Devotionals

Feelings – The Sand Of Life

If there is anything that is unstable in our lives, it is our feelings. Feelings can change one day to the next and if we base our decisions on them, our life will become a roller coaster experience. When people divorce because they don’t feel any love for their spouse or change jobs because they don’t feel fulfilled or leave a church because they don’t feel happy anymore or accepted, they are building their lives on sand. Stability comes when we make decisions based on God’s Word instead of our feelings.

Emotions add flavor to our live and are God-given, but must be kept healthy and in balance. Just wishing you don’t feel a certain way doesn’t rid you of the ups and downs of your emotions. We must take control of our emotions and make decisions based on wisdom that is revealed in God’s Word, for there to be true peace and joy. Wisdom is acquired through application of the Word of God in our lives. This is what it is to build our life on the Rock and not on sand.

Feelings have come to the forefront of modern man’s attention and personal motivation. This generation’s motto has been: “If it feels good, do it.” I believe this is a result of a lack of fatherhood.  A majority of families today are dysfunctional in that they lack a healthy father figure. This has been caused by the high rate of divorce or just absentee and irresponsible fathers. The result has been a generation being raised by single parents, in which the main influence has been maternal, thus an over emphasis on feelings.

God reveals Himself as a Father. Through His grace and love, He heals our damaged emotions through forgiving the guilt of the past and removing the fear of the future. He shows us the way to go, even when all around us seems confusing and our feelings are a mess. God comforts us when we are sad and brings us into His rest. His Word is a light to our path and answers our doubts. He is the Rock of All Ages. When we place our faith in the Lord, our life comes into perspective and our emotions into balance.

Fear knocked at my door. Faith opened that door and no one was there. –Author Unknown

Scriptures to meditate on:

Psalms 19:7-11; 27:19; 51:6; Heb. 4:12; 6:18; Mat. 7:24-27

What You Can Catch

Have you ever thought about what or who influences you? Some influences are temporary, such as an atmosphere created by music, an excitement of a crowd or even a traumatic experience. They can affect one’s moods, actions or thoughts for a time, but to be influenced or impacted on a permanent basis, in which your character or behavior changes, it requires a connection with someone. Connecting is the ability to identify or relate with a person to the degree that who they are becomes who you are.

The Bible warns us about who we fellowship with, or rather, who we connect with. In I Corinthians 15:33, Paul writes: “Bad company ruins good morals.” “Company” is also translated as communication; in which there is a sharing of one’s life. In other words, if you hang around immoral people you will become immoral. If your close friends are unbelievers, you will also be influenced by their doubts and unbelief. You may not agree with me and say that you are in their lives to influence them for the good, but let me remind you, a person catches sickness not health.

Our connection is to be with God. When we relate intimately with Him, we are being transformed into His image. It is then that our influence on others can lead them to Christ. For unbelievers to share in the life you have, they must connect with Jesus, not you. In doing so, there is a transformation of their nature, which results in a special, spiritual connection with you and with all who have been born again.

Don’t be deceived into thinking that you are immune to the world’s influence on your life. It is easier to go down than up. The change caused by ungodly friendships is gradual that is why it is called deception. So many have become what they had so often condemned because they did not select their friends well. To maintain a healthy walk with God you must work at it each day by fellowshipping with believers, meditating on His Word and communing with God in prayer.

Scriptures to meditate on:

I Cor. 15;33; II Cor. 6:14-18; Rom. 8:29; 12:1-2; I John 1:6-7

Offenses: You Can Choose

Who has a right to be offended? Each day we are presented with peoples’ negative attitudes, hurtful words and unfair situations. With each one there is a good reason to be offended and hurt. We can’t really control how people treat us or respond to us, but we can control how we react to them.

I am reminded of the story, in John 9, of Jesus healing the man who was blind from birth. This man didn’t need a physician or theologian to tell him he had a problem and yet those around him were reacting to his condition. The disciples wanted to know the why’s and reason for his problem; if it was caused by his sin or that of is parents’. The Pharisees argued about the validity of the miracle and if the source was from God, Moses or the devil. This blind man only wanted some help.

Not only was he aware of all the conversations going on around him and about him, which was good enough reason to be offended, but then comes someone placing mud mixed with spit in his eyes. Mud represents the lowest level of humanity and spit speaks of ridicule, rejection and persecution. Now his problem became more than just physical.

