Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

Spring Training for Christians
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

We don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong.
2 Corinthians 5:16, The Message

You've probably heard that God loves baseball. After all, He began his holy book with the words, "In the big inning..." Everyone who loves baseball like the Lord does feels a tremendous rush this time of year with another set of words: "Pitchers and catchers report." For the uninitiated, this phrase signals the official start of spring training, which brings with it new hope, and knowledge that at least there's a thaw and green grass in some parts of our country.

In fact, the game I love, and the game of fantasy baseball off which it is based, are both so prevalent in my mind this week that as I sat down to write this I found my mind wandering. So, noticing that a good friend, fellow fantasy baseballer and pastor was active on his Instant Messenger, I began the following conversation:

Me: I'm sitting here trying to write this week's devotional, but I've got a screenful of stats in front of me, taunting me. Pastor Jay, is there any way I could combine the two? Does our league have any good devotional content?

Jay: Oh, I'm sure we do. How about how we peak spiritually at age 27, like most hitters do?

Me: Goodness, I hope that's not true. How about our Spiritual Slugging Percentage... are we whomping our fair quota of sinners and unbelievers regularly?

Jay: Uh, right... How about how On-Base Percentage equals theological correctness/sound doctrine, and Slugging Percentage equals evangelism, the impact you're making for the Lord?

Me: You're on to something.

There are truly spiritual parallels everywhere.

But as is always the case, snippets of insight and truth are only valuable when applicable. The above only served to remind me that it's time to take a break from my analysis of the statistics of men who play a game, and check in on my own statistics, go through my own spring training of sorts.

Today's verse gives us a starting place for where to look, what kind of statistics are important in the Kingdom as opposed to the diamond. Things like height, weight, vertical leap, 40-yard-dash times, race, creed, color, gender... none of those matter. Here's the checklist we'll be using to see who's gonna make the team this season:

Measurables

On-Base Percentage - Like my buddy said, in our checklist this involves good theology and doctrine. Baseballers like to hear chatter out there on the infield. Are you talking the talk?

Slugging Percentage - Now you have to put the above theology to good use, and walk the walk. How much 'oomph' can you contribute to the goals of the team?

Batting Average - The most you can do is just put the bat on the ball. So many other factors determine if you're gonna get a safe hit or not, meaning you'll probably fail to connect or reach safely at least 70 percent of the time... and that's if you're one of the best. The rest is up to God.

Errors - Can't be avoided, even by the very best of us. What's important is that we don't grow complacent with making them. Biblical ignorance is not an acceptable excuse. Neither is yelling at your teammate for making an error.

Strikeouts and Walks - Both are fine. They reveal effort. The way you know you're off-track is when these become Walkouts and Strikes. I don't need to be leaving, boycotting, quitting, or checking out in the middle of a slump or when the other team is full of punks.

Sacrifices - When the coach calls for you to bunt another person into a more prominent position, will you obediently lay one down? When you can bring in a run by hitting a fly ball for an out will you gladly do so?

Intangibles

Coachability - I can't think of a single reason or supporting scripture for a me-first attitude on the Kingdom Conquerors.

Discipline - To what do you say yes, to what do you say no? What do you fail to do? What do you never fail to do?

Leadership - Look behind you. Is anyone following?

Performance Enhancers - Yes, please. I'm simply not good enough to compete in this game without them. No, not steroids, but the Holy Spirit, and regular Bible study and prayer times.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Watch a sporting event with a younger person this week, and see how many parallels and applications you can make together to our spiritual journey.

Further Reading

Opening Day for America
Finish Strong in the 9th Inning of Life
The Magic of Opening Day

[Judy Harder]

Should I Fight or Be Still?
by Debbie Wright, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! (Psalm 119:4-5)

Do you often find yourself confused, unsure of how to best live according to God's will? This is a struggle for me. Should I speak or stay silent? Will this action offend or edify? Is this a time for action or inaction? Should I fight? Or should I stay still?

Though every situation is different and every person unique, the Bible paints both stillness and action as pleasing to the LORD, depending on the variables at hand.

