DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 5.7.22

 Lean In by Annie Yorty “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8a NASB1995). Jake’s massive weight almost knocked me over. The gentle giant, an English mastiff, pressed hard against my legs as I stood talking with his owner. “He’s really taken a shine to you,” she remarked as I stumbled back, trying to counterbalance the two-hundred-pluspounds pushing against me. I’ve noticed the same interesting behavior in my furry beast labradoodle. When I rise in the morning, Misha prances to my side, pressing the length of his body against my legs dangling off the bed. As I sit at the table for lunch, he sidles up, inclininghis long warm body against my thigh. If I’m standing at the front door chatting with visitors, he leans in hard against my hip. Thankfully, Misha weighs only fifty pounds. Comfortable with the contact, Misha simply leans, looking ahead, waiting. If I fail to notice him within a moment or two, he twists his head around to implore me with round poodle eyes charmingly obscured by bushy black eyebrows. Inevitably, my hand willdrift down to him, tousling soft floppy ears or scratching his skinny poodle rump. His satisfaction palpable, Misha leans in harder. Canine experts say dogs press against their humans for a variety of reasons. Anxious dogs come close to feel more protected and secure. Playful pups lean in to reciprocate love when receiving treats or attention. But most dogs simply crave human nearness.They revel in the touch of their master. I believe we may have something to learn from our furry friends. Are we most like the anxious dog, waiting until we’re at our wit’s end before we turn to God? Do we try to withstand the stress of life by reliance on ourselves? Eventually, the pressure drives us to lean into Him for help, security, and provision. Of course,we can and should sprint to God during times of struggle the moment we realize our need. The Bible is clear that God stands ready to supply anyone who cries out to Him. “He gives strength to the weary, and to the one who lacks might He increases power” (Isaiah40:29 NASB1995). Perhaps like the second dog, we only notice God when He gives a blessing. We flit through our days, distracted by busyness, not thinking much about God until He captures our attention with a “treat.” Finally, sensing His care, we move back in to offer thanksand express love to Him. But shouldn’t we be more like Misha, not waiting for a crisis to force us, or enticement to draw us, to our Master’s side? In Proverbs, God warns us what not to lean on—our own understanding. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs3:5-6 NASB). Leaning on ourselves proves completely unreliable, throwing us constantly off balance. This verse also instructs us to lean on God in all our ways. Every day. Constantly. Not just when we run dry and need something. What if we pressed into God morning, noon, and night, sticking close to His side whenever He moves? So close that God’spresence, His touch, is unmistakable. Perhaps if we stayed near perpetually, we wouldn’t get so worn out and discouraged by the cares of life. There’s something else we can learn from Misha. He doesn’t know the meaning of shame. Just a minute after gulping down one of my socks for the umpteenth time, he butts into my irritation with a cold, wet nose seeking my unconditional love. But when we havestrayed into sin, we often distance ourselves from God. We wonder if He will forgive us, if He will still love us. Like Misha, I crave my Master’s presence, His touch. When I draw near to Him, I feel His guidance, His strength, His love. His hand upon me, I am secure. God’s simple command, given through Jesus to His first disciples, is “Follow Me” (Matthew4:19 NASB). Stick close. Lean in. He is all we need. ----------------- Spirit,Soul, Body “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preservedblameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Thessalonians 5:23) The threefold nature of mankind reflects, to a degree, the triune nature of the Godhead. Just as each member of the triune God is complete and wholly God, yet distinct, so each aspect of mankind is also the whole, yet distinct. The body of man comprises theentire man, yet he also possesses certain soulish emotions, desires, and propensities; and finally, the total man is endowed with a spiritual, eternal nature, somehow reflecting the image of God. These three reflect the three great creative acts of God during creation week, identified by the three usages of the Hebrew word bara, or create. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis1:1); i.e., physical material. Later, certain of this physical material was granted consciousness (1:21), which man shares with animals. On the sixth day, man was created as a spiritual being “in the image of God” (1:27), setting him qualitatively distinctfrom the animals, though he shares body and consciousness with the animals. As in our text, when the “God of peace” sets about the task of sanctifying representatives of sinful, fallen mankind, restoring such ones to a measure of Christ-likeness, He does so in the order mentioned, beginning with a spiritual awakening. Then, throughthe transformed spirit, the soul is reached, and finally the body, with its appetites and lusts. The wisdom of man says just the opposite, claiming the inner man can be improved by changing outside influences, a mentality all too often reflected even in evangelistic efforts. God’s way is to start with the inner man—the root of the problem—and then affectthe outer man. JDM ----------------------- Guarding Our Words by Laura Bailey “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not letme eat their delicacies.” Psalm141:3-4 NIV Recently my mother “gifted” me with a slew of keepsakes from my childhood: trophies, cards, papers, pictures. Eager to dive into their mom’s past, my girls spent the afternoon with me rummaging through the boxes. Holding a plastic trophy, my eldest daughter,squinting at the label, “most outspoken award.” “Mom, what does outspoken mean?” Cringing, I began to explain, someone outspoken tends to give opinions without thinking about how they might affect other people’s views. My middle daughter piped up, “Oh, yeah,that describes you perfectly.” Ouch. In