In step

[RiverOL]

Messin’ With Your Heroes

Therefore be imitators of God—Ephesians 5:1

Really? Is it so wrong for us to emulate the life of another man or woman? Is it so wrong to hold another person up, as a role model? Well, the answer is (as it often is) . . . it depends. It depends on what exactly, in the person, we long to emulate. If it’s Christlikeness only—if it’s only how the person demonstrates Jesus Christ to us and to others—then, no, it’s not so wrong. We’re meant to be, for one another, physical examples of how to follow Jesus ever more closely. Watching another person move further into the character of Christ helps us move further, too. That’s how it’s supposed to work. The Apostle Paul wrote: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Too often, though, that’s not the way it actually works. Too often, we look up to men and women—and strive to emulate them—for the purpose of becoming more like them, and not more like Jesus. Too often, it’s worldly things that draw us in: a person’s success, their achievements, their talent, their career, their money, their power, their possessions. We men fall into this a lot. And the problem is the same whether the things coveted are secular or ecclesiastical in nature. We can lift any person too high: magnate or minister, entrepreneur or entertainer, priest or professor. We can lift them so high they begin to obscure Jesus.



Hero worship is a sensitive subject. We men like our heroes. And we don’t like people to mess with them. We must be careful, though, that no person (great though they may be) gets between us and the ultimate hero. Examine your heart. Wrestle with the issue. Discuss it openly with some brothers—and with God, in prayer.

 

[RiverOL]

Community Living
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Everyone was amazed by the many miracles and wonders that the apostles worked. All the Lord’s followers often met together, and they shared everything they had. They would sell their property and possessions and give the money to whoever needed it. Day after day they met together in the temple. They broke bread together in different homes and shared their food happily and freely, while praising God. Everyone liked them, and each day the Lord added to their group others who were being saved.
(Acts 2.43-47)

Reflect:
This is a beautiful description of community life amongst people in the first churches. Here the people prayed together, broke bread, worshipped and served one another. Fellowship wasn’t just about meeting together, but attending to each other’s needs, being hospitable and practicing generosity. Unlike our individualistic society, the ethos of the first century believers was communal.

Respond:
Do you belong to a small group in your church? If so, what are the benefits of being part of this community? How do you support, encourage and help each other? If you don’t belong to one, why not join a group or start your own?

Midday Meditation:
The fifty-eight ‘one anothers’ of the Bible - love one another, care for one another, help one another, encourage one another, serve one another, share with one another etc can only be done in a small group setting.
(Rick Warren)

Evening Reflection:
Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on him.
God alone is the mighty rock that keeps me safe, and he is the fortress where I feel secure.
God saves me and honours me.
He is that mighty rock where I find safety.
(From Psalm 62)

 

[RiverOL]

Lilly loved the golden bracelet she’d been given. It was a symbol of her fiancé’s love—something precious beyond measure. She reached out to touch it…

Panic gripped Lilly’s heart. The bracelet wasn’t on her wrist! She knew she’d put it on that morning. She must have lost it! It could be anywhere—she’d been on a long walk. Where, oh where, had it fallen off?

And how could she lose that bracelet? What must her fiancé think? She felt unbearably terrible and ashamed.

Unable to find it on her own, she told her fiancé; his reaction completely surprised her. He wasn’t mad at her. In fact, he assured her that all that mattered to him was her. He wept with her because he knew she valued the bracelet and assured her he’d work with her to find it if they at all could, but her actions had not affected his love in the least.

Wiping away the tears and the shame, Lilly began to realize that her fiancé wasn’t surprised at her failures—and when she failed, she should run to him, not away. His arms were always open wide; he saw her, not as the mess she was, but as his spotless, beloved bride.

“…Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” Revelation 21:9 (KJV)

“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Jeremiah 31:3 (KJV)

 

[RiverOL]

The Blessing of Unity
Morning Encounter:
Read:
It is truly wonderful
when relatives live together
in peace.
It is as beautiful as olive oil
poured on Aaron’s head
and running down his beard
and the collar of his robe.

It is like the dew
from Mount Hermon,
falling on Zion’s mountains,
where the Lord has promised
to bless his people
with life forevermore.
(Psalm 133)
Reflect:
Attributed to King David and perhaps sung by God’s people as they gathered for festivals, this Psalm celebrates the unity of God’s people. Mount Hermon, the highest mountain in the region, is well known for an abundance of dew. The blessing of unity amongst God’s people is a greater gift than refreshing water in a dry and parched land.

Respond:
How are your relationships with other Christians? Is there someone you struggle with? If so, pray from them now, and consider whether there is a way to seek reconciliation. can you pray for them? How could you work towards unity?

Midday Meditation:
“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”
(A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God)

Evening Reflection:
Dear God,
Speak gently in my silence.
When the loud outer noises of my surroundings,
and the loud inner noises of my fears
keep pulling me away from you, help me to trust
that you are still there even when I am unable to hear you.

 

[RiverOL]

Predestination vs. Free Will

"For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands."1

Somebody said, "The difference between predestination and free will is: "Predestination is the hand you were dealt; free will is what you do with that hand." Good point.

While we weren't responsible for, nor did we have any choice in what gifts and abilities we were born with, we are totally responsible for what we do about discovering and developing these gifts and talents and for how we use them.

Furthermore, regardless of our background, which I acknowledge has a profound effect on us, with God's help and the support of encouraging friends, we can refuse to allow our past to determine our future and we can overcome much of our past, develop our talents, and become the person God wants us to be and do what we believe He wants us to do with our life.

It all boils down to choice. Either by conscious choice or by default we all choose what we want to become and do what we choose to do. As another has said, "Everyone is self-made, even if the rich are the only ones who will admit it."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to discover what my gifts and talents are—both spiritual and natural—and develop them, and find a productive way to use them for the benefit of others and for your glory. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

Family Rules
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honour others more than you do yourself. Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Take care of God’s needy people and welcome strangers into your home.

Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. Be friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people. Don’t mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, and do your best to live at peace with everyone.

(Romans 12.9-18)
Reflect:
Here Paul sets out some rules for living as the family of God. We are to be less self-centred and more other-centred. Our individual gifts are to be used for the good of others. We are to be patient and not to give up. We are to treat those who wrong us kindly and to do our best to live in harmony with each other. This is a huge challenge for all of us!

Respond:
A prayer for today: ‘Lord, you have shown me so much love, grace and patience. Please teach me how to live in harmony, even with people with whom I can see no common ground. Help me to show them the same kindness, respect and dignity that you show me. Amen.

Midday Meditation:
‘One of the main tasks of theology is to find words that do not divide but unite, that do not create conflict but unity, that do not hurt but heal.’
(Henri Nouwen)

Evening Reflection:
Let nothing disturb you.
Let nothing frighten you.
All things pass away:
God never changes.

Patience obtains all things.
Those who have God
Find they lack nothing;
God alone suffices.

 

[RiverOL]

Parrot Talk

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty."1

A man bought a parrot at an auction after some heavy bidding. "I hope this bird talks," he told the auctioneer.

"Talk," the auctioneer replied. "Who do you think has been bidding against you for the past ten minutes?"

Sad to say, we seem to be living in a day when a person's word has less and less value. Once upon a time a man's word was his bond. Not any more, I'm afraid. For many people today their word doesn't mean a thing. We're pretty adept at parroting what we think people want to hear.

I remember one of my college professors teaching us that a person's character could be measured by what value he or she put on their word. People who don't keep their word simply cannot be trusted. This principle applies, not only to some politicians who promise anything to get votes, but also to every one of us who do not keep our promises or our word.

Fortunately, however, of one thing we can be certain, God always keeps his Word and always keeps his promises. To be Christ-like, we need to do the same! For after all, it's what we do, not what we say, that speaks the loudest of all.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please make me a man/woman of my word so I can always be trusted to say what I mean, mean what I say, and do what I say I will do. And thank you that your Word can always be trusted. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

Working Together
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Above all else, you must live in a way that brings honour to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I visit you or not, I will hear that all of you think alike. I will know that you are working together and that you are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news. Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God’s Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. Don’t be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves.
(Philippians 1.27; 2.1-3)

Reflect:
Paul’s letters are written to communities, to groups of new believers. Unity and harmony, working side by side with each other brings him much joy. But within his letters, especially to the church in Philippi he has to address issues of unrest and disharmony. Perhaps the key to this unity and sticking together comes from the last verse about humility and considering others more important than yourself.

Respond:
Practise humility today. Serve others where you can. Befriend those you would not normally connect with. Listen in conversations more than you speak. Resist the need to impress others.

