Daily Devotions

Monday, July 20, 2009

Current Study: First Peter

Today’s Topic:  Be A Do-Gooder

Scripture Reading:  1 Peter 3:13-15  Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.

I have a question running through my mind this morning. It deserves some contemplation. It requires an answer. Here’s the query – How does the world know that I’m a follower of Jesus?

The first response that comes to my mind is that they know I’m a Christian because I say that I am. But the people of the world are more discerning than that. For example, no matter how much I told people I was a Viking fan, no one would believe me if  I consistently wore Packers jerseys. The truth is, activity validates claims.

For the third time now in his letter, Peter challenges each one of us to show the validity of our faith through the activity of doing good. And he’s not done telling us to do good. He will say it one more time a couple of verses from now. Let’s review:

• Peter told all of us to be good citizens of our countries by submitting to the authorities over us, and to do good. When the government is corrupt, the good deeds of God’s people will silence foolish men. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. (2:15)
• He challenged us as employees to do good even when we had bosses who were harsh. But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. (2:20)
• In today’s passage, he encourages us to do good within the context of our everyday lifestyles with people. Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. (3:13-14)

The Apostle Paul has a similar challenge for us in Galatians 6, where he says, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Unfortunately, many of us have an underlying aversion to doing good. Our very nature – the flesh – is selfish and prideful and has convinced us that we are weak if we do good for anyone other than self. We resent being called a do-gooder. In fact, our own Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines a do-gooder as ``an earnest usually impractical and often naive and ineffectual humanitarian or reformer.” For an excellent article on this, read William Coplin’s Why Do Americans Shun The Label “Do-Gooder?” at http://www.commondreams.org/views/022000-105.htm.

But doing good is what Jesus was all about, and He certainly wasn’t weak. When Peter was in the home of Cornelius, bringing the Good News of Jesus to the Gentiles for the first time, he described Jesus this way –

You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. (Acts 10:37-38)

The validation of God’s presence in the life of Jesus was the activity of doing good. It is the same for us today. We prove the love of God by loving others. We prove the goodness of God by doing good to others. We proclaim the grace of God by showing grace to others. By this the world will know that we are followers of Jesus – because we love one another.

Some of my fondest memories of childhood are the songs that my mom and dad used to sing in church. God uses them to refocus my heart when it is needed. I remember the first cantata I ever heard in our church as a boy, and I remember the song that stuck out to me. It was from John W. Peterson’s “No Greater Love”, and the song was called He Went About Doing Good. Let the lyrics bring you to a point of greater understanding of the Scriptural truth that we are to be like Jesus and be do-gooders.

When our Lord was here, Our Savior dear,

He gladdened each neighborhood;

For the Bible tells, the message spells,

He went about doing good.

It was love revealed when the lame He healed,

The blinded ones made to see;

When He raised the dead, the hungry fed,

The demon possessed set free.

He went about doing good,

And helping where’er He could;

Our example is He, and like Him we should be,

Who went about doing good.

Follow the example of Jesus, and be a do-gooder.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Friday, July 10, 2009

Current Study: First Peter

Today’s Topic:  Waiting

Scripture Reading:  Jude 1:20-21   But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. 

Today’s devotional comes from a faithful reader and a dear friend, Marian Green. She wrote it early in the week, so read all the way to the end to discover the outcome.

Wait! Don’t you just hate that word! Waiting. For whom? For what? For when?

Waiting implies patience. Something many never learn or want to learn. “I want it now!” we say. Yet in Psalms 28:14 it says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord”.  Check it out. “Wait, be strong, take heart, and wait”.  The Father says, “Be patient, stand firm, be courageous, and wait for Me.”

Last Oct 20^th my car was hit by another driver. As any of you who have been in an accident know, it’s not so much the physical injuries that are the most painful; it’s dealing with the Insurance companies afterward.

