Sleeping Strengths

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(Revelation 3:2) Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.

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Sleep is that necessary state where the body lies comatose and its imagination is left unguarded to unravel its emotional tensions. Figuratively, to jump awake is to remember reality and repent--i.e., to reverse all that is wrong (3:3). That is the surprise: instead of focusing on lost life, Jesus said repentance is best accomplished by strengthening and nurturing the good that is still alive. "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16).

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Have I completed the opportunities that God gave me so far today or this week? He's not a tyrant who forbids enjoyment or demands forced labor; He's gracious. He understands that love, mercy, and peace produce good fruit if we'd but cultivate and enjoy them. Therefore, think: What strengths, what virtues, what goodnesses and potential greatnesses have I been neglecting or minimizing?

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Lord, good morning. Thank You for haven given me great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:3,4) and every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). Have I been miserly or fearful and treated Your gifts as scarcities? Have I used any of them to manipulate or trouble others instead of liberate them? If so, help me to feel and fear that pain and to honorably repent.

Following My Leader: A Reality Check

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(3 John 11) Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.

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The Holy Spirit developed within John a mastery of simple, strong communication, as this summary verse demonstrates. We all mimic. We all imitate others. Otherwise (quite literally, as neurologists tell us), our brains would not form or function. The issue John presented wasn't whether to mimic, but whom. No human idea is really new (Eccl. 1:9): creativity is merely a redressing and personalizing what we've seen and followed. We long to transform, to possess improvements, but to stay within the structure of what is safely familiar. Longing for resurrection is hardwired in us.

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John revealed that anyone who has seen, touched, and discovered God aches to mimic Him--to become truly good. For that reason, God reminds us (2 Thessalonians 3:7,9; Hebrews 13:7) to thoughtfully observe the people we're following. I need to objectively evaluate the people who are on the same path I've chosen but who are simply farther along.

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Lord, give me boldness. I need that if I'm going to be honest about my life and my direction, if I'm going to believe Your Word. I understand that no person is perfect, so I need You to heal my eyes so that I can see Your hand and Your heart at work in the people I'm imitating, even though it's in my own style. Please unclog my ears so I discern Your leadership above distracters.

The Human Biography

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(John 1914) ... [Pilate] said to the Jews, "Behold your king!"

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Pilate's interrogation of Jesus typifies human investigations of Jesus' authority. His seven key questions to Jesus revealed his internal struggles, and ours. He gradually realized Jesus' unique nature and innocence, yet he was continually pulled by the threats of Jesus' enemies: "If you believe Jesus then you lose both our respect and your authority!" Pilate surrendered to their jealousy even while he seemed to believe Jesus' authority and identity (verse 21). Pilate's ultimate rejection of Jesus was poorly hidden by his passivity.

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I am struck by how faithlessly and falsely God's people represented Jesus to Pilate. So, as people watch the Church (or as the world watches me), does it see a clear picture of Christ's kingdom? Clearly His kingdom is not of this world (verses 35-37) because His people (including me) don't yet perfectly represent Him. Ironically, our "brokenness but making good progress" is the thing that gives people hope.

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My Lord and King, I humble my heart, I bow my knees to You, I prostrate myself. I relinquish all that I have, all that I am, all that I hope to be and submit them to the majesty of Your kingdom. Only by doing Your will here on earth as it is being done in heaven ... only then will the Truth-starved world see the compelling, inviting foretaste of Your kingdom. Help!

Lost to Gain

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(John 16:7) Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.

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Living--eating, sleeping, traveling, and conversing--with the Christ seemed to be the clearest advantage. Having Him depart seemed like the greatest, the cruelest disadvantage. Still, Jesus knew more than what seemed the most obvious gain. His complete wisdom and foreknowledge was only a part of His divine nature. God is also love, which was part of why He had to depart.

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So why couldn't Jesus have stayed and sent His Holy Spirit anyway? Perhaps because when I depend on real-time encounters with people I trust, I tend to postpone decisions and avoid (in some cases) being responsible. I'm afraid that if Jesus were still here in the flesh, I'd postpone life and maturity--I'd depend on "adequate" conversations with Him. Jesus was right--we need His ever-available Holy Spirit more than a touchable flesh (until we get to Heaven).

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Lord, Your demonstration here on earth taught me how approachable and good You are. Your Holy Spirit teaches me how constantly available You are. Thank You.

Whirled Wars and Lasting Peace

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(John 13:21) After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in His spirit and testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."

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Luke described this troubling Jesus felt as being like calm water that had been roiled up. Others who had had similar emotions were described as being terrified, agitated, unsettled, confused, and intimidated. Such reactions were appropriate, normal responses to disturbed, abnormal circumstances.

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I'm encouraged that Jesus knows how I feel at such times. I'm thankful, too, that those disturbances--and my emotional reactions and mind-freezing responses--are simply reality checks for me. They remind me that I still need a Savior and that Jesus is always mighty to save. Health doesn't bypass emotions; it experiences them appropriately and works through them to bring God's will comes to rest.

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Lord, thank You for letting me "see You" through Scriptures. You can be agitated and troubled, too, but You also have remedies so that I can "not let my heart be troubled or afraid." You alone can always restore peace when no one else can and even when circumstances remain unchanged (John 14:1, 27).

