Thursday Devotional - Chasing After the Wind of Flattery

I had a friend years ago that said she would rather hear what she wanted to hear, even if it wasn’t entirely true. I was shocked!!!

After thinking about what my friend said, I realized that she wasn’t any different than most people. Most people probably want to hear what they want to hear. She was at least honest about preferring flattery over the truth!

Flattery doesn’t benefit us, though. We don’t learn, grow and improve without helpful instruction and correction (like Jessica’s Monday devotional on Discipline).

Ecclesiastes 7:5-6

It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person
    than to listen to the song of fools.
⁶ Like the crackling of thorns under the pot,
    so is the laughter of fools.
    This too is meaningless.

I would much rather hear the truth, even if it hurt in the moment. 

Seeking wisdom is more beneficial than pleasure.

Seeking truth is more beneficial than flattery.

Let’s seek to give and receive truth, in love, rather than give and receive flattery.

Alice

Discipline

Proverbs 3:11-12

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not resent his rebuke,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
    as a father the son he delights in.

As a child, when you are disciplined, you typically are not happy about it.  I can’t tell you how many times my son has told me that I’m the worst mom in the world and that he hates me.  That is normally when I know that I’m doing something right.  Why do I discipline him?  Well, because I love him.  I want him to grow up to be a good, God fearing man.

We are children of God.  He disciplines us at times because he loves us.  As simple as it sounds, we need to not resent his rebuke, rather take the discipline and learn from our mistakes.

Have you seen the Lord discipline you in your own life?  How did you respond to that discipline?  Take the time today to thank the Lord for loving you enough to discipline you so you can learn.

Drastic Measures

Jesus said:

 “If your right eye causes you to sin,               “If your hand or foot causes you to sin,

pluck it out and cast it from you; for                  cut it off and cast it from you. It is better

it is more profitable for you that one                  for you to enter into life lame or maimed,

of your members perish, than for your              rather than having two hands or two feet,

whole body to be cast into hell. And                  to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if

if your right hand causes you to sin,                  your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out

cut it off and cast it from you; for it                    and cast it from you. It is better for you to

is more profitable for you that one                     enter into life with one eye, rather than

of your members perish, than for your              having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.”

whole body to be cast into hell.”                            Matthew 18:8-9 (NKJV)

     Matthew 5:29-30 (NKJV)

 Sin has serious consequences and Jesus uses hyperbole in these passages to warn of it. We aren’t literally to pluck out our eyes or cut off our hands or feet.  But Jesus seems to be exhorting us to take drastic measures to deal with whatever in our lives causes us to sin.  

First of all, we should not excuse or minimize or ignore our sin, but call it what it is and take action against it.  We may need to remove ourselves from certain situations or cut ourselves off from things that tempt us away from godly living. We may need to stem the ungodly influences of social media, culture, entertainment, the internet that bombard us daily. We need to flee from what lures and distracts us,  put limitations in place to protect our hearts and keep our lives on the right course.

Even trying to do godly things can become a source of sin. For example, I’ve found that pride and envy can beset me in writing these devotions. It’s embarrassing to admit, but true.  So I’ve had to take steps to guard against the temptation to take credit and pat myself on the back; and I must regularly fight against looking for the praise of men and feeling puffed up as a result.  

I pray that we will take these warnings seriously, confront sin in our lives honestly and take whatever measures are needed to appropriately deal with it. 

Thursday Devotional - Chasing After the Wind of Greener Pasture

You’ve heard the phrase, “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” I’m guessing many of you have seen a cow stretch her head through a fence to eat the grass on the other side. I have! The grass was just as green on her side, but she thought differently.

People do the same thing. They chase after greener pastures, whether it’s a “greener” job, house, spouse, car, yard, body, hobby, etc.

Ecclesiastes 6:7 and 9  Everyone’s toil is for their mouth,
    yet their appetite is never satisfied...
⁹ Better what the eye sees
    than the roving of the appetite.
This too is meaningless,
    a chasing after the wind.

It’s one thing to work hard for God’s glory to take care of and improve the things we already have. It’s another thing to never be satisfied. As we talked last week, finding contentment and joy in the positions, possessions and people God has given to us is a satisfying gift of God.

James and Sarah have very different personalities. One is naturally more content than the other. The other one is quick to want the toy the other sibling has. I keep praying for wisdom to help them learn godly contentment instead of often looking for “greener pastures” elsewhere! 😊

What about you and me? Are we looking for greener pastures elsewhere, instead of enjoying the green pasture God’s already given? Would others say  we have a roving appetite or a satisfied heart?

Let’s regularly enjoy and be thankful to God for what we have been given!

