Weekly Devotional - "God>People" - 7/15/2013

from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager

Who’s the greatest in your life . . . God or people? Let’s think together on the theme, Who’s the Greatest?

God>People

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Galatians 1:10 

When King Saul spared King Agag and the best of the livestock instead of following God’s command to destroy everything, he demonstrated that public opinion and popularity were greater in his life than God. He told Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them” (1 Samuel 15:24). He feared people more then God.

When Samson loved Delilah more than God and feared losing her sexual attention more then he feared sinning against the LORD, he gave into her nagging and revealed the secret of his strength (Judges 16). He was bound with more than bronze shackles. He was snared by the fear of man (Proverbs 29:25).

When David feared the scandal that would surely take place if his secret affair with Bathsheba became public knowledge, he went to murderous lengths to cover it up (2 Samuel 11). He despised God’s Word instead of honoring it.

Abraham feared Abimelech and lied about his wife. Elijah feared Jezebel and ran for his life. Peter feared those who persecuted Jesus.  Three times he denied his Lord.

In the Gospels we learn of those who believed in Christ. There was the Samaritan woman and many from her village, the man born blind, Zacchaeus, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and religious leaders. Yes, religious leaders. But fear kept them from saying so. Many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God (John 12:42-43). They feared being thrown out of the synagogue more than entering the Kingdom. It was of higher importance to receive praise from people than approval from God.

When we fear people more than their Maker, we make much of man and less of God. Paul makes it clear that we can’t be people-pleasers and servants of Christ. We’re either slaves to people–fearing disapproval or craving approval, or we’re slaves to our Master. There’s no possibility of God and others sharing center stage in our heart or lives. Who’s the greatest in your life?

HE>i: When are you most tempted to be a people-pleaser? Think about what changes need to be made in this relationship(s) to win the approval of God.

To trust God rather than to fear man is to obey God’s clear directives, regardless of popular opinion, apparent wisdom or the prospects for success.

John A. Kitchen

"Zealous for His Honor" - Weekly Devotional - 7/9/13

from Lenae, GEMS Training Manger

 

Zealous for His Honor

Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them.   -    Numbers 25:11 

While Moses was on top of the mountain receiving God’s law, the Israelites were at its foot disobeying it. When he entered the camp, saw the golden calf and the dancing Israelites, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control (Exodus 32:19, 25).

It was a Popeye moment. The 1930’s Popeye the Sailor cartoon character always came to the pivotal point where he proclaimed, “That’s all I can stands, I can’t stands no more.”  Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me” (Exodus 32:26). The tribe of Levi immediately responded. Zealous for God’s honor, they strapped on their swords and went back and forth through the camp, killing their brothers, friends, and neighbors. Three thousand people died.

Again God’s honor was compromised in Shittim when the men indulged in sexual immorality with Moabite women. The LORD’s anger burned at their immorality and idol worship. It was when Phinehas drove a spear through the Israelite and the Midianite woman’s body that the plague stopped. Twenty-four thousand people died.

Phinehas was passionate about making God visible. He was zealous for God’s honor, and exalted His greatness. He stood up in a culture of compromise and it was credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come (Psalm 106:31).   

The ever-present temptation to compromise God’s commands and look a whole lot more like the culture than Christ is as real today as it was for the Israelites. Think about it. Does our anger burn like Moses when we see people dance around evil and celebrate sin? Are we as zealous as Phinehas for God’s glory and honor? Do we strap on the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and do battle in a world of darkness with His weapon of light?

Sisters in Jesus, we must not compromise but confront. Stand firm for God’s glory, fight for His honor. Do not shrink back from being a witness to the Light. Let’s be zealous for His greatness and earnest in prayer that His glory be over all the earth. 

HE>i: When those around us make less of God, how do we respond?

His pleasure, His honor, and His will are the things for which we are meant to live.

Paul David Tripp 

"When You Pray" - Weekly Devotional - 7/1/2013

from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager

 

Happy Canada Day to the Canadian Sisters today and Independence Day on July 4 to the US Sisters. Thanking Him for our countries and greater still, our shared heavenly citizenship!

One of greatest ways we can love one another as sisters in Christ is by praying for each other. You do that so beautifully! Thank you for it. Let’s think together how prayer specifically intersects with our theme, Who’s the Greatest?

When You Pray 

He said to them, “When you pray.”

Luke 11:2a

For God to be the greatest in our lives, we’re going to need some help. Divine help. Because the natural inclination of our hearts is to be self-centered rather than God-centered, it’s critical that we humble ourselves in prayer.

When you pray, start with God. Jesus taught His disciples to begin their prayers by saying, “Father, hallowed be your name” (Luke 11:2). Start your prayers by telling God how great He is! Declare who He is and all He’s done. Delight in His names, nature, promises, and character. Beginning with God puts our prayers in perspective. We sense our powerlessness and His omnipotence.

When you pray, humble yourself before God. In the parable of the two men who prayed, the Pharisee prayed about himself. The tax collector beat his breast and begged for God’s mercy. It’s interesting to note that Jesus’ parable is more about the attitude of pride than the how-to of prayer. His intended audience was those who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else. His parable point was that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted (Luke 18:9, 14b).

When you pray, don’t put on a show. Within the Sermon on the Mount Jesus instructs us to get alone with the Father. This is tender time between the Father and His child, not stage performance for those listening in. As far as word count, use less. There are no bonus points for babblers for our Father already knows what we need (Matthew 6:5-8).

When you pray, focus on God’s glory. God expects His glory to be the primary petition of our prayers. Jesus’ prayers for Himself, His disciples, and future believers were passionate and preoccupied with the Father’s glory (John 17). Phil Moore writes, “Jesus wants to teach us that His prayers are always Father-centered, not self-centered or us-centered, so that we learn to keep our own prayers focused on the glory of the Living God.”

When you pray, pray for humility. Pray that God would become greater and you would become less. Pray that He would clothe you with the attitude of Christ so people would see more of Him and less of you.

He>i: For God to become greater and bigger in your life, what change is needed in your prayers?

PRAYER: Father, we confess that we are naturally self-centered and self-exalting. Any humility we have is the gift of your Holy Spirit. Please, please touch us now with a humble heart, and break our pride and self-dependence. Amen.

C. John Miller

from Lenae, GEMS training manager

God is Greater Still 

The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

1 John 4:4b

Mark Twain was quoted as saying that “History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” There certainly is rhyme and rhythm to Israelite history. The first time their toes touched the border of the Promised Land, they backed down in fear. The spies reported that the Israelites were like grasshoppers in comparison to the giants of the land. Ten of the twelve recommended retreat rather than attack, and the people agreed, rebelling against the Lord.

Forty years later it’s round two. The next generation now has their toes on the tip of the border, but nothing has changed in the enemy camp. Moses said, the nations are still “greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky” (Deuteronomy 9:2).  This wasn’t new news. They had heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?”  

Moses assured this generation like he did the one that preceded them, “The LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you” (Deuteronomy 9:3).

God will do what He promised to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He will do what He said He will do, not because of their righteousness, but because of His greatness. Would they trust Him?

No matter what our toes are lined up to today, the enemy will always be too much for us. The enemy is always bigger, stronger, and more powerful then our weak wills and feeble hands. So stop focusing on the enemy and look up to your Great God! Will you trust Him?

* Are you fearful and frustrated? God is greater still.

* Are doctors’ reports too much to bear? God is greater still.

* Are you weary of whiney toddlers and troubled teens? God is greater still.

* Are you trapped in the lie that you’ll never change or be free from this destructive life pattern? God is greater still.

Maybe you can’t feel that truth in your soul today. That’s OK. You don’t need to feel it. God’s not a feeling; He’s a fact. With His help, choose to trust that His greatness is enough to point your toe in the right direction and His grace is sufficient to get you to the day’s end.

He>i: What feels too great for you to handle today? God is greater still. Will you trust Him?

God’s heart and mind are greater than ours. All that is asked of us is trust.

Henri Nouwen