April 29 – Better Intentions (James 2:14-17)

“Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
(James 2:17)

IN WORD:
When God has convicted our minds, purified our hearts, and put His wisdom within us, our motives do, in fact, often become good. They aren’t always self-deception simply because they proceed from within us. God has put Himself within us by faith. Sometimes our intentions are the product of sincerely seeking His will with an undivided heart.
Even so, there is nothing practically worthwhile about them until they are carried out. Perhaps they honor God in spirit, but who will see His honor if they are buried deep within? A good plan without proactive diligence is pointless. The vision that God has given His servants, the works He has called them to, the glory He wants them to reflect — all begin in the heart, but they do not end there. They end by moving us into action. We become His children by faith, but we become His servants by work.
Do not be mistaken: God weighs motives. They matter deeply to Him. William Borden left his wealth in America in 1913 to serve as a missionary in Egypt. He died soon after from cerebral meningitis, having accomplished virtually nothing in the way of visible fruit. Would God count his motives as fruitfulness? Our righteous Lord could do no less. But Borden did not falter in his plans simply because he never got around to them. He died in obedience. There’s a huge difference!

IN DEED:
We may not fulfill all of our truly good intentions in this life. God has His purposes for us, and they may not include the outworking of every godly desire within us. But we must pursue those desires anyway. Good, godly intentions are meant to be lived, not just dreamed of. They are planted in our hearts to move us, not to entertain us. The impulses of a Spirit-filled person are a call to action.
Is there anything you have always felt God might want you to do, but you have never gotten around to it? Is His agenda always a matter of “one day” to you? Put feet on your intentions. Live them well. Our wonder-working God is calling His people to action!

“When you are able to do good, defer it not.” -Polycarp-

April 28 – Good Intentions (Genesis 3:1-7; Proverbs 16:25)

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.”(Genesis 3:6)

IN WORD:
It seemed to make sense at the time. Eve was probably convinced that this way, the way of eating what was forbidden, was right. She didn’t remember (or believe) that it would lead to death. The serpent had convinced her — or politely helped her convince herself — that perhaps she had misunderstood God. Or maybe He was even holding out on them — although if God knew the full story, as she now did, He would probably allow this fruit fest. After all, it was only an attempt to enjoy His creation and learn more of it. What could be wrong with that? God wants us to enjoy His bounty and He wants us to become wise. Surely He would be OK with a little pleasure that honors His creation.
The mind games we play during our times of temptation do not seem as evil as they turn out to be. We often have good intentions, or at least we convince ourselves that we do. Forsaking the clarity of God’s Word, we embrace the fuzziness of human reasoning. Things become relative rather rather than absolute And while we maintain a sense that our motives are right, our decisions are wrong. We have determined to “do good” rather than to obey God.

IN DEED:
You know what they say about the road to hell. It is paved with the distorted, often-inactive motives of our hearts, those good intentions that aren’t so good. We must always be suspicious of them. There is usually a deep dishonesty beneath them. We have told ourselves we want to do what’s best, when in fact we really want to compromise God’s clear instructions.
The result is a dangerous illusion. We feel righteous. We think a sincere heart makes us good, and that’s a dangerous place to be. Intentions are worthless until God is the entire focus of them and we are diligent to carry them out. Determine to obey Him exclusively. Have no other desire.

“Right intention is to the actions of a man what the soul is to the body, or the root is to the tree.” -Jeremy Taylor-

April 27 – Seduction of a Soul (Genesis 3:1-7)

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 16:25)

IN WORD:
It doesn’t begin with a well-marked road map to our destruction. No, our departure from God’s path is a series of shady grays and mixed desires. The nuances of our temptations have a way of making the wrong decisions look right — even appealing. The seduction of a soul is a sensitive and subtle business.
That’s why a spiritual life without vigilance is incredibly irrational. If we are not watchful and well-guarded, we can be led step by tiny step into the snares of the enemy and the ways of the world. God never tells us simply to do what seems right at the time. What seems right and what is right are often two vastly different things.
The redeemed soul who has not yet learned the mind of God — been saturated with it, shaped into it, and trained to trust it — is in a dangerous place. Questions of the genuineness or security of our salvation are not the only issue; a child of God can be rendered practically fruitless if pulled by the allure of what seems right but isn’t. God has a greater desire for His children than the fact of their eternal salvation. It is a salvation that is to be lived and enjoyed now. The deception of false moralities and misplaced values can thoroughly undermine the experience of that salvation, if not its essence.

