#devoday12 - No other gods

#trendingtopic

One of the trending topics on Facebook today is Nicki Minaj apparently falling to her knees when meeting Lauryn Hill for the first time.  Hill is Minaj's "idol" according to the headline.  TBH I didn't read the story or watch the video I posted in the link.  I think the headline, "Nicki Minaj falls to her knees while meeting idol, Lauryn Hill" kinda says it all.  How far we've come from a true understanding of how great God is, and how insufficient anyone else is in comparison.  And how short a time mankind was actually in that mindset.  Ever since man fell to sin, we are contantly trying to create our own mini-gods to worship, as the One who is worthy may just seem too far away, or not aligned with our own interests.  The truth is that you don't have to refer to someone, or something as your "idol" as Minaj refers to Hill. Anything or anyone that receives more adoration and attention from you than your creator God, and your saviour, Christ, is an idol.  Period.

#scripturetiein

So, let's just start with the basics.  Adam and Eve would have naturally worshiped God above all else.  Before sin entered the world, man was very aware that God was the only being worthy of our praise.  However, once sin entered the world, our vision became clouded and temporal gratification took over our desire for everlasting gratification.  In order to guide His people through a life lived for Him, God provided them with a list of dos and don'ts.  Perhaps you've heard of the the list, typically referred to as the 10 Commandments.  One of these commandments is to not have any idols:

Exodus 20:3-5
You shall have no other gods before me.  You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.  You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God

Colossians 3:5 clarifies this further for us who do no longer live under the "law", but continue to strive to live according to the will of God:

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Here we can see that anything we covet, in other words, anything we "yearn to possess or have" (definition when I Googled "definition of covet") is an idol.  Let that sink in.  Anything we yearn to possess or have, other than God, is an idol.

#liveit

So, I'm guessing you're not regularly falling on your knees before an object of your desire.  But I'm also guessing that there are several things you can think of, right now, that you "yearn to possess or have".  The key is perspective.  Possessions and relationships can be such a blessing to our lives, as long as we worship He who gives them to us, and not the possessions and relationships, themselves. It's once we start to focus on, and yearn for, those things, that is when we are in danger of committing idolatry.  Keeping the perspective that there is no greater joy than that of knowing and loving God will help you to keep your focus on Him, and nothing else.  Think daily on the intangible blessings you have in your life because God protects you, loves you, provides for you, created you, saved you, gave you his Holy Spirit, and is jealous for you!  Train your brain to yearn for more of these things, and nothing else.  Train your brain to praise the provider, and not the provision.

#prayer

Lord, you are worthy of ALL of my attention, ALL of my desire, and ALL of my praise.  When I think of all the things I cannot live without here on earth, if that list goes beyond one item: The Lord Almighty, it is too long.  I confess, God, that there are things this world provides that I yearn to possess and have.  I repent today of my predilection to make idols for myself.  I thank you Lord for all of the blessings only You can provide.
Amen

#devoday11 - Redemption in a World that Never Forgets

#trendingtopic

Recently Mel Gibson spoke of the incident that abruptly halted his career in 2010, the message he left for his now ex-wife in which all manner of nasty things were said.  In this interview he referred to his alcoholism as the reason for his breakdown, and was happy to report 10 years of sobriety.  He also spoke of the difficult road he has walked in order to get back into the Hollywood game and redeem his name, and career.  It seems casting directors, producers, investors, and the general public don't easily forget such a public shaming, no matter the level of talent Gibson has shown over decades of a thriving career in performance art.  This got me thinking about the concept of redemption, and how elusive it can be in this world where everyone feels very comfortable being a judge, no matter their involvement, or knowledge of the offense, offender, or defendant.  In light of this I am so grateful to be loved by a God whose one goal since man fell to sin was to re-connect and reconcile to man.  This God, who is the only true judge, sent and sacrificed His son so that we could receive perfect redemption for our past mistakes and now we can commune with him, again!  I am just so grateful that God is so much better (aka perfect) at redemption than we are.

