Defending the Weak

November 3

Defend the cause of the weak … and oppressed.

Psalm 82:3

Marla sat in the corner of the lunchroom, away from the other kids. She

was unpopular and constantly reviled by her peers.

Teresa hated the insensitivity of her classmates. Angered by their actions,

she began sitting with Marla, which in turn, caused them to turn on her, too.

During an exceptionally unpleasant day, Marla asked her, “Why do you

stick up for me? Now they make fun of you as much as they do me.”

“For a couple reasons,” Teresa said. “One: what they’re doing is wrong.

Two: they’re ganging up on you. I refuse to let you stand against them alone. As

far as I know, you’ve never done anything to deserve their ridicule. Besides”—

she leaned closer—”something inside me burns when bullies attack in groups.”

“But don’t they hurt? You know, the words and gestures?” Marla asked.

“Aren’t you afraid?”

Teresa said, “Sure, it hurts when they call us names and make those vile

gestures. But I’m not afraid.” She saw Marla’s eyebrows rise. “Marla, don’t get

me wrong, I don’t like it. They’re cowards masquerading as thugs. But I don’t

get my affirmation from them. I get it from God. I’m not afraid because God

has given me peace about it. Yes, the words hurt. But I’m not who they say I am

and neither are you. I know that because of God’s loving encouragement. He

protects my heart from their insensitivity. God loves them too and wants them

to change. Until they do, He’s asked me to take a stand against small-minded

people.”

h

Without exception, we have all been bullies and been bullied. Someone or

something has paid the price of our insecurity, receiving undue ridicule, or we

ourselves have been on the receiving end.

Defending the rights of the weak is everyone’s responsibility. Yet fear of

man prevents many of us from taking the necessary action. It can be uncom-

fortable, unpleasant work standing up for someone not directly involved in our

life.

When faced with injustice, ask yourself: “If this were my sister, my brother,

or my child, would I stand aside and do nothing?”

Prayer

“Lord, may I never again be the oppressor. Help

me to always defend the rights of those who are

weak and oppressed. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Absolute Rebellion

November 2

The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and

rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished.

Numbers 14:18

Joe was still fuming about what just happened when Kathy, his girlfriend,

climbed in the car. “I’m done with them,” he asserted, “and their closed-minded

religion. It’s old school with obsolete morals. This is the twentieth century for

God’s sake!” He slammed his fist against the steering wheel.

Kathy tried to assuage his smoldering anger. “But it’s what they believe,

Joe. You may not adhere to their faith anymore, but surely you can understand

why they said no. I do.” Kathy was speaking to the point of Joe’s contention.

Joe’s parents believed sleeping together outside of marriage was a sin and had

just refused to allow Joe and Kathy to stay the night sleeping together under

their roof. The night had immediately deteriorated as Joe had stormed from the

house with Kathy apologizing before catching up.

Joe said, “No! I don’t understand! Christianity is archaic! Times have

changed! Can’t they see that?”

Kathy was concerned this fallout might place a wedge between Joe and his

parents if he couldn’t come to grips with this.

As it turned out, Kathy’s concerns were well founded. They broke up

shortly thereafter, and it took seventeen years before Joe darkened the door of

his childhood home. Even then, his visits were overshadowed by an awkward

civility. Joe held himself at arm’s length while his parents continued praying for

him, hoping the Light of Life would pierce the darkness their son was walking

in.

h

In a world where increasingly liberal philosophy has no patience for, under-

standing of, or care to know why moral absolutes matter, we find rebellion

against God on the increase.

Satan and his angels devise schemes to advance his kingdom through

moral corruption, sexual perversion, deception, and a myriad of other forms

of evil. Still in possession of their power, malevolent angels attempt to destroy

God’s creation (Romans 11:29; Ephesians 6:12).

As slow as God is to anger, He will be swift to judge those who die in their

rebellion! There are absolutes. We will all be judged accordingly.

Prayer

“Lord, in this ever darkening world, help me live a life

of righteousness. Give me courage to stand against those

who rebel against Your decrees. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Rehashing the Past

November 1

I … am he who blots out your transgressions … and remembers your

sins no more.

Isaiah 43:25

“But you don’t know what I’ve done!” Cassandra asserted, sobs wracking her

body.

“And I don’t need to,” Julie said. “God isn’t as concerned with your past as

He is with your today, Cassie. He loves you so much that He’s willing to forgive

you of anything if you’ll just bring it to Him. Repentance brings forgiveness.

And once God forgives, that sin is gone forever; He refuses to hold it against

us.”

