Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

October 29, 2010

Elbows & Ears
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor


I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.
Exodus 6:6

Be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1

Once, when my son was just shy of three, he informed his mother he was drawing a picture of God.

"Oh... What does God look like?" she asked.

"Well, I put some elbows and some ears," he replied, and he went back to his work.

I was told that story when I came home from work. Cute, I thought. Not exactly as awe-inspiring as Ezekiel's vision, but sounds like a weird picture. I mean, where is the face?

"The face of the Lord is not one you could look upon" (Exodus 33:12-23), came the voice inside my head.

Where are the hands and feet?

That's you.

Oh yeah, that's true...

So... elbows and ears, huh?

Well, I guess God does reach us, and move us, and nudge us, and hold up the light to our paths. As Wayne Watson sang, "No one in this world can slip beyond the reaches of the long arm of the Lord."

And I know he hears us. He created us for fellowship. He desires praise and prayer. He's absolutely listening. He can even hear things we don't even know we're saying. As Steven Curtis Chapman sang, "The cross should have been mine, But His love broke through time, And heard my heart's cry."

So in one statement about one drawing by one child, I had digested a complete meditation on the nature of God, who He is and what He does, even what He leaves for us to do. As Casting Crowns sang, "If we are the body... Why aren't His hands healing... Why aren't His feet going?"

Intersecting Faith & Life: Consider today what part of the body you are playing, and what other parts (eyes, mouth, shoulders, etc.) describe what you know about the character of your God.

Further Reading

Video: "Proof" Most of us have thought how much easier it would be to follow God if we could just see Him once. The truth, though, is that He is all around us...
Matthew 5:8

[Judy Harder]

November 1, 2010 


The First Fruit of the Gospel
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man
be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..."
Luke 9:26 NASB

This week in chapter two of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality, we build upon the foundation regarding our need to daily encounter Christ the Living Redeemer in His gospel.

It is important to be clear in our understanding about the substitutionary nature of His death for sinners. Second Corinthians 5:21, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Nothing—not good works, religious rituals, not anything can add merit to His perfect work of atonement.

That is not to say, however, that virtue does not flow from His work in our lives. Schaeffer discusses at length at least one necessary result of the gospel in our lives; that being the practice of dying daily. He insightfully takes us to Luke 9:22-26 where Christ tells His disciples the certain order of events that would soon occur to Him... that He would be rejected, slain, then raised. And then points out that Christ immediately relates this order—rejected, slain, raised—to the Christian life. Luke 9:23-24 "And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."

"Jesus is talking here about our death by choice in the present life. He applies it to a specific situation to make it more concrete. "For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..." (Luke 9:26)

"The Bible is not speaking of some romantic feeling, some idealization, some abstraction. Jesus carries this concept of facing the rejection, being slain, down to a very practical situation: facing an alien world. It is the saying "no" to self when our natural selves would desire acceptance by the alien world—a world in revolt against its Creator and our Lord.

"...this command of Christ is not limited to one situation; it is that which is to be the whole mentality and outlook of the Christian's life.

"As Christ's rejection and death are the first steps in the order of redemption, so our rejection and death are the first steps in the order of true and growing spirituality.

"As there could be no next step in the order of Christ's redemption until the step was taken, so in the Christian there can be no further step until these first two steps—rejected, slain—are faced; not in theory only, but at least in some partial practice."

Intersecting Faith & Life: 
Is the gospel bearing fruit in your life in this way? Put another way, do you increasingly treasure Christ so that things and self receive less and less of your time, attention and resources?

Pray for family, friends and loved ones who are infiltrated by the world with its attitudes that God would make them willing to walk, by His grace through the steps of being rejected and slain, and that they would know the blessing of a resurrected life.

Further Reading:
The Expulsive Power of a New Affection

[Judy Harder]

 
November 2, 2010
Get Dirty

John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org


Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them. (Matthew 15:29-30, ESV)

You've never really walked until you've slogged through red dirt. The stuff joins at the molecular level to your shoes, crawls up your pants, and ruins your socks. So, of course, my brothers and I loved it.


Spending summers in southern Alabama, we knew how to find dirt of every hue and consistency: powdery brown dirt for experiments with firecrackers, smooth white dirt that turned into a sinking quagmire when wet, squishy gray dirt that outlined the creeks, and, of course, that infamous red dirt. It really wasn't that hard to locate.



