Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

August 3, 2009

When We're Wronged
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.
Heb 4: 12-13

She was pretty, charming, and funny. She appeared to be everything you could want in a woman. And she was after my man. With full knowledge of our relationship, this young woman zeroed in on my special someone. All while acting sweet as pie towards me.

There are few things in life that can turn an otherwise sane, amiable woman into fire-breathing, green-eyed, insecure monster -- and another woman moving in on your guy is definitely one of those things.

How. Dare. She.

It's by God's grace that in my hot-blooded state I -- did nothing. Oh, I still had plans to dislike this woman for a very long time. I dreamt up all sorts of scenarios where I wittily drew back the curtain on her true intentions. Where I triumphantly shamed her. But of course, I was too virtuous to actually follow through on such things. So, I managed to exert enough self control to avoid a regretful exchange.

Thankfully, God took this situation one step deeper by expanding my limited sense of "virtue." I'd read about forgiveness, but this was a moment in my life where God clearly set a choice before me: She was wrong. I was right. Now - was I going to forgive her? Or was I simply going to look like I'd forgiven her?

One of the key aspects of Jesus' earthly ministry was His focus on that which is unseen -- our hearts. This took many of his contemporaries by surprise. They were expecting an earthly king to save them from external problems. Yet Christ made it clear He came to elevate the old law beyond its legal purposes, and transform us from the inside out to prepare us for a kingdom not of this world.

You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. (Mt 5: 43-45)

Love your enemies. It sounds downright impossible. Yet God impressed two courses of action on my heart during that time that transformed my anger into Christ-like love.

First, although there really wasn't a productive opportunity to speak with this woman, every time I mentally began hopping down the angry bunny trail, I said, "God, I forgive her." Verbally expressing forgiveness diffused my anger, and helped me focus on God and His grace.

Second, as Christ asks of us in the Scripture above, I began praying for her. At first, my prayers came through gritted teeth, and teetered dangerously close to sounding something like, "Lord, smite my foe..." But after praying for her almost every day for several months, the Lord transformed my heart. I began to see this woman as God sees her. Truly, whatever brokenness inside her that led her to act in such a manner saddened God more than it could ever anger me.

I also became acutely aware that I, in my brokenness, had saddened God too. Suddenly, this woman wasn't my opponent, but a fellow sinner in need of grace and transforming love. Ultimately, this situation worked out for the best, and I ended up liking this individual.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...

Forgiveness doesn't usually come easily. People are capable of tremendous evil far beyond my petty situation above, and depending on the wrong done, we may never realistically like a person. But with God's grace, forgiveness on our end is not only possible, but necessary.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Forgiveness involves letting go and allowing God to bring good out of a situation in His timing. Do you have unresolved hurts inflicted by another person? Entrust your hurts to God, and then ask God for a heart of forgiveness. If you've harmed another, take action to make things right

Further Reading

Mt. 5: 21-24
Life's Most Important Choice
Is Adultery Forgivable?
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[Judy Harder]

August 4, 2009

More Wormwood than Honey
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

My son, give attention to my wisdom, Incline your ear to my understanding; That you may observe discretion And your lips may reserve knowledge. For the lips of an adulteress drip honey And smoother than oil is her speech; But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go  down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol.
Proverbs 5:1-5


For about 20 hours late in 1998, I had AIDS.

I was a month from getting married. My wife-to-be had saved herself for me, and as such, she had a request: that I, who had regrettably failed to remain chaste in my youth, get tested for HIV before we exchanged vows. Happily I agreed.

The nurse who drew my blood told me one thing several times: "We can't call everyone back, so we will only contact you in the event of a positive test. No news is good news." Fair enough.

A week later, on a Friday afternoon, I returned home from work and checked my voice mail. One message. "Mr. McEvoy, this is Nurse Jones from the Farmville Clinic. I'll need to talk to you very soon, but I am leaving for the weekend. I will attempt to contact you again on Monday."

Oh... no...

My mind raced. The first thought was, "No way on earth I can wait all weekend to talk to her!" Talk about torture. That was followed with most of my past catching up to me. What had I done? Could I still get married? Even if Valerie still wanted me as a husband, would we ever be able to be intimate? Who would I have to contact from the past? Was I going to die?

