Feb 12 - Ruth 1:16

Ruth said,

“Don’t ask me to

leave you and turn back.

I will go wherever you go

and live wherever you live.

Your people will be my people,

and your God will be my God”

Ruth 1:16

NLT

 

Wow, again I might have swung the pendulum too far on a previous day.

 

Talking about extended families is tough!!!

 

The scriptural emphasis on “marriage vs. extended families” must first and foremost be “leav[ing] … father and … mother and cling[ing] to [husband or] wife” (Genesis 2:24a). But did you notice how I defined the relationship between marriage and extended family – “versus” – as if it’s a competition and conflict is inevitable.

 

Here’s what I’ve watched again and again in families: Some of our children’s spouses add to our extended family. And some subtract from our family. That, then, is a good question for you: Are you adding or subtracting from your spouse’s family?

 

I know … I know … sometimes the conflict is the extend family’s fault. Yes, too many families are a bit dysfunctional! There are demands and expectations that are unreasonable … even unhealthy. Too many families are Everybody Love Raymond without the humor. 

 

I know that!

 

But here’s the point, once you as husband and wife are doing your first job (building your own next, talking about issues, and clinging uncompromising to each other), then it’s time to do your second job. You are to honor your spouse by blessing their extended family.

 

No, you don’t have to buy into any dysfunction! Dysfunction, even accidental dysfunction, is sin. It’s not God’s plan. And it’s not your job to participate in that. Nevertheless, it is your job to celebrate any health that is within that family system and to help your spouse remain close to their family.

 

You are called to add to your spouse’s family.  And what you’re supposed to add is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Notice … while all of these characteristics can benefit from our concerted effort and self-discipline, these are also traits bestowed by God (see the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23). You don’t have to do this on your own! But you do have to do it.

 

And this is Biblical. Take for example the story of Ruth. Naomi, her husband, and two sons moved from Israel to Moab because of a famine. The boys got married, but then calamity struck. Naomi’s husband and sons all died. Naomi, despondent, resolved to move back to Israel, and she said to her daughters-in-law, “my daughters, return to your parents’ homes” (Ruth 1:12).

 

Ruth replied however, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16).

 

Ruth didn’t subtract from Naomi’s family; she added it. Eternally. And because of that faithfulness, Ruth was not only added to God’s family, Israel, but she became part of the line of King David and Jesus the Messiah!

 

Yes, your job is to build your own family first, but you are called to find a way to say to your spouse, “your people will be my people.”

 

Question of the Day: see below

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who learned to love the differences

between my wife’s family and mine

… and I’m very much richer because of

their different and considerable gifts!

 

Question of the Day

·         Getting Married and Newlyweds: Can you honestly say that you are working toward loving your beloved’s family? Indeed, even as you are working to craft your own new family, are you passionate about adding positively to this extended family? What help do you need from God to do this?

·         Married: After your years of marriage, have you both managed to integrate yourselves into your extended families? Why or why not? Now here’s another reason why this is important: The way you handle this with your parents is a model for how your kids will one day handle this with you. (Does this give you any extra incentive to reinvest in your extended family?)

·         Not married: You too may have a dysfunctional larger family. How is your relationship with your extended family influencing all your other relationships?

 

Feb 11 - Genesis 2:24a

Therefore a man leaves 

his father and his mother 

and clings to his wife

Genesis 2:24a

 

“Here. Take him. He’s your son.”

 

It was 3 AM, and our firstborn was just a few weeks old. My wife was exhausted. She’d been up for hours. Heck, she’d been up for weeks!

 

I stumbled out of bed, took my little boy in my arms, and as I rocked him, I turned on the TV. It was going to be a long night.

 

On the television I found a documentary about baby animals. How appropriate, I thought, with my own little babe in arms. I cooed at the cute little cubs (and pups and fledglings) as my own little cub cooed at me. 

 

That was a quarter of a century ago, and I still remember the one crushing line from that documentary. “After about six weeks,” said the narrator, “it is the mother bird’s job to push her babies out of the nest.”

 

“No,” I wailed, “my boy is too little. My job is not to push him out of the nest!” 

 

Except ... that really was my job. 

 

When a young couple moves toward a more permanent relationship, they may find that some combination of their parents and families aren’t quite willing to let their little birds go. 

