March 21 – One Mind (Philippians 2:1-11)

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 2:5)

IN WORD:
Euodia and Syntyche were at odds with one another. The two women, each a valuable member of the church, couldn’t agree on some point (Philippians 4:2-3). We don’t know what the issue was, only that it was somehow divisive. It interrupted the unity of that body of believers.
Paul could have stepped in and settled the disagreement. He claimed apostolic authority on other occasions; he could have acted as a judge in this one. If he had, however, one party could have resented the decision, and the other may have taken pride in it. And neither would have learned any lesson other than the fact that Paul was in charge. No, there was a better way. Paul gave them a deeper remedy.
What was the remedy? To have the mind of Christ. Paul had told the Corinthians that Jesus’ mind was their inheritance (1 Corinthians 2:16). Now he tells the Philippians what having His mind implies: It means thinking like Him, Having His attitude, and most of all, having His humility.

IN DEED:
When we think of having the mind of Christ, we usually think in terms of getting His direction and following His will. We’re focused on action. But God has a higher purpose. He is focused on character. When He gives us the mind of Jesus, He is giving us the one gift that will fundamentally alter our sinful, conflict-prone nature. It is a gift that will shape us into the very image of God.
What is Jesus’ mind like? Paul goes on to tell us of Jesus’ humility — though He was God incarnate, He was a humble, obedient man. A servant. A dying servant, in fact. That’s usually not our goal when we strive for godly thinking, but it’s the first element of character that God will work in us. If we haven’t learned the humility of Jesus, we’ll never really understand His resurrection power. Our prayers will lack strength because they lack the nature of a servant. Our work will lack power because it doesn’t conform to His character. And our fellowship will lack unity because, unlike Jesus, we aren’t looking out for each other’s interests.

“If you are looking for an example of humility, look at the Cross.”
-Thomas Aquinas-

March 20 – The Sign of a Son (Proverbs 3:1-12)

“The Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in.”(Proverbs 3:12)

IN WORD:
We give no correction to strangers. Why? It’s not our place to do so; there’s no relationship there. We can take comfort, then, in the fact that God disciplines us. It implies a relationship, and not just a casual one. It implies that He loves us as children and is intent on our becoming more like Him. He does not discipline those He has given up on. He disciplines those He treasures.
Imagine a sculptor with a vision that consumes him as he works day & night on his creation. Little by little he chisels & shapes. Carefully he lets his vision take form. As the sculpture nears completion, imagine this artist just dropping his tools and walking away. Ludicrous? Of course. So is the idea of God dropping His tools before He has made us wise.
Or imagine a caring father spending years of intensive attention on his child, only to walk away before the child reaches maturity. Only a father with a drastic personality change would do such a thing, and God does not have drastic personality changes. He loved us in the beginning, and He loves us now. His correction will not cease until His work is complete and we are mature. It’s a sign of His delight.

IN DEED:
Are you going through a hard thing today? It may be discipline from the Lord to urge you to change something in your life. Or perhaps it is simply a divine stress test, planned for your greater endurance and character. Regardless of its specific cause, it is designed to shape you into His image, and it is monitored with great care — even delight — by the hand from which it comes. You would not be going through it if He did not care. You would not be in the painful process of conforming to His likeness if you were not His child. Cooperate with His work, no matter how uncomfortable his tools are. He does not use them recklessly. He uses them as lovingly as a father touches his child.

“Discipline is a proof of our sonship.” -Erwin Lutzer-

March 19 – The Struggle Toward Godliness (Proverbs 3:1-12)

“Do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent His rebuke.”(Proverbs 3:11)

IN WORD:
Our natural reaction to rebuke — from anyone, even God — is to get offended. We don’t want anyone telling us what to do, and we don’t think anyone has the right to do so. We know God does, of course, but we think He’s always on our side. When He works through others to correct us, we tell them our relationship with Him is personal and they have no business interfering. When He works through our circumstances, we cry out our whys without considering that He might be looking for a change in our hearts. We have a hard time accepting correction.
This is human nature, of course. We flee any kind of discomfort. We spend most of our lives trying to become a little more comfortable, to make things a little bit easier, to climb a little bit higher, avoiding pain and hardship at all costs. And when it’s personal — like a rebuke — we treat it like a contagion. We’ll even break friendships with people who remind us of our shortcomings, however gently they may do it. We are creatures looking for superficial peace and comfort.
We cannot afford that luxury as disciples. We begin as abject sinners and we want to end up as redeemed children of God. What did we expect? Do we think we can grow from one to the other without a painful shock to our system? We can’t. We must endure a lot of correction along the way. Otherwise, we can never be remade into His image.

