September 1
“’Then I, myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem’, says the LORD. ‘And I will be the glory inside the city!’ ”
(Zechariah 2:5, NLT)
(Zechariah 2:5, NLT)
The scripture for today from the pages of Zechariah in the Old Testament speak of God being “a protective wall of fire” for Jerusalem. These words were written by the prophet Zechariah to forewarn the faithful that at a dangerous time in the future, Jerusalem would be rendered safe and protected by the power of Almighty God. Jews who take shelter in Jerusalem would be guarded. God’s “glory” would be seen and felt inside the city during that dangerous time. Despite the strength of enemies of God outside the city, the people would be protected inside the city. Jerusalem would be a perfect, protected, holy sanctuary for all those who seek God’s help within the city gates. God’s wall of fire would give ample security.
In the Middle Ages, castles would often be built with a moat made of water around them. This water around the castle would protect the castle walls, keeping enemies from climbing the walls and entering the city to attack it. However, the water of the moat was not its only protection. There is historical evidence that people of this ancient time would pour oil on the water of the moat and then light it on fire. The oil could burn for a long time, protecting the castle from enemies with a wall of fire around the perimeter. Even when the fire receded as the oil was burned off, more oil could be added. As long as the fire burned in the moat or even the danger of fire existed, foreign invaders dared not attempt to breach the castle. It was just too dangerous. The wall of fire gave fine protection from invasion.
In the book of Exodus, we are told of a special protective “pillar of fire” that gave security to the people of Israel as they left Egypt. This pillar of fire blocked the advancing Egyptians from attacking the people of Israel as they left Egypt. Every night the pillar of fire appeared and protected the people from harm (Exodus 13:21). The Egyptians armies, though much stronger than Israel, could never penetrate that pillar of fire sent by God Almighty.
Throughout the Bible, there are many examples of God’s protection. One might even say that our God is a “protective God”. God used a variety of methods and tools to protect the faithful. A powerful “pillar of cloud” protected the fleeing Israelites from Egyptian armies during the long days of exodus (Nehemiah 9:12). An angel sent from God protected and advised Elijah when he challenged the King of Samaria (2 Kings 1). An angel also freed the apostles from prison in Jerusalem so they might spread the gospel (Acts 5). The prophet Isaiah described God’s protection of Jerusalem during critical moments of the dangerous 6th century BC like “birds hovering” above the city (Isaiah 31:5). Many other scriptures reaffirm that God has a protective instinct that brings safety and security to the faithful at the perfect time when needed.
God’s protective wall of fire also is also available to you. You may not see that wall of fire at times; you may not notice God’s angels for example, but these protections are often there. These protective forces of God may be invisible to the naked eye, but they are not invisible to evil forces. God’s protection is powerful and impenetrable.
Phil Larimore served in World War 2. He was wounded 5 times and lost his leg in combat. Years after the war, Phil’s son Walt asked his dad if he had a personal relationship with God. Walt was a pastor and wanted to be sure. His dad reached into his wallet and pulled out a piece of paper. Phil had carried that piece of paper throughout his entire time in war. That paper held a poem that read:
“No shell or bomb can on me burst, except my God permit it first.
Then let my heart be kept in peace;
His watchful care will never cease.
No bomb above, nor mine below, need cause my
heart one pang of woe.
The Lord of Hosts encircles me; He is the Lord of earth and sea.”
This poem reminded Phil Larimore that God would protect him in war no matter what. If he should die, it would only be by God’s permission. It would only be when God the Father was to bring Phil home to Heaven. Even though Phil suffered injuries, he believed God was protecting him the entire time he served overseas and until he breathed his last on October 31, 2003. (See Phil’s entire story at https://todayschristianliving.org/at-first-light/)
Do you have such confidence that the Lord is protecting you? You should. God’s protective instincts are legendary. They are biblical. They are real. They are available to you…. right now!
If you ever feel you need special protection from God, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Then, trust in God’s protection. It will be there. As surely as the wall of fire will protect Jerusalem as predicted by Zechariah, God’s wall of protection will extend to all the faithful in their day of need. And remember, God may best protect you by bringing you to His home in Heaven!
In the Middle Ages, castles would often be built with a moat made of water around them. This water around the castle would protect the castle walls, keeping enemies from climbing the walls and entering the city to attack it. However, the water of the moat was not its only protection. There is historical evidence that people of this ancient time would pour oil on the water of the moat and then light it on fire. The oil could burn for a long time, protecting the castle from enemies with a wall of fire around the perimeter. Even when the fire receded as the oil was burned off, more oil could be added. As long as the fire burned in the moat or even the danger of fire existed, foreign invaders dared not attempt to breach the castle. It was just too dangerous. The wall of fire gave fine protection from invasion.
In the book of Exodus, we are told of a special protective “pillar of fire” that gave security to the people of Israel as they left Egypt. This pillar of fire blocked the advancing Egyptians from attacking the people of Israel as they left Egypt. Every night the pillar of fire appeared and protected the people from harm (Exodus 13:21). The Egyptians armies, though much stronger than Israel, could never penetrate that pillar of fire sent by God Almighty.
Throughout the Bible, there are many examples of God’s protection. One might even say that our God is a “protective God”. God used a variety of methods and tools to protect the faithful. A powerful “pillar of cloud” protected the fleeing Israelites from Egyptian armies during the long days of exodus (Nehemiah 9:12). An angel sent from God protected and advised Elijah when he challenged the King of Samaria (2 Kings 1). An angel also freed the apostles from prison in Jerusalem so they might spread the gospel (Acts 5). The prophet Isaiah described God’s protection of Jerusalem during critical moments of the dangerous 6th century BC like “birds hovering” above the city (Isaiah 31:5). Many other scriptures reaffirm that God has a protective instinct that brings safety and security to the faithful at the perfect time when needed.
God’s protective wall of fire also is also available to you. You may not see that wall of fire at times; you may not notice God’s angels for example, but these protections are often there. These protective forces of God may be invisible to the naked eye, but they are not invisible to evil forces. God’s protection is powerful and impenetrable.
Phil Larimore served in World War 2. He was wounded 5 times and lost his leg in combat. Years after the war, Phil’s son Walt asked his dad if he had a personal relationship with God. Walt was a pastor and wanted to be sure. His dad reached into his wallet and pulled out a piece of paper. Phil had carried that piece of paper throughout his entire time in war. That paper held a poem that read:
“No shell or bomb can on me burst, except my God permit it first.
Then let my heart be kept in peace;
His watchful care will never cease.
No bomb above, nor mine below, need cause my
heart one pang of woe.
The Lord of Hosts encircles me; He is the Lord of earth and sea.”
This poem reminded Phil Larimore that God would protect him in war no matter what. If he should die, it would only be by God’s permission. It would only be when God the Father was to bring Phil home to Heaven. Even though Phil suffered injuries, he believed God was protecting him the entire time he served overseas and until he breathed his last on October 31, 2003. (See Phil’s entire story at https://todayschristianliving.org/at-first-light/)
Do you have such confidence that the Lord is protecting you? You should. God’s protective instincts are legendary. They are biblical. They are real. They are available to you…. right now!
If you ever feel you need special protection from God, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Then, trust in God’s protection. It will be there. As surely as the wall of fire will protect Jerusalem as predicted by Zechariah, God’s wall of protection will extend to all the faithful in their day of need. And remember, God may best protect you by bringing you to His home in Heaven!
September 3
“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength...” (Isaiah 40:29–31, ESV)
Two weeks into the fall season, Pastor Tom felt exhausted. For two months, he worked with groups in the church to revamp the curriculum in the Sunday School, paint and redecorate the Sunday School rooms, and train some new teachers. The extra meetings and workdays added many hours to his normal workload of weddings, funerals, leading worship, and so much more. Pastor Tom felt ragged. The busier things became, the weaker Tom felt. Finally, Pastor Tom increased his prayer time, hoping God would give him extra strength to throw into his work. A few days later, Tom got a severe cold and ended up in bed for six days.
Lying in bed, Pastor Tom poured out his soul to God. He felt guilty taking time for bedrest when everybody at the church was busy with all the new fall meetings and programs. He wondered why God hadn’t heard his prayer and given him more strength. Instead, Pastor Tom laid in bed, weak as a dog, fevers causing him to feel worn out and shaky. On the third day of his bedrest, frustrated and feeling sorry for himself and worthless at the same time, Pastor Tom just fell asleep. He slept more than twenty-five hours over the next two days.
As Pastor Tom began feeling better, he sat outside in a chair in the warm sunshine. With his energy coming back, he shared an afternoon with his wife. As she pulled weeds from the garden, Tom sat on a chair and just spent time talking with her. Later that day, he reflected that it was one of the most memorable afternoons of his life. His wife commented that they spent more time alone together that day than they had since their wedding!
The day before Pastor Tom went back to work, he realized that he was burnt out emotionally and spiritually the week before. His illness was probably brought on by his long hours of work and the stress of all the added meetings and programs. While Tom had been praying to God for more strength to do even more, he should have been seeking God’s help for his burnout. Pastor Tom’s cold virus forced him to stop working. While his body was recovering, Tom’s soul began healing. Tom didn’t need more strength from God to do more work. Tom needed God’s healing strength and rest and patience. Why couldn’t he recognize that before he got sick?
There will be times in your life when burnout or tiredness or overwork take their toll. You too may pray to God for more strength. God may grant you more strength to complete your tasks. However, sometimes, burnout requires you to refocus your energy. God will shake things up in your life so that you quit focusing on doing more and begin to let go of the stresses and busy-ness and pressures weighing you down. When burnout hits, you may want more strength from God when what God knows you need is quiet and patience and peace to heal body and soul. You need spiritual rest and time to recover.
Did you notice how Pastor Tom became sick when he was working too hard? His physical body was weakened by all the stress and pressure, and he succumbed to illness. The same thing happens spiritually. When you push your soul too hard or stuff things down in your heart, after a while spiritual illness will occur. Then, you may have a difficult time figuring out what you need. You may not be able to discern what God is saying to you. That’s the perfect time to slow down, make changes, let go of some of your burdens, and give your soul time to “catch up” with your life. True healing may require that you back away from some of your commitments or rid your mind of some worldly influences. Are you relying more on your own strength than God’s power, causing God to step in and make some changes?
In the book, Embracing Eternity, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins wrote about spiritual burnout. Speaking from their own personal experience, they included the following words of wisdom:
“WE’VE ALL experienced spiritual burnout at one time or another. We’ve all gone through days, weeks, or months of feeling far from God. We may not doubt his goodness or mercy; we just don’t feel as close to him as we once did. We become dry and tired and lonely. Our prayers become stale, and our worship seems forced and empty.
In the middle of this project, I went through a short period of spiritual burnout. It started with a bout of the flu a couple of months ago. I spent a week getting over my sickness and on the heels of that felt completely exhausted spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Hard as I tried, I couldn’t shake it. Writing became a chore, not a joy, as it usually is. Thankfully I had the opportunity to get away for a long weekend with my son. We went to a men’s conference in the mountains, where we attended a number of great classes and spent our free time fly-fishing in the Arkansas River. I came home utterly revived and ready to get back to work.
Spiritual burnout comes to us when we least expect it, and often when we can least afford to feel far from God. These are times when we most need to feel God’s hand on our shoulder and hear his gentle whisper in our heart. Oftentimes it is a sign that we are pouring ourselves out more than we are allowing God to fill us. It comes when we spend more time focusing on the things we are doing for God than we do reflecting on the Source behind our ministry. And the cure for burnout is to allow God to renew our strength with his.
“He gives power to those who are tired and worn out,” says the prophet Isaiah; “he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength” (Isaiah 40:29–30).
During times of spiritual burnout, the temptation for most of us is to chase after the Lord. We cry out to him and wear ourselves thin trying to get him to revive our spirit. Maybe what we should do instead is to wait on him. To stop chasing and start relaxing. To rest in his presence and allow him to work. To meditate on his Word. To get away and listen. The best approach to finding revival from God is to simply linger in his presence. A few days of fly-fishing may be just what you need!” (P. 261).
According to the scripture for today, God does give “strength to the weak”. God does bring spiritual power to “those who are tired and worn out” (Isaiah 40:29). However, don’t ever forget that during burnout, God’s strength and power may only occur when you “wait upon the Lord” (Isaiah 40:30). It may only appear when you let go of worldly expectations and find patience and rest in the Lord. Spiritual burnout may only cease when you reorganize your priorities, focus on something different, or let go of some wrongful thinking that got you in trouble in the first place!
Maybe what is hindering you from more spiritual strength is your own attitude. Do you want to push harder when God is saying slow down? Do you tend to throw yourself into fixing things when God wants you to have patience to let Him work? Spiritual burnout is a sign that something is seriously wrong in your life. Waiting on the Lord to reveal why you are hurting may be frustrating. You may not feel God’s closeness. You might feel abandoned by God. What may actually be happening is that you are not listening to your Lord, OR you might be impatient in waiting for God’s perfect timing!
Lying in bed, Pastor Tom poured out his soul to God. He felt guilty taking time for bedrest when everybody at the church was busy with all the new fall meetings and programs. He wondered why God hadn’t heard his prayer and given him more strength. Instead, Pastor Tom laid in bed, weak as a dog, fevers causing him to feel worn out and shaky. On the third day of his bedrest, frustrated and feeling sorry for himself and worthless at the same time, Pastor Tom just fell asleep. He slept more than twenty-five hours over the next two days.
As Pastor Tom began feeling better, he sat outside in a chair in the warm sunshine. With his energy coming back, he shared an afternoon with his wife. As she pulled weeds from the garden, Tom sat on a chair and just spent time talking with her. Later that day, he reflected that it was one of the most memorable afternoons of his life. His wife commented that they spent more time alone together that day than they had since their wedding!
The day before Pastor Tom went back to work, he realized that he was burnt out emotionally and spiritually the week before. His illness was probably brought on by his long hours of work and the stress of all the added meetings and programs. While Tom had been praying to God for more strength to do even more, he should have been seeking God’s help for his burnout. Pastor Tom’s cold virus forced him to stop working. While his body was recovering, Tom’s soul began healing. Tom didn’t need more strength from God to do more work. Tom needed God’s healing strength and rest and patience. Why couldn’t he recognize that before he got sick?
There will be times in your life when burnout or tiredness or overwork take their toll. You too may pray to God for more strength. God may grant you more strength to complete your tasks. However, sometimes, burnout requires you to refocus your energy. God will shake things up in your life so that you quit focusing on doing more and begin to let go of the stresses and busy-ness and pressures weighing you down. When burnout hits, you may want more strength from God when what God knows you need is quiet and patience and peace to heal body and soul. You need spiritual rest and time to recover.
