Posted by Charlie on Aug 9, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Jeremiah 3, 4; John 11
“If a man divorces his wife
and she goes from him
and becomes another man’s wife,
will he return to her?
Would not that land be greatly polluted? You have played the whore with many lovers;
and would you return to me?” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 3:1
Observation
God’s personal pain at the unfaithfulness of his people is a repeat theme in the major and minor prophets. Today the opening verses of Jeremiah 3 gave me pause. From God’s perspective Israel and Judah’s idolatry was like an unfaithful spouse whoring with every lover that came along. Even so, his overwhelming lovingkindness reaches out to those who turn away from him and beckons their return.
Application
In the New Testament, marriage is a picture of Christ and the church. God still deals faithfully with his people and bids me to enter into a relationship of trust and faithfulness with him.
Prayer
Father, thank you for your lovingkindness. I love you and ask for your help and guidance to live in ways that are faithful to you in every way. Please be with me today in Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: faithfulness, idolatry, Pain
Posted by Charlie on Jul 28, 2009 in
Devotions Isaiah 53, 54, 55, 56; 2 Peter 2
Sing, O barren, You who have not borne…
Isaiah 54
Observation
In 1998 the bottom dropped out. I had been pastoring for about three and a half years, and I lost my church due to a string of circumstances too convoluted to elaborate. No egregious personal sin was involved. No unfaithfulness or moral failure entered the equation. Still, a handful of people were unhappy enough with me to show me the door and it looked to me like my usefulness in ministry was over.
That year my family had the rare opportunity to rent our house to furloughed missionaries and take to the road for nearly six months. As we made our way around the perimeter of the United States towing a travel trailer behind an old rusty Suburban named Beelzebub (Bub the Sub for short), God began to speak a promise to me from his Word:
“Sing, O barren,
You who have not borne!
Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,
You who have not labored with child!
For more are the children of the desolate
Than the children of the married woman,” says the LORD….”
On and on the promise rolls as Isaiah 54 progresses. Without any manipulation on my part my Bible would just fall open to Isaiah 54, and still does to this day.
It is far more than a general word of hope. It is a profound encouragement that my usefulness is tied to God’s faithfulness, not my strength or wisdom. It promises expansion, not defeat; protection and provision, not barrenness; kindness and mercy, not judgment.
It also contains a word concerning my children that I overlooked years earlier, but now am claiming regularly. “All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.”
Application
The best part of God’s promises it that God is the one who fulfills them, though at times that fulfillment may seem to tarry. I basically sat on the bench in ministry for about ten years, but God was doing something inside me during those days of waiting. I’m finding that God is often more interested in what he is building in the character of a leader than in hurrying the leader off to lead.
This chapter is as precious to me today as it was when my Bible fell open there in 1998. It is as personal a promise as I could receive from God.
Prayer
Thank you for your promises dear God. I trust you to bring the things to pass in my life that you have purposed for me! In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: faithfulness, promises
Posted by Charlie on Jul 10, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Micah 5, 6, 7; Hebrews 7
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our fathers
from the days of old.
Micah 7:18–20
Observation
Since I am a man given to transgression and sin, it’s vital that I understand what God is like. God reveals some very important information about himself in these verses. He pardons iniquity, passes over transgressions. He doesn’t dwell on anger because he delights in steadfast love. The Hebrew word for steadfast love is chesed— a word I looked at on June 1 in my journal. It is the word that describes the overwhelming love God has for his people—a love that reaches beyond his judgment and seeks the restoration and highest good of those he loves.
Application
One of the great truths of Scripture is that I am made in the image of God. Because of that, as I live in an abiding relationship with him he intends for my life to exhibit character that reflects who he is. Micah 6:8 is a familiar and powerful verse: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
The word, “kindness,” in this verse, not surprisingly, is chesed. Proverbs 19:22 reaffirms the importance of this character trait: “What is desired in a man is… chesed.” In fact, if I go back to the passage in Micah 7 I quoted at the beginning of this journal entry and note the things that describe God’s character toward me, it doesn’t take much extrapolation to realize that these are the characteristics he wants to build into my character—pardoning iniquity, passing over transgression, leaving anger behind, delighting in chesed, and walking in faithfulness.
Prayer
Father, please help me abide in you today, and grant that my life might become a reflection of your character. Thank you that you display all of these wonderful attitudes toward me. Please help me today to show them to everyone around me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: character, chesed, faithfulness, lovingkindness
Posted by Charlie on Jun 29, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Amos 4, 5, 6; Psalm 86; Titus 1
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Turn to me and have mercy on me;
Grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant.
