Defective

The God who made us also can remake us.  Woodrow Kroll

Many are ashamed to be seen as God made them; few are ashamed to be seen what the devil hath made them. Many are troubled at small defects in the outward man; few are troubled at the greatest deformities of the inward man; many buy artificial beauty to supply the natural; few spiritual, to supply the defects of the supernatural beauty of the soul.  Abraham Wright

Defective: having a defect or flaw; faulty, imperfect.

Have you ever bought something and took it home only to find out that it was defective?  For some reason it wouldn’t start, turn on or operate in the manner in which it was intended.  It’s aggravating to have to return something when you get it home and it doesn’t work properly.

Here is another question for you.  Have you figured out that we are all defective?  From the time we are born we are taught by those around us to be defective.  Some of us will be more defective than others depending on our environment. So if we are all defective and we know we are, why don’t we acknowledge our defectiveness if we know it exists?  What stops us from acknowledging how messed up we are? 

Some of us haven’t been properly loved as a child so we don’t know how to love others.  Then there are those of us who later in life surround ourselves with people and friends who are bad influences on us so we add to our defectiveness by becoming more like them.  If you think about it, even the disciples who spent the most time with the only perfect person to ever live, Jesus, still fell back into the trap of defectiveness. Then there are the ones who think they are hiding their defectiveness from others when everyone knows how defective they are. 

I asked myself these questions this morning.  What makes me cling to my defectiveness and how do I overcome the defectiveness in my life?  First, I think we cling to our defectiveness because it is familiar.  It is like an old worn shoe.  It is easy to put on and comfortable. Second, we are often rewarded for our defectiveness.  The reward comes in the form of covering up our pain or fear, gives us an excuse to fail and sometimes compensates for some guilt in our life.  So we keep repeating what we have always done. 

The third thing is Satan plants in our mind that we can’t fix our defectiveness so why should we even try.  He is constantly talking in the background trying to discourage us from working on the defect because then he wins.  I think another thing that happens is we compare ourselves to others and if we think our sin is not so bad, then it elevates us above the other person.  Then pride comes into play and we decide we are better than the other person so we remain in a constant state of defectiveness.

The second part of the question is the most important.  How do I overcome the defectiveness in my life?  First, I have to admit that I am defective.  This is the most critical part because if we can’t admit that we are defective, we will continue down the same path.  This is best described in 1 John 1:8-10.  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.   

Second, I have to stop my defective behavior.  We see this in Ephesians 4:21-27.  If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

So if you ever bought something defective and had to return it, how do you think God feels having created us in His image yet we allow ourselves to become defective.  God doesn’t want to return you to the store defective.  He loves each of us enough to keep pursuing us even when we are at our worst and He gave His only Son to prove that love. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am defective.  You created me without sin.  As a newborn baby I had no sin but as I grew up I allowed sin into my life.  I allowed Satan to worm his way into my life and bad habits were formed.  Help me to throw off the old me and embrace the new me.  When I was baptized I became a new person, but as the years go by it is easy to fall back into Satan’s trap of deceit.  Help me to overcome my defectiveness and become more like Jesus.  I can’t do it alone.

Scripture: The New Man

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Do Not Grieve the Spirit

Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.  Ephesians 4:17-32

 

God’s Power

God has defeated Satan through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through this overwhelming victory, God has also empowered you to overcome any temptation to sin and has provided sufficient resources for you to respond biblically to any problem of life. By relying on God's power and being obedient to His Word, you can be an overcomer in any situation. John C. Broger

Our world runs on the power of electricity.  We use it for everything.  You only miss it when the electricity goes out.  That is when you realize how much we depend on a plug in the wall.  Have you ever stopped to think about everything you use electricity for each morning?

In a typical morning for me, I turn off the alarm that wakes me up each morning then I turn on the lights in the bathroom and kitchen.  I turn on the TV to watch the news while I am getting dressed.  I turn on the light in my closet to decide what to wear.  I walk into the kitchen and turn on the coffee maker.  I unplug my phone from the charger.  I open the refrigerator to get creamer.  I use a blow dryer to dry my hair.  I sometimes turn on the iron to press my clothes.  All of this power is used in the first hour of my day. 

