God Promises His Compassion..... Craig Denison

 

God Promises His Compassion

Craig Denison

 Weekly Overview:

There is only one constant in this ever-changing world, and that’s the character of our heavenly Father. The very earth itself is undergoing changes constantly. What seems the most immovable now will one day be done away with. But God is unchanging. God is unwavering. He’s completely faithful and committed to seeing through the promises he’s made you. As we look this week at the promises of God may you ground yourself in his unchanging love. May God’s character become your source and refuge—your constant and unshakable foundation.

Scripture: “‘For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10

Devotional:    

Compassion is something seldom experienced in a world filled with indifference and cruelty. Most people don’t seem to possess the level of selflessness compassion requires. Our society makes it clear that our acceptance has everything to do with our success and little to do with the grace and compassion of others for us. How we are loved and respected is based on our accomplishments and abilities rather than the love and compassion of those around us. But our God is not of this world.

In Isaiah 54:10, God gives us his beautiful promise of compassion, “‘For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” The love of your heavenly Father is steadfast and immovable. His compassion for you is more sure than the very ground you walk on. And what’s more, your God’s compassion is tethered together with his grace. Psalm 103:8 says, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” (NIV). God’s compassion is not the result of what you do, but instead the direct result of his boundless love for you.

God’s love is foundationally different than the love of others. In a world founded on the notion of works and rewards, cause and effect—God wants to build your foundation on his unconditional compassion. God longs to establish your relationship on the building blocks of his love and grace. It was God’s compassion for you that drove him to send Jesus to his death. It was God’s compassion for you that led him to search you out when sin had wedged a great chasm between you. And it’s God’s compassion that drives him even now to pour out his unfathomable love and affection over you.

Where in your life do you need to experience God’s promise of compassion? Where do you feel like you don’t measure up? Where do you feel unloved? Isaiah 30:18-19 says,

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you.

Cry out to your God today. You can place your trust in his compassion. His love will not fail you. Again, “He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you.” Rest in his promise of compassion. Let his love build you up in all of the areas where the world has torn you down. May the foundation of your life be built on the promise of God’s limitless grace and compassion.

Guided Prayer:         

1. Meditate on God’s promise of compassion.

“‘For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10

2. Now reflect on your own life. Where do you need to experience the compassion of God? Where do you feel unloved?

3. Ask God to pour out his love on those areas of your life. Ask God to reveal his heart of compassion for you. Choose to see yourself as God does.

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” Psalm 103:8 (NIV)

One of the most important things you can do to live out the abundant life God intends for you is to align your perspective with God’s. The world will always tell you that you aren’t good enough. Choosing to see yourself as you perceive those around you do will only set you up for heartache. You can choose to view yourself with the same grace and compassion that God does—today. He sees you perfectly. He sees you truthfully. And he sees you lovingly. Whenever you feel like you need God’s compassion, go back to the truth of what his word says. His promises are sure and unfailing. Live today in light of God’s love, and let compassion fill your heart with joy and steadfastness through any and every circumstance.

Extended Reading: Psalm 145

A Call to Endurance (Hebrews 10:35-38)..... By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

 A Call to Endurance (Hebrews 10:35-38)

By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” - Hebrews 10:35-38 (ESV)

I’m currently in the middle of a kitchen remodel. I’m not sure anything speaks more to the concept of endurance than living with endless stages of sheetrock dust, disabled appliances, dangling canned lights, and “can’t use the oven again today” statements from my husband.

Ironically, we started out just wanting to paint. We’ve lived in our 1979 house now for a little over a year, and easily updated the other rooms. We put the kitchen off long enough and finally decided to get it done. Unfortunately, we realized there were four layers of painted-over wallpaper hiding in the walls. By the time it got stripped down, sanded, and re-evaluated, there was nothing else to do but take the damaged sheetrock off an entire wall. Since then, it’s been a comedy of errors in that the more we repair, the more we find to repair.

Our spiritual journey can be like that, can’t it? We start out wanting the Lord to simply touch up one area of our life, give it a little splash of color or a wipe-down. We want to be shiny and look good on the surface, where there isn’t much work taking place. Where it isn’t hard.