IN DEED:
The Christian will face many forks in the road throughout his or her life and often will not notice them. The main road — the broad, well-traveled path — seems like the right one. Everyone is on it, and the exits are often hard to see unless you’re looking for them.
So, look for them. Don’t be driven down the seemingly right path without asking hard questions about it. Understand the high call of the kingdom — that God has us do more than what’s right, more than what’s expected. Ask Him for His mind and open your and open your own to receive it. Let His Word cultivate a sharp discernment in your spirit. Never let yourself be seduced by anything but the good love of God.

“Every temptation leaves us better or worse; neutrality is impossible.” -Erwin Lutzer-

April 26 – Anatomy of a Temptation (Genesis 3:1-7; Proverbs 16:25)

“Did God really say . . . ?” (Genesis 3:1)

IN WORD:
We don’t need the serpent to speak these words to us anymore. We speak them to ourselves. That’s where all temptations begin: questions and confusion over what God really said. Sometimes it’s a legitimate confusion, but frequently it’s not. Somewhere deep inside us, we want a reason to go ahead and disobey. We want to “unintentionally” miss the will of God because we have our own will to appease, and it’s far more appealing. So we question the clear wisdom of our Creator and muddy the waters, trying to arrive at a point where we can say, “I just didn’t know. The right thing to do wasn’t clear to me. It was a complex issue.”
You know the routine. Every human being has practiced it. The gymnastics that the human heart will go through to justify our wants is impressive. It takes considerable training and remarkable flexibility. But it is a tragic exercise with tragic consequences.
Psychologists call our thought processes “rationalizing,” but the biblical word for it — or at least what precedes it — is temptation. The cravings of our flesh, the lust of our eyes, the pride of the self — these are the drives that compete with the holiness offered by our God. The enemy has done a masterful job of coloring those impulses brightly and painting holiness blandly. He doesn’t want the latter to have any appeal because it would result in a glory that he can’t stand. It would honor God and. It would fulfill the image of God in us. To him, that would be an ugly, ugly scene.

IN DEED:
Are you skilled in the art of rationalizing? If you are a human being, you must answer yes. The clever serpent got the ball rolling in the Garden, but it has rolled freely ever since. There are depths to this art form of talking ourselves into disobedience that’s we are often not aware of. Ask God to reveal them to you. He wants you to have discernment.
Can you pray that today? Ask God to give you clear insight into the mind games we play. Let His Word hold full sway over your thinking. Learn to recognize temptation.

“Temptation has its source not in the outer lure but in the inner lust.” -D. Edmund Hiebert-

April 25 – The Faith in Thanks (Psalm 50)

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”
(Psalm 50:23)

IN WORD:
To most of us, giving thanks comes in the aftermath of a gift. We receive, and we are grateful to the giver if, in fact, we welcome the gift. It would be odd among sinful human beings to give thanks before a gift is given. Generosity can never be presumed among us. We must see it before we acknowledge it.
Negative as we are, we often treat God like a sinful human being. We will give Him thanks when we see His blessing. If we don’t see it, we withhold our gratitude. We base it on a false assumption about His character — that He might not be a Giver. Why? Because we haven’t seen it with our own eyes. But God doesn’t work that way. His character is constant. We can assume His generosity. He is a Giver by nature, and we can acknowledge Him as such right now, even before we think we’ve received His bounty. Not only is it appropriate to give Him thanks after a blessing, it is right to give Him thanks beforehand. And it is not only right, it is often a prerequisite. If we don’t, we may not receive what He is prepared to give.

IN DEED:
It is a strange dynamic to human eyes: Those who have never seen or expected God’s blessing will never receive it, while those who have will receive more. Does this seem unfair? It isn’t. Pessimism about God is faithlessness, and God does not honor faithlessness. He honors faith. Faith sees God for who He is before He has proven it yet again. It sees past blessings in the life of the believer, in the history of His servants, and in the Word of God. It knows that when God says He will deliver, He will. When He says He will provide, He will. Faith does not wait to find out who God is and what He is like. It already knows. It takes Him at His Word, and it is thankful in advance.

“He who can give thanks for little will always find he has enough.” -Anonymous-

April 24 – Real Refuge (Psalm 37:39-40)

“The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.”(Psalm 37:40)

IN WORD:
What does it mean to take refuge in God? It means to have faith that what He says is true; He will deliver those who call on Him. It means to appeal to Him in times of trouble; prayer is a powerful resource. But most of all, it means that we decide not to take refuge in ourselves, in others, in worldly wisdom, or in human strategies. We take refuge in Him, and Him alone.
What do you do when you’re in trouble? If you’re like most believers, you figure out a strategy and ask God to bless it. In His mercy, He may. But He calls us to a better way. When God tells us He is our refuge, He asks us to forsake our former allegiance to other sources of protection. Are you sick? First acknowledge that no medical treatment will work unless God is the Healer behind it. Are you in conflict with someone else? First acknowledge that no words of yours will change another’s heart unless God is the agent of change. Are you in financial distress? First acknowledge that no amount of income will help unless God is the source. And having acknowledged all of this, look to Him constantly. Follow His instructions for action, but know first that your action is God-directed and not a futile means of self-help.
God is a Deliverer for those who recognize how helpless and vulnerable they are. He is not a Deliverer for those who try to add Him to their own self-effort.

IN DEED:
“God helps those who help themselves” is a catchy saying, but it is not biblical. Rather, God helps those who know how helpless they are and who appeal to Him — on His terms — for deliverance. That’s not quite as catchy, but it is true. Those who want God to be their stronghold in times of trouble, must actually depend on God as their stronghold. The deliverance is His, and His alone.

“Dear Lord, although I am sure of my position, I am unable to sustain it without You. Help me or I am lost.”
-Martin Luther-

April 23 – Repentability (2 Samuel 12:1-13)

“Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ “
(2 Samuel 12:13)

IN WORD:
Scripture is rich with the theme of humility. Jesus’ first beatitude should not have been as shocking as it was: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Peter’s mini-sermon on Proverbs 3:34 was nothing new: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5-6). Humility is good in God’s sight. It always has been.
Nowhere does humility show itself more clearly than in our ability to repent of our sins. David was confronted with his sin by Nathan’s incisive parable on sheep stealing. Many of us would have responded with an indignant “How dare you?” Or a “Who do you think you are?” But not David. David’s response, when he saw his sin, was grief. He was humble enough to acknowledge his own depravity. He was firmly rooted in the reality of man’s corruption. His level of “repentability” ran high.

IN DEED:
What do you do when confronted with your sins? Do you get defensive? Are you resistant? That may depend upon the one who is pointing out your sins to you. A friend’s rebuke is hard to take, a stranger’s harder still. The Bible rebukes us frequently, but we find it easy to ignore the Word when we want to. There are lots of pages to turn to when we want a more uplifting, encouraging thought. Regardless of where the rebuke comes from, we don’t usually want to be bothered with messages about our own corruption. We’d rather dwell on how far we’ve come than how far we have to go. We don’t like reminders of how long we’ve been disciples, we are in need of great mercy.
Test your level of “repentability.” Evaluate your response when you are confronted with your sin, either by another person or by the Word of God. Take your cues from David. Let humility be your guide, and see the mercy of God.

“No man ever enters heaven until he is first convinced that he deserves hell.” -John Everrett-

April 22 – Solidarity In Suffering (Hebrews 13:1-3)

“Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”(Hebrews 13:3)

IN WORD:
At any given time, many of God’s saints are in prison. The prison may be literal, or it may be a product of circumstances. It can be financial debt, a broken relationship, a physical ailment, or any other constraining situation.
A huge problem in the church is when Christians look at their imprisoned brothers and sisters and assume that God has not favored them. Paul probably had experienced such a phenomenon. We read his prison epistles and marvel at his suffering for the cause. But many of his contemporaries may not have marveled. They may have seen his trouble as a sign of God’s disfavor and wondered why someone with so much potential had fallen to such depths.
God’s prisons are full of His loved ones. He uses those experiences mightily, as He did with Paul, Joseph, John the Baptist, John the disciple, and numerous other biblical examples. In fact, most of those whom He has used in powerful ways have experienced an imprisonment, captivity, or loneliness ordained directly by Him.

