Why Did God Come to Earth?

Why did God come to earth? What is so important down here that He would put on human flesh and walk among the wicked and the imperfect? Genesis reports that God regularly came to visit and walk with Adam and Eve in sweet fellowship (Gen 3:8). After the fall God came down to bring judgment and punishment (see Gen 11:5, 18:21). The Israelites built Him a sacred place where He could dwell among His chosen people – though they could not approach His presence (Ex 25:8). In one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the Old Testament, their idolatry became so great that He withdrew His presence and left the Temple (Ezk. 11:22-23).

So why did He come back? When John the Baptist, Jesus’ forerunner and cousin was born his father, after months of silence for his unbelief, declared the answer to our question in a song. He said, “[The Lord] has come . . . to bring salvation . . . to redeem . . . to show mercy . . . to rescue . . . to enable . . . to give us His holiness and righteousness . . . to forgive . . . to shine His light into our darkness . . . and to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Lk 2:67-80). Jesus Himself said that He had come to declare the Good News; “to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Mark 1:38, Lk 4:18-21). He came to do the will of His Father, even unto death on a cross (Jn 4:34; Lk 22:42; Phil 2:8).

At the beginning of this devotional, I asked, “What is so important down here that He would put on human flesh and walk among the wicked and the imperfect?” You were. The writer of Hebrews said that Jesus endured the cross and all it entailed “for the Joy set before Him” (Heb 12:2). What was that Joy? You were. It gave Him great delight to know that you would be with Him forever and ever. God came for you Beloved; He came to make you His own child, His treasured possession (Is 43:4). All He did He did for you. You are that important to Him.  

Telling Yourself the Truth

Yesterday, we talked about telling ourselves the truth over our feelings. We considered in a general sense Philippians 4:8 – today we’re going to see how that works in practical application because knowing Scripture without applying Scripture has no power in our lives.

Most of us don’t pay attention to what’s going on between our ears, and our thoughts don’t naturally default to what is true and right and pure. Our sinful nature sets their course – usually right into the pit. That is why Paul said we must “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). We can say that our feelings and emotions are “arguments and pretenses” and the “knowledge of God” is truth. We must identify those errant thoughts, feelings, and emotions and confront them with God’s Word.

My feelings say, “God will never forgive the awful things I’ve done.” What is true? “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn 1:9). No sin is beyond the reach of God’s grace. “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Rom 5:20).

My feelings say, “I can’t live the Christian life.” But what is true? “[The Lord’s] power has given us everything we need for life and godliness . . .” (2 Peter 1:3). My feelings say “I am useless to the Kingdom of God. But what is true? I am “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” My feelings say, “This situation is impossible!” But what is true? “Nothing is impossible with God” (Lk 1:37)

Without question, the most common feeling we have is that we are unlovable. “God could never love a wretch like me.” Let’s take that argument captive and bring it into the truth of God’s Word. The truth is “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power, neither height nor depth nor anything thing else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39). God said, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jer 31:3). Nothing is truer than that.

Those are just my own feelings and thoughts. The same principle applies to yours Beloved. You can and must overdub the lies with God’s truth or the enemy will eat you alive. Pay attention to what your feelings are telling you and then search the Scriptures for what is true. Then hold onto the truth with all you’ve got. Message me if you need some help.

The Truth is . . .

When I first sensed the call to write, I was excited to discover that a well-known women’s ministry had launched a program to train Christian writers – so I jumped on it. The first video lesson was by the founder of the ministry, a best-selling Christian author whose books take up a lot of space in Christian bookstores. “She knows what she’s talking about!” I reasoned as I settled in with pen and notebook to learn all about the craft of writing.

She said the key to writing books that sell was to write to people’s “felt needs.” Poll your friends and social media followers to find out what people are feeling then write to meet those needs. Her offerings follow exactly that advice as she writes about cravings and learning to love yourself, eating habits, and living a balanced life. Emotions are high on her list of books.

But God called me to write about truth not feelings. Granted, feelings are a huge part of our lives, but feelings are not truth. Feelings often deceive us. They are susceptible to every wind that blows by. The news can be depressing. Others’ emotions and actions affect our own. A song or a sunrise can stir our emotions. A woman’s hormones have powerful control over her emotions. For Pete’s sake, a good burger can make me giddy. And lest we forget, satan loves to prey on our emotions and draw our minds away from God. No, felt needs are not the truth.

