Lifetime Guarantee's Daily Devotional

Too Good to be True But It Is

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

I Timothy 6:11 (NAS)
...and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness

Pursue: (1) to follow in order to overtake or capture; chase (2) to follow a specified course, action (3) to strive for

Paul told Timothy to steer clear of one thing especially-the love of money.

"Timothy, let me warn you about something. Men who have as their goal becoming wealthy expose themselves to all sorts of temptations. It's one of the most common traps that Satan will use in the world. These men become obsessed with money and how to get it, and will do all sorts of foolish and wicked things, passionately pursuing their desire for wealth. This can separate them from their faith and even destroy them and when they become aware of what they have done they agonize over their foolishness (I Timothy 6:9-10, my paraphrase).

Then, he told Timothy: Run from this trap, my dearly beloved Timothy. Instead of this, pursue . . .. Pursue what, Paul? Righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. And you immediately retaliate: "I've tried and tried and tried-and I just can't be all of those things, Anabel. It's beyond my capability."

Let me share something with you that will set you free and completely amaze you-you'll shake your head with wonder and gratitude and whisper, "How incredible!"

What is righteousness? My Identity

What is godliness? My character

What is faith? My source

What is love? My motivation

What is perseverance? My mind-set

What is gentleness? My behavior toward others.

Do you realize that you don't have to pursue these things? They are yours! They are mine! How? Through our beloved Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who is the personification of all those things! He changed me. I am a new creation because of my relationship with Him! I AM all of those things-righteousness, godliness, love, perseverance, gentleness because He is-and He is in me-and will be through me.

Oh, I tried for so many years to BE righteous and godly, loving and determined, being all that folks needed me to be-gentle, thoughtful and kind. I must confess that I failed and then lived in depression for weeks because of my failure. But I refused to stay down: I'd painfully pull myself up, dust myself off and try, try, try again-and fail!

Then, I became an instructed Christian and found that all that I am or ever hope to be is wrapped up in Him-not my struggling and failing or my success and celebrations!¹ That is faith. Faith is living like God tells the truth. Faith is walking like the person He made me to be. Faith is trusting Him to come through. Will He?

With apologies to Whittier: Alas for him who has not learned in hours of faith, the truth to flesh and sense unknown, that God's promises never fail and He will never deceive His own.

Meet the real you. Meet the real me. We're pretty neat people, you know. God made us that way! Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift to us-Jesus Christ (II Cor. 9:15)!

¹ Acts 17:28, I Cor. 8:6

No Footprints

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The waters saw You, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth. Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked . . . but Your footprints were not seen (Ps. 77:16-19 NIV Paraphrase).

Wouldn’t it be incredibly wonderful if we could have the evidence of Christ walking with us because His footprints were there in the dirt—right by ours? If we could see Him, kneeling down, digging in the garden making all the flowers grow? If we could watch Him use His pastels for the colors of the dawn and then change to His vivid acrylics as the big orange disc disappears below the horizon? How comforting if we could actually turn our head and see Him sitting in the swing with us; if we could hear His voice, and feel His arm around our shoulder. Sigh. Could I please see a footprint or two?

But the truth about God is known to men instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their heart. Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made, and have known of His existence and great eternal power. So when they declare ‘But there are no footprints!’ they will be without excuse! (Romans 1:20 LB Paraphrase).

Robinson Crusoe was horrified as the cannibals slaughtered one man and then watched mesmerized as he saw the other captive break and run for freedom. His world was radically changed when he made himself known and protected the young savage. He now had a friend, a man like himself on his tropical island, one who made footprints in the sand right by his. So began the slow process of coming to know each other. Daily, they walked together, ate together, spent hours talking and exploring each other’s thoughts. They were inseparable.

Jesus, our constant companion is right here on this huge “earth” island with us and our lives will be radically changed when we accept/recognize His presence. I know, not only is He WITH us, He is IN us. But neither of those truths will be real to us until we acknowledge His life within us or practice His presence with us.

