In step

[RiverOL]

For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
—Psalm 91:11 NLT

Elijah the prophet was with his servant, a young man who was training under him. This young prophet awoke one morning and went outside to discover hundreds and thousands of Syrians surrounding him and his master, and he was afraid for his life. When he informed Elijah of the dire situation, the prophet walked out and said, “Those who are for us are greater than those against us.” (See 2 Kings 5.)

How was that possible? One man said, “Look around the mountain, there are 100,000 horses and men who are going to kill us.” But Elijah said, “Lord, open his eyes that he can see.”

What did Elijah see? He saw angels in chariots of fire, tens of thousands of them circling the entire mountain of Syria. Elijah simply spoke the word, and every one of those Syrians was struck blind. He led them as a massive, powerless army right into the king’s capitol !
Remember: Psalm 34:7 says, “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear him, and delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7 NIV) You and I have not been left defenseless and unprotected.

 

[RiverOL]

The Surprise of Joy
Morning Encounter:
Read
The crowd joined in the attack on Paul and Silas. Then the officials tore the clothes off the two men and ordered them to be beaten with a whip. After they had been badly beaten, they were put in jail, and the jailer was told to guard them carefully. The jailer did as he was told. He put them deep inside the jail and chained their feet to heavy blocks of wood.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened. Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the jail to its foundations. The doors opened, and the chains fell from all the prisoners.
When the jailer woke up and saw that the doors were open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped. He pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! No one has escaped.”

The jailer asked for a torch and went into the jail. He was shaking all over as he knelt down in front of Paul and Silas. After he had led them out of the jail, he asked, “What must I do to be saved?”
They replied, “Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home.”
(Acts 16: 22-31)

Reflect
On the face of it, Paul and Silas are having a pretty rough time. Some misery and self-pity would be understandable if you had been stripped, beaten, and imprisoned with your feet fastened in stocks, all for having released some poor lady from demon possession (Acts 17:18). But we find them here singing and praying, and apparently in fine spirits. Christians throughout history and from all corners of the globe have attested to experiencing joy in the most unexpected circumstances. And this kind of joy always expresses itself in worship.

Respond
When have you experienced the joy of the Lord when you might have expected to be sunk in profound misery? Spend some time in praise of the God whose peace passes understanding and whose joy knows no limits.

Midday Meditation:
'The Bible nowhere speaks about a ‘happy’ Christian; it talks plentifully of joy. Happiness depends on things that happen, and may sometimes be an insult: joyfulness is never touched by external conditions and a joyful heart is never an insult.'
(Oswald Chambers, The Shadow of an Agony)

Evening Reflection:
'If we think we will have joy only by praying and singing psalms, we will be disillusioned. But if we fill our lives with simple good things and constantly thank God for them, we will be joyful, that is, full of joy. And what about our problems? When we determine to dwell on the good and excellent things in life, we will be so full of those things that they will tend to swallow our problems.'

 

[RiverOL]

Pharisaism in overalls
Luke 18:9-14
"... I thank you that I am not like other men ..." (v.11)

The fruit of the Spirit is not something that is achieved or manufactured, but something that is experienced as we abide in Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to produce in us the lineaments of Christ's character.
Many people have equated the sanctified life with keeping an ethical code, but the ethical code is not the source of sanctification but the result of it. If the path of ethical achievement is achieved by self-effort alone, then the person who achieves it comes to have pride in his achievement and falls prey to the sin of Pharisaism. Those who keep the ethical code by self-effort have a taut will and, though they might not realize it, they lapse into the sin of independence -- depending on themselves and not on God. People who struggle to exude goodness have a metallic ring about them -- they appear stern and rigid and have about them the atmosphere of a moral athlete. Those whose goodness is not imposed, but exposed from their deep relationship with the Lord, are sweetly human and exude the character of Christ.

A similar error is made by those who say they have been "doing good turns all their lives." Someone has said that this type of attitude is "the sin of Pharisaism in overalls." Self is very much at the center. It is tainted, not because the "good turns" are evil, but because they are prompted by the self-regarding principle -- I am doing them in my own way for my ends. How deeply this disease of self-interest takes hold on us! It is in you and it is in me. Recognizing it, however, is the first step toward curing it.

Prayer:

O Father, I see that when I strut through life in an attitude of arrogance and pride, I soon stumble. But when I surrender, I succeed. Help me to keep this perspective -- today and every day. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. —Psalm 5:11 NIV
How can you learn to create a joyful attitude in your life day by day?

