Day 19 – Misunderstanding God’s Goodness…

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

This has been a Christian mantra or something placed on a motivational poster, t-shirt or coffee mug. But I think we misunderstand this verse. The goodness of God was never about giving someone cancer, or someone losing their job or someone losing a loved one to death. These are not good things at all. It was never God’s intention to hurt His creation. So let’s agree to stop thinking about those things as good – because they are not good things. (wow, this devotional seems very dark…just wait, it gets better I promise)

Let’s get into the right mindset that God is NOT about causing harm to the world. He doesn’t work that way. Yes, He despises sin and hatred, but He doesn’t say “here’s a sickness – consider it a good thing!” Instead, God is about bringing restoration and transformation in and through us. That issue you might be going through right now, guess what? God is right there beside you. He will never leave you, and despite the troubles you might be experiencing, He loves you and even weeps with you. He hurts when you hurt. He wants to lead you through it, and in some instances deliver you from that trial. Don’t look at those trials as good, or as something to “look forward to”…obviously God doesn’t wish to inflict pain on you…but despite the world’s circumstances, and the fallen-ness of it, He will make something good come from it.

What are you struggling with today?
Do you see light at the end of this tunnel?
Are you tired? Worn out? Angry?
I know that it is easy to blame God, but just know that He wants to help and give you hope!
Are you prepared to lean on His strength? Perhaps you are already – keep leaning on Him, He will lead you through this dark time. For the rest of us who are not presently in a tough situation, will you pray for those that are? There is real strength and power in the prayer of the Christ-follower. Even if you do not know about specific details and situations, prayer for your fellow Christian brother or sister is mighty and God knows the specifics.
Do not misunderstand God’s love for you, however. Recognize His constant care and provisions in your life right now, and give thanks for those good things!

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to see your hand on me in these difficult days. Although I cannot see the future and the outcome – you can. Lead me. I know that these things are not good and I hate feeling this way, but show me your goodness and glory. Reveal to me your hope and joy despite the present circumstances. Lord, I also pray for others who are in very dark places right now. Help me to be your hope, encouragement and love to them! Make me an instrument of your peace in the world around me today. In your name I pray these things. -Amen.

January 19, 2017 0

Day 18 -Living Shema Outloud!!

“…‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Jesus was asked by a teacher of the law which commandment was the greatest.
They had been debating and Jesus was very good in His answers. So when asked this question, He responds by quoting one of the pillar prayers of the Hebrew people – the Shema Yisrael. “Love the Lord Your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all you strength…” Then He points out that loving your neighbor as yourself is the second most important commandment.

The teacher didn’t ask which was the second most important, but Jesus tell him anyway. Could it be that the teachers of Jesus’ day needed that reminder as well? Perhaps we still require this kind of reminder. These two commandments are just as true today as they were in Jesus’ day! When we love God with EVERYTHING we are and with EVERYTHING we have, we can begin to love those around us like we love ourselves. Isn’t it interesting that without love for God in such a holistic way, the love for others falls apart?

We see this all the time though don’t we? There is a lot of hate in our world today. Wouldn’t it be amazing to worship and adore God so much that we naturally love our neighbors around us? What an amazing world we would live in if we respected and loved one another because our first love was God. Even the people of Jesus’ day questioned who their neighbors were. In Luke, right after Jesus repeats the Shema Yisrael and speaks of loving our neighbor, one of the teachers asks “who is my neighbor?” You can almost hear the wheels churning in this man’s mind. Can we pick and choose who our neighbor is? Does my neighbor look like me, have the same interest as me, perhaps have the same skin color as me? Is “my neighbor” those I choose to associate myself with? The answer is NO! Jesus takes it a step further and tells them the parable of the Good Samaritan to illustrate our neighbor is more than people who look like us, talk like us, and have the same interests or cultural practices.

Loving God with all of our being broadens the world around us.
Loving God opens the doors to loving a broader sense of who our neighbor is.
So let me ask you, who is your neighbor that requires your love and kindness?

