God Is Good And Doesn’t Disappoint!
Great reminder:
Value
Where does our value come from?
If it is from other people, our career, our accomplishments, life’s circumstances and imperfect people — that could leave us in a precarious place of self-pity when those things inevitably fail us.
And if we use those types of “measuring sticks” for ourselves, won’t we be unkind and unfair in how we look at, judge, and place value on others?
Our devotional this morning was about John 4 when Jesus speaks with the Samaritan woman at the well — which speaks to not the obvious, surface level topic of racial/societal divisions, but the root issue of “where does my/your value come from”?
I also read a wonderful article on LinkedIn this morning concerning “value”, so this is clearly a topic of note and interest for my life right now.
Dear Daughter: Leave When You Are Not Valued.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dear-daughter-leave-when-you-valued-sara-johnson
I also ws encouraged about this topic by another person’s quote on LinkedIn this morning:
I’m encouraged about my “value” by the Word of God — to me, this is what the Almighty God, creator of everything has to say about me and you and our “worth” or “value”:
You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother. I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this. My bones were not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, when I was being skillfully woven in an underground workshop. Your eyes saw me when I was only a fetus. Every day ⌊of my life⌋ was recorded in your book before one of them had taken place. How precious are your thoughts concerning me, O God! How vast in number they are! If I try to count them, there would be more of them than there are grains of sand. When I wake up, I am still with you.
Psalms 139:13-18 GW
Where do you and I find our identity?
How do we identify our value and the value of those around us?
I find so much encouragement in what the Word of God has to teach me about my TRUE IDENTITY, my TRUE VALUE , and of what is true and valuable in all the others that I will come into contact today.
A great reference of scripture/verses on the topic of IDENTITY: https://www.openbible.info/topics/identity
We can escape so many traps if we would just believe what He says about us and about others.
Wouldn’t we be more respectful, kind, gentle, inclusive, and forgiving if we truly believed that our actions towards others were actions towards uniquely called and purposed children of Almighty God?
Wouldn’t we be less “impacted” by our momentary circumstances if our value and identity and “self worth” weren’t so intrinsically tied up into performance, measurements, and the opinions of others?
What if our character, our source — as a Christian I would say “who we are In Christ” – was the source of our assurance, our confidence, and our faith in that truth was unshakable?
I’m reminded of a discussion that dad and I had about the rampant issues of oppression and abuse of children that is clearly a systemic issue within the “clergy” of the Catholic priesthood, acting as wolves feeding upon the little sheep of the “laity” — and how I explained to dad that the root of the issue is in their mistaken understanding of the IDENTITY and VALUE of themselves and of others. Any system that allows one group to see themselves as more valuable than others, gives way to them justifying in their own minds all kinds of oppression and abuse. Having this wrong understanding of the Kingdom of God, and twisting the Word of God into a justification for building up palaces and titles and opulence while preying on the weak and the vulnerable — it is something we too have to be careful that we aren’t falling into. What if I used my own power and position to hire and sexually harass that cute young secretary? What if I helped that person in need just to get recognition? What if I participated in a good cause or charity event just to build a good reputation in the community, but my business practices behind closed doors were to take advantage unfairly of my business and vendors? Hopefully, we can see that all of this stems from not rightly considering and remembering the true identity and value of every child in the eyes of the Heavenly Father.
Oh, Lord, what a gift faith in knowing and believing that our identity, our value, our prepare and calling comes from YOU. We were not just some random occurrence of chaotic and evolutionary development that has no relative value or purpose in the grand scale of existence — such foolish thinking would have people ending their own lives thinking “it is all meaningless and worthless” just because things “didn’t go our way”. And it would have us justifying ways to exclude, even oppress others, based on their life circumstances, performance, or “what they can do for me” or where I see their value “in comparison to me”. Help us to repent from our foolish ways, to see others as you see them, to not only act fairly with each other, but to truly love each other. Amen.
Dirty Diapers
Most of us wouldn’t want someone to have to change our diaper. And yes, most of us right now don’t have to wear diapers anyways — but you did — and you may again some day.
I use this example to illustrate the point of John 13:1-18 in a more relatable context given today’s culture. In Jesus’ day, their feet were filthy and nasty. They didn’t wear a new pair of freshly scented and fabric softened socks everyday, safely covered by shoes, and they didn’t live and work in environmentally controlled and meticulously cleaned buildings, and they didn’t travel in vehicles. They were outside, in open sandals, walking where the animals walked and defecated, working in the open environment. Feet were nasty, like a dirty diaper would be today.