Did you notice how Pastor Tom became sick when he was working too hard? His physical body was weakened by all the stress and pressure, and he succumbed to illness. The same thing happens spiritually. When you push your soul too hard or stuff things down in your heart, after a while spiritual illness will occur. Then, you may have a difficult time figuring out what you need. You may not be able to discern what God is saying to you. That’s the perfect time to slow down, make changes, let go of some of your burdens, and give your soul time to “catch up” with your life. True healing may require that you back away from some of your commitments or rid your mind of some worldly influences. Are you relying more on your own strength than God’s power, causing God to step in and make some changes?
In the book, Embracing Eternity, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins wrote about spiritual burnout. Speaking from their own personal experience, they included the following words of wisdom:
“WE’VE ALL experienced spiritual burnout at one time or another. We’ve all gone through days, weeks, or months of feeling far from God. We may not doubt his goodness or mercy; we just don’t feel as close to him as we once did. We become dry and tired and lonely. Our prayers become stale, and our worship seems forced and empty.
In the middle of this project, I went through a short period of spiritual burnout. It started with a bout of the flu a couple of months ago. I spent a week getting over my sickness and on the heels of that felt completely exhausted spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Hard as I tried, I couldn’t shake it. Writing became a chore, not a joy, as it usually is. Thankfully I had the opportunity to get away for a long weekend with my son. We went to a men’s conference in the mountains, where we attended a number of great classes and spent our free time fly-fishing in the Arkansas River. I came home utterly revived and ready to get back to work.
Spiritual burnout comes to us when we least expect it, and often when we can least afford to feel far from God. These are times when we most need to feel God’s hand on our shoulder and hear his gentle whisper in our heart. Oftentimes it is a sign that we are pouring ourselves out more than we are allowing God to fill us. It comes when we spend more time focusing on the things we are doing for God than we do reflecting on the Source behind our ministry. And the cure for burnout is to allow God to renew our strength with his.
“He gives power to those who are tired and worn out,” says the prophet Isaiah; “he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength” (Isaiah 40:29–30).
During times of spiritual burnout, the temptation for most of us is to chase after the Lord. We cry out to him and wear ourselves thin trying to get him to revive our spirit. Maybe what we should do instead is to wait on him. To stop chasing and start relaxing. To rest in his presence and allow him to work. To meditate on his Word. To get away and listen. The best approach to finding revival from God is to simply linger in his presence. A few days of fly-fishing may be just what you need!” (P. 261).
According to the scripture for today, God does give “strength to the weak”. God does bring spiritual power to “those who are tired and worn out” (Isaiah 40:29). However, don’t ever forget that during burnout, God’s strength and power may only occur when you “wait upon the Lord” (Isaiah 40:30). It may only appear when you let go of worldly expectations and find patience and rest in the Lord. Spiritual burnout may only cease when you reorganize your priorities, focus on something different, or let go of some wrongful thinking that got you in trouble in the first place!
Maybe what is hindering you from more spiritual strength is your own attitude. Do you want to push harder when God is saying slow down? Do you tend to throw yourself into fixing things when God wants you to have patience to let Him work? Spiritual burnout is a sign that something is seriously wrong in your life. Waiting on the Lord to reveal why you are hurting may be frustrating. You may not feel God’s closeness. You might feel abandoned by God. What may actually be happening is that you are not listening to your Lord, OR you might be impatient in waiting for God’s perfect timing!
September 6
“Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!”” (John 13:21, NLT)
In a moment that should have been filled with joy, Jesus uttered gut-wrenching words to His disciples. Gathering with His disciples in the upper room, Jesus spent a beautiful meal with the disciples. It was the Passover. It was a holy time in the holy land. It was a time for families to be close, for people to gather together and celebrate. It was a holy, treasured moment. And in that precious time, Jesus confided to His closest followers: “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!” (John 13:21). The scripture tells us that when Jesus spoke these words, He was “deeply troubled”. His heart must have ached. He was hurting. He was overcome with intense emotional pain. One of His own disciples, one who had seen the healings and miracles, was going to betray Him. Of course, Judas was the one to betray Jesus. Judas turned against Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. In the end, Judas’ regret at the betrayal caused him to commit suicide. No wonder Jesus was visibly shaken and “deeply troubled”.
It's a terrible thing to realize when someone so close to you has betrayed you and broken your trust. The hurt is deep. It is heart-shattering. Maybe you have felt this intense hurt, this “deeply troubled” pain. Has someone ever betrayed your trust?
“CIA hearings held in 1982 revealed that the Abwehr, Germany’s Intelligence service in World War II, had been seriously compromised by Allied agents. Allen Dulles, then chief of OSS, reported that 10 percent of the Abwehr was involved in passing information to the Allies. He even had direct communication with Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, the Abwehr chief. Included was some of the first information about the guided missiles Germany would deploy as the V1 and V2 rockets. Irreplaceable intelligence came to America and her allies from the very heart of the enemy. News of German decisions at the highest level were passed to Moscow, Washington, and London.” (p. 99, Speaker’s Sourcebook). Adolf Hitler had no idea this was happening. The betrayal was occurring in the highest levels of his government. It helped to bring down the Third Reich.
While the world is thankful for those who helped to defeat evil Nazi Germany through their betrayal, it is a terrible thing when godliness is subverted through the same method. When innocent and godly people are betrayed, it is a shameful thing. When those who tell the truth and stand for what is right are betrayed by those who will be paid off for their evil, the world suffers. In the same way that Jesus suffered because of the betrayal by Judas, good people suffer every day due to the betrayal of those who do not care to be holy, good, virtuous, righteous, or faithful.
I just hope this won’t be you!
Every one of us has the capability to betray our Lord. You and I could easily be a Judas. What amount of money might cause you to do something wrong or evil? What kind of pressure could someone put on you to sell out a good person? To keep something secret, would you be willing to sell your soul or turn against a trusted friend?
After buying a new restaurant, a businessman wanted to see for himself why the place was losing money. He believed that the food was great, the staff was competent, and the location was perfect. For some reason, the restaurant lost money year after year. To get an inside perspective on what was hampering the success, the businessman got himself hired on anonymously as a dishwasher. He spent three months working forty to fifty hours in the kitchen area. What he saw gave him chills. The manager was a slave driver. He ruled with an iron fist. He thought nothing of making fun of the employees. His attitude was toxic to the working environment.
One day, while doing his shift, the owner was busy washing dishes when the manager approached the chef. The manager said quietly, “Don’t screw this up Vargas. You don’t say anything, and you keep your job. That’s how this works.” The chef responded, “I’ll keep my mouth shut. You just make sure I get my raise.” The manager nodded. Looking up, the manager saw that the dishwasher/owner was listening. The manager said, “If you want to keep your job, you better keep your ears closed and your mouth shut. Got it? Or should I put something negative on your work record? No one will hire you if I give you a bad recommendation; are you aware of that?” The dishwasher/owner bowed his head and kept working. The manager thought he had everything under control.
In the end, the dishwasher/owner found out that the manager and chef had been scheming against the owners. They had been purchasing extra food and charging it to the restaurant, only to sell it on the side at a hefty profit. Only employees who kept the secret were allowed to keep their jobs. The dishwasher/owner fired the entire staff, reported the theft, and reorganized the financials. Today, that small-town restaurant is not only profitable but a bedrock for that downtown area.
Betrayals happen all too often. A betrayal happened to Jesus. What makes you think it couldn’t happen to you? It’s heart-breaking and “deeply troubling” to know that someone you care about has broken your trust. I just hope there is never a day when you betray our Lord. I hope that not only Jesus, but others can trust your word, rely on your commitment, and see you as faithful.
Jesus’ heart was broken by the betrayal of a trusted disciple. He’d be just as crushed if you were to betray the faith, sell out a faithful friend, or deceive a person who is relying on your integrity. Don’t go there… ever! Remember how Judas felt after he betrayed Jesus?
Today, I want you to celebrate all those times in which you remained faithful and did not betray the trust of Jesus. Enjoy the blessing of God if you have been trustworthy in your dealings with others.
It's a terrible thing to realize when someone so close to you has betrayed you and broken your trust. The hurt is deep. It is heart-shattering. Maybe you have felt this intense hurt, this “deeply troubled” pain. Has someone ever betrayed your trust?
“CIA hearings held in 1982 revealed that the Abwehr, Germany’s Intelligence service in World War II, had been seriously compromised by Allied agents. Allen Dulles, then chief of OSS, reported that 10 percent of the Abwehr was involved in passing information to the Allies. He even had direct communication with Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, the Abwehr chief. Included was some of the first information about the guided missiles Germany would deploy as the V1 and V2 rockets. Irreplaceable intelligence came to America and her allies from the very heart of the enemy. News of German decisions at the highest level were passed to Moscow, Washington, and London.” (p. 99, Speaker’s Sourcebook). Adolf Hitler had no idea this was happening. The betrayal was occurring in the highest levels of his government. It helped to bring down the Third Reich.
While the world is thankful for those who helped to defeat evil Nazi Germany through their betrayal, it is a terrible thing when godliness is subverted through the same method. When innocent and godly people are betrayed, it is a shameful thing. When those who tell the truth and stand for what is right are betrayed by those who will be paid off for their evil, the world suffers. In the same way that Jesus suffered because of the betrayal by Judas, good people suffer every day due to the betrayal of those who do not care to be holy, good, virtuous, righteous, or faithful.
I just hope this won’t be you!
Every one of us has the capability to betray our Lord. You and I could easily be a Judas. What amount of money might cause you to do something wrong or evil? What kind of pressure could someone put on you to sell out a good person? To keep something secret, would you be willing to sell your soul or turn against a trusted friend?
After buying a new restaurant, a businessman wanted to see for himself why the place was losing money. He believed that the food was great, the staff was competent, and the location was perfect. For some reason, the restaurant lost money year after year. To get an inside perspective on what was hampering the success, the businessman got himself hired on anonymously as a dishwasher. He spent three months working forty to fifty hours in the kitchen area. What he saw gave him chills. The manager was a slave driver. He ruled with an iron fist. He thought nothing of making fun of the employees. His attitude was toxic to the working environment.
One day, while doing his shift, the owner was busy washing dishes when the manager approached the chef. The manager said quietly, “Don’t screw this up Vargas. You don’t say anything, and you keep your job. That’s how this works.” The chef responded, “I’ll keep my mouth shut. You just make sure I get my raise.” The manager nodded. Looking up, the manager saw that the dishwasher/owner was listening. The manager said, “If you want to keep your job, you better keep your ears closed and your mouth shut. Got it? Or should I put something negative on your work record? No one will hire you if I give you a bad recommendation; are you aware of that?” The dishwasher/owner bowed his head and kept working. The manager thought he had everything under control.
In the end, the dishwasher/owner found out that the manager and chef had been scheming against the owners. They had been purchasing extra food and charging it to the restaurant, only to sell it on the side at a hefty profit. Only employees who kept the secret were allowed to keep their jobs. The dishwasher/owner fired the entire staff, reported the theft, and reorganized the financials. Today, that small-town restaurant is not only profitable but a bedrock for that downtown area.
Betrayals happen all too often. A betrayal happened to Jesus. What makes you think it couldn’t happen to you? It’s heart-breaking and “deeply troubling” to know that someone you care about has broken your trust. I just hope there is never a day when you betray our Lord. I hope that not only Jesus, but others can trust your word, rely on your commitment, and see you as faithful.
Jesus’ heart was broken by the betrayal of a trusted disciple. He’d be just as crushed if you were to betray the faith, sell out a faithful friend, or deceive a person who is relying on your integrity. Don’t go there… ever! Remember how Judas felt after he betrayed Jesus?
Today, I want you to celebrate all those times in which you remained faithful and did not betray the trust of Jesus. Enjoy the blessing of God if you have been trustworthy in your dealings with others.
September 8
“He [God] will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.” (Malachi 3:3–4, ESV)
Gold and silver have special properties valued by humans. That’s why these precious metals have been collected for centuries. One of the greatest assets of these metals is that rust does not easily corrode and damage gold and silver. That is, unless the gold and silver are not pure. You see, gold and silver that are not pure will rust and break down much more quickly. In ancient times, fire was used to purify gold and silver so that the metal would not be contaminated by impurities that caused rust and decay to form in the metal. The refining fire would make the metals so pure that they could last for centuries free from rust, degradation, or corruption.
Malachi, in our scripture for today, mentions the refining of gold and silver as a parable for God’s work in the life of the faithful. As refining gold and silver makes them more valuable, so too God did “purify the sons of Levi (Israel) and refine them” (Malachi 3:3) to make them more valuable. By refining the Israelites, their offerings became more pleasing to the Lord. Like gold and silver that has been purified, the Israelites who were purified by God became extremely valuable to the Lord’s plans for Israel.
As impurities in gold and silver will cause its degradation and corruption, so too impurities in your life will cause degradation and corruption in your soul and attitude and so much more. Take for example, your thoughts. If you think impure thoughts all day long, don’t you think its possible you will at some point choose to act on them? When lust for another person courses through your thoughts, it is all too easy to do something life-shattering like have an affair or jump from one bad relationship to another. If envy finds its way into your mind, you might find your days consumed with jealousy or surround yourself with lots of expensive entitlements that steal your joy. If the fear of failure dominates your daydreams, you might find yourself afraid to make decisions or become overwhelmed with doubts. What kinds of impurities might be clouding your judgment or keeping you from enjoyment in life?
Even today, refiners use fire to purify metals like gold and silver. The heat of the fire separates out the impurities from the pure metal. This enables the refiner to keep the pure metal isolated from the impurities. The impurities can thus be removed from the metal, making it many times more valuable.
Sometimes, God will send refining fires to free you from the impurities that haunt your life. The fires God sends into your life might burn for a short while, but they will purify heart and soul and mind. Some difficult periods of your life may be the result of God’s refining fire burning out the spiritual and moral impurities that have corrupted your soul. These refining moments may be terribly difficult at the time, but they have a way of purifying your attitude and mind and heart as well as accomplishing so much more!
