Don's Devotionals: Learning to love God

James 1:27  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

I would like us to focus on the last thought of this verse, “to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”  It involves the disparity between the lives many Christians lead and the lives scriptures call them to.

My parents had a young dogwood tree in their backyard that had pink and white flowers.  The flowers were all supposed to be pink and they wondered how this could be happening.  We called a family friend who had a nursery and he had the answer.  He told us if we examined the trunk of the tree, we would likely see two intertwined trunks growing out of the ground.  In the grafting process, somehow the natural growth (white) was able to take hold and grow along side the grafted (pink).

Sure enough, it was just as he said.  We had to carefully identify which trunk was which and cut off the trunk with white flowers at the ground.  If we didn’t, the natural, wild dogwood would eventually eliminate the grafted in – the pink would disappear and the tree would be entirely white.  When we cut off the trunk with the white flowers, we had to be careful as we separated them and removed the white.  The two “trees” were totally intertwined with each other

This is a frighteningly wonderful illustration of our lives in Christ.  He intends for our lives to show forth the “pink attributes” – the grafted in desirable ones that come from walking in His ways.  If we don’t live as He directs us, we produce the old nature “white attributes” – that come from being polluted by the world.  If we try to have it both ways, the result is an intertwining of pink and white – righteous and unrighteous – and the unfortunate message that sends to those around us.  Left undealt with, the unrighteous white will slowly replace the righteous pink.

May we live lives that only produce the righteous attributes of Him.

James 4:3  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Why do we do what we do?  What is our motivation?  Do we do things to get blessed?  Do we do things to express our love for Him and one another?  Or, does a lot of other stuff become involved creating a mix of motivations?  Today’s verse highlights that we can have wrong motives.  Not much of a surprise there.

Having pure and right motives is wonderful.  Hopefully it will be true of us with ever increasing frequency.  Unfortunately, there are times when our motives are not what they should be.  Disobedience because our motives aren’t what they should be is not an option.  When we know God wants us to do something, whether through the leading of His Spirit or through His Word, we are to do it.

Think of the times where we encounter problems with co-workers, teachers, friends, clients – people we have to deal with.  The Lord says it’s easy to love those who love us.  It’s the unlovely ones that can pose such problems for us.

In such situations I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit and His convicting power.  He not only shows us when our motives are wrong, but he provides the grace to recognize it, confess it and deal with it redemptively.  By looking to Him in faith, we can find ourselves in a transformative process where He uses our obedience to be the framework to create the right motives within us.  When we cry out to Him to do it, it consistently happens – although it might take longer than we would like.

When the Holy Spirit reveals problems with our motives – or anything else for that matter – we see that they are not obstacles but opportunities for Him to transform us more and more into the image of Jesus.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

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Today is Ash Wednesday.  See if you notice any people with ashes on their foreheads today.  Hopefully you will be able to attend a service today as we begin the Lenten season. May our focus upon Jesus increase in these coming days leading to Easter as we draw ever closer to Him.

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Are we aware that our lives are being conformed to something – it’s just a matter of what that something is?  What is right?  What is wrong?  What is appropriate?  What is wise?  The more we do things or see others around us do them, the more susceptible we become to accepting those behaviors as the norm.  Sadly, we can accept some very wrong things as being okay, simply because we have unknowingly been conformed to a worldly standard.

Think of typing a note in an email that requires us to hit spell check in order to have errors identified.  But then we only do that if spelling and grammar are important to us.  Even if we reread the email carefully, we can miss all manner of mistakes – that are only caught by clicking on spell check.

Now, think of typing in word processing software where as we type, misspelled words or duplicates have red lines under them.  Grammatical problems have green lines under them – the warnings are there as we type.  We then have the option of correcting them or leaving them.  The choice is ours.

The Lord wants us to live lives where we become aware of problems, issues, sin, etc… as we encounter them or are making decisions.  He provides the warnings if we but have eyes to see and ears to hear.  The Holy Spirit is a fully functional ‘Spiritual check’ that we don’t have to click on for him to work.  But, the more we are conformed to the pattern of the world, the less we notice the still, small voice speaking within us.  Worse, we can lose any awareness of even caring that we are doing what is right.

