January 30 – Commitment and Success

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”(Proverbs 16:3)

IN WORD:
The promise of this verse is extravagant, and the condition seems to be straight-forward. If we commit our plans to the Lord — and it really does seem to focus on OUR plans — then we will find success. The doubter in our soul wants to say, “Yes, but…,” yet the inspired Word doesn’t give us that option. It does, however, call us to look a little closer. There are 2 keys to understanding this wonderful promise of success: We must first understand what it means to commit to the Lord whatever we do, and we must also understand how God defines success.
What does it mean to commit to the lord whatever we do? It doesn’t mean that we come up with our own plans and then ask God to bless them, expecting that he will unconditionally honor the whims of our hearts. It means that if we have made a commitment to honor God with our lives, and that commitment has shaped our whole manner of living, then He will ensure success. It means that a life dedicated to God will experience a God dedicated to life.
How does God define success? The perfect case study is Jesus. Did God consider His life successful? We know He did. Yet at the time, the world did not. To the world, He was an utter failure, a failed revolutionary who could not live up to His claims of messiah-hood at the most critical time to prove them. Yes, in God’s eyes, crucifixion is a success. So is persecution, hardship, and sacrifice. The issue is not status, achievements, reputation, or profit. It is godly character and eternal fruit.

IN DEED:
Know what it means to commit your ways to God and understand how He defines success, and the result will be a highly successful life. It may or may not appear that way to others, but appearance seems to matter little to God. Never look to blind guides to find out if you’re successful. The One who sees is the One who makes the final judgement on how well you’ve lived. Commit to Him, and the blessing of success — God’s success — is assured.

“It is not your business to succeed, but to do right; when you have done so, the rest lies with God.” -C. S. Lewis-

January 29 – Revealing Choices

“The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.”(Proverbs 11:6)

IN WORD:
Choices. Every one of them, in a sense, is a test. Why? Because they reveal our desires. Sometimes the desires they reveal have no moral or spiritual consequences — our taste in food or clothes, for example. Other times, the desires revealed by our choices have a profound spiritual result: Our taste for obedience is exposed. We may find out if we treasure expedience or righteousness. We may display whether we prefer physical or spiritual satisfaction. Our deepest loves come to the surface in the choices we make. Even when we deny our strong desires, we demonstrate that we must have had even stronger ones directing our choices.
Anyone who has ever struggled with repeating bad choices — in other words, virtually all of us — knows the ability of desires to trap us. They can compel us to act contrary to our own conscience. Like Paul in Romans 7, we often do what we don’t want to do, and don’t do what we actually want to do. We have a deep-rooted inability to live according to the law of God within us.
Only Jesus can set us free from this inability. It is not always a matter of simple obedience. But even as He begins to set us free, we must be reminded of the gravity of our choices. Obedience counts. In our most tempting and repeatable sins, we must realize that we give God clear answers to our tests. We prefer to satisfy wrong desires over obeying Him.

IN DEED:
Have you struggled with an addictive behavior? Have you repeated the same sin over & over? Understand the statement you are making when you indulge in it: You prefer the passing pleasure of a sinful desire to the fellowship that comes from obedience. It’s a revealing choice. Refuse to be trapped by it. Let righteousness — an unrivaled desire for God — deliver you.

“Holy obedience puts to shame all natural and selfish desires.”
-St. Francis of Assisi-

January 28 – Our Shield (Psalm 3)

“I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.”(Psalm 3:6)

IN WORD:
We read a verse like this in the psalms and we marvel at the beauty of David’s faith. Cast him in a modern-day environment, however — without the historical and spiritual reverence in which his writings are held — and we would consider this statement dangerously irrational. Those who are surrounded by tens of thousands of hostile forces on every side should be afraid. Only the mentally ill would say they aren’t. We would label such folly as escapism, denial, or delusion. We would probably tell David to be realistic.
But David knows something many of us don’t consider. The invisible God is more real than the visible enemy. The whole world is hopelessly powerless in the face of His power. With spiritual eyes, David can say with Elisha: “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (see 2 Kings 6:15-17). Those who only see the many enemies are not focused on reality. They are only focused on the visible. They have forgotten a foundational principle of the spiritual life: The “visible” and the “real” are 2 vastly different things.