Prayer: Lord help me today to see the bigger picture in this world. I want to love you with every fiber of my being and every ounce of breath in my lungs. Teach me to love others, beyond my comfort zone and my own prejudices. Help me to show Christ in my words and my deeds today. Let Your love in my life be evident to all and my I bring glory and honor to you. In Your name I pray these things. -Amen.

January 18, 2017 0

Day 17 – Lost And Found!!

“…suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?” Luke 15:8

One of my sons lost something very important to him – his key to his locker. In that locker was all of his text books for all of his classes. The night before school, he came to us all stressed out and worried that he wouldn’t find it. We reassured him that in the morning we would find it together; and so bright and early the next day we got up and searched the house for his missing key. We searched the basement level and then we came up to the main level and searched. Finally, in his room, on the floor amongst the cluttered mess of scattered clothing and other knick-knacks we found his lost key. He was relieved and ready to begin his day with more promise, because what was once lost was now found!

This reminded me of another story. A story that Jesus told. It was about a woman who had lost one of her ten silver coins. This may have been all that she owned in the world, and losing just one of those coins would have been devastating to her. So she tears her house apart looking for this lost coin until she finds it. Then she calls her neighbors together to celebrate with her. Jesus told this tale to illustrate just how important every person on this earth is to Him. He doesn’t want to lose anyone along the way. In fact, just before this story Jesus told another story – the parable of the lost sheep, and at the very end of that story He said, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

Imagine that! Heaven rejoices when the lost is found!
Perhaps that gives us a glimpse as to how important it is to love people around us.
You never know what has happened or is going on in their lives. Perhaps such a person will cross your path today. Can you be the very hands and feet of Christ? Will listen to the Holy Spirit’s promptings as all of Heaven anxiously waits for that one lost soul to be found again? All it takes is our willingness to say “yes” to the Holy Spirit and bring hope to that poor soul.

So, how about it, will you help with the lost and found today?

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to see the people around me today. May the words I choose to say be a blessing and not a curse to those I meet. Help me to show Christ’s love with words and actions! And if you prompt me to talk to someone, give me the words to speak. Thank you for this blessing and promise of a new day! In your name I pray all of these things. -Amen!

January 17, 2017 0

Day 16 -Living In God’s Sanctuary…

“Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Why may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous…” Psalm 15:1-2a

When we choose to follow Christ in our lives and live for Him every day, we are not only called Sons and Daughter of God, but we have access to His sanctuary.

What does that mean?
It means that the very presence of God can remain with us every moment of every day.
In essence we have the Creator of the Universe with us to guide and provide. In ancient times the only ones who could gain access to the Holy of holies were the priests who kept themselves ceremonially clean. The Holy of holies was the place where the very presence was said to reside. On the day and hour of Christ’s death, the curtain, which separated the temple from the Holy of holies was torn from top to bottom. This was more than coincidental, this signified God’s presence would no longer just reside in the temple, but He could be accessed by everyone all because of what Christ did on the cross.

How does this make you feel, knowing that God’s presence is accessible and readily available for you and me? He longs to be a part of our day. He wants to fellowship with us, to commune and guide us in our day. When we enter into this fellowship, we are in the very sanctuary of God! Each of us are called to be set apart for God, so how we live and how we interact with the world around us matters! We can live as Kingdom people as we enter into His sanctuary every day! May we walk into His presence and live this kingdom living today!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for allowing us access to you because of your son Jesus Christ! I want dwell in your sanctuary everyday! Be with me today, and as I interact with others, bring to my mind your grace, peace and love. In your name I pray all of these things amen!

January 17, 2017 0

Day 12 – The Burdens Of Others

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ...”
–Ephesians 6:2

We live in a very egocentric culture today. A lot of the time our culture operates from an individualistic perspective. For example many ask these types of questions frequently: How do I see myself? Where do I fit in? What makes ME Happy? Will this change affect ME? And the truth is our culture is ruled by how “I” feel. This can spiral into a very self-indulged, selfish worldview where one throws a fit if one does not get their own way and they simply cannot be burdened by the needs of others.

