What Does God Want Your Eyes to See?

You will see it with your own eyes and say, 'Great is the LORD - even beyond the borders of Israel!" Malachi 1:5 

I believe that God wants to doing something in each of our lives. I know he wants to reveal himself to us and to remake us into the image of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. I know he promises that if we seek him we won't go hungry. 

The question is: What does God want to show you with your own eyes? 

How Has God Been Your Refuge?

I am thankful that God has been my refuge in every trial and temptation that I face. Sometimes I forget that he is there, but when I remember, his strength comes to my aide. 

I am also thankful that I live in a country where I can worship God with my family and friends without fear. 

Father, thank you for being my refuge! Thank you for the freedom to worship you. Be honored by our thanks today. Protect our country and raise up leaders who will honor you.

You Can Forgive

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement.

James 2:12-13

I think this a difficult topic because we would like grace to be a complete pass with no strings attached to it. But, James is clearly saying that if you are not merciful, there is no mercy for you. 

Jesus had taught the disciples in Matthew 6:14-15, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." 

When you have unresolved issues of forgiveness in your heart they are attached to your inner being, whether you acknowledge them or not. Sometimes we like to just push things to the side and try not to notice them or deal with them, like a pile of bills on your desk that you refuse to open. Just because I refuse to deal with does not negate their presence or affect on you. 

Think about this; the model prayer that Christ taught his disciples has a postscript that flat out states that if we won't forgive someone who sins against us, we won't be forgiven. Because Christ first forgave us (See Colossians 3:13). I know that some people can be "impossible" to deal with, but, we are not being asked to spend Thanksgiving with someone who has sinned against us, we are being told to forgive them. Whatever God does after we forgive them is up to God. 

Three To Be in Christ

In your majesty ride forth victoriously
   in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness,
let your right hand display awesome deeds. 
Psalm 45:4

Most of the time, we are known for what we do. What we say matters only if we practice what we preach. Being a man or woman of truth, humility and righteousness is a fine legacy indeed. 

I could give a nice little exposition of theses verses and how they relate to marriage and to Christ. But as a devotional I just want to key in on the idea that Christ is the truth, he humbled himself and he is our righteousness. 

In John 14:6 "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.""

In Philippians 2 Paul reminds us that Christ "humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on the cross" and that attitude of humility is the same one we should have.

When speaking of boasting the apostle poignantly reminds the Corinthians, "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption."  

How does this apply to us today? It's pretty straight forward isn't it? I should be truthful, but with love. I should be humble which means to know who I am in Christ and serve others accordingly. I should also openly remember that Christ is my righteousness and act with his righteousness in all my encounters today. 

Fist Pump for a Good Prayer

The Lord blesses us in different ways. I was really blessed this week end by my sons. I went with my youngest son to a Boy Scout event called The Great Pumpkin Smash, where boys (and adults who wish to participate) get to destroy pumpkins with anything from arrows to shot guns. 

After we got home yesterday we cleaned up, rested a bit and then went out to dinner. My two oldest sons came over and joined us. At the end of the meal they tried to pay. It was very nice. 

Psalm 127:3-5 says:

   Sons are a heritage from the LORD,

      children a reward from him.

   Like arrows in the hands of a warrior

      are sons born in ones youth.

   Blessed is the man

      whose quiver is full of them.

   They will no be put to shame

      when they contend with their enemies at the gate. 

At camp breakfast my youngest volunteered to say grace for the meal. He got a sincere "good job" from the Scout Master. He prayed sincerely and with thanksgiving. It may seem weird to sort of fist pump your son for praying well, but, it seemed like he was praying to the God he knows, not just the one I tell him about. I'm proud of that.

I thank God that I was blessed to sit with my family and eat a meal with genuine love. That's a good day to me.

Are You Letting Your Hands Be Strong?

As you have been an object of cursing among the nations, O Judah and Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.

Zechariah 8:13

If you channel surf you will definitely come across some fitness coach promising that if you use their system you will lose weight and feel better. Self-help programs can aid you to lose some weight and feel better about yourself to some degree. But, they all share the same weakness. Self. 

