Delight*Abide*Love For People in Pursuit of God
This Month: * Magnificent Wrecks *Hail No * Assistance from an Emotional Distance *I’m Clucking Here * And much more‌
April 2013
Dear Reader: Easter has passed, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior has been celebrated, but I hope that this celebration, this moment of thanks will spur us to greater dedication, that we will choose to remember His sacrifice for us all year long, not just on the prescribed calendar date. Jesus spread His arms and let them nail Him to a tree to save our sorry souls; we owe Him way more than a few days of honor each year. That said, this month has flown past as time does when we get older. I am rapidly approaching the due date for my third child and will certainly find getting all these ministerial things done a challenge; but with God’s help I know that I will be able to keep up with all things so as not to disappoint those of you whom enjoy both the magazine and the new show, Rahab’s Sisters. Just pray for me if you don’t mind that He will infuse me with His energy even with a crying baby and a jealous two year old. God’s definitely been at work with this ministry as He continues to bless us financially through the support of one of our local churches and additional work for my husband that has allowed us not to be so strained when I need to get something for the site, or the show. God is good all the time and He daily reminds me of His goodness and His love for me. I am honored to give back this minute amount knowing full well I can never repay Him for all He’s done for me. Father, You are wholly awesome and deserving of all praise and adoration. Help us to remember Your Son each day not just on Easter and Christmas. Help us to seek Your Kingdom and Your righteousness and help us to study to show ourselves approved. We want to please You and to serve You; please guide our hands, hearts, feet and words. Amen. Peace and blessings, Ginny Mink
www.delightabidelove.com
Magnificent Wrecks “Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction.” Psalm 107:17 (ESV) Perhaps you’ve some familiarity with Psalm 107; at least the beginning of verse two anyway, “let the redeemed of the Lord say so…” I’ve heard that line many times and I’ve watched multitudes cheer and clap, nod and smile. We find it excessively easy to latch onto all the happy Bible verbiage, but what if you dared to read the entire Psalm, or at least up ‘til verse 17? Would you readily nod your head at the truth declared there, particularly if it were in reference to your own life? How many of us who claim to be the redeemed of the Lord would just as eagerly declare that we were fools and that much of our afflictions have been self-induced thanks to those foolish paths of iniquity? Sure, we all want to grasp hold of free salvation, but take responsibility for our need for that salvation, not so much. Paul tells us that all have sinned, and if indeed we’re saved, born again, children of the Most High God thanks to Divine intervention and adoption, then at some point we had to admit that propensity towards evil. What I find bothersome is when believers disregard the fact that they were fools once too and thereby act appalled or disturbed by the iniquity of others. I was recently talking to someone who was sharing some of her past foolishness, she said to me, “I can tell you because you won’t judge me.” Thankfully at that moment I wasn’t battling the judgmentalism that often rears its head, but her comment saddened me a bit because as Spiritual siblings we shouldn’t be concerned about being judged by our brothers and sisters. We were all fools magnificently wrecking out own lives until Christ rescued us. Let us all take responsibility for our own failures and never think our sins are lesser than anyone else’s’. Father, please help keep us humble even if it means smacking us with memories of our own vileness. Amen.
Strength in the Word “He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.” Psalm 107:20 (ESV) We started this month off with Psalm 107 and we’re ending it there and I hope that maybe that will inspire you to read it in its entirety. Something I took note of was that four times within it we find that the people cried to the Father and He delivered them from their distress. I’ll tell you, I can’t count the times He’s delivered me from mine; what about you? His faithfulness and love toward us is wholly amazing and certainly worthy of praise and exaltation. Anyway, that’s just an extra morsel to spur you towards reading it on your own. In reality, I want to discuss the verse quoted above. I heard Joyce Meyer mention this verse today as she was telling people that they can seek healing in the Scriptures. Maybe you have an issue with that, I don’t personally as I believe you can find an answer to any issue you might have in the Bible. However, when I went back to read the verse and the entire Psalm itself, I had a different understanding. I’d like to share that with you now. John starts off his telling of the Gospel by informing us that Christ is the Word. Follow me here, when I read this verse I see David being particularly prophetic, especially having read the Psalm in its totality. Throughout the whole thing people are choosing to do stupid, evil stuff, then when they find themselves in a bind, imprisoned, or scared, they cry out to the King and are rescued because ultimately, He sends out His Word who heals and delivers them. Do you see that? While Joyce was seemingly talking about specifically arranged letters on a page, I think perhaps, David was preparing us for what John would one day reveal that the Word was with God, the Word was God and the Word became flesh to die for us, heal us and deliver us. You know what, even if my interpretation isn’t completely accurate, it makes sense to me and gives me greater appreciation for the strength found in the Word.
Living like Cinderella “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1 (NIV) I love that the NIV uses the word lavished. I also greatly appreciate the exclamation points utilized by that particular translation. The image of God lavishing us with great love is definitely smileinducing for me. I picture Him doing something similar to what we do with our wee-ones when we lay them down somewhere and just proceed to kiss them all over, listening to their squeals of delight; that’s what lavishing love looks like to me. Then the exclamation at the end of the that is what we are statement, well, that just rocks my world – we are children of Godexclamation point. Do you get the intensity of that truth? I’m not so sure that we do; I think we’ve a tendency to lean more towards the redheaded-step-child mentality; we live like we’re second rate citizens simply because the world and its members choose not to recognize our royalty. Yes, I said it, we are royalty; if our Father is the King we are princes and princesses (not a word I generally associate with myself but it follows the logical progression of this thought). The world doesn’t have to recognize our positions, our signet rings, our robes because they’re there with or without its acknowledgement of their existence. Let’s take this a step further now, as children of God, we have access, constant 24/7 access, to the throne. The Word tells us that we’ve been gifted with all Spiritual blessings, that He won’t withhold any good thing from us, that we can ask and receive. Yet, the blinders the world chooses to wear seem to find their ways onto our own eyes, our own hearts and minds and we live like Cinderella who takes forever to realize that she’s marrying the soon to be King! Why sit in the dust and ashes doing the world’s bidding, crying about its tendency to exclude us? Let Abba kiss you ‘til you squeal, then get dressed in your royal attire and live like a child of the King, because that is what we are! .