Val's apartment was two floors up from mine. I called her, she came right down, and I told her the news. "Surely not...," she said encouragingly, but we both had to admit that the nurse had made it completely clear that I would only hear from her if... if it were a positive test. What else could it be? I spoke to my parents, who put up a strong front for me but I would later learn sat over their pizza staring blankly at each other and muttering, "No... Shawn can't have AIDS..."

That night, as you might imagine, I didn't sleep. All I could think about was my total need for deliverance. I'd long before now dealt with my sin and sought forgiveness - from God, and from my fiance. But here was a very real, very possible, very damaging consequence staring me in the face. Had it been worth it? What could we do? Valerie was prepared to give me her everything in marriage; what was I giving her? I prayed, I read the Bible, I sweat, I couldn't eat.

Valerie is a woman of action. She certainly wasn't going to wait several more days to learn our fate. On Saturday afternoon, she finally tracked down my nurse at another clinic, and got her on the phone.

The woman was chuckling.

"Mr. McEvoy? I didn't scare you too much did I? I just need to ask you a question, because you tested positive for syphilis."

"Great," I said to myself in my morbid way. "I'm not gonna die, I just have Syph. Swell."

"Did you happen to be ill at the time your blood was drawn?" asked the nurse. "Or shortly thereafter?"

"Uh... yes! Two days later I developed an awful cold. Why?"

"Ah. Okay. Well, that explains it. You were on your way to that cold when you got tested. It happens. It's called a biologic false-positive. Nothing to worry about, I just needed to make sure. Sorry again to worry you. Best wishes on your marriage!"

Hallelujah. I fell to my knees.

Release. Freedom. Tears. Praise. Hugs. And then Valerie saying, "I'm gonna kill that nurse!"

But we both knew she wasn't the one to blame. My poor choices from so long ago had brought us to that hellish night, and now, I had been given a new lease. Appropriately, the next morning as I drove to church, Shania Twain was on the radio singing, "From this Moment." I knew this would serve as a milemarker for me the rest of my life - the time I learned how damaging and fearfully consuming sin could be, and just how far Christ had gone to separate me from what I deserved.

In college, while studying to be a youth minister, I had once written a sermon for a class assignment based on Proverbs 5 and "the adulteress." I had used an illustration about NBA player Magic Johnson contracting HIV, and spoke of "the mingled taste of honey and wormwood." The professor liked it, writing, "I hope you get the chance to preach this one day" in the margins.

I still have never preached it, but I did indeed live it. The words of wisdom are true.

And yet, everything about our culture tells us otherwise right now. I even had a Christian friend - during a very rough time in his life and marriage - tell me several times that he was convinced that God's rules on purity are "a crock." His logic was that he knew several friends, me included, who had foregone abstinence prior to marriage, but they were now in very happy, sexually satisfying marriages. He, meanwhile, had remained a virgin, and yet here he was in a miserable and sexually unsatisfying marriage. Therefore, his logic went, the rules were messed up, and did not apply. Never mind the concepts of grace and forgiveness, or the laws of cause-and-effect, apparently.

He was hurting, so I never quite told him how his take personally pained me for reasons I've already shared (though I did always remind him his logic was flawed, even if he had hit on something we unwittingly mis-teach our youth - that abstaining carries a 'guarantee' of marital satisfaction. It does not). Now that he's in a healthy place spiritually and emotionally, we have talked about it, and he once again knows the reasons God has for the rules He's laid out for us for our own good and His purposes.

Do you? I'm nobody's ideal role model, and neither am I - by grace of God - anyone's cautionary tale. But I do know the gift my wife gave to me. I know the damage I did to other men who, I can safely say, would have really rather I had respected them by respecting their future wives. I know that any temporary unbiblical gratification in life is not only not worth it in the long run, it may just be tragic.

In the end she is as bitter as wormwood.

Sharp as a two-edged sword.

Her feet go down to death.

Choose life, abundant life.

Intersecting Faith & Life: We all mess up, whether sexually or otherwise. Have you marked the day your consequences caught up with your actions, the day you decided you would never return to travel the route you came? What has been different for you since then?

