The Black-Eyed Gospel

March 26

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of

love and of self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7

One of the elders of an inner-city church showed up sporting a black eye.

When asked how he got it, he stated, “I did not get it; I earned it!” and went on

to relate his story.

As he was on his way home the prior night, two young men jumped him

meaning to rob him. When they knocked him down, he could tell they were

amateurs. Moved by the power of the Holy Spirit, he began to chide them

for doing such a bungling job of it. He railed them, saying, “When I was in

this business, we didn’t just knock people down and make demands of them;

we knocked them out and took what we wanted!” 

Seeing he had their attention, he began to share with them the Jesus who had changed his life. By the time he was done, they had heard the good news of the gospel. Although they couldn’t have said why, both young men thanked him for sharing, returned his cell phone, apologized, and left.

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I am not encouraging you to risk your life unless guided by the Holy Spirit! I

am encouraging you to take a stand against the wiles of the devil. Though not

everyone has a story like the elder in today’s scenario, we all have the ability to

refuse to be bullied by Satan.

Paul admonished Timothy not to bend to the enemy’s attack just because

he growls loud or brings something sensuous our way. We are not namby-

pamby, spineless children of a powerless god. We were bought at a price we

cannot comprehend. And the Father asks us to remember that when opposi-

tion comes our way. He has invested great power in us and asks us to discipline

ourselves in love. We shall be battered and bruised in this life. Wouldn’t it be

good if our suffering were attributed to the cause of Christ?

Prayer

“This world holds fears and temptation for us, Lord.

We need Your power to rise up in us when we face

opposition. Be near, O Lord, and show us how to stand

as children of the King! In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 God’s Long Arm and the Blind Man

March 25

Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are

well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”

John 5:14

There was a blind man who walked into an American pastor’s church in

Ukraine a few years ago. He came forward that night to receive Jesus Christ as

his Lord and Savior. When the pastor prayed for his salvation, he was instantly

saved and healed of his blindness! But, as it sometimes goes, temptation was

too great for him, and he once again found himself living a life of sin.

As in the story with the cripple Jesus healed at the pool of Bethesda, the

man was confronted with his return to a life of sin and told he might suf-

fer something worse if he continued. Realizing the truth of the statement,

he returned to this church, where he repented once again, this time with new

understanding, and began a new walk with the Lord. God’s righteous right

hand had sought him out. Thank God!

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We have a tendency to believe that once we are saved, we should be

through with sin. Yes, we have a desire to stop sinning; no, it isn’t automatic.

It is a process by which the Holy Spirit guides us into righteousness, which

translates to right living, not perfection.

Once we have accepted Jesus’ sacrifice, we are clothed in His righteous-

ness and are seen by the Father through Christ. It does not, however, remove

our free will by which we make choices. The longer and deeper we walk with

God, the closer we get and the less sin-filled life appeals to us. But, as with the

blind man, we are still capable of sinning. The danger at this point is that we

have already been forgiven our sins. By blatantly disregarding this, we open

ourselves up to a more extreme onslaught by the enemy, hence Jesus’ warning

to the man at Bethesda.

“God’s arm is not too short that it cannot save.” But sinning is not sup-

posed to be an option, despite the inevitable forgiveness we will receive from

our Creator.

Prayer

“Abba, almost all sin feels good for a while. Please lead

me into the truth of where that life leads and how it

separates me from You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Wounded in Battle

March 24

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have

against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Colossians 3:13

Kim knew Toby was furious, so she kept silent for the moment.

“That really ticks me off !” he proclaimed as he climbed in the car. “I’ve half a

mind to go back there and … ” He let his words trail off.

Toby was responding like most of us have when we’ve been wounded by

a brother or sister in Christ; he’d smiled on the outside, saying it’s no big deal

while a fire smoldered inside, kindling resentment and threatening to choke

out all reason.

His countenance was anything but spiritual. But the farther he got from

the moment, the clearer he heard God’s voice. “Do you think I missed what

happened? I know how much what Tim did hurt you.” Then he felt God ask,

“Who would benefit from you responding in anger? Your battle is not against

Tim.” He knew this was true, but the wound was so fresh that he didn’t want

to accept it. “You can refuse to follow Satan’s plan,” God said. “Have you never

been guilty of doing what was done to you?” God asked. Ouch, that hurts, Toby

thought silently.

Toby looked at Kim and said, “It’s so much easier to be forgiven than it is

to extend forgiveness.”

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All of us, without exception, will be wounded in or by the church. It’s impos-

sible to put that many people together and not have casualties.

In the moments immediately following the wounding, we are faced with

choices: to strike out in pain and anger, to simmer in bitterness until it inter-

rupts communication between us and God. We can spread vicious rumors,

slandering the one who hurt us or act self-righteous as though nothing hap-

pened, allowing ourselves to carry the wound into the future where it will affect

everything we do.

Or we can take it to God, asking Him to help us do what we cannot do on

our own: forgive them as God, through Jesus, forgave us.

Prayer

“God of mercy and grace, You have forgiven us so much.

Show us how to forgive when it’s so hard. Be close right now

because we can’t do this alone. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Living the Memories

March 23

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was bur-

ied, that he was raised on the third day.

1 Corinthians 15:3, 4

It was as if he had found a great treasure. As he lifted the lid on the trunk, he

was taken by a boyish excitement. He had no idea what he would find. Pulling

away the sheet covering the items in the trunk, he gently began lifting each one

reverently from its resting place. Greg felt his pulse quicken, and he couldn’t

wait to learn what secrets would emerge. A waffle iron Gramma had used still

shined as though it were brand-new.

Memories of visiting Gramma’s apartment down the block came flooding

back; he’d been but a child. Gramma would fix him waffles and tea for break-

fast. Tea was a staple of every meal, especially at 4:00 p.m. since Gramma had

been born in Great Britain.

As Greg lifted each item from the trunk, a new and special memory came

with it. After several hours of reminiscing, he replaced each item to its resting

place and closed the lid. How precious are the memories of living. Though the

items would perish, the memories would last forever.

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Memories are passed in many ways, all of which are meant to impart some-

thing of value. As Greg spent those hours in fond remembrance of his grand-

mother, he could vividly recall the events as they had unfolded because he was

actually there for many of them. As it stirs our heart to read about Greg’s joy in

reliving the events that shaped his life, we get a better understanding that we

have the privilege of reliving much of Jesus’ life and death through Scripture.

We have been given eyewitness testimony from those who were there! These

are not bedtime stories—although it is a good time to read them to our chil-

dren—but true-life events in our Savior’s life. He invites us to read ourselves

into the storyline.

Prayer

“We thank you for the written record of Your life,

Lord. Enlighten our hearts as we open the Word

so that we may feel some of what the disciples felt

so we may feel alive in the memories. Amen.”

 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.”