Finding Comfort

Read: Psalm 119:49:72

"This is my comfort in my affliction..." Psalm 119:49:72

Examine:

Through these verses of Psalm 119, the Psalmist identifies three things that brought him comfort in his affliction. First, all he wanted was God. Things of the earth did not really matter to him as long as his relationship with God remained in tack. Second, he knew God's words. He was not standing on an empty hope. He stood firm on a word spoken from God to him. Third, he looked inward and allowed the pain of the affliction to open his eyes to his sin and he grew from it.

Apply:

The deeper I am attached to the things of the world the greater torment I will experience when trials come. Trials, by their very nature, involve the threat of losing something of earthly value. There is nothing of earthly value that is unshakable nor is there anything of this earth that can not be taken from me rather easily. God, on the other hand, is unshakeable. There is nothing of heavenly value that can be touched by a trial. If God is my all and all then trials will still sting as they leave their marks on me, but they will be incapable of driving me mad.

There is no worse feeling in the world to find myself in a trial and then realize that I have not heard from God in a while. The only comfort, the only thing that can stand, the only source of power guaranteed to overcome trials are God's words. If I am walking in step with Him trials do not catch me off guard. In fact, He normally alerts me that they are coming and generally gives me a sense of why. It is the ability to stand on His written and spoken word that allows me to find my sanity and strength during a trial. No word of God has ever or will ever return void. It will always accomplish its purpose.

It is easy to look at trials as lost time or to allow myself to play victim and just hunker down until the storm passes. But that is a foolish move on my part. Trials and hard times cut through the false fronts I put up. Difficult circumstances test my faith, reveal my heart, and prove my character. It is absolutely crazy to not be inflective during the heat of torment or the pain of a trial. These seasons are amazing times of gaining clarity about where I am weak and what are the true conditions of my heart. These are rare moments of opportunity for me to experience exponential growth in my relationship with God.

Pray:

You have dealt well with me. As I close my eyes this morning and allow my mind to travel back through the memories of my past I am amazed at the journey this life has been. There have been seasons of rebellion and seasons of revival. There are been times of plenty and times of nothing. There have been moments of great clarity and moments of utter confusion. Though it all You have remained constant and true. I have never seen You contradict Yourself. I have never experienced You abandon me. Regardless of where things started or how bad they have gotten I have never seen You not be faithful to Your Word. You are truly an amazing God and those who lose themselves in pursuit of You truly find life that can never be shaken or taken. My world is upside down right now, but my heart is perfectly at peace. Crazy paradox is it not? I am so thankful for You.

Bleeding Wounds

Read: Psalm 119:25-48

"My soul cleaves to the dust, revive me according to Your word." Psalm 119:25

Examine:

The Psalmist was experiencing some hard times. His hope was lost and his soul, the very core of his existence, had sunken down to the dust on the ground. The Psalmist had options. He could run from God and waller in his own self-pity or he could press in towards God. He could look for things outside of God to ease his pain or he could wait for God to tend to his torment. He could curse the truth of God's word as being ineffective or he could cling to it as being his only hope.

Apply:

Life is many things but it is not fair. Over the years I have come to not only accept that, but to appreciate it. I have not gotten what I deserve in life. The life I live today is not a fair reward for the choices I have made in the past. God has been gracious to me for reasons that I do not understand. He has been gracious to me, but thankfully He has not been fair to me.

Still, in the midst of difficulties it is really hard to control my emotions and hold fast to the truth of his words. When wounds are inflicted by those close to me this is especially hard. When people come after me and there is no truth in their attacks, the word fair slips into my vocabulary. When I am living as best I can to honor God and things to do not work out well for me; I fight to hold back feelings of injustice and unfairness.

The danger of injustice and unfairness is not the feelings themselves. Unfairness and injustice usher in a line of thinking that changes the rules of the game to favor me. Unfairness and injustice take things that would normally not be on the table and makes a logical case for me to use them. In the name of righting a wrong or finding relief from pain that is not just I can make a lot of choices seem understandable.

Pray:

My heart is heavy. My armor was pierced and my heart was wounded. Life has bled out of me and the wound seems to refuse to stop bleeding. In the midst of being wounded the battle around me has intensified. Instead of finding rest to heal I have found myself plugging holes in the battle lines and tending to the wounds of others.

Thoughts of injustice and unfairness sit at the door of mind and are knocking loudly. I pray that You give me the strength I need to refuse their entry. The only thing I want to cling to today is the truth of Your Word and the promise of Your character. Help me to make wise choices today. I ask that You stop the bleeding, heal my wounds and renew my strength. I do not want to leave the battlefield, I want to win the fight. I do not want to run from Your Word, I want to see it come to life.

I put my faith and hope in You today knowing that You alone are able to save. I ask that every choice I make today lead me only to You.

My Top Ten

Read: Hebrews 13

"And I urge you all the more to do this..." Hebrews 13:19

Examine:

The book of Hebrews was an amazing letter that contains many incredible reminders, exhortations, and encouragements. The writer closes out with some great reminders for daily living that are as practical now as they were the day the Holy Spirit penned them.

