In step

[RiverOL]

Report Card
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ."1

Report cards can make students nervous when having to give a less than desirable report to their parents. I received a report card from one of my sons when he was 13. It read:

Dad's Report Card
Love: A
Patience: A
Understanding: A
Intelligence: A
Sense of humor: A
Helpfulness: A
Kindness: A
Wisdom: A
Allowances: C-

It was a birthday card, the inside of which read: "Let's see if we can't bring that last grade up a bit, Dad!"

Jokes aside, I wonder if we wouldn't be better parents if we were regularly graded by our kids!

Whenever there is accountability with responsibility the results are usually more effective. For example, in ancient Rome when the scaffolding was removed from a completed Roman arch, the law required the engineer who built it to test its strength by standing beneath it.

The engineer knew his life depended on the quality of his work. Thus, it is no accident that Roman arches have survived for hundreds of years!

Perhaps it would be wise to remind ourselves that each of us is accountable and eventually will stand before God to give an account of how we have lived and served God while here on earth. May each of us hear the Savior say, "Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, grant that when my works are tested, that they won't burn up as wood, hay and stubble, but will, by Your grace, be as pure gold. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. 2 Corinthians 5:10.

 

[RiverOL]

Thanksgiving
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Moses and the Israelites sang this song in praise of the Lord:
I sing praises to the Lord
for his great victory!

He has thrown the horses
and their riders
into the sea.

The Lord is my strength,
the reason for my song,
because he has saved me.

I praise and honour the Lord—
he is my God
and the God
of my ancestors.
(Exodus 15.1-2)

Reflect:
The Israelites witnessed God’s power and intervention as they made their escape from Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. They are free from slavery and they celebrate with triumphant song, dance and thanksgiving. Throughout the Scriptures, God’s people celebrate as they remember famous victories, miracles and special occasions. If you have time, look up Hannah’s song at the birth of Samuel (1 Samuel 2.1-10), Mary’s response to the angel’s news (Luke 1.46-55) and Zechariah’s prophecy after the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1.68-79).

Respond:
What are you thankful for today? Make thanksgiving the main focus of your prayers today.

Midday Meditation:
'We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts.'
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together)


Evening Reflection:
Light of light,
Lord of Lords,
God of this world
and the next,

We give you thanks
for the promise of this day,
We give you thanks
for the challenge of this day,
We give you thanks
for the blessings of this day.

Light of light,
Lord of Lords,
God of this world
and the next,
We give you thanks

 

[RiverOL]

Don’t Forget the Invite

. . . and he will give you another Helper—John 14:16

With his time on earth ending, Jesus told his disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever . . .” (John 14:16-17). This Helper “will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). He will “guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). Jesus was comforting his disciples. “Let not your hearts be troubled,” he said (John 14:27). Though he was going away, they would not be abandoned. There’s someone coming, he told them, who’ll be with them all-the-time and forever. A constant companion. One who will actually occupy a place deep within their inner machinery. He “dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). This “someone” is, of course, God the Holy Spirit—and he was not just for the disciples. He is for us too. He is our constant companion. He abides with us and occupies a place deep within our inner machinery too.

When you gather in Christian brotherhood, you mustn’t forget to invite, into your gatherings, the input and influence of your Helper, your Teacher, your Guide. You needn’t invite him. He’ll be there already, for sure. But he won’t force his input and influence—you’ll need to ask for them. You’ll need to invite his goodness and light . . . and especially into the dark places you’d prefer to keep hidden. Few of us want help in thoseplaces, but we must ask nonetheless. It’s in those places that we most need it. It’s in those places that the Spirit most wants to work. And, as reluctant as we might be, it’s sure easier to trust and ask for help together, with brothers standing by us, doing the same.

 

[RiverOL]

Songs of Praise
Morning Encounter:
Read:
After the battle was over that day, Deborah and Barak sang this song:
We praise you, Lord!
Our soldiers volunteered,
ready to follow you.

Listen, kings and rulers,
while I sing for the Lord,
the God of Israel.

