How to Behave Like a Christian

Okay friends, I hear you. Yes, I’ve said that God isn’t after behavior modification, but then I said that behavior matters. Yet the harder we try to behave like a Christian, the more we stumble. It feels like an impossible scenario. And it is. So how do we do this Christian thing?
Colossians 3 has some excellent advice for us – in fact, in my Bible (NIV) this section is entitled, “Rules for Holy Living.” Paul gives the key right up front: “Set your heart on things above” (v. 1) and “Set your mind on things above” (v. 2). In Scripture both the heart and the mind center around our thoughts. “Set your heart” means “to seek by thinking, meditating, and reasoning.” Likewise, “set your mind” means “to direct one’s mind to a thing.” Our behavior starts with our thoughts.
The heart, in the original Greek, is “the seat of thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections . . .” and the mind is the locus of “considering and judging.” The first key is to recognize that we determine our thoughts. We choose what we meditate on and allow to take up valuable space in our hearts and minds. Granted, our thoughts can be triggered by outside forces – advertisers count on that. And lest we forget, the mind is the devil’s favorite playground. But you and I determine what stays in our minds.
One verse I claim often is to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). How? By setting our thoughts on things above. By grabbing that errant thought and taking it to Jesus and letting His Spirit direct us rightly. Which brings me to the most crucial point in our quest for living the Christian life – the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, “Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (Rom 8:6). That is the conjoining of our minds with the Holy Spirit. Then we will be “controlled by the Spirit . . . [that] lives in us” (v. 9). And that is the complete surrender of our lives to the Spirit of Christ.
Beloved, what you think about, what you give your heart and mind to, what you pursue with your emotions are all under your control. But when you submit your mind and heart to the Holy Spirit He takes control. He leads you in the ways of Christ. That is how you and I live holy, godly lives. That’s how the impossible becomes possible.

Acts: When God Changes Your Plans

I had a plan for my life when I was much younger. The only part of my plan to come to reality was I got older. Proverbs 16:9 says “In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” I could have written that verse myself – you probably could have too. For sure Paul understood those words and lived them out. His life plan was to be a Pharisee – he was trained in Jewish law by the wise Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). But the Lord had other plans for him – “to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people Israel” (Acts 9:15). He interrupted his plans on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).

The Lord also interrupted his plans in Acts 16:1-10. Please read this passage and come back here.

After Paul brought Timothy on board his missionary team, he had plans to take the gospel into new territory. But Luke said that he and his companions had “been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia” (Acts 16:6). This was followed by another redirection as “the Spirit of Jesus” prevented them from entering Bithynia (v. 7). No additional details are given but as the passage unfolds, we learn why. God wanted Paul elsewhere. During the night Paul receives “a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’” (v. 9).

Here’s what the Holy Spirit is pointing out to me. First, when God saved me, He also claimed me as His own. It is His right to override my plans and send me in another direction. Secondly, His plans will always be better than mine. But here’s where I am being confronted and convicted. Paul didn’t complain. He didn’t whine about not getting to do what he wanted to do. He responded with immediate obedience. “After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (v. 10).

God is all about changing our plans and our direction. That is the Christian life in a nutshell. If He did not interrupt us, we would have no hope. I look back over my life, over my plans and see the foolishness and futility of them. I’m grateful He turned everything upside-down and inside-out. Beloved, are you still clinging to your plans, even as God has shown you a new direction? Lay them down and follow where He is leading you. The sweetest place you can ever be is in the center of His will.

Are You Devoted to God?

The Bible is full of questions but surprisingly many of them come from God and not from people. The first question was when The Lord God came to the garden in the cool of the day to visit with His beloved creation and asked, “Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9). And the story of sin came tumbling out.

I came across a question this morning that has deeply challenged me. “‘Who is he [or she] who will devote himself to be close to me?’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 30:21 NIV). Keep in mind that He wasn’t asking that of the general population of the world, He was asking that of His people, Israel. I believe He is also asking that of the church today.

This verse speaks of devoting oneself – and when I first read it I thought it meant making a firm commitment to draw near to God through Bible study and prayer and all those holy habits of discipleship. That was the direction I was writing. Then the Spirit said, “It’s more than that – dig deeper.” I discovered that this verse is saying something much different. This is not about discipleship, it is about sacrifice. The word “devote” in ancient Hebrew means to put up a pledge of security – in a modern sense, to “mortgage.” Mortgage what? Everything, including one’s very life, for one purpose – to come near, to approach God.

