Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

 

July 2/3

A Clean Heart
Psalm 119:9-11

Reaching our full potential begins with a clean heart—one that loves the Lord and desires to obey Him. However, each of us was born with a nature bent away from God. Jeremiah 17:9 describes the heart as deceitful and inclined towards wickedness. Pleasing self is man's normal state.

Salvation changed our hearts and lives. Jesus' death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin and broke its power over us. By receiving Christ as Savior, we each became a new creation—with a heart sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading and a mind that strongly desires to know the Father better. We also received the Spirit's power to deny our selfish desires and obey God. With clean hearts, we can begin to realize the capabilities our loving Lord has given us.

The best way to maintain a clean heart is by meditating on Scripture. It acts like a mirror in which we see ourselves as God does. Through it, we discover the areas where we have been faithful and also the places where we've veered from His path. Expressing genuine repentance brings God's forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9).

The heart represents the seat of our mind, will, and emotions. When we strive to keep it pure, we will more easily discern the Lord's plan, submit our will to His, and follow Him obediently.

Becoming the person God planned for each of us to be requires an intimate relationship with Him and a desire to obey His Word. Apart from Jesus, we can't achieve anything of lasting value (John 15:5). Cooperating with the Holy Spirit's transforming work will help us keep our hearts clean.

For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.

Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc. © 2009 All Rights Reserved.
Recently on In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley

[Judy Harder]

July 4, 2011

Freedom Fried
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

So now, come back to your God! Act on the principles of love and justice, and always live in confident dependence on your God. ~ Hosea 12:6, NLT

The 'Fourth of July' devotional.

It fell to me this year.

And whoa if I didn't have a firecracker of a time coming up with what to write.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not riding on the trendy bandwagon of American self-loathing. I love my country. I dig personal and religious freedom. Without a free press I'd be out of a job, and without free speech I'd be locked up somewhere. But not here!

So why the long face on red-white-and-blue, take-a-day-off, fire-up-the-grill day?

Because Christianity has so little yet too much to do with the American Dream. To wit: "After centuries of shacking up with 'the American dream,' churches have perfected a dicey codependence between consumer-driven therapeutic individualism and religious pragmatism. These theological proxies gnaw, termite-like, at our identity as the Body of Christ, eroding our ability to recognize that Jesus' life of self-giving love directly challenges the American gospel of self-fulfillment and self-actualization" (Kenda Creasy Dean, Almost Christian).

Because I get sad when I consider the evolution 'Freedom' has undertaken just in my lifetime – from "allowed to act responsibly" to "if it feels good do it" to "absolutely anything goes and don't even try to suggest otherwise to us, or we might just take away your freedom."

Because "Independence Day" is a disconnect for me, devotionally speaking, from things I know to be true: that independence has never served me well where family or friends or work colleagues or the Church or the Lord are concerned.

And so, left without the trite and tried-but-true for today's devotional, I settled on the short, bittersweet, and eternal...

Neither politics nor religion nor any mixing of the two will save me.
Some things are really messed up. Most things are really not mess-up-able. A few things that are require only repentance to restore.
It's never wrong or out-of-style to be thankful, to express gratitude.
You can pledge your allegiance to the flag every day and admit your own and your country's independence, but "when you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor" (James 4:10, NLT).
Have a safe and blessed holiday, everyone.

 

[Judy Harder]

July 5, 2011

The Duty of Living in the Reality of the Supernatural
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"...without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."
Hebrews 11:6 ESV

"Doctrine is important," writes Francis Schaeffer in chapter five of his book True Spirituality, "but it is not an end in itself. There is to be an experiential reality, moment by moment... in the power of the crucified and risen Christ, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith."

Yes, yes, yes... we nod our heads, agreeing with such a fine statement of what ought to be the daily experience of one who follows Christ. But is that our experience? Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that little by little, the reality of the supernatural is all too easily lost in our generation?

What seems to elude most Christians is a daily experience of living in the reality of the supernatural. We can polish and refine our doctrinal statements and discuss the finer points of what's going on in the world and how to fix our institutions and churches until the cows come home. But what often gets crowded out of the picture is the simple reality of God.  When that happens, the world squeezes us into its way of thinking. To quote Schaeffer on this...

