February 19

‘Arise, shine.’ – Isaiah 60:1

                The first step we take must be our own. This is the essence of faith. God does not mandate that we act; rather He asks that we exercise our free will in service to Him. Once, we arise of our own volition, God then supports us through His grace and mercy.

                I am constantly reminded of a scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Indy is standing at the lion’s head, facing a bottomless chasm. His instructions, based on his father’s archeological study ask him to step out over the chasm. To Indy’s limited perception, this spells certain doom. Indy must choose to take the first step in faith. Once he does so, he realizes that there is indeed a bridge, which has been camouflaged, but is visible to the audience from a different camera angle. Importantly, Indy sprinkles sand on the bridge so that others might follow where he has stepped out in faith.

                What a great allegory for our own faith. We trust in God and do the thing that we know we must do. In so doing, we have the opportunity to lead others by our example.

                Sometimes, the thing that we know we must do entails a task which we feel is below our ability or station. Chambers talks about this and uses the term ‘drudgery’ to describe it. We must remember that no task is to humble in service to God. Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, a task that could certainly be considered lowly for the Son of God!

                Inspiration mustn’t always be for the extraordinary. The commonplace tasks are just as important as the spectacular if God has led us to undertake them. We cannot begin to see, with our limited perception, the value of simple tasks in the lives of those around us as God uses them toward His greater plan. God transfigures even the most mundane tasks in glory to Him.

February 18

 ‘Rise, let us be going.’ – Matthew 26:46
Regret is the root of despair. We regret when we do not do something that we know we should have done. We regret when we do something we know we should not have done. In this way, inaction, or false action, is just as powerful a negative force as action and right action are positive.
The important thing to remember here is that once an action or an inaction has left your hand, it cannot be brought back. The moment passes, for better or worse, and we are left to deal with it. So how DO we deal with it?
If we do not give all things to God, our failures as well as our successes, we run into two very different risks rooted in one very similar fault. Failures lead us to despair (as mentioned above) and destructively inhibit our ability to proceed, likely resulting in more failures or an outright inability to act at all. Successes, when glory is not given to Him, lead us to the trappings of self-righteousness and set us up for the inevitable valley that follows the peak. Both of these maladies are caused by the selfishness found at the very heart of all sin. This egotism causes us to take great pride in our accomplishments, as though we had no providence with us at all and to take all blame for our failures.
Instead, we should be giving ALL things to God, both good and bad. When we fail, we cannot get it back. Thus, rather than despair, we are to learn why things went wrong or why we failed to act and correct the problem so that we do not repeat it. Remember that a failure is only a mistake if we do not learn a lesson from it. So, Arise! Move forward. Accept the forgiveness that has been granted through the Atonement of sins by Christ Jesus and let us be going. Move on to the next thing, allowing Christ to lead you.

February 17

‘Arise and eat.’ – 1 Kings 19:5
By nature, human-kind is prone to depression. It is a simple facet of ourselves, a result of our capacity for exaltation. When we become depressed we lose our initiative. Even the most basic of things becomes difficult for us to do. However, take solace in that God will provide a way out of depression if we only can first take action.
There is a correlation here between God’s commandment to Elijah, (Arise and eat) and current accepted views regarding treatment for depression. Elijah was told simply to arise. To take action. There was no grand vision. There was no ‘aha!’ moment. Rather God commanded him to get up and take sustenance, restoring his initiative. As mentioned, a very effective treatment for depression, right after sunlight, is activity. Here, even in our own modern lives, activity restores us.
The reasons why activity restores and sustains our initiative, staving off depression, are as varied as the reasons which cause us to languish. And, it should be noted that random activity will do little good to alleviate depression. Instead of random activity, prayer is needed to discern what inspired activity God is calling us to do. In performing for God’s sake, we are reminded that our self-worth is not tied to our perception of ourselves, but rather the love that God has given to us through Grace.
So if you are struggling with depression, then Arise and eat! Pray to God and become rejuvenated in the manna that He has provided you so that you might serve Him without shame.

February 16

‘Arise from the dead.’ – Ephesians 5:14
It is a well-recognized fact that action must be preempted by initiative. However, action does not invariably lead to success. The key is to continue to show initiative in the face of failure. I think that Thomas Edison said it best in describing his experiments. To paraphrase, he said that he never failed in an experiment; rather he simply found six thousand ways that didn’t work. That statement, tempered by the knowledge of Edison’s eventual success, is a testament to the power of initiative.
Initiative is not a new concept for mankind. It is hard-wired in our brains likely as a necessary survival skill. The hunter-gatherer, for example, who had no initiative to provide would have probably been doomed to starvation. In our present society, a common thread among successful people is that of initiative. Successful people repeatedly strive to achieve despite setbacks. Just how persistent they are determines the level of eventual success, as is the case I presented for Edison.
God asks for us to show initiative as well. Oswald Chambers notes that when he healed the man with the deformed hand, he first instructed him to hold the hand out so that it might be healed. This is where faith becomes important. God calls us to extend ourselves in order to receive healing. He asks us to first take the initiative to come to know Him.
There are key moments in our lives which test our faith, and thereby test our ability to show spiritual initiative. It is at these times that God asks us to arise from the dead. He asks that we pick ourselves up despite our stagnation and accept His inspiration. He does not pick us up, but He does help us to stand once we are on our feet.
In this day and age of perceived entitlement by so many, it becomes especially important to remember the role of initiative in our lives. As Chambers puts it, ‘God does not give us an overcoming life; He gives us life as we overcome.’ All we have to do is to keep putting one foot in front of the other, allowing God to lead us into the life of service that He has intended for us.