Midday Meditation:
‘Far more books get written about how to get more people in your church, than how to get the people already in your church to have more humility and sincere love.’
(John Ortberg)

Evening Reflection:
Loving God, I choose to be a servant. I yield my right to command and demand. I give up my need to manage and control. I relinquish all schemes of manipulation and exploitation. Lord help me to rest well tonight in your presence. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Stepping Stones to Success

"Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples … [and] as he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?'"1

Many achievements in life have come from a setback, an accident, or some kind of crisis or even suffering. For instance, the first cars had to be started by cranking the motor by hand. At times the engine would "kick" back the crank handle. This happened to Charles Kettering and it broke his arm.

"There must be a safer way to start cars than this," Kettering reasoned and he went on to invent self-starters for cars.

Jacob Schick was prospecting for gold where the temperature fell to 40 degrees below zero. He had a hard time trying to shave with a blade without sufficient hot water—so he invented the first electric shaver.

Eugene O'Neill had no specific goal or aim in life until he became ill and had to go to hospital. While lying flat on his back he began to write his plays.

A number of years ago I had an accident on a construction site which put me in hospital for a week. For a few years I had been battling a sense of God's call to Christian service but never acted on it until I was flat on my back with time to think. It was there in the hospital that I said, "Okay, God, you win. I know what you want me to do." That was the day I made the decision to go back to college to train for Christian ministry.

So, when things go wrong in your life and you experience a major setback, lose your job, or have an accident, not always, but perhaps God has something for you to learn, or something else he wants you to do. The important thing is to be open to what God is saying.

True, disasters happen because we live in a broken, sinful world. Sometimes, however, a disaster is "God's wake-up call" to teach us an important lesson, to help us grow, or to lead us in a different direction.

Most of us are not going to be struck down like Saul [Paul] was and hear a voice from heaven, and be left blind for three days when God calls. Some of us, though, who are hard-headed have to be "hit over the head" as it were with a "four-by-four" for God to get our attention. But for most of us God leads through his Word, our circumstances, and through a "still small voice" within that gives us a sense of what God wants us to do.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to see/hear/learn what you are saying to me in every adverse circumstance I may experience, as I truly want to be what you want me to be and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

A World-Wide Community
Morning Encounter:
Read:
God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together. Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful. Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.
(Colossians 3.12-17)

Reflect:
Perhaps you will be experiencing community today in a number of ways – with a partner, a family, your church or at wider social event. Whether you are with many people, a few or on your own, remember that you are part of a worldwide community. Across the world today, Christians from all nations and tribes will gather in worship. Together, wherever we are, we are the body of Christ and we belong to him.

Respond:
Allow your imagination today to remind you that you belong to a worldwide congregation of believers. You might like to pray for peace amongst all Christians to increase and show the world that unity is possible.

Midday Meditation:
‘The aim of God in history is the creation of an all-inclusive community of loving persons, with Himself included in that community as its prime sustainer and most glorious inhabitant.’
(Dallas Willard)

Evening Reflection:
Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight,
and give your Angels and Saints charge over those who sleep.
Tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ.
Rest your weary ones, bless Your dying ones,
Soothe your suffering ones, pity your afflicted ones,
Shield your joyous ones, and all for your love's sake.
Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Growing Strong in the Broken Places

"But he [God] said to me [Paul], 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."1

Do you ever feel that God can't use you because you aren't qualified? If so, you're in good company. Many of us feel the same way. In fact, there were very few men or women in the Bible who were used of God who didn't have a personal struggle or challenge of one kind or another. Moses and Mary weren't the only ones who didn't feel qualified for the work God was calling them to do!

An unknown author has pointed out that "Moses stuttered. John Mark was rejected by Paul. Timothy had ulcers. Hosea's wife was a prostitute. Amos's only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning. Jacob lied. David had an affair. Solomon had too many wives and concubines. Jesus was too poor and wasn't schooled in the right religious institutions. Abraham and Sarah were too old. David was too young. Peter was impulsive. John had a temper. Naomi was a widow. Paul was a murderer, as was Moses. Jonah ran from God. Gideon and Thomas both doubted. Jeremiah was depressed. Elijah was burned out. Martha worried too much. Matthew was a despised tax-gatherer. Noah had a drinking problem."

