Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

Being Salty
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men (Matthew 5:13).

I think sometimes we get so used to our familiar metaphors, we fail to let their significance really sink in. What Christian hasn't proclaimed brightly: "We're salt and light!"? And yet, do we really think about the significance of that imagery? In a faith tradition where we have so many great metaphors and allegories, let's remember to ponder this one that Jesus coined.

What does it mean to be "the salt of the earth"?

Salt Enhances

As we know too-well in our sodium-filled modern world, salt makes things taste better. But condiment connoisseurs will make sure to explain that salt, when used properly, brings out the flavor already present in the food itself. Unlike pepper, which was used in ancient times to mask distasteful rotting and souring in foods such as meat, salt only enhances what's there.

As Christians, we aren't here to blot out the colors and flavors around us. We're not here to ignore or destroy what we see and replace it with something else. Rather, we are to be (tasty) ambassadors of Christ on a mission to draw out and display goodness. God made a good world, and, though fallen, it's still good! We still have the breath of life from God inside us. So let's remember to point to the truth and be the people who enhance and brighten wherever we go, not overpower our surroundings like too much pepper.

Salt Preserves

Before the age of refrigeration, how did people preserve perishable food? That's right: salt. Something about packing meat with salt slows down the process of decay, making it easier to store, transport, and save meat without it going rancid right away.

Likewise, let us as the salt of the earth remember to preserve what is good. In matters of justice and stewardship, Christians should be front and center to fight for what is right, what is safe, and what brings life to the world around us. Our homes, families, and communities should be solid and fresh, not rotting and fetid.

If we fail to protect and preserve, what good are we? If we fail to enhance the flavor of what's around us, there's nothing left for us "except to be thrown out" (so to speak).

Intersecting Faith and Life: Be a sweet taste and a force for good, and those around you will "praise your Father in Heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

Further Reading

Matthew 5

Colossians 4:6

Mark 9:50

[Judy Harder]

Altar-Call Christians?
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching" (John 14:23-24).

I've watched a lot of altar-calls in my day. The church in which I grew up routinely had altar-calls at the end of Sunday morning services. "If you've never asked Jesus into your heart, and you want to now, raise your hand. Come to the front. Pray this prayer..." Granted, not every church and every denomination does the whole altar-call thing. But it's a pretty recognizable event in the land of "Christianese."

And it's not baseless. After all, Paul wrote to the Romans:

"If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

And,

"For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame'" (Romans 10-11).

But I wonder sometimes if we grasp those verses a little too tightly, and forget about the kind of life that Jesus was calling us to live. Are we living like Christians – like those "belonging to Christ" or "members of Christ's household" – or are we simply living like people who prayed the Sinner's Prayer that one time?

Take a look at a few of these verses:

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'  But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person" (Matthew 5:38-39).

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on" (Matthew 6:25).

"Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God" (John 3:20-21).

Jesus said those things. Jesus said to follow him. To give, make peace, feed the poor, and endlessly love.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Ask yourself... Are you walking in the footsteps of Jesus? Are you walking in the light? Or are you just someone who said the Sinner's Prayer one time, long ago?

Further Reading

John 14

[Judy Harder]

The King's Table
by Ryan Duncan, Entertainment Editor, Crosswalk.com

In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. – John 14:2

One of my favorite Bible stories is 2 Samuel 2:1. The story begins a few years after David has finally become King of Israel. Before this, his life had been an endless string of running, fighting, and hiding, as he was mercilessly pursed by Saul, who wanted nothing more than David's head on a spike. Now Saul was dead, and David would have been perfectly justified in dishing up some well-deserved payback on the royal family. Instead, he does something completely different.

David reaches out to Saul's last living grandson, a poor cripple named Mephibosheth. Despite being Saul's grandson, Mephibosheth's life hadn't been that great. His legs had been broken as a baby, both his parents were dead, and he was living alone in exile. When he heard David was coming, Mephiboseth probably assumed that was it for him. Just imagine his surprise at what followed,                         

"Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table." Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?" Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.) Then Ziba said to the king, "Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons. Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all the members of Ziba's household were servants of Mephibosheth. And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table, and he was crippled in both feet. – 2 Samuel 9:7-13

The Bible says that David was a man after God's own heart, and I think here we can see why. The story of David's compassion to Mephibosheth is in some ways a foreshadowing to God's compassion for all of us. We are all the broken children of Adam and Eve, people who turned their backs on God. Yet instead of abandoning us, God has made a place for us at his table. He has brought us out of exile and taken us home.         

