PlanetWisdom.com Devotionals

In All Things

2009-08-18T08:04:00.000-06:00

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

It's too easy to use this verse as a force field we put up to keep ourselves from feeling other people's pain. "I'm sorry that happened to you, but it's good to know that God has a purpose for it. It will all make sense in the end. Call me!"

But Paul didn't write it in a Hallmark sympathy card. He wrote it immediately after admitting that even Christians still groan on this planet in frustration and pain. He wrote it after acknowledging that we don't yet have what we're hoping for. He wrote it after showing that God's Spirit groans with us, making our case to God because we just don't have the words.

Then he explains his reasons for confidence in the God who lets him hurt for now: The God who loves us is up to something bigger than this temporary agony. He is working -- even in the hard things -- for the good of people who love Him, people He has called to participate in His plan for the universe.

In a sense, our painful circumstances matter because God is working in them; our suffering fits somewhere. It is not pointless. It is not anonymous. It is not overlooked. It's part of the story He is telling.

Think: Do you ever get tired of people quoting this verse when terrible things happen? Do you believe it, that God really is working through your hard circumstances to do good for those who love Him and are called to serve His purpose?

Pray: Thank God that in all things He does, in fact, work for the good of those who love Him and are called for His purpose.

Do: Make a quick list of some of the hard things in your life. Think about how they fit into this promise.

The Spirit Groans

2009-08-17T09:04:00.000-06:00

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Romans 8:26)

We ended last's weeks devo's on a kind of down -- but honest -- note: We will experience frustration and pain until the Day that we finally stand in God's presence in eternity. For now, we wait and hope.

But we do not wait alone. And we do not struggle on in our own puny weakness. Nothing is the same as it was before we knew Jesus. We'll keep reading Romans 8 this week and notice how God has turned our lives inside out, how He provides everything we need as we look forward to the Day.

For starters, the Spirit talks to the Father for us. All of creation groans. We groan. And the Spirit groans for us, making the case for us, making up for the fact that we don't know the words or how to say them. It's as if God has installed Himself in our hearts to send Himself messages from us about exactly what we need. (Kind of.)

Think: Have you ever felt frustrated because you didn't know how to pray, what to say to God about your circumstances? Does knowing that the Spirit intercedes for us in those moments help?

Pray: Thank God that the Spirit intercedes for you with groans that words can't express, even when you don't how to pray.

Do: Pay attention to your prayers this week and believe that when you run out of the right words the Spirit is communicating exactly the right things to God.

Waiting for the Day

2009-08-16T09:03:00.000-06:00

"For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." (Romans 8:24-25)

Now comes the hard part. Let's say that you have bought into Paul's argument: Our only hope of ever experiencing true satisfaction, ultimate completeness, is to be with God in person. We have the promise of that. We have been made God's children. But we're still waiting for the end of the story, "the redemption of our bodies."

Until then, we will live with the pain and groaning of life on a fallen planet -- even with the peace, joy, and comfort provided by God's Spirit -- while we wait for that Day to finally get here.

Paul says we "wait for it patiently." Sometimes, though, we lose patience, don't we? We flirt with other things to hope in, good and bad things that might promise satisfaction sooner, easier, cheaper (like sexual immorality, personal achievement, laughter, money, etc.). But they all let us down eventually.

Then we're back to this: "Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:13)

Think: Are you waiting patiently with your hope set fully on that Day? What false hopes are most likely to attract and distract you from the one true hope?

Pray: Ask God to help you to set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Do: Make a quick list of false hopes that have disappointed you by leaving you empty because you expected too much of them.

Hoping for What We Don't Have

2009-08-15T09:01:00.000-06:00

"For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?" (Romans 8:24)

Somebody said, "Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope." Hope isn't optional. Human beings cannot exist without it.

So the question is, what are we putting our hope in? Paul this week has revealed that his hope -- a Christian's hope -- is for one thing and one thing only: the day of the Lord, the day when the "sons of God will be revealed," the day everything will be put back the way it was meant to be from the beginning.

Until that day, we live on hope. Careful: We don't live on wishes. We don't live on maybes. Hope is all about being confident that something will happen. We know our Father will come and get us.

