Prayer in God’s will…

 

The NT is clear that I am to pray in God’s will. How do I learn or know what His will is for the things that burden my heart? This is the standard answer: “To discern God's will, one must engage in a combination of prayer, Bible study, and seeking wisdom from others, while remaining open to God's guidance through the Holy Spirit. This process involves aligning personal desires with God's revealed will in Scripture and trusting Him to lead and direct one's path.”

From observation and personal experience, I realize that if human desire is strong, it might be based on God’s will (like jumping in the river to rescue a drowning child) or it might be their own will and contrary to God’s will. For example, wanting the neighbor’s husband or to destroy a parent who is abusing me (neither are true in my life). The key is to recognize my own wants and not making them the focus of my requests.

But there is another explanation for missing the will of God and that is not praying very often so missing out on how to listen for His gentle instructions. Piper says this:

The disciples had been unable to cast out an unclean spirit from an afflicted boy. Jesus came on the scene and cast it out. The disciples ask, “Why could we not cast it out?” Jesus answers, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” There are spiritual forces that Jesus says are very hard to overcome. His disciples asked why they could not overcome the evil. Jesus answered, “Insufficient prayer!” What did he mean? Probably not that they hadn’t prayed over the demonized boy; it seems that would have been the first and basic approach. Probably he means that they had not lived in prayer. They had been caught in a prayerless period of life or a prayerless frame of mind. Notice that Jesus cast out the demon without praying: “You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again” (Mark 9:17-25). Yet Jesus had prayed. He lived in prayer.

After yesterday’s revelation about the way God works, I’m now realizing how many times I’ve not known the will of God and asked Him to surprise me, then discovered His will by what happened next. It was always something I’d never thought of to ask for. Sometimes I’ve felt like this combo of “surprise me” and the result made me a spoiled brat because His answers have always been an unexpected and incredible blessing!

What does all this say about praying in His will? Sometimes, from what the Bible says, I know what it is. Love and do good to others. Honor my parents. Be faithful to my dear hubby. I also know what is not God’s will… but not always. An elderly friend is ill. Is this calling for a prayer of healing? Or is this God’s way of taking her home? I know what I want, but do I know what God wants? One thing is clear; when I say “Your will be done” it isn’t something nice to tack on the end of my prayers. I had better mean it, be prepared for whatever He does, and often prepared to experience a surprise.

PRAY: Jesus, yesterday I went out to do an errand wearing my computer glasses on instead of the usual. Since I can see distances without any glasses, I kept going, but several times called myself a ‘dummy’ for not paying attention. I don’t want to be a dummy when it comes to prayer. I want to hear You — in the Word, in wise and Spirit-filled people, and in Your gentle voice — and not think that my ideas are always the same as Your ideas. Keep me alert to You, and that means talking with You constantly — and listening to You instead of constantly wanting my own way.

Faith is about His will, not mine…

 

Most of the time I think of faith as trusting God to do something that I want Him to do. However, reading Hebrews 11 this morning describes faith differently. It is not about my wants but about receiving what God wants or is doing, trusting His actions and commands. In other words, faith is trusting that whatever God decides or does is okay by me, and not necessarily asked for or expected by me.

Not only that, the examples of faith in this chapter are far bigger and more significant than my prayers for myself, or family and friends. The first one is:

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

Most of the scientific world tries to decipher the origin of the universe. For those whose faith is in God, He says He created it and we believe it, not because of the evidence but because we know that God does not lie, and that by a word, He can do whatever He wants.  

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. (Hebrews 11:4)

Abel knew what God wanted and offered it. Cain offered what he wanted to give, trusting his own judgment. Even today, I need to remember that my ‘great’ ideas need to be from Him, not mine alone.

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (Hebrews 11:7)

Noah listened and obeyed. The ark and the flood were not his idea or his prayer request. It was the same for Abraham who “obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8) He lived “in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise” and his wife “Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.” Then “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son.” (Hebrews 11:8-17) None of these were prayed for as human wants. 

More are mentioned, Moses particularly. His life was preserved because his parents hid him, trusting God to preserve his life. But the result was beyond anyone’s prayers as He became a great leader who “By faith, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter” and “left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.” By faith, “he kept the Passover, crossed the Red Sea as on dry land” and led God’s people to their gifted land. 

Later, God told His people to conquer Jericho with a strange battle plan, and “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.” (Hebrews 11:30)
These accounts give ample reason for prayer that listens more than prayer that treats God like a genie in a bottle. In love, He does hear and answer my smaller requests for such things that are significant to me, yet would I respond in faith to His requests? And to the revelations He gives me concerning His will?

PRAY: Forgive me Jesus for talking more than I listen. My will is so imperfect. I need to pay greater attention to Your will and in faith, act on what You say instead of always asking You for what I want. While You often put requests into mind that are Your will, I cannot assume anything. Far better to ask You to surprise me than tell You what to do.

What gets lugged into each day?

 

Since Piper’s devotional for today was the last of a long one split into three days, I had another look at what Callaway had to say in his little book. He hit me with his description of taking too much stuff in his golf bag and how that was ruining his game. 

“I’ve got the full set, plus a driving iron. I’ve got an oversized 1-wood named Bertha and a ball retriever in case she misfires. My pockets are heavy with coins and ball markers and tees and car keys. The mosquitos where I live show up on radar screens, so I throw in a generous bottle of repellant. And sunscreen. And Band-Aids. One can’t be over-prepared, so I bring along bottled water, aspirin, and a knife that doubles as a club head cleaner, a cleat tightener, a bottle-top remover, and an alarm clock. I keep an extra jacket in my bag, too. Rain pants. An umbrella. Club head covers. And a coupon book that expired last September. Lugging all these accessories around the course made the rounds miserable, so I bought a small pull-cart to help me. Now I have a place to carry two more pop cans, the scorecard, four tees, and some extra pencils. If this continues, I’ll have to buy another cart.”

Of course this relates to life. While he compared it to “picking up a load of fear” and filling his mind with concerns he was not meant to bear, I compared it to my to-do list. Today it has a shopping errand, some laundry, email to answer, update two blogs, send a gift to someone, purge the storage room, read portions of three books, work on two quilts, plus the usual meals and household chores not listed. Never mind any interruptions, phone calls, or other things not written down that might pop up. Yikes.