One example is when the Israelites were fleeing from Pharaoh and the Egyptians. The LORD had fought for them in Egypt by displaying horrors and miracles through Aaron and Moses. Finally their oppressors relented and the Israelites were free – but not for long. Pharaoh changed his mind, and Exodus tells the account of their suspenseful chase after the newly freed slaves. "What have you done to us?" the people cried to Moses (Exodus 14:11). They knew there was nothing they could do to protect themselves from the mighty King of Egypt.

But then God made his will known through Moses. No, the Israelites would not be able to defeat Pharaoh.

But the LORD did not ask them to.

"The LORD will fight for you," Moses proclaimed. "You need only to be still."

But there are other times, are there not? Times when we have the choice to stretch out our hands to either right or wrong, and there is no in-between.  Paul writes to Timothy,

"But you, man of God...pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith" (1 Timothy 6:11-12).

Sometimes we must fight. And make no mistake; this is not a direct call to fist-fights or military service. It is a direct command to use the Armor of God. We must fight to keep righteousness in our own lives, refusing choices which lead to sin and death. We must fight for love, which means making really hard choices and overcoming our natural selfish inclinations. We must fight for endurance, keeping promises, covenants, and our integrity in a way worthy of Christ Jesus.

Sometimes God calls us to fight, and sometimes he tells us to be still. How can we decipher it?

Sometimes it will be hard. But from these passages, I would risk saying that God knows when we are facing a foe that's too big for us. Sometimes we ache and long to fight, but we know the battle is beyond us, out of our hands. It is those times we must remember that God is a God of the weak, the poor, and the broken. The LORD will fight for you. You need only to be still.

Other times we can and must fight. When we are faced with injustice, and we have some measure of control, we must fight for the small ones. When we are faced with personal crises, we must fight for our children, parents, marriages, relationships, churches – not against them. We must use every weapon in our spiritual arsenals to build the Kingdom of God and protect it from the ever-watchful forces of darkness. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance. Fight the good fight.

Intersecting Faith and Life: What are you struggling with now in your life, or your walk with the LORD? Spend some time in prayer to see whether God wants you to fight, or lay down your weapons and give the battle to him.

Futher Reading:

Ephesians 6:10-20

Exodus 14

Hebrews 12:3-17

[Judy Harder]

Who Cares about Leviticus?
byKatherine Britton

"You are to be holy to me, because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set your apart from the nations to be my own." – Leviticus 20:26

Like most evangelicals, I haven't devoted much time to parsing Leviticus. After all, we live under the new covenant ushered in by Christ's death and resurrection, and we're Gentiles to boot. Leviticus was written for a particular people at a particular time, and vast sections of the book have been demoted to historical curiosities at this point. The fledgling kingdom of Israel – really, a collection of tribes that had more in common with their pagan neighbors than today's Christian enclave – were on the other side of history's turning point. For this emerging nation the Lord dictated incredibly detailed ceremonial law that has since passed away, as we have a new and perfect high priest.

Still, the apostle Paul insists that "all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching" (2 Timothy 3:15). Remember, this is Paul speaking, the same apostle who vilified the Judaizers for insisting the law must be upheld in its minutae to achieve salvation, and who wrote that "no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law." The resolution of the paradox might be a bit more apparent through the example of Park Street Church in Boston.

Pastor Daniel Harrell convinced 19 members of his congregation to join him in an experiment in "living Levitically," despite the drastic changes they had to make in their daily living. The group grew out their beards, kept kosher, cleaned their homes meticulously, observed the Sabbath, and even stopped wearing clothes made from blended materials. One of the few exceptions to the experiment was animal sacrifice, as the group intended not to break any U.S. laws while observing the ceremonial ones.

The group found it absolutely impossible to obey every tenet. But the Park Street Church says that wasn't the point. Seeing firsthand that they couldn't perfectly fulfill the law, they realized the need for grace in a whole new way. As Romans 5:20 explains it, "The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more."

