Don's Devotionals: Learning to love God

1 Kings 19:18 – “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Let’s imagine ourselves as being included in those 7,000 who were faithful to God so long ago.  Everywhere around us, the people have abandoned the truth of God’s word and abandoned Him.  On the one hand, we would have the joy of being His people – chosen by Him.  We treasure the wonders He has done.  On the other, the sorrow and pain of seeing His people sinfully deny Him.

One of the challenges that we would withstand is yielding to the cultural pressure of those around us to become Baal worshippers.  No matter what the cost, we would remain true to Yahweh!  How would we act around those who were participating in such sin – particularly when they were friends and family?  Behavior that they would think is perfectly fine is behavior that is totally unacceptable to Him.

I remember being in a meeting with Stephen Covey where he asked everyone in the audience to point in the direction they thought was north.  The theatre we were in was “in the round” so he was surrounded by audience and hands were pointing in every direction.  He then lit up an overhead projector with a compass on it where the light could shine through.  The lesson?  Which way is north is not subject to opinion.  It is an absolute.

Do we relate to those 7,000 as we see what is going on around us in society today?  The cultural perversions we see in so much of society are so distressing.  Sadly much of it is in the lives of those who consider themselves Christians.  God’s people are called to be salt and light – the very evidence of His presence.  Instead, so many “head south” under the belief they are going “north”.

Isaiah described so accurately what we see going on around us, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (5:20)

Let us live lives that glorify our Lord and Savior.  Let us lives lives that reflect His character and word.  His Word tells us how!  It’s the compass that always points to the true north.  Let us live lives that truly reflect goodness, light and sweetness.  As we celebrate the birth of Christ and begin the new year, let those be the “presents” that we bring to Him as we kneel before Him!

Ruth  2:10-12  ¹⁰ At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”

I find such delight in reading about Ruth and the ways she responds to the difficulties and reality of her life.  She has wonderful attitudes; she works hard; she loves Naomi and cares for her; by doing the right things, she is blessed by the Lord.  What an example her story is for us!  In spite of all the difficulty in the situation she and Naomi found themselves in, she was simply concerned with caring for Naomi and making their situation better.

The quality of Ruth’s life was recognized by those around her and by Boaz who she encounters in today’s verse: ¹¹ Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. ¹² May the LORD repay you for what you have done.  May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” 

Proverbs 13:9a says, “The light of righteousness shines brightly,” How true this was of Ruth!  Her reputation preceded her and the quality of her life was apparent to those around her.  Boaz’s comment about her taking refuge under the wings of the LORD, the God of Israel, is a picture of God’s protection.  By doing the ‘right things’, Ruth put herself into a position to encounter God’s best for her.

God led Ruth to Boaz’s field, where she was safe. The timing of Boaz’s arrival on this day was perfect for her.  The Lord caused her to find favor with him and he became God’s ‘hands extended’ to her, to protect her and provide for both Naomi and her.

Isn’t Ruth’s life and Boaz’s response a perfect illustration of Matthew 5:15?  “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  The simple reality of our lives is that God wants others to see Him when they observe us!

The Lord loves right attitudes.  He loves the right and appropriate things that we do.  He loves to provide his blessing and protection to us.  He loves to guide us in the path of righteousness that He has for us.  He loves to see His plan unfold in our lives.  He loves it when we love Him.  No matter what difficulties we find ourselves in, He is for us and with us.  May our lives ever reflect these wondrous realities!

Ruth 1:16  But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”

This is another of my favorite verses in the Bible.  It speaks of such devotion, commitment and love.  Ruth had lost her husband, but her mother-in-law Naomi had lost her own husband and both her sons.  Naomi and her family had moved to Moab from Bethlehem ten years earlier due to the famine in the land.  Both sons had married there in Moab.

Into this situation of grief and difficulty came word that the LORD had come to the aid of His people in Judah and there was food there.  Naomi and the two daughter-in-laws (the other being Orpah) prepared to return to her home in Bethlehem.  Once on the road, Naomi lovingly instructed the two women to return to the homes of their mothers.  She believed this was best for them because her misperception was that the LORD’s hand had been against her.

