Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

August 29, 2011


Playing With Fire
By Ryan Duncan. TheFish.com Editor

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. – James 4:17

Last week I decided to take a few days off work and fly into Green Bay so I could spend the week with my family. I was really looking forward to my vacation, not only because it would be a chance to relax, but also because I'd get to see my oldest sister and newborn niece for the first time in almost two years.

So Tuesday evening I left work in a good mood, checked my bags into the airport, and made my way through the customary TSA groping to the terminal where I was promptly told that my flight had been canceled. With no other planes headed to Green Bay that night, I had no choice but to go home and try again another day. The next morning I got up at 4 am and returned to the airport where the airlines announced that the same thing had happened again. Clerks informed everyone that they would do their best to find us all new flights, and that all passengers would be given compensation when we pried it from their cold, dead hands.

At this point my mood was as black and foul as boiling tar, and I waited sullenly until one of the attendants asked me where I was headed. No sooner had the words "Green Bay" left my mouth when (and I am not making this up) a fireman came running through the side doors and announced that an airplane had caught fire outside the gate, and everyone needed to move to the end of the terminal. Overall, it wasn't one of my best traveling experiences.

The thing is, during all of this I could feel the Holy Spirit nudging me. I think God knew I was angry, and was encouraging me to pray, to read my Bible, even to do simple things like write or walk around the terminal and cool off. Each time I felt the nudging though, I stamped it out. I didn't want to be patient, I wanted to be angry. I wanted to groan and complain and go ballistic in the middle of the airport. I was completely justified in doing so, and I didn't care that my anger wouldn't fix anything, or that the clerks already had four people yelling at them already. I chose to wallow in my rage instead of pushing it away.     

How often do we allow ourselves to play with sin? How often do we tell ourselves that we're justified in our behavior because life isn't fair, or the situation is against us? One of the toughest challenges we Christians face today is remembering to reflect Christ, even when things get bad. Take it from me, don't ignore the Holy Spirit. Sure, you're still going to get angry, and but how you handle that anger will determine how Christ works in your life, and more importantly, how others will see Christ in you.

Intersecting Faith and Life

Are you unable to let something go? Take a moment to talk with God and let him take it from you.

Further Reading

Proverbs 19:11

[Judy Harder]

August 30, 3011

Getting Busy While You Wait
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. Genesis 39:20-23, NIV

This summer, I've been studying Joseph's journey from being thrown into a pit and sold by his brothers to his triumphant rise as second in command in Egypt under Pharaoh. I've found it to be an amazing study in the timing of God's plans and purposes and then in our serving and obeying as we wait on him.

The part of Joseph's story that I've been really chewing is the two-year span of time when he was in prison. He found himself there after being wrongly accused of trying to sleep with his employer Potiphar's wife. Now, at first glance it might seem like these years were a waste of time. But to God they were certainly not.

At this point, Joseph had already had two dreams (Gen. 37) in which God illustrated— with sheaves of grain and the sun, moon and stars—that his brothers would bow down to him. We don't know if Joseph fully grasped the meaning of these dreams at the time, but surely while he was in prison he was holding on to the promise of what God had shown to him. During this time, Joseph also learned patience and trust and humility. He learned to wait on the Lord and to continue serving him where God had placed him, even if it wasn't somewhere that Joseph would have chosen for himself.

Instead of curl himself up into a little ball and sulk in the corner of his cell, he got busy. That's right. Joseph wasn't in prison long before the warden unbound him and put him in charge of other prisoners. And then because he was put into the prison where the king's prisoners were held, he was able to meet two men who had held important positions with the king: the chief cupbearer and the royal baker.

This wasn't just happenstance. In fact, Joseph interpreted two dreams had by these men while they were in prison. One predicted the demise of the royal baker, but the other showed that the cupbearer would be restored to his position and his close proximity to the king.

Because of this cupbearer connection, Joseph was later recommended to Pharaoh when he needed his dreams interpreted. And the next thing you know Pharaoh was so well pleased with Joseph that he elevated him to second-in-command and in charge of Egypt's food rationing and storage program for the upcoming years of famine. During that time, Joseph's brothers would arrive in search of grain and would bow down to him (check out Genesis 37-42 for the full story).

