Showing posts with label will of God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label will of God. Show all posts

Daily Devotional for April 22, 2012

Psalm 128:1
The Lord will bless you if you respect him and obey his laws.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version ©1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

Recently I saw a news report on a documentary film that has been made about drug dealers in Mexico… except the actors were all children instead of adults. The four-minute film is a commentary on the upcoming presidential elections in our neighboring country to the south. Deemed a “wake-up” call, this “mocumentary” has gone viral on YouTube and ends with a little girl saying, “If this is the future that awaits me, I don't want it. Enough of working for your political parties instead of for us. Enough of cosmetic changes.”

As I watched the video, I was struck by the thought that every adult is someone’s child. And in that context, I would hope we find it a little more difficult to be so harsh and judgmental toward others. At the very least, when we think about the person who commits a heinous crime and see his/her grieving parents on the news, we should have compassion… for them AND – to some degree - for the culprit. Somewhere along the line, this person lost his/her respect for – and obedience to – God’s laws. And in many ways, we have all done the same thing as we choose to follow our own desires – or the will of man – rather than God’s.

We are all familiar with the “Ten Commandments” as given to Moses by God. We probably all know them pretty well by heart. But in the New Testament, Jesus gave us two basic “laws”… “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, mind and soul,” and “Love one another as He has loved us.” If/when we do these things, everything else falls into place. All you have to do is stop and ask yourself if your words and actions reflect a love for God with all your heart, mind and soul… and whether they show a love for others. It’s truly that simple… and that complicated all at once!

If we consider Jesus’ commands, we cannot be judgmental, immoral, unkind, indecent, or perverse. We cannot be arrogant, pious, or proud. We cannot murder, steal, lie or cheat. To love God on this level means we must fully surrender our “program” for God’s… and walk in respect and reverence of Him at all times.

I don’t know what man-made “laws” - or interpretations of God’s law - are governing (and/or burdening) you today. But I do know that the only laws that matter are God’s… and it’s up to us to determine which are which! If we operate in the fear (respect and reverence) of the LORD and walk in His ways… obey His laws… our choices and decisions become fairly simple – and the blessings are sure to be evident. Ask yourself simply and prayerfully, “Does this line up with the word and will of God?” Your answer will determine how you proceed… and inevitably control the outcome.

To paraphrase the little girl in the movie…“Enough of living according to man’s law and his interpretation of the word of God. Enough of pretending to serve God while serving our own interests.” It’s time to make sure we are in step with God’s will at all times. Are you asking the right questions? Whose laws are you following these days?

©2012 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for July 21, 2011

2 Samuel 12:16-23
So David went without eating to show his sorrow, and he begged God to make the boy well. David would not sleep on his bed, but spent each night lying on the floor. His officials stood beside him and tried to talk him into getting up. But he would not get up or eat with them.

After the child had been sick for seven days, he died, but the officials were afraid to tell David. They said to each other, "Even when the boy was alive, David wouldn't listen to us. How can we tell him his son is dead? He might do something terrible!"

David noticed his servants whispering, and he knew the boy was dead. "Did my son die?" he asked his servants. "Yes, he did," they answered.

David got up off the floor; he took a bath, combed his hair, and dressed. He went into the LORD's tent and worshiped, then he went back home. David asked for something to eat, and when his servants brought him some food, he ate it.

His officials said, "What are you doing? You went without eating and cried for your son while he was alive! But now that he's dead, you're up and eating.

David answered: While he was still alive, I went without food and cried because there was still hope. I said to myself, "Who knows? Maybe the LORD will have pity on me and let the child live." But now that he's dead, why should I go without eating? I can't bring him back! Someday I will join him in death, but he can't return to me.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

Have you ever prayed for something specific, and God answered in a different way? How did you react? Did you pout… rant and rave… or mope around feeling sad and mistreated because God didn’t answer as you had wished?

We have clear examples in the Bible of God answering prayers… but not always in the way we want or expect. David had done some terrible things, and he was told that God would allow him to live… his baby boy would die because of his sin. David begged and pleaded with God not to take the baby… but that is exactly what God did.

In the New Testament, we read that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and asked God if there was any other way to accomplish His will without the crucifixion. Jesus prayed so hard he sweated blood! But in this case… as in the case of David… God answered differently… and both got up, dusted themselves off, and moved forward.

