Don's Devotionals: Learning to love God

John 9:25b “ …One thing I do know.  I was blind but now I see!”

I think we all are thrilled when our grasp of the obvious is working.  For some of us, it’s like a visitor who only shows up once in a while or someone who leaves at a most inopportune time.  Several years ago my grasp of the obvious was long gone and I had one of the most embarrassing moments in my life.  Fortunately, this event took place between me and the Lord.  But now I get the blessing of sharing it with you all. (:>)

I briefly worked with an organization as a traveling representative and was gone every other week.  Nice hotels were provided as we traveled from city to city.  On a Monday I arrived at my hotel somewhere in the south and when I entered my room I discovered the ugliest bathroom I had ever seen.  It was big, barren with railings everywhere.  I couldn’t believe they would have something like this and nearly went down to the front desk to insist on a room change.  (I can’t tell you how embarrassing this is!)

Fortunately I just accepted it.  Two days later as I was driving across the middle of nowhere, my grasp of the obvious suddenly returned.  In a nano-second it struck me.  As you have already likely figured out, the bathroom was designed for handicapped individuals!  If I had been in a wheel chair or on crutches or simply needing assistance, this bathroom would have been exactly what I needed.  What I considered ‘ugly’ would have been beautiful to the one needing it. (As I drove I thought of the Spaniard in Princess Bride and “humiliations galore!”)

The Lord really used this experience in a powerful and serious way with me.  At the time we were going through some very difficult things and there were ways of addressing the difficulties that I thought were ‘ugly’ and had dismissed them.  It was after this experience that I recognized that what I considered ugly – wasn’t ugly at all.  They were appropriate and a blessing to assist us in our adventure.  We needed them as much as we would need railings in a bathroom if we were in a wheel chair or on crutches.

Needless to say this has been a humbling experience.  It has made me much more careful about drawing conclusions about what I think I see and what I think I perceive.  It is too easy to miss the obvious sometimes.  I thank God that while driving across the middle of nowhere, the Holy Spirit made this blind man to see!

John 9:1-3 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

These verses begin the wonderful story of Jesus healing the man born blind.  It is so fascinating because of all it reveals about the Pharisees and the difficulty they had grasping the obvious.  They were confounded by the miracle, particularly because it was done on the Sabbath.  But more than that is the reality that Jesus describes in these verses above.

Do we understand that this man was born blind because that was God’s plan?  That God was going to use his blindness so that His work might be displayed in his life?  Think about the difficulties that he and his parents had to deal with all through his life.  They weren’t victims, they were experiencing God’s plan for them.

The Bible is filled with difficult situations and painful experiences that God brought into people’s lives in order for His plan for them to unfold.  Does our understanding of God and His ways recognize that He does all manner of such things today?  Specifically, that God will do such things in our lives?  Sudden loss of a job, illness, accidents, birth defects, financial ruin, unexpected deaths of loved ones, good situations made difficult – the list is long.

We have a tendency to respond negatively to difficult things that occur in our lives – more likely to view them as a curse rather than as a blessing.  So how are we going to respond?  Will we recognize and embrace the fact that they present opportunities for us to experience God’s work in our lives?  Regardless how we view them, we still have to deal with these difficult circumstances in our lives.  But when we see God in the midst of them, there with us and for us, it changes us.  Not only is there no problem too big or situation too difficult for us to walk through but He will transform the way we walk through them.

Faith in the Lord produces the heavenly wisdom spoken of by James in 3:17, ^“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”  Think of having the inner well-being described by this verse within us as we navigate the difficult adventures that God brings or allows in our lives!

Isaiah 6:9-10  He said, “Go and tell this people: ” ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’  ¹⁰ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes.  Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Suppose we are walking down the street and we see a man walking along throwing $100 bills in the air.  What would our response be?  Would we ignore him because we doubted that the bills are real?  How about getting angry with him because he’s littering?  Would we stand back and criticize the people scrambling to pick up the bills as they were scattered on the street?

Now, let’s tweak the situation a bit.  Suppose that we happened to be in the bank in line behind this person when he received 1,000 $100 bills.  We stood there and watched the money being given to him.  We then followed the person out of the bank and saw him begin to walk along throwing these $100 bills, which we knew were real, into the air.  What would our response be now?  Would we be scrambling after the money with everyone else?  Or would we be upset with him for littering?    Sounds absurd, doesn’t it – except it’s not!

