Category: Devotion

Devotion

But Grace

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One of the books I’m reading right now is “Rediscovering Jonah” by Timothy Keller. I started this book some time ago and set it down. It wasn’t sinking in to my brain for some reason. I picked it back up and came upon this thought.

In chapter 7, he is at the part of Jonah’s tale where he is in the belly of the fish. He cries out to God in despair knowing only God could save him now. There was no human way to escape the fish. He is in the deepest valley and this is where God meets him.

Keller states we find grace in the valleys and depths. “No human heart will learn its sinfulness and impotence by being told it is sinful. It will have to be shown – often in brutal experience.” Such truth. We will spend much time in our lives denying our sinfulness. Rejecting the need for God and thinking we are “good enough” on our own. Or maybe willingly being sinful but flippant about living that life.

But then some event happens that pulls the covers off your eyes and you come to see the sinfulness. You realize there is no way out of this without some help – and not human help, but more. It’s then that your heart calls out to God to confess and ask Him to restore your broken relationship.

Just like Jonah crying out to God in what he thought was the lowest moment of his life, you cry out. God extends his Grace to you and delivers you from that circumstance. Like Jonah shout “Salvation comes only from the LORD” (verse 9).

I love what Keller says at the end of that section.

If someone is saved, it is wholly God’s doing. It is not a matter of God saving you partly and you saving yourself partly. No. God saves us. We do not and cannot save ourselves. That’s the gospel.

Chapter 7, Rediscovering Jonah

I know that grace. I seek to walk in His ways and yet still stumble. But Grace… it is there sanctifying me more and more. Just as Jonah’s life didn’t suddenly become perfect, nor does mine. But I can call on him in my valleys and he will be with me providing grace, guidance, and comfort as I walk to the mountaintop again.

Bible Verse · Devotion

Holding your Stone

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Now that’s a weird title, isn’t it?

Let me explain (obviously you knew I would)…

I’m reading a book right now that has some good stuff in it and the author talked about a Bible verse in John that I’ll drop next.

Here’s the thing – I LOVED his point, but when I went to the Bible, it doesn’t say what he said it says (is that even a proper English sentence?). I was a bit disappointed, but it also got me thinking. Bible verse and then I’ll explain.

 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

John 8:3-11

So the Pharisees bring a woman who had sinned to Jesus and asked if they can stone her as they have the right according to the law. Jesus being, you know the Son of God, gives that “mic drop” answer. “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” All the people that were ready to throw stones slowly walk away.

The author states this “all the Pharisees drop their stones” and I was struck by his statement. He is talking about anger and our right to hold on to it (he is making the point in the whole book that we don’t have the right to hold on). In this parable (story? I don’t like using “story” with the Bible… me issue), they feel they are carrying out God’s justice. They had anger for the right reason – she sinned, the law says to stone her, end of story.

But here’s the thing. The verses don’t say they dropped their stones. They did walk away. But we don’t know if they dropped them.

However, I’m still struck by this thought. If they walked away holding on to their stones (which, let’s get real, is more likely seeing as they hated Jesus and were trying to trick him), then they still had the anger. BUT if they dropped them, think of how much lighter their load was.

And that is what I was caught thinking about all day. What stone am I holding on to? How many stones am I holding on to? What a relief it would be to let go and let God. I want to hold on to my anger, my “Holy righteousness”, my vengeance. But when I let go of it, when I drop it to the ground and hear that thud… because you know it’s not a little stone, it’s a big heavy one filled with so much emotion… I can walk easier. I have more room for God to come in and help me move forward. I can put my trust in him that he will take care of it for I can not trust my own judgment.

So let go of your stone. Drop it to the ground. Place it at the throne. Ask God to help you loosen the grip you have of it. Do whatever it takes, and then ask God to give you wisdom and to direct your path. Trust he will fight your battles.

Bible Verse · Devotion

Trials

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Many times throughout the Bible God lets the believer know they will face trials. It’s hard to think that when we choose to follow Christ that our life will not just flow easily forward.

James 1:2-3 says this:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

We can say that trials are certain but we must know they present us with an opportunity to test our faith. As our faith is tested we then can become more steadfastness – or firm and unwavering. James goes on to say in verse four that as we become more unwavering we can be “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

1 Peter 1:6 tells us to REJOICE in our various trials. It will only be for a “little while” but these trials are purposeful proving our faith and making all our impurities melt away. Peter refers to this process as being more precious than gold which only becomes the purist when put through the fire. Now that little while might be a few hours, a few days, or all our days, but even if it is a trial that will stay with us all our days, we can rest assured that God is using it to refine us.

