Tag Archives: Devotional

Glory, Not Shame

6 Replies

Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations.
Ezekiel 36:22, NLT*

Israel’s ungodly behaviour caused the Babylonian exile in the first place. Set apart to be a holy people, living in fellowship with God as a light to the people around them, they copied their neighbours instead. They abandoned the Living God for idols of stone and wood.

God stated His case through the prophets—repeatedly—and then followed through on the exile as He’d said. He promised it would end, and the people could come home after 70 years. (Jeremiah 29:10)

Reading that, I assumed they’d be coming home because they learned their lesson and turned back to God. Today’s verse makes me not so sure.

They were still bringing shame on His name in exile. Still living by their own understanding and desires instead of wholeheartedly following His ways. And don’t we do the same, to a lesser extent?

We need what God promises His people later in this chapter: clean, responsive hearts, and His Spirit within us.

Then we need to listen to and rely on His Spirit. More and more, I see life coming back to this: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5, NLT*)

Holy and mighty God, You save us when we don’t deserve it, and You change our hearts. You give us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our salvation. Forgive our waywardness, and draw us to love You more. Help us spend time with You to discover more of who You are. Forgive us for when we’ve brought shame on Your name. Help us live in confident trust in Your character and in Your love for us, so that others will see that You are our Good Shepherd.

∞

I love this worship song from Todd Agnew: “Your Great Name“.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIQFYYcF3qM

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Willing Spirit

5 Replies

Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Psalm 51:12, NIV*

“I don’t really want to do that.” It’s easy to look at our responsibilities or opportunities that way.

Who really wants to drag their tired body out of bed too early to face the day? Or pick up toddlers’ toys one more time. Make that difficult phone call. Go to the dentist.

There are things we choose not to do, but there are plenty that we need to go ahead with.

The “I don’t want to” attitude can even slip into our relationships, or the job we love, or our ministry. It steals our joy.

Conscious gratitude helps, finding what we appreciate in the situations and deciding to thank God for His presence even in what we don’t like.

Eventually I find myself going back to King David’s prayer: “Grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” It’s the way back to joy.

Holy God, Giver of life and mercy, complaining is offensive to You. Please forgive our rebellious spirits and the attitude of self focus that grows in us, and wash us clean. It’s about You after all, not about us. Grant us gratitude, restore the joy of our salvation when it slips, and give us willing hearts to sustain us in Your service.

∞

Here’s Hillsong Australia with the chorus to the classic hymn, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

What Idols Obsess Us?

Leave a reply

Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, get rid of the vile images you are so obsessed with. Do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt, for I am the Lord your God.’
Ezekiel 20:7, NLT*

Context: the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. God displayed His power through plagues and miraculous signs. He proved His existence—and His supremacy.

Yet He accuses the people of being obsessed with idols.

The NLT footnote for the word “idol” in this verse says “The Hebrew term (literally round things) probably alludes to dung.” So these idols are not just worthless and powerless, but defiling to an Israelite. They don’t just distract from God, they separate from Him.

We wonder why the Israelites would bother. Yet don’t we do the same?

What might we have brought “out of Egypt” when Jesus saved us? Performance, people pleasing, possessions?

As I take inventory, the worst one I see is an ugly clay idol called self.

It’s not very big or powerful, but I give it a lot more attention than I should. That attention rightly belongs to Him who rescued me—who is still rescuing me.

If it were a physical idol I could smash it, sweep up the pieces and throw it away. But it’s in my mind, like most of the other “round things” we cling to.

God our Redeemer, our Rescuer, how can we still be obsessed with such futile and defiling things when You have brought us out of slavery to sin and into Your kingdom of life? Continue Your saving work in us, and keep us in Your grace. Help us recognize when we look away from You to the idols in our lives. Help us control our thoughts and spirits and turn back to You, the true, life-giving God.

∞

“Give Us Clean Hands” – let this be our prayer. (Sung here by Kutless)

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Counting Our Blessings

2 Replies

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT*

These may be my life verses, in part because it’ll take me a lifetime to learn to live them

It all comes back to trusting God and not ourselves – trusting Him with everything that we are. The NIV renders “Seek His will in all you do” as “In all your ways submit to Him,” and it’s the King James Version that nudges me today: “In all thy ways acknowledge Him.”

The other translations suggest the intent of “acknowledge Him” is “submit to Him” or “seek His will,” and again that needs to be part of the wholehearted trust the psalmist is calling for.

But “acknowledge Him” can be a little bit more. Let’s think about gratitude.

The other day a friend spoke about the value of starting each day with a prayer of thanks to God: for the new day, for family and friends, for so many things we start to take for granted. Then I read Carolyn Arends’ post, Worship Con Queso, on how the physical things we enjoy can prompt our hearts’ gratitude to the Giver.