Until then, we'll live with joy and groaning, peace and pain, and keep hoping in the day we will see our "Abba" face to face.

Think: How would you define this kind of hope in your own words? Why can't we just exist without something to hope in? What happens when we try?

Pray: Thank God for giving you the hope of an eternity with Him as your Father. Ask Him to help you to live for that hope.

Do: Read how hope fits into the definition of faith given in Hebrews 11:1.

Why Does Life Still Hurt?

2009-08-14T08:01:00.000-06:00

"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." (Romans 8:22-23)

Huge idea here: Christians aren't complete. Sometimes we mislead people, I think, when we talk about the God-shaped hole inside of each of us. We imply that when someone becomes a Christian, that hole gets filled up and we never feel empty again.

I don't think that's true. Paul here clearly says that we Christians "groan inwardly" -- just like the frustrated creation all around us that is experiencing intense pain similar to a woman giving birth. That doesn't sound to me like people who are always perfectly satisfied in this life.

It is true that God has saved us, that our God-shaped hole has been filled with His Spirit as a deposit, as a source of comfort, joy, hope, love, and peace. It's true that we have access to a whole new level of happiness as we live in God's will. But it is also true that we will never be fully complete and satisfied until we are with God in person, face to face.

That's what Paul means when he mentions the "redemption of our bodies." We were created to be with God, and we will be fully complete when He wipes every tear from our eyes and declares that His dwelling is now with us forever.

Think: Have you ever thought there was something wrong with you as a Christian because you still feel something like an inner "groaning," like something is missing? Does this passage help you to understand that groaning won't be all the way gone until we are all the way home with our Father?

Pray: Thank God that one day you will be with Him in person forever and the groaning will stop.

Do: Read about that moment in Revelation 21:1-5.

Creation Frustrated

2009-08-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (Romans 8:19-21)

"Meaningless, meaningless." That's how Solomon described his view of life "under the sun" over and over again in the book of Ecclesiastes. And he's not the only one to feel that way. All of creation feels that frustration, that sense that the world is broken, than something is missing, that true satisfaction is just out of reach.

It's not creation's fault. God did it. When He cursed Adam and Eve, His curse extended to the creation they were to subdue and manage. The whole created world started to experience pain, obstacle, disease, decay, and death as part of His judgement.

The good news -- literally -- is that all of this meaninglessness will end. When Christ returns, all of God's children will be revealed as GOD'S CHILDREN. The creation can't wait. That will be its independence day, too. God's kids and God's world will finally be free.

Think: What would you imagine are some of the ways the creation experiences frustration? What would it look like for creation to be free from those frustrations?

Pray: Thank God that one day you will experience the freedom of being one of the children of God -- and that creation will be freed on that day, too.

Do: Think about this idea as you listen to ideas -- pro and con -- about environmentalism.

Suffering v. Glory: No Contest

2009-08-12T09:59:00.001-06:00

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 1:18)

Everybody suffers. Or hurts. Or struggles. You can use whatever word you want, but the experience of pain -- physical and emotional -- is universal.

Jesus suffered for our sins on the cross, but He also suffered through all the painful parts of living a regular human life -- just as we do.

Does the fact that everybody suffers in life make it okay? Does the fact that death and mourning and sorrow and pain are normal make that okay? We're going to see this week that it does not.

Here's the deal, though: As great as the pain of this life is, it won't even be worth talking about once you step over the threshold of heaven and take your place there as a child of the King. The glory of that eternal moment, we're promised, will make the enormous pain of this short life meaningless by comparison.

Think: Do you tend to think of hard times in this life as normal? What do you imagine the glory of living for eternity as a child of God will be like?

Pray: Thank God that your current sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed in you as God's child.

Do: Read Colossians 3:1-4 and try to practice it today.

God's Kids

2009-08-11T17:59:00.000-06:00

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:16-17)

There are still places -- maybe your town is one of them -- where belonging to the right family has its benefits. To have that name brings with it status, privileges, and often a whole lot of money. To be from the wrong family, the wrong part of town, means you're not getting in certain doors. You'll have to make your own way the hard way.

