Devotional for Monday August 11th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Come, let us discuss this,’ says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they will be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “A sin is a sin is a sin …”

 

This morning I want to return to the subject we addressed in last Friday’s devotional about the fact that we all have our own sins and therefore we need to pay more attention to our own faults than we do to the faults we think we see in the lives of others. Our Bible passage for that lesson was Matthew 7:3-5 where Jesus taught the parable of the speck and the log.

 

I’m bringing us back to this subject because it’s such a big problem and such as constant source of conflict. Even if we do come to the point of admitting and acknowledging our own sin, we usually then begin to rank our sins against those of other people and we come to the conclusion that “Even if I do have some sin in my own life, it’s not as bad as the sins of other people.” “Their sins are much worse then my sins.”

 

Not according to Jesus they aren’t.

 

In Isaiah 1:18 does the Lord say that the other guy’s sins of murder and theft and adultery are like a bright scarlet stain – too obvious to be missed or ignored; but your sins of pride and envy and gossip are just sort of a very dim light pink and are hardly noticeable – therefore you don’t really need to worry about them too much because they’re really not a big deal? That’s what He says, right? Not! He makes no distinction between one sin and another – together they’re all like scarlet to Him. To Jesus they’re all a big bright glaring red stain against the pristine whiteness and purity of His holiness.

 

The great devotional writer Oswald Chambers once explained it this way, “If you look at a sheep in the summertime you would say it was white, but see it against the background of startling virgin snow and it looks like a blot on the landscape. If we judge ourselves by one another we do not feel condemned, but immediately Jesus Christ is in the background – His life, His language, His looks, He labors, we feel judged instantly.”

 

Focusing on the sins and shortcomings we think we see in the lives of other people, while conveniently ignoring our own sins, is a common source of conflict. Ranking our sins against those of others and pretending that we are somehow better, or not as guilty, is ridiculous. In the eyes of God you’re as guilty as the next person and as much in need of forgiveness as they are. Take a look at the Gospels sometime and see which sins bothered Jesus the most. He quickly forgave the prostitutes and the tax collectors, but He condemned the smug and judgmental Pharisees.  If sins were going to be ranked, and if we used Jesus’ own reaction to those sins, we would probably have to conclude that religious pride and self-righteous smugness are much worse sins than are adultery and stealing.

 

Yes, in the eyes of God a sin is a sin is a sin, and yours are just as bad as the next guy’s. And so are mine. So rather than criticizing and condemning them for theirs, maybe our time would be better spent doing something about our own.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Saturday and Sunday August 9-10

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out.” Proverbs 17:14 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Conflicts can quickly get out of control”

 

Rushing water can be terribly destructive. Once a flood starts, there’s little that can be done to hold it back. During the current cycle of extreme weather that is being experienced around the world, we frequently see stories on the news about raging floods sweeping away everything in its path. Several years ago the island nation of Japan experienced a massive tsunami. As the result of an offshore earthquake, a massive wall of water 30 feet high swept in from the ocean and devastated entire costal cities and towns.

 

Conflict often takes on the characteristics of a raging flood. Once it starts it can be hard to stop. If the reason for the conflict isn’t quickly brought out in the open by the two parties and dealt with, it can build and swell and soon become like that tsunami, a raging and consuming wall of conflict that can be devastating.

 

Shifting metaphors – unresolved conflict can sometimes be like a volcano. It lies beneath the surface bubbling and building. As each aggrieved party thinks about it and stews over it, the thing begins to grow in each of their minds. Each begins to imagine nefarious and devious motives on the part of the other. Each starts to fantasize about future encounters with their enemy where they dress-down that person and set them straight – usually to the applause and admiration of an observing crowd. And so the thing begins to take on a life of its own in the minds of the combatants and soon, like a volcano, it spews over and becomes something much more than it ever should have been.

