It Ceases to Be a Gift

July 18

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us … if it is con-

tributing to the needs of others, let him give generously.

Romans 12:6,8

Bobby was fifty-three and single. He owed two thousand dollars on student

loans, had three credit cards maxed out, and two signature loans totaling sev-

eral thousand dollars. The remarkable thing about his financial situation was

that all this debt was on behalf of other people. Bobby had literally taken on

the cash flow problems of others in an effort to help them out during tough

times. Bobby was a giver; he was always helping others out. People assumed

Bobby was wealthy; no one ever suspected he was going into debt on his or

her behalf.

He’d gotten started in this back-door philanthropy by helping his younger

brother pay off a high-interest loan.

A bean counter of sorts, Bobby enjoyed seeing people set free from the

financial burdens holding them back. When word would come about someone

in need, Bobby offered a gift large enough to meet the need. His credit report

was spotless, so he never had trouble financing his ministry.

One prior beneficiary had gone on to secure a home loan because of Bob-

by’s generosity. He offered to pay everything back, but Bobby had declined his

offer, saying, “If I allow you to pay me back, it ceases to be a gift.”

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Not many people would consider a small mountain of debt a blessing. But

Bobby did. And each day he went looking for ways to use his gift. Out of the

generosity of his heart, Bobby lifted the burdens of family, friends, and strang-

ers alike, anonymously giving through third parties when practical.

Today’s text says that each of us is gifted in some way. In it, Paul points out

that we are to use that gift to make other’s lives better. It is God’s desire that we

discover what our gift is, and that we put it to use.

Prayer

“Lord, show me what my gift is, then lead me to

a place of selfless desire to give of myself in light

of Your Great Gift. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 As Is

July 17

Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom.

Proverbs 23:23

The price was attractive, but something didn’t feel right. It could be either a

blessing or a sham. “I don’t know, Michael. This car should cost almost twice

the asking price,” Brice warned. “I can’t tell you what, but something’s not

right.”

“Aw, you’re just jealous ‘cause I found such a sweet deal! I’m buying this

car.” Having made up his mind, Michael secured a loan and purchased the

vehicle.

Three weeks later, the transmission began to slip. Taking the car to a local

dealership, he discovered the previous owner had taken steps to temporarily

hide the mechanical problem in order to sell the car.

Angry at being played for a fool, Michael called the man. “I’m returning

the car! You deceived me!” he accused.

Unfazed, the man responded, “You bought that car as is. As it is now yours,

I don’t care what you do with it. Sell it for all I care!” he said, chuckling as he

hung up.

What had looked like such a sweet deal had become one of the worst deals

Michael had ever made. He should have listened to the wisdom of his friend

and at least had the vehicle checked out before buying it.

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We live in a world where Satan influences some of the most harmless-looking

people. When we fail to be wise or refuse to listen to wise counsel, we can be

taken in. And to make matters worse, Satan gets us to attack ourselves. “You

deserve a break. Look how sweet this deal is!” he whispers. We shove aside our

doubts and bury the truth in denial for the glitter of the moment.

And when we’ve made the deal, he sits back, laughing. “You knew what

you were getting into. You bought the package as is. Now live with it!”

It’s tempting to sell ourselves short when something appealing, yet toxic,

appears. God exhorts us to purchase the truth and not exchange it for a seduc-

tive lie, to get wisdom and hang on to it with a relentless grip.

Prayer

“Help me listen for the truth in the midst of all the

lies, Lord. Then help me hang on to it. Amen.”

 Help Me Remain Humble

July 16

Have mercy on us, O Lord … for we have endured … much ridicule

from the proud … much contempt from the arrogant.

Psalm 123:3, 4

Kendal’s business partner was one of the most obstinate people he’d ever met.

The fact that he was his brother-in-law only made matters worse. Try as he

might, Kendal couldn’t seem to understand the man’s what-I-say-goes attitude.

He dominated the office; absolutely nobody tested his resolve. Because of his oppressive demeanor, they had lost several good employees over the past year.

No one, including Kendal, could reason with him. He would listen to what

you had to say and then look you straight in the eye and say, “If you have a

problem doing what I told you, I can get someone else in here to do your job!”

Kendal confided to his wife that her brother’s attitude had become so bad

that he didn’t know how much longer he could continue working in the stress-

filled atmosphere.

“Honey, I wake up each day not sure whether to say, ‘Good morning,

Lord’ or ‘Good Lord, it’s morning.