Years ago, I wrote a post entitled “It’s time to stop pooping our pants” and it came to mind as we discussed our morning devotional about John 13.
Instead of talking as a family about washing feet (which is really not a big deal in our society today because of how relatively clean feet are these days) — we talked about the fact that some adults have to wear diapers — and that changing someone’s dirty diaper would be more in line with what Jesus did when He washed the disciples’ feet.
And we talked about how sin is like a dirty, stinky, filthy diaper spiritually — and
1) how sinfulness in our own lives will influence and stink up the spiritual lives of those around us if not repented, confessed and forgiven
2) how we need to come to Jesus to be washed clean from our sin
3) how we need to be like Peter after he was told the purpose having our stinky mess uncovered and revealed in front of others (public, verbal confession of our sin, struggles, shortcomings)
4) how we need to be imitators of Jesus that we would help meet the physical needs of others as a servant (even as far as lovingly changing their diapers as a caregiver if it comes to that) and more importantly, willing to hear others’ struggles and be willing to forgive them, remind them that they are washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb, and to intercede with prayer for them, encourage them, and serve them spiritually as well
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:1-20 NLT
As we become caregivers for our elderly , and as we are already spiritual caregivers for those we counsel, shepherd, sharpen, encourage, and equip for the ministry — let’s not forget that our example is to get our hands dirty doing the real work of the ministry that is dealing with things most of us would buy nature rather be left hidden and not dealt with — but if we are only superficially religious, we are walking around with untended, stinky diapers spiritually, that need to be washed clean.
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT
Are we ready for the mess?
Are we willing to have our mess, our weakness, be surrendered publicly in front of others so that God can get the glory for washing us clean?
Are we afraid of letting others “know our business” and possibly “gossip about us” if we were to confess to others — can we be honest with ourselves and with them about our lack of trust?
Are we willing and ready to forgive, to wash clean, to do the “work” of an imitator of Christ and get in the mess with someone else?
Lord, it is only by the power of your Holy Spirit, by the power of Christ who lives in the heart of the believer, that we can do these things that will be hard, challenging, and will stretch us beyond our being comfortable. But you bid us step out of the boat and into the water, even in the midst of the waves — you bid us to take up our cross and bear it — you bid us come and die to self and be imitators of you. Reveal yourself to us, through us, and in us. Amen.
What does it mean to seek God?
Let’s see a few things that the Word of God has to say about “seeking God”:
Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.
1 Chronicles 16:11 NLT
“Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.” (1 Chronicles 22:19)
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1–2)
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” (Isaiah 55:6)
“If you will seek God and plead with the Almighty for mercy . . . ” (Job 8:5)
“In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him” (Psalm 10:4)
“If you seek him, he will be found by you” (1 Chronicles 28:9)
“Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6)
But how do we go about this practically?
How do we “apply” this effectively?
First of all, I would emphasize that “seeking God” is a position of the heart and a conscious yearning — not just a religious activity.
For example, being diligent to do a morning devotional, or having a prayer time, or singing praise, etc. can by itself be empty, dead, fruitless “religious activity” if we are not coming to that humble and contrite place where we know our need for God and are truly seeking Him.
And there are times when we might be in such a desperate place that we would foolishly “demand an audience with the Lord” like Job did, or cry out “where are you” and throw rocks at the sky asking Him to reveal Himself — but experience and history tells me that these types of “seeking God”, while they serve their purpose, may prove to us more than we are truly prepared to handle.
And I’m not talking about working ourselves up into an emotional experience or a trance like state so that we might fabricate a false spiritual “feeling” of connection to “something greater” or “something closer”– because there are many familiar spirits that people spend time with in these activities that are not the one, true Holy Spirit. Those people need to test every spirit by the Word of God and if it ever does not line up with the written Word of God, if the “prophecy” does not come true even once, they need to repent and call for the Lord of Hosts to rebuke that evil spirit and free them from its deceiving ways.
No, I’m talking about getting still and quiet with the Lord. Finding your own “wilderness” away from the constant drone of the noise and distraction of the world around us. If we get physically still and quiet, like Mary at the feet of Jesus instead of Martha busy and anxious, there is more of an opportunity for our mind, our desires, and our spirit to come to that place of truly seeking the presence, the face, the intimate and personal relationship with God that is “being a child of God”.
This process of seeking the Lord intimately might require we lay down other influences that we enjoy, but that distract us from our purpose and calling.
This process will require us to turn away from the enticements of the world and the desires of our flesh, but if we see that as burdensome and hard to do, them it must also be apparent to us that our true love for the Lord has either waned or may have never truly been awakened in the first place.
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!
Matthew 13:44-46 NLT
Lord, renew in us a hunger for your presence and intimate involvement in our lives, day to day, moment by moment, breath by breath — awaken us to that truly abundant life in you. Amen.
Related article:
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-does-it-mean-to-seek-the-lord
Evidence
Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
James 2:18 NLT
Life Application Study Notes
At first glance, this verse seems to contradict Romans 3:28, “We are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.” Deeper investigation, however, shows that the teachings of James and Paul are not at odds. While it is true that our good deeds can never earn salvation, true faith always results in a changed life and good deeds. Paul speaks against those who try to be saved by deeds instead of true faith; James speaks against those who confuse mere intellectual assent with true faith. After all, even demons know who Jesus is, but they don’t obey him. True faith involves a commitment of your whole self to God.
Jesus taught us:
A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
Matthew 7:17-23 NLT
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?” Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.
John 14:16-24 NLT
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you ; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.
2 Corinthians 13:5 NLT
Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.
Philippians 2:12-16 NLT
Is my relationship with God healthy?
Today’s verses
People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. Blessed are those who fear to do wrong, but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble. A ruler with no understanding will oppress his people, but one who hates corruption will have a long life.
Proverbs 28:13-14, 16 NLT
Supplemental Reading
Blessings for Obedience
“Do not make idols or set up carved images, or sacred pillars, or sculptured stones in your land so you may worship them. I am the Lord your God. You must keep my Sabbath days of rest and show reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord . “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. Your threshing season will overlap with the grape harvest, and your grape harvest will overlap with the season of planting grain. You will eat your fill and live securely in your own land. “I will give you peace in the land, and you will be able to sleep with no cause for fear. I will rid the land of wild animals and keep your enemies out of your land. In fact, you will chase down your enemies and slaughter them with your swords. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath your sword. “I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill my covenant with you. You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest! I will live among you, and I will not despise you. I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high.
Leviticus 26:1-13 NLT
Punishments for Disobedience
“However, if you do not listen to me or obey all these commands, and if you break my covenant by rejecting my decrees, treating my regulations with contempt, and refusing to obey my commands, I will punish you. I will bring sudden terrors upon you—wasting diseases and burning fevers that will cause your eyes to fail and your life to ebb away. You will plant your crops in vain because your enemies will eat them. I will turn against you, and you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will run even when no one is chasing you! “And if, in spite of all this, you still disobey me, I will punish you seven times over for your sins. I will break your proud spirit by making the skies as unyielding as iron and the earth as hard as bronze. All your work will be for nothing, for your land will yield no crops, and your trees will bear no fruit. “If even then you remain hostile toward me and refuse to obey me, I will inflict disaster on you seven times over for your sins. I will send wild animals that will rob you of your children and destroy your livestock. Your numbers will dwindle, and your roads will be deserted. “And if you fail to learn the lesson and continue your hostility toward me, then I myself will be hostile toward you. I will personally strike you with calamity seven times over for your sins. I will send armies against you to carry out the curse of the covenant you have broken. When you run to your towns for safety, I will send a plague to destroy you there, and you will be handed over to your enemies. I will destroy your food supply, so that ten women will need only one oven to bake bread for their families. They will ration your food by weight, and though you have food to eat, you will not be satisfied. “If in spite of all this you still refuse to listen and still remain hostile toward me, then I will give full vent to my hostility. I myself will punish you seven times over for your sins. Then you will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters. I will destroy your pagan shrines and knock down your places of worship. I will leave your lifeless corpses piled on top of your lifeless idols, and I will despise you. I will make your cities desolate and destroy your places of pagan worship. I will take no pleasure in your offerings that should be a pleasing aroma to me. Yes, I myself will devastate your land, and your enemies who come to occupy it will be appalled at what they see. I will scatter you among the nations and bring out my sword against you. Your land will become desolate, and your cities will lie in ruins. Then at last the land will enjoy its neglected Sabbath years as it lies desolate while you are in exile in the land of your enemies. Then the land will finally rest and enjoy the Sabbaths it missed. As long as the land lies in ruins, it will enjoy the rest you never allowed it to take every seventh year while you lived in it. “And for those of you who survive, I will demoralize you in the land of your enemies. You will live in such fear that the sound of a leaf driven by the wind will send you fleeing. You will run as though fleeing from a sword, and you will fall even when no one pursues you. Though no one is chasing you, you will stumble over each other as though fleeing from a sword. You will have no power to stand up against your enemies. You will die among the foreign nations and be devoured in the land of your enemies. Those of you who survive will waste away in your enemies’ lands because of their sins and the sins of their ancestors.