But the moral of the story isn't that waiting yields you fame and fortune. It is simply this: when we wait on the Lord and allow him to work his plan in our lives, we will always experience his blessing in our lives.

Now, I know that we're all waiting on something today. Each one of us has a "prison" area in our lives where we feel stuck, shackled and perhaps very alone. But be encouraged! Just like Joseph, God is with us as we wait. So let's get busy and see what he wants to do through our lives wherever he has placed us today.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Do you feel like God has forgotten you? He hasn't for he has promised that he will never leave us nor forsake us. Ask the Lord to show you how to make the most of your current situation today. Like Joseph reached out to the cupbearer and the baker, perhaps there is someone who needs your help and will be blessed by God through you.

Further Reading:

Psa. 118:6-7, NIV
Isa. 40:31, NIV

[Judy Harder]

August 31, 2011

On the Lack of Lightning Bolts
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

I memorized these verses years and years ago, along with John 3:16 and other verses that good little children in Sunday School learn. In my five-year-old mind, I associated the proverb with a mental picture of a road stretching out for miles until it merged with the horizon. That was the "straight road" that I could so easily understand – clearly marked, unswerving, and, most importantly, unchanging. All I had to do was trust God and keep following that path. Little did I know, right?

At times the journey has felt more like an anecdote that Abraham Lincoln told of a man traveling through a thunderstorm. Through the mud and the sheets of rain, the poor traveler felt that he would lose his way entirely. The thunderclaps seemed right overhead, jolting his senses every few moments. Only the flashes of lightning helped him keep to the road. Finally, after a particularly loud crash, the man fell to his knees and cried, "O, Lord God, if it's all the same to you, I would like a little more light and little less noise!"

The major and minor uncertainties I've encountered – and will encounter in the future – often leave me with that sentiment. I think back to the promise of paths made straight and grumble that the signposts would be a lot easier to follow if they were in neon. We all ask, is this the career path you want me to take, God? Is this the man you want me to marry? Should I buy this house? Are we supposed to settle at this church? In what kind of school should we enroll the kids? God, I could really use a lightning bolt to clarify things!

It's easy to forget that the proverb reserves the promise until the last quarter of the verse, not the first. Review the wording of verse 6 with me. "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

I memorized this verse years ago, but I'm still learning it by heart. Task-oriented person that I am, it's easier to visualize myself making "progress" towards a goal than it is to stop and refocus on inner attitudes. It doesn't occur to me that part the plan is simply standing still, waiting, and listening. I demand lightning bolts to see God's working rather than taking responsibility for the part assigned to me. My part lies in the trusting, the repudiating of self, and a settled confidence that he will work all things for his purpose. Then... the path is straightened. We may not even realize it this side of heaven, but the promise is that he guides our feet when our eyes are on him.

I fully believe that the Lord guides us in specific ways – through the Word, through the counsel of godly mentors, through nudges of the Holy Spirit – and yet we get caught up in the road metaphor a little too much. We're so distracted looking for the path that we forget a lifestyle of worship. To an extent, it matters less what we're doing than how we're doing it. As Paul wrote, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

The wonder of God's plan for us lies in this – in taking our eyes off the road at our feet and looking to him, God finds our way for us.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Step one: trust in the Lord with all your heart. Step two do not lean on your own understanding. Step three: in all your ways acknowledge him. Result: whatever your path, he will direct your steps and make your path straight.

Further Reading:
Psalms 37:34
Philippians 1:4-6
Waiting on the Promises of God

[Judy Harder]

September 1, 2011

The Simple Truth
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. John 15: 4-5

I like complexities. Nuances excite me. It's why I loved studying English Lit as an undergrad. Picking apart brilliant passages by some of the greatest writers, holding them up to view them from every angle and uncovering the hidden layers fueled me.

Yes, the mind can be a great thing.

And yet it isn't the highest thing. I'll never forget an exchange that occurred in one undergraduate literature class that went something like this. A student, frustrated that a book like the Bible could have any meaningful contribution to society, began to argue that humanity would be just fine throwing the Bible out and living off plain logic.

My professor responded matter-of-factly: "Oh, so you worship the mind."