That is what makes the grace of God so powerful. Grace is built upon the Sovereignty and faithfulness of the Almighty God. His promise is to save us and make us a blessing.  If you lift weights you should have a partner who acts as your spotter. Sometimes when you need just a little help they will pull up on the bar just a bit to help you finish the set. 

The grace of God is where he does a lot more than pull us up a little bit to bring us through. Because we know that we can let our hands be strong, we can act in faith without fear. You see, having a spotter allows you to try as hard as you can without fear that you will be halfway through a lift and your arms will give out and the weights will fall back on you. Let your hands be strong. Don't be afraid to fail. Be a blessing. Be strong in the Lord!

Justice is...

This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.

Zechariah 7:9-10

True justice begins with mercy and compassion. That is why the center of our faith is the redemptive work of Christ upon the cross. In that, the ultimate act of mercy and compassion, true justice was dealt for all of mankind. 

Unless we understand our own incredible need for the mercy and compassion of God in Christ we will look judgmentally down upon those less fortunate than us. The problem with the idea of karma is that people get what they deserve and that's the end of the story. Many Christians get that way with "you reap what you sow" and forget about mercy and compassion. They forget that all have fallen short of the glory of God. None is righteous, no not one. 

So what's the point today? Be merciful and compassionate when seeking justice. When you see that oppressed see them through the eyes of someone who needs God's mercy and compassion. My grandmother used to say (when she saw someone less fortunate than her), "There, but by the grace of God, go I." 

Remember Mercy

Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom. For judgement is without mercy to the one who hasn't shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgement.

James 2:12-13

Think about how much God has forgiven you. Paul called himself the chief of sinners. He obeyed the law outwardly, but inwardly he was guilty...as sin. 

If I understand God's grace to me, I understand that I must be merciful to those who don't deserve it. 

God Gives the Victory

You are my King and my God,
   who decrees victories for Jacob.
Through you we push back our enemies;
   through your name we trample our foes.
I do not trust in my bow,
   my sword will not bring me victory;
but you give us victory over our enemies,
   you put our adversaries to shame.
In God we make our boast all day long,
   and we will praise your name forever.
                                                   Selah
Psalm 44:4-8

Who do I trust? I'm in a little battle right now and the question is: do I trust in my ability to finagle my way through the situation, or, am I going to trust God to open the door and make a way?

I guess the way I look at it is if I were in a real battle I would fight the enemy who was in front of me. So, if God puts something in front of me I should "attack" it, if not, I just lob some prayers into the fray. 

The truth that I need to remember is that it is God who gives the victory. 

Do You Need a Slap in the Face?

Why are you downcast , O my soul?
   Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
   for I will yet praise him,
   my Savior and my God.
Psalm 43:5

One of my best friends used to think that everyone else in church was always living in perfect peace and happiness. From his perspective when people said they were OK he thought they meant they weren't having any trials and God was speaking to them every moment of every day. It took him awhile to learn that everyone else at church had their struggles too. 

That is why I love David. David sought God from the middle of his struggles. I mean here he is, feeling attacked and it sounds like depressed. He asks God to vindicate and rescue him. 

He looks to the truth about God then asks why it does not match up with what is happening in his life. He knows God is his stronghold but he feels rejected by God. Then he asks God to get him out. He asks God to take him to the place where God dwells. 

This reminds me of once when my wife was in the hospital. I was very concerned because I didn't know what God was doing. My pastor came by and sort of slapped me in the face and told me I needed to get it together and that my wife needed to know that I knew God was in control and God would take care of her. I didn't need to know that he had been through something like I was going through. I needed to put my hope in God, knowing that I would yet praise him, my Savior and my God. That is sort of what I see David doing to himself. He is praying and encouraging himself to believe in God because God is his Savior and he will yet praise him.

God is your stronghold. God is your hope. God is your Savior. He will send forth his light and his truth and they will guide you to his holy mountain. You will praise him! 

Whose Clothes Are You Wearing?

The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes."
   Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you." Zechariah 3:4

This is such a great picture of the grace of God. Because of sin we are filthy. The reality being that we can't clothe or clean ourselves. He takes away our sin and clothes us in his righteousness. In I Corinthians 1:30 Paul reminds us that the work of Christ on the cross makes Christ our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 

Take a moment to remember that your sins are forgiven and you are clothed in the righteousness of Christ Jesus, the Lord. 

