January 16 – Guarded Hearts
(Proverbs 4:20-27)

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
(Proverbs 4:23)

IN WORD:
Our hearts, the well springs of our lives, are given free reign by most of us. We’re under the illusion that we can’t help how we feel; our emotions are considered the foundation of who we are. And as our feelings rise & fall as often as the wind changes direction, so does our life. We are guided by feelings far more often than we’d like to think. We make decisions based on feelings and then rationalize them, rather than making decisions based on reality and then letting the feelings fall in behind. We let our emotions define us. That is a dangerous way to live.
David could testify to that. His extraordinarily Godward heart usually led him into the Father’s will. But it also led him into temptation and a sin with catastrophic results. Even his heart, so often in sync with God’s, was fickle. And fickle hearts produce misdirected people.
We think, when we turn our hearts over to God, that He governs us and shapes us automatically. That’s not what Scripture says in the above verse, however. That verse is a command. We are to guard our hearts. We are to be careful about what we let into them. Our hearts cannot be an open door to unbiblical and ungodly influences. We are not to be captive to them; they are to be captive to the Word of God. We are given the responsibility of being vigilant about their content.

IN DEED:
Does your heart ride along with your feelings like an anchor-less ship on the waves? Is it subject to deep swells and rapidly changing courses? If so, finding direction from God may be a challenge. You may be waiting for Him to shape your heart, while He is waiting for your to guard it! He will do His part, but only YOU can do yours. The wisdom of Proverbs makes your vigilance the highest priority: “above all else.” That is the attention we are to give to our emotional swells. It is paramount. BE ON GUARD!

“Oh, study your hearts, watch your hearts, keep your hearts!”
-John Flavel-

January 15 – Guarded Lives (Proverbs 4:20-27)

“Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.”(Proverbs 4:21-22)

IN WORD:
The godly life is not lived passively. It is not random, and it is not a life of wandering. Those who wait for God’s Word to change them will only find it so doing when they actively feed themselves with it. Those who expect the sermons they hear and the words they read to make them godly will be entirely frustrated unless they are diligent in meditating on the truth and applying it to their lives. Simply sitting in a pew week after week will do nothing radical in a believer’s life. Wisdom is not gained by passive absorption or osmosis. It must be consumed and savored. It must become the focal point of our thinking.
Those who hear words of wisdom and do not apply them are like the receivers of the seed in Jesus’ parable of the 4 soils (Matthew 13:20-22). They hear the truth. They understand it. They even agree with it. But it has no benefit for them. It isn’t real faith. James concurs (James 1:22-24): Hearing, understanding, and agreeing without application is a self-deceptive dynamic. It appears to be faith, but it effects no change in the life of the hearer. Something more is needed — diligence, for example. And action. God and His truth are to be treasured more than any other affection of our heart.

IN DEED:
Where do your affections lie? Do you hear the truth and then turn your heart to other things? We will not retain what we’ve heard or read unless we dwell on it for a while, turning it over in our minds and locking it within our hearts. We will not be changed and we will not grow by passive hearing. We must set our affections on God’s wisdom, act on it, and beat away any philosophical or material rivals. The promise for doing that is amazing: life & health. Truth & righteousness are powerful; they are the substance of our lives.

“One gem from the ocean [the Bible] is worth all the pebbles from earthly streams.” -Robert Murray M’Cheyne-

January 14 – Heavenly Sacrifice (Mark 10:42-45)

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”(Mark 10:43)

IN WORD:
When we have the mind of Christ, we have a servant mind. “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,” Jesus proclaimed (v. 45). Even Him. That’s what His kingdom is all about — sacrifice and service, giving and sharing, considering the needs of others at least equal to, if not greater than, the needs of ourselves.
It’s a pleasant thought, isn’t it? But it’s a difficult process. Why? Because we are used to thinking of our talents and gifts in terms of what they can accomplish for us. Deep down inside, we want to get ahead. We are driven with an ambition to accomplish something, and sin has distorted that drive to make it self-serving. Like the architects of the Tower of Babel, we want to “build ourselves a city” and “make a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4). Our desired “city” is often an impressive reputation and the praise of those who will recognize it. Such a drive does not naturally lead us into service.

