Sunday, August 1: Busy, busy body, too busy for God!

As the world keeps spinning around, it seems like we keep spinning faster with it. Most of our lives have spun out of control in many facets. Though men used to work six days a week instead of the present custom of five, it seems like we are working more hours now. The weekend got its beginning based on the difference between the Christian Sabbath and the Jewish Sabbath. While Jews rested on Saturday, Christians rested on Sunday. The owner of a New England cotton mill gave his workers both days off, as not to offend either group. Henry Ford followed suit for all of his factories in 1926, and then some unions began asking for both days off in 1929. In 1940, the two-day weekend became a standard practice in the United States.


Even within the church, many have a tendency of putting in many hours of work. Part of this has to do with being people pleasers. As Christians, we do our best not to let our church families down. While God does call each of us into a ministry, He does not want us spinning out of control. Think of the difference between Mary and Martha, probably the best known sisters in the Bible. Luke and John both describe these two sisters as friends of Jesus, and we also know that they were sisters of Lazarus, the man who Jesus raised from the dead. Though both women loved Jesus immensely, they had different relationships with Him. Through this story, God gives us an example of the kind of relationship that He desires with each of us.


38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38:42


What does it mean to be “distracted with much serving?” How can serving the Lord be a distraction? We all know what it feels like to develop habits. While not all habits are bad, even the good habits can involve much mindless repetition. Martha had a guest in her home, and while He was a guest she knew very well, she still felt obligated to ensure that everything was perfect. Who knows what task kept her busy, but it could have been cooking, cleaning or even serving a meal. She was angry at Mary, her sister, who instead of assisting with the chores, sat at the feet of Jesus.


Each of us have tasks in our lives, ones that we feel obligated to accomplish, that can take away from the time we should be devoting to the Lord. Just like Martha, sometimes those tasks even can be ones we feel like we are doing for the Lord. Brother Lawrence, who served as a monk in a Carmelite monastery in Paris in the 17th century, wrote a book entitled, “The Practice of the Presence of God.” Brother Lawrence marvelously mastered the ability to worship God joyfully in the most menial of tasks, and as the title so aptly says, it takes practice! Yet never lose sight of the example God gave to each of us after He created the world in six days. He rested. He wasn’t tired, but He knew that we needed His example.

Many followers of God still have different ideas of what day the Sabbath should occur. To me, it doesn’t really matter what day you rest, but honor the Lord and His commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy. That commandment is for our benefit in so many ways. In addition to needing a day to spend with the Lord, we also need a day to rest our weary bones. As I age while working a physical job, I cannot imagine how I could start each week all over again without that rest. Martha desired to serve the Lord, and worked hard to show Jesus exactly that, but Mary took the time to sit at His feet. That is where He wants us, as without that intimacy, we are just spinning our wheels.
Do you really want to serve Jesus? He places each of us into a ministry to perform for Him, yet He never places us where we cannot rest. As Simon and Garfunkel told us, “Slow down, you move to fast, you’ve got to make the morning last.”


Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
John 6:27

Saturday, July 31: Relationships

Life is all about relationships, as family, friends and co-workers either can enhance each experience or can make each one much more stressful. Before pointing fingers, we need to realize that we carry that same tenuous arrangement in the lives of others. Occasionally, at the very least, we will make the lives of others stressful. Without having the relationship with God as the focus of our lives, we have no chance in our other relationships. Even with that relationship with our Creator intact, there will be failures in our interpersonal relationships. God knows our weaknesses and consequently, much of the Bible instructs us in how to get along with others. The last half of the 10 Commandments gives us laws concerning others. When we fail, how should we handle that?


29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:29-32


Bitterness is a wonderful description, for it is when something leaves a bad taste in your mouth. When a person in your life does something that bothers you, if you dwell on that issue, a weed is planted. The more you think about the situation, bitterness takes root and begins to make all of your life taste in that same foul way. That root can take you over if you give it enough time or energy. Instead, forgiveness takes that bitterness and cuts it away. Instead of a bitter taste, only a pleasant taste remains. Part of that forgiveness is the knowledge of what God forgave in each of our lives. When we do not resolve conflicts, we grieve the Holy Spirit.


Grieve is a deep word here. Commonly when we feel grief, it is overbearing sadness for a loss, as in the death of a close relative. When the verse tells us "do not grieve the Holy Spirit," it reminds us that first of all, it is possible for us to do that! In itself, that teaches us much about God, as we can see how the smallest of our actions can affect Him! Since it is possible through our sin, and because we all sin, we all will grieve the Holy Spirit. Since the tri-unity of God is one, in the same manner, we grieve the Father and the Son through our sin. The Holy Spirit protects us for the day of redemption, though we obviously continue to sin.

Remember, the devil is looking for a foothold in your life. He will use situations where others let you down as well as situations where you let others down to cause huge issues in your lives. Once again, that foothold will not happen unless the situation is not resolved. Let it go! In the grand scheme of it all, is it really that big of a deal. Forgive, as you have been forgiven.


Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
1 Peter 2:1-3

Friday, July 30: Separate, but not equal!