Could it be that, in ignoring Leviticus as a whole, we forget how awesome grace is? True, not every ceremonial law (washing your feet? Wearing blended materials?) is also a moral law. But God still told the Israelites to keep it as his law. Reading about the church's example reminded me of a couple things:

First, God's people are supposed to be set apart. The Israelites were supposed to look different, act different, worship different, and spend their time in different ways than the nations around them. It was an integral part of their calling as God's people. The manifestations aren't quite the same, but Christians have the same calling today.

Second, we aren't set apart enough. As Park Street Church rediscovered, the law points out our insufficiencies. Even if the law were just a set of external rules, we still couldn't keep them perfectly. We just can't measure up to following the law or Christ's example.

Third, only in Christ can we find rest from the law and a new identity that really sets us apart. The writer of Hebrews notes that the law is "only a shadow of the good things that are coming." And yes, the law is a good thing – it makes us realize how much Christ had to atone for on our behalf. Not only that, God has adopted us as sons and daughters through Christ to really set us apart. And then he gives us the grace to live it. Sure, we'll still fall, and that will remind us to run to grace. But the power of the law is gone through Christ.

Intersecting Faith & Life: This week, take time to read Hebrews 10  Notice how beautifully Christ not only supersedes the law, but fulfills all of its demands. That ought to inspire the worship that God desires more than the Israelites' burnt offerings.

Further Reading:

Living Leviticus: Who Could Do It? Who Would Want To?

How to Use the Law – Lawfully to Bear Fruit for God

[Judy Harder]

Little Children
Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." – Matthew 19:14

When I was a little kid, I made an amazing discovery. I realized that if I found something I liked and asked the right person "Can I have this?" there was chance they would give it to me. This may not seem all that extraordinary to you, but trust me, to a child this was a goldmine. You see, I didn't just ask for candy at the grocery store or stuff on TV commercials, I asked for everything. I asked other kids if I could have their toys, I asked the neighbors if I could have their dog, I think I even asked one family if I could have their house. I'm afraid I embarrassed my parents to no end, and by the time my father sat me down and explained that asking someone for all their belongings was rude, most people had stopped inviting our family over for dinner.

Kids can be a real hassle, and when you think about it, you can't really blame the disciples for their actions in Mark 10. Take a look at the following passage,             

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. - Mark 10:13-16     

Here's the thing about children. Children are messy, children are selfish, children are ignorant, and children are incredibly self-destructive. Don't believe me? A monkey knows better than to stick a butter knife into an exposed wall socket, but let a child have its way and they will do it twice! Despite all this however, you really can't help but admire the oblivious, single-minded nature of a child.

If anything, Christians should try learning from their example. Too often we stop ourselves for encountering God because we are afraid we don't fit the "Christian" criteria. Well, I've got news for you; we will always be children in God's eyes: messy, crazy, self-destructive children. But as long as we make him the single focus of our hearts, He doesn't care. So take a lesson from these little ones, pursue God recklessly and don't pay attention to what others think, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.                     

Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you pursuing God with the heart of a child? Take a moment to consider.

Further Reading

Matthew 19

[Judy Harder]

The Wisdom of Gamaliel
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

In the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.
Acts 5:38-39

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I intended to read through the Book of Acts. And I've been doing it. The best part is my son decided we could make that our bedtime reading each night. Talk about fun!

The other night we happened across the passage at the end of chapter five where the Pharisees are getting really tired of these disciples going around teaching and healing and collecting followers. People are bringing their sick into the streets in hopes that Peter's shadow might just fall upon them. Can't have that going on, now.

So it comes about that our heroes are summoned in, and about to face some serious flogging. At this point, a very respected Pharisee on the Sanhedrin request that the disciples be sent out so he may address his brethren. His name is Gamaliel, and he proceeds to caution the Jews about how they deal with the Christian "threat." He cites two other recent examples of men who rose up, said some pleasant things, and led some people away, only to have their movements dwindle and die. Why did that happen? Obviously, reasons Gamaliel, they were human, and their quests were not of God.

He goes on to say that these followers of Jesus will go the same way... or maybe they won't. And if they don't, then anything the Sanhedrin would devise against them would fail anyway, because it would mean the movement was from God.

