Relationship Over Ritual

Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting— they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings.  Isaiah 1:13

My daughter came to me the other day, and said, “Dad, you know I love you.”  You would think that after 13 years, she would know that I’m keenly aware something else comes after that.  However, with each passing year she gets a little more adept at saying it.  It’s gotten to the point that to the outsider, they would say, “Awe!  That is so adorable!  You have an amazing daughter!”  To be honest, she is just that; an amazing and growing young lady.  I’m still trying to figure out how I ended up with all the strong-willed black women in my life (mom, wife, both daughters).  But of course, as the verse that prefaces this devotion would suggest it is not the point of this story.  She really loves me, and I know this.  However, the pressing need for this one is to try to get her friend to spend the night.  “I don’t know, Mya,” I reply.  Immediately, she subtly says, “Ok,” as she senses weakness for a flat out ‘No’ means she has to plea much harder.  This time, I let her have her way because despite the fighting and various tete-a-tete’s we have had, she has learned to reign in her emotions a bit more.  It’s the obedience to authority as much as her love that I want her to have, and while ever slowly, she is surely starting to get the hang of it.

God places a high value on obedience to Him.  In the book of Isaiah, there was lots of prophesying of Christ to come and save us.  However outside of that, it was a pretty bleak and dark time as God was using Isaiah to speak of His utter disappointment with the people of Israel.  He was so disappointed that He compared them to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah (see Isaiah 1:10).  In case you are not as familiar with those places, they were the places God burned to ashes because of their disobedience.  Not the two places you want to be parallel to, right?  In the verse today, God was seemingly throwing His hands in the air saying the Israelites’ offerings were not good enough.  But again, the replay referee comes, and says, “After further review,” it’s not the gifts, celebrations, or days of fasting that bothered Him.  It is the actions done without true love and devotion toward Him!  It is exactly like my daughter saying, ‘I love you’ only when she wants something.  God shouldn’t be ‘God’ when we are desperate for His help or desire something.  It is not that we should not pray for those things.  What the verse today says is that we are to love and be obedient to Him regardless of His provisions.  It is then that He is responsive.  He is then not only gracious but also abundant in His blessings.

Loving God and His authority must come first and foremost for that is key to the kingdom.  With love of Him comes following His word, allowing Him to use us for His purpose, and a higher love for others than we could find on our own.  These are easy things to know, but without guidance and consistent practices to stay faithfully obedient, we could easily end up as the Israelites when Isaiah spoke to them.  Let us make a commitment to focus on having an authentic, loving, and selfless relationship with the one true living God.  Where are you falling lax in your spiritual growth?  What disciplines can you put in place to avoid going through the motions in your walk of faith?  My prayer is that we focus on the relationship over rituals.  Amen.

Parents know all

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

As kids, we would do something wrong then try to hide it from our parents.  It never worked though. They always seemed to find out.  Of course, how much trouble I would get in would depend upon what I had done.  Now, as a parent, I find myself often telling my son that if something happens, he will get in less trouble if he tells me right away, rather than me having to find out on my own. 

While God is all knowing and we can’t hide anything from him, I believe he feels the same as any parent in the sense that he wants us to come to him and tell him what we have done wrong.  When we confess our sins to him, he will forgive us.

Today I encourage you to be open with God and confess your sins.

Spring Clothes

“Do not lie to one another, since you

have put off the old man with his deeds,

and have put on the new man who is

renewed in knowledge according to the image

of Him who created him. . .Therefore, as

the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on

tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness,

longsuffering; . . .But above all these things,

put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”

     Colossians 3:9-14 (NKJV)

Spring is finally here and I’m looking forward to putting away my thick sweaters, heavy coat and other winter gear, and putting on my spring clothing.  In the above passage, Paul talks about putting off the old man and putting on the new man, as if they are garments.  And he makes it seem easy, like we just go to the closet and get rid of our old clothes, take our new outfit and don it. 

I don’t know about you, but I often struggle with living according to my new nature and not letting my old flesh have its way.  Thankfully, Paul admits he struggles with this too:  “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” (Romans 7:18-19, NKJV)  This gives me encouragement.

True believers have the Holy Spirit living within us and that gives us power in this putting off and putting on.  And when we stumble and make a mistake, go to the Lord and tell Him about it.  But don’t stay in defeat—that’s a tactic the enemy likes to use to keep us down and ineffective.  Trust that Christ, who is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV), has begun a good work in us and He will complete it (Phil. 1:6). 

Our sanctification in His hands.  So let’s rejoice in our gracious Lord as we put on our new clothes daily—tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, love.  Spring is a season of hope and our spiritual garments should reflect the blessed hope we have in Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).

Thursday Devotional - Easy Victories?

After the sun stood still, I think God used that to also give Joshua added confidence for all the next battles he would face. If God could stop the sun to help Joshua defeat enemies, then nothing was too difficult and no army too strong. 

Joshua 10:40-43 ⁴⁰ So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. ⁴¹ Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon. ⁴² All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

⁴³ Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

God was the one who gave the victory to Joshua. Joshua did have to work and work hard, but God gave him the strength and help needed. God could have defeated all the Canaanites on His own, but He had Joshua and the Israelites participate for their own benefit and blessing.     

I’ve learned over the years to change the way I pray about some things. Instead of always asking God to fix this or do that, I often stop and ask for wisdom and direction to know how to be part of the solution. God wants to include us in His work. We grow and mature as we experience God’s help through challenges. As Joshua learned, we can learn to trust God, go to Him for help, rely on His strength, persevere to accomplish His purposes, and then experience the joy of God’s victories!!!

Where are you and I asking God for the easy way out? Let’s be like Joshua, willing to persevere and work hard, relying on God’s strength. God then let’s us share in His victories!!!

Alice

You're Special

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.  He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.  James 1:17-18

Do you ever question what God sees in you?  I do.  There are days where I feel lost and tired, and my connection with Him seems way off. My confidence is shaken, and nothing seems to fit together.  This does not occur often, but it has occurred as of late.  On those rare occasions, dark thoughts of the person I once was pop in.  Usually it is after I have not quite met either my own expectation or that of God.  “I am not worthy of the grace I’ve been given,” I will say to myself in my head.  The funny thing is it that even when I myself may feel low, God sees me as valued and worthy.  I think of Psalm 139:17 where it says, “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  They cannot be numbered.”  It is finding that value in God (i.e. those precious thoughts) that I find my own worth.  I am not perfect, but as one of my favorite sermons once said, “It’s not who you are.  It’s whose you are.”  He thought enough to watch over me until the day I would acknowledge who He is.  When I think about that, I feel special, and the confidence and connections all come back!

When we lose sight of our worthiness, we must remember we are God’s prized possession.  God made us these amazing individuals.  Some might say we are the same ‘in Christ.’  That is true, but not in the sense you might think.  We are uniquely made with our distinct experiences that through fellowship expand knowledge beyond our own singular understanding of God, and yet we all are part of His Kingdom.  As such, some of us may not feel righteous because of our own shame or someone else’s questioning of us.  For me, I might venture into the valley feeling conceited or ambitious.  However, I think of Jesus’ greatest commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39b)  It is a reminder that has become my guiding light.  It humbles me to remember If I treat those around me as well as I treat myself, I am indeed doing as God would ask of me.  Thus, it is important to realize that we too are important, and we should indeed remember to love ourselves.  It is that love I have for myself that pushes me to love others even more.

God sees the best in all of us.  Think of when Jesus was baptized, “And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”” (Matthew 3:17)  There are many things that can get us down.  However, we should always feel good knowing that we serve an amazing God who loves us unconditionally.  Do not doubt this.  Move forward both boldly and with confidence that you are indeed a great wonder as He always intended.  Where are there doubts about yourself today?  How can you replace your worthlessness with God’s worthiness?  My prayer is that we can know that to God we are indeed ‘special.’  Amen.