IN DEED:
Our problem is confusing God’s rebuke with His disapproval. We must understand that His correction is never to condemn and always to edify. It’s a painful edification, but it is well worth it. One day we’ll stand in eternity and pour undying gratitude at His feet for the difficult things we went through and the discipline He imposed on us. It will have made us more gloriously radiant in the everlasting Kingdom. Temporal pain for eternal blessing is a bargain. Always cooperate with His discipline, and thank Him for its promise.

“Discipline and love are not antithetical; one is a function of the other.” -Dr. James Dobson-

March 18 – The Means to More Means (Proverbs 3:1-12)

“Your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”(Proverbs 3:10)

IN WORD:
The purpose of all creation is to honor God. So it only makes sense that when He is honored — in this case, by our first fruits — that He will grant increase and give His blessing. Honor begets more honor. Those who have dealt faithfully in small things will be given even greater things. Those who have glorified Him with their wealth will be given more by which to glorify him even more.
This is no guarantee that those who tithe will become rich. The Bible never says such a thing. It is a promise, however, that God will never be stingy with those who are generous toward Him. It is not in His nature to take and never give. Quite the opposite, in fact. He always gives more than He receives. He who did not withhold His own Son for us will not give grudgingly with any of His unlimited bounty.
This is what Kingdom living is all about: taking the stuff of this world and using it for eternity. The physical becomes spiritual. The corruption of money is redeemed as an investment in lives. We have an opportunity with our income to declare our agreement with our created purpose. Will we honor God, as he intended? Or do we only look for enough means to get by? The means to greater means is to abandon all to Him, for His glory. He will not take it and refuse to support you. He can’t. That’s not who He is.

IN DEED:
Have you stated unequivocally that you are in line with God’s purpose for creation — to give Him honor? It’s more than a verbal statement, of course. It reaches into every area of our lives and is demonstrated by our actions. Ore than our words. One way to honor Him is by dedicating all our resources to His use, giving a generous portion to His work in this world. By this He is glorified. And by this we are proven trustworthy to handle more resources.
God calls us to be like Him. He has proven over and over again that He is by nature an extravagant giver. Are you?

“God is more anxious to bestow His blessings on us than we are to receive them.” -St. Augustine-

March 17 – A Way to Give Honor (Proverbs 3:1-12)

“Honor the Lord with your wealth.”(Proverbs 3:9)

IN WORD:
We’re often not conscious of the statements we make, but they are more numerous than we think. We aren’t aware of them because most are not verbal. They are revelations of the heart, spoken by our choices. As is often said, actions speak louder than words.
Consider, for example, what we are saying when we have no money for God’s ministry but enough to pay the cable bill. Or when we see the starving and wish we could help — and then waste money on soft drinks with no nutritional value. Why does $30 a month to save a child seem like so much, and $30 for a steak dinner for 2 seem like such a bargain? What do our choices say of God? Not much. They say more about our values. They reveal what’s in our heart.
God is not an enemy of entertainment and taste buds. But He is an enemy of idols, and our choices reveal what they are. We deceive ourselves often — our enormous capacity for doing so came with the Fall. It’s amazing how much we can’t afford to do for God’s Kingdom — the budget is always tight, right? Meanwhile, the vacations we really want to take are usually taken. The meals we really want to eat are usually eaten. The make & model we want to drive is usually in our driveway. We more comfortably delay God’s gratification than our own.

IN DEED:
We need to snap out of our unconsciousness. Many of our idols have become automatic to us. We don’t see them as intentional choices that reveal the treasures of our heart. But deep down we know: If we loved God with all of our being, if we treasured his Kingdom above all else, He would see more of our treasure given for His use.
Why is this so important? Does God have insufficient finds? Probably not. The Owner of all isn’t short of cash when He really wants to accomplish something. He wants more than cash. He wants us to value faith, the currency of His Kingdom, over the currency of this world. More than that, He wants us. He wants our choices to reflect an intense, unbridled love. He wants them to honor Him.

