For the book:
For about 10 years I’ve had an eye condition called CSR (Central Serous Retinopathy). It is essentially a blister on my retina which causes distorted vision. I sometimes see things as very shadowy or blurry or wavy or folded. It really is an odd thing.
On a recent trip to Myrtle Beach, my mother, Jeffrey and I were returning at night down a dark Highway 17. I was driving and probably should have told my mom how much trouble the oncoming lights were giving my blistery vision.
As I maneuvered around a corner, two cars – rather far apart – were in the oncoming lane. They were doing nothing wrong but my vision was “folded” (that is the best way to describe it) and instead of 2 cars in the other lane, I saw one car in my lane headed straight for me.
I slammed on the brakes, hit the horn and waited for impact. . .
Suddenly the two lights split apart and moved into the other lane and I realized my mistake. I had not seen them correctly. They were not one car, but two. They were not in my lane but across the median in the other lane. I had only two things right – they were lights and they were oncoming. I had not seen the whole truth.
Needless to say, my mother was very shook up. I’m sure her blood pressure hit the roof and she insisted on me pulling over to let her drive. She also begged me to see the eye doctor. I did and my blister is gone – for now. I started thinking though, isn’t my blistery vision a lot like just being human?
My human eyes just see what is in front of me. And, the world has trained me to look for beauty. Somehow, the world has connected beauty with goodness. We judge things on their outward appearances – and make pretty quick judgments too!
But God does not judge on the outward appearance, He judges what is inside. Listen to what God says in 1 Samuel 16:7:
“Do not consider his appearance or his height for I have rejected him.
The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
El Roi, the God who sees, looks at the heart. He cuts through all the outer layers of beauty or ugliness, kindness or coldness, wealth or poverty, education or simpleness to look at the heart.
What is the heart? I guess it is our core. What we truly feel. What motivates us. It is the truth. God looks at the truth of someone.
How many times have I looked at someone with disdain or with superiority or with hate when I should have been looking at the truth?
How many times have I been fooled by someone’s beautiful appearance, flashy clothes or smooth words when I should have been looking at the truth?
Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life . . . “ (John 14:6). We should look to him for truth. Truth about ourselves. Truth about others. Truth about situations. HE IS THE TRUTH!
I don’t know about your, but if God sees my heart, I surely want it to be looking good for Him. So, I pray according to Psalms 51:10:
“LORD, purify my heart so that I might be blameless before you.”
And if God sees other people with a compassion and understanding I lack, I’d like a glimpse from His view so that I might treat others according to His view. Who knows, under that cold, crabby person, I might see a needy soul when I see with God’s compassionate eyes. So, I pray:
“LORD, give me Jesus eyes so that I might understand the world around me better and be able to do Your work.”
I know that our enemy, Satan, prowls around us (1 Peter 5:8). He is a master of deceit and is full of lies. (John 8:44) The last thing he wants us to know is the truth. So we must be aware of his schemes. We must consult our Lord Jesus Christ about people and situations. We must put on our Jesus eyes and be ready for the truth. God’s truth.
Read: 1 Peter 5:8
John 8:44
Daily Prayer:
Dear LORD, I thank you that you see things differently than me. I ask that you would forgive me for my condemning attitude. Forgive me for my lack of compassion for others. I pray that you would teach me to see with Jesus eyes, to see people in need. I ask that you give me the strength to be more like you. In Jesus’ name . . . .
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
A Giving Heart
Another devotional for the book:
We were studying Cain and Abel in our Sunday school lesson yesterday. In Genesis chapter 4 both Cain and Abel brought an offering to God. They each brought the fruits of their labor. Cain brought “fruits of the soil” since he was a farmer. Abel brought “fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.” (v.3)
The LORD favored Abel’s but not Cain’s. So, Cain was “very angry and his face was downcast.” (v.5) He was probably jealous. Maybe Cain had a problem before this even happened. I’m sure God saw something in Cain’s heart that made his offering unfavorable. Verse 3 says, “Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to God.” Verse 4 says, “But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.”
The implication here is that Abel gave God the best of his best – fat, not lean and first, not leftovers. Cain just brought some.
Abel chose to give to God with a thoughtful, appreciative heart. Cain just gave because he had to give. It was expected. It wasn’t in his heart.
So Abel’s gift was accepted by God, but Cain’s was not.
Do you understand what is going on here? Both men brought an offering. It looked the same from the outside. It was given to God in the same outward manner, just as we would outwardly drop money in the offering plate on Sunday morning. What was different was the attitude in which they gave. That is not outward and may not have been visible to anyone looking on. Attitude is a matter of the heart and only God can see directly into the heart.
God saw right through Cain’s greedy heart and he refused to accept what was not given in faith, with a right heart. He did not consume Cain’s offering. Imagine God spewing offering envelopes right out the plate on Sunday morning because someone didn’t give from the heart. That would be a sight. There might be envelopes flying everywhere.