February 15

 ‘None of us liveth to himself.’ – Romans 14:7
What a responsibility that this verse implies! We are not put on this earth simply for our own salvation and sanctification. Rather, we are responsible for the spiritual lives of all those with whom we come into contact. When I stop to think about the awesome magnitude to which all of our lives are interwoven in respect to this fact, I am overwhelmed.
If I am responsible for the spiritual life of those around me, my own imperfections become magnified. When I lose my temper or become vain or lazy, I must realize that this does not just affect me. Rather it affects all those around me. What kind of witness do I provide during even the most cursory of exchanges with someone whom I may never meet again? Knowing this, I must realize that I am accountable not some of the time, but all of the time.
Am I willing to be such a tool for Christ? Can I devote my every action to the glorification of God? I certainly hope so, though I know also that I will fail at times. I will spend time in the shadow of God’s hand and He will use my failures to help me to grow in Him so that I might not fail again.
We cannot afford to be Sunday morning Christians. People are attracted to action. Look for example at Islam. Arguably, Islam is the fastest growing religion worldwide at the time that I write this. Why is that? It is not because of the doctrine, but rather because of the example. People see Muslims in the world right now that are living their faith and taking action through unashamed worship. Muslims protect the sanctity of their beliefs. They defend their religion from parody.
Conversely, Christians overwhelmingly do not protect their religion from parody nor worship without shame. We in the United States are indoctrinated with political correctness and acceptance to the point that we are ashamed or afraid to practice our beliefs without first making an apology. We allow Christ to be parodied in pop culture and the media. The result is that we live as nominal Christians.
I’m not saying that it is my responsibility to evangelize. I am saying that it is my responsibility to allow God to work through my example so that others might see. Will I convert anyone? Not likely by my own hand. Rather God is working to bring others to Him and He uses us as tools toward that end.

February 14

‘What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.’ – Matthew 10:27
It is in the quiet times that we must learn to listen. These times are what Matthew is referring to as ‘darkness’. These times are when God seems absent and we find ourselves overshadowed by unpleasant circumstance. Yet God is not absent. He is there all the time, if only we will stop and listen to what He is trying to tell us.
Oswald Chambers eloquently states that we are put in the shadow of God’s hand until we learn to hear Him, just as a song bird is taught to sing in the dark. What an wonderful analogy. God does not put us in the dark to cause suffering. God puts us in the dark so that we might grow and learn to sing when we are in the light. Remember that His call is constant. Those who heed it are merely those who heard it and responded.
When at last we step out of the darkness and into the light, having heard what it was that God was telling us, we do so with a sense of delight. How we could not be delighted to have recognized the voice of God speaking to our hearts seems impossible to me. Chambers cautions though that such delight should be tempered with humiliation. To be used as a tool for God’s works is certainly good for the ego, but to forget our destitution and inadequacy before Him is to stoke the selfish lie that Satan propagates through our tendency for self-righteousness.

February 13

‘Speak; for Thy servant heareth.’ – 1 Samuel 3:10

                Oswald Chambers points out that just because we have heard listened to God about one thing does not mean we have listened to Him the rest of the time. I suppose that this could best be likened to ala carte devotion.  I have listened to God when it was convenient and ignored Him when it was not. While we’re on the subject, the same could be said for prayer.  As we discussed yesterday, we do not willfully disobey God. We are prone, however to ignoring Him when it is easiest not to listen.

                In addition to listening to God, we should be learning to anticipate what He wants. We do this all the time in regard to our friends. How often have we sent a birthday card, held a hand, or invited a friend out to lunch without being asked first? Jesus said ‘Ye are my friends.’  If this is true, then shouldn’t we also treat our relationship with Him as we would with a friend?  I challenge you, and myself, to listen to God just as we would a friend.

                Perhaps the greatest impediment to listening to God is that of devotion. As Christians, we are devoted to God. However, the reality of our daily existence is that of competing devotions. We are devoted to work, family, hobbies, friends, community projects, etc. There is no way around these competing pulls on our time and attention, nor should there be. God asks us to use our gifts actively, not just sequester ourselves for His sake.

                For my part, I imagine my devotion as this: My devotion to God should be one, unbroken line on a graph. Under this line, running parallel is a series of broken lines. The unbroken line represents my devotion to God, superseding everything else as a steady constant. The broken lines represent the episodic nature of the other things that warrant my attention throughout the day. Each and every broken line deserves my attention, but it should get no more than 90% of what I am capable of giving. 10% of my attention should always be committed to the constant line, in devotion to God.