• Learn not to take yourself too seriously. If you’re able to realize that God is on the throne, then your problems are not permanent.
• Relax. The Bible says that no temptation comes against you except what is common to man. God is on the throne.
• Hold fast to joy so fear cannot take root. When you lose your joy, fear will move in.

• Remain fully aware of the glorious liberty that is yours in Christ. The Bible says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
These are very important principles. Life is not always easy, but God is always good. Living for Christ is not easy, but God has promised to make a way for us. He is the Guiding Light that leads us.
Whatever the price, it will be worth it! The joy of the Lord is your strength.

 

[RiverOL]

Emma’s day started on a positive note. She had a lot to do, but she was up early and ready to tackle the list. She had her normal cup of water with breakfast, got ready, and headed to the stores to take care of some errands.

The hot summer day blazed down on her, but she didn’t take much notice of it. She had to get these errands done and get to work on time. She had water in her purse, but she didn’t take the time to stop and drink it.

The thought crossed her mind that she hadn’t drunken enough, but she ignored the thought. There just wasn’t time to stop and drink. At one point she meant to get some water when she got to work, but she soon became engrossed in other tasks and forgot all about it. While she was inside some of the afternoon at work, she had to go outside for periods too. But she failed to drink much at all.

This wasn’t the first day she hadn’t been drinking a lot either. Her liquid intake had become more sporadic for days. Life had just become so busy.

By the time night came, Emma was exhausted. She felt cold and clammy. And nauseous. So nauseous. Why were her muscles aching so? Why was she starting to shake?

Slowly, it dawned on her: she was dehydrated. A friend explained that dehydration had actually led to heat exhaustion, and that if she didn’t stop and hydrate, she could wind up in a serious condition.

As she lay doubled over in pain, she wished with all her heart she’d taken the time to hydrate earlier. The hydration she’d been putting off was what had really been the most important thing on her schedule, only she hadn’t realized it.

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” John 7:37 (esv)

“For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” Jeremiah 2:13 (esv)

 

[RiverOL]

The disease of self-interest
Romans 13:8-14
"... love is the fulfilment of the law." (v.10)

Because the disease of self-interest is so difficult to recognize, it might be helpful to focus on examples of ordinary things done or said by decent people which are, nevertheless, indicative of the ease with which we slip into self-interest.

A man whose mother died just as he was due to go on holiday and was therefore obliged to stay at home until the funeral was over said to the minister who tried to comfort him: "I will miss my mother greatly ... but I've lost nearly half my holiday." In the weeks prior to my wife's death, a man came up to me and said: "How is your wife?" Before I had time to reply, he launched into a fifteen-minute explanation of how his wife had been up all night with toothache.

During the terrifying days of World War II, a retired schoolmistress living in a rural area sent a letter to someone in London saying: "If only you knew what we are going through here. Every night we hear enemy planes going over loaded with bombs. Last week one of them dropped its bombs at random and our pantry window was cracked." The person she was writing to had not known what it was to sleep in her own bed for three months -- having had to spend every night in an air raid shelter.

These illustrations are representative of the kind of thing we hear or might say ourselves almost every day. And if we did not say it, then we might think it -- and that is just as bad.

Prayer:

O God, deliver me, I pray, from this tendency that I have to become deeply engrossed with myself. Help me to grow in You, so that my first thought is not for myself but for others. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Working or Watching?

We must work . . . while it is day;
night is coming—John 9:4

Ever feel like you’re spending way too much of life watching? I mean, what’s your personal watching-to-working ratio? And, by “working,” I don’t mean work-work. I mean working on those specific things for which you were created—for example, those things mandated by the two great commandments (Matthew 22:37-39).

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”(Ephesians 2:10).

Are you engaging in your good works? Or do you find that you're watching too many sermons about the Gospel, rather than living out the Gospel? Or watching too many movies and reading too many books about other people’s adventures, rather than living out the adventures God has for you? Or watching sports too much . . . watching others face their fears, face great odds, and push themselves beyond their supposed limits, rather than doing those things yourself? Don’t get me wrong, sermons, movies, books, and sports are good things. There’s nothing wrong with inspiration . . . but it’s got to be inspiration for something.

“Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind . . .” (Ephesians 1:4 MSG). When God dreamt about you so long ago, did he dream of you watching others live out their great stories, but not you? Of course not. Of course he dreamt of a great story for you too. Of course he has a story he cannot wait to share with you, right now.



Search your heart, brother. What’s going on in there? Is it rising? Falling? Is it light? Heavy? Stop, now, and pray to God that he lead you into your story . . . your ancient story. That’s a good prayer. That’s one, I think, to which he’ll likely respond. So, you might buckle up.

 

[RiverOL]

The Absence of Joy
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Why does God let me live
when life is miserable
and so bitter?
I keep longing for death
more than I would seek
a valuable treasure.

Nothing could make me happier
than to be in the grave.

Why do I go on living
when God has me surrounded,
and I can’t see the road?
Moaning and groaning
are my food and drink,
and my worst fears
have all come true.

I have no peace or rest—
only troubles and worries.
(Job 3:20-26)

Reflect
However much we love God and believe in the hope of our salvation, there are times we do not experience joy. There are times that, like Job, the only way out we can see is death (3:21). Christians are not immune from depression, and depression is a joy-thief. The lack of joy is not an indication of weak faith, sin or faithlessness. It is an indication that we are humans living in a broken and pain-filled world. We have no right to judge others or ourselves for not being joyful when our “worst fears have come true” (3:25).

Respond
Have you ever judged a fellow Christian for lacking joy? It might be appropriate to take some time to repent and ask God to give you his heart for the sad, depressed and hopeless of the world. Have you felt judged for lacking joy? Thank God for his compassion, gentleness and love for you.

Midday Meditation:
'Doubt your despairing thoughts. Who do you think you are to make final declarations about your soul that lie hidden in the secrets of the Almighty? No. No. Renounce such confidence. If you have no ability for faith in the love of God for you, make no such great pretences to have such great certainty of faith in your damnation. This is not yours to know. Rather, yours is to listen to Jesus.'
(John Newton, in a letter to William Cowper, 1788)

Evening Reflection:
“The LORD is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

 

[RiverOL]

Understanding the Cross
For reading & meditation: Romans 5:6-21
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (v. 8)

An ancient theologian - St. Augustine - suggested that "the answer to the mystery of the universe is God and the answer to the mystery of God is Christ." If this is so then I would like to make a further suggestion: the answer to the mystery of Christ is to be found in His sacrificial spirit, the supreme evidence of which is the cross. We will never in our mortal state be able to grasp the full meaning of the cross. But what we do grasp gives us a clue to what lies in the heart of the Infinite. Theologians often discuss the various theories of the atonement.

Personally, I find myself accepting any theory of the atonement that makes the meaning of the cross more vital and clear. No theory seems to me big enough to fit the facts. As Jesus broke the bars of the tomb and stepped out beyond them, so the fact of Jesus dying seems to transcend our most careful statements or form of words. To really understand the cross one must have an attitude of mind and heart that responds to its meaning. I came across this: "To understand art one must have art within one; to understand music one must have music within one." I thought to myself, to understand the cross one must have a sacrificial spirit within one. Those who profess to know Christ but live only for self will know something of the cross but will miss its real meaning. The cross is best understood not by an argument but by an attitude.

Prayer:
Father, I see that if I am to fully understand the cross I must have a sacrificial spirit within me. May I linger at Your cross until Your nature becomes my nature. Then seeing I shall see. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

When You’re Just . . . Done

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding—Proverbs 3:5

Is there any belief you’ve simply gotten tired of believing? Is there any belief you’ve held onto, stubbornly, for too long now? We men are so good at holding onto things, even after they’ve shown themselves to be detrimental. Sometimes these stubborn beliefs are about God. Sometimes they’re about other people. Sometimes they’re about us. And, sometimes, it’s just time to change our minds. We can you know.

It’s not an easy thing to do, of course, changing our minds, changing our beliefs—but we don’t have to do it on our own. God will help, if we ask. All we must do is decide we want to change our minds—like the man who brought his son, the one who couldn’t speak, to Jesus. This man had real doubts about Jesus, and about what Jesus could do, but he decided he wanted to change his mind about those doubts . . . and he asked for help:

“Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’” (Mark 9:24).

Changing our minds—to align our beliefs with those of God—is one way we step out of our old selves and into our new selves. It’s one way we begin to become the men God intends us to become.



