Posted by Charlie on Dec 19, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: John 5, 6
“Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”
John 6:26
Observation
After the feeding of the five thousand the crowd flock to Jesus on the following day. Jesus cuts to the chase: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”
Application
God’s motivation for the sacrificial redemption Jesus accomplished for me is his eternal love—he loves me infinitely and wants me to be in relationship with him forever. The tragic reality of humankind is that we tend to be selfish creatures. We are most interested in what we can get for ourselves. If God is passing out free bread then I want some!
What am I after today? Am I more interested in what God can do for me, or in really seeking him to know and love him for who he is? That, detective, is the right question.
Prayer
Father, thank you for your provision today. Without your generous care I would be in big trouble. But thank you most for drawing me to yourself and pouring out your love for me. Please help me to grow in your love today, and grant me the grace to know and love you more deeply. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: love, provision, selfishness
Posted by Charlie on Oct 2, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Zechariah 13, 14; Psalm 147; Luke 15
I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”‘ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
Luke 15:18-20
Observation
Because of the resulting shame, sin tends to make all of us want to hide from God, not turn to him. It isn’t until the prodigal son is starving that he realizes he would be better of as a servant in his father’s house. His father will have nothing to do with the idea. Seeing him coming from afar, the father runs and embraces his son, rejoicing that he has returned.
Application
Probably nothing makes me feel more distant from God than busy-ness. I get so wrapped up in the pressures of daily life that I feel increasingly “unspiritual” and begin to think that I’m not worthy to be near to God. This parable is such an encouragement to turn to God from the place where I am, not fearing his rejection. His arms are always open.
Prayer
Father, I turn to you this morning and thank you for your assurance that I belong to you. Thanks for your love and acceptance today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: acceptance, family, love
Posted by Charlie on Aug 28, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Ezekiel 1, 2, 3; Revelation 2
And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 2:6
Do not fear what you are about to suffer.
Rev 2:10
Observation
It seems like a bit of an oxymoron to face suffering and not fear it, but that is what God says to both Ezekiel and, in Revelation 2, to the church in Smyrna.
Application
We live in such uncertain times, and there is plenty in the world to fear. Because I belong to God, however, and because I know where I am headed, and that nothing can separate me from his love, it lends a perspective to hardship and suffering that the world cannot offer. God loves me perfectly, and perfect love casts out all fear.
Bonus thought from today’s reading in Revelation
There are a lot of things that vary from culture to culture that are permissible under the gospel, but deviation from God’s design for human sexuality is not one of them. In Revelation 2, both the churches in Pergamum and Thyatira were sternly rebuked for allowing sexual immorality into their midst, and told to repent.
Prayer
Father, please grant me the courage to boldly live for you without apology, and to do it with wisdom and winsomeness. I guess what I’m asking is to look a bit more like Jesus every day. Amen
Tags: boldness, confidence, fear, love, sexual immorality
Posted by Charlie on Aug 25, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Jeremiah 37, 38, 39; Psalm 79; 2 John
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady— not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning— that we love one another.
2 John 4-5
Observation
2 John is a great little book. It’s short and focuses on the bottom line: Love is what it’s all about.
Application
It’s easy to get distracted with a lot of different things, especially in the name of ministry. It’s good to be reminded again that the commandment is to love, and that has to undergird everything else I do.
Prayer
Thank you, Father, that you model perfect love. Please help me to be like you today in my love for the people you have put in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: commandment, love
Posted by Charlie on Aug 24, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Jeremiah 33,34; Psalms 74; 1 John 5
And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
1 John 5:11-15
Observation
According to Max DuPree, “The first job of a leader is to define reality….” In other words, a leader needs to constantly remind his or her followers about the things that are important, and spiritual leaders are no exception. John has gone to great lengths in today’s passage to remind his readers that the goal of following Jesus is an eternity in his presence.
Application
I know I need reminding. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day grind that I lose perspective about eternal things. Keeping love as my goal and heaven as my focus are good reminders as I head into a fresh week.
