Category: Devotionals

What the Lord has been teaching us over the years.

Discipline

Leave a comment

Do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him. For those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines. (Hebrews 12:5,6)

A theme for me over the past few years has been Discipline.  The word has always had a negative connotation for me; to be disciplined was a bad thing.  But recently the Lord has been bringing His discipline to my life, and it has been very good.  I won’t say it has always been pleasant, but it has been a blessing.

The first step to understanding the goodness of God’s discipline is accepting Christ’s authority. Jesus teaches the truth about man and God, and there is no other way to understand things of eternal worth than by being a follower of Jesus—a disciple.

How to think about discipline: one very simple analogy has come to mind.  When you comb or brush your hair, you bring discipline to it: order, beauty, and rest.  It’s a daily discipline that brings obvious results.  Failing to practice this discipline also bring obvious results.  One must exert a certain amount of force to discipline hair, and it’s always successful when the hair “submits.”  And certainly, we don’t comb our hair to punish it or because we are angry with it.

This is a limited analogy, but it helped me to understand that God does not discipline us to injure, limit, or punish us.  He disciplines us because He wants us to be beautiful, at peace, and conformed to His perfect will.  “God disciplines those He loves.”  God loves you, and His love will be shown at times through discipline.

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (Hebrews 12:11)

Make no mistake, being disciplined will be unpleasant or difficult much of the time; it involves a death to self and acceptance of God’s will.  I’m sure you fail in self-discipline or self-control—we all do to some extent.  All of us have qualities which are not pleasing to the Lord, which are sinful, which hinder our ability to know Him more fully and serve the people around us. God says, “Anything that is not of faith, is sin;” and “Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”  As hair submits to the comb, as a good child submits to loving discipline, so our souls must submit to God’s guidance.  And God’s promise is that He will give us abundant life; a life that is much better than our life before His discipline has had its effect.

Here is how this has worked out for me in the past.  At one point, I realized that I needed discipline in an area of my life, and I was not able to follow through on my desire to grow in this one area.  So, finally, I prayed and said something like “Lord, I do not have the ability to do what is right, I need self-control and self-discipline, but I don’t have it in me.  So, I submit to your discipline and ask you to discipline me according to your will. How would you like me to conduct myself?  What are specifics that will bring godliness to my life?”  Then, I sat there with a piece of paper and a pencil and wrote what I felt the Lord was calling me to. I wrote down four simple things.  Then I set my heart to submit to Him.  These four things (which are not what I expected to hear) have brought discipline to my life in a very good way.  I’m sure that there will be more discipline to come, and I welcome it.

I encourage you to seriously seek God and be willing to accept His discipline.   When we know that something is God’s will, we have much more power to persevere.  Be willing to change; don’t tell God what to do, and don’t play games with Him.  If you falter, remember that His mercies are new every morning; as you grow, thank Him and give Him credit for the good things He does–for He works in us to will and to do His according to His purposes.  As a loving child, wait patiently for your Father’s kindness as He raises you to be the person you were created to be.

“Come Children, listen to me.” Psalm 34

Leave a comment

“The Lord is near the broken hearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

This Psalm begins with a statement of praise to the Lord. In verse 4 we see why David will continuously praise God: “I sought the Lord, and He answered me.” This is a primary theme of this Psalm: seeking God, being answered by God, and taking refuge in Him. Verse 6 is especially sweet; a poor, afflicted man cries out and the Lord hears.

God is near the broken hearted. He hears the cries of those who are crushed in Spirit. This Psalm teaches some lessons on how to live life, but it primarily teaches us about the character of God. God is not far off, he is not uninterested in the dealings of man. He is attentive. He listens to the cries of the brokenhearted. Jesus walked the streets of this world and turned His ear to the cries of the lepers, the blind, the ill, the sinners. In heaven, the Father turns His ear to the cries of the afflicted ones. The Lord is a deliverer. He is a redeemer.

Sinful man will depend upon his own resources, build his own refuge, exert his will and not look to heaven. This is vanity. God knows that we are weak and vulnerable–even the strongest of men will not be able to stand against the strength of sin. The proud will not be close to God; only the humble and those who know they are weak will cry out and be answered. To be close to the Lord means that we have to die a death, to admit our weakness, our sin, to put aside pride.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” We should take active steps to pursue the goodness of God. Confession, prayer, crying out to the Lord, meditation, silence. The activity of being humble prepares the way for the Lord’s answer. “Seek and you shall find.”

