Good Stuff Spirituality

March 22

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many

kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops

perseverance.

James 1:2–3

Sarah gave cake and soda to her imaginary friends. Immediately following the

cake came candy; following the candy was punch and cookies. Two hours later,

Sarah, complaining of severe stomach cramps, was suffering from her sugar-

loaded free for all. 

Mom, unaware of what had taken place at the party, drove Sarah to the local emergency room. An hour later, with test results in hand, the physician asked, “Does Sarah have a history of diabetes? Her glucose level is pretty high.” Answering in the negative, Mom turned to Sarah and asked if she’d eaten anything following breakfast.

“Just good stuff, Mommy.” She spoke in a low groan. “What good stuff,

Sarah?” she asked. “Cookies, candy, cake, and pop stuff, Mommy.”

“Oh, Sarah! What were you thinking?” The anxiety was evident in Mom’s

voice. The doctor assured her that Sarah would be fine. But she needed to

restrict Sarah’s diet to nourishing, healthy food for a few days.

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Early in our spiritual maturation, we lack understanding. We want the good

stuff all the time. But seeking only God’s blessing is unhealthy. In His wisdom,

he knows better than to pander to our desires. He knows that trials and sorrow

will come. Without the tempering that struggles bring, we would be unable to

face the hard stuff that will come our way.

A baby chick must struggle against the shell while hatching in order to

gain the strength necessary to survive. If the chick is freed from its shell with-

out struggling, it will die. As a loving Father, God allows us just enough strug-

gles to build spiritual strength. Spiritual maturity comes from dealing with life.

The Christian walk is hard stuff; we build muscle by resistance. God would not

deprive us of the deepest relationship possible, and He will not leave us alone

in the battle.

Learning to lean on Jesus builds good stuff spirituality.

Prayer

“God of wisdom. We ask that You hold us as we meet the

hard stuff head on. Teach us to persevere. We want more than

a good stuff relationship with You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Anchored in God’s Love

March 21

For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him

through the death of his Son, how much more … shall we be saved

through his life!

Romans 5:10

Rebecca and Brook shared a unique bond. People found it ironic. They knew

it was anchored in God’s love. Rebecca’s son had been killed two years ago in

a traffic accident. He’d been T-boned by a car eluding police in a high-speed

chase.

Rebecca prayed for the young man who had taken her son’s life, asking

God to help her forgive him. She prayed for him to have a revelation of God’s

grace and healing power. 

When he was sentenced to prison, she began visiting, even bringing him a Bible. With each visit, Rebecca shared stories of her son’s life and how he had loved Jesus and served Him faithfully. During one of their visits, the young man gave his life to Christ. 

He shared how his mother had also come to know Jesus through someone’s selfless act of love, someone she had never met. He went on to tell Rebecca how, two years before, his mother had been the recipient of a heart transplant. It had changed her life. 

Before he finished, Rebecca knew—her son had been the donor, this young man’s mother the recipient. Shortly thereafter, Rebecca met Brook for the first time. 

They hugged silently in a tearful embrace. One weeping tears of grace, the other

tears of gratitude.

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Not bound by a heart of unforgiveness, Rebecca was able to show the love of

Jesus Christ to someone in desperate need of it. Being secure in the knowl-

edge that her son was safe in his Savior’s arms, she was able to show grace and

unmerited favor to someone the world would call her enemy.

Through the events that took her son’s life, Rebecca was able to see God’s

hand at work instead of becoming bitter at the loss of her child.

It can be difficult to ask God to help us do something so unnatural. We

cannot forgive this kind of wound in and of ourselves. We need divine assis-

tance. Had God waited until He felt like forgiving us, we would be damned

for eternity.

Prayer

“What shall we say, Lord, except thank You for Your mercy

and grace, Your unmerited forgiveness and favor! Amen.”

 Wise Men Seek Help

March 20

The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of under-

standing draws them out.

Proverbs 20:5

Mitch was considering a career change. He’d been collaborating with Drake,

seeking help instead of trying to figure it out all by himself. They had been

brought together by divine appointment and both felt God leading them to

pioneer new territory.

Mitch had an unquenchable desire to discover a deeper knowledge of how

he could affect the kingdom of God. That was where Drake came in. Drake was

a career consultant/counselor, a godly man with tremendous wisdom. He was

gifted with the ability to help unlock other people’s spiritual potential.

After several weeks of meeting together, God revealed what He intended

Mitch’s ministry to be. Mitch decided to share his intimate knowledge of the

depth of God’s grace with the world through writing. With a sordid past,

Mitch was able to explain God’s grace with profound understanding because

he had needed it so desperately.

Eighteen months later, with a newly published book, speaking engage-

ments across the country had been scheduled; they would generate enough

income to allow for future writing.

