In step

[RiverOL]

When You Can't Forgive Yourself ... Part I

"Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, 'I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.' And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone."1

"How can I get rid of this terrible guilt?" a distraught father recently asked me. "I have been in a terrible conflict with one of my sons for many years. Two weeks ago I was so frustrated with him that I said to myself, 'I wish he would die.' That night he died."

This father is blaming himself for the death of his son. In his mind he is convinced that Satan killed him because of his wish.

I can understand why this father is distraught. However, the fact is, he didn't cause his son to die. His son had been very ill for some time and died of natural causes. If Satan had anything to do with this matter, it was sowing the lie in the father's mind about the devil killing his son. What the father is struggling with is not real guilt but false guilt.

One of the difficulties regarding guilt is learning to tell the difference between real guilt and false guilt. Because they pretty much feel the same, it can be challenging to sort out the real from the false.

Some counselors claim that all guilt is psychologically damaging, but this is nonsense. If we don't feel guilty when we do wrong, we'd be a bunch of psychopaths with dead consciences. It's false guilt that is psychologically damaging because it keeps people in endless bondage not because of what they did, but because of their faulty thinking.

To resolve real guilt, for our spiritual wellbeing we need to admit what we have done wrong, confess it to God and ask for his forgiveness. When we do this God forgives us. He promised he would.2 For our mental wellbeing we also need to confess our wrongdoing to at least one trusted friend or counselor, and wherever possible ask the one we wronged for their forgiveness, and seek to make amends for what we have done. And then, regardless of whether this person forgives us or not, God has forgiven us and we need to forgive ourselves. When we genuinely do this, we experience the relief that David experienced when he confessed his sin with Bathsheba.

However, if having done all of this and we still feel guilty, the feeling is false guilt and that is a totally different matter.

Continued tomorrow in Part II….

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to always admit and confess my sins so I can be forgiven and therein resolve my feelings of guilt, and please help me to overcome the sins that so easily beset me. When I experience false guilt, help me to see it for what it is and get the help I need to overcome it. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

The Joy of the Trinity
Morning Encounter:
Read
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.
(John 15.9–17)

Reflect
This is part of what Jesus said to his closest friends during their last meal together before he gave himself up to be executed. It is a remarkable insight into his relationship with the other persons of the Trinity, a relationship that we as his friends are invited to enter. As they are in each other, so we can be in them and in them is love and joy. If there was such a thing as the meaning of life, this is it.

Respond
As Jesus first spoke these words to his disciples, hear him speak these words also to you. You are loved, you are welcomed, you are invited to keep company with the Trinity today.

Midday Meditation:
'We pay a lot of money to get a tank with a few tropical fish in it and never tire of looking at their [beauty] and marvellous forms and movements. But God has seas full of them which he constantly enjoys…All of the good and beautiful things from which we occasionally drink tiny droplets of soul-exhilarating joy, God continuously experiences in all their breadth and depth and richness…God is the most joyous being in the universe.'

(Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy)
Evening Reflection:
'There’s just something remarkable about watching your child thoroughly enjoy himself. Time and time again I find, to my surprise, that it’s so much more fulfilling than actually enjoying an activity of my choice. It’s the greatest insight I’ve ever had into why God might have created us in the first place. What pleasure God must get from seeing us when we’re at our best, when we’re enjoying all that we’ve been given (and forgetting to complain about what we feel we lack). What joy it must give God when we experience delight.'

 

[RiverOL]

When You Can't Forgive Yourself ... Part II

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."1

Yesterday we discussed how to overcome real guilt by confessing what we have done wrong both to God and to at least one trusted person and, where possible, to the one whom we have hurt or wronged. When we do this, real guilt goes.

However, if having done the above and I still feel guilty, the feeling is false guilt. With false guilt I can confess it all day long, but the "guilty" feeling will never go away because it isn't guilt.

