Understanding..Craig Denison Ministries

 Understanding

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

God’s goodness over our lives far exceeds anything we’ve experienced. We’ve only yet splashed around in the shallows of God’s deep love and mercy. In order to dive deeper into the fullness of life available to us, we must learn how to posture our hearts. May your relationship with God be enriched this week as you position yourself to receive all your loving heavenly Father has to give.

Scripture:“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalms 145:18

Devotional:           

For most believers, understanding and experience seem to be mutually exclusive. Theology and spirituality are believed to be separate, and while one might help the other, they don’t belong together as one wholehearted pursuit of God. The truth is that understanding and experience couldn’t be more intertwined. In fact, one does not truly exist without the other. To experience God is to have understanding. To understand God is to experience. It’s for this reason Jesus said in John 4:23-24, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

God longs for us to know him in spirit and truth, in experience and understanding. I can’t truly know someone by just reading a book about them. I can’t say that I know C. S. Lewis, Martin Luther, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer just because I’ve read a biography or some of their works. It is the same with God. Scripture is intended to give us understanding about God and guide us into a true relationship with him. Its words are intended to be an avenue to the Author who wrote them. And if we will adopt a perspective of gaining as much understanding about our heavenly Father as possible in order to know him more, Scripture will become a priceless resource to our lives we cannot do without.

Having understanding about the God we’re pursuing is absolutely vital to going deeper. Psalm 145:18 tells us, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Isaiah 26:3 says,“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” And Jesus commands us in Matthew 22:37 to “love the Lord your God with all your . . . mind.” Your mind is the gateway to your heart. If you believe lies about who you are or who God is, you will never seek him fully or properly. If you don’t know of his goodness, faithfulness, and nearness promised to you by Scripture, you’ll never have a reason to pursue truly knowing God.

God longs to guide you in a process of daily renewing your mind through Scripture. The Holy Spirit longs to help and teach you the truth of Scripture that you might know the God you serve. If you will commit yourself to a process of renewing your mind, new avenues will be created from your understanding to experience. If you will truly love the Lord by giving him your understanding to be molded and transformed, the truth of his love for you will flood from your mind to the untouched, dry, and weary places in your life. Commit to growing in your understanding of the Lord today that you might grow in your relationship with your loving, near, heavenly Father.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of worshipping God in spirit and truth.

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”  John 4:23-24

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3

2. In what ways have you been pursuing experience or understanding as if they are mutually exclusive? In what ways have you allowed a head knowledge of God or an experience of God to be enough?

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what it’s like to truly pursue God in spirit and in truth. Ask him what it’s like to live your life where understanding and experience are never separated. Rest in his presence and commit yourself to knowing God in every part of your life.

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalms 145:18

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John 16:13

God is after redemption and transformation in every part of our lives. Our spirit, soul, and body are not separated as if we can work on one part without developing the others. Our understanding affects both our hearts and bodies. Our emotions are impacted directly by our thoughts. And our bodies carry the weight of our stress or joy. To truly be transformed by God is to invite him into every facet of ourselves and allow his love to do a mighty and necessary work. May you experience the fullness of joy and redemption today as you invite God to transform every part of your life.

Extended Reading: John 16

Why God Speaks..Dr. Charles Stanley

 Why God Speaks

Dr. Charles Stanley

James 1:23-25

God is not one to speak in generalities. When He whispers from the pages of Scripture or confronts through a friend's words, the Father directly addresses issues in His children's lives. With that in mind, let's look at His three goals for communicating with believers—namely, for us to:

1. Comprehend the truth. God wants us to learn His ways and principles, to recognize our own frailty, and to identify the needs of others. He does more than offer this as head knowledge—He makes truth applicable to our lives. For example, the Lord assured Paul that His strength was sufficient to carry the apostle through anything (2 Cor. 12:9). Circumstances taught the apostle that God's Word was true.

2. Conform to the truth. Our lives are shaped by our belief system. What we hold as true influences our thinking. In turn, how we think affects our character, conduct, and conversation. God is determined to mold His children into Christlikeness so that they reflect His gospel to the world.

3. Communicate the truth. Every child of God is called to make disciples (Matt. 28:19). Believers can know the Lord and walk in His light but still fall short of this expectation. We must share the gospel by sharing God's truth with others and explaining how His words played out in our lives.