Are you tired of being a skeptic? Are you tired of being bitter or unforgiving? Are you tired of being too hard on yourself? Something else? The Apostle Paul told us what to do when we identify an old, worn-out belief: “Get rid of it!” (Ephesians 4:20-24 MSG). Get rid of it by naming it and bringing it to God in prayer. Tell him you’re tired of being that man—hard-hearted and unbending. Tell him you’d like his help in becoming a new man.

 

[RiverOL]

The Hope Of Joy To Come
Morning Encounter:
Read
I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared, and so had the sea. Then I saw New Jerusalem, that holy city, coming down from God in heaven. It was like a bride dressed in her wedding gown and ready to meet her husband.
I heard a loud voice shout from the throne:
God’s home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever.

Then the one sitting on the throne said:
I am making everything new. Write down what I have said. My words are true and can be trusted. Everything is finished! I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give water from the life-giving fountain to everyone who is thirsty. All who win the victory will be given these blessings. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
(Revelation 21:1-7)

Reflect
This picture of the New Heavens and New Earth in Revelation is absolutely stunning. However hard, sad, or painful our situation, our real and certain hope as followers of Jesus is that eternal life is our gift. The life God has planned for us is in a redeemed creation where there will be “no more death, suffering, crying or pain” (21:4), and where God will make his home among us.

Respond
Ask God to give you a real and certain hope of heaven and a future full of joy lived in his presence.

Midday Meditation:
'From Jesus we learn of the ultimate context, God and his kingdom. In the future phases of that kingdom lies the meaning of our lives and, indeed, of the history of the earth of which we are a part. Jesus insisted, as we have seen, upon the present reality of the “kingdom of the heavens” and made that the basis of his gospel. But he also recognised that there was a future fullness to the kingdom, as well as an everlasting enjoyment of life in God far transcending the earth and life on it.'
(Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy)

Evening Reflection:
Beams of heaven, as I go, / Through this wilderness below / Guide my feet in peaceful ways /
Turn my midnights into days / When in the darkness I would grope / Faith always sees a star
of hope / And soon from all life's grief and danger / I shall be free some day
I don't know how long 'twill be / Nor for what the future holds for me / But this I know, if
Jesus leads me / I shall get a home some day

 

[RiverOL]

"Her first thought"
1 Peter 3:18
"... because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin." (4:1)

So often in life, our first thought is for ourselves. We are self-centered. Everything has an immediate self-reference. We are more upset over our own dead dog than a neighbor's dead child. And so deeply ingrained is our self-preoccupation that, left to ourselves, we would have to fillet our personalities to get rid of it. Yet there are multitudes walking the earth whose first thoughts are not for themselves but for the Lord and for others.

How has this happened? It has happened because the fruit of the Spirit was growing within them -- and especially the fruit of goodness. Take Catherine Booth, for example. When the great woman first learned the deadly nature of the disease that was to kill her slowly through two years of great pain, she knelt at the side of her husband and said: "Do you know what was my first thought? That I should not be there to nurse you at your last hour." Her first thought! A minister I once visited and who had been struck down with polio said to me: "But who will care for my people?" It was not of himself he was thinking -- but of others.

The self-forgetfulness of both Catherine Booth and the minister who was laid aside by sickness was not something that was manufactured but something that had been produced in them by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Their translucence can only be explained in one way -- they had died to themselves. The center of their lives had shifted from self to Christ and thus the fruit of goodness had blossomed within them.

 

[RiverOL]

My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart.—Proverbs 4:20-21 NKJV
Before his experience on the road to Damascus, the apostle Paul had the mentality of a murderer. He was consumed with hatred and unbelief. But then he met Jesus and was changed.

Perhaps pastor and songwriter Mosie Lister was thinking of Paul when he wrote:
For all things were changed, when He found me.
A new day broke through all around me.
For I met the Master, now I belong to Him.

There is nothing impossible for the man or woman who grasps the principle that Jehovah is our source. We must keep our eyes on and place our trust in Him.
Do you walk in fear and defeat or in righteousness, the Word, and His fellowship? The choice is yours.

 

[RiverOL]

Failure My Teacher
Morning Encounter:
Introduction
Forget the myth of the invincible Christian leader or the squeaky-clean follower of Christ. And don't believe anyone who tells you that becoming more like Jesus doesn't involve a good deal of mistakes. It's just not true. This week our theme is 'training and we're going to take an honest look at how we can cooperate with God in our 'training in righteousness' (2 Tim 3:16)

READ
“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.”
1 Timothy 4:7-9. English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

REFLECT
You don't have to know much about the Bible to know that it's made up of a bunch of failures. Yet from Adam (Gen 3: 8 - quick, let's hide) to Paul (Acts 7: 58 - you throw the stones, I'll hold your coat) these are the people God uses to take the message of Jesus and his Kingdom to the world.

