Still Even More Devotions for Church Leaders and Small Groups

Just one rule. That's it. God gave Adam just one little bit of responsibility, then He gave the man a wife to help him with it. And together they blew it, forcing all humans for the rest of time to deal with the curse of original sin.

I've been asked on more than one occasion why God put the tree there in the first place. After all, if there were no "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil," there'd have been no opportunity to ruin the perfect world God had created. But giving Adam and Even no opportunity to disobey, also meant giving them no chance to follow their Creator's will. It's much like us with our own children. Sometimes we'd like to be able to keep them in a totally sterile environment with nothing around to hurt them, nothing for them to break, no way for them to ever learn the "Knowledge of Evil." The problem with this utopia is that it also creates an environment that stunts growth. Without a few germs to build up their immune system and a temptation or two on the coffee table to help them learn boundaries, our children can never mature or learn to make wise decisions.
When God created man and woman, He wanted more than dolls or toys or even infants. God wanted friendship with the only thing on the earth with the potential to be like Him, the one thing He had created in His image, humans.

My children are all adults now with families of their own, and one thing I praise God for everyday is their friendship. I'm obviously still their mother, they ask my advice and I help them out from time to time, but most of the time I am their friend, someone they spend time with, laugh with, confide in and rely on. Although as they grew we always gave them opportunities to learn, either from their obedience or their mistakes, my girls learned their lessons well and don't need my boundaries anymore. And even though they received from me the consequences of their actions when they were young, and those consequences have brought them to a place of maturity and integrity, they aren't in need of my discipline anymore.

I think that when God put that tree in the garden, He knew that children who have no boundaries and face no consequences never really grow up. They never mature, in fact, they often become greedy and reckless, the kind of adult it's difficult to be friends with.
God desired, and still desires, friendship with us, His ultimate creation. He knew that a true, deep relationship would require a mature humankind, the kind of maturity that comes through temptation and testing. It may have been a more attractive option to shield us from the "Knowledge of Evil," after all, that's what we try to do for our own children. But that alternative doesn't make room for maturity, integrity and most of all . . . friendship!

"Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit." Wouldn't that be a great way to arrive at home? Perhaps you've gone out of town for business or because your parents needed you for a week. Have you ever "returned . . . in the power of the Spirit"? I'm guessing the answer is no. Perhaps if you went away for a spiritual renewal weekend of some kind, you might at least be renewed by the Spirit if not "in the power of the Spirit." However, generally when we come home from a trip, we arrive exhausted without much thought to life in the Spirit.

Regardless, we do often feel like Jesus. Our immediate welcome is overwhelming, the children shower us with hugs, our spouse is full of love; it feels good to be home. Like Jesus, though, it doesn't take long for the welcome to wear off and the wearisome to settle in. It may sound something like, "Honey, while you were gone . . ." or "Mom, did you remember I need . . ." They wouldn't treat a stranger like that! No, a stranger would continue to feel welcome for days. They wouldn't be expected to throw in a load of laundry and do all the dishes left in the sink while they were gone.

It's because, like Jesus, our family has become too familiar. They take us for granted and place higher expectations on us than complete strangers. They know what we are capable of, and they expect us to never let us down. It's a daunting task, even for Jesus.
On the other hand, while we expect the most from our family, our expectations sometimes limit them. Jesus' family was well known to the people in Nazareth. They were certain Jesus would be a carpenter; He was, after all, a carpenter's son. They could not believe this son of Mary and Joseph could be the Christ. They'd watched Him grow up. He'd played with their kids. Even the fact He was the most well behaved child they'd ever met couldn't convince them He was a Rabbi, let alone the Messiah.

Likewise, when we consider our family, our familiarity with their faults sometimes keeps us from perceiving their progress. Until it's time to buy new clothes, we don't always notice our children are growing; it's such a slow and steady rate. Spiritual growth works the same way. It would be so handy to have marks on the wall to measure spiritual growth, but the things of the Spirit don't work that way. It may be difficult to see that your spouse is yelling less at the children, since he still yells from time to time. And the fact that your son kept his room clean for an entire week might go unnoticed on that Saturday you walk in and nothing is in its place. Even your own growth might not be evident to you without a journal to remind you of thoughts you had early in your Christian walk.

