I Couldn’t Take Another Bite

By Allen White

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

Do you remember the last time your stomach growled? Not the last time you felt like you wanted to eat something and ran to the fridge during a commercial, but the last time you were physically hungry. Most of us keep ourselves so well nourished (and well caffeinated) that we don’t really experience hunger. I know that I could probably live off of my reserves for several weeks. (Did I mention that I’ve lost 17 pounds?)

Our lack of hunger is actually an important reason to fast. Fasting shows us overall how much we can do without. I don’t fast regularly, but when I do it’s significant.

But, let’s get back to feeling hungry or pretending that we did once. Hunger and thirst signify that our bodies are in need of something essential. If we don’t refresh our bodies, they will stop working. (Remember that today. “I need this latte or my body might stop working.” Just kidding).

Spiritually, Jesus said people who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed. Righteousness is an oft misunderstood term, because usually it’s proceeded by “self.” Self-righteousness means that I have determined what is righteous and what is not. As long as I live well by my rules, which are only part of God’s rules, then I feel righteous. The prophet Isaiah didn’t think very much of this kind of righteousness: “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Rule-keeping was not what Jesus had in mind here.

Righteousness is impossible for believers to achieve on our own, yet it is something that we crave. We want a life that is no longer dominated by sin, even the socially “acceptable” ones. We desire to shun earthly attitudes. To live our lives entirely clean, inside and out, is our ultimate goal. But, how do we get there?

Jesus said that those who are starving for righteousness, those who are parched from the ways of this world, will be filled. That sounds pretty good, except that we’ve already filled our lives with other things. Most of these things are even good things.

If our lives are already stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey, the thought of being any more filled is repulsive. I’m not saying that we need to clear our calendars in order to devote copious hours to serving God. I just think that most of us are so busy with all of the details and activities of life that we don’t even think about God. I’m not saying this to make you feel guilty. I’m saying this because it is true.

God has a better life for you than the one you are living, and you are missing it. God has a kinder, gentler version of you in mind. God has fulfilling relationships in store for you, not draining ones. God has meaningful work in the plans, not just tedious, unfulfilling work. God wants to fill your life, but you need to allow yourself to hunger.

Rather than just filling up time with activity,  entertainment and work, and watching our lives pass by, God wants our attention. God wants us to want Him and what He has to give. Jesus said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

What are you seeking God for today? How do you deeply desire for your life to change? Maybe you’ve even allowed yourself to stop feeling that. God wants you to live fully alive and completely fulfilled. You just have to be hungry for it.

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Do You Have Faith in God or Faith in Faith?

By Allen White

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

I used to aspire to having great faith. It seemed to me that people with great faith would never question God or His ways. These giants of faith would never freak out or worry. They would just automatically trust God no matter the circumstance. I came to realize that this idea of possessing great faith was a mistake. I didn’t really desire faith in God. I was pursuing faith in faith. How twisted is that?

Jesus gave these instructions to His disciples after their failure to cast a demon out of a boy. The desperate father came to Jesus to ask for help saying that the disciples couldn’t get it done (Matthew 17:14-18). The disciples didn’t understand why they couldn’t do this. In another incident, they reported that a man who wasn’t one of them was casting out demons (Mark 9:38). They told him to stop.

Jesus explained to them that the key wasn’t in ostentation or willfulness. The key was having faith. In fact, if they had faith as small as something familiar like a mustard seed, they could tell a mountain to move, and it would move. Now, before you launch your divine excavation company, let me clear up a couple of things.

Faith along with grace is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Some people think that if we believe something strongly enough that it becomes faith. That may be a great New Age visualization technique, but it’s not faith. Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Faith is belief in what we can’t see (Hebrews 11:1). Faith comes from God (Romans 12:3).

The second thing is that God only moves the mountains that He chooses to move. We can’t just randomly point to mountains and command them to move. We shouldn’t be that powerful, and we’re not. God will give us the faith to accomplish what He chooses to accomplish. Sometimes God gives the faith for a radical deliverance from sin. Sometimes God gives us grace in daily doses. How it comes is His choice?

What do you need to trust God for today? What thing in your life seems impossible? We serve a mountain moving God who will give us the faith that we need.

“Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith” (Romans 4:13).