Thursday July 9^th, I have to go to a meeting where a 3^rd party will decide if my insurance company must stand by its policy and pay for my medical expenses or if I do. As the day has drawn closer, I have lost more and more sleep and become so stressed that my chest hurts. After rent is paid I have very little to pay the rest of my bills. My church helps with food and gas. There is no room for $10,000 in medical bills. I’ll be in that meeting, through no fault of my own, waiting for someone else to tell me what the next few years of my life are going to be like.

Praying for comfort and calm has seemed to be a losing battle, until this morning. I, again, realized that the Father has already worked everything out. “Wait” He said. “Be strong and take heart and wait for Me.” He continues to have everything in His control! Psalms 27:13 “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” Wait, and be patient.

How many times have we all said, “This is taking too long! I’m going to take control of this situation”. Control, that’s the real problem, isn’t it? We want to be in control, but we wind up making a bigger mess than if we had just left everything to the Father’s timing. Be Strong! Stand Firm! He will come through! Yes, I know it’s hard sometimes, but that is where our faith will grow! Be patient. Wait. It will be worth it.  The Father IS here for us.

Isn’t that good? Great truths, Marian. Now, how did the meeting turn out?

My attorney, Allen, said it went well, whatever that means. We won’t hear a decision for 7-30 days. If we win the arbitration, I have a better chance of winning against the other driver. If we lose…………….well, Allen is not so sure we would win. The good news is that the Father already knows how it is going to work out! At this point, it is all about being strong and waiting!

Thanks, Marian, for sharing your story. I have a couple of areas in my life where I know God is asking me to wait as well. I am determined to be strong, take heart, and wait for the Lord!

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Current Study: First Peter

Today’s Topic:  Face to Face

Scripture Reading:  1 Peter 3:12   For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 

I have a face that’s easy to read. I know, some of you humorists out there think I should have said I have a face that’s easy to forget. While that may be true, I am told by those closest to me that I do not have a poker face. My true feelings and emotions are easily read by the expression on my face. It is an almost uncontrollable reaction to what I hear and what I see. There are times I wish I could hide it. I’m sure there are times when you wish I would hide it as well – the whole face, that is.

Unless we have become very good actors, or as we learned yesterday, liars, our face is the outlet of the sea of emotions within us. The face responds almost instantaneously to what is going on around us. The expressions of the face are the indicators of what we feel. Those around us, even strangers, can read us as easily as Dick and Jane books.

Yesterday, during a class I was teaching, I was sharing an incredible truth about our salvation in Christ, when I noticed one of the men with a scowl of pain on his face. I thought I had said something wrong, or that he was confused about what I had said. I asked him what was wrong. He said he had bumped his foot on the bottom of the chair and that it really hurt. His face immediately gave away his feelings.

There are several expressions used in Scripture about the face of God. For one, His face shines on those who are righteous (Psalm 67:1). We also know that His face is against those who do evil (Psalm 34:12). In addition, and to our benefit, He hides his face from our sin (Psalm 51:9). And when things aren’t going our way, or moving as quickly as we think they should, we accuse God of turning His face away from us (Psalm 88:14). We are also encouraged to seek the face of God (Psalm 105:4).

While we could make lots of applications of these truths today, let me just ask this one question – What would be the expression on the face of God right now if you stood face to face with Him? Would He have to turn His face because He couldn’t look at your sin? Or would His face be shining with joy at the mere sight of you?

H. G. Wells, while not a real friend of the church, told a helpful story years ago in the New Yorker.  There was a certain pastor who was the kind of man who always said pious things to people. When troubled folks came to him, he found that a particularly helpful thing to say, if said in a right tone of voice, was, “Have you prayed about it?” If said in just the right way, it seemed to settle things.

The pastor himself didn’t pray much; he had life wrapped up in a neat package that he thought he controlled pretty well. But one day, life tumbled in on him, and he found himself overwhelmed. It occurred to the pastor that maybe he should take some of his own advice. So, one Saturday afternoon he entered the cathedral, went to the front, and knelt on the crimson rug. Then he folded his hands before the altar and began to pray. He said, “O God,” and before he could say another word, he was dead.