False guilt is a conditioned response that is more often than not learned in childhood. If, for example, I had super-strict parents and lived up to their every expectation, did everything the way they wanted it done, and even believed the same as they believed and so on, they would give me their love and approval. If, on the other hand, I didn't conform to their every expectation (be they realistic or not), they would withdraw their love and approval, and would make me feel guilty. That's false guilt. In other words, this kind of parental love is conditional, but conditional love isn't love at all. It's a means of controlling others.

Immature parents aren't the only ones that use false guilt to control others. Legalistic churches and religious groups are notorious for doing this. This keeps their followers in bondage, hinders their growth in maturity, and stops their depending on God's Spirit to direct them.

False guilt can also be the result of being a perfectionist or having perfectionistic tendencies. When one doesn't live up to his unrealistic expectations of himself, like his parents of old, he sends himself on a false guilt trip.

So how do we overcome false guilt? I wish I had a simple answer, but I don't. Nor do I have a magic wand to make the problem vanish. Resolving false guilt requires a reprogramming of one's thinking as well as his/her emotional responses. One's "guilty self-image" in large part was programmed in the past by failing to conform to and living up to somebody else's unrealistic expectations of him or her.

Reprogramming is achieved over time by developing a guilt-free healthy self-image based on who one IS—and NOT on what he/she did or didn't do. As I let a trusted friend or counselor see the real me—warts and all—and as he/she loves and accepts me as I am, little by little I learn to love and accept myself in the same way that God loves and accepts me. This takes courageous honesty, a commitment to recovery, and perseverance. God's Word, the Bible, provides the essential key for this healing: "Therefore confess your sins [and faults] one to another and pray for one another so that you may be healed."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to see when I am experiencing false guilt; help me to understand the root cause of it; and please help me to find a safe, accepting friend or counselor to whom I can confess my struggles, and who will help me on the pathway to recovery. And when my guilt is real, please give me the courage to admit and confess the cause of this guilt, not only to you, but also to a trusted friend or counselor—and where needed to the one I may have sinned against. Thank you for your forgiveness, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. James 5:16 (NIV).

 

[RiverOL]

The Surprise of Joy
Morning Encounter:
Read
The crowd joined in the attack on Paul and Silas. Then the officials tore the clothes off the two men and ordered them to be beaten with a whip. After they had been badly beaten, they were put in jail, and the jailer was told to guard them carefully. The jailer did as he was told. He put them deep inside the jail and chained their feet to heavy blocks of wood.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened. Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the jail to its foundations. The doors opened, and the chains fell from all the prisoners.

When the jailer woke up and saw that the doors were open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped. He pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! No one has escaped.”
The jailer asked for a torch and went into the jail. He was shaking all over as he knelt down in front of Paul and Silas. After he had led them out of the jail, he asked, “What must I do to be saved?”
They replied, “Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home.”
(Acts 16.22–31)

Reflect
On the face of it, Paul and Silas are having a pretty rough time. Some misery and self-pity would be understandable if you had been stripped, beaten, and imprisoned with your feet fastened in stocks, all for having released some poor lady from demon possession (Acts 17.18). But we find them here singing and praying, and apparently in fine spirits. Christians throughout history and from all corners of the globe have attested to experiencing joy in the most unexpected circumstances. And this kind of joy always expresses itself in worship.

Respond
When have you experienced the joy of the Lord when you might have expected to be sunk in profound misery? Spend some time in praise of the God whose peace passes understanding and whose joy knows no limits.

Midday Meditation:
'The Bible nowhere speaks about a ‘happy’ Christian; it talks plentifully of joy. Happiness depends on things that happen, and may sometimes be an insult: joyfulness is never touched by external conditions and a joyful heart is never an insult.'
(Oswald Chambers, The Shadow of an Agony)

Evening Reflection:
'If we think we will have joy only by praying and singing psalms, we will be disillusioned. But if we fill our lives with simple good things and constantly thank God for them, we will be joyful, that is, full of joy. And what about our problems? When we determine to dwell on the good and excellent things in life, we will be so full of those things that they will tend to swallow our problems.'