“Get all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.”
-John Wesley-

March 16 – The Road to Health (Proverbs 3:1-12)

“This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”(Proverbs 3:8)

IN WORD:
We don’t try to drive our cars in the water and we don’t try to speed our boats down the highway. Why? That’s not what they were made for. So why do we use ourselves for purposes we were not made for? Why, when we were created to be entirely preoccupied with our Creator, do we become entirely preoccupied with ourselves? This does damage to our minds, and our minds affect our bodies. Our thoughts become distorted, our bodies become sick, and we end up a mess; a self-absorbed mess. We are misplaced vehicles on the wrong course.
Do you believe that? Do you understand that we were created to be fascinated by, overwhelmed with, and enraptured in our Maker? The fallen mind avoids this at all costs. We try to make a name for ourselves. We try to get in good with the right people. We read self-help books. We learn various philosophies and methods that will lead us to a better way of life. And it’s all about us.
God points us away from ourselves and toward Him. He is to be our vision, our passion, our love. So far-reaching is this principle that it can bring health to our bodies. When we align ourselves with our created purpose, we are like the perfect part in a precision machine. We can function without undue wear & tear. Or we’re like a beautiful piece of music played in the right key. We can perform without grating on everyone around us and depressing ourselves in the process.

IN DEED:
We place a high premium on good health. In a sick & fallen world, it is a valued commodity. We try to eat well, take our vitamins, select the right doctor, exercise often, and pray to avoid deadly diseases. But if we haven’t immersed our minds in reality — that God is our all in all — we haven’t taken the first step toward good health. Your mind has a profound effect on your psychology. Let it always be nourished by eternal truth.

“Our only business is to love and delight ourselves in God.”
-Brother Lawrence-

March 15 – The Escape From Self (Proverbs 3:1-12)

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”
(Proverbs 3:7)

IN WORD:
If we ever take hold of the idea that we are innately wise, we are destined for failure. In fact, Proverbs 16:18 says as much: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Placing any faith in our own wisdom is a form of pride. It is also self-delusion. We do not know anything about the future for certain; we don’t know the intricacies of our own hearts; we don’t see all the motives and moods of other people; we don’t have an infallible understanding of human psychology; and we don’t fully grasp the spiritual realities of God’s Kingdom. God has a handle on all of these things; we have a handle on none of them. To act as if the reverse is true is the ultimate foolishness.
We’ve read that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Proverbs 3:7 implies that the opposite of fearing the Lord is self-reliance. We absolutely must understand the gap between us and God — and how amazingly it was bridged — if we are to act wisely. We cannot approach life without an overwhelming sense of the eternal if we are to invest in what is truly valuable. Understanding God will change how we spend our time, our money, and our talents. It will change how we approach our circumstances, our relationships, our work, and our attitudes.

IN DEED:
Have you noticed that those who make bad decisions are usually acting out of extreme self-interest? A focus on self leads to devastating shortsightedness and has evil, destructive consequences. A focus on God — His character, His ways, His eternal nature — leads people to wisdom.
Try this exercise the next time you face a decision: Instead of writing a list of pros & cons, write a list of motives for each choice. Pros & cons are about outcomes; but since we can’t know the future, they are only guesses. Motives are about perspective; they identify the center of our lives. If we’re centered on ourselves, we’re fools; if on God, we’re wise.

“All the graces of a Christian spring from the death of self.”
-Madame Guyon-

March 14 – The Path to a Straight Path (Proverbs 3:1-12)

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”(Proverbs 3:6)

IN WORD:
We are starved for direction. We live in a world that presents us with a multitude of options. Some can be ruled out easily, but many of them seem good. What will we do? Whom should we relate to? Where will we go? When should we move forward? We don’t know enough about the future to make such decisions well. We try to make sound choices and hope for the best. We want more information; but we hesitate when we find that god’s plan for us first requires casting our all on Him.
That’s why horoscopes are so appealing to so many. They offer direction without making any demands on our character. They promise information without requiring the hard work of submission to God and acceptance of His work on our fallen hearts. But God loves us too much for that. Getting direction from Him means, first and foremost, getting Him. His Spirit shapes us, His wisdom becomes a part of us, and the substance of godliness molds us into a form of godliness.