 

Some baby birds aren’t really willing to leave the nest either! They cling to their mother’s wisdom and comfort rather than their wife’s. They blame their husband for not being more like their daddy. And when the inevitable tensions mount, too many supposed lovebirds run back home to the nest they grew up in, rather than using life’s in evitable challenges to help build their own nest.

 

Yes, it is fun to use the leaves of pleasure to build our family, but it is usually the twigs of endurance that give a nest its strength and shape and character. And that never happens if we’re constantly flying home to mommy and daddy.

 

As a father, it’s been my job to encourage my son to fly off and create his own nest. As a son, it’s been his job to fly away, to leave his father and mother and cling to his wife.

 

My job is to not rain demands and expectations on my son’s family. But more importantly, it’s his job to stand up when I do! (Indeed, I’m very proud of my son for doing this whenever my supposedly “wise advice” accidentally steps on his wife’s needs.)

 

All families have gifts (hopefully large), and all families have dysfunctions (hopefully small). Most families nowadays are complicated! I’ve known some newlyweds who have to deal with the expectations of eight different parents – four biological and four steps. 

 

But remember your job. As lovebirds, your job is to build our own nest. Yes, we are to respect our parents … always. But we must cling to our spouse! 

 

Question of the Day: See below

 

In Christ’s Love, 

a guy who has learned that

when I follow God’s advice 

and push my boys to fly upward, 

they come back home to me stronger 

and more joyful and more willingly

(and they even begin to want

to bring a new generation 

of baby birds with them!)

 

Question of the Day

·         Getting Married and Newlyweds: In what ways are your extended families a blessing to your (upcoming) marriage? In what ways are they a challenge? Be honest and tell your beloved how they can better stand up for you.

·         Married: For a pastor, there’s nothing sadder than a fifty-year-old calls me complaining about their mother-in-law. After twenty five years of marriage, the apron strings still haven’t been cut. Oy! Many of you still need to have the same discussion as newlyweds on extended families (see above). Others of you need to start talking about how you will release your own children to build their own nest.

·         Not Married: You can play a vital role in families. You’re the outside observer. You can encourage husbands and wives and parents and children to establish healthy adult relationships. In fact, how are you doing with your own adult relationship with your parents?!

 

Feb 10 - Exodus 20:12

“When I was a boy of 14,

my father was so ignorant

I could hardly stand

to have the old man around.

But when I got to be 21,

I was astonished at how much

the old man had learned

in seven years.”

Mark Twain

 

Honor your father and your mother

Exodus 20:12

^NRSV

 

The day after writing the last devotion, I ran into a young couple. I asked, “How are things?” They rolled their eyes.

   

I took that to mean, “Life is hard. It’s always hard.” And it is for them. They constantly have one challenge after another.

   

I wanted to give them advice, but I’ve watched repeatedly what they do with advice: They think they know better. In fact, if you tell them something they don’t want to hear, they cut you off for a while.

   

So I did what they allow me to do: hug them, whisper banal encouragement, and

tell them, “I hope things get better.”

   

My educated guess – after 20 years of watching people as a pastor – is that they will struggle and struggle and struggle, unless and until one thing happens — submission.

   

Now, too many of us don’t like that word. (Which is why too many of us struggle!) But here’s a simple rule in life: Unless and until we humbly consider the wisdom of those who’ve gone before us, we will continue to fall into life’s same old traps.

 

Now, why do I bring this up?

 

Because yesterday it might’ve sounded like I was encouraging young couples to ignore their family and do their own thing. It’s almost like too many young couples adopt the mantra, “It’s the two of us against the world.”

  

No! That wasn’t the advice! 

   

Yes, husband and wife must cling to each other. Yes, we must make our own decisions. Yes, we’re going to make our own mistakes. (We’re new at this!) But wisdom is learning to learn from the mistakes (and counsel) of those who have gone before us.   

   

When we are teenagers, every parent seems meddlesome! We think their default answer is always, “No.” (And they do say it a lot! But it’s mostly because most parents want to protect us from the mistakes they made in their own lives!)

   

Do your parents want to help you? Or do they want to control you? It’s critical for your marriage and family to figure that out. But here’s a hint: While families are complicated, ninety percent of parents simply want to help us ninety percent of the time!

 

So what is wise?

 

We must, first, cling to each other – husband and wife.

 

We must, second, make our own decisions … including our own mistakes. (We can learn from our mistakes. We must learn from our mistakes!)

 

But, third, isn’t it time for us to learn whose advice we can really trust? (And I truly pray that your parents are worth heeding. And ninety percent are … ninety percent of the time.)

