How to Know God Better

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Jesus prayed profound words when He said, “This is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent" [John 17:3]. Knowing God is possible, you know. The Apostle John said, "We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ" [1 John 5:20].

We first know God in a general sense through salvation. But there is so much more. Beyond salvation, we can have an intimate knowledge of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — God.

I want that, don’t you? Like Moses prayed, "Let me know Your ways, that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight" [Exodus 33:13]. That attitude, that passion, is the driving force in prayer. Those who know God best are those who pray often and pray fervently. Passion for God will do that; compel you to know God and serve Him better. 

A good question to end our week is: Do you only know God as your Savior or do you have intimate knowledge of God? The answer to that lies in the character of your prayers. Your desire to know God will motivate you toward fervent prayer 

I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death… Philippians 3.10

Todays and Tomorrows

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Go to any bookstore and you’ll see it for yourself. The shelves are filled with self-help books. You would think that people are starving for personal improvement, self-actualization, self-empowerment, and inner strength — something to help them get a grip on today, and also their tomorrows. 

If you are a true Christ follower, think about this: Jesus triumphed over death, the greatest enemy. Our battles, then, are minor in comparison, lesser foes. And, we walk through life with the knowledge that He has already won the war.

With that in mind, let’s stop trying to manipulate God to handle our todays and tomorrows according to our dictates and wishes. The more we let Him be in charge, the more we open the door for His redemptive purposes in our lives. Here’s a novel approach, let’s pray, “YOUR will be done,” and get out of the way! He knows what’s best, so allow His ideas to take control. 

Keep growing in faith. That will enable you to trust God increasingly without knowing what’s around the next corner. Henry Ward Beecher said, “Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.” 

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. Isaiah 55.8

The Right Question

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

To get the right answer, you have to ask the right question. When it comes to holy living, the Psalmist asked the right question, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” He didn’t ask, “Why should a young man keep his way pure?” Or, “Should a young man keep his way pure?” No! He had moved past the point that many people struggle with, which is to question God as to why it is important to Him that we remain pure. 

The Psalmist already knew he was sinful before a holy God. He’s not questioning that. He wants to know what is the best way to remedy it. How can it be done? 

The answer was immediately given: by keeping — internalizing and personalizing — the Word of God. One could be very disappointed in that answer, especially if he or she is hoping for something more entertaining and less demanding. But, nothing less than the Refiner’s fire, the Word of God, will make your flawed mindset rise to the surface. 

At the same time, it can also be extremely encouraging. The answer we’re looking for is so readily available. Just think, you don’t have to climb a Tibetan mountain and find a guru for the answer. You don’t need a degree in rocket science to figure it out. There is no religious pedigree necessary to understand how to purify your life and make it pleasing to God. 

The solution is simple, but it is not easy: Take heed, study, listen to and obey God’s Word, the Bible. There is wisdom in God’s Word. So, dig in! Make God’s wisdom your wisdom. Then live joyfully in it!

How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. Psalm 119.9

Be Happy, Obey

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

For the most part, each one of is responsible for our own problems. We don’t admit it too often, though. In our culture, we’d rather be victims than to admit we’re at fault. We have a long list of whom to blame: the government, media, parents, politicians, schools, our spouses, the environment, our DNA — anyone and everyone but ourselves. 

It’s time for a wake-up call; to accept personal responsibility and quit blaming others. This is especially true of Christ followers and temptation. Stop blaming others for your temptation and sin. And, you can stop blaming God too! Remember when Adam succumbed to Eve’s invitation to eat of the forbidden? He didn’t have to eat it. But when he spoke to God, Adam accused Him for his personal sinfulness. He said, “The woman YOU gave me caused this thing!” [Genesis 3.12]. The implication is that if God hadn’t done what He did, Adam wouldn’t have done what he did. That’s nonsense, pure and simple.

Our sin is derived from disobedience to what God wants from us. When we obey God’s word, we find ourselves the happiest. Trust me on this one, if God says not to do something in the Bible, He will never say, “Yes” to you through feelings. Don’t go there; it’s a trap!

