A Dog's Attitude

This is a post I wrote on April 28, 2007:


Friday was a good day: I got the magenta tray at the cafeteria.

The cafeteria in our building at work has lots of gray and yellow trays, some brown ones, and a few blue ones, but there is only one magenta tray. Since pink is my favorite color, I always hope that I will get that tray, and when I do, I really enjoy it.

Maybe if you're reading this, you're thinking, "What's the big deal about what color your cafeteria tray is?" True, it's not a big deal. But I like to take pleasure in all sorts of little things. Savoring them makes my day more enjoyable.

The other day I once again came across a line in The Fellowship of the Ring that I really like. Gandalf the wizard has just told the hobbit Sam that he is going to accompany Frodo on his journey, which means that Sam will get to see Elves, something he's always longed to do.

"Me, sir!" cried Sam, springing up like a dog invited for a walk.

I love the image because it immediately conveys a great deal of excitement. Yet when we think about it, what are dogs so excited about? Just a walk! But they get a great deal of pleasure out of it.

My dog Hana waits every morning for me to sit down with my bowl of cereal, because she knows I will give her two pieces of it. It's only two pieces of cereal, usually Cheerios, so not a big deal, but to her it's a very happy moment.

Dogs are optimists, too. Every time I prepare a meal, Hana thinks, despite the mountain of previous experience, that this time, maybe the meal is going to be for her. And her tail is almost always ready to wag; she expects good things out of life.

I think that we can learn a lot from dogs' attitude. With God as our father, we can expect good things out of life, too. That's not to say that everything will always be rosy. But we can know that he is with us and will see us through any hard times. I found this out a year ago as I was going through cancer. God didn't make the cancer magically disappear, but he did sustain me as I underwent surgery, chemo, and radiation. I knew that in the long run, whatever the prognosis (mine ended up being good), God was going to be there in the end.

And then there were those little things, like the magenta cafeteria tray. God put a lot of them in my life, and when I looked for them, I found them. Things like the kindness of fellow co-workers, or a daffodil that the radiation oncology center gave me. It made a big difference to how I experienced a year of cancer treatments. I could have looked for the unpleasant, difficult things, or I could have just not looked for anything. But instead I looked for the little fun or nice things, and they were there to be found, and so my days were more pleasant and enjoyable than they might otherwise have been.

What's more, because I found those little good things, I was able to give thanks to God. I knew he was there helping me get through a bad time. In fact, I felt his presence more closely during that cancer year than I ever had before. That in itself brought joy to me beyond what I can describe.

I know it sounds silly to say I had a good day because I got the magenta tray at the cafeteria. But I have a fun life. And a lot of it is because I take pleasure in the little things.

On My Lips He Put a New Song

Readings:
Psalm 40
Philippians 1:1-26

Focus:
Psalm 40:3a: "On my lips he put a new song, a song of praise to our God."

It's easy to get into bad habits. We sometimes complain a lot, or talk about other people, or criticize too much, or say irritable or unkind things.

But it's actually possible to change these habits. God can help us with this if we ask him. The thing to do after asking him for help is to remember to focus on him. When we do this, he can really change our ways of talking into kinder, less selfish ways.

Of course it doesn't happen all at once, and we often have a step back after a couple of steps forward. But gradually, God can put a new song on our lips, a new way of talking, including a song of praise to him!

Constantly Ask God's Help in Prayer

Readings:
Psalm 39
Ephesians 6:18-24

Focus:
Ephesians 6:18a: "Constantly ask God's help in prayer, and pray always in the power of the Spirit."

It is good to have a time every day to spend in prayer with God. But besides that, we can send little prayers to God throughout the day. This accomplishes many purposes.

When we do this, if we are in a difficult situation, we ask God for help right at the moment we need it. So often, when I have been in a puzzle, I have quickly just prayed, "Help me, God," and then I have found that the right words have come, or I have arrived at the right decision.

Praying constantly also accustoms us to being in God's presence. It gets us used to the idea that God is there, waiting to be in relationship with us.

And, best of all, continual little prayers throughout the day build our relationship with God. A friendship would never grow if we hardly ever communicated with the friend. It is the same with a relationship with God. Prayer is communicating with God. We must do it often in order to have a relationship with him.

That is why it is so good to constantly ask God's help in prayer.

The Armor of God

Readings:
Psalm 38
Ephesians 6:10-17

Focus:
Ephesians 6:14: "Stand fast, I say. Fasten on the belt of truth; for a breastplate put on integrity."

In one of his most famous images, Paul here exhorts us to put on the armor of God. With truth, integrity, peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God, we will be well protected against all that evil can try to do against us.

Truth is a crucial quality for us to possess. If we want to show others the love of God, it is imporant for us to be trustworthy. Telling the truth even in small matters is essential to establishing trust. When we put on the armor of God, truthfulness and integrity are part of that.

Telling the truth avoids hurting others as well. Carelessness about what we say can cause pain to others that we might not have foreseen.

Let us fasten on the belt of truth!

How God Reminded Me He Would Be with Me

In the summer of 2005 I happened to mention to my daughter that my inner elbows ached whenever I exercised or took my migraine prescription, and she urged me to tell my doctor. This led to an EKG, which looked pretty good, but still my doctor wanted me to see a cardiologist. Meanwhile, I was called back from my routine yearly mammogram because they had spotted something suspicious.

So, I went through two series of escalating tests: stress EKG and electron beam tomography; and second mammogram and ultrasound. Finally a weekend came in September 2005 where, on the Friday, I had a needle biopsy on the lump that had been found. Then, on the Monday, I was scheduled for an angiogram (cardiac catheterization) for my heart.

The cardiologist had told me that there was a slight risk of death associated with the angiogram. Normally I have no fear of death, ever since, at the age of 20, I first read The Last Battle in the Narnia series. What could be better than to go on to a place more beautiful than the most beautiful place on earth, and be with God? But the upcoming angiogram spooked me for some reason. Perhaps it was because our first grandchild was due to be born in November, and I didn't want to miss knowing her. At any rate, I was nervous. The night before, we went over to Seattle (we live in a suburb across Lake Washington). As we crossed the floating bridge, I remember looking at one of my favorite sights, the lights on the other floating bridge, strung across the lake like a mile-long strand of jewels, and thinking that I might never see them again.

The next morning the angiogram went smoothly, and the cardiologist found that my heart was perfectly healthy (so my arm aches are just a mystery). Afterwards as I was recovering from the sedatives they had given me, I discovered that the two nurses who were caring for me were Christians, and that each of them sang in their church choirs, just like I do. I thought that this was an amazing coincidence, because there are not many Christians in the Seattle area. It then hit me that God was telling me something. He was actually saying to me, "You were scared of this angiogram, but you had forgotten how in control I am. I am so in control that I can arrange, in an area and in a time when there are very few Christians, that not just one but both of your nurses will be choir-singing Christians."

Then I went home to recover further from the angiogram, and about two hours later, my doctor called to tell me that I had breast cancer.

Although at first I was a bit overwhelmed by the news, it was not long before I remembered the message God had given me that morning. The striking thing about it was God's timing. He had let me know that he cared about me and was in control BEFORE I got my cancer diagnosis. I still didn't know if everything would be fine or not; I still knew that I could die of this cancer. But I did know the most important thing of all, and that was that God was with me in the midst of it. That set the tone for how I experienced the whole following 8 months of cancer treatments.

As it turned out, the surgery that I had removed all the cancer I had at the time, and with chemo, radiation, and hormonal therapy, I have an 85-90% chance of being cancer-free in 10 years. So I have been blessed in the outcome. But even had it not been so, if I had only a slim chance of survival, I would still be able to go forward confidently, because God has assured me that he is with me and loves me. And I really didn't need a special message from God to tell me that. He has told us that throughout the Bible. He has told us that in the person of his son Jesus. I just hadn't remembered that very well before my angiogram. Since God was kind enough to give me a little extra help to keep it in mind, I want to share it with everyone else. There's nothing so bad or scary that God can't be with us in it and bring joy to us in the midst of fear and pain. That was certainly my experience with God in the midst of cancer.

We May Fall, but We Will Not Go Headlong

Readings:
Psalm 37
Ephesians 6:1-9

Focus:
Psalm 37:24: "Though he may fall, he will not go headlong, for the Lord grasps him by the hand."

Christians are not promised a trouble-free life. We may indeed have difficult periods in our life. Sicknesses may come. We may lose our jobs or our loved ones. Unfair things may happen to us. We may fall.

But we will not go headlong, for the Lord grasps us by the hand. In the midst of any troubles that come to us, God is there with us. I learned that very well when I had cancer. God even let me know just before I got my diagnosis that he was going to care for me specially (see this post), and then he stayed with me throughout my illness in an amazing way.

I have seen this happen for many other people struck with incredible suffering, yet buoyed with the love of Christ. And the same can be true for anyone going through a hard time. God will not abandon those who love him. We may fall, but we will not go headlong.

By Your Light We Are Enlightened

Readings:
Psalm 36
Ephesians 5:21-33

Focus:
Psalm 36:9b: "By your light we are enlightened."

In our Western culture today many sources of enlightenment have been proposed. The wisdom of undeveloped cultures is highly sought after, and folk knowledge possessed by other peoples is valued. The sacred books of non-Christian religions are held in esteem by many. Less valued is the traditional wisdom built up through the ages in Western culture, and even less valued is insight that can be gained from the Bible. Most of all we are advised to look within ourselves for wisdom.