Resistant to Healing?

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(John 9:41) Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt, but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains."

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To everyone's surprise, Jesus wasn't as concerned about actual sin as He was about people's attitude towards sin. He already knew the world's works were evil (7:7) and that people were enslaved to sin (8:34,35). The problem, though, was that people's sin became solidified whenever they claimed to be free of sin apart from Jesus--He is the only perfect judge (9:39). He knows where guilt truly lies, and people who deny guilt are not ready to repent of it, so their toxic guilt remains.

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I don't want to be like the disciples who saw sin as the cause of suffering (9:2) or the Pharisees who saw sin as a description of other people (9:34). Like the adulterer in John 8 or the blind man in John 9, I want Jesus to help me see my sin so I can repent and be delivered. The greater my awareness of moral wrong-doings, the greater my hope for change.

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Savior, You alone see the full range and ramifications of each sin, which is why You came to make deliverance available to us. In Your light, I am able to light--the Light of Life (Psalm 36:9; John 8:12). I pray that You help me to always have a tender and humble heart towards sin and righteousness.

The Will to See Clearly

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(John 7:17, 18) If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether [Jesus' teachings are] from God ... the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him is no falsehood.

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Here, Jesus gives humanity tools for discerning the validity of His amazing claims. These tools also help us recognize both truth and honest people (see Acts 17:24-28). He teaches that people who promote themselves instead of God are filled with falsehood. In contrast, those who induce people to love and obey God are filled with truth. How does one recognize Truth? The more one reveals Jesus, the more one reveals Truth (see John 14:6,7).

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This information teaches me how to structure my life and my thoughts. First, I resolve to be a person who resolves to do God's will, wherever that leads me. Second, I resolve to be a person who seeks God's glory and revelation in any circumstance, regardless of how Fear or Doubt or Greed might argue. Third, I resolve to delight in Your introductions and revelations: You not only love revealing Your love, You also let us share the joy of helping people discover You.

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Lord, its hard to not be a self-promoter or self-server. Just as it's also hard to not be a slave to others' disapproval or approval. The only thing that gives me perspective enough to abandon those sins is to love and trust You. I know you--You are truly trustworthy.

Adjusting to the Light

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(2 Peter 1:9) “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.”

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Here, Peter directs God’s spotlight onto the unhappy cause of ineffective, unproductive living. This nearsightedness, in ancient Greek, meant to squint one’s eyes shut and turn away because of a brilliant light (A.T. Robertson). “Receiving forgetfulness” is the problem. Choosing to remember—not the sins, but God’s great forgiveness—is the brilliant light. If we will but look fully, we can see God’s perspective on our immediate circumstances as well as long-term goals.

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Peter was right. As I celebrate God’s forgiveness and grace (as opposed to wallowing in regrets), my attitude, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors radically shift. How could I have distrusted God? In His light I find mercy, not condemnation (Psalm 36:9) Because of Him, I eagerly add to my faith all that Peter listed: virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love.

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Lord, keep me as the apple of Your eye (Psalm 17:8). Only when I look into the light of Your face and believe the unpretentiousness of Your love, only then do I have serenity and security (Numbers 6:24-26). Thank You!

The Good Life

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(Hebrews 9:14) ... how much more will the blood of Christ ... purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

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This describes a more profound feature of Christ's blood: conscience ["suneidasin"] purification. This Greek work means more than being a mere witness to one's own conduct and duty, it also describes the purification of one's outlook. It's a change of consciousness that's caused by learning to discern between death-stimulating and life-stimulating actions. Realizing God's redemptive use of Jesus' blood does that to our perceptions of life. It's radical.

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Some people argue over which comes first: Does attitude and understanding shape behavior, or can it be the other way around? In this verse I find a different answer: Jesus' blood demonstrates God's grace-filled love, and once I become conscious of that, my conscience realigns like iron to a magnet. God's love redefines how I think about people and how I treat people.

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Lord, You know how often I wasted my life on worthless works. My darkened mind slandered Your goodness. Thank You, though, for the ever-present reminder of Your blood. It really changes my view of life. It illuminates the living hope I have as I serve You, the living God. Life really is good!

Acquired Gentleness

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(Hebrews 5:2) He [the high priest] can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.

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"Beset with weakness" means to enclose a person with an inescapable awareness of his or her own inabilities. This resolves God's problem with human leaders: the higher He appoints and exalts people (verses 4, 5), the easier it is for them to become harsh with those who aren't as gifted or likeminded. Anyone who is lifted out of shame, ineptitude, or suffering is quick to create as much distance as possible from those things, sometimes by becoming intolerant or impatient with those who are still stuck there.

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I have to stand in awe of God's wisdom, just as I also have to submit to it. Personal sicknesses, suffering, and insufficiency are necessary companions--temporary adversaries--who train me to deal gently and patiently with people who bug me. If I really want to prove my maturity, that I don't need besetting weakness, I should demonstrate gentleness with difficult people.

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Lord, I submit to Your wisdom. Just as Israel, Paul--even Yourself--submitted to this training method (Deuteronomy 7:22; Hebrews, 12; 2 Corinthians 12) I will, too. I can because I trust You completely and I know the rest, peace, and wholeness that obedience to You provides.