As I reflect on the trials I’ve had in my life, it has been hard at times to keep my focus on Christ. I want to wallow in sorrow and ask him to remove the trouble from my life. I want to forget it happened, to stop crying about what is lost, or to just have same easy times come my way.

But… but… I know in my heart of hearts that those trials I’ve been through and those that will be with my all my days, they draw me to him. The last year has been the hardest trial I have yet to face, and hear I am. In his word as often as I can get. Calling on him as I cry once more. Turning to him quicker than I did before when I am slipping off the narrow path.

I am being refined. I am more quickly rejoicing as I face a trial. I am not perfect and complete yet, but compared to yesterday, last year, years ago, I am coming closer. So I lean into God’s word and I ponder this:

… let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2

I pray I run this race with endurance, continue to look to Jesus, and know with great confidence that I can rejoice in my trials as it brings me closer to him.

Bible Verse · Devotion

Count it Joy

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Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…

James 1:2

James is one of the most quoted books of the Bible and considered to be the proverbs of the New Testament. It is filled with wisdom for the believer and that second verse just jumps you right into the deep end.

Count it joy when I am in a trial? That seems so counterintuitive. When I’m in the midst of a trial my feelings are anything but joy. I want to be free of the trial not weighted down by the sadness, anger, hurt, or whatever of that trial. But yet… when I pause and find the joy, then I see the rest of what James says.

In that trial, as I choose joy, I know it is an opportunity for me strength my faith – to become steadfast and move closer to becoming perfect, complete, and lacking nothing. {verse 3-4). Much like the muscles in my body that grow stronger and more able to do things as I work them out, so will my faith as I walk through a trial.

I learn in that trial to seek God. I call on his name more and more. I ask for wisdom knowing he will give it to me generously (vs. 5). I can rest knowing that he is going to be with me in the trial and in it what he wants for me is to shine his light, point people to Christ, and have confidence that he is going to work out whatever it is for his glory.

Trials come with our walk with Christ. It is not avoidable. As we consider it joy, we can feel the peace of knowing that our walk with Him is getting stronger. We become unwavering knowing that He is with us in the low times – if not even more so – holding us up and giving us the wisdom we ask for as we are tested. Some trials will be short, but others may stay with us for a lifetime. Either way have find comfort knowing that it is making your faith stronger and you to become more like the one who created you.

Bible Verse · Devotion

Commit vs. Surrender

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My husband shared something our second son said at the end of a Bible study him and both of our sons have been doing. As normal, I’ve been thinking on a it a few days and wanted to share.

In the past, when you made the decision to follow Christ, you said “I surrender my life to God”. These days it’s more often said “I commit my life to God”. But we can commit to many things…. but we can only surrender to one thing. We need to get back to saying I surrender.

So what really is the difference between the two words? Let’s look at some definitions of them.

Surrender:

  • to yield something to the possession of power to another
  • to give oneself up in to the power of another
  • to give up, abandon, or relinquish
  • to yield in favor of another

Commitment

  • to pledge
  • to bind or obligate
  • to entrust for safekeeping
  • to do, perform
  • to engage oneself

Seems like a subtle difference however, to surrender you have to yield or give up all of yourself. That would seem to mean only one thing we can surrender too. All of oneself can only cover one thing. When we commit, we are actively doing something – pledging, entrusting, engaging. We can commit to doing so many things, especially in this “do it all” society. So in one, I am letting, in this case God, take over my life. Whereas, to commit I keep some of the authority since I get to choose if I want to do.

It seems that we can not commit without surrendering. It would lead to inconsistency in our walk with Christ. We could waver on the path he is choosing for us because we still think we have some authority. However when we surrender along with committing we can stay under his gentle guidance and be aligned with what he wants for us. Without surrendering we might be great Christians on Sunday morning, or with Christian friends, but in other situations we waver from that walk and say or do things we would never do.

But to surrender is where consistent Christ-like living occurs.

We need to surrender first. Yield oneself to the power and grace of the Lord. Surrender all we are and hope to become. Surrender our pain and our joys. Surrender our wills to the one who knows us better than we know ourselves.

Then we need to commitment second. Surrendering allows the Holy Spirit to work his power through you and away from working out things on our own. Surrender is a yielding to the Lord’s authority and then giving him our pledge to live as he would have us to live. Without surrender, commitment is empty and becomes a choice.