I always turn to Paul’s counsel in Philippians 4:8 when emotions are taking over. He wrote: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” If I just take the first one – whatever is true – I can override my out-of-control emotions. That’s been huge for me these past few months as my family has been in chaos. When anxiety and sadness grip my heart, I have to tell myself the truth – God has not lost control of the situation. He will do what is right. If I gave in to my feelings I would wallow for days in self-pity and despair.

I’m not discounting emotions – they are part of what makes us God’s image-bearers. The Scriptures often speak of God expressing emotions, but He does not allow His emotions to control Him or direct His actions.  He always works in truth. You and I can too. No matter our circumstances or our feelings, turning our thoughts to what is true will redirect our emotions and refocus our minds. Let this be your mantra today Beloved, “What is true?” Then take your mind there. Because what is true will always turn you back to God.

Do You Know Who You Are?

There is a trend in Christianity, especially in Women’s Ministry, to focus on “who I am in Christ.” That is not a bad thing – in fact, the Father reminded Jesus that He was His Beloved Son just before he faced forty days in the wilderness and the temptations of the devil (Matt 3:17). But contemporary Christianity often puts the emphasis on the wrong end of that statement. Popular songs and best-selling studies (I can’t call them “Bible” studies) are heavy on “who I am” and very light on “in Christ.” Let’s be honest, self-focus sells.

The world alternately tells you that you are either entirely insignificant or the center of the universe. The culture wants you to find yourself in your appearance, popularity, stuff, or accomplishments. Pop psychology says you are whomever you tell yourself you are. If you’re like me, that’s up one day and down the next. For believers, it’s important to know the truth about ourselves from God’s perspective. The world cannot confuse us and the enemy cannot defeat us if we take God’s Word for who we are.

If you are in Christ, you are:

The salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mat 5:13-14).

His friend (John 15:15).

Justified (Rom 5:1), and reconciled to God (v. 10).

Dead to sin (Rom 6:2), and instruments of Righteousness (v. 13).

God’s children (Rom 8:15-16); set free from sin and enslaved to righteousness (v.18)

Members of Christ’s Body (Rom 12:5).

Enriched and equipped (1 Cor 1:5-7)

A new Creation (2 Cor 5:17) and Christ’s ambassadors (v. 20).

God’s workmanship (Eph 2:10).

Citizens of Heaven (Phil 3:20).

Alive (Col 2:13).

Made perfect (Heb 10:2) . . .forever! (v. 14), Cleansed, no longer guilty (v.2), made holy (v. 10), forgiven (v. 18).

A spiritual house and a holy priesthood (1 Pet 2:2).

And I could go on and on and on. The point of all these verses is not who I am, but what Christ has done. The heart of the Christian faith is the transforming power of Jesus’ blood. He didn’t die to make us the best versions of our human selves. He died to make us like Himself. He died to make dead men live. He died to set you and me free from the bondage of sin and the condemnation of eternal death. Because of one more thing that we are in Christ: Lavishly loved (1 Jn 3:1).

Beloved, do you know who you are? Do you know Whose you are?

Road Trip!

We’re planning a fun day trip with Joy today in Poppy’s truck.  Every mile of our adventure will be powered by the combustion engine under the hood. That engine has two jobs: to take in fuel and to put out power. My husband will provide the fuel by filling up the gas tank and the engine will produce the power which will push the truck down the road.

Paul knew nothing about a combustion engine, but he understood the principle. He wrote, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Php 2:12-13). Do you see the principle? What God works in – you work out. God is at work in you through His Word and His Spirit – providing power, wisdom, strength, and righteousness. Your job is to take what He provides and work it out in your life.

He gives you His power to overcome the devil. You work out that power by “standing your ground” (Eph 6:13) against the enemy until he runs from you (Ja 4:7). He gives you His wisdom to make godly decisions. You believe His wise counsel and act according to His will (Rom 12:2). He gives you His strength to endure the trials so that you can persevere with Joy (Ja 1:2), knowing that God is working all things for the good (Rom 8:28). He gives you His righteousness so you can live a holy life. He gives you a way out of temptation, and you take it. He gives you His love so that you can love others – even those who are hard to love. He gives you His Spirit, and you work it out by living by the Spirit (Gal 6:16), being led by the Spirit (v. 18), and keeping in step with the Spirit (v. 25). He gives you His Word to teach, rebuke, correct, and train you in righteousness – you work it out by study and obedience.

You would think we were crazy if we jumped in the truck and expected to make our trip without any fuel to power the engine. How crazy is it to try to live godly lives without the truth of the Word and the power of God’s Spirit? Beloved, God is providing the fuel for holy living (2 Pet 1:3) – all you have to do is work out what He is pouring in. Get your motor running – it’s time to hit the road!

The Peace of God in the Storms of Life

I need a word from the Lord this morning. I need to hear from the God who watches over little girls who are not where they should be and comforts broken-hearted Nanas. I wanted something like: “Don’t you worry, I’ll fix this.” But that’s not the word I got. The Spirit led me to Philippians 4:4-7: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Rejoice. You’re kidding, right? No, He’s not. Rejoice. Not just when it’s all good and the sun is shining. Always. Now. When it hurts. When you don’t understand.

Be gentle. Actually, He’s not commanding an act on my part, He is reminding me to bear forth the fruit of His Spirit – gentleness – as I deal with the people and the situation. God knew when He gave me that word at the beginning of the year that I would need it right now.

Don’t be anxious. I need to tell that to my knotted-up stomach and my hammering heart. Literally.

Pray. I like the way The Message says it: “shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.” And petition Him. “Go boldly to the throne of grace” (Heb 4:16 emphasis added). ASK. “ASK and keep on asking, SEEK and keep on seeking, KNOCK and keep on knocking” (from Mat 7:7).

With thanksgiving. Yes, thanksgiving. Because God has been trustworthy in the past. Because He loves her more than I ever could. Because He can be where I cannot. Because He is still writing this story.

And because He plants four words in the middle of this passage that we often overlook but speak volumes: “The Lord is near.”

Rejoice–because the Lord is near. Be gentle—because the Lord is near. Don’t be anxious–because the Lord is near. Pray with thankfulness–because the Lord is near. I can have the peace of God that is unfathomable–because the Lord is near. My heart and my mind – and my stomach – need God’s peace.

I didn’t exactly write this one for you today, I wrote it for me. But I’ll share it with you because it’s His Word for us all. And because, Beloved, through it all—the Lord is near.

Real Words for Real Life

Yesterday I wrote about controlling our thoughts. I want to take you through how I apply exactly what I’ve been telling you. Whether it’s temptation or discouragement, the battleground for the believer is the mind. The enemy works on our thoughts, interjecting lies and accusations and enticement. You and I need to know how to fight this battle according to the Word of God.

I have been slogging my way through graduate school for the past four years. The last course I took has been a bear, not so much for the material or the assignments, but for my life. I have a lot of heavy responsibilities pulling on me every day and my schoolwork always gets pushed to the bottom of the priority list. I’m still trying to finish the last assignment from last semester. The enemy is planting thoughts such as: “What’s the point of going to school? You’re a woman in the Baptist denomination – they won’t let you do anything with all that education.” “You just need to quit and focus on being a grandmother.” “Wouldn’t you like to make pretty ruffled dresses instead of pounding out assignments?”

My weary mind takes the suggestions and starts to think, “Yeah, I’m tired of all this studying. What am I doing this for? It’ll never get me anywhere.” And then I realize, I’m playing right into the devil’s hands. I have to follow Paul’s directive and “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). I reject these discouraging thoughts. Then I remember Philippians 4:8: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

The Spirit asked, “What is true here?”

What’s true is that God called me to this. Psalm 139:6 is marked with the date of my first day of college: 5/31/13. What’s true is that I can’t see God’s plan, but I know He has one (Jer. 29:11). What’s true is that God always finishes what He starts (Phil 1:6). What’s true is that He called me, is equipping me, and will use me (2 Tim 3:14). What’s true is that He turned my life upside down to get me to a place where I could get a Master’s degree for free as a staff member at BCF.

Satan can’t stand up under all that truth, and neither can my feelings of discouragement. The Bible is a practical book full of real-life wisdom. Beloved, grab onto the Word and use it.

Ruts, Routines, and Early Rising

It’s Friday – my day off. I did not set my alarm last night as I do on workdays. Yet I woke up this morning at 4:31. I’ve been getting up at 4:30 for so long that I wake up even without my alarm. It’s an ingrained habit I can’t shake – even when I want to.

Some habits are bad – smoking, vaping, playing on the phone for hours, and negative self-talk. But some habits are good – daily Bible study and prayer, exercise, and speaking kindly to yourself. The key to making or breaking a habit is consistency. Doing (or not doing) the same thing every day sets the pattern your body or your psyche accepts as your default. Those habits become like well-worn ruts in a road that you just naturally “fall into.” Some of us need to pack some dirt into a few ruts and break our bad habits.

