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The Temptation of Plenty

June 25, 2010
Filed In Daily Devotionals

When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.
2 Chronicles 12:1

There is a risk in power that it will lead a person away from God. Do you feel your life so well-established that you can give God a break? Are you so strong that you no longer feel a great need for God? Are you perhaps like Rehoboam, feeling confident in your life, your job, your money, your influence, and believing you can relax your devotion to God?

It is possible that for many of us, the troubles in our lives serve as God’s way of keeping us close to him. He knows that if we were secure, wealthy, and comfortable in our lives, we would turn aside to the comforts of this world. God may be using your trial to keep you from going the way of Rehoboam.

Learn from the lives of men and women recorded in Scripture. Learn from Rehoboam to stay steadfast, trusting in the Lord in times of want and in times of plenty. God is greater than any luxury this world offers; never allow power or possessions to turn your eye from your greatest treasure.

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if I never get another blessing from God

April 25, 2010
Filed In Daily Devotionals

I was talking with a friend the other day about how easy it is to complain.  Unlike what Psalm 103 commands, I forget the many benefits that God has given to me.  Circumstances, stress, pain and confusion seem bigger than the blessings of God.  But the reality of my life is that if I never receive another blessing from God, I have more than enough reason to praise Him for all of eternity.

Six years ago, my life was headed straight towards Hell.  Then God arrested my heart, convicted me of my need for His salvation, and in mercy, He changed my desires and ways.  With joy, I accepted a life as His servant, aware that freedom from eternal slavery was being offered to me.

I never want to forget that the LORD has been merciful and gracious to me.  He proved himself to be slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (and He continues to prove this faithfulness as He sustains me each day, Psalm 103:8).  So, when my life seems to take a wrong turn, when my proverbial “fig tree” doesn’t seem to be blooming, when my life is full of troubles and cares, I can take hope in what God has already done.  The God who sent His son to die for me, will not leave me hopeless in my circumstances.

As I remember what God has done, my heart naturally turns from complaining to rejoicing.  I can wait for the Lord, like David did in Psalm 27, as I remember the goodness of the Lord to me.  (I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!  Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!  Psalm 27:13-14)

I’m troubled but i’m not cast down
For You are here with me
Though winds may blow and waves will roar
Your love will never cease
I’ll trust in You.  I’ll look to You
I’ll find my rest in You
When the seasons change and storm clouds blow
I’m kept in perfect peace.

[copyright, 2010, Emily Schankweiler; A Sacrifice of Praise]

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I’m not an Idolater, am I?

February 15, 2010
Filed In Daily Devotionals

It is easy to think that we don’t struggle with idolatry… after all, an idol is a statue of some metal, sacred wood or expensive stone that you bow down to, isn’t it?  As long as I don’t do that I’m okay, right?

In reality, idolatry goes much deeper than bowing down or praying to a statue.  An idol is anything apart from God that we depend on for fulfillment, security or happiness.  It can be anything other than God that we look to, set our hearts on and find motivation from.  In short it is anything that we pursue and trust more than God.

It is easy to marvel at God’s gifts to us– all the things that He does and provides for us, whether that’s a relationship, a job, finances, future plans, etc.  He has blessed us in more ways than we can even imagine.  And we know that everything good comes from Him (James 1:17), so it makes sense that we would find enjoyment in all that God provides, right?  But the problem isn’t when we enjoy God’s gifts, it is when we take that too far and seek to find our hope and confidence in the gifts, not in the Provider.

This happened quite literally with the Israelites:

And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. (Numbers 21:4-9)

This bronze serpent was created by Moses according to God’s command to be a symbol to point the Children of Israel to God.  They were to find their confidence in their Jehovah-Rophe, the Healer God.  However, the bronze serpent became an idol to them and the future generations of the Israelites (2 Kings 18:1-4) and had to be destroyed by King Hezekiah.  What began as a blessing and gift from God turned into something that took their focus away from God entirely, as they looked to the statue for life, instead of their Creator.

We must be diligent to keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).  If we maintain the proper focus, then we can enjoy the gifts that God has given with thanksgiving, realizing that nothing in this life can provide fulfillment, security and happiness other than God Himself.

Prayer: Thank you Father that nothing apart from you can satisfy.  Thank you that you are faithful to show us the futility of trusting in idols. Keep us focused on you, satisfied in you and resting in the hope that You alone can give.

