Being the person God created…

In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. (Luke 12:1–3)

Hypocrisy is when a person says one thing but does another. This word is usually attached to morals. Example: A driver honks and screams at cars for changing lanes too fast, then cuts across three lanes without using his signal lights. In broader terms, it is giving rules for how others should live, but breaking those rules in my own life. Jesus says this sort of life eventually is exposed.

Christians are often called hypocrites. We know how God wants us to live, talk, even think, yet we do things, or say things, and even think the opposite. While that sort of problem has an explanation, so does the cure. First the explanation:

But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:20–24)

We who have a saving faith in Jesus Christ are given a new nature to live by, and though the old nature is termed ‘dead’ (that means ‘separated from God’ rather than unable to act, talk, and think), we do have a choice, not an excuse. It is simple:

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (Romans 13:14)

We need to change our thinking: “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)

Anyone who uses the accusation of ‘hypocrite’ know the difficulty and challenge of changing how to think or even admit the need to change. This not an excuse, but it is a matter of faith. Do I believe I know better than God? Do I even know what God thinks about concerning what I pray about? I have a friend who says, “Why pray when you can worry?” illustrating how easily it is to be a hypocrite if worry is a person’s habit of life.

Humility pops into this equation too. If I think I am right all the time (pride), listening to God’s view and putting it into practice is not easy. I have to see myself as weak, needy, and often downright stupid. This is not popular in a world that tells us we need to have a positive self-image. God’s ways are not our ways. Pride blocks them.

God, You know every thought I think or whisper and what opposites exist in what I say compared to how I live. You call it how You see it. I’m not to be as the Pharisees, but to be like Jesus, and the only way to do that is to keep my sins acknowledged, confessed, and abandoned, then be filled with Your Spirit and walk that way with no provision for the flesh. You give me what is needed. My choice is to believe You and live like it. 

Flesh vs. Spirit — know the difference!

Today’s reading is about the necessity of being inhabited and guided and empowered by the Spirit of Christ. It seems this is not well understood. Some Christians talk as if they are doing this all the time because they have been saved, yet the NT warns believers about doing the opposite:

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery… For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another… But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:1–17)

In another passages, the NT describes the difference between a “natural person” and a “spiritual person.” It says: “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.” (1 Corinthians 2:14–15) This verse is a contrast between those who are not saved and those who are. In other words, I can understand the things of God because the Holy Spirit lives in me and gives me that ability.

However, other verses like the those in Galatians, call Christians who act like natural persons “mere humans.” In this verse, it refers to those who boast of the leaders they are following:
For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? (1 Corinthians 3:4)

I’ve done this. We have moved many times because of my hubby’s work and when he was saved, we attended a church led by a well-known pastor. I’ve boasted about that. The Bible this is fleshy behavior.

It also says that old nature is dead (separated from God) and because the Holy Spirit lives in me, I have supernatural life flowing through me and can live with His power rather than my own. Galatians describes this by saying the flesh produces sin and selfishness but “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” (Galatians 5:22–23). Some sins are subtle, or do not seem like sins but God has shown me if love, joy, peace, etc. are missing, then I am not walking in the Spirit but behaving as a mere human, not a spiritual person.

This is not about knowledge but about character. Adam and Eve fell into sin because they wanted to be like God in knowing things, but God wanted them to desire holiness. Had that tree offered it, the world would be drastically different from what it is now. I would not battle things like pride, envy or any other selfish thinking that leads to words and actions contrary to holiness.

Walking in the flesh is an affront to the new life that God gives, a life of humility and growing in likeness to Jesus Christ. James makes the contrast as a warning to believers who assume their salvation alone makes us what we ought to be…

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 3:14–18)

PRAY: Jesus, I’ve been thinking much about holiness, and becoming increasingly aware of the subtleness of the flesh that is earthly, unspiritual, even demonic, and how much damage it can do in my relationships with others and with You. I’m thankful that You died to set me free from sin, from the world and the devil, and mostly from that old nature called the flesh. Remind me often that I am a new creature, changed by You and able to live by Your Spirit instead of reverting to that old me. But that old requires recognition, confession, and repentance to stop it from taking dominion of how I think, talk, and behave.