Romans is written into a world that understood the value of belonging to the right family. Far more so than now, even, you were likely to carry your family's status with you for your entire life.

What family could have more status -- then and now -- than the family of the God of the universe? What name could open more doors than His? What family fortune could ever be larger than God's family fortune? And as His children we have a share in it -- right along with Jesus!

(Tune in tomorrow to hear about the suffering.)

Think: Do you sense that God's Spirit is testifying with yours that you are God's child? Are you comfortable with the idea of belonging in His family? Do you feel any security in knowing that you are a co-heir with Christ to God's unmeasurable, eternal glory?

Pray: Thank God that as a Christian you have been included in His family and promised a share in your family's eternal glory.

Do: Two or three times this week, try to bring up in conversation (at church, at home, wherever) that you are in God's family.

Call Him Father

2009-08-10T17:59:00.001-06:00

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' " (Romans 8:15)

What does it mean to you to be God's child, to be able to legitimately call Him your father? Too often, Christianity is presented as a contract between a person and God: "Just sign here, here, and here, and all your sins will be forgiven and you can go to heaven when you die."

It's much more personal to God than that. He's not selling something we need. He's not looking for buyers. He's looking for children. He has given us the "Spirit of sonship," which could also be read as the "Spirit of adoption." He's looking to fill His family with lost kids by making them His kids.

Aside from Jesus, God has no biological children. Some of us may have grown up in the church nursery, but we were not born into God's family just by being born. We had to be adopted to become a child of God. And once we were in the family, He gave us the right to call Him "daddy."

Think: What does it mean to you to know that God is your Father, that He has adopted you into His family? What is the value of that? Can Christianity work without the idea of God as Father?

Pray: Thank God for giving you the spirit of adoption and inviting you to call Him "Abba, Father."

Do: Read this great quote from J.I. Packer's book Knowing God:

If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all. For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new, and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God. "Father" is the Christian name for God. … Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption. (pp. 201—202)

(HT: Between Two Worlds)

Why We Sin: We Skip the Chicken Exit

2009-08-09T12:36:00.001-06:00

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Have you seen this? One of the amusement parks I used to go to had this enormous roller coaster. It was so popular, you could stand in line for an hour or more just waiting to get on the thing. And if you were nervous about the ride and the screaming and the upside-downness and the throwing up, you spent that whole time in line just getting more and more scared.

At the very end of the line, though, just before you got on the ride, they had a little gate called a "chicken exit." It was the way to get out if you just couldn't do it. You had to swallow your pride -- and I never did it -- but it was there.

Today's verse is a powerful promise that God always provides a "chicken exit" when we're tempted to sin. Except it would be better to call it a "courage exit." It's a way out of the line leading toward the sin you've been contemplating before you actually get on the ride. It's a gate, an escape, provided by the Creator of all things as a one-last chance gift to avoid the painful consequences of sin.

Next time, man up and take the chicken exit. The ride isn't worth what it costs.

Think: Have you ever experienced an unexpected "way out" of a sin that you were prepared to go through with? What does it mean to you that God promises not to allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear?

Pray: Thank God that you will never face a temptation that is stronger than you are in His power. Ask Him for the courage and faith to take His "way out" of temptation when you see it.

Do: This verse can be fascinating to talk about with a group of close Christian friends. Next time you're hanging out, bring up this promise from God that He provides a way out of temptation and ask if anyone has ever seen this happen. You might be surprised.

Why We Sin: We Forget Shame

2009-08-08T12:35:00.000-06:00

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden." (Genesis 3:7-8)

"We're naked!" That's the response of the first couple after committing the first human sin. They took the bite expecting to find wisdom, knowledge, something God had been keeping from them. Instead, they found shame. They hoped for freedom and power and instead found themselves running in fear.

The sting of the serpent's tempting lies was hidden in the truthful part of what he'd said. Their eyes were opened. They did learn about good and evil -- by doing evil. But they did not become like God. Instead, they became much less than they had been: innocent, closely connected to their creator, shameless.

I think everyone reading these words has felt the shame of being caught in sin -- or even of thinking about being caught in sin. It's a sick, sinking feeling. It's a trapped feeling. You want to hide, get away, escape, just like Eve and Adam tried to do. You want to be away from God instead of close to the one who made you, the source of your life, healing, and hope.