#scripturetiein

Redemption is at the very core of our salvation.  Salvation is freedom from sin.  More specifically, it is freedom from bearing the burden of sin.  Before Christ was given for us, on the cross, man needed to spill blood in order to receive redemption from whatever sins he had committed since the last time he spilled blood.  Animals were born and raised for the purpose of being blood offerings to a God who was jealous for mankind - wanting a relationship with his creation again.  This temporary redemption absolved man from his sins in the eyes of God, but it was not enough to grant permanence, because the sacrifices themselves weren't perfect.  True redemption required a perfect sacrifice-a sacrifice that was blameless in and of itself.  This sacrifice would take on the past, present, and future sins of mankind, allowing God to be in relationship with us, again.

This perfect sacrifice was Christ.

In a loud voice they were saying: "Worthy is the lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise".  Revelation 5:12

For the first time in the history of sacrifices, this sacrifice of Christ was the first to be referred to as "worthy".  And, it is the worthiness of this sacrifice that allows us to be fully and permanently redeemed in the eyes of God.

We all sin.  Some of us have struggles that are more pronounced than others.  And some are forced to bear a greater worldly burden, due to the public nature of their sins.  If you've ever been in a position where you screwed up, and it seemed no matter what you did to redeem yourself, no one could forget it, then you know the value of a slate wiped clean.  The key is that you cannot redeem yourself.  You are not worthy to do so.  But the good news is that He who is worthy has already redeemed you!  Grab hold of that redemption today.  Be reminded that if you believe in that perfect sacrifice, and take up your cross to follow Him, you are redeemed.  Your sins are no longer a burden that you need to bear and atone for!  Leave them behind and move forward down that narrow path, that leads to life of communion with God.

#liveit

A life lived in shame is a impotent life.  Shame will weigh you down and cause you to feel like you are not worthy to produce or work for God.  Well, it's true.  You are not worthy on your own.  But worthy IS the lamb who was slain.  The debt of your sins has already been paid.  Think of it this way, if a generous person paid off your mortgage, would you continue sending checks to the bank every month?  Of course not!  Well, this is what you're doing if you're living life with shame, if you are one of Christ's redeemed.

To live out redemption is simple: live!  Live your life and live it for Christ.  You have a purpose and a plan.  Seek it out and implement it, by the grace of God.  Don't let the mistakes of your past hold you back from having an effective future in the service of Christ.  If you've been putting off pursuing your purpose because you don't think God can forgive or accept you, that ends today.  Take the gift of redemption and get started on your next missional project!

#prayer

Lord, There are times here on earth in which we make mistakes that seem to be written on the minds of those around us in indelible ink.  The weight of our mistakes can be so heavy on our shoulders, and make our attempts at moving forward in life seem so futile.  Lord, let us be reminded that you have paid it ALL.  You didn't pay some, or a little.  You paid it ALL.  Lord, reveal the plans you have for our lives and give us the strength to do them!  Thank you Lord for being the perfect sacrifice.  I'm sorry Lord for the times I've assumed that sacrifice to be insufficient, by believing there's no way it atoned for my sins.  I know Lord, in my heart, that it was enough - that YOU are enough.  Let me live in that truth today, and always.
Amen

#devoday10 - An Existence of Service

#trendingtopic

I found it funny that 1 day after I posted "Time to Clean the Locker Room" a trending story on Facebook was all about LeBron James cleaning his team's locker room! And, since virtually all other trending stories had to do with politics, I decided to post about this, today.  Apparently, James noticed that after his team was done with the locker room, after a recent game, they left it in complete disarray, with dirty laundry everywhere.  Instead of leaving it for cleaning staff, he decided to clean it all up, instead.   While the fact that this story was published proves that James is not the most humble of men, there is an aspect of humility here.  This is a man who is worth millions of dollars, lowering himself to do the job of staff likely paid little more than minimum wage.  He felt that the state of locker room was disrespectful to those expected to clean up after the team, and took it upon himself to do something about it.

#scripturetiein

Humility is a key aspect to the life of the christian.  We are to mirror Christ in our daily lives, and though Christ held all of the Authority over the entire world, He was humble, claiming to have come to serve, and not be served.