 

[RiverOL]

Confession Isn’t Sufficient

But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins . . . he shall surely live—Ezekiel 18:21

Confession is necessary, but it is not sufficient. Sufficiency is achieved only when confession is connected with repentance. You see, confession is making our sins known—to God, to wives, to trusted brothers. Repentance, though . . . repentance involves a turning: turning away from those sins; turning our backs on our old selves, on the men who committed those sins. Repentance is saying, we don’t want to be those men anymore. Repentance is turning toward God. It’s a willingness to become new men, loyal followers. Confession is critical, but it’s only the first step. Repentance is the ultimate step. Ironically, confession requires great courage, but repentance just requires a soft, willing heart. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus taught that it’s not sin itself that imperils us, but rather a hard, stubborn heart, an unwillingness to turn, an unwillingness to repent. The younger son lived a life with ostensibly more sin. The older brother simply harboured resentment and jealousy. The younger repented of his sins, though; the older did not. The father welcomed the younger and celebrated his return: “for this your brother was dead, and is alive” (Luke 15:32). The father pleaded with the older to also join in celebration, to soften his heart. He would not. Without repentance, we continue in our sin. Without repentance, we continue on our own path . . . toward death. Said Jesus, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).

That stuff that you need/needed to confess, brother . . . yeah, that. Repent of it now. Turn your back on that man, that man who committed those sins. Soften. Be willing to listen to God. Astonishingly, he’ll always let you start anew. “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19).

 

[RiverOL]

The Absence of Joy
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Why does God let me live
when life is miserable
and so bitter?

I keep longing for death
more than I would seek
a valuable treasure.

Nothing could make me happier
than to be in the grave.

Why do I go on living
when God has me surrounded,
and I can’t see the road?

Moaning and groaning
are my food and drink,
and my worst fears
have all come true.

I have no peace or rest—
only troubles and worries.
(Job 3.20–26)

Reflect
However much we love God and believe in the hope of our salvation, there are times we do not experience joy. There are times that, like Job, the only way out we can see is death (3.21). Christians are not immune from depression, and depression is a joy-thief. The lack of joy is not an indication of weak faith, sin or faithlessness. It is an indication that we are humans living in a broken and pain-filled world. We have no right to judge others or ourselves for not being joyful when our “worst fears have come true” (3.25).

Respond
Have you ever judged a fellow Christian for lacking joy? It might be appropriate to take some time to repent and ask God to give you his heart for the sad, depressed and hopeless of the world. Have you felt judged for lacking joy? Thank God for his compassion, gentleness and love for you.

Midday Meditation:
'Doubt your despairing thoughts. Who do you think you are to make final declarations about your soul that lie hidden in the secrets of the Almighty? No. No. Renounce such confidence. If you have no ability for faith in the love of God for you, make no such great pretences to have such great certainty of faith in your damnation. This is not yours to know. Rather, yours is to listen to Jesus.'
(John Newton, in a letter to William Cowper, 1788)

Evening Reflection:
'The LORD is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.' (Psalm 34.18)

 

[RiverOL]

Making Beautiful Music

"But we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."1

"A piece of black ebony wood was being cut and broken by a woodmaker. The wood complained but the woodmaker desisted from bowing to the complaints. He was carving a flute. The woodmaker seemed to be saying, 'Little piece of wood. You think that I am hurting and abusing you but without these holes and cutting, you would not be able to bring others beautiful music to soothe their souls and calm their hurts and fears for a time.'"

Pain is the great motivator. It can be and often is God's wake-up call to help us change and grow. So who wants to change and grow when everything is going great? Not me. I only grow when I am uncomfortable with the way things are or the way I am. And that's the way it's meant to be. God wants to make "beautiful music" out of your life and mine. It's up to us to allow him to do so. The process at times can be painful, but the end result can be something beautiful.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I surrender my heart and life to You. Please help me to become the person You want me to be so that my life will be an instrument of peace and harmony in Your hands to touch the lives of all with whom I come into contact. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. The Apostle Paul (Romans 5:3-4, NIV).

