Sunday
Proverbs 14:29, 15:1 “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” I know, I know, we’ve all heard this before. But, the Bible does put some emphasis on it, so hearing it again probably won’t hurt. In the New Testament there are multiple verses about taming the tongue. Jesus tells how it isn’t what goes into the body that defiles it, but what comes out. Let’s think about it. What do you gain by being hot-tempered or hostile? Hmm… I’m drawing a blank here. Unless you consider the small amount of satisfaction you might get out of having “put someone in their place” or something like that. But again… what does that gain you? Not only is irritability and aggressiveness displeasing to God, it just doesn’t do any good. It harms relationships, may take away opportunities, will probably either make you feel guilty or gradually harden your heart, and it hurts others. No one is benefited. On the other side, what’s to be gained with kindness and gentleness? Well, God’s approval, for one, which is definitely a nice perk. And how about stronger relationships? A good reputation? Building others up? Building yourself up even? And, shining the light of Christ? Monday Micah 7:8 “Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.” If you read my most recent blog post, titled “Starting Somewhere”, this should sound familiar. Consider this devo a refresher on the topic. If you haven’t read it, you can find it here: http://iamvariant.weebly.com/a-teens-view/starting-somewhere Notice that the verse doesn’t say: “Give it up, O my enemy, because I ain’t gonna fall. No darkness ‘round here!” Rather, it says when I fall, and when I sit in darkness. Meaning, yeah, we’re going to be stumbling and tripping as we flounder in the dark now and again. The good news? It doesn’t end there. Because “when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.” God is there to help us back up. As I said in my post, the getting-back-up process may not be easy, and it may take time, but it can happen, so long as you’re willing to accept help and keep trying, knowing that it’s okay to fall, you’ll rise again. Tuesday Micah 7:18-20 “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as You have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.” What a good God we serve! In doing some reading in the Old Testament recently, I kept noticing a common theme: the people sin, God is angry at them, maybe punishes them, then He forgives them. Is that or is that not reason to rejoice? That “He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love”. No one does steadfast love like our God does. There’s a balance, I think, to be set between preaching only God’s love and forgiveness or preaching only His wrath and commandments. Because God loves and forgives, and God makes commandments and gets angry when we continually disobey them. But what’s awesome? Is that it seems to be the love and forgiveness that has the last word. Wednesday Matthew 6:7-8 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” Prayer has been something I’ve struggled with for some time. One of the reasons? I thought I had to do it “right”. This verse has two meanings, I think. First, it’s cautioning against making faith into a display. Before this, Jesus talked about not praying in the synagogues and streets to be seen by others, but rather in secret. Second, it’s telling us that simple is okay! I used to--sometimes still do--get all worked up about not being able to pray well, not being able to phrase things eloquently, or just repeating myself, or being too brief. You know what? God already knows what we’re asking for. He already knows the best answer or solution to it, too. We don’t have to explain things to Him. You can if you just need to get it out, of course, but if you’re having a hard time finding the words or feel like you’re not doing it “right”? No need to worry about that. Because “heaping up empty phrases” isn’t what gets God’s attention, it’s your sincerity, humility, love and obedience. Your prayers are really short? That’s okay! So long as they’re not short because you’re skimping on your time with God. Your prayers are long? That’s okay too! Because when it comes to length, or words used, or method of delivery… I don’t think there’s a right or wrong. You might notice that Jesus’ prayers were pretty short and sweet. Just enjoy the time talking to God, and realize that He already knows exactly what you need. Thursday Galatians 2:11-13 “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles, but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.” This is something I’ve seen in others, and myself. With one group, you agree with such and such, support so and so, and will do this and that. With a different group, you disagree with such and such. You support so and so. And goodness, you would never do this and that. Sounding familiar? I’m pretty sure we all do it to one degree or another. I’m not saying it isn’t okay to act slightly different around different people- dynamics and activities are going to vary, which is fine. But to alter your beliefs or standards to match those around you? Not fine. Which is what they were doing in this verse. By themselves or with a certain few, of course they were going to eat with Gentiles, Gentiles were great. When the circumcision party shows up, though, it’s “Ugh, who invited the Gentiles? I for one am staying over here.” Been there done that? Haven’t we all. Like I said… not fine. Why? Because it’s rooted in judgement, and in pleasing others instead of God. Friday 1 Timothy 4:7-8 “... Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” If you were going to run a marathon, would you want to do some training first? Godliness is the same way. It’s not something that we’re naturally good at. In fact, quite the opposite- naturally, we’re good at sin. Kind of like naturally, I’m good at sitting on the couch eating potatoes. (I’m a true couch potato) But if I train hard enough, I can become significantly better at running, or biking, or swimming. Many times in my life, I’ve had some conviction to stop doing a certain thing or start doing more of other things, like to be more loving or to pray more, etc. So I ask God for help and start imagining my changed life, and I’m just sure that this is it, this is the big change. What generally happens, though? My motivation dies as it becomes obvious that that ‘big change’ ain’t happening. Similarly, sometimes I suddenly have the inspiration to go climb a mountain, or run three miles. Only problem? I was sitting on the couch eating potatoes when the inspiration struck. I’ve done no preparation, no training. So as great as the inspiration is, it’s probably not going to be enough to get me up that mountain. I think godliness can be the same way. Since it’s not something that comes naturally to us, we have to work at it. We have to practice it. To build up our endurance and strength those faith-muscles. I’ve written a post on this topic, so for further reading: http://iamvariant.weebly.com/a-teens-view/training-for-godliness Saturday Amos 6:1-7 “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountains of Samaria…” 6:1 I’m only going to write the verse verse of the chapter because it sums it up well, but for a fuller understanding of the passage, I’d encourage you to read more. When I read this verse, my mind went to what it’s like for American Christians, vs. what it’s like for Christians in foreign countries. I also think of how apathetic we tend to be to the condition of our own country. Apathy is pretty much the word that starts ringing in my head here. It’s a complicated issue, because the fact is, there’s not much a lot of us can do for persecuted Christians. We can give money. A select few will actually go out and be on the ground helping. Some of us will spread the word. And I get that. But, I think there’s a very, very important first step: caring. The same applies to many things. How much do you care that your friend isn’t saved? How much do you care about what the government does and doesn’t do? How much do you care about the suffering of Christians less fortunate than you? I realize I’m not providing a solution here, just a problem. And I wish I did know a better solution. But right now, here’s what I know: I am unaware of a single verse in the Bible that displays God being apathetic. I am unaware of a single verse where He permits apathy. I am unaware of a verse that says, “Oh don’t you worry, I made lots of people and the rest of them can take care of themselves, you just go ahead and make a nice little bubble for yourself and get comfortable.” Which is why I’m convinced that apathy is not in God’s vocabulary, and it shouldn’t be in ours.
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