How Long Must We Wait?

          In my readings I am currently going through Genesis, Psalms, Proverbs, and Acts.  Today out of Psalms for a change something stuck with me even though I had some good reading in the others as well.  Psalm 40 hit a cord with me especially after the prayer room service yesterday as I sat with different individuals.

          We all go through times of suffering and usually during those times we may start to wonder if this is all ever going to end.  If you are going through a rough time right now then you can relate.  The hard times never last forever and you eventually recover from them.  So the question then becomes, how long must I wait to get through this and why is God putting me through all of this.  I found the answer in today’s readings.

Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 40:2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.

          So from these verses we can see that we must be patient and faithful to the Lord and know that He hears our cry.  In His timing then He will step forward and deliver us from our suffering.  The verse goes on to give us some insight as to why God would let us suffer.

Psalm 40:3 He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

          Now through our suffering others will come to believe and turn to God.  So who are we to complain if God wants to turn someone else to Him through our suffering?  Is this not a noble cause and perhaps worth a little suffering on our part?  A few verses latter in verse 10 it talks about our response once we are delivered from our suffering.

Psalm 40:10 I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

          We are not to keep our mouth shut and just continue on as if nothing has happened worth talking about.  We are to give credit where credit is due and let others know that is was not through our own doing that we have been delivered from suffering, but only by the power of a great, powerful, and loving God.

Wisdom Calls Out

          Today as I read through Proverbs 8 among my other readings it talks about wisdom calling out to be heard.  It got me to thinking that we always hear wisdom, but many times we never listen to it.  It is a lot the way we acted as young teenagers growing up.  Has much changed today?  We did not like being told what to do then and we do not like it now.  We equate freedom and maturity to doing what we want when we want without having to answer to anyone or anything.  This is all so apparent with my own sons as they reach that age and an attitude and disrespect develop as they try and shed the bonds of parental disciplines in their life.  Statements that are made like, “This is unfair,” or “I hate living here” are heard.  Usually when punishment is being handed out for breaking of a rule that was established long before.  I know I acted the same when I was that age as well as I am sure most of us have.

          So as adults today do we not still act somewhat the same way to the rules and laws that God has laid down long before?  Think about it when you are getting ready to do something that may not line up with scripture, isn’t there that little voice in the back of your head telling you this does not honor God?  It is there and sometimes we ignore it saying that it is not fair.  I hear it when I am looking to grab that third or fourth doughnut I do not need, not that I needed the first two.  If we are honest with ourselves we have to admit to this, and if we admit to it, then we have to own it and repent.  This is the start of listening to wisdom as it is calling out to us pleading to be heard.  

Proverbs 8:9 My words are plain to anyone with understanding,
clear to those with knowledge.

Proverbs 8:10 Choose my instruction rather than silver,
and knowledge rather than pure gold.

Proverbs 8:11 For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies.
Nothing you desire can compare with it.

          We have to listen and choose wisdom over our hearts desire whether that be another doughnut, or skimping on our tithe because we could use the money for ourselves or not pointing it out to the cashier when they make a mistake in our favor.  In listen to wisdom when it calls out our lives will be more rich and joyful.

Proverbs 8:34 Joyful are those who listen to me,
watching for me daily at my gates,
waiting for me outside my home!

Proverbs 8:35 For whoever finds me finds life
and receives favor from the Lord.

 
         Proverbs 8:36 But those who miss me injure
         themselves.
         All who hate me love death.”

Heart’s Desire

          Today as I read through Psalm 37 as part of my devotionals one of the first passages as I read that stuck out to me was Psalm 37:5, but I look closer at the verse that preceded it in the light of verse 5.

Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.

          Really, God will give me my heart’s desire?  So if I desire that big plasma screen TV and that awesome surround sound system God will give me that?  Of course that is not what this means and we all know that.  This is a good example of taking verses out of context.  We cannot just open the Bible and try to find the single verse that fits into our situation.  We have to read the whole thing.  We have to take the Word of God and be in it daily and place it upon our hearts if we are to apply it to our lives.  This is the only way we can use it in any and every situation we run into in our lives.

          So if we read verse 5 now after reading verse 4 it sheds more light on the whole situation and we do not see this magical genie that will give us everything we desire just because we take delight in him.

Psalm 37:5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.