Further Reading

2 Timothy 2:20-22
Sex and the Single Person
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[Judy Harder]

August 5, 2009

P.S. I Love You... Period.
by Meghan Kleppinger

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
John 3:16


"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8

Okay -- I admit it. Initially, it was difficult for me to understand that God loved me, and that He sent His son to die for my sins, and that He cared about the most intimate details of my life.

I was nearly nine years old when I accepted Christ. My mother was a new believer and our family became her mission field. She would read stories from the Bible and Christian biographies at night to her three girls.

I shared a bedroom with my older sister, a preteen, so we had different bedtimes. One night, when I was supposed to be asleep, I listened with eyes closed as my mother shared a story with my sister. It was the biography of a lonely teenage girl who turned to witchcraft as a means of finding acceptance, and only after a lot of prayer from a friend did she turn to Christ.

As I listened to the story unfold, I recognized the loneliness this girl felt, as well as her need for a Savior. That night I prayed to receive Christ as my personal Savior. In Jesus, I discovered, I would have a forever friend, something I desperately longed for as a frequently uprooted military kid.

The next day, as I thought about telling my mother of my conversion, I was afraid that she would be upset with me... after all, she was reading to my older sister and the story wasn't meant for me.

Needless to say, she was far from upset, but for a long time I could not shake the feeling that I was an add-on. What I mean is that I felt like God extended His grace to me because I happened to be here with all of the people He really loved. It was sort of like He was saying, "I love all of my creation... oh, and P.S. Meghan, since you're here I might as well love you too." The funny thing is that I was okay with being a tag-along as long as it meant I was saved and got to have Jesus for a friend.

I'm not sure if it was time, experience, spiritual maturity, or all three, but slowly I began to understand that God loved me, period, and not just too or in addition to.... Through scripture, I learned and came to accept the most amazing thing of all, that He would have sent Jesus if I were the only person left on earth!

As an adult who has grasped this truth, my heart is burdened as I consider how many people have a hard time believing that Jesus loves them.

We live in a hurting world full of people desperate to know that someone loves them and cares. A recent study showed that an overwhelming number of Americans feel they have no one to confide in.

As believers, we know a loving God who does listen, plays an active role in our lives and will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:. We know a compassionate God who delights in His children (Nehemiah 9:17). We know a God who understands our pain and holds every tear we've cried (Psalm 56:. We know a God who sent His son to live and die so we might live (John 3:16).

We know our Father and of His eternal love.

But do they?

Let us live our lives in such a way that not only reflects His love for us, but shows others that they are undeniably and wholly cherished by the Creator of the universe who calls them His beloved... period.

Intersecting Faith & Life: John really put it well when he wrote, "By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4: 9-11).

Further Reading

God Loves His Children
God's Power to Heal You from the Inside Out
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[Judy Harder]

August 6, 2009

Getting Over Yourself
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV

If you're having a hard time "getting over yourself" lately, then you might be due for a self-righteousness check. 

Usually, a trusted confidante or loved one is involved in these routine examinations. Just like the one I had not long ago with a really good "friend" of mine. A friend who's closer than a brother. Actually, make that closer than a sister, and she looks an awful lot like me, too.

Perhaps you've had a similar conversation with someone recently. Someone, perhaps, much like yourself ...

You: Self, it's time for a self-righteousness check. You've been measuring yourself with others. And um, basically... you need to get over yourself.

Self: But I'm not doing anything wrong. I didn't say an unkind word or anything. In fact, I even reached out to this person. And went out of my way to help that one over there. But this guy here... see, he's the one who's not treating me right. He's done this and this, and he hasn't even reached out to help me in my time of need.

You: Self, why are you looking at others for how you're measuring up and what they are or aren't doing, when you should just be looking up?

Self:  [mimicking] "Self, why are you looking at others for how you're measuring up and what they are or aren't doing, when you should just be looking up?"

You: Oh, THAT'S really helpful and grown up. I see your childish ways are still very much alive and active. That perfect Sunday School attendance and your prominent position in the church choir are realllly helping you out.

Self: But I didn't do anything. That guy over there was the one who ...

You: And that's the point. You're so focused on what someone else is or isn't doing to or for you, that you've completely lost sight of what you are or aren't doing in the sight of the Lord. What about what He thinks?

Self: Right, right. I know... God is my co-pilot and all. But what about the guy who's not treating ME right? Is he just gonna get away with that and no one's gonna call him on it? 

