The Daily Thought Shaker

By David George

Ever wish for something to challenge your thinking? How about a fresh application of looking at something? Well, The Daily Thought Shaker could be just what the doctor ordered. It is a collection of devotions that adhere to the truth of Gods Word with new twists at just about every turn. Whether you like to start out your day with a new thought about how God wants you to live, or if you prefer to end your day thinking about God, The Daily Thought Shaker can help. Just flip through the pages and take a random sample of the titles: Batteries Not Included (April 2930), Hypothetical Grace (June 26), Are You Done Yet? (March 1718), Are You Living by Faith or by Credit? (May 22), Who in Hell Knows Your Name? (October 29), and Customized Christianity (July 15), just to name a few. The Daily Thought Shaker will challenge your thinking in the application of Biblical truth in your daily life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490823775

David George

Dr David George was formerly Associate Director of Nene College (now the University of Northampton) and before that Dean of The Faculty of Science. He was Founder President of the National Association For Able Children and was a member of the Executive Committee of The World Council of Gifted and Talented Children. He is a consultant to the British Council and UNESCO. He has lectured both nationally and internationally on the education of the gifted and talented. He is the author of Young, Gifted and Bored; The Challenge of The Able Child; Gifted Education; Enrichment Activities for Able Children; and Making The Most of Your Abilities.He claims to be a teacher first and foremost having taught in three schools and has a wide experience of teacher education in Liverpool and Northampton. His enthusiasm and devotion to teaching is reflected in all his courses.David is also a keen sportsman and ran for his county and the RAF. He was Chairman of Managers at St Andrews Hospital for five years and continues as a manager. He was President of His Rotary Club and was made an Honorary Commander at RAF Croughton (USAF) in recognition of his service to the community.

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Copyright © 2014 David George.

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Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-2378-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-2379-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-2377-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014901451

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/29/2014

Contents

Preface

January 1

January 2

January 3

January 4

January 5

January 6

January 7

January 8

January 9

January 10

January 11

January 12

January 13

January 14

January 15

January 16

January 17

January 18

January 19

January 20

January 21

January 22

January 23

January 24

January 25

January 26

January 27

January 28

January 29

January 30

January 31

February 1

February 2

February 3

February 4

February 5

February 6

February 7

February 8

February 9

February 10

February 11

February 12

February 13

February 14

February 15

February 16

February 17

February 18

February 19

February 20

February 21

February 22

February 23

February 24

February 25

February 26

February 27

February 28/29

March 1

March 2

March 3

March 4

March 5

March 6

March 7

March 8

March 9

March 10

March 11

March 12

March 13

March 14

March 15

March 16

March 17

March 18

March 19

March 20

March 21

March 22

March 23

March 24

March 25

March 26

March 27

March 28

March 29

March 30

March 31

April 1

April 2

April 3

April 4

April 5

April 6

April 7

April 8

April 9

April 10

April 11

April 12

April 13

April 14

April 15

April 16

April 17

April 18

April 19

April 20

April 21

April 22

April 23

April 24

April 25

April 26

April 27

April 28

April 29

April 30

May 1

May 2

May 3

May 4

May 5

May 6

May 7

May 8

May 9

May 10

May 11

May 12

May 13

May 14

May 15

May 16

May 17

May 18

May 19

May 20

May 21

May 22

May 23

May 24

May 25

May 26

May 27

May 28

May 29

May 30

May 31

June 1

June 2

June 3

June 4

June 5

June 6

June 7

June 8

June 9

June 10

June 11

June 12

June 13

June 14

June 15

June 16

June 17

June 18

June 19

June 20

June 21

June 22

June 23

June 24

June 25

June 26

June 27

June 28

June 29

June 30

July 1

July 2

July 3

July 4

July 5

July 6

July 7

July 8

July 9

July 10

July 11

July 12

July 13

July 14

July 15

July 16

July 17

July 18

July 19

July 20

July 21

July 22

July 23

July 24

July 25

July 26

July 27

July 28

July 29

July 30

July 31

August 1

August 2

August 3

August 4

August 5

August 6

August 7

August 8

August 9

August 10

August 11

August 12

August 13

August 14

August 15

August 16

August 17

August 18

August 19

August 20

August 21

August 22

August 23

August 24

August 25

August 26

August 27

August 28

August 29

August 30

August 31

September 1

September 2

September 3

September 4

September 5

September 6

September 7

September 8

September 9

September 10

September 11

September 12

September 13

September 14

September 15

September 16

September 17

September 18

September 19

September 20

September 21

September 22

September 23

September 24

September 25

September 26

September 27

September 28

September 29

September 30

October 1

October 2

October 3

October 4

October 5

October 6

October 7

October 8

October 9

October 10

October 11

October 12

October 13

October 14

October 15

October 16

October 17

October 18

October 19

October 20

October 21

October 22

October 23

October 24

October 25

October 26

October 27

October 28

October 29

October 30

October 31

November 1

November 2

November 3

November 4

November 5

November 6

November 7

November 8

November 9

November 10

November 11

November 12

November 13

November 14

November 15

November 16

November 17

November 18

November 19

November 20

November 21

November 22

November 23

November 24

November 25

November 26

November 27

November 28

November 29

November 30

December 1

December 2

December 3

December 4

December 5

December 6

December 7

December 8

December 9

December 10

December 11

December 12

December 13

December 14

December 15

December 16

December 17

December 18

December 19

December 20

December 21

December 22

December 23

December 24

December 25

December 26

December 27

December 28

December 29

December 30

December 31

PREFACE

What you hold in your hands is a work nine years in the making. It is a collection of devotional articles I have written for adult Sunday School classes in a weekly newsletter entitled The Thought Shaker®, now collected as The Daily Thought Shaker®.

