God Gives Grace to the Humble

Why is it so hard to ask for help?

We'll easily ask for help if we need to move heavy furniture.

If we need cookies for VBS, we'll send around a sign-up sheet.

If grandma's first cousin on her father's side has an ingrown toenail, we put it on the prayer sheet.

But if it's a battle against temptation, we try to fight it on our own.

If we're struggling with depression, we try to pull ourselves up out of the mire.

If we are having trouble communicating with our spouses, we laugh about it and ignore it.

Why don't we ask for help with spiritual problems?

Pride.

And that's why we see so little success in our spiritual lives.

"But God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6).

We like the last part of the verse. "Be humble and God will help" is our battle cry.

Have you thought about the first part? "God resists the proud." God is actively fighting against the proud. He is ignoring them. He is choosing not to help them.

And He is God. The all-powerful, all-knowing Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

Do you think you might be able to wear Him down?

Just yesterday I learned this lesson. Texting two friends to pray for me in the battle in my mind, calling out for help. As the day progressed, God gave grace. He filled my mind with verses, songs and thoughts of the day's activities. I no longer had to fight, because God was giving me grace instead of resisting me.

Will I remember that lesson for a few more days?

How Many Gods Will it Take?

The city of Athens was full of idols to various gods.

I can imagine that they had collected them through various conquests. Or perhaps through the travelers who came from different countries and cultures. The Athenians may have even seen various gods in their own travels and brought them back to their city.

They wanted to be sure that they had the favor of all the gods on their side. They wanted security, prosperity, safety and importance to be rained upon them from as many gods as possible.

In fact, just to be sure, they had one statue "To An Unknown God." Just to be certain that they weren't missing anything, some wise person had this idol built (Acts 17).

The whole picture of this thorough idolatry reveals a deep dissatisfaction in the city. Maybe there was something out there that they were missing. There was a hunger for more. A desire to live it up, yet a realization that they didn't have everything.

Paul preached to the philosophers in Athens about this God who was unknown to them. He explained to them about the Creator and Sustainer of life. When he got to the resurrection, some ridiculed and some wanted to hear more.

Many of us have heard this message of God and even trust His plan of redemption through the cross of Christ.

But are we still like the Athenians?

We've got Jesus, who guarantees us eternal life in His presence and not in the lake of fire. But what about our satisfaction in Him?

Are we adding more gods to the shelf? Are we still looking for satisfaction in this life through other gods? Always looking but never really finding?

A bigger house, a better job, a better education, a loving spouse, obedient children, a healthy retirement plan, an expanded ministry - those things are not necessarily bad. Unless they've become gods like the Athenians had.

If we are craving those things, doing whatever it takes to get them, even choosing to sin in order to have them, what is it revealing about our hearts?

Would you still be content if all of those things were taken away from you?

What would it take for you to be completely satisfied in Christ alone?

A Miserable Pattern - A Loving God

In Psalm 106, the psalmist recounts Israel's rebellious heart throughout its history.

They saw the great plagues in Egypt, but rebelled at the Red Sea.

They walked through the parted Red Sea, saw their enemies drowned, believed His promises and sang His praise.

They soon forgot that and craved in the wilderness. Their lust for meat rather than for God's provision brought them quail. So much quail that it came out their nostrils.

They sent spies into the Promised Land who reported of the bountiful land. But they rebelled again and chose to fear rather than to trust and obey.

Forty years in the wilderness were up and down in obedience and disobedience.

When they got into the land, they disobeyed by not eliminating all the inhabitants. Israel followed in the footsteps of the pagans, offering their children as sacrifices and worshiping false gods.

Over and over God rescued them when they cried out for help.

How easy it is for us to fall into the same cycle! God shows us His mercy by delivering us. We rejoice and sing His praises.

But then another temptation comes along and we fall into sin again. Maybe a different one, but the root is our rebellious, selfish heart.

God graciously delivers us again and sets us on the right path again. And again. And again.

God is patient to keep setting us straight.

God is merciful for giving us another chance.

God is faithful to keep His promises.

God is loving to allow us to come back again and again.

Remember

Memorial Day is a great opportunity to remember the men and women who have sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy. As we hear stories of valor and sacrifice, it can sometimes make us think that our lives are pretty insignificant.