“The story is told of two brothers, convicted of stealing sheep, who were branded on the forehead with the letters ST, to indicate “sheep thief.” The one couldn’t bear the stigma, became bitter, and moved away. Eventually he died and was forgotten. The other brother chose a different course. He said, “I can’t run from what I did, so I’ll stay here and win back the respect of my neighbors and myself.” As the years passed, he built a solid reputation for integrity. One day a stranger saw him, now an old man, with the letters on his forehead. He asked a townsman what they signified. “It happened a long time ago,” said the villager. “I’ve forgotten the particulars, but I think the letters are an abbreviation for ‘saint’.” (10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
Despite these two brothers suffering the same fate of being branded with an ST for stealing sheep, each made a very different response to their sin. One chose to give up and become bitter. The other used this “refining fire” moment to clean up his act. He chose to use that time to repent, change, and live a virtuous life. In the end, he was viewed as a saint (ST) instead of a sheep thief (ST).
Out of love, God will send refining fires every now and then to purify your heart and soul. When this occurs, don’t become bitter and resentful. Don’t become depressed and give up. Instead, use that time to purify your intentions, thoughts, motives, and soul. Let God refine your attitude and reactions. As long as impurities remain in your life, they will keep you from joy and peace and so much more.
One of the best ways to help God’s refining of your life is to repent. Let go of the sins that have corrupted your heart and soul and mind. Give up those desires that tempt you to do wrong. Keep your eyes focused on the clarifying light of Christ. Shed the sins that haunt your day. In time, you will come to see that cleansing your life of sin will not only make you more valuable to God, but those refining fires of God are crucial to a holy and precious life!
Malachi, in our scripture for today, mentions the refining of gold and silver as a parable for God’s work in the life of the faithful. As refining gold and silver makes them more valuable, so too God did “purify the sons of Levi (Israel) and refine them” (Malachi 3:3) to make them more valuable. By refining the Israelites, their offerings became more pleasing to the Lord. Like gold and silver that has been purified, the Israelites who were purified by God became extremely valuable to the Lord’s plans for Israel.
As impurities in gold and silver will cause its degradation and corruption, so too impurities in your life will cause degradation and corruption in your soul and attitude and so much more. Take for example, your thoughts. If you think impure thoughts all day long, don’t you think its possible you will at some point choose to act on them? When lust for another person courses through your thoughts, it is all too easy to do something life-shattering like have an affair or jump from one bad relationship to another. If envy finds its way into your mind, you might find your days consumed with jealousy or surround yourself with lots of expensive entitlements that steal your joy. If the fear of failure dominates your daydreams, you might find yourself afraid to make decisions or become overwhelmed with doubts. What kinds of impurities might be clouding your judgment or keeping you from enjoyment in life?
Even today, refiners use fire to purify metals like gold and silver. The heat of the fire separates out the impurities from the pure metal. This enables the refiner to keep the pure metal isolated from the impurities. The impurities can thus be removed from the metal, making it many times more valuable.
Sometimes, God will send refining fires to free you from the impurities that haunt your life. The fires God sends into your life might burn for a short while, but they will purify heart and soul and mind. Some difficult periods of your life may be the result of God’s refining fire burning out the spiritual and moral impurities that have corrupted your soul. These refining moments may be terribly difficult at the time, but they have a way of purifying your attitude and mind and heart as well as accomplishing so much more!
“The story is told of two brothers, convicted of stealing sheep, who were branded on the forehead with the letters ST, to indicate “sheep thief.” The one couldn’t bear the stigma, became bitter, and moved away. Eventually he died and was forgotten. The other brother chose a different course. He said, “I can’t run from what I did, so I’ll stay here and win back the respect of my neighbors and myself.” As the years passed, he built a solid reputation for integrity. One day a stranger saw him, now an old man, with the letters on his forehead. He asked a townsman what they signified. “It happened a long time ago,” said the villager. “I’ve forgotten the particulars, but I think the letters are an abbreviation for ‘saint’.” (10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
Despite these two brothers suffering the same fate of being branded with an ST for stealing sheep, each made a very different response to their sin. One chose to give up and become bitter. The other used this “refining fire” moment to clean up his act. He chose to use that time to repent, change, and live a virtuous life. In the end, he was viewed as a saint (ST) instead of a sheep thief (ST).
Out of love, God will send refining fires every now and then to purify your heart and soul. When this occurs, don’t become bitter and resentful. Don’t become depressed and give up. Instead, use that time to purify your intentions, thoughts, motives, and soul. Let God refine your attitude and reactions. As long as impurities remain in your life, they will keep you from joy and peace and so much more.
One of the best ways to help God’s refining of your life is to repent. Let go of the sins that have corrupted your heart and soul and mind. Give up those desires that tempt you to do wrong. Keep your eyes focused on the clarifying light of Christ. Shed the sins that haunt your day. In time, you will come to see that cleansing your life of sin will not only make you more valuable to God, but those refining fires of God are crucial to a holy and precious life!
September 10
“I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 40:10, NLT)
A woman named Carolyn died. The family was notified. While speaking with the funeral director, Carolyn’s children asked if a local pastor could preside over a memorial service. The funeral director gave them my name.
To prepare for Carolyn’s funeral, I met with the family. During that meeting, I learned that Carolyn had lived a good, long seventy-eight years. Her husband had died twenty-five years previous. She gave birth to three wonderful children, who grew up to be very successful. One was a well-respected realtor. One was an author who had written a best selling book. One was a mother of three girls, active in her church, and a leader in her community. Carolyn was very proud of her children. She talked about them all the time to neighbors and friends.
When I met with Carolyn’s family, I asked them if Carolyn was a Christian. All three said they were not sure if she was a Christian but explained that their mother was a very private person, so it was hard to tell. One of the three children said that she was not sure that Carolyn believed in God. One other responded that he thought Carolyn did believe in God because he saw his mother praying one time during a family get-together. After my meeting with Carolyn’s family, I began to prepare the funeral service and make the appropriate arrangements. Because Carolyn was such a private person, I was having trouble formulating what to say for her eulogy. I didn’t know if Carolyn was a Christian. I didn’t know much about her other than she loved her children. I didn’t know her personally. She was not a church member. And because her children had all moved away, they could not comment much on her recent situation.
Early the next morning, I received a phone call from Carolyn’s daughter. While going through Carolyn’s belongings, the family was shocked to find a large trove of family documents and heirlooms. In Carolyn’s bedroom closet, the family found a trunk. Inside, they found old family photographs, heirlooms, articles from newspapers, and a family tree. Included in the find were ribbons for perfect attendance in Sunday School from when Carolyn was a young girl. They also discovered a Bible inside Carolyn’s nightstand. It was filled with sermon notes, old bulletins, photographs, and much more. Carolyn had even underlined dozens of her favorite scriptures. The books in her personal library included works by several famous Christian authors. Come to find out, Carolyn not only grew up Christian, but she was also extremely active in her church when young. She read the Bible all her life. She even had a notebook of favorite prayers tucked away in a desk drawer. Later that morning, I went through some of what the family found and was able to include many things about Carolyn’s life and faith in her memorial service.
Even though it has been thirty years since I oversaw Carolyn’s memorial service, I still remember the look of surprise on her family’s faces. They had NO IDEA their mother was a firm believer in Jesus. Because Carolyn kept her faith completely private, even the family never knew of Carolyn’s beliefs. To me, it was a shame. Carolyn did not share anything about her love of Jesus with those closest to her!
All it takes for Christianity to die is for one generation to stop talking about Jesus entirely! People don’t comprehend the importance of passing on their beliefs to the next generation. Even Christians don’t fully embrace the awesome power in retelling the gospel story and sharing personal testimonies with others.
Psalm 40 contains the story of a man who cried to the Lord and was heard. The man was hurting. He was suffering. He felt so low that his situation made him feel as if he was stuck in a pit (Psalm 40:2). Each day, he shouldered such heavy burdens that he felt he was weighed down like in a “miry bog”. Ever had your feet get stuck in miry mud? Your shoes become clogged with wet earth and their weight doubles and triples. It becomes hard to walk, hard even to stand up! That’s how the man felt. Life had dragged him down, burdening him with regrets and troubles. BUT, then the Lord heard his cries, bringing comfort and help. The man was so thankful, he felt like singing (Psalm 40:3)! The scripture for today further explains that he could not “keep the good news” of God’s help private (Psalm 40:9). He had to “tell everyone” of God’s saving grace (Psalm 40:10)!
How many people know of God’s saving grace in your life? Does your family know of your love of Jesus? The author of Psalm 40 wanted the world to know of everything God had done to redeem his life “from the pit” of despair. He could not keep this good news from others! He was excited about what had happened! When was the last time you were excited about sharing your faith with others?
I hope and pray that the day you die there is no doubt about what you believed. My sincerest wish is that others know that you LOVED Jesus! This cannot happen if you keep your faith private. If you do not share your love for Jesus, how will others see your faith? Even if you do good works in your life, others may praise you instead of God for your actions! Don’t you desire for others to know of your love of Jesus?
When families get together, they may share recipes, swap stories from childhood, even recall past holidays. But do they talk about Jesus? When lifelong friends get together, they may share remembrances from childhood, laugh over memories from schoolyard antics, and even exchange war stories. But, will they talk about Jesus? I have even known Christians who met together weekly for years who found it impossible to remember the last time they shared a personal testimony with each other! At a gathering of elderly Christians, I asked how many of them had received an answer to prayer lately. All of them raised a hand proudly. When I asked how many of them told anyone about that answered prayer, only 1 in 10 raised a hand. Why do we not talk about Jesus?
This week, dedicate yourself to sharing at least one story of your faith with at least three people. And for the rest of your life, don’t forget to talk about God’s saving grace. You never know who may need to hear it or when it will be the last time you can share it!
To prepare for Carolyn’s funeral, I met with the family. During that meeting, I learned that Carolyn had lived a good, long seventy-eight years. Her husband had died twenty-five years previous. She gave birth to three wonderful children, who grew up to be very successful. One was a well-respected realtor. One was an author who had written a best selling book. One was a mother of three girls, active in her church, and a leader in her community. Carolyn was very proud of her children. She talked about them all the time to neighbors and friends.
When I met with Carolyn’s family, I asked them if Carolyn was a Christian. All three said they were not sure if she was a Christian but explained that their mother was a very private person, so it was hard to tell. One of the three children said that she was not sure that Carolyn believed in God. One other responded that he thought Carolyn did believe in God because he saw his mother praying one time during a family get-together. After my meeting with Carolyn’s family, I began to prepare the funeral service and make the appropriate arrangements. Because Carolyn was such a private person, I was having trouble formulating what to say for her eulogy. I didn’t know if Carolyn was a Christian. I didn’t know much about her other than she loved her children. I didn’t know her personally. She was not a church member. And because her children had all moved away, they could not comment much on her recent situation.
Early the next morning, I received a phone call from Carolyn’s daughter. While going through Carolyn’s belongings, the family was shocked to find a large trove of family documents and heirlooms. In Carolyn’s bedroom closet, the family found a trunk. Inside, they found old family photographs, heirlooms, articles from newspapers, and a family tree. Included in the find were ribbons for perfect attendance in Sunday School from when Carolyn was a young girl. They also discovered a Bible inside Carolyn’s nightstand. It was filled with sermon notes, old bulletins, photographs, and much more. Carolyn had even underlined dozens of her favorite scriptures. The books in her personal library included works by several famous Christian authors. Come to find out, Carolyn not only grew up Christian, but she was also extremely active in her church when young. She read the Bible all her life. She even had a notebook of favorite prayers tucked away in a desk drawer. Later that morning, I went through some of what the family found and was able to include many things about Carolyn’s life and faith in her memorial service.
Even though it has been thirty years since I oversaw Carolyn’s memorial service, I still remember the look of surprise on her family’s faces. They had NO IDEA their mother was a firm believer in Jesus. Because Carolyn kept her faith completely private, even the family never knew of Carolyn’s beliefs. To me, it was a shame. Carolyn did not share anything about her love of Jesus with those closest to her!
All it takes for Christianity to die is for one generation to stop talking about Jesus entirely! People don’t comprehend the importance of passing on their beliefs to the next generation. Even Christians don’t fully embrace the awesome power in retelling the gospel story and sharing personal testimonies with others.
Psalm 40 contains the story of a man who cried to the Lord and was heard. The man was hurting. He was suffering. He felt so low that his situation made him feel as if he was stuck in a pit (Psalm 40:2). Each day, he shouldered such heavy burdens that he felt he was weighed down like in a “miry bog”. Ever had your feet get stuck in miry mud? Your shoes become clogged with wet earth and their weight doubles and triples. It becomes hard to walk, hard even to stand up! That’s how the man felt. Life had dragged him down, burdening him with regrets and troubles. BUT, then the Lord heard his cries, bringing comfort and help. The man was so thankful, he felt like singing (Psalm 40:3)! The scripture for today further explains that he could not “keep the good news” of God’s help private (Psalm 40:9). He had to “tell everyone” of God’s saving grace (Psalm 40:10)!
How many people know of God’s saving grace in your life? Does your family know of your love of Jesus? The author of Psalm 40 wanted the world to know of everything God had done to redeem his life “from the pit” of despair. He could not keep this good news from others! He was excited about what had happened! When was the last time you were excited about sharing your faith with others?
I hope and pray that the day you die there is no doubt about what you believed. My sincerest wish is that others know that you LOVED Jesus! This cannot happen if you keep your faith private. If you do not share your love for Jesus, how will others see your faith? Even if you do good works in your life, others may praise you instead of God for your actions! Don’t you desire for others to know of your love of Jesus?
When families get together, they may share recipes, swap stories from childhood, even recall past holidays. But do they talk about Jesus? When lifelong friends get together, they may share remembrances from childhood, laugh over memories from schoolyard antics, and even exchange war stories. But, will they talk about Jesus? I have even known Christians who met together weekly for years who found it impossible to remember the last time they shared a personal testimony with each other! At a gathering of elderly Christians, I asked how many of them had received an answer to prayer lately. All of them raised a hand proudly. When I asked how many of them told anyone about that answered prayer, only 1 in 10 raised a hand. Why do we not talk about Jesus?
This week, dedicate yourself to sharing at least one story of your faith with at least three people. And for the rest of your life, don’t forget to talk about God’s saving grace. You never know who may need to hear it or when it will be the last time you can share it!
September 12
““If you return, O Israel, declares the LORD, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver, and if you swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.”” (Jeremiah 4:1–2, ESV)
The words from Jeremiah, written above, contain God’s last-ditch effort to save Israel from ruin. The words of this scripture came from the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Israel. Israel had been mired in sin for decades. Prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Joel, Amos, and others all railed at the increasing sin in the holy land. All spoke of God’s judgment about to fall IF the people did not change their ways. Let’s look closely at this scripture to see what God wanted from the Israelites. What could have saved the people from death and destruction that occurred a short time later? What could have halted the invading armies that were poised to destroy the Temple and all of Jerusalem?