Yesterday’s sermon was from this familiar passage:

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38–42)

I’ve always considered myself a ‘Mary’ but see how easily I slip into being “anxious and troubled about many things.” Even if I never forget to have devotions, how many times do I really listen to Jesus before starting anything else? The pastor stressed the importance of choosing the best portion before doing even the good things on our agenda. For me, it was helpful because seeking His will makes a difference in how the day goes. For one thing, it seems longer, and I make less mistakes. However, he also said that listening is not just waiting for my turn to talk or to make excuses for not having time to listen.

Callaway’s writing pushes me to consider that long list. What does Jesus say about it? Is some of it not important or non-essential? Am I burdening myself with extras ‘just in case’ rather than trusting Him for whatever might come up?

Of course lunch had to be made. The doing of it was not Martha’s problem. He spoke to her about her anxiety and attitude toward her work. Mary was being settled by taking instruction first. She no doubt helped Martha after that, but not before listening to the One who wants His servants to be at peace and find joy in all that we do.

PRAY: Thank You Jesus for all that You teach me. I sit and listen at church, yet know that listening ought to be a 24/7 attitude. You want me to know what You know and think how You think about everything, not just my list. Who knows… You might take things off it or even add things to it, but at the end of the day, knowing I’ve listened to You and followed Your instructions results in great rewards for making that choice.

Two Ears — one mouth…

Other than an occasional vehicle going by, or the faraway sound of a siren (and only if a window is open), this new home of ours is quiet and in a quiet community. Oh, the clocks tick, and the house settles, and the TV might be on, but silence is golden.

This morning I’m reading from Phil Callaway’s little book called, “With God on the Golf Course: Outdoor Insights Pocket Devotionals.” Phil is a funny man but wise and his topic on this reading is the lost art of listening. While he relates it to the golf course, I relate it to my home. So quiet here too!

I need such a place. Like Phil, I value the stillness for this is also a spiritual practice important to the wonder of learning to listen to the voice of God. Today’s messy world offers few motivations to listen. It is noisy, with much bustling about and for some loony reason, we get the notion that busyness and even hurrying and noise are measures of a productive life. God says otherwise: 

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, (Isaiah 30:15)

I love the first part and yet know the last part. I can be alone and in this quiet place but there are times when I get out in the noise and don’t want to go home or escape noise’s captivity.
Yet God tells me to listen, in traffic, in crowds, when the TV is blaring, at a soccer game, in the library where children are allowed to chatter. I must learn it at home or really listening to Him might never happen.

Callaway points out that “Adam and Eve refused God’s counsel and were banished from the Garden Golf and Country Club.” Since that awful event and no matter how much God blessed them, His people turned to idols. Even their leaders refused to listen.

But as (God’s prophet) was speaking, the king said to him, “Have we made you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.” (2 Chronicles 25:16)

How many times have I done the same thing? Too many and too shameful to think about. It is bad enough to go ahead with my own plans when God says no. It is just as much a sin to think that listening is merely waiting my turn to speak, or to defend my actions with excuses.

Of course God honors those who listen because His definition of listening is not just hearing what He says but doing it. Consider His letters to the churches in Revelation that ended with: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” or how David listened when confronted with his sin and was called “a man after God’s own heart.”

God wants me to listen, not merely hear Him. He may be telling me to stand up and speak, or He may be saying to shut up and pay attention. Either way, genuine listening involves action that obeys what He says. 

PRAY: Lord, help me have a heart that longs to hear Your voice. Keep working to make me alert to you and teachable. You know my tendency to be distracted by not only noise but everything. I’m not golfing any more, but let this quiet home enhance my ability to hear You and do what You say and not let the clamor in my mind or any other noise rule rather than the quietness and confidence that You so graciously provide. 

God says keep going…

 

When looking at my quilts or talking to a non-quilter at a show, I often hear, “I don’t have the patience to quilt.” I sometimes think, “How then will you get patience?” But I don’t say it. God tells me how to grow in patience, but most of us don’t like His method.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)

What does it mean to be patient? The Bible uses patience, perseverance, endurance, and steadfastness to describe God. He patiently withholds judgment for a time and allows for repentance and salvation He uses this to define people who are reliable, faithful, and true to the end. Jesus was steadfast. 

Trials produce this quality using these English words to describe the ability to trust God no matter the situation. In other words, patience is not about a quality needed to produce a desired result. It is about the quality needed to wait on God for the desired result — and God does not stitch up my quilts.

I’ve given much thought to this idea of needing patience even to create something. Would the word “motivation” be more suitable? And to go deeper, would “love” be better? In the context of raising children, a parent needs patience to keep teaching them. Love desires that they become responsible, well-behaved adults. As for quilt-making, motivation can vary. For me, it is the desire to show the recipient that they are loved. I’m also created in the image of God so creating something useful and hopefully beautiful is part of who I am. Yes, it is often hard work and perseverance must replace procrastination, yet patience isn’t the biggest issue.

Actually, the alternative to patience is: “I want it now” and that statement tells me that I’m not mature — since maturity is often defined as the ability to wait for delayed gratification. Applied to quilting or anything else, it is the attitude of wanting something without having to do anything or without needing to wait for it. Interesting that the NT adds this as an addition to faith and part of my spiritual growth. I noticed that it follows another important word:

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5–8)

Self-control means selfish desires under control or selfishness yielded to the Lord, and a careful read shows this is part of becoming more like Jesus and better able to persevere or keep on. A person of faith shows lack of trust in God’s timing by always ‘wanting it now’ instead of being patient with God.

That said, making quilts for me can be a patient-developer only if I’ve lost my original motivation to show God’s love to people. Then it is just another chore on my to-do list. Instead of that happening, perseverance and all that is required in the process helps me realize that if my list is just  ‘more chores’ motivated by duty instead of love.. Even housework or grocery shopping can be done out of love for others. Changing the motivation for why I do them makes a huge difference in my attitude while I do them. 

Impatiently wanting anything ‘done and over with’ is a faith matter too. I am not trusting God when I get upset with not seeing the results of what I have asked Him to do:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Quilt making has helped me keep my eyes on the promise (the finished project) even when it is unseen. I don’t need to have the end result in my hands to keep going, just as I am learning that I don’t need to see the resolution or answer to all my prayers instead of keeping my focus on God’s promises. If anyone tells me they do not have the patience to quilt, maybe this could be an opportunity to ask about motivations for why we do anything?

