The Loneliness

The Loneliness of Opposition
by Rick Warren

At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength …. 2 Timothy 4:16-17 (NIV)

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Opposition causes loneliness. When you’re attacked, when you’re ridiculed, when you’re criticized, you feel isolated and lonely.

One minute you’re a hero, the next, you’re the zero! That can be lonely. You might be lonely when you go through a painful experience that no one else seems to understand. Or, you might be lonely when you’re going through grief while every one else seems to be having fun. You might be lonely when you’re misunderstood, or embarrassed, or criticized.

How do you overcome this kind of loneliness?

Paralyzed or Positive?

Loneliness tends to paralyze, so think of a creative way to turn the situation into something positive. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Make the best of a bad situation.

Paul was lonely when he was in prison. He says, “No one came to my support, but everyone deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:16 NIV). Now that’s lonely!

But think about this: Paul was a people person; he probably would’ve preferred traveling the Mediterranean region, preaching Christ and starting churches. But he was stuck in prison and lonely, and as a result, we have many of his letters that now appear in the New Testament. It might be that putting Paul in jail was the only way to get him to sit still long enough to write those New Testament letters.

Resist Resentment

If you get bitter and stew about those who oppose you, you’ll only get lonelier. It builds walls around your life that keep people away from you. And building walls puts you in danger of becoming cynical or resentful, and that often pushes other people away from you.

If you’re lonely right now, what does God have to say to you?

I think God could say, “I understand how you feel!” The Bible says Jesus was tempted just like us, yet he did not sin. Jesus understood every human emotion, and there were times when he was lonely and abandoned. For instance, knowing the next day he’d be crucified, Jesus took three of his best friends – Peter, James, and John – with him to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked them to pray with him, but they fell asleep, and Jesus felt alone.

If you’re lonely right now, then share your loneliness with Jesus. He knows what you’re going through and he understands.

The Loneliness of Rejection
by Rick Warren

But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. 2 Timothy 4:17 (NIV)

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Loneliness often comes from the feeling that you’ve been betrayed, deserted, or abandoned. Paul felt deserted when he first went on trial in Rome. He wrote, “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them” (2 Timothy 4:16 NIV).

Here’s one of the greatest Christians in history, but no one came to his support! He says, “But everyone deserted me.” He’s on trial for his life; no one comes to speak for his defense.

Yet, Paul didn’t say, “I’ve spent thirty years in the ministry and this is what I get?” No, instead he said, “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Timothy 4:17 NIV).

Rejection is often the most devastating form of hurt. The Bible teaches that we have emotional needs and one of our greatest emotional needs is to be accepted.

Loneliness is so painful that people will try anything to relieve it. They take drugs, they get drunk. They go through long lists of short-lived dating relationships. They coop themselves up in their homes with the TV as their only friend.

So where is God when you’re lonely?

He’s right there with you – No matter where you go, God’s presence is with you. Sitting in prison, Paul wrote, “The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength.”

God says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).

The Loneliness of Separation
by Rick Warren

Only Luke is with me. 2 Timothy 4:11 (NIV)

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Separation causes loneliness. In prison, awaiting execution, Paul feels isolated from those he loves. He asks his protégé Timothy to visit, “Do your best to come to me quickly” (2 Timothy 4:9, NIV).

Paul later mentions some of his friends, such as Priscilla, Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus (2 Timothy 4:19). They are among Paul’s his closest friends and he misses them.

He is feeling the loneliness of separation. Paul never went anywhere alone; he always had at least one traveling companion. Yet, here at the end of his life, he’s in prison in a foreign country and he can’t just pick up the phone and reach out and touch somebody.

In the United Sates, twenty-five percent of the population moves in any given year. Many of us have lost our roots, or never had any to begin with, and that can cause loneliness. We can experience the loneliness of separation because of military service, or a career, or an illness.

What can you do about your loneliness from separation?

Focus on the needs of others – Get your eyes off yourself and focus outward. Look at how you can serve other people. Paul focused on telling more people about Jesus: “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Timothy 4:17 NIV).

Focus on your purpose – Even when Paul was isolated in a prison, he wanted other people to know about Jesus. He wanted everybody to know about God’s love. He stopped looking at himself and he looked at how he could still tell others about the good news.

When you’re lonely – Stop building walls and start building bridges! Instead of saying, “I’m so lonely,” say, “Father, help me be a friend to people who need a friend. Help me to help lonely people.” That is the antidote for loneliness.

Fear & Grace
by Rick Warren

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6 (NLT)

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God is watching over you.

When King David writes, “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me,” he’s not saying, “Surely only good things will happen to me!”

The fact is bad things happen to good people. What David is teaching us is that God can take bad, evil, and difficult situations and bring something good out of them.

It’s one of God’s great promises to us: we can know that all things are working for our good “if we love God and are fitting into his plans” (Romans 8:28 LB). If you’re a believer, the Bible says all things are working together for good – not that all things are good, but that they work together for good. There’s no difficulty, dilemma, defeat, or disaster in life that God can’t ultimately turn toward good.

When you understand God’s grace and mercy, there’s no need to fear the future. God isn’t trying to get even with you. Jesus shouldered the penalty for everything you’ve ever done wrong or will do wrong. He paid for it on the cross. So when a bad thing happens, you don’t have to think, “God’s getting even with me.” That’s how God’s grace and mercy work.

Mercy, like goodness, follows us in life. Picture a parent following a little child around picking up after them; God is constantly picking up our messes.

Think about this:

· Christians go to the future, not with a question mark, but with an exclamation point. God will be with you no matter what happens. He will help you out.

