Getting our desires met by God

DAILY BIBLE READING:

Esther 8:1–10:3 
1 Corinthians 12:27–13:13 
Psalm 37:1-11 
Proverbs 21:23-24

TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Psalm 37:4 (NLT) "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

I'll never forget one of the graduation gifts I received when I finished high school. A lady at our church gave me a money clip with Psalm 37:4 inscribed on it.

I saw that verse and the object on which it was placed and got a little excited. 

"If I take delight in the LORD, then he will give me my heart's desire which is to get some money in this money clip. I'm about to begin college and need / desire that money and so I'm looking forward to Him meeting that desire."

Let's just be honest here. Not only was I wrong in my understanding of what Psalm 37:4 meant, I was also using the LORD as a means to an end. In my mind and heart, he wasn't the object of my affection, He was simply the way that I could get what I truly wanted - more money to meet my needs and wants.

As I have studied Psalm 37:4, spent untold hours studying God's Word, and learned of how it plays out in 'real life,' I have come to see that Psalm 37:4 means something quite different.

Here's what it means:

1. The Lord is to be delighted in. Relationship with Him is ultimately something that our heart longs for. Salvation is essentially God's invitation to come closer to Him so that we can enjoy Him and satisfy our heart's longing.

2. As we get closer to Him in relationship, our desires change. Gradually, we become less me-centered and more Him-centered. Our desires are purified and we find ourselves desiring what He desires.

3. When we are delighting in (enjoying) our God and our desires (what we want) is more in tune with His desires, then the LORD is free to meet our desires, because they are His desires, too.

If we are not enjoying our God, we may feel slighted when we read the previous three points. We haven't come to satisfy ourselves in Him if we say: "Oh, now I see! It's really His desires that get met, not mine."

However, if we are enjoying our God, our understanding of this verse is beautiful to us. We realize that our wants really are what God wants so when He does what He desires, our desires are met, too.

So, friend, delight yourself in the Lord. Enjoy relationship with Him. As your desires become His desires, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.

"But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!" (John 15:7)

Drowning in God's love and faithfulness

DAILY BIBLE READING:

Esther 4:1–7:10 
1 Corinthians 12:1-26 
Psalm 36:1-12 
Proverbs 21:21-22

TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Psalm 36:5 (ESV) "Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds."
REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Our Verse for Today is simple and yet profound. It could be read at a glance and yet we could meditate on it all day.

Essentially, the Psalmist says:

Do you want to know how much love God has? Well, it begins under your feet and extends all the way up to the heavens. 

Do you want to know how much faithfulness God has - the fact that he can always be counted on to keep His promises and watch over His creation? Well, it begins under your feet and extends all the way up to the clouds.

The Psalmist uses poetry to express his conviction that we are all swimming in God's love and faithfulness. If you are walking on planet earth, you are immersed in God's compassion for you and faithfulness to you.

Regardless of what you may feel, my friend, you are the object of God's affection.

"God so loved the world..." (John 3:16)

The only thing left for us to do is respond to this love and faithfulness. 

For the unbeliever, their response is to receive God's greatest gift of love by trusting in Jesus and what He did on the cross to forgive them and save them. 

For the Jesus-follower, our response is to reflect on God's love and faithfulness to us so that we are motivated and energized to make progress in our pursuit of holiness. Because of what God has done and is doing for us, we want to learn more about Him and submit ourselves more fully to Him.

Friend, today you are immersed in God's love and faithfulness. 

Swim around in it. 

Enjoy it. 

And reflect on how best you are to respond to it.

The blessing of disunity

DAILY BIBLE READING:

Esther 1:1–3:15 
1 Corinthians 11:17-34 
Psalm 35:17-28 
Proverbs 21:19-20

TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

1 Corinthians 11:19 (CSB) "Indeed, it is necessary that there be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

The first century church at Corinth was a church with a lot of problems - like so many churches around us today. Instead of the church influencing the culture, the culture had definitely influenced the church. Instead of the church going into the world, the world had come into the church.

So, the letters to Corinth are so beneficial to contemporary Christians because, if we are humbly honest, it addresses many of the problems and sins that are within us and around us today.