At this point in the story, I am sure this man was not feeling like it was one of his better days. He could have become angry. He could have called for some justice from the police or even just walked away, but something kept him from reacting. He heard Jesus’ voice in the midst of all the other stuff happening around him: “I am the light of the world.” (v.5). Hope was birthed in his soul. Then he heard, “Go to Siloam and wash.” As he obeyed, faith was activated and he received his sight.

Siloam is the place of grace, miracles and harvest. There was a time in Israel’s history that they rejected the waters of Siloam and were swept away by the “River”, which was the army of Assyria, (Is. 8:5-6). If this man would have chosen offense, he would have remained with his problems. He chose not to be offended. He chose revelation over reason and he chose obedience over feelings.

Even after this healing, the provocations didn’t stop. His worst day had become his best day and yet others wanted to take it from him. But, this man kept his faith firm. He placed his faith in the Lord Jesus and worshipped him with a grateful heart, (v.38). Instead of nursing his hurts, he dispersed them. If this man could choose not to be offended, we can too.

Scriptures to meditate on:

John 9; Isaiah 8:5-6; Luke 6:49; Mat. 24:9-14

Equal Submission

In a world in which post-modernism is the philosophy of the majority, such spiritual truths of “authority” and “submission” become blurred. Post-modernism champions the idea that everyone determines for himself what is right and wrong. It is an emphasis on relativism and in regard to authority speaks of equal submission. It undermines God’s order, authority and design for individual responsibility. As a result, families breakup over the slightest disagreement and churches suffer divisions. The clear, Scriptural teaching on authority and submission is explained away on the basis of changing culture.

Here are five warnings on the danger of “equal submission” as it would determine how we live in our home, church and society.

1. The teaching of mutual submission in the “fear of the Lord”, (Eph. 5:21), must be balanced by individual responsibility, (Eph. 5:22-32). Truth out of balance leads to heresy.
2. Equal submission leads to the elimination of all authority. It seems to project the idea that, though all authority comes from God, when given to man, God loses control of it and man then abuses it. This fear motivation thus distributes authority equally to every person so that no one has more than anyone else.
3. The basis of rebellion is in one’s desire to be equal. Satan did not want to greater than God, but rather equal to Him, (Is. 14:14). It is the foundation of humanism, in which everyone is his own god, and where the goal is to try to tolerate one another and live in peaceful coexistence. It is like in the day of the Judges where “every man did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25).
4. Equal submission discounts the power of influence. There are two kinds of power: that based on position and the other on influence. The two work together. Without position, influence becomes manipulative and without influence, position becomes authoritative and domineering.
5. It also eliminates the need for Godly attitudes. In I Peter 3:1-6, the attitudes of the wife has tremendous power and influence in her home, even to the point of winning her unbelieving husband. Without submission these attitudes are not cultivated.

Even though equal submission sounds good and reasonable, it is destructive to the values we hold most dear. Authority and submission enhances one’s personal responsibility by being accountable to and responsible for people. This is the basis for a moral society instead of anarchy.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Romans 13, Eph. 5:21-32; I Peter 3:1-7; Psalms 68:6

Life Is An Opportunity

Each one of us has been giving a life; just one life. The circumstances in which we have begun our life vary. Some are born into wealthy families, others into poor ones. Some were born in peaceful surroundings while others in war. Some have been given the possibility of education while others have not and some have loving parents and others have none. There is definitely no equality in the conditions of our birth, but all are given an opportunity to change. Having an opportunity means one has been given a free will.

Free will is the basis of morality. With every choice there is a consequence. Because life was not our choice, but rather given to us, we are responsible to the Giver of Life for the choices we make with our life. One day, we must give an account to God of what we have done in our life; our thoughts, words and actions. There is no justice without accountability. Free will is also the basis of relationship. Love and friendship cannot be coerced or demanded. They can only be experienced in an atmosphere of freedom.

Instead of complaining about the life we have or comparing it with others, why not make the most of it. We can become bitter or better. In the parable of the talents, the one who did nothing with the talent he received was called a “wicked and slothful servant”, (Mat. 25:26). Maybe he thought that what he was given was of little importance or in comparing with the other servants’ portion; his part was of insignificant. He allowed the fears and insecurities within him to control his life and in the end lost it all. What a waste of a life! What a wasted opportunity! With little or much, God expects an increase. Doing nothing is already a choice in the wrong direction.