my teens, I wore my brashness as a badge of honor. I said whatever I wanted to whoever I wanted. I didn't care whether it was received well or not. That was not my problem. My classmates nominated me for the reward, and the day I received it, I swelledwith pride. --------------- Forsake and Follow “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsookall, and followed him.” (Luke 5:10-11) Perhaps we take too lightly the fact that the disciples “forsook all, and followed him.” This action involved at least two aspects, the leaving of their former life and the realignment of their loyalty. The word “forsook” is used in a variety of extreme situations, including the “putting away” of a spouse (1 Corinthians 7:11-12; also “leave,” v. 13), andeven death. “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up [same word] the ghost” (Matthew 27:50). This leaving implies a complete severingof a situation or relationship. Furthermore, they forsook all. For Peter, James, John, and Andrew, this involved leaving a prosperous business; for Matthew, a prestigious position of wealth; i.e., their careers. Certainly each left their livelihood, security, training, possessions,relationships, hopes—everything! “Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). Next, the disciples needed to restructure their lives and loyalties to those of Christ. The word “follow” implies a unity of purpose and direction. Jesus told the rich young ruler to give up all vestiges of his materialistic life “and come, take up the cross,and follow me” (Mark 10:21). Christ issues the same call to discipleship to each of us. Peter asked Him the question that we frequently ask. “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?” (Matthew19:27). Christ answered, “Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (v. 29). JDM ------------------- I Am the Vine by Emma Danzey John15:5 says, �I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.� Why Does Jesus Describe Himself as the Vine? I love that Jesus describes Himself as the Vine and us as the branches. He is the Source of our very lives. Without the vine, there can be no branches. Without Jesus, we cannot thrive and grow. Our entire lives are dependent upon the Lord. When we rememberhow Jesus gave up His life and His blood for us, there is a powerful connection because of His provision of communion at the Last Supper. Jesus compares His blood to wine. As we think about Jesus having declared Himself to be The Vine, He also produced the sacrifice that would atone for our sins by His blood. It is interesting thatwine is described as the blood of grapes in Genesis 49:11 and Deuteronomy 32:14. Jesus is the Vine and He poured out His blood for us. Beth Moore shares inher book ChasingVines, �Because the grape was proudly multipurpose, the shelf life it had to offer the ancient world was practically without rival. Grapes could be eaten fresh, straight from the vine. Dried, they were renamed raisins, and in the Bible, they wereeaten plain or baked into cakes. Pressed, the grapes produced fresh juice, or far more significantly, they could be utterly transformed, possessing new properties and chemistry, into vinegars and wines.� ----------------------- I Am the Vine by Emma Danzey John 15:5 says, �I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.� Why Does Jesus Describe Himself as the Vine? I love that Jesus describes Himself as the Vine and us as the branches. He is the Source of our very lives. Without the vine, there can be no branches. Without Jesus, we cannot thrive and grow. Our entire lives are dependent upon the Lord. When we rememberhow Jesus gave up His life and His blood for us, there is a powerful connection because of His provision of communion at the Last Supper. Jesus compares His blood to wine. As we think about Jesus having declared Himself to be The Vine, He also produced the sacrifice that would atone for our sins by Hisblood. It is interesting that wine is described as the blood of grapes in Genesis 49:11 and Deuteronomy 32:14. Jesus is the Vine and He poured out His blood for us. Beth Moore shares in her book Chasing Vines, �Because the grape was proudly multipurpose, the shelf life ithad to offer the ancient world was practically without rival. Grapes could be eaten fresh, straight from the vine. Dried, they were renamed raisins, and in the Bible, they were eaten plain or baked into cakes. Pressed, the grapes produced fresh juice, or farmore significantly, they could be utterly transformed, possessing new properties and chemistry, into vinegars and wines.� ------------------- SeekingSigns �An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but thesign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale�s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.� (Matthew12:39-40) If there was ever �an evil and adulterous generation,� it is surely this present one and, once again, there is a widespread seeking after signs (same word in the Greek as �miracles�). The almost explosive rise of the so-called New Age movement has producedan amazing interest in all forms of occultism and supernatural phenomena: astrology, channeling, ESP, near-death experiences, UFOs, meditation, and mysticism of many strange varieties. Even in Christian circles, there is an unhealthy interest in new revelations and other supernatural signs. The Lord Jesus, however, rebuked those who wanted special signs before receiving Him. �Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe� (John4:48). He has already given us the greatest of all signs�His bodily resurrection from the dead, the best-evidenced fact of all history�and this should suffice, as He told the scribes and Pharisees in our text. In fact, there is a real danger in seeking such signs and wonders, for many of these things�while perhaps supernatural�are not from God. �For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it werepossible, they shall deceive the very elect� (Matthew24:24). Unlike the first generation of Christians, we now have the complete written Word of God, both Old and New Testaments, and it is sufficient for every need of every believer until Christ returns, �whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shinethin a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts� (2Peter 1:19). HMM ---------------------