* Through the Eyes of a Child

The innocence of a child's soul
is what makes them seem so whole.
So peaceful and trusting as they reach out.
Full of life and rarely a doubt.
Skipping along while holding your hand,
Knowing that you will take their stand.
Loving you entirely for who you are,
Seeing the beauty of your soul with no scar.
As we grow older and more serious in age,
We become fearful and oft full of rage.
We begin to lose things that once made us feel loved.
Somewhere in our souls are things that are shoved....
that we try to forget and leave sitting inside.
We forget how to live and just go with the ride.
If only we could look through our eyes as a child,
into the soul that we once possessed undefiled.
To enjoy the wind and the moon and the stars,
with a soul which has not gained any scars.
To see the beauty in all that we touch.
To see through the eyes of a child would mean so much.
God grant us the gift to look back as a child,
To trust and to love with a soul undefiled.
Looking once more through the eyes of a child!

© Brenda Race 2000

* Christ Plus Nothing

Psalm 15:1-5

A psalm of David.

1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?

2 He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart

3 and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,

4 who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,

5 who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
will never be shaken.

Imagine what would happen if I walked up to the main gate at Buckingham Palace in London and said to one of the tall, hand-some, well-dressed guards, "Sir, I want to live with the royal family." He would look at me and say, "Begone, before I arrest you."

Who is worthy to live with God? Only through Jesus Christ can we "dwell in God's holy hill." David always was a little bit envious of the priests. When we read the Psalms, we find David saying such things as, "Oh, those priests. They are able to walk in the temple of God. I can't do that. I can't go into the Holy Place."

Spiritually he could, but physically he couldn't. Because we are in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can come boldly into the presence of God, not just to visit Him but to live with Him.

David describes the kind of person who is able to live with God. He must have the right kind of feet ("walks uprightly") and hands ("works righteousness"), lips ("speaks the truth") and heart. What we say with our lips always has to come from our heart. Verse 3 also talks about the tongue: "He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend."

This is the person God welcomes at His front door and says, "You come and live with Me." That person has clean feet, clean hands and a clean heart that produce clean words and clean motives, one in whose eyes a vile person is despised. His eyes look upon only what is right and good.

Here is a beautiful picture of the kind of person God chooses to live with Him. And the beauty of it is this: Such a person will never get an eviction notice. "He who does these things shall never be moved" (v. 5). How can we be this kind of person? Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

God welcomes those with clean feet, clean hands and a clean heart. Remember, your worth is founded in Jesus Christ. It is through faith in Him that you are acceptable in the sight of God.

It is a direct blow to man's pride that says he can do nothing to be right with God in his own strength, by doing good works, or trying harder. These are what the religions of the world teach and are lie from the evil one.

Jesus tells us to come as we are. He knows we cannot find peace with God on our own. He died on our behalf as the greatest expression of Love. The way to Christ is humility and confessing hurts, habits, and hang-ups--that we are powerless on our own. Jesus accomplished everything on the cross and nothing can be added. Anything else is a direct assault on what Jesus did for all of us. It is our pride that can still tell us, "Try harder, try to do it on your own, be sufficient on your own strength."

Celebrate Recovery reminds us of this truth;

Realize I'm not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable. --

"Blessed are those who know they are spiritually poor"

The paradox of faith is admitting we cannot be right with God on our own and for those who are true followers of Christ to admit they can't grow to maturity on our own. As one once said, "We came to Christ on our knees and we need to grow in Christ on our knees."

* True Treasure

by
John Piper

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.

Paul has a way of playing your game, winning, and then saying the game is bunk. He does it, for example, in 2 Corinthians 11:21-12:11 where he lists his "superior" achievements and then says, "I have been a fool! You forced me to it" (2 Corinthians 12:11). In other words, I can play your game of measuring myself by your standards, win, and then call it all worthless. It is fool's play.

He does it again here in Philippians 3. He warns the church to watch out for the evildoing dogs who mutilate the flesh (people who insist on circumcision as a way of getting right with God). The problem with these people is that they "put confidence in the flesh"-that is, they bank on their works for justification (vv. 2-3, cf. v. 9).

So Paul says, OK let's play that game for a moment. And then he lists his works of the flesh and knocks his opponents out of the ring with legal achievements. "If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more." Indeed he does.

Then come three of the best verses in all the Bible. In essence: the victory I just won in the contest of the flesh is a pile of garbage (the Greek is sku,bala). And the reason he uses such a strong word (refuse!) is that the alternative is Christ. Compared to Christ being the greatest Pharisee of his time was foul garbage.

But that is too vague. He is not vague. He does not say simply that compared to Christ legal achievements are garbage; he is more specific. He says that what is superior to moral and religious achievements is 1) knowing Christ, 2) gaining Christ, and 3) being found in Christ.

1. Knowing Christ.

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (v. 8). "Knowing" here is not just knowing the fact that Jesus is Lord. It is the kind of knowing that prompts the phrase, "my Lord"! He knows the supreme Lord of the universe (see 2:9-11) as his Lord. So there are two aspects to Paul's passion for Christ here. One is the rational and relational knowledge of the greatest person in the universe. Paul's mind and heart are full of Christ. The other is that he belongs to Christ as subject to the all-ruling, all-protecting Lord. This is better than being at the top of any human heap.

2. Gaining Christ.

"For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (v. 8). "Gain" means get all that Christ is for us in heaven, not just on earth. Paul has already said, "To live is Christ and to die is gain" (v. 21), because "to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better" (1:23). And he is about to say, "I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own" (3:12). So it is clear that part of what makes human achievement a pile of garbage compared to Christ is that soon (and very soon!) he is going to meet the king-in a way far more full and intimate and stunning and satisfying than anything he has known here. And he has known so much of Christ here that the garbage verdict has been rendered on that alone.

3. Being found in Christ.

". . . and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith" (v. 9). Paul was overwhelmed by the fact that "in Christ"-that is, united to Christ by faith alone-he possessed a righteousness that was infinitely better than all his legal achievements could ever be. Paul knew he needed a righteous life in order to be accepted by God and in order to enjoy all the glories of Christ forever. He did not have such a righteousness in himself. He needed the free gift of righteousness from God himself. God gave it to him in Christ.

Therefore Jesus Christ was both the treasure he cherished and the one who provided the right to have the treasure. In Christ alone Paul had a right to know and gain Christ. And that is all he wanted. That is the gospel. This is what we mean by treasuring Christ together. Christ alone is the ground of our acceptance with God and the goal of our heart's desire. He is our righteousness and our reward. Compared to him (knowing him, gaining him, being found in him) all else is garbage.