The red dirt road that passes by my grandfather's house weaves through a series of embankments that seemed massive back then. To me, they appeared something like the Great Red Cliffs of Dover. To my brothers, they were canvasses for faces and colorful words. To my parents, they were an unfortunate but necessary feature of the landscape.



At the end of our summer vacation, we'd pack up our red-stained socks and recently scrubbed shoes and return to our much less adventurous home with much tidier soil—back to paved roads and ranch style houses. This process occurred several times during my youth, but somewhere along the line, I forgot the joy in getting dirty.



Now days, I usually scrub my hands at the first hint of dirt. My socks have much more danger of being mismatched than being stained. And I like my "wild excursions" limited to controlled hiking trips on distinctly marked trails—and only when the weather cooperates.


My younger self would scoff at who I am now and say something about how that old guy doesn't know how to have fun. My younger self might be on to something.



I've forgotten what it means not to worry. When I was young, I would go out and do what needed to be done. Dirt needed to be found, ant hills needed to be blown up, and creeks needed to be crossed. So, I went. I didn't stop to think how much time it would take or if I might get dirty.



Now, unlike then, I follow Christ. I should be just as willing to go out and do what needs to be done. But rather than simply going about the kingdom work, I stop, consider the reasons why I don't want to, and then forget about it. My adventure has become hiding behind my fear.

Intersecting Faith & Life: 

When Christ journeyed the length of Israel, He walked. His sandals chaffed, dust caked his feet, and insects buzzed His head. He sweated, and He had no showers. The people who came to Him probably stunk from the heat and fish and whatever else they happened to be around. He humbled Himself from the perfection of His throne to get dirty. God—the Creator of everything—took on flesh so that He could trudge across this dusty earth.



When I think back to my days sinking joyfully in mud pits, I have to wonder why I'm now sometimes afraid to metaphorically get dirty in the work of preaching the gospel, of living for Christ in every single thing I do.



Why does growing up so often steal the joy of red dirt? I don't know. But this is what I do know: today is a day to get that joy back.

[Judy Harder]

 
November 3, 2010

We Are Idol Factories
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Habakkuk 2:18,NIV

"We are idol factories."

One of the pastors at my church said this in his sermon last Sunday, and I wrote it down and underlined it. I immediately took this statement to heart, because I know that I am truly gifted at making idols. It's a skill that required no college degree or specialized training. 

It just comes naturally to me, placing other things, people, ideas or goals ahead of God in my life. In fact, I can make an idol out of something probably faster than you can switch on your 73-inch, flat-panel, plasma HDTV with surround sound. Actually maybe even faster, you see, because I've improved over time.

I heard this "idol factory" illustration just a day after having breakfast with a dear friend who I had not seen in several years. As we were sharing about our lives and what God was teaching us, she told me that she had gotten rid of her cable television. "Why is that?" I asked. "Because I spent too much time watching The Food Network. And before I knew it, it was time to pick up the kids from school," she admitted.

At first, I chuckled a little. It seemed pretty harmless. What's a wasted day or two spent watching The Food Network, and how harmful really could that channel ever be? 

Without cable, my friend went on to say that she's now more productive during the day as a stay-at-home mom. She's reading more. She's getting back to the writing she's been wanting to work on, and she's focusing more on what matters to her family and how she can best serve them and their needs as a wife and a mother. Basically, she's gotten her priorities back in order.

Whoa. All of that from not watching a channel that really does have some good and helpful information that's worth your time. But, it just goes to show that that is how easy it is for us to make idols out of anything in our lives.

Don't laugh or discount this notion, because we all do it. Your weakness or idol may not be The Food Network. But just insert whatever or whomever it is that occupies your thoughts and your time. What or who is that you could spend hours focused on and not realize that the time has flown by? What do you think about the most when you're away from it? What controls your schedule? Can you look back and say you are glad that you spent your time or expended your efforts in this manner? Is any of this honoring to the Lord?

I bet you can come up with a list pretty quickly, can't you? I sure can. And I'm ashamed to see what occupies my thoughts and my time (and how much of it is wasted). I'm making idols left and right in my life, and it's time to have a fire sale. Get rid of the clutter that doesn't amount to anything of value for the Kingdom, and get back to what should be the sole focus of my worship: God.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks us this: "What is the chief end of man?" And the answer is: "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."

If I sifted each of my priorities through this question-and-answer filter, what would my life look like? Of what idols on the assembly line would I need to cease production first?

