EverydayDevotions.com

Click here to read Acts 10 on BibleGateway.com

If you have spent much time talking with non-Christians, or anyone who is questioning God, it’s surprising how often simply reading the Bible can clear up people’s questions.  Too often, people get the wrong idea about God (sometimes due to faulty understanding by Christians, unfortunately), and then reject Him based on misconceptions.  Actually reading the Bible can go a long way to understanding God (shocking, right?).

For example, you may have heard certain non-Christians complain that the “rules” of the Bible aren’t fair; that God favors some people, and leaves others out in the cold.  You have probably even heard people say “what about people that never hear about Jesus? What kind of petty God would send them to hell?” But look at the case of Cornelius in Acts 10. He was not a Jew; in fact, he was a member, a commander no less, of the hated Roman army. No wonder that Peter wanted nothing to do with him.

AS MUCH AS YOU CAN

Luckily for Cornelius, God didn’t have any such qualms. He sent separate visions to Peter and Cornelius, setting up the meeting between the two. Of course, Peter took a little bit more convincing, but the Bible says that Cornelius pleased God. What had Cornelius done? Was he keeping the Jewish Law? Was he following Christ’s commands? Nope. In fact, he probably hadn’t heard about Jesus at that point. However, he was praying to God the best he knew, and he cared for the poor. He followed as much of God’s commands as he knew.

That’s how God is. We are responsible to follow as closely as we can with what we know. If we reach the end of our knowledge, God finds a way to take us deeper. The majority of the time, that’s through a deeper study of the Bible. However, in some cases, God does something supernatural. Sometimes we forget; God wants to be with us. His whole purpose for creating us was for fellowship; for us to know Him. He’s not gonna balk at a little supernatural action when people are striving to know him. He will make a way.

HOW FAR WILL YOU GO?

Please God as much as you can, with what you know. It’s true, you many not know as much as some one else. Perhaps they grew up in a Christian home, attended church every time the doors were open, and attended Bible college; whilst your parents were in jail, you were passed from foster home to foster home, and had to drop out of high school to take care of your siblings. Is it fair? Absolutely not. But you can take comfort in the knowledge that God holds you responsible for what you know (or have had the opportunity to know), not what anybody else knows.

Of course, that said, you do have a little obligation. You must move forward with what you do know. If you have the opportunity to read your Bible, read it. If you have a church close enough to attend, you are responsible to go. If you have the opportunity to read awesome Biblical devotions online everyday, you need to take it.

One more thought: God did a supernatural act to bring the Good News to Cornelius, but He still worked through Peter. God can and does use angels or other means of reaching people on occasion, but by far the most common method is Christians sharing their faith with others. That’s our calling. You may be the special agent God is using to reach your neighbors; you may be the supernatural method he uses to reach someone on the other side of the globe; you may be the answer to prayer. Like Cornelius, you just must do as much as you can as best you know.

Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as you ever can
– John Wesley

Click here to read Matthew 7 on BibleGateway.com

If you have ever been a youth pastor or teacher (or even perhaps a teenager yourself at some point in the distant past), you have seen the fascinating mating rituals of the Unattractive Male. It goes something like this: identify a prospective Attractive Potential Date; stare at APD from across the room; plan epic speech to win the heart of APD; begin to approach APD with eyes down and glances in all directions; take slight detour to barf in bathroom; return to proximity of APD; mumble sounds faintly reminiscent of human speech; run away. The UM may return at a later date with presents, or perhaps an amazingly terrible love note passed in class, but after repeated attempts have failed, they often abandon the quest with the futile question “What’s it gonna take?”

People who are new Christians or non-believers often ask “what will it take to get to heaven?” If you’ve been around church much, you’ll know the standard answer is “no works will get you to heaven, only a relationship with Jesus Christ.” And, as far as it goes, that’s true.

TELL ME YOUR NAME AGAIN…

But the next question is eventually, “ok, but how do I do that?” People want to be in a relationship with Jesus (or at least know they should be), but they don’t know exactly how that works. Do you just go to church? Do you just pray? Do you have to give a bunch of money to the church? Do you love other people? If you sin, does that rule you out? How much can you sin? What exactly does it take to make it?

In Matthew 7, we read one of the scariest verses in the entire Bible. Jesus says,

• “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!’”