Alice

Being Childish

About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven."  Matthew 18:1-4

Sometimes, God gives you such clarity that writing seems almost too easy.  The other day I was just hanging out with friends and family.  As I sat around, I noticed there were two distinct groups forming.  I do not know if they noticed it, but it was very similar to many situations we see today.  Men and women.  Progressive and Conservative.  Young and old.  Black and white.  We always gravitate to those who we are most comfortable with, and this was certainly the case here.  This dynamic continued until one young mother brought a little baby into the equation.  Suddenly, everyone gravitated to that baby from both sides.  They grinned at this beautiful bundle of joy, and for that moment, everyone was together.  There were no longer separate groups.  All were one.

It brought me to the idea of these verses on the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.  God knows more than we do.  However, we often focus on the words, and we are not as clear on the application.  As I saw what unfolded before my eyes, it gave me a whole new insight to these verses.  Yes, God’s word is always true.  However, we always gain greater wisdom in seeing it in action.

The mentality of a child truly leads to greatness in the eyes of God.  Jesus talked about turning away from sin and becoming like children.  My first instinct was to say, “But children sin all the time.”  They will not always tell the truth.  They can be emotional and self-centered.  They do not always understand right from wrong.  However, that is why Jesus was incredibly wise in separating sin from the children.  We should be smart enough to know that we must turn away from sin.  This allows for the second part of these verses.  If sin is removed, what are we left with in a child?  Innocence, love, and joy are the initial responses that we would come up with.  It explains why a little baby is such a unifying force in any situation like the one I encountered.  We all are drawn to these things.  To be blameless, loved, and happy are things we all strive for.  The one thing that is not as clear is the word ‘dependent.’  A child is dependent on the care-taker.  It cannot survive without them.  Thus, a hidden gem in these verses is that the greatest in Heaven understands that they cannot achieve much of anything without Christ.  This is further underlined by Paul in his letter to the Philippians saying, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)  We could even add things such as growing and thirsting for knowledge like the Samaritan woman as Jesus said to her, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.  But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

Then finally, there is humility.  A child is incredibly powerful as I’ve just outlined, and yet, knows nothing of that power.  That’s Moses when he looks to God after He commanded him to lead the Israelites from Egypt and asks, “Who am I?” (Exodus 3:11)  It’s Paul when he breaks down sharing his own struggle with sin saying, “I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” (Romans 7:19) Humility simply is about knowing you are a child of God while understanding you are not Him.

Jesus is such an amazing teacher.  In today’s verses, He showed how one so little can be so strong.  The other day, God was able to reveal to me how one so little can be indeed as powerful.  Let us go today and beyond learning how having child like characteristics can be both life changing and empowering.  What inspiration can you draw from your childhood?  What child like characteristic can help you to get closer to God?  My prayer is that as adults we find strength in being ‘childish.’  Amen.

Wealth

Continuing with our instructions for living:

Proverbs 3:9-10

Honor the Lord with your wealth,
    with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
    and your vats will brim over with new wine.

These next couple of verses tell us how we are to handle our wealth.  We are to take the firstfruits of all of our crops, or the first of your earnings if you are not a farmer and honor the Lord with them.  This does not specifically say you have to take only your money and give it to the Lord.  It says to ‘Honor the Lord with your wealth’. 

Are you wealthy in other areas of life?  What about physically?  Have you been given physical wealth where you could lend a hand to someone else?  What about mental wealth?  Are you able to help someone else through a problem mentally?  What about being joyfully wealthy?  Have you shared that joy with another?

While we are certainly told to tithe as well, I think we often forget that we are to honor the Lord with the firstfruits of all of our crops.  When we pour of ourselves into others, we are filled to overflowing in return.

What part of the wealth God has given you do you need to share today?

Adversity

“But I want you to know, brethren,

that the things which happened to me

have actually turned out for the

furtherance of the gospel, so that

it has become evidence to the whole

palace guard, and to all the rest, that

my chains are in Christ.”

     Phillipians 1:12-13 (NKJV)

As seen throughout Scripture, God uses adversity to mold our character, purify our hearts and strengthen our faith.  In this passage, we see that God also uses difficult circumstances to further the gospel.  The Apostle Paul desired that he would “find a way in the will of God” to go to Rome (Romans 1:10).  God answered his prayer, although it was in a way that Paul might not have expected—i.e., his “visit” to Rome was as a prisoner. Yet in His infinite wisdom, God knew that through this adversity, Paul would have access to Roman guards and members of Caesar’s household, and as a result, the gospel would be declared and heard.

For a modern example, I think of a dear friend at church. She has major heart blockages (along with other medical conditions) and her doctors recently recommended that she have open heart surgery. After much prayer and godly counsel, she has decided not to have the surgery and instead, to trust that God will care for her to the extent of her days ordained on this earth.  She said the doctors were quite taken aback by her decision since they’re used to having patients follow their advice, but it has given her great opportunities to share her faith and the reasons for her hope and trust in God. They can see the peace she has that passes all earthly understanding despite her chronic pain and harsh prognosis.