“Come Children, listen to me.”

David says that he will teach us the fear of the Lord. Perhaps better stated as reverential awe, Jesus himself tells us to fear the Lord. Why? Because God has the ability to not only destroy our bodies, but also to cast our souls into hell. Jesus then says we are not to fear the Lord–a challenging teaching: to fear and yet not to fear. Yet it is true. Those who seek Him will find that He is a refuge, not a court of condemnation. God protects the humble from His power to bring swift and inescapable punishment which will come to the proud. We either fear men, or we fear the Lord–we are more concerned about what people think of us, or we consider the Lord’s ways as being primary.

How does David teach us? His instructions are simple. Keep your tongue from evil, don’t deceive, flee from evil, do good, seek and pursue peace. How rarely we do these things.

To control the tongue is one of the hardest commands. American culture especially, with emphasis on freedom of speech and with a very ironic, mocking sense of humor, encourages us to speak whatever we feel. But God instructs us to watch our words, to be very careful in what we say. It is possible to speak something that is true but to speak in an evil way. If my enemy has wronged me, I can tell a brother the truth of the matter, but say it in a way that harms my enemy in my brother’s eyes. The Lord says I am to bless my enemies, to pray for those who curse me. All the more so, I should not speak a truth about my brother in an evil way. I should speak only blessing and be cautious, considerate when speaking. Silence can be golden, especially when I have “every right” to speak a harsh truth. So, let us not speak truth in a way that is evil.

Deceit is different, yet involves controlling the tongue: speaking in a way that would hide the truth is speaking in an evil way. The Lord says that we are to let our Yes be Yes, and our No, No. Anything beyond this comes from the evil one. This is a simple teaching that causes tremendous turbulence when put into practice. The world conspires to have us say half truths, to cover the truth for our own convenience. This comes from the evil one. May the Lord give me the strength to tell the truth. Refusing to deceive is costly, for it means being vulnerable and controlling one’s natural tendency to deceive–and then trusting the Lord with the outcome of our honesty.

Seeking peace: The Word says that the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace; blessed are the peacemakers. Peace is not found, it is made; we do not happen upon peace, we make peace. Peace is made by people with it’s source in the Lord’s love, it does not occur naturally in the course of human endeavors. As much as we are able, we are to live at peace with all men. So, we should not be the source of any discord. We should seek, pursue, and make peace in every situation. Even as Jesus’ words cause division by revealing the kingdom of heaven, his role is to make peace between God and man. Jesus did all he could to bring peace to the world, but some men hate the truth and go to war.

Is there discord in your relationships? Make peace. Is there evil in your life that is revealed in disorder and confusion? Make peace. You will be blessed, for you will be called a son of God.

The Cost of Being a Disciple

Leave a comment

There is so much that can be said (and has been said) about Luke 14:28ff, but there have been new insights for me as I’ve meditated on the text over several days’ time. Jesus is speaking of the cost of discipleship. Here is found the well-known teaching that one must hate his own life and take up his own cross in order to be a disciple. By way of illustration, Jesus uses two figures: 1) building a tower, and 2) suing for peace with a superior adversary.

It is this second metaphor that has caught my attention recently. “What king, if he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down to take counsel whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?” Jesus then says that the weaker king will go out to the stronger king and sue for peace before the battle’s begun.

God is the superior King. Who am I to come against Him with the miserable little force at my command? How can I stand against His demand that the whole earth submit to Him? My “army” includes my will, my body, my intellect, my talents, my stamina, my length of days, my wisdom, my creative force. In every area I am at such a disadvantage that I should immediately go to God, while He is a long way off, and ask for His terms of peace. It’s clear that He will be victorious, and if I were to engage Him in this battle for sovereignty, all my energies would be expended, and I would be completely defeated.

So, it’s wisdom to submit myself to Him before the battle rages, before all that I have and all that I am is used up in my futile attempt to win a war against God. Jesus then says, “So therefore, no one of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” Just as a weaker king must completely bow to the will of the victor, and place all his holdings in the other King’s control, so must I ask for terms of peace with God, and give Him complete control over my “army” and holdings–my life. These are His terms of peace: surrender all, everything you have that is valuable to you–wife, children, father, mother, land, even your own soul.