IN DEED:
God is not usually an oracle-giver. He’s a life transformer. He usually directs us not by passing on information about what we’re to do, but by fundamentally altering us from within. He changes our character, our outlook, our priorities. Then we are directed by the person God has made us into — a new creation governed by the indwelling Jesus.
This is a shock to our system, but it is essential. That is why this proverb does not simply start with: “He will make your paths straight.” There are conditions. We trust Him with all our heart. We refuse to lean on our own understanding. We acknowledge His sufficiency — implying our own insufficiency — in everything. THEN He makes our paths straight. Why? Because He is present. We have not simply used Him for His vast information, we have invited Him to come along on the journey.

“God always gives his very best to those who leave the choice with Him.” -Hudson Taylor-

March 13 – The Direction to Lean (Proverbs 3:1-12)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

IN WORD:
In order to learn the mind of God, we have to face up to a sobering fact: Our own understanding is fundamentally flawed. The human mind is never dependable, and it cannot be given free reign to choose its own direction. Why? Because our knowledge is limited and our motives are not pure. In our original condition, we do not desire above all else to glorify God at any cost. Even when we’ve come into a relationship with Him, our motives can be mixed. We want His glory, but we want to seek our own good — in our own way — as well. We cannot be wise in this world without realizing we need the wisdom of Another. Desperately.
Think about it. Would you prefer to depend on the logic of a finite mind tainted with sinful motives? Or on the vast intellectual resources of the Omniscient — the One who knows the fabric of our souls and holds the future in His hands? The answer ought to be clear. Yet, at a practical level, we are often ambivalent about the choice. In principle, we want God’s wisdom. In practice, we follow our own.

IN DEED:
The best advice we can find in Proverbs repeatedly points us to a wisdom beyond our own. God is worthy of all our trust. We are worthy of suspicion. Yet we often struggle between His wisdom and ours. His can seem so hard. We forget that ours is harder. There are ominous consequences for depending on our own limited resources.
Trust is not natural to the fallen human heart. The redeemed heart has to learn it. We must make a conscious decision to forsake our own understanding and lean on His. Crises confront us all the time. Use them as opportunities to drink in the wisdom of the Source of all wisdom. Are you faced with a choice today? Make up your mind not to act on it until you have sought God’s wisdom diligently, persistently, and patiently. Ask Him for it. Follow it, no matter how hard it is. Let His mind become yours.

“O Lord, in Thee have I trusted; let me never be confounded.”
-Book of Common Prayer-

March 12 – The Key to Favor (Proverbs 3:1-12)

“You will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”(Proverbs 3:4)

IN WORD:
God’s promise of favor is a little suspicious to us. We’ve known of many faithful servants who did not have a good name, at least in the eyes of their peers. Sometimes they were burned at the stake, sometimes they were tarnished with false accusations, sometimes they faced firing squads. In fact, Jesus assured His disciples they would be hated by many. How, then, can Solomon, if he is at all inspired by God, promise a good name to those who write love and faithfulness on their hearts?
We do not read God’s promises with enough faith or patience. We must first know that the promise of favor with God is immediate. He never withholds His affection from those who love Him faithfully. It’s the second part of this promise we struggle with. He promises favor in the sight of man. Can this be true? Yes, if we’ll read it with eternity in view. Those who love God will have remarkable reputations in the Kingdom. Men will know that God has favored His faithful ones. They may not know it now or even soon. They may not know it before you die. But they will eventually know it. God has promised.

IN DEED:
We often get off track because we are determined to have a good reputation among our peers right now. Many a believer has compromised his or her faith because of a desire to be respected by other people more than by God. But love and faithfulness are selective. They cannot be directed toward God and toward our own present reputation at the same time. Compromise is deadly. We must be content — even thrilled — with the idea that God’s favor is our right now, and man’s will come later — maybe even much later, when eternity is revealed to all. Hearts filled with love and faithfulness will not care. They will be patient. They will know the promise of the One they love.

“Faith in God will always be crowned.” -William S. Plummer-