March 1
“And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel.” (1 Samuel 3:10–11, NLT)
“I can’t believe this is happening!” I’ve heard those words a thousand times, usually uttered when an event changed history. People said those words when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. They said it on September 11th, 2001 when planes flown by terrorists destroyed the Twin Towers in New York and a part of the Pentagon in Washington, DC. The words were uttered by Israeli citizens during the SCUD missile attacks of the Gulf War. German citizens had the same response to the destruction of the Berlin Wall in November of 1989. Polish citizens uttered their shock openly when Germany attacked them in 1939. Throughout history, from all over the world and in many different languages, these words were uttered. Sometimes, they were said in excitement. At other times, they were spoken with fear or disgust. Though the life-altering events of the past and present have changed history, God knew the events were coming. In some of these events, God’s wrath was kindled. At other events, God was pleased to see the faithful response of those who brought God’s plan to fruition.
In your own life, you may have life-altering days as well. During those moments, you also might be surprised at the swiftness, at the turn of events, or at the changes taking place. Your own voice might utter the phrase of surprise such as “This can’t be happening!” Death can come quickly. Health emergencies can change your future in an instant. A car crash may upend your world. Winning a lottery may change your financial fortunes. Life can change in the blink of an eye and in shocking or amazing ways. Behind all the upheaval of the moment is God, who knew it was coming. Since God knows all, God may have been preparing you. You might have sensed something imminent. On the other hand, you might have missed all the signs. Still, God is constantly working, preparing, altering history, creating opportunities, bringing vengeance upon a sinful people, or blessing the righteous. God may bring you a message and a plan during those times of upheaval, but will you listen and respond to God’s direction in that crucial moment?
The scripture for today contains God’s call to Samuel during a time of upheaval in the history of Israel. When Samuel was young, Eli mentored him (1 Samuel 3:1). Eli was a prophet of God. Eli taught Samuel to learn God’s word and to respond to God’s command (1 Samuel 3:8-9). In the scripture for today, Samuel was contacted by the Lord God. God was about to do “a shocking thing in Israel” (1 Samuel 3:11). Before the event, God wanted to tell young Samuel about the plan. In the future, God expected Samuel to be a great prophet. Samuel went on to lead Israel as its main prophet for many years. He anointed both Saul and David to Kingship. He had an important role in the history of Israel. However, long before Saul or David were enthroned, God visited Samuel. God called Samuel’s name. Samuel immediately responded to God, saying “Speak! Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10). Then, God told Samuel of important events concerning Eli that were to shake up the spiritual leadership of the entire house of Israel.
Before the shocking turn of events that were to happen in Israel, God informed Samuel about what was to come. God was laying plans for the future of the Israel and wanted Samuel to be involved. God wanted to prepare Samuel and Eli for the future. Consequently, God came by and spoke to Samuel, delivering a prophecy of great importance. God wanted Samuel to know what was planned.
Did you notice how Samuel was actively listening and ready to respond to the Lord during these events? When God called, Samuel didn’t hide away. He was open to God, “listening” for God’s voice (1 Samuel 3:10). Samuel was attentive to God’s direction. Later, Samuel delivered God’s message to Eli, then Saul, then other leaders in Israel as directed by the will of the Lord (1 Samuel 4:1).
Don’t be surprised if God sends you a warning before important events in your life or world. When you are close to God as was Samuel, God may want you to know things that are planned. You may have a sense of what is coming. While praying, you may discern what God wills. During some of these times, God may have you deliver a message to others. God may use you to influence others. God will want you to listen and respond. Samuel responded quickly when God called him. Will you listen and respond?
After a particularly long day of ministry, I went for a walk in the late evening. I needed fresh air and time to think. My ministerial plate was overflowing. I had led four worship services, two funerals, and responded to several emergencies in the previous two weeks. Sixty-hour work weeks were eating away at my calm. Problems with a member in the church were causing hours of extra toil. My wife sensed my stress. My children wanted more of my time. In this frenzied period, I became more attuned to God. Instead of hurrying through my day, I spent extra moments whenever possible in prayer and talking with God. During that walk in the dark that evening, I felt God speaking to me. I felt something was afoot. Listening for God’s direction, I felt compelled to respond. Due to that prayer time, I headed out the next morning to visit a man in the congregation whom I felt was in need. We spent more than an hour talking. We prayed together. Four hours after I visited that man, he was dead. His death came swift and was entirely unexpected. In the hours after his death, I then understood more fully why God had reached out to me the evening before. The man needed to make some things right before he died. In retrospect, I was very thankful that I responded to God during my walk. I’m sure glad I heeded God’s voice. I felt blessed to have visited that man during the last hours of his life, bringing God’s message with me.
You never know when God might speak to you about upcoming shocking events that will shake your world. Some day soon, God will need you to be listening. Every child of God will have the opportunity to hear God’s voice or feel God’s guiding hand. The problem is that too many aren’t listening like Samuel. Too many don’t respond to God’s call. I hope you are different. I hope that no matter how hectic your life may get, that you may always have your ear attentive to God’s call. You can rest assured that God will call upon you in life. God will speak to you in various ways. God will desire your response. Don’t hesitate when God calls!
In your own life, you may have life-altering days as well. During those moments, you also might be surprised at the swiftness, at the turn of events, or at the changes taking place. Your own voice might utter the phrase of surprise such as “This can’t be happening!” Death can come quickly. Health emergencies can change your future in an instant. A car crash may upend your world. Winning a lottery may change your financial fortunes. Life can change in the blink of an eye and in shocking or amazing ways. Behind all the upheaval of the moment is God, who knew it was coming. Since God knows all, God may have been preparing you. You might have sensed something imminent. On the other hand, you might have missed all the signs. Still, God is constantly working, preparing, altering history, creating opportunities, bringing vengeance upon a sinful people, or blessing the righteous. God may bring you a message and a plan during those times of upheaval, but will you listen and respond to God’s direction in that crucial moment?
The scripture for today contains God’s call to Samuel during a time of upheaval in the history of Israel. When Samuel was young, Eli mentored him (1 Samuel 3:1). Eli was a prophet of God. Eli taught Samuel to learn God’s word and to respond to God’s command (1 Samuel 3:8-9). In the scripture for today, Samuel was contacted by the Lord God. God was about to do “a shocking thing in Israel” (1 Samuel 3:11). Before the event, God wanted to tell young Samuel about the plan. In the future, God expected Samuel to be a great prophet. Samuel went on to lead Israel as its main prophet for many years. He anointed both Saul and David to Kingship. He had an important role in the history of Israel. However, long before Saul or David were enthroned, God visited Samuel. God called Samuel’s name. Samuel immediately responded to God, saying “Speak! Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10). Then, God told Samuel of important events concerning Eli that were to shake up the spiritual leadership of the entire house of Israel.
Before the shocking turn of events that were to happen in Israel, God informed Samuel about what was to come. God was laying plans for the future of the Israel and wanted Samuel to be involved. God wanted to prepare Samuel and Eli for the future. Consequently, God came by and spoke to Samuel, delivering a prophecy of great importance. God wanted Samuel to know what was planned.
Did you notice how Samuel was actively listening and ready to respond to the Lord during these events? When God called, Samuel didn’t hide away. He was open to God, “listening” for God’s voice (1 Samuel 3:10). Samuel was attentive to God’s direction. Later, Samuel delivered God’s message to Eli, then Saul, then other leaders in Israel as directed by the will of the Lord (1 Samuel 4:1).
Don’t be surprised if God sends you a warning before important events in your life or world. When you are close to God as was Samuel, God may want you to know things that are planned. You may have a sense of what is coming. While praying, you may discern what God wills. During some of these times, God may have you deliver a message to others. God may use you to influence others. God will want you to listen and respond. Samuel responded quickly when God called him. Will you listen and respond?
After a particularly long day of ministry, I went for a walk in the late evening. I needed fresh air and time to think. My ministerial plate was overflowing. I had led four worship services, two funerals, and responded to several emergencies in the previous two weeks. Sixty-hour work weeks were eating away at my calm. Problems with a member in the church were causing hours of extra toil. My wife sensed my stress. My children wanted more of my time. In this frenzied period, I became more attuned to God. Instead of hurrying through my day, I spent extra moments whenever possible in prayer and talking with God. During that walk in the dark that evening, I felt God speaking to me. I felt something was afoot. Listening for God’s direction, I felt compelled to respond. Due to that prayer time, I headed out the next morning to visit a man in the congregation whom I felt was in need. We spent more than an hour talking. We prayed together. Four hours after I visited that man, he was dead. His death came swift and was entirely unexpected. In the hours after his death, I then understood more fully why God had reached out to me the evening before. The man needed to make some things right before he died. In retrospect, I was very thankful that I responded to God during my walk. I’m sure glad I heeded God’s voice. I felt blessed to have visited that man during the last hours of his life, bringing God’s message with me.
You never know when God might speak to you about upcoming shocking events that will shake your world. Some day soon, God will need you to be listening. Every child of God will have the opportunity to hear God’s voice or feel God’s guiding hand. The problem is that too many aren’t listening like Samuel. Too many don’t respond to God’s call. I hope you are different. I hope that no matter how hectic your life may get, that you may always have your ear attentive to God’s call. You can rest assured that God will call upon you in life. God will speak to you in various ways. God will desire your response. Don’t hesitate when God calls!
March 2
“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” (1 John 3:1, NRSV)
While at a youth event during my High School years, I met a teen from another city. He was rather quiet and reserved. Frank kept to himself. However, I felt drawn to him. When he smiled, his face lit up. When he competed in events, he put himself out there. Frank was easy to befriend. For one challenge, he and I were paired up. We were given a task to do together. We competed against other groups of two. He and I did very well. By the time the youth event ended, we were fast friends.
Late in the day, I asked Frank where he was from and about his life. That’s when he told me that he was adopted. I grew up in a decent, loving family. At the time, I couldn’t imagine what it was like to not have my parents or family. As he talked about never knowing his biological parents, I began to feel sorry for him. I assumed wrongly that he would feel alone or abandoned. Frank corrected me. He told me that his adoptive parents were awesome. They always made him feel like he had a family. He never longed for love or lacked any true need. He felt as much a part of his family as I did. I was amazed how much Frank was able to overcome in his life. Having a loving family, even if it was not his biological family, molded him into a great person who was a joy to be around.
If you think about it, all true Christians are adopted. We all are born into this world into all kinds of situations. However, it is only when we respond to God that we become part of the family of God. When you accepted Christ into your life, you became a “child of God”. Before that, you were born into this world, but not into the household of God. Once you chose to let God adopt you, you became part of a new family; a holy family. It doesn’t matter your situation, by your faith you become a part of the family of God. Thereafter, you are never alone. There is always a place at God’s table. You have access to the ear of God. The Heavenly Father's eye watches over your life.
To be adopted into the family of God changes you. You are molded by the experiences of being a child of God. Like Frank grew up talented and easy to befriend because of the love and encouragement of his adoptive family, you will grow up to be more spiritually healthy and emotionally whole because of being in God’s adoptive family. God’s presence and love change you. You will be more apt to forgive. You will respond to God’s direction. Righteousness will not be just a word to you but instead a way of life. Death is not to be feared, because God the Father will be present before, during, and after this traumatic event.
In the scripture for today, you are taught that God the Father’s love is given to you. By being one of the faithful, you are also “called children of God” (1 John 3:1). You are adopted into the family of God. Your faith makes you part of God’s family. You have a home in Heaven. Being part of the family of God “is what you are”. “The world” may not understand why you want to be adopted by God. By the world’s understanding, being in the family of God means you are required to follow God the Father’s rules. The world won’t understand this. People who are not in the family of God will not see the lure. They may feel threatened by your true faith. They may think you are crazy for speaking to a Spiritual Father. They don’t understand what it is like to be a child of God. Like I didn’t understand what it was like to be adopted like Frank, the world will not understand your faith. It will reject your world view. Worldly people may ridicule your dedication to your holy family or view you as an "outsider".
As a child of God, what can you do today to make your Heavenly Father proud? Is there someone in your spiritual family who needs a hug or some help? Do you feel a part of the family? Are you having issues accepting your Heavenly Father’s discipline? My hope is that some day you may see how beautiful it is to be an adopted child in God’s family. Where else in the whole world will you ever find real love like we have in the Heavenly Father’s presence? How comfortable do you feel sharing the same table with Jesus? Do you feel at home in God’s presence?
Late in the day, I asked Frank where he was from and about his life. That’s when he told me that he was adopted. I grew up in a decent, loving family. At the time, I couldn’t imagine what it was like to not have my parents or family. As he talked about never knowing his biological parents, I began to feel sorry for him. I assumed wrongly that he would feel alone or abandoned. Frank corrected me. He told me that his adoptive parents were awesome. They always made him feel like he had a family. He never longed for love or lacked any true need. He felt as much a part of his family as I did. I was amazed how much Frank was able to overcome in his life. Having a loving family, even if it was not his biological family, molded him into a great person who was a joy to be around.
If you think about it, all true Christians are adopted. We all are born into this world into all kinds of situations. However, it is only when we respond to God that we become part of the family of God. When you accepted Christ into your life, you became a “child of God”. Before that, you were born into this world, but not into the household of God. Once you chose to let God adopt you, you became part of a new family; a holy family. It doesn’t matter your situation, by your faith you become a part of the family of God. Thereafter, you are never alone. There is always a place at God’s table. You have access to the ear of God. The Heavenly Father's eye watches over your life.
To be adopted into the family of God changes you. You are molded by the experiences of being a child of God. Like Frank grew up talented and easy to befriend because of the love and encouragement of his adoptive family, you will grow up to be more spiritually healthy and emotionally whole because of being in God’s adoptive family. God’s presence and love change you. You will be more apt to forgive. You will respond to God’s direction. Righteousness will not be just a word to you but instead a way of life. Death is not to be feared, because God the Father will be present before, during, and after this traumatic event.
In the scripture for today, you are taught that God the Father’s love is given to you. By being one of the faithful, you are also “called children of God” (1 John 3:1). You are adopted into the family of God. Your faith makes you part of God’s family. You have a home in Heaven. Being part of the family of God “is what you are”. “The world” may not understand why you want to be adopted by God. By the world’s understanding, being in the family of God means you are required to follow God the Father’s rules. The world won’t understand this. People who are not in the family of God will not see the lure. They may feel threatened by your true faith. They may think you are crazy for speaking to a Spiritual Father. They don’t understand what it is like to be a child of God. Like I didn’t understand what it was like to be adopted like Frank, the world will not understand your faith. It will reject your world view. Worldly people may ridicule your dedication to your holy family or view you as an "outsider".
As a child of God, what can you do today to make your Heavenly Father proud? Is there someone in your spiritual family who needs a hug or some help? Do you feel a part of the family? Are you having issues accepting your Heavenly Father’s discipline? My hope is that some day you may see how beautiful it is to be an adopted child in God’s family. Where else in the whole world will you ever find real love like we have in the Heavenly Father’s presence? How comfortable do you feel sharing the same table with Jesus? Do you feel at home in God’s presence?
