Ephesians 4:28-30
Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work.
Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
Don’t
grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and
breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit
for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
When I was teaching
kindergarten, I studied the Assertive Discipline method of classroom
management. Developed by Lee and Marlene Cantor, this model involves
giving students a clear definition of what is expected - and listing the
consequences for noncompliance. The focus is on positive reinforcement
– rewarding and encouraging good behavior in an effort to prevent
missteps. The idea is that children will be so eager to enjoy the
benefits of a positive response from the teacher and his/her peers that
this will deter any desire to misbehave. I have to say, this method
worked for me and my students…and my “discipline problems” in the
classroom all but disappeared.
One of the things that Cantor
teaches is that we must not operate in the realm of “If I see/hear.” In
other words, we must not tell the child, “If I see you do that again, XYZ will happen”…or “If I hear that word one more time…you will have to do ABC.” The child assumes that what you don’t see or hear
doesn’t matter! If he/she can get by with something without you
noticing…it won’t be held against you. Instead, we are to tell the
child, “If you DO THIS again, XYZ will happen.” This tells the child
that you will know what he/she did…and it will matter!
I
can tell you that we adults foolishly play this game all the time with
God. We act as if what we say or do only matters when we get caught or
noticed. If we skate by with something, we smugly tell ourselves that
it didn’t count…that nobody is the wiser. It’s sort of the “no harm/no
foul” concept. But here’s the thing...God ALWAYS knows. He sees and
hears everything we say and do. And so much of it breaks His heart.
You
may not be a “thief” in the literal sense of the word…but you probably
cheat and steal more than you realize. Did you ever slide through a
stop sign and hope nobody would notice? Did you ever talk about
someone…or share a juicy tidbit of “news” with another person and pray
the parties involved would never know who said it? Did you ever express
an ugly opinion about a situation or person – or share a dirty joke -
and preface it with a caveat that you will deny ever saying such things
if repeated? Did you ever do something you knew you shouldn’t and tell
your children- or someone else - never to tell anyone about it?
These
are all ways that we all practice deceit…consciously or not. And while
we may never “get caught” by our friends, family members and
acquaintances…God knows. We grieve His heart on a regular basis. But
we can make changes and do better…and we must! We can ask God to tap us
on the shoulder and give us pause when we open our mouths to say
something unkind, off-color, or disrespectful. We can ask Him to give
us a nudge when we are tempted to be dishonest...to “fudge” a little
here and there or “cut a corner” while no one is looking.
We can
ask God to fill every nook and cranny of our heart with the Holy Spirit –
our “Inner Compass” that guides us and keeps us on the right path. We
can ask God to forgive us and set us upright…and keep us behaving in a
positive manner at all times - toward all people. And we can begin
today…right now…in this very minute! So let’s get started! Are you ready to go “all in” with God?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label hiding from God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hiding from God. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for August 18, 2015
John 3:16-17
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
There are countless examples in the news media of people who go to great lengths to expose a wrong…to point a finger at someone who is misbehaving or to spotlight how bad a situation has become. But one of the most ridiculous cases of this lately has been the Michigan state representative who sent out a fake e-mail in which he accused himself of having an encounter with a male prostitute. Why on earth would he do this? He said he was trying to cover up an actual affair that he was having with a fellow state representative (female). The representative also alleged that some of his co-workers were conspiring to expose his affair, so he created this elaborate – and ridiculous – ruse to divert attention!
This guy went to an awful lot of trouble just to try and cover his tracks. And he used one of the oldest tricks in the book…he tried to shine a spotlight on someone or something else in order to hide his own mistakes.
We serve a God who would never conspire to expose our sins to the world…much less create a “cover” to redirect attention or distract the attention of others. God does not play such games…and aren’t we glad?! God loves us so much that He sent Jesus Christ to live among us, to teach us and serve as the perfect example…then suffer, pour out His flesh and blood for us…and ultimately, to die for us. God welcomed Jesus back to Heaven, where He waits for each of us who give our hearts to Him. There was nothing sneaky or sinister in any of this. There were no plots to expose our failures and our flaws…no finger pointing of any kind. This was all done for one reason…incredible, amazing, incomprehensible, unconditional LOVE.
Until you understand that the message we need to hear is not one of fear and obligation, but rather one of abiding love, you will never truly “get” what it means to have a relationship with God. I know…because I operated from a vantage point of fear and dread for far too many years. God does not want to punish us…He wants to love us…and everything He does for us comes from this context. Until we understand this, we won’t really understand anything about Christian faith.
Some of us are busy trying to “cover our tracks.” We are hiding from God, and creating elaborate – and sometimes ridiculous - ruses and diversions…pointing our finger at the other guy and hoping that God will focus on him/her instead of us. This is a silly game…and we need to stop. God loves ALL of us…His desire is that we embrace Jesus and turn to Him. His grand design for sending Jesus was to rescue us, not to condemn. And are we ever grateful…or at least, we should be!