Unfortunately, progress that goes unseen, growth that no one believes in, can be a hindrance to those who are attempting to become more mature or change their character defects. Jesus could only do a few miracles because of their lack of faith. Similarly, growth that is thrown back in your loved one's face causes it to be stunted.

It's a phenomenon I will forever call, "The Nazareth Principle." It's the idea that when we don't believe in a person, we limit their abilities, stop their progress and keep them from being all they can be. Children need an adult to believe they can be all they were created to be. Teens need parents and teachers to see in them the possibilities and the promise of more. They need us to look at the potential rather than the present, and adults need friends and family to have faith there is more to them than their past failures, poor choices and character defects.

The Nazareth Principle cannot be used as an excuse for not trying, but if we pay attention, we'll see it at work in many of our family members, colleagues and congregation. It's evident in children that are condemned because of their parents, siblings that bear the burden of their older brother's behavior, people who have heard those deadly words their entire life: words like can't, won't stupid, dumb, ugly, idiot.

The good news is you and I have the power to stop it. We have the ability to reverse the effects of the Nazareth Principle give people the power to see miracles in their own lives. Phrases like, "you can do it," "I believe in you," "I love you," and most importantly, "Jesus Christ loves you and created you to be more than you can ever imagine," can recreate them. Words of love, encouragement, acceptance and belief can transform a person's thinking, being, doing and living. Our job will be difficult, because along the path, we'll be tempted to become too familiar. It will be easy to miss the slow but steady growth this kind of nourishment can bring, but if we're patient and have faith, not only in the person transforming, but in the One who can bring phenomenal transformation, we will be amazed at the miracles we will see.

Paul is willing to do something I am not: give up his relationship with Christ if it means his fellow Israelites could know Jesus. Since the former cannot possibly bring about the latter, it is a moot point, a hollow wish.

Or is it?

Even though it is an impossibility, I need to ask myself, do I care about anyone else's salvation deeply enough to be willing to give up my spot in the Kingdom? I have to "speak the truth in Christ," as Paul would say. I don't think I'm ready to go that far.

Don't get me wrong. One of my life's greatest rewards is seeing folks come to and grow in Christ. But I think sometimes my attitude can take on that of verses 10-18: if someone doesn't come to Christ, it's not my fault. Paul's words here remind me that we are all "Children of the Promise." And just as some Jews in Paul's day chose to abandon that promise, people of our day will also choose that option. Only God knows who those are. When I attempt to figure out who it is that will choose life and who will choose death, I begin to play God.

Paul makes it clear, some will not come to Christ. We don't understand why God chose to show us His mercy. We should stand in awe that God did, indeed, choose us. Our hearts should be overflowing with gratitude that we have received God's mercy. When we see all of the evil in the world, we should be humbled and thankful that we have been chosen to inherit God's riches.

Meanwhile, because we've no idea whom God has chosen, we should do our best to take on the attitude of Paul: a deep, heartfelt love and concern for the salvation of our friends, our family, co-workers and people we pass on the streets. The love of Christ within us has the power and strength to love others through us. It has the capacity to love everyone, every single person in our race . . . the human race.

This morning I was considering life. I feel so blessed. My life is full and rich, but as I considered it, I wondered how I arrived at this place in my life. We aren't wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. We do own two vehicles, one will be 20 years old very soon and the other is not far from its decade mark. We live in a huge beautiful, but unfinished, home that we don't own, and own a small place that's missing some significant structure (like parts of the floor a few walls and some siding).

In my pondering I quickly concluded that much of my contentment in life comes from my lack of any expectations from it. I've learned that life on this earth is completely unpredictable. We humans love science. You might think you don't, but the truth is, we all do! We like experiments that have the same results over and over. The fact that when you heat an egg it becomes a wonderful breakfast food every single time is a comforting phenomenon, and we like those predictable aspects of our day.

However, if you stop and think about it, life in general is not so calculable. Just when we think we might have it figured out, life throws a wrench in the mix. I don't know where we got the idea that we should be able to anticipate life. The Bible doesn't paint the picture of a forecastable future. Abraham didn't know where his journey would lead him and he was a bit surprised when that baby came along at age 100. Jonah certainly didn't expect that big fish, and no one thought David would be king. Jeremiah wasn't thrilled when that muddy well made its way into his day, and Peter was as shocked as anyone when he denied his best friend three times in one evening.