* God's Goodness: Life through the lens of circumstances or the lens of goodness?

The LORD replied, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, 'the LORD,' to you." … He passed in front of Moses and said, "I am the LORD, I am the LORD, the merciful and gracious God. I am slow to anger and rich in unfailing love and faithfulness. I show this unfailing love to many thousands by forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion.
--Exodus 33:19; 34:6-7

Some days it's really hard to be a Christian leader, especially if you have any contact with hurting people. I've listened in horror as an older man described through his tears how the sexual advances of a male relative stole the little boy in him. I've wept with a faithful wife who, when she heard that her husband was leaving her, was so distraught that she couldn't even stand up. Violence, selfishness, disease, senseless tragedy—the pain piles up like a multi-car collision. On days like this it's hard not to question God's goodness. The little Sunday school chorus "God is so good, he's so good to me" just doesn't ring true when you've been around life for a while.

Moses understood the heights-to-depths nature of leadership. From the literal peak experience of receiving the two tablets with God's instructions on Mount Sinai, he descended to discover a nation out of control, worshiping an idol and becoming a laughingstock to its enemies. For a while God even contemplated destroying Israel. But eventually, when Moses asked the Lord to show him his glory, God passed in front of him, defining his goodness.

He defined his goodness in terms of compassion—a word that in Hebrew is related to the term for womb and signifies the kind of love a mother has for her unborn baby growing inside her. God defined his goodness in terns of slowness to anger—the Hebrew literally says that God is "long of nose," which means it takes a long time for his face to flush in anger. He abounds in "loyal love"—affection for and faithfulness to his people. He is gracious and forgiving.

On a regular basis, leaders need to refresh their picture of God. If I look at God through the lens of circumstances, I can easily conclude that he's not good. But God calls his leaders to look at their circumstances through the lens of his goodness.

—Steve Mathewson

Reflection

How has God showed me his goodness during the past week? the past month? the past year?

Prayer

God, you are kindness; you are patience; you are faithfulness; you are compassion; you are grace; you are love; you are good!

"That God is good is taught or implied in every page of the Bible and must be received as an article of faith as impregnable as the throne of God. It is a foundation stone for all sound thought about God and is necessary to moral sanity."
—A.W. Tozer; twentieth-century pastor and writer

The Bible & Low Self-Esteem

The Answer to the Paralysis of Low Self-Esteem
What is the biblical solution when a person is paralyzed by a sense of guilt or unworthiness or uselessness? Is it a better sense of self-esteem? What about those in the bible? Surely the bible characters and those living in biblical times did not always feel great about their lives.

A Look at Moses
When God came to Moses with a mission to lead his people out of Israel, he said, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? . . . O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." (Exodus 3:11; 4:10).

The reason God got angry at Moses is not because of his humble assessment of his own abilities, but of his lack of faith in God's ability.

God responded and said to Moses, "Who made man's mouth? Who makes him dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak" (Exodus 4:11–12).

God did not say to Moses, "Stop putting yourself down. You are somebody. You are eloquent." That is not a biblical pattern. What God said was, "Stop looking at your own unworthiness and uselessness and look at me. I made the mouth. I will be with you. I will help you. I will teach you what to say. Look to me and live!"

The biblical answer to the paralysis of low self-esteem is not high self-esteem; it is sovereign grace.

You can test whether you agree with this by whether you can gladly repeat the words of Isaiah 41:13, "Fear not, you worm Jacob . . . I will help you, says the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel." In other words, God's way of freeing and mobilizing people who see themselves as worms is not to tell them that they are beautiful butterflies but rather to say, "I will help you. I am your redeemer . . . Go to Egypt now, and I will be with you."

A Look at David
"The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Psalm 51:17). Everyone agrees that this is the spirit that pleases God after you are taken in adultery and murder. But what about the times when you are doing good?

When the collection for the temple was being taken, David prayed, "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." (1 Chronicles 29:14).

In other words, even when David and his people were performing an act of virtue, David did not yield to the impulses of self-esteem. Instead he was carried away by the impulses of sovereign grace: "Who are we that we should be able thus to offer willingly! To God be the esteem, to God! and not to us, even in our virtue.

Other Important People in the Bible
Job
"I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:5–6).

Isaiah
"Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:5).

So we learn from Job and Isaiah that one source of lowliness is to see God in his power and holiness.

Paul
"I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh" (Roman 7:18).

"We have this treasure in earthen vessels to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:6–7).

"I am the foremost of sinners; but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life" (1 Timothy 1:15–16).

What Then Is Poverty of Spirit?

• It is a sense of powerlessness in ourselves.
• It is a sense of spiritual bankruptcy and helplessness before God.
• It is a sense of moral uncleanness before God.
• It is a sense of personal unworthiness before God.
• It is a sense that if there is to be any life or joy or usefulness, it will have to be all of God and all of grace.

It is a SENSE of powerlessness...
It is a SENSE of bankruptcy...
It is a SENSE of uncleanness...
It is a SENSE of unworthiness...

Objectively speaking, everybody is poor in spirit. Everybody, whether they sense it or not, is powerless without God and bankrupt and helpless and unclean and unworthy before God. But not everybody is "blessed."

When Jesus says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," he does not mean everybody. He means those who feel it. That is why it is so appropriate to take the first and second beatitudes together. "Blessed are those who mourn," clarifies the subjective side of being poor in spirit.

Blessed are the poor in spirit who mourn. Blessed are the people who feel keenly their inadequacies and their guilt and their failures and their helplessness and their unworthiness and their emptiness—who don't try to hide these things under a cloak of self-sufficiency, but who are honest about them and grieved and driven to the grace of God.

Blessed are you! because you are going to be comforted. Fear not, you worm, Jacob! Fear not, Moses, Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:6–8), Isaiah, Peter! For I will be with you, I will help you, I will strengthen you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Yours is the very kingdom of God.

The world and the flesh says, "Your worth is in your external appearance, accomplishments, skills, talents, and abilities.

God says..."No, no, no! You've bought the lie. My way is different. Stop looking at your own abilities, your own unworthiness and uselessness and look at me. I will be with you. I will help you. I will teach you what to say. I am your redeemer. Look to me and live!"

