Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

March 21, 2011


Seven Habits of Truly Effective Living
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com

"They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green."
Psalm 92:14

The phrase, "begin with the end in mind" may sound familiar if you've read the popular life management book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Even if you aren't familiar with the phrase (or the book), you get the general idea. Simply stated, it's a good idea to ask the question "How do I want this to turn out?" before you begin a task or project. This question helps sharpen your focus and should produce effective action. What is missing from the book, however, is the God-sized perspective that we see in Psalm 92.

If your only source of vision and motivation is the self, frustration will actually result; even though you may lead a life of effective action,

People typically envision the ideal life as one that's surrounded by beauty, valuable things, and great people. We want plenty of leisure time and the health to enjoy these things. But without God, such a life is depicted in Scripture as empty and deceptive. It is a self-absorbed dream that springs from a heart tainted by sin. If we are to be truly effective at living, we must humbly begin with God's end foremost in our minds.

In Psalm 92, the ideal end God depicts for one's life on this earth is that of the righteous person who is "full of sap and very green." In other words, he is filled with spiritual vitality, even at the end of life when the temptation to grumble and express radical selfishness is often the strongest. Instead of complaining, his lips are filled with praise—declaring that there is no unrighteousness in God, his Rock (v. 15).

The roots for such vigor of soul are woven throughout the preceding verses where we see seven habits of truly effective living unfolded for us. They are:

#1    Seeing thankfulness and praise to God as desirable, not as duty (v. 1).

#2    Focusing on God's lovingkindness in the morning and His faithfulness at night
(v. 2). For the righteous man, each day begins and ends with God, implying that God is central in his thoughts throughout the entire day. Literally, lovingkindness refers to God's covenant loyal love, which features His promise of salvation. The righteous person is not self-righteous, or externally moralistic. Rather, he looks to God's promises and unchanging character as the basis for his right standing before his Creator-Judge. The Lord Jesus Christ is, of course, the fulfillment of these promises. So, the one having faith in Christ is counted righteous and delivered from a petty life of vain pursuits.

#3    Enjoying resounding music and singing for joy at God's great works (vv. 1, 3-4).

#4    Pondering the deep thoughts of God (v. 5)—not being characterized by a shallow, pragmatic view of God that sees Him merely as a means to get other things.

#5    Praising the transcendence of God—declaring that God is the "Most High" who is above all His creatures. The righteous one realizes that man is in no way equal to God. Thus, he can never legitimately view God with suspicion or call Him into judgment (v. .

#6    Resting securely in the fact that, in the end, God will have the final say on all matters. He will deal justice to the enemies of righteousness (vv. 9-11).

#7    Depending continuously upon God for strength—for "fresh oil" (v. 10), knowing that yesterday's supply never carries over to today.

Perhaps you know an older believer who embodies these seven habits. My own 'eighty-something' grandmother, "Meme," is one such saint. At the time of this writing, she was in a hospital bed, and having serious health problems. But during a recent phone call with her, she talked to me not about her pain but about her delight in truths she read that morning in her well-worn Bible. She asked me about my family, my work, and what I've been reading and learning. She spoke of various hymns and songs she had been singing throughout the day. Her prayer at the close of our conversation was full of gratitude and praise to the Lord, evidencing a deep, personal knowledge of and trust in God. While I listened, I thought to myself: This is what Psalm 92 is all about. Here is a person who, by God's grace, has learned to practice the habits of truly effective living.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Let's ask ourselves honestly: how regularly are these seven habits in Psalm 92 seen and practiced in my daily life? Given the way I am right now, will I spend my latter days of life on this earth in spiritual vitality---"full of sap and very green?" If not, what is the source of the problem? Do I not know God? Is there an idol in my life? Re-read habits 1-7 above to reflect again on what the psalmist delighted in.

Further Reading:

Philippians 2:12-18
Numbers 14

[Judy Harder]

March 22, 2011

You Can Do This
By Ryan Duncan

Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. – Luke 6:30

Every other day, just after finishing with work, I head to the gym and spend some time exercising. I like to work out. It's a great way to stay healthy and burn off stress at the same time.

My routine is pretty simple. I start by running on a treadmill, then I wander around the free-weight section for a variety of exercises. Finally, I try to finish off by swimming a few laps in the pool. When it's over I always feel tired and sore, but good that I completed such a full workout.

