What You’ve Always Wanted

With_Jesus

April 21 (Psalm 27:4)

The one thing I ask of the Lord—
    the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
    delighting in the Lord’s perfections
    and meditating in his Temple. (NLT)

If you have come to know Jesus, you have come to love Him. The one cannot help but follow from the other. And if you have come to love Him, you know that it is an all-consuming love. You want more of Him. You can’t get enough of Him. You want to read His words, sing His praises, and be in His presence. As in any relationship, of course, infidelity is possible, and we frequently stray to the arms of others, whether it be through the seductive call of pleasure or the abusive hands of fear. Yet when we come back to ourselves, we come back to our truest love and find ourselves once again yearning to be with Him all the days of our life.

What makes this such a delicious yearning is that we know it can and will be fulfilled. The one thing we seek the most, to dwell with God and delight in His perfections and meditate in His temple will happen thanks to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He has secured for us the deepest desire of our hearts. We do not need to hope for it. We do not need to wish it were so. It is a sealed fact. Those who have believed Him and believed in Him will enjoy unending life in His presence.

Friends, there is a reason Easter is the greatest day of the year. It is Resurrection Day, and therefore it is the day that reminds us that what we truly and most deeply want, past all the superficial desires we spend our lives chasing, we already have, guaranteed and waiting for us at the time when Jesus makes all things new.

O Lord, my God, I praise You now and forevermore for the resurrection of Jesus, my Savior! May You be glorified by the words of my lips, the actions of my hands, and thoughts of my mind as I live in the secure promise of everlasting communion with You. I give You all that I am and all that I have in the name of Jesus, Who gave His all for me. Amen.

You Will Never Die

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April 14 (John 11:25-26)

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” (NLT)

You will live forever. You will not die. Even when your body gives out and your heart stops beating and someone records the official time of your death, you will not be dead. Stop and think about that. Seriously. Stop reading this and consider the immensity, the eternality of the fact that you will keep on living forever.

We often speak of getting the 10,000-foot view of a situation. It helps us see more clearly all that is going on so that we can focus appropriately on what matters. Friends, nothing will give you a better or more accurate perspective than these words of Jesus to Martha. Don’t believe me? Try this. How do the activities of the week ahead look in light of the fact that you will live forever? How do the needling little problems look, the ones you just don’t want to deal with? How do the huge, threatening ones appear? If people look like ants from the top of a skyscraper, how do the things of your life look from eternity?

Even Christians can get caught up in a shortsighted view of life. There is a contentious meeting on Thursday or a difficult appointment next month, and suddenly we are thrown into a tailspin of worry and fear. Our anxiety shoots off the chart as we try to steel ourselves against an unwanted inevitable. Those things are real, of course. Problems don’t disappear from 10,000 feet, but they do take on a different look. And when we see things from the true perspective that we will still be living an eternity from now, we realize that many of them are less important than we thought.

God, You remind us in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that You have given us an eternal perspective, and Jesus makes it clear that we will live forever. Help me to see things as they truly are so that I may give the time and talent that You have given me to the things that matter most. Keep me from a shortsighted view of life. In the name of Jesus, who kept the glory set before Him in sight as He endured death on a cross, amen.

Without Jesus…

Phone-battery

April 7 (John 15:5)

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (NLT)

Many, if not most, of us cannot do what we need to do without our phones. Just as the drugstore eventually became the place where you could get your pictures developed, pick up a gallon of milk on the way home, or find batteries and basic auto supplies in a pinch, so our phones have become the go-to computers in our pockets. Imagine, then, my distress when I plugged in my phone and it did not start charging. I was at 66% on a Sunday, and suddenly apocalyptic thoughts of a week going down in flames horrified my mind. Such is life in the 21^st century…until you realize that the other end of the cord was not plugged into the wall.

To be honest, my horror at the thought my phone was not charging embarrassed me. There are people starving in the world. My first world technology problem hardly mattered in the grand scheme of things. But it also embarrassed me because I realized how quickly I had become worried at the thought of my phone dying from lack of power. Do I worry as much when I am disconnected from God? And as far as that goes, how often am I disconnected from God, trying to perform the many functions of life on the rapidly dwindling power of my own resources?

Jesus was right, and I know He was right. When I am connected to Him, I move confidently through life, even through the difficulties and challenges. When I am unplugged, so to speak, I am a frantic mess of frustration and exhaustion. You would think I would have more sense to keep my battery charged to 100%!

Jesus, thank You for slowing me down and helping me to reconnect with You. You know that I need You, and, truth be told, I know it, too. I commit myself today to doing those things that connect me deeply with You. Through prayer, through song, and through the reading of Your words, I will draw my strength from You. Amen.