Suppose our lives were laid out as documents with all our thoughts, intentions, beliefs, actions put into grammatical form with a fully functioning “Spiritual” spell check in place.  What would our ‘edited documents’ look like?  Do we know or have an idea?  Would they be filled with red underlings?  If so, how would we respond?  Would we experience remorse from the recognition that all the red indicates a life that doesn’t love our God?  Would we have the desire to repent and make the needed changes?

This illustration is far more accurate and applicable than you might imagine.

Psalms 1:1  Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

In yesterday’s devotional, we wrote about the experiences two of our sons, Jamie and Andrew, had in gymnastics.  Good intentions and hard work did not bring excellence when they were at the first gymnastics club.  Their gymnastics routines had too many things wrong with them that were not dealt with.

When they transferred to the 2nd club where they became champions, it wasn’t a matter of just learning what the routines were supposed to look like.  Steve, the new coach had to work with them to undue all the bad habits that they had developed.  This was a challenge all in itself.  Bad process leads to bad results.  Watching video of themselves, they could see how they were doing things incorrectly.  By eliminating the bad habits, Steve was able to help them develop the good practice habits that would lead to excellence.

Fortunately at the new gymnastics club, there were a bunch of other quality gymnasts.  Jamie and Andrew could see others performing their routines correctly.  The gymnasts helped one another – pointing out glitches and helping each other to learn to do it right.  All of these gymnasts wanted to win, not only as individuals, but as a team.  In order to win, their performances had to meet gymnastics’ standards.

Many Christians today find themselves with habit patterns consistent with our sons’ first gym.  Good intentions, fun and participation are the rule.  Unfortunately, all manner of bad habits and bad practices (read that sin) abound because their lives are more formed by culture than by God’s word.  Worse still is the reality that these bad habits produce a spiritual deafness to the Holy Spirit making it more difficult to hear Him speak: Stop!  Don’t go there!  Don’t watch that.  Come this way.

The great news is that God doesn’t want to leave us there.  Once we recognize that our lives must be filled with His excellence, and choose to truly be His disciple, He will help us undue all the bad “practice habits” and show us how to do everything the right way.  After all, He is the best Coach there is!

To be continued…

1 Timothy 6:11  But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

Back in the 80s, two of our sons, Jamie and Andrew, were very interested in gymnastics.  Both joined a gymnastics club in NE Ohio.  They had a lot of fun and enjoyed their teams very much but there was a significant problem – in competition their respective teams didn’t do well because none of the individual gymnasts did well.  From year to year, when they passed from one age grouping to another, they still all did poorly.  The competing clubs whose gymnasts consistently did great, continued to excel as those gymnasts moved from age bracket to age bracket.

In talking to judges, one comment stood out: When in doubt, form wins out.  Unfortunately, the boys’ coach was committed to them doing difficult moves in their routines but he didn’t emphasize form – therefore their scores were poor.  Competitors doing simpler routines with great form were consistently beating them.   We listened to the judges and changed clubs.

Their new coach emphasized form.  When they did simple things well, they moved to greater difficulty, but the issue was always excellence.  Both boys were very talented and motivated – but now their energies and efforts were properly focused and directed.  The results were amazing!

They switched to the new club in the summer of 1989.  That previous spring Andrew had finished 70th out of 73 in the state meet as an 8 year old.  Jamie was middle of the pack as a 15 year old.  The following spring in 1990, after one year at the new club, both boys were state champions!  The issue wasn’t how hard they worked or how much they cared or wanted it.  It was that they were now doing the things “required by” the results they sought after.  

The same truth applies to our pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.  Wanting these things isn’t enough.  We must do the things required by ‘these results’ in order to get them.  God’s word tells us how we are to live – so that as we pursue these things, we experience excellence, not mediocrity.

I Chronicles 12:32 men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;

Have you ever felt clueless as to what is going on in the world around us?  It seems that the media and some of our leaders are clueless to reality (particularly the previous administration) – at least in terms of communicating facts and truth and making sound decisions.  Those erroneous communications and faulty decisions affect us all.

It’s almost like a tsunami of serious events is sweeping the world right now and these events affect God’s people everywhere.  On top of that is political correctness run rampant.  God forbid that a spade be called a spade; instead it must be called a garden implement.

We have massive media and societal reactions to events with little or no concern for the truth.  Don’t let the facts get in the way of a story – and if any of the facts are troublesome just ignore or change them.  It’s all about achieving desired outcomes, specifically for those creating the uproar.