One day, I was invited to work out with a friend of mine. As we made our way around the weight room, my friend stopped at the bench press and placed two huge weights on the side of the bar. Immediately, I became nervous. I had done the bench press before, but never with that much weight. I wasn't sure I'd be able to lift it. Pride got the better of me though. Instead of saying something, I just braced myself and lifted the bar with all my strength.         

To my surprise, it wasn't that heavy. Sure, it took more effort than usual, but I realized my continuous workouts  had made me a lot stronger. I had underestimated my own strength. 

I think Christians can sometime have the same problem when it comes to their faith. We keep telling ourselves we are not ready, that we need just a little more time to prepare ourselves. We underestimate our ability to be of service to God. Take a moment to read this excerpt from the book of Acts.

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. – Acts 18: 1-3   

Acts continues to explain that while Paul ministered in Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla opened their home, helped with his teaching, and even followed him on some of his travels. Now read the verse again. Aquila and Pricilla weren't anything special, they were tent makers. If anyone had an excuse to think they weren't ready for ministry, it was them. Instead, they gave what they had while serving where they could and God did amazing things through them.

So, instead of wondering if you ready to serve, ask yourself what could you do to serve?

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Take a moment to review your strengths. How can these be used to serve God?

Further Reading


Proverbs 21:26

[Judy Harder]

March 23, 2011

It'll All Come Out in the Wash
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. ~ Psalm 51:10, ESV

"Oh man, you have GOT to be kidding me!"

That's what I exclaimed this past week while standing in my home's laundry area and pulling my clothes out of the washer, and discovering, yet again, that a rogue tissue had gotten all over everything. I mean allllllll over.

This is a pet peeve of mine, as I really do try to be vigilante about checking all of the pockets and nooks and crannies of all of my clothing before washing them. I zip and unzip. I turn inside out and then right-side in. I look inside all the pockets. And then I do it all again. Well, usually.

But once again, I had missed something. Somewhere lurking in a coin pocket, in the fold of a pleat or a sleeve, in the recesses of a pair of jeans, there was a tissue. Ugh. Not again!

There's no escaping a tissue coming out and being exposed and disrupting the rest of the load of laundry. It always, always happens when I've missed it. It's impossible for it to stay hidden when the water loosens everything and anything that's caused it to  be stuck. The cleansing process definitely does its job in bringing out the tissues in my loads of laundry.

As I stood there, grumbling to myself and picking off all of the white residue from all of my clothing before I could throw the items into the dryer, I couldn't help but think about the very obvious parallel: my sin. Because that's how it works.

Like any other Christian trying to walk the straight and narrow, you think you're being vigilante about examining your heart. Oh, I'm good. I know what my sin issues are. I'm top of it. You think you're confessing what you need to confess and submitting all of your life to God. Yeah, I'm working through this area of life and God's helping me in this other area. But just these two areas. That's pretty much where I'm at right now. But then WHAMMY! You get blindsided by a sin you didn't even know was there or one that was so well hidden in your life that you couldn't even see it. Or maybe you just didn't want to see it. Kind of like putting a painting in front of a hole in the wall in your living room or scooting a sofa over an ugly stain on your carpet. Right?

One of my favorite sayings related to sin is this: "We are blind to our blindness." Because it's so true. We can't see everything in our lives that God can. We have no clue about everything that is littering our lives with ugliness.

So as we go about our day—or our laundry—today, let's take our cue from David, who so honestly and humbly prayed in Psalm 51:

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. ... Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

As you're checking for those rogue tissues in your laundry this week, remember that the Father lovingly checks his children when we submit to him and come into his presence in humility and in confession.

Further Reading:

Psalm 139:23-24, NIV

2 Corinthians 6:14-18, NIV

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, NIV

Hebrews 10:11-14, NIV

[Judy Harder]

March 24, 2011

Waiting on the Lord
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27: 13-14

I read a book a few years ago for couples discerning marriage called The Exclamation. The author pointed out that God could answer the question "Should I marry him/her" in only three ways: Yes. No. Wait.

I think the toughest of the three is, "Wait." It's not just that we live in an impatient society (we do), and it's not just that we can be selfish, demanding creatures (we can), and it's not just that we tend to want life on our own terms (we do) -- it's that waiting requires surrender of one of man's most precious commodities: time.   

