Week #1
A World of Friendship Opportunities
Healthy people don't need a doctor—sick people do. I have come
to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough. Mark
2:17
Ten-year-old Shavonne became a Christian three weeks ago. Now
she's slamming head-on into a tough choice in living out her new life.
Last night her new friends at church pulled her aside and told her to
dump all her non-Christian friends. "They'll pull you into bad stuff,"
they insisted. "It's wrong for you to be friends with people who
don't know Jesus. Christian friends are all you need."
Talk about it: Should Christians get rid of their non-Christian
friends? Why or why not?
Friends pile on pressure-often to do wrong. So people who remind
us we need close Christian friends are doing us a favor. Christian friends
are so important that the Bible tells us to "try hard to live right
and to have faith, love, and peace, together with those who trust in the
Lord from pure hearts" (2 Timothy 2:22, NCV). We can count on Christian
friends for strength and encouragement while we grow.
But we can't cut off non-Christian friends. Jesus, in fact,
spent so much time with a tough crowd that some people called him "a
friend of the worst sort of sinners!" (Matthew 11:19). Here are
two big reasons to keep up your connections:
Reason 1: You have the greatest chance of winning your non-Christian
friends to Christ. You know them best. You love them most. Who could do
a better job telling them about Jesus?
Reason 2: If you ditch your non-Christian friends, they could
blame Jesus for losing you as a friend. Whenever anyone tells them about
becoming a Christian, their response could be "Sure, and trash all
my friends? No way!"
But here's where Shavonne's church friends are partly right.
If your nonbelieving Friends continue to pile on pressure to do wrong,
you need to distance yourself enough to play it safe.
Heads up: If you spend time with non-Christians you might catch
it on both ends. Non-Christians mock you because you won't join in some
of their activities, and Christian friends criticize you because they
think you're diving into sin.
But don't let that stop you from having non-Christian friends.
Don't get mad at your Christian friends either. Just do what Jesus did.
Love everyone!
TALK: How well does it work for
you to have both Christian and non-Christian friends?
PRAY: God, help us to love like
Jesus did—being friends to both believers and nonbelievers.
ACT: Take an inventory of your
non-Christian friendships. Are you leading your friends closer to Jesus—or
are they pulling you away?
Date: 2/1/2009
Week #2
Bible Reading: Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23
The good soil represents the hearts of those who truly accept God's
message and produce a huge harvest. Matthew 13:23
"Welcome to the employment office. What can I do to help you
find a job, Mister...?"
"My real name is Germinate, ma'am, but you can call me Nate."
"And you're a seed, is that right, Mister . . . er, I mean
. . . Nate?"
"Yes, ma'am, I'm a seed. Anyway, I'm ready to go to work and
fulfill my great potential."
"And what is your potential, Nate?"
"Fruit, ma'am. Lots of fruit. Tons of fruit."
"But you're only a seed. You're so small and . . . well, insignificant."
"Yes, ma'am, but plant me in the right environment and watch
the fruit fly."
"All right, Nate, let me see what I have for you here. Ah,
there seem to be a lot of openings down on the footpath. Very easy work,
and you can start today."
"Sorry, ma'am, but to grow a lot of fruit, I have to get deep
into the soil. Too many distractions on the surface. Besides, my friend
Bud was eaten by a bird down there."
"Mmm, I see. Okay, the foreman in shallow soil is calling
for more seeds."
"I can't do my best work in shallow soil, ma'am. Too many
rocks. I need to send down deep roots and grow tall to be fruitful. What
else do you have?"
"Well, there's always the weed patch, Nate. Things seem to
grow well there."
"Are you kidding? Those bad boys choke out the competition
before it can get started. Dropping into the weed patch would be asking
to be strangled."
"You're being awfully picky, Nate. Do you want work or not?"
"Ma'am, with my potential for growing lots and lots of fruit,
I deserve the best environment possible. Don't you have some good, rich
soil all plowed and ready for planting? I can't be fruitful without it."
That's the way it is with spiritual fruit—not apples and oranges
and squash and asparagus, but the positive character qualities like love,
joy, peace, patience, and kindness that the Bible talks about in Galatians
5:22-23.
You grow those Christlike qualities by welcoming the "seed"
of God's Word into your life—reading the Bible faithfully, listening to
it attentively, and thinking about it frequently. As you do, the Word
does its amazing work in you. You become the eager disciple that God
wants you to be.