But the Lord is good, and He will never leave us to that surface-level-only stage of repair. No, He purges down deep, past the sheetrock to the very studs of our souls and knocks down walls and flushes out mold. He repairs the cracks and scrubs our hearts until sin is dead and removed, and His Spirit shines bright and fresh through us.

We all want that work of the Lord to be accomplished in us—but rarely do we find encouragement in the process. While it’s happening, it hurts. It’s uncomfortable. It’s messy. I feel that way about my kitchen right now—we’re in the stage where progress seems more discouraging than not working on it at all, because the progress only shows us how far we still have to go. What we thought would take a few weeks, maybe a month tops, has turned into a five-month project of new countertops, subway tile, wall work, new lighting, and dust—dust everywhere.

Last weekend, I primed the entire kitchen while my husband hung trim. While I was painting over the remaining stubborn fragments of wallpaper and 1980’s salmon-colored paint, I grew increasingly overwhelmed at everything still left to be done. Hardware on the cabinets. Painting the cabinets. Painting the walls. Texturing the ceiling after more mud work. Painting the ceiling…

I wanted to quit. I couldn’t visualize the end result because of the mess in front of me, consuming my attention.

The good news is, our Master Contractor will never quit. He is faithful to complete the good work He began in us. (Philippians 1:6) He sees the end from the beginning and knows exactly what stage of repair we need to be in, at precisely what time—for our good and for His glory. More than that, God promises us that when we suffer (whether that be through trials of life or frustrations in home remodels!) we learn endurance. And when we learn endurance, we produce character. And that character gives us hope!

Romans 5:3-5 (ESV) Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

None of the work is in vain. And one day (Lord willing) when my kitchen has been completed, I won’t be focusing on the difficult details that got us there. Instead, I’ll be standing back, sipping coffee, grateful for the transformation—and for the work of patience and endurance the Lord did in my heart. Whatever “remodel” you’re going through right now, trust the process—and trust the Contractor carefully guiding you through each step.

Potholes..... by Anna Kuta

 Potholes

by Anna Kuta

“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” Joshua 1:5b

I was driving home late the other night, rolling down the winding, two-lane country road I’ve been down so many thousands of times I could probably drive it in my sleep. I had the radio turned up and one hand on the wheel, and then — CLUNK! Before I knew what was happening, my front right tire thudded through a gigantic pothole that came out of nowhere. The whole car jolted and I just knew a noise like that had to have done some damage.

“Oh, please don’t let me have a flat tire,” I said out loud. Cringing, I pulled over at the next road and worked up the courage to get out and look … and to my surprise, my tire was still intact. I stared at it for a few minutes, waiting until I was sufficiently assured that it wasn’t going to deflate in front of my eyes, and then I breathed a sigh of relief and continued my drive, albeit a good bit slower and more cautious this time.

Isn’t life just like that? You’re going along smoothly, and all of a sudden something turns your world upside down. A loved one gets a cancer diagnosis. You lose your job. Your best friend moves halfway across the country. Someone dies too young. You’re making your way down the road just fine and then you crash into a pothole that almost derails you. We all know the feeling all too well.

I was having one of those weeks where every single thing seemed to be going wrong, and then I heard a sermon illustration that stuck with me. It was the story of a gravel lane leading to a farm and a huge pothole that appeared after a rainstorm. Before anyone had a chance to fill it in, though, a bird laid her eggs in the pothole. She hatched her chicks there and stayed with them until they left the nest. All the locals warned their families and friends to avoid the pothole, and everyone drove slowly by to see for themselves the little birds thriving in a place that no one would expect.

How often do we look at the potholes in our lives and curse them? Yet, from a rocky, ugly place, little birds sang and took flight.

God did not promise that our Christian walk would be easy, but he did promise he would never leave us. His presence, His love and His peace are the only things that can fill in the holes in our lives. He smoothes out the roughest of roads with His strength and comfort. And above all, He grants us grace sufficient to make it through whatever may come. The Lord will never leave our side.

If not for the pothole on that gravel farm lane, the travelers would never have been able to witness a small miracle taking place there. If not for the pothole on my drive home the other night, I probably wouldn’t have slowed down and I might have had an even worse encounter around the next bend – with a herd of deer in the middle of the road.