                Admittedly, this is an ideal to which I aspire but do not always achieve. I recognize my imperfection as a fallen creation and continue to strive to live as Christ lived and to always uphold God’s law.

I’ve said in the past that I feel that the meaning of life on Earth is to come to know Christ and to help others to do the same. It sounds simple on the surface, but in practice it becomes difficult. The other things in my life convolute my devotion and draw my attention away from Him. Yet, He does not leave me. He is always there, whispering in my ear as a friend would. If only I would listen.

February 12

 ‘And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us and we will hear: but let not God with us, lest we die.’ – Exodus 20:19

                It has been nearly a month since I last posted on this daily devotional. I can make any number of excuses for discarding the habit of spending quiet time with God, though I think that anything I might offer may only serve to soften the selfishness that I have fallen back into as of late. Fittingly, as is often the case with Oswald Chamber’s devotions, today happens to speak directly to what I am experiencing right now.

                When I began studying ‘My Utmost for His Highest’ in late October 2010, I noticed very quickly a change in me. I learned to listen to God. I learned to trust in Him and to always aspire to keeping His law. More importantly, I came to cherish my quiet time with God in writing these analyses. The result was an effective discipleship in my own life. Professionally I yearned to incorporate Him into my daily interactions. Personally, I found a deep love and patience for my family and children in particular. I realized that the selfish nature of sin was holding me back and even eroding my relationships, as it does in any who do not keep their egos in check.

                As my new job started gaining steam, I understandably had less time to devote to this study. I distinctly remember January 22^nd, the last time that I posted. I told myself that I just didn’t have the time and that I had learned what I needed to learn to this point. Essentially, I told myself that I no longer needed to make time to work on my relationship with God. In a way that was the same as telling God that I no longer needed to listen to Him. I skewed my priorities and in short order, my perception was skewed right along with them.

                How is this pertinent to Chambers’ lesson from Exodus? The people told Moses that they wanted him to speak to them. They did not want to listen to God. Chambers points out that this is significant because we often prefer to listen to God’s followers than to have our own relationship with Him.

                We do not willfully disobey God. Or at least those whom do are few. The more likely source of our disrespect for Him comes by not listening to Him. If the Hebrews had listened to God, rather than to Moses for example, they were committing themselves to either follow God’s law, or disobey God directly. By hearing God’s law secondhand, through Moses, their disobedience could be indirect. As Chambers puts it, ‘Because we know that if God does speak, either the thing must be done of we must tell God we will not obey Him.’

                However, disobedience, whether direct or otherwise still results in shame and humiliation. There is no way around this.  I, like the Hebrews, chose to stop listening to God because I bought into the selfish lie that the ego propagates. The result is that, as I write this I am shame-filled for my behavior these past couple of weeks. I found some modicum of professional success early and I failed to give the glory to God. I bought into my own deception and strained my relationships at home. How quickly it all snowballs!

                How glorious then that all things are possible through God. I am praying for healing and I know God will grant it. Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

                God will use this time as a lesson in me. Live with humility. Make time to be still and listen. The moment I fail in my commitment to God is the moment in which Satan, who prowls this world like a hungry lion, will exploit my own sinful nature.

January 22

 ‘Look unto Me and be ye saved.’ – Isaiah 45:22
Today’s passage is really quite interesting if you think about it. God does not say that He will come to us with blessings. He says to look to Him and we are saved. We are to take the initiative to focus on Him not only when we are in need, but also in recognition and thanks for the blessings that He sends in our lives. We are to ALWAYS be looking to Him.
Additionally, Isaiah does not say that when we look to Him, we WILL be saved, but that when we look to Him we ARE saved. There is immediacy to this. Looking to Him is not a part of some elaborate path to salvation, but rather it is all that is required. When we look to God the miracle of the Atonement through Jesus Christ is apparent. When we look to God, His will takes precedent over our own. When we keep our focus on God, all of the other things make sense in His context.
Spend the day in focus on God, both in times of need and of blessing.

January 21

 ‘I remember…the kindness of thy youth.’ Jeremiah 2:2
Walk into any youth group meeting in the United States and I would bet good money that the level of enthusiasm in the room will excite you. This is certainly how I remember my youth group experience. The initial stages of coming to know Christ are exhilarating. They are times during which we accept His grace with gratitude and a sense of urgency in our desire to serve Him.
Fast forward to that same youth group member ten years later. Life has thrown all sorts of scenarios at that individual. A family has been started and professional success is beginning to materialize. That same appreciation for what Christ does has dulled into a demand for respect and self appreciation. The individual now feels that he/she has served God and the people God has put into their lives and looks for appreciation from God.
What happened? How did someone who was so on fire for Christ fall into this mindset of ingratitude?
I believe that this pattern is all too common. We are given a wonderful confidence in Christ early on, understanding what an honor service to Him is. However, this sense of honor is polluted by egotism as the fire of youth is cooled. We begin to feel that we deserve good things due to our faith in action. When the things that we feel we are owed do not materialize, we cool further to God.
In reality, God has always been there. True, life happens and we should be proud of the manner in which we have handled it through God’s grace. He gives us opportunities to grow through the gifts that He has given us and these opportunities for growth allow us to come to know Him through reliance. We must remember that it is only through Him that we have the opportunities in our lives. We must maintain our humility, above all else before God.
Remember that God wants us to be confident. It is an unfortunate fact that we have such a capacity to forget from whence that confidence comes.