Think about that. Can you imagine getting to heaven after a lifetime of preaching, healing people, even driving out demons, and hear Jesus say “and…who are you again?” Ouch. If you ever draw a sense of comfort from the idea that you’re the leader of the worship team, or the head of the Women’s Ministry, or you give to the poor, and so you must be ok for heaven; think again.

A COMMAND I GIVE TO YOU…

So, if doing all this work for Jesus doesn’t cut it, what does? Yes, reading your Bible is an important part; praying is important; loving your neighbor is important. But Jesus clarifies things for us: “Only the one who does the will of my Father.” Simply put, the ones who obey. Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands.”

It sounds a little too legalistic for our modern ears, but there it is. You cannot separate the concept of love for God and obedience. You cannot love Jesus and know Him unless you follow His commands. (And of course, that means you have to read the Bible, otherwise, how will you know what the commands are?)

Jesus gave around 50 different commands in the New Testament; how many do you know? If you really want to get close to Jesus, to know Him, to hear “well done, good and faithful servant” when you see Him, then you know what you need to do. The challenge for today is to find ten commands of Jesus in the gospels, and see if you can keep just those ten this week (or at least attempt to.) Obedience starts with knowing what to obey.

Then Love and Know Him to the best of your ability today.

Click here to read Acts 6 on BibleGateway.com

Do you know what the best selling board game in the world is?  No, not the Farming Game, though it should be (seriously, if you haven’t played it, go buy it today).  No big shocker: it’s Monopoly, with 275 million copies of the game sold in 110 countries and 40 languages. Nothing better than winning a game by driving the opposition into a steaming pile of bankruptcy.

One reason: the concept of House Rules is built into Monopoly.  If you’re unfamiliar with house rules, this is the idea that whoever’s home you happen to be playing at has the right to change the rules in such a way as to guarantee their win.  Oh sure, they say it’s fair, yet somehow you always lose at Jimmy Jo Jo’s house, what with their special 10,000 dollar bill that you get for every J in your name.  ( That’s right, some things you don’t forget, Jimmy.  Here’s a J for you, Jerk.)

The reason we tend to hate house rules (at least, other people’s house rules. ours are ok. ) is that they seem so unfair.  If we’re all going to play the game, we should all be playing by the same rules. But house rules make it seem like we can’t win, no matter what we do. Might as well just go home and play Tetris.

LET US UNREASON TOGETHER

Unfortunately, we often try to carry of our idea of “fairness” into the way we as Christians interact with the world.  We feel that if we share the truth in love, then people will see the way and come to Christ.  However, if you talk to anyone who has tried this method (or just read about Paul in the New Testament), at some point most people come to the realization that you can’t (or very, very rarely can) argue someone into the Kingdom.

Why not? In Acts 6, we read of one of the early confrontations between the followers of the Way (the early Christians) and the opposition.  In many ways, it’s very indicative of witnessing debates throughout history.  Stephen is arguing with some non-believers, and the Bible says “but they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him.”  Case closed, right? Stephen wins the debate, the others admit the truth of Christ, and get saved.

Not even close.  Instead, “they secretly persuaded some men to say, ‘We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.’” Since they couldn’t out-debate Stephen, they simply lied.  And if you know the rest of the story, you’ll know that it worked and poor Stephen had a scant few moments to reconsider his evangelistic methodology. When people don’t want to hear the truth, they’ll find a way to silence it.

HIM CRUCIFIED

Sound unfair?  It is, but is it really so surprising that the Enemy of all that is Good and Right does not play fairly? It would be more surprising if he played by any rules at all.  The foundation of sin itself is based in the idea of not following the rules.  People who are opposed to Christ will not play fairly, and we should not expect them to.   Paul concludes, after several frustrating attempts, to preach one thing: Christ and Christ alone.

Our attempts to reach the world for Jesus must always come back to this central point.  It’s easy to get distracted with “winning” debates, getting our candidate elected, or promoting a certain viewpoint.  But we need to remember that only Christ will ultimately save people, and winning a debate does not mean that people will come to Christ.  Only a life-changing encounter with the Living Lord can do that.

That’s the only rule that matters.

Click here to read Ezra 5 on BibleGateway.com

Back in the yesteryear when you were younger, you may have come home from a hard day of sitting in a school desk pretending to listen to a teacher, when lo and behold, to what did your wondering eyes should appear, but the last brownie in the pan. Now comes the moral dilemma; there is one brownie, and three siblings.  Who shall have it?  Let’s further pretend that an older sibling came in and took the entire block of sweetness while you debated with yourself. Let’s assume still further, inspired by the passion of a lost love, you reached for the pilfered ambrosia, with the shriek of a berserker going into battle.