Confused the student replied, "What? I don't worship anything! I'm an atheist. Didn't you hear me? I said if we just use our brains and think logically, we'll be able to create a peaceful and happy society."

"Yes, I heard you," replied the professor. "You are saying you see the mind as the highest source of Truth. That nothing exists above it. And that through the use of our brains, we will obtain all the answers we seek. Yes, that is a clear case of mind worship."

I don't like to admit it, but I have to say I've fallen into the practice of "mind worship" more than once in my life. Have you ever spent hours trying to solve the world's problems by anxiously mulling, analyzing, examining, agonizing, and exhausting yourself? If you're anything like me, you've probably lost more than a few nights of sleep thanks to a racing mind.

Accepting that the most profound truths are often the simplest ones has relieved me of some huge mental burdens. And better yet, these simple truths originate from a source much bigger and more knowledgeable than our muddled minds.

In the verse above we see that Christ is the true vine, and we are the branches. Apart from Him, nothing is possible. No amount of brilliant thought, good works, or shining accomplishments will give us the answers we seek or lead us to eternal life. On the flip side, a life that is brief or broken or seemingly normal is filled with eternal significance when united with Christ.

So how do we "abide" in Christ? Once again, a life dedicated to Christ can be a very simple one. We can:

-- Pray (communicate with God) daily.

-- Worship weekly (at Sunday service)

-- Read God's Word

-- Develop virtue (strengthen those character traits that reflect God's goodness)

-- Eradicate sin (confess and abandon those character traits that don't reflect God's goodness)

-- Serve those in need.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  Are you overwhelmed with decisions or juggling too many responsibilities? Get back to the basics. Rededicate your life to the Source of life and focus only on what pleases Him. You'll be amazed at the spiritual fruit.

Further Reading:

Acts 2: 37- 47

[Judy Harder]

Sept. 2, 2011

Yard Sale Christianity
By Stephen Sanders
A/V Editor for Salem Web Network

As many of you know, summer is prime time yard sale time and you can't drive anywhere in the south on a Saturday without passing at least a few. This past Saturday, we stopped at one not far from our house.

In the past when I've been with my wife to these things, I seldom find anything that I get REALLY excited about. I usually just look for old books because that's the only thing I can find for a buck that I might actually use. But this past Saturday, as I dug through a box of old CDs, I found something that I couldn't pass up.

When I look back at my childhood and think about music, two names come to mind: Michael Jackson and the Beastie Boys. The very 1st album that my mom ever bought me was "Thriller." The first album that I ever bought with my own money was "Licensed to Ill" at a Kmart in Mason, Ohio with my cousin Mark. I can still vividly remember driving home that weekend with my parents in our '78 Chrysler New Yorker bumping "Fight For Your Right To Party." We had the cassette adapter for the 8-track player that was in there. I guess this was probably about 1986-87. This tape stayed in my silver boom box until it broke a couple years later.

During my middle school years, I developed a second wind of musical enlightenment. This was when hip-hop was at its peak in the early 90's. I'd picked up this interest from my good friend Chad, who bought me an NWA tape in 1992. This was, of course, followed by Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" in 1993...then "Enter the 36 Chambers" by Wu-Tang Clan later that year...

The Beastie Boys released "Check Your Head" in 1993 also. They were still just as relevant then as they had been in the 80's even though the style had changed a bit. They'd evolved from a party rap trio to a 3-piece jam band in what seemed like no time...but it had been 7 years. I loved this CD.

My love for hip-hop slowly but surely vanished as grunge slowly gained my affection and carried me through my high school years. The Nu Metal genre developed as I entered my college years; a movement that was pretty much over almost as soon as it started. I picked up a bass guitar my freshman year at SECC and my love for hip-hop officially died. But my love for the Beastie's never did...

In 2002, on a couch at a friend's house, I discovered "Paul's Boutique" by the Beastie Boys. This album was released in 1989; many consider this to be their finest work. This album soon became my "favorite album to listen to while I played video games with Eddie." And even still, the Beastie's were just as relevant in 2002 as they were in 1986... and 1989... and 1993...

Now, flash-forward to 2011... I look into a box of CDs at a yard sale and find "Check Your Head" and "Paul's Boutique" in perfect condition... for $5. SOLD! As I walked away, all I could think about were the good times I'd had with my cousin Mark, Chad, Eddie; some of the best times of my life. I couldn't wait to listen to them when I got home.