Will you take some time today to talk to God about the vantage point from which you are operating? If your relationship with God is based in fear and guilt, won’t you ask Him to help you shift to an attitude of serving out of love and gratitude? If you are wasting time and energy creating distractions and diversions to try and be something or someone you aren’t – or to hide from God - won’t you pull back the veil today and “come clean?” God already knows everything…but He wants you to acknowledge this and stand before Him…warts and all. Are you ready to get real with God? Is today “the day?”
©2015 Debbie Robus
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
There are countless examples in the news media of people who go to great lengths to expose a wrong…to point a finger at someone who is misbehaving or to spotlight how bad a situation has become. But one of the most ridiculous cases of this lately has been the Michigan state representative who sent out a fake e-mail in which he accused himself of having an encounter with a male prostitute. Why on earth would he do this? He said he was trying to cover up an actual affair that he was having with a fellow state representative (female). The representative also alleged that some of his co-workers were conspiring to expose his affair, so he created this elaborate – and ridiculous – ruse to divert attention!
This guy went to an awful lot of trouble just to try and cover his tracks. And he used one of the oldest tricks in the book…he tried to shine a spotlight on someone or something else in order to hide his own mistakes.
We serve a God who would never conspire to expose our sins to the world…much less create a “cover” to redirect attention or distract the attention of others. God does not play such games…and aren’t we glad?! God loves us so much that He sent Jesus Christ to live among us, to teach us and serve as the perfect example…then suffer, pour out His flesh and blood for us…and ultimately, to die for us. God welcomed Jesus back to Heaven, where He waits for each of us who give our hearts to Him. There was nothing sneaky or sinister in any of this. There were no plots to expose our failures and our flaws…no finger pointing of any kind. This was all done for one reason…incredible, amazing, incomprehensible, unconditional LOVE.
Until you understand that the message we need to hear is not one of fear and obligation, but rather one of abiding love, you will never truly “get” what it means to have a relationship with God. I know…because I operated from a vantage point of fear and dread for far too many years. God does not want to punish us…He wants to love us…and everything He does for us comes from this context. Until we understand this, we won’t really understand anything about Christian faith.
Some of us are busy trying to “cover our tracks.” We are hiding from God, and creating elaborate – and sometimes ridiculous - ruses and diversions…pointing our finger at the other guy and hoping that God will focus on him/her instead of us. This is a silly game…and we need to stop. God loves ALL of us…His desire is that we embrace Jesus and turn to Him. His grand design for sending Jesus was to rescue us, not to condemn. And are we ever grateful…or at least, we should be!
Will you take some time today to talk to God about the vantage point from which you are operating? If your relationship with God is based in fear and guilt, won’t you ask Him to help you shift to an attitude of serving out of love and gratitude? If you are wasting time and energy creating distractions and diversions to try and be something or someone you aren’t – or to hide from God - won’t you pull back the veil today and “come clean?” God already knows everything…but He wants you to acknowledge this and stand before Him…warts and all. Are you ready to get real with God? Is today “the day?”
©2015 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for March 12, 2015
John 3:19-21
Their sentence is based on this fact: that the Light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the Light, for their deeds were evil. They hated the heavenly Light because they wanted to sin in the darkness. They stayed away from that Light for fear their sins would be exposed and they would be punished. But those doing right come gladly to the Light to let everyone see that they are doing what God wants them to.”
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Our kitchen, living and dining areas are basically all one big room. The “house and garden experts” call this “open concept living”. One wall of this room is almost completely covered in windows that start about knee-high and go all the way to the ceiling. So early on sunny mornings, this room is flooded with bright light! And I will tell you, there have been mornings that I wished for darkness! Every single speck of dust…every crumb…every piece of lint, fuzz (and cat hair) shows in that bright light.
I am not nearly as diligent with my housekeeping as I once was - so there are times when it looks pretty bad. But I will also add that in the brightest of sunrises, I don’t think there is any amount of housekeeping that could prevent SOME dust from being exposed! And that’s just how it is with our Christian fellowship!
There is a delicate balance between wishing the morning was dark enough that God wouldn’t so blatantly illuminate our sins and shortcomings…and feeling like you have done your best and can proudly live with what His bright “Sonlight” reveals. Because you see, we will never be perfect…and by God’s grace and mercy, this is okay. But we cannot use this as an excuse or a license to operate in darkness and expect God to forgive and forget.