RESPOND
Lord - thank you for scooping me up with Adam, Paul and all the other failures that followed you, and welcoming me into your Kingdom. This week please show me how you are training me in righteousness. And help me cooperate by placing myself in a place where this can happen. Amen.

Midday Meditation:
Whatever has happened already today, now is a moment to pause. Bible Society once gave a Bible to someone in prison and they wrote very movingly to thank us saying 'the Bible reminds me that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future'.

Evening Reflection:
If Christianity is about anything then it's about change. The people of the Bible are an example that change is possible. Sudden light bulb moments do happen and we welcome them. But the normative process in becoming more like Jesus is through training in righteousness and making mistakes. Over the next few days we'll see how this works.

 

[RiverOL]

Surrendering to goodness
John 15
"If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit ..." (v.5)

Although, as we have seen, goodness is a fruit that is difficult to define, we come close to seeing its meaning when we think of it in terms of essential goodness -- goodness in the inner parts. It is not something that is imposed but something that is exposed; it moves, not from without to within but from within to without. It is not self-achieved. Supernatural goodness is pure goodness -- a goodness which unconsciously proclaims itself. Christians in whom goodness is growing will not "use" others as many use their friends -- they will love them for themselves alone. They will not mentally fit people into their scheme -- for they have no schemes.

I think it would be true to say that goodness is there to some degree in all Christians who are in daily touch with the Lord and are growing in Him -- but in those who have known what it is to die to self, it is there in overflowing measure. They exude goodness. John Wallace, a Scotsman and the principal of the college where I received my training for the ministry, used to say: "Goodness, the fruit of the Spirit, is more 'felt' than 'telt'. It is not so much actions as attitudes, not so much talking as walking."I believe myself that God never gets closer to a sinner -- or, for that matter, an unsurrendered Christian -- than when He calls to that person through the life of someone in whom the fruit of goodness is ripe. So in yearning for this fruit of the Spirit, remember, it comes not by straining to be good but by surrendering to goodness.

Prayer
O God, I see that goodness is not some extraneous thing introduced from without; it is something that rises from within. Teach me how to stop struggling and start surrendering. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You. —2 Chronicles 20:12 NKJV

Have you recently felt like giving up? We all do at some time in our lives. In this day and time, there is no way we can escape stress and pressure. Everything we do seems riddled with problems. When we watch the news, we usually see only the bad news.

King Jehoshaphat had a crisis of integrity. He was the king of Israel, doing the will of God. He was faithful to God. He was obedient—a covenant man—yet he was faced with adversity. Vast armies, coming from three different directions, were about to attack him.

The people said: “Jehoshaphat, what kind of program do you have to deliver us? What committees are appointed to help solve this problem? Where are the bright, glorious banners and the trumpet under which we will march?” He said: “None—no programs, committees, or banners.”
“Jehoshaphat, you are the king!” they cried. “What are we going to do?” He said: “I don’t know. I just don’t know, but my eyes are upon the Lord.”
When you feel like giving up—be certain your eyes are upon the Lord.

 

[RiverOL]

Learn of Me
Morning Encounter:
READ
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30. King James Version (KJV)

REFLECT
We often refer to Jesus as Saviour and even as Lord. Some have discovered him to be a friend. But have you ever understood him to be your teacher? That's what people called him in his own day. Trying thinking of Jesus as a professor, or even a life coach.

RESPOND
Thank you Jesus that you want to be my teacher. Please walk with me and show me how to do life well. Coach me as I follow you, live with those around me, and learn to love myself and others. Amen.

Midday Meditation:
Seeing Jesus as our teacher is a radical perspective. How do teachers work? By loving their students, being an example to their followers, and even allowing them to fail. Where do you see Jesus doing each of these with his disciples?

Evening Reflection:
If we want to be more like Jesus then we start doing the things he did. Watch how he lived his life, engaged with people, trusted God, went to parties, noticed people, and faced death. Start asking how he did all this and how we can get into training for living life to the full.