My intent in writing these articles is to challenge your thinking about how you are walking with the Lord and to shake your thoughts on a given topic. I’ve tried to inject a little humor from time to time but always with the intention of making a point.

Though most of the devotions are on general topics about Christian living, some are seasonal (e.g., Christmas, Easter, etc.). These will not always fall on the appropriate day in the book, as I am sure you will understand.

Most Biblical quotes are from my favorite translation, The New American Standard (NASB). There are exceptions when the wording in another translation or paraphrase makes my point a bit better. These include the King James Version (KJV), the New King James Version (NKJV), the New International Version (NIV), and the New Living Translation (NLT) and these are noted.

All quotes are from www.christianquotes.org except where noted.

I am indebted to all who have helped edit my creative typing over the years, but most of all to my wonderful wife who has been my partner in all that God has lead us both through.

I hope you find these devotions to be inspirational and motivational as you seek to walk closer with the Lord. May He bless you in ways you cannot now imagine!

David George

June, 2013

January 1

In the beginning, God…. – Genesis 1:1

NEW BEGINNINGS

It’s the beginning of a new year and this is the time when we have a sense of new beginnings, of putting the past behind us and starting afresh. This can be good because we need these psychological opportunities to jump-start us from time to time. Fortunately, as God’s children, we don’t have to wait for the beginning of a new year to get a new beginning, a fresh start, with Almighty God. He is the God of new beginnings and, therefore, understands about beginnings since He initiated everything by speaking the universe into existence. He has said that all we need to do is agree with Him about (confess) our sin and He will be faithful to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us completely, giving us a new start (1 Jn. 1:9). He says that He remembers our sin no more (Jer. 31:34), that He casts our sin as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12), and that’s an infinite line!

Some have said that God is the God of a second chance. Well, I blew my second chance so many years ago that I can’t even remember when it was. Fortunately, He is not the God of a second chance; He is the God of another chance! And another, and another, and another, ad infinitum. He never gives up on His children. He is always ready to forgive, to extend mercy and grace.

Now, we shouldn’t view God’s capacity to forgive as a license to sin. Paul was quite adamant about that in the opening verses of Romans 6. We can be temporarily blinded by the short-term pleasures of sin, but why would we want to keep doing the things that displease the One Who loves us and desires what is ultimately for our best (Rom. 8:28-29)? If we continue to live a lifestyle of habitual sin, the Bible says that one of two things is true. First, if we are His children, He will not allow us to continue to defame His name which we bear but will discipline us and even take us home early if we persist (1 Cor. 11:30). Second, for the one who lives a persistent lifestyle of sin, or, in other words, the one who disobeys God and enjoys it, such disobedience can be evidence of an unregenerate life (1 Jn. 2:4; 3:9). The good news is, if you are convicted of your sin, you are most likely His because that, in itself, is evidence of the Holy Spirit working in you. You see, the Holy Spirit will not let us continue to live the way we did before we came to know Jesus as Savior and Lord, because one of His primary functions is to convict of sin (Jn. 16:8).

God understands our need for new beginnings – again and again. He will never forsake or leave you; He paid too high a price for you to abandon you. As we begin a new year, let this be a time of renewed commitment and resolve to let God have His way in our lives so that we may become all that He wants us to be, knowing that He will always allow us to begin again if and when we fail.

"Though no one can (actually) go back and make a new beginning, anyone can start from now and make a brand new end." — Carl Brand

January 2

Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him. – Psalm 37:7

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS?

It’s time to make new year’s resolutions, or so the tradition goes. It may stem from a sense of starting over, everything new and afresh. That’s what we all did as new Christians – we were all made new creatures in Christ. But as for resolutions, I’m not so sure they are worth the effort (honestly now, how many have you really kept over the years?). I think that our time might be better spent in renewing our commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and our submission to His sovereignty in our lives. Even that is not something we can do in our own strength. We must allow God to do it through us. And there lies the rub. Most of us are still trying to be committed to the Lord in our own strength – and we end up succeeding about as well as we do with our new year’s resolutions. Unless and until we learn to rest in the Lord, we will continue to struggle with our commitment to Him and His sovereignty.

Resting in the Lord involves a change of attitude, admitting that I am not in control. It does not mean inactivity but it does mean a conscious, moment-by-moment awareness of His presence, love, and leadership. It means acknowledging His sovereignty in the simplest as well as the grandest affairs of life (Why did I have to get caught at this stop light? Why couldn’t it have stayed green for just a few more seconds?!). Resting involves trusting but it also involves choosing to submit my will, my desires, to His. I’m learning to do this, but I’m pretty stubborn about wanting my way (I’m sure you’re not!).

Let’s make this new year’s resolution one that, with God’s help, we can keep – to learn to rest in Him more and let Him have His way in our lives more and more each day.

Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.

- Jonathan Edwards

January 3

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…. – Romans 12:2

WHAT’S NEW?

Let’s talk a bit more about resolutions. Remember last year at this time? Did you make any New Year resolutions? If so, did you keep them? As I said earlier, I’ll venture to guess that if you did make any, you probably did not do so well with keeping them. Most people don’t. Why do you suppose that is? At the risk of making a gross generalization, let me suggest that it was probably because you tried to do it as a self-help project. Well, guess what - God doesn’t really want us to try and improve ourselves! He wants to transform us! That word transform in Romans 12:2 is the Greek word metamorpho, from which we get our English word metamorphosis, which means to radically change into something new and different, like a caterpillar into a butterfly. You see, God doesn’t want an improved you, He wants a brand new you! And He has made it a two-step process.

First, when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are made new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). But like a new butterfly just out of the cocoon, we have to learn to spread our wings in order to fly and be all that God intends us to be. Now, the butterfly has to do that himself, but here’s where the analogy breaks down. God will do it for and through us by renewing our minds.

Okay, David, you may say. Just how does He renew our minds? Simple. He renews our minds as we study the word of God and communicate with Him in prayer! You’ve no doubt heard of the old computer adage, GIGO – garbage in, garbage out. When we only allow worldly, self-centered thoughts to fill our minds, that’s what we get out of our lives – garbage. But when we fill our minds with God’s thoughts which He has provided for us in the Bible, we get an entirely different result. We become more sensitive to God’s truth and are able to discern the error of worldly thinking. We are more sensitive to the Holy Spirit living in us Who is then able to call to our remembrance scripture we have studied. This enables us to use it as the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17) in battling Satan and his temptations. We get a whole new perspective on what is important and what is trivial because we are now looking at life from God’s perspective.

But David, you may say, I just don’t have time to study the Bible and pray. I already have a busy life just going to work or raising a family. Well, that’s a little bit like saying you don’t have time to breathe! It’s so important that you know what God has already told you in His word and let Him interpret it and apply it to you as you pray. Not to put too fine a point on it, you will never be what God intends you to be unless you study His word! Then, and only then, will you have your mind renewed, and then, and only then, will you begin to live as God intended you to live – free and joyously aware of His continuous presence in your life.

This season, don’t just look forward to a new year, but to a renewed year as your mind is transformed!

How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word…Your word have I treasured in my heart that I may not sin against You.

– Psalm 119:9, 11

January 4

In the beginning, God…. – Genesis 1:1

CREATION VS. CHANCE

I know, I know – I used the above verse a few days ago, but this time I have an entirely different reason. This time I want to hone in on the fact that God was before there was anything else. You see, so many people these days are buying into the humanistic philosophy of Darwinian evolution as the answer to how (but not why) we are here today. But it is really a bankrupt philosophy that must begin with the premise that God either does not exist or at least is not necessary. And yet, many Christians are deluded into thinking that it’s not really important whether or not the Biblical account of creation is to be accepted as literal because they are afraid of being accused of being unscientific and backward in their thinking. But let me pose just a few problems with this attitude.

If the evolutionists are correct, that we did indeed arrive where we are today by mere chance after a big bang and billions of years of evolution, then there are some logical conclusions we must draw:

1. Nothing produces everything.

2. Non-life produces life.

3. Randomness produces fine-tuning (in opposition to entropy).

4. Chaos produces information.

5. Unconsciousness produces consciousness.

6. Non-reason produces reason.

We see none of these things happening today, nor do we find any evidence that they ever happened in the past. But, without God, these are the conclusions we are left with. I think that this line of thinking requires a great deal more faith than the belief that God is real and He produced all the above – and much more. Or, as Norman Geisler put it in the title of his book, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist.

My point is that if the Darwinians are right, then the Bible is false. Trying to harmonize the first few chapters of Genesis with modern-day science is impossible. I put science in quotes because in this context it is more of a religion than science. It presupposes the non-existence of God (religion) and then tries to explain what is observed in the world based upon that presupposition. The problem is that if you start with a wrong premise, you will come to the wrong conclusion every time. True science has never proven the Bible to be in error on any point. I cannot emphasize this enough. I do not have the space to fully develop my point here, but let me simply say that all that we observe today in the natural realm can be easily explained by a literal interpretation of the first eleven chapters of Genesis. There are no contradictions with the observable data; on the contrary, it all fits so very smoothly. But you must start with the premise, In the beginning, God… Without that premise, you are stuck with the above six illogical conclusions. With it, it all makes logical sense. There really is no middle ground. If you want to read more about this, I recommend Geisler’s book mentioned above or Lee Strobel’s book, The Case for a Creator.

It is absolutely illogical to believe that nothing produces something, or that profoundly intricate designs have come into existence by self-generation. The more simple and natural conclusion is that there is an immeasurably great Creator and Benefactor back of all the remarkable existences which we observe and experience. – Gordon Olson

January 5

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also forgave you. - Ephesians 4:32

IS FORGIVENESS THE PROBLEM?

It’s a new year and this is a good time to re-evaluate, to take stock in where we are spiritually. Have we made the spiritual progress we had hoped for this past year? Are we growing more and more each day into the image of Christ? Or are we stagnant in our walk with the Lord?