 The next day when the worshipers came to Sunday services, they found the pastor sprawled face down on the crimson carpet. When they turned him over, lines of horror were etched upon his face.  

 What H. G. Wells was saying in that story is simply this: there are folks who talk a lot about God who would be scared to death if they saw him face to face.

 Either the face of the Lord is against you, or it is shining upon you and giving you peace. God does not arbitrarily decide to do either one. His facial expressions are a response to you, and His face is easy to read with your spiritual eyes. If you are living in righteousness, surrendered to His will, His face is shining. His eyes are upon you and His ears are listening to you. But if you are living with known and unrepentant sin, His face is against you. His eyes still see what you are doing, but He has closed His ears to your prayers. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. (Psalm 66:18) The face of God is the mirror that reflects your choices. Just remember, your face also reflects those same choices to us. What does your face tell us today?

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Current Study: First Peter

Today’s Topic:  Get Real!

Scripture Reading:  1 Peter 3:10   For,     “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech…” 

I’m back. Only for five days, but I am back. It is getting increasingly difficult to cram everything we want to do with family and friends into one summer. We had a great trip. I really relaxed. I played 54 holes of golf in two days; drove my nephew’s boat for him while he and his son water-skied and rode the tube; did projects around Denise’s mom’s house; played games; and spent time visiting friends and family. Then yesterday, on the way home, we attended the funeral of a 94-year-old friend who was the founder and president of the Midwest Evangelistic Association, a mission work that supports over 350 churches in the tribal regions of the southern Philippines.

Every time I go on a trip, I ask the Lord to show me something I need to learn. There were several things this time, but one stands out above the rest.

Deceitful speech, referred to by Peter in today’s Scripture, is more common than we want to admit. It starts with what we think are simple embellishments of the truth in an effort to improve the story’s impact or gain greater recognition. Fact is, they’re lies!

So how big was that fish you caught, and what was your real golf score without mulligans?

The biggest embellishment of all is when we claim to be one thing, but in our hearts we know we are something else. We do this for a variety of reasons, not the least being that we are attempting to live up to what we perceive as other’s expectations of us. We may be seeking the approval of people. We may be trying to measure up to some standard we are convinced gives us greater value. Whatever the reason, Jesus called it hypocrisy. It is deceitful speech.

When we claim to be followers of Jesus in public, but in private we pursue the gratification of the flesh, we are liars. When we unite with a local church and worship with people so that we may appear spiritual, we are using the church as a means of deceiving others so they won’t see who we really are. When we claim to be in fellowship with God, but we seek to impress others and earn the approval of those living in sin, we are guilty of deceitful speech. When we appear to be looking to connect to others and find intimacy, but don’t include Christ in our fellowship, we are lying to ourselves, to others, and most of all to God about who we really are.

So what is the purpose of Facebook, and how could it be used to share the truth of who you are in Christ?

Lord, forgive us for living deceitful lives that seek to connect to You and the world at the same time. Let our connection to the world be only so that we may connect the people of the world to you. Let every avenue of connection we have (Facebook, etc.) be used to connect others to Christ. Let others see the truth of Jesus in us every day. AMEN!

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Current Study: First Peter

Today’s Topic:  Be a Blessing

Scripture Reading:  1 Peter 3:9   Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 

One of my favorite old time television shows was Amos and Andy. My memory does not allow me to remember any specific details of the show, but I do remember it being very funny. Someone with a better memory than I, Gaylord Goertsen, writes about an episode of the show in the February 26, 1991 issue of The Christian Leader.