TALK: What do you think it means for you to be "good
soil"? How are you going to do that today?
PRAY: God, we want to spend time getting dose to you
today by reading and thinking about your Word. Thanks that you will grow
fruit in us.
ACT: Share with a friend the things God is saying to
you through his Word.
Date: 2/8/2009
Week #3
Love Makes The World Go 'Round
Bible Reading: Philippians 2:1-4
Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested
in others, too, and what they are doing.
- Philippians 2:4
Love. The word slides into conversations almost unnoticed. Talk about
it: How many ways can you think of to use the word love? Here are a few
that come to mind:o "I just rented a great movie. You'll love it."o "Yeah,
I'd love a burger slathered with onions, dill pickles, and guacamole."o
"My mom and dad really love each other."o "You gotta love those basketball
players!"The word love can mean a lot of different things. So when you
think about love, it's important to know the difference. For example,
if a boy can't spot the difference between loving his dog, loving his
favorite baseball glove, and loving his mom, he's in deep trouble-with
his mom, not the dog.From everything the Bible says about love-and it
says a lot-we can come up with a definition of true love: Love is wanting
and working for the good of the one you love.Listen to that said in a
couple of different ways: Love is making the well-being of another person
as important to you as your own. Or Love is looking out for the health,
happiness, and growth of others the same way you look out for your own.Do
you like to be healthy? Of course!Do you like to be happy? Duh!Do you
like to grow? Naturally!We all work hard at staying happy . . . safe .
. . secure . . . and comfortable. We like to grow as Christians, do well
in school, have fun with friends, and do whatever we can to improve our
life. It's how we're wired as human beings. We not only want to survive
but to flourish in every way possible.But true love demands something
more-that you want others to succeed as much as you do. That's what Paul
meant in Philippians 2:4 when he said, "Don't think only about your own
affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing."That
isn't the kind of love you usually hear about in the halls at school.
But it's the true love that will fulfill both you and everyone you love.TALK:
God is always thinking of what's best for you. How can you think about
what's best for others?
PRAY: Father, flood us with your kind of unselfish love-the love that
thinks of others.
ACT: Make a sign that reminds you to think of others this week-and hang
it where you'll see it!
Date: 2/15/2009
Week #4
Don't Check Your Brains At The Door
Bible Reading: Romans 1:16-17
I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God
at work, saving everyone who believes.
- Romans 1:16
Waldo strolled down the city sidewalk, lost in thought. He had decided
he had run from God long enough. I can't stand it anymore, he said to
himself. I feel so much guilt. I'm so lonely. I think my life is missing
something big. After walking for blocks, Waldo reached a church and walked
in. He stood inside for a moment to let his eyes get used to the dark.
"Will you be coming in?" someone asked. The voice startled Waldo. He turned
and saw a little old gray-haired lady standing beside him."Yes," Waldo
answered. "I want to come in.""Then I'll be needing your brains, please,
sir," the woman said."My brains?" Waldo was puzzled. Why would she need
his brains?"Haven't you decided to become a Christian?" Waldo nodded yes.
"Well, then," she said, "you have to drop off your brains here at the
door. You won't be needing them anymore. Christians, you know, don't ever
think."No, there isn't really a guy named Waldo who was forced to hand
over his brain. But many people think that believing in Jesus is just
for dumb people. That's just not true. Getting to know God doesn't mean
you stop thinking. It means you use your mind to understand God's great
answers to the biggest questions of life.The Bible does teach us some
challenging facts: that God was born as a human ... that healings and
other miracles really happened back in the Bible ... that Jesus rose from
the dead. Those are some highly unusual happenings, and we're right to
test their truth. But plenty of bright people have read the Bible and
concluded that it is absolutely true.Once a very smart British trial lawyer,
Frank Morison, tried to prove that our Christian faith wasn't true. He
started to write a book showing that Jesus never rose from the dead. He
researched, looked at the facts he gathered from the Bible and from history,
and worked hard at his task. Finally, all his smarts and research told
him that Jesus had risen from the dead! He became a Christian.Trusting
in Jesus doesn't require that you ditch your brains at the door. Actually,
it demands that you use all of your smarts until you are fully convinced
of your faith: "I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is
the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16).
TALK: Do you think that you have to check your brains at the door when
you become a Christian? Why or why not?
