It’s been a hard year at Spirit of Joy.
Lots of funerals. Lots of change. Lots of loss.
And it will get harder …
The Holidays are coming
and lonely aching hearts tend
to ache more.
God has an answer.
Whatever you are grieving …
lost loved one
lost jobs
change in health
the grief over a move
join Pastor Ed on Sunday, Nov. 5
for a day long grief retreat at his house.
Limited space. You must sign up.
Email back if you’d like to be part of this.
Or if you simply want more information.
The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom.
Proverbs 9:10
My wife has a saying, “God’s way is the best way.” It was her primary parenting technique. And it worked for two reasons: First, she wasn’t a hypocrite. She didn’t have one set of rules for her boys and one “grown up set” for her. She lived what she preached.
Second, she was a flawed human being. (We all are!) But unlike most, she didn’t excuse her imperfection. She apologized for it. When she was wrong, she apologized. When she jumped to conclusions, she apologized. When she was too tough, she apologized. And when her kids came to her, apologetic for their own mistakes, she quickly forgave. The giving and receiving of forgiveness is God’s way … and it’s proved to be the best way!
My favorite way of understanding how to follow God comes with a road-trip image. (Would you have expected anything else?!)
I see life as a journey … and without God, we’re without guard rails. Meaning: We run off the road constantly!
Think about it: That’s our culture! It’s literally all over the place. “If it feels good, do it” is the motto for many people. And if you have no truer compass than self-actualization, then this philosophy makes complete sense.
Now Christians … please do not be judgmental about this! You honestly can’t expect non-Christians to behave like Christians! You can surely weep over the fact that a culture of self-indulgence is turning repeated generations of children into our culture’s pawns. But how will people know about a viable, life-giving, Christ-honoring alternative unless Christians are joyful and consistent ... and not hypocrites? (Hence the example of my wife with our boys!)
What are God’s guard rails.
God’s word is full of wisdom. The book of Proverbs, for example, is full of practical day-to-day advice. When we start following God’s wisdom, the guard rails come in, and we quit driving on the soft shoulder.
God’s law is a guard rail too. You may not understand all of God’s law. You may not agree with all of it. You will chafe against some of it! But it’s there for a reason. And when you follow it, the guard rails come in and you’re no long prone to run on the perilous drop off where asphalt meets mud. (And where safety intersects with your car flipping upside down!)
The words of Jesus himself are a guard rail. If you live and forgive like Jesus, the guard rails come in and you’re suddenly and safely driving down the highway of life!
When you pray, when you serve, when you trust, you’re suddenly in the passing lane! Life starts coming fast and joyful and easy.
And since “the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord,” honor God gets you into the HOV lane! You and Father, Son, and Holy Spirit qualify as a High Occupancy Vehicle, and you get to start traveling like no one else!
I’ve watched that in the lives of joyful Christians. They don’t have to spend their lives worrying over what God wants or what they should do. They know it now by heart. Their guard rails are in, and they just live life! It all comes so natural.
Sure, they’ll make mistakes! (Good drivers occasionally crash ... and sometimes horrifically.) But because their guard rails are in, their mistakes are generally smaller. And even when they fail -- even horrifically -- they won’t spend their lives beating themselves up. They’ll humble themselves. They’ll confess their sins. They’ll accept responsibility. They’ll amend their ways. They’ll shift gears. And then they’ll start getting back up to speed quickly! (Wait … notice that last list! If God’s way is the best way, then confessing our sins, accepting responsibility, and amending ways are what shifts the gears!)
There is “one way” to travel (and live) most expeditiously ... and that one way is God’s-way-is-the-best-way!
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who’s been the
wrong way down
a one way street
(I don’t want to look at
the grills of any more
barreling buses ever again.)
10 When you have eaten your fill,
be sure to praise the Lord your God
for the good land he has given you.
11 “But that is the time to be careful!
Beware that in your plenty
you do not forget the Lord your God
and disobey his commands ...
12 For when you have become full
and prosperous and have
built fine homes to live in,
13 and when your flocks and herds
have become very large and
your silver and gold have multiplied
along with everything else, be careful!
14 Do not become proud at that time
and forget the Lord your God, who
rescued you from slavery
in the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 8
I’m lucky to have all five fingers on my right hand.
When I was in middle school, I was in a shop class. We were given a piece of wood for a wood working project. “Make something of it,” we were told. I planned to make a candlestick on the lathe … but I made one spot to narrow and my block of wood broke in half. I kept trying several designs. Each one failed. And effort by effort, I reaped a smaller “block” of wood.
