Who am I Hurting?

"'Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah.

Do not weep or pray for them,

and don't beg me to help them,

for I will not listen to you.

Don't you see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

No wonder I am so angry!

Watch how the children gather wood

and the fathers build sacrificial fires.

See how the women knead dough

and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven.

And they pour out liquid offerings to their other idol gods!

Am I the one they are hurting?' asks the LORD.

'Most of all, they hurt themselves,

to their own shame.'"

Jeremiah 7:16-19 NLT

I dishonor God by failing to acknowledge Him as sovereign and staying true to Him alone.  But mostly it hurts me as I remove myself from all that is good and right (James 1:17).  How so?

Cultivate.  What seeds am I sowing?  What attitudes do I nurture?  What activities and mindsets do I promote, especially as a parent and a believer who is always watched by those around me?  If I look closely, I discover that I cultivate a spirit of busyness, pride in accomplishments, emphasis on education yet I ignore God, as if He is simply a means to another end.  Instead of looking to Him as the Source, as the Purpose, as my All in all, I use Him as the power to drive my agenda and to make my own selfish plans come to fruition.

While this sort of ungodly focus does fail to show respect and regard for God who is worthy to be praised at all times, it also hurts me.  It is to my own shame that I fail to see the value in connecting with God throughout my day, in teaching my children to look to Him as their source of wisdom, understanding and help, in growing in my bond with Him by trusting Him with every decision that must be made and every insecurity that wears me down.  I am made for relationship with God so when I neglect this higher purpose, I am missing a big chunk of what it is to be human as my Creator intended.

When I commit to cultivating my relationship with God, I am opening myself up to many blessings.

Dedication.  I faithfully attend church every time the doors are open.  I can be counted on to raise my hand whenever help is needed.  I'm devoted to the disciplines of my faith; reading the Bible daily, praying, fasting, discipling others.  I work hard to live a pure and holy life as is expected of me (1 Peter 1:15).  While I know the law doesn't save me, I try hard to adhere to it out of reverence to God.  Yet something is missing.

On the surface, it seems I am living the kind of life that would please God, that would give Him great pleasure, yet I'm missing the point.  You see, I am dedicated to a religion instead of a relationship with God.  I fail to perceive the God who is behind everything I'm doing as a living, breathing God who can be known and who desires that I grow closer to Him each day.  As my bond with Him grows, I'll find I'll want to gather with other believers and serve as He moves me.  As He and I become more intimate, I'll discover that a deep desire for the disciplines will well up inside of me like a hunger that must be satisfied, and a longing will develop to walk according to His indwelling Spirit who leads me in a way that honors His law (Galatians 5:16-18).  I am made for God, so when I dedicate myself to religious activity, I am missing out on the sweet thrill of drawing close to the One who made me and loves me perfectly.

When I dedicate myself to the Lord Himself as a living, breathing God, I am opening myself up to many blessings.

Sacrifice.  There are many gods to whom I can sacrifice.  I give up family time, a social life, and my health in order to taste success.  I surrender free time so that I can build up my bank account as I believe every responsible adult should.  I want a nice house and car so I work hard and reward myself with the finer things.  In order to taste happiness, I go after my dreams.  

This is the way most of us live our lives, willingly giving up lesser things in order to gain what is deemed as more valuable.  Yet in my desire to realize the American dream, I forget about the One who gives me life and breath.  Without Him, I wouldn't even exist let alone be able to run after all that I think will fulfill me.  I can even fool myself into believing that Jesus died so I can taste a rich and meaningful life, so He must want me to live life to the fullest, making the most of every opportunity to reach my full potential.  The problem is, I ignore God Himself, failing to realize the best way I can keep from wasting the one life I've been given is to honor Him by giving myself to Him as a living sacrifice, offering myself up as an instrument of righteousness to be used as He best sees fit (Romans 6:13, 12:1).  This is the kind of sacrifice that He desires.

When I sacrifice myself to the Lord, I am opening myself up to many blessings.

I dishonor God in many ways as I fail to acknowledge that He is at the center of all things.  I nurture the wrong things, commit myself to religion or tradition, and I surrender myself to what is temporary and shallow. When I live in such a way, I do more damage to myself than to God.  I was meant for so much more than all these things.  I was made for Him, and when I cultivate a bond with Him, dedicate myself to Him, and sacrifice my own will for His, I will discover what it is to live the good life.  I am only hurting myself when I live fail to live for Him!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can taste the riches God has in store for me by drawing close to Him.  