PRAY: Jesus, patience is a big topic. You are a big God, otherwise I’d never keep going without the desires You grant me to do things, to meet needs and show Your love to others. May You persevere in granting me perseverance and the faith to keep on when the work is a challenge or those around me do not understand the reasons why I do anything You put on my heart to do. 

Glad to be a slave…

 

I’m troubled if a sermon or in conversation with other Christians I hear the idea that ‘I’m working for God’ or that ‘I need to please God' or earn His favor. Sometimes I don’t understand what troubles me about that kind of thinking, but today’s devotional reading makes it clear that I am not in a wage-earning relationship with God. I cannot do certain things to please Him for He has no need for anything. Piper quotes these verses then adds a chart to clarify (sorry if the chart doesn't line up well):

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:20–23)

Sin’s slavery                                New “Slavery”
slave master is sin (20)                slave master is God (22)
free from righteousness (20)        free from sin (22)
benefit? none (21)                          fruit? sanctification (22)
the final end? death (21)               the final end? eternal life (22)
the master pays wages (23)        the master gives gifts (23)
the wage is death (23)                the gift is eternal life (23)

This clearly says that I am not supposed to relate to God as a wage earner, but as a gift receiver. My “slave role” is not about working for wages, or to gain something for myself, but walking submissively where the gifts are, which means walking by faith and receiving what God gives me. This is part of what this passage is saying:

(God) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9–10)

Being powerless in my old life is the prerequisite to living in the power of Christ. Part of that powerless state is giving up self-effort which is sin and relying on God’s gift of the Holy Spirit and His power. 

Sin and self-effort do not bear spiritual fruit. Instead, sin demands works and pays wages, but the wages are self-glorifying, such as popularity, power, finances, prestige, even feeling good. However, a slave of God is gifted freely with eternal life, a new way of thinking, even the mind of Christ and communication with my Creator, answered prayer, assurance of His love… and a long list of undeserved, unearned blessings.

Piper says, “Beware of a wage relation to God. There is no such thing.” He is right, the master in a spiritual wage relations is always sin, and sin gives me nothing permanent. Even the selfish glory does not last. Besides, sin produces heartache and even disasters in the long run. Nothing of eternal value and mostly “I wish I hadn’t done it” sorrow in my heart. The ‘death’ is separation from God, never loving fellowship or a sense of purpose in life. No wonder God says:

Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. (Romans 6:13)

PRAY: Jesus, sometimes the reality of what You have done for me is like a gift wrapped in gold, a renewal of that initial joy that came as a startling wonder. My heart sings. I’m so glad that You gifted me to be your slave!

Waiting. . . . not easy!

We have a loved one who dropped out of our lives a few years ago. It grieved us and even though the Lord didn’t reveal any wrong doing on our part, it has been a troubling rift. Without knowing any details, it seems this was a decision for personal reasons and involved other people too. So we pray and wait.

Last night I dreamt about this person and woke up with tears on my pillow. Thoughts included taking initiative but everything I could think of that I could do seemed more like manipulation than seeking restoration. So I prayed again and asked God what I should do, if anything. As soon as I opened my Bible software, this popped up:

So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God. (Hosea 12:6)

Basically, He is telling me to stick with it, trust Him and don’t stop loving this person. Justice means doing what is right, giving up what I want (my own peace of mind) and trust God to do what He wants done, both in my life and that person’s life. I don’t know the whole story, only my emotional reactions — and they are not a reliable guidance.

The Bible has many instructions to wait. Most of them challenge my impatience. I want it now, like a kid looking at the cookie jar, or worse, like a person in pain who wants the pain to go away. Still, the Word says:

Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord! (Psalm 31:24)
Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. (Psalm 33:20)
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. (Psalm 40:1)
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. (Psalm 62:1)

God’s timing is always perfect, even if mine is ‘now’ and I am suffering in the waiting. It is no coincidence that this “Verse of the Day” popped up on the right day in answer to the prayer I said only a few minutes before. 

PRAY: Last night someone notified me that I was missed in the text messages about a meeting that is today. She noticed and sent the information to me so I would not miss it. That is You at work, taking care of me. In the afternoon, I was working on a project and made a mistake, or so I thought. It turned out to be the right thing. That is You at work too. Every day Your timing is right. As the OT prophet said, with Your help I can return to trusting You. I know it is not right to pressure people to do what I want. You will take care of that person, and me too. Enable me to hold fast and be patient as I wait for You.

What about fear?

A Christian friend shared that when someone dies, she is emotionally upset. My oldest son often says he has no fear of death. Even though I know the people of God are with Jesus, I miss them and feel sorrow. 

A quick search shows that death is a primal fear but not always confessed, Some list public speaking, heights, going to the dentist, snakes, flying, spiders and other insects, enclosed spaces, and mice.

Other surveys boil it down to extinction, mutilation, loss of autonomy, separation, and ego death. Many of the responses are things in this life only. While the fear of death is deep in the heart, it is often ignored or pushed away until life is threatened in some way.

Like most people, the older I get the more I think about dying. While no one can know when, where, or how, it is a reality that we are all terminal, whether we want to talk about it or not. Whatever else a person might believe, what God has done through Jesus Christ gives Christians the greatest hope. This is a positive view for death and for thinking about it while alive. The Bible says it many ways:

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

God is totally righteous Spirit with every right to punish sin. However, as John 3:16 says, He loves us and sent His Son to pay that penalty for us. His sinless Son alone qualified to do this for a sinful person could not pay the penalty for other sinful people, only his own. That means Jesus had to come to earth, take on human flesh and do the unthinkable. A sinless fully God, fully man, died so we could live.

Christians are accused of a ‘pie in the sky’ faith that is only about our destiny, but the above verses offer a greater view of what faith in Christ does for us; it changes life here by delivering us from the bondage of fearing death.

Oh, some of us fear the other things on that basic list, like mutilation in the process of dying, or we can fight that loss of autonomy as Jesus works in us to die to our old nature and submit to His lordship, or separation from friends and family. I’ve had a problem with fearing abandonment and sometimes fear as if my life does not matter, yet Jesus takes care of that too. After all, the God of glory died for me…

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31–39)

With promises and statements like these from the One who died for me, what is there left to fear? Perhaps silly things like mice or spiders, or more serious such as falling off a building, or losing my mind to dementia, or being rejected by everyone. God cares for me. He says, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7) Why fear anything?