One of the precepts of Constitutional law was “separate, but equal.” This concept referred to the early acceptance of segregation based on race. Though the effect of this segregation was far-reaching, it was most apparent in the American South, where there were separate schools, restaurants, pools, bathrooms, drinking fountains and more for whites and blacks. Separation was obvious, but there was nothing that even bordered on equality. Though these laws were overturned in 1954, it took 10 years to begin to see a difference.


Most people over 50 can remember at least some of the ramifications of those laws, while for people over 60, they lived it! Can you imagine what it must feel like to be on the other side looking in? It would be devastating to wonder why some people have it so easy, and why based on skin color, others have it so difficult. As Christians, we also seem to have problems with separation anxiety. We are called to be separate from the world. Jesus explained this concept to His disciples:


And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
John 8:23


It can be difficult to walk the fine line of existing in this world, but realizing that this is not our home, anymore than it was the home of Jesus. We are called to be holy:


…15but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:15-16

Holiness can be defined as wholeness. We cannot have wholeness without Jesus living inside of us, completing us. Holiness also can be defined as righteousness, and without Jesus being punished for our sins, we have no chance at holiness. Without holiness, we are separated from God.


The world we live in seeps into every aspect of our lives. Think about an average day. We go to work, eat a couple meals and watch television. If we turn on the television, almost every show has at least some part that flaunts the acceptance of the world’s ways, and at the same time, violates the laws of God. That list would include pre-marital sex, homosexuality, drunkenness, marital infidelity, foul language, or even scantily-clad actors and actresses that leave little to the imagination. Opening a magazine reveals the same. Conversations with co-workers often cross the line with dirty jokes or gossip. As Christians, we are called to glorify God in all that we do. That means to remain separate from the world. But don’t forget, separation does not mean isolation. There are things we shouldn’t do and places we shouldn’t go. It is highly doubtful that drunken revelers in a bar are going to glean anything from your conversation about God, but your neighbors might notice there is something different about you, in a positive way. I think of the song, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.”


God is going to separate the wheat from the chaff and the sheep from the goats, and while on this earth, we are to be separate from those who do not follow Him. Is it that important to fit in? Sometimes it feels important, but wouldn’t you rather fit in with God and God’s people? We are to be separate, and thankfully, not equal, especially when it comes to eternity! Would you rather be separate from the world or separated from God?

Wednesday, July 28: Where is our refuge?

Jack Tatum, a retired safety for the Oakland Raiders, died Tuesday at the age of 61. In the last few years, he had suffered from diabetes and corresponding complications, including the amputation of toes and a leg. Known in the National Football League as “The Assassin” for his crippling hits, Tatum’s philosophy was that if receivers worried about the hit that was coming, they would not be able to focus on catching the ball. On an incomplete pass over the middle of the field in a 1978 pre-season game against the New England Patriots, Tatum lowered the boom on receiver Darryl Stingley. The hit paralyzed Stingley, who became a quadriplegic. Tatum never apologized and wrote three books capitalizing on the hit: “They Call Me Assassin,” “They Still Call Me Assassin,” and “Final Confessions of NFL Assassin Jack Tatum.”

"It could have happened to anybody," said Tatum. "People are always saying, 'He didn't apologize.' I don't think I did anything wrong that I need to apologize for. It was a clean hit."

By NFL rules at the time, the hit was legal. In fact, Tatum did not receive a penalty on that day in 1978, though he would have in 2010. Sadly though, Tatum never grasped that intent to cripple was not the issue. His life basically ended the life of another man. Stingley died in 2007 from complications associated with his paralysis, having struggled through every aspect of life for almost 30 years. Whether or not Tatum wanted to take any responsibility, a real man would have reached out to Stingley. In a 1985 game when Hall-of-Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor hit quarterback Joe Theismann so hard that Theismann’s leg snapped in two and protruded from the skin, Taylor’s first look was a sickened expression calling for a stretcher in deep concern. There’s a difference between doing your job while playing a sport involving extreme physical contact and trying to seriously hurt another player. Though Stingley’s death was not immediate, his life was over in so many ways.


Tatum’s death made me think of God’s law in relation to the act of manslaughter. The obvious difference between manslaughter and murder is intent, or more specifically, premeditation. God set aside six cities of refuge, three on the east side of the Jordan River (Golan, Ramoth and Bosor) and three on the west side (Kadesh, Shechem and Hebron).


5 So the congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall return him to the city of refuge where he had fled, and he shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. 26 But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled, 27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood, 28 because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession.
Numbers 35:25-28


Specifically, the “avenger of blood” is the close relative who acts in revenge or retaliation because of the spilled blood. Once the intent of the crime had been decided, a murderer was put to death while a manslayer was sent to a city of refuge. He was allowed to remain in that city until the death of the high priest. At that time, the manslayer was allowed to return to his home, without threat of harm from the avenger of blood. Tradition says that the mother of the high priest supplied the clothes and food for the manslayer, as in that regard, the manslayer would not desire for the high priest to die. Yet this story pertains to each of us. God is the “Avenger of Blood,” as He will put to death all the murderers. This is not a physical death, but a spiritual one. Additionally, Jesus is both our High Priest and our City of Refuge. We live in Jesus and He lives in us!


…where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:20


This verse in Hebrews reminds us that we can dwell in the City of Refuge forever, because our High Priest never will die! When Jesus died on the cross, every person there was responsible for His death. Though none of us were alive at that time, we were responsible, as well, for He carried our sins as His burden on that day. Yet fortunately for us, we are not guilty of murder in His eyes, though we are guilty of manslaughter. How do I know? Because He told His Father from the cross:


Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
Luke 23:34

We did not kill Jesus with intent or premeditation. Still, repentance is sorrow for that sin. Sadly, Jack Tatum had no sorrow for the actions of his life. Though only God can judge the heart, Tatum’s actions up until death did not appear to be those of a repentant man. When a celebrity dies, the “cool” thing to say is R.I.P., standing for “rest in peace.” Sadly, neither rest nor peace are in store for those who did not follow Jesus. Once again, when what we believe is reflected in how we live, others will see both our love and our repentance! Let your love and life change the lives of others!


Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 7:60

Thursday, July 29: Keep on keeping on!

Listening to God is such an important aspect of our lives, but putting those instructions to work defines our lives. One of the greatest difficulties of being a Christian is to keep that walk pointed toward Jesus and never to look back. Paul did an amazing job, having turned away from persecuting early Christians; he stayed the course, though in turn, Paul was persecuted more than any other Christian. Much of his focus stemmed from his past:


12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.   
 1 Timothy 1:12-15

Paul realized that if God did nothing more for him than give him eternal salvation, it was much more than Paul deserved. He walked in that grace and mercy. Grace is getting something you don’t deserve, while mercy is not getting what you do deserve. We don’t deserve God’s forgiveness, yet He gives it if we ask Him. We deserve death as payment for those sins, yet He gives us abundant life.


Have you known anyone who seemed to brag about their sin when giving their testimony? “I was really bad! Let me tell you the horrible things I did before I became a Christian!” That’s not the heart that Paul had in telling us about his past. Paul’s past broke him and every time he thought about it, the past broke him a little bit more. Paul understood the abject poverty of his own spiritual condition without Jesus, and therefore, understood the enormity of the gift that had been given. Personally, I feel the same way about my past. So how do you balance the memories of the past with your present walk and your future hope?


Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18

Salvation changes every aspect of our beings, though our memories are still there. Yet no matter how painful your past was, you can look at that past through the glasses of perception. It is difficult to walk in sadness, regardless of your current hardships, knowing that you have an eternity with your Savior. It is difficult to beat yourself up over your sinful past knowing that God forgave everything and used your brokenness to bring you to His feet. It is difficult to walk again as an unbeliever when you understand what Jesus did by dying for your sins. Bobby McFerrin gave good advice to us as Christians, “Don’t worry! Be happy!” Let the joy of the Lord be your strength, and that joy stems from the burden that He carried for each of us. If you want to be blessed, don’t stray from your walk with the Lord!


13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
 Philippians 3:12-14

Tuesday, July 27: What’s more important than listening to God?

In 1 Kings 19:12, Elijah hears a “still, small voice.” Many Christians refer to that phrase when discussing the voice of God, trying to explain our internal prodding to follow the Lord’s instructions. Yet a “still, small voice” won’t always get our attention with the tumult and clamor surrounding us. Do you think God stops speaking if we don’t hear Him? Or do you think He speaks louder until we hear Him? Whereas it is important to have spiritual ears and spiritual eyes, what is more important to us as believers is to have spiritual feet! Hearing the voice of God is not nearly as important as following the voice of God!


22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
James 1:22-25


We often hear fellow believers say something along the lines of, “God told me to do such and such.” Did they truly hear God’s voice out loud? Certainly, the Lord orchestrates even the smallest situations in our lives and if we are paying attention, those situations can remind us of His Word. Yet without having read His Word, how can God bring those verses to remembrance? Personally, I don’t hear God’s voice speaking to me in every situation of life. “Buy that car!” “Eat Spaghetti-O’s for lunch today!” “Don’t drive Interstate 5 this morning as it is going to be backed up!” Instead, God’s revelation is complete in the Bible. When I was in Utah last Thanksgiving, I felt an internal voice that said, “Honor your father,” then drove 17 hours to Kansas to see my Dad. How did I know it was God? Well, I didn’t, but being that it was a verse from the Bible, it sounded like it could be Him. When I arrived, the situation that occurred made me believe even more strongly that it was Him!


Yet be careful in attributing what you feel in your heart to God telling you to do something. As we know from the words of Jeremiah, the heart is desperately wicked and deceitful at best. Many times, you can tell it is not the voice of God as what your heart is telling you to do conflicts His Word. God never will do that. Sadly, when we attribute the prodding of our hearts to the voice of God and tell others, we are walking in spiritual pride. “God speaks to me louder than He speaks to you! I must be more spiritual than you are!” More than not, to hear God’s voice is to hear His Word, and to follow God’s voice is to follow His Word. Consequently, we need to spend lots of time reading the Bible. Yet that can lead to spiritual pride, as well.


Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.
1 Corinthians 8:1-3

God wants us to study His Word, and humbly with love, to apply His Word to our own lives. Additionally, the Lord desires for us to share His truths by ministering to others. That doesn’t mean we need to stand in a pulpit and preach to others, though that is perfect for those called into that ministry. The key is to share with the people He brings into your life. Yet most importantly, God wants us to walk in the ways of His Word. People don’t need to hear the Bible; they need to see the Bible in each of our lives!


Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
1 Timothy 2:15

Monday, July 26: Are you listening?

Greek philosopher Epictetus said, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” That seems to be an infrequent occurrence in the modern world where listening is a lost art. Living in a society that pushes the philosophy that the squeaky wheel gets the oil, we are surrounded by squeakers. We keep our ears busy with iPods blaring noise nearly every moment of every day. Television fills most of our evenings, and certainly, it is not the quality of the programming that lures us, but the mindless filling of time. Rare are the times when we actually sit in peace…and listen!


My goal in writing this devotional was to elaborate upon God’s appearance into my life each day. Yesterday, while discussing this with a friend, a thought occurred to me. This really has nothing to do with God’s daily appearance. He is omnipresent. Instead, it has more to do with heightening my awareness of His voice, His hand and His orchestration of every aspect of my life. How often do we think that God speaks? In William Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar,” Mark Antony says, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!” Our lives would be much simpler if instead of lending our ears to what the Lord says, we would keep our ears on His words!


He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Matthew 13:9


He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 2:7


That statement and sentiment are repeated over a dozen times in the New Testament alone. I don’t think I ever have seen a person who did not have ears, yet that is not the point. When we come to the Lord, He gives us spiritual eyes and spiritual ears. When Jesus spoke in parables, it was so that only those He intended to receive the message would understand:


And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that


‘Seeing they may not see,
And hearing they may not understand.’ Luke 8:10

We should not be confused by the Bible, as God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). For the person confused by God’s Word, the greater possibility is that they have not acquired the spiritual ears to hear or the spiritual eyes to see the wonders of His works! If you want to see God in your life on a daily basis, take any event that occurs and reflect upon it. He is there, in the midst of it all. You carry Him into your sin, in addition to those times when you carry Him into church! He is with you always. If you want to hear His voice, read the Bible out loud!


For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.’
Matthew 13:15

Sunday, July 25: Wisdom

Often we come across well-educated people who seem to be completely lacking in common sense. On the far end of that spectrum are idiot savants, people who have one or more areas of absolute expertise, though that brilliance is in stark contrast to their overall lack of intelligence. An example would be a quantum physicist standing outside barefooted in a blizzard with his mind on solving a challenging equation. The simplicities of daily life are rigors to those people. Certainly there is a difference between intelligence and wisdom. While intelligence can be gained by reading books and studying, wisdom only can be gained by life experiences. Obviously, those life experiences take much longer to acquire and to amass.


When God offered any gift requested to King Solomon, the son of David asked the Lord for wisdom (1 Kings 3). Ironically, the king demonstrated that he already had a large quantity of wisdom, as he understood its significance in relation to a king and his kingdom. A man with less wisdom would have asked for wealth, longevity or safety.


29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men— than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. 33 Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. 34 And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
1 Kings 4:29-34


Though Solomon was the wisest man of all, he also had blind spots in his wisdom. With 700 wives and 300 concubines, King Solomon fell away from the Lord and into idolatry, as he began to follow the gods of his foreign women. It is difficult to imagine that King Solomon was able to keep 1,000 women happy in any facet, and by numbers alone, it is apparent that this decision by an otherwise wise king was very selfish. Those decisions to marry could be called, “King Solomon’s Mines,” as he seemed to keep saying, “Mine, mine and mine” when selecting additional brides! How can we as Christians gain wisdom?


13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James 3:13-18


Interestingly, the phrase “meekness of wisdom” in James 3:13 above seems to point to the most important attribute of wisdom. When combined with humbleness or meekness, wisdom is much more palatable. This is the contrast of the “pride of wisdom,” as we all understand that when combined with arrogance, advice from a wise man would potentially be ignored. Wisdom is not self-serving, but for the benefit of others. Without loving others, how can we demonstrate God’s love for us? As Christians, God allows us to endure intense stretching. Just as an athlete stretches his muscles before using them in competition, God prepares us for future usage by stretching us. We learn from those difficult life experiences. If we are focused on the Lord, through that stretching comes great wisdom. Additionally, God can help us to use that wisdom when ministering to others enduring similar circumstances.

When enduring those stretches by the Lord, the greatest challenge is to learn through the challenge, to increase wisdom and understanding, rather than just complain. God never makes mistakes and consequently, there is a reason for each aspect of our lives. Never lose sight of His guiding hand in the midst of each circumstance, as what we often think of as punishment could easily be construed as blessing in His eyes!


That He would show you the secrets of wisdom!
For they would double your prudence.
Know therefore that God exacts from you
Less than your iniquity deserves.
Job 11:6

Saturday, July 24: Abominations

One of the hot button issues in our country, along with other places in the world, is gay marriage. While most evangelical Christians strongly oppose the legislation of gay marriage, most of its supporters make accusations of discrimination and hatred against anyone who disagrees with them. God’s Word is easy to understand concerning this subject, though people claiming to be gay Christians argue by saying that God is against physical lust, though He is not against love. Another typical argument points out that Jesus never said one word against homosexuality, though Paul certainly did in the New Testament. Sadly, we all know what it is like to feel convicted about a sinful behavior in our lives and try to rationalize our own sin. Certainly, it is difficult for people to both love and follow the Lord and continue in that lifestyle, yet as Christians, we need to be quicker to love than to judgment, just as we are called to be with all sinners. All too often the phrase “homosexuals are an abomination to the Lord” is used, when in fact, it is the sin, not the sinner, which is the abomination to the Lord, according to Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13.


In the Bible, the word “abomination” pertains to something or someone who is dangerous, repulsive or sinister to another individual. The word, or a form of the word, occurs 175 times in 165 verses in the Bible. A verse in Proverbs explains that concept thoroughly:


An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,
And he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.
Proverbs 29:27

Deuteronomy 18:9-12 speaks of some of the sins of the land the Jews inhabited, namely witches, sorcerers, spiritualists, mediums or people who speak with the dead. Specifically, that section says that those people are an abomination to the Lord, yet that is the only verse I found that speaks of a person as an abomination in relation to a specific sin. There are a number of verses that speak of the wicked as an abomination to the Lord, and all unforgiven sinners are wicked in the eyes of the Lord. Most frequently, idols and idolatry are referred to as abominations to the Lord, while sexual immorality would be the next most common sin, followed by pride and lying. The following verse lists seven abominations to God:


16  These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17  A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18  A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19  A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
Proverbs 6:16-19


Though most of us would argue that we never have shed innocent blood with our own hands, when we take to heart the words of Jesus concerning murder, we understand that anger is no different. Surely, there have been times when I have done all seven of the items on the above list. Does that make me an abomination to the Lord?

When we sin against others, we are sinning against the Lord. Knowing how God feels about pride, idolatry and sexual immorality should break us to the core of our beings, yet there are still times when Satan’s temptations seem to win the battle. Because we are weak, and because Satan is a better tactician than any of us, we are going to lose battles. Yet who is going to win the war? God will! Additionally, anyone on God’s side also will prove victorious. That victory will be over the world, over sin and over Satan. As believers, we need to stay the course and remember that the majority of the battle occurs within our own minds. We cannot lose sight of the work God is doing in each of our lives. At the same time, we need to remember that the unbelievers are captives of the enemy. They cannot believe rightly, for they are being fooled by the deceiver of the brethren. Did you notice that all seven of the abominations apply to Satan’s destructive hand? Is it any wonder that his followers act similarly? If nothing else, that should remind us of what actions we should avoid, as we do not want to emulate Satan in any way. In the midst of it all, remember to love the captives. Without our love, they will have no chance in seeing the grace of a forgiving God, who has forgiven so much in each of us!


32For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD,
But His secret counsel is with the upright.
Proverbs 3:32

Friday, July 23: Hoist it and carry it!

Summer is the most difficult season for me. It’s not that there are more hours, but the heat wears me down. This week marked the halfway point in my summer camps, involving children from 5-years-old to 12-years-old. We spend the morning playing kickball, dodgeball, badminton and tennis, then after having lunch, we walk a half mile to the beach for the afternoon. It might sound like fun, but that is the most stressful part of the day as I have been entrusted with the lives of many children. Keeping them safe is a daily challenge. On that walk to the beach, I carry a beach chair, a small backpack and a couple beach umbrellas. Though all four objects are light, it is amazing how heavy they feel after carrying them for the half mile.


Until the day each of us accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we carried the burden of our own sins on our narrow shoulders. In that moment when we decide to follow Jesus, the burden is lifted from us, and placed on the shoulders of the only One who can handle that burden. Jesus died so that we might live. But what did He tell us to do?


24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Matthew 16:24:25


What was the cross to Jesus? First, it was the instrument of His death. One of the most important aspects of His death is that He was not murdered, as Jesus gave His life for us. Willingly. At any moment, He could have chosen to perform a miracle and exit stage right. Yet because He understood what the cross would do for us and because He loved us, He endured the cross. Secondly, the cross was a place of humiliation for Jesus. The Roman soldiers stripped Jesus of His clothing, placed a crown of thorns on His head, and made fun of Him. With the crowd of bystanders chiming in, along with one of the criminals being crucified beside Jesus, there were few present who did not despise Him.


As Christians, we have to be willing to die to self in order to live in Jesus. Are there aspects of your life that you are not willing to part with? How about your husband or wife? Would you still follow Jesus if that spouse didn’t join you in your pursuit? If you lost every possession, would you still be willing to follow Him? When a rich, young ruler came to Jesus and asked what it would take to follow Him, Jesus responded by telling the young man to sell all his possessions and distribute the money to the poor (Luke 18:18). Unable to walk away from his wealth, the young man chose a path that did not involve Jesus. At the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. Jesus knew right where that young man’s heart was, just as He knows all about our hearts, as He shaped them!


