Posted on

Heart Transplant

Give the Great Heart Surgeon Access to You

SYNOPSIS: God may not be calling you to lead a nation during a time of crisis like he did Israel’s first king-elect, Saul, but He is calling you to carry out His plan in your own sphere of influence—to proclaim freedom to those held captive to sin, to heal the sick, to cast out demons, to deliver the addicted, to love the unlovely, to restore the broken, to bring back fractured families from the brink. That’s a pretty tall order when you’re struggling just to manage your own life, but when you invite the Great Heart Surgeon to take away your weak heart and transplant it with one that is equal to the task, you will have everything you need for your divine assignment.

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Samuel 10:9-10

As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying.

That’s exactly what I need—a change of heart. It is not something I can produce on my own; at least not in a way that fundamentally changes who I am, how I perceive the world, how I behave, or how I respond to God. Don’t get me wrong; I have an important part to play if my heart is ever going to get changed. I have to be willing, I need to surrender, and I must daily yield to the Great Heart Surgeon.

The kind of heart-change I need can only come from God. That’s what happened to Saul. God had great plans for Saul, and Saul was totally unaware, unsuited (at least in his own mind), and unprepared for what God had in mind—to be the very first king of God’s chosen people, Israel. So when the prophet Samuel revealed God’s plan to Saul, this handsome, young Benjamite demurred.

Yet there was something special about Saul that God saw—a pliable heart, a humble spirit, an innate leadership quality that, with some mentoring, seasoning, and Spirit-filling, could rally the Israelites. There was also in Saul a willingness to accept God’s plan, even if Saul’s first inclination was to shy away from such a lofty call. So the moment Samuel’s revelation was finished, God’s Spirit took away Saul’s heart and replaced it with one that was equal to the task of leading a leaderless people in a time of national crisis. Of course, I am not talking about a literal heart transplant, but there was certainly a spiritual heart transplant that day.

That’s exactly what I need—and want. How about you? We may not be called to lead a nation during a time of crisis, but we have been called to carry out God’s plan in a sphere of influence over which he has given us stewardship. He has called us to beat back the kingdom of darkness and proclaim freedom to those held captive to sin, to heal the sick, to cast out demons, to deliver the addicted, to love the unlovely, to restore the broken, to bring back fractured families from the brink—well, you get the picture. That’s a pretty tall order, isn’t it? Now you get a sense of what Saul must have felt at that moment!

So how exactly are you going to do all of that when you can barely manage your own life? Well, managing your own life plus capturing your sphere of influence for the Lord can and will happen when you invite the Great Heart Surgeon to take away your weak heart and transplant it with one that is equal to the task that he has placed before you.

I get the feeling you have your doubts about what I am suggesting. Well, join the club. But if God can do it for Saul, can’t he do it for you, too? Why not go to him right now and ask him for a heart transplant!

Going Deeper With God: Perhaps you are thinking that praying for a Saul-like heart transplant is a real stretch. But let me encourage you with this thought: It was God who led you to read this devotional piece today, and he did so for a purpose. He wants to do in you what he did for Saul. So go ahead and ask for a new heart—you’re only asking for what God already desires for you!

Posted on

God Chooses and Uses The Humble

Keep a Proper Estimation of Yourself

SYNOPSIS: The common mistake we make is to think growth in Christ-like humility will occur in our lives passively. It doesn’t work that way. We’ve got to strategically, deliberately, doggedly partner with the Holy Spirit to put on the Christian virtues of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience toward others. As we offer those virtuous attitudes as actions toward others, Christ-hearted humility will grow in us and we will become the kind of people God chooses and uses for eternal things.

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Samuel 9:2,17-21

Saul was as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else….When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.” Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the prophet’s house is?” Samuel replied. “I am the seer. Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart. As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and your whole family line?” Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?”

Tall, dark and handsome! That was Saul: movie star looks with the humility of Mother Teresa—at least at first. Saul had everything a person would need to be successful in the work of God. He had raw talent and gifts on loan from God; he had a proper sense of self-identity, and was from a good family. He had it all going the right way. God saw that long before he touched Saul for the kingship. Samuel saw that too, and he was immediately struck by Saul’s readily apparent qualities when he laid eyes on him. Saul would make an excellent king.