 

I’m mixing metaphors here (floods, volcanoes, festering stews), but you get the point. Conflict left unchecked and unresolved quickly gets out of control. Solomon’s advice in Proverbs 17:14 is that we are to avoid the conflict to begin with. If you can’t prevent it from starting, then at least follow the instructions Jesus gave us in Matthew 18:15-17 and deal with it quickly because conflict left unchecked, can quickly get out of control.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim
  

Devotional for Friday August 8th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5

 

Our thought for today: “Much conflict could be avoided if we would pay as much attention to our own faults as we do to the faults of others.”

 

The preacher was on fire. He was worked up, on a roll, and becoming more and more animated. His face was red, he was sweating, his voice was rising, he pounded the pulpit, and I was getting a little concerned about his blood pressure. His subject? Addictions . With passion verging on anger he ranted about the demon alcohol, and he had some things to say about homosexuality, and he mentioned pornography, greed, and a smorgasbord of other sins and vices that people commonly become addicted to. All of them were legitimate concerns and proper subjects for a sermon. But the thing that captured my attention was the fact that the preacher himself was clearly in bondage to the demon of gluttony. He was obviously very addicted to food. His own sin – gluttony – was clearly way out of control. I wondered if he was going to mention anything about that.

 

He didn’t.

 

In Matthew 7:3-5 Jesus was not teaching that we should ignore or be unconcerned about the sins other people struggle with. He was simply pointing out that we are all sinners and we all have our own issues, and therefore before we get too enthusiastic about pointing out where other people are going wrong, we need to give some thought to what we have going on in our own lives. Homosexual behavior is a sin; alcoholism is a sin; greed, envy, gossip, and pornography are all sins; and so is gluttony. But our preacher friend didn’t seem to want to talk about that one.

 

We don’t want to talk about (or even think about) our own sins. No, it’s safer to keep the focus on how we think other people might be falling short. But a critical, complaining, and judgmental spirit is not from God. That comes from Satan and is used by him to create hate, animosity, divisions, and conflict. It’s true that we are to hold each other accountable, and we are to help others see when they have fallen short of God’s standards, but we are to do so with gentleness, and in love and compassion, because we recognize that we too are a sinner saved by grace. Our sin might be a little different from the other person’s sin, but we all do have our own sins.

 

This short teaching in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount was intended by Jesus to serve as a corrective for the human tendency to be critical of others while ignoring our own faults. The next time you’re tempted to get all worked up about the speck of sin you think you might be seeing in someone else’s life – pause, take a deep breath, and ask the Lord to direct your attention to the log of sin that probably exists in your own life.

 

There would be a lot fewer conflicts in this world if we would all pay more attention to our own sins, and a little less attention to the faults we think we see in others.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Thursday August 7th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned.” Galatians 2:11 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Sometimes conflict is necessary”

 

Peter was being a hypocrite. He was in Antioch and having himself a good time just visiting and eating with Jews and Gentiles alike. It was a good thing, really. The Jews of his day were notoriously prejudiced against the Gentiles. The new Jewish-background Christians such as Peter largely believed that Christianity was just for the Jews and if any Gentiles wanted to become Christians, they had to agree to observe many old Jewish customs as well. But it was time for the Good News to spread to the Gentiles and God’s plan was for them to become Christians without first becoming Jews – and without observing Jewish customs and rituals.

 

Peter was the leading edge of that change, and at first during his visit to Antioch he was doing a good job of it. But then the fundamentalists arrived. And Peter was afraid of them. He was afraid of what they might think and he was afraid of what they might say. So, he reverted back to his old ways and as long as the fundamentalists were watching, Peter stopped interacting with the Gentiles and began acting like one of the fundamentalists. Worse than just being a hypocrite, Peter was damaging his testimony with the Gentiles and hurting the cause of Christ in Antioch.

 

Enter the Apostle Paul. He would allow none of it. He saw what was happening, appreciated the danger and the damage it was causing, and he publicly called Peter out. The potential for conflict was real and it was large. Peter was a well known and well respected leader in the church – one of the original twelve apostles. But Paul called him out and dressed him down. Why? It was because this issue is an example of what we call “A hill upon which to die.” That’s an old military phrase which means that this hill is so important and strategic that we must defend it at all costs, even at the cost of our lives.

