November 8th, 2007 by Janis
Keeping Your Eye on the Road
Psalm 25:15
My eyes are continually toward the LORD, For He will pluck my feet out of the net.
Have you ever tried to make a perfectly straight line of footprints in the snow? It’s not as easy as you might think. Faced with the challenge, most people may tread slow and steady, heads down, focusing intensely at their feet. When someone attempts this task with their eyes looking downward, they are sure to fail. The footprints will be crooked.
When you walk with your eyes on your feet, you have no idea where you’re going. The experience is entirely self-centered. There’s no perspective because you cannot see how you fit into the larger landscape. There’s no genuine focus, since every step treads over the last step’s focal point. You haven’t imagined yourself as part of a bigger picture. So, for all intents and purposes, you simply plod through the snow aimlessly.
The only way to make a straight line of footprints is to forget about your feet. The key is to look straight ahead and find a fence post, street sign, or tree off in the distance. Then, with your eyes fixed on that target, start walking. If you’ve locked your focus on something outside of yourself, your path will be straight every time.
The same is true in our spiritual lives. If we walk through life concentrating inwardly, we’ll fail to see the bigger picture and veer off course. But when we focus beyond ourselves and fix our thoughts and spiritual eyes on Jesus, we can trust our paths to be straight and trustworthy every step of the way (Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.).
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November 6th, 2007 by Janis
God’s Pathway to Success
InTouch Daily Devotional - January 31, 2007
Joshua 1:7
Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.
Too often, Christians shy away from the idea of success. Some are just grateful for whatever the Lord gives them. These misguided believers have confused success with greed and discontent! This happens because of our overwhelming obsession with the world’s definition of success.
For most people, success is equivalent to wealth and power. If you asked the average person on the street whether he’s successful, there’s a good chance he would talk about his career or investments. He may even make a passing reference to his “15 minutes of fame.” Many people simply cannot view success outside of these terms.
Yet, our heavenly Father calls His children to live triumphantly. If the pursuit of success were sinful, how could God have made the promise of Joshua 1:7? Was He promising money? No. Was He promising fame? No. The Lord was promising success.
For Joshua, success was defined as military victory, steadfast faith, and the fulfillment of God’s promise to Moses. Joshua wasn’t concerned with money or fame. He was intensely focused on fulfilling God’s plan for him. Armed with the power of the Word, Joshua boldly marched ahead and received the Lord’s blessings. And for that, God called him a “success.”
Don’t be confused. The world’s trappings have nothing to do with spiritual success. Your family, relationships, integrity, faithfulness… these are the things that matter in life. When you place your emphasis on these things, you’ll discover the godly way to measure success.
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November 4th, 2007 by Janis
READ | 1 Corinthians 13:5-7
Forgiving those who wronged us is a tough command to follow. Our human nature finds it easier and more satisfying to hold onto our anger. But, as vessels of God’s love, Christians no longer live according to the impulses of the flesh. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, when someone mistreats us, we can not only forgive but also show love to that person.
First Corinthians 13:5 tells us several important aspects of love. First, love does not seek its own. Many people are preoccupied with their “rights.” Yet, the idea of entitlement is a worldly creation, not a biblical mandate. This doesn’t mean we allow others to take advantage of us. Rather, our primary concern should not be with our interests. Instead, we’re to be focused on showing God’s love to our enemy, which is a mandate from Scripture found in Matthew 5:44.
The second thing 1 Corinthians 13:5 tells us about love is that it’s not provoked. Maintaining a peaceful spirit when we’re irritated is difficult. But the moments when we’re persecuted or wronged are precisely the times we most need to be mindful of God’s love flowing through us. Consider how often Jesus had to face religious leaders who deliberately provoked Him. Yet, on the cross, He sought the Father’s forgiveness for them, too.
Finally, 1 Corinthians 13:5 teaches that love does not take into account a wrong suffered. God’s love flowing through us can remove a hurt done by someone else. But we must let this happen instead of holding onto that painful memory.
People will wrong us. But, if we have an unprovoked, caring attitude that isn’t preoccupied with “rights,” then we can let go of bitterness and forgive with love.
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November 1st, 2007 by Janis
How Obedience Relates to Love
READ | John 14:21-24
21“(A)He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and (B)he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will (C)disclose Myself to him.”
22(D)Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened (E)that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?”
23Jesus answered and said to him, “(F)If anyone loves Me, he will (G)keep My word; and (H)My Father will love him, and We (I)will come to him and make Our abode with him.
24“He who does not love Me (J)does not keep My words; and (K)the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
The night before Jesus’ crucifixion, He reminded His disciples of the important connection between love and obedience. In John 14:21, Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me.” In God’s mind, loving and obeying Him are inseparable. We need to think the same way.
What commands are we called to obey? Jesus said that the Law and the Prophets depend on two commandments: First, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Second, He commanded, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37, 39 NIV). When we consistently and thoughtfully study the New Testament, the Holy Spirit reveals how to live out these commands. Every time we follow the Spirit’s instructions, we are saying “I love You” to God. When we release a selfish attitude and place someone else first, when we show forgiveness instead of anger, or when we demonstrate a thankful heart in the midst of difficult circumstances, we ex press affection for the Lord. But if we live in conscious, deliberate disobedience to Him, Jesus says we don’t love Him.
Jesus’ life on earth was one continuous expression of love for the heavenly Father (John 14:31). Following Christ’s example requires a heart that desires to please Him, an obedient will, and a mind that consistently seeks divine direction. Develop the habit of asking yourself two questions: First, What does obedience to God look like in this situation? And, second, What additional steps can I take to obey God more fully?
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