But Jesus never asked us to do what comes naturally. The mind that He cultivates within us will have nothing to do with self-serving accomplishment. It will have drive and ambition, to be sure, but not in the direction we once pursued. No, we will be consumed with a vision for heavenly unity, and we will realize that the only way to have it is to serve. We will not care about our own reputations nearly as much as we care for the reputation of the Kingdom of God. Instead of making a name for ourselves, we will make a name for His Kingdom. And it will be a humble, sacrificial name.

IN DEED:
God Almighty clothed Himself in human flesh and served sinful people. We could learn from His example. In fact, we must! It is a command. But it is a command with an unexpected promise: This service means greatness in God’s Kingdom. As surely as self-interest drives us away from Him and others, self-sacrifice draws us in and closer to others. Our gifts and our talents become useful tools for the benefit of others.

“The only life that counts is the life that costs.”
-Frederick P. Wood

January 13 – Rich Toward God (Luke 12:13-21)

“I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”
(Luke 12:19)

IN WORD:
When we sit in God’s presence and seek His mind, His Spirit will convince us of the treasure we have in His name. Ephesians 1, one of the great chapters on what it means to be “in Christ,” tells us that we have “every spiritual blessing in Christ” (v.3) — redemption, forgiveness, knowledge, hope, the Holy Spirit, security, and an incorruptible inheritance. God has lavished such imperishable gifts on us. They cannot be taken away, they are immediately accessible, and they could not possibly be any greater. We are very much highly favored.
Yet, the problem from our present perspective is this: We don’t know how to access these precious gifts. We see our physical needs as much more urgent and our heavenly riches as much more distant. We’re happy about the salvation we’ve been given, but it won’t help us take that much-needed vacation today. We’re excited about the prospect of heaven, but it won’t pay the mortgage this month. We’re thrilled to be seated with Jesus by God’s throne, but that doesn’t secure the position we need to advance our career. Or does it?
It all depends on how we see our mortgages and careers. Are they tools for godly living? Or are they a means to secure our heaven now? Do we leverage the goods of this world for eternal purposes? Or do we spend them on our momentary satisfaction? Where are we really investing? Does our full portfolio major on spiritual realities? Have we learned that current investments can have everlasting returns? If so, our income and expenses are really very spiritual. They build God’s Kingdom!

IN DEED:
Materialism is deceptive. We are encouraged at every turn to live the high life, go for the gusto, grab life by the horns, and hang on to what we’ve got. We are obsessive about our upward mobility. Our problem is that we’ve forgotten how to define “upward.”
Know your citizenship is in heaven and invest in that. Take care of your physical needs and the needs of others, and then live in the Kingdom of God. It will forever pay dividends.

“A man there was, though some did count him mad; the more he cast away, the more he had.” -John Bunyan-

January 12 – The City With Foundations (Hebrews 11:8-10)

“He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”(Hebrews 11:10)

IN WORD:
Those who sit in God’s fellowship regularly, meditating on His mind and accepting His love, will begin to view time in terms of eternity rather than the brief life we live on this broken planet. Rather than trying to build heaven in our few decades here, we will be freed to make sacrifices now, knowing that an everlasting heaven awaits us. We will make decisions not with present security and future retirement in mind, but with “forever” in full view. The Spirit of the eternal God will fill us with eternal thoughts.
What stands in the way of this perspective? FEAR. We are often afraid that we will not have enough to take care of our families and ourselves if we live “all out” for God. We wonder if God will lead us to hard fields or violent crosses as He did our Savior and His disciples. We fear the consequences of a completely Godward life. And so we build houses for now and hope for the eternal mansion down the road.
God’s promises allow us to go ahead and consider the mansion down the road as ours. We don’t have to obsess about our security now when we are assured of an everlasting home that cannot be taken away. We can put up with a few years of sacrifice, toil, pain, and service with the calm confidence that our ultimate citizenship is elsewhere. We are free to serve God at whatever cost, because nothing can cost us our inheritance. We know where this life is going to lead us and that it will never end.