You know the rest of the story of course: Saul’s great beginning was not matched by a strong finish. From the beginning, there were cracks in his character—cracks which all have—that became fissures under the pressure of leadership demands because they were left unaddressed in the run up to kingship. Saul failed to submit his insecurity to his mentor, Samuel, and ultimately to God. Insecurity became independence from God—Saul felt like he had to make things happen for himself. Independence led to significant accomplishments apart from God, and as a result, a growing source of unhealthy pride for Saul. Pride became rebellion, rebellion was justified in his own mind, sin took over and Saul became a very public trainwreck of a king.

But we are not there in the story yet. For now, Saul responded to the call of God in an impressive way: he was unimpressive. By that I mean he didn’t say something to Samuel like, “yeah, I know. Where have you been all my life? It’s about time I was recognized for my incredibly good looks and imposing features. I was born to be king of Israel. Let’s get on with it.” Rather, he authentically and humbly demurred, “Who am I to be anointed king? I am from a small family in an insignificant tribe, and I am not even considered all that much among my own people.” Well played, Saul! And he meant it.

Humility—having a proper estimation of yourself, and of others. It is not thinking too highly or too lowly of yourself; in fact, it is not thinking of yourself at all. It is actually thinking first and foremost of others. With a lot of divine help and great effort on our part, we are called as the children of God to walk in authentic humility, because the humble are the kinds of people God chooses and uses! In Colossians 3:12-14, Paul describes some deliberate actions that we need to take to live with an attitude of humility:

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive each other whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Humility begins when we learn to be concerned with the affairs of others more than our own concerns: “Clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Note the phrase “clothe yourself.” The common mistake we make is to think growth in Christ-like humility will occur in our lives passively. It doesn’t work that way. We’ve got to strategically, deliberately, doggedly partner with the Holy Spirit to put on these Christian virtues. The last time I got dressed, I didn’t step out of the shower and say, “Okay God, make me look good today” and expect a flattering suit to magically jump out of the closet and onto my body. It took a decision and effort and intentionality on my part.

What Paul is saying is that we are to intentionally go into our spiritual closet each day and choose to wrap our attitudes with the virtues of humility. And the way we do that is by choosing to be considerate of the needs of other people who need our compassion, kindness, gentleness and patience. As we offer those virtuous attitudes as unconditional actions toward others, Christ-hearted humility will grow in our lives.

Humility—compassion, kindness, gentleness and patience toward others: are these museum pieces or active ingredients in your life? If they become active ingredients, you will become the kind of person that God chooses and uses in an eternally significant way.

Going Deeper With God: Are the virtuous actions of compassion, kindness, gentleness and patience museum pieces or active ingredients in your life? How are you doing in those five areas? Take some time today to ask the Holy Spirit to check your humility gauge.

Posted on

Strength and Protection: God’s Promise to You

Strengthen Yourself in the Lord Today

SYNOPSIS: What an encouragement for you today: “The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” That means God’s trustworthiness is flawless—he will always do what he says he will do, he will always strengthen you to meet every challenge that you will face, and he will even protect you from the overwhelming evil that Satan wants to unleash in your life. If you’re in a jam and no one is around to encourage you today, strengthen yourself in the Lord and by faith, express gratitude for God’s unfailing promise to strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

Project 52—Memorize:
2 Thessalonians 3:3

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

What an encouragement that promise ought to be for you today: God is faithful. That means his trustworthiness is flawless. It also means that he always does what he says he will do, including giving you the strength to meet every challenge that you will ever face in life. And it even means that he will protect you from the overwhelming evil that Satan plans to unleash against you and your loved ones.

Yes, God is faithful, God will strengthen you, God will protect you from the power of the devil.