Today, we know that invading armies from Babylon were preparing to strike at Israel when these words from Jeremiah were written. In that moment, God still wanted to spare Israel from those armies. Jeremiah 4:1-2 contains what would have ended that invasion. God wanted the people of Israel to “return” to His side (Jeremiah 4:1). What was required for them to come back to the Lord? That is also told in this prophecy. First, the people of Israel were required to “remove their detestable (sinful) things from God’s presence” without wavering. This would have meant removing idols and worship places set up for other gods. It required the removal of anything that tempted the people to sin. Also, three more things would have to take place; “truth”, “justice”, and “righteousness” would need to immediately become normal in the land. When sin becomes commonplace in your life and world, truth will be replaced with lies. Justice will be denied to those who are innocent or done wrong. And people will not do what is “right” by God. In the days of Jeremiah, truth and justice and righteousness needed to return to society. Instead, the Israelites chose to continue in their sin. In the end, the invading armies slaughtered thousands and destroyed the country.
As I pondered the words from Jeremiah, I had this thought for you. To protect your life and this world, the same things that were required of the Israelites back then are still required from you today. God still desires YOU to remove sinful items from your life. God still wants you to speak the truth and rid your life of any lies. God still wants you to be a just person, trustworthy and honest and fair. And finally, God still wants you to be righteous by following His commandments and Word. If you follow these ancient demands, you will be blessed. God will protect you. God will watch over you.
For today, I ask that you consider God’s demands in this scripture. There are only four. They are:
1)Remove those items in your life that tempt you to sin.
2)Separate out the truth from lies in your life. Are there any lies that you tell yourself or others?
3)Be faithful in your dealings with others. Be just. Practice justice.
4)Be righteous. Life out your faith. Believe in God. Trust God’s Word. Follow God’s commandments.
If you look at this list, you might think to yourself, “This list isn’t very long. I can do these things!” However, I have found that many people fail to follow through on these four simple demands found in the scripture for today. Even Christians, who know better, may fail to heed them.
I know four people who failed to follow one of the demands found in Jeremiah 4. Here’s how it fared for them.
Pastor Chris failed to follow the first demand of God. He didn’t remove something from his life that tempted him. While counseling with a very beautiful woman, he let his guard down. He allowed himself to have feelings for this woman. Soon after, he had an affair with her. He lost his wife, his pastorate, and so much more because of this one indiscretion.
Carson failed to follow the second demand of God. He believed the lie that he was not really addicted to alcohol. Despite years of worship attendance, Carson could not give up his drinking. Even when he joined an Alcoholics Anonymous Group that met at his church, he continued to drink. When his liver failed in his late forties, his wife found one hundred and forty-seven bottles of various types of alcohol hidden in their house and garage. Only when he lay dying did Carson finally admit that he had a drinking problem. But, by then it was too late.
Jerry was an entrepreneur at heart. He was a great salesman. Jerry worked for a company that sold and installed windows. For fifteen years, Jerry sold hundreds of sets of windows to members of his hometown. Then, his company was sold to a big conglomerate. The conglomerate decided to make their windows from a cheaper material but still sell them at a high cost. Jerry knew this. But Jerry also knew that his commission and earnings would be higher as the company became more profitable, even if it was by selling a flawed design. When it was discovered that the company’s windows would degrade due to the Ultraviolet Light in sunlight, lawsuits were brought against the company. To keep from bankruptcy, the company folded. Jerry was not only left without a job, friends and family members who had purchased windows by his recommendation refused to talk to him. He was shunned by many. People at his church, who had bought faulty windows from Jerry, felt cheated and hurt. Jerry quit going to church. Jerry failed to follow the third demand of God, and it destroyed his reputation.
Pete failed to follow the final demand of God in the scripture for today. Though growing up in the church, he gradually let his faith fade away over time. When he went through divorce in his forties, Pete found himself alone. He felt betrayed by his wife. He missed his two kids. As he came home to an empty apartment day after day, it dawned on him that he felt utterly alone. He not only had lost his family, but he had also lost God along the way. Pete went through a bad depression that next year. He never was the same after that. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I heard Pete laugh.
Each of these four men failed to uphold just one expectation of God found in the scripture for today. Each one suffered for this mistake.
Even now, God expects the same things from you that were expected of the Israelites long ago. If you fail in any of the four demands presented in this scripture, God will be waiting for you to repent and return. If you do not repent and return, all kinds of evil will befall you. God will pull away from you. God will cease to protect you. Then, your choices will come back to bite you.
Human beings can be so intent on their own destruction. They can purposefully choose to do what will result in evil. God gave you free will to make the right choices. Don’t use that free will to break faith.
What kinds of choices will you make this week, this month, this year? Will you keep faith or break it? Will you follow God’s word or deny it? Will you speak the truth in love or live a lie? In time, it will become apparent if you were faithful. The future will show if you practiced justice and righteousness. Whether you believed in the truth or lies will become apparent. Which temptations captured your imagination will be seen in the faithfulness of your choices. I beg of you: always return to the Lord. Hold on to Jesus through thick and thin. Keep the faith. Trust that when God makes demands it can only be for your own good!
Today, we know that invading armies from Babylon were preparing to strike at Israel when these words from Jeremiah were written. In that moment, God still wanted to spare Israel from those armies. Jeremiah 4:1-2 contains what would have ended that invasion. God wanted the people of Israel to “return” to His side (Jeremiah 4:1). What was required for them to come back to the Lord? That is also told in this prophecy. First, the people of Israel were required to “remove their detestable (sinful) things from God’s presence” without wavering. This would have meant removing idols and worship places set up for other gods. It required the removal of anything that tempted the people to sin. Also, three more things would have to take place; “truth”, “justice”, and “righteousness” would need to immediately become normal in the land. When sin becomes commonplace in your life and world, truth will be replaced with lies. Justice will be denied to those who are innocent or done wrong. And people will not do what is “right” by God. In the days of Jeremiah, truth and justice and righteousness needed to return to society. Instead, the Israelites chose to continue in their sin. In the end, the invading armies slaughtered thousands and destroyed the country.
As I pondered the words from Jeremiah, I had this thought for you. To protect your life and this world, the same things that were required of the Israelites back then are still required from you today. God still desires YOU to remove sinful items from your life. God still wants you to speak the truth and rid your life of any lies. God still wants you to be a just person, trustworthy and honest and fair. And finally, God still wants you to be righteous by following His commandments and Word. If you follow these ancient demands, you will be blessed. God will protect you. God will watch over you.
For today, I ask that you consider God’s demands in this scripture. There are only four. They are:
1)Remove those items in your life that tempt you to sin.
2)Separate out the truth from lies in your life. Are there any lies that you tell yourself or others?
3)Be faithful in your dealings with others. Be just. Practice justice.
4)Be righteous. Life out your faith. Believe in God. Trust God’s Word. Follow God’s commandments.
If you look at this list, you might think to yourself, “This list isn’t very long. I can do these things!” However, I have found that many people fail to follow through on these four simple demands found in the scripture for today. Even Christians, who know better, may fail to heed them.
I know four people who failed to follow one of the demands found in Jeremiah 4. Here’s how it fared for them.
Pastor Chris failed to follow the first demand of God. He didn’t remove something from his life that tempted him. While counseling with a very beautiful woman, he let his guard down. He allowed himself to have feelings for this woman. Soon after, he had an affair with her. He lost his wife, his pastorate, and so much more because of this one indiscretion.
Carson failed to follow the second demand of God. He believed the lie that he was not really addicted to alcohol. Despite years of worship attendance, Carson could not give up his drinking. Even when he joined an Alcoholics Anonymous Group that met at his church, he continued to drink. When his liver failed in his late forties, his wife found one hundred and forty-seven bottles of various types of alcohol hidden in their house and garage. Only when he lay dying did Carson finally admit that he had a drinking problem. But, by then it was too late.
Jerry was an entrepreneur at heart. He was a great salesman. Jerry worked for a company that sold and installed windows. For fifteen years, Jerry sold hundreds of sets of windows to members of his hometown. Then, his company was sold to a big conglomerate. The conglomerate decided to make their windows from a cheaper material but still sell them at a high cost. Jerry knew this. But Jerry also knew that his commission and earnings would be higher as the company became more profitable, even if it was by selling a flawed design. When it was discovered that the company’s windows would degrade due to the Ultraviolet Light in sunlight, lawsuits were brought against the company. To keep from bankruptcy, the company folded. Jerry was not only left without a job, friends and family members who had purchased windows by his recommendation refused to talk to him. He was shunned by many. People at his church, who had bought faulty windows from Jerry, felt cheated and hurt. Jerry quit going to church. Jerry failed to follow the third demand of God, and it destroyed his reputation.
Pete failed to follow the final demand of God in the scripture for today. Though growing up in the church, he gradually let his faith fade away over time. When he went through divorce in his forties, Pete found himself alone. He felt betrayed by his wife. He missed his two kids. As he came home to an empty apartment day after day, it dawned on him that he felt utterly alone. He not only had lost his family, but he had also lost God along the way. Pete went through a bad depression that next year. He never was the same after that. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I heard Pete laugh.
Each of these four men failed to uphold just one expectation of God found in the scripture for today. Each one suffered for this mistake.
Even now, God expects the same things from you that were expected of the Israelites long ago. If you fail in any of the four demands presented in this scripture, God will be waiting for you to repent and return. If you do not repent and return, all kinds of evil will befall you. God will pull away from you. God will cease to protect you. Then, your choices will come back to bite you.
Human beings can be so intent on their own destruction. They can purposefully choose to do what will result in evil. God gave you free will to make the right choices. Don’t use that free will to break faith.
What kinds of choices will you make this week, this month, this year? Will you keep faith or break it? Will you follow God’s word or deny it? Will you speak the truth in love or live a lie? In time, it will become apparent if you were faithful. The future will show if you practiced justice and righteousness. Whether you believed in the truth or lies will become apparent. Which temptations captured your imagination will be seen in the faithfulness of your choices. I beg of you: always return to the Lord. Hold on to Jesus through thick and thin. Keep the faith. Trust that when God makes demands it can only be for your own good!
September 14
“Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
(Luke 9:23, NIV84)
(Luke 9:23, NIV84)
With the scripture above, Jesus explained to His followers an important aspect of faith. If you believe in Jesus, you need to deny yourself, take up HIS cross, and follow down the road God has planned for you. This will be impossible UNLESS you trust in the Lord while surrendering your will to your Master and Savior.
I’m sure you’ve met people who were “strong-willed”. Often, they are hard-headed, with a need to forge ahead when others would back off. That strong will might expose a “never surrender” attitude. It can spur the person to work at something when others would rather quit. That strong will can be both a blessing and a curse.
While a strong will to do what is right or accomplish what is needed can be a great asset in life, having a strong will that is bent on doing wrong or being sinful can make a person evil, cruel, or mean-spirited. It depends on the person, the situation, and the desires of the heart. You see, a strong-will in a person who is faithful can help that believer to overcome great obstacles. But a strong-will in a narcissistic person will often result in someone who is overbearing, manipulative, and savage.
Because a strong will can be either dangerous or powerful, God expects His followers to surrender their will TO HIM. That way, God will help that strong will to be a force for good instead of an impetus for evil. For some people, surrendering the will to God is an easy offering. For others, surrendering the will is very difficult. These folks like to be in charge of their own destiny. They enjoy the rush with feeling in control. They don’t like to lose authority or give up power.
Have you freely surrendered your will to the Lord?
I don’t know who wrote this story, but it sure is a great parable. It speaks about trusting God, listening to the Divine, and surrendering your will to Jesus...
“At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I really didn’t know Him. But later on when I met Christ it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal. I don’t know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since.
When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable...It was the shortest distance between two points. But when He [CHRIST] took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds, it was all I could do to hang on! Even though it looked like madness, he said, “Pedal!” I worried and was anxious and asked, “Where are You taking me?” He laughed and didn’t answer, and I started to learn to trust.
I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure. And when I’d say, “I’m scared,” He’d lean back and touch my hand. He took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing, acceptance and joy. They gave me gifts to take on my journey, my Lord’s and mine.
And we were off again. He said, “Give the gifts away; they’re extra baggage, too much weight.” So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light. I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life. I thought He’d wreck it; but He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, knows how to jump to clear high rocks, knows how to fly to shorten scary passages. And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I’m beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.
And when I’m sure I just can’t do anymore, He just smiles and says...”Pedal.” (“Trust”, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
Oswald Chambers, the famous preacher, once wrote: “God never crushes a man’s will into surrender, He never beseeches him, He waits until the man yields up his will to Him.” Surrendering your will to God will involve letting God call the shots in your life. It will mean trusting God when you are not sure of the road you are on. Surrendering your will to God displays faith in God’s providence.
I have heard atheists argue that surrendering your will to God implies that you don’t want to take responsibility for your actions. On the contrary, surrendering your will to God is the best way TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for your actions through trusting God. It implies you are willing to let God take the lead and call the shots in your life.
Today, surrender your will to the Lord. Let Heaven take the reins. Trust where Jesus is taking you. Acknowledge that the Lord knows the road you need to travel on and the place where you need to be.
I’m sure you’ve met people who were “strong-willed”. Often, they are hard-headed, with a need to forge ahead when others would back off. That strong will might expose a “never surrender” attitude. It can spur the person to work at something when others would rather quit. That strong will can be both a blessing and a curse.
While a strong will to do what is right or accomplish what is needed can be a great asset in life, having a strong will that is bent on doing wrong or being sinful can make a person evil, cruel, or mean-spirited. It depends on the person, the situation, and the desires of the heart. You see, a strong-will in a person who is faithful can help that believer to overcome great obstacles. But a strong-will in a narcissistic person will often result in someone who is overbearing, manipulative, and savage.
Because a strong will can be either dangerous or powerful, God expects His followers to surrender their will TO HIM. That way, God will help that strong will to be a force for good instead of an impetus for evil. For some people, surrendering the will to God is an easy offering. For others, surrendering the will is very difficult. These folks like to be in charge of their own destiny. They enjoy the rush with feeling in control. They don’t like to lose authority or give up power.
Have you freely surrendered your will to the Lord?
I don’t know who wrote this story, but it sure is a great parable. It speaks about trusting God, listening to the Divine, and surrendering your will to Jesus...