   

I pray even more that you’ll learn to submit to the wisdom, law, and reign of God. Why? Because when God’s principles are written on your heart, then you’ll learn to quickly sniff out the wisdom that is true … or merely mediocre.

 

Question of the Day: see below

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who has made far less mistakes

when following my Father and my father

than when I tried it my own way

 

Question of the Day

·         Getting Married and Newlyweds: Do your parents want the best for you … even if they’re not tactful in the ways they say it? How do you cling to each other – first, foremost, and unquestionably – while still honoring good advice?

·         Married: As a couple, how are the ways that you are honoring your own mothers and fathers, modeling for your children the ways you want them to treat you when they grow up?

·         Not Married: Whether we are married or not, we are called to respect our elders. How successful are you in receiving counsel in the ways in which it was intended?

 

 

Feb 9 - Genesis 2:24a

Therefore a man leaves

his father and his mother

and clings to his wife …

Genesis 2;24a

^NRSV

 

Did you ever watch the television comedy “Everybody Loves Raymond”?

 

The premise was simple: What if a husband and wife live across the street from his parents?

 

Ray’s father was crass. His mother was meddling. And on television, comedy comes from conflict.

 

In real life, grief, pain, and frustration are what come from conflict.

   

On television, it’s funny to have a meddling and manipulative mother-in-law. In real life, nothing is supposed to come between a husband and a wife ... including good old mom.

   

On television, Ray is afraid of his mother. Therefore, he often takes his mother’s side over the needs of his wife. In real life, that’s a recipe for disaster.

   

In real life, nothing, indeed, is supposed to come between a husband and a wife. Not our mom. Not our kids. Not our career. Not our individual wants or desires. Not some personal quest for personal happiness. No, nothing is ever supposed to come between a husband and a wife.

   

Therefore, when Jesus quoted these words from Genesis, he added emphatically, “What God has joined together, let no one put asunder” (Mark 10:9)

 

On other days, we’ll talk about how to make our extended families an extension of our joy in life and marriage. But today we’ll stick with one simple piece of Scriptural wisdom: “Cling to” your spouse above all else.

 

Question of the Day: see below

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who surely hasn’t

said this enough today:

Nothing is supposed to come

between a husband and a wife

 

Question of the Day

·         Getting Married and Newlyweds: Besides God, who should be the glue that sticks husbands and wives together, are you clinging to your fiancé or spouse above all else? What (including your family) is keeping you from this priority?

·         Married: Besides God, who should be the glue that sticks husbands and wives together, are you clinging to your spouse above all else? What is keeping you from this priority? And … if your kids are grown and married, are you helping or harming their togetherness?

·         Not Married: How are you helping friendships and marriages stay together?

 

 

Feb 7-8 - Genesis 2:18

Genesis 2:18 Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner." 19 So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken."

 

It is not good, indeed, for a man to be alone. (I think most women would agree with this wholeheartedly!) Men make messes and get into trouble.

 

Actually, women make different messes and need help with their shortcomings too.

 

Men have strengths. Women have strengths. Men have weaknesses. So do women. And the point of one of the first passages on marriage is that sometimes it helps to have partner.

 

I love, though, how Genesis 2 is told. God creates a man. And it grieves the Lord that this poor fellow is all alone. Therefore, God in his grace starts creating more and more.

 

I can imagine God, therefore, making a stubby bird with a round beak and bringing it to this first man: “Here you go, Adam. Here’s your ‘helper as [a] partner.”

 

And I can imagine Adam looking down at this dodo bird … and then up at God. Down at the big round beak … and then up at God again.

 

“Lord,” I suspect the first man said, “I’m going to name this thing a dodo, and I’m pretty sure I don’t want him as my partner.”

 

So I can imagine God creating again. An alligator! And I can imagine Adam looking down at the fierce reptile … and then jumping back six feet in fright. “Thank you, God, but I don’t think I want a partner with such big teeth.”

 

So God keeps trying. By attempt three hundred seventy-two, I can imagine God making a porcupine. And I can imagine Adam looking down at the prickly creature, and saying, “Lord, for a partner one of the things I want is someone I can curl up with on a cold night. I really don’t want a pin-cushion.”

 

The point of this story is not that God didn’t know what Adam (or any of us) needed. The point is that nothing fits a man like a woman. We’re cut from the same cloth (or made from a common rib – “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh”).

