Don's Devotionals: Learning to love God

John 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Many, many years ago a man embarked on a journey home.  It required him to be on a ship for the major part of the journey.  This was still during the time when slavery was common and there were slaves serving on the ship.  Over the course of the voyage the man struck up a friendship with one of the slaves.  As the days went by they enjoyed the times together more and more.

When they arrived in port the captain came to the slave and informed him to get his belongings because he had been purchased.  When the slave discovered that he had been sold to the passenger who had become his friend he was outraged.  The slave confronted his new owner and asked, “I thought we were friends!  But now you have purchased me to make me your slave – to serve you!  How could you do this to me?”

The man looked at the slave and said, “You misunderstand.  I didn’t purchase you to make you my slave.  I purchased you to set you free!”  Upon hearing this, the slave exclaimed, “I will serve you all the days of my life!”

I heard this story many years ago and never cease to be moved by it – maybe because I relate so to the slave.  The details of my life are obviously very different from his, but I remember the struggles I was going through 48 years ago – the loneliness, lack of direction, the inferiority complex.  I always seemed to be struggling with feeling un-chosen, left out or left behind.  I didn’t realize it but I was a slave.

Only, I didn’t have a voyage to get to know someone who would surprise me with freedom.  For me it was totally unexpected and what He did was so much more than just physical freedom.  In my stunning encounter with Jesus (October 11, 1968), my ‘Matterhorn of doubt’ regarding God was leveled!  He made me someone entirely new!!!!  I am still amazed at how utterly transformed my life was in a single moment.  I so understand the slave saying he will serve his new master for the rest of his life.  Even now I am overcome with emotion and gratitude thinking of what my “new owner” did for me 47 years ago – and Jesus has never stopped doing it!!!  He overwhelms me with love!

I am so grateful that I get to serve Him the rest of my life – only it is so much more than that: He enables us to love Him in return.  We become friends and family – in relationship with Him every day of our lives.  The more we realize the incredible wonder of what He has done for us, the more we want to love Him.  That is what makes the Christmas season so special to me.  God so wanted us that He gave us Jesus, so that we might become His – forever!

Daniel 3:16-18  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

BUT EVEN IF HE DOES NOT…  These three young men were facing a horrible death for failure to bow to an idol.  They were confident that God would rescue them but their faith wasn’t dependent upon Him doing it.  They were going to remain true to Him even if He didn’t.  They are in my Hall of Fame for demonstrating how to respond when the going gets tough and threatens to get even worse.  Their confidence and proclamation to the king were rooted in God’s greatness!  No matter what happened, they were going to be true to their God.

While we might not be facing death, many of us are facing all kinds of difficult situations today: loss of job, loss of income, overwhelming bills, uncertainty of the future, threatened layoffs, illness, inability to financially help friends or ministries in need – the list goes on. How are we responding?  Are we caught up in the trauma of our need?  Or, are we focused on the greatness of our God?

In Habakkuk 3:17-19 the prophet describes barren farms.  But even though the farms have no figs, no grapes, no olives, no food, no sheep and no cattle – the response is “YET I will rejoice in the LORD.  I will be joyful in God my Savior.  The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”

Let us apply Habakkuk and the example of these three young men to our situations.  Fill in the blanks with whatever difficulties you, your family and friends or co-workers might be facing:  “The God we serve is able to deliver us from __________, and he will deliver us from __________ – But even if He doesn’t…..  I will rejoice.  I will be joyful in God my Savior.  He is my strength.  He enables me to walk in precarious places.”

This isn’t just good theology – this is what Jesus enables our bedrock reality with Him to be. He wants us to have such a relationship with Him that this will just flow out of it.  If this doesn’t describe where you are, seek Him and He will enable you to get there.  Let us remember, Job faced untold calamity but he didn’t sin by charging God with wrongdoing, nor did he sin in what he said.  He responded with worship and praise. (Job 1:22 & 2:10b).

1 Kings 3:5  At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

Solomon’s answer pleased the Lord.  God said He would give him a wise and discerning heart.  He also would give Solomon that which he didn’t ask for – both riches and honor.  In this dream God closes with this admonition for Solomon, “And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” (1 Kings 3:14)  God was saying I will bless you with long life if you love me.

Yesterday’s devotional focused on earnestly seeking God – and the fact that He will reward those that do.  The same question (as in today’s scripture) was raised in terms of identifying what we would like the Lord to give us as a reward for earnestly seeking Him – if He asked.

We would probably ask for what is most on our hearts – and that could cover many things:  The salvation of parents or children or friends; a better job; money to pay bills; ability to be a better husband, wife, parent or child; to love better; to be better at what we do; to love the Lord more; to be used by Him; for an opportunity of ministry; for support for our ministry; to have good devotional times with the Lord; to have a desire to read and learn scripture;  – the list just goes on.  And none of these answers are wrong.

But at the end of the day, what does God really want and what is He offering?  I think of John 14:21, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”  The Amplified Bible makes this verse jump off the page:

“The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]”

God wants to meet our needs and He instructs us to make them known to Him.  But He wants our relationship to grow beyond seeing Him as our source and provider.  He wants to be the love of our life.  He wants us to want Him so much that we receive the incredible blessing of His presence which He reserves for those who love Him this way.

I am reminded of the final scene in Anne of Green Gables.  Anne was an orphan and the story describes her adventures growing up and particularly, her relationship with a boy named Gilbert. At the end of the 4^th film there is a scene of the two of them on a little bridge over a pond.  He starts to tell her that he cannot give her wealth or diamonds… but she interrupts to tell him that she doesn’t care.  She looks up at him and says, “All I want is you.”  May our lives lovingly declare the same message to our Lord Jesus as we celebrate His birth.

Hebrews 11:6  And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

This scripture talks about faith and its importance in pleasing God, coming to Him and seeking Him.  It also speaks of God rewarding those who earnestly seek Him.  The Amplified Bible words the end of this verse, “…who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].”

I have heard people discuss their view of this verse saying, “I don’t need a reward for seeking Him.”  My response to that is – that isn’t an option.  Phrased another way, we do “A” and God does “B”, where “B” could be anything of His choosing – but there is going to be a “B”.  In 1 Samuel 26:23a David declares, “The LORD rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness.”  This is simply one of God’s realities for us.

I am reminded of the story about Henry Brooks Adams:

Henry was the grandson of President John Quincy Adams, the fourth of seven children, and began journaling at a young age.  When he was 8 years old he spent a day fishing with his father – a very busy man.  Henry’s journal entry states: “Went fishing with my father today, the most glorious day of my life.”

That day was so special that he continued to talk about it for many years.  Thirty years later he looked at his father’s journal entry for that day and found: “Went fishing with my son, a day wasted.”

We can become so preoccupied with business and “things” that we totally miss the truly priceless things that might be around us – or there for us to be richly blest if we but take the time to see and embrace them.  I find that one of the marvelous “rewards” that God offers to those who earnestly seek Him – is Himself.

Though He lives within Christians, and is always with us.  There are aspects of His presence that He makes available to experience that are not the norm.  They are so special that they are remembered like Henry remembered the special day he got to spend with his father.  They become one of the most glorious days of our lives.

To be continued…

Colossians 3:5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

One of the great blessings of our Christian faith is the way it transforms our lives.  This impacts everything from how we live at home to how we do our jobs.  By living wisely, we are able to create opportunities where they might not otherwise occur.  One of the more memorable sales situations I had early in my career with Blue Cross gave me an important lesson in this regard.

While calling on companies on my prospect list, I encountered a hospital that was soliciting proposals for their employee benefit program.  The hospital had recently gone through major changes and was struggling to survive.  They were receiving proposals from a number of agents and carriers and after meeting with their new chief executive, I was given the opportunity to quote.

Later, when I presented our proposal to this executive, she had just received another proposal that she let me see.  It was clearly better than ours.  I knew what flexibility I had in my proposal and informed her that we could not match it.  This one competitor’s offer and program were better than what we had to offer.

A bit later I received a phone call from her asking me to come by the hospital and meet with her.  When we met she asked if I would be willing to review the various proposals that she had received and give her my recommendation – even though the carrier I represented was out of the running.  Was this someone taking advantage of me?  Or, was this an opportunity?  Fortunately I recognized it as an opportunity for the long term.  Every cancellation or lost sale has potential to be a future sale.

But in an important regard this was better than that.  She had noted my attitude, professionalism and honesty in the times we met.  She looked at me and told me, “I trust you.”  Can you imagine a more wonderful compliment?  This was an opportunity to serve her and strengthen this relationship with a potential future client.  A couple years later they became my client.

There are times when we can do the right things, regardless of our motivations.  But we have a faith that enables us to “be” the people God wants us to be.  The more we walk in His ways, being wise in all our interactions, the more we are able to make the most of the opportunities He provides.

John 21:16a  Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”

We’ve written before of the movie Fiddler on the Roof.  It is a musical about the life of a family in the small Jewish village of Anatevka, Russia   Set in 1905 it tells the story of Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman, his wife, Golde, and their five daughters.  The repeated ‘problem’ that Tevye and Golde contend with is their daughters falling in love and wanting to marry.

‘Tradition’ – which was very important to them – held that marriages were to be arranged, by the parents and the village ‘matchmaker’ – NOT by the young men and women falling in love!  After his oldest two daughters fall in love and receive approval to marry the ones they love, Tevye is struck by this novel idea of love being the true matchmaker.  He then asks Golde this same question that’s in today’s verse, “Do you love me?”  The ensuing song of this name is such a sweet scene.  We get to watch and listen as Tevye and Golde consider this ‘love’ and conclude that in fact they do love one another.

Let us picture ourselves in a situation where we are alone, in a quiet enjoyable place, sitting peaceably, and thinking about our faith.  Then, in the chair next to us, Jesus appears and we know it is Him.  After the initial shock and thrill of sitting there with our Lord, Jesus looks at us, and with kindness in His eyes, asks, “Do you love me?”  And after we likely answer, “Of course, I do.”  He responds by asking, “How do you know that you love me?  What is the evidence of your love for me?”

Consider those questions now:  Do you love Him?  How do you know you love Him?  What is the evidence of your love for Him?  The question is not about His love for us – but our love for Him.  Do we fully realize that God has defined what the evidence is of loving Him?  It’s not about what we think, but about the reality of what our lives demonstrate.

Psalm 13:5, 6  But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  ⁶ I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.

How long??  How long is it going to take me to find a job?  How long will it be before you answer my prayer, Lord?  How long before my spouse, or son, or daughter or friend, comes to know you?  How long am I going to have to struggle with_________? (fill in the blank)

What things are going on in our lives that the above questions describe our pleas to God?  Or, maybe we aren’t praying but simply asking ourselves these questions in frustration.  The struggles just seem to be never-ending and have led us to hopelessness and despair.  We become convinced we are alone and are stuck in situations with no way out.

When reading today’s faith-filled verses, we might respond, yes, but….  If you only knew…  While they declare such wonderful and important truths, we can respond thinking they are at odds with our situations.  But, if we look a few verses earlier, we see that David was in the midst of serious struggles when he cried out to God with questions just like these.

Four times in verses 1 and 2 David expresses his despair in asking God “How long?”

¹How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
² How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me? 

But then in verses 3 and 4 David’s despair becomes prayer:

³Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
⁴ my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall. 

Praise God!  David’s prayer leads to his wonderful faith-filled declaration of the truth:

⁵But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me. 

Despair – we cannot stop there.  Prayer – is vital but is part of the way there.  Faith – is where we must be, and where He will lead us.

Ephesians 5:10  and find out what pleases the Lord.

There are 7 words in this verse and they present a thought and a command that is important beyond measure.  I’m embarrassed by the number of times I’ve read the book of Ephesians without noticing this verse.  I think it tends to get overlooked because the verses surrounding it are so significant.

The verses immediately preceding it deal with being children of light and what that entails.  The verses following it instruct us to have nothing to do with fruitless deeds of darkness.  These are major ideas of instruction (commands) for us.  But between them lies this life-giving gem for anyone with eyes to see or ears to hear.

Who is the focus of our lives as Christians?  Why do we do the things that we do?  What is the nature of our motivation?  What are we trying to accomplish?  Who is the love of our life?  What is important to Him?  What opportunities does He give us that are beyond counting?  This verse supplies the key.

We have the incredible opportunity to please the Lord by what we do – to bring pleasure to our God.  This opportunity doesn’t occur just once, or once in awhile – but innumerable times every day.  His Word and His Spirit will guide us to discover those things that please Him.  It’s not about earning salvation or earning anything.  It’s not about us – but about Him, the one we love and belong to.  It’s not about avoiding punishment or judgment but about blessing Him.  It’s living for Him.

Think of the pleasure you experience when someone does something important to bless you just because of his or her love for you and not wanting anything in return.  By finding out what pleases the Lord – and doing it – we can bring pleasure to our God each and every day of our lives.

Hebrews 12:5-6  ⁵And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, ⁶because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

Continued from yesterday:

I would like you to consider some things that have resulted in ‘paradigm shifts’.  The introduction of these things was so profound that they radically changed our thinking and behavior: automobiles, airplanes, television, computers, internet, cell phones, ipods…  The list could go on.  Many of us have had most of these things all our lives.  Some of us are old enough to remember their initial impact.  Regardless, it is easy to see how society was radically changed by each of these inventions.

Paradigm shifts often come into play with our beliefs.  Think of an atheist having an encounter with God.  His whole world is turned right side up.  Years ago we had a pastor friend who didn’t believe that miracles could happen today – until one of his church members was miraculously healed.  He had to come to grips with the fact that his view of Scripture and God needed to be adjusted.

Today’s verses use such words as ‘disciplines’, ‘rebukes’ and ‘punishes’.  While we recognize that God disciplines, we appear to have an aversion to recognizing that these other two words are biblical and apply to us.  We have a paradigm view of God that carves these realities out.  Do we believe that ‘rebuke’ and ‘punish’ are incompatible with a loving God?

If this is our view – our paradigm – it must change because it is as wrong as viewing the world as flat. God’s discipline, rebukes and punishment are all reflective of His love for us.  Read this verse in the Amplified version to get better insight how all of these things are saturated with God’s love for us:

“⁵My son, do not think lightly or scorn to submit to the correction and discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage and give up and faint when you are reproved or corrected by Him;  ⁶For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes.” (Amplified)

This is a process to recognize and embrace.  Once we see and understand, we experience a paradigm shift – we respond with gratitude instead of resistance or resentment.  We recognize this as evidence of our Lord welcoming us to His heart.

Revelation 3:19  Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

Do you remember times when you were growing up when you wanted to do something and were told “No” by your parents?  Did you receive it well or did you respond somewhat negatively – like “You don’t love me!”?  If a child is caught doing something wrong and is disciplined for it, there is a natural tendency to respond negatively unless s/he is trained not to.

How well do we respond in adulthood to such input from our spouse, employer, boss, mentor, neighbor, friend, etc…?  When our two oldest sons were little (about 4 and 5) we were visiting dear friends who were like parents to Donna and me.  After being with them for a couple days, they sat us down and asked us, “Do you realize your sons argue with you every time you tell them to do or not to do something?”

While it wasn’t pleasant to hear, we received their counsel because 1) it was true, 2) they loved us, 3) we wanted to be godly parents, and 4) we wanted to “train our children up in the way they should go”.  The couple went on to instruct us how to change and bring about the changes in the boys.  We had an opportunity to repent and become better parents.  We embraced the process.

When I look at today’s verse, I see three ‘pieces’.  We all have a tendency to respond or react to the second and third ‘pieces’ of it, glossing over the first:

1. Those whom I love
2. Rebuke and discipline
3. Be earnest and repent

We don’t like to be rebuked, disciplined, corrected or confronted – whether directly or subtly.  We also have a tendency to see repentance as more of a ‘big ticket item’ rather than as an essential reality in our daily lives. But let’s focus on the first piece of this.  Notice how the Amplified version expands the context of this verse in terms of God’s love for us and our approach to repentance:

“Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline and instruct them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude].”  (Amplified) 

This isn’t something dry and cold – it is a love gift from the One who loves us more than anyone else.  He tells us where we need to change, how to change and He enables us to change.  The entire process is the way of life that is absolutely essential to our growth and godliness.  Without it we would never be transformed into the image of Jesus.  We embrace our God when we embrace it.

To be continued…