If the Shoe Fits Wear It

We are sinners simply because we choose to sin or live selfishly. We are never held accountable for what we are not the author of. Ability is always the measure of responsibility. God has given us the ability to direct our lives, either according to intelligence in recognition of our obligation to God and our fellowmen, or according to selfishness and unintelligence in the supreme seeking of our own happiness.  Gordon Olson

This morning I went to find my black pumps to wear to work.  Since it is going to be 70 degrees today I decided to not wear boots which are my standby in the winter.  So I have a bag that has a several pairs of shoes in it that I hadn’t unpacked from November of last year.  So I reach into this bag and pull out a pair of black pumps and went to slip them on.  They were about 3 inches too short.  You are probably thinking; why would she buy a pair of shoes 3 inches too short?  Well, I didn’t.  When I pulled my toes out of these tiny shoes it dawned on me that these were either my sister’s shoes or my nieces.  I wear a size 8 and whoever these shoes belong to wears a size 5.  I felt like I was in the Cinderella fairy tale where the ugly stepsisters had big feet but wanted the Prince so they tried to squeeze their feet into too small shoes.

As often happens I started thinking about God at this point.  The first thing that popped into my head was the old saying; “If the shoe fits, wear it.”  This made me think about how many times in my life I wasn’t willing to wear the shoe that fit me.  How many times do we go through life not taking responsibility for our actions?  It happens every day and many times we all know someone who is not willing to wear the shoes that fit them.  If I am irresponsible then I should accept responsibility for my actions.  If I am wrong I should be willing to accept that I am wrong and own it.

 

Instead too often we play the blame game.  We place the blame on someone else.  It is much easier to do that than accept the shoe we need to wear which is the one that fits.  So we point the finger at another and blame them for our shortcomings or lies. 

We have to look no further than the story of Cain & Abel.  Remember the story of how Abel brought the firstborn of his flock and Cain brought an offering of fruit of the ground.  Abel’s offering was pleasing to God but Cain’s was not.  If you look at the wording of these verses it referenced that Abel brought the “firstborn” of his flock but Cain brought “an offering”.  Cain’s offering was not the best for God.  Remember what God tells him when he gets angry.  Genesis 4:6-7 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

If sin lies at our door we need to accept it and own up to it.  We must remember that the very sin we are denying can bring us down.  So if the shoe fits wear it.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I have been guilty in the past of not owning up to my responsibility for my actions.  You know what my actions are just as you knew that Cain had killed his brother.  You wanted Cain to own up to his responsibility but he didn’t. He didn’t accept the shoe that fit him.  I pray for strength to accept and take responsibility and not place blame on another.    

Scripture: And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”

He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.  So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.  When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”  Genesis 4:3-12

Be Good at Being You

God is preparing His heroes. And when the opportunity comes, He can fit them into their places in a moment. And the world will wonder where they came from.  A.B. Simpson

Have you ever tried to be like someone else?  Maybe you decided you wanted to look like another person or dress like someone else.  We decide that we like the way someone dresses or an outfit they wear and so we go out and buy something similar.  Have you noticed that when you do that the outfit or whatever it is doesn’t look the same on you as it does on the other person?  Part of the problem is that God didn’t create us to be just like another person.  The very characteristics that God created in us to make us different from every other human being we decide we want to change.  We may be shorter, taller, thinner so we will never look like another person and that is exactly why God created us the way He did.

One of the things that advertisers do is they make commercials that cater to what we don’t like about ourselves.  They tell you that if you buy whatever they are selling, you can look just like the person on TV.  I saw a commercial yesterday where there was a close up shot of a man and a woman.  The woman was attractive but the guy had long sideburns, bushy eyebrows and a long scraggly beard.  I didn’t even have the sound turned on and I could tell what the commercial was about.  All of a sudden the guy pulls out this little shaving gadget and runs it over his beard and then they flash to the next picture and the guy is clean shaven and the woman is looking at him adoringly and running her hand across his smooth face.

We are bombarded daily with things that can make us look better to the world.  We can have brighter, whiter teeth, long flowing locks, fewer wrinkles and just about anything that man can create to make money.  The problem is we begin to forget that we are God’s creation.  Each person on earth was uniquely created by God for His purpose. If we are always trying so hard to look or be like someone else, we will never become the person God created us to be.  Be good at being you.  God created you especially for His purpose and trying to be something other than what He created will hold you back from being everything He meant you to be.  