Matthew 20:28
even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom to many

We are to live our lives in this manner, no matter what our status or level of promotion.  It's a tall order in our culture.  It can be difficult to hold authority and not hold it over others.  Yet, the Son of Man humbled himself from being wholly Divine, to wholly Man, and died a treacherous death on the cross.

#liveit

We all have opportunities like the one LeBron had recently, to do things "below" our status, in order to serve others.  Make a list today of ways in which you can serve those around you.  Focus on tasks that would require your time and efforts, at a level above and beyond what would normally be expected of you.  Do not seek any reward or compensation in return.  This is what humility looks like for those in the faith.

#prayer

Lord, let us always remember how far you humbled yourself, for our sake.  Enlighten us to daily ways we can practice humility to those around us.  Lord, it can be difficult to serve others in a way that no one notices, or does not get us much acclaim.  But we know that you see all we do, here, Lord, and have promised blessings to us that outweigh what the earth can provide.
In your name we pray,
Amen

#devoday9 - Time to Clean the Locker Room

#trendingtopic

Over the weekend, the most trending topic, I'm guessing, in the universe, was Donald Trump's comments made in 2005 in a private conversation with Billy Bush.  While wearing a hot mic (unknowingly), Trump explained to Bush about how he behaves with women he considers sexually attractive, stating that he kisses them, grabs at them and tries to have sex with them (that's the PG version, folks) and they "let him" because he's famous.  Wow.  So much to unpack here. We have a married man describing sexual acts with women other than his wife.  We have a man using power and fame to take advantage of women.  We have a man describing women's bodies as objects.  And, we have a man who chalks it all up as "locker room talk" in every response he has to it.  In the aftermath of this revelation, I have read many comments from many people.  There are those who are outraged.  There are those who are saddened.  There are those for whom these comments have sparked memories of uninvited sexual advances, who have a lot to say on the topic.  And, there are those who agree with Trump, that this is "just how men talk".  To that last reference, even if that is true, it does not make it all right.  The message we, as christians, can take from this political event is that unwholesome talk of any kind is toxic, and the Bible has a lot to say about it.  This message is not just for men and how they discuss their sexuality in "locker rooms" or elsewhere.  So many of us talk one way with our friends, in private, and another way in church, or other arenas of our public life.  Trump is (rightfully) receiving harsh criticism and scrutiny due to these comments.  While our private comments may never reach the offensive level of Trump's, or receive this level of attention, we can be sure that the Lord hears them all, and they do affect the Kingdom.

#scripturetiein

Ephesians 4:29 says
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

In Matthew 15:18 we are told that what comes out of our mouths comes from our hearts (so when Trump says, "That's not who I am", well...it actually is, at the heart-level).

Matthew 12:36 says
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.

Colossians 3:8 says
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Finally, James 1:26 says the thing I feel most applies to Trump, and so many of us as well:
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

The above is just a sampling of the total amount of verses that speak on the way we speak, and what we say.  You know...Trump, and many others, claim that this is just how men speak.  I, myself, have heard men speak this way, and many women speak in careless and angry, wrathful, malicious, slanderous, and obscene ways as well.  To say that this is just how it is may work for those who don't know Christ, but it is no excuse for those who do.  We are called to higher standard.

#liveit

Proverbs 13:3 says that whoever guards his mouth preserves his life.  The way we live out the command to "put away" all of this type of talk is two-fold.
A. Align your heart with God's more and more, all the time.  This is the goal for all believers-to think the way He thinks, and feel the way He feels.  God does not talk in these ways, and the more like Him we are, the less we will as well.
B. As you work on holiness (see point A.) zip the lip!  The truth is our hearts do contain some amount of uncleanliness.  This is the curse on us all.  This does not mean we need to speak all of the filth we have in our hearts.  Proverbs also says that a gracious words are sweetness to the soul and health to the body.  Let this be our goal.  Speak grace, love, and peace, and when you cannot, don't speak.  It's just that simple.