Today’s verses are some of the most frightening verses in the Bible for they describe a condition that can happen to us and we won’t likely know it.  The condition they describe would cause us to be angry with the man for littering in the above illustration.  The fact that the $100 bills were real would be irrelevant.  We would be consumed with our perceived impropriety of it all.

Think of Jesus and the miracles that He did – particularly those done on the Sabbath.  The Pharisees and religious leaders had a fit and wanted to kill Him for it.  The fact that the stunning miracles were real was irrelevant to them.  They were blind to the reality of what was going on in front of them!  John’s gospel describes their condition (12:37-41):

 ³⁷Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. ³⁸This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: 
   “Lord, who has believed our message 
      and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

 ³⁹For this reason they could not believe, because, as
Isaiah says elsewhere:  ⁴⁰“He has blinded their eyes 
      and deadened their hearts, 
   so they can neither see with their eyes, 
      nor understand with their hearts, 
      nor turn—and I would heal them.”

⁴¹Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

To be continued…

Isaiah 9:6-7 (printed below)

For many years I tended to stay away from the Prophetic Books of the Old Testament.  My studies would take me to the Prophets, but I wouldn’t sit down and just read them through.  I was more interested in the history, the Psalms, Proverbs and the New Testament.  That is where I devoted myself.

Meanwhile my wife Donna, just loved the book of Isaiah.  I would hear her talking about
it and she made it sound like such a special place, filled with treasure.  Fortunately her comments eventually made me curious to find out for myself what was so wonderful about this book of the Bible.  So I deliberately did what I had been avoiding – I read through Isaiah.  And then I read through it again – more slowly.  I am so grateful that I did.  Needless to say, I discovered that Donna was right (as she usually is) – the treasure in Isaiah is extraordinary.

Today’s verses are so amazing, for in them Isaiah describes Jesus!  (For those of you who might question the prophesies, remember these were written hundreds of years before His birth to Mary and Joseph)  Two chapters earlier (Isaiah 7:14), he writes of the sign that God will  provide:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a
sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call
him Immanuel.”

The name Immanuel means ‘God with us’.  Now here in these verses printed below he tells us more of this wondrous child that is to come.

⁶For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, 
       and the government will be on his shoulders. 
       And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 
       Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  

⁷Of the increase of his government and peace 
       there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne 
       and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it 
       with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. 
       The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

This is our Jesus – Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

1 Peter 5:8  Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion looking for someone to devour.

When we last flew from Denver to Colorado Springs (COS) there was a most interesting experience.  It occurred as we were approaching the runway in our landing in COS.  The flight from Denver was smooth – no turbulence at all.  Typically, this has been a bumpy flight so I thought the smoothness was due to it being early morning when there is little wind and the air is still.

But in our approach I was looking out my window and saw something that indicated that it was really windy in COS.  Just before reaching the runway, our jet passed a reservoir that was covered with white caps.  There were also waves washing up on the shore.

Because the flight and approach were smooth even as the plane changed directions, I assumed there was little wind.  Seeing the whitecaps and waves, surprised me because I recognized they were caused by a strong wind.  Someone else might have looked at the reservoir and never associated what they were seeing with wind.

Because the flight was smooth, I incorrectly assumed no wind.  This realization struck me as an important reminder.  Things aren’t always what they seem!  We at times make casual assumptions on limited information.  This can be true of us in how we view relationships, movies, programs, movements, organizations, TV shows, etc…  It can also be true of our actions and attitudes.  If we’re not observant, we can miss situations that contradict  assumptions we’ve made.  Something that would be a warning signal – a red flag – is missed and we suffer for it simply because we don’t recognize it.

Think of watching a movie that was said to be good and things start becoming explicit.  Do we recognize the signs and stop the movie or change channels?   If we are with a group of people and friendly conversation starts becoming gossip.  Do we recognize it and direct the conversation in a redemptive way?

We might be shading the truth in what we say and the Holy Spirit convicts us to stop.  Do we respond to His convicting presence and speak with integrity?  How do we recognize if the company (people) we’re with is bad – particularly since bad company corrupts good character?  Let us ask the Lord if there are warning signs in our lives that we have missed and enable us to recognize them whenever they occur.

Matthew 5:8  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

This is a verse that is so rich in promise and at the same time contains a foreboding
warning that we must not ignore.  As born again followers of Jesus, we can have ‘pollutants’ in our hearts – stuff that just shouldn’t be there.  Unfortunately, we tend to be far more concerned over what is in the food we eat or the water we drink.