IN DEED:
Forsake fear. Every Christian has in the back of his or her mind, from time to time, a little voice that cautions against a completely sacrificial life. That’s NOT God’s voice! His mind, which He shares with us, will overcome such thoughts. His Spirit, if we trust Him, will assure us that His promises are certain and that this present place is a place of joyful sacrifice. How do we receive such assurance? With an eternal perspective. We know what counts, and we can live with our sights set on the city with eternal foundations.

“The only way to get our values right is . . . To see things not in the light of time, but in the light of eternity.” -William Barclay-

January 11 – The Renewed Mind (Romans 12:1-2)

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)

IN WORD:
How will we see things when God’s wisdom has become a part of our own thinking? What should this renewed, transformed mind of the believer look like? There are 3 radical re-orientations that we must undergo. We will begin to understand our time, our treasures, and our talents differently. We will stand in a dramatically different place than we once stood, and our perspective will reflect that change. Our eyes will gaze on new heights and our desires will lean in new directions. We are a new creation; we will learn to live as one.

How do we get there? Do we change suddenly or little by little? Is it by the diligence of our effort or by the merciful gift of God? Is it a matter of hard study or spiritual osmosis? The answer is “all of the above.” God will give us His mind — we can be sure of that. It comes from Him out of the mercies of His good will, and He is generous with all of His children. But it also requires a diligence that will search His Word, seek His guidance, cooperate with His plan, receive His correction, and wait patiently for His providence. We are to boldly persevere in our ambitious drive to receive the completely free gift of God’s wisdom.

IN DEED:
If you became a Christian as a child and do not remember well the difference between your new life and your old, you may have lost sight of the radical nature of the new mind. Or, if you once knew the power of transformation but have since let it slide into a hybrid life of the new and the old, you may have lost sight of the constant call of the new creation. In either case, let your mind be transformed and your life renewed again & again. It is a lifelong process for the believer, a work that God will complete the day He takes you into His presence for eternity. Never settle for the status quo. Never grow complacent or stale. Never lose sight of the upward call of God out of the ways of this world and into the heart of His will.

“The difference between worldliness and godliness is a renewed mind.” -Erwin Lutzer-

January 10 – Perfect Timing

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.”(Psalm 40:1)

IN WORD:
Patience is one of the hardest virtues for us to understand. We pay to an omnipotent God. We know He is able to help us at any moment. We know that He who defines Himself as “love” and gave His Son for us is not reluctant to help us. So when we ask such a God to intervene in our circumstances, why is there so often a delay?
Nowhere in the Bible does God promise us instant answers to our prayers. His promises for answered prayer are amazing and reassuring, but none of them includes a timetable. He only assures us that He is never too late. Yet in our impatience, we don’t want an answer that is simply “not too late.” We want an answer now. We have needs, and we do not understand why those needs must be prolonged.
But God has His reasons. Perhaps our needs are being prolonged because they are accomplishing something in us that nothing else will. Perhaps they are being prolonged because God is doing a necessary work in the life of someone else who is involved in our situation. Perhaps He is teaching us about prayer or perfecting our faith. Maybe He is even letting us identify with Jesus in the fellowship of His suffering — it is, after all, His overarching purpose to conform us to the image of Christ. How can we be conformed if we have no identification with His pain?

IN DEED:
Sometimes God will make clear that our answer is delayed because the delay will further His work in our own hearts or in another area. Sometimes He gives us no reason at all. The Christian’s wise response, in either case, is to know that if we are waiting on God, there must be a very good reason. And if we wait in faith and expectancy, the wait will be amply rewarded. His timing is always perfect.

“Simply wait upon Him. So doing, we shall be directed, supplied, protected, corrected, and rewarded.” -Vance Havner-

January 9 – In Defense of Truth

“The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful.”(Proverbs 12:22)

IN WORD:
Dishonesty is an epidemic in our culture. Court records, academic surveys, and common observation confirm it. Truth and integrity are expendable in our society.
Why do people lie? Or, to put it more subtly and inclusively, why do virtually all of us sometimes try to create an impression that isn’t entirely accurate? The reasons are many & varied. They include a desire to stay out of trouble, a drive to get ahead, and an obsession about our image. In any case, a person’s dishonesty indicates a lack of trust in God for the consequences of integrity. When we lie — even in a seemingly insignificant way — it is because we are avoiding the results of not lying. We take matters into our own hands because we’re afraid of what will happen if we tell the truth. We do not trust God to honor our integrity.
But our God is a God of integrity. It is in His character. He never lies, and He is not silent when the truth needs to be revealed. It is His nature to be absolutely reliable. There is no hint of pretense in Him. He is who He says He is, He does what He says He will do, and He honors those who follow His lead. Always.