          Ah ha, commit everything we do to the Lord.  Not just some of the things we do, but everything.  So if we commit everything we do to the Lord our will lines up with His will, our desires are His desires.  We look to please Him and He looks to please us.  We were after all made in His image and the only thing that separates us now is sin.  Jesus however has made a way to get around that sin, but it still wars within us as long as we are in this world.  It is only through the Spirit of God that we have the power to fight against it.  What is your heart’s desire?  Does it line up on the side of righteousness or on the side of sin?  These are the tough questions we need to be asking ourselves on a regular basis and focus our thoughts on doing everything for the Lord.

God’s Hate List

          OK today out of Proverbs 6 these verses stuck out to me.  We always talk about God being a loving God, but when you come to this verse you see that there are things that God hates.  Also God being a just God will punish for the sins of man unless we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior.  Looking at this list there is no way I have not violated at least a few of these in my life time so far and deserve to be judged accordingly.

Proverbs 6:16 There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:

17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood, 

18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,

19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

          The first one is a prideful look.  How many times have we avoided certain people because they just do not match up to our life style?  I have seen this even in church.  There is always that one person that people seem to avoid as soon as they see them come through the doors.  Why?  Because people think they are so much better than that person.  Don’t think it is true, open your eyes and take a look sometime and you will see it.  Interesting this is at the top of God’s hate list.

          Two a lying tongue.  This is self explanatory, but God hates lies.  The tongue as it says in James 3:8 is untamable.

James 3:8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

          So if that is true then how are we to be accountable for something we cannot control?  You notice it says that no human being can tame the tongue, so this is where we have to turn to God and the Holy Spirit within us to control the tongue. 

          Three is the shedding of innocent blood.  The key here is innocent blood, although God has said that life is precious that does not mean that if someone takes a life they do not forfeit their own.

Genesis 9:6 If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image.

          Four is a heart that plans evil things.  There are times that we may think evil thoughts and never would carry them out, but for a fleeting moment give thought to things we know that we shouldn’t.  Then we will catch ourselves as we are convicted of the Holy Spirit and stop those thoughts.  However in the fifth item we are sometimes quick to act on those evil thoughts of our heart without conviction of the Spirit.  Still we have to take the blame for those ourselves and not place the blame on God because He did not stop us from acting upon the sinful desires of our heart.  You want free will, there it is.

          Sixth is perjury, giving false testimony.  It is lying which we already know God hates, but lying with a particular purpose of giving a false testimony.  Finally the seventh, stirring up conflict.  I see this mainly in the spreading of rumors.  Everyone likes that juicy little tid bit of information to share with others and as it gets shared it gets bigger and bigger and will start to cause conflict.  You always know who the biggest gossip is and if you do not want to have something known you will keep it away from them.

          So this is the list of the seven things God really hates according to Proverbs.  How many of these do you commit on a daily, weekly, monthly, or even a yearly basis?  I know I am guilty of at least a few of these.  I am so thankful I have Jesus to stand up for me at my time of judgment.  How about you?

Sin Equals Death

          In reading Acts 5 today my thoughts are turned towards the fear of the unbelievers in this chapter.  Fear to the point that they would not even join in the meetings with the believers.

Acts 5:12 The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them.

          To understand this fear though you have to go back to the first part of the chapter with the story of Ananias and Sapphira who lied not only to man, but to God and for this were struck down dead by God.  When the people heard this story of course they are going to be afraid.

          One of the things that was driven into me growing up in the Lutheran church is that above all we should fear God.  As a young boy growing up to fear something was a bad thing and trying to understand a different type of fear was out of the box thinking and something as a young child I could not wrap my head around.  There were a lot of things as a child we would fear like strangers, the boogie man, of course all sorts of monsters from werewolves to zombies, the devil and so on.  So for me to fear God I could not understand if He was so good why was He so bad.

          Now as an adult though I feel that there is not enough fear of God.  We have become somewhat passive in our feelings towards God.  Now this is not fear of the evil things in this world, but a respectful fear.  We should know what God is capable of and that if we do not accept Jesus that we will pay for our sins sooner or later.  So the fear should not be that of a just God, but the payment for our sins.  Since God is also a loving God He has given us a chance through His Son Jesus Christ and it is through Him that our sins have been paid in full.

          Fear is for the unbelievers and rightfully so if they choose to take on the judgment for their sins by themselves.  Saying that however as believers we need to take our salvation to heart each and every day and give God the respect that He more than deserves from us.  If we are not doing that then maybe we should be fearing God instead of being so passive about what we have been given.

Believers Shared

          OK back on track here today with my devotionals.  Today’s readings are out of Acts 4.  The particular point of interest to me was the last part of that chapter where it talks about the believers sharing their possessions.  