As the foreman of my life, the Lord issues a pink slip to me each and every day. Am I surrendering to his authority? He doesn't want me to keep the idol factory in business any longer in my heart. And I know that only he can help me shut it down and focus solely on worshipping him. 

Intersecting Faith & Life:

We all have prominent idols in our lives, and they're usually the ones we look to get rid of first. But what about the more hidden idols—ones we are blinded to in our lives? They are just as destructive as those that are obvious. Ask the Lord to reveal your idol factory's entire inventory, so that you can make changes in your life starting today.

Further Reading:

Romans 11:36, NIV 

Psalm 144:15, NIV 

[Judy Harder]

November 4, 2010

What's Really Fair?
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

"So Joshua burned Ai and made it forever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day." Joshua 8:28

If you're like me, you've spent far more time studying Paul's famous passage about what "love is" and James' warning about the tongue than you have studying the Old Testament. If you're like me, you're a lot more comfortable when you can see grace close to the surface. You like the Old Testament stories about God's faithfulness to Abraham in giving him a son, and David's repentance after Bathsheba. Those stories demonstrate the incredible mercy of a loving God, and we prefer to focus on that quality. I tend to skip over the more difficult passages of earthly judgment meted out in Joshua, Deuteronomy, and Judges.

I'm realizing that I'm a lot more comfortable with what comes after John 3:16 than what comes before it. Why?

As I've listened to a series of sermons about Joshua and the Israelites, I've found some of the commands hard to stomach. For instance, I've heard the story about the battle of Jericho a thousand times, how "the walls came tumbling down," and all the Israelites had to do was march around the city. But I hadn't read the full passage in, well, a while.

The passage actually concludes with a direct order from the Lord that no one in Jericho, save Rahab the believing prostitute, be allowed to live (Joshua 6:21). At their next battle, Ai, the same orders were carried out again (Joshua 8:28)

Later, after the victory at Ai, the same thing happens. All the people are put to death, killed by the command of God. 

I immediately found myself asking, "Lord, really? Everybody in the whole city? The women, the children, the animals? Why the need for total annihilation? This seems so inconsistent with the message that 'God is Love.' Shouldn't they have had the chance to hear more? What did they ever do to deserve such a fate? God, that's not fair."

That's not fair? After I gave voice to my gut reaction, those words came back to haunt me. That's not fair? Someone wiser than I mentioned Rahab's response to the Israelites, and why her life was spared. She saw the evidence before her - a nation of people whose God clearly went before them, completely overshadowing the gods she had known - and she threw herself on their mercy. Where the king and people of Jericho mocked the Israelites and their god, she realized her true predicament. Her faith resulted in the physical salvation of Rahab and her family.

Compare Rahab's response to others living in the land. She humbled herself before a mighty God, while the rest of the people stood in defiance against God himself. The one, holy, and true God of Israel. The one who created each Canaanite, brought water to their land, made their fields grow, and then watched as they did the unthinkable in their rituals to other gods. The one God who is perfect himself, and cannot entertain a hint of sin. That God watched these people for centuries, restraining his judgment until the Israelites were ready to possess the land. The holy God gave unholy people time. But in the end they had to "realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me." (Jeremiah 2:19)

The fact is, we all deserve judgment. We're all guilty of losing our awe of the true God and turning to idols. We all deserve the fate of Jericho. That's fair.

Doesn't that make John 3:16 so much more amazing?

Intersection of Faith & Life: Do we act as though God has an obligation to save us? Or do we, like Rahab, realize how little we can do to save ourselves? has a dramatic effect on how we view not only judgment, but grace.

[Judy Harder]

November 5, 2010


Trusting in God's Word
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor


"Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus." Luke 1:1-3


Politics. I think we all feel like we've overdosed on them lately. Don't get me wrong - they're important. But they have a way of churning up all sorts of negative emotions, fears of the future, and overall distrust of our fellow man.


One of the things I dislike most about politics is that when politicians open their mouths, they often give us a spin on the truth. Most of us who care about particular issues end up immersed in hours of research trying to uncover the unbiased facts.


Thankfully, God and His Word do not operate on the same level as our political system.


I found some unexpected relief recently when I decided to do a little research on the life of St. Luke. The opening verses above are the first words recorded in Luke's gospel account. They are reasonable, straightforward words that show Luke approached his writing as a historian investigating and recording the facts.


A skeptic might respond, "Well of course an early disciple of Christ would say he is recording only facts. But how can we be sure?" Skeptics and believers alike might be interested in knowing that Luke's writings are so consistent and accurate, even secular, modern historians hold great respect for them.