Paul reminds us and the early Church that the needs and burdens of others are to be shared. This is certainly counter-cultural to what society teaches us. But even the ancient world struggled with self-importance and individuality. Do you recall the parable of the good Samaritan? There was a Priest who came by, saw the beaten and bloody man and walked on the other side of the road. Then there was a Levite who did the same thing. Both were too consumed with their own needs and busy schedules to stop and tend to this injured man (who was of their culture and race). Finally the Samaritan man passed by, saw this man’s needs and tended to them.

Our Busyness
It would be easy to say that we would respond like the Good Samaritan in Jesus’ story, but is that really true sometimes? When we have deadlines to meet, appointments to keep, miles of road to drive to get to those “responsibilities” – would we stop what we were doing to lend a helping hand? How important are the burdens of those around us? Can we even see past the issues that we face in order to see the needs of others? It is far easier to put our noses back into our busyness, say “Oh I’m way too busy”, and never look around us. It is far easier to think “I’ll just let someone else take care of that person’s needs”…but what if God holds us accountable for those moments that we never cared or simply passed that responsibility onto “someone else”? Would that change how we look at others? What if God placed those burdens of others in our path so that we could help, but we didn’t lift a finger…could we really be called Christ-followers then? “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink…” Matthew 25:42.

Jesus even prayed for His disciples that they would be one – united in effort and mission.
I believe the message is so much stronger when we share each other’s burdens and stand united together in love. So today, here’s a challenge for you: do one thing that makes you go out of your way for someone in need. It might be something small like buying someone a cup of coffee, or helping a person load their groceries into their car, or offer a meal to someone who appears in need of food. Don’t judge or second guess their intentions, just give.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to see others today. Despite my busy schedule, I am called to be your hands and feet – show me what that looks like. Forgive me when I have been the Priest or the Levite and walked passed someone in need. Help me to serve with and not to seek out my own self-importance. Lead me Lord today in this. -Amen.

January 12, 2017 0

Day 11: Walking In The Light

“(Jesus said) ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” -John 8:12

Picking up from yesterday’s devotional on Finding Hope , I wonder how often we find ourselves in dark places. I don’t mean some dark alley in an unknown part of town, I mean in those dark moods, in those dark times where all hope does seem lost, whether because of health, family, friends, work etc… Dark times do come.

I remember one time awakening in the middle of night and all of our power was out. It was pitch dark, and it just so happened to be September 12th, 2001. As you can recall the horrific events that took place on September 11th. In our little town, cars were lined up at the pumps because they were afraid something far greater was going to happen. Those first few days, weeks, months were very dark times. Many were looking for answers and fear was at the forefront of everyone’s minds…anyway, I digress. So I awaken in the middle of the night without power, right after this awful, dreadfully dark day. I stumble around trying to find a flashlight. I remember tripping over things and eventually stumbling down the stairs in the dark. Finally, I made my way out to the car in the driveway and flick on the lights. (I too was afraid something on a national level had happened, which lead to this blackout) Finally, when I had turned on the lights, orientated myself I realized that it was only a brief blackout in our neighborhood. Those moments spent in the dark, were somewhat terrifying to me post Sept 11th.

For a brief moment, I had been living in fear and I was truly in the dark.

I wonder how many Christians still today, are living in the dark because of fears and uncertainties? We cannot control the world around us. It is often turbulent and even violent. Dangers seem to lurk around the corner, or so we think. Could it be that a little portion of us needs to take control and we, perhaps do not fully trust God to come to our aid? I’m not saying that we simply don’t protect our families or neighbors from dangers – of course do that! But I am wondering if we have our doubts that linger in the back of our minds if God will really be there for us through thick and thin…even in the dark?

Rest assured, Our Heavenly is the Light that we desperately need, and by which ALL THINGS are judged and seen. God knows what you are going through in your life right now. He will not leave you are abandon you! We can live in the light no matter what the world around us throws in our direction. Stand firm and be encouraged today! God’s got this!

Prayer: Lord, help me with my fears. We live in a dangerous world. I want to live for you even if the world around me seems dark. Cast your light into my life today. Help me to shine for you in all that I do and say! In Your name I pray these things. -Amen.