           

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am guilty of the very thing I talk about in this devotional.  You created me in Your likeness yet I try to change the things you created in me that make me special and different.  Help me to be good at being me.  If I understand that You created me as a unique individual created for Your purpose, then I will understand that the only thing I can be great at is being me.

Scripture: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28

Achievement

Achievement - something accomplished, especially by superior ability, special effort, great courage, etc.; a great or heroic deed.

There are basically only two kinds of religion in the world: those based on human achievement and those based on divine accomplishment. One says you can earn your way to heaven; the other says you must trust in Jesus Christ alone.  John MacArthur

Have you ever looked back on your life and wondered what you achieved in your lifetime?  Have you thought about what you would like to achieve in the future.  I was thinking about jobs from my past and I thought about when I worked in retail.

 

I was fresh out of college and God was not a priority in my life.  In my mind I thought it was important to have a great title.  So I applied for two very different retail positions.  One position was for a Manager in a women’s suit department.  The other position was for a major department store who was hiring a Display Coordinator. I was not so impressed with the Display Coordinator position because I didn’t really like the title. On the other hand the other position “Manager” made a statement.  It said that I had arrived.  I was going to take on the retail industry with my new title.

I was a newbie in the business world.  I thought it was all about the title.  I naively thought that if I didn’t have a title then my having a degree wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.  So you guessed it, I took the Manager position.  It was not one of my better moments or decisions.  I lasted about a year.  I had no passion for the job. It was hard for me to justify trying to sell a $400 suit when I didn’t think it was worth $400.

 

The thing about the other job was that I had a passion for design and I loved creating retail displays.  I had extensive training in that when I was in college.  I was an expert at dressing a mannequin.  I knew how to take them apart and put them back together and they looked stylish when I was finished.  So the job I had the passion for, I passed up because of a title.

 

I am not saying that everything you have a passion for is the thing you should be doing.  The thing is, too many times we accept a position in life because of the prestige it will give us, not because it is what God would call us to do.  If our main focus is on the title or the money then we will probably not like the job.

Years have passed and I have since changed my view of life, work and God.  My achievements in my job don’t matter as much anymore.  I still enjoy work but it doesn’t define who I am.  I don’t really care what my title is and money is not my main motivator.  I now have a passion for God and people in that order.  It doesn’t matter what the job is there will always be people who need a Savior and I am passionate about that and the One who saved us.

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Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, thank you for helping me to see wisdom from my past.  I can look back on my life and see the mistakes I made but each one was a lesson leading me back to You. The achievements that are most important all deal with eternity.  If I am not trying to reach another person for You exactly where I am, then I am not using the skills and talents You gave me.  Help me to understand that it is not important to be first, it is important to be last and servant of all.  The world teaches us to strive to be more important than others when we should be just the opposite.  The ladder to success and achievement often leads to nowhere. 

Scripture: Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.” Mark 9:33-37

Isaac

O that unbelievers would learn of faithful Abraham, and believe whatever is revealed from God, though they cannot fully comprehend it! Abraham knew God commanded him to offer up his son, and therefore believed, notwithstanding carnal reasoning, might suggest many objections.  George Whitefield

I was discussing Abraham and Isaac with my Dad and Mom last night. First, I must say that I don’t have nor will I ever have all the answers of the Bible.  However, the more I read it the more it draws me in.  The more I read and don’t understand, the more I study.  I believe that each of us is searching for the truth and that is the most important piece of the Bible puzzle.

 

Someone asked me a question that I didn’t have an answer to.  When that happens I don’t automatically respond because I need time to study.  I am going to share with you the question and then give you my response.  The question was “Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?

 

In Genesis 17:19 God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

In the above verse God told Abraham that his wife Sarah would bear a son and call him Isaac.  An important part of the verse is “establish my covenant with him and with his seed after him.”  God was telling Abraham that He would establish a covenant with Isaac and also Isaac’s children.  If God said he was making a covenant with Isaac and his seed after him then Isaac was not destined to die on an altar. 

In Hebrews 11:17-19 says that “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”  

So if Abraham had faith in God to allow Abraham to kill his only son, then he also had faith that God could raise him from the dead if Abraham killed him on the altar. 