Here’s what I found fascinating: this same Hebrew word is used in Nehemiah 5:3 where the people said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.” They sold everything they had just to survive. That is how desperate we must be for God.

This means saying, “God, I am giving my entire being – my physical life, my possessions, my loved ones, my desires, passions, time, money, future, emotions, thoughts, rights, my mind, my pleasures, my entertainment, and everything I know to You so that I can have a real relationship – not just an acquaintance – with You. I am holding on to nothing. I am desperate for you.”

Which begs a new question – Are you that desperate for God? Not just to have a passing knowledge of Him but to know you need Him in order to survive? Will you give it all up for Him? Beloved, will you devote yourself to be close to the Lord?

It’s All About Your Roots

I have been known to let a cactus die for lack of water, so I am not exactly an expert in gardening. I have a few plants in containers on my back porch that I also forget to water occasionally. This has been a rainy week in our area so I set all my pots out in the yard so God could water them for me. When I moved them back onto the porch one of the plant’s runners had started setting roots in the ground. I had to tease them out of the soil to move it.

Roots are an important part of the Christian life, and where you choose to plant your roots determines your spiritual health. Roots are the plant’s way to take in the nourishment and moisture it needs to grow healthy and strong. I once planted some elephant ear bulbs at a corner of my house and was disappointed in them. The soil was weak and sandy and they couldn’t get what they needed to thrive. My plant’s roots were unhealthy and so were its leaves. They reminded me of Job 18:16 which says, “His roots dry up below and his branches wither above.” This person has his roots in the wicked and evil world. He has no concern for God, but only for himself. He chases after pleasure and wealth and lives only to satisfy his flesh to the detriment of his soul. He has shallow roots and shallow thoughts, shallow desires, shallow relationships, and ultimately a shallow end.

I added some mushroom compost to the soil and the results were amazing. The plant’s roots dug into the amended soil and took in the nutrients it provided. Those elephant ears grew to be huge and lush. I was stunned one day to discover flowers! They were so happy and healthy that they thanked me with their beauty. Now I had 2 Kings 19:30 plants: “[They] will take root below and bear fruit above.” This is the spiritually healthy person who has planted himself in the rich soil of God’s Word, God’s Spirit, and God’s love. He flourishes because he is receiving everything he needs “for life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3). His roots are strong and he has godly thoughts, godly desires, godly relationships, and an eternal future with no end.

Where have you planted yourself, Beloved? What happens on the top of the soil – and the whole of your life – depends on where you set your roots.

Hebrews: Your Cheering Section

When I finally pulled the trigger on college I was blessed with a great support system. My husband was my #1 cheerleader and was so patient with the time I spent on my studies. My best friend covered me in prayer all the way through. But there was one particular friend who was the most helpful because she had just completed the same course of study at the same school. She was a Godsend, full of experience and wise counsel. I called her with a thousand questions and more than a few panic attacks. She knew what I was dealing with and how I could get through it. She shared her wisdom and kept me going when I wanted to quit. I am so grateful to you, Merideth Middleton.

That is the same spirit behind Hebrews 12:1: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” For several weeks we have studied the “greats of the faith” – Enoch, Noah, Moses, Abraham, and even Rahab – a prostitute.  They are all part of the “great cloud of witnesses” who serve as encouragement and inspiration for us today.  Add to that list Peter, James, John, and Paul, plus the martyrs who stood in the face of torture and death and praised the Name above every name. It is indeed a “great cloud” of faithfulness.  They are models and examples to us and they are cheering you and me on in our Christian journey.  They paid the price for being a Christ-follower and they want us to know that it is worth it.

There is another in that great cloud who is particularly watching and encouraging us.  Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The Scriptures tell us that Jesus is praying for us; He is asking His Father to give us faith that will not fail (Luke 22:31, Romans 8:34).  He is speaking to our hearts through His Spirit.  And when the battle is the hardest and we think we have been forgotten, He who sits at the right hand of the Father stands to bless and encourage us (Acts 7:55, 56).  You have all the saints of the ages cheering you on.  You have brothers and sisters in Christ to support and encourage you.  And you have the very Son of God praying for you. Keep running, Beloved, victory is ahead.