One problem in the church at Corinth was division. It was a church with cliques. The church members would try to outdo each other by bragging about who their mentor was (1 Corinthians 1:11-13). Further, they were divided along socio-economic lines (see 1 Corinthians 11:21 where some ate and others went hungry).
And then we see our Verse for Today tucked in the mix. We are left to wonder: "What does it mean? What is God saying in this verse?"

"Indeed, it is necessary that there be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you." (1 Corinthians 11:19)

Essentially, it is saying that even though division in the church is bad, God uses it for good. When quarreling and fighting and division abound, it allows onlookers to see how each person is responding (or participating) in the disunity.

Simply put, someone living out of fellowship with God will find it easier to disagree and be disagreeable, to say hurtful things they shouldn't say or spread malicious gossip, or to hold onto hurts and refuse to forgive. 

A Christian in fellowship with God will respond very differently. After all, Jesus has called us to a much higher standard.

"But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that." (Matthew 5:44-47 NLT)

Please note that our Verse for Today do not say that people who misbehave in times of conflict are lost. It simply states that conflict allows us to see, among those who claim to be saved, which ones are in fellowship with God ("approved" by God).

So, how do you typically respond in times of conflict, friend? Do you gossip? Do you say hurtful things? Do you find it difficult, if not impossible to forgive? Do you pray for God's blessings on the one who has hurt you?

If so, confess such responses as sin. Then, ask the Lord to do a work in your heart to enable you to behave in a way that shows that you are not only saved but in fellowship with God.

Others are watching!

DAILY BIBLE READING:

Nehemiah 12:27–13:31 
1 Corinthians 11:1-16 
Psalm 35:1-16 
Proverbs 21:17-18

TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

1 Corinthians 11:1 (CSB) "Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Our Verse for Today seems presumptuous, doesn't it? Would you feel comfortable telling someone to imitate you as you pursue holiness?

Yet, Paul didn't just say this one time. Look at the following references:

1 Corinthians 4:16 "Therefore I urge you to imitate me."

Philippians 3:17 "Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us."

1 Thessalonians 1:6 "and you yourselves became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit."

2 Thessalonians 3:9 "It is not that we don’t have the right to support, but we did it to make ourselves an example to you so that you would imitate us." 

What are we to make of these instructions as Paul encourages the first century saints to follow his example? Is Paul being arrogant? Of course not! 

What he is essentially saying is: 

People need God's instruction but they also need a 'real life' example to see how those instructions play out. They need someone to illustrate for them exactly what it means to follow Christ in their particular culture and their particular era. So, Paul was saying that while he hadn't arrived at perfection, he was definitely headed in the right direction - toward Christlikeness. So, he encouraged others to join him on the journey as he tried to provide for them a helpful, godly example.

Friend, while it would definitely sound presumptuous for us to encourage others to follow our example, we need to realize that others are watching our example. 

They see how we act. 
They listen to what we say. 
They are trying to assess our motives and attitudes. 
They're watching!

Are you giving them a good example to follow? If not, allow the knowledge that others are watching you to motivate you to take your walk with Jesus much more seriously. Feel the pressure to become more like Jesus.

And maybe, just maybe, when you get to Heaven, others will tell you that they were watching you, had come to realize that you provided for them a godly example, and they were imitating you.

On eating, drinking, and glorifying God

DAILY BIBLE READING:

Nehemiah 11:1–12:26 
1 Corinthians 10:14-33 
Psalm 34:11-22 
Proverbs 21:14-16

TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

1 Corinthians 10:31 (CSB) "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

It has been said that a text without a context is only a pretext.

That means that if we rip a verse out of it's context, we can essentially make it say whatever we want it to say and not necessarily what God actually said.

So, when we look at a verse in the Bible, we need to investigate the "neighborhood" in which that verse lives to get a proper understanding of what God is saying.

When we look at 1 Corinthians 10:31, and then look at the verses around it, we realize that the Apostle Paul was talking about a problem that existed in Corinth. It was common practice for meat sacrifices to be offered to the pagan gods. The question on Christ-followers' minds was: "Can I eat meat that was offered to idols?"

Essentially, Paul said that the Christians could eat it if it did not plague their conscience. If they had to silence their conscience while eating it, though, they were sinning. Further, if they ate that meat offered to idols and it didn't bother their conscience, but it offended another Christian who believed that eating the meat was sin, then the first Christian should refrain from eating rather than cause a fellow Christian to stumble.