I think of the religious leaders in the time of Jesus.  Here they had Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God right in front of them and the ‘pollutants’ in their hearts caused them to focus on everything but the reality God had right in front of them.  What were miracles, signs & wonders and the greatest teaching that mankind has ever heard compared to who Jesus was eating with; who he was talking to; who he was associating with; and whether he did something he ‘shouldn’t’ do on the Sabbath.

The scary thing is that the same thing can happen to us.  We can be so affected by the unclean stuff in our hearts, that we miss God.  We can become spiritually blind and disoriented.  That which should be avoided is embraced; while that which should be embraced is avoided.  It results in us missing the life and blessing that God has for us – the wonder of Him working in us day by day.

We like to hear about being ‘Blessed’ and ‘seeing God’ but it is the core of being pure in heart that must command our attention.  We must come to understand what that means and commit ourselves to getting there.  Matthew Henry has some helpful thoughts on this verse:

“Here holiness and happiness are fully
described and put together. The heart must be purified by faith, and kept for
God. Create in me such a clean heart, O God. None but the pure are capable of
seeing God, nor would heaven be happiness to the impure. As God cannot endure
to look upon their iniquity, so they cannot look upon his purity.”

A clean heart is what God desires.  Let us remember Jesus’ words that describe the uncleanness that can come from within – when we do not take following Jesus seriously:

“’For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, ²² greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. ²³ All these evils come
from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’” Mark 7:21-22

Philippians 1:27a  Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Have you ever thought about the fact that so much of our lives we are representing someone or something?  At work we represent our employer.  If we give good service or do quality work it reflects positively upon our employer.  The Zenith company had the slogan, “The quality goes in before the name goes on.”  Some time ago when I got a new modem/router, my research uncovered comments about how difficult it was to deal with some companies’ technical help people who were described as impatient and rude.

If we need repair work done on our car we typically ask around to find a shop that does quality work at a fair price.  Positive and negative reputations spread.  Several years ago we were thrilled to discover a wonderful mechanic here in the Akron area who had his own business and didn’t advertise.  All of his business came through referrals from his current customers. His competence and character were outstanding! (He recently retired)

When in Tennessee we were at Publix grocery store and the young man who bagged our groceries proceeded to take them to our car without asking if we needed him to.  He was cheerful, and being the parents of four sons, we were blessed by his attitude.  When we got in the car, I mentioned it to Donna and she said Publix was known for that!

What do the waiters and waitresses think on Sunday when they are serving Christians after church?  If they had to rank the desirability of the various groups they wait on, would Christians be at the top?  If not, why not?  In Colorado Springs we were part of a Friday night service involving an 800+ diverse group of college students & 20-somethings.  This very topic was addressed several years ago because word had gotten back regarding the less than attractive behavior of the attendees when they descended on local establishments after the service.  Unfortunately, they were fitting in with a general negative perception of Christians that these workers held.  The good news is that repentance can result in changed perceptions in those we interact with.

Think of our relationships with family, friends and neighbors.  We have so many opportunities to demonstrate the quality of life that comes from loving Jesus.  Even if people don’t associate kind and thoughtful behavior with the gospel, that is what they should experience when they interact with us.  It is our privilege and responsibility to live lives worthy of our faith.

John 3:8  “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Think about the differences between a speedboat and a sailboat – one has a motor and the other doesn’t.  One doesn’t need sails while the other does.  One needs gasoline and the other needs wind.  One can move independently of the wind, the other cannot move without the wind.  One is a whole lot easier to get where you’re going, when you want to get there and how fast you want to get there – guess which one!

The speedboat (any boat with a motor) offers independence – it’s at the whim of its ‘captain’.  The sailboat is dependent upon the wind.  No wind – and it isn’t going  anywhere.  A speedboat can be driven by just about anyone, even someone who’s never been on water; just start the motor and off you go.  Whether a child or an adult, if you can steer anything – from a kiddie car, go-kart, automobile – you can steer the speedboat.  It’s also easier to stop!

The sailboat is different; there’s a whole lot more to learn and a lot more skill involved.  But the key things are its dependency upon the wind and the ability of its ‘captain’ to read the wind and sail the boat where it’s to go, and the route the sailboat goes to get there.

Think about it – how do you get from here to there with a headwind blowing straight at you?  That means that the wind is blowing from the direction you want to go.  Instead of being at your back, it’s blowing in your face.  The question then becomes are we sure that’s where we want to (or are supposed to) go?  If it is, the sailboat can do it, but it sure isn’t a direct route.