Direct Access to Unclaimed Mercy

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(Hebrews 1:1,2) Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world.
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This letter commemorated the greatest shift in human history. Literally, this author’s generation was the first to see the world through the long-awaited perspective of the Christ. Until then, imperfect symbols, shadows, and metaphors were the best foggy lens through which people could perceive God''s love. Because of Jesus’ cross, resurrection, and ascension, we now can each know God directly through Jesus Christ.

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I think I fail to adequately appreciate the privileges of God’s grace. Privilege has become a bad word today, but receiving this grace isn't from misused power or favoritism. God's mercy is too vast and too accessible for that. Frankly, our needs are too small to exhaust the resource that Jesus is to each of us.

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Savior, help me to enter fully into Your rest (4:11). Help me to confidently draw near to Your throne of grace so I might receive mercy and find grace to help in every single time of need, every circumstance and season of life (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Elucidate, Elucubrate, Validate

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(2 Timothy 1:2) To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Scholars presume that Timothy’s father, a Greek unbeliever (Acts 16:1), was probably no longer alive. That speculation has nothing to do with the truthfulness of Paul’s salutation. First, Paul served Timothy in a nurturing, guiding capacity--a necessary fatherly role. Second, this role was characterized by (1) elucidation (bringing light and clarity to the dark frustrations of life), (2) elucidation (laboring hard in behind-the-scenes study and service), and (3) validation (affirming the reality of God’s work and will in Timothy’s life).

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All too often our perceptions of reality are based on misguided, misinformed stories that other people repeat. All too often I allow my private, un-worded fears to whisper into the ears of my timid will. For others, too, all too often false but loud and dominant narratives are believed instead of the less vocalized, less believed truth.

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Good Shepherd, I want to hear and need to hear Your voice. Help me to know truth and to speak it into other people’s lives. Help me to validate in them Your glorious image and goodnesses.

A New Brand

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(Titus 3:14) “And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.”

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Becoming devoted to good works opens up an expansive playground for one's imagination. Paul instructed Titus to let his portion of the church learn this creativity. Ironically, these same people had been enslaved to self-promoting good works, fearing God’s wrath for not being good enough. Now, having been fully justified by the forgiving grace that Jesus’ blood paid for, these same people now freely devoted themselves to the joys of loving people.They had pure hearts and motives to focus on those who were in greatest need. What a great social revolution!

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The beauty of this healed devotion is that the body of Christ is liberated to partner with the Holy Spirit’s creativity. We get to dream and create. We get to share in God's good works so the Gospel is launched in fresh, tangible ways.

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Lord, I see that before such a revolution can catch me and carry me to where I really want to be, I need to devote myself afresh to You, to re-receive Your grace today, and to remember Your call on my life. Lord, Your will is supreme above all other temptations and all the screeching noises from the world. I am fully Yours, Jesus!

Easy Losses

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(Philippians 3:8) Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord. For His sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

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Paul suffered when things were taken from him or when he let things go. His inventory of losses was not limited to tangibles; it included his ambitions, social status, and treasured accolades...all the things that helped him rest contentedly as a good, respect-worthy person. All of that lost all value. His only true treasure, he learned, was receiving Jesus--coming to Him continually empty-handed and destitute before His indescribable generosity.

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I hate to lose things--books, jobs, cars, friends, reputations (the good ones)...things I wanted to remember on time. I love to snuggle into my temporal securities, but Paul was right, losses help my faith appreciate. It is far better and far more secure to know that I know Christ as my all-sufficient, all-caring Lord.

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Jesus, it seems true that the final stage of terminal illnesses includes letting go of things, relationships, and life. Some day, I'll do that in anticipation of my homecoming to Heaven, but until then, I'll enjoy all the things You give me and all the people You've given me to love. Even so, as Paul said, none of that compares with knowing You.

360 Degree Worship

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(Ephesians 6:9) Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that He who is both their Master and yours is in Heaven, and there is no partiality in Him.

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"The same to them" refers to verses 5-7, where masters (bosses) are to "obey" their subordinates with fear and trembling, sincerely, as though Christ Himself was their employee...as though He was present with each person. Jesus came to earth, demoting Himself of His infinite power and authority. He came not only as a human, but as an infant boy, destined to be a poor servant. He, the Holy One, the righteous and merciful Judge, subjected Himself to human parents and their relatives. He subjected Himself to corrupt judicial, executive, and legislative powers.

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We can't avoid exercising authority, power or judgment over others. We are served by cashiers when we buy groceries. We learn of people weakened by unemployment or oppression. How do I handle my portions of power and authority? Jesus is all about lifting the down-trodden, strengthening the weak, and encouraging the hopeless...am I?

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Lord, You revealed Your love to me through people, but I'm slow to recognize Your sovereign works in these people. Your image is visible in the people around me. I resist social strata, but it still exists. You use people above me, beside me, and below me to help me learn about authority. Help me to serve each of them with the same incorruptible love that I have for You (Ephesians 6:23,24).

Unlimited Variations of Peace

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(2 Thessalonians 3:16) Now may the Lord of Peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

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Paul had just written about apocalyptic crises as well as commonplace, household complaints, yet his assertion was that God's peace was available against the whole range of human disturbances. It's always available. It's always available in every circumstance. Why? Because the Lord is always with us. Wonderful!

