Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

September 13, 2011

Toys into Tools 
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48



With the start of football season this month, I've heard the phrase, "to whom much is given, much is required" used a lot... and that's a good thing. A great thing. Athletes, profiled on sports shows, have been given chances to explain how they are using their celebrity and/or money to help mankind, or even spread the gospel.



One prominent athlete was interviewed about wanting to use what he's been given as a platform to further the Kingdom of God. His goals were reminiscent of the parable Jesus told about the difference between faithful and unfaithful servants, stewards of the kingdom. Faithful servants are to be about their master's will, not doing their own thing, not squandering what they've been given, but instead, realizing how much they've been given, and that there are punishments awaiting those who knowingly disobey (and even for those - albeit less severely - who unknowingly disobey. Seem harsh?).



Nonetheless, I enjoy verses like our main verse today, where a concept is repeated synonymously for effect. The Bible's wisdom literature is ripe with this structure, and Jesus makes use of it here. The phrase "Everyone who has been given much" is echoed by "the one who has been entrusted with much," and "much will be demanded" becomes synonymous with "much more will be asked." It drives the point home.



We often hear the first part of this verse quoted, and it works fine by itself: "To whom much is given, much is required." That concept even works well in the secular world, so much so that non-Christians quote it, perhaps without even knowing it's biblical in origin, and superhero movies use it as a thematic element.



But this week, after seeing and reading those profiles of Christian athletes, I read the verse in its entirety, and it opened up a new level of meaning for me.



Generally, when I think of things I've been "given," or "gifts," I tend to think of presents, possessions... toys, even. Things that are mine. Things I can hoard, break, forget about, get tired of, use for personal gain, waste, sell, or lose. Some things we are "given" include salvation, spiritual gifts, genetic gifts, talents, financial blessing, testimonies, family, forgiveness, love, and more.



Now, does your perspective shift at all if you think of those things not merely as "things given," but as "things you are entrusted with"?

For me, the ante gets upped. There's a new level of seriousness. The steward who has faith must, by definition, be faithful.

My toys, as I grow up, must become my tools - the things the Master has given that He expects will be used to build and further His Kingdom.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  What gift have you been entrusted with that you are still just playing with? Or hiding? Or wasting? Knowing the Master's will, decide what you would say if He returned today to find you not busy at Kingdom work. Then decide one way you can use what you have been entrusted with to edify others this week. You may not have the platform of a Tim Tebow, but you've been given all the requirements necessary to do the job assigned to you.

Further Reading


James 2:14-18
1 Corinthians 4:2

Envisioning Your 'God-Sized' Calling

[Judy Harder]

September 14, 2011

 

Freedom from Sin in This Life and The Next
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith."
1 John 5:3-4 NASB

We know that Christ secures heaven in the next life, yes. But we often forget that Christ is our basis for a growing freedom from sin in this life as well. It's easy to slip into self-effort and start thinking that it's up to us to somehow overcome our sin and selfishness.

First John 5:4 says that faith is the victory not self effort. As we have seen in previous study, the Christian faith is never just faith in faith. It is not just some leap in the dark. It is faith in the objective truth of Christ in space, time and history. Christians trust in a Person—the Lord Jesus Christ.

First John 5:4 says that faith is the key to victory, and the key to faith is Christ. Our ongoing focus must be Him—all that He is—not just what He did at the cross. Instead of compartmentalizing Christ to merely being our Savior, we must value all that He is—His perfect life, death, resurrection, ascension, current ministry of intercession, and His promised return. The Apostle Paul says in Colossians 3:4 that Christ is our life.

If we neglect the full scope of who Christ is and what He did and we only focus on a part of what He did at the cross, we will fall apart in our practical living.

Francis Schaeffer wrote of this fully orbed, Christ-saturated view of living the Christian life in chapter eight of True Spirituality:

"It is not we who overcome the world in our own strength. We do not have a power plant inside ourselves that can overcome the world. The overcoming is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ... if we raise the empty hands of faith moment by moment and accept the gift. This is the victory that overcomes the world—our faith."

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Ask God for grace to remember throughout the day today that victory over sin, doubt, and discouragement rests solely on the person and work of Christ.