Leviticus 26:14-39 NLT
Repentance
“But at last my people will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors for betraying me and being hostile toward me. When I have turned their hostility back on them and brought them to the land of their enemies, then at last their stubborn hearts will be humbled, and they will pay for their sins. Then I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. For the land must be abandoned to enjoy its years of Sabbath rest as it lies deserted. At last the people will pay for their sins, for they have continually rejected my regulations and despised my decrees. “But despite all this, I will not utterly reject or despise them while they are in exile in the land of their enemies. I will not cancel my covenant with them by wiping them out, for I am the Lord their God. For their sakes I will remember my ancient covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of all the nations, that I might be their God. I am the Lord .” These are the decrees, regulations, and instructions that the Lord gave through Moses on Mount Sinai as evidence of the relationship between himself and the Israelites.
Leviticus 26:40-46 NLT
That last verse is of especial note because of the phrase “as evidence of the relationship between himself and the Israelites“.
EVIDENCE OF THE RELATIONSHIP
Do we wonder about the evidence of whether our relationship with God is healthy?
Do we hear Paul’s instruction to the churches and look at ourselves:
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you ; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.
2 Corinthians 13:5 NLT
Article to reference
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/is-my-relationship-with-god-healthy
Are we broken?
Are we desperate for God?
Is He truly our “first love” or have idols taken His place in our hearts?
If they have, are we willing to throw them out, confess our sin, repent, and put Him first — newly surrendered and fully trusting in the Lord?
Blessed Anniversary
Sept 8th is our anniversary, and in years past, we would have spent it at an expensive restaurant for an hour or so and then went back to life as usual. But this year, we spent it together making and serving free icees at a downtown festival where our church provides free food, rides, etc for the community. And Mandee, Mia, and I worked hard, side by side for 4 hours, serving, loving, and encouraging friends, neighbors, and strangers. And when people asked “How much?” I got to tell them that “”Jesus paid it all, have as much as you like for free!” And Mandee and I realized this was the longest we had been together, side by side, in a while. It was a blessing much more than “free stuff” — its the blessing of seeing the Lord more active and visible and effective in our lives. We are learning more and more that the Lord truly is so, so good.
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
Psalms 34:8 NLT
I’m realizing the is a big difference between “taste and see that the Lord is good” and “taste and see that the world is good”. I hear many times people wanting the Lord to give them more of the world. I see people who want to use religion for personal gain, those who want God to be their personal genie that answers whatever they ask for, people whose concept of “blessings” stops at health, wealth, and prosperity.
Even though the Lord might get our attention with the “free blessings” of things, they are meant to reveal to us something so much greater than just health, wealth and prosperity in this life.
A related article you may want to read: https://medium.com/@anthonymays/what-the-gospel-really-says-about-prosperity-5ca084410779
Lord, help us to rely on your grace, and to seek to know you personally and intimately, and to do you will, and to serve and love together in unity, and to understand that these are the greatest blessings. Amen.
This is the Time
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT
Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.
Esther 4:13-17 NLT
Sometimes we forget the importance of the day, the divine providence that has brought us today — how many events in the length of history all led up to the moment, place, time, and circumstances we face RIGHT NOW. And sometimes we forget that we are not promised tomorrow, that any breath could be our last, that our time is so, so short here in comparison to all of history and all of eternity.
But today, I pray the Lord will remind us that He has made us for such a day as this. I pray that we won’t squander the opportunities to love, to serve, to repent, to obey, to resist evil, and to embrace God’s will and experience His presence. Help us, Lord, you are our strength. Amen.
What Matters?
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT
Yesterday, I got to talk to our new owner and CEO, Frank Mobley, in the break room for the first time casually — and I also got to speak with several leaders, Josiah Magnuson, Jamie Jordan, Rob Nelson, William Renfro, and several others, at the South Carolina Christian Chamber of Commerce meeting during lunch on the topic of “transformational leadership”.
And while there could have been conversations had with them about business strategies, etc. — I found myself having much more personal conversations with them instead of “hustling” to “make connections”, or “gain favor”, or “sell them on my ideas”. But I realize that there was another time when everything I said and did “had an angle” and was carefully constructed in my mind to get me to the next place that I wanted to be. My “old way” was to use people like what the CIA would call “assets”, and to develop them by building trust so that you can manipulate them, extract valuable information from them, and use them for accomplishing your own goals.
