January 7
Who gets the credit when you do something well? If your answer is anything but, “I do,” you’re an extraordinary individual. Most of us haven’t any inclination whatsoever toward sharing the accolades that we feel we deserve for a job well done.
We justify our stance in the matter with all sorts of rationalizations. If we share the credit, we may subject ourselves to losing the credit altogether. If we are quick to include the contributions of others to a project’s success, they may be more highly acclaimed than they have an actual right to be.
And we all relish our moment on the stage. Why share the limelight? Nobody else does. Yet, when we allow any of these attitudes to fill us and to spill over to those who are observing us in our moment of glory, we are tantamount to negating the Word which admonishes that the real praise belongs elsewhere.
Psalm 115:1 says, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name be the glory because of Your faithful love and steadfast truth.” It is important that we recognize the reality that every good thing that accrues to our account flows from the coffers of Heaven. When we succeed, He deserves the praise. All of it.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Overshadow Our Circumstances
January 6
Habakkuk 3:2 says something that should stir our faith and quicken our sense of expectancy as we contemplate the unchanging nature of the Triune God to whom we have committed our lives for time and eternity. The Word of God is unchanging and sure and this verse reminds us of that comforting truth.
It says, “Lord, I have heard the report about You. I stand in awe of Your deeds. Revive Your work in these years.” The prophet is expressing a cry that has been upon the lips of virtually every believer who has contemplated the wonder and majesty of our God and of His matchless works.
Who among us hasn’t stood in awe of the story of creation, of the Majesty on High who fashioned all that exists from nothing? Who hasn’t marveled at the tale of the deliverance of His ancient people from all their foes? Who hasn’t been enthralled at the stories of the might of the Eternal God as it was revealed in the tender hand of Jesus?
We receive the word of His exploits and we cry to Him for revival in our day! We yearn for Him to touch us where we are with the majesty of His presence and His power. We yearn to see the reflection of His glory as His He overshadows our circumstances and brings us to the point of deliverance. We know we don’t merit His wonder upon our lives, but we yearn to see Him glorify Himself in us.
Habakkuk 3:2 says something that should stir our faith and quicken our sense of expectancy as we contemplate the unchanging nature of the Triune God to whom we have committed our lives for time and eternity. The Word of God is unchanging and sure and this verse reminds us of that comforting truth.
It says, “Lord, I have heard the report about You. I stand in awe of Your deeds. Revive Your work in these years.” The prophet is expressing a cry that has been upon the lips of virtually every believer who has contemplated the wonder and majesty of our God and of His matchless works.
Who among us hasn’t stood in awe of the story of creation, of the Majesty on High who fashioned all that exists from nothing? Who hasn’t marveled at the tale of the deliverance of His ancient people from all their foes? Who hasn’t been enthralled at the stories of the might of the Eternal God as it was revealed in the tender hand of Jesus?
We receive the word of His exploits and we cry to Him for revival in our day! We yearn for Him to touch us where we are with the majesty of His presence and His power. We yearn to see the reflection of His glory as His He overshadows our circumstances and brings us to the point of deliverance. We know we don’t merit His wonder upon our lives, but we yearn to see Him glorify Himself in us.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Life Isn't Fair
January 5
Life isn’t fair. Good people can be falsely accused. Hard work can go unrewarded. Faithful love can be unrequited. Well-conceived plans can go awry. No man is assured when he embarks upon the journey of his life that it will be smooth sailing.
Often, the unfortunate eventualities of life converge upon us when we have miscalculated our course, when we have made a decision that went terribly wrong. But sometimes circumstances overtake us through no fault of our own. At these times we feel the sting of injustice upon our lives.
Jesus was a primary example of this kind of experience. I Peter 2:22, 23 tells us, “He did not commit sin and no deceit was found in His mouth…He committed Himself to the One who judges justly.” Jesus was betrayed by a false friend, condemned by a bloodthirsty mob and sent to His death by a judge who knew He was innocent.
But His trust was in none of them. Despite the lies and vitriolic hatred—the sin—that sent Him to the cross He maintained His absolute confidence anchored in His Father’s righteousness. Jesus knew that the ultimate day of judgment is never in the court of public opinion or in the declaration of human judges. His confidence in the face of human betrayal (as ours must be) was in the Just Judge of Heaven.
Life isn’t fair. Good people can be falsely accused. Hard work can go unrewarded. Faithful love can be unrequited. Well-conceived plans can go awry. No man is assured when he embarks upon the journey of his life that it will be smooth sailing.
Often, the unfortunate eventualities of life converge upon us when we have miscalculated our course, when we have made a decision that went terribly wrong. But sometimes circumstances overtake us through no fault of our own. At these times we feel the sting of injustice upon our lives.
Jesus was a primary example of this kind of experience. I Peter 2:22, 23 tells us, “He did not commit sin and no deceit was found in His mouth…He committed Himself to the One who judges justly.” Jesus was betrayed by a false friend, condemned by a bloodthirsty mob and sent to His death by a judge who knew He was innocent.
But His trust was in none of them. Despite the lies and vitriolic hatred—the sin—that sent Him to the cross He maintained His absolute confidence anchored in His Father’s righteousness. Jesus knew that the ultimate day of judgment is never in the court of public opinion or in the declaration of human judges. His confidence in the face of human betrayal (as ours must be) was in the Just Judge of Heaven.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Zero Tolerance for Doubt
January 4
The Lord has zero tolerance for doubt because it is a destroyer of faith. He has demonstrated His great love for us by dying for us. He has endured hell for us. He will woo us back from sin; He will renew our hope when our own choices have diminished it. He will defend us against the slurs the evil one hurls against us.
But He will not simply impose His truth over our doubts—not even to save us from hell. If we choose to disbelieve the Word, if we choose to negate the evidence of history, if we choose to turn away from the Holy Spirit that was sent to us, the Lord will sorrowfully allow us to embrace falsehood to our bosom.
It is not His will that we deny ourselves the advantage of believing Him. Perhaps it is the fact that He has already proven His love and His provision to the point of death and there is simply nothing left to be done or said in the matter that requires Him to refrain from attempting to persuade us from our disbelief.
The caution He issues to the doubter is severe and without compromise. In James 1:6, 7 He says, “The doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” To enjoy His good gifts, we must fully trust His good heart. We must allow no place for doubt.
The Lord has zero tolerance for doubt because it is a destroyer of faith. He has demonstrated His great love for us by dying for us. He has endured hell for us. He will woo us back from sin; He will renew our hope when our own choices have diminished it. He will defend us against the slurs the evil one hurls against us.
But He will not simply impose His truth over our doubts—not even to save us from hell. If we choose to disbelieve the Word, if we choose to negate the evidence of history, if we choose to turn away from the Holy Spirit that was sent to us, the Lord will sorrowfully allow us to embrace falsehood to our bosom.
It is not His will that we deny ourselves the advantage of believing Him. Perhaps it is the fact that He has already proven His love and His provision to the point of death and there is simply nothing left to be done or said in the matter that requires Him to refrain from attempting to persuade us from our disbelief.
The caution He issues to the doubter is severe and without compromise. In James 1:6, 7 He says, “The doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” To enjoy His good gifts, we must fully trust His good heart. We must allow no place for doubt.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Watch Out!
January 3
The caution in Hebrews 3:12 is a sobering one. It says, “Watch out, brothers, so that there won’t be in you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the Living God.” We must be ever on the look-out for the subtle seed of deception that the evil one sets about to plant in the one spot where it does most harm.
That vulnerable spot is within ourselves, within our own hearts. The Word tells us that our hearts are deceptive (Jeremiah 17:9) and this is where the enemy endeavors to work his mischief.
There are erroneous belief systems, false religions, duplicitous politicians and self-serving acquaintances who can undermine our faith and cause the joy of the Lord which is our strength to become depleted within us. These challenges to our faith can wear us down and render us anxious and fretful.
But it is our own hearts that must receive and harbor the lies that negate our faith in Jesus. It is the tolerance for deception within ourselves that can undermine our foundation of trust in the integrity of the Lord and cause us to doubt His truth. Watch out! Guard your heart carefully against the intrusion of doubt!.
The caution in Hebrews 3:12 is a sobering one. It says, “Watch out, brothers, so that there won’t be in you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the Living God.” We must be ever on the look-out for the subtle seed of deception that the evil one sets about to plant in the one spot where it does most harm.
That vulnerable spot is within ourselves, within our own hearts. The Word tells us that our hearts are deceptive (Jeremiah 17:9) and this is where the enemy endeavors to work his mischief.
There are erroneous belief systems, false religions, duplicitous politicians and self-serving acquaintances who can undermine our faith and cause the joy of the Lord which is our strength to become depleted within us. These challenges to our faith can wear us down and render us anxious and fretful.
But it is our own hearts that must receive and harbor the lies that negate our faith in Jesus. It is the tolerance for deception within ourselves that can undermine our foundation of trust in the integrity of the Lord and cause us to doubt His truth. Watch out! Guard your heart carefully against the intrusion of doubt!.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
God's GPS System
January 2
God has supplied a powerful GPS system for us. Just as many of us who are directionally challenged would not think of undertaking a long trip without that wonder of modern technology to guide us virtually step-by-step to our destination, neither should we embark upon life’s journey without God’s GPS.
The Word of the Lord, the BIBLE, is our spiritual guidance system. It is programmed by its Author to lead us into the fullness of all He has for us, to direct us to the places He’d have us to go and to receive the assurance that our path to our destination will be guarded and secure.
There are a lot of false turns and confusing road signs along life’s highways and by-ways. If left to our own navigational skills, we cannot be sure of a safe journey nor can we be confident of our arrival at the desired destination. But if we follow the Lord’s leading, attend to and obey His Word, we will not be lost.
Joshua 1:8 says, “This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; meditate upon it continually; do all it admonishes that you do and your way shall be prosperous and you shall have good success.” When we follow the GPS, our arrival at our destination is in His hand and guided by His voice within our heart.
God has supplied a powerful GPS system for us. Just as many of us who are directionally challenged would not think of undertaking a long trip without that wonder of modern technology to guide us virtually step-by-step to our destination, neither should we embark upon life’s journey without God’s GPS.
The Word of the Lord, the BIBLE, is our spiritual guidance system. It is programmed by its Author to lead us into the fullness of all He has for us, to direct us to the places He’d have us to go and to receive the assurance that our path to our destination will be guarded and secure.
There are a lot of false turns and confusing road signs along life’s highways and by-ways. If left to our own navigational skills, we cannot be sure of a safe journey nor can we be confident of our arrival at the desired destination. But if we follow the Lord’s leading, attend to and obey His Word, we will not be lost.
Joshua 1:8 says, “This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; meditate upon it continually; do all it admonishes that you do and your way shall be prosperous and you shall have good success.” When we follow the GPS, our arrival at our destination is in His hand and guided by His voice within our heart.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Employ Prayer Power in the New Year
January 1
If you think becoming a Christian assures that your life will take on a heavenly glow, that your prospects of temporal treasure will become a given and that your relationships with people will evolve to the point where you shall be perceived as an indispensible piece to the puzzle of life, think again.
Jesus made it clear that to be a follower of His is to virtually assure that you will be persecuted to the point of death at worst or at least misunderstood and ridiculed. He said that if the world hated Him, those who believe in Him should also anticipate tribulation (John 16:33),
How should people of faith then respond in the face of the distain and persecution of unbelievers? Should we sequester ourselves in remote enclaves away from the scrutiny of those who hate us? No, the Word admonishes that we go among them and share our faith with them (Mark 16:15).
How may we enter a hostile environment with the faith that we shall be effective for the Kingdom? Ephesians 6:16, 17 tells us that to preach in power we must: “…take on the shield of faith wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked,” remembering our enemy is spiritual—as are our weapons.
If you think becoming a Christian assures that your life will take on a heavenly glow, that your prospects of temporal treasure will become a given and that your relationships with people will evolve to the point where you shall be perceived as an indispensible piece to the puzzle of life, think again.
Jesus made it clear that to be a follower of His is to virtually assure that you will be persecuted to the point of death at worst or at least misunderstood and ridiculed. He said that if the world hated Him, those who believe in Him should also anticipate tribulation (John 16:33),
How should people of faith then respond in the face of the distain and persecution of unbelievers? Should we sequester ourselves in remote enclaves away from the scrutiny of those who hate us? No, the Word admonishes that we go among them and share our faith with them (Mark 16:15).
How may we enter a hostile environment with the faith that we shall be effective for the Kingdom? Ephesians 6:16, 17 tells us that to preach in power we must: “…take on the shield of faith wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked,” remembering our enemy is spiritual—as are our weapons.
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