Looking in the Right Direction

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6:17 (New American Standard Bible)

Three times, in the first book of Timothy, I came across the phrase to fix my hope on God. To fix has the idea of waiting with joy and full confidence, hopeful trusting in, expectation, and being set. Who I trust in and place my expectation and confidence in is usually the one on whom I have my eyes fixed. Fixing my hope on God (and hence my eyes) is meant to be a continual occurrence. A daily decision. What I find though is how easily I can take my eyes off God as my Source and place them squarely on the individuals He so graciously brings across my path.

Put me in a relationship where I feel cared for and my attention is suddenly struggling to stay fixed on God. From the age of 14, when I trusted Christ as my Savior and experienced the love of the body of Christ, I began to seek to fill the “Swiss cheese holes of my soul” with the nurturing of others. Just as a drug addict looks for that next fix and an alcoholic looks for that next drink, I can often find myself looking for that “high” that comes from a sense that I am loved, welcomed, and wanted. It feels safe. It feels strengthening. It feels right. But if it is viewed as anything but a temporary gift of God, then it is a counterfeit and can leave me in the throws of emotional quick sand.

As much as I enjoy rich relationships, I have come to see that two fears usually crop up when things feel like they are changing. I fear I will lose my place in the relationship and I fear I will eventually lose the relationship. God’s answer? Allow love to cast out the fear…His love for me and His love flowing through me.

Along with that, He gave me a picture through a friend of how I can begin viewing those in my life who minister to me and encourage me so much. Picture each act of kindness as a bouquet of flowers being sent by Him through an individual who is simply His delivery person. When people have sent me flowers or plants, I had no trouble knowing who the true sender was and it wasn’t the delivery person! They played a vital and noticeable role but my attention stayed on the actual sender. May it be no different with the bouquets God lovingly sends. May my heart and eyes not become fixated on the delivery person, but rather on the true Giver of the gifts.

Father, tears have fallen as I have seen this aspect of myself and hope has risen in me as I begin to see Your truths for me to embrace. Help me to live life Your way! Amen.

JESUS,Lover of my soul (it's all about You)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD-ZdMOx_HY&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Ready to Learn How to Live

Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. 1 Timothy 6:18-20 (New American Standard Bible)

What are the things I need to be instructed in and taught? That which does not come naturally to me. I often think about the ones God has sent into my life to instruct me and what it was He wanted them to teach me. If I was open to their words I was the richer for it, but if not, I remained unaware of how to take hold of life! I am well aware of the result of living in a Proverbs 5:13 mode of not listening “to the voice of my teachers nor inclining my ear to my instructors.” The lessons they desired to teach me fell on closed ears and an unreceptive heart. The tools for living they so lovingly wanted to place in my hands remained unnoticed and unused. It wasn’t that they didn’t instruct me. It was that I wasn’t allowing myself to be their student. I was too busy beating myself up over the things I didn’t know when all the while they were saying, “Let me teach you!”

Last night, a friend remarked during a study, that we have to be taught to do the right things. Living right does not come naturally to any of us. I had no trouble knowing where to apply her words to my life. What comes naturally to me is to live by my perceptions, opinions, and judgments of others. What I need to learn is how to know the truth, believe the truth, and walk in the truth. My perceptions are counter productive and destructive. Truth will set me free and allow me to take hold of life in a richer way. I have to learn the difference between my perceived truth and actual truth.

This is going to require some help. Just as I would no more perform surgery on myself (even if I were able to perform surgery) I cannot be my own instructor. I must be willing to sit at the feet of those God has called to teach me, just as He called Timothy to teach others. It will not only be individuals who will stand in as my instructors, it will also be the circumstances of life. Life’s lessons are not limited to one individual or one classroom. Jesus taught through various settings and used a variety of visual aides. He has not changed. If I truly see Him as my Instructor I will allow Him to use whatever means or whoever He chooses to teach me.

Father, I am ready to learn that which You have desired to teach me for quite some time. My ears are open, my heart is receptive, and my eyes are on You. Use whatever method or individual You deem best. Amen.

The Potter's Hand - A Capella Christian Music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2fEr8S4vj8&feature=related

I am honored and privileged to share these devotional thoughts with you each day. Feel free to forward them on to those whom you think would benefit from them. Also feel free to copy them for your personal files or notebooks. May God individualize each one for you.

Choosing to Refuse

Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. I Timothy 5:19 (New King James Version)

My opinion of another person needs to be based on truth. That is the reason God established the principal that accusations must be based and received on the basis of several eye witnesses. Whether it is within the walls of a church, a place of business, or ones home a spirit of accusation is alive and well and must be recognized and rebuked at all times.

I can think of three sources of false accusations that I must be acutely aware of and on guard against. They would be other people, Satan, and myself. It is imperative that I not allow the words of one person to sway my opinion about another person, especially when it puts the other person in a bad light. I would be wise to consider the fact that what they are saying may not even be true. Since we cannot see another person’s thoughts, heart, intentions, or motives, we have to be careful when someone claims to know such things. Often the things we are hearing are based more upon what someone else said to them, rather than on what was actually witnessed by them. Giving the accused the benefit of the doubt would go a long way.

Scripture refers to Satan as the “accuser of the brethren” and he takes his role seriously. He is a master at accusing us before God and one another. He loves to twist and distort things until someone stands in the worst possible light. Many have been the number of relationships ruined because of lies fed to us by the father of lies. We would be wise to ask God to reveal to us whether or not Satan is behind the spirit of accusation that runs rampant through our minds and our conversations.

While I must be careful not to receive accusations that come from people and Satan, I must be even more careful to question and reject the accusations that are birthed within my own mind from my own places of brokenness and sin. In times of personal disappointment my mind can readily think up many false accusations about another person and then proceed to dwell on them. I must be on my guard during the times I begin to read between the lines, misinterpret another’s words or actions, or draw wrong conclusions based on unmet needs. While there may be times my perception is right, there are many more times it is not.

When I find myself changing my opinion of another person based on one of these three sources, I must ask God to give me discernment as to whether or not I am hearing the truth. If I am uncertain, it would be best to reject the accusation rather than believe and receive it. May I be willing to give others the benefit of the doubt and guard their reputations in my mind.

Father, I cringe at the times I have too readily accepted a false accusation about You, another person, or even myself. Help me to walk in the light and hold to the truth every time. Amen.