The point of remembering that feeling isn't to keep feeling guilty for sin God has already forgiven. The point of remembering is to a) want really badly not to feel it again and b) be really glad that God has forgiven you because of Jesus.

Think: Do you think shame can sometimes be an appropriate thing to feel? Why do you think some people want to tell us that feeling ashamed is always a bad thing? How do you avoid wallowing in false guilt for sins that God has already forgiven?

Pray: Thank God for forgiving all of your sin through your faith in Jesus, including the sins you felt most ashamed of. Ask Him to help you to keep from wanting to go back to the sins that made you feel that way in the first place.

Do: Read what Paul wrote about sin, sorrow, repentance, and regret in 2 Corinthians 7:10.

Why We Sin: Because She Did

2009-08-07T12:17:00.001-06:00

"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." (Genesis 3:6)

We've been tracking with Eve's temptation all week, but why did Adam sin? Why did he eat from the one tree out of all those others in the paradise garden of Eden that God put on the "no" list? And if he was there with Eve the whole time listening in on her conversation with the serpent, why didn't he say anything?

Much has been made of The Silence of Adam in this tragic moment, and there are warnings here for men about our role as husbands and spiritual leaders. But there's a wider warning for all of us followers about why we sin. We sin because someone else did.

It's a human tendency. We designate certain people in our lives to do our thinking and feeling for us. We refuse to take responsibility for our own choices. If she does it, then I'm doing it, too. If he says "no," I'm out. Honestly, it's much easier to delegate all of our spiritual decisions to other people, which is probably why so many lazy Christians live that way.

But we don't get any credit with God for farming out our conscience; we still face the consequences for our sinful choices.

Think: How much more likely are you to make a sinful choice if your closest friend makes that choice first? What can you do to make sure that you're not mindlessly following anyone else's choices to disobey God?

Pray: Ask God to help you to follow Him more closely than you follow anyone else, especially when it comes to choices about obeying Him.

Do: Read Jesus' harsh words for those who use their influence to lead children into sin in Matthew 18:5-6.

Why We Sin: It Looks Good!

2009-08-06T11:28:00.001-06:00

"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." (Genesis 3:6)

Even when you know it's coming, this verse still hurts. Up until this moment, Eve and then Adam could have turned back, could have decided to trust God instead of the lie forming in their own hears.

Did you noticed the two motives we're given for Eve's choice to disobey God?

One, the fruit looked good. I like this quote from David Paul Tripp: "Sin lives in a costume; that's why it's so hard to recognize. The fact that sin looks so good is one of the things that make it so bad. In order for it to do its evil work, it must present itself as something that is anything but evil. Life in a fallen world is like attending the ultimate masquerade party."

Second, she believed there was a good for her that didn't come from God. She decided that forbidden fruit held some benefit (wisdom!) that could not be found on the path of God, in obedience to Him. But no such good exists. The only truly good things in life come from Him -- or don't come, at all.

Think: How often have you chosen sin because the package it was wrapped in looked so good? How often have you believed that some good thing was waiting for you outside of the will of God? How can we avoid falling into these traps again?

Pray: Ask God to help you to see through the costume beauty of sin to the ugliness underneath. Ask also that He will help you to be convinced that no good thing exists for you outside of His will.

Do: Read James' take on the birth of sin and God's gifts of goodness in James 1:13-18.

Why We Sin: The "God Can't Be Trusted" Lie

2009-08-05T15:02:00.001-06:00

" 'You will not surely die,' the serpent said to the woman. 'For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' " (Genesis 3:4-5)

Once he has lured Eve into a conversation about God's command, the serpent becomes more bold, directly challenging the truthfulness of God's words. God said to Adam, "You WILL surely die." The serpent said, "You will NOT surely die."

The choice to give into temptation and sin often involves doubts about God's character. Does He really love me? Is He really powerful? Is it possible He's just wrong? If you or a friend or the Liar can talk you into questioning God's goodness, love, or power, you're much more likely to take the next step into testing God by disobeying Him.

