single person has to learn to control these urges and reject these temptations.
Many years ago, a man stopped in my office for a chat. As we talked, he complained about a woman he was working with at his office. Because of a project deadline, the two were spending many hours working side by side in close quarters. The man complained to me, “Why couldn’t she be the ugliest female, twenty years older with a mole or something!? Instead, I deal closely with this very pretty, young woman every day. It’s enough to drive me insane!” Have you ever felt the same about a close working relationship or friendship?
Your hormones, lusts, mind, and ultimately Satan will play with your emotions. Things like micro-cheating can lead you down a road you don’t want to go. The temptations will always be there. Controlling these lusts and passions of your body will never be easy. It’s part of life. Controlling these is a way to show God that HE means more to you than whatever fleeting passion that comes along. Keep yourself pure. Watch those little flirtations. Show yourself honorable before God.
Almost two thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul penned the words written above in his first letter to the Thessalonian church. In that letter, he warned about lust or sexual immorality. He saw it as an issue of “control of [one’s] own body” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Your body is going to have control issues. You will long for food you shouldn’t have, desire things you shouldn’t eat. When it comes to sexuality, the same thing applies. You may desire a person wrongfully. Small little flirtations can easily become what pushes you to sin. You must learn to “control” your body “in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust” (1 Thessalonians 4:4). Paul explained in the final verse above that God will punish you for sinful lust that can all so easily be borne from small thoughts and actions of “micro-cheating”.
Let’s be honest, though. “Micro-cheating” may be a new term bantered about today, but the concept is age-old. For eons, a woman’s pretty flourish of the hair, wink, flirtatious comment, or sexually provocative action has led to spiritually deadly consequences, just ask King David who cheated with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:2). A man’s flirtatious comment about how a woman looks, a stare, a touch can easily become the small action that leads down a sinful road. Every single person has to learn to control these urges and reject these temptations.
Many years ago, a man stopped in my office for a chat. As we talked, he complained about a woman he was working with at his office. Because of a project deadline, the two were spending many hours working side by side in close quarters. The man complained to me, “Why couldn’t she be the ugliest female, twenty years older with a mole or something!? Instead, I deal closely with this very pretty, young woman every day. It’s enough to drive me insane!” Have you ever felt the same about a close working relationship or friendship?
Your hormones, lusts, mind, and ultimately Satan will play with your emotions. Things like micro-cheating can lead you down a road you don’t want to go. The temptations will always be there. Controlling these lusts and passions of your body will never be easy. It’s part of life. Controlling these is a way to show God that HE means more to you than whatever fleeting passion that comes along. Keep yourself pure. Watch those little flirtations. Show yourself honorable before God.
January 14
“So they called them [Peter and John] and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”” (Acts 4:18–20, RSV)
After Jesus was crucified and resurrected, the disciples began to spread the word about Jesus’ miraculous life, death, and resurrection. Their amazing story earned the love and respect of the people. The gospel of Jesus also earned these followers the hatred of the powers that be. When the disciples spoke out, they were often harassed and even arrested. Not long after this form of silencing occurred, they were stoned and crucified. All this was meant to silence the message of the gospel.
In the scripture above from the book of Acts, there is a description of this form of silencing that was handed down to Peter and John by their accusers when they preached and healed in Jesus’ name. They were “charged (threatened) not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus…” (Acts 4:18). The disciples were watched and hounded constantly by these people who wanted to shut them up. The disciple’s response was that they “cannot BUT speak of what [they] had seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). They weren’t just going to go quietly away.
You may think that silencing of the gospel and Christians does not occur today. On the contrary, it is rampant. In China, you can be arrested and imprisoned for talking about Jesus or passing out Bibles unless your message is sanctioned by the government. In most Muslim countries, the same applies. Even in the United States, there are many attempts to silence Christians. Many you will never know about.
When I was a pastor in Indiana, I earned the ire of a few members of my congregation. Five members out of over eight hundred in the congregation met secretly with an Association leader and arranged to have me “removed quietly”. While never telling the congregation what was happening for fear of a huge backlash, the leaders with the help of this Association leader wrote up a contract in which I was forbidden to talk to members of the congregation, members of the community or wider church, attend any social events of the church or function as a pastor in any way. I was told that if I did not comply and sign the contract, I would be barred from finding another church or another job. To increase the pressure, my pay was withheld until I agreed. I went for weeks with no pay. When the congregation came for worship the next Sunday after I was forced to sign the contract, they were simply told I was no longer pastor and had stepped down. They had no idea I was being silenced.
On Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, and many other media sites, the silencing continues. Many Christian sites have been demonetized, with the conservative Christian people in most cases, refused their due pay for weeks due to the pressure of liberals who complained to Google to shut the sites down. Every time Rich Pentkowski writes the letters LGBT or mentions that homosexuality is sinful according to the Bible, his West Virginia-based preaching ministry is shut down for days or weeks. He talks about many topics on his show, but when he goes against liberal hot topics, he gets banned or silenced. At colleges like the University of Missouri, Yale, Harvard, Oberlin, and many more, students and faculty are silenced or threatened or bullied if they speak about what the Bible actually says about certain topics.
I’ve known hundreds of people personally who have been threatened or silenced. From missionaries in Africa to a conservative seminary student in a liberal setting to a teacher who was forbidden to read the Bible during her lunch hour, many are told to be silent about (or hide their faith in) the gospel of Jesus Christ. All were told what to say and how to say it. Much of this silencing occurs with threats, just like in Acts 4 written above. For most of us who have been in the front lines, this silencing is a regular thing. It happens a lot. In these days of social media, the threats and bullying are worse for real Christians. If you haven’t already been told to remain quiet about your beliefs, you may not be professing a real Biblical faith.
Jesus was not politically correct. His gospel is not accepted by many today. Governments and institutions fear the real gospel even more in modern times. There will be those who will call you names and try to silence your faith when it is true. When that occurs, just realize that you are now in good company, for this was how they treated the prophets, the reformers, and even Jesus Himself. God bless you when despite threats, you keep a strong faith and a commitment to God’s Word. Future Christians are depending on your commitment today.
In the scripture above from the book of Acts, there is a description of this form of silencing that was handed down to Peter and John by their accusers when they preached and healed in Jesus’ name. They were “charged (threatened) not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus…” (Acts 4:18). The disciples were watched and hounded constantly by these people who wanted to shut them up. The disciple’s response was that they “cannot BUT speak of what [they] had seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). They weren’t just going to go quietly away.
You may think that silencing of the gospel and Christians does not occur today. On the contrary, it is rampant. In China, you can be arrested and imprisoned for talking about Jesus or passing out Bibles unless your message is sanctioned by the government. In most Muslim countries, the same applies. Even in the United States, there are many attempts to silence Christians. Many you will never know about.
When I was a pastor in Indiana, I earned the ire of a few members of my congregation. Five members out of over eight hundred in the congregation met secretly with an Association leader and arranged to have me “removed quietly”. While never telling the congregation what was happening for fear of a huge backlash, the leaders with the help of this Association leader wrote up a contract in which I was forbidden to talk to members of the congregation, members of the community or wider church, attend any social events of the church or function as a pastor in any way. I was told that if I did not comply and sign the contract, I would be barred from finding another church or another job. To increase the pressure, my pay was withheld until I agreed. I went for weeks with no pay. When the congregation came for worship the next Sunday after I was forced to sign the contract, they were simply told I was no longer pastor and had stepped down. They had no idea I was being silenced.
On Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, and many other media sites, the silencing continues. Many Christian sites have been demonetized, with the conservative Christian people in most cases, refused their due pay for weeks due to the pressure of liberals who complained to Google to shut the sites down. Every time Rich Pentkowski writes the letters LGBT or mentions that homosexuality is sinful according to the Bible, his West Virginia-based preaching ministry is shut down for days or weeks. He talks about many topics on his show, but when he goes against liberal hot topics, he gets banned or silenced. At colleges like the University of Missouri, Yale, Harvard, Oberlin, and many more, students and faculty are silenced or threatened or bullied if they speak about what the Bible actually says about certain topics.
I’ve known hundreds of people personally who have been threatened or silenced. From missionaries in Africa to a conservative seminary student in a liberal setting to a teacher who was forbidden to read the Bible during her lunch hour, many are told to be silent about (or hide their faith in) the gospel of Jesus Christ. All were told what to say and how to say it. Much of this silencing occurs with threats, just like in Acts 4 written above. For most of us who have been in the front lines, this silencing is a regular thing. It happens a lot. In these days of social media, the threats and bullying are worse for real Christians. If you haven’t already been told to remain quiet about your beliefs, you may not be professing a real Biblical faith.
Jesus was not politically correct. His gospel is not accepted by many today. Governments and institutions fear the real gospel even more in modern times. There will be those who will call you names and try to silence your faith when it is true. When that occurs, just realize that you are now in good company, for this was how they treated the prophets, the reformers, and even Jesus Himself. God bless you when despite threats, you keep a strong faith and a commitment to God’s Word. Future Christians are depending on your commitment today.
January 15
“Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out from their distress; He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they had quiet, and He brought them to their desired haven.” (Psalm 107:28–30, NRSV)
Imagine sailors aboard a wooden sailing ship caught in a storm at sea. Centuries ago, they didn’t have GPS, ship-to-shore radios and telephones, satellite phones, and the Coast Guard! The sailors relied on the quality of their ship, their seamanship, and their God! The scripture above from Psalm 107 describes sailors who were in trouble during a storm on the sea. They “cried to the Lord in their trouble” (Psalm 107:28). God saved them, affected the storm, and “hushed the waves of the sea.” (Psalm 107:29). The sailors responded with joy as they returned to port, “to their desired haven” (Psalm 107:30). God had spared them from the storm.
In olden days, people relied on God more. Without all the electronics, they were at the mercy of the elements. They leaned on God, prayed to God, hoped in God’s mercy when everything went bad. In modern times, we constantly rely on our electronics to save us not realizing that the same God who saved the sailor from the storm on ancient seas can still calm the storms around us. God can bring peace during turmoil, quiet during the chaos. God hasn’t changed. Modern times and modern equipment and modern electronics have changed. God still saves. We just don’t realize it, because we are so busy seeking our salvation from technology. But can technology do what God does?
For many, technology can not only be a godsend but a tremendous source of stress. Technology can’t love you like God does. Technology can’t hear your prayer and respond with what you really need. Computer code can spit back what its been programmed to do, but God can relate to you in ways that ones and zeroes cannot. Where technology is heartless, God can speak to your heart and soul.
For those who are surrounded and overwhelmed by the pressures of technology, there is a “National Day of Unplugging” every year. For 2018, it will occur in March. On that day, people will cease to use electronics and for one day and relate to the world without the added stress of technology. On that day, some who are addicted to social media will find it hard to function. But for some, they might just pick up a Bible or an inspirational book and read it. Unencumbered by the weight of digital pressures, they might begin to feel the touch of the living God!
Those sailors from Psalm 107 knew to reach out to God in the midst of their troubles. Many people today have not figured that out. They turn to social media, YouTube, and mindless video games to find meaning and help. Sadly, the ultimate help of God eludes them. They have lost the connection to the most powerful force in the universe! God’s grace and help and mercy are unknown to them. They need God, but turn to technology for their salvation. Is it any wonder so many escape to virtual reality or drugs to deal with the stresses of life? They never find any lasting peace, because they do not know God!
When your life goes crazy and storms of difficulties pound away at you like heavy breakers hitting the shore, follow the example from ancient sailors. Turn to the God who can bring peace to that storm and ease your distress. Let God show you what its like to feel real comfort during a crisis!
I remember long ago a friend had his life all shaken up. In one week, he lost his job and his child was severely ill. When I saw him at the hospital in the waiting room, I thought he was sound asleep after nights of sleepless watching at his son’s bedside. He wasn’t. He was praying. As we talked, he smiled. I asked him how he was holding it all together. “God and prayer,” he replied as he held his wife’s hand. Despite all the chaos in his life, he was at peace. God gave him that peace. Prayer delivered it.
May God be with you today in a wonderful way. Take time to feel the strength and peace God is offering. No storm can last, but God can. You can be sure of that!
In olden days, people relied on God more. Without all the electronics, they were at the mercy of the elements. They leaned on God, prayed to God, hoped in God’s mercy when everything went bad. In modern times, we constantly rely on our electronics to save us not realizing that the same God who saved the sailor from the storm on ancient seas can still calm the storms around us. God can bring peace during turmoil, quiet during the chaos. God hasn’t changed. Modern times and modern equipment and modern electronics have changed. God still saves. We just don’t realize it, because we are so busy seeking our salvation from technology. But can technology do what God does?