I got home, went upstairs, turned on my computer to do my homework and hit play...and immediately realized how much Christ has changed me as an individual. It's not so much the music itself, because it is still just as creative and impressive as it ever was. It's the message behind the music that causes a separation. It's just not the same anymore.

Jesus and Paul talked a lot about this sort of thing in the Bible. You know, the difference between who we were before accepting Christ into our hearts versus the new man who has surrendered his life to Jesus. I don't think I've ever seen this played out in my life in such a real way until this episode. There is simply nothing I can gain from this music at this point in my life without turning my back on Christ.

Now let me make a bit of a clarification before I go any further. I'm not talking about legalism here.  I'm not saying that, "Christians cannot listen to secular music because it is sinful." If that had been the case, I never would have bought these CDs to begin with. Now, the Stephen from 5 years ago with his sheltered, legalistic, judgmental Christian mindset would have been outraged at the idea of a believer being excited about a secular CD or movie or anything else that wasn't "Christian." I'd been taught that everything was a black or white issue. If it wasn't "Christian" then it was sin.

But in recent years, with a change of logic and a new church environment, I've realized that my old mindset was a very self-serving mindset to have. In reality, not everything in the real world is a black or white issue. Not all "Christian music" is godly and not all "secular music" is sinful. When I used to believe this way, I would make my walk with God a lot easier, while making it more difficult for everyone else I came in contact with.

What I'm talking about is true relationship with Christ where He deals with me personally while I only focus on how God views me, not those around me.

Believe me when I say that I really wanted to enjoy these CDs when I got home. But there was something inside of me that no longer desired or could allow me to digest them. I fully believe that this is what Christ does to our lives. He draws us close to Him by his Spirit and these desires just naturally fall off. They happen in His timing, not our timing and not in the timing that other believers feel they should happen in our lives.

It's experiences like these that let me know that I am certainly not who I used to be. Fleshly desires that I used to have simply do not exist anymore. I don't have to beat down my flesh and force myself to exhibit Christian behavior anymore. Christ's desires just naturally become mine. True freedom in Christ started when I stopped trying to achieve the unachievable: being a perfect Christian.

Intersecting Faith and Life

We all have our individual walks with God that we have to experience. So many of us try so hard to make things automatically sinful for the sake of comfort. We attempt to force our religion on others around us, instead of simply sharing the Gospel. But that's not what we, as Christians, are called to do. We are simply called to love God and love others. Love doesn't cause me to push myself on anyone. It subtracts from me and adds to the world around me.

For Further Study

1 Corinthians 10:13-33

[Judy Harder]

Sept. 5, 2011

The Heroic Faith of Edith Stein
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8: 35, 37

Whenever life gets difficult or perplexing, I like to read about Christian heroes that came before me to glean some insights and inspiration. So I googled Christian Saints, and discovered that last month, August 9th, was the feast day of German philosopher Edith Stein – also known by her religious name, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. I decided to "get to know" this modern Christian convert a little better, and I'm glad I did – it wasn't a boring read. Here's a brief summary of her life.

Born in 1891 on the feast of Yom Kippur (the Jewish day of Atonement), she was the 11th child to join her orthodox Jewish family. But she abandoned her Jewish spirituality as a teenager in favor of intellectual atheism. Lacking faith, but gifted with a brilliant mind, she was one of the first women admitted to a German University where she spent many years studying philosophy under respected scholar, Edmund Husserl.

Her quest for truth through philosophy did not allow her to stay an atheist for long, though, and she began to look to religion again. In 1921, after befriending several devout Protestant Christians and reading the autobiography of a Catholic nun, Stein realized all the answers she sought could be found in Christ. She was baptized that year at age 29.

Her life after conversion continued to be one of scholarly endeavors. She used her sharp mind to champion the dignity of women through her writings and teaching, promoting a form of feminism quite different from what most of us would call "feminism" today. Her writings reveal a woman who treasured the unique differences between the sexes and who felt the "maternal gifts" were central to womanhood. But in spite of her love for motherhood, she never married or had biological children although one could argue she became a sort of spiritual "mother" to many.

