Read: Judges 3:1-8

They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord. (v. 4)

In seeking a one-sentence definition of sin I asked another professor of theology and received a more traditional answer: “Sin is violating God’s law, which immediately results in alienation from God, self, neighbors, and creation.”

Certainly this is the situation Israel found itself in as Judges 3 opens. The conquest of the Promised Land had devolved into an accommodation with the people already living there. The author of Judges tells us these people remained in the land to test Israel, and Israel failed the test by worshipping their pagan gods. The nation of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord’s anger kindled against them. Once again, Israel went into slavery.

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God →

Read: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4

Your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one  of you for one another is increasing. (v. 3)

In Invitation to a Journey, M. Robert Mulholland Jr. points out the temptation to believe that our spiritual growth takes place merely in our personal relationship to God. Once it is sufficiently developed we can “export it into our relationships with others and ‘be Christian’ with them” (p. 43). But in his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul is clear that growth in faith is linked with growth in love for others. We are spiritually formed in the midst of our relationships; every relationship has the potential to be a transforming encounter with God.

I learned this a few years ago when I began supervising a young man who couldn’t have been more different from me. He is an extrovert; I am an introvert. He told his story to everyone he met; I chose my confidants carefully. He was scattered; I was organized. And yet here we were yoked together in ministry. One of the soul-training exercises I learned while teaching James Bryan Smith’s Apprentice Series was to “pray for those you don’t like.” So I chose to pray for this guy. The experiment went on for months and I began to see a change—in me. I saw his differences as gifts, his enthusiasm as Spirit-filled, and his high energy level as passion. I saw that Christ was dwelling and delighting in him as much as he was in me. I was being spiritually formed!

Prayer:

Help me grow for the sake of others.

https://woh.org/

Read: Genesis 12:1-9

I will bless you . . . so that you will be a blessing. (v. 2)

So far we have learned that Christian spiritual formation is “the process of being conformed into the image of Christ, through a relationship of intimacy with God, by the power of the Spirit, in order to live a good and beautiful life of faith, hope, love, joy, and peace . . .” (emphasis added). The definition up to this point says that becoming like Jesus through an intimate relationship with God powered by the Holy Spirit leads to a grace-filled life.

However, the biblical story is not only about finding a good and beautiful life for ourselves but also about sharing that life with others. So we add the phrase “a life that will be a blessing to oneself and to others” to our definition. As God blessed Abraham to be a blessing, so our journey of spiritual formation is for the sake of others!

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Blessed to Be a Blessing (Part 1) →

Read: Psalm 23

You revive my drooping head. (v. 5 The Message)

A calendar above my writing table shows a mother duck venturing out from the weed cover into a serene lake, followed by five fuzzy ducklings. The caption reads “Come, follow me” (Matt. 19:21). This photo perfectly illustrates the concept of living as apprentices of Jesus. Young ducks instinctively follow the example of their parents. I imagine that a duckling’s life is a series of lessons in becoming like mom and dad: diving for bugs; staying together for safety; watching mom while grazing in a puddle or crossing the road. We, too, need to step forward into a life of training with the Master and being spiritually formed.

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Spiritual Exercises →

Read: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. (v. 3 The Message)

This beautifully written passage is revered by many Christians. However, it may be so familiar we do not notice that Paul pulls no punches here. He says that it doesn’t matter how much we believe, how generous we are, how articulately we express our faith, or even how willing we are to die for that faith. My kindness may be based on self-interest; my helping may be a hidden plea for approval; my service may come from feeling superior; my leadership may be a bid for control. No matter what I say, what I believe, or do, I am “bankrupt” if love is not behind it all.

Paul feels so strongly about this (perhaps based on sad memories of his own former persecution of Christians) that he carefully describes how the virtue love is demonstrated. Among other traits, it never gives up, struts, has a swelled head, flies off the handle, or keeps score of the sins of others. It cares more for others than for self, puts up with anything, trusts God always, looks for the best, never looks back. These characteristics make up the primary virtue of a good and beautiful life.

The world of spiritual formation teaches that we must be in lifelong training with the Holy Spirit to create love, faith, and hope in our lives; they don’t come by sitting on a church pew. They come with practice.

Prayer:

Lord, save me from bankruptcy of spirit.

https://woh.org/

Read: Psalm 46

Be still, and know that I am God. (v. 10)

Here is a recap of our definition of spiritual formation so far: “Christian spiritual formation is the process of being conformed into the image of Christ, through an intimate relationship with God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in order to live a good and beautiful life . . .”