After weeping and protestations from the young women, Orpah returned.  But Ruth clung to Naomi and spoke the wonderful message of today’s verse.  Why did Ruth do it?  Was her mother’s home not desirable?  Was she motivated by her love for Naomi, and therefore wanting to support her in this time of grief and change?  Whatever it was, her commitment was complete because she declared, “Your people will be my people and your God my God”.

Ruth wasn’t aware that God was guiding her – that He was in the midst of her strong commitment to stay with Naomi.  She was simply responding to the conviction in her heart that she belonged with Naomi and would not leave her no matter what it brought.  In the midst of all of this, her direction was clear and she was committed to it.

Little did Ruth know that her destiny required that she come to Bethlehem– and that she be there as a young woman eligible to be married.  It’s difficult not to conclude that the whole move to Moab by Naomi and her family was ultimately designed by God to get Ruth and bring her back to Bethlehem.

Bethlehem is where the prophet declared that the Christ would be born (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-6).  Ruth’s commitment to return to Judah with Naomi enabled God’s destiny for her to unfold.  It required her to be there, in Bethlehem, because only there would her life became part of the genealogy of Christ, our Messiah – the son of David, the son of Abraham.

To be continued…

Micah 6:8  He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God? (Amplified)

Donna and I watched an old black & white movie on TCM that truly touched us deeply.  This 1944 film was the second film featuring a young Gregory Peck in the leading role. His role was that of Father Francis Chisholm, an unconventional Scottish Catholic priest who struggles to establish a mission in China.  His moving performance led to his first Oscar nomination.

The name of this movie is The Keys of the Kingdom and is based on the 1941 novel by A. J. Cronin.  The story is so wonderful, I was hoping that it was based on a historical figure.  Although it is not, that did not diminish the power of its message.  I found myself relating to the struggles that he faced.  So many aspects of the Christian life – the joys and the hardships – are presented in this movie.  Many of them are worth noting but the one that I want to focus on is one that repeatedly stuck me throughout the story.  I was repeatedly touched by the refreshing and vibrant humility that the character of Father Chisholm possessed.

Father Chisholm experiences many difficult challenges over the six decade span of this story.  I found myself being convicted of my own pride in watching how Father Chisholm responded with humility and dependence upon God.  Yes it was a movie, but I found myself repenting and being inspired to Godliness by watching the story unfold.  I am embarrassed to say that I had forgotten just how moving and inspiring true humility is.  “…Biblical humility is not the inverted conceit which disguises itself as lowliness.” (Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, pg 223)  It is a virtue that God prizes.

I am so grateful for the book and the movie because God has used both of them to provoke me to pursue walking humbly with my God in a renewed way.  Pride can be so subtle and so pervasive in our lives.  Fortunately, God enables us to see our shortcomings and embrace the process whereby His Spirit will enable us to become more like Jesus.

Titus 2:11-12 ¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

Have you ever thought how important it is to be teachable?  It’s a quality that we must cultivate and protect.  It’s not a given that being teachable is an attribute that we will have or retain if we have had it.  The more we become set in out ways, the more unteachable we can become.   Often teachable moments occur when we have to change; do things differently; do them better; to quit doing things that hinder us.

Unteachableness has a way of diminishing our grasp of the obvious.  Worse, it can be a fruit of pride – we know best!  We’ve been there and done that.  Who are you to tell me?!!  We might not think these thoughts but the net result is that we don’t change much anymore.

Years ago we heard a Bible teacher share a truth that has been dear to us ever since.  He said, “The way to stay free is to be a lover of the truth.”  When we love the truth we will hear it and respond to it no matter how it comes.  God sometimes sends the truth in some very unattractive packages.  He might pick the person we know who annoys us the most to be the one to bring us a corrective word.  We then face the problem of rejecting the truth because we reject the messenger.