Notice that each goal builds on the one preceding it. Christians are a light reflecting God's glory to this world. We shine brightly by being attentive to God's voice and following His will. And when someone takes an interest in the source of our light, we are prepared to share the good news of Christ.

Dealing with Difficult People..Mary Southerland

 Dealing with Difficult People

By Mary Southerland

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

When someone hurts one of our grandchildren, my first and wrong response is usually a very strong desire to flatten the person who did the hurting. Just keeping it real. I know that’s the wrong reaction, born out of anger and the wrath of a grandmother. Our grandson, Hudson, recently schooled me on the right way to respond when you’ve been hurt. 

One little boy in Hudson’s class at school is a bully. His favorite target seems to be Hudson, the sweetest kid on the planet. One day the little boy punched Hudson in the face … and a teacher saw the whole thing. She called Danna and Sam, asking them to come in for a conference. Both Danna and Sam were stunned when the teacher explained what had happened. 

Danna asked, “Is this the first time he’s done this, Hud?” Hudson responded, “No. He’s done it before.” Danna and Sam were shocked. “We had no idea!” they explained to the teacher.
“Why haven’t you told anyone?” his father asked. Hudson’s response stunned everyone, “I can take it, Dad. He is really short. He’s the shortest kid in our class. Everyone but me makes fun of him. He doesn’t have any friends, and I have a lot of friends. I knew if I told anyone he would get in trouble. So, I just take it because I’d like to be his friend. I think he really needs one.”  

Needless to say, bullying is never ever right and certainly not to be tolerated in any situation. The adults were amazed by Hudson’s response but explained that he should never allow anyone to treat him that way. Yes, the little boy got in trouble, but he also received some much-needed help from the school counselor. Here’s the question. Did Hudson love this little boy like Jesus loves that little boy? I think so. And that is a vital truth in our walk with God – to love like Jesus loves. 

Hudson put feet to John’s words when he said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). That phrase, “As I have loved you,” changes everything when it comes to dealing with someone who has hurt us. Think of all the ways Jesus loves us. He willingly surrendered to his Father’s plan, giving up a throne for a manger and heaven for earth. He died the most brutal death known to mankind, crucifixion. He was despised, rejected, and did not even have a place to lay his head at night. And yet, He loves us completely and eternally in the midst of our sin, just as we are. 

Intersecting Faith and Life:
And then … He calls us to love others the same way. Why? Because that kind of radical love can only be explained by God. So, the world will then know that we are His disciples and that his love is real. God empowers us with His love and then partners with us in loving others. This two-fold message is repeated again and again in the Bible. God loves us. God wants to love others through us.

God wants us to love each other in the same way that He loves – unconditionally. In fact, God wants us to love in such a way that the people around us will know we are fully devoted followers of Christ. I wonder what our relationships would look like if we did love the way Jesus loves us. Nowhere in the Bible will you find the words, “When you feel like it, love others.” Nope! It is not in there. 

The Bible tells us to practice love. Love is an ongoing and very deliberate choice – not an emotion or a feeling. I challenge you to step out in faith today and choose to love that difficult person in your life the way Jesus loves you. 

Lord, help me remember that everyone I meet is fighting some kind of battle I know nothing about. Teach me how to respond with love, not anger. Give me a heart for restoration, not retaliation. Father, help me love like you love.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Further reading:
Want to dig a little deeper? Keeping a journal is a great spiritual habit. Read the following verses carefully. In your journal, jot down what these verses mean to you.  

Romans 12:9-10
2 Corinthians 13:11
1 John 4:7

The Discipline of Self-Control..Betsy St. Amant Haddox

 The Discipline of Self-Control (Titus 2:11-12)

By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

Today's Bible Verse: For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. - Titus 2:11-12 (NIV)

Self-control isn’t really the most popular thing to talk about in Christian circles. It can bring a lot of shame for those who struggle with it, and a lot of pride to those who think they have it mastered (newsflash—they don’t!)

The Bible puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of self-control in a believer’s life. For instance, in the book of Proverbs, it says that someone without self-control is in danger of a break-in: Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control Proverbs 25:28. Think of how many other bad things sneak in when our “walls” of self-control are down. Anger. Bitterness. Lust. Unforgiveness, to name a few.

The Word also says that having patience is better than being a warrior! Proverbs 16:32 says, Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. In our “microwave” culture today, where we tend to expect everything to be given to us immediately, patience can become a foreign concept. But this Scripture links patience directly to self-control. It’s hard to have one without the other.