It was Ernest Hemingway who first wrote about the world breaking us all but some grow strong in the broken places. The idea behind these words is that where a bone is broken and heals, it becomes the strongest part of the bone. The same is true of our broken places—where we have been hurt, have fallen, or failed. When we bring these to Christ for healing, his strength is then made perfect in and through our weaknesses. This is certainly true in ministering to other people. Our friends are not helped so much by our brilliant logic or persuasive speech[,] as they are through honest sharing of our own struggles and how, with God's help, we have overcome. As one speaker put it, sharing our faith in Christ is just a case of one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread!

God, of course, doesn't want us to stay stuck in our sins and problems. While he loves and accepts us as we are, and uses us as we are, he loves us too much to leave us as we are. But never think that you have too little talent or too many hurts or problems for God to use you. The key issue is to be available. Everyone that God has ever used has had their weaknesses, sins, and failings. But they were available, and they have been remembered for what God did through their lives. God will do the same for you and me as we make ourselves available for him to use every day.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I'm available. Please make me usable and use me today to be as Jesus in some way to every life I touch. And please use me in whatever way you choose to be a part of your plans and what you are doing in the world today. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

All Heaven Declares
Morning Encounter:
Introduction
We worship all sorts of things we shouldn’t- money, sex, power, celebrities and other people. We might give our time, energy and resources to follow a certain artist, band or football club. In Scripture, God makes it clear that we are to worship him alone, because he alone is worthy of worship. We can worship him in many ways – through song, dance, prayer, silence, enjoyment of nature and other good things. What is most important is not the form in which we worship – but that ‘our spirit must be ignited by divine fire.’ (Richard J. Foster) True worship comes out of the overflow of God’s love into our hearts as we express gratitude, thanks, adoration and praise to God.
Read:
Shout praises to the Lord! Shout the Lord’s praises in the highest heavens. All of you angels, and all who serve him above, come and offer praise. Sun and moon and all of you bright stars, come and offer praise. Highest heavens, and the water above the highest heavens, come and offer praise. Let all things praise the name of the Lord, because they were created at his command.
(Psalm 148.1-5)

Reflect:
In this Psalm, all of creation is called to worship God. Starting with the angelic host and descending through the skies to all the created order on earth including human beings; this call to praise unites the whole of creation. We are never alone in our worship. We join in with all creation as we praise God together.

Respond:
If you are able, get outside today and shout out your worship to God. Join with all of creation around you in praise of God who created it all. Take time to enjoy and reflect on something that God has created: the beauty of a flower, the sun on your face, the colours in front of you, the individuality of each person you meet.

Midday Meditation:
‘It is a world that is inconceivably beautiful and good because of God and because God is always in it. It is a world in which God is continually at play and over which he constantly rejoices. Until our thoughts of God have found every visible thing and event glorious with his presence, the word of Jesus has not yet fully seized us.
(Dallas Willard The Divine Conspiracy)

Evening Reflection:
Every king and every ruler, all nations on earth, every man and every woman, young people and old, come praise the Lord! All creation, come praise the name of the Lord. Praise his name alone. The glory of God is greater than heaven and earth.
(Psalm 148.11-13)

 

[RiverOL]

The 2m Radius Challenge

Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts:
Consider your ways—Haggai 1:5

What if the measure of a man’s life, in the end, isn’t how many hours he’d logged in pews on Sundays? What if it isn’t how many times he’d read through the Gospels? What if the measure is, rather, only how he’d treated people around him? What if it’s how well he’d noticed and met the needs of people who came into close proximity? Well, brother, if those aren’t the only things measured, they’ll certainly be among the most consequential.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory . . . he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left”(Matthew 25:31-33).

Our King, Jesus Christ, in his sheep-and-goats discourse, teaches that our lives will indeed be measured—and he tells us how. By doing that, ahead of time, before we’re actually gathered before him, he gives us a decision framework, one we can use during our lifetimes. On that day, he won’t ask for a church attendance record. He will ask how much we’ve used our lives for other people, especially those in need (Matthew 25:34-40).



Throughout your day, today, imagine a circle—one with a 2-meter radius, you at the center. Notice who comes into that circle. Log their names. Notice and write down their needs—friendship, mercy, love, tough love, hope—and how you might help meet them.

(There’s nothing special about 2m. What matters is increasing intentionality. And, truly, a man could spend his entire lifetime just trying to meet the needs of people who’d come into his 2m circle—so, it’s a good place to start.)