One of the spiritual yardsticks we can use to measure our growth in the Lord is to see if we are harboring a grudge against anyone – have we failed to forgive anyone who has wronged us this past year? Paul admonishes us in the verse above to forgive as God has forgiven us because of Jesus. Jesus Himself also commands us to forgive or miss out on the blessings of realizing we are forgiven ourselves (Matt. 6:14-15). If your answers to the questions in the previous paragraph indicate that you are not growing, one of the reasons may be unforgiveness on your part. Unfortunately, this is more common among Christians than we like to admit. We may say that we have forgiven the offender and really think we have. But we keep allowing our thoughts to be occupied by the offense and how bad it was or how much it hurt us. When that happens, we definitely have our minds not focused on Jesus or on the good things we should be thinking about (Phil. 4:8). And this is a sign that we have not gotten over it – we still harbor resentment in our hearts. This will stunt our growth in the Lord on two counts: (1) we’re stuck in a time warp, spending time and energy on something that should already have been dealt with once and for all; and (2) we are interrupting our communication with our heavenly Father (Ps. 66:18).

Let this time of year be a time of brief introspection to see what the Lord would have you do differently in your walk with Him. If forgiveness is an area that needs work, let Him deal with it and then move on, confident that God has more important things for you to do than dwell on the past.

Forgiveness doesn’t make the other person right, it makes you free.

— Stormie Omartian

January 6

And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

– Luke 2:52

GROWING INTO THE NEW YEAR

As Jesus was growing up in stature, first, from a baby, then a young boy, and then as a young man, Luke tells us that He was also growing up in some other pretty important areas as well: in wisdom and in favor with God and man. Is this something that only Jesus could do or can we do it, too? And if so, is it something that ever stops or does it continue throughout life?

Let me preface my remarks with the fact the Jesus was the unique God-Man in all of history. He was fully God and fully man. But we read in Philippians 2 how He voluntarily limited His rights as God in order to live as a man, fully dependent upon the Holy Spirit. I believe this is why Jesus could tell His disciples (with a straight face!) that they (and that means us, too) would do even greater miracles than He had done, because we have at our disposal the same Holy Spirit with the same power that Jesus had relied upon while He was on the earth (Jn. 14:12). That means that we, like Jesus, can also keep increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. In fact, it is what God expects and even demands of us. Paul writes to the church at Corinth that they were still infants in the Lord, still needing the milk of the Word, when they should be digesting the weightier and deeper solid food of spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:1-2). In the same way, we should be seeking to gain greater understanding of God and His Word through Bible study and prayer, getting to know Him better. We should not tackle these things as obligations but as privileges because we are His beloved children, adopted at great cost through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son.

Does that mean that we can eventually arrive in our spiritual growth and development such that we will never again experience defeat? Probably not, because the Bible is full of comments to the contrary. James tells us that we will experience trials (Js. 1:2); Paul tells us that we will struggle with continual spiritual warfare in this life (1 Cor. 10:4-5; Eph. 6:10-20); John tells us that if we say we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves (1 Jn. 1:8); and, therefore, the implication is that we will not always win every battle. Paul also wrote to the Philippians from his Roman prison cell that he had not arrived at complete spiritual maturity but he continued to strive for it, nonetheless. (Phil. 3:8-14). If Paul had not arrived, it would seem unlikely that you and I will. There is very large HOWEVER at this point, because, like a muscle that grows but straining against weights, we do get stronger in the struggle every time we face the challenges that God allows in our lives for that purpose. Like Paul, we can continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to strive for it. We do this not to gain God’s favor, because we already have His perfect love; on the contrary, we strive for it because we have His perfect love. This is the only way we can show our love for Him in return. In this way, we most certainly can continue to grow "in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man," just like Jesus did, for the rest of our lives. May this New Year be one of such growth for all of us!

Enemy-occupied territory–—that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign in sabotage. – C. S. Lewis

January 7

You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world…. – Matthew 5:14, 15

A THERMOMETER OR A THERMOSTAT?

This time of year is a good time to reflect on the past and evaluate how we did. As you ponder these things, I would like you to consider the difference between a thermometer and a thermostat. As you know, a thermometer responds to the temperature around it and gives a reading as to what that temperature is. A thermostat, on the other hand, also senses the temperature around it, but instead of simply reflecting its surroundings, it is the agent to actually change those surroundings. Jesus most certainly was calling us to be thermostats in our culture when He told us that we are salt and light. Both of these illustrations are instructing us to be change agents, not merely reflectors of our surroundings.

I would like you to ask yourself, This past year, was I more of a thermometer or more of a thermostat when it came to my surroundings? By this I mean did you merely reflect what was going on around you and blend in with the culture, or did you act as a change agent, influencing your environment? Were you the salt and light that Jesus said you are to be?

There are many ways you could attempt to influence your surrounding culture, from campaigning for political candidates, to working to end abortion, to influencing what is taught in our public schools, and much more. However, without diminishing any of these efforts in the least, I believe that the most significant way in which we can influence our society is by telling the lost about God’s love through Jesus Christ. I applaud those who are active in the previous areas and many more and encourage you to continue in them if that is what God is calling you to do, but if God doesn’t change hearts, none of those efforts will ultimately do any good. The Bible teaches that, as we are going about our daily tasks, we are to make disciples of Jesus (Matt. 28:19). This will provide the only really lasting positive change in our society that we so desperately need.