For Further Study:

Consider memorizing Romans 8:32-34

32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies;

34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

[Judy Harder]

September 15, 2011

The Older Son
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com

"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." – Matthew 6:20

Most Christians have heard the story of the Prodigal Son. For those of us who grew up in the Church, the story probably conjures up memories of Sunday school, when the teacher would reenact the parable on one of those crazy felt boards. The Prodigal Son really is a perfect description of God's relationship with us, his children. I don't know about you, but I've done more than enough stupid stuff in my life to qualify as a prodigal. Lately though, I've found myself relating more and more to the older son in the story, the one most people tend to forget about.   

"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' " 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' " – Luke 15: 25-32

It's almost unsettling how easily we Christians can become the Older Son. Maybe you're having a bad month, or maybe it seems like someone else is getting all the rewards you desire. In those moments it's so tempting to turn on God and yell, "I've followed all the rules. I've done everything right! Would it kill you to throw me a bone once in a while?" But God isn't Santa Claus; he doesn't keep a list of whose good and bad then parcel things out accordingly.

For all his mistakes, the younger brother understood that anything he got from his Father would be out of grace, and for all his good work, the older brother let his anger blind him to the many blessings he already had.  A friend of mine once told me, "Being a Christian doesn't mean you have to dance happily in bad situations" and it's true. Being a Christian means that we are saved by Christ through grace, and good times or bad, his blessings are still there even if we don't see them.       

Intersecting Faith and Life

Take a moment to count your blessings.

Further Reading     

Luke 15: 1-7

[Judy Harder]

September 16, 2011

Be Present
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14, NIV

Sometimes we need more than a caffeine jolt to be present.

My latest "awakening" has come to me via two books: Anne Graham Lotz's Expecting to See Jesus: A Wake-Up Call for God's People and Sam Childers' Another Man's War: The True Story of One Man's Battle to Save Children in the Sudan.

I don't think it's an accident that I have been reading both titles at the same time. And I don't think it's an accident that the headlines from Crosswalk's Religion Today section (as of the time I am writing this) are focused on humanity, suffering and the Christian faith:

Hurricane Irene Kills 25: Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Mobilizes Response
24 Killed in Series of Attacks on Christians in Nigeria
Open Doors Reports Tripoli Christians Safe, Praying
Both books and these news stories are jolts to my consciousness. I have been especially convicted while reading Lotz's book encouraging believers to WAKE UP, humble ourselves before the Lord and invite personal revival into our lives. And heartbroken while reading Childers' first-person account about the ongoing terrorism and horrible atrocities that are yielding countless young victims of war in Southern Sudan.

And so in light of all of that, whether or not my toenail polish goes well with my dress that I'm planning on wearing to church this Sunday morning really doesn't seem to matter at all.

I'd laugh if this didn't make me cry inside. Because this is the real world. This is human life. These are Jesus-is-coming-soon type of matters. They are what our purpose for here on earth is all about. And if we are present, we can see this continuing battle of the lies of the culture versus the Truth of God's Word.

As I've immersed myself in these books and in paying closer attention to what is happening in the world, I find myself being reminded to be present in my own life. Which ultimately means humbling myself before the Lord and yielding my life to him, so that he may use me and see his will be done. In the lives of those in my family and friends. In my church. In my community. In my priorities. In where my money is going. In where or on what I am spending my time.

But I find myself battling myself to do that. To bend my knee, to sacrifice and make myself available for the person who is right in front of me. For the person who needs someone to listen to them. For the person who needs me to help them. For the person who just needs me to . . . be present.

And it's not that complicated. Jesus just sat down and shared a meal with people. He traveled to people's homes. He listened. He spoke Truth. And news of him spread organically: person to person. Face to face. In community.

We are all challenged to follow his example of being present. Are we listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit? Are we following his prompting, his leading and his direction? Is our passion for Jesus stronger and burning more brightly than our love for football, the latest iPhone, the next Peter Jackson film or anything else in this life?