January 19

‘…An horror of great darkness fell upon him.’ Genesis 15:12

                Genesis 15:12 refers to a ‘great darkness’ as a representation of God’s silence in the life of Abraham for 13 years. This silence was not a punishment for any wrong, but rather a time in which God gave Abraham the opportunity to exhaust his self dependence. Abraham could not have recognized his inequity if God had not allowed him to rely on his own devices only.

                There are times in our lives when God seems to be silent as well. This is another example of God’s desire for us to choose Him. Just as Abraham could not achieve humility before God until he exhausted his own resources, so too are we led to either make do with our own resources or to recognize our destitution and choose to rely on God.

                Just because God is silent in our lives does not mean that this is a time in which there is no benefit in being still and listening. Abraham used this period to develop a discipline to listen. We can do the same thing. God will not be silent in our lives forever and it is important that we continue to listen for when we are ready to be used by Him.

                Finally, I think that it is important to note that the tenure of these silences are largely within our power to control. Abraham’s period of silence lasted for thirteen years because it took him that long to realize that he was destitute before God. In my case, I have found these periodic silences to be directly associated with periods during which my own humility is diminished. I would even argue, without justifiable basis, that these periods of silence are directly in negative correlation with periods of arrogance.

                This being said, is God looking for an entire creation that is so meek that they have no self esteem at all? Such a simplification would be unfair to ourselves. From the Grace of God is derived unselfish confidence. With God’s grace we know that we are doing good works and serving Him well. The difference between confidence through Grace and arrogance occur only when we forget from where our confidence comes and attribute our goodness to our own devices instead of His mercy.

January 18

‘Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and My God.’ – John 20:28

                In this morning’s devotion, Oswald Chambers poses a question. He asks if the reader is drinking in Christ to sustain themselves, or if they are pouring themselves out completely in devotion to Christ. It is an interesting question considering that we are taught that Jesus does sustain us. At first glance, I found it difficult to discern just what Chambers was getting at.

                Chambers is hitting on a point that we have discussed previously. Ask not what your God can do for you, but what you can do for your God. It is true that Christ sustains us, but Chambers is asking if we are letting our tanks run empty in devotion to Him, pouring out our whole selves, or if we are just topping off our tank. Are we only using our faith and devotion to maintain our status quo?  

                There is a funny saying that has stuck with me for some time: ‘There will always be prayer in school so long as there are exams’. I think that this is the point that Chambers is making. Are we turning to God only when it is convenient for us? Do we allow Him to use us when the timing is less convenient?

                There is a distinction to be made though between devotion and service. Remember that it is easier to act and to serve than it is to partake in the Resurrection by allowing ourselves to pass away in Christ. God asks us to serve as tools for extending His divine nature in this world and in that respect service is warranted. The rub occurs when we find ourselves devoted to well intentioned service without prayer and meditation leading to guidance. We are capable of acting and producing goodness, but we must make sure that we are doing so in a capacity that is furthering God’s plan for our lives and not merely satisfying our own bias.

                So how do we determine if we are in appropriate service to Him? The only answer is found in prayer. God will direct you if you listen.

                The analogy has been made several times that: God is the potter and we are the clay. This is true and it never ceases to be true as we are continually shaped. However, the analogy could be made that through appropriate service, we also become the potter’s wheel as He uses us to help to shape those around us through ways in which we may never even be aware.

January 17

 ‘But when it pleased God…to reveal His Son to me that I might preach Him.’ – Galatians 1:15-16
God’s calling is not by nature a call to any particular service. God calls us to know Him and to be still and listen to His will, accepting that it supersedes our own. Once we have accepted this basic call, the result becomes an expression of our love for Him.
Our love for God, having grown through prayer, meditation, and faith, leads us to action on His behalf. We express our love through any variety of service, using the unique gifts that God has nurtured in us. Our service to God becomes service to our fellow Man and it is in this way that we are able to preach to those around us.
We preach less with words than with action. The witness of Christ’s love, radiant in us through all aspects of our daily life is the most effective service we can give to Him. Thus, a calling is not limited to an order of clergy. We serve God as cashiers, doctors, nurses, secretaries, actuaries, chefs, managers, and financial planners etc.
Human nature is predisposed to service and production. These activities, even to the secular minded provide a strengthening sense of self worth. However, salvation is not earned. We cannot work our way to Heaven through good deeds. Instead we must accept that no matter what we do, we are destitute in comparison to God.
Humble yourself before God. Be still and listen. Serve Him in whichever way you feel He has called you.

January 16

‘I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send?’ – Isaiah 6:8

                The calling of God is a reflection of the nature of God. This is why it is so important to be in tune with God through prayer and obedience to His law. Isaiah was able to answer God’s call only because he heard it. He heard it only because he trusted God through his own personal tragedy and allowed God to use the experience as a tool by which to shape his faith.

