Week Five - Ouch

The other day, I walked into the corner of a countertop, resulting in a deep bruise that lingered for several days. I am being more careful now! Bruises are evidence of contact with another object, and I definitely made contact with that countertop.

Bruises in life are the same. They are evidence of contact with another object and sometimes leave evidence behind.

1 Peter 1:6 reads, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations."

The word through does not mean a place and time. It means we are in the problem. It could read, "heaviness in or by manifold temptations." These things leave their mark, but Peter tells us to rejoice during those times. 

I didn't rejoice when my leg connected with that countertop, but my bruise lasted only a season. It didn't stop me from getting on with life. And most of the bruises we experience, whether physical, spiritual, or emotional, are the same. They only last for a while, leaving no enduring mark once they are past.

But some bruises do make a mark. They change our thoughts, relationships, and sometimes even our future.

Spurgeon comments about the bruises of life, saying, "It is that breaking down of the spirit, that pulling down of the strong man, that is the every fester of the soreness of God's scourging - 'the blueness of the wound, whereby the soul is made better.'"  

He is quoting Proverbs 20:30, which reads, "The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly." A bruise heals; its blueness is the body's cleansing of the injury.

We don't like that breaking down of the spirit or the idea of weakness, much less God's correction, but these bruises make us stronger and better. They are necessary to our maturing and spiritual growth.

Spurgeon gives four reasons why heaviness, bruises, and temptations are necessary and often beneficial.

1. Through them, we learn the fellowship of Christ's sufferings. Our bruises will never be as great as His, but as we experience heaviness and suffering, we are linked with His suffering, the man who was in all points tempted as we are and yet overcame. Through Him, we, too, can be overcomers.

2. Pride and self-sufficiency are snipped in the bud when we experience heaviness during our troubles. A dose of humble pie goes a long way to keeping us kinder and sweeter. Only as we yield to God's hand in suffering do we understand our place and find contentment in it.

3. Through heaviness in manifold temptations, we often learn lessons we would not otherwise learn. In my life, depression taught me more than any years of happiness ever had. I still remember the lessons I learned and the God I came to know. Though it was a dark place and one I would not want to repeat, it was one of those "needed" places. I would not have developed as strong a relationship with my Saviour without going through the dark valley, so I rejoice in it now!

4. Hardships, bruises, and dark times increase our ability to sympathize and empathize with others experiencing similar valleys. These bruises make us better friends, parents, and even Christian workers. We can comfort and point each other to hope in Christ, hope that carried us through the valley and will carry them, too.

So, let's not fear the bruise. It holds God's purpose for our good. We can even rejoice because it is evidence that God is at work in our lives, cleansing, preparing, and humbling us for greater service. 

And next time you are close to a countertop - be careful!

Week Four - There's More Ahead

The book of Joshua has been my study since the first part of this year. I came to chapter eleven, which reads, "So Joshua took the whole land according to all that the Lord said unto Moses." The chapter lists 31 kings, and all the cities and areas now conquered. 

It sounds good to think they have conquered Canaan and are settled now on both the east and west sides of the Jordon, but then we come to chapter 13. Joshua is old, but God says, "There remaineth yet very much land to be possessed." God lists vast areas of land and kingdoms to the north, south, and further west of their current position still for the taking.

God knows there is much yet ahead of them. As a matter of fact, most of the rest of the book of Joshua lines out more of who gets what and how they divide up the land.

I got to thinking about the realization that all they had conquered was not enough--God had more. His promise was all the land of Canaan, not just enough for them to be satisfied with. But they had to conquer that land and do their part by believing in God's promise and acting upon it in faith.

How often are we guilty of settling for what we have? I'm not talking about being content but being expectant. We are to be content but also pressing forward. The two are not contradictory.

When we settle for what we have and grow complacent, we fail to claim our riches in Christ. When we rejoice and give thanks for what we have with the expectation of God's continued blessing, we get closer to what God is talking about.

God didn't want Israel to stop there - to settle with just enough. He wanted them to have the whole thing. And He wants us to have the whole thing! To know the fullness of His Spirit, to recognize His hand upon our lives, and to be overcomers!

God has more for us than we imagine. So why do we settle?  Laziness? Fear? Unsure about how to move forward? Tired of the battle? None of these excuses hold sway with God. He expects us to keep growing, keep following, and keep conquering.

His cry to us, as it was to the Israelites, is to be strong and courageous. 1 Corinthians 16:13 says, "Quit you like men." It means to be venturous, to stand, to conquer. Let's continue forward into 2025, strong and courageous. There remaineth yet very much ahead.

