Mi Sobrina - 2/28/06

Ésta es mi sobrina, Jocelyn. En ésta foto, ella tiene solamente doce días, que significa que ella no tiene tanto personalidad como parece aquí.

Fight The Good Fight - 2/21/06

Galatians 6:17-18, "Our sinful selves want what is against the spirit, and the spirit wants what is against our sinful selves ... but if the spirit is leading you, you are not under the law."

For the rest of our lives, after accepting Christ's sacrifice, we will struggle with our flesh. The struggle is laid out plainly here. When we become a Believer, we are transformed. Our spirit will from then on always thirst for the King who is a fountain, the living wellspring of life.

But from that same moment on, our spirit will also struggle with the sinful flesh's desire to continue living as we were before becoming Christians. Our flesh thirsts to indulge in every pleasure, while our spirit thirsts for His presence - which cannot accompany such actions.

The enemy knows this, and will seek out specific areas of weakness he sees in our flesh and will meet us there with temptations that will turn our will toward earthly rather than spiritual desires. These temptations always amount to choosing ourselves over God and living in His way - which also brings His blessings. Ephesians 6:12, "Our fight is not against people on Earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world's darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world."

Knowing that, we're bound to fail in our own weakness - nobody has achieved perfection. But, we live under GRACE. "He loves us as we are, not as we should be." What we are responsible for then is to be eternally vigilant. If we take our salvation for granted, we will fall into sin. If we are truly in a battle against spiritual influences, we must treat it as such without rest. If there were tanks and soldiers camped at the edge of your city, would you continue along as if nothing was happening? Or, would you prepare yourself, your family? How would you protect them?

The situation changes little in the spiritual realm, and God provides you the protection. The last line of this verse frees you from the bondange of repeated failure "... if you live in the spirit, you are not under the law." The Lord provides you the means, the armour, and the weaponry. His weapons to defeat evil in our everyday lives include, "... the belt of truth tied around your waist and the protection of right living in your chest. On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows of the Evil One. Accept God's salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" Ephesians 6:14-17.

Now, take this even a step further. Take the good advice I read to think like a commander in the middle of a battle. You must examine your own weaknesses and anticipate an attack on those areas. Strengthen your defenses there. If you were the enemy, knowing you through and through, where would YOU attack you? That is where you WILL be attacked and must take whatever precautions necessary to come out victorious.

Likewise, you can seek out the Enemy's weaknesses. With the sword of the Word of God - the Holy Scriptures in the Bible - you can strike at the enemy, with your faith in God's love and power a shield during the counterattack. Spreading the word - handing out swords - will advance the Kingdom of God for which we fight and defeat the Evil One by decreasing the lives over which he has power. "And to God be the glory, the Kingdom, and the power for ever and ever, Amen."

Pick Up The Phone - 2/19/06

Romans 10:20-21, "Then Isaiah is bold enough to say: 'I was found by those who were not asking me for help. I made myself known to people who were not looking for me.' But about Israel, God says, 'All day long I stood ready to accept people who disobey and are stubborn.'"

I love it when God does this! He's emphasizing how He's constantly talking directly to me through His word. I had no idea this scripture from Isaiah - the same one I was led to in my last devotion - was quoted in Romans. God led me to it when I wasn't even looking for it in another location in the Bible, confirming the message of the last devotion.

I am so humbled, on two levels. One: that the God of All, Lord of all Creation, chooses to talk to me through His word EVERY time I make the effort to listen to Him. He'll meet me there whenever I make time to come into His presence. And Two: That the same God, the All Powerful source of all things, actually says to us, "Here I am. Here I am," and seeks us out. We do not come to him unless He first calls us. He chooses us. John 15:19, "...As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world." and, 1 Peter 2:4, "As you come to Him, the living Stone -- rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him..." are just some of the examples of God choosing us, choosing to be with us!

God's always trying to reach us; our phone is just ringing all day long with our loving God on the other end of the line. He's always trying to get our attention and begin a relationship with us, if we just pick up the phone and talk with Him. He communicates in so many different ways if we just listen. In my case, I have to step away from the distractions of the world, into a figurative phone booth to make time for Him -- isolating myself in order to be able to hear what He has to say. And I always love the conversations we have when I make time for Him...

He's Waiting - 2/16/06

Isaiah 65:1-2 The Lord says, "I made myself known to people who were not looking for me. I was found by those who were not asking me for help. I said, 'Here I am. Here I am,' to a nation that was not praying to me. All day long I stood ready to accept people who turned against me..."

Real Victory - 2/14/06

Ecclesiastes 11:4, "Those who wait for perfect weather will never plant seeds; those who look at every cloud will never harvest crops."

The wisdom of Solomon is timeless. I'm pretty sure that if there were television commercials in ancient Israel, this scripture would accompany a large swoosh - replacing the slogan, "Just Do It." Basically, that's what he's saying here. "Just Do It." If you wait for perfect conditions before stepping out or starting anything, you'll never even begin.

Jesus had the same viewpoint. He didn't wait for us to stop sinning for a minute before He allowed His life to be taken in our place. He didn't wait for us to earn or deserve or even show that we desired His ultimate sacrifice - He "just did it." Romans 5:8, "But God shows His great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners" (emphasis mine).