You: Give it back.
Older Sibling: No, it’s mine.
You: Who says?
Older Sibling: Mom.

Ah, the appeal to a higher power.  Who can argue against it?  At this point, you probably had the choice of seeking out the maternal authority (at which point the object of desire would have begun its long descent though your sibling’s intestinal tract), or of accepting defeat and grabbing a celery stick. When the Mom Card has been played, the game is over.

WHO SAYS?

Where does the right to act come from? Does it come from yourself?  Oh, in some circumstances, it could be argued.  You stand up and take something with no outside argument, but more often than not, there is an appeal to authority.  Kids appeal to teachers; students to the teacher or principal. Kings in the middle ages, rightly or wrongly, claimed Divine Right to rule.  Lawyers appeal to the Constitution, and you can be any type of lawyer, from a divorce lawyer, to a New York personal injury attorney or any other.   We act when a higher power gives us the impetus to act.

Have you ever done something extravagant for God?  Have you ever actually considered selling all your possessions and giving the money to the poor?  Have you ever thought about quitting your job and becoming a missionary?  Why would you do it?   Clearly, it doesn’t make sense to a rational person.  Odds are, not even remotely.  Did you know how it would turn out?  Not a chance.  Often, that’s what following God is all about.  We do things that don’t make sense to us, and trust that God will work it out.  The truth is, if you listen to God and really strive to be close to Him, you will end up doing the crazy and the impossible.  That’s the kind of God he is.

So, to take it a step further, if it doesn’t make sense to you, how would it possibly make sense to other people?  If you think that giving up a solid career to go work in Africa is crazy, and yet you are willing to do it, then imagine how crazy it must seem to someone who is not willing.  If you find it difficult to surrender your rights to God, and yet you are convinced enough to it,  imagine how insane that must seem to people who are not convinced.  People that are truly following (looking in your direction, Mr. Baptist) seem downright nuts to those looking from the outside.

THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

When the people of Israel were rebuilding their temple (Ezra 5), the surrounding authorities (note: those that had not experienced God’s hand as directly) immediately said, “Who told you to do this?”  Where did the command to rebuild come from?  Yes, from the king, and they could have simply said that. But that’s not what the people answered: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth.”   The king may have written the decree, but the reason we are doing the impossible is because we are listening to God.

That’s how it is.  If you try to completely surrender to God’s plan, people will think you’re crazy (it might even cross your own mind once or twice).  The disciples left their livelihood to follow Jesus; Elisha burned his means of survival; Abraham left his home.  It’s crazy.  It’s downright irresponsible.  Using the last of your food to feed a strange prophet when your son is starving is foolish.  Following God often does not make sense.  It never has, and if you truly want to be close to God, sooner or later you will have to accept that others will not accept your choices, and consequently may not accept you.  You will have to choose to either listen to the advice of others, or  to follow what God is telling you, no matter how crazy, or how lonely it seems.

Because He said so.

Click here to read Genesis 4 on BibleGateway.com

Back in the Middle Ages, around 1960 or so, America was a deeply divided nation. Brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend.  There were fights on the streets, and some people look back on that time with a sense of shame and pain.  We’re talking, of course, about the division between those who loved the Beatles and the fans of the Rolling Stones.  Not quite as bitter as the Backstreet/n’Sync Wars of later years, but a horror to behold none the less. And then you throw the Monkees in there and the whole world is up in arms, or perhaps in actors paid to look like arms.

In Genesis 4, we read of another division in society:  three brothers, all with different talents. Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock; Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes; and Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron.” Can you imagine the competition around the Christmas dinner?

A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

It’s much like the church of today. You have the majority (Jabal), the 9-5ers who live their lives, support the church, love their neighbors (most of the time), and rarely get any attention. You have the youth ministers and the worship leaders (Jubal), those who use the tools of entertainment to (hopefully) bring the congregation closer to God.  And you have the iron workers (Tubal-Cain), those who utilize the weapons of the time on the front lines: the missionaries, evangelists, and some pastors (though not all, unfortunately).