I think the biggest struggle I have is the understanding that I am human and God is not.  I keep trying to put God, a square peg so to speak, into a round hole.  The thing is God just doesn’t fit what I in my limited perspective and capacity can understand.  I also believe that God knew what was to come, Jesus dying on the cross to save us, and this was a foreshadowing of God sacrificing His only Son just as Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac.

 

Abraham had more than 100 years of time with God and he was faithful.  I believe the reason God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac was because he wanted to teach us what faith really is and give us a picture of what our life should be like.  If we ever get that amount of faith we won’t question why God does anything. If we understand that he does all things for our good then we can be at peace knowing that He is a Great God who wants what is best for His children. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, my faith is small compared to Abraham’s.  I think Abraham’s faith was to be used as an example so that we could see a picture of what faith is in action.  I often question Your hand in my life when I need most is to let go and let You lead.  Faith takes a step at a time and for a human like me, I am sometimes scared to take a step out in faith.  It is choosing to step to the edge of a cliff and jump.  Too many times we want a safety net.  We want absolutes. If I take that step of faith I want guarantees that You will be there to catch me.  Help me to understand that You mean “everything” for my good.  If I can grasp that one thing then I have received the blessing of wisdom.  I praise You for opening my eyes to your Scriptures and for giving me wisdom when I least expect it. 

Scripture: By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.  Hebrews 11:17-19

Write Your Story

At the heart of the story stands the cross of Christ where evil did its worst and met its match.  John W. Wenham

There is a new song on our local Christian radio station by Francesca Battistelli called “Write Your Story”.  At first I thought the song was about me writing my story.  What she talks about in the song is exactly the opposite.  In the words of the song she says she wants Christ to write His story on her heart.

 

Those are beautiful words to me. How can we best understand what our mission on earth is unless we can take Jesus life story and write it on our hearts?  If we are not able to take the story of Jesus birth, His love for others, and his ultimate death on our behalf and bury that story in our hearts, we may never reach the full potential of what we should be during our time on earth.

 

If you think about it, Jesus story was not an easy one.  Born in a manger surrounded by farm animals because there was not room for Him at what we in this day and age would call the luxuries of the local Marriott.  Then there are his personal encounters with people just like us.  There were tax collectors, thieves, prostitutes, beggars, rich men, poor men and widows.  He saw and immersed himself in the worst of society. 

Why would Jesus want us to write His story on our hearts?  This is what I think.  I think that he wants us to write His story in our hearts for the simple reason that if we are not able to see His life as a living sacrifice for us, then how can we show others who He is and what he was while he was here. Our very purpose in life should be to reach the living, lonely and lost.  I call it the three “L’s”.  If there is a person on earth who is living, lonely and lost then they need us. 

Jesus lived His entire life on earth as a living sacrifice for us.  The crazy thing about that is we don’t deserve it.  The concept and reality of someone being nailed to a cross for the sins I have committed just overwhelms me. 

If the story of Jesus is written on my heart I will see the pain, loneliness and longing that is in another person’s heart.  If His story is written on my heart, it will not be necessary to ask someone if they need something, I will see it based on the fact that His story should break my heart and through that brokenness I will see that very thing in someone else.  I want His story written on my heart as a reminder of who I should strive to be during this fleeting time I have on this earth.   

Prayer for the Day: Jesus, I want Your story written on and in my heart.  To many times I get caught up in the things going on in the world and I neglect to look at the people in front of me who are hurting, lonely and in need of a Savior.  When I stray away from You please remind me of Your story.  Bring to mind the suffering of You on behalf of others.  Help me to be more like You.  

    

Scripture: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.  Matthew 5:43-48

Abraham’s Servant

God is God. Because He is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will, a will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to.  Elisabeth Elliot

I was reading in Genesis about Abraham and his senior servant Eliezer.  Abraham sent this servant to find a wife for his son Isaac.  I found it interesting that in the story he doesn’t call Eliezer by name.  If you read John 16:12-15 Jesus tells the disciples about the Holy Spirit that he will send to guide them in truth. 

  

"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.  But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.  He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.  He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.  All that belongs to the Father is mine.  That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you."  John 16:12-15

So if we parallel this story to the stories of Jesus we can conclude that Abraham signified God the Father, Isaac signified Jesus the Son and Eliezer signified the Holy Spirit because isn’t that what Eliezer did with Rebecca.  He prayed to God prior to approaching Rebekah at the well.  He also followed God’s instructions.  The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to bring the bride of Christ, (the church), to the Groom, (God’s Son).