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You Can’t Surprise God

By Allen White

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:5

We all put sin into different categories. There are sins that only really terrible people commit that we would never commit. There are sins that we enjoy. “If loving you is wrong, I don’t want to be right.” There are sins that we can justify. “I’m only doing this because of the way that they’re acting.” There are sins that we don’t realize are actually sins. And, there are sins that we have absolutely no explanation for. We don’t like doing it. We can’t stop doing it. We don’t understand why we’re doing it. We just sin (Romans 7).

There is a certain pleasure in sin. If people didn’t enjoy sinning, it would be a very difficult sale. Sin doesn’t need a great deal of marketing. We’re ready to buy. But, shortly after sinning, the pleasure is replaced by guilt and shame (Hebrews 11:25; Jeremiah 3:25). Sin separates us from God. Okay, maybe we make it into Heaven by the skin of our teeth (Job 19:20; 1 Corinthians 3:15), but if sin stands between us and God, then it’s harder to turn to God. If we don’t feel that we can turn to God with an area of life, then we turn back to sin. (Wash. Rinse. Repeat.)

God already knows everything that there is to know about us. In theology, we say that God is omniscient. That God knows everything. He has all knowledge. He doesn’t need to learn. He just knows. There is nothing that you can tell God about yourself that will surprise Him. God is never going to say, “Oh, Myself, I didn’t know that about you.” He already knows.

Confession is not for God’s sake. It’s for us. In confessing, we say, “God, I can’t seem to do any better than what I’ve been doing. The way that I have chosen to run my life is not working. Please forgive me for violating your commands and empower me to live the life that You have chosen for me.” God does not berate us. God doesn’t chide us with “I told you so.” God doesn’t make us pay. Jesus already did.

Andy Stanley puts it this way, “Do you think God can be trusted? Or do you think you need to take things into your own hands?" In our own hands, we can certainly make a mess of things.

What sin do you need to give up on today? What do you see in your life that is not working? Confess that thing to God. Seek His forgiveness. Want His help.

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How Much Control Do We Really Have?

By Allen White

For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. Psalm 40:12

David epitomizes the mess than we can make of our lives. Sin and shame leads to more sin and shame, which leads to still more. David felt like his life was so overwhelmed that his sin outnumbered his success. The weight of his sin was more than he could bear.

Have you ever made a mess of things? Have you ever caused trouble? Have you ever had to face the music? Welcome to the human race.

In recovery, we learn to “Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.” Sin is an oppressive master. Christ is a caring master. When we give the control of our lives to sin, our lives spin out of control. When we give control of our lives to Christ, we experience life and peace. Ours is not a perfect life, but it is far better than the alternative.

We love Christ’s care. He loves us always, forever and no matter what. He won’t reject us. God loves us more than any person we will ever meet. We are all in favor of receiving Christ’s care. But, what about the control part?

We’ll gladly give our life to Christ’s care, but the second part is to submit our will to Christ’s control. That’s a whole other deal. David saw that his control of his own life led to a lack of control. Many of us have experienced that too. But, this isn’t a one-time, “I surrender all” sort of deal.

It’s a daily deal. It’s a situation by situation deal. It’s a decision to follow Christ or follow ourselves. It’s a choice to seek Christ’s guidance or to think that we know best.

Here’s the deal about being in control: we don’t have that much control. We can be the healthiest people on the planet and get killed while exercising. We can be the most careful investor and still suffer considerable losses. We can be the most giving spouse and still receive divorce papers. We can be the most devoted parent and still see our children rebel. We can be the most faithful Christian and still struggle with sin and insecurity. There is not much that we control.

Control really comes down to just two things: who or what we rely on to cope and how we direct our attitude. Some people cope by working more hours, consuming more food, alcohol, drugs or tobacco, having more fun, starting a new relationship, surfing the channels or the internet, vegging out, numbing out – any kind of escape. When any of these things becomes what we rely on for our well-being, it becomes an idol in our lives. The problem is that none of these things can or will ever satisfy us completely.

If stuff could satisfy us, then we should all be satisfied. Instead, we feel the need for more stuff. Using these substitutes to cope leads to a loss of control. It leads to the despair that David refers to in this psalm.

