July 4 – One Birth (Psalm 62:5-10)

“Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.”(Psalm 62:9)

IN WORD:
We human beings have all sorts of ways of dividing ourselves. In some cultures there is an overt, recognized caste system. In others, it is much more subtle. The western world, for example, tends to classify people in terms of economic status, race, or skill level. We’ll do nearly anything to define ourselves in tight, distinguishable groups.
There’s nothing wrong with identifying with a group of like-minded or similar-background people. The problem comes when we attribute relative worth to our different groups. We get hung up on ideology and education, pedigree and ancestry, or spending power and net worth. There’s a reason Wall Street barons and welfare mothers don’t usually hang out together, and it’s not just because they have little in common. Our sociology is not just an accident. We like our class distinctions and we want to keep them.
We are naturally divisive, but the Kingdom of God makes no such distinctions. We will all commune together at the throne. When members of every tribe and nation meet together to praise Him, there will be no borders between them. When rich and poor are gathered in His name, there will be no first-class seating. The Kingdom of God knows only one species of human beings: His children.

IN DEED:
If the Kingdom of God in heaven looks like a united fellowship of saints, shouldn’t the Kingdom of God on earth look pretty similar? The psalmist is right: In God’s eyes, there is no difference between the lowborn and the highborn. Centuries later, Jesus’ teaching would make only one distinction — between the born again and the lost. Only one kind of birth matters in His Kingdom, and it has nothing to do with pedigree. It’s all about grace, right now, here in this world. So are we.

“The union of men with God is the union of men with one another.” -Thomas Aquinas-

July 3 – The Word of Power (Psalm 119:41-48)

“I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.” (Psalm 119:48)

IN WORD:
Modern hearers of the Word often hear so much truth with so little change in our lives. We hear a sermon at church or on the radio or TV, or we read a Christian book, and even though the message may be powerful and true, we’ve often forgotten it within a matter of days or even hours. Why? One reason is that we don’t take time to meditate on what we hear.
Most of us have busy lives. Church is followed by other Sunday activities. Personal Bible study is followed by work or family responsibilities. Our days are packed with clutter, and we have little time to sit and think. But sitting and thinking are essential. When we don’t take time to think, we jump from truth to truth, with the illusion that hearing is the same as learning. Truth needs time to seep from the intellect to the depths of our soul.
When we hear or read the truth, our mental agreement is only the first step. For many, it’s also the last step. God has so much more work for His Word to do in our hearts. Meditation takes it deeper until it becomes a part of our lives. Only then does it affect us. Our minds are not changed until our hearts are transformed. Only in the hours of meditation are the deep truths of the gospel stirred into our whole being, changing us from within. Without such stirring, we are as those who agree with the gospel without really believing the gospel. True belief comes out of the core of our hearts.

IN DEED:
Does the Word lack power in your life? If so, perhaps you lack time in the Word. And no mere addition of minutes or hours will help. The time spent in the Word must be time spent chewing on the Word, figuring out its ramifications, allowing it to sink deep, and letting it refresh your life in the Spirit. We must ask questions of God’s Word and allow Him to answer. Only then does it become a powerful tool for change. Our lives can then be transformed.

“Meditation is holding the Word of God in the mind until it has affected every area of one’s life and character.”
-Andrew Murray-

July 2 – The Word of Delight (Psalm 119:97-104)

“Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.”
(Psalm 119:97)

IN WORD:
Even when we are convinced of the necessity of reading our Bible daily and applying its truths, we can get bogged down in the obligation of doing so. Somehow, perhaps not coincidentally, when we determine to learn Scripture with an open heart, the rest of life seems to close in around it. Schedules get more complicated, demands get more intense, pressing needs seem to preclude our time of meditation. Our enemy makes sure of it, and God allows him to — it’s a test of our devotion to the Word of life.
But even when we stick with it, there are times of delight and times of passive indifference. It’s human nature. What thrills us one day can often bore us the next, even when the subject is something as substantial as God’s Word.
What are we to do? How can we maintain our delight in the Bible? Perhaps it is a matter of perspective. We can easily come to view the Scriptures as irrelevant relics of a different age — one that has little consistency with an era of global multiculturalism and technological marvels. We need to remember that the human heart and its relationships are essentially the same as they were thousands of years ago — steeped in self and sin and prone to conflict and dissatisfaction.