                Because of the fallen nature of Man, we are defaulted to being in tune to ourselves. We must learn to accept our destitution and in so doing accept that we are in desperate need of God. We can offer nothing to Him which is comparable to His gift of forgiveness. This is the hardest point to accept because doing so insinuates our lack of worth without God.

                We are not worthless beings and we all have at least one person whom we profess to love. However, at the very heart of our relationships, the self comes first. There is a validation of the self that is satisfied in relationship with others. Conversely, in relationship with God our entire existence is validated. In recognition of His love and acceptance we no longer seek validation of the self because we have received the ultimate acceptance from Christ.

                Strive to take advantage of the still quiet moments in order to listen to God. It is in these moments, when we recognize our insecurity and lack of control that God teaches us about ourselves and His nature. As we learn to listen, in so doing becoming more effective tools for His use, we begin to understand the opportunities for servitude that He is calling us to.

January 15

‘Buried with Him…that…even so we also should walk in newness of life.’ – Romans 6:4

                In order to enter into life with Christ, we must be willing to let our old self die. Without the death of the former self, sanctification is only an unattainable ideal. Oswald Chambers refers to this as the ‘white funeral’. It is the recognition that the self before Christ is unworthy in all aspects and the reconciliation of this shortcoming through the thorough giving up of the former self.

                Chambers goes on to say that this reconciliation is incomplete unless all aspects of our selves has been allowed to perish. If we hold on to even one sinful aspect, refusing to let it go, it is akin to keeping our former selves on life support. We cannot be sanctified unless we are resurrected to a new life in Christ. We cannot be resurrected into a new life with Christ until we are ‘baptized in His death’.

                The process of dying is one of crisis. We struggle to remain living even to our last breaths. Being baptized in His death is just as traumatic. We do not go to the cemetery happily. It is sorrowful to allow the old self, whom we hold dear, to fall away even if it is in preparation of a new life in Christ.

                Joy is found in the resurrection. In ceasing to be our self and becoming one with Christ, a new joy is found. His sanctification redeems us and the whole world is new. We begin on a journey in which we come to know Him as well as ourselves. Our perspective is shifted from egotism to humility and compassion is kindled for all that is God’s creation.

January 14

 ‘Whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.’ – Isaiah 6:8
God’s call was not specifically for Isaiah. God called an asked ‘Whom shall I send?’ Isaiah heard the call and knew that he would do this thing which God was asking. God’s call is for all of us. Will we head it?
It is important to stress that God’s gift of free will is such that we must choose to answer His call. This is why it is important for us to maintain a right disposition and to learn to be still and listen. Isaiah’s call could have been addressed by anyone whom had the disposition to listen AND the willingness to be sent.
Predestination is a romantic idea. We all on some level want to feel as though God specifically has a plan for us and that we must simply be present to be a part of it. Let’s face it though, opportunity and circumstance do not just happen. We must be active in our lives in order to recognize when these times occur or else we will miss them. Someone else will hear God’s call and we will be stuck waiting at the train station for the next chance to be sent. (Being stuck at the train station of course is an implication of stagnation and a lack of progress.)
How many of you want to come to your final days only to realize that your whole life was spent at the train station? Not me. I want to feel that I heard the conductor and PROGRESSED through this life. I want to be a useful tool for Christ and I want the rewards of a greater relationship with Him and to come to know myself better. I can think of no other tragedy greater than to die from a life unlived.
We are called to follow Christ. The disciples were also called. Is it possible to think that Christ specifically approached only these twelve men? No. Christ audibly called on all who would listen to follow Him. The twelve who headed the call became something more than themselves. They got a first row seat to salvation in Christ. The rest of the crowd who was to busy to listen are lost to history. What a shame there were not twelve hundred.

January 13

 ‘When He was alone…the twelve asked of Him…’ – Mark 4:10
Have you ever had one of those days where everything seems to go wrong? I did, beginning yesterday and into this morning. Not that anything truly bad has happened, but it’s the little things. Turning on a light switch to get Chloe’s bath towel and pajamas while she’s in the tub (water running) only to have the bulb go out. Getting all the way to the office and realizing that I have my computer bag…sans computer. These are the kinds of frustrations that leave me totally at a loss for words that can be used in polite company.
Fortunately, I have been at this whole relationship with God thing long enough to stop, at the peak of my frustration and say ‘God, what is it exactly that you are trying to tell me?’ In my case, the lesson was loud and clear, ‘You have been busy, which is understandable, but you have not taken even a moment for conversation with Me.’ I heard it almost audibly. It was true.
God gets us alone through our suffering and frustration. These times, when we are so frustrated, sad, and disappointed that we simply become dumbfounded and don’t know what to say are ample opportunities for God to help us realize something about our nature. If we stop to listen in these times, and really meditate on what God is trying to tell us, we find that our suffering is relived. Whatever the problem, it either seems to go away or is put into perspective and marginalized.
Oswald Chambers notes that it was the twelve that Christ expounded to and not the crowd. The crowd could not be alone with Christ. It simply wasn’t possible. Christ took the perplexity of the twelve and used it for opportunities to teach them. Without their perplexity, the twelve would not have been receptive to the lesson.
The other thing I want to note here is a point that Chambers makes constantly and I agree with. Anyone reading this blog for any period of time may be sick of hearing it, but please bear with me for the sake of those who are new. God puts us in situations for our OWN spiritual and personal growth. We are in charge of taking the initiative in being receptive. We cannot be in charge of our brother’s or sister’s growth. In life we do come across tragedy and during these times empathy is warranted. However, we cannot hope to know for what purpose God is using these events to shape the growth of others. Nor should we waste any time in trying to discern it.
We have too much brokenness in ourselves too worry about how other people are coming along. Focus on what God is telling YOU. The lesson He is trying to teach YOU. Show compassion and empathy for tragedy, but allow your brothers and sisters to develop in the way that God is intending.