· God’s goodness provides and protects;God’s mercy pardons and forgives. God’s goodness will supply; God’s mercy will sooth. God’s goodness will help; God’s mercy will heal.

· Goodness is the fact that God gives us good things in life that we don’t deserve.Mercy means God holds back the condemnation we deserve.

Resisting Discouragement
by Rick Warren

So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

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There are many things that work to keep us from completing our life-missions. Over the years, I’ve debated whether the worst enemy is procrastination or discouragement. If Satan can’t get us to put off our life missions, then he’ll try to get us to quit altogether.

The apostle Paul teaches that we need to resist discouragement: “So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up …” (Galatians 6:9 NLT).

Do you ever get tired of doing what’s right? I think we all do. Sometimes it seems easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing.

When we’re discouraged, we become ineffective. When we’re discouraged, we work against our own faith.

When I’m discouraged, I’m saying, “It can’t be done.” That’s the exact opposite of saying, “I know God can do it because he said ….”

Ask yourself these questions:

· How do I handle failure?

· When things don’t go my way, do I get grumpy?

· When things don’t go my way, do I get frustrated?

· When things don’t go my way, do I start complaining?

· Do I finish what I start?

· How would I rate on persistence?

If you’re discouraged, don’t give up without a fight. Nothing worthwhile ever happens without endurance and energy.

When an artist starts to create a sculpture, he has to keep chipping away. He doesn’t hit the chisel with the hammer once, and suddenly all the excess stone falls away revealing a beautiful masterpiece. He keeps hitting it and hitting it, chipping away at the stone.

And that’s true of life, too: Nothing really worthwhile ever comes easy in life. You keep hitting it and going after it, and little-by-little your life becomes a masterpiece of God’s grace.

The fact is, great people are really just ordinary people with an extraordinary amount of determination. Great people don’t know how to quit.

Keeper Of My Dreams

When you're not here to share my days and nights
My life is so incomplete
For you are my heart, my soul
The ‘oneness’ I had known to seek

Without you I merely exist from day to day
With you I know that I will find
All that I have been searching for
My completeness, my eternal peace of mind

You are the keeper of my dreams
The man who holds my heart in his hands
The one I want to spend my life with
The one with whom I will always stand

Stand beside through thick and thin
Through all that life will throw our way
Knowing that this special love we share
Will guide us, each and every day

This journey was started long ago
Before this time and place
The journey of completeness
As two hearts and souls embrace

Forever is what I want with you
For the search is at an end
Our hearts have found each other
As lovers, as soul-mates, as friends.

Perfect Love Drives Out Fear

There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:18-19 HCSB)

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There you are, driving to the grocery store. You’re under the speed limit and following all the traffic laws, but then you notice a police car in your rearview mirror.

The policeman isn't flashing his lights; he’s not pursuing you; in a sense he's just like any other driver who might be following behind you down the road.

But he’s not just any driver. He’s a police officer, and so you tense up. You start thinking: Am I going too fast? Am I wearing my seatbelt? Did I signal properly when I changed lanes?

And then there’s the fear you’ll make a mistake right in front of the policeman. Now, the reality is that you’ve done nothing wrong, but the fear is there because no one is a perfect driver. He could pull you over for a variety of minor violations.

When fear enters any situation, we become defensive and less trusting. We focus on fairness and on protecting our rights. Consider what happens when someone brings fear into your environment – perhaps a fellow employee, perhaps a boss, maybe a family member or a friend. Their fear shows up as criticism, defensiveness, or manipulation, and it soon infects nearly everyone, pushing them toward self-protection – toward reactive decisions instead of thoughtful responses.

On the other hand, the environment also can change when someone shows up with an outpouring of God’s love. Love shows up as encouragement, as positive interactions. Because criticism is constructive, it is easier to receive. You know you are loved, so you know your mistakes and imperfections will not lead to your being rejected or labeled a loser. You’re less concerned about fairness because you know this loving person is looking out for your best interests, and as the environment becomes drenched in love, you begin to understand that everyone is looking out for your best interests.

The more you trust, the less you fear, and eventually this pure love – you might say perfect love – drives out your fears. This is the essence of the apostle Paul’s words: “There is no fear in love ….” (1 John 4:18 HCSB)

We are forgiven. We are loved by God, and we can rest in that truth. We can allow that truth to spread from our hearts to our hands, in service. Knowing that God is always loving us gives us the trust, the confidence, the faith to believe that God is working all things out for the good of those who love him and who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) We can approach God’s throne of grace boldly. (Hebrews 4:16)

Here is what I believe Paul is teaching: If you walk in fear, you’re trying to control life, rather than trusting in God’s love and letting him control you. Look through your fear and focus on God instead.

The thing is, if you have fear, you may be the person who brings fear into the room. Because you are less trusting, because you fear doing wrong, you may spark the fire of fear. If you fear others will take advantage, you will work to gain your own advantage.

Paul says, “The one who fears has not reached perfection in love.” But perfection in love doesn’t start with us – we can’t work ourselves up to perfect love. Perfect love starts with God: “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19 HCSB) As we seek to be spiritually mature, it is God’s love that drives the fear from us. Then it is his love within us – when we trust his love for us – that moves us to love others.

What does this mean?

· Give God your fears – When you fear, tell God about your them. In other words, don’t nurse your fears or use them to justify fear-driven actions. Instead, go to God with your fears. Ask him to show you the root of your fears, and then ask him to work within you to remove the whole fear-tree – roots and all. ("I believe; help my unbelief.")