Psalm 86:15–16 (NIV)
Observation
I have a cat named Dusty who hates me. Over the years she has had a few medical issues that have required various treatments: Pills, drops, shots, etc., and she has perceived these necessary intrusions into her otherwise peaceful world as abuse. It doesn’t matter how many times I am kind to her, pet her, or offer her treats—in her fuzzy little mind I am an abuser and she avoids me as though I were an ax murderer. If she only knew how good my heart is toward her, and how much I desire to bless her, her actual experience of the world would be dramatically different.
I have wondered how much Dusty is a metaphor for mankind’s relationship with God. Things happen in a fallen world, and we humans tend to make judgments in our hearts about who God is based on our interpretation of those experiences. Knowing the truth at a heart level of what God is like is crucial to peaceful living.
These two verses from Psalm 86 are loaded with rich descriptions of the character of God. It is true that he is holy; a pure refiner’s fire that is devoid of evil and who does not tolerate what is vile. Yet the compassion, grace, and lovingkindness of God are so powerful that he yearns for the redemption of his people, even in the midst of their sin.
Application
I am so grateful for God’s mercy and lovingkindness that reached to me when I was far from him, and still reach to me today. Regardless of my circumstances, the love, compassion, faithfulness, truth, and longsuffering of God are constants I can always count on. I don’t have to hide under the bed today like Dusty. I know God is on my side.
Prayer
Father, I come to you this morning, and I give you my life, my day, my all. Please walk with me today, abide in me, and I in you. Grant strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: chesed, faithfulness, God's Character, lovingkindness
Posted by Charlie on May 24, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: 1 Kings 9; 2 Chronicles 8; Psalm 136; Romans 5
It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever…
Psalm 136:23
Observation
This morning Linda commented that she was tempted to gloss over the repetition of the phrase, “for his steadfast love endures forever,” in Psalm 136, but then she stopped and said, but the repetition is for a reason. Indeed it is. The intent of the psalm is to drive home the overwhelming love of God so that it begins to impact my feeble understanding.
Application
Today I was reminded of a situation where I experienced some rejection from a person I know who I look up to. Even several years later, remembering that rejection doesn’t feel good, especially when it came from a person I respect.
Then I sensed God softly saying, “Charlie, I haven’t rejected you.” That’s nice to know, especially coming from someone I respect above all others.
Prayer
God, thank you that your steadfast love endures forever. Thank you that you loved me even when I was a lost soul—even when I was your enemy. I love you too.
Charlie
Tags: faithfulness, love
Posted by Charlie on May 17, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: 1 Kings 2; 1 Chronicles 29; Psalm 95; 2 Thessalonians 1
But who am I, and who are my people,
That we should be able to offer so willingly as this?
For all things come from You,
And of Your own we have given You.
1Chronicles 29:14
Observation
This is one of the few times recorded in Scripture when the kingdom of God was fully funded on earth as each person freely brought offerings for the temple. As David rejoices over the abundance of resources for this divinely inspired project, he makes one of the clearest statements in the Bible about the source and ownership of all we possess: “For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You.”
Application
The older I get the more it slowly sinks in that everything I have is God’s property—my time, my talent, and my treasure are all his. He has placed me in charge of managing his stuff, which is a great responsibility. I want to grow into a highly faithful, capable steward and see great things accomplished for God’s kingdom.
Prayer
Father, in 1Corinthians 4:2 Paul says, “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” Please help me to be faithful with your things today. Please grant me wisdom to leverage the resources you have entrusted to me in a way that brings you glory, and please multiply them as only you can. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: faithfulness, possessions, stewardship
Posted by Charlie on Apr 5, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Ruth 1, 2; Psalms 53, 61; 2 Corinthians 5
Entreat me not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.
Where you die, I will die,
And there will I be buried.
The LORD do so to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me.
Ruth 1:16–17
Observation & Application
This is arguably one of the most profound poetic moments in Scripture. Ruth’s commitment to Naomi and to the God of Israel is expressed in a way that moves me every time I read it, and inspires renewed commitment to my family and to God.
Prayer
Father, today I renew my commitment to my wife and to you. Please grant that the faithfulness of my life will be a reflection of these amazing verses. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: commitment, faithfulness, loyalty