When do I focus on doing for God instead of getting to know Him?

How much do I know God for myself?

     

Attitude of Gratitude

"Now the people complained about their hardships

in the hearing of the LORD,

and when he heard them

his anger was aroused.

Then fire from the LORD burned among them

and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp."

Numbers 11:1

Christmas is the time of year when hearts turn toward giving and we are more inclined to practice generosity, acts of kindness, and hospitality.  Unfortunately, it is also a time when a spirit of discontent can rise up as I focus on all the things I don't have but would like to acquire.

The Israelites possessed this same spirit of discontent and ingratitude, inciting the fierce anger of the Lord.  What was it about their attitudes that evoked such a response from our patient and generous God?

God's people were focused more on the hardships than on the blessings, on what was missing than on what was provided, and on how it could be better than on how good it already was.    In other words, they craved more than what God had provided, thus sending Him the message that His provision was not enough.  As a result, they completely missed the chance to acknowledge the miracle of God's deliverance and subsequent provision and refused to trust God in His continuing, sovereign plan.

I'm not so different.  I complain about my health, or my finances, or my sorry state, pointing out all the things that I think are wrong instead of noticing everything that is right.  God is displeased with my negative eyes that betray my lack of thankfulness to my Father who is faithful to give me all that I need.  (Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6:32)

This Christmas, I want to take the message of Isaiah 43:18-19 to heart, leaving behind my low expectations based on my past experiences and instead look forward with gleeful anticipation to all that I believe God will do.  If I look, I will see His hand at work all around me, providing abundant blessings that I didn't expect. 

Instead of feeling sorry for myself for what I don't have, I choose to feel abundantly blessed for what I do have.  Everything I possess comes from God, so an attitude of gratitude is one that continually gives thanks to Him for His extravagant goodness.

As if to prove the point, God sent the gift of His precious Son as evidence of His abundant blessing upon me.   Jesus is the best example of God's great love for me and is the most extravagant gift of all. (Romans 5:8, Matthew 1:21)   

Just Enough

"Then the LORD said to Moses,

'Look, I'm going to rain down food from heaven for you.

Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food

as they need for that day.

I will test them in this

to see whether or not

they will follow my instructions.'"

Exodus 16:4 NLT

It was a curious way to live their lives; a way to which none of them were accustomed.  In their old existence under the heavy hand of Pharaoh, they not only had to complete the work he set before them, but these former slaves also were required to gather and prepare their own food.  If they wanted to survive, the Israelites had to work very hard to provide for themselves what they needed to live.

Now that the God of their fathers had miraculously rescued them from the bondage of slavery, the Israelites lived a life of divine provision.  God provided just enough manna for each day, a kind of wafer-like substance whose name meaning "What is it?" revealed it's mysterious qualities.  Out of faith, these people who were becoming reacquainted with God and His ways had to trust Him to give them what they needed for that day only.  They were instructed to not gather any more or less, but only what was necessary for the next few hours until the sun went down.

As the people of God in ancient times learned that the Lord is a God who requires faith from His people, I too must learn to trust Him to give me what I need for each day.  He calls me to live in a way that demonstrates a similar faith that the Israelites developed; a faith in His provision.

Unfortunately, there are many ways in which I betray my desire for more than what He gives.

Storehouses

He was a successful farmer.  The wealthy man learned the ins and outs of agriculture and became quite good at growing crops, reaping the benefits of all his labor.  As he grew in prosperity, he became more proficient, gaining even more riches.  Soon he asked himself, What should I do with all these assets?  Before long, the answer came to him:  He would save it, building a nest age so he could live a life of ease and comfort, enjoying the fruits of his labor all the days of his life.  (paraphrased from Luke 12:13-21)

Unfortunately for this prosperous man, God did not judge his decision as shrewd.  Instead of calling him wise and prudent, he called him a fool, taking his life that very night.  You see, God did not give us life so that we can build up treasures here on earth.  He did not create us and breathe life into us so we could live to please our own sinful natures.  Instead, He made you and me so that we can live in relationship with Him, as a devoted child to a loving Father.

