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Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Proverbs 2:2
Those of us from my generation remember a time when just changing the channel on the television set was a chore. Not only did you have to get up and walk ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE ROOM and manually turn a dial, once you found the channel you wanted you had another dial to turn which was called various things. The one I remember was fine tuning. You see, back then you had to adjust the tuner ever so slightly to get the clearest picture. Since I always lived in rural areas, the challenge was even trickier some days.
Sometimes we need to ‘fine tune’ our lives spiritually as well. Just as the ‘TV waves’ strayed from time to time, so do we. One of the first things an orchestra conductor does is to listen to the musicians to make sure every instrument is in tune. A good conductor can hear even the slightest variance and that makes all the difference in the performance.
Knowing God as he is requires us to constantly check our attitude according to the tuning fork of his Word. It’s too easy to play the comparison game. It’s safer to follow the religious dogmas and creeds, than it is to measure our lives according to the standard of God’s will. Those standards are clearly spelled out in his Word and exemplified in the life of Jesus Christ.
“Good enough” and “Close is okay” is never an attitude God uses. Everything he does is perfect and he calls us to perfection. Fortunately, he also empowers us to live as perfect as we can through his Holy Spirit.
A daily prayer I’m trying to implement in my own life is an adaptation of what the Psalmist says in Psalm 139. ‘Father, today yourself to me in a way that will direct me to live more closely to your will. Amen’
The real beauty of that short prayer is that your Father want’s to reveal himself to you and he’ll never ask you to change something without empowering you to change. It’s really a matter of trust. If you believe he loves you, you can trust the path he leads you down.
PRAYER: Father, there are so many times I’m distracted by the world or waver in my love for you or others. Show me where to change and how to change. Then, empower me with your Holy Spirit to fine tune my heart to yours. Amen.
Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19
“Tis more blessed to give than to receive” is a nice saying, a comforting thought, and even found in scripture. The reality is, however, during those times when we are completely honest with ourselves, we admit it’s easier to live by the adage, “It’s far better to receive than
it is to give.”
There’s ‘good reason’ for that of course. We all know the horror stories of people who have taken advantage of the system. These are the ones that feel they are entitled, for a variety of reasons, to a free ride. They make constant excuses for the way they are and fail to take responsibility for the condition they are in.
It’s amazing to me that some of the stingiest people are those who claim to follow Christ. They put qualifications on their giving such as economic need, church background, race, sexual orientation and the list goes on. It seems we are afraid we may be taken advantage of, or that someone may get something they don’t deserve.
It’s a complex issue with no easy answers I suppose, but I think the question of generosity can be summed up in our response to two concepts that Jesus himself taught. The first of these is ownership, in other words, who owns what you have? The Psalmist states, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” (Psalm 24:1) If that verse is true (insert sarcasm here) then we need to realize that the car you are still making payments on isn’t yours. Never has been, never will be. There doesn’t seem to be much vacillation in the word ‘everything’. One may argue that we are called to be good stewards of all that is given us and that’s true. But do we refuse to give out of stewardship or greed?
The second issue that keeps us from being generous is simplicity. Especially for those of us in the United States, we like to be comfortable and we like to have the latest toys. (insert my own guilt in this regard here). It’s interesting that Jesus seems to call each of us to homelessness in Matthew 8:20 when someone says they will follow him anywhere (discipleship) and he responds by saying “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
The point is this. Are we willing to give from our surplus or sacrificially? I’m not just about money, I’m talking about our gifts, our talents, the fruit of the Spirit (you know, that whole love, joy, peace thing). There are lonely people all around us. Many would just love to get a smile, a hug, a visit, a card in the mailbox.
Jesus didn’t win people over by his great sermons. The New Testament Church didn’t turn the world upside down by placing requirements on who could join. How can you and I give in a way that will change someone’s world?
PRAYER: Father, I confess that I’m far more willing to give of my excess than to give sacrificially. I’ve grown far too comfortable from the many blessings you’ve given me. Help me to see those in need around me and empower me to do what you can to make a difference in their lives. Amen.
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Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Luke 2:13-14
I heard the bells on Christmas day, Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet, their words repeat, Peace on earth, goodwill to men
I thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along in unbroken song, Peace on earth, goodwill to men
The Christmas season always has a bit of a romantic, nostalgia to it. I love the atmosphere artists and musicians have portrayed of warm cozy fires, family celebrations and kisses under the mistletoe. Traditionally Christmas, followed by New Years, is a time of new beginnings and hope.
And in despair I bowed my head, There is no peace on earth, I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song, Of peace on earth, goodwill to men
Reality hits hard. We’ve lost a sense of innocence and security over the years. That truth has come harshly in the past couple weeks with the tragedy in Paris, San Bernadino and London. School shootings have become so common place that if we aren’t careful, we see them as the norm. Families are in trouble. The economy is in trouble. It seems like everyone either has cancer or knows someone being attacked by this disease. It’s no wonder it’s easy to get discouraged by what we see and hear daily on the news and in our circles.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep, God is not dead, nor doth He sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, goodwill to men.
A recent headline in an Los Angeles paper screamed, GOD CAN’T FIX THIS! It’s easy to understand the author’s frustration. The fact of the matter is, God didn’t break it. We did. The Psalmist expresses similar feelings in several places in the Psalms. My favorite is Psalm 13:1-2 where he pleads with a seemingly absent God. “O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?” And we echo the question? How Long?
While we may never be able to understand why God allows tragedies in our lives, I’m reminded of what the Apostle Peter said just after many of Jesus’ followers left him. Jesus asks, “Will you leave too?” Peter’s response is classic. He says “Where else do we go?” In other words, what other choice do we have.
Throughout history man has found new ways to destroy the peace Jesus came to give us. But too often we fail to realize that inner peace is available to us now through faith in Christ. Can God ‘fix this?’ Yes, some day every knee shall bow. Every single knee of every religion, every ethnic group, every denomination, every political party. Every knee will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.
PRAYER: Lord, there are so many times when I get discouraged by what I see around me. Fear and doubt set in assisted by anger. Help me to move on knowing you are with me and will strengthen me no matter how bad the battle becomes. In Jesus name, Amen.
The Lord replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it. Habakkuk 1:5
A friend tells the story of his encounter with a bear one fall day. He’d gone to his hunting land and walked the quarter mile trail into the forest. He climbed his stand and sat quietly waiting and watching for a deer. He made mental notes of which shooting lanes should be trimmed.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rustling leaves. At first he thought it was a deer, but quickly decided the sound was too loud for a deer. It sounded more like human feet and this angered him. The land was clearly marked as private property and with NO TRESPASSING signs. It was approaching dusk, so he decided it was a good time to climb down, confront the intruder and head home.
He stood up and saw a dark form approaching his tree. This was the noise maker. This was the ‘intruder’. However, he immediately decided confrontation would not be wise since the trespasser was a black bear that he estimated to be 500 pounds! He hollered at the bear hoping to scare if off but the opposite happened. The bear got closer to the tree and once at the bottom decided to climb up and investigate this noise-maker!
Needless to say, my friend was terrified as the huge bear began to climb the tree effortlessly. His screaming grew more intense and he began to jump on the floor of his stand hoping to make as much noise as possible. Whether it was the noise, disinterest of the prayers being offered up in fear we’ll never know. But just below the stand the bear decided he’d had enough. He lowered himself down the tree and wandered into the woods.
My friend made record time getting down the tree and back to his car!
There are times in each of our lives when we may feel trapped by our circumstances. Like my friend we come face to face with things in our lives we aren’t prepared for and seem way beyond our ability to conquer. It’s during those times we need to remember who we serve.
The prophet Habakkuk served Israel during a time of national despair. The enemy surrounded them and they were without hope. It was during this dark hour that God spoke to him, as he does today. “Don’t be afraid! Wait to see what I have in store! Your enemy will be completely subdued by my power” (my paraphrase, obviously).
The military has a doctrine they refer to as shock and awe. Simply put, Shock and Awe is defined as “the use of overwhelming power and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy’s perception of the battlefield and destroy its will to fight.”
Whatever enemy is attacking you; whatever fear is rising up within you, remember this. We serve a God who will one day conquer our enemies. They will be so overwhelmed by what they see that their will to fight will be destroyed and they will bow their knee in submission.
Don’t fear the one who can take your life. Align yourself with the one who determines the destiny of your soul.
PRAYER: Father God, creator of heaven and earth. There are those who threaten to destroy us. There are those who seek to weaken our resolve to rely on you. Help us, through the power of your Spirit to rest in the fact that one day you will reign over evil. Until then, keep our minds stayed on you and our hearts at peace. Amen.
Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. Ecclesiastes 7:11
Small town logic is brutal but often true. This was made evident to me 
during a conversation I had at a local coffee shop. Our discussion turned to a local tragedy. A young adult had been killed in a single-car rollover. Reports were that the victim was under the influence at the time of the accident that claimed his life.
One of the men sitting at the table asked the name of the deceased. When he was told who it was, he shook his head and responded something like this, “Yeah, it’s a tragedy, but you know, his father was a drunk.”
His statement bothered me at first. It didn’t seem fair to minimize the accident by pointing to something that happened to someone else in the past. The more I thought about that conversation, the more I realized that while my feelings of injustice were true, the reality was, the reaction of the older gentleman at our table also carried truth to it.
Like it or not we are, in a sense, victims of our past. We’ve learned certain habits, thoughts and tendencies from our parents or others that went before us. We really have two choices in life. We can learn from those who have gone before us, or we can fall victim to the negative things we’ve gleaned from them.
There is a lot of truth to the old adage, “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
King Solomon said it a different way. “Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun.” We all hope to leave our children a big inheritance. We want them to be better off than we were. But the reality is, leaving them an example of Godly wisdom will be of a bigger benefit in the end.
Don’t just spend your entire life striving to provide your children with an inheritance that can be easily squandered. The wisdom you leave them will be of far greater value than any material possession you have.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine the kind of inheritance you are preparing for those who go behind you:
- What do you worry most about? Spiritual growth or physical/financial health?
- Where do you spend your time? The golf course or your knees in prayer for your kids and grandkids?
- Will those who come behind you remember you for being an encourager or a judge?
- Do you talk about the weather and sports more than you do topics of faith and grace?
- Does your Bible suffer from dust or worn pages?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, help us to strive daily to leave an inheritance of wisdom that others will be able to use to guide them through life. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 