Do You Need Some Joy?

Then will I go to the altar of God,
   to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the harp,
   O God, my God.
Psalm 43:4

Once again David doesn't allow himself to be stuck in his emotions. He is obviously feeling depressed. But he knows that his joy and his delight is going to be found in God. 

I don't think David is trying to make a deal with God. He's not saying that if God rescues him then he will praise him. David is asking God to bring him to the place where God dwells, believing that God will, and when he gets there he will praise God for bringing him there!

What battle are you in? Where do you need his light and truth to shine? 

Father, send us your light and truth to lead us and bring us to your holy mountain. We put our hope in you believing we will yet praise you for your deliverance. 

Whose Kingdom Are You Building?

Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until nom, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not born fruit.

   From this day on I will bless you.
Haggai 2:18d-19

Check yourself. Think about what you are doing and how things are going. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus reminds us, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." The message of Haggai is that the remnant of Israelites that returned to Jerusalem needed to refocus themselves on building the temple of the Lord, not (first) their own houses. That is why God sent them back, to rebuild the temple. God does not have us here to build our own kingdoms, but his. 

Haggai tells us to give careful thought to your ways. We can build the kingdom of God in many ways. Remember, the kingdom of God is within you. A friend of mine, a drywall contractor, once told me there was no Jesus in the kingdom of drywall. Through a series of humbling events, he learned there was, in him. Give careful thought to your ways.

Father, forgive me for seeking first the kingdom of me. Use me to build your kingdom, today. Praise be to you in us today!

Is Today The Day?

On that day they will say to Jerusalem,

"Do not fear, Zion;

   do not let your hands hang limp.

The Lord your God is with you,

   The Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

   in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:16-17 NIV

The truth is that if God is for you, it doesn't matter who stands against you.

Are You Humble?

Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land,
   you who do what he commands.
Seek righteousness, seek humility;
   perhaps you will be sheltered
   on the day of the LORD'S anger.
Zephaniah 2:3

I think a mark of humility is seeking God because you recognize that he is God and you are not. The arrogance of the agnostic is that s/he thinks they can stand in judgement of God and therefore can choose to act in the righteousness they define. 

But, only God is good. All our righteousness comes from God in Christ. Because he first loved us we seek to obey his command to love as he first loved us. That is righteousness. 

The day of judgement will come, whether or not people believe it. Seek righteousness in Christ. Seek to know who you are in Christ - humility is found there. He is our shelter now and he will be our shelter in the day of judgement. 

What Heights Does Go Have for You?

yet I will triumph in Yahweh;
   I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!
Yahweh my Lord is my strength;
   He makes my feet like those of a deer
   and enables me to walk on mountain heights!
Habakkuk 3:18-19 Habakkuk

Habakkuk was written during a time where the moral leadership of the nation was failing and justice was perverted. Sound familiar? It does to me. 

Then like now, God still reigns! Like Habakkuk the prophet we can still cry out, "Yet I will rejoice in Yahweh!"  Lord is our strength! He makes our feet able to scale the heights that he calls us to. The only question is what are the heights, the mountains that God has call and enabled you to walk? 

God will enable to walk the path, the heights, he calls you to. He is God our Savior. Amen, Lord. Show us Yourself!

Is It Time for God to Work Again?

LORD, I have heard the report about You;

LORD, I stand in awe of Your deeds. Revive Your work in these years; 

   make it known in these years. 

In Your wrath remember mercy!

Habakkuk 3:2 HCSB

Sometimes we walk through a valley while other times we walk through a desert. 

Maybe you are at a place where you only remember the awesome deeds of the Lord. That's ok. Remember with reverence. Recall with praise. Ask for God to make his ways known again in your life.

Father, I remember the ways you provided for me. You provided opportunities to learn, to be used by you and just to just enjoy your creation. I thank you for my wife and children. How you placed me in a family and me two of my own! Lord, it's time for you to move in my life again. Thank You Lord, because I know you hear my prayer!

Do You See Justice?

For the earth will be filled with
   the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
   as the waters cover the sea.
Habakkuk 2:14

The prophet saw the corruption of those in leadership and even in those God was using to punish the leaders in Judah. Justice was perverted and the wicked seemed to go unpunished. God's message was that his justice would come around to them. Rage as they may, their end will come.

If you have ever watched a great fighter matched against a very aggressive opponent you know how this works out. The aggressive fighter seems to be carrying the fight as he strikes with relentless furry. The great fighter dodges, blocks and waits for the opportune moment to counter strike. When he finally delivers a blow it is with awesome force and accuracy and quite often ends the fight quite quickly. 

In a way, God's justice is like that. With relentless rage the enemy of our souls strikes away at our lives and we wonder were God is. The wicked seem to prosper and justice is perverted. Just wait. Their turn is coming and God will be glorified. 

What is our responsibility. To wait on God. To do what we know is right, even though everyone around us is doing what is right in their own eyes. Acknowledge God in all you do. Give God the glory. He will make himself known. 

What Has God Sent You?

The LORD will send His faithful love by day;    His song will be with me in the night —    a prayer to the God of my life.  Psalm 42:8 HCSB I don't know about you, but for me it sure is good to know that God sends his faithful love during the day. I'm going to face trials. There will be temptations. Battles will be won and lost. But, in the end, God is faithful. Knowing, at the end of the day, that God has been with me is definitely reason to be thankful. Thank you, Father, for your faithful love for me and my family!

Got Religion?

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 1:26-27 NIV

It starts with my tongue, the  intersection of thought, choice and action. When I speak I am committing myself to a specific pathway of action. My actions are the fruit of my beliefs.

Religion is the outward manifestation of our beliefs, what other people see. James isn't saying to not be religious, he's saying to serve orphans and widows. Orphans and widows (in New Testament times they were unable to work) are people who can't care for themselves.

The goal is to humbly serve others and to do this without being caught up in the sins of the world you are trying to minister to.

Do You Need Some Hope?

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
   Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
   for I will yet praise him,
   my Savior and my God.
Psalm 41:5-6a

The Lutheran hymn, "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less" by Edward Mote* reminds me that Christ is my hope. I have been singing that song since I was a child when my mother and grandmother took me to church every Sunday. 

Sometimes - I lose my way a bit. 

                   - I get a little confused.

                   - I get anxious over things I can't understand or control.

                   - I sin.

                   - I'm disappointed in myself...

                   - I can't see my way out.

                   - The enemy is in full blown attack mode.

                   - I'm just tired...

Where ever you are at, it's time to remember, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Christ is your hope. You will yet praise him! 

* http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/lyrics/tlh370.htm

Are You in Shackles?

The Lord is good,
   a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him...
This is what the Lord says: 
“Although they have allies and are numerous,
   they will be destroyed and pass away.
Although I have afflicted you, Judah,
   I will afflict you no more.
Now I will break their yoke from your neck 
   and tear your shackles away.”
Nahum 1:7, 12-13 (NIV)

There will be trouble. But God is our refuge. The enemy is all around us. But will deliver us!

What is your affliction? In his time, God will break you free. Christ's death on the cross has paid the penalty, but sometimes we still wear the yoke. The world wants to keep you enslaved, but God wants to free you. Look to Christ to break the yoke and shackles of sin in your life. That is why he died, to free us from slavery to sin. 

The battle for our soul is also for our peace and our rest in Christ. In Christ the shackles of our sin fall away as we look to him.

I Am Thankful for Being Pardoned. What Are You Thankful For?

Who is a God like you,
   who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
   of the remnant of his inheritance. 
You do not stay angry forever
   but delight to show mercy.
You will again have compassion on us;
   you will tread our sins underfoot
   and hurl our iniquities into the depth of the sea.
You will be true to Jacob,
   and show mercy to Abraham,
as you pledged on oath to our fathers
   in days long ago.
Micah 7:18-20

Sunday is the day I try to start out remembering all the reasons and I am thankful to God. These verses remind me very specifically of God's mercy to me that in Christ my sin is pardoned and my transgressions are forgiven. 

I am also thankful that God does not stay angry with me. He will not let my sins overtake me but, in his compassion he tramples my sins underfoot by the power of the cross. Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ!

What are you thankful for today!