Plans - 2/13/2010

2 Corinthians 2:10, "If you forgive someone, I also forgive him. ... I did this so that Satan would not win anything from us, because we know very well what Satan's plans are."

Do we know very well what Satan's plans are, as Paul writes here? He seems pretty clear here that Satan not only exists, but has plans to win something from us. So, what might Satan want to win from us?

I think the more important question actually is not to ask what Satan wants, but what does God want? I heard a convincing argument once that the very nature of Satan and all evil in general is quite simply the opposite of God's nature. What God has declared to be good, Satan purposefully lies about; arguing that the opposite of what is good should not only be acceptable, but normal. Jesus said, "...when [Satan] lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44).

So, what does God want then? I think getting to know God and His nature - learning to value what He values - will make it clear. Following God is not about following His rules, it is about developing a relationship with Him. Everything else will follow that. This can help us see what Satan wants to win from us.

In this particular scripture, Paul is talking specifically about forgiveness. It seems from this verse that refusing to forgive is specifically how Satan can win something from us. We do in fact know what his plans are! He plans to use unforgiving hearts to turn us against each other - husband against wife, father against son, friend and brother against each other. This will take the focus off of God and put it on each other, and on hate - the opposite of God since He is love. That's what makes it evil. This must be why it is written, "...do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4:26-27).

If we have been so freely forgiven for all the ways we've offended God, how then can we refuse the same forgiveness to others? Remember the parable of the master who refused to forgive his servant after receiving forgiveness himself!

But what about revenge! What about all the crap that goes on unpunished? I remember a pastor asking the question once, "What if your refusal to forgive others replaces the punishment God has in store? What if, according to His law, that person is already being punished by your grudges?" Perhaps that is what is meant by Paul's words, "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is Mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord'" (Romans 12:19).

I often think of the quote I share with my students when we study Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, "Forgiveness is for the forgiver, not the forgiven." When you wake up mad at someone, do they share in those emotions? Of course not! They continue living their lives while you suffer in bitterness, the focus taken off of God, and possibly His vengeance postponed or replaced. They do not share in your suffering. So, you forgive them as the only way to release their control in your life, thereby putting the focus back on God, and leaving Him to deal with them as He sees fit since "it is His to avenge." Justice belongs to Christ Jesus - so we must regularly give it back to Him. This can only be done through the regular forgiveness of those who do anything against us - thereby circumventing Satan's plans to win from us all we have gained through Christ.

Thank you Jesus for offering us a relationship with you that allows us to learn about who you are and what you value. Thank you for being good, for being loving, and for your forgiveness.

_______________________________________________________

Sharing What Is Good - 8/6/09

Proverbs 16:17, "Good people stay away from evil. By watching what they do, they protect their lives" (NASB).

Psalm 73:28, "But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of your works" (NASB).

Psalm 71:18, "I will tell the children about your power; I will tell those who live after me about your might" (NIV)

Today I read Proverbs 16 again, focusing on the verse that stuck out to me yesterday. I've been thinking all day about the concept of "good people," as stated in Proverbs 16 above. I'm reminded of the man who called Jesus "good teacher," to whom he replied that nobody is good. How can I be good, as mentioned in Proverbs 16, if I am not God?

The Lord answered me this evening with the 73rd Psalm. "The nearness of God is my good. I have made the Lord my refuge, that I may tell of your works." This issue may have seemed insignificant to so many people, but it was something I needed to work out for myself. God saw this in my heart and answered my question for me. He is so great! I love how He speaks to me through his word.

Drawing near to God, and making him my refuge, leaves only one more aspect of this Psalm to live out; I must tell of His works. This theme rose briefly in yesterday's devotion in Proverbs 23, to speak what is right. So then, what will I tell of, exactly, and to whom?

Perhaps that's why Psalm 71 also spoke to me during this past day in the Psalms. "I will tell the children about your power; I will tell those who live after me about your might." I feel in my heart when reading this verse that the high school kids Melissa and I host at our house every week are the children I will share God's power with - along with my son and his generation. I will tell them all about Your power.

I pray that my words and a life lived for Jesus will tell those who live after me about his might.

What It Means To Be "Saved" - 4/26/09

Isaiah 55:8-9, "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.'"