Emotional Maturity

Today’s reading is about emotional stability and maturity. It made me think more about the results of our Sabbath rest this week. For a long time I’ve felt tense, concerned with a lack of routine and so many days that were not ‘normal’ in that something new confronted me, not always negative but making me tense just the same.

Then we rested. We escaped the usual, spent time with God, each other, and doing some ordinary things that settled our thoughts. The past two days I’ve felt calmer than usual, and all that tension is gone. I attribute this to God's grace and am thankful, but today reminded how emotional maturity is about walking in the Spirit not the flesh. Considering this:

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 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. (Galatians 5:19–24)

Which of the fleshy works involve emotions? Certainly immoral activity, but all sorts of impurity, idolatry, etc. and more commonly, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, rivalry, dissensions, divisions, and envy. While most of these vary in degree, they still affect emotions. Last week, I noticed the tension in my body while watching an Agatha Christie movie. I cannot define the emotion but something adverse to rest was happening and this kind of entertainment should not produce tension or negative emotions.

This week is different. No tension. I have company coming today and was tense about that for weeks, but it vanished yesterday. This alone is a God-thing.

Today’s reading makes me think about what emotions are involved by walking in the Spirit. Certainly joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, goodness, and self-control, all positive.

Emotional maturity does not come with trying harder or with shutting down feelings. I’ve known those who ‘control’ their anger and lose their ability to feel positive emotions. It is only through the power of God's Spirit that emotions are as they should be. The NT even says: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:26–27) This indicates anger might not be sinful (Jesus became angry). The key is to deal with it properly, as God would.

As for the other negatives, confessing them as self-centered sin is important. I’d been annoyed by the behavior of others. Confessing that as unloving disobedience made a huge difference to the tensions that were bothering me. While it seems obvious to recognize what gets blamed for negativity, a proper analysis is important. Too many times people say, “You make me so mad” putting the onus unfairly on the other person instead of taking responsibility for our own reactions.

PRAY: Jesus, when I admit my old nature has usurped Your Spirit and opened the door to all sorts of ‘stinkin’ thinkin’, You forgive and cleanse me, but You are also become free to produce Your fruit in me. You want the Spirit in control, not my negativity and sin. And that is the reason that You saved me, as Jesus said. . . .  

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 15:16–17)

The reward is far more than the ability to be a conduit for Your positive emotions because walking in the Spirit means You will also answer my prayers and enable me to love others as I ought!

Who is doing the work?

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)

This interesting NT passage begs the question: what is my part in doing the work and what is God's part? How do I know for certain that God is working in me? The answer may be obvious to some, but there are other verses that make this question more complicated.

Another passage from the OT quotes the people asking God a question and then His response. They said, “Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?” God answers:

Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord? (Isaiah 58:3–5)

They were going through the motions so it looked like obedience, but God could see the motivation of their hearts. Their fasting was useless, even harmful.

I’ve tried to illustrate this with taking a pie to a new neighbor. I could be truly wanting to welcome this person and demonstrate the love of God, or I could be seeking a compliment on my pie-baking skills. However, the last time I said this, those listening tried to make my selfish reason a virtue! They did not see it as God saw the fast described in Isaiah 58:3. Were they blind to the subtlety of walking in the flesh that is intent on glorifying self?

God’s grace is a gift that enables us to do His will. It is like the hand in a glove. We do the work, but He supplies the will and the ability. This should make me say things like:

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)
For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (Colossians 1:29)
For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ. (Romans 15:18–19)

God wants me to press on by grace and in the motivation and power of the Holy Spirit, not according to my flesh, whether the latter is overtly selfish or hides that motivation under a pious pretension. I am not to think highly of myself but be content and even glory in my weaknesses that His power may rest on me. In other words, being Spirit-filled and enabled may mean that I am not even aware of His power. Only others will see Him because He is my focus.