Check your Priorities “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you.” 2 Corinthians 6:17 (ESV) This is the chapter in which we find the verse that tells us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, that righteousness and lawlessness can’t have partnership nor can light and dark have fellowship (v. 14). I tell you that because I want you to see just how serious the issue is; verses 16-18 are Paul quoting Leviticus, but really he’s telling the Corinthians what God had to say about such unions. Well we know that we cannot remove ourselves from the world of unbelievers completely, if we did I guess we’d have to become Amish or the like (but even they interact with the world via the sale of their handmade goods; Amish Apple Butter anyone?). I know most people interpret the unequally yoked verse to be attached solely to marriage, but what if it goes farther than that? What if it includes any and all binding, intimate, relationships? Business partnerships, friendships that extend past the acquaintance level? Sure, we’ve all heard the be in and not of the world adage but how does one do that if one’s financial security and relational time is tied up with unbelievers? I’m not talking about not working for a non-Christian company (otherwise most of us would be unemployed). No, I’m talking about those of us who run our own businesses, whom have we partnered with? In addition, I’m not saying we should avoid every unbeliever that tries to befriend us, no because some of them are about to have their eyes opened (perhaps via our example). However, those friends that constantly belittle our faith or disallow us to speak in those terms are not to be partnered or fellowshipped with because they’re attempting to quench the Spirit. Besides, if they’re that adamant about keeping us Spiritually quiet, they’re probably trying to slip unclean things in as well. I don’t know about you, but having the Father welcome me as His child (v. 18) is more important than keeping an unbelieving high school friend. Check your priorities.
His Voice “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6 (KJV) What incredible imagery this verse strikes me with. I mean, we know that the Holy Spirit comes to live within us when we are saved by His grace; that’s not new knowledge, and for the most part it’s something we just kind of shrug off as obvious. Of course, that in and of itself is a shame as the Holy Spirit is what gives us the power we’ve been bequeathed with as children of the Most High God (thusly this issue is probably why we are all still so weak). This verse though, gives me a more vivid understanding of how all that’s accomplished, God sends forth His Son’s Spirit into my heart. So, He sends Jesus straight into me! I know the Word tells us that we put on Christ, but this verse suggests that He’s put us on too… I mean He’s chosen to come and dwell within me, poor pitiful wretched me. Makes you wonder what kind of home you’re giving Him especially when you consider that verse that tells us that our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Bet that’s a yucky place for Him to dwell? Anyway, none of that was the point; the main thing that grabbed me here was what Jesus’ Spirit is doing once it’s in our hearts, crying Abba, Father. That’s hugely significant because it is that Spirit within us, calling out to the Heavenly King, which allows us the entrance into the throne room. I guess I kind of see it this way, when I am out in public with my children, I respond to their voices when they call me, I know what my kids sound like (of course, almost every mom responds to mommy). So, basically, God put His Son inside us so that He’d be able to respond to His children, He knows Christ’s voice and He responds to Abba, Father. I just find that amazing, that when I go to my Heavenly Father, He hears me because Christ within me addresses Him first. Christ is indeed the key.
Elevated “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” Deuteronomy 7:6 (ESV) I was speaking with a dear friend recently who finds it difficult to agree with the concept of once-saved-always-saved. Now, since I don’t argue doctrinal views that are not relevant to salvation and eternity, I didn’t feel the need to get into a theological debate with her. Certainly I am not saying that this verse clarifies that issue either. However, what I do want us to take note of is that like Israel here, we are a chosen possession, we find that He chose us, we didn’t choose Him in John 15:16. Just as the Jews didn’t say, “Hey, we want Jehovah God to be ours,” we didn’t say, “Hey, I want Christ to come be my Savior.” We may have agreed with the Father and the Son, just as Israel did (when they weren’t trying to accomplish things on their own and worshipping pieces of metal) but the truth is He picked us. What I love about this verse aside from the fact that it makes you feel special that the Creator of the Universe and all that lives and breathes picked you to be His, is that not only were we chosen, but He claims that we are treasured possessions. Maybe the concept of being treasured is particularly foreign to you. I know it’s still something I often find difficult to grasp. Those of us who have had some interesting (to put things nicely) upbringings might have very little comprehension of what it means to be special, to be treasured, esteemed and treated as someone with value. Yet, even if our families failed in that arena, our God has chosen us, He has elevated us to the position of sons and daughters, He has crowned us and welcomed us into His Kingdom as though we are special and indeed, to Him we are! Father, we may have difficulty grasping how deeply You love us, and certainly why You have chosen to do so, but please help us to feel Your love for us and to live lives that please You. Amen.
Wallow in Undeserved Love “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18 (NIV) I am listening to John Hagee currently, (your opinions on him really won’t make any difference and I’m not trying to plug him or anything of that nature anyway) and he mentioned this verse. Of course he didn’t quote the whole thing, but it was the piece that he did quote that drew me to it. Thusly, I share it with you here. Certainly we know that Christ died for us, that He was blameless and pure when He took on our iniquity, our vile wickedness, our sins. That shouldn’t be a surprise to you, if it is, then there are other things you’ll need to know, please find a believer and discuss salvation with him or her. What drew my attention in this verse was the statement that Christ did these things, died for us to bring us to God. Obviously that’s kind of a given, I mean, we know that no man comes to the Father but through the Son, but this visual image of Christ on the cross, bringing me to God has really taken my breath away. Talk about having a Divine escort. Who better to bring us to the feet of the Father than His very own Son? This image just further intensifies the concept of Christ’s servant heartedness. Not only did He endure unspeakable torment, torture and undeserved condemnation for my sake, He did it so that He could take me by the hand and walk me into the presence of Almighty God. I have to shake my head, the question, why rings loudly there. I suspect we might never know (at least on this earth) the answer to the why does He love us question. Our challenge then is to allow that love to envelope us so that we can live free; so that we can shine bright, and heavily salt this tasteless dark world. We are here for a reason. We are deeply loved by our King and Christ died to bring us into His Presence. Let us not take this for granted; let us live for Him with every ounce of our beings! Let us just wallow in undeserved love and spread it around as best we can!
