No Distractions

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When I was a child I would play in my grandparents’ house, especially the upstairs rooms that used to belong to my mom and her brothers.  I remember picking up a shirt from a chest of drawers and it dissolved in my hands because it had been eaten by moths. Growing up in Iowa, cars rusted due to humidity and salted roads (because of the snow). Later, I lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in an older neighborhood and had my house robbed twice. 

I share these stories because they make Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV) all the more relatable. This verse instructs, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

I learned from a young age that things (cars, clothes and personal possessions) don’t last. This didn’t dissuade me from enjoying or even owning nice things, as a few years ago I purchased and restored a 67’ Camaro. However, even that project was quick to bring me back to reality as I worried every time I drove the car that it might get dented or scratched. In the end the cost of maintaining the car surpassed the joy of owning it and I ended up selling it.

What’s the moral of our tale today? Simple, God desires that we have no distractions when it comes to our devotion to Him.  He gives us a handy way of measuring the object of our affection: examine where you spend your money and you will see where your true allegiance lies. God is not against us storing up good things, He just reminds us to pursue things that last and that will go with us on our eternal journey.

[Prayer]: Lord help me not to get caught up in the shiny, pretty stuff of this world, that is here today and gone tomorrow. Teach me to devote my time, talents and tender to things of lasting value. Guide me as I invest instead in people and share with them the timeless truths of your enduring love. In Jesus mighty name. Amen.

The Duality of Confession

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Many words have multiple definitions; however, the word “confession” carries a powerful duality of meanings for the Believer. Let’s begin with the salvation scripture of 1st John 1:9 (ESV) that promises, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This pivotal verse spells out the basis of our freedom in Christ when we openly acknowledge our sins and accept absolution from Jesus as we walk in a newness of life. Through this process, fragile humanity enters into a legally binding partnership with the eternal God of the universe as we are transformed into a new creation.

The second connotation of the word “confession” aptly applies to Christian’s in their redeemed state as they declare statements of their doctrinal beliefs. 1^st Timothy 6:12 (ESV) proclaims, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

In both cases, confession involves conviction coupled with action. There is no such thing as static faith as James 2:14 (ESV) affirms, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” When what we believe becomes the map for how we live, then truth will surely set us free!

(Prayer): Father God, I am a sinner. I receive the forgiveness Jesus purchased for me. Cleanse me of my wicked past and lead me into a newness of life in Christ Jesus. Amen.

It Feels So Real

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Our emotions are an amazing and sometimes misunderstood gift from God. Feelings allow us to experience the full flavor and wonder of life, without which we might have a monotone robotic response. Often what we feel can seem so real that we mistake mere sense for substance. This is why we need to be rooted and grounded in truth.

As believers in Jesus Christ, our truth is not subjective but comes from the Word of God. John 17:17 (ESV) declares, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” The enemy is a master manipulator who twists the truth into a lie, leaving just enough of it so it sounds true. The devil is particularly successful in fooling us when he harnesses our emotions.

I told my kids a long time ago, “Never make a life decision during a life crisis.” When our lives are in turmoil this is the worst moment to make destiny-altering decisions. This is why no one cleans their house during an earthquake. When our world is unstable we must fix our feet upon the bedrock of truth, yet in these seasons, the enemy whispers for us to trust our emotions because they “feel so real.”

Such misplaced certainty can even place the wrong enemy in our cross hairs as Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) warns us, “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

We must fight the sin not the sinner, and we do so utilizing the truth in the Bible as Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) describes, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

(Prayer): Lord, I thank you that I’m able to feel and experience life in all of its beauty and fullness. Help me to rightly discern the things I perceive as I measure them carefully by your Holy Word. Lead me and guide me into all truth. In Jesus mighty name, Amen.

Hanging on to Humility

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Another quote often mistakenly attributed to the Bible is the saying, “pride goes before a fall.” A similar wise saying is found in Proverbs 16:18 (ESV) that advises, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” The overall warning of both axioms is don’t be prideful for its end is calamity.

Proverbs 18:12 (ESV) shows us that humility is the antithesis of pride as it compares, “Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.” Proverbs 11:2 (ESV) illuminates distinctions further as we read, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.”

With all of the benefits that come with humility (like wisdom and honor) it is a big question mark why we do not exercise this trait more often. Why is a humble heart so difficult to maintain? Maybe it has something to do with what lies at the very core of our sin nature you guessed it, pride. 1^st John 2:16 (ESV) reveals, “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.”

Here are a few keys to cultivate a modest and holy demeanor before God:
1.       Regularly confess your sins to both God and man.
2.       Receive correction with a quiet submissive heart.
3.      Seek to walk in forgiveness toward others.
4.      Be grateful for all things, especially the small blessings.

      Living in humility is like cashing a winning lottery ticket as Proverbs 22:4 (ESV) extols “The rewards for humility and the fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.”

(Prayer): Thank you God for both the good and the bad that you so lovingly allow into my life so that I may learn and grow in your grace. Help me to willingly serve others with the same humble heart Jesus modeled. In your mighty name, I pray. Amen.

Answered Prayers

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In a previous devotion, I shared about a situation that happened to my daughter where her purse and car were stolen and then how the thief drove to her house and robbed it as well. I prayed to God with great fervency that her property would be returned and the robber would be captured. Well, only three days after praying that prayer the thief was apprehended and most of my daughter’s property was returned, including her car (the thief even detailed it for her).

When we pray. God does hear us. In 1st John 5:14-15 (ESV) we read, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” This verse is conditional in that our hearts need to be in line with God’s will for our lives.

In the past, I’ve prayed to own a Lamborghini and to win the lottery, neither of which have as of yet happened. You see God’s will for our lives involves two key ingredients: One, His overall plans and purposes and two, Our ultimate good. We may think we know what we need, when in truth it may be just what we want.

Like a loving parent who doesn’t let their children subsist on cupcakes and candy, our heavenly Father only releases things, we can handle and that are beneficial to our existence. He also chooses the right time and season to answer our prayers, never too early nor too late, but just in time. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV) states, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

(Prayer:) Lord, thank you for answering our prayers and giving us exactly what we need, right when it is most useful. In Jesus precious name. Amen.