January 12

 ‘When they were alone, He expounded all things to His disciples.’ – Mark 4:34

                Oswald Chamber’s states that we must get past our own conceit in coming into a relationship with God.  This is a slow process. We must recognize that we do not fully know ourselves. In fact, only God knows us fully. In our latent conceit, we assume that there is nothing left to know about ourselves, but this is simply not true.

                For what purpose does God give us trials if not to learn to know ourselves? I don’t think that Christians are given ‘credit’ for suffering and we know through Christ’s Atonement for our sins that ‘credit’ is not the basis of our admittance to Heaven. No, God wants us to know who we are. We are His creation and He loves every facet of us and wants us to do the same. Thus, He gives us opportunities for growth so that we might slowly paint a complete picture of the self.

                However, trials are wasted opportunities if we do not take time to dwell on them, quietly, in the presence of God alone. There is a saying I like to use with my kids every now and then: ‘Mistakes are only failures if a lesson is not learned’. We must take time to learn from our failures, and successes for that matter, in order to gradually bring our self into focus as God intends.

                This is why silent prayer and meditation are important throughout the day. A short trip in the car alone is a good opportunity for example. The next time you have to drive across town by yourself, turn the radio off and spend time in meditation with Christ. You may be surprised by what you hear.

                However, it is important to recognize that in our solitude, we are still our own worst enemy and our capacity for conceit is great. Without prayer for humility, our meditation can easily turn toward denial, thus making any worthwhile lesson impossible.

My suggestion for getting around this is to always point the finger at myself first when in meditation. While it is true that all things are not our fault, nor are all things centered on us, I find this to be a helpful exercise. I spend time reflecting about my own behavior and what I might have done differently before stepping back and looking at the big picture of a situation. This exercise of introspection has helped me to grow immensely in the past couple of years.

Most importantly is the silence. The Bible tells us to ‘Be still and know that I am God’. We cannot hear God if we are not still. Stillness does not simply imply physical quiet either. We must quiet our thoughts as well. When in meditation, limit your distracting thoughts. Make this a time free from to do lists and the stresses of the day. Let your soul be silent, and you will find that God’s lessons for you are undeniable.

January 11

 ‘They laid hold upon one Simon…and on him they laid the cross.’ – Luke 23:26

                Whatever God’s purpose, we must understand that our obedience to Him has consequences for those around us. Simon, for example, was made to carry the Cross of Christ due to Christ’s obedience to His Father’s will. Our choice to be obedient to God will cause consequences for others and there is nothing we SHOULD do about it.

                That doesn’t mean that there is nothing we CAN do, but that there is nothing we SHOULD do. It is not our place to intervene in the struggles of others. Their trials are intended for God’s indiscernible purpose in the plan for their lives..We are to be compassionate without enabling. Rather than intervention, we are called to intercede in prayer.

                Let me be clear that I DO think that we are to help others. If you happen across someone with a flat tire or some other topical problem, it is good Christian charity to lend a hand. However, if someone is truly struggling, we are more likely to hinder than to help. God will help us through our struggles if we learn to rely on Him. Through intervention, we are taking the opportunity to learn reliance on Christ away from the individual and instead teaching them to rely on us.

This is the consequence of being a Christian. Those who struggle and do not yet rely on God will not understand why we cannot help them. Simon did not understand why he was called to carry Christ’s Cross and I am not sure that we ever learn for what purpose God involved him. But that is not for us to worry about. We are to learn to trust God in our own daily walk and trust that He will guide others to do the same.  

January 10

 ‘To open their eyes…that they may receive…’ – Acts 26:18

                There is a two step dance in Christianity which is alluded to in Acts 26:18. The first step is to have one’s eyes opened, or to become aware. The second is to receive.

                All Christians have, by definition of being a Christian, had their eyes opened. They have recognized that Christ is Lord. Another term for this is conversion. We have been converted from atheism, rationalism, hedonism or any other -ism or -anity or -am and recognized that Christ is the way, the truth, and the light.

                The next step is to accept or receive the salvation that Christ offers us. It is not enough to merely recognize that Christ is Lord any more than it is enough to recognize a life raft without climbing into it. We must receive the salvation that is offered us through Christ.