 

Eliezer asked the question that any of us would.  “What happens if she won’t come with me?”  Can you imagine going to a well with ten camels who drink up to 30 gallons of water a day, and expecting her to volunteer to draw enough water from the well for ten camels.  Abraham’s response was interesting too.  He stated that God would send an angel ahead to arrange it so she will come back with you.  Then he added that if she wouldn’t come then the servant was released from his agreement with Abraham.  This is an example of how God wants us to come to Him.  He doesn’t force us or coerce us.  He offers salvation as a choice of our free will.  We can choose to be saved or not, but it is up to us to choose.

   

I believe that Rebekah was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Why?  Because she made herself a servant as Jesus did throughout his life.  She served Abraham’s servant water from her jar and then watered his camels.  Here was a guy that she didn’t know asking for water and waiting for her to water his camels.  Then this same guy asks her to go with him to a foreign land where she knows no one to marry someone she’s never met.  Then the stranger gives her gifts.  If we look at this from a Holy Spirit perspective, we receive gifts of a different sort.  The gifts the Holy Spirit gives are serving, teaching, showing mercy, wisdom and knowledge to name a few.

    

Isn’t this a picture of what God asks us to do today?  Give up what you know and are comfortable with to follow Me to a place you have only heard about and have never seen..   

The final part of the story is that Laban and Bethuel try to convince the servant to leave Rebekah with them for ten days.  The servant responds by saying that the Lord gave him success in his journey and now he needs to be about his Father’s business.  

   

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, this story amazes me.  I don’t often have the faith that Rebekah had to walk away from everything she knew and from what was familiar to pursue a land that is unknown, to become the bride of Christ and live with the Father. There are too many times in my life when I decide to wait instead of following the Holy Spirit’s prompting.  How many blessings have I missed by doing just that and believing that I have all the time in the world to be about my Father’s business?  Please keep my eyes focused on You and help me to follow the Holy Spirit’s promptings.     

Scripture: Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.  But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelation 21:1-8

God’s Promises

Gather the riches of God's promises. Nobody can take away from you those texts from the Bible which you have learned by heart.  Corrie Ten Boom

Have you ever set a goal and failed at reaching that goal?  There is something that many of us don’t do in relation to setting goals.  We leave God out of the equation.  It’s kind of like saying 2 + 2 = 6.  The end result just doesn’t add up.  If I decide to set a goal for the year I should first look at the Bible for guidance.  If my goal doesn’t align with God’s Word and His promises then it isn’t a goal I should pursue.

Too many times we set our goal and we don’t even consult with God before we jump in with both feet.  We think we know how to reach the goal with just our abilities, knowledge and strength, but in reality we haven’t done our homework.  In reality our goals should be God’s goals backed up by His promises. 

God’s promises are often overshadowed by what we want out of life.  We forget what our true goal in life should be and we pursue stuff. 

I was reading about Abraham and Isaac.  Can you imagine waiting years to have a son and then God speaks to you and tells you to sacrifice your only son on the altar?  Can you picture walking along a dirt road holding your child’s hand in yours as you walk him to his death?  I believe Abraham had goals for his son and they didn’t include sacrificing him on an altar.  I think fear and disbelief would have been my big motivator in that moment.  Then imagine your child walking up to the altar carrying the wood and him turning to you his parent and saying, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering.”  Can you imagine looking down into your child’s trusting face realizing that he is the lamb and then tying him to an altar as a sacrifice?  Abraham had faith in God’s promises and belief in a Great God.

   

We love a Great God but too many times we forget His promises and decide that we know what is best for us.  If we don’t bury His promises in our hearts, how can we ever hope to reach the goals God has set before us?

           

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I admit I often don’t have enough faith in You.  I often place my faith in my abilities and many times my goals don’t even align with what You call me to do in this life.  Thank You for Your patience with me.  Thank You for loving me enough to keep trying to bring me back to You.  I pray for the faith of Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his only son because he trusted in You and understood that You only wanted what was best for him as You want for me.  You are a Great God!