March 5
“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” (1 Peter 1:6–7, NLT)
In the Middle Ages, the notion of “trial by fire” became not uncommon. When a court or group could not decide the guilt or innocence of a person, they might force the person go through a “trial by ordeal” or “trial by fire”. During this event, the person had to do things like walk on hot coals or burning embers. If the person survived unscathed, it was believed they were innocent. If they developed burns or blistering, they were considered guilty. So common was this practice that Pope Innocent III outlawed this “trial by ordeal” or “trial by fire” in the 1200’s. However, the words and meaning continue to this day.
Long before Pope Innocent III banned trial by fire, the Bible mentioned various trials suffered by faithful people. These trials were compared to the refiner’s fire, that purifies precious metals. In the scripture for today, this is clearly envisioned. Peter wrote in his first letter that Christians will have to “endure many trials for a little while” (1 Peter 1:6). Throughout many Roman provinces of the first century AD, Christians were persecuted in one form or another. In Jewish strongholds, they might be stoned as was Paul (see 2 Corinthians 11:25). In Roman coliseums, they were tortured by animals or killed outright. In some areas, the were thrown into prison. In a few instances they were crucified or burned to death. The suffering of Christians for their beliefs were considered “trials”. Peter knew these were happening all over the Roman Empire. Peter himself, according to tradition, died while enduring one of these trials.
Before his death, Peter wrote this scripture for today to remind Christians that trials were tests to show that one’s faith was genuine. Trials confirmed one’s true faith, bringing "much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 1:7). For Peter, enduring these trials was a badge of honor showing ultimate respect for Christ. If someone makes you suffer for your true faith, it was an honor to God that you remain faithful.
At her High School, Abby was active in the school’s Christian club. This group met after school, but the members would sometimes sit together at lunch. They called themselves “Teen Life”. They gathered once a week. When the group first started, they encountered some resistance. One group of school progressives called them barbaric, misogynistic, and more. Several people in the school argued with them, calling them homophobic and racist. The more popular people in the school shunned them. They were considered outsiders. Abby really liked her Christian friends at the school. However, the peer pressure to quit the group and the awful slurs hurled her way because of her membership made her second-guess her attendance.
After a few months of this pressure at school, Abby talked to her pastor. She shared with him some of the abuses she had endured and asked what she should do. The two conversed about the importance of living out one’s faith. They looked up scriptures about how Jesus was reviled by Pharisees and Sadducees in His day. Despite her reluctance, Abby decided that day that she would stick by her Christian friends and do right by God with her faith.
When you encounter obstacles in your life, don’t look at them as an impediment to your faith. Some obstacles and trials in your life will be a proving ground for your faith. How you act and react will shed light on what you truly believe. When bad things happen to good people of faith, they don’t respond with unholy diatribes, swearing, cruelty, or worse. They face their trial by fire with respect for a loving God who is watching in hopes that they will remain faithful.
Some things in life that will happen to you will not be fair or right. Like the early Christians, you may have to endure your own trials by fire. Throughout it all, God won’t remain far away. God will be intently watching, seeing your response throughout. There will be times God will jump in to help, but at other times, God may just pull back to see how you do on your own. Will your faith shine? Will your true colors pour through? Will a lack of deep commitment take center stage? Are you enduring a trial right now? What help might God have nearby for you during your trial?
Long before Pope Innocent III banned trial by fire, the Bible mentioned various trials suffered by faithful people. These trials were compared to the refiner’s fire, that purifies precious metals. In the scripture for today, this is clearly envisioned. Peter wrote in his first letter that Christians will have to “endure many trials for a little while” (1 Peter 1:6). Throughout many Roman provinces of the first century AD, Christians were persecuted in one form or another. In Jewish strongholds, they might be stoned as was Paul (see 2 Corinthians 11:25). In Roman coliseums, they were tortured by animals or killed outright. In some areas, the were thrown into prison. In a few instances they were crucified or burned to death. The suffering of Christians for their beliefs were considered “trials”. Peter knew these were happening all over the Roman Empire. Peter himself, according to tradition, died while enduring one of these trials.
Before his death, Peter wrote this scripture for today to remind Christians that trials were tests to show that one’s faith was genuine. Trials confirmed one’s true faith, bringing "much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 1:7). For Peter, enduring these trials was a badge of honor showing ultimate respect for Christ. If someone makes you suffer for your true faith, it was an honor to God that you remain faithful.
At her High School, Abby was active in the school’s Christian club. This group met after school, but the members would sometimes sit together at lunch. They called themselves “Teen Life”. They gathered once a week. When the group first started, they encountered some resistance. One group of school progressives called them barbaric, misogynistic, and more. Several people in the school argued with them, calling them homophobic and racist. The more popular people in the school shunned them. They were considered outsiders. Abby really liked her Christian friends at the school. However, the peer pressure to quit the group and the awful slurs hurled her way because of her membership made her second-guess her attendance.
After a few months of this pressure at school, Abby talked to her pastor. She shared with him some of the abuses she had endured and asked what she should do. The two conversed about the importance of living out one’s faith. They looked up scriptures about how Jesus was reviled by Pharisees and Sadducees in His day. Despite her reluctance, Abby decided that day that she would stick by her Christian friends and do right by God with her faith.
When you encounter obstacles in your life, don’t look at them as an impediment to your faith. Some obstacles and trials in your life will be a proving ground for your faith. How you act and react will shed light on what you truly believe. When bad things happen to good people of faith, they don’t respond with unholy diatribes, swearing, cruelty, or worse. They face their trial by fire with respect for a loving God who is watching in hopes that they will remain faithful.
Some things in life that will happen to you will not be fair or right. Like the early Christians, you may have to endure your own trials by fire. Throughout it all, God won’t remain far away. God will be intently watching, seeing your response throughout. There will be times God will jump in to help, but at other times, God may just pull back to see how you do on your own. Will your faith shine? Will your true colors pour through? Will a lack of deep commitment take center stage? Are you enduring a trial right now? What help might God have nearby for you during your trial?
March 6
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:10, ESV)
When Carlita was in her sixties, she changed. Her family noticed the change over time, but not at first. With her husband now deceased, her children with their own homes, Carlita began to make changes in her life. She started with her home. She paid thousands of dollars for a kitchen renovation. She updated her wardrobe, spending more than her usual. She bought a new car. Many thought she looked wonderful, better than ever.
What Carlita’s family did not realize until too late was that she began to have memory issues. Her bills stacked up as she forgot to pay them. The updates to her home and life were short lived. Dementia was beginning to take over her life. The changes to her thinking and personality came about so slowly that few noticed until the diagnosis was almost complete. Her lapses in judgment and in responsibility and in memory were overlooked as “old age”. It was when this thrifty woman was found to be wallowing in debt and receiving notices of foreclosure that the family began to take a serious look. By then, a lot of damage had been done.
When the family asked Carlita why she had squandered away all her wealth and future, her response was simply, “You can’t take it with you. It was my money. I can use it the way I want. I can do what I want. You can’t tell me what to do. I won’t have to pay it off anyway, because I’ll be dead long before the bills come due. I deserve this!” Her attitude shocked the family into reality. Finally, they realized that something was terribly wrong. Their gracious and giving mother had turned into a person who had no thoughts about tomorrow. She spent money thinking someone else would have to pay the bills after she died. Her disease made her self-absorbed and self-destructive in a most terrible way. In the end, the family had to take everything from her and put her in a nursing home. She could no longer be responsible for herself. If left to her own devices, she would have wrecked everything the family held dear.
While it was obvious to Carlita’s family that she was not thinking right due to dementia, there are many people who go about their day thinking some of the same destructive things as Carlita. There are many people who will do what they want and make others pay for it. Many people are self-destructive. Loads of people think nothing about the consequences of their actions or make plans for the future. Do you tend to put aside planning for the future? At times, do you shirk your responsibilities? Is there an area of your life where you do not want to think about the consequences? It was not healthy when Carlita lived her life this way. She was diseased. Why would it be spiritually or morally healthy for you to think the same way or operate in the same manner?
Years ago, the state of Illinois began to set a bad precedent. They couldn’t pay good, competitive wages, so they offered workers a different incentive to lure them to work for the government. They gave exorbitant pension promises. They promised large pensions to those workers who stayed employed for a long time, who gave up larger wages for a better return later. The problem was that the state did not set aside enough money for these pensions. They left it up to taxpayers in later years to make up the difference. Some states with the same types of plans even borrowed from the pensions in order to pay other bills! Now, the costs for the state pension in Illinois in 2018 have bloomed to $111 billion dollars, equal to twenty-five percent of the state's entire budget! Some politicians wanted to break their promise to the pensioners and take away part of their pensions. Others thought that the only way to make ends meet was to negotiate lower pension payments, breaking the promises made to employees. Pensioners wore shirts that said, “Pensions are promises”. People all around were and are hurt. Should the entire state pay for promises made wrongly by politicians and legislators from long ago? Obviously, they already are.
In the scripture for today, we are told that everyone “must appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” There will come a judgment day for you and everyone else. On that day, you and I and everyone will “receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:10). There will be no one to blame for your choices, nobody to pay your due. Be careful how you live and what choices you make. All of your decisions have consequences, some for good and some for evil. I don’t want you or anyone you love to fear Judgment Day. Can you imagine the eternity some will live for the evil they have done? Can you also imagine the excitement to live with God in Christ for all eternity as your reward? Don’t make the mistake that there will be no Judgment Day, when all will have to face up to their decisions. IT IS COMING! I just hope you are ready for it.
Recently, I talked to a person whose relative had committed suicide. The person who died made some bad decisions in his life and regretted them terribly. He left a note to be found with his body that said he was sorry but couldn’t live with the guilt and shame. As I heard this, I thought to myself, “But he will have to live with the guilt and shame! For all eternity!” Don’t be so foolish as to think that when you die, everything goes away. It does not. It follows you into the next life, eternal life. Hebrews 9:27 promises “it is appointed for a man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” For some, Judgment Day will be terrible. For you and me, grace and forgiveness and love are still possible. Jesus gives us that hope. He can make things right for you, beginning today and for all eternity. Why not have a long conversation about the future with the Holy One who knows you intimately? It's not too late!
What Carlita’s family did not realize until too late was that she began to have memory issues. Her bills stacked up as she forgot to pay them. The updates to her home and life were short lived. Dementia was beginning to take over her life. The changes to her thinking and personality came about so slowly that few noticed until the diagnosis was almost complete. Her lapses in judgment and in responsibility and in memory were overlooked as “old age”. It was when this thrifty woman was found to be wallowing in debt and receiving notices of foreclosure that the family began to take a serious look. By then, a lot of damage had been done.
When the family asked Carlita why she had squandered away all her wealth and future, her response was simply, “You can’t take it with you. It was my money. I can use it the way I want. I can do what I want. You can’t tell me what to do. I won’t have to pay it off anyway, because I’ll be dead long before the bills come due. I deserve this!” Her attitude shocked the family into reality. Finally, they realized that something was terribly wrong. Their gracious and giving mother had turned into a person who had no thoughts about tomorrow. She spent money thinking someone else would have to pay the bills after she died. Her disease made her self-absorbed and self-destructive in a most terrible way. In the end, the family had to take everything from her and put her in a nursing home. She could no longer be responsible for herself. If left to her own devices, she would have wrecked everything the family held dear.
While it was obvious to Carlita’s family that she was not thinking right due to dementia, there are many people who go about their day thinking some of the same destructive things as Carlita. There are many people who will do what they want and make others pay for it. Many people are self-destructive. Loads of people think nothing about the consequences of their actions or make plans for the future. Do you tend to put aside planning for the future? At times, do you shirk your responsibilities? Is there an area of your life where you do not want to think about the consequences? It was not healthy when Carlita lived her life this way. She was diseased. Why would it be spiritually or morally healthy for you to think the same way or operate in the same manner?
Years ago, the state of Illinois began to set a bad precedent. They couldn’t pay good, competitive wages, so they offered workers a different incentive to lure them to work for the government. They gave exorbitant pension promises. They promised large pensions to those workers who stayed employed for a long time, who gave up larger wages for a better return later. The problem was that the state did not set aside enough money for these pensions. They left it up to taxpayers in later years to make up the difference. Some states with the same types of plans even borrowed from the pensions in order to pay other bills! Now, the costs for the state pension in Illinois in 2018 have bloomed to $111 billion dollars, equal to twenty-five percent of the state's entire budget! Some politicians wanted to break their promise to the pensioners and take away part of their pensions. Others thought that the only way to make ends meet was to negotiate lower pension payments, breaking the promises made to employees. Pensioners wore shirts that said, “Pensions are promises”. People all around were and are hurt. Should the entire state pay for promises made wrongly by politicians and legislators from long ago? Obviously, they already are.
In the scripture for today, we are told that everyone “must appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” There will come a judgment day for you and everyone else. On that day, you and I and everyone will “receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:10). There will be no one to blame for your choices, nobody to pay your due. Be careful how you live and what choices you make. All of your decisions have consequences, some for good and some for evil. I don’t want you or anyone you love to fear Judgment Day. Can you imagine the eternity some will live for the evil they have done? Can you also imagine the excitement to live with God in Christ for all eternity as your reward? Don’t make the mistake that there will be no Judgment Day, when all will have to face up to their decisions. IT IS COMING! I just hope you are ready for it.
Recently, I talked to a person whose relative had committed suicide. The person who died made some bad decisions in his life and regretted them terribly. He left a note to be found with his body that said he was sorry but couldn’t live with the guilt and shame. As I heard this, I thought to myself, “But he will have to live with the guilt and shame! For all eternity!” Don’t be so foolish as to think that when you die, everything goes away. It does not. It follows you into the next life, eternal life. Hebrews 9:27 promises “it is appointed for a man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” For some, Judgment Day will be terrible. For you and me, grace and forgiveness and love are still possible. Jesus gives us that hope. He can make things right for you, beginning today and for all eternity. Why not have a long conversation about the future with the Holy One who knows you intimately? It's not too late!
March 8
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:18, NIV)
“During the Revolutionary War, a loyalist spy appeared at the headquarters of Hessian commander Colonel Johann Rall, carrying an urgent message. General George Washington and his Continental army had secretly crossed the Delaware River that morning and were advancing on Trenton, New Jersey where the Hessians were encamped. The spy was denied an audience with the commander and instead wrote his message on a piece of paper. A porter took the note to the Hessian colonel, but because Rall was involved in a poker game he stuffed the unread note into his pocket. When the guards at the Hessian camp began firing their muskets in a futile attempt to stop Washington's army, Rall was still playing cards.
Without time to organize, the Hessian army was captured. The battle occurred the day after Christmas, 1776, giving the colonists a late present--their first major victory of the war.” (p. 21, Today in the Word, October 1991) The Hessians, though battle-hardened and highly capable, were not alert at their posts. Their commander was more interested in a card game than in the defense of the Delaware River. Because of his lack of attention, the entire army lost the initiative. They failed at their duty.
You can be doing a lot of things right in your spiritual life, make great choices with your finances, do a lot of good preparation, but if you are not alert to what is going on around you, it will be for naught. You will fail in some way. The human body was made with many abilities. The senses keep you aware of what is around you. Your memory helps you work through your circumstances, looking for parallels. Some people even have a sixth sense that tells them when danger is near. Your body is able to give you better vision at night when you are alerted. It can increase your heart rate when you are frightened, enabling you to flee a dangerous situation. Your body can adapt to a situation in order for you to overcome it. All this ability in the body and brain are worthless if you aren’t alert to what is happening around you. If you aren’t alert to a danger, it can hit you while unprepared. If you aren’t alert to a problem, you may not have time to fix it. When not alert to the dangers of a slippery road, you may end up in a ditch. Being alert at the right time and place is very important for many reasons!
Being spiritually alert is crucial as well. When alerted, you can respond to spiritual and moral and mortal attacks. If you don’t see them coming, you may not have the time or ability to respond well. In the scripture for today, Paul encourages the Ephesian Christians to remain vigilant by “praying in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers” (Ephesians 6:18). He notes the very important connection between being spiritually alert and keeping prayer time. Without prayer, you will lack spiritual vigilance. You will not be as aware of what God is doing around you. True prayer (where you and God converse back and forth) will alert you to spiritual dangers and evil temptations. True prayer can direct your steps through a moral minefield. Connecting with God in prayer will help you be prepared in crucial moments of your life.
In the scripture for today from Ephesians 6:18, Paul uses the word “all” and “always” four times in two sentences. Paul wanted you praying “on all occasions” with “all kinds of prayers and requests”. Paul desired that you “always keep praying for all the Lord’s people”. This constant prayer will help you to “be alert” to the good and evil that is happening around you. Prayer will alert you to what is most important. It will keep the open lines of communication with God humming with potential.
Are you vigilant with your prayer time? Do you remain alert to the spiritual forces and battles going on in and around you? Being spiritually alert is essential for your well-being. Is there an area of your life where you are spiritually blind and need to be more alert?
Without time to organize, the Hessian army was captured. The battle occurred the day after Christmas, 1776, giving the colonists a late present--their first major victory of the war.” (p. 21, Today in the Word, October 1991) The Hessians, though battle-hardened and highly capable, were not alert at their posts. Their commander was more interested in a card game than in the defense of the Delaware River. Because of his lack of attention, the entire army lost the initiative. They failed at their duty.
You can be doing a lot of things right in your spiritual life, make great choices with your finances, do a lot of good preparation, but if you are not alert to what is going on around you, it will be for naught. You will fail in some way. The human body was made with many abilities. The senses keep you aware of what is around you. Your memory helps you work through your circumstances, looking for parallels. Some people even have a sixth sense that tells them when danger is near. Your body is able to give you better vision at night when you are alerted. It can increase your heart rate when you are frightened, enabling you to flee a dangerous situation. Your body can adapt to a situation in order for you to overcome it. All this ability in the body and brain are worthless if you aren’t alert to what is happening around you. If you aren’t alert to a danger, it can hit you while unprepared. If you aren’t alert to a problem, you may not have time to fix it. When not alert to the dangers of a slippery road, you may end up in a ditch. Being alert at the right time and place is very important for many reasons!
Being spiritually alert is crucial as well. When alerted, you can respond to spiritual and moral and mortal attacks. If you don’t see them coming, you may not have the time or ability to respond well. In the scripture for today, Paul encourages the Ephesian Christians to remain vigilant by “praying in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers” (Ephesians 6:18). He notes the very important connection between being spiritually alert and keeping prayer time. Without prayer, you will lack spiritual vigilance. You will not be as aware of what God is doing around you. True prayer (where you and God converse back and forth) will alert you to spiritual dangers and evil temptations. True prayer can direct your steps through a moral minefield. Connecting with God in prayer will help you be prepared in crucial moments of your life.
In the scripture for today from Ephesians 6:18, Paul uses the word “all” and “always” four times in two sentences. Paul wanted you praying “on all occasions” with “all kinds of prayers and requests”. Paul desired that you “always keep praying for all the Lord’s people”. This constant prayer will help you to “be alert” to the good and evil that is happening around you. Prayer will alert you to what is most important. It will keep the open lines of communication with God humming with potential.
Are you vigilant with your prayer time? Do you remain alert to the spiritual forces and battles going on in and around you? Being spiritually alert is essential for your well-being. Is there an area of your life where you are spiritually blind and need to be more alert?
March 12
“Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1, RSV)
Jesus was sent to bring you and God together. God the Father sent Jesus as a way to “seek and save the lost” of this world (Luke 19:10). That includes you! When you place your faith in Jesus, submitting yourself to God the Father and welcoming in the Holy Spirit, something in your soul changes. Your way of thinking changes. Your values change. Your whole life not only becomes connected with God and influenced by God’s Spirit, you become a valued person in the household of God. You no longer an outsider to the family of God. You have a place at God’s table. And, according to the scripture for today, that “justification by faith” brings you “peace with God” (Romans 5:1).
There was a moment of special peace that occurred on Christmas Eve in 1914. During the terrible trench-fighting of World War One, the troops dug long tunnels and holes and trenches in the ground to hide from the terrible shelling and constant shooting. For months, the soldiers on both sides slept in muddy clay ground, soaked and freezing and fearful of the constant barrages. Then, on Christmas Eve in 1914, the German lines broke out singing Christmas carols. The Allied soldiers were shocked at it. In numerous places along the barbed-wire and trenches, soldiers got out of their trenches and sang Christmas carols together. They left the war behind to sing about the Savior’s birth. Sadly, that peace did not last long. Within hours, the fighting resumed.
Peace between humans is so fleeting. A friend one minute can become an enemy a short time later. It is said that in the last 3000 years, there have been less than a few hundred years of no war on the earth. Scholars even debate if there were any years of true peace. Sadly, people have constantly been in battles with God since the beginning as well. Many have rejected God, fought God, fought each other over God since the beginning of time. Peace with God and peace with other faithful ones have been weakened. God never wanted it this way. In fact, when the first sins occurred and the first murder in Genesis, God desired to teach human beings to have faith and find peace with God. Throughout history, many have chosen to fight with each other and with God. Few have chosen to make peace with each other and with God. How about you?
Have there been times in your life when you and God were on bad terms? Were there moments when you rejected God’s sovereignty over your life? Did you let a sin take precedence over God? Have you neglected to spend time with God? There are so many ways to break faith with God. Whenever faith falters, peace with God tends to fade away. There is a connection between faith and peace. Have you noticed that?
The soldiers left their trenches to sing on Christmas Eve, 1914, because they had faith that the men across the trenches would come out in peace and sing Christmas carols out of respect for God and each other. The faith in one another brought peace that night. The same thing happens in many other areas of life. Where there is faith, there is peace. When husband and wife have faith in each other, a peacefulness ensues. Not all the time, but mostly. When you have faith in the fellow soldiers in your unit, there is a bond of peace that permeates the group. With faith in yourself and in your choices, peace will settle over you. The same connection between faith and peace has been ordained by God. Faith in God brings peace with God. A lack of faith in God brings trouble spiritually and throughout all of your life. Have you figured this out yet?
I have found that when peace in my soul is fleeting, my faith in God or in something in my life is weighing on me. God always has an answer for that lack of peace…. it’s faith in Jesus. If you find that you’ve lost that peacefulness in your mind and soul, maybe you should look at the level of your faith in God? How is your relationship with God? How well have you let Jesus rule in your heart and mind? Has something come between you and God lately? A deep, abiding faith in God is the best place to start when peace in body and soul is what you are after!
There was a moment of special peace that occurred on Christmas Eve in 1914. During the terrible trench-fighting of World War One, the troops dug long tunnels and holes and trenches in the ground to hide from the terrible shelling and constant shooting. For months, the soldiers on both sides slept in muddy clay ground, soaked and freezing and fearful of the constant barrages. Then, on Christmas Eve in 1914, the German lines broke out singing Christmas carols. The Allied soldiers were shocked at it. In numerous places along the barbed-wire and trenches, soldiers got out of their trenches and sang Christmas carols together. They left the war behind to sing about the Savior’s birth. Sadly, that peace did not last long. Within hours, the fighting resumed.
Peace between humans is so fleeting. A friend one minute can become an enemy a short time later. It is said that in the last 3000 years, there have been less than a few hundred years of no war on the earth. Scholars even debate if there were any years of true peace. Sadly, people have constantly been in battles with God since the beginning as well. Many have rejected God, fought God, fought each other over God since the beginning of time. Peace with God and peace with other faithful ones have been weakened. God never wanted it this way. In fact, when the first sins occurred and the first murder in Genesis, God desired to teach human beings to have faith and find peace with God. Throughout history, many have chosen to fight with each other and with God. Few have chosen to make peace with each other and with God. How about you?
Have there been times in your life when you and God were on bad terms? Were there moments when you rejected God’s sovereignty over your life? Did you let a sin take precedence over God? Have you neglected to spend time with God? There are so many ways to break faith with God. Whenever faith falters, peace with God tends to fade away. There is a connection between faith and peace. Have you noticed that?
The soldiers left their trenches to sing on Christmas Eve, 1914, because they had faith that the men across the trenches would come out in peace and sing Christmas carols out of respect for God and each other. The faith in one another brought peace that night. The same thing happens in many other areas of life. Where there is faith, there is peace. When husband and wife have faith in each other, a peacefulness ensues. Not all the time, but mostly. When you have faith in the fellow soldiers in your unit, there is a bond of peace that permeates the group. With faith in yourself and in your choices, peace will settle over you. The same connection between faith and peace has been ordained by God. Faith in God brings peace with God. A lack of faith in God brings trouble spiritually and throughout all of your life. Have you figured this out yet?
I have found that when peace in my soul is fleeting, my faith in God or in something in my life is weighing on me. God always has an answer for that lack of peace…. it’s faith in Jesus. If you find that you’ve lost that peacefulness in your mind and soul, maybe you should look at the level of your faith in God? How is your relationship with God? How well have you let Jesus rule in your heart and mind? Has something come between you and God lately? A deep, abiding faith in God is the best place to start when peace in body and soul is what you are after!
March 14
“Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up. Expect God to get here soon.” (Psalm 31:24, The Message Bible)
“A legend from India tells about a mouse who was terrified of cats until a magician agreed to transform him into a cat. That resolved his fear … until he met a dog, so the magician changed him into a dog. The mouse-turned-cat-turned-dog was content until he met a tiger—so, once again, the magician changed him into what he feared. But when the tiger came complaining that he had met a hunter, the magician refused to help. “I will make you into a mouse again, for though you have the body of a tiger, you still have the heart of a mouse.”
Sound familiar? How many people do you know who have built a formidable exterior, only to tremble inside with fear? … We face our fears with force … or … we stockpile wealth. We seek security in things. We cultivate fame and seek status.
But do these approaches work?
Courage is an outgrowth of who we are. Exterior supports may temporarily sustain, but only inward character creates courage.” (p. 135, Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment)
In the scripture for today from the Psalms, The Message Bible encourages the reader to “be brave” (Psalm 31:24). It is believed that this Psalm was originally written when David was facing a very difficult time in his life. We are not sure if David was facing war, suffering in the wilderness, or hiding from the wrath of King Saul. The Psalm could have been written when David was having serious health issues or maybe when he was betrayed by his son. David faced many harrowing times in his life. What we do know is that in this tenuous moment in his life, David asked for God to be his “fortress” and strength (Psalm 31:3). David’s eyes were full of tears (Psalm 31:9,10). His strength was fading. In this terrible moment of weakness and trial, David sought God’s might. And in that moment, David expected something of himself. David commanded himself to “be brave” and “be strong” and “not give up”. Until God came, he would hold on, trusting firmly that relief would come when God arrived.
You will, without a doubt, face days when your strength will fade, and your health will suffer. You will weaken under pressures or challenges. Your body will feel the tension. As you cry out for God’s help, don’t forget that you too need to “be brave”. You need to gather the courage to face whatever battle comes your way. God never expects you to have such little faith that small trials or looming challenges will render you worthless. If you have a strong faith in God, bravery should be natural. It should gird your will and guard your steps. God can do a lot in tough situations, but you need to do your part. You need to show bravery and be strong in the face of trial or temptation. God enjoys seeing faithful bravery.
There is a common saying that you never know which soldier will flee until the first shot of battle rings out. You can never predict who will have courage and who will not. Some people can muster up the bravery to face challenges while others fall or melt away. In our scripture, David expect God to come and help. Until that happened, David demanded that he be brave until that moment God arrived. It’s a tough thing to be brave in the face of great difficulty. Are you up to the challenge?
I have seen a great lack of bravery in the church today. Instead of sticking to a biblical commitment, many Christians melt when activists and politicians and manipulators pour on the heat. When the day comes to stand up for what they believe, many falter or outright hide. When the moment comes to face their fears, the weak will run away and desert their biblical values as quickly as the disciples deserted Jesus after His arrest (Mark 14:50). How many do you know who are so afraid of conflict that they will not stand up for what is right? Do you stand firm in faith when that medical test is delayed or the results from that medical procedure are pending? When a family member is in trouble or falling apart, do you slink away or does your bravery shine? Are you courageous enough to admit when you are wrong?
In these days when masculinity is being ridiculed and the role of the father is being eroded, it is important that godly men remain brave in the face of trial. Despite peer pressures and cyber bullying and the threats to back off your faith or remain quiet, God wants to see bravery from women. David knew his own bravery would show God his faith. How about you? When was the last time you were brave? Are you more apt to cave to social pressures or stand up for Jesus? It is not only God who notices bravery. Satan does as well. What will become of you this week? Will the world see your faithful bravery or your cowardice? Others are counting on you!
Sound familiar? How many people do you know who have built a formidable exterior, only to tremble inside with fear? … We face our fears with force … or … we stockpile wealth. We seek security in things. We cultivate fame and seek status.
But do these approaches work?
Courage is an outgrowth of who we are. Exterior supports may temporarily sustain, but only inward character creates courage.” (p. 135, Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment)
In the scripture for today from the Psalms, The Message Bible encourages the reader to “be brave” (Psalm 31:24). It is believed that this Psalm was originally written when David was facing a very difficult time in his life. We are not sure if David was facing war, suffering in the wilderness, or hiding from the wrath of King Saul. The Psalm could have been written when David was having serious health issues or maybe when he was betrayed by his son. David faced many harrowing times in his life. What we do know is that in this tenuous moment in his life, David asked for God to be his “fortress” and strength (Psalm 31:3). David’s eyes were full of tears (Psalm 31:9,10). His strength was fading. In this terrible moment of weakness and trial, David sought God’s might. And in that moment, David expected something of himself. David commanded himself to “be brave” and “be strong” and “not give up”. Until God came, he would hold on, trusting firmly that relief would come when God arrived.