Giving control to Christ is scary. What if he makes us do something that we don’t want to do? God will never ask us to do something that is impossible for Him to do. He does not control our lives like some sort of deranged dictator. His control comes with His care. Just like you and I want to direct our children onto the right path because we love them so much, our Heavenly Father loves us far more than any parent could ever love a child.

What are you trying to control right now? How are you losing control over that right now? Rather than losing control, I would challenge you to surrender your control to Christ. Even if you have to surrender 12 times in a day over the same thing, His control and care won’t steer you wrong.

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Are You Coming Unglued?

By Allen White

The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. Proverbs 10:8

I am annoyed by repetitive noises. Fans whirring. Pencils tapping. Wheels squeaking. These things will get my attention, but probably not the attention that they want from me.

Fools are the source of repetitive noise. They talk and talk and talk, but have nothing to say. I’ll be cautious here, since I am foolish at times.

The fool gives when he has nothing to offer. The wise, who have much to offer, focus on receiving. The wise know that there is so much that they don’t know. The fool has it all figured out. The wise are teachable. The fool doesn’t want to hear it. I pity the fool.

The wise pay attention to God’s commands, even when they don’t feel like it. When things are wrong around them, they choose what is right. When fools choose to rant and rave and wallow in self-pity, the wise keep still.

When problems arise, the wise learn from the situation. The fool jumps off the cliff. The wise take a step back. The fool rushes in.

It’s easy to be wise when life is manageable. We carefully think things through. We choose to respond rather than react. We can take a breath. But, when things become chaotic, we often lose our minds. Our judgment is clouded. Our brains are overridden by our emotions. Our mouths open and a fire is ignited (James 3).

Most of us don’t neatly fit into the category of “wise” or “foolish.” There are times when we act wisely. There are times when we act foolishly. The Message paraphrases this verse, “A wise heart takes orders; an empty head will come unglued.” Are you embracing God’s commands today or are you coming unglued?

A great way to receive God’s wisdom and ingrain it in your psyche is to read the Proverbs. Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived, not because he lived his life so well, but because he asked God for wisdom and received it (1 Kings 4:29). There are 31 proverbs and there are 28-31 days in a month. How about one proverb per day? See we can be wiser already.

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Meek Doesn’t Mean Wimpy

By Allen White

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5

The meek would probably be the last among us that we could imagine taking over the world. When we hear the word “meek,” what comes to mind? Certainly not “admirable,” “strong,” or “dominate.” We think more in terms of “wimpy,” “mild,” and “unassertive.”

Often Jesus is pictured in a light blue robe speaking in soft tones. He appears sort of meek. Guys in light blue robes don’t really emit strength. (He usually also has blue eyes, which seems more Nordic than Semitic, but now I’m off the topic.) Jesus wasn’t wimpy. He worked for a living. He built with hand tools. There were no power tools (who’s wimpy now?) He got fired up. He confronted the establishment. Jesus took on evil, and He won. There was nothing wimpy or meek about Jesus.

The meek that Jesus speaks about here are not meek by choice or disposition. They are not merely shy or introverted. The meek are those humbled from oppression. Whether mild mannered or fierce, they have been subdued by the circumstances of their lives. They are no longer in a place where they will naturally rise above their situations. The oppression they face put them down and keeps them down. All of Jesus’ audiences were under political oppression, but they also faced religious, racial, gender and economic oppression.

Jesus said that those who are mistreated, dominated and forced into submission, are blessed. Those who are powerless will inherit the earth. The territory that powerful empires sought to possess and control will belong to them. But, isn’t the earth going to be destroyed (Revelation 21:1)?

Years ago, my dad worked with a guy who was a Jehovah’s Witness. They were talking about Heaven one day, and the man said, “This is all of the Heaven that I need” sweeping his arms around. Apparently, he had given up on being part of the 144,000. Earth was to be his Heaven.

My dad replied, “So, what’s the point?” (Now, you understand where I get it.) If Heaven is a place on earth, then what’s the point (Belinda Carlile)?

Sure people have fantasies about “What if I was in charge?” or “If I ran this place, things would be different.” That’s not where Jesus was going here.

What Jesus has in mind, goes along with the prophecy from Isaiah 61: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,

       because the LORD has anointed me

       to preach good news to the poor.