My life is unpredictable and out of my control. For some that phrase would strike terror, but for me it brings contentment. Jesus said, "Don't worry about your life. Life is more than food and what you will wear." Then he shared a phrase that answers the question of "What do I do then?" Our Savior said, "Just seek me and my Father. Look for us in everything. Try to find the way to know us more. When you do that, everything you need, all of the most important things to survive on this earth will be handed to you." That is, of course, my very loose paraphrase of Matthew 6:33 and Luke 12:31, however, it's one of the greatest truths in scripture.

My life is content because I expect nothing from it. I have no expectations regarding this day to day breathing and walking. When I do, I am nearly always disappointed. Life is disappointing. This earth lets me down and steals my hope and my joy. Every time I think I have it figured out, every time I start "expecting" something from life, I'm thrown a curve, and if I allow it, I can be thrown into a huge depression. That's because, as Peter said, this earth is not my home. (I Peter 2:10-12)

Alternately, when I "seek first the kingdom of God," life is full of joyful surprises. I expect nothing, yet blessings seem to fall on me. They aren't always monumental blessings like some would expect. Often it's just the joy of having all of my family in my house at one time.
I believe that passage found in both Luke and Matthew is the beginning of the secret to the abundant life Christ promised in John 10:10. I believe that living every moment of life without worry regarding what the future holds or what my life will become has given me more freedom than I ever imagined possible. And I believe that the more I "seek" Jesus Christ, the more I abide in His love and His Word, the more I "wait" on Him, the more "all those things" and the feeling of supreme blessedness are poured out all over me!

This weekend I had the opportunity to witness two examples of things remembered. The first was a gift of two mugs, one for Steve and one for me, momentos to help us remember the way God touched our lives at a retreat where I was privileged to lead worship. The presenter mentioned a professor he'd had in seminary who'd taught him to cherish those physical reminders of "God moments." During the hard times, years after the event when it all seems surreal and during those times when we doubt if we were really touched by God, these objects can be for us like the stones the Israelites set up on the west side of the Jordan River. They can give us something to touch and see, something that will take our minds back to a day when God moved and changed our lives forever.

The facility where the retreat was held is not far from the 9-11 Flight 93 Crash Site near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. So on our way home, we made it a point to stop. We went about 30 minutes out of our way and walked in the rain to look out over a park that isn't open yet. From our vantage point, we couldn't see very much. The memorial is scheduled to open in time for the 10th anniversary of that fateful day in history, so today visitors can only see the "temporary memorial" and look through a fence about ½ mile away from the actual crash site. Regardless, I had an ominous feeling as we drove to and then looked over the place where 40 innocent people lost their lives at the hands of terrorists. We stayed only a few minutes because of the rain and the fact we couldn't get close enough to see much.

These two types of memorials sat in direct contrast on one another in my mind. On more than one occasion, the Israelites were commanded to have physical signs and days of remembrance to constantly bring to their minds the times God had intervened for them. They were to remember God saving their firstborns from the angel of death. Each of their holidays was reminder of a time when God had worked on behalf of the nation of Israel. All through scripture God set up dates, places, objects and events as reminders to His people.

As I considered these thoughts, and compared our first and second "memorials" of the day, I wondered if we, as a nation, have it all backwards. Don't get me wrong, I am glad that we remember these 40 heroes and heroines. We should never take for granted what they did to save countless lives in Washington, DC. However, I had this overwhelming feeling that God doesn't want us to remember the tragedies more than we remember the times He blessed us.

We have a Vietnam Memorial to honor those who lost their lives in that war and another to remember the Marines who died in World War II. Town after town has set up war memorials, statues, stones, markers and whole parks to honor and remember those who have served in war, and while there is nothing inherently wrong with these monuments, my question remains, "If we are remembering these horrific events with such magnificent structures and elaborate expense, what are we doing to remind ourselves of the utterly spectacular God gives us on a daily basis?"

This week we will be often reminded of that tragedy 10 years ago, it's not my goal to minimize the heroic acts of those on Flight 93. However, I believe if we set up as many "memorials" in our own lives, physical reminders of those days we saw the hand of God move, felt His touch or heard Him speak to our hearts, our lives would be forever changed. Like the Israelites, we would have more stories to tell our children and our appreciation of what God does, how He moves and how He loves would grow deeper and stronger each and every day.

So the next time God speaks to you, moves in your life or blesses you, grab hold of some physical "memorial" of the day. Use something solid, something you can touch, to remind you of the goodness, the might, the power and the love of our Creator.

"If a prophet . . . announces a miraculous sign or wonder . . . and it takes place, and he says 'Let us follow other gods,' you must not listen to him."

Wouldn't it be handy if the things that cause us to fall away from Christ just announced to us "Let us follow other gods"? I've never had any person or thing tempt me to live outside of what I know is Christ-like in that way. No, the things that tempt me are much more sly. I'm assuming that over the thousands of years since God announced this warning to Israel, the enemy has discovered there are better ways to get the children of God to turn their backs on him, even if only for a few moments.

God told Israel He would allow these prophets and dreamers to come and offer their "miracles and signs" to test them, to see if their hearts really were completely dedicated to following the one true and sovereign Lord. And in the 21st century since the birth of His Son, we find ourselves facing the same temptations with much more deceptive tactics.

Almost no one says to us, "Come follow other gods." Instead we hear things like, "Your children deserve to . . ." or "You need the money," "You deserve nice things," "Everyone is doing it," and best of all "God wants you to have it." Christians all over creation give up worshipping their creator to be slaves of the created. We miss church or skip a quiet time with God each day because we 'don't have time.' We have time for television, but not time for scripture. We have time for yard work, after all we are supposed to care for God's creation, but we don't have time to give Him the Sabbath He asked for at the very beginning. For years the world said 'Sunday is my only day to sleep in' and after it convinced us that was the reason we didn't worship, it began to schedule sporting events, even for the kids, too early to be in church AND make the game. Work has become a priority; because not only must we eat and have a simple roof over our heads, it is now necessary to have gaming systems, expensive vacations, the best car or whatever other toy our friends or co-workers have convinced us is the biggest and best.

I think it would be easier 50 years ago if someone had just said, "We don't really have to observe God's commands, let's keep the stores open on Sundays." Most shop owners would have balked at that, even non-Christians. But instead, the false prophets said, "You could make more money, and besides people NEED you to be open on Sunday; this will be such a convenience for them." Either way, the Sabbath began to be destroyed because someone didn't pass that test of Deuteronomy 12:3 & 4.

Over and over in our lives we are offered opportunities to follow Christ or follow the world. The world's reasoning changes depending on our circumstances or the culture, but Christ's always remain the same, "If you love me, you will follow my commands." "It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him."

Believe me, I know how difficult it is to tell the difference between a real prophet and a false one. I've followed the "road of good intentions" many times only to find out it wasn't the "Way of Truth." But in my life I want to follow Christ more each day, and I believe when we do that, follow Him a bit better every day of our lives, on most days we will be able to say with Joshua, "Show me this day whom you will serve . . . as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

This morning as I climbed out of the shower I heard a wheezy kind of whistling noise. At first I thought it must be my dog snoring, but the longer I heard the evenly paced, high pitched sound, the more I was convinced it was coming from outside my bathroom window. So I grabbed my glasses and looked out the six inches of open window. Our second story bathroom window is almost exactly even with the flat roof of the neighboring office building, and there on the corner of the next roof was a robin. When the bright red breasted bird opened his beak, I knew for sure that's where the sound was coming from. He looked like a very young bird, almost full grown, but with a very narrow face and not a very full breast yet.
After I listened to his lonely call a few times, I wondered if I could mimic it. His chirp was more like a whistle than a bird call. I couldn't resist, I finally gave a short single pitched whistle back to him. I knew it wasn't the right pitch, but it made him stop. He finally gave another whistle, so I changed my pitch just a bit and let out another short tweet. Sure enough, he stopped his chirping again and began to look around. After several tweets back and forth, and the poor bird looking all over trying to find me, I remembered I was supposed to be getting ready for church, not whistling at a bird!

