A Youthful Yoke, Part 3……Devotional Lamplighter Publishing

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Yesterday we discussed the importance of allowing young adults to experience the consequences of their actions. In fact, we posited that Scripture teaches that suffering is a necessary part of the normal maturing process.

 

But during times of intense suffering, teens often build emotional walls, thus delaying the lessons they could be learning. Hosea hits the nail on the head when it comes to the reason that adolescents (and adults) fail to experience the transition from despair to hope. He writes,

 

"And they do not cry to Me from their heart when they wail upon their beds." (Hosea 7:14)

 

God desires for us to cry out to Him, to take off our masks, and pour our heart out to Him. He will hear and He will act. God bruises that He might heal. He injures in order to restore.

 

In his darkest hour, Jeremiah has hope. Being convinced of God's goodness, he pens these immortal words:

 

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

 

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

 

The LORD is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

 

The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him."

 

(Lamentations 3:22-25)

 

God allows Jeremiah to feel pain so that he can experience Him as the One who can meet his deepest needs. Only in the midst of his pain can Jeremiah experience the resurrection power of God's restorative compassion and grace. He has experienced it before and can count on it again for his present difficulties--for His mercies never fail, and neither does His love!

Young people--and adults--need to learn, especially in this unraveling economy, that there is one thing that you can bank on--God's love never fails. Maybe it is time to consider opening an account today.

A Youthful Yoke, Part 2…..Devotional Lamplighter Publishing

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Yesterday we discussed how Jeremiah's attempt to blame God for his unfulfilled longings was evidence of his lack of maturity. Today let's continue to look at the importance of bearing the yoke in one's youth.

 

We live in a day when youth are protected from bearing their "yoke." Well-meaning parents often shield their teens from making wrong decisions, but a wise parent understands that allowing their child to suffer the consequences of wrong choices can be a beneficial learning experience.

 

God knows that Jeremiah's turmoil will help him more than hurt him. In the midst of his pain the prophet cries, "I vividly remember my sufferings and because of this, I have hope!" Can you imagine? How can he say that he has hope as he remembers how much he has suffered?

 

Jeremiah learns what is essential for life--that God allows suffering to mature us and to teach us that He can be trusted. As Jeremiah looks back, he sees that God has delivered him in small and unusual ways. He experiences how God delivers him from the pit of despair and fills him with hope. Hope can be found--but not apart from this very important step. Listen to the words of Hosea:

 

"Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up" (Hosea 6:1).

 

Suffering, particularly emotional suffering, is an important process in adolescent development. If the adolescent receives the necessary support during this time, he or she will learn that the sun will indeed rise again another day.

 

Tomorrow we'll discuss some temptations that teens face during times of suffering, and we'll see that the Bible, sufficient for all of life, provides a remedy to this problem as well!

The Youthful Yoke, Part 1….Devotional Lamplighter Publishing

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During my course of study on adolescent conflict and restoration, I came across an interesting truth in the book of Lamentations. As I began digging I knew I had struck gold!

 

"It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth" (Lamentations 3:27).

 

Jeremiah pours out his heart as he endures the unbearable rejection of his peers. He feels unloved and devalued, and spends a significant amount of time blaming God for his deepest hurts and unmet longings. He literally blames God for using him as target practice! Listen to what he says:

 

"He bent His bow, and set me as a target for His arrows" (Lamentations 3:12).

 

Half of Lamentations 3 is devoted to blaming God for this seemingly incurable despair. When you consider the accusations Jeremiah levels against God, it's hard to square these things with God's character. How do we reconcile these charges against God by a man who suffered terribly as a result of following God's instructions to deliver His message?

 

What we know about God is that He is love, and in Him is no darkness at all. He loves us so much that He who knew no sin became sin for us, so that we might possess the righteousness of God. But in his despair, Jeremiah blames God. He is blinded by his sorrow.

 

Though God was not the cause of Jeremiah's unmet longings, He was the cause of Jeremiah's difficult circumstances (Lamentations 3:32)--and for good reason. Jeremiah's complaint follows the pattern of what most adolescents experience when they feel unloved and devalued. These feelings of despair and inner turmoil, though unpleasant, are a necessary step in the maturing process. To protect our adolescents from this process is to delay their transition into adulthood.