 

Many issues are not worth the cost of conflict. The truth is that most things which people fight and argue over are small and should have been ignored. But some things are too important to let go. Some of them have to be fought for. Such was the situation in Antioch.

 

The key of course, is to correctly identify which issues are small potatoes and not worth arguing over, and which are the proverbial hill upon which we are prepared to die. This is usually a judgment call on the part of the individual and needs to be the matter of much prayer. Conflict, especially among God’s people, is a serious thing and should not be entered into quickly or thoughtlessly. Some conflicts are necessary, but most are not. Pray and ask God to give you the wisdom to know the difference.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Wednesday August 6th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We are to do our best to avoid conflict and to live at peace with everyone.”

 

In Matthew 5:9, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that those who are peacemakers are blessed. That’s also what Paul meant in Romans 12:18. God’s people should be peacemakers. We should be the ones who give the least offense, we should be the ones who take the least offense, and we should be the ones who work to bring peace and harmony into situations where there is strife and conflict. Saint Francis of Assisi is reported to have once said, “Let there peace on earth and let it begin with me.” That’s a pretty good motto for all of us.

 

However, the clear implication of Paul’s exhortation in Romans 12:18 is that sometimes it’s not possible to live at peace with others. Sometimes, despite your best intentions and your sincere efforts, others just won’t let you live at peace with them. Paul wrote, “If possible”, “on your part” … Well, sometimes it’s not possible. So what do you do then?

 

Why, your pour burning coals upon their head of course.

 

In that same chapter of Romans, just two verses later in verse 20 Paul wrote, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.”

 

That’s it then. Try your best to live at peace with everyone. Avoid conflict if at all possible. And if the difficult person standing in front of you is still intent on having a conflict anyway, you just go right ahead and embarrass the pants off them by being super-nice in return. Just smile at them and wish them a good day. Then walk away content in the knowledge that your response was completely Biblical – you honored the Lord in how you handled it and now the other person has been left standing there with egg on their face.

 

Now, it’s true that you should be careful not to take too much pleasure in the fact that you have left them standing there looking silly, but I think maybe a little might be alright.

 

Just kidding. Smugness is actually not one of the Fruits of the Spirit and so it would probably be better to avoid that altogether, but Paul’s point is well taken. Do your best to avoid conflict; be nice in return even if the other person is not being nice; and then get on with your day knowing that you did your best.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Tuesday August 5th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Offenses will certainly come, but woe to the one they come through!” Luke 17:1 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Just because others give offense doesn’t mean you to have take offense”

 

Yesterday we thought about the truth that as followers of Jesus Christ we should go out of our way to avoid being the source of offense and conflict. In Luke 17:1 Jesus assured His followers that in this life offenses will come, they’re unavoidable. We live in a broken and sin-filled world populated by broken and sinful people. Therefore it is impossible to live this life without having the opportunity to be offended. We’re surrounded by it all day every day! And according to Jesus, the person who is the source of the conflict bears the majority of the fault. But just because we have the opportunity to be offended doesn’t mean we should be offended.

 

Way too many people walk through their days cocked and loaded, just ready and waiting to be offended by someone or something. Years ago on the comedy show “Saturday Night Live” they sometimes did a skit which featured a character known as “The Church Lady”. This was a 50-something woman who went out of her way to appear excessively prim and proper, complete with sucked in cheeks, puckered lips, a very self-righteous attitude, and a girdle that was clearly way too tight. She was an expert in finding fault with everyone and everything, to the point that she was absurd and comical.

 

We have all probably known people like that. What a sad way to live. And what a pain in the neck to have someone like that around!

 

In 1994 author John Bevere wrote a book on this subject which has since sold over half a million copies and has become something of a classic in Christian circles. The title is “The Bait of Satan: living free from the deadly trap of offense.” It’s a great book. Very helpful. The basic premise is that Satan uses the potential to be offended as “bait” to create conflict between people. He will first prod one person to do or say something that is potentially offensive. Then he dangles that potential offense in front of the other person, like a worm on a hook for the fish. He will then try to get that person to take the bait and swallow the offense. Once that happens, the person is hooked and the conflict is engaged. The whole point of the book is that just because the offense is dangled in front of you, you don’t have to bite on it – you don’t have to take the bait.