Helen and I have a sister-in-law who is bed-ridden with MS and Parkinson’s disease. She cannot talk and is fed with a tube into her stomach. Her only means of communication is by blinking her eyes. Helen’s brother cares for her at home and does it with joy saying, “her body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit and I get to care for it.” She spends her days on her bed looking at photos and praying in her spirit for her family and friends. The life, (opportunity), they have been given is not better or worse than anyone else. They have just decided to use it for the glory of God.

If you want to better your life, then begin by making the best choice ever. Choose to invite Jesus to come into your life. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to become your Lord and Savior. Give Him the honor of directing your life and showing you the right choices you should make. He gave you life and He sure knows what is best for you.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Mat. 12:36-37; 25:14-30; Rom. 14:12; Gal. 2:20; James 4:13-16

Our Firm Foundation

When Helen and I married, we chose as our wedding march the hymn, “How Firm A Foundation”. We were full of hope as we looked forward to a life together, yet we knew that our success in life and marriage was dependent on the foundation that we stood on. The first verse of this hymn begins like this:

“How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord.
Is laid for your faith on His excellent Word.
What more can He say than to you He hath said.
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled.”

When I looked at my 19 year old bride coming down the aisle, I did not know all that we would face together, but I did know that I wanted to live with her the rest of my life. I wanted a foundation that would support a 60+ year marriage.

When Helen was a little girl, she prayed that the man she would marry would love God more than he loved her and my prayer, after I gave my life to Christ was, “Lord, I want to serve You the rest of my life and I only want to marry the woman with whom I can so this best.” We both recognized that our life was not our own. Our marriage was not about us. We had a divine purpose to fulfill together. We wanted to build our “house” on the Rock, so that all our days would be fruitful, purposeful and stable.

Another hymn that has meant a lot to us in our marriage and family is: “The Solid Rock”. Some of the lines of this song go like this: “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand … My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness”. Storms are a part of life and serve to reveal our foundation and the quality of our building material.  The Word says that all that can be shaken will be shaken, so that what is eternal will remain. Build your life on the Word, which is Jesus, the Rock and you will not be shaken.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Psalms 92:12-15; 18:2; 119:81; Mat. 7:24; 16:18; Heb. 12:26-29

Seek First The Kingdom Of God

Before my father died, I asked him what had been his life verse. What I meant by this was, what verse had been the focus of his life. He was quick to quote Matthew 6.33, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” As I reflected on his life, I can truly say that my father lived this way. He was a blessed man, because God was #1 in his life.

Some people have asked me what does, “seek first”, really mean?  Let us look at this together. First has two means. First, its meaning is chronological. It is first in a series of other options. To seek God first is to seek Him in the morning. To seek Him before you do other things. The morning my father-in-law died he had just finished returning home from “walking with the Lord” along the canal behind his house. It was his practice to spend the first of his day with the Lord in this pristine setting. As he came into the yard, he lay down and went to be with the Lord. He had a piece of paper in his hand. It was a poem by Ralph Cushman that he was memorizing. The first part begins this way:

I met God in the morning
When my day was at its best,
And His Presence came like sunrise
Like a glory in my breast

My father-in-law as well as my father learned that the secret of a blessed life was to seek God first…in the morning…before other activities, concerns or people would crowd Him out.

The second meaning of “first” is qualitative. It is first as meaning “best”. To seek God first is to give Him our best. This is in regard to time, attention, priority, love and relationship. Nothing and no one is to be of more importance than our relationship with God. When He is first, then everything and everyone else fall into place. Idolatry results when this is not the case. This poem’s final verse is good lesson for us today.

So I think I know the secret,
Learned from many a troubled way;
You must seek Him in the morning
If you want Him through the day

Scriptures to meditate on: Mat. 6.33; Rev. 2.4; Is. 44.6;Psalms 50.23

Don’t Look Back

Lot is an interesting character in the Bible. He was Abraham’s nephew and was cared for by him.  Lot embraced Abraham’s monotheistic faith and when God directed Abraham to move, Lot followed him to the land of Canaan. He prospered under the protection and guidance of his uncle, but when it became necessary to part company, Lot chose the easier of two paths. He desired the “good” life, so he chose to go down from the mountains to live in the cities of the plain.