Be Like Jesus

“Look at this pretty dress,” my Mom said, “this silhouette would look so nice on you.”
“It’s okay, but it’s not exactly the style today, nobody’s wearing stuff like that now.”
My mom was a master seamstress and made a lot of my clothes; we were in the fabric department, looking at patterns. Or she was. I was impatiently trying to drag her to the young women’s section to buy the things my peers were wearing. My mom wanted me to be different – or as she said, “to be yourself.” I didn’t want to be myself – I wanted to be like everyone else. The thing is, on those rare days when I did wear something my mom wanted me to wear, I got the most compliments. Most days, I was just one more face in a look-alike crowd.
When God called the nation of Israel to be His people he said He had “set you apart from the nations, to be My own” (Leviticus 20:26). He wanted them to be distinct – holy – like Him. His people were meant to reflect Him to the nations. They resisted this throughout their history, and when they had settled in the Promised Land, they demanded a king “then we will be like all the other nations” (1 Samuel 8:19). They did not want to be like God, they wanted to be like everyone around them.
Not much has changed. God’s people, now under Jesus’ sacrifice, are called to be different, to be like Christ – distinct, set apart – holy. But we try our best to fit in – to be like everyone around us. We don’t want to “stand out from the crowd.” But the crowd needs to see you and me looking like Jesus, talking like Jesus, loving like Jesus – not a mirror image of themselves. You may not get compliments, but you will be noticed, and that allows you to “give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).

Do you blend in with the world, or do you stand out from the crowd? Do people see their own weary reflection when they look at you – or do they see the hope of Christ? The truth is, you cannot be a follower of Christ and look like the world. You are either one or the other. Which will it be Beloved? 

Just Wait

What’s the hardest part of the Christian life? Dealing with the culture that has rejected God? Dealing with loved ones that have rejected God? Surrendering long-held sinful desires? Establishing holy habits of Bible study and prayer? Telling others about Jesus? Obedience? Yes to all of the above. But the one that is most challenging for me is waiting. You’ve experienced it too. We’re in good company. From Noah waiting in the Ark to Jospeh waiting in prison to Abraham waiting for the promised child, to David waiting to take his God-given throne, to Daniel in the lion’s den, waiting is a common struggle. It’s one of the biggest tests of our faith.

I have a friend who is dealing with a situation in her marriage, one she and I are praying over fiercely. God has told her to wait on Him to act. She’s trying. But she gets anxious and takes it on herself to try to turn him around. We recently talked about her latest attempt to force the change she so wants to see, and as expected, it only frustrated her husband and left her discouraged. “What was the last thing God said to you about it?” I asked. “Wait,” she said. “Did “Did He tell you He needed your help?” “No.” “Then wait. Just wait.”

David wrote a Psalm that is filled with good counsel as we wait. He said, “Do not fret,” “Trust in the Lord,” “do good,” Delight yourself in the Lord,” “Commit your way to Him,” “Be still,” “be patient,” “hope in the Lord,” “keep His way” (Psalm 37). Never once does he say, “worry about it,” “argue over it,” “take matters into your own hands,” “make it happen.”  

Here’s what I know from years of Bible study and especially from my own life. God never tells His child to wait for no reason. Waiting always means there’s something on the other end worth waiting for. That’s why we can have hope and trust in the waiting. Because we know that He is faithful. That’s how we can wait patiently.

I don’t know what you’re waiting for. But I know that God has never failed. Not in thousands of years of human history. Not in 61 years of my life. It may not happen as fast as you want, but if God tells you to hang on, Beloved, it will happen. Just “wait a little longer” (Rev 6:11).

Silver Vases and Chamber Pots

When I was a very young girl, and we visited my grandmother we experienced true “country living.” We slept on real feather beds (John Denver anyone?), helped granny pick and snap beans for supper, slopped the hogs, and on cold mornings huddled around the coal-burning stove.  And during the day – when [ahem] the need arose – we visited the outhouse.  But at night, no one wanted to traipse out in the dark and cold, so granny had pans that sat under the bed for our nightly needs. 

Where am I going with this? To Paul’s second letter to Timothy. He said, “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (2 Timothy 2:20-21). 