 

Today, we have many twenty-, thirty-, and forty-year-olds who are stuck in an adolescent mindset. They simply have not grown up. Apart from interacting with God, it is impossible to reach genuine maturity.

Tomorrow we'll continue to discuss the importance of bearing the yoke in one's youth.

Dying of Thirst…..Devotional Lamplighter Publishing

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I was reading in Exodus this morning and came across something interesting. The children of Israel "tested the Lord" because they could not find water. In chapter 17 we read, "Therefore the people quarreled against Moses and said, 'Give us water to drink.' And Moses said to them, 'Why do you quarrel against me? Why do you test the LORD?' But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, 'Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?'"   Note the three points of testing: 1. personal testing (fear of being killed) 2. family testing (fear for our children's safety) 3. livelihood testing (fear of losing our job)   It was here that "Moses called the name of the place Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarreling) because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, 'Is the LORD among us or not?'"   Moses saw that the root of the problem was the fact the children of Israel did not understand or believe that the LORD was with them--"Is the LORD among us or not?" If a believer is not convinced that God is with them in every difficult circumstance, then quarreling and complaining are sure to follow. God uses difficult circumstances to test us so that we might know the needs of our hearts as well as the power of His redemption--especially when we are tested in these three areas.   When it seems as though we will "die of thirst," we must avoid the illusion of the satisfying drink that comes from the wells of this world--these wells keep us as slaves to our empty water buckets, bringing fatigue, frustration, and fear. The satisfying water that never runs dry is available for the asking (John 4:10). And the Source is indeed present among us.

Hidden Treasures…..Devotion Lamplighter Publishing

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Certain people, because of their beauty, fame, or power, are likely to catch our eyes. But God has placed a hidden treasure within each one of us!
 
I recently read a short story that illustrates this principle of hidden treasure. Once, a man was exploring some caves by the seashore, and discovered something he didn't expect--a canvas bag full of hardened clay balls. They were fist-sized, plain, and of little worth to anyone. He concluded they were probably the result of some child's forgotten project, left to bake in the sun.
 
Later, as the man strolled along the beach, he began throwing the balls one at a time far out into the ocean.  He thought little about his odd find until, quite by accident, he dropped one of the balls on a rock.  It cracked open to reveal a precious gem - a treasure in the clay!
 
Excited, the man broke open his remaining stockpile and discovered that they all contained jewels--each one worth more than he could imagine.  But then he remembered the greater number of balls he had thrown into the waves!
 
Likewise, we often don't recognize the value of people we meet every day.  All we see are externals--the ordinary clay--and miss the wonderful treasure God has hidden within.
 
As the 4th chapter of 2nd Corinthians reminds us, "We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."
 
The next person you meet, take some time to look a little deeper for that treasure within.

In Faithfulness You Have Afflicted Me....Devotion Lamplighter Publishing

Pin It Have you ever faced a sudden trial in your life? Maybe it was unexpected, and in certain ways, disillusioning. When these trials come, it's often easy to buckle under their weight and lose any forward motion and perspective.

Solomon understood this when he penned the Proverb, "If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small." (Proverbs 24:10)  I don't know about you but when I am experiencing conflicts my strength is drained. But I'm learning that when my strength has been diminished, it is a clear sign that fear or pride has blocked the flow of God's restoring grace.

For thirteen years I struggled with chronic fatigue, colitis, fibromyalgia, and depression. Indeed my strength was small during this time, but it was also a time when I experienced unusual success as a leader and speaker. On the outside I looked great; but on the inside I was falling apart. 

If you are longing for your inner self to match your outward smile, then it is going to take humility. Humility requires honesty about your weaknesses. It is interesting that is some severe cases of psychosis, that the individual begins to think of themselves as superior and some have even claimed to be Jesus Christ. The more we hide our weaknesses on the inside, the more exaggeratedly pure we see ourselves on the outside.

For the past sixteen years I have not experienced any of the symptoms of the four illnesses I listed. It took me 13 years to learn that God resists the proud, but when we're honest about who we are on the inside, He gives grace to the humble.