The Pure and Piercing Light of Jesus

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And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (ESV)

Imagine a gleaming sword polished to such impossible brightness that to run your fingers along the flat of the blade would feel as if you were touching silk. The mere whisper of its edge would slice cleanly through anything. Now you have an image of Jesus. To take another image, He is pure light. He Himself said in the verse following the one for today, “I am the light of the world.” The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed calls Him phōs ek phōtos, light from light, and the first hymn outside the Bible, dating to the 3^rd century, is Phōs Hilaron, or “Joyous Light.”

Light is wonderful, and humans have done everything to produce it when and where the sun was not shining. It takes away the fear that comes with darkness, and this is what we see in the first part of what Jesus says to a woman who was caught in adultery. She would have feared the punishment of stoning, and the One Who is light from light took that fear away. Yet light is also piercing and blinding in its purity, and we see this in the second part of His statement. Like a razor-sharp sword, He cuts to the heart of the matter. Stop sinning.

Jesus is not a cute, cardboard cutout in an elementary classroom. He is phōs ek phōtos. He is the light of the world. Is He loving? Beyond your comprehension or mine. Yet the purity of that love and light cuts through all our reasons and excuses and exceptions. He is above all holy, and if that sounds fearful, it is, but know this. He invites you into that radiant holiness with His own outstretched, nail-pierced hand.

O Jesus, joyous light of the world, comfort me by driving back the darkness of my fears and pierce my sin, with all its pretense and excuse. Draw me into the holy presence that You share with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Talking About Jesus

People_talking

March 24 (2 Corinthians 4:13)

I believed, and so I spoke. (ESV)

In 1983 Billy Joel released his album An Innocent Man, which contained the #1 hit “Tell Her About It.” In one of the lines from that song, he sings, “Tell her about it. Tell her everything you feel. Give her every reason to accept that you’re for real.” Stay with me here, for there is something about our relationship with God that requires being told.

There are lots of nice people in the world, many of whom are not Christians. Simply doing kind things does not let anyone know about your relationship with God or who He really is. We must tell people about Him if they are going to believe for even one moment that we are for real when we say we follow Him. This does not mean dropping the name of Jesus every third word in a conversation, but it does mean sharing what you and He have done together, what He has done for you, and what you have learned about Him. After all, don’t you share those very things about family, friends, and your favorite sports and entertainment figures?

We must also tell people about our relationship with Jesus if we want Him to believe for one moment that we are for real when we say we follow Him. Can you imagine introducing your spouse to a friend only to have that person reply, “I didn’t even know you were married!” If that ever happened, you’d be sleeping on the couch that night.

Paul quotes these words from Psalm 116:10 to remind us that action is the natural, logical consequence of our belief. In fact, we could turn his words around. If we do not talk about Jesus, do we really believe in Him?

Lord, the enemy would have me keep my relationship with you a deep, dark secret. Instead, I will pray with David, “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.” Amen.

You Bear God’s Image

Michelangelo_Creation_of_Adam

March 17 (Genesis 1:27)

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (NLT)

I am not one of those people who can look at someone and say, “Oh, she looks just like her mother!” Yet the other day my wife took a picture of our son, and at once I could see his resemblance to my dad. It was so striking that even I could not deny that the one bore the image of the other. So what does it mean that God created you in His image?

If you want a full answer to that question, stop reading this devotion, pick up the Bible, and read it cover to cover. In it you will see that God is infinitely creative, loving without end, more fierce and powerful than anything you have seen in His creation. He is holy and righteous, just and caring, ever present and ever faithful. His breath creates reality. He guides and provides. He rescues and He saves. You and I are not God, but we were made in His image to do the things He calls us to do. Jesus Himself said in John 14:12-13, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.”

Pictures, of course, can become distorted. A vandalized statue bears little resemblance to the glory it had when its sculptor laid down his hammer and chisel. Through sin and pain and loss, we can become grotesque caricatures of what God had in mind when He created us, yet, ever the master artist and restorer, God can bring us back to who He designed us to be. That restoration can be yours right now through the loving touch of Jesus.

God, I want people to see You when they see me. Take me into the deep places of my heart where I can offer to You all that keeps me from reflecting Your image. Take it and remove it from me as far as the east is from the west. I ask this in the name of Jesus, Who bore Your image fully. Amen.

Chosen, Holy, and Beloved

Jesus_Child

March 10 (Colossians 3:12)

…God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved… (ESV)

What does it mean to be chosen by God? Being chosen for the kickball team in elementary school meant being allowed to play the game with your friends, and that sense of chosen was reinforced ever since. To be chosen, whether for the team, the scholarship, or the job, means being picked to do something. It is about opportunity. It is about action.

It is certainly true that when we are chosen by God, He opens up our true calling and purpose in life, but notice that this is not the first consequence. When we are chosen, we become holy and beloved. God is not the boss down on the docks picking day laborers. First and foremost He calls to us, summons us into His presence, and says, “I love you!” Let that sink in. Before setting forth any task for you to do, God tells you that you are chosen, holy, and beloved. When was the last time anyone on earth called you, not to ask you for a single, solitary thing, but to tell you that?