Though all these sources of wisdom have ideas of value in them, it is from the Bible, and from a relationship with God, that true wisdom can chiefly be gained. God is the real source of all wisdom. We cannot find any wisdom in ourselves that he did not create and inspire. And we are so prone to error that we cannot trust our own wisdom. It is only what we learn from God that we can utterly trust. It is only by his light that we are truly enlightened.

Sing and Make Music to the Lord

Readings:
Psalm 35
Ephesians 5:1-20

Focus:
Ephesians 5:19b: "Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord."

As an amateur musician I love this instruction in the Bible; it is an easy one for me! I am glad that it is one of the things that God wants us to do. I love to sing.

It is a great mystery to me that God wants us to sing to him. I don't know why it is so, yet I know that when I am singing his praises, I feel a connection to him that is not there in other ways of worshipping him.

It is good that God has given us this command. He asks us to do things that please him and that make us happy. Let us sing and make music to him.

Forgive One Another

Readings:
Psalm 34
Ephesians 4:25-32

Focus:
Ephesians 4:32: "Be generous to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you."

One of the hardest lessons I've learned, but one of the most liberating, is about forgiving others. I started thinking about this a number of years ago. I realized that in the Lord's Prayer, we pray, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." In other words, we are asking for the same level of forgiveness that we offer. That's a bit daunting!

So I started working on being more forgiving, since, after all, I wanted God to forgive me. And I realized that I needed to forgive people who had wronged me, whether or not they were sorry. In fact, I needed to forgive them whether or not they even believed they had done anything wrong.

In a couple of difficult cases, I promised God that, even though I would probably not forget what happened, nevertheless, I would forgive the person, and I would never again think of those situations with anger or bitterness. And immediately I felt an influx of God's love and warmth. And in the ensuing days, weeks, months, and years, my relationship with that person was vastly improved, even though the person never knew what had happened.

I found that obeying God was, as I knew all along, the right thing to do. It was good to forgive as God in Christ had forgiven me.

Lay Aside the Old Human Nature

Readings:
Psalm 33
Ephesians 4:17-24

Focus:
Ephesians 4:22a: "Renouncing your former way of life, you must lay aside the old human nature."

In order to truly please God, and to live life the way he wants us to live it, we must turn away from our old ways. We can't just keep doing things the way we've always done them, and say, "That's just the way I am." We need to set our natural selves aside and take on a spiritual self.

When we please God and live life the way he wants us to live it, not only do we serve God and serve others, making others happier and better off, but we also make ourslves happier as well. All will be much better with us when we are living the way we are designed to live.

God will help us with this if we ask him. He never asks us to do anything that is too hard for us to do. He will help us lay aside the old nature and move into living with a new nature, a better nature.

I Shall Confess My Offense

Readings:
Psalm 32
Ephesians 4:7-16

Focus:
Psalm 32:3-5: "While I refused to speak, my body wasted away with day-long moaning. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; the sap in me dried up as in summer drought. When I acknowledged my sin to you, when I no longer concealed my guilt, but said, 'I shall confess my offense to the Lord,' then you for your part remitted the penalty of my sin."

So often pride keeps us from admitting it when we have done wrong. Not only do we not want to acknowledge what we have done to others; we don't even want to acknowledge it to ourselves.

Yet when we do wrong things, it eats away at us. God has made us such that we are only constituted for doing what is right. When we do wrong, it as if we were ill; we don't work correctly. There is a malaise within us. Years of habituating ourselves to cultural approval of what is wrong may bury this deep. But it is there.

It is only when we acknowledge our wrongdoing (whether it is small or not so small) to ourselves, to those we have wronged, and, most importantly of all, to God, that we can rid ourselves of this malaise and truly be free. God remits the penalty of our sin. We are whole again.

Put Up with One Another's Failings

Readings:
Psalm 31
Ephesians 4:1-6

Focus:
Ephesians 4:2: "Be humble always and gentle, and patient, too, putting up with one another's failings in the spirit of love."

Sometimes we hear about how we can do great things for God, and help bring about his kingdom, by going on short-term mission trips to other countries where there is terrible poverty, and spending a couple of weeks working on projects there. Or we can give up some of our time volunteering for a local project, helping the homeless or people with other needs.

These things are important to do, and they are indeed part of what God wants us to do.

But we must not forget that another part of bringing God's kingdom about here on earth involves behaving with kindness and forbearance to other people in our daily lives. When other people irritate us, responding with patience and not with anger is hard to do, but it is one of the ways we obey God and show love. Maybe anger is what people deserve, but love is what God wants.

I try to remember this question: "Will my action make God's kingdom come closer, or will it push it further away?" I forget to ask myself this a lot, but it's a good question to remember.

The Breadth and Length and Height and Depth of Christ's Love

Readings:
Psalm 30
Ephesians 3:14-21

Focus:
Ephesians 3:18-19a: "May you, in company with all God's people, be strong to grasp what is the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love, and to know it, though it is beyond knowledge."

It is incredible to me that people can talk of Christ so disrespectfully, or use his name in such terrible ways. It is because they do not know him. If only they did, they would never say such things about someone who loved them so much.

Knowing Christ, being a recipient of his love, gives me the most tender feelings for him, as well as feelings of respect and awe.

There is nothing to compare with such love as Christ gives us. It makes life more than good. It makes life indescribably worthwhile. It is what I want for everyone else. It is, indeed, why I write this blog--so that all who read it may be able to know this love.

In His Temple All Cry, "Glory!"

Readings:
Psalm 29
Ephesians 3:1-13

Focus:
Psalm 29:3,9b: "The voice of the Lord echoes over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord thunders over the mighty waters...and in his temple all cry, 'Glory!'"

Sometimes it is good to remember the greatness of God. He is not only our tender companion. He is not merely our comforter. His role is not only to sustain us.

God is also the one who created the universe. His power is beyond our comprehension. In fact, it is amazing that he wants us to talk with him in prayer. He is the one who created volcanoes to erupt, who created storms that form into blizzards. He is the one who created stars that flare into supernovas. He is the one who created comets and black holes. If we were to see one of the angels crying "Glory!" around him, we would fall down in utter fear.

We must not disobey such a God! But this is a God whose ability to deliver us we can trust. He is utterly able to do what he promises. We too can cry, "Glory!"

God's Spiritual Dwelling Place

Readings:
Psalm 28
Ephesians 2:11-22

Focus:
Ephesians 2:20-22: "You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole building is bonded together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built with all the others into a spiritual dwelling for God."

We cannot be solitary Christians. God has made us to be in relationship with him, but he has also made us to be in relationship with other Christians.

Not only that, but he has made us such that we and other believers form the body of Christ on earth. We make up a figurative dwelling place for God. We cannot do that if we stay on our own, separated from other Christians. We must seek them out and meet with them regularly.

Our relationship with God is not merely for our own edification and enrichment, but also, in some mysterious way, it is for building up others. God wishes us to be part of his spiritual dwelling place. That is actually a very great honor.

The Lord Is Our Light; Whom Should We Fear?

Readings:
Psalm 27
Ephesians 2:1-10

Focus:
Psalm 27:1: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom then should I go in dread?"
Psalm 27:13: "Well I know that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."

It is incredibly freeing to know God. We do not have to be afraid of anything! God is greater than anyone or anything imaginable, and when he is on our side, there is nothing that can ultimately overcome us.

I have been through cancer and open heart surgery. I am currently unemployed, having been laid off a few months ago. Yet I do not despair or feel abandoned, nor did I feel that way in the midst of my illnesses. For both now and then, God has been with me, and I know that he has a purpose for my life. I know he can guide me through troubled waters. And I know that whatever the outcome, he is there at the end.

How can I be afraid of troubles in this life when God is my light and my salvation?

How Vast Are the Resources of God's Power!

Readings:
Psalm 26
Ephesians 1:11-23

Focus:
Ephesians 1:19-20a: "How vast are the resources of his power open to us who have faith. His mighty strength was seen at work when he raised Christ from the dead...."

There is nothing too hard for God. We may think that our problems are so difficult that there is no way that we can get through them. But if we turn them over to God, we will indeed get through them.

Perhaps the problems won't be solved in the way that we envision. But God will give us the ability to get through them with inner joy. And he will work things out for ultimate good, even if we can't see it at the time. I have been in situations where I thought things were all wrong, only to find later that God had actually made things happen that led to good.

The resources of God's power are so vast, we can't even imagine it. We can rely on his mighty strength with utmost confidence.

God Alone Can Free Us

Readings:
Psalm 25
Ephesians 1:1-10

Focus:
Psalm 25:15: "My eyes are ever on the Lord, who alone can free my feet from the net."

Sometimes we are just in a real tangle. Everything seems to be going wrong. We need help.

We cannot get out of such circumstances without God. Our best efforts, and the best efforts of other people, will never give lasting relief. Perhaps the situation will improve; perhaps it will even seem like everything is fine. But our inner emotional well-being will not be entirely fine.

It is only when we turn our lives over to God and ask for his help that we can truly be free from the deepest troubles and sorrows. Outer things may not always be better, but inwardly, we will be free and happy.

It is God alone who can free our feet from the net.

God Forbid That I Should Boast

Readings:
Psalm 24
Galatians 6:11-18

Focus:
Galatians 6:14: "God forbid that I should boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world is crucified to me and I to the world!"

I regularly find myself proud of my accomplishments. I find myself wanting to talk about them to people. I'm sure the temptation occurs to many of us.

The conversations don't always go the way I envision, though. People aren't nearly as interested as I think they ought to be. Actually, they're much more lively when I ask them about their accomplishments.

This is a reminder to me that it is not a good thing for me to boast. And in fact, there is only true value in what God has done for me. That is what is worth boasting about. Anything I have done fades away in the face of God's magnificent gift of redemption and salvation; my achievements are, as Paul says, garbage in comparison.