What an amazing way to look back on over 2,000 years of history since then. And sure enough, when I re-read this passage the other night, I remembered how our Western Civilization professor in college basically made the same statement Gamaliel did when he was explaining the historical spread of Christianity and the rise of the Church. He cited movement after movement that were "of men," and of which we no longer speak to this day. But Christianity? It remains alive, precious, self-sustaining, and powerful.

A few things that stand out about this story:

What's to worry about? We sure do still fret about things these days. No, I wouldn't dare suggest that everything we get up in arms about is actually a movement from above. Highly doubtful. But ultimately, the lesson is still the same - He's the one in control. His will be done.
As much as Gamaliel is the hero of this brief passage, it's still with the Christians, not the Council, where we can most relate. Why is this important? The Christians, our early brethren, were the ones who couldn't stop telling the good news, not the ones who were looking for things to rail against.
Our "religion" is one that is not of men. It is not a fad. It does not change. It has lasted. It will last until Christ returns.
Even with Gameliel's words ringing true, they didn't prevent the disciples from persecution. They were brought back into the room, and flogged. So their circumstances didn't really change much.
Even after a flogging, the disciples went their way grateful to have suffered as Christ suffered, and for His sake.
Even after being warned not to spread the gospel anymore, the disciples couldn't and wouldn't stop.
And don't forget...

Even a Pharisee can have a brilliant insight once in a while, thank goodness.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Think about other things that have happened in the world just since you have been born: fads, movements, cults, and so on. Then consider everything Christianity has outlasted, and will outlast. You and I serve a God who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. What difference does that make in your life today?

Further Reading

The Secret to a Life of Impact
Acts 5:12-42

[Judy Harder]

Perfect Plans
by Anna Kuta, ReligionToday.com Editor

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

When I graduated from college, I had no job – but no worries. Many of my business-major friends had known since the previous fall where they would be accepting a job, living and working, but that isn't the way the journalism industry works. I'd been advised by plenty of my journalism professors that the type of jobs I'd be looking for were the type that hired to fill positions immediately. So in the days after I moved back home and packed away my graduation robe and apartment furnishings, I confidently began applying to media-related jobs in the area, waiting for my dream job to come along any day.

Two weeks later, nothing. My best friend got hired and started work. I spent every day searching the Internet for job openings, attempting to network, and submitting applications left and right. Two months later, still nothing. It seemed like with each day that passed, someone else I knew accepted a job, but I just knew my moment was right around the corner.

But as July rolled into August, and still no prospects, I was starting to freak out big time. I began applying to every job I could find that was semi-related to anything that even sounded remotely interesting. I prayed for God to open a door where He wanted me, to bring along the right job at the right time, and to help me be patient and not stress out.

Then, suddenly, two opportunities arose. I was so sure this was the answer to my prayer. I held off on the first one to pursue the other, but when I went in for an informal interview, I was informed that the job actually didn't exist after all. I contacted the first job again, but that position had already been filled. Seriously? I asked God. All the grand plans I'd been making in my mind just crashed and burned.

A few days later I was moping around on the couch, and I decided to do another sweep of all the job search websites for the 400th time. Something caught my eye, a new job listing that wasn't there before. As I read the description, it was like someone had gotten inside my head and summarized everything I wanted in a job but had yet to actually verbalize. It sounded almost too good to be true. I applied, and before I knew it, I received a phone call to begin the interview process. And then, just a few weeks later, I screamed in excitement as I received a phone call with the job offer. You've probably figured by now I'm referring to my job here at Crosswalk, and you're right. It's been almost six months now, and I still refer to it to everybody as my "dream job."

Today, it could not be more obvious to me how God worked all the details together for me in my job search last summer, even when at times I wanted to despair. I ended up with the perfect job and I got to enjoy one last summer vacation. The timing of it all fell into perfect place with every other event happening in my life. I had great opportunities this summer to serve the Lord and grow in my faith, and most of all, I learned some of the most valuable lessons I've ever learned about trusting God and waiting for Him.