For many, technology can not only be a godsend but a tremendous source of stress. Technology can’t love you like God does. Technology can’t hear your prayer and respond with what you really need. Computer code can spit back what its been programmed to do, but God can relate to you in ways that ones and zeroes cannot. Where technology is heartless, God can speak to your heart and soul.
For those who are surrounded and overwhelmed by the pressures of technology, there is a “National Day of Unplugging” every year. For 2018, it will occur in March. On that day, people will cease to use electronics and for one day and relate to the world without the added stress of technology. On that day, some who are addicted to social media will find it hard to function. But for some, they might just pick up a Bible or an inspirational book and read it. Unencumbered by the weight of digital pressures, they might begin to feel the touch of the living God!
Those sailors from Psalm 107 knew to reach out to God in the midst of their troubles. Many people today have not figured that out. They turn to social media, YouTube, and mindless video games to find meaning and help. Sadly, the ultimate help of God eludes them. They have lost the connection to the most powerful force in the universe! God’s grace and help and mercy are unknown to them. They need God, but turn to technology for their salvation. Is it any wonder so many escape to virtual reality or drugs to deal with the stresses of life? They never find any lasting peace, because they do not know God!
When your life goes crazy and storms of difficulties pound away at you like heavy breakers hitting the shore, follow the example from ancient sailors. Turn to the God who can bring peace to that storm and ease your distress. Let God show you what its like to feel real comfort during a crisis!
I remember long ago a friend had his life all shaken up. In one week, he lost his job and his child was severely ill. When I saw him at the hospital in the waiting room, I thought he was sound asleep after nights of sleepless watching at his son’s bedside. He wasn’t. He was praying. As we talked, he smiled. I asked him how he was holding it all together. “God and prayer,” he replied as he held his wife’s hand. Despite all the chaos in his life, he was at peace. God gave him that peace. Prayer delivered it.
May God be with you today in a wonderful way. Take time to feel the strength and peace God is offering. No storm can last, but God can. You can be sure of that!
January 16
“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33, RSV)
When in a relationship with God, there will come a time when your connection with God becomes so great that you just know what God will want you to do or not do. You will be able to feel through prayer and the presence of God’s Spirit in your life what is right and what is wrong, even if the topic is about something that is not in the Bible. You will be able to discern what to do or which road to take as if God was physically present telling you what was right. For some people, this connection with God comes quickly and powerfully. With others, it takes time and teaching and prayer. Do you have such a close relationship with God that you can tell right from wrong?
"During World War II, Winston Churchill was forced to make a painful choice. The British secret service had broken the Nazi code and informed Churchill that the Germans were going to bomb Coventry in England. He had two alternatives: (1) evacuate the citizens and save hundreds of lives at the expense of indicating to the Germans that the code was broken; or (2) take no action, which would kill hundreds but keep the information flowing and possibly save many more lives. Churchill had to choose and followed the second course." (Klyne Snodgrass, Between Two Truths: Living With Biblical Tensions, p. 179)
When Churchill made this decision, it resulted in the saving of some lives and the death of others, especially among those in Coventry. Nowhere in the Bible does it say specifically what was the right thing to do in this situation. However, Churchill knew the right thing to do would be to keep the secret that ultimately shortened the Second World War. He hid the fact that the British knew what the German Army and Navy were doing due to code-breaking. If you think about it, no matter what Churchill would have done, it would have resulted in deaths in the future. Suffering, pain, killing, maiming were all involved no matter what Churchill did. How could he know what God wanted him to do? In this case, Churchill followed his heart and did what he thought would save the most lives in the end. There was no clear Biblical mandate one way or another. Still, this didn’t stop Churchill from being forced to choose.
You will have to make impossible choices or difficult choices with no clear cut difference between right and wrong as well. In those tenuous moments, you need to let God speak to your heart and direct your path. God and God’s Spirit will guide you if you ask. In Jeremiah 31:33, the scripture for today written above, God mentions that because of His “covenant” with Israel, He will “write the law upon the hearts” of the faithful. When this happens, God would work with them directly. They won’t read from a book of laws what to do. God was going to live within their hearts and direct their steps.
When you invite God into your heart and God’s Spirit comes into your life, you too can have God show you right from wrong. Through prayer and discernment, your heart and God’s Spirit will direct your steps, just as in the vision from Jeremiah given in our scripture for this day. The Bible will speak to you. Coincidences will happen to you influenced by God. You will feel a tug in your heart to do a certain thing. God’s Spirit will speak with your heart and mind. God will show you the correct path to take in life or the right thing to do.
The closer you are with God, the more you can see right from wrong, truth from falsehood, spiritual light from dark. The trick is discerning God’s voice and direction from all the other voices and pressures in your life. When you are very close with God, your heart will tell you what to do. God’s Spirit will deal with you openly and directly. You just need to follow God’s law, “written upon your heart”.
If there’s an important decision you need to make in the near future, seek God’s guidance. If God’s Spirit is in your life, God will speak to your heart. God will show you which way to go. Learn to discern God’s voice in your heart, the tug of the Holy Spirit upon your life. It may not only make a decision clearer, but it may someday save your life.
"During World War II, Winston Churchill was forced to make a painful choice. The British secret service had broken the Nazi code and informed Churchill that the Germans were going to bomb Coventry in England. He had two alternatives: (1) evacuate the citizens and save hundreds of lives at the expense of indicating to the Germans that the code was broken; or (2) take no action, which would kill hundreds but keep the information flowing and possibly save many more lives. Churchill had to choose and followed the second course." (Klyne Snodgrass, Between Two Truths: Living With Biblical Tensions, p. 179)
When Churchill made this decision, it resulted in the saving of some lives and the death of others, especially among those in Coventry. Nowhere in the Bible does it say specifically what was the right thing to do in this situation. However, Churchill knew the right thing to do would be to keep the secret that ultimately shortened the Second World War. He hid the fact that the British knew what the German Army and Navy were doing due to code-breaking. If you think about it, no matter what Churchill would have done, it would have resulted in deaths in the future. Suffering, pain, killing, maiming were all involved no matter what Churchill did. How could he know what God wanted him to do? In this case, Churchill followed his heart and did what he thought would save the most lives in the end. There was no clear Biblical mandate one way or another. Still, this didn’t stop Churchill from being forced to choose.
You will have to make impossible choices or difficult choices with no clear cut difference between right and wrong as well. In those tenuous moments, you need to let God speak to your heart and direct your path. God and God’s Spirit will guide you if you ask. In Jeremiah 31:33, the scripture for today written above, God mentions that because of His “covenant” with Israel, He will “write the law upon the hearts” of the faithful. When this happens, God would work with them directly. They won’t read from a book of laws what to do. God was going to live within their hearts and direct their steps.
When you invite God into your heart and God’s Spirit comes into your life, you too can have God show you right from wrong. Through prayer and discernment, your heart and God’s Spirit will direct your steps, just as in the vision from Jeremiah given in our scripture for this day. The Bible will speak to you. Coincidences will happen to you influenced by God. You will feel a tug in your heart to do a certain thing. God’s Spirit will speak with your heart and mind. God will show you the correct path to take in life or the right thing to do.
The closer you are with God, the more you can see right from wrong, truth from falsehood, spiritual light from dark. The trick is discerning God’s voice and direction from all the other voices and pressures in your life. When you are very close with God, your heart will tell you what to do. God’s Spirit will deal with you openly and directly. You just need to follow God’s law, “written upon your heart”.
If there’s an important decision you need to make in the near future, seek God’s guidance. If God’s Spirit is in your life, God will speak to your heart. God will show you which way to go. Learn to discern God’s voice in your heart, the tug of the Holy Spirit upon your life. It may not only make a decision clearer, but it may someday save your life.
January 17
“The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous.”
(Proverbs 3:33, NIV84)
(Proverbs 3:33, NIV84)
I visited the home of a needy family years ago. There, I discovered that there were many needs left unmet. The children didn’t have beds, but slept on the floor. The members of the family went to bed hungry. Bedbugs gnawed on their feet at night. Their windows were so old and unkempt that during cold weather, the curtains would sway as winds poured past the worn-down window slides. A group of members in the church spent a day fixing, helping, feeding, stocking their shelves. The family was ever so grateful.
Six months later, I visited the home again. The kids were hungry again. The beds had been sold off to pay for the rent. Bedbugs were back in full force. The window curtains were gone, with window blinds being the only shade from midday sun. I asked what had happened that the family was again in dire straits. The father responded: “We are cursed! God curses us. We can’t ever get ahead.” The mother responded: “It seems like everything is going fine and then my husband goes on a drinking binge and the money starts to disappear. Or, we buy one piece of furniture at the thrift store and must sell it again after one of the children gets sick. Nothing seems to help.” I found it telling that the mother felt their problems lie mostly with the father’s alcoholism. The father just felt cursed.
I do believe in curses. In the above situation, the father’s drinking caused many problems for the family. I do believe he was cursed. He wasn’t cursed by God as far as I know, but he was cursed by the ills of alcoholism. Because of it, the whole family suffered. Alcohol affected their every day, their food supply, their health, their home life, the marriage. Alcoholism tainted everything in the lives of that family. I’m sure the family felt it was cursed. It was. Alcoholism was the god of choice. Poverty and illness were the net result.
A life can be cursed by the ills of a nasty habit, a drug addiction, or a mental illness. It’s not that God is cursing that life. The illness, addiction, or habit cause suffering in and of themselves. I have seen terrible suffering by those cursed with an abusive marriage, a gambling addiction, a food addiction, a lust for sexual novelty. All these human addictions and illnesses damage everything they touch.
However, there are also those who are cursed by God. The above scripture is proof. It states clearly that God puts a “curse on the house of the wicked” while “blessing the home of the righteous” (Proverbs 3:33). So, who are the wicked and what does the curse do? First, the wicked are the opposite of righteous. When you are righteous, you follow God’s idea of what is right. The wicked do the opposite. If God believes something is right, they will do the opposite. A wicked person will see it as their joy to sin. They love to sin, no matter who it hurts. For example, it is believed that the U.S. Olympics hired a doctor to take care of the gymnasts who were trying out for the U.S. Olympic team. He is being tried in court for sexually assaulting as many as 140 of them. If this is true, he relished in causing harm to these girls for his own sexual gratification. This is what it means to be “wicked”. He enjoyed his sin that caused irreparable harm upon these young girls, some as young as six.
Wickedness is the state in which a person or group lives in sin in direct opposition to God. They live sinful lives knowing it is against the will of God. The wicked person knows something is sinful, but he or she live for the thrill of doing it anyway, no matter who is harmed. The wicked person may even get a kick out of seeing the hurt of others.
Wickedness causes a curse from God upon the person capable of such acts. It will affect everything they say and touch and do. As long as they are wicked in heart, they will continue to suffer. It will seem like nothing they do is right. The only way to stop the curse by God is to repent and begin to live a righteous life. The curse of God isn’t meant to cause suffering. It is meant to hurt the wicked enough to cause them to stop the cycle of evil. God’s curse is meant to stop the suffering caused by the prevalence of the sin.
Now, read these next words carefully. In the case of the wicked, I have witnessed those I believe God had cursed. EVERY SINGLE TIME I WAS CONVINCED GOD HAD CURSED A PERSON, the person suffered calamity. I do not believe anyone should ever enjoy seeing God’s wrath upon a person they dislike or who is nasty. However, I believe that those who enjoy causing suffering upon others should suffer the curse and wrath of God. Most often, it is the only way they will ever cease their open attacks upon others and upon God.
Carefully read through the scripture above. Notice that God not only curses the wicked, BUT THEIR WHOLE HOUSE! Because of the curse of God upon the evil person, anyone who is associated with the wicked person will also feel the curse of God. God will personally see to it that everything around a wicked person goes bad, fails, or comes back to haunt the person.
Notice the scripture above also says something about the righteous. Their whole home is blessed by God. Anyone living in that home is touched by the blessing of God. Opposite the situation for the wicked, everything the righteous touch will seem to be blessed by God. This was seen in the lives of many faithful from the Bible. For example, Joseph was successful in many ways. Others saw the blessing God had placed upon his life (Genesis 39:21). Jacob's life was also greatly affected by the blessing of God. When it came to raising flocks, Jacob's flocks always seemed to do better! (Genesis 30). This was due to the blessing of God.