Those bright days when the house is not as clean as it needs to be are a physical reminder to me of how my life in Christ may be on any given day. And while I may not get any more zealous with my housekeeping any time soon, I am doing all I can to maintain a spotless home for God in my heart. I want to fellowship with Him in a way that never causes embarrassment to either of us. I want to be able to stand in God’s bright light and know that I am flawed, but forgiven…less than perfect, but loved anyway. I want to know that I have given Him my very best…and I have nothing to hide. What about you?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Their sentence is based on this fact: that the Light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the Light, for their deeds were evil. They hated the heavenly Light because they wanted to sin in the darkness. They stayed away from that Light for fear their sins would be exposed and they would be punished. But those doing right come gladly to the Light to let everyone see that they are doing what God wants them to.”
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Our kitchen, living and dining areas are basically all one big room. The “house and garden experts” call this “open concept living”. One wall of this room is almost completely covered in windows that start about knee-high and go all the way to the ceiling. So early on sunny mornings, this room is flooded with bright light! And I will tell you, there have been mornings that I wished for darkness! Every single speck of dust…every crumb…every piece of lint, fuzz (and cat hair) shows in that bright light.
I am not nearly as diligent with my housekeeping as I once was - so there are times when it looks pretty bad. But I will also add that in the brightest of sunrises, I don’t think there is any amount of housekeeping that could prevent SOME dust from being exposed! And that’s just how it is with our Christian fellowship!
There is a delicate balance between wishing the morning was dark enough that God wouldn’t so blatantly illuminate our sins and shortcomings…and feeling like you have done your best and can proudly live with what His bright “Sonlight” reveals. Because you see, we will never be perfect…and by God’s grace and mercy, this is okay. But we cannot use this as an excuse or a license to operate in darkness and expect God to forgive and forget.
Those bright days when the house is not as clean as it needs to be are a physical reminder to me of how my life in Christ may be on any given day. And while I may not get any more zealous with my housekeeping any time soon, I am doing all I can to maintain a spotless home for God in my heart. I want to fellowship with Him in a way that never causes embarrassment to either of us. I want to be able to stand in God’s bright light and know that I am flawed, but forgiven…less than perfect, but loved anyway. I want to know that I have given Him my very best…and I have nothing to hide. What about you?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for February 7, 2015
2 Timothy 4:1-5
I can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple.
You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Several months before my Mam-ma Polly moved to an Assisted Living Facility, I had to tell her that she could no longer make peanut brittle – her “signature dish” – by herself. I allowed that she could possibly make the candy when another adult was there to do the heavy lifting while she supervised. She reluctantly agreed…but I also knew that she continued to stir up a batch of the molten-lava-like substance when I wasn’t around…whether others were present or not.
During this time, I spotted not so much as one peanut or a bottle of corn syrup in her house…yet I could smell the freshly cooked candy as soon as I entered her garage. I heard “through the grapevine” about the box of this delectable treat that was mailed to a friend in Missouri shortly before Christmas. She made little “aside” comments about the candy she had given to her hairdresser and others…and I knew the sweet treats didn’t make themselves!
When I read this passage, one line stuck out to me…”God is looking over your shoulder.” God sees us when we think He is not watching…when we dabble in things we shouldn’t – even if those things are “church things” – like the latest craze in worship music or Bible study/teaching…or even catchy concepts like “prosperity religion” that are considered acceptable by many. God sees us when we judge others – both publicly and privately. He knows what is in our heart about EVERYTHING! This should make us think twice about many of the things we say and do…but sadly, many of us are able to momentarily put Him out of our mind. Just as my grandmother did as she pleased when I was not there to fuss at her…we often pretend that God is not there and go on our merry way.
But here’s another “take” on this sentence…and the one that really resonated with me today. God is looking over your shoulder! So when I am wondering which way to turn…He’s right there to guide me. When I am sick and need a healing touch, God is already providing it. When I enjoy the warm sunshine of a beautiful spring-like day in early February and almost feel giddy, God jumps for joy right alongside me. I don’t have to wonder where God is. He is looking over my shoulder…carrying me when my burdens are too heavy to bear alone… reveling in my victories and sharing my happiness.
As humans, we all have moments when we wish God would look away…that He would not see what we were about to do or hear the words that we were speaking. But aren’t we glad to know that He is always there? In the long run, doesn’t it give you hope, peace and joy to know that God is looking over your shoulder? And doesn’t it strengthen your resolve to please him – always and in all ways? Will this be the day that you renew your commitment to do just that? Don’t you think it should be?
©2015 Debbie Robus
I can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple.
You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Several months before my Mam-ma Polly moved to an Assisted Living Facility, I had to tell her that she could no longer make peanut brittle – her “signature dish” – by herself. I allowed that she could possibly make the candy when another adult was there to do the heavy lifting while she supervised. She reluctantly agreed…but I also knew that she continued to stir up a batch of the molten-lava-like substance when I wasn’t around…whether others were present or not.
