Devotions for Dieters

Matthew 7:7-8
'Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.'

Barry never really believed that he'd lose weight. That was probably his problem. His heart was never in it. Whenever he got the least bit discouraged, he'd immediately give up. His friends tried to offer support, but Barry always came up with excuses why he should give up his diet. If we want to lose weight, we need to believe in ourselves. Self-doubt is a killer. If we lack faith in ourselves, then perhaps we can overcome it by the faith we have in God. God can fill us with a self-assurance that allows us to do almost anything we set our minds to. Push aside doubt. Be filled with the confidence of God.

Today's thought: With God's help, I'll knock off a few pounds!
Copyright © 2008, Crosswalk.com. http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/fordieters/

Stoking the Fire

Proverbs 25-26, 2 Corinthians 9
Key Verses: Proverbs 26:20-21

A few years ago my wife and I decided to make the change from charcoal to liquid propane gas. We enjoy "grilling" and opted for convenience over taste. The flavor, in our humble palettes' opinion, is better with charcoal, but we do cook out much more with the gas grill. I have at times brushed the snow off the top to fire it up in the middle of the winter. A twist of the knob on the tank, one match and we are on our way.

There is a problem, though. With charcoal I could see how much was left in the bag, but with a propane tank, it is pretty much a guess. One time the meal was not completely cooked when we ran out of gas. No fuel, no fire. That's the way it is.

It is the same with arguments. If there is no fuel, there will be no fire and the argument will end. One of the things that can feed that fire is gossip, and when it dies down, the quarrel does also.

Some people are quarrelsome. They stir up things and keep them stirred up. That is why they are described as being like charcoal, or wood. They kindle strife.

With picturesque words, Solomon challenges us not to be the fuel for the fire. Neither our actions, as in gossip, nor our character, as in being contentious, should start disagreements and keep them burning.

Ask yourself before you say something about another person, "Am I saying this to stir up trouble?" Answer honestly. Better to be quiet than to stoke the furnace of disagreements.

Numbers 32:11-12

Total Commitment

A few years ago, prominent members of society gathered in the Saints Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco for a wedding. The bride was dazzling in her wedding gown and the service was elegant in its execution. But when it came to that all-important moment to say "I do," the bride hesitated and then replied, "I just can't make up my mind." The minister waited a moment and then announced to the audience that the wedding was off. The reception was canceled and thousands of dollars' worth of food was given away. A week later, however, the bride asked for the wedding to proceed. Her uncertainty, she claimed, "was just do to nerves."

Fortunately, Joshua, along with Caleb, never had such moments of uncertainty. No less than five times (Num. 32:12; Deut. 1:36; Josh. 14:8, 9, 14) the Bible says Joshua "wholly" followed the Lord. There was no hesitation, no second thoughts, no vain regrets. Instead, he gave himself to be and do all that God desired of him. His life had no room for a "maybe," or a tentative "let me think about it." Joshua's mind was made up; he would totally serve the Lord.

When it comes time to give a clear testimony for the Lord, Christians often seem to be afflicted with a bad case of the nerves. They stutter and stumble and just can't seem to "make up their minds." George Gallup, in his studies on American church life, noted that America is a nation of nominal believers, many belonging to a church but few attending. They just can't make up their minds to take a stand for the Lord.

Let's put behind us all our indecisiveness. When the opportunity comes to take a stand for Christ, whether by witnessing for Him or simply identifying with a local assembly of believers, don't hesitate. "Wholly" follow the Lord.

Spring Renewal

Scientists tell us that our world is governed by what they call "natural law." Most of them forget that behind the law is the Lawgiver. Behind creation is a Creator, who cares for His creation and His people. Who unifies the universe? The God who made it. All of creation waits upon Him and trusts Him to supply what is needed. As the psalmist wrote, "These all wait for You, that You may give them their food in due season. What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good" (vv. 27,28).

God gives and we gather. He provides and we take. He is dependable; He takes care of His own. "I have been young, and now am old," David said. "Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread" (Ps. 37:25). God is also generous. He does not give carelessly or selfishly. He opens His hand, and all of creation is filled with good.

God controls life and death and the changing seasons. "You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth" (vv. 29,30). Spring is so beautiful, summer so delightful and autumn so fruitful. Then winter comes, and it seems so dismal. But the same God of spring and summer and autumn is the God of winter. He brings the refreshing, renewing springtime again.

* * *

God can renew your life today. He can bring you seasons of fruitfulness and seasons of sunshine. Don't worry about the seasons of life. The God who runs this universe can manage the changing seasons of your life. If you are in a winter season, wait; when He is ready, God will send you a springtime.

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference: Genesis 32:9-12

Because of Jacob's imperfect faith, he offered a prayer of panic and then resorted to his carnal planning.

In fact, Jacob began to plan even before he prayed. He took time out of his planning to pray, then immediately returned to his own schemes. He didn't seem to really trust God but only asked God to sanctify his plans.

As Jacob prayed, he said, "Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children" (Gen. 32:11).

What was the motive for Jacob's petition? At first, it might seem selfish, but verse 12 indicates that Jacob was seeking the glory of God.

Jacob was claiming God's promises when he said, "And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude" (v. 12).

We also need to check our motives when we are praying for the salvation of our loved ones. Are we praying for them only because they are loved ones, or are we truly concerned about the glory of God?

Our chief concern should always be the glory of God. Whatever we do, we should "do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31).

Jacob still had fear, but it was an unnecessary fear. God had promised to bring him back to the land and to make his descendants as the sand of the sea.

"You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:3, NASB).

Ingredients for Service

And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai and present thyself there to Me in the top of the mount.

The man who bows the lowest in the presence of God stands the straightest in the presence of sin. If this truth was known by anyone in the Old Testament, it was known by Moses. Time after time he had to stand straight and tall in the face of Israel's sin. Once even while Moses was communing with God on the top of Sinai, Israel was brewing a pot of sin. Upon his descent from the mount, viewing the golden calf and the licentious behavior of Israel, Moses' righteous indignation caused him to cast the tables of God's Law to the ground, crushing them to pieces (Exodus 32:19). The people were rebuked for their sin, 3,000 men were capitally punished, Moses interceded for the lives of the rest and the golden calf crisis was over.

But there would be more sin, and the tables of stone had to be replaced. Thus the Lord issued Moses another summons to Sinai with these instructions: "And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to Me in the top of the mount" (Exodus 34:2). Note the words, "be ready," "come up," and "present thyself." Moses' renewed call to service contained these three essential ingredients found in every call to service that God issues.

Be ready. The man God uses is the man who is ready, willing, and able to be used. If we are not ready, God will bypass us for someone who is; and we will miss the blessing that could have been ours. The apostle Paul was a man who was ready. In Romans 1:15 he was "ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also." With Paul, preaching was a passion: "For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13). After a long life of service to his Lord, Paul exclaimed, "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:6-7). Paul was ready to preach, ready to suffer, even ready to die in the service of the Lord.

Come up. We cannot be of service to God until we first come to Him in salvation. But Jehovah's call to Moses was not to salvation, but to communion and service. Once the Lord has called us to be saved, He then calls us to "come and dine" (John 21:12). In other words, as Moses, we are called to fellowship with the Lord. We "come up" to the Lord God in prayer. Like salvation, prayer and communion with God precede service (Ephesians 6:18-20).

Present thyself. The final ingredient in preparing for service to God and standing in the face of sin is to present ourselves to Him. Paul begged the Roman believers to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1). Being ready to serve God is necessary. Coming up to God in prayer is likewise necessary in preparing for useful service. But unless we are willing to present ourselves to God body, mind, and soul as Moses did, there is little chance that He will use us or that we will successfully stand straight and tall in the presence of sin.

When the call of God came, Moses prepared a second pair of stone tablets for the law of God and "rose up early in the morning, and went up unto Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him" (Exodus 34:4). Moses was ready for service, early in the morning, for he knew that there was a lot of sin yet to be dealt with in the camp of Israel. Moses must stand straight and tall in the presence of that sin, as each believer must. Are you ready to rise early each morning and come to God in prayer, presenting yourself in service to Him? Your day will go much better if you are.

MORNING HYMN
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner,
It must not suffer loss:
From vict'ry unto vict'ry
His army shall He lead,
Till ev'ry foe is vanquished,
And Christ is Lord indeed.