There is a great example here for each of us, and it has two components. First, we must always pray for God’s will… not our own. Beyond this, we must accept God’s answers – with dignity and grace. To do otherwise belies our faith. If we walk around saying, “I asked God to heal me, but I’m still sick,” we’re saying, “I don’t believe in God’s wisdom… I don’t trust His outcomes.” If we say, “I begged God not to let such-and-such happen, but it did anyway,” we are saying, “I know better than God how things ought to go. He should have listened to me!” Instead, we should be saying, “I prayed for God’s will. I will trust Him for the right outcome,” or “I asked God to heal me according to His will… and I know He will do just that!” The difference is a shift in attitude… operating in faith rather than specific requests and results.

There is nothing wrong with praying, “Lord, please dissolve this tumor,” or “Father, please protect my children.” But we must always follow with “… according to your will.” More than this, we must mean what we say. We must truly ask God to be present in our lives according to His will, and when He speaks, we must do as David did… dust ourselves off, dress and move ahead. We must look at Jesus’ example and put one foot in front of the other, regardless of what God calls us to endure.

I will be the first to admit that God has not always answered my prayers as I would like. In fact, He often answers quite differently. I’m learning to look at God’s answers and see that His outcomes are always better. Notice I didn’t say they were easier… but somewhere down the road, I can almost always see that He had a better plan. And honestly, it doesn’t matter whether I see the plan or not… what matters is that I trust God for His perfect outcome.

Think about what you are asking God for these days. Consider what you are expecting… is it His will – or your own? Where do you need to shift your attitude… and your level of trust? Have you dusted off your clothes and stepped out in faith for God’s answers lately? Isn’t it time you did?

©2011 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for June 22, 2011

Luke 22:41-44
He pulled away from them about a stone's throw, knelt down, and prayed, "Father, remove this cup from me. But please, not what I want. What do you want?" At once an angel from heaven was at his side, strengthening him. He prayed on all the harder. Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face.

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.

In his book, 90 Minutes in Heaven, Baptist minister Don Piper tells his real-life experience of being involved in a head-on collision in January 1989, near Livingston, Texas. The crash was so bad - and Piper’s injuries were so severe - that paramedics covered his car with a tarp and left him for 90 minutes while they waited on a coroner to arrive and pronounce him legally dead. And Piper tells of traveling to heaven…the people and things he saw there… and how glorious it was. Truly, he did not want to ever leave… he was perfectly content to be dead!

But another minister passed by the site of the wreck and felt God telling him to go to the car and pray for the person inside. This man felt this so strongly that he insisted to paramedics that he needed to crawl inside what was left of the back end of this mangled car and pray for the victim. The paramedic relented, and the pastor did exactly this, placing his hand on Don’s shoulder and praying – then singing, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Much to the pastor’s surprise, Don began to sing along with him!

I won’t give away any more of the book… I hope you will read it for yourself. But I will tell you that for a long time, Don Piper was incredibly angry that God had made him return to earth. Heaven was everything Don had been told it would be… and so much more. It was truly glorious… happy… amazing… wonderful… far beyond any words Don could find to describe it. Yet he returned to earth to endure horrendous suffering, depression, pain and sadness. And for a long time, he didn’t understand why God could do this to him.

Again, I don’t want to give away the story, but let’s just say it took Don a long time to come to a point where he could truly say… “Not what I want, Father… what do You want?” And when he began to ask the right question… and to really seek – and follow – God’s will, he saw things clearly. He discovered the amazing plans that God had for him on this earth… the ways in which he could serve and bless in the name of Jesus.

Recently my 98-year-old grandmother said, “Some days, I just don’t know why I’m still here.” I began to share with her about this book… and to remind her of all of the people she blesses every day with her presence. I pointed out the young nurses’ aides that she “grandmothers” and the maintenance man she is teaching to “garden.” I mentioned the other residents that she visits with and checks up on each day, and a young mother she has befriended and to whom she has become a confidante.

I could have pointed out the husband of her friend who resides across the street in the nursing home – a man she visits and prays with often… or the hairdresser and manicurist she no doubt witnesses to each week… or the ladies from the community who visit and get the “sales pitch” from her to “C’mon down and live here with us… you’ll like it!”