IN DEED:
Are you bogged down in the burdens of life? Do you have a multitude of enemies? Are you overwhelmed by the spiritual battles you are in? Are you losing hope? Do not forget this principle: What you see is not all there is. Above & beyond your problems are: (1) the power of the Lord of Hosts; (2) all of His obedient servants ready to do warfare on your behalf; and (3) your prayers & your faith — the clear lines of communication between you and your Deliverer.
Like David, we can refuse to be intimidated by the many drawn up against us. Why? Because we know a Savior infinitely stronger than those many. This is not an irrational hope. It is not escapism. It is reality. We have no reason to fear.

“The cure for fear is faith.” -Norman Vincent Peale-

January 27 – Our Greatest Need (Psalm 7)

“O Lord my God, I take refuge in You.”(Psalm 7:1)

IN WORD:
Why are so many of the psalms about help & deliverance? Why is it so important to know God as our refuge? Because this is our greatest need.
We might not think so. We think we need more fruit of the Spirit or more character; more possessions or power; more wisdom or talent. But God’s assessment in the Bible is that we are sheep in need of a shepherd, the oppressed in need of a Deliverer, the lost in need of a Savior. The other needs are important, too; but our first and foremost deficiency is our helplessness. It simply is not within us to be able to help ourselves.
This is a direct contradiction to humanistic philosophies and other religious doctrines. Most belief systems place a lot of faith in the self’s ability to do good works, attain enlightenment, obey precepts, or acquire wisdom. The solution, they say, is within. Not so, says God. The solution is outside of us, above & beyond our own abilities. Whatever our need is, it is met by looking away from ourselves and casting ourselves with abandon on our Savior. We must run to Him. He is the source of everything we need. He is the solution.
Perhaps, this is why biblical faith is so offensive to some people. There is a certain amount of pride in being able to work out one’s own solution. We want to win victories, not be rescued. But the Bible’s assessment of our ability is clear. We NEED rescuing, and we cannot do it ourselves.

IN DEED:
We learned this lesson with regard to our salvation, if in fact we know Jesus as our Savior. But many of us forget along the way that this vulnerability is characteristic of the entire Christian life. In everything, we are completely dependent upon God. There is a reason God allowed David’s desperate psalms so much space in His Word. His desperation is like ours. Need provision? It comes from Him. Protection? Also Him. Holiness? Again, from Him. You name the need, He is the source of supply. Learn to run to your Refuge & Strength!

“Is it not wonderful news to believe that salvation lies outside of ourselves?” -Martin Luther-

January 26 – Surrounded With Favor (Psalm 5:12)

“Surely, O Lord, You bless the righteous; You surround them with Your favor as with a shield.”

IN WORD:
When we observe the world around us, it’s easy to become negative. We often see righteous people suffer, and we see the wicked prosper. But what we see are the circumstances that surround someone. What we don’t usually see is God’s attitude toward that person. They are not always the same. Sometimes His favor results in visible blessing; sometimes it doesn’t.
As in so many other psalms, David cried out to God for help in Psalm 5:2. His conclusion at the end of the psalm is that he will be blessed. Why? He knows who God is. Though he is suffering at the hands of evil, he knows that this will not always be his situation. We, too, may not see justice at a given moment, but over the course of time we will see 2 unalterable trends: the blessing of those who pursue righteousness and the destruction of those who pursue evil.

IN DEED:
We need to know this when we wonder whether our pursuit of godliness is worth the cost. It always is. We may not see it right away, but we will see it eventually. God has never withheld blessing from anyone whose heart was right toward Him. Never. That would contradict His character and it would violate His promise. He blesses the righteous and He surrounds them with favor.
Do you wonder about your future? Are you afraid for your welfare? Don’t be, not if your heart belongs to God and you live for Him. It is not in His nature to forsake His faithful ones. He may let you experience a hard time, but never without abundant grace and never indefinitely. There will be relief. His favor already surrounds you like a shield. Sooner or later you will see that.