Prayer
God, thank you for eternal life! I want to follow Jesus today and ask for your presence and help to live in ways that please you. Thank you that your Word says that when I ask according to your will you hear and I have what I’ve asked for. Please abide with me today, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: eternal life, eternity, leadership, love
Posted by Charlie on Aug 22, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Jeremiah 28, 29, 30; 1 John 3
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears[a] we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
1 John 3: 1-2
Observation
As I was going to sleep last night I was meditating on the opening verses from the book of John, and I stopped to marvel over verses 11-13: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right [authority] to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
This morning the opening verses of 1 John 3 reiterate the same idea—that we haven’t just been saved from our sins, but we have been born into a new family, and God has actually made us his beloved children. When I call him Father it’s no lie.
Application
I’ll be meditating on this idea today for sure. I think sometimes I can slip into a mode where God is out there and he’s, well, God. But he goes to great pains in Scripture to assure me, not only that he’s God, but of the family connection.
God uses three powerful analogies to describe all the ways he has made me belong to him in love relationship:
• By new birth (John 1:13; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 2:29, 3:9, 4:7, 5:18)
• By adoption (Romans 8:15, 8:23, 9:4; Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5)
• By marriage (2 Cor 11:2).
I feel loved this morning!
Prayer
Father, thank you that I can call you Father this morning! Thank you for the love you show day by day, and for the zealous way you bought my redemption when I didn’t even deserve it. Please help me to understand you love better, and to become a model of your love to others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: adoption, child of God, love, new birth, redemption
Posted by Charlie on Aug 12, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Jeremiah 10, 11, 12; John 14
“Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. You shall say to them, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Cursed be the man who does not hear the words of this covenant that I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God, that I may confirm the oath that I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.” Then I answered, “So be it, LORD.” And the LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Hear the words of this covenant and do them. For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, Obey my voice. Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.”
Jeremiah 11:2-8
“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.”
John 14:21-24
Observation
When I think about raising children, one of the goals is to set down rules and boundaries that will result in the shaping of a child’s character and behavior. If I have done this well, when the child is grown he or she will be a responsible, loving person who knows right from wrong and how to live in proper relationship with self, God, and others.
So, much of the gist of parenting is, “If you love me you’ll keep my commandments.” It isn’t because I’m an ogre or an authoritarian jerk. It’s because I love my children and want them to become loving, responsible adults. If they refuse rules and instruction they will turn into selfish, insufferable messes.
Application
God is in the same boat. He know that left to my own devices, I too will run amok in the things that really matter in life. I noted a couple days ago that Israel and Judah’s disregard for God’s commands, which, first and foremost, included loyalty to him, led to gross social injustice and evil practices that became worse than the nations around them.
A fast perusal of the Ten Commandments will reveal that they are all about relationships. The first four deal with my relationship with God, and the next six with my relationships with the people around me. Jesus boiled it down further: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength, and your neighbor as yourself. If I love him, then I’ll keep his commands, which are to love him and love others.
The promise that goes along with this is pretty cool: God will come to me and make my home with him. Not bad!
Prayer
Father, please lead me in your ways today. Purge the lies in my life that cause me to stray from your commands and cleanse me from sinful ways. I want my mind to be fixed on what pleases you today. I love you and so desire your presence with me. Teach me to love, and grant that my life might reflect your heart and your character. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: 10 Commandments, commands, disobedience, love, obedience, parenting
Posted by Charlie on Aug 11, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Jeremiah 7, 8, 9; John 13
After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.
John 13:21-22
Observation
Judas is an interesting character. I’ve seen him portrayed as shifty and suspicious looking in great works of art through the centuries, but, according to John, he didn’t stand out at all among the other disciples. When Jesus told the disciples one of them would betray him they were at a loss to know of whom he spoke. Even after Jesus dipped the bread, gave it to Judas, and Judas left the room, the other disciples didn’t have any idea what was happening.
Application
It isn’t the appearance on the surface that counts. It’s what is happening inside the heart that matters. Judas looked fine on the outside, but the inner counsels of his heart were corrupted. Even though he managed to hide his disloyalty and dishonesty from everyone else, God wasn’t fooled.
This gets a bit ahead of today’s passage, but Peter also had a heart condition. Both Peter and Judas were guilty of disloyalty over the next twenty-four hours. The difference is that Peter’s heart, though imperfect, was centered on his love for Jesus. Judas, it appears, was centered on himself, which is a shaky foundation indeed.