Dear God,
Thank you that I can stop trying harder. Thank you that I can be honest before you and others. I don't have to hide anymore or play the game. I can admit I am weak, that I feel unlovely, unworthy, sad, depressed, angry, impure, confused...and you will show up in the midst of this. You will be with me. You will help me like you have for all the people of the bible. Like you have for all those who have called on your name because you and you alone are God. There is no other. You are the creator. You know. You understand. You are God. Thank you father for freedom, peace, joy, blessing. May I walk in the light to love you and others as you have loved me. Help me to experience your love when I feel low and sad, when I feel all alone in this world. I come to you, not my flesh or my external virtues. When I focus on these they are never enough. I become a slave to the very thing that kills my spirit. These are not the value of my worth...you are. Help me to experience you more today Lord...I long for you like never before.

* I will not forget you!

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has born? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.
Isaiah 49:15-16

We may experience abandonment from a spouse who turns away from us to their addiction of choice. We may experience feeling like we have been rejected by friends. We may struggle with memories of parents who were not compassionate with us. Or memories of parents who 'forgot' us in one way or another.

And so we say to God: "You will abandon and reject and forget me like all the others!"

Sometimes these experiences are so familiar that we expect them from anyone we want to be close to, including God. It is a terrible fear to live with. It creates deep distress.

God responds to our distress with words of reassurance. We are not always able to take in reassurance that is offered to us. But there are times when it can feel like a drink of cool water to our parched throats.

God says "I am not like all the rest. I will not forget you. Even if your parents forgot you, or your spouse turns away, or your friends leave, I will not forget you. I have tattooed you on the palms of my hand".

I will not forget you.

It may not be easy for us to comprehend, but it is very clear. God says; "I will not forget you."

I need reassurance, Lord.
I want to believe
that you will remember.
But I have been forgotten before.
I know you are not like that.
I know it in my head.
But my heart forgets so easily.
Reassure me, today, Lord
of your unfailing love.
Amen

* The Goal of God's Love

John Piper

Do people go to the Grand Canyon to increase their self-esteem? Probably not. This is, at least, a hint that the deepest joys in life come not from savoring the self, but from seeing splendor. And in the end even the Grand Canyon will not do. We were made to enjoy God.

We are all bent to believe that we are central in the universe. How shall we be cured of this joy-destroying disease? Perhaps by hearing afresh how radically God-centered reality is according to the Bible.

Both the Old and New Testament tell us that God's loving us is a means to our glorifying him. "Christ became a servant ... in order that the nations might glorify God for his mercy" (Romans 15:8-9). God has been merciful to us so that we would magnify him. We see it again in the words, "In love [God] destined us to adoption ... to the praise of the glory of His grace" (Ephesians 1:4-6). In other words, the goal of God's loving us is that we might praise him. One more illustration from Psalm 86:12-13: "I will glorify your name forever. For your lovingkindness toward me is great." God's love is the ground. His glory is the goal.

This is shocking. The love of God is not God's making much of us, but God's saving us from self-centeredness so that we can enjoy making much of him forever. And our love to others is not our making much of them, but helping them to find satisfaction in making much of God. True love aims at satisfying people in the glory of God. Any love that terminates on man is eventually destructive. It does not lead people to the only lasting joy, namely, God. Love must be God-centered, or it is not true love; it leaves people without their final hope of joy.

Take the cross of Christ, for example. The death of Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of divine love: "God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Yet the Bible also says that the aim of the death of Christ was "to demonstrate [God's] righteousness, because in the forbearance of God he passed over the sins previously committed" (Romans 3:25). Passing over sins creates a huge problem for the righteousness of God. It makes him look like a judge who lets criminals go free without punishment. In other words, the mercy of God puts the justice of God in jeopardy.

So to vindicate his justice he does the unthinkable - he puts his Son to death as the substitute penalty for our sins. The cross makes it plain to everyone that God does not sweep evil under the rug of the universe. He punishes it in Jesus for those who believe.

But notice that this ultimately loving act has at the center of it the vindication of the righteousness of God. Good Friday love is God-glorifying love. God exalts God at the cross. If he didn't, he could not be just and rescue us from sin. But it is a mistake to say, "Well, if the aim was to rescue us, then we were the ultimate goal of the cross." No, we were rescued from sin in order that we might see and savor the glory of God. This is the ultimately loving aim of Christ's death. He did not die to make much of us, but to free us to enjoy making much of God forever.

It is profoundly wrong to turn the cross into a proof that self-esteem is the root of mental health. If I stand before the love of God and do not feel a healthy, satisfying, freeing joy unless I turn that love into an echo of my self-esteem, then I am like a man who stands before the Grand Canyon and feels no satisfying wonder until he translates the canyon into a case for his own significance. That is not the presence of mental health, but bondage to self.

The cure for this bondage is to see that God is the one being in the universe for whom self-exaltation is the most loving act. In exalting himself - Grand Canyon-like - he gets the glory and we get the joy. The greatest news in all the world is that there is no final conflict between my passion for joy and God's passion for his glory. The knot that ties these together is the truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Jesus Christ died and rose again to forgive the treason of our souls, which have turned from savoring God to savoring self. In the cross of Christ, God rescues us from the house of mirrors and leads us out to the mountains and canyons of his majesty. Nothing satisfies us - or magnifies him - more.

* Kingdom Living

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. —Colossians 1:13

by Joe Stowell

I have a lot of friends who work in bad neighborhoods. One of these city warriors transplanted his family to the inner city. One day as he was walking down the hallway in his apartment building, he noticed two guys smoking crack cocaine. Not wanting his kids to see what they were doing, he asked the two to stop. The next thing he knew, one of their fists had found its way to his jaw. With a bleeding nose and mouth, he responded, “If Jesus shed His blood for me, I can shed my blood for you.”

Shocked by the man’s response, the two men fled. A few days later one of them returned, knocked on my friend’s door, and said, “I have not forgotten your words. If your God is that real to you, then I want to know Him.” That day, he was “delivered . . . from the power of darkness,” and brought “into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Col. 1:13).

Those of us who have been rescued from the domain of darkness can bring a little bit of heaven to earth when we are willing to demonstrate the power of God’s unique approach to life. Even in our moments of weakness and vulnerability, we are given opportunities to demonstrate the power and strength of God’s forgiveness by showing His love for our enemies.

* Life Is At Work In You

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. (2 Corinthians 4:8-12)

We are jars of clay, chipped and blemished, fragile by God’s design in order to show the glorious light of God shining through our cracks and crevices. People should look at us and say, “What’s this? That plain jar of clay isn’t creating such a glorious light; it must be the light of heaven contained within. The peace and joy and love I see in that light must be from God.”

And so our older brother Paul says we can rest assured that our hardships are not meant to defeat us. God is still at work in our lives, even if we’re unable to see his hand at work.

