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Day 39: Joyful Giving

“Look Daddy, this is for you!” My two-year-old son excitedly handed me the paper project that he had just completed in his class as I picked him up from preschool. The paper was a color-matching project. He had glued little animals next to the color that matched. He was so proud. For a moment I thought: “Why is he giving this to me? If he is so proud of it why doesn’t we want to just keep it?” But then I thought back to my own childhood and the feeling I had when I gave something I made to my dad. Wasn’t that a great feeling? Often times there would be a Christmas or birthday gift that I “gave” to my dad, but it wasn’t really from me. It was just something that my mom had purchased and put my name on. But once in awhile it was different. Sometimes at church or school I would make a mug for Fathers’ Day or a special card for Christmas and it was really from me. I made it with my own hands. And I had put my heart into making it special for him. It was exciting to give it, to see the expression on his face (even if it was forced) and to hear how proud he was of me. Everything that I received—food, clothing, toys, shelter—came from my dad. It was a rare and exciting honor to be able to give something back to him. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” As you think about joyful giving today, put on the attitude of the young child. That’s really an accurate way to describe the relationship, right? Our Father God gives us everything we need. He supplies it for us. He gives it without demanding anything in return. Everything we have ultimately comes from Him. But He allows us the opportunity to give back to Him—to prepare what we have in a way that makes Him proud of us. II Corinthians 9:7 says, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (NKJV) Many of us miss out on the joy of giving because we give because we feel like we have to, or we feel God is going to punish if we don’t. That is not God’s plan. He is instead waiting patiently for us to bring our gifts to Him saying, “Look Daddy, this is for you!”

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Day 28: Prayer

A few years ago my wife and I were going through a tight spot financially. After borrowing money to make the mortgage payment for two months in a row, we decided to make a directed effort to pray together every morning for God’s provision. We also recorded all of the ways that we saw God answering our prayers. Through this time something amazing happened: we didn’t see one big miracle of provision. Instead, we saw a dozen small things every day for weeks in a row—an extra five dollars here, a meal provided for us there. They were things that demonstrated that God was working to provide for us but that we probably would have missed if we hadn’t been looking for them. That desperate time caused us to look and see that God was providing for us every day. John chapter 2 records Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana—his first public miracle. John 2:9-10 says: “And the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.’” It is interesting to note what was actually perceived at the wedding. The master of the banquet didn’t even know that a miracle had occurred. All he knew was that better wine was served after the first batch had run out. Looking at the scripture, it is possible that the majority of the people there never realized that a miracle had happened. God is powerful and amazing, and he is a provider by His nature. Abraham called God “Yahweh-yireh” meaning, “The LORD will provide.” Miraculous provision is what He does. Miracles are present everyday for those who are looking for them. It can be said without triviality that Jesus turns water into wine every day. The reason that the wedding in Cana was different was because circumstances required that the water be turned to wine immediately instead of through the also miraculous process of rain, growth, harvest and fermentation. Everything that flows from God’s hand is miraculous. When we recognize miracles it builds our faith. When our faith is increased we grow closer to God, and we are emboldened to rely on Him even more for our provision. So take a look at your life today. There is a miracle being performed in you right now. Do you have eyes to spot it?

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Day 37: Love Stronger, Reach Farther

“Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” Deuteronomy 15:10 I just returned home after being away from my family  for several days, and I knew what the first question would be when I walked in the door: “Daddy, what did you bring me?”  It is a time-honored tradition for dads to bring home a gift for the kids when they go out of town.  I have to admit that in the busyness of travel the last thing I want to do is go shopping, but because I knew it would mean a lot to them I picked up a gift for each of the kids (and something for my wife too), and was I ever glad that I did.  They expression of joy from my kids upon receiving those gifts was something I will always cherish. No matter what your age, it is great to get a gift from a loved when they return from being away, isn’t it?   It is not even about the gift, it just makes you feel special that they brought something.  It tells you that they loved you enough to make a sacrifice.  It tells you that even though they were away, in their heart they were thinking of you. I think this is why God asks us to give him.  It is not that he needs something from us.  But he wants to know that he is on our minds and in our hearts.  He asks us to make him first priority in our lives above all of the other things that vie for our attention.  When we bring a gift from our heart to him it is evidence to him (and to us) that we are thinking of him. What are you giving to God today? Have you set aside money to use for his work that could easily be spent on something else?  Have you committed time to talking with him and listening for his voice even in the busyness of your day?  Will you look attentively at where and when you can do serve his beloved people today?  These are the gifts that God wants us to bring to him.  And what a thought, that we can bring joy to the Almighty Creator.