But there is good news, Jesus said that if we leave these things for his sake, we will get back much more in this life and in the life to come. So, in the process of surrendering my holdings to the Lord, I receive more than I surrender. This also happens in wars; the greater king may give authority to the weaker king because of his submission. It shows wisdom, character and understanding to submit in such a situation.

But, and this is very important, I must truly surrender all to Him. I must take up my own cross and die to myself, receiving God’s will for my life. I cannot play a game with God, withholding from Him what I most want to keep to myself; the Lord will not let it stand. He is the one true God. There is no other before Him–not even me. I must surrender all, just as the weaker king must fall before the superior king and be dependent on his will.

God is much smarter than I am. He is much wiser, loving, patient, stronger, and more joyful. It’s good to surrender to such a King.

Worship

Leave a comment

In my daily life with the Lord I find that the part I enjoy most is worship. I am the kind of person who enjoys peaceful and simple songs that speak directly to God and not just about Him. In my prayer time I like to have a tape with a couple of songs that will speak of my love to God. I believe that in His presence we find all we ever need. When I feel His presence all around me, there is nothing else I want. And worship helps us to enter His presence better that anything else.

God said that He was looking for those who would worship Him in Spirit and in truth. He is still looking for these kinds of people. He is still looking for the people like David, people after His own heart, those who will pour their lives before Him.

One song says “In His presence, that’s where I belong, in His presence, that’s where I am strong”. I do believe that our place is in His presence. The Lord longs for us to come and worship Him. He longs for all the people to say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and He will teach us His ways”.

We may do a lot of things for the Lord, things that He has called us to do. But if we don’t meet the greatest need of our hearts, we will not last long. We will dry up. And us coming to His presence is the greatest longing of His heart. After all, He has created us for HIMSELF. He needs our presence with Him.

The World

Leave a comment

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. ~ James 1:27

I’ve recently been thinking about this scripture. As I work in Russia, I am called to minister the love of God especially to orphans and widows in their distress. So, I know that this is part of the pure faith that God has called me to.

But, there is more to being spiritually pure than serving the neediest among us; God wants us to avoid the pollution of the world. To please God and live by His Spirit, to be the people God has created us to be, it is necessary that we keep ourselves from being stained by the world. Other translations say that we are to avoid the pollution of the world. We are to actively turn from the ungodliness of the world. God does not want us to be defiled.

I think we all know some elements of what it means to be stained by the world, but we are often blind to the cultural pressures that are exerting force on our souls.

As I get a little distance from America, I can see that American culture presses people toward self-gratification and impatience. I was quite blind to it for many years, and now I’m seeing a little more clearly how that terrible, ungodly, force affects people in America–and many are not aware of how strong that force is. When we live in a culture, we can become inured to the cultural forces around us–they feel very “natural,” and we think that they are neutral. So to Americans (and myself) I say, begin to fight against self-gratification, make choices based on self-control and stewardship. Pray for understanding and strength to fight against it.

How else does the world pollute a person? What should you avoid so that your spirit will be able to abide with Christ in purity? Here’s a list that comes to my mind–yours may be different.

Television: TV is so ever-present that we often don’t judge the content of the programming. Most TV programming is completely Godless–it does not help us grow closer to Christ; many TV shows will at best distract us from our spiritual walk; at worst they will lead us into impurity. I tend to dissipate my life when the TV is around. O, how many hours have I completely wasted while sitting in front of the TV? This is part of what the Bible calls dissipation–our lives just dissipate without having any effect or growth as we sit mindlessly in front of the tube. Avoid the pollution of TV. “If your eye (cathode) causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away.” An entertaining TV show is not worth the purity of your heart.

Gossip: gossip pollutes the soul. Don’t talk about people behind their back, don’t revel in, and be entertained by, the troubles of other people, don’t judge them by speaking badly or carelessly of them. Gossip pollutes relationships at the heart level. Bless everyone, speak well of everyone, pray for and bless even your enemies. The world loves a gossip, and many people make their living by gossiping (TV shows, magazines, newspapers columns, etc.)

Advertising: this can be one of the most pure forms of worldly pollution I can think of. Most, but not all, advertising is designed to appeal to your passions/vices/weakness/lusts so that someone can profit from your desire for gratification/love/fame/respect. Avoid the lies of advertising, don’t let the temptations of advertising grip your soul. Advertising is often entertaining, but it does not have your soul’s interest at heart. It’s there to get your money.