Apply:

So here is my list of top ten things I should do with my life:

1. I should align everything I think, do, or say with the heart of Jesus Christ.

2. I should keep my eyes open for an opportunity to welcome a stranger or to comfort someone ill treated.

3. I should honor my marriage above all things in life. Second to this, I should raise my kids in a manner that honors God's name.

4. I should make sure that the fear and love of money is kept far from my heart.

5. I should look for people who are further along in the journey than me and be humble enough to allow them to teach what they have learned.

6. I should stay pure in my theology and know that Jesus never changes.

7. I should be easy to be led by those given authority in my life.

8. I should be in a loving community with fellow believers.

9. I should allow God's spirit free reign to work inside of my life and produce fruit from my life.

10. I should allow my lips to continually offer praise to God.

Pray:

These are ten simple things but they are so powerful. You and I both know that I am not very good with lists of things I should or should not do so I am really gonna need Your help with this. I pray that You set my eyes on the prize that awaits me at the end of my life. I ask that all I say, think, or do have its impact on the lasting Kingdom that is to come. Keep me pure and holy. Captivate me with Your presence and set me on mission with Your power.

The Hall of Faith

Read: Hebrews 11

"And all of these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on earth."

Examine:

This chapter of the Bible is often referred to the Hall of Faith. Everyone mentioned here has a champion of faith and were used by God in mighty ways. These men and women stepped out into nothing and walked towards the voice of God, trusting that His promises were better than the lives they were living. They all held to their faith even though they never received the full prize. They saw it from a distance and were content to wait on God's timing and purpose. Regardless of their earthly circumstances they held tight for the closer they became to God the more they realized that earth was not home.

Apply:

This chapter of the Bible presents me with a whirlwind of emotions. Verses twenty-six through thirty-five are like an amazing pep talk. As the writer lists the acts of faith by some I can feel my heart pumping in excitement. These are men and women who conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight and received back their dead. Yes! I feel my soul come to life at the thought of God working in and through me in this manner. Sign me up! Bring on the blessings. My life is dull and boring. These stories sound adventurous and exciting. I want to run outside and scream at the top of my lungs, "Yes God! Sign me up for this! Take my lie and use it like these mighty men and women of faith!" As my emotions reach their fevered pitch verses thirty-six through thirty-eight step in and sober my excitement.

Others were tortured. Some experienced mockings and scourgings; even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword. This Hall of Faith also includes people who went about in sheepskins and in goatskins. Those who were left destitute, afflicted, ill-treated; wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And for the grand finally the writer closes out by reminding his audience that not a single one of them received the full promise of God while they were still on earth. Suddenly my eagerness to jump into what God has for me with both feet feels more like standing atop of fifty foot cliff and staring at the water below trying to decide if I really want to take the jump at all.

Pray:

I do not know how to pray. I part my lips and wish to speak but my voice is silent. The words to express what I feel inside of me just do not exist. I know that I need to say I will follow You anywhere, regardless of the cost, because I know that this earth is not my home and the world to come is rich in eternal blessing. I know that I need to pray that to You, but I am weak in my faith. There are too many limitations. There are to many comforts. The reality is that You can do whatever You want in my life as long as its immediate benefits are better than my current reality. The truth is that I can not imagine saying yes to anything that would put my family at risk. This is killing me on the inside. I feel like a man with split personalities. One of me is all in. The other is saying, "Hold on a minute Kimosabe."

Your Word tells me that I do not have to have a full measure of faith. It says that I only have to have mustard seed sized faith to offer to You and that You will take that faith and grow it. That is what I have this morning and that is what I offer to You. Regardless of my fears and emotions I look past those things and give You my unconditional yes. I fully trust that You will grow my faith to fit the size of the risk I take. Break the hold this world has on me and overcome my desire for comfort and prosperity. Take my life and use it to Your glory and for the fame of Your great name.

Throwing Away Confident Faith

Read: Hebrews 10

"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward." Hebrews 10:35

Examine:

Confidence can not be held in something that is known to be broken. Confidence is given to something that is known to be true. Faith is more than just the belief that God is real, that Jesus died, and that sins are forgiven. Confident faith occurs when these beliefs are mixed with actions that align with the heart of God. That level of faith is bold and leads to a great reward.

Apply:

There are three sure-fire ways for me to throw confident faith away. Verse twenty-six of this chapter contains the first one. If I willfully choose to continue in something that I know God has asked me to step away from I can rest assured that my confidence will be shaken. Holding on to anger, excusing a sin, being lazy, and many other sins face me every day. There are times when I feel a weight of conviction, but I lack the strength to say no or to let it go. When I make those choices, I have to know that I am willfully throwing away the confidence of my faith.

I can also throw away my confidence when I shrink back from something hard. Verse thirty-eight points this out. There is nothing easy about following after God. If I truly pursue Him, He will move in my life. He will lead me to places that I sometimes do not want to go. He will ask things of me that I do not want to give. If I shrink back during those times and allow my fears, preferences, or comforts to control my choices then I can rest assured that my confidence in my faith will be thrown away.