Many people don't understand when Christians say they've "been saved" or that they "need a Savior." Saved from what? It's not like we're drowning...

They fail to understand the condition of the human soul. They don't see us as God does, since our thoughts and ways are so different from His. We have difficulty understanding holiness and perfection - two of God's greatest qualities.

It used to be that our imperfection prevented us from having a relationship with God. The sin we carried with us must be atoned for through a lengthy, almost impossible process. That's where the book of Leviticus comes in. We could not even approach the King or the tabernacle if we were unclean, lest we be struck dead. We had to ritually cleanse ourselves of the sin so hideous to one so holy and follow His commands to remain pure or we could not enter into the presence of our God in the temple. The biggest requirement for cleansing our condition was blood sacrifice, since shedding sinless blood removes sin for reasons I cannot as a human understand; but His ways are higher than mine...
Since no human was found to be sinless, we had to use animals, who do not sin.

Flash forward to the book of Revelation, which is an account of all of history from the beginning to the end that is to come. In chapter 5 John wept because, looking at the whole of mankind, not one was found worthy to carry out God's will. They looked at mankind from the beginning of history to the end to find just one worthy to save us all; someone with sinless blood that could be shed to save everyone and allow us to enter into His presence again. Not one was found. There was great weeping and sorrow. Then suddenly, rejoicing - something had changed; there was one who was worthy! Jesus bled, died, and overcame the grave, shedding his sinless blood for us all. As God, He couldn't die, but entering the world through flesh gave Him the body and blood to offer up for us all, while His spirit within was still God. Carrying the strength and power of His divine nature was necessary to withstand the temptations of the sinful flesh he acquired, giving him the strength to remain sinless and pure. The sacrifice of His body and the shedding of that blood is what allowed for the cleansing of all sin.

That's why we say, "washed in the blood of the Lamb." Jesus is called the Lamb of God in reference to all the animal sacrifices made to purify men so they could enter into God's presence while on earth. He is greater than a lamb though, so His is the only sacrifice ever needed. That's why we say, "worthy is the Lamb." More astonishing still, is that he did so WILLINGLY. He had compassion on us all, and allowed His sinless blood to be shed so that we might be cleansed and able to enter into the presence of the Father once again.

So, there came a new way. That's when Christianity arose from Judaism. God is unchanging - His laws and requirements as they're found in the Old Testament didn't go away, but we don't have to follow them anymore. Jesus says in Matthew 5:17 that He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. God did not change His law, but He allowed for us to follow the one who fulfilled it, and by following Him we follow the law.

Where before we could not even stand in God's presence because our hearts are so full of sin, God has now chosen those same hearts as His temple. The tabernacle or the temple in Jerusalem once served as God's house, separating Him from us. So powerful was the blood of Christ that it was able to wash our sins away, allowing for His Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

What blows my mind is that God's sacrifice keeps new sins from "staining" our soul. That's what it means to live under grace, not the law. That's the basis of the song "Amazing Grace." His grace allows for our mistakes, knowing that it is our sinful flesh that causes us to sin now and not our sinful soul, since God "makes all things new." If we accept and acknowledge His sacrifice and invite Him into our hearts, our souls receive the benefit of His sacrifice though we are still trapped in sinful flesh. When we die, we shed our sin permanently and can live in the very presence of God Almighty. No form of sin, whether it be flesh or deeds, will ever again separate that relationship.

That's why we need a savior. We can't see the sin that's destroyed our souls because our ways are not as high as His ways - but we can see the results. We can see that our relationship with God needs to be fixed.

That's why we say, "Jesus saves." That's why in Christianity, blood is so important, and being washed by the blood of the Lamb means we are forever forgiven of all sin.

We were incapable of saving ourselves. It's almost as if the old law - that was designed to cleanse us - was made so impossibly complicated just to show how far we had fallen from holiness. It served to show that we weren't really capable of completing what was necessary to make us clean in God's sight. The list of sins is long - and committing any one sin can make us impure again, requiring ritual cleansing for our soul.

Thank God, Jesus cleansed our souls for us. We have only to accept the gift of salvation from Jesus, which is so strong that eternal separation from God is instantly replaced with eternal communion with our Creator. Praise the Lord!