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It's one thing for me to have finally believed Jesus and that my believing His blood justified my forgiveness...why did I ever wait so long? It's the next discovery after believing Him for my salvation that He makes His peace available to me in the midst of all my experiences: repentance, joy, grief, anger, correction, celebrations, etc.

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Lord, You have made so many good things available to us! I'm finding myself less intimidated by life. As I experience the unpredictability of human life, I'm learning to eagerly look forward to the many facets of Your peace. Seeking and enjoying Your will is the calm center of life's storms. Thank You.

Small Talk with a Big God

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(Matthew 26:38) Then [Jesus] said to [Peter, James, and John], "My soul is very sorrowful even to death; remain here, and watch with me."

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In extraordinary grief, in the face of imminent death, having loved ones nearby is comforting--even though temptation and death are ultimately one-on-one battles. Jesus knew that watchfulness (that is, staying alert and prayerful) is crucial at these times because Satan, the deceiver who accuses, has found these to be easy opportunities for his successes.

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If I were there, conversing with Jesus on His last precross night (and presumably my own last night, too), what would I have talked about? How significant would my small talk have been? Here, where only darkness kept their human enemies away, Jesus' love for me is most visible. His great sorrow and compassion moved Him to "sell all He owned and distribute His wealth to the poor [us], so He could have greater treasure in Heaven, so we could follow Him there" (Luke 18:22-25).

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Savior, what has proven to be impossible for me, You have successfully achieved. You paid for my full salvation even while I kept trying and failing. I can never thank You enough for Your forgiveness and Your grace!

Sacred Gifts

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(Matthew 23:19, 20) You blind men! For which is greater, the gift of the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by everything on it.

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These lost guides scrambled after the wrong goals: they believed their works and sacrifices were the precious commodities of spirituality. They were wrong. The altar represented God's justice and mercy, which made opportunities for them to eliminate their "gifts" of their excessive securities and back-breaking sins. Similarly, the temple represented a place to gather with God and His throne represented His universal government . . . each piece teachings about the character of God, who is Love.

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As much as I'm aware of my sacrifices in life, and more specifically in my service for the advance of my Savior's Kingdom, my sacrifices of praise and thankfulness are most accurate and refreshing when they're focused on the cross. There, Jesus made life available to me. And, as Jesus said, behind that altar is the presence and power of the Living God.

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Lord, how small I feel within the span of Your history of people, Your government of the universe, Your glory. Yet that very smallness encourages me, too. How amazing is Your love, then, that You would pay so dearly to manage all my needs.  I am humbled by Your attention and glorified by Your grace. What kind love this is that You would make me sacred to You!

Timeless Talk

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(Matthew 13:52) And [Jesus] said to [His disciples], "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the Kingdom of Heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."

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In Heaven's Kingdom, King Jesus is inseparable from His person and His presence--this is the great treasure, and His Word is an expression of that. In this parable, the King's Old Testament and New Testament revelations of Himself merge into a whole preview of Heaven. Good house managers use both Testaments to make Jesus' presence the center of abundance for their households.

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Millennia ago, King David recorded that God's Words revive souls and cause hearts to rejoice (Psalm 19:7,8). I, too, long to feed my family with fresh insights into ancient revelations, and to be guided by the Holy Spirit so they are indeed fresh, timely, and beneficial. The cool thing is, unlike fragile antiques, God's treasures are durable: everyone in the house can grapple with God's Words as they use them and share them.

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Great Teacher, thank You for the treasures in Your Word and the availability of Your Spirit to help us appreciate it rightly. Thank You, too, for the recorded testimonies from across the centuries of others who have thrived because of treasuring Your Word. Thank You for making our lives richer through their stories.

Free Speech: It Comes from Within

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(Matthew 5:37) Let what you say be simply "Yes" or "No"; anything more than that comes from evil.

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This was spoken in the context of God becoming human and delivering us from the powerful entrapments of Evil. Specifically, people had been inflating their talk and ideas with wordy promises, hoping their elaborate, overworked props would make them more acceptable and convincing. Ah, the strength of simplicity. They didn't understand love or freedom.

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In this "good advice," I hear Jesus encouraging a much simpler life. No longer do I have to overwork my justifications for who I am or what I do. The honesty of my uncluttered statements and the integrity of my explanations will either confirm or contradict who I am. Phew! I have much better ways to spend my limited time and energy. There are much better issues to attend to.

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Lord, it's clear that Evil would have me fussing over pointless causes. Help me to live simply, to speak plainly and truthfully. I want to live with integrity before You and people. Help me shed the clutter of extra words and misspent anxieties. Thank You for giving us this freedom of thought and refreshing power.

True Knowing III

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(Job 22:3,26) Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are right...? For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty and lift up your face to God.

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In this chapter, Eliphaz reveals the nature of his relationship with his god. It was so sadly empty (42:7) even though he later parroted the language of someone’s actual relationship. Eliphaz saw his god as a callous, morality-measuring despot, and served either out of duty and dread, though perhaps it was for the delights of the search (while actively resisting ever finding, knowing, or choosing). To bolster his argument, he accused Job of rebelling against his god.