Do you believe that? It may be that your confidence in God’s faithfulness, his promise of strength, and his perfect track record of protecting you from the Enemy’s harm is waning if you are facing a battle, or in the thick of one as we speak. If that is the case, then let me encourage you to do as David did when it seemed he was on the verge of devastating defeat: He strengthened himself in the Lord. (1 Sam 30:6)

So how can you strengthen yourself in the God who promises to strengthen you for the battle? One of the most powerful ways is to simply meditate on God’s promises. How do you meditate? Practice reverse worrying. When you worry about something, you think about it all the time. So simply choose to constantly think about God’s promises until your confidence in him returns—and it will if you do this.

Allow me to give you fifteen Biblical promises of strength and protection that you can turn into reverse worrying:

  1. Genesis 15:1 — Don’t be afraid, for I am your shield and your very great reward.
  2. Deuteronomy 31:6 — Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
  3. Psalm 3:3-5 — But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
  4. Psalm 17:8-9 — Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.
  5. Psalm 23:1-7 — The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
  6. Psalm 32:7 — You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
  7. Psalm 34:7-9 — The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.
  8. Psalm 121:7-8 — The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
  9. Proverbs 18:10 — The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
  10. Isaiah 41:10-13 — So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “Do not fear; I will help you.”
  11. Isaiah 43:2 — When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
  12. Isaiah 54:17 — No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.
  13. Nahum 1:7 — The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.
  14. Ephesians 6:10-15 — Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
  15. 2 Timothy 4:18 — The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

If you are in a jam and no one is around to encourage you today, strengthen yourself in the Lord and by faith, express gratitude for God’s promise to strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

When a man has no strength, if he leans on God, he becomes powerful. ~D.L. Moody

Reflect and Apply: If you are facing an overwhelming challenge, memorize and meditate on these verses, lean into God, and strengthen yourself in him.

Posted on

Be Careful What You Ask For

Make Prayer Your Steering Wheel, Not Your Spare Tire

SYNOPSIS: Corrie ten Boom asked, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” Make it the former; use prayer to let the Holy Spirit steer you to where God desires to take you. Believe me, it will be far better, infinitely so, than any place you could dream up in your own mind.

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Samuel 8:19-20

But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

Here’s a scary thought: God may actually give us what we demand.

I don’t know about you, but as I review the things I have asked the Lord to give me over my life, there are plenty of things in hindsight that I am totally grateful he withheld. There are times that God didn’t answer prayer—at least not in the way I demanded. There were times when he said “no”, there were times when he said, “not now”, there were times when he said, “maybe”, and there were times when he was silent, but in his silence I got the picture: he was clearly saying, “just trust me.”

God is flawless in his wisdom, unassailable in his kindness, and often beyond understanding in his timing. And over the years, I have learned to trust him with the things I am praying for. I am also learning to ask him for what he wants more than what I want. I have learned to be suspicious of the desires of my heart, realizing that on my best day, my heart is still the most deceitful part of me, and yes, desperately wicked. Though I think I do, I really don’t know how bad it is. Jeremiah lamented similarly,

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

For that reason alone, we should be quite circumspect in our asking. Israel wasn’t. They wanted a king—desperately. They wanted to be like other nations, wanting a physical representation of leadership rather than an unseen God. And even though they were warned what a king would demand of them, they were unswayable. This broke Samuel’s heart, but God reminded him that it wasn’t an indictment of the failure of his leadership, it was an indictment of the Israelites’ incomplete trust in God.

At the end of the day, God said to the childish demands of Israel, “Okay, have it your way.” And while the first hundred years of the monarchy was by and large a pleasant thing for Israel, the next several hundred years were not so great. Like the psalmist said of the Israelites in the wilderness,

They soon forgot what God had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold. In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wilderness they put God to the test. So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease among them. (Psalm 105: 13-15)

Other translations say that God sent leanness to their souls. How sad that God would give into what we persistently and foolishly demand, but in getting what we ask for, we lose what God wants for us. Now this is not to say that we should not feel free to ask of God for the things we need and even the things we want. It is the clear promise of scripture that our Father longs to provide both:

Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires. (Psalm 37: 4)

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. (Matthew 6:33)

If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. (John 15:7)

What we should be very careful of, however, is not submitting our desires to him first; not allowing him to sanctify our wishes. In the verses above, the operative idea is that we put the business of God first in our lives, then subordinate our wants and dreams to that. When we do that, we will get what God wants, which is always infinitely better that what we can imagine.

