light and leadership
14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Philippians 2:14-16
The other day my wife Karen bought a new nightlight for the bathroom. It was different from the ones we've had before; this one had a light sensor in it. When it gets dark, the sensor puts into motion the process that causes the little light to shine. When you turn the overhead light on, the nightlight goes off.
Speaking of light, I'm a fairly positive guy—but I think we're living in very dark and foreboding times. There's wickedness in our culture. There's evil that is out of control. There's the rejection of anything that is godly in our society. The practice of sin and wickedness is unbelievable.
Too many of us have been caught up in the darkness rather than reflecting the light of Jesus. It's almost as if we have taken our faith and shoved it in our pockets. We're afraid (or ashamed) to hold the light of Jesus high. But this dark world needs a spiritual nightlight!
Philippians 2:14-16 reminds us of this: “among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life.” Paul wrote hopefully, declaring that the darkness is a great opportunity. We've got to hold the light high.
The light of Jesus is revealed through our attitude and our godly character as we grow closer in our relationship with him. Then we can't help but shine when darkness comes. The darker it is, the more we will stand out. The bleaker it is out there, the more hopeful we are in our faith. We stand in stark contrast to the ways of our society and the world in which we live.
Be a leader in the light and point people to the Word of God so they can respond to the Light of the gospel Jesus Christ. Let's live so that our light continually shines and grows even brighter when the darkness closes in. —Crawford W. Loritts livingalegacy.org
seeking: Heavenly Father, how has light just penetrated my heart? What do I find in your glorious light?
responding: Does my life reflect the Light of life? • Are people drawn to the Light who lives within me? What will make me shine brighter for him?
Heavenly Father, please help me to be a light for this dark world. I want others to find the joy and peace that can come only from Jesus.
following: Leadership is shining the light that others can follow.
our journey
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
how to get discouraged
11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. . . . 15 The Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.” 1 Kings 19:11-15
On almost every page of Scripture we meet people just like us. Take Elijah. We read that he “was a man with a nature like ours” (James 5:17). In 1 Kings 19, we read that the prophet was rebounding from a huge victory and had become deeply discouraged in three easy steps.
Step #1: He insisted on being by himself. Physically exhausted and emotionally spent, Elijah shut out what he needed most—people to love him, support him, and who would give him a reality check.
Step #2: He focused on the negative. Alone, Elijah lost his grip on the truth. He thought, I alone am left. (No, he wasn't.) I have accomplished nothing. (God had done amazing things through him.) I have wasted my whole life. (Self-pity had replaced joy.)
Step #3: He forgot God's provision. Wasn't this the same guy who had killed 450 false prophets and obliterated idolatry in Israel a couple of days earlier? Elijah had been God's tool in the miraculous, but that was simply in his rearview mirror now.
Here's the good news—Elijah didn't stay discouraged. He met with God and let him change his perspective. You may need the same thing. If you're discouraged:
Let God confront you. God found Elijah in a cave and asked him, Elijah, what are you doing here? In spite of Elijah's lame excuses, God wasn't angry or judgmental; he just ministered grace to him.
Let God care for you. God said, Go stand outside. Protected against an earthquake, a windstorm, and fire, Elijah heard God whisper, It's me, Elijah. You can trust me. God then sent food and provided rest to rejuvenate Elijah's body and soul.
Immediately do what God says. God then gave Elijah specific instructions. Get up. Get back in the game! What God asked of him, he did immediately.
Step out in faith and leave discouragement behind you. God meets people just like us at our point of greatest need. But, graciously, he doesn't leave us there. —James MacDonald walkintheword.com
seeking: Father, what encouragement have you just brought to me? What praise will I bring you this moment for all you have done for me?
responding: What pattern of my thinking do I need to replace with truth? Where do I need to go for encouragement? Who can help me?
Lord, you have been so faithful to me. My eyes have been focused on some negative stuff and I have been pushing people away. Will you receive the cares that I cast upon you? Will you heal my heart? In faith, I thank you. In Jesus' name, amen.
following: Meet God in your discouragement and find his way out.
our journey
11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. . . . 15 The Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.” 1 Kings 19:11-15
On almost every page of Scripture we meet people just like us. Take Elijah. We read that he “was a man with a nature like ours” (James 5:17). In 1 Kings 19, we read that the prophet was rebounding from a huge victory and had become deeply discouraged in three easy steps.
Step #1: He insisted on being by himself. Physically exhausted and emotionally spent, Elijah shut out what he needed most—people to love him, support him, and who would give him a reality check.
