Category Archives: Attitudes & Behavior

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March 16, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Faith & Hope, Holy Spirit, Knowing Him, Temptation & Sin

THE DEVIL NEVER TAKES A HOLIDAY

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” [Luke 4:9-12 (NLT)]     

Satan seeks out those most susceptible and appeals to them. Alone and weak from hunger after forty days in the wilderness, Jesus was vulnerable to temptation and Satan exploited his needs (just as he does ours). Rarely does temptation wear a label identifying it as such. It may be wrapped in a pretty package and even, as Satan did, use scripture to support it. Jesus recognized Satan and his offers for what they were and refuted each temptation by returning to the word of God.

Our character is continually being tested by the temptations in our lives. Satan doesn’t even take off on Sunday; he’s busy “twenty-four/seven/three sixty-five.” How then can we resist? Like Jesus, we must rely on God’s word for guidance. Knowing scripture, however, isn’t enough. After all, even Satan knows scripture. We have to live our faith and follow God’s word. We must pray for guidance. We must stand strong in our commitment. Finally, we must be alert and learn to recognize temptation when it stands before us.

Lord Jesus, may your Holy Spirit keep us alert and strong as we face the continual temptations and challenges of daily life. Stay with us; guard, guide, and reside within us.

“Abide With Me” [Henry F. Lyte (1847)]
I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came. [Luke 4:13 (NLT)]

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March 12, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, God's Plan, Obedience, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

DETOURS

This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. [Isaiah 48:17 (NIV)]

detoursDSC01393WEBIn yesterday’s message, I compared God’s guidance to our car’s GPS. They both know where we are and can guide us in our journeys. Personally, I love the soothing voice of our navigation system. When we ignore its advice, it never yells or calls us names. A gentle voice just calmly corrects us by saying, “Make a legal U-turn.” Moreover, the GPS will eventually adjust to accommodate our plans if we decide to take a different route. On our way to Florida, for example, because of warnings posted about a back-up due to an accident, we exited the interstate to avoid an hours-long delay. A quick look at the map indicated that we could take a detour and get back on the interstate south of the pile-up. At first the GPS kept gently telling us to turn around so we simply muted the voice; we knew what we were doing even if it didn’t. Eventually, the navigation system agreed with our plan and directed us back to the interstate our way.

God, however, isn’t so obliging when we choose to go our way instead of His. One, we can’t mute His voice. We can try to ignore him, but we can’t mute Him. Two, He’s the one who decides whether or not we take detours. He’s not going to adapt His plans to accommodate us. Moreover, God’s correction is rarely as gentle as a soothing voice suggesting a legal U-turn. When they ignored God’s directions, Jonah ended up in the belly of a great fish, Balaam’s donkey gave him grief when an angel blocked their way, and Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt. Finally, unlike the GPS, which we can turn on and off at will, God is always there and He expects obedience. He wants us to hear, trust, and submit to His plan, not ours.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. [Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)]

 

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March 11, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, God's Promises, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

OUR NAVIGATION SYSTEM

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The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people. [Exodus 13:21-22 (NLT)]

We were in the middle of a heavy rainstorm on an unfamiliar interstate, nearing the interchange where we were to exit. When the GPS told us to take the next right, we did and westward we went only to realize we were on a two-lane road, not the divided highway we were expecting. The soft voice of the GPS told us to keep going west while I franticly tried to figure out where we were. Within minutes, having made enough turns that we weren’t sure how to return to the interstate, we decided to continue trusting the reassuring voice of our GPS; after all, it hadn’t steered us wrong yet. It seemed to know where we were going even if we didn’t. When told to turn north, we obeyed, believing that the satellite in the sky knew more than we did. Lo and behold, what should we find but the road we’d been trying to find! In spite of feeling like we’d wandered way off course, once I figured out where we’d been, it was clear we’d actually taken the most direct (if slightly unconventional) route.

Sometimes we feel hopelessly lost in life. We can’t return to where we were and we’re not sure where we are. Moreover, we don’t know where we should be headed and, even if we did, we don’t know how to get there. When the Israelites escaped Pharaoh, God led them with a pillar of clouds during the day and a pillar of fire at night. Sometimes, however, His guidance isn’t quite that obvious; nonetheless, He is there leading us. We just need to stop and study our map (the Bible), pray and listen for his voice. While, it’s not easy to cede control to an impersonal voice in the car, it’s even harder to cede control to an unseen God. We have to be like the Israelites: trust and follow, and He will lead us to the Promised Land!

God shall be my hope, my stay, my guide and lantern to my feet. [William Shakespeare]

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” [Psalm 32:8 (NLT)]

With your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed. In your might, you guide them to your sacred home. [Exodus 15:13 (NLT)]

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March 3, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Promises, Prayer, Trusting God

YAHWEH YIRAH – THE LORD WILL PROVIDE

Abraham looked around and saw a ram caught in a bush by its horns. He went and got it and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son. Abraham named that place “The Lord Provides.” And even today people say, “On the Lord’s mountain he provides.” [Genesis 22:13-14 (GNT)]

It’s not easy for us to trust God’s provision; yet, when we trust, He provides. Abraham trusted God to provide and the ram replaced his son as an offering. God provided manna and water in the wilderness for forty years to the Israelites, food for both Elijah and Elisha, wisdom to Solomon, victory to Joshua, and dinner for thousands on a hillside. Why do I have trouble believing He’ll provide me with what I need when I ask?

In this day of fast food, streaming movies, instant messaging, microwaves, and being able to do my shopping from my desk with a click of a computer mouse, I seem to expect God to provide me with my needs as quickly and easily as Amazon. God’s provision, however, like everything else He does, goes according to His time frame, not ours! Moreover, God’s provision requires our trust in it!

It’s not easy to trust God to provide what we need, especially if we’re running on empty! For example, if I’d been the widow in yesterday’s message (“Would You Have Trusted?”), I would have been more likely to trust Elijah if there had been a few days’ supply of bread and oil rather than only enough for one meal. My trust would have waned with a bare cupboard.

Yesterday, I was running on empty and I desperately needed another devotion. I’d sat at my computer and written word after word to no avail. I was left with several half paragraphs, incomplete thoughts, disjointed Bible verses, and a sense of anxiety. “Where are the words for the next message?” I asked. Satan poked me with a dose of fear and doubt and I even wondered if I should discontinue this mission. “Lord,” I cried, “Provide! Please give me guidance and words!”

My fear and that prayer reminded me of the story of Elijah, the widow and God’s provision. My fingers raced over the keyboard and yesterday’s message nearly wrote itself. As I composed it, I realized how little I actually trust in God’s provision; those thoughts brought me to today’s message. See: He really does provide! We just have to stop running around in circles in a panic, pray and trust. Just pray and trust, and understand that God will provide, in God’s time and in His wonderful way.

God’s divine power has given us everything we need to live a truly religious life through our knowledge of the one who called us to share in his own glory and goodness. [2 Peter 1:3 (GNT)]

 

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February 27, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Plan, Prayer, Trusting God, Worry

ONE BITE AT A TIME

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Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. [Matthew 6:34 (NLT)]

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! When that elephant is on our dinner plate, however, that advice can be difficult to remember!

It was snowing and we were skiing in knee-deep power on an unfamiliar mountain. Totally lost, we ended up on a double-black diamond. With no alternative trail, we stared down a narrow steep run covered with ferocious looking moguls. Powder, steep, narrow and moguls: any two of the four pose no problem and three out of four are a possibility. Doing all four in one run? No way! All I could do was look down at the end of the trail and concede defeat. Defeat, however, wasn’t an option unless I planned on staying frozen in place until the spring thaw. I had to continue forward. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit intervened and reminded me of words spoken years earlier by a ski instructor: “You can get down anything if you take it one turn at a time.”

Too often we see the big picture when, in fact, we should look at the little one instead. We can become overwhelmed by both goals and challenges if we look too far ahead. We end up conceding defeat without even trying. “How will I ever get through the terrible twos?” cries the frustrated mother. “One temper tantrum at a time,” is the answer. “How will I ever get this huge Bible read?” asks the new Christian. One page at a time. How will I get through several months of chemo-therapy? One session at a time. How will I put together a 1,000-piece puzzle? One part at a time. How will I become a published author? One word at a time. How can I ever climb to the top of that mountain? One step at a time. How will we get to the Promised Land? One mile at a time. How will I get through a lifetime of sobriety? One day at a time. How will I endure this incredible pain? One hour at a time. As insurmountable as any challenge or goal may seem, it is merely a succession of small manageable bits and pieces. How do we do it? We do it one prayer at a time.

God will give us what we need for the moment and that’s all we really need. We don’t have to become anxious about getting to the bottom of the ski run or to the top of the mountain. We just have to manage to make the next turn or take the next step. We won’t be alone; He’ll be right there with us. When we tire, we can rest in His presence until God strengthens and restores us enough to make the next move. Our progress may not be fast or graceful and there may be a few stumbles or setbacks along the way. If we’re following God’s plan, however, He will get us where He wants us to be, one turn (or one bite) at a time.

God is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t worry. [Deuteronomy 31:8 (MSG)]

People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit. Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing. [Isaiah 26:3-4 (MSG)]

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February 26, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Love & Works, Obedience, Sharing Our Faith

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

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The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” … The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” [Luke 10:27,29 (NLT)]

“Where is she coming from?”…“How could anyone in his right mind think that?”…“How bizarre!”…“Would you look at that?”…“They’re so different.”…”She’s weird!” We’ve all had reactions like that to various people; some may even had reactions like that to us! It’s challenging to think of them as our neighbors and we’re pretty sure we wouldn’t want them living next door!

God loves everyone, so why is it so difficult for us? We don’t seem to have a problem loving ourselves, but it’s loving others that poses the problem. Naturally, it is easier to love those who are more like us. There’s a commonality; we may share similar experiences or ethnic backgrounds. Perhaps we enjoy the same authors, live near one another, have similar interests, or attend the same church. We can better understand why they speak, think, eat, dress, worship, or relax the way they do. Being pretty practiced at loving ourselves, it is easier to think of people who think, look and act like us as neighbors and to love them (at least a little bit).

The love part, however, gets increasingly more difficult the less like us someone happens to be. In fact, sometimes we’re needlessly afraid of people simply because they’re different. They may not speak our language, look like us, or even eat the same food. Like it or not, however, most of the world’s population is not like much like us. Or is it? We all share one thing for sure: God’s love for each and every one of us! That’s something we all have in common with more than seven billion people. Since nearly a third of them are Christian, we share the love of Jesus with a good number of them, as well.

Father in heaven, God of love, help us see the similarities rather than the differences among your children. Replace any judgment in our hearts with understanding, any anger with forgiveness, and any anxiety with confidence. Trade our pride with humility, our pettiness with generosity, and our self-centeredness and selfishness with love so that we treat everyone as a “neighbor.”

It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine? … Won’t you be my neighbor? [Fred Rogers, “Won’t You be My Neighbor?”]

The Bible makes this clear. Be as loving as you can, as often as you can, for as many people as you can, for as long as you live. Why should we do this? Because. [Kate Braestrup]

For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [Galatians 5:14 (NLT)]