"Worthy is the Lamb
Seated on the throne
Crown you now with many crowns
you reign victorious!"

Scrooge - 12/21/07

Ecclesiastes 7:4, 10, 12, & 14, "A wise person thinks about death, but a fool thinks only about having a good time. Don't ask, 'Why was life better in the 'good old days'?' It is not wise to ask such questions. Wisdom ... can save whoever has it. When life is good, enjoy it. But when life is hard, remember: God gives good times and hard times, and no one knows what tomorrow will bring."

CHRISTMAS PAST: I confessed to Melissa the other day that I don't like Christmas anymore. It used to be a time of family and friends; the pressure and expense of gift-giving was balanced by the excitement over the one time throughtout the year that everybody gets together. It was celebration. It was family. It perpetuated the warm and fuzzy feelings from my childhood. Those were the "good old days" of Christmas.

CHRISTMAS PRESENT: That all changed with my mom's death. We had no idea at the time, but she was truly the "glue" that held our family together. I still see my family sporadically, but there have been divisions that prevent us from meeting as a group. Plus, my brother and I have since married, so our prioritites have changed. Christmas is no longer what it used to be and consequently, I don't care about it anymore.

CHRISTMAS FUTURE: This is the situation that came to mind as soon as I read chapter 7 of Ecclesiastes. The whole chapter is filled with great wisdom - as is all of King Solomon's writing. This particular book is full of wisdom gained after despairing over the trials and meaninglessness of life - and how that is all made worthwhile by the end in store for us. But, these lines in particular jumped out at me and spoke to my situation. That's one reason the Bible is called "The Living Word." Its verses seem to change themselves to reveal meanings that speak to individuals in their current situation.

The first line here says a wise person thinks about death, a fool about having a good time. At first, I thought, "Well, I lost my mom. Of course I'm thinking about death. Look how wise I am!" But, I was reminded of Christmas. I wanted only to have a good time - for the holidays to fit into my mold; my definition of celebration. That's not what life is about. We are to treasure what we have, not what we've lost, since we all die. I was not wise, I was a fool.

The verses emphasize we are not wise to ponder "the good old days." It continues to explain the importance of wisdom ... it can save whoever has it. Save us from what? I think probably depression. Anger. Sadness. Rash decisions. Regrettable words. Ourselves.

So in wisdom, we should remember what this verse says: "God gives us good times and hard times, and no one knows what tomorrow will bring."

Experiencing loss is an inevitability. It's bound to happen again. But tomorrow can also bring Great Joy, as the true meaning of the season emphasizes. Our Savior chose to come to the Earth and die to bring us eternal life. Not to give us meaningless gifts

So, it would be wise to enjoy what I do have, and not dwell on what I once had. In the end, we'll all be together anyway in celebration of our Savior!

How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
Oh, how marvelous! Oh, how wonderful
Is my Savior's love for me!

Consider The Source - 12/17/07

John 3:31-32, "'…The one who is from the Earth belongs to the Earth and talks about things on the Earth. But the one who talks about Heaven is greater than all. He tells what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts what He says.'"

"Hindsight is 20/20." How true that adage is. When we look back on our life and on history, we can see perfectly what was done and what should have been done differently; we have the benefit of hindsight.

Fortunately, God's foresight is 20/20, while we are blind in that area. He can look ahead with perfect clarity and warn, direct, or encourage us. According to this scripture in John though, people didn't accept what he said. They killed him instead. Of course, after He rose again and proved everything He said, we believed. Hindsight is 20/20.

People who heard Jesus speak often did not consider the source of His knowledge - which more often than not surprised His listeners. As He taught, people would ask, "Who is this man who speaks with so much authority and knowledge?" He told them about Heaven because He is from Heaven. We talk about the Earth and the things in it because we are from there. We dwell on what we know - cars, books, people. When you listen to somebody, it doesn't take long to figure out where a person's experience lies.

So what if a man talks only about Heaven, God, spirituality, fulfilled prophecies, angels, and perfect living? What if our hindsight proves His foresight to be true?