You: Self, as you grow and mature in Christ, you will realize that it's not about keeping score. It's not about who's done you wrong and who's done you right. Leave that to the Lord, and learn from Jesus' example when he became flesh and dwelt among us. Your concern is that you are becoming more and more like Christ. We need to work on there being LESS of you and more of him, as his glory is revealed in your life. 

Self: Oh. But...

You: No buts. Just bend your knee. Ask for forgiveness. And get over yourself. 

The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us.  And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him.  For there is no difference between us and them in this.  Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself.  A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be.  And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.   God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin.  Having faith in him sets us in the clear. God decided on this course of action in full view of the public--to set the world in the clear with himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, finally taking care of the sins he had so patiently endured.  This is not only clear, but it's now--this is current history!  God sets things right.  He also makes it possible for us to live in his rightness.

Romans 3:22-26, The Message

Intersecting Faith & Life: Has someone "done you wrong" recently?  Did you do something good and no one acknowledged it?  Leave your "case" and your grievances with the Lord today, and let him be the Judge.  Let him rule in your life, so that his righteousness may prevail.

Further Reading

Luke 18:9-14, NIV
The Problem of Pride
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[Judy Harder]

August 7, 2009

A Nickel's Worth
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media

But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Luke 12:31-34

I admit I enjoy teaching my children things. I especially enjoy it when it means I can mess with their minds (I know, I'm evil, but you show me a parent who hasn't experimented by giving their baby something really sour just to enjoy their screwed up little faces and I'll show you a parent that hasn't take full advantage of the joys of parenting).

One joy is messing with their poor uneducated minds by offering the child the choice between a nice shiny nickel and a dirty cruddy dime. Ninety-nine percent of the time the child will take the nickel. You can stand there and argue with the child in your attempts to convince them that the dime is worth more but they'll still choose the nickel.

The dime is clearly worth more but it just can't beat the appeal of the nickel. Aren't we the same way? We scramble and squirm to get the treasures of this earth. At the same time we squander our opportunities to accumulate true wealth in heaven.

A missed opportunity to share what Jesus has done for you... a squandered treasure.

Giving a cup of coffee to a homeless person to warm his heart... a moneybag in heaven.

If our hearts are right with the Lord and if we are attentive to His leading we will not miss these opportunities for His kingdom. With the Lord's leading we will be able to see beyond our present circumstance to view these hidden treasures.

I'm reminded of the story in 1 Samuel 16 when Samuel was choosing a new king for Israel.

He was directed to go to the home of Jesse to anoint a new king..

When Samuel saw Jesse's first son he immediately concluded that this fine specimen of Israeli goodness had to be the one. He was shiny and clean and all consecrated for the sacrifice. But God had other plans. He said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

God has his eye on someone else. Someone Jesse or Samuel had not even considered. David. He had to be brought out of the fields stinking of the sheep and the sweat of his brow. I imagine, being the youngest, that David was not content to just sit around while tending the flock. I imagine he was throwing stones, practicing his slingshot, and fighting imaginary lions and bears... just as any normal boy would.

It was this young man who came before Samuel... a young man sweating and stinking from the efforts of fighting his imaginary adversaries when God said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!"

The grimy, dirty, dime... the true treasure of heaven.

Where are you investing your treasure?

Intersecting Faith & Life: Make a donation of dirty coins to your local homeless shelter or church mission fund. Start by collecting all the dirtiest coins you have in the house. Then go to your neighbor's house and ask them to also make a donation of dirty coins for you to add to your donation.

Further Reading

Proverbs 27:24
Matthew 13:22
The Riches of Christ
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[Judy Harder]

August 10, 2009

Run the Race
by Meghan Kleppinger

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Hebrews 12:1b, NAS


"...And finally," the Vice-Principal announced over the intercom, "Meghan Kleppinger won the bronze medal for the 200-meter dash."

Yes, I won the third place medal for my high school during a track meet the previous Saturday against the local German school. It was now Monday morning and I smiled sheepishly as my class cheered after hearing morning announcements. I was a student at an American international school in Athens, Greece, and we took every sporting event, which often looked like a mini-Olympics, very seriously. 

So with this win, I was proud and the school was thrilled, but the truth is that my classmates and teachers only knew part of the story.