 

I have always believed that how easily a person is offended, or how resistant they are to taking offense, is a clear measure of the depth and maturity of their faith. The more spiritually mature a believer is, the less easily you can offend that person. The truth is, just because others give offense, doesn’t mean you have to take offense.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday August 4th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive, but the mouth of fools blurts our foolishness.” Proverbs 15:1-2 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “To avoid conflict, don’t give offense”

 

As a young man I was pretty much a jerk. I know, I know, you can’t believe it right? (On the other hand, maybe you can!) It was probably borne of a deep-seated insecurity but I was a smart-aleck who always had something to say about everything. And it was seldom nice. I was the guy who would make a wisecrack about someone else’s misfortune and I was also the one who would tease you about your shortcomings. I’m sure I thought I was being witty and clever, but mostly I was just snarky and mean.

 

Interestingly, people were always mad at me. Imagine that! Finally one day somebody asked me if I ever got tired of having people mad at me all the time and of constantly being the center of conflict. Up to that point I guess I had never really given it a lot of thought but in that moment I decided that “yes”, I was tired of always being in conflict with people and I really wanted to be the kind of person who was easy for other people to like.

 

It was about that time that I was introduced to a wonderful little book that helped me immensely. It wasn’t a Christian book but it helped me none-the-less (I wasn’t a Christian back then anyway). The title of the book was “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie and it helped to completely change my way of thinking, speaking, and acting. Even though it’s not a Christian book, it is a classic with respect to inter-personal relationships and I still recommend it to people. It’s a small book filled with simple, practical, and easy to understand tips, many of which deal with how we talk to other people.

 

Why is this important? It’s important because most conflict between individuals begins with words that should not have been spoken. Either the thing should not have been said to begin with, or it should have been said differently and with in a nicer tone. Remember, it’s not just a matter of what you say, but also of how you say it.

 

To avoid conflict, make it a point to not give offense. The number one way we give offense to others is through the things that we say. I encourage you to give careful thought to what you say and to how you say it.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional For Saturday and Sunday August 2-3

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! It is like fine oil on the head, running down the beard, running down Aaron’s beard onto his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord has appointed the blessing – life forevermore.” Psalm 133:1-3 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Where there is harmony among Christians, there the Lord’s blessing is.”

 

In Psalm 133 King David attempted to portray how pleasant and blessed it is when God’s people are in harmony, without conflict. In the language of the day the fine oil on the head symbolized a special anointing from God. The dew of Hermon was meant to picture a serene and relaxing scene. That should also describe the gatherings of the people of God.

 

It is indeed sweet when our gatherings are marked by peace and harmony, but that’s not always so easy to achieve. I’ve often thought of church families as being a lot like the “Star Wars Bar” in the first Star Wars movie. In that scene, Hans Solo and his companion Chewbacca are in an inter-planetary bar which is crowded with the strangest looking creatures from around the universe. They were all different in dramatic ways and it’s a wonder they were able to communicate and get along at all.

 

Yup, sounds like church.

 

It has been said that God has created some very strange people – namely you and me. It’s true, we’re all kinda strange and just a little messed up. It’s like author John Ortberg once wrote, “Everybody is normal – until you get to know them!”

 

In the weeks to come we’re going to explore this subject in much greater depth and from a variety of angles but for now, there are two rules of thumb to keep in mind. First, give no offense. And second, take no offense. Give no offense, in that you go out of your way to be kind and gentle, giving careful thought to not only what you say, but also to how you say it. And take no offense, in that you are not thin-skinned and you are not easily offended.

