Heart Smart

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.  Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.  Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”  Matthew 6:19-21

One of my challenges as a Christian is taking God’s word too literally.  I am not here saying that what is written is not true nor that it should not be followed.  What I am saying is that we must always be careful not to take the words of God outside of their context and be prudent to discern its intent.  Here is an example.  This past week, my pastor used this verse:

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Jeremiah 17:9 NLT

Now in reading it, one might appear to believe that the heart is a bad thing, and thus, we must be ‘head smart’ whenever we are following God’s word.  Now I am not questioning the pastor’s use of this verse, and there is truth to being ‘head smart.’  However, we note that Samuel said to Saul about David, “for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” (1 Samuel 13:14b)  So this ‘heart’ thing can be very complicated.  Where does God want us?  Are we following His word above our heart?  I think of things my doctor would say about a healthy diet.  He talks about watching my sugar level and lessening my cholesterol intake.  These tips are as one spaghetti sauce label would say ‘heart smart.’  In that same vain, the answer to these questions lie in our intake of the right things toward having greater wisdom of what God wants from us.

A heart that is filled with love for God will make godly decisions.  The verses in Jeremiah do not necessarily say that the heart is bad.  Instead, it should be viewed as a warning.  It is to ensure that we are not blind to times where our heart is driven to do things that are not what God wants.  Think back to when you were a child, and your parents gave you a punishment for wrongdoing.  At the time, you probably felt emotions ranging from anger toward them to disappointment toward yourself.  Now ask yourself, “How did your parents feel?”  Do you think it brought them joy to discipline you?  Of course not!  Fast forwarding to today, we realize that they did these things out of love.  Not that they wanted to see us sad or take things away.  Their hearts were toward helping us grow to see what was right and good.  In that same way, God’s word will challenge us where at times we will be sad and disappointed when we do not follow His word.  That is a true measure of whether our hearts are in the right place.  David struggled in many ways.  But he recognized when he was wrong, and his heart broke for those things that God’s heart broke for.  That’s why David was a man after God’s heart, and likewise, it is what Jesus was getting at in today’s verses.  If we treasure those things that God treasures most, our hearts will follow His will.  It does not mean we will be perfect.  But like David, we will recognize our failures, and turn to God both in repentance and for forgiveness.

A heart for God is a great thing!  It guides us into following those things that God would ask of us, and it keeps us on that narrow and righteous path that Jesus spoke of (see Matthew 7:13-14).  There will be times where our hearts strings will be pulled.  Sometimes it is God, but other times it is our own wants.  Our goal is not to ignore those feelings.  Instead, we must look to God and His word for greater understanding, then apply it toward serving Him with love and compassion for others.  That’s what He wants for us.  Do you pause when your heart strings are being pulled?  How can you ensure that you heart is filled with God’s intent?  My prayer is that we focus on filling our hearts through His word to ensure that we are indeed ‘Heart Smart.’  Amen.

Discipline

Hebrews 12:5-6

And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

When I must discipline my son, he of course gets mad and tries to tell me that I don’t love him.  Of course, as adults, if you have kids or not, we know that this is not true, very much the opposite.  We discipline our children because we love them and want them to correct their wrong doing. 

So why is it when we stray from God and we are disciplined, that we want to say that God isn’t there for us or that he doesn’t love us?  It is actually just the opposite.  God disciplines us because he loves us.

Sometimes I get frustrated with my son.  As I think about this relationship, I have to remember my relationship with God.  I have to stop and think about how I feel or how God must feel when I, as his child, do something equivalent. 

Today I challenge you to stop and think about your relationship with God.  How can you be a more obedient child to him?  Do you need to change how you react to the discipline he shows?  Put yourself in the position of the parent and look at it from that side also.

Thanksgiving to God

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness,

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.”

      Psalm 100

Yesterday, we observed a national day of Thanksgiving in the U.S.  This day was set aside by our country’s forefathers to acknowledge the providential hand of almighty God and His many blessings.  Unfortunately, at least where I was yesterday, there was not much talk of God.  Yes, people gave thanks to others for preparing such a good meal and they rejoiced at having a long weekend, but it could not be said to be a day of thanksgiving to God.  And I’m ashamed that I didn’t speak up more boldly to thank God and to express my gratitude for all He has done in my life.

Un-thankfulness is a mark of the ungodly. The apostle Paul says that although such men “know God, they did not glorify Him as god, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21).  By contrast, as new creations in Christ, we have hearts that are made for giving thanks to our gracious Savior and Lord for who He is and all He has done for us.

So to praise Him today, I’ve chosen Psalm 100.  I wish we could sing it together, making a joyful shout to our great God, who created us and made us His children!  Let us enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise! 