“At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I really didn’t know Him. But later on when I met Christ it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal. I don’t know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since.
When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable...It was the shortest distance between two points. But when He [CHRIST] took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds, it was all I could do to hang on! Even though it looked like madness, he said, “Pedal!” I worried and was anxious and asked, “Where are You taking me?” He laughed and didn’t answer, and I started to learn to trust.
I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure. And when I’d say, “I’m scared,” He’d lean back and touch my hand. He took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing, acceptance and joy. They gave me gifts to take on my journey, my Lord’s and mine.
And we were off again. He said, “Give the gifts away; they’re extra baggage, too much weight.” So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light. I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life. I thought He’d wreck it; but He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, knows how to jump to clear high rocks, knows how to fly to shorten scary passages. And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I’m beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.
And when I’m sure I just can’t do anymore, He just smiles and says...”Pedal.” (“Trust”, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
Oswald Chambers, the famous preacher, once wrote: “God never crushes a man’s will into surrender, He never beseeches him, He waits until the man yields up his will to Him.” Surrendering your will to God will involve letting God call the shots in your life. It will mean trusting God when you are not sure of the road you are on. Surrendering your will to God displays faith in God’s providence.
I have heard atheists argue that surrendering your will to God implies that you don’t want to take responsibility for your actions. On the contrary, surrendering your will to God is the best way TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for your actions through trusting God. It implies you are willing to let God take the lead and call the shots in your life.
Today, surrender your will to the Lord. Let Heaven take the reins. Trust where Jesus is taking you. Acknowledge that the Lord knows the road you need to travel on and the place where you need to be.
September 16
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2, ESV)
Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians to correct some problems in the Christian churches in that part of the world. Paul founded these churches in Galatia. He loved these people. He wanted their faith to thrive. Instead, some of those churches struggled, because the people were failing to faithfully live out the gospel. So, Galatians is filled with Paul’s understanding of the gospel and how to correct spiritual problems among the faithful in that part of Asia Minor.
Our scripture for today is short. It’s made up of only a few words. It is to the point. Despite its small size, this scripture was written to correct one of those big problems in the Galatian church community. The problem was that people in the churches were better at standing back and criticizing others than shouldering each other’s burdens. They took sides in religious debates about circumcision rather than coming together to work through theological issues. When persecution raised its ugly head, the people were apt to hunker down and separate from one another instead of rally around each other. Paul believed that the gospel should bring people together instead of rip people apart. When problems, trials, and obstacles appeared, the people should “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). Paul called this sharing of burdens a “law of Christ”. Paul did not see helping others of the faith as optional. It was intrinsic to following Jesus.
A church in Texas was newly built on the edge of a booming metropolis in the 1970’s. Its prospects were bright. The leaders of that church thought that the city was going to expand toward that church and the church would grow by leaps and bounds as the urban area sprawled westward. In fact, that did happen through the 1970’s and 1980’s. With that growth, however, came problems. The church outgrew its sanctuary. The Sunday School classrooms became cramped. Just twenty years after their building was erected, the leaders had drawn up new architectural plans to increase its size. A Building Fund was initiated, and several million dollars collected over five years. Then, a series of problems enveloped the community. Two big companies moved out of the area. A recession took hold. Families were uprooted. People were laid off work.
Just when construction was to begin on the new addition to the church, some leaders got together to make plans. With dozens of families in their parish hurting financially, the leaders began to reevaluate if they should begin construction. One Sunday, a member of the church stood up to ask that the church use some of the Building Fund money to help ease the burden of the hurting families. A leader in charge of the building fund got up and said, “We can’t use those funds for helping families. They were ear-marked for a building addition. You can’t spend money ear-marked for building on these families.” Fights and arguments broke out in the church. Some sided with the leader. Some wanted the church to help hurting families. A few families pulled out of the church in the ensuing weeks, upset at the infighting. One group in the church called the pastors hard-hearted. Others complained that they wanted their money to be put toward the building, not toward a “handout”.
Just when everything was falling apart, a pastor received some inspiration. He stood among the leaders and proposed that they stop the building program and begin a people program. He asked that the church raise funds to help needy families in the church. In just two months, the church raised thousands of dollars. Leaders organized members to get groceries and arrange emergency financial help for the needy. People got more excited about helping other members in the church than they ever got excited about building an addition to the church building. Within five years, church attendance doubled. They had to go back to the drawing board and plan for an even larger addition to the church! The pastor who had initiated the mission program to help needy families remarked to a family member, “I think the church has learned that a church building is no good without loving people of God caring for each other. That’s what grows churches.”
Nowhere in scripture does the Apostle Paul ever say that a “law of Christ” is to build church buildings. However, today’s scripture makes absolutely clear that bearing each other’s burdens IS CERTAINLY a law of Christ! When church people become more enamored with buildings that they do with sharing, the gospel message gets lost and people become divided.
When Jesus was walking the earth, he didn’t get caught up building church edifices and cathedrals. He didn’t advocate for monuments and statues. His motivation was the saving of souls. Buildings and programs only came as a bonus. They weren’t the core of faith. They weren’t a “law of Christ”.
True Christians are dedicated to bear the burdens of others. When Jesus enters your heart and soul, your love of others increases. You are imbued with a desire to help shoulder the burdens of others. You instinctively desire to help the homeless, feed the hungry, visit the sick, and care for the hurting. If you find yourself not feeling these desires, there’s probably something wrong in your soul. Something has clouded your understanding of the gospel message.
When was the last time you helped bear the burdens of another? It doesn’t even cost money to pray for another soul or take a detour to visit a shut-in. You’d be surprised at the spiritual blessings that come with helping another to bear the weight of a burden.
To end today’s meditation, I want you to remember a young girl named Stephanie. A few months after her grandmother (“Nana”, she called her) died, Stephanie was not looking forward to Christmas. The family always met at “Nana’s” house. Nana always made Christmas special with warm cookies, Christmas carols playing over the radio, and so much more. While moping during early December, young Stephanie heard about a woman in her church who was blind. Stephanie was told that all the blind woman wanted was to have someone read her the nativity story from the old family Bible. Stephanie’s young heart filled with a desire to fulfill the blind woman’s request. With her mother’s help, Stephanie arranged everything with the nursing home. Two days later, they went to the blind woman’s room, took out the old Bible, and young Stephanie began to read the Christmas story. The blind woman was overjoyed. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she listened intently. By the end of the reading, half a dozen residents crowded inside the room and at the doorway to listen. Everybody shed a few tears of joy. Stephanie was so excited at the response, she visited every shut-in from their church, reading the Christmas story. On Christmas Eve, she told her mother that it was her “best Christmas ever”!
Who might benefit from your helping to bear a burden? What soul has been weighed down with pain that you might help shoulder? Sometimes, the best way to have “the best spiritual uplifting ever” is to share someone’s burden for just a while, uplifting a soul that is heavy with grief.
Our scripture for today is short. It’s made up of only a few words. It is to the point. Despite its small size, this scripture was written to correct one of those big problems in the Galatian church community. The problem was that people in the churches were better at standing back and criticizing others than shouldering each other’s burdens. They took sides in religious debates about circumcision rather than coming together to work through theological issues. When persecution raised its ugly head, the people were apt to hunker down and separate from one another instead of rally around each other. Paul believed that the gospel should bring people together instead of rip people apart. When problems, trials, and obstacles appeared, the people should “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). Paul called this sharing of burdens a “law of Christ”. Paul did not see helping others of the faith as optional. It was intrinsic to following Jesus.
A church in Texas was newly built on the edge of a booming metropolis in the 1970’s. Its prospects were bright. The leaders of that church thought that the city was going to expand toward that church and the church would grow by leaps and bounds as the urban area sprawled westward. In fact, that did happen through the 1970’s and 1980’s. With that growth, however, came problems. The church outgrew its sanctuary. The Sunday School classrooms became cramped. Just twenty years after their building was erected, the leaders had drawn up new architectural plans to increase its size. A Building Fund was initiated, and several million dollars collected over five years. Then, a series of problems enveloped the community. Two big companies moved out of the area. A recession took hold. Families were uprooted. People were laid off work.
Just when construction was to begin on the new addition to the church, some leaders got together to make plans. With dozens of families in their parish hurting financially, the leaders began to reevaluate if they should begin construction. One Sunday, a member of the church stood up to ask that the church use some of the Building Fund money to help ease the burden of the hurting families. A leader in charge of the building fund got up and said, “We can’t use those funds for helping families. They were ear-marked for a building addition. You can’t spend money ear-marked for building on these families.” Fights and arguments broke out in the church. Some sided with the leader. Some wanted the church to help hurting families. A few families pulled out of the church in the ensuing weeks, upset at the infighting. One group in the church called the pastors hard-hearted. Others complained that they wanted their money to be put toward the building, not toward a “handout”.
Just when everything was falling apart, a pastor received some inspiration. He stood among the leaders and proposed that they stop the building program and begin a people program. He asked that the church raise funds to help needy families in the church. In just two months, the church raised thousands of dollars. Leaders organized members to get groceries and arrange emergency financial help for the needy. People got more excited about helping other members in the church than they ever got excited about building an addition to the church building. Within five years, church attendance doubled. They had to go back to the drawing board and plan for an even larger addition to the church! The pastor who had initiated the mission program to help needy families remarked to a family member, “I think the church has learned that a church building is no good without loving people of God caring for each other. That’s what grows churches.”
Nowhere in scripture does the Apostle Paul ever say that a “law of Christ” is to build church buildings. However, today’s scripture makes absolutely clear that bearing each other’s burdens IS CERTAINLY a law of Christ! When church people become more enamored with buildings that they do with sharing, the gospel message gets lost and people become divided.
When Jesus was walking the earth, he didn’t get caught up building church edifices and cathedrals. He didn’t advocate for monuments and statues. His motivation was the saving of souls. Buildings and programs only came as a bonus. They weren’t the core of faith. They weren’t a “law of Christ”.
True Christians are dedicated to bear the burdens of others. When Jesus enters your heart and soul, your love of others increases. You are imbued with a desire to help shoulder the burdens of others. You instinctively desire to help the homeless, feed the hungry, visit the sick, and care for the hurting. If you find yourself not feeling these desires, there’s probably something wrong in your soul. Something has clouded your understanding of the gospel message.
When was the last time you helped bear the burdens of another? It doesn’t even cost money to pray for another soul or take a detour to visit a shut-in. You’d be surprised at the spiritual blessings that come with helping another to bear the weight of a burden.
To end today’s meditation, I want you to remember a young girl named Stephanie. A few months after her grandmother (“Nana”, she called her) died, Stephanie was not looking forward to Christmas. The family always met at “Nana’s” house. Nana always made Christmas special with warm cookies, Christmas carols playing over the radio, and so much more. While moping during early December, young Stephanie heard about a woman in her church who was blind. Stephanie was told that all the blind woman wanted was to have someone read her the nativity story from the old family Bible. Stephanie’s young heart filled with a desire to fulfill the blind woman’s request. With her mother’s help, Stephanie arranged everything with the nursing home. Two days later, they went to the blind woman’s room, took out the old Bible, and young Stephanie began to read the Christmas story. The blind woman was overjoyed. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she listened intently. By the end of the reading, half a dozen residents crowded inside the room and at the doorway to listen. Everybody shed a few tears of joy. Stephanie was so excited at the response, she visited every shut-in from their church, reading the Christmas story. On Christmas Eve, she told her mother that it was her “best Christmas ever”!
Who might benefit from your helping to bear a burden? What soul has been weighed down with pain that you might help shoulder? Sometimes, the best way to have “the best spiritual uplifting ever” is to share someone’s burden for just a while, uplifting a soul that is heavy with grief.
September 18
“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (Romans 7:25, ESV)
A young woman sat at her kitchen table with her head in her hands. Her face was contorted with worry and fear. Her mother walked in the kitchen to find young Brittany looking thus forlorn and said, “Honey, what’s wrong? Are you Ok?”
The young woman looked at her mother through tired eyes and said, “Mom, I love Tommy. I do. Very much. And he wants to marry me! But, I’m afraid to get married. So many of my friends who married at a young age now regret it. I don’t want to make a mistake. What do I do?”
The mother looked directly into her daughter’s eyes and said, “Do you love him; I mean really love him?” When the daughter nodded, the mother said, “Stop thinking of all the things that could go wrong. Stop worrying about the future which is clouded in uncertainty. Think with your heart, not with your head! If you love him and he loves you, if you both are willing to be there for better or for worse, just follow your heart. Marry the man. He seems good for you! Pray about it!”
With a sigh, the young woman said, “Thanks for the words, Mom. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I hear what you are saying. I want love. I want Tommy. I will pray, I promise. I just hope this isn’t a big mistake.”
There comes a time in every life when your head and your heart will be in conflict with one another. Your heart might be falling in love, while your head is reminding you of all the things that could go wrong if your trust is broken. Your empathetic heart might feel sorry for that boy whose bike was stolen. But your head might be reminding you that the boy should have locked his bike safely in the garage and not let it lie night after night on the front lawn! Sometimes, your heart might be pushing you to offer grace or forgiveness to a person who did you wrong. At the same time, your mind might be reminding you that to let a person off the hook for doing wrong might encourage the person to do even more wrongful acts! I have often found that the heart responds more to feelings and emotions, while the mind responds more to logic and factual information. Because the mind and the heart seem to operate with different influences, you should not be surprised when they conflict with one another, forcing you to have an intense internal psychological, emotional, or spiritual struggle!
In Romans, chapter 7, Paul explained how his sinful thoughts and emotions seemed to always erode his peace of mind. Paul admitted in the scripture for today that even when his mind wanted to “serve the law of God”, his flesh and heat and emotions wanted to do selfish things, act impulsively, and find pleasure in sin (Romans 7:25). This forced Paul into an internal struggle to find the right motivations for his decisions and beliefs. Have you experienced your own internal struggles within your mind and heart and soul?
At a doctor’s visit, Jerry was told that his blood pressure was sky high. As the doctor described why Jerry should lose weight, eat right, and take some medicine to not have a stroke, Jerry began to formulate all the changes had to happen in his life. He vowed to go for more walks after work. He read some articles on healthy dieting. Also, he began to take pills to lower his blood pressure. After three months, Jerry visited the doctor again. Jerry’s blood pressure had dropped some, but it was still too high. The doctor began to ask a series of questions about Jerry’s lifestyle and asked if there were some stresses in his life that might be making the blood pressure worse. Upon further self-examination, Jerry promised the doctor that he would make needed changes before the next office visit.