This started me thinking about God’s Power.  How much more could we accomplish if we were plugged into His Power.  The problem is sometimes we don’t have enough faith to fully get plugged in.  Too many times we determine that we are “self” sufficient and are in control.  When we start thinking like that we are basically dimming the lights on God’s Power.  When we begin to think that we are in control we have lost the most powerful tool in our toolbox. 

How do we plug into His Power?  One of the hardest things for me to learn was to let go and let Him.  When my life is spinning out of control I have a tendency to try to grab the reins and take back control.  When I was young we rode horses and one of the scariest things for me was to have the reins of the horse fall out of my hands.  In a controlled situation a horse is steered by the reins.  If you want the horse to go left or right you use the reins to pull in the direction you want to go.  When you drop the reins the horse gains full control.  You are no longer steering.  If the horse gets spooked then you are in trouble.  When a horse is spooked he will run uncontrollably anywhere and he totally forgets about the rider.  I’ve had them run up against trees and under low branches all while I am sitting on his back. 

When things in my life are out of my control I need to turn to Jesus and pray for His strength.  God also provided the Holy Spirit to help me in these times.  The key to doing amazing things for God’s glory is to let go and let Him lead.   

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I keep falling into Satan’s trap thinking that I am in control. Sometimes I hinder Your work in and through me, because I don’t trust You enough to be my strength.  Help me to let go and let You lead me where You want me to go.  You are all the Power I need.  I praise Your Holy Name.

Scripture: Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

Dodging the Obstacles of Life   

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Ephesians 6:12

I was driving to work the other day and ran across another oddity on the freeway.  A computer was in the center lane.  It is early when I hit the road to work so I think it was a computer.  It wasn’t a flat screen monitor; it was one of those older models that are big and clunky. 

So last night I am driving home and I look over and see something in the road in the right lane.  It was a bumper from a car.  I don’t know about you, but driving sometimes scares me.  I have seen so many items lost on the freeway.  I am kind of curious.  How does a Barcalounger fall out of your truck and you not even realize it is missing?  You may think I am kidding, but it was sitting in the middle of a 4 lane highway like it was waiting for someone to come along and take a seat.  It was like this Barcalounger was playing chicken with motorists. 

When you think about it, we often lose things on the freeway because they aren’t secured.  I like to go on the theory that there are not enough bungees, ropes and ratchet straps to secure whatever I am carrying in the back of my truck.

The same goes for many of us when we don’t have a secure relationship with our heavenly Father.  We take chances by not clinging to him.  We start thinking that we don’t need Him when we desperately do.  If we are not secure in our relationship with Him we will often become just like the Barcalounger, bumper or mattress.  We are sitting in the middle of the freeway waiting for life to hit us. 

I believe preparation is the key.  If we are going to be prepared for this life we need to strap on the full armor of God.  Satan is just out there waiting for us to fall and we need to use everything in God’s arsenal to defend ourselves from him. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I often am not prepared for the challenges of this life.  I am like a lost piece of furniture on the freeway.  I need your strength, guidance and security to face what life throws my way.  Help me to be prepared and to use the tools You provide; truth, righteousness, faith and salvation. I praise You for being my strength in times of trouble.

    

Scripture: Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:13-17

Fog

In order to know God, we must often think of Him; and when we come to love Him, we shall then also think of Him often, for our heart will be with our treasure.  Nicholas Herman

The kingdom of heaven is worth infinitely more than the cost of discipleship, and those who know where the treasure lies joyfully abandon everything else to secure it.  D.A. Carson

This week it has been rather humid around the Dallas area so on my drive to work there is a lot of open slightly hilly land where the fog will form and hover just above the ground.  I find fog interesting because you can see it obscure trees, cars, buildings and anything it covers.  The thing is if you were to walk across the field where it hovers even though you can’t see past it you can walk through it. 