 

And for goodness sakes whatever you do don’t be both at the same time! Don’t be that person with the porcupine personality who is always poking other people and rubbing them the wrong way, and then turning right around and also being easily offended, convinced that other people aren’t being nice to you! The person who is always giving  offense can be a real pain in the neck. The person who constantly takes offense is difficult to be around. But the person who is both at the same time can be absolutely impossible. Please don’t be that person!

 

It pleases God when we go out of our way to get along and live in harmony. In such a place, there His blessing is.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Friday August 1st

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” Matthew 22:37-38 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We need to understand conflict and handle it correctly”

 

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” It sounds so right. And yet, it can be so hard to do. Over the years I’ve had some “neighbors” I didn’t like very much. Not just the kind who lived next door, but the also the neighbors who worked in the next cubicle, or played on the same softball team, or worshiped in the next pew. Some people can be so hard to get along with! (And I’m certain plenty of people have thought that about me too.)

 

Sadly, since we live in a broken and sin-filled world, conflict is part of the human experience. However there are many different kinds of conflict and there are many different reasons for it. Much conflict is bad and unnecessary, but some of it is good and needed. Some conflict occurs on a grand scale, involves entire nations, and is often fueled by ethnic differences, border disputes, power struggles, and competing economic priorities. But most conflict is between individuals. It stems from broken relationships, poor communication, jealousy, greed, insecurity, and much more that is ugly and destructive in inter-personal relationships.

 

Sometimes conflict is necessary and right, such as when a nation must defend itself against an aggressor, or when an individual must take a stand for righteousness and justice, or when Jesus had to cleanse the Temple from the activities that were defiling that holy place. But many other times conflict is wrong and destructive.

 

How can we know the difference and how can we determine an appropriate response to conflict? All this month we will explore conflict from a Biblical perspective. Fortunately for us, the Bible provides very straight forward and practical advice and instruction about all aspects of conflict. As we delve into what the scripture teaches on the subject we will be enlightened, encouraged, and probably frequently convicted. And hopefully by the time we’re done, we’ll all be better at properly (Biblically) handling conflict. I look forward to exploring this with you.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Thursday July 31st

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Jesus sets your soul free”

 

Luke 4:18-19 has been the inspiration for untold numbers of sermons, Bible studies, and devotional messages. First and foremost, the meaning is that Jesus preaches the good news of forgiveness for our sins and He sets us free from the oppression of Satan and from the imprisonment of an eternity in hell.

 

He also sets us free from a lifetime of imprisonment now. I once had the opportunity to work in partnership with a ministry called “Set Free Ministries”. Its focus was to assist men and women who had been “set free” by Jesus from a lifetime of imprisonment to drugs and alcohol. Jesus certainly does help us to achieve victory over such things.

 

But I think one of the many multi-layered applications of this passage also applies to the soul. Far too many of us go through life with souls that are effectively imprisoned. Either the soul is neglected and ignored as the individual lives on a very superficial level, or the soul is imprisoned by the past. In this case the individual is enslaved by past hurts, betrayals, and regrets. In either case, the soul is not free to be all God intends.

 

Jesus came to set the soul free. In John 10:10 He made it clear that He came to enable us to have life and to have it in all its fullness. In John 15:11 He said He wants us to experience the joy that He Himself has. In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul gave us a list of fruit from the Holy Spirit that should be evident in our lives and it includes things like love, joy, peace, patience and more.

 

When we pay proper attention to our soul and do the things necessary to ensure it is healthy, the soul is effectively set free to live in all the fullness of Jesus. That’s tremendously liberating. We’re not haunted by our past or enslaved by the pressures and expectations put upon us by others in the present. We feel no need to construct a false self or to wear masks that are not the real us. Instead, we’re comfortable and confident to simply be who we are in Christ. And we find ourselves empowered to live like Dallas Willard described, “We must ruthlessly eliminate hurry and anxiety from our lives.”

 

Yes, Jesus will set your soul free. But you do have to let Him set it free. You have to place yourself in a position before Him everyday whereby He can nurture your soul, break the chains of bondage to the past, and give you the confidence and courage to live free in Christ now. I encourage you to allow Jesus to set your soul free.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim