Tid Bits

As my life has changed much over the last several months I realize how fast-paced our society is.  We often claim we don't have time to sit over a devotion or quiet time for long and therefore miss out on what God is speaking.  In response to this I feel as though God has been leading me to change how I present these posts.  Rather than long stories or explanations that only a few truly have time to read I want to share the tid bits that God draws out of the Scriptures for me each morning as I get in a few minutes with Him before my days starts.

Today I was reading in Matthew 26 and God highlighted a few truths from this passage:

A woman came to Jesus with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on His head as e sat at the table.  But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, "Why this waste?" . . . But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  She has performed a good service for me.  ~ Matthew 26:7-8, 10

Too often we become focused on the opinions of others and it cripples our ability to serve God.  This woman did something incredible for Jesus, something He praised her for and promised that wherever the Good News would be proclaimed that her story would be told (Matt 26:13).  Praise God that her focus was upon serving Jesus and not upon the opinions of others.  For she obeyed what God called her to do regardless of what others might think.

Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I betray Him to you?"  ~ Matthew 26:14

Judas' betrayal of Jesus was done out of selfishness and a self-focused perspective.  He was more concerned about what would be given to him than what would happen to Jesus because of his actions.  Lord, let our focus be upon You rather than upon ourselves.  For we know that You are the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).  There is nothing this world can offer that would be greater than what You give.  Help me, Jesus, to be more focused on You, Your Name, and Your Glory than upon my own.  Amen.

Jesus said to Judas, "Friend, do what you are here to do."  Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested Him.  ~  Matthew 26:50

Knowing what Judas has come to do and the pain Jesus will face because of that choice, Jesus calls him "friend."  What hope that gives us!  What love, that in spite of all the times we have hurt, denied, and turned our backs on Jesus, He calls us friend.

Then Peter began to curse, and he swore on oath, I do not know the man!"  At that moment the cock crowed.  Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times."  And he went out and wept bitterly. ~ Matthew 26:74-75

How often I forget the truth of God's Word and need a reminder like Peter received.  God has spoken so much truth to us through Scripture - words of peace, strength, joy, power - that we quickly forget, especially when we are in difficult situations and need it most.  Lord, let us be accepting of the reminders of Your Truth.  Let our pride not get in the way of taking these words of power and wisdom to heart, letting them soak into us that they might effect change from the inside out.

Press On

This morning on my way to campus I heard one of the best song requests ever.  A lady called in sharing that she was currently on her way to the hospital for her final radiation treatment for cancer.  She said it was her "celebration day!"  The song she requested was one I had never heard – "Good Morning" by Mandisa.  Just a few of the lyrics say, "Wave away my yesterday 'cause I'm leaving it behind me.  Hello sunshine, come what may I feel something new inside me!"  I have to admit I had tears in my eyes as I thought of that lady's testimony and what this song must mean to her, everything that she's leaving in yesterday as she drives to the hospital for her last treatment.  Wow.

Almost immediately my thoughts turned to my grandpa and how thankful I am to God for this amazing man.  Over the past 84 years (his birthday is today!) he has allowed God to move in his life in such a way that yesterdays are waved away and the new morning sun is welcomed in.  Just over the last ten years or so he's battled cancer, blot clots in his lung, and a stroke.  In each of those situations he has submitted to the Lord and allowed Him to lead even though we didn't know where it was going.  There was no time of dwelling on what had happened in the past, but an excitement over what tomorrow would bring and how the Lord would use it.  He has never lost his faith, his sense of humor, his smile, and his award-winning hugs that make you feel like you're the most important person in the world at that moment.  He has been one of my most faithful examples of how to love beyond our situations.  Sometimes I look at the physical trials he's gone through and think how easy it would have been to grow grumpy, sour, and self-focused, yet he has not permitted these things to take his joy and his ability to love.  In his own quiet way, with a focus on what God has ahead, he expresses love and kindness that says, "I'm here for you.  I believe in you.  I support and love you."  A man of few words, I can always hear his message loud and clear.

Today I was reminded of the importance of keeping my focus on God and what He has ahead for me.  The trials of today will soon be the trials of yesterday.  No matter what they might be, God has given me the strength to keep moving forward towards all He has for me. 

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:13-14

Lord, give me the strength to press forward.  Teach me how to forget what is behind that I might not be distracted by past failures or successes, but instead move onward knowing You have new and greater things ahead.  Amen.

P.S.  You can check out the Mandisa song here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnmWwudeqfM&list=FLVYwXBqpb64GdJaIUzO2BOg&feature=mh_lolz.

Continual Renewal

Take a moment and think back on your childhood.  How you acted, what you thought about certain things, or how mature you were.  Now compare that to who you are now.  Are there any differences?  For most of us we can see how throughout our lives we have grown in knowledge, experience, understanding, maturity, and in many other areas.  In Colossians we find a call to exhibit this same growth in our spiritual lives, in our relationship with Christ Jesus:

. . .  you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. – Colossians 3:9b-10

As I read this passage what stuck out to me was that in addition to the initial new self that we put on, we are being renewed.  This implies a continuous, ongoing action.  Our relationship with Christ was not a onetime deal where we put on the new self and were in that moment at the relationship level with Christ that He wanted us to remain at for our entire lives.  Just as our parents and older siblings look forward to a child's constant growth as they learn to walk, speak, reason, etc., our Father looks forward to those milestones of constant growth in our relationship with Him as well.  Peter talks about this in terms of moving from spiritual milk to meat in our understanding of God (1 Peter 2).

So how do we do this?  How do we maintain this constant renewal?