On an old “Amos and Andy” television program, Andy was angry. There was a big man who would continually slap Andy across the chest every time they met. Andy finally had enough of it. He told Amos, “I’m going to get revenge. I put a stick of dynamite in my vest pocket. The next time he slaps me on the chest he’s going to get his hand blown off.” But Andy forgot that the dynamite would also blow his own heart out. Revenge may hurt the other person but it always blows our own heart out.

From the lips of Jesus to the Holy Spirit inspired writings of Paul and Peter, we are commanded in Scripture to love our enemies, and do good to those who harm us. Revenge and repayment of wrong is never an option for the follower of Christ.

That’s hard for us, isn’t it? Our first thoughts after being hurt by someone usually involve some form of retribution. Even if we choose not to do anything about it, the lingering thought of “Someday they’ll get what’s coming to them” reveals the true nature of our heart. The heart of Christ has no room for any desire for harm to anyone. His justice requires the payment for sin, but His heart desires forgiveness.

Chuck Colson tells the following story. Jimmy Gibson, an Ulster defense terrorist held in Northern Ireland’s McGilligan Prison, used to kill Catholics for fun. But in a Bible study one night, Jimmy gave his life to Christ.

That prison had an invisible dividing line between Catholics and Protestants. One night at dinner, Gibson got up, walked across the mess hall and found a seat at random among the Catholic prisoners. He leaned over and said to a guy named Liam McCloskey, “Brother, I want to tell you about Jesus.”

That whole mess hall went silent. People expected a riot. The guards went after their guns. But the two sat and talked. Over those next weeks, Jimmy ate every night with the Catholic prisoners. In time, he led McCloskey to Christ.

In 1983 I was at Queens College in Belfast, with eleven hundred Protestants and Catholics-the first time they’d come together. Jimmy Gibson walked up to the platform on one side, Liam McCloskey came up the other, and they threw their arms around one another. Liam told the crowd, “Two years ago on the street I’d have killed this man. Today he’s my brother in Christ. I’ll lay down my life for him.”

Loving our enemies is for our own good. Jesus didn’t teach us to love our enemies for their good, even though they will benefit from it. Loving our enemies and doing good to those who terrorize us is for our good – it keeps us from becoming the enemy.

But it feels so good to dwell on the wrong. That’s what many of us think. Hannah Whitehall Smith in The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life, writes,  Have you never tasted the luxury of indulging in hard thoughts against those who have, as you think, injured you? Have you never known what a positive fascination it is to brood over their unkindnesses, and to pry into their malice, and to imagine all sorts of wrong and uncomfortable things about them? It has made you wretched, of course, but it has been a fascinating sort of wretchedness that you could not easily give up.

Sure, thoughts of revenge and plots to repay seem somewhat satisfying at the time, but in time, they will destroy us. We will become bitter and distasteful to those around us. We will get eaten up with pain and become cynical. But it will not bring us peace and joy. Rather, we will become the enemy, because we have allowed the Enemy of our soul to rule our spirit and control our mind.

Christ’s heart in us convinces us of something better, not bitter. The better way to live is to be a blessing. Release the burdens of your hurts, and become a blessing to those who burdened you in the first place. You’ll discover that they really weren’t the burden after all – your attitude towards them was. 

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Current Study: First Peter

Today’s Topic:  Play In Harmony (part 2)

Scripture Reading:  1 Peter 3:8   Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 

After talking to a few people about yesterday’s devotional, I came to discover that it had a lot more meaning to me than to anyone else. I find that happens a lot, because I still have this disconnect between what my mind is thinking and what my words are saying. In my mind, it was very clear how the analogy of a band connected to the reality of the church. For me, there were multiple points of application to our lives throughout the devotional, especially in regards to our relationships within the body of Christ. Yet after reading the whole devotional, and coming to the last line, one person commented, “I wondered when this would make a point.” I guess I need to try again.

In First Peter 3:8, Peter is bringing to a conclusion his excellent teaching on the subject of submission. He has written to citizens and leaders, employees and employers, wives and husbands, and now wraps it all up by addressing everyone in the church. His command for us from the Holy Spirit is to live in harmony with one another within the church. That will only be the reality if the people of the church are living in submission to Christ and to one another.