PRAY: God, use our minds to help us understand you and your good news.
ACT: Do you have a question about your faith that bugs you? Dig into the
Bible today to find the answer!
Date: 2/22/2009
Week
#5
Death, Taxes and Temptation
March 01, 2009
Bible Reading: James 4:7-10
Humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from
you.
- James 4:7
Sasha put her head in her hands and sighed. "I just thought it would be
different," she told her Bible study leader. "I thought it would be easier
to get along at home once I became a Christian. But I still feel like
I'm always fighting not to be bad." Here's the truth: The only Christians
who don't face temptation are the ones in heaven. The rest of us face
temptation every single day of our life. The fact that you've become a
Christian won't make Satan stop picking at you. In fact, your problems
with temptation might hardly even begin until you start responding to
God's Holy Spirit. That's cheery news, isn't it? Actually, knowing Jesus
gives you great power to handle temptation. When you face temptation,
here's how to fight back: o Be on your guard. Expect temptation. Benjamin
Franklin was wrong when he said, "In this world nothing is certain but
death and taxes." There's at least one more for-sure fact of life: temptation.
o Hit back at temptation quickly. The biggest danger in temptation is
telling yourself how much fun evil is instead of dealing with it right
away. That's like playing with a lion cub-fun for a while, deadly when
it grows up and tears you to pieces. When Jesus was tempted (see Matthew
4) he responded to each temptation quickly-as in immediately! o Submit
to God. Wise temptation fighters get to their knees and pray about their
situation. It's not enough to turn away from the temptation-you need to
turn to God. Tell him about your troubles. Ask for his help, the exact
help he promises in Hebrews 2:18. o Resist the devil. How? Once you recognize
a temptation and ask for God's help in overcoming it, put on your running
shoes and get out of there! And once God has helped you overcome, don't
forget to thank him for keeping his promise. After all, he's the one who
"will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand
up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that
you will not give in to it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).
TALK: Aren't you glad that God doesn't leave you to battle temptation
on your own? How does he help you?
PRAY: Father, thank you for your presence and the strength you give us
to resist temptation. Help us remember to pray at the first sign of temptation.
ACT: What are the biggest temptations you face? How do you deal with them?
Talk with a friend or someone in your family about how to make an even
better plan!
Week
#6
How Do You Measure Truth?
March 08, 2009
Bible Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
We are thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience
salvation, a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy
and by your belief in the truth.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:13
A bank robber rushes up to a teller. "Put the money in the bag, lady,"
he growls. "I'm afraid I can't do that," the teller says. "Other people
put their money in the bank so we can keep it safe." "I want the money,"
he presses. "Hand it over!" "But why should I give it to you?" "I've decided
I can choose right and wrong for myself. And I've made up my mind that
it's a really good thing for me to take money from banks." "Well, then.
Why didn't you say so? You've thought this through-and you've made up
your own mind about good and evil. That's so sweet." The teller calls
over the guards. "Frank, Charlie-would you help this man load up his car
with money?" And then the clerk turns to the bank customers. "Everyone,
I'd like you to meet Mister-umm-what's your name?" "Doe," he stammers.
"Joe Doe." "Joe Doe will be emptying our vaults today. Let's give him
a round of applause!" You wouldn't keep your money at a bank that lets
people walk in and demand your money just because they think it's the
right thing to do. But believe it or not, that's how some people think
we should decide what's good and what's evil! Christians believe that
they know the right rules-rules that apply to everyone. Yet it's not enough
for Christians to say, "We know the rules everyone should live by." We
need to understand where these rules come from and why they are truly
best. We can be sure of the difference between right and wrong because
the rules that govern the universe come from one source: God. And they
are perfect because he is perfect. God is so righteous, so just, so true
that he alone sets the standard for right and wrong, justice and injustice,
and truth and lies. We know love is good and hatred is evil because God
is love. Honesty is right and lying is wrong because God is true. Purity
is moral and impurity is immoral because God is pure. What God tells us
about right and wrong is absolute-true for all people, at all times, in
all places. He cares too much for us to command us to do anything less
than his best.
TALK: Why is God's standard of right and wrong the one to use? How would
you explain this to a friend?
PRAY: Lord, the world gives us all kinds of standards to judge actions
and ideas. We know you are the perfect judge of what is good and right.