Don’t ever get on the bad side of God. Our God is very loving, merciful, giving, and redemptive. But for those who openly go against God and cause the suffering of others, there will always be a price to pay. God will make sure of that. If you want God's blessing upon your life, remain righteous. Everyone around you will be touched by your faithful commitment. Of that, you can also be sure!
Six months later, I visited the home again. The kids were hungry again. The beds had been sold off to pay for the rent. Bedbugs were back in full force. The window curtains were gone, with window blinds being the only shade from midday sun. I asked what had happened that the family was again in dire straits. The father responded: “We are cursed! God curses us. We can’t ever get ahead.” The mother responded: “It seems like everything is going fine and then my husband goes on a drinking binge and the money starts to disappear. Or, we buy one piece of furniture at the thrift store and must sell it again after one of the children gets sick. Nothing seems to help.” I found it telling that the mother felt their problems lie mostly with the father’s alcoholism. The father just felt cursed.
I do believe in curses. In the above situation, the father’s drinking caused many problems for the family. I do believe he was cursed. He wasn’t cursed by God as far as I know, but he was cursed by the ills of alcoholism. Because of it, the whole family suffered. Alcohol affected their every day, their food supply, their health, their home life, the marriage. Alcoholism tainted everything in the lives of that family. I’m sure the family felt it was cursed. It was. Alcoholism was the god of choice. Poverty and illness were the net result.
A life can be cursed by the ills of a nasty habit, a drug addiction, or a mental illness. It’s not that God is cursing that life. The illness, addiction, or habit cause suffering in and of themselves. I have seen terrible suffering by those cursed with an abusive marriage, a gambling addiction, a food addiction, a lust for sexual novelty. All these human addictions and illnesses damage everything they touch.
However, there are also those who are cursed by God. The above scripture is proof. It states clearly that God puts a “curse on the house of the wicked” while “blessing the home of the righteous” (Proverbs 3:33). So, who are the wicked and what does the curse do? First, the wicked are the opposite of righteous. When you are righteous, you follow God’s idea of what is right. The wicked do the opposite. If God believes something is right, they will do the opposite. A wicked person will see it as their joy to sin. They love to sin, no matter who it hurts. For example, it is believed that the U.S. Olympics hired a doctor to take care of the gymnasts who were trying out for the U.S. Olympic team. He is being tried in court for sexually assaulting as many as 140 of them. If this is true, he relished in causing harm to these girls for his own sexual gratification. This is what it means to be “wicked”. He enjoyed his sin that caused irreparable harm upon these young girls, some as young as six.
Wickedness is the state in which a person or group lives in sin in direct opposition to God. They live sinful lives knowing it is against the will of God. The wicked person knows something is sinful, but he or she live for the thrill of doing it anyway, no matter who is harmed. The wicked person may even get a kick out of seeing the hurt of others.
Wickedness causes a curse from God upon the person capable of such acts. It will affect everything they say and touch and do. As long as they are wicked in heart, they will continue to suffer. It will seem like nothing they do is right. The only way to stop the curse by God is to repent and begin to live a righteous life. The curse of God isn’t meant to cause suffering. It is meant to hurt the wicked enough to cause them to stop the cycle of evil. God’s curse is meant to stop the suffering caused by the prevalence of the sin.
Now, read these next words carefully. In the case of the wicked, I have witnessed those I believe God had cursed. EVERY SINGLE TIME I WAS CONVINCED GOD HAD CURSED A PERSON, the person suffered calamity. I do not believe anyone should ever enjoy seeing God’s wrath upon a person they dislike or who is nasty. However, I believe that those who enjoy causing suffering upon others should suffer the curse and wrath of God. Most often, it is the only way they will ever cease their open attacks upon others and upon God.
Carefully read through the scripture above. Notice that God not only curses the wicked, BUT THEIR WHOLE HOUSE! Because of the curse of God upon the evil person, anyone who is associated with the wicked person will also feel the curse of God. God will personally see to it that everything around a wicked person goes bad, fails, or comes back to haunt the person.
Notice the scripture above also says something about the righteous. Their whole home is blessed by God. Anyone living in that home is touched by the blessing of God. Opposite the situation for the wicked, everything the righteous touch will seem to be blessed by God. This was seen in the lives of many faithful from the Bible. For example, Joseph was successful in many ways. Others saw the blessing God had placed upon his life (Genesis 39:21). Jacob's life was also greatly affected by the blessing of God. When it came to raising flocks, Jacob's flocks always seemed to do better! (Genesis 30). This was due to the blessing of God.
Don’t ever get on the bad side of God. Our God is very loving, merciful, giving, and redemptive. But for those who openly go against God and cause the suffering of others, there will always be a price to pay. God will make sure of that. If you want God's blessing upon your life, remain righteous. Everyone around you will be touched by your faithful commitment. Of that, you can also be sure!
January 18
“My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.”
(Proverbs 3:11–12, NLT)
(Proverbs 3:11–12, NLT)
When you are in a relationship with God, you can be certain that God will correct you. God will discipline wrong thinking and wrong attitudes, and bless righteous responses. When you do something harmful, God will show you what is needed to make things right. The question for today is not IF you will face God’s correction some day, but WHEN God’s correction will occur.
Jeremy had been burning the candle at both ends. Because of debts that he had accumulated due to his poor budgeting and overspending, Jeremy found himself with unpaid bills and late fees added to growing credit card debts. Trying to make a dent in what he owed, Jeremy took on a second job working as a security guard at a night club. His day job at a local factory was physically straining. The two jobs were taking a toll on Jeremy’s days, making him literally fall into bed and sleep every night. He hardly had time for family, friends, or his girlfriend.
After several months of long hours with the two jobs, Jeremy decided he needed a break. He took a couple of sick days and just slept in. On the second day, Jeremy went to visit his girlfriend and the two talked. Then, they went out to eat and walked through a couple of stores before coming home. That night, Jeremy prayed to God about his life. He still felt tired to his bones, but he was beginning to see something. Whenever he spent time with his girlfriend, he spent a lot more money. He took her out to eat, bought her gifts, walked through stores, spent more money on clothes.
Over the next weeks, Jeremy began to reevaluate his spending. Indeed, when he was with his girlfriend, he did tend to spend money he didn’t have by putting the costs on the credit card. Over the next several months, Jeremy began to cut back on his spending. He tried to find other things to do that wouldn’t cost money. He began to take walks with his girlfriend through a neighborhood park instead of walks through the nearby strip mall. He and his girlfriend ate dinner at home more often, only going out to eat for special occasions. Jeremy began to climb out of debt slowly, but surely.
In the above situation, Jeremy saw his two jobs and his wearying schedule as God’s way of teaching him the value of money, spending, and relationships. Through prayer and discernment, Jeremy figured out that spending money without thinking was no way to live. Credit card debt bit him in the end. It stressed him out. He was tired of working two jobs just to pay the bills. He needed to watch more closely how he spent his money. He even began to save his money. In little ways, God was teaching Jeremy about right and wrong ways to use money in his life. It was a valuable lesson that paid off many ways later in Jeremy’s life, though it was a wearying lesson to learn.
In small and large ways, God is going to make corrections in your life. Proverbs 3:11-12 mentions that God will correct the faithful as a father corrects a child he loves. That correction may come through a realization when you pray, a sermon that intrigues you, or a word from a family member that hits home. It may also come through tears, pain, or hurting. There are thousands of ways that God will speak to you, encourage you, motivate you, or correct you. God is always teaching. Are you learning?
If you find yourself making the same mistakes in life over and over, look for ways God may be teaching you in those moments. When the same arguments or problems occur multiple times, it may be that there is an area of your life that needs changing or improving. God will cause things to happen to force you to change or open your eyes to see something you are missing. Because God loves you, God will be teaching you, causing issues to arise, or pushing you to move in the direction needed.
Don’t get upset or angry when things don’t go as planned. It may be God caused something to go wrong in order for you to be somewhere or learn something. If you find yourself in a situation that is uncomfortable, maybe you need to be there for God to teach you something new or open you up to new possibilities. As long as you are in a relationship with God, you will learn new things. God will correct your mistakes and prod you to grow. Spiritual growth requires you to be exposed to new things or corrections to wrong thinking. Spiritual depth only comes when you struggle to learn what God is teaching. Wisdom sometimes comes about only through hard work or after mistakes are made. God will always seek to teach you and correct you, as Proverbs 3:12 states very well. How well do you learn? What might the Lord be disciplining you about during this period of your life?
Jeremy had been burning the candle at both ends. Because of debts that he had accumulated due to his poor budgeting and overspending, Jeremy found himself with unpaid bills and late fees added to growing credit card debts. Trying to make a dent in what he owed, Jeremy took on a second job working as a security guard at a night club. His day job at a local factory was physically straining. The two jobs were taking a toll on Jeremy’s days, making him literally fall into bed and sleep every night. He hardly had time for family, friends, or his girlfriend.
After several months of long hours with the two jobs, Jeremy decided he needed a break. He took a couple of sick days and just slept in. On the second day, Jeremy went to visit his girlfriend and the two talked. Then, they went out to eat and walked through a couple of stores before coming home. That night, Jeremy prayed to God about his life. He still felt tired to his bones, but he was beginning to see something. Whenever he spent time with his girlfriend, he spent a lot more money. He took her out to eat, bought her gifts, walked through stores, spent more money on clothes.
Over the next weeks, Jeremy began to reevaluate his spending. Indeed, when he was with his girlfriend, he did tend to spend money he didn’t have by putting the costs on the credit card. Over the next several months, Jeremy began to cut back on his spending. He tried to find other things to do that wouldn’t cost money. He began to take walks with his girlfriend through a neighborhood park instead of walks through the nearby strip mall. He and his girlfriend ate dinner at home more often, only going out to eat for special occasions. Jeremy began to climb out of debt slowly, but surely.
In the above situation, Jeremy saw his two jobs and his wearying schedule as God’s way of teaching him the value of money, spending, and relationships. Through prayer and discernment, Jeremy figured out that spending money without thinking was no way to live. Credit card debt bit him in the end. It stressed him out. He was tired of working two jobs just to pay the bills. He needed to watch more closely how he spent his money. He even began to save his money. In little ways, God was teaching Jeremy about right and wrong ways to use money in his life. It was a valuable lesson that paid off many ways later in Jeremy’s life, though it was a wearying lesson to learn.
In small and large ways, God is going to make corrections in your life. Proverbs 3:11-12 mentions that God will correct the faithful as a father corrects a child he loves. That correction may come through a realization when you pray, a sermon that intrigues you, or a word from a family member that hits home. It may also come through tears, pain, or hurting. There are thousands of ways that God will speak to you, encourage you, motivate you, or correct you. God is always teaching. Are you learning?
If you find yourself making the same mistakes in life over and over, look for ways God may be teaching you in those moments. When the same arguments or problems occur multiple times, it may be that there is an area of your life that needs changing or improving. God will cause things to happen to force you to change or open your eyes to see something you are missing. Because God loves you, God will be teaching you, causing issues to arise, or pushing you to move in the direction needed.
Don’t get upset or angry when things don’t go as planned. It may be God caused something to go wrong in order for you to be somewhere or learn something. If you find yourself in a situation that is uncomfortable, maybe you need to be there for God to teach you something new or open you up to new possibilities. As long as you are in a relationship with God, you will learn new things. God will correct your mistakes and prod you to grow. Spiritual growth requires you to be exposed to new things or corrections to wrong thinking. Spiritual depth only comes when you struggle to learn what God is teaching. Wisdom sometimes comes about only through hard work or after mistakes are made. God will always seek to teach you and correct you, as Proverbs 3:12 states very well. How well do you learn? What might the Lord be disciplining you about during this period of your life?
January 19
“Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”
(Acts 8:14–17, RSV)
(Acts 8:14–17, RSV)
Many Christians fail to understand the importance of the Holy Spirit. They will openly gain knowledge and talk about the events of Jesus’ life. They will study the Bible and learn about God and the Israelites in the Old Testament. They will memorize the Ten Commandments and the 23rd Psalm. But, when you ask if they have the Holy Spirit, they will look at you as if you are an alien from outer space! They seem to understand God as the eternal creator and Jesus as the Savior who died on the cross, but fail to discern why the Holy Spirit is so important! The scripture for today, among many in the New Testament, clearly conveys the connection between a true Christian life and the Holy Spirit within.
