November 20 – Anatomy of a Surrender: Lies (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)

“What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?”(2 Corinthians 6:16)

IN WORD:
We know the solution to our idolatry. We are to surrender it and trust ourselves to God. But knowledge isn’t our problem. Knowing what to do and actually doing it are separate issues. One is intellectual, the other is a matter of the will. We let our desires influence our level of surrender. We think we want to obey God, but we don’t really want to. At least not in those areas we zealously guard. You know what your weaknesses are. Everyone knows their besetting sins because everyone has them.
Everyone also knows the games we play to justify our idols. We make excuses for them. Maybe we can argue that they’re physical addictions or emotional wounds, not spiritual issues. Maybe we can convince ourselves that our flaws can somehow be useful in ministering to others one day. Maybe we excuse ourselves from “borderline” sins because “we’re only human,” or we don’t want to be “holier than thou,” or we need to relate to “the real world.” Or perhaps we simply take for granted the grace that is greater than all our sins.
What is behind this desperate attempt to hang on to our idols? Simmering underneath this struggle is a subtle suspicion that we will have to take care of our own needs because God won’t. As much as we want to be obedient and submissive to God, we like our sins. They do something for us that we’re afraid god won’t do. We think we find “life” in them. We think we might be more fulfilled if we take a few small matters into our own hands. So, we hang on, and we try to convince ourselves and our God that we’re justified in doing so, or at least more justified than most people. But God is not convinced.

IN DEED:
We need to dispense with the lies and cut to the chase. Our flaws, addictions, hang-ups, and other issues are sin. Disobedience. Hindrances to the abundant life that God promises. The longer we try to convince ourselves otherwise, the longer we prolong the pain of surrender and postpone the amazing blessings of the surrendered life.

“Obedience means marching right on whether we feel like it or not.” -D. L. Moody-

November 19 – Anatomy of a Surrender: Idolatry (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)

“What fellowship can light have with darkness?”
(2 Corinthians 6:14)

IN WORD:
Paul points out the obvious conflict between light and darkness to urge the Corinthians to disassociate from the corrupting influences. The principle applies to our social relationships, but it also applies to the struggles within our hearts. If light and darkness do not mix within the church, which is the temple of God collectively, they do not mix within ourselves, who as individuals are the building blocks of that temple. We cannot entertain elements of the Kingdom of light and elements of the kingdom of darkness simultaneously and expect God to bear fruit in us. He wants purity.
That’s a problem for every human being who has ever lived. We aren’t pure. Long after we’ve made that landmark decision to follow Jesus, we still have internal struggles with sin and obedience. The decision was right, but the follow-through proves difficult. And it’s the follow-through that makes the difference between unusual blessing and mediocrity. We cannot be mature Christians until the initial decision to let Jesus be our Lord actually becomes a way of life. We cannot make a commitment to light while maintaining our grip on darkness. We must surrender ourselves.
Nearly every Christian has remnants of darkness that cloud his or her discipleship. We like to call them character flaws or weaknesses of the flesh. In reality, they are idols. They may range from the alarming addictions of temper, lusts, and obsessive greed to the relatively minor flaws of bad diets, time mismanagement, and mild obsessions with hobbies. Regardless of their severity, they are our battlegrounds. They are points of conflict between us and our Creator. They test us on whether we will, or will not, obey.

IN DEED:
All Christians have had their struggles with idolatry. Many of those struggles rage today. Some of them rage within your heart. The issue is not whether they are big or little sins; the issue is whether we trust God enough to do what He tells us, even in the small things. Choosing our will over His, at any level, is idolatry.

“Whatever a man seeks, honors, or exalts more than God, this is the god of idolatry.” -William Ullathorne-

November 18 – Ezra’s Honor (Ezra 8:21-23)

“I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road.”(Ezra 8:22)

IN WORD:
Ezra did what Asa wouldn’t do. He sought God in a time of peril. Unlike the earlier king who sought alliances for protection and doctors for healing — faithless acts that put God last on the providence list — Ezra determined not to profane the name of the Lord. Having told Babylon’s ruler of the favor and strength of God, he could not slander the reputation he had just proclaimed. He knew his actions would speak louder than words. So he prayed. He didn’t pray and request an escort of warriors — that would have demonstrated a serious lack of faith. No, he just prayed, and God answered. Ezra demonstrates for us a dependence that God honors.