"Our generation is overwhelmingly naturalistic [i.e. meaning everything is the result of natural causes in a closed system]. If we are not careful, even though we say we are Biblical Christians and supernaturalists, the naturalism of our generation tends to come in upon us."

Schaeffer compares this creeping in of the world's naturalistic mindset to barnacles that grow on the bottom of ships, creating drag on vessels that were meant to efficiently cut through the water. So, as an antidote, he points us to classic Scriptures that teach the nearness of the supernatural all around us.

For example, Luke's passage on the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:31) says that their eyes were opened and they realized it was Jesus, then He ceased to be seen by them. Paraphrasing Schaeffer: "It wasn't that Christ was no longer there, but that they simply did not see Him any longer. John 20:19 and 26 gives the same emphasis."

Another classic text that Schaeffer takes us to is 2 Kings 6:16-17 where Elisha is surrounded by an enemy, and the young man standing with him is overcome with fear. "Elisha prayed and said, 'O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

"The supernatural was not something far off; it was there. All the young man needed was to have his eyes opened to see it. As soon as we remove the supernaturalness of the universe, all we have left is Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, in which religion is viewed simply as a sociological tool... a mere psychological mechanism."

Schaeffer rightly notes that this is precisely where the battle rages today. The naturalists are determined to get rid of the supernatural, to argue against it, that it is not there. Therefore...

"...we have thrust upon us the high calling and the duty to live in light of the existence of the two parts of the universe, the seen and the unseen parts, in the realization that the "heavenlies" are not far off. They are about us here."

Losing the reality of the supernatural is no small, insignificant detail. It is not an optional feature of true spirituality. When it is absent from our experience, all we are left with is a dead sociological tool; a mere psychological mechanism for manipulating ourselves and other people. As the Apostle Paul said, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:19)

Intersecting Faith & Life: 
Are there any barnacles of naturalism built up on the hull of your "ship" lately? Ask God for renewed eyes of faith as you dig deeper into these Scriptures... 

For Further Study:
Luke 24
2 Kings 6:16-17
1 Corinthians 15

[Judy Harder]

July 6, 2011

Be Still
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." – Psalm 46: 10

Midway through the Book of Luke, there's a section where Jesus and his disciples visit the house of Mary and Martha.

"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." – (Luke 10: 38-42)

It's easy when reading this for us to laugh and shake our heads at Martha. It seems so obvious that listening to Jesus was more important than housework, but how many of us have made the same mistake at one point or another? I know I have.

A week ago I found myself in a pretty bad place. I was tired, angry, and stressed. I'd let all sorts of little things compile during the week, and while in hindsight none of them were that important, it reached the point where I couldn't even relax at home. With no idea what to do, I went out to my patio and had a ranting session with God. I began venting my worries about work, finances, small group, and a hundred other things when I suddenly felt God say, "Ryan, Stop!"

I stopped mid-sentence and looked around. The sun was setting over the James River. Birds were flying in the air, all the trees and plants seemed to glow green, and a freight train was slowly making its way over a bridge into the city. It was as if God had painted a picture and said, "See, look what I can do. Look what you're missing because your anxiety got the better of you."  For a while I just sat there and watched the scenery. By the time I finished I felt calmer, collected and my worries didn't seem all that big anymore. Sometimes we get so agitated that we forget who God is, and we end up running to him with demands like "Fix my problems!" In times like this, it's important that we take a step back and remember, He is God.

Intersecting Faith and Life

Be still and know that He is God.

Further Reading

John 16: 33

[Judy Harder]

July 7, 2011

It's Hard to Be Still
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

"Be still and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10, NIV

I'm one of those people who likes going 90 mph—not in my car, of course, but in my day-to-day living.

I enjoy moving fast, juggling multiple tasks and having a full schedule with lots of things to do, people to see and places to go. Variety is definitely the spice of my life, and without it everything starts feeling a little "vanilla."

Thus, I guess you could say I'm having what feels like a bland kind of summer—and definitely not "jamocha almond fudge," if you will. All of my extracurricular activities that keep me busy during the school year are on break until sometime in August. And so that leaves me with a lot of undefined time each week, and a lot of stillness.