If you study closely the lives of Jesus, the disciples, and the Apostle Paul, the presence and power of the Holy Spirit is made clear. When Jesus began His ministry, at the outset the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove (Luke 3:22). From then on, miracles and powerful teachings became commonplace in His ministry. When the Apostle Paul was converted, not only did he regain his sight lost on the Road to Damascus, he received the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17). Again, this happened at the very beginning of his ministry. On the day of Jesus’ ascension into heaven, he told the disciples that they would receive the Holy Spirit and then be His witnesses throughout all the world (Acts 1:8). A few days later at Pentecost, the disciples received the Holy Spirit and began their own ministries in Jesus’ name (Acts 2). Over and over, the Holy Spirit brought spiritual strength and power and courage and healing ability to Jesus, the disciples, and the faithful.
The scripture for today is further proof that there is a very important connection between being a true Christian and having the Holy Spirit. Notice in the scripture above from Acts 8 that the Samaritans had “received the word of God” (Acts 8:14). The gospel had been shared with them and they began to believe. However, the “apostles at Jerusalem” were concerned that the Holy Spirit had not “fallen on any of them” despite being baptized (Acts 8:15-16). You can sense the urgency in the apostles that these new believers had been received into the church but did not have the Holy Spirit to strengthen and protect them. According to 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, the Holy Spirit brings spiritual gifts of strength to every believer necessary for the strengthening of the church. If the Holy Spirit caused the apostles and disciples to preach with boldness and be able to heal and cast out demons, wouldn’t you want the Holy Spirit in your life? If the Holy Spirit was so important that the apostles dispatched Peter and John to immediately pray over them so they would receive the Holy Spirit, don’t you think you should have it also?
If you want to find spiritual strength and do amazing things for God, you too must receive the Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit gave the apostles and disciples spiritual and temporal strength, it can give you a closer connection with God and more spiritual power. It can help protect you from Satan’s manipulations and guard your soul. It can give you wisdom and boldness when speaking in front of others about your faith. So, do you have the Holy Spirit? How do you receive it?
The Holy Spirit is only given to those who are made right with God in that moment. It can be removed by God from those who are living sinful lives. That’s why the New Testament calls the presence of the Holy Spirit a “guarantee” of your going to heaven (2 Corinthians 1:22, 2 Corinthians 5:5, Ephesians 1:14). When you are in a strong relationship with God and ready to live as a faithful witness to God in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will cement that relationship and give you a boost of spiritual strength. The Holy Spirit will help you discern God’s will in prayer and increase your spiritual wisdom. You can know if you have the Holy Spirit by asking God to confirm the presence of the Holy Spirit. Another way is to find someone who has the Holy Spirit and ask them. If they are honest with you (they better be), they will confirm the presence of the Holy Spirit in you by asking the Holy Spirit in them to confirm it.
How do you get the Holy Spirit? First, you must have a real faith in God. As in the scripture above from Acts 8, you can enjoy going to church, hearing the gospel, and even be baptized without receiving the Holy Spirit. Second, you need to pray and ask God for the Holy Spirit. Third, and this is important, God can either give you the Holy Spirit directly or you can receive the Holy Spirit through the prayer and laying on of hands of one who already has the Holy Spirit. That’s why it’s so important that pastors and church leaders have the Holy Spirit (some do not!).
If I could ask anything if you today, it would be to make sure you have the Holy Spirit in your life. You can’t really be close to God without God’s Spirit in you. You can’t start a ministry, preach with power, heal, teach with conviction, or have ultimate protection from Satan without it! I can’t emphasize this enough.
So, are you Spirit-filled or just a dabbler in the faith? There is a huge, powerful, tremendous, absolute, necessary difference!
If you study closely the lives of Jesus, the disciples, and the Apostle Paul, the presence and power of the Holy Spirit is made clear. When Jesus began His ministry, at the outset the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove (Luke 3:22). From then on, miracles and powerful teachings became commonplace in His ministry. When the Apostle Paul was converted, not only did he regain his sight lost on the Road to Damascus, he received the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17). Again, this happened at the very beginning of his ministry. On the day of Jesus’ ascension into heaven, he told the disciples that they would receive the Holy Spirit and then be His witnesses throughout all the world (Acts 1:8). A few days later at Pentecost, the disciples received the Holy Spirit and began their own ministries in Jesus’ name (Acts 2). Over and over, the Holy Spirit brought spiritual strength and power and courage and healing ability to Jesus, the disciples, and the faithful.
The scripture for today is further proof that there is a very important connection between being a true Christian and having the Holy Spirit. Notice in the scripture above from Acts 8 that the Samaritans had “received the word of God” (Acts 8:14). The gospel had been shared with them and they began to believe. However, the “apostles at Jerusalem” were concerned that the Holy Spirit had not “fallen on any of them” despite being baptized (Acts 8:15-16). You can sense the urgency in the apostles that these new believers had been received into the church but did not have the Holy Spirit to strengthen and protect them. According to 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, the Holy Spirit brings spiritual gifts of strength to every believer necessary for the strengthening of the church. If the Holy Spirit caused the apostles and disciples to preach with boldness and be able to heal and cast out demons, wouldn’t you want the Holy Spirit in your life? If the Holy Spirit was so important that the apostles dispatched Peter and John to immediately pray over them so they would receive the Holy Spirit, don’t you think you should have it also?
If you want to find spiritual strength and do amazing things for God, you too must receive the Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit gave the apostles and disciples spiritual and temporal strength, it can give you a closer connection with God and more spiritual power. It can help protect you from Satan’s manipulations and guard your soul. It can give you wisdom and boldness when speaking in front of others about your faith. So, do you have the Holy Spirit? How do you receive it?
The Holy Spirit is only given to those who are made right with God in that moment. It can be removed by God from those who are living sinful lives. That’s why the New Testament calls the presence of the Holy Spirit a “guarantee” of your going to heaven (2 Corinthians 1:22, 2 Corinthians 5:5, Ephesians 1:14). When you are in a strong relationship with God and ready to live as a faithful witness to God in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will cement that relationship and give you a boost of spiritual strength. The Holy Spirit will help you discern God’s will in prayer and increase your spiritual wisdom. You can know if you have the Holy Spirit by asking God to confirm the presence of the Holy Spirit. Another way is to find someone who has the Holy Spirit and ask them. If they are honest with you (they better be), they will confirm the presence of the Holy Spirit in you by asking the Holy Spirit in them to confirm it.
How do you get the Holy Spirit? First, you must have a real faith in God. As in the scripture above from Acts 8, you can enjoy going to church, hearing the gospel, and even be baptized without receiving the Holy Spirit. Second, you need to pray and ask God for the Holy Spirit. Third, and this is important, God can either give you the Holy Spirit directly or you can receive the Holy Spirit through the prayer and laying on of hands of one who already has the Holy Spirit. That’s why it’s so important that pastors and church leaders have the Holy Spirit (some do not!).
If I could ask anything if you today, it would be to make sure you have the Holy Spirit in your life. You can’t really be close to God without God’s Spirit in you. You can’t start a ministry, preach with power, heal, teach with conviction, or have ultimate protection from Satan without it! I can’t emphasize this enough.
So, are you Spirit-filled or just a dabbler in the faith? There is a huge, powerful, tremendous, absolute, necessary difference!
January 20
“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.”
(Deuteronomy 8:3, RSV)
(Deuteronomy 8:3, RSV)
The above scripture was quoted by Jesus when he was tempted by Satan in Matthew 4:4. It was originally written to address the Israelites who were fed with manna in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. The above scripture was a statement by Moses which claimed that God not only fed the people in the wilderness with manna, but the Israelites were also fed by the word of God which “proceeded out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3). I have found that there is much wisdom in this verse and in the quote by Jesus. Essentially, people need more than bread to really and truly live life to the fullest.
Decades ago, during the early exploration of human behavior, a scientific study was done which focused on human interaction. I referenced this once before, but need to this day as well. Babies were given all the food and nutritional requirements they needed, but were not shown love, affection, or human interaction. The babies became sick and began to die off. Why? God knows what we fail to notice… humans need interaction with others to live. An interaction with God also brings great joy and fullness to life that is otherwise missing. Sadly, modern day humankind has failed to realize the power of loving interaction and the greatness of a relationship with a gracious God. Science often looks at the nutrients that nourish a body but ignores the spiritual nourishment that feeds a soul. Modern medical practices often treat symptoms while ignoring the healing power of a relationship with God. Because science can’t quantify a relationship with God, scientists often ignore the powerful abilities a healthy spiritual life can offer. The work of God can’t be quantified, because God can’t be contained in all our scientific formulas!
Last week, I went into a doctor’s office to get some medicine. This medicine is normally difficult to obtain and requires a lot of red tape from doctors, insurers, and medical personnel. To get this medicine, I had to see not one, but three doctors and practitioners, and work with several nurses and office personnel. Because of extenuating circumstances, the doctor wanted me to have the medicine by yesterday, but every single doctor, nurse, and support worker said that it could not be done. One of the doctors said we should try. The medicine had to be ordered specially, insurance had to be notified, boxes had to be checked. One person who directly took care of me said, “I guarantee we won’t have the medicine in time. We never get it this fast. I don’t know of anything we can do to help. I know you need it immediately and the doctor would like it, but don’t get your hopes up.”
I responded, “Then, I’m going to pray and ask God for help.” I got a hopeful, but surprised look from the person handling my case.
Two days later, the same person called to say that there was a snag and the medicine would almost certainly arrive late. She told me that this was very common, and said she was sorry.
I told her, “I’m still praying and hopeful! I feel good about this!” She responded that she hoped the prayers were answered.
I received the medicine early! Two weeks earlier than what they expected. I got it this past Wednesday! I smiled at the person handling my case as I received the medicine. She said, “I just don’t understand it. Everything just fell into place and the medicine was delivered so quickly. I’m shocked.”
I replied smiling: “I’m not! I just had a feeling God wanted this done quickly.”
She confided in me quietly, “I did, too!”, half whispering!!!!!
I believe that not only did the unusual situation with my medicine help me, it helped the doctors and office workers to see that sometimes God works outside the box. God can’t be limited. God still influences things. Man does not live by bread alone; God is also part of every equation! God can change the outcomes, mess with our formulas! Miracles happen all the time.
I have seen people who were fed enough food to keep them alive, but they were miserable. Then, with one prayer, they experienced peace and hope and love and grace and more! I’ve seen people who had all kinds of money, but felt empty inside. The second they gave their lives to Christ, life carried new meaning. They felt real joy. Human beings need and crave for the grace of a loving God. When they ignore God, they find that life is missing something special. A spiritual connection with the Creator can change every perspective and bring new life to a thirsty soul!
Is there some area in your life needing a new infusion of God’s presence? Are you longing for more than just food in your life? A new or renewed relationship with God is uplifting and powerful! Don’t neglect your spiritual life, or the rest of your world will be in want! Not only is hunger all too common in our world, spiritual hunger is rampant and deadly!
Decades ago, during the early exploration of human behavior, a scientific study was done which focused on human interaction. I referenced this once before, but need to this day as well. Babies were given all the food and nutritional requirements they needed, but were not shown love, affection, or human interaction. The babies became sick and began to die off. Why? God knows what we fail to notice… humans need interaction with others to live. An interaction with God also brings great joy and fullness to life that is otherwise missing. Sadly, modern day humankind has failed to realize the power of loving interaction and the greatness of a relationship with a gracious God. Science often looks at the nutrients that nourish a body but ignores the spiritual nourishment that feeds a soul. Modern medical practices often treat symptoms while ignoring the healing power of a relationship with God. Because science can’t quantify a relationship with God, scientists often ignore the powerful abilities a healthy spiritual life can offer. The work of God can’t be quantified, because God can’t be contained in all our scientific formulas!
Last week, I went into a doctor’s office to get some medicine. This medicine is normally difficult to obtain and requires a lot of red tape from doctors, insurers, and medical personnel. To get this medicine, I had to see not one, but three doctors and practitioners, and work with several nurses and office personnel. Because of extenuating circumstances, the doctor wanted me to have the medicine by yesterday, but every single doctor, nurse, and support worker said that it could not be done. One of the doctors said we should try. The medicine had to be ordered specially, insurance had to be notified, boxes had to be checked. One person who directly took care of me said, “I guarantee we won’t have the medicine in time. We never get it this fast. I don’t know of anything we can do to help. I know you need it immediately and the doctor would like it, but don’t get your hopes up.”
