Changed lives…

I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them. Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit, who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name, who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble. Like livestock that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name. (Isaiah 63:7–14)

As a new Christian many years ago, my mentor had me do a Bible study on sin. I don’t remember the details of that lengthy study, but realize the wisdom of this assignment. Instead of responding to conviction of sin with honest confession, it made me realize how often I made excuses for it. 

That happens, sometimes with deliberate deception in order to cover it, and sometimes with a sincere belief that whatever was done was okay. These days, I think of a non-Christian who takes great effort to do and say the right things. Another person is a Christian but takes the glory for all his skills to the point of bragging about them. As these things happen, I feel sadness. Both are stressed with their actions and attitude and yet cannot see (or admit) that they are doing the wrong thing by being insincere. 

My role? Pray. One is oblivious to her hypocrisy. The other is hearing rebuke but his pride holds tight to his own power to do good.

Jesus, it has taken me years to see how I’ve done both. My pride in myself has blocked my relationship with You. Once I could see and honestly deal wit it, what a difference. As I’ve told these two, being weak and unable is actually better than thinking I can do it all without You. In feeling and admitting, I rely on You and then discover more love and power than I’d never know otherwise. Your ways and Your will are always a joyful surprise. I’d love to see You in action in the lives of these two people. Right now, both seem oblivious, yet You are God who can reveal truth and change hearts. May they hear You and be transformed.

Martyrdom without Love

 

Fire is on my mind. Last night’s videos showed its destructive power as a lovely city in Maui, Hawaii went up in flames. Many people died or are missing. Thoughts of those caught unawares and those who jumped into the sea to escape fill my heart with grief.

Fire ties with today’s devotional thoughts. 1 Corinthians 13 begins by saying that without love, what I say, or know, or believe, or give is without gain. It also adds the sacrifice of life, but even martyrdom is useless without love.

If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3)

Some think this is about being branded with a hot iron as a slave. Even though being burned at the stake was not common then, Nero did burn Christians to create light for his events. However, other examples in this passage used extremes to make a point, such as speaking with the tongues of angels, knowing all mysteries and having all knowledge, having all faith, and giving all one’s possessions to feed the poor, the horror of death by fire is consistent with those extremes.

Jesus said this about martyrdom: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:13–14) He implies that this includes laying down my life for Him, my ultimate friend.

However, people give their lives for lesser reasons. Some examples include the Japanese kamikaze pilots in World War II or monks or students who burned themselves in protest of some political or social injustice. As already studied, the NT says those motives rob God’s people of spiritual gain, even the greatest sacrifice of dying unless it is motivated by godly love.

I’m not exempt from wrong motives. MacArthur reminds me that Christians in the early church wanted to die for the faith so they could become famous like the martyrs before them. This martyr complex can make such action look sacrificial but it is motivated by pride, a self-glorifying ‘look at me’ attitude rather than what it will do for others or to glorify God.

This ultimate sacrifice has not been part of my experience, but at times I’ve said or thought “ . . . after all I have done for you” expecting a thank you or a reward when making a ‘sacrifice’ for someone else. That expectation of a reward, or of something that I wanted, reveals that the motivation for my ‘sacrifice’ was for me, not for the other person. I can also look as if I am in obedience to God but wanting my own glory. That makes it useless; only love sanctifies what I do. All self-centered motivations are not about His love and will not profit me. Only God’s love has eternal value and the power to change things in this life.

PRAY: Jesus, You showed me the love of God by dying for me even when I was still a sinner (Romans 5:8). If anything brings me to a place where my death would benefit even an enemy, obedience would be impossible without Your supernatural love for people. Keep me thinking of what You have done for me should the occasion ever happen when I must love others to that extreme.

PONDER: Revelation 2:1–7 noticing the strengths in the church in Ephesus and their one weakness. What was His solution for that issue?