“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” ~Philippians 4:12-13
Why is it that some people seem so steady and stable, perhaps even joyful, amid the chaos of life, and others seem so subject to their circumstances? Jesus spoke of His words as a solid foundation. The Word of God is stable, it is sound, it is unmoving and resolute. A life built on this solid rock will not be shaken. The natural conclusion, then, is that the lives of the emotionally turbulent – or at least parts of their lives – lack this foundation.
The reality of the Gospel of Christ is that He is faithful and true regardless of our circumstances. People will fail us – even the most earnest and sincere. Our plans will fail. Hard times will come. It would be easy to conclude that God is unaware, uninterested, or simply not there, but nothing could be further from the truth. When we fail to see God in our circumstances, it is not because He has diminished, but rather we have turned a blind eye.
When our expectations, our hopes, our dreams become in our hearts the only acceptable option we are poised for disappointment. When we set our sights on the temporal we lose our eternal perspective and we lose sight of God. God, who is less concerned with your happiness and more concerned with your holiness, will use the temporal to forge the eternal. This understanding makes it possible for us to humble ourselves and “consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds,” because we know we are being made into the image of Christ and sharing in His suffering and purpose through our trials.
Paul was able to endure all things through Christ who strengthened him because he clung tightly to the promise fulfilled in Christ for salvation unto eternal life. Life, not existence, is the goal; and this we are promised and sealed for by the presence of the Holy Spirit who teaches us, convicts us, and reveals what lies behind our temporary circumstances.
Be assured that 1) God is sovereign over all creation, rulers, and powers, 2) that God is always faithful and worthy of praise, and 3) that God is constantly reaching out to you through your circumstances – good and bad – to draw you closer to Him and make you more like Jesus …for all eternity.
Weekly Devotional: August 2, 2009
Words to Grow On
“Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” ~ Proverbs 11:4
We live in such a wealthy nation. Even the poorest among us have more opportunity than people of other nations. With so much wealth in our land, how is it than any can go without food, clothes, and shelter? It is because of a poisonous mentality that has crept into our society and even infiltrated our churches that causes us to cling to what we have as though our lives depended on it.
We are convinced that, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” Like the ancients – those like Job and his friends – we equate material wealth to spiritual health. The more blessings we have, the greater our favor with God must be. This is why Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” You see, our wealth becomes an end rather than a means.
We are accountable for our many blessings. God does not give to you simply for your sake. Instead, we are to honor God with our wealth. How do we honor God? We do the things He would do with what we have. Jesus’ example is one we are admonished to follow as He was “in His very nature God, He did not consider equality with God [His wealth] something to be clung to, but made himself nothing…” Jesus gave of Himself for the sake of those who had nothing. This is also the example of early church as they, “gave to anyone as they had need.”
All you have and all you are – your time, talents, and treasure – are given to you by God for His purpose and glory. Because He gives so generously to you, you are to give generously to reveal Him to others. This honors God. You may say, “But I am not wealthy!” If you have options, you are wealthy. It was tempting for the disciples to hang on to their bread at the feeding of the 5,000. Yet when they let go and passed it around, then they saw the miracle. We, too, must let go and give of ourselves to see God’s wonders. Not only do we get to see the work of God, but in our generosity, we also prove we are His.
Weekly Devotional: July 26, 2009
Words to Grow On
“’But Lord,’ Gideon asked, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the least in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’” ~ Judges 6:15
We can all think of reasons why we are unable to do what God wants of us. We all know why we can’t tell someone about Jesus, we are quick to explain why we can’t lay down our habits and idols, we confident in our weakness and inability to do the hard thing. When we think this way, however, our thoughts are all on us, and we fail to acknowledge God in “all our ways.”
There were two things that tripped the disciples of Jesus up on a regular basis: Bread and storms. Every time Jesus wanted them to feed a large number of people, or even just the 12, they were bound by the amount of food they had on them at the time. They were stuck on the resource rather than trusting in the Source. Every time a storm caught them on the Sea of Galilee they assumed they were going to die – even when the Lord Jesus was with them. The reason for these hang ups was that they had a tendency to rely on what they could see, touch, and measure rather than looking for what God was doing.