Intersecting Faith and Life: Whatever trials you may be facing, always remember that you have a place at God's table.

Further Reading

Luke 6:37-38

[Judy Harder]

You Find Out Who Your Friends Are
by Carrie Dedrick, Editor, ChristianHeadlines.com

You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast
Never stop to think
"What's in it for me?"
Or "It's way too far"
They just show on up
With their big ol' heart
You find out who your friends are

Does anyone know that Tracy Lawrence song? It's about those situations that we sometimes find ourselves in when we just need help.

We sometimes get stuck in unforeseen circumstances. Unpredictability is a part of life, but knowing that doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

This morning was one of those days for me.

My husband and I are the proud mom and dad of two rescued dogs, a pomeranian and a pomeranian-chihuahua, or as we call her, a pomhuahua. Today the dogs were scheduled to have their hair cut at the groomer so they will be more comfortable with warm weather approaching. The groomer would keep them for the rest of the day in the kennel until we could pick them up after work.

No problem, right?

Wrong.

I had barely sat down at my desk when I got a call from the groomer. She said that my dog suddenly got sick and they couldn't keep her for the rest of the day as planned; I needed to pick her up right away.

Remember those unforeseen circumstances I was talking about?

I did what I had to do. My manager was extremely gracious in the situation, and let me go pick up my sick puppy. He even went as far as to offer that I could take her to the vet if necessary.

But this story isn't really about the actual circumstance that interrupted my day. It's about what happened afterward.

First, there was the friend that allowed my dog to stay at his apartment for the day. I called him, and asked if he would take her in (it saved me a long trip home). There was no hesitation at all. Of course he would keep her. You find out who your friends are.

Then I got back to the office, thinking that I would have a lot of catching up to do after a morning "off." Not so. The other editors had finished almost all of my work for me upon my arrival. They certainly did not have to help me; they all have to pull plenty of weight at the company without the additional load. But they did. You find out who your friends are.

These generous people led me to think of the kind of friend that Jesus was. He was a friend to the lowest of the low, those that would be considered the societal outsiders of today. Jesus visited the house of Zacchaeus the tax collector Luke 19:1-10 and touched a man with leprosy Matthew 8:1-4.

God intended that we have relationships including families, spouses, and friends. We form bonds with one another because as it says in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12,

Two are better than one, because they have good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

It is interesting that the scripture says a cord of three strands. I take that to mean we should not only have friends physically on this earth, but a friend in our hearts as well. That friend is Jesus, the third strand, the strand that keeps the cord from unraveling.

In situations when we need a helping hand, you do truly find out who your friends are. So nurture your relationships. Give friends the love and attention they deserve, and they will reciprocate.

Your friendships need nourishment just as the farmer's crops did in the parable Jesus tells in Matthew 13:3-8. Plant your friendships in the good soil of consideration, thoughtfulness, and generosity. Those friendships will blossom into the best of all, the friends who you can call on in difficult times, the friends who genuinely care about you.

Intersecting Faith and Life: You can probably think of a friend that you have not spoken to in some time. Reach out to that person with a simple call or e-mail to catch up. Let that person know that you care about him or her.

Further Reading

John 13:34

[Judy Harder]

Only One Way to Achieve Patience
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
Ecclesiastes 7:8, NIV

Our senior pastor came into the room for a pre-arranged talk with all of us high school senior guys. He wanted to share something with us as we moved off into the next phases of our lives.

Out of all the applications and biblical wisdom at his disposal, what one topic was on his heart? What advice did he wish to impart above all?

He began by asking us to envision where we'd be in five, 10, 25 years. I'm just now coming up on that 25th year; I'm amazed at how differently some things have turned out, and how similar to my goals other things are. But that's not the point.

Our pastor next told us that the one thing we ought to pursue more than any other was... not holiness, not righteousness, not prayer... but patience. "Boys, raise your hand if you want to be a man of patience."

Okay, sure. Sounds good. Patience, yeah, that could be helpful to me. Hand up.