 

[RiverOL]

The Hope Of Joy To Come
Morning Encounter:
Read
I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared, and so had the sea. Then I saw New Jerusalem, that holy city, coming down from God in heaven. It was like a bride dressed in her wedding gown and ready to meet her husband.
I heard a loud voice shout from the throne:
God’s home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever.

Then the one sitting on the throne said:
I am making everything new. Write down what I have said. My words are true and can be trusted. Everything is finished! I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give water from the life-giving fountain to everyone who is thirsty. All who win the victory will be given these blessings. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
(Revelation 21:1-7)
Reflect

This picture of the New Heavens and New Earth in Revelation is absolutely stunning. However hard, sad, or painful our situation, our real and certain hope as followers of Jesus is that eternal life is our gift. The life God has planned for us is in a redeemed creation where there will be “no more death, suffering, crying or pain” (21:4), and where God will make his home among us.

Respond
Ask God to give you a real and certain hope of heaven and a future full of joy lived in his presence.

Midday Meditation:
'From Jesus we learn of the ultimate context, God and his kingdom. In the future phases of that kingdom lies the meaning of our lives and, indeed, of the history of the earth of which we are a part. Jesus insisted, as we have seen, upon the present reality of the “kingdom of the heavens” and made that the basis of his gospel. But he also recognised that there was a future fullness to the kingdom, as well as an everlasting enjoyment of life in God far transcending the earth and life on it.'
(Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy)

Evening Reflection:
Beams of heaven, as I go, / Through this wilderness below / Guide my feet in peaceful ways /
Turn my midnights into days / When in the darkness I would grope / Faith always sees a star
of hope / And soon from all life's grief and danger / I shall be free some day
I don't know how long 'twill be / Nor for what the future holds for me / But this I know, if
Jesus leads me / I shall get a home some day

 

[RiverOL]

Dark Night of the Soul

"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."1

Many years ago I snapped an Achilles tendon and was only out of the cast a few weeks when I snapped it again! I was not a happy camper. Altogether I was hobbling around on crutches for much of a six-month period.

Other things were a lot worse at the same time and for quite a while I felt like God had forgotten me.

Times like these have been called "the dark night of the soul." Most of us go through such periods. Sometimes it's just life's circumstances that get us down such as having an accident, getting sick, being betrayed by a friend, or experiencing the loss of a loved one or a job, or because of an unresolved relational conflict. And sometimes we have no idea why we feel so down.

Whatever the reason, the difficulties we are experiencing may be God's wake-up call for us to put something right in our life, to help us grow, or to motivate us to get into a recovery or counseling program to overcome a depression that has lasted too long or to help us overcome an addiction—or even motivate us to change the direction of our life.

If you are going through "a dark night of the soul" be assured that God wants to use this time to help you grow and become a better and wiser person or to change some direction in your life. For me personally, I don't think I have ever made a major change in my life or work without it having been preceded by a "dark night of the soul" period. I mean, who wants to change anything when everything is going great? Not me! The "dark night" times leave me open to change and to God's direction.

However, no matter what we are going through, if our lives are committed to God, of one thing we can be certain, "The eternal God is our refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, in any dark night of my soul and anguish of heart, please help me to learn what you are seeking to teach me, to hear what you are saying to me, and/or to know what you want me to do. And give me the good sense and courage to follow your bidding. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Deuteronomy 33:27 (NIV).

 

[RiverOL]

Failure My Teacher
Morning Encounter:
Introduction
Forget the myth of the invincible Christian leader or the squeaky-clean follower of Christ. And don't believe anyone who tells you that becoming more like Jesus doesn't involve a good deal of mistakes. It's just not true. This week our theme is 'training and we're going to take an honest look at how we can cooperate with God in our 'training in righteousness' (2 Tim 3:16)

READ
“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.”
1 Timothy 4:7-9. English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

REFLECT
You don't have to know much about the Bible to know that it's made up of a bunch of failures. Yet from Adam (Gen 3: 8 - quick, let's hide) to Paul (Acts 7: 58 - you throw the stones, I'll hold your coat) these are the people God uses to take the message of Jesus and his Kingdom to the world.