Is God a killjoy? Certainly not! You’ve read the Beatitudes each of which start out with “Blessed.” One of the main ideas behind the Greek word, makarios, is HAPPY!

The happiest people I know are Christ followers who hang on every word that God said in the Bible and follow it, regardless of what their feelings say.

We are tempted when we are drawn away and trapped by our own evil desires. Then our evil desires conceive and give birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1.14-15

Man-Made Apocalypses

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Well, by now, you have seen another unmasking of a man-made apocalypse. Some so-called biblical numerologists have been prophesying that the world would end on September 23rd, 2017. Today is the 25th and, lo and behold, another one bites the dust!

It’s sad, really, and an embarrassment to Christianity when this happens. When will humans comprehend that only God can make a decree with consequences? I like to call it God’s sovereign and efficacious will in which He brings to pass whatever He pleases to decree. 

When God decrees, something must happen. Take creation, for example. God decreed, “Let there be light.” That was a divine decree. It was an exercise of His sovereign, efficacious will. When He said it, it was impossible for light not to be. It had to appear. 

Nothing can thwart what God decrees. He commands and there can be no other consequence than what He commanded. He didn’t beg light to shine. He didn’t have to bribe light into existence. When He commanded light, it could do nothing but answer His command. That is absolute authority and power. 

No one — no creature, no prophet, no numerologist, no preacher, absolutely no one — enjoys that power of will. When men issue decrees, they can only hope that it will come to pass. They may talk and act with confidence, but that, too, is man-made. Only God can decree with absolute results — every time!

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Colossians 1.9

Walk by Faith

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” 

I once read about a poor, orphan girl in India who walked from her village to a missionary’s orphanage for help. The missionary sadly told her she didn’t have the resources to help the girl. But before she left, the missionary said, “I promise to pray for God’s help. You do the same.” With that, the girl walked back to her village. 

That night, the teacher received a letter from an American friend, containing enough money to provide for the little girl. The next morning, she called for a messenger to go to the neighboring village, which was a full day’s walk, and find the little girl. 

In a very short time, the missionary was surprised to see the messenger and little girl. She asked, “How did you get here so quickly?” The little girl responded, “We both prayed for God’s help, so I thought I might as well start walking!”

Faith is both passive and active. Thinking and praying are both necessary elements, but the real test of our faith is to, like the little girl, start walking! 

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17.20

A Persistent Witness

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) once said, “Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.”

One of my Bible college professors was fond of saying, “Perseverance comes with a price and with great reward.” A missionary friend told me the story of a young Nigerian who lived out that statement. 

The young man made a decision to follow Christ. He was excited about his new faith and returned to his village to share it — he was excited, the villagers were not. They became furious as he spoke about Christ. They severely beat him, dragged him to the side of the road, and left him to die. 

After regaining consciousness, he thought that he must not have been clear in explaining his new faith. So, the next day, he went back to the village to witness again. He was more severely beaten the second time, dragged to the side of the road, and, this time, left for dead. He remained unconscious for three days. 

When he awoke, he assumed he had not expressed his faith the right way. So, when he had gained enough strength, he returned to his village to witness for Christ. The villagers were astounded and many broke into tears. At that point, they listened to his testimony and, eventually, the Gospel gained a foothold in the village. 

We don’t know this kind of persecution when sharing our faith here in America, and yet, we often get weary in sharing the Good News. Don’t lose heart, dear friends. And remember, we share our faith in Christ with words, good deeds, and godly lifestyles.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1.12

Wonderful Peace

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Every time I hear about the latest terrorist attack - the suicide bomber, the knife wielding madman, the truck driving sadist, the body count, the packed emergency wards - my heart aches. What senseless loss of life and the misery! 

If only, if only there could be peace.

“The world” needs peace. However, it’s not the only thing. For so many people, “peaceful” is the last word they would use to describe themselves.

If only things could be different!

Wouldn’t it be an amazing thing to be at peace? To go to work or school in peace? To go to the grocery store or fill up your car in peace? To go home in peace — to walk in, close the door, be with your family and just have peace? 

Peace outside. Peace inside. Peace! 