As I dressed and went through my regular morning "routine," I couldn't help but think about that little bird. I wondered if he was looking for his mother. There was one thing I was sure of: Had that bird been a full grown bird rather than a young one, he wouldn't have given my mimicking tweets the time of day. I wasn't truly close enough to his pitch, and a full grown robin has more of a "song" in her call. He obviously wasn't old enough yet to be familiar with the true tweets from his kind.

I quickly recalled John 10:1-6: " . . . the sheep follow Him because they know His voice . . . they will never follow a stranger . . . because they don't recognize a stranger's voice." I thought about how often I feel like that little bird. Sometimes I'm so eager to hear Christ, I mistake other thoughts and feelings for His voice. I'm anxious to find Jesus. Sometimes I want protection, other times I'm simply looking for advice or encouragement. No matter what it is that causes me to seek my Savior, I've discovered that the more I get to know Him, the more often I wait until I'm sure the voice I hear is truly Him, the better my life becomes.

Perhaps you've answered the phone and had someone begin talking without identifying himself. On those occasions, I find myself paying more attention to the sound of my friend's voice than the actual conversation. Generally before we're on the phone too long, his timber, tone or something he says gives me the clue I need to correctly identify the caller. But this only works with a friend, someone I know well and have talked to a lot.

And as you may have guessed (or already have discovered in your own life), the same is true for Jesus' voice. Until we've talked with our Savior and listened for His response on a regular basis, we won't recognize Him when He calls us, and much like my little bird friend, we'll be easily fooled when a stranger tries to imitate the Holy One.

As Christians it's vital that we get to know our Savior's voice. We need to do be a 1Thessalonians 5:17 people, praying continually and listening carefully to His voice. Reading scripture is equally important so that we can become more and more accustomed to the things Jesus might say. It may take some time, we may miss His voice from time to time, like my new robin friend. However, the more we grow, the more we listen, the closer we get to Christ, the more we'll be ready to recognize His voice and the better we'll be able to fly free!

Sometimes I feel as though these words God spoke to Abraham are words God spoke to me years ago. Steve and I were married for just 3 years when he decided to join the Air Force. For the next three and a half years, I lived more than 8 hours from my parents and siblings.

I grew up in a very close family. On my mom's side, I still keep up with my 2nd and 3rdcousins. In fact we still celebrate Thanksgiving together every year. My grandmother was one of three girls and together the three of them only had five children. So, five generations later, with four of those represented at family get-togethers, we only have about 60 including spouses, and my siblings and I bring 34 of those! So, moving was difficult, but we needed work and the Air Force was a paycheck.

After just one term, we returned to our home in the hills; however, it was only about five years later that Steve felt called into ministry. We fought
it for a while. We really enjoyed being back home with our families. Finally, we packed everything we owned into a moving van and headed to
Southern Ohio. Only a couple of hours from the family now, we didn't feel quite so isolated.

During those years on an Air Force Base, I couldn't imagine being like Abraham. The Lord called, and He just picked up and moved. One wife, one nephew and some servants, and he's off! Abraham didn't have the luxury I did of knowing where he was going before he left. No, God told him to go where I will show you, and Abraham went. Although our moving wasn't as adventurous as Abraham's, and we fought it a bit, I did learn a few valuable lessons during those years.

One of the most important things I learned was the art of contentment. I spent much of our military life miserable. I had a beautiful family and a
loving husband, but I was so discontent. I was sure there was something I could add to my life to make it better. After several "additions" didn't change the internal turmoil I was feeling, I became confident I just needed to get back "home." The feelings I had must stem from missing my family, I thought. However, the relocation of my household furnishings didn't change my longing for more. If I hadn't been completed committed to making our marriage work during those couple of years, I'm sure I'd have left, but in my mind that was never an option.

About six months after we returned to Ohio, I finally began to understand my problem. The journey to my realization is another wonderful story, but the abridged version is this: When I learned to make Christ and His love and grace the central part of my life, I found contentment, and as I began to allow His Spirit to be in control of my life, I found real joy. Five years later, when our roving began again, this time in ministry, I had no problem packing up and going. We moved four times in the next ten years. Each place had blessings and lessons, and I'd have missed them if I hadn't discovered what I'm guessing Abraham always knew. As long as you are focused on your Creator, home is wherever He's called you.