I responded, “Then, I’m going to pray and ask God for help.” I got a hopeful, but surprised look from the person handling my case.
Two days later, the same person called to say that there was a snag and the medicine would almost certainly arrive late. She told me that this was very common, and said she was sorry.
I told her, “I’m still praying and hopeful! I feel good about this!” She responded that she hoped the prayers were answered.
I received the medicine early! Two weeks earlier than what they expected. I got it this past Wednesday! I smiled at the person handling my case as I received the medicine. She said, “I just don’t understand it. Everything just fell into place and the medicine was delivered so quickly. I’m shocked.”
I replied smiling: “I’m not! I just had a feeling God wanted this done quickly.”
She confided in me quietly, “I did, too!”, half whispering!!!!!
I believe that not only did the unusual situation with my medicine help me, it helped the doctors and office workers to see that sometimes God works outside the box. God can’t be limited. God still influences things. Man does not live by bread alone; God is also part of every equation! God can change the outcomes, mess with our formulas! Miracles happen all the time.
I have seen people who were fed enough food to keep them alive, but they were miserable. Then, with one prayer, they experienced peace and hope and love and grace and more! I’ve seen people who had all kinds of money, but felt empty inside. The second they gave their lives to Christ, life carried new meaning. They felt real joy. Human beings need and crave for the grace of a loving God. When they ignore God, they find that life is missing something special. A spiritual connection with the Creator can change every perspective and bring new life to a thirsty soul!
Is there some area in your life needing a new infusion of God’s presence? Are you longing for more than just food in your life? A new or renewed relationship with God is uplifting and powerful! Don’t neglect your spiritual life, or the rest of your world will be in want! Not only is hunger all too common in our world, spiritual hunger is rampant and deadly!
January 21
“Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!”
(Psalm 107:8, ESV)
(Psalm 107:8, ESV)
One thing I enjoy in the small town we now live is the neighborliness. While in many big cities most people have never talked with their neighbors, I know my neighbors. We look out for each other. There is an unspoken respect here, missing in many places. Parents watch over their children and expect them to behave. It’s pretty safe here, and few break-ins or vandalism cases occur. When they do, people share info about what was stolen and what happened, so we can all watch out together.
On Halloween, I can’t tell you how many times a child came to the door and said, “Trick or Treat!”, received a small piece of candy, and said “Thank you!”. When a child didn’t give a word of thanks, parents were quick to correct them. Even from the road, you’d hear the parents yell out to a child, “What do you say?” The child immediately knew her mistake and said, “Thank you!”. Good people know it is respectful and courteous to say, “Thank you.”
At work, when a good job is completed, a “Thank you” is in order. Among family members, thanks should be spoken often as a sign of acknowledgement for help or encouragement. When receiving help at the doctor’s office, during teacher conferences, upon learning of a person’s work as a soldier, thanks are in order. It should come naturally and from the heart.
The same thing applies with God. God deserves thanks from all people in every walk of life. God created life, the sun, the earth, water and everything we need to survive. God the Father sent Jesus to redeem us from the clutches of sin. Heaven is ready to receive us! Listening to the prayers of the faithful, forgiving sins, and so much more should make God the constant recipient of our thanks. Sadly, thanks are often missing from the minds, hearts, and thoughts of many.
When Jesus healed ten lepers in Luke 17, he was surprised that only one leper came back to give thanks to Him. His response was indignant: “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God…?” (Luke 17:17–18). Jesus noted the lack of thanks from the other nine. God notices when people are not respectful and thankful. Psalm 107:8, our scripture for today, reminds all those who have been blessed by the saving grace of God, “Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for his wondrous works…”. We should all be thankful. Are you?
While trick-or-treating, the children who forgot to say thanks were often so distracted by the candy and the decorations and the whole occasion, that they simply forgot to say thanks when the time came. You also may find yourself distracted by many things and forget to say, “Thank you!”. Even to God. Like the parents who gently prodded their children with the question, “What do you say!!!?”, I’m here today to gently remind you to not forget to give thanks to God. God enjoys that respectful and gracious response. Thankfulness means a lot.
Offering thanks speaks volumes. The lack of thanks can reveal so much. I want you to be aware today of how often you give thanks. Examine your words and see how readily you offer thanks for help, thanks for good advice, thanks for someone’s good words. Examine your heart and see how often your give thanks to God. Are you a thankful person? Are you too distracted to remember to give thanks? Are you great at giving encouragement and thanks when appropriate?
On Halloween, I can’t tell you how many times a child came to the door and said, “Trick or Treat!”, received a small piece of candy, and said “Thank you!”. When a child didn’t give a word of thanks, parents were quick to correct them. Even from the road, you’d hear the parents yell out to a child, “What do you say?” The child immediately knew her mistake and said, “Thank you!”. Good people know it is respectful and courteous to say, “Thank you.”
At work, when a good job is completed, a “Thank you” is in order. Among family members, thanks should be spoken often as a sign of acknowledgement for help or encouragement. When receiving help at the doctor’s office, during teacher conferences, upon learning of a person’s work as a soldier, thanks are in order. It should come naturally and from the heart.
The same thing applies with God. God deserves thanks from all people in every walk of life. God created life, the sun, the earth, water and everything we need to survive. God the Father sent Jesus to redeem us from the clutches of sin. Heaven is ready to receive us! Listening to the prayers of the faithful, forgiving sins, and so much more should make God the constant recipient of our thanks. Sadly, thanks are often missing from the minds, hearts, and thoughts of many.
When Jesus healed ten lepers in Luke 17, he was surprised that only one leper came back to give thanks to Him. His response was indignant: “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God…?” (Luke 17:17–18). Jesus noted the lack of thanks from the other nine. God notices when people are not respectful and thankful. Psalm 107:8, our scripture for today, reminds all those who have been blessed by the saving grace of God, “Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for his wondrous works…”. We should all be thankful. Are you?
While trick-or-treating, the children who forgot to say thanks were often so distracted by the candy and the decorations and the whole occasion, that they simply forgot to say thanks when the time came. You also may find yourself distracted by many things and forget to say, “Thank you!”. Even to God. Like the parents who gently prodded their children with the question, “What do you say!!!?”, I’m here today to gently remind you to not forget to give thanks to God. God enjoys that respectful and gracious response. Thankfulness means a lot.
Offering thanks speaks volumes. The lack of thanks can reveal so much. I want you to be aware today of how often you give thanks. Examine your words and see how readily you offer thanks for help, thanks for good advice, thanks for someone’s good words. Examine your heart and see how often your give thanks to God. Are you a thankful person? Are you too distracted to remember to give thanks? Are you great at giving encouragement and thanks when appropriate?
January 22
“But he [Jesus] said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!””
(Luke 11:28, ESV)
(Luke 11:28, ESV)
For Jesus, hearing the word of God was only the first part of being faithful. There is more to the faith than just hearing the gospel or reading a scripture. You must move beyond simply hearing God’s word; you must learn to observe and follow, guard and obey it. That's how you "keep" it.
Imagine if a bride only intended to say the words, “I do”, but never intended to follow through and keep her promise. Marriage doesn’t simply involve the words of a vow, husbands and wives must put those words into practice and keep their promises through everyday actions. When a politician takes an oath of office, he makes promises to fulfill his responsibility to the people. Saying the oath doesn’t mean the politician will follow through with those promises. Should a child only say she will not disobey her parents while she is at the sitter’s apartment, or should she be expected to follow through on that promise? I think you get the meaning of Jesus’ words in the scripture above. Jesus wanted His followers to not only hear the word of God, but follow through by keeping, observing, and practicing the commands and expectations of God’s word.
Joslyn disappointed her family often. She made promises and then failed to keep them. Having an addiction to opioids, she would tell her doctors that she needed the drugs for pain when she truly craved them. She wasn’t in that much pain. She liked the high. It mellowed her out and enabled her to deal with her job, which she hated. She worked at a convenience mart in her small town. She never really liked the job but didn’t apply herself to do better. She lived with her parents and young son. She wasn’t married, wasn’t reliable as an employee, and didn’t appreciate the help her parents gave her. What frustrated everyone who knew her was that she could never be trusted. If she said she would be home from work at eight to put her son to bed, her parents knew not to trust her words. She might be home; she might not. Her boss also found that she made promises to work extra shifts, but sometimes would call in sick at the last moment. The boss knew Joslyn wasn’t ill. Even Joslyn’s drug dealer knew not to trust her. When she was out of money and wanted more oxycodone, Joslyn would promise to pay for the opioids she craved. But he knew she would have to be threatened before she would pay. Everyone who knew Joslyn knew that she was quick to make a promise, but never followed through to keep that promise.
There are many Joslyns in our world. You’ve probably been burned by a few. They never follow through on their promises. They will let you down. They can’t be counted on. Your expectations of them are very low. Now, imagine things from God’s point of view. God can easily see how Joslyn doesn’t keep her promises, but how many do the same thing with God? They make a promise to God but don’t follow through. They commit their offerings to God, but when things get tight, they stop giving. They pray to God, but don’t take responsibility for what is in their prayers. They can’t be trusted by God to follow through. There are many Christians who have “heard the word of God, but don’t keep it” (Luke 11:28). How well do you follow through on your commitments to God? How apt are you to obey God’s commands and show respect for God each day?
The scripture above from Luke 11:28 teaches us not only to hear the word of God, but “keep” it. What does it mean to keep it? In the NIV Bible and NRSV Bible, it is translated to “obey” God’s word. The NASB Bibles say to “observe” it. The NLT Bibles says to “put it [God’s word] into practice”. The original Greek word used here means to “watch over it as so to guard and protect and follow it through”. Each of these translations point out clearly that just listening to God’s word is never enough. Jesus wanted you to live it out.
Your words say a lot about you. How you live tells even more. Spiritually, this is especially true. Jesus was convinced that a person who not only knew God’s word but lived it out was the one who is blessed. The blessing of God comes not just through hearing but through faithful living. How well can God count on you for “keeping” the faith?
Imagine if a bride only intended to say the words, “I do”, but never intended to follow through and keep her promise. Marriage doesn’t simply involve the words of a vow, husbands and wives must put those words into practice and keep their promises through everyday actions. When a politician takes an oath of office, he makes promises to fulfill his responsibility to the people. Saying the oath doesn’t mean the politician will follow through with those promises. Should a child only say she will not disobey her parents while she is at the sitter’s apartment, or should she be expected to follow through on that promise? I think you get the meaning of Jesus’ words in the scripture above. Jesus wanted His followers to not only hear the word of God, but follow through by keeping, observing, and practicing the commands and expectations of God’s word.
Joslyn disappointed her family often. She made promises and then failed to keep them. Having an addiction to opioids, she would tell her doctors that she needed the drugs for pain when she truly craved them. She wasn’t in that much pain. She liked the high. It mellowed her out and enabled her to deal with her job, which she hated. She worked at a convenience mart in her small town. She never really liked the job but didn’t apply herself to do better. She lived with her parents and young son. She wasn’t married, wasn’t reliable as an employee, and didn’t appreciate the help her parents gave her. What frustrated everyone who knew her was that she could never be trusted. If she said she would be home from work at eight to put her son to bed, her parents knew not to trust her words. She might be home; she might not. Her boss also found that she made promises to work extra shifts, but sometimes would call in sick at the last moment. The boss knew Joslyn wasn’t ill. Even Joslyn’s drug dealer knew not to trust her. When she was out of money and wanted more oxycodone, Joslyn would promise to pay for the opioids she craved. But he knew she would have to be threatened before she would pay. Everyone who knew Joslyn knew that she was quick to make a promise, but never followed through to keep that promise.
There are many Joslyns in our world. You’ve probably been burned by a few. They never follow through on their promises. They will let you down. They can’t be counted on. Your expectations of them are very low. Now, imagine things from God’s point of view. God can easily see how Joslyn doesn’t keep her promises, but how many do the same thing with God? They make a promise to God but don’t follow through. They commit their offerings to God, but when things get tight, they stop giving. They pray to God, but don’t take responsibility for what is in their prayers. They can’t be trusted by God to follow through. There are many Christians who have “heard the word of God, but don’t keep it” (Luke 11:28). How well do you follow through on your commitments to God? How apt are you to obey God’s commands and show respect for God each day?