Certain styles of music may pollute your soul; radio programs can stain us; greed for better cars/houses/possessions will pollute you; conversations, websites, and careers can also stain us. The list goes on. People will be affected differently, so it’s not a matter of being legalistic–God knows the heart, and we cannot judge people’s hearts. At the same time, some worldly things are not profitable for anyone to embrace–they are not of God and will lead to sin; they are polluted and they will defile us.

What is on your list? What is the Lord calling you to lay down so that you can have pure and undefiled religion? Do it. Avoid the pleasant pollution of the world and live to Christ. His ways will bring you true peace, purity and joy.

Guarding Our Hearts

Leave a comment

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. ~Proverbs 4:23

We all are vulnerable to influences and actions that turn our hearts from goodness and purity. Some come from inside ourselves, and others from outside: keeping bad company, reading newspapers or magazines, a favorite TV show, daydreaming, certain kinds of music, joking around, gossip, cursing, complaining, overeating, arguing, boasting, etc.

Perhaps as you read this, you know what it is that attacks the purity of your heart. Don’t play with this fire. Accept the wisdom of God and turn from that impurity. Remember, the Lord is a refuge. He is the Source of Life.

Our Father in Heaven says be careful, watch over your heart, and be diligent in this. For your heart is the source of who you are. The things that flow from your heart affect your relationship with your Creator and affect the people you love.

The Lord wants us to be pure because He loves us, and because He loves those around us. He wants to bless others through us, and we can prepare ourselves for service by guarding our hearts.

Life flows from your heart, the life that is a blessing to others and is so precious to God.

Good Cheer

Leave a comment

As we go through every day working and doing things need to be done, it is very easy to loose our focus on God. It is very easy to just think about our daily routine. And the sad thing is that this daily routine is often very depressing. There is a spirit of death over Russia. In some places it is strong, some places not.

But facing the obstacles and hard choices sometimes makes us very upset and demoralized. I find myself complaining and wishing things were different. I find that I need to be comforted and told that everything is going to be ok. But the Lord is not always saying that. He said we would have tribulations. And He said to be of good cheer.

But how do we get this good cheer? How do we face the difficulties with courage and faith? The Lord does not just come into our lives with a magic wand and make all things perfect. He asks us to seek Him even when it seems we have no strength left. Even when we are about to give up, He calls us to seek Him.

But He does not promise us it would be easy. A lot of times, if we want to find Him as He is, it will cost us. I am just saying it because I face it. The Lord asks me to seek Him with all of my heart. Not to look at the gloomy sky in the morning, not to look at the despair you feel when things don’t fall into place, not to listen to people who say you cannot do it. He says to seek Him, look at Him, run after Him, chase Him. How many times have I failed trying to do it? How many times I asked God to forgive me for not getting up early enough to pray.

He forgives. He listens. He understands. He comes down to help us. But the ultimate thing He asks from us is to seek Him. Not matter how hard, no matter how long. Seek Him. And that is what I wish I could accomplish through my life.

Magic

Leave a comment

A while ago, I read two of the Harry Potter stories by J. K. Rowling. This series of books is very popular, and I was interested to see why people enjoy them so much. Rowling is a very good writer, and I found myself quite caught up in the world she has created. The characters are engaging, and the plots kept me interested to see the outcomes of the stories.

There has been some controversy over certain aspects of the books. Primarily, people are concerned that they may be taken as an endorsement of witchcraft: that witches and warlocks would be seen favorably and then embraced in our “real world” society. As I’ve thought about it, I began to see some other issues that catch my attention.

First, and briefly, I’m concerned about the way Harry and his friends constantly lie to people, even those to whom they are closest. All through the books, Harry and other characters freely lie to their mentors, parents and teachers. I don’t know why people would see this as acceptable or even desirable behavior, but Rowling presents these lies as being necessary and good, evidence of quick thinking and resourcefulness. I hope parents will talk about this with their children; in this way the books encourage children to lie. It really is bad form to encourage such behavior.