IN DEED:
If you see the Bible as a collection of ancient writings, it might impress you, but it will not change your life very much. If, however, you see it as the vessel that holds the deep mysteries of God, the key that opens life’s secret ways, it will have amazing transforming power. The Word of God could do no less — it breathes life into dead souls and causes all that was stale and stagnant within us to flourish.
When the Bible becomes boring to you, perhaps it’s because you have reached a spiritual plateau on your journey into God’s heart. Ask Him to take you deeper. It is hard to imagine any good father who would reject such a request from his child — least of all ours.

“The Bible is a window in this prison-world, through which we may look into eternity.” -Timothy Dwight-

July 1 – The Word of Life (Psalm 119:9-16)

“ I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”
(Psalm 119:15-16)

IN WORD:
Is the Bible an obligation, something that we know we should read whether we have enthusiasm for it or not — like finishing our vegetables before we go on to the dessert? If so, we have perhaps not accurately understood the weight of this Word that God has given us. It is more than literature, more than history, more than theology. It is life.
Many a reader has gotten bogged down in the “begats” and “thou shalts” of the Bible, missing the relevance of those sections in establishing our faith as historical and human. But think about our condition: We are lost in this world, not knowing which way is up. Every midlife crisis or pang of existential angst will force us to admit it, whether we want to or not. Meanwhile, the Bible smolders on the shelf, burning to answer our ultimate questions on meanings and mysteries. It is the revelation of the divine. It has all the wisdom we need.

IN DEED:
Your culture and whichever elements of it you dwell in — whether it’s your work environment, your entertainment choices, your conversations with friends, etc. — will constantly try to pull you into its value system and its own sense of morality. God’s Word, if we will let it, will pry us back out of it. Only the Word can resist the currents of this world and shape us according to God’s design.
Does this mean we should avoid our culture? No, we cannot escape. In fact, we should involve ourselves in our world in order to influence it for God’s kingdom. But we cannot be swayed by it. Let the Word be a stronger influence in your life than any other philosophy or value system. Not only should we give it proper attention; we should delight in it, crave it, and savor it. When we do, it will accomplish in us all that God means for it to accomplish. It will make us everything we are meant to be.

“Some read the Bible to learn, and some read the Bible to hear from heaven.” -Andrew Murray-

June 30 – One Extreme to Another (James 1:9-11)

“The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position.”(James 1:9-10)

IN WORD:
Believers have a tendency to fall into one of two extremes: wallowing in the fact of our depravity, or boasting in the benefits of the faith. Each extreme can be further cultivated by our position in this world. For some reason, we draw conclusions about our poverty or wealth, that they are possible signs of God’s favor. But they aren’t. And James tells us how to re-train our minds on the matter.
Those who are of low position in this world may need to be reminded frequently that they are beloved children of the Most High God. Those who are rich and successful may need to be reminded frequently that they are thoroughly corrupt sinners and are called to be servants. But at one time or another, we all need to know both. Only a balanced knowledge of truth will preserve a right perspective: We are unbelievably, insufferably depraved and naturally divorced from the living God; and we are unimaginably, gloriously redeemed and blessed with eternal treasures, including knowing Him. Both extremes are unalterably true. Nothing can change the fact that we came from such a lowly place, and nothing can take away the thrilling promise of where we are headed. From the decay of this rebellious planet to the family of the King — what a story!

IN DEED:
Do you tend to dwell on our sinful condition? Humble circumstances might lead you to such an imbalance. Meditate on the riches of the Kingdom. Do you tend to feel superior to others? Worldly success might lead you to such an imbalance. Remember our corrupt origins and our call to sacrificial service.
But regardless of your circumstances — material or spiritual — know that both extremes are true for every believer. The Bible is clear. The story of grace is altogether amazing. We’ve been lifted from one extreme to another.