The scripture above from Luke 11:28 teaches us not only to hear the word of God, but “keep” it. What does it mean to keep it? In the NIV Bible and NRSV Bible, it is translated to “obey” God’s word. The NASB Bibles say to “observe” it. The NLT Bibles says to “put it [God’s word] into practice”. The original Greek word used here means to “watch over it as so to guard and protect and follow it through”. Each of these translations point out clearly that just listening to God’s word is never enough. Jesus wanted you to live it out.
Your words say a lot about you. How you live tells even more. Spiritually, this is especially true. Jesus was convinced that a person who not only knew God’s word but lived it out was the one who is blessed. The blessing of God comes not just through hearing but through faithful living. How well can God count on you for “keeping” the faith?
January 23
“Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” (Luke 2:41–47, NLT)
In the scripture above, Jesus is “lost” by His parents. In Biblical times, people often traveled in caravans and groups to holy places for festivals. They went as a group, with the children often playing among themselves while the parents shared the festivities together for the holy days. The group or caravan was probably made up of relatives and close friends. The travel was usually a great joy to all involved. As the group traveled back home from the Passover in Jerusalem as written in the passage above, they found Jesus missing. An important point to be made here is that Jesus was twelve years old according to Luke 2:42. In this era, Jewish boys at the age of twelve went through special rites in which they were considered young men. They were taught more about the Bible, even beginning to read it and study it in Hebrew. I’m sure that Jesus’ world expanded greatly as he began to dig into the scriptures in greater depth. Caught up in spiritual atmosphere, Jesus stayed in Jerusalem, not ready to leave with His caravan and parents. After three days, Jesus’ parents found Jesus in the temple, studying and learning among the religious leaders. He surprised the Jewish leaders with His insight and understanding (Luke 2:47).
There is something special about you and me that is not common among the population. We tend to gravitate toward the Bible, prayer, God, and holy things. We find ourselves drawn to learn more about God. We are captivated by the Holy! Jesus, too, was excited to study about God. In the story above, at age twelve, He was drawn to the Temple. He stayed much longer than His parents. He wanted to learn and grow in the presence of Biblical scholars and teachers. You wouldn’t be at this web site unless the same was not true for you. You too are drawn to God’s presence. You sense the divine. You crave a deeper connection with God. God’s word intrigues you. As with Jesus in the story above, this to me is a sign of your desire to be with God.
While interviewing at my second church, I met a young lady. She sat with me while the leaders of that church deliberated. We talked in the hallway outside the meeting. I knew right away, she was spiritually special. She was drawn to God and felt at home in God’s house. As she grew up, she enjoyed mission work and had a natural empathy and many godly talents. Five years later, she dared to ask me what I thought about her future. I told her that God was going to use her in a special way, that God’s Spirit was working in and around her. Today, she is married to a minister and very active in the church. She is a spiritually deep person, able to reach out in beautiful ways to share her faith and God’s grace. I knew right away the first day that she was destined for spiritual work for God. Not only did the Holy Spirit tell me this, but her desire to be around God confirmed it.
Why is it that people like you and me tend to gravitate toward godly things and be at home in the presence of God? I believe we, like Jesus in the story above, have a deep connection with God that is rare and beautiful. You and I find comfort and strength in the presence of God and godly places. We sense the working of the Spirit. We are at home in God’s house.
Do you feel that tug of God to be closer? Do you hunger for a deeper understanding of God’s word? These are signs of God’s connection to you. Nourish that relationship. Take time to pray and talk with God. Read God’s word regularly. Watch for God to speak to you. God will be looking to protect you. God will want to direct your steps. God will have missions for you and plans for your future. You are a wonderful gem in the crown of the Almighty!
There is something special about you and me that is not common among the population. We tend to gravitate toward the Bible, prayer, God, and holy things. We find ourselves drawn to learn more about God. We are captivated by the Holy! Jesus, too, was excited to study about God. In the story above, at age twelve, He was drawn to the Temple. He stayed much longer than His parents. He wanted to learn and grow in the presence of Biblical scholars and teachers. You wouldn’t be at this web site unless the same was not true for you. You too are drawn to God’s presence. You sense the divine. You crave a deeper connection with God. God’s word intrigues you. As with Jesus in the story above, this to me is a sign of your desire to be with God.
While interviewing at my second church, I met a young lady. She sat with me while the leaders of that church deliberated. We talked in the hallway outside the meeting. I knew right away, she was spiritually special. She was drawn to God and felt at home in God’s house. As she grew up, she enjoyed mission work and had a natural empathy and many godly talents. Five years later, she dared to ask me what I thought about her future. I told her that God was going to use her in a special way, that God’s Spirit was working in and around her. Today, she is married to a minister and very active in the church. She is a spiritually deep person, able to reach out in beautiful ways to share her faith and God’s grace. I knew right away the first day that she was destined for spiritual work for God. Not only did the Holy Spirit tell me this, but her desire to be around God confirmed it.
Why is it that people like you and me tend to gravitate toward godly things and be at home in the presence of God? I believe we, like Jesus in the story above, have a deep connection with God that is rare and beautiful. You and I find comfort and strength in the presence of God and godly places. We sense the working of the Spirit. We are at home in God’s house.
Do you feel that tug of God to be closer? Do you hunger for a deeper understanding of God’s word? These are signs of God’s connection to you. Nourish that relationship. Take time to pray and talk with God. Read God’s word regularly. Watch for God to speak to you. God will be looking to protect you. God will want to direct your steps. God will have missions for you and plans for your future. You are a wonderful gem in the crown of the Almighty!
January 24
“He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” (Psalm 91:4, ESV)
“The early American Indians had a unique practice of training young braves. On the night of a boy's thirteenth birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, he was put to one final test. He was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then, he had never been away from the security of the family and the tribe. But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken several miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of a thick woods and he was terrified! Every time a twig snapped, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. After what seemed like an eternity, dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was his father. He had been there all night long.” (Our Daily Bread)
Just as the father watched over and protected the his young Indian brave son, God the Father watches over you in ways you do not know or understand. God’s protection helped many in the Bible including the Israelites and Moses in Egypt, Paul, Peter, John, Barnabas, and so many more. God can protect you in ways that a mere mortal cannot. God can see spiritual and hidden pitfalls that might catch you in life. God can see mistakes you might make. In subtle and not-so-subtle ways, for your protection God might change some events in your life. And when you face death, God is not shy. God is there to whisk you home to be with Him. When you are in a relationship with God, protection comes with that connection.
The above scripture from Psalm 91 mentions how the faithful are protected by the “shelter of the Most High” (Psalm 91:1). God covers you with His spiritual wings or “pinions”. His feathers protect you from the cold and chill of spiritual torment. He is a “refuge” for those who call upon His name in love and respect. In Psalm 91:2, God’s faithfulness is called “a shield and a buckler.” A shield, I know. “Buckler” is a word I do not understand. What is a buckler? Do you know?
I researched the history of buckler and found that it was a type of defensive shield that was worn on the forearm. Whereas a shield normally covered a large part of the body, the buckler was used in battle to fend off a blade. It was a shield that was attached by a strap or handle to the forearm or hand. You could fend off blows or attacks by an enemy in hand to hand combat. I have included a picture of a buckler in the left hand of the gladiator to the right of this paragraph.
Do you realize that in hand to hand spiritual fights with evil forces, God is a good protection and strength? How would you do in a hand to hand fight without a buckler? How would you do in a close-in spiritual fight without a buckler? I’d rather have the protection. I figure it is practically necessary.
In a movie the other day, I saw a person take a cloth and wrap it around his arm during a knife fight. The thick cloth protected the person’s arm from the knife edge. In the same way, God as a “buckler” protects you during those spiritual fights when Satan or his cronies attack you. When evil comes close, God’s protection is ready for you to take up. Don’t forget your defensive spiritual armor needed in that fight!
Spiritual battles go on all around you every day. Isn’t it nice to know you have some good defensive weapons in that war?
Just as the father watched over and protected the his young Indian brave son, God the Father watches over you in ways you do not know or understand. God’s protection helped many in the Bible including the Israelites and Moses in Egypt, Paul, Peter, John, Barnabas, and so many more. God can protect you in ways that a mere mortal cannot. God can see spiritual and hidden pitfalls that might catch you in life. God can see mistakes you might make. In subtle and not-so-subtle ways, for your protection God might change some events in your life. And when you face death, God is not shy. God is there to whisk you home to be with Him. When you are in a relationship with God, protection comes with that connection.
The above scripture from Psalm 91 mentions how the faithful are protected by the “shelter of the Most High” (Psalm 91:1). God covers you with His spiritual wings or “pinions”. His feathers protect you from the cold and chill of spiritual torment. He is a “refuge” for those who call upon His name in love and respect. In Psalm 91:2, God’s faithfulness is called “a shield and a buckler.” A shield, I know. “Buckler” is a word I do not understand. What is a buckler? Do you know?
I researched the history of buckler and found that it was a type of defensive shield that was worn on the forearm. Whereas a shield normally covered a large part of the body, the buckler was used in battle to fend off a blade. It was a shield that was attached by a strap or handle to the forearm or hand. You could fend off blows or attacks by an enemy in hand to hand combat. I have included a picture of a buckler in the left hand of the gladiator to the right of this paragraph.
Do you realize that in hand to hand spiritual fights with evil forces, God is a good protection and strength? How would you do in a hand to hand fight without a buckler? How would you do in a close-in spiritual fight without a buckler? I’d rather have the protection. I figure it is practically necessary.
In a movie the other day, I saw a person take a cloth and wrap it around his arm during a knife fight. The thick cloth protected the person’s arm from the knife edge. In the same way, God as a “buckler” protects you during those spiritual fights when Satan or his cronies attack you. When evil comes close, God’s protection is ready for you to take up. Don’t forget your defensive spiritual armor needed in that fight!
Spiritual battles go on all around you every day. Isn’t it nice to know you have some good defensive weapons in that war?
January 25
“…it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16–17, RSV)
Recently, I was blessed with a video that brought tears to my eyes. The video was taken in the waiting room of an office. There, a woman came out of an office and told the young girl waiting there that she had just been adopted. The girl jumped up onto her and clung to her so very tightly. You could see the hopes and dreams of that little girl leaping at all the possibilities that came with being adopted into a loving family. It was a beautiful thing (see it below).
What many Christians fail to realize is that when they committed themselves to God, they too were adopted. They were adopted into a new family with God as head of the household. I wonder if you were as excited as the little girl the day you were adopted into the Christian family. Many children celebrate “adoption day” as a type of birthday. Every year, they celebrate the day of their adoption into the family. Many Christians celebrate the date on which they became Christian, too. They can name the date and sometimes the time of the wonderful event. Do you realize that God adopted you into His family the day you came back to be with Him? Do you celebrate that day you finally accepted your place in the family?
Romans 8:16 mentions that “we are the children of God”. We have Christ as part of our family. Just like family sticks together, we hold on tightly to one another in the family. We are even willing to suffer for other members of the family. We are willing to suffer for Christ’s sake (Romans 8:17). Families were always designed by God to be a supportive and loving network. God was highly critical of Cain for killing Abel. You don’t just kill your brother! Family was meant for love and support and grace. God intended families as a place to be together, united to support one another.
Sometimes, people mention to me that they are part of a “church family”. I enjoy hearing that, because churches were meant to be a second family for all Christians. In the early Christian church, they even used their collections to help each other, help the poor, and be for the common good (Acts 4:32-34). The apostle Paul was highly critical of any who caused divisions or fights in the church family (1 Corinthians 1:10, 11:16 and many more!). This is not to say that every church family will be perfect. Just like your blood family can have its issues and stresses, so can your church family. Still, it is within the family that people should be confident enough to learn from their mistakes and be corrected with love.
Today, consider what it means to be part of God’s family. How do you fit in within the structure of the family? Is your church family a safe place to grow and mature in the faith? What kinds of family squabbles are detracting from your church family and how can you help to settle them? What does adoption mean to you? Is there some way you can help a person at church to feel more like a member of God's family?
What many Christians fail to realize is that when they committed themselves to God, they too were adopted. They were adopted into a new family with God as head of the household. I wonder if you were as excited as the little girl the day you were adopted into the Christian family. Many children celebrate “adoption day” as a type of birthday. Every year, they celebrate the day of their adoption into the family. Many Christians celebrate the date on which they became Christian, too. They can name the date and sometimes the time of the wonderful event. Do you realize that God adopted you into His family the day you came back to be with Him? Do you celebrate that day you finally accepted your place in the family?