Scripture: “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”  Genesis 24:12-18

Secrets

The Lord made it very plain in the New Testament that believers cannot escape reaping the kind of harvest they sow. We cannot hide our sin; we will not get away with it. The secrets of the night are not hidden from God.  Theodore Epp

Do you have secrets? I believe we all do.  Sometimes these are the things we have done that we don’t want anyone else to know.  The problem with secrets is they can often keep us from getting closer to God. 

The irony of this is that God already knows what our secrets are and we don’t have to tell him about them.  He knows.  When we keep secrets we isolate ourselves from God and others.  We can’t form loving relationships with others when our secrets are standing in the way.  We think we are protecting ourselves but in reality we are hindering our growth.

There used to be a commercial about how if you ate Wheaties you would grow to be strong and could accomplish great things.  Then they would throw a famous athlete on the cover of the box to encourage you to buy Wheaties because then you could become or look like the person on the box.  The reality is we don’t get our strength from Wheaties.  We get that from God. 

If we want to be strong in our faith it is necessary to let go of our secrets.  Secrets that are harmful and hidden create guilt.  Guilt draws us away from the people and the One we most need in our life.

 

When we trust someone else with our secrets, we begin to heal.  What we also find out is that the person we trust our secrets to sometimes has bigger secrets or the same secrets we do.  When we confess our sins or secrets to God we are forgiven.  When we confess our secrets to those who love us, we start to heal the brokenness inside us. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am guilty of having secrets.  If I don’t confess the secrets to You and repent I am not forgiven.  I need relationships with others and I need to reveal the secrets that hinder me from a close relationship with You.  Help me to be wise in who I choose to share those secrets with and to always come to You and confess them.  When I reveal You heal. 

Scripture:  Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  James 5:16

Saying I’m Sorry

A stiff apology is a second insult. The injured party does not want to be compensated because he has been wronged; he wants to be healed because he has been hurt.  G.K. Chesterton

You're not quite "Army" yet, miss... or you'd know never to apologize... it's a sign of weakness.  John Wayne in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

Do you have a hard time saying you’re sorry to someone you have hurt?  I think this is probably one of the hardest things in life to do and many times it is the last thing some of us will ever do.

Too many times I think we are like the 1949 movie with John Wayne where he was a Captain in the Army and the female character had apologized.  I think there are times just as in this movie, when we think it is a weakness of character to say we’re sorry to someone.  How many hearts have been broken and wounds never healed because of what John Wayne in the movie called a weakness?

 

If we learn that saying you are sorry is a weakness, then we will never say it.  One of the things that saying you’re sorry does is that it humbles us.  It takes us down to the level of the other person’s pain.  If we are to show others that we are sorry for something we did and be truly repentant, then we will need to feel their pain too. It means we have to go through the uncomfortable process of humbling ourselves to another person. 

I found it interesting that in this same movie with John Wayne a young soldier in the Army asked the Captain, “Were you ever scared, “Captain” Tyree? and John Wayne responded with “Yes, sir.  Up to and includin’ now.” 

I believe that if we aren’t scared to offer an apology to another human being, then our heart is probably not in the right place to offer it with sincerity and true remorse.  If you think about it, when we are scared of the outcome because of something we have done to hurt another person, it means that the other person matters to us and that is the most important time to say we are sorry.

    

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am sorry.  Sorry for the times I have hurt You with my disobedience.  Sorry for the times I forgot about You and ignored You.  I am sorry for the times I thought I knew what was best for me when only You can know that.  I am sorry for the times I didn’t stand up for You with others and didn’t share my faith and the promise of eternal life with You to lost souls.  I have a lot to be sorry for Father, but I want to be different.  Humbling myself and saying I am sorry shows strength of character not weakness.  Thank You for humbling me.

Scripture: This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?  Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord.  “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.  Isaiah 66:1-2

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. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4:29-32

Professional Organizer

The Christian ministry is the worst of all trades, but the best of all professions.  John Newton

I was driving to work this morning and I looked over at the car next to me and there was a sign on the back windshield that was advertising a Professional Organizer and it gave a website and number to call. 

This made me think about how our professions define us.  By that I mean how our professions tell other people who we are and what we do.  God created each of us with certain talents and he created those talents in us so that we could use them for His purposes.

When you think about it, each one of us should really have one occupation from a God standpoint.  When someone looks at us, our profession should be Professional Christian with a talent on the side.  By that I mean if we are to live a life that glorifies God, then our talent should be secondary to our true purpose as a Professional Christian. 