The first twenty-five verses in this chapter speak to the final way I throw away my faith. My past is full of mistakes. I have sinned. I have rebelled. I have intentionally done things in an attempt to get God to leave me alone. People have been hurt. My reputation has been destroyed. The case against me is loaded, and there is nothing about my past that would come close to qualifying me for service to God. I know these truths and there are days when I am tempted to remember them. There are days when I choose to allow my mind to dwell on these things and I remember them. Remembering the actions of my past without carrying them to the cross of grace is an absolute expressway to losing confidence.

Prayer:

My past is done. Those accounts are settled and I am no longer the man I was then. For that I am grateful. There are days when I hear a song, see a movie, or run into an old friend and suddenly I am carried to another time and place. Memories come rushing back and it is so very easy to allow them to bring condemnation. There are also times that these memories bring with them a false sense of better or easier days. I pray that You help me take captive these thoughts and burn them. I am forgiven and my best days are ahead of me. I have been redeemed and the way to true and abundant life is only found following after Your heart.

I am fighting through some thoughts of anger right now. The nature of life in general and my job in particular forces me to face a lot of negatives. These negatives come in the form of impossible situations, tragic losses, and just flat-out ornery people. It is hard to stay pure. The isolation and pressure created by this bring together the elements necessary to stir my heart towards anger. I ask that I be able to extend the same grace You have given me to others. Teach me to speak the truth in love and give me the strength I need to live with short accounts.

Following You in faith is not an invitation to stroll down a primrose path. There are seasons when standing on my faith means letting go of everything I hold to be safe. There are times when following You leads me to make choices that expose me and my family to great amounts of risk. Choosing faith means choosing to live counter to the world. It means going to war against a vicious enemy who has violent tactics. I do not want to shrink back. I do not want to quit. When the moment of truth faces me and I feel the full weight of the battle, I pray that I not shrink back like a coward but that I stand firm like the Lion of Judah.

The Days of My LIfe

Read: Hebrews 9

"How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Hebrews 9:14

Examine:

Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, walked this earth as a man without sin and then offered Himself to God as a holy sacrifice on behalf of all who have surrendered control of their life to Him. In exchange for control of life, believers in Christ receive irrevocable reconciliation to God.

Apply:

Jesus is all that matters. How I pray or what I say is irrelevant. Being perfect is not required. My performance does not affect my holiness. I am unconditionally accepted by God as clean because I have placed my faith in Jesus as my sole source of salvation and surrendered to Him control of my life. His perfect gift of grace has my life covered. Regardless of what happens in my life I can never lose light of the fact that Christ alone gives me confidence to stand boldly before God.

I now also must allow God to clear my conscience from dead works. I have never lived under the law of the old testament. I have never sacrificed animals or had to offer up things of value to me to atone for my sins. I have not once born the burden of the law nor have I been forced to live under its scrutiny. That fact sometimes makes it easy for me to move past scriptures encouraging me to not return to the dead works of the law. If I open the definition of dead works to include any wrong understanding of God I have ever had then the picture looks differently. I once viewed God as a harsh man who was difficult to please. I once viewed faith as a golden ticket to a padded life. I once thought I could give and then force God to act on my behalf. I once used the grace of God as an excuse to live my life according to my own pleasure. My past is littered with false interpretations of scripture and broken images of God and there are days that I am tempted to return to them. I need to constantly allow God to heal these things and replace them with the truth of the work completed by Christ.

Finally, I have to know that God does all that He does in my life to position me to serve Him. He certainly loves me and wants greater things for my life than even I do, but He also knows that the greater things will always be found in serving Him. God did not fix me up to leave me in the garage. He wants me put to good use. He wants my life broken and spilled out. He wants me to live each day knowing what it means to join Him in His mission to redeem the world.

Pray:

My heart is really consumed right now with many things that have opportunity to carry me away from the cross. The weight of decisions I have to make, the pressures of the world, the consequences of my choices, and the destructive nature of my flesh all wage an effective campaign against my focus on the cross. Center me on You today. I ask that my heart, mind, and soul all be aligned with Your purity and purpose. I ask that I find a way of escape from the mental traps the enemy is using against me and that I find a place of bold confidence in Your truth and word.

In moments of confusion or pain it is often easy to abandon Your ways and pursue my own. I ask that You hold me close to Your mission. I am weak right now and vulnerable to things that sound holy and promise relief. Please, please, please, empower me to hear Your voice clearly and strengthen me to walk away from dead works. Lead me to serve You with purity, intensity, and intentionality. I ask that the days of my life be spent in a manner that will be impact someone's eternity.

Some Chains to Break

Read: Hebrews 7

"Therefore He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." Hebrews 7:25

Examine:

The provision of grace and mercy are amazing things. There is no end to their provision for those who live their lives under submission to God through their faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus, a perfect high priest, permanently sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes on behalf of those who are of Him.

Apply:

"Drawing near to God through Jesus". I look at that phrase and I feel inside of me a sense of frustration. I read the words and I comprehend them, but I can't shake this feeling that I am missing something. It feels like I smell fresh bread baking but I just can't locate where it is coming from. There is depth to this truth that I have yet to realize. Something blocks me from living out a life altering expression of drawing near to God and being freed of all guilt and shame.

