January 29 Devotion

Writing to the Christians at Corinth, Paul said, “I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent. You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed” (II Corinthians 11:3&4). Jesus said that the Devil has always hated the truth (John 8:44). Why? Because, even the Devil knows the truth sets people free (John 8:32). Satan knew what God had told Eve and the parameters of what fruit she could eat and what fruit was off-limits. So, when Satan approached Eve, he did so with a question that has a little bit of truth, but not the whole truth. “Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1). And when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he did so with a little bit of truth, but not the whole truth. “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He orders His angels to protect you. And they will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone’” (Matthew 4:5&6; Psalm 91:11&12). Even as he had in the Garden, so Satan now in the wilderness, attempts to confuse people by throwing in only enough of the truth to confuse those who don’t know more of the truth. Satan veils his lies with just enough truth to make his lies believable (II Corinthians 3:13-15; 4:3&4). Even well-meaning people can be used by Satan to spread his lies if they aren’t careful in applying the truth they do know. There are many truths stated by Job’s friends. Elihu correctly says, “Surely, it is God’s Spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them, that makes them intelligent” (Job 32:8). “God is all-powerful” (36:22). “God is exalted beyond what we can understand” (36:26). “We cannot comprehend the greatness of His power” (37:5). “People who are truly wise show Him (God) reverence” (37:24). But, Elihu wrongly applies God’s truth to Job’s situation. Cults are started when well-meaning or not-so-well-meaning individuals use only enough truth to deceive those not versed well enough in the whole truth to confuse them. It is important that we know the truth and that we know when and how to speak the truth so that the truth accomplishes God’s purposes, rather than being misapplied to suit Satan’s purposes.

January 27 Devotion

In describing his innocence to his friends, Job says, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a young woman......If my heart has been seduced by a woman, or if I have lusted for my neighbor’s wife, then may my wife belong to another man; may other men sleep with her. For lust is a shameful sin, a crime that should be punished. It is a devastating fire that destroys to hell. It would wipe out everything I own” (Job 31:1,9-12). James reminds us that, “temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death” (James 1:14&15). In other words, the body does nothing the mind hasn’t already chosen for it to do. The place to nip sinful actions is by nipping sinful thoughts. Job knew that if he refused to look upon a woman with lust, then he would never actually commit adultery with a woman. Jesus also said that adultery begins in the mind before it happens in the body (Matthew 5:27-30). “Your eye is the lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. If the light you think you have is really darkness, how deep that darkness will be!” (Matthew 6:22&23). Scripture is clear that if we want to avoid sin, we need to guard what goes through our eyes and into our minds (Proverbs 4:23). Joseph shows us by his example that when sexual temptation rears it’s evil head, the best response is to flee from it. When his master’s wife invited Joseph to have sex with her, he refused. “How could I ever do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God” (Genesis 39:9). And when she grabbed his shirt one day and demanded that he sleep with her, Joseph tore himself away from her and ran away (39:10-12). James also reinforces Joseph’s actions when he writes, “resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). The way to flee from sexual temptation is to not allow any sexual impure images through our eyes or impure thoughts to pass into our minds.

January 22 Devotion

The Proverb writer reminds us, “Even fools are thought to be wise when they keep silent; when they keep their mouths shut, they seem intelligent” (17:28). “Don’t talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow!” (10:19) “Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions” (18:2). “There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking” (29:20). “A person’s words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook” (18:4). “If you keep your mouth shut, you will stay out of trouble” (21:23). At the risk of being as judgmental as Job’s friends, it would seem that maybe what Job needed from them was a little less talk and a little more understanding. It’s not that some of the things they were saying weren’t true because they were. But, when we talk too much we end up saying things that really are not from God, and that's what they did. On the other hand, it’s not that some of the things Job said in his defense weren’t true because they were. But, too much talk on his part resulted in his accusing God of things that simply were not true, either. It’s no wonder James told us in the New Testament, “my dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry” (1:19). For the fact is, “we all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every (other) way, (as well)” (3:2). Some wise individual has said, “better to be silent and let people think you are a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” The wise King Solomon put it like this, “there is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.....(there is) a time to be quiet and a time to speak up” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,7). As Jesus was on trial for trumped up charges that didn’t have an ounce of truth to them, there were times when he chose to speak and there were times when he chose to be silent (John 18:19-23; 33-37; 19:8-11; Matthew 26:62-64; Mark 14:60-62). May God grant us the wisdom of Jesus to know when is the right time to speak, and when is the right time to remain silent.