We are living in the midst of this and it’s imperative that we, and our leaders, respond with understanding, wisdom and righteousness. Today’s verse in the Old Testament is a hidden jewel.  It’s easy to miss as it’s included in a list of the various groups of men who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him.

The men of Issachar are described here in Scripture in a way that is such an example for us.  They understood the times and knew what Israel must do!  We need to pray for this for ourselves, our President Trump and his team, our leaders in Congress, for Israel, for Benjamin Netanyahu (Prime Minister of Israel), for our military leaders and for Christians around the world.  God has wisdom, insight and understanding that is available to all those who seek Him.

We have a vital role to play.  We must not be clueless and resign ourselves to irrelevancy.  We are born to glorify our Lord and we are at His mercy – not the mercy of the events surrounding us. No matter how helpless we might feel, we are active ‘ingredients’ in the hands of our Lord and Savior.

Our prayers can move mountains!  Our faith-filled words and attitudes can impact those around us and influence them towards righteousness.   We too can respond faithfully to the events around us and further His kingdom.  Jesus, by His Spirit, will enable us to understand our times and will guide us in what to do.

Let us remember – we are players in the game – not spectators in the bleachers!

Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.

One day, a number of years ago at work, I began experiencing significant chest pain.  My staff wanted me to go to the hospital and get checked over.  I thought I was going to be okay and refused.  They insisted that I call my wife Donna.  So I did and she told me just what they did – but I stubbornly insisted that I was okay.

A few minutes later my oldest son John called me in response to Donna’s call to him.  He had been a paramedic.  I’ll never forget his lovingly blunt words to me.  He said, “Dad.  There are two symptoms you never ignore: a pregnant lady having contractions and a guy your age with chest pain.  Get to the hospital – NOW!”

So my staff took me to the hospital and over two days I went through a bunch of tests.  The good news was – no heart problem. Every test came out good.  But John’s advice was still right on.  My stubbornness and lack of grasping the obvious could have cost me my life.

Chest pains and contractions are kind of hard to be unaware of.  They might be ignored for awhile but as they intensify, they sure can interrupt things.  Today’s verse is just as serious but is much more subtle.  It describes a deadly condition that we as God’s people can have and yet be blind to.  This verse is one that I have identified on my “Oh Jesus – keep me from this!” list.

There are many descriptions in Scripture of what to avoid but there are some – and today’s verse is one – that are particularly foreboding.  It describes God’s people as living in deception.  They think they are pleasing to Him but they’re not.  Their words and outward actions are rendered meaningless because of their hearts.

In the New Testament (Revelation 2 & 3), think of the letters to the Churches in Laodicea and Ephesus.  The Laodiceans thought they were rich, but Jesus considered them “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” – worthy of being spit out of His mouth!  The Ephesians were doing many things right, but Jesus charged them with having left their first love.  He commanded them to repent.

Unfortunately, the same things can and do happen to His people today.  “Oh Jesus – keep us from this!”  May we never give our Lord lip service, with our hearts far from Him.  May our hearts be truly His with our lives be living examples of a people who are truly rich in Him.  Most of all, may Jesus be our first love – with us learning how and then loving Him more and more with each passing day!

Psalm 28:7 Yahweh is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.  My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Recently I had some goofy experiences that provide a great illustration for us to learn from.  We were watching TV where we were staying and it wasn’t cable or satellite.  It was simply local reception through a small antenna connected to the TV.  We were close enough to Cleveland so most of the stations came in fine.  But there is one station that was a ‘problem child’.

The antenna would sit up on top of the TV cabinet and could receive the handful of stations fine – but not this one.  When we turned to it, across the screen would appear “No Signal”.  Then we’d get up and move the antenna and adjust the two ‘arms’ on the antenna until we finally found the proper position to receive a strong signal.

This became a real adventure because sometimes, depending on the weather, that signal could be very difficult to receive.  So much so, that our determination was affected by how much we wanted to watch a program or sporting event.  One night, there was a program we really wanted to watch that required me to stand near the TV, holding the antenna up in order to get reception – for the whole program.

The signal was always there, sometimes circumstances just made it more difficult to receive.  Greater effort and perseverance were required of us to receive it.  Also involved was how much we wanted to receive it.  Now let’s read today’s verse again:

“Yahweh is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.  My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.”

There are times when this reality is clear as a bell.  But there are other times when we find ourselves in difficult situations where the reality of this truth becomes fuzzy and unclear.  We can even find ourselves in situations where our hearts are reflecting a “No Signal” message.  (“Lord, where are you?!”)