Pray:

I do not want to move past the truth of this verse. Jesus, I can't escape this feeling deep in my soul that I have yet to experience a full expression of the work You completed at the cross. I have yet to fully release myself from my sins and I still carry their regret. I have not completely set aside my ambitions and I have not walked so close to God that I would be able to say that all I need is taken care of in You. The flesh can not comprehend the truths of the Spirit. I have read commentaries and listened to sermons on this verse but I acknowledge to You that these cerebral activities can't help me break the chains that hold me down.

There is so much inside of me that is still so broken. I struggle with thoughts that are not holy and an image of myself that is distorted. Decisions I have made in the past created patterns of thinking that are hard to break. There are images in my mind that I never should have allowed. There are experiences I have had that haunt me still. There are wicked feelings and emotions that cover my heart in prideful vines.

I pray that the truth of this verse be released in my life. From where I am and as best I know how I step towards You this morning. Help me to experience the complete release of my sins past, sins present and sins future. I pray that my heart be made whole and that I be led to live a life of bold confidence in the work of the cross. I also ask that You lead me deep into the heart of our Father. I want to be close to Him. I want feel His presence warm me, His shadow hide me, and His power move me. Remove the things that block my heart from being freed of its pride and shift my focus so that all I need in life is truly found and celebrated in You.

Drinking Rain

Read: Hebrews 6

"For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned." Hebrews 6:7-8

Examine:

The writer of Hebrews uses the imagery of land to paint a picture that believers only have two options. We will either produce vegetation that represents good spiritual fruit or we will produce thorns and thistles. Good vegetation invites the blessing of God. Thorns and thistles bring fire. The issue of personal growth and advancement of the Kingdom should never be taken lightly.

Apply:

I need to drink the rain that often falls on me. God speaks to me everyday. There is not a single day of my life that God is not active around me. I need to soak Him up. Every word that He speaks has the power to bring healthy growth. I need to make sure that the soil of my heart is tilled and that good seed has been sown. This requires work on my part.

The good vegetation that grows in my heart is intended for others. I need to constantly remember that God works in me so that others may be strengthened and that I will need the fruit of others to sustain my growth. Sometimes it is really easy to get sucked into becoming self-centered. I want to keep what God is doing in me for myself and I don't like depending on others. God refuses to allow me to become isolated and self-sufficient. I need to freely give of myself to others and be humble enough to admit I need something from other people.

Thorns and thistles are problems only solved by fire. Here is the great thing about this verse. Fire does not destroy the land; it only destroys the thistles and thorns. There is nothing fun about God clearing out unused or misused areas of my heart but it opens the door for me to allow Him to re-till these areas and start over with a new crop. My poor choices lead to poor consequences but the Grace of God insures that the end result of my life is a chance to start fresh.

Pray:

I want to show the diligence required to realize the full assurance of the hope that You have planted in my heart. I want to imitate those who have gone before me and through faith and patience inherit Your promises. You have been more gracious to me than I could have ever hoped or imagined. Teach me to be a better steward of the condition of my heart. I am prone to becoming lazy with it. I need to wake up each day and be content to faithfully till my heart, sow good seeds, and nurture good growth. I also need to fully embrace the truth that You desire for Your children to share crops with each other. Help me to be humble enough to ask for help and generous enough to freely give to others.

When it comes to thorns and thistles the process of burning is not so much fun. It is painful. It is scary. There are times when the smoke becomes so thick and the heat of the fire so intense that I fear I will not make it. Sometimes I stand and stare at the charred mass of land stretching out before me and the work of replanting it seems overwhelming. I ask that You help me not be slothful in this work. Starting over is painful, but the opportunity to go back and get it right is priceless.

You have sworn by Your Great Name that You will be faithful to complete the work that You started in me. This hope is a steadfast anchor for my soul and my only source of hope and strength. Thank You for Your presence in my life.

Working the Vineyard

Read: Hebrews 4

"Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience." Hebrews 4:11

Examine:

The call today is for believers to understand that Grace is a free gift that cannot be earned. Once accepted, however, it comes with a huge responsibility. It is like someone giving a person a vineyard. The vineyard was free, but producing good wine requires faithful service and work in the vineyard.

Apply:

I see three things that I need to be diligent with from this text. First, I need to study the past and learn from it. The people of Israel had an amazing word of promise spoken to them while they were in captivity in Egypt. God's promise to them was that they would enter His rest and live in His promised land. This word of promise was made void because they refused to marry it with faith and action. They lost sight of God in the desert and often tried to return to their life without Him. I am subject to the same temptations. I need to know that I am on a journey to my promised land. Life on this earth is the desert for me. I have to work hard to not forget that my reward is an eternal life in a perfected world. This life will pass. The one to come will not. If I forget this, then I open myself up to falling into the same trap experienced by the Israelites in the desert.

Second, I need to stay in the Word of God daily. I have to be diligent in allowing the Word of God to bring clarity to the condition of my heart. Everyday that passes should find me understanding more deeply the darkness of my own flesh and more profoundly understanding the purity of God's Spirit. Only the Word of God is able to judge the depths of my heart, and it is only by His Word that I am able to come to a place of conviction.