If I am an Executive Assistant then my skills should include organizational and people skills.  The thing is everything I do on a daily basis should glorify God and that should be my main goal in life.  We should still strive to be the best at whatever our talent is, but God should be the first priority. 

So how do we learn to be a Professional Christian.  I decided to make a list of some of the courses we should take to become a Professional Christian. These courses are part of your undergraduate studies.  There is a section in the Bible that I will call Christian Behavior 101.  Galatians 5:22-23   But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Christian Grammar 101 Deuteronomy 11:18-19 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Christian Finance 101 Luke 14:27-30 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

Christian Design Communications 101 Matthew 5:15-16  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

If we spend time in the basic courses and meditate on His Word we are then ready to move closer to the person God calls us to be.  Follower of Christ , P.C. (Professional Christian.)

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, You provide the tools I need for any situation in this earthly life.  I want to be a Professional Christian.  You provide the courses that any of us can take to become what You created us to be.  I praise You for giving me the tools I need to become a Professional Christian.  I don’t have to take out a loan to complete my studies but I am forever indebted to You for saving me. 

Scripture: As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.  Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;  in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 2 Corinthians 6:1-10

Eating Healthy

Numerous Christians do not know how to glorify God in their eating and drinking. They do not eat and drink simply to keep their body fit for the Lord's use but indulge to satisfy their personal desires. We should understand that the body is for the Lord and not for ourselves.  Food ought not hinder our fellowship with God since it is to be taken purely to preserve the body in health.  Watchman Nee

Several weeks ago I told you how I was starting the New Year by watching what I eat and eating healthier and I am also reading the “Daniel Plan 40 Days to a Healthier Life” by Rick Warren, Daniel Amen M.D. and Mark Hyman M.D.  If God created us in His image we should really take care of it like the work of art we are to God.

 

I have been doing really well until I stopped by Walgreens earlier this week.  I don’t know what it is with chocolate but there are times when my brain tells my stomach that I need it and that overrides everything else.  So I went in there and bought a bag of Peanut M&M’s and not just the hand held size.  I bought the big bag.  I’ll admit I didn’t eat the whole bag all at once. I kind of spread it out over 3 days.

 

Do you ever try to weigh the cost of what you are eating?  Here is how it worked for me.  I ate carrots, celery, cheese and grapes for lunch so I need dessert.  So as if the grapes weren’t enough I ate Peanut M&M’s for dessert.  It kind of counteracted the whole health conscious thing I had going on.

 

The other thing I noticed is that the world doesn’t make it easy for a person to eat healthy.  As a case in point, I was driving down the tollroad this morning and these are the trucks that I drove by.  There was the Eckrich Sausage truck that had big pieces of grilled sausage covering the whole side of the truck, then there was the Quizno truck that had a loaded sandwich the size of a Volkswagan painted on the side and last but not least, the In-N-Out burger truck.  This one wasn’t just a small box truck, it was an eighteen wheeler with burgers on the side. 

 

So after passing all of these trucks I stopped at CVS and I walked right past all the valentine chocolates in the first 3 rows of the store and back to the rear of the store where they keep the things that are good for you.  You will be glad to know that the only two things I bought were two 6 packs of mandarin orange and peach fruit cups. I think I am back on track but there is probably a derailment in my future.

I decided when I bought this book that I would start taking better care of me.  The only way I can live out God’s purpose in my life is to first take care of my health so that I have the energy to do more for Him.  When I take care of my health it gives me more energy, when I get more energy I sleep better, when I exercise I have less stress. One of the interesting things that happen when you start taking care of yourself is that when you meditate on God’s Word things become clearer. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I know I will fail at this getting healthy process.  If it took me this many years to get into bad habits why do I think it should all go away overnight?  When I look at it realistically, the bad habits will need to be changed and that takes time.  Help me along this journey to become a healthier Christian who can be a good example to others.  You created me with a brain and common sense.  Help me to use them wisely.

       

Scripture:  But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.

