Archive for December 2015

Love’s Wisdom

2015-12-08 Devotional with Hymn No comments

It was getting late on a weeknight, and I had to pick up my children at church after an activity. When I arrived, I found they had volunteered me to take one of their friends home – one who lived a number of miles in the opposite direction. To me, that was totally illogical. Why should I forfeit so much time when she had a parent at home who should pick her up, just as I had picked up my kids. So I politely suggested that she should call her mother to come get her.

But when I saw her strained smile as she walked away from our van, I knew I had made the wrong decision. I felt cheap and unkind.

Life is filled with situations that force us to decide how far we will extend ourselves for others, whether the “others” are family, fellow workers, or starving people half a world away. Often what seems “right” and “logical” is doing what seems best for us.

But the New Testament speaks of two sets of ideas about what is right and wrong – two kinds of “wisdom”. The Bible says the world’s wisdom is based on selfishness.

This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. (James 3:15, NASB)

Unfortunately, as Christians living in this unspiritual world, we often follow that selfish, unspiritual wisdom in dealing with others. We instinctively and jealously protect our comforts, our “rights”.

But another kind of wisdom exists:

Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.
The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:13, 17-18, NASB)

I’m discovering that love has its own wisdom, and the wisdom of God is the wisdom of love. It is peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy. The peace that it brings blesses not only the giver and the receiver, but those around them.

That’s the kind of wisdom I wish I had followed that night at church. I’m sure it whispered its guidance, but I only listened to m own anxieties. If we listen to love, it will brings this beautiful lifestyle:

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NASB)

I want this wisdom to guide and fill my life every day. Fortunately, it is not dependent on our intellectual ability. God’s wisdom doesn’t just impart information. It guides and shapes our thoughts, our emotions, and our reactions. It shapes us, from the inside. This living wisdom flows from His living presence in our hearts. And because it is His wisdom, it makes us think and react more like Him.

His Spirit makes this wisdom constantly accessible for all the ordinary moments and normal demands, as well as for the crisis times. It is part of the living treasure of Christ in us.

But we must look to Him, and ask, and trust.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5, NASB) 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Live in Love
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Pictures of the Messiah

2015-12-06 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Hear these descriptions of the coming Messiah:

He will endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
He will rule from sea to sea…
to the ends of the earth. (Psalm 72:5, 8, NIV)

He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth. (Isaiah 42:2-4, NIV)

“Here is your God!”
See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
and his arm rules for him…
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young. (Isaiah 40:9-11, NIV)

When we think of Christ at Christmas,
we picture an infant in a manger.
But that is only one small part of
the living, eternal Christ.
The Psalms and the prophets draw many pictures of
all He is and
all He is to us.
He is a king,
a warrior,
a mighty champion,
a priest,
a prophet,
a shepherd, and
a servant who suffers willingly, horribly for His people.
He is the glory of God,
a light to the nations,
the cornerstone chosen and precious.

As you think of Him this Advent and Christmas,
as you celebrate Him,
celebrate all He is and
all He is to you. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Christ Is Come
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Single-minded Devotion

2015-12-03 Devotional with Hymn, Pictures of God No comments

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Read Hosea 4:7-13; Matthew 16:1-4

Since God views His relationship with His people as a marriage, He considers it adultery when we chase other “gods”, other loves. In the Old Testament, when Israel worshipped other gods, God accused her of playing the harlot. For example:

My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them;
For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray,
And they have played the harlot, departing from their God. (Hosea 4:12, NASB)

Jesus took the same view. When the Jewish leaders saw Jesus’ miracles and heard His words, yet still demanded other proofs of who He was, He called them “an evil and adulterous generation” (Matthew 16:4, NASB). Their hearts weren’t satisfied with Him or with their God. They were putting their love and trust elsewhere.

As believers, we need to guard our hearts against the same danger, against the same unfaithfulness to our Bridegroom. In writing to the church in Corinth, Paul expressed his concern for them this way:

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2-3, NASB)

Since Jesus is the Bridegroom, we believers are engaged to Him. What is expected of us as we approach our marriage to Him?

  • Like any bride-to-be, we are to keep ourselves pure, devoted to Him alone. In our hearts and in our lives, we cannot chase other loves. We are His. We are to love Him alone. All our loves for anyone and anything must flow from our one love of Him. He is now the center of all our relationships and all our desires.
  • The word in 2 Corinthians 11:3 translated as “simplicity” is particularly meaningful. It has a variety of shades of meaning, depending on its context: simplicity…sincerity…generosity. But the one word that seems to sum it up is “single-mindedness”. Our groom, our husband-to-be expects us to be single-mindedly devoted to Him.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: The Only Good Is Jesus
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Through Eyes of Love

2015-12-01 Devotional with Hymn No comments

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all. (Philippians 1:3-4, NASB)

On Facebook I’m often struck by how people absolutely glow when they talk about those they love, especially their families: children, grandchildren, spouses, and parents.

What’s more, these family members also glow when described by those who love them. Through indifferent eyes, they would appear ordinary and deeply flawed. But through eyes of love, these human creatures glow with uniqueness, beauty, and potential. They are genuinely special! Love gives us a glimpse into the lovely and intriguing creations they were designed to be.

God sees each of us through such eyes of love. And He calls us, challenges us, and implores us to see each other as He sees us, through His loving eyes and His loving heart. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: I Look to You, and You Are Love
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