As Jerry laid awake at night a few days later, he realized something about his situation. Two years before, he had received a promotion at his place of employment. The new position came with a good-sized pay increase but also a lot of added responsibility. Jerry came to realize that his situation at work was taking a great toll upon his life. He would often work late. His manager was pushing all the employees to exhaustion to increase sales. The manager did this to promote himself and look good to the “higher ups”. All it did was make Jerry’s time at work much more stressful.
Jerry’s mind was stressed. While at work, he was under intense pressure. He often had headaches and backaches at work. He noticed that on his days off, he had a hard time keeping his mind from worry about work or fear for an upcoming deadline. Despite the big raise and much greater income potential, Jerry realized that the stress was getting to him. He needed a job change. He needed to change several things in his life.
After a short job-search, Jerry was interviewed at another company. The new job would necessitate a decrease in pay but would have much less responsibility. He knew the owner personally. They were good friends. Jerry’s head was saying he should keep his old job and the better pay and just learn to deal better with his stress. Jerry’s heart was telling him that he needed to have a less stressful working environment. In the end, after a whole lot of prayer, Jerry followed his heart and took the new job.
Even after making the switch to the new job, Jerry’s heart and mind continued to play “what if” games. What if he was making a mistake? Would he have enough money with his new job to pay for his son’s upcoming college bills? Maybe he shouldn’t have taken a new job with less pay. For several months, Jerry’s mind and heart continued to re-examine his decision. However, the change in jobs began to pay off. With the less stressful job, Jerry’s blood pressure dropped nicely. He was able to lose twenty pounds and ate healthier food. Looking back on it now, the job change was crucial. At the time, Jerry’s head and heart caused constant turmoil as the changes piled up in his life. Thankfully, everything worked out well for Jerry.
When your mind and heart begin to fight with one another, it may be difficult to make good decisions. When your emotions and fears take over your heart and mind, sleepless nights and regret and worry and second-guessing will eat away at your calm. In the midst of a battle between mind and heart, open up your soul to God. You need God’s Spirit to bring clarity. Direction from God becomes so important!
The apostle Paul often found that his mind would often hold tightly to God. However, he also found that sin often brought temptations, fired up his emotions, and tested his will. Paul was thankful that his love of God in Christ kept him on the right track. When internal struggles take their toll, turn your thoughts to Jesus. Keep listening for God’s direction. Hold on tightly to what is right by God. Don’t let temptations and emotions and sinful attitudes cloud your judgment. When internal struggles appear, God will be a great source of strength and encouragement. God’s Word will speak to you. Be careful who you listen to. Watch out for Satan’s little manipulations. Seek time alone with Jesus.
Internal struggles are common. Faithful people are not! When you find yourself mired in a fight between body and heart and soul, the Holy Spirit will be your best guide and God will be your best source of strength and peace and hope.
The young woman looked at her mother through tired eyes and said, “Mom, I love Tommy. I do. Very much. And he wants to marry me! But, I’m afraid to get married. So many of my friends who married at a young age now regret it. I don’t want to make a mistake. What do I do?”
The mother looked directly into her daughter’s eyes and said, “Do you love him; I mean really love him?” When the daughter nodded, the mother said, “Stop thinking of all the things that could go wrong. Stop worrying about the future which is clouded in uncertainty. Think with your heart, not with your head! If you love him and he loves you, if you both are willing to be there for better or for worse, just follow your heart. Marry the man. He seems good for you! Pray about it!”
With a sigh, the young woman said, “Thanks for the words, Mom. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I hear what you are saying. I want love. I want Tommy. I will pray, I promise. I just hope this isn’t a big mistake.”
There comes a time in every life when your head and your heart will be in conflict with one another. Your heart might be falling in love, while your head is reminding you of all the things that could go wrong if your trust is broken. Your empathetic heart might feel sorry for that boy whose bike was stolen. But your head might be reminding you that the boy should have locked his bike safely in the garage and not let it lie night after night on the front lawn! Sometimes, your heart might be pushing you to offer grace or forgiveness to a person who did you wrong. At the same time, your mind might be reminding you that to let a person off the hook for doing wrong might encourage the person to do even more wrongful acts! I have often found that the heart responds more to feelings and emotions, while the mind responds more to logic and factual information. Because the mind and the heart seem to operate with different influences, you should not be surprised when they conflict with one another, forcing you to have an intense internal psychological, emotional, or spiritual struggle!
In Romans, chapter 7, Paul explained how his sinful thoughts and emotions seemed to always erode his peace of mind. Paul admitted in the scripture for today that even when his mind wanted to “serve the law of God”, his flesh and heat and emotions wanted to do selfish things, act impulsively, and find pleasure in sin (Romans 7:25). This forced Paul into an internal struggle to find the right motivations for his decisions and beliefs. Have you experienced your own internal struggles within your mind and heart and soul?
At a doctor’s visit, Jerry was told that his blood pressure was sky high. As the doctor described why Jerry should lose weight, eat right, and take some medicine to not have a stroke, Jerry began to formulate all the changes had to happen in his life. He vowed to go for more walks after work. He read some articles on healthy dieting. Also, he began to take pills to lower his blood pressure. After three months, Jerry visited the doctor again. Jerry’s blood pressure had dropped some, but it was still too high. The doctor began to ask a series of questions about Jerry’s lifestyle and asked if there were some stresses in his life that might be making the blood pressure worse. Upon further self-examination, Jerry promised the doctor that he would make needed changes before the next office visit.
As Jerry laid awake at night a few days later, he realized something about his situation. Two years before, he had received a promotion at his place of employment. The new position came with a good-sized pay increase but also a lot of added responsibility. Jerry came to realize that his situation at work was taking a great toll upon his life. He would often work late. His manager was pushing all the employees to exhaustion to increase sales. The manager did this to promote himself and look good to the “higher ups”. All it did was make Jerry’s time at work much more stressful.
Jerry’s mind was stressed. While at work, he was under intense pressure. He often had headaches and backaches at work. He noticed that on his days off, he had a hard time keeping his mind from worry about work or fear for an upcoming deadline. Despite the big raise and much greater income potential, Jerry realized that the stress was getting to him. He needed a job change. He needed to change several things in his life.
After a short job-search, Jerry was interviewed at another company. The new job would necessitate a decrease in pay but would have much less responsibility. He knew the owner personally. They were good friends. Jerry’s head was saying he should keep his old job and the better pay and just learn to deal better with his stress. Jerry’s heart was telling him that he needed to have a less stressful working environment. In the end, after a whole lot of prayer, Jerry followed his heart and took the new job.
Even after making the switch to the new job, Jerry’s heart and mind continued to play “what if” games. What if he was making a mistake? Would he have enough money with his new job to pay for his son’s upcoming college bills? Maybe he shouldn’t have taken a new job with less pay. For several months, Jerry’s mind and heart continued to re-examine his decision. However, the change in jobs began to pay off. With the less stressful job, Jerry’s blood pressure dropped nicely. He was able to lose twenty pounds and ate healthier food. Looking back on it now, the job change was crucial. At the time, Jerry’s head and heart caused constant turmoil as the changes piled up in his life. Thankfully, everything worked out well for Jerry.
When your mind and heart begin to fight with one another, it may be difficult to make good decisions. When your emotions and fears take over your heart and mind, sleepless nights and regret and worry and second-guessing will eat away at your calm. In the midst of a battle between mind and heart, open up your soul to God. You need God’s Spirit to bring clarity. Direction from God becomes so important!
The apostle Paul often found that his mind would often hold tightly to God. However, he also found that sin often brought temptations, fired up his emotions, and tested his will. Paul was thankful that his love of God in Christ kept him on the right track. When internal struggles take their toll, turn your thoughts to Jesus. Keep listening for God’s direction. Hold on tightly to what is right by God. Don’t let temptations and emotions and sinful attitudes cloud your judgment. When internal struggles appear, God will be a great source of strength and encouragement. God’s Word will speak to you. Be careful who you listen to. Watch out for Satan’s little manipulations. Seek time alone with Jesus.
Internal struggles are common. Faithful people are not! When you find yourself mired in a fight between body and heart and soul, the Holy Spirit will be your best guide and God will be your best source of strength and peace and hope.
September 21
“Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” (Proverbs 14:29, ESV)
There are dozens of examples of God’s anger in the Bible. God’s anger is always directed to stop sin, injustice, and evil. Because of this, I find it interesting that some preachers have said that “anger” is always wrong, always sinful. If anger is always a bad thing, why does God have anger at all? And, why do scriptures like Psalm 4:4 and Ephesians 4:28 say to “Be angry, but do not sin”? The Bible teaches us that righteous anger directed against sin, injustice, and evil is appropriate. God exhibits it! However, anger is a dangerous emotion. AND humans can make mistakes about what is at the root of anger. So, human beings can easily direct their anger in inappropriate ways and toward the wrong people. Satan even uses this to great effect, twisting facts and situations to make the righteous look wrong and evil people look right. Then, anger may be directed wrongly. God’s anger is always righteous, because God knows the hearts of all involved. God knows the hidden character and thoughts of the heart. God knows who really is at fault; God knows who is promoting evil; God knows who is ultimately right and wrong.
Because human beings are fallible, we need to be cautious when it comes to righteous anger. It is blessed to hold back your anger and seek the truth of a matter. Holding back your anger gives you time to discover the truth, to examine your motives and emotions, and to find the true source of your anger. Not lashing out in anger every time you feel you are wronged gives you time to pray about what is the truth and who is at fault. You may discover by holding back your anger that your own perspective was amiss, and your own emotions were making you blind to the truth!
There were times when God purposely held back HIS anger, giving time for people to repent and return to faithfulness. For example, Nehemiah described God as being “slow to anger” when the Israelites sinned in the wilderness during the time of the exodus from Egypt (Nehemiah 9:17). Joel described God as “slow to anger”, giving the people of Israel time to repent of their evil (Joel 2:13). Jonah 4:2, Nahum 1:3, Psalm 103:8 and many more scriptures define God’s character as one who is “slow to anger”. That is why James tells Christians to be “quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger” (James 1:19).
Today’s scripture reinforces the notion that being “slow to anger” displays true faith. Proverbs 14:29 explains that “whoever is slow to anger has great understanding”. This scripture also sees a “hasty temper” as folly or foolishness. Nowhere in scripture are we told God was overly hasty with judgment or anger. That’s your indication that being slow to anger is the best course you can take in dealing with your emotions and suffering and trials and tribulations.
“A Christian lady owned two prize chickens that got out of their run and busied themselves in the garden of an ill-tempered neighbor. The man caught the hens, wrung their necks, and threw them back over the fence. Naturally, the woman was upset, but she didn’t get angry and rush over and scream at him. Instead, she took the birds, dressed them out, and prepared two chicken pies. Then she delivered one of the freshly baked pies to the man who had killed her hens. She apologized for not being more careful about keeping her chickens in her own yard. Her children, expecting an angry scene, hid behind a bush to see the man’s face and hear what he’d say. But he was speechless! That chicken pie and apology filled him with a burning sense of shame. But she wasn’t trying to get even. Her motive in returning good for evil was to show her neighbor true Christian love, and maybe even bring about a change of heart.”
( H.V.L., “Our Daily Bread”, April 15 as quoted in 10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
This woman’s holy desire to be “slow to anger” resulted in a lesson for her children, her neighbor, and displayed true faith in God!
Another meditation from “Our Daily Bread” illustrates this further. There, this was written:
“An old Englishman, known as Father Graham in his village, was greatly loved because of his positive influence. One day an angry young man who had just been badly insulted came to see Father Graham. As he explained the situation, he said he was on his way to demand an apology from the one who had wronged him. “My dear boy,” Father Graham said, “take a word of advice from an old man who loves peace. An insult is like mud; it will brush off better when it is dry. Wait a little, till he and you are both cool, and the problem will be easily solved. If you go now, you will only quarrel.” The young man heeded the wise advice, and soon he was able to go to the other person and resolve the issue.
How often the tongue pours fuel on a fire that would go out if left alone!
Perhaps you have a problem with someone and have decided to “tell him off.” Why not wait? It’s easier to brush off mud when it’s dry. And pray for the one who offended you. It may dry the mud a little faster.”
(P.R.V., “Our Daily Bread”, September 12 as found in 10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
“The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” (Psalm 145:8, RSV) Are you slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love? Are you quick to fight back or do you hold back your anger in Christ-like love? Does your heart burn hot with anger when you are wronged? Does your temper cause you to say things you later regret? I find that holding my tongue when angry is a great way to work out my own issues and discover what God sees of my situation.
Because human beings are fallible, we need to be cautious when it comes to righteous anger. It is blessed to hold back your anger and seek the truth of a matter. Holding back your anger gives you time to discover the truth, to examine your motives and emotions, and to find the true source of your anger. Not lashing out in anger every time you feel you are wronged gives you time to pray about what is the truth and who is at fault. You may discover by holding back your anger that your own perspective was amiss, and your own emotions were making you blind to the truth!
There were times when God purposely held back HIS anger, giving time for people to repent and return to faithfulness. For example, Nehemiah described God as being “slow to anger” when the Israelites sinned in the wilderness during the time of the exodus from Egypt (Nehemiah 9:17). Joel described God as “slow to anger”, giving the people of Israel time to repent of their evil (Joel 2:13). Jonah 4:2, Nahum 1:3, Psalm 103:8 and many more scriptures define God’s character as one who is “slow to anger”. That is why James tells Christians to be “quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger” (James 1:19).
Today’s scripture reinforces the notion that being “slow to anger” displays true faith. Proverbs 14:29 explains that “whoever is slow to anger has great understanding”. This scripture also sees a “hasty temper” as folly or foolishness. Nowhere in scripture are we told God was overly hasty with judgment or anger. That’s your indication that being slow to anger is the best course you can take in dealing with your emotions and suffering and trials and tribulations.
“A Christian lady owned two prize chickens that got out of their run and busied themselves in the garden of an ill-tempered neighbor. The man caught the hens, wrung their necks, and threw them back over the fence. Naturally, the woman was upset, but she didn’t get angry and rush over and scream at him. Instead, she took the birds, dressed them out, and prepared two chicken pies. Then she delivered one of the freshly baked pies to the man who had killed her hens. She apologized for not being more careful about keeping her chickens in her own yard. Her children, expecting an angry scene, hid behind a bush to see the man’s face and hear what he’d say. But he was speechless! That chicken pie and apology filled him with a burning sense of shame. But she wasn’t trying to get even. Her motive in returning good for evil was to show her neighbor true Christian love, and maybe even bring about a change of heart.”
( H.V.L., “Our Daily Bread”, April 15 as quoted in 10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
This woman’s holy desire to be “slow to anger” resulted in a lesson for her children, her neighbor, and displayed true faith in God!
Another meditation from “Our Daily Bread” illustrates this further. There, this was written:
“An old Englishman, known as Father Graham in his village, was greatly loved because of his positive influence. One day an angry young man who had just been badly insulted came to see Father Graham. As he explained the situation, he said he was on his way to demand an apology from the one who had wronged him. “My dear boy,” Father Graham said, “take a word of advice from an old man who loves peace. An insult is like mud; it will brush off better when it is dry. Wait a little, till he and you are both cool, and the problem will be easily solved. If you go now, you will only quarrel.” The young man heeded the wise advice, and soon he was able to go to the other person and resolve the issue.
How often the tongue pours fuel on a fire that would go out if left alone!
Perhaps you have a problem with someone and have decided to “tell him off.” Why not wait? It’s easier to brush off mud when it’s dry. And pray for the one who offended you. It may dry the mud a little faster.”
(P.R.V., “Our Daily Bread”, September 12 as found in 10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
“The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” (Psalm 145:8, RSV) Are you slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love? Are you quick to fight back or do you hold back your anger in Christ-like love? Does your heart burn hot with anger when you are wronged? Does your temper cause you to say things you later regret? I find that holding my tongue when angry is a great way to work out my own issues and discover what God sees of my situation.
September 23
““They have no fear of God at all.”” (Romans 3:18, NLT)
Romans 3 was put in the Bible to describe a sinful, unrighteous person. This chapter sees the sinful, unrighteous person as deceitful (Romans 3:13), with a mouth full of curses and bitterness (Romans 3:14), all too quick to murder (Romans 3:15), yet full of “misery” and restlessness. The scripture for today adds to this picture by saying that the sinful, unrighteous person chooses to “have no fear of God” whatsoever. His or her ways are full of evil. There will be no future in Heaven. The only hope of the sinful person comes with giving respect to God and begging for forgiveness (Romans 4:7). Because of the blood of Christ shed on the cross, sinful people are given the possibility that God will be full of grace, forgiving and redeeming their souls (Romans 5:9-13). Only by “fearing God” (Romans 3:18), that is… respecting God, can a sinful person ever hope to be saved from the fires of hell.
Many people who read a scripture like Romans 3:18 will say, “Why do I have to fear God?” First of all, God holds every life in the palm of His hand. God determines how long you will live and the moment you will die. God can make the sinful person suffer. God can defeat Satan and powerful forces of evil. With such powerful abilities, God should be feared. As the scriptures state, even the demons fear God (James 2:19)! However, a close examination of this scripture reveals that the Greek words for Romans 3:18 read more like “They have no respect for God at all”. Fear can make a demon show respect for God. However, God doesn’t want humans to simply believe out of fear! God wants all of humanity to worship HIM out of respect and honor and righteousness. So, my question for today is, “How do you show respect to God?”
The scripture for today makes perfectly clear that the sinful have “no fear of God at all”. Necessarily, the faithful do exhibit fear or respect for God. What does it mean to show respect to God? It means that you devote yourself to godly things. You follow God’s laws like the Ten Commandments. You worship God. You seek God’s voice. You trust God’s Spirit. You put your hope in God’s Son. Respect for God means putting God first in your life. You don’t worship when you feel like it, you worship whenever you are able. You don’t set aside time to pray on Sunday at worship, you set aside time for God in each and every day. You share the gospel. You repent and ask for forgiveness when you sin. You do not dabble in other religions or give your allegiance to other gods. You respect God in word and action and attitude and faith.
When I first met Kevin, he was in a hospital ward. He was sick constantly, with bouts of pneumonia and anxiety and depression. While the doctors ran tests, Kevin’s wife asked me to stop in and visit. His wife attended our church. Kevin did not. I remember my visit with Kevin to this day. He is the only person I have ever personally met who made a pact with the devil.
Five years previous, when Kevin was only twenty-two, his youngest daughter was found to have a heart defect. The surgery to make her better could kill her. With his daughter’s life in the balance, Kevin’s brother spoke with him. Kevin’s brother was a full-fledged Satanist. The brother convinced Kevin that a prayer to Satan could help. Kevin knew his daughter had a very slim chance of surviving the surgery, so he prayed to Satan to fix her. He offered his own life in exchange for his daughter’s life. He told no one, not even his wife.
Then, a miracle happened. Kevin’s daughter made a fantastic, miraculous recovery. Kevin dearly loved his young daughter. He cherished every moment with her. However, Kevin began to feel an evil spirit around him. He had constant nightmares. He couldn’t sleep. His health began failing. His immune system was shutting down.
When I walked into the hospital room to visit Kevin, I had no idea of his pact with the devil (though I did feel something was spiritually wrong when near him). Kevin decided to talk to me about his pact that day. I told him that he had to reject Satan, beg for God’s forgiveness, and that Jesus could save him. Kevin was torn. He felt that if he believed in Christ and thus broke his pact with the Devil, that his beloved daughter would die. He explained to me that he could not endanger her life. He was willing to give his soul over to Satan to protect his daughter.
The last I heard, Kevin’s life was a mess. He was afraid to fall asleep at night. Anti-depressants couldn’t take away the nightmares; they only made the nightmares worse! To this day, Kevin’s wife has no idea of the pact he made. She goes to church and prays for her family without realizing that her husband refuses to “fear God”. Her family is unsafe because her husband refuses to respect God Almighty.
There are many ways people show disrespect to God. Some do it by worshipping other gods or even Satan. More people do it by ignoring God’s laws, failing to worship God reverently, or by neglecting time with God in prayer or meditation. Some disrespect God with foul-mouthed curses or with a bitter heart that is full of resentment, regret, or hate. Some disrespect God through apathy by refusing to get to know God better by reading the Bible or communing in the Spirit. The love of money, envy, jealousy, and selfishness have pulled good people away from their Savior. Temptations have stolen many others. It is crucial that you take this day to show respect for God. Too few take this path that leads to righteousness.
Stop right now and decide… how can you show God some respect this week? What needs to happen for you to make this leap of faith for Jesus? Do you not fear God? Do you not love Jesus that much? Don’t show your respects out of obligation or fear of reprisal. Show God the respect HE deserves out of love and with a thankful heart!
Many people who read a scripture like Romans 3:18 will say, “Why do I have to fear God?” First of all, God holds every life in the palm of His hand. God determines how long you will live and the moment you will die. God can make the sinful person suffer. God can defeat Satan and powerful forces of evil. With such powerful abilities, God should be feared. As the scriptures state, even the demons fear God (James 2:19)! However, a close examination of this scripture reveals that the Greek words for Romans 3:18 read more like “They have no respect for God at all”. Fear can make a demon show respect for God. However, God doesn’t want humans to simply believe out of fear! God wants all of humanity to worship HIM out of respect and honor and righteousness. So, my question for today is, “How do you show respect to God?”
The scripture for today makes perfectly clear that the sinful have “no fear of God at all”. Necessarily, the faithful do exhibit fear or respect for God. What does it mean to show respect to God? It means that you devote yourself to godly things. You follow God’s laws like the Ten Commandments. You worship God. You seek God’s voice. You trust God’s Spirit. You put your hope in God’s Son. Respect for God means putting God first in your life. You don’t worship when you feel like it, you worship whenever you are able. You don’t set aside time to pray on Sunday at worship, you set aside time for God in each and every day. You share the gospel. You repent and ask for forgiveness when you sin. You do not dabble in other religions or give your allegiance to other gods. You respect God in word and action and attitude and faith.
When I first met Kevin, he was in a hospital ward. He was sick constantly, with bouts of pneumonia and anxiety and depression. While the doctors ran tests, Kevin’s wife asked me to stop in and visit. His wife attended our church. Kevin did not. I remember my visit with Kevin to this day. He is the only person I have ever personally met who made a pact with the devil.
Five years previous, when Kevin was only twenty-two, his youngest daughter was found to have a heart defect. The surgery to make her better could kill her. With his daughter’s life in the balance, Kevin’s brother spoke with him. Kevin’s brother was a full-fledged Satanist. The brother convinced Kevin that a prayer to Satan could help. Kevin knew his daughter had a very slim chance of surviving the surgery, so he prayed to Satan to fix her. He offered his own life in exchange for his daughter’s life. He told no one, not even his wife.
Then, a miracle happened. Kevin’s daughter made a fantastic, miraculous recovery. Kevin dearly loved his young daughter. He cherished every moment with her. However, Kevin began to feel an evil spirit around him. He had constant nightmares. He couldn’t sleep. His health began failing. His immune system was shutting down.
When I walked into the hospital room to visit Kevin, I had no idea of his pact with the devil (though I did feel something was spiritually wrong when near him). Kevin decided to talk to me about his pact that day. I told him that he had to reject Satan, beg for God’s forgiveness, and that Jesus could save him. Kevin was torn. He felt that if he believed in Christ and thus broke his pact with the Devil, that his beloved daughter would die. He explained to me that he could not endanger her life. He was willing to give his soul over to Satan to protect his daughter.
The last I heard, Kevin’s life was a mess. He was afraid to fall asleep at night. Anti-depressants couldn’t take away the nightmares; they only made the nightmares worse! To this day, Kevin’s wife has no idea of the pact he made. She goes to church and prays for her family without realizing that her husband refuses to “fear God”. Her family is unsafe because her husband refuses to respect God Almighty.
There are many ways people show disrespect to God. Some do it by worshipping other gods or even Satan. More people do it by ignoring God’s laws, failing to worship God reverently, or by neglecting time with God in prayer or meditation. Some disrespect God with foul-mouthed curses or with a bitter heart that is full of resentment, regret, or hate. Some disrespect God through apathy by refusing to get to know God better by reading the Bible or communing in the Spirit. The love of money, envy, jealousy, and selfishness have pulled good people away from their Savior. Temptations have stolen many others. It is crucial that you take this day to show respect for God. Too few take this path that leads to righteousness.
Stop right now and decide… how can you show God some respect this week? What needs to happen for you to make this leap of faith for Jesus? Do you not fear God? Do you not love Jesus that much? Don’t show your respects out of obligation or fear of reprisal. Show God the respect HE deserves out of love and with a thankful heart!
September 26
“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.” (John 16:25, NIV84)
A father asked his twelve-year-old son to join him out in the garage. The young man thought he was going to help his father fix something on the car. Instead, the father walked him over to the workbench and pointed to the toolbox. The father then asked, “Son, did you use something from the toolbox?”
The boy replied, “Mom had me get out a wrench for her when we worked on my bike.”
The father said, “Did you bring the wrench back?”
“No”, the boy replied.
“Why not?” asked the father.
“Because I thought mom would put it away,” responded the young man.
The father then said, “You took out the wrench. It was your bike that got fixed. It is important to me that you make sure all tools are put back in their place for the next time you need them. In life, you need to learn to keep your tools in order. You need to watch over others to whom you borrow things. When you borrow a tool from my toolbox, you are responsible for it, no matter who you give it to. Ok?”
The boy only partially understood what he had done wrong, but he still responded, “OK.” However, that young man always replaced his father’s tools borrowed from the toolbox. The son did it out of respect.
Years later, just after his father died, that young man who was now in his twenties, helped his mother clean out the garage. When he saw the old toolbox, he remembered his father’s instruction about putting back his tools. He smiled to himself thinking of that day and his father’s instruction. Then, he opened the toolbox. Inside were a lot of old tools, half of them beginning to rust. But laying on top of the wrenches in the top compartment was a note. It read, “Thanks for always putting my tools back in the toolbox. You became quite the trustworthy son!”
Before dying, the father knew his son would get the old toolbox in the garage upon his death. The father put the note in the toolbox not only as a thanks to his son for listening when he was young, but as a reminder of how valuable it was to be trustworthy!”
When he was twelve, if you would have asked that son why his father wanted the tools returned to the toolbox, the young man would have responded that his father was picky, lazy, crabby, or demanding. However, the father was actually teaching his son about finishing tasks, responsibility, trustworthiness and more. The son didn’t realize this at the time but did as he grew older and wiser!
The father’s teaching and his final note held a lot more information than it might seem at first glance. The father didn’t just want to teach his son to put back borrowed tools, he wanted to teach his son to be trustworthy and responsible. The father’s note also taught the importance of praising good deeds. The boy didn’t understand this when young, but he understood it much more as time went by. When older, the young man could appreciate his father’s note with more understanding, more appreciation, and more love.
Some understanding and learning and teaching in life takes time to appreciate. Some aspects and nuances of life are more difficult to perceive. A child may get upset at having to do chores without understanding that chores teach you the value of work for the family. A teenager may not appreciate the importance of her dad “forcing” her to change a tire, but when she is later stranded on a road with a flat tire, she will appreciate the prior instruction! Lots of lessons in life are not appreciated by the young, those with little understanding, or those who don’t look with “spiritual eyes”.
When Jesus taught the disciples, he often used parables. These parables taught life lessons that often contained multiple deeper meanings. Often, the disciples did not understand the depth of Jesus’ teachings and parables. They even asked Jesus why he used parables (notice the conversation in Matthew 13:10!)! Only later did the disciples discern the purpose and meaning of Jesus’ teaching, the lessons in the parables, and the deeper understanding behind Jesus’ words.
In today’s scripture reading, Jesus teaches the disciples about his use of parables and figurative language. Jesus told them: “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.” (John 16:25). Jesus knew that the time was coming when the disciples were going to need extra teaching, more explanation, more understanding of His words. The time was coming when Jesus would no longer be there in person to guide them. His words, His teachings, His depth of knowledge would be needed for them to fully understand their place in HIS Kingdom!
Don’t be surprised if God speaks to you in parables and with figurative language or with object lessons. You may not fully understand what God is saying at first glance. However, with true faith, you will see more clearly the things God wants to tell you. One person may hear from the doctor, “the cancer is in remission!”. This person may not realize that God took away the cancer, performing a miracle for a reason. The healing wasn’t the only lesson to be learned! Another person may suffer through depression without realizing that God was using the depression to make the person more soft-hearted and gracious! Still another person may read in the Bible “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”. She may not understand the meaning of these words until she needs mercy from God to be forgiven!
