Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior, who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever. Amen.
(Jude 24,25)

AS LONG AS WE REMAIN IN THIS WORLD, IMPERFECTIONS WILL BE A FACT OF LIFE. If we’ve obeyed the gospel and become Christians, we’re somewhere along a path that leads to perfect holiness. Some have been Christians longer and are a bit further down the path than others, but none of us, not even the most mature, can say that we’re without sin (1 John 1:8-10). We’re all works in progress. So since it’s God’s plan for our sanctification to be accomplished gradually through a process, we need to be patient with God (and with ourselves) while the process is underway.

Although we make mistakes and lapse into old habits, God is able, as Jude wrote, to keep us from falling away from Him completely. He can strengthen us and present us “faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” We should discipline our thinking and hold on to the confidence that God knows what He’s doing and is perfectly capable of removing the remainder of sin from our lives. Meanwhile, we must not expect perfection before the time for that perfection arrives (1 John 3:2,3).

This is no argument for complacency or careless indulgence in sin. “How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:2). We’re simply saying that as we reach forward to God’s holiness, we must not demand a perfection of ourselves that is impossible at this point. We must accept the fact that we’re on a journey.

The important thing right now, then, is not perfection but progress. No less than absolute perfection should be our goal, but as we work toward that goal, we’ll make more progress if we concentrate on taking the steps that are immediately before us. Those are always steps that we’re capable of taking, and we should be both thankful to take them and content to take them.

“The rising of devotion in an ordinary soul is like the dawning of a new day. Darkness is not driven away immediately. Light comes in small increments, moment by moment” (Francis de Sales).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

     

“Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me . . . Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people'” (Deuteronomy 4:5,6).

IN OUR MOMENTS OF HIGHEST ASPIRATION, WHAT IS IT THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO BE KNOWN FOR? At our funeral, if someone says, “Here is the one area where this person showed more wisdom than in any other area of his life,” what would we want that thing to be? If we are to be true seekers of God, then the careful observance of God’s law must figure prominently in our ambitions.

There is nothing wiser we can do than to observe God’s law carefully. This is the very thing that Moses, at the end of his life, implored the people of Israel to do. “For this,” he said, “is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'”

There is no greater wisdom available to us than the wisdom of God’s will. One of the worst tragedies of human experience is our arrogant dismissal of God’s wisdom as “foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). It is we who are foolish, however. The more prudent we are, the more sense we will see in this statement: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).

There is no greater reputation available to us than a reputation for having served others in ways that are consistent with God’s wisdom. The apostle Paul, for example, could sum up the life of his ancestor David with the simple statement that he died and was buried “after having been useful to his own generation in accordance with God’s purpose” (Acts 13:36 Weymouth). We would only lower ourselves if we aspired to being useful in any other way.

So what issues and concerns do we want others to think of when they think of us? It’s a corny old cliché, but it still has the ring of truth: “What happens to us in the hereafter depends on what we’re here after.” If when others think of us, they think at once of the good things that come from seeking God’s wisdom, then it’s fairly certain that we’ve been “after” the right thing.

“God shall be my hope, my stay, my guide, and lantern to my feet” (William Shakespeare).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

     

“If we hope to move beyond the superficialities of our culture — including our religious culture — we must be willing to go down into the recreating silences, into the inner world of contemplation” (Richard J. Foster).

MANY OF US SUFFER FROM AN INSUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF SELF-EXAMINATION. We don’t engage in “introspection” often enough; that is, we don’t “look within” ourselves — or if we do, we don’t consider very carefully what we see there. It’s an amazing fact, actually, that we can not only think, but we can think about our thinking. We can stand at a distance and observe our own thought processes. And that’s a wonderful ability which we ought to use more often. So today, let’s turn our thoughts inward and “introspect.”

Paying attention. The first way we can be introspective is simply to pay attention to what we’re thinking. That sounds simple and it is, but we don’t often do it. We plow through our daily agendas so furiously that our thoughts run here and there without our giving them any more than passing notice. And as a result, all manner of unhelpful and unworthy “stuff” sneaks in and takes up residence in our minds.

Listening. It’s a rare moment that we’re not talking, either verbally to someone else or inwardly to ourselves. But great good comes from learning how to turn off the chatter and just listen. In particular, we need to listen to our consciences. Often, our consciences have crucial things to say to us, but we can’t hear them because there’s too much noise. We desperately need to acquire the habit of listening.

Correcting. Paying attention to our thoughts and feelings, and even listening to our conscience, is not enough, however, if we don’t make the corrections in our thinking that these exercises indicate need to be made. One of our greatest endowments is the freedom we have to make deliberate adjustments in the way we think. This freedom is a marvelous gift, and we ought not to waste it or lose its benefit.