Forward Faith……Devotion from Lamplighter Publishing

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Have you ever come up against an insurmountable obstacle? Have you cried out to God for deliverance, only to find that the obstacle seemed even more formidable? That is what Moses and the children of Israel faced in Exodus 14. Picture yourself during the time of the Exodus. Gradually, over a 400-year period, you have adopted the culture of the Egyptians. Though you are slaves, you have entitlements and luxuries far greater than any nomadic people of the desert. You enjoy a higher standard of living than the greatest chieftain of the Bedouins. Three meals a day, desserts, herbs, fish, leeks, garlic, and now you find yourself moving to the brown desert sands. In many ways we are experiencing a type of exodus in our land. We are slowly being pulled away from our full-filled lives to learn the same lesson that the children of Israel needed to learn. God was prying them loose from the "adoption" of their culture so that they might completely follow Him. Their obstacle indeed was formidable--an entire sea was blocking their way. Here's an inside look in Exodus 14: But the Egyptians pursued after them, all . . . his army . . . And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel . . . were sore afraid: and they . . . cried out to the LORD . . . And they said to Moses: Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom you have seen to day, you shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you . . . What I love about this scene is the drama--and my childhood memory of Charlton Heston standing upon the rock with his rod! But Hollywood got it all wrong. It wasn't Moses lifting his rod that parted the sea. And the LORD said unto Moses, Why do you cry to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward (Exodus 14:15). Sometimes, it is not until we are willing to move forward and get wet that the wall of water will part. Too often we're waiting for God to remove the obstacle while He's waiting for us to take the first step--a step of faith.

Lightening Bugs….Devotion from Lamplighter Publishing

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Lightening bugs--they're every child's summer pastime at one point or another!

What you might not realize is that the lightening bugs that light up the sky at night are the males. Would you like to know what the females are doing? They're down in the ground, hiding under bushes, and sending up little flickers of light to attract the males. When the male sees this, he zooms down to the female. Can you guess what the female does next? No--she eats him!

The lightening bug has a chemical inside of it called luciferen. This chemical was untapped by mankind until just a few years ago. This chemical is what creates the lightening bug's light.

Luciferen is also the Latin word for Lucifer--meaning "light bringer." Lucifer, the most beautiful of all God's angelic realm, was created as an angel of light. In Ezekiel 28 the Scripture tells us that he was once extremely beautiful. In Ezekiel 28 & Isaiah 14, we are told that created in Lucifer's body are precious gems and musical instruments. God created Lucifer to be the cherubim that covered the throne of God. He was the reflection of God's glory. But Lucifer turned his back and nor longer wished to reflect the glory of God.

Today we have a distorted view of Lucifer--we view him as a demon with a pointed tail and horns on his head. But don't be fooled. He offers sights and sounds and experiences that are extremely beautiful and pleasureable. In fact, according to the Bible, sin is pleasurable. All around us Lucifer uses alluring sights and sounds to attract the unsuspecting so that they might be taken captive at his will, or, like the lightening bug, be devoured.

Extreme Faith….Lamplighter Publishing

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On TV in America today, everything's extreme: extreme makeover, extreme house-over, extreme jumping-out-of-airplanes-without-parachutes, etc. Why are we attracted to these extreme experiences?We have moved so far away from God that we're not getting our relational needs met. Instead, we try to fulfill our needs out in the world through these extreme activities. The more extreme the activity, the better the adrenalin rush, and the more self destructive we become. In order to get our needs met, we need a higher and higher level of extreme experience.

 

The early church father Saint Augustine once prayed, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." Only God can truly satisfy our relational needs and give us peace. But when we fully surrender our needs to God, we put ourselves in a very dangerous, extreme place. Do you know why? God might really challenge you, and he might really change you. In the end, however, you'll never want to go back to the way you were.

 

I know what it's like. I struggled with depression and physical ailments for years. But looking back on those times, I realize I went through all of those experiences because I was a controlling, dominating, manipulating type of person. You can't live that way without burning yourself out on the inside. Finally, I prayed, "God, whatever you want me to do, I'll do it." Only then did I fully discover the truth of Philippians 4:19: "My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."

Cold Love…Devotion from Lamplighter Publishing

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When reading Matthew 24 recently, I thought I was reading the headlines in the newspaper. Jesus is speaking to his disciplines saying, "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these things are but the beginnings of the birth pangs . . . and because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered."