You will, without a doubt, face days when your strength will fade, and your health will suffer. You will weaken under pressures or challenges. Your body will feel the tension. As you cry out for God’s help, don’t forget that you too need to “be brave”. You need to gather the courage to face whatever battle comes your way. God never expects you to have such little faith that small trials or looming challenges will render you worthless. If you have a strong faith in God, bravery should be natural. It should gird your will and guard your steps. God can do a lot in tough situations, but you need to do your part. You need to show bravery and be strong in the face of trial or temptation. God enjoys seeing faithful bravery.
There is a common saying that you never know which soldier will flee until the first shot of battle rings out. You can never predict who will have courage and who will not. Some people can muster up the bravery to face challenges while others fall or melt away. In our scripture, David expect God to come and help. Until that happened, David demanded that he be brave until that moment God arrived. It’s a tough thing to be brave in the face of great difficulty. Are you up to the challenge?
I have seen a great lack of bravery in the church today. Instead of sticking to a biblical commitment, many Christians melt when activists and politicians and manipulators pour on the heat. When the day comes to stand up for what they believe, many falter or outright hide. When the moment comes to face their fears, the weak will run away and desert their biblical values as quickly as the disciples deserted Jesus after His arrest (Mark 14:50). How many do you know who are so afraid of conflict that they will not stand up for what is right? Do you stand firm in faith when that medical test is delayed or the results from that medical procedure are pending? When a family member is in trouble or falling apart, do you slink away or does your bravery shine? Are you courageous enough to admit when you are wrong?
In these days when masculinity is being ridiculed and the role of the father is being eroded, it is important that godly men remain brave in the face of trial. Despite peer pressures and cyber bullying and the threats to back off your faith or remain quiet, God wants to see bravery from women. David knew his own bravery would show God his faith. How about you? When was the last time you were brave? Are you more apt to cave to social pressures or stand up for Jesus? It is not only God who notices bravery. Satan does as well. What will become of you this week? Will the world see your faithful bravery or your cowardice? Others are counting on you!
March 17
“When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you. When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax.” (Ecclesiastes 10:9, NLT)
The above scripture might seem unusual for a spiritual teaching, though Ecclesiastes is full of spiritual wisdom. On the surface, you might think this scripture is obvious. It is about workers in a quarry who might get hurt by their work and how chopping wood might be dangerous. What has this verse to teach us spiritually? If you look a little deeper at the scripture, you might see that its spiritual message is simple: even normal everyday things can be dangerous in and of themselves. Spiritually, this means that when you do normal things, there will be spiritual dangers and consequences. You may get used to your normal life without realizing the potential spiritual dangers that lurk nearby.
When studying the verse for today from Ecclesiastes, Charles Spurgeon wrote that “Your occupation may be as humble as log splitting, and yet the devil can tempt you in it” (Morning and Evening). Spiritual temptations and dangers can lie in the most mundane tasks. In speaking to a co-worker, you might say something that wrecks their spiritual self-worth without even knowing it. By going to visit an old girlfriend, you might open yourself up to temptation. While upset, you might say something spiritually damaging to your son or daughter. There are spiritual dangers in everyday life that can come back to bite you.
Ruth is a proud woman who has been a member of her church for five decades. In her seventies now, she is very active. She can be found almost every Sunday in worship or in the adult Sunday School Class she helped to initiate many years ago. After worship two years ago, Ruth spoke with a new couple who was visiting the church for the first time. She mentioned to the new couple that she was very glad to see them at worship that day and hoped they would come back soon. Then, with her last sentence, she whispered, “I know the Pastor isn’t a very good preacher, but the people here are great. Don’t hold the preaching against us!” She was half-joking, but they couldn't tell.
What Ruth didn’t know was that the couple had just left a church that was embroiled in controversy. During a period of infighting at their previous church, the leaders fired their pastor. The result was that the church was full of gossip, with people taking sides for and against those with power in the church. It made every church function a minefield. When Ruth made her comment to the visiting couple, her words were derogatory towards the pastor. In that one prideful comment, Ruth caused the couple to have second thoughts about her church. They didn’t want to be in any church that was negative toward their pastor. The couple not only never came back but decided they weren’t going to seek a church any longer. They were disillusioned by “all the negativity they saw in churches they visited”. To this day, they have not gone to worship again on a Sunday morning.
Those two sentences by Ruth helped damage the faith of that visiting couple. That spiritual faux pas caused a terrible spiritual reaction in both husband and wife. Ruth may have been a member of that church for decades, but in that moment, she caused an evil to occur. Little comments, gossip, a sharp retort, a hasty remark, being in the wrong place at the wrong time can lend itself to damaging faith. Even small little things can make a tremendous difference in a spiritual outcome.
Don’t let your spiritual guard down even when doing mundane tasks or while doing everyday work. The smallest moments or words or decisions can change a life. That first stolen drink at the back of the barn can lead to a life as an alcoholic. A stolen candy bar taken on a dare can become the first casualty in a chain of stealing that leads one to a life of crime. A barb, spoken in a moment of stress and anger, has the power to become the first word that leads to divorce. Everyday moments can change a spiritual life for better or for worse. Don’t overlook the power of spiritual dangers or opportunities that arise in plain, everyday moments.
When studying the verse for today from Ecclesiastes, Charles Spurgeon wrote that “Your occupation may be as humble as log splitting, and yet the devil can tempt you in it” (Morning and Evening). Spiritual temptations and dangers can lie in the most mundane tasks. In speaking to a co-worker, you might say something that wrecks their spiritual self-worth without even knowing it. By going to visit an old girlfriend, you might open yourself up to temptation. While upset, you might say something spiritually damaging to your son or daughter. There are spiritual dangers in everyday life that can come back to bite you.
Ruth is a proud woman who has been a member of her church for five decades. In her seventies now, she is very active. She can be found almost every Sunday in worship or in the adult Sunday School Class she helped to initiate many years ago. After worship two years ago, Ruth spoke with a new couple who was visiting the church for the first time. She mentioned to the new couple that she was very glad to see them at worship that day and hoped they would come back soon. Then, with her last sentence, she whispered, “I know the Pastor isn’t a very good preacher, but the people here are great. Don’t hold the preaching against us!” She was half-joking, but they couldn't tell.
What Ruth didn’t know was that the couple had just left a church that was embroiled in controversy. During a period of infighting at their previous church, the leaders fired their pastor. The result was that the church was full of gossip, with people taking sides for and against those with power in the church. It made every church function a minefield. When Ruth made her comment to the visiting couple, her words were derogatory towards the pastor. In that one prideful comment, Ruth caused the couple to have second thoughts about her church. They didn’t want to be in any church that was negative toward their pastor. The couple not only never came back but decided they weren’t going to seek a church any longer. They were disillusioned by “all the negativity they saw in churches they visited”. To this day, they have not gone to worship again on a Sunday morning.
Those two sentences by Ruth helped damage the faith of that visiting couple. That spiritual faux pas caused a terrible spiritual reaction in both husband and wife. Ruth may have been a member of that church for decades, but in that moment, she caused an evil to occur. Little comments, gossip, a sharp retort, a hasty remark, being in the wrong place at the wrong time can lend itself to damaging faith. Even small little things can make a tremendous difference in a spiritual outcome.
Don’t let your spiritual guard down even when doing mundane tasks or while doing everyday work. The smallest moments or words or decisions can change a life. That first stolen drink at the back of the barn can lead to a life as an alcoholic. A stolen candy bar taken on a dare can become the first casualty in a chain of stealing that leads one to a life of crime. A barb, spoken in a moment of stress and anger, has the power to become the first word that leads to divorce. Everyday moments can change a spiritual life for better or for worse. Don’t overlook the power of spiritual dangers or opportunities that arise in plain, everyday moments.
March 18
“Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.” (Hebrews 10:32–33, NIV84)
When changing your life to align with God, there will be initial trials and temptations. These may come from the world, from family or friends, from evil forces, or from those who hate the faith. There are many things conspiring against true faith in this world. That’s why it is so rare. True faith, like that in you right now, is not something to take lightly. Jesus compared true faith to a pearl that is so precious and unique that it is worth a pearl merchant paying every last cent to obtain it (Matthew 13:46). Still, the world will not accept your faith. Evil will fight it. Those who have manipulated you in the past will not like the new, more faithful you! When you begin to change your life to be closer to God, some things in your life should change. Some things should get better by far. Some things will get worse.
Our scripture for today is a reminder that when you “stand your ground” and side with God, you may soon thereafter face suffering. Evil forces in our world will attack you. Those who don’t understand faith will make fun of you. Sin will not longer be a fun diversion in your life. God will expect sinful behaviors to be rejected. As all these elements are changing in your newly found faith, suffering will come. In the New Testament days when the book of Hebrews was written, the new Christians “were publicly exposed to insult and persecution” (Hebrews 10:33). They suffered taunts and persecution. They saw other faithful ones badly treated. Faithfully, they “stood side by side with those who were so treated”. Like those Christians back then, you may have to stand with those who suffer for being faithful or honest or true. You may also need to lean on those who are at your side during suffering. I wish I could tell you that moving closer to God and living a righteous life brought all happy days and joy. There is joy, but there is also suffering. And during that suffering, you will either give up on your new faith or you will let your faith grow stronger and deeper. Tears can make faith get much stronger and much more relevant. Times of suffering can bring you closer to the God who longs to be with you.
When Abe was in his fifties, he felt a strong urging to find God again. He longed to spend more time with God. Even though nobody in his family wanted to go to church, Abe began attending a neighborhood church. A few months later, he joined the congregation. I saw Abe. He would sit in the second pew from the back on the opposite side from the pulpit. I could tell his faith was growing. I could see him intently listening to the sermon, participating in the singing of hymns, and more. He seldom missed a Sunday. I was excited for him and his newfound faith.
Eighteen month later, Abe found out he had cancer. It was a virulent and deadly form of cancer. He was very sick. During that time, he suffered tremendously. While his family was supportive to an extent, they didn’t pray with him. When I visited, he was always alone. I could tell he was not only suffering physically. He was very lonely spiritually. He couldn’t even talk about his possible death and seeing Jesus face to face with his family. Being so new to the faith, he barely knew how to talk about God with me. I tried to be there with him in his suffering. I tried to help where I could. Still, Abe had some difficult days. Then, at a hospital far away from home, Abe died alone in his room.
Abe had suffered in many ways for his faith. However, I never heard him utter once that his faith was not worth it or that he regretted his worship time with God. I believe Abe had a feeling his life was ending, long before he found out he had cancer. I believe that Abe used those last two years of his life to rekindle his relationship with God, despite his family’s misgivings. Abe’s faith grew through the hardships and disease. He did not regret his time with God. On Judgment Day, Abe can say that he changed his life to align with God in Heaven. Abe was taking a side with God. Suffering did not keep him from faith or worship or prayer time. Abe’s last two years made a statement of how much Jesus and forgiveness and grace and reconciliation and so much more meant to him.
When you take a stand and side with God, expect the suffering to come. Don’t be surprised when evil is unleashed at you or people attempt to steal away your faith. Don’t be surprised if previous sins attempt to lure you back into your old way of doing things. This world is a spiritual battle zone. Spiritual forces are constantly aligned with or against God. You will be caught in the middle.
Will your faith hold up to suffering? Will you hold on to God tightly when temptations and trials come to bear? Faith in God is SO worth it. However, you have to walk through some tough times to find that out. Jesus didn’t fight Satan one on one at the end of his life. Immediately after Jesus was baptized was when Satan chose to challenge him in the wilderness. A new or renewed faith will be attacked by spiritually evil forces and worldly challenges. By being steadfast through the dark times, you show your true witness to God. And you become an inspiration to the rest of us.
Our scripture for today is a reminder that when you “stand your ground” and side with God, you may soon thereafter face suffering. Evil forces in our world will attack you. Those who don’t understand faith will make fun of you. Sin will not longer be a fun diversion in your life. God will expect sinful behaviors to be rejected. As all these elements are changing in your newly found faith, suffering will come. In the New Testament days when the book of Hebrews was written, the new Christians “were publicly exposed to insult and persecution” (Hebrews 10:33). They suffered taunts and persecution. They saw other faithful ones badly treated. Faithfully, they “stood side by side with those who were so treated”. Like those Christians back then, you may have to stand with those who suffer for being faithful or honest or true. You may also need to lean on those who are at your side during suffering. I wish I could tell you that moving closer to God and living a righteous life brought all happy days and joy. There is joy, but there is also suffering. And during that suffering, you will either give up on your new faith or you will let your faith grow stronger and deeper. Tears can make faith get much stronger and much more relevant. Times of suffering can bring you closer to the God who longs to be with you.
When Abe was in his fifties, he felt a strong urging to find God again. He longed to spend more time with God. Even though nobody in his family wanted to go to church, Abe began attending a neighborhood church. A few months later, he joined the congregation. I saw Abe. He would sit in the second pew from the back on the opposite side from the pulpit. I could tell his faith was growing. I could see him intently listening to the sermon, participating in the singing of hymns, and more. He seldom missed a Sunday. I was excited for him and his newfound faith.
Eighteen month later, Abe found out he had cancer. It was a virulent and deadly form of cancer. He was very sick. During that time, he suffered tremendously. While his family was supportive to an extent, they didn’t pray with him. When I visited, he was always alone. I could tell he was not only suffering physically. He was very lonely spiritually. He couldn’t even talk about his possible death and seeing Jesus face to face with his family. Being so new to the faith, he barely knew how to talk about God with me. I tried to be there with him in his suffering. I tried to help where I could. Still, Abe had some difficult days. Then, at a hospital far away from home, Abe died alone in his room.
Abe had suffered in many ways for his faith. However, I never heard him utter once that his faith was not worth it or that he regretted his worship time with God. I believe Abe had a feeling his life was ending, long before he found out he had cancer. I believe that Abe used those last two years of his life to rekindle his relationship with God, despite his family’s misgivings. Abe’s faith grew through the hardships and disease. He did not regret his time with God. On Judgment Day, Abe can say that he changed his life to align with God in Heaven. Abe was taking a side with God. Suffering did not keep him from faith or worship or prayer time. Abe’s last two years made a statement of how much Jesus and forgiveness and grace and reconciliation and so much more meant to him.
When you take a stand and side with God, expect the suffering to come. Don’t be surprised when evil is unleashed at you or people attempt to steal away your faith. Don’t be surprised if previous sins attempt to lure you back into your old way of doing things. This world is a spiritual battle zone. Spiritual forces are constantly aligned with or against God. You will be caught in the middle.
Will your faith hold up to suffering? Will you hold on to God tightly when temptations and trials come to bear? Faith in God is SO worth it. However, you have to walk through some tough times to find that out. Jesus didn’t fight Satan one on one at the end of his life. Immediately after Jesus was baptized was when Satan chose to challenge him in the wilderness. A new or renewed faith will be attacked by spiritually evil forces and worldly challenges. By being steadfast through the dark times, you show your true witness to God. And you become an inspiration to the rest of us.