In the same way, Christ does not want us to wait until we feel like we are good enough or worthy enough before coming to Him. He knows that if we do, it will never happen. Even if it did, our greatest works are not even worthy of His holiness. Isaiah 64:6, "All of us are dirty with sin. All the right things we have done are like filthy pieces of cloth." He just wants us to receive His offering of forgiveness so we can have a relationship with Him and be welcomed into His loving family.

How blessed are we that the only One throughout history with sinless blood allowed it to be spilled on our behalf - the power of it washing away all trace of sin if we just receive that gift. Then, we may come into His presence a new creature, not waiting to be good enough but welcomed by His grace and love, made as clean as newly fallen snow by the power of His love.

Diamond In The Rough - 2/10/06

Matthew 5:14-16, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

I heard a song on the radio this morning whose lyrics caught my attention. The chorus basically stated, "I'm going to shine for you" in reference to Jesus. For some reason that made me think of diamonds, which also shine. I think Christians are a lot like diamonds. This verse above states that believers are the light of the world. But like diamonds, we do not produce our own light -- we merely reflect the source.

And like diamonds, we were not always so useful. Diamonds are originally coal, well-designed to burn and give off angry red heat. But with pressure and time, the coal is transformed into something more precious and useful. Similarly, we are transformed in Christ. When we believe, we become a new creation. A new creation, but raw and rough. We need to be shaped. We need to be cut. We have unsightly inclusions -- parts of our former selves we apparently could not let go of or wouldn't allow change to effect. But, the more we are cut, chiseled, shaped, ground, and polished, the more light we reflect. Is this an enjoyable process? Not usually. No more enjoyable than being disciplined by a loving parent, but it needs to be done. And the end result is more than worth it.

Luckily, we have a creator who is able to look at a dusty piece of black coal and see it, love it even for its full potential. He takes the effort to select each piece, transforming it and then taking the time to perfect it, cutting away dark inclusions that absorb light. When His work is finished, we are jewels fit to be included in His finest craftsmanship, but not before we shine against other coals. After all, that's what we Christians still are -- we're just pretty coal. Our origins have not changed, but our future has. And before we take the final step to enter that future, we can reflect His light against the dark shadows of piles of coal so that they may believe in His glory and become transformed under the weight of His love and majesty, ready then to be perfected in His hands.

Real Strength - 2/9/06

Philippians 2:14-17, "Do everything without complaining or arguing. Then... you will be God's children without fault. But you are living with crooked and mean people all around you, among whom you shine like stars in a dark world. You offer the teaching that gives life. So when Christ comes again, I can be happy because my work was not wasted. I ran the race and won. Your faith makes you offer your lives as a sacrifice in serving God."

"I ran the race and won." I wrote about running the race on the 1st, and was unaware of this reference until I passed through Philippians this evening. I received that as confirmation that God directed me here to again emphasize "live your faith," since our lives and decisions reflect what it is we truly believe.

Part of living your faith is doing what is right and what God commands -- even when nobody is looking. That's integrity. Not many people possess that character trait anymore. Now, accountability is the focus because we tend to take the shortcut when nobody's looking. This passage began with verse 12, "...It is even more important that you obey now while I am away from you." If we can't be trusted to be obedient to God when we're alone, how can He trust us to be obedient and use us, living with crooked and mean people all around us as the passage says?

This is part of running the race. This is real strength. The world would have us believe being strong means projecting a distorted image of manhood, but that is not strength. How much intestinal fortitude does it really take to give in to every temptation? Real strength comes from saying, "No," not "yes." It takes real strength to choose God's will over your own.

That's running with endurance. That is offering your life as a sacrifice in serving God. Living that way -- according to the love and forgiveness of His teaching -- is what makes us shine like stars in a dark world. Offering that light to others provides the opportunity to offer also the teaching that gives life. And, living in that light provides the joy that allows us to run with endurance, to keep the faith.

Fe Y Mas - 2/6/06

Titus 2:6-8, "In the same way, encourage young men to be wise. In every way be an example of doing good deeds. When you teach, do it with honesty and seriousness. Speak the truth so that you cannot be criticized. Then those who are against you will be ashamed because there is nothing bad to say about us."

Thumbing through my Bible this morning, I felt led to go to the book of Titus. With each passage I read elsewhere, I could see in my mind the abbreviation, "Ti." So, I finally did and started reading the verse 2:3-5. This was the verse my wife felt she should bring to the attention of the ladies in your couples' group a few weeks ago -- confirmation for me that this is the section I should read. So, I read on to see what was commanded here for the men.

I am a teacher, and here is a commandment to do so with honesty and seriousness. I know this approach commands respect in the classroom -- peppered with humor -- making it an effective classroom management technique. Good advice there. But there's also the advice to be wise, truthful, and an example of good deeds. AGAIN, a call to action, works, doing, acting on faith, emerging as a theme in my morning devotion.

Clearly, stepping out on faith and actually doing what you feel led to achieve will draw attention. Therefore, it's clear here that we should be wise -- make responsible decisions, and truthful.