The message here is not one of condemnation though. God told Cain, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” (v.7) God wants us to get it right. We have to be willing to let Him show us where our hearts are wrong. He can fix our hearts if we will let Him.
Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart.” How do we do that? It’s not easy to guard our giving hearts in this place we live in. There is too much floating around to tempt our desires. New clothes. New cars. Bigger houses. Better toys. Luxurious vacations. Propaganda catches us on every corner. How can we not be sucked into those ideas and still give to our LORD with a grateful heart? How can we be an Abel instead of a Cain?
I don’t think the answer lies with us. It lies with God. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
The peace of God will guard your heart!
Cain’s problem was a heart issue, not an offering issue. Cain didn’t ask God to help him with it, either, and it led to many other disastrous things. The offering given without respect was only the beginning.
God wants us to have a right heart. He’s willing to help us. He promises to help us. All we must do is present our request for a heart make-over to God through prayer and petition and with thanksgiving and His peace will guard our hearts.
Let’s do this. Let’s ask for a heart like His.
We were studying Cain and Abel in our Sunday school lesson yesterday. In Genesis chapter 4 both Cain and Abel brought an offering to God. They each brought the fruits of their labor. Cain brought “fruits of the soil” since he was a farmer. Abel brought “fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.” (v.3)
The LORD favored Abel’s but not Cain’s. So, Cain was “very angry and his face was downcast.” (v.5) He was probably jealous. Maybe Cain had a problem before this even happened. I’m sure God saw something in Cain’s heart that made his offering unfavorable. Verse 3 says, “Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to God.” Verse 4 says, “But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.”
The implication here is that Abel gave God the best of his best – fat, not lean and first, not leftovers. Cain just brought some.
Abel chose to give to God with a thoughtful, appreciative heart. Cain just gave because he had to give. It was expected. It wasn’t in his heart.
So Abel’s gift was accepted by God, but Cain’s was not.
Do you understand what is going on here? Both men brought an offering. It looked the same from the outside. It was given to God in the same outward manner, just as we would outwardly drop money in the offering plate on Sunday morning. What was different was the attitude in which they gave. That is not outward and may not have been visible to anyone looking on. Attitude is a matter of the heart and only God can see directly into the heart.
God saw right through Cain’s greedy heart and he refused to accept what was not given in faith, with a right heart. He did not consume Cain’s offering. Imagine God spewing offering envelopes right out the plate on Sunday morning because someone didn’t give from the heart. That would be a sight. There might be envelopes flying everywhere.
The message here is not one of condemnation though. God told Cain, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” (v.7) God wants us to get it right. We have to be willing to let Him show us where our hearts are wrong. He can fix our hearts if we will let Him.
Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart.” How do we do that? It’s not easy to guard our giving hearts in this place we live in. There is too much floating around to tempt our desires. New clothes. New cars. Bigger houses. Better toys. Luxurious vacations. Propaganda catches us on every corner. How can we not be sucked into those ideas and still give to our LORD with a grateful heart? How can we be an Abel instead of a Cain?
I don’t think the answer lies with us. It lies with God. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
The peace of God will guard your heart!
Cain’s problem was a heart issue, not an offering issue. Cain didn’t ask God to help him with it, either, and it led to many other disastrous things. The offering given without respect was only the beginning.
God wants us to have a right heart. He’s willing to help us. He promises to help us. All we must do is present our request for a heart make-over to God through prayer and petition and with thanksgiving and His peace will guard our hearts.
Let’s do this. Let’s ask for a heart like His.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Some Faith Verses
My first memory verse for January is Hebrews 11:1.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
I've been working on remembering this one but I keep running across a verse I wrote on a card and stuck in my Bible. I've been using it as a book mark so my eyes skim across it every time I look at it and today it dawned on my how it fits my memory verse. Isaiah 40:31(b) says: "
. . . but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength . . ."
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for . . ." Our hope is for the LORD and faith is being sure of the LORD.
It's funny how these two fit together - or at least to me they did.
Another faith verse I found this morning:
Romans 1:17
"For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith." (quoting Habakak 2:4)
I'm sure I've picked the right verse to memorize first this year. A year of faith. Hum . . .that could be scary.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
I've been working on remembering this one but I keep running across a verse I wrote on a card and stuck in my Bible. I've been using it as a book mark so my eyes skim across it every time I look at it and today it dawned on my how it fits my memory verse. Isaiah 40:31(b) says: "
. . . but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength . . ."
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for . . ." Our hope is for the LORD and faith is being sure of the LORD.
It's funny how these two fit together - or at least to me they did.
Another faith verse I found this morning:
Romans 1:17
"For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith." (quoting Habakak 2:4)
I'm sure I've picked the right verse to memorize first this year. A year of faith. Hum . . .that could be scary.