The fog made me think of God’s wisdom.  Anyone can have knowledge.  It is not so easy to gain wisdom.  Wisdom is like the fog that hovers over the ground obscuring whatever it surrounds.  When you open the Bible there is treasure beyond our comprehension.  Notice I said “beyond our comprehension” not beyond God’s.  God tells us he will give us wisdom if we search for it. 

The problem with our search for wisdom is that we give up too soon and we don’t take the proper tools for our search.  Here is an analogy to put it in perspective.  If you are mining for gold, what tools would you take with you?  You might take a chisel, hammer and a pan to put the pieces of rock in.  But if instead you decided to take duct tape, a string and a lawn chair, you won’t find much gold.  You’ll be able to fix anything, tie it up and have a place to sit while you do it, but you won’t come away with much treasure. 

God’s Word is as great as He is.  It is a treasure beyond compare to what we have on earth. The smartest scientist, theologian or person with the highest IQ cannot match what is in God’s Word.  When we realize that nothing we do or create will even come close to what God’s Word can do; we are on the path to finding an amazing treasure.  Knowledge is great, money is green, but the treasure in God’s Word: PRICELESS.  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, as I drove by the fog near the freeway, I thought of You. You give me the book that contains amazing treasure.  If I don’t get past the fog that obscures my vision of You, I will never find the hidden treasure in Your Word.  If I search Your Word diligently, You will reveal great things.  Thank You for giving me the opportunity to have wisdom.  What I do with it can change the world.  

Scripture: The Value of Wisdom

My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk uprightly; he guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path. When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things, from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; who rejoice in doing evil, and delight in the perversity of the wicked; whose ways are crooked, and who are devious in their paths; to deliver you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words, who forsakes the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God. For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead; none who go to her return, nor do they regain the paths of life—so you may walk in the way of goodness, and keep to the paths of righteousness. For the upright will dwell in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.  Proverbs 2:1-22

Chinese Fire Drill 

   

Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace... If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you know what His will is.  Amy Carmichael

Several years ago we attended an event in Houston. We returned to our hotel around ten and went to bed.  At 3:00am the fire alarm in our hotel went off.  To preface this story I will say that it was raining and 32 degrees outside with a north wind blowing.  I don’t know what everyone else was doing but I do know I jumped out of bed landed on two feet and said “what is that?”  It wasn’t one of my brighter moments, but what do you expect from someone who has had too little sleep. 

So we are running around trying to find coats and socks, anything we could get our hands on that would be warm if we had to go outside.   I always wondered where the term “it was like a Chinese fire drill” came from because we were in the midst of one.  It was believed to have originated in the early 1900’s when a British ship run by a Chinese crew practiced a fire drill in the engine room.  The bucket brigade would take their buckets to the starboard side and draw water, run to the engine room and throw water on the fire then a second crew would haul the accumulated water to the main deck and throw it over the port side.  There was a problem in translation between the parties so instead of dipping the water on the starboard side, running to the engine room to throw water on the fire, they totally bypassed the engine room and threw the water over the port side. 

We were having a Chinese fire drill in our hotel.  Have you ever had that circumstance occur in your Christian life?  You are so busy running from one side of your ship to the other doing pointless things, that you totally bypass God in the process.  There is a reason why God tells us to be still and trust in Him.  All the running around we do won’t bring us any closer to Him and in our panic we may just miss the most important thing in our life. Take refuge in Him.  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, there are times when my life becomes like a Chinese fire drill.  I run every way but to You.  When I don’t rest in You, I lose the very thing You want me to have. Peace in knowing that I am Yours and that You will take care of the details. Thank You Lord for loving me. 

Scripture: God the Refuge of His People and Conqueror of the Nations

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.  There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.  Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.  Psalm 46:1-11

Communication

Prayer is the way and means God has appointed for the communication of the blessings of His goodness to His people.  A.W. Pink

Last Friday I went to the bank.  It was the same day that I lost my ATM card in the ATM machine. That should have been my first clue that I should have stayed away from the bank.  It ate it and wouldn’t give it back.  At lunch I decided to go to the bank and transfer money to my other banking institution so I would have cash available. 