PRAY: Jesus, faith is conviction about what I cannot see, not a vision or focus on what I want or how I am performing. It is a deep desire for Your will to be done, along with the understanding of my great need for grace. Apart from You, this glove is totally useless.

 

My efforts vs. God’s enabling

 
In our small group Bible study, my focus is often on the flesh vs. spirit issue but received as if I’m saying we don’t do anything — all of our obedience is God’s doing. But I’ve not made clear that there are two “we’s” in the discussion. The flesh is dead and useless. To obey God, I must be walking in the Spirit, not the flesh which is my old nature. The problem is that I have not been clarifying which “we” is helpless and which is able to obey.

Another confusion is that many Christians do not recognize when the flesh is at work (even though it is dead to God) or what being filled with the Spirit is like. Many do not want to examine their motivations but it seems vital to me that I know why I do what I am doing.

Today’s reading begins with a question about pursuing faith. Since it is a gift from God, do i try to increase it? As with anything else He grants, I cannot make it happen without faith or by my human efforts, but God is eager to enable me to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” so that He is glorified “both now and to the day of eternity.” (2 Peter 3:18) Certainly faith is a gift from God.

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)
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (Romans 12:3)
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake… (Philippians 1:29)

Other verses show that faith is granted to us by a revelation to our hearts. That is, He makes it possible for me to believe. This is also a gift as Jesus told Peter: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17) Otherwise, flesh remains in darkness. We need the gift of new life and the light from God which He shines “in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Even though faith is a gift, the Bible says it needs to grow so I am trusting Him all the time. What is true for salvation — “faith comes from hearing through the word of Christ” — is also true after that new life comes. Being in the Word, spending time with Jesus and with His Body, and obeying Him are important, yet also must be activities of the new nature. The flesh can go through the motions but is not the way to build faith or express it. If I do anything, even what seems like ‘good works’ I am not honoring God nor producing fruit without His enabling.

So faith is about walking in the Spirit, not the flesh, and about glorifying God and not doing things to make the old nature feel good or be praiseworthy. I now see when I talk about being useless, I need to better clarify that all that talk is about the old me — and my flesh needs to be ignored. The new nature listens to God and obeys. This means that I need to be able to discern which is which. The old nature wants to rule things and can imitate or fake godliness and render my actions useless to serve or honor God.

PRAY: Jesus, Thank You for clarifying how to better explain when I make comments about passages like John 15:1-5 or 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 and how ‘I’ am useless yet I can do all things through Christ. Most Christians tend to be unaware of the flesh-spirit conflict because they have not recognized the differences or do not want to admit how the flesh messes with their faith. You want me to be clear about my battles so all of us are better at walking in Your Spirit and enable to do so by Your amazing grace.

We divide, God unites and multiplies...

 

Moving dozens of times, going to Bible school and seminary, and visiting churches while on vacations adds up to exposure to many different denominations. All were Christian, yet the emphasis of each varies. Since then, I’ve learned that this is a complex issue. Early Christian beliefs even had branches too, such as Jewish Christianity, Pauline Christianity and Gnostic Christianity. These days, some might say Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodox, ’liberal’ vs. ‘evangelical’ or use other terms such as Calvinist or Arminians, never mind all the denominational titles.

Many theologians would divide Christians by how they interpret the way of salvation. For instance, Calvinists believe that God must produce in us the decisive desire for Christ. Arminians believe we must produce in ourselves the decisive desire for Christ. The Arminians say that God helps us and all people, but people provide the last, decisive impetus and desire for that belief.

For me, the Calvinist view seems the most biblical, not particularly because of Calvin’s five points but because it most glorifies God. Me being the master of my own fate seems to put me in the power seat rather than the Lord, and that glorifies me. Not biblical.