Grace Like Loretta

If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.  2 Corinthians 12:6-9 NLT

Each Thanksgiving, I write about what I am truly thankful for.  This year is an obvious choice although it is not what she would expect.  I am so thankful for my wonderful wife, Loretta.  She is amazing in so many ways.  Things like … she is annoying.  She can be both picky and difficult, and pushes me to do things when I really do not want to do them.  She is so sweet and salty, my nickname for her is ‘Adorable Evilness.’  I often do not like her, and must work harder just to keep her happy.  Here’s the thing.  I have told her all of this!  Now having said all that, here is where you will understand why I am so thankful of all of that.  Plain and simple, she is tolerant of me, and to honest, I don’t think there is a more difficult role one could have than dealing with me.  She has seen my flaws and the times where I fell short of being a good husband to her.  Way short!  She has seen the pain when I fail even when it did not affect her, and she stood by me when the world thought very little of me.  In short, she is every bit the woman that Paul had in mind when he said, “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to Himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” (Ephesians 5:25-27 NLT)  This alone could have been the title verses for my Devotional, but instead, I wanted to highlight one of her many attributes where she is a shining example to me of who God is in my life.  That attribute is ‘grace.’

God’s grace is what we should be thankful for each and every day.  Our love for God is what fuels our devotion to Him, and our obedience is a shining example of our following Him.  However, it is grace that makes those things limitless.  Imagine being locked up in a box that you are trapped in.  You can feel the boundaries of it each time you reach out, and when you run, you feel restricted by its form and rigid laws.  To try to break through it requires immense effort, but no matter how much strength, effort, logic, guile, or cunningness you possess, you cannot break through it.  Picture those walls being labeled.  Here are some of those labels: hate, inferiority, distrust, deception, gluttony, greed.  Each wall has different names, but they fall under one huge box called sin.  Furthermore, it’s wrapped with a bow called ‘temptation.’  If your troubles haunt you, the tape wrapping is called ‘shame’ or ‘guilt.’  Any one of them is wall enough to keep you boxed in.  Then, imagine this explosion punching a hole in the walls that had you boxed in, and you walk out into a sunshine filled field with every beautiful thing you can imagine.  The field seemingly lasts forever.  To you, this is Heaven.  That’s the power of God’s grace in a nutshell.  You can’t get there without it.  You may believe you can without Him, but eventually, you will hit one of those walls.  God wants us all to have this amazing gift of grace.  This is not to say you can’t build a wall between you and God (i.e. continually sinning without spiritual growth).  However, what God really wants is your heart.  Not your perfection.  He wants your walk.  Not your stagnation.  He wants your obedience.  Not your carelessness.  And He wants an active growing relationship.  Not a ritual checklist follower.

Grace is the overwhelming gift that frees us from our bondage.  I love hearing the song ‘Grace Like Rain,’ because it is so visual in its description.  It’s this torrential downpour where you can’t hide, and every part of your body feels it.  It overwhelms, and cleanses you all over!  I am so thankful for this grace God has given each and every one of us, and I am so thankful He gave me a wonderful woman who could truly show me what it is like to know what grace is.  So, I humbly thank my wife for teaching me how wonderful it is to both be her husband and know who is the ‘better half.’  Who has been your example of God’s grace?  How can you be a man or woman of grace?  My prayer is that we are thankful to God’s grace as I am thankful for His grace like Loretta. Amen, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Tues Devo: As it plays out

Hello,

How often we look at what is going on and rush to judge the events. Problem is, we judge the now and not what may be later. When we get a little bit of discipline for patience and trust – how different our perspective is. No one perhaps in scripture embodies this more than Joseph. He goes through not just bad circumstances, but bad circumstances as a result of direct evil intentions. From his family, from close friends, from those he had helped. But Joseph doesn’t show signs of getting caught in the emotion of the negative moments. He walks in trust of God. He speaks to this at the end of his life when his brothers (who started all this mess!) find out who he is.

Genesis 50:18-21 “Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” (NASB)

Joseph knew God was in charge, and while he didn’t know what was going to happen – he stayed the course to see the result of God working though and in the tough stuff.

Maybe today you are seeing things happen around or to you that are out of your control, and you do not understand. Will you choose to let things play out through trust in God? Will you wait to give judgement until things play out? Will your stated trust in God and His control be lived out in your attitude and responses?

I pray this challenges us all today,

Will Hill

Through the Fires

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed.

Because His compassions fail not. They are new

every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.

The Lord is my portion, says my soul,

therefore I hope in Him! 

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

to the soul who seeks Him. It is good

that one should hope and wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord.”

    Lamentations 3:23-26 (NKJV)

Last week, there was a mass shooting in Thousand Oaks, California and the next day, terrible wildfires swept through that town and neighboring cities, as well as in Northern California.  The last place I lived in California was Thousand Oaks and it was heartbreaking to see the devastation wrought. I heard of harrowing escapes through flames and frightening traffic jams as neighborhoods and cities raced to evacuate from the fires. A friend told me of the wall of fire that was across from my apartment and although the buildings were not destroyed, the park there was completely blackened.

I’ve given thanks to God many times for making a way for me to move back to Minnesota last November, but never more than during those fires.  I’m so grateful that I was not there and yet God’s faithfulness was shown in the midst of that awful experience. God graciously spared so many lives; He strengthened and helped firefighters; He provided a way for many to escape.  A church I attended was still under evacuation last Sunday, but the pastor held a service at his home that day. I listened to part of his message online and he said what a blessing to be able to gather with God’s people at a time like that and they gave thanks and praise that God was with them.