So who was St. Luke? Well, historians generally agree that he is the author of the third gospel account and the Acts of the Apostles. His writings give us a glimpse into Christ's life and a vital record of the workings of the early Church. Biblical scholars aren't sure if Luke was Jewish or a gentile, but his gospel account certainly shows a special sensitivity to the gentiles, the poor, and sinners. Luke probably also had medical training -- scholars usually link the writer/historian with the Luke Paul refers to as, "the beloved physician." (Colossians 4: 14)


What else do we know about Luke? The Acts of the Apostles indicate he spent much of his adult life traveling with Paul, even sticking with Paul through his suffering and death (2 Timothy 4: 11). He also probably spent quite a bit of time with those who knew Jesus during His earthly ministry, including Mary, the mother of Jesus. After all, the Gospel of Luke is the "Christmas Gospel" - the only Gospel where we get the details of Gabriel's appearance to Mary and get unique glimpses of Jesus' boyhood. It's also the only gospel where we hear Mary, inspired by the Spirit, proclaim the famous Magnificat ("My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..." Luke 1: 46 - 55).

But for all the facts Luke left us about Christ and His Church, he left very little information about himself. While we have details of the martyrdoms of many early followers, historians don't know how long Luke lived or how he died.


Of course, it's pretty safe to assume that Luke wasn't out to make a name for himself, but to make a name for God. And that's really where Luke's life and writings leave us - with yet another reminder that our confidence can rest securely with God and His Word. In a world that is always trying to sell us something, God gives us the wisdom we need to make the hard choices. In a world where words are often used to obscure the truth, God's Word cuts through the haze with profound, timeless truths. In a world where public figures cannot always be trusted, God works through His humble followers to restore our trust in Him.


Intersecting Faith & Life: Economies fluctuate and nations fall in and out of power. Put down the latest political commentary or turn off those negative news reports, and spend some extra time this week reading the eternal Word of God instead.

Further Reading

Matthew 22: 15 - 22


Faith, Not Fear: God and Wall Street

References: "St. Luke," "Luke the Evangelist"

[Judy Harder]

November 8, 2010

Child-Like Trust in the Lord
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com

O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
Psalm 131:1-2, NAS

This song, like most of the Psalms, was written by David - the man who would be Israel's greatest king. Is David who comes to mind when you think of someone "not involved in great matters" (kingdom conflicts, maybe)? Or unbothered by "things too difficult" (slaying a giant, anyone)? No, to me, this doesn't really sound like David. Doesn't really sound like me most of the time either.

Let's take a quick look at three things that stand out about this little Psalm:

1) Attitude. David's "heart" - his inner being, his spirit, is not proud... of things he's done, of where he's been and where he's going... but neither is he beating himself up. He is just... content.

2) Appetite. David's "eyes" - his senses - are not haughty. He's not seeking to please them. He doesn't have the look of arrogance. He knows Whose he is, and that his needs are met not of himself. He is not restless to feed like an infant, he is not stalking around asking to eat out of boredom like my 2-year-old.

3) Aptitude. David places the responsibility for this peaceful state upon himself. Not circumstances, not achievements, not even on God. "Surely I have quieted my soul," he says.

Taken all together, this shows us what trust looks like, and helps us understand why trusting God brings such soothing peace. Jesus said we must have faith like children to come to Him. Apparently, trust is also best exemplified in little ones.

David's "talk" is of not being proud; his "walk" then backs it up by what he "involves" (or doesn't involve) himself in. This doesn't mean God hasn't given him - or you - important stuff to get done, just that David has "declared himself free from excessive ambition" (Ryrie study notes).

To sing not of self, to seek not to fill the senses, to seek the will only to be quiet before God - that is trust. A "weaned child" knows instinctively where to find trust. By extension, and through the example of "the man after God's own heart," so do we.

Intersecting Faith & Life: "Involve" yourself in a small, humble matter today - perhaps a child's squabble, creating a meal, or going for a walk - and see if you can compose your soul.

Further Reading

Matthew 18:4-5
When Old Men Trust, by Calvin Miller 

[Judy Harder]

 
November 9, 2010 Existentialism... The Good Kind
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple..."
Luke 14:27 NASB

As chapter two of Francis Schaeffer's book, True Spirituality, comes to a close, the author highlights a crucial dimension of the gospel's first fruit (that of dying to self). It is that dying to self must be a continual reality. Schaeffer likens the proper mindset here to that of a philosophical existentialist...

"The existentialist is right when he puts his emphasis on the reality of the moment-by-moment situation. He is wrong in many things, but he is right here. Christ called His followers to continuously carry their own cross. He puts the command not in an abstract but in an intensely practical setting, in verse 26 (of Luke14) relating it to His followers' fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, sisters, and their own lives."

"He sets it among the realities of daily life. This is where we must die."

Christ is talking about putting to death what our hearts prefer; what we desire most. And we naturally prefer our own way. Ol' Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra, set our deeply ingrained theme song to music when he sang, "I did it my way." How can we possibly overcome our instinct to want our own desires fulfilled? It seems to be an impossible command.

Even if we know the Proverb "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death," such knowledge by itself is not enough to subdue a sinful, stubborn will. When the heart wants something, it can charge ahead in a mad quest to get its way without a single thought about consequences.

Paul Tripp and Tim Lane, in their book How People Change, cite no less than seven counterfeit gospels that prevent people from dying to self. They feed pride and give others the false impression that we're being true disciples. Because we are so prone to preserve ourselves, we can easily gravitate toward these false gospels. Their appeal is so insidiously strong because they allow us to deceive ourselves and others, AND dodge Christ's benevolent command to die to self. These counterfeit gospels are: formalism, legalism, mysticism, activism, biblicism, therapism, and social-ism.

Formalism says, "I'm always in church, but it really has little impact on my heart or on how I live. I may become judgmental and impatient with those who do not have the same commitment as I do."

Legalism says, "I live by the rules—rules I create for myself and rules I create for others. I feel good if I can keep my own rules, and I become arrogant and full of contempt when others don't meet the standards I set for them. There is no joy in my life because there is no grace to be celebrated."

Mysticism says, "I am engaged in the incessant pursuit of an emotional experience with God. I live for the moments when I feel close to him, and I often struggle with discouragement when I don't feel that way. I may change churches often, too, looking for one that will give me what I'm looking for."

Activism says, "I recognize the missional nature of Christianity and am passionately involved in fixing this broken world. But at the end of the day, my life is more of a defense of what's right than a joyful pursuit of Christ."

Biblicism says, "I know my Bible inside and out, but I do not let it master me. I have reduced the gospel to a mastery of biblical content and theology, so I am intolerant and critical of those with lesser knowledge."

Therapism says, "I talk a lot about the hurting people in our congregation, and how Christ is the only answer for their hurt. Yet even without realizing it, I have made Christ more Therapist than Savior. I view hurt as a greater problem than sin—and I subtly shift my greatest need from my moral failure to my unmet needs."

Social-ism says, "The deep fellowship and friendships I find at church have become their own idol. The body of Christ has replaced Christ himself, and the gospel is reduced to a network of fulfilling Christian relationships."
[From Paul Tripp and Tim Lane's How People Change (New Growth Press, 2008)]:

Which one(s) of the counterfeit gospels do you most tend toward?

In the end, only God's grace can subdue the heart of man and turn its desires God-ward. And such grace comes only through the true gospel of Christ. When God brings me around to embrace by faith that it was my moral failure that caused the sinless Son of God to suffer and die and, because of that, God does not treat me as my sins deserve, I see then that anything in life can be received with thankfulness.

How can we carry our cross and die daily? Only God can enable us by His "greater grace" to embrace the good kind of existentialism, depend on Him moment by moment, and continually ring the death knell to "my way."

Intersecting Faith & Life: 
Do you see your own need for God's grace every moment so that you can die to self, yielding your desires up to Him? If not, what's preventing that?

Further Reflection:
Read James 4:6
My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness (Stuart Townend, Keith Getty)

[Judy Harder]

November 10, 2010

Set Apart for the Gospel
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, (Romans 1:1-2, ESV) 



In my apartment building, having a dog proves challenging, having a small dog even more so. Since she refuses to learn how to use and flush a toilet, we're forced to slap the leash on, carry her down three flights of stairs, and hustle her off to a small patch of ground dedicated to doggy calls. Everything else is concrete—and I do mean everything.



In the past, I did my best to avoid actual human contact—other than the practiced smile, jerky nod, and occasional mumbled phrase. I'm introverted, I would think to myself. That was enough of an excuse for me. Plus, most of the other people in the apartment building seemed happy enough that I had the same disposition as them. Thus, the trip to the small patch of dirt involved much hustle and avoidance, a carefully orchestrated dash.



Then, it happened—well, he happened. You know the type of guy I mean. He was not interested in my attempts at momentary eye flicking in his direction or the head turn away from him. He didn't care about body language. He had a mission, and that mission meant speaking with me—on purpose.



After a few moments of small talk, this man from Africa hit me with it: he asked if I knew Jesus. My first thought, of course, was one of indignation. How could he not know that I followed Christ? How could he not know that I worked on a Christian website as an editor? How could he miss what had to be so obvious?



None of that came out. Instead, I calmly explained to him that I was serious about my faith—serious enough to avoid contact with anyone in my apartment complex or to share Christ or to mention anything about Jesus whatsoever outside of my circle of Christian friends. See, that's serious.



And that compared completely favorably to this guy's story. After all, he had felt the call of God, hopped on a plane from Africa to America with no place to stay or money, and had been publically sharing his faith with every person he met as a missionary. He lived day to day on the grace of God with all his needs met exactly when they needed to be. He preached, prayed, loved, suffered, all for the glory of God.

Intersecting Faith & Life: 

What impacted me the most that day is that this faithful brother was called from Africa to America—the very place where I, a Christ follower, live. Perhaps God wanted to shame me for my apathy and my fear. Perhaps He wanted to encourage me. Either way, I realized out there on that tiny patch of dirt how dead I'd been: if I'd been set apart by and for the gospel of God, I had no choice but to share that.



You don't realize you're spiritually dead and unfruitful until you see it for yourself. I saw my own death with the help of a brother from Africa. Maybe that's something you need to realize too.

Further Reading

Romans 1

[Judy Harder]

November 11, 2010

Are You Doing Brave Things?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

"May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!" Daniel 6:16, NIV

Veterans have done brave things. If you know one personally, then you definitely know this to be true.

They have fought for justice and for freedom. They have seen what you and I will probably never see. And they deserve to be honored and remembered on this day for their service to something greater than themselves.

Another brave person, and in my opinion one of the bravest people in the Bible, was Daniel—for obvious reasons (lions!). He served someone greater than himself and risked his life to that end. 

Sometime after 539 B.C., by the time Darius the Mede conquered Babylon, Daniel had already risen to a position of importance in the Babylonian Kingdom. Darius recognized Daniel's worth and elevated him even higher to rule the leaders of the 120 provinces of the kingdom. 

But Daniel's colleagues became jealous of him and his exceptional abilities, and so they devised a plan to get rid of the upstanding nobleman. In Daniel 6:6-8, we read ...

"O King Darius, live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions' den. Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed." 

And so after apparently not a whole lot of thought about the matter nor its consequences, Darius made it so. When Daniel heard about it, he immediately stopped praying publicly to God and kept his worship to himself so as not to offend anyone else and in order to save his life.

No! Of course that's not what happened. But it's what I imagine for myself, should this type of incident happen in our society today. Really, I have thought about it. What would I do if it became law that I could not pray in public or worship a triune God or speak freely about my faith and trust in a living Savior? Would I be afraid? Would I fear for my safety and my future? Would I be silenced?

I'd like to think I'd have enough courage and bravery to do as Daniel did. Because he did absolutely nothing. Nothing, in terms of changing how he was living out his faith.

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before (Daniel 6:10). 

At that point, you know that Daniel knew it was just a matter of time before he was going to be thrown into the lions' den. But there he was, praying in the face of his enemies. Unshaken. Unmoved. Unafraid. 

You know the rest of the story (see Daniel 6:11-28). What resulted was God's miraculous protection and deliverance of Daniel, despite being closed up in a den with some hungry lions. And because of that display of faith and God's power, the king ordered Daniel lifted out of the den, had the accusers and conspirators and their families thrown in the den, and then decreed that everyone in his kingdom should fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

Who knows how many lives were affected by Daniel's act of bravery? Could you do what he did? Will you?   

May we all take a lesson from Daniel today and see our faith stretched and strengthened as we strive to do brave things.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

You may not be faced with being thrown in a lions' den today, but what is your equivalent?  Is it having an in-depth, "uh oh, we might disagree" conversation with someone who believes differently than you? Or could it be picking up the phone to call someone to apologize and right a past wrong? What about choosing not to participate in gossip or coarse joking? Could you walk away from that, even if it means you might lose face or friends? Determine to step out in faith and be brave this week. God will meet you there!

Further Reading:

Isaiah 40:31, NIV

Ephesians 6:10-18, NIV