· Let God develop perfect love in you – Accept and respond to God’s perfect love for you. How would your life change if you were no longer controlled or motivated by your fears? Ask God to fill you with his love and to love other through you. ("I can’t; God can.")

· Pray for those who fear – When you see someone showing their fear through defensiveness, control, manipulation, gossip, or other such behaviors, pray for them. Pray they will allow God to drive away their fears, that they will receive and accept the perfect love of God, and, with that love within them, that they will begin to act in faith and not fear.

· Pray for our police officers – Lest anyone misunderstand my illustration about a policeman in the rearview mirror, these men and woman put their lives on the line constantly in order to protect and serve us. They are ministers of God, in that they maintain the peace. Pray for them and their protection, that they will be drenched with the perfect love of God.

We Weren’t Made To Live Alone

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is like him.” (Genesis 2:18 HCSB)

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Today’s devotional is from Pastor Rick Warren.

If I were to ask you what you considered to be the most common emotional hurt in people, what would you say: Depression? Anxiety? Guilt?

How about loneliness?

After all the pastoral conversations I’ve had over the last 30 years, I’m certain loneliness is not only common to us all; it’s epidemic. I first noticed this when people who were married would come to me for pastoral care, saying they were lonely – extremely lonely.

It may surprise you that it is not all that uncommon for a husband and wife to not really talk to each other. Yet loneliness emerges in a lot of different situations. It may arise from the death of a loved one or the death – by divorce – of your marriage.

Maybe you feel abandoned by someone you relied on or perhaps your work keeps you on the road, forcing you to spend lonely nights in a motel. Or maybe it’s because you’ve just moved to a new neighborhood, and you don’t know a soul.

The evidence of loneliness in our modern world is in the dial-in chat lines, where people pay by the minute to talk to a stranger. Ironically, the Internet connects millions of people around the world, and yet the end result is anonymity and isolation.

Have you eve wondered why we all have the capacity to feel lonely?

It’s because God made us to need each other. In other words, we don’t like to live alone because we weren’t made to live alone. The Bible teaches that, even when Adam was living in paradise – a perfect setting with no problems, no stress, no sin, and no one creating heartaches for others – God could see that it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone. (Genesis 2:18)

What does this mean?

There are several biblical ways to reduce the pain of loneliness:

· God gives you a plan – You may feel nobody knows the depth of your loneliness and think, “If I were to drop off the face of the earth, nobody would miss me.” Yet we know from the Bible that God created you, that he knows you by name, and that he put you on this earth for a purpose. When you focus on God’s plan for your life, you’ll find yourself feeling less lonely.

· God gives you others to serve – I’m convinced that part of God’s plan for overcoming loneliness is to get the focus off ourselves and, instead, to pour ourselves into other people’s lives by serving them and giving them your talents and gifts. I’d encourage you to take the initiative and get involved with a small group of people who share similar interests. Within that group, you’re likely to make real friendships.

God gives you his presence – We were made to have an intimate, personal and close relationship with God. No person, experience, drug, success, possession – not even fortune or fame – will fill that aching hole in your heart, a place God created for himself. God is everywhere; there’s no place in the universe where God is not. Knowing that can relieve your loneliness. Regardless of the source of your loneliness, God is right there with you. You’re never truly alone – and when you feel lonely, you can call on him to help conquer your loneliness.

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

But Sarai, Abram's wife, had no children. So Sarai took her servant, an Egyptian woman named Hagar, and gave her to Abram so she could bear his children. “The LORD has kept me from having any children,” Sarai said to Abram. “Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed. (Genesis 16:1-2 NLT)

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And so Sarai took it upon herself to solve God’s problem. After all, God told Sarai’s husband, Abram, that he’d have a huge family, more descendants than there are stars in the sky. (Genesis 15)

Sarai waited and waited for God to provide their first descendant, but the baby didn’t come. She waited week after week, hopeful that God would answer her prayers, that God would make good on his promise. Every day, the tension and the frustration mounted. As the musician, Tom Petty, sings: “The waiting is the hardest part.”

Like me – perhaps like you – Sarai began to wonder if God would ever answer her prayers. She wondered if God had forgotten about her, as if God’s promise had been mis-filed or improperly prioritized in the perceived bureaucracy of heaven. Perhaps – like you, like me – Sarai questioned whether God really knew what he was doing.

It appears Sarai’s thoughts walked as far as her faith would carry her, and then she stood looking at the mountains of her fear. Did God understand how important this was to her? How could God deny her the greatest desire of her heart? Was God even on her side?

Even as Sarai acknowledged God’s ability to fulfill the promise – “The LORD has kept me from having any children …” – yet she denied God’s sovereignty to decide when the promise would be fulfilled.

And so Sarai took it upon herself to fulfill the promise, no longer trusting God to do his job. The waiting is the hardest part, and Sarai was tired of the wait.

Sitting in a humid tent, she hears the support poles creak; she hears, through the open flaps, a camel snort; and she hears … was that a voice, like the hiss of a serpent, saying, "Really? Did God really say your husband would be the father of a family so vast it would surpass the number of stars in the sky?" (Consider Genesis 3.)

Sarai said, “God can, but he won’t." Or maybe she said, "God can’t figure this out.” Looking through the tent’s door, she saw her servant Hagar, and in that moment she saw the solution, though she didn’t see the Pandora’s Box she would soon open. Perhaps she even though, "Of course! This is probably the answer God meant for me to see all along."

Her faith was collapsing, but so was Abram’s, for when Sarai suggested the solution was through Hagar, Abram agreed.

So what does this mean?