I tend to hoard for the future, just like this foolish man.  While it's not wrong to save, it is wrong to put my faith in my bank account, investments or retirement.  It is in God who I am to trust, not in my own ability to prepare for what is to come.  When I put the resources with which God has blessed me into building up a reserve for myself, I am denying the purpose for which I am here: not to look out for myself and make sure my needs are taken care of.  Instead, I am here to serve others and love God in word and deed.  The way I deal with my money tells God everything He needs to know about the state of my heart.

If He gives me extra money, do I automatically think about the advice of financial experts who tell me about my need to build a nest egg, or do I seek God's will for how I can invest in His kingdom?  Perhaps He entrusted me with an abundance so He can use me to provide for others.

None of my decisions should be based on my needs.  Jesus clearly taught that my focus is to be on Him and His kingdom.  (Matthew 6:33)  When I make decisions based on the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life, He will give me what I need for each day.  When I make choices centered on providing fro my own necessities, I will never know the joy of seeing His provision and growing in my closeness to Him as a result.

I betray my desire for more than what God provides in the way I store up for the future.

Materialism

He had lived in all kinds of situations; with plenty, with barely enough, in prison where he didn't know from where his next meal would come, in custody where he had to rely on others, and even as a successful business man who had more than he needed.  No matter what the circumstances, though, Paul said he had learned the secret of being content.  It wasn't a formula or a get-rich scheme.  What he learned is that contentment did not come from the stuff that he owned.  Instead, he found out it came from knowing Christ and Him becoming more important than anything else.  (Philippians 4:11-13)

If Jesus Christ is my treasure, nothing else really matters.  Unfortunately, it is all too easy for me to lose sight of this truth and fall into the pattern of this world where the accumulation of stuff is what makes me happy and at ease.  I begin to get caught up in the quest for bigger, better and more advanced stuff.  What I have ceases to satisfy and I find myself always looking for what is new.

Instead of growing closer in my relationship with my Father who loves me, I set my sights on the new device I think I can't live without.  In the place of seeking to know God more, I look for ways to improve my home theater system.  While I could be spending my time learning of God's amazing character and qualities, I instead spend my time researching the latest cars and deciding which model I want and making a list of the features I'll choose.  Then I devise a scheme to buy it as soon as possible, replacing the old car which works perfectly fine but I've convinced myself is no longer suitable for my needs.

I betray my desire for more than what God provides when I expect more stuff to make me content.

Success

Setting a goal, then reaching it.

Gaining a certain level of fame or prosperity.

Reaching the top of one's field.

These are all examples of the way the world defines success.  I easily get caught up in going after the things I think will place me on the top of the heap.  After all, what is the point of trying if I'm not going to achieve greatness?  I think like the world when I believe that I must either do my best to reach the highest point, or don't try at all.

In God's kingdom, however, it's all about my heart, not so much about the outcome.  Paul says, ". . .whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)  Instead of being focused on what will come of my efforts, then, I should be more concerned with my attitude and my motivation for doing a thing.  Then, I will do what I do as a representative of Christ instead of as a means to reach an end.  (Colossians 3:16-17)

While it is natural for me to desire a raise on the job and it would be easy for me to use that as a motivation for turning out high quality work, my heart is in the wrong place when I do so.  In the same vein, I can use my desire to achieve a good reputation for myself as the reason I keep my word, but again, I'm focused only on me.  Even if I am spurred on by my yearning to live a meaningful life, always look for ways to enrich my days, it becomes more about me and less about my Lord.

Instead, I can keep my eyes on Jesus, doing whatever I do to bring Him glory, desiring nothing more than to point to Him in all I do.

I betray my desire for more than what God provides when I am driven my a desire for success.

In the same way that God provided just enough for the people of Israel as they adjusted to their new way of life in the desert, so God gives me exactly what is necessary for this day.  Many times, though, I am discontent with all He has provided.  This yearning for more shows up in the way I desire to store up for the future, or in my efforts to surround myself with things, or in the mode of motivation that drives me forward.  In each case, I betray my desire for more than what God provides.  In reality, He always gives me just enough.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can learn contentment in God's provision.

How do I go after things that distract me from Him?

When am I so caught up with stuff that I forget He is standing at my door waiting to be invited into my life?