If you need help and support in learning how to share your faith in Jesus with others, let me encourage you to contact your pastoral staff and they will be delighted to help you to learn how to be an effective witness for the Lord.

I hope that you will resolve to be more of a thermostat this year, more salt and light to those around you who are desperate to know how to be saved. It’s God’s primary plan to reach the lost.

If our faith is not relevant to our daily life in the world and in the parish, then it is no use; and if we cannot be Christians in our work, in the neighborhood, in our political decisions, then we had better stop being Christians. A piety reserved for Sundays is no message for this age. — Douglas Rhymes

January 8

However, the hair of his (Samson’s) head began to grow again after it had been shaved off. – Judges 16:22

THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN

Before we came to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we were identified as sinners. At the moment we accepted God’s gift, we became a sinner saved by grace. Along with that, we ceased being identified as sinners and became much more – we became a new creation, saints, those separated for God’s service, albeit with a continuing sin problem. That is such great news! I am no longer a sinner – I am a saint! God has forgiven me of all my sins, past, present, and future. But does that mean that I am no longer to suffer the consequences of my sins? If I am forgiven, why should there be any consequences to deal with? Let’s look at some practical examples.

If a prisoner has been pardoned for his crimes, he will be set free from his prison and enjoy living his new life. But the years he spent in prison can never be redeemed. They are lost to him. He is forgiven, but he still has to deal with the consequences of being older than when he entered prison. If I do something foolish and cause an accident where someone’s life is lost, I may be forgiven by that person’s family, but that person is still no longer with us. There are consequences of my actions that must be dealt with.

In Samson’s case, he had lived a foolish existence, squandering the power that God had chosen to display in his life. It all came crashing down when Delilah pried his secret from him – he was a man dedicated to God’s service, the symbol of which was his long hair which had never been cut. When he lost his hair, it symbolized God’s departure from him and he also lost his eyesight and his freedom. While in prison, his hair grew back; he came to his senses and once again called upon God. But, he was still blind. Samson’s hair grew back, but his eyes never did. God granted him his strength one last time and he killed more Philistines in his death than he had in all his battles with them (Judges 16:30).

Sin has its consequences. Rarely, God will miraculously deliver from those consequences, but in the overwhelming percentage of the time, He does not. He will still be with us as we deal with those consequences; He will sustain us through them; He will carry us through them in the hollow of his hand; He will even use them for our benefit (Rom.8:28); but, they must be dealt with. The only sure way to avoid sin’s consequences is to avoid the sin that causes them. That is why God tells us over and over again in His Word to avoid sin, do not linger over its temptations; run from it and to God. Samson did not do that; he toyed with sin and the consequences of his sins destroyed him. Don’t be a Samson, don’t play with sin; you will lose every time. Instead, ask God to deliver you from evil (Matt. 6:13). He will always provide a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13).

Let us stop the progress of sin in our soul at the first stage, for the farther it goes the faster it will increase. – Thomas Fuller

January 9

I repent in dust and ashes. – Job 42:6

CONSIDER MY SERVANT JOB….

I’m sure you all have heard the story of Job, how he suffered, was not particularly comforted by his friends, and was eventually blessed by God. Let me refresh your memory by giving you my Reader’s Digest version of the book.

The first two chapters explain how Job came to arrive at the predicament he was in. He didn’t understand that God was allowing Satan to come against him; he just knew life was not nearly as good as it once was. The next 35 chapters are basically accounts of Job asking God, Why me, Lord?; his friends saying, Because you sinned. Repent!; and Job saying, No, I didn’t. Why me, Lord?; and round and round it went. Then finally, in chapter 38, God speaks. He does not address one single question posed to Him by either Job or his friends. He simply says, in essence, I’m God, you’re not. Get over it! Job seems to get the point because he responds with the verse above.

Now, if Job hadn’t sinned as his friends had accused, of what was he repenting? He repented of having doubted both God’s goodness and His justice. He realized that God did not owe him an explanation for what was going on in his life. It wasn’t Job’s job (oh, that’s bad!) to know the why; it was his responsibility to simply trust God through it all. (Now, at some point God did give Job an explanation; otherwise, we wouldn’t have the book!)

You see, God is good and God is just, whether it seems to us at the time or not. We don’t have the big picture that only God has so we can’t see all that God is doing or what His purposes are (Isa. 40:13; 55:9). The Bible assures us that God is in control and even causes all things to work together for both our benefit and His glory (Rom. 8:28). Our problem is that we like to enjoy the illusion that we are in control of at least part of our lives and, if given the chance, we could do a pretty good job of running our lives. But such is not the case at all on any point. We are not in control – God is. I like the way Chuck Swindoll puts it. He says the longer he lives, the more convinced he is that the only thing we can control in our lives is our reaction to the circumstances God allows in our lives. And even that should be under the control of the Holy Spirit! Another fellow once stated that he was experiencing so many challenges in his life that he could hardly wait to see what God was up to!