Here are some interesting and important facts leading up to my win.

1. Most of our team was out of country for a tournament so only a few of us were left to race at the German school.

2. I was a distance runner - not a sprinter - and had never even been to a track meet, much less run in one. I was a soccer player and had joined the track team to stay conditioned.

3. I didn't have any special gear or the proper running cleats. I had a pair of regular Nikes that my father had picked up while back in the U.S. and they were brand new and a half a size too big... a deadly combination for any runner.

4. The first- and second-place winners, both from the German school, were at least twenty feet ahead of me as they crossed the finish line.

If you were to watch this sad scene unfold on video, which I have, you would hear my mother say, "Poor Meghan, she just isn't a runner..." Which was quickly followed by my younger sister whispering, "Mom, I'm taping this." I seriously looked like I was moving in slow motion.

5. ...and finally, the rest of the story is that there were only three runners in the race to begin with.

Yes, the fact is that I won by default. While it was slightly embarrassing and extremely humorous, I was just happy to be wearing a medal around my neck.

If I hadn't run, we wouldn't have medaled and our overall score would have suffered. Our team needed a runner so I ran. My coach told me beforehand that all I needed to do was run and finish the race. He reminded me that regardless of place, I would win a medal.

I didn't run the event that I was best at; instead, I ran the race set before me. I ran the event that needed a runner.

Likewise, we as Christians have been instructed to run the race God has set before us.

I love the way C.H. Spurgeon explained this verse in his Exposition on the Epistle to the Hebrews. He wrote, "Having therefore no room for doubt let us throw our whole strength into our high calling, and run with patience having our eyes always fixed upon Him, the beginner and finisher of our faith, who has run the race Himself and won the prize, and now sits down on the right hand of the throne of God."

Jesus has already run the race and rewards those who follow in his footsteps to the finish. Winning isn't the issue, for we have already been promised the prize. All we need to do is to get in and run the race to completion.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)

Intersecting Faith & Life: You may not be the fastest runner, and that is okay because the race of faith set before us is one of endurance, not speed. Build up your strength through prayer, studying and meditating on God's Word.

Further Reading

Going for the Gold!
Learn a Marathoner's Mentality
Philippians 2:15b-16
1 Corinthians 9:25-27a
Acts 20:24
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[Judy Harder]

August 11, 2009

When God Whispered
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17

My four year old son had to learn 2 Timothy 3:16 for AWANA. One of the leaders was concerned and stated that there was just no way the children could grasp the idea of Scripture being "God-breathed." So we decided to ask my son to explain what "God-breathed" meant.

You know I think we are sometimes too quick to underestimate a child's ability to understand the truths of the Bible. We are so quick to dismiss their abilities yet this is what Jesus had to say in Matthew 11:25, "At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."

Jesus knew what children could understand.

I recently was walking through a nature trail. The leaves rustled underfoot and the sun shone out over the lake next to the trail inviting me to stop and reflect on God's glory. I found a bench and while I sat there I heard the breeze whispering through the tops of the trees. Just a slight hushed sound and my thoughts. That's when I pondered on my son's words.

What did my son say?

He said, "Well, God-breathed means that..." and here he lowered his voice, "God whispered it."

Wow... God whispered His Word.

Peter said, "...you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21).

Our Bible isn't just some compilation of stories. It is the very Word of God whispered into the hearts and minds of men who were selected to be his special vessels to communicate His good news.

How about you?

Have you, like Elijah, heard the "still small voice" of the Lord bringing you comfort, encouragement, and guidance?

If not, maybe you need to spend some time to just be still and maybe in His time you'll hear His whisper in your heart too.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Go for a walk in a park or through a quiet museum and find a quiet place where you can be still before the Lord.

Further Reading

1 Kings 19:9-18
Hebrews 4:11-13
Inward Stillness
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[Judy Harder]

August 12, 2009

The Corinthian Man-Creed
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

Be on your guard, stand firm in faith, be a man of courage, be strong; do everything in love.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Today's verse hangs on a board on the wall of my son. But years ago, long before my son was even an inkling, I came across that verse as I was sending my own father one of many letters I composed over the years to share with him the importance of salvation, and the value of life in Christ. My sister, mother, and I came to know the Lord in 1980, but it took another 17 years, seven months, and 26 days worth of praying, heart softening, and brokenness for Dan McEvoy to surrender.

