Devotionals

Philippians 2:6–11

Late springtime is the season of yard sales and moving vans. People are on the move and wrestling with what to do with all the accumulated stuff, jammed into garages, shoved into closets, and packed into attics. And how about those storage spaces?

The same can be true of the rest of our lives. We hoard our time, keep our gifts and talents and resources for ourselves, and spend the choicest of our days investing in our possessions and guarding our priorities.

How different from Jesus who ...

Psalm 90:12–17

Isaiah 30:15

We are living in a “too much” culture.

Too much empty talk. Too much rich food. Too much emphasis on success, winning, being the biggest, and having the best. Too much comparison, commercialism, and competition. Too many meetings. Too much social media. Too many making the extreme the standard. Periods are fast being replaced by exclamation points. “Nice” is no longer sufficient. Now it’s got to be “fantastic” or “incredible.” And, of course, “awesome!!”

Proverbs 23:12

Can't and won't. Christians need to be very careful which one they choose. It seems that we prefer to use "can't."

"I just can't get along with my wife."

"My husband and I can't communicate."

"I just can't discipline the kids as I should."

"I just can't give up the affair I'm having."

"I can't stop overeating."

"I can't find time to pray."

Any Christian who takes the Bible seriously will have to agree the word here really should be "won't." 

Why?

Colossians 2:3

From the looks of things, you're pretty impressive. You've got a nice place. And I suppose your neighbours would agree that you're a hard worker...climbing right on up that ladder toward success, right?... 

Your salary is good and your material possessions are growing in number, but...the truth is you are empty on the inside and you're faking it on the outside. Not one thing you own in your "kingdom" has brought you the happiness you long for. 

So you're thinking, "Maybe if I could land that better job," or "get into that bigger house," or...or....

Proverbs 10:12

"I accept you as you are."

"I believe you are valuable."

"I care when you hurt."

"I desire only what is best for you."

"I erase all offenses."

We could call that the ABCs of love. And I don't know of anybody who would turn his back on such magnetic, encouraging statements. 

There is nothing shallow about authentic love. Nor is it a magic wand we whip out and wave over a problem with a whoosh, hoping all the pain will go away. 

Ecclesiastes 10:10

I don't know of a hotter subject today than success. Magazine articles, books, seminars, and sermons promote it. 

But success is seldom linked with wisdom. Chances are good that if we would pick up last Sunday's paper and read it through, we'd come across 20 or more references to success, yet find nothing added regarding wisdom. 

In today's hype about success, wisdom is conspicuous by its absence. Outside of biblical literature and biblically based books, we hardly even come across the Word….

Psalm 139:3

For Christmas one year we bought our children what was called "Ant City." This consisted of clear plastic plates on either side, filled with sand and ants. 

From our vantage point outside and above, we could see what these busy little creatures were doing underground. We watched as they tunnelled their way around, leaving a maze of trails.

In a similar fashion, God scrutinizes our paths. From where we are, tunnelling along, all we see is the sand immediately ahead, behind, and beside us. 

1 Peter 2:12

Mediocrity is fast becoming the byword of our times. Every imaginable excuse is now used to make it acceptable, hopefully preferred. Budget cuts, time deadlines, majority opinion, and hard-nosed practicality are outshouting and outrunning excellence. Those forces seem to be winning the race. Incompetence and status quo averages are held up as all we can now expect, and the tragedy is that more and more people have virtually agreed. Why worry over the small stuff? Why bother with the genuine now that the artificial looks so real? If the public buys it, why sweat it? 

Philippians 2:1-11

We live in a negative, hostile world. Face it, my friend, the system that surrounds us focuses on the negatives: what is wrong, not what is right; what is missing, not what is present; what is ugly, not what is beautiful; what is destructive, not what is constructive; what cannot be done, not what can be done; what hurts, not what helps; what we lack, not what we have. You question that? Pick up your local newspaper and read it through. See if the majority of the news doesn't concern itself (and the reader) with the negatives. It's contagious!