Time Out! Devotions

(devotional by Dr. Charles Stanley from the August 2010 issue of In Touch magazine)

Genesis 50:15-21 (NIV)

¹⁵ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” ¹⁶ So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ¹⁷ ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

¹⁸ His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ²¹ So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

When life gets hard, we tend to get upset and wonder how soon the difficulty will end. But God wants us to focus on Him in times of trouble. As we do, we will discover He is doing important spiritual work during these “storms.”

Beliefs. The Bible contains what we need to know about our life in Christ and following Him. When circumstances are beyond our control, what we really believe will surface. The depth of our faith in God’s character and promises will become evident, as will any doubts or uncertainties we may have. For example, Joseph revealed strong belief when he acknowledged that God intended his hardships for his good (v. 20). There are bound to be times when we don’t succeed—like Peter, whose fear led to denying Christ—but we should think of trials as opportunities to grow and deepen our faith.

Transformation. As God’s children, we are to live our lives in a way that displays Christ’s character. But we are more like jewels in the rough, aren’t we? The heavenly Father can use the storms of life to transform us into His Son’s image.

Comfort. This blessing is not only for us but also for others. Our Father comforts us in our sufferings and asks that we share what we have received with other people (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Difficult times can come from our own mistakes, the schemes of the Enemy, or the hurtful actions of others. They can even be ordained by God. Regardless of the source, our Father works in them to benefit us and to bless others. What testimony about Him can you give to a hurting world?

When I was about six years old I was outside playing on a beautiful sunny day. An older neighbor decided to trick me into entering an old wooden storage shed at the far end of our yard. I went in according to his plan, then he shut the door, padlocked it securely, and went home laughing.

The darkness that enveloped me was immediate, as was my fear and helplessness at being trapped inside. Obviously, I pounded on the door repeatedly as hard as I could and yelled loudly to anyone who might hear. But after many minutes of silence went by I realized I had to calm down and wait until I was rescued.

It is unsettling how quickly and unexpectedly shadows of darkness can invade our lives. They can be black clouds of temptation that roll in just when we are determined not to react out of our weakness in that time. It may be the cold, penetrating blackness of discouragement that is so hard to ignore.  It may be a dark specter of doubt and uncertainty as we are bombarded by threatening or unyielding circumstances. Recently, for me, it was the onslaught of chronic health problems rendering me inactive and seemingly useless for ministry. But for others it may be something far worse and foreboding during which God seems to be, not only silent, but disinterested.

Now back to the boy in the shed. My fear and preoccupation with the darkness and the unknowns in that shed continued to dominate my thoughts until I noticed a small beam of light coming in through the wood slats of the door. There in the distinct ray of light I saw thousands of tiny dust particles drifting, circulating – yes, almost dancing within the light! For what seemed like a long time I sat observing their joyous display as if the dust was oblivious to the darkness.

There is a wonderful application of truth here. The Bible says that the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground. (What a good thought to meditate on when we are tempted to applaud our own significance outside of Christ!) So whether God shines His light rays in a darkened shed, across a hospital bed, or in a lonely, forsaken room – or even down the halls of the church itself, we can be like the dust and dance in the light.

Regardless of the dark circumstances or testing we face, no matter how dark the night or grim the news, we can reflect God’s light in that particular situation. We can express praise and joy, and dance as we are carried in the warm current of His love and truth! We can be assured that regardless of the trial or how bleak the future seems, He is always present, always involved, and fully committed to completing His marvelous work in us!

Oh, yes, about the boy in the shed. My grandparents came home, heard my cries, and found one tremendously relieved boy as they unlocked the door and let me out. Okay, so I cried again, but that was a long time ago and I am just a dusty old grandpa myself now. Yet, I am still determined to find God’s purpose and grace in all things – regardless how dense the darkness! I want to focus on His illuminating presence and always be in the light. Oh, that I would continue to follow the Great Shepherd of my soul and fulfill His plan by bringing honor and glorify to Him in all things!

Romans 8:31-33 (NIV)

³¹What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Psalm 9:1-2 (NIV)

¹ I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. ² I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Psalm 1 (NCV)

¹ Happy are those who don’t listen to the wicked, who don’t go where sinners go, who don’t do what evil people do.
² They love the Lord’s teachings, and they think about those teachings day and night.
³ They are strong, like a tree planted by a river. The tree produces fruit in season, and its leaves don’t die. Everything they do will succeed.
⁴ But wicked people are not like that. They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
⁵ So the wicked will not escape God’s punishment. Sinners will not worship with God’s people.
⁶ This is because the Lord takes care of his people, but the wicked will be destroyed.

The writer began his psalm extolling the joys of being a godly person – one who obeys God and refuses to listen to those who discredit or ridicule Him. Our friends and associates can have profound influence on us, often in very subtle ways. If we insist on friendships with those who scoff at what God considers important, we may be drawn into sin and become indifferent to God’s will. This attitude is the same as scoffing. Do your friends build up your faith or do they tear it down? The influence of true friends should draw you closer to God.