Our lives are finite. Each day is precious, each month, each year, because we only have but so many. So when the Infinite God whispers to His limited creatures, "Wait," our responses often sound something like this:

"You see, you don't get it, God. Sure, it's easy for you to wait – you have all of eternity. But I really need some answers. You gave Amy answers, and Chuck answers, and Lori answers, so it's only right and fair you give me answers. After all, you said 'whoever seeks shall find' and stuff, so now I'm seeking, and 'wait' just isn't an acceptable response."

I think it's even tougher to wait when we have pain lingering in our pasts. We may wonder, "Why should I trust God? Last time everything ended in disaster." I speak from experience here. I've had to wait on an answer to prayer for a long time now – even for someone of my youthful age. I know how tough it is to receive the umpteenth "not yet" from God. I know what it's like to look back on painful deferments and feel like life is slipping by.

Yes, waiting isn't for spiritual wimps, but for those strong of heart. Obeying a "not yet" from God requires true faith. It's handing over our days and years and months to God, trusting that we won't regret holding off. It's believing God's plan is truly the best plan even when several other enticing options tempt us. It's deferring what is good for what is best.

And there's the reward of waiting. Even in the midst of my own unanswered prayers, I still believe God isn't out to get you or me. He doesn't ask us to wait to torment us. In His infinitely perfect nature, He sees what we can't and wants to give us more than we're currently asking for. All the times I've ignored God's "wait" and taken matters into my own hands, a lot of precious time was wasted. But those that wait on Him will experience joy that far surpasses any temporary pleasure that comes with forging ahead alone.

Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30: 5 (NAS)

Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you waiting for an answer to prayer? My goal this week is to embrace the confidence of the psalmist, knowing I will see the goodness of the Lord if I just wait a while longer. Pray simply and directly about that which you're waiting for – like a child seeking answers from a parent – and then lay it down for the week.

Further Reading

Lamentations 3: 24
Psalm 37: 7
When Dreams Come True

[Judy Harder]

March 25, 2011

Don't Bother Me with Details!
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture

So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war. – Joshua 11:23

Every so often I take out my old "Dear Diary" from when I was eight years old, and thumb through it for the sake of hilarity. Most entries go something like this:

"Today I woke up at 7:47 a.m. Then I ate pancakes for breakfast! I love pancakes! Then I did school, and I brought my magnifying glass with binoculars with me to co-op. Then we played outside in the afternoon. I scraped my knee when I fell off my bike, but I rode all the way around the house on the grass!"

Riveting, no?

Amusement carries me through about three (very short) "Dear Diary" entries, then I close the flowery notebook and get back to my current life. After I've read through a week of what I had for breakfast, I'm done observing my former status as a "cute kid." Every little detail that I thought was so important when I was eight just doesn't thrill me now.

Unfortunately, I've have a tendency to take the same approach to certain portions of Scripture. You know the ones I'm talking about – "This is what Moses had given the tribe of Gad... from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir." All the territories and distances and kings of what city etc. are very much like those breakfast entries. That's nice, God, but frankly, I don't really care anymore.

I didn't think it was possible to make a sermon out of such details, but a pastor proved me wrong on Sunday. In fact, he made a sermon out of all nine chapters detailing which tribes and clans got what land when the Israelites finally took Canaan. And – unbelievably – I found myself reveling in the "inane" details.

Consider that this doling out of territory was 600 years in making. A promise made to Abraham 600 years before this moment, before Egypt happened, before Abraham even had an heir of his own kin. Six hundred years later, God's promise that Israel would possess the land of Canaan finally comes through – and in all that time, God has not lost sight of the details. In the midst of this plan that span more than half a millennium, the Lord of Israel comes from the span of heaven and picks out every plot of earth that every clan will inherit.

We serve a God who controls both the universe and the finest breath of wind, who orchestrates all of history and the little details for our lives. Nine chapters about plots of land? Apparently, he cares enough about the details to include them in divine revelation. And yet how often do we pass over these same details tucked away in Scripture – even when we're searching for assurance of God's hand in our life!

As Abraham Piper writes, "It's true that knowing Michmethah is east of Shechem ranks very low in the list of facts that are important to know from the Bible. But it matters, because the sum of all the dull details that God has accomplished proves that whatever he promises, he will do."

Intersecting Faith & Life: Is your life "boring" right now as you work through the inane details of day to day living? Rejoice in knowing that God's hand is at work even in these little things.