It’s not that this truth isn’t there – it is.  But by faith we have to seek after it and Him.  And sometimes they can be quite elusive – but that mustn’t stop us.  This seeking activity is a priceless component in the process of us becoming strong in Christ.  This truth and the determination to seek Him become bedrock reality in who we are.

No matter what things look like, He is our strength and shield.  No matter how difficult we find our situations, our hearts can and will trust in Him.  We are never left to ourselves because He helps us – no matter what.  Because of Him, our hearts can and will leap for joy and we will sing thanks to Him.

Jeremiah 3:19  “I myself said, ‘How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.  I thought you would call me Father and not turn away from following me.”

Yesterday we looked at this verse that is so revealing of the pain associated with the Israelites going their own way and not responding to God and His love for them.  This morning I thought of the parable of the lost son who rebelled and spent his inheritance sinfully and wound up in the pigsty (Luke 15:11-31).  What do you think was going on with his father after his son went off?

Imagine his father watching his son walk away from home – not knowing if he would ever return.  At meal time he likely noticed his son’s empty seat at the table.  The stillness of not hearing his voice and not having his presence in the home at times could have been deafening.  Can you imagine the heartache whenever his father looked down the road and didn’t see his son returning?

I can imagine the pain.  He loved his son but was helpless to reach him.  Now into this context, think of our God looking at a world with his potential sons and daughters all in pigsties, no matter what their circumstances were; all ‘away from home and away from Him’.  But our God wasn’t and isn’t helpless.  He made a way for each and everyone of us to ‘come back home’ to Him.

The way that He made for us is so wonderfully described in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…”  He didn’t and doesn’t just write us off – He made a way for us!  And His Spirit is wooing every one of us, in the pig sties of life, to come to ourselves and recognize that Jesus can and will ‘bring us home’.

When the son came to himself and returned he had no idea the joy that was awaiting him.  He recognized just how guilty he was and never expected the response his father gave him.  But his father saw him coming even when he was a long way off and ran to him, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  The son was stunned by the celebration; so great was his father’s joy that he had come home.

Jesus taught that this celebration is what happens in Heaven whenever one sinner repents!  And we get to experience it!!!  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to experience the overwhelming joy and love that I did when Jesus came into my life.  One moment I was lost and in the pigsty, the next I was ‘at home’ in the embrace of my God, absolutely overwhelmed by His love for me.

Because of the love of God in Jesus, we get to call Him Father and faithfully follow Him all the days of our lives!

Question: What did God want when He gave us the gift of Jesus? My answer is probably different than you think.  Today’s verse is unlike any other and is at the end of the devotional.

Two months ago we celebrated the birth of Jesus – the greatest gift that God could ever give.  In about two months we will celebrate His resurrection, which is the most important Christian holy day.  Yahweh so loved the world that He gave Jesus, His only Son for us.   Through faith in Jesus we are able to be born-again, saved, be born of the Spirit, freed from sin, become children of God, have eternal life, …

The blessings that flow from Yahweh’s love for us are beyond measure.  But they stem from His desire for something.  Can you think of what that might be?  Any number of answers might come close: He wanted to undo the results of the fall; He wanted a people for Himself; He wanted to redeem mankind.

A major clue is in the answer Jesus gives to the question, “What is the greatest commandment?”  My favorite recording of Jesus being asked this question is Mark 12:28-34.  I never cease to be moved by the response of this teacher of the law and then Jesus’ response to him.

Over and over again throughout scripture, Yahweh instructs His people to love Him.  He will keep His covenant of love to a thousand generations (Deut 7:9) with those who do love Him and keep His commands.  Is there a Old Testament verse that lets us see the impact upon Him of His people from not doing this?  The answer is yes.

The verse is in Jeremiah 3 and reveals His heart so uniquely.  In this chapter, our God is calling for unfaithful Israel to repent and return to Him.  The verse that is so revealing is 3:19 where Yahweh declares,

“I myself said, ‘How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.  I thought you would call me Father and not turn away from following me.”

Do we see and feel the pain revealed in that verse??!! He thought they would call Him Father and not turn away from following Him.  I know of no other verse where Yahweh so reveals the pain associated with the failure of His people to respond to Him.  It’s as though His heart is bleeding on the floor in front of us.  More than anything else, God wants a people who love Him.  How can we do anything less?