To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.  Daniel 1:8-17

Living Like There Is No Tomorrow

If today were your last, would you do what you're doing? Or would you love more, give more, forgive more? Then do so! Forgive and give as if it were your last opportunity. Love like there's no tomorrow, and if tomorrow comes, love again.  Max Lucado

How do you live?  I was thinking about this on my way to work today.  I asked myself how I live day to day.  Am I looking forward to all the tomorrow’s I think I have in my tomorrow bank?  I think too many times we become so desensitized to the time we think we have on earth that we forget that it could be gone tomorrow, today or even in the next few minutes. 

I was driving along thinking about this very thing and I see a car in my rearview mirror that has one headlight askew, (hanging lopsided), and he zooms by me in the next lane. As he passes I watch him for a minute and all of a sudden he crosses two lanes into an exit only lane and then he crosses three lanes back to the other side of the freeway and keeps going the same speed.  This guy was driving like there might not be a tomorrow. 

I believe there is nothing wrong with planning but I think too many times I plan too much ahead.  There is something to be said about living in the moment.  When we lose sight of the fact that the time we are here on earth is but a fraction of the time we could spend in eternity it puts it back into perspective.

 

How many more people could we love, forgive and save if we gave up the pursuit of tomorrow and the regret of yesterday. I have spent what amounts to a lifetime pursuing things that I want to use tomorrow.  If I change my focus and look at today, tomorrow will come soon enough if it ever does.

God wants us to spend today doing work that will matter in eternity.  If we can’t say that we have done anything today that moves us closer to eternal life while pursuing others to take with us, then we need to change our perspective on living like there is no tomorrow. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, too many times I get caught up in the world and I plan for tomorrow so much that I forget about today.  If I am so busy thinking about what I will do this weekend, next month or even next year, that my perspective on life needs to be changed.  If I make this small change I will worry less about what will come tomorrow if it comes at all.  Thank You for Your wisdom and guidance.  Without You I am nothing. 

     

Scripture:  As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Mark 10:17-22

How Do You Love?

Loving others in a biblical manner involves your thoughts, words, and actions and is a sign of your being a disciple of Christ. Loving others biblically is dependent on your commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and is not dependent on people, circumstances, or your feelings.  John C. Broger

Have you ever thought about how you approach others with love?  It is much easier to love the people who love us isn’t it.  That is easy.  It is not as easy to love those who hate, ridicule or persecute us.  If we are to exhibit God’s criteria for loving others, we will need to practice it daily and it won’t be easy. 

If the Holy Spirit lives in us, then God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  (Romans 5:5) The kind of love we will need to love others that are unlovable can only come from God and the Holy Spirit.  The thing is we must make a conscious effort to practice this kind of love. 

The world’s love often derails us .  In worldly love you only love others who love you back.  In worldly love we often use love as a means to get something back.  I have been guilty of this in the past.  You give love to someone with the object being that you get something in return.  Have you ever dated someone expecting them to love you back and when they don’t follow through, that love turns to hate and anger.  I’ve been there and done that.  This is not an example of God’s love.  The only way we can exhibit the kind of love that God wants us to give to others is by loving someone when they are getting on our nerves, being disagreeable and persecuting us.  

 

Jesus is the only person who lived in human form who loved without boundaries.  He loved the lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners of the world.  Even as he loved those that others, (the Pharisees), thought were unlovable, they persecuted Him for it. If we ever hope to give love as Jesus did, we will need to let go of ourselves.  That means it’s not all about me and what I will get from someone in return or I will only love that person if they walk, talk, act and look like me. 

Many years ago I worked down the street from a Subway.  In the part of town where I worked there were many homeless people and they would often sit outside the Subway.  There were times when I would walk by them like everyone else on the sidewalk and ignore them or not look their way because I considered them not worthy of my time.  In today’s worldly society you just don’t talk to the homeless.  

When God started changing my heart through the Holy Spirit, I would head to the Subway for lunch and all of a sudden I started seeing them and I started looking them in the eye.  What I saw was a heart that needed love.  Then I started speaking to them and finally I started buying lunch for them.  I couldn’t change their circumstances but I could love them as God loves us, with all my heart and without reservation.  If you practice God’s love you will be surprised by what you see and what you’ve been missing.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, there was a time in my life where I was oblivious to others suffering and I was selfish and self-centered.  I didn’t look past the outer layer of a person to the living breathing human being inside.  You created that person and I need to love them as You do.  I ask for Your forgiveness for not loving others as I should.  

     

Scripture:  “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  Luke 6:27-36