Stein might have spent the rest of her life studying and teaching, but the darkness brewing in Europe interrupted. In 1933, she was banned from teaching in German universities because of her Jewish heritage.

Deprived of her public life, the unmarried Stein took this opportunity to become a Carmelite nun. For a while, she joyfully spent her days in France, cloistered in prayer and study, growing more in love with Christ and in awe of His Cross.

Sadly, her love for the Cross and contemplations on Christ's suffering would prove both necessary and prophetic. As World War II heated up, Stein secretly fled to a convent in Holland, fearing that her presence in the French convent would endanger her sisters. But peace in Holland was temporary. The Germans overtook Holland, and Dutch Bishops responded by drafting formal letters -- to be read from every pulpit -- denouncing Nazi persecution of Jews.

The Nazi's retaliated by rounding up all Christians of Jewish descent for deportation to Auschwitz. Reports say Edith went willingly, assisting Jewish mothers and their children on the terrible journey. On August 9, 1942 Edith and her biological sister, Rosa, died in a gas chamber standing alongside their beloved Jewish brethren.

Edith Stein's dramatic story is a reminder to me of God's power and grace, of the amazing things God can accomplish through those who love Him – even someone who spent her early adult years devoid of faith. And while her story may have ended tragically, her life was anything but tragic. She seemed to have a keen sense of Romans 8: 35-37 as reports say she never conveyed much sadness about her sufferings – just sadness for the sufferings of others.

Edith Stein is also a reminder to me of how simple the Christian life really is, no matter how famous or how obscure we are. She sums up the purpose of our days beautifully in this quote:

"To suffer and to be happy although suffering, to have one's feet on the earth, to walk on the dirty and rough paths of this earth and yet to be enthroned with Christ at the Father's right hand, to laugh and cry with the children of this world and ceaselessly sing the praises of God with the choirs of angels -- this is the life of the Christian until the morning of eternity breaks forth."

Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you facing a challenge in your life right now? Take heart in knowing that absolutely nothing can separate you from the love of God, and that many believers have walked the road before you and found victory in Christ.

Further Reading

Finding Joy When Life Isn't Fair

[Judy Harder]

September 6, 2011

Bring Oil
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor

Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God." -  Revelation 19:9

For the second time this year, I had the privilege to be part of a friend's wedding. I was one of the groomsman, and I was honored. Being a groomsman is a tough gig though. While supposedly there was a list of duties I needed to perform, I soon realized my main job was making sure the groom didn't spontaneously implode from stress. This was crucial because if anything happened to the groom the bride would probably strangle everyone with her own wedding veil. Luckily, my fellow groomsmen and I managed to play our parts with no major errors.

My only slip up happened during the rehearsal dinner, when I excused myself to go look for a bathroom. I was probably gone for only a few minutes, but when I came back I found the groom's father was in the middle of the dinner toast. I didn't want to be rude, so I stood outside the room for about fifteen minutes waiting as everyone toasted the bride and groom. All in all, it wasn't that big of a deal, but as I stood out there and watched the celebration from behind the door, I remembered a parable Jesus had once told his disciples.

"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'  " 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'  "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." (Matthew 25:1-13)

Sometimes I think we underestimate the parable of the virgins. We were always told it represented Jesus return, and our duty to be ready, but I think there's more to it. We are, in a sense, the wedding party for Christ's marriage to the Church. Like the bridesmaids and groomsmen, it's our responsibility to help prepare the celebration by following Christ and working to serve him. It also means we'll have to endure a long night filled with uncertainty, and our faith, like the lamp oil, must constantly be replenished. It's going to be a lot of hard work, but when the groom arrives and the celebration begins, there's no doubt it will all have been worth it.       

Intersecting Faith and Life

Takes some time to read Jesus' parables and reflect on their meanings.

Further Reading       

Matthew 13:44

[Judy Harder]

September 7, 2011

Good without God?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"...even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened."
Romans 1:21

Many are professing quite loudly today that they can be "good without God." And I think that I have a fairly clear understanding of what these people are trying to say. They haven't killed anybody. They work hard. They build community, are compassionate, and give to charity. I suppose that from a perspective in which the God of the Bible is ignored for a few moments, you could easily agree that they are decent people.