God blesses us in so many ways, with good things and best of all with His presence even when things aren’t so good. (click to tweet) Whether we list them in a gratitude journal or simply whisper thanks, let’s notice.

God our abundant Provider, who lavishes gifts upon us, open our eyes to see, our ears to hear, our hearts to receive and to overflow with praise and adoration to You, the Giver of all good gifts. The Giver of life and hope and salvation.

∞

Here’s a good reminder song: “Count Your Blessings.” I’m not sure who’s singing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm_gmEJjHws

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Janet Sketchley

Why We Need to Know God

2 Replies

He will flatter and win over those who have violated the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him.
Daniel 11:32, NLT*

This is part of Daniel’s prophecy about a future king who will conquer and destroy many nations and intend great harm to God’s chosen people. It also has a lesson for Christians today, in our own circumstances.

We have an enemy too—the enemy of our souls. How do we stand against the opposition and persuasion he sows? (Daniel warned of the enemy king’s flattery and winning over.)

Daniel tells us how. We have to know our God.

  • Know His character. His ways. His commands.
  • Know His ultimate power. Events unfold according to God’s timing. (The phrase “the appointed time” occurs three times in Daniel 11.)
  • Know that He is bigger than our circumstances and thoughts. Focusing on this perspective keeps us from letting our problems loom larger than life.

How well do we know God? Biblical literacy is on the decline, and many people’s idea of God comes from a mix of Hollywood, hearsay, and maybe even heresy, depending on who they’ve been listening to.

To truly know God, we need to go to the source: the Bible. (tweet this) And we need to ask Him to reveal Himself in it.

God who is the Author and the Finisher of our faith, who knew the end from the beginning, and who reaches into our tangled lives to rescue and redeem us, help us to know You better. Help us live relying on Your character and following Your ways, so we can recognize and resist deception.

∞

There are many classic hymns that declare the wonders of God, but this newer song is the one that came to mind when I wrote this post: Magnificent, by Matt Redman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB8ZLFZkIKg

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God’s Urgency

6 Replies

How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.
Matthew 23:37, NLT*

Jesus came because we needed rescuing. I love Mark’s description of Jesus’ reaction to a large crowd:

“He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” (Mark 6:34, NLT*)

He had compassion on them. The Good Shepherd saw their need and longed to meet it.

Hear His longing in our opening verse, where He laments over the city of Jerusalem. He’s lamenting still today, calling out to so many lost and confused souls who don’t even realize their state.

Sometimes I catch an echo of his heart… the Creator, the King, calling… almost begging… for souls to turn His way.

It matters that much to Him. We matter that much to Him.

And I feel like time’s running out.

We can’t convince people to trust their hearts to Jesus. That’s His work. But we can pray for them, we can demonstrate His care for them, and we can speak a few words when they’re open to hear.

Fierce and gentle Shepherd, call Your lambs and help them to listen. Rescue them from where they’re trapped, from menacing predators, and let them experience the true and good care that only You can give.

∞

Here’s Don Francisco‘s song, “Adam, Where Are You?” Hear the urgency in the final verse, and pray for those still in the darkness.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Tenacity of God

6 Replies

Long ago the Lord said to Israel:
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.
Jeremiah 31:3, NLT*

When I named this blog “Tenacity” I was thinking from my own perspective as a Christian, a human and a writer: so much of what we do is what Eugene Peterson calls “a long obedience in the same direction.”

It can be a slog, but something drives us to keep on, to refuse to quit. If we don’t do our part, who will?

We need tenacity in our faith, to keep believing and obeying in the dry times. To keep applying the lessons God teaches until we finally “get” them—or at least “get” one step and graduate to the next.

We need it in our relationships, in our responsibilities, our jobs.

Writers and other artists may need an extra helping of tenacity because so much of what we create is in our heads, and it battles with a slew of fears and inhibitions just to get out. Then we painstakingly shape it to the best of our abilities, learn more and reshape it again, until it’s ready to release. And then… we need to find a way to share it with the readers/ viewers/ listeners whose hearts we hope to touch.

Most of what I write, fiction and non-fiction, grows from a reliance on God’s character, His strength and His love. His desire to draw all people into relationship with Himself, no matter how much we resist and try to go our own way.

He can be trusted. His love doesn’t get tired of reaching for the wayward and the stubborn. The Bible warns that there will be a day when His invitation ends, but there’s still a bit of time.

God calls His people to be holy, because He is holy. Compassionate, because He is compassionate. Patient, kind, loving, merciful, just … because those attributes reflect His character.

Tenacity? It’s all about God, after all.

God of the highest heavens, who stoops to dwell in human hearts, You keep Your promises, You are patient beyond belief, You work to bring Your plans to fulfillment despite the knots we tie. Help us to be a people of tenacity because You are a God of tenacity. Draw us to Yourself, help us hold onto You as You hold us in the shelter of Your strong hand. And help us live confident in your everlasting love.