Further Reading:

When the Bible Is Boring
the-ol-o-gy
Joshua 21:45
Joshua 23:14

[Judy Harder]

March 28, 2011

The Hunger: Is It In You?
Alex Crain: Editor, Christianity.com

"...like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation."
1 Peter 2:2, NIV

Crave is a word of intense longing. According to this text, the type of appetite we are to have for the Word of God is that of a newborn child, desperate to feed. Peter isn't talking about being infants in Christ. That's not his point. Rather, he's simply talking about hunger. He is talking about desiring the Word.

The Greek word here (epipotheo) means to long for greatly, to earnestly desire and even to starve. Such hunger is natural. All living things crave nourishment. Dying and dead things do not. If hunger isn't present, there's something wrong.

Interestingly, the wrong things that Peter mentions in this passage are not the "big ones" you might think of—the grosser sins of the pagan life. Rather, they are the common everyday vices that destroy relationships. These are the sins that undermine the mutual acceptance and belonging that ought to exist between believers, regardless of skin color, birthplace or position—whether social, educational or economic.

I once heard these sins called "tuxedo" sins because they seem to be tolerated even by people who appear to be most respectable. Because they are so common, we can sometimes think of them as small and harmless. Not so, according to Scripture.

Having Malice? Ill will? Don't we all do that? Yes, but God says: "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor" (Rom. 12:10).

Deceit? God says: "Put away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another." (Eph. 4:25)

Hypocrisy & Slander? Yes, these too need to be put away as God says they:

are characteristics of the devil himself: (Rev. 12:10)
separate friends (Prov. 16:28)
cause strife (Prov. 26:20)
sow discord among the brethren (Prov. 6:19)
destroy neighbors (Prov. 11:9)
can lead to violence and murder (Ps. 31:13)
The truth is, we must be UNTAUGHT these fleshly, ordinary responses that are so deeply rooted in our minds and hearts. Lack of zeal for God and His Word; being bored with or indifferent to the Bible are clear indicators that these sins are still there, robbing us of spiritual nourishment.


This is not meant to give you a guilty conscience and just leave you wallowing there. First Thessalonians 5:9 is clear that "God has not destined us for wrath, but for salvation." Francis Schaeffer speaks to this also in chapter eight of his book, True Sprituality: "God means us to have, as one of His gifts in this life, freedom from a false tyranny of the conscience."

So, like any good doctor, Peter not only points out the problem but also gives the solution—not striving in our own strength or trusting in our confession of sin but trusting in the gospel of Jesus Christ—in the Savior Himself. The price He paid for sin is enough. We can have forgiveness, cleansing and renewed hunger for the Word in Christ!

Intersecting Faith & Life:

If you have a good appetite for the Word of God and are enjoying daily nourishment from reading it and meditating on its truth, pause and thank God for that clear sign of life, health and maturity. If not, ask God to give you eyes to see what may be keeping you from longing for His Word.

Further Reading:

Eph. 4:25

Rev. 12:10

Prov. 16:28

Prov. 26:20

Prov. 6:19

Prov. 11:9

Ps. 31:13

[Judy Harder]

March 29, 2011

Freedom from Self
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51: 12)

Do you have a hard time embracing the idea that God loves you? Do you struggle with a nagging sense of inadequacy or unworthiness?

As we kick off Lent, we encounter a lot of talk about sinfulness, reparations, confession, and penance. The Lenten focus is wonderful and necessary for all of us. We are sinners in a fallen world, and we can find ourselves forgetting our need for God and His grace readily.

It's easy to see how Lent can infuse humility into one who suffers from pride. But what about those of us who suffer from scrupulosity? A quick internet search of this term brings us to Wikipedia which defines scrupulosity as "obsessive concern with one's own sins and compulsive performance of religious devotion." Scrupulosity is basically an obsession with our own faults and failings. It often plagues perfectionists and can be paralyzing to the believer's life. The scrupulous believer holds on to his or her sins and even erroneously labels innocent acts as sinful, convinced God could not love them enough to forgive them.

When the tendency to hyper-focus on imperfections and sins takes over, we need to remember that Lent is the journey towards Easter. It is meant to help us grow in our relationship with God, not lead us into clinical depression.