So, we agree that self-control is crucial, and we all wished we had more of it. But what do we do about it? Thankfully, the Holy Spirit doesn’t leave us alone to figure it out. He does the work of sanctification is us that produces good fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. One of those good fruits is self-control. It goes hand in hand with the others listed, which makes sense. Think how much easier it is to have self-control when you already possess joy, love, and peace!

Our theme verse in Titus 2 informs us that the grace of God is what teaches us to say no to sin, and to live self-controlled lives. It’s not something we pull out of ourselves, but what He works in us.

Sometimes, we think “it’s just too hard” or “no one would blame me if I binge-ate right now.” We think we deserve to indulge in this vice or in that sin because of what we’ve been through. We justify our wrong thoughts or motives with “no one can be expected to withstand this.”

But 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) begs to differ.  No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

We are truly without excuse. All temptation is common. King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun. Jesus even went through the same temptations as we did, and yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

The Bible promises us that we will be able to withstand temptation through the power of the Holy Spirit—through the Lord working self-control in us. That means we have the ability to change the channel, avert our eyes, put down the second helping of cake, drop the cigarettes or alcohol for good, or leave the room. We can walk away, bite our lip, hold back the mean words, or stop seeking revenge—not because of our best efforts, but because of the Spirit in us. Because of God’s grace.

If you’re struggling in this area of your life today, pray for grace. Pray for the Holy Spirit to teach you self-control. Ask Him for that particular fruit in your life. Then trust Him to grow it in you.

A Prayer for Those Who Grieve..Emma Danzey

 A Prayer for Those Who Grieve 

By Emma Danzey

Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

Scripture calls us in Romans to celebrate and empathize with those around us. People are celebrating exciting news, and we join in the rejoicing. However, not every day is going to be a walk in the park. When others come to us in mourning, the response of a believer in Christ should be to mourn with them.

In thinking about who God has placed around you, is there anyone mourning and grieving today? Are there people whom the Lord has intentionally brought into your path to pray for and pray with, to walk alongside, to cry with, to hold, and to encourage? Grief is one of the most difficult paths that people go on in this life. We often think of it as only relating to death. However, grief is loss, it could be someone is grieving a relationship that ended, or the loss of a friend, grieving a job, grieving a dream, grieving a wayward child. When we broaden our perspective of those wrestling through the losses of life, we will be more sensitive to those around us and what they are dealing with in this season. Definitely, we are to pay close attention to those dealing with great losses such as losing health or loved ones, but as we pray today, remember that people are grieving smaller things as well that we can pray for and stand beside in.

Let's Pray:

God our Comforter,
You tell us in 2 Corinthians 1:4 that You comfort us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. We have received such mercy and kindness from You. Enable us to pour that out onto others. Where we ourselves have experienced real pain and loss, help us to keep that in mind for others.

Jesus, would you please be with those who are grieving today. We pray for those with significant losses. Would you help them to feel seen and cared for by You and the church. Would you be their Rock and their Fortress in this storm. We know that You ultimately have allowed this in their lives and pray that they would be able to see You work in the midst of the trial. Lord, help them not to be hopeless or lose heart. Guide them with Your sweet and tender Words in the Bible. Speak life over them. Show them that they are deeply loved and heard. Help us to know when to share and when to be silent. Give us listening ears in their pain. Jesus, show Yourself in new ways to them as their Comforter.

God we pray over those who have grief but have not acknowledged it as such. Give them everything that they need in You. Show them the areas of their hearts that they need to bring to you. For those who stuffed down grief, bring it to the surface and heal them from it. For those who pushed it aside as not significant enough, speak truth into their situations. Help them to know what to do. Give them awareness that You care about even the smallest of disappointments and hurts.

Lord we pray specifically over the widows. You have so many Scriptures about caring for them. Help us to remember them in our prayers and our actions. Give us Your words to say and guide us in comforting them in every season. We pray over those with other loses that they grieve whether that be family or friends. Bring to their memories the truth that You are always with them. Help us to be the body of Christ and live out the love and compassion that You have for them.

God we pray about our own losses. Would you please heal us from the pain. Help us to know that You are working all things together for our good and Your glory. Give us time to process with You and a renewed sense of hope. Reveal Your intimacy in a fresh way. Help us to know Your heart in struggles. Remind us that ultimately we will have no more grief and loss in heaven with You and that You will wipe away every tear. Amen.