Harmony requires community. Community requires connection. Connection requires humility. Humility breeds sympathy, compassion, and love, which together strengthen connections, growing greater community, and producing richer harmony.

One of the most important points made yesterday (maybe it was too subtle) was the emphasis on encouragement. In the body of Christ, we must recognize that gifts, abilities, and skill don’t equate to worth. Every person is needed. Every person is valuable. Some instruments of God are more noticeable than others, but none is more worthy than any other. When one part of the body does something commendable under the power of the Holy Spirit, the rest of the body rejoices for two reasons: they played a supporting role, and, the vision and goals of the whole are being realized. As a result, those who get recognition are honored and encouraged with sincerity because there is no jealousy. Individual goals are surrendered for the sake of the community, so individual recognition is not sought, but it is given by the community as an encouragement to all.

Harmony is destroyed and discord happens when individuals begin to demand recognition. This is deadly to church community. People who stand up to be noticed divert attention from the Director. People who stop playing because they aren’t getting noticed cause the rest of the community to suffer a loss in productivity. People who criticize the sounds made by other community members are themselves making ugly sounds. If there is to be true harmony, then there must be humility, for only humility can unite diversity.

Harmony is the result of diversity united by a common objective.  The Director has arranged the instruments exactly the way he knows their sounds will complement one another and produce the best possible result. He has handed out the music with unique notes on each sheet specifically written to produce the best possible sound out of each instrument and blend in perfect harmony with each of the other instruments. He stands at the front of the band – the church – and raises His hands, and all attention is drawn to Him. Not one member is looking at the crowd any longer. No one is playing for the audience any more. Everyone is intent on playing exactly what the director has assigned them to play. Everyone has one purpose – fulfill the goal of the Director by playing their best.

My friends, we are Christ’s band of brothers and sisters. We are the church. We are a connected community. We have each been uniquely assigned a gift by the Holy Spirit to be used completely and continually in harmony with one another. We accomplish harmony by being sympathetic, compassionate, humble, and loving. We have surrendered our personal goals and any need for individual recognition so that the objectives of the Director can be accomplished. And when the Director chooses to point at someone, we will all cheer for them, just as we hope they will cheer for us when the Director points our way. Not because we want the recognition, but because we want people to know what a great Director we have. Who else could have brought out the best in us? The cheers are really for Him.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Monday, June 29, 2009

Current Study: First Peter

Today’s Topic:  Play In Harmony

Scripture Reading:  1 Peter 3:8   Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 

Music has always been an important part of my life. I grew up with talented parents who both played the piano and organ magnificently. My mom also played the flute. I took piano lessons first, and then moved to band instruments. I played the trumpet, then the baritone, followed by the trombone, and while learning all of them I also learned guitar, bass fiddle, and marimba. By the time I was in 9^th grade I could play them all.

I learned some valuable lessons from my musical training. First, I wasn’t first chair in my section all the time. It was always my goal, but I wasn’t always good enough. I had to learn to live with second chair. My best friend, Carl Zeigler, was just a little better than me at playing the trombone. We were always challenging each other during the practice sessions. One day he would be first chair; the next day I would be. But when we played together in the concerts, it wasn’t to compete, but to blend. We both pushed ourselves to be the best we could be, because that made the whole band better.

Second, I learned that without second and third chairs, there would be no harmony. Melody is great, but it gets pretty boring after a while. Harmony and rhythm are needed to bring out the richness of the musical experience. Someone once said that the most important position in any orchestra is second fiddle. They add richness to the music by adding harmony. They add harmony because they are humble.

Third, I learned that I don’t get to play melody all the time. And when I do, there’s no special recognition for it. Sometimes the trumpets had melody. Sometimes the clarinets. Everybody got a chance to play it sometimes, depending on the song. I even remember one song where the tuba got a solo. But when we were young and immature, no special recognition was given for melody-playing. Band was about unity, not recognition.