Spiritual formation is not a hobby for religious types. It is necessary work for each Christ-follower. Spiritual formation is first and foremost for me: I must become a “peculiar” person whose life is defined by humility, service, and submission before I am of any value to others. It’s a lifelong practice of letting go and allowing God to be in charge.

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Seeking God →

Read: John 14:15-19; 16:5-16

A new spirit I will put within you. (Ezek. 36:26)

If you were ever a candidate for cataract surgery, your doctor probably promised that your dull and drab world would be bright and colorful after your surgery. Of course, you couldn’t know that your world was dull and drab until you had the surgery. You had to take that step in order to find a new world. The same is true in our spiritual lives. The Holy Spirit is the one helps us grow spiritually, but we have to open our hearts to him to obtain his help.

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Making All Things New →

Read: Genesis 3:1-12

But the Lord God called to the man . . . “Where are you?” (v. 9)

Many years ago, I was a fan of Guideposts, a magazine full of heartwarming, personal stories of relationships with God. One day I decided to try to write for this magazine, so I read back issues and the editor’s guidelines for stories. Finally, I had to face the truth. I didn’t have the personal connection with God that these stories described. My connection with God was purely intellectual.

I was not bothered by that truth until I understood the meaning of collaborating with the Spirit in the process of spiritual transformation—“being conformed into the image of Christ through a relationship of intimacy with God” (emphasis added). After decades of being a Christian, I learned that God is eager to journey through life with me. I understood that because I am created to have intimacy with God, I am also able to have feelings of rapport, affection, trust, and love with others.

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Intimacy with God →

Read: 2 Corinthians 4:1-12, Colossians 1:15

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image.” (Gen. 1:26)

When a child is born, someone inevitably will say, “He’s the spitting image of his dad.” In terms of physical appearance the boy is a lookalike. But as a child grows, someone might remark: “He’s a hard worker like his mom” or “She is gentle, just like her dad.”

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – In the Likeness of God →

Read: Matthew 7:24-29

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man

who built his house on the rock. (v. 24 NIV)

These words tell us that Jesus doesn’t mean to frighten us away with his hard words. Rather he wants to encourage us to keep building our lives on his words, even after failure.

Everyone is building a house—a life, a career, a family, a structure of activity and relationships that gives meaning and stability. Everyone builds on something that seems stable to them. Here Jesus invites us to believe that his words and he himself are the rock for all ages.

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – The Way Forward →

Read: Matthew 7:13-14

Enter through the narrow gate. (v. 13 NIV)

We can know that we know Christ by the fruit of obedience. But what if there is little fruit? I can hear someone say, “I felt like a failure before; now I feel afraid. What do I do with Jesus’ challenging words?” Listen to the good news before and after the frightening words of Matthew 7:23—there is a way back and a way forward.

If you are unsure that you know Christ and that he knows you, you can go back. Here’s how: “Enter through the narrow gate.” There’s a wide gate that anyone can go through. It is the way of the world, the way of the immoral majority. It’s easy and smooth, and it leads to destruction. But there is one narrow gate that leads to life. What is that gate? Listen to Jesus in John 10: “I am the gate for the sheep . . . . Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture . . . . I lay down my life for the sheep” (vv. 7, 9, 15 NIV).

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – The Way Back →

Read: Matthew 7:21-23

Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (v. 23 NIV)

“I want to know Christ.” We began these meditations with those words of Paul in Philippians 3:10. That has been our challenge. Now we come to these words of Jesus: “I never knew you.” That is a believer’s worst nightmare. You spend your life calling on the name of the Lord, working faithfully in the church, and serving bravely in the kingdom, all the while thinking that you know Christ. And then at the end, Jesus says, “I never knew you.”

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Our Worst Nightmare →

Read: Mark 4:1-20

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. (v. 10 NIV)

Sometimes we miss important lessons because they are so obvious. Like the lesson in our text for today. Jesus is talking and his disciples are listening. When he is done talking, they ask him a hard question. And he answers. Here’s the great lesson for us. In order to know Jesus better, we must have an ongoing conversation with him in which we talk and listen.

Prayer is often an occasional thing for us. We pray upon arising, or upon retiring. We do it at meals, or at a sickbed. We talk to God once in a while. We seldom think of prayer as listening to Christ all the time. We’re afraid of ignoring the inspired Word of God in favor of some imagined communication from God.

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Just a Little Talk with Jesus? →