Romans 8:28 says that all things in the lives of those who love God and who have accepted Him will ultimately contribute to our good. It doesn't say everything in our lives will be good, but that everything will work together for an outcome in our lives that is pleasing to God. Notice Paul makes it very clear that it's something granted only to those who "love God and who are the called according to His purpose." We know from John 14:15 that we show our love for God by keeping his commandments – and being one of "the called" means making Him the Lord of every area of our lives when we accept His call of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

God absolutely cares about all the small details of our lives. Right now, you might be facing a situation that makes no sense. We live in a sinful world, and bad things happen. It may seem that your prayers are going unanswered. But God promises that he has a perfect plan for the lives of those who truly love and follow Him and who have received salvation through Jesus. You may not realize right this moment – or ever – why things happen just the way they do, but if you have accepted God's call of the gospel, you can trust that He is working everything in your life together for His ultimate purpose.

Intersecting Faith & Life

Looking back on your life, can you see times when God worked out all the details for good and situations that have shaped you and brought you closer to the Lord? What did He teach you through those times, and what is He teaching you through your current situation? Trust Him that He continues to do His perfect work in your life as you continue to follow Him.

Further Reading

Jeremiah 29:11

Proverbs 19:21

Proverbs 3:5-6

1 Corinthians 1:24

Philippians 3:14

[Judy Harder]

God's Will: So Simple it's Hard
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

Rejoice always;
pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"God's will for my life"... how often have you pondered that notion? Studied it? Read untold books about it? Know people who torture themselves trying to locate it?

Well, here we have an obvious chunk of it, even compact and useful just as we like things to be, tucked away at the close of Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica. "This is God's will for you...," it says.

Well, yes, it says that, and it sure is pretty - almost poetic - but is it deep enough? Shouldn't there be more? Is it practical?

Okay. Then let's go Old Testament. Prophetic. Action-oriented. Micah 6:8 says, "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

It's still simple, still bunched in a group of three, still indicating that there's no big mystery way far out there which must be solved before we know how to act or decide, or how God wants us to act or decide.

So why do we seek for more?

I think it's because the ridiculously simple, paradoxically enough, is ridiculously hard, and we know it. G.K. Chesterton famously said, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried."

We could spend a lot of time discussing the ins-and-outs of how easy or hard God's will is, and where else in His Word we can find snippets of it. One woman from my Bible fellowship class is fond of asking during our lessons, "What does that look like?" Let's ponder on that for a minute here.

The situation is this: you've been sent on a missionary journey via a clear calling from God. The resources were there, the people willing. You are leading your group through a city when you encounter a psychic who keeps taunting you. After a while, through calling on the name of Jesus you cast out the evil spirit within her. Hooray! Score one for the Lord, and your group! But alas, there is no praise here, because those who had been making some cash off the now-set-free woman's powers aren't happy with you. They drag your group before local law enforcement, have you beaten, and thrown into prison. Hey now!

At this point, I am saying, "God, this is NOT your will. YOU made it very clear we were to come on this trip, and we even did a miracle for you! Now we're injured, in jail... I don't even know how I'm going to get home much less continue to be effective for you from here! I want a telephone, I want a lawyer, and I want you to reveal your ACTUAL will, right now, and suffer no more discomfort while doing what you sent us to do!"

And with that, my missionary journey would come to a close. But not the Apostle Paul's, not as we have it recorded in Acts 16:16-40,  which is one of my all-time favorite passages. Paul, who knew God's will better than I, and practiced it, knew to "rejoice always." And so, bloodied and with his feet in stocks, he sings. Seriously, he sings hymns of praise. He also knew to "pray without ceasing," and so, in verse 25, that's exactly what you find - Paul and Silas praying... at midnight, even.

The missionaries on this journey got out of God's way by doing the simple things that God had willed for them to do, so that God was free to let fly with His own big, complex, miraculous will for everyone else. An earthquake shakes open the prison, snapping chains in the process. Prisoners, however, stay where they are. A jailer, about to kill himself, holds his sword, and moments later accepts Jesus into his heart. Then his family joins the flock, all because those he had persecuted chose to "love kindness."