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I’m so glad Job demonstrated a fourth kind of relationship with God: mutual delight. From Eliphaz’s accusatory stance, verses 21-30 compounded Job’s misery; yet, ironcially those ideas formed the anthem of Job’s core values. Out of context, they radiate joy and truth because despite all physical gains or losses, God’s love for us and our reciprocating love and responsive trust for Him delivers us hand-in-hand, safely into eternity (Psalm 16:11, Philippians 2:13; Ephesians 1:5; Luke 12:32).

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Lord, I make this my prayer, my anthem, too. In response to any of life’s issues, my heart’s core, primal response is to tell everything to You. I love You and enjoy You above all else. Knowing that You hear me, I continually pay You my vows of thanksgiving. Such worship pleases both of us (Amos 4:5; Philippians 4:6).

Free Love--With Guard Rails

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(1 Corinthians 10:32,33) Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage but that of many, that they may be saved.

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Trying to please everyone in everything could be very healthy or disastrously sick. So, in this section, the Holy Spirit provided guard rails that keeps our relationships in healthy motion. (1) Help people (v. 23). (2) Build people up (v. 23). (3) Seek all forms of good for others (v. 24). (4) Filter all choices so what remains is an enhanced display of God's image in each person (v. 31). (5) Promote pleasure (v. 33). (6) Leverage circumstances into advantages for others (v. 33). (7) Direct everyone into the riches of salvation through Jesus Christ (v. 33).

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Giving people whatever they want is craziness. If I merely try to please everyone out of fear of ... whatever ... then I become a slave and I lose my unique identity as a special creation of God's. I betray myself and do no good to the people I'm pretending to please. I become confusing clutter. By heeding God's guard rails I heal broken relationships and clean up the wreckage of our social landscape.

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God, help me first to be willing to become as eager as Paul was to please others, and in doing that, help me also to raise my standard of care to Your levels. Trying to please everyone while ignoring Your standards of love is just slavery. I want to be free to truly love people.

Free to Be Me

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(Galatians 3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.

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Being redeemed from this curse, as Paul said, results in us receiving the promised Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ (v. 14). This releases us to enjoy the freedom, wisdom, and character that's appropriate for the children of the infinitely wise and merciful Heavenly Father. In contrast, Job--as a type of the suffering Christ--described this curse as being cut off from God's majesty and living like wild dogs, which scavenge and sneak and snarl through life (Job 30:1-11; Revelation 22:15).

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Having had my address on both sides of this curse, I unhesitatingly affirm that being escorted, filled, and guided by the Holy Spirit is the truest freedom. It's life. My experience with the "freedom" of godlessness and feigned godliness outside of Christ is only an illusion, though deeply believed. I found that attaining any center but Christ was only a farce of freedom and life.

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Savior, Comforter, Redeemer, hearing Your name causes something inside of me to leap for hope. Each of Your descriptive names, King Jesus, reveals the generosity of Your character. Thank You for teaching me experientially about Your unequivical goodness. Your grace, the cycle of receiving and being, is much better than my old cycle of proving and failing. Thank You for helping me become my true self.

Enlightened Ears

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(Job 19:2,3) “How long will you torment me and break me in pieces with words? These ten times you have cast reproach upon me; and you are not ashamed to wrong me?

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God concurred that Job’s assessment of his friends was accurate (42:7,8). The surprise is how Job counted his previous talks. His friends had replied five times to Job, but each reply apparently counted double: each answer failed to demonstrate truly hearing upon which they added false accusations. The oxymoron “miserable comforters” fit (16:2). Because they listened only twist his words into false accusations, they became Satan’s voice to justify suffering, separation and shame.

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I have two ears and a brain in between them—I should listen with my whole brain engaged so I better understand people. Similarly, I have only one mouth, and it’s further removed from my brain than my ears, so I should be slow to speak until I’ve really heard and understood the other person’s heart and thoughts.

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Jesus, You know me and You’ve witnessed my stupidity—yet You still love me. You listen to me. You rush Your grace and kindness to me anyway. How different we are from You. How greatly I long to learn to be more like You. I think I’m starting to really hear You.

Being Afraid Doesn’t Mean You're in the Wrong Place

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(Mark 4:39-40) “And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

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Jesus demonstrated His identity. As God’s only begotten Son, nothing impossible for Jesus, and this revelation was only starting to be just barely understood by His disciples. They had yet to deny Him, to abandon Him, and to realize with certainty that He’s the Messiah—they had a long maturation process still ahead of them. Witnessing this miracle was God gift. It was a powerful metaphor that gave them a “hope-anchor” for future storms, an assurance for faith to lock a hold of.

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I know that I know that Jesus is trustworthy. I can no longer honestly deny Him because of the winds He’s stilled and the storms He’s calmed in my life. This gives me hope and direction for the storms that have yet to arise and the tsunamis that pretend to threaten my future.

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Master, Son of God, I trust You. Like those disciples, I’m sure I, too, have much maturing still needed. And sometimes gorgeous days turn blustery; still, I’m learning to become more courageous and faithful. I’m so deeply grateful for really knowing that You are absolutely trustworthy…and more powerful than any blow-hard wind.

Darkened Souls

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(Job 18:6,14,15) The light [of the wicked] is dark in his tent...He is torn from his tent in which he trusted and is brought to the king of terrors. In his tent dwells that which is none of his....