And it wasn't this letter or the above verse that pushed him into it. No, this letter I was writing simply to tell him how blessed I was to have begun dating a woman (who eventually became my wife) for whom faith came first, and I was giving God all the glory and credit and all that good stuff, and probably telling him how God delights in blessing those who trust in Him.

With the letter I enclosed a quick-and-dirty page of graphic art involving the aforementioned verse from Corinthians in some fancy font, with a clip-art picture of a sailboat, kind of as a visual aid to my letter, indicating, I suppose, what it was like for the man of God to live in this world under the Captaincy of Christ.

Well, so. After he died in 2001, I found that letter and piece of "art" in my father's desk, looking as if it had been read and glanced at often. Something in me knew then that if I were ever to have a son, I'd commit to raising him to manhood under these same five principles:

Be on your guard. Be ready, be alert. Expect God to be involved, expect Satan to attack. Let the wonder of creation still catch your eye.
Stand firm in faith. Be unmoved because you know intimately that of which you believe in. Become biblically literate.
Be a man of courage. Fear is not from God (2 Timothy 1:7), so go your way boldly. The worst that can happen -- even death -- still ends in victory and glory for the Christian.
Be strong. Physically, yes, let's take care of ourselves, and present our bodies as holy. But remember that the Lord is the strength of the strong (Ephesians 6:10), and that "when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Do everything in love. Here's your motivation, because he that doesn't love doesn't know God (1 John 4:, and the world shall know you by your love (John 13:35).
So when Jordan was born, and we had the dedication service at our church, that's the verse we selected to have read. When he was about two-and-a-half, he started reciting it by memory and making up arm/hand motions to go with it. We call it our "Man-Creed."

But here's the secret: these couple verses from the closing of Paul's first letter to Corinth aren't first-and-foremost for Jordan... they're for me.

When I first realized that, it caught me, ironically enough, "off my guard." I had been more than happy to tell my own father how to "be a man," and was perfectly willing to raise my son to be one according to the Word. How, I wonder, did I intend to do so without living out the credo, making it my own? The Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible comments upon the 1 Corinthians passage thusly: "[Paul] shows that they ought to make their hopes of salvation to depend not on Apollos or any other teacher; that it rests with themselves." Yes, and on how I am willing to live, or better, whether I am willing to let my life be of greater worth than my words.

I don't know about the other guys out there, but it definitely helps me to have something to live by, to recite, to write on my heart, ponder the meaning of, and connect to other scriptures as I strive to be a man after God's own heart. And it doesn't hurt that this creed I now try to follow is affecting its third generation in my family.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Allow me to recommend teaching your child -- no matter how young -- to recite Bible verses that reflect who they are and can be in Christ, and make it real in their lives. But while you're doing it, "be on your guard." One of them may just become your own credo.

Further Reading

Ephesians 6:10
Creed: More than Words
Why Memorize Scripture?
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[Judy Harder]

August 13, 2009

Worry-phobia
by Meghan Kleppinger

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
Romans 8:15


The word "phobia" comes from the Greek word for fear, phobos. One of my college psychology professors explained a phobia as an irrational fear of something that can potentially be harmful. Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, for example, is an abnormal fear of spiders. Spider bites can be deadly, but most spiders are harmless and if a person gets bit by one, the chances of it being a lethal bite are minimal.

Still, a person who suffers from this phobia, like me, can't be told to "not worry" when they see one of those eight-legged monsters. When I see a spider, the blood drains from my face, I can't move... actually, all I can do is scream until someone comes to rescue me. I'm not kidding. I, a grown adult, have been known to stand on top of a table and scream until my mother, yes, my mother, comes and gets rid of the disgusting arachnid.

I am very, very, very afraid of spiders... but truthfully, my phobia issues don't end there. Everyone has their "issue." My issue, my vice, my weakness, and my greatest struggle, can all be summed up in one word: "fear."

Out of curiosity, I recently decided to see if there was a phobia for a generalized fear of everything. There is. It's called panphobia (or pantaphobia), and is simply defined as a fear of everything.

As I researched panphobia, I learned that this is more than the every day worrywart sort of fear. It's a medical condition that is persistent, debilitating, and very difficult to treat. It's related to the paranoia typically found in Schizophrenics. After discovering this, I quickly decided that I don't have panphobia.