Yes, God has given you a calling. He has uniquely equipped you to fulfill part of His mission, and that is an amazing thing, but it is not the first thing. We are often so busy running around doing this and that, even good things to advance the Kingdom, but do we ever take time out of all that work just to be with the One Who chose us and loves us? If we claim to love Him, then we should show Him by actually spending time with Him.

Father, doing things is just part of life. I confess that I measure value by how much I get done. And, let’s be honest, society rewards me for that. We all push each other to achieve. Right now, though, I want to spend time with You. I need to hear Your voice telling me that I am chosen, holy, and beloved. I am shutting it all off now, Father, all the clamor to do this and that, and listening for Your voice. Please speak to my heart. Amen.

Chosen Yet Foreign

AsiaMinor

March 4 (1 Peter 1:1)

This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. (NLT)

Chosen people. Foreigners. How many of us grasp that this is what we are? First of all, we are chosen. People may choose what to wear and where to eat, but when it comes to a relationship with God, He chooses us. You may think that you have chosen Him or have chosen to return to Him, but He has always been right there with you, keeping His eye on you. What an incredible sense of belonging that instills! You are not alone in a vast, cold, and impersonal universe. In fact, you are known, beloved, and chosen by the very creator of all that exists.

At the same time, we are foreigners. We are strangers in very familiar lands. The paths we take day in and day out to work and the grocery store, to the gym and to the homes of our friends, all seem so familiar, yet we are foreigners here. Your principal identity is that of a child of God. Your true home is with your Father, yet for a time you are living and working here. This is why things so often seem off or wrong or not quite right.

That is how it should be. We should be wary if things seem too comfortable in this life. For those who have accepted their identity as chosen people of God, things should seem at odds with how we know they should be, and that gives us our direction in life. We step into those places and work to bring them in line with the will of God, confident that in the end, He will make all things new.

God, sometimes I get frustrated when things are not right because I have let myself become too comfortable in the world. Take me deeper into Your word this week and show me again pictures of what life is truly like with You. Help me to keep my focus on You and not on my dissatisfaction with life around me. In the name of Jesus, Who never took His eyes from You, even while hanging on the cross, amen.

When You’re Tired of Doing Good

February 24 (2 Thessalonians 3:13)

As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good. (NLT)

How often do you get tired of doing good? Chances are, if you get tired of doing good, it is not so much a function of trying to do good all the time as it is of trying to do good in certain circumstances. For example, you may find it easy to do good things whenever you are with your church family. Even if your small group gets together every week, you may find it a joy to serve them with love. On the other hand, there may be regular situations with your biological family or at work that make doing good an increasingly heavy burden.

Keep at it, Paul says. Don’t give up. Keep at it. Don’t give up. Keep doing what you know is good and right. Don’t stop. Keep doing those acts of love, those things modeled by Jesus and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Don’t ever quit.

And how is that possible? How can you keep on doing the right thing when you just don’t have anything left to give? You can’t, but God can through you. You do not have to rely on your own emotional and physical strength, for those will certainly wear out, but when they do, you have an unlimited supply of supernatural strength through God, Who dwells within you. It is also why we have the body of Christ on earth. Let your brothers and sisters in Christ help you when you are weak, for our task remains the same no matter what. Never get tired of doing good.

Lord, You know better than anyone that I do indeed get tired of doing good. I need Your strength. I need the strength that allowed Jesus to endure the suffering of the cross if I am to be Your faithful follower. As always, give me the ability to do what You command, and command me to do what You will. In the name of Jesus, Who did that perfectly, amen.

What Are You Proud Of?

February 17 (1 Thessalonians 2:19)

After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you! (NLT)

Children love to show their parents what they have done. Whether it is a fantastic Lego creation or the finished page from a coloring book, they cannot wait to show it off. Teenagers are the same. They are so excited to tell their teacher or their coach that they got the scholarship or were accepted into the university of their dreams. For that matter, I can’t wait to show my wife when I have made something in the garage or fixed something around our house.

What will you be excited to show Jesus when He returns? What have you done with the life He gave you that you will be so happy to share with Him? For you do realize God did not just give you your life as a plaything, right? He has given you hundreds of thousands of hours and millions of minutes within which to use amazing abilities of thought and creativity and communication. What have you done with all that? What are you doing with it?

Paul said that the Thessalonians themselves were what he wanted to show Jesus. Paul could have been eager to show off the churches he had planted or the letters he had written that became books of the Bible, but what he was most proud of were the people who had come to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. He knew that this would please God most of all.

Lord, help me to take a careful look at all I have done and am doing with the time and gifts You have given me. I want the Holy Spirit to show me clearly where I have been using them well and where I have been wasting them. May all that I do, say, and think be pleasing and acceptable to You, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen.