Criticism and Wisdom

Do you ever feel like you just can’t win? Does seem like it doesn’t matter what you do someone will find something wrong with it? Have you had one group tell you to do this and another to do that? Have you felt like a piece of rope caught in a tug of war?

Being caught in the middle can be very frustrating. And far too often, we are caught in the middle. If we do one thing, there is someone to criticize it. If we don’t do it, there is someone else who will criticize us for not doing it. We may be ready to throw up our hands and give up.

If you have felt this way, you are not alone. Jesus experienced it. He tells us people criticized John for not partaking in the parties in the city, then they criticized Jesus for partaking in them. Jesus’s advice to us is to disregard those criticizing us. Instead, we are to follow the wisdom of God. We are to go about doing what God has called us to do and ignore the noise of the detractors.

We may believe that is easier said than done. True it is. But why? Largely because we do not spend enough time reading and studying God’s Word nor enough time in prayer and silence. When our only connection to God is going to worship service on Sunday morning, our connection is weak. Ever wonder why Jesus liked to talk about shepherds? They have plenty of quiet time walking through the pastures to think about God and spend time in prayer.

For us to follow Jesus’s advice to follow the wisdom of God, we need to have a close connection with him. That connection only grows deeper as we spend more time with him. It works the same as growing a deeper connection with people. The more time we spend with people, the better we get to know them. The same is true with God.

I pray we all disregard our detractors for doing the right thing. I pray we read and study God’s Word. I pray each one of us will spend more time with God so we can follow his wisdom. Do the right thing. Read God’s Word. Study God’s Word. Spend time in prayer. Follow God’s wisdom.

Matthew 11:18-19 “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

From Wretchedness to Freedom

Yesterday, we spoke of wrestling with sin. We saw the Apostle Paul being transparent and stating he wrestled with it. We know that he stated we should not continue to sin but strive to leave it behind. We also saw that we are forgiven while God continues to work on us.

Do we recognize the wretchedness within ourselves? Do we know that we are dead unless we have been raised again in Jesus Christ? Do we give Him the glory for being our Lord and Savior? Do we bow in awe to Him and sing His praises? Are we thankful for His wondrous grace?

Just as Paul did, we must recognize our wretchedness and the fact we are dead. It is only by the blood of Jesus Christ that we are made alive. We live in Him and He lives in us. Our human nature is to sin. But we can overcome that sin by living for Jesus and asking Him to take control of our lives. It is when we submit to Him that we truly become free. It is Jesus who has rescued us.

We can escape the prison of our culture. We can escape the prison of expectations. We can escape the prison of peer pressure. We can escape the prison of religious rules and doctrine. We can escape only by choosing to follow Jesus. Jesus said that all the law and the prophets hang on two commands — love god and love neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40). He rescued us so we would know what that love looks like and that we may follow in His footsteps.

As we recognize our own sinfulness, we must also recognize it in others. Not so we can hold it over their heads but so we see the brokenness we all must deal with. When we realize we are just as broken as the next person, we can stop pointing fingers and start wrapping our arms around one another. This is when the healing begins.

I pray we all recognize our own wretchedness. I pray we know we are only alive in Jesus Christ. I pray each one of us escape our prison and live free in Jesus, seeking to follow in His footsteps. See your wretchedness. Live in Jesus Christ. Be free in Jesus. Follow Jesus’ example.

Romans 7:24-25 Wretched person that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Wrestling with Sin

Do you wrestle with yourself? Do you feel as though there is an angel on one should and a devil on the other? Are you often caught between doing what is right and what is wrong? Do you want to do good but find yourself doing evil? Do you feel guilty because of the evil you do?

We have all been there and will likely be there again. We know we are to strive to not sin, yet we find ourselves committing sin over and over again. It is especially difficult to stop when the sin is a favorite of ours. However, we know that we are no alone in our struggle.