Lot maintained a degree of integrity and moral uprightness in the midst of a corrupt generation as did his wife and his two virgin daughters. When judgment came on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, angels were sent to save him and his family. All he had acquired was now reduced to what he could carry on his back. The place he had chosen to leave was now the place he had to flee to. One thing God required of him and that was not to look back.

To take the easy path down to the valley did not require faith, but to obey God’s warning of imminent danger and go up to the mountain did require faith. His desires were now all behind him. All he had worked for was behind him. God was calling him to go up. Lot’s wife just wanted one more look. Sure things were bad. Sin abounded on all sides, but it was all she had. She wanted just one more look. That look cost her, her life. Lot went on to father two nations, but his wife was left as a pillar of salt.

Don’t look back to what is condemned by God. Don’t try to hold on to what is fading away. God has a path of faith for us to follow that will take us up to a new high place. Choose right from the beginning. Keep following the faith of Abraham.

When the going gets easy, you may be going downhill – anonymous

Scriptures to meditate on:

Genesis 19; Mat. 7:14; Luke 9:62

Independent Or Interdependent

In contemporary society there has been an equating of freedom with independence. People groups have sought for autonomy from colonial rule seeking their independence and self-rule. Lately, the “Arab Spring”, has given rise to a people’s movement to topple oppressive, dictatorial regimes. All have cried out for “Freedom!”

Even though this describes the present age in which we live, it is not applicable to the structure of the Church in the New Testament much less to individuals. Jesus has set us free from the tyranny of sin through the His shed blood, so that we can fellowship with Him in His kingdom. We are neither independent nor autonomous. We have been placed in His Body, (Church), and under His authority. Though the world seeks to be “self-sufficient” we are to be dependent. Though many desire to be “independent”, we are to be “interdependent.”

The picture that God gives us of His Church in the New Testament is that of a Body. Each member is “individual” but not “independent.” An independent member is one that is cut off and thus dies. It cannot live alone apart from the rest of the members. Interdependency talks of mutual submission, sharing, edifying and relationship. It cannot be virtual or mystical. It is real; face to face. The life in the Body flows from the Head, (Jesus), to all the parts. One must be in relationship to receive.

Many times we have used the term “autonomous” or “independent” to refer to a church that is non-denominational, but this a non-biblical concept. Local churches are tied together via trans-local ministries and should receive input, council and direction from beyond its borders. Interdependency not only ties the church together, but guards it against false doctrines, sinful conduct of its leaders and abuse. Not desiring to congregate and fit into the Body is a sign of rebellion and extreme individualism. This is the spirit of the world system, but not of Christ.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Ps. 68:6; Heb. 10:25; I Cor. 12:12-27; John 8:36

Making Visible The Invisible

God is invisible. He is Spirit. He became visible in Jesus so that we would be able to know Him. In Colossians 1:15, it says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” He came to reveal the Father to mankind. His incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection made it possible to receive the forgiveness of sins and by receiving Jesus into our lives, our spirit is born again. Thus, we have been granted fellowship with God as a son.

The invisible God is now resident in our lives. His “nearness” is that He is in us. Paul says, this is a mystery, “which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,” (Col. 1:27). What is the purpose of having Christ, or rather, the Spirit of the Lord in us? Is it to just get a ticket to Heaven? Is it to get some spiritual “goose-bumps” along the way? Or is there some other reason?

God desires us to know Him so He sent us His son take on the form of man, (in other words, to have a human body). And He comes into our lives, (body), so that we might make Him known to others. Through every word we speak, every attitude, action or expression we might have is to manifest the nature and very image of God. His Words become our words, His thoughts our thoughts, His ways our ways. If we take on His name, we are to take on His nature.

To have a relationship with God is not to have Him in some hidden, small part of our life. He must be all-consuming, (in every area of our life), to be all-powerful, (life-transforming). Anything less, is a dead religion.

A friend of mine told a story of a young man that went camping in the mountains of the State of Montana. He was warned of bear in the area, but he responded arrogantly, saying that he had his “sword”, (the Bible), with him. Weeks passed and this young man did not return. A search party was organized and when they found his camp, all that was left of him was pieces of his pants with his Bible in the pocket.

You may claim to have Jesus in your life, but how much of you does Jesus have? It is not the Bible you walk around with, but the life you live that is read by others. Make the invisible visible, today.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Col. 1:15-29; I Tim. 1:15-17; I Peter 3:15; II Cor. 10:3-5