God forbid that I should boast of anything else!

For His Name's Sake He Guides Us

Readings:
Psalm 23
Galatians 6:1-10

Focus:
Psalm 23:3b: "For his name's sake he guides me in the right paths."

Sometimes we might wonder if God will lead us. Perhaps things are particularly in a shambles in our lives. Maybe things just aren't going right. Or maybe we've been messing up pretty badly and we're not sure whether or not God can straighten us out. We might wonder whether or not God cares enough about us to do that.

But not only does God care enough about us to do that--he also does it for his own sake. And since he is perfect, there is no reason that he would want to let himself down. So it is guaranteed that he will want to guide us! We can depend on him to help us for his sake, even if we aren't sure of ourselves.

For his name's sake, he will guide us in the right paths.

The Fruit of the Spirit

Readings:
Psalm 22
Galatians 5:13-26

Focus:
Galatians 5:22-23a: "But the harvest of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, and self-control."

When we go through life just letting ourselves live without paying attention to what God might want, we end up making a lot of mistakes and living pretty selfishly. We get irritable, we do things that benefit ourselves instead of benefitting other people, we are thoughtless, and so on.

But when we ask God to direct our days, the Holy Spirit guides what we say and do. And that is when the qualities listed above start to show up in our lives.

I know that I am not very good at many of those things on my own. I am glad that I can have the fruit of the Holy Spirit in my life because of God, since I can't do it myself!

We Ask of Him Life, and He Gives It to Us

Readings:
Psalm 21
Galatians 5:1-12

Focus:
Psalm 21:4: "He asked of you life, and you gave it to him, length of days for ever and ever."

When we turn to God and ask him to take control of our lives, he never refuses. All we have to do is say that we're sorry for what we've done wrong, that we accept Jesus Christ's sacrifice on our behalf, and that we want God to be in charge from now on. God never fails to forgive and he never fails to give us, in exchange for this acknowledgement, eternal life.

As this psalm says, God bestows everlasting blessings on us and makes us glad with the joy of his presence. He welcomes us with blessings and prosperity (if nothing else, at the very least spiritual prosperity) and he places a crown of finest gold on our head. That crown is the knowledge that we belong to him and can never be lost from him. It's the very best crown a person could ever hope to wear.

Our Boast Is in the Name of the Lord Our God

Readings:
Psalm 20
Galatians 4:21-31

Focus:
Psalm 20:7: "Some boast of chariots and some of horses, but our boast is the name of the Lord our God."

There are many things that people might be proud of. They might be proud of their accomplishments. They might be proud of their wealth. They might be proud of their physical attractiveness. They might be proud, as a nation, of their military strength--of their chariots and horses.

But our true pride should come from the fact that we are able to know God. It is only the name of the Lord our God that is worthy of any pride at all. The rest is ephemeral and could be gone at any moment. Only God is both eternal and rock-solid.

When our boast is in the name of the Lord our God, it will never fail us.

The Heavens Tell Out the Glory of God

Readings:
Psalm 19
Galatians 4:12-20

Focus:
Psalm 19:1: "The heavens tell out the glory of God, heaven's vault makes known his handiwork."

It is impossible not to know about God's greatness and glory. All we have to do is look around us in nature. When we see the immenseness of the universe with all the stars, and when we look at the majesty of the mountains, we can see what awesome magnificence belongs to God.

Sometimes people mistake this and think that it means that God is in everything and everything is part of God. But actually God made everything. It is a reflection of his greatness and splendor, but not part of his being.

The wonder and brilliance of creation shows us what a magnificent God we have--full of power and glory. And yet he loves us individually and tenderly. That is beyond wonderful.

With God's Help We Storm a Rampart

Readings:
Psalm 18
Galatians 4:1-11

Focus:
Psalm 18:29: "With your help I storm a rampart, and by my God's aid I leap over a wall."

When we are in a difficult situation, God enables us to get through. There is never a situation too hard for him to help us with.

I know I found this when I had cancer. I got through a devastating illness because God was there pulling me along. I stormed that rampart with God's help. Without him, it would have been terribly hard, seemingly impossible. With him, it was an amazing journey discovering joy.

When walls confront us, we can turn to God and ask for his help. With his aid, there will be some way that we can leap over them.

All One Person in Christ Jesus

Readings:
Psalm 17
Galatians 3:19-29

Focus:
Galatians 3:28: "There is no such thing as Jew and Greek, slave and freeman, male and female, for you are all one person in Christ Jesus."

This is one of the greatest and most liberating statements in Christianity. In Christ all distinctions are gone. We are all the same in his eyes. He does not have favorites.

Although the Jewish people had been God's chosen people, the Greeks--and people of all other nationalities and races--were shown to be equally chosen by God after Christ came. Slaves were given equal love and brotherhood to freemen. (Christians later led the movement for abolition, and today they are in the forefront of the fight against slavery.)

Although society had given a special place to men, it was to women that the risen Christ first revealed himself. And the church gave leadership positions to women.

There is no distinction between people, between the conditions they find themselves in, in God's eyes. All that matters is whether or not they give their allegiance to him.

In His Presence Is the Fullness of Joy

Readings:
Psalm 16
Galatians 3:10-18

Focus:
Psalm 16:11b: "In your presence is the fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures for evermore."

The greatest thing to me about Christianity, after the overwhelmingly wonderful gift of salvation, is that it brings so much happiness and contentment to life, even in the midst of hardships. I would not trade it for all the riches, fame, or anything else that the world counts as worth having.

I am astonished, in fact, that people might not want it, because God has brought such joy to me. In fact, people just do not know him, or they have constructed barriers against him. Otherwise they would run to him themselves.

For indeed it is true that in his presence is the fullness of joy, and this will be for evermore.

Faith Is Counted as Righteousness

Readings:
Psalm 15
Galatians 3:1-9

Focus:
Galatians 3:6: "Look at Abraham: he put his faith in God, and that faith was counted to him as righteousness."

In the Epistle to the Galatians, Paul is arguing with the Christians in Galatia about whether or not they need to observe certain ceremonial laws in order to be saved. Paul's argument is that ceremonial laws are unnecessary. Only faith in Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation.

Paul brings in the example of Abraham. Abraham was not righteous in every deed that he did. Abraham sinned. But he put his faith in God. Because of this, despite the sins he had committed, God counted it as if Abraham were righteous.

That's the way it works now, too. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, God counts it as if we were righteous.

No One Does Good, No, Not Even One

Readings:
Psalm 14
Galatians 2:17-21

Focus:
Psalm 14:3: "But all are unfaithful, altogether corrupt; no one does good, no, not even one."

Psalm 14 paints a pretty bleak picture of the human race. The first verse says that "everyone is depraved, every deed is vile; no one does good!"

Our first reaction is to think, "Hey, that's not true! I'm a pretty good person, darn it!"

But in reality, when we truly think about it, we're just not perfect. We do stuff wrong. We may be kind to our neighbors and give to all sorts of good causes and raise fine children and devote time to worthy endeavors. But sometimes we say unkind things to people. Sometimes we fail to do a helpful thing we should have done. Sometimes we take something for ourselves when we should have left it for someone else.

The truth is, no matter how nice we are, compared to God, who is perfect, we are just plain corrupt. That's why we need God to save us, because we just can't do it ourselves. As the psalm says in a later verse, the Lord is our refuge. How good that is!

Only through Faith

Readings:
Psalm 13
Galatians 2:11-16

Focus:
Galatians 2:16a: "Yet we know that no one is ever justified by doing what the law requires, but only through faith in Christ Jesus."

This is the heart of the gospel, and it can never be repeated too often. No one is ever justified--saved--by obeying the law. It is only by having faith in Jesus Christ that one is saved.

Christianity is not about following rules, or about being right. Christianity is about having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Later, after having that relationship, Christians live in obedience to God out of gratitude for what he has done. But it is not that way of life that saves people. It is when a person puts her or his faith in Jesus Christ that that person is saved.

God has made it easy for us! That's how much he loves us.

What Is of True Worth

Readings:
Psalm 12
Galatians 2:1-10

Focus:
Psalm 12:8: "The wicked parade about, and what is of little worth wins general esteem."

Thousands of years ago when this psalm was written, and now in the twenty-first century, the same thing is true: people value what is not valuable. They place their attention and spend their money on things that will not give lasting satisfaction, yet generation after generation, what is of little worth continues to win general esteem.

Psychologists know better than I do why this is so, why people turn to shallow or short-term pleasure instead of to lasting and worthwhile satisfaction. But behind it all stands God, saying "Come to me, and I will give what you truly seek."

The Gospel is Revealed

Readings:
Psalm 11
Galatians 1

Focus:
Galatians 1:11-12: "I must make it clear to you, my friends, that the gospel you heard me preach is not of human origin. I did not take it over from anyone; no one taught it me; I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ."

The Apostle Paul wasn't just a great thinker who came up with some deep ideas about God and about how to live life. He actually had a life-changing encounter with Christ, and it was from that encounter that he learned about Christ and about God.

Paul started out as Saul, zealously persecuting believers in Jesus Christ. But on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians there, he met Jesus Christ in a vision, and after that he turned his life around. After that he changed his name to Paul and devoted his life to preaching about Christ.

Paul didn't just preach about Christ. He encountered persecution himself. He risked death multiple times. He was threatened over and over, but he didn't stop. This encounter he had with Christ was worth more to him than anything else, and he knew that everyone else needed to have that value in their lives. That made it imperative to him to keep preaching.