ACT: Look today for ways that people throw out God's rules of right and
wrong. What could you say to change their thinking?
Date: 3/7/2009
Week
#7
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Bible Reading: Philippians 1:3-6
I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue
his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes
back again.
- Philippians 1:6
You probably think surviving criticism is tough. So how well do you do
when people think you're absolutely grrrrreat? Talk about it: How do you
react when people pay you compliments? You might have noticed that it's
easy to slip to one of two extremes. The first is false humility. If someone
compliments you for singing a solo, you deny your accomplishments by saying
something like, "No, no, no, I can't even carry a tune." But everyone
who hears you knows that inside you're screaming, "Say it again! Tell
me again how great I am!" The other extreme is arrogance. You agree with
your complimenters to the point of bragging. They say one nice thing and
you remind them of twenty other things you do well. You're like a touchdown-scoring
running back who pumps the football to the sky, wiggles his hips, flaps
his knees, and motions to the crowd for more applause. Here's a better
way to handle a compliment: Start by asking yourself if you really deserve
it. Really. If the credit belongs to someone else, don't be shy about
saying it. If you indeed deserve the credit, then simply say "Thank you."
The only thing better than doing something that deserves a compliment
is receiving a compliment with grace. Well, except for this: When you
receive a compliment, whisper thanks to Jesus. You don't have to say it
out loud. But in your heart you can tell God that you know he is the source
of your stunning gifts, astounding abilities, great looks, and winning
personality. God is the one who deserves the credit for everything you
accomplish. And the passage you read tells us why. God is the one who
is at work in you, and any good things you've been able to do in your
life come from him. From start to finish you are the handiwork of God.
And as wonderful as you are, you haven't reached your fullest potential.
God has his hand on your life to make you even better. God made you like
a rose. Left to itself, a rose never reaches its full potential. In fact,
untended roses stay small and thorny. But as a master gardener cares for
a rose, it grows and becomes even more beautiful. It becomes all that
it is capable of becoming. That's God's plan for you!
TALK: Aren't you grateful that God is always with you to help you grow
to your fullest potential? How do you see him at work in you?
PRAY: God, thanks that you are at work in us. We want to give you credit
for all the good things we do.
ACT: Thank God for a good friend today. But go ahead and pass on a warm
compliment to that person too!
Date: 3/15/2009
Week #8
A Love That Is
More Than Human
March 22, 2009
Bible Reading: 1 John 4:16-19
" As we live in God, our love grows more perfect."
- 1 John 4:17
Talk, about it: Think of someone who is really nice-well, beyond nice.
Name someone who is really good-and here's the catch-who isn't a Christian.
And then answer this: How can someone not believe in Jesus and still be
an awesome person? Here's an example. Nina had been Felicia's best friend
for most of their lives. Felicia was nice, but Nina was supernice. Nina
always welcomed strangers, always spoke kindly, and always signed up to
volunteer at nursing homes, food pantries, and animal shelters. When Felicia
became a Christian and promptly announced to her best friend that she
needed Jesus, Nina answered that she was just as good of a person as Felicia.
She didn't need to become a Christian because she already knew how to
love people. Nina's protests cut to the heart of what it means to be a
Christian-and why we need to share Jesus even with the nice but non-Christian
people in our world. Here are four facts we can be sure of: Fact 1: Non-Christians
can obey the Golden Rule even though they don't know God. You don't have
to be a Christian to live out biblical truth. In fact, sometimes unbelievers
work harder to obey the Golden Rule than many Christians! Unbelievers
may live out the Golden Rule most of the time because it makes sense.
Fact 2: Obeying the Golden Rule all the time takes God's one-of-a-kind
strength. Brute willpower can help you do a lot of good. But to live the
Golden Rule when loving gets tough takes the supernatural power only the
Holy Spirit provides. The natural thing is to be mean to people when they're
mean to you! Fact 3: You need the Bible to tell you how to act. Non-Christians
might say they "listen to their heart" to tell right from wrong. But even
if your conscience and common sense steer you right most of the time,
they aren't perfect. Your conscience can be affected by pressures outside
you and urges inside you. Fact 4: Being nice doesn't mean you know God.
That's really hard to think about-especially about good people we like
and admire. But here's the truth: As kind and loving as a non-Christian
can be, salvation comes through faith in Christ alone, not through following
the Golden Rule. People need more than a commonsense love for others.