’ I don’t look forward to my work anymore.”

His brother-in-law’s attitude was emotionally draining, and he wasn’t willing

to compromise his sanity much longer. “Help me remain humble, Lord!” he

prayed.

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Many of us have worked for or know domineering employers who do not

understand how relationships are meant to work from an authority stand-

point. Somewhere along the line, they developed a need to dominate instead

of nurture.

In today’s text, the psalmist petitions God for mercy from the position of

a slave to his master on behalf of a people who have endured rough treatment

at the hand of oppressors.

We are not told how God answered their plea or what action they took, if

any, against those who abused them. We only know they were oppressed.

When faced with heavy-handed authority, Paul instructs us, for the sake

of the oppressors, to gracefully endure persecution (1 Corinthians 4:12), leaving

retribution to God so that He might bring change.

It is okay to cry out to God for relief as long as we remember our humble

witness may be needed a little bit longer.

Prayer

“Save me from oppression, Lord. And until that day,

give me grace to endure. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 A Pound of Salt

July 15

Let your conversation be … seasoned with salt, so that you may know

how to answer everyone.

Colossians 4:6

Neil had been looking for ways to witness to his neighbors. So when he

saw one of them using a rickety stepladder to remove a broken tree limb, he

grabbed one of his sturdy work ladders and headed over to help.

“Hey, Jeff ? I saw you using that old ladder and decided I couldn’t let you

do that when I have a much safer one. Here, let me help.” And with that, he set

up his six-foot fiberglass stepladder, positioned it where Jeff could safely reach

the big limb, and said, “Go ahead, I’ll hold it for you.”

Jeff asked one of his sons to lift the end of the heavy limb to remove pres-

sure at the cut so the saw wouldn’t bind. Neil, trying to help, told the young

man how to lift the limb. When instruction failed to bring the desired results,

Neil grabbed the limb and held it aloft, showing the young man what he’d

meant.

The limb was removed and dragged away. Neil took his ladder and returned

home, believing he had just shared the love of Christ.

Two days later, he met the son while walking, and when he spoke, the boy

did not answer. Disturbed, he asked what the problem was. The young man

admitted he had been embarrassed when Neil had taken over.

Neil had done the opposite of what he had intended.

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Too much salt tastes worse than none. Our best intentions, if not carefully

considered, can bring harm. Neil’s offer of the ladder, though well-intended,

exuded arrogance.

In his spontaneity, he hadn’t thought out how best to approach the oppor-

tunity. His desire to help was good, but he was ill advised in taking control of

circumstances. Instead of a dash of salt, he dumped out the whole shaker.

Our actions need filtered through the question, How will what I do affect

others?

What we do in the Lord’s name is meant to have a profound, positive

effect. We must take care to season and not saturate.

Prayer

“Lord, I never want to offend where I intend to show

people Your love. Help me listen for Your guidance

instead of rushing in ahead of You. Amen.”

 Fidelity

July 14

He who loves his wife loves himself.

Ephesians 5:28

“Flirting, however harmless you might feel about it, is still being unfaithful

to Gretchen,” Cal said. “It’s a temptation to take it a step further. Yes, it can

make you feel alive. It wouldn’t be tempting if it didn’t. But it’s wrong, Randy.

Gretchen deserves better. So do you.”

“But I don’t feel in love anymore,” Randy argued. “This other woman makes

me feel appreciated and understood. I don’t get that from Gretchen. I’m tired

of going through the motions.”

“You know, Randy, Patty and I felt the same way years ago. We’d lost the

spark, and it felt too much like work to pretend. But we stuck it out and allowed

God to lead us through counseling where we found out things had begun to

overshadow our love; we’d stopped communicating.

“Randy, when someone of the opposite sex pays attention to us in a way

our spouse hasn’t, we can easily form an unhealthy emotional bond. It feels

right, and it tempts us to give up in spite of the covenant we made. You’ve got

to fight the temptation,” Cal urged.

“How’d you get through it?” Randy asked.

“With a lot of work in God’s strength, and understanding that issues will

always raise themselves up to assault our marriage. We fought for what we

knew was right. And in the fighting, we learned that our love hadn’t died; it had

become bogged down by the issues we faced.”

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No-fault divorce, disillusionments, and annulments are easily granted and too

widely accepted. “If you aren’t happy, move on,” we say, putting our happiness

ahead of our spouse, our children, and our commitment.