We may be hard pressed, yet our hope in God keeps us from being crushed; perplexed, yet our hope in God keeps us from despair; persecuted, yet our hope in God tells us we’re not abandoned; struck down, yet our God keeps us from being destroyed. We are at the crossroads where the street called “When You Can’t See God’s Hand” intersects with the avenue of “Then Trust God’s Heart.”

And God says his heart is not to hurt us, but to help us as we journey back to heavenly wholeness with him. His good plan for us doesn’t mean we won’t be hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, or struck down. It means we can remain filled with hope, even as we pick ourselves up off the ground.

God’s plan is that every time we face these hardships, we learn to trust God a little bit more, so that every time the hardships press in, we can be a little stronger. God is our strength, not our own ability to carry the weight.

God doesn’t ask us to “work up” this hope – pretending we’re joyful when our whole world is collapsing around us. Rather, our hardships allow the Holy Spirit to work within us, developing joy and peace – teaching us to stop trusting in our own understanding and instead to trust that God is at work within and around our lives.

Paul encourages us to press on toward Christ-likeness. In order to be like Jesus, however, we must be men and women acquainted with sorrow, just like Lord Jesus, who hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down, only to rise again.

In him we place our hope, and it is a hope that will not disappoint.

What does this mean?
· See your problems as leading you to be more like Jesus – Ask God to help you see how your problems are helping you grow toward Christ-likeness. Ask God to show you how your hardships are working for you and not against you. Ask him to help you embrace a peace that passes all understanding.

· Skip the ‘try harder’ mentality – The Christian walk is difficult enough without beating ourselves up about the need to “try harder.” Rest in Christ and allow him to give you peace, even as you face hardship. Your ability to “try harder” pales in comparison to Jesus’ ability to be your strength in the midst of trouble. By this, you will discover that God is strongest in your moments of weakness.

* Rejoicing in Assurance

"You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance" (Eph. 1:13-14).

The Holy Spirit's ministry in your life is multifaceted and profound. Among other things He brings salvation, conviction, guidance, and strength. He indwells and equips you for spiritual service and gives assurance of your salvation. He is your Helper and Advocate. He is the Spirit of promise, who seals you until the day when your redemption is fully realized (Eph. 4:30).

Sealing speaks of security, authenticity, ownership, and authority. Ancient kings, princes, and nobles placed their official seal on documents or other items to guarantee their inviolability. To break the seal was to incur the wrath of the sovereign whom it represented (cf. Dan. 6:17; Matt. 27:62-66).

A seal on a letter authenticated it as from the hand of the one whose seal it bore. Legal documents such as property deeds and wills were often finalized with an official seal. Those who possessed the sealed decree of a king had the king's delegated authority to act on that decree.

Each of those aspects of sealing is a picture of the Spirit's ministry. He is God's guarantee that your salvation is inviolable (secure from violation) and that you are an authentic member of His kingdom and family. You are His possession--having been purchased with His Son's precious blood (1 Cor. 6:20). You are His ambassador with delegated authority to proclaim His message to a lost world (2 Cor. 5:20).

The Spirit is the pledge of your eternal inheritance (Eph. 1:14). The Greek word translated "pledge" in that verse was used of down payment or earnest money given to secure a purchase. Rejoice in the assurance that God, who cannot lie (Titus 1:2), has given you His Spirit as a guarantee that He will keep His promises.

Suggestions for Prayer:

• Praise God for the security of your eternal inheritance.
• Praise the Spirit for His many ministries in your life. Be sensitive to His leading today so that your ministry to others will be powerful and consistent with His will.

* When Unclothed Is Unfitting

When Unclothed Is Unfitting: Thoughts on Selling with Sex
John Piper

Jonathan Edwards once said that godly people can, as it were, smell the depravity of an act before they can explain why it evil. There is a spiritual sense that something is amiss. It does not fit in a world permeated with God.

Ephesians 5:3 says that some things “are not fitting” among saints.” “Fitting-ness” is not always easy to justify with arguments. You discern it before you can defend it. That’s good, because we have to make hundreds of choices every day with no time for extended reflection.

But from time to time we need to pause and give rational, biblical expression why something is not fitting. Some years ago I came to that point when, week after week, a local newspaper put scantily clad women on the second page of Section A in order to sell underclothes. I wrote a letter to the paper with nine reasons why they should stop using this kind of advertising.

Perhaps my reflections will help you deal with the hundreds of abuses of God’s good gift of sexuality in our culture. Here is what I wrote.

As a 14-year subscriber and reader of the [name of paper omitted], I am writing to express the persuasion that your sexually explicit ads that often turn up in Section A are increasingly offensive and socially irresponsible. I mean that the effectiveness of catching people’s attention by picturing a woman in her underclothes does not justify the ads. The detrimental effects of such mercenary misuse of the female body are not insignificant. The harm I have in mind is described in the following nine persuasions.

1. This woman could not go out in public dressed like that without being shamed or being mentally aberrant. Yet you thrust her out, even in front of those of us who feel shame for her.

2. This portrayal of a woman sitting in her underclothes at a table with a cup of tea disposes men to think of women not as persons but mainly in terms of their bodies. It stimulates young boys to dwell on unclothed women’s bodies and thus lames their ability to deal with women as dignified persons. I have four sons.

3. The ad stimulates sexual desire which in thousands of men has no legitimate or wholesome outlet through marriage. In other words, it feeds a corporate, community lust that bears no good fruit outside marriage, but in fact many ills.

4. The ad makes sensibilities callous so that fewer and fewer offenses against good taste feel unacceptable, which spells the collapse of precious and delicate aspects of personhood and relationships.

5. The ad makes thousands of women subconsciously measure their attractiveness and worth by the standard of rarefied, unrealistic models, leading to an unhealthy and discouraging preoccupation with outward looks.

6. The ad feeds the prurient fantasies of ordinary men, lodging a sexual image in their minds for the day which can rob them of the ability to think about things greater and nobler than skin.

7. The ad condones the proclivity of males to mentally unclothe women by reminding them what they would see if they did, and by suggesting that there are women who want to be publicly unclothed in this way. This reminder and this suggestion support habits and stereotypes that weaken personal virtue and jeopardize decorous relationships.

8. The ad encourages young girls to put excessive focus on their bodies and how they will be looked at, adding to the epidemic of depression and eating disorders.

9. The ad contributes to dissatisfaction in men whose wives can’t produce that body and thus adds to the instability of marriages and homes.

I realize that the bottom line is big bucks for page two, and lots of attention for [name of department store omitted]. But please know that at least one assessment of your standards of fitness for print is that it is part of a tragic loss of modesty and decency that may, for now, feel like mature liberation, but in generations to come will reap a whirlwind of misery for all of us.