My final product? Two small lopsided dice.
And you really shouldn’t cut something as small two dice on an industrial small! The blade caught my little bit of wood and bucked. Fortunately it bucked left rather than right and I still have all of my fingers.
Our theme for today is caution. It’s one of the steps toward freedom. Along our road to spiritual liberty, there are plenty of places where we could easily drive into a ditch. We could turn the wrong way. We could run through a road block. We could collide with an immoveable object. (My uncle tried that once in his car. He wouldn’t recommend it physically. I wouldn’t recommend it spiritually.)
We must use caution if we want make it to our destination!
· We must not get too tired. Exhaustion on the road is statistically as dangerous as drunken driving. In life, tiredness leads to compromise. It keeps us from paying attention to necessary details. Exhaustion can even make us want to give up. Use caution!
· A speed limit sign might remind us to slow down. Indeed, rushing leads to mistakes. Slow down. Be intentional. Use caution!
· Whenever we’d head to the car, my father-in-law constantly reminded us: “Watch out for all the kooks on the road.” You may be driving safely. You may wish to live with integrity … but how often do other people trick us, tempt us, deceive us, lead us astray, and stab us in the back. Use caution!
· Heed the signs – don’t go where you know you shouldn’t go. (Isn’t that when and where you sometimes get into trouble?) Use caution.
· Rains will come. Use caution … because even Jesus warned that the storms of this broken world will fall on the righteous as well as the unrighteous.
· On the highway, other vehicles will often move at different speeds than you. Use caution.
· Are you getting the point? Life in this world is tricky. Thus, the journey to freedom is full of potential problems. Use caution!
Three more … because this is what today’s verse talks about …
· It’s great to be just cruising along on an empty highway on a pretty day. “But that is the time to be careful!” says our lesson for today, “Beware that in your plenty (and in your blessings) you do not forget the Lord.” Use caution. Don’t take it for granted.
· Obey the road signs, including the speed limit. Indeed, obey “his commands, regulations, and decrees.” You’ll want to fudge. You’ll want to cheat. You’ll think you know better. You’ll think this particular situation should allow you to compromise. And you may get away with … for a while. But God’s law is there to protect you, and in the long run, your journey will be much better if you simply obey.
· Finally, “do not become proud.” Isn’t that what gets so many young drivers in trouble? We think we know everything. We do it our way. We take our eyes off the road – or off the cross – and we’re shocked when we’re lost or collide with the more painful sides of life. Don’t be proud. Use caution.
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who’s wrapped his
front door in caution tape.
(Yes, it’s a dangerous world
out there, but I’m not afraid,
I’m just reminding myself
to be wise … because then
I can love the journey!)
13 A joyful heart
makes a face cheerful,
but a sad heart produces
a broken spirit.
Proverbs 15
Our theme for today is joy! Enjoyment!
Our theme is “love the journey”!
Look at our sign for today. Isn’t it more fun than most of the signs we’ve been discussing? Many of our signs are bright orange warning signs. Others are regulatory – a nice word for “legal,” “restrictive,” “demanding.” Many of these signs tell you where you shouldn’t enter. Others tell you which way you can’t go. Still others warn us that the next few miles may be rough – “loose gravel” and “road construction.”
But today’s sign is not like that! It’s a simple bicycle. It’s a reminder to enjoy the journey.
Now, all of these other signs are vital and important! They keep us safe along life’s road. They point us in the direction we need to go. They lead us steadily toward freedom.
But today’s sign has another purpose. It’s here to remind you that your life is a gift. And God wants you to enjoy it!
He want’s your “heart” to be “joyful”! (See today’s verse.) He wants your “face” to be “cheerful.” And while we will all face occasional grief and sadness in this sin-stained world, a perpetually “sad heart” and “broken spirit” is a wasted life.
No!
Fight against that!
Push through the trials, claim God’s freedom, and love the journey!
The favorite verse in many people’s lives is Jeremiah 29:11. See if this isn’t a proclamation that joyfully proclaims: Love the Journey …
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
When I’m hearing the word “plans” in this verse, I’m thinking of God as a highway engineer. Well, I can imagine the highway engineer looking at the closest major intersection to my house, and shaking his head in disgust. In afternoon rush hour, this intersection is a disaster. It’s long lines, stopped traffic, and accidents waiting to happen.