#prayer

Lord, In light of the disgusting words he said, it is really easy to judge and look down on Donald Trump right now.  As so many prominent figures have said, there truly is no justification for what he said.  But, Lord, I know that we deceive ourselves if we assume we never speak a careless or toxic word.  As we ponder and consider Trump's actions, let us apply wisdom for our own lives.  Let this situation be an example to us all that words can be dangerous.  Words can be hurtful.  Words can be troubling, and words reflect the state of our hearts, in a way our clothing, or our possessions, or our acts of service, or where our money is spent ever could.  Lord, as we align our hearts with yours, help our words to reflect that alignment, so that we can be "sweetness to the soul" for those around us, and ourselves.
Amen

#fridayflash - Producing Perseverance

#fridayflash

On Fridays we break from a week of trending topics in news and entertainment for a quick verse and a prayer.  While it's good to find God's truths in the topics that we read of and speak of everyday, we can get lost in the drama and complication of it all.  It is good to take a break and just ponder the truths in His word, without needing to relate it to our current situations.  I trust the scripture will speak to you if you open your heart for it to do so.

#scripture

James 1:2-3

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

#prayer

Dear Lord,
My heart cries out with this prayer today.  My own life has seen so many trials, as have the lives of my loved ones as well.  This verse is so true, Lord, as this testing...this refining by fire has produced so much more trust, and strength in me, Lord.  These tests have only and always made me want to fight ever harder to know You and be closer to You.  I pray for strength in the face of hardship, Lord.  I pray that you help me keep my eyes on the things that truly matter - those things of everlasting significance.  In your holy, and precious name, Lord.
Amen

#devoday8 - Accountability in a time of "Secret Conversations"

#trendingtopic

In Facebook news, there is a new feature to the Facebook Messenger app called Secret Conversations.  With this new feature you can set your conversations to only appear on the device you started having them on.  Also, you can choose to have the conversations disappear after a certain amount of time, much like Snapchat.  Facebook claims this feature will help with "sensitive conversations" like those regarding health, or finances.  But, to be honest, I think we all know that it will be used for so much more!  We've come a long way since the days when, if you wanted to tell someone something who wasn't in your direct vicinity, you had to call an operator who connected you to that person, and stayed on the line during your entire conversation!  The further we've gone into the world of digital communication, the more secretive we all become.  We've become obsessed with privacy and secrecy.  And, while at times there is a need for privacy, I think this deserves a pause as we consider our private lives, and how they line up with the honesty and accountability that the Bible calls for.

#scripturetiein

As the creators of the new Facebook feature have noted, there are times when privacy is necessary.  When transferring personal information about our finances to a professional, say, or when we need to discuss the health issues of a loved one.  But, if we're being honest with ourselves, we know that people...maybe even we, ourselves...occasionally use digital messaging as a way to indulge in secrecy, in a way that feels disconnected from public society.  There are several messaging apps available now that already do what Facebook is adding, here.  And it doesn't take a particularly devious mind to realize that people are using these apps, as opposed to the text messaging features that come standard with their devices, to conduct private business, regularly, in a way that no one can trace, or find out about.

I posit that this kind of privacy and secrecy does not line up with the lifestyle of a believer and follower of Christ.

James 5:16 says
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

In Galations 6 we are told to restore a brother who sins in a spirit of gentleness, and bear one another's burdens.

The further we delve into secrecy and privacy, the further away we get from community with our fellow christians.  We are called to be open about our lives, our sins, and our burdens, so that we may bring healing to one another, in righteousness!  How are we to follow this mandate if we project one form of ourselves to the public, but hide another form in our private digital conversations?

Hebrews 4:13 says "and no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

The "him" here is God.  No matter how much we encrypt our conversations, God reads them all.  He sees them all.  And He will ask us each one day to account for them all.  The more we live our lives as a witness - out in the open for our faith communities to gain from, and give to, the more we can be sure that we are living according to His will.

#liveit

Do you have any of the apps I referenced above?  Ask yourself why.  What purpose do they serve for you.  Consider deleting them.

If you don't already have one, or more, find someone you feel safe with that you can confess to.  Sometimes people call this an "accountability partner".  We ALL need to be able to share our struggles and burdens with other believers.  It is not a sign of weakness, and it should not cause fear.