With the germ of doubt about God's rightness planted in Eve's mind, the serpent challenged God's motives: "He knows this experience will liberate you and make you like Him. He wants to keep that power -- knowing good and evil -- for Himself." Translation: God is selfish, and He doesn't love you.

Satan and his followers have been telling the same lie ever since.

Think: Have you ever justified sin by questioning God's goodness, love, or power? Have you ever used painful circumstances in your life to convince yourself God didn't deserve your obedience if He would allow that bad thing to happen to you? What's wrong with that thinking?

Pray: Ask God to help you to be absolutely convinced of His integrity, His power, and His love for you proven in the sacrifice of Jesus for your sin and the promise of eternity with Him.

Do: People challenge God's goodness, power, and love all the time these days. Listen for those challenges in your world this week.

Why We Sin: Don't Touch!

2009-08-04T09:25:00.001-06:00

"The woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die." ' " (Genesis 3:2-3)

Eve's answer to the serpent's obvious lie about God's command brings us to Day 2 of our clue-mining for reasons why we humans are so easy to tempt, so ready to fall into sin. And Eve's answer seems pretty good. She sets the record straight on what God really said -- until you look a little closer.

Eve added a phrase to the command: "You must not touch it." How did she come up with that? Why did she "improve" on God's order not to eat the fruit with a further directive not to touch it? We don't know, but it seems reasonable, right? Why touch a fruit you must never eat? It's not a bad thing to stay a step back from the edge. It was probably a really good idea not to touch the fruit, but it wasn't God's command.

The problem with adding to God's Words is that it's another lie. God gives us commands as a gift; what He tells us to do (or not do) reveals His best intention for us. His directions reveal His character. To add to them distorts our understanding of Him -- and it's our (wrong) perception of His character that we often end up rebelling against.

So, first the snake lied to Eve about God's command -- and then Eve lied to herself about it.

Think: Have you ever noticed anyone in your life adding extra rules to what God has actually commanded in Scripture? Do you ever do that yourself? How can you keep those man-made rules from distorting your understanding of who God really is?

Pray: Thank God for the commands He has given to you in His Word. Ask Him to help you to keep from adding anything to His commands, even with good intentions.

Do: Read what Paul said about religious man-made rules in Colossians 2:20-23.

Why We Sin: Did God Really Say?

2009-08-03T14:41:00.000-06:00

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?' "(Genesis 3:1)

For the next week or so, we're going to live in the excruciating moments leading up to the first sinful human action ever. What we'll be looking for are clues to why we're all such natural born suckers when it comes to sin and temptation -- why we're so easy to lie to, so willing to participate with the Liar in our own destruction.

Here's the first clue: The Liar invites us into a conversation with temptation with an obvious lie. (He's a liar, remember.) Of course, God did not say Adam and Eve couldn't eat from any of the trees -- and, of course, Eve knew that. Here's what God did say: "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." (2:16-17)

This would be like starting a temptation about sex with, "Did God really say you should never hold hands with someone?" Or starting a temptation to disobey your parents with, "Did God really say you have to obey every adult who tells you to do something?" Our response is likely to be quick, corrective, and curious. And before you know it, we're in a dangerous conversation about exactly where the line of sin is.

Think: Have you ever been lured into unhelpful thinking by your reaction to an obvious distortion of the truth? What can we do to make sure we're not being deceived when confronted with a big idea about God's Word that is obviously wrong?

Pray: Ask God to help you to overcome temptation to sin. Ask Him to help you to be aware and careful when someone uses an obvious lie to get you engaged in thinking about a sin that tempts you.

Do: As we work through Eve's temptation this week, notice in your own life what kinds of temptation are most effective at tripping you up.

More Every Day?

2009-08-02T13:34:00.001-06:00

"And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:47)

We've spent this last week looking at a snapshot of what the early New Testament church was like. We've seen what it meant to these brand new Christians to "do church." It's helpful to notice what church was like for them, because they were the first ones to be the church (at least in the way we think of it), and they received all their instructions directly from Jesus' apostles.