January 20 Devotion

It is interesting when reading the book of Job that his friends often have profound advice that if given under normal circumstances would probably be wonderful and biblical. But, there are situations in life when we simply cannot relate to the problems an individual is going through, times when saying anything only makes them feel worse, times when the wise thing is to say as little as possible because we simply may not have great answers to the questions we’ve been asked. There may be times when we simply have to tell people we don’t know why things happen the way they do. Moses reminds the people of Israel, “There are secret things that belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our descendants forever, so that we may obey these words of the law” (Deuteronomy 29:29). In other words, what God wants us to know, God has revealed to us. But, there are some things we simply don’t need to know in this life and we can speculate and draw conclusions all we want, to no avail. Faith is sometimes simply trusting God that He is at work and He knows what He is doing, even if we don’t understand (Isaiah 55:8&9; Romans 8:28). Eliphaz makes an astute observation, “people are born for trouble as predictably as sparks fly upward from a fire” (Job 5:7). As long as we live in a fallen world in which people do evil things, and as long as Satan continues to roam throughout the world looking for ways to, “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10), we are going to experience evil and tough times. Jesus assured us, “here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows” (John 16:33). Faith in God does not exempt us from the hardships that anyone else on earth experiences. The fact is, sunlight falls on evil people as surely as it does on righteous people. And the rain falls on good people as surely as it does on bad people (Matthew 5:45). What Christians have that non-believers do not have, is the assurance from the Lord that he will walk through our trials with us (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5; Daniel 3:19-30). And with Christ’s presence, we will have a peace in the midst of our trials that people of the world simply cannot have, because we have a hope, a strength, and a promise they don’t.

January 15 Devotion

We’ve all played that game before. “I’ve got some good news and I’ve got some bad news. Which do you want first?” While Joseph was in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Pharoah’s baker and chief cupbearer were thrown in prison with him. Both had dreams and Joseph inter-preted both dreams. One (cupbearer) received good news and one (baker) received bad news. The cupbearer was returned to his position three days later while the baker was impaled on a pole three days later. How many of us have ever had to tell someone news that bad? “I’ve got some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first?” After interpret-ing the cupbearer’s dream and telling him that he would be restored to his position with Pharoah, Joseph asked if the cupbearer might remember Joseph and put in a good word for him. The cup-bearer said he would. The bad news is that when he was restored to his position, he forgot about Joseph, as well as his promise to Joseph (Genesis 40:23). The good news is that two years later when Pharoah had two dreams that no one could interpret, the cupbearer was reminded of his promise and he did tell Pharoah about Joseph. From there, Joseph was elevated to a position over Egypt, second only to Pharoah (41:39-44). Life is a series of good news and bad news situations. Faith is trusting God to use even the bad news situations in our lives as preparation for the great news reward of heaven. “That is why we never give up,” Paul wrote. “For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever. So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever” (II Corinthians 4:16-18). That doesn’t mean that our only good news will come after this present life is over. Joseph was falsely accused and sat in jail for many years, but God elevated him in this life, to a greater position than he had ever known before. Someone has said, “Every experience God gives us and every person He brings into our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.” Every situation in our lives (good news and bad news), and every person in our lives (good people and bad people) are used by God to mold and shape us for the future. We all receive good news from time to time. The best news we can receive here on earth, is the news about Jesus Christ and what he has done for us. But, even that news pales in comparison to the great news we will receive when we cross over from this life to the next!