In the midst of a week where I thought my world might crash down, I cried out to God to help me through, and it was only when I had nothing left to rely on but Him that I felt His presence more clearly than I had in a long time – and it was exactly what my heart had been yearning for. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you,” as James 4:8 says. Only God can fill our potholes, and he fills them with Himself. May we never miss the little blessings hidden along a bumpy road.

Intersecting Faith and Life

When you hit a pothole, pray for God to give you strength and remind you of His presence. Seek a closer relationship with Him and remember that He is your refuge and strength.

Further Reading

Deuteronomy 31:5-6

Psalm 46:1

Psalm 55:22

Psalm 73:23-24

Isaiah 43:2

A Prayer of Lament over False Prophets..... By: Meg Bucher

 A Prayer of Lament over False Prophets

By: Meg Bucher

“In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has been long hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” - 2 Peter 2:3 NIV

Peter wrote the above words to warn the church of false teachers. “They are subversive, immoral, avaricious, they commercialize Christianity, and dishonest,” the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible explains, “Their false teaching is destructive and will result in their own destruction.” There’s undoubtedly a place for righteous anger in regard to those who seek to oppress and deceive others, but it’s unlikely we’ll ever argue anyone to Jesus. There will continue to be false teachers, and as the Zondervan Bible Commentary explains, “not all will be unsuccessful.”

Only God can take the tiny shards of our shattered hearts and turn them into beautiful masterpieces that bring glory and honor to His name. When we make time to seek Jesus, we begin to see the world from His perspective.

There will always be pain, injustice, deceit and death in this world. But Christ assured us not to live in fear of it, for He has already overcome it. As we live our lives in such a way that brings glory and honor to His name, we will get to be a part of the miraculous story of healing and restoration our mighty God has promised is to come.

People are going to deceive …people will irritate us and cause anger to bubble and rise to such a rate we may find ourselves looking down at a shattered phone screen, thrown in anger and lament. But people will also show us the love of Christ when we need it the most.

Just as assuredly as we have enemies in this life, the Lord has placed people around us to be the arms of His embrace when we need it the most.

Father,

Today we pray a prayer of lament. How we long for the age of false prophets to be over, and for you to come back and make all things new! Lord, we are so weary of injustice and those who claim you but peddle lies. Lord, we long for you to make all the wrongs right.

Lord, we know that both false prophets and truth-tellers live with shattered, earthly hearts under the curse of sin. There’s no escaping the effects of sin on this earth it, but through You, you have given us a way to live free in forgiveness and salvation.

We pray for false prophets. Yes, as hard as it is, we pray for them. Father, open their eyes to Your truth. Soften their hearts towards Jesus, Your Son. You created every human life. You love all of us. Forgive us for our anger toward one another, and guide our righteous anger to bring glory and honor to You, God.

In a world that is easily offended, distracted, and swayed, root us solidly in Your Word and in Your Truth, God. Stir our hearts to see and respond with grace, with firm faith in You, alone.

Jesus, You hung on the cross for us, each a shattered mess only You could save. Thank You, for piecing us back together, and growing our hearts to know and love you more each day we follow You. We look forward to the day You repair all that has been lost, wronged, destroyed, and hurt. Defeater of death, we long for Your return.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen

Unshakeable..... by Skip Heitzig

 Unshakeable

by Skip Heitzig

Did you ever wonder about that stone at the tomb of Jesus? Why was it moved? It wasn’t to let Jesus out; Jesus could get out of the tomb as easily as He entered the Upper Room later, without using the door. No, the reason the stone was rolled away was not to let Jesus out, but to let the disciples in so they could see!

And what did they see there? They saw that the body of Jesus was gone, but the grave clothes were still there, lying undisturbed. In John 20:1-8  there are different Greek words used for "saw." When it says Mary and Peter saw, it means they noted. When it says that John saw, it means that he saw with understanding, with comprehension.

Peter entered the tomb. "Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed" (John 20:8). When John saw the grave clothes, he thought, "I get it!" He believed that Jesus was alive, based on what he saw.