So let me encourage you, in spite of whatever disagreeable circumstances in which you may find yourself, to just remember that God is still on His throne, He loves us, and He has our best interests at heart. Our task is to simply trust Him and praise Him in the midst of our circumstances. We will sleep a lot better at night acknowledging His sovereignty!

The phrase God is good cannot be reserved for those moments when life turns out the way we had hoped. — Stacy and Paula Rinehart

January 10

It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn your statutes. – Psalm 119:71

ADVANCEMENT IN ADVERSITY

Why does God allow adversity in the lives of His children? While that may be an oft-asked question, there are many answers, and some may never be known. But there are a few that I would like to explore here, and they may surprise you.

As in times past, many people today feel that if you are doing God’s will that you will experience prosperity, and if you are out of His will, adversity. We would like to think this because, if it is true, it gives us some degree of control over our circumstances. However, that is not what the Bible teaches. For example, both the book of Job and Jesus’ teachings soundly refute that ideology. God’s response to the questions posed to Him by both Job and his friends is, basically, You don’t know a thing. I’m God, you’re not; get over it. (Job 38-41). Jesus was once asked about a man being born blind from birth. The assumption was that either he had sinned (How?) or his parents, and that resulted in his being born blind. (John 9). Jesus explained that neither was the case but it was for God’s glory (vs. 3). Jesus also told His disciples that, in this world, we would have troubles (adversity), but we are to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). And then there are the examples of the disciples, all of whom were martyred for their faith except John, who was exiled. Many of the early church leaders were martyred or had very hard lives by the world’s standard. Also, throughout history, right up to today, we have people suffering for their faith all over the world. Why should we be any different?

So, does God just like to see His children squirm? Absolutely not! We may never understand the why for all the evil things that happen to us, but there are a few things we can cling to. First of all, God has promised us that He will only allow those things to touch our lives that will ultimately be for our benefit and His glory (Rom. 8:28). And the ultimate benefit to us is that He is conforming us to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). That conforming is like the molding, shaping, and squeezing of the clay until it conforms to the image the potter desires it to have. Now if God is the potter and we are the clay, the process of being molded, shaped, and squeezed is not fun at the time, but the end result will be worth it all.

Perhaps one of the best examples of one advancing in adversity would be that of Joseph (Gen. 37, 39-50). Joseph had been told by God in at least two different dreams that he would rule over his brothers and even his parents. Then he was sold into slavery; and as if that wasn’t bad enough, he was then put in prison for being unjustly accused of attempted rape. But here is a key point: in each situation, the Bible tells us that the Lord was with him and he became successful wherever he was (Gen. 39:2; 21; 23). From these extremely unlikely situations, the vision God gave him was miraculously fulfilled when he was made prime minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.

My point in all this is that God allows adversity in our lives so that He can conform us to be more like Jesus. Sometimes that includes experiencing worldly prosperity (e.g., as Joseph eventually did), and sometimes our reward is delayed until we see Him face to face. Our part is to trust Him that He loves us and that He is still on His throne and still in charge, regardless of any adversity He may allow in our lives.

Adversity is the diamond dust heaven polishes its jewels with. – Robert Leighton

January 11

"Brethren, what shall we do (to be saved)? Peter said to them, Repent…."

– Acts 2:37-38

THE MISSING INGREDIENT

We hear a lot today about seeker-friendly worship services and methods of witnessing. There seems to be an emphasis on not scaring off inquirers with too much hell fire and damnation-type preaching or witnessing. I believe that proponents of this approach are truly desiring to follow Paul’s admonition to be all things to all men, that I might by all means save some (1 Cor. 9:22). However, I have noticed that some, in taking this approach, have left out an important part of the gospel message: namely, the depth of our sin and the need to desire to turn away from it, or, in other words, to repent. Fortunately, my Pastor does not shy away from this in his preaching, but others have. For example, although I really liked Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life, if there is one criticism I would have with it, it would be on this point: he does not mention repentance at all.

Okay, you might say, so what’s the problem with this? I’m glad you asked! First, if we omit the reason we need salvation, we may misunderstand what we are asked to do to be saved, and hence not experience a true new birth. Second, even if we understand the new birth, if we do not learn to see our sin as God sees it, as revolting and reviling, and truly loathe it ourselves, we will never get the victory over it. We have to understand our total depravity apart from His righteousness before we can fully repudiate it. Then, and only then, can we see the need of salvation and the necessity of exchanging our unrighteousness for His righteousness (Isa. 64:6), our very life for His (Gal. 2:20; 2 Cor. 5:17; Ezek. 36:26-27).

Let’s look at the verses I partially quoted at the top of this article, Acts 2:37-38. The full answer Peter gives is to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins. Repentance is the first and critical step. It is what John the Baptist called for (Mk. 1:15); Jesus called for it (Matt. 4:17; Lk. 24:47); and it was the message repeated throughout by the New Testament church (Acts 3:19; 5:31; 20:21; 26:18). (As an aside, the baptism mentioned here assumes a new birth to which it would publicly testify.)

So, here is my point for all us non-preachers: when we get the opportunity to share the gospel, whether it is one-on-one or with a group, we should never leave out the essential element of our need to repent. It must be done in love (1 Cor. 13:1-3; Eph. 4:15), never with pride or in an attempt to scare someone into the kingdom! But it must be included, for to not do so is to make it the missing ingredient!