This is because living your faith will draw the attention of some who stand against it. Living with truth and wisdom will provide them no opportunity to expose hypocrisy and challenge the credibility of Christian living and values. To live in faith means then to defend it with integrity, proving the value of making healthy choices that honor God.

It's A Girl! - 2/5/06

Welcome to the world, Jocelyn Karalee! 2/4/06

"You made my whole being;
You formed me in my mother's body.
I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way.
What you have done is wonderful.
I know this very well.
You saw my bones being formed as I took shape in my mother's body.
When I was put together there, you saw my body as it was formed.
All the days planned for me were written in your book
Before I was one day old.
God, your thoughts are precious to me.
They are so many!
If I could count them, they would be more than all the grains of sand.
When I wake up,
I am still with you."
Psalm 139:13-18

Encourage Courage - 2/3/06

1 Thessalonians 5:11, "So encourage each other and give each other strength, just as you are doing now."

 

Everybody needs encouragement in all things.  Maybe not constantly, but if you never receive it then normal challenges may seem unconquerable, and doubt will eventually replace confidence.

 

I think Christians need extra encouragement from each other.  We live in a culture where it is cool or accepted to be anything, except a Christian.  "Buddhist?  Good for you!  Atheist?  That's your right!  Baha'i?  How unique!  Christian?  CHRISTIAN?  Why?  What has that ever done for you?  Don't you know..."?

 

I've heard it.  I've been on the receiving end of such an attack on Christianity.  That's why it's so important to encourage one another.  According to Charles Swindoll, "encourage" is the "...act of inspiring others with renewed courage, spirit, hope.  When we encourage others we spur them on, we stimulate and affirm them...most of us need massive doses of it."  He's right, and Paul exemplified the process by traveling to distant churches to encourage them, like in Acts 14:22, "making the followers of Jesus stronger and helping them stay in the faith."

 

I think that's the key, helping each other stay in the faith.  We encourage others to help make them stronger, then they are able to stand on their own in the face of adversity.  Instead of those trials challenging their faith, the renewed courage and strength will instead reinforce it.  This should be our immediate goal with each other.

To The Muster Deck! - 2/2/06

I believe God gave me an analogy today for our lives. He's so cool!

My journal is covered with padded red nylon, sewn into squares on the front and back. It resembles a life vest. This is where I usually journal my devotions, and as I picked it up I thought to myself, "God is my life vest." But as soon as I had that thought, another thought came into my mind, "... but we're on the devil's cruise ship."

WHOAH! That is so true. If you've never been on a cruise, then it might be harder to understand that it is the epitome of American gluttony and indulgence. I'm not saying that cruises are all bad -- but they're set up much like living in this world. You can have pretty much whatever you want, whenever you want it, and as much of it as you want. There is always entertainment and food to be found amidst endless distractions as you sail toward the next destination.

But what if you were on such a cruise ship, and you knew the captain was the evil one himself -- steering everybody toward a lethal collision that would sink the ship and everybody on it? Or, maybe it has already hit something, and the crippled vessel is taking on water while everybody continues with their endless distractions. What if you were the only one who knew? Would you walk around with your life vest on, even if other people made fun of you? Would you try to hand them out to other people in an effort to save them knowing there are more than enough to go around? What of your family? Do you drag them from the decadence and plea with them to wear theirs even if it makes you look like a fool?

But then, it's more complicated than that because the captain is literally a diabolical maniac hellbent on killing everyone. Anybody who speaks the truth is targeted -- an attempt is made first to lure them with the pleasures and distractions of the cruise -- to neutralize their effectiveness, then an attempt to remove their life vest. If all else fails, they may be thrown overboard. Separated from everyone else, yet saved by the one thing they clung to from the beginning. Would you let that stop you?

So what are you going to do? Put on your life vest, or seek out something entertaining enough to distract you from having to think about the truth? Because I believe it really is "sink or swim time."

Start Running - 2/1/06

Hebrews 12:1-3, "...So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. Let us look only to Jesus...He held on while wicked people were doing evil things to Him. So do not get tired and stop trying."

I came across this verse this morning in my Bible, and now again in the short reading I just finished from the book of Martyrs, Jesus Freaks by dc Talk. It was used in reference to a Russian Christian, Nikolai Khamara, who had is eyes cut out to persuade his pastor to reveal other church members. Before cutting out Nikolai's tongue, he said, "Praise the Lord Jesus Christ. I have said the highest words that can be said." He then died for his faith at the hands of the KGB. This was the race set before him, and he ran it without giving up. He looked only to Jesus, and held on while wicked people were doing evil things to him.

The last commandment in this passage is, "So do not get tired and stop trying."

I can't help but think of the race my mom ran since today is her birthday. She is now with Him and did not get tired. She lived the verse 2 Timothy 4:7-8, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now, a crown is being held for me -- a crown for being right with God. The Lord, the judge who judges rightly, will give the crown to me on that day."

She now wears her crown in paradise, with our God and countless others. I must look to Jesus daily, and be inspired by the examples of others to finish my race, to run with endurance, to keep the faith and honor Him.