                But, this is easier said than done. In order to make room for salvation, the Christian must first clear out the distractions with which he has cluttered up his temple. Receiving salvation means abandoning our will in acceptance of His. It is a commitment that the nominal Christian has not yet made.

               

January 8

 ‘And Abraham built an altar…and bound Isaac his son.’ – Genesis 22:9

                I‘ve always felt that the lesson of Abraham’s near Sacrifice of Isaac was a bit ambiguous. Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son, let him build an altar, strap Isaac on it, and then at the critical moment say, ‘Gotcha!’? The whole episode seems rather elaborate for a simple test of faith.

                It is true that God was testing Abraham’s faith (and arguably Isaac’s). I think though that a greater lesson in the story is just exactly what Oswald Chamber’s points out in today’s devotion. God wants us to be living sacrifices. He does not intend that we live our lives simply to die for Him. Our death has nothing to offer Him. Rather, His death has everything to offer us.

                I think that God took Abraham and Isaac all the way to the point of sacrifice to illustrate the futility of our death as sacrifice. God does not need martyrs. While Christians are occasionally called to martyrdom, this is more for the sake of those whom are doing the murdering than for those whom are being martyred. God needs living, breathing, and obedient tools which He can use for the advancement of His design.

                So what does it mean to be a living sacrifice? The living sacrifice is the sacrifice who has allowed his former self to be martyred. He has chosen to sacrifice the selfish inclinations of his own will and replaced these with submission to the will of God. The living sacrifice has let the old self pass away so that he can be reborn in Christ Jesus.

                The living sacrifice is a daily sacrifice. He is constantly sacrificing his will, as the world and his latent selfishness tempt him to rescind the sacrifice. Sound difficult? It is. Though, only if the sacrifice is made without reliance on Christ. To live in Christ is to draw strength and worth from His sacrifice in order to sustain our daily living sacrifice.

January 7

‘Have I been so long with you, and yet hast thou not known Me?’ John 14:9

                Jesus spoke these words to Philip in leading him in questioning. He did not ask the question snidely or in shock, but to illustrate that in addition to the teacher – disciple relationship, Philip and Jesus were friends as well. The relationship had become a friendship and the two men shared the intimacy associated with that friendship.

                This is the relationship we should strive for with Christ as well. Once we are intimate with Him, we are never lacking. The empty times that God provides us become opportunities to come to know Christ through quiet meditation with Him. In intimacy with Christ the impression that we leave on others and in this world is unmistakable.

                How fortunate we are that our God wants to have such a close relationship with His creation. His will is not that of a tyrant or a despot. He does not demand our submission or servitude. Rather He asks us to choose Him. He gives us the choice of submission and servitude, and in Him, even these ordinarily negative concepts gain fullness and life.

January 6

‘Worship is giving God the best that He has given you.’ – Oswald chambers

(I apologize for the lack of posting yesterday. As always, if someone would like to comment on the devotional from January 5, please feel free to do so.)

                One of my wife’s favorite shows on television is Hoarders. If you’ve seen it, you would be hard pressed to state that it isn’t an interesting show. If you are unfamiliar with it, here’s a brief synopsis: An individual is identified as having hoarded all manner of physical items over a number of years until they are now at a point where their home is unlivable and often their health, both mental and physical is in danger. A cleanup crew and a psychologist are dispatched to attempt to help the hoarder clean up and then get treatment in the hope of sustained non-hoarding.

                The old adage that ‘the stuff you own ends up owning you’ is very fitting for many of these cases. The hoarder has accumulated so many items that they place value on, that the items have become a burden and consumed their entire lives.

                There is a psychological aspect to all of this of course, which is where the problem begins. The individual with this illness has exhibited a refusal or inability to let go of their emotions or experiences. They have mentally hoarded first, which then is manifest in material.

                Property ownership really is a blessing. In many parts of the world, people do not have the means to own anything other than their own survival. However, we are not meant to keep that which is given. We should pass on that which we feel holds value to those we love, thus making room for new things which we might love in the future. If we are only consuming, without giving, then we quickly become bloated and dysfunctional.

                The case of the material hoarder is analogous to what happens to the Christian spiritually if blessings are hoarded. Our blessings rot and get in the way of our relationship with God and with our fellow human beings if they are accumulated. Instead, we are to give our blessings back to God in the form of praise, so that others might see what the Lord has done for us.

                We must understand that our blessings are not our own. Without God, no blessings could be given; hence it is not of our own volition that they are received. A life constantly taking in of blessings without reciprocal praise quickly becomes just as dysfunctional as that of the material hoarder. We begin to value our blessings more than we value from whence they were given. Even worse, we begin to buy into the lie that we are responsible solely for our blessings, taking God entirely out of the equation.

January 4

‘Peter said unto Him, Lord, why cannot I follow Thee now?’ – John 13:37

                I am an impatient being. Like most people, I see what I want and do whatever I can to get it at the soonest possible moment. An example of this occurred just two days ago.            

I was at a gas station counter, impatiently waiting for a man to check his two dozen scratch tickets. At the beginning of my wait, I stayed calm. However, as the line began to form behind me, I felt obligated to express my displeasure at waiting through the occasional over-stated groan or the constant weight shifting (arms folded for emphasis), as if to say ‘Hey guys, it’s not MY fault you’re stuck here!’.                