Overflowing with hope

Romans 15:1-6; 13

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.  Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.  For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever dealt with depression or anxiety?  Have you ever lived with someone who did?  If you have not dealt with either of these situations, you may not understand the disease.  It is a hard disease to live with, I know as I have a couple of people very close to me that battle this disease daily.  It is easy for someone that does not understand to tell the person to get over whatever they are battling at that point in time or to grow up.  I’ve seen both. 

Today I read the verses above and it made me think about who I have to help the most, who do I have to build up the most.  This is not something that I seek out to please myself.  Frankly at times, it’s rough and I don’t want to do it.  I then started thinking about times that God just may not want to deal with me.  Sometimes I have an attitude that is not as pleasant as it should be.  Yet he continues to give me endurance and encouragement.  Therefore, I am to do the same for others. 

When you pour out yourself for others, you need to find a way to refill so you do not run dry.  That is where we are to turn to God and allow him to fill us with joy and peace and so that we will overflow with hope. 

Costly Faith

Jesus said: “whoever does not bear his cross

and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For

which of you, intending to build a tower, does

not sit down first and count that cost, whether

he has enough to finish it---lest, after he has

laid the foundation, and is not able to finish,

all who see it begin to mock him. . .So likewise,

whoever of you does not forsake all that he has

cannot be My disciple.”

     Luke 14:27-33 (NKJV)

I enjoy reading about the lives of Christian missionaries; I find their stories very encouraging and inspiring.  One I just finished is “Evidence Not Seen” by Darlene Deibler Rose. She and her husband were missionaries in the Netherlands East Indies when World War II broke out and they spent a number of years there in a POW camp, where he died.  Her account of God’s all-sufficient grace, presence and provision during torture, severe deprivation and terrible suffering is incredibly powerful. The joy she relates of experiencing God’s wonderful blessings in the midst of such hard circumstances is so moving.  It brought me strong conviction about how shallow my faith is. 

Granted, I’m not living during a war in a third-world country, but God has work for me to do right here where I am. Yet how often do I seek comfort and pleasure rather than sacrificing myself to do His will?  How often do I hold back out of fear or nervousness or discomfort instead of being obedient?  God wants to use problems and challenging situations for my good; yet how often do I desire (and even pray) to be spared difficulties?  How often do I go through my days focused on my convenience and miss the opportunities He brings my way? 

The cost of discipleship is high, as Jesus explains in the passage above.  And if we truly live for Christ, we can expect to suffer for the sake of righteousness.  In response to His call, we're not to waffle or delay or seek the easy way out;  we’re just to say “Yes, Lord.” I regret that I did not come to Christ early in life and often wish I could have been called as a missionary in some far off place.  But I do have a mission field right here and now, wherever I am today.  

So I’m praying for a deeper faith--that I will have the courage to follow Jesus wherever He leads, even if it means sacrifice on my part. I pray for His abundant strength and grace to bear whatever He allows in my life, without running from it or complaining, because I trust that He will use it for my good and His glory. I pray that He will take my little life and use for His purposes, whatever the cost to me.

These can be hard things to pray for, and should not be undertaken lightly.  But faith is costly and I hope you will consider what your prayer should be in following Christ today.

Thursday Devotional - Sun Stands Still

God created the sun, moon, earth and everything in the universe. He created it all, so He has the power to have things happen that don’t fit the natural laws. Did you know the sun stood still for an entire day?

Joshua 10:12-15      ¹² On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
    and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
¹³ So the sun stood still,
    and the moon stopped,
    till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,

as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. ¹⁴ There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!