The psalmist focused on the age-old question of joy & happiness. He tells us what to avoid (verse 1) – the company of scoffing sinners. In the next verse he tells us what not to avoid – the company of the God of all joy and His Word. The shadowy influence of scoffing sinners separates us from the radiance of God’s joyful presence, as a dark cloud separates us from the morning sun.

You can learn how to follow God by meditating on His laws. “Meditating” means spending time reading and thinking about God’s Word and how you should change so you are living as God wants. Knowing and meditating on God’s Word are the first steps towards applying it to your everyday life. If you want to follow God more closely, you must know what He says.

These “laws” on which we are to meditate include all of Scripture: the first five books of Moses, the prophets, and the other writings (the entire Bible). The more we know of the whole scope of God’s Word, the more resources we will have for our daily decisions.

When Scripture promises, “everything you do will succeed,” it does not mean immunity from failure or difficulties. Nor is it a guarantee of health, wealth, and happiness. What Scripture means by success is this: when God’s wisdom is applied to our lives, the fruit it bears in us will be good and receive God’s approval. As a tree soaks up water and bears fruit, we also are to soak up God’s Word, producing actions and attitudes that honor God. True prosperity is found by knowing the true value of God’s Word.

Although evil people may get the upper hand at times, God assures us that a day is coming when their sins will be punished (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 6:16-17; Revelation 20:11-15).

(from the February 2010 issue of In Touch devotional magazine)

The Kind of Gift That God Values Most

Luke 7:36-50 (NCV)

³⁶One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, so Jesus went into the Pharisee’s house and sat at the table.³⁷A sinful woman in the town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she brought an alabaster jar of perfume³⁸and stood behind Jesus at his feet, crying. She began to wash his feet with her tears, and she dried them with her hair, kissing them many times and rubbing them with the perfume.³⁹When the Pharisee who asked Jesus to come to his house saw this, he thought to himself, “If Jesus were a prophet, he would know that the woman touching him is a sinner!”

⁴⁰Jesus said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

Simon said, “Teacher, tell me.”

⁴¹Jesus said, “Two people owed money to the same banker. One owed five hundred coins and the other owed fifty. ⁴²They had no money to pay what they owed, but the banker told both of them they did not have to pay him. Which person will love the banker more?”

⁴³Simon, the Pharisee, answered, “I think it would be the one who owed him the most money.”

Jesus said to Simon, “You are right.” ⁴⁴Then Jesus turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. ⁴⁵You gave me no kiss of greeting, but she has been kissing my feet since I came in.⁴⁶You did not put oil on my head, but she poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷I tell you that her many sins are forgiven, so she showed great love. But the person who is forgiven only a little will love only a little.”

⁴⁸Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹The people sitting at the table began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰Jesus said to the woman, “Because you believed, you are saved from your sins. Go in peace.”

It’s easy to recognize Christ’s love as extravagant—after all, He gave everything He had. But what can we give back to Him to show our love and gratitude? Many Christians make sure they do what they believe is expected of them: being involved with church, gaining knowledge about the Bible, and avoiding immoral behavior (as well as those who engage in it). But is this what makes God feel truly loved?

Luke 7:36-50 tells of a sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet at a Pharisee’s home. In this account, the Lord teaches us what showing love for Him looks like—and what it doesn’t look like.

Unafraid of drawing criticism or looking undignified, the woman demonstrated gratitude and love by sacrificing all she had. Her lavish deed far surpassed the cultural courtesy expected of the host—who, in fact, actually shirked his responsibility for the sake of reputation and appearance. The kind of love God desires is heartfelt and focused on glorifying Him, not on looking super-spiritual or “respectable” (Luke 21:1-4).

Only the “broken in spirit” grasp how vital and priceless the Lord’s forgiveness is. The issue wasn’t whether the woman’s sins were greater than the Pharisee’s. Rather, she understood her desperate need for Christ, which allowed her to love Him more. God is after authenticity; if we want a deeper relationship with Him, we must come as we are (Psalm 51:17; Matthew 5:3; 9:11-13).

Self-sufficiency and spiritual pride blind us to what God truly values. Humbling ourselves brings us closer to His heart (Psalm 138:6; Matthew 23:12-15; James 4:6-8).

The woman came to Jesus labeled by her sins, but she left with a new identity: forgiven, loved, and accepted by the Lord. When we come to Him without pretense and fully receive His forgiveness, He gives us freedom from our old identity (Ephesians 2:4-9; 2 Corinthians 5:15-17).

Questions for Reflection

1. How do you show your gratitude and love for God?
2. Are you quick to repent and admit when you are wrong, or do you consider it more important to appear righteous or even superior to others?
3. What would giving your best to God and “laying down your life” look like in your current circumstances?