Marriage is meant to be forever, not until we get tired.

Fidelity is standing in God’s strength instead of our own, holding ground

not meant to be given up. It’s where integrity is discovered and selfish ambi-

tions are laid to rest.

Fifty percent of today’s marriages end in divorce. Statistics say that eighty

percent of those who remarry will divorce again. You will take each unattended

issue wherever you go. Great reward can come from not giving in to selfish

desires. Stay and fight for what God ordained.

Prayer

“Weld my marriage to You, Lord. Help us stand

and fight instead of giving in to the temptations

of infidelity. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 For the Ages

July 13

Do not remove an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.

Proverbs 22:28

Lawrence was having a revelation as he leafed through the magazine. Beautiful,

well-manicured farms were showcased in this month’s issue. Two in particular

stood out as his favorites, their moss-covered boundaries bringing nostalgic

reminiscence.

His father had cautioned him to leave the stone fences outlining the prop-

erty intact. “You’ll miss them someday if you don’t, Lawrence,” he’d said. “And

an awful lot of work went into erecting them. It’d be a shame to lose ’em.”

The local stone quarry was paying good money for pallets of stone. They

bought the stones because it removed the raw harvest portion from the process

at the quarry, saving them machine usage and man-hours. They were more than

willing to pay for stones from the fences of the countryside. The fences would

always offer a quick way to make money.

Well, Lawrence hadn’t listened to his father. Constantly repairing the gaps

in the rocks where livestock tried to escape had been an aggravation. The same

year he inherited the farm, he began hauling away the stones. He wanted to

replace the rocks with up-to-date fences. “And besides,” he told himself, “the

money will help make the necessary upgrades.” The truth was, he still had to

mend fences. Broken wire didn’t stop wandering animals either.

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Each generation believes it has a better plan. So we set about re-laying the

foundations laid before us. And without much thought as to the why, we set

our minds to the task of making it ours! In the process, we sometimes lose pre-

cious ground our forefathers labored to gain on our behalf.

Youth is wonderful, yet impetuous. We have the curiosity and desire to do

great things, yet have not gained enough wisdom to temper our actions. We

haven’t lived enough to understand that some things should be left alone.

Heritage is a gift to be cherished, not a slight against our character. We are

to build upon the past in hopes of providing a better future. If we must make it

ours, then we should do it in connection with the past, not in place of it.

Prayer

“Thank You for my heritage, Lord. Upon it, with Your

guidance, we shall build a future for the ages. Amen. “

 Be Still

July 12

Be still, and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10

As Dell’s parents left the neurologist’s office, they were coming to grips

with the truth that Dell wasn’t going to outgrow this.

He had just been diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome, a neurological dis-

order that manifests itself through various involuntary motor tics and vocaliza-

tions. The head jerking and rapid eye blinking now had a name.

As time passed, they helped Dell adjust to each new tic and the frustration

it brought. They helped him develop coping skills for everything from home-

work to sleeping habits. It seemed like the battles would never end. And when

they asked for a tutor at school, their request was denied because Tourette’s was

not yet recognized as a learning disability. They were stunned.

It was difficult for Carolyn and Mark to watched Dell struggle, estranged

from his peers because of his tics, belittled because he was different.

As months turned into years, they continued to ask God to take away this

trying disorder that brought ridicule and tears. All God seemed to say was, “Be

still,” and in place of healing came grace.

As Dell matured, God’s purpose emerged, and the desired healing was for-

gotten. Dell was a man of compassion with deep conviction. An accomplished

musician, Dell graduated college with a degree in communications and music.

God had elevated Dell above his struggles.

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It’s easy to overlook the silver lining because we’re focused on the trial. Believ-

ing God has our best interest at heart can be a difficult thing, especially when

it involves our children. It’s easy to forget that God intimately understands our

heartache where our children are concerned.

How many of us would willingly have sent our only child to die for some-

thing he didn’t do, especially knowing he was going to die in place of the guilty

party?

When storms hammer us, it’s natural to cry out for deliverance. It’s not

natural to believe God would allow this to happen. So when we cry out only to

hear Him say, “Be still,” it doesn’t make much sense. Have faith.

God is inviting us, like the psalmist, to focus on Him. And though the

earth gives way … to not fear.

Prayer

“Lord, I have trouble trusting You when I can’t see Your

purpose. Help me to trust You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”