Paul didn't just write about philosophy. He wrote about a life-saving relationship with God, a relationship he learned about through a personal revelation he received from Jesus Christ himself.

This is no mere viewpoint we read about in the Bible. This is life itself.

Communicating about God in Spite of Ourselves

Readings:
Psalm 10
II Corinthians 13

Focus:
II Corinthians 13:7: "Our prayer to God is that you may do no wrong, not that we should win approval; we want you to do what is right, even if we should seem failures."

Sometimes when I write a blog like this I think that it's kind of presumptuous for me to be writing about God and how to live for him, and how to live the way he wants. I'm keenly aware of how I mess up all the time.

My prayer in writing this blog is to communicate about God in spite of myself. People who know me well know that I'm all too human, and that I am riddled with flaws--just as everyone else is. I don't always succeed at doing the things that I talk about in my blog.

But I do want to be what I talk about--and it's what I want for everyone else, too. And I believe that God's word is strong enough to communicate past me. So that's what this blog is for.

God Does Not Abandon Those Who Seek Him

Readings:
Psalm 9
II Corinthians 12:11-21

Focus:
Psalm 9:10: "Those who acknowledge your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek you."

One thing I know to be true about God is that he is absolutely faithful. He never abandons anyone who trusts him. Anyone who turns to him will find him to be an utter source of confidence.

Sometimes it is not always obvious how God is working things out. Sometimes it takes a long time to see how God is there. Sometimes things seem dark and desperate. And sometimes things in this life are not good.

Yet in the long run, God is there with those who turn to him. God is there in the end. The dark of night will turn to the brightness of morning. God does not abandon those who seek him.

God Cares for Each of Us

Readings:
Psalm 8
II Corinthians 12:1-10

Focus:
Psalm 8:3-4: "When I look up at your heavens, the work of your fingers, at the moon and the stars you have set in place, what is a frail mortal, that you should be mindful of him, a human being, that you should take notice of him?"

One of the most amazing aspects of God to me is that he is so big, so omnipresent and omniscient, and yet so particular. He knows everyone, and yet he knows me. He cares about everyone, and yet he cares about me.

If you look up at the menu bar on the top of this blog you will see "Next Blog." It takes you to other random blogs. Now it takes you to blogs that are related by topic, but it used to be blogs on any topic. I have found that to be quite fascinating, to see blogs by unknown people. What a variety, and vast number, of people there are in the world! And God knows--and loves--each one of those people.

At church, or in other situations, sometimes I have talked with people, or heard people talking, about the ways God has been intimately involved in their lives. It's easy to think that God cares about me, but it's astonishing to realize the depth of caring that God also has for other people. Many times these people are quite different from me, but God is actively working in their lives just as he is in mine. God is particularly involved in each of those people's lives.

God has made the stars, the boundless universe. But he cherishes and cares profoundly for each of the people he has made. What a marvelous God he is!

Deadly Shafts

Readings:
Psalm 7
II Corinthians 11:16-33

Focus:
Psalm 7:12-13: "The enemy sharpens his sword again, strings his bow and makes it ready. It is against himself he has prepared his deadly shafts and tipped his arrows with fire."

When others do unkind things, or say unkind things to us, we feel hurt. It is easy to nurse our resentment and dwell on these little incidents. Sometimes we even respond in kind.

But in actuality the wrong things that others do hurt them, not us. Sin has eternal consequences, and if they do not seek God's forgiveness, they may be lost. (This is why we want to tell everyone about what God has done for people.)

So when other people do hurtful things to us, they have actually hurt themselves, not us. Even when the hurtful things that people do have consequences for us, they do not have eternal consequences. When people do wrong things, it is against themselves that they have prepared their deadly shafts.

The Lord Hears Our Entreaties

Readings:
Psalm 6
II Corinthians 11:1-15

Focus:
Psalm 6:9: "The Lord has heard my entreaty; the Lord will accept my prayer."

When we pray, sometimes it seems as if God is not listening. And sometimes it seems like he does not answer. God can seem quite remote at times.

Yet God promises that when we turn to him, he will be there. God loves us more than we love him, and longs for us more than we long for him. He does listen to us when we pray, and he does answer our prayers.

He may not answer us in the ways we expect, but he will answer us in the ways that are for our good. He will give us what we need, and he will also give us, ultimately, what we truly want. The Lord hears our entreaties.

We May Come into God's House

Readings:
Psalm 5
II Corinthians 10:12-18

Focus:
Psalm 5:7: "But through your great love I may come into your house, and at your holy temple bow down in awe."

Sometimes it seems very exciting to me to think of what it will be like to one day see heaven. It must be more splendid and magnificent than anything we can imagine! When I have been in the midst of a large choir singing absolutely gorgeous music in church, it has occurred to me that, compared to what the music of heaven is like, the glorious choir and orchestra are as if they were mere banging sticks. But one day those of us who have given our lives to God can hear the true music of heaven.

How thrilling that one day, through God's great love, because of what he has done for us, we may come into his house!

A Greater Happiness

Readings:
Psalm 4
II Corinthians 10:1-11

Focus:
Psalm 4:7: "But you have put into my heart a greater happiness than others had from grain and wine in plenty."

It is always hard for me to understand why people don't want to be Christians. Of course I know that it's because they don't realize what it's really about. But if they only knew!

It is not about following rules, about having to be good, about looking down on other people, or any stuff like that. It's about love and freedom and happiness!

God has put into my heart a greater happiness than others have from riches or fame. I wish everyone had this happiness.

As Often As We Cry to God, He Answers

Readings:
Psalm 3
II Corinthians 9

Focus:
Psalm 3:4: "As often as I cry aloud to the Lord, he answers from his holy mountain."

God is a responsive God. He is not remote and uncaring. When we turn to him, he is ready to receive us.

Whenever we cry to God for help, he answers. Sometimes his answers are not what we expect. But he always answers. He always provides the guidance we need, the way out of a seemingly impossible situation. It might not be what we would have chosen, but it will be the right thing.

As often as we cry to the Lord, he answers.

Why Go Our Own Futile Way?

Readings:
Psalm 2
II Corinthians 8:16-24

Focus:
Psalm 2:1: "Why are the nations in turmoil? Why do the peoples hatch their futile plots?"

It is an amazing thing that people think that they can run their own lives without God. Some people do this because they think that there is no God, and yet God has made us such that inside us we feel a yearning for him. So at some level we do know that he exists.

Other people think that God is remote from us or doesn't care about how we run our lives. So they go ahead and do things their own way.

Yet God does exist, and he does care how we live. He made us and he knows what is for our good. When we choose to live in a different way, we do so at our peril. Why would we do this? Why do we hatch our futile plots when we have a loving God to show us what is for our good?

Giving

Readings:
Psalm 1
II Corinthians 8:1-15

Focus:
II Corinthians 8:12: "If we give eagerly according to our means, that is acceptable to God; he does not ask for what we do not have."

One of our responsibilities is to give to those in need. We give money and we give time helping them.

But unless we feel a special calling to do this, we don't have to give so much that we impoverish ourselves in turn. Instead, we give a proportion of what we have. That is what God asks for. He asks that we give enough that we truly are giving--a dollar here and there is hardly a gift, unless we are destitute--but he does not ask that we give what we do not have.

It is our hearts that God wants. When our hearts belong to him, then we give in response to his love. And we will find that we will give out of the overflowing of our love.

I Yield

Readings:
Job 42
II Corinthians 7:2-16

Focus:
Job 42:6: "Therefore I yield, repenting in dust and ashes."

Throughout most of the long book of Job, Job has spent chapters maintaining his innocence and righteousness. His friends, on the other hand, have made long speeches telling him that Job's misfortunes, which are many, have come about because Job is evil and has done bad things. Job replies that he has done nothing wrong and that he is spotlessly good.

In some ways he is right and his friends are wrong, because Job's disasters have befallen him for other reasons. Yet Job is wrong too. Job maintains that he is perfectly pure, but no human is utterly righteous or innocent. Job maintains that God is unfair, but God is perfectly fair. At last God loses patience with Job's talk, and speaks to him directly, revealing some of his character to Job. At this, Job has only one response, and when we contemplate God, it should be our response as well:

"I yield, repenting in dust and ashes."

Let Us Cleanse Ourselves

Readings:
Job 41
II Corinthians 6:14-7:1

Focus:
II Corinthians 7:1b: "Let us therefore cleanse ourselves from all that can defile flesh or spirit...."

Many people think that Christianity is all about rules. They think that the main thing about Christianity is that Christians can't do a lot of things. This is not true. Christianity is about a relationship with God who loves us.

However, it is true that it is for our own good not to do many things. There are things that are just plain bad for us, that bring us down. As Paul says earlier in this passage, can light associate with darkness? We are happier and more able to be comfortable in God's presence if we don't do those things that are unbecoming. Let us cleanse ourselves from those things.

Joy and Riches

Readings:
Job 40
II Corinthians 6:1-13

Focus:
II Corinthians 6:10: "In our sorrows we have always cause for joy; poor ourselves, we bring wealth to many; penniless, we own the world."

In this passage, Paul is describing his life as an apostle, and indeed it was hard. He suffered shipwreck, floggings, beatings, and imprisonment.

But this verse can also apply to those of us who know Christ. Because of the riches of love and the promise of eternal happiness that he gives us, there is no earthly sorrow that is greater than the joy we have with him. And no matter what poverty we may suffer here on earth, if we are able to tell others about him, then we are giving inestimable wealth to them. Not only that, but despite any such poverty, we own everything that matters about the world.

It is not mere pie in the sky bye and bye. It is true joy, true wealth, happier and richer than can be imagined.