The primary drawback of these books, in my view, is that they speak from a worldview that is quite different from the way Jesus taught about the world. Harry Potter functions in a world where saying the right incantations will bring the right result. One must learn to say the right thing in the right way; paranormal, supernatural, events result from following a strict set of rules—mixing potions and casting spells being the primary examples of this. Any deviation from speaking, or doing, the correct formula will lead to a wrong result. This is a legalistic life.

The life of a follower of Jesus should be quite different. God does not call people to blindly follow a set of instructions in order to have a good and interesting life; He wants us to know Him and abide with Him. The path to true life is one of relationship with the living God, not learning a complex set of rules and applying them correctly. This is most important, because many religious leaders do not teach this distinction. Rather than merely trying to learn God’s rules, we are called to daily lay down our lives and seek the will of the Father, who loves us and lives with us. God is a God of grace and mercy, we can not manipulate His will; if we pray according to His will, miraculous things will happen, but we must seek and find His will and not our own, and this is done in relationship with Him.

We must learn the truth about how God wants us to relate to Him; we must have correct doctrine, and this true teaching will lead us to live as Jesus lived: loving and walking with our Father daily; hearing His voice and doing His will, not our own; serving when we want to be served; choosing to be the very least of all; living a life of love and self-sacrifice; calling others to do the same. The goal of true teaching is Love, coming from a sincere faith, a pure heart, and a good conscience.

As I read the Harry Potter books, I found myself wanting to be able to manipulate the world as he does: turning mice into slippers, casting spells of forgetfulness, using a wand to disarm my enemies, etc. Some of these things seem innocent enough, but all flow from a worldview that says “I can and will change reality according to my will. I am powerful when I harness the power of creation and make it bend to my will. I know what is best.” This is pure pride, even when done for “good” reasons. Jesus teaches the opposite: we surrender our power, we let go of our own will, and we allow the love and power of God to flow through us as blessing to other people—even our enemies. Harry never acts in this way; it’s foreign to him.

Let us not live by thinking we can merely say the right words in order to change the world around us, to make reality conform to our sense of what is best. The kingdom of God is very different: love is the foundation; service and humility are necessary; we should not attempt to manipulate or control the world, but rather we are to serve God and lay down our lives for Christ’s sake; the greatest shall be last and servant of all.

Paulina

Leave a comment

[originally posted in 2001]

I met Paulina during the summer of 2000 in one of the non-ambulatory wards at the children’s home in Pavlovsk. She is ten years old, with severe cataracts–as far as I can tell she can see when the light changes but can not see any distinct forms. She does not speak; she does not walk; she is not able to bathe or feed herself.

When I first saw her, she was sleeping, all curled up with her arms over her face–closed to the world. I sat next to her and began to play the guitar. She heard the music and was at first unsure how to respond, then she broke into a very large smile and stretched her body out in a very graceful way. I think she would have been a ballerina if she did not have her disabilities. Her response to the music was wonderful to see. Then, she reached out to me and pulled my hand toward her and held it against her chest for a long time. It was an honor and a pleasure to pray for her as she held my hand. I prayed for her spirit to be at peace, I prayed blessing on her. I prayed that she would be great in the kingdom of heaven, since she is so “low” here on earth. That is the way God has built creation: those who are last shall be first.

I went back to visit her at every opportunity. The second time I played for her, I moved the guitar so that it touched her body–this allowed her to feel the resonance of the instrument. She reached out to the guitar and held on to the instrument to feel, as well as hear, the music. God has given me comfort through this music, and I know He also comforted Paulina as I played. Even though we don’t share a language, and she can’t see my face, the music connected us–two people connected by a gift of God. This is a very holy thing.

The Austin team has provided supplies to help her as she lives in the orphanage, but just as important is our being there to serve her through human contact, by loving her. The workers there do the best they can–they obviously care for the kids, but the work is overwhelming for them, and they can not give each child the attention a person needs; we are called to love them with the love of God.

Paulina is one of 140 children in the non-ambulatory wards at the orphanage. Please pray for her.

Update: I visited Paulina three years after first seeing her. She is growing!! The nurses at the orphanage say that she loves music! She is blind and does not speak, but at least she is now able to sit in a chair and move some. When I first met her, she was bedridden. I’m not sure how much she can understand around her. Both of her grandmothers visit her, but her parents now live in New York–they’ve abandoned her because of her disabilities. To think that she’s been in this orphanage since she was a baby, and she’ll be here until she turns 18 and is sent to an adult facility.