• Waiting for God is hard – God is not surprised when we’re honest about our frustrations and fears. Often God requires us to wait because he’s trying to show us the end of our faith, stretching our faith, not condemning us for the lack of it. In these moments, seek God and not the answer.

• Whose side are you on? – Sarai believed her assumptions more than God’s promise. She wonders why God was no longer on her side – "Why is the LORD keeping this from me?" – instead of confessing that she was no longer on God’s side. Ask God to help you identify the places in your life where you’re saying, "The LORD is keeping this from me!" What will you do with what he reveals to you?

• God opens and closes doors – Even as Sarai took matters into her own hands, she acknowledged God had the power to provide more heirs than there were stars in the sky. If we could ask Sarai, "Can God?" she probably would answer yes. If we then asked Sarai, "Will God?" her honest answer would appear to have been no. When faced with a delayed answer, do you break with God? What does manipulating an answer to your prayer say about your belief in the character of God? What does "giving up on God" say about the depth of your faith?

Restoring your faith – Like mastery-based education, God’s interest is that you master the lessons of faith. He wants you to succeed in your lessons, able to walk further in faith each day. So failure is not defeat; he will continue to teach you – and stretch you – until walking by faith and not by sight is as natural as breathing. Tell God, "I believe; help my unbelief!”

Making Allowance For Each Other’s Faults

“Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” (Ephesians 4:2b NLT)

The more we understand, the more patient we become.

When we see the hurt beneath the anger, or the reason behind the behavior, we’re more likely to “make allowance for each other’s faults.”

The ability to understand is a sign of patience. (Proverbs 14:29) The Bible teaches, “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” (Proverbs 19:11 NIV) God’s wisdom teaches us that love is patient (1 Corinthians 13:4), and that impatience is not love.

When facing a challenge to our patience, it helps to remember God is not asking us to give more patience to others than the patience he gives to us. The apostle Paul uses his own life as an example of this, saying God showed him mercy, despite his many sins, so that “Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience.” (1Timothy1:16 NIV)

We need patience with one another because God created each of us with different shapes, assigning each of us a different mission in life. We all have different backgrounds, and we’re each at a different place in our journey with Jesus. Practicing patience keeps our view on the things above, allowing us to see how God works even in the most difficult of circumstances. It is in patience we often learn that diversity is a strength, instead of a weakness.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with – even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.” (Romans 14:1 MSG)

What does this mean?

· Work at being consistently patient – Anybody can be patient when it’s convenient, but it’s much harder to remain patient when the day is slipping away or when you’re faced with the same mistake for the third time in one week. Patience often comes at significant cost; it requires you set aside your agenda and yield your rights in order to “welcome each other with open arms.”

· Learn to listen – Listening means more than just hearing someone talk; it means carefully considering what the other person is saying and actively trying to understand his or her point of view. The Bible says, “Listen before you answer. If you don’t, you are being stupid and insulting.” (Proverbs 18:13 TEV) That’s pretty clear! It means we shouldn’t evaluate what someone has done or said until we’ve heard the full story. God gave us two ears and one mouth, perhaps to tell us we should listen twice as much as we talk. Ha!

· Ask yourself these questions:

§ What makes me impatient?

§ What does my impatience say about my priorities?

§ How can I better understand the people who bring out my impatience?

§ Have I taken time to listen to their full stories?

§ In what ways do people have to be patient with me?

§ Do I give the same amount of grace to others as I expect them to give me?

“Love is patient.” (1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV) – that means love puts up with a lot for a long time. The next time your patience reaches its limit, remember how patient and understanding Jesus is with you.

Rose...you are my Sunlight

A Rose That Once Stood Alone
A solitary rose grew in the darkest corner of the garden
Surrounded by many others
Yet remained alone

Time passed and trials came and went
One dealt a severe blow
And the rose began to wilt and wither

Forgotten...

Then... as if by a miracle...

There came a soft and gentle breeze
Followed by a ray of light
As all the other roses fell into darkness
The solitary rose began to shine

Shining with a special light...
And watered by a gentle cascade...
A cascade of love
A cascade of selfless affection

"I do... not now but forever..."
Said the rose to the sunlight
And there they remain
A rose in full bloom
With her sunshine smiling down on her...

You are my sunshine, my life, my very soul
And I your rose blooming in the light of your love.

God's Passion For Oneness

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15 HCSB)

When Jesus speaks of love, he allows no room for sentimental fantasy or momentary emotion. He sees love through the eyes of the Father, and from this point of view he deeply understands that true, eternal, godly love is bold and strong, but also painful, messy, and sacrificial.

A love of this strength and magnitude can only take root in the soil of abandonment. We abandon our rights, our thoughts, and our schemes. It was this total and uncompromising abandonment to God that led Jesus to say and do only what the Father told him to do. (John 14:10) It was this uncompromising abandonment that led him to the cross.

If we are to become just like Christ, then we also must be abandoned to the Father. We must line up with the thoughts and plans of God so closely that we appear to be "at one" with him, just as a married couple, deeply abandoned to each other, appear to live as one. Through abandonment, we walk so closely with God that, when people see us, they see the Father at work.

Jesus is teaching this abandonment when he says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments." In other words, he's not demanding that you be obedient; rather, he's telling you that love for him should compel you to embrace his purposes.

The Jesus way is that you obey God's commands because you love God, not because you must obey God. By actively pursuing the purposes of God, you worship your Creator.

This also gives you a Christ-like perspective on the daily details of your life, turning every decision into a moment of adoration for God. When you let someone else take the parking space, when you stand behind a promise that proves more costly than you imagined, when you extend hospitality to the cranky neighbor next door – these are moments of worship to God because you are choosing to be obedient to his purposes, rather than doing things your own way. Even choosing not to sin becomes an act of worship, as it brings you into closer alignment with God's commands.