Then John adds something that seems puzzling at first. Verse 9 says, “For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.” They saw an empty tomb and empty grave clothes, and they formed their beliefs based on that. They knew what they saw.

But by the time John wrote his gospel, they knew the theology of Christ’s resurrection. Their faith, once based on physical evidence—the open tomb, the body gone, the clothes intact (as good as that was to convince John at that moment)—wasn’t enough to sustain a person through life. “This is what we saw, but we didn’t know the scripture yet” points to the fact that there’s something even better to base your belief and knowledge upon, and that’s the objective, inerrant prophecy in the Word of God.

Observation and personal experience aren’t enough! The Bible predicted that Christ would rise from the dead. What Peter called “a more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV) is a more sure foundation.

So how do you know that you know? You could say, “I know because I saw or I heard.” But here’s something better: “What I saw and what I heard was predicted long ago in the prophets.” So now the subjective experience is bolstered by the objective prophecy of the Bible—and that’s unshakeable.

That’s what I want you to see here—the fundamental importance of the Word of God. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

The experience which we have with Christ is valid only as it is tied to something that is outside of our experience, something that is objective—the inerrant Word of God. With that, we can face anything.

If you just have the inerrant Word of Scripture but you don’t have an experience with God yourself, then it’s not personal. If you have your personal experience but it doesn’t match what the scripture says, then it’s not reasonable. Put them both together, it’s powerful. It’s unshakeable.

That’s my prayer for you at this Easter season, that you will have an unshakeable faith, based on the sure word of prophecy and a personal, vital relationship with Jesus Christ, the risen Redeemer!

Sowing Spiritual Seeds..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Sowing Spiritual Seeds

Dr. Charles Stanley

John 4:34-38

Think about everything that contributed to the story of how you came to know Christ as your Lord and Savior. It's probably not possible to fully count all those spiritual seeds that God used to draw you to Him. And not all the people who sowed good seed into your life knew what the outcome would be.

We also have the opportunity and privilege--every single day--of sowing seeds into the lives of others, such as our friends, co-workers, children, grandchildren, or even strangers. God takes what you plant and adds to it. He leads others to sow further seed or "water" the ground. Little by little, truth gets cultivated in their lives. What greater thing could you do?

Conversely, you might focus on providing your kids with plenty of material security and send them to the best schools and colleges--and yet it would count nothing for eternity. But when you sow into their lives the things of God and the qualities of Jesus, you're feeding their spirits. The seeds that affect their hearts, view of God, and desire to make a difference for Him in the world are what will produce genuine, lasting fruit and a great harvest in their lives. Whether or not you ever see the results, the Lord is using you profoundly when you sow this kind of crop.

God sees all the little things you do; He's interested in more than just "big" things. The fruit of His Spirit--such as kindness, patience, and self-control--often manifests itself in quiet ways that others may never give you credit for. But such spiritual seeds accomplish powerful work in His kingdom.

God Promises His Strength..... Craig Denison

 God Promises His Strength

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

There is only one constant in this ever-changing world, and that’s the character of our heavenly Father. The very earth itself is undergoing changes constantly. What seems the most immovable now will one day be done away with. But God is unchanging. God is unwavering. He’s completely faithful and committed to seeing through the promises he’s made you. As we look this week at the promises of God may you ground yourself in his unchanging love. May God’s character become your source and refuge—your constant and unshakable foundation.

Scripture:“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Devotional:

Creator God in his infinite wisdom and love chose to create mankind knowing full well that we would choose our ways over his. We’re made with a terrible capacity to live out of our own strength. As a result, we see in both Scripture and our own lives incredible failures—examples of our collective weakness played out before our very eyes. We see it in the declining morality of society. We see it in the very lives of those around us that just can’t seem to get it together. Weakness seems to be threaded into the very fabric of our world. The world is plagued by the weakness of those who inhabit it.

But, the Bible also contains incredible stories of the victories of God’s people. The list goes on and on: Moses and the Egyptians, David and Goliath, Samson and the Philistines, and the early church spreading the gospel across the world despite insurmountable odds. And along with all the stories of victory, Scripture also contains many stories of failure. So, what made the difference? What separates the stories of success from the stories of failure? The difference is found in the people of God allowing God to be their strength. Success in Scripture came solely when God was made strong in man’s weakness.