Remember, repentance is a way of life for us.  When we learn new things it’s not unusual for it to mean we repent and embrace a better way. Jesus will show us how to be more courteous, kinder, more thoughtful, more considerate, more giving, more compassionate, etc…  The Holy Spirit will also show us the things in our lives that stand in the way of these positive attributes developing into what they can and need to be.

The grace of God teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and “Yes” to Godliness.  It is a lifelong process because we give the Lord a lifetime supply of stuff to work on in our lives.  Praise God for His patience and His unchanging commitment to help us become like Him.  A life of godliness is the sweetest life of all.

Luke 2:1-20

The Birth of Jesus

¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to his own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ^[a] the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 1:34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

We are thrilled with the birth of Jesus and the miracle of a virgin giving birth to the Christ as foretold by Isaiah.  But have you considered what God had Mary and Joseph walk through to bring this about?  Who would have believed what they said – other than Elizabeth and Zechariah?

We are all aware that Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph when the angel appeared to her and she conceived Jesus by the working of the Holy Spirit.  Joseph became aware of her being pregnant and was planning to divorce her quietly.  But then the angel appeared to him in a dream explaining everything so he took Mary home as his wife.  But…

What did Mary say to her parents and friends when asked about the pregnancy?  How likely was it that they believed her explanation?  Did she tell Joseph what happened?  If so, he didn’t believe her prior to his dream.  What did Joseph say to his friends or his relatives?  Would they have believed him?

Think of the looks and comments that reflected suspicion that the baby was due to him, or worse, some other man.  How likely was it that anyone believed that her pregnancy was due to God’s direct intervention?  On top of this, consider the thought that this “scandal” likely followed them, all the days of their lives.

Yet this was their destiny.  God chose them for it – knowing that it would be hard, but that He would be with them.  Mary and Joseph were chosen to raise His Son!  Imagine being entrusted with Jesus!

This Christmas season, remember Joseph and Mary and the difficult path they had to walk to fulfill God’s plan for them.  They chose to say “yes” to God no matter what difficulties obedience entailed.  They responded with faith.  May we respond as well to whatever God may ask of us.

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

I want to continue with The Hiding Place as a source of inspiration, instruction and blessing.  Today I want to focus on Corrie and her responses to the provocative situations that are recorded in her book.  All too often I think we relate more to her responses rather than to the responses Betsy had.  Betsy always seems to have an inside track on viewing things in such a redemptive way.  Corrie writes at one point after being stunned by Betsy’s response to an impossible situation, “Once again I had the feeling that this sister with whom I had spent all my life belonged somehow to another order of beings.”

Time and time again Corrie and Betsy were exposed to cruelty, violence and unspeakable horror.  Corrie struggled with all the human responses of fear, anger, hatred, resentment and wanting to strike back.  Then she would encounter Betsy’s responses and find herself provoked redemptively.  She struggled through the process of repentance and learning to embrace a response more consistent with her faith and the Lord she loved.

I am so blessed by Corrie. I cannot imagine facing the horrors she faced. But the thing that speaks so powerfully to me is how she continually embraced repentance after recognizing that her response was wrong.  The struggles she endured weren’t simple things.  They were gut wrenching, but her faith and the grace of God enabled her to overcome.  Her commitment to the Lord and her resolve to respond rightly shone brightly.

She rejected her sin and embraced Godliness.  She went through this process time and again.  Betsy continually showed her the way and Corrie followed it.  What examples they are for us.  Fortunately, Corrie was released from Ravensbruck due to a clerical error.  All the women her age were taken to the gas chambers one week after she was released.  It is not difficult at all to see God’s hand in that!

We must have our eyes opened to see the shortcomings inherent in our own responses to difficult trials.  Thank God for the people in our lives that He uses to help us in this regard! In my life, this person is most frequently my wife Donna and I cannot begin to express the gratitude that I have for her.  In the spirit of today’s verse, she is the most provocative person I know.

So often, Donna’s response to the Lord is richer and so convicting in comparison to my own.  My response might not be wrong; it’s just not as rich in passion for Jesus as hers. Her heart and love for Jesus provoke me!  I find myself repenting and seeking the Lord to have more of what she has.  How fortunate we are that Jesus enables us to recognize our need, repent quickly and embrace righteousness as our way of life.

1 Thessalonians 5:15-18  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.  ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I am so grateful for the powerful example of Corrie Ten Boom’s sister Betsy and her amazing faith as revealed in Corrie’s book, The Hiding Place.  For their efforts to save Jews, they were sent to concentration camps during World War II eventually winding up at Ravensbruck where 96,000 women died.  I remembered how Corrie was so frequently amazed at her sister’s remarkable faith.

In the book, I found the scene that had been stirring so within me.  It is when they move into the horrific dormitory in Ravensbruck.  This wretched dorm that was made for 400 had 1400 crammed in with more being added weekly.  Eight acrid and overflowing toilets served the entire room.

Betsy perpetually saw things so very differently than Corrie or anyone else.  Her heart was moved with compassion instead of hate.  She wanted to bless instead of curse.  She saw positives in situations where no one else could even imagine them.  Today’s verses were the ones that particularly moved her on this occasion.

Their circumstances included fleas, nauseating smells, incredible overcrowding and the brutality of the guards for whom Betsy continually prayed.  This combined with being prisoners in such a place of death!  But Betsy continually gave thanks to God for everything about their circumstances – even the fleas!

Apparently the fleas, lice and stench kept the guards away.  They had a Bible and so many women were crowded around them, it meant that so many more would get to hear about Jesus.  No matter what happened, Betsy was consumed with a passionate love of her Lord.

What an example Betsy was for Corrie and for us!  We face nothing compared to what they faced.  But Betsy was so aware of God’s love and focused on sharing it with everyone – prisoners and guards.  She was grateful for so many things.  She didn’t get caught up in the negative.  She saw evidence of God’s presence, kindness and grace everywhere.

May our eyes be opened to see the wonder of our Lord in all the problems we have.  May our lives be dominated by Him – rather than by the problems or difficulties we face.  Betsy is such an example for us all of how rich and powerful our faith in Jesus can become.

Psalm 34:1-3  ¹ I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. ² I will glory in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. ³ Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.

These verses today present a wonderful ‘picture’ of David’s heart; his reality.  He had pretended to be insane in order to escape the King of Gath – after fleeing there to get away from King Saul who was trying to kill him.  Sounds like a nice normal life doesn’t it?

Even though David had to live with the ever present threat of being killed for years, his reality was his heart for God.  It was so rich and vibrant and full.  Does this picture of his heart match a corresponding picture of our hearts – if one could be taken?  When we read these verses do they describe us?  Are we ‘captured’ by the Lord like David was?  Phrase by phrase they are absolutely extraordinary!

Another picture came to mind when I was considering these verses and how they relate to us.  It was a picture of a meal with the question, “What kind of meal is it?”  If these verses don’t describe our hearts, then we’re fasting or the meal is just breadcrumbs and water.  If they describe us a little, then the meal might be a piece of bologna on a piece of bread.  The more they describe us, the richer the meal.  Think of a dinner with our very favorite foods – where not only is the food phenomenal, but so is the setting and the loved ones we are able to enjoy it with.  That is the richness the ‘picture’ of these verses alludes to.

I think of the rehearsal dinner for our oldest son John and Fabi that occurred in Brazil at a restaurant next to the church, one block from the ocean.  The food was wonderful.  It was a balmy evening with the ocean breeze blowing in the open air restaurant.  I remember so clearly sitting back with tears in my eyes as I gazed at the sight of family and dear friends laughing together and enjoying a wonderful meal and one another.  What a rich time!

The Lord has such richness for us in our relationship with Him if we but pursue it with Him.  If these verses don’t describe us, let us pray, “Lord Jesus, make these verses describe me!  I want the picture of my reality with you; my heart for you to be accurately described by them.”  Pray it daily – for weeks, months, years – whatever it takes.  But pray it with the conviction that He will make it happen – because He will!