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A Matter Of Perspective
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Mar 15, 2011 10:14 am
1479 Views
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Read: Revelation 3:14-22
[You] do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. —Revelation 3:17
Bible in a year:
Deuteronomy 26-27; Mark 14:27-53
One of my favorite stories is about the Texas rancher who was doing agricultural consulting for a farmer in Germany. He asked the German farmer about the size of his property, to which he replied, “About a mile square.” When the German asked the Texan about the size of his ranch, the rancher explained that if he got in his pick-up truck at dawn and drove until sunset he would still be on his ranch. Not to be outdone, the farmer replied, “I used to have an old truck like that!”
All joking aside, it’s important to have the right perspective. Unfortunately, the Christians in Laodicea had the wrong perspective about wealth (Rev. 3:14-22). By all appearances, they were rich. They had plenty of earthly goods and thought they needed nothing—not even Jesus. But Jesus had a different perspective. In spite of their material prosperity, He saw that they were “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (v.17). So He invited them to become truly rich by seeking what only He could provide: purity, character, righteousness, and wisdom.
Let’s not make the Laodicean mistake. Instead, let’s keep our perspective right about what it means to be rich. True wealth is not measured by what you have but by who you are in Christ.
In Christ we’re rich beyond belief
With wealth the world cannot see;
We have new strength and character,
New righteousness and purity.
The poorest person is he whose only wealth is money.
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A Dream Of Answers Forgotten
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Mar 14, 2011 5:47 am
1361 Views
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Read: Job 42:1-6
I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. —Job 42:5
Bible in a year:
Deuteronomy 23-25; Mark 14:1-26
A friend quit two jobs to become a full-time caregiver when his adult son was seriously hurt in a car accident. That same year his wife of over 30 years contracted a terminal illness and died.
Since then, he says he has no answers when his son asks “why” this happened to them. But he told me of a reassuring dream he had along the way. He dreamed that he was in a place that was awash with sunlight. There were crowds of people around him, and a man was answering all of his “why” questions. Each answer made so much sense that he clearly understood why he was not to know the answers now. Then he was with his son in the dream. But when he tried to help him with his questions, he couldn’t remember the answers. But even that seemed okay. And then he woke up.
My friend’s experience reminds me of another friend of God who suffered with unanswered questions (Job 7:20-21). Only when God finally broke His silence and gave Job a vision of Himself in the wonder of creation did Job find something that was better than answers (42:1-6). Only then did Job find peace in knowing that our God has good and even wonderful reasons to trust Him.
What God is doing you may not know now,
But someday you’ll understand why;
Questions that taunt you and trouble your mind
Will one day have heaven’s reply.
What’s better than answers to our why questions?
Trusting a good God who has His reasons
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The Overflow
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Mar 11, 2011 5:04 am
1410 Views
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Read: Psalm 103:1-10
Forget not all His benefits. —Psalm 103:2
Bible in a year:
Deuteronomy 14-16; Mark 12:28-44
Joyful shouts filtered into our house from outside and I wanted to know what was so wonderful out there. I peeked through the curtains and watched two young boys splashing in a thick stream of water that gushed from a fire hydrant.
The overflow reminded me of how God pours out blessings on His children, and how important it is to recognize that “the Lord . . . daily loads us with benefits” (Ps. 68:19).
Although I know He has furnished countless good things for me, when the car blows a gasket, when the flu infects my family, and when relationships threaten to unravel, dissatisfaction threatens my view of God’s blessings—they seem more like infrequent drips from a faucet rather than a flood of water from a hydrant!
Maybe that’s why in Psalm 103 David reminds us to “forget not all His benefits” (v.2). And then, to help us, he lists a torrent of blessings for believers. He reminds us that God forgives all our iniquities, heals all our diseases, redeems our lives from destruction, crowns us with lovingkindness, and satisfies our mouths with good things (vv.3-5).
Today, let’s take time to acknowledge God’s abundance instead of overlooking the overflow of His blessings.
We’re loaded with benefits daily,
Sent down from the Father above;
His mercies and blessings abounding
Are gifts of His marvelous love. —
Adding up your blessings will multiply your joy.
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Five- Minute Rule
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Mar 10, 2011 4:42 am
1388 Views
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Read: Psalm 102:1-17
He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer. —Psalm 102:17
Bible in a year:
Deuteronomy 11-13; Mark 12:1-27
I read about a 5-minute rule that a mother had for her children. They had to be ready for school and gather together 5 minutes before it was time to leave each day.