PS - for me? Ahead is another devotional book called 50 More Bible Words. It is with the editor now. That will determine how much more work needs to be done, but I'm excited to think this may be ready for publication this year. Meanwhile, we are booked to teach in many places and continue serving the Lord.

Week Three - When Joy is Gone

What kills your joy? Trials, disappointments, fear of the future, debt, poor health? So many things come in life to challenge our joy and, sometimes, even kill it. But when joy is gone, we still have hope of its return. Why? Because joy is a fruit of the Spirit, and therefore, as we draw closer to the Spirit, He renews our joy despite our circumstances.

For my Bible reading, I read one chapter daily, and after I read, I create my own devotional commentary. Deuteronomy 12 was my reading the other day, and I noticed the word "rejoice" repeated. The children of Israel were to rejoice in all they put their hands to (vs. 7, 18) and rejoice before the Lord with their family and household (vs 12, 18). This rejoicing was based on their recognition of God's provision and directly linked to their obedience as they kept themselves away from the influences of the ungodly societies in Canaan land.

Innocence and purity hold great joy. When we experience the presence of evil, see it, read it, and participate in it, joy departs. Keeping ourselves unspotted by the world, according to James 1:27, is evidence of purity. So, if your joy is waning, this might be a good place to look first. Do you need to clean up your act and observe to do what God commands? Remember, the blessing is on the other side of obedience.

As I studied on that day, I came to another truth about joy. Trials do not inhibit joy because God's children know to run home when the storm comes. Poor old Job faced much affliction, but his prayer was not "Oh, that I might be healed, or even, O, that I might have my children and property restored. Job's cry was, "Oh, that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!" (Job 23:3). It is the spiritual instinct of God's children to seek shelter beneath His wings. 

Spurgeon said, "A hypocrite, when afflicted by God, resents the infliction and like a slave, would run from the Master who has scourged him; but not so the true heir of heaven, he kisses the hand which struck him, and seeks shelter from the rod in the bosom of the God who frowned upon him."

That's where the joy comes from, from the God of all comfort, the God who sees and desires to bless.

Spurgeon continues, "Turning away with bitter scorn from earth's hives, where we find no honey, but many sharp stings, we rejoice in Him whose faithful word is sweeter than honey or the honeycomb. In every trouble, we should first seek to realize God's presence with us. Only let's enjoy His smile, and we can bear our daily cross with a willing and joyful heart for His dear sake. Nothing teaches us so much the preciousness of the Creator as when we learn the emptiness of all besides.

So, when joy seems gone, examine your obedience and then run to your Saviour, the One who restores the joy of your salvation!

Week Two - World Shakers

Many people on social media, in the news, governments, and elsewhere are noticed as world shakers. And truly, some of them hold the potential to shake things up. On the other hand, we have less visible influence, but without us, without our underpinning, those folks would be nothing—they'd have no followers to impress!

Does that mean we have no voice, no responsibility, no influence? Hardly. What we do with our lives matters. There are qualities we need to emulate that will shake our world, qualities that create a better place to live and increase our effectiveness for Christ.

The first quality we need is courage. Stepping out by faith in the face of rejection takes courage. No one wants to be rejected or overlooked, and sometimes our paths are full of opposition, but the strong Christian takes heart. As they rejected Christ, so they will reject us. Let that not matter at all. Let our heart's desire be faithfulness, and courage will rise. 

We need unwavering trust in Christ. Paul said, "None of these things move me" (Acts 20:24). He wouldn't be deterred from trusting the Lord. He desires to be strong in faith, nothing wavering. "For the Lord Jehovah will help me; therefore have I not been confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame" (Isaiah 50:7).

We need a clean slate, no hidden sin. Our words and meditations must be pure; our actions and motivations sincere. Our lives must be upright to make a world-shaking difference for Christ.

The world shaker has complete confidence in the battle, knowing God is able and counts on God in advance. When you know you are where God wants you to be and doing what God has ordained for you to do, you can rest your confidence in Him. He promised to work on your behalf.

Another quality of a world shaker is contentment. You are content that you have the right message, the truth of God, and you rest there. Your life choices indicate contentment, and as you study and apply God's Word, you find even a deeper source of contentment.

Have you met anyone with these qualities? Do you marvel at them? Do they shake your perceptions? They should. 

You don't have to be on the public stage to be a world shaker. Your home and workplace are your platform. From there, you make a difference. And the more of us that set our hearts to this task, the greater the influence overall. 