Life is over in a blink of an eye. And with the world changing as fast as it is, with natural disasters happening every week or so, with the value of human life continuing to decrease, and with right and wrong just about done trading places, the time is NOW for you and me to be present as we seek the Lord.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

I have a challenge for us both this weekend: what do you say we turn off our televisions? I know. I don't want to either. But let's do it. Let's use that time to reach out to someone else. Could be someone with whom you need reconciliation. Could be someone who thinks life isn't worth living and is about ready to end it. Could be anyone going through anything. You just never know. So let's be available and be present and see what God is trying to say to us and do through our lives.

Further Reading:

Psa. 46:10, NIV

Jer. 15:19-21, NIV

James 4:7-10, NIV

[Judy Harder]

September 19, 2011


Community Commitment
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 2 Timothy 1:1-5

Who passed the faith on to you? Who gave you your first Bible or explained the meaning of the Cross in a way you could understand? Who influenced you to keep persevering when you felt like giving up?

Not long ago, I was awakened to the necessity (and challenges) of passing on the faith to the next generation. I walked into a Sunday school classroom prepared to assist the 8th grade teacher -- but she never showed. A family emergency prevented her from arriving on the very first day. Did I mention I'd never taught Sunday school before?

While my teaching skills won't be winning any prizes, we all walked away mostly unscathed. But one thing became clear to me that day - these middle schoolers need someone older and wiser to mentor them or their faith won't survive life's challenges.

Of course, we can't expect 8th graders to make radical, lifelong commitments to Christ without assistance when even the apostles who personally knew Jesus relied on one another to grow in faith. In Acts, we see Peter and the others sorting out the details of early Christian doctrine among each other. And Paul's letters, some of the most quoted versus in the Bible, were written for encouragement and instruction to individuals and Christian communities.

One reason we rely so heavily on one another is that God set it up that way. He created the Church with Christ as the Head and you and I - believers -- as the Body:

But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love. Ephesians 4:15 - 16

In our individualistic society it's easy to reduce faith down to a personal preference or a private journey. But just as our bodies rely on our organs to work together to thrive, the Body of Christ relies on its members to work together to thrive. So whether we like it or not, we're part of a community and people depend on us. While I don't always feel like the "perfect" Christian, God wants to work through me - and you - to further His work here on earth.

Intersecting Faith & Life: We all have at least one person who acted as a vehicle of God's grace in our lives. This week, honor a pastor or teacher who was influential in your faith journey. If you're not already mentoring a younger believer, find a way to get involved. You don't have to be perfect!

Further Reading:
1 Cor 10: 17
Colossians 2:4-12

[Judy Harder]

September 20, 2011


Simon Says Walk by Faith
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

Jesus said... "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
Matthew 16:24

You remember how to play Simon-Says, don't you? It's probably been a few years. It's the children's game where a leader gives verbal commands that are to be followed if and only if they are preceded by an explicit statement of permission bearing the warrant of mighty Simon himself. Non-"Simon-Says" commands are worthless, and following them only gets you in trouble.

Aside from being fun (for a few minutes anyway), the game also helps kids work on motor skills, coordination, listening skills, manners, and respecting authority. But shhhh... don't tell them that.

I'm not convinced the game's so popular these days, as everyone's more interested in raising leaders than followers anymore, but I digress.

Let's just look closely at the three actions in the verse above, which begins not with "Simon Says," but rather "Then Jesus said..."

1) Turn Around ("let him deny himself..."). This is what denying one's self is all about. Repentance. Seeing things God's way. Going from darkness to light. Playing the fool for God. Even the notion of playing a child's game is apropos here, as we must not use our own adult human knowledge and wisdom to accomplish this step, but instead we die to self and come willingly in faith like a child.

2) Bend Over, Stand Up ("take up his cross..."). When you pick up the cross, you have to set down other burdens, the other things that you tend to think define "you." Taking up your cross does not equal the burden of being you, your identity. You are indeed unique, but each day you should take on something new from Christ that makes you more like Him.