So go ahead and ask, but ask for what God wants above all else—may your kingdom come, may your will be done—and you will get a little heaven on earth.

Going Deeper With God: Today would be a good day to pray the Lord’s Prayer. If you need to, look it up and pray it directly from the pages of scripture—Matthew 6:9-13.

Posted on

Recipe For Revival

How to Release the Mighty Hand of God

SYNOPSIS: Much is said in the spiritual community about revival—a longing to return to a sustained space of divine favor and uncommon blessing—yet little of revival is ever experienced. Why is that, and is it even possible in our day to have revival? The reasons we don’t and the reasons we still can are the same. There are conditions that must be met to live in the revival zone. Over and again in scripture we are told that it is nothing less than wholehearted devotion, authentic repentance, and an organic pursuit of holiness that releases the mighty hand of God.

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Samuel 7:1-4

So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all. Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord. So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

Finally! We traveled through a nearly 400-year cycle of backsliding, subjugation, repentance, and rival during the period of the Judges, and it has been a consistently depressing journey with only brief sun breaks of spiritual awakening for the most part. Now, however, the prophet Samuel bursts onto the scene and catches Israel at a time of willingness to once again turn their hearts to the Lord.

Samuel will lead Israel as its last and greatest judge for at least a decade. His righteous administration wouldn’t be the longest of the judges, by far, but he would usher in a period of deep and abiding righteousness that he would faithfully pass on to Israel’s first king, a promising young man named Saul. When Saul’s leadership eventually went off the rails, Samuel was still there to steer the brightest star in Israel’s history to the throne, David, the man after God’s own heart. Samuel’s righteous influence cast a large and indelible shadow in Israel’s history.

This chapter is most instructive as Samuel laid out the conditions for national revival. Israel suffered under their pesky bully of a neighbor, the Philistines, until they finally came to their good senses and humbly returned to the Lord. And the Lord welcomed them back—and he would bless them with freedom, joy, and prosperity over the course of the next century. 1 Samuel 7:10-12 highlights just one of the many victories that Israel would experience during this golden period—a stunning win over the Philistines where the Lord himself actually took up their fight:

But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

“Thus far the Lord has helped us.” That was a prophetic description of life for Israel under godly leadership like Samuel’s. It likewise prophetically described what the nation would experience through the kingly reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon—this would be a time of military, economic and spiritual expansion for Israel. Moreover, it is a prophetic description of what will be true for God’s people of any time and place when they, too, return to the Lord and live in the revival zone.

The revival zone—what in the world is that? Samuel was very clear to explain what it would take to get into and stay in that blessable space:

  • Wholeheartedness: “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts…” Samuel was not referring to just a sense of remorse, but deep repentance and godly sorrow that God’s people needed to offer if they wanted to come back under his sustained favor.
  • Sanctification: “then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths…” Repentance meant a change of mind and heart—a 180 degree turn from evil to pursue what was righteous. It required them to cast off their ungodly practices and dependencies to follow hard after holiness.
  • Service: “commit yourselves to the Lord…” It was not just about what they were no longer to do (worship idols), but what they were now going to do (actively serve God’s purposes).
  • Devotion: “and serve him only.” This was not to be just a partial return, but a full surrender to the rule of God over their lives individually and collectively.