At every step of the journey, Paul, Silas, and their companions chose to walk humbly, give thanks, and do what was just (speaking of which, once officially released, Paul did have some words of justice regarding their citizenship and treatment for the magistrates).

It's absolutely amazing to me the ways that God plans to accomplish His Will (big "W") on earth. His will in my life has already been decided. It is my job to walk humbly, get out of the way, always be in prayer, always rejoicing no matter what situation I'm in. But how often do we come back to the same situation, sitting in my car, simple traffic jam, me needing to be somewhere, telling God, "Did you not ordain that I should do such and such today? Or get this amount of work done so I can spend this amount of time with my family? Then this is on you unless you make such-and-such happen now!"

Sigh... how many miracles have I missed?

No, God's will for my life isn't difficult to know. It's just frustratingly hard to do if self is at the center. And that's the crux of the very question itself, "What is God's will for MY life?"

Perhaps when we get out of the way, we shall see better.

Intersecting Faith & Life: How long will it take to learn the lesson that even if I know I am doing God's will it doesn't mean everything will appear to go smoothly along the way? That there are purposes I either don't know or am unwilling to consider could be a part of inconvenience? If you're like me, start learning today by making note of every story in the Bible that suffers a delay, interruption, inconvenience or other problem before God's promised payoff. (Hint: start with guys like Joseph, and Abraham...)

Further Reading

Acts 16
Micah 6:8
Stop Wrestling, Start Serving: The Non-Mystery of God's Will

[Judy Harder]

Freedom from Self
by Sarah Phillips

Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51: 12)

Do you have a hard time embracing the idea that God loves you? Do you struggle with a nagging sense of inadequacy or unworthiness?

During Lent, we encounter a lot of talk about sinfulness, reparations, confession, and penance. The Lenten focus is wonderful and necessary for all of us. We are sinners in a fallen world, and we can find ourselves forgetting our need for God and His grace readily.

It's easy to see how Lent can infuse humility into one who suffers from pride. But what about those of us who suffer from scrupulosity? A quick internet search of this term brings us to Wikipedia which defines scrupulosity as "obsessive concern with one's own sins and compulsive performance of religious devotion." Scrupulosity is basically an obsession with our own faults and failings. It often plagues perfectionists and can be paralyzing to the believer's life. The scrupulous believer holds on to his or her sins and even erroneously labels innocent acts as sinful, convinced God could not love them enough to forgive them.

When the tendency to hyper-focus on imperfections and sins takes over, we need to remember that Lent is the journey towards Easter. It is meant to help us grow in our relationship with God, not lead us into clinical depression.

Let's take the Lenten practice of fasting, for example. Why do Christians fast? Fasting can be found in both the Old Testament and the New, with Moses (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:9,18 ), Elijah (1 Kings 19:, and our Lord (Matthew 4:2) all participating in 40-day fasts. Biblically, fasting centers around genuine humility and a desire to be in right relationship with God. Fasting is a way of denying ourselves excesses so that we might be more attuned to the Lord's voice. This requires first and foremost a belief that one can be in right relationship with God; that He is accessible to the believer!

Fasting makes the most sense when we consider it in light of Genesis 1, which reveals that we all have inherent dignity as creatures created in the image and likeness of God. An excerpt of this chapter states:

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1: 26 - 27, 31)

As human beings with this dignity, we can exercise our gift of free will to embrace opportunities God gives us to experience His refining grace in our lives. In doing so, the small aches and pains that come with fasting should draw our attentionaway from our failings and towards the reality that God loves us so much that He would suffer profoundly for us on the Cross.

Intersecting Faith & Life: If you suffer from scrupulosity, give it up. Instead of repeating your sins to God over and over, spend the next several weeks studying the gospel in light of God's love for you.

[Judy Harder]

Jesus Wept
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. – Matthew 4:1-2

I once heard a story of a woman who lost her only daughter in a tragic accident. After the funeral she fell into deep despair, and many of her friends began to worry about her safety. In desperation, one of them asked their local priest if he would go to her house and speak with her, but the moment the woman saw him she flew into a rage.