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The assertion “Wise men still seek Him” still holds true. Yet few choose to live

the life required to grasp and understand the deep mysteries of God. Those

mysteries are hidden for us, not from us.

God is a rewarder of those who hunger for His truth. We must recognize

that short of supernatural intervention, we need help unlocking those myster-

ies. His intention in revealing them is that we would learn from our discoveries.

Mitch knew he was being called to something deeper; Drake understood

how to discover what that was.

Pride and self-sufficiency has chained many a productive heart. God asks

us to come humbly seeking His will for our lives while enlisting the help of

others so the work we are called to might be accomplished.

Prayer

“Holy Spirit, set us free from the bondage of self. Help us to

not get caught up in our own version of wisdom. Teach us the

better way of joining with likeminded believers in an effort

to get at the marrow of Your nature. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Precious Time

March 19

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what

it says.

James 1:22

“Read the directions, Mikey!” Bruce hollered. “I can’t teach you everything.

Some things you just have to figure out on your own!”

Mikey was a question-a-minute kid, and Bruce didn’t feel up to it right

now. It had been a rough day, and all he wanted was to finish reading his devo-

tions before dinner.

“Dad?” persisted Mikey.

“For God’s sake, Mikey! Stop asking me questions! I told you read the

directions! Can’t you see I’m reading my Bible?”

Mikey saw. But what he heard was, “I don’t have time for you. What I’m

doing is more important.”

Mere seconds after Bruce’s outburst, God spoke to his heart; “My Son is

worth your time, so is yours.”

Bruce found Mikey sitting on the basement steps, rejection written all

over his little face. In his hand was a broken piece of the model he’d been

working on. “I’m so sorry, Mikey,” Bruce spoke softly. “I will always have time

for you,” he said as he wrapped his arm around his son’s shoulders. “Can you

forgive me for the hurtful things I said?”

Mikey’s bright smile and exuberant nod told Bruce this had been the right

thing to do. The next few minutes invested in his son would be priceless!

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Many times we allow our emotional and physical condition to reign over our

spiritual lives. None of us are innocent. Thank God children are so resilient!

But we can, and do, make the same mistakes with others we encounter on a

daily basis.

The chance to touch hurting people as they pass through our lives is incal-

culable. If slighted, they may not be as forgiving, and the moment may be lost.

God asks us to live out the gospel, to give of ourselves—meaning time and

possibly comfort—in an effort to raise others to a place they have never been,

confident that Someone else has their best interest at heart.

Our actions speak what our words cannot. Whether listening to a wounded

heart or assisting in a physical need, this scripture is a call to action.

Prayer

“In the beginning was the Word. Father, may the Word be

found active and alive in me. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 The Wounds of a Friend

March 18

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are

deceitful.

Proverbs 27:6

As Kevin sat at the bar kindling a conversation with the girl beside him, he

noticed Nathan come through the front door. Just great, he thought through

his alcohol-tainted brain. Now I get to listen to Nathan’s fidelity sermon.

Nathan moved up beside Kevin and spoke just loud enough for Kevin and

the girl to hear. “Hey, Kev. Missy was kinda wonderin’ what time you’d be home

for dinner. She and the kids were hopin’ you’d take them to the movies later.”

Kevin watched his chance for a late-night rendezvous end as the girl got

up and left. “What the hell do you think you’re doin’, Nate?” Kevin said heat-

edly, shoving Nathan against the bar.

“Kev, you’ll regret doin’ somethin’ stupid when you sober up. Come on.

You know an affair won’t solve anything. Missy deserves better than this from

you. All you’re gonna get from this kinda thing is trouble and heartache. The

worst is that Missy and the kids’ll pay the heaviest price.” Nathan led Kevin to

his car and drove him home, thankful that Kevin had not argued. It wasn’t the

first time he’d opposed Kevin’s loose lifestyle. He hoped and prayed it would

be the last.

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True friends don’t sit idly by and allow us to throw our lives away. When we

care enough to be involved in someone’s life, we have a responsibility to him. If

we see him making mistakes that could harm him or others, we have a respon-

sibility to intervene in love.

Nathan’s strength and wisdom had spoken truth through the alcohol’s

hazy temptation. Only the faithfulness of a true friend had prevented Kevin

from making a huge mistake. Out of all the men in the bar that night, many

whom Kevin considered friends, only one had proven worthy of the definition.

All, save one, thought his actions were acceptable.

True friends tell us the truth. Confronting a friend in love can be uncom-

fortable. But that discomfort is only temporary.

Prayer

“Lord, give me strength to be a true friend. Help me to

never look the other way when a friend’s life is at stake. May

You bless me with a friend as faithful as Jesus. Amen.”