“But it can’t be that easy,” she argued. “Not after what I’ve done.”

As sure as Julie was of the truth, she knew Cassandra couldn’t fathom the

depth of God’s grace right now. So she said, “The Bible assures us of God’s

complete forgiveness, Cassie—an everlasting, unconditional forgiveness that,

although we may not understand, is perfect in every way. I’ve experienced it

myself.” And Julie had! What Cassie didn’t know was that Julie had once been

a working girl. “If I were to let my past rule my today, I’d be telling God He’s

incapable of forgiving sin. And that’s not what the Bible says. If we allow Satan

and his followers to sell us the lie of unforgiveness, we are walking without

faith and hope.”

“But I don’t feel forgiven,” she said.

“Forgiveness isn’t about feelings, Cassie. It’s about God redeeming things

that are lost: parts of our soul. And it requires taking God at His word.”

“I’d like to do that,” Cassandra said. And with hope in her heart, she con-

fessed her sins, asking God to forgive them.

h

God wants us in the present, ready to do His good will. But if we continue

rehashing our past, we can’t join Him, thereby destroying our ability to effec-

tively work in the present for His kingdom.

In Isaiah 43:18 God tells us to, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on

the past.” We do well to heed His words.

Forgiveness covers every part of our past; not part, but all. He wants to

bring us into the present with that forgiveness. Would you come join Him?

Prayer

“Lord, help me believe that my sins are forgiven. Speak

to me in ways I can understand. And help me forgive

myself that I might join You in the present. Amen.”

 In Light of the Truth

October 31

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.

John 16:13

Out of the blue, Mark said, “You know, Britt, some of the things I learned

growing up don’t serve me well today.”

“What do you mean?” Britt asked.

“Well, some of what I learned was actually counterproductive and dis-

criminatory in nature. Some of the things I did were unsavory. They were done

in ignorance.”

“So how did you figure out what things no longer, as you put it, serve you

well?” Britt asked.

“Well, through studying the Bible and spending time in prayer, God has

opened my eyes by showing me that some things I once believed to be harmless

were actually extremely destructive. He made me aware of the negative influ-

ence they had in my life and those around me.”

Britt was intrigued. “So what kind of things are you talking about?”

“Well, one example would be my habitual use of foul language. I could, as

they say, swear like a sailor. But then I realized how terrible a witness profanity

is and how it offends God when those words are spoken.”

Britt smiled and asked, “So how’d you stop swearing?”

“I no longer justified the behavior in light of the truth. I disciplined myself

to preappraise my speech. It’s a retraining process that’s not always easy. But

I’ve found that if I’m willing to change, God will equip me for the challenge.”

h

With few exceptions, our parents did the best they knew how when it came to

raising us. In truth, many things we picked up on our own, without our parents’

knowledge. Had they known, they would have blistered our behinds!

As we mature, we come under new influence; our perceptions change. And

although profanity is used in today’s scenario, the list of sin’s exposure to truth

is broad-based. When we do things we shouldn’t, we notice a catch in our spirit,

a Holy Spirit alert.

Heeding God’s Spirit is always the correct course of action. However, we

don’t always take the road less traveled. Just remember: the more we seek the

truth, the more we discover.

Prayer

“Help me sort through what I believe and why I

believe it. Show me what needs to go, and renew my

mind to Your precepts. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Giving Our All

October 30

Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone

to stumble.

1 Corinthians 10:31, 32

“How much longer are we gonna be here?” Jensen hated physical labor and

wasn’t hiding the fact he didn’t enjoy being here. He’d been subjecting everyone

to a steady monologue about “getting roped into this project.”

“I don’t enjoy comin’ to Hicksville doin’ work for somebody I don’t know,

let alone doin’ it for free!”

He was deriding his church’s Resurrection! outreach program; they repaired

homes in underprivileged neighborhoods.

Simon had listened to all the complaining he could take. “What’s your

problem? This is a community service to show Christ’s love. If you didn’t want

to do it, why’d you sign up?” He was concerned that if Jensen continued com-

plaining, the homeowner might hear them and take offense. “You may not get

it, Jensen, but we enjoy doing this. We figure we’re on God’s clock, and it’s His

choice to reward us. But that’s not why we do it.”

“So why do you?” Jensen asked with a true sense of sincerity.

“Because Jesus says we should help those less fortunate.” Simon put his

hand on Jensen’s shoulder. “Look, man, this may not be your idea of working

for the kingdom. If not, then find out what lights you up for Jesus and do it.

But for today, could you just try to see the good in what we’re doing and com-

mit yourself to the work?”