In truth, there’s no substitute for introspection. Without it, we’re lost. And mark it well: if we’re not examining ourselves inwardly, being busy is no excuse. That just means we need to do it all the more.

“Half an hour’s listening is essential except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed” (Francis de Sales).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

     

“Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments” (Deuteronomy 5:29).

GOD’S STATEMENT IN THIS VERSE CAME AFTER ISRAEL HAD SAID THEY WOULD OBEY THE LAW THAT GOD WOULD GIVE TO MOSES ON MOUNT SINAI. “Go near and hear all that the Lord our God will say,” they had said, “and speak to us all that the Lord our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it” (v.27). That was a fine statement, which God acknowledged (v.28), but God knew that Israel would end up not keeping the Law, so He said, “Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments” (v.29). Although some of the people may have been sincere in what they said at Sinai, the fact is, it was easier to say those nice-sounding words with their lips than it was to keep them.

This is not an argument against saying the words that express our highest ideals and best intentions. There is value in verbalizing these things, even when we know our performance is going to be imperfect. Often our words serve the purpose of saying what we want to be true. Yet we still need to be careful. Surrounded by other religious people, it’s easy to say nice things. But talk is cheap, as the saying goes. We need to mean every promise we make to God.

Finally, I wish to suggest another aspect of this topic. All of us have had the experience of saying things nonchalantly that turned out to be far more “real” than we imagined at the time. A similar thing happens sometimes when we speak of God. For example, we might casually and superficially talk about God being “a consuming fire.” Those are true words, as we find in Hebrews 12:29, but if the time ever comes when we actually experience the wrath of God that we spoke about so glibly, we will tremble to realize that, whether we really meant it or not, we spoke far more truth than we knew. All of which is to say: words are powerful things. And if the words we speak are about God and they happen to be true, their truth may come crashing down on us eventually — even if we didn’t really mean them when we said them.

“There comes a moment when people who have been dabbling in religion (“man’s search for God”) suddenly draw back. Supposing we really found Him? We never meant it to come to that! Worse still, supposing He had found us?” (C. S. Lewis).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

     

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We are accustomed to thinking of the apostle Paul as a person who was willing to endure extreme hardship for Christ. He said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13 NKJV). We would do well to adopt his attitude. But Paul did not see his sufferings simply as hardships to be endured — he saw them as opportunities to honor Christ and influence others by that honor. No matter what happened, Paul was always looking for a way to exalt the Lord. To the Philippians he wrote, “I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death” (Phil. 1:19,20).

One of the very interesting examples of Christ being honored in Paul’s life is found in Ac. 16:25-34, the story of the conversion of the jailer in Philippi. Having been beaten and thrown into prison, Paul and Silas chose to maintain their faith and exhibit their gratitude, rather than feel sorry for themselves. The text says that “about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (v.25). Suddenly a great earthquake shook the prison, the doors were flung open, and all the prisoners’ chains were loosed. Assuming that his prisoners had escaped, the jailer was about to take his life, but Paul assured him that all were safe and urged him to do himself no harm. “And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'” (vv.29,30). Immediately he and his household were instructed in obedience to the gospel of Christ, and in the same hour of the night, they were baptized. The result was great joy. “And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God” (v.34). How different this story might have been had Paul and Silas not conducted themselves in prison with such courage and joy.

So we need to be reminded of this truth: faith in the midst of suffering is a great example we can give to others. All of us face hardships in life — let’s handle them in a way that sets a good example.

Monday: 1 Peter 4:14-16

Key Idea: It is a privilege to suffer as a Christian.

Questions for Family Growth: In v.16, what does Peter say a person should do if he “suffers as a Christian”? What was the attitude of the apostles in Ac. 5:41? What did Paul say in Phil. 1:29? What does it mean that it has been “granted” to us to suffer for the sake of Christ?

Wisdom for the Day: Proverbs 11:31.

Tuesday: Colossians 1:24

Key Idea: When we suffer as Christians, we are sharing in Christ’s sufferings.

Questions for Family Growth: In what did Paul say he rejoiced? What attitude on his part allowed him to do this? What did Paul mean by “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions”? For what people did Paul say he was willing to suffer affliction?

Wisdom for the Day: Proverbs 12:1.

Wednesday: 1 Peter 2:21-23

Key Idea: When we suffer injustice, we ought to imitate the example of Christ.

Questions for Family Growth: To what were we “called”? In regard to suffering, what is the example of Christ that we should follow? When He was mistreated, to whom did Christ entrust Himself? What does it mean for us to do this?

Wisdom for the Day: Proverbs 12:2.

Thursday: Matthew 5:10-12

Key Idea: God’s blessings are upon those who suffer for the sake of righteousness.