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Here, Bildad wrongly described God's attitude and actions toward the wicked (42:7,8). He described God as being merely an extension of his own vindictive, fearful theology. He wanted God to be the grand tormentor instead of Savior and Deliverer. Although it's true that wickedness eventually begets misery, darkened perceptions, and a "tent-full" of unsatisfactory relationships, God's theology is vastly different.

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Through Jesus Christ, God commands light to shine in darkness (2 Corinthians 4:6). Where Bildad saw these problems as results of wickedness and reasons to reject wicked people, through Paul's life, I can see clearly how the same problems can bring light and changed lives. In Acts 27 and 28, Paul shared terrors with the ungodly so his "tent" could be an attractive opportunity to showcase God's grace.

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Mighty Deliverer, help me not to view You through the blindness of my fear of suffering or my discomfort of people who aren't like me. Please turn on Your light brighter for me so I can see how You're continually pouring out Your grace through Your son, Jesus, to all of us (Ephesians 5:1-20).

A Higher Call

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(Acts 22:21,22) And [God] said to me, "Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles." Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live."

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The Bible's simplest statements can pierce us with their stark realities. In God's love, He commissions us to leave our comforts in order to love people outside our own circles. The people who hated Paul feared that God could also love people who disliked them. They resisted the idea that God would send "one of us" to "any of them." But Paul, having obeyed God's call, found God's love to be far greater and more satisfying than the fear and hate he'd previously shared with them.

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Reading this ancient story, it's easy to be smugly shocked by this crowd's bigotry and irrationality. In my world, though, how do I respond to watching other people obey God's call to love hard-to-love people? How do I react to exploring the depths of God's broken heart over people who are suffering in worlds far from mine?

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Savior, I remember that You were fully justified if You'd abandoned me. I remember that instead You sacrificed Your body and blood so You could justify my salvation, my forgiveness, and my adoption into Your family. How can I express my thanks for You today?

Let God Be True

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(Job 13:8) Will you show partiality toward [God]? Will you plead the case for God?

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Job was right to be very disgusted and angry with his friends. They were trying to defend God's character in the face of Job's suffering, but in the process they falsely accused Job of wrong. As G. Campbell Morgan observed of this text, "[God] is never vindicated by any argument which involves injustice to any human being ... To attempt to explain the suffering, and that by our philosophy of God, may be to lead us into injustice to the sufferer, and to misrepresent God."

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It is tempting for me to try to define God so He's acceptable to others, or so He's either more understandable or less embarrassing to me. Unfortunately, the method of giving Him a make-over is to grossly misrepresent Him and to hurt people. It's far better to learn and believe God's words about Himself--to "permit" God to speak for Himself through the Scriptures.

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Lord, You've explained that You are love and that love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Your cross certainly demonstrated that (Romans 5:1-11). Using the truth of Your love as a launching point, help me to humbly help others like me who have been buried by difficulties (James 5:20).

Sustainable, Enduring Hope

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(Job 8:13) Such are the paths of all who forget God; the hope of the godless shall perish.

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This accusation from Bildad only increased Job's suffering. Bildad misused the truth about hope. It is true that hope is the expectation of what we desire, and it is true that anyone's hope to be successful and happy apart from God's designs will always eventually lead, as Bildad said, to annihilated hope--hopelessness. Yes, hope in God will always eventually lead to eternally expanding cycles of desire and fulfillment (Romans 5:1-15; 8:18; Hebrews 6:19), but Bildad missed a pivotal insight, that godliness and suffering are not mutually exclusive.

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How do I use truth? Believing that God is truth, that His Word is truth, and that Jesus is the perfect expression of God, do I allow the Holy Spirit to use God's Word to reconfigure my understanding of life? Do I allow His Word to reshape me so I'm increasingly like God's only Son? Is my hope, my highest desire in God (Psalms 31:24; 119:81,114)?

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Lord, I invite Your Word to have free course throughout my life (2 Thess. 3:1). Help me to be boldly honest and lovingly truthful...first in my relationship with You, then with others. Help me to share Your truth in life-giving ways so hope is increases and rightly rests in You alone, never in me, other people, or systems.

Careful Listening

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(Job 2:13) And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

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These three men demonstrated perfect friendship by being swift to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19). Unfortunately, even after waiting until Job spoke first, they later demonstrated being too quick to wrath (James 1:19) and too quick to try to fix what they thought was Job's problem. Armed with misplaced truths, wrong assumptions, and incomplete knowledge, their eagerness to help only increased Job's suffering (Job 42:7,8).

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Because my habit has been to fear pain and sneak out of God's refining processes, I am too quick to try to coach other people out of their pains. I've too frequently underestimated the healing virtues of simply listening well before trying to teach, advise, or otherwise solve other people's problems. Had they really heard Job's patience, I wonder if Job's friends might have actually helped him (James 5:7-11).

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Lord, Ito some degree, we all try to teach and help each other. I hold up to You, for Your help, the teachers who speak into my life (past, present, and future). Whether formally or informally, casually or carefully teaching me, they carry a huge responsibility, and You hold them accountable to a high standard (James 3:1,2). Help them to do well, and help me to be discerning.

Unconditional Love

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(Job 1:9) Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason?"