They need a friendship with God himself, the source of love!
TALK: How could you answer someone like Nina, who says she doesn't need
to become a Christian because she follows the Golden Rule?
PRAY: God, there are great people all around us. Show us how to help them
see that they still need to know you.
ACT: What nice people do you know who still need to know Jesus? Make a
plan as a family to kindly and wisely share Jesus with them.
Date: 3/22/200
Week
#9
A Reservation for Your Destination
Bible Reading:
Matthew 25:31-46
Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world. Matthew 25:34
"We miss Grandma a lot," Melissa whispered. "It's really sad to think
we'll never see her here on earth again." Then Melissa spoke up a little
louder. "But we're glad she's in heaven. I'm glad we'll get to see her
there!" Melissa's classmate Amy made a face. "Heaven? I don't see what
good it does to believe in heaven," she said. "I think that when you die
you're just gone. I mean, where is heaven? Up in the clouds? You can't
just hang around up in the air. And how could you believe in hell? There's
just a bunch of rocks and lava inside the earth. I hate to be the one
to break the news, but you just have to admit that your grandma is gone."
For Melissa to hear that from a girl she counts as her friend is really
sad. And what Amy told Melissa is also totally untrue. While the Bible
doesn't give a specific location for heaven, it's not make-believe. The
Bible teaches that both a real heaven and a real hell exist. o Jesus told
his followers he was going to prepare a place for them (see John 14:2).
The apostle John provides some details about heaven, describing it as
an incredible place in the presence of God where there will be no more
death or tears or pain (see Revelation 21:4). It's a place where God's
people will serve him, see him as he is, and be with him forever (see
Revelation 22:3-5). o God's Word is just as clear that the future holds
punishment for evildoers in a place called hell (see Matthew 25:41). John
also describes the punishment waiting for the people who don't know God
(see Revelation 21:8). The Bible talks about hell over and over in utterly
severe terms as a place that is separated from God, his people, and everything
good that he has made. Unfortunately, not enough people heed the Bible's
warning of hell or its promise of heaven. That's why we can't just sit
around and wait for God to take us home- because real suffering awaits
our friends who don't believe in Christ. But if we have trusted Christ,
our future is truly heavenly. Heaven is a real place where we will enjoy
being with God and his people forever.
TALK: Say it in your own words: How would you have responded to Amy? And
how would you have offered comfort to Melissa?
PRAY: Pray for your friends who don't believe in heaven-or hell.
ACT: Pull out a Bible concordance and look up the references for "heaven"
and "hell." What does the Bible teach? Date: 3/31/2009 9
Devotion for Adults
The Devotion of Hearing
February 13, 2009
Samuel answered, 'Speak, for Your servant hears'
-1 Samuel 3:10
Just because I have listened carefully and intently to one thing from God does not mean that I will listen to everything He says. I show God my lack of love and respect for Him by the insensitivity of my heart and mind toward what He says. If I love my friend, I will instinctively understand what he wants. And Jesus said, "You are My friends . . ." ( John 15:14 ). Have I disobeyed some command of my Lord's this week? If I had realized that it was a command of Jesus, I would not have deliberately disobeyed it. But most of us show incredible disrespect to God because we don't even hear Him. He might as well never have spoken to us.The goal of my spiritual life is such close identification with Jesus Christ that I will always hear God and know that God always hears me (see John 11:41 ). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God all the time through the devotion of hearing. A flower, a tree, or a servant of God may convey God's message to me. What hinders me from hearing is my attention to other things. It is not that I don't want to hear God, but I am not devoted in the right areas of my life. I am devoted to things and even to service and my own convictions. God may say whatever He wants, but I just don't hear Him. The attitude of a child of God should always be, "Speak, for Your servant hears." If I have not developed and nurtured this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God's voice at certain times. At other times I become deaf to Him because my attention is to other things- things which I think I must do. This is not living the life of a child of God. Have you heard God's voice today?
Do
You Really Love Him?
February 22, 2009
"She has done a good work for Me."