Psalm 103:13-14 says, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” God created us. He knows our weakness. He knows that apart from him we can do nothing. But the beauty of the gospel is that as believers we are no longer apart from him. Through the death of Jesus, we are now one with Christ, wrapped up in his story of redemption. We have been saved from having to do life on our own, in our own strength.

Your heavenly Father says to you today, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). Your God is the same God of David, Samson, Paul, and John. The success that they had was the direct result of their choosing God’s strength over their own. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Paul chose to boast of his weakness because he knew of the steadfast strength of God in his own life. He knew that his success was solely by the strength of his God.

Your heavenly Father promises his strength to you today. Just as he worked to help Paul spread the gospel, just as he helped David slay the giant Goliath, he desires to help you today in whatever lies ahead. Acknowledge your weakness but at the same time, hold fast to the the knowledge of the incredible strength of your heavenly Father. Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “He will not leave you or forsake you.” The strength of God is always with you. All you have to do is choose his ways over your own. Live in light of the revelation of your own weakness and God’s strength, and you will experience the power of the Creator of the universe working directly in your own life.

Where do you need God’s strength? What area of your life seems to be plagued by weakness? Ask God to work in your life, and experience the fruit of co-laboring with your heavenly Father today.

Guided Prayer:           

1. Reflect on your own weakness. What situations in your life seem to be without the strength of God?

“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”Psalm 103:13-14

2. Now meditate on God’s desire to be strong in your weakness. Think about stories of people in the Bible who did incredible things solely by the strength of God.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”2 Corinthians 12:9

3. Ask God to be strong in your weakness today. Ask the Spirit to guide you and work in any and every situation you find yourself in. Ask him to guide your words, actions, mindsets and emotions that you might live entirely in his strength.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”Isaiah 41:10

How incredible is the heart of God that he would choose to share with us his own strength! Your God cares for you so deeply that he desires to work closely and effectively in your life. The very strength that formed the mountains, parted the seas and sustains every living thing is available to you today. Rest in God's promise that he is not distant. You have a strong God who loves you and is for you. Live today experiencing the peace and power of God’s strength made strong in your weakness.

Extended Reading: Psalm 103

The Amazing Meaning of This Familiar Psalm..... By Debbie McDaniel

 The Amazing Meaning of This Familiar Psalm

By Debbie McDaniel

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24

Many of us may have heard this verse over long years. But often, with some of these most popular verses, they can become so familiar to us that we may even miss the deeper meaning and context under which they are written.

So what is the “day” that Psalm 118 makes reference to? Is it the general “every day” that God gives us, or is it referring to a specific day in history?

In Psalm 118, the author is writing about incredible adversity. It's not written when times are good, but when times are really hard. Situations were changing. The Psalmist cried out to God in anguish, he was surrounded on all sides by the enemy. He felt pushed back, and about to fall. Yet right in the midst of huge struggles shared, this chapter both starts and ends with the same verse, of giving thanks and praise unto God.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever." v. 1,29

Such a powerful reminder to us: True joy is never dependent on our circumstances. And though we may know this in our head, it might be hard to walk out every day. Learning to choose joy in hard times takes effort and action on our part; it requires our hearts to be set on Him. God is faithful to help us, so that we can choose well. And we can be assured that in His grace, He has made every day, and for that gift itself we can “rejoice and be glad in it.” No matter what we face, we can still believe in God’s goodness and love, for that’s what carries us through the most difficult of seasons.

We might be facing the toughest of times right now, but the truth is this, He's still given us breath for today. Jesus came to give us hope and freedom, He’s the very reason we can live with joy right in the battles and have peace that is unexplainable to the world. He's with us and will never leave or fail us. His love covers us, He gives us the strength to face every trial and obstacle with courage and grace. We can rest in the security that Truth brings.

No matter what you’re up against, be confident in God’s unchanging love for you, always. And it is written, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

God Is a Sports Fan..... by Ryan Duncan

 God Is a Sports Fan

by Ryan Duncan

Back when I was in college, I witnessed a "debate" between one of my Bible Professors and a Philosophy major. What were they "debating" about? Was it the idea of a Triune God? The infallibility of Scripture? Predestination? Actually, it was about Football.