       He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

       to proclaim freedom for the captives

       and release from darkness for the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1). In fact, Jesus read this passage in the synagogue in Luke 4. He concluded, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

What is impossible for the meek, those humbled by oppression, is possible with God. Those regarded as a possession will possess. They will rule and reign with Christ (Matthew 19:28).

How are you feeling oppressed today? What situation do you feel stuck in or powerless over? God has justice for you. God has hope for you.

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When We Deserve the Stick, God Gives Us the Carrot

By Allen White

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jeremiah 31:3

Jeremiah prophesied these words during a time of Babylonian supremacy over the known world. The sinfulness of God’s people in the Old Testament usually resulted in their submission to a conquering nation. Rebellion toward God resulted in surrender to another power. (There’s a lesson there, but for another day).

The Babylonians weren’t interested in rehabilitating God’s people. Babylon’s interest was self-interest. They wanted to take over the world. They were the conquering empire of the day having defeated the Assyrians. Their only motive was to take as much as they could and to keep it under control. God used people who were completely uninterested in the well-being of His people to teach His people.

It’s easy to portray biblical prophets as all gloom and doom. They are often presented as borderline lunatics wearing sandwich signs proclaiming, “The end is near.” They were the original sources of hellfire and brimstone preaching. Yet, ever prophet in the Bible speaks a message of hope and reconciliation. This passage is no different.

God through Jeremiah reminds the people that He has shown His grace and mercy to them in the past. It was undeserved then and it’s undeserved now, but that’s the nature of grace. God loves His people with an everlasting love – a love that will never change regardless of what we’ve done. As long as we have breath in our bodies, God will give us another chance.

Then, God says, “I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” God doesn’t drive us with guilt and fear and shame. Those are the devil’s tools. God doesn’t back us into a corner – turn or burn! God draws us out with His kindness. When we deserve the stick, God gives us the carrot.

God knows who He is. He is not threatened by our sinfulness. He is greater than our sinfulness. God doesn’t need to make us feel bad about ourselves. We already feel bad about ourselves, and if we don’t, then we will soon enough. Life is just that way.

But, this may sound too good to be true. The people of Judah received the assurances of this prophecy (Jeremiah 30-31) while they were headed toward captivity. It would be about 60 years until they saw their deliverance. But, in the middle of their situation, God extended His mercy, His grace, His compassion and His kindness to them.

What are you in the middle of? Do you feel like God is on your side? God wants to love you. God wants to forgive you. God wants to help you. Ask Him to show you His kindness today.

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Feel Like Dirt? Guess What?

By Allen White

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:13-14

The psalmist doesn’t choose flowery language to describe how we came about. He doesn’t go to “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Instead he goes back to our basic element: “from [the ground] you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). Boy, doesn’t that just make you feel like dirt?

Have you ever made anything out of dirt? A mud pie perhaps? I used to dig dirt and dam up the creek behind our trailer when I was young. (Yes, we lived in a trailer in Kansas -- tornado alley, Dorothy and Toto and all – we had faith). I never expected my mud dams to stand the test of time. I wasn’t presenting a danger to the trailer park. No one was destined to live in a houseboat any time soon.

Dirt gets wet and washes away. Dust lacks substance and blows with the wind (another Kansas reference, awesome). Not to make light of dust, but it really doesn’t amount to much. Oh, and we’re made of dust.

God didn’t build our bodies to last forever. He didn’t compose our being to stand up against every circumstance. He created a vessel that is fragile and flawed, a clay pot (2 Corinthians 4:7). We were not created to depend solely on ourselves and become “self-made.”

When we crack under pressure, God is not surprised. Life is more than we can take. But, God has compassion on us.

Parents will do anything for their children. Whether it’s my grandmother eating the neck and the tail of the chicken to give her brood of twelve the better parts or me sacrificially taking my children to Chuck E. Cheese’s, we want what’s best for our kids. Greater love hath no father than…

When our kids scrap their knees, we don’t tell them to “Deal with it.” We cleanse their wound and apply a bandage. We hold them and comfort them. We distract them with candy or soda (don’t tell their mom). We have compassion on our children.

