Category: Sister Judy (Page 257 of 271)

Devotions from James Smith’s book, The Good and Beautiful Life

In Matt. 6:33 we are told to see the kingdom of God first which means “making the reality and principles of God’s kingdom our first and primary concern.”  It means facing our trials and troubles not with anxiety but with trust that God can and will work in them.  We can pray, care for the poor and do all kinds of good things but still our primary concern is what God is doing.  If we put anything ahead of the kingdom of God, they become idols, even though they are good things. 
Worry prevents us from seeking His kingdom.  “Anxiety is foolish and accomplishes nothing except to put God out of the picture.”   As long as we worry we can’t seek His kingdom first. It is useless to worry about tomorrow for we live only in the present and can count on Him for tomorrow. 

In Phil 4:6-7 instead of worrying we are told to pray. We are invited to turn our cares into prayers and as we do this we put the matter into God’s hands.

It allows God to use the resources of the Kingdom to meet our needs. As we do this we discover great peace that is beyond our understanding.  As long as we live in fellowship with God, we have nothing to fear for nothing can separate us from His love.

 Devotions based on James Smith book, The Good and Beautiful Life

Have you notices how the media plays on our fears to boost their ratings and sales?  There is a difference between concern and worry. We can be concerned about many things but worry is what we do after e have planned, prepared and acted cautiously.  When we stew about something we have crossed the line into worry. “Worry is a disproportionate level of concern based on an inappropriate measure of fear.”  Worry leads to anxiety  and is both futile and opposed to kingdom living.  Every time we cross the line into worry we have turned our focus away from God and His providence. Sometime we do this because of the false narrative that says, “If we worry enough about something, we will prevent bad things from happening.” 

Worry harms our relationship with God, causes physical discomfort and destroys joy.  Jesus says in Matt 6  we are not to worry about primary needs like food and clothing. If God provides for the smallest of creatures, won’t he provide for us?  Also, If God takes such great pains to make a little, insignificant flower beautiful, then how much more will HE take care of the people He made in his own image.

When we focus on our own limited resources we worry, but if we trust in His abundant resources our worries will cease.

Devotions based on James Smith’s book The Good and Beautiful Life

More today on real treasure.

Wealth pretends to offer what we want from God- Security, comfort, and happiness. That is why we are prone to serve money. But money is not the real issue; our hearts are.  It is possible to be very poor and serve mammon; it’s possible to be wealthy and have a kingdom heart.  The inward issue – where our heart is set – is what really matters.  Matt. 6:24 says we have to choose which master we will serve, God or mammon.  Mammon wants us to deny God and slavishly pursue happiness through wealth. God want us to reject mammon and to love and trust Him.
Our kingdom narrative should be that “God will provide for and protect me and mine and therefore we are free to seek His kingdom and invest the resources He gives us for His work. God is out for our good and has endless resources. We can never out ask God.” 

Earthly treasures decay. Heavenly treasures accrue eternal interest! When we have the inner attitude of simplicity it will affect our outward decisions. This means having the right narrative about wealth, knowing that it is a provision from God but must not be treated as a god. Let us think about our possessions in light of His kingdom. One suggestion the author has during Lent  is to give away 5 things that would be of some value to someone else. That is a start!

Devotions based on James Smith book The Good and Beautiful Life

Our minds are imprinted with narratives that begin very early in life. The way we handle money can be traced to our early experiences regarding material wealth.  When Rockefeller was asked how much money he would need  to make him happy he said, “Just a little bit more”. This kind of thinking is fueled by the false narrative that I am alone.  I am on my own. It is based on fear.  A word not used as much today is Avarice and means an excessive desire for money or material possessions.   Both the stingy and the spendthrift can share the same belief that it is money that makes one happy.  God wants us to reject mammon and love and trust Him, which is the real path to peace and happiness. Jesus said there are two kinds of treasures we can invest in (heavenly or earthly), two kinds of eyes ( generous or stingy), and two deities we can serve (God or mammon).  Earthly treasures are temporal; heavenly treasures are eternal.  Mammon says it can produce peace and happiness but it fails. God promises peace and happiness and always delivers. Let us invest in His kingdom!

Devotions from James Smith book, The Good and Beautiful Life

“Live for an audience of One.”  This Puritan saying reflects God’s kingdom living. Much of our lives are spent playing for an audience of many, and fixating on what others are thinking or saying of us. But we need to shift to an audience of One. What we do for God is what really matters.  As we focus on God it leads us to a true sense of who we are. “True self knowledge comes from looking into the face of Jesus, not the faces of others.”  This doesn’t mean we don’t pay any attention to what others may say about us, but we turn our thoughts to God first. Then we are free to listen to others and have discernment.

The kingdom of God is the only place we have real peace. When our false narratives are replaced with His kingdom narratives we are able to love without needing to receive, pray without feeling pious, serve without needing to be thanked etc.  Our value is set; our worth is stable and unchanging. We are of immeasurable worth!  When our hearts are penetrated with that message we become truly free!