All that said, I also like how Watchman Nee defined the soul as being my intellect, emotions, and will. It is the part of me that runs my life without Christ. When Jesus saved me, He led me to understand that my mind, emotions, and volition needed to be turned over to Him, not abandoned but transformed. That is a process but also begun by Him when He made me a new creation:

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:16–17)

From this and other verses, walking in the flesh involves my mind, emotions, and choices. The new life is governed by the Holy Spirit in all three areas, yet the flesh stubbornly tries to maintain the primary voice in things. It wants life to be reasonable, comfortable, and done ‘my way’ so that it makes sense, feels good, and I have a sense of being in charge. However, trusting God often involves the opposites.

Not only that, I see these three fleshy elements having a focus in Christian denominations, in varying degrees and with much or little impact, but having an impact. The pentecostal denominations do focus on the Holy Spirit, but also emotions are important. The churches of God and its branches are more into human volition and making decisions (like “choose Christ”) and stress the importance of our will. The baptist-types stress right knowledge and having a sound mind. The devotional I’m using is a challenge because the focus is on the human will to the point that the author believes we can decide ourselves out of eternal life.

One pastor explains that if you focus on something with a magnifying glass, the things around it become fuzzy, even distorted. This seems to be the problem with all these denominations and various belief systems. We get too involved on what we think is a major issue and miss the importance of the entire Word of God, even the importance of glorifying God — instead of my thinking, my feelings, my will. Even Jesus said, “Not my will but thine be done” and He shows us to rely totally on our heavenly Father, not any part of me, myself, or I. While that is safe and takes time and faith to learn, it is also scary if I don’t know the love of God or trust Him to want the best for me and the glory that is due Him.

I come from a weekend that was so blessed by God that I’m almost numb with gratitude and joy. How can I say thanks? As the main organizer for this reunion, I could say “I did it” and that would not only not be true, it would ruin the blessing. God did it all and I feel like a bystander at a major display of His power and love. Others, even those not Christian, have expressed the wonder of what this event has done to their hearts. Only God. Only God.

PRAY: Jesus, how can I say thanks for the things You have done? I want the world to know that You love us, all of us, and that You can do anything. Your big blessing is coming here to die for us that we might live. After that, all is incredible, designed to transform us into Your image. Amazing grace! Again, I worship You, the God who is enough!

Finger-Pointing?

 An old adage says to beware of pointing a finger at others for there are three pointing back at yourself. For that, I am lately noticing, but with caution, that many Christians seem unaware of the difference between walking in the Spirit and living according to the flesh or their old nature. This is not about behavior. We can do all the right things but with the wrong motives, seemingly unaware that our new life in Christ is about a changed nature, not merely choosing ‘right’ behavior.

Perhaps my observations have become heighten by reading Stephen Charnock’s two volume set entitled The Existence and Attributes of God. It was written in 1853 but speaks loudly today. I’m not yet to page 200 and deeply aware of how subtle that old nature, dead in Christ yet acting very much alive, can ruin my Christian life with its self-centered attitudes. That said, there is a cure:

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. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12–13)

Some say the Bible is a ‘dead’ book, but it is living and able to do what no one but God can do for me: it discerns and exposes my heart and motivations, those from the Holy Spirit and those from the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Those last three are can be sources from which ideas and impressions come, and they are spiritual enemies, often disguising themselves as ‘angels of light’ and giving me the false notion that their ideas are from God.

These are not always overtly sinful ideas. They can appear perfectly legit, such as “start a Bible study” but the motivation involves self-glory, or impatience with an unmet need, or other reasons than “God is telling me” to do whatever the idea or plan might be.

These appeals to the flesh are often side-tracked by God who saves me from being reckless to listen to them. He protects me from failures and shame. At the same time, many children of God have been deluded into paths of extreme fanaticism by listening to the enemy’s schemes but thinking they were following the Lord.

I’m certain He sees the sincerity of our hearts. When I’ve not discerned my own selfish motives, He will show me, convict me, forgive and clarify as well, but the consequences are, at the very least, a waste of time and energy.

Today’s devotional says all our leadings and ideas need to be tested by Scripture — not just for their ‘rightness’ but that testing needs to include “Is this from the flesh?” The world and the devil may or may not be easy to spot, depending on the state of my flesh. Am I aware that it is dead to God? Or do I feed it and love it? Charnock says that too often Christians simply want to run their own lives. He calls it ‘practical atheism’ and the Bible calls it sin.

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)

Sin’s answer is always confession and receiving forgiveness and cleansing from the Lord.

PRAY: Jesus, the psalmist prayed:

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23–24)

This is my prayer too. You know me better than I know myself. Whenever I allow that old nature to crawl out of its grave and start running things, I may miss it, but You never do. Purify my heart and make it total Yours. Amen.

Jesus patiently keeps His Promises

 

Every morning I turn on the kettle to make myself a cup of tea. A few times I can’t recall doing it so touch the kettle to see if it is hot. My memory failure never affects the kettle. I flipped the switch and it does what I asked of it, whether I remember or not.

Faith in Christ is always about Him, not my failures and inabilities. I’ve trusted Jesus to save me and keep me in His care. If I fail to follow perfectly or have doubts or worries, He remains faithful. My doubts are merely evidence that I might be trusting my performance instead of His promises.

Sadly, if many Christians are tested by the presence of doubt in their lives, this gives evidence that their faith is not as strong as the trustworthiness of Jesus Christ. He said “Believe in me” to be saved, not “Believe in your performance” or “Believe because you are getting everything you want” or “Believe only when you never fail.”

James says that trials are able to produce patience in me. That is a reason to rejoice (James 1:2-4) for God is at work so I can be mature in my faith. Maturity shows up in many ways, but an important one is patience. When a person is patient, it even affects the way we pray:

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:1–8)

In this parable, the woman persisted in her request to a judge who was not anything like God, but that judge eventually gave in to her request because she persisted. She did not become impatient and take matters into her own hands.

When I pray to God, this is often my test too. I ask, sometimes for years, and sometimes try to make the answer happen only to realize that my efforts only interrupt the process. God is using the trial of waiting to build patience in me. My interruptions and self-effort only serve to put me back in the classroom taking ‘Godly Patience 101’. Once that is in place, God turns to my request.

Jesus’ question is pathetic: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Too many only trust God when their lives are comfortable, health is present, children are walking with Jesus, food is on the table, blessings abound. But when anything is missing, or when we slip up in obedience, guilt and the sense of our failure changes contentment to anxiety and worries that God has turned His back, forgotten His promises. Who are we trusting? And what are we trusting Him for? A more revealing question might be: What do I trust myself for?

PRAY: Jesus, when I rely on myself, I am always disappointed. I should never blame You for my sense of failure nor think that You have let me down when the opposite is true. If I am trusting me and feel let down, it is never Your fault. Help me to confess my sin and lack of faith in You and be forgiven and cleansed. You promised to keep me and are true to keep Your promises, even when I fail to remember that I asked You to do just that.

Holding God’s hand

 

Sometimes Christians tell me to be careful what I pray for. I understand why — because the answer is never what I expected and I often do not connect my prayer with what happens after praying it.

Not too long ago I prayed that God would remind me to always be relying on Him, always be thinking how much I need Him and that He is here for me. The past few days, I’ve had a pain in the lower inside of my knee. It is totally unpredictable. Not there Monday, nearly unbearable Tuesday, gone this morning. It occurs to me that this pain is His reminder. How can I do even the smallest chores? I could go to the clinic and get pain killers, or x-rays, or something, but the medical system right now is in a state that could easily have a long wait. Besides, if this is the answer to my prayer, it’s purpose, as with all trials, is to make me more like Jesus.