As we got older supposedly more mature, recognition was allowed. On very special occasions during a concert the band director would point at one section after the song was over and have them stand. The rest of the band would join with the audience in giving them the recognition they deserved. There was no jealousy or envy or fault-finding. We were being taught that sometimes someone does something special and they deserve to be praised for it.

Then came high school, and we got to play in what we called “stage band.”  Some of you know it as jazz band. During those concerts, featured soloists would stand while they played the melody, and the audience would applaud. The soloists had been given the liberty to improvise and embellish the melody show off their skills. When they were done, they would sit down and blend back into the rest of the group. Even while they were standing, the rest of the group supported them with harmony and rhythm so they would sound their best.

In band, everyone knew that there would be others who would be better musicians than they were. They knew that not everyone played all the instruments. They knew that it took all the instruments to make the band complete. They knew that it took all the sections to create all the harmony to bring out the richness of the music. Band members understood that while they were each challenged to be the best they could be, it was not for the purpose of individual recognition but for the overall excellence of the band.

Then, at the end of the concert, after the audience has cheered for the band, the band cheers for the director, knowing that ultimately he deserves all the credit for teaching them to play in harmony.

Let this be the picture of the church today, as we play our instruments in harmony with one another for the glory of the Director.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Current Study: First Peter

Today’s Topic:  Unhindered Prayer

Scripture Reading:  1 Peter 3:7   Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

I am fascinated by statements people make that contradict Scripture. On several occasions I have had to confront people who have stated that they were praying for permission to do something God’s Word already forbids. I once had a young woman tell me that she and her new married boyfriend had prayed about their “love” for each other and that God had given them peace that their adultery was not a sin for them.  I thank the Lord for the spiritual maturity of the Elders that rebuked her with the authority of God’s Word.

So many people have the wrong understanding of prayer and the wrong motivation for praying. For many, prayer is nothing more than an emotional tool to bring self-assurance. Others believe it is the secret ingredient that, when made public, brings affirmation and praise from others about choices they have made. You’ve heard people say things like, “I prayed about this before I made the decision.” Their expectation is that when we hear they prayed about it, we will accept their decision as God’s will.

But the Bible does not define prayer as a “genie-in-a-bottle” approach to satisfying one’s own desires. In fact, any sin in our lives actually hinders our prayers, and the prideful pursuit of our own desires is sin. If we have unrepentant sin in our lives in just one part of our life, it closes the ear of God to our prayers in every area of our life. King David said in Psalm 66, If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.

In Peter’s inspired writing today, he declares that when a husband does not treat his wife with the consideration and respect she deserves, he sins. As a result, his whole prayer life is affected. Men, the reason many of you are not powerful in prayer is because you’ve chosen to be too powerful in the home. Being in control of your own life is the very antithesis of prayer. Prayer requires submission to God’s control. Pride demands that our own will be done. Prayer seeks to know and do the will of God.

One way that you can be considerate of your wife and show her the proper respect she deserves is to pray with her. Praying together with your wife shows her that you consider her your equal. This is crucial, and yet tragically overlooked by many of us, including me.

Paul Tournier, writing in Leadership, says, It is only when a husband and wife pray together before God that they find the secret of true harmony: that the difference in their temperaments, their ideas, and their tastes enriches their home instead of endangering it. There will be no further question of one imposing his will on the other, or of the other giving in for the sake of peace. Instead, they will together seek God’s will, which alone will ensure that each will be fully able to develop his personality …. When each of the marriage partners seeks quietly before God to see his own faults, recognizes his sin, and asks the forgiveness of the other, marital problems are no more. Each learns to speak the other’s language, and to meet him halfway, so to speak. Each holds back those harsh little words which one is apt to utter when one is right, but which are said in order to injure. Most of all, a couple rediscovers complete mutual confidence, because, in meditating in prayer together, they learn to become absolutely honest with each other …. This is the price to be paid if partners very different from each other are to combine their gifts instead of setting them against each other.