I was complaining about this to my sister the other day and had expressed that I was bored with temporarily not having an "exciting" schedule. But I had also been wondering if the Lord wanted me to use this time to rest or think about things that I don't usually focus on when I'm so busy in the fall, winter and spring.

So I had been trying to think about what I was supposed to be thinking about. So I could then write down what I was supposed to be thinking about on my to-do list. So I could then be thinking about what I was supposed to be thinking about. So I could then cross off that I had been thinking about what I was supposed to be thinking about. And be done thinking about it.

See how that great logic has been working out for me?

My sister first probably had a good chuckle to herself. And then she thoughtfully responded with the lyrics to Watermark's poignant song, "Still" ...

Still, let me be still
Let me be okay
With the quiet in my heart
Still, I want to be still
I'm so quick to move
Instead of listening to you
Shut my mouth
Crush my pride
Give me the tears
Of a broken life
Still ...

Oh. I get it. When I become still before the Lord, it's more about God and less about me. Or my "exciting" activities or the control I think I have over my life. When I become still, I can see more clearly what God is trying to show me. And I can either respond or fill up my time with something else while I wait for my "vanilla" summer to end.

By and large, there's nothing wrong with having a full life. But it is very easy to tip the scale and land on the side of too much, where worship of a heavenly Father gets lost in the wrongful worship of earthly things that a very busy schedule can certainly bring.

That's what I've learned so far about stillness this summer. Perhaps you, too, have a need for speed and are prone to going 90 mph on the freeway of your life. Why not spend some time at a rest stop with me in the coming months, and be still for a little while? The Lord is waiting and ready to meet us both there.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Some people schedule regular personal retreats with the Lord. Whether you can get away to a cabin in the woods or just set up a hammock between two backyard trees, see how you can schedule some time for stillness with the Lord before summer's end.

Further Reading:

1 Kings 19:11-12, NIV
Proverbs 20:27, NIV
Isaiah 32:17, NIV

[Judy Harder]

July 8 2011

Beach Lessons
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven – for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." – Luke 7:47, ESV

How do you explain to a child that's never been to the ocean what waves are like? You might fill a bathtub with water and splash it back and forth. That could teach action of waves – but what about the look? You might take the child to a nearby river with a few rapids, and show them how the foam collects at the bottom of a fall "like on top of a wave." You might show them a 4x6 inch photograph. You might try to show them what waves sound like with a conch shell. But what about their vast dimensions along the shore? What about their unending nature? What about the undercurrent of a wave going back to sea?

No substitute can convey the scale and true nature of waves continually breaking on the shore. No analogies or to-scale models prepare children for their first trip to the beach. They can't grasp the greatness until they've seen it for themselves.

Have you seen the greatness of God's forgiveness yet?

No measure of teaching, preaching, and analogizing can make us really grasp what God's forgiveness means. Even after we reach adulthood, we're still creatures of experience. It takes a firsthand experience – recognition of how vast our sins really are – before we can appreciate how vast God's mercy is to cover them.

Jesus gave Simon the Pharisee the example of two men who owed another money – one owed him five hundred days' wages, one owing him fifty. The moneylender forgives both debts, but, as Simon empathizes, the one forgiven the larger sum has a greater reason to love the one who cancelled his debt. But all Simon heard were the Jesus's words. He failed to realize what a vast stretch of sand he stood on, and what a great tide it would take to overtake all of those grains of sand. As a result, it's the woman Jesus recognizes for her great love of her Savior.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Is it possible that we can extend love and forgiveness if we don't understand how much Christ has shown us? Take your own "beach trip" and survey the vastness of God's incredible forgiveness that covers incredible sin.

[Judy Harder]

July 11, 2011

Seeking God for the Right Reasons
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  Philippians 1: 21

I ran across an article years ago that really touched me. In her piece "A Change of Plans," Lindsy Pike details the excruciating decision to call off her wedding to a man she loved dearly. Reflecting on the mix of pain and peace that comes with any situation where we must give up something precious, Pike rewinds a few centuries to Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac:

"God promised to give Abraham a son and finally, after years of waiting, God came through, with Isaac. Why in the world would God ask Abraham to give up that gift? In my opinion, it is for the same reason He asked me to call off my wedding. God wants us to love Him more than we love His promises. The minute we get those out of order, He readjusts us."