Oh, His footprints are all around, from the writhing waters of a stormy Atlantic to the lazy flow of the Muddy Boggy River in eastern Oklahoma; from the tiniest buttercups in a green pasture in Missouri to the towering redwoods of California; from the majestic, snow-capped Mt. Hood in Oregon to the prickly fingers of an isolated cactus in Arizona; from the gentle breeze that brushes against our cheek in North Carolina to the deafening roar of Niagara. We are looking at His footprints! And when we discover Him, when we accept His presence, we talk to each other, dine together, hike as a team, talk about everything and we become best friends—inseparable.

Lord, please don’t let my blindness isolate me from You. I don’t need to see your footprints on the carpet to know that You are walking with me. I accept that You are sitting with me in the cool of the day out in the front yard. Not because of seeing and touching, but because of believing. You have promised that You are with me wherever I go. I absolutely refuse to think otherwise.

God delights in pointing out His footprints for me.

Let's Play God

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Attribute: (n) A property intrinsic to its subject and by which the subject is distinguished or identified.

These five attributes of God are those we generally name:

Omnipotent
Omnipresent
Omniscient
Immutable
Sovereign

I've mentioned before that I thought I was just as eligible for the job of running my life as God was. I was quite capable of doing things, which takes care of being omnipotent. I was always around when something was needed; that's omnipresent, isn't it? I knew what I needed better than anyone else, so I put that under omniscient. I'd operated this way for a long time so I considered myself pretty stable-immutable. The sovereign thing didn't bother me too much. I was strong, able to make decisions-good ones, and I could control my corner of the world pretty well, thank you. That took care of His sovereignty.

Have you ever really though about what these attributes mean? What intrinsic value they each have?

For instance Omnipresent:

Jeremiah 23:23: "Am I a God at hand, says the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him" says the Lord. Do I not fill Heaven and earth? says the Lord."

Or Psalm 139: 7-12: "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,'Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You."

When I consider that omnipresent, it makes me and my interpretation look pretty sick.

Omnipotent:

Jeremiah 10:12-13: "It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings out the wind from His storehouses."

Proverbs 30: 3-4 (TLB): "Who else but God goes back and forth to Heaven? Who else holds the wind in His fists, and wraps up the ocean in His cloak? Who but God created the world? If there is any other-what is his name-and his son's name-if you know it."

Now, let me see. How did I figure that I was omnipotent? How embarrassing! Well, since I'm being humiliated, let's continue.

There's Immutable:

Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

James 1:17: "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."

I'm afraid I don't measure up there, either. I have changed so much physically that some folks will have trouble recognizing me. And I change hourly as the mood goes. I really bit off more than I can chew, didn't I?

I'm afraid to look at Sovereign:

Isaiah 46:9(b)-10: "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure."

Isaiah 45:5-7: "I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these."

I guess that was the crowning blow. Put my credentials next to those and I see myself as super audacious. Do you know what audacious means? Bold; daring; too bold; brazen; insolent.

I didn't really adopt that role deliberately and I would not have faced God as His equal by any stretch of the imagination. It was just the way I had learned to survive in my corner of the world. Are you doing the same thing? It's so easy to crawl from the back seat to the front seat and take over the wheel. Easy and disastrous.

Meditation:

Lord, I apologize for my audacious behavior. I wasn't taught any different, but that's really no excuse, is it? But now I know. That does make a big difference. And, You know what, God? I still catch myself putting on Your hat! Silly, silly me!

Intensive Training

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

For it is God who is at work within you,

giving you the will and the power to achieve His purpose.

Philippians 2:13 (JBPhillips)

"Two a day! Wow! Seven AM and seven PM. I wring the sweat out of my shirt at nine in the morning! And it's still muggy at seven PM. I'll be wet from my shorts out! But I like my coach. He's good. All the guys respect him and we know that he wants us to be our very best and – above all – win. Our first game is just a few weeks away and it's going to be a tough one. He knows our opponent inside-out and he knows what we need. I appreciate his commitment to me – to the team. We want to win as badly as he wants us to win."