I had a check that needed to be deposited so I decided to deposit that as well.  When I get to the bank I realize that I have the wrong checkbook so I can’t make my deposit so I decide to go ahead and deposit the check I had with me. 

The teller at the bank asked me if I needed an ink pen and I told her I did so she sent me hers.  As I finish filling out my deposit slip I look down and the ink pen she loaned me is missing the cap.  So I proceed to start looking for the cap.  I turn to her and tell her I lost her cap.  She responds by saying “Oh No”.  She then tells me, “Did you look between the seats?”  I told her “Yes I did.”  She then says “What about between the door and the seat? She then tells me, “Let me close the teller door so you can open your door to look there.”  I do that but find no pen cap.  By this time I am thinking, this must be her favorite pen because why else would she have me keep looking for it. She then says, “Did you look on the floorboard?”  My next thought is I’ll pay her for the whole pen if she will just make my deposit and let me go.  She then says, “Why don’t you pull up into the parking lot and open both doors and look for it?”  I am now thinking she is taking a pen cap to the extreme.  She then tells me, “Why don’t I send you back your deposit and you can return later when you find it?  

It hit me then.  I turn to the window and tell her, “I lost the “Cap” to your pen.  She then says, “I thought you said you lost your Cash.”  Then she says, “I don’t care about the cap.”  Then we both start laughing.  She thought I lost my cash and I thought she knew I lost her pen cap. 

This is how miscommunication starts.  Have you ever had that happen?  This is an extreme example of miscommunication but it happens every day to each of us.  When you think about it, God communicates with us every day too.  How many times do we miss His communication and lose out on His blessing for us?  If we don’t make a conscious effort to listen for His voice we may miss the blessing of a lifetime.  Sometimes his communication comes in the form of a friend telling us something when God has sent the message.  Other times it is a complete stranger delivering the message and we miss it entirely. 

Don’t miss out on God’s communication.  It may come in a whisper, a song or even from a most unlikely source.  Take the time to listen for His voice.  Some of life’s greatest blessings are often missed because we fail to listen for His communication.    

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, sometimes I miss Your communication with me because I am moving too fast or not paying attention.  How many blessings have I missed in my lifetime because I didn’t take the time to listen and slow down?  Thank You for loving me enough to keep trying to communicate with me.  I want to be a better listener for Your voice.  Help me to keep my focus on You so that I won’t miss the blessings you have in store for me.  

Scripture: The Parable of the Sower

And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Luke 8:4-8

The Parable of the Sower Explained

“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. Luke 8:11-15

Connections

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit - fruit that will last - and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.  This is my command: Love each other.  John 15:16-17

What kind of connections do you have?  Are you more concerned with your connection with God or your connection with others?  Our relationship with God is like a power outlet.  If I don’t connect to my main power source I am not going to have the strength, knowledge or energy to run at optimal level.

If I am not getting connected with God on a daily basis, my power is going to run low.  When my God power is low, Satan has the best opportunity to steal what power I do have and I become ineffective in my Christian life. 

Have you ever had a power surge and had a breaker switch thrown?  It happens with storms or when you plug in an appliance that is too large for the circuit to handle.  It is a safety device built into outlets that trip the breaker off so that it won’t cause a fire. 

This is exactly what happens in our relationship with God.  If we don’t connect often with our Heavenly Father we lose power.  The second thing is if we don’t connect in the right way the connection is broken or our breaker switch is flipped and we get no God power.

If we are going to keep running at optimal level, we need to spend time with God.  Many years ago before I started writing devotionals I am ashamed to admit I didn’t spend much time with God at all. I went to church on Sunday and if I had some problem in my life that I couldn’t handle, I would randomly go to Him for help.  This is a poor example of what my relationship with God should be. 

When I started writing devotionals, it meant I had to study the Bible.  How could I share God with other people if I didn’t know Him very well myself?  How could I share His Word or help another person come to know Him if my own connection was broken.  God has the power to transform our lives but we need to reach out to him and connect.  He is constantly pursuing us and the only way we will connect is to get to know Him.  Don’t let faulty wiring disconnect You from God.  Connect with Him and you will have an unlimited power source.   