Then Samuel adds that when those conditions of revival are met, God’s favor will ensue: “He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” We are told that the Israelites did just that, “they repented and served the Lord only.” And the Lord did what he had promised:

So the Philistines were subdued and didn’t invade Israel again for some time. And throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the Lord’s powerful hand was raised against the Philistines. (1 Samuel 7:13)

This marked a turning point for Israel. During the time of the judges, God had also delivered Israel, but they always turned back to their sinful ways once the thrill of the victory had faded. And each time, God would again allow their enemies to subdue them. Not this time; there would be no backsliding. That is why Samuel set up a stone between Mizpah and Jeshanah and called the stone, “Ebenezer”- the stone of help. (1 Samuel 7:12) Each time the Israelites passed this marker, they would remember the joy and freedom of God’s favor. As they passed their Ebenezer, it would be a visual reminder that the conditions of living under God’s mighty hand of blessing required of them wholeheartedness, sanctification, service, and devotion.

God still longs for his people to live in the revival zone—that space of uncommon blessing and divine favor. Maybe we need to set up Ebenezer of our own, because those same conditions that Samuel gave will invite God’s uncommon favor into our lives, too!

Going Deeper With God: Do you have an Ebenezer stone that reminds you of the spiritual conditions that invite revival in your personal life or in your church? Think through what would help you to daily remember how you are to live before God.

Posted on

The Circle of Saving Faith

Faith is Believing and Obeying

SYNOPSIS: Here is the full circle of saving faith: Belief in Jesus that is rooted in love for God and God’s people, which is demonstrated in joyful obedience to God’s commands that expresses itself in a faith that overcomes the world. Where you find that, faith has come full circle and you find someone who is truly a Christian: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands…Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:1-2,5). Belief…love…obedience…victorious saving faith…one who believes that Jesus is the Messiah of God – that is what makes a Christian a Christian.

Project 52—Memorize:
1 John 5:1

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.”

What makes a Christian a Christian? Is it the fact that a person says so?  Should we just take their word for it and leave it at that? A lot of people in our society claim Christianity, but both their language and lifestyle represent a gulf between what they claim and living in full surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Likewise, does going to church make someone a follower of Jesus? Again many people attend worship services on a regular basis, but the trail of evidence as to the Lordship of Jesus in their lives stops at the doors of their church.

How do we know when a person is expressing authentic faith? The Apostle John gives a pretty comprehensive answer to that question in his first letter.  He says true Christianity begins with belief: “Every person who believes that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah, is God-begotten.” (1 John 5:1, Message)

Believing is the starting point. That echoes what John taught in his Gospel: “To all who received Jesus, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)  But saving belief is not mere intellectual acknowledgement alone. James, the brother of Jesus, would say of that, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” (James 2:19)

No, belief that saves is demonstrated in action. John goes on to say, “and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.” (I John 5:2) Saving faith might begin with belief, but it is carried along by love—love for God and love for God’s other children, which Jesus referred to as the first and second great commandments. (Matthew 22:36-40)

Just as it is true of saving belief, saving love has to be more than just an idea. Love is not love until it becomes a verb, and the verb that authenticates Biblical love is obedience:

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”  (I John 5:2-3)

Jesus once confronted those who wished to make love only an idea by drawing this line in the sand: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? …If you love me, you will obey my commands.” (Luke 6:46, John 14:15)

Saving faith begins with belief that it is carried along by love that is demonstrated in obedience. But the kind of saving obedience that Jesus and John were talking about was not simply rote observance of religious ritual. No, they were asking for a deep-seated conviction that led to a relentless choosing of the way of faith over the enticement of this present world. John went on to say, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (I John 5:4)

And there you have it, the circle of saving faith: Belief in Jesus that is rooted in love for God and God’s people, which is demonstrated in joyful obedience to God’s commands that expresses itself in a faith that overcomes the world. Where you find that, faith has come full circle and you find someone who is truly a Christian:

“Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:5)

Belief…love…obedience…victorious saving faith…one who believes that Jesus is the Messiah of God. That is what makes a Christian a Christian—or so John would say.

“Christianity is not a theory or speculation, but a life; not a philosophy of life, but a living presence.” ~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Reflect and Apply:  Is your Christianity a theory…or is it belief in Jesus that is being fleshed out in loving, obedient, overcoming faith? Your honest response to that question is the most important answer you’ll ever give.  