 

[RiverOL]

God Alone
Morning Encounter:
Read:
God said to the people of Israel: I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves. Do not worship any god except me. Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. Don’t bow down and worship idols. I am the Lord your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations. But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations.
(Exodus 20.1-6)

Reflect:
It’s good to remember that the commandments were given to a grateful community of chosen people who had experienced miraculous deliverance from slavery and oppression in Egypt. The grace of God comes before laws. Out of gratitude for God’s mercy comes worship. We should view these commandments not as wooden laws for a holy life, but as an invitation to place God above all things.

Respond:
Reflect today on gratitude towards God. What has God done for you? What are you grateful for today? Out of gratitude and thanks take time to worship him.

Midday Meditation:
'What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.'
(Shorter Westminster Catechism)

Evening Reflection:
The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

 

[RiverOL]

The Next Chapter

. . . he is a new creation. The old has passed away;
behold, the new has come—2 Corinthians 5:17

We write with God all the time. Working alongside him, we write the stories of our lives. He creates the settings and the characters. He creates the conflicts—the situations requiring choices. And we get to make those choices as the characters in his stories. God may encourage us, invite us, surprise us, persuade us, challenge us, convict us—but we and we alonedecide, for ourselves.

As we move along in our stories, as we live them out, we sometimes try to convince ourselves that some decisions aren’t actually written down or that we can selectively somehow strike decisions from our stories, after we’ve made them. Looking forward, we tell ourselves, “no one will know.” Looking back, we think, “no one can ever know.” The truth is, every decision is captured: large, small, good, bad. Every decision is written into our stories, immediately, indelibly.

Thankfully, the plot God intends for us involves making some mistakes, some bad decisions, but learning from them and allowing him to redeem them. He can, you know, redeem even the worst decisions (Romans 8:28). What we must do, going forward, is to keep our stories in mind, when we come upon decision points. What we must do is ask ourselves, at those points, “What decisions do we want written, permanently, into our stories?” Asking ourselves that, in those moments, is how we begin to lay aside our old selves and put on our new selves (Ephesians 4:22-24).



When you come to a next decision point—today, tomorrow—ask yourself, before you decide, “What do I want written into my story?” Ask yourself, “What do I want the next chapter of my story to be about? Trust or mistrust? Selflessness or selfishness? Love or resentment? Maturity or immaturity? Redemption or sin?”

 

[RiverOL]

Spirit & Truth
Morning Encounter:
Read:
But a time is coming, and it is already here! Even now the true worshipers are being led by the Spirit to worship the Father according to the truth. These are the ones the Father is seeking to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.
(John 4.23-24)

Reflect:
In conversation with a woman from Samaria, Jesus points towards a time when sacred sites (in Samaria or Jerusalem) will no longer be required because his death, resurrection and coming of the Holy Spirit would usher in a new way of worship. We do not need to limit worship to an experience in our church on a Sunday. Worship in ‘spirit and truth’ means we should spend our whole lives in unending worship and prayer.

Respond:
Try to integrate worship into more of your everyday life. Try to worship God as you drive children to school, in your work, in the daily chores, whilst walking or running or preparing meals. Thank God for every good thing that happens today.

Midday Meditation:
‘First of all, my child, think magnificently of God. Magnify his providence; Adore his power; pray to him frequently and incessantly, bear him always in your mind. Teach your thoughts to reverence him in every place for there is no place where he is not. Therefore, my child, fear and worship and love God; First and last, think magnificently of him!’
(William Law )

Evening Reflection:
You clean our souls,
as Your Son washed our feet.
We hold up our hearts to You;
make them what they must be.

 

[RiverOL]

Insignificant Goals

"Cling tightly to your faith in Christ, and always keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked."1

"Some years ago a headline told of three hundred whales that suddenly died. The whales were pursuing sardines and found themselves marooned in a bay. Frederick Harris commented, 'The small fish lured the sea giants to their death. They came to their violent demise by chasing small ends, by prostituting vast powers for insignificant goals.'"2

Over the years I've asked numerous people in many groups how many of them believe that God has a purpose for their life. Almost all hands raise in agreement. But when I ask what their God-given life-purpose is, very few have any idea. I get lots of vague generalities, but very few have a clearly defined life-purpose.

If we don't know specifically where we are headed in life, instead of making life happen, we allow life as it happens to make us. That is, instead of directing our life, we are directed by life's circumstances. We become like a rudderless ship with no real sense of direction, wasting our God-given potential on pursuing happiness, riches, or insignificant goals. Unless we know where we are headed, there is a danger that we, like the whales, may make shipwreck of our faith or even of our life.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you do have a God-given life-purpose for my life. Please help me to discover what it is and, with your help, do all in my power to achieve that purpose. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

Being With God
Morning Encounter:
Read:
The prophet Anna was also there in the temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. In her youth she had been married for seven years, but her husband died. And now she was eighty-four years old. Night and day she served God in the temple by praying and often going without eating. At that time Anna came in and praised God. She spoke about the child Jesus to everyone who hoped for Jerusalem to be set free.
(Luke 2.36-38)

Reflect:
All we know of the prophet Anna is what we read here. What we notice is her disciplined devotion to God through practices of prayer, fasting and worship as she served God in the Temple. Worship was central to her life. We too can experience Immanuel – God with us. As we do so, we discover that worship empowers service and becomes a source of joy and strength.

Respond:
Reflect on how worship should come before service. Why should we learn to be with God before doing stuff for him?

Midday Meditation:
‘The divine priority is worship first, service second. Our lives are to be punctuated with praise, thanksgiving and adoration. Service flows out of worship.’
(Richard J. Foster Celebration of Discipline)

Evening Reflection:
‘Modern civilization is so complex as to make the devotional life all but impossible. It wears us out by multiplying distractions and beats us down by destroying our solitude, where otherwise we might drink and renew our strength before going out to face the world again.’ (A.W. Tozer)
Spend some time tonight in silence with God. Wait on the Lord and renew your strength.

 

[RiverOL]

Man, What's the Point?

For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked—Psalm 73:3

Do you ever look around, at people who are prosperous and follow God either not much or not at all? Do you ever find yourself envying such people, who embrace the world wholeheartedly and enjoy it’s successes? Do you ever get discouraged? Do you ever wonder, what’s the point? I mean, do you ever just get tired of trying to follow God in the midst of people who aren’t? Are you ever tempted to relent and embrace the world a bit more, too?

A man named Asaph, psalmist in the time of David and Solomon, was tempted to relent. He was surrounded by faithless men who seemed “always at ease” and to continually “increase in riches” (Psalm 73:12). Asaph envied them and his “heart was embittered” (Psalm 73:21). “All in vain,” he cried, “have I kept my heart clean . . .” (Psalm 73:13). We may not admit it as boldly as Asaph, but many of us harbor similar thoughts.

When we face that choice, though, to embrace God or embrace the world, we must remember—we’re part of something much larger, much more important than houses or vacations or titles. We’ve been invited into an ancient and remarkable battle. For “we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). We’re agents of the resistance, behind enemy lines. We cannot allow ourselves, therefore, to be beguiled by our enemy or the world under his power.



Are you ever, like Asaph, nagged by this kind of envy? If so, talk about it. Simply talking about it—with God, a spouse, a friend, with brothers in community—undermines its power. It also allows others to keep you “fueled and aflame” for the battle ahead (Romans 12:11 MSG).

 

[RiverOL]

Christ Alone
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Christ is exactly like God, who cannot be seen. He is the first-born Son, superior to all creation. Everything was created by him, everything in heaven and on earth, everything seen and unseen, including all forces and powers, and all rulers and authorities. All things were created by God’s Son, and everything was made for him. God’s Son was before all else, and by him everything is held together. He is the head of his body, which is the church. He is the very beginning, the first to be raised from death, so that he would be above all others. God himself was pleased to live fully in his Son. And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross, so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God.
(Colossians 1.18-20)

Reflect:
Praise and thanksgiving just pour out of Paul as he writes to the Colossian church. Christ is Lord over all things; he is the great reconciler between God and all of creation, including us. These are the central truths of our faith and as Christians our lives are built upon them. Once we were separate from God, but now through Christ’s death and resurrection we are new people. This is our real life!

Respond:
Read and re-read these verses above today. Allow yourself time to absorb them and let them lead you into worship.

Midday Meditation:
‘To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.’
(William Temple, former Archbishop of Canterbury)

Evening Reflection:
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.