After the man finished   checking his tickets, I got pretty stoked. It was almost my turn! There was just one more guy in front of me…that’s about the time that he pulled out another dozen scratch tickets to be checked. I lost whatever cool I had, muttered something under my breath, and headed for the door.  As I sat in my truck in the parking lot, I looked in through the window. All the people behind me were still in line, some of them had even started a conversation. No one else seemed to be irritated as I was. I began to realize that not only did I not get the item that I went to the store for in the first place, I made a perfect ass of myself instead.  Thanks for the lesson God.

God gives us empty spaces (waiting in line, waiting for a letter, waiting at the doctor’s office, waiting on promotion etc.) all the time. It is during these times that God teaches us to know ourselves. We learn about service or patience or, maybe we simply aren’t sanctified to move on to our next stage of spiritual development. If we are not patient through the empty times, we will never know.

Peter could not follow Jesus because Jesus was the only one worthy of sacrifice, the only unblemished lamb. Moreover, Jesus knew that Peter would deny Him three times. He knew this even before Peter did. Peter did not know himself well enough to even recognize his own inadequacy. So, Jesus made Peter wait. He gave Peter an empty time during which Peter presumably learned to stand steadfast in faith and to not be ashamed of his relationship with Jesus.

We cannot follow Jesus until we know ourselves. We cannot know ourselves until we are still in the quiet places in order to hear what God has to say. If we do not take the opportunity to know ourselves, and thus cannot follow God, our lives are doomed to impulse. We will attempt to anticipate from where our trials will come and which lessons we are to have learned, but they will be false because only in the light of Jesus Christ can these things be known.

To follow impulse is follow our natural devotion. Peter naturally pleaded to lay his life down for Christ. However we know that Peter could not be the sacrifice in Christ’s place. If we are to move away from natural devotion, we must embrace discipleship. We must become the student of Christ and use our gifts for Him at the time which He makes apparent.

January 3

 ‘Clouds and darkness are around about Him.’ – Psalm 97:2

                I’ll admit that the lesson in today’s devotional is difficult to discern. Oswald Chamber’s talks about how simple and familiar the teachings of Jesus are to the unbeliever. At a glance, Jesus’ teachings seem to focus simply on doing good deeds and being a good person. They appear to be a list of guidelines and suggestions which we are to follow, but if this is the case, then why offer the sacrifice of Christ in the first place? Why not just stick with the commandments given to the Moses in the desert?

                When a person takes the first step of faith in Christ, moving away from generalization and toward studious examination of His teachings, the lessons become imperceptible by our own logic and devices.  When the author of the Psalm talks about ‘clouds and darkness’, he is talking about our limited ability to decipher Christ’s complexity. The only way to pierce the darkness is to examine the Bible with the light of God’s truth leading the way. We must place faith in His teaching, and study it without the familiarity of our conditioning.

                Jesus asks that we become empty vessels so that we can contain nothing but His teaching. To hang on to our perceptions, which are based on fallible logic, while studying His living word will result in our misunderstanding of the lessons. Moreover, God is speaking to us through His word. If we are applying our logic to His lesson, we are in essence speaking over Him. If we are to grow in Christ, we must learn to listen openly and study diligently.

January 2

‘He went out, not knowing whither he went.’ – Hebrews 11:8

                A professed faith in God is obviously required of the Christian. However, a faith in mere profession should not be confused with a faith in action. It is easy to say, ‘I trust in the Lord.’ It is far more difficult to actively do so.

                I am called to go out, not knowing where God is leading me.  I am to have faith that God will lead me where He intends for me to go. This is where panic sets in for the young Christian. What about control? What about direction? If I do not perceive the direction in which God is leading me, does this mean I am directionless?

                The answer is ‘No’. God does not lead me into the wilderness to die. He provides direction, even if I find the direction imperceptible. My part in the faith equation is centered on ‘going out’ of my beliefs, conceptions, and convictions. My part is to become dependent on   God to provide newness in me, despite my apprehension at the perceived lack of self control.

                The reward for dependence on God is that I become closer to Him through my actions in faith. I can create no more good in this world through the exertion of my own control than God can create through me. My efforts, sans God will invariably fall short.

January 1

‘My eager desire and hope being that I never feel ashamed, but that now as ever I may do honour to Christ in my own person by fearless courage.’ – Philippians 1:20

                Courage is required to shamelessly live as God intends. To live as a Christian is to deny the world and the old habits that have become distractions from Christ. This life change is so dramatic that it should always be apparent to the non-believer by our action. Such a changed person must be prepared to reject the criticisms of the unbeliever. We as changed people must maintain the life in Christ despite worldly skepticism.  

Life in accordance to His will is markedly different than life spent in our will alone. Rather than be held up in justification of our faith, rest in the will of God. We are accountable only to Him. We must continue to behave in accordance with His law, rejecting our will in favor of His. Do not be bothered by the misperceptions of others. Leave your witness, evident in action and speech, to handle the justification in the eyes of others.