God Implores Us to Be Reconciled to Him

Readings:
Job 39
II Corinthians 5:11-21

Focus:
II Corinthians 5:20b: "It is as if God were appealing to you through us: we implore you in Christ's name, be reconciled to God!"

This verse strikes me when I read this passage. God doesn't just offer us the chance to be reconciled to him. He appeals to us. He implores us to be reconciled to him. He really, really wants it!

God has a great love for us. He has shown this by coming himself to take our punishment and die for us. And he doesn't just give us the chance to acknowledge this. He appeals, implores, begs us to acknowledge it. He dearly loves us. All we need to do is to respond.

We Never Cease to Be Confident

Readings:
Job 38
II Corinthians 5:1-10

Focus:
II Corinthians 5:5-6a: "It is for this destiny that God himself has been shaping us; and as a pledge of it he has given us the Spirit. Therefore we never cease to be confident."

God has been shaping us, those of us who have given our lives to him, or who will give our lives to him, for a destiny of life immortal, an eternity living in his presence. As a pledge of this, to all those who give their lives to him, he in turn gives the Holy Spirit to dwell with them, to comfort them, encourage them, and guide them in what is right.

Therefore we can be confident about our ultimate future. No matter what life looks like, no matter what hardships we have to go through, we know what the eventual outcome will be. All will be well in the end. The Spirit is there with us as we go through life, and we can be confident of our future.

Our Troubles and Eternal Glory

Readings:
Job 37
II Corinthians 4:13-18

Focus:
II Corinthians 4:17: "Our troubles are slight and short-lived, and their outcome is an eternal glory which far outweighs them."

When we are going through troubles, it does not always seem like they are slight and short-lived. Cancer and other illnesses can be agonizingly long. Some people are desperately poor, or enslaved, or unjustly imprisoned. There are children dying of hunger. These are not slight, short-lived troubles.

Yet compared with an eternity spent in the presence of God, these troubles are slight and short-lived. When we know God, his spirit with us helps us to endure our troubles as we await our future with him.

This does not mean we should not fight injustice or work to end illness and poverty. But it does give us hope as we go through trouble--glorious hope.

God Is So Much Greater Than We Are

Readings:
Job 36
II Corinthians 4:1-12

Focus:
Job 36:26a: "Consider: God is so great that we cannot know him."

One thing that is, surprisingly, comforting to me about God, is that I do not understand him completely. I used to think that I ought to be able to have all my questions about God answered, and that all the things that bothered me should be cleared up.

But then one day I realized that God was God and I was not. I was not even close. How could I expect to understand everything about him? It is hard enough to learn difficult subjects such as trigonometry or object-oriented programming. How could I imagine that I could understand God?

Once I realized that, I felt much better. This was because I already knew that he is the one who gives us the instinct for what goodness and justice are. If this is true, then he is bound to be ultimately good and just. We can trust that what he is doing is good and right, even when we don't understand.

It is just that he is so great that we cannot know all about him.

The Spirit Gives Life

Readings:
Job 35
II Corinthians 3:6-18

Focus:
II Corinthians 3:6b: "The written law condemns to death, but the Spirit gives life."

God's law is really a fearsome thing. If we were to try to get to heaven by living by the law, we could never make it. God demands perfection, and it is impossible to fulfill all the demands of his law. If we break even one tiny bit of his law, we are condemned to death.

But that is where God is such a marvelous God. He loves us so much that he has provided a way around this for us. He doesn't set aside the demands of the law. He just takes the punishment himself instead of us.

All we have to do is acknowledge that we have done wrong, acknowledge that we need him, and ask him to be in charge of our lives. He does everything else. And when we do this, as Paul says, we are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.

The Power We Have Comes from God

Readings:
Job 34
II Corinthians 3:1-5

Focus:
II Corinthians 3:5: "There is no question of our having sufficient power in ourselves: we cannot claim anything as our own. The power we have comes from God."

Paul is speaking here of his power as a minister of the gospel. But it is also true of all good abilities that we have. When we do good things, it is God who enables us to do these things. Without him, we are unable to do them.

If we are able to accomplish a lot, and start thinking of ourselves as pretty special people, good in our own right, we may find ourselves suddenly unable to do what we could do before. God has a way of changing our abilities, so that we will see that we are relying on him, not on ourselves.

But when we acknowledge him as the source of our ability, then we find ourselves able to accomplish more and more. We cannot claim anything as our own. The ability we have comes from God. But it's exciting!

God Is the Same

Readings:
Job 33
II Corinthians 2

Focus:
Job 33:27-28: "If he affirms before everyone, 'I have sinned, turned right into wrong without a thought': then he saves himself from going down to the pit, he lives and sees the light."

One of the things that I love about the Bible is that it is all one whole. I have read it all the way through over and over, and I have found that it all tells the same story. Here in the book of Job, we find evidence of this.

Elihu, one of the friends of Job, proclaims before Job and his other friends what the true nature of God is, how compassionate God is, and how he longs to save us. Before the verse quoted above, Elihu says this of God, in verses 17 and 18: "To turn someone from his evil deeds, to check human pride, at the edge of the pit he holds him back alive and stops him from crossing the river of death." That is an amazing attribute of God--he actually holds people back from death to give them a chance for repentance.

And then in verses 27 and 28 Elihu declares what is necessary for salvation. What does God require? Confession that we have sinned. It is the same in the Old Testament as it is in the New. God does not ask for great or perfect deeds, but rather a heart given to him.

God Has Set His Seal on Us

Readings:
Job 32
II Corinthians 1:8-24

Focus:
II Corinthians 1:22: "It is God also who has set his seal upon us and, as a pledge of what is to come, has given the Spirit to dwell in our hearts."

After Jesus ascended to heaven, after his resurrection, God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within Christians, to be our companion and guide in place of Jesus. This is comforting and illuminating.

But not only that, God has set his seal upon Christians, upon those who have given their lives to him. He has marked us as his, and that makes us secure. In fact, it makes us eternally secure. There is no spiritual danger that can defeat us. With God's seal on us, we belong to him, and we have God's whole power protecting us. We are as safe as safe can be.

He Consoles Us

Readings:
Job 31
II Corinthians 1:1-7

Focus:
II Corinthians 1:4: "He consoles us in all our troubles, so that we in turn may be able to console others in any trouble of theirs and to share with them the consolation we ourselves receive from God."

In this passage Paul speaks of how his distress and consolation are both woven together with the distress and consolation of the Corinthian Christians. And indeed this is true of all Christian brothers and sisters. We do not live our lives as individuals only. We share in each other's joys and sorrows, we help to build each other up, and we support each other in our hard times.

In particular, there are two great things that Paul says in verse 4. The first is that when we have troubles, God consoles us in them. In my experience, going through cancer and heart disease in the last few years, I know this is true.

The second thing that Paul says is this: the reason that God consoles us is so that we can in turn console others. We are not just to receive the consolation that God gives us. We are to actively reach out to others who need consolation. Once God has consoled us, we have the riches of consolation that we can share. We have enough to keep for ourselves--enough to keep and overflowing--and enough to give away. It is a rich experience.

Stand Firm in the Faith

Readings:
Job 30
I Corinthians 16

Focus:
I Corinthians 16:13: "Be on the alert; stand firm in the faith; be valiant, be strong."

The last chapter of I Corinthians is made up of a number of directives and greetings that Paul gives to various people. But he also includes these general instructions. We are to be alert, firm in the faith, valiant, and strong.

God does not want us to meander through life without thinking much about our faith or our relationship with him. On the contrary, he wants us to be alert. We are to be constantly applying our faith to our lives as we live them. And as we do so, we must be firm in the faith. We are not to let the popular ideas of the times overcome our thinking. We must remain true. Sometimes this will require us to be valiant and strong.

When we are alert, firm, valiant, and strong, we will end up happier, more satisfied, and closer to God.

O Death, Where Is Your Sting?

Readings:
Job 29
I Corinthians 15:50-58

Focus:
I Corinthians 15:55: "O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?"

One of the greatest things about Christianity is that even death has no ultimate power over us. For Christians, death is not the end, but instead a passage into newer, better life with God.

In C.S. Lewis's last Narnia book, The Last Battle, the characters are caught in a situation that is increasingly bleak and hopeless. Nothing goes their way, and ultimately they are captured and thrust into certain death.

But suddenly they find themselves in the most wonderful beauty they have ever seen, dressed in the most splendid clothes, surrounded by laughing and happy friends. And they set off to find Aslan, the Christ figure of those books, and every moment things are better and happier.

I first read that book when I was 20 years old, and from that time on, I lost all fear of death. It was a splendid metaphor for the Christian reality of resurrection after death. Jesus has conquered death. For us, death has no victory. Death has no sting.

Wisdom and Understanding

Readings:
Job 28
I Corinthians 15:29-49

Focus:
Job 28:28b: "The fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to turn from evil, that is understanding."

When I was younger it used to confuse me when I heard people talk about the "fear of the Lord." I wondered why we should be afraid of him. Now I understand it a little better. It doesn't really mean being afraid of God. It means respecting him. (It also can mean having a sort of fear of him, that is, awe of his power and realization of what it could mean for us if we should choose to thumb our noses at him.)

Wisdom for us begins when we respect God and apply our minds to what he wants us to know. Turning from evil gives us understanding. Until we respect God and turn from evil, we do not have true wisdom or understanding, no matter how learned we think we are. Our minds can never approach God's. We can't have true wisdom without him.

Conquering the Enemies: Sin and Death

Readings:
Job 27
I Corinthians 15:20-28

Focus:
I Corinthians 15:25-26: "For he is destined to reign until God has put all enemies under his feet; and the last enemy to be deposed is death."

Some people misunderstand when they hear Christians talking about enemies like this. They think we mean other people, and that Christians want to be conquerors.

But for Christians, the enemies are evil, sin, death, oppression, injustice, and all that is against God's will. Christians do want to conquer, but not to conquer other people. We want to conquer evil, to conquer sin, to conquer death.

We can only do this with the help of God. In fact, he is the one who does it. And he will do it completely. He will put all those enemies in subjection under Christ, and depose them all, even death. What a great day that will be!

Not for This Life Only

Readings:
Job 26
I Corinthians 15:1-19

Focus:
I Corinthians 15:19: "If it is for this life only that Christ has given us hope, we of all people are most to be pitied."

Christian faith is about the resurrection of Christ. That is at the heart of it. It is not about something symbolically represented by resurrection. We are not merely talking about hope and springtime and new rebirth. Christianity is about Christ's real resurrection from the dead.

Because of Christ's real death and resurrection, God has removed from us the penalty for our deliberate choice of sin. If this had not happened, hope would be futile. We of all people would be most to be pitied, for we would only be talking of enduring this mortal life with courage. We would not have anything substantial to offer or to cling to.

Thank God that this pity is not necessary! Because of Christ's real death and resurrection, all who desire it can turn to God and be free.

Not Just Our Spirits, But Our Minds

Readings:
Job 25
I Corinthians 14

Focus:
I Corinthians 14:15b: "I will pray with my spirit, but also with my mind; I will sing hymns with my spirit, but with my mind as well."

Although it is important for us to be emotionally and spiritually engaged when we pray and sing to God, Paul cautions us that it is not good for us to only be emotional and spiritual in our prayer and worship. We must use our minds.

In fact, Paul says it is more important than anything else for us to use our minds while we pray and worship. Without this, our relationship with God cannot develop and mature. Fervent singing and praying is good, but it is not good if it is the only thing we ever do. We must apply our minds to our relationship with God, and apply them while we are worshipping him, so that we can actively communicate intellectually with God, and not just emotionally.

Like Paul, we must pray and sing not just with our spirits, but with our minds.

Understanding Partially and Wholly

Readings:
Job 24
I Corinthians 13:8-13

Focus:
I Corinthians 13:12: "At present we see only puzzling reflections in a mirror, but one day we shall see face to face. My knowledge now is partial; then it will be whole, like God's knowledge of me."

There are often times when I don't understand things about God. I don't understand why he allows us free will to do bad things that hurt other people. I know that he is the epitome of goodness and justice, and so his design for us must be right, but I don't understand it.

But that's because I'm not God--I'm just a human. And my knowledge now is only partial. One day I will see face to face and my knowledge will be whole. Then I will understand. I am glad that God is good (I know this from the Bible and from my experience) and that I can trust that that day will come.

Many Ways to Love

Readings:
Job 23
I Corinthians 13:4-7

I don't have a focus verse for this passage. I have had these four verses on my office wall for the past five or ten years. Every day I focus on one aspect of them and concentrate on that. For example, one day I especially try to remember to be patient, and the next day I focus on being kind. (Of course I want to behave in all these ways every day, but I place a special emphasis on one element of the passage each day.)

On superficial reading of these verses, we might think that if we are good people, of course we are like this. But when we really think about it, we fall short of this in many ways. For instance, on my own, I can be too quick to take offence, or I can lack endurance. How can we overcome this? Because we are not able to do it on our own, God helps us. He does this when we ask him to send his Spirit to dwell in us and enable us to show the kind of love that he wants.

I find that when I remember to ask God to help me with the love talked about here, I can do much better than if I just try on my own. When we ask him, God always wants to help us.

If I Have No Love, I Am Nothing

Readings:
Job 22
I Corinthians 13:1-3

Focus:
I Corinthians 13:2b: "If I have no love, I am nothing."

Even if we can do amazing things for God, cause fantastic things to happen, but we do them without love, then although we have might have done some good, we are still empty in God's eyes. What God wants most from us is love.

Jesus said that the greatest commandment of all was to love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength, and the next greatest commandment was to love our neighbor as ourselves. Everything else follows from these two commandments. If we put them first, the rest will fall into place.

All Are Necessary Parts of One Body

Readings:
Job 21
I Corinthians 12:14-31

Focus:
I Corinthians 12:21: "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I do not need you,' or the head to the feet, 'I do not need you'."

Although there is no distinction to God, among those who have turned to him, between male and female, between people of different races, between people from different countries, or between people of different economic conditions, etc., yet we are not all the same. God has made us different,and he has given us different gifts to serve him with.

Some of our gifts may seem more important than others. We may feel that if we have a gift of service, and we work in a kitchen serving others, that our gift isn't as important as the gift of leadership. But if we feel that way, we are wrong.

As it says in verse 27, we are Christ's body, and just as in a real body, there are many different parts. Each part is important and necessary, even if it seems on its own to be trivial. Together we form a whole, and without any one of us, the whole is diminished. All of us who have given our lives to Christ are a necessary part of Christ's body.

No Distinctions

Readings:
Job 20
I Corinthians 12:12-13

Focus:
I Corinthians 12:13a: "For in the one Spirit we were all brought into one body by baptism, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free."

Among the earliest Christians there were still some distinctions made between the original Christians, who were Jewish, and the later converts, who were most often Greek-speaking. And while many of them were free, some of them were slaves.

Paul here is emphasizing that despite these outward differences, it meant nothing to God whether a person was a Jew or a Greek, or a slave or a free person, in terms of the person's status as a Christian. All were equally acceptable to God.

It is the same for other distinctions between people. As it says elsewhere in the Bible, there is also no difference to God between male and female. There is no difference between black, brown, white, or any other skin color. There is no difference between Asian, African, American, Australian, or European. All who turn to God are equally acceptable to him. God loves all people.

Many Gifts

Readings:
Job 19
I Corinthians 12:1-11

Focus:
I Corinthians 12:7: "In each of us the Spirit is seen to be at work for some useful purpose."

This part of I Corinthians is encouraging because it talks about how God gives different kinds of gifts to different people who put their faith in him. Everyone who turns to God receives a gift from him to use in his service, but not all gifts are the same. So no one needs to feel like they have to be just like someone else.

The great thing about the gifts God gives us is that we enjoy using them. It makes us happy to fulfill our purpose. God's design for our lives works that way. And when we're all using our gifts, then the community is built up.

Discipline

Readings:
Job 18
I Corinthians 11:17-34

Focus:
I Corinthians 11:32: "When, however, we do fall under the Lord's judgment, he is disciplining us to save us from being condemned with the rest of the world."

Good parents don't let their children do whatever they want to do, and in addition, when their children do things that are wrong, good parents provide consequences for their children, so that the children learn that their wrong actions lead to bad consequences.

It is like that with us and God. God allows us to suffer the consequences of our wrong actions. This is discipline for us, so that we can learn what are wrong actions. (He also warns us ahead of time what is wrong; we can read this in the Bible! This is a good way of avoiding the consequences.)

Many people think that we shouldn't have to suffer consequences at all. They think it's unfair of God to let bad things happen. And some bad things do happen to innocent people. That's a whole different subject and is quite complex. But many bad consequences are things that we simply deserve. And actually God is quite merciful; often he works things out so that the consequences are less than they might have been. Or he shows us amazing love and gives us strength as we encounter the consequences. And as we go through them, we grow and learn. It turns into a good thing.

Woman Is As Essential to Man As Man to Woman

Readings:
Job 17
I Corinthians 11:1-16

Focus:
I Corinthians 11:11: "Yet in the Lord's fellowship woman is as essential to man as man to woman."

Although in much of this passage it sounds like Paul is saying that men are superior to women, in essence this verse is key to all. Women are as essential to men as men are to women. In other words, they are equal. This was radical for the first century, but it was typical for Christianity to be radical: Christians also treated slaves as brothers and sisters, for example.

In other parts of the Bible we also see how women are lifted up beyond the cultural customs that had held them back. Jesus gave them attention and dignity that would not normally have been accorded women. In God's sight, there is no male or female. Christianity teaches us that maleness and femaleness are both reflections of aspects of God. Women were the first to discover Christ's empty tomb. That's pretty special! As a woman, I'm grateful that God does not make distinctions of worth between the sexes.

Not Everything Is Good for Us

Readings:
Job 16
I Corinthians 10:14-33

Focus:
I Corinthians 10:23a: "'We are free to do anything,' you say. Yes, but not everything is good for us."

Many of the early Christians were happy that they had been released from the ceremonial laws of the Jewish religion, and were glad to proclaim that they were free to do anything. But Paul is quick here to remind them that not everything is good for them, and that not everything builds up the community. They must even more than before use their judgment (and turn to God in prayer) to know what they ought to do, and ought to refrain from doing.

The same is true of us. We may not be bound by a lot of rules and regulations, but we must always think of whether an action is helpful or kind or healthy. And above all, we must think of whether what we do helps bring God's kingdom closer, or works against it. I try to use this last test of my actions whenever I can (or, being a faulty human, whenever I remember it!)

It feels good when we know that we are doing what is for the good rather than what is for the bad.

God Provides a Way Out

Readings:
Job 15
I Corinthians 10:1-13

Focus:
I Corinthians 10:13b: "God keeps faith and will not let you be tested beyond your powers, but when the test comes he will at the same time provide a way out and so enable you to endure."

It is a fact that suffering happens in life. No matter how faithful we are, bad circumstances occur. We may be wonderful, selfless servants of God, and yet we may be stricken with disease, or discord in our families, or troubles in our jobs, etc.