I'm sure you remember the story of the two houses that Matthew tells us in his gospel, 7:24-28. The two houses were structured differently in one important way: One was built on the sand the other was built on the rock. A tsunami hit and both houses were right in the middle of the crashing waves and the tornado-like winds. (Okay. It doesn't say a tsunami – but it could have been – no it couldn't have been because the houses were not by the ocean. Oh, well. Let's make it a very scary storm!) When the storm hit, the house built on the sand came tumbling down but the house built on the rock stood firm. ^[1] Oh, you could no doubt tell that it had been in a storm, but it was still standing when the storm abated.

We know that the "Rock" is Jesus. He is our firm foundation. The storms come, but our Foundation is unmovable. Can you see that? You are in the midst of a severe storm – life threatening perhaps – but you are standing on this huge Rock – protected, unshakable! You see the swirling waves and gusting winds, but you stand firm! Oh, you may have to hang on like crazy to that piece of the Rock next to you, and you will probably get soaking wet, and be scared, and everyone can tell you've been in a storm – but you will stand because of your Foundation!

I've used this scripture many times, but once more is okay. I have told you these things that in Me (the Rock) you may have perfect peace and confidence (you know you are safe). In the world you have tribulation, trials, disasters and frustration (His promise). But be of good cheer, take courage, be confident, certain, undaunted (His instructions). For I have overcome the world. I have deprived it of power to harm, have conquered it for you (His provision) (John 16:33 Amplified Bible).

We are encouraged by some teachers to "claim" our prosperity, our healing, our freedom from any sort of problems. God does not give us that blanket promise. His promise is this: I will be with you in the storms. We meet the same turbulence in the world that the lost man will meet. But we are to "show that lost man the way to stand firm in that turbulence". We are to tell that person about our Rock. We are to glorify God!

Have you ever considered that our "Coach" is preparing us for a really "tough" battle He knows is coming? We are in the world and subject to everything the world can throw at us, but God has forewarned us and prepared us and tells us: I have overcome the world. I have robbed it of power to harm I have conquered it for you.

Let me tell you about Dane, a friend. Dane had been an "in name only" Christian for years but had recently become a Believer. He grew rapidly in his knowledge of the Scriptures and of our Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone was amazed. He not only "talked" the game – he "walked" the game! He was an inspiration to all of us. Then, he opened his new business. Beautiful building. Planned to a "T" to suit his needs. Then one night his beautiful new office was broken into and destruction was everywhere.

"Why did this happen to me? I've been growing closer to the Lord and understanding His purpose for us. I thought I had given everything to Him. What's wrong here? I can't understand." I asked him, "How would you have handled this disaster six or eight months ago?" Silence. "I wouldn't have been able to handle it."

God knew and He began His "two-a-day" plans for Dane early on. He knows what tomorrow holds for every person. He had been preparing this man for the destruction of his store for more than a year – with special emphasis in the last six months. How good God is!

We think God is impotent because He doesn't do quickly what we think best. No. God is not impotent – He is omniscient. He knows! God is loving and kind. God watches over each of His children carefully. I believe He prepares us for the "unexpecteds" in our lives. Those things that we wouldn't have been able to handle six or eight months ago.

He does not promise "no storms". He promises His presence with us in the storms and with Him as our foundation, "the rains may come down and the floods may come up, but the house on the Rock will stand." We've been in "two-a-day" for a long time!

[1] We used to sing about it as children: The wise man built his house upon the rock (3x), and the rain came tumbling down. The rain came down and the flood came up (3x), but the house on the rock stood fast. Second verse: The foolish man built his house upon the sand (3x), repeat above, and the house came tumbling down! Fun memories.

Is "No" an Option

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I Corinthians 1:9

I remember reading an article about marriage, "Does Your Husband Need You?" The gist of it was something like this: Of course, you do fix his meals-but he could hire a cook if you were not around. You do clean his house and iron his clothes-but he could employ a maid who might be more efficient. You did give him his children, but maybe he doesn't want any more. What are you giving your husband that only his wife can give? Does your husband need you? It is so easy to fall into the trap of emphasizing the doing for him rather than being to him.