Some people can “hustle” and it is clear and evident to everyone around them exactly what they are up to — and that’s why I used to hate business gatherings for “networking” because it was so fake and superficial and self serving — and for the same reasons, I hated visiting churches, because it seemed they either didn’t care about me at all, or they wanted to “be the one that saved me” to get some kind of credit with God for proselytizing yet another religious convert. Now I know this unseen “stench” that we can seem to spiritually smell in those situations is the smell of lovelessness, and we can hear Paul speak of this lack of love in 1 Corinthians 13.
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NLT
I found myself speaking with these leaders, and listening more intently to what they had going on personally than what success they might want to share about their professioal lives because it isn’t what is “seen” that matters most. And it wasn’t something that I made a conscious effort to do so that I could gain trust to then leverage at a later date — I actually wanted to get to know them and encourage them and be a friend and a helper.
And this seems so different to me than how things used to be, so I have to accept and believe that God is truly at work, changing my desires and my ways to be more like Him, in a way that isn’t burdensome and isn’t me just trying to live up to some list of guidelines and rules to be followed. There is something going on underneath, below the surface, that isn’t just superficial and temporary.
It’s a “transformation”!
Our family devotional this morning was on “The Poor Rich Man”:
And I can remember times in my life where I ws decided and isolated and so self centered that I didn’t want to have anything but superficial attachments to anyone around me — one night stands, folks to party with, business connections to close deals with, etc. But I didn’t want to let anyone “in” — I wanted everything away a safe distance where the was no real relationship, no real friendship, no real “investment” of myself into yet another person who would just be the first to use me as their “asset”. It was a game of staying on top, being in control, limiting risk — and it was all a lie and was worthless and futile.
Now, I have to tell you that I’m not yet perfected in these areas, and that I am still tempted many times to retreat into my shell, but I have something stronger than my own insecurities to guide me. My strength comes from the Lord. And as prideful as it may sound for me to be sharing how I have seen the Lord demonstrating victory in this area of my life instead of speaking of how this message “revealed sin and convicted me to repent and confess” — sometimes we have to praise the Lord for the victory He has won and is revealing in our lives! And since these are the words He has for me today, Hallelujah, because I know that discipline comes when it is due as well.
So my question becomes, “What matters?” Moreso, “What truly matters in the scope of eternity?”
And, “Will my life reflect that today?”
Let’s not be so short sighted with our distractions, grumbling, lovelessness, unforgiveness, selfishness, and doubt that we miss out on what is truly valuable today!
Lord, open our eyes to see what is unseen, those things that are our purpose and calling in this short journey , those kingdom riches greater than rewards of gold and diamonds, the richness of your very presence leading us, changing us, molding us, sanctifying us to believe who you say we are in Christ so that we can live lives that are not stumbling others, but that we might be able to say, “Come, walk with me, and you will see God at work!” And that we would say it and mean it in a humbled, awe stricken manner that makes it clear that we do not think so very much of ourselves, but that we trust in you, oh Lord, so greatly. Because you have won the victory, and you are great and worthy to be praised — and you use even people such as us to accomplish your will, on earth as it is in heaven. Hallelujah! Amen!
Work Hard
NOTE: It’s pretty cool to me that on this Labor Day weekend, I ended up on the subject of “Hard Work” in my studies, not by my own plan or design. And this lesson especially convicted me about at times I fall into grumbling about others in my workplace. I repent, Lord. Strengthen me to resist this temptation.
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And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” – Acts of the Apostles 20:35 NLT
Work hard.
Help those in need.
Give.
These are a burdensome calling for the proud and the selfish, right?
“Well, I’m not going to help X, because he doesn’t deserve it!”
Or…
“Well, I’m not going to help THEM. They are good for nothing.”
The Lord says that your best works are filthy rags in His eyes (Isaiah 64:6). He says that you are nothing outside of Christ (John 15:5,Psalm 16:2). He says that there is no good in you at all (Romans 7:18).
Do you believe what He says about YOU?
Man, it’s humbling to accept that I’m no more worthy than those people I grumbled about today to my friend or co-worker, right? Or maybe you’re better than me in that particular aspect but you fall short in another?
Father, forgive us. Show us the way. Give us the faith to follow you. Teach us to forgive, to be patient, to love as you love. Change our desires. Make us more like you. Convict our hearts and minds against sin, and deliver us from evil. You have all the power, all the glory, all the honor in the great work you will do in us and through us. Amen.
Harold J. Ballinger 