Premeditated “which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight “ Ephesians 1:8 (NASB) The verse prior clarifies the fact that what the Father is lavishing on us is Grace; that because of this lavishing we have had all our trespasses forgiven and that we have been redeemed through His blood. I think we forget just what salvation has done for us and that’s sad. It is this tendency to negate or disregard the fullness of that gift that makes us weak believers, weak witnesses and pretty close to (if not completely) unfruitful. What’s the point of being a believer, of claiming the Gospel without readily recalling all that has been done for you so that you are compelled to tell others? Don’t you want them to be with you in heaven? Don’t you want them to get out of this place alive? Every believer should feel, vehemently, that he/she doesn’t want anyone to burn. I guess because I know the depths of my own depravity it seems so important to me to recall how massively Grace has been lavished on me. I won’t deny the worst you can say about me, so whatever you want to think up as heinous as it can be, I won’t deny my guilt therein, and that’s why I can say with all honesty, I am VERY aware of the Grace that has been poured upon me. In that knowing, I have to be consciously active in fighting any form of holier-than-thou-ness, or judgmentalism. God couldn’t have saved a worse human being and so no matter how wretched you are, I can’t look down upon you. I so wish we would all grasp the seriousness of this issue, that we would readily embrace one another regardless of the vileness of each other’s pasts. I’ve gone off on a tangent here, what I wanted to point out to you was the last part of this verse, the fact that God poured out His Grace on us in all wisdom and insight. His gift of forgiveness, redemption and Grace was premeditated; He knew exactly what He was doing. Your salvation was not a surprise to Him, it wasn’t an afterthought, He had every intention of saving you before He gave you your first breath, that’s how long and how deeply He’s loved you. How then could you ever turn a Spiritual sibling away, or look down upon him/her? Oh to be more like the Father!
Chicken-Livered “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV) We’ve talked several times at this point about the fact that we are chosen; obviously this appears to be a bit of a theme this month. Honestly, I am always amazed by the verses that reiterate the fact that my presence in the Kingdom isn’t an accident, that God wanted me, it’s pretty cool! In addition, there have been previous issues in which we have discussed the fact that we are His priests, an important job for sure, but for the sake of today’s devotion, I want to focus on the last part of this verse, the one that says, that you may proclaim the excellencies… into his marvelous light. I think a lot of times we get self-centered in the midst of our salvation, we think, “Thank God I’m saved. I’m so glad He rescued me from the pit, that I’ve been redeemed from the fire, that my eternity is secure in Heaven. I can’t wait to walk the streets of gold and check out my new mansion.” This verse adds an element to salvation that we often ignore; we weren’t saved just for our own good. As nice as it may seem that we are chosen and have been redeemed, this verse tells us that there’s more to the process than just the me me me aspect we’ve a tendency to lean towards. Actually, we are saved to proclaim Him, to tell people about how He called us out of darkness into His Light. That’s why Jesus left this earth with the Great Commission hanging there. He saved us so that we could lead other people to Him! Far too often we shirk that responsibility. I’m not pointing fingers at you; I know when I’ve neglected my calling therein. I know because there are things that pop into my head to say that will draw people into a conversation about my Father and I have the ability to choose to say them or ignore those promptings. I wish I could tell you that I say them more than I ignore them, but then I’d be a liar on top of a terrible witness. I’m forced to ask myself why I don’t say the things I feel in my Spirit, and it always comes back to chicken-livered care about what others think. Jesus didn’t care what they thought when He spread His arms and died for me. I really need to get over myself. What about you?
How does He get the Credit?
“Whoever hates me hates my Father also.” John 15:23 (ESV) That’s a hardcore sentence. It reminds me of the verses that say if you’re not for Him you’re against Him. The hardcore aspect of that is that there are people who don’t realize that they are against Him, that they hate Him. I’m sure that sounds a little weird to you, but let me explain. I have a friend who’s into wicca. I feel confident that she would never say she hates Jesus, but her choice of religious expression, her decision to side with demons in her personal faith makes her one who hates Jesus, one who is against Him. That’s a very sad thing. In addition, what about the people who don’t claim any faith? They’re just kind of floating along, well, if they aren’t aligned with Christ, if they are not intimately involved with Him, then they are against Him and thereby hating Him. This concept just gives me a much greater understanding of the fact that the world walks around in darkness; they are so deceived, so much victim to the great delusion, the delusion that says we are the authors of our own destinies, that we have multiple choice options as to the methods and focuses of our worship. This is just not the truth, there is but one way, one truth, one life and if Jesus isn’t that for you, then you live in darkness while hating the King of Light. That revelation just makes the Great Commission that much more intense for me. How many times does my path cross the path of the blind? And what am I doing to open their eyes, to shine the Light? I guess part of me wishes that the Bible offered us some sort of practical application to Jesus’ directive. I mean, how do I impact the cashier at Publix along with the people before and after me in line? Do I just bust out and say something about Jesus to them? Do I warn the lady in front of me that one of her bananas is already cracked open, and hand the guy behind me the separating stick? While I did both of the last two this evening, I don’t see how that did much for the Kingdom. I mean, yeah, they may have thought I was being nice, but did they notice that I was attempting to be Christ-like? I didn’t mention Jesus when they thanked me so how does He get the credit for those maneuvers? Father, help us to take Your calling seriously and guide us in the practical applications of it.
Free to Focus on Serving Others “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” Romans 7:4 (NASB) I’m reading Exodus to my son currently, and we just got through Moses coming off Mount Sinai with the second attempt at the Ten Commandments. He asked me if there were really just ten, and I told him no, that there were hundreds (I couldn’t recall the exact number). He said, “So that’s why there are so many rules to be a Christian.” Quickly I had to explain to him that the Ten Commandments were given to the Israelites, not the Christians. Then his eyes lit up and he said, “Oh yeah, the Jews didn’t want to accept Christ, it’s the gentiles that are Christians, well those who believe in Christ anyway.” To which I said, yes. Though I didn’t get the opportunity to explain the above concept out of Romans to him, I see it as a conversation we will soon have. You see, it really is great that we are dead to the law, because as my son took note, it had to be impossible to keep all those laws and indeed it was, that was part of the grand design from the beginning, to show us that we could never be righteous enough to enter the Kingdom. I’m so glad that Christ’s sacrifice allowed me to die to the law, I’m not held accountable to it, for the Word tells us that if we break just one we’ve broken them all. This verse tells us that we are not slaves to the law, unlike our Jewish brethren until they come to know Christ, and that the purpose of that death to the law was to allow us to wed our Savior (according to the KJV). That wedding, interestingly enough, is so that we might bear fruit for God. Think about it, if you were having to spend all your time trying to keep track of the hundreds of rules and regulations, when could you possibly have the time to do any fruit bearing? The focus on the law keeps our focus on ourselves as we are constantly concerned with obedience, but once we are dead to it, we are free to focus on serving others, on bearing fruit unto God that will leave a lasting impression on those we come in contact with. Hallelujah!
Why Stress Yourself Out? “Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,” Proverbs 3:25 (N IV) I am always amazed by people who discuss the what-if’s of life. They do it with such an intensity of concern and anxiety that seems ulcer-inducing to me. I don’t get why people are scared of things that one, they don’t have control over and two, that aren’t even promised. For instance, there are people that walk around fearful that the next doctor’s visit is going to be a declaration of a cancer diagnosis, or that they are no longer in remission. Or, there are people that are expecting a child who are so worried that the genetic testing will come back showing some abnormality. Why stress yourself out that way? I don’t get why we want to add things to fear. I have great appreciation for Solomon, having been the most intelligent man to walk the earth; intellect is always something I value. So, when he tells me via Proverbs not to fear sudden disaster (like the people who are living in Seffner near the house that fell into the sinkhole), I kind of have to take him at his word. Not to mention the fact that the very next verse tells us that God is at our side and will keep our foot from being snared. Here’s the thing, even if sudden calamity is going to befall you, your anticipation of it, your anxious heart’s dedication to wonder when it will arrive, won’t change its course or its outcome. I know maybe I seem a little too nonchalant about things sometimes, but well, that’s kind of how I feel. I don’t ascribe to verbalizing my family’s health history; I don’t claim anyone else’s previous illnesses as being part of my lineage or destiny. I’m not down with that. I know that our words have power and so I’m not claiming any of that bad stuff; just because bad stuff happened to their health doesn’t mean I have to let it latch onto mine simply because I put the words out there. I don’t watch the news and get worked up about the storms and quakes and wars of this world, they’re birth pains, I know it and I know where my eternity will be spent so I’m not gonna freak out. I wish more believers would just grasp a hold of Abba’s hand and trust Him to deliver them through every storm without worrying about its arrival beforehand.
Hail No “The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.” Isaiah 32:17 (NIV) I’d like to recommend that you go read Isaiah 32; it’s pretty interesting particularly when you get to verse 9 and he starts talking about complacent women and the ramifications of their complacency. Isaiah prophesies the destruction of the city, the field and the fortresses. He tells them to beat their breasts about its desolation until which point, he says, that the Spirit will be poured out upon them thereby changing the entire situation. I find it interesting that the pouring out of the Spirit can change the desert to a fertile field and the fertile field to a forest (v. 15). However, if you think about your own salvation experience and the condition of your arid heart, how deeply changed were you when rivers of joy and peace flowed through you? Anyway, Isaiah tells them that the Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert and His righteousness will live in the fertile field and then we arrive at the verse quoted above. It is the Lord’s righteousness that is peace and that its effect is quietness and confidence forever. I think that’s so awesome! I mean, we are told that He will pour out His Spirit on us and that His righteousness will dwell in our desert places and thereby bring us peace, quietness and confidence. He, Isaiah, tells us that God’s people will dwell securely even if everything around them is being destroyed. He says they will sow their seeds by the stream and have places for their cattle to roam. Indeed, Isaiah promises peace to God’s people once the Spirit has been poured upon them. I guess this is the big deal for me, that the pouring out of the Spirit is what creates within us this righteousness, this peace, quietness and confidence forever. My question really is, have you allowed the fullness of the Presence of His Spirit within you to offer you these things? Peace and confidence are yours in the midst of His righteousness thanks to the blessing of His Spirit. Why do we keep running around like things are out of control? Isaiah says hail could destroy the forests and level the cities but God’s people will be ok. What are you worrying about then?
He’s Waiting for You “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence.” Ephesians 3:12 (NLT) The veil was torn, people, it was removed that we might enter in! Jesus didn’t just die to erase our sins; He died to invite us into fellowship with Him, into Divine relationship with His being. It’s so amazing really that the Creator wants us to hang out with Him. He always wanted that; He enjoyed walking with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. He made mankind for His good pleasure, He likes us. I put it that way because we’ve heard over and over again that He loves us, and certainly that’s true, but maybe we’ve also heard from a family member, “I may have to love you but I don’t have to like you.” So, the idea that God actually likes us has an extra validity that the God loves you statement seemingly lacks. If we think about the people we like, and how much we enjoy hanging out with them perhaps we can consider the things we willingly disregard in order to spend more time with those people. I give up sleep to hang out with my BFF when we both get the chance to meet up after the wee-ones are off to dream land. I’d rip down curtains in order to spend some time with my friend RA who’s currently in Africa as a missionary there. So, when we think that Christ allowed mankind to drive nails into His body so that He could open His arms up to us, so that He could usher us into the Presence of His Father, I have to wonder why we take our prayer lives for granted? You see, prayer is the way we come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. It’s the means in which we dialogue with Him, the methodology in which we find direction, comfort, peace, and all the things we need added unto us. Prayer allows us to seek Him, allows us to get to know the Author and Perfector of our Faith, our Redeemer and King. Don’t run from talking to your King, don’t put off approaching the throne until you have time to get on your knees, talk to Him all the time. Paul told us to pray without ceasing, do so boldly, He’s waiting for you!
Don’t Mistreat Him “How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:29 (NIV) Maybe this verse strikes a nerve with you; I know it hit me in a way I am unaccustomed to, that feeling of righteous anger welled up. Let me explain, how many times have you heard someone ask, “Why would a loving God send anyone to hell?” I’ve heard nonbelievers use this question many times to negate God’s just nature, to say that He can’t possibly be love. Today, when I read this verse though, it struck as me as the key answer to that question. I’m kind of amazed by it actually. Here’s the thing, how could God, the loving God that willingly sacrificed Himself, put up with people who trample His Son, who make fun of and disrespect His blood and His Spirit? I mean really, how could He stand idly by? Here’s the thing, those people deserve to be punished severely and therefore God will do just that. If we put this in a humanistic perspective, then let’s take the stance of parents. Your child allows the much dreaded bully to sit next to him/her, then shares his/her food with that bully and even cleans up the bully’s tray afterward. Later, on the playground, the bully pushes your child down, spits in his/her face and smacks him/her ‘til his/her nose bleeds. You are the parent, you have seen the whole thing, you know the whole story. You watched your child reach out to someone everyone else hated, you watched your child sacrifice for and clean up after the heinous individual and then you watched as that bully tore in to your kid. Have you any more grace for the bully or has the sacrifice of your child exhausted all your options? Why would we expect God to allow people (who reject Him and His sacrifice and His grace) into His Presence? I hope that the next time you hear the question we brought up in the beginning of this devotion you’ll be prepared to offer up this verse as an answer. Feel free to use the humanistic example as well. God is Awesome, but He’s also Just and deserving of great amounts of reverential Fear and Respect. Don’t mistreat Him.
Get Some Credit “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” 1 John 3:22 (KJV) The next verse tells us that what God commands is to believe in His Son and to love each other as we love ourselves. I find that specification interesting as we know that Jesus told us there were two commandments, to love God with all our beings and to love our neighbor as ourself. Yet, John tells us that one of the main commands is to believe in Jesus. This, to me, just further supports the God is One concept; it’s like the command is interchangeable, love God, believe in Christ and then the next verse tells us that the way we know we’re keeping His commands and that He’s living in us is through the presence of the Spirit He gave us. It’s interesting, though not the point I desired to make initially. I know people really love to grab hold of verses that tell us we can ask for whatever and our Heavenly Father will appease us by providing those things to us. What people neglect to pay attention to, as usual, are the conditions therein. As humans we are very selfserving and self-centered. So while we may desire to have a million dollars in the bank (wouldn’t that be nice) we can’t really expect that God will turn into our personal Lotto. We are to keep His commands and do those things that are pleasing to Him. I don’t know about you but just keeping the two most important commands delineated by Christ is a challenge for me. I don’t know that I could have the gall to make the statement that John makes here; I’m not so sure I do keep His commands or do the things that please Him. Of course, I’d love to believe that I am on the right track but to expect that God will give me whatever I might want, well that’s a hard one for me to swallow as I know how bad my motives can be, I know how frequently I don’t love my neighbor. Here’s the great thing though, I think that when we desire to keep His commands and do the things that please Him we get some credit and He changes our requests to meet the things He wants to give us anyway. I’m so glad He loves me!
Willingly Take it Up "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NASB) Are you really truly living the crucified life? Have you come to fully understand what the cross means to your existence? I think sometimes we see the cross as a piece of jewelry or a symbol of love, but really and truly, it was a piece of destruction; it was designed to painfully, torturously kill its victims. Have you nailed yourself to its beams or are you still attempting to get as much out of this life for yourself as you can? You see, Christ walked around not caring about His own well-being, He was here solely for the purpose to heal and save others (though He also says He came to cause division). Christ walked this planet for humankind, He lived a life devoted to their well-being and then He allowed them to crucify Him though He was undeserving, without sin. What about you? Would you die for His Name? For His children? I suspect that we don’t take the cross as seriously as we need to. I know I wear my little silver piece with its dove in the middle and I think, “I’m so glad He died for me and was raised again!” However, the thought of putting myself on a cross, well, that’s kind of cringe-worthy. I’ve mentioned before that I really love A.W. Tozer (an author you should definitely investigate). Anyway, I am reading his book The Radical Cross and he was talking about an even older writer who mentioned that we all have our own crosses specifically designed for what we can handle in this life. He said that some were big thick trees, others straw; some were even made out of jewels and riches. The concept was that even the pretty crosses were painful to those who had to endure them and even the light-weight ones were burdens for those receiving them. I found this notion enlightening because we never know what another person’s cross is. Just like they don’t know what yours is. I guess the point though, is to willingly take it up just as Christ did for you.
Assistance from an Emotional Distance “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” 1 Peter 1:22 (NIV) Verses like this don’t get the type of reaction from me that I suppose is the right one; I don’t get all mushy inside and think how deeply I love my Spiritual siblings. I know, I know, you are probably shaking your head at me thinking, “what a shame.” And, truth be told, you probably have every right to feel that way about me. I guess, the love thing is still a wee bit challenging for me. Yes, I know Christ loves me and I am hugely blessed and amazed that I can be called a child of God, but surrendering my heart to other people… well, that still seems a bit dangerous to me. I can tell you that it’s much easier to give my things away than to share my emotions. In fact, if I were given the choice of whether to surrender something tangible, or let someone into my heart, I would definitely go with the former. You see, there’s no risk in giving someone something they want or need; there is however, in my mind, quite a risk in lowering these lovely walls I’ve taken 37 years to construct. Maybe you know what I mean; maybe you are perfectly comfortable being of assistance from an emotional distance. I suppose there are people who are just really free with their hearts; I just have never been that person. I wouldn’t even say that it’s because of some deep psychological pain or betrayal, I mean we’ve all been stabbed in the back by people we loved, we’ve all had our hearts broken. I think really it’s an intellectual issue. I know what people are capable of and I know what the tendency of mankind is and therefore I know the dangers involved in loving each other deeply. Yet, I also know that my King chose to love me deeply, deep enough to experience excruciating pain to save my pitiful soul and thusly I should know better than to react to others in such a guarded manner. Unfortunately, I often find putting the things I know into action difficult (especially if there’s a chance I might get hurt in the long run). Father help me, help us, to get past our fears of pain so that we really can love like You love. Amen.
I’m Clucking Here “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT) I love the imagery this translation provides. Do you still have a stony, stubborn heart? Do you desire a tender, responsive one? When I read this verse I am reminded, of course, of the verse that tells us that our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). No doubt these are the hearts that our Father is seeking to remove and replace here. We see in other translations that He intends to take our hearts of stone out and stick in hearts of flesh. I find this kind of scary if you want to know the truth. I see that heart of stone as impenetrable, as very difficult to harm and I kind of like that strength. Yet, structures of that magnitude are difficult to move and to mold, two things we definitely want the Father to be able to do with us. Therefore, the fleshly, tender and responsive heart becomes slightly more desirable though still quite terrifying. I find myself torn here. Surely I don’t want to walk around with a deceitful, desperately wicked heart yet, I don’t want to hurt either and that’s what I imagine a fleshly, tender, responsive heart will do to me. I want to be molded and shaped into a woman after God’s own heart, but I’m a little aghast at the pain that will ensue. I guess truth be told, I am chicken to feel things too deeply. I can much better endure physical pain (I mean I’m going to have c-section number three in a month) than I can emotional turmoil. I’m the type of person who likes to think she’s strong, but in reality I just avoid anything that might reveal my true weaknesses. I’m clucking here, am I the only one? Something great to realize though, is Jesus wasn’t afraid to hurt for me, He wasn’t afraid to rend His heart and His body for my sake, for your sake. Oh to be more like Him, to be brave like He was, to not care what torture this world has to offer physically or emotionally just so that I could make an impact on the lives of others. What about Steven? Or Paul? I’m afraid that I’m more like Timothy needing Paul to remind me that God didn’t give me a spirit of timidity (weakness/fear). What about you? Are you prepared to embrace your new heart or are you still trying to hold onto the old one?
If it’s Free, it’s for Me! “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” Psalm 86:5 (KJV) So, I chose this translation because there’s just something about the statement, plenteous in mercy, that makes me smile really wide! The other translations say: abounding in love (NIV), abounding in steadfast love (ESV) and abundant in lovingkindness (NASB). Feel free to latch on to whichever one strikes your fancy, I’m sticking with the plenteous in mercy because I know how frequently and consistently I need Him to be merciful to me. For instance, I have been so grouchy today despite the fact that I’ve gotten a good deal done, and my wee-one was pretty good all day. Why have I been a grump? I have no idea, but I do know I need my King to be merciful to me as I am sure I wasn’t too much Light for those around me (thankfully I only went to Publix briefly). I love that He’s ready to forgive us and shower us with His mercy and lovingkindness. I am awed by His willingness to be nice to us when we so don’t deserve it. Here’s the thing though, He would willingly treat us all with that steadfast love and plenteous mercy but some are absolutely unwilling to humble themselves before Him, they are too stiff-necked and stubborn to accept His free gift for all that will call on Him. I don’t get that at all. Surely every human that walks this planet realizes that he/she is not perfect, that he/she has sinned in some way over the course of his/her life. So if we all know that why is it definite that Revelation 9:20 is going to occur? If you don’t know what that verse is about go check it out now. I am blown away by the fact that there really are people that no matter what God does to them, shows them or gives them, they will not repent of their atrocities. This past Sunday the preacher at the church I attend likened it to having had your Sunday lunch paid for at Outback and yet there would be people who chose to argue about it, who said that they didn’t want to eat at Outback, etc and those people would ultimately lose that free lunch. While this seems a slightly simplistic explanation now, it’s truly amazing that people will treat the free gift of Salvation the same way. Yes indeed, there are some people who just don’t want to be saved. I hope you’re not one of them!
Released and Redeemed “Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, LORD, are good.” Psalm 25:7 (NIV) I read this and I think, “Man, David was a man after my own heart!” I am encouraged by his request to the Father to forget the sins of his youth and his rebellious ways. I wish that the sins of my youth were applicable to a much younger me, I wish that my rebellious ways hadn’t lasted an exorbitant eleven years. I wish a lot of things in my past could be changed. Truth be told, there are certainly things I regret with deep sorrow. Yet, well I know that Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary took care of every trespass, each iniquity, all my rebellious ways. Oh praise God for that mercy, that Grace, that forgiveness!! There’s something else that stands out to me in this verse and it’s the fact that David somehow manages to separate himself from the sins he has committed. Look at it, he asks God to forget his sins and rebellion but remember him. Perhaps this is where we get that familiar Christian-ese statement about hating the sin but loving the sinner. I suppose it’s possible that David first delineated the difference here or in some other Psalm? Whether this be true or not is of little relevance, what’s important is the fact that there is a line of demarcation; we are (once we’re washed in the blood) no longer the sin that represents us, we are freed from that bondage, we are released from that shame, God forgets those heinous blemishes and only sees our white robes. I don’t know about you, but thoughts like that make me literally shake my head, they’re hard to really grab hold of. I guess that’s because in our humanity we find it difficult to separate the person from the act, especially when that behavior or action has harmed us in some way. However, since that’s exactly what we want our Heavenly Father to do, we are going to have to figure out how to accomplish that as well. When we say we forgive someone, we need to really release them from the sins that so easily entangle just as we desire the Father to do for us. Father help us to be more like You, to see people as people and not as the sins they commit. Thank You for remembering us and not our iniquities! Amen.
Coffee Talk “But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.” Titus 3:9 (ESV) I so love this verse and make a point of trying to live by it. I have found that the more I study the Word the more people want to debate with me the verbiage found therein. There are people who, I think, come to me just to test me with regards to what I know and whether or not I will actually allow them to get me riled up about doctrine. I suspect they are sorely disappointed because as I have just said, I love this verse and strive to adhere to it. Listen; there are things that every denomination is going to pick and choose to argue about. People get their panties in a wad about pre and post tribulation perspectives; they argue the concept of predestination and the order of operations of the rapture. While these things might be interesting to ponder with other believers, they certainly aren’t worthy of getting red-faced and indignant about. I tell people all the time that if the conversation doesn’t affect an individual’s salvation or eternity then there’s no point in my getting defensive about it. Recently I had coffee with a dear friend whose chosen denomination does not support the once-saved-always-saved interpretation of the Scriptures. Obviously, we were at odds there as I attend a Baptist church and that is a doctrine they readily embrace. Do I embrace this concept strictly because I attend a Baptist church, absolutely not; I embrace it because it makes sense according to my understanding of the Scriptures. I shared with her my position and about a week later I heard someone preaching on the subject and therefore I sent her the verses that person utilized. We have since had some interesting conversations about the topic but neither of us has gotten indignant or irritable. That’s what Titus is telling us, don’t argue things that don’t matter, there are plenty of things that do! For instance, there’s a Methodist church in South Carolina (I think) that isn’t going to perform any more marriages until gay marriage is legalized there. That is in direct defiance of the Word of God. This is something to stand up about, leave the other stuff for coffee talk.