Our Lord, God of Israel,
when you came from Seir,
where the Edomites live,
rain poured from the sky,
the earth trembled,
and mountains shook.
(Judges 5.1-5)

Reflect:
Deborah was a leader and prophet in the time of Judges and Barak was the military leader. Their song is considered to be one of the most beautiful and ancient pieces of writing in the Old Testament. Its poetry recalls the victory over the Canaanite army in Judges 4. A cloudburst changed the Kishon region into a torrent of rain, sweeping away the army and their chariots. God had delivered the Israelites again and they celebrate in song as the nation once again worships God and places themselves into his hands.

Respond:
Allow songs of thankfulness and praise to be your focus throughout this day.

Midday Meditation:
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All, here in the love of Christ I stand.
(From the hymn ‘In Christ Alone’ by Stuart Townend)

Evening Reflection:
You are Christ,
my Holy Father,
my Tender God,
my Great King,

my Good Shepherd,
my Only Master,
my Best Helper,
my Most Beautiful and my Beloved,

my Living Bread,
my Priest Forever,
my Leader to my Country,
my True Light,

my Holy Sweetness,
my Straight Way,
my Excellent Wisdom,
my Pure Simplicity,

my Peaceful Harmony,
my Entire Protection,
my Good Portion,
my Everlasting Salvation. (Prayer of St. Augustine)

 

[RiverOL]

Seeing the Invisible
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard."1

In A Slice of Infinity Betsy Childs writes, "Are you sitting down? If so, you may be under the impression that you are also sitting still, but the fact is that you are in rapid motion. I'm referring to the earth's rotation; in the course of a day, our planet rotates at the brisk rate of 1000 miles per hour at the equator. Then there's the earth's orbital rate of rotation; we have to travel roughly 67,000 miles an hour to make it all the way around the sun in a year. Are you feeling any motion sickness yet?

"I could hardly be more stationary than I am right now as I sit here before my computer. But in spite of the fact that I don't feel like I'm moving, I know that I am. I see the effects every day in the sun's rising and setting."2

I've never seen electricity but I know it exists because of its numerous effects seen every day in lighting, heating, cooling, running all sorts of equipment—and in "ten thousand" other uses.

I don't know any educated person who doesn't believe in the rotation of the earth or in electricity even though we can't see either of these—or a thousand other things that affect our daily life that we can't see with the naked eye. But many say they don't believe in God because they haven't seen him or they cannot feel his presence.

However, if we want to believe in God, we will see evidence of his existence everywhere we look. As God's Word says, "The heavens declare the glory of God." And as Helen Keller said, "There are none so blind as those who refuse to see."

Basically, we all pretty much see what we want to see, hear what we want to hear, remember what we want to remember, and believe in what we want to believe in. To believe or not to believe in God is perhaps more often than not a moral choice. If we choose to believe in God, we know we are morally responsible. If we choose not to believe in God, we delude ourselves into thinking we can live as we please without any consequences.

However, our disbelief in God doesn't alter His reality any more than refusing to believe in electricity and grabbing hold of a high-voltage electric wire. The end result of both of these is death—one immediate physical death, the other spiritual death which, at the end of this life, is eternal separation from God, the author of all love and life. We are all given a choice about God either to believe or not to believe. And as Joshua said to the ancient Israelites long ago, "Choose you this day whom you will serve."3

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please open the eyes of my understanding so that I will see the reality of Your existence and genuinely choose to believe in and serve You. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

Celebrate!
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Shout praises to the Lord,
everyone on this earth.

Be joyful and sing
as you come in
to worship the Lord!

You know the Lord is God!
He created us,
and we belong to him;
we are his people,
the sheep in his pasture.

Be thankful and praise the Lord
as you enter his temple.

The Lord is good!
His love and faithfulness
will last forever.
(Psalm 100)

Reflect:
This Psalm celebrates God’s kingship over all the earth and is a universal call to all people to worship him. The Psalm reflects God as both creator and shepherd, the one who created us and who can be trusted to faithfully provide for us as a shepherd cares for his valuable sheep.