-Mark 14:6
If what we call love doesn't take us beyond ourselves, it is not really
love. If we have the idea that love is characterized as cautious, wise,
sensible, shrewd, and never taken to extremes, we have missed the true
meaning. This may describe affection and it may bring us a warm feeling,
but it is not a true and accurate description of love. Have you ever been
driven to do something for God not because you felt that it was useful
or your duty to do so, or that there was anything in it for you, but simply
because you love Him? Have you ever realized that you can give things
to God that are of value to Him? Or are you just sitting around daydreaming
about the greatness of His redemption, while neglecting all the things
you could be doing for Him? I'm not referring to works which could be
regarded as divine and miraculous, but ordinary, simple human things-
things which would be evidence to God that you are totally surrendered
to Him. Have you ever created what Mary of Bethany created in the heart
of the Lord Jesus? "She has done a good work for Me." There are times
when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him even small
gifts of surrender, just to show how genuine our love is for Him. To be
surrendered to God is of more value than our personal holiness. Concern
over our personal holiness causes us to focus our eyes on ourselves, and
we become overly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, out
of fear of offending God. ". . . but perfect love casts out fear . . ."
once we are surrendered to God ( 1 John 4:18 ). We should quit asking
ourselves, "Am I of any use?" and accept the truth that we really are
not of much use to Him. The issue is never of being of use, but of being
of value to God Himself. Once we are totally surrendered to God, He will
work through us all the time
The
Impoverished Ministry of Jesus
March 01, 2009
Where then do You get that living water?
-John 4:11
"The well is deep"- and even a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman
knew! ( John 4:11 ). Think of the depths of human nature and human life;
think of the depth of the "wells" in you. Have you been limiting, or impoverishing,
the ministry of Jesus to the point that He is unable to work in your life?
Suppose that you have a deep "well" of hurt and trouble inside your heart,
and Jesus comes and says to you, "Let not your heart be troubled . . ."
(John 14:1 ). Would your response be to shrug your shoulders and say,
"But, Lord, the well is too deep, and even You can't draw up quietness
and comfort out of it." Actually, that is correct. Jesus doesn't bring
anything up from the wells of human nature- He brings them down from above.
We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering only what we have allowed
Him to do for us in the past, and also by saying, "Of course, I cannot
expect God to do this particular thing." The thing that approaches the
very limits of His power is the very thing we as disciples of Jesus ought
to believe He will do. We impoverish and weaken His ministry in us the
moment we forget He is almighty. The impoverishment is in us, not in Him.
We will come to Jesus for Him to be our comforter or our sympathizer,
but we refrain from approaching Him as our Almighty God. The reason some
of us are such poor examples of Christianity is that we have failed to
recognize that Christ is almighty. We have Christian attributes and experiences,
but there is no abandonment or surrender to Jesus Christ. When we get
into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying, "Of
course, He can't do anything about this." We struggle to reach the bottom
of our own well, trying to get water for ourselves. Beware of sitting
back, and saying, "It can't be done." You will know it can be done if
you will look to Jesus. The well of your incompleteness runs deep, but
make the effort to look away from yourself and to look toward Him.
The
Source of Abundant Joy
March 7, 2009
In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved
us -Romans 8:37 Paul was speaking here of the things that might seem likely
to separate a saint from the love of God. But the remarkable thing is
that nothing can come between the love of God and a saint. The things
Paul mentioned in this passage can and do disrupt the close fellowship
of our soul with God and separate our natural life from Him. But none
of them is able to come between the love of God and the soul of a saint
on the spiritual level. The underlying foundation of the Christian faith
is the undeserved, limitless miracle of the love of God that was exhibited
on the Cross of Calvary; a love that is not earned and can never be. Paul
said this is the reason that "in all these things we are more than conquerors."
We are super-victors with a joy that comes from experiencing the very
things which look as if they are going to overwhelm us. Huge waves that
would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous thrill for the
surfer who has ridden them. Let's apply that to our own circumstances.
The things we try to avoid and fight against- tribulation, suffering,
and persecution- are the very things that produce abundant joy in us.
"We are more than conquerors through Him" "in all these things"; not in
spite of them, but in the midst of them. A saint doesn't know the joy
of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it. Paul said, "I
am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation" (2 Corinthians 7:4 ). The
undiminished radiance, which is the result of abundant joy, is not built
on anything passing, but on the love of God that nothing can change. And
the experiences of life, whether they are everyday events or terrifying
ones, are powerless to "separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord" ( Romans 8:39 ).
God's Total Surrender To Us
March 15, 2009
For God so loved the world that He gave . . .