3) Go Forward ("...and follow Me"). Following = sacrificial living. It's advancement toward a Kingdom goal. In Matthew 8:1 we find that when Jesus "had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him." He had just finished teaching them; they had received instruction from one who had no place to lay his head and was feeding thousands on mere loaves and fishes. Moving forward in the Kingdom can only involve putting others in front of self. Is it really all that foreign to us? People sacrifice all the time to climb ladders in their career and for other personal goals. Why not sacrifice without the ladders?

Intersecting Faith & Life:  Is this verse, are these three instructions, hard, or easy? The answer depends on perspective. Quitting smoking looks easy to the non-smoker, but the smoker must take it one minute, one day, one step at a time. Losing weight is a manageable goal for most, but if the focus is on losing 60 pounds in the first day the dieter is fighting a losing battle. Make it your goal to Turn Around, Bend Over/Stand Up, and Go Forward one day this week and see where playing "Jesus Said" takes you.

Further Reading


Shoulder Your Cross
Refusing Directions
Matthew 10:38

[Judy Harder]

September 21, 2011


Stinky Kitchen Rags
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"...All our righteousness-es are as filthy rags..."
Isaiah 64:6 KJV

"Gross. Who left this rag in the sink full of dirty dishes?" I asked.

No answer.

I picked up the soaked, dripping, smelly, slimy, green towel from the bottom of the kitchen sink—pinching it with thumb and forefinger on the driest corner possible.

"Well, whoever it was, please hang it up next time instead of leaving it in the sink. Thank you," I said as I dropped the rag into a plastic bag before taking it outside to dry.

Isaiah 64:6 didn't come to mind at the time, but what a great reminder of what our self-effort looks like to God. "All our righteousness-es are as filthy rags," says the King James Version. (Yes, apparently, there's a plural for "righteousness.")

An article I read recently made this connection for me. The writer, Ann Dunagan, said:

We may think our own self-efforts help us earn "brownie points" with God. But, to Him, our human works are as worthless as stinky rags.
If we try to earn favor with God — instead of trusting in Jesus — it's like collecting yucky rags. The more they pile up, the more they stink and mildew. 

Of course, the rags being referred to in Isaiah 64 are technically more 'unclean' in a biblical sense if you know what I mean (see notes on v. 6 here and here) than smelly kitchen rags, but the picture is clear.

Colossians 3:4 says that Christ is the believer's life.  Our moment-by-moment mindset is to be Christ—His perfect life, death, resurrection, ascension, intercession for us, and promised return to rule forever.

If I lose that moment-by-moment focus on Christ and fall into sin, it does me no good to try to return to God with self-effort—that's like offering Him stinky rags.  Only the cleansing sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross can make us righteous before God.

Hebrews 12:10 says that God disciplines us... "for our good, so that we may share His holiness."

And 1 John 1:9 assures us that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

"If we have sin in our lives, and we go on, and God does not put His hand in loving chastisement upon us, then we are not children of God," so wrote Francis Schaeffer in chapter eight of his book True Spirituality.

He went on to make the point that God disciplines us not only that we may share in His holiness, but that—as Hebrews 12:11 says—we may have the "peaceful fruit of righteousness." God wants us to experience relational peace with Him, not just be right with a rule book. As a perfect Father, He deeply loves His adopted children.

"This is what we ought to expect," says Schaeffer, "Given the biblical teaching that God really exists, that He is personal, and He has a holy character."   

If this is what God is... and if I have become His child, should I not expect that when I have sinned, when I have done what is the opposite of His character, I must go back to Him as a Person, and say I am sorry?   

He is not just a doctrine, or an abstraction; He is a Person who is there.     

The first step of restoration after I have sinned, then, is in exactly the same line [as in becoming a Christian]. I must acknowledge that I cannot live the Christian life in my own strength or in my own goodness. I must raise the empty hands of faith for God's gift—only the finished work of Christ in space, time, and history, back there on Calvary's cross is enough. I must bring the specific sin under the blood of Jesus Christ, by faith.     

Everything rests upon the reality of the fact that the blood of Christ has meaning in our present life, and restoration takes place as we, in faith, act upon that fact in specific cases of sin.     

When my heart condemns me and cries, "You've done it again," I am to believe God again as to the value of the finished work of Jesus Christ for the present. 