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. – Colossians 3:12

How often do you clothe yourself?  I'm really hoping you put clothes on every day!  So when Paul says to clothe yourselves with compassion, humility, gentleness and patience, I see it as something we are to do daily.  Again, this is not something we can do one time and hope that it sticks for the rest of our lives.  Just as our clothes, should we never change them, begin to smell and grow old, our compassion, humility, gentleness, and patience would grow stale without being refreshed and renewed daily.  One way to renew these traits daily is through encouragement through God's Word and dialogue with God through prayer.  Another way comes through fellowship with other Christians:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. – Colossians 3:16

I love this verse!  Did you notice the word pastor, preacher, or leader in this verse?  No!  Why not?  Because this is the job of the Christian community and is not to be left for our leaders alone.  It requires the participation of every member of the body of Christ to teach one another and to come together to praise God and express our mutual thankfulness to Him for all He has done in our lives.  Consider another of Paul's letters:

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. – Hebrews 10:23-24

We have the opportunity and the honor of spurring one another on in good deeds, in worship, in service, in knowledge, and, in turn, in spiritual growth as we support one another.  Through prayer, the reading of God's Word, and fellowship with other believers who are encouraging and supporting one another as the body of Christ, we find ourselves being continually renewed in the image of our Creator.  Lest we grow sidetracked in our own growth and become proud in what we have accomplished, Paul reminds us to constantly point to the Lord as the One who makes possible this growth and all we do:

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. – Colossians 3:17

A Worthy Life

What kind of people ought you to be? – 2 Peter 3:11b

Woah!  What a question!  After reminding us that there is a time of judgment coming to the earth, Peter asks this very profound question:  What kind of people ought you to be?  Considering the many ways he could have asked this question or even just told us the answer, it strikes me as incredibly important that he chooses this phrasing.  It implies that we already know what we should be doing - that we already have the answer.  The Holy Spirit is within every believer reminding us of how to live a life worthy of the calling of Christ.  We need only to listen and heed its conviction.

Before asking this question, Peter draws our attention to a very important, yet somewhat unfortunate, fact: 

. . . for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. – 2 Peter 2:19b

(This just begs the question:  What has you mastered? I'll save that for another day.)

 Instead of simply ending his argument here, Peter calls us higher and deeper into our relationship with Christ.  Hope is offered.  We aren't left as slaves to our sin, circumstances, or idols.  In asking what kind of person we ought to be, he is saying that there is the possibility of being something more than what we are now.  Consider how he ends his letter:

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen. – 2 Peter 3:18

We have the ability to grow in Christ!  Living a life for Christ is not living a stagnant life.  It's a life of constant change and growth as we learn more about who God is and all that He has done for us.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 2 Peter 1:5-8

As children of the Most High God, we are called to grow in relationship with Him, to live a life worthy of the calling He has given us.  This is not something we are left to figure out on our own.  Jesus promised the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, would come to His followers to teach us all things and remind us of all He taught (John 14:26).  Knowing this, I ask you to consider these questions:  What steps is the Lord asking you to take in order to grow closer to Him?  Are you taking them?  What is stopping or preventing you?  If you're unsure of how to answer – ask your Father!  He wants an intimate relationship with you and will, through His Spirit, reveal to you those areas of your life that are getting in the way of that relationship. 

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. – Colossians 1:10

Attack on All Sides

Can you think of a time in your life when it felt like you were being attacked on all sides?  Maybe you're there now.  Where it feels like everywhere you look there's an army advancing on you.  Where all seems hopeless.  If so, you would have a lot in common with King Hezekiah.  The Assyrian army had just conquered a nearby city and was headed straight for Jerusalem.  At this point everyone around them has fallen to this army, considered by some to be the most brutal army in all of history.  And here it was at Hezekiah's doorstep . . . literally.  The army has surrounded the city and a decision is to be made.  As the king, Hezekiah had to decide if he would surrender to this army in hopes that not as many lives would be lost or stand their ground inside the city in hopes that they might be saved.  Hezekiah chose to pray.  He cried out to God seeking guidance one what they should do . . . and God answered.  The prophet Isaiah was sent to the king with a message from God:

"Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria: "He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city," declares the Lord. "I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant!" – Isaiah 37:33-35

God promised the Assyrian army would not enter Jerusalem.  Instead, they would return to where they came from by the same road which brought them there.  If I were Hezekiah I would probably be thinking something like- Are you serious?  This army which has demolished whole cities, this army known for it's brutal form of warfare, this army which moves forward and doesn't turn back?  This army is going to retreat?  The Lord had spoken through Isaiah, but Hezekiah still had a choice to make.  He could rely on his own knowledge and understanding of the situation and choose to surrender or He could trust that God is faithful.  Notice that God does not explain how all of this will happen, just that it will.  Hezekiah chose to take God at His word and trust His promises.  See what the Lord did:

Then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning--there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.  – Isaiah 37:36-37

Hezekiah chose to believe that God keeps His promises and the entire city of Jerusalem was saved.  It was not by the might of the Israelite army, nor the cunning of the king, but by the Lord's hand alone that Jerusalem was not taken on that day. 

What promises has God made to you?  What armies are coming against your city that you fear will overtake you?  Will you trust God to defend you?  Will you choose to take Him at His Word?

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. – Exodus 14:14

The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. – Deuteronomy 31:8

The God I Serve

Lord, You are the King eternal.
When I speak of my help,
it is You I can count on.

It is You who comes to my rescue,
who shakes the heavens,
who sends light in my darkest night.
You are the King eternal.

Father, You are my compassionate protector.
You move mountains to come to my aid,
it is You I cry out to.
It is You who never leaves me,
who never condemns me,
who is always full of love towards me.
You are my compassionate protector.

Jesus, You are the lover of my soul.
You stand with me in joy and sorrow,
it is You I pour my heart out to.
It is You who understands my pain,
who rejoices with me in good times,
who cries with me and comforts me at night.
You are the lover of my soul.