January 13 Devotion

There are times when we are with someone that we point out another individual nearby and give some interesting piece of information about them to help identify who they are. “There is Mary. Did you realize that her sister is Joni, your next door neighbor?” Or, “that lady’s name is Pat. You probably didn’t know that she is an aunt to Amanda’s husband, Brian.” Or, “Do you see that guy? His name is Jeff and he plays Major League baseball for the Seattle Mariners.” It is interesting when reading the various genealogical information in the Bible how one name will jump out from the pages, or how in the midst of a whole bunch of names, some relevant piece of information is given about one person in particular. As we read through the various names of Esau’s descendants, we are given some extra information about one person named, Anah. “The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the wilderness while he was grazing his father’s donkey” (Genesis 36:24). Now, honestly, how important is it that we know this information about Anah? Does it help us identify Anah from the other members of the clan any better? Does it give us insight into the character of Anah that we can learn from? Is this Anah mentioned anywhere else in scripture? So, why did God think we needed to know this about Anah when we aren’t told anything more about his brother, Aiah or all the rest of his relatives? Maybe, we are missing the point. Maybe, the larger issue is that people are significant to God. You can bet that long after we have ceased to watch the credits at the end of a movie, those whose names are listed or even those related to those whose names are listed, are still patiently waiting for their name to show up. We are not some unknown face or name to God. He knows each and every one of us, right down to the words we will speak before they ever reach our tongue (Psalm 139:4), what the days of our lives will look like before one of them ever comes to be (139:16), and the number of hairs that are still on our head (Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7). So, while it may not mean much to us right now that Anah discovered some hot springs in the wilderness, it is worth remembering so we can ask Anah about the story behind that information when we see him in heaven. And don’t forget that God knows every detail about our lives, as well. And that is interesting.

January 8 Devotion

Children stretch us and grow our character in more ways than we can imagine. It always seems that if we have two or more children, God makes sure they don’t have the same personality. In His abundant humor or wisdom, God gives us at least one child who is compliant and one child who is rebellious. I suppose if all of our children had the same personality and we figured out how to raise that one personality, we’d think everybody should be as good of parents as we are. We wouldn’t be able to understand why some parents struggle raising their children and others don’t. As it is, the diversity within our children’s personalities, behaviors, and talents keeps us from ever feeling comfortable, or from ever thinking that we’ve arrived as parents. Ishmael was born to Abraham and Hagar. Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah. We don’t know for sure what type of personality Isaac had, but any child who would agree to be sacrificed by their dad has to be a pretty compliant child, don’t they (Genesis 22:9&10)? And we are told quite plainly that Ishmael was “a wild one - - free and untamed as a wild donkey! He will be against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live at odds with the rest of his brothers” (Gen.16:12). That must have been an exciting household to be a part of! And then Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, have two sons; twins, no less. And what does the Bible tell us, but they were striving with one another even while in their mother’s womb (Gen. 25:21-26)! Even as God creates diversity within the rest of His creation, such as the plants and animals; so He creates diversity within a human family. He knows what He is doing and He has His reasons (Deuteronomy 29:29). In time, we see His wisdom and can give Him thanks for the variety He has given to us within our family (Isaiah 55:8&9).

January 6 Devotion

Sin always takes us down a slippery slope, resulting in consequences that are not good. Once sin has been accepted or tolerated, it is not long before it is embraced. We see that truth in scripture, as well as in our own personal experiences. God told Abraham, “I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are extremely evil, and that everything they do is wicked” (Gen.18:20). Sounds like the description of the world at the time God chose to destroy it with a flood (Genesis 6:5). One has to admire Abraham’s desire to intercede on behalf of the doomed cities, but his acceptance of sin had resulted in a blindness to the spiritual reality. In a meeting of the minds, Abraham thinks he is able to bargain God down to sparing the city if only ten righteous people could be found within it (Gen.18:32&33). But, God already knew there were not ten righteous people living in that city. When two angels came to rescue Lot, the men of the city came to Lot’s house, requesting to have homosexual relations with his two male guests. Lot thought nothing of offering them his two virgin daughters to do with as they wanted, but he called their homosexual desires, “a wicked thing” (Gen.19:7). Most of us would also see Lot’s offer as a wicked thing, but he had lived around these sinful conditions for so long, not only had he tolerated sin, but he had also embraced it. Furthermore, because the two men engaged to Lot’s daughters refused to leave, they were destroyed with the rest of the city. So was Lot’s wife, who became a pillar of salt for her disobedience (Gen. 19:17,26) by looking back to the city as they left, as if what was in the city had anything she really needed. In time, Lot’s daughters thought nothing of getting their father drunk so he would have sex with them and give them each a child (Gen.19:30-38). It all seems so hard to believe, but it begins the first time we tolerate sin in our lives. Still later, Abraham sees no problem in lying to preserve his own skin by saying that his wife was a sister. Now, technically, she was his half-sister, but his intent was to deceive King Abimelech just so he could save his own life. And Sarah went along with his deception (Gen. 20:1-8). Again, sin is a slippery slope in our minds and the best way to avoid the problems and the consequences of sin is to neither accept or tolerate it in the first place.