Finally, I have to enjoy the pleasure of His grace. When I am convicted of sin in my life there are a few choices I have to make. I can ignore it or dismiss it. I can become guilty and disqualify myself from being worthy. I can become angry at falling short and run away from God in frustration or I can joyfully run to God, confess it, and enjoy deeper levels of rest and peace. Jesus understands and He gave His life so that I never have to again experience guilt or condemnation.

Pray:

In my arrogance I often read of the Israelites journey to the promised land and dismiss them as being ridiculous. I judge them harshly and often mock their failures. I ask that You forgive my pride because I am no better. In fact, I am worse. They never tasted the gift of salvation through Christ. They were not able to experience the indwelling of Your Holy Spirit. It was never possible for them to access You directly and call You Father. I have been given all these things and still I, just like them, will turn my back on You if things do not consistently go my way. I ask that You forgive me for trading my faith for the foolishness of seeking my own way.

I need the work of Your Word in my life. I don't want to miss a chance for You to divide the works of my heart and allow me to see the truth about who I am and what I am doing. All things are made clear by a word from You and I pray that I am able to hear the word that You daily make available to me.

I am holding fast to my confession this morning that my only hope is in Your grace. I have learned to dance when You convict me of failure in my life because I know it allows me to enter deeper into Your grace. I pray that the joy of my salvation and the elation of finding Your cleansing will never cease to amaze me. My heart is full this morning with appreciation, peace, rest, and assurance. I am guilty in my deeds, but untouchable through Your grace. Thank you.

Can't Do It Alone

Read: Hebrews 3

"But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called 'Today', so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13

Examine:

In today's church much is made of the Grace God has extended to us. This is as it should be because Grace is an amazing gift. Hebrews 2 points out that while we do have Grace to cover our failures, we do have to remember that there will be consequences to falling away. To whom much is given much is expected. The generations that have tread the earth following Christ have been given much. The consequences for failing to pursue His calling will be steep. Walking after Christ will never be accomplished alone. It takes a community of believers working together to encourage one another to stay on task.

Apply:

If I am going to be an encourager to others then I have to allow myself to be encouraged because ministry will always be out of an overflow of what is in my heart. This means a couple things for me. First, I have to believe. The writer of Hebrews says to boldly boast in the hope of the Lord. If I do not really believe in my faith no amount of encouragement from others is going to be worth a dime to me. It will just be empty words at best and an annoying sound at worst. I need to know what I know and stand boldly for the truth of God in my heart. If those things are not present then it is foolish to think anyone will be able to pick me up when I fall down.

Second, I have to be transparent. This is an area of my life that God has worked on the most over the past ten years. Some aspects of this have finally become easy. I no longer sweat as I post my journals online. The condemning voice of my enemy can no longer be heard as I share of the mess that is in my past. The pressure I feel to be a super-Christian has greatly diminished. But there is still much to be done. There are secret places in my heart that are not open to visitors. There is still a strong pride in me that wants to refuse help when I am stuck or doubting. I must never stop pushing myself to expose the dark places inside of me to the light.

Once I stand in a strong place and have found encouragement I have to remember that God does not work in my heart for the benefit of me. He works in my heart so that I can be used by Him in the lives of others. I have to be an encourager of others. Everyday, while it is still today, I have to put aside my personal junk and stand in the gap for a brother or sister who has lost connection with the hope inside of them.

Pray:

Father, just as a car without a battery cannot be jump started neither can a empty faith be encouraged. I pray that You instill inside of me a faith that boldly boasts in the hope of Your Son. Let my faith be full today.

It is so tempting to hide the dark places of my heart. They are afraid of The Light. They fight it and the enemy joins them in trying to avoid the healing power of The Light. I pray that I find the courage and strength I need to face my fear of exposure and live my life with great transparency.

I am not sure how good I am at being an encourager. As best I can I try to pay attention to my surroundings and follow Your lead as I observe the lives of others. The ones I see I help. The fear I have are the ones I miss because I am distracted. I pray that You give me ears that hear, eyes that see, and a heart that responds to the hurts of others.

Immediate Cost, Unimaginable Peace

Read: Hebrews 1

"And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power." Hebrews 1:3

Examine:

The author and the audience of the book of Hebrews is subject to debate, but the theme is quite clear. These readers had reached a point where they were being tempted to return to their former ways of worshipping God. There was something safe and predictable in their old life and they wanted to go back. Following after Christ was a really hard commitment for them and the cost was taking its toll. The writer of Hebrews slows things down and carries this group of people back to the begging of their faith in Christ and walks them through what they believe and why they believe it. He started with a reminder of who Jesus is.

Apply:

I think that every move I make towards God starts out with a selfish motive. Something in my life is broken, I can't fix it, so I turn to God. This is not sinful; it is natural. God normally creates or allows discomfort in my life because it presses me to change and grow. But then the strangest thing normally happens. God does not simply take the pain away and make my life all better. Normally, He starts me on a journey in a new direction and that new direction typically costs me something and very often flips my life upside down. When this happens there are really on two reactions I can have.

First, I can get frustrated and turn back to my old ways. This has been defined in today's world as backsliding. I turn to God, things get more difficult or do not change, and I then back down and start to look for comfort elsewhere. This has happened many times in my past and will likely happen many times in the days to come. Sometimes backsliding last only for a few days. Sometimes it can stretch into months. Other times it can last years.