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)

Trials are not a test of pain tolerance, nor even wisdom, or the ability to endure discomfort. They are a test of faith. Will I trust God in this? Or will I panic? Give up? Whine? Hurry to get it fixed? Since Jesus was sinless and didn’t need reminders to rely on His heavenly Father, I cannot ask what would Jesus do, but I can see how He want me to trust Him in this. If I am to seek medical help, fine, yet I hear Him saying to seek Him every moment and He will direct me. He is using this to “cast out the chips, stones, and sand that mar the perfect purity of my clay.”

My devotional reading says I need to see my trials in this light to easily be able to say “Thy will be done.” God wants me to recognize that trouble means a blessing for me! The psalmist figured this out as he wrote of his people and how God worked in their lives:

Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! … (Psalm 107:17–23)

The entire psalm tells of chastening that brought them back to praise God for His goodness and the way He worked in their lives, even as they repeatedly didn’t “get it” and had to learn over and over. Such is the power of self — even though this verse is true, that old nature fights and forgets it:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

PRAY: Lord, I asked for a reminder and got it — not at all what I expected. I don’t know what will happen next. If the reminder works, will the knee pain go away? Or will You leave it there as a constant weakness that demands Your strength? Faith says I need to trust You, no matter what Your will is and rely on You. Because You are my Savior and I cannot save myself, I know what to do next — hold tight to Your hand.

Walk in the Spirit . . .

 

 

READ 2 Corinthians 9-13

One confusing thing about Christians is that sometimes we act as if we are not. To the watching world, this is hypocrisy and our confession of faith is dismissed as mere pretense. For Christians, we know the war that goes on between the old nature (flesh) and the new (governed by the Spirit of God). Walking in the Spirit is real, not pretense, and the desires of the flesh are real too. Our struggle with sin is unknown to others who do not have that inner conflict:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:16–17)

The NT is filled with descriptions of the differences. Some fleshy stuff is obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these as listed in Galatians 5, but a few are less so because even ‘good’ people can give in to them. Today’s reading hints at these . . .

The Spirit-filled person will give cheerfully, trusting God to supply any insufficiency or personal lack because of willing generosity. The flesh gives reluctantly or under pressure or in order to profit in some way. This may look the same on the surface but God knows the heart.

The Spirit motivates His people to care about others whose lives are being controlled by sin, but not to deal with it for reasons of embarrassment, fear, or shame or any other personal motivation, only to glorify God and help those caught by sin to escape that problem:

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:4–6)

The spiritual person can speak openly about their failures and successes, and how they rely on the Lord for all that they are able to do, while the fleshy person boasts about their own achievements, even comparing themselves with others less able to do those things. (2 Corinthians 10)

The spiritual person will be imitated, but any false teachers will be doing what they do in their own power. They might be skilled in speaking and persuasion, but they will put on airs, or take advantage of others, making slaves of them, even be unkind to them (2 Corinthians 11:16ff). On the other hand, those who live by the Spirit will feel too weak for that, realizing they cannot play the same game and pretend being good without Christ.

Paul told of all that he had been through at the hands of those who did not believe in Jesus. He admitted his weakness yet also told the reason for putting up with it; he had deep anxiety for the well-being of other Christians. A fleshy person boasts not of their weaknesses but of their strengths but this Christian man knew where true power came from.

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he 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 12:7–10)

The spiritual person gives their time and energy to benefit others, saying things like, “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?” (2 Corinthians 12:15) Whereas fleshiness is more concerned that others love him or her and do what they can to gain favor, even to be a burden or take advantage of others by deceit. The flesh is not concerned about the spiritual well-being of others, or their eternal destiny. They will not warn people about sin or talk about Jesus. They are more concerned about popularity and their reputation than about the call of God on their lives.

There is more, but I see enough to convict me of the times I slide into ‘me running my own life’ instead of ‘Jesus fill me and be in charge’ wanting more of Him and less of me. Lord, this is not so I will look better to others, but so my relationship with You deepens and You are honored as You deserve to be honored.