Acts 4:32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.  33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all  34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales  35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

In comparison to what we do as believers today it is quiet pathetic, myself included.  I mean these people were selling their homes and land just to give it to the disciples so they could distribute it fairly between all the other believers.  OK today that might not be so practical for us to do since a lot of us have families that we are trying to keep a roof over their heads and shoes on their feet, but compared to other countries especially third world countries we are living a life of luxury. 

          So then how is it we respond to fellow believers and our church?  How many of us even tithe properly?  What would it be like if anyone that belonged to the church never had to worry about finances again and everyone shared in the wealth?  What would it be like if the church never had to worry about not having enough room for people to join in all that is offered?  What would it be like if we all honored God and what He would want us to do?  What would that church look like?

          The sad fact is that is probably not realistic thinking in today’s society.  People work hard for what they have and are not as apt to turn it over to a church body to do with as they please.  As a society in America today we are selfish even if we refuse to admit that.  As Christians we are to be set apart and be an example.  Why don’t we start by being examples to other fellow Christians and then to the world. 

Finding Refuge

          There are times that we look for shelter from the storms in this life, yet often feel as though there is no place to hide and life just keeps coming at us from all sides.  I know there have been times in my past that I have felt like this.  Now though in times that comparably are even worse then those I felt so alone in I can better relate to these passages in Psalm 31.

Psalm 31:1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.

2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.

3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.

5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.

          On in particular part is that in Psalm 31:3 where the Psalmist is asking God to lead and guide them.  When we are in the middle of the storm we often want to know what it is that God wants us to do.  If we read on we must commit ourselves over to Him completely and trust in the Lord to do what it is that we ask.  So many times I am afraid that we ask for guidance and then get upset and put out with God when it is not shown to us right away.  Our faith may faultier because we do not see anything happening.  Perhaps this is why we are being put through the ordeal in the first place; maybe God is testing our faith in Him.

          Psalm 31:23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people!
          The Lord preserves those who are true to him,
          but the proud he pays back in full.

            24 Be strong and take heart,
          all you who hope in the Lord.

Dirty Christians

          OK strong title to this journal entry, but there is some truth to it that may hurt.  Today’s reading out of Proverbs 30 caught my attention.  Although just a simple little passage and not much to write about here, I still think it carries much weight.

Proverbs 30:12 those who are pure in their own eyes
and yet are not cleansed of their filth;

          How do we see ourselves when we really get down to it?  Sure we know that we sin and need Jesus to purify us in order to obtain eternal life.  My question would be is it really Jesus that we use as a yardstick in our lives to understand that we do not measure up?  After all we are always going to fall short if that is the case and who likes to say to themselves that they are not all that good?  We are down right worthless compared to Jesus and no one wants to hear that.  So how do we tend to measure ourselves if that is the case?  We use others in our lives and in the world to measure ourselves against.  Then we can tell ourselves compared to this person or that person I am a saint.  In this case then we become pure in our own eyes.

          So we have to keep Jesus as our yardstick in which we measure ourselves and not others.  We have to come to terms with the fact that we are never really going to measure up to this standard that is set before us.  This does not mean that we quit trying however.  We attempt to achieve this standard each and every day of our lives in this world.  We do this not for ourselves to try and obtain this unobtainable goal in this life, but to honor the one that made it possible for us to go before the Father despite not being able to obtain this standard.  We will never become like Jesus in this world, but we know that Jesus made it possible to be with Him in the next.

Seeing is Believing

            John 20 was one of my devotionals today.  A very familiar story of the disbelief of Thomas or doubting Thomas as the story goes.  He would not believe the word of the other disciples that had actually seen Jesus the day before. 

John 20:25 …"Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

            We all know people like this as we share the message of salvation with them.  I have heard this statement repeated in similar ways over and over again.  “Well if Jesus really did exist then once He shows Himself to me and I ask Him a few questions that I need answered then maybe I will believe then.”  This is so sad when I hear this because there is no room for faith at that point.  Oh sure they would believe if they physically see Him and He can prove to them that He is who He claims to be, but then there is no faith.  There can come no blessing from such belief.

John 20:29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

            I just feel that if people are just waiting for some sort of sign to prove to them that Jesus actually existed and there is a God that rules over everything it is going to be too late for them then.  So how do we reach people like this?  The sad answer is that we do not reach them.  Actually we do not reach anyone as far as that goes.  All we do is share the Word with people and it is God that will soften a heart and open that person up to the glory that is life through Jesus.  Our job, share the Word without expectation, and prayer for all those that doubt.