January 11, 2017 0

Day 10:Finding Hope In The Lord!

Whether it is because of gloomy days, or circumstances in life, there are times when we become worn out and run down. Because of this, our attitudes and even perspectives on life can become bleak or distorted. Rest assured that you aren’t alone in these feelings. We all face difficulties, frustrations and even opposition in this life – this is nothing new.
Before David became king of Israel, we find him on the run and afraid for his life. King Saul was jealous of David and sought to kill him. He was perceived to be a threat to King Saul because David was a war hero and highly revered in all of Israel. Imagine having all of those accolades and notoriety but still having to run for your life?! You would think that because of those circumstances David’s perspectives on life would have become bleak and gloomy, but they didn’t. He remained steadfast even while in hiding. Even amidst David’s trials he managed to have this perspective:

^“God! Look! Enemies past counting!
Enemies sprouting like mushrooms,
Mobs of them all around me, roaring their mockery:
“Hah! No help for him from God!”

^3-4But you, God, shield me on all sides;
You ground my feet, you lift my head high;
With all my might I shout up to God,
His answers thunder from the holy mountain.” (Psalm 31-4 The Message Version)

Regardless of what you might be facing today, there is hope!
Shout to God.
Cry out to Him.
He will hear you!
He will be your shield on every side of you as well!
No matter how dark your day might seem, God’s light can shine on you and bring you hope and peace! Cling to this! Seek Him out, and He will lift your head!

Prayer: Dear Lord, there are days when the gloom and stress of it all encompass me. Remind me of your very real presence in my life today. Shine your light on these sometimes dark circumstances around me. Strengthen me and be my shield. In You, Oh Lord do I put my trust and in Whom do I find my joy and hope! My Your will be done in my life today! In Christ’s name I pray these things. -Amen.

January 11, 2017 1

Day 9: Fecal Of The Mouth…

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29

Do you remember getting your mouth washed out with soap?
Perhaps you do, and I would imagine that soapy taste still lingers to this day. Parents would do this to try and instill wholesome verbal skills in their children.

But this fecal of the mouth doesn’t end with the use of profanity, it continues into all of the negative comments we might make in an average day. We might complain about things. We might constantly criticize without any kind of constructive counterpoints. All we are doing is essentially spewing verbal fecal matter around us. That sounds disgusting doesn’t it? Well it is.

No one wants to hang out with a negative person all the time do they?
They tend to bring the party down. As Christians we are called to be set apart from how the World tells us to live. This passage goes way beyond using swear words, and reminds us of the necessity to build each other up instead of tear each other down. So when Paul says “let no unwholesome words come out of your mouth”, he is reminding Christ-followers to be mindful of what they say – which becomes their testimony to the rest of the world around us. The words we choose can be the very words of Christ, or they can be the words of Satan. That sounds harsh, but the reality is that words can cut deeper than any blade, and words can maim or encourage beyond what we could ever see. Words are that important! And how we choose to use them can either bless or curse the souls of those around us.

So How About You?
How are your speech patterns?
Are there areas in your life that you find difficult and you end up catching yourself speaking with fecal, unwholesome speech? Do you constantly have to fight against going negative. Does this permeate your entire outlook on life and on others around you? If so, how can you change this pattern of unwholesome talk? We can blame other people and situations, that would be the easy way out…but only when we take responsibility for our own speech and rein in our thoughts, will we ever seen measurable spiritual growth. It begins with you, it begins with me.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, help me with my tongue today.
Remind me that I am set apart for you. Cleanse me of malice and negative thinking that seems to bleed out into my speech. I want to be a kingdom builder, not one who tears down. Show me what it means to be edifying and encouraging to others. Help me with the words I choose to speak. My the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart be acceptable to You, Oh Lord my Strength and my Redeemer. -Amen

January 9, 2017 0

Day 8: The Full Court Press…

“Not that I have already obtained all of this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Philippians 3:12