What does this mean?

· As you face decisions today, ask God to show you which path will be an act of worship to him. Then (I know this is easier said than done), move where he tells you to move.

· As you take this step, keep your eyes sensitive to God’s grace and presence in the moment. Do this throughout the day, keeping a log so you can track your movement toward oneness with God and his purposes.

Do Prayers Reflect Belief?

Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people.” (Matthew 11:25 MSG)

What do your prayers reveal about your perceptions of God?

I was thinking about this question the other day while reading a book by the great prayer warrior T. W. Hunt. In Disciple’s Prayer Life, Hunt and co-author Catherine Walker teach that we learn about the attributes of God by analyzing the prayers of people in the Bible.

For instance, when Daniel knelt to pray, he knowingly violated a civil code that required he only pray to a king-proclaimed god. From Daniel’s prayer, we learn that God is the most high God, and there are no other gods above him.

When Cornelius, a Gentile, prayed, seeking salvation from the God of Abraham, we learn from his prayer that there is only one true God.

These, and many other prayers in the Bible, show us the character of God and help us know him more intimately. But then I started thinking: What would someone learn about God if they listened to my prayers? Would they see that he is trustworthy? Would they see that he’s pure and holy?

Or do my prayers suggest a god who is not trustworthy, a god who isn’t concerned about the circumstances of my life, a god who reflects my own weak faith as opposed to a God who is trustworthy, caring, and faithful?

What does this mean?

· Know God – Do your prayers reveal the truth about God, his character as described in Scripture? Or do they reflect a wishful faith that hopes God is listening and willing to answer? Align your prayers with God’s great and unsurpassed character.He is El Shaddai, the all-sufficient One, able to meet any and all of your needs.

· Pray Scripture – Align your prayers with God’s Word. One way to ensure this is to pray sections of Scripture. In other words, take a passage and use it as the basis for a prayer to God, personalizing it to your circumstances and needs.

· Provision List – Thank God that he does answer your prayers. In fact, keep a list that records your prayers and the answers God provides. It will supply consistent evidence of God’s involvement in your life and his constant care for you.

We Love By His Life

I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NLT)

When Jesus commands us to do something, he knows we cannot do it unless we are empowered by him – and so he joins his life with the Holy Spirit within us. Thus, “Christ lives in me.”

This new life within will take us where thoughts or feelings never will; it will enable us more than information or willpower ever can. We receive the love and life of Jesus, and he says, “Go and do the same.” As awesome and costly and everlasting as the Gospel is, it’s also this simple: We are transformed by the life of Christ released within us, and now we’re to show and tell others how Christ can live in them.

And isn’t it true that, for a while, this seems to be the easiest and most natural thing we’ve ever done? We get love from Jesus, and then we turn around and give it away to others.

But then, after a while, we find it gets more difficult. Old habits return. Memories come back, and the emotions attached to them emerge in ways that cause us to stumble or feel defeated.

No matter how hard we try, some days sheer willpower isn’t enough to be the new creation God says we are. And so we try harder, and things just get worse.

But God is relentless in his command to “love each other in the same way I have loved you” – personal and up-close, meeting needs of undeserving others, not attacking their faults. This is God driving us away from the self-generated, “try harder” love into his love that is freely given. This is where the Spirit of Love - himself - is able to teach us. “Not I, but Christ.”

We begin to see it is no longer “just I” doing the loving – that would be life under the Law. Success would bring self-commendation; failure would produce self-condemnation.

We learn to say in faith: “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 NLT)

What does this mean?

· Personal love – Since God’s love is personal, it must be personalized as us. God’s love becomes personal and meaningful to others when we allow God to touch them through us.

See the need; don’t criticize it – Oswald Chambers said in My Utmost for His Highest, “God never allows us to see another person at fault so we may criticize them, but only that we might intercede.” Intercessors do not ignore or deny fault or sin; they address the needs behind the faults and the sins. We love one another as God loves us when we come to others, not to take swings, but with prayerful, godly solutions.

The Truth About Feelings

… And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ …. (Philippians 1:9-10 NIV)

Submitted now for your consideration: Pamela, a loving wife, a nurturing mother, a prayerful Christian. This morning, her husband, Richard, left a tender note on the bathroom mirror, inviting Pamela to join him for lunch at their favorite restaurant.

Pamela eyes the clock throughout the morning, anticipating meeting her life-long love at 1 p.m. She’s excited and feeling extraordinarily loved by her husband, so she leaves for the restaurant early in order to buy Richard a small gift. She splurges more, buying two balloons, which float up from the ribbon wrapped around the present.

As she pays for the gift, she looks in her purse and notices she’s left her cell phone at home – again. No matter, it’s 12:30 and in a few short minutes she’ll be with Richard, giving him her undivided attention. Who needs a cell phone in moments like that?

Pamela arrives at the restaurant first and patiently waits for Richard to arrive. What she doesn’t yet know is that Richard has been in a horrible traffic accident and was pronounced dead on the scene at 12:24 – about the time Pamela was tying the balloons to the bow, buoyantly anticipating the approaching romantic rendezvous.

The point to this sorrowful snapshot is that our feelings don’t always reflect the truth. Pamela is soaring high on her feelings of love, even though her husband is already dead. The truth is bearing down on her, and it will immediately alter her feelings when it hits – but her feelings are not yet in line with the truth.

Imagine Pamela as she waits for her husband, and he does not arrive. She’s forgotten her cell phone, so she waits. After a while, she becomes annoyed; after 20 minutes, she’s irritated and hurt. Her feelings still do not line up with the truth.

