Devotional For Men Blog
Annoyance Is An Opportunity
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“People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b)
Recently, I decided to reverse the usual route of my two-mile walk. Bored with walking down the hill to a traffic light, turning right and circling back, I turned at the first street instead. From the opposite direction, the yards looked different. A tree-fort that was well hidden from the direction I usually walked stood out now. I noticed swimming pools I’d never seen before.
It made me wonder how different my circumstances would appear if I looked at them from the other direction too. Instead of seeing the world through my human filters, I decided to make a concerted effort to see it through God’s perspective. God looks at us with His unconditional, loving eyes. He looks past our physical appearance. What if I were to view my annoyances through the eyes of God? Would they be molehills instead of mountains? Better yet, would they turn into anthills?
I decided to experiment for a day. When I drove to work, instead of grumbling about a driver who cut in front of me, I saw the person as a distracted sister in Christ. Was her mother terminally ill in a nursing home down the street? Perhaps her child lay in the hospital with an illness. I said a prayer for her, knowing God had her life in His hands.
At a store counter, a college-age youth gave me no smile, no sign he wanted to assist me despite the name tag that asked, “How can I help you today?” I wondered if he struggled with grades in school, had a load of homework and worked full time to financially help his single mother. I’ll never know, but God does. He knew the reasons the clerk’s attitude needed a lift. As I walked away, I prayed God would bring him relief from the challenges he faced.
Usually slow service at lunch irritates me. The one-day experiment made me look at the waiter through God’s eyes. He juggled many tables. Some customers growled at him for the slowness of the food. There was a wedding ring on his hand. He dealt with complaining customers and worked on his feet provide for his family. I prayed that the kitchen would run smoother, make his job less stressful and then prayed for his family. Once again, God knew their needs and issues. I could only pray and tip enough to compensate for light tips from complainers at other tables.
God chose to place these individuals before me on my experimental day. Seeing each of them through His eyes not only made my day pleasant, it kept my focus on His kingdom rather than the little annoyances.
In Samuel 16:7 we see that God graciously looks at our hearts, not our outward appearance. I must do the same to keep in alignment with His commandments. Now, when I’m cut off in traffic or scowled at by a service person, I look beyond the outward appearance. Each day presents me with opportunities to show God’s grace. A one-day experiment changed me for a lifetime.
Questions: Who has God placed on your path this day that needs His grace? How does God see these people compared to our limited view?
There Is More
How can we pray for you today?
“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)
This truth has been changing my life over the past few months. There is always more to God than what I am currently experiencing. He is asking me, “Do you want me, Eric?”
It’s a simple question, and He’s asking you the same thing. Do you want more of God?
Do you want more God in hard times? If times are hard for you, God is there, able to catch, hold and comfort you. We can’t fall too low for He sank to the deepest depths and knows every temptation. (Hebrews 4:15) His Spirit is our Comforter. Do you want Him?
Do you want more God in good times? If times are good, God is even better that you dream Him to be. In our moments of greatest revelation we only see a slice of God. We can never encapsulate His goodness in a word, song, or even a lifetime. (Job 11:7 and 1 Cor. 13:12) God is better than we know.
In hard times, He is good and He is working things out for the good of those who love Him.
In good times, He is even better than we think He is, and infinitely more so.
The desire to know God should compel us into every Christian virtue, from the private practice of humble meditation to the public expression of bold evangelism.
There’s always more God. Do you want Him?
Father, I want to know You and the power of Your resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in Your sufferings. Teach me to press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, help me to press on toward the goal to win the prize for which You have called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Amen (Adapted from Phil 3:10-14)
Question: How do you get to know God better?
Be a Fool
Learn to better manage your time
Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephasor the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God. (1 Corinthians 3:18-23)
In 1956, a small group of missionaries formed a plan to reach a tribe of people who called themselves the ‘Huaorani’ in the forests of Ecuador. This tribe was extremely hostile to outsiders, and the missionaries’ only contact from the tribe warned them not to trust the Huaroani: “To you the might seem friendly for a while, but they will not stop short of killing.” Nevertheless, the missionaries knew they had to try to reach these people.
Their plan involved air-dropping small gifts to the tribe, then setting up camp nearby and gradually gaining the tribespeoples’ trust. Everything seemed to be working according to plan … until one day all five missionaries were suddenly killed by the Huaorani. Due to their previous contact with outsiders, the Huaorani were intensely distrustful of the missionaries, and instinctively feared a trap.