What have I done to secure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

It's also a good day to remember what God has done for us.

"Remember the wonderful works He has done, His wonders, and the judgments He has pronounced" (Psalm 105:6).

"He is the LORD our God. His judgments govern the whole earth."  The laws of gravity and thermodynamics, the rulers over nations, the flow of the rivers and the waves of the ocean are all under His control.

"He remembers His covenant forever, the promise He ordained for a thousand generations." What He has promised will come to pass. He never forgets anything that He has said. He has the power to fulfill His desires.

The Psalm continues to recount the history of Israel from the promise made to Abraham through the conquest of Palestine.

"All this happened so that they might keep His statues and obey His instructions. Hallelujah!"

God keeps His word, fulfills His promises so that we can be obedient.

And for that we should praise the Lord!

Look back over what God has done in the Bible. Reflect on what God has done for you.

What better response than obedience and praise?

Mighty Powerful - Mighty Destructive

"And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell" (James 3:6).

James doesn't speak very highly of our tongues, does he?

And rightly so.

Look back over the last week of your life and remember the words that you've said.

Loving? Kind? True? Encouraging? Praising God?

Hopefully we had some of those kinds of words come out of our mouths. But more likely we had more of the opposite.

Hateful. Mean. Deceptive. Critical. Praising self.

The second list is much easier, than the first.

And we know the destruction that those words cause. We've been hurt by the words of others, yet we choose to let the same types of words flow over our lips.

Why is it so easy to have a potty-mouth?

Jesus put it clearly: "But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a man. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies" (Mt 15:18).

Our mouths are filthy, because our hearts are filthy.

What we say comes from what is in our hearts.

In order to change our words, we need a change of heart. We need the Holy Spirit to change our inner man through the Word of God.

So what did your words reflect about your heart today?

What can you change with God's help for the rest of the day, or tomorrow?

What are you doing today?

Psalm 104 tells about God's sovereignty over creation. He sets the boundaries for the oceans, controls the food chain, causes the sun to rise and set and provides the ingredients for man's food.

Everywhere we look, there is evidence of God's sovereignty and His mercy. Not only is He in control of creation, His control shows His mercy.

He could let the waters flood the earth as in the days of Noah.

he could cause earthquakes and volcanoes to wipe out humanity.

But He doesn't He chooses to control the universe so that we can continue to live.

As long as we are still alive, God has a purpose for our lives.

So what should we do about that?

The psalmist's response is to praise God.

"I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to Him;
I will rejoice in the LORD" (v 33-34).

Every day and all day, we should be praising God.

Every day and all day, we should be thinking God-thoughts.

It's a choice to be made every day and all day.

I can choose to complain about my situation, or I can choose to praise God who is lovingly controlling those events.

I can choose to complain about the bad things in life, or I can choose to praise God who is restraining evil and disaster - it could be a lot worse!

God is in control, doing what is best for me, so there really is no better thing for me to do than to praise Him.

Every day.

All day.

You can have it, too!

I've been struggling to memorize 1 John 1 this past week.

Yes, struggling. Not because it's 10 verses, but because the first three verses are repetitive.

John is writing about life that is eternal, seen, looked upon, handled, manifested, declared and with the Father.

He's talking about Jesus and his personal experience with the Savior.

John says, "We saw Him. We watched Him. We touched Him. We heard Him. He is eternal. He had been with God the Father. And we had fellowship with Him."

He repeats himself to make it clear. It really did happen!

And then he starts the purpose of his letter, "And these things we write to you that your joy may be full" (v 4).

The joy that he and the other disciples had could be had by the recipients.

The following verses explain how to have that joy found in fellowship with Jesus Christ.

Walk in the light, not in the darkness of sin.

Confess sin, and be cleansed by His blood.

Think of that!

The same fellowship that John and the other disciples had with Jesus while He was on earth can be yours, too. You can have joy like they did when they heard Him preach. You can have joy like they did when they picked up the 12 baskets of leftovers. You can have joy in fellowship with the Creator of the universe.

Consequences of Forgiven Sin

Satan often will twist Scripture to lure us into sin.

Like the forgiveness of sins. We know that God will forgive us. His Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for all of our sins. He promises forgiveness if we confess our sins (1 John 1:9).