PRAY: You know that sometimes I do fear losing my hubby, or health, or memory, but when You speak to me as friend to friend, then I remember that You are not the author of fear but the One who delivers me from all fear, settling my heart and reminding me of Your salvation gift of Jesus, for both this life and the next. May I live today without concerns because I know that Your will for me is based on Your love, the love that sent Jesus to die and set me free from all fear. 

Thinking right in a messed up world…

Is positive thinking a choice? I can remember my dad reading a book about it and how a person could do whatever they were certain they could do, thinking positively about it. We argued. I said, “No matter how much I think I could become an opera singer, that would never happen.” I won. He had heard me singing.

When it comes to listening to sermons, I have to remember that any admonishments from the pulpit are not possible in my own strength. Sure, God could change my vocal chords and make diva out of me if He wanted to, but that is not my choice or ability to assume He will. Thinking positively is good but I’m not God. 

This is something like those who say things like, “So and so would be healed if she just had more faith.” This suggests that it isn’t God who works the answers and changes our lives. Instead, it is up to me to choose it, as if I run my own life.

However, a negative attitude can move toward a positive by allowing Jesus Christ in the equation. It may not change my circumstances, but the Holy Spirit can change how I think about things.

For instance, I woke up this morning after a dream about a relative who has dementia. His spouse is trying to fix it by correcting his memory if he says something contrary to her memory. The result is tension and conflict. I thought about this for a few minutes and started to weep. What can I do to make that better? The same thing that the wife can do — nothing. Self-effort for Christians is a frustrating waste of energy.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4–5)

Yet abiding in Christ means relying on Him as my source, definitely related to living the gospel. This means knowing I cannot do anything in my own strength or according to my wants or desires or even needs is important. Being helpless actually helps me turn to Him and rely on Him to fill me with His Spirit and do His will with His power. It is like this:

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. (Colossians 2:6)
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12–13)

I receive Christ by faith, knowing I could not redeem myself. He works in me so I will live the way He wants. He is my power and whatever I do apart from that is sin. The Bible says so.

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:13–18)

The symptoms of not abiding can be obvious. Most of them scream “I am right” or “I know what I am doing” whereas the abiding person behaves far differently. The fruit born by one who is relying on Jesus is listed above and also here:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–23)

If any of it is missing, then I’m not abiding and have some confessing to do, mostly lack of faith in Christ and foolish faith in myself.

PRAY: Jesus, when I choose me over You, the consequences are as certain as the opposite are true when I abide. You put my heart at peace and fill me with joy. These days, the world seems filled with joy-robbers, yet You say, “I have overcome the world.” I need to cling to that truth, both for family conflicts and far larger events in this sin-sick world. Fill me. I cannot even think right without You and without knowing how You think.

Subtle Doubts

The Bible speaks much of God's people having zeal or great enthusiasm to serve Him. New Christians often show the same attitude. So do I, but not always. Yesterday we heard an enthusiastic message, yet all I wanted to do afterwards was sleep. 

Today, I could sleep all day. My health has a thumbs up. I’ve the blood pressure of a teenager, no problems with eyes, ears, teeth, bone density, etc. but my zeal for life, even ordinary things, lags at times. Is this a spiritual problem? Or too many birthdays?

A bit of research lists a host of reasons such as worldly-mindedness, spiritual complacency, neglecting spiritual disciplines, unrepentant sin, a lack of understanding of God's truth, focusing on temporary gratifications, trying to please others, and overwork. In its list of twenty-two possibles, a few poked at me. . . .  

While I’ve sometimes relied on others to build my self-worth, an excessive workload often deplete my energy and enthusiasm. Sometimes I ask for help or prayer support and others tell me how strong I seem and assume that I don’t need encouragement. I can be emotionally drained at the state of the world, pray much about the needs I see, yet feel the fatigue of spiritual battle. A big drain is prayer without seeing tangible results. I can also focus on the challenges and difficulties rather than on God's power. At that, zeal begins to fade.

Interestingly, at least one OT prophet saw this problem as God withholding His blessing: 

Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me. For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name. O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. Your holy people held possession for a little while; our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary. We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, like those who are not called by your name. (Isaiah 63:15–19)

The NT says this about blaming God for a lackluster faith:

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:13–17)

And in the letters to the churches, God also says His people are to repent from whatever was lacking and do as He was telling them to do. Am I hearing but not doing? Is being too tired to do anything a challenge? or an excuse? Discernment needed…

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8–10)
 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

After writing this, I received a positive and edifying email and it helped restore my emotions. God heard me whining.

PRAY: Jesus, sometimes my problem is trying to do more than You ask of me. The needs are great and although I trust You to be Lord of all, I sometimes tackle Your to-do list instead of waiting for Your instruction. Yesterday You reminded me how small actions create large results. Today this lack of zeal and that email tell me to “be still” and trust You to answer my prayers and take care of all my needs. Forgive my impatient discouragement that reflects a simple lack of trust that You will do what is best for me.

Simple Instructions for Today

Normally a devotional reading suits my desire or need of the day. I just want to think about it, do what it says, even copy/paste it here. This day’s thought comes from a devotional guide by Baker Publishing called “Quiet Reflections of Hope: 120 Devotions to Start Your Day.” It begins with this verse:

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

The author’s idea is illustrated by smiling. When someone smiles at you, you can’t help smiling back. I’ve often noticed that if I smile at a stranger, they usually smile back too. The devotional writer calls that the ripple effect. This image is used for other things, but in this case it is like the action that happens when a small object is tossed into a pond and starts a small ripple that spreads over the whole surface. In other words, a small action can have a large result.

In beholding God's glory, I’m told that I will reflect it, starting small but one small act of kindness can create a larger response, like the ripples in a pond. Here, faith comes in.
Small acts can be like the boy offering his five loaves and two fish. I can imagine his open-mouth amazement at what Jesus did with that small donation. For me, it could be a small financial offering, but it also could be a smile for a gloomy person. 