Have courage, unwavering trust, purity, confidence, and contentment in the Lord, and He can use you to be a world-shaker in your realm.

Week One - Gifts

Each day of 2024 and of 2025 ahead is a gift, watered by God's hand and designed for His glory. For us, the days look endless and maybe even ominous because we don't know what they hold. We see through the glass dimly and tremble at the future, but our Lord doesn't tremble. He doesn't see dimly; He sees with perfect clarity. How beautiful can our rest be when we entrust the days ahead to Him! We can rejoice and delight in the Lord. Instead of opening the year with dread, we open it with the sweet strains of joy and the brightness of a cymbal. We have arrived at 2025!

Spurgeon says, "We, the called, faithful, and chosen, will drive away our griefs and set up our banners of confidence in the name of God. Let others lament over their troubles; we who have the sweetening tree to cast into Marah's bitter pool will joyfully magnify the Lord. We will rejoice and delight: two words: with one sense, double bliss, blessedness upon blessedness."  

What will your year look like? No one can tell you, but I can assure you that your mindset holds great sway over how your days progress. You can choose to be blessed, grateful, excited, thankful, and happy.  You can create rest and peace. Or you can create drama. 

You have 365 days to make a difference in your life and the lives of those under your influence. What will you do? How will you use your time? The gift of this year is yours. Should God allow you to have the full days, measure them out with joy. Move through them in faith and set your heart to thankfulness. Rejoice and delight! Then, meet me here next year, and we'll share all God has done!

Week Fifty Two - The Big Day

It's Christmas morning, a time filled with the delightful anticipation of a joyous day. For some, the day begins with the rise of mom and dad and the delightful squeals of wide-eyed children rushing down the stairs. Amidst the flood of wrapping paper and thrills of joy, the cherished Christmas traditions come to life. 

But let's pause a moment and remember that Big Day in Bethlehem. Out on the hillside, the shepherds are quietly tending their sheep.

"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy; which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. (Luke 2:8-16).

What a Big Day that was! We can sing with the shepherds and the angelic chorus, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given! (Isaiah 9:6) His was a miraculous conception, the fulfillment of God's promise, and the hope of all mankind. God with us. 

As Spurgeon says, "God with us in our nature, in our sorrow, in our life work, in our punishment, in our grave, and now with us, or rather we with Him, in resurrection, ascension triumph, and coming splendor." 

Jesus's birth was a big, momentous day. Let's not let the splendor of His birth be overshadowed by Christmas traditions. Before you partake in your festive meal, take a moment to offer a prayer of thanks. Discuss the true significance of the season with your loved ones, and as you rest your head at the end of this joyous day, let it be filled with gratitude and praise for God's unspeakable gift.

Week Fifty One - Stranger Danger

In Deuteronomy 10, Moses reminds Israel of their history and challenges them to remain faithful to God, fear Him, walk in His ways, love and serve Him, and obey the commandments. This is something oft-repeated! And it makes for good advice for us as well, but in verse 19, Moses adds a little reminder for Israel—one that we might benefit from today.

"Love ye therefore the stranger" (Deuteronomy 10:19).

When we follow the history of Israel, we see they did not love the stranger. They grew so insular that they would not touch the unclean; any non-Jew was considered unclean. They would not enter their houses, eat their food, or even rub shoulders with them. They took stranger danger to the extreme and became a stumbling block to spreading faith in God.

Now, lest we condemn them too quickly, we would be wise to examine our own Christianity. How often do we allow pride to slip in? We love, obey, and worship God, but push away strangers. We fear things outside our control, things we don't understand. We grow so separated that we exist only in our Christian bubble and have no room for any strangers.

As Bethlehem bustled with excitement, Mary and Joseph faced rejection. There was no room for the strangers arriving in town. We think the innkeeper is heartless, but he doesn't know who is at his doorstep.
How could he? And how can we know who God places before us?

Strangers are arriving on our doorsteps, towns, and churches. Will we turn them away? Will we not "touch" the unclean? Because they are not like us, will we push them away? Are we so separated that mercy only extends to those who agree with us or look like us? 

Deuteronomy 10:18 says God "loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment." Are we willing to do the same?

So here's the challenge: To fulfill the Great Commission's demands, we must interact with strangers. You cannot give someone the Gospel or hope to build an opportunity to witness without personal interaction. 
Don't let stranger danger keep you from sharing God's Word or opening your hand of mercy.