Let's take the Lenten practice of fasting, for example. Why do Christians fast? Fasting can be found in both the Old Testament and the New, with Moses (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:9,18 ), Elijah (1 Kings 19:, and our Lord (Matthew 4:2) all participating in 40-day fasts. Biblically, fasting centers around genuine humility and a desire to be in right relationship with God. Fasting is a way of denying ourselves excesses so that we might be more attuned to the Lord's voice. This requires first and foremost a belief that one can be in right relationship with God; that He is accessible to the believer!

Fasting makes the most sense when we consider it in light of Genesis 1, which reveals that we all have inherent dignity as creatures created in the image and likeness of God. An excerpt of this chapter states:

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1: 26 - 27, 31)

As human beings with this dignity, we can exercise our gift of free will to embrace opportunities God gives us to experience His refining grace in our lives. In doing so, the small aches and pains that come with fasting should draw our attention away from our failings and towards the reality that God loves us so much that He would suffer profoundly for us on the Cross.

Intersecting Faith & Life: If you suffer from scrupulosity, give it up for Lent. Instead of repeating your sins to God over and over, spend the next several weeks studying the gospel in light of God's love for you.

[Judy Harder]

March 30, 2011

Death and Taxes
By Ryan Duncan, Editor for TheFish.com

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." - John 8:34

A classmate of mine once said that she could not believe in God because a loving God would not be so cruel as to send people to Hell. I admit, at the time, I couldn't help feeling she was right.

I had sat through countless lectures on the love and mercy of Christ; but how could that same God justify sending people to Hell? Sure, maybe murderers and criminals deserved to be punished, but the average Joe? For all eternity? Just because they weren't a Christian? That seemed pretty ruthless.

Fast forward a couple of years and I am introduced to the American Tax System. I swear, nothing in life has even been so needlessly complicated, painfully frustrating, or overwhelmingly stressful as doing taxes. I spent an entire afternoon typing in my name, age, blood type, psychological profile, if I was filing jointly with an iguana, and giving background on every job I've ever held, including a lemonade stand from when I was eight.

Somewhere in the midst of W2 forms though, it struck me how my taxes may have provided the answer for my spiritual uncertainty. Taxes may be frustrating, but it was still the law, and the government was justified in making me do them. We can make excuses for how we spend, we can try to play the system with charitable works, but in the end, the law demands that we stand accountable before a greater power and face the consequences for our actions.

R.C. Sproul writes,   

"Is the death penalty for sin unjust? By no means. Remember that God voluntarily created us. He gave us the highest privilege of being His image bearers. He made us but a little lower than the angels. He freely gave us dominion over all the earth. We are not turtles. We are not fireflies. We are not caterpillars or coyotes. We are people. We are the image bearers of the holy and majestic King of the cosmos. We have not used the gift of life for the purpose God intended. Life on this planet has become the arena in which we daily carry out the work of cosmic treason. – R.C. Sproul

The truth is not always kind, sometimes it is brutal, and the truth of God is that even the best of us has erred to the point of condemnation. So, what now? Well, we can spend our time trying to deny our guilt, or we can accept that Christ sacrificed himself to give us a way out. We can recognize Christ's grace for what it is, a gift, and we can forgive others the same way Christ has forgiven us.               

Intersecting Faith and Life

Take some time to thank God of the simple things in your life.

Further Reading

Luke 16:15

[Judy Harder]

March 31, 2011

Are You Scared of Loving Zacchaeus?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." Luke 19:5, NIV

I'm scared of some things—and some people—but I'm not too scared about spending time with those who don't know Jesus. Never have been.

In fact, I enjoy people who are vastly different than me. I must say, though, that I am nowhere even close to the greatest friend-who-knew-no-stranger-of-all-time: Jesus. And so I admire his ability to walk toward those who might scare you and me ... those who we might walk away from today.

Zacchaeus was one such character. He really was a despicable little man. As I'm sure you know, tax collectors in Bible times were not the sort of person you invited over for a potluck to your home on an early spring evening. No, they were viewed as the lowest of the low. The pond scum of society. The ones you wouldn't even let in your front door.

Amazingly, though, Jesus didn't adjust his course when he was walking through Jericho one fine day. With his eye on the tax collector, Jesus walked right to where Zacchaeus was perched in a sycamore tree. Because he was small in stature, Zacchaeus had climbed up this tree so that he could see who Jesus was when he passed by in the crowd of people. He had heard about him, and now he wanted to see for himself.