March 20
“The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? No, for I have chosen him…”” (Genesis 18:17–19, NRSV)
When God has a relationship with you, there are things God will share with you. Others may not see what you see, feel what you feel, or have access to God’s wisdom in the same way. You may see something in a scripture you’ve never seen before, and it will speak to you. Another person may not see that aspect of scripture, until you do. God’s Spirit may share something critical about someone with whom you need to pray. Others may not sense the urgency in God’s message to you. It’s not that God wants to hide things from some people or from you. It’s just that sometimes, you may not understand what God is doing. Your faith may not be capable of seeing what God sees or knowing what God knows until the time is right or you are ready.
In the scripture for today, God weighs if He should share with Abraham what He is planning. He asks His angelic companions, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do…?” (Genesis 18:17). In just a few days, God was planning on destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, two cities filled with sinfulness and wickedness and suffering and evil. God had hoped the people there would heed the truth and live righteous lives, but the people were bent on doing what was evil. Even Abraham’s brother Lot couldn’t convince them to change their ways (Genesis 19). After giving the two cities many chances to repent and change their ways, God decided to destroy the cities. This would stop their evil from spreading to the rest of the area. Their utter destruction would be hard for anyone of faith to understand. Could the people not be saved? But God knew what was in their hearts. God knew they loved evil too much. They would never stop and would corrupt more and more people until the whole area was filled with suffering and death. God decided to end their evil ways but was wondering if He should share the plan with Abraham. Could Abraham handle that conversation? Could he respect God for taking such a drastic step? How deep was Abraham’s faith? In the end, God told the angels that He would share the plan with Abraham, because Abraham was a chosen and special servant. God knew Abraham could handle the prophecy.
In your spiritual walk, there will be things that are hidden from you. There are things God’s Spirit will not share with you. God will not clue you in to everything He is doing. You may have an inkling now and then when God is active in or around you, but you will not have all the answers or know the whole plan. You are not God. Your faith may dictate what God shares with you. If there are plans you cannot handle, God may withhold that information from you. If your faith is faltering, God may have to protect your faith instead of share deep spiritual insights with you. If your faith is strong enough, I do believe with all my heart that God will at times share information with you about upcoming events or situations. God will want you to know when something is wrong, or someone needs help, or there’s a spiritual danger nearby. God may desire to open your heart to wisdom or knowledge that was previously hidden to you. God may open your eyes to see spiritual things to which you previously were blind. In doing so, God is treating you in a special way. Like Abraham, you are “chosen” for this information, elected to help, honored by God (Genesis 18:19).
A woman visited my office one spring morning. I could tell Cindy wanted to talk. After a little chitchat, I asked if she needed something. Sheepishly, she told me that she’d like to talk privately with me. I had no idea what this was about, but I was going to find out momentarily. We walked into my office and sat down. She took a big breath. Then, Cindy told me all about what she had experienced.
Cindy told me that recently, she had felt very close to God. Her prayers seemed to be open and vibrant and uplifting. During a recent prayer, she felt that a friend of hers was in trouble. She just had that feeling while praying, a feeling that made her think her friend was in danger. Following that feeling, Cindy called her friend and went to visit. The two talked for a good while, but Cindy never shared anything about what she felt in her prayer. When Cindy came home, her phone rang. Her friend called to say thanks for the visit. Then, Cindy’s friend told her something she could not tell her face to face. She was going to have tests for cancer. Cindy listened as her friend fell apart with a great many tears. Cindy returned to her friend’s house, and they prayed together. Throughout her friend’s medical testing, Cindy was a constant and fearless friend. She kept her friend grounded and surrounded with prayer.
Like Cindy, God may impart some very important information to you at very special moments. God may open your eyes to see when a situation needs your faith. God may impart to you a feeling when you need to change something in your life or help somewhere important. If you haven’t had that “feeling” of being led by God or clued in to something spiritual going on around you, maybe your faith is not strong enough. Maybe you lack a connection with God. Maybe your prayers are too shallow, or your knowledge of God’s word is lacking. All I know for certain is that God hides things from those who lack faith, and God shares things with those who have a strong faith and are chosen by God for His good work.
Do you have the kind of faith that God can trust? When was the last time God opened your eyes to something spiritual? Does God need to hide some things from you because you can’t handle the truth? All good questions you will have to answer.
In the scripture for today, God weighs if He should share with Abraham what He is planning. He asks His angelic companions, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do…?” (Genesis 18:17). In just a few days, God was planning on destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, two cities filled with sinfulness and wickedness and suffering and evil. God had hoped the people there would heed the truth and live righteous lives, but the people were bent on doing what was evil. Even Abraham’s brother Lot couldn’t convince them to change their ways (Genesis 19). After giving the two cities many chances to repent and change their ways, God decided to destroy the cities. This would stop their evil from spreading to the rest of the area. Their utter destruction would be hard for anyone of faith to understand. Could the people not be saved? But God knew what was in their hearts. God knew they loved evil too much. They would never stop and would corrupt more and more people until the whole area was filled with suffering and death. God decided to end their evil ways but was wondering if He should share the plan with Abraham. Could Abraham handle that conversation? Could he respect God for taking such a drastic step? How deep was Abraham’s faith? In the end, God told the angels that He would share the plan with Abraham, because Abraham was a chosen and special servant. God knew Abraham could handle the prophecy.
In your spiritual walk, there will be things that are hidden from you. There are things God’s Spirit will not share with you. God will not clue you in to everything He is doing. You may have an inkling now and then when God is active in or around you, but you will not have all the answers or know the whole plan. You are not God. Your faith may dictate what God shares with you. If there are plans you cannot handle, God may withhold that information from you. If your faith is faltering, God may have to protect your faith instead of share deep spiritual insights with you. If your faith is strong enough, I do believe with all my heart that God will at times share information with you about upcoming events or situations. God will want you to know when something is wrong, or someone needs help, or there’s a spiritual danger nearby. God may desire to open your heart to wisdom or knowledge that was previously hidden to you. God may open your eyes to see spiritual things to which you previously were blind. In doing so, God is treating you in a special way. Like Abraham, you are “chosen” for this information, elected to help, honored by God (Genesis 18:19).
A woman visited my office one spring morning. I could tell Cindy wanted to talk. After a little chitchat, I asked if she needed something. Sheepishly, she told me that she’d like to talk privately with me. I had no idea what this was about, but I was going to find out momentarily. We walked into my office and sat down. She took a big breath. Then, Cindy told me all about what she had experienced.
Cindy told me that recently, she had felt very close to God. Her prayers seemed to be open and vibrant and uplifting. During a recent prayer, she felt that a friend of hers was in trouble. She just had that feeling while praying, a feeling that made her think her friend was in danger. Following that feeling, Cindy called her friend and went to visit. The two talked for a good while, but Cindy never shared anything about what she felt in her prayer. When Cindy came home, her phone rang. Her friend called to say thanks for the visit. Then, Cindy’s friend told her something she could not tell her face to face. She was going to have tests for cancer. Cindy listened as her friend fell apart with a great many tears. Cindy returned to her friend’s house, and they prayed together. Throughout her friend’s medical testing, Cindy was a constant and fearless friend. She kept her friend grounded and surrounded with prayer.
Like Cindy, God may impart some very important information to you at very special moments. God may open your eyes to see when a situation needs your faith. God may impart to you a feeling when you need to change something in your life or help somewhere important. If you haven’t had that “feeling” of being led by God or clued in to something spiritual going on around you, maybe your faith is not strong enough. Maybe you lack a connection with God. Maybe your prayers are too shallow, or your knowledge of God’s word is lacking. All I know for certain is that God hides things from those who lack faith, and God shares things with those who have a strong faith and are chosen by God for His good work.
Do you have the kind of faith that God can trust? When was the last time God opened your eyes to something spiritual? Does God need to hide some things from you because you can’t handle the truth? All good questions you will have to answer.
March 24
“Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.” (Proverbs 13:13–16, ESV)
One not uncommon symptom of a female with Borderline Personality Disorder is that she may cut herself on the arms or mutilate her body. Usually, this is done because of strong feelings inside herself that cause confusion or pain, but yet leave her feeling numb. To feel something, anything, she will cut herself. There are a number of other self-destructive symptoms to this psychological disorder. The person may spend too much money and end up in financial ruin. She may drive recklessly or use drugs. She may feel constantly bored and irritable. In the throes of this illness, this person may do herself great harm.
There are many examples today of people who are self-destructive or who cause harm to themselves and those they love. Drug addicts, people with bipolar disorder, adrenaline junkies, are more and more common in our world. There are hundreds of thousands of people who inject drugs or chemicals into their own bodies and end up overdosing. Self-destruction is rampant in our world. Chances are you’ve come into contact with someone who is making irrational and self-destructive choices. Sadly, you often can’t stop their self-destruction. For some, they will make a change when they hit rock bottom. For some, their illness will take them to the grave. For many, there will be financial or physical ruin. I only wish more people who are stuck in cycles of self-destruction would turn to God. Therapy can help. Medicines can help. However, faith is one of the few places that can bring long-lasting healing and a chance for wholeness.
Geraldine grew up in a challenging household. Her father flirted with alcoholism. Her mother was an enabler. Her parents fought often, though there was love between Geraldine and her parents. Both parents babied Geraldine. She was their only child. When I met Geraldine, I was surprised at her striking beauty. She turned guy’s heads wherever she went. When I got to know Geraldine as her pastor, I could see that despite her looks, she was hollow inside. She never smiled with her eyes. She exuded sadness.
When Geraldine turned sixteen, she began to self-destruct. She began to fight with her parents. She went out on dates, usually dating the “bad boys” of her class. By the time she was a senior in high school, she would sneak out to frat parties at the nearby college, drinking alcohol despite being underage. Though Geraldine trusted me and saw the church as a “safe place”, I couldn’t stop her self-destruction. Nothing I said helped. She listened to my advice and prayed with me, but despite glimmers of faith, there were only months of poor choices. With her inability to choose faith over entertainment, godliness over self-indulgence, and righteousness over hedonism, there was nothing to do but wait for her to come back to God. I don’t know if she ever did.
The scripture for today mentions that any man who “despises the word” of wisdom and faith will often “bring destruction on himself” (Proverbs 13:13). When faith is not paramount in your life, self-destruction will often overshadow your life. That self-destruction might take various forms. You might fall in love with the wrong person, not the one whom God would choose. You may end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, in a job that eats at your soul, with friends that are bad for you, or with thoughts and feelings that cause pain every waking moment. I have also found that people who do not feel they have to answer to God will have “cycles of poor choices”, where one bad choice leads to another and another and another. In the end, your life is not a mess because of one bad break, but because of a lifetime of bad choices. The scripture for today urges you to “revere the commandment” of God. These verses explain that wisdom from God keeps you from the “snares of death” that may encircle you (Proverbs 13:14).
The scripture for today ends with the famous phrase, “a fool flaunts his folly” (Proverbs 13:16). You’ve probably met people who did foolish things and boasted about it. I am reminded of the college classmate who was kicked out of school for doing target practice with a shotgun at midnight on the campus green, because he was drunk and didn’t know any better. The next day, he laughed about the drunken revelry, saying, “But it was a great party!”. He and his friends reminisced for months at how crazy and wild his stunt had been. It was very stupid. Someone could have been killed. He thought it was great fun! A fool flaunts his folly.
I have seen too many self-destructions in my life. I have seen too many people throw away God and wisdom and sense and make terribly bad choices. I have counseled too many people who were trying to put their life back together after a self-destructive period in life. Hold on to God tightly. Follow God’s word. Be wise in your choices. Hang in there when someone you love chooses self-destruction. You never know when one moment of faith in God will appear and change everything for the good.
There are many examples today of people who are self-destructive or who cause harm to themselves and those they love. Drug addicts, people with bipolar disorder, adrenaline junkies, are more and more common in our world. There are hundreds of thousands of people who inject drugs or chemicals into their own bodies and end up overdosing. Self-destruction is rampant in our world. Chances are you’ve come into contact with someone who is making irrational and self-destructive choices. Sadly, you often can’t stop their self-destruction. For some, they will make a change when they hit rock bottom. For some, their illness will take them to the grave. For many, there will be financial or physical ruin. I only wish more people who are stuck in cycles of self-destruction would turn to God. Therapy can help. Medicines can help. However, faith is one of the few places that can bring long-lasting healing and a chance for wholeness.
Geraldine grew up in a challenging household. Her father flirted with alcoholism. Her mother was an enabler. Her parents fought often, though there was love between Geraldine and her parents. Both parents babied Geraldine. She was their only child. When I met Geraldine, I was surprised at her striking beauty. She turned guy’s heads wherever she went. When I got to know Geraldine as her pastor, I could see that despite her looks, she was hollow inside. She never smiled with her eyes. She exuded sadness.
When Geraldine turned sixteen, she began to self-destruct. She began to fight with her parents. She went out on dates, usually dating the “bad boys” of her class. By the time she was a senior in high school, she would sneak out to frat parties at the nearby college, drinking alcohol despite being underage. Though Geraldine trusted me and saw the church as a “safe place”, I couldn’t stop her self-destruction. Nothing I said helped. She listened to my advice and prayed with me, but despite glimmers of faith, there were only months of poor choices. With her inability to choose faith over entertainment, godliness over self-indulgence, and righteousness over hedonism, there was nothing to do but wait for her to come back to God. I don’t know if she ever did.
The scripture for today mentions that any man who “despises the word” of wisdom and faith will often “bring destruction on himself” (Proverbs 13:13). When faith is not paramount in your life, self-destruction will often overshadow your life. That self-destruction might take various forms. You might fall in love with the wrong person, not the one whom God would choose. You may end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, in a job that eats at your soul, with friends that are bad for you, or with thoughts and feelings that cause pain every waking moment. I have also found that people who do not feel they have to answer to God will have “cycles of poor choices”, where one bad choice leads to another and another and another. In the end, your life is not a mess because of one bad break, but because of a lifetime of bad choices. The scripture for today urges you to “revere the commandment” of God. These verses explain that wisdom from God keeps you from the “snares of death” that may encircle you (Proverbs 13:14).
The scripture for today ends with the famous phrase, “a fool flaunts his folly” (Proverbs 13:16). You’ve probably met people who did foolish things and boasted about it. I am reminded of the college classmate who was kicked out of school for doing target practice with a shotgun at midnight on the campus green, because he was drunk and didn’t know any better. The next day, he laughed about the drunken revelry, saying, “But it was a great party!”. He and his friends reminisced for months at how crazy and wild his stunt had been. It was very stupid. Someone could have been killed. He thought it was great fun! A fool flaunts his folly.
I have seen too many self-destructions in my life. I have seen too many people throw away God and wisdom and sense and make terribly bad choices. I have counseled too many people who were trying to put their life back together after a self-destructive period in life. Hold on to God tightly. Follow God’s word. Be wise in your choices. Hang in there when someone you love chooses self-destruction. You never know when one moment of faith in God will appear and change everything for the good.
March 26
“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.” (1 John 1:5–6, NLT)
When you take a path in life where you knowingly sin, God won’t walk with you. God won’t be close to you. You will not have God side-by-side with you. When you begin to live your life apart from God’s will, don’t be surprised that when you look around for God, you find yourself alone. God won’t walk with you, remain close to you, guard you, if you do not follow the path in life that is God-blessed.
When something went wrong or broke down, people would often call Jimmy. He was a good old boy who had a good head on his shoulders. He ran a car repair shop but was also known to fix everything from a leaky pipe to a combine that was acting up. He had a gift of fixing things. He had this innate ability to take something apart and figure out what was wrong with it. When something went wrong in town, people often stopped in to see Jimmy, to see if he could fix whatever was broken. From the mayor’s old MG to old Sally’s rocking chair, Jimmy had fixed thousands of things for people in his home town.
There was one thing, however, that Jimmy couldn’t fix. That was his relationship with his wife. He got her pregnant when he was only twenty. She was eighteen. They got married right after that. Jimmy was a good kid. His wife, Nadine, was not. She was crass and rude. She resented Jimmy helping people, because it didn’t make good money. She constantly fought against Jimmy’s choices. Nadine wanted Jimmy to charge people for every little thing. She kept the financial books at the shop. When Jimmy would go off to help a local, Nadine would fuss and fume, knowing he would never charge a dime for the help. This made Nadine angry for the rest of the day.
Jimmy would often hide from Nadine. He would work long hours in the repair shop just to get away. He often came home late at night and slipped into bed, hoping Nadine was asleep and not in a fighting mood. Then, he’d get up early before she could start an argument with him first thing in the morning. He started smoking. Then, he started drinking. Lately, he also began to visit a woman in the next county over. Jimmy was having an affair. Though married for years out of obligation, Jimmy would never divorce Nadine or straighten out his life. He thought marrying Nadine was the right thing to do. He thought hiding from Nadine kept the peace.
When Jimmy was young, he was at church almost every week. When he was in High School, he thought about being a preacher in the Baptist Church. He really liked helping people. He was a natural. However, all his plans in life changed when he got Nadine pregnant. Though he thought he was doing the right thing to marry her, he didn’t realize how Nadine’s ways would change his life. He didn’t realize how bad the marriage would be. The older he got, the worse the marriage got. The worse the marriage got, the more he would smoke and drink. The more drunk he got, the more he longed to find love in the next county over. Jimmy no longer went to church, even on Christmas and Easter. He is living so far from where God wanted him that he might never get back. The longer he lives on this path in life, the more it will destroy him.
I have met a good number of people like Jimmy. They are usually good people who have made some bad choices in life. They have found themselves on a path that has taken them far from the one God would have chosen. Sadly, they do not look for another path in life, one where God would walk alongside. They trudge on, knowing God isn’t near. Rather than making peace with God and trying to make things right, they choose to follow the path of least resistance or the path that feels good. This is their great mistake. There are some paths in life where God will not walk along side you. God will not be close to you while you live in sin or choose self-destruction. God walks on paths that bring life and healing and forgiveness and wholeness. Too many people choose to walk down paths that lead to temptation and sin and regret and loneliness and ruin.
In the scripture for today attributed to the apostle John, we are told that God is light (1 John 1:5). God not only created light, God blesses those who are willing to walk in the light. When you commit sin, you walk into darkness. Sinful thoughts and choices have a way of bringing that darkness alongside. God brings the light. If you are only willing to walk in spiritual darkness, where sin and regret and hatred and envy and jealousy are ever-present, you will not find God walking with you. God chooses to walk where people are willing to accept what is good and right. God walks where the light of justice and peace and forgiveness reign. If you walk in the darkness of sin, you may find yourself walking alone. There are places God will not walk.
In 1 John 1:6, John teaches that you can’t have fellowship with God if you “go on living in spiritual darkness” where lies and deception and sin are prevalent. God shows up where people are willing to “practice the truth” in love. If you walk down a path in life that leads to darkness and sin, God will not follow you. God will not walk beside you and protect you. You are on your own. If you are willing to lie, cheat, steal, and sin in order to keep going down the road you are on, God will not be there beside you.
It is a lie to say you have fellowship or closeness with God while you live in spiritual darkness. Of that, this scripture is most definitely clear. Is the path you are taking right now blessed by God? Are your choices of late those that bring spiritual darkness or light? Do you feel God walking with you or are you on the wrong path in life? I greatly desire that you remain close to God. You need God’s spiritual light in order to see clearly. Is there some spiritual darkness that is blinding your eyes as of late? Make things right by following God’s steps and voice. There is no other way to find your way back to the light.
When something went wrong or broke down, people would often call Jimmy. He was a good old boy who had a good head on his shoulders. He ran a car repair shop but was also known to fix everything from a leaky pipe to a combine that was acting up. He had a gift of fixing things. He had this innate ability to take something apart and figure out what was wrong with it. When something went wrong in town, people often stopped in to see Jimmy, to see if he could fix whatever was broken. From the mayor’s old MG to old Sally’s rocking chair, Jimmy had fixed thousands of things for people in his home town.
There was one thing, however, that Jimmy couldn’t fix. That was his relationship with his wife. He got her pregnant when he was only twenty. She was eighteen. They got married right after that. Jimmy was a good kid. His wife, Nadine, was not. She was crass and rude. She resented Jimmy helping people, because it didn’t make good money. She constantly fought against Jimmy’s choices. Nadine wanted Jimmy to charge people for every little thing. She kept the financial books at the shop. When Jimmy would go off to help a local, Nadine would fuss and fume, knowing he would never charge a dime for the help. This made Nadine angry for the rest of the day.
Jimmy would often hide from Nadine. He would work long hours in the repair shop just to get away. He often came home late at night and slipped into bed, hoping Nadine was asleep and not in a fighting mood. Then, he’d get up early before she could start an argument with him first thing in the morning. He started smoking. Then, he started drinking. Lately, he also began to visit a woman in the next county over. Jimmy was having an affair. Though married for years out of obligation, Jimmy would never divorce Nadine or straighten out his life. He thought marrying Nadine was the right thing to do. He thought hiding from Nadine kept the peace.
When Jimmy was young, he was at church almost every week. When he was in High School, he thought about being a preacher in the Baptist Church. He really liked helping people. He was a natural. However, all his plans in life changed when he got Nadine pregnant. Though he thought he was doing the right thing to marry her, he didn’t realize how Nadine’s ways would change his life. He didn’t realize how bad the marriage would be. The older he got, the worse the marriage got. The worse the marriage got, the more he would smoke and drink. The more drunk he got, the more he longed to find love in the next county over. Jimmy no longer went to church, even on Christmas and Easter. He is living so far from where God wanted him that he might never get back. The longer he lives on this path in life, the more it will destroy him.
I have met a good number of people like Jimmy. They are usually good people who have made some bad choices in life. They have found themselves on a path that has taken them far from the one God would have chosen. Sadly, they do not look for another path in life, one where God would walk alongside. They trudge on, knowing God isn’t near. Rather than making peace with God and trying to make things right, they choose to follow the path of least resistance or the path that feels good. This is their great mistake. There are some paths in life where God will not walk along side you. God will not be close to you while you live in sin or choose self-destruction. God walks on paths that bring life and healing and forgiveness and wholeness. Too many people choose to walk down paths that lead to temptation and sin and regret and loneliness and ruin.
In the scripture for today attributed to the apostle John, we are told that God is light (1 John 1:5). God not only created light, God blesses those who are willing to walk in the light. When you commit sin, you walk into darkness. Sinful thoughts and choices have a way of bringing that darkness alongside. God brings the light. If you are only willing to walk in spiritual darkness, where sin and regret and hatred and envy and jealousy are ever-present, you will not find God walking with you. God chooses to walk where people are willing to accept what is good and right. God walks where the light of justice and peace and forgiveness reign. If you walk in the darkness of sin, you may find yourself walking alone. There are places God will not walk.
In 1 John 1:6, John teaches that you can’t have fellowship with God if you “go on living in spiritual darkness” where lies and deception and sin are prevalent. God shows up where people are willing to “practice the truth” in love. If you walk down a path in life that leads to darkness and sin, God will not follow you. God will not walk beside you and protect you. You are on your own. If you are willing to lie, cheat, steal, and sin in order to keep going down the road you are on, God will not be there beside you.
It is a lie to say you have fellowship or closeness with God while you live in spiritual darkness. Of that, this scripture is most definitely clear. Is the path you are taking right now blessed by God? Are your choices of late those that bring spiritual darkness or light? Do you feel God walking with you or are you on the wrong path in life? I greatly desire that you remain close to God. You need God’s spiritual light in order to see clearly. Is there some spiritual darkness that is blinding your eyes as of late? Make things right by following God’s steps and voice. There is no other way to find your way back to the light.
October 27
““This will happen because these evil prophets deceive my people by saying, ‘All is peaceful’ when there is no peace at all! It’s as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash! Tell these whitewashers that their wall will soon fall down. A heavy rainstorm will undermine it; great hailstones and mighty winds will knock it down. And when the wall falls, the people will cry out, ‘What happened to your whitewash?’ “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will sweep away your whitewashed wall with a storm of indignation, with a great flood of anger, and with hailstones of fury. I will break down your wall right to its foundation, and when it falls, it will crush you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 13:10–14, NLT)
In the weeks preceding fall elections in the United States, there are always political fights pouring forth from those who seek office. One party slams the other. One tries to drag up all sorts of bad things against the other. Then come the many campaign promises. One promises this to one group and promises something opposite to another group. The politicians repeat what they believe the constituents want to hear. Do you think all those campaign promises will be fulfilled faithfully? Too much of politics is for show; they say what you want to hear. They try to woo you with flattering words. They cover up the truth with fine words and phrases and slogans. They make their platforms look pleasing and sensible. Deceptions are aplenty.
In the days of the prophet Ezekiel, the same things were happening. But the political leaders weren't the ones covering up their lies and making them look like the truth. The political powers weren't the ones shouting what everyone wanted to hear to look good. Believe it or not, some of the prophets were the ones making lies look good, covering up the bad, telling people what they wanted to hear. And it made God very angry. The prophet Ezekiel was told by God to condemn the prophets who shouted that God was happy with them "saying, ‘All is peaceful’ when there is no peace at all!" (Ezekiel 13:10). God was accusing these false prophets of "whitewashing" their lies. (Ezekiel 13:11)
Whitewash is like diluted white paint. Until recent times, people would paint something with whitewash to make it look good or new or better, even rotting wood! A house could be falling apart, but a person who wanted to deceive buyers might paint it with whitewash to sell it before it was condemned. Some put whitewash on old fences that were falling apart from rain exposure. From a distance, they looked fine, but up close you'd see the rot. Upon closer inspection, any good buyer would see that someone who used whitewash over rotting wood or a poorly built fence to hide the flaws,meant to deceive. What kind of person would use whitewash to cover up mistakes or rot on a building or fence or wall? Someone who is trying to cover up the truth.
That's just what Ezekiel was talking about in our scripture for today. The religious leaders of Ezekiel's time were covering up the truth. They were making things appear better than they were. In fact, some of the religious leaders were telling the king what to do politically, knowing God was against it. They were telling the king what he wanted to hear, just to get ahead. But God was against this. God wanted HIS prophets to tell the truth, not cover up lies. God rejected the falseness and manipulations that went along with the whitewash.
A woman was married to a controlling man. She had to fight for everything she got. One day, she told him she was going window shopping. He said, "Look, but don't buy."
A few hours later she came home with a new dress. "What is this?" her husband fumed. "I thought I told you to look but not buy!"
"Well," she explained, "I saw this lovely dress and thought I'd try it on, and when I did the devil said, 'It sure looks good on you."'
"Right then you should have told him, 'Get thee behind me, Satan,"' her husband exclaimed.
"I did," she answered, "but when he got behind me he said, 'It sure looks good from the back, too."'
(Bernard Brunsting, The Lord's Laughter, The Joyful Noiseletter, March 1992)
The devil will always manipulate you by telling you what you want to hear. He's good at whitewashing the truth.
The boss walks in the door. An employee sees him and says, "Good to see you, George. Nice tie." But in his mind he's thinking, "I hate this guy. He probably spent $100 on that tie and laid off an employee to afford it." It's whitewash, all whitewash.
From marriage to relationships to everyday life, it is so easy to cover up the truth, to whitewash your words. It is so easy to sin, but then tell yourself it wasn't a big sin, or to lie to yourself and think everybody's doing it. God doesn't want you to cover up things, to whitewash the problems in your life, to tell yourself things are better than they are. God wants you to confess your sins, be faithful in your dealings with others, and to be honest to with HIM.
The scripture for today ends with God promising a storm to wash off the whitewash, to expose the truth (Ezekiel 13:13,14). When God exposes the truth and lies in your life, how will you look? Will others see a different "you"? Will others be proud you told the God's-honest truth? Can others trust your words? You also might want to ask yourself, "Is someone whitewashing the truth with me?" This is a wise question for anyone who knows the scripture for today.
In the days of the prophet Ezekiel, the same things were happening. But the political leaders weren't the ones covering up their lies and making them look like the truth. The political powers weren't the ones shouting what everyone wanted to hear to look good. Believe it or not, some of the prophets were the ones making lies look good, covering up the bad, telling people what they wanted to hear. And it made God very angry. The prophet Ezekiel was told by God to condemn the prophets who shouted that God was happy with them "saying, ‘All is peaceful’ when there is no peace at all!" (Ezekiel 13:10). God was accusing these false prophets of "whitewashing" their lies. (Ezekiel 13:11)
Whitewash is like diluted white paint. Until recent times, people would paint something with whitewash to make it look good or new or better, even rotting wood! A house could be falling apart, but a person who wanted to deceive buyers might paint it with whitewash to sell it before it was condemned. Some put whitewash on old fences that were falling apart from rain exposure. From a distance, they looked fine, but up close you'd see the rot. Upon closer inspection, any good buyer would see that someone who used whitewash over rotting wood or a poorly built fence to hide the flaws,meant to deceive. What kind of person would use whitewash to cover up mistakes or rot on a building or fence or wall? Someone who is trying to cover up the truth.
That's just what Ezekiel was talking about in our scripture for today. The religious leaders of Ezekiel's time were covering up the truth. They were making things appear better than they were. In fact, some of the religious leaders were telling the king what to do politically, knowing God was against it. They were telling the king what he wanted to hear, just to get ahead. But God was against this. God wanted HIS prophets to tell the truth, not cover up lies. God rejected the falseness and manipulations that went along with the whitewash.
A woman was married to a controlling man. She had to fight for everything she got. One day, she told him she was going window shopping. He said, "Look, but don't buy."
A few hours later she came home with a new dress. "What is this?" her husband fumed. "I thought I told you to look but not buy!"
"Well," she explained, "I saw this lovely dress and thought I'd try it on, and when I did the devil said, 'It sure looks good on you."'
"Right then you should have told him, 'Get thee behind me, Satan,"' her husband exclaimed.
"I did," she answered, "but when he got behind me he said, 'It sure looks good from the back, too."'
(Bernard Brunsting, The Lord's Laughter, The Joyful Noiseletter, March 1992)
The devil will always manipulate you by telling you what you want to hear. He's good at whitewashing the truth.
The boss walks in the door. An employee sees him and says, "Good to see you, George. Nice tie." But in his mind he's thinking, "I hate this guy. He probably spent $100 on that tie and laid off an employee to afford it." It's whitewash, all whitewash.
From marriage to relationships to everyday life, it is so easy to cover up the truth, to whitewash your words. It is so easy to sin, but then tell yourself it wasn't a big sin, or to lie to yourself and think everybody's doing it. God doesn't want you to cover up things, to whitewash the problems in your life, to tell yourself things are better than they are. God wants you to confess your sins, be faithful in your dealings with others, and to be honest to with HIM.
The scripture for today ends with God promising a storm to wash off the whitewash, to expose the truth (Ezekiel 13:13,14). When God exposes the truth and lies in your life, how will you look? Will others see a different "you"? Will others be proud you told the God's-honest truth? Can others trust your words? You also might want to ask yourself, "Is someone whitewashing the truth with me?" This is a wise question for anyone who knows the scripture for today.
October 28
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10, ESV)
A family had become fed up with the noise and traffic of the city and decided to move to the country and try life in the wide open spaces. Intending to raise cattle, they bought a western ranch. Some friends came to visit a month later and asked them what they had named the ranch. The father said, "Well, I wanted to call it the Flying-W and my wife wanted to call it the Suzy-Q. But one of our sons liked the Bar-J and the other preferred the Lazy-Y. So we compromised and called it the Flying-W, Suzy-Q, Bar-J, Lazy-Y Ranch." Their friend asked, "Well, where are your cattle?" The man replied, "We don't have any. None of them survived the branding." (John C. Maxwell, Developing the Leader Within You, p.33 Thomas Nelson Publ. Nashville 1993)
While humorous, the story about the family above reminds us of the danger of trying to please everyone. If you are so caught up in pleasing someone, you will often make the mistakes of throwing caution, reason, or faith aside in order to look good to another person. You will jump through hoops in order to bring joy to another. You might even find yourself neglecting what you should do or what God wants in order to get another person to like you.
Dorothy was not very popular in High School. She was intelligent and witty, but lacked an appeal to the boys. After being teased by some of her friends, she decided to show them. A month later, she spent days flirting with a boy in order to seduce him at a school party. The boy was well liked and popular. She was thrilled. Within just a few dates, they had sex. Her friends were amazed that she "landed such a catch". To keep her boyfriend happy and continue her streak to popularity among her friends, she continued to have sex with her boyfriend. Six months later, she was pregnant and then had an abortion. Seven months later, her boyfriend dumped her for another girl. It was only then that Dorothy realized that she was got into the relationship because of the hassle of her friends. She had sex because that's what she thought would keep her boyfriend happy. She had the abortion to hide everything from her parents and keep them happy. Throughout the entire time, she wasn't even happy! She was doing everything to look good, be popular, be a good girl…. but she regretted it the whole while. To this day, she feels horrible that a child had to suffer and die just so she could learn her lesson.
In the scripture above from Galatians, the apostle Paul wrote about the danger of seeking the "approval of man" (Galatians 1:10). For Paul, "pleasing man" was antithetical to pleasing God. You can't please everyone all the time. You have to choose whom to please. If you are seeking the approval of a person, you can't be spending your time seeking God's approval. It’s a matter a priorities. This is made clear when Paul wrote toward the end of the verse that in "trying to please man, you CAN'T be a servant of Christ". Have you figured this out yet?
I am often surprised by those who try to please others in life. They think it will make them look good, when it often makes them look the opposite to God. Being subject to the "approval" of others makes you subject to them and their moods. Their happiness becomes your delight. Their disappointment becomes your shame. You will suffer at the whim of another. In the end, isn't it all about whom is manipulating whom? Reread this last sentence again!
Don't get caught up in the merry-go-round of people-pleasing. It won't go well. Christ doesn't look kindly upon it either. In the end, you become a stooge, and Christ is made to "play second fiddle" while you learn your lesson. Both you and your Lord deserve better.
While humorous, the story about the family above reminds us of the danger of trying to please everyone. If you are so caught up in pleasing someone, you will often make the mistakes of throwing caution, reason, or faith aside in order to look good to another person. You will jump through hoops in order to bring joy to another. You might even find yourself neglecting what you should do or what God wants in order to get another person to like you.
Dorothy was not very popular in High School. She was intelligent and witty, but lacked an appeal to the boys. After being teased by some of her friends, she decided to show them. A month later, she spent days flirting with a boy in order to seduce him at a school party. The boy was well liked and popular. She was thrilled. Within just a few dates, they had sex. Her friends were amazed that she "landed such a catch". To keep her boyfriend happy and continue her streak to popularity among her friends, she continued to have sex with her boyfriend. Six months later, she was pregnant and then had an abortion. Seven months later, her boyfriend dumped her for another girl. It was only then that Dorothy realized that she was got into the relationship because of the hassle of her friends. She had sex because that's what she thought would keep her boyfriend happy. She had the abortion to hide everything from her parents and keep them happy. Throughout the entire time, she wasn't even happy! She was doing everything to look good, be popular, be a good girl…. but she regretted it the whole while. To this day, she feels horrible that a child had to suffer and die just so she could learn her lesson.
In the scripture above from Galatians, the apostle Paul wrote about the danger of seeking the "approval of man" (Galatians 1:10). For Paul, "pleasing man" was antithetical to pleasing God. You can't please everyone all the time. You have to choose whom to please. If you are seeking the approval of a person, you can't be spending your time seeking God's approval. It’s a matter a priorities. This is made clear when Paul wrote toward the end of the verse that in "trying to please man, you CAN'T be a servant of Christ". Have you figured this out yet?
I am often surprised by those who try to please others in life. They think it will make them look good, when it often makes them look the opposite to God. Being subject to the "approval" of others makes you subject to them and their moods. Their happiness becomes your delight. Their disappointment becomes your shame. You will suffer at the whim of another. In the end, isn't it all about whom is manipulating whom? Reread this last sentence again!
Don't get caught up in the merry-go-round of people-pleasing. It won't go well. Christ doesn't look kindly upon it either. In the end, you become a stooge, and Christ is made to "play second fiddle" while you learn your lesson. Both you and your Lord deserve better.
October 29
“Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain.” (Proverbs 31:10–11, NKJV)
I have always been a strong advocate for equal rights for all people. I feel that equal work deserves equal pay, no matter who does the work. However, in the last decade or two, I've seen equality slip, not because a lot of people don't believe in equal rights and equal pay. It's slipped because people who don't deserve equal pay demand it. Instead of equal rights, we've ended up with "anti-oriented" groups and "pro-me" groups. Feminists of today often advocate for women's rights instead of human rights. I've seen and heard women advocate that men are the problem of everything bad in the world. Our world is filled with a "victimization attitude", where everyone else is at fault for me not getting what I think I deserve. We've moved away from a selfless love and concern for others to a demand to be heard. We've moved away from unselfish servant-hood to the mantra that people have a right to do what "they want" and to "live their life however they please". Of all the groups of people on this earth, modern worldly attitudes and beliefs have affected women more negatively than any other group.
Marriage rates are the lowest ever. Unwed mothers proliferate. More and more children grow up in poverty. Men don't want responsibility. Women are taught by society to be entitled. Women are taught that they "deserve" equal pay because of a "glass ceiling", even when they are not doing an equal job for that equal pay. Respect for women in society has decreased significantly. Groups like "Men Going Their Own Way" have proliferated, believing that "modern" women are no longer worth marrying and carry too much baggage. Society lies to women, saying they can have it all when that is impossible. Can you imagine the burden of a woman working full time, fully invested in her career, with five kids, a husband, a house, high pay, a college degree, at every PTA meeting, never missing her children's events and present at every high point of development, involved fully in her church and social life, and totally independent??????? I can't say that I know one woman who fits this model, and yet this is what the world teaches women about how to live. It's insanity.
The Bible has a very different view of feminism. It's found in Proverbs 31, an entire chapter of the Bible devoted to defining the perfect woman or wife. It's words show a model woman as a teacher (Proverbs 31:1), one who does "good and not harm" (Proverbs 31:12), a hard worker (Proverbs 31:13,19,24), a wise investor (Proverbs 31:16), strong yet dignified (Proverbs 31:17,25), a giving and caring soul (Proverbs 31:20) who is good for her husband and children (Proverbs 31:10,21,27,28). She is wise and yet kind (Proverbs 31:26). She is a provider. She is trustworthy (Proverbs 31:11). You can count on her. As the scripture above contends, a good wife is not only hard to find, but worth a great deal!
The Biblical view of a woman and wife contrasts greatly to the worldly view of a woman or wife seen today. Women today are taught to be demanding. The world says they should spend their time "demanding" equal pay, "pushing" for abortion and women's rights, "standing up" for themselves and other women, and to "expect" special treatment. Where the Proverbs 31 woman is trustworthy, dignified, and strong, the worldly woman tends to be demanding, pushy, independent to a fault, and concerned more about looks than character. Honestly, how many women do you know who ascribe to a Biblical model and how many fight tooth and nail for a worldly set of values? I have found very few women who care about being a "Biblical woman", and thousands who would rather be a "modern woman" or "raging feminist". The Biblical woman deserves absolute respect. God expects this of you. It's even in print (Proverbs 31:30, 31)! As for the "modern woman", I think she is an impossible, selfish, weak, worldly, and destructive person. Where the Biblical woman will bless those whose lives she touches, the worldly woman usually destroys relationships and values.
The scripture for today says, "Who can find a virtuous wife/woman?". Men are dying to find her. She is disappearing. We need her in the world. You are blessed by her presence in your life. Virtuous women have been some of my greatest teachers, best friends, and most trustworthy of companions. Why don't you let a few of those virtuous "biblical" women in your life know that you appreciate them and God does, too? If you are a woman reading this, I ask one final question: "Is God blessed by your virtuous life?"
Marriage rates are the lowest ever. Unwed mothers proliferate. More and more children grow up in poverty. Men don't want responsibility. Women are taught by society to be entitled. Women are taught that they "deserve" equal pay because of a "glass ceiling", even when they are not doing an equal job for that equal pay. Respect for women in society has decreased significantly. Groups like "Men Going Their Own Way" have proliferated, believing that "modern" women are no longer worth marrying and carry too much baggage. Society lies to women, saying they can have it all when that is impossible. Can you imagine the burden of a woman working full time, fully invested in her career, with five kids, a husband, a house, high pay, a college degree, at every PTA meeting, never missing her children's events and present at every high point of development, involved fully in her church and social life, and totally independent??????? I can't say that I know one woman who fits this model, and yet this is what the world teaches women about how to live. It's insanity.
The Bible has a very different view of feminism. It's found in Proverbs 31, an entire chapter of the Bible devoted to defining the perfect woman or wife. It's words show a model woman as a teacher (Proverbs 31:1), one who does "good and not harm" (Proverbs 31:12), a hard worker (Proverbs 31:13,19,24), a wise investor (Proverbs 31:16), strong yet dignified (Proverbs 31:17,25), a giving and caring soul (Proverbs 31:20) who is good for her husband and children (Proverbs 31:10,21,27,28). She is wise and yet kind (Proverbs 31:26). She is a provider. She is trustworthy (Proverbs 31:11). You can count on her. As the scripture above contends, a good wife is not only hard to find, but worth a great deal!
The Biblical view of a woman and wife contrasts greatly to the worldly view of a woman or wife seen today. Women today are taught to be demanding. The world says they should spend their time "demanding" equal pay, "pushing" for abortion and women's rights, "standing up" for themselves and other women, and to "expect" special treatment. Where the Proverbs 31 woman is trustworthy, dignified, and strong, the worldly woman tends to be demanding, pushy, independent to a fault, and concerned more about looks than character. Honestly, how many women do you know who ascribe to a Biblical model and how many fight tooth and nail for a worldly set of values? I have found very few women who care about being a "Biblical woman", and thousands who would rather be a "modern woman" or "raging feminist". The Biblical woman deserves absolute respect. God expects this of you. It's even in print (Proverbs 31:30, 31)! As for the "modern woman", I think she is an impossible, selfish, weak, worldly, and destructive person. Where the Biblical woman will bless those whose lives she touches, the worldly woman usually destroys relationships and values.
The scripture for today says, "Who can find a virtuous wife/woman?". Men are dying to find her. She is disappearing. We need her in the world. You are blessed by her presence in your life. Virtuous women have been some of my greatest teachers, best friends, and most trustworthy of companions. Why don't you let a few of those virtuous "biblical" women in your life know that you appreciate them and God does, too? If you are a woman reading this, I ask one final question: "Is God blessed by your virtuous life?"
October 30
“And so, from the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:9–10, RSV)
Some things in life are related. If you affect one, it will affect the other. If you change one, you will change the other. There are millions of examples of this. If you change out dead batteries in a toy for new ones, the toy will come to life again. If you move the thermostat setting up two degrees, the house will warm as the furnace kicks in. When you take the fall leaves out of a blocked gutter, the water should be able to flow through it again. In your spiritual life, there are also related elements that affect one another. Our scripture for today shows some of these elements and how they work together to mold a person into a more effective and beloved child of God.
Colossians 1:9 mentions Paul's intention to pray for the Colossian Christians. He was a founding leader of their church and cared deeply about their connection with God. In the letter of Colossians, Paul wrote that his prayers include the desire that God fill the Colossian Christians with "all spiritual wisdom and understanding". With spiritual wisdom and understanding, Paul knew that the faithful in that church would begin to "lead a life worthy of the Lord" (Colossians 1:9). If this spiritual wisdom was God-inspired, Paul knew that the people would then "please God". Then, they would bear spiritual "fruit" by both doing "good works" and "increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10). There is a spiritual progression dependent on the connections in these two verses. By growing in spiritual wisdom and an understanding of God in Jesus Christ, you then will begin to live a life "worthy of the Lord". This worthy life when continued will "please God". In response to God's blessing, you will then bear fruit in service and worship, increasing in the knowledge of God. Do you see the progression here?
The first step to pleasing God and growing close to God involves increasing your wisdom and knowledge about spiritual things. This is where a few things come into play. Worship is important to help you grow in the knowledge of God's will and purpose in the world. By saying prayers, you connect with God. Learning about the Bible and God's commands and promises, you will grow in a spiritual understanding about life. Through faithful interactions that develop with time, you will grow to understand your spiritual journey in life and God's purpose for the world. You will increasingly become familiar with spiritual feelings, the knowledge of the Bible, and an understanding of your salvation through Jesus Christ. Your relationship with God should strengthen. In response, you will please God. Then, with the blessing and help of God, you will move out to do good works and grow more deeply in your faith. All these elements found in Colossians 1:9-10 come into play. They are related. One affects the other.