Romans 8:16 mentions that “we are the children of God”. We have Christ as part of our family. Just like family sticks together, we hold on tightly to one another in the family. We are even willing to suffer for other members of the family. We are willing to suffer for Christ’s sake (Romans 8:17). Families were always designed by God to be a supportive and loving network. God was highly critical of Cain for killing Abel. You don’t just kill your brother! Family was meant for love and support and grace. God intended families as a place to be together, united to support one another.
Sometimes, people mention to me that they are part of a “church family”. I enjoy hearing that, because churches were meant to be a second family for all Christians. In the early Christian church, they even used their collections to help each other, help the poor, and be for the common good (Acts 4:32-34). The apostle Paul was highly critical of any who caused divisions or fights in the church family (1 Corinthians 1:10, 11:16 and many more!). This is not to say that every church family will be perfect. Just like your blood family can have its issues and stresses, so can your church family. Still, it is within the family that people should be confident enough to learn from their mistakes and be corrected with love.
Today, consider what it means to be part of God’s family. How do you fit in within the structure of the family? Is your church family a safe place to grow and mature in the faith? What kinds of family squabbles are detracting from your church family and how can you help to settle them? What does adoption mean to you? Is there some way you can help a person at church to feel more like a member of God's family?
January 26
““Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” (John 5:25, NRSV)
When I taught confirmation classes, I often had a great relationships with those in each class. These seventh or eighth or ninth graders often had an immense desire to learn about God. They knew they could ask me anything and we would discuss it, often turning to pages in the Bible to give more meaning.
On one occasion, a confirmand asked me a simple question, “Pastor Dave, does God talk to you?”
I responded, “Yes.”
The confirmand, looking sheepish, said, “My parents think people who talk to God have a mental illness.”
I responded, “Some who talk to God do have a mental illness. Others, like Jesus, heard God’s voice speaking while others did not. Let me show you how! If a room of people were talking right now, would you be able to pick your mother’s voice out of the crowd?”
The confirmand nodded.
“The same is with God’s voice,” I replied. “I can pick out God’s voice speaking to me despite all the other noises in the world. You just have to know God’s voice and what it sounds like.”
God’s can sometimes speak with a normal voice (1 Kings 19:12,1 Samuel 3:4, Acts 9:7). God can also speak in visions or dreams (Acts 9:10, Acts 10:9-13, Daniel 2:28). When God speaks, some people hear thunder while others hear God’s word clearly (Exodus 19:19, Job 37:2). The Holy Spirit may speak to your heart, urging you to understand or see something or go a certain direction (2 Peter 1:21, Acts 4:31). God can speak through people like prophets and apostles (2 Chronicles 36:12, Acts 3:21, Hebrews 1:1, Luke 3:2, Acts 13:44, 1 Samuel 2:27). Of course, God can also speak through Jesus and the scriptures (Hebrews 1:1-2, Luke 5:1, Acts 8:14). Jesus expected his followers to hear God’s word and keep it (Luke 8:21, Luke 11:28, etc). Hearing God's word involved listening to the words in the Bible but also discerning God’s voice and God’s Spirit. As you can see, there are many ways to “hear” the Word of God. God can speak through prophets, angels, thunder, scripture, voices, pastors, priests, and through His Spirit inside your heart and mind. When God wants to communicate something to you, God will!
Just because a person has not heard God’s voice speaking does not mean God does not speak! If a person doesn’t have the Holy Spirit or doesn’t know God, the person can’t be expected to know God’s voice. Could that confirmand who knew his mother's voice know the voice of a person whom he had never met? So it is with God. If you don’t know God, you won’t know His voice when He calls. That’s why Samuel, after hearing God’s voice, thought it was someone else speaking (1 Samuel 3)! He had never heard God speak to him before! However, the closer you are to God, the more you will hear God speaking to you.
In the scripture for today, Jesus mentions that the dead will hear the voice of God and live (John 5:25). He was not only speaking of the dead rising by the power of God’s command (John 5:28,29). Jesus was also speaking of those who spiritually “hear the voice of the Son of God”. When you begin to hear God speak to you, you will find your spiritual life coming alive. God’s voice will cause the spiritual side in you to awaken. Until you respond to God’s voice spiritually, you will not be alive in the Spirit. Your spiritual side will be dead, lifeless, non-functioning. God’s voice, coming directly or through a mediator, changes everything!
When the Holy Spirit is a part of your life, scriptures that once said nothing to you will suddenly speak to your heart and mind. Events in your life can open you up to seeing spiritual things. No, you won’t be going crazy. No, you don’t need medication. But, you will hear the voice of God speaking, while others don’t hear a thing.
One final word. Yes, people who are mentally ill hear voices and can often claim to speak with God and hear God’s voice. However, people who are perfectly sane hear God’s voice as well. Spiritually, you can’t get far without knowing God’s voice. You won’t grow spiritually without sensing God’s Word, distinct from all other words. If you can’t understand what I’m writing to you today, your Spiritual connection with God is just not there. If you can understand what I’m writing, continue to seek God’s voice and grow from every word of it! The voice of the Son of God makes a huge difference. I know God is speaking today. Are you listening? Can you discern the voice of the Son of God and live?
On one occasion, a confirmand asked me a simple question, “Pastor Dave, does God talk to you?”
I responded, “Yes.”
The confirmand, looking sheepish, said, “My parents think people who talk to God have a mental illness.”
I responded, “Some who talk to God do have a mental illness. Others, like Jesus, heard God’s voice speaking while others did not. Let me show you how! If a room of people were talking right now, would you be able to pick your mother’s voice out of the crowd?”
The confirmand nodded.
“The same is with God’s voice,” I replied. “I can pick out God’s voice speaking to me despite all the other noises in the world. You just have to know God’s voice and what it sounds like.”
God’s can sometimes speak with a normal voice (1 Kings 19:12,1 Samuel 3:4, Acts 9:7). God can also speak in visions or dreams (Acts 9:10, Acts 10:9-13, Daniel 2:28). When God speaks, some people hear thunder while others hear God’s word clearly (Exodus 19:19, Job 37:2). The Holy Spirit may speak to your heart, urging you to understand or see something or go a certain direction (2 Peter 1:21, Acts 4:31). God can speak through people like prophets and apostles (2 Chronicles 36:12, Acts 3:21, Hebrews 1:1, Luke 3:2, Acts 13:44, 1 Samuel 2:27). Of course, God can also speak through Jesus and the scriptures (Hebrews 1:1-2, Luke 5:1, Acts 8:14). Jesus expected his followers to hear God’s word and keep it (Luke 8:21, Luke 11:28, etc). Hearing God's word involved listening to the words in the Bible but also discerning God’s voice and God’s Spirit. As you can see, there are many ways to “hear” the Word of God. God can speak through prophets, angels, thunder, scripture, voices, pastors, priests, and through His Spirit inside your heart and mind. When God wants to communicate something to you, God will!
Just because a person has not heard God’s voice speaking does not mean God does not speak! If a person doesn’t have the Holy Spirit or doesn’t know God, the person can’t be expected to know God’s voice. Could that confirmand who knew his mother's voice know the voice of a person whom he had never met? So it is with God. If you don’t know God, you won’t know His voice when He calls. That’s why Samuel, after hearing God’s voice, thought it was someone else speaking (1 Samuel 3)! He had never heard God speak to him before! However, the closer you are to God, the more you will hear God speaking to you.
In the scripture for today, Jesus mentions that the dead will hear the voice of God and live (John 5:25). He was not only speaking of the dead rising by the power of God’s command (John 5:28,29). Jesus was also speaking of those who spiritually “hear the voice of the Son of God”. When you begin to hear God speak to you, you will find your spiritual life coming alive. God’s voice will cause the spiritual side in you to awaken. Until you respond to God’s voice spiritually, you will not be alive in the Spirit. Your spiritual side will be dead, lifeless, non-functioning. God’s voice, coming directly or through a mediator, changes everything!
When the Holy Spirit is a part of your life, scriptures that once said nothing to you will suddenly speak to your heart and mind. Events in your life can open you up to seeing spiritual things. No, you won’t be going crazy. No, you don’t need medication. But, you will hear the voice of God speaking, while others don’t hear a thing.
One final word. Yes, people who are mentally ill hear voices and can often claim to speak with God and hear God’s voice. However, people who are perfectly sane hear God’s voice as well. Spiritually, you can’t get far without knowing God’s voice. You won’t grow spiritually without sensing God’s Word, distinct from all other words. If you can’t understand what I’m writing to you today, your Spiritual connection with God is just not there. If you can understand what I’m writing, continue to seek God’s voice and grow from every word of it! The voice of the Son of God makes a huge difference. I know God is speaking today. Are you listening? Can you discern the voice of the Son of God and live?
January 27
“Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men.” (Matthew 2:16, RSV)
Sadly, many people in the modern times have been lulled into trusting governments and political powers. We should never trust politicians or political entities. They all have an agenda. From Pharaoh, who killed the children of the Israelites in slavery in Egypt (Exodus) to the scripture for today, politicians and those with power can exact a terrible vengeance when their power in threatened. In many cases, this show of power is in direct rejection of God’s plans.
Seeking their own ends or desiring to fulfill the agendas of those who put them in power, political figures in all walks of life are all too often given dangerous amounts of power. Where they should be watched closely and kept from illegal acts, they often flout courts and rules when it comes to maintaining their power. A good scriptural example is Herod. The man had a great lust for power. When he heard that a rival “king” was to be born in Bethlehem, he manipulated the wise men to try and discover the identity of the Christ child. When that didn’t work, he responded with the death of all male children under the age of two in an attempt to stop the perceived threat (Matthew 2:16). Think of the wrecked lives, the lost futures, the parents who suffered, the innocents who died! All this was to satiate the foolish pride of one man, Herod.
You may think that we have grown wiser since the first century when Herod exacted his terrible murderous purge. We have not. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, millions died in Russia at the hands of Joseph Stalin and in Germany at the behest of Hitler. In the last century tribes in Africa fought to erase opponents. In the Middle East, Muslim rulers often persecuted Christians. In the Slavic regions of Europe, politicians ensured the slaughter of Muslims. Political leaders have annexed countries. They have enslaved millions. In the United States, there are sex slaves and underground drug rings, gangs and drug mules. Some of these who do great harm are protected by politicians. In recent days, we have heard about sexual abuse being hushed up by politicians and people with power, even by the U.S. Olympic Committee and Michigan State University. I could name a hundred cases of political assassinations, murder, and genocide in the last century alone. We are seeing the same kinds of abuse of power as in the day of Herod.
If they tried to snuff out Jesus, do you think politicians wouldn’t hesitate to manipulate or hush people who threatened their power today? Think again. That’s why it is so important to hold political leaders to account for their power and actions. God cares about those who suffer at the hands of the powerful. God will require recompense for those who use their power for evil. Your job as a Christian is to watch out for those with power and to watch over those who have no power.
God protected Jesus during the purge of Bethlehem by Herod. God sent an angel to usher Jesus and his family out of the country. For many today who face persecution, the only way to find safety is by fleeing one’s native land. That’s why in scripture, we are told to watch over strangers who need our protection (Matthew 25:35). This doesn’t mean that you let strangers abuse your kindness. It means you treat them as God would treat them. You watch over their needs.
My hope is that when you are alone and in need, a stranger in a far away land, or a traveler who needs comfort, you find someone to watch over you. No doubt, God will care who you are with and may even direct you where to go for safety. Sadly, safety is not assured in our world. Herod in our scripture for today is Exhibit A.
Seeking their own ends or desiring to fulfill the agendas of those who put them in power, political figures in all walks of life are all too often given dangerous amounts of power. Where they should be watched closely and kept from illegal acts, they often flout courts and rules when it comes to maintaining their power. A good scriptural example is Herod. The man had a great lust for power. When he heard that a rival “king” was to be born in Bethlehem, he manipulated the wise men to try and discover the identity of the Christ child. When that didn’t work, he responded with the death of all male children under the age of two in an attempt to stop the perceived threat (Matthew 2:16). Think of the wrecked lives, the lost futures, the parents who suffered, the innocents who died! All this was to satiate the foolish pride of one man, Herod.
You may think that we have grown wiser since the first century when Herod exacted his terrible murderous purge. We have not. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, millions died in Russia at the hands of Joseph Stalin and in Germany at the behest of Hitler. In the last century tribes in Africa fought to erase opponents. In the Middle East, Muslim rulers often persecuted Christians. In the Slavic regions of Europe, politicians ensured the slaughter of Muslims. Political leaders have annexed countries. They have enslaved millions. In the United States, there are sex slaves and underground drug rings, gangs and drug mules. Some of these who do great harm are protected by politicians. In recent days, we have heard about sexual abuse being hushed up by politicians and people with power, even by the U.S. Olympic Committee and Michigan State University. I could name a hundred cases of political assassinations, murder, and genocide in the last century alone. We are seeing the same kinds of abuse of power as in the day of Herod.