Our Heavenly Father has compassion on us. He knows that we are facing more than we can deal with. Whether it’s our fault or not, God is moved by the things that cause us pain. He didn’t design us to withstand everything. He created us to live life with Him and to depend on His strength.

What are you facing today? Do you feel too weak to handle it? Have you tried time after time and the only result is more frustration? Well, you’re in good company. You are just as weak as everybody else. But, we have a Heavenly Father who knows what we lack and has compassion. Let Him help you today.

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Big Boys (and Girls) Don’t Cry or Do They?

By Allen White

Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll —

are they not in your record? Psalm 56:8

“Big boys don’t cry.” That’s what I grew up hearing. Now, Fergie tells us “Big girls don’t cry” either. But, honestly, some things in life are so terrible and so painful that it should evoke tears.

Lament is not a word that we use a lot. Jeremiah wrote an entire book of the Bible called “Lamentations.” We tend not to go there. According to the dictionary, lament means “to feel, show, or express grief, sorrow, or regret” or “to mourn.” (Source: Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lament)

David, the psalmist here, had much to lament in his life. Some of those things were his own fault: adultery (2 Samuel 11), murder (2 Samuel 11:15-17), his children’s unchecked behavior (2 Samuel 13-15) – these things were David’s fault. But, in writing this psalm, David had done nothing wrong at this point in his life. In fact, David was following God’s will and was being hunted down like a fugitive. If you’re following God’s will, shouldn’t it all be rosy? Think again.

David had been anointed king over Israel to replace Saul (1 Samuel 16). David humbly served in Saul’s administration (1 Samuel 16). David wasn’t presumptuous about his future reign. He patiently waited, and Saul threw a spear at his head (1 Samuel 19:9-10). So, David ran.

David wasn’t safe anywhere he went. Saul searched for him in every dog house, hen house and outhouse in the region (a little Tommy Lee Jones there). Saul was the predator. David was the prey.

David had done nothing wrong. David was the recipient of Saul’s jealousy, anger and resentment. The problem wasn’t David. The problem was Saul. But, David faced the consequences of Saul’s sin. It was unfair. It was unjust.

David poured out his lament to God. “Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack. My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride” (Psalm 56:1-2). David needed to have God on his side. David didn’t have anyone else.

The result of David’s lament was this assurance: “Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise- in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 56:9-11)

What can man do to him? They could beat him, imprison him, torture him, kill him – that’s what man can do. But, David’s focus was not on his enemies. His focus was on God. “…when I call for help…I will know that God is for me…What can man do to me?” If God is for us, then who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

God is for you. Say that to yourself: “God is for me.” Say it softly, out loud: “God is for me.” Shout it if you need to.

What are you up against today? God is for you. Ask for His help. Give Him your praise. God will vindicate everyone who is treated unjustly. Maybe in this life, but definitely in the next.

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I Quit

By Allen White

for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:13

Nothing makes you feel more powerless than being in a situation that just baffles you. You don’t know what to do. You don’t know what to say. You don’t know how to get help. You feel trapped. You feel alone. You feel forgotten.

Whether it’s a relationship, a project, a job or a train wreck, it’s overwhelming to feel stuck and not have an answer. It’s frustrating not to be able to figure things out. But, there is something powerful in such a circumstance.

When we have reached the end of ourselves, we have no choice but to turn to God. When we have no solution, no plan, no control or just no clue, we turn to God and say, “I’m stumped. I need your help.” In these situations God’s work is more obvious because we know that any positive result was because of God and not because of ourselves.

So, here’s some good news: while God’s work is often mysterious, it’s not foreign to believers. As this verse states, God is already working in you and in me. That doesn’t mean that everything that we do is godly. Often it’s far from that. But, we don’t need to wait for God to intervene from on high. He’s already with us. He’s already working in our lives.

The key is to stop and give the situation over to Him (Philippians 4:6-7). We must learn to run to God before we think we need to. When we reach the end of ourselves and our only choice is to turn to God, well, that’s a pretty great choice, isn’t it?

God is at work in your life. In all of the good things and in all of the bad, God is at work. In all of the crises, the victories, and the mundane, God is at work.

How do you need God to work in your life today? How does God need to work in you today?