 

Man and woman are the only two creatures made in the image of God himself (Genesis 1:27). We’re the same – in one sense. And yet we’re totally different … in wonderfully complimentary ways. In exciting, intriguing, practical, and helpful ways. The point of this story is that we’re made for each other. And that marriage is part of God’s plan – not necessarily for every individual, but for this world!

 

Question of the Day: see below

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s glad

to not be partnered

with a piranha

 

Question of the Day

·         Getting Married and Newlyweds: You have strengths and weaknesses. So does your beloved. But how do the two of you complement and complete each other as partners? Thank God for his generosity!

·         Married: You have strengths and weaknesses. So does your spouse. How do the two of you complement and complete each other as partners? Thank God for his generosity!

·         Not Married: Who are your partners? Who are the people that help you do big and small things? Thank God for his generosity!

 

Feb 6 - Genesis 1:27,31

So God created humankind in his image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them

… and indeed, it was very good.

Genesis 1:27,31

^NRSV

 

In the first chapter of Genesis, it says that when God created, “it was good.”

 

It says that again and again and again. Six times. Verses 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, and 25! And by verse 31, God himself is rejoicing. As his plan for creation becomes reality he declares that it is “very good”!

 

“So …,” I like to ask people, “what was the first thing in creation that was ‘not good’?” Literally, “not good.”

 

Sin is often the first answer that people give me. And sin truly is not good. “Nevertheless,” I say, “something else was ‘not good’ even before the first sin occurred!” So what is it?

 

Most people are stumped. Therefore, I point them to the middle of the second page of scripture – Genesis 2:18. It says, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner."

 

That’s our real verse for today!

 

Marriage is instituted on the first pages of scripture. It is God’s blessing from the very beginning.

 

And what is it’s purpose? The purpose of marriage is not romance -- though romance can be a whole lot of fun! It’s not happiness – though you, me, and God hope you discover true joy! No, the purpose of marriage is partnership.

 

Life is hard. It’s better together. He serves. She helps. You take turns encouraging. You both sacrifice.

You’re a team. As the old King James translation says it, our spouse should be our “help meet” ^{Gen 2:18} (or “help-mate,” as I hear it).

 

Life is busy and stressful. A partner is someone you share responsibilities with.

 

Life is daily. It goes on and on … and up and down … and through repetitive ins and outs. It’s victorious celebrations and crushing defeats. And partnership is perseverance. And it’s all for the good of the union.

 

Marriage is not about what you get, it’s about what you give!

 

And the good news of partnership is this: In God’s design, the more you give, the more you usually get back!

 

Question of the Day:

·         If I had asked you before today’s devotion, “What is the purpose of marriage is?” what would you have said?

·         After today’s devotion, why is partnership a better definition, perhaps, than what you were already coming up with?

·         Who are you partners with? And how fully?

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who sings, “Mmm!”

Why? Because my favorite

Jack Johnson song sings

“Mmm, it's always better

when we're together.”

 

 

Feb 5 - Proverbs 16:22

Wisdom is a fountain of life

Proverbs 16:22

^NRSV

 

I’ve been a pastor for twenty years. But I sure picked a lousy time for my worst sermon ever. It was at my son Paul’s wedding.

    

As a pastor, you learn to read a room. You feed off of feedback. And this wedding sanctuary was quiet and still. Dead. “Oh, well,” I mumbled to myself, as I wandered back to my seat.

    

After the wedding, however, something strange happened. One-by-one my son’s friends came up to me. They were thanking me. “I just started dating this young lady. Now I know what to do.” “We just got married a few months ago. We needed to be reminded of what marriage is all about.”

    

I was shocked. I didn’t do anything profound. I just pointed to the Bible. I simply said, “Here’s some timeless wisdom.”

    

If the state of marriage today testifies to the health of our contemporary culture, then there’s clearly a poverty of wisdom in our modern world. Oddly, that’s producing a huge opportunity because there’s a huge hunger for hope and wisdom … as evidenced by my son’s friends.

    

Scripture tells us that “wisdom is a fountain of life.” Well, so is marriage! God designed marriage to be a fountain of blessing … for a husband … and a wife … and their children … and everyone they come in contact with.

    

Have you tasted the sweetness of a good marriage? Have you witnessed the character of long-standing relationships -- of your parents or grandparents, for example – as they’ve disciplined their tongues, practiced forgiveness, weathered inevitable trials, and learned how to serve? It’s beautiful. It’s a fountain – a wellspring of life. And it’s a testimony. Indeed, the best of marriages testify to God’s greatest gifts to us: Love. Covenant. Purpose. Passion. Joy. A good marriage gives the world hope.