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Satan (which means, "Adversary") postulated that Job served God only for the benefits God gave him. In other words, Job's love for God was conditional, not unconditional. But God, because of His righteousness, goodness, and unfailing, unconditional love for Job, and because of His perfect governing of the universe, allowed Job to enlarge his love of God. Though there's always room to grow, God defined Job's maturity as perfect sound (1:1,8,22; 2:3,10; 42:7,8).

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I know I serve and love God because of the long-proven truth that He daily loads me with benefits (Psalm 68:19). I know my adversary--my accuser--would have me forget that truth and fail to appreciate God's multiplied blessings. When reading Hebrews 11 and Habakkuk 3:17-19, for example, I remember that hardship, suffering, and faith are necessary for my growth and for the benefits of other people.

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Lord, You know how weak and timid and selfish I can be, yet You love me enough to help me overcome these crippling traits. Lord, I commit to love You unconditionally as well as I can despite whatever losses or tragedies that I might yet experience. I crush my fear of this prayer by relying on Your good character and unfailing love.

Author of Life

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"You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see." Acts 3:15-16.

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Peter is really laying into the crowd who just witnessed the miraculous healing of a lame beggar. He wants them to understand the significance of what just happened. It was more than a miracle. It was an unmistakable declaration that Jesus, the one they killed, is the "Author of Life", and Faith in Him is what was on display.

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When God does amazing things, and I get to testify about them, it should always be about Jesus. I sometimes get more excited about what He's done than the "why"!

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Dear Lord, may I always be so captivated by you that my first inclination is to point out the spiritually obvious to any who might hear: Jesus is the one who did this, so that they might come to faith.

The Whole, Healthy Church

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(Zechariah 8:2,23) Thus says the Lord of Hosts: "I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy ... In those days, [people from every nation and tongue shall say]: "Let us go with you for we have heard that God is with you."

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This amazing chapter predicted the healthy church: communities of people who are maturing in Christ. Adults are strong in planting truth and peace; they produce the fruits of God's Spirit (verses 9-19). Children exercise their imaginations, their bodies, and their budding relationship skills through God-ordained activities: free play. They are even safe in the city streets because the elderly are sitting, each one with his or her staff (verses 3-8).

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This works because each generation does its work: children play, adults produce, and the elderly pray. This scene hinges on whether the elderly are sitting with his or her staff. Having years of experience in exercising godliness, their staffs describe how they--through personal relationship with Jesus, the Word of God, as they weather the challenges of life--have grown to be trustworthy and wise.

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Good Shepherd, Your Word is like a rod and staff to me. It comforts me. Like an old person's walker, it reliably stabilizes me when I'm unsteady and uncertain. Your Word makes me strong. Like a good staff in a skillful shepherd's hand, it protects me. Like a royal scepter, it authorizes me to make good decisions. Thank You.

Here Comes the Judge!

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(Luke 12:57) And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?

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Jesus presented His question to crowds, the thousands of people who trampled each other to hear Him. Undoubtedly, their spectrum of wisdom ranged from insightful to clueless; yet Jesus charged each person to actively judge rightness for themselves. He was clear: God's will and God's Word were the standards for right. He was also clear that God holds them responsible for how they appliedy what measures of knowledge He gave them.

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Why don't I judge for myself what is right? Do I defer to others to escape being responsible and doing right? Do I look carefully at my life and community, and take both a stand and necessary action to do right, to broaden the span of my Master's influence. He is the Righteous Judge, the Prince of Peace--do I wisely live out all the insights He has generously given me (before I ask for more)?

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Master, Savior, thank You for Your patience and mercy on me. I don't want to use that as an excuse for neglecting what You want to do through me. Help me today to live the Truth You've shown me. Help me to be fully attentive to do everything that brings You pleasure as You observe me.

Passing through Fear

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(Isaiah 33:14) The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: "Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire...?"

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Isaiah described these people as selfishly permitting or participating in the mistreatment of others. Fear is an apt response because the Holy Spirit doesn't allow this behavior among His people. Jesus came to baptize us with His Holy Spirit, who is this consuming fire that removes these toxic tendencies from us.

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We are to fear God, but not to be afraid. So Jesus sent His disciples into a deadly squall, then He walked across the open sea to comfort them. Jesus arranged to be murdered--crucified--then He, in His resurrected body, walked through their house walls, right into the room where they were hiding. Jesus permits such frightening circumstances where only His presence can re-work the circumstances into good or into joy (Romans 5:1-5; 8:28,29; James 1:2-8).

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Lord, I welcome You and Your Holy Spirit's work in my life--whatever is needed. I give myself to You, and as fully as I understand how to do this, I am receptive to everything You want me to be or to do. Thank You for the faith to leave fear and to abide in Your peaceful, joyful, love.

Don't Steal My Cross!

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(Luke 9:23) And He [Jesus] said to all, " If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me."

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This teaching conversation began when Jesus was alone in prayer even though He was also alone with His disciples (verse 18). Such is the nature of prayer. From that safe intimacy, He chose to reveal that He was indeed God's Messiah, who was to succeed by suffering and dying before being resurrected, glorified, or honored. He then invited His disciples to die under the biting rejection of the ungodly religious, then to live in the over-compensating presence of God (verses 18-27).

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I need only one final death to commence my eternal resurrection with Jesus in Heaven (1 Corinthians 15). However, each day I need to take up my cross to follow Him. So many tempters and temptations try to steal my cross, to cheat me out of doing God's patient, loving will. I want no one to steal my opportunities to forgive, to love the unlovable, to become generous and merciful instead of mean and selfish.