Someday the traffic engineer will probably draw up a roundabout to be put in. Then for the next decade or two, this roundabout will be an incredible blessing to me and my neighbors. Nevertheless, I absolutely dread the road construction! For three months it will mess up every route I travel. I will have to backtrack and detour. Five minute commutes will take ten to fifteen. What will my attitude be? (Hint: It’ll be my choice!)
Friends, God is a highway engineer. Do you trust that his “plans [are] for good and not for disaster”? Do you trust that our heavenly highway engineer wants to “give you a future and a hope” (and a safe intersection for years to come)? If you do, then part of the journey to freedom is learning to trust the heavenly engineer and embrace (or at least endure) the temporary inconveniences. Yes, part of the journey to freedom is strapping on your bike helmet and deciding to love the journey.
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who’s first great purchase
as teen was a bright metallic blue
Motobecane bicycle.
(I saved for a year and a half!
Then I loved all those glorious
journeys on “Frenchy”!)
7 Be still before the Lord,
and wait patiently for him;
8 Refrain from anger,
and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—
it leads only to evil.
Psalm 37
I find it ironic that “patience” and “patients” are homophones. They are words that sound (phonic) the same (homo). But isn’t it ironic since most patients don’t have much patience!
They understandably want to get well. They naturally want to go home. Right now, thank you!
When we’re in any kind of bondage, we’re a patient, of sorts. We’re sick. We’re broken. We’re wounded. We need healing. But, as I just said, most patients don’t have much patience. We want to get well. We want to be free. Right now, thank you!
If we’re honest, though, we know that spiritual healing – like physical healing – is usually a step-by-step journey. It’s road construction. It takes work. And as today’s sign conveys, we might need to move slowly and carefully for the next several miles.
But … do you know the good part of this sign? It’s a promise! It’s a promise that in the future, the work zone will end, the road will become smooth, and you’ll be able to travel freely again.
But here’s the question: Are you willing to be patient while you’re a patient?
The alternative, of course, is bitterness. It is anger at God. It is blaming others. It’s sinking deeper and deeper into pits of despair.
Now, in situations like grief, it’s normal to cry out in immediate despair. We just got sucker punched by life. The wind has been knocked out of us. We’re gasping for breath, trying to stand again. And when this is our situation, it’s natural to wonder where God is in all of this! The normal stages of grief include anger, doubt, denial, and despair.
In these normal but painful times, we have to be patient with ourselves. We have to forgive ourselves for being angry and bitter. You have to forgive yourself for doubting the kindness of God! Those emotions are real. And God readily forgives you. He understands. He is … patient with you.
But … it’s helpful to stop and clarify what we’re really angry about …
When someone dies, for example, what we’re really angry at is this messed up world of sin and death. God created good. Sin continually unravels God’s glorious intent, and death is the painful fruit.
So we’re angry – not at God – but a painful world mired in sin and death. We’re angry also at a devil who twists, tempts, corrupts, and destroys. Satan lies. But God understands – and forgives – because God’s angry at this world of sin, death, and the devil too. The things that are enslaving and discouraging you are not God’s plan.
Yet in the heat of our despair, we may occasionally shake our fist at the heavens. “If you were really a good God …,” starts one sentence. “If you really are in control …,” rattles another. Well, he is a good God. He is in control. But he’s also a gentleman. (You’ve heard me say that before.) Yes, this world can be messy, but be patient. When the pain, grief, and furor die down, we’ll realize God’s goodness again. Indeed, as our verse for today says, “Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
Summary? First, we have to be patient with ourselves. Then once that immediate storm dies down, we need to be patient with the healing process. We need to learn again how to forgive … rather than hold grudges. How to love … rather than remain angry. How to hope … rather than doubt and despair. How to dance with joy … rather than crumble in sorrow. How to venture forth courageously … rather than be handcuffed by fear. How to accept God’s grace … rather than be mired in guilt.
A quick story to end this …
On occasion I’ve taken road trips in the spring. If I start out in the South and drive north, there are fewer and fewer flowers every hundred miles. It’s like I’m travel back in time. From spring back to darkened winter. But when I travel from north to south, it’s like spring accelerates. In the course of a day, I go from bitter winter to glorious spring.
God invites you on that trip south! When it feels like winter, it’s painful. Be patient and keep driving south. The road construction will end and the flowers will blossom again!
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who’s put a magnet
by the “S” on his compass
(I’m voting for flowers,
deciding on patience and
pointing intentionally south!)
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked,
“Lord, how many times shall I forgive
my brother when he sins against me?
Up to seven times?” Jesus answered,
“I tell you, not seven times,
but seventy-seven times.”
