THE PROBLEM WITH PRIDE
|
Posted:Feb 8, 2018 4:13 am
Last Updated:May 9, 2024 4:39 am 11042 Views
|
Read: Proverbs 16:16–22
Bible in a Year: Leviticus 4–5; Matthew 24:29–51
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18
People who achieve an extraordinary level of fame or reputation while they are still alive are often called “a legend in their own time.” A friend who played professional baseball says he met many people in the world of sports who were only “a legend in their own mind.” Pride has a way of distorting how we see ourselves while humility offers a realistic perspective.
The writer of Proverbs said, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (16:18. Viewing ourselves in the mirror of self-importance reflects a distorted image. Self-elevation positions us for a fall.
Lord Jesus, may we honor You in all we do and say.
The antidote to the poison of arrogance is true humility that comes from God. “Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud” (v. 19).
Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26–28.
There is nothing wrong with receiving accolades for achievement and success. The challenge is to stay focused on the One who calls us to follow Him saying, “for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (11:29).
Lord Jesus, give us Your humility as we interact with others today. May we honor You in all we do and say.
True humility comes from God.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
A BLANKET FOR EVERYONE
|
Posted:Feb 7, 2018 5:55 am
Last Updated:Jun 14, 2018 6:26 pm 11200 Views
|
Read: John 18:15–27
Bible in a Year: Leviticus 1–3; Matthew 24:1–28
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8
Linus Van Pelt, better known as simply “Linus,” was a mainstay in the Peanuts comic strip. Witty and wise, yet insecure, Linus constantly carried a security blanket. We can identify. We have our fears and insecurities too.
The disciple Peter knew something about fear. When Jesus was arrested, Peter displayed courage by following the Lord into the courtyard of the high priest. But then he began to show his fear by lying to protect his identity (John 18:15–26). He spoke disgraceful words that denied his Lord. But Jesus never stopped loving Peter and ultimately restored him (see John 21:15–19).
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8
Peter’s emphasis on love in 1 Peter 4:8 came from one who had experienced the deep love of Jesus. And he, in turn, stressed the importance of love in our relationships with the words “above all.” The intensity of the verse continues with the encouragement to “love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
Have you ever needed that kind of “blanket”? I have! After saying or doing something I later regretted, I have felt the chilly draft of guilt and shame. I have needed to be “covered” in the manner that Jesus covered disgraced, shame-filled people in the Gospels.
To followers of Jesus, love is a blanket to be graciously and courageously given away for the comfort and reclamation of others. As recipients of such great love, let us be givers of the same.
Father, Your love, in and through Jesus, has rescued us time and time again. Help me to be an instrument of Your saving love for others.
God loves you and me—let’s love each other.
|
|
|
2
Comments
|
|
PRAISING THROUGH PROBLEMS
|
Posted:Feb 6, 2018 5:34 am
Last Updated:Jun 14, 2018 6:26 pm 11340 Views
|
Read: Job 1:13–22
Bible in a Year: Exodus 39–40; Matthew 23:23–39
Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? Job 2:10
“It’s cancer.” I wanted to be strong when Mom said those words to me. But I burst into tears. You never want to hear those words even one time. But this was Mom’s third bout with cancer. After a routine mammogram and biopsy, Mom learned that she had a malignant tumor under her arm.
Though Mom was the one with bad news, she had to comfort me. Her response was eye-opening for me: “I know God is always good to me. He’s always faithful.” Even as she faced a difficult surgery, followed up by radiation treatments, Mom was assured of God’s presence and faithfulness.
God is still present, still good. He will help us through hard times.
How like Job. Job lost his , his wealth, and his health. But after hearing the news, Job 1:20 tells us “he fell to the ground in worship.” When advised to curse God, he said, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (2:10). What a radical initial response. Though Job later complained, ultimately he accepted that God had never changed. Job knew that God was still with him and that He still cared.
For most of us, praise is not our first response to difficulties. Sometimes the pain of our circumstances is so overwhelming, we lash out in fear or anger. But watching Mom’s response reminded me that God is still present, still good. He will help us through hard times.
Lord, prepare me for the times when praise is most difficult to utter.
I
Even at our lowest point, we can lift our eyes to the Lord.
|
|
|
4
Comments
|
|
LISTENING TO HIS VOICE
|
Posted:Feb 5, 2018 1:35 am
Last Updated:Feb 7, 2018 6:01 am 11210 Views
|
Read: John 10:25–30
Bible in a Year: Exodus 36–38; Matthew 23:1–22
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27
I’m hard of hearing—“deaf in one ear and can’t hear out of the other,” as my father used to say. So I wear a set of hearing aids.
Most of the time the devices work well, except in environments where there’s a lot of surrounding noise. In those settings, my hearing aids pick up every voice in the room and I cannot hear the person in front of me.