IN DEED:
Do you trust God as healer and then, as an afterthought, ask people to pray for your illness? Do you trust God as Provider and then, if you happen to think about it, pray for His supply? Do you trust God as Protector and then, just in case, invest in the best security systems money can buy? Are you an Asa or an Ezra?
Human effort in meeting our needs is not a sin. There’s nothing biblically wrong with seeing a doctor, investing wisely, and locking your doors. The sin is in our hearts. Where do we place our hope? On what or whom do we depend? When we think of ministering in Jesus’ name, do we shy away from dangerous places because we’re just not sure God will protect? Do we avoid the expense because we’re just not sure He’ll provide? Has sin caused us to measure our well-being in terms of materials and strategies rather than in the God in whom we believe?
God is first. Human effort is second, if at all. In God we trust. In human effort we obey what God tells us to do. But we can’t supplement our prayers with our own devices and then claim that we have faith. Faith actually trusts Him to do what He says he will do. Honor God with your faith, and He will honor your faith with Himself.

“A firm faith in the universal providence of God is the solution to all earthly problems.” -B.B. Warfield-

November 17 – Asa’s Folly (2 Chronicles 16)

“The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
(2 Chronicles 16:9)

IN WORD:
King Asa of Judah, the great-grandson of King Solomon, was a remarkably modern man. No, he didn’t have the technology or the historical perspective that we have, but his approach to his problems fits the modern era easily. Though he had begun his reign with devotion to God and the heart of a spiritual reformer, he ended it with passive faithlessness. Though he had removed idols from the land, he had not replaced the idols in his own heart. He became secular.
In chapter 16, Asa twice made a foolish mistake. He trusted something other than God. When the king of Israel attacked, Asa made a pact with the Syrians for protection. The prophet Hanani came to him with the remarkable message of verse 9: God is actually searching for hearts devoted to Him in order to bless them. He wants to protect, to guide, and to provide. He is not reluctant — unless we’re not devoted to Him.
Asa should have learned that lesson, but he didn’t. He came down with a severe disease that led him not to God but to doctors. His secular mind sought out kings and physicians as his first resort and God as his last. He would fit into our culture well.

IN DEED:
Where do you go when you’re in trouble? Have you made the mistake of going to the doctor first and then praying to God only when medicine fails? Have you thought that our only hope for peace lies in political treaties and cooperative governments? Have you thought of God as a means to fill in the gaps around our science, technology, economics, business strategies, and other areas of secular competence?
Science, medicine, law, business, and every other aspect of modern know-how do not need to conflict with God. They aren’t necessarily wrong. They just cannot be our hope. Avoid Asa’s folly: God is always our first resort.

“There is no other method of living piously and justly than that of depending upon God.” -John Calvin-

November 16 – Promised Safety (2 Timothy 4:16-18)

“The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.”(2 Timothy 4:18)

IN WORD:
Are you a worrier? Join the club. It’s membership includes the entire human race. Yes, there are those who will deny that they worry, and on the surface they seem carefree. But deep down inside, they fear something — tragedy, abandonment, certainly the day of their death. Human anxiety is universal. We were born in the insecurity of a fallen world and a sinful disposition.
God offers security. That is perhaps the most profoundly good element of the Good News. The gospel has comforted so many hearts because it touches the heart’s deepest needs. Our need for companionship, for love, for provision, for purpose — all are part of our inheritance in Christ. And no need seems to bubble up quite so often as our need for security. We worry about failure, injury, loneliness, debts, and death. But we can claim with Paul the above Scripture verse.
Perhaps you thought this verse was for the super-spiritual, apostle-like servants in God’s Kingdom. Perhaps you assumed it is only for those who have been beaten or imprisoned for the sake of the gospel. There are many such servants in our world who are persecuted, and God’s promise for them is sure. But it is meant for the rest of us as well. Evil attacks come to all who live for Jesus. That’s a fact. And God promises to deliver all who live for Jesus. That’s also a fact.

IN DEED:
There is no limit to the fears our minds will entertain. Some worry about them more than others. If you are one of the worriers, rehearse this verse often. Memorize it. Say it to yourself daily. You are not psyching yourself up, you are training yourself to accept an absolute truth. This truth can go to the very depths of your soul and instill enormous confidence in your heart, because it is in the Word — and Jesus said the Word cannot be broken (John 10:35). Trust it. You are safe in Him.

“No soldiers of Christ are ever lost, missing, or left dead on the battlefield.” -J.C. Ryle-

November 15 – Hardship Happens (Hebrews 12:1-11)

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.”
(Hebrews 12:7)

IN WORD:
Trials come, and we plead for relief. Circumstances oppress, and we pray for deliverance. Health, relationships, work, and just about everything else in our lives grow difficult, and we ask God to straighten them out. We don’t like the pressures of life, and we lift every anxious thought to God, as we should. But we forget a guiding principle: Hardship is part of the program. It grows us up into maturity. There are things that God wants to do with us that cannot be done in a perfect environment.
We view discipline as God’s remedial recourse for a Christian who has gone far astray. But it is more universal than we like to think. It comes not only to those who have failed, but to those whom god is preparing for greater success. It’s what a father does for his children, and it’s what our Father does for us. Only those who are already perfect can avoid the trials that God allows — which means no one can. The trials will come, and God will let them stay for a while.
We don’t like pain. We ask God to take away every reminder that we live in a broken world, but He won’t do it. We will live out our days with some scars, or sometimes even with open wounds. We cannot become ministers of His grace otherwise. We can’t even learn it for ourselves until he puts us in great need of it. If we are to represent our merciful Father in a broken world, we must actually live in that broken world. We must know the needs that require mercy, and we must know them from experience. There is no other way.

IN DEED:
Do you constantly ask God to clean up every messy area of your life? To brighten every dark corner and to dress up every shabby appearance? That’s ok; our concerns are His concerns. But don’t expect perfection. The perfect world we crave is for a future glory, not for now. Ease and comfort are not usually His prescription for us, because they will not prepare us for that future glory. No, God will leave us reminders of brokenness to serve as reminders of His grace. Endure those reminders well.

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” -E. H. Chapin-

November 14 – A Reflection of Grace (Romans 12:9-13)

“Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”(Romans 12:13)

IN WORD:
Our spiritual gospel has far-reaching, material implications. It commands us to focus on eternal realities rather than temporary provisions. It calls for an increasing detachment from the things that once gripped us. And one of the ways to cultivate such focus and detachment is by a radical and voluntary meeting of needs.
We are never given permission in the Bible to allow our material things to create division between our eternal brothers and sisters. And yet they do. Within the church are awkward class structures and rigid social strata. No, Jesus was not a socialist, and God’s Word does not compel us to seek absolute equity between all who believe. But it does command us to share. We who have much are to notice those who have little. The implication is not that we will grudgingly give when confronted; the New Testament context implies that we will seek opportunities to give.
Why is this such an imperative in Christian fellowship? Because our fellowship is meant to reflect Jesus’ kingdom. We are to be a taste of heaven on earth. We are to reflect God’s glory, and His glory is displayed when he meets our needs. That means our reflection will involve meeting the needs of others. The generous God calls us to be generous. The hospitable God who will welcome us into heaven with open arms, calls us to welcome others with the same spirit.

IN DEED:
Sometimes it is hard to see heaven on our earth. But the church is to make sure that the Kingdom of God is visible. It is our divine mission, given us by the One who called us to follow Him in every area of our lives. How did Jesus display heaven? He touched and healed, fed and watered, taught and cultivated, forgave and poured out His life. His followers can do no less, if we are in fact to be His followers. Share on earth as you will share in heaven. Let the hospitality of heaven define your hospitality here. Let His Kingdom be demonstrated in you.

“A cheerful giver does not count the cost of what he gives. His heart is set on pleasing and cheering him to whom the gift is given.” -Julian of Norwich-

November 13 – A Prescription for Pain (Romans 12:9-13)

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
(Romans 12:12)

IN WORD:
When clouds gather, we get discouraged. It’s a natural reaction. Our eyes tell us to run for cover, to hang on for survival, or to prepare to die. And we believe our eyes. We put an awful lot of faith in what they tell us. We let their information sink into our hearts and thrive there — no matter how painful that is.
Paul gives us a prescription for our pain. He tells us how to have joy, patience, and faith. We are to place our hope not on what our eyes tell us — that is too often hopeless — and we are to place our faith in God. When the clouds gather, we are to gather to Him. When faced with a choice between letting the clouds obscure Him or letting Him obscure the clouds, we are to choose the latter. Not to do so is to overestimate our problems and to underestimate our God.
Our perspectives are distorted so easily. We are habitual twisters, making dark things our surest truth and God’s light our most uncertain refuge. Such a distortion is a sure recipe for despair. Instead, we are to believe what the Word and the Spirit tell us, regardless of the witness of the clouds. God must always loom larger. Until we’re trained in this perspective, our minds are not renewed.