It is beyond the scope of this blog post to discuss why God allows evil to happen to good people. But we can be assured that he does not leave us comfortless; when we turn to him, he fills us with his sustaining love.

And more than that, as Paul says, God will never let us suffer beyond what we can endure. He will always provide a way out. His care for us is so great that he will make sure of that. If it seems that our troubles are very hard, then it means that we are able to endure them! When they become too hard, God will provide a way out. And until then, he will be with us, loving us and comforting us. I know that it is so.

Of Few Days

Readings:
Job 14
I Corinthians 9:19-27

Focus:
Job 14:1-2a: "Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He blossoms like a flower and withers away."

Johannes Brahms used these poignant words as part of his gorgeous German Requiem. Set to his lovely harmonies, these words always make me think.

It is true that, as the saying goes, "life is hard, and then you die." Sometimes it seems like there is no point. We just struggle through our short lives and find no reason for all our troubles.

Thanks to God that he does provide us a reason! He has a purpose for us that we may not understand. But since God is the epitome of goodness and justice, we can know that in the end, all will be good and right. Things may feel hard now, but we are heading towards a glorious ending when our life is over. And when we turn to him, God is there to comfort and sustain us as we go on our way.

Brahms also used these words, from Psalm 126: those who go forth weeping will return rejoicing.

Serving God by Doing What We Enjoy

Readings:
Job 13
I Corinthians 9:1-18

Focus:
I Corinthians 9:16: "Even if I preach the gospel, I can claim no credit for it; I cannot help myself; it would be agony for me not to preach."

Sometimes we think of service for God as something we have to do, but that we won't like it much. We think we have to put in some time doing things for others, maybe working at a homeless shelter or volunteering in some way at church, but probably doing something that we don't actually enjoy that much.

But in actuality God gives us gifts to use in his service, and when we are using those gifts, we are happy. We like what we're doing. As Paul, who was gifted with preaching ability, said, it would be agony to us not to do it. We just need to figure out how what we love to do anyway fits into serving God.

I like to sing. I'm miserable when I'm not singing. So one way I serve God is by helping lead the singing at church. It's a great combination of doing what I like and serving God at the same time. There are many other such combinations for other people, doing other things (for some people maybe it IS working at a homeless shelter). It works well.

Not Causing Anyone's Downfall

Readings:
Job 12
I Corinthians 8:4-13

Focus:
I Corinthians 8:2: "Therefore, if food is the downfall of a brother or sister, I will never eat meat again, for I will not be the cause of a brother or sister's downfall."

Paul is talking here about how people in his day were aware that meat that they bought in the market had first been sacrificed to idols. Many Christians didn't care about that, but for others, it bothered their consciences. So Paul said that for those who weren't troubled by it, rather than to say to themselves, "That's their problem," about the others, they should actually go out of their way not to set what would amount to a bad example by eating meat in front of those people.

In other words, Paul's advice is to live by the scruples of the people with the more tender consciences. This is in order to avoid causing the people with the more tender consciences to imitate the people with the more robust consciences and thus do what for the weaker-conscience people would be sin.

This is how far we are to go in living with love. We are to limit ourselves so that others may live.

Knowledge

Readings:
Job 11
I Corinthians 8:1-3

Focus:
I Corinthians 8:2: "If anyone fancies that he has some kind of knowledge, he does not yet know in the true sense of knowing."

In this passage, Paul is writing a warning against being too sure of our own knowledge and wisdom. As he says, knowledge inflates us, whereas love builds us up. This is interesting. Both make us bigger, but love makes us bigger and stronger, whereas knowledge makes us bigger, but on a very shaky foundation.

Our knowledge is really very limited. No matter how much knowledge we think we have, we nonetheless do not yet know in the true sense of knowing. It is God who truly knows. We may get glimpses of understanding, but our knowledge is nothing compared to God's knowledge. We can't rely on it to tell us all truth about important questions. Our knowledge is limited, and it is also fallible.

We must get our knowledge from God, and base it all on love. Then we will have a secure foundation.

What Matters

Readings:
Job 10
I Corinthians 7

Focus:
I Corinthians 7:19: "Circumcision or uncircumcision is neither here nor there; what matters is to keep God's commands."

Paul is in the midst of a discussion of whether or not it is important to change one's external marks or condition in life when one becomes a Christian. Circumcision had been one of the most important indications of belonging to the religious community. What Paul says is that circumcision, or any other external mark or condition in life, has nothing to do with whether or not you belong to God.

Instead, Paul says, the important thing is to keep God's commands. And the greatest command of them all, Jesus said, is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. The second commandment, he said, was to love our neighbor as ourselves.

This is what matters.

I Will Not Let Anything Make Free with Me

Readings:
Job 9
I Corinthians 6:12-20

Focus:
I Corinthians 6:12b: "No doubt I am free to do anything, but I for one will not let anything make free with me."

When Paul says, "No doubt I am free to do anything," he is referring to the fact that the Corinthian Christians were relying on their freedom from many older religious laws. They had been set free from these by their new covenant in Christ.

However, Paul reminds them that not everything is good, and moreover, behaviors and habits can have a way of taking control of a person. As Paul says, "I for one will not let anything make free with me."

And Christ died for us, to make us look to God as if we were good. A response of gratitude would be for us to do our best to act good. In verses 19 and 20, Paul says, "You do not belong to yourselves; you were bought at a price." What a costly price it was, too. We owe it to Christ to give him our best efforts at goodness.

Washed Clean

Readings:
Job 8
I Corinthians 6:1-11

Focus:
I Corinthians 6:9b:11a: "Make no mistake: no fornicator or idolater, no adulterer or sexual pervert, no thief, extortioner, drunkard, slanderer, or swindler will possess the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you have been washed clean."

First Paul gives a list of examples of the types of wrongdoings that disqualify people from eternal life with God. It sounds pretty bad. But then he says something hopeful, because he's speaking to Christians, people who have been saved and who expect to have that eternal life with God: "Such were some of you."

If they had been like that, then it's maybe it's not hopeless for other people like that!

And in fact, it's not, because Paul finishes his sentence: "Such were some of you; but you have been washed clean, you have been dedicated to God, you have been justified through the name of the Lord Jesus and through the Spirit of our God."

"Justified" means "made to look to God as if you were just or righteous." So in spite of being a pervert or a thief or a slanderer or any other such dire wrongdoer, or a liar or an angry person or a selfish person, when we give ourselves to God and are sorry for what we have done, we are washed clean; we look to God as if we were righteous, as if we had not done those things.

That's a good deal worth taking.

A Serious Situation

Readings:
Job 7
I Corinthians 5

Focus:
I Corinthians 5:2a: "And you are proud of yourselves! You ought to have gone into mourning."

Paul has been writing to the Christians at Corinth, who have been having some behavior problems, and who have been exhibiting some attitude problems as well. He points out a flagrant misbehavior that has been going on among them by two of their members and which they have been tolerating.

What Paul says about this is striking. He says that they ought to have gone into mourning.

We often forget the serious nature of sin. When we sin--and it does not have to be sexual sin only, as it was in this case--we have offended against God himself. We have rebelled against God, and have in essence slapped God in the face, saying that we want to do what we want to do, and we don't care what God wants.

When we behave like that, or when those in our close community behave like that, it is so serious that we ought to go into mourning until we are sorry. Our attitude needs to be different. This is not just to shame us, but it is for our own good. When we, or our brothers and sisters, have thumbed our noses at the God of the universe, we, or they, are in a perilous situation. It takes mourning to bring us back!

That's how serious it is.

All Good Things Are Gifts

Readings:
Job 6
I Corinthians 4

Focus:
I Corinthians 4:7b: "What do you possess that was not given you? And if you received it as a gift, why take the credit to yourself?"

Not only do we have all of our material possessions, as well as our physical attributes, such as health or strength, because they are God's gifts to us, but also we have our personality traits and character qualities for this reason. In addition, our ability to achieve good things comes as a gift from God as well.

It is always tempting to be proud of ourselves whenever we do good things. But in reality we are able to do these things because of God working through us. On our own we are full of failings and would not be able to succeed. It is only in reliance on God, and through his strength, that we are able to achieve good things.

Sometimes we're not aware that we've been relying on him, or that he has worked through us. But that's part of what makes him even more fantastic--he doesn't always wait for our acknowledgement in order to help us.

Our response should always be thanks to the God who gives us so many gifts.

It Is God Who Counts

Readings:
Job 5
I Corinthians 3

Focus:
I Corinthians 3:7: "It is not the gardeners with their planting and watering who count, but God who makes it grow."

Paul has become aware that the Christians at Corinth have divided into factions, some championing him, others championing Apollos, another Christian leader of the time. Their partisanship is so strong that it is dividing their church. It is not a division over essential doctrine, such as whether or not Jesus is the Son of God, but merely over who is more important.

Paul wants the Corinthians to know that this sort of discord keeps them from growing spiritually. As he says, when they are distracted this way, they are still on the human level only. There is so much more they could be open to, if only they would realize that what matters is not which human leader they follow, but God himself. He is the one to whom they owe allegiance, and to whom they should pay attention. The human leaders are only there to point to God.

That is how it should be with all true church leaders. It is not they who count, but God.

All That God Lavishes on Us

Readings:
Job 4
I Corinthians 2

Focus:
I Corinthians 2:12: "And we have received this Spirit from God, not the spirit of the world, so that we may know all that God has lavished on us."

God has given us his Spirit for many reasons, but one of them is kind of amazing: so that we may know all that he has lavished on us. His Spirit is utterly different from the spirit of the world, and the wisdom of his Spirit will seem very different from worldly wisdom.