While we don't fully know the mind of God in Abraham's situation, Pike's simple thought sheds light on a struggle I think all of us encounter at some time in our lives – the struggle to love God above everything else, even His blessings. God wants us to love Him because of who He is, not what He can give us. Yet, how often do we confuse our love of God's promises with love of Him? How often do we see Him as the divine blessing machine, ready to dole out happiness on our terms? The popularity of "prosperity theology" reveals how easy it is for believers to twist love of God into the pursuit of earthly happiness.

To be honest, it's not just greed that gets in the way of loving God. It's also a limited understanding of who God is. I used to wonder how some Christians could sit for over an hour praying. Is God really that interesting? I'd wonder. This type of thinking reveals a fundamental flaw in how I perceived God, and I think that flaw is what keeps many from coming to Christ in the first place. It's easy to see Him as limited like we are limited. It's easy to forget that God is truly our all in all. As C.S. Lewis once said, "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."

Still, had I not gone through a similar situation, I might not have believed Pike's sincerity when she says: "I am thankful for His grace that saved me from ruining my life by pursuing my dream."

In a "reach for the stars, be anything you can be" culture, the idea that pursuing any dream could ruin my life seems foreign. The more I think about it, though, the more I see that living outside God's will – even if it is for a "good reason" – is a recipe for failure.

Yet, when we give up our dreams for something greater - for Someone greater than ourselves - we begin to see we can trust God no matter what. We find solace in the incredible peace that comes with knowing that even if life here includes sorrow or dreams unfulfilled, there is a God that transcends not only all that's missing in this life, but also all the good this life has to offer.

Intersecting Faith & Life: This week, do something for God without expecting any reward or blessing in return.

Further Reading

John 16: 33
Author Debunks Prosperity Gospel Myth

[Judy Harder]

July 12, 2011

My Conversation with a Hedge
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.
The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.
Proverbs 15:32-33

Every summer, my wife and kids leave me for two-to-three weeks to visit all of her relatives in Texas while I stay home and work. For the first day or two that they're gone, I enjoy my freedom from some of my responsibilities. After that, though, I tend to go a little crazy. I find myself wandering around the house, or doing "improvement" projects I have no business tackling. Making up song lyrics. Or having conversations with inanimate objects.

A couple years ago, in the middle of their trip, I was trimming the bushes beneath our front windows. The three on the right side of the stoop grow more uniformly than the three on the left. On the left, the one closest to the stairs is healthiest, while the other two, thanks to heavier afternoon shade, don't do as well. Oh, it's hard to tell, because I keep them pruned so that they "grow together" in the middle and stay squared off on the tops and corners. But obviously, the two weaker bushes suffer the pruning less frequently, because I let them grow out to fill in the gaps.

As I was working, their healthier sibling, I imagined, began to speak to me. Or to whine is more like it...

Hey! What gives?

Nothing, my good man. Just time for your monthly trimming.

But why? I'm not doing anything wrong. Just sitting here minding my own business. Doing good, doing what I'm supposed to do. And here you come...

Well, just sit still, please. Trust me, I have a purpose here.

Really? Well forgive me for asking, but why doesn't that purpose seem to apply to my lazy, stunted brethren here? All this time and barely a scratch. Maybe a nip, a cut. Nothing lost, no pain.

You're not happy with how you look? Where you're situated?

I'm fine. But that's just it. I don't deserve this cutting and trimming.

You think you planted yourself in this primo spot?

Never really thought about it. I just want to know why you're taking so much away from me and nothing from them.

I told you I have a purpose. You can't see what I can see. In fact, you can't see much at all. You're completely rooted in place. But I've seen all around you and through you, and have since you were planted.

But it hurts. I don't like losing things.

Never having them in the first place, and never really growing, that's not much good either. I have to give extra care and attention to those others. I can only hope it brings them up to the same level of maturity as you...

Hmmph.

I finished trimming up the hedges, and went my way, unsure I had gotten through. But when I stood back, I beheld something beautiful. I could only hope those under my care understood, had not despised their discipline, and opted to forsake impractical, joyless comparison.

Intersecting Faith & Life: The next time you feel like others aren't being as challenged as you are, or like the Lord is picking on you unfairly, consider that you can't see all the perspectives or purposes of the Lord, not in your life and especially not in the lives of others. The Lord loves you enough to discipline you, and he knows you're healthy and with enough green growth to handle His pruning.

Further Reading

John 15
Pruning Your Vineyard

[Judy Harder]

July 13, 2011
What Do We Do Now, Exactly?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"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..."
1 John 5:3 NASB

We continue to build upon Francis Schaeffer's earlier instruction about the reality of the biblical God (though He is unseen) and of the bankruptcy of atheism and all other perspectives that exclude the God of the Bible.

Instead of being cowed by unbelievers, we march forward today with the clear-eyed viewpoint expressed by the writer of this recent article on Christianity.com...

It is not Christianity that is a crutch, but atheism. Believing that when you die, you're just dead is far more comforting than believing that after death that we will be summoned to answer to a just and holy God for the good or evil we have done in this life.

Having ceased calling God a liar and having come to embrace Christ alone by faith alone, we now are justified—declared righteous by God... our status of moral guilt is reversed. Scripture says: "...there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

But "salvation is not just justification and then a blank until death," writes Schaeffer (True Sprirituality, chap. 6). Therefore, we must become increasingly conscious of is the perpetual relevance of Christ's work now in our lives. As Romans 1:17 says, "the just shall live by faith."

Quoting Schaeffer again: "The how of the Christian life is the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment."

The effect of such a moment-by-moment life of faith in loving relationship with Christ is expressed in First John (1 John 5:3). "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome."

With refreshing honesty, Schaeffer recounts that for many years he did find the commandments grievous and burdensome:

"For many years as a pastor, preaching the gospel, I never preached on this verse for the simple reason that I did not understand it. I could hardly bear them (the commandments of God). And then one day, as I was wrestling with this topic, I saw that all one had to do was to look at the immediate context: "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."

"On the basis of the finished work of Christ, a moment-by-moment life of faith is "the victory"—not our victory, but Christ's victory, purchased for us on Calvary's cross, laid hold of moment by moment in faith. Now, let me be absolutely clear about it, the basis is not your faith; it is the finished work of Christ. Faith is the instrument to receive this thing from God that Christ has purchased for us. If we try to live the Christian life in our own strength, we will have sorrow; but if we live in this way, we will not only serve the Lord, but in place of sorrow He will be our song."

Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are the commandments grievous to you? Are they burdensome? Whose strength and wisdom are you depending on to bring about victory? Rest today in the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment.

For Further Study & Prayer:
Romans 15:13

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

[Judy Harder]

July 14, 2011

Dentists and Coca-Cola
by Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor

"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." – Genesis 4:7

I really like drinking Coca-Cola. The habit started when I went overseas my junior year of college. None of us could drink the water because we might get parasites, so I ended up drinking Coke with most of my meals. I thought I'd kick the habit once I got back to the United States, but if anything it only made my addiction worse. I suddenly became aware of how easy it was to find a nice, cold Coke.

They were so cheap and so accessible that I barely needed an excuse to buy one. Sure, I knew drinking too much was bad for me, but I figured as long as I exercised and brushed my teeth there wasn't any harm in having one a day. Then I had my dentist appointment. I think most people would agree that going to the dentist would not be the highlight of their week. Well, imagine going to the dentist and being told you have three cavities that will require fillings. Sure, on the upside I did get to chat with a cute receptionist, but when the dentist began jabbing around in my mouth trying to find a good place to inject the Novocain, it dawned on me that maybe I should start watching how much I drank.

All joking aside, I think sin works in the same fashion. Each day we are tempted, and it's remarkably easy to find an excuse to justify our behavior. We tell ourselves it's not that bad, that as long as we read our Bible and go to church we'll be balancing the scales, but that's not how it works. Sin will slowly corrode your character until one day you'll find yourself with a serious problem. Because of the cross, we have received the grace of Jesus and are now free from sin, but the battle is not over.

Every day we will be tempted, and every day Jesus will call us to turn from sin and live a life according to his word. There cannot be any compromises with sin; it will only devour us.

Intersecting Faith and Life

Take a moment to consider where you are being tempted.

Further Reading

John 8:34