Men, you are at the starting line. Forget what has happened in the past. Don’t look behind you. Look ahead at the finish line, where Jesus is waiting. Your goal is to run the race with perseverance and discipline, and to be found faithful at the end. And the greatest testament to your faithfulness will be when you cross that finish line hand-in-hand with your wife and present her to Jesus as His bride.

On your marks! Take your position in your marriage – the spiritual leader of your home. It’s the position God has assigned you and equipped you to fill.

Get set! Plan the strategies for winning the race. Then kneel down and stretch out so that you start the race from a position of humility.

GO! Run! Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, and run! Be strong. Be courageous. And when you look to your side to see if she’s keeping up, you’ll discover something incredible. You’ll see Jesus running with you, making sure you stay together. 

Pastor John

—

Daily Devotions

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Current Study: First Peter

Today’s Topic:  Learn To Be Considerate

Scripture Reading:  1 Peter 3:7   Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Men love stories. I had breakfast this morning with a brother in Christ. Our purpose for meeting was to further study the subject of salvation and to clarify some teaching that confused him. We started our meeting at 6:25. Soon the stories were flowing. Stories of bow hunting, fishing and golfing. It wasn’t until 7:00, after the food had been eaten, that we got down to the real business of the day.

Stories captivate the hearts of men, so I have a story for you that will help bring to light the truth of Peter’s admonition to husbands to be considerate and respectful of their wives. The story comes from Howard Hendricks, preacher and professor at Dallas Theological Seminary.

 We had one of the Dallas Cowboys come to Christ a few years back. What a testimony! He came to me one day and said, “Howie, I’m going out to Thousand Oaks for the training camp and need an assignment.”

I said, “Okay. I want you to read the Book of Ephesians.”

“The what?”

“The Book of Ephesians.”

“How you spell it?”

I said, “Have you found Matthew?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, “I got it right here in the front.”

I said, “Okay, find Matthew, go right, and you’ll run into it.”

So he gets out to Thousand Oaks, California. I found out later he read the Book of Ephesians six times, every single day. When he came back he called me up and said, “Hendricks, I’ve got to get together with you. You know that assignment you gave me?”

I said, “Yeah.”

“Man,” he said, “it blew my mind! That’s a wipe out.”

I said, “Okay. Come on over.”

So he comes over, he opens the book—isn’t it wonderful to work with people who have no idea what you know?—“Here … here it is right here! Here: ‘Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church.’ Whooo!” he said. “That’s impossible!”

I said, “Fantastic, man! You have made the greatest discovery in your Christian life, and that is that the Christian life is not difficult; it’s impossible. Let me ask you a question. What does your wife do that you appreciate?”

Typical male fashion, he says, “Oh, lots of things.” “Well,” I said “name one.” “Well,” he said, “for example, she’s a good cook.” I said, “Great. That’s your assignment. I want you to go home and tell her how much you appreciate her cooking.” “Oh, man,” he said, “I—I couldn’t do that. That’d take a miracle.” I said, “Great. That’s what God specializes in.” “Well,” he said, “we’d better pray about that.”

We got down. I’ll never forget this guy’s prayer, “Oh, God, you’ve got a rough assignment here.” Then—you know, the Lord’s so beautiful—the guy gets up from his knees and goes home. His wife knocked out the best meal he’d ever seen: six courses, beautifully spread table, candlelight, the works.

I said, “How’d you enjoy the meal?”

“Aw,” he said, “it was horrible.”

I said, “Why? What’s the matter?”

“Oh,” he said, “I just sat there saying ‘God, you gotta do it.’ “

“Well,” I said, “what happened?”

He said, “Well, finally the Lord encouraged me, and I got up and I ran around to the other side, and I grabbed her.”