Pee-on in the Kingdom “May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.” Psalm 119: 80 (NIV) I chose this translation because I like the emphasis of wholeheartedly following the Lord’s ways. Certainly the Psalmist intended this to be focused on the Law and thankfully we are no longer under the Law so we don’t have to worry about all the minutia included therein. However, Jesus summed up the Law and the prophets and those are the decrees I believe we are to wholeheartedly follow, but do we? Verses like this make me so glad that I’m just a pee-on (excuse the phrase) in the Kingdom. I mean, if you consider all those people who are out-there, the Beth Moore’s and Joyce Meyer’s and Charles Stanley’s and David Jeremiah’s (not that I know any of their hearts to ascertain the reality of their motivations) you have to know that one wrong move, one bad choice could forever shame them and destroy their ministries. I’m not saying that God couldn’t protect them in their mistakes, or that He hasn’t already, how would I know, I’m just saying that the more focus you have on you, the more seriously you better be following His decrees. Does that make sense? I’m not saying that the little people should take advantage and get away with things simply because they’re not in the limelight, I’m just saying that by worldly standards it’s a lot easier to do so. For instance, I can say a curse word, in public even, and not have the paparazzi splashing my picture all over the tabloids about being a fake Christian (not that I intend to say curse words in public or elsewhere – although I am certainly not innocent in that arena either), because no one knows me. I guess I just really want to touch and agree with the Psalmist here and maybe you’ll join me in a similar prayer. Father, I want to serve You and represent You in the best way that I can regardless of my earthly position. I don’t want to do anything that brings shame or dishonor to Your Name. Please continue to uphold me with Your righteous right hand and empower me to wholeheartedly follow Your decrees. Amen.
The World’s Not Getting Any Better! “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Romans 10:14 (NIV) I suspect that this verse has a guilt-trip element to it and honestly, I’m glad. I think that we, as believers, have a tendency to lay all the responsibility of sharing the Gospel at the feet of our pastors and Christian authors, televangelists and missionaries. I think we shirk our own responsibilities in the Body to reach out to the unchurched and unsaved. I suspect that it’s easy for some of my friends to think, “Oh, well, Ginny’s telling people about God,” and thereby kind of shrug off their own duty therein. Here’s the thing, it’s even easy for me to shrug it off; I can quite simply place my evangelistic assignment on the things I write and thereby neglect all other forms. Yet, I don’t believe that’s the way God intended it. I think there’s a reason Christ tells us not to hide our lights, to be salt. He expected us to daily live lives that preached the Gospel; that brought the Good News on beautiful feet (v. 15). I don’t know if you ever realized this, but the last thing Christ told His disciples before He ascended was the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Why in the world would He place such a great emphasis on that being His last words to His followers aside from the sheer fact that it was exactly what He wanted them to go do. If we’ve the audacity to call ourselves Christ-followers then regardless of our talents or positions in the Kingdom part of our service to Christ is to bear the Good News, to let people know about Him so that they too might be saved. I get a little bothered by people who say things to me about the subject, usually adding, “Oh but you’re a writer so it’s easy for you.” Surely there are several things I’d like to say to them, but the most important one is that I can’t use my writing as a crutch or an excuse not to proclaim Christ to as many people as I can. Most of my writing goes to people who already know Him, so I’ve still the same responsibility as every other believer and I suspect it’s about time we took it seriously, the world’s not getting any better!
Beat Down the devil “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11 (NASB) This verse reminds me of the one in 2 Corinthians 2:11 that says …for we are not ignorant of his schemes. I have often wanted to research what exactly those schemes are so that I could actually feel wise to his techniques. Maybe Paul was confident about recognizing the devil’s devices but I don’t feel so assured in my own knowledge. What about you? I mean if I were really wise to him, if I were prepared to avoid his tricks and traps, then temptations and other stupid little screw-up moments wouldn’t occur, right? I would love to think that I can instantly recognize his presence in the day to day ridiculousness that goes on, but he gets the best of me more frequently than I would like to admit. Here’s the thing, he’s had many many years to practice and perfect his sneaky snake methodology. I’ve only been on the planet 37 years and have only really been hardcore studying to show myself approved for close to 5 years. I lived the life prior to my massive fall, but I didn’t seek the Kingdom like I do now (not that my efforts there are even remotely as intense as they should be). Listen, I’m not trying to make excuses for my lack of satanic scheme recognition, I’m just calling it like I see it. Now, according to this verse though, if I would make the conscious effort to clothe myself in the armor of God then I’d have a much better chance of standing firm against the enemy. Here’s the thing about the armor though, it doesn’t just jump off the mannequin and wrap itself around you. There’s no Jeeves to get you dressed or lay it out for you each day. No, this armor is stuff you must pick up, put on, and become really good at utilizing if you expect it to benefit you in any way. I suspect part of the problem is that we don’t even know what’s in the closet, or that it’s so dusty we wouldn’t recognize it if we went looking. Let me recommend that you read Ephesians 6, study to show yourself approved in this arena and you’ll beat down the devil more frequently than you do now, for sure!
Better Than Just Writing About it “And remember, our Lord's patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—“ 2 Peter 3:15 (NLT) There’s a lot of talk about the end times. I have to wonder if there’s always been so much discussion and debate on the subject or if the intensity has increased as I’ve aged. Part of me suspects this is a topic that people have always pondered and discussed and that I just didn’t notice because I was too young. Regardless of which of these happens to be the truth, the fact is the end of the world as we know it is coming, and people are talking about it. I don’t mind speculation on the subject and I don’t mind people that pull apart the prophets and Revelation in search of answers they think previous scholars have missed. I can listen to most people’s views on the subject unless of course they are just completely asinine or heretical. That said, I find great value in Peter’s words here. As much as many of us would love for the Lord to quit tarrying, there is a reason for His delay and according to Peter it is so that more people will come to salvation. I have to support that delay then because there are people that I care about who do not yet (and I have to face the brutal reality, may not ever) believe in Christ. I don’t want my King to come back before they have had every possible opportunity to embrace His gift. Do I want to go and be with my Savior, absolutely; no doubt time with Him is infinitely better than sitting in front of this computer writing about it. However, I’d be failing to abide by the love your neighbor as yourself commandment if I just wanted Him to come back right now. I suspect that some people have an issue with that statement and that’s ok. My argument is simply this, I have read what the Word says about hell, about the weeping and gnashing of teeth and the unquenchable fire and I don’t care how terrible a person has been, how heinous his/her crimes are, I can honestly say I don’t want anyone to burn. So if that means I have to hang out here a little while longer, so be it!