I'm sure there are things you like -- and don't -- about your own church. I'd guess the Christians in your church are like these first "churchies" in some ways and not in others. Every church could learn from their commitment to and enjoyment of each other -- all while following after Jesus.

The last thing we notice in today's verse is that people were being saved and joining them every single day. What if that happened in your church? Would people be surprised, excited, confused, upset? Is it something your community is hoping for?

God wants to bring people into relationship with Him through Jesus. And He can do that through your local church. Do you expect that He will? Have you asked Him to help make it happen?

Think: Would you guess that someone gets saved every day through the ministries or relationships of people in your church? Is that a realistic goal? What expectations do you think most of the people in your church have for seeing new people become Christians and become part of your church family?

Pray: Thank God that He is active in working through the church to reach out to lost people right now. Ask Him to help your church to be a place where people get saved and grow in Christ.

Do: Ask your youth leader or someone else in leadership in your church what they expect or hope for in terms of new people getting saved and becoming part of your church family.

So Happy Together?

2009-08-01T12:01:00.000-06:00

"Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people." (Acts 2:46-47)

A few more things about these first New Testament churchies:

They hung out every day. They met at the temple courts and went to each others' houses. They just liked spending time together. Remember, they had something in common -- they were all excited about belonging to God through faith in Jesus.

They did a lot of eating, both for what we call "the Lord's Supper" and for, you know, lunch and snacks and dinner. Eating together was a big part of being a (big) family together. When you have a choice, you tend to eat with the people you care most about.

They were happy, with "glad and sincere hearts."

They praised God together -- and probably not just during the "worship service."

Everyone liked them. At first, these new Christians were popular in the community. And why not? Who doesn't like to be around glad, sincere people that love to spend time together eating and praising God? It's no wonder they enjoyed the "favor of all the people" for a while.

Think: Would you say that the Christians in your church like to hang out together more than once or twice a week? Like to eat together? Are mostly glad and sincere? Praise God together? Are well-liked in your community?

Pray: Ask God to help you to help to enjoy being connected to your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Do: Make a point to notice during this next week how much time you spend with other Christian, how much you enjoy it, and how that impacts those outside of the church.

All for One?

2009-07-31T12:01:00.000-06:00

"All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need." (Acts 2:44-45)

My two younger brothers sometimes like to get really close to me and just stand there -- or randomly touch me for no apparent reason. Why? Because they know it drives me crazy. I've got what some people call "space bubble" issues. I like to get close to people as long as we all understand the boundaries. I'm either a regular old introvert or a selfish control freak -- or a little of both -- but I love me my personal space.

That's why these descriptions of the early Christians make me a little nervous. You? I mean I'm all for the church being close, being a family, being there for each other -- as long as we all go home to our separate houses and watch our own TV shows and stay out of each others' business when not invited.

Instead, these first churchies apparently erased a lot of those cultural boundary lines we all take for granted. They cashed out and put all their personal money in the same account. They didn't just put some of their paycheck in the plate; they sold the stuff in their houses to pay each others' rent and medical bills and groceries. (I'd be more willing to do that for someone else than to have them do it for me, you know?)

We don't naturally understand that kind of no-boundaries mutual commitment. At least, I don't. But in a way, it sounds kind of wonderful to be so connected to a group of people -- because of our mutual love for God and each other -- that the boundaries get blurry. Guess I'm going to need to keep shrinking my space bubble.

Think: Does it make you nervous to think about being that deeply integrated with a group of people -- or do you wish your church was more like this today? Why?

Pray: Ask God to help you be willing to go beyond the boundaries to meet the needs of other Christians -- and to have them do the same for you.

Do: Ask someone in leadership at your church for some examples of ways your church has come together to help out people in real need. (You might be surprised how generous your fellow churchies can be.)

Filled with Awe?

2009-07-30T12:01:00.000-06:00

"Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles." (Acts 2:43)

What does it take to impress you? Are you skeptical, sarcastic, cynical, a hard sell? Yeah, me too, sometimes. I think most of us learn to put up some kind of wall against being too easily impressed because we live in the advertising age. Too many people want us to get fired up about too many worthless things.

But people still get plenty excited about what matters to them. If you caught any of the coverage of Comic-Con '09 in San Diego last week, you likely saw some fanboys (and fangirls) that were "filled with awe" by photo ops with movie stars and scoops from directors about their favorite shows and films. Part of being in a group is getting excited about the same things together.

Church people get excited about God together. Of course, it would have been impressive to see the miracles performed by Jesus' supernaturally empowered apostles in the early days. But God's power is still at work, still on display through His Spirit in the lives of His people. His creation still boggles the mind; His sacrificial love still overwhelms the emotions.

Feelings of awe come and go. Our relationship with God through Jesus isn't defined by emotion. But if we never feel any enthusiasm about God when we're together with Christians -- if we never get a little fanboy thrill about moving closer to Him -- we might be missing out on part of what it means to belong to the church.

Think: Does it bother you when a roomful of Christians "doing church" feels completely lifeless? Does it bother you when a roomful of Christians seems to be trying so hard to be excited that it feels fake? What does it mean to you to be "filled with awe" with other Christians in a way that is real and meaningful?

Pray: Ask God to help you to be able to be impressed by who He is and what He has done, is doing, and will do.

Do: Notice this week anyone in your church who seems to be genuinely filled with awe by some aspect of God or His Word.

Are You Devoted?

2009-07-29T12:01:00.000-06:00

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." (Acts 2:42)

Once the New Testament church had been launched, what did they do with themselves? That's the question we'll spend the rest of the week and weekend answering from the end of Acts 2.

The first thing they did is the one thing Christian churches still focus on most clearly: They tuned into the apostles' teaching. The apostles were those guys who had been trained by Jesus and specifically chosen to teach the church how to walk after Him. A couple of millennia later, we're still devoting ourselves to their teaching in the pages of the New Testament.

The church then, like yours today hopefully, was all about spending time together, as in "all for one and one for all." That meant eating and praying together became the norm for this growing family of brothers and sisters in Christ.

Membership in the church was never meant to be an online-only kind of thing that you went off an did by yourself. God intended us to be a family, learning about Christ and following after Him together, asking Him for help because it's hard to follow Him, and "breaking bread" together (for Communion or "the Lord's Supper") to remember what He did and what He will do.

Think: How does your church do in these areas? How do you do at participating in each of these things with the people in your church? Do you think you place enough value on participating in church life?

Pray: Ask God to help you to devote yourself, along with other Christians, to studying God's Word and to the fellowship of believers by breaking bread and praying together.

Do: Write down a number from 1 to 10 (with 10 being high), rating your opinion of how your church does at each of these areas: being devoted to the Bible's teaching, eating and/or sharing Communion together, and praying together. Then write down a number rating how you do at contributing to these areas in your church.

Escape!

2009-07-28T12:01:00.000-06:00

"With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.' Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." (Acts 2:40-41)

We're continuing our snapshot look at the birth of the New Testament church. In a way, you could call Pentecost the church's grand opening. That's the day the Holy Spirit came and filled the new believers, the day Peter fearlessly preached the truth about Jesus right out loud in public, the day 3,000 became Christians.

They responded to his pleading: "Save yourselves form this corrupt generation." He was likely talking about the generation of Israelites responsible for rejecting Jesus as Messiah. But it would be fair to call every generation corrupt, I guess. Yours is, too. The majority of your peers have rejected Jesus and operate according to a system that is all about searching for meaning in pleasure, possessions, and status -- and coming up short. Coming up doomed, in fact, to a hopeless eternity.

The only escape from that system, from that fate -- from the path of your generation -- is through faith in Jesus into the family of God. In other words, the church is collection of escapees freed from a failed worldview and finally headed in the only direction that makes any sense -- toward our home with Christ. It's not the easy way right now, but it's easier when we all head that way together.

Are you an escapee? If so, who are you running with?

Think: If you've escaped a failed worldview (and hell) by putting your faith in Jesus instead of self (or anything else), are you doing anything to help anyone else make it over the wall? What could you do?

Pray: If you're a Christian, thank God for helping you to escape from unbelief and into a relationship with Him through faith in Christ. Thank Him for all the others who have escaped since the day of Pentecost.