"Get out!" She screamed, "I already know what you're going to say. You're going to tell me that everything happens for a reason, that this is God's will, and I don't want to hear that." The priest did not move. Eventually the woman began to calm down and started to sob. It was at that the priest spoke, quietly and gently.

"Listen," he told her, "I don't know why your daughter died, and I do not know why God allowed it to happen, but I do know that God understands what it is to lose a child, and that he is standing next to you, and that he cannot stop your suffering but that he loves you and he loves your daughter, and if you let him into your heart you will see her again."

What really struck me the first time I heard this story was that God really did understand the pain of losing someone. I realized that for a long time I'd had a false view of Jesus. I'd always pictured him as this tall, soft-spoken man who was completely serene no matter what the world threw at him. I didn't understand that when God became a man he embraced all human sensation, even the ones that hurt.

Jesus got hungry, just like us (Mark 11:12). He got frustrated, just like us (Mark 11:14). He got sad (John 11:35), and angry (John 2:16-17), and scared (Luke 22:44). Jesus probably laughed with his friends, and grew stern with the Pharisees. The Bible says that Jesus lived a sinless life, but that doesn't mean he wasn't human.   

Some of you may be having a fairly nice day while reading this and some of you may be having a pretty miserable one. Regardless of what is happening to you, know that God understands how you feel, and that he will always love you.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Follow Christ through his years of ministry. Take note of the times when Christ displays his emotions.

Further Reading 

Matthew 4:1-11

[Judy Harder]

Starved for Faith and Vision
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com

"Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: 'The days go by and every vision comes to nothing'? Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel.' Say to them, 'The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled." Ezekiel 12:22-23

For me, Dave was that boss. The guy could make every triumph into misery, every completed project into a diatribe for what didn't go right. Not chewing you out was his way of complimenting a job well done. And, no, I'm not joking. The guy would fire someone I worked with and then come to me the next day to say, "I fired your little friend."

And yet, for some reason I never understood, Dave liked me from the beginning. He would never have said that, of course, never admitted to not hating someone. But he did. Even as a lackey intern, he put me in charge of projects way above my pay grade. Even as the newbie, he'd let me in on the big stuff we'd be working on in a few months. My position was only supposed to last 30 days, but Dave kept me there for months by making excuses to his bosses about why I should stay.

To be honest, I hated the work. Here I was an English major who was supposed to be editing and writing and changing the world through prose. But I was afraid of trying for that world-changing job. Instead, I got pushed into IT project management for hospitals, which is really just a nice way of saying that I moved computers and loaded software. Over and over.

But it's funny what happens between a boss and a peon when you're wearing scrubs and snatching computers from the ICU. For Dave, those moments brought clarity. In a place where alarms signal dying, he'd tell me about his one-time plans to be an architect and the reasons why it couldn't happen. His rage would disappear with the code blues and rushing nurses. He dreamed for just a moment.

And then we'd be pushing our carts of equipment to a new wing of the hospital, and the sarcasm flooded in to cover the regret. He'd snap back to the snappiness as if the ICU never happened.

Maybe that's why Dave liked me. He knew I didn't want to be in those sterile halls either. He knew this detour felt more like a dead end. I was his earlier self.

When I finally quit, Dave didn't say goodbye. In fact, he avoided me for much of my two-week notice period. His only words about me were to berate the rest of the team with how the "only competent worker" was leaving.

With him, that meant he approved.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Dave was that boss—a curmudgeon God used to show me how important vision is, how necessary risk can be to following where God leads. He'd stayed in the safety of a career he despised because excuses were easier than fear and faith.

Part of what it means for Christians to let our lights shine is for us to live by faith. We know God can build bridges over chasms—even if we have no idea how. (Sometimes it's as if He purposefully waits until we're right on the edge.)

Vision and faith refresh and refill and renew. Those who have lost both need you to show them how to get them back once again.

For Further Reading

Ezekiel 37

Hebrews 11