There have always been wars and earthquakes; are these really the end times? I have two observations: The increased earthquake activity and magnitude is noteworthy. Secondly, lawlessness. Seeing the insaneness of people believing that they can keep spending when they are already billions and trillions of dollars in debt is just incomprehensible. Yet tens of thousands of people will protest in order to keep on spending. It's like people are literally marching over a cliff with their eyes wide open and even while they are falling they continue to be in a state of self-denial.

In the end times lawlessness will be increased and the love of many will grow cold. People will lose heart . . . there will be no more fight left in them because they will see that the lawless continue to prosper and there's no way to stop them.

Well, take heart . . . because until Jesus returns, greater is he who is in us than he that is in the world. Jesus said that greater works shall we do than even he did! Why? Because the Spirit of God resides in us! People of God, do not lose heart . . . let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Why does God allow trials to happen….. adapted from Lamplighter publishing

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Why does God create calamity? Because He loves us so much that he will allow harm in order to bring healing. His desire is for us to turn to Him. He sees a lost people walking aimlessly after gods who cannot hear or speak and He's trying to bring them home.

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I would add, it doesn’t have to be on the scale of what took and is taking place in Japan.  Calamity can be the difference between one paycheck and the next…. It can be not making the right choices in spending money and not having enough to make ends meet at the end of the month….  It can be a spouse or a loved one dying….It can be a flat tire on the way to the grocery store…..Calamity is anything that gets your adrenaline pumping faster and makes you wonder how in the world you are going to fix something and make it right…..This is when you should be turning to the Lord.

Remember…..Lamplight Publishing

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How is your memory? In Deuteronomy 8, God said, "And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you, and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know, that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." Have you remembered? In His all-wise love, God has designed wilderness experiences in order to make us know how to live according to his Word. But what is it that He wants us to know? "For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you." Our loving Father allows us to go through wilderness experiences, sometimes for years, to prepare us for the abundant blessings He has in store. He has prepared brooks of water, fountains and springs! The amount of time we spend in the wilderness is dependant upon our memory--our ability to remember that God is leading our lives, for our good. He is removing Egypt out of our lives in order to replace it with His Promises! So don't stay wallowing in the wilderness--REMEMBER! The journey is worth it . . . don't lose heart.

Reading Aloud…Lamplighter Publishing

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Reading Aloud

Did you ever see a movie based on a 19^th century setting where the host has one of the daughters read a chapter from a book? What has happened to this family and social activity of reading aloud?

 

Children who have many opportunities to listen and read tend to become skilled thinkers, speakers and writers. The New York Times published an article by Verlyn Klinkenborg (May 16, 2009), on the lost art of reading aloud, saying, "... listening aloud, valuable as it is, isn't the same as reading aloud. Both require a great deal of attention. But one of the most basic tests of comprehension is to ask someone to read aloud from a book. It reveals far more than whether the reader understands the words. It reveals how far into the words--and the pattern of the words--the reader really sees.

 

Reading aloud recaptures the physicality of words. To read with your lungs and diaphragm, with your tongue and lips, is very different than reading with your eyes alone. The language becomes a part of the body, which is why there is always a curious tenderness, almost a sensational quality, in those 18th- and 19th-century literary scenes where a book is being read aloud in mixed company. The words are not mere words. They are the breath and mind, perhaps even the soul, of the person who is reading."

 

As I ponder this connection between reading aloud and a child's intellectual development, I am convinced that reading and hearing the Word of God is the foundation for one's spiritual development.

 

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). I think I can now see the connection when Jesus read the words of Isaiah aloud when he visited the temple. Perhaps reading the Scriptures and other great books aloud in our homes and churches should have a rebirth--it may lead to a rebirth and awakening of our souls.

The Amnon Principe…..Devotional Lamplight Publishing

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The Amnon Principle

Boys need to be preparing for marriage as early as kindergarten! At an early age our boys must see themselves as the protectors of a damsel in distress. They should be encouraged to be the first to run and pick up a girl's dropped books. They should make a special effort to open the door for ladies. Our boys need to go against the culture and see that girls are a special. A boy should be in prayer for the one who will someday be his wife, companion, and in many ways, his earthly completion.

Our boys must also learn that the first year of marriage needs to be different than all of the rest. God commanded that a young man who had taken a wife be not charged with any business, or go to war, but be free at home for one year, to bring happiness to his wife (Deut. 24). I believe that this passage is teaching that a young man should not take on anything extra during his first year of marriage. He should be financially secure. Since financial stress is one of the most damaging conflicts in a young marriage, our boys need to understand the importance of hard work and savings before they even consider marriage. Proverbs 24:27 teaches that we are to prepare our fields first and then build our house.