Like any societal group, too often only those on the front lines get the recognition.  Admittedly, those in the front lines carry the greatest risk, they tend to suffer the most, and they tend to be the most lonely, so  maybe it’s alright that they get a larger share of the glory. However, as any soldier  will tell, they depend on those back home.  You need the support of the families, you need the citizenry behind the military, you need the support staff back at HQ, you need the intelligence work, the construction, the IT, the infrastructure, and a host of others.  You can’t do your best on your own.

THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE

Here’s the thing; all people can find themselves in one of these groups.  Not all of us were called to be musicians (and frankly, not all who think they are – are), just as not all were called to be soldiers.  Some were called to encourage those at home, some were called to support those out on the edge.  The point is, we can all be used where we are if we allow God to use us, and accept the role that we are in (and don’t worry, you’ll probably find yourself in all of these roles at one time or another).  The struggle is to avoid focusing on another, and to remain faithful to where you are now.

The greatest benefit we can give our church is to love and accept everyone else’s place, regardless of the position you find yourself in at the moment. If you’re on the edge right now, be careful of looking down on those who are support you.  If you are supporting, be careful of exalting those on the lines or resenting their accolades.  In the end, we all have a common enemy and the same commander.  It’s his plan that is at work; we are merely to do our duty and trust.

That’s how an army works.

Click here to read Acts 3 on BibleGateway.com

There you are, silently, trying not even to breathe.  You can hear them coming down the hall, stumbling a little with morning grogginess.  You wait…wait…wait as they draw closer and closer to your hiding place.   And just when you see that first footstep come around the corner, kablooie, out you jump with the roar of a thousand wildbeasts.  Such sweet joy; the look of terror as their eyes fling open, their arms flinging out in front and to the sides trying to catch their balance, and the shriek…oh, the shriek.  Is there anything better than jumping out and scaring one of your parents when you’re a kid?  Or, if you happen to be a slightly less mature adult, scaring your kids?

Surprising someone is one of the great joys of life.  We prepare elaborate surprise birthday parties that only a blind donkey could miss coming.  We wrap up skis to open on Christmas morning (skis? How will you sneakily wrap skis?) We play peekaboo with our infants.  The shock of seeing your face appear behind your hands for the ten thousandth time never gets old.  All for that little joy we call surprise.

SAME OLE SAME OLE

In Acts 3, we read the famous story of Peter and John walking to the temple, and the healing of the crippled man who sits there begging (sing along; “silver and gold have  I none…).  There he is, a man crippled for life that the whole city walks past daily.  For years, they pass him, maybe once in a while throwing a nickle or two to help him out. As much a fixture of the street as the pavement and guy selling kosher hotdogs.

Then suddenly, he’s walking.  Not just walking; running like a hyperactive 2^nd grader, jumping like a spastic kangaroo. Peter looks at the crowd and asks the dumbest question imaginable (not surprising for Peter): Why are you surprised?

Why? Umm…because that crippled dude is doing jumping jacks.  Because I gave that guy my last twenty bucks on the way to church today to help out a poor man, and now he’s running around with my twenty bucks in his pocket. Because crippled people don’t just get up and run around.

HEAR ME NOW AND BELIEVE ME LATER

Notice where these people are going: to the temple.  These guys are going to worship almighty God, creator of the whole universe.  But they are surprised when God does something in their midst.  Why? Why are we surprised, when we believe that God can, when we actually does?  Sometimes our faith, amazingly, is at its lowest when we are going to worship God.

What will God do for you this year? Will he answer that prayer you’ve been praying for fifteen years? Will he throw open the floodgates of heaven so that you can’t believe the blessing?  Will you get that promotion, that job, that grandbaby, that spouse, that dream?  Will you run and jump after being stuck in place for years? Will he do above and beyond all you could ask or imagine?

Why would it surprise you?

Click here to read Matthew 2 on BibleGateway.com

Man is competitive by nature. You doubt? Next time you see a bunch of guys sitting around in the office, throw a piece of crumpled up paper in between two of them and see what happens. Within 4.2 seconds, they will have located a garbage can a suitable distance away, taking into consideration the aerodynamic properties of the paper and the relative likelihood of boss discovery, and will begin some sort of free-throw competition, not dissimilar to the pig-throwing competitions of yesteryear. They will do no-look shots, bank shots, possibly even setting up obstacles to challenge themselves. And they will high-five, chest bump, and yell barely intelligible phrases to each other. All will be well with the world.