IN DEED:
So what are the details of the prescription? (1) We are to fix our eyes on hope and to be joyful about it. God has given us a glimpse of reality: His strength, His Kingdom’s inevitability, His promise of intervention, His eternal rewards. Why would we let a few clouds undermine those certainties? (2) We are to be patient in affliction. Those realities are invisible for a time, but they will be clear soon enough. And, (3) We are to be faithful in prayer. Why? Not because prayer changes things, but because God changes things and we must communicate with Him. His intervention is not arbitrary; it is the result of the give-and-take relationship, and prayer is the means to that relationship. When we’ve followed this prescription, we’ll notice a remarkable change: Clouds don’t seem to matter so much anymore.

“Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances which we know to be desperate.” -G. K. Chesterton-

November 12 – Spiritual Fervor (Romans 12:9-13)

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”(Romans 12:11)

IN WORD:
Jesus once rebuked a church for its lukewarmness. The Laodiceans were neither hot nor cold, and the language Jesus used to describe His reaction was graphic and blunt. It nauseated Him (Revelation 3:15-16). Spiritual apathy is far from the heart of God.
Several times in the Old Testament — Isaiah, in particular — it is said that God will accomplish His will with zeal. He is a zealous God, and there is nothing lukewarm about Him. He is violently opposed to sin. He is passionately loving toward those who trust Him. His holiness, His compassion, His mercy, His provision, His protection — all of His attributes are portrayed in the Bible as complete. He is not somewhat loving, partially holy, mostly omniscient, or sort of wise. Everything He is, He is in the extreme.
We are His children. It would not make sense for God to give His children a spirit different from His own. We cannot envision Him as passionate and zealous and remain apathetic ourselves. If He is fervent, we must be fervent. If He serves zealously, we must serve zealously. Jesus’ love led Him to wash dirty feet and it took Him to the Cross. Will ours? The Holy Spirit sent Paul all around the Roman Empire against all kinds of opposition. Would He not give us that same drive? The early believers died in fires and coliseums for their faith. Would we?

IN DEED:
How would you characterize your level of zeal? Does it drive you to pursue God’s Kingdom and His righteousness with a passion? If He dwells within you and your fellowship with Him is deep, it will. It is not possible to be powerfully filled with the Holy Spirit and yet to be lukewarm in our love or our service. His Spirit and our apathy cannot co-exist in the same place; there is no fellowship between them. As we’re fond of saying, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. The extreme God will have extreme children.

“Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.” -John Wesley-

November 11 – Brotherly Devotion (Romans 12:9-13)

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”(Romans 12:10)

IN WORD:
Paul exhorted the believers in Philippi: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). There had been infighting, and Paul provides the antidote. True Christian humility will cause us to subvert our own interests for the well-being of others. It isn’t natural, but it’s Christlike. Sacrifice is the way of the Cross.
Didn’t Jesus tell His disciples that those who would followHim must take up their cross (Luke 9:23)? Not only is cross-bearing an initial act of sacrifice; it is to be a daily event. Those who cannot suffer for the sins of others, those who cannot inconvenience themselves for another’s needs, those who will not lay down their life for their friends have little in common with Jesus. Our agendas are more often than not a matter of self. Jesus’ agenda is always about someone else.
Years ago on a Judea hill, Jesus’ agenda was about us. Had that not been the case, we would not be alive today, at least not spiritually. We cannot call Him our example and our Lord if we do not follow His path. The Christian heart is to be filled with compassion — devotion toward brothers and sisters in Christ and a desire to see others honored. It is the way of the Kingdom, and the world is watching to see if the Kingdom is worthwhile.

IN DEED:
We must show them a different way. The world has lost hope for a utopian fellowship, and while Christians are not perfect in this life, we can be perfected in love by the Spirit of God. It is our holy calling. We are forever bound in Christ with all other believers around the world. Our relationship with them will never be severed.
How devoted are you to the well-being of others? Do you blow wind in the sails of your brothers and sisters in Christ? Or are you always seeking your own advancement? We cannot simply be happy with their honors; we must seek to build them up. That’s what Jesus did, and we are in Him. The devoted God calls us into devoted relationships.

“The measure of a man is not how many servants ha has but how many men he serves.” -D. L. Moody-