What King Do You Claim?

          As I read today’s devotional in John 19 – Jesus’ Crucifixion I see the conflict that Pilate had and the hatred that the Jewish leaders had.  Pilate had questioned Jesus and could find no basis on which to convict Him.  So he told the Jewish leaders to do it themselves in which they responded.

John 19:7 The Jewish leaders insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

          This response from the Jewish leaders frightened Pilate even more.  I can imagine what might have been going through his mind.  “What if what they are saying is true?”  Certainly I would be afraid of the condemning someone claiming to be the Son of God whether I believed or not I would still be somewhat concerned.  This uneasiness that Pilate was feeling did not get any better when he went back to question Jesus more.  He pleaded with Jesus so he could find some grounds to set Him free telling Him that he had the power to free Him or crucifix Him.

John 19:11 Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

          Now at this point I would imagine that Pilate is trying desperately to find a way out of this situation, but was stuck in a bad situation.  He brought Jesus before the Jewish leaders again and they responded,

John 19:15 But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!"
"Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked.
"We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.

          So it ends with Pilate giving into the wishes of the Jewish leaders who’s only king was Caesar that they said they serve and Pilate washing his hands of it even though it is the Roman troops that carry out the process.  As a final act on Pilate’s part he does have a plaque place upon Jesus cross stating that this is the King of the Jews and not just that He claimed to be.

          That leads me to question, what king do I serve, an earthly king or the one that came to this world proclaiming to be the Son of God?  The answer is obvious for the most part, but I also look back at a life I once lived and it was not always that way.  There was a time that I was my own king and served only myself.  This passage in Proverbs also stuck out to me in my devos today.

Proverbs 27:19 As water reflects the face,
so one's life reflects the heart.

So the question is what king do you serve and what does your life reflect?

Jesus Prays

          Well we have read the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-15 (NIV)

9 "This, then, is how you should pray:
"'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,

10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'

14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

          Now in today’s reading of John 17 we get to see a practical application of Jesus praying to the Father.  Not to say that this wonderful passage from Matthew is not good as a model for prayer, but we get to see Jesus here applying this model He has given His disciples. 

          Jesus prays for Himself to be glorified, so that He may glorify the Father.  Not for Himself, but for the Father and the people the Father has given Him in this world.  He prays for the disciples so that when He is gone that they will be protected from the sins of this world and continue doing the Lords work here in this world.  And He prays for all the believers in this world that they may become one united in Christ and assembled in heaven.

          One of the most interesting statements I found in all of these passages was this:

John 17:13  "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.

          Now to truly appreciate this statement you have to understand where Jesus came from in the first place.  He stepped down from His glorified position in heaven where He sat with the Father to come among all us in the world.  I am not even going to try and make a comparison of this, but this had to be a great sacrifice and Jesus was in a place right before His death that had to be the low point of His life, rock bottom.  So now this is where He prays this specific passage that the full measure of His joy in them?  Low point of your life and you want the full measure of your joy in them?  Jesus knows what is coming and that soon His time is coming that He will once again be with His Father in heaven.  How many of us can say that we pray at the low points in our lives so that the full measure of our joy can be seen?  This is a foreign concept to us.  We are usually praying Lord get me out of here, make this go away. 

          Of course Jesus does come to say that He wishes this cup of His death may pass away if there is any other way, but goes onto to say that the Father’s will be done and not His own, so that they all will be glorified.  Perhaps we need to look at it through God’s eyes best we can the next time we are hitting rock bottom and pray to see the full measure of joy in the bigger picture.  Pray that we can see God’s glory in all of this.  Pray that we are able to put our selfish desires aside for a moment and look to God’s will in all of this.

Getting Even

          I had a short reading for the devos today.  Just Proverbs 24 and Psalms 24.  Although as usual I always get something out of even the smallest reading.  What I got out of today’s readings for myself is about revenge.  There are times that you are wronged or at least feel as though you have been wronged and you feel as though it is your right to even up the score at the very least.  That is where this verse hit home with me.

Proverbs 24:29 Do not say, "I'll do to them as they have done to me;
I'll pay them back for what they did."

          
          I am sure we have all been there, but if we are reading our Bible we know that it is not our responsibility to exact justice on our own behalf.  

Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

          With that in mind I thought back to a few verses before Proverbs 24:29 and remembered how we are to respond when God does step in on our behalf and exact vengeance on those that oppose us.