"Great. I'll tell you what, boys, can I pray with you now? But be aware, only agree with me in this prayer if you mean it, if you really want patience. Because do you know what it takes to develop patience? Problems. Only problems - and the way you react to them and trust God through them - can develop patience. Do you understand? So that's what I'm going to ask God for right now, that He'll bring you all problems. Are you ready?"

Sure. Why not?

Oh boy. Looking back, the last quarter century hasn't been hell on earth by any stretch, but its sure been full of its share of problems. As of this writing, I've got one that's forcing me to wait... and wait... and wait for an answer. I feel shamed when I go through a study about Abraham and how long he waited and waited for God to fulfill a direct promise, because I can't imagine waiting any longer than I already have. The only reason I continue to do so is because of the patience and wisdom I've built up having passed through earlier problems and trials, the outcomes of which inform me to keep waiting.

What's the moral here? Be careful what you pray for? Hmmm... maybe... but I think I prefer the lesson in today's verse, that patience (trusting God's way and waiting on His promise) is better than pride (my idea of the best way). To me, it's really eye-opening to think of those two concepts - patience and pride - as the opposites of each other. But that's exactly how this verse sets them up. It suggests patience is akin to humility, and pride the brother of instant gratification. And I guess that makes sense. But why is patience better? Especially in this day and age when so much is there for the taking? When the respected thing to do is reach out and go for it? What had my pastor so convinced that doing the opposite was the most important lesson to send young men out into the world?

Honestly I haven't completely figured that out yet. Appropriately, it's something I'm willing to be patient to gain the wisdom of. But I suspect it has something to do with that pesky old verse from James:

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).

Only problems can bring patience; only trials can test faith and make it real. Only endurance can lead to completion.

And when I am complete, I will lack nothing. At which time I apparently will have superceded even patience, as what would there be to wait for if I lack nothing?

It sounds almost mystical, almost unachievable, at least until the end of my life or when I meet God. Until then, I simply pray that the experience of each problem and the eventual result will steel me into calm, patient submission to God's perfect timing.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you willing to pray a problem into your life? Why or why not? 

Further Reading

Afraid God Will Give You Patience?
The Temporary Non-Path of Patience

[Judy Harder]

The Day I Rolled Down the Window
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."  1 John 4:18

The guy had no teeth on top. Sadly, I noticed that first. His cigarette dangled between gum and lip.

While my wife jogged into Walgreens, this guy passed up dozens of other open spaces to squeeze his red coupe between our Prius and a truck that stuck slightly over the white line. He glanced over at us for only a moment before his window stuttered down and a mud-and-oil stained mitt poked out of the window to wave at my daughters in the backseat.

I confess. I didn't exactly feel neighborly.

And then the guy began speaking and pointing to our car. I couldn't hear a word through the glass, but that didn't stop him from mumbling around his cigarette, which was probably 80% ash. Smiling from the silliness of it, I zipped the passenger-side window down and wondered what would compel him to speak to a complete stranger in a parking lot.

Gas mileage. Seriously.

This random guy in the parking lot of Walgreens wanted to compare gas mileage. At least, that's what opened the door for conversation. From there, I learned what he did (shoeing horses), found out how his work had hurt his back (bulging disk), saw a picture of his prized new jackdaw (I had no clue either), and realized how much you can love a guy with no upper teeth.

He was real. He had no pretensions, no conceit, no desire to be anything more than he was. You got the raw, muddy man. And, sadly, I would never have spoken to the guy on my own if he hadn't put his huge hand and ashy cigarette out the window. Sadly, I didn't want to get messy.

But, really, love is all about the uncomfortable mess—just as God revealed in my life. To Him, I once looked much worse than toothless, much dirtier than mud-covered. But Jesus didn't care. He saw something through all that muck He loved. And am I ever glad He did.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Love means getting close to people who are nothing like us. God may put people there for us to reach out to that don't fit our ideal image of people we want to be around. They could reek of smoke, have few teeth, or even champion political views we don't like. It's enough to make us squirm.

But there's one key here that we cannot forget: He loves them. Jesus touched the diseased, dirty, and destitute. He wasn't afraid of engaging with the unpopular and scandalous. Instead, He specifically sought out those that no one else would. His grace knew no social barrier.