He Rescued Me from Myself “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18 (NLT) I feel pretty qualified to talk about this particular verse. I was recently discussing with a friend our previous failings and iniquities. She had an issue with drugs and alcohol and the like. She expected that these were things that were equally problematic for me. I had to tell her that I’ve only been drunk once in my life and the only drug I’ve ever done is marijuana. These mind altering substances were just not that tempting for me, I’ve always been too desirous of intellectual control. Don’t get me wrong, I smoked pot for a while, I inhaled and I liked it, but when I decided to stop, I didn’t have a hard time doing so. I had to tell her that the temptation that wrecked my Spiritual life was that of the sexual nature. I maintained my virginity until I was 21 years old and then I fell hard, and in the completely wrong direction. I spent eleven years living the lesbian life, sleeping with women of all ages, single, married, it didn’t matter. Perhaps that truth is too blunt for you, and I guess I could apologize but I think I’m going to be like Paul and boast in my weakness. You see, I gave into the lie that satan shares with every person who battles homosexuality or any other sexual sin for that matter, the lie that God made you that way and that He loves you just as you are. Did God love me? Yes, of course, I was His child, but He couldn’t look at me, He couldn’t have fellowship with me because I was blatantly ignoring His commands. I chose the NLT version of this verse because I love the emphasis of running from sexual sin, don’t just walk away from it, there’s the potential that it might grab you, run and don’t look back! Sexual sin has a ton of repercussions and these are all things that you have to think through before you get yourself tied up in a bondage that is way hard to break free from. Praise God that He rescued me from myself! He’ll rescue you too, just call on Him!
Don’t Make Lame Excuses “When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” John 5:6 (ESV) If you read the next verse, the man’s response, you find that it’s full of excuses. First he says he has no one to help him into the pool when the healing waters are stirred up, then he adds that when he tries to get to the pool someone butts in front of him. Verse five tells us that this man has been an invalid for thirty-eight years. I have to wonder why his initial response isn’t, “Yes!” Had he become so comfortable in his disability that healing didn’t even seem possible? This verse brings to mind all the times you hear that people can’t be helped out of their situations until they want to be. Surely you have come across someone with an addiction at some point in your life, and though you may have tried to help, if that person wasn’t ready to be healed nothing you did made any difference. This is the same concept I think. Obviously this man had some desire to be healed as he admits that he tries to go down to the pool, but he also felt that he couldn’t do it alone. Guess what, neither can we! We cannot walk away from our infirmities, our iniquities or our disabilities without the help of One who is mightier than they. Unfortunately when Jesus asks us this question, “Do you want to be healed?” we have a tendency to start listing all the reasons we can’t be, just like the man at Bethesda. People do the same thing with salvation. Christ spreads His arms on the cross welcoming us into His rest and we come up with all the reasons why we can’t go there. We’re not worthy, we’ve sinned too much, no one loves us, etc. I bet the Messiah has heard every possible excuse and He knew He’d hear them all before He let those Roman soldiers nail Him down. I guess the point here is, if Christ beckons you, if He asks you if you are willing to be healed, saved, helped, rescued, redeemed, don’t make any lame excuses. Shout an enthusiastic and probably desperate, “YES!”
Keep Watch for Him "Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning,” Luke 12:35 (NIV) I was actually considering doing this piece on the verse prior to this one, which tells us that where our treasures are there our hearts will be also. Certainly that’s a well known section of Scripture so when I saw that this was the verse that followed it, I was intrigued. First, it’s important to note that this is Christ speaking and when He tells the people to store up their treasures in heaven it’s after He’s told them that God is pleased to give them the Kingdom (v. 32) and therefore they should sell what they have and give to the poor (v. 33). Then He goes into the next part of His monologue, the part about being servants who are consistently awaiting the arrival of their Master. Maybe this transfer of focus doesn’t peak your interest, but it does mine. Here’s what I see, though it seemingly is off topic and a complete gear change, I suspect Christ saw it as one and the same. Let me explain, selling what we have and giving to the poor so that we can store up treasures in heaven and guarantee that our hearts are properly aligned is an act of service, it is obeying His command to love our neighbors as ourselves and thereby serving Him. So it makes sense then to me that He would tell us to always be ready to serve, to always be looking for opportunities to reach out to others and to open the door for Him. I guess the coolest part of this selection can be found in verse 37 when He tells us what happens to those servants whose lamps have remained lit and who have been constantly watching for Him. Take a look at it yourself, He says that the Master will come and serve them! The idea of Christ serving me is unnerving when I know full well I should spend eternity on my face washing His feet with my tears and wiping them off with my hair. There’s no way I should be allowed to recline at His table while He girds Himself to take care of me. I simply don’t deserve that kind of treatment and even if I spend the next fifty years with my lamps burning, dressed and ready for service I still won’t be worthy of that honor. YET, and that’s the amazing part, He loves me enough to want to do that for me. Surely I can keep watch for Him!
We Want to Show it “and find out what pleases the Lord.” Ephesians 5:10 (NIV) I’d like to take a look at several parts of this chapter, if you’ll humor me. Verse 8 tells us that we were once darkness but now we are light in the Lord and therefore we should live as children of the Light. Then in parentheses in verse nine it adds, that the fruit of the light is righteousness, goodness and truth. The conclusion of the sentence is found in verse 10. So essentially we are told here, by Paul that we are to live as children of the Light and find out what pleases our King. How many of you have done any research on what pleases God? What delights Him? Let me offer a shameless plug here, I have. In fact I wrote a book entitled: Mad in Pursuit: Delighting God. It’s available on the website as an eBook for a mere $.99. I can tell you that this verse in Ephesians wasn’t the driving force for me, but there was within me the desire to delight, abide and love my Father, thus the name of the magazine and the website. I think we spend far too much time trying to figure out what’s in it for us in this life that we neglect wanting to truly seek the Kingdom, to really get to know the Savior of our souls. If we are really children of the light, then we should want to shine like that Light, and the only way to become more like someone or something you admire is to do your research, get to know that individual, that subject. It’s no different in this walk of Faith, if we want to please the Lord we need to learn what He’s delighted by, what pleases Him. I have a friend that thinks it kind of funny that I am always quoting the verse that says to study to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15) but having a graduate level education and eleven years as an educator under my belt makes that verse highly relevant to me. I get the concept of studying and if it means that I will be approved by my Father, and that I will get to know what pleases Him, I’m all about it. Father, help us to desire to want to know what pleases You and then empower us to accomplish the tasks set before us to do so. We love You and we want to show it. Amen.
Please consider subscribing to our magazine and contributing to our mission. You can find more information about Delight*Abide*Love Publications & Productions at: www.delightabidelove.com. Thanks for reading! Peace and blessings to you this day and every day to follow.