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27
So it is with our culture: a cacophony of sounds can drown out God’s quiet voice. “Where shall the Word be found, where will the Word resound?” poet T.S. Eliot asks. “Not here, there is not enough silence.”
Fortunately, my hearing aids have a setting that cuts out the surrounding sounds and enables me to hear only the voices I want to hear. In the same way, despite the voices around us, if we quiet our souls and listen, we will hear God’s “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11–12 nkjv).
He speaks to us every day, summoning us in our restlessness and our longing. He calls to us in our deepest sorrow and in the incompleteness and dissatisfaction of our greatest joys.
But primarily God speaks to us in His Word (1 Thessalonians 2:13). As you pick up His book and read it, you too will hear His voice. He loves you more than you can ever know, and He wants you to hear what He has to say.
Dear Lord, thank You for giving us Your Word. Help me to listen to Your voice as I spend time alone with You.
God speaks through His Word when we take time to listen.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
STEPPING INTO OPPORTUNITY
|
Posted:Feb 2, 2018 5:35 am
Last Updated:Feb 5, 2018 1:35 am 11207 Views
|
Read: Colossians 4:2–6
Bible in a Year: Exodus 29–30; Matthew 21:23–46
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:5
Like lots of people, I struggle to get enough exercise. So I recently got something to motivate myself to move: a pedometer that counts steps. It’s a simple thing. But it’s amazing how much difference this gadget makes in my motivation. Instead of grumbling when I have to get off the couch, I see it as an opportunity to get a few more steps. Mundane tasks, like getting one of my a cup of water, become opportunities that help me work toward a larger goal. In that sense, my pedometer has changed my perspective and my motivation. Now I look to get extra steps in whenever possible.
I wonder if our Christian life isn’t a bit like that. There are opportunities to love and serve and interact with people every day, as Paul exhorts in Colossians 4:5. But am I always aware of those moments? Am I paying attention to opportunities to be an encourager in seemingly mundane interactions? God is at work in the lives of every person I relate to, from my family and coworkers to a clerk at the grocery store. Each interaction offers a chance for me to pay attention to what God might be doing—even if it’s something as seemingly “small” as kindly asking a server at a restaurant how she’s doing.
Lord, please help us to become people who notice the needs of others.
Who knows how God might work in those moments when we’re alert to the opportunities He sends our way.
Lord, there are so many opportunities to love, listen, and serve those around us each day. Please help us to become people who notice the needs of others.
Take every opportunity to serve someone.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
NATIONAL TREASURE
|
Posted:Feb 1, 2018 3:47 am
Last Updated:Jun 14, 2018 6:28 pm 11095 Views
|
Read: Matthew 21:12–16
Bible in a Year: Exodus 27–28; Matthew 21:1–22
Hosanna to the of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Matthew 21:9
When an advertiser altered a photo of Michelangelo’s famous marble sculpture of the biblical hero David, Italy’s government and gallery officials objected. Picturing David with a military rifle slung over his shoulder (instead of his slingshot) would be a violation—“like taking a hammer to it or worse,” a cultural official said.
In first-century Jerusalem, David was remembered as the shepherd-songwriter and soldier-king of Israel’s fondest memories and greatest hopes. Prophets foretold that David’s descendant would finally defeat the enemies of Israel. So, centuries later, when crowds welcomed Jesus as the of David (Matthew 21:6–9), they were expecting Him to lead the revolt that would overthrow their Roman occupiers. Instead Jesus knocked over the tables of temple money-changers to restore His Father’s house as a house of prayer for all nations. Israel’s leaders were furious. This wasn’t the kind of Messiah and of David they were looking for. So without realizing what they were doing, they called for Roman executioners to take a hammer to the hands and feet of the true glory of Israel.
Jesus shows that God is always better than our expectations.
Instead of stopping them, Jesus let Himself be lifted up on a cross of shame—defaced and disgraced. Only by resurrection would it be known that the true of David had defeated His enemies with love and enlisted the of all nations to spread the word.
Father in heaven, it’s hard to admit. But it’s true. We get so confused. We try to protect the images we love more than the love You consider priceless.
Jesus shows that God is always better than our expectations.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
WHITE AS SNOW
|
Posted:Jan 31, 2018 5:08 am
Last Updated:Feb 7, 2018 6:02 am 11115 Views
|
Read: Isaiah 1:16–20
Bible in a Year: Exodus 25–26; Matthew 20:17–34
Though yours sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Isaiah 1:18
Last December, my family and I went to the mountains. We had lived in a tropical climate all our lives, so it was the first time we could see snow in all its magnificence. As we contemplated the white mantle covering the fields, my husband quoted Isaiah, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18.
After asking about the meaning of scarlet, our three-year-old asked, “Is the color red bad?” She knows sins are things God dislikes, but this verse is not talking about colors. The prophet was describing the bright red dye obtained from the eggs of a small insect. Clothes would be double-dyed in this bright red so the color became fixed. Neither rain nor washing would remove it. Sin is like that. No human effort can take it away. It’s rooted in the heart.