Paul was not a psychologist, but he understood this principle. He said, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2). Peter agreed saying, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance” (1 Pet 1:14).  The word “conform” means “to fashion oneself after” and these two verses are the only times it’s used in Scripture.

Do you get what this means? You and I have control of these patterns and habits and ruts. We set the default and shape our lives by our choices and routines. Just as my sleep cycle is used to an early wake-up time, our minds and bodies get used to the habits we create. I grew up with a pattern of pessimism in my family. We just didn’t gravitate to warm, happy thoughts. A few years ago I recognized that negativity had become a rut. I asked the Lord to help me and has been teaching me to renew my mind by filling the negative ruts with thoughts that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Phil 4:8). I’m seeing progress as my default is slowly becoming more positive and life-affirming, even amid a very trying season.

Now, I’m not just talking about “The Power of Positive Thinking,” but the power of God’s Word and Spirit to transform us from the inside out. If you choose that path. Get out of the ruts, Beloved, and take the high road.

Which Jesus Will You Choose?

The great philosopher John Lennon once remarked in the mid-sixties, that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus.”  Christians took great offense at his statement and the Beatles’ albums were burned and smashed to pieces. It was an inflammatory statement, but the truth is, Lennon was probably right. In the fifty years since, he has been proved right with any celebrity, sports star, or politician you want to name. Even in the church, Jesus is not the most popular figure, at least not the Jesus of the Bible. There are variations of Jesus – the political Jesus, the social justice Jesus (he seems to be the one most folks like), the wise teacher Jesus, the stick-it-to-the-establishment Jesus, the anything-goes Jesus, and on and on. But they are not the Jesus we see in Scripture. 

Not that we can put Him in a clearly defined box. The Jesus of the Bible is at the same time humble and exalted. He is gentle and fierce. He is gracious and confrontational. He accepted women with bad reputations and chastened the religious leaders who are lauded for their (self)righteousness. He is unpredictable and yet He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He was popular – until He wasn’t. The same crowd that greeted Him as Messiah later shouted for His crucifixion. Throughout human history far more have rejected Him than accepted Him. He may be worshiped in small bands but He is scorned in the public square. But one day . . .

The Bible says that  Jesus will come again, splitting the sky and riding the clouds like a wave. And every eye will see Him. Every person will know exactly who He is. Because God has exalted Him to the highest place and given Him the name that is above every name. One day, that name will ring out across the universe, and then “every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11).  Every knee. Every tongue. From the most devout believer to the most spiteful atheist.

Yes, that means you too. You will bow and you will confess. The only question is, will it be an act of delight that you have practiced often, or will it be one of shock and horror, when you realize Whom you rejected?  The choice is yours now, Beloved. Have you, will you believe in the real Jesus?

God of the Impossible

“This is impossible. It’s hopeless – this will never change.”

Those are the words that have been running through my mind lately over a very difficult situation. I keep putting it in God’s hands, but something happened recently that weighs heavy on my heart – and my mind. And that’s where the problem lies. In my mind. All those defeating thoughts bubble up in my head like water boiling on the fire. When these thoughts start, I can feel my anxiety rise. And the enemy loves it. He pours more gas on the flames until I am in a pit of anxiety and despair.

But the Spirit brought a Word to mind: “Whatever is true . . . think about such things” (see Philippians 4:8). Then He whispered to me, “What is true here?” I realized what He was up to. He was trying to turn my thoughts away from the burden I feel and toward the burden-bearer.  He was soaking the dry ground of my mind with the Living Water of His Word.

What is true is that “Nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). The Spirit took me on a mental Bible study, calling to mind the many times God worked out the impossible. Like giving a 90+-year-old couple a baby (Abraham and Sarah). Or parting the waters to let two million people cross over on dry land (The Hebrew nation crossing the Red Sea). Or bringing down a massive stone wall with shouts of praise (Joshua and the battle of Jerico). Or causing the sun to stand still in the sky to give His warriors victory (Josua and the battle at Gibeon). How about a shepherd boy bringing down a giant with a slingshot (David and Goliath)?  Can a virgin give birth? She can if God is behind it (Mary’s immaculate conception).  Think about demons being driven out, paralyzed men walking, the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, and the mute speaking. Or mothers being given back their dead children, sick people made well, thousands fed from a little boy’s lunch, and water turned into wine.  

Then He asked me, “Now Child, is your situation more impossible than these?” No, it isn’t. And neither is yours Beloved. I don’t know what burdens your heart today, but I know that you and I have a God who specializes in overcoming the impossible. And that’s the truth.