Of all acts of man, repentance is the most divine. The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none. - Thomas Carlyle

January 12

And He said to them, Follow Me…. – Matthew 4:19

Abide in me and I in you…. – John 15:4

FOLLOW ME VS. ABIDE IN ME

In the preface to his book, Abide in Christ, Andrew Murray pointed out that during Jesus’ earthly ministry He primarily referred to His relationship with His disciples as one of them following Him, watching what He did and listening to what He said and taught. However, as He neared the end of that ministry, He changed that relationship to one of abiding in Him. What is the difference, and should we care?

Abiding is much more intimate than simply following. Unfortunately, so many Christians never get past the following and never learn to abide as Jesus instructed us to. As a result, the fullness of the Christian life is missed by those who do not learn to abide. Jesus said that He came that we might have not just life in Him, but abundant life in Him (Jn. 10:10). However, that abundant life cannot be experienced from the outside, as a mere follower; it must be experienced from the inside out by our mutually abiding in Him and Him in us. Murray suggests that, even when this was written back in the 19th century, the church must bear some guilt for her members not embracing this all-important concept because, by and large, it has not been taught. And, no doubt, the same could be said for much of the church today.

Now, Murray also points out that, just as we cannot eat enough food in one sitting to last us a week, neither should we try to absorb all that is contained in this book concerning the great truths of THE Book, the Bible, in one sitting. It must be read and reread in small installments, preferably one chapter a day. This is an example of the principle that there are no shortcuts to growth. If a fruit tree is to produce fruit, it takes time to mature; it takes proper cultivation to enhance its fruit-bearing, to produce not just fruit but much fruit. The same is true for our walk with and abiding in Jesus (Jn. 15:5, 8). It takes time not just to learn about Him but to know Him, just as it takes time to develop any relationship. I’ve been married to Chérie for over 44 years and we dated seven years prior to getting married, but I’m still getting to know her better each day, and that can only happen if we make the effort to spend time with each other every day. Jesus wants us to spend time with Him every day in order to learn how we are to abide in Him, to learn how to derive our very life from Him, as a branch derives its very life from the vine. Why not start today to abide and not just follow!

Christ will always accept the faith that puts its trust in Him. – Andrew Murray

January 13

Is anything too hard for the Lord? – Genesis 18:14

THE HARD THINGS OF LIFE

There is a story about a young man who, eager to make it to the top, went to a well-known billionaire businessman and asked him what the number one reason for his success was. The businessman answered without hesitation, Hard work. After a lengthy pause, the young man asked, What is the SECOND reason? Have you ever noticed that only the things in life that are really difficult seem to be the ones worth doing or having? And yet, like the young man in my story, we seem to want to shy away from those things that are hard to do. We want success to come our way, but don’t always want to put forth the effort required for that success. When the way gets rough, some people will want to quit. Sometimes they want to do so because they are afraid of hard work, like my young man above. But other times people genuinely think that, if they are following the Lord’s direction for their lives, they will not encounter any difficulties, so they start to question whether or not they are in the Lord’s will. Sometimes, difficulties simply arise because we live in an imperfect, fallen world, and things just don’t work the way they should all the time. Additionally, God can use circumstances to get our attention if we are going astray, but difficult circumstances can also be a means of God testing our faith in Him to accomplish His purposes through us. A quick look at the lives of the Apostles, including Paul, will show us that the Christian life is not always a bed of roses, and even when it is, roses still have thorns! Jesus said, These things I have spoken to you that you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world. (Jn. 16:33). So what are we to do when we encounter difficult situations?

I remember one of my favorite quotes from Colonel David Crockett of the Tennessee Volunteers: Be sure you’re right, and then go ahead. First, check to make sure that you are not violating some scriptural principle. If that shows no red flags, then ask God to open the door of opportunity He wants you to go through and then keep going ahead where you are until He shows you otherwise. Remember how Paul wanted to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them (Acts 16:7) because He wanted them to go into Macedonia (Acts 16 9). God will always honor a heart that earnestly seeks Him; He will not let us go astray if we are willing to follow His direction no matter where it may lead and no matter what the difficulties are we may encounter.

We live in a fallen world, and, as a result, we must work harder than we would have if Adam and Eve had not sinned (Gen. 3:17-19). But, as Jesus said, He has overcome the world; we are overwhelming conquerors through Him (Rom. 8:37). He wants to work in and through us to accomplish His purposes; our job is to trust Him to provide the direction and the strength to follow that direction. It will (always) be worth it all!

I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done. – Hudson Taylor

January 14

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. – James 1:23-24

MIRROR, MIRROR, ON THE WALL….

Mirrors are wonderful things, though often misused. Vain people misuse them to gaze upon themselves only to admire their own beauty. Like the person in the verse above, they often look in the mirror and ignore the flaws, or at least forget them as soon as they walk away. But the mirror is there to show you what you really look like – it reflects your real image. When you get up in the morning, it shows you what got all messed up in the night! Your hair is going in fourteen different directions; you’ve got wrinkles on your face from the pillow; if you are a drooler, there may be dried drool out of the corner of your mouth (yuck!); and you have sleep crunches around the corners of your eyes. But vain people are like the man above who looks at these imperfections and walks away saying to himself, There’s nothing wrong with me – I’m alright!