-John 3:16
Salvation does not mean merely deliverance from sin or the experience
of personal holiness. The salvation which comes from God means being completely
delivered from myself, and being placed into perfect union with Him. When
I think of my salvation experience, I think of being delivered from sin
and gaining personal holiness. But salvation is so much more! It means
that the Spirit of God has brought me into intimate contact with the true
Person of God Himself. And as I am caught up into total surrender to God,
I become thrilled with something infinitely greater than myself. To say
that we are called to preach holiness or sanctification is to miss the
main point. We are called to proclaim Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians
2:2 ). The fact that He saves from sin and makes us holy is actually part
of the effect of His wonderful and total surrender to us. If we are truly
surrendered, we will never be aware of our own efforts to remain surrendered.
Our entire life will be consumed with the One to whom we surrender. Beware
of talking about surrender if you know nothing about it. In fact, you
will never know anything about it until you understand that John 3:16
means that God completely and absolutely gave Himself to us. In our surrender,
we must give ourselves to God in the same way He gave Himself for us-
totally, unconditionally, and without reservation. The consequences and
circumstances resulting from our surrender will never even enter our mind,
because our life will be totally consumed with Him.
Delights of His Friendship.
March 22, 2009
Genesis 18 brings out the delight of true friendship with God, as compared
with simply feeling His presence occasionally in prayer. This friendship
means being so intimately in touch with God that you never even need to
ask Him to show you His will. It is evidence of a level of intimacy which
confirms that you are nearing the final stage of your discipline in the
life of faith. When you have a right-standing relationship with God, you
have a life of freedom, liberty, and delight; you are God's will. And
all of your commonsense decisions are actually His will for you, unless
you sense a feeling of restraint brought on by a check in your spirit.
You are free to make decisions in the light of a perfect and delightful
friendship with God, knowing that if your decisions are wrong He will
lovingly produce that sense of restraint. Once he does, you must stop
immediately.
The Difficulties of His Friendship.
Why did Abraham stop praying when he did? He stopped because he still
was lacking the level of intimacy in his relationship with God, which
would enable him boldly to continue on with the Lord in prayer until his
desire was granted. Whenever we stop short of our true desire in prayer
and say, "Well, I don't know, maybe this is not God's will," then we still
have another level to go. It shows that we are not as intimately acquainted
with God as Jesus was, and as Jesus would have us to be- ". . . that they
may be one just as We are one . . ." ( John 17:22 ). Think of the last
thing you prayed about-were you devoted to your desire or to God? Was
your determination to get some gift of the Spirit for yourself or to get
to God? "For your Father knows the things you have need of before you
ask Him" ( Matthew 6:8 ). The reason for asking is so you may get to know
God better. "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you
the desires of your heart" ( Psalm 37:4 ). We should keep praying to get
a perfect understanding of God Himself.
ADULT DEVOTION #8
March 31, 2009
Heedfulness or Hypocrisy in Ourselves?
If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death,
he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading
to death
-1 John 5:16
If we are not heedful and pay no attention to the way the Spirit of God
works in us, we will become spiritual hypocrites. We see where other people
are failing, and then we take our discernment and turn it into comments
of ridicule and criticism, instead of turning it into intercession on
their behalf. God reveals this truth about others to us not through the
sharpness of our minds but through the direct penetration of His Spirit.
If we are not attentive, we will be completely unaware of the source of
the discernment God has given us, becoming critical of others and forgetting
that God says, ". . . he will ask, and He will give him life for those
who commit sin not leading to death." Be careful that you don't become
a hypocrite by spending all your time trying to get others right with
God before you worship Him yourself. One of the most subtle and illusive
burdens God ever places on us as saints is this burden of discernment
concerning others. He gives us discernment so that we may accept the responsibility
for those souls before Him and form the mind of Christ about them (see
Philippians 2:5 ). We should intercede in accordance with what God says
He will give us, namely, "life for those who commit sin not leading to
death." It is not that we are able to bring God into contact with our
minds, but that we awaken ourselves to the point where God is able to
convey His mind to us regarding the people for whom we intercede. Can
Jesus Christ see the agony of His soul in us? He can't unless we are so
closely identified with Him that we have His view concerning the people
for whom we pray. May we learn to intercede so wholeheartedly that Jesus
Christ will be completely and overwhelmingly satisfied with us as intercessors.