I said, “What happened?”

“She went as white as the table cloth,” he said. “I really think she thought I was gonna clip her.” And he said, “I lifted her up so that I could talk to her eyeball to eyeball, and I said, ‘Woman, that was wonderful!’ And I knew we were off the ground.”

He gave his testimony last Friday in Dallas. It just blew the minds of the guys. He said, “Man, I want you to know that I was the most yellow man in America behind a closed door. I’ll take on anybody in the NFL. It usually takes two or three in the pits. But, you put me behind a closed door, and I’m yellow.” Then he said, “Jesus Christ came into my life. How do I know it’s real? I’ll tell you. He took a self-centered, great-big football stud like me, who had all of his life revolving around him, and he began to deliver me from myself.”

Start today to get delivered from yourself, so you can truly care about your wife. She is your equal heir in life.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Current Study: First Peter

Today’s Topic:  Descending Into Greatness

Scripture Reading:  1 Peter 3:7   Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Married folk are not to act as they now usually do. The men are almost lions in their homes, hard toward their wives. The women, too, everywhere want to domineer and have their husbands as servants.

That assessment of the state of marriage could very easily have been written recently, but it wasn’t. It was actually written by Martin Luther in the 1500’s. Relationship problems resulting from an improper understanding of submission have existed since marriage began.

Men, it’s time for Peter, and for me, to address some serious issues that we need to get right or our relationships will be all wrong. Over the past few days of devotionals, you may have been tempted to think that it’s been good to have someone writing about what’s wrong with your wife. Now I’m going to give your wife the same opportunity, so get ready to take your medicine too.

When Peter told wives to be submissive to their husbands, he put it in the context of what he had just written on the subject to others. He used the words, in the same way. Hey guys, pay attention, he says it again. Husbands, in the same way… So every one of us men is responsible to go back to every point made about how women are to live in relationship to their husbands, and apply those principles to ourselves. 

The first thing we’d better get right is that the responsibility to submit to them is greater for us than it is for them to submit to us. How do I know this? First, the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 5:21 that we are to submit to one another out of reverence to Christ. Then, he tells the wife to submit to the husband as unto the Lord – in a living relationship. And finally, he tells the husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church, in a dying relationship. The call upon men to submit demands more than the call for women to submit.

Think about this for a minute. God created woman from man. She was created with a nature to help. Man was created to rule over all of creation. Woman was commanded to help man rule. Women will more naturally submit to leadership, while men aspire to be leaders. When Christ gave up His life for the church, He did so even though He was perfectly qualified to rule and reign, and was already in that position. Men, we are called to do the same. Our call to submit demands the total sacrifice of our lives and position for the sake of our wives. We are only able to do this if we have the same motivation as Christ – LOVE.  

Kevin A. Miller, an editor in suburban Chicago, writes, I’d just finished mowing the lawn, and it seemed like the perfect time to spray Weed & Feed on the grass. Except I didn’t have any Weed & Feed.

“I’m going to the store,” I told Karen.

“But the kids and I are waiting for you to go to the pool with us,” she said.

“That can wait,” I said.

“Honey,” she said, “we promised the kids we’d all go.”

Next thing I knew, we were having a heated argument. I knew what I wanted; what she wanted could wait.

Most of us stumble over the words of Ephesians 5:21 because we’re concentrating on what’s fair. But if we insist on playing out our marriage that way, we only bring pain to our spouses and ourselves. To paraphrase Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, “If you insist on an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, you’ll both end up blind and toothless.” God wants to spare us that pain, so he gives us a better way: “Submit to one another. 

That doesn’t come naturally. Scripture has to remind me: Exaltation comes after humility. You have to descend into greatness.

So, men, start learning to submit. You are not the lord of the land nor are you the king of your castle. You are the servant of the daughter of the King. She is your princess. Treat her like your queen.

Pastor John