Then we should consider the source. We should seriously consider the likelihood that great truths have been revealed by a man who experienced them firsthand, even had a part in their original design. We should also then make an effort to accommodate those truths in our lives - we should adjust our lifestyle accordingly. If everything that He prophesied would happen did in fact happen, save for a few last major events at the end, then our 20/20 hindsight should be enough to trust His vision of the future rather than our own. Consider the source of the speaker's knowledge - while also considering that the speaker perhaps is the source of all knowledge.

Call Now! - 8/6/06

Jeremiah 33:3 - "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

At the worship service last night, this is one of the main points the speaker made. This verse really spoke to me - often this is how I approach my devotional time. I will begin each quiet time by praying that the Holy Spirit speaks to me and guides my thoughts and hands to reveal whatever the Lord has for me to hear or understand. When I let God direct the conversation, I'm always blown away by what He shows me.

What I find most fascinating, is that these "great and unsearchable things" are often located in a scripture that I am already familiar with or that I would normally read over and find no additional meaning beyond what is plainly before my eyes. But if I pray to God first, I can suddenly see how to apply that scripture to my life or how it could also mean any number of additional things.

The key though is in the first part of this scripture: "Call to me..." We have to make the first step. We have to invite the Lord in to our hearts and minds to guide us and speak to us. If we don't initiate the conversation, then the "things you do not know" will never be revealed. God will still work in your life and guide you, but the advantage of wisdom will not be at your side to help you discern the truth in any given situation. Obviously then, regular exposure to such a pattern of devotion and worship will lead to greater knowledge and application of Godly principles to your life.

I want alll of my friends and family to experience this form of devotion and communication with God; this kind of two-way relationship. Such an intimate and personal communication level with God strengthens your relationship with Him beyond measure, and having Him working so closely in your life regularly means His love, provision, and protection go before you wherever you may be led.

Praise be to our God for being so concerned with relationship that He would literally die to maintain it, and communicating with each of us individually to express His deep love for all of us, regardless of our past or present - just as long as we give the future to Him.

Tropical Fruit - 7/28/06

John 15:4, "Remian in me, and I will 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. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

"Apart from me you can do nothing." How true is this! I am a broken person born of a sinful nature. Everything I attempt on my own or try to accomplish for my own selfish desires ends in failure. Without God, anything I try to pursue fails to deliver any sense of satisfaction - only a hollow longing for something else.

However, when I remain in Him - remain plugged in to the true vine, I barely even have to try and much fruit is produced in my life. Like in a true branch, His power flows into my life - meeting every true need and causing me to produce beautiful fruit to honor Him.

I don't want to make it sound like I have no troubles and live a carefree lifestyle - though in a sense I do. But, sometimes branches have to be cut back to produce good fruit. We rarely recognize this for what it is during the pruning process. That's why we need to just thank Him for trouble or hard times and always trust in Him. Then, when we see the fruit produced in our lives, it becomes clear why we endured what we did and can give Him glory for it. Everything is done for the same ultimate purpose - to give glory to God.

I am plugged in to my God, and for a season at least He has decided that my wife and I are going to produce tropical fruit for Him. He has called us to Belize to work for Him among His people there. Along the way, every need and want has been satisfied or addressed. The planning stage has gone so smoothly that it became clear only God could have orchestrated this process of relocation - right down to finding a home for our cat. We couldn't do it on our own, though we tried, and resolved to take him to a no-kill shelter full of abandoned cats - a safe but sad solution.

On our last day in Pullman, a woman from our church decided to take Sumo in and love him as an "only cat." I thought to myself, "How great you are, God! Why would YOU care about what happens to this crazy animal - enough to act on it and find a home for him before we leave?" As soon as that thought crossed my mind, another followed right behind it that was not my own,

"Because you do."

God loves me, and I'm plugged in to Him. If I'm a part of the vine, then my needs are His needs, my concerns and worries are also His - regardless of how small they may seem.

So trust in God! Get plugged in! Talk to Him every day! That's how He guides you and helps you produce big, ripe, juicy fruit.

Mango, anyone?

Shut The Door - 6/12/06

Matthew 6:6-7, "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. "

I think God is reminding me here that my devotional time is just that - devotional. I must devote my time entirely to Him when I make a point to read His word and seek His guidance.