After 40 minutes, she begins to worry. This just isn’t like Richard. Maybe something has happened. She asks to borrow the restaurant's phone, and she calls Richard’s office, but is transferred to his boss. He says, “Pamela, we’ve been trying to reach you. There’s been a terrible accident ….” The truth and Pamela’s feelings collide.

The fact is, God gave us feelings. There’s nothing wrong with them. As one of my friends often says, “Feelings are just feelings.” Sometimes they reflect the truth; oftentimes they don’t. They can provide positive insight, such as when our fear warns us of nearby danger, or they can give us social discernment, like when we realize we’re falling in love.

But your feelings do not define the truth. Only God defines the truth. You may feel worthless, but the truth is you are uniquely created by God, who loves you deeply. You may feel like you can walk on water, but the truth is you can only do that if Jesus calls you from the boat. You can’t; God can.

Just as the Apostle John tells us to test the spirits (1 John 4:1-3), Paul teaches us to discern the truth through knowledge and deep insight, not through our feelings. He writes, “… and this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ ….” (Philippians 1:9-10 NIV)

Eugene Peterson, in The Message paraphrase of the Bible, translates it like this: “… You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush ….” (Philippians 1:9b-10a MSG) Otherwise, you end up in a life “shaped by things and feelings, instead of God.” (Colossians 3:5 MSG)

Your feelings are from God. They are a gift, and there is no need to avoid them or be ashamed of them. Yet God never meant for our feelings to be the gauge that measures your life and how you live it. Your feelings are not designed to define you or interpret the situations you now face. Only God’s truth can define you, and only God’s truth can pass judgment on the circumstances of your life.

The great and best Good News is this: God’s truth is a person – Jesus Christ, our Lord.

What does this mean?

· You are not your emotions – You are not defined by your emotions. You are defined by God. You may feel worthless, but God says you are wonderfully and fearfully created in his image. You may feel like you’ve failed God, but God says you are accepted in the beloved and that he loves you no matter what you’ve done.

· God uses your feelings – God may use your feelings to reveal a piece of your heart that you need to turn over to God; he may use your feelings to draw you closer to him. Paul speaks of feeling like a wretched man, and that draws him deeper into the grace of God. Your feelings of hopelessness in a situation may be what God uses to show you that you’re hanging your hopes on the wrong thing – because he is a God of hope, and it is a hope that will not disappoint.

· Your obedience is based on the truth, not feelings – The facts may appear daunting, but it is up to God to interpret the facts, not you and your feelings. God calls us to be obedient to the truth, not the way we feel. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis says that if you don’t love someone, act as if you do, and your feelings will catch up.

Love God With All Your Weakness

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind …. (Luke 10:27 NIV)

No doubt it sounds strange, but in order to love God with all your strength, you have to admit you are weak.

By doing this, you acknowledge God is the true source of your strength, and that in your weakness, he is strong. You become strong as you become totally dependent upon him, allowing his strength to work through you.

As you allow God to be your strength – to show his strength through you – you’ll find yourself doing things you never thought possible. God promises you can do all things through the Father as he gives you his strength. (Philippians 4:13) You’ll take steps of faith you never thought possible, and you’ll love others in a way you never imagined as God supplies you with supernatural strength and energy.

God is strong, and he wants you strong. He will change you in places where you cannot change yourself, and he will transform the broken places of your life in order to use them for his own glory.

God doesn’t ask you to take steps of faith alone; God is with you in every step, filling you with a grace-charged strength. God only asks you to take one step of faith at a time.

What does this mean?

· Tell God you need his strength – and really mean it this time - ha! When you try to love and serve others with just your own strength, you’ll inevitably fail. After all, there are a lot of frustrating, unlovable people out there. (Just ask some of my friends!) And that’s OK, because God wants you to fail in your own strength so you’ll start to rely upon his strength.

· You can’t love God wholeheartedly – Jesus knows you won’t be able to love God with your whole heart until you become dependent upon God’s strength to do so. You simply can’t do it through your own energy or strength. But Jesus also knows you’ll come to realize this yourself the more you attempt to love God, and others, on your own. At that point, you’re faced with a very clear, but difficult choice: Keep on keeping on in your own strength, wondering why this abundant-life thing doesn’t work, or take the Nestea plunge into deep-end dependence on God’s strength. You don’t have to prove your whole heart; just give your whole heart to him.

· One step of faith at a time – Relying on God’s strength doesn’t mean he will require you to take giant leaps of faith. He’s taking you on a lifelong journey, and my observation is that God only asked for one step at a time. The so-called leaps of faith that you see some people take are the culmination of a lot of little steps of faith you may not be aware of. The first step, however, is to ask God to be your strength as you take your first steps of faith. A willingness to rely on him is a step of faith.

Question for meditation: How dependent on God am I each day as I walk out my faith? Where am I moving independently of him?

God’s Grace Sets You Free

God’s Grace Sets You Free
by Jon Walker

Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. (2 Corinthians 3:4-5 NIV)

Grace. If you carry away only one thing from these devotionals, my prayer is that it will be a mind-transforming, behavior-altering understanding of God’s infinite, indestructible, and immovable grace.

Not just a quick, yet correct sound-bite explanation – like the “unmerited favor of God” – but the deep, ancient meaning of grace that stretches across the depth and breadth and width and height of God’s character.

This is on my mind because these devotionals present some high standards for Christian discipleship. My hope is to press us both – myself as well as you – toward an honest assessment of our faith, a deeper commitment to our beliefs, and most importantly a sacrificial, wholly-abandoned love for our Lord.

The standard is high; in fact, it’s impossibly high. That’s why we need God’s grace. I can’t, but God can. My confidence is in the healing, cleansing power of Jesus Christ; my competence comes from God, and God alone. (2 Corinthians 3:4-5 NIV)

Although I strive for these standards in my own life, I repeatedly fail, but that doesn’t mean I should settle for a mediocre, warmed-over faith walk or stubbornly hide behind a devilish denial that I did and do fail. I cannot walk the walk without Jesus in me – but with Jesus, I can.

Knowing this, I can set my mind on the things above, not focusing on the things below, such as my failures, my strength, my weaknesses, and all the material, temporary matters that keep me focused only on the things in front of me.

Instead, I can get out of the way, inviting the Holy Spirit to work a transformation in my life. Whether I succeed or fail, I fall upon the grace of God. I remain immersed in his grace, knowing I cannot create myself holy, but the Spirit of God within me and the blood of Jesus Christ allow me to connect with, and be cleansed by, a holy God.

We are God’s workmanship, not creations of our own hand. (Ephesians 2:7-10)

If we don’t understand God’s grace, we stand in danger of growing weary in our walk with God, descending into a quiet resignation that the abundant life is just a notion to describe our “sweet by-and-by” future in heaven.

Or we’re in danger of descending into legalism, believing we can somehow reach God’s holy standard through our own efforts. In effect, we’re saying we can achieve godliness without God’s power! We behave as if we become one of God’s children by the things we do or the things we don’t do and not from the extraordinary grace of God.

As if.

We become like the foolish Galatians, who began their Christian walk with the Spirit, but then they began to behave as if godly goals could be reached by human effort. (Galatians 3:1-5 NIV)

The apostle Paul, who struggled with legalism, taught the Galatians that the law was only put in charge to lead us to the grace of Christ. (Galatians 3:23-25) The Spirit of the living God transforms us by writing the law into our hearts rather than on simple stone tablets. (2 Corinthians 3:3) The godly standard is set within, where it cannot be lost, diminished, or forgotten, instead of on tablets of stone that can be broken, misplaced, or simply ignored.

So, you and I – my sister, my brother – we share in an inheritance from God, and that inheritance comes from grace. In fact, that inheritance is God’s grace.

What does this mean?

· You need not fear failure – God’s grace allows you to live boldly. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV)

· Your good works will be powered by God’s grace – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV)

· Let your roots take hold in the soil of Christ – My friend, today “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love.” (Ephesians 3:16-17 NLT)

The Wounds Of A Friend

Not everyone appreciates correction, but David did. He felt indebted to those who corrected him and realized how much he owed them. “Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. Let him rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it” (Ps. 141:5).

Correction is a kindness, David insists, a word that suggests an act of loyalty. Loyal friends will correct one another, even when it’s painful and disruptive to relationships to do so. It’s one of the ways we show love and help one another to grow stronger. As Proverbs 27:6 states: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.”

It takes grace to give godly correction; it takes greater grace to receive it. Unlike David, who accepted Nathan’s correction (2 Sam. 12:13), we’re inclined to refuse it. We resent the interference; we do not want to be found out. But if we accept the reproof, we will find that it does indeed become “excellent oil” on our heads, an anointing that makes our lives a sweet aroma wherever we go.

Growth in grace sometimes comes through the kind but unpleasant correction of a loyal friend. Do not refuse it, for “he who receives correction is prudent” (Prov. 15:5) and “wise” (9:8-9). —David H. Roper

When others give us compliments,
They are so easy to believe;
And though it’s wise to take rebukes,
We find them harder to receive. —Sper

Correction from a loyal friend can help us change for the better.

LOST SHIP

OMG..i just found the lost ship... hands had made on the paper i call receipts. It was an ideal came out with ship in my mind while i was in the country. The place that i never been before. I saw a crews and captain of the ship. It was wonderful memory while on the deep ocean that i never been before. Then, i saw the lose ship with on captain. I just took my paper and draw it to remember the lost ship. Now the lost ship in my life journey that never lose again and with handsome captain. The ship will last forever and ever.

Dear Friend, I Got Your Note

Dear Friend, I Got Your Note
by Jon Walker

My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9a NLT)

Hi! I got your note saying you didn’t think you could do what God is telling you to do.

You may be surprised to hear me say this, but I agree! If God called you to do it, then you shouldn’t be able to do it without him. In fact, if you could do it without him, then it’s really not a God-thing.

I know you’re feeling that God is asking you to do something that works against your strengths. Honestly, friend, we both know there are other people we think could do it better, but what we think doesn’t really matter, does it? God’s mind on the matter – what he thinks – that’s the reality, the Gospel truth we live by. (Colossians 3:3)

The fact is, God didn’t call other people to this task. He called you!

And he called you in spite of your weaknesses, doubts, and insecurities. In truth, your weaknesses are no surprise to God. You may try to hide them from others, but you can’t hide them from God. He created you; he created you with weaknesses (do you think he made a mistake with you?); he created you with weaknesses in order to keep you on your knees before him.

With you on your knees, dependent upon God, you are able to do all things through him who strengthens you. (Philippians 4:13-14)

Besides, if you’re like me, without these weaknesses to push you back to God, you’ll just get prideful. Wasn’t it our big brother Paul who said, “Now I take limitations in stride …. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.” (2 Corinthians 12:10 MSG)

This is why God won’t allow you to use your weaknesses as an excuse for avoiding your mission or ignoring your purpose. Like the preachers say, “Where God guides, he provides.” If God is calling you to a monumental task, then he’ll equip you to complete the task –and that equipping includes the Holy Spirit working from inside you.

Be confident in this, “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6 NIV)

What does this mean?

· God’s strength flows into your weaknesses – Where you are weak, you become God-strong. “My strength comes into its own in your weakness ….” (2 Cor. 12:9 MSG)

· God’s strength is your focus – Don’t think about how incapable you are for the task. See how immensely capable God is to work through you. As the VeggieTales character Junior Asparagus sings, “God is bigger than the bogeyman.” He’s bigger than anything you face, no matter how overwhelming it may appear to you. “It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness … and so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.” (2 Cor. 12:9-10 MSG)

· God created you to do good works – “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

Loving out the fear

Loving Out The Fear
by Jon Walker

All of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds. (1 Peter 3:8 NLT)

God enables us to love the fear out of one another.

We drive fear from our families and friends by loving one another so supportively that every one feels safe inside the group. (1 John 4:18) This safety allows us to bring our humanity into the open, including all our pain and joy, our ups and downs, our victories and defeats.

It means you give to others the same uncommon safety Christ gives you – to be real, to be sad, to be messed up and confused, yet to be loved.

God challenges us to create a Christ-community where we love like our lives depend upon it (1 Peter 1:22) and can each “live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)

We’re to weep together and celebrate together, caring for each other equally (1 Corinthians 12:25-26) as we comfort and confront, warm and warn, cherish and challenge, within an atmosphere of supportive safety.

Loving the fear out of each other requires that we develop:

Tender hearts – We give support to each other because God gives us support, and we’re to encourage others with the encouragement we receive from him. (2 Corinthians 1:4) In the New Testament, the word ‘support’ can literally mean “to increase one another’s potential.” (Romans 14:19 NJB) We strengthen one another by extending love, instead of fostering fear, and we do that by offering relationships that are safe and sympathetic.

Humble minds –True humility focuses on the worth of others. We understand our value in Christ, and we understand that God shapes each of us for a unique purpose.

Godly eyes – Loving the fear out of our family and friends – in fact, loving the fear out of the world – means we see others for what they can be, not for what they appear to be now. Jesus called Peter a rock when the fisherman was still acting on impulse (Matt. 16:18), and God called Gideon a mighty man of courage when he was hiding from the enemy among piles of grain. (Judges 6:11-12) God calls us to encourage and affirm each other (1 Thessalonians 5:11), seeing those around us in terms of their purpose and mission in life.

What does this mean?

· God enables us to love the fear out of one another. You can love the fear out of others, and you can allow the fear to be loved out of you.

· We exhibit tender hearts when we say to one another:

§ It’s OK to have a bad day.

§ It’s OK to be tired.

§ It’s OK to admit your mistakes.

§ It’s OK to say your marriage is failing.

§ It’s OK to confess your addiction.

§ It’s OK to share you’re scared.

§ It’s OK to want a day away from your toddler.

§ It’s OK to grieve a loss.

§ It’s OK to doubt, to be confused, to cry.

· We exhibit humble minds when we say to one another:

§ It’s OK to be happy you got a new car.

§ It’s OK to celebrate that you got a huge raise.

§ It’s OK to joyfully tell us you lost 17 pounds.

§ It’s OK to say you won the sales competition.

§ It’s OK to shout “Hallelujah!” because God’s presence in your life is so good.

§ It’s OK to tell us these things because we will be as happy for you as if these blessings had come to us, and we will join you in hearty celebration.

Love as long we live

Love As Long As Life Lasts
by Jon Walker

“We are anxious that you keep right on loving others as long as life lasts, so that you will get your full reward” (Hebrews 6:11 LB).

Today’s devotional is based on lessons from Rick Warren, senior pastor of Saddleback Church and author of “The Purpose Driven Life.” –jw

God designed life for us to learn how to love one another like God loves us. For the moment, we are in the midst of some rather serious on-the-job-training. God is making use of all things — pain and suffering, joy and comfort, opposition and cooperation — to transform us into people who love fully and deeply.

We’re to spend our lives learning to love one another because God wants us to be like he is, and God is love: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8 NIV). God designed this life to sever our ties to self-centeredness so he can teach us to be other-centered — putting the needs of others over our own.

This love we are learning will never die: “Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit” (1 Corinthians 13:8 MSG). The love we learn now will last forever. This life is practice for an eternity of love. It’s like spring training in the game of baseball: We’re practicing our love for one another now, strengthening our skills, preparing for the World Series of Love in heaven.

This is God’s purpose: “When the time is ripe he will gather us all together from wherever we are — in heaven or on earth — to be with him in Christ forever” (Ephesians 1:10 LB). No doubt, we will be surprised in heaven by how our love has flowed into eternity (Ephesians 4:4).

What now?

· Love urgently – “And we are anxious that you keep right on loving others as long as life lasts” (Hebrews6:11 LB). There is urgency in learning to love now because today could be our last day on earth. This life is fleeting, and eternity is coming. The opportunities for us to express love come and go quickly; we cannot take them for granted. One day our earth-bound lessons will end, and we’ll love for eternity in heaven.

· Love consistently – As long as we’re living, we’re to “keep right on loving.” This curriculum of love is not something we learn once and then put behind us. We have to study it for a lifetime, until we “know it so well, we’ve embraced itheart and soul.” We’re to “take up permanent residence” in this life of love, where we “live in God and God lives in us” (1 John 4:16, MSG).

· Love expectantly – We’re to keep loving so we will get our “full reward” (Hebrews 6:11 LB). We will find our greatest reward in those we love