A soldier was having trouble hitting the targets during training. His shots always went to the right. The drill instructor explained to the soldier, “Sometimes, you need to coax that horse to the drinking water! Quit pulling the trigger so hard!” At the time, the soldier was befuddled why his instructor was talking about a horse during time at the rifle range! However, when he became a rancher later in life, he fully understood what the drill instructor was saying. His impatience in pulling the trigger was just like the impatience a novice horseman displayed in dealing with a thirsty horse!
Some people never understand the teaching of a parent. They may never learn some lessons. The same type of failure may occur spiritually. So many people never perceive many of the things God is teaching every day. They don’t look deeper at the events of life. They do not take the time to seek meaning with “spiritual eyes”. They may lack the patience to learn. They may not care about spiritual things. They may not have faith. How about you? Is there something you have yet to learn? Is there something that your “spiritual eyes” are missing? Is there a lesson Jesus is trying to teach you right now that requires your patience, time in prayer, or “spiritual eyes” to perceive?
The boy replied, “Mom had me get out a wrench for her when we worked on my bike.”
The father said, “Did you bring the wrench back?”
“No”, the boy replied.
“Why not?” asked the father.
“Because I thought mom would put it away,” responded the young man.
The father then said, “You took out the wrench. It was your bike that got fixed. It is important to me that you make sure all tools are put back in their place for the next time you need them. In life, you need to learn to keep your tools in order. You need to watch over others to whom you borrow things. When you borrow a tool from my toolbox, you are responsible for it, no matter who you give it to. Ok?”
The boy only partially understood what he had done wrong, but he still responded, “OK.” However, that young man always replaced his father’s tools borrowed from the toolbox. The son did it out of respect.
Years later, just after his father died, that young man who was now in his twenties, helped his mother clean out the garage. When he saw the old toolbox, he remembered his father’s instruction about putting back his tools. He smiled to himself thinking of that day and his father’s instruction. Then, he opened the toolbox. Inside were a lot of old tools, half of them beginning to rust. But laying on top of the wrenches in the top compartment was a note. It read, “Thanks for always putting my tools back in the toolbox. You became quite the trustworthy son!”
Before dying, the father knew his son would get the old toolbox in the garage upon his death. The father put the note in the toolbox not only as a thanks to his son for listening when he was young, but as a reminder of how valuable it was to be trustworthy!”
When he was twelve, if you would have asked that son why his father wanted the tools returned to the toolbox, the young man would have responded that his father was picky, lazy, crabby, or demanding. However, the father was actually teaching his son about finishing tasks, responsibility, trustworthiness and more. The son didn’t realize this at the time but did as he grew older and wiser!
The father’s teaching and his final note held a lot more information than it might seem at first glance. The father didn’t just want to teach his son to put back borrowed tools, he wanted to teach his son to be trustworthy and responsible. The father’s note also taught the importance of praising good deeds. The boy didn’t understand this when young, but he understood it much more as time went by. When older, the young man could appreciate his father’s note with more understanding, more appreciation, and more love.
Some understanding and learning and teaching in life takes time to appreciate. Some aspects and nuances of life are more difficult to perceive. A child may get upset at having to do chores without understanding that chores teach you the value of work for the family. A teenager may not appreciate the importance of her dad “forcing” her to change a tire, but when she is later stranded on a road with a flat tire, she will appreciate the prior instruction! Lots of lessons in life are not appreciated by the young, those with little understanding, or those who don’t look with “spiritual eyes”.
When Jesus taught the disciples, he often used parables. These parables taught life lessons that often contained multiple deeper meanings. Often, the disciples did not understand the depth of Jesus’ teachings and parables. They even asked Jesus why he used parables (notice the conversation in Matthew 13:10!)! Only later did the disciples discern the purpose and meaning of Jesus’ teaching, the lessons in the parables, and the deeper understanding behind Jesus’ words.
In today’s scripture reading, Jesus teaches the disciples about his use of parables and figurative language. Jesus told them: “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.” (John 16:25). Jesus knew that the time was coming when the disciples were going to need extra teaching, more explanation, more understanding of His words. The time was coming when Jesus would no longer be there in person to guide them. His words, His teachings, His depth of knowledge would be needed for them to fully understand their place in HIS Kingdom!
Don’t be surprised if God speaks to you in parables and with figurative language or with object lessons. You may not fully understand what God is saying at first glance. However, with true faith, you will see more clearly the things God wants to tell you. One person may hear from the doctor, “the cancer is in remission!”. This person may not realize that God took away the cancer, performing a miracle for a reason. The healing wasn’t the only lesson to be learned! Another person may suffer through depression without realizing that God was using the depression to make the person more soft-hearted and gracious! Still another person may read in the Bible “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”. She may not understand the meaning of these words until she needs mercy from God to be forgiven!
A soldier was having trouble hitting the targets during training. His shots always went to the right. The drill instructor explained to the soldier, “Sometimes, you need to coax that horse to the drinking water! Quit pulling the trigger so hard!” At the time, the soldier was befuddled why his instructor was talking about a horse during time at the rifle range! However, when he became a rancher later in life, he fully understood what the drill instructor was saying. His impatience in pulling the trigger was just like the impatience a novice horseman displayed in dealing with a thirsty horse!
Some people never understand the teaching of a parent. They may never learn some lessons. The same type of failure may occur spiritually. So many people never perceive many of the things God is teaching every day. They don’t look deeper at the events of life. They do not take the time to seek meaning with “spiritual eyes”. They may lack the patience to learn. They may not care about spiritual things. They may not have faith. How about you? Is there something you have yet to learn? Is there something that your “spiritual eyes” are missing? Is there a lesson Jesus is trying to teach you right now that requires your patience, time in prayer, or “spiritual eyes” to perceive?
September 28
“But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants.” (Exodus 9:34, ESV)
“But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.” (Exodus 10:27, ESV)
“But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.” (Exodus 10:27, ESV)
If you look closely at the two scriptures above chosen for today, they may look contradictory. In the first scripture from Exodus 9:34, Pharaoh “sinned yet again” and the sin “hardened his heart”. In the second scripture from Exodus 10:27, it was recorded that “the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart”. At first glance, it may seem as if one of the two scriptures must be incorrect. Did God harden Pharaoh’s heart or did Pharaoh harden his own heart? I have heard those who read these scriptures say that it was “not fair” that God hardened Pharaoh's heart and then punished him for it. Others claimed that one or the other scripture must be wrongly recorded. I have another theory. I believe both scriptures are correct! Both scriptures tell the truth of what happened to Pharaoh in the days before the Ten Plagues in Egypt.
As I was studying the book of Exodus and these two scriptures, I came across a bit of commentary by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins in Embracing Eternity; Living Each Day With a Heart Toward Heaven. In this book, the authors commented on the seeming discrepancy between God’s hardening Pharaoh’s heart and Pharaoh hardening his own heart against the Israelites and God. They too believe that both scriptures are stating things correctly, though they seem contradictory. Then, they gave this wonderful explanation:
“WHO HARDENED Pharaoh’s heart? Was it God, or was it Pharaoh himself who did it? When Scripture records the story of Moses and Aaron going before Pharaoh, asking him to free the Israelites, sometimes it says that Pharaoh hardened his heart, and other times it says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. So which was it?
We can all understand how Pharaoh could have hardened his heart because we’ve all known hard-hearted people. Stubbornness is common among humans. But to hear that God hardened his heart somehow affronts our sense of fairness. We don’t want to believe that God would override a man’s free will in order to make a point. It’s hard for us to hear that someone could be used as a puppet by the Creator, with no choice in what he says or does. If God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, then whatever happened to free will?
None of us can claim to know the answer definitively, and the truth is, God doesn’t have to answer to us for anything he chooses to do. But I have a theory on the subject—one that is best told through a simple analogy. If you went to Texas in the middle of summer and laid a stick of butter on the sidewalk, with the scorching Texas sun bearing down on it, what would happen? Within minutes it would be completely melted. But what if you took that same sidewalk and laid a lump of soft clay on it instead? You know the answer. It would soon become hard and unyielding.
The same hot sun that melted the butter hardened the clay. And you can’t blame the sun for what happened in either case. The result had to do with the makeup of the element on the sidewalk. They each reacted to the heat based on the stuff that they were made of. The sun simply did what it always does—it shone brightly.
Maybe the same is true with Pharaoh’s heart. What caused it to harden in the face of God’s power had more to do with what Pharaoh brought to the table than with God’s intervention. Pharaoh hardened his heart the same way many today do when faced with the reality of Jesus. They see the evidence but refuse to listen. It’s what we have filled our heart with that makes the difference.”(P. 282)
Don’t you see? Pharaoh’s narcissistic attitude caused him to harden his heart against God. But God’s own actions caused Pharaoh to overreact in his decisions and further harden his heart. A merciful leader faced with the same circumstances may not have hardened his heart. When God acted on Israel’s behalf, a humble or spiritual leader might have responded with a softening of his heart. Pharaoh not only hardened his own heart, but the circumstances God set before Egypt caused Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened even more completely against Israel and God.
A hardened heart is not uncommon. Not only did Pharaoh harden his heart but many people in history have done the same. The Roman governor Flavius Silva hardened his heart against the Jewish revolutionaries at Masada. The Goths hated Roman leadership. Attila the Hun hated the Roman leaders for breaking pacts and violating treaties. Hitler hardened his heart against the Jews and began the Holocaust. Whenever loyalties are cast aside, promises are broken, and sins wreak havoc, people can become jaded. They often respond with hardened hearts. Throughout human history, propaganda has often been used to manipulate the masses into hating a group of people or foreign nation resulting in entire nations becoming hard-of-heart. And it’s not just nations and ethnic groups that can harden hearts against each other. Individuals can respond with hardened hearts toward neighbors and family and friends causing feuds and animosities and all kinds of ill-will.
When Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, he sinned greatly against the Lord. He also caused great suffering to befall all Egypt. Hardened hearts often cause suffering, ill-will, war, agony, pain, emotional trauma, and so much more. It is crucial that your heart never become hardened. It is too easy for sin to take hold and evil to follow soon after.
Have you ever responded with a hardened heart when God was disciplining you? Have you ever closed off your heart to the pain of another person? Have you ever been consumed with hatred toward another person for a long time? Has your blood ever boiled with resentment over poor treatment? A hard heart from Pharaoh brought destruction upon Egypt. A hard heart will cause you to experience destruction in your own life. All too often, a hard heart not only destroys relationships and nations, it destroys faith and love and forgiveness and grace and righteousness right along with it! Always watch yourself when anger boils up. Those moments can often give birth to a hard heart!
As I was studying the book of Exodus and these two scriptures, I came across a bit of commentary by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins in Embracing Eternity; Living Each Day With a Heart Toward Heaven. In this book, the authors commented on the seeming discrepancy between God’s hardening Pharaoh’s heart and Pharaoh hardening his own heart against the Israelites and God. They too believe that both scriptures are stating things correctly, though they seem contradictory. Then, they gave this wonderful explanation:
“WHO HARDENED Pharaoh’s heart? Was it God, or was it Pharaoh himself who did it? When Scripture records the story of Moses and Aaron going before Pharaoh, asking him to free the Israelites, sometimes it says that Pharaoh hardened his heart, and other times it says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. So which was it?
We can all understand how Pharaoh could have hardened his heart because we’ve all known hard-hearted people. Stubbornness is common among humans. But to hear that God hardened his heart somehow affronts our sense of fairness. We don’t want to believe that God would override a man’s free will in order to make a point. It’s hard for us to hear that someone could be used as a puppet by the Creator, with no choice in what he says or does. If God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, then whatever happened to free will?
None of us can claim to know the answer definitively, and the truth is, God doesn’t have to answer to us for anything he chooses to do. But I have a theory on the subject—one that is best told through a simple analogy. If you went to Texas in the middle of summer and laid a stick of butter on the sidewalk, with the scorching Texas sun bearing down on it, what would happen? Within minutes it would be completely melted. But what if you took that same sidewalk and laid a lump of soft clay on it instead? You know the answer. It would soon become hard and unyielding.
The same hot sun that melted the butter hardened the clay. And you can’t blame the sun for what happened in either case. The result had to do with the makeup of the element on the sidewalk. They each reacted to the heat based on the stuff that they were made of. The sun simply did what it always does—it shone brightly.
Maybe the same is true with Pharaoh’s heart. What caused it to harden in the face of God’s power had more to do with what Pharaoh brought to the table than with God’s intervention. Pharaoh hardened his heart the same way many today do when faced with the reality of Jesus. They see the evidence but refuse to listen. It’s what we have filled our heart with that makes the difference.”(P. 282)
Don’t you see? Pharaoh’s narcissistic attitude caused him to harden his heart against God. But God’s own actions caused Pharaoh to overreact in his decisions and further harden his heart. A merciful leader faced with the same circumstances may not have hardened his heart. When God acted on Israel’s behalf, a humble or spiritual leader might have responded with a softening of his heart. Pharaoh not only hardened his own heart, but the circumstances God set before Egypt caused Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened even more completely against Israel and God.
A hardened heart is not uncommon. Not only did Pharaoh harden his heart but many people in history have done the same. The Roman governor Flavius Silva hardened his heart against the Jewish revolutionaries at Masada. The Goths hated Roman leadership. Attila the Hun hated the Roman leaders for breaking pacts and violating treaties. Hitler hardened his heart against the Jews and began the Holocaust. Whenever loyalties are cast aside, promises are broken, and sins wreak havoc, people can become jaded. They often respond with hardened hearts. Throughout human history, propaganda has often been used to manipulate the masses into hating a group of people or foreign nation resulting in entire nations becoming hard-of-heart. And it’s not just nations and ethnic groups that can harden hearts against each other. Individuals can respond with hardened hearts toward neighbors and family and friends causing feuds and animosities and all kinds of ill-will.
When Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, he sinned greatly against the Lord. He also caused great suffering to befall all Egypt. Hardened hearts often cause suffering, ill-will, war, agony, pain, emotional trauma, and so much more. It is crucial that your heart never become hardened. It is too easy for sin to take hold and evil to follow soon after.
Have you ever responded with a hardened heart when God was disciplining you? Have you ever closed off your heart to the pain of another person? Have you ever been consumed with hatred toward another person for a long time? Has your blood ever boiled with resentment over poor treatment? A hard heart from Pharaoh brought destruction upon Egypt. A hard heart will cause you to experience destruction in your own life. All too often, a hard heart not only destroys relationships and nations, it destroys faith and love and forgiveness and grace and righteousness right along with it! Always watch yourself when anger boils up. Those moments can often give birth to a hard heart!