    

And that’s God’s plan.

 

Our Lord designed marriage to bless a husband … a wife … and the world.

    

Question of the Day: see below

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who might botch a big sermon,

but can’t go wrong pointing to

God’s Word and God’s wisdom

 

Question of the Day

Getting Married and Newlyweds: Do you want your marriage to matter? Do you want to more than even love, joy, and forgiveness? Do you want to discover a greater purpose in life through God’s institution of marriage? Do you want to be part of an adventure that can transform the world with hope? If so, then I invite you and your beloved to commit to join me through a series of daily devotions. And it starts with this question: Are you willing to submit to a logic that is bigger than your own? God’s! Indeed, do you believe that his wisdom (rather than your own) is the true fountain of life?

Married: Do you want your marriage to matter more? Do you want to more than even love, joy, and forgiveness? Do you want to discover a greater purpose in life through God’s institution of marriage? Do you want to be part of an adventure that can transform the world with hope? If so, then I invite you and your spouse to commit to join me through a series of daily devotions. And it starts with this question: Are you willing to submit to a logic that is bigger than your own? God’s! Indeed, do you believe that his wisdom (rather than your own) is the true fountain of life?

Not Married and Newlyweds: You are in relationships too. Most of the logic that is applied to marriage can be applied to friendships. So … do you want your relationships to be more joyful and purposeful?

If so, are you willing to submit to a logic that is bigger than your own? God’s! Indeed, do you believe that his wisdom (rather than your own) is the true fountain of life?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feb 4 - Matthew 19:6

Make me to know

your ways, O Lord;

teach me your paths.

Matthew 19:6

^ESV

What's the worst thing you've ever seen?

My worst thing is sad. Tragic. Horrible, actually.

Do you know what Russian Roulette is? It's very high stakes gambling. You take a gun, chamber one bullet, and spin the cylinder. Putting the gun to your own head, you pull the trigger. The result? A sudden, one-in-six chance of exploding your skull.

Now, imagine the horror of walking into a hospital room and seeing someone you knew who had lost at this obscene game.

On life-support -- a charade that would only last a few days -- the forehead of this young man looked "normal." The back of his head, however, was gone. His skull was concave. It was grotesque. Brainless. Tragic. A tragic waste.

Here’s the point: That's the state of marriage in our world today. All of us walk down the aisle with boundless hope. We're joyfully confident that our life and love is bullet-proof. But let's be honest ... marriage in our modern world is Russian Roulette.

In America, we host gorgeous pageants. Brides wear beautiful dresses. Smiling grooms sliding golden rings on delicate fingers. Romantic music fills the air. But about as soon as we cut the cake, the trigger is pulled. Marriage begins. And today's brides and grooms get a two-shooter as their wedding gift. The survival rate of marriages is about 50-50. Couples today have a one-in-two chance of exploding their marriage.

It doesn't have to be that way!

Starting today I’m going to talk a lot about marriage and relationships in my daily devotions. Now I realize, of course, that many of you are not married, so please understand that I'm not excluding you! Indeed, most of these devotions can be applied to the majority of our relationships. After all, God's kingdom is all about relationships!

Nevertheless, these devotions are my volunteer offering, and you need to know that right now two things are on my heart…

1.      First, as a pastor I am tired of gun-shot wounds destroying husbands, wives, children, and communities. It doesn’t have to be that way!

2.      Second, I am a dad. I have a second son who is getting married. I want to pass on to Jay and Emelie (and to Paul and Meredith … and to your spouse and your marriage-age kids) what I have learned from …

a.      28 years of marriage

b.      20 years as a pastor

c.      thousands of sessions while counseling marriages, and …

d.      tens of thousands of hours studying God's wisdom and word.

I hope what you hear is God's wisdom, not mine. Why? Because marriage needs a strength that is bigger than me or you. Indeed, all of our relationships need God's power.

Question of the Day: see below

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to see

more beauty than bullets

Question of the Day

Getting Married and Newlyweds: For many of you, you will be married once. (Maybe twice.) Most of the people you look to for marital advice will be married once (maybe twice). Your perspective (and theirs) is limited. God, on the other hand, has been involved in billions of marriages! What do you need to do – individually and together – to begin to hear the Author of Love and the Creator of Marriage more fully in your lives?

