Tuesday June 12

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Don Schmidt

Matthew 6:1 “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

President Reagan had this wonderful plaque on his desk: “There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.”  The receiving of credit is a very important part of our culture.  It’s like earning grades in school.  We grow up expecting our efforts to be recognized.  Early in my sales career I experienced the disappointment of not being recognized.  The top salesperson was publically recognized each month, except they forgot to do it the first month I finished on top.

One aspect of this is the negative response most of us have when credit is given to someone where it isn’t deserved, i.e., someone has been cheating and then getting recognized for excelling.  Or in the workplace, to see someone recognized when someone else was primarily responsible.  What do we do if we are the ones who receive credit for that which is done by someone else?  Do we speak up and re-direct the credit where it belongs?

More importantly, are the good things we do linked to a desire to receive recognition?  Are we at peace with knowing that the Lord knows what we do?  Jesus warns us here of the problem of doing the right things we are supposed to do, but with an eye to receiving credit for them – to be seen by men.  The issue to me isn’t the idea that we lose the reward from our Heavenly Father, but the fact that our motivation is tainted by this desire to have our efforts seen.  It is bad for us and displeasing to Him.

The Lord wants our motivations to be centered in the joy of pleasing Him.  Living our lives in accord with Scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit brings the joy of knowing that every action is an expression of our love for God.  Instead of the need to ‘be seen by men’, we live our lives to bring glory and praise to our God.   Matthew 5:16 speaks powerfully to this, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  That is the motivation that we want to fill our hearts!

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Monday June 11

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Don Schmidt

Proverbs 17:3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.

Where are we?  Where are we going?  And, how do we get there?  Isn’t God good to use testing to show us!  Has the thought crossed your mind that testing is vital to our destiny and is a priceless blessing?  Where would we be without it?  It’s a good thing that it is such a blessing because there’s a limitless supply of testing for each of us!

No matter what situations we find ourselves in, God is in the midst of them working in our lives; revealing who we are and where we are in our walk with Him.  Testing highlights our strengths and weaknesses; it shows how far we’ve come and how far we have to go.  It is like a spiritual GPS – it lets us know where we are.  Fortunately, the Holy Spirit and God’s Word, are the components that give understanding to the ‘where we are’ piece, but more importantly they are also the components that let us know where we are going and how to get there.

Think about that.  This process applies to every area and aspect of our lives: our thoughts, habits, idiosyncrasies, mannerisms, attitudes, interactions, etc…  God wants to transform every area of our lives to be like Jesus.  This applies to absolutely everything about us – without any exemptions.  And God uses all circumstances for testing, not just the difficult times.

How do we respond when things are going well?  How do we respond to praise and success?  Do we have a tendency to become less dependent upon the Lord in such times?  Do we walk in humility and grace; or do we become proud of what ‘we’ have accomplished?

When things become difficult, do we blame or question God?  Do we become anxious and stressed out?  Do our lives demonstrate that we are genuinely trusting God?  Are we kind and considerate no matter what happens?

Fortunately, God works with us in everything.  No matter where we find ourselves with regard to any aspect of our lives, He has a redemptive path for us.  Do we need to repent – or are we affirmed because we responded righteously to the situation?  If we responded well, could we have done better?  Do we then glorify Him by properly responding to what the ‘testing’ has shown us about ourselves?

It’s so important that we remember that we are not our own.  We belong to Him and He wants us to be demonstrations of His love and grace.  Just as the crucible and furnace are used to purify silver and gold, God uses the testing to purity us – so that we might glorify Him.

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Sunday June 10

Posted on June 10, 2012 by Don Schmidt

James 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

In the Lord’s prayer there is the passage, “and lead us not into temptation”.  I heard a Bible teacher many years ago paraphrase this in a very helpful way, “Lord, let there not be anything in my heart that would cause you to put me to the test.”  God does not tempt anyone with evil but He does provide testing situations that will bring things into the light that need to be exposed and dealt with.

In the story of the prodigal son the return of the younger brother afforded the older brother just such an ‘opportunity’.  The older brother reacted to his father’s positive response to the return of his younger brother.  His negative reaction revealed much that was going on in his heart that both he and his father might not have been aware of.  Even though he was apparently doing things ‘right’ on the outside, his heart contained much that was not ‘right’.

We might not realize it but this is a primary way that God deals with us.  He allows circumstances to come into our lives that reveal what is going on within us.  Frequently these circumstances involve unpleasant or difficult things.  We might respond rightly – or in the event we don’t He makes us aware of what is within us and gives us the gift of an opportunity to repent!

Sometimes this happens where only He and we are aware of what needs to be repented of.  Other times it happens with more people involved.  In either situation, we have a choice to make.  Are we going to recognize our need for repentance or are we going to ignore what the Holy Spirit is showing us about ourselves?  This process plays such an important role in His transforming us into the image of Jesus.

Hopefully, when such things happen in our lives and we respond wrongly, we will recognize our sin and repent.  Further it is important to cultivate a heart of gratitude for such workings of the Holy Spirit.  If He didn’t allow us to see our sin, we would never change.  Think of it this way.  He allows us to see where the ‘termites’ are in our dwelling.  And who wouldn’t want to get rid of the termites?

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Saturday June 9

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Don Schmidt

Matthew 11:28-30   28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Here where we are house sitting for missionary friends I have the opportunity to plan my work in their big yard to be in the shade as the sun moves through the day.  Working in the shade sure beats working in the sun when it’s hot and humid – and better still is to have a breeze come up.  Isn’t it amazing the marvelous impact that a cool breeze can have upon us when we’re working outside on a hot day?

This passage from Matthew is truly special.  How encouraging it is when we’re weary and burdened to hear that we can be given rest.  The key is the speaker, for it is Jesus speaking and He is telling us that rest is available if we come to Him.  He is our ‘shade’ and our ‘cool breeze’ as we work in the ‘hot days’ of our lives.

When we think of a yoke, we tend to think of oxen and work.  But Jesus says to take His yoke upon us and learn from Him.  When we do, we learn He is gentle and humble of heart and we find rest for our souls.  Even more amazing is the discovery that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  He has a way of transforming everything – no matter what kind of circumstances we find ourselves in.

One of the difficulties we often deal with is the tendency to allow our faith to be pushed to the background by the burdens and life-struggles that we contend with every day.  We get busy and overwhelmed and focus upon everything else – not fully embracing our Lord and our faith.  This isn’t our intention, it just happens to be the way it works out all too often for many of us.  He doesn’t condemn us or abandon us to our own devices.  But He lovingly pursues us to hear and respond.

This promise is true whether we are Christians or not.  Anyone can come to Jesus and find rest.  Better than that is the life He has for all who do come to Him.  If we are weary and burdened, we need to be reminded that we have the greatest resource imaginable in our Lord.  We must come to Him, put Him first and spend the time learning of Him to experience the refreshing wonder He has available for us.

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Friday June 8

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Don Schmidt

Have you ever noted the perverse delight we experience when we are able to get even with someone who’s done us wrong?  And have you noticed how we can be preoccupied or even consumed by negative thoughts of someone who’s wronged us when they seem to get away with it?  I call that negative meditation.  I think it’s accurate to say that none of this is redemptive.

Getting even!  Tit-for-tat!  Giving them what they deserve!  In some cultures of the world such thoughts and values lead to the shedding of blood and the taking of lives.  Some of our Christian brothers and sisters face this each day because they have rejected the faith of their culture and became Christian.  Our problem isn’t that we want to kill someone, but it’s more in the idea of successfully “doing unto them as they did to us” – but in an appropriate way (sarcasm).

The fruit of such thoughts and actions are deadly and forbidden.  Today’s verse is Romans 12:19 Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.” (MSG)  This is like the Lord saying to us, “Don’t play in the minefield!”

Jesus taught us, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”  (Matthew 7:12)  This truth applies – always.  It means we act and respond to all circumstances and provocations in a way consistent with God’s word.  But in the heat of a moment or in the stinging aftermath of being hurt how do we get there?

I find that the priceless key for me is forgiveness. It is the escape hatch from this path of revenge and getting even.  Forgiveness is a decision of our will and is not dependent upon our feelings.  It is like cracking open an egg.  Once done, it’s done!  We cannot undue it.  Then we seek the Lord’s help in dealing with our anger, bitterness, frustration, etc…

Think of Jesus forgiving from the cross.  Think of Stephen forgiving while he is being stoned to death.  Think of glorifying God when we are negatively treated.  Remember that Jesus taught us to, “Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” (Luke 6:38)

The Bible teaches that a man will reap what he sows.  That principle is true for everyone.  When someone sows unrighteousness, the Lord wants us to recognize that He is the one in charge of determining what they reap – and when.  When unrighteousness happens to us, let our prayer be for God to grant repentance and mercy to the one doing it.

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Thursday June 7

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Don Schmidt

Romans 12:17  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.

Back during the Depression my father worked in a bank. One of his memories was that the tellers at the bank he worked at were not trained to spot counterfeits by looking at examples of counterfeit currency.  The focus was upon learning what the genuine bills looked like.  They became so familiar with the real that when they were flipping through the bills, a variant would stand out no matter how small or subtle the difference was.

Taking a look at today’s verse, consider evil and wrong (the opposite of right) as counterfeits.  We can spend our time focusing on what not to do, but that raises the question of how do we know whether an action or attitude is evil or wrong.  It makes a whole lot more sense to focus on learning what is right.

What is the right way to respond when evil is done to us or those we love?  How do we determine what is right when in the midst of turbulent circumstances?  Let’s consider another illustration that we can relate to.  Why do pilots get trained and licensed to fly on instruments?

The reality of flying is that all manner of weather is encountered.  We’ve all heard the stories of pilots in flight simulators who fly them ‘into the ground’ because they lose their bearings.  Their instincts are telling them they’re doing fine, but the instruments indicate they are headed for disaster.  Pilots must trust their instruments when they are flying in adverse conditions.

These two illustrations present a unique picture for us.  God’s Word is the ultimate and absolute source of defining what is right.  It contains the principles and instructions that provide the basis for recognizing what is right in every situation.  The Holy Spirit in essence becomes our ‘instrument panel’.  He communicates to us the insights and understandings needed to safely navigate every situation – no matter how difficult or confusing.

We learn His voice.  He brings to mind appropriate understandings of God’s word that apply to the situations at hand.  We learn to trust Him, not our instincts, public opinion or what seems right.  We look to Him.  It doesn’t mean we won’t make mistakes, but by doing this we become increasingly aware of our dependence upon God.  The more we look to Him and live out His ways, the more right choices we will make.

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Wednesday June 6

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Don Schmidt

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

For many years we lived in NE Ohio and attended a wonderful church named St. Luke’s.  The worship was particularly good and much to our blessing St. Luke’s was really involved with the arts: drama, mime, dance, pageantry, painting were all part of the church-life there.

One of our favorite examples of the arts was when an artist would paint during the worship service (that typically lasted for 45 – 50 minutes).  St. Luke’s was blessed with a number of fine artists.  On Sunday morning, if an artist’s easel with a blank canvas was up front on the platform, we knew that a special blessing was coming.  The artist would begin painting when the worship started.

The artist would paint what was in their heart as moved by the worship.  We would sing and the artist would paint – inspiring one another.  The painting would always involve some aspect of faith.  The Lord used the gifting of the artist to enhance our worship and draw us closer to Him.  The painting would be sufficiently done by the end of worship for everyone to be blessed by what the artist had accomplished.

Importantly it was never about the artist – it was always about the Lord.  Fortunately many of the paintings have become prints that may be purchased and enjoyed.  My favorite one of all is a representation of today’s verse.  It is painting of a beautiful blue urn riddled with cracks showing the golden glory of God filling it and shining out through all the cracks.   Thankfully it is a print we own.

We have been blessed by this print for many years.  It is such a wonderful reminder of the dynamic we enjoy with the Lord.  He fills us with his love and glory in order that He would shine out through our lives – in spite of the vessels of clay that we are.

Note: Much to our joy, we are once again attending St. Luke’s since moving back to the Akron area.

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Tuesday June 5

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Don Schmidt

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.

This past Sunday I had a marvelous experience with this verse.  It is unquestionably one of the best known verses in the Bible and maybe that familiarity leads us to gloss over it a bit. But Sunday when Mike, our pastor, talked about it, God just blessed me once again with a glimpse of the magnificence that it is.

It was like Moses at the burning bush.  He saw something and rather than pass on by, he turned aside and suddenly encountered God.  Seeing a bush on fire is no big deal.  Seeing a bush on fire and not burning up – unusual.  Encountering God – huge!  Exodus 3:6 describes what Moses encountered when he turned aside to look more closely at the burning bush.

Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

 The Lord has this way of surprising us with unexpected insights and experiences.  We see or hear something and when we pause in our thoughts to consider it – turn aside – all of a sudden we encounter our God!

Remember the two on the road to Emmaus?  Jesus came and walked with them but they were prevented from recognizing him.  Then because their hearts were moved, they sought him to stay with them as it was late.  As he broke bread and gave it to them,

Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the  Scriptures to us?”(Luke 24:31-32)

 On Sunday, when I was drawn to this verse, the Lord opened it and suddenly I was just bathed by the richness of His incredible love.  It was like cascading waves breaking over me again and again, saturating me with His love and His joy that we are His – that I am His!  And the wonder that we have Jesus!

As I sat there Sunday morning – and as I sit here writing this today – there are just no words to describe the wonder of our relationship with Him.  And to think that is just a foretaste of what is to come!  Because of Jesus, we are His for all eternity!

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Monday June 4

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Don Schmidt

Galatians 5:1 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Have you noticed that everything that is considered ‘excellence’ requires effort and work?  Music, sports, writing, college, cooking, careers, parenting, marriage, gardening, etc…  makes no difference.  Excellence doesn’t happen by accident.  Each area of endeavor has its own requirements of things to be learned and mastered.  They all have standards that identify what excellence is.

Donna makes a bread pudding to die for.  Just thinking about it is wonderful.  The recipe came from a master chef in New Orleans that we got at a sales conference 20 years ago.  There are 10 different ingredients in it including pecans, raisins and coconut – and a marvelous sauce to go with it.  The recipe has nuances, such as the nature of the bread used, that are critical to the outcome.  It is warm and moist – not dry or mushy – and the flavors are amazing.  It doesn’t happen by accident.

Excellent, Christian lives don’t happen by accident either.  We need to understand what constitutes such a life, what must be done to develop it and cultivate the desire for it to happen.  The Holy Spirit is central to all of this.  We must listen and respond to what He shows us.  A major arena of our lives in which He will continually work with us on deals with the desires of the flesh.  These are identified in many places but let’s look at those identified in Galatians 5:19-21 (New Living Translation)

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

In earlier devotionals I’ve written of things that characterize what I call ‘skunk factor’ land.  Anyone who does them gets contaminated like getting sprayed by a skunk.  These items listed here will undermine and overcome our efforts to live a Christian life.  Their impact is far worse than just making us ‘smell’ bad.  They will radically affect who we are.  These are things to run from – just as we would from an approaching skunk with his tail raised.  They are the antithesis of walking in the Spirit.

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Sunday June 3

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Don Schmidt

Deuteronomy 8:2  Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

Suppose the Lord spoke to you in a dream and let you know that the next day you were going to be tested by Him, but He didn’t go into the particulars of what it would entail.  When you got up in the morning you were excited and a bit nervous because you wanted to pass the testing.

Spend a moment and think about what kind of things the Lord might do to test you.  Might it involve work – dealing with what you do and how well you do it?  Would it involve relationships?  Would it involve the possibility of a promotion, where it would be an interview or performance evaluation regarding how well you know your job.  Would the testing involve big things or small things?  How do we tell the difference between big things and small things?

Suppose when you got to work, your boss told you that he needed you to prepare an important presentation for that afternoon that could result in major new business for the company.  This unexpected opportunity would involve you working with a bunch of people throughout the day to put it together.  A lot to do; with little time to do it; with a major opportunity as the potential outcome – what a test!

Most of the day was an adventure interacting with co-workers to obtain what was needed.  They all seemed to have more than enough to do on top of helping you. The presentation was completed, delivered to your boss and the big opportunity was won.

But at the end of the day, you discovered that winning the opportunity wasn’t the test the Lord was referring to.  Your boss was pleased with the end result, but the Lord had been looking at something else.  His test involved all of the human interactions that you had in preparing the presentation.  Given the importance of the project, did you fall into a more abrasive style where ‘the ends justify the means’ mentality kicked in – in order to get the job done?  Did you assume fences could be mended later?

Or, were your attitudes, words and actions consistent with your faith? In difficult human interactions were grace and kindness there.  Would your co-workers be grateful for the way you performed your task?  We have a real tendency to focus on the ‘destination’. The Lord is vitally concerned with how we get there.  In His eyes, the process is the goal.

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