I realized that I'm not necessarily afraid of everything, I just worry about everything -- and in case you're wondering, the definition for the Greek word for worry (merimnao) has more to do with an anxious concern than a debilitating fear.

I'm one of those people who worry even more if there isn't anything to worry about. I guess that would be called something like "Worry-phobia" -- a fear of having nothing to worry about. Yes, I worry about those people I love, but I also worry about the starving parentless children on other side of the globe that I will never meet. I get worried when it rains one day too many or if too many days pass without a drop.

Okay, I'm exaggerating... a bit, but you get my point. The thing is God doesn't call worry panphobia or worry-phobia, He calls it sin.

For me it is about control, and when I don't feel like I have control, I worry. It is certainly something God is continually and persistently working on in my life. He has been teaching me to trust Him through some painful and scary circumstances lately.

I know I'm not alone in the journey toward freedom from worry, so I'm going to share some helpful scripture with you. The following verses declare that His truth is greater than any worse-case-scenario or real-life-circumstance we can encounter.

"Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you." (Deuteronomy 3:22)

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:

"Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31)

"Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." (Matthew 6:8b)

"Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6b)

"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1: 17b, 18)

Isn't it great that God doesn't tell us to do something without equipping us to do it first! Through His Word, He encourages and prepares us to face the world, which is after all, can be pretty scary place... especially with all of those blasted spiders!

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32)

Intersecting Faith & Life: Hudson Taylor, A British missionary to China in the late 1800s, gave this advice -- "The branch of the vine does not worry, and toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine, and there to find rain. No; it rests in union and communion with the vine; and at the right time, and in the right way, is the right fruit found on it. Let us so abide in the Lord Jesus."

Further Reading

You Can Win Over Worry
A Worried Christian?
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living!
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[Judy Harder]

August 14, 2009

Hope in a Haircut
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 5:5, NIV


Hope in a haircut? What kind of devotional title is that? Well, if you're a woman then you probably know where I'm going with this. Men, stay with me.

Hair is a security blanket for the female set. And, among other things, it's where we can mistakenly place a lot of our self-worth and hope. So you can just imagine how I felt when I thought I got a bad haircut recently (keyword here is thought).

Because at the time, I was not happy. What I saw was not what I had wanted. My world had been shaken, the circumstances were making me uncomfortable and I couldn't control what had happened to my hair.

So, in times like this, a gal will usually will take matters into her own hands. Literally. Especially if you're like me and you're not afraid of the household scissors or the word "fixin'." But after a tearful, anger-filled snip here and there, I finally called the hair stylist and left a message asking her to fix it. But I had to wait about four days until I heard back, because she was on vacation. 

Interestingly enough, something very peculiar happened during that lull. I had time to think and get some perspective. And you know what? My attitude changed! I realized that the 'do was actually not as bad as I first thought. And that life would go on.

Now a man could liken my initial reaction to how he feels when his favorite sports team loses (how 'bout that recent Super Bowl, hmmm?). And a "sports funk" can ensue for a few days or so. Because what he thought should have happened didn't. And now he's not happy.

Likewise with women and their hair. We can have a "funk," too. And after going through my own, I realized how stupid it was for me to put my hope in a haircut. When I realized how something as trivial as my hair--and my lack of control over my hair--affected me and my attitude, well I just had to laugh and thank the Lord He loves a selfish and wayward child like myself--who is looking anywhere but heavenward for hope.

Ultimately, nothing here on earth can ever compare to the hope we have in the Lord. Bad haircuts and the stuff of this earth will always fail me and shake up my world. But His love is unfailing.

Thank goodness my "Master Stylist" knows what is right for me. I don't need to wield my household scissors and help out, as God has the perfect, custom design for my life. How can I not feel hopeful after time spent in his "chair" and in his presence?

Intersecting Faith & Life: What's getting in your way of putting your hope in the Lord?  Possessions?  Relationships?  Entertainment?  Work? Your hair? Try making some changes or eliminations in one of these areas today (perhaps turning off your television for the entire evening). Then gauge how you feel as a result. God may be telling you something.

Further Reading

Psalm 33:12-19
Walking the Trail of Hope