19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21


Picking up our own crosses demonstrates a willingness to let our old lives completely pass away, without regard to pride, possessions or position. Picking up our crosses daily involves carrying a weighty burden continuously, but don’t forget that Jesus never would allow you to shoulder that burden alone. We might have times of humiliation, with people making fun of us for our belief in what they cannot see, though we see Him clearly. Certainly, we will face many difficulties, as our Lord faced so much more in our places.

Though I might complain about the weight of four, light objects on a walk to the beach, the heavier burdens are the lives of the children I am responsible for. Can you imagine the weight of the burden of each of our sinful lives that Jesus was willing to carry? God tells us to pick up our crosses and follow Him. He is right ahead of us, and every step of the way, He carries that burden with us. We might think we have the heaviest part of the load, but God does all the work. All He wants is our willingness! He is with us always.


4He shall call to the heavens from above,

And to the earth, that He may judge His people:
5“Gather My saints together to Me,
Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
6Let the heavens declare His righteousness,
For God Himself is Judge.
Psalm 50:4-6

Wednesday, July 21: Hard clay

With 30 days in each month, the Hebrew calendar has 360 days in a year. So today is an important one in the “To God Be the Glory Devotional,” as it marks the 180th entry, the halfway point for the initial goal. With focus on the Lord, the devotionals have been fairly easy, yet there are days when the world gets in the way, and I feel a little half-hearted. God in His mercy continues to re-work the clay of my heart, as He does with each of us.


But now, O LORD,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.
Isaiah 64:8

One of my favorite sayings is, “The same sun that melts butter hardens the clay.” We can see that in effect all around us as to most people, the name of Jesus is a stumbling block, yet to those who believe the Bible, Jesus is the name above every name, and just by hearing His name, our hearts are softened. Yes, the cares of the world get in the way. If there was no pleasure associated with sin, there certainly would not be a lure. Living in the midst of a sinful world, it is easy to yearn for what appears to be relative ease in the lives of many. Yet with earthly prosperity comes a greater responsibility to use that wealth for God’s purposes, rather than for self-aggrandizement. Sadly, too often we turn our eyes to the world and others we know, coveting what God has given them, and in so doing, we break the tenth commandment. Rather than questioning what God has chosen to give us, we should accept His wisdom in the gifts He has given.


Surely you have things turned around!
For shall the thing made say of him who made it,
“He did not make me”?
Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it,
“He has no understanding?”
Isaiah 29:16


Clay that is hard cannot be bent or molded. Instead, it must be pressed, rolled and crushed. Only then does it warm up, and only then can it be shaped into whatever the potter desires. That is what God does with each of our hearts. Cold hearts can’t be broken, but only a broken heart can find the Lord. It is in that point of brokenness when we can see the nothingness of our existence without God that we finally can see the need for a Savior. He pressed us into those situations; He rolled us to the edge of despair; He crushed our hearts so that they could learn how to truly love. He will make us the people He wants us to be, and will not complete the work until we see Him face to face.

Have you ever complained to God about the situations of your life? Doesn’t it seem a little ridiculous when you understand the depths He went to in order to give you abundant life? Do you think He would do anything that is not intended to be the best in your life? It is all for the greatest purpose, and don’t lose sight of the fact that He is using everything that He accomplishes in your life simultaneously in the lives of others. Trust Him, for He loves you so much!

5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the LORD. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!



Jeremiah 18:5-7

Tuesday, July 20: That’s just lame!

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is about Mephibosheth, the lame son of Jonathan and grandson of King Saul. Though David had been a faithful servant to King Saul, playing the harp to soothe the king’s nerves, slaying a giant to save the king’s land and lifting a sword to support the king’s battles, King Saul wanted David dead. At the same time, David and Jonathan became the closest of friends. When King Saul and Jonathan died together in battle and were beheaded, it solved one of David’s problems yet created another. King Saul no longer would be trying to kill David, but the new king was broken-hearted for the loss of his dearest friend. When David became King of Israel, all of King Saul’s supporters went into hiding. After searching, King David found the closest descendant, Mephibosheth. Once found, Mephibosheth ate at the king’s table for the remainder of his life. Additionally, King David ensured that the servants cared for the land with the profits going to Mephibosheth.


What is the significance of a lame man feasting with the king? Each of us suffers the same walk as a crippled man. Our walks point to the direction of our lives, and without God, they always are pointed the wrong way. Yet even as believers, we continue to trip and fall. Every man’s battle seems to be sexual temptation, as Jesus pointed out that lusting is identical to committing adultery. While that sin is common to man, there is a long list of sins that continues to trip up even the strongest believers. Without God leading us in the paths of righteousness, we will quickly find ourselves in the paths of unrighteousness.


For You have delivered my soul from death.
Have You not kept my feet from falling,
That I may walk before God
In the light of the living?
Psalm 56:13


God knows that we are sinners. Being omniscient, He never is surprised by our mis-steps or sins. God is quick to forgive when we ask for His forgiveness, though He desires for us to understand the ramifications of our sins.


The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
Psalm 51:17

If our sins broke our own hearts as much as they broke God’s heart, we might begin to walk closer to Him. Yet the most amazing aspect is that He comes to wherever we are with as little as each of us has to offer. We don’t earn His love or His salvation. That is His gift, and because of that gift, we will eat at the King’s table for all of eternity! Though we cannot earn the gift, we certainly should be thankful for it!


8For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.
9I will walk before the LORD
In the land of the living.
Psalm 116:8-9

Monday, July 19: Let it shine!

Have you ever noticed how many people resemble their dogs? Partly, that has to do with the breed of dog we choose. For example, I have spent my life chasing tennis balls and consequently, I have chosen a breed of dog that cannot exist without a tennis ball in its mouth. Similarly, after spending a lifetime together, many husbands and wives seem to look alike, as well. That has more to do with the single-mindedness of the couple, along with the amount of time spent together. Who do you spend the most time with?


29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.
Exodus 34:29-30


Moses spent enough time with God that he reflected the Lord when he was around others. As Christians, we have Jesus living inside of us and the Light of the world is being reflected to others in the same manner that the moon reflects the sun’s light in God’s magnificent creation. When God created light, He made the sun as the greater light and the moon as the lesser light (Genesis 1:16). Can the people walking in darkness see the light that shines on your face?


Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13


Each of us as believers can picture the face of a fellow Christian in our lives that radiates Jesus. There is not a little piece of Jesus in each of us, but instead, all of God is inside of each of us. If He is not reflecting from your face, it is because too much of the dirt of the world is blocking the light. If we are not spending time with the Lord, that glow wears off! The life of Jesus continues to be written in the lives of believers. There is no greater compliment that can be paid to any of us as believers than when people say we have been with Jesus! It should show on our faces, in our walks, in our language, in our choices and in our growth.

Where is the strongest light in a world of darkness? It is radiating from the faces of the people who have been with Jesus. Let your light shine!


14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16

Sunday, July 18: Leadership and the family

A tennis student once asked me if I was a leader or a follower when I was in high school. I told him that I was neither, though he said that I had to be one or the other. “I don’t think you can be a leader unless people follow you,” I said, “but I really didn’t follow anyone else, either.” He agreed that in some cases there could potentially be a third category.


Leaders are not self-appointed. The best way of discovering whether or not you are a leader is by looking behind to see if anyone is following. As Christians, first and foremost, we should be followers of Jesus Christ. Unless your walk closely resembles His, leadership is the worst place you could be. We have all heard the common parental retort when faced with the child’s answer that someone else did it first: “If someone else jumped off a cliff, would you follow them?” That is exactly what occurs when we follow another person who is not following Jesus. All other roads lead to death and destruction!

In 1 Timothy, Paul explains the attributes required of leaders within the church, bishops and deacons. Bishops, according to Paul, must be:


“blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. “
1 Timothy 3:2-7


Included in this section of verses is an example of God’s first assignment to the majority of Christians as leaders. We are to be leaders in our own families. When God blesses a couple with a child, their first responsibility is to lead that child to the Lord through teaching and upbringing. This is not exclusively a New Testament philosophy, as God instructed the Israelites to remember the past and to remind their children of the events that occurred in the exodus from Egypt:


20 “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; 22 and the LORD showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. 23 Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. 24 And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. 25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.’
Deuteronomy 6:20-25


Part of teaching our children is to remind them of God’s Laws, God’s miraculous and merciful hand and God’s promises. Yet this cannot be accomplished without the fear of the Lord. Fearing God means exactly what it says, and is a reverence for the Lord’s unending power. In Proverbs, God gives us further instructions on how we are to lead in our families:


Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6


If you haven’t taught your children the way of the Lord, they won’t know it. “Train” is the same word for Chanukkah, which means to dedicate. We are to dedicate our children to the way of the Lord. God’s promise does not say that they never will stray from His ways, but “when he is old he will not depart from it.” There are many people whose parents did their duty, only to see their children follow the ways of the world. Sometimes, it is painfully difficult to watch the erroneous steps of those adults on the path to destruction, though they were taught God’s Laws as children. Sometimes, we lose sight of God’s promise that they will return to Him. This is a sweet promise from the Lord that should bring comfort to godly parents!


Are you fulfilling your duty as the leader God called you to be? The first priority is to follow God, the next is to lead in your family and only then, will God use you to lead in other areas. It all starts with the words to the old song, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back!” Remember, a leader doesn’t need a following mob to make his position more important. A leader only needs one follower to do his job perfectly!


His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.
Matthew 25:23

Saturday, July 17: Whose church is it?

Driving down the highways and byways of the towns in the United States, it is apparent that there are more churches than Starbucks, in a variety of shapes, sizes and denominations. Most people attending church think that their own denomination is the only one that believes correctly. The word “church” first appears in Matthew 16:18, when Jesus says, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Even that verse causes a schism as Catholics believe it is speaking of Peter being the foundation of their church, while evangelical Christians believe that the Rock is Jesus, contrasting the name of Peter, or Cephas, meaning “little stone,” with the Rock of our salvation, Jesus, who is certainly not a little stone.