Though yours sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Isaiah 1:18
Only God can cleanse a heart from sin. And as we looked at the mountains, we admired the pure whiteness that scrubbing and bleaching a piece of cloth dyed in scarlet red can’t achieve. When we follow Peter’s teaching, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out” (Acts 3:19), God forgives us and gives us a new life. Only through Jesus’s sacrifice can we receive what no one else can give—a pure heart. What a wonderful gift!
Father, thank You for forgiving our sins and wiping them clean.
When God forgives, He purifies us too.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
ABLE AND AVAILABLE
|
Posted:Jan 30, 2018 5:26 am
Last Updated:May 9, 2024 4:39 am 11096 Views
|
Read: Psalm 46
Bible in a Year: Exodus 23–24; Matthew 20:1–16
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
My husband was at work when I received news about my mom’s cancer diagnosis. I left him a message and reached out to friends and family. None were available. Covering my face with trembling hands, I sobbed. “Help me, Lord.” A resulting assurance that God was with me comforted me through those moments when I felt utterly alone.
I thanked the Lord when my husband came home and support from friends and family trickled in. Still, the calming awareness of God’s presence I sensed in those first few hours of lonely grieving affirmed that God is readily and faithfully available wherever and whenever I need help.
God is always able and available to help us.
In Psalm 46, the psalmist proclaims God is our sanctuary, strength, and steadfast supporter (v. 1). When it feels as if we’re surrounded by chaos or everything we thought was stable crashes down around us, we don’t have to fear (vv. 2–3). God doesn’t falter (vv. 4–7). His power is evident and effective
(vv. 8–9). Our eternal Sustainer gives us confidence in His unchanging character
(v. 10). The Lord, our secure stronghold, remains with us forever (v. 11).
God created His followers to prayerfully support and encourage one another. But He also affirms He is always able and available. When we call on God, we can trust Him to keep His promises to provide for us. He will comfort us through His people as well as through His personal presence.
Lord, thank You for assuring us You’re always accessible because You’re always with us.
God is always able and available to help us.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
LIKE A LITTLE
|
Posted:Jan 29, 2018 5:40 am
Last Updated:Jan 30, 2018 5:27 am 11133 Views
|
Matthew 18:1–5; 19:13–14 | Bible in a Year: Exodus 21–22; Matthew 19
Unless you change and become like little , you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3
One evening many years ago, after saying a goodnight prayer with our two-year-old , my wife was surprised by a question. “Mommy, where is Jesus?”
Luann replied, “Jesus is in heaven and He’s everywhere, right here with us. And He can be in your heart if you ask Him to come in.”
Our faith in Jesus is to be like that of a trusting .
“I want Jesus to be in my heart.”
“One of these days you can ask Him.”
“I want to ask Him to be in my heart now.”
So our little girl said, “Jesus, please come into my heart and be with me.” And that started her faith journey with Him.
When Jesus’s disciples asked Him who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, He called a little to come and join them (Matthew 18:1–2). “Unless you change and become like little ,” Jesus said, “you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. . . . And whoever welcomes one such in my name welcomes me” (vv. 3–5).
Through the eyes of Jesus we can see a trusting as our example of faith. And we are told to welcome all who open their hearts to Him. “Let the little come to me,” Jesus said, “and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (19:14).
Lord Jesus, thank You for calling us to follow You with the confident faith of a .
Our faith in Jesus is to be like that of a trusting .
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
|
Posted:Jan 26, 2018 1:53 am
Last Updated:May 9, 2024 4:39 am 10973 Views
|
Read: Revelation 4
Bible in a Year: Exodus 14–15; Matthew 17
Day and night they never stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:8
“Time flies when you’re having fun.” This cliché has no basis in fact, but experience makes it seem true.
When life is pleasant, time passes all too quickly. Give me a task that I enjoy, or a person whose company I love, and time seems irrelevant.
“ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4.8
My experience of this “reality” has given me a new understanding of the scene described in Revelation 4. In the past, when I considered the four living creatures seated around God’s throne who keep repeating the same few words, I thought, What a boring existence!
I don’t think that anymore. I think about the scenes they have witnessed with their many eyes (v. 8. I consider the view they have from their position around God’s throne (v. 6). I think of how amazed they are at God’s wise and loving involvement with wayward earthlings. Then I think, What better response could there be? What else is there to say but, “Holy, holy, holy”?
Is it boring to say the same words over and over? Not when you’re in the presence of the one you love. Not when you’re doing exactly what you were designed to do.
Like the four creatures, we were designed to glorify God. Our lives will never be boring if we’re focusing our attention on Him and fulfilling that purpose.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity! Reginald Heber
The author of this article, Julie, is now worshiping her Lord in heaven.
A heart in tune with God can’t help but sing His praise.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