I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught. John 14.27 (The MESSAGE. Paraphrase)

Fruit and Discernment

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Jesus told His disciples that they would be able to discern true prophets and false prophets by their fruit. Today, Christ followers use the same principle in discerning a person’s self-proclamation of a relationship with God. It NEVER gives a Christ follower a license to judge the eternal destiny of an individual, that is between them and God, but it can help to determine the truthfulness of their claims.  

Christ simply told His disciples to test the prophets, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? Over the years, it has come to be known as the “fruit test.”

I apply this principle when dealing with some so-called Christ followers. It is especially helpful with the people who make a room brighter just by leaving it! You’ve probably met them — tension rises whenever they are around; they are miserable people and want to drag as many people into their misery as possible; everything is smothered by their complaints; they are discontented and try their best to manipulate people to their cause, whatever it might be. 

When people are filled with gossip and strife, when there is no end to their discontent, it’s actually a good thing to recognize they are bearing bad fruit. That’s biblical discernment and we need to practice it. 

I also find this principle effective in relationships. When your friend[s] engage in putting others down, talking behind others’ back, impugning others’ character, or trashing others’ integrity, it’s time to recognize the fruit and move on. 

You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7.16-20

A Personal God

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Listen to people talk about God. It doesn’t take long to realize there are many, many ideas about Him. Some would argue that God doesn’t exist, that He is a figment peoples’ imaginations. They are called atheists. There are agnostics also. They claim neither faith nor disbelief in God. Then you have a lot of people who believe in God, some believing he is personal and some, impersonal. 

An impersonal God is Aristotle’s God, the Unmoved Mover. He creates things, but is not directly involved with what He created, like the preverbal clock maker who winds up the clock of creation, then sits back while it runs on its own. That God is passive, impersonal. 

Thankfully, the God of Scripture is different. The prophet Micah declares that God gets involved with His people. He used the phrase, “…the Lord is coming from His dwelling place…” to describe God’s participation in history. 

God isn’t disinterested or idle. He’s not idly watching the clock run down. He works. He moves. In fact, Scripture teaches that He comforts, encourages, confronts, instructs, and disciplines His children. 

Over my years of ministry, I’ve observed that some Christ followers have a dual-view of God. They have a theological belief in a personal God, but they don’t think or feel or act as if they do. They are, for all intents and purposes, practical atheists or agnostics. In other words, they live, at best, as if God is disinterested or uninvolved, or at worst, like He doesn’t exist at all.  

Make a quick assessment of your belief in God. I don't think I’m going out on a limb to say that you believe in a personal God and love Him. If so, it is incumbent on us to live in a way that glorifies Him and leads others to know Him too.  

Look! The LORD is coming from His dwelling place; He comes down and treads on the heights of the earth. The mountains melt beneath Him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope. Micah 1.3-4

Faith in the Son of God

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

After many years of pastoral observation, I’ve come to believe that many Christ followers think Jesus works harder on behalf of those who try harder. I’ve watched them trying to muscle up a stellar faith with the hopes that, someday, they’ll have a little more of Jesus. That’s my pastoral observation and here is my pastoral advice: you can stop any time now, it just doesn’t work that way. Jesus doesn’t work harder for those who try harder. 

Here’s why. God is not concerned with the quantity of your faith. Neither is He interested in the quality of your faith. What He is looking for is the object of your faith! Modern Christianity has proffered a veritable buffet of objects to put your faith in: health and prosperity, saints, legalistic works, spouses, bank accounts, retirement portfolios, and even pastors. None of these is a good substitute for Jesus as the object of your faith. Trust me, if you depend on anyone or anything other than Jesus, you are in for disappointment. All of the afore mentioned things (and all the other things we substitute for Jesus) are imperfect, therefore totally unqualified to hang your faith on.  

Think of it this way: faith in Christ is to the Christ follower what the skeleton is to the body. Remove the bones from your body and you’re nothing but a blob of meat on the pavement. The same is true with faith. It’s Christ, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, who holds us up. 

It has been my experience that I have no control over the volume of my faith. What I can control, though, is the object of my faith — in whom I put my trust! The object of your faith makes all the difference in the world.  