Christianity is a relationship. I know that you've heard that, but what does it mean? It means that I have been created for fellowship with the Lord and no one can take my place in His life-I'm His bride-His wife! Anything that separates me from Him, His presence, or His companionship is damaging our relationship. Having too many duties to do can actually hinder loving my Husband and separate me from Him. I can be so busy "doing" for Him that I am not filling my role of "being."

I spent many long hours "working for God" and "livingfor Jesus." To me that meant being at the church house every time the doors were open; believing that "no" should not even be considered as part of my vocabulary when asked to perform some extra duty at the church; feeling super guilty when the announcement was made about a shortage of workers for the nursery or teachers for Vacation Bible School, work-day on Tuesdays, and visitation on Tuesday evenings. I know that people won't come back to the Church if they don't feel like the nursery is well-staffed, and statistics show that so many children make decisions during Vacation Bible School. Yet, every spare moment from my family responsibilities was already being spent preparing lesson plans for Sunday School and keeping in touch with my fourteen class members, choir practice, and mentoring a new Believer.

Is "no" an option for me when there are so many things that need to be done? Good things. Necessary things.

But I wonder if Jesus would like to spend some quality timewith just me? It's difficult to accept the fact that I am so special to Him that He longs to be alone with me. I know. He is with me all the time and I could have close communion with Him while painting at the church or stacking cans in the food pantry. I mean those rare times when I'm not telling Him about all my problems or pulling out my list of names that I'm praying for. Times when I am focusing only on being with Him-watching the sunset and praising Him for His art work; smelling the flowers and thanking Him for letting me smell; looking at the moon and stars and reveling in His creative genius. Realizing that we are walking together. He tells me that he is holding my hand. Difficult to comprehend, isn't it? Walking along knowing that Someone is right beside me and holding my hand but not being able to see Him?

The Lord Himself is my inheritance, my prize.
He is my food and drink, my highest joy!
You have let me experience the joys of life and
the exquisite pleasures of your own eternal presence."
Psalm 16: 5,11 (TLB)

It is inside this fragile body that life with Him is lived to the fullest and His love becomes our food and drink.

Reflection:

Lord, I want to be your wife-not Your errand boy or a servant in Your house. I want everyone to see us together-watching the love exchange between just You and me. Oh, there are a lot of chores for me to do, but don't let me get so wrapped up in chores that I don't have time to sit in the swing with You.

How Close Am I?

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

But can you name even one of these prophets who lives close enough to God to hear what he is saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen? Jeremiah 23:18 (TLB)

My hubby has a hearing aid in his left ear. The right ear has retired from active duty, the left one is now in charge of the command center-being carefully groomed to take over the entire listening program.

We really should have kept a journal of all his inaccurate interpretations through the years. Some of them have been hilarious others have bordered on disaster. I am learning that I must speak distinctly. He is learning that he has to be close enough to hear.

We suffer from this same malady in our relationship with Jesus, don't we? Our "misinterpretations" are numerous and range from humorous incidents to disastrous garbled signals. We have to be wary, correctly distinguishing truth and error, but the most important factor is that we must stay close enough to hear. Add to that our desire to hear. Do we really care enough to listen?

Okay. Point made. Tell me-how do I distinguish between truth and error?

When you "think" you have heard from God, check out what He says about this circumstance in the Covenant we made together-His Word. Read it again and again. Use the cross references. Use your dictionary. Consult a person you respect for Bible skills. God's impressed messages will never deviate from His revealed Word. You'll never graduate from this class. It is a continuous process where we (1) listen, (2) decipher, and (3) research. As you do this, you'll be able to say, "This doesn't come from God! He wouldn't lead me to do something like this!" "God would never hurt someone like this-this just can't be coming from Him!" "God has explicitly told me not to do this. What in the world am I thinking? He wouldn't tell me not to do something and then lead me to do it!"