They would gather around Mom, and she would pray for each one by name, asking for the Lord’s blessing on their day. Then she’d give them a kiss and off they’d run. Even neighborhood kids would be included in the prayer circle if they happened to stop by. One of the children said many years later that she learned from this experience how crucial prayer is to her day.
The writer of Psalm 102 knew the importance of prayer. This psalm is labeled, “A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the Lord.” He cried out, “Hear my prayer, O Lord . . . ; in the day that I call, answer me speedily” (vv.1-2). God looks down “from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven [He views] the earth” (v.19).
God cares for you and wants to hear from you. Whether you follow the 5-minute rule asking for blessings on the day, or need to spend more time crying out to Him in deep distress, talk to the Lord each day. Your example may have a big impact on your family or someone close to you.
The issue isn’t how much time
We spend with God in prayer,
But seeking Him throughout each day
And knowing that He’s there.
Prayer is an acknowledgment of our need for God.
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Are We There Yet?
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Mar 9, 2011 4:48 am
1438 Views
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Read: Deuteronomy 8
The Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart. —Deuteronomy 8:2
Bible in a year:
Deuteronomy 8-10; Mark 11:19-33
If there is any such thing as a universal question, it may be this: Are we there yet? Generations of children have asked it. They have then grown into adults who have to answer the same question when their children ask.
Whenever I read the books of Moses, I wonder how many times he heard that question from the Israelites. Before rescuing them from slavery and leading them out of Egypt, Moses told them that the Lord would lead them to “a land flowing with milk and honey” Ex. 3.8. He did, but first they spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness. This was no ordinary wandering, however. They were not lost; they were wandering for a purpose. After 400 years of slavery, the children of Israel needed to have their hearts, souls, and minds reoriented toward God. This was accomplished in the wilderness Deut. 8.2,15-18, but not before an entire generation died because of their disobedience Num. 32.13.
In life, it sometimes seems as if we are wandering in circles. We feel lost. We want to ask God, “Are we there yet? How much longer?” At such times, it helps to remember that the journey, not just the destination, is important to God. He uses it to humble us, test us, and show us what is in our hearts.
All God’s testings have a purpose—
Someday you will see the light;
All He asks is that you trust Him,
Walk by faith and not by sight.
It’s the journey, not just the destination, that’s important.
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Small Things
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Mar 8, 2011 4:57 am
1433 Views
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Read: John 6:4-14
There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many? —John 6:9
Bible in a year:
Deuteronomy 5-7; Mark 11:1-18
Skeptical about the usefulness of a small lunch, Andrew said to Jesus, “What are [these five loaves and two fish] among so many?” (John 6:9). Yet the little lunch in the hands of Jesus turned out to be a huge blessing. So, before you think that you don’t have much to offer Jesus, consider this:
Edward Kimball, a Sunday school teacher in Boston, decided to visit a young man in his class to be sure he was a Christian. That day he led that man, Dwight L. Moody, to the Lord.
Moody, the Billy Graham of the 19th century, had a major impact on Wilbur Chapman. Chapman, a prominent evangelist, recruited Billy Sunday to join in his evangelistic campaigns. In turn, Sunday launched a national ministry that had great results in cities like Charlotte, North Carolina. An organization that started as a result of Sunday’s revival invited evangelist Mordecai Ham to Charlotte. In one of those meetings, Billy Graham received Christ as his Savior and later became the most prominent evangelist of our time.
When you think you don’t have much to offer, remember Sunday school teacher Edward Kimball, who spent a Saturday afternoon reaching out to someone in his class. God has a special way of using routine faithfulness in the “small things” to accomplish great things!
What may seem insignificant,
Mundane, routine, or small
Is often used by God to show
His power over all.
God uses small things to accomplish great things for His glory
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Forgetting Ourselves
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Mar 7, 2011 4:31 am
1394 Views
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Read: Philippians 2:1-4
Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak.
—James 1:19
Bible in a year:
Deuteronomy 3-4; Mark 10:32-52
I was fishing a local trout stream last summer, when my attention was fixed on a fish that was feeding nearby. I looked up and there on the bank I spied an acquaintance—nationally known fly-fishing guide and outfitter Dave Tucker. Immediately I became aware of my own performance, bungled the next cast, and lost the fish. So it is when we turn our attention away from the activity at hand and think about ourselves.