Intersecting Faith & Life:

If you want a restored relationship with God, you can have it as His child. But not until you humbly call specific sin sin.

Ask God for the grace to stop trying to return to Him with the rags of self-effort, to see and confess any sin in your life to Him, and then—as Schaeffer says—raise the empty hands of faith, counting on the availability of the blood of Christ for forgiveness and restoration in this present moment.

For Further Study:
Read Hebrews 12 and 1 John 1

[Judy Harder]

The Spiritual Weed Whacker
Ryan Duncan, The Fish.com Editor

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."- Matthew 6:34

Have you ever heard of the Kudzu vine? For all you botany fans out there, the Kudzu vine is a climbing, coiling plant that's earned a pretty dubious reputation In the United States. The Kudzu, you see, is an invasive species that's very, very hard to kill. It can resist pesticides, survive without soil for long stretches of time, and has tiny nodes that it uses to climb even difficult surfaces. A small portion of the Kudzu can latch onto a tree and continue to grow until it literally strangles the host plant and steals all its nutrients.

Like most invasive species, the Kudzu has no natural enemies, which allows it to grow relatively unhindered. This is particularly bad because the Kudzu vine is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, sometimes averaging feet a day. In fact, the Kudzu has devoured so many forests in the southern United States that it's been given the nickname "The Vine That Ate the South".  It is, in short, one gigantic super-weed.

So, I bet you're asking "why the biology lesson?" In Matthew 13 Jesus tells his disciples the Parable of the Sower, and uses the image of weeds to explain how daily life can interrupt our faith.   

"The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." – Matthew 13:22

As a kid, I helped my parents with the gardening, and I learned two things about weeds. First, weeds always start out small, but if ignored they grow into something huge and hard to uproot. Secondly, weeds will always grow back. The same could be said about life.

If we let daily problems overwhelm us, our faith will wither and die, or if we allow ourselves to get too comfortable in our faith, we'll end up stunting our growth. Let Christ be your spiritual weed killer. Whether it's through Church, small group, or even a morning devotional, give God the opportunity to pull away life's distractions and teach you more about who he is.

The seeds are ready. What will your harvest look like?

Intersecting Faith and Life

How often do you take time to study Gods word? Does your schedule need improvement?

Further Reading

Psalm 55:22

[Judy Harder]

September 23, 2011


What's in a Name?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. Revelation 2:17, NIV

Growing up, I always wished for a "kinder, gentler" name.

With a last name like "MacCorkle," I'm sure you can imagine the kind of variations on a theme that I encountered during my formative years: MacDorkle, MacSnorkle, MacaDoodle, MacCorky-Snork.  And so on.

I really didn't want to stand out and just wanted to blend in and have a "normal" name like everyone else. I remember thinking "Foster" or "Graham" or "Smith" might be nice and less conspicuous names. But, as I would later realize, changing your name is no simple task. It becomes a legal issue, whether you go to court to have it changed or (for the female set) whether or not you get married and take your husband's last name.

In the Bible, sometimes it took supernatural intervention to change names: Abram to Abraham, Simon to Peter and Jacob to Israel. In Genesis 32, we read:

That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."

Jacob's name being changed to Israel signified a turning point in his life. A spiritual crossroads. After wrestling with God, he had a new identity and a new purpose going forward. His name meant "prince with God," and his descendants were known as Israelites.

While I was wishing for a different last name as a child, I didn't realize that I, too, had already undergone a name change. It happened when I was three years old and accepted Christ into my heart. At that point, I became known as a Christian. "A child of God. An heir to the Kingdom. A member of a royal family and priesthood. And a descendant of Israel"(Eph. 3:6).

What about you? If you have not asked Christ to come into your life, are you ready for a new name today? Please visit Crosswalk's Who Is Jesus? section for help in taking this important step. And if you have already become a Christian, consider what your new name means to you.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Whether you have just become a Christian or have walked with the Lord for quite a while, you have a new name in Christ. Reflect on what your name—your identity as a believer—means to you. Does it define who you are? Ask God to help you to know who you are in him.