#prayer

Lord, at times I feel this particular point in history is the hardest in which to live out a transparent, on fire, accountable life for You.  We are tempted from all angles to keep ourselves to ourselves, and remain hidden from one another, at the soul-level.   Lord, I ask that you provide me with a community I can trust, and thank you for those I already have in my life that I can share my joys and struggles with.  Lord, remind me continually that while I am tempted to hide my vulnerabilities from even those I'm close with, you see them all.  For each of us reading this Lord, I pray that we would flee from the temptation to enter the darkness of secrecy, and run into the light of truth!
Amen

#devoday7 - Whatever is...

#trendingtopic

My Facebook trending feed tells me today that over 1 million people are talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger taking a photo with his son.  Yes, you read that correctly.  A man took a photo with his son and the whole world is talking about it.  What are they doing in the photo?  They are celebrating the young man's 21st birthday in Munich with steins of beer.  They are smiling.  They look like a typical father-son pair.  So, why is this photo getting so much attention?  One word: scandal.  This boy represents a scandalous affair between Schwarzenegger and his former housekeeper, while he was married to Maria Shriver, so now anything having to do with him is "scandalous".  It's sad, and it's sick.  As believers we are not to play into the hype surrounding scandal among our public figures.  There is something else we are instructed to do, and it will keep our minds pure.

#scripturetiein

Our obsession with scandal has always been a problem, but has gotten out of hand with the inception of the internet.  Recently I watched the Amanda Knox documentary and was overwhelmed by the injustice Ms. Knox had to endure because there were those who enjoyed speculating about her sexual habits, so much so that they concocted complete fabrications in order to sell newspapers and log views.  Amanda has since been acquitted by the Italian Supreme Court for the murder she was charged with, but these allegations of sexual deviance will follow her all of her life.  Similarly, this young man, this son of Arnold and his former housekeeper, will never NOT be known as the love child that came from an elicit affair.  He will go on to likely work and have his own family and make his own mistakes, but to the general public he will always be that love child.  It isn't right.  We know it isn't right.  And yet, it seems, we can never get enough of it.  What we allow our minds to dwell on and perpetuate has a direct result on our faithfulness to God.  We can become corrupted by immoral thoughts and gossip, making our witness vulnerable.  So what should we allow our minds to dwell on, instead?

Philippians 4:8 instructs us in this way:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

The author of the letters to Philippi is instructing the believers there, and all of us to set our minds on the beautiful benefits of lives well lived in Christ.  For every scandal you read about in the news or on the web, there are untold stories of unsung godly med and women who have spoken truth to Satan's lies.  There are people who are honorable, and promote social justice.  There are those who are striving after holiness with their whole hearts.  There are situations and relationships that are just so lovely to behold.  There are people who deserve commendation for their strong faith and good service.  There is excellence in the body of Christ.  The world around us contains so much evidence of God, and His worthiness of our praise!  These are the things that should fill our minds so much, that there is not room to dwell on scandal.

#liveit

This is a discipline.  We are conditioned from a young age to latch on to a juicy story and dwell on it, or even perpetuate it.  Think of the rumors that floated around your elementary, middle, and high school.  To specifically think on the positive and not ruminate on the negative, is a discipline.  Here's my suggestion, and something I plan to start today.  Keep a daily journal that looks like this:

• True:
• Honorable:
• Just:
• Pure:
• Lovely:
• Commendable:
• Excellent:
• Worthy of Praise:

and take a few notes for each bullet point.  If you can't think of anything you directly observed, use the web for good, and find stories online.  They are out there.  You just need to sift through all the gossip and vitriol to get to them.  Eventually, if you make this a daily ritual, your mind will start to become keen to looking for these things every day, knowing you will be taking note of them later.  In this way, you can start to undo the conditioning of looking for, and reveling in other people's scandals.

#prayer

Holy and precious Father,
I am so tempted to click the bait for each story of a celebrity who has missed the moral mark, and to cast judgments.  When I fill my mind with this I become negative, and pessimistic, and judmental.  There is no room for goodness and mercy and hope!  Lord, I repent of this now, and ask You to guide me and give me discernment to notice the stories of heavenly note around me.
Amen