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I know this is not all there is to life and I know too many times I spend way too much energy and time trying to accomplish pointless things here in this life.  My main concern should be showing others You.  If I am too focused on the things here, I will miss the opportunities to show others the life You have prepared for us for eternity.  I need Your help to give up my selfish wants in this life.  Thank You for having patience with me and for loving me. 

        

Scripture: The Vine and the Branches

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  John 15:1-4 

Are You Satisfied?   

Definition: Satisfied 1. To fulfill the desires, expectations, needs, or demands of a person, the mind, etc….

After a person has forsaken his natural longings he obtains a genuinely restful life. Formerly he had many desires. To satisfy them he planned, plotted and contrived, exhausting every ounce of his wisdom and power. His heart was in constant turmoil. But the child of God who purely follows the spirit and seeks not his own pleasure is satisfied with what God gives to him: and his restlessness immediately ceases. Watchman Nee

I have plenty of quiet time driving to work.  I spend a great deal of time on the toll road so there is plenty of thinking time.  It’s not that I am not watching where I am going; it’s that there are not that many people out there at 5:30 in the morning.  

This morning I was thinking about whether I was satisfied with my life or not.  Our pastor taught a sermon on idols that brought this to mind. We can make anything in our life an idol.  When I become dissatisfied with my car, my house, where I live, how much money I make or anything else in my life, it means I am not satisfied with what God has given me.  This becomes a slippery slope into sin doesn’t it?

It is so easy to fall into the trap of I need more.  We see someone else get something new and we want the same thing.  Satan slips into our thoughts and we start buying into what he is telling us; “You would be so much better off if you had _______”; insert anything I want that I don’t have already.  What kind of stupid thinking is that? 

I recently have been on a mission to get rid of stuff.  I have dishes I don’t need, utensils I haven’t used in years.  There are clothes in my closet that I haven’t worn in years.  I have stuff in my attic that hasn’t seen the light of day since we moved into our house.

One of the interesting things about stuff is the more we have of it, the more space it takes up in our lives. This also means we will need to spend more time figuring out what to do with it, where to put it and how much time to devote to taking care of it.  How will we ever find peace when we are spending all of our time taking care of our stuff? 

  

When we become dissatisfied with what we have and start longing for more things, we move further away from our Heavenly Father. As the quote above says, “our heart is in a state of constant turmoil” trying to figure out how we will get more.   My Heavenly Father has given me an abundant life in Him.  The key words here are “in Him”.  The only thing I desperately need in this world is my Heavenly Father.  Nothing else will ever compare to the life I have in Him. 

 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I often think about owning nicer things or buying more stuff.  When my thoughts turn to wanting more, please help me to push Satan aside and turn to You.  You are all I need to satisfy me in this life on earth.  Thank You for reminding me of what is really important.  You.  I can be at rest and know peace with You and You alone. 

      

Scripture:   If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which yourselves once walked when you lived in them. Colossians 3:1-7

“Here is the man who did not make God his strength, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.”  But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.  I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.  Psalm 52:7-9

Humility and Forgiveness   

I know for me, going back to the person I've bad-mouthed or lied to is absolutely humiliating! But isn't it interesting that "humiliating" has the same root word as "humility"? Part of humility is taking responsibility for my sin and asking forgiveness even when it doesn't feel good. God wants to heal and restore your relationships, but it's not easy. Chip Ingram

Have you ever received an apology from someone and somehow it just didn’t ring true.  The problem with this sometimes lies in the way the apology is presented.  I kept wondering why I felt such extreme guilt when this occurred.  I think in my mind I knew what I read in the Bible about forgiveness and that if I didn’t forgive that person I was guilty of sin. 

What I discovered recently is that there are two sides to making an apology.  One type of apology is where the offender requests forgiveness and the other demands forgiveness.  I have been guilty of demanding forgiveness instead of requesting it. 