“The one sole thing in myself in which I glory, is that I see in myself nothing in which I can glory.”
-Catherine of Genoa-

June 29 – Necessary Prayers (1 Samuel 12:19-25)

“Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.”(1 Samuel 12:23)

IN WORD:
You have wondered if your prayers are effective. You have felt, at times, as though you were trying to persuade a reluctant God to intervene in a situation that He’d prefer to leave alone. Deep in your heart, it sometimes seems as though your prayers and your God are moving in opposite directions. You’ve let your feelings result in inactivity.
It is safe to assume that you’ve followed this pattern, at least occasionally, because virtually all Christians have. No genuine believer is convinced that he or she is adequate in prayer. We have a nagging feeling that we could and should pray more. Part of the reason that we don’t is that we’re not entirely convinced that our prayers are necessary.
The picture in Samuel is of a God who has made prayer an integral part of His activity in this world. We are not commanded to convince a reluctant God to do what He is loathe to do; we are commanded to be a catalyst for His intervention. Not only is it acceptable to make our appeals to Him, it is required. God gives us the impression that His activity in the affairs of men is somehow contingent on the prayers of intercessors. If we don’t pray, He doesn’t act. In His divine arrangement with this planet, our prayers are essential. It is His plan for us to ask; when we don’t, we violate His plan.

IN DEED:
Has the Holy Spirit prompted you to pray for someone? You must follow through on it. His prompting was not superfluous; He is efficient with His directions, and He would not have led you unless your prayers were an essential aspect of His intervention. We must continue in our prayer assignments until God’s work is done. When His Spirit assures us that our prayers are complete, we may move on to others — but not before. His plan may hinge on your pleadings. Plead however — and whenever — He leads.

“Pray as if everything depended upon your prayer.”
-William Booth-

June 28 – Wisdom in Waiting (Psalm 106:1-23)

“They soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel.”(Psalm 106:13)

IN WORD:
You’ve asked God for direction. It has not yet come. You feel as if you must act. Surely God must want you to go with your best instincts. If He did not, He surely would have answered by now. His silence can mean nothing other than to go ahead and do what you think is best, right?
Psalm 106 recounts the history of Israel’s rebellion. One aspect of their disobedience was following the urge to act when God had not yet given counsel. They forgot His goodness. Had they remembered, they would have waited; but human nature finds waiting to be difficult. When clear memories of God’s benefits are absent, we feel we must seek our own benefit. The people of Israel forgot that God was their defender, provider, protector, deliverer, and all-purpose miracle worker. So which direction did they pursue? “They gave in to their craving” (v. 14).
The impulse to act quickly always leads us to our own human devices. On what else can we base our decisions when we have not waited for God’s direction? We have no other recourse. We choose to do what we think is best, and we are left then with the limitations of our thinking. God rarely works in a rush. Forming Jesus within us — the renewal of our minds — takes time.

IN DEED:
There is virtually no way to discern God’s will without waiting quietly. Self-generated desires must be quelled. God must be asked. We must listen. The Word must take root in our hearts. The counsel of others in the body of Christ must be sought. The options must be weighed. In time, one course of action will stand clear. The voice of God will whisper in your ear: “This is the way. Walk in it.”
How much do you trust the wisdom of God? Enough to wait until after it’s “too late”? God won’t heed our deadlines, but He is never too late. His direction will come, His way will be clear, and His timing will be perfect.

“He never comes to those who do not wait.”
-Frederick William Faber-

June 27 – Wisdom in Community (Proverbs 15:22)

“The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.”(Proverbs 12:15)

IN WORD:
How do the wise know their decisions are sound? How do fools know theirs are not? Neither question can be answered by looking within. The human heart is not reliable in matters of wisdom. We hope our perspectives are based on reality, but there are always distortions, always perceptual filters through which we receive our information. The way that seems right to us may — or may not — be right.
The history of Israel is filled with 2 contrasting approaches to life. In Deuteronomy, God and Moses repeatedly urge the people to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. In Judges, everyone did what was right in his or her own eyes. Thereafter, Scripture clearly points out that godly kings did right in God’s eyes. Ungodly kings did right in their own eyes. But nearly all thought they were doing right.
Our period of history is one in which most people do right in their own eyes. Ethics are considered by most to be relative. People live their lives as ships with no anchor. Each has his own god. We are urged by popular spiritual leaders to look within for the answers, for deep in the human heart we will find our own true calling and follow our own course. Nothing could be more un-biblical. Fools aren’t aware of their foolishness. How can we know what is right? By feeling? By following momentary or self-derived desires? Is there any objective standard by which wisdom is measured?