Yet how often do we complain of difficulties and pray to have our burdens lessened or removed?  (I can imagine my reaction to having my prayer answered as Paul’s was by being imprisoned!)  But by failing to trust that God knows what He’s doing in our hardships, we miss out on His important work.  It would be better to pray for strength to bear our trials and for grace to shine for God’s glory in the midst of them. 

It’s been said that adversity will either make us better or bitter, so how will you react?  Will you trust God and willingly yield to His grand purposes? Will you view your afflictions as a platform to further the gospel, to provide opportunities to witness and to advance the cause of Christ?

Thursday Devotional - The Gift of Joy and Contentment

How many of us are truly joyfully content? Are you content with your job, your income, your family situation, your home, your car, and even your vacation options???

Over the years, God has helped me to grow in joy and contentment in certain areas. I could celebrate with many of my friends as they got married and started families years before me. Then, after Joe and I married and prayerfully pursued fertility and adoption options for almost a decade, we were still able to enjoy life. It didn’t mean we didn’t have disappointments along the way, but God helped us be more focused on what He had given than on what we didn’t have and wanted.

Solomon describes this joy in life and contentment as a gift from God!

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20     ¹⁸ This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. ¹⁹ Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. ²⁰ They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.

Finding contentment and joy in the positions, possessions and people God has given to us is a satisfying gift of God.

Would others say we are a person of discontent or “occupied with gladness of heart?” Where do you and I need to ask God to help us better enjoy what He has given to us?

Alice

The Struggle Continues ...

Who can discern his errors?
       Forgive my hidden faults.

Keep your servant also from willful sins;
       may they not rule over me.
       Then will I be blameless,
       innocent of great transgression.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
       be pleasing in your sight,
       O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.  Psalm 19:12-14

Temptation is a tough thing to deal with.  We often say that the devil tempts us.  In hearing a sermon from my preacher this past weekend, I am not so certain.  There is a part of me that realizes that I am put in situations where I am tempted to sin.  However, that is neither God's nor the Devil's doing.  I believe that it is a test of faithfulness.  Not one that is created by God.  But instead one that is a constant battle.  It is a battle that never really goes away.  You get better at fighting it off and resisting, but you are never fully over it.  Furthermore, you must be concerned when you actually give in. It’s not the initial failure that gets you.  It’s the continual failure that you suddenly lose the will to fight.  I have been there before.  However once I got back in the fight and prayed, I again got to a place where I had won back my peace and felt connected with God.  But unlike before where I would once say I have overcome it, I substitute it with a phrase I learned from my mom as she fought through the civil rights era; the struggle continues.  This fit because the battle never ends.  You are consistently having to push against that which you struggle to reach.

Prayer and meditation on God are essential in your continual struggles.  We all have something that we struggle with.  Think of one thing that you indulge in or know is wrong but fail on multiple occasions.  You will know what it is when you find yourself in that ‘I promise not to do that again’ place only to find yourself in that ‘Oops, I did it again’ place.  There are a couple of things that are important to remember about your struggles.  One, we all have them.  Yes, some manage it better than others, but that does not mean they do not exist.  You are not alone in your struggle.  Second, we have a patient and amazing God who loves us unconditionally and will guide us IF we call on Him.  Sometimes, my utterance of His name is the added strength for me to overcome my situation.  Some say, “Jesus, take the wheel,” and others might say, “God?  If your listening, I need a little help here.”  Some might clutch a cross or some other item (wedding ring for example) to help remind them of their promises to God.  And before you ask, yes, He will deliver you.

God sees something in everyone.  He decided that there was a place for us in His kingdom, and most importantly, He gave His only Son so that we could fail and still have a chance at His glory.  I think back on the person I once was, and I’m humbled at the man I have become because of the power of God’s grace.  We should have a renewed joy in the people we have become in our renewed belief.  He revealed our faults, and freed us from barriers that once prevented the building of a closer relationship with Him.  So what is it that holds you?  How can you better manage your weakness?  My prayer is that we realize we can be closer to God by acknowledging that no matter how far we get, the struggle continues.  Amen.

Wiser than God?

Proverbs 3:5-8

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord and shun evil.
 This will bring health to your body
    and nourishment to your bones.

These verses seem so simple in concept yet are so hard to live.  Think about someone that you trust completely.  When faced with a decision in life, do you go only to that person and follow exactly what they say?  Not likely.  You might go to them and seek advise but you likely balance that advise with what your own gut tells you to do. 

Here we are told to trust in the Lord and to not go off our own gut feeling.  We are told not to think of ourselves as wise rather to fear the Lord and shun evil.

One area in my life that I can see this being applicable is with my search for my next career move (not necessarily out of TR).  I have tried to be wise and go with what I feel is right but God has clearly shut some doors.  I know he has some good reasons so as tough as it has been at times, I am trusting him.  As a result, I stress less over it, which I know is going to bring better health to my body.

What area of your life have you tried to be wiser than God?  Take time today to pray about it and really turn it over to God.