Each day, some times multiple times a day, we have to surrender again to God. It’s easy to slip away. As we study His word and spend quiet time with Him, each day it gets easier. Commitment then becomes easier. We begin to see that all things work for His glory and we can have hope in the despair because we have surrendered to him and he will be with us in the highs and the lows.

In the end, if we just commit to God and do not surrender I think of Paul as he talks about not running aimlessly or boxing with the air. That’s all we are doing. How can we follow Him and lead others to Christ without surrendering? Surrendering gives us self control so we do not get disqualified, but instead live a life fully for Christ.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Bible Verse · Devotion

The New Covenant

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For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD; I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Jeremiah 31:-31-35

This passage was part of the daily reading today. So much packed into these four verses. The “back story” here is Jeremiah is a prophet in Judah telling them that they have sinned by disobeying God and ignoring His word thus God’s wrath is about to fall onto them as Babylonia’s are about to conquer and enslave them. However, inside all of this destruction and seemingly end of the people, God gives them hope in these verses. He promises them a new covenant which comes with Jesus Christ.

I love how God says “I will write it on their hearts”. So intimate and personal. Each of us that accepts the gift of salvation will have His law written on their heart by HIM. It is hard to stray from it when you carry it within you. It is not as in the Old Testament where only the high priests could be that close to God and read his word. We have access to it within us. Unlike the old covenant written on stone tablets that can be broken and scrolls that can be lost, the new covenant will be written within the people, on their very hearts.

The hope of the end of the verses is two fold. First “for they shall all know me”… everyone. No need for religious education, because everyone will know God, from the king to the stable boy, from the oldest elder to the youngest child. Everyone knows him, they just have to choose to accept his free gift of salvation and he will come alive within our hearts.

Second “For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” which is the greatest promise of this text. He will forgive our sins… everyone of them and we will sin no more. This can be hard for us to comprehend. So many of us want to work to be forgiven of our sins, or think our sins are two great to be forgiven but here we see (and is only one of many verses that says this) God just forgives. Period. He wipes the slate clean for ANYONE, for ANY SIN. And, we will sin no more. This part is a process as we become closer with the one who created us and forgives us, we become more like him and we will sin less and less.

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of this new covenant. You need only say a simple prayer to follow him and be forgiven of your sins. You will get a fresh slate. A new start. A life filled with hope knowing you will live with him in eternity.

Bible Verse · Devotion

The Cross

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For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18

On Good Friday one of the pastors of the church we attend, spoke on this verse. He shared some powerful thoughts that I continue to dwell on throughout the weekend and today.

The cross… a symbol for the Christian that reminds us of the life that Christ gave up to save us from death. It reminds us of the eternal life we have in Christ. The concurring of death forever for those who are saved.

The cross…. something that was created for brutal execution and torture is now seen as a symbol of life for His believers.

The cross… seen as shameful, disgraceful, for the lowest of low now a sign of hope for eternity, a place where our King gave up his life for us.

The cross… used on the sixth day of the week to complete the work of saving the world, a reflection of God completing the world on the sixth day.

The cross… showing that the ways of worldly power is nothing in comparison to God’s power.

What was created to defeat God (Jesus being hung on the cross) is now the symbol of victory. We rejoice in seeing the cross for we, as those whom are saved, have the power of God, have eternal life, and hope as we serve Him in our everyday lives.

Bible Verse · Devotion

A Prayer

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I think as I read and study the Bible many of my thoughts on what I’ve read could be titled “A Prayer”. There are so many great prayers that we get to read of ancient people that God has used in mighty ways. They differ in their approach of the throne, and today I’ll take a look at the book of Nehemiah who’s book quickly moves to a mighty prayer that we all could easily put up on a wall and say every morning.

A quick background. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes (at this point I’m glad I’m writing and not speaking because I certainly wouldn’t do that name any justice in correctly saying it!). A cupbearer was the person that would taste all of the King’s food first so that if it was poisoned, the cupbearer would get sick or die and not the king. This role was someone who the king had to trust and had a close relationship with since he had to trust that he had tried the food. Nehemiah was of God’s chosen people and, as the book unfolds, was the one that went back to Jerusalem after the remnant returned from exile to help rebuild the city wall.

Nehemiah is visited by a fellow Jew who had probably traveled four months to deliver his message… a message that would devastate Nehemiah. He (Hanani) tells him in verse 3 of the first chapter that the remnant (or those who returned from exile) are in “great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” In other words, he gives him a complete and honest assessment that nothing is going right. It doesn’t say in the chapter, but clearly Hanani is looking for Nehemiah’s help – probably (Kristal’s thoughts next) because of his position with the King he is hoping he can sway his employer to help the people of Jerusalem.