And you "stay close enough to hear." That's clear, isn't it? You're not close enough when you're being rebellious; you're not close enough when you never give Him a thought unless you bump into an emergency-so many of us use Him as a crisis "911 God." You're not close enough if you never open your Bible except to find the scripture that the pastor references in his Sunday morning message. You're not close enough if none of your work associates know that you are a Christian. Staying close means just that-staying close, so close that other people know He is walking with you, that He is a very important facet of your life.

Our little dog, Wesley, is never more than four or five feet from me when he's in the house. He knows I'm going to fix his supper; he knows he can get up on my lap and I'll smooth his fur and give him my undivided attention for a few minutes; he knows that I love him and will take him on walks and play with him. He knows that I won't scold him when the thunder starts, but that I'll let him sit on my foot-real close. He appreciates my training him. I brag on him and say, "What a wonderful dog you are!" and give him tidbits during the sessions. He loves me and he knows that I love him, so he stays close. He's comfortable there. Secure.

Secure. What a captivating concept! Knowing and staying close brings security. Maybe I better say that again-for my benefit and yours. Knowing and staying close brings security. How I need that!

Reflection:

Lord, I want to be close enough to You to hear what You're saying. I know that You're always willing for me to "sit on Your foot" when I'm scared, crawl up in Your lap when I need some special love and attention, and that You're committed to taking good care of me (Ephesians 1:4 JBP). All of those things spell security-and I desperately need that. Thank You, dear One, for providing security for me. I just have to stay real close. I love You so much.

I get as close to God as I can (LB). Psalm 73:28(a)

Do I Know Him?

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

My determined purpose is that I may know Him, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him . . . . Philippians 3:10 AMP

Campbell McAlpine makes these observations:

"You cannot love someone you do not know."
"It is imperative to establish beyond all doubt that the supreme focus of our thought and study (and action)-the deepest desire of our hearts, is a personal knowledge of a personal God."
Knowledge cannot be my goal; knowledge makes one arrogant (I Cor. 8:1), puffed up, and offensive. The purpose of my dedication must be singular: To know Jesus Christ and God, His Father.

Humanly speaking, how does a person come to know someone? By spending time with that person, confiding in him, allowing him to see you in all situations-confident of his acceptance of you. And, the closer and longer you live together, the better you will know each other. As you listen compassionately, understanding as best you can, trying to help that person observe logically, deny guilt, comprehend the facts of the matter, just spending time with that person, the closer you will become in your relationship.

Of course, God knows me completely, but He always has time to sit down and listen to me--with understanding and compassion; He won't preach at me; He won't have ten answers ready to blurt out before I even finish talking, He will just listen. Doesn't that sound wonderful? Do you have anyone like that in your life? I doubt that you do. Listening has almost become a lost art. In a survey of hundreds of married women, this is the #1 need in their lives: "Husband, listen to me." And, as the wife gives that same attention to her husband, his need for praise, edification, and authority will be met. And, as we listen, we come to know each other, our innermost thoughts, our dreams, our hurts, our desires, our standards.

How do I listen to God? How do I come to know Him?

Reflection:

Lord, I long to know You better. I realize that this deep desire will be fulfilled as I spend time with just You. That doesn't mean having my Bible open in front of me at all times. It means being together, talking, laughing, crying, observing, walking leisurely holding hands. I don't want to read my Bible to meet the goal of "reading through the Bible this year;" I don't want to spend hours to impress others with my Bible knowledge; I don't want to have a disciplined time of study so I can check it off as an accomplished goal. No. I want to spend time with You because I want to know You and all Your intricacies. You have very painstakingly told me all about Yourself in Your Word, having others record Your innermost thoughts and Your visions. I read what they have recorded and then You and I talk about it-sitting out in the swing, working on the lawn, washing the dishes. We simply talk. We spend time together. You know me. I want to know You. I love you, Lord.

The Lord says: Let not the wise man bask in his wisdom, nor the mighty man in his might, nor the rich man in his riches. Let them boast in this alone: That they truly know Me . . . . Jeremiah 9:23