So, it is in this context that we read our Verse for Today:

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

This verse means that everything we do, including eating and drinking, is an opportunity to show others how good our God is. It is also an opportunity for us to demonstrate that God really is in the forefront of our minds in the moments of our days and that we are willing to follow Jesus' example of personal sacrifice on behalf of others. 

This, my friend, demonstrates to the watching world that you take your walk with Jesus seriously. It shows that you aren't a SMO (Sunday Morning Only) but that Jesus is who you follow each day of the week. It shows that you are following His example and are willingly sacrificing your rights for the benefit of others. When others see this, many of them can't help but take note.

And in doing so, you will glorify God. You will show others the goodness and greatness of the God we serve.

A strategy for winning over temptation

DAILY BIBLE READING:

Nehemiah 9:22–10:39 
1 Corinthians 9:19–10:13 
Psalm 34:1-10 
Proverbs 21:13

TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

1 Corinthians 10:13 (CSB) "No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to bear it."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Our Verse for Today is an often misquoted passage. 

Many times, when life gets tough, some Christians will say something humorous like, "I know that God says He won't give me more than I can bear. I just wish He wouldn't trust me so much." In saying this, they assume that 1 Corinthians 10:13 talks about difficulties in life.

Yet, that's not at all what the verse is talking about. Words like difficulties, trials, or anything of the sort do not appear in this verse.

The words that do appear are tempted and temptation. This verse is not addressing the difficulties of life. It is aimed at giving comfort and hope to the person who is being tempted to sin.

In it, God says that no matter how powerful the temptation and how hopeless it may feel to get out of the temptation without sinning, we are assured that God won't allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to pass the test. Further, He will always make sure that we aren't so boxed in by the temptation that we simply must sin. There will always be a way out of the situation in which we can maintain our integrity.

Now, this is easy to write. It is quite another in 'real life.' But, that's where a few principles come into play:

• We must know God's Word so much that we have a very clear sense of what is right and wrong. This means that we must read and study it every single day.
• We must reflect (meditate) on Scripture so that we not only know what it says but that it becomes ingrained in our way of thinking and influences how we see everything in and around us.
• We must have at least one friend who holds us accountable (ask us tough questions and has permission to point out sin in our life when they see it).
• We must have a holy anger at sin so that we have plenty of motivation to avoid it and to choose the high road regardless of the consequences.
• We must learn how to live under the control of the Holy Spirit so that we can be directed by Him in moments of testing.

Friend, Satan sends temptations your way to defeat you on the field of battle. God sends many of those same temptations your way to test you and strengthen you. Satan sends them to harm you. God sends them for your good. How you respond to temptation determines who will accomplish their purposes. 

May we determine to respond to temptations in such a way that God is always glorified (seen to be the good God that He is).

A call to prayer

DAILY BIBLE READING:

Nehemiah 7:73b–9:21 
1 Corinthians 9:1-18 
Psalm 33:12-22 
Proverbs 21:11-12

TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Psalm 33:12 (CSB) "Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD - the people he has chosen to be his own possession!"

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

As I read my Bible this morning and as I select the Verse for Today, I am also cognizant of the news headlines. Some of them are:

"Terror in Charlottesville: What we know about the violent clashes and the car attack that left 1 dead and dozens injured" (CNN)

"Standby to Launch: North Korea warns US could 'meet its tragic doom'" (FoxNews)

"Death to America: Iran votes to increase spending on missiles" (FoxNews)

While these are some of the top headlines today, there are many, many more that remind us that we live in a sin sick country. Racism, injustice, hatred, addiction, fear, and so much more are running rampant.

In fact, our Verse for Today would appear to be a haunting truth if it was posted at the bottom of the screen of any of the major news stories right now.

Why?

Because it does not appear at all that God is our Lord. While there are thousands upon thousands of Christians in America, we are losing the war on morality. As Adrian Rogers used to say, "What used to hide in the back alleys is now paraded down Main Street."

Pray for America, friend. Ask God to do what He must to bring us back to Himself. We have seen some amazing movements of God in this country. There have been times when the power and presence of God were experienced by thousands:

The First Great Awakening, The Second Great Awakening, and The New York City Revival are just a few of the mighty movements of God in our country that you can read about online. 

Pray that God would do it again.

"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)