RESPOND
Lord - thank you for scooping me up with Adam, Paul and all the other failures that followed you, and welcoming me into your Kingdom. This week please show me how you are training me in righteousness. And help me cooperate by placing myself in a place where this can happen. Amen.

Midday Meditation:
Whatever has happened already today, now is a moment to pause. Bible Society once gave a Bible to someone in prison and they wrote very movingly to thank us saying 'the Bible reminds me that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future'.

Evening Reflection:
If Christianity is about anything then it's about change. The people of the Bible are an example that change is possible. Sudden light bulb moments do happen and we welcome them. But the normative process in becoming more like Jesus is through training in righteousness and making mistakes. Over the next few days we'll see how this works.

 

[RiverOL]

Priorities

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also."1

According to Sir Winston Churchill, "An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity." In other words, we all see pretty much what we want to see—often times what is based on our priorities.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Every great and commanding moment in the annals of the world is the triumph of some enthusiasm."

A Chinese proverb states, "Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes." Whether we have wills or wishes is also based much on our priorities or lack thereof. And Toby Montgomery reminds us that "what we give our time, energy and resources to are what we value most. They are our priorities."

Or as Jesus put it, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

May we each examine our priorities and make sure they are in harmony with God's will.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to know what my God-given life purpose is and make that my priority every day. And, with your help, fulfill this purpose for the glory of your name and for the extension of your Kingdom. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV).

 

[RiverOL]

Learn of Me
Morning Encounter:
READ
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30. King James Version (KJV)

REFLECT
We often refer to Jesus as Saviour and even as Lord. Some have discovered him to be a friend. But have you ever understood him to be your teacher? That's what people called him in his own day. Trying thinking of Jesus as a professor, or even a life coach.

RESPOND
Thank you Jesus that you want to be my teacher. Please walk with me and show me how to do life well. Coach me as I follow you, live with those around me, and learn to love myself and others. Amen.

Midday Meditation:
Seeing Jesus as our teacher is a radical perspective. How do teachers work? By loving their students, being an example to their followers, and even allowing them to fail. Where do you see Jesus doing each of these with his disciples?

Evening Reflection:
If we want to be more like Jesus then we start doing the things he did. Watch how he lived his life, engaged with people, trusted God, went to parties, noticed people, and faced death. Start asking how he did all this and how we can get into training for living life to the full.

 

[RiverOL]

Miraculous Change

For the grace of God has appeared—Titus 2:11-12

For us men to truly, in our hearts, want to repent of our sins, repent of our screw-ups—for us to truly want to turn our backs on our old selves, on the self-indulgent men we’ve been—we’ve got to first trust that we can change, that we can become new men, if we do. I mean, we’ve been the way we are for a very long time, so it’s understandably hard to trust that there’s new life available, right here, right now—life that’s God-connected, God-filled, and God-honoring. So . . . can we trust it? Well, yes and no. On our own, new life is not available, and it never will be. On our own, we’ll remain our old selves until we die. Though we might want to become better men, we’ll only become worse. That’s what’s behind Paul’s frustration: “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15). To just “man up” sure sounds good, but it doesn’t work. We’ve all tried it and it’s never enough, not even close. But with God’s help we can become new men. With his help we can become his men. And, he can’t wait to help. He’s wanted to for a very long time. He can’t wait to lend us his superpower called grace: the divine empowerment to do right, to do what we, by ourselves, cannot.

Jesus’ story is the greatest story the world’s ever known. It’s the story of a father and son, working together, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to do massive, miraculous things. It’s your story too. Trust that he can change you. Allow that trust to fuel your willingness to confess and repent and obey.

 

[RiverOL]

Training for Reigning
Morning Encounter:
READ
“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on the earth.’"
Revelation 5:9-11. English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

REFLECT
God is a creator. And he has created us with the ability to create as well. In this sense we are co-creators with him. This is one way to understand the teaching that we will 'reign on the earth' with God. The life we are living right now is not a waiting room for the next life but a time of 'training for reigning' as Dallas Willard put it.

RESPOND
Lord God - would you enrol me on your training course for reigning with you in eternity? Show me what this means and teach me how to reflect your character as a creator in my work and my relationships.

Midday Meditation:
As you walk through your day today, what moments of 'reigning', or influence, do you have? A conversation with a colleague or family member, a work decision, even driving your car. How can you exercise choices and creativity in the way you navigate life, rather than being the slave of those around you?

Evening Reflection:
'What will you be doing in 100,000 years from now?' was a question onced posed by Dallas Willard. Revelation 5 (that we read this morning), suggests our eternal destiny with God is to 'reign on earth' with people from every ethnic and people group. Turn this mind blowing idea around in your head as you go to sleep tonight.

 

[RiverOL]

Tact

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."1

When President Gerald Ford was in office, he was on one occasion visited in the White House by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. When President Ford's son, Jack, was dressing for a formal dinner with the queen and prince, he couldn't find the studs for his shirt so he rushed into his father's bedroom to see if he could borrow some.

He ran into the elevator with his shirt unbuttoned and hanging out and his hair disheveled—too late to discover that somebody else was already in the elevator. It was his parents with their guests, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

Mrs. Ford, feeling awkward, introduced Jack to their distinguished visitors. Sensing Mrs. Ford's embarrassment, the queen remarked sympathetically, "I have one just like that!"

I used to have one at home something like that too. In time, I learned to keep his door closed and my mouth shut! Sometimes it's what we don't say that can say the most and be the most tactful.

Tact and kindness are great gifts to use every day. Indeed, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to guard my tongue and learn to say the right thing at the right time, for the right reason, in the right way, with the right motive. Help me, too, to know when to seal my lips and keep my mouth shut. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Proverbs 25:11 (NKJV).

 

[RiverOL]

Kingdom Life
Morning Encounter:
READ
“Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap ... and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow ... But if God so clothes the grass of the field ... will he not much more clothe you? ... Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat or ... drink or ... wear?’ ... your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Matthew 6: 25-33 (edited). English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

REFLECT
God is seeking to turn us into to people who can easily live out the life in the kingdom of God described and lived by Jesus. This may seem impossible now, but progress can be made as we allow God to train us through the events of life and by practices we adopt - all under the supervision of the Holy Spirit.

RESPOND
Dear Lord, always near us, please use the events of my life, good or bad, to build my character into the character of Jesus. Then I will be able to live more easily the life that Jesus taught and lived himself. Amen.

Midday Meditation:
Our workplace, as with every area of our lives, is a primary way that God is shaping us. Even periods of stress can become profound times for growing in grace over things like anger, worry or judgement (2 Peter 3: 18). As you think of your situation right now, in what ways is God working to shape and change you?

Evening Reflection:
Many people expect God to act dramatically to change them, and sometimes he does. But the normal path of growth in Christlikeness is training through the circumstances and seasons of life. That's the course we're on. As you go to sleep, reflect on how God has been doing this in your own journey. And thank him.

 

[RiverOL]

Problem-Solving Formula

"If anyone lacks wisdom, ask God who gives to all generously … and it will be given to you."1

The following formula for resolving problems came from Norman Vincent Peale. He said to prayerize, visualize and actualize; that is, PVA.2

First, prayerize. Ask God to give you the wisdom and courage to see and face the real cause/s behind your problems. Then you can pray realistically by committing your problem to God and asking for his guidance to help you find a solution and also for the courage to do your part.