Devotions from James Smith’s book The Good and Beautiful Life

We all want to be loved and feel valuable, worthwhile and wonderful.  The world measures our worth on the basis of our appearance, production and performance. Image is everything!  But this need for affirmation from others makes us vulnerable to the sin of Vainglory.  It is rooted in insecurity and driven by our need for affirmation by others. It is very subtle and hard to detect. If we live outwardly pious lives we may be tempted to think we are better than others. In Jesus day, He was critical of 3 vainglorious acts – Ostentatious giving, praying and fasting in order to be praised and noticed by others. But Jesus was more concerned about the real issue of the heart and motives for doing these things.  Whatever we do is it to come into greater intimacy with God or is it to impress others?  He wants us to do things with no concern about what others will think about us. How different the narrative of His kingdom is:  You are valuable to God. God loves you no matter what. Your worth is not dependent on you performance or on what others think of you. We are precious and priceless to Him. Wow! If we can really grab hold of this our lives will never be the same. More tomorrow on this.

Devotions from James Smith’s book, The Good and Beautiful Life

Jesus ways are so different from the ways of our world. Often people of this world feel vulnerable, impotent, and exposed. Their false narrative is that the only way to protect themselves is to use force.  But that does not produce lasting change but just more violence. The kingdom of God startles our enemies when we do what Jesus asks, to love our enemies and to return good for evil etc.  To love ( agapa) is to will the good of another but doesn’t mean we may FEEL love towards our enemy.  But we act for their good. When we hate our enemies we betray the God who loves his enemies.  Jesus responded by extending self-giving, nonresistant love. We need the power of Christ within us to do the same. “  This doesn’t happen overnight but over time.  The way of Christ in response to injury is the only way that leads to freedom and comfort even in trials that come to us through others.

“God is with us- so the need to retaliate is diminished. God has an endless supply of resources –so the need to hang on to possessions decreases. God is looking out for our needs- so we can take the time to go the extra mile. God is the real owner of all we have – so the need to hoard and protect it diminishes.   Kingdom identity (I am one in whom Christ dwells) and kingdom awareness ( I am in the strong and secure kingdom of God) are the keys to doing what Jesus calls us to do. Let us choose to live like Him!

Devotions from Haase’s book, Living the Lord’s Prayer

Another characteristic of keepers of His kingdom is their peace and joy.  They are unflappable! In the midst of outward storms they have an inner peace and calm. Even if the battle rages around them, even if people speak ill of them, even if they suffer pain and disappointment, His grace is with them. He is still at the helm of their boat!

Charles de Foucauld, wrote this prayer:
“Father, I abandon myself into your hands;

do with me what you will.

Whatever you may do, I thank you:

I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me,

and in all Your creatures-

I wish no more than this, O lord,

Into your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,

for I love you, Lord,

and so need to give myself,

to surrender myself into your hands,

without reserve,

and with boundless confidence,

for you are my Father.”

Let us be aware today of our Father’s sacrificial love for us that surrounds us like the air we breathe. May that love flow out to others in our lives,  and may we surrender to the present moment while we joyfully abandon ourselves to Him.

We are leaving for Kansas at 3 am tomorrow so am writing this today.

2-17 Devotions from James Smith’s book, The Good and Beautiful Life

Today’s devotion is on keeping the Sabbath as an exercise to help us deal better with our anger.  At first I wondered what the connection is between the two but since anger is about unmet expectations and fear, Sabbath is a call to trust.
To enjoy a Sabbath day we must give up our desire for total control and allow God to take care of us as we relax and enjoy life. Even sleep is an act of trust and letting go. Rest, trust, and surrendering control are important elements of keeping the Sabbath. But it’s not just about refraining from activity but about joy and delight. The Sabbath is a gift not a set of laws.

Some suggestions he uses for Sabbath rest is going to church together if you choose Sunday as the day of rest.

Set aside time for private prayer

Read a good devotional book or write in a journal

Practice hospitality and invite friends to eat with you.

Play games

Spend time reading your Bible- don’t make it a heavy study.

You can take any day that works for you for there is no certain day that is the right day. Most pastors would not take Sunday as this day for it is there busiest day of the week!

2-16 Devotions from James Smith’s book, The Good and Beautiful Life.

Today’s devotion is on anger and Jesus concern is for the heart of the issues, not just the outward action. We can be doing the right thing but have a heart full of anger. Anger itself is not wrong. In fact, righteous anger is good and is the correct response to injustice. It consists in getting angry at the things that anger God.  Most of our anger is not righteous anger though.

The author mentions two other kinds of anger. 1. Visceral anger  that happens fast and our bodies react quickly. 2.  Meditative anger that is the kind that grows over a long period of time. The more we stew on it, the worse it becomes.

Visceral and meditative anger are fueled by two ingredients: unmet expectations and fear. When they unite they ignite into a strong emotion.  Each day we encounter many unmet expectations that we cannot control.

 But we can manage our fears by examining our narratives that lead to anger and replace them with the narratives of Jesus. For example our false narrative would say that we must be in control all of the time. God’s narrative says He is in control. The false one would say we are alone, but His narrative says He is always with us etc.   We think that control is the answer but that only leads us to turn to our own resources, which is the neglect of God and his resources. Outside of the kingdom of God we are on our own.  We must protect ourselves, fight for our rights and punish those who offend us. But inside God’s kingdom it is God who is with us, protecting us and fighting for our well-being. Knowing this, much of our anger will diminish.  How do we move from fear to trust?  We must remember that He never leaves us and never loses sight of us. God gives us space to experiment, grow and mature but doesn’t intrude.  He is still watching us and familiar with all that we do. He permits nothing that happens to us that He cannot redeem and use for good. Another way for moving into trust is to change our narrative and develop new images to replace those that make us vulnerable to anger. We don’t want to give the enemy a foothold by our unexpressed and unresolved anger for it can turn into resentment and sin. But if we work on changing our narratives and give ourselves grace, we can change!