But besides this, his Spirit will let us know everything that God has lavished on us. Not just provided for us. Not just given us. But lavished on us! When we give our lives to him, and open ourselves to his direction, he lavishes blessings on us.

We may still have hardships, and troubles of various kinds. Our lives may not suddenly become rosy and perfect. But we will have blessings lavished on us; that is certain. I know this; I have experienced it in the midst of illness!

God lavishes good things on us. We can be sure of that.

God's Wisdom Vs. the World's Wisdom

Readings:
Job 3
I Corinthians 1

Focus:
I Corinthians 1:20b: "God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish!"

Sometimes when we think about the ways that the Bible says that we ought to live, it doesn't sound "smart" or practical. It doesn't seem to be what makes sense with what current thinking is about the best way to conduct our lives.

But that's because God's ways are different from human ways. And God's ways are better. They are wiser. God is rightside up. It is the world that is upside down.

If we follow God's ways, we will be guaranteed to be more deeply happy, satisfied, and content than if we lived any other way. It may not be what we expect, but it will be what we need, and what makes for our true happiness.

Expert in Goodness

Readings:
Job 2
Romans 16:17-27

Focus:
Romans 16:19b: "I want you to be expert in goodness, but innocent of evil."

We are to be expert in goodness. In order to be this way, though, we need to know what goodness is. We can't just be naively nice, thinking we sort of instinctively know what it means to be good. No, Paul says we should be expert in goodness. That means that we need to understand it completely. We must read and study the Bible, so that we will know what goodness is.

As Paul says earlier in verse 17, we must avoid those who lead people astray, contrary to the teachings we have received. In order to recognize this, we must know the teachings we have received. We must be expert in them. That is the only way to be truly good.

Blessed Be the Name of the Lord

Readings:
Job 1
Romans 16:1-16

Focus:
Job 1:21: "Naked I came from the womb, naked I shall return whence I came. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

The ancient Hebrew, Job, had amassed many riches, but he lost them all in one day. Yet he knew that things that we love, such as material wealth, family members, or good health, are uncertain. We are not assured of their permanence with us.

Moreover, God alone knows whether or not the presence of these loved people and things in our lives is good for us. He may have some purpose that we are not aware of, and we may lose the things we love, without knowing that we are heading toward some greater good without those things.

Or, because, through the free will of humankind, we have allowed sin into the world, and creation has become broken, some evil takes some good things away from us. But God will work to turn the result of the evil to our good, even though we have lost what we loved. I know that I have found this to be true as I have experienced both cancer and serious heart problems.

In all of these circumstances, God remains good. Job was wise enough to know this. When we are beset with loss and hardship, may we have the trust nonetheless to say with Job, "Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Allies in the Fight

Readings:
Esther 10
Romans 15:14-33

Focus:
Romans 15:30a: "I implore you by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love that the Spirit inspires, be my allies in the fight."

Paul tells the Roman Christians that it has been his task to tell the Gospel to the Gentiles (the non-Jews), and that he has been particularly careful to go to places where no Christian has gone before to tell the message. He thus contrasts Jews with Gentiles, and Gentiles who have never heard the Gospel at all with Gentiles who have already heard it.

Yet Paul also binds all these groups together into one family of God. Before he can visit the Romans, he is going to take money to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, who are experiencing economic distress. This money has been raised by Gentile Christians. As Paul says, the Jewish Christians have shared their spiritual treasures with the Gentiles, and in return the Gentiles are sharing their material treasures.

Paul knows that there will be foes in Jerusalem who will seek to arrest him, and he asks the Roman Christians to pray for him as he goes there--to be his allies in the fight. Once again he binds the groups together into one family of God.

This is a model for us. We cannot always be together with our brothers and sisters, but we can support them through financial aid, through prayer, and through contacting them to tell them of our support. We can be their allies in the fight.

Accept One Another

Readings:
Esther 9
Romans 15:7-13

Focus:
Romans 15:7: "In a word, accept one another as Christ accepted us, to the glory of God."

In this passage, Paul speaks of both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews), and talks of how Christ came for the benefit of both. Because God cares about both Jews and Gentiles (which means that he cares about all people), we also should care about all people.

Although Paul is speaking here of Christians accepting each other, this passage can also apply more widely. It is God's glory that we must be thinking of, and not our own purposes. And God's desire is to reach out to all people. For that reason, then, we accept all people and reach out to them with God's message, to the glory of God.

Consider Others

Readings:
Esther 8
Romans 15:1-6

Focus:
Romans 15:2: "Each of us must consider his neighbor and think what is for his good and will build up the common life."

We think it would be nice if we could just think of ourselves and do whatever we want. But Paul tells us that we must think of others first, and do what is for their good.

And practically speaking, we can't just please ourselves, anyway. We can't just say, "It's my life; I'll do what I want." Our actions have consequences that affect other people, whether we like it or not. If we choose to eat unhealthy food, for example, we shorten our lives, which causes grief to others, and we end up with illnesses that cause others to have to spend time caring for us.

So, on the negative side of things, it just makes sense not to think of ourselves alone. But in addition, God has asked us to think of others first. And when we do it God's way, not only thinking of others, but focusing on trying to love them, too, we end up with rewards that we might not expect. Building up the common life includes us, too, and not just others. We find that our own life is enhanced when we think of others. There are rewards that we might not want to trade for what we could have had if we had only thought of ourselves. God works that way.

Not Causing Others to Stumble

Readings:
Esther 7
Romans 14:13-23

Focus:
Romans 14:20b: "Everything is pure in itself, but it is wrong to eat if by eating you cause another to stumble."

Paul continues his discussion of what some people believe is okay to eat and others don't. The discussion is applicable to other areas, such as whether or not a person should drink wine, or see certain movies, etc. Paul declares that anything is pure in itself to eat.

But, Paul says, if there are other Christians whose conscience tells them that such things should not be eaten, etc., and they see another Christian eating them, they may be led astray into eating such things too. Yet they will be doing wrong, because they will be violating their consciences. So, Paul says, if we know that other people, with weaker consciences, will see us doing things that they feel are wrong, we should abstain from doing them! Why? Out of love for our brothers and sisters.

Again, this does not apply to things such as cruelty, theft, sexual sin, unkindness, etc. Those things are always wrong. But where there can be true disagreement, we can behave according to our varying beliefs, and we also must show deference to the beliefs of our brothers and sisters by not offending their consciences when they are watching. We do this out of love for them and out of love for God.

Passing Judgment

Readings:
Esther 6
Romans 14:1-12

Focus:
Romans 14:10a: "You, then, why do you pass judgment on your fellow Christian?"

In this part of Romans, Paul is talking about how some people feel it's wrong to eat meat, which in that particular part of the world, at that time, was usually sacrificed to idols before it was sold, and others have no problem with it because they don't believe in the idols anyway. Paul is saying that for those who believe it's wrong, it's wrong, because they violate their consciences if they go ahead and eat it; and for those who don't believe it's wrong, it's not wrong. And neither one should judge the other.

This is different from moral issues such as murder, rape, theft, selfishness, unkindness, etc. These things are unequivocally wrong. But when it comes down to issues like this, people can be sincerely divided, and it's not a matter of life or death; not a matter of who is a true Christian and who is not.

It is important for us to remember these things when we are talking with other people, or when we hear about other people, who disagree with us on some issues such as how to solve problems of poverty in the world or how to best manage national health care. We can sincerely believe in different ways and yet all have in mind the same love of God and concern for his oppressed and poverty-stricken people. We must not judge each other on the basis of different opinions.

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

Readings:
Esther 5
Romans 13:7-14

Focus:
Romans 13:9: "The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, you shall not commit murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,' and any other commandment there may be, are all summed up in the one rule, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

It's easy to say, as the Beatles sang, that "all we need is love." But when we really think about this commandment, "love your neighbor as yourself", it's rather harder than it sounds at first. It's not just about benevolent feelings and toleration.

When we love our neighbors as ourselves, then we help others with our time and our money. We act kind as well as feel kind. We stand up for those who need advocacy.

We also refrain from indulging in not only large crimes like theft and murder, but also little things like irritability, sarcasm, me-firstness, laziness, and all sorts of other petty behaviors that hurt our neighbors.

We apologize when we've done wrong.

There are many ways in which we change our lives.

We do this because we love our neighbors as ourselves.

For a Time Like This

Readings:
Esther 4
Romans 13:1-6

Focus:
Esther 14:b: "And who knows whether it is not for a time like this that you have become queen?"

In ancient days, the Jewish people had been conquered and taken into exile by the Babylonians. The Babylonians had in turn been conquered by the Persians. Then, in this Persian kingdom, through a complicated chain of circumstances, Esther, one of the exiled Jewish people, had chanced to become queen, though the king does not know that she is Jewish.

Now because of some devious machinations, a plot has been laid and all Jewish people are scheduled to be slaughtered. Esther's uncle Mordecai asks her to intercede with the king, but she replies that no one has the right to go unbidden into the king's presence; anyone who does so risks death.

But Mordecai tells her that she has a duty to help save her people, and then he tells her that it is perhaps for this very reason--for such a time as this--that she has become queen. And Esther agrees to speak to the king.

This is a significant way to look at occasional circumstances in our own lives. We may find ourselves, at intervals, at crossroads where we may be able to take some action that will make a difference. We should think carefully at such times. Could it be that it is for this very reason, for such a time as this, that we find ourselves at a particular time and place? Could God have brought us to this time and place because he has something that he wants us to do? We must always look for God's purpose for us; this always comes first before our own purposes.