One day I shopped at a dollar store where they had talking machines to take payment for purchases. But they also had one real person at a till. I went to the person and told her I would rather listen to her than those machines. She burst into a grin and said, “Thank you. That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me all week.” Ripples? It may not take much to bless others!

Faith trusts those tiny impulses to act, sometimes in very small ways. Trusting those impulses is about trusting God. It involves listening as the Spirit is waiting for a chance to inspire me. I need to hear the subtle whispers by being still, quiet and receptive. If I talk too much I could miss it. If I’m hesitant or unsure and doubt the value of those subtle ideas, or even think “this is silly” then I might miss the chance to show His glory to someone else, even to change their attitude or make a difference in their life.

The devotional writer asks to compare the ways of Jesus to show kindness to others. I don’t need to know ahead of time or even see the results. I simple need to trust that quiet voice that offers an idea, realizing it will likely be not only a small thing, but spontaneous. While it could inspire another person or maybe even more than the person who first receives it, I don’t need to have an advance clue of such a result. I just need to obey. 

PRAY: Lord, help me pay attention to You today. Nudge me to act, even if the action seems small or unimportant. You do promise that I can reflect Your glory, so help me to do what You know will be a blessing to others, even if it seems like a small thing or a nothing to me.

When it seems okay to do my own thing…

Piper writes about using excuses to not do what God wanted him to do. First it was writing a lecture instead of making a tough visit. Then it was wanting to play with a new computer program instead of writing the lecture. Some who read what he called his “remaining corruption” would not think any of that was sin, or at least not a big deal. 

I can hear the words, “I’m only human” or some other explanation, yet it is far too easy to miss the implication of ‘doing my own thing’ especially when it seems innocent or reasonable. Taking seriously God's description of sin is a rare thing:

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

The  fact is, whenever I do what I want instead of what God wants, even in ignorance of what God wants, Piper is correct. Those ‘my own way’ things are sin. It does not matter how innocent they look or what puts them on our mind as important. If the activity is not the will of God, or not a result of listening to Him, it is my own way, and the Bible says that is sin, sin that was laid on Christ and for which He died.

Taking His definition seriously can make me seriously distressed. I am guilty of sin that didn’t seem wrong but was and is sin because I’ve walked away from God. Even if I noticed that was what I was doing, how many excuses have I made? How often do I reason it away? Or even blame God in the sense that I didn’t do His will because… with dozens of excuses and some of them related to circumstances that pop up — and who is in control of circumstances? Those excuses actually put blame on God for my selfish actions.

In the realization of the depth and width of sin, only the gospel can keep me from total despair. As Piper writes, what would I do without the incredible assurance that Christ died for me, for all of my sin?

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:6–9)

This is not to be an excuse to go on doing whatever I want to do. Instead it is the reason for wanting to die to sin and live for Jesus, to walk in the newness of life and not revert back to selfish motivations. Even though this happens, Jesus died that I might be set free from its power and pay close attention to my motivations and who I am trying to please.

PRAY: Jesus, this is one of those days when I feel like doing easy stuff, yet have a challenge in the works. I’d prefer to be lazy today, do my own thing, but this timely message is telling me to put off all that and not let my negativity control my life. Just You, just You. Amen.

A Simple Salvation?

 

What if God had decided in Eden to forgive Adam and put him back into the garden with the same one command and he and Eve just kept breaking it? Or what if God gave His people the Law and never offered any other way to be right with Him? This would mean that to be ‘saved’ all people must totally obey God, and when we didn’t, we had to make all those expensive sacrifices, do those time-consuming purifications, and vow many abstinences. This means  remaining under a yoke we could not bear.

Think about the options. Disobedience could demand “a thousand lambs,” and “rivers of oil” rather than a sincere confession and repentance. Instead, in Christ we are forgiven, cleansed and through faith given a glorious life requiring only that that we believe what He says and live in relationship with Him. 

Faith is about our believing in God's goodness and the reality of His intentions. It is about trusting His Word, relying upon His promises, and gladly receiving and embracing His crucified Son. Faith is also having a sincere respect to all I discover about His will. What can be easier than this? 

Yet even in the days of the apostles, and still to this day, some try to introduce a multitude of legal burdens. Do they envy God's incredible expression of His goodness in the Gospel? Or has He been guilty of treating us too favorably? Faith does not take God for granted or treat this favor lightly; it simply believes what God says.

Even so, faith is not a clear understanding or even a clear knowledge of every revelation. In His kindness, He reveals Himself and only obliges me to believe Him, not fully understand Him.

In the family of God, faith comes in varying degrees, yet it is a simple matter that can happen in the hearts of children, the ignorant, or those older and wiser and well-educated. It is within the ability of all. Not only that, God does not require that we reason Him out, nor that everyone should be a philosopher, a theologian, or an orator, only a believer.  

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3–4)
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

As someone recently said, “It is so simple. It has all been done for us. All we need to do is believe it.” He is right; this is simple. Why do many not believe it? Perhaps they have never heard it? Or more likely, the statement is for sinners only, and without admitting the need to be forgiven and cleansed, God will not impose or force His great gift of faith on anyone who refuses to believe that they need Him.

PRAY: Jesus, You said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31–32) Abiding simply means to stay there, not drift off into what You don’t say, or stay stuck with my own ideas of self-importance, and think that I don’t need You. I realize the most common reason that people do not have faith is because they see themselves as ‘good enough’ and their sin is not so bad. An honest look in the mirror and I know that I do need You. Thank You for the gift of the Gospel and for not giving me what I deserve. 

IQ and education are not enough…

 

 One of my siblings said, “I’m so thankful that our Mother taught us that the Bible is the Word of God.” The odd part of that statement is that this person belongs to a cult that changes the words in the Bible so that it says what they want it to believe.

Today’s devotional from John Piper is about God giving us minds to think, that He made the rules of logic and is the standard of true and false, good and bad, beautiful and ugly. Piper says that ignoring Him is to be profoundly undereducated, which is true, yet without the Spirit of God and His power to open our minds, we would all be blind to the truths it contains. I listen to my sibling and realize God is at work and I rejoice, because up until recently, he read it but didn’t get any of it.

I’m aware that anything I know about God and from His Word is in my mind because the Holy Spirit has enlightened me. It has very little to do with my ability to read or my IQ. I also realize that God requires me to obey what I know and gives the ability to do that. I am warned not to disobey by Scriptures such as this:

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. . . . And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. (Romans 1:21; 28)
Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. (1 Corinthians 14:20)
The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly. (Proverbs 15:14)
Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. (2 Timothy 2:7)

Learning how to meditate takes time. Few children are thoughtful. So are many of us older people. ADHD does not help. For years, I’d read profound truths in the Word of God and forgot what I read soon after. Now I pray about what God says, and yet by the end of the day may not remember those verses. Thinking about them is really important, but not easy for me.

However, the power of the Holy Spirit to drive truth home to the heart is vital. Years ago, a young cult member was in our home. I asked her how she could be saved. She said, “By doing good works.” I handed her my Bible and had her read this aloud:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

Then I repeated, “How does the Bible say we are saved?” She replied, “It says we are saved by good works.” 

From that time, I understand the meaning of spiritual blindness. Without the enlightenment of the Spirit, she could not comprehend what she had read. While I am to share the gospel with others, the Spirit must also be at work or their minds and hearts will not hear it.

It is the same for me. I’m reading the first part of 1 Chronicles and this is the Word of God, but I’m not hearing from Him — those genealogies are just words. 

PRAY: Jesus, not only do I depend on You for my redemption, I need You for everything including the ability to understand what You are saying. Yes, careful reading is important, but without Your grace, it is impossible to grasp the truth that sets me free. This is a big reason why I worship You and depend on You. I’m so thankful that You talk to me and know how to remind me of what You said.

Why God put me here…

The devotional book I’m reading is divided by a reading plan that is not dated. In other words, it takes me through 120 chapters from the time started until the end of the year. Some days are one chapter, but some chapters are divided into three days. The reading for today is three sentences at the end of a chapter, not very helpful yet it has a line that prompts two thoughts. The line is:  “It doesn’t matter what happens to me if I can just live to the glory of his grace.”

Of course Piper makes that line the application for his readers. However, it made me think again of John MacArthur. His final sermon began with an outline of what he was experiencing; three heart surgeries and one on his lungs. Then he said almost the same thing as this line from Piper’s devotional. John was a humble man, and a fine example of living to the glory of God. He had his flaws, but his life shoots holes in any excuse that living for God's glory is impossible.

At the same time, I cannot say that this is a fine goal for a prominent preacher but not for an ordinary wife, mother, homemaker, etc. God did not save me so I could hide behind an apron.

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (John 15:15–17)

These words of Jesus are packed with the reasons I am here, not behind a pulpit or in any position of prominence, but to bear fruit. What kind of fruit is He talking about?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:22–26)

These attitudes are action words. Love may be a noun in Greek but it is a verb in practice. In my role as a wife, it is about the way I interact with the man I married. Loving him means wanting the best for Him (God’s will) and doing things that are helpful, edifying, and encouraging. 

Just in case anyone thinks love is an easy task that does not require being filled with the Spirit and bearing the fruit He supplies, the NT says this:

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. (Ephesians 5:22–24)

Some Christians believe this submission is a cultural thing and not for today, or that it makes a doormat out of a wife. However, doing it follows the model of Jesus who came here in humble obedience and did all that His Father asked for the eternal good of a sinful world. I am saved because Jesus submitted. I cannot use that excuse to have the final say in my home or even consider myself better, smarter, etc. than anyone else. Love is not about competition. And love is just one ‘fruit’ that I was chosen and saved to bear in the task of living for God's glory. The others, joy etc. also are impossible apart from the grace of God. 

PRAY: Jesus, no wonder these things are called the fruit of the Spirit — no way can I live like that without Your grace, input, and power. Pastor John and others prove it can be done, and You are the ultimate example. I bow my head at the many times my ‘fruit’ was shriveled, or not ripe,  or not there, or just rotten, instead of being genuine and produced from abiding in You. Fill me today and always remind me why I am here.

Our loss, his gain…

Late last night the news came that Pastor John MacArthur had graduated and is now with Jesus. Actually, he has been with Jesus most of his life. Here he will be missed. 

We were members of his church for a short time. My hubby was saved at another church in 1980, and realized it was not the right place for us. I and our three children were listening to John on the radio before they went to school each day and the youngest (grade 4) piped up and suggested we go to Grace Community Church. It was a bit of a drive for us, but I’ll not forget the first time we attended and heard John speak.

I’d read of how to live as a Christian but not experienced examples until we heard the preaching and met the people at Grace. People saved seats in the front rows by putting their Bibles on them, unheard of in most churches. I was so mesmerized by John’s messages that it took me a month to remember what he looked like. He was a humble man, studied the Word many hours a day, and an incredible ‘preaching machine’ when up front. My husband and all we met there were thoroughly grounded in their faith because of John’s teaching, and very involved in obeying the Lord. I’m certain the Internet is already full of stories that tell how this man glorified God and changed their lives. 

My verse for today reminds me of John’s firm defense of the gospel and is a truth firmly embedded in my heart:

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44)

Salvation is not something we do. It is not a matter of ‘choosing’ to following Christ, but of being chosen. So many claim “when I decided to become a Christian” yet the Bible does not make this a human choice. John pointed that out and repeated what Jesus said:

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (John 15:15–17)

MacArthur stood firmly on that truth. When the choice is ours, many think that we can also choose to stop believing. However, when God’s calling is spoken of like this, and the rest of the NT is carefully read, true believers experience a changed life, a new life, a life in which Jesus is Lord and we are His forever children. We do not control our salvation; Jesus does. John focused on our Savior’s lordship.

One summer we moved from California and Grace church. During that move, we attended two other churches that were growing in size and filled with people who were like the folks at Grace. These three were different denominations yet all very fruitful and alive in Christ. I noted the one thing they had in common: all three had pastors that focused on God and God's glory, not so much on what we should be doing. No finger-shaking, thou shalt’s or thou shalt not’s — instead, all pointed to the wonder of God and the Gospel. 

One of the reasons I write “Practical Faith” is because of the reality that God loves me and wants my life to honor Him, not just on Sunday or in ‘spiritual’ matters, but in everything. I watched a man and his church do that and am thankful to God for giving us a short time with them, but long enough to permanently bless our lives.

PRAY: Jesus, I am glad John is at rest with You. He is missed already, but because of Your blessing in His life, countless others have also been blessed. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

An opportunity from the Lord?

 

Sometimes an opportunity presents itself and I feel as if I’ve stepped into a shopping mall to choose whatever I want. This time a friend offered me a top-line sewing machine that she isn’t using. It is almost new and has enough bells and whistles to make my head spin. The issue is making a choice. My ADHD loves diversion from normal and this is it. My creative side looks at the hundreds of new possibilities and imagines how this machine would enhance the speed and beauty of making quilts for needy people. The practical side thinks of the learning curve and wants to stay simple. 

So I am praying. The verse for today is a repeat from last week. Is this His answer to this opportunity? “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

He never changes. I am to be like Him, changed to be like Him. That speaks of stability, but not necessarily standstill. The process of being transformed is not boring or always the same. That is, He might change me with a sermon, a line in a song, thoughts in a book, the words of a friend, circumstances, even a vivid dream. Jesus Christ is always at work and when I pay attention, I can see Him in every situation. Sometimes people do things that call for a Christ-like response. Sometimes my mind is challenged to think like Jesus, to choose words that He wants said, to do things that are out of my comfort zone.

In this case, it isn’t about money. I can afford the machine. It is about time. If I am going to have it, it will mean being more thoughtful about how I waste time doing things that are ‘busy work’ yet not important. I will need to pray more, and wisely use not just that machine but my time and energy. This might seem simple for some people, but for those with easily scattered minds, it means more reliance on Jesus than ever.

The Spirit pops a phrase into my mind about numbering my days. This passage is more than relevant for I am already past eighty:

The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! (Psalm 90:10–17)

Those last lines are saying to me that Jesus can use this opportunity to show His power to me and to my children, granting not only favor but establishing my work? I looked up the idea of being established and am amazed again by what God is saying about His favor. The word is used to express the action of being determined, firmly rooted, and spiritually and emotionally strong. It is about being well-grounded, filled with the hope of what is to come, and implored to encourage others. It also expresses a certainty or firm decision, like being determined as when Jesus “determined to journey to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51).

I can see that this is not about having a new machine as much as it is about having the right attitude towards moving forward with the burdens on my heart, doing what I can for others, and being open to greater challenges. The woman who offered it is also a Christian and she wants my skills shared with others (many Christians and some who are not there yet) in this complex where we live, and using this machine well could be part of that. It is an opportunity to be more like Jesus.

Another writer tells me to step outside my comfort zone by doing things I’ve never done before. Obedience-based actions will shape my character and deepen my faith as God  increasingly forges me into the image of the radical Jesus found in the pages of Scripture.

PRAY: Again Lord, You surprise me. I know now why You have put this in my path. It isn’t about using the thing but about being like You in the process. You are giving me a greater open door to “let Your work be shown to Your servants” — not my work but the work of You in me. This is a bit scary, but my heart knows what You want from me. Again, I am amazed — and blessed.

Living orderly…

A language can be confusing to those learning it. Mandarin Chinese has about 420 syllables without tones, and 1300 syllables with tones, some of them being homonyms for more than 100 characters, each with different meaning. A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning and/or spelling. “Flower” and “flour” are homophones because they are pronounced the same but you certainly can't bake a cake using daffodils.

Consider the English word ‘order’ and its several meanings. Put the room in order. Order breakfast in the restaurant. Order the child to stop jumping on the bed. Arrange the spices in alphabetical order.

This word came to mind when reading my ‘verse for the day’ even though it is not in the passage:

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5–8)

It seems that Peter wrote this with a progression in mind, so my first task was looking up verses that talk about doing things in an orderly way. Two came to mind without looking:
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. . . . But all things should be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:33; 40)

Another is at the beginning of Luke’s gospel: "It seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus." (Luke 1:3) Dr. Luke wanted the story told in an orderly way, perhaps because many stories are told by those who ramble around with the details.

Peter was the same. Acts 11:4 says he “began and explained it to them in order.” This shows up in the verses above. It also fits with Paul’s words to two churches:

For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. (Colossians 2:5)
I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. (1 Corinthians 7:35)

This implies that order on Peter’s words in his 2nd letter has helpful instruction. It says “supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge” so considering the admonitions in other NT verses, this sounds like a sequence. Faith comes first, so this is for those who are trusting God. No one can have true virtue without faith. Any goodness we have must be given to us by Him through faith in Christ. The NT says, “All fall short of the glory of God” and the OT verifies this by saying: “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment…” (Isaiah 64:6)

The first result of faith then is a change from sinful living to obedient goodness. Faith brings a new nature, a work of God that enables our motivation from the Holy Spirit instead of our sinful selves. Without faith, any ‘goodness’ is self-produced and falls short.

Then add knowledge. Most new Christians have little understanding of what is going on. I remember a friend saying, “It takes a moment to be saved, and a lifetime to figure out what happened.” Therefore, we need to add knowledge, even just to understand what God has done.
This knowledge is always from the Word of God. It can come through preaching, teaching, godly advice, etc. but must conform to what God says. More than once God tells me to gain knowledge of Him:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2) 
. . . . put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Colossians 3:10)

The passage goes on, but each step is continuous. That is, virtue continues to be established, as does knowledge, self-control and so on. But if I hang on to any vice, knowledge and all other growth is hindered, even ceases, until the Lord changes my stubborn self-rule.

PRAY: This passage has much to say, to think about. Lord, You know where I am and what I need in this orderly living. Speak. Show me whatever I need to see and to obey to become more like You.

Alive and Dead at the same time…

At lunch with Christian friends, we discussed the value system of the world, particular some who are often in the news, and the difference between what they want out of life and what we want. Well, most of the time.

That difference mainly amounts to our realization that we “can’t take it with us” so most of what is important to many, like money, power, and fame, is not important to us. Well, most of the time.

This is because of a truth Jesus stated in verses like this one:

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:24–26)

Piper puts it this way: “It doesn’t matter what happens to me. . . .  when I am dead, I will not care what they do with my body. It will make no difference to me. I will be home with Jesus. That’s the way it is now, too, if I have died already with Christ, which all Christians have: ‘Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires’ (Galatians 5:24). Crucified means dead. So in a profound sense I am dead on the earth and my life is ‘hidden with Christ in God’ (Colossians 3:3). So it just doesn’t matter what happens to me here on earth.