Had he heard how he'd performed miracles? How he'd attracted and fed large crowds of people? How he'd touched the untouchables and healed those with leprosy? How he'd stood up to the religious establishment and called them on their legalistic teachings?

Who knows for sure. But whatever he had heard, Zacchaeus wanted to see this man who defied everyone's expectations of what the Messiah would be.

"Zacchaeus," Jesus said as he addressed him by name. "Come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."

Can you imagine what Zacchaeus must have thought? He knows me! Wait, HOW does he know me? And why is he coming to spend time with me? Doesn't he know that everyone despises me because I take all of their money? Why would he want to spend time with ME?

But whatever Zaccheus may have thought didn't stop him from scrambling down the tree and welcoming Jesus "gladly." He was smitten with the love of the Savior. And he knew that this was the Christ.

"Look, Lord!" Zacchaeus said to him. "Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

And Jesus said to him, "Today, salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

How amazing is that? Jesus didn't shy away from someone who the rest of society was shunning. He also didn't get up in Zacchaeus' face, make him feel like dirt and then strike him down with the Law in his initial effort to love him. No, he just said, "Hey, I see you and I'm going to spend some time with you. Come on, let's go!"

It's the "great commission" in action. "Go ye into all the world." Even to the parts of town that you usually avoid. Even to the societal groups that offend you. Even to the family member who has chosen to live a different lifestyle. He, she, they ... any of these people can represent Zacchaeus in your life.

But don't walk away from them. Walk toward them. And extend an invitation for a better way of living and the hope of a glorious eternity. Just like Jesus did for you.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

So maybe you think I missed that one part of the Zacchaeus story with the crowd. Well, I didn't. I just saved it for last. When the crowd witnessed Jesus make his invitation to Zacchaeus, they muttered, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'" How sad. But isn't that also you and me? We all have a person or a people group who is hard for us to love. Don't be scared of loving the Zacchaeuses in your life. The Lord will help you follow his example as you love others to him.

Further Reading:

Mark 16:15, NIV

John 13:34-35, NIV

1 Peter 4:8-11, NIV

[Judy Harder]

April 1, 2011

"Don't Let Foolishness Get The Best of You"
By Stephen Sanders
Audio/Video Editor for Salem Web Network

Matthew 5:21 & 22 says:" You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.'But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hellof fire."

Okay, so I realize that talking about hellfire and damnation doesn't necessarily get this devotional off on the most pleasant of starts. So let me make a bit of a clarification. My focus here is to simply point out that anger towards people, resulting in insults and name-calling, is not encouraged in the Bible. Cool?

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let me just dive right into a growing trend I've noticed and perhaps you have also. This phenomenon stems from our present-day culture. It has become increasingly intertwined with our everyday Christian culture and causes us to be conformed to the age in which we live. No doubt that social networking, video-sharing sites and blogs have made it even easier for Christians to be guilty of rudely calling out the foolishness of others.

Now I understand that there are times where we, as Christians, will need to approach a dear brother or sister in the Lord about sin. In one of my previous devotionals, "Be Yourself," I actually touched on how Matthew 18:15-17 instructs us on the proper way to confront sin. It starts with approaching the person face-to-face... not knocking them off their feet with a nasty tweet.

If you don't quite know what I'm talking about, just pull up any video on the web about Christianity or Jesus and you'll find just as many nasty critiques from Christians as you will from atheists and evolutionists. On Twitter and Facebook, you might have noticed how bold and brash some Christians can be in their convictions. Even the meekest of saints can become someone totally different online because, well, they just can! What's to stop them? This power to comment with little or no consequence is not only troubling to see and harmful to that person's character, but it's contaminating our witness as Christians in today's world.

Intersecting Faith and Life

Who's getting your goat these days? Is there someone in your life that doesn't seem to be making good decisions? A close friend or someone you've separated yourself from because of their lifestyle? Maybe someone in the public eye like, I don't know... a famous pastor perhaps? The President of the United States?

Whatever the case, John 13:35 says, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." So, the next time you get ready to speak your mind to the masses, stop and think about the overall outcome. Once you've had a chance to cool your jets, consider how you can address this issue in love.

You'll probably be really glad you did and may actually have a positive impact on the situation.

For Further Reading

The Sermon on the Mount

"Why Christians Are Jerks Online" by Jonathan Acuff