Prayer
Father, today I submit my heart fully to you. Please reveal the inner counsels of my heart and cleanse me from every area that is centered on me. Grant me the grace to live in a way that honors you and is a blessing to my family, friends, church, and world. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: betrayal, love, loyalty, secrets
Posted by Charlie on Aug 3, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Nahum 1, 2, 3; John 5
The LORD is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble;
he knows those who take refuge in him.
But with an overflowing flood
he will make a complete end of the adversaries,
and will pursue his enemies into darkness.
Nahum 1:7—8
Observation
I have to admit I’m still grappling with the juxtaposition of God’s overwhelming lovingkindness and God’s burning wrath. Nahum paints this picture boldly, with judgment on Nineveh’s wickedness, and compassion on Israel. What fearsome words: “Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts…,” and, “I will make your grave, for you are vile.” It is truly a fearsome thing to fall into the hands of the living God!
“But,” some will say, “that was the God of the Old Testament, but surely Jesus is all fuzziness and warmth.” Not so! In John 5 Jesus tells the corrupt religious leaders, “…as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. (John 5:26—29)
I think many people simply fail to understand and recognize the intense holiness of God—his purity, uprightness, and virtue, which burn like a white-hot flame. No one can stand in his presence, which is why sacrifices were necessary under the old agreement, and why the sacrifice Jesus presented on the cross was needed to bridge the gulf between my fallen, wicked, sinful self and God’s intense purity. It is because of God’s overwhelming love that I have been redeemed, at unimaginable cost to God himself. Ignoring this provision of life and forgiveness leaves a person with no mediation between God and man. That is a fearsome prospect! God has already made the way by sending his Son, Jesus Christ. Without it we are left before a flame dressed in filthy, oily rags.
Application
The intensity of God’s love is embodied in Jesus’ words, “Come unto me….” There is absolutely no excuse to live outside God’s love and abundant care today. God has already made every provision of life available to me. All I have to do is come to him in faith.
Prayer
Father, I turn to you this morning, and ask for your presence and your life to be with me today. Thank you for clearing the way—for building the bridge from my fallen humanity to your holy presence. Grant, I pray, that I may abide in you today and you in me. In Jesus’ name and for his sake, amen.
Tags: holiness, judgment, love, wrath
Posted by Charlie on Aug 1, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Isaiah 65, 66; Psalm 62, John 3
“For God so loved the world,[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
John 3:16–21
Observation
The thing that caught my attention in these verses today is the concept of loving either light or darkness. Jesus says that light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. In the first chapter, John equates Jesus himself with the light, and verse 16 explains why God sent his Light into the world—because of his love for human beings. But for some reason, human beings generally don’t seem to be that interested in loving God back, which is painful to God, and ultimately to human beings as well.
I’m still chewing on the comment my daughter, Allison, made recently, and which I mentioned in my blog on July 16. She said, “Many people think because they’ve lived a generally good life they will be going to heaven. But,” she observed, “that presupposes heaven is a place where basically good people go to enjoy some sort of idilic afterlife. But what is heaven? Heaven is where God is. If a person has spent his or her entire life avoiding relationship with God, what makes them think they will want to be in the place where God is after they die?”
Application
The longer I live the more I’m coming to understand that when all the fluff is stripped away, everything in life that actually matters comes down to having a real, genuine, no-holds-barred love relationship with God. He has paid an unimaginable price to secure that relationship with me, and he is absolutely intent on having that relationship be the primary focus of life for all eternity.
It’s kind of like winning the lottery in a way—riches forever that don’t fade away. This raises two questions for me. Why would people prefer darkness? It makes no sense whatsoever. But more importantly, why do I often prefer darkness? How is it possible that I could allow anything to get in the way of the most amazing relationship imaginable? Why would I ever do anything to tarnish or disrupt the connection with me God has provided at such a high cost to himself?
Prayer
Father, thank you that I can know you today. I want to walk with you, hear your voice. Please lead me in your ways, and grant me the grace to keep you as the apple of my eye. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: darkness, light, love