Respond:
As you reflect back over this past year, what are you grateful for? How has the Lord shown you steadfast love and faithfulness?

Midday Meditation:
Perhaps if Man is finally to know the bodiless, timeless, transcendent God of the whole universe not as a mere philosophical abstraction but as the Lord who, despite this transcendence, is "not far from any one of us", as an utterly concrete Being (far more concrete than we) whom Man can fear, love, address, and "taste", he must begin far more humbly and far nearer home, with the local altar, the traditional feast, and the treasured memories of God's judgements, promises, and mercies.”
(C.S.Lewis ‘Reflecting on the Psalms)

Evening Reflection:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.
Your mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning,
new every morning:
great is your faithfulness, O Lord,
great is your faithfulness!

 

[RiverOL]

Angels Unawares
"Continue to love each other with true brotherly love. Don't forget to be kind to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!"1

Someone has wisely said, "The great thing in life is not so much what we are doing at the moment, but the direction in which we are headed."

This was certainly true for a couple in Germany that I read about who, many years ago, were preparing their evening meal when they heard a knock at their door. When they opened the door, standing there in the deep winter cold, was an ill-clad youth asking for food. The couple took him in to give him food and shelter for the night.

Being Christians, they prayed for this rather destitute young man. Somehow they both felt that they should take him into their home and, in time, adopt him as their own son. Little did they know who this stranger was and what he would accomplish with his life. His name? Martin Luther.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I'm available again today. Please make me usable and use me to be as Jesus to whomever You bring into my life today. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Hebrews 13:1-2 (TLB) (NLT).

 

[RiverOL]

Party Time!
Morning Encounter:
Read:
People of Israel, every year you must set aside ten per cent of your grain harvest. Also set aside ten per cent of your wine and olive oil, and the first-born of every cow, sheep, and goat. Take these to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped, and eat them there. This will teach you to always respect the Lord your God.
But suppose you can’t carry that ten per cent of your harvest to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshipped. If you live too far away, or if the Lord gives you a big harvest, then sell this part and take the money there instead. When you and your family arrive, spend the money on food for a big celebration. Buy cattle, sheep, goats, wine, beer, and if there are any other kinds of food that you want, buy those too.
(Deuteronomy 14.22-26)

Reflect:
The verses of Scripture remind us that God is not sour or dreary but our generous Father who encourages us to enjoy life. He is not mean-spirited or gloomy, but generous and kind. There are occasions for enjoyment, for parties and celebrations. Here the Israelites are to throw an annual party and to be thankful for all that God has provided for them. Whilst not condoning drunkenness, he wants them to enjoy good food and drink.

Respond:
Enjoy eating and drinking today – whether a simple breakfast or sandwich at lunch or a more elaborate meal. Enjoy the preparation and the eating, and be thankful for God’s provision of colour, flavour, taste and nutrition in the foods and drinks he provides.

Midday Meditation:
God is the highest good of the reasonable creature, and the enjoyment of him is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows. But the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams, but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean. . . . Why should we labor for, or set our hearts on anything else, but that which is our proper end, and true happiness?
(Jonathan Edwards)

Evening Reflection:
I will praise you,
my God and King,
and always honour your name.

I will praise you each day
and always honour your name.
You are wonderful, Lord,
and you deserve all praise,
because you are much greater
than anyone can understand.

(From Psalm 145.1-3)

 

[RiverOL]

Reflections
"But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him."1

Corrie Ten Boom said, "If a bird is flying for pleasure, it flies with the wind, but if it meets danger it turns and faces the wind, in order that it may rise higher."

Bernard Brunstang believes that "people who have setbacks and trouble often emerge with values and priorities that are higher and nobler, more sensitivity and understanding of the difficulties of others, and a new appreciation of how much people mean to them."

"Life is like a grindstone. Whether it grinds you down or polishes you up depends upon what you are made of."

Stan Buck tells the story about a little girl who, on their way home from church, turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, the preacher's sermon this morning confused me."

The mother said, "Oh! Why is that?

The girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?"

"Yes, that's true," the mother replied.

"He also said that God lives within us. Is that true too?"

Again the mother replied, "Yes."

"Well," said the girl. "if God is bigger than we are and he lives in us, wouldn't he show through?"

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be as Jesus today to whomever You bring into my life and grant that my life will mirror Your beauty and Your love to them. And grant that they, seeing Jesus in me, will want him for themselves. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (TLB).

 

[RiverOL]

In All Things
Morning Encounter:
Read:
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 3.16-17)

Reflect:
It’s so easy to compartmentalise our life with God, to think of different parts of our lives as being sacred or secular. God is interested in every part of our lives. There isn’t a sacred (stuff God is interested in) and secular (stuff God doesn’t get involved in) divide. Paul invites us to include God in every aspect, involve God in ‘whatever we say and do’ and do it all in the name of Jesus as we give thanks.

Respond:
Whatever you are doing today, travelling, eating, answering emails, parenting, socialising, exercising – make it your aim to include the Lord and let thanks be your focus.

Midday Meditation:
‘God’s normal means of bringing his joy is by redeeming and sanctifying the ordinary junctures of human life.’
(Richard J. Foster)

Evening Reflection:
‘My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and will never leave me to face my perils alone.’

 

[RiverOL]

Letting Go to Receive
"Whoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."1

"True love is like quick-silver," said Ann Landers, "if you hold it in the palm of your hand, it will remain. If you try to grasp it, it will slip through your fingers." Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when he said, "Whoever will save his life will lose it: and whoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."

In other words, when we cling to life to live only for ourselves or cling to another person out of our over-dependent need, we lose what we need the most: Love. This is because we have mistaken need for love. Only as we let go of unhealthy need, are we free to love.

In other words, do I love you because I need you or do I need you because I love you? The first is unhealthy and immature; the second is healthy and mature.

Only as we learn to love without strings attached do we find genuine love and the fullness of life.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to resolve all of my unresolved issues so I don't cling to others or do things out of unhealthy immature need, so I am free to let go and learn to fully live and fully love. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Matthew 16:25.

 

[RiverOL]

Joy in Christ
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Every time I think of you, I thank my God. And whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes me happy. This is because you have taken part with me in spreading the good news from the first day you heard about it. God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.

You have a special place in my heart. So it is only natural for me to feel the way I do. All of you have helped in the work that God has given me, as I defend the good news and tell about it here in jail. God himself knows how much I want to see you. He knows that I care for you in the same way that Christ Jesus does.
I pray that your love will keep on growing and that you will fully know and understand how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. And until that day, Jesus Christ will keep you busy doing good deeds that bring glory and praise to God.
(Philippians 1.3-10)

Reflect:
Paul’s letter to the Philippians is full of joy and yet he has every reason to be tired, bitter and depressed as he is imprisoned. Paul’s spiritual maturity is reflected in his passion and love for Christ and his ability to find joy even in difficult circumstances. This is the fruit of a life formed in Christ.

Respond:
Even if circumstances are difficult today, try to find ways to celebrate and be joyful. Consider this quote:
‘Celebration heartily done make our deprivations and sorrows seem small, and find in it great strength to do the will of our God because his goodness becomes so real to us.’ (Dallas Willard The Spirit of the Disciplines)

Midday Meditation:
‘To be commanded to love God at all, let alone in the wilderness, is like being commanded to be well when we are sick, to sing for joy when we are dying of thirst, to run when our legs are broken. But this is the first and great commandment nonetheless. Even in the wilderness - especially in the wilderness - you shall love him.’
(Frederick Beuchner)

Evening Reflection:
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Christ.
May your salvation, Lord, be ever with us.

 

[RiverOL]

Ready to Go? Let’s Go.

For I am ready . . . even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus—Acts 21:13

When we follow him, God will—sooner or later—ask us to do something we don’t want to do, to go someplace we don’t want to go. Maybe his “ask” will come through a nudge or as a thought in prayer. Maybe it will come as a prompt while reading Scripture. Maybe through the encouraging or challenging words of a friend. However it comes, it will come. After visiting Ephesus and Macedonia, the Apostle Paul got an “ask” from God the Holy Spirit to go on to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21). The Spirit warned him, however: if he went there, he’d be arrested. Paul’s friends begged him not to go. Paul answered: “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13). For us to become the men we were created to become, for us to become the men the world needs us to become, we must act with the same boldness and confidence. Paul was bold and confident because he trusted two things: God’s in charge and God’s good. We must trust those too. For they allow us, like Paul, to trust one thing more: our affirmative answers to God’s “asks” are ultimately good for us, good for others, and good for God’s Kingdom . . . and will very likely become the proudest moments of our lives. Indeed, these “asks” lead us into the very adventures for which we were created.

What do you feel God might be asking of you, right now? Is there anything you just know he’s prompting you, quietly, to do? If so, resolve to trust him. And today take a practical and measurable step—bold and confident—toward that thing.

 

[RiverOL]

Celebration
Morning Encounter:
Introduction
It’s now December, the Christmas season is upon us! In the next couple of weeks, trees will be purchased and decorated, crazy Christmas light shows will be glowing up and down our streets, the shops full of customers purchasing gifts and travel plans and gatherings finalised. As we embrace the festive season, let’s explore the life of Jesus and deepen our ideas of celebration.

Read:
But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David’s hometown a Saviour was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.”
Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said:
“Praise God in heaven!
Peace on earth to everyone
who pleases God.”
(Luke 2.10-14)

Reflect:
After some reassurance for the no doubt frightened shepherds, the birth of Jesus is announced by an angel. This is good, joyful news a time of great celebration! A saviour has been born to the ancient people of Israel. It is good news for the whole world. Jesus enters the world on a note of celebration. The message ends with multitudes of angels in celebration at this news.

Respond:
What brings joy to you today? Thank God for the good things you are grateful for this day.

Midday Meditation:
It is only in our “hours-off,” only in our moments of permitted festivity, that we find an analogy [to the joys of heaven]. Dance and game are frivolous, unimportant down here; for “down here” is not their natural place. Here, they are a moment’s rest from the life we were placed here to live. But in this world everything is upside down. That which, if it could be prolonged here, would be a truancy, is likest that which in a better country is the End of ends. Joy is the serious business of Heaven.
(C.S. Lewis)

Evening Reflection:
The kingdom of this world
Is become the kingdom of our Lord
And of His Christ and of His Christ
And He shall reign for ever and ever
For ever and ever forever and ever
King of kings and Lord of lords
King of kings and Lord of lords
And Lord of lords
And He shall reign
And He shall reign forever and ever
King of kings forever and ever
And Lord of lords
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

 

[RiverOL]

Just Suppose
"My son [and/or daughter] give me your heart … for out of it are the issues of life."1

Zig Ziglar tells the story about an elderly man playing an organ in a cathedral in Europe. He was playing sad and melancholy music. It was sad because this was his last day as organist of the cathedral. He was being replaced by a younger musician.

At dusk, somebody stepped into the cathedral. Seeing the younger man, the organist stopped playing, locked the organ and slipped the key into his pocket. He was approached by the young man, who simply said, "Please, the key."

On receiving the key, the young organist went to the organ and began to play.

While the old man had played beautifully and skillfully, the young man played with sheer genius. Incredible music came rolling out of that beautiful old organ.

This was the world's introduction to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The old man, with tears in his eyes, said, "Suppose—just suppose—I had not given the master the key!"

Have you given the Master of Life the key—the key to your heart and to your life?

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I surrender the key to my heart and life to You. Please make me the man/woman of God You want me to be. Do with my life as You will. Please use me to be a part of what You are doing in the world today. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Proverbs 23:26 with 4:23 (NIV & KJV).

 

[RiverOL]

Good News For All
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as usual he went to the meeting place on the Sabbath. When he stood up to read from the Scriptures, he was given the book of Isaiah the prophet. He opened it and read,
“The Lord’s Spirit
has come to me,
because he has chosen me
to tell the good news
to the poor.

The Lord has sent me
to announce freedom
for prisoners,

to give sight to the blind,
to free everyone
who suffers,
and to say, ‘This is the year
the Lord has chosen.’”

Jesus closed the book, then handed it back to the man in charge and sat down. Everyone in the meeting place looked straight at Jesus.
Then Jesus said to them, “What you have just heard me read has come true today.”
All the people started talking about Jesus and were amazed at the wonderful things he said. They kept on asking, “Isn’t he Joseph’s son?”
(Luke 4.16-22)

Reflect:
Jesus starts his public ministry in a synagogue proclaiming a year of jubilee. He reads from the book of Isaiah, words which tell of the Messiah’s ministry to people who were suffering. Jesus was coming with freedom and good news for troubled people. A new era of salvation has begun; he was the fulfilment of this ancient promise.

Respond:
Who could you encourage, even bring joy to today? Who do you know who is suffering in some way – what could you do to lighten their day or bring a smile to their face?

Midday Meditation:
‘When the poor receive the good news, when the captives are released, when the blind receive their sight, when the oppressed are liberated, who can withhold the shout of jubilee?
(Richard J. Foster Celebration of Discipline)

Evening Reflection:
Jesus didn't say, 'Blessed are those who care for the poor.' He said, 'Blessed are we where we are poor, where we are broken.' It is there that God loves us deeply and pulls us into deeper communion with himself.’

 

[RiverOL]

Living in a Boomerang World
"When you ask [pray], you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."1 "God is near to all who call on him; to all who call on him in truth."2

There's an old joke about the Australian aborigine who was given a brand new boomerang for his birthday. Unfortunately he couldn't throw his old one away—it kept coming back.

Life's kind of like that. Have you ever tried to throw away an old bad habit … or a self-defeating addiction?

Someone said that the best way to break a bad habit is to drop it. Sure would be great if it were that easy. It isn't. However, if we don't break the habit or addiction, it will have a way of breaking us.

So how do we break a bad habit and/or a self-defeating addiction?

First, we need to admit that we have a problem and that it has us beaten. The only person God or anyone else can ever help is the one who admits, "I have a problem. I need help"—and genuinely means it and is prepared to do something about it. Bad habits and addictions rarely, if ever, leave us without a battle.

Second, we need to avoid playing the blame-game at all costs and accept full responsibility for our actions and our recovery.

Third, we need to realize that bad habits and especially addictions are a means to medicate some inner problem or pain that we have never faced, dealt with and resolved. Bad habits and addictions are almost always the "fruit of a deeper root."

Fourth, we need to seek qualified help, be it a support/recovery group and/or that of a qualified counselor/therapist. We need this support in order to keep us accountable and to help us stop acting out our addiction and thereby medicating (deadening) the pain. To heal it we need to feel it. Medicating it stops us from facing and resolving it.

Fifth, we need to pray the right prayer. Many people beg God to deliver them from their destructive symptoms but never think to realize that they need to pray that God will confront them with the reality of the cause/s that drives them to act out in destructive habits and/or addictions. It is only as we face and confront the truth—the real cause/s—behind our destructive habits that we have any chance of recovery.

As Dr. Cecil Osborne used to day, "When we are hiding a deeper sin or fault we tend to confess a lesser one all the more vigorously." That is; instead of confessing the cause/causes of our behavior we get obsessed with and confess only the symptom. This tends to reinforce the addiction rather than overcome it because "whatever the mind dwells on, the body acts on."

When we pray for truth and genuinely mean it, God always answers. Once we see the truth (cause) of our problem, we usually know what we need to do about resolving it. As God's Word says, "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth."2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, no matter what problems I struggle with, please help me to see the real cause/s behind them and, with Your help, accept full responsibility for dealing with them. Also, please lead me to the help I need to overcome. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."


1. James 4:3 (NIV).
2. Psalm 145:18 (NIV).

 

[RiverOL]

Party Time!
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Three days later Mary, the mother of Jesus, was at a wedding feast in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited and were there. When the wine was all gone, Mary said to Jesus, “They don’t have any more wine.”
Jesus replied, “Mother, my time hasn’t yet come: You must not tell me what to do.”
Mary then said to the servants, “Do whatever Jesus tells you to do.”

At the feast there were six stone water jars that were used by the people for washing themselves in the way that their religion said they must. Each jar held about twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants to fill them to the top with water. Then after the jars had been filled, he said, “Now take some water and give it to the man in charge of the feast.”
The servants did as Jesus told them, and the man in charge drank some of the water that had now turned into wine. He did not know where the wine had come from, but the servants did. He called the bridegroom over and said, “The best wine is always served first. Then after the guests have had plenty, the other wine is served. But you have kept the best until last!”
(John 2.1-10)

Reflect:
Jesus is invited to a wedding party, traditionally lasting a week, where much food and drink were consumed. Jesus is drawn into an embarrassing situation by his mother – the wine has run out! Jesus steps in and produces an extravagant amount of good tasting wine. This is the first miracle recorded in John’s gospel and is possibly a symbolic action from the Old Testament where abundant wine, oil or milk were to be a sign that the long-awaited kingdom of God had arrived.

Respond:
Plan a celebration for sometime this week – perhaps a nice meal or a good comedy. Invite friends round and enjoy fun and laughter. Celebration is good for us, even in the hectic run up to Christmas!

Midday Meditation:
‘Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.’
(Henri Nouwen)

Evening Reflection:
I praise you, Lord,
for answering my prayers.
You are my strong shield,
and I trust you completely.

You have helped me,
and I will celebrate
and thank you in song.

You give strength
to your people, Lord,
and you save and protect
your chosen ones.

Come save us and bless us.
Be our shepherd and always
carry us in your arms.
(From Psalm 28)

 

[RiverOL]

Beware of the Barrenness of a Busy Life
"Come apart and rest a while."1

I have read how one church leader, whom I will call Jack, had a hobby raising pigeons. On one occasion a church member who was returning from a hunting trip stopped by Jack's place and found him playing with one of his birds and gently corrected him for wasting his time.

Jack, noticing his friend's hunting bow, said that the string was loose whereupon the man replied, "Yes, I always loosen the string of my bow when it's not in use. If it stayed tight, it would lose its resilience and fail me in the hunt."

"And I am now relaxing the bow of my mind," said Jack, "so that I may be better able to shoot the arrows of divine truth."

Work is important. We need to eat and we need to take care of our family, but over-busyness can be an affliction. Without sufficient rest and relaxation we will eventually lose our health and not be able to work efficiently. And without taking time to nurture and be nurtured in loving relationships, life becomes empty and meaningless.

We need to follow the advice of Jesus when he said to his disciples, "Come apart and rest a while." Or as somebody else put it, "Come apart and rest a while before you come apart."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me not to be controlled by the pressures of life or the 'tyranny of the urgent,' but to maintain a balance between work, recreation, relationships, and spiritual disciplines. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Jesus, in Mark 6:31.

 

[RiverOL]

My Joy In You
Morning Encounter:
Read:
I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him. I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. And you are my friends, if you obey me. Servants don’t know what their master is doing, and so I don’t speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything that my Father has told me.
(John 15.9-15)

Reflect:
The time of Jesus’ death is drawing near and these are some of his last words to his disciples. Notice the link between obedience and joy. Jesus’ joy comes from doing just what his Father asks him to do. Obedience is demanding, especially for Jesus as this leads him to lay down his life for others. Hebrews 12.2 tells us that Jesus, due to ‘the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.’

Respond:
Reflect on this sentence from Richard J. Foster: ‘Joy comes through obedience to Christ, and joy results from obedience to Christ.’

Midday Meditation:
‘One of the most outstanding features of Jesus’ personality was precisely an abundance of joy. This he left as an inheritance to his students, ‘that their joy might be full’….for he was well known to those around him as a deeply happy man.’
(Dallas Willard The Divine Conspiracy)

Evening Reflection:
But I will sing about
your strength, my God,
and I will celebrate
because of your love.

You are my fortress,
my place of protection
in times of trouble.

I will sing your praises!
You are my mighty fortress,
and you love me.
(Psalm 59.16-17)