Matthew 18:21-22
“I just can’t forgive him.”
Have you ever heard anyone say that? Is there anyone you yourself can’t forgive?
Forgiveness is one of the hardest things in the world. We’ve been hurt. The pain is real. The scars are often deep. “I just can’t forgive.”
Our road sign for today is Loose Gravel. It’s a hazardous road condition. Why? Because on loose gravel our tires are prone to spin. We may skid. We may slide. We may run off the road. Therefore, this sign is bright orange. Caution!
Unforgiveness deserves a bright orange sign. When our hearts don’t let go of hurts, we’re prone to skidding, sliding, and running off the road. It’s one of the most hazardous conditions in life. And it will control you, if you don’t control it. It may, indeed, kill you – or at least kill your joy – unless you kill it. Therefore, are you ready to do battle with this dangerous road hazard?
My favorite way to talk about forgiveness is in terms of debts.
· The first step toward forgiveness is realizing that when someone has sinned against you, they’ve “opened an account.” They’ve incurred a debt.
· Therefore, what we need to do next is examine the account. We need to ponder why this hurts so much.
· Next, we need to admit that as junior tellers, we can’t forgive this huge debt on our own; therefore, we need to go to the bank manager (God). God can and does forgive debts. And the cross of Christ and its power can work through you to bring this to completion.
· Fourth, we need to close the account. We need to forgive.
· Fifth, we need to never open it again. (Don’t keep bringing it back up!)
Who is the person who you just can’t forgive? What is the situation that just keeps gnawing at you? Do you see how you’re not free? Do you feel your tires skidding, sliding, threatening to run your peace, hope, love, and joy off the road?
Why does this hurt so much?
And have you really given it to the bank manager – God?
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who is in the middle
of a Dave Ramsey course –
I’m saying goodbye to all debts
41 Moses said,
“Why do you continue to
transgress the command of the Lord?
That will not succeed. 42 Do not go up
40 to the place that the Lord has promised …
43 The Lord will not be with you …
and you shall fall by the sword.”
Numbers 14
“I can’t go there.” Have you ever heard anybody say that?
Have you ever said it yourself?
One of the huge steps toward freedom is not going where you know you shouldn’t go. (Indeed, sometimes God says, “do not go up,” “do not enter.”)
Let me give you a simple example – food addiction. (My own!) I know that when it comes to food, I often have the willpower the size of a gnat. I tell people that I’m on a seafood diet: If I see food, I eat it. If I cheat once – even one simple nibble – it’s all over for the whole day. I won’t stop. I’m compulsive.
But what if that’s our addiction with something more lethal – alcohol, for example. “I can’t go there,” we need to cry. “Do not enter.” Stop! Turn! Run!
Today’s devotion is simple. Israel didn’t trust the Lord’s leading. “Beware,” cried Moses, putting down a “do not enter” sign. “[If you go there,] the Lord will not be with you.” And yet, they kept going where God didn’t ordain. And they kept reaping the consequences.
That was true for Israel, and it’s true for us. If you go where God does not ordain, “that will not succeed.” – indeed, “you [may] fall by the sword” (whatever your version of the sword is in terms of describing your pain, remorse, and destruction).
Now, in your life, you know the places that you can’t go, don’t you? Well … don’t do it. Do not enter!
· Do you need to not go certain places?
· Do you need to not hang around with certain people?
· Do you need to not watch certain things?
· Do you need to go to be when your wife does, so that you won’t be tempted to turn those tempting images on?
· Do you need to not let yourself get too hungry, too angry, too lonely, too tired?
· Do you need to not take the first bite – or first sip – of certain things?
· And how about this one: Do you need an accountability partner – someone you can call in a time of temptation who will say, “do not enter”?
You have a measure of strength and discipline in stopping this. But do you trust that God has the rest? Do your part – “do not enter” – and trust God to do his part.
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who just started a diet
(a big Do Not Enter sign
is on the pantry door)
15 when … the feet of the priests
bearing the ark were dipped
in the edge of the water,
16 the waters flowing from above
stood still, rising up in a single …
17 While all Israel were crossing
over on dry ground, the priests who
bore the ark of the covenant … stood
on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan
Joshua 3
If the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, then the Israelites first step into the Promised Land was a doozy! They had to step into a literal flood before the Lord would begin to cut off the waters.
Our sign for today represents the first step – mile maker one on a long journey. A state may be four hundred miles across, but the journey begins with mile one … then mile two … then mile three.
In a car, the journey across Texas is minute by minute and mile-after-mile. In life, our journey usually day-by-day and step-after-step-after-step.
Once upon a time, my wife learned “the small step approach.” She learned it in a counseling class: “When a problem seems daunting, encourage your client to take it one little step at a time.” She was told, “Ask them, ‘What is the first step?’ Then when they come back next week, ask them, 1) if they did it … and ask them, 2) what their next step is for next week?”
It works in counseling. Sure, we all want to start one second and reach the finish line simultaneously. But that’s not how a journey works. Nevertheless, my wife was amazed that after working with a person for a year – 52 weekly steps – how far they could go.
It was amazing. She’d use it on our boys …
“I know cleaning your room seems overwhelming” – and these were the rooms of slovenly boys, they were overwhelming – “but let’s do it step-by-step. Put all your clothes in the clothes hamper, then come back and I’ll give you another job.”
“I know writing this research paper seems overwhelming, but let’s do it step-by-step. You’re supposed to write about our first President. Go read the article on George Washington in the encyclopedia, then come back and I’ll help suggest the next step.”
The Small Step Approach!
You’re reading devotions on freedom. Why? Because you want to be free from something. Now, the desire is to start one second … and reach the finish line simultaneously! You’re impatient. I know! You just want to be rid of this burden. But – no – that’s not how a journey works.
Freedom is step-by-step, day-by-day, week-by-week, effort-by-effort. But it’s manageable. It’s one step at a time.
What do you want to be free from?
And what is the first step?
(Note: If you don’t know what your first step is, then your first step is finding an accountability partner, who can help you see the next step … even when you can’t.)
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who started
walking as a baby.
(My steps were small and
tentative. Now they’re
long and confident.
May that be your
journey to freedom.)
, commitment-by-commitment. But it works. They
a mile marker. It may be four hundred miles through a state, but your journey begins with mile marker one – step one.
Sorry, if you get a second copy of this.
We’re having troubles with church email.
take captive every thought
to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5
Our overall sign for this set of devotions is the Road Work sign. It’s a reminder that if we’re going to be free, we have to do our part. It requires strength. It requires discipline. It requires thought.
In fact, thought is what today’s step is all about!
If you want to be free, it is wise to think about how you’ll handle situations before you encounter them.
As I was first thinking through this step toward freedom, I happened to have coffee with a friend. He was telling me that he used to counsel men past their addiction to pornography.
“What were the steps you used,” I asked.
He said that one of the biggest steps to freedom was thinking about how you’d handle a situation before it occurred. And to illustrate, he pointed to a pretty young lady who’d just walked through the door. “What would a man addicted to pornography be tempted to think when looking at her,” he said.
I nodded in understanding. “He’d probably think, ‘Wow, I’d like to …”
My friend said, “What we prompted our clients to do was to have always at their ready a counter response. Perhaps the person could think, could say to himself, ‘Jesus said … 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.”’ Instead of “worshiping” a human figure, this addicted man would point himself back to God. Instead of making sex or a curvy body an idol, God would be his priority.
“He could also begin to ponder who’s little girl this young woman is, and see her as a person, as somebody’s precious child, and not as some object to be used.”
Do you see how that works? Part of escaping our enslavements is to keep alert, to be ready, to be vigilant and prepared.
For example, one of the best pieces of marital advice that my wife and I ever came across was … “assume the best of the other person.”
Think about it. How often do we assume – especially when we’re stressed – that the other person is unthinking, callous, angry, unloving, etc.? But what happens if we assume the best of the other person? “They didn’t intentionally forget to pick up the dry cleaning. They aren’t passive aggressive. They’re just as busy as I am, and forgetful too.”
Do you see how that might work?
How about other things that enslave you?
· … when you are grieving, what if you put on the helmet of salvation and stood on Scripture’s picture of heaven, remembering that, “[God] will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death will be no more, mourning and crying and pain will be no more”? Revelation 21:4
· … if you are worried, could you quote Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom? “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.”
See if you can come up with some counter-thought when some of these situations occur:
· … when you are angry, you could start thinking instead, _________
· … when you feel guilt or shame, you could cling to God’s forgiveness, saying, _______
· … when you are tempted by _____, you could remind yourself that _______
· … when you are _________ (what’s the enslavement that haunts you?), you could combat it with _________.
For worry and grief, I just googled scriptures on grief and Christian quotes about worry. You could do that too.
You could even talk to a friend – or your pastor – about how to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5
Are you alert? Are you prepared to keep sinking back into enslavement each day.
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who needs to
put on his thinking cap
before ever going outside