Step #2: He focused on the negative. Alone, Elijah lost his grip on the truth. He thought, I alone am left. (No, he wasn't.) I have accomplished nothing. (God had done amazing things through him.) I have wasted my whole life. (Self-pity had replaced joy.)
Step #3: He forgot God's provision. Wasn't this the same guy who had killed 450 false prophets and obliterated idolatry in Israel a couple of days earlier? Elijah had been God's tool in the miraculous, but that was simply in his rearview mirror now.
Here's the good news—Elijah didn't stay discouraged. He met with God and let him change his perspective. You may need the same thing. If you're discouraged:
Let God confront you. God found Elijah in a cave and asked him, Elijah, what are you doing here? In spite of Elijah's lame excuses, God wasn't angry or judgmental; he just ministered grace to him.
Let God care for you. God said, Go stand outside. Protected against an earthquake, a windstorm, and fire, Elijah heard God whisper, It's me, Elijah. You can trust me. God then sent food and provided rest to rejuvenate Elijah's body and soul.
Immediately do what God says. God then gave Elijah specific instructions. Get up. Get back in the game! What God asked of him, he did immediately.
Step out in faith and leave discouragement behind you. God meets people just like us at our point of greatest need. But, graciously, he doesn't leave us there. —James MacDonald walkintheword.com
seeking: Father, what encouragement have you just brought to me? What praise will I bring you this moment for all you have done for me?
responding: What pattern of my thinking do I need to replace with truth? Where do I need to go for encouragement? Who can help me?
Lord, you have been so faithful to me. My eyes have been focused on some negative stuff and I have been pushing people away. Will you receive the cares that I cast upon you? Will you heal my heart? In faith, I thank you. In Jesus' name, amen.
following: Meet God in your discouragement and find his way out.
our journey
Monday, December 12, 2005
To the Haystack and Back
John Fischer
I am spending a “working week” in Cannon Beach, Oregon, one of the best-kept secrets on the “left coast” (as they call it here) of America. I’ve been teaching the Book of James at a Bible College here -- an annual thing for me now over the last seven years. This year I brought Chandler with me and he’s not going to want to leave after having the run of the place and the attention of 120 older brothers and sisters.
The area’s natural signature is a 235-foot mound of rock that juts out of the sand just off the coast, and because of its rounded shape it has been dubbed Haystack Rock. It is a commanding presence -- considered to be the third largest freestanding monolith in the world. Every morning I jog along the wide, flat beach down to Haystack Rock and back. The cold raw wind, the ragged rock and the steady roar of seven rows of breakers that stretch all the way to the windswept foam on the horizon make it hard not to marvel at God’s awesome power and creativity -- that He made and maintains such beauty like this for its own sake, and how that in itself is to His glory.
Another recurring joy of mine in coming here is to renew a longstanding relationship with a young man in his late twenties who has excelled as an artist, designer and now entrepreneur. It’s a quiet joy to sit in the artful coffee bistro in town he designed and created and listen to his dreams of birthing similar establishments all over the country. Here is a deeply committed Christian who has turned his art into an experience that is gracing people’s lives.
I’m thinking again of Haystack Rock and my morning run. There is no sign proclaiming that the beauty surrounding me is God’s work, though it is. No altar demanding that all fall down and worship the Maker, though many will. Mostly, God created this beauty just to exist. It is not a means to an end. It does not need a reason. Its reason is self-evident. In the same way my friend’s work glorifies God by simply being there and being a thing of beauty. If you care enough to get closer to this man and his work, finding the presence and purposes of God there will be hard to miss. But this is not a justification; it is merely a fact. Like the Haystack is a fact.
Many of you who read these devotionals regularly read them at work or just before leaving for work in the morning. You mustn’t belittle the importance of your position and your place. It is a major part of your mission to be where you are and do your work well to the glory of God. And that is reason enough.
PDL
John Fischer
I am spending a “working week” in Cannon Beach, Oregon, one of the best-kept secrets on the “left coast” (as they call it here) of America. I’ve been teaching the Book of James at a Bible College here -- an annual thing for me now over the last seven years. This year I brought Chandler with me and he’s not going to want to leave after having the run of the place and the attention of 120 older brothers and sisters.
The area’s natural signature is a 235-foot mound of rock that juts out of the sand just off the coast, and because of its rounded shape it has been dubbed Haystack Rock. It is a commanding presence -- considered to be the third largest freestanding monolith in the world. Every morning I jog along the wide, flat beach down to Haystack Rock and back. The cold raw wind, the ragged rock and the steady roar of seven rows of breakers that stretch all the way to the windswept foam on the horizon make it hard not to marvel at God’s awesome power and creativity -- that He made and maintains such beauty like this for its own sake, and how that in itself is to His glory.