We all know that it is extremely difficult to ask for forgiveness and apologize.  This means we have to admit that we did something wrong and then must humble ourselves to another person and that isn’t always easy.  What happens when we demand forgiveness is we expect the person to quickly grant forgiveness.  I am ashamed to admit that I have used this very phrase, “I said I’m sorry, what more do you want from me?”

If we demand forgiveness we fail to understand the nature of forgiveness.  “Forgiveness is a choice to lift the penalty and to let the person back into our lives.  It is to pardon the offense so that we might redevelop trust.  Forgiveness is essentially a gift.  A gift that is demanded is no longer a gift.

If I demand to be forgiven, I judge the offended person as being guilty of an unforgiving heart.  The offended person is hurt and angry but by demanding forgiveness I am trying to make the offended person feel guilty for not forgiving me.  On the other hand if I go to the other person and say “Will you forgive me?” I am making a request instead of a demand.  

We need to understand that when we ask for forgiveness, we are making a huge request that is very costly to the other person.  When we forgive another person we are required to give up our hurt and anger or feelings of humiliation or embarrassment as well as rejection or betrayal.  Sometimes it means the other person must live with the consequences of our wrong behavior.  The other thing is there are sometimes physical consequences or emotional consequences of our bad behavior. 

If your apology language is restitution or repentance it will take time for that person to process an apology.  It takes time for the person with an apology language of restitution or repentance to determine if I will follow through on making restitution or am genuinely repentant. I must also prove to the other person that I am changing my destructive behavior.  The person I have hurt will need to be convinced of my sincerity.  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, this is a tough subject for me.  Maybe that is why I spend so much time on it.  In my own personal life, this is one of the toughest subjects for me because I don’t always understand the consequences of the words I speak.  Sometimes my words harm others and I want to change that.  Please help me to overcome and lean on You.    

Scripture:   Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.  All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.  For Your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great. Psalm 25:8-11

Mountain Men

Thank God for the battle verses in the Bible. We go into the unknown every day of our lives, and especially every Monday morning, for the week is sure to be a battlefield, outwardly and inwardly in the unseen life of the spirit, which is often by far the sternest battlefield for souls. Either way, the Lord your God goes before you, He shall fight for you!  Amy Carmichael

My husband and I were watching TV yesterday and there was a show on the History channel called Mountain men.  We love the outdoors and my husband used to hike in the mountains so we decided to watch a few episodes.  The show follows the lives of various men who have moved into the wilderness to live.  We’re not talking about living a few miles from town.  These guys live in the coldest and most remote places.

I am the first to admit that I don’t know much about living in the wilderness.  The closest we ever got to wilderness was camping in state parks. I am also not a fan of the cold.  Freezers are for meat and frozen TV dinners, not people. 

Anyway, one of these guys lives in Alaska where the temperature can drop to 30 below.  This guy would trap animals for a living. Every day he would get out his snowmobile and drive it 8 to 10 miles down a frozen river to set traps.  You would think this guy would have quite a bit of experience with cold weather.  He drives about 10 miles away from home and stops to check a trap and when he returns his snowmobile won’t start.  So the commentator starts telling about the mistakes this guy made on this hunting trip. 

First, he didn’t bring a spare set of spark plugs. Second, he forgot to bring a compass and third, he forgot to wear his extra thermal gear.  So he is alone in the wilderness with no transportation, no warm outerwear, no compass, with a 6 hour hike back home in deep snow and it is dark.

I know the producers of this show were trying to make it exciting but this guy just looked inept.  I don’t know, call me silly but the three things he forgot to bring would have been the first things I packed if I was living in Alaska.  I am no mountain man but even I can figure out that part. 

 

As I watched I started thinking about how amazing our God is to have created such beauty in the wilderness but it also holds great danger for the person who isn’t prepared.  The same thing happens to each of us if we live in the city.  There are dangers around every corner and we have to be prepared.  Satan isn’t standing back watching us.  He is in full battle mode.  If we are not prepared for the fight of our life, we are in no better position than the mountain man.  Be prepared because Satan will come as a thief in the night. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am often guilty of not being prepared.  You give me the best tool, the Bible, to help me in the preparation for the biggest battle of my life.  Help me to use it to overcome Satan when he attacks.     