In Greek, the word church is ecclesia, meaning “called out ones.” We have been called out of the world by God to minister to others with the gifts God gives us. Church is not a building, but the people inside the building. Whether or not you believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, a mid-tribulation rapture or a post-tribulation rapture, you are members of the same church. It’s not when you go, but who you see when you get there! It better be Jesus! Whether you believe in full immersion baptism, sprinkling or dipping, you are members of the same church. Sprinkled, dipped and dunked are more important terms at Dunkin’ Donuts!


God’s church is the body of Christ! Some people like to hang out with Tonto, for they are the Lone Rangers, who shy away from situations where they will be hurt again, as most have suffered critical wounds from inside the church. Those pains inflicted by fellow church members or even church leaders hurt much more deeply than the ones that come from unbelievers, as we expect the abuse from the world (John 15:18). Typically, those wounds occur when the church is being run like a corporation rather than like a hospital. If the pastor thinks he is the CEO, he has forgotten whose church it really is!

Church is a place of worship, fellowship and food, and the food should be a double blessing, as each person attending has the opportunity to feed and be fed. Sadly, the food in our churches today resembles the restaurants of the world. Some offer little more than a homily, not much more than the thought of the day. Many people in these churches complain if the sermon goes too long, as their diet is entirely fast food. Pastors pick and choose which aspects of the Bible they will teach and which they will avoid. Rather than being fed a healthy, balanced diet, the people attending those churches fill up on dessert (stories that make them feel good about themselves) and completely sidestep the entrée and the vegetables (anything that makes the people feel uncomfortable with their own sins). Then there are the churches similar to all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets. The people eat so much they can’t get up, and never would take the first step in preparing a plate for someone else. MSG goes to the brain! It’s hard to find the perfect fit, but God wants us to remain in fellowship.


23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:23-25


Those gifts that God gives are not for our own edification, but to minister to others. A pastor once told me that the Bible was meant to be taught simply, and that was the way he taught it. Unfortunately, he was missing the point. God created us all, and He made us so marvelously and wonderfully different. Some people desire simplicity, while others desire depth. There are pastors at every level of the spectrum in that regard, using the gifts that God has given them in exactly the way He desires. As Christians we never grow to the point where we no longer need to be fed. Yet it doesn’t take a pastor to feed you.

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
 John 14:26


It might take some time, but find a church that teaches the Word of God from start to finish. Find a church with a pastor who teaches the depth of the Bible your heart desires. Just like manna in the wilderness, God continues to feed us daily! Find a church where you can serve others. If you have been hurt, forgive and turn the other cheek. God wants us all to be in fellowship with others who will love us as we love them. He didn’t say it was going to be easy!


And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Colossians 1:18

Friday, July 16: Compromise means promise together!

Sometimes, it seems like all of life is a compromise. Compromise is defined as a settlement in which each side makes concessions. Lawyers spend hours negotiating compromises to ease time spent in litigation. One of the best Biblical examples of compromise comes from the wisdom of King Solomon. Two harlots from the same house gave birth to children three days apart. When one of the newborn infants died in the night, the mother of that baby took the other woman’s baby. Of course, she denied those claims. Solomon, gifted in God’s wisdom, had to make a judgment though he was not there at the time.


And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
1 Kings 3:25


Of course, the thieving mother was fine with that result, as her baby already had died. Yet the actual mother revealed her honesty when she acknowledged that she would rather have the other mother raise the child than to see her child die. Solomon gave the true mother her child back.


American news reporter Jane Wells said, “Learn the wisdom of compromise for it is better to bend a little than to break.” That might be wisdom when it comes to settling differences within a family or marriage, yet it is ignorance when it comes to compromising principles! Elbert Hubbard, a 20th-century American writer, had a different perspective when he said, “It’s the weak man who urges compromise, never the strong man.”

God does not compromise. One of His attributes is that He cannot change, so consequently, getting involved in deal-making would demonstrate that He didn’t know what He was doing to begin with. Additionally, we know that God always keeps His side of the bargain, which makes the only cheaters on the other side of the bargaining table. When God makes a promise, we can take that covenant to the bank. Do our promises hold that same strength?


As Christians, we are faced with compromise on a daily basis. Do you compromise your integrity at work? Are your business ethics different from your ethics when dealing with fellow believers at church? “Everyone else does it,” shouldn’t be an excuse, as we are not accountable to everyone else. Yet we are accountable to God. Do we compromise our Christian values when watching television, attending movies or even telling a dirty joke? Certainly, we all make mistakes. But God doesn’t want us to compromise the Christian values He has given us.


When the Lord calls us out of the world to serve Him, most of us walk away from behaviors that we are not proud of. Sadly, many people claiming to be Christians either continue in the old ways, or fall back into those lives. Those compromises never work out well. In fact, when we compromise the Lord’s calling on our lives, we are no better off than a baby cut in half! Are there compromises in your Christian walk? Turn around and take a step back in God’s direction!


For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
2 Peter 2:20