“God’s investment in us is so great He could not possibly abandon us.” -Erwin Lutzer-

January 25 – The Depth of Mercy (Psalm 69:13-18)

“Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of Your love; in Your great mercy turn to me.”(Psalm 69:16)

IN WORD:
On what basis do we call upon God? What right do we have to approach His throne and ask for help? If we don’t know the answer — if it isn’t’t deeply rooted in our souls — we may have a barren prayer life. And if we’re spiritually hungry, the lack of fruitfulness will bother us. We’ll ask why.
One hindrance to a fruitful life of prayer is approaching God on the wrong basis. He is often, in our minds, our debtor — a Father who is obligated to care for us regardless of our attitude. It’s true that He will care for us, but not according to our specifications. He will straighten us out. He will teach us to approach Him with His true nature — love & mercy — in the forefront of our minds.
Though we know His grace, we often get confused. We come to view Him as lenient rather than merciful. The difference is huge. He does not casually dismiss our sin — see the Cross as exhibit A. No, He forgives it. Knowing the difference has big implications for us. When we see Him as lenient, we will be casual about our sin, just as we assume He is. We will take Him for granted and never know the depth of His love. We will pray with sinful, distorted hearts. When we understand mercy, we will grieve and repent. And we will never again approach Him with a sense of entitlement.

IN DEED:
David’s cry is a model for prayer. Children who act entitled to the favors of their parents are annoying, both to their parents and other observers. Worse than that, they never come to appreciate their parent’s generosity. They take it for granted. God will not let us relate to Him that way for long. He is not lenient toward us; He is merciful. He sees the ugliness of sin and loves us anyway. He has dealt with our rebellion painfully. And then He blesses us with answered prayer. When you pray, know the depth of His mercy. It is behind every answer.

“The Heavenly Father has no spoiled children. He loves them too much for that.” -Fred Mitchell-

January 24 – The Discipline of Acclaim (Psalm 89:14-18)

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord.”(Psalm 89:15)

IN WORD:
Many of us are pessimistic by nature. The glass is always half empty — at least half, if not more. We see our areas of need far more easily than we see how God has met them. We know He has blessed us, of course. We just don’t dwell on those blessings. We dwell on what is yet lacking in our contentment.
Those of us for whom this pessimism is true rarely see it for the sin that it is. We consider it one of the weaknesses of our human nature, a personality trait rather than a spiritual problem. But it is, in fact, deeply spiritual. And it is quite a problem. It fails to acknowledge God’s goodness as often as it ought to be acknowledged. It is the root of the same sin of complaining that so angered God about the Israelites in the wilderness.
This psalm gives us the wisdom to change our attitudes. It shows the way out of the wilderness of discontent. Instead of affirming our areas of need, it turns our focus to our blessings. It tells us to acclaim Him, to verbally acknowledge who He is. When we do, His presence becomes a greater reality to us — greater than it once was, and greater than all of the sources of our dis-satisfaction. Those who learn to acclaim Him, learn the reality of the God of all sufficiency. In short, we become joyful creatures. Or, as the psalm says, we are blessed.

IN DEED:
Human beings tend to be caught in one of 2 cycles: a downward cycle of disappointment, or an upward cycle of blessing. When we focus on unmet needs, we lose sight of God’s goodness and we are unprepared to receive more of it. When we focus on our blessings, not only do we feel more content, we actually receive the greater blessing of knowing God. We expect to receive more, and He is happy to give it to those who acknowledge Him faithfully.

“If worship does not change us, it has not been worship.”
-Richard Foster-

January 23 – The Art of Worship (Psalm 89:14-18)

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord.”(Psalm 89:15)

IN WORD:
Worship is a learned art. It is an attitude of the heart that continually acknowledges God and values His character. It is the ultimate reflection of reality in the mind of the believer. And it is the key to blessing.
Observe any Christian who is perpetually struggling with personal flaws or overwhelming circumstances, and you will likely see a Christian whose eyes are on himself. It is a natural human tendency, but it is rarely fruitful. Worship changes that. It gives us a new perspective, taking us out of the realm of oppression — an unnecessary state for anyone who takes the Bible’s promises seriously — and placing us in the realm of God’s power, wisdom & love — the realm of eternal truth. It opens the eyes to what is real.
With natural eyes, we often see our struggles as huge obstacles and our chances of overcoming them as slim. We are easily overwhelmed. We know our limitations, and God’s omnipotence seems distant. But when we acclaim Him, as the psalm says, we shed those earthbound illusions. Our worship brings us into the light of His presence and reminds us of who He really is. It radically alters our perspective. Where we once thought our struggles were great and our God might be small, we realize that our God is great and our struggles are small.