Scripture: Satan Tempts Jesus

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.  Matthew 4:1-11

Etch A Sketch  

The Etch A Sketch lets you draw what you want to be, or reveal the darkness that lies beneath or it may even cover up what you don’t want others to see.

Did you ever play with an Etch A Sketch when you were a kid?  It was one of my favorite toys growing up.  You could draw all kinds of things on it and then if you messed up you could shake it and start over again.  I always thought that they were made with pieces of magnets that when you put the stylus on the board it attracted the magnets to the surface of the drawing board. 

The way they really work is the inside surface of the glass screen is coated with aluminum powder which is then scraped off by a movable stylus, leaving a dark line on the light gray screen.  To erase the picture, the artist turns the toy upside down and shakes it. Doing this causes polystyrene beads to smooth out and re-coat the inside surface of the screen with aluminum powder. The "black" line merely exposes the darkness inside the toy.

There are times in my life when I would like to be like the Etch A Sketch.  You know the ones.  They are the times in life that you wished you had a Do Over.  The sad part about life is that you don’t get Do Over’s and it isn’t an Etch A Sketch that you can pick up, shake and then start over.  We all say and do things we regret. Sometimes we try to hide the hurt inside us but then someone picks up the Etch A Sketch and starts creating black lines across the surface that expose the darkness within. Other times we become like the Etch A Sketch that when shaken the aluminum powder temporarily covers the surface and forms a protective coating until the next time someone decides to expose the darkness within.

There is darkness within me that, through trials, God is trying to get me to work on. I must admit it is difficult and painful.  I am an imperfect person living in an imperfect world and I am the only one who can change me.   So today I will work on me because His work through me will one day reflect a different person.  

       

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, life throws me curves that I never expect or see coming.  When it happens I can only cling to you with everything in me because I know you will never leave me nor forsake me.  Thank you for loving me enough to help me in my times of trouble.         

Scripture: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.  Psalm 139:23-24

Limiting God’s Power

Christ holds that prayer is a tremendous power which achieves what, without it, was a sheer impossibility. And this amazing thing you can set into operation. And the fact that you are not so using it, and simply don't believe in it and its efficiency and efficacy as our fathers did, and that so many nowadays agree with you, is certainly a major reason why the churches are so cold, and the promises seem so tardy of fulfillment.  A.J. Gossip

Have you ever thought about how we often we limit God’s power in our lives?  The Bible tells us that His thoughts aren’t our thoughts.  In other words, He doesn’t think like we do. 

If you think about it from a train perspective, say you have a steam engine locomotive.  The way the locomotive moves forward is by the buildup of steam. When the steam is released it makes the familiar “choo choo” sound.  The more steam it produces the faster the train goes.

If you take that same concept and apply it to our Christian walk, we really need God’s steam for power.  The problem is we often limit God in our capacity to help other people know Him because we are trying to accomplish what we can’t do under our own steam.  When we try to take control of our limited amount of power, we are never going to reach the potential we would have through God’s power. 

We have the ability to change the world one person at a time.  We can try to accomplish this under our own steam or we can use God’s.  If Jesus could feed multitudes with a loaf of bread and a few fish, think what we can do if we let go of the controls and let Him lead.  

    

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I sometimes try to wrestle the reins from Your hands because I think I can do it better.  What a silly notion.  You are the power that can do amazing things through me if I will just allow You to do Your work Please remind me when I slip back into the old habit of trying to control everything, that You are the greatest source of power on earth and I can do anything through Your strength.    