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Day 30: Love Stronger, Reach Farther

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.”  Psalm 62:5

A few weeks ago I got a new wallet. As I was transferring my cards over from the old wallet I realized that my drivers license has expired…eight months ago! Oops. At least I discovered it myself rather than having a police officer discover it for me.  So I headed down to the local D.O.L. to get it taken care of. It was a Saturday afternoon and the place was packed—disappointing to see since I had a list of about 20 other things I wanted to get done that day. But I waited. I waited for over an hour for the two-minute transaction of getting my new ID.

Why did I wait? I waited because I had to. I waited because I had no other choice. Even though it disrupted my plan, there was no other way for me to receive what I needed. 

Psalm 62:5 says, “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.” In fact, there are 25 different times that the Psalms tell us to wait upon the Lord. I am starting to realize how bad I am at actually doing this. My attitude in prayer often sounds like this, “Okay, God. I have notched out time in my busy schedule to meet with you so where are you? And make it quick, because I’m in a hurry.” I may have not batted an eye at waiting an hour for my license, but after 5 minutes in quiet prayer I start to get antsy. 

David was different. He knew the richness that comes from waiting on God. He experienced the power that came through an attitude that was fully surrendered to Him; one that understood that nothing was more important than waiting before the one who gives all hope. 

Most Christians don’t know what it is like to hear God’s voice because most Christians don’t know what it means to wait quietly to hear it. But let’s be different. Let’s pray with the same attitude as David and not only cry out to God, but patiently wait for Him. Wait on the one who gives us hope, the one who desires to be with us, the one who has all we need.

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Day 23: Love Stronger, Reach Farther

“For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Matthew 25:29 My wife is big into reality TV. I am not. My idea of a good reality TV show is “America’s Funniest Videos”, while she prefers show with a little more drama. One reality show that I will watch with her is “America’s Got Talent.” I love seeing the creativity of people to use the talent they have to do something that has never been done before, or to take something that has been done to a new level. There really are some pretty amazing talents. Have you ever thought about what talent you would share if you had the opportunity to perform on that show? In Matthew 25, Jesus tells as story about three men who were given three different sums of money from their master before he left on a long trip. Two of the men put that money to work for the benefit of the master, and one of the men did nothing with it. He just buried it in the ground. The money given to the men was measured in “talents”—a sum equal to about 20 years salary for a common laborer. It is interesting that the money is referred to as a “talent.” But what is more interesting is that the derivation of the word “talent” in English actually comes from this story. Every time we talk about talents, we are making reference to this parable. There are a few things that strike me each time I read this story: 1. The master was the owner of the talents. The servants could not claim ownership of the talents, but was given them based on the trust that the master had in their stewardship. 2. The amount of return was not the master’s primary interest. He only asked that each servant do something with what they were given. 3. The ones who used their talents were given even more, while the one who did not used his had it taken from him. Examine the talents that God has given you. What would your response be to God if you were to call to account of what he has given you? Are you using your best and brightest skills to benefit yourself in the workplace and giving God the leftovers? Are you acting like the wicked servant, hiding the talent that God has given you, embarrassed and fearful to use it? God has given us all a measure of talent, and He trusts us to be good stewards of it. Just think of what the Kingdom would look like if all of God’s servants rose up and put the talent that He gave to good use. That is the Kingdom that He wants to see upon His return.

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Day 9: Love Stronger, Reach Farther

When I was 7 years old my dad added a second story on to our house. You can see him in this picture hard at work.  My entrance into the family made 5 kids living in a 3-bedroom house.  Some extra space was long overdue.

It was an exciting time for me as a kid.  It took my play around the house to a whole new level (literally).  As part of this process, there was a period of time when we had a second story deck, but with no railing.  I used to stare at that deck—I was fascinated by it.  It looked like the deck of an aircraft carrier or something—just flat surface surrounded by nothing.  Think about the possibilities!   

I knew what I was going to do.  I had a vision to skydive from that deck. Now I am sure there were warnings given to me about staying away from the unsafe deck—but maybe not.  Either way, I don’t remember any.  All I knew was that the deck was drawing me in with its siren song.  I got a plastic grocery bag to act as my parachute. I grabbed one handle of the bag in each hand, held it high above my head and ran for the edge.    My leap into the air was glorious—full of confidence and hope, but I quickly realized that the plastic bag was not going to do much to help me glide gracefully to the ground. I landed in a heap, not seriously hurt, but a little wiser for the experience.      “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”  James 1:5 This is one of my favorite promises in the Bible.  The wisdom of the all-knowing, all-powerful God of the universe is just a prayer away.  And he gives it generously.    We all have a need for adventure.  We need our lives to make a difference.  We need to do something that is worth doing.  We need to live life with vision—we are hungry for it.  That need can prompt us to forge ahead with our plans without stopping to consult our Creator.  But if your vision is not rooted in God’s wisdom you are headed for disaster.  You might as well be parachuting with a plastic bag.    Life is confusing. A clear vision for the future is a precious thing.  As you make your way through today, remember this:  God not only has a plan for your future, but he has a plan that is exceedingly, abundantly beyond anything you could ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20).  And his wisdom is offered to you today, right now.  He gives wisdom generously.  God knows we need it. 

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Day 33: Joyful Giving

When I was 13 my best friend asked me to feed his parakeet while he was away. Having no bird-care experience, I was hesitant. “It’s easy,” he said. “Just empty out the old food, and fill it with the new bird seed.” I reluctantly agreed. Every day for two weeks, I rode my bike the half-mile to my friend’s place. Every day I unlocked the door, and walked into the cold, dark house to the back door where the parakeet was kept. Every day I emptied the out the old food and filled it up again, and every day I rode back home. It was a lot of work, but, hey, what are friends for. When my friend returned home, he called me on the phone. I could hear laughter in the background. It turns out that I had been diligently filling the parakeet’s tray with chicken feed. I took time out of every day to give that parakeet food that he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—eat. No wonder he always looked so annoyed. This simple story illustrates an important truth—hard work and good intentions won’t feed a parakeet. You need a clear vision of what is to be done. Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Jesus modeled for us a life of love, forgiveness, and self-sacrifice. He summed up his whole life’s example in one command—“Love one another” (John 13:34). This command could not be simpler, but in the tedium of the day-to-day, our vision of living the Christian life can get off course—so much so that we can miss the point entirely. Look at the fruit of your life. Do these words describe what you see: loving, compassionate, forgiving, joyful? The fact that you are setting aside time to read this devotional is proof that you are motivated to seek God. You are probably putting effort into a number of things that you hope will make you a better Christian. Have your efforts served to produce good things in your life? Or have you been feeding chicken feed to a parakeet? The truth is, effort is worthless if it is producing the wrong result. Remember Jesus’ words, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Take 5 minutes right now to let Jesus breathe a fresh vision in you. Let him draw out of you the fruit that he wants to see in your life. As we remain in him (the vine) and allow him to direct our vision, our goals, and our desires, we will bear much fruit, showing ourselves to be his disciples.

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Day 22: Stewardship: Lifestyle of Faithfulness and Obedience

“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” John 15:19 I love to run. I know, it sounds strange, but I love it. When I was a child, and I went grocery shopping with my mom, she learned she had to choose her words wisely with me. Because if she said, “Can you run over and get some bread?” I would RUN through the grocery store at top speed—dodging shopping carts and food displays—to get that bread. Last year I trained for my first marathon. That meant that nearly every day for six months I would run—sometimes for hours at a time. And it was great. I loved it! There is energy found in running yourself to fatigue. There is happiness in getting up early to run out in the rain. There is excitement in running on a gravel path for two hours. Talking to non-runners about this lifestyle usually brings up the same question: “Are you insane?!?” It only sounds crazy. If you aren’t a runner, it’s a little tough to understand. Jesus was very clear with his followers—“You don’t belong to the world any more. You aren’t one of them. You belong to me. You are set apart. You are different now.” To people live for themselves, living for Jesus is difficult to understand. To those who think this life is all there is, it can seem like insanity to spend it all in submission to an invisible God. But to us who have been chosen out of this world, it all makes sense. There is freedom in obeying his commands. There is joy in faithfully devoting yourself to waiting on him. There is gratification in completely offering yourself in worship, and there is peace in trusting in an unseen, untouchable God. It doesn’t sound like it would make sense, but it does. It makes more sense than anything else, because when you get right down to it it’s what we were made to do. You were created to live in faithfulness and obedience to God, and the more we can ingrain that into the reality of our every day, the better our lives will be. It only sounds crazy.