* A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 40:4-19

I smile as I read this, because if anybody ought to have had a sad face, it should have been Joseph. His plight was much worse than theirs. They were there on a whim of the Pharaoh and surely would not be there forever. But Joseph had been accused by the chief executioner's wife and didn't know if he'd ever see the light of day. But in spite of his own circumstance, he noticed the plight of these two men.

When your heart is right, even though the bottom may have dropped out of your life, it is remarkable how sensitive you can be to somebody else in need. They don't even have to spell it out. Rather than saying, "You think you've got a lot to complain about, listen to my tale of woe!" Joseph said, "How come you're so sad today, guys? What's wrong?" I admit it may be stating the obvious to ask this in a dungeon, but it shows Joseph's ability to think beyond his own immediate cares and needs in order to minister mercy to others.

One of the beautiful things about the right attitude is that, with it, every day has sunshine. You don't have to have cloudless days for there to be sunshine days.

Actually, it's rather amazing that Joseph would want to have anything to do with dreams. The last time he did that, remember what happened? He told his brothers about his dreams and it was "Operation Pit City." He wound up in an Egyptian slave market. You'd think he would say, "Not me, man! I'm off of dreams forever." But not Joseph. He said, "Oh, really? A dream, huh? Tell me about it."

That's what a positive attitude will do. It gets you beyond common hurdles. It will clear the deck. It will free you from hang-ups. It will show you an opportunity for ministry you never would have touched with a ten-foot pole.

* What’s Your Hurry?

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus— Philippians 4:67

One of my favorite episodes of The Andy Griffith Show is titled, “The Sermon for Today.” In this episode we actually see the residents of Mayberry in church on Sunday morning at All Souls Church.

Like many families, Andy, Opie, and Aunt Bee are hurrying to get ready for the service. This particular Sunday, All Souls Church has a guest speaker, Dr. Harrison Everett Breen from New York City.

The following is Dr. Breen’s sermon, word-for-word;

As I stood there during the singing of the hymn, I asked myself, “What message have I to bring these good people of Mayberry?” And I was reminded of an instance. A young man came to me recently and said he; “Dr. Breen, what is the meaning of it all?” And I said to him, “Young man, I'm glad you ask that question. Whither…whiter are we headed and why?

Why this senseless rush, this mad pursuit, this frantic competition, this pace that kills? Why do we drive ourselves as we do? In our furious race these days to conquer outer space, are we perhaps not forgetting inner space? Shall we find the true meaning of life by fleeing from it?

Consider…consider how we live our lives today. Everything is run, run, run. We bolt our breakfast, we scan the headlines, we race to the office. The full schedule and split second: these are our gauges of success. We drive ourselves from morn to night. We have forgotten the meaning of the word relaxation. What has become of the old-fashioned ways, the simple pleasures of the past?

Who can forget, for example, the old-fashioned band concert at twilight on the village green. The joy, the serenity of just sitting and listening. This is lost to us, and this we should strive to recapture, a simple innocent pleasure.

And so I say to you, dear friends, relax…slow down…take it easy…

What’s your hurry?

What indeed, friends, is your hurry?

It is ironic that this episode aired October 21, 1963, hence the reference; “In our furious race these days to conquer outer space.”

Mayberry is the epitome of the simpler life and the last place that needs to hear a sermon on slowing down. We can all see Andy sitting on his front porch, playing guitar or stopping by the courthouse to sip a cup of coffee with Barney.

Yet the townspeople of Mayberry made it their point to apply Dr. Breen’s message and almost ended up doing themselves in.

After Sunday supper, Aunt Bee, Andy, and Barney reflect on the sermon. They discuss how nice it would be to revive the old band concerts from the past. Shortly after, Andy has the band practicing.

Aunt Bee and her best friend Clara start to sew the old uniforms together and Barney gets Gomer to help him build a bandstand. What started as an ambitious idea to go back to a simpler life, the town soon finds out this was much more an ordeal than expected.

The band was woefully out of practice, the uniforms torn and beyond repair, the bandstand destroyed as Gomer uses a hammer to whack a spider. In their efforts to revive a tradition of yesterday, Andy, Barney, Aunt Bee and the gang have completely worn themselves out, and they don’t even have a band concert to show for their efforts!

This episode vividly illustrates the trouble we go just to slow down our lives. We find it hard to relax, so we must have a plan or project or somewhere to go. We can’t seem to just enjoy the peace and quiet.

Using the guise of taking it easy, we end up busier than ever before. To complicate matters, we even can feel guilty about taking it easy. Dr. Breen in his sermon highlighted that many feel a full schedule and the split second are the measure of our success. Is it really?

It’s hard to believe that episode aired forty-five years ago and we find ourselves today asking the same questions. Imagine life in 1963 and how hurried it might have seemed to those who only knew what life was at that time. But compare that world to the one we live in today. If life was too fast back then, what would Dr. Breen think of life in 2008?

Let us enjoy the simpler pleasures of life—the smile on a baby’s face, taking a walk and feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, listening to the bird sing in your backyard, or watching your dog sleep on the floor.

Think of a few simple pleasures you can take notice of today and give God a smile!

Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit which is so precious to God--I Peter 3:4

* Pursuing God's Will

"In all wisdom and insight [God] made known to us the mystery of His will" (Eph. 1:8-9).

When God redeemed you, He not only forgave your trespasses and removed the guilt and penalty of sin, but He also gave you spiritual wisdom and insight--two essential elements for godly living. Together they speak of the ability to understand God's will and apply it to your life in practical ways.

As a believer you understand the most sublime truths of all. For example, you know that God created the world and controls the course of history. You know that mankind's reason for existence is to know and glorify Him. You have goals and priorities that transcend earthly circumstances and limitations.

Such wisdom and insight escapes unbelievers because they tend to view the things of God with disdain (1 Cor. 2:14). But you "have the mind of Christ" (v. 16). His Word reveals His will and His spirit gives you the desire and ability to understand and obey it.

Today is another opportunity to cultivate that desire through diligent prayer and Bible study. Let the psalmist's commitment be yours: "O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thy commandments make me wiser than my enemies. . . . I have more insight than all my teachers. . . . I understand more than the aged . . . I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Thy word" (Ps. 119:97-101).

Suggestions for Prayer:

• Thank God for the wisdom and insight He gives you through His Word.
• If you have neglected the Word, ask His forgiveness and begin once again to refresh your spirit with its truths.
• Ask for wisdom to respond biblically to every situation you face today.

For Further Study:

Many Christians think God's will is vague or hidden from them. But Scripture mentions several specific aspects of His will. Once you align yourself with those specifics, the Spirit will direct you in the other areas of your life.