Let’s face it, none of us are perfect, and we all struggle from time to time.
But there ought to be some reassurance in knowing the Father – who sent His one and only Son for us. Although we fail from time to time, we have a Savior who doesn’t fail us. In fact He picks us up when we fall flat on our faces and helps us back on our feet, that is our faith on this spiritual journey.
Here’s a caution for all of us though, just because we are not perfect does not mean that we cannot be made Holy by God’s divine presence. The Holy Spirit longs for us to become what we were always created to be – Christ’s very image here on earth. And so He prods us, reminds us, convicts us of the things we have yet to surrender to Him. Sometimes we might have deep dark places in our hearts that we think aren’t forgiveable or redeemable, and so we hide them away and never talk about them. We think God will just forget about them, but the truth is if we never confront them, we will never full realize the image of Christ in us – it will always remain blurred and seemingly far away.

Press On!
So we have to put on the full court press in our lives.
We have strive to be disciplined in our personal conduct and in our thought processes.
We are made for something so much more than this and we ought not settle for being “just okay”…we can live Christ in every facet of our lives. Paul reminds us that he isn’t even there yet, but that doesn’t get him down, he just presses onward. This is what we are to do as well. Admittedly, we aren’t there yet…we still have a ways to go, so don’t quit, become frustrated or exhausted – keep going!

How is your spiritual journey going so far?
Has your journey been wrought with set backs, failures, heartbreaks and hurts?
If not perhaps you aren’t trying hard enough…and if it has, don’t quit and don’t surrender – keep pressing onward! Without this forward progress within us, we will wither, become stale and ultimately fail. Ask important questions. Challenge spiritual concepts. Tackle the rough things in your life, and with the Holy Spirit’s help we will overcome! Do you believe it? I mean do you REALLY believe it?

Prayer:
Dear Lord, I confess that I am not there yet.
I am often imperfect and I struggle in my spiritual disciplines.
Help me to overcome. Grant me your strength to press onward.
Make me holy Lord, so that my thoughts are your thoughts; my heart your heart.
I long to finish this race with strength and power, and not simply end by the skin of my teeth. Help me to thrive along the way! In Your name I pray all of these things. -Amen!

January 8, 2017 1

Day 6: Listening to the noise…

“After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper…” 1 Kings 19:12

This is one of my favorite verses in the bible…Elijah is worn out, frustrated and afraid for his life. He seeks refuge in the mountains because God told him to do this. As he waits for God, a bunch of noise happens around him. First an earthquake, then a fire…and it says that God was not in those things. I wonder how long Elijah waited on God. It doesn’t say, I would speculate that God’s arrival to him was not immediate…there was a waiting period involved here.

The Noise
There is so much noise around us today, so much distraction. We might blast our favorite songs on the radio in the car, I sure do. We flip on the t.v. to catch our favorite hour long show – guilty again. We check our social media accounts more often than we’d care to admit. The distraction of noise, both auditory noise and visual noise, is all around us! It seems as if we cannot escape it’s grasp on our lives.

With all this distraction around us, when do we carve out the time to wait on God?
Do we sometimes forget Him amidst the distraction of the noise? It would be very easy to do in our culture today. We are seemingly immersed in the noise and there is virtually no where to run from it. But thankfully we serve a mighty God who is capable of breaking through that noise! In Elijah’s case, God showed up in a gentle whisper. Elijah recognized it and stepped out there to encounter Him. He recognized the moment for what it was…

Do We Recognize our Moments With God?
When the noise of life crashes in, like it frequently does, will we recognize the gentle whisper of God? Are we focused and in tune with Him? Do we wait expectantly for God to show up (which He will)? Whatever your distractions and noise might be, rest assured that God can break through for you, just be prepared and listening for Him!

Prayer
Dear Lord, my life is noisy and often I become distracted by it.
Many times I am consumed by it. Help me to find the gentle whispers in my life. Allow me the patience and attention to hear your voice amongst the noise. Be with me today. Remind me of this communion with You, that I desperately need your divine presence with me. Let me fellowship with you! In Your name I pray these things. Amen.

Nooma- Noise