First of all, I haven't been regularly devoting time to God lately. Not that I'm not in prayer every day, but there is a special connection made when I step aside from my daily routine and responsibilities to check in with Him and just spend quality time together.

Lately too, when I do get to my devotions, I've been almost trying to multi-task. I may read the Bible in the living room while the T.V. is on or carrying on a conversation. I believe this is a reminder from God regarding the first entry I made in this journal based on the scripture Luke 5:16, "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray." I must completely detach myself from everything in the world ... to withdraw to a lonely place and pray. I have found that only when my attention is completely focused on God can I hear Him leading me through scripture or inspiration. If I'm focusing on what I hear from the TV or radio, I'm not focusing on Him and won't hear what He has to say.

We are supposed to model our lives after Christ's. That is a huge task because I am so self-centered naturally. But making sure I also model my prayer life after His, that tendency will naturally be kept in check. ...Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray...

I feel a bit like our cat (who I'm pretty sure has Attention Deficit Disorder) . Sometimes to get his attention, I'll have to snap my fingers or clap at him and shout his name. Then he'll look at me with his head cocked to the side and realize, "OH, you mean I'm not supposed to be on this countertop! My bad..."

I think maybe God may have clapped His hands at me to get my attention to remind me that I must not lose my focus or take my devotional time lightly. This is not an option; what I do in the rest of my day is.

Spiritual Athletes - 3/2/06

1 Timothy 4:6-7, “…You will be made strong by the words of the faith and the good teaching which you have been following. But do not follow foolish stories that disagree with God’s truth, but train yourself to serve God.”

This sounds like God’s exercise program. Like an athlete training for his or her event, we must “train (ourselves) to serve God.” Except we don’t train for a specific sport. We train for living according to God’s plan and His will rather than our own. This will take an incredible amount of endurance since we will be in the game for the rest of our lives. But, the training is ongoing – we train ourselves to serve God by constantly living in His word (the Bible) and practicing the teachings we find there.

Like the Olympics, we are each athletes who bring to God our own special abilities that He strengthens for the big game. Not every athlete is a runner or skier or snowboarder. Likewise, not all of God’s athletes are equipped with the same skills. Some are teachers or prophets or musicians or missionaries, for example. God can use anything you bring to Him, to further the kingdom and spread the word of His Good News.

The verse above also says we’ll be made strong by words of faith and good teaching. We’ll need that strength. Like any good sporting event, there is competition. The enemy is training his own athletes to compete against God’s plan. The verse states there are, “foolish stories that disagree with God’s truth.”

We need train every day to stand strong against misleading, foolish stories and stand firm for the ultimate truth, with the ultimate Coach guiding us. Every day we compete for Him. And, we shouldn’t worry about how much we can accomplish at any given time. Just do it! A coach wouldn’t have an athlete in training attempt an Olympic skiing long jump if he or she almost broke a hip on the bunny slope. Like I wrote about David, we will practice with Him for increasingly more challenging tasks – and greater victories. We just need to step up and accept the challenge. So, hit the gym! Open your Bible and start building some spiritual muscle so you can be a formidable presence in God’s fight.

“we will run and never stop
yeah we all will stand together
taking everything we are
and then praising Him forever."

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.

Mas Regalos - 1/28/06

Ephesians 4:11-12,14 "And Christ gave gifts to people - He made some to be Apostles, some to be prophets, some to go and tell the Good News, and some to have the work of caring for and teaching God's people. Christ gave those gifts to prepare God's holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger ... Then we will not be influenced by every new teaching we hear from people who are trying to fool us."

WOW! Four devotions in a row. Four. God has been telling me the same thing from different parts of the Bible every time I read, and this verse is just a profound emphasis of the one in 1 Corinthians from the other day. Except this one is in Ephesians. And it's worded the exact same and it was already highlighted in my Bible when I went through it. The exact same theme, I'm in awe of how God is speaking to me - so clearly and so available if I just take the time to listen. He's stressing that:

• God gave us gifts
• Those gifts prepare His people for His holy work, to serve
• God gave us gifts to strengthen the body of Christ (the church)
• And now from this passage, He's added that by serving God, strengthening the body, and practicing using the gifts He gave us, we will be strong and remain true to His way and His truth when the world attacks with its lies.