IN DEED:
There is, of course. The Bible gives us solid wisdom on which to base our lives. But while it is absolute, its interpretation can vary widely. That’s where advice comes in. Never underestimate the body of Christ. He has crafted us to live in community. Wisdom usually comes not to godly individuals but to godly fellowships.
Are you seeking direction? Know your heart, but do not trust it entirely. Measure out by biblical wisdom and the counsel of those who follow it well.

“Seek the advice of your betters in preference to following your own inclinations.” -Thomas A Kempis-

June 26 – Spiritual Diversity (1 Corinthians 12:1-20)

“There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”(1 Corinthians 12:6)

IN WORD:
The gifts of the Spirit are a glorious treasure. They are evidence that God has grafted us into His plan and made us His co-workers. Think of that! Partners with the eternal God! No achievement or recognition in our labor can compete with that. There is no higher honor for the work of our hands.
Such an amazing reality only comes to life in those who have the mind of Christ — those who are spiritually minded and filled with the Spirit of God. It is all the more amazing, then, when human nature distorts this blessing and makes it a fleshly point of contention. But how often this happens! The gifts of the Spirit become our occasion to judge the work of grace in others. If God has given us the gift of mercy, we have contempt for those who demonstrate a lack of it. If God has given someone a burden for a specific social problem, how easy it is for that person to assume all others should have the same burden. How common it is for us to think of our own gifts as spiritual and those who lack them as un-spiritual. Our giftedness and convictions are a true measure of spiritual maturity only in our own minds — never in Scripture.

IN DEED:
Church unity is often disrupted by the assumption that all causes are to be equally defended by all believers. Or that all ministries are to be equally served by all members of the body of Christ. We forget that our God loves variety. We forget that He has not distributed His gifts with absolute equity. Does that seem unfair? No, He will judge in fairness. Everyone is accountable for the resources he or she has been entrusted with. No more, no less. The distribution is determined by the wisdom of God.
Spiritual maturity is not found in having all gifts or defending all causes. It is found in accepting the diversity of God’s people and working within it.

“Spiritual gifts are no proof of spirituality.”
-Samuel Chadwick-

June 25 – Too Many Identities (Romans 8:28-30)

“Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.”(Romans 8:29)

IN WORD:
Many young people find their identity in a pro athlete or team, while others idolize and emulate a rock star or movie star. Adults are more subtle, but we, too, will identify ourselves by our careers, our family roles, our hobbies, or trends set by our favorite celebrities. It is human nature to pick an appealing image — any image — and then try to live up to it. We enthusiastically become like the people or ideals on which we set our affections. When we want to, we conform easily. Our desired image becomes a part of us.
When we become Christians, we may have found that we continually struggle to become Christlike. Why? If our affections are set on Him as they once were on the trends and icons of our culture, wouldn’t a godly transformation be a natural process for us? Perhaps that is just the problem. Perhaps our affections are not entirely Christ-ward. We easily let our love grow stale, losing the excitement that newness and discovery naturally brought us at first. Other images — cultural trends and newfound interests — become the object of our infatuation, while Jesus subtly and imperceptibly passes from our adoration to our obligation.
When this happens, we find godliness more of a struggle. It is hard to let ourselves become conformed to the image of Jesus when we hold another image in higher esteem. Other passions pull us in other directions, often making conflicting — or at least superfluous — demands on our character. Godly character cannot thrive in such a context. Our spirits will not fit into two molds simultaneously.

IN DEED:
Is your growth toward godliness a difficult struggle? Examine your desires. How do you envision yourself? How would you like others to perceive you? What image do you aim for? If you find any image other than Jesus shaping your soul, abandon it. It will hinder your growth. Find your identity entirely in Him.

“We cannot help conforming ourselves to what we love.”
-St. Francis de Sales-