We Must Ask

October 4

Therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you.

2 Chronicles 1:12

It had been a year since the couple had battled issues of infidelity, and he was wondering how his younger brother and his wife were doing. On the surface, everything appeared fine. But he knew that the early stages of temptation rarely show outward signs.

“Have you spoken to Gail about how she and Jeremy are doing lately?” he asked his wife. “They appear to be okay. I just wonder if they really are.”

“Actually, I asked her last week. She assures me things are great,” she responded.

He remembered his own battle with infidelity; it had almost ruined his marriage in the early years. He’d given in to temptation and made a terrible mistake. Fortunately, his wife believed in their marriage vows in a way he would later come to understand, and they had worked through the pain of his indiscretion.

He had become accountable back then by giving two men permission to ask personal questions about his faithfulness and to take any measures necessary to remind him of his commitment to one woman. He’d needed that help because the enemy had visited with the temptation of desire until he gained victory through perseverance. 

He thanked God once again for the commitment of those two men; for without them asking, “Are you experiencing any sexual temptation?” he would have been left alone to resist the temptation. He prayed that God would send someone to keep his brother and sister-in-law accountable.

†

We all face some nature of temptation; none are exempt. We need accountability with someone we are comfortable confiding in because self-sufficiency in spiritual matters will eventually result in our failure to resist.

Solomon asked God for wisdom instead of wealth, riches, or honor. Because of that, God granted his desire. He also gave him wealth, riches, and honor.

But wisdom is the key. Without it, we have no basis for understanding with which to make sound decisions.

If someone we know has fallen to temptation in the past, the question is, “Dare we ask them how things are today?” The answer is yes. Wisdom says we must ask.

Prayer

“Help me be a friend that helps others avoid temptation, Lord. And please send someone to help guide me along the path of wisdom. Amen.”

 Enough to Send His Son

October 3

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son … for our sins.

1 John 4:10

“What makes you so sure?” Jenna’s question about God loving us apart from our performance was valid. She wanted to know why God didn’t require good behavior a prerequisite to salvation.

“God told us through His Word, Jenna,” Shari explained, opening her Bible and reading, ‘This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us.’”

Shari searched for the right words. “Jenna, we could never measure up to God’s standards. His holiness requires perfection, and we aren’t perfect. Scripture says, ‘All have sinned.’ That means we needed a perfect sacrifice to save us. That was God’s Son. God’s love is so fierce that He would rather send Jesus to die in our place than allow us to spend eternity apart from Him.” Shari felt it was time to ask Jenna to make a decision. “Would you like to know such love?”

“You know,” Jenna began, “I’ve watched you and Walt, and I see something.” She paused. “You have such a peace, even when things aren’t going so great. I’d really like to know that peace in my life.”

Shari silently asked for the right words. “Jenna, God wants you to know that peace too. All you need to do is accept His Son into your heart. You can’t earn salvation; it’s a free gift given at a high price.” Seeing tears begin to form in Jenna’s eyes, she pressed on. “Just ask Jesus to take over from today on. Tell Him you know you’re a sinner in need of His sacrifice.”

Jenna bowed her head, and Jesus became her Lord and Savior.

†

There is nothing we can do to earn God’s love or approval. He showed us His love on the cross of Calvary.

He does require a humble heart, a heart turned to Him, a heart willing to accept His great love and not one trying to earn it.

It costs us nothing. It cost Him everything because He cared enough to send His Son.

Prayer

“Father God, I lift my life to You in this moment and commit it to You. Wash my sins white as snow with Your Son’s blood. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Forever!

October 2

But he who feeds on this bread will live forever.

John 6:58

For whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

Jude 1:13

“So you’re telling me that when I die I’ll continue to live, not in physical form, but live nonetheless?” Jack could see Stan’s skepticism. “And you believe that?” Stan asked.

“To the best of my ability,” was Jack’s honest answer. “Look, Stan, I admit that I don’t fully understand everything the term forever means, but Scripture says that we will live forever in heaven or hell. I believe that.”

Stan thought about that for a minute and then said, “I don’t know if I can wrap my mind around that enough to believe it.”

“You can’t wrap your mind around the things of God, Stan,” Jack tried to explain. “God is so much bigger than us. Just ask Him for the faith to believe now instead of trying to figure it all out before you accept His offer of salvation.”

Stan was unmoved.

“Look, Stan, I’m just saying it requires faith to believe in something we can’t categorically prove here and now. I’m also saying that I believe even though I have some questions about how forever actually works. Forever is a term we really don’t understand. But not understanding it completely has no effect on the truth that we will live forever.”

†

We tend to fear things outside our control, disbelieving what we don’t understand. We live from day to day, taking life as it comes. We’re not acquainted with more than a temporal existence, so it’s hard to grasp the nature of eternity.

Trying to completely understand eternity is like trying to remember what it was like breathing amniotic fluid. We know it happened; yet we don’t understand it much, if at all.

The word forever conjures thoughts of living with physical, emotional, or mental limitations for the rest of time. But throughout eternity there will be no curse, and those limits will cease to exist.

Faith requires belief in an Infinite Someone bigger than our finite mind truly understands. Our not understanding forever does not make it untrue.

Prayer

“Lord, give me faith to believe in forever so that my choices here are based on where I want to spend all that time. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Sludge Free

October 1

You must live no longer as the Gentiles do.

Ephesians 4:17

A small town election had degraded into hate-filled accusation's. There was no longer any friendly banter. The politicians had pulled out all the stops, and the gloves had come off. They were running smear campaigns and defaming each other. It didn’t matter what damage was done or that they had stooped to new lows; they wanted to win. Character assassination was the order of the day.

“Can you believe this?” Melodie said, laying down the newspaper. “Neither of them is standing on godly principals. All they want is to make his opponent look bad. I can’t, in good conscience, vote for either one of them.”

Kyle sighed. “They’re both walking in darkness. Both have consistently voted against moral legislation. They’ve made this election about money and who’s going to bring the economy back in line. You know, if we would honor God’s laws, we wouldn’t be in this financial crisis. There doesn’t seem to be a politician on the Hill that’s standing for what God wants. It’s getting so even the lesser of two evils is totally evil!” 

Kyle looked toward the ceiling and voiced his concerns. “Forgive our nation, Lord, and those of us who allowed things to get to this point. Raise up men and women to carry the fight to Washington and right this sinking ship. Lift us out of the darkness that has spread itself over our nation like sludge. Amen.”

†

The New Living Translation uses the word ungodly in place of Gentiles, denoting Gentiles as anyone not living a godly life.

The world is full of people seeking personal gain in a godless manner. Among them are many of our politicians. They seek to further and empower their party’s worldview regardless of the cost.

Paul is precise in his instruction of how we are to respond. We are to avoid such living while trying to influence those who choose this lifestyle in a godly manner. We may find ourselves with opportunities to share our faith, yet we are instructed to not live as they do. Paul knew that our own spirituality will become contaminated if we swim in sludge.

Prayer

“Lord, keep me under Your watch and care. Help me refrain from anything that fails to line up with Your will. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”