Questions for Family Growth: What blessing is pronounced in v.10? In v.12, what reason is given for us to rejoice when persecuted? When we are suffering, what is the helpful thought presented to us in 2 Cor. 4:16-18?

Wisdom for the Day: Proverbs 12:3.

Friday: Acts 16:25-34

Key Idea: We influence others when we endure hardship with faith and joy.

Questions for Family Growth: What were Paul and Silas doing at midnight? What were the other prisoners doing? What effect on others did the behavior of Paul and Silas have? What did Paul say his “eager expectation and hope” were in Phil. 1:20? Consider Rom. 12:12.

Wisdom for the Day: Proverbs 12:4.

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

     

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV).

ONE WAY TO DEFINE THE CHRISTIAN’S UNIQUENESS IS TO SAY THAT HE HAS MADE CHRIST THE “LORD” OF HIS HEART. When he turned away from his sins, confessed his faith, and was baptized into Christ, the Christian began to follow a new leadership. Whatever may have directed his life before, he now looks to Christ as the deciding factor in every aspect of his character and conduct.

This is what Peter had in mind when he said we should “set apart Christ as Lord” in our hearts. While not as familiar now as it was in the first century, the concept of “lordship” is critically important. The word “lord” means “master” or “one who has authority,” but in the case of Jesus Christ the term is all-encompassing. For the Christian, Christ has all authority. There is nothing about the Christian’s life that the will of Christ does not govern — from the innermost thoughts of his heart to the outermost aspects of his behavior. No step is taken unless he is confident that Christ approves.

Paul put it this way: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). And this principle does not just apply to the “religious” aspect of life or “church” activities. It applies to everything the Christian does, publicly and privately.

Peter said Christ is to be set apart as Lord “in your hearts.” The Christian fights a losing battle against sin if he has not first given his heart to Jesus Christ. It is only when Christ has been given control of our most private thinking that progress begins to be made.

This decision to “set apart Christ as Lord” is the main ingredient in conversion to Christ. The changes that occur on the “outside” of our lives are the result of a change on the “inside”: our thoughts are now under the rule of Jesus Christ. But living consistently under Christ’s lordship requires growth. We have to learn to yield our hearts completely to His direction. At our baptism, we’re just getting started in learning how to let Christ be our Lord.

“If you desire Christ for a perpetual guest, give him all the keys of your heart; let not one cabinet be locked up from him; give him the range of every room and the key of every chamber” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

     

“The acknowledgment of effort has to be tailor-made. People pick up on canned compliments, especially if they hear the same things being said to other people. Nothing is more effective than sincere, accurate praise, and nothing is more lame than a cookie-cutter compliment” (Bill Walsh).

PRAISE IS POTENT. It’s productive. It makes a difference for good. And while it’s true that our words to others must take the form of criticism now and then, when it comes to sheer power, criticism is no match for praise. “Praise can give criticism a lead around the first turn and still win the race” (Bern Williams). And yet, as Bill Walsh’s comment reminds us, if praise is to be of any benefit, it must meet certain criteria. Our praise of others must be “tailor-made” for them.

Specific. When was the last time you felt really encouraged by a compliment that you knew the giver had handed out to four other people in the room in the exact same words in the last ten minutes?

Accurate. When was the last time you felt really encouraged by a compliment that you knew, and maybe the giver knew, was false? If you’re a liar, does it make you feel good to be praised for honesty?

Sincere. When was the last time you felt really encouraged by a compliment that you knew was an attempt to butter you up by somebody trying to get on your good side? To be of benefit, praise must not be a “technique.” It must truly be about the recipient, not the giver.

When the power of praise is being discussed, however, it never fails that some individuals will say this: “Well, yes, I know that praise in general is powerful, but personally, I don’t matter enough to anybody that my praise would make any difference.” But if we think that, we need to think again. Even if there was not a single human being who knew us enough to want to hear our praise in particular (and the truth is, most of us have far more than one or two such people), we ought not to underestimate the good that can be done by praising those with whom we have no special relationship. Even with total strangers, “random acts of praise” can be truly remarkable, both for the recipient and the giver. Just try it and see. Find something that you can specifically, accurately, and sincerely praise about the next person you meet in public today, and see what happens. It’ll be good!

“The applause of a single human being is of great consequence” (Samuel Johnson).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

     

“For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19).

THERE IS A SENSE IN WHICH WE NEED TO GET MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THE IDEA OF IMPERFECTION. The perfection of this world having been broken by sin, God long ago set in motion a plan that will culminate in the creation of a new heavens and earth, not physical but spiritual, for all those who’ve accepted His pardon. The major portions of the plan are already complete, but the final end has not been reached, and so while time on earth remains, we must be content to live in the midst of a movement toward perfection. As long as we live, nothing that we’ll have the opportunity to deal with will ever be anything other than incomplete. And the sooner we get comfortable with that idea, the better off we’ll be.