Kind of sounds like what we experience with the Holy Spirit sometimes doesn’t it?  He leads us to do something and we encounter ‘headwinds’ – difficulties, opposition, obstacles, etc…  As I suggested in the April 11 devotional, for the Christian (Jesus Follower), a life of obedience to Scriptures, becomes the sails of our boat.  Walking in His ways, becomes the skill to sail the boat – to read the wind and allow it to choose the route whatever it might be.  Loving God develops the life-dependence upon Him.

That dependence is essential if our lives are to be about Jesus (sailboat)!  Without it, our lives are about us (boat with a motor)!  We must beware of the spirit of independence that is so common in our culture and in our lives.  The Holy Spirit is given to us so that we may have relationship with Him and live the lives that experience, enjoy and reflect the glory of our God.

Psalm 95:6-7  Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; ⁷ for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.  Today, if only you would hear his voice,

Isn’t it amazing that the God of the Universe considers us His people?  Savor the reality that because of Jesus, we belong to Him.  When I read these verses, I am so aware of the love and warmth that is in them.  This is not talking about a sterile relationship where we are given the edict to ‘Bow down!’ or ‘Worship!’ like a dog being told to ‘Sit’ or ‘Heel’.  This is family.  There is love, purpose, relationship, awe, community, growth, protection, provision, learning, …  It is the Lotto of life and we are winners!!

Think of all the positive attributes that a loving family has and they are here.  Reading these verses my mind moves to the 23^rd Psalm – The Lord is my Shepherd.  The attributes spoken in that Psalm describe the reality of being the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.

Recently I received one of those forwarded emails from my brother Richard that included such a wonderful description of Psalm 23.  I don’t know who wrote the summary description of each phrase but they really bring home what God provides us with:

The Lord is my Shepherd —– that’s a Relationship!
I shall not want —– that’s Supply!
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures —-that’s Rest!
He leadeth me beside the still waters —–that’s Refreshment!
He restoreth my soul — that’s Healing!
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness — that’s Guidance!
For His name’s sake —– that’s Purpose!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death –that’s Testing!
I will fear no evil —– that’s Protection!
For Thou art with me —– that’s Faithfulness!
Thy rod and Thy staff comfort me —–that’s Discipline!
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies —that’s Hope!
Thou annointest my head with oil —–that’s Consecration!
My cup runneth over —– that’s Abundance!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life —that’s Blessing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord —– that’s Security!
Forever —– that’s Eternity!                                                                                              

Most of all they reflect His love for us.  Let me phrase it this way: God so loved the world that He gave us Himself in Jesus to enable us to become His people – His family – His flock – the joyful and grateful recipients of His affection.  Praise God that He also gave us the Scriptures, which are His voice telling us how to return the love He has so lavished upon us.

Psalm 95:1-3  Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.  ² Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.  ³ For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.

What reality do these verses have in our lives right now?  Do they describe a vibrant inner excitement regarding the relationship we have with our God?  Or, are they words that we acknowledge as true, but they are just that – words?  Is there a ‘flatness’ in our experience of reading them that is more like a soda that has been opened and the fizz is gone?

Think of eating a meal where no seasonings have been used in the preparation of the food.  The food is bland to the taste, and while still nourishing, the enjoyment of it is not there.  With each bite we are thinking that it is not what it could be – or should be.  Our lives can become like that.

Are our days ‘flat’ as well?  Are we so caught up in busy-ness that we don’t savor or even see the wonder of the blessings we have in our lives.  Think of the special ones that you work with or are friends with.  Is there closeness with family members? I try to talk to my sons each week.  What joy there is in hearing their voices!

Every day I get to see my Donna.  I get to hear her voice; see her smile; and feel her touch.  Just to be near her is beyond words.  The blessing I receive when these devotionals touch those reading them.  The thrill never diminishes.  Yet all of these things pale in comparison to the daily wonder available to us in the relationship we have with our God.  He has given us the Scriptures to reveal Him and to lead us to Him – to daily guide our steps.  Finding Jesus is just the start of the adventure!

We get to serve Him with all our heart.  He will enable us to weep for joy and gratitude because of His love for us.  He draws us to learn to seek His face.  He teaches us to love Him with all our heart.  We can get so caught up in other things that we lose sight of the fact that loving and worshipping Him is the pinnacle!  Out of that will flow everything else.  Our hearts will be tender, our spirits will be responsive to Him and our lives will be an obedient walk with Him.  Our lives will be filled with the vibrant excitement that comes from knowing Him.