W. H. Auden has an engaging little poem about those who forget themselves in an activity—a cook mixing a sauce, a surgeon making an incision, a clerk completing a bill of lading. He says that all “wear the same rapt expression, forgetting themselves in a function.” That phrase “forgetting themselves in a function” brings Philippians 2:3-4 to mind: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out . . . for the interests of others.”
When I’m listening to a friend, I need to remind myself to focus on him, not to begin wondering how I look, what he thinks of me, what I should say next. Let’s put others first by listening in rapt attention, concentrating on the one in front of us, forgetting ourselves.
When we hold our tongues and listen,
We communicate our care;
For an open ear speaks volumes
To a heart that’s in despair. —
Listening may be the most loving thing you do today.
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Forgetting Ourselves
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Mar 7, 2011 4:30 am
1388 Views
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Read: Philippians 2:1-4
Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak.
—James 1:19
Bible in a year:
Deuteronomy 3-4; Mark 10:32-52
I was fishing a local trout stream last summer, when my attention was fixed on a fish that was feeding nearby. I looked up and there on the bank I spied an acquaintance—nationally known fly-fishing guide and outfitter Dave Tucker. Immediately I became aware of my own performance, bungled the next cast, and lost the fish. So it is when we turn our attention away from the activity at hand and think about ourselves.
W. H. Auden has an engaging little poem about those who forget themselves in an activity—a cook mixing a sauce, a surgeon making an incision, a clerk completing a bill of lading. He says that all “wear the same rapt expression, forgetting themselves in a function.” That phrase “forgetting themselves in a function” brings Philippians 2:3-4 to mind: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out . . . for the interests of others.”
When I’m listening to a friend, I need to remind myself to focus on him, not to begin wondering how I look, what he thinks of me, what I should say next. Let’s put others first by listening in rapt attention, concentrating on the one in front of us, forgetting ourselves.
When we hold our tongues and listen,
We communicate our care;
For an open ear speaks volumes
To a heart that’s in despair. —
Listening may be the most loving thing you do today.
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Anticipation
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Mar 4, 2011 5:15 am
1457 Views
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Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
I will come again and receive you to Myself.
—John 14:3
Bible in a year:
Numbers 31-33; Mark 9:1-29
At the beginning of March, my friend began a countdown. Marked on the calendar in her office were the 20 days left until the first day of spring. One morning when I saw her, she volunteered, “Only 12 more days!” A few days later, “Only 6!” Her enthusiasm started to rub off on me, and I began to keep track as well. “Just 2 more days, Jerrie!” “I know!” she beamed.
As believers, we have something to look forward to that is even more exciting than the anticipation of budding flowers and lots of sunshine after a long winter. God has made many promises in His Word, and each one has been or will be fulfilled. But the certainty that Christ will return is one of the greatest promises of all. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. . . . Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,” and we’ll be with Him forever (1 Thess. 4:16-17).
Although no one can know the exact day, we have God’s promise that Jesus will come back Acts 1.7-11. As we celebrate the spring and coming Easter season, let’s encourage each other in anticipation of that day!
He is coming! Oh, the rapture
To behold His lovely face,
And to tell Him how I love Him,
Who has saved me by His grace.
Christ is coming—perhaps today!
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Who And How
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Mar 3, 2011 4:38 am
1435 Views
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Read: Mark 8:27-33
You are the Christ. —Mark 8:29
Bible in a year:
Numbers 28-30; Mark 8:22-38
Whenever I read the Gospels, I identify with the disciples. Like me, they seemed slow to catch on. Jesus kept saying things like “Don’t you understand it yet?” and “Are you still so dull?” Mark 7.18. Finally, however, Peter “got it,” at least one part of it. When Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ” (8:29).
Peter was right about the “who”—Jesus—but he was still wrong about the “how.” When Jesus predicted His death, Peter rebuked Him for it. Jesus, in turn, rebuked Peter: “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (v.33).
Peter was still thinking in human ways of establishing kingdoms. One ruler would overthrow another and set up a new government. He was expecting Jesus to do the same. But Christ’s kingdom was going to come in a new way—through service and the sacrifice of His life.
The method God uses today hasn’t changed. Whereas Satan’s voice tempts us to gain power, the voice of Jesus tells us that the meek will inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5). To gain citizens for God’s kingdom, we must follow the example of Jesus, who set aside selfish ambitions, served others, and called people to repent of their sin.
We say we love humanity,
But can we really claim
A readiness to sacrifice
For them in Jesus’ name?
A Christian is an ambassador who speaks for the King of kings.
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