To be sure, there is another sense in which we ought not to get comfortable with imperfection. Complacency is a dangerous trait, and we dare not let ourselves become satisfied with the incompleteness of this world. We can’t afford to lower our standards.

But I believe we’ll reach forward more fervently if we go ahead and accept the fact that in this life we will never be anything more than incomplete. Recognizing that we’re not going to see anything more than God’s work “in progress,” we are then free to dream and yearn and long for the time when His plan will reach its climax, and we can finally go home. Accepting the currently unfinished nature of God’s purposes keeps us from demanding more of this life than it is capable of delivering.

In Romans 8:22,23, Paul wrote of our “groaning” in this world: “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” So the Christian who groans should hardly be surprised . . . but neither should he be discouraged! “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

“We must learn how to live as incomplete beings in an unfinished universe. We see God’s process from the middle, not the end” (Paul Ciholas).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

     

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

BEING SELF-CENTERED MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR US TO FEEL GODLY SORROW, AND SO WE FIND IT DIFFICULT TO REPENT OF OUR SINS IN ANY LASTING WAY. By definition, godly sorrow is a remorse that grieves what our sins have cost God, and if our thoughts have to do mostly with our own gains and losses, then whatever mourning we do will be worldly, not godly. To turn away from sin decisively, we have to concentrate on things higher than ourselves.

Godly sorrow is a stronger force than worldly sorrow. In 2 Corinthians 7:11, Paul describes how it had affected the church at Corinth: “See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done” (NIV). A sorrow powerful enough to produce these things is much more than a mood. It is a deep-down disturbance that recognizes what is really wrong with sin, and this recognition continues to govern one’s conduct long after the painful effects of the sin have been ameliorated (1 Corinthians 15:9,10).

The quality of one’s character is indicated by what disturbs that person. As long as their own situations are comfortable, most people are not disturbed by anything at all. Some people, however, have a higher character than that. While their own situations may still be comfortable, these people are disturbed by the evil that is “out there” in the world, and they make the world a better place by crusading against social injustice and so forth. But beyond that, an even higher character is possessed by those who are disturbed most of all by the evil of their own sins. And what they are disturbed about is just the fact of having sinned against God, whether the sin has caused them any other pain or not! These folks are the unselfish, God-centered people who, once they realize they’ve erred, will grieve the wrongfulness of their sin, and not just its painfulness. The self-pitying sorrow of the world leads to death, but godly sorrow leads to . . . God Himself!

“It is one thing to mourn for sin because it exposes us to hell, and another to mourn for it because it is an infinite evil; one thing to mourn for it because it is injurious to ourselves, and another thing to mourn for it because it is wrong and offensive to God. It is one thing to be terrified; another, to be humbled” (Gardiner Spring).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

     

“People who cannot find time for recreation are obliged sooner or later to find time for illness” (John Wanamaker).

WITHOUT SUFFICIENT “RECREATION” OF THE RIGHT KIND, WE EXHAUST OUR ABILITY TO SERVE AND CONTRIBUTE TO OTHERS. It’s a fine thing to want to give ourselves to good works that benefit those around us, but we don’t have an infinite supply of energy and motivation. These things have to be replenished on a fairly regular basis, and if we don’t take care of that, we sicken and die.

Perhaps it would help us to consider the meaning of “recreation.” As the spelling of the word indicates, recreation is a “re-creation” of ourselves. When we’ve been used up, recreation is that which “makes us over again.” It rejuvenates us, sending us back to our work refreshed.

But although the above sounds simple, it involves a sobering thought. So much that passes for recreation these days is anything but refreshing. Sometimes we pursue it with such a frenzied obsession that it leaves us more drained than when we began. But quite frankly, even in moderation, some of the things we call recreation today are destructive. They drag us through the sewer of human experience and leave us, not uplifted and invigorated, but diminished and degraded.

Thoughtful observers have long argued that there’s a link between recreation and character, both on the individual level and that of society, and I, for one, agree with the statement of Lin Yutang: “We do not know a nation until we know its pleasures of life, just as we do not know a man until we know how he spends his leisure. It is when a man ceases to do the things he has to do and does the things he likes to do, that the character is revealed. It is when the repressions of society and business are gone and when the goads of money and fame and ambition are lifted, that we see the inner man, his real self.”

The irony is that we defend our recreational imbalances as an effort to “enrich” our experience in the world. Yet enrichment takes place only up to a certain point, after which the law of diminishing returns sets in. Whether it’s unrelieved work or unworthy recreation, what we get back is not enrichment — it’s impoverishment.

“A poor life this if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare” (William Henry Davies).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com