Do: Get all of your friends together and wear prison-style orange jumpsuits to church next week, explaining to everyone that you are escapees from your unbelieving generation. Okay, we both know you won't really do that. But it's fun to think about.

The Promise is for You

2009-07-27T12:01:00.001-06:00

"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:38-39)

For the next few days, we're going to drop in on the first days of the church. The word "church" has a lot of different meanings to people. What we mean this week is a group made up of all Christians everywhere -- and also the members of that group that come together to "do church" in a certain town or neighborhood.

Today's passage is the invitation from Peter at the end of his sermon just after the Holy Spirit had come to fill up all the believers in Jesus. This is after Jesus' resurrection and after He had gone back up into heaven. The arrival of the Spirit drew a huge crowd because it was loud and it involved supernatural sights ("fire tongues" above people's heads) and sounds (people speaking fluently in languages they didn't know so all could understand).

Peter's testimony was that this display of spiritual power was evidence that Jesus -- the one that had just been crucified and resurrected -- is "both Christ and Lord." Convicted, the people wanted to know what they could do. Today's verse was Peter's answer -- and 2,000 years later we still offer Jesus as the answer to all who want to know what to do to be forgiven for their sins and receive the gift of Holy Spirit themselves.

Think: How would you put into your own words the basic message we, the church, hold out to everyone who does not yet know Jesus as "Christ and Lord"?

Pray: If you're a Christian, thank God for forgiving your sins through your faith in Jesus and for giving you the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Do: Read Acts 2 to catch the entire story of this amazing day known as Pentecost.

Because You Did Not Trust Me

2009-07-26T10:58:00.000-06:00

"But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.' " (Numbers 20:12)

Two things about disobeying God:

1) It always brings a negative consequence. For Moses and Aaron, the result was obvious, and I'm sure it was painful. For us as believers, Jesus paid the ultimate price for our disobedience to God -- whatever form that takes. Our sin is forgiven eternally, but the fallout of ignoring God's instruction not to ram your head into walls is that you get hurt in this life -- because you rammed your head into a wall.

2) Obeying God is, above everything else, a trust issue. Someone might say, "I trust God. Really! I just don't want to do what He told me to do." That's false. Trusting God means doing what He tells us to do -- even if it doesn't makes sense to us. Even if we don't want to do it. Trust means being willfully convinced that He is right and His way is best.

So He said to Moses and Aaron: "Because you did not trust me enough . . ."

Think: Are you ever tempted to think that your disobedience doesn't hurt anyone because your sins are forgiven? Why is that not true? Is it possible to trust God and disobey Him at the same time?

Pray: Ask God to help you to trust and obey Him because He is a trustworthy Father who would never steer you in the wrong direction.

Do: Next time you're tempted to disobey God, notice in your heart whether you are doubting that He is right or that He loves you or that He is powerful enough to provide for you.

Hitting the Rock

2009-07-25T10:58:00.000-06:00

"Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank." (Numbers 20:11)

Yesterday, we saw the Moses' crucial mistake had two parts. First, apparently angry with the people for their rebellion, Moses seems to take credit for bringing the water from the rock. Next, he doesn't do what God told him to -- talk to the rock. Instead, he hits it. Twice.

We could spend a lot of time looking at why Moses did it his way instead of God's. His sister had just died. He was fed up with the people. God had, in fact, had him use the staff for hitting the rock 40 years earlier. Was Moses tired? Confused? Was it a crime of passion?

I think it tells us something that the passage tells us nothing about why Moses did it. He just did it. He just disobeyed. Period. And God held him responsible. Too often, I think, we let ourselves off the hook for disobedience because we think the reason for our wrong behavior was understandable -- as if understanding the circumstances should maybe relieve us of the responsibility.

Moses was God's most trusted servant, but his disobedience was not overlooked. And neither is ours.

Think: Do you sometimes excuse your wrong behavior because of the circumstances? As Christians, our sins are forgiven in Christ, but does that mean those sins don't matter? Should we take them seriously? Does God?

Pray: Ask God to help you to be honest with yourself about what is sin in your life, even when you can see how the circumstances contributed to you choice.

Do: Notice this week how people deflect responsibility for sinful choices by blaming their circumstances.