If they tried to snuff out Jesus, do you think politicians wouldn’t hesitate to manipulate or hush people who threatened their power today? Think again. That’s why it is so important to hold political leaders to account for their power and actions. God cares about those who suffer at the hands of the powerful. God will require recompense for those who use their power for evil. Your job as a Christian is to watch out for those with power and to watch over those who have no power.
God protected Jesus during the purge of Bethlehem by Herod. God sent an angel to usher Jesus and his family out of the country. For many today who face persecution, the only way to find safety is by fleeing one’s native land. That’s why in scripture, we are told to watch over strangers who need our protection (Matthew 25:35). This doesn’t mean that you let strangers abuse your kindness. It means you treat them as God would treat them. You watch over their needs.
My hope is that when you are alone and in need, a stranger in a far away land, or a traveler who needs comfort, you find someone to watch over you. No doubt, God will care who you are with and may even direct you where to go for safety. Sadly, safety is not assured in our world. Herod in our scripture for today is Exhibit A.
January 28
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, NIV84)
Christian joy has nothing to do with being happy due to outside factors or your environment. It is a state of mind. A true Christian can be standing at the graveside of a good friend and rejoice that their pain is no more. A faithful child of God can be bored silly but find joy in the laughter of a baby or the peaceful hour while reading. Even while hurting, you can rejoice that God loves you deeply. In the throes of depression, a true Christian can find some amount of joy in the love of God even while feeling miserable. Why? Because rejoicing has nothing to do with feeling good. It has to do with finding joy or love or peace or grace in each moment…. in this moment. That joy may be inside of you or around you. It may be hiding, and you need to find it. But it’s there! It’s there!
I was down in the dumps one day. I was far from home and missing my wife and family. As the loneliness seemed strong, I heard a young boy who was with my group say, “Hey, look at that! Did you see that meteor flash across the sky?” I was just about to go back to my thoughts and loneliness when the five-year-old said out loud, “Do you think God sent that just for us to say He is watching us right now!” He was so excited. But, his words lifted my heart. Instead of focusing on my loneliness and what I missed, I began to think of warm thoughts that the God who created the universe was not only close by but with me, thinking about me. I began to think about the blessings in my life. I began to feel God’s Spirit stir within me. Isn’t it funny how little children can make us stop and see the beauty in life? I know what Jesus meant when he said, “Whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall never enter it” (Luke 18:17). Children are often great at rejoicing in the moment, at seeing the beauty or wonder we sometimes miss.
While speaking with the Philippian church, the Apostle Paul commanded the followers of Jesus Christ to “Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). In the scripture for today, Paul even commanded it twice, using the imperative form of the word. He didn’t see rejoicing or finding joy in the moment as an optional thing for you. He saw it as part of being faithful. He saw it as a way to praise God! How good are you at rejoicing? Do you only rejoice when you feel good? That’s not good enough. Find ways to rejoice in every moment (1 Thessalonians 5:16).
Long ago, I was in the hospital room of a woman of deep faith. She was dying. In our last moments together, she was in a coma. What surprised me was her face. Though her body was becoming tired and worn out by age and disease, a smile played over her face. She had told me just days before that she was excited to be going home. She told me that she couldn’t wait to see her husband who had died suddenly years before. There were so many things she was not able to say, but was going to share them with him now…. In heaven. She was excited. She was cheerful. She smiled in the face of death. She rejoiced!
Even now, in this moment, God is taking stock of your life. How often have you taken the time to rejoice? Do you find joy in every moment? Do you laugh while facing adversity because ultimately heaven is your real home? Do you let stress drag you down without finding joy in the Lord? Today, take time to rejoice. Despite any issue or problem, rejoice. If for no other reason, rejoice in the hope that God loves you and has chosen you to spend forever with Him! Rejoice that God gave you people to love and who loved you! Rejoice in that peace that passes all understanding! (Philippians 4:7). Rejoicing isn’t optional for you. It is a command. Yet, it is something to enjoy. It is how God wants your soul to exist.. in constant rejoicing. Why? Because of your real faith, your future is secure. Jesus made that perfectly clear. He died so that you, my friend, might live life to its fullest extent! (1 Thessalonians 5:10, 2 Timothy 2:11).
I was down in the dumps one day. I was far from home and missing my wife and family. As the loneliness seemed strong, I heard a young boy who was with my group say, “Hey, look at that! Did you see that meteor flash across the sky?” I was just about to go back to my thoughts and loneliness when the five-year-old said out loud, “Do you think God sent that just for us to say He is watching us right now!” He was so excited. But, his words lifted my heart. Instead of focusing on my loneliness and what I missed, I began to think of warm thoughts that the God who created the universe was not only close by but with me, thinking about me. I began to think about the blessings in my life. I began to feel God’s Spirit stir within me. Isn’t it funny how little children can make us stop and see the beauty in life? I know what Jesus meant when he said, “Whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall never enter it” (Luke 18:17). Children are often great at rejoicing in the moment, at seeing the beauty or wonder we sometimes miss.
While speaking with the Philippian church, the Apostle Paul commanded the followers of Jesus Christ to “Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). In the scripture for today, Paul even commanded it twice, using the imperative form of the word. He didn’t see rejoicing or finding joy in the moment as an optional thing for you. He saw it as part of being faithful. He saw it as a way to praise God! How good are you at rejoicing? Do you only rejoice when you feel good? That’s not good enough. Find ways to rejoice in every moment (1 Thessalonians 5:16).
Long ago, I was in the hospital room of a woman of deep faith. She was dying. In our last moments together, she was in a coma. What surprised me was her face. Though her body was becoming tired and worn out by age and disease, a smile played over her face. She had told me just days before that she was excited to be going home. She told me that she couldn’t wait to see her husband who had died suddenly years before. There were so many things she was not able to say, but was going to share them with him now…. In heaven. She was excited. She was cheerful. She smiled in the face of death. She rejoiced!
Even now, in this moment, God is taking stock of your life. How often have you taken the time to rejoice? Do you find joy in every moment? Do you laugh while facing adversity because ultimately heaven is your real home? Do you let stress drag you down without finding joy in the Lord? Today, take time to rejoice. Despite any issue or problem, rejoice. If for no other reason, rejoice in the hope that God loves you and has chosen you to spend forever with Him! Rejoice that God gave you people to love and who loved you! Rejoice in that peace that passes all understanding! (Philippians 4:7). Rejoicing isn’t optional for you. It is a command. Yet, it is something to enjoy. It is how God wants your soul to exist.. in constant rejoicing. Why? Because of your real faith, your future is secure. Jesus made that perfectly clear. He died so that you, my friend, might live life to its fullest extent! (1 Thessalonians 5:10, 2 Timothy 2:11).
January 30
“And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread out in the valley of Rephaim. And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come upon them opposite the balsam trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then bestir yourself; for then the Lord has gone out before you to smite the army of the Philistines.” And David did as the Lord commanded him, and smote the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.”
(2 Samuel 5:22–25, RSV)
(2 Samuel 5:22–25, RSV)
A young son waited in suspense. His father had placed him on the edge of a woods near home and said, “Wait here until I give you the word.” The boy wondered what that meant. His father was good at practical jokes, but this seemed different. As the boy waited, the father called through the two-way radio, “Stay quiet and walk ahead fifty feet!” The boy complied. As he walked through the woods, he entered a clearing. There, he saw a beautiful sight. A big buck and a doe and two little fawns grazed not fifty feet in front of him. He had never been so close to deer before. He was shocked how beautiful and yet skittish they were. He watched them for about five minutes when they ran off, white tails flapping, into the other edge of the woods. His father walked up and said, “Weren’t they just beautiful!” The boy responded that he never saw such pretty animals. The father had gone into the woods before the boy and essentially herded the deer into the clearing so that his son could have the thrill of seeing the deer close up. It was a sight that boy never forgot. And his father made it happen.
If the boy had not listened to his father, he wouldn’t have been able to see the deer in the clearing. If he didn’t walk quietly like his father asked, the deer would have fled from the noise. Since he followed the words and direction of his father, he was able to see a memorable sight.
Often, we miss things in life, because we do not listen to God the Father. We do not follow His words, heed His warnings, walk when He says walk. We don’t ask for or obey His leading. Because we do not follow God the Father’s direction, we miss things He wants us to see and experience. Caught up in our own tendency to trust our limited knowledge, we fail to appreciate that God sees much more than we do. God the Father wants to show you things that are important to your life, helping you be at the right place at the right time. I know this, because of many scriptures including the one above I have set aside for today.
In 2 Samuel 5, King David faced his arch enemies, the Philistines. David had killed Goliath, their great warrior. In response, the Philistines hated David with a vengeance. They also wanted to eradicate the Israelites. The Philistines attacked Israel over and over whenever they had the opportunity. 2 Samuel 5:22 mentions that the armies of the Philistines had once again come to fight Israel. They came through the Valley of Rephaim. David knew they were coming. Before David did anything, he asked God what to do. Should he fight? Should he flee? Should he stall and negotiate? God told David to “go around to the rear” of the army and wait for a loud noise from the balsam trees. When he heard it, David and his armies were to attack. God promised HE would attack first, and then David was to finish them off the Philistine army from their rear flank. David “did as the Lord commanded, and smote the Philistines from Geba to Gezer” (2 Samuel 5;25).
As you read this story, notice how David didn’t attack until he asked God what to do. He also held back from the fight until God the Father gave him the sign to attack. David followed God’s advice to the letter and won the battle. Be aware that in your life, you need to follow David’s example in the battle near Rephaim. You need to ask God about important things in your life. You need to wait for God’s word, watch for God’s leading. God will give you help and advise you. You need to only ask, listen, and watch for God the Father to direct your steps.
How often do you stop and take the time to talk to God before making big decisions in your life? Are you prone to just jumping in, reacting, or being impatient? Do you pray at crucial moments in your life? Do you watch and listen for God’s perfect timing? I hope so. Otherwise, you may miss great and memorable moments in your own life.
If the boy had not listened to his father, he wouldn’t have been able to see the deer in the clearing. If he didn’t walk quietly like his father asked, the deer would have fled from the noise. Since he followed the words and direction of his father, he was able to see a memorable sight.
Often, we miss things in life, because we do not listen to God the Father. We do not follow His words, heed His warnings, walk when He says walk. We don’t ask for or obey His leading. Because we do not follow God the Father’s direction, we miss things He wants us to see and experience. Caught up in our own tendency to trust our limited knowledge, we fail to appreciate that God sees much more than we do. God the Father wants to show you things that are important to your life, helping you be at the right place at the right time. I know this, because of many scriptures including the one above I have set aside for today.
In 2 Samuel 5, King David faced his arch enemies, the Philistines. David had killed Goliath, their great warrior. In response, the Philistines hated David with a vengeance. They also wanted to eradicate the Israelites. The Philistines attacked Israel over and over whenever they had the opportunity. 2 Samuel 5:22 mentions that the armies of the Philistines had once again come to fight Israel. They came through the Valley of Rephaim. David knew they were coming. Before David did anything, he asked God what to do. Should he fight? Should he flee? Should he stall and negotiate? God told David to “go around to the rear” of the army and wait for a loud noise from the balsam trees. When he heard it, David and his armies were to attack. God promised HE would attack first, and then David was to finish them off the Philistine army from their rear flank. David “did as the Lord commanded, and smote the Philistines from Geba to Gezer” (2 Samuel 5;25).
As you read this story, notice how David didn’t attack until he asked God what to do. He also held back from the fight until God the Father gave him the sign to attack. David followed God’s advice to the letter and won the battle. Be aware that in your life, you need to follow David’s example in the battle near Rephaim. You need to ask God about important things in your life. You need to wait for God’s word, watch for God’s leading. God will give you help and advise you. You need to only ask, listen, and watch for God the Father to direct your steps.
How often do you stop and take the time to talk to God before making big decisions in your life? Are you prone to just jumping in, reacting, or being impatient? Do you pray at crucial moments in your life? Do you watch and listen for God’s perfect timing? I hope so. Otherwise, you may miss great and memorable moments in your own life.