The Apostle Paul transparently reveals his own struggles with sin. No, he was not perfect. No, he did not claim to be perfect. Quite the opposite. Paul talks openly about doing what he hates while loving God. He recognizes and acknowledges his human frailty and failures. He doesn’t put himself on a pedestal to look down on others. Instead, he states he has the same problem everyone else has and he continues to wrestle with it.

This doesn’t mean we are to continue sinning. In fact, Paul had stated just the chapter before today’s verse that we are not to continue sinning. We are to strive to not sin. But we cannot do it alone. We need the grace and power of God to work in our lives to help us reject sin, to stop sinning. The good news Paul preaches is that we have a Savior who forgives our sin while He continues to work on us so that we stop sinning.

As we struggle with our sin, we must remember two very important points. First, because Jesus went to the cross, we are forgiven. Second, God continues to work on us, and we are to work with him to remove sin from our lives. This is the good news and the reason for the church. The church is a hospital where those who are sick need to go to get better. No one in the church is perfect, but all of us should be striving for perfection. The only doctor in the church is Jesus Christ. The rest of us are patients who do our best to help one another.

I pray we all know we are forgiven. I pray we know that God continues to work on us to make us like his Son. I pray each one of us strives to rid ourselves of sin by working with God. You are forgiven. God continues to work on you. Strive to rid yourself of sin. Ask for God’s help.

Romans 7:15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

It’s Our Choice

Have you longed for a visit from a relative? Did you anxiously await their arrival, looking down the road for their vehicle? Were you sitting on the front porch to greet them the moment they arrived? Or were you going about your normal routine and merely glancing up periodically?

When we have not seen a brother or sister or parent or cousin of ours in a long while, we may look forward with longing toward their visit. We likely feel the anticipated joy before they arrive. We may imagine the smiles and hugs and catching up on all their news and sharing ours.

My mother’s side of the family has a family reunion every year. Those of us who arrive a little early guess who will be there this year and always watch the road to see the vehicles coming in. Some vehicles we know and others we don’t. We anticipate the smiles and hugs and the sharing of stories. We know we will hear about health issues but also joys of new children or grandchildren.

Isaac was in the field, working the land. He knew his father’s servant had gone to find him a wife but did not know when he would return with her. As he looked up, perhaps giving his back a break, he sees camels heading his way. His heart likely leapt in his chest. He may have been joyous or hesitant or both. He may have been trusting God to provide the right wife for him and thanking God for bringing her safely to him.

We can react in different ways to reunions and visits. Ultimately, it is our choice. It doesn’t have to be merely a reaction but a decision. We can be negative or positive. We can complain or joyous. This is true about everything we experience. We have the option to decide how we will feel. Isaac chose to rejoice and accept God’s gift. May we choose to do the same.

I pray we all choose to positive when we reunite with family. I pray we decide to rejoice in God’s gift. I pray each one of us accept God’s gift of today and the experiences he gives us. Be positive. Rejoice in God’s gift. Know that today is a gift. Accept God’s experiences. Thank God for each one.

Genesis 24:63 Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field, and, looking up, he saw camels coming.

Be Patient and Follow

How often do you seek guidance? When do you seek guidance? Who do you seek guidance from? Do you seek guidance for every decision or just the ones you consider significant? Do you seek guidance from God? Do you remember a time when God has answered you?

We all need guidance more often than we are willing to admit. All we have to do is look back at our past decisions to see times when we needed guidance but refused to ask for it or listen to it. Unfortunately, we don’t look back at those mistakes and learn from them like we should.

Abraham’s servant was sent to find a wife for Isaac. He wasn’t sent just anywhere but was sent to Abraham’s homeland and his relatives. Abraham’s servant had no idea who any of the people were where he was going. All he knew was the land he was to go to. Though we often gloss over the details, he likely had to ask for guidance several times along the way to ensure he arrived at the correct place.

Notice when it came to selecting a wife for Isaac, that Abraham’s servant asked God to make him successful. He even stood by a spring of water and asked God to bring the young woman God had chosen for Isaac to the spring. Even more specific, he asked that she would offer him a drink of water and to water his camels.

When we ask God for anything, it is usually for something we want now, rather than something for the future. Our “give it to me now” culture seeks possessions, knowledge, and even relationships now. We don’t want to wait. We don’t want to serve God’s plan. But if we are willing to ask God for guidance, even being specific, and are willing to wait and follow his guidance, we are rewarded with more than we imagine. God provided the right young woman to be Isaac’s wife and further his plan. May we also seek to follow God’s plan.

I pray we all seek God’s guidance. I pray we are willing to wait for God to answer. I pray each one of us ask God for specific signs and guidance, and choose to follow his plan, rather than ours. Seek God’s guidance. Wait for God to answer. Be specific in your requests. Choose to follow God’s plan.

Genesis 24:42 “I came today to the spring and said, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going!”

Humble Yourself

What does it mean to be humble? Do you consider yourself a humble person? Is that a tricky question? Do you know anyone you consider to be humble? Have you rid yourself of pride? Or are you still wrestling with it? Does pride pop up in areas of your life you least expect?

Pride and humility are opposites. We wrestle with pride and strive to be humble. Yet, it is difficult for us to do, especially in our American culture. We compare ourselves to others way too much, often thinking ourselves to be better than them. It is a battle we fight nearly every day.

Solomon says there are rewards for being humble and revering God. Lest we start thinking in terms of the prosperity gospel, God does not promise to make anyone wealthy. The word riches does mean to make money, but it does not mean wealth.

Our greater striving to be humble should be so that we are honored by God. As we humble ourselves before God and show him reverence, he will honor us. When we obey his commands and choose to follow Jesus, God gives us life—eternal life.

The question we must wrestle with is: Do we prefer honor from our culture or from God? Humbling ourselves before God is to submit to him, his commands, and his will. It is trusting that God knows what is best for us and being willing to obey. Even if we are prideful, God will not abandon us. However, when we humble ourselves before him, he honors us.

I pray we all choose to give up our prideful ways. I pray we decide to be humble before God. I pray each one of us will submit to God obeying his commands and following his will for our lives. Give up your prideful ways. Be humble before God. Submit to God. Obey God’s commands.

Proverbs 22:4: 

The reward for humility and fear of the LORD 

is riches and honor and life.

Be Welcoming

How welcoming are you? Do you welcome others into your life? Do you welcome others into your home? Do you welcome others into the church? Do you like to be welcomed by others? Have you felt unwelcomed? Have you spent time evaluating how welcoming you are?

Being welcomed into a group makes us feel good. When we feel welcomed, we want to return to that place or group of people. If we want to return to a place when we feel welcomed, shouldn’t we be welcoming when others visit with us? Honestly, we should be welcoming anyway.

Jesus tells us that anyone who welcomes one of His followers welcomes Him. This makes all the more important that we welcome fellow Christians into our churches. As Jesus continues in the next couple verses, He states there is a reward for welcoming. Now, we should not welcome others just to receive a reward. In fact, I suspect there is no reward if we are only welcoming others to receive a reward. No, we must be a welcoming people within our hearts to receive the reward.

We are told that by showing hospitality to strangers, we may host angels (Hebrews 13:2). God can show up to visit us anytime he wants. He came in human flesh as Jesus Christ. He has sent his angels to visit prophets in the past. We also know there are stories of people who had someone visit them who had a presence about them, then they suddenly disappeared. Sometimes there is a certain smell about the person visiting.

Regardless of whether the person we welcome is an angel in disguise, a fellow Christian, or someone seeking the truth and has finally come to us, we are to welcome them. We are to welcome them as children of God.

I pray we all have a heart of God who welcomes others. I pray we welcome visitors and fellow members in our churches. I pray each one of us will be welcoming of others, even when it is inconvenient. Have a heart like God. Welcome visitors. Welcome others in every situation.

Matthew 10:40 “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”

Freedom and Sanctification

What or who are you a slave to? Have you considered that you are a slave? Have you thought about your habits enslaving you? Have you acknowledged there are obsessions that continue to entangle you? Do you want to break free of them? Do you want to feel true freedom?

We are often enslaved without knowing or recognizing it. We may observe or recognize people who are held captive by drugs or alcohol without recognizing our own destructive habits or behaviors. We can be enslaved by sinful attitudes and behaviors.

Sinful behavior can enslave us far easier than chains and be just as restrictive. Nearly every sin starts in our minds, our thought processes, our attitudes. Perhaps that is why we do not recognize them. Our mind tells us we are in the right, that we are not at fault, that we do not have a problem. To overcome them, we must first open our minds to be objective in evaluating ourselves.

When we recognize them and ask God to remove them from us, we take the first step toward freedom. Being freed from sinful behavior not only removes a huge weight from our shoulders but leads us to sanctification and eternal life. Can you imagine true freedom? Most of us cannot. We have been enslaved for so long we cannot fathom true freedom. Yet, God offers it through his Son, Jesus Christ.

I pray we all open our minds and recognize our enslavement. I pray we ask God to remove our sinful behavior and attitude. I pray each one of us seek the true freedom God is offering us. Open your mind. Recognize your enslavement. Ask God for help. Seek true freedom and sanctification.

Romans 6:22-23 But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the fruit you have leads to sanctification, and the end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Decision-Making Process

How do you make decisions. What is the logic you run through before you make a choice? Is there logic you use to make a choice? Are your choices made by emotional reactions or personal desires? Have you experienced negative consequences for your choices?

Choices. Decisions. They can be challenging. They can be joyous. They can be disastrous. But we all have to make choices and decisions. We have all likely heard that when one door closes another door opens. Unfortunately, the door that opens may not turn out well for us.

Taking time to think through the pros and cons of our choices before we decide can help us avoid pitfalls. Listening to advice from people we know and trust can also help. Taking all our choices, especially significant ones, to God is a key to making better choices. But our choices are often made based on the way we have trained ourselves to think.

The Apostle Paul is telling the church in Rome, and us, to train ourselves to turn away from sin. It is not a one-time decision. It must become a disciplined way of living our lives. We must train ourselves to turn away. And, yes, we must continually ask God to guide us and we must follow his guidance. We cannot do it alone. We need God in the midst of our decisions. It is by changing our mindset to include God in our decision-making process that we make the best decisions for our lives.

I pray we all follow a thorough process for making decisions. I pray we discipline ourselves to make wise choices. I pray each one of us asks God to guide us in our decision-making. Follow a logical decision-making process. Discipline yourself. Ask God for guidance. Make the best decisions.

Romans 6:12-13 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal bodies, so that you obey their desires. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness.

Bountiful Love

How thankful are you? Are you thankful for everything you have? Are you thankful for a warm bed, food on your table, and a roof over your head? Are you thankful for your vehicle and your job? Are you thankful for your family? How much time do you spend complaining?

Most of are thankful for what we have, even if we often forget to say we are. Unfortunately, we often become accustomed to them being there and take them for granted. As we take them for granted, we complain about what we don’t have. We forget just how blessed we are.

David does some complaining in Psalm 13, but he ends the Psalm with thanksgiving. He states that he trusts in God’s love for him. He rejoices in God’s salvation. Trusting that God loves us is important to our psyche, attitude, and outlook on life. When we trust that God loves us, we also trust that he will work everything out for our good, not matter what happens. When we rejoice in the salvation he provides us, we are confident in his deliverance.

Davide ends the Psalm by singing praises to God. His praise is for his many blessings. Those blessings include a family, friends, and even the material possessions God has provided. We often forget how rich we are. We forget that we can do nothing on our own. God blesses us richly every day. His blessing pours over us, often without us noticing them, for we take them for granted. We should thank God every day.

I pray we all take time to thank God for our blessings today. I pray we recognize our many blessings from God. I pray each one of us praise God for his love, salvation, and blessings. Thank God today. See God’s blessings. Know that God loves you. Rejoice in his salvation. Praise God for his blessings.

Psalm 13:5-6

But I trusted in your steadfast love; 

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 

I will sing to the Lord

because he has dealt bountifully with me.