The second reaction I can have to God raising the stakes is I can press into Jesus. Jesus said that those who want to save their life must lose it. When I put this verse into practice it means I will normally experience a sense of loss before I find life. It means that there is a cost to my discipleship and I have to be willing to pay it. If my view of Jesus is not real or strong enough there is no way I will every endure to the end. That is the power of this verse. All that was in Jesus is made available to me through the power of the Holy Spirit. The radiance of God's glory, His exact nature, and the power of His Word all stand on the other side of me saying yes to God.

Pray:

Yes. Those three letters are the most powerful words in the vocabulary of a follower of Christ. The history of the church has been carried on the backs of men and women who have given You their yes. There is nothing else I can bring to Your table other than my unconditional yes to what You desire for my life.

You have it. I blindly give it to You and ask that You continue to lead me in my journey back home to You. I want my life to reflect the radiance of Your glory. Please do not let me settle to just live by my rules. I want my life to reflect something of You that is of worth to the world around me. I want Your character to the be very fiber of my being. Please help me to release the things of my flesh and pursue nothing short of Your character. I want my life to be measured in terms of Your power. Please do not allow my perceptions of what is possible to hinder Your working in my life.

Backsliding provides temporary relief but ends in deeper pain. Turning to Jesus leads to an immediate cost but ends in unimaginable peace. I pray against my tendency to seek instant gratification and pray for the strength and wisdom to pursue greater things.

A Shift in My Focus

Read: Ephesians 6

"With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints," Ephesians 6:18

Examine:

In the verses that precede this one, Paul instructs the Church at Ephesus to understand that their battle is a spiritual battle and that it must be fought with spiritual weapons. He then walks this group of believers through how to prepare themselves for this battle by putting on the armor of God. He closes out by shifting to this verse and instructing the Church to use their prayers to get in the fight.

Apply:

There are three strong reminders from this verse that I needed to hear this morning. First, I need to be well skilled at all types of prayer and need to constantly use them. Tradition chokes the life out of prayer by defining it with too much rigidity. Selfishness spoils prayer by turning it into a free version of the home shopping network. Fear of man robs prayer of its power by causing worry over what others think. Prayer is essential to my survival. My entire existence should be comprised of a constant connection with the Holy Spirit through my prayers. Whether I am on my face in my closet, driving down the road, or walking the streets with others, I need to be in a state of close proximity to the Spirit of God through prayer.

Second, I will need to work to stay engaged. There are times when I sit down and pray and nothing happens. There are times when I sense a need to pray but don't feel like doing it. There are other times when I know that I should pray, but I am just too intimidated to open my mouth. Prayer is not and will never be easy. It is a skill that must be worked at to obtain and constantly practiced to maintain. With all perseverance I have to determine within myself that I will be a man of prayer, and then be willing to follow through with that promise by incessantly seeking the face of God and the voice of the Spirit through my prayers.

Finally, I need to be reminded that my prayers should be focused on others. There is power in the prayers of the saints when they are united in mission and focused on one another. There are many times somebody asks me for prayer and I honestly forget. There are other times when I meet with someone and feel remorse over being able to only offer them prayer. There are seasons of life when I get so caught up in my own junk that all my prayers turn inward and I simply do not pray for others. This verse is all call out to be a man who intercedes on behalf of others with power, persistence, and boldness.

Pray:

Father, ten years ago You asked me to pursue Your wisdom above all else in life. For the past ten years a passionate pursuit of Your wisdom has been the primary aim of my relationship with You. I have valued it above all other requests and pursued it as the precious treasure that it is. Over the past few weeks, I have had countless moments with people who have acknowledged the work of Your wisdom in my life. I am humbled and grateful for what You alone have done in and through my life and I say thank You. I vividly remember the day ten years ago when You shifted the focus of my attention to a passionate pursuit of Your wisdom, and this morning I feel that same presence from You shifting my focus from wisdom to prayer. I am responding to what I sense You are asking of me and saying yes.

Above all else in life, I ask that You make me a man of prayer. I want my prayers to encompass all the things You desire them to be. Open the eyes of my heart so that I might better understand the intended purpose of prayer, and empower me to use the anointing You have given to be strong in prayer. I pray that You instill inside of me a passionate desire to seek the prayer life You intend for me to have.

Making the Most of Time

Read:

"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15

Examine:

Paul writes a lot on the free gift of grace, the forgiveness of sin, and the eternal security of our salvation. He had a clear understanding of the freedom created for us in Christ's sacrificial death and victorious resurrection and taught that with great passion and clarity. He also had a clear understanding of how critical it was that we not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh to carry us away and to not waste the time we have on earth pursuing things that do not lead to God. We are to be careful of how we walk.

Apply:

As I look at this morning's text I am really captured by verse one's call for me to be an imitator of God. This verse brings to mind a picture from my childhood of me hunting with my dad. I would always walk behind him and try to step in his footsteps. That is what this verse means to me. I need to be so close to God that I see the imprint of His feet before me and I need to put my feet only where His tread.