God isn’t done with her… His will – not hers. And God isn’t done with us, either. The question is… are we seeking His will? Are we asking, “What is Your will, not mine?” Do we listen for God’s direction in our lives… and follow it? Or do we say, “Yeah…but NO! I think I’ll do this instead. That seems a little too hard, scary, or painful… and it certainly doesn’t look like much fun. No, LORD, I think I’ll do this instead.”? It’s time for us to humble ourselves… to follow the lead of Jesus Himself and to submit to God’s will for our lives.

I told my grandmother, “Heaven will come soon enough… and it will be even better than you could ever have imagined. Meanwhile, you’ve still got work to do!” And so do we! Have you gotten your assignment? Are you doing the work God planned for you until He calls you home? Isn’t it time you got started?

©2011 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for March 27, 2010

March 27 ~ Romans 8:33-34
If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God's right side, speaking to him for us.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

A friend of mine wrote on Facebook that he would like to go back and revisit all of the books and movies that meant so much more to his parents than they did to him when he first read them – like Seabiscuit. He explained, “In any work wherein loss or illness of a child is crucial to character development, I'm sure I would connect more with that person and his or her motivations. Even "The Incredibles" got to me because by then I had a child. You understand better the meaning of the phrase "do anything it takes."

In Romans 8, we hear the Apostle Paul explaining that if God is for us, who is really against us? Paul continues that if God was willing to give up His only Son for us, won’t He give us EVERYTHING else? If God chose us, can anyone else truly reject us? I will tell you, I cannot imagine giving up a child. I’ve thought a lot about this, and I fully understand how parents save a child at the risk of their own life. Think rescuing a child who is drowning, or holding a baby out the window of a burning building for someone else to save. I get that… I would do that in a heartbeat. But to allow my child to be nailed to be tortured and nailed to a cross… even to save millions of other “children”… well, I don’t know that kind of love in human form. I would do anything it takes to save a child, but I am fairly certain I could not sacrifice them – no matter what the cause.

So given this consideration, when God says He sent Jesus to die for me, I have to believe Him. When God says that I am precious in His sight, I have to repeat those words when I feel condemned or criticized by others. When God says that what He does for me, He does for many, I have to look at each person I encounter as a His child, fully deserving of all He gives…just like I am. I have to remember that Jesus died for me, you, and everyone else who will believe in Him… and now He goes to bat for ALL of us each and every day. I am grateful that God loves enough to sacrifice HIS Son for all of us… I am grateful for His power and grace and mercy. Where I am weak, He is strong… and I praise Him for this.

Romans 8 concludes with verses that tell us nothing can separate us from God’s love. God… the ultimate Parent… loves us more than we can imagine… enough to sacrifice Jesus on the cross for our sins. How can we not serve One who loves us incredibly? If God is on our side, who can be against us?


©2010 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for February 19, 2010

February 19 ~ Matthew 26:36-39
Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane. When they got there, he told them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
Jesus took along Peter and the two brothers, James and John. He was very sad and troubled, and he said to them, "I am so sad that I feel as if I am dying. Stay here and keep awake with me." Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, don't make me suffer by having me drink from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want."

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

Do you ever feel discouraged? Do you ever feel a little bit ashamed to admit this? Given all that God has done in your life – how blessed we are to live in America – all of the freedom and blessings we possess – doesn’t it seem like we are whining when we ask God to lift our burdens? And yet, we have an example of the only perfect person – Jesus Christ – asking God to prevent horrific events in His life. Even Jesus asked God for help.

There are two points to glean from this passage today. Even though we know that God will manage things for us, we all get discouraged from time to time and begin to lose a little faith. This is human nature – and in large part it is because we are allowing Satan to creep into some corner of our life. But there is a quick way out… ask God to help. Pour out your feelings to Him and admit that you are discouraged and your faith has weakened a bit, and allow Him to work in and through you to improve things.

The other point is that, while Jesus asked God to remove this “cup” – the torture and crucifixion that was coming – He prayed, “if it is possible” – or in some translations, He says (paraphrasing) “Your will, not Mine.” And we all know that God’s will (painful though it was for Him) was for Jesus to suffer… so that all of US could be saved and live for Eternity with Him. So, we must ask God for everything “if it is possible.” We must ask for God’s help, according to HIS will, not ours. And we must trust that God never answers poorly… He always gives us exactly what we need and what is best for His purposes and the bigger plan.

There is NOTHING we can’t share with God. There is NOTHING we can’t tell Him – NOTHING we can’t ask. Pour out your heart to Him today and receive His answers. Remember to say, “if it is possible,” and to trust His response.

©2009 Debbie Robus