Newspapers around the world reported the story, and some called the men foolish for trying to make contact with the tribe. A “waste of lives”, some called it. But their work not only laid the foundation upon which later missionaries would be able to successfully share the gospel with the Huaorani, it also inspired hundreds of young people to volunteer to become missionaries themselves. (Adapted from Jesus Freaks Volume II, by DC Talk)
Paul writes that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight” (1 Corinthians 3:19) The world will not understand the selfless devotion felt toward the God who has saved us, and may even call us foolish or persecute us for living first and foremost for God. Jesus explains that “They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.” (John 15:21) When the world thinks it is wise, it is really foolish for ignoring God who is the source of all wisdom.
Today, let’s renew our commitment to knowing and living the gospel so that we can more winsomely witness to others, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)
Question: In what way(s) could you ask God to make you a more winsome witness?
About this Author: http://thelife.com/experience/devotionalformen/authors/darren-hewer/
An Infusion Of Power
“Even the youths shall be exhausted, and the young men will all give up. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint”
(Isaiah 40:30,31)
I flew all night from Los Angeles to New York for a very important meeting with the president of one of the major television networks, and after only three hours in New York flew back across the continent to Portland, Oregon, to speak that night at a conference of several hundred pastors.
Every fiber of my being ached with fatigue as I waited for my luggage in the Portland airport. In only 30 minutes I would be speaking to the pastors, yet I felt about as spiritual as a head of cabbage. Suddenly I felt impressed to pray, “Lord, do You have something You would like to share with me?”
Immediately I felt a leading to turn to the 40th chapter of Isaiah. As I read those familiar words, which at that instant had new, inspiring meaning for me, I sensed a surge of strength, energy, and power flow into and through my body. I suddenly felt that I could have thrown my luggage over the building and run to the meeting several miles away.
I could hardly wait to stand before those servants of God and proclaim to them the wonder and majesty, the glory and power, the faithfulness and love of our God. Within a half hour or so, I did have that privilege and God empowered and anointed me for the occasion in a most unusual and marvelous way.
Bible Reading: Isaiah 40:25-29
Today’s Action Point:
As I discover a need for renewed strength today, I will say with the psalmist, “I will go in the strength of the Lord God” (Psalm 71:16a, KJV). I will repeat that solemn declaration throughout the day, and by faith will claim His supernatural strength for my every physical and spiritual need.
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The Stubbornness of Hope
Ten reasons to hope.
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed….” (Romans 4:18a)
I’m thankful that hope is so stubborn. If it wasn’t, I think I’d be a goner. Many times my circumstances have tempted me to throw in the towel, but each time I find hope popping to the surface and eventually taking over.
Oh, I’ve tried to resist. I’ve let discouraging thoughts smother the “noble, lovely and praiseworthy.” I’ve listened to the whispers of failure more times than I care to remember. I’ve allowed the voice of disappointment to become louder than a scream. But with the predictability of a Hallmark movie, I find that after all my rants and raves, hope stands there quietly waiting. She penetrates my protests with the undeniable assurance that it’s gonna be okay.
It’s a God thing, of course. Scripture compares hope to an anchor (Hebrews 6:19). It attaches us to what is really real, to what is solid. It causes hearts that would otherwise go adrift to dig in to the truth.
Abraham learned this truth about hope. Although he didn’t start out that way, he arrived at that place which required him to “hope against hope.” He had been given big promises — promises accompanied by big delays. These delays stretched him, pushed him to the edge, and disheartened him. Proverbs 13:12 reminds us that, “hope deferred makes the heart sick.” But in spite of all the waffling doubts he kept hoping.
The stubborn nature of hope arose every time he looked at the brilliance of the night. He must have seen God’s promise echoed in the sky. When he walked in the endless desert sand he was reminded that God said, “I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.” (Genesis 13:16) Whenever he heard his new name, “Abraham,” hope took him back to the time when God told him he would be the “father of many nations”. (Genesis 17:5) Hope bound him so tightly to the word of God that it yielded the indomitable substance we call faith.
It will do the same for us. So go ahead. Give in to the stubbornness of hope.