As I step where God steps there are a couple things of which I can be certain. First, God's steps will only lead to love. God is love and everything that He does He does out of His love for others. If I am truly walking after Him then there will be a clear and distinctive love for others spilling out of my life and touching the hearts of those close to His. Second, my steps will lead me far away from immoral choices. A majority of the text in this chapter speaks to behavior that is not becoming of a wise man whose heart is committed to walking after God. Grace does not offer a permit to carry immorality; in fact quiet the opposite is true. Grace necessitates purity. I can not experience God's grace and not follow after Him. I can not follow after Him and continue in sin. Grace covers my slips and my weaknesses but it is always going to carry me away from sin.

Pray:

Father there are two strong convictions I feel this morning. The first is I am convicted of my anger. Your Word tells me that it is not a sin to be angry, only do not sin in it. I have sinned in my anger. I carry in my heart hurt and anger towards some people in my life who have wronged me. I see them and my flesh crawls and my mind churns on things that are not right. I can be quiet vindictive and have a tendency to carry accounts and records against others. Forgiving deep hurts, refusing to fight malicious attacks, and trusting You to be my defender are all shortcomings I currently face. I ask that You heal my heart and forgive me for playing God over the lives of others. You did not leave me on earth to judge and my refusal to let things go has been an enormous waste of the time You have given me to impact eternity.

The second conviction I feel this morning is the nature of my sense of humor. I love to laugh. It is one of the most incredible gifts You gave to humanity. I can find humor in most anything and love to celebrate this gift with others. Most of my humor is healthy and harmless, but I can also cross a line and make fun of things that are not funny to You at all. My pursuit of humor can lead me to hurt the feelings of others, to make light of things that devastate You, and create an opportunity for me to watch things that feed my flesh. I ask You to help me guard my humor today. Lead me in wisdom as I desire to avoid becoming too serious yet maintain a sense of respect and dignity.

In all these things I desire to make wise use of the time You have given me here on earth. I only have one life to impact eternity and I want to use that time well.

The Diet of My Prayer Life

Read: Ephesians 3

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father..." Ephesians 3:14

Examine:

In the verses that follow, everything that Paul says is a prayer for the people of the Church at Ephesus. Paul literally lived his life for the benefit of others. His pursuit of God through Jesus was completely focused on seeing other people come to a deeper understanding of the grace given by God, or to come to understand the power of this grace for the first time. His life was spent poured out for the betterment of others. His prayers were spent pleading for others. His knees were bent to see the kingdom of Heaven come into the lives of others.

Apply:

This does not reflect my prayer life. Most of my prayers are personal in nature. I have a tendency to get wrapped up in my own little world and most of my pursuit of God becomes consumed by my desires to establish my kingdom here on Earth. There is a time and a place for these types of prayers, but they should not be the main focus. Personal prayers are like desserts. They are ok in moderation, but they are unhealthy if they are enjoyed in excess.

In terms of prayer, understanding the riches of God's grace is the meat in prayer diet. I need to bow my knees and pray that God will expand my experience of His grace in my life. I need to know that grace is not some theological concept that exists in books. Grace is the life altering power of God working in my soul. Grace is the mechanism that allows the power of God to rest on my life. The grace of God is a hope that never fails, a joy that cannot run dry, and a life that only gets better in death. The grace of God is a game changer for the person who receives it. It is the good news of the gospel. It is life in abundance. It is my greatest treasure, and I should never cease striving to know it more richly.

Out of the overflow of my experience of grace, I need to then understand that the stewardship of this grace is the vegetable aspect of my prayer diet. God does not work in my life for the purpose of making me feel better. Everything He gives to me He does so with the ultimate purpose of providing me with something to share with another. If God does not intend for me to live my life for this purpose, then Him leaving me here on earth makes no sense at all. If His work in my life was all about my relationship with Him, then He would have raptured me the moment I accepted Christ. Desserts and meats must be eaten in moderation. Vegetables, on the other hand, can be freely taken and enjoyed. The majority of my prayers have to be comprised of my passionate pursuit of God's grace in the lives of others.

Pray:

My prayer life mainly consists of desserts and meats. The mental image I have of this is of a man morbidly obese who has put his heart at risk. I have been a poor steward of the grace that You have given me. I bend my knees but I bend them for my own gain. I ask that You forgive me for being self-centered. I am hopeless in this condition. In and of myself I do not have the power, knowledge, or wisdom to move the focus of my attention away from my personal needs and center it on the needs of others.

I pray that You change that in me. Break my heart for the things that break Yours. Fill my prayers with the powerful desire of Your Holy Spirit to expand His work in the lives of others. I desire to be found a faithful steward over everything that You have entrusted to me. Help me to understand the game-changing nature of Your grace in my life, and give me a unquenchable thirst to see this Grace at work in the lives of others.

Seasons of Waiting

Read: Galatians 6

"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in good time we will reap if we do not grow weary." Galatians 6:9

Examine:

God's promise is that a man will reap what he sows. In The verse previous to this one, Paul reminds the Galatians that God will not be mocked. His promises will come to be. A good harvest takes time and the full harvest is never promised in this life; but the delay can never be mistaken as abandonment. In seasons of waiting a believer must focus on not losing heart.