____________
A picture of my guys hunting at the club yesterday:
Friday, January 2, 2009
What Pleases God?
Here is a possibility for the devotional book I'm writing as a fundraiser for our summer mission trip. Let me know what you think.
___________
While reading in Ephesians chapter 5 one day, I ran across these words in verse 10: “and find out what pleases the Lord.”
“LORD, what pleases you?” I wrote at the top of my journal page, for I want to do whatever would please my LORD and savior.
I found the answer in Romans chapter 4. Verse 3 says: “What does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (quoting Genesis 15:6 here.) It was Abraham’s faith in God, not his upholding of the law that pleased God and prompted God to bless Abraham. Paul uses the rest of chapter 4 to explain that it is the same with us. It is our faith in Jesus Christ that pleases God.
Faith is credited to us as righteousness and righteousness pleases the LORD. Romans 4:22 says, “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but if faith is what it takes to please God, I want it and lots of it. But, I think that believing in and believing are two different things. Did you notice that in verse 3 Paul said, “Abraham believed God”, not believed in God? Believing in is knowing something exists. (Do you believe in God?) Believing is trusting, having faith in. (Do you put your trust in God and have faith in everything He tells you?)
Think about that? Do you?
Have you read enough in His word to know what He says?
Do you believe God when it comes to your own life?
When God says, “Thou shalt not steal” or “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy,” do you believe Him? Do you believe he desires to have a relationship with you? Do you believe he sent His only son to pay for your sins?
If you do, then you’ll do what He commands. You’ll take Him for His word. You’ll know His promises are the truth.
Do we believe God? If we do, we’re going to take this thing seriously – very seriously because we don’t want to be playing with fire.
If we are casual about believing God, we are crazy. He is NOT casual about us. He is a watchful parent. He has drawn the lines and made the way. His path is established. If we believe, we understand His expectations, His rewards, His wrath and His love for us.
Faith pleases the LORD. Let us be people of deep water faith.
Pray with me . . .
LORD, I know that I am a sinner. You have shown me ___________ about myself. Please forgive me. I believe that Jesus died to pay for my sins. He died to redeem me. Thank you for your gracious gift. I accept it, even though I do not deserve it. It is nothing I’ve earned, but instead, a gift from you. I believe you LORD. I believe your promises. Please build my faith. I want to please you. Give me a hunger for you. I want to know you fully. Show me where I falter and lead me back to you. I want to do your will. Thank you for your blessings. Thank you for your love. In Jesus perfect, loving name I pray. . .
Scripture to read: Romans 4:1-5:2.
___________
While reading in Ephesians chapter 5 one day, I ran across these words in verse 10: “and find out what pleases the Lord.”
“LORD, what pleases you?” I wrote at the top of my journal page, for I want to do whatever would please my LORD and savior.
I found the answer in Romans chapter 4. Verse 3 says: “What does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (quoting Genesis 15:6 here.) It was Abraham’s faith in God, not his upholding of the law that pleased God and prompted God to bless Abraham. Paul uses the rest of chapter 4 to explain that it is the same with us. It is our faith in Jesus Christ that pleases God.
Faith is credited to us as righteousness and righteousness pleases the LORD. Romans 4:22 says, “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but if faith is what it takes to please God, I want it and lots of it. But, I think that believing in and believing are two different things. Did you notice that in verse 3 Paul said, “Abraham believed God”, not believed in God? Believing in is knowing something exists. (Do you believe in God?) Believing is trusting, having faith in. (Do you put your trust in God and have faith in everything He tells you?)
Think about that? Do you?
Have you read enough in His word to know what He says?
Do you believe God when it comes to your own life?
When God says, “Thou shalt not steal” or “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy,” do you believe Him? Do you believe he desires to have a relationship with you? Do you believe he sent His only son to pay for your sins?
If you do, then you’ll do what He commands. You’ll take Him for His word. You’ll know His promises are the truth.
Do we believe God? If we do, we’re going to take this thing seriously – very seriously because we don’t want to be playing with fire.
If we are casual about believing God, we are crazy. He is NOT casual about us. He is a watchful parent. He has drawn the lines and made the way. His path is established. If we believe, we understand His expectations, His rewards, His wrath and His love for us.
Faith pleases the LORD. Let us be people of deep water faith.
Pray with me . . .
LORD, I know that I am a sinner. You have shown me ___________ about myself. Please forgive me. I believe that Jesus died to pay for my sins. He died to redeem me. Thank you for your gracious gift. I accept it, even though I do not deserve it. It is nothing I’ve earned, but instead, a gift from you. I believe you LORD. I believe your promises. Please build my faith. I want to please you. Give me a hunger for you. I want to know you fully. Show me where I falter and lead me back to you. I want to do your will. Thank you for your blessings. Thank you for your love. In Jesus perfect, loving name I pray. . .
Scripture to read: Romans 4:1-5:2.
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