And what does Nehemiah do? He prays. Not just really quickly. Not just one time. It says in verse four for “days” but a pastor said it was probably for 3-5 months based on the month given in chapter one and then month given in chapter two. Months… he prayed for months. He fasted and prayed. He didn’t take an action, he didn’t try to solve the problem himself first, but instead he prayed first. He wanted to be sure whatever he did it was what God wanted him to do.

That right there…. wow. Such a lesson I need. So often I don’t pray first nor do I pray daily about the same issue again and again.

The prayer spans from verse 5-11. Seven verses. Only one of them actually asks anything of God. The other six remind Nehemiah of who God is (great, awesome, keeps his covenant), confesses his sins and those of the people (such an honest confess it is – “we have acted corruptly against you”), and brings out the history of God (mentions Moses and the reminder that God will bring back his people if they turn to him). Finally, Nehemiah ends with asking the Lord to be attentive to him and to give him success and mercy.

As I continue to grow in my walk with Christ, I know this daily prayer in all times of my life is what I need. To follow Nehemiah’s lead to go to him first. To remind myself in that prayer of who God is, confess my sins, remember the history of how he has always been there for his people… and then to place my needs before him. My reflection is that if I begin my prayers with these first three things, the practical part of my prayer will be formed knowing that God is going to be right there with me. He is attentive. He does want me to have success and mercy. I need to have this daily (often multiple times a day) relationship with him.

Book Review · Devotion

Acceptance

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A book I read recently titled Suffering is Never for Nothing by Elisabeth Elliot had so many gems in it that I had to take notes. It was released after her death and is actually from a retreat where she spoke about suffering. I can say that I have not been through suffering like her, but we each do suffer as we follow Christ and the book encouraged me as I walk on this narrow path.

One thing that hit me was when she was talking about accepting what God has given us (i.e., the sufferings). She quoted Psalm 116:12-13 which says:

12 What shall I render to the Lord

    for all his benefits to me?

13 I will lift up the cup of salvation

    and call on the name of the Lord,

Verse 12 asks what should we render (or give) to God for all he has done for me. That is a weighty question. If you sit here and begin to list all the things he has given you it will be a long list. Things like family, a roof over our head, food, clothes, love, forgiveness of our sins, eternal life…. and on and on make this list. And in return what can I give him for all of this?

The next verse answers the question – we are to lift up the cup of salvation and call on his name. Now, as Elisabeth reminds us, the psalmist would not have known of Christ’s salvation, but we know. And as we take up that cup it comes with sorrows, grief, suffering AND joy. That’s what God asks of us in return for all the many blessings he gives us, for all the guidance, for walking in the storms of life with us. Just take up the cup.

Taking up that cup comes with a level of trust that is hard to understand. We are confident that he will always be with us when we call on his name. Elisabeth puts it perfectly when she says:

I need pain sometimes because God has something bigger in mind. It is never for nothing. And so I say Lord, in Jesus’ name, by Your grace I accept it.

Suffering is Never for Nothing, Elisabeth Elliot
Bible Verse · Devotion

Spread the Gospel

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I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

1 Corinthians 3:6-7, ESV

As a Christian it can be overwhelming knowing the ONE thing we are to do is spread the gospel. To tell everyone we meet the message of the cross. To lead them to the saving knowledge of the one true God. That’s no small feet.

But as Paul tells the church of Corinth in the above passage (the I refers to Paul), we only play a part in spreading the gospel. We might be a seed planter, like Paul, who is the first to share the message of eternal life with Christ – this free gift available to all. Or we might be like Apollos (a teacher who’s story is told more in 2 Corinthians), someone watering the seed, who continues to share the message and maybe fills in the blanks, give more information, or just encourages someone further along into excepting Christ.

Here is the thing, those rolls are important, BUT you see that next part in that list? It tells us that only God can cause that seed to grow. This doesn’t diminish our roll but reminds us that the power comes through Christ in us as we share the message. We have to do our part in the garden of saving souls, but ultimately, God takes what we planted and/or watered and grows it into a person who accepts the message of salvation and choose to follow him and receive the free gift of salvation.

As you plant or water seeds in your life and feel like it is falling on deaf ears, just that God is right there with and will grow those seeds. We might never get to see the growth, but God is faithful in doing his part.