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The Problem of Comfort

By Allen White

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4

This verse is nearly an oxymoron. “Happy are those who mourn.” If they were happy, they wouldn’t be mourning. If they are mourning, then they are not happy. But, again, the happiness, the deeper inner joy, and the comfort are not in the present situation.

The rabbis referred to the Messiah as the “Comforter.” Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the “Comforter” as well (John 14:16-17). But, we have some misunderstandings about comfort.

If you are comfortable, you don’t need a comforter. Jesus didn’t come to comfort the comfortable, and thus make us more comfortable (sorry Trinity Broadcasting Network). The end goal of our relationship with Christ isn’t comfort. It’s salvation.

I would go so far as to say that our comfort gets in the way of our relationship with God at times. We have to be “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3) to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. For some of us, our comfort should cause us to mourn because it’s keeping us from God’s blessings in our lives. It’s distracting us from Kingdom work.

But, there are those who mourn. Why? They mourn because the world, by and large, is a terrible place. Who would have imagined that in the 21^st century the world would still be plagued with war, human trafficking, hunger, piracy on the high seas, injustice, slavery, extreme poverty, racism and so many other things? The condition of our world and our culture should cause us to mourn.

Most people have suffered considerable losses in their lives. They’ve lost their hopes and dreams. They’ve lost their retirement or their livelihood. They’ve lost family and close friends. Our losses cause us to grieve and mourn. We can’t sweep them under the rug, but sometimes we can’t face them either. What do we do?

We turn to our Comforter. Ultimately, He will right ever wrong and put things in order. The world will be transformed. Just not right now. We believe that God is a just God (Isaiah 30:18). It’s one of His divine attributes. We mourn the slowless of God’s justice.

One day Jesus “will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Revelation 21:4). But, what about today?

From Celebrate Recovery, we learn to “Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to him, and
that he has the power to help me recover.” You might be thinking “Recovery? I don’t need recovery.” If you are mourning something today, if your life is overcome by deep sadness, then you need recovery. You need to know that you matter to God. You need to know that He has the power, on His terms, to help you through your current circumstance and every circumstance after that.

What are you mourning today? What injustice or unfairness enrages you? As we trust in Jesus, He will bring comfort.

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Are You on God’s Bad Side?

By Allen White

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

When we are proud, God is opposed to us. That’s what this verse says. Considering God’s power and might, it would be wise to have God on our side rather to live in opposition to Him.

I’m not saying this to be clever. I’m saying this because I don’t know that we understand how truly serious this is. Pride is one of the greatest hindrances to our spiritual well-being. It’s one of the seven deadly sins, according to Pope Gregory the Great (Source: gotquestions.org http://www.gotquestions.org/seven-deadly-sins.html). (So is gluttony, but we talked about confession yesterday, and I’ve lost 15 pounds).

Pride puts us at the center of our universe. Pride is the desire to prove everyone else wrong just to prove that we’re right. Pride is the compulsion for control. Pride is hogging the ball, the remote, and the credit. Pride puts us on the wrong side of God.

Grace is not given to the proud, because the proud see no need for grace. Like the older brother in the story of the prodigal son, who did everything right, the proud don’t have a need for the Father’s grace (Luke 15:29). They are in control. They are calling the shots. The proud can take care of themselves. As St. Augustine said, “It was pride that changed angels into devils. It is humility that makes men as angels.”

So, here’s the problem: proud Christians depend on God for their eternal salvation, but depend on themselves for everything else. God’s saving grace has been applied and their destiny is secure. But, when it comes to everyday living, “if it’s meant to me, it’s up to me.” (That’s a clever phrase, though unbiblical).

God cannot work in us if we don’t allow Him to work. If we are expending all of our energy trying to figure things out and don’t seek God for answers, guess what, God doesn’t give any answers.

God gives grace to the humble, not just for eternal security, but also for daily living. The humble don’t necessarily have low self-esteem. The humble have an accurate view of themselves (Romans 12:3). They have strengths and weaknesses. They are not the center of the universe. The humble acknowledge their weakness so that God, in turn, demonstrates His strength (2 Corinthians 12:10).

God doesn’t love the humble more than the loves the proud. God loves us all. God gives grace to the humble, because they are humble enough to ask for God’s grace. Why would the proud need to ask for God’s grace? They’ve got it all under control.