Scripture:  The Whole Armor of God

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.  Ephesians 6:10-20

An Example

The cross is the greatest example of humility and devotion in the universe. Jesus put your needs ahead of His own. He considered you more valuable than Himself.  Chip Ingram

He that gives good advice, builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and example, builds with both; but he that gives good admonition and bad example, builds with one hand and pulls down with the other.  Francis Bacon

Have you ever asked yourself what kind of example you show the world?  Many of us, including me, often play charades.  We pretend to be something we aren’t.  We become great actors and imitators.  If we think about it from Satan’s standpoint, he can’t wait for us to play charades.  It happens to all of us and he is cheering us on from the sidelines.  How many of us show the world a totally different picture from the one our family sees?  If our life isn’t an open book where anyone could read it and you wouldn’t be ashamed of what is in it, then we aren’t a good example for God.    

How do we become that person who gives good advice and lives it? The following are a few things to consider:

Give up on self.  Get rid of me in the equation because it isn’t all about me.  It’s about Him. It’s about being what God created us to be. 

Humble yourself.  One of the hardest things for me to learn was to be vulnerable and humble myself to others.  When you do this you can be rejected and who wants that?  When I finally learned to let others see the bad sides of me, I was free.  Finally free from the worry of wondering when someone would find out the mistakes I made.  It also taught me how to lean on God.  The first thing we should ever learn is that God is the One constant in our life.  He loves us, gave His Son for us and will not betray us.  It is freeing to know that God is always there; not just sometimes or when He feels like it. 

Speak God’s truth.  This one is tricky because we often have our own version of the truth don’t we.  Our version of the truth often isn’t the truth at all.  It is so easy to slip away from God’s truth and guess who is standing on the sidelines cheering us on.   

Study His Word.  Did you know that the weekend edition of the New York Times has as many words in it as the New Testament and there are a lot of people who will read that every weekend but have never read the New Testament? I am guilty of spending more time reading a magazine than I do my Bible.  It we are to learn God’s truth, we need to read it, study it, meditate on it and fill our very soul with it.

If we want to be a good example for Christ our lives will need to change and that is going to take work.  It is also a given that some people in your life are not going to like this change in you.  In some cases you will lose friends, family members and even jobs to follow Him.  It is going to mean letting go of pride, humbling ourselves to others, speaking God’s truth and living it.  When you are setting a good example you will be rewarded.  What example will you show the world?   

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I confess that I am not always a good example in showing others You.  I fail over and over again.  I need Your help to overcome the many obstacles in my life that hinder my relationship with You.  I pray for the strength to put You first, humble myself, study Your Word and speak Your Truth.  I can do all things through You because You alone give me strength.   

Scripture: The Race of Faith

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:12

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4:12-16

As Is   

Sociologists have a theory of the looking-glass self: you become what the most important person in your life (wife, father, boss, etc.) thinks you are. How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible's astounding words about God's love for me, if I looked in the mirror and saw what God sees?  Philip Yancey

Have you ever bought something “AS IS”?  It works like this.  You know there is something wrong with the item you are buying but you buy it anyway.  You take a chance that the thing you are buying will operate or work properly even though you know there is something wrong with it. 

Sometimes another person bought the item and returned it but the store can’t sell it as new so they sell it “as is”.  So there is not really anything wrong with the item, the person just didn’t want it.  Then other times someone bought it, it doesn’t work properly, they returned it and it’s not going to work properly for you either.  Then there is the third scenario where someone bought it, broke it, returned it and when you get it home it’s not going to work either.

We are born new but life breaks us.  There might not really be much wrong with us but someone rejects us.  So there is a defect so we are thrown into the return bin.  Then other times we are rolling along through life and things are going well and we have a health issue and now we’re broken.  Then there is the really tragic circumstance where someone breaks us physically, emotionally or verbally and we are rejected again and back in the broken bin. 

This concept fascinates me because God doesn’t work that way.  God takes us “AS IS”.  He loves us no matter what we do.  He takes us back time and again because of that very love.  We mess up, we are defective, we are thrown back in the used, broken, rejected bin and God reaches in and takes us back broken and all, “AS IS”.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, we are often rejected on this earth by others because we don’t measure up to their expectations.  I love that you accept me sin and all.  You accept the broken, rejected me when others might not.  Thank you for loving me even when I end up in the “AS IS” bin.    

    

Scripture:    What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?  It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns?  It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written:  “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us form the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:31-39