Further Reading:

Isaiah 62:2, NIV
1 Peter 2:9, NIV
Revelation 3:5, NIV

[Judy Harder]

September 26, 2011

Is Your Soul Healthy?
By Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk Family Editor

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness... For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (2 Peter 1: 3 –

When I first became a believer, I was like the woman with the alabaster jar (Matt 26: 7). I loved much because I had been forgiven much. But as the years slipped by something happened in my life that happens to many believers: my gratefulness towards God's mercy transformed into frustration at my lingering sinful nature. I understood why I failed so greatly before knowing Christ, but it was difficult to accept my failings when I felt I should know better.

It's easy to beat yourself up, even run from God, when you fall. Out of frustration and shame, I have begged God to rid me of my sinful tendencies. Of course, God didn't instantly heal me with a lightning bolt, but answered me with a different kind of grace. The answer to my prayer came in the form of a Sunday school lesson on "holy habits," more traditionally known as virtues.

Practicing virtue is a lot like lifting weights – it's exercise that builds health in your soul. There are many virtues, but as we learned in class that day, the foundation of all virtues can be found in the four natural virtues or cardinal virtues. These were first articulated by Plato but hardly belong to Plato. They are part of what theologians call "natural law" – God's design for humanity woven into our beings since the beginning of creation. When a person cultivates these virtues in his or her life, they are cooperating with the Creator's design for the human soul.

It's important to note here that pursuing a virtuous life is not the same as trying to earn salvation. Our salvation is a gift that flows from God's grace. But in our Christian journey, it's important to do our part to improve our character so that we can grow in character and more accurately reflect Christ's goodness to the world. Now let's take a closer look at each cardinal virtue:

1. Wisdom: For wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. (Prov. 8: 11). You've probably known people with book smarts who lack common sense. Or perhaps you know someone with street smarts who lacks knowledge. A person who has cultivated the virtue of wisdom can not only discern truth but has the ability to implement their insights appropriately in any given situation. According to scripture, characteristics of wise people include those who prepare properly for hard times (Prov. 21: 20), those who humbly heed instruction and correction (Prov. 9: 8-9), those who hold their tongues from saying foolish things (Prov. 10: 19), and those who fear the Lord (Prov. 14: 16, 1: 7). Because wisdom allows us to discern right from wrong, this virtue sets us up to practice all other virtues.

2. Justice: Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed (Isaiah 1: 17). Most of us have some sense of justice from a very early age when we yell, "It's not fair!" A just or righteous person gives to others what is deserved, keeps his word, and acts fairly even when no one is looking. According to scripture, a just person favors the innocent over the wicked (Prov. 18: 5), never accepts bribes (Prov. 17: 23), aids the poor, fatherless, and widows (Prov. 29:7, Is 1: 17), and experiences joy (Prov. 21: 15).

3. Courage: In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence (Prov 14: 26). While most of us associate courage with lack of fear, courage has more to do with fear put in proper perspective. A courageous person chooses right even when a decision is frightening or comes with personal cost. Among many traits, the courageous person exalts Christ (Phil 1: 20), holds on to God's promises (Acts. 27: 25), and gives an effective witness for Christ (Acts 4: 13). A person can not exercise any virtue for long without courage because sin often appears easier or more attractive than virtue.

4. Temperance: Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control (Prov. 25: 28). Temperance is an old-fashioned word for moderation. A temperate person exercises self-control, building a wall against unhealthy, sinful extremes. Among many qualities, scripture tells us that a temperate person does not gossip (1 Tim 3: 11), does not vent anger (Prov 29: 11) is respectable and able to take on leadership roles (1 Tim 3: 2), and is sexually pure (1 Thes 4: 2 -5).

So, are any of these virtues lacking in your life? I can see some areas where I am still weak. Thankfully, with God's grace and a few good decisions, we can grow in our effectiveness and productiveness for Christ.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Identify which cardinal virtue you struggle most with. Ask God for the grace to grow and make one positive change in your behavior this week that will help you develop this "holy habit."

Further Reading:

Matthew 25: 23
Ref: Kreeft, Peter. "Justice, Wisdom, Courage, and Moderation: The Four Cardinal Virtues". (c) 1986 Ignatius Press.