• List six elements of God's will from these passages: 2 Peter 3:9; Ephesians 5:17-18; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Peter 2:13-15; 1 Peter 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
• Are you following God's will in those areas? If not, what steps can you take today to do so?

* The Loophole of Denial

New Article: Perfectionism
(click here)

The Loophole of Denial

by Fred Feliciano

I love a good story. Good stories catch us off guard. A good story has the power to show us what we believe about the world and how we think things ought to be. They stretch our minds, challenge our beliefs, and move us towards change.

That is why I love Jesus’ stories. His stories move me, jolt me and propel me towards facing and embracing the reality of who he is and who I am. In short, his stories catch me by exposing me.

That is why I also struggle with his stories. They expose me and my thoughts. His stories bring me back to facing my self whether I want to or not. So, I find ways around his stories in order to avoid stepping into his light. I just focus my attention on something else, anything. I use denial as a loophole.

A loophole is a term used to describe a way around a particular obstacle with little to no negative effect to oneself. We find ways out of situations where we anticipate feeling shame.

The loophole of denial assists us in avoiding the light of God in two ways;

First, denial provides us a way of alleviating the stress of our shame by refusing to face it.
Shame can be defined as an intense fear of being exposed based on a corrosive belief that one is fatally flawed, unlovable and deserving of rejection from others who are deemed worthy and perceived as merciless all at once. As long as we do not have to face what we do that’s wrong, we don’t have to confess or own up to others in honesty and we find relief from the burden of our shame momentarily.

Good shame allows us to focus attention on the welfare of God and others above our own. Confessions made in the light of good shame lead us to restore relationships with loving dignity and help to develop true self perceptions in light of God’s true view of us which does something better than provide relief from the shame we feel. It provides us a deep sense of rest in our minds and hearts. The cost of not facing our shame is too high a price to pay.

Secondly, the loophole of denial provides us a way of avoiding painful truth by creating an alternative to the truth.
Alternatives to the truth are simply lies. Lies help us to maintain the illusion that we can avoid rejection and increase the chances of acceptance by presenting ourselves as someone we are not. The problem with creating alternatives is that acceptance is never fully experienced and we are never fully known because the truth of who we really are remains hidden underneath the lies and we remain distanced from others. Those who are closest to us never experience us as we are. They experience a false self. The alternative at first seems like it will increase acceptance and decrease rejection but in the end it isolates us further by taking us farther away from the truth of who we are, others are, and who God is. We wind up never trusting or being intimate with anyone.

Christ provides us a way out of our shame-based loopholes of denial by reversing the path our loopholes have taken us. Traveling in reverse back into the loophole of denial transforms it into a doorway--a doorway that leads to a redemptive path of trust for prodigal sons.

Prodigals, who in repentance, come home, face the truth of their guilt in relation to their legitimate failures and face their longings for acceptance never received. But most of all are able to trust, face, and receive the Father’s healing embrace. His embrace declaring to us, “Not only are you forgiven but you are my son. You were dead but are now alive!”

I want to encourage you to read in Luke 15 about the transforming power of the Father’s deep love for his ragamuffin sons. Let that story catch you, expose you and shake you loose from your denial and fear.

* Living for God's Glory

God chose us "to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in [His beloved Son]" (Eph. 1:6).

Englishman Henry Martyn served as a missionary in India and Persia in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Upon his arrival in Calcutta, he cried out "Let me burn out for God." As he watched the people prostrating themselves before their pagan idols and heard blasphemy uttered against Christ, he wrote, "This excited more horror in me than I can well express. . . . I could not endure existence if Jesus was not glorified; it would be hell to me, if He were to be always thus dishonored" (John Stott, Our Guilty Silence [InterVarsity, 1967], pp. 21-22).

Martyn had a passion for God's glory--and he was in good company. Angels glorify God (Luke 2:14), as do the heavens (Ps. 19:1) and even animals (Isa. 43:20). But as a believer, you glorify God in a unique way because you are a testimony to His redeeming grace.

You were created for the purpose of glorifying God--even in the most mundane activities of life, such as eating and drinking (1 Cor. 10:31). You are to flee immorality so you can glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:19- 20). You are to walk worthy of your calling "that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified" (2 Thess. 1:12).

Glorifying God is an enormous privilege and an awesome responsibility. When others see His character on display in your life, it reminds them of His power, goodness, and grace. But when they don't, it dishonors God and calls His character into question.

Aim your life at God's glory and make it the standard by which you evaluate everything you do.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Thank the Lord for the privilege of glorifying Him.

Ask Him to show you any areas of your life that do not honor Him.

Find a trusted Christian friend who will pray with you and hold you accountable for the areas you know need to change.

For Further Study:

Read Exodus 33:12 to 34:8

What did Moses request?

What was God's response and what does it teach us about His glory

Exodus 33:12 to 34:8
Moses and the Glory of the LORD

Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people."

The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"

And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."

Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."

And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."

Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."

The New Stone Table

The LORD said to Moses, "Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain."

So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands.

Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.

Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."

Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped.

* To think like Jesus thinks

By Jon Walker

“But we can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16 NLT)

A hundred years ago, when I played golf, I thought I was doing pretty well just to get the ball somewhere on the putting green. The truth be told, my main goal was to reach the green without major-ly embarrassing myself, so I was satisfied even when my ball dribbled onto the fringes.

One day, a local golf pro told me the key difference between average and excellent golf is this: The truly great players shoot for the hole, not somewhere near the hole or somewhere on the green. They aim directly for the hole.

He told me, “You should make the hole your goal; don’t just aim at the green.” My intelligent, thoughtful response was, “Yeah, right! That’ll be the day.”

The apostle Paul tells us we have the “mind of Christ,” and if that’s so, we are capable of learning to think like Jesus thinks.

But our response to Paul is often, “Yeah, right. That’s a nice sentiment, but let’s get real.” We think the best we can do is to just get onto the fringes of what Jesus is thinking. The truth be told, we just hope we can manage the Christian walk without major-ly embarrassing ourselves.

Who, after all, could know the mind of God? That’s something for the saints, for the “pros.” The ancient prophet Isaiah asked a similar question: “Is there anyone around who knows God’s spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?” (1 Corinthians 2:14-16 MSG)

Paul, that teacher’s pet, the guy who always does his homework and raises his hand to give an answer when the rest of us are ducking down to avoid being called on – you know, that Paul – he answers Isaiah’s probing question with an answer so simple it scarcely can be believed.

“Does anyone know what God is doing, or even thinking?

“Yes, Paul, I see your hand.”

“Christ knows,” says Paul, “And we have Christ’s spirit within us.” (1 Corinthians 2:14-16 MSG)

Christ knows! Jesus knows. Jesus knows! He knows the mind of God. He knows the plans of God. He knows the will of God and the purposes of God. Jesus is God!

And we have the Jesus Spirit within us, the Christ Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God – dwelling right inside us, transforming us into the likeness of Christ! (Ephesians 6:17) We can aim boldly for Christ-mindedness, not just the fringes of his thoughts.

What does this mean to me?

• You can think like Jesus – Developing the mind of Christ is not impossible. In fact, it’s quite probable. Start by agreeing with these Jesus thoughts: I am unwilling to do anything independently of God (John 5:3), but I am capable of doing all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
• What would Jesus think? – Before we can faithfully consider what Jesus would do, we need to understand how he would think. Ask God to show you what he thinks about a situation you are facing, and plan according to his infinite wisdom.
• “I don’t know, but Jesus knows” – You don’t have to know it all, nor are you capable of really knowing it all. When you’re uncertain or confused (even when you’re head-strong and certain – ha!), ask the Holy Spirit to guide your path. The Holy Spirit will never direct you to violate the mind and will of God, as revealed in the Bible.

* Isaiah 9:2

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:2

We know what it is like to walk in darkness. We know what it is like to live in the shadow of death. But we also are beginning to experience what it is like to see. The darkness of denial is giving way to the light of honesty in our lives.

Of course, when you have lived in darkness as long as we have, the light can be painfully bright. We see the truth about ourselves and our self destructive behavior. We see the truth about our refusal of love. We see the truth of our brokenness. We see old pain. We see current behaviors that damage ourselves and others. The light dawns. It is not a pretty sight.

But God does not send light into our darkness to shame us. The exposure may trigger our deep shame, but this is not God's purpose. God's light is like the light of dawn. It is a light that signals that something new is happening. A new beginning is possible. The light that God brings into our dark world is a light of hope.

Recovery is God's light coming into our darkness. The light exposes. We begin to see clearly the ways we have sinned and the ways other people have sinned against us. And the light provides hope. In the light we see the possibility for new beginnings.

Lord, your light hurts my eyes.
It is too bright.
I see too clearly now.
It is too painful for me.
Help me to believe that your light is not to bring shame
but to bring hope into my dark world.
Light of Heaven, embrace me with your warmth.
Heal me with your bright rays.
Give me life.
And hope.
Amen.

* Mundane

By Jon Walker

“The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had said.” (Luke 2:20 NLT)

Since it’s the New Year, you may be wondering why we’re meditating on another Christmas verse. I delayed this devotional until today for the simple reason that most of us are now returning to the routine of life after celebrating the birth of Jesus. We’re back in the office; we’re back at school; we’re back to whatever we normally do.

Notice that the shepherds did the same thing. God sent them a message through his heavenly host, and they found the baby Jesus in a manager, just as the angel said they would. They marveled at God and knew they’d been blessed to see the Messiah’s arrival.

But they also returned to their fields and flocks. They returned with an energized faith, glorifying and praising God. But they still returned to their fields and flocks.

That’s because God uses the ordinary more often than the extraordinary to transform us into reflections of Jesus. Yes, he takes us to the mountaintop; he shows us great miracles and wonders, but he doesn’t leaves us there because he knows the strength of our faith grows in the day-to-day, mundane work required in the fields and among the flocks we tend.

Here, in the fields of our workplace and among the flocks of our family and friends, we learn to love one another. It is where we die to Christ, allowing his life to blossom within us: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20, NIV)

The things we truly believe emerge in the day-to-day of our lives. It’s the conflicts over who makes the coffee, who cleans up the mess, who gets to go home early, or who gets the biggest piece of pie that test whether it is Christ who lives in us, or if we’re still saying, ‘It is I who live.’

But God’s lessons are mastery-based, meaning his intent is not to catch you doing something wrong; his intent is to reveal where you still need to yield to the life of Christ in you.

What now?

· See God in your day – Think of it this way: When you left the manger, you didn’t leave God behind. He’s with you right now; Christ lives in you. Ask God to guide you as you die to self and let Christ live through you.

· Thank God for the routine of your life – Just as the shepherds returned to their fields and flocks glorifying and praising God, praise God in your circumstances. Reflect upon the many things times God has answered your prayers, or blessed you by telling you where to find the answer. Tell other people about the things God is doing in your life.

· Wait upon the Lord – Are you feeling stuck in your circumstances? When the Jewish people were held captive in Babylon, God didn’t send immediate relief; rather, he told them to get on with their lives, living with the faith that he had their best interest in mind. “Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29:5-7, NIV)

* Life Lessons from a Tree

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish--Psalm 1:3-6

A tree is a blessing. It holds soil, provides shade and produces fruit. The godly are like trees, with root systems that go deep into the spiritual resources of God's grace (v. 3). But sadly, many professing Christians are not like trees but are like artificial plants or cut flowers with no roots. They may be beautiful for a while, but soon they die.

A tree needs light, water and roots to live. We all have resources upon which we draw life. The question we need to ask ourselves is, Where are our roots? The person God can bless is planted by the rivers of water. We must be careful not to be like Christians who are dry and withered and depend upon their own resources. They are like tumbleweeds, blown about by any wind of doctrine.

To have the blessings of verse 3, we need to meet the conditions of verses 1 and 2. That is, we must first be separated from the world and saturated with the Word to be situated by the waters.

God desires to bless us, but we need to meet certain conditions to receive His blessings. We bear fruit only when we have roots, and we must draw upon spiritual resources to bring forth fruit in due season. To bear the fruit of the Spirit, we must allow the Spirit to work in us and through us.

In contrast to the believer, the ungodly are not like trees but are like chaff. They have no roots, produce no fruit and are blown about. The ungodly reject the Word of God and will perish without hope (v. 6). As Christians we must not reject the ungodly but try to reach them. God blesses us so that we might be a blessing to others. His Spirit helps us bear fruit that can help win the lost.

We need God's resources to bear fruit. But where we place our roots is paramount. Only as we grow them deeply into the spiritual resources of God's grace will we produce fruit. Make the Bible your spiritual resource. Delight in it and feed your soul with its truth. God can use you to help win the lost.

* A Genesis Event

By Jon Walker

“God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.” (Psalm 51:10 MSG)

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalms 51:10 NIV)

God spoke the world into existence, and he spoke you into your mother’s womb. Even now, he can speak into the chaos of your life to bring it shape and form.

This is a Genesis event (Psalm 51:10 MSG) – where God speaks into the void and the darkness of your life, creating a fresh start for you.

God can create something from nothing. He can take a heart that is broken, impure, or failed and with it create a heart that is whole, pure, and purposeful. God loves you and wants to pour his grace into your life. He wants to see you pure, and he wants to see you succeed – so much so that he takes an active role in creating your new heart and bringing order to the chaos of your life.

Your job is to submit to his sovereignty, humble yourself before him, and ask for his help.

Lord, speak a Genesis moment into our hearts, speak a Genesis moment into our lives, speak a Genesis moment into the circumstances we now face. We acknowledge that “everything we have – right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start – comes from God by way of Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:30 MSG).

Renew in us a steadfast spirit (Psalms 51:10 NIV), no longer chaotic or moved by events, circumstances, or feelings. “That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God” (Colossians 3:5 MSG).

Give us a life shaped by you and your spirit flowing through us like living water.

What does this mean?

· Where you see chaos – let God speak into your life, creating a new God-generated life. Pray, “God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life” (Psalm 51:10 MSG).

· Steadfast spirit – How would your life be different if you were led and powered by a steadfast spirit? Pray, O God, “renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalms 51:10 NIV).

· Shaped by Christ – Fit “every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 MSG).

· Where? – Where do you need a Genesis-event spoken into your life?

* 15 Things I Have Learned from My Father

by John Piper

Since my father died on March 6, I have been looking through his papers. (To read Piper’s article, My Father Just Died, go here. It is very moving). I found a small sheet with the following fifteen counsels, titled “Things I Have Learned.” He didn't make most of these up. Some of them go back to his college days when he was absorbing the pithy wisdom of Bob Jones Sr. They have again confirmed the obvious: I owe my father more than I can ever remember. The comment after each one is mine.

Things I Have Learned

1. The right road always leads to the right place; therefore, get on the right road and go as far as you can on it.
My father was totally persuaded that wrong means do not lead to right ends. Or, more positively, he was persuaded that living in the right way — that is, doing the right things — are means that inevitably lead to where God wants us to be. This is why he told me, when I asked about God’s leading in my life, “Son, keep the room clean where you are, and in God’s time, the door to the next room will open.”

2. There is only one thing to do about anything; that is the right thing. Do right.
This is what one might say to a person perplexed by a difficult situation whose outcome is unknown. The person might say, “I just don’t know what to do about this.” It is not useless to be told: Do the right thing. That may not tell you exactly which good thing to do, but it does clear the air and rule out a few dozen bad ideas.

3. Happiness is not found by looking for it. You stumble over happiness on the road to duty.
My, my, my. How was John Piper born from this? I would never say this. The main reason is that the Bible commands us to pursue our joy repeatedly. “Rejoice in the Lord, and again I say rejoice.” “Delight yourself in the Lord.” I think what he meant was: 1) Joy is always in something. Joy itself is not the something. So we seek joy in Christ. Not just joy in general. 2) When duty is hard and we do not feel joy in doing it, we should still do it, and pray that in the doing it the joy would be given. But what we need to make plain is that duty cannot be contrasted with joy, because joy is a biblical duty.

4. The door to success swings on the hinges of opposition.
Remarkably, this saying implies that opposition is not just a natural accompaniment or antecedent of success, but that it is a means by which the door opens. One can think of many biblical examples. The opposition of Joseph’s brothers opened the door to his leadership in Egypt. The taxing of the empire opened the door to getting the Messiah born in Bethlehem, not Nazareth, and thus fulfilling prophecy. The betrayal of Judas opened the door to the salvation of the world.

5. God in the right place in my life fixes every other relationship of life (Matthew 6:33).
I wonder if this was tucked away in my mind so that unknown to me it controlled my analogy of the solar system to our many-faceted lives. If God is the blazing center of the solar system of our lives, then all the planets will be held in their proper orbit. But if not, everything goes awry.

6. It is never right to get the right thing in the wrong way — like good grades, wealth, power, position. Don’t sacrifice your principles. |
Again, he hammers away at don’t use bad means for good ends. Be a principled, not a pragmatic, person. O how we need to hear this today. Churches need to be principled, not endlessly adapting to culture. Persons need to make a promise and keep it no matter how much it hurts.

7. It is a sin to do less than your best. It is wrong to do [merely] well.
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). But be careful. Sometimes the “best” is a B+ sermon and spending time with your child. In other words, “best” always involves more decisions than the one you are making at the moment. That one means many other things are being left undone. So “best” is always the whole thing, not just the detail of the moment.

8. It is wrong to be yoked to one who refuses the yoke of Christ.
Don’t marry an unbeliever (1 Corinthians 7:39). Not all relationships with unbelievers are ruled out. Otherwise we could not obey Jesus’ command to love them and bless them. But “yoke” implies a connectedness that either governs where we go or constrains where they go. And you cannot constrain faith in Jesus. It is free.

9. The part of your character that is deficient is the part that needs attention.
This is the counterpoint to the advice: Go with your strengths. There is truth in both. Yes, be encouraged by every evidence of God’s grace in your life, and use your gifts and graces for his glory. But you will become smug and vain if you do not keep your deficiencies before you and work on them.

10. Don’t quit. Finish the job. God can’t use a quitter.
Warning: “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13). Promise: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

11. Anything you do that hinders your progress for God is wrong.
O how thankful I am that this was the dominant way my father pressed me to pursue my sanctification. He did not mainly impose lists of don’ts on me, though we had them. And they were clear. Mainly he said: Maximize your progress in knowing and serving God. That ruled out a hundred foolish behaviors, some bad and some uselessly innocent.

12. Beware of any society in which you feel compelled to put a bushel over your testimony.
This implies that you can go into a group of people who are evil if you are willing to open your mouth and take a stand for Jesus and righteousness. Nevertheless, 1 Corinthians 15:33 stands: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’”

13. It isn’t enough to be good. Be good for something. The essence of Christianity is not a passionless purity.
This is what I have meant in talking about a merely avoidance ethic. Don’t just think of righteousness or holiness in terms of what you avoid, but what you do. As my father said in another place: Don’t be a don’ter; be a doer.

14. Positive living produces negative effect[s].
This is wise counsel that affirmation of the good always implies negation of the bad. If you think you can live your life without negating anything, you have lost touch with reality. “Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9). You cannot love without hating what hurts the beloved.

15. Learn to be sweetly firm.
This was what he said to my mother over the phone when she was exasperated with her one disobedient son: Be sweet and firm. I think she succeeded.

With abiding and deep thankfulness for my father’s wisdom.

Father & Son