JANUARY 31 - Overwhelmed

JANUARY 31 – Overwhelmed

 

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. — 1 CO RIN THI ANS 10:13

 

Oh, Joni, isn’t it wonderful that God will never test us beyond what we can endure? That’s a promise from God!”

 

I knew my friend Sue was looking for an affirmation, a confirmation that God would never “bend the bruised reed.” As I nodded slowly, relief flooded her features. Sue had never faced the kind of mind-bending,  soul obliterating pain that now loomed on her horizon. But with the recent medical report and the looming prospect of a morphine-drip pump in her future, she was scared. Surely the Lord won’t give me more than I can bear, she was thinking.

 

First Corinthians 10:13 is certainly a promise — but it isn’t talking about trials. It’s talking about temptation. The promise is that God will always, always give you the power to say no to sin. But when it comes to heartaches, physical problems, and disappointments — things out of your control, difficult circumstances suddenly thrust upon you — you may very well be overwhelmed beyond what you can bear. There is a kind of suffering that rips your world apart and leaves you bewildered and wounded. There are trials that overwhelm.

 

I drew a deep breath, showing my friend the context of the promise — and her brow furrowed. “But take heart,” I told her. “It’s when we are at the end of our strength . . . that’s when we fall helplessly into the everlasting arms of God. That’s when God floods our hearts with sustaining grace.”

 

You and I may indeed find ourselves overwhelmed at times — at the end of our rope and beyond. But we will never fall farther than the palm of his hand. And where he has called us, his grace will sustain us.

 

Gracious Redeemer, I want to trust in you fully now, so that when the waves of trials come, I will trust in you then.

 

JANUARY 30 - Exposing Hidden Idols

JANUARY 30 - Exposing Hidden Idols

 

All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols. — PSALM 97:7

 

A verse like this makes me think of wooden figurines who squat on shelves with fat lips, bloated stomachs, and who hold bowls on tops of their heads. I saw one the other day when I passed by the open door of a Vietnamese nail parlor. A little Buddha sat on an altar behind the receptionist’s desk. It was draped in flowers and surrounded by candles and incense.

 

We think we are too “contemporary” to take an idol like that seriously. But today’s verse is not out of date. Idols put us to shame . . . whenever we feel ashamed.

 

Shame is what exposes the things you idolize. Imagine having coffee with a new friend. As the conversation flows, you feel witty and interesting. Your friend seems fascinated, which only makes you pleased as punch with yourself. But then you knock your cup and spill coffee all over your white shirt. Everyone turns their heads, and instead of laughing it off, you feel stupid and silly. What a jerk I am! I want to crawl into a hole.

 

What idol did the feeling of shame and embarrassment expose? Pride in appearance? Smug self-confidence in conversational skills? An inflated idea of importance? You were hoping to come across as clever and winsome, but a little spilled coffee washed away your self-confidence, exposing a hidden idol. God has engineered our sense of shame to reveal those things, people, or vocations we idolize. But once our idols are unearthed, we can more easily do away with them.

 

The next time your cheeks turn red with shame, ask yourself, “What idol is my embarrassment revealing?” Once it’s knocked off the shelf of your heart, toss it. Keep your heart clean of idols. And then pray . . .

 

Father, forgive me for worshiping anything or anyone — especially myself — above you. Teach me to recognize shame as your way of exposing the idols in my life.

 

JANUARY 29 - Send Them Away?

JANUARY 29 - Send Them Away?

 

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” — MATTHEW 14:15 – 16

 

Picture what happened before Jesus fed the five thousand. The hour was getting late, yet the crowd just sat there with their tummies growling. They came all the way out to the countryside to hear Jesus preach, but they didn’t think to bring a bag lunch. The disciples probably thought: Where were these people’s heads when they left home this morning? Didn’t they know they’d get hungry? I can identify with the disciples: “Send them away, Lord. They got themselves into this mess. Sure, they’re hungry, but it shouldn’t be our problem. If they’re hungry, it serves them right; they made their own bed, now let them lie in it — it’ll teach them a lesson!”

 

Have you ever thought that? We reason that if people got themselves into a jam, they should get themselves out. Like the mother who has five children, and three of them are mentally handicapped because of her own addictions. Or the guy who broke his neck from driving drunk. Or the teenager who thought he knew better than his coach and ended up paralyzed. They all should have known better.

 

Let’s learn a lesson from Jesus’ response. The Bible says that when he saw these people, his heart went out to them. And you know the story from there. Jesus appealed to the disciples out of his own compassion.

 

Yes, the five thousand should have known better. Nevertheless, the heart of Jesus went out to the people. There are individuals in your community who “should have known better” but now are in sad straits. Jesus has compassion for them and he is appealing to you to help them. Will you?

 

Lord, make my heart more compassionate toward those who need my help. May I make a difference in their lives for your name’s sake.

 

JANUARY 28 - Inspiring Examples

JANUARY 28 - Inspiring Examples

 

For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.

— ROMANS 14:7

 

No man is an island. We are all connected. Our lives are always influencing others, whether for good or for bad. When people who face lesser conflicts — like a bruised ankle or sow bugs in the shower — observe someone gracefully handling greater conflicts, it speaks volumes. Liz Hupp knew a godly saint like that in her church. And Liz wrote:

 

I saw the woman in the chair; she was in church again today.

Someone said they’ve sold their house; they’re going to move away.

No! I cried, they cannot go; they cannot move away.

I didn’t get to know her; there’s something I need to say:

Please tell me your secret; I want to sit at your feet,

I need to know how you handle the pain that is your daily meat.

How do you keep on smiling when each day your health grows worse?

How do you keep depending on God when you’re living with a curse?

Every time I see her, her smile comes from deep within.

I know her fellowship with God isn’t scarred by the chair she’s in.

She admits her health is failing; she knows she’s fading away.

How can she remain so calm when I’d be running away?

My friend, can you tell me how you can trust the Lord?

How can you stay so gentle and sweet when He seems to wield a sword?

You are to me a promise that even in the midst of pain

God is near and faithful if I will turn to Him again.

 

Who are your role models of inspiration? Who are the godly examples of perseverance? Who do you think of when you need an example of the sufficiency of Christ in hardship? Pray for that person — or persons — whom the Lord has placed around you. These Chris tian men and women struggle with doubts and  discouragement too.

 

Lord Jesus, I pray for __________________ today. Give grace and encouragement, divine help, comfort, and the inspiration of your precious Holy Spirit in the life of this dear saint.

 

WHAT DO YOU REGRET?

WHAT DO YOU REGRET?

 

God is aware of all your regrets, and he wants you to admit

them, learn from them, make restitution (if needed), and move

on. He knows that your deepest regrets can become the best

part of your testimony about his grace. Regardless of what

you’ve done in the past, let today steer you away from a life of

shame and into one of rejoicing in the chance to start over. If

you stay focused on your regrets after having confessed them,

repented of them, and been forgiven, you will miss the blessings

God has planned for you. Put your regrets behind you,

and make the contribution to this world that he reserved for

you to make.

 

REGRETS BEGET REGRETS

 

People commonly regret that they did not forgive someone

before he or she died, or that they did not tell that person about

Jesus. Has that happened to you, or is your biggest regret more

centered around an incident of poor parenting or that you

ignored a friend’s cry for help? Some women regret a lie they

told or a time they cheated or stole. What behavior has caused

regret in your life? A moral failure, abandoned dreams, cowardly

behavior, a spiteful act, or boasting? Was it that you were

too busy to enjoy family outings, made a poor decision based

on insufficient information, hurt someone out of jealousy, were

stubborn, or blamed someone else for your mistake? Did you

participate in a cover-up, get fired for not being honest, or give

in to sinful peer pressure? Is your biggest regret that you have

not forgiven yourself or that you have lived with anger for too

long? Which of your regrets actually begot another regret? Lisa

Smith-Batchen, a multi-sport, adventure-racer and one of the

world’s top ultra-distance, endurance athletes, had an unusual

regret that gave her a second chance to make it right.

 

LISA SMITH-BATCHEN GIVES HER REGRETS TO GOD

 

Lisa holds a master’s degree in health education and fitness;

she has been a personal trainer, coach, and massage therapist

for more than fifteen years. She and her husband are the proud

parents of two children, whom they adopted within six months

of each other. One of her favorite endeavors is motivational

speaking on the topic of “Find a Godly Dream and Chase It

Down.” Anyone would tell you that Lisa is an incredibly loving

and compassionate woman, who seeks to please God in all

she does.

 

God has enabled Lisa to challenge her mind, body, and soul

to race hundreds of miles each year, while in the process raising

money to feed thousands of starving children. She plans to

continue to do so as long as God wills it, because she wants to

inspire others to have Mother Teresa–sized dreams to save the

children of the world.

 

Because Lisa believes in finishing what she starts, she regretted

not completing one particular journey she started, that is,

running three hundred miles through California’s Death Valley.

So, one blistering hot summer, Lisa set out on what she called

her “journey of completion.” As she crossed the finish line, she

put the regret behind her.

 

She says, “What you decide to do with your regrets is the

ultimate test of your character. Rebounding from regrets will

make you a woman of godly character. There is no regret in

your life that God cannot turn into a gift and a growth experience.

It’s reflecting on the setbacks in life that makes you see

how far you’ve really come.”

 

What Do You Regret? Judas Regretted His Sin

 

Judas had the greatest regret known to man; that is, betraying

the Son of God. Because of that sin, Judas hung himself.

Read Matthew 27:1–10. Each one of us, by our own sins, also

betrayed Jesus and caused his crucifixion. What percentage of

time do you live a life filled with various regrets—big or small—

rather than living the redeemed life that Christ intended?

 

SCRIPTURE TO PONDER

 

You don’t want to end your life full of regrets, nothing

but sin and bones, saying, “Oh, why didn’t I do what they told me?

Why did I reject a disciplined life? Why didn’t I listen to my

mentors, or take my teachers seriously? My life is ruined!

I haven’t one blessed thing to show for my life!”

(Proverbs 5:11–14, MSG)

 

SUGGESTED PRAYER

 

Dear Lord, I, _________, don’t want to end my life full of

regrets, nothing but sin and bones, saying, “Oh, why didn’t I

do what wise instructors told me? Why did I reject a disciplined

life? Why didn’t I listen to my mentors, or take my teachers

seriously? My life is ruined! I haven’t one blessed thing to show

for my life!” Today I pray that I will chase down my godly

dream, so I will not live in regret that I missed the opportunity

to do so. Take my regrets—all of them—and restore my life with

a clean slate. Thank you that you allow me to start over again

and again and again.

 

So . . . What Insight, Prayer, or Action Step Has God Laid on Your Heart Today?