 

[RiverOL]

The ultimate test of character
Psalms 51
"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts ..." (v.6)

We examine now the seventh fruit of the Spirit -- faithfulness or fidelity. Faithfulness (Greek: pistis) is the quality of reliability or trust-worthiness which makes a person someone on whom we can utterly rely and whose word we can utterly accept.

It has been said that the ultimate test of a person's character is: Are there any circumstances in which that person will lie? If so, then that person's character is blemished. I know a Christian worker who puts in hours of service and who would work his fingers to the bone for anyone in need but, sadly, he cannot always speak the truth. That basic falsity cancels out much of the value of his accomplishments.

In a Third World country, where the leaders of churches are obliged to declare their property on their tax returns, one church owned a valuable gold cross. So that they would not have to pay so much tax, they decided to devalue the cross on their tax return and place its value at only a fraction of its real worth. One day the cross was stolen and cut up into small pieces. When the pieces were eventually recovered by the police, the church leaders went to court to prove they belonged to them. The judge called for a valuation of the gold and when told it was of very high value, he judged that the cross did not belong to the church as the stolen cross was of much higher value than the one listed on the church's tax return. So the gold was confiscated by the police. Those church leaders lost not only a cross -- they lost their character.

Prayer
Father, impress upon me that not only do You desire truth in my inner parts but You have designed my being to function on truth. Unless I live in the truth and by the truth, I violate the structure of my being. Help me, dear Lord. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Anatomy of an Adventure

. . . unless a grain of wheat falls . . . and dies, it remains alone;
but if it dies, it bears much fruit—John 12:24

When men head off, toward something in the distance, toward something good and worthy—but also into unknown obstacles, detours, deprivations, dangers—those are adventures. We tend to think of them as journeys of ascent, like climbing to a summit. But are they, really? Aren’t adventures actually journeys of descent? And, actually, doesn’t therein lay their power? Our culture teaches that ascending brings us life: ascending in school; our careers; our social standing; in the sizes of our houses and our bank accounts. Our King, Jesus Christ, teaches the opposite. He teaches that we come alive, instead, by descending. And he teaches that we come alive by listening to God, trusting God, and relying on God.

That’s why adventures are so important. On them, we descend voluntarily. We forgo “comfortable” and “secure.” We welcome discomfort and danger. We relinquish control—all toward a far off, good and worthy goal. We put ourselves, quite literally, in the hands of God. On adventures, we allow him to teach and shape us, awaken and recharge us.

Jesus’ road to the cross was the ultimate adventure. He set upon something of immeasurable goodness and worth. He faced obstacles, detours, deprivations, dangers. He descended . . . but he didn’t do it so we wouldn’t have to. He descended to show us how. “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).



Adventures are all around—great opportunities to descend into situations that’ll make you apprehensive, that’ll make your heart pound even: walking beside someone who isn’t at all like you, but needs your help nonetheless; confessing to brothers that thing you’ve never confessed to anyone; giving monetarily, until it hurts. Take some time, today—notice the adventures around you. Then, pick one and go.

 

[RiverOL]

Riches with a capital "R"
Luke 16
"... if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?" (v.11)

We must not think that because faithfulness is listed among the last three qualities on Paul's list, it is of lesser importance. So important is it that Jesus says in our passage today: "He who is faithful with a trifle is also faithful with a large trust, and he who is dishonest with a trifle is also dishonest with a large trust" (v.10, Moffatt).

I have often said to myself: there is a young man with a great future in the things of God. Yet time and again, I have seen them fail in their fidelity to small obligations, and I have then said to myself: unless there are great changes, that person will end up like the children of Israel in the wilderness -- going around in circles. Look again at what Jesus said, this time in the Moffatt translation: "If you are not faithful with dishonest mammon, how can you ever be trusted with true Riches?" Here the basic principles are laid down.

If you are not faithful in the trifling, you will not be faithful in the tremendous. If you are not faithful with the material (mammon), how can you expect to be entrusted with the spiritual -- Otrue RichesO?Notice how Moffatt spells the word "riches" with a capital "R." Why is this? Because spiritual richness is a richness that is so rich you just have to spell it with a capital "R." But Jesus says one more thing: "If you are not faithful with what belongs to another, how can you ever be given what is your own?" Those who are not faithful with other people's possessions finish up with nothing of their own.

Prayer:
Father, I am conscious that day by day You let me be tested with the little. Help me to be faithful there so that I can be trusted to handle a lot. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.