The rub comes, though, when you probe more deeply than the superficial. At the heart of the issue is how we define what "good" actually means. Who defines that? And by what authority? The natural man who claims to be "good without God" is saying, in fact, that he wants to improvise what good means and define it on his own terms.

Now, granted, if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead and all the claims Christianity are irrelevant, then non-believers are free to live however they choose with no consequences. And that is exactly what most want. But that is a point of view that doesn't exactly square with reality or history. At least one atheist, Joel Marks, who writes at the New York Times blog, Opinionator, seems to have a clear grasp of this truth. If there's no good God we're accountable to, then morality is just a fairy tale and the terms "right" and "wrong" have no meaning.

In the end, man's attempt to redefine good on his own terms has no effect on the definition of good that's been eternally fixed by God.  Romans 1:18-32 powerfully speaks to this, saying that man's very desire to determine for himself what is good is something that God actually mocks, calling it "futile... foolish... and darkened."

Think of it, as harmless as it may seem on the surface, it's really a grave offense for a creature made by God to stroll around on the earth that God made and pretend to himself that there is no God. Such self-centered unbelief actually screams that Jesus, the Apostles and the thousands of martyrs and godly believers through the ages are nothing more than a pack of liars.

Romans 1:18-21 says that the good-without-God kind of people "suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them... For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks."

Saying these things isn't meant as a beat-down on unbelievers so that believers can somehow feel good about themselves. Rather, it's truth offered in kindness to help people see their condition. It comes down to a simple question: Can a person be truly good when they are calling a good God and good people liars? No, a good person trusts God. A good person doesn't reject the testimony of reliable witnesses. A good person honors God and gives thanks to Him (Rom. 1:21).

The necessity of giving thanks brings up another type of "good without God" person that exists out there. Romans 1 teaches that not only is the irreligious, outright God-denier in that category, but there is also a religious type of God-denier. Respected Christian thinker, Francis Schaeffer, explains it well in the first chapter of his classic book, True Spirituality.

He wrote that as seemingly small, insignificant and optional as a thankful heart might appear to be at first glance, thankfulness turns out to be the litmus test for whether or not one really believes in God. If you say that God is a personal God and He is your Father, but by your life you do not trust Him, honor Him and give Him thanks, you're really denying what you say you believe. You're trying to be good without God. The path to true goodness starts then with a prayer spoken of in Mark 9:24. Christ always answers it: "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."

Yes, life is hard. Yes, we live in a sin-cursed and fallen world. Things are not as they should be. Still—and this may be a hard truth to accept—faith coupled with thankfulness in all things is not optional. It's essential. Not giving thanks with a plastic smile, but having genuine thankfulness that shows real trust in God through the hard things.

Without faith, man is out of touch with reality. People can only be good with God in His proper place.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

How firmly do you believe that God alone defines good and evil?

What does your level of thankfulness show about the reality of your faith in God?

If you have an opportunity to talk with someone today who is trying to be good without God, relate to him in a positive way about his desire to be good, and direct him to this deeper line of thinking in Romans 1.

Further Reading

How to Know Truth and Evaluate Competing Worldviews by Chris Daniel
Why I Believe in God by Cornelius Van Til
Ephesians 4:17-5:21

[Judy Harder]

September 9, 2011

You Got a Lot of Potential
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. ~ Ephesians 1:18-19, NIV

Just this past week I was reading an article on Crosswalk.com (I know ... go figure!), and I was encouraged by this thought:

God has a way of raising our level of potential, until we're shocked by our own accomplishments.

So, have you ever been shocked by what God has done through your accomplishments? I've seen God do this personally in my life time and again. When there have been circumstances in my life where I didn't know how something was going to get done or when or why or how, I remember consciously praying, "Lord, you're going to have to show me how to do this, because I have no idea how it's going to happen."

He has shown me that when I trust him and his timing and follow his direction (even if I don't understand it), that he will get things done. Amazing are thethings he will get done! So amazing, in fact, that I know that there is no way I could have accomplished what he has done on my own.

