Weelky Devo - "God > self"

from Lenae - GEMS Training Manager

 

God>self

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

Luke 9:23

Life can be exhausting, especially for those who can’t say “no”. They stretch themselves like rubber bands over multiple ministry opportunities and life’s extra-curricular activities, and in time they stretch thin and snap. Maybe you’re in a season of over commitment. Maybe you’re in recovery and have even practiced saying, “No!” in the bathroom mirror before stepping into the next volunteer meeting.

Whether you can identify with that kind of breathless living or not, if we’re truly transparent we all have problems saying no to people. And the people most difficult to say no to is . . . us!

Instead of saying no to self and all that our sinful nature desires, we plop ourselves on the throne of our heart and use the language of the Land of Me. I need . . . I want . . . I expect . . . I deserve . . . It’s a mini-kingdom mentality centered on me, myself, and I. It makes much of self and less of God.

Our Savior Jesus who left the throne room of heaven and made Himself nothing teaches by example and words what it means to live for His Kingdom. He said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

Deny yourself. This is foreign language in a culture of entitlement. If we’re going to say yes to God’s greatness in our lives, it’s means saying no to self. The throne of our heart isn’t built for two. Worship Christ, adore Christ, fix your eyes on Christ until you find pleasing Him abundantly more life giving and beautiful than pleasing self.

Take up your cross daily. The cross is a place of suffering and sacrifice. Jesus humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross. He sacrificed His very life so we could have life. As His disciples, we’re called to do the same. What needs to be sacrificed to say yes to God and no to self? What is the primary thing that distracts you and me from a Christ-centered life? That’s where our sacrifice needs to begin.

Follow Jesus. Even the very youngest child knows how to play Follow the Leader. With childlike faith we need to relinquish our control issues, surrender, and stand behind Jesus. Follow His example. Trust His lead.

HE>i: Who or what has reigned supreme in your life in the past hour? Pray for God’s help to say yes to Him and no to self. 

We fail to uphold His glory because we want it for ourselves. Our default mode is self-centeredness, not God-centeredness.

Bob Bevington

Weekly Devo - "Look Up!"

by: Lenae, GEMS Training Manager

Look up! 

At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High: I honored and glorified him who lives forever.

Daniel 4:34

Within her playful children’s book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Judith Viorst spins a tale of Alexander’s day that moves from bad to worse. Page by page Alexander laments, “I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”

Can you even begin to imagine King Nebuchadnezzar’s bad day when his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird? Talk about moving from bad to worse. The king was driven from his palace and people for seven years to live with wild animals. He ate grass like cattle and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven.

What moved King Nebuchadnezzar from the palace to the pasture? Pride! In his arrogance he commanded people to bow to his image of gold. In his conceit he walked on the roof of his royal palace and said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the power of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30)

These words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven (v. 31) reiterated the details of God’s divine punishment. What originated as a dream twelve months previous became his immediate reality.

Whenever Scripture wants to grab our attention things are repeated. Three times within Daniel 4 it says, Acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes (v. 17, 25, 32).

Acknowledge God’s Sovereignty! We mustn’t question it and we certainly can’t change it. He is Sovereign–even over our most terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days. He is the Most High–there’s no one higher or greater! He is God; we are not. Heaven rules! (v. 26)

The king’s move from pride to humility took place when he looked up. At the end of the time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven (v. 34). He took his eyes off of himself. He stopped looking down from his palace rooftop at all he had accomplished through his supposed power and might, and he looked up to God Most High.

Pride flees when we look up and acknowledge that God is the greatest! Humble people stop looking at themselves, and refuse to look down at others or play the comparison game. They look up and keep their eyes fixed on Jesus.

HE>i: Where is the focus from self to God most needed in your life? 

We think that our biggest problems come from our failures; God thinks our biggest problems come from our pride.

Bob Goof