Like the disciples – and even Gideon – we also look at what we know rather than Who we know. We assume we are unable to do what God commands us because….fill in the blank. God equips those He calls. We do not need to become strong enough for God to use, educated enough, experienced enough; we could never be. In fact, “His power is proved through our weakness.” When we can rely on our own strength and understanding then we will accomplish only what we can do. God does God-sized things and invites us to join Him. Though He equips us, this does not mean it will be easy. Like the church in Philadelphia, we are called to persevere. This, too, requires strength beyond our own means, but we are still called to do it. Through our perseverance God is glorified to us and through us. As the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.” Be eager to persevere, in this way you become like Christ.
Weekly Devotional: July 19, 2009
Words to Grow On
“Israel cries out, ‘O our God, we acknowledge You!’ But Israel has rejected what is good.” ~ Hosea 8:2- 3a
There is a distinction between those who believe in Jesus, and those who follow Him. In our culture we have convinced ourselves that mere belief is good enough, but biblically, our belief must incorporate trust which will affect our decisions and actions, otherwise our belief is worthless.
In his letter to the church, James wrote, “You believe there is one God. Good! The demons believe that also, and they shudder.” The Christian life does not end with an intellectual understanding. Theology must at some point become reality. To acknowledge God is a good start, but Jesus warned us that, “only those who do the will of my Father” will enter the kingdom of heaven. Faith must manifest in action, or it is really only belief, and this requires risk.
The goal of the disciple is to carry on the work of his teacher. This requires action on the part of the disciple. To truly acknowledge Christ as Lord is not to simply believe that fact, but to live as though you believe that fact. If Jesus loved the unlovable, ministered to the needy, preached good news to the sinner, and met the needs of the poor and afflicted for the sake of the Kingdom and purpose of God, then should we not also do the same? Can we really acknowledge God and maintain a “nice little life” of comfort and ease? The answer is no.
The apostle Paul, who clearly acknowledged Jesus as Lord and led countless others to do the same, said his goal was to, “know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death.” Belief has lost its meaning in our culture. It now means simply to understand and agree, and we leave out how that belief is supposed to affect us. Likewise, acknowledge has also lost some of its meaning. To acknowledge God now means to simply believe in Him without actually living for Him as if He is Lord. This is the broad road – it’s so easy. The narrow road is when we take up our cross and follow, heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Weekly Devotional: July 12, 2009
Words to Grow On
“In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David…remained in Jerusalem…From the roof he saw a woman bathing.” ~ 2 Samuel 11:1-2
Insanity is defined, in one regard, as “to deny reality.” David is called in scripture, “a man after [God’s] own heart.” Yet, even David was susceptible to temptation. When he was supposed to be out leading his troops in war, he remained in Jerusalem. He put himself in a place to be tempted. His guard was down and he fell. What opened the door for King David’s fall was pride, which denies the reality of our weakness, and it is common to our human nature.
The irony is that in the wake of the victory of his troops over their enemies, David was defeated in his own battle against temptation and sin. Rather than doing what he was supposed to be doing, David put himself in a position to be tempted. Likewise when we feel that we are impervious to temptation and error, we also are primed for a fall.
People do not like to be wrong. It is easy for us to take the position that we are too smart, too educated, too experienced, or too close to God to ever be wrong. This pride is exactly the distraction the enemy needs to destroy our walk with God. Through pride our hearts become calloused and hard; we become unmoldable and unteachable. We become our own standard and God no longer has any place in our lives.
In the letter to the church in Thyatira, Jesus calls out a woman named Jezebel who has been spreading false teaching in the church and poisoning the saints. She has been tolerated by the church, and though challenged by the Spirit, she has refused to admit her wrong. Her pride and selfish ambition have hardened her heart to correction and made her an enemy of God.
There is no place in the heart committed to God for pride. “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” Whether we think too much of ourselves, or too poorly, pride is present when the center of our thoughts is self. I remember a time, not very long ago, when I felt I had learned much and had a firm grasp of the truth; an answer for nearly everything. God has shown me that I have indeed grown in my faith and understanding, but that there is so very much I still lack. Humbly, therefore, I am learning to seek what God has, not rest on what I already have. Growth is indicative of life. Though there are seasons of dormancy, like winter, in our lives, there must also be growth. A heart unwilling to be taught and corrected is a hardened heart that is of no use to God.
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