How do you need God’s grace today? Have you asked Him for it? God is not stingy with His grace. He won’t scold you first. God is glad to be on your side.

A beautiful hymn by Annie J. Flint captures this well:

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,

His power no boundary known unto men;

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

If you have time, the lyrics to this hymn are priceless: http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/He_Giveth_More_Grace/

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Soul Cancer

By Allen White

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:3-5

Unconfessed sin is a cancer on the soul. As David writes, it doesn’t just affect us spiritually, but it also takes a toll emotionally and physically.

The deception of sin is that it allows us to believe that we have control over it, when sin actually has control over us. Sin causes us to think, “I can stop any time I want to.” But, here’s the deal: if you could stop, then why haven’t you stopped? If you don’t believe me, then I would challenge you today, to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and quit. Cold turkey. If you think you are in control, then you can quit today and never go back to it. Let me know how it goes for you. Let me know when you need to quit again.

I’m not saying these things because I am better than you. I am saying these things because I am you. I’m just as fallen and as prone to sin as the next guy. I’m just as easily deceived into depending on myself until the next crisis arises. So, I suppose that I am just as prideful and stupid as anyone else.

The power of sin lies in our secrets. My friend, Paul, says “I’m only as sick as my secrets.” We worry about our loss of reputation or embarrassment if someone found out what we were up to. We can’t believe that we let ourselves become trapped by sin, yet part of us doesn’t want to get away from it. The result isn’t life and peace, but guilt and shame.

Here’s the deal: if you were truly in control of your sin and could quit, then you would have quit already. You can’t. If you are trapped by over-working, online relationships, smoking, mindless web surfing, endless television watching, pornography, over-eating, over-exercising or over-anything else, you need the help of other believers to escape this trap. If you are trapped, that thought is terrifying.

Why can’t I just confess this to God? Why do I need to involve anyone else? Because you’ve already confessed this to God, and you’re right back in it. James writes, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16). We need the accountability from someone who loves us, but is not impressed with us. This isn’t a person who keeps a “record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:5), but someone who encourages us so that we don’t give up. Paul writes, “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

The blessing of confessing our sins is found in the beginning of this Psalm:

Blessed is he

       whose transgressions are forgiven,

       whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man

       whose sin the LORD does not count against him

       and in whose spirit is no deceit. (Psalm 32:1-2)

My hope and prayer for you today is that you will find the blessing of forgiveness and freedom through your confession, true fellowship and God’s power.

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Feeling Stuck?

By Allen White

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. Romans 7:15-17

The Apostle Paul doesn’t seem to be a guy that many of us can relate to. He planted the church throughout Asia Minor and Southern Europe without an airplane, a computer, a telephone or a television. He wrote nearly half of the New Testament (13 of 27 books: Romans through Philemon). He was arrested, beaten, left for dead and run out of town. He preached to politicians and prisoners. The Apostle Paul is out of our league.

Yet, this passage in Romans is probably the most “human” of his writing. When I read these words, I feel like Paul is writing about me. “Why did I just say that, I know that it hurts their feelings? Why did I just eat that, I’m not even hungry?” The list can go on and on.

Don’t take this passage as an excuse to place blame for our actions. We are responsible for how we act. If we don’t understand why we do what we do, then we need to figure that out. The point is this: you and I are powerless to overcome the temptations in our lives. God never encourages us to resist our temptations (James 1:13-14). He directs us to run from them (1 Corinthians 6:18). There is no way through temptation, that will benefit us, but there is a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Left to us, we will never become the best versions of ourselves. We seek comfort, safety and self-preservation. We want to be soothed. We want to escape. An old saying goes “The path of least resistance makes both men and rivers crooked.” Left to ourselves, we’re a bit of a mess.

But, God is not content to leave us there. “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9).

On our own, you and I will never achieve the lives that God will bless. We’re just not that good. But, as God does His work in us, He will transform our lives through the work of His Spirit. The key is control. If we attempt to control our own lives and to control the people and circumstances around us, we cannot receive the blessings of God. Our desire for control always results in sinfulness. If we allow God’s Spirit to control us, the results are much different. “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6).

How’s your peace these days? What’s the quality of your life? Are you dragging through your days or are you enjoying life that is truly life (1 Timothy 6:9)?

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