Father, Remind me that it is safe to hope in You. Your word is strong and Your promises are forever. My only hope is in You. Amen
Question: How does Abraham’s stubborn hope impact you today?
What Is On Your List?
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“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
If you knew that your house was going to burn down and you could only get one thing, what would it be? Family pictures? The car? Your Bible? Do you find yourself struggling with that question because you can’t decide what one thing you would take? Are too many things to pick just one? Or maybe you think that there isn’t anything important in your house – just your family members.
My husband’s brother and his wife had their house catch fire a few years ago. It was early morning and everyone was sleeping. Praise God they all woke up and the whole family got out of the house. When the volunteer fire department got there they asked them, “What do you want us to rescue?” They wanted their family photo albums, something they knew they couldn’t replace.
After losing pretty much everything they owned my brother-in-law and sister-in-law realized that what they had on this earth wasn’t nearly as important as what they were laying up in heaven. They left a well paying job, family members and their church family to go and serve God in Wyoming.
In the movie, Schindler’s List, Oskar Schindler, a wealthy German businessman employs Jewish people to work in his factories during the Holocaust. At first he is only concerned about making money and being successful but as time goes on he begins to realize that when he requests someone to work for him he is literally saving their life. By the end of the movie his whole focus has turned from being successful to saving as many Jews as he can.
There is a scene in the movie where he gathers all of his Jewish employees together and tells them that the war is over and they are free to go. Then he looks down at a pin on his jacket and yanks it off, with tears pouring down his cheeks he says, “Would this have bought one more person?” and he falls to the ground racked with agony because he chose his pin over a fellow human being.
I can’t help but wonder, when I get to heaven will I feel the same way? Will the money spent on a sweater I just had to have or the time I felt prompted by God to speak to a friend about Jesus and didn’t, still seem like the right decision? Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will be also.
I don’t want to get to the end of my life and regret that I lost sight of what was truly important – the Kingdom of Heaven!
Lord, teach us to set our affection on things above and not on things of this earth. Show us how to treasure what You treasure. May we never lose sight of what is truly important – loving You and loving other people. Amen
Questions: What do you treasure? Where do you spend your time, your thoughts, your energy – is it on yourself, the things you own, your own comfort? There’s only one thing you can take with you to heaven – other people.
A Pattern Of Powerful Prayer
Open your bible and read Colossians 1:9-14 .
If someone should pose the question, “How can I pray for you?” would you be able to give a clear answer? Oftentimes we simply do not know what to say. The same thing can happen with our friends – when we ask them that question, we frequently get a vague answer. Learning to pray for one another does not come naturally; we have to be taught. That is why the Bible contains many patterns for effective prayer.
One such pattern is found in Paul’s epistle to the saints at Colossae. He asks that they may be “filled with the knowledge of His will” (Colossians 1:9). This means that we can come to know what God is up to in our lives. When we understand His will, that knowledge is most satisfying and precious.
Paul’s prayer also includes a second request on behalf of the Colossians. He asks that they will have more than just an understanding of what is right; he prays that they may walk in a manner worthy of Christ and that they should be strengthened with all power. (verses 10-11)
Such a transformed walk can be so attractive that onlookers will come to recognize God at work in the lives of His children. Believers can display the heavenly Father’s power to forgive sins, and they can walk before Him in holiness.
These are the specific requests we should make when praying for others. To effect a double blessing, we can ask the same things for ourselves. And this powerful prayer will always be answered because it is in full accordance with the will of God.
Tune My Heart
It can be hard to hear God in the busyness of life. Take today’s lesson to hear how to listen better.
“And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” (1 Kings 19:12b)
There’s a moment just before the performance begins where the lights go down and the symphony tunes. It’s a strange, cacophonous sound, nothing at all like the music that will start a few minutes later. I love that sound. It sounds like anticipation. It’s a sound that tells you that something wonderful is about to happen.
Tuning is not a warning bell; it’s an alignment. One musician plays a single note, always the same note, and each of the instruments joins in. They play, they listen, and they adjust and play again. They keep going until all the sounds blend together, until there are united and aligned, in tune.
I love the line in the old hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” that says, “tune my heart”. I want that. I want my heart to sound like God’s. Did you know that if you put two grand pianos in a room and play a note on one of them the corresponding string in the other piano will start to vibrate? I want the note God is playing to resonate in my heart.
In 1 Kings, God tells Elijah to go and stand on a mountain where He will pass by. There is wind and fire, even an earthquake, but God is not in the wind or the fire or the earthquake. God comes in a gentle whisper. I need to be still and hear that whisper; I need to tune my heart to it.
I cannot do the things God has planned for me if my heart is out of tune. No matter how carefully I try to serve God, if my heart is out of tune it’s all just garbage. I think it’s so interesting that even professional musicians have to tune and they tune every single time they play. I want my life to be like that, to begin every day by listening for the voice of God and moving my heart – dragging it along sometimes – until my heart, my attitude sounds like God’s. I want to go through my days in tune with Him.
Father,
As the hymn says, “Come, thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace”. Teach me to stop and listen for your whisper. Keep me still until the song of my heart sounds like You. Mold me so that when people hear my words and see my actions they think of You. Thank you for being patient with me. Tune my heart. I’m listening. Amen.
Question: When is it hard to hear God? Where do you find it easiest to hear His gentle whisper?
It Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
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“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Just about the time I think I am getting “tech savvy,” I get some new electronic device to figure out. It is incredible what these things can do, but the challenge is in getting them to do it.
Toyota recently announced that two new positions are being created in every dealership across the land to assist new car buyers in figuring out how to use the electronics in their new cars. I think they are called Electronic Usability Specialists or something like that.
New gadgets are designed to make life easier, but somehow they tend to make it more complicated. I have a hard time just remembering all of my passwords, much less how to use them.
One thing that hasn’t changed over the years is the simplicity of the Gospel. It is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and will be for evermore. It isn’t complicated and doesn’t have to be.
Here’s how one of the greatest theologians of all time, Charles Haddon Spurgeon expressed it:
“God be thanked for the simplicity of the gospel. The longer I live, the more I bless God that we have not received a classical gospel, nor a mathematical gospel, nor a metaphysical gospel; it is not a gospel confined to scholars and men of genius, but a poor man s gospel, a ploughman’s gospel; for that is the kind of gospel which we can live upon and die upon. It is to us not the luxury of refinement, but the staple food of life. We want no fine words when the heart is heavy, neither do we need deep problems when we are lying upon the verge of eternity, weak in body and tempted in mind. At such times we magnify the blessed simplicity of the gospel. Jesus in the flesh made manifest becomes our soul’s bread. Jesus bleeding on the cross, a substitute for sinners, is our soul’s drink. This is the gospel for babes, and strong men want no more.”
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9). It doesn’t get much more simple than that and doesn’t have to be.
Questions: Have you confessed your sins lately to God? What can you bring to Him today? He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
Like a Pineapple
How can we pray for you today?
“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29)
Food. It tastes good, it allows my body to function, and it teaches me things about God. The other day I was looking at a pineapple thinking, “God hides himself in things and waits eagerly for us to seek Him out.” A pineapple looks so unappetizing: same with a coconut or a kiwi. Seriously God? You make these prickly, hairy fruits with the most delicious nectars and juices. You must want to be found.
I find the same characteristic of God in cooking. Spices in creative combinations, sweet, spicy, and salty, all working together in tantalizing unison. But again, I can’t help but think, He wants us to seek the full potential of the situation. And it’s not just in the 21st century cuisine either. God wants us to investigate the normal, mundane, or even painful, and uncover the supernatural within. For example:
- The shepherd boy David found a deep faith in God while tending sheep.
- King David rediscovered God’s faithfulness while being pursued by Saul.
- Elijah found God’s presence in the stillness: a gentle whisper.
- Job found God in the midst of incredible suffering.
- Joseph was sold into slavery, but found God’s favor.
- And Jesus bought salvation for every person on a rugged, wooden cross.
All these events arrive in unpredictable and ugly packaging, like a pineapple. And while most of the Bible is filled with the dramatic moments of God revealing Himself to mankind, the Bible also tells us to seek Him. Yes, sometimes God hides Himself and wants us to dig deeper in order to find Him. Hosea 5:15 says “they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me.” Why would we have to seek God unless He was hiding? Whether in misery or in the mundane, may we always seek God.
And when we seek, we will find. Deuteronomy 4:29 promises, “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Life’s like a pineapple: find God in it today.
Lord, help me to never stop seeking You. Thank You that you promise to reveal Yourself to me.
Question: Where have you seen God reveal Himself to you lately?
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