James continues in verse 25, "But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does." The Bible is our mirror for our life. It shows us what is wrong in our lives. It reflects who we really are. Before we are saved, it shows we are sinful creatures in need of a savior. Paul says that is the reason the law was given, to show us we couldn’t meet God’s standard of absolute perfection and therefore needed a redeemer (Rom. 7). Afterwards, it gives us insight into what Gods says we need to let Him change in our lives. If we refuse to heed what the mirror of God’s Word shows us, we act foolishly; but if we heed it, James tells us we will be blessed in what we do. How will we be blessed? By allowing God to change the things in our lives that are not in conformation to the image of Christ.

But we have to first look into the mirror by faithfully reading His Word daily, hiding it in our hearts so that we won’t sin against Him (Ps. 119:11), letting it be a light to our paths (Ps. 119:105). You are to "study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15 [KJV], emphasis mine). We need the daily feeding of the Word for our spiritual health just as much as we need physical food for our physical health.

A farmer was on hard times and he really didn’t have enough oats to properly feed his mule, so he cut back on the oats and added in a little sawdust. The mule didn’t seem to notice, so the farmer kept putting in less and less oats and more sawdust until finally the mule was only getting sawdust. The mule died shortly afterwards. The lesson is if you don’t get the proper nourishment, you die. Now I want to be clear that our salvation is in no way threatened by our failure to feed on the Word, but the abundant life Jesus promised (John 10:10) is not possible if we don’t let God hold up His word to our lives to show us how we are to live. Why not start today on a regular program of Bible reading and study – you will be blessed!

It’s no good to sit up and take notice if we just keep on sitting. — Anonymous

January 15

…and all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. – 1 Peter 5:5

I’M THE MOST HUMBLE PERSON I KNOW!

Anybody can see that there is something wrong with that statement! Being humble is the one quality that, if you think you are, you, ain’t!

Well, David, you may say, that’s one problem I don’t have. I mean, I know I have my shortcomings, although they may not be as bad as…. Oops, slipped in again, didn’t it? See how easy it is?

Humility is a tricky thing. Jesus could rightly say of Himself that He was humble (Matt. 11:29) because He humbled Himself as only He, as God, could do (Phil. 2:5-8). While we are admonished to have this same attitude, we aren’t God, and we have to be careful not to be proud of our humility! Only once in the Bible am I aware that the writer is himself described as humble, and that is in Numbers 12:3 where we read, (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man on the face of the earth.) But did you notice the parentheses? Many Bible scholars feel that this verse was added by Ezra or some other later writer for clarification and not put there by Moses himself, as it would be a disqualifier if he did.

Corrie Ten Boom told this story when she was asked if she had trouble remaining humble considering how God had used her to bless so many people. She simply replied that when Jesus made His triumphal entrance into Jerusalem on what we now call Palm Sunday, do you think it ever entered the donkey’s brain that the people were cheering for him? I think she is on to something there. It seems to me that the secret of being humble without being proud of it is to genuinely realize that anything we do in and of ourselves is accounted as nothing (Jn. 15:5b) but that, on the other hand, there is nothing that He cannot accomplish through us (Phil. 4:13). The objective is for Him to get the glory because only He is worthy of glory.

Now, I’m not talking about a false humility that says, "Oh, I can’t do anything; I really don’t have any talents or abilities to speak of. I’m really just someone who attends church and can’t do anything else." There’s a Greek word for that – Baloney! God has uniquely gifted each and every one of us to be ministers (see Eph. 4:11-12, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service) and it is nothing more than a dodge to say otherwise. Even if you don’t feel equipped or qualified at the moment, just remember that God may not always call the qualified, but He will always qualify the called. If you are nothing more than a pew-sitter, you are not being humble, you are simply being disobedient! God has a place of service for you. Even if you have health limitations, you can be a prayer warrior, even in a hospital bed. It is up to you to be open to what God is calling you to do when it comes to ministry in the church.

The key is to keep whatever God accomplishes through you in perspective, like the donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem. The glory is for Him, not us.

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. – Romans 12:3

January 16

…Lord, teach us to pray…. - Luke 11:1

THE IMPERATIVE OF PRAYER

I recently heard a preacher make a very interesting point. Even though during His earthly ministry Jesus was the greatest teacher and preacher to ever live, His disciples never asked Him to teach them to teach or preach. But they did ask Him to teach them to pray. Perhaps they recognized that Jesus drew His power from His close communion with His Heavenly Father through prayer and they wanted to experience that same closeness with God. Whatever the reason, the disciples wanted to learn how to pray from the Master more than anything else, because that is the only thing they asked Him for. It would, therefore, behoove us to consider the importance of prayer in our daily walk with the Lord.

Prayer is talking with (not just to) God, getting to know Him better. It’s just like you get to know your spouse better by spending time together, talking with each other, seeking to learn what makes each other happy and then doing it. Because Jesus chose to limit Himself while on earth (Phil. 2:5-11), He was totally dependent upon His communication with His Heavenly Father for His ministry. This is how we are to be – totally dependent upon our communication with our Heavenly Father to ensure we are walking in His ways. This is what Jesus taught His disciples when He gave the model prayer we know commonly as the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2-4; Matt. 6:9-13). We are to seek His will to be done