"So just go ahead and sin. You're covered." That's the lie that Satan would have us believe.

While it is true that our sins are forgiven through the blood of Jesus, to think that we can get off easily is foolishness.

Consider David. He thought that his adultery with Bathsheba and the following murder of her husband was a secret. Only a couple of people knew what had happened. I suppose David thought they were loyal enough that they wouldn't betray his secret (2 Samuel 11).

But God knew. And He wouldn't let his servant continue in his miserable state of unconfessed sin and an unrepentant heart (Ps 32).

God sent Nathan, who tactfully confronted David with his sin (2 Samuel 12).

David did the right thing in confessing and repenting. But that didn't make everything okay.

Nathan told David that disaster would come upon his house at the hand of his own family and that Bathsheba's son would die (v 11-14).

The son did die. Another son raped his half-sister with the help of a half-brother. Another son committed adultery with David's concubines on the roof of the palace.

It was not a happy family, just because David confessed and repented.

David's relationship with God was restored. He was called a man after God's heart, even after these events.

Yet the consequences remained.

The best solution is prevention. Consider what God has paid to cover your sins. Consider the consequences of your sinful choices. Flee the temptation.

An Amazing Church Business Meeting

We've all been to church business meetings. Most are pretty routine. Some seem a bit trivial. Some are historical as major decisions are made. Some are divisive. Some are long.

There's one church business meeting that would have been exciting to attend. It's recorded in Acts 11.

Rumor had it that Peter had gone into the house of a Gentile and this wasn't sitting too well with the Jewish congregation back at home. Something had to be done.

They called him in before the church.

Peter explained how he had seen a vision of a sheet full of unclean animals coming down. Three times it came down and each time with the command to eat. But Peter had been following the Jewish dietary laws all his life. He'd never eaten any of these unclean animals. The voice in the vision said, "What I've called clean, don't call unclean."

Then he recounted how three men knocked at his door and asked him to come to the home of Cornelius. Cornelius had been visited by an angel, who told him to find Peter.

Peter came to the house of this Gentile, who had gathered his entire household to hear what Peter had to say. As Peter explained the gospel, the Holy Spirit came upon them and Peter recognized that it was the same phenomenon that had happened to them in Acts 2.

He concluded his report, "Therefore, if God gave them the same gift that He also gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?" (v 17).

God's work was evident and Peter knew there was no reason for him to try to stop it, or to argue with God.

A new era of God's plan had begun.

The next verse reveals the response of the church: "When they heard this they became silent. Then they glorified God, saying 'So God has granted repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles!'" (v 18)

Can you see that happening? As Peter tells his story, the church gets silent, sitting on the edges of their seats. When he reaches the climax, they break out in "Amen!" "Hallelujah!" "Praise the Lord!"

And we can keep praising the Lord today, too. His plan of salvation includes Gentiles - like me.

Planning and Trusting

I'd like to be able to plan out my days. Or even the whole week. Maybe even my whole life.

Somehow it gives comfort. Maybe it's that desire to control the universe. That hunger to accomplish my goals each day.

And I think there is some biblical precedent in planning. No one builds a tower without counting the cost. Plan in the Spring so you have a harvest in the Fall. Save money for your old age and an inheritance for your children. All those principles can be found in Scriptures.

So how do we reconcile James 4:15?

"Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'"

The passage is not talking about living a life without a plan. Just rolling out of bed each morning and doing whatever comes across my path might sound inviting some days, but it's neither realistic nor biblical.

What this passage is teaching is that we need to submit our plans to God.

"I'm going to get up and do this, if the Lord wills."

I plan for the day, or the week, or even my life, but submit it to God's will.

The responsibility lies on me then to determine if what I have planned is God's will.

First, filter it through the Word of God, looking for commands, prohibitions and principles.

Then proceed. Take on the day with this goal in mind, but allow God to change my plans.

Don't get upset when equipment breaks or a phone call changes my plans. Realize that God is in control of these unexpected events, too.

He is planning my day, my week, and my life to bring glory to Himself.

So submitting my plans and accepting the changes will allow me to bring glory to God.

I can plan and trust God.

Every day.

Every week.

My whole life long.

Mercy Triumphs over Judgment

"So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:12-13).

In the preceding verse, James points out that even one transgression of the law makes a person guilty of the whole law.

"I've never murdered anyone!" may sound like a plea of innocence.

But committing adultery, even lusting after someone other than your spouse, condemns you.

One sin is enough to condemn you to God's judgment.

But since that judgment has been removed through the work of Christ on the cross, we should speak and act differently. We have received God's mercy, so we should show mercy.

What does that look like?

Showing mercy is not turning the other way and ignoring the sins of others. God does not do that. He couldn't ignore our sins, so He sent His Son to pay the penalty. Christ took our judgment upon Himself. God in His mercy accepted the sacrifice of His Son to remove the condemnation from us.

Mercy deals with the sins of others. That may include confrontation about a sin. Encouragement to walk in righteousness. Accountability to help break the habits.

Mercy chooses to take the burden of the sin. Not seeking revenge from those who have offended us. Not seeking to manipulate the situation to make the other person suffer. Not trying to make the other person look bad so that we look better.

Mercy chooses not to hold those sins against the other. Forgiving sins that others have committed against us is a choice that we make to not bring up those forgiven sins to the offender, to ourselves or to others.

This mercy can only be demonstrated by those who have received the mercy of God through Christ on the cross. Any other attempt at mercy is a temporary show.

We must first experience God's mercy and, as we continue to grasp the enormity of His mercy, we can show mercy to others - even those who have sinned gravely against us.

Pleasing God or Pleasing Man

When David brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, he did it with fanfare. Every few steps a sacrifice was made. He danced before the ark. And when they arrived in Jerusalem he blessed everyone and sent them home with food.

Everyone was rejoicing, except for Michal, Saul's daughter and David's former wife. when she saw David dancing she despised him. After everyone had gone home, she confronted him for his disgraceful behavior. "This is not how a king should behave!"

David answered, "It was before the LORD...and I will celebrate before the LORD" (2 Samuel 6:21).

His behavior and his praise was focused on the LORD, not on what others thought.  He wasn't concerned about Michal, but about pleasing the LORD.

Some use this account to argue that dancing in church services is acceptable. I don't think that's the lesson to be learned here.

Rather, it's a lesson on the fear of God vs the fear of man. A lesson on living to please God, rather than living to please others. Praising God, or earning the praise of man.

And this confronts us every day, in multiple situations - not just in our worship services.

Do you work hard when the boss is around, or do you work hard all the time because God is always there?

Are you honest in your finances because you don't want to be audited, or because you know that God is watching you?

Are you doing your good works before men to be seen of them, or are your good works an expression of your love for God?

You won't be able to please everyone around you, so a life of pleasing man will be frustrating. But God has given us clear instructions and He knows our motivations.

Living to please Him is much easier than living to please others.

Accountability is key

Accountability is a buzz word in churches. It seems that the word appears every week in our Sunday School class.

If the discussion progresses, someone will chime in, "But we aren't supposed to be judgmental." Or "But we have to build a relationship first." Or "We can't just beat people over the heads with the Bible."

There may be a grain of truth in each of those statements, but usually, they end the discussion about accountability. Everyone nods in agreement. And no one does anything differently.

No accountability. Just talk about it.

No asking others for help. Just talk about it.

It reminds me of James 2:15-16: "If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?"

But instead of not meeting the physical needs of our brothers and sisters, we are not meeting their spiritual needs.

We'll talk about accountability. We'll talk about parenting. We'll talk about sin. We'll sing praises to God.

You're on your own for the rest of it.

We use our laziness as an excuse for obedience. Our fear of man is greater than our fear of God.

Look at the blessing that 's in store for accountability:

"My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:19-20).

Our inactivity is allowing a brother to continue in his sin.

What a blessing it is to be pulled back from wandering by those who care!

Love God. Hate Evil.

"O you who love the LORD, hate evil!" (Psalm 97:10a)

That's pretty straightforward, isn't it?

Love God. Hate evil.

It couldn't be much simpler than that, could it?

And the rest of the psalm explains why we should love God and hate evil.

It's because of who God is.

He reigns (v 1).

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His reign (v 2).

He destroys His adversaries (v 3).

He controls weather (v 4).

He controls natural disasters (v 5).

His righteousness and glory are visible to all (v 6).

He is worthy of worship (v 7-8).

He is supreme over all gods (v 9).

He preserves and delivers His children (v 10).

Therefore we can rejoice and give thanks! (v 11-12).

Love God.

Hate Evil.

Peace Protests

Doesn't that seem like an oxymoron?

Combining "peace" and "protest" just doesn't seem to fit together.

When we protest, we are after something that we want. We are concerned with our goals and ambitions. But does that generally lead to peace?

"What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?" (James 4:1)

When I let my passions take control, when I let them win the battle, then I'm on the way to a quarrel with someone else.

People are always getting in my way. I want to take the day off, but the boss won't pay me if I don't come in to work. I want the temperature at church to be set to my body, but there are 250 other people there. I want to ... but...

Every time there is a quarrel, it's because I want something that I'm not getting.

Look at the verse before James 4:1:

"And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" (James 3:18).

Don't we all want a harvest of righteousness sown in peace?

The solution is to be a peacemaker.

Identify the problem and attack it, not the other person.

Identify the problem and solve it; don't ignore it.

Come to the best possible biblical solution to the problem

Then you'll be a peacemaker. You won't always get what you want, if you're following your selfish passions.

But if what you want is a harvest of righteousness sown in peace, you'll get it.

Life Worth Living

Some thoughts from Sunday's sermon by Pastor David Tebbenkamp at First Baptist Church, Creston, IA.

In Ecclesiastes 1-2, Solomon painted a picture of a life without God.

• The monotony of life
• The vanity of wisdom
• The futility of wealth
• The certainty of death

Ten chapters later, in chapters 11-12, Solomon describes life with God

• The meaning of life
• The value of godly wisdom
• The gift of wealth
• The hope of life after death

Only with God can a believer discover the life worth living. When we try to live on our own, following our own wisdom, or the ever-changing wisdom of the world, we will find little reason to get out of bed each day.

Life is an adventure - live by faith (Eccl. 11:1-6)

• Life is a vapor (James 4:13-15). It's short and uncontrollable.
• We have to live by faith (2 Cor 5:7)

Like the merchant who sends out his ships (vs 1-2) or the farmer who sows his seed (vs 3-6), we can't control all the circumstances in life. We can't wait until everything lines up just perfectly before we act. There are many things that we can not know, so we have to act on faith.

This faith is not an empty hope, but a certainty. So we have to have certainty in uncertainty. That can only be found in God. Certainty in His character, even though we can't fully grasp it. Certainty in His plan, even if we don't understand it at the moment, or ever.

Life is a gift - live with joy (Eccl. 11:7-12:8)

• Rejoice (11:7-9). If a person lives many years, let him rejoice in ALL of them!
• Remove (11:10-12:1a). Remove vexation and pain. Choose not to worry about what could happen, did happen or might have happened. Choose not to dwell on the pain of broken relationships, physical ailments and disappointments.
• Remember (12:1-8). Old age with its increasing weaknesses are symptoms reminding us that death is certain. Our bodies are not going to last forever, so as we get older we should be reminded of the future in glory and the shortness of life.

Only when God is in the picture is there a reason for living. Faith and joy without God are meaningless.

Just Ask.

Glancing through our list of prayer requests, we are confronted with an organ recital. The aches, pains, surgeries, broken bones and cancer treatments seem to fill the page.

Then there are the financial requests. Someone needs a new job. A missionary needs more financial support. The church wants to add on.

Usually you'll find some form of praying for witnessing opportunities.

These are all valid prayer requests. Bringing the needs of others to our heavenly Father is commanded and encouraged often in the Bible.

But what about praying for wisdom?

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him" (James 1:5).

Here's a command and a promise.

Ask God for wisdom and He'll give it to you.

Pretty straightforward and clear.

And look at how God gives wisdom: generously to all without reproach.

God is ready to pour out His wisdom to help you make decisions. He wants to lavish you with godly wisdom.

And He gives it without reproach. He isn't going to say, "Now that's a stupid question!" Or "You already asked that one!"

While praying for healing, pray for wisdom to live a godly life in the midst of sickness.

While praying for a new job, pray for wisdom to live a contented life in the current situation.

While praying for witnessing opportunities, pray for wisdom to speak the gospel.

God is ready to lavish you with His wisdom. Just ask.

Faith and Works

James repeats the theme of faith and works often through his short letter. If you take some of the verses out of context, you might think that he is teaching salvation by works. But looking at the whole you will see that it is salvation that leads to works and that works demonstrate salvation.

1:22-25 - Be a doer, not just a hearer of the word.
1:26 - Control your tongue
1:27 - True religion is visiting orphans and widows in their need and fleeing sin
2:14-26 - Faith without works is dead. We can't demonstrate our faith, if we are not doing good works.
3:1-12 - A tamed tongue is evidence of a changed life.
3:13 - Wisdom is displayed by good conduct
4:17 - Whoever knows to do right, but doesn't do it, is sinning.
5:12 - Tell the truth all the time, so that there will be no condemnation.

Your actions reveal what you believe. If you say that you are a Christian but are bitter, lying, unforgiving, abusive, lazy, rebellious or any other of list of sins, you really are not.

If your life is characterized by sins, then you need to evaluate if you have truly been saved.

You can't reform yourself and then trust in Christ. You have to trust in Christ and let Him do the reforming.

Boldly Preaching

I've never been beaten for telling people the gospel. I've never lived under a real threat of life or freedom for the sake of the cross. That may happen some day, but it hasn't happened yet.

But I wonder if I would be as bold as the disciples in Acts 5.

they were imprisoned and freed in the night by an angel. Then they were arrested again the next day, because they were out in public preaching. In front of the council they gave a presentation of the gospel, accusing the council of killing Jesus.

They were beaten and released.

Did they go into hiding? Did they develop a new strategy? An underground church?

No, they rejoiced that they suffered for the cause of Christ.

"And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus" (v 42).

When I'm barely bold enough to proclaim that message in the land of the free, how would I react under persecution?

God, grant me boldness today!

The Nothing Box

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

Ever had that type of a conversation with your spouse or your teenager?

Psychologists and comedians proclaim that men have a nothing box. They are able to think in their nothing box about absolutely nothing.

Yoga and other meditation instructors will tell their followers to empty their minds. To think about nothing.

Is that even possible?

More importantly, is it biblical?

Is it just an excuse revealing a lack of discipline?

The Bible tells us repeatedly to control our thoughts. Here are just a few verses, but a concordance will reveal many more.

"Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:13).

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2).

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2).

If you honestly can say that you were thinking about nothing, then you were not controlling your thoughts. Since the Bible commands us to think biblically all the time, if you are thinking about nothing, you are sinning.

The answer "nothing" should not be dismissed. In a discipling relationship, a parent, spouse or friend, has the task of drawing out the thoughts of the other:

"The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out" (Proverbs 20:5).

If there really is a relationship, then the responsibility lies on both parties to be honest and to take the time to discuss. The questioner shouldn't give up when he hears the answer, "Nothing." Nor should the other person hide behind this excuse.

If either party gives up when "Nothing" comes out of the mouth, a problem is brewing in that relationship.

If either party gives up when "Nothing" comes out of the mouth, both are challenged to drop the bucket lower into the well and bring it to the surface.

It wasn't me!

Acts 3 records the healing of a lame beggar by Peter and John in the temple courtyard. An astonished crowd gathers as they see this man instantly walking. No surgery. No physical therapy. What happened?

Peter took advantage of the situation to explain the gospel to this crowd. His introductory statement is revealing:

"Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?" (v 12).

He could have said, "Well, of course, we were able to do this. We were with Jesus for three years. He taught us how to do these miracles. Hang around us and you'll see more!"

But he didn't. He immediately deflected the praise to God.

So often we think that God works through us because we have done something. We've been going to church, praying, reading the Bible, or any number of good things. So it's just obvious that God would use us to accomplish something.

We deserve to be used by God because we've earned it.

That's unbiblical, selfish thinking.

That thinking leads to frustration. When we are doing the right things, but God doesn't use us in the way that we think He should, we get frustrated.

That thinking leads to envy. We're doing the same things that others are doing, but look at how big their church is, look at the people they've led to the Lord, look at the good things they're doing!

We dare not forget that just as salvation is nothing that we have done, so is our sanctification and our ministry. It's all because of God's mercy. He didn't need Peter and John to heal that lame man. He doesn't need you or me to accomplish anything.

If God chooses to do something through me, it's because of His mercy and grace.

It wasn't me.

Be a Cheerleader!

Discouragement is easy to find.

A complaining customer. A nitpicking spouse. An unsatisfied coach. An absent parent.

And if we aren't being discouraged by those around us, we are pretty good at generating it ourselves against ourselves.

I'm never going to make it. I'll never be good enough. I'll never understand. I'm just a loser.

That's probably why the Bible tells us to encourage one another.

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Take a look again at those examples above. Do you notice a pattern?

They are all about me and my wants. They are about my desires to please others. They are about selfishness.

We need to be encouraged. Not to build up our self-esteem, but to get our eyes off of ourselves.

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works" (Hebrews 10:24).

Encourage one another to love and good works. Encourage one another to look at the needs of others and to do something about it.

There's nothing wrong about telling your child he did a good job at the soccer game. There's nothing wrong with encouraging your spouse in weight-loss and diet. There's nothing wrong with thanking your pastor for his sermon.

But those are pretty easy, short-lived and probably what they're hearing from others.

Encourage them to love and good works.

Help them to put their abilities and skills to work in serving others.

That will get their focus off their desires and onto the needs of others. Which is the mind of Christ (Phil 2:5-11).

Hidden Sins

I remember as a starving teenager, I'd often go to the kitchen in the middle of the night and eat cake, or some other dessert. But because I didn't want to get caught, I didn't cut out a normal piece. I'd cut a long, skinny piece the width of the cake pan. Make sure not to move the pan. Put the knife back where it was. Trying my best to cover up my sin.

It was the perfect crime.

In the moment of temptation, we are thinking about the pleasures of that sin.

But at the same time we plot our cover-up story.

We forget that no cover-up will hide our sin from God.

"You have set our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your presence."
(Psalm 90:8)

God knows. All of our sins are set before Him. They take place in His presence. Picture that the next time you're tempted to peruse porn in the dark in the middle of the night. It's not really dark. You are in the light of God's presence.

God knows our thoughts, too. So even the sins of imagination, where we think no one can ever know, God knows about them.

Envy. Anger. Bitterness. Resentment. Unforgiving attitude. Pride. Lustful thoughts.

We do our best to cover those up. We try not to let them slip out. We keep them hidden from those around us.

But God knows our thoughts.

And He doesn't get a simple update at the end of the day listing all the sins that we've done.

He's right there. He sees them as they happen.

The next time temptation comes knocking, remind yourself that you're already busy with the supreme guest. The holy God is right there beside you and you're living to please Him.

Pop Quizzes are much easier!

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4).

Trials will come. I get that. We live in a sin-cursed world with the effects of sickness, death, broken relationships, failures, lying, cheating and all that. Sin and its consequences hurt.

But being joyful in them? That's not so easy.

Testing my faith through them? Okay. But does the test have to be so long? How about a pop-quiz instead?

Look at the results: "...the testing of your faith produces steadfastness."

As my faith is tested in the midst of trials, I am put under a lot of stress. Not simply the circumstances of the trial, but the testing of my faith. Will it hold out? Will I still cling to God? Will I still find what I need in the Word? Will I abandon the church, God's people and God's plan?

Steadfastness. Perseverance. Endurance. The only way for those to develop is through experiencing them.

So the trials may last a while.

I'd rather have problems that were quickly resolved and move on from them.

But that's not what God wants.

He wants more than my praises on Sundays when everyone else is singing along. He wants my praises when I've lost my job. He wants my praises when my wife abandons me. He wants my praises when I struggle with the same temptation over and over again.. He wants my praises all the time and in every situation.

There's something in it for me, too. "And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

As the trials test my faith, I learn to endure. And as a result of endurance, I will lack nothing.

Does that mean that I'll have no further problems? That I'll have all the money, health and relationships that I want?

Not likely.

But as the next trial comes along, I can praise God.

I will learn that God is teaching me that all I need is Him.

And then I will be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Two Disciples: The Same, but Different

Peter and Judas had the same religious education. They'd been trained by Jesus Himself. They had heard Him teach. They had seen His miracles. They had taught. They had done miracles.

They both denied Christ.

As the disciples gathered for the last Passover before the crucifixion, Jesus announced that one of them would betray Him. Their collective response was not, "It's got to be Judas!" No one suspected him. He fit right in with the rest of the them.

Jesus told Peter that he would deny his Master three times that night.

As the events unfold, Judas betrays Christ to the priests for 30 pieces of silver. He denied Christ for money. Realizing his wrong, he returned the money and hung himself.

Peter denies Christ three times in the night. He denied Christ for safety. When the rooster crowed, he remembered what Jesus had said about him.

But he didn't hang himself.

In fact, we read in Acts that Peter became the spokesperson for the fledgling church.

What was the difference?

Three times Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?" Three times Peter answered in the affirmative (John 21:15-19).

The difference is clear. Judas loved himself. Peter loved Jesus.

Because Judas loved himself, he couldn't live with himself anymore. Guilt and shame had taken over.

Because Peter loved Jesus, he repented. He was guilty and ashamed of his sin, but because his love for Jesus was so great, he was able to take his focus off of himself. Instead of looking at himself and the possible consequences of his sinful choices, Peter chose to look at the Savior whom he loved and who loved Him.

So wallowing in despair over our sinful choices demonstrates that we are focused on ourselves, not on Jesus. We love ourselves more than we love Jesus.

Look to Jesus.

Life is Miserable

Listen to this:

"For my soul is full of troubles,
And my life draws near to Sheol.
I am counted among those who down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
Like one set loose among the dead,
Like the slain that lie in the grave,
Like those whom You remember no more,
For they are cut off from Your hand.
You have put me in the depths of the pit,
In the regions dark and deep.
Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
And You overwhelm me with all Your waves. Selah.
You have cause my companions to shun me;
You have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
My eye grows dim through sorrow."
(Psalm 88:3-9a)

Sounds pretty miserable, doesn't it?

The rest of the Psalm doesn't get any better.

Have you ever been in such a position?

I've been discouraged, frustrated, depressed and hopeless. But I don't think that I've ever gotten that far.

The psalmist ends his lament:"You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness" (v 18). That last statement could be translated, "Darkness has become my companion."

This guy is in quite a miserable state. And as far as the psalm reveals, he sees no way out.

Except one.

The psalmist cries out to God through the whole Psalm:
"O LORD, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you. Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry!" (v 1-2).

We have no clue about the circumstances. We have no clue about the resolution of this situation.

But we know that the psalmist was crying out to God.

I'm more likely to attempt to solve my problems. Or if I can't solve them, resign myself to them.

The biblical response, even if the situation is not as dire as Psalm 88, is to cry out to God.

Did you notice that the psalmist doesn't cry out for deliverance? He's not asking that his problems be removed.

He's asking to be heard by God. He's thirsting and hungering after God.

Whoa! That's radical.

That's what God wants. Sure, He may choose to resolve our problems. But His ultimate desire is that we would know Him.

Holy Hardware

The children of Israel had been routed in a battle against the Philistines. 4000 Israelite soldiers fell in the battle.

The army retreated and came to the elders asking, "Why had the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines?" (1 Sam 4:3a)

They asked the right question. They wanted to know the cause of their defeat.

"What have we done that God is fighting against us?"

Perhaps they were remembering the curses from the law of Moses.

But the solution that they devised showed that they didn't really want to make any changes.

"Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies" (v 3b).

The result was devastating. The ark was captured. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of the High Priest Eli, were killed. When the obese Eli heard the news, he fell over backwards and died.

Phinehas' wife summed it up perfectly by naming her son born that day, Ichabod, for the glory of the LORD had departed from Israel.

Rather than examining their hearts, confessing sin, turning from sin and calling out to God for help, they wanted the holy hardware. They wanted a good-luck charm.

When God brings difficulties into our lives, we often inquire about God's plans.

But like the soldiers, we want a quick fix. We want something external to do, rather than changing our hearts.

Hang a cross on the wall. Go to church more often. Put more money in the offering. Read the Bible more. Pray more.

Those actions aren't inherently bad. They may help us understand God's plan.

But they aren't the solution. They aren't what God wants.

"For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Ps 51:16-17).

God wants your broken spirit, not a cross on the wall.

God wants your broken heart, not more money in the offering.

God wants your contrite heart, not your perfect attendance at church.

To what holy hardware are you clinging?