[copyright, 2010, Emily Schankweiler; A Sacrifice of Praise]

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Strength in Weakness

January 25, 2010
Filed In Daily Devotionals

Do you remember the “opposite game”?  When I was a kid, I used to play it often with friends.  “Yes” meant “no”; “cold” meant “hot”; and “I’m tired and need a nap” meant “I’m full of energy and am dying to go outside and play.”  As a kid, that game was always fun for me.  I’m not exactly sure why… maybe its just my quirky personality; maybe I just found humor in the irony of the game itself.

The Christian life can sometimes feel like the opposite game since we often find ourselves pursuing the opposite of what the world pursues and shunning what the world values.  Our human nature tells us that self-sufficiency is the greatest goal we could achieve, but Christ says, “be weak, and find your strength in Me.”  The world says, “trust your own ability and talents.”  God says, “do not lean on your own understanding, but trust Me to direct your paths.”  Our culture tells us to value property and possessions, but Jesus reminds us that this world is not our home.

What the world sees as weakness, God sees as strength… what the world sees as freedom is really slavery to sin whereas true obedience to Christ (which to the world would look like slavery) is really true freedom. To the world, the gospel seems foolish, but to the Christian, it is the most precious truth ever revealed.

I often find myself struggling with this dichotomy.  The approval to be “great” in the worlds eyes is so pervasive… it invades my job, my friendships, my purchases and so many other areas of my life.  But God’s view of greatness is humility and dependence on Him.  When we are at our weakest, we find the greatest strength in the power He provides.

The Apostle Paul mentioned this in his second letter to the Corinthian church.  Paul pleaded with God for healing and strength and God said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” [then Paul said:] “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  —2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Let us strive to be content with our weakness and look to God for our strength.  What are some areas where God is calling you to play the “opposite game” and live for what He values instead of what the world values?

[copyright, 2010, Emily Schankweiler; A Sacrifice of Praise]

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As God So Desires

January 3, 2010
Filed In Daily Devotionals

Again and again I worked on writing assignments and nothing seemed to flow. Words seemed stilted, sentences contrived. Thoughts were disjointed and rewriting did nothing to create a work worthy of publishing. So I stopped. I deleted paragraphs and entire devotionals. My writing grew hollow; my thoughts dried up. I wondered. Is God shelving me? Has He removed His hand from me? Does He want me to do something else, or nothing at all?

Life kept living and moving around me. I saw God’s love in so many instances. I witnessed His grace in trials and difficulty. Yet, words to describe His work in and around me ran from my fingertips. My brain was caught in a fog. I felt bad. I felt bad for those I’d made promises to. I felt inadequate and useless. I questioned myself. How could I begin to write any words of encouragement when emptiness and disquiet were my companions–when dust collected on my keyboard and monitor?

“Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.” Jeremiah 18:3-4

There are times in our lives in which we feel shelved. We may think our lives are so marred with inadequacy and wasted moments that God has moved on to another vessel, to fill it with perfumed roses. We may feel our time has passed, our hour of usefulness is up. Should that be so, what do we do? We rest. We wait. We sit where the Lord has placed us and collect dust if He so desires. It is God who decides what good we are to be for His purpose.

As I read through this passage in Jeremiah, I noted that the vessel the potter “made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter”. In His hand–not mine. He was forming and shaping. He was designing and working into me the curves, the depth and width of His choosing. As He worked, the vessel was marred. So He made it again–”another vessel”. God’s transforming grace does not end at the moment we receive new life in Christ. God is continually fashioning and molding His vessel for His plan and purpose. Whether we house fresh roses or sit empty, God is using us. We may not know how; we may wonder if we have been forgotten because the spot in which He has placed us seems a wasted space, without activity. These kind of thoughts focus on ourselves rather than our Lord. Christ is all encompassing. He is in me and with me. Who am I to question?

© Hariette Petersen, SelahV Today, 2009

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Contentment In Every Circumstance

December 6, 2009
Filed In Daily Devotionals

“Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.”(unknown author)

Most people in the world today are seeking some kind of contentment.  Some seek it through purchasing a new house or a fancy car, or as many other items as their hearts desire.  Others seek to find contentment by sacrificing possessions and living a simple life, free from temporal things.  Some equate contentment with happiness, others with simply being resigned to the fact that we won’t ever get everything we desire.

But the truth is that real contentment can only be found through Jesus Christ.  As Christians, we have everything we need and so much more… When the Apostle Paul wrote the letter to the church in Philippi, here is what he had to say about contentment:

“I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”  Philippians 4:11-13

The amazing part about this passage is that Paul was writing this letter from prison.  He knew that whether he was in prison or in a palace, in any circumstance, he could be content, for Christ was with him.  Paul found his identity in Christ.  He knew that the source of his satisfaction, hope, strength and riches was found in Christ.  With confidence, Paul could say that satisfaction and contentment are found in Christ alone, a lesson he learned this through many trials.

What about you?  Do you find yourself hoping in something other than Christ to satisfy?  Perhaps a new job, or a relationship, or health.  All those are good things, but only Christ can satisfy.

Paul knew that through Christ, he could do all things… even be content in seeming hopeless circumstances.  We have this same promise today… that the same God that empowered Paul to be content in prison, is at work in our lives today.

Prayer: Father thank you for the example of Paul.  Thank you that in every situation he faced, that he learned to be content in You alone.  I am grateful that You will continue to work in me, and show me the true contentment that is found in You.  Forgive me for the times I look to something other than You to satisfy, and show me the futility of those pursuits.  Keep me clinging to You as my sole source of satisfaction and joy.  You are great and I rejoice in You.

[copyright, 2009, Emily Schankweiler; A Sacrifice of Praise]

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When I Need Answers, I Can Have Peace in God

November 25, 2009
Filed In Daily Devotionals

Sometimes it is hard to live without answers. We want to know why so badly, we cry out to God in anguish. But it is not always in God’s plan to unveil the mystery of pain and difficulty. Sometimes it is the very foggy mist of the unknown before us that is meant to strengthen our faith.

Have you not had times like that? when you look back on a situation and realize there is no way you could have walked that path alone? I have. I find in the cloudy space of silence, when no answers are forthcoming, that I must trust more on God than in the brighter paths of understanding. I learn to listen more closely for His still small voice. I learn to seek more diligently His guiding hand to draw me through the shadows. I learn to trust more assertively the sufficiency of God’s grace to keep me till I’ve learned the truth His Spirit wants to reveal. And sometimes I learn to walk through the mist of uncertainty without ever learning why I’ve walked where I have walked.

“Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty; neither do I exercise myself in matters too great or in things too wonderful for me. Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me [ceased from fretting]. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.” Psalm 131

A weaned child is satisfied. A weaned child is content. A weaned child no longer demands, nor does he fret; he does not wonder where his next meal will come from. He simply rests in the comfort of a mother’s arms. A child of God does not need to have answers to all the mysteries of God. A child accepts that which the Father sees fit to show him for that time, then trusts Him for what lies ahead.

© Hariette Petersen, SelahV Today, 2009

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The Mystery of Contentment

November 19, 2009
Filed In Daily Devotionals

The world offers an array of answers for discontentment. Dream big and work harder is one suggestion. Much of our culture looks to soup up our ambition with catchy one-liners or allusions to the perfect life where dreams come true. Another suggestion is to dream smaller and lower your expectations. With lower expectations, you will never be disappointed and will always be content with what you have. Both of these suggestions miss the biblical direction for contentment.

Paul, writing to the Philippians, exhorts them to not be anxious about anything (Phil. 4:6) and gives himself as an example of one who has learned to be content in seasons of plenty and in seasons of need (Phil. 4:11-13). How is he content? Has he learned to desire less and, therefore, be content with less? The answer is no, he is not content with “less.” In truth, Paul’s desires are greater, not lesser. Yet, his desires are not found in his own ambition or efforts for contentment.

Old Puritan pastors called this divine complacency. This is not some eastern practice of ridding ourselves of all desires so that we have no passions or feelings. Rather, it means that you find rest and contentment in God more than any other thing. More than that, nothing in this world can give you rest and contentment except God. Nothing can give you the exhale of relief except the pleasure of God. Jeremiah Burroughs explains divine complacency this way:

Here lies the mystery of Christian contentment, A little in the world will content a Christian for his passage, but all the world, and ten thousand times more, will not content a Christian for his portion.

May we look to the pleasures of God for our contentment. As Paul ends his letter to the Philippians he writes, “And my God will supply every need of yours.” How? By power, ambition, or riches of this world? No. He will supply every need of yours “according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).

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