During this time, I spotted not so much as one peanut or a bottle of corn syrup in her house…yet I could smell the freshly cooked candy as soon as I entered her garage. I heard “through the grapevine” about the box of this delectable treat that was mailed to a friend in Missouri shortly before Christmas. She made little “aside” comments about the candy she had given to her hairdresser and others…and I knew the sweet treats didn’t make themselves!
When I read this passage, one line stuck out to me…”God is looking over your shoulder.” God sees us when we think He is not watching…when we dabble in things we shouldn’t – even if those things are “church things” – like the latest craze in worship music or Bible study/teaching…or even catchy concepts like “prosperity religion” that are considered acceptable by many. God sees us when we judge others – both publicly and privately. He knows what is in our heart about EVERYTHING! This should make us think twice about many of the things we say and do…but sadly, many of us are able to momentarily put Him out of our mind. Just as my grandmother did as she pleased when I was not there to fuss at her…we often pretend that God is not there and go on our merry way.
But here’s another “take” on this sentence…and the one that really resonated with me today. God is looking over your shoulder! So when I am wondering which way to turn…He’s right there to guide me. When I am sick and need a healing touch, God is already providing it. When I enjoy the warm sunshine of a beautiful spring-like day in early February and almost feel giddy, God jumps for joy right alongside me. I don’t have to wonder where God is. He is looking over my shoulder…carrying me when my burdens are too heavy to bear alone… reveling in my victories and sharing my happiness.
As humans, we all have moments when we wish God would look away…that He would not see what we were about to do or hear the words that we were speaking. But aren’t we glad to know that He is always there? In the long run, doesn’t it give you hope, peace and joy to know that God is looking over your shoulder? And doesn’t it strengthen your resolve to please him – always and in all ways? Will this be the day that you renew your commitment to do just that? Don’t you think it should be?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for November 26, 2011
Psalm 139:6-12
I can't understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me.
Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight? If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead you would also be there.
Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean. Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me.
Or suppose I said, "I'll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over." But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Have you ever misplaced something, and you knew it was probably right in front of you, but you searched for hours – or even days – without finding the item? Don’t you sometimes feel like God just sits back and laughs? We run around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to find the elusive item. And if you are like me, it sometimes shows up either right under your nose… or in the most absurd place that leaves you asking, “What on earth was I thinking?!”
Aren’t you glad God doesn’t ever misplace us? Even when we wish we could hide from Him, we cannot. And this is a good thing! God knows everything about us… and He loves us anyway. I find this amazing, incredible, and absolutely wonderful! No matter where we go, God is there. No matter where you are today, or what is happening in your life, He is with you.
A few years ago, one of the young men who belonged to my Sunday School class was deployed to Iraq. I found it comforting to think that the moon that rose over Him each night was the same one that rose at my house. It gave me peace and reminded me that wherever I was, God was there, too. Knowing that we saw the same moon made me remember that the same God who loves both of us put it there… and He was with all of us even when we were separated on opposite ends of the earth.
Take time today to stop and thank God for always knowing where you are. Be glad He never even absentmindedly misplaces you… much less actually forgets you for even one second! Take comfort in knowing you serve such a mighty, loving God. And the next time you misplace something, try asking Him to show you where to find it!
©2011 Debbie Robus
I can't understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me.
Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight? If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead you would also be there.
Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean. Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me.
Or suppose I said, "I'll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over." But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Have you ever misplaced something, and you knew it was probably right in front of you, but you searched for hours – or even days – without finding the item? Don’t you sometimes feel like God just sits back and laughs? We run around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to find the elusive item. And if you are like me, it sometimes shows up either right under your nose… or in the most absurd place that leaves you asking, “What on earth was I thinking?!”
Aren’t you glad God doesn’t ever misplace us? Even when we wish we could hide from Him, we cannot. And this is a good thing! God knows everything about us… and He loves us anyway. I find this amazing, incredible, and absolutely wonderful! No matter where we go, God is there. No matter where you are today, or what is happening in your life, He is with you.
A few years ago, one of the young men who belonged to my Sunday School class was deployed to Iraq. I found it comforting to think that the moon that rose over Him each night was the same one that rose at my house. It gave me peace and reminded me that wherever I was, God was there, too. Knowing that we saw the same moon made me remember that the same God who loves both of us put it there… and He was with all of us even when we were separated on opposite ends of the earth.
Take time today to stop and thank God for always knowing where you are. Be glad He never even absentmindedly misplaces you… much less actually forgets you for even one second! Take comfort in knowing you serve such a mighty, loving God. And the next time you misplace something, try asking Him to show you where to find it!
©2011 Debbie Robus
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