We can't let being uncomfortable prevent us from sharing that love.

For Further Reading

1 John 1:1

James 2:1

[Judy Harder]

A White Bread Faith
By Ryan Duncan, Croswalk.com Entertainment Editor

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.- 1 John 3:10

When I was still in high school my mother became a vegetarian. Now, I have nothing but respect for vegetarians, but as a guy who likes his steaks extra-rare, this created a few problems in our household. Suddenly our family was exploring what people called "organic" dishes. Tofu, quiche, we dined on whole-grain pastas sprinkled with nuts, strange cheeses, and enough broccoli to kill an entire fourth grade class. It wasn't all that bad actually; my mother was very gracious and still cooked meat for the carnivores in the house, but I suspect a soy based meat substitute found its way into our meals on more than one occasion.             

The worst part though, was the bread. My family went from using your typical sleeve of wheat bread to buying those thick, iron cast loaves so brown they were almost black. I can remember sitting in the cafeteria during lunch, watching my classmates as they flagrantly devoured their delicious, white-bread PB&J's, while I chewed the same bite of sandwich over and over for almost an hour because chunks of grain were still floating around in it. Back then, I would have given anything for a sandwich made from white, Wonder Bread.

The thing is though, ask any nutritionist and they'll tell you white bread barely counts as grain at all. It tastes good, but that's because it's been almost entirely drained of nutrients. All the beneficial vitamins and minerals have been lost, and in the end we are left with a food that really isn't as healthy as we'd like to think it is.           

How many of us Christians are looking for a "White Bread" relationship with God? We show up at Church on Sunday and pray before each meal, then tell ourselves that should be enough to help us grow in our faith. It's a sweet deal with all of the benefits and none of the drawbacks. Don't fool yourself; God wants to be so much more in our lives than our Sunday morning service. He is looking to make us lights of the world, to bring peace where there is strife, hope where there is despair, and grace where there is hate. You won't be very prepared for that if you just stick to the Sunday Sermons. Don't deny yourself a good, healthy, relationship with God. Read the Bible, get involved, and above all, be sure to make him a part of your daily life.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Find ways to get involved with you home church. Volunteer for events, or try mentoring some of the younger students. Parents, are your children involved in a youth group? Encourage them to give it a try.

Further Reading

Revelation 3:15-17

[Judy Harder]

Labeled
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com

After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. Ephesians 5:29-30

Early in their marriage, Kate* discovered her husband, Jim, had a pornography addiction. She confronted him about it; they prayed; and he promised to change. For several months, Jim seemed to be doing just that by throwing himself into his ministry position. Their marriage returned to normal.

But the façade soon collapsed. Kate began suspecting something when she discovered Jim had been to a questionable restaurant several times with some of the other members of the church staff. She searched his computer and found hundreds of porn sites in the browser history. She also came across personal items belonging to another woman in his car.

When confronted, Jim begged for forgiveness. Kate moved out but agreed to counseling—if Jim would be serious this time. But he wasn't. He was late when he did show up for the counseling sessions. Mostly, he just didn't come.

Kate filed for divorce—and picked up a label. Many members of the church where Jim worked couldn't believe he would do anything. So, they blamed the divorce on Kate. They knew she had her eye on someone else for months. They knew why she really wanted a divorce.

And that label went with Kate. Thanks to the power of the Internet, the certainty of Kate's actions spread to other friends and family members. Jim, for his part, did nothing to dissuade the rumors, and Kate refused to slander Jim to the church—even if he'd hurt her, even if it meant wearing the label.

Kate eventually moved back to her hometown, but even there, enough people knew her past to keep the stories and "certainties" churning. They knew who she was and what she'd done. Jim stepped down from the church staff, ostensibly because of the turmoil, but picked up his own label: poor, discarded husband.

Years later, Kate still wears her label. She remarried, but for many people, she's still the woman who ran out on her husband, who didn't fight hard enough, who really had ulterior motives for leaving him. Even after Jim left ministry and church altogether, the reason behind his apostasy fell at her feet. She'd been labeled, and that was enough.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Church can be a scary place because the process of living life together is messy. Husbands and wives cheat. Doubts bubble up. Irrational fears overcome. We're joined together at our most vulnerable point: trust.