Proverbs 24:17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,

Proverbs 24:18 or the Lord will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.

          We need to keep in mind that we are all children of the same God and should not be rejoicing when the Father disciplines another for they are lost and in need of correction.  In stead we should be aware of their situation and pray for them to learn from such situations that they too might come to know God and enjoy an eternal life of joy and happiness that all who believe will be sharing come that day.

The Lord is My Shepherd

          Obviously one of the best-known verses in the entire Bible by both Christians and non-Christians alike, but I still loved reading over it again in today’s devotionals.  

Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

          Like the very first verse says if we have Christ in our lives we lack nothing.  Really what about all the problems I am facing in my life right now, no work, bills due, illness, vehicles breaking down?  Let us look at Webster’s definition of nothing: not any thing : no thing.  Hummm so nothing means nothing.  Either we believe in the Bible or we do not.  Did not even Job suffer some hard times?  Yet in it all he never lost faith in the Lord, maybe he questioned Him, but he never lost faith in Him.  In the end how was he rewarded?  He was given more then he had to begin with.

          That being said, we should not be concerning ourselves with the riches of this world, but rather be concerned with storing up riches in heaven.  You know it is going to be way to late once we get there and say man I should have just listened and stored up a few things here, but I had to have it all while I was there even if it was just for a short time.  A short time of having it all here or an eternity of having all there in heaven, the choice is yours.

Gift of the Spirit

          John 16 is full of so much, but I tuned in on the gift of the Spirit and the effects of that.  In John 16 Jesus is trying to explain to His disciples what He is talking about when He says He is going away to the Father.  Also all the persecution they are going to face as a price for believing in Him.  So not only are they losing Jesus, but they are also going to be tortured and put to death as well.  How are they going to deal with all this?  Jesus tells them they will have an Advocate that will come in His place.

John 16:7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

          The nice part is that we have this same promise of an Advocate to be with us and teach us all the things that Jesus would have taught us had He been here with us.  How is this?

John 16:8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:  9 about sin, because people do not believe in me;  10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;  11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

          If you are honest with yourself when you accepted Christ things seemed to change and you did not look at the things of the world quiet the same anymore.  They say you can tell if someone has really accepted Christ if you see a drastic change in their life style.  I mean if someone says they have just accepted Christ in their life and then go right out to the local bar to celebrate that by getting drunk just as they had before they accepted Christ then you can probably be fairly certain that they have not accepted Christ.  On the other hand if they say they have accepted Christ and never touch another drop the rest of their lives then they might be a good chance that they really did accept Christ. 

          So when it comes down to it listen to that Spirit of truth within you and heed what He is telling you for it comes from the Lord.

John 16:13 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.

Friends of Jesus

          Today in John 15 Jesus talks about Him being the vine and we being the branches.  This is a common known story to those of us that attend church on a fairly regular basis.  There is a part of this chapter though that stood out to me, that in the past seems to have been glossed over or I just have not paid it too much attention.  It starts off in John 15:12

12   My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

13   Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.

Of course we have all heard this one as well, but is what follows this command that really got my attention and made me think a little deeper about what all this means.

John 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command.  15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

It seems that many start to think that doing the will of God is servitude and being a slave to a great and powerful god.  This statement could not be farther from the truth that God loves us and desires to have a relationship with us.  We are the only ones that are standing in the way of that relationship.  All we have to do is what we have been asked to do, and that is to act in the same manner that Jesus Himself acted when He was among us.  He has set us an example and as it says here has made known everything that He learned from the Father.  We just have to step up and do it.  Not because we feel like indentured servants that have an obligation to their master, but because we have an obligation to fulfill because of our love and friendship to the Lord.

How Far Are We Willing To Go?

          After reading John 13 it came to me, “How far am I willing to go?”  We hear the commandments the Word of God sets before us all the time, but hearing is one thing while putting them into action is something else altogether.  We should be practically applying these words everyday of our life and not just hear them or read them. 

           

           In the beginning of this chapter of John Jesus washes the disciples feet and tells them He done this to set an example.

John 13:15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

           

         He tells them they will be blessed if they DO them.  Not if they read it or if they hear it, but if they DO them.  Proverbs also tells us this.

Proverbs 19:16 Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life,
but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.

Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will reward them for what they have done.

           

          We sometimes get it in our heads that if we just stay out of trouble and try not to sin, go to church on Sundays and sometimes even on a Wednesday then we will be good people that God will be pleased with to some degree.  I think that these passages call us to do much more then just sit back and try to be “good” Christian people as this sinful world passes us by.  Even Peter who loved the Lord and told Him that he would even follow Him to death, denied Jesus.

John 13:38 Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

           

          So what makes us any better then Peter?  Do we not deny Christ on a daily basis when we do not carry out His word, the same Word that we hear in church on Sunday?  The same Word that read in our devotionals everyday, assuming we are even reading the Bible.  Peter denied Christ three times.  How many times have you denied Him this month, this week, or even just today? 

          

          So where do we start?  How do we turn this sinking ship around and get it back on course?  Let us start with one of the simplest, yet one of the biggest of these commands.

 

         John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Fear of Death

          I had plenty of reading in today’s devotionals, but one thing stood out to me and has always been on my heart since I had decided to devote my life to God.  This is the passage in John that I am talking about:

John 12:25 “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

          There was a time that my own death bothered me.  Now however I look forward to that day.  Not in a way such as I want to take my own life and just get it done with like someone that is deeply depressed might think, but in a way that this is not my home and God is waiting for the day I will be with Him type way.  Those are fairly strong words in the passage “anyone who hates their life in this world…”, but fairly accurate for those that have accepted Christ into their lives.

          I had a conversation with a former coworker that professed to be a Christian and follow Christ to an extent, but his biggest fear was dying.  Now how could someone that professes Christ fear death?  There were other things as well that led me to believe that he was not a true follower of Christ, but that was the one thing that proved it to me.

          As Christians we should not fear death, but actually look forward to that day we are taken from this world and sent home.  That being said however we also have a responsibility while we are in this world and that is to glorify God in all we do so that others will see there is more to be had then just what we have in this world.

How to Argue

          Today’s devotionals were short since I just had Proverbs 17 and Psalms 17 to read today, but there is always something that hits me when I am reading and today is no different.  While reading Proverbs I came across this verse,

Proverbs 17:14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;

so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

          Now before really accepting God into my life I would really get into some heated arguments with my wife.  Since accepting Christ and letting Him have control over my life I would love to say they are gone, but they are much less intense and less frequent.  Obviously I still have some growing to do in this area and that is why reading passages like this one convict me and help me to grow.  I know that there are times also that we hold things in to avoid those arguments because we hate to fight and the next passage covers that as well as the times we like to fight things out.

Proverbs 17:19 Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;
whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.

          Holding things in or building walls as this passage alludes to will invite destruction.  The more you hold things in the bigger the explosion is going to be when you finally do let it out.  So how are we supposed to discuss things that bother us or that we need to correct before it gets to far out of hand?  We can find the answer to that in Proverbs as well.

Proverbs 17:27 The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,
and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.

When we get into arguments it usually can be boiled down to a selfish desire on one or both parties, because they just want their way to be seen.  So in order to discus things in a civil manner through knowledge we choose our words carefully.  Also through understanding of the other person’s point of view we can maintain an even temper.  That is a big key to any heated debate.  We have employed this with our boys and it really works well.  If you can keep your temper under control and not raise your voice while the other person is going off it is amazing how much that effects the one that is arguing with you once they see they have lost it and you are still keeping your cool. 

God’s Plan

          We often wonder what God’s plan is for our lives.  What does He want me to do and how am I supposed to do it?  We pray about it, we look for signs that might lead us in the right direction, an open or closed door indicating which path we are supposed to take.  We feel as though there is this hidden treasure map that we are to follow in order to find clues as to the next step we must take.  Really it is not all that hard and God has not hidden this from us as some sort of test to see if we are worthy of His gifts.  To the contrary it is spelled out for us very clearly in this passage:

Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do,

and he will establish your plans.

It really is that simple, we are the ones that make it so hard.  Just do what is right in the eyes of the Lord and you are on your way.  Really isn’t that enough?  We have a hard enough time with doing just that sometimes.  In the Wednesday evening study we did last night this is one of the passages we read over.  After reading this search your heart and see if you are holding to the passage in Proverbs I just hit on.

Matthew 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.  32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40 "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

45 "He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

         Feeling a little convicted yet?  Kind of a scary passage to read when we think back to all the opportunities we have had in our lives to help those that are in need.  If that person was Jesus here today and you knew that you would probably even take them into your own home and care for them.  After all who would not want to have Jesus in their home?  So if we are to know the path laid before us the Bible very clearly spells it out for us, we just have to step up to the plate and get it done.