IN DEED:
Are you in prison? You are probably not literally behind bars, but your circumstances may make you feel as if you are. Don’t despair; it will not last. It is ordained by God and is designed either for your current witness or future usefulness. He is refining you and molding you into His image, the exact likeness of His crucified Son.
Do you know someone in prison? Do not condemn. God is highlighting the current witness of His saints and preparing them for future fruitfulness. It is never His intention for His church to turn on its visibly fallen. Solidarity is His prescription for believers. Pray for those who suffer and meet their needs however you can. Demonstrate your solidarity with a captive saint today.

“Tell me how much you know of the suffering of your fellow men, and I will tell you how much you have loved them.”
-Helmut Thielicke

April 22 – Solidarity In Suffering (Hebrews 13:1-3)

“Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”(Hebrews 13:3)

IN WORD:
At any given time, many of God’s saints are in prison. The prison may be literal, or it may be a product of circumstances. It can be financial debt, a broken relationship, a physical ailment, or any other constraining situation.
A huge problem in the church is when Christians look at their imprisoned brothers and sisters and assume that God has not favored them. Paul probably had experienced such a phenomenon. We read his prison epistles and marvel at his suffering for the cause. But many of his contemporaries may not have marveled. They may have seen his trouble as a sign of God’s disfavor and wondered why someone with so much potential had fallen to such depths.
God’s prisons are full of His loved ones. He uses those experiences mightily, as He did with Paul, Joseph, John the Baptist, John the disciple, and numerous other biblical examples. In fact, most of those whom He has used in powerful ways have experienced an imprisonment, captivity, or loneliness ordained directly by Him.

IN DEED:
Are you in prison? You are probably not literally behind bars, but your circumstances may make you feel as if you are. Don’t despair; it will not last. It is ordained by God and is designed either for your current witness or future usefulness. He is refining you and molding you into His image, the exact likeness of His crucified Son.
Do you know someone in prison? Do not condemn. God is highlighting the current witness of His saints and preparing them for future fruitfulness. It is never His intention for His church to turn on its visibly fallen. Solidarity is His prescription for believers. Pray for those who suffer and meet their needs however you can. Demonstrate your solidarity with a captive saint today.

“Tell me how much you know of the suffering of your fellow men, and I will tell you how much you have loved them.”
-Helmut Thielicke

April 22 – Solidarity In Suffering (Hebrews 13:1-3)

“Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”(Hebrews 13:3)

IN WORD:
At any given time, many of God’s saints are in prison. The prison may be literal, or it may be a product of circumstances. It can be financial debt, a broken relationship, a physical ailment, or any other constraining situation.
A huge problem in the church is when Christians look at their imprisoned brothers and sisters and assume that God has not favored them. Paul probably had experienced such a phenomenon. We read his prison epistles and marvel at his suffering for the cause. But many of his contemporaries may not have marveled. They may have seen his trouble as a sign of God’s disfavor and wondered why someone with so much potential had fallen to such depths.
God’s prisons are full of His loved ones. He uses those experiences mightily, as He did with Paul, Joseph, John the Baptist, John the disciple, and numerous other biblical examples. In fact, most of those whom He has used in powerful ways have experienced an imprisonment, captivity, or loneliness ordained directly by Him.

IN DEED:
Are you in prison? You are probably not literally behind bars, but your circumstances may make you feel as if you are. Don’t despair; it will not last. It is ordained by God and is designed either for your current witness or future usefulness. He is refining you and molding you into His image, the exact likeness of His crucified Son.
Do you know someone in prison? Do not condemn. God is highlighting the current witness of His saints and preparing them for future fruitfulness. It is never His intention for His church to turn on its visibly fallen. Solidarity is His prescription for believers. Pray for those who suffer and meet their needs however you can. Demonstrate your solidarity with a captive saint today.

“Tell me how much you know of the suffering of your fellow men, and I will tell you how much you have loved them.”
-Helmut Thielicke