∞

Matt Redman’s song, “Never Once,” declares the tenacity of our faithful God.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Remembering God: Hope and Worship

8 Replies

So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
not forgetting his glorious miracles
and obeying his commands.
Psalm 78:7, NLT*

The Israelites passed down their experiences with God from generation to generation, and somehow the Holy Spirit worked an alchemy in believing souls to change “heard” knowledge into “heart” knowledge.

Knowing the stories was never enough; the other nations knew them, and trembled. God wanted relationship with His people, where they could love and trust Him as well as revering and worshiping Him.

When they “set their hope anew” on Him, they thrived. When they forgot what God had done—and He did some highly memorable miracles—or when they stopped believing or rationalized it away, the psalmist describes them as “stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.” (Psalm 78:8, NLT* emphasis mine)

The same goes for us today, and for our children and their children. We have the miracles—and commands—of God preserved in the Bible. We have the testimonies of other Christians in person or in print. We have our personal encounters with the Lord of Heaven.

We need to remember them, and set our hearts and our hopes anew on God no matter what circumstances surround us. We need to pass them on to the next generation, but that generation is responsible to take them personally.

Faith isn’t a history lesson, or literature, myth or fairy tale. Theoretical nods to God don’t do much except set us up to fall.

Father God, You have drawn us to Yourself with a love stronger than we can know. Refresh our faith, rekindle our first love for You, and work in our children’s and grandchildren’s spirits to awaken them to Your love too. Let us not refuse to give our hearts to You. Let none of us be lost.

∞

Let the Newsboys’ new song, “Live With Abandon,” be our prayer.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Christians and Temples

2 Replies

“We promise together not to neglect the Temple of our God.”
Nehemiah 10:39b, NLT*

The returned Israelite exiles have vowed to keep themselves pure, to live God’s way, and to provide all that’s needed for the upkeep of the Temple and its ongoing offerings.

The Temple is where they worship God, where they’re forgiven and restored. Where they go for wisdom.

It’s the symbol of their relationship with God.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19a, NLT*)

We’re responsible to keep our bodies pure and healthy, and to maintain our spirits. “The church” is the people of Christ, not the buildings in which we meet, but we do need to care for our corporate worship sites, since they’re visible signs of our worship. More than that, we need to care for one another.

Jesus said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:35, NLT*)

We need to guard our relationships with God, to put Him first in worship and to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to Him. (Romans 12:1, NLT*)

God who longs to reconcile all people to Himself, You are holy. We are not. Yet You designed us for relationship with You and we’re not complete without it. Rekindle our first love intensity for You. Draw us nearer, remind us how vital it is to stay close to You. Help us to live for You and to love one another and to keep our “temples” in good order.

∞

May this be our prayer this week, from Mark Schultz: “Give us clean hands“.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God’s Reputation

Leave a reply

You displayed miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, his officials, and all his people, for you knew how arrogantly they were treating our ancestors. You have a glorious reputation that has never been forgotten.
Nehemiah 9:10, NLT* (emphasis mine)

Many North American Christians are walking closely with God and growing in our faith. But to the watching world, even to many in (or leaving) the church, God’s glorious reputation has been forgotten, replaced by one that’s distorted. (Click to tweet.)

That makes me sad. No wonder people aren’t drawn to follow Him, when they don’t know who He is.

In context here, the returned Israelites have heard the Law read aloud, have confessed their corporate and individual sins and vowed to live God-honouring lives. Even when they’d forgotten the nuances of holy living, they remembered God’s mighty acts.

We don’t tell God’s stories: miracles in the Bible and our own personal encounters, large and small.

We don’t live in clear trust, in joy or peace. We’re bogged down by the cares of this world (some of which are heavy indeed). Respect for diversity (or fear of offending) keeps our faith low-key, personal and private.

But even Israel’s enemies knew God’s reputation. We can tell the stories without insisting others embrace them, and trust God to do what He will with our words.

We’ve given the wrong impression of God. Instead of a glorious reputation, He’s perceived as judgmental, carrying a big stick and waiting for an excuse to swing it. Or people think He’s helpless, because flashy miracles aren’t happening much in North America and the quieter miracles aren’t recognized or aren’t shared. Others think He’s confusing, because we can’t answer the deep pain questions and yet we’ve felt we had to be able to explain Him.

Holy and majestic God, God of power and tenderness, judgment and love, we don’t understand how Your character traits mesh together. Still, we know we can trust You. Forgive us for the part we’ve played in the damage to Your reputation. Remind us of who You are, of what You’ve done. Help us to live confident in You, to see and share what You do. Restore Your glorious reputation in the eyes of all the world, and in Your grace give us a part to play in that restoration. Not because we’re worthy, but because You are good.

∞

A good song to focus our faith is “Our Great God,” by Todd Agnew and Rebecca St. James.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.