Another recurring joy of mine in coming here is to renew a longstanding relationship with a young man in his late twenties who has excelled as an artist, designer and now entrepreneur. It’s a quiet joy to sit in the artful coffee bistro in town he designed and created and listen to his dreams of birthing similar establishments all over the country. Here is a deeply committed Christian who has turned his art into an experience that is gracing people’s lives.
I’m thinking again of Haystack Rock and my morning run. There is no sign proclaiming that the beauty surrounding me is God’s work, though it is. No altar demanding that all fall down and worship the Maker, though many will. Mostly, God created this beauty just to exist. It is not a means to an end. It does not need a reason. Its reason is self-evident. In the same way my friend’s work glorifies God by simply being there and being a thing of beauty. If you care enough to get closer to this man and his work, finding the presence and purposes of God there will be hard to miss. But this is not a justification; it is merely a fact. Like the Haystack is a fact.
Many of you who read these devotionals regularly read them at work or just before leaving for work in the morning. You mustn’t belittle the importance of your position and your place. It is a major part of your mission to be where you are and do your work well to the glory of God. And that is reason enough.
PDL
Friday, December 09, 2005
freedom and authority
15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. John 14:15-21
Obedience is the crucial flame that ignites the liberty of Jesus and makes it a reality. The liberty of Jesus was ours the moment we received him as Savior; but if this internal gift is not released externally through obedience, we may never experience it.
Only the Lord possesses true liberty. When we receive Jesus as Savior, we receive his liberating Spirit. But we must understand that freedom never leaves the bounds of his Spirit. Therefore, our liberation is expressed as a reality only in the facets of our lives where the freeing Spirit of God is released. We are free when—and only when—he is in control.
Reflect on the words of 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Freedom and lordship are inseparable partners in the believer's life. When we read that freedom can be found wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, we can take it literally.
Freedom becomes reality when we yield to God's authority. We are as filled with the Spirit as we are yielded to God's lordship. Although the Spirit is always in us, he saturates only the parts of our lives where he is in authority. Freedom flows where the Spirit of the Lord floods.
This point brings up an interesting question. Have you ever noticed that you can experience freedom in one part of your life and remain in bondage in another? Sometimes we allow God to have full authority in one area while refusing him elsewhere.
How, then, can we be fully liberated? Can we study God's Word until we finally experience freedom? Can we pray ourselves into freedom? Can we rebuke the enemy so thoroughly that we experience freedom? No. Only by surrendering all of our life to God's authority will we experience full freedom. Liberty is found in submitting to him. —Beth Moore bethmoore.org
seeking: Lord, what freedom in the Spirit have I experienced this day? What joy have I found in surrendering to you?
responding: Am I withholding any part of my life from God's authority and forfeiting the freedom he has offered me? What is liberty in Jesus all about?
Lord, thank you for showing me that freedom and submission to your authority go hand in hand. Please help me see the areas of my life that are not fully yielded to you. I want to experience the freedom that accompanies your Spirit.
following: Freedom becomes a reality when we yield to God's authority.
our journey
15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. John 14:15-21
Obedience is the crucial flame that ignites the liberty of Jesus and makes it a reality. The liberty of Jesus was ours the moment we received him as Savior; but if this internal gift is not released externally through obedience, we may never experience it.
Only the Lord possesses true liberty. When we receive Jesus as Savior, we receive his liberating Spirit. But we must understand that freedom never leaves the bounds of his Spirit. Therefore, our liberation is expressed as a reality only in the facets of our lives where the freeing Spirit of God is released. We are free when—and only when—he is in control.
Reflect on the words of 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Freedom and lordship are inseparable partners in the believer's life. When we read that freedom can be found wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, we can take it literally.
Freedom becomes reality when we yield to God's authority. We are as filled with the Spirit as we are yielded to God's lordship. Although the Spirit is always in us, he saturates only the parts of our lives where he is in authority. Freedom flows where the Spirit of the Lord floods.
This point brings up an interesting question. Have you ever noticed that you can experience freedom in one part of your life and remain in bondage in another? Sometimes we allow God to have full authority in one area while refusing him elsewhere.
How, then, can we be fully liberated? Can we study God's Word until we finally experience freedom? Can we pray ourselves into freedom? Can we rebuke the enemy so thoroughly that we experience freedom? No. Only by surrendering all of our life to God's authority will we experience full freedom. Liberty is found in submitting to him. —Beth Moore bethmoore.org
seeking: Lord, what freedom in the Spirit have I experienced this day? What joy have I found in surrendering to you?
responding: Am I withholding any part of my life from God's authority and forfeiting the freedom he has offered me? What is liberty in Jesus all about?
Lord, thank you for showing me that freedom and submission to your authority go hand in hand. Please help me see the areas of my life that are not fully yielded to you. I want to experience the freedom that accompanies your Spirit.
following: Freedom becomes a reality when we yield to God's authority.
our journey
Thursday, December 01, 2005
slaves to righteousness
15 Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. . . . 19 For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. Romans 6:15-19
Even though I don't know you personally, I know something about you if you're a believer in Jesus. I know there was a time in your life when you hardly thought about sin at all. You may have felt some vague guilt pangs or regret when faced with a consequence, but as a rule you did not experience conviction.
When you came to Jesus, however, all that changed. Before receiving salvation, you could say and do things without a second thought, but now the Spirit convicts you of what is wrong. Before, you seldom thought about sin, but now you see it everywhere—especially in your own life. Romans 6:17-18 describes this swap of perspectives: “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin . . . having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”
Before we know Jesus personally, we're slaves to sin and hardly think about righteousness. After we come to him, we're slaves to righteousness and frequently think about sin.
Are you a slave to righteousness? Perhaps you're not sure. Take this three-point test: I know I'm a slave to righteousness if . . .
• I'm acutely aware of unrighteousness in me. When you sin, there is this mega-conviction thing that happens. Your heart is grieved.
• When I've sinned, I have to make it right. You feel the need to ask for God's forgiveness first and then to make restitution with anyone who was harmed by your sin.
• When faced with a decision, I ask, “What would please Jesus?” Real slaves to righteousness want to do what pleases the Lord.
A slave can serve only one master. You either serve sin or serve righteousness. In the same way, only Jesus can be first in your heart; he can't be second or third. Being a slave to righteousness doesn't mean you don't struggle with sin, but it does mean that the growing passion of your life is to serve, honor, and please your master—Jesus—in everything! —James MacDonald
seeking: Father, what truths about your righteousness have I just been thinking of? What thoughts about my own righteousness?
responding: In what areas of my life am I still a slave to sin? Galatians 5 talks about having the fruit of the Spirit. What fruit of God's Spirit do I see in my life?
I praise you, Lord, for the victory that you won over my sin through your death and resurrection. I desire nothing more than to serve you. You are my master, and my life is yours to lead.
following: Slave to sin or slave to righteousness—it's your choice.
our journey
15 Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. . . . 19 For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. Romans 6:15-19
Even though I don't know you personally, I know something about you if you're a believer in Jesus. I know there was a time in your life when you hardly thought about sin at all. You may have felt some vague guilt pangs or regret when faced with a consequence, but as a rule you did not experience conviction.
When you came to Jesus, however, all that changed. Before receiving salvation, you could say and do things without a second thought, but now the Spirit convicts you of what is wrong. Before, you seldom thought about sin, but now you see it everywhere—especially in your own life. Romans 6:17-18 describes this swap of perspectives: “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin . . . having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”
Before we know Jesus personally, we're slaves to sin and hardly think about righteousness. After we come to him, we're slaves to righteousness and frequently think about sin.
Are you a slave to righteousness? Perhaps you're not sure. Take this three-point test: I know I'm a slave to righteousness if . . .
• I'm acutely aware of unrighteousness in me. When you sin, there is this mega-conviction thing that happens. Your heart is grieved.
• When I've sinned, I have to make it right. You feel the need to ask for God's forgiveness first and then to make restitution with anyone who was harmed by your sin.
• When faced with a decision, I ask, “What would please Jesus?” Real slaves to righteousness want to do what pleases the Lord.
A slave can serve only one master. You either serve sin or serve righteousness. In the same way, only Jesus can be first in your heart; he can't be second or third. Being a slave to righteousness doesn't mean you don't struggle with sin, but it does mean that the growing passion of your life is to serve, honor, and please your master—Jesus—in everything! —James MacDonald
seeking: Father, what truths about your righteousness have I just been thinking of? What thoughts about my own righteousness?
responding: In what areas of my life am I still a slave to sin? Galatians 5 talks about having the fruit of the Spirit. What fruit of God's Spirit do I see in my life?
I praise you, Lord, for the victory that you won over my sin through your death and resurrection. I desire nothing more than to serve you. You are my master, and my life is yours to lead.
following: Slave to sin or slave to righteousness—it's your choice.
our journey