Jane and Timothy wanted to get married. Coming from Christian families, they decided to have Jane's pastor do their wedding. Neither was close to Jane's pastor, but it was traditional in both families to get married in a church. It seemed the right thing to do, and it was. However, Jane's pastor was not very motivated. He was laid back and rather forgetful. He didn't require any pre-marital classes or any kind of reflection on their marriage as it relates to God and scripture. He just went through a "normal" wedding service, told them where to stand and what to say, and set the date. In the entire process, there was little interaction and no genuine conversation about faithful marriage. After the wedding ceremony, the couple thanked the pastor for the service, and went about their lives, never to darken the door of the church again.
What went wrong is that the pastor and church never really took the first step found in our scripture today. The pastor never helped the couple explore their spiritual knowledge. He never imparted God-given wisdom. He just went through the motions, said the appropriate words, and went back to his study to sign the civil documents. In many churches today, spiritual knowledge and wisdom are not imparted. Thus, many people are not making those important connections with God. Ultimately, they never please God, participate in good works, or grow in the knowledge of God. The relationship never blooms between many people and God, because those who have the spiritual wisdom aren't imparting it. Those who have grown in spiritual knowledge aren't putting that knowledge to work in actions of faith. God is never pleased. Spiritual depth never occurs. The connections with God wither on the vine.
Where are you on this spiritual progression? Are you still at the initial stages where you are still trying to grow in spiritual wisdom and faithful knowledge? Have you pleased God by growing closer to HIM? Are your good works increasing? Is your connection with God growing stronger? These things all affect each other. This spiritual progression is crucial if you ever want to grow close to God. Most of you have progressed to the point of great works and a great depth of Spirit. Some of you are still just starting out and have yet to please God. A good share of you not only please God, but you are taking your first steps into committed faithful works and Spiritual growth is growing. The Bible is becoming more alive for all of you. Your prayers will be increasingly deep and meaningful.
No matter where you are in this spiritual progression, I KNOW your life will always be better the farther along in this godly journey you are. God will not only be fully active in your life, you will learn the depths of love and compassion and repentance and salvation. This Spiritual walk will define your life and bless those around you. Of that, I have no doubt!
Colossians 1:9 mentions Paul's intention to pray for the Colossian Christians. He was a founding leader of their church and cared deeply about their connection with God. In the letter of Colossians, Paul wrote that his prayers include the desire that God fill the Colossian Christians with "all spiritual wisdom and understanding". With spiritual wisdom and understanding, Paul knew that the faithful in that church would begin to "lead a life worthy of the Lord" (Colossians 1:9). If this spiritual wisdom was God-inspired, Paul knew that the people would then "please God". Then, they would bear spiritual "fruit" by both doing "good works" and "increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10). There is a spiritual progression dependent on the connections in these two verses. By growing in spiritual wisdom and an understanding of God in Jesus Christ, you then will begin to live a life "worthy of the Lord". This worthy life when continued will "please God". In response to God's blessing, you will then bear fruit in service and worship, increasing in the knowledge of God. Do you see the progression here?
The first step to pleasing God and growing close to God involves increasing your wisdom and knowledge about spiritual things. This is where a few things come into play. Worship is important to help you grow in the knowledge of God's will and purpose in the world. By saying prayers, you connect with God. Learning about the Bible and God's commands and promises, you will grow in a spiritual understanding about life. Through faithful interactions that develop with time, you will grow to understand your spiritual journey in life and God's purpose for the world. You will increasingly become familiar with spiritual feelings, the knowledge of the Bible, and an understanding of your salvation through Jesus Christ. Your relationship with God should strengthen. In response, you will please God. Then, with the blessing and help of God, you will move out to do good works and grow more deeply in your faith. All these elements found in Colossians 1:9-10 come into play. They are related. One affects the other.
Jane and Timothy wanted to get married. Coming from Christian families, they decided to have Jane's pastor do their wedding. Neither was close to Jane's pastor, but it was traditional in both families to get married in a church. It seemed the right thing to do, and it was. However, Jane's pastor was not very motivated. He was laid back and rather forgetful. He didn't require any pre-marital classes or any kind of reflection on their marriage as it relates to God and scripture. He just went through a "normal" wedding service, told them where to stand and what to say, and set the date. In the entire process, there was little interaction and no genuine conversation about faithful marriage. After the wedding ceremony, the couple thanked the pastor for the service, and went about their lives, never to darken the door of the church again.
What went wrong is that the pastor and church never really took the first step found in our scripture today. The pastor never helped the couple explore their spiritual knowledge. He never imparted God-given wisdom. He just went through the motions, said the appropriate words, and went back to his study to sign the civil documents. In many churches today, spiritual knowledge and wisdom are not imparted. Thus, many people are not making those important connections with God. Ultimately, they never please God, participate in good works, or grow in the knowledge of God. The relationship never blooms between many people and God, because those who have the spiritual wisdom aren't imparting it. Those who have grown in spiritual knowledge aren't putting that knowledge to work in actions of faith. God is never pleased. Spiritual depth never occurs. The connections with God wither on the vine.
Where are you on this spiritual progression? Are you still at the initial stages where you are still trying to grow in spiritual wisdom and faithful knowledge? Have you pleased God by growing closer to HIM? Are your good works increasing? Is your connection with God growing stronger? These things all affect each other. This spiritual progression is crucial if you ever want to grow close to God. Most of you have progressed to the point of great works and a great depth of Spirit. Some of you are still just starting out and have yet to please God. A good share of you not only please God, but you are taking your first steps into committed faithful works and Spiritual growth is growing. The Bible is becoming more alive for all of you. Your prayers will be increasingly deep and meaningful.
No matter where you are in this spiritual progression, I KNOW your life will always be better the farther along in this godly journey you are. God will not only be fully active in your life, you will learn the depths of love and compassion and repentance and salvation. This Spiritual walk will define your life and bless those around you. Of that, I have no doubt!
October 31
“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.”
(1 John 4:1–3, NLT)
(1 John 4:1–3, NLT)
When you make a commitment to God through Jesus Christ, you become a Christian. As you live out the promises and obedience given that relationship, you become a faithful and true Christian. The basis for the word "Christian" is Christ, the Messiah. Thus, when you live for Jesus' sake, you become a "Christian" through that relationship with Jesus. An "Serbian" owes a commitment to Serbia. A "Mohammedan" is an ancient term for one who follows Mohammed. A "Christian" owes his or her life to Christ. That relationship should be the center of one's life and form the crux of who you are.
After becoming a true Christian with a deep relationship with Christ, it is important to follow the scripture above. 1 John 4:1 warns us "not to believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit". There are many spiritual and religious people in the world, but not all of them are of God. Not all of them have a true commitment to Christ. In the days in which this scripture was originally written, there were people who claimed to believe in Jesus as the Christ, but they did not believe he was "born of Mary". He did not suffer and die on a cross. He was a spiritual being, but not a physical one. These people were mostly Gnostics. They believed they knew Jesus, but they could not accept his real death on a cross. When John wrote the words above, he asked the real Christians to "test" others who spoke about our faith. John wanted them to make sure that the "spirit they have comes from God" (1 John 4:2). He even targets the Gnostics by writing: "if a person claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God" (1 John 4:2-3). In verse 2 above, the false prophets (Gnostics) denied Jesus had a "real body". Thus, they were not of God. They were from the "Antichrist" (1 John 4:3), sent to mess up the connection with the believer and the real Christ Jesus.
According to the scripture above, you can have a "Spirit of God" or you can have the "spirit of the Antichrist". Your job is to "test the spirits". An important aspect of being faithful to Jesus Christ involves checking to make sure that those you trust spiritually are those who have the Spirit of God. From priests to pastors to spiritual mentors and friends, you need to spiritually steer clear of those who do not have the "Spirit of God" in them. They can be friends, but not Christian friends. They can give advice, but not godly advice. God can work through them, but God is not in them.
Carolyn was always a spiritual person. She grew up attending worship in a Catholic Church. During her teens, she drifted away from the Catholic Church, remaining a Christian in name only. She was a wonderful person who was well liked by her friends. She had lots of friends. In her early twenties, Carolyn fell in love with a Peter, whom she met at a concert. The two hit it off and became inseparable. They married in 1969 and began a beautiful life together.
Seven years into the marriage, Carolyn and Peter began to have marriage problems. They fought the same old fights over and over. Wondering what to do, Carolyn expressed her frustration to her closest friend. This friend stated that men are born to cheat. They aren't wired like women. She talked about men being biologically antithetical to marriage. Can you tell her best friend was divorced? Carolyn began to drift away from her husband, spending more time with her best friend. After divorcing her husband, Carolyn began to get involved with an Eastern Meditation group. They taught that life was all spiritual and the purpose of life was to become one with "the spirit". The group met together regularly, some even moving in together in a large commune. Carolyn loved her new life, and highly respected the gurus who taught the group.
Ten years later, Carolyn's life was a mess. After her closest friend died, she began to question her life choices. She was poor and desperate. All her time and money was spent supporting the spiritual group she had migrated into. Desperately seeking some help, she visited a Catholic mission not far away. There, she met a priest who took her under his wing. He helped her find housing. A congregation helped her re-acclimate to her new life. A husband and wife stopped in often to check on her. For the first time in a long time, Carolyn felt spiritually connected again. To this day, she is very active in her parish in California.
There were many spiritual voices in Carolyn's life. Some weren't from God. Some were. Sadly, she wandered away from the people sent by God. She took spiritual advice and counseling from those who were not bearing the "Spirit of God". Many years of her life were wasted because of those who did not have a connection with Jesus Christ. Contrary to popular thinking, all religions and spiritual groups are NOT the same. True Christianity saves lives. I thank God for the priest who gave Carolyn a connection with God, for the people from her parish who took her in, for those who showed her love, and for Christ who redeemed her.
If you listen to spiritual advice from those who do not have the "Spirit of God", you will find yourself drifting away from God. Your life will suffer for the loss of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. You were meant to be godly. You were meant to rely on the "Spirit of God". God ordained your life to have a relationship with Jesus. God sends HIS Spirit to comfort and direct you. Before you make your choices in life or listen to spiritual advice, you NEED to find those who have the "Spirit of God" in them. The person with the "spirit of the Antichrist" is always ready to give spiritual advice and lead you down the wrong paths in life. According to this scripture, you need to figure out which spiritual people are trustworthy in Christ Jesus.
I celebrate the Spirit of God that is in you and brought you to reading this. I'm excited about what wonderful additions you will bring to God's work and world. God will bless you and protect you as you walk this spiritual walk of life. Just be wise in taking advice. You want the advice to come from God, not from somewhere else!
After becoming a true Christian with a deep relationship with Christ, it is important to follow the scripture above. 1 John 4:1 warns us "not to believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit". There are many spiritual and religious people in the world, but not all of them are of God. Not all of them have a true commitment to Christ. In the days in which this scripture was originally written, there were people who claimed to believe in Jesus as the Christ, but they did not believe he was "born of Mary". He did not suffer and die on a cross. He was a spiritual being, but not a physical one. These people were mostly Gnostics. They believed they knew Jesus, but they could not accept his real death on a cross. When John wrote the words above, he asked the real Christians to "test" others who spoke about our faith. John wanted them to make sure that the "spirit they have comes from God" (1 John 4:2). He even targets the Gnostics by writing: "if a person claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God" (1 John 4:2-3). In verse 2 above, the false prophets (Gnostics) denied Jesus had a "real body". Thus, they were not of God. They were from the "Antichrist" (1 John 4:3), sent to mess up the connection with the believer and the real Christ Jesus.
According to the scripture above, you can have a "Spirit of God" or you can have the "spirit of the Antichrist". Your job is to "test the spirits". An important aspect of being faithful to Jesus Christ involves checking to make sure that those you trust spiritually are those who have the Spirit of God. From priests to pastors to spiritual mentors and friends, you need to spiritually steer clear of those who do not have the "Spirit of God" in them. They can be friends, but not Christian friends. They can give advice, but not godly advice. God can work through them, but God is not in them.
Carolyn was always a spiritual person. She grew up attending worship in a Catholic Church. During her teens, she drifted away from the Catholic Church, remaining a Christian in name only. She was a wonderful person who was well liked by her friends. She had lots of friends. In her early twenties, Carolyn fell in love with a Peter, whom she met at a concert. The two hit it off and became inseparable. They married in 1969 and began a beautiful life together.
Seven years into the marriage, Carolyn and Peter began to have marriage problems. They fought the same old fights over and over. Wondering what to do, Carolyn expressed her frustration to her closest friend. This friend stated that men are born to cheat. They aren't wired like women. She talked about men being biologically antithetical to marriage. Can you tell her best friend was divorced? Carolyn began to drift away from her husband, spending more time with her best friend. After divorcing her husband, Carolyn began to get involved with an Eastern Meditation group. They taught that life was all spiritual and the purpose of life was to become one with "the spirit". The group met together regularly, some even moving in together in a large commune. Carolyn loved her new life, and highly respected the gurus who taught the group.
Ten years later, Carolyn's life was a mess. After her closest friend died, she began to question her life choices. She was poor and desperate. All her time and money was spent supporting the spiritual group she had migrated into. Desperately seeking some help, she visited a Catholic mission not far away. There, she met a priest who took her under his wing. He helped her find housing. A congregation helped her re-acclimate to her new life. A husband and wife stopped in often to check on her. For the first time in a long time, Carolyn felt spiritually connected again. To this day, she is very active in her parish in California.
There were many spiritual voices in Carolyn's life. Some weren't from God. Some were. Sadly, she wandered away from the people sent by God. She took spiritual advice and counseling from those who were not bearing the "Spirit of God". Many years of her life were wasted because of those who did not have a connection with Jesus Christ. Contrary to popular thinking, all religions and spiritual groups are NOT the same. True Christianity saves lives. I thank God for the priest who gave Carolyn a connection with God, for the people from her parish who took her in, for those who showed her love, and for Christ who redeemed her.
If you listen to spiritual advice from those who do not have the "Spirit of God", you will find yourself drifting away from God. Your life will suffer for the loss of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. You were meant to be godly. You were meant to rely on the "Spirit of God". God ordained your life to have a relationship with Jesus. God sends HIS Spirit to comfort and direct you. Before you make your choices in life or listen to spiritual advice, you NEED to find those who have the "Spirit of God" in them. The person with the "spirit of the Antichrist" is always ready to give spiritual advice and lead you down the wrong paths in life. According to this scripture, you need to figure out which spiritual people are trustworthy in Christ Jesus.
I celebrate the Spirit of God that is in you and brought you to reading this. I'm excited about what wonderful additions you will bring to God's work and world. God will bless you and protect you as you walk this spiritual walk of life. Just be wise in taking advice. You want the advice to come from God, not from somewhere else!