Posted on

How God Gets Our Attention

His Judgments Are Always Instructive

SYNOPSIS: With God’s punishment, those who are punished will also know why they are being punished. Sometimes our parents punished us out of their frustration, and they didn’t offer clear communication for why they unleashed their displeasure upon us. We knew they were mad, but we didn’t learn a whole lot about it. It might have relieved their irritation, but it was not instructive. God’s judgments are always instructive.

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Samuel 6:1-6

The Ark of the Lord remained in Philistine territory seven months in all. Then the Philistines called in their priests and diviners and asked them, “What should we do about the Ark of the Lord? Tell us how to return it to its own country.” They told them, “Send the Ark of the God of Israel back with a gift. Send a guilt offering so the plague will stop. Then, if you are healed, you will know it was his hand that caused the plague.” They asked, “What sort of guilt offering should we send?” And they were told, “Since the plague has struck both you and your five rulers, make five gold tumors and five gold rats, just like those that have ravaged your land. Make these things to show honor to the God of Israel. Perhaps then he will stop afflicting you, your gods, and your land. Don’t be stubborn and rebellious as Pharaoh and the Egyptians were. By the time God was finished with them, they were eager to let Israel go.”

Here is the thing about God’s punishment: those who are punished will also know why they are being punished. Sometimes our parents punished us out of their frustration, and they didn’t offer clear communication for why they unleashed their displeasure upon us. We knew they were mad, but we didn’t learn a whole lot about it. It might have relieved their irritation, but it was not instructive.

God’s judgments are always instructive. That is why he specifically struck the Philistines with a plague of rats and tumors, and that is why he unleashed ten very specific plagues upon Egypt—both of which were referenced in this story. These were not random acts of anger, the plagues were actually the grace of God to show the lost that 1) their gods were nothing, and 2) Yahweh was the one true God.

So why did God use rats and tumors? How was that instructive? Well, the Philistines worshiped an idol-god known as Dagon. This was a god who supposedly personified natural forces that were believed to produce all things necessary to the good life. Specifically, Dagon was believed to be the provider of grain—the basic stuff for the sustenance of life. The Philistines relied on Dagon to protect them and provide for their needs.

Not so fast! The God of Israel deliberately allowed the representation of his presence, the Ark of the Covenant, to be kidnapped and placed in the Philistine temple of Dagon. This was the perfect setup for God to show who was boss. And boy did he!

The plague of rats destroyed the crops that Dagon was supposed to protect. Furthermore, the rats brought the bubonic plague upon Dagon’s people—he couldn’t protect them after all. As this judgment fell upon the land, the Philistines were quite clear what was going on: Yahweh was greater than Dagon, and therefore his anger had to be appeased. Now of course, how God dealt with the Philistines and their god was not setting precedence—we don’t pray for rats and tumors upon the lost today—but a principle was at work here: God leaves no one in the dark when he brings consequences for their sin. That is why he will turn the very thing people have replaced him with, that is, what gives worshipful dependence to, back upon themselves.

Don’t be surprised if God meets your persistent rebellion with specific punishment. He loves you too much to allow you to destroy yourself and forfeit his blessing by continuing in your destructive ways. Furthermore, don’t be surprised that he will use the very things you are idolizing to teach you a lesson: if money has become your god, he may take it away; if it is fame, he may sit you on the sidelines for a season; if it is power, he may send you the gift of weakness. But make no mistake, you will know that God alone is powerful and worthy of your worship.

Better yet, surrender those idols now in repentant worship so you don’t have to learn the lessons of the Philistines. I hope you—nor I—ever have to say, “rats, should have learned my lesson the easy way.”

Now you may squirm at the idea of a punishing God—our culture has certainly conditioned us to believe in a deity who brings no one to account for anything—but that is not the loving God of the Bible. Precisely because of his love, he disciplines his children—not punitively but to conform them to his very own image; not out of irritation, but in a way that will be clearly instructive. And that is a grace!

So if God is trying to get your attention through discipline, listen up and respond.

Going Deeper With God: Has God put his hand of discipline on you in an area that you have elevated above him? Surrender it today—completely and gratefully. He has better things for you.