We're all tempted to categorize events and people, especially when something goes wrong. Categorizing makes it all seem safer, so different from us. But the purpose of the church isn't just for when things are going well; it's for when things mess up. Once we categorize and label, we've made things seem tidier in our heads, but that tidiness rarely exists in real life.

For Kate, healing took years—all because those she trusted fit her neatly into the box where they wanted her to be. And for Jim, labeling meant he never dealt with his sin.

For Further Reading

John 8:1

*Names changed.

[Judy Harder]

Run for Your Life
by Anna Kuta

"Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:22).

Have you ever been at the beach in the summer and gotten in the ocean only to look up after a while and suddenly realize you've drifted way down from where you got in? It can be pretty scary sometimes, as you frantically try to find your way back to your spot amid crowds of people, umbrellas and towels that all seem to look the same. You thought you were just floating in the water, and it seemed like it, but the whole time the waves and the current were slowly carrying you down the shore.

You might have heard the saying that if you are not going forward in your Christian walk, you are going backwards – that if you are not actively progressing and growing, you are losing ground. It's similar to the way it works with the ocean. You might think you're staying in the same place, but you're losing ground without even realizing it.

Just as you have to continually keep swimming to keep the ocean from dragging you away from your place on the beach, growing in your faith and becoming more Christ-like is an active process, not a passive one. In 2 Timothy 2:22, Paul uses words with a connotation of intent and urgency to describe what we as Christians should do: flee youthful lusts, pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace. The word "flee" implies running as fast as you can away from something like you're afraid for your life, and that's exactly what Paul is saying we should do when confronted with "youthful lusts," or things that are not glorifying to God. Similarly, the word "pursue" implies following or chasing close behind something with the goal of catching it, like you're hot on its trail. This is the way God wants us to approach our relationship with Him – constantly striving to get to know Him more through His word, to follow His commands, to grow closer to Him, and to ultimately become more like Him.

The more we pursue godly desires and our relationship with Jesus, the faster we can flee those things that are not honoring to God. It is a one-or-the-other choice. I can't live a life that is glorifying to God if I'm continually dragged down by things that are detrimental to my spiritual growth. It's something that ultimately comes down to every little choice we make. With God's strength, though, we can deny wrong desires, and with His help, we can choose to do the right thing. Whatever you do, don't stand still – run for your life away from things that don't honor God and run equally fast toward Him.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Strive to learn more about Jesus through His word and grow closer to Him this year. Commit to pursuing your relationship with Him each day, and commit to asking Him to help you flee things in your life that are not glorifying to Him.

Further Reading

Jeremiah 29:13

Matthew 6:33

1 Timothy 6:11-12

Philippians 4:13

[Judy Harder]

Armor 'n Enemies
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.
Ephesians 6:13

Six pieces of armor. Five primarily defensive, one primarily offensive. And yet...

Have you ever used the chest-bumper of righteousness on someone? How about the head-butter of salvation? The bludgeoner of faith? The shin-kicker of readiness or the gut-puncher of holiness?

Even the sword of the spirit has its proper purpose - to fight our enemies. Which are?

Other Christians? Unbelievers? Mean people?

While we humans can be so hard on each other, no. One verse earlier, Paul tells us what we're fighting:

our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil (v. 12).

Quite convicting, really. Not only do I clearly go into many days without getting completely dressed, even when I do I'm mis-using my equipment, fighting in the dark, swinging blindly, or wounding with friendly fire.

I don't know about you, but for me, the elemental bible verses I first learned as a youth (like today's verse) are the ones I need to continually reconsider, because they're the ones I tend to just believe without acting upon.

When times come - like these days we're in now - where there is fierce political thought and lines being drawn and opinions spouted as truth, including the opinion that there is no truth - it's just so easy to get drawn in before we remember to put on our armor or be trained in using it. When that happens, we tend to view our enemies as each other, and forget or deny that the war is still spiritual. And therefore more serious, more wearying, not less.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Get dressed this morning, and tomorrow morning. Once equipped, try emphasizing the defensive uses of most of the armor. Stand up for someone. Protect the reputation of another. Shelter someone in loving truth. Run quickly to someone in need. I pray you'll begin to survive your days much less scathed.

Further Reading

Romans 8:38
fight or flight? weighing your instincts against god's word