ANYTHING YOU CAN DO…

Why? Why do we challenge each other? Why are board games popular? Why do we spend billions of dollars on athletic competitions every year?  In a word, rightness. We love to be right. More importantly, we love to be more-right than the Other Guy. We don’t really care how fast we run, as long we run faster than Dave. We don’t care how much money we make, as long as it’s more than Wendell. We don’t even really care how much we sin, as long as we’re more righteous than Them.

Oh, what a temptation Being Right is. There may be no greater competition in the world. We love to be more righteous than the other people around us. Maybe it’s because deep down we think that somehow God grades on a curve, and if we’re just more righteous than a few others, we’ll make the cut. Maybe it’s just that ole pride, the bedrock of so many of our troubles.

And it’s not enough to be right, everyone else has to know how right we are. They have to know that we were tempted and held firm; that we had a chance to steal and restrained ourselves; that the last doughnut called us with its sweet glazed siren song, and we managed to resist. We need people to praise us for our strength and holiness almost as much as we need them to overlook our weaknesses. And if we have to drop hints here and there about our righteousness to get people to notice, then we devise ways to drop hints without making it too obvious that we are hint dropping. They need to notice without them noticing that we are noticing that they noticed.

HOLY UNKNOWN

Yet the Bible makes clear that sometimes the most righteous thing we can do is just shut our Doritos hatch. Jesus says that when we give to charity, even our left hand shouldn’t know what our right hand is doing. We should be able to give a truckload of cash without even needing others to know we gave a nickle.

Look at Joseph in today’s reading. The Bible says he was “faithful to the law.” He was a righteous man, no doubt about it. And then his young fiance comes to him and says “Oh, by the way, I’m pregnant. But don’t worry, it’s from God.” Can you imagine the temptation for him? He could have locked her in the loony bin, or at least made sure everyone knew what a hussy she was, and made sure that everyone knew how righteous he was. He wasn’t the one who fell into temptation; he wasn’t the one who should have to suffer the ruined reputation.

But even before he was visited by an angel, Joseph had already decided to divorce her quietly. Quietly. He did not mock her, did not stand up for his rights, did not even mention it to the neighbors. No disgrace, no public ridicule, no self-righteousness. His mercy won out over his need to be Right.

And he got to spend more time with Jesus than any other man.

Click here to read Ezra 1 on BibleGateway.com

Let us sing together: it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

No, not Christmas, with the greed and the family squabbling and the hand-knitted sweaters and the fruitcake. Be honest; do you really enjoy all that? Yes, the family time is nice, and who can say no to turkey? Clearly, not all bad. But not the most wonderfulest either.

It’s football playoff season, my friends, and we no longer have to just talk about the NFL. The NCAA finally joined the 20^th century (and only 14 years too late) and set up a college playoff. And there was much rejoicing in the land. Yea.

THIS YEAR

What is it that makes playoffs so exciting (not just football, but any sport)? After all, it’s just one more game, just one more sixty minute clock, just another nine innings, or, in the case of soccer, as long as it takes for the ref to rig the game against the US (Yes, I remember you, Portugal. Don’t think I don’t remember.) So what is it?

Anticipation.

Every team that enters the playoffs has a chance. All they have to do is win for a short period of time, and they’re champions. They prepare for a year (or more), they play multiple games, they go through injuries, heartbreaks, bad calls, internal fights, and the occasional legal battle, and it all comes down to one more game to move on. In the end (for most sports) there’s only one champion left standing. And everyone thinks they might be the one. Every team, player, and fan has the hope, the dream, the anticipation of finishing as the Best.

IN THE BEGINNING…

In today’s chapter (Ezra 1), we read how God “moved the heart” of Cyrus to allow the Jews to return home and rebuild their temple after seventy years in captivity. Their dream was coming true. For seventy years they had waited, anticipating the day God would move. And from what an unexpected source – the king of a heathen empire not only allows them to return, but funds the trip and rebuilding project as well. God does beyond what we can hope or imagine. They waited, prayed, anticipated. And God came though.

It’s January 1^st, my friends. A whole new year is opening up before you. You have a chance this year to be more than you were before. Anticipate it. God may move through someone or something unexpected and fulfill that dream he put in your heart. Anticipate it. He may do more than you could ask or imagine. Anticipate it. Pray, wait, and know that God works it out in his time and his way for your good. Anticipate it.

There’s no telling what this year may hold. Commit yourself today to drawing closer to God; everything else will grow dim. And God will do amazing things. He always does.

Anticipate.