¹⁵ Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

Last week God helped by throwing the Amorites into confusion and raining down large hailstones that killed more than the Israelites killed. I’m encouraged by so many details:

First, our forgiving and compassionate God helped Joshua (who didn’t even inquire of Him before making the treaty) help the deceptive Gibeonites!

Second, Joshua could have asked God to do lots of things besides stopping the sun. That meant he and his men had to keep fighting with no sleep after already marching all night the night before (Joshua 10:9). However, they got the blessing for participating!   

Third, I think the Holy Spirit (knowing it would bring the most glory to God in the situation) prompted Joshua to pray for the sun to stand still. As crazy as it seemed, Joshua did confidently pray it for all Israel to hear! They then witnessed God’s answer!

Fourth, not only did this show the Israelites, Gibeonites and Amorites that God was all-powerful, but the rest of the world would have experienced the phenomenon, too!

The more I think about it all, the more I’m in awe of God, His love, grace, forgiveness, compassion, personal involvement, power, might, and creativity! I’m challenged to boldly pray for things that will bring Him glory and ways I can participate in the solution.

How are you encouraged and challenged by this?

Alice

He Knows

God "will give to each person according to what he has done."  To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.  But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.  Romans 2:6-8

Around this time of year, many organizations spend time talking about raises and bonuses.  A lot of people focus on what they have, and are grateful for what they are to receive.  However, some are frustrated over the promotion they were passed over for or the increase that was not as great as they thought it would be.  They may get upset saying they don’t understand how one person got this, and they ‘only’ got that.  Early in my teens, I would have been one of those individuals always thinking that I should have gotten more.  However, my father taught me valuable lessons on getting things.  He said to not focus on what others have.  Instead, focus on those things that make you happy.  Furthermore, he told me not to get into who makes what.  Instead, focus hard on my own work, and the rest will take care of itself.  Now I won’t say that I got the message right away.  However when I did, my life seemed to get in order.  My family was never wanting and always safe.  I continued to grow in my job role.  Even the house that thought I’d never get suddenly became not only affordable but also available!  There is no doubt that my father knew what he was talking about.  But of course, he was a Christian long before I made that decision, and just as his father before him, somehow, he knew.

In understanding what God gives us, we are to always be thankful.  When reading these verses, it feels like one of those ‘faith by works’ verses, which we know is not how God operates.  However as the replay referee would say, “After further review,” these verses speak of ‘those who by persistence in doing good seek.’  If we seek for ourselves, God will be filled with wrath and anger, and the things we get have diminishing returns.  But if we focus on those things such as His glory, honoring Him, and focusing on eternal life, we will make decisions that are indeed ‘Godly.’  We are not focused on those things that are worldly at all.  We seek to please God, and trust that He will take care of us.  My pastor talked about tithing a few weeks ago.  I wasn’t always a tither, and even today I feel I could do better.  But thanks to a great friend, I learned to give faithfully.  This is not to either criticize those who haven’t given nor elevate me above others.  It is just about God and me.  My focus is on both my relationship with God and whether I have done His will or not.  I trust Him to take care of things, and then all works out for the best – His best, not mine.

If our life is in alignment with God’s will, all things fall into place.  One of my favorite verses in the Bible is from Job that says, “ . . . the Lord gave, and the Lord have taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)  It is an understanding that we have in essence no control over what goes on around us.  The only thing we control is how we choose to praise the Lord.  Let us do our best to give all we can to glorify and honor our eternal God.  What have you been holding from God?  How can you seek more in your relationship with God?  My prayer is that we spend less time worrying about others and more time focusing on God because He knows.  Amen.

What are you asking for?

Isaiah 40:29

He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.

My mom shared this on Facebook the other day and I thought it was worth sharing.

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve; I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health, that I might do greater things; I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.

I asked for riches, that I might be happy; I was given poverty, that I might be wise.

I asked for power, that I might have the praise of everyone; I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life; I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for.

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am, among all people, most richly blessed.”

Pray with assurance today that God is listening and cares for you.