However, most of us can say what a young missionary once said: “My problem is that a living sacrifice keeps crawling off the altar.” We so easily forget that we are dead, that is, our old nature is separated from God, cannot bear fruit, and is useless. The world and the Liar cannot make appeals to our new nature, but both will attack and mess with that old dead one. It seems odd that dead listens to other dead entities. Our lunch discussion included personal examples of  this battle.

Piper IDs it by pointing out that we are to “hate this life in this world” at least in the sense that we don’t give it much thought or care what happens to us. It doesn’t matter because we are dead to it… like a dead person is not concerned about possessions, being lied about, being famous, having much or little, and so on. 

Instead, our concern is to follow Jesus. And we do, most of the time. When do we crawl off the altar or come down from that cross? I get side-tracked by ordinary stuff. One friend shared how she tends to second-guess what God tells her to do. Another says, “I just want things to go smoothly.” We have I-trouble and our ears sometimes do not hear that still, small voice. Short term memory loss? 

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. (Romans 6:11–13)

Excuses aside, it is a choice. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). “Like a grain of wheat, fall into the ground and die.” Choose it. “Hate your life in this world.”

The result is much fruit. Paul said, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things” (Philippians 3:8). Most of us know what that means. Yet many are not happy with the idea of suffering loss. This is what makes me less fruitful than Paul. Not that I live in a different era, or place, or am a woman, or need to take care of my home and family. The real reason is that I-trouble.

PRAY: Jesus, this is a sharp reminder that life is short and if any of it will have eternal value, it will not come from the dead old me, only from the new life that exists and is empowered because of You. “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” (Romans 8:7) Make that distinction between dead to sin and alive to You even sharper, and remind me often. I need it, not just most of the time, but all of the time.

The prayers God answers. . . .

Are there any ‘human event’ illustrations to explain prayer? The only one I can think of is the man who bought a violin and learned to play along with the orchestra he listened to on the radio. The orchestra played without his initial mistakes and screeching affecting their music, but as the man listened and followed, he learned the right notes and began playing sounds that matched what he heard.

Today, I read that, “In essence, prayer is not about changing God's mind, but about aligning ourselves with His will and participating in His plan for the world. It's a way to connect with God, receive His guidance, and experience His blessings as He works through our prayers.”

Before our 2024 family reunion, the skies were filled with wildfire smoke. The days were unbearable hot, and on the way to the event, the wind was blowing the grass flat. Before that day, I’d prayed about the air and the heat, then the sky was clear and the temperature just right. So I prayed again, “God, You control the weather. What about that wind?” In less than five minutes, it stopped, and the weather was perfect for the three days of our family gathering. 

Only God… and yet I realize that had I not prayed, His will would be done anyway, but I would have missed a note. Instead, I had the wonderful experience of being in tune with God. 

Some are certain that our prayers are vital or God does not move. They cite verses like: “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.” (James 4:2) But what is the reason for not asking? If I am wanting something in a selfish way, haven’t I listened to the music long enough to know God does not want to fulfill all my selfish desires? Such prayer is playing the wrong notes and expecting the orchestra to play it with me. I do not pull (or pluck) God’s strings. His will is perfect and nowhere does His Word affirm that my prayers are vital to His playlist.

Instead, as I am learning, my prayers are not my plans but to fit in with what God has planned. “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance,” says Martin Luther, “but laying hold of his willingness.”

How could I think to change His mind — as if He is wanting the wrong thing?  A.W. Pink puts it this way: “There is no need whatever for God to change His designs or alter His purpose, for the all-sufficient reason that these were framed under the influence of perfect goodness and unerring wisdom. . . . To affirm that God changes his purpose is either to impugn his goodness or to deny his eternal wisdom… The sovereign God hangs the universe on the prayers of His people, and then inspires and empowers us to pray.”

I pray for many things, but never for any change in God, even though I fear too many Christians pray for their will to be done rather than His. How sad to view God as a genie in the sky who bows to our every wish. Prayer should reverse that idea so that I am bowing to His every desire!

PRAY: Lord, enable me to know You so well and listen to You so closely that I hear every note and know how You want me to pray. I want my words in alignment with Your heart. I want to be tuned in, not playing any tune other than what fits with the music of Your sovereign will because I totally trust that You know far better (and far more) than I do about all things on my prayer list. May all of us who follow You listen and respond in alliance with Your gracious will.

 

Anchored even in the ups and downs…

This day scrambled my thoughts. Family members arrive back from a holiday not knowing if recent storms and flash floods damaged their home. Last month fires threatened many areas. This time it is floods. Where I live, the weather changes so much that making outdoor plans is tentative at best.

As I read about the areas that were hit with extreme weather, another family member called to let us know her sister’s hubby had another stroke. Life changes in a moment.

In the larger world, a big nation attacks a small country again, this time the most severe effort in this ongoing battle. To the south, leadership decisions flip and flop and who knows what will happen next. 

But then there is God who managed to make my ‘verse for the day” be truly a verse for today:
“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed."  (Malachi 3:6)

Life is up/down, black/white, sane/crazy, normal/abnormal, but God remains the same. I did a word search in the NT for “same” and found these comforts…

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. . . . But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7; 24–25)

This God who is the same can take diversity in His people and composes everyone into a body that has the same goals and works in the same power. His Holy Spirit is our sameness, even as we are gifted differently and are not the same in other ways. Only God. 

His goal is that we become like Him, transformed into the same image as we gaze upon His glory:

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Spending time with others who love Jesus, He encourages us when we share the same ideas and same goals. These are also from the One who never changes…

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. (Philippians 2:1–2)

Not only does our God remain the same, He encourages His people to be like Him in the way we related to one another. These truths are like an anchor, a shelter, a fortress even, in a world where change happens so rapidly that it makes me dizzy.

And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” (Hebrews 1:10–12)

PRAY: In a day when I feel more scattered than usual, You give me a stable word for how I can think and act based on You, the One who is never scattered or fragmented by what You see in this messy place. You tell me: “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:6) and for that, I am settled and calmed. Take my hand and keep me moving forward in knowing You are not like the world and You are definitely not the author of confusion but of peace  (1 Corinthians 14:33). Thank You for being my stability and peace.