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Dear Lamb of God, Messiah, yes. I say yes to Your invitation to joyfully carry my ever-shifting cross, which purges my selfishness fear. I say yes to walking boldly in Your light and love. I reject each shortcut and compromise, each luxury that makes me less Christ-like. Amen!

Strengthening the King

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(Daniel 11:1) And as for me [Daniel], in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.

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Daniel's devotion to the King of king's allowed him to freely confirm and strengthen Darius. This ruler "introduced" himself to the Babylonians by his military invasion. When Daniel chose death by lions instead of death by godlessness (Daniel 6), he taught Darius to live. Daniel confirmed and strengthened Darius by communicating the richness and certainty of God's Word even though he didn't grasp all of its details (Daniel 9:1-23; 12:8-11).

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As a godly person, too, I have a responsibility to care for the souls of all governmental and political leaders whether I agree with their "ways and means," or their methods, motives, or morals. Although I don't share Daniel's political position, I do share his call to love and pray for leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-6).

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King Jesus, I confess that sometimes I wear my political convictions like an obnoxious shirt. I repent. Help me to still hold bold convictions, but above all else to communicate loving compassion for the well-being of all citizens. As I participate in the costly privilege of self-government, help me to represent Your kingdom well. Yours is the eternal kingdom.

Fully Redeemed

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(Psalm 130:7,8) O Israel [insert my name], hope in the Lord! For with the Lord, there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

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Israel represents God's people, people who willingly experience God's beneficence. Our relationship with Him ignites hope and a decedent outpouring of His redemption. Not only does He forgive us and remove the penalty of our disobediences, but He redeems us. He converts His people's miseries into hope and health.

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How do I maximize all the benefits He's made available to me? Verses 1 and 2 describe my fully engaged conversation with Him (i.e., prayer). Verses 3 and 4 describe my courageous stance in active goodness. Verses 5 and 6 describe my patient attention and reverence for God's Word. And the final two verses describe the joys of walking with Jesus.

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Thank You, Lord, for Your steadfast, unwavering, love toward me. It is superior to how I've loved You or others. It is superior to any other love I've experienced. You've proven and substantiated Your love by redeeming me from all (not just a couple) of my iniquities--THANK YOU!

Dwarfed by His Designs of Love

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(Ezekiel 42:2) The length of the building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits, and the breadth was fifty cubits.

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At least God knows what He's doing. His depth of detail, His breadth of design far exceeds humanity's comprehension, yet despite the gap between His knowledge and ourse, He does not require a secret handshake or a strange insight before we can appreciate and participate in His redemptive works. As complex as Ezekiel's temple visions seem, love is still the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8).

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Paul prayed for me that I would know the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:18,19). Ezekiel's temple discloses rich symbols of Christ's love, a few of them even crowded into my small understanding! The big lesson is that God knows what He's doing even though I don't ... and that's okay. I can learn of His loving designs at my own pace (phew)!

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Dear Prince of Peace, thank You for accompanying me as I worship You. I enter worship burdened and guilty, but leave still escorted and loved by You. And You lead me out to a new place, changed by the loss of my burden of shame, fear, and isolation. I love You (and thanks, too, for You message in Ezekiel 46:9,10).

Conquering Fear

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(Revelation 21:7) The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

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This heritage refers to dwelling with God who permanently removes sadness and pain from us, who continuously makes all things new, and who fully satisfies all our thirsts and appetites (verses 1-7). This heritage belongs to His children, who--like Him--conquers anything that distorts His goodness. to not be His is to be enslaved by fear, doubt, repulsiveness, killings, sexual confusion, evil manipulations, covetousness, twisted imaginations, and dishonesty (verses 7 and 8).

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I've learned that behind most of what wounds, cripples, and defeats me is fear. And fear (cowardliness) is simply a bad idea. That's all it is. It has no power of its own, but it tricks me into doing its dirty work. Ben Courson wrote: "But courage is not the absence of fear, it is being stronger than fear ... It understands that fear's only intrinsic power is making us believe it is omnipotent.... So it is in realizing that courage is greater than fear that fear is overcome."

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Lord, thank You for the experiences and choices that You allow into my life. The teach me and they train me to become a conqueror of fear and hopelessness... to become Your child.

Worthy of Great Praises

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(Psalm 145:3) Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.

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God is great. That fact seems to be as simple and extreme of an understatement as is possible. In this psalm, David introduces evidence for God's greatness, and our inevitable and irresistible response to truly understanding His greatness is to praise Him in our constant expression and conversation. David adds that God's greatness is of such excellence that an eternity of discovery is inadequate time to grasp the dimensions or details of the richness of who He is: He's unsearchable!

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Not only am I convicted by my ignorance of His greatness and goodness, but I all-too-often under-appreciate the role of His goodness in my life. He deserves my constant and great praises. How on earth can I praise Him greatly? What does poor praise look like in contrast to what He deserves from me?

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Lord, I'm uncertain about how to greatly praise You. I know that praise and appreciation for Your greatness vastly enhances my perspective and improves my choices. I desire to be one of Your followers who greatly praises You--could You show me how to do this well?