Yes, some lost their lives and many homes were destroyed, and that is undoubtedly hard. But those who trust in Christ have hope despite the circumstances. We know that the earth is passing away but there is eternal life to come.  We have peace from the assurance that God is sovereign and He is good.  This is the perfect time to share that good news with others.  The world doesn’t have answers; only Christ can save.  Amen!

Thursday Devotional - Daunting Delay

By the 6^th day marching around Jericho, I think I would have had my doubts about victory. My daunting and uncertain future might have overwhelmed me in fear, unless I truly kept my trust in God. Plus, couldn’t the delay give the people of Jericho more time to plan for our attack??? God was in charge, though, and what He had planned would work perfectly. The Israelites were called to follow His lead, His timing and His instructions carefully.

Joshua 6:15-21, 24-25        On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. ¹⁶ The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! ¹⁷ The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. ¹⁸ But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it.¹⁹ All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

²⁰ When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. ²¹ They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys…

²⁴ Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. ²⁵ But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

What a miraculous first victory in the promised land! God delivered totally! The Israelites were to act, but only after God moved first. They were also to act according to His specific instructions in His time.

There are times I get frustrated with God’s timing and His seeming delay (like the 3 times in an eight-month period the parental rights termination hearing was postponed for the birth parents of James and Sarah). God’s in control. He has a plan. He is always right on time. Waiting can be daunting, but it’s a time for God to grow our trust in Him.

Where are you and I still waiting for direction, a victory, or an answer to prayer? Let’s prayerfully, patiently, and expectantly trust His plan!

Alice

Love & Fellowship

“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.”

1 John 3:18-20

Recently, I felt like something was missing in my life, and found that I had not been connecting with my spiritual friends.  So, I was able to unbury myself from my day to day work rituals, and make time to reconnect with one of them.  We had lunch, and it was such a wonderful reminder of how God works in all of us.  You see, I believe we are at our best when we are connected with others.  Additionally, the bond between our friends are made stronger with God as the intermediary for Jesus said, ““For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”” Matthew 18:20 NLT. A part of me wonders why this is so true?  The answer lies in today’s verses; love.

It is that genuine love that we have for God that makes our spiritual connections with others authentic.  We think of love as this intangible thing that we cannot ever fully understand.  However, if we truly are a child of God we have a full understanding of what love is.  It is that which God gives freely and unconditionally.  We feel it when we walk down the street.  We feel His assurance in each step we take and protection when danger may embark upon us.  It at times overwhelms us, and other times emboldens us.  It is His love that goes well beyond words.  In fact, the mere mention of it from someone who truly represents it is the most encouraging word.  This is where 1 John is trying to emphasize its authenticity.  Therefore, it is crucial that we connect with others who share that same kind of understanding.  I am not saying it is just the love between husband and wife nor that between parent and child.  Those are bonds are indeed special on their own.  However, when two or more bond in fellowship with Christ there is an energy that cannot be either explained or described.  It can only be experienced, and once experienced, it simply becomes not only part our common language but also and more importantly the driver of our actions. One feels it in prayer or is motivated to make a difference in the lives of others.  This is something we must seek continually because without it, we are lost in the wilderness.

We are made to fellowship with others through Christ.  Many will argue they can have it without anyone else, and others may claim that people are flawed and thus corrupt the goodness of that relationship.  However, as today’s verses point out actions always speak louder than words.  Those who we have found true fellowship through Jesus Christ will always connect us closer to God.  Let us be tireless in our pursuit of both God and those who similarly seek Him.  What are your key indicators of your connection with God?  How can you build authentic relationships through Christ?  My prayer is that we focus on building relationships that lead toward greater love and fellowship in Christ.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Faith step

Hebrews 11:17-19 “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your descendants shall be called.’ He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. ” (NASB)

Hello,

I have been thinking about acting in faith quite a bit lately. What is our response if (when) God puts something in front of us where we feel uncomfortable, or don’t for sure see the end result? We have 2 things we have to deal with:

1. The action – making the choice to do it
2. The attitude – how we go about the choice/choice process

I think that the writer of Hebrews in talking about Abraham gives us some insight into the mental model of faith Abraham used. The good thing, it is very simple….Abraham simply compared his scenario against the strength and ability of His God. Here with his son Isaac, he figured that ‘hey – God can always just raise him to life again, so I’ll just be obedient’.

What a challenge for us! Tough to be disciplined to do, but simple to execute. We need to stop comparing our choices against our control, but rather the unlimited power of God. As we stay in His word and in touch with prayer – we can boldly take those steps of faith, trusting Him – not ourselves.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Faith and Works

James 2:14-17

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

We have been studying James lately and I really like this section in James that makes really makes it very clear for us to see that we are not going to make it to Heaven by faith or works alone.  The two must go hand in hand.  You can do all kinds of good deeds however if you do not believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, you are not going to Heaven.  James tells us that at the same time, if you say you believe yet you do not live it, your faith is dead.

So I challenge you today brothers and sisters to evaluate your heart and life.  Do you proclaim your faith and then live it out as well?  I want to encourage you today to proclaim your faith then live it out with your actions.