I shouldn't be surprised really, because I know that in Christ "we are more than conquerors" (Rom. 8:37). Yet, as believers who are still being sanctified, we may still doubt what God can do through us. But like Vivian Ward says to Kit De Luca in the film Pretty Woman (and I'm not endorsing this movie, so please don't send me hate mail), "You got a lot of potential."

It's true! We all have a lot of potential. Unlimited, in fact. But instead of believing who God says that we are in him and all that he can do through us, we choose to believe the lies of the culture. And when we limit ourselves to what humans say we can or can't or should or shouldn't do, then we will never realize our full potential in Christ who transcends anyone or anything in this world.

For he has saved us ...

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1).

He has changed us ...

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Cor. 5:17).

He has adopted us ...

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).

He has given us an inheritance ...

Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession (Eph. 1:13-14).

He has empowered us ...

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth (John 14:16-17).

So, my friend, the next time you think you don't have a lot of potential, just stop. Remember who you are in Christ and remember that the Creator of the universe is living inside of you by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And then prepare to be shocked. Because in Christ, we can do everything through him who gives us strength (Phil 4:13).

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Do you believe that God created you to work in and through your life? Don't compare your potential to that of others. Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. When you surrender your life and your expectations to God, you will be shocked to see what he will accomplish through the power of his Holy Spirit in you.

Further Reading:

Isaiah 40:26, NIV
Haggai 2:4, NIV
Ephesians 2:8-10, NIV

How Do You Let God Work in Your Life?

[Judy Harder]

September 12, 2011

Make Me Happy!
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

We love, because he first loved us.
1 John 4: 19

I have a confession. I'm a Bachelor addict. You know, the ABC reality show where they set one man up with 25 potential matches? Yes, I keep up with it.

Honestly, this show was cathartic for me during my crazy dating days. It reminded me that perhaps I wasn't the only one struggling with romantic love. And it also provided plenty of object lessons on what not to do in the quest for a spouse.

Sadly, in spite of the show's goal to offer eligible bachelors a chance at lasting love, very few couples make it to the altar. You can blame the elaborate set or the pressure created by the roses, but I think the reason the couples have little success is because the show is founded on commonly held, yet flawed, beliefs about love.

Like so many of us out here in the real world, love on the Bachelor is usually equated to the giddy, mushy, feelings of infatuation. Time and again, the Bachelor expresses the fairy tale notion that they want to find someone who "completes them" or makes them feel happy. They spend hours interviewing and wooing these women then agonizing over eliminations at the famous rose ceremonies in their efforts to find the one woman who will make them happy forever.

But what happens after the final rose when these giddy feelings of personal "completeness" fade? When flaws and hardships overwhelm their early romance? This is when so-called "love" fades for most couples. And we just can't figure out what went wrong.

In his book Love & Responsibility, Fr. Wojtyla explains these perplexing relationship failures. He explains that this notion that we're supposed to find someone to "complete us" is off course. You see, when we date a person with the primary goal of experiencing pleasure - or a sense of "fulfillment" - we're actually using that person. Sure, we may like the person. But we're still using them as a means to our end, our pleasure. And using a person is the opposite of loving them.

Not only does using a person fail to nurture true love, but Fr. Wojtyla insists that the "pleasure approach" is impractical because it is very difficult to predict who will bring us the maximum amount of personal pleasure long-term (I think the Bachelors would agree here!). Thus begins the cycle of serial monogamy as we hop from one high to the next.

So how do we find true love if we can't just look for the person who gives us the biggest high? It's not that we shouldn't enjoy our mates. Quite the contrary. But we need to start off on a different foot. Fr. Wojtyla shares that true love finds its beginnings when two human beings make a free will commitment to a good, the greatest good being God. He writes, "Love... is conditioned by the common attitude of people towards the same good, which they choose as their aim, and to which they subordinate themselves."


Why does this work? In joining another for good, the focus becomes less, "What can you do for me?" (which is self-centered) to "What can we do together to serve God?"

Intersecting Faith & Life:  Are you frustrated with your spouse? Do you feel like he or she is not doing enough to make you happy? Pray about ways to resolve your feelings of discontent. If you are both believers, pray about ways you can serve God as a couple.

Further Reading

1 Cor 13
Why Are Today's Parents So Unhappy? by Albert Mohler