Make it Your Own

April 11

Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?

Acts 19:15

Rafe had always felt he had a meaningful relationship with God….until two hours ago. Now he realized he’d only been giving Him lip service. He’d been challenged over a statement he’d made. When the man challenged the validity of his statement, he had adamantly argued his point, saying, “I know what I heard the pastor say!” referring to the evangelist he’d seen on TV. 

But the challenger had shown him in Scripture that his belief was wrong.

Faced with the truth, Rafe had feebly responded, “Well, I must have misunderstood what the pastor said.”  

The whole way home he’d felt the quiet conviction of the LORD. He realized with startling clarity that his relationship was a compilation of snippets and sound bites, borrowed from people he’d watched, the books he’d read, and the CDs he’d listened to. He’d never taken the time to search out what God’s word actually had to say…he’d simply taken other’s teachings as Gospel.  

Broken and ashamed, he lay weeping in repentance for his cavalier attitude toward the Author of the Book he professed to know so well.

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Relying on others for our faith can foster false and erroneous beliefs with disastrous consequences.  

In today’s text, one demon-possessed man beat seven men until they were naked and bloody. Simply quoting something we believe to be part of God’s word not only doesn’t make it effective, it is dangerous!

We need to search the Word of God until it becomes OURS! Many times in the past I caught myself quoting a verse of scripture, saying, ‘So and So said…’ or after reading something I would say, ‘So and So wrote…’ not realizing there was no power in the verse through third-party connections.

It’s not wrong to watch, listen to, or read spiritual material. Spiritual wisdom and understanding can be gained by doing these things. But if we fail to make it our own, relying on others to study for us and not digging into scripture ourselves, we will walk this earth powerless…and the enemy will have his way with us from time to time.

Prayer

“Give me a passion for Your Word, LORD. Create in me a hunger to know for myself what You have to say about every issue in my life. Amen.”

The Look

February 9

Immediately a rooster crowed.

Matthew 26:74

This wasn’t the first time Jeff had played the part of Peter in the passion play. He’d even felt a small portion of Peter’s anguish in past performances. But tonight something shocking had happened. As he turned from the fire barrel, having denied Christ a third time, he was looking into the eyes of Jesus. Not the actor playing the part, but Christ himself! He folded to the floor and wept uncontrollably, great sobs racking his body. To the audience, it appeared to be a tremendous performance. To Jeff, it was as if he were Peter! He had received a large measure of the agony the apostle must have felt that night. He couldn’t stem the flow of tears as he pried himself from the floor.

Jeff didn’t share his experience immediately. When he finally did, the tears came again, unabated. Yet this time there wasn’t shame and conviction. In their place were love and restoration. Jeff understood that Jesus had done for him what He had done for Peter.

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Romans 5:10 says, “That while we were still God’s enemies … Christ died for us.” The look Jeff saw in Jesus’ eyes wasn’t one of condemnation but of sorrow—a sorrow born of the knowledge that there is within each of us a weakness that places flesh ahead of spirit.

Jeff received a gift, a revelation. Jesus showed him the depths of His love. Christ freely came knowing we would kill Him. First as an infant—in an infant there is no fault. This baby was pure enough to meet the demands of Justice. He grew into a warrior with the strength to lead us through the murkiest waters and lift us from the pits of hell; so fierce is His love that He left His throne to live in our world! Finally, as a Savior willing to stand in our place and be defiled because He could not stand that we would spend eternity without Him! The look says, “I love you!”

Prayer

“Jesus, we come humbly in response to that look into our soul. Though we have denied You in the past, forgive us today as we ask to understand and surrender to You. Lead us into reconciliation. Amen.”

Do This

February 8

Do this in remembrance of me.

1 Corinthians 11:24

He donned a hygienic mask, latex gloves, and sterilized the communion kit. Then he prepared the elements. He was bringing the Lord’s Supper to a recovering cancer patient. She had been isolated from the public for the past twelve weeks due to an insufficient white cell count as a result of chemotherapy.

He thought about God’s healing power as he broke the matzo into the tiny tray. As he poured the juice, the blood of the Holy Lamb of God, he reflected on last night’s phone call. "Hi, Dana. It’s Pastor Chuck. I was wondering if it would be all right to bring communion to you and Paul tomorrow morning."

"That would be wonderful!" she replied. "I just hung up from talking to a friend. He mentioned that he was getting ready to take communion to a shut-in. As I hung up I said, ‘Oh, Paul, I wished our church did that.’"

Chuck was never surprised when he found that God’s urging was in response to prayer.

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Divine appointments are opportunities to do the work of the kingdom for God, to be His instrument of blessing. In our busyness, we sometimes view these as inconveniences. Yet if we listen closely, stop rushing, and respond to His urging, we discover God’s eager desire to bring blessings. When Chuck brought the Lord’s Supper to Paul and Dana, he brought God’s love and healing power. When we obey, God sends His power through us to encourage others. It always amazed Chuck that he was the recipient of a large portion of that blessing.

As our relationship with God deepens, He asks us to carry His love further into His kingdom. Fear from the enemy wishes to stop that from happening. God wants us to know His strength is sufficient to meet that fear head-on and walk right through it. Our obedience will determine if someone receives a blessing.

Prayer

"Father of inspiration, right now we give ourselves over to You to be used in bringing a blessing to those in need of one. Touch our hearts and minds so that we can respond as Your instruments of love. Blessed be Your Name, amen."

Granddad's Treasure Chest

Granddad’s Treasure Chest

January 28

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19

As Tom brushed dirt from the miniature treasure chest, he was transported fifteen years back through time to the day he and his Granddad had buried it in the backyard of the family farm. Granddad had said, “Tom, there are only a few things really important in life: the love of family, the feel of a good book in your hands, and most of all, the love and faithfulness of God. Without the latter, the others don’t have any significance.” Throwing dirt over the chest, he had said, “Let’s dig it up on your twentieth birthday and weigh the importance of the things we’re burying today.”

As Tom opened the chest, he couldn’t suppress a sob; he wished Granddad were here to do this with him. The first item he uncov­ered was the medal Granddad had received for service to his country. Next was an old pair of Granddad’s eyeglasses; Tom had always liked them and thought he might need them in the future. There was an old report card, a few old coins, and a pack of baseball cards. The last item Tom pulled from the chest was a pocket-sized Bible. It had been the first item Granddad had placed in the chest.

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Tom remembered what his Granddad had said when he’d placed that little Bible in the chest. “Son, everything we have placed in here will have a price placed on it when you dig it up, all except this one; this little Bible is priceless. The words of this book will sustain you when all these other things are gone. Never place a higher value on the things of this world than you do the Word of God. If you trust in God, you’ll never be alone, never be poor, and never be lost.”

Tom smiled. He had adhered to his Granddad’s faith.

Prayer

“Lord Jesus, I want my heart to be in heaven. Help me live for You here so that I can live with You there. Amen.”

Christmas Snapshots December 25

Before We Called

December 25

Before they call, I will answer

Isaiah

65:24

"Sir," the voice on the other end of the phone said, "we need some of your son’s blood. It is the rarest of all types; with it, we can save the lives of millions of people."

Was this some kind of sick joke? How could they possibly know that?

His son had been born just this morning and hadn’t yet been named. Three months premature, weighing less than three pounds, his survival was still in question.

How could someone possibly know what his blood type is? Or for that matter, how could they know it had curative properties? And even if they did know, how could they ask such a question?!

"Sir, we need your decision now. If we don’t give the children a serum from the antibodies your son’s blood has, many of them will die. We need your son’s blood."

This can’t be happening!

"Sir?" He dropped the receiver and returned to the hospital nursery. He looked at his tiny son in the basinet and wondered,

His mind was numb. His wife had died in childbirth, and now they were asking him to put his infant son’s life in jeopardy by allowing them to remove much of the blood from his little body.What am I supposed to do?

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When God faced this situation, He never hesitated.

And before we called, God sent a baby, the symbol of the purest thing on earth. In an infant, there is no fault. Without a sacrifice pure enough to meet the demand of justice, we would be damned for eternity.

God sent a man who has the wisdom and strength to lead us through the murkiest waters and lift us from the greatest depths of despondency. God is a force Who will fight our battles with a love so fierce that He left His throne to live in our world.

God sent a Savior, the only One eligible to stand in our place, to take every punishment, every lash, every torment and be defiled because He could not stand that we would spend eternity without Him!

Before we called, God sent the answer.

Prayer

"Father of love, thank You for the life-giving blood of Jesus! May we never fail to understand, as much as humanly possible, what that sacrifice cost You. Amen."