IN DEED:
There is great blessing in knowing who God is and claiming His presence in your life. His greatness makes all other things — especially the hard things — seem small. It allows you to pray with confidence and faith that you, through Him, will overcome. When He fills your heart with His presence, no burden can fill your heart with its weight. Learn the art of worship, and be blessed.

“To worship God is to realize the purpose for which God created us.” -Herbert M. Carson-

January 22 – Unfailing Love (Psalm 107)

“Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord.” (Psalm 107:43)

IN WORD:
In a secular society, depression statistics rise dramatically. Suicide rates soar. Anger, bitterness, and hopelessness are evident in the cultural expressions of our times. Why? There is often a missing ingredient in the psyche of modern man: the love of God.
Whenever we take retribution into our own hands; seek to feed ourselves with substances or ideas that only soothe bruised egos; become envious, strive to get ahead, or lose hope; we have forgotten this missing ingredient. The love of God renders all of our false emotions pointless.
Think about your emotional tendencies. Don’t most of our behavioral problems and psychological flaws come from an insecurity deep within? But if we, the redeemed, were thoroughly convinced of God’s love — the unflinching goodness which He has shown us since the dawn of creation — then we would lose the basis of nearly every one of our insecurities. Those who have immersed themselves in the immeasurable love of God are wise indeed — and extremely secure. They have no need to envy; no desire for revenge; no reason to fear; no time for pettiness; and no cause for self-promotion.
Read Psalm 107. Are you wandering in a wasteland (v. 4)? Are you suffering in chains (v. 10)? Have you been rebellious (v. 17)? Has the tempest threatened your safety (v. 25)? The wise response is found in verses 6, 13, 19, and 28: “They cried out to the Lord in their trouble.” The result is always deliverance, at least by His definition if not ours. Why? Because God’s love is unfailing. This psalm alone says so 5 times. The Word could not be more emphatic.

IN DEED:
Human nature tells us to hide when we’re in trouble. God’s Word tells us to cry out to Him. Following God’s Word is infinitely wiser than following fallen human nature. The next time you’re in distress, cling to one unalterable fact: the unfailing love of God for His redeemed.

“God does not love us because we are valuable. We are valuable because He loves us. -Bishop Fulton Sheen-

January 21 – Ascribe Glory (Psalm 96)

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name.”(Psalm 96:8)

IN WORD:
Have you ever seen someone take credit for something you’ve done? If so, you can relate to God. He sees us do it all the time.
When someone is sick, we pray. When God heals, we give credit to the medical care our friend has received, or to the natural healing processes. Both may have played a significant part, but if they are all that’s needed, why did we pray? No intervention of God was needed if healing could have been obtained through less than supernatural means. Or we pray for a job. When God gives it, we credit our good fortune, our resume, or our connections, never acknowledging publicly the God behind them all. In our age of political correctness, we do not attribute successes to God’s power. We know that many will not share our faith. Inwardly, we give quiet thanks. Outwardly, we let the misconception lie. We keep our speech God-free. Meanwhile, the Giver of all good things is silent.
Why do our words not give Him the glory due His name? Why do we not verbally credit Him with every blessing? Perhaps we don’t want to sound overly pious. Perhaps we’ve noticed how obnoxious our society perceives people who constantly speak of God. We’ve let our culture intimidate us into never mentioning His name. In many of our circumstances, He remains un-glorified.

IN DEED:
One of God’s purposes behind His great works, aside from the simple fact that He loves us, is His zeal for the glory of His name. When we credit Him for what He has done, we are aligning ourselves with the zeal of the Lord Himself. We are fulfilling our created purpose: to glorify Him.
Have you subverted God’s purpose in your blessings by not acknowledging Him as the source? Repent from that and ascribe to Him the glory due His name. As a result, the Giver of all good things will be even more ready to give to you.

“Men . . . Praise God in such a manner that He scarcely obtains the tenth part of His due.” -John Calvin-