Keep in mind that Paul is addressing Christians – not the world. He is talking to people God desires to use in Kingdom work on earth. He is saying that how God uses us largely depends on how we live.  We can be “an instrument of noble purposes” if we strive for holiness in our daily lives. Think of a silver vase that holds beautiful flowers in God’s throne room or the golden goblet from which He drinks each day. But if we pursue “ignoble purposes” – if we live for the world and our flesh we will be good for nothing more than an iron dustpan, or a tin mop bucket in the King’s great house. Or the pan under my granny’s bed.

So how do we endeavor to be vessels for noble purposes? Paul continued: “flee evil desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (v. 22). We run from things that lead us into sin. We cultivate desires for the things of God, and we align ourselves with believers who are on the same path. If you are in Christ the Father has cleansed you with Jesus’ blood, clothed you in robes of righteousness, anointed you with the Holy Spirit, and set you apart for a holy purpose.  Beloved, how will you be used in the house of God?

Deeper Roots

“Nana, I watered your flowers!” Joy burst into my study the other day and dragged me by the hand to the porch to take a look. “See! Didn’t I do a good job!?” I smiled down at her eager face and gave her a big hug. “Yes, you did! Thank you, sweet girl!” I said, noticing that the leaves glistened with moisture but the soil was barely damp. Her idea of “watering my flowers” was to sprinkle water across the tops of the plants. When she proudly ran off to play, I turned on the hose and gave the plants the good, long drink they needed to survive and flourish. I returned to my study with a fresh cup of coffee and my Bible. I checked the reading plan and turned to Psalm 119:9-16 to read. I started to close my Bible and get on with the chores that nagged me when I sensed a “Stop!” in my spirit. “Read it again. Slower.” So I sat back down and re-read the passage. I realized that the Psalmist wasn’t doing a quick reading of the Scriptures, He was soaking it in. Like my granddaughter’s idea of watering my plants, I was sprinkling God’s Word over the surface of my heart, but I wasn’t spending enough time in it to do my soul much good. When I looked further into Psalm 119 I found verse after verse after verse about the power of the Bible for those who will give it more than a quick read.

I’ve quit trying to read the Bible through in a year, I’m more focused on reading it. thoroughly. I decided to slow it down and take smaller, deeper bites that I can chew on all day. Peter called believers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18). Growing in knowledge takes time, but it pays off with deep roots. Deep roots bear fruit (2 Kings 19:30, paraphrased). Jesus said that we were chosen and appointed “to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last” (John 15:16). That requires time in the soul-nurturing Word of God. Beloved, it’s time to put away the watering can and pull out the soaker hose. Go deep in the Word of God and let God’s Words go deep in you.

How to Calm a Restless Life

I almost did it. I almost gave you a devotional with a verse taken out of context. I’ve taught the importance of context, context, context for years and I was about to break the rule. Let me explain. James 1:6 says, “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” This verse, plucked out of the surrounding passage, sits nicely on a platter of “pray and believe and you will receive.” But wait. What is that “but” all about?

James was writing to encourage Jewish believers who were under great oppression and persecution for their faith in Christ. He said their trials were God’s tools to make them “mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (v. 4). Then he adds, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (v. 5). Put all the pieces together and James is saying that wisdom is the mark of a mature, complete Christian and that God will give wisdom to anyone who asks.

But there’s the “but” and that’s where verse 6 above comes in. By now you know that believing = obedience. The wisdom God gives is not just a head full of theology, it is practical action He expects you to take. God doesn’t speak just to be heard, He speaks to be obeyed. The opposite of believing is doubt, so the corollary to our equation is doubt = disobedience. “Doubt” means to make a judgment and thus to hesitate. When we doubt God’s Word, when we hesitate to obey we are judging His wisdom – or more to the point, judging Him – and deciding to reject His Word – and His authority. Hesitance is disobedience.

James calls that being “double-minded” and “unstable” (v. 8 ). A double-minded mind is a divided mind – a mind with two opposite opinions. A double-minded heart is a divided heart – a heart with two opposite affections. Being unstable means being inconsistent – acting first one way and then another. It’s a restless life. It’s no wonder the person who doubts God’s wisdom is “blown and tossed by the wind like a wave of the sea.” 

Beloved, if you’ve been tossed around by life lately, maybe it’s time to take God’s Word – all of God’s Word – to heart. Obedience is a sturdy foundation.