The Super Bowl had come around again, and the Philosophy Major was arguing that sports, at their core, drew our focus away from God and should therefore be considered idols. His basis for this was that every student would be watching the game Sunday night, and would probably skip Chapel Monday morning.

I had to admit he had a point, some students made a habit of sleeping through the schools 10 am chapel services, but when there was a game of Ultimate Frisbee or Soccer they never failed to show up. I tried to imagine what Church would be like if people came the same way they did for a Super Bowl, bodies painted and ready to celebrate. Maybe we were losing our focus.

Still, did that really make sports an idol? That seemed a little extreme to me. It would be years later when I'd find the answer in a familiar story, Matthew 25:14-26, the Parable of the Talents.

14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,' he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.'

21 "His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

22 "The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,' he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.'

23 "His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

24 "Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,' he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

26 "His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

Traditionally, we are taught that this passage relates to our spiritual gifts, but I believe the talents of this parable can also be used to represent our faith in Christ.

Sometimes we Christian become afraid of God. We know God is a harsh master, asking us to stand against an entire world that has turned against him, and we fear that if we start enjoying things in this world like Football or Soccer that they'll steal our faith from us.

So, instead of interacting with the world and engaging it with our faith, we bury it in the Bible to keep it safe, like the third servant. We turn our lives into one endless Bible study. Problem is, when the Master returns, when God calls us into his service, we discover that our faith hasn't grown! We've spent our entire lives studying how to be a Christian, but never actually living as one.

Honestly, I think God wants us to be part of this world. He wants us to enjoy games of sports, to write stories and poetry, to study math and science and discover more about his creations. Yes, we need to be careful these things don't replace God, but when handled correctly, they allow us to engage the world, enjoy our faith, and understand those we are called to witness to.

Intersecting Faith and Life

Do you have an unhealthy fear of God? Take some time and study the character of Jesus.

Further Reading

Matthew 17:20

A Prayer for the Right Words to Say..... By: Kristine Brown

 A Prayer for the Right Words to Say

By: Kristine Brown

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” - Colossians 4:6 NIV

“Do you have a minute to talk? I was hoping to get your advice about something...”

When a friend or family member begins our conversation with these words, I send out a desperate prayer. Lord, give me the right words to say! I’m thankful when my loved ones feel compelled to come to me. I also question what could happen when I open my mouth. I want my words to speak life with gentleness and truth, but sometimes what I mean to say comes out all wrong.

We know it’s important to seek God before engaging in deep conversation. Yet time and again we charge ahead with our words and end up saying something we wish we could take back. Because when we speak without the gracious words of God, we risk saying the wrong thing. If we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit, we will know how to answer.

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6 NIV

Paul instructed the Colossian church to pray for open doors to share Jesus’ message of hope with the world. He also wanted them to be mindful of how they acted toward unbelievers so that they could have opportunities to connect with them. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5).

Paul knew every precious open door to share Christ’s love would begin with a connection. An opportunity for God-inspired words, whether spoken in a crowded room or between new friends. He also knew this ability to speak the right words would not come naturally. It could only happen through prayer, and the same truth still applies to our lives today.

Let’s take a minute to ask ourselves this question. Have my words been seasoned with salt lately? Am I relying on God to guide my speech, or am I having conversations in my own strength? We can renew our commitment to grace-filled words today, knowing what to say with gentleness and truth. Let’s pray together that God will give us the right words to say in every situation.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for showing me through holy Scripture how important my words are. I claim Psalm 19:14 as my prayer today, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

Let your Holy Spirit guide my speech, Lord. Then I can have peace knowing your gentleness will flow through me as I connect with others. When I’m tempted to engage in conversation in my own strength, remind me to keep my words full of grace. (Colossians 4:6) Help me rely on You rather than wonder if I’m saying the wrong thing.

As I go through this day, I will praise you for your goodness and trust your guidance. I will speak words that build up instead of tearing down. I pray any conversations I have will bring joy and honor to you, God. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen.