Consider This Monthly Devotional

In today’s society, we are bombarded with media images that sometimes distort our understanding of love.  It is suggested to us that love is physical affection only, but love is also kind. 

Kind is a word rarely used and often misunderstood.  Kindness as an act of love is demonstrated in many ways.  Foremost kind love speaks in a way that is soothing because the nature of kind love is tender and it cares about the feelings of others. Kind love is selfless and accommodating.  It is at the opposite pole from selfish and presents a person who thinks less about themselves and favors the needs another.  Kind love requires us to be generous and benevolent in our way of life.  It is a tender love that is compassionate and takes the time to consider how the other person feels.  Kind love remembers how we want to be treated and adjusts our behavior to bring comfort in a situation when emotions potentially could be damaged.

Although we may not agree, kind love causes us to be agreeable, approachable, and mellow when we do disagree.  There is no need to be harsh when we disagree because kind love is always considerate and attentive in its nature.  To be kind is to be gentle, loving, affectionate, and helpful.

Kind love is cordial and not prone to silent treatment of others.  It is hospitable and willing to give of yourself to accommodate another.

As we are becoming transformed by the renewing of our minds, our love must be transformed into love that is kind.

I Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind…

What do we really mean when we say that we love someone?  We use the word frequently and loosely.  We say it to many people along our path, to parents, siblings, friends, and even casual acquaintances.  It is a word easily said, but not easily performed.

Love is patient, it requires us to give of ourselves something that will take virtue from us in the form of tolerance, restraint, and a willingness to accept what is.    Love that is patient demands tolerance of another’s attributes that do not agree with ours.  It requires a forbearance of the differences in their ways that do not fit into our ideal of how things should be.  Patient love corrects with gentleness, and empathy.  It demands that we practice restraint when we are angry, and perseverance when things are not going our way.  Love that is patient waits honorably for change and holds blameless any reproaches that come while we wait on those changes.

Love that is patient accepts what is, and is respectful of the ideas, values and traditions of others.  To love someone patiently requires that we employ our highest version of ourselves, letting go of selfishness and pride.  Patient love possesses the ability to transform us into the honorable, ethical, uncomplaining souls that Christ has called us to be.

Patient love never fails

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient

Shoes have a curious history.  In ancient Egypt shoes indicated status. Slaves did not wear shoes, and commoners wore sandals.  In Jewish society, red and yellow shoes were reserved for the highest society and mourners were identified by their shoes.  It wasn’t until 1818 that the shoe specifically created for the right foot was invented.

Jacob Nacht (1915) states “In scripture the shoe symbolizes the earthly in contrast to the Holy.  Removing shoes signified putting off earthly possessions to approach a Holy God.  Levites and priests were required to take off their shoes while performing tabernacle duties.  Only with bare feet should one draw near to God.  The shoe denotes supreme power and possession, it is accorded an importance equaling the foot.  This is important because the foot signifies domination, Thou made him to have dominion over the works of they hands; thou hast put all things under his feet,” In biblical times a person would give a shoe symbolizing dissolution of property and inheritance as in the case when Boaz purchased the rights to marry Ruth.  Moses was required to take off his shoes when he approached the burning bush to speak with God. “

Taking off your shoes to approach God symbolizes taking off your status, the pride that goes with possessions, your educational achievements, career accomplishments, triumphs, and success. Taking these things off to approach God shows humility and portrays you as a servant.  Taking off your shoes to approach God is a token of respect and submission.”

The new testament tells us when it is important to wear shoes.  Ephesians 6:15 (ERV) “On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong.”  Shoes are an important part of a soldier’s armor.  Having your feet fitted with the Gospel will keep you at peace in turmoil.  It will keep you with resolve to walk through trials and temptations at a steady pace.  The gospel of peace will keep you steadfast through dangers seen and unseen.  During life’s storms, having yourself well versed with the gospel of peace will equip you with the holy shoes that you need to walk through the difficulties in your life. 

Nacht, J. The Jewish Quarterly Review, New Series, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jul., 1915), pp. 1-22 (22 pages) Published by: University of Pennsylvania Press \l

I planted a summer garden and waited with great anticipation for the seedlings to grow and produce their vegetables.  I watered them regularly and woke up every morning to check their progress.  I was like an expectant parent waiting on the birth of a new addition.   Finally the plants began to flower, which signaled the coming of the veggies. and I could hardly contain myself. It was much like God, when we are born again and overflowing with potential.  He waits with anticipation as we learn and grow, waiting for our maturation when we too will become productive in his kingdom. Then one morning, I checked the garden, and noticed parasites had attached themselves to my beautiful plants.  They were visible at first on the leaves, then on the veggies themselves.

The okra plants were my personal favorite. They previously produced abundantly.  The leaves started to die and drop off, and it looked as though the plants were lost.  Determined to save them, I nurtured them, and tended them back to health.  To my surprise only one plant started to bear again.  The others grew beautiful leaves and flourished but…no okra!  I checked day after day. Gradually, I began to understand the story in Matthew 7:9: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” If beauty were their only virtue, these plants had become useless to me.  If they did not produce the vegetables they were designed to bear; I would be cut down and replace them.

I finally understood the lesson of the plants, we can be beautiful and filled with God’s spirit, exist only for ourselves, and be useless to God.   We must use our gifts to do kingdom work, and enrich other’s lives.

The tomatoes presented yet another scenario.  They became riddled with parasites, and no matter how many times I sprayed them the parasites persisted.  They penetrated the tomatoes, and ate them from the inside out.  Finally I cut the plants down, and threw them away.  The parasites had corrupted them. The infected plant produced many tomatoes, but the corruption made them useless.

We can be productive, flourish, produce awesome results, and still become infested by parasites, associate with the wrong people, and things that corrupt us from the inside out.  We must respond to challenge with the wisdom in God’s word, or risk being discarded by Him.   Our associations matter.

 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” John15:16 ��

The story of Joseph paints a vivid picture of how God can be with you when your plans are not working the way you thought they would.  Details of events in life sometimes make us unhappy and disturb us deeply.  We can be tempted to feel abandoned by God when we perceive an experience as a personal defeat.  However, we must remember that God has a plan for our lives, plans to prosper us, not harm us, to give us hope and a future.  (Jeremiah 29:11) It is the details of our transformation that gets to us.  God chose and ordained Joseph to be a deliverer for his people.  Yet, his path to becoming that deliverer was not an easy process.

God uses the details in our lives to smooth out our rough edges, refine our responses, and reposition us for our ultimate roles in life.  So, although we cannot see the end result, our situations are not just random acts, but a carefully woven tapestry of happenings and incidents that are leading us to His Kingdom. Joseph did not perceive this as he cried in terror for mercy from his brothers, and could not comprehend this as a scenario God would use to transport him to Egypt.  He had no clue as to why he served in Potiphar’s house, but there he learned the ways of the country he would rule.  While in prison in Egypt, he probably could not see this as the route to Pharaoh’s house.  At that moment he was caught up in the day to day details of life.  But the Bible says “the Lord was with him.”  Joseph would emerge from these seemingly random situations as second in command in Egypt.

 Face today with joy in your spirit and soul.  God has designed your life so that your experiences will emerge as your teachers.  You are neither forsaken, nor forgotten.  He is closely monitoring your progress. Look for opportunities to change and submit yourself to God.  The Lord is with you even in the details of your everyday journey.  Joseph is a great example. Your trouble is also your opportunity for victory!

Genesis 50:20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Have you sometimes looked at people you believe are winners and wonder, “how is it that their lives always seem to go so well?”  Do you wonder if they have some kind of grace that you cannot attain or some divine aura over them to guarantee them success?  Living a victorious life is not as difficult as you may think.   

Living victoriously is as simple as believing what God has said in His word.  It is by faith that we have the hope of a better life.  The scripture tells us that God has a plan for our lives.  The plan is to help us and not harm us, to give us hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11. 

Once I gave my life to Christ, I believed everything would be “perfect”.  I believed that somehow, all my problems would instantly dissolve, and I would walk into a fairytale world where nothing could go wrong.  I naively believed that all “born again” people were pure and good, and they would not knowingly do anything wrong.  My very idealistic point of view dispelled, quickly.  I soon found that people are forgiven, but not perfect, and my problems were still my problems, they did not just go away.

What I finally realized is that living victoriously had very much to do with faith in God’s promises and a willingness to be changed.  Many problems serve to help us see where we need to change.  An awareness of God’s presence and an understanding that we are never alone makes finding the answers so much easier.  God wants us to overcome our problems, to solve them successfully. 

I compare that process to how I stood away from my children while they learned to walk.  I watched them falter and try again until they perfected the process.  No matter how helpless they felt, I was there watching over them making sure they were okay.  Normal development necessitated that I allow them to experience finding their own balance.  Finally, they gained confidence, and they realized it was in their power to achieve it.  They mastered the skill.  God wants that for us.

If you want to achieve a victorious life, include God in your planning.  Embedded in our decision to follow Christ is the victorious life for which we yearn. 

God empowers us to live triumphantly!  Do I have any problems?  Of course, but I also have help, I am never alone. God is always watching over me. The key to a victorious life is trusting God with your future.

Deuteronomy 20:4 NIV  4 For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

Are you currently struggling with life’s circumstances that are perplexing to you?  Perhaps you are just in boot camp.  When life situations seem out of sync, or does not live up to our expectations, perhaps you are in God’s training camp.  The God we serve often prepares us for the future even when we cannot understand the “why” of it all.

Consider Moses.  He likely could not see the hand of God in his situation.  After all, his sister set him adrift on the Nile River to save him from death.  God strategically placed him as an orphan in Pharaoh’s house.  I wonder how alone and isolated he felt?  .

Moses would need his early experiences to negotiate, successfully, the release of his people from Pharaoh.  He needed to understand the customs, speak the language, and have the ability to walk in and out of Pharaoh’s house without restrictions.

He spent his next years in the wilderness.  This experience would equip him to lead the Israelites through their wilderness journey. 

Instead of fretting over your current situation, perhaps you should embrace your life and ask God, “what is it that you want me to learn here?”  We should always be aware of God’s lessons for us.  God uses circumstances and conditions develop your natural gifts, advance your faith, and strengthen your stamina Along with these, negotiating difficulties will establish patience and endurance in you. 

God’s training enables our compassion and settles our character.  It advances our vision using our need to create solutions to our problems.  We learn to love Him, seek Him, trust in Him, rely on Him, and be dependent on Him.  We need the assurance that He never fails, and that he surely answers prayers.

James 1:4-8 King James Version (KJV) ⁴ But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Genesis 3:11  And he said, “Who told you that you were naked?  Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? ” ¹² The man said, “The woman you put here with me —she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” ¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Who Messed Up My Life?

Whose fault is it when our lives spin out of control?  Who is really to blame for what happens to us?  Is what happens to us just random, or could it have been avoided?  There are things that happen to us that we have absolutely no control over.  It is in those moments that we must trust in the God who is watching over us, trust in His plan for our lives. (Jeremiah 29:11) We can look to the word of God for the strength to endure and emerge victoriously.

The truth is there are other moments when it is our own decisions and actions that have caused our dilemmas.  Sometimes it is our best thinking that got us there.  We did not take the time to consult God in our decision-making process.

It is convenient, and even comforting to blame life, and other people for our mistakes.  But facing the truth in these situations is our most powerful weapon.  You made the decisions that afforded you either a wonderful, successful life or that caused you to struggle to stay alive.  You made the decision about college, the decision to spend the money that way, or to live at the maximum extreme of your income.  You made the decision to date that person, or to take that advice.

It is in these moments that we must take the time to consult the God of all ages to help us to rise from our error.  God is ever merciful and He forgives.  He brings beauty from our ashes and from our struggles we become stronger and wiser.

The lesson: It is the truth that makes you free.  (John 8:32)  Start taking full responsibility for your actions and you will find yourself making fewer mistakes.  Acknowledge God in all your ways and He will direct your paths.  His word is our counsel and contains our roadmap.  Follow the Word to victory!