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2.20

Marshmallow Test

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

It was called the Marshmallow Test. Researchers at Stanford University ran a test in the 1960s.  A researcher would say to four-year-olds: “I am leaving for a few minutes to run an errand, and you can have this marshmallow while I am gone, but if you wait until I return, you can have two marshmallows.”

Over a dozen years later, researchers studied the same children and the results were very interesting. The children who couldn’t wait, who snatched up the single marshmallow, tended to be more troubled as adolescents. Not only that, but they also scored lower on SAT tests. 

Christ followers teach their children many things: how to recite the ABCs, to say please and thank you, to tie their shoes, Bible verses, Christian songs, and more. Let me add two more strategic things: self-control and delayed gratification.

These two things are often missed in child rearing. I also want you to remember that you don’t have to go at it alone. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. As you operate in the power of the Holy Spirit, self-control will be evident in your life, exampling for them the joy and rewards of this much needed fruit. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5.22-23

Leaders

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Where do you look for a leader? In some cultures, if you are born into the right family or caste system, you are a prime candidate. In our culture, we often look to the Ivy Leaguers — the Harvard or Yale Law School graduates — who spent years learning the ways of diplomacy.      

Just after World War II, the Cold War was really hot. When America, at that time, looked for a leader, they turned to a general, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who commanded our troops during the war.

When the economy is in the tank, people look to astute economists or businessmen for leadership. Intellectuals, soldiers, business people, they all get chosen to rule. But there is one class of people never chosen — SERVANTS.

That’s exactly where Jesus turned leadership theory on its head. He took twelve guys that no one would suspect of being leaders, and challenged them to first become servants, like Himself. Then, He told them that on a future day, they would judge the tribes of Israel. 

Being a servant is not easy. Jesus and His disciples faced hard and difficult days. Christ followers should expect no less. The most important questions I have to answer are: Whose kingdom do I live for? and, Which kingdom wins in the end? 

You will need the Spirit’s power and the mind of Christ to take the role of a servant. It’s difficult to be a true servant. That’s why so many people want to be leaders! 

Now you are those who remained with Me in My trials. So I give to you, just as My Father gave to Me, a kingdom. You will eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit upon twelve thrones judging the tribes of Israel. Luke 22.28-30

Great Song of Praise

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Jewish tradition has one Psalm, and one Psalm only, which is called The Great Psalm of Praise. It’s Psalm 136. I asked one of my Jewish friends why this Psalm was deserving of such a title. He said that it came from the Talmud. The Talmud says that this Song praises the God who sits in heaven and blesses every creature with food, as verse 25 points out, “He gives food to every creature.”

Rabbis explain that praise is due to God because He does not consider Himself too high, or too great, to care for the needs of His creation. Even though He is the supreme authority over the universe, and even though He has unlimited power, He doesn’t consider Himself too important to care for the needs of the smallest of creatures. Neither is He unconcerned with the daily need of every living thing. 

When was the last time you saw a King or Queen serving food in a soup kitchen? Oh sure, you may have seen it once or twice in a photo op, but it surely isn’t a daily habit. Typically, the the higher the position of a person, the less time they spend serving those less fortunate. But not with God! 

A Jewish legend has it that a high ranking Rabbi was walking down the street, followed by a rather large crowd. As he turned a corner, he heard the sound of a child crying. He stopped, and pushed his way through the crowd until he found the source of the crying. It was a little girl. 

She was seated in a doorway, and her eyes were swollen from the many tears that had fallen from her cheeks. He sat next to her, “My child, why are you crying so?” She replied, “ My best friend told me that my dress is ugly.” “You tell her,” he said in a most pleasing tone, “that the Rabbi thinks that the dress is beautiful, and that you are more beautiful than the dress.” The little girl smiled and then ran off to play. 

Whether it’s wiping away the tears of a child, feeding the hungry and/or homeless, or taking out your neighbor’s garbage, it is a praise to God to help others. His praise is our praise too. When we humble ourselves to serve others, we rise to great heights in the eyes of God. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble [see James 4.6]. 

He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever. Psalm 136.25

The LORD God Almighty is His Name

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

The prophet Amos declared, "The LORD God Almighty is His name.” Almighty! How so? Well, He formed Mt. Everest, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Whitney, and the Mt. of Olives. He formed all the mountains with the ease of a child playing with a lump of clay. This same God created wind; air molecules and air pressure that pushes them over the surface of the earth. He spins the earth ushering in light and darkness. And get this, according to Amos, He strolls “on the heights the earth.” 

Now, are you ready for this? That almighty God chose to reveal His thoughts to mankind. That, dear Christ follower, is astounding! Through the pen of about 40 authors over 1,500 years, the almighty God told His story in a way that we can understand it. He did it not only with words, but also in His Son, Jesus, His final revelation to man. The author of Hebrews said that God spoke many times and many ways in times past through the prophets. But at last, He ultimately spoke through His Son whom He appointed heir of all things (Hebrews 1.1-2).

Jesus demonstrated God’s thoughts and love all the way to His cross. The almighty God came to man, explained His way with words and a life sacrificed, and invites each one of us to have a personal relationship with Him. Astounding! Amazing. And, the Lord God almighty is His name! 

He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals His thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth—the LORD God almighty is His name. Amos 4.13

Just Ask Abraham

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Has God ever asked you to do something that seemed difficult? impossible? I doubt any of you have had the same experience as Abraham. When Moses wrote the book of Genesis, he said that God tested Abraham, telling him to sacrifice his son of promise, the son he loved [Genesis 22]. If you know the story, Abraham didn’t end up sacrificing his son. When Jews recount the story, they refer to it as the “binding of Isaac.”

What strikes me about this encounter is that Abraham didn’t hesitate. He didn’t consult advisors. The Scripture says that he got up early in the morning to carry out what God had asked him to do. Immediately, his response was, “Yes, Lord, I’ll do it right away.”

I’m encouraged by Abraham’s “no nonsense, no-questions-asked” faith.” That’s the kind of faith that says, “OK, Lord. I’m on my way,” even when asked the unimaginable. I know Abraham didn’t know the old hymn, Trust and Obey, but it surely fits here. Abraham simply believed and obeyed God.

I’ve often wondered how Abraham felt on his way to the mountain. Disturbed? Frightened? Sick to his stomach? Or, in faith, was it like any other day? Regardless, Abraham’s obedience turned out to be one of the greatest events of his life, and an inspiration to Christ followers to this day. 

Perhaps you’re at a “faith moment.” If so, trust God above all else, and do what He wants you to do. He will make a way. Just ask Abraham!

And it came to pass after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” And he said, “Take your only son Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will tell you. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his colt, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, He got wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place that God had told him. Genesis 22.1-3

No Couch to Heaven

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Let’s face it, we are smack-dab in the middle of an ungodly world. It’s easy to get discouraged. It’s easy to get weary and desirous to leave it. That’s why Jesus prayed for you! You heard me correctly; Jesus prayed for YOU! He prayed to His Father NOT to take you out of the world. Since that was His prayer, we should desire it too! We glorify God when we face the ungodly world in the Lord’s strength. 

Since the enemy and the world are watching us carefully for any inconsistency in our conduct, let’s be very holy. Let’s live so that no one has an occasion for blame. Let your only fault be goodness. Let’s make them say of us what was said about Daniel, "We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God” [.Daniel 6.5].

Wherever you are in life, be useful and consistent. Wipe the thought from your mind that you could better serve the Lord if you were in a more favorable position. The worse the people are around you, the more they need your witness. If crooked, they need help to straighten out. If perverse, they need help to turn their proud hearts to the truth. 

Where is a doctor more helpful? Among the well, or among the sick? Where is a soldier more effective? Shining boots in the barracks or on the battlefield? When we are weary of our work and battles, we need to consider what past saints have had to endure. They were not carried to heaven on couches, you know. And, just being as honest as I can with you, you won’t either! They endured hardship as good soldiers, and were crowned as such. It will be the same for you. So, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong!

Quote Jesus: My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world. John 17.15-18