Married: For many of you, you will be married once. (Maybe twice.) Most of the people you look to for marital advice will be married once (maybe twice). Your perspective (and theirs) is limited. God, on the other hand, has been involved in billions of marriages! What do you need to do – individually and together – to begin to hear the Author of Love and the Creator of Marriage more fully in your lives?

Not Married: You are part of this society that is destroying marriages, families, and children. What can you do to help marriages?

Feb 3 - Psalm 65:2

O you who answer prayer!

Psalm 65:2

Is this how you see God?

Or do you too often find God to be silent? Distant?

I have people ask me all the time how to hear God. Sometimes it is an intellectual question. Most times it is a desperate plea. They need to hear God. They are hurting. They are tired. They need help. And yet heaven seems silent. "How do you hear God?"

When we say the phrase "hear God," most of us want to hear an audible voice, like many of the prophets once heard. I've known a few who do hear that voice. But it is rare! Maybe three times in their lives. And often answer questions, like, "What if you tried it Jesus his way?"

So if we can't depend on hearing an audible voice, how do we "hear God"?

The clearest way is by reading his word. And not just in a moment of trial! We need to read his word, and read his word, and read his word ... until it is part of our fiber and being. Why? Because God's word is gods voice. And until we know intimately through his word how God acts and thinks and moves and cares and prioritizes, we can't begin to know God's will.

If we want to hear God, we need to spend time with God in his word. We need to internalize his statutes and commandments. We need to value what he values. We need to reject what he abhors.

It takes time to hear God through his word… and we best not wait until the time of trial to start searching for an immediate answer.

The next thing we need to do is to sit. And sit. And sit. The Holy Spirit does move. He speaks into our lives. It is usually through a gut feeling, a compulsion to act (or not act).

But there is a problem here. My gut – my flesh – often wants very human things. Generally, I want to do what I want to do. So how do I know if it is God speaking, or my human flesh wishing?! That is where all of the Bible reading comes in. We can hold up what we are "hearing" to the standards of Scripture. If it is godly, proceed. If it is dubious, don't proceed. And if you are not sure, talk to honorable Christian friends. Don't go searching until you find the opinion that you want; find honorable friends who will speak the truth, even hard truths.

Perhaps one of the simplest ways to hear God – at least when making a decision – is through the principle of peace. The Holy Spirit often acts as part of our conscience. If we're honest, it's usually pretty clear what we should do – conscience-wise – if we are deciding between good and not good, honorable and evil. But what if we are deciding between two things that are both acceptable according to God's standards?

Have you ever been there? "Should I take "Job A" or should I take "Job B"?" "Should I go to the state college or the local university?" "Which is more prudent on my tight budget, keeping my failing car with all its repair bills or trading it in for the guaranteed payments on a newer one?"

Have you ever been there? You've made the list of pros and cons. You've consulted godly friends. You've heard wise advice for both options. Both choices are reasonable – acceptable within God's general will. So what do you do?

Here is where the "principle of peace" comes into play. If you are choosing between two acceptable options, it is fair and godly to ask: "Which one is bringing me the most peace?" Colossians 3:15 admonishes us to "let the peace of Christ rule (referee, serve as an umpire) in our hearts."

In Christ's Love,

a guy who chases peace

(God's peace, not my preferences)

Feb 2 - Psalm 65:1

Praise is due to you, O God

Psalm 65:1

Too many people act entitled. They carry on as if God owed them something.

We are like grass. Here today, gone tomorrow. We wither and fade. We are temporary, and just one blade of grass among millions in a great big field.

God owes us nothing.

It's not about you… or me… or any of us.

We are alive because of God. He created us, sustains us, provides for us and cares for us. He owes us nothing. Rather, we owe him everything. As today's verse says "praise is due to [him]"!

That is what this Psalm celebrates…

·       6 By your strength you established the mountains. "Praise is due to you, O God."

·       7 You silence the roaring of the seas. "Praise is due to you, O God."

·       9 You visit the earth and water it ... 10 You water its furrows abundantly ... softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. "Praise is due to you, O God."

·       11 You crown the year with your bounty ... 13 The meadows ... with flocks, the valleys ... with grain. "Praise is due to you, O God."

·       3 You forgive our transgressions. "Praise is due to you, O God."

·       5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance. "Praise is due to you, O God."

In Christ's Love,

a poor guy -- I owe everything

a rich guy -- because of God's love