Second, visualize. We need to see a problem for what it is. Often what we see isn't the problem at all—it's the symptom of a deeper, hidden problem, the fruit of a hidden root! As somebody else said, "God is merciful. When we have problems, he gives us symptoms." Only as we see the true causes of our problems and face reality can we ever resolve the difficulties we have. Once we see and acknowledge the truth, we then need to visualize what we need to do to overcome our problem as well as visualizing what we are asking God to do for us.

Third, actualize. In every situation we need to realize that we are responsible for resolving our problems. No matter what happens to us, we are always responsible for our reactions, feelings, and what we do about resolving our difficulties. God will give us wisdom if we ask for it, insight if we desire it, and courage if we need it, but he won't do for us what we can and need to do for ourselves. If he did, it would keep us overdependent and immature. Accepting responsibility for our problems, emotions, behavior, and our life is the heart of maturity.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me the wisdom and courage to see and face every symptom in my life and help me to trace these to their root cause/s, and lead me to the help I need to overcome these problems so I can be healed and made whole. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name. Amen."

 

[RiverOL]

Genesis 3: Human nature revealed
The Bible's first two chapters paint a picture of God's creation in harmony: people, living creatures and the natural world all fit perfectly together. The creation myths of the time these stories were written described a world born out of violence and hatred. No, says Genesis: 'God looked at what he had done and saw that it was good' (CEV).
Genesis 3 is where things start to go wrong for humanity. It portrays eternal truths about human nature. We're drawn to 'forbidden fruit': there's something darkly attractive about stepping over the boundaries and doing what we know we shouldn't do.

When Adam and Eve disobey God, they become ashamed of who they are. They try to avoid responsibility – Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent. The harmony between them is broken, and so is the harmony of nature: death enters the natural world as God makes clothing for them out of animal skins. Life becomes much harder and much more painful.
The theologian and philosopher Simone Weil once wrote: 'Imaginary evil is romantic and varied; real evil is gloomy, monotonous, barren, boring. Imaginary good is boring; real good is always new, marvelous, intoxicating.'
Adam and Eve weren't abandoned, and the rich tapestry of the Bible is threaded through with grace. But Genesis 3 is a warning: sin has consequences, and when we do wrong we will regret it.

Prayer
God, I'm sorry for the times I've gone wrong because I've failed to trust that you know best. Forgive me and help me do better, I pray.

 

[RiverOL]

Life and peace through life in the Spirit The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. Romans 8:6-9 NIV __________________ If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell. Matthew 5:29,30 NASB __________________ For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. Romans 8:13 RSV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

[RiverOL]

“If ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”

Galatians 5:18

We who looks at his own character and position from a legal point of view, will not only despair when he comes to the end of his reckoning, but if he be a wise man he will despair at the beginning; for if we are to be judged on the footing of the law, there shall no flesh living be justified. How blessed to know that we dwell in the domains of grace and not of law! When thinking of my state before God the question is not, “Am I perfect in myself before the law?” but, “Am I perfect in Christ Jesus?” That is a very different matter.

We need not enquire, “Am I without sin naturally?” but, “Have I been washed in the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness?” It is not “Am I in myself well pleasing to God?” but it is “Am I accepted in the Beloved?” The Christian views his evidences from the top of Sinai, and grows alarmed concerning his salvation; it were better far if he read his title by the light of Calvary. “Why,” saith he, “my faith has unbelief in it, it is not able to save me.” Suppose he had considered the object of his faith instead of his faith, then he would have said, “There is no failure in him, and therefore I am safe.”

He sighs over his hope: “Ah! my hope is marred and dimmed by an anxious carefulness about present things; how can I be accepted?” Had he regarded the ground of his hope, he would have seen that the promise of God standeth sure, and that whatever our doubts may be, the oath and promise never fail. Ah! believer, it is safer always for you to be led of the Spirit into gospel liberty than to wear legal fetters. Judge yourself at what Christ is rather than at what you are. Satan will try to mar your peace by reminding you of your sinfulness and imperfections: you can only meet his accusations by faithfully adhering to the gospel and refusing to wear the yoke of bondage.