Apply:

There are three seeds I see in this chapter that often seem to take a long time to mature into a harvest. The first is the seed of restoration. The call in verses one and two of this chapter is to gently confront people with the truth when they miss it. God clearly calls me to pay attention to the people in my life and gently speak the truth to them when they live counter to it. People's reactions are not always predictable and the change is often slow in coming. The pain of confrontation can become overwhelming. The work may be tedious, taxing, and tiring but it is a work to which God has called me. I must always call people to the truth.

The second seed is the seed of personal growth in Christ. Verses three - five call me to hold a sober self-assessment and grow in my likeness to Christ. There are days this labor appears to produce no fruit. I get up to pray and I hear nothing. I ask God to change me and temptations seem to grow. I open the Word and I struggle to comprehend it. I take steps of faith and feel as if I fall through and crash hard. What growth does take place is so incremental that it is often hard to notice the changes. In seasons of waiting or silence I must remember that God will be faithful to complete the work He started in me. The harvest will come.

The final slow growing seed I see in this text is the seed of financial support. Verse ten calls me to sow this seed to all people; especially to people of faith. Some teaching that has become popular has taken this verse and literally whored it out for personal gain. That is not Biblical. God does not ask me to give so that I can gain. He asks me so take what has been given to me and leverage it into His work in the lives of others and trust that He will see what is done in secret and produce the proper harvest at the proper time. God is not a get-rich strategy. He does not give to me so that I may hoard and there are often seasons in which I give and then feel like I suffer lack. His call on my life is to open my checkbook and joyfully give as He presents opportunities to do so regardless of my perceptions about the harvest.

Pray:

Father I grumble against You about the harvest in my life. I feel that conviction deep in my heart. There are many days that I behave exactly like a spoiled child. My emotions run hot when I am forced to wait or work with no return. While awaiting the harvest I often I fall apart, become frustrated, and fight feelings of abandonment. In these moments I often feel like You are not real and this whole following after Christ thing is just a scam.

I sit here this morning and I am literally laughing at myself as I view my tantrums through the holiness of Your Word and imagine how silly it is to see a grown man act like a child. I so appreciate Your patience with me. You are so gentle with me even when I lash out at You. I am grateful for Your promise that You will never leave me nor forsake me. I rest in the fact that You are the one in our relationship who is forever faithful. I submit myself to the truth that I will reap a good harvest as long as I do not grow weary in sowing good seed.

Three Stays

Read: Galatians 5

"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but trough love serve one another." Galatians 5:13

Examine:

Man has a way of confusing the mess out of anything. If left to ourselves man normally takes Christianity and turns it into one of two extremes; legalism or hedonism. Legalism takes the form of do's, don’ts and comparison to others. When this happens the beauty of the gospel becomes an ugly stick that self-righteous hypocrites use to beat other people down. Hedonism takes the form of freedom from guilt. I get to live my life according to my rules and my religion allows me to do this with no obligation to God other than to ask Him for blessing and be thankful for His forgiveness. This chapter speaks to these two extremes and introduces the one thing that balances them: Faith that works and serves through love.

Apply:

I have to stay free. It is really easy to add to my faith works that are not holy. These unhealthy ad-to's normally are preceded by the phrase, "I really need to." I really need to get up and pray. I really need to go to church. I really need to read my Bible. I really need to give some money. I really need to...fill in the blank. This phrase is normally accompanied by pressure, fear, or guilt. Legalism is not what Christ died to create. His death abolished pressure, fear, and guilt. I am free from those things and I need to take care so that I am not sucked back into trying to earn my salvation.

I also have to stay pure. The freedom created by Christ is not intended to serve my flesh. I do not get to live a carnal life. The call of Christ is to live according to the Spirit; not the flesh. I have to set my heart on the things listed in verses twenty-two and twenty-three of this chapter. The Holy Spirit in me will always produce these things. My freedom in Christ is intended to remove the burden of religion and make it possible for the Spirit of God to produce the fruit of God in my life. I am free and there is no condemnation since I am in Christ; but, genuine salvation will always produce the fruit of the Spirit.

I have to stay engaged in service. Christianity is completely free legalism, but it is literally impossible to experience Christ and not see this experience manifest itself in terms of service. My faith must express itself in works. These works do not earn my salvation; they prove it. These works do not earn the presence of God in my life; they express it. Everything God does in my life He does with the intention of blessing the people observing my life or touched by my life. I have to connect my heart with the things of God and then run after them with great intention, effort, and determination. Faith without Kingdom works is dead at best and false at worse.

Pray:

Galatians 5:16 tells me that if I walk by the Spirit I will not carry out the desires of my flesh. Then verse seventeen tells me that the things of my flesh set themselves against me walking by the Spirit. This tension creates inside of me deep turmoil. I am split between the desire to do good and the cravings of my flesh to live for myself. I want to apply the truth of Your Word today and walk according to Your Spirit inside of me. Help me walk free of legalism, steer clear of hedonism, and free my faith to produce the work it is intended to accomplish. You and I both know the struggles I will face in carrying out this simple prayer. My flesh is deceptive and strong and it often produces a man who is stubborn and easily led astray. Keep my heart connected with Your voice. I pray that my every step be aligned with the desire of Your heart.