“I never thought about it like that,” Jensen responded. “Yeah, I can do

that.” And with that, he went to work with a new perspective of why he was

there.

h

Giving our all means serving without restraint. When we serve our fellowman,

it is a service to God. And our attitude in regard to service speaks loud and

clear.

Kingdom work is not meant to bring us glory. If we complain when we

serve, even silently, then maybe we should examine our motives. Because if we

serve with a chip on our shoulder, the world will know; and we will build a wall

where a bridge is meant to be.

Prayer

“I sometimes fall short when it comes to serving

without complaint, Lord. Help me build bridges

instead of walls. In Jesus’ Name, amen. “

 What’s the Difference?

October 29

Keep your servant from willful sins.

Psalm 19:13

“What’s the difference if I make a mistake once in a while?” Jean asked. “I

mean, it’s not like I did it intentionally, you know … ” Her voice trailed off.

Her argument sounded good, but Carolann knew the truth. “You know as

well as I do that it matters. And you know why. You knew that what you were

doing was wrong, yet you chose to do it anyway. That’s a choice, not a mistake.”

She continued to correct Jean in love. “Making an honest mistake is one

thing; blatant disregard for moral and ethical standards is another.”

Jean bristled at Carolann’s words. “I’m not perfect like some people I

know!” she said, angry at having been rebuked when she’d shared the confiden-

tial information on her own. “I didn’t have to tell you, ya know,” she insisted.

“God’s not going to strike me down because I made one mistake,” she chal-

lenged defensively. “And I am better than I used to be.”

“No, He won’t. And yes, you are growing. But remember, God knows

what’s in our heart when mistakes are made. More than that,” Carolann empha-

sized, “being a Christian means we’re supposed to look and act differently than

the world. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Jean acknowledged. “If it’s any consolation, I didn’t get any pleasure

out of it anyway,” she admitted sheepishly.

“You asked, ‘What’s the difference?’ The difference is, when Jesus comes

into our life, sin no longer has the same appeal. And once we begin to live for

Christ, we begin to look and feel different.”

h

God’s instruction leads to life. Yet our moral consciousness is flawed and

imperfect. This means we can sin without understanding it is sin. However,

there are times we knowingly and willfully go against the nature and will of

God—sins of commission.

Unless there is a change of heart, there will be no discernable difference

in how we feel toward sin or look to the world. Giving our lives to Christ does

not mean sin no longer exists in our lives. It means when we sin, convicting

discomfort sets in, and we have another choice to make.

Prayer

“Father, show me the sin in my life. Give me

a heart of discernment that I might not sin

against You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Big, Mean Bully

October 28

The Lord disciplines those he loves.

Proverbs 3:12

As the story unfolded, the boys related how they’d found some “giant ant hills.”

And, as boys do, they decided to rid the neighborhood of them. Having pro-

cured some gasoline and stick matches, they saturated the hills with gas, stood

back, and threw a lighted match. The ensuing explosion sent embers flying in

every direction, hence the large grassfire. Running to the nearest house, they

had alerted the owner, who called 911.

As the fire trucks pulled away, Jamie, standing beside his father, asked, “Is

God gonna punish me for startin’ that fire?”

Looking at his nine-year-old son, Luther wondered, Where do we get this

picture of a big, mean God waiting to punish us?

He said, “No, Jamie, God is not going to punish you. But do you under-

stand all three of you could have been badly burned or killed today? And you

could have burned people’s homes to the ground.”

They walked a little farther, and Luther said, “God isn’t going to punish

you, Jamie. I, however, am. Because of your little escapade, you’re grounded for

two weeks. No contact with Bruce or Stevie during that time. And you will

call Mr. Breece to see if he wants you to help him clean up his property. Is that

understood?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. We were just tryin’ to kill those ants was all.” He sounded

so forlorn; Luther had to turn his head to keep Jamie from seeing his smile.

h

God is not a big, mean bully, arbitrarily punishing us for our mistakes. He does,

however, discipline those He calls sons and daughters. I’ve not met a loving

father who didn’t reprimand his children when they’ve done wrong.

Like Luther with Jamie, God disciplines us to keep us from harming

others or ourselves. His discipline is not indiscriminate or ambiguous. It is

intended to teach us how to eliminate unnecessary trouble from our lives.

To do that, God first instructs us; when instruction fails, He is forced to

gain our attention with love-driven discipline.

Rebellion and mistakes have consequences. Most, if not all, could be

avoided by heeding our Father’s instruction.

Prayer

“Father God, teach me to listen to Your instruction. Discipline

me for my own sake when I’m rebellious. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”