IN DEED:
This is both comforting and convicting. It is comforting because we know that God’s promises in His Word are reliable. When He inspires prophecy, it is accurate. When He promises blessing, it will come. When He says He will defend His people, He will. We can read His Word with unwavering assurance that it is pure truth with no fine print hidden away from our trusting eyes.
But the purity of God’s character is also convicting. We know that though we are called to be like Him, our integrity falls short of His. He is shaping us to reflect His glory, but when we give a false impression, we interfere with His work.
Trust God with the truth. Tell it and display His integrity. Know that He will always defend truth — and those who tell it.

“Where truth is, there is God.” -Miguel De Cervantes-

January 8 – The Obedient Mind of Man (James 1:2-7)

“When he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”(James 1:6)

IN WORD:
We easily forget the requirement before the promise. God’s extravagant gift of His wisdom is only given when a prior condition is met. When we ask we must believe. Otherwise, His wisdom will not come.
What does God mean by requiring our belief? Is it only that we must believe He will answer us? It is that, but it is more. We must believe — ahead of time — that what He tells us is wisdom to be followed. We must be committed to heed His instructions before He gives them. If we are not committed, He will not answer. If we do not purpose in our hearts to do His will, we will never discover it.
Many Christians ask for God’s wisdom as an option to throw into the mix. It becomes one possibility among a range of many. If we are only requesting His advice, He will not give it. He only gives solutions to be implemented, not suggestions to consider. The commitment to follow comes first. The mind of God is generously granted to us, but only for us to obey. It is not a shopping item. It does not come with a return policy.
To ask for God’s will as an option to consider rathe than a command to obey is to place our intellect above His. We put ourselves in the position of authority, with Him submitting His proposals. But He will not relate to us that way. He is the authority. When He speaks, there is no better option. The omniscient Creator does not offer us a second-rate plan. His first direction is always the right one.

IN DEED:
Do you ask God for His wisdom with a resolve to obey it no matter what? If not, do not expect it to come. Expect rather to be tossed around like a wave in a storm. But if your heart will commit to His way, His way will be easily found. God gives us His mind in response to our faith.

“God will never reveal more truth about Himself till you obey what you know to be true already.” -Oswald Chambers-

January 7 – The Available Mind of God (James 1:2-7)

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.”(James 1:5)

IN WORD:
Why would God set up a process for us to gain wisdom? Why would He not just give it to us? Because asking for His wisdom and receiving it brings us into relationship with Him. The wisdom we receive is not information imparted, but character learned. We observe who He is and we learn to behave like Him. We come to know Him better in the process. His wisdom is readily available, but we must ask.
Have you found yourself needing guidance in a given situation? Our usual tendency is to pray for direction. But God has a better way. Pray for wisdom, and the direction will become clear. If we were to pray for direction, God could only answer us by giving us information. But if we pray for wisdom, God answers us by giving us His own mind.
We are prone to call upon God for wisdom only when we find ourselves in trouble. But far from being a one-time request in a moment of need, this verse hints at an ongoing process. It isn’t that we ask for wisdom one day when we’re at our wit’s end; we are to ask for wisdom daily because we will find ourselves at wit’s end sooner or later. God’s provision of His mind is often given in advance. It is more than instructions for a way to go; it is training for a way of life.

IN DEED:
Do you need direction? Guidance? Wisdom from above? The crucial step, often neglected, is to ask. How often we try to figure things out on our own! How often we ask others for advice before we ask God! Ask Him now. Ask often. Make the asking a regular part of your life. Don’t wait until trouble comes; learn the mind of God now. He offers it generously.

“There is a deep wisdom inaccessible to the wise and prudent, but disclosed to babes.” -Christopher Bryant-