Lastly, it is crucial that our boys learn the Amnon principle. In I Samuel 13, Absalom's sister Tamar was loved deeply by her step brother Amnon. His love for her was so great that he thought he could not live another day without her. Unfortunately, his lust was greater than his love and he lost both her and his life; and Tamar lost her purity and honor. Our boys need to understand that when they engage in a physical relationship prior to marriage, they actually damage--and may even destroy--any future relationship with the one they love.

Devotional from Lamplight Publishing

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This was in one of my RSS Feeds from Lamplight publishing today…Enjoy!!!

 

The Process

Today I was reading a devotional written by Oswald Chambers and it smacked me right between the eyes. So if you don't like someone taking a swing at you, you may not want to listen any further. If you can take it, then this is what Chambers had to say.

"Often, Christians think that if Jesus Christ compels them to do something, He will lead them to success in the endeavor, if only they are obedient to Him. If you agree, then you are in for a rude awakening; our dreams of success are not God's ultimate purpose for us. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is not of primary importance. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God often sees as the goal itself.

If I can stay calm, faithful and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish-- His purpose is the process itself.

God's purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience and trust are the goal, then each moment as it comes becomes the real standard of success."

I think it was Theodore Roosevelt who said that success was failure upon failure with great enthusiasm. He may have been closer to the truth than he realized.

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own" (Philippians 3:12).

Mueller and Bible

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I saw this article from Lamplight Publishing….

George Mueller for the first 4 years after conversion at age 20 said, "I made no progress in my spiritual development.  But when i regularly read on through the whole bible with reference to my own heart and soul, I directly made progress.  Then my peace and joy continued more and more; now i have been doing this four 47 years; I have now read through the whole Bible about 100 times and I always find it fresh when i begin again. Thus my peace and joy have increased more and more." He said this when he was 71. He lived 21 more years; A.T. Pearson who wrote his biography said that Mueller by the time he was 92 had read the Bible from cover to cover, 200 times. Which means that from 71 to 92, he dramatically picked up his pace!--he was reading through the Bible from 71-92 four times each year!

Everyday....

Pin It I saw this on Lamplight Publishing blog....and thought it worthy to share here....

 "Every day you are becoming who you will be forever."   John Luhmann

            "Sanctification, in the last place, is absolutely necessary, in order to train and prepare us for heaven.  Most men hope to go to heaven when they die, but few, it may be feared, take the trouble to consider whether they would enjoy heaven if they got there.  Heaven is essentially a holy place; its inhabitants are all holy; its occupations are all holy.  To be really happy in heaven, it is clear and plain that we must be somewhat trained and made ready for heaven while we are on earth."  J.C. Ryle

Face to Face Relationships

Pin It http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Face-to-Face-Relationships.html?soid=1101638673055&aid=tm4EugVfDq0

From Lamplight Publishing...

In his book, Missional Church, author Darrell L. Guder writes, "Complex, modern society is a reality for everyone in North America. No one has escaped being shaped by its pervasive influence. It has become the very air that we breathe."

Perhaps most indicative of the heart of our North American culture is Guder's assertion that we are surrounded by "multiple tasks and responsibilities that fragment time and space." This fragmented life results in radical forms of individualism, often manifesting itself in isolation and aloneness.

Fragmentation of time and space may contribute to our modern climate, in which organic relationships have fallen by the wayside of rampant individualism. Life's demands often make it difficult to build meaningful and trusting relationships -friends are now only a click away.

According to a recent study conducted by a neuroscience group at the University of Southern California, social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook do not provide the necessary room to feel compassion or admiration. Our needs have become sterilized and our hearts desensitized to the reality of a fallen world. While we may not be able to turn back the hands of time, we can make a concerted effort to engage in a more personal way with family and friends-face to face and heart to heart.

In a culture that is fast fragmenting time and space, relationships and love, let us be ever more appreciative of those precious relationships that are becoming a rare commodity. May we once again enjoy face-to-face encouragement and value personal accountability! Let us find creative ways to model Christ's love by nurturing friendships in more tangible and meaningful ways.

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:1-4).