Week Forty - Naptime

My life seems to go in cycles. At times, it is very quiet. I get lonely and wonder if I am producing anything of value. At other times, I can barely keep up. I grow weary and wonder if I am producing anything of value. These times of busyness require me to set aside time for rest. Without it, I collapse emotionally and spiritually, and my body revolts!

I don't know who wrote this, but I read, "Jesus was never too busy to take a nap." I like that! I can power nap and keep going. So did He!

But the writer didn't stop with napping. He said, "Jesus was never too busy to come aside to pray, to have a meal and cook for the disciples, and to have time for one-to-one meetings." I wished he'd stopped at napping!

How often do we find ourselves saying we are too busy to pray? We rush through our devotions, tick off our prayer list, and hurry into what we have prioritized for the day. That is not our Lord's example. He lingered in prayer, even praying all night through. Prayer was His time with His Father; it was His source of strength and time of reflection. It's where He got His marching orders.

And do we make excuses, saying we are too busy to serve others? Is an unexpected guest met with frustration? Is cooking for the family an annoyance, cutting into something you prioritize over them?

And when a needy friend calls, does your face grimace while on the phone? Are you half-listening while you do other things you consider more important? If they show up at your door, do you take time to sit and listen? If they ask you to meet for coffee, do you go with a time limit in mind? Are you too busy to give your time?

Jesus was never too busy. Yet, He was very busy, so busy that the Bible says they had no time to eat, but that didn't stop Him from giving a measure of time to those in need. His business was others - not Himself. That is the difference.

When I am too busy, I become so self-focused and task-oriented that I am tempted to dismiss the needs of those around me, as I become overly focused on my goals and to-do list. And if I am interrupted, I become annoyed. Jesus was never annoyed when people called to Him. 

Perhaps naptime was how He maintained His focus. Maybe naptime is a biblical remedy for busyness! Are you too busy to take a nap? Then you're too busy!

Week Thirty-Nine - Common and Uncommon

Years ago, missionary friend Larry Quade preached a message during a fellowship meeting here in England that really spoke to my heart. He had a section in his sermon comparing common faith to uncommon faith. This was the part that sent my mind racing. It was a challenge I've always remembered. The other day I came across notes from his sermon, and I'd love to walk with you through them. He said,

Common faith has you go a mile. Uncommon faith has you go two miles or more.

Common faith has you love your brothers and sisters in the Lord. Uncommon faith has you love your enemies.

Common faith has you give. Uncommon faith has you give sacrificially.

Common faith has you walking your Christian life. Uncommon faith has you run the race.

Common faith has you to pray. Uncommon faith has you praying without ceasing.

Common faith causes you to rejoice. Uncommon faith has you rejoicing always.

Common faith has you give thanks. Uncommon faith has you give thanks in everything.

Common faith wants you to refrain from evil. Uncommon faith has you refrain from "all appearance" of evil.

Even as I think through these today, I am challenged to measure my faith. Common faith takes me through each day, but uncommon faith sets my sights above. My mind floods with more comparisons. 

Bro. Quade said, "Ordinary Christians ask God why and how. The extraordinary say, it doesn't matter why or how, God said it, so I'll do it. Why be satisfied with the ordinary or common faith, when you can have the best and most satisfying faith, the faith with a difference, uncommon faith?

I want to never be satisfied with common faith. It reminds me of the portion where Jesus said, "Even the world does good to each other, but the children of God go the extra mile, give without expectation of return, love their enemies, and show respect to others" (Paraphrased, Matthew 7:40-48).

Common faith will get you by, but the true riches of Christ are only tasted by the practice of uncommon faith. On which side are you settled?

Week Thirty-Eight - Hedged In

England overflows with beautiful countryside, rolling hills, rock fences, and quaint farms, all with an almost effervescent green haze, but hedges too often block your view. My mother-in-law even said, "It is a beautiful place, except for the hedges." Nevertheless, I count my lucky stars to live on such a luscious isle. 

Dick Brogen's devotional began talking about being hedged in, but he wasn't referring to physical hedges. His thoughts were about God's hedge - the one He places around His children. 

His thoughts are drawn from Psalm 139. In verse one, God has searched and known us. In verse two, He knows when we sit up, get up, and what we think. In verse three, He knows where we go and when we lie down, and He knows all our ways. Verse four tells us He knows every idle word, and most marvelous of all, in verse five, "Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me." To beset is to hedge in.

Brogen then draws for us three beautiful thoughts based on the truth that God knows us and has us surrounded by His love.

Because God knows us, we do not need others to know us. Our culture perpetuates the notion that if we aren't recognized for something, we're worthless. We are told to promote ourselves, sell our idea, and put ourselves out there, but you'll be hard-pressed to find this ideology in God's Word. "These pathetic cries for attention are not necessary if we are secure in being known by Jesus. When we understand that Jesus knows us intimately and loves us deeply - despite what He knows about us - this alleviates any need to be known and exalted by others." God's love and knowledge of us are enough.

Because God knows us, we keep no secrets. In other words, we have nothing to hide. That doesn't mean we need to air our dirty laundry; it means we need not fear the dirt. Those skeletons in the closet are silenced when we hand them over to God. He knows all about them, and they don't intimidate Him. He isn't ashamed of His children.

Because we are hedged in, we are free. Most people don't like the idea of being confined or having boundaries. They believe restraint removes freedom, but the opposite is true. "Only those who embrace the limits of God have rest, joy, and freedom. To have no boundaries is to be in the prison of insecurity and doubt. When God hedges us in from behind, we have the assurance that we will not falter, fail, or return to our vomit. When God hedges us in before, we have the assurance that we will not go outside of His will or His pleasure. We can run, abandoned and protected. There are no cliffs to fall off." We are fully protected and free to venture with God wherever He calls us.

Physical hedges may obscure our view, but the hedge of God enhances our view. The sky is the limit with God, for with Him, all things are possible. Are you living with the knowledge that He is before, beside, and behind you? Do you rest and enjoy life knowing you are hedged in by His love?

Adapted from Live/Dead, by Dick Brogden

Week Thirty-Seven - What Do You Want?

One of the first verses I claimed as a young Christian was Psalm 37:4, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." I didn't have any big tangible desires like a huge house or a fancy car, but what I wanted was the intangible: happiness, contentment, joy in knowing my life was good and blessed by God. My delight was to serve, to be a part of the church family, and to see God at work around me. 

As time went by, God planted further desires in my heart. I wanted to be a missionary, and He granted me that desire. I wanted to have a happy home and raise children who would become good citizens and love the Lord, and He gave me that desire. I wanted to remain faithful in the ministry He had given me, and for over forty years, He has met that desire. How could I ever doubt He would continue to bless as I continue to delight in Him?

What we long for matters. If our attention and focus on life remain solely on the tangible, that may be all we have. We cannot take cars and houses with us when we leave this world. One storm, one flood, one fire, as we have so lately seen, and they are swept away. But what we focus on that is intangible and eternal can never be taken away from us. 

Psalm 37:37 reads, "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace." Do you want a peaceful life? Then your focus will be directed toward a blameless life. The approval of others is not your concern. The approval of God is your priority. And when our desire or focus is shifted to Him, we enter a world of peace. The striving to please or appease others ceases, and God becomes our peace.

Psalm 37:39 reads, "But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble." The desire for righteousness leads to strength in troubled times. When we face hard times or find ourselves at odds with others, we run to the Lord, knowing He will give us strength and wisdom to endure or forgive. He is the lifter up of our head, our shield, and protector. When our desire is for righteousness, we walk carefully and thoughtfully.

Psalm 37:40 reads, "And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him." Trust isn't usually our automatic response when faced with wickedness. We typically want to fight or run, but the Lord asks us to trust Him. Sometimes we may be required to speak up. At other times, we must remain silent. But no matter, our trust must be in Him, not ourselves. He promises to help and deliver; we must trust that promise. God is delighted when we trust Him.

Do you desire peace? Strength? Help? If so, God promises to grant those desires. The only prerequisites are delight and trust. God will never fail to keep His promises, so you can safely put your delight, joy, and hope in Him. 

Jesus gives us this promise about the things we want in Matthew 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." 

Psalm 37:23 reads, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and he delighteth in his way." Is that what you want? For God to delight in you? Then set your delight in Him, and watch what He can do! 

Week Thirty-Six - A Better Life

Psalm 63:3 says God's lovingkindness is "better than life." His thoughts and actions toward us are better than anything we can imagine. His loving care surpasses anything we consider precious or good, for all He has, all He is, and all He gives far outweigh and surpass our highest reality and enjoyment.

 "God's lovingkindness is better than food, better than peace, better than comfort, better than travel, better than sports, better than marriage, better than adventure, better than nature, better than every good thing we enjoy." (Dick Brogden)

We can't begin to fathom the fullness of Jesus' lovingkindness until we let go of the life we have made for ourselves. Life, as we designed it, is still too affected by sin and self. 

Are you trying to live with Jesus and for yourself? It won't work. It is impossible to run in two different directions at the same time. A better life comes only by living in one direction.

A life that is "better than life" is only truly realized in heaven, but we can begin to experience it now as we live under the shadow of His presence, where there is no iniquity and offense. We enter a better life not by trying to be good, but by accepting what Jesus has done for us and using our energy to seek Him.

A better life is marked by lips that praise Him. Lips that acknowledge the Lord. Lips that render thanksgiving. Lips that seek to bless Him by every word spoken.

And a better life is marked by practical living based on holiness and compliance with God’s Word. Does your life honor Him? Do your daily choices bring you into the place of blessing - where you are living out a better life?

A better life is marked by a soul that is satisfied with Jesus. Godliness with contentment - that is great gain. That is the goal of the better life. And it is evidenced in simplicity, a focus on Christ alone, rest in Him, and the absence of temporal clutter.

Some aspects of a better life can be experienced while on this earth, but oh, for the blessed promise of the better life to come. 1 Corinthians 2:9, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into he heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." or as Isaiah 64:4 says, "those that waiteth for him."

That eternal better life is coming, but that doesn't mean we can't taste a bit of it while we are here. He came to give us life, and to give it more abundantly now. You don't have to wait; draw near to Him, rest your soul in Him, seek His presence, and see if life doesn't get better day by day.

Adapted from: Live/Dead by Dick Brogden