Choose Your Words Wisely

We have all heard the children’s response, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” Unfortunately, we know that is not true. Words can be very harmful…and we often use them to hurt others.

When we decide to speak to someone else, we can be helpful or harmful. We may intend to be helpful and yet be harmful. Our intentions may not always translate into the words we would like. Our words can be misinterpreted.

There are times when we find ourselves reacting quickly without thinking. We respond to someone with hurtful words because they hurt us. It is a normal human reaction. But we are called to be better than that. We are called to respond in love rather than anger. It isn’t easy and it takes time training ourselves through conscious thought to change our behavior.

We may take time to think through our words prior to an upcoming discussion, when we know there is a meeting scheduled ahead of time or we purposely plan to discuss something with someone else. But do we think about how the other person is going to respond? This can be a very important step to take if we believe the topic is touchy or controversial. Our words can make the situation harder for the other person to grasp the seriousness of the situation or cause them to respond defensively.

Often, I find myself more apt to be biased and have staunch opinions about a particular topic than I should. Based on my observances of others, I can see most of us are the same. We have our preferences and aren’t willing to compromise with someone else. This type of behavior is what leads us to separation and, in the case of countries, to war.

We can correct our behavior. We can train ourselves to be less combative over preferences. Sometimes, we are better off to simply be quiet. I’m reminded of something my Grandma used to say, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.” That’s a good start, but we need to go further than that. The words we speak should be words of healing and love. That’s not to say there aren’t times when there is no room for bending, but those times are few and far between when compared with the shear amount of interaction we have with others each day.

In order to be the light of Jesus to those we encounter, we need to speak the words of Jesus. Our mindset must be in sync with His. We are called to not only know about Him, but to know intimately who He is and speak as He would speak.

I pray we all make a conscious decision to work on our interactions with others. I pray we decide to speak words of that uplift one another. I pray each of us seeks to speak as Jesus would speak. Make your words positive. Speak words of encouragement. Speak words of love. Know the difference between rules and preferences. Learn to compromise where possible.

Proverbs 18:21

The tongue has the power of life and death,

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Devoted Love

Most of us who are Christians would agree that love is the most often characteristic associated with God. We hear more about God’s love for us than any other topic. Have you ever stopped to think about how often you hear love mentioned in sermons or Bible classes?

We hear love mentioned in sermons about Jesus’ birth, His crucifixion, His resurrection, in His teachings, and in the teachings of the apostles. If we stop to reflect on sermons we’ve heard over the years, we are likely hard pressed to think of sermons in which God’s love was not mentioned.

If we hear so much about God’s love for us, why is it we don’t see that love reflected in our lives? Could it be we are misinterpreting how we are to reflect God’s love? Have we interpreted it as only showing love toward God rather than sharing His love with others?

Jesus, Himself, commanded us to love one another in the same way He and the Father love one another and in the same way He loves us. The love Jesus speaks of is not merely words, but an active and engaged love that includes all facets of life.

We see in today’s passage that Paul is telling the church in Rome to be devoted to one another in love. Think about that for just a moment. What does it mean to be devoted? It reminds me of being dedicated to a spouse, devoted to a team, or striving to reach a goal.

Also notice that Paul says we are to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. I wonder if we are doing this very well. I wonder if we identify what is evil, or are we carried along on the wave of modern culture, accepting almost anything as being okay? Are we allowing Satan to pull the wool over our eyes and be fooled by his deceptions?

I picture the early Christians Paul was writing to huddling together to protect one another from the culture around them. I envision them spending time in prayer for one another every day. I think they were like a small group of soldiers set up in 360-degree defensive position surrounded by an enemy force several times their size. Unfortunately, I think we’ve lost this picture and attitude, and we have taken up mingling with the enemy rather than taking care of one another.

Devoting ourselves to one another in love is no small task. It requires us to set aside our personal preferences in order to care for one another. It requires us to put the other person ahead of ourselves. It means we take loving one another seriously, loving with our whole heart.

I pray we all decide to devote ourselves to one another. I pray we love one another with every action we take. I pray each one of us decides to reflect God’s love in all we do. Love God. Love Jesus. Love one another. Put your love into action. Do everything in love.

Romans 12:9-10 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Circular Reference

Have you heard of a circular reference? If you have, you might be a computer programmer or web application developer. It is a term used to describe computer code in two different places within a program that refer to each other and nothing else. If by chance that code starts executing, it stays in a continuous loop.

Seems odd to start a devotional with techie talk, isn’t it? But take a look at today’s passage and see if the term doesn’t apply. If we are willing to step into the command, we step into a continuous loop—a good one.

If your computer code has a circular reference, things can turn bad really quick. In fact, the only way to get out of it is to abort the program and you may need to restart your computer. Termination is the only way to stop it.

When we step into the circular reference in today’s passage, it works much the same way. Satan knows that’s the case and he is constantly trying to keep us away from it or cause us to abort the cycle. He doesn’t want us in this continuous loop.

It should be an interim goal of ours to step into this continuous loop. We should be seeking a way to put our lives into the circular reference. Why? It is the ultimate continuous improvement program. I’m sure many of you have heard of those as well.

We are told that love for Jesus is to obey His commands. His command is to love. We step into this continuous loop by loving Jesus. Our love for Him causes us to obey Him. By obeying Him we love, not only Him, but His creation, which includes everything and everyone.

The continuous improvement plan of God is one that starts and ends with love. Our love grows, becoming more mature as we obey His commands. This is a continuous improvement plan our world could use right now.

I pray we all choose to love Jesus. I pray we step into God’s continuous improvement plan. I pray each one of us decide to obey God’s commands. Love God. Love Jesus. Obey God’s commands. Step into the continuous loop. Choose God’s continuous improvement plan.

2 John 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

Our Perfect Example

Are you looking for an example to follow? Do you want a mentor that will lead you down the right path? There is a perfect example, if you are willing to follow Him. He set an example for all of us to follow that comes with fulfilled promises.

Many of us have had someone who was a mentor or someone we looked up to and wanted to be like. For some, it is their parents. For others, it may have been a friend of the family or someone they worked for.

I have had a couple of those types of men in my life. Perhaps there is a woman or man in your life that sets a wonderful example, someone you want to be like as you grow older. Usually, these folks are people who are well respected by others and perhaps honored by others as well. They have high moral standards, treat people well, and are high performers. There is often an aura about them that draws others to them or, in some case, may push people away because they are in awe of them. We may call it the “it factor.”

Jesus was this type of person. He had an air of authority about him that amazed the teachers of the law and the average person. He had an aura about Him that attracted the less fortunate and caused them to worship Him. His moral standards were perfect. He was shrewd when dealing with Jewish leaders. He was gracious when dealing with the common person. He taught with wisdom when teaching His disciples. He was disciplined in prayer to His Heavenly Father. He humbled Himself before the Father.

Jesus is our perfect example. As humans, we are incapable of achieving the perfection of Christ, especially on our own. This is the reason we are to rely on Him, turn our lives over to Him completely. His Spirit will work through us continuously to bring about progress in becoming more like Him each day. If we hold back, our growth is stunted.

My prayer is that I learn to give up myself, allowing Him to take control. That is also my prayer for each one of you. The more you and I give up ourselves, the more He works in us, molding us into His image. We start to acquire the same aura He had, one little bit at a time.

I pray we all give up ourselves. I pray we decide to follow the perfect example of Jesus. I pray each one of us will follow in His footsteps. Give yourself over to Jesus. Give Him all of you. Allow His Spirit to make changes in you. Become more like Him each day.

1 Peter 2:21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Cycles

Have you ever noticed things seem to go in cycles? The first one that comes to your mind is probably the seasons of the year. It is true they are cyclical, yet I’m thinking more along the lines of world events.

Let’s take the Israelites as an example. They were chosen by God. They worshiped Him. They disobeyed. God punished them. They returned to God. And the cycle started over. We can see their cycle of obedience, disobedience, punishment, and return to God repeated several times.

What cycles can we identified in our country, if we look back over our history? What cycles can we identify within Christianity, if we do some research? What cultural cycles can we identify? Well, I see bell-bottom jeans are making a comeback.

But seriously, there are cycles within Christianity. It is unfortunate to observe that we more closely resemble the Israelites than we like to admit. There have been times of straying away and times of enlightenment. The crusades were certainly a dark time for Christianity.

Thankfully, we have begun seeing signs pointing toward a resurgence in seeking God’s Word. There are many who will state that attendance numbers in our churches are down…and that is true. I’m not talking about numbers, though. The resurgence is only starting and coming in the form of more of our core members digging deeper into God’s Word for understanding. This is a key indicator we are likely on the brink of more people turning to God. However, as the old saying goes, it is darkest just before dawn.

Why is it important that we see more people seeking understanding of God’s Word? As we gain understanding, we gain a better picture of who God is. We become in awe of Him, His creation, and what He has done for us. Our love for God is strengthened. We obey His commands, which increases God’s love and favor for us.

In today’s passage, we see the word fear. It means both being afraid and being in awe. It means we respect and honor God. The passage also states God loves, including caring for, those who keep His commands. At this moment, I’m thinking of the two greatest commands Jesus gave us—love God, love your neighbor.

I pray we all dig deeper into God’s Word for understanding. I pray we turn back to obedience of His commands. I pray each one of us are in awe of God. Study God’s Word. Gain understanding of God’s commands. Obey God. Experience God’s love. Experience God’s righteousness.

Psalm 103:17-18

But from everlasting to everlasting

the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children’s children—

with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.

Humbly Serve One Another

Have you ever wondered why human relations take on so many different forms? If we are being observant, we see as many variations in relationships as there are colors in the spectrum. The range is mindboggling.

We chock the variations up to each person being unique, and they are. We simply accept that not every person will like or get along with every other person. Unfortunately, by making this assumption, we are settling for less than God intended.

You see, God put us here to be an aid to one another from the very beginning (Genesis 2:18-23). We are made to care for one another. If we think not, all we need to do is think about a situation when someone is truly in trouble and observe others coming to help.

Yet, we allow ourselves to be enticed by our fear and selfishness, causing us to shun our care for others. Our created being is tainted by the evil in this world. It is a learned behavior for the vast majority of us. Again, if you don’t think so, think about a newborn.

God provided us with a perfect example in His Son, Jesus. We are called to be like Him in our relationships. We see in today’s passage that Jesus came to be the perfect servant. It is too bad we have attributed a negative connotation to being a servant.

A true servant, such as Jesus, recognizes God is the master. As we look at Jesus’ life, we don’t see God ordering Him around, rather we see Jesus taking God’s intent, understanding the end goal, and taking the initiative to accomplish it. This reminds me of my days in the Marine Corps. We were taught to understand the commander’s intent, then further develop a plan to accomplish the goal. We are called to do the same.

How does this correlate to our relationships? Jesus knew God’s desire to have each person turn to Him. He knew He was to show others who God was. He loved and cared for those in need around Him. We are called to do the same. And here is the kicker…we all are in need. This means each one of us are called to serve one another. When we all serve one another, we are all served.

I pray we all take on the nature of Jesus. I pray we become servants of God. I pray each one of us determine to view one another as Jesus views us. Be like Jesus. Take on Jesus’ mindset. See the needs. Serve the needs you see. Humble yourself.

Philippians 2:5-8 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Eliminate Your Doubts

Have you ever wondered if you are truly loved by God? Perhaps you have wondered if He really cares about you. Maybe you have questioned if He really knows your every thought. It is natural for us to ask questions and have doubts.

How do we dispel our doubts? Being human, our doubts are most often dispelled through experience. Therefore, it is logical that our doubts about God loving us, caring for us, and knowing our thoughts are dispelled by our experience with God.

The apostle John, the one whom Jesus loved, tells us there is another way to know that God loves and cares for us, and He knows us inside out, including our thoughts. He tells us that God gave us His Spirit—the Holy Spirit.

John also says we are encouraged, enticed, nudged, and maybe even given a little push to obey God by the Holy Spirit. This is an encouragement for us. When we experience the nudging, we receive confirmation that God loves and cares for us and He has, in fact, put His Spirit in us.

When we experience the nudging, we have a choice. We can choose to obey or disobey. Our choice doesn’t diminish God’s love for us. However, it may very well change how God deals with us, much like how the parent deals with a disobedient child.

Regardless of our choice, we are assured that God is there—He is with us. As we continue to experience God in our lives, we become more confident God is always there. We learn to trust Him more with each experience. Does this sound familiar? As you observe children with their parents, don’t you see them trust their parents more as they have positive experiences with them? Sure, there is the one off or ten percent that don’t, but the vast majority of them do. Why should we expect anything different when experiencing God?

As we continue to live our lives, it is good for us to reflect on how God has worked in our lives. It is good for us to trust Him more and more as we experience His loving care for us. It is through reflection and acknowledgment of God’s love for us that we grow closer to Him. I encourage each of us to take time to reflect, acknowledge God, and give thanks for His Spirit being with us at all times.

I pray we all recognize our experiences with God. I pray we trust Him more each day. I pray each one of us realize God loves us at all times, even when we make mistakes. Experience God. Trust God. Know that God loves you. Realize His Spirit is in you. Eliminate your doubts.

1 John 3:24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Assess Your Love

We have many false ideas running around in our heads. Some of them are rather harmless. Some may cause us a little trouble. Others are downright dangerous, to the point of negatively affecting our physical, emotional, and especially our spiritual wellbeing. In fact, they can doom us for eternity.

That sounds ominous, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, it is the truth. We don’t want to hear it. Many will completely ignore it. We don’t like it, don’t want to give it credence, and go about our lives believing what we want to believe rather than seeking the truth.

I’m sure some of you are wondering what I’m talking about. It is simply this, not everyone who thinks they are doing God’s work will end up spending eternity with Him. It means we cannot earn our way into heaven through deeds.

I know, I know. We are told over and over to do good works. We are told that God wants us to work for Him. That is true. He not only wants us to do good works, He created us for them (Ephesians 2:10). It’s not so much about the works, but our heart.

We must turn our entire lives over to Him. He first wants our hearts and minds to be focused on Him. Once we decide to follow Him with our hearts and minds, the works will come naturally. We will be the good trees bearing good fruit (Matthew 7:17).

Though we hear that we must submit to Him, and it is true, it is not about forcibly submitting ourselves to Him. It is willingly submitting to Him because we love Him, just as He loves us (1 John 4:19). In our love for Him we submit to His desires for our lives.

As we start this new year, we should take some time to take a much deeper look at who God is. We need to examine our hearts and minds. We need to decide if God is truly our number one focus. We need to determine if we truly love God, or just say we do. This should not be done out of fear, but as a seeker of truth and with a desire to make life changing corrections.

God wants all of us to love Him and make Him our priority. God wants to bless each one of us beyond our imagination. God wants us to live for Him and experience heaven now, not just some time in the future. Let’s decide to make Him our priority.

I pray we all take time to assess our love for God. I pray we decide to make God our number one priority. I pray each one of us will focus our hearts and minds on God. Seek God. Make God your top priority. Experience God’s blessings. Turn your heart to Him. Focus your mind on Him.

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

Seek, Knock, Wait

We look for answers in all types of places and from all types of people. Our search is never ending. Questions come to mind every day. Some questions are relatively small and non-impactful. Others are more important and may be life changing.

The more important the question, the larger the impact on us, the more we need to seek our answers from qualified and reliable sources. It may require us to dig deeper in our research to find the best answer.

Many people will use Google or Yahoo to search for answers to questions. We love getting the answer we are looking within a few seconds. But that is the crux of the issue, isn’t it? We want the answer, and we want it now.

I’ll let you in on a secret—those search engines don’t necessarily provide you with the best answer. Many of the links presented are paid for. There are people who do research to build in well-known key words, so their site is high on the list. You may need to dig deeper down the list of results to find the best answer.

The other half of the issue is we want the answer now. There are times we need to not only research, but we also need to spend time thinking. We need to process the information we found. We need to put the information in our own context.

What is the best way for us to put the information in our context? Spend time not only thinking but spend time with God. Spend time praying, asking God to provide the best answer for you. God provides answers to those who seek Him.

Perhaps you doubt God will provide you the answer. Typically, we don’t like nor want to wait for God. Our impatience is profound. Impatience has permeated our culture to the point that we are unwilling to wait more than a few seconds or minute. We want what we want, and we wanted it immediately.

We hear that God works in His time. We agree it is so. Yet we won’t wait with Him. Is it any wonder we find ourselves going down paths that don’t work out for us? We are to put God first in all things. That means waiting for His answers, especially when we have a big decision to make.

I pray we all seek God for answers. I pray we wait patiently for Him to guide us. I pray each one of us will put God’s plan ahead of our own. Seek God. Wait patiently. Put God first. Know the He will provide.

Matthew 7:7-8“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Putting Love Into Action

We hear the word love tossed around quite often. Of course, as mentioned in yesterday’s post, our word love is ambiguous compared to the Greek words used in the New Testament. We use one word to cover three words used by Jesus and his disciples.

Today, we see Jesus switch words depending on who or what He is talking about. When talking about God’s love or our love for Him or each other, He uses agapao. When He talks about remaining in His love, He uses the word agape. Let’s dive a little deeper into His meaning.

Yesterday we defined agapao as involving a deep level of affection or intimacy. We also mentioned that we often simplify it by defining it as unconditional love. Jesus used it not only for loving God, but also for loving our neighbor.

As we look at today’s passage, we see the Father loved Jesus with this type of love and Jesus loved His disciples in the same way. In other words, Jesus acted just like the Father. Jesus uses this definition to state how we are to love one another. Very much like yesterday’s passage.

Agape contains the notion of benevolence or goodwill. It means putting our love into action. To remain in God’s love, we must do something. Acting benevolently toward others means we look to benefit someone rather than gaining a profit. How does our attitude fit into this?

When we look solely to benefitting someone without looking for a profit, we no longer intend to “wash someone’s back in order to get them to wash ours.” We do not look for anything in return. Unfortunately, we don’t see this much in the world today.

Far too often, people are only willing to do something for someone else, if they know they will get something in return. I’ve even seen such attitudes when people are supposedly charitable. They hold it over the other person’s head, or they have a high opinion of themselves. Jesus is telling us it is our duty, not an extracurricular activity. In other words, we are not to hold ourselves in any higher esteem than we would for doing our job (perhaps not as much).

Jesus came to serve others. He came to minister to their needs. To follow His example, we must do the same. We must serve without lording it over others. We are to serve humbly, just as Jesus did. It is our calling from God.

I pray we all willingly serve one another. I pray we serve humbly. I pray each one of us rids ourselves of the attitude of being better than others. Follow Jesus’ example. Obey Jesus’ command. Love one another. Show your love through actions.

John 15:9-13 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Loveeach other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”