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“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?” Philippians 2:1
I was at a meat market one time and watched as one of the butchers in the back was pounding away on a piece of meat. He wasn’t just touching it. He had a huge mallet and was obviously putting every ounce of energy into every swing. Once he finished, the piece of beef looked battered and beaten. “That,” he said looking up and catching my watchful eye, “Will be one tender steak.”
Later, as I sat down to dinner, I realized he was right. It was, perhaps, the most tender and tasty piece of steak I’d ever eaten.
Later, I sat down to read from the book of Philippians. This book has always amazed me because the Apostle Paul wrote it in perhaps the most difficult circumstances one could imagine. Philippians 2:1 jumped off the page as I read it. “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?”
What caught my eye was the question, “Are your hearts tender and compassionate.” In order to enjoy the steak I’d just eaten it needed to be beaten and bruised. I wondered, “Is the heart the same? Is the best way to get a tender heart is for it to be battered and bruised beyond recognition? Is that the best way for us to become truly palatable to those around us?
Further reflection tells me yes. When we are faced with trials and struggles, whether they are the result of our own stupid actions of the vengeful actions of others we have two options. When we come under attack we can either become bitter or tender.
When we come into a relationship with Christ, we must first come to grips with our own failure and the realization that our own strength offers no hope. That’s brokenness. When we come to this realization we can have a better grasp of the pain others are going through. Our own brokenness leads to tenderness.
We can not effectively comfort others until we ourselves have been comforted by the healing salve of Jesus love. Until we lose hope we can not be encouraged by the hope he offers. Until we realize our utter dependence on one another we can not sense the power of the Holy Spirit and its bond in our lives.
A broken heart is a tender heart. A tender heart is one that is attractive to others just as a tough cut of meat becomes a delicious meal. Jesus allows us to be broken because He knows we will never be tasteful until that happens.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, help us to become tender and not bitter as a result of the trials we go through on a daily basis by strengthening us through your Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Lord is a mighty rock, and he never does wrong. God can always be trusted to bring justice. Deuteronomy 32:4
My family and I were playing on the beach near San Diego, CA on vacation. It was a beautiful Southern California day and exciting for us ‘northerners’ to be able to enjoy the surf. My daughters enjoyed racing waves into shore and then, as the wave receded, looking to see what had been washed onto the beach.
It amazed me how each wave changed the topography. Shells would appear for a moment until the next wave washed it away or buried it out of sight. The footprints of my daughters were only momentary dents in the sand erased forever by the next wave. Sand has no chance over the mighty power of the waves.
In so many ways, life is like that. People come into our lives and leave again. In some cases all too soon. Relationships bring excitement for a time, but time also tends to threaten the security the relationship offered. People, places and things we once thought secure can be washed away in a moment.
Whether we admit it or not, the one thing each of us seeks is security. That’s why we look for a good job; why we pressure out kids to get a good education; why we work so hard to get a retirement account that will take care of us when we get older.
The security the world has to offer is like the shifting sand on the beach that day. It is in a constant state of flux and offers no guarantees. Jesus once said that trusting the world was our own strength was like building a house on the sand. When trouble comes, our security gets washed away in a moment.
Near the beach we played on that day was a large cliff. It stood there for years holding back the sea from escaping it’s boundaries. The water’s power was no match for the rock. It stood strong and tall, seemingly oblivious to the water’s puny, relentless attacks.
God is described as a rock in scripture. Regardless of what you throw at a rock, it stands tall and strong. In the same way, when we trust God with our lives, nothing the world throws at us will have any effect.
What waves are crashing against you today? Are you focusing your attention on standing strong on the shifting sand of your own strength or are you standing on the rock that won’t fail and won’t change regardless of the size of the waves?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank you for the fact that you know that battles I’m fighting now and those that will come in my future. When I get discouraged please help me to stand firm on you. Thank you for never letting me down. In your name, Amen.
Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6
One day my family and I were driving down a logging trail deep in the forests of northern Minnesota. As darkness fell we kept our eyes open for any wildlife that may be roaming in the woods alongside the road, or better yet, on the road we traveled. We were disappointed. Our trip didn’t produce any success.
As we returned to our campsite my wife made a statement that struck me as being far more profound that she may have realized. Her statement was simply this, “We didn’t see any animals, but I wonder how many saw us.” It was a point well taken. God has given animals tools to keep them safe from enemies. Some animals would be easy prey if it weren’t for the camouflage that hides their true identity from the enemy.
While camouflage may be a good thing for animals, it has no place in the Christian life. There have been a few times recently when celebrities have spoken openly about their faith and it came as a surprise to me. Then I thought, why? Why should I be surprised that someone is ‘bold enough’ to speak about their faith? Why should that be considered a courageous thing?
John, one of Jesus’ disciples, makes it clear that a person who claims to be a child of God should show by their lives who they are. Disciples of Christ should never be camouflaged by the world. People should recognize them easily just as they recognized Jesus.
Jesus wasn’t known because he ‘had all the right answers’. Jesus didn’t stand out because he spoke out against the evil rule of the Roman government. He didn’t spend his time demanding other people follow his way. Jesus didn’t call people by their sin, he called them by their names. He didn’t point out their failures, he healed them of their pain.
What will you wear today? Will you wear the camouflage of ridicule and condemnation or will you wear the name of Jesus proudly and show it through graceful living. Will you notice people by their sin or reach out to them because of their pain?
Lord Jesus, help me to show others your love and grace. Keep me from hiding behind the camouflage of judgment and religion so others can see you. In your name I pray, Amen.
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. Isaiah 53:2
He was the shortest guy on the team. He’d played very little because his height was a distinct disadvantage trying to rebound in the land of the giants. One of his best friends was equally ‘Stature-disadvantaged’ but his quickness gave him the edge. The one thing Tom did have was an amazing outside shot. Usually he never got a chance to use it, that is, until THE GAME.
We’d fought ourselves back from a double-digit deficit. Now, with just two seconds on the clock, we were down by one. I put Tom in. I drew up the plan during our time out which would get him the ball for a last second shot to win the game. It worked flawlessly. The opposition rushed the ‘best outside shooter on the floor’ to try to keep him from getting the ball and shooting the winning shot. No one, however, paid any attention to little Tommy stationed on the other side of the floor. He caught the ball and launched a flawless shot that slid nicely through the basket for the winning shot.
Tom was an unlikely hero that day because he was overlooked by the other players. There was nothing impressive about him yet he became the most important player on the team that day for just a few minutes.
Isaiah refers to Jesus as a ‘tender green shoot’. Tender green shoots are weak and unimpressive to the naked eye yet they hold within them the promise of new life. Isaiah refers to Jesus as a ‘root in dry ground’. Roots in dry ground are repulsive to look at and hold no hope. Yet when water is put on those roots they spring to life.
Too often in our lives we feel like ‘tender green shoots’ or ‘roots in dry ground.’ We think we are of no value in the grand scheme of things. When those feelings of worthlessness overtake us, we need to remember that Jesus too was nothing to look at in the human realm. Yet, he provided for us hope and release from the things that keep us bound. People may not be impressed by your external looks but when we allow Jesus’ light to shine through us they won’t be able to deny God’s mighty work through us.
PRAYER: Father God, I thank you for the example you have given us through Jesus Christ. During those times when I feel I have nothing to offer, help me remember that with you working through me I can make a difference in my world. In Jesus name, Amen.
When the Lord saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: “Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger on Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 12:7
“I know it’s wrong but God will forgive me and I’ll be okay.”
I freely admit, I’m guilty of it myself at times. Somehow though, when I hear other people say it, it’s more ominous than when I say it myself. Yeah, I know, that’s a pretty shabby defense. Somehow, those of us who call ourselves believers buy into the lie however. We give our allegiance to Jesus. We proclaim his love, grace and mercy. We ‘take a stand against evil’ in our world, yet think nothing of doing little, unimportant sins on a daily basis. You know the ones I mean. Our cursing, swearing, judgmental attitudes, the harboring of anger, bitterness or guilt and our greed are all displeasing to our heavenly Father.
Sometimes we assume that God’s forgiveness will remove us from the consequences of that sin, but nowhere in scripture is that the case. Israel, God’s chosen people, constantly strayed from his law and suffered the consequences for it. The story in 2 Chronicles is an example of that. King Rehoboam lived a sinful life and the people followed his example shamelessly right up until the Egyptian army was knocking on their door.
When the leadership saw that God’s punishment was imminent the repented of their sin. The Bible says they did more than ‘pray about it’. It was a change of heart. As a result God saved the nation from extinction. However, he didn’t completely remove the consequences of their behavior.
2 Chronicles 12:8 tells us that although God held back total destruction “… they will become his subjects, so they will know the difference between serving me and serving earthly rulers.”
God promises to forgive our guilt but sometimes He lets us endure consequences to teach us to rely on him. While we are blessed with the promise of forgiveness and eternity with Jesus, we should never take sin of any kind be taken lightly. Remember, the ground may be level under the cross, but there are no ‘little‘ sins. All sin should be taken very seriously in our lives.
PRAYER: Father God. My own words convict me as I’m aware of my tendency to diminish my sin in view of the sin of others. Forgive me for taking sin lightly and help me live in holiness before you by the power of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 