Devotions for Dieters

Job 22:27
Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.

Gary took time every morning to pray about his diet. Some days he awoke frustrated that he wasn't losing weight. Other days he awoke with cravings, afraid he wouldn't be able to withstand temptation. Still other mornings he just wanted to thank God that he'd come so far. God helped make the diet bearable. Every time Gary found himself feeling ready to give up, a quick prayer to God gave him the willpower to go on. The power of God is a wonderful thing. We cannot comprehend how much God does for us when we call upon His name. Rest assured that God is with you in all you do. . .even your diet.

Today's thought: The more time you pray, the less you can weigh!
Copyright © 2008, Crosswalk.com. http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/fordieters/

Aiming for the Middle

Proverbs 30-31, 2 Corinthians 11:1-15
Key Verses: Proverbs 30:8-9

The prosperity train has pulled out of the station and everyone wants to be on board. Markets have been up, "dot coms" have soared, new home starts have increased--happy days are here again. Today there are probably more advertisements for investment services than lenders, especially the lenders who bail out people financially. It seems like it used to be the opposite, more quick fix financial ads and fewer long term investment ones, but times have changed.

Now is a good time to review a prayer for financial balance. It is not a prayer to say before balancing your checkbook, but one to help you keep money in perspective, not allowing yourself to get out of balance. Agur writes, "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread" (30:8). These are not the words of the brokerage firm wanting your investments but of a man of God concerned about the heart. The reason for his prayer is rock solid--"Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God" (v. 9).

There is both balance and reason in that prayer. The danger is in the extremes. With poverty comes the temptation to steal, and with affluence comes the temptation to forget God. There is safety in between. More may seem better to those around you, but less may be best!

With affluence and emphasis on prosperity, it can be difficult to keep a balanced perspective on money. Pray this prayer to God today and repeat it as often as needed!

Deuteronomy 34:9

Wisdom From Above

Life is filled with predicaments that require wisdom. Two men were hiking when they spotted a mountain lion staring at them. One froze in his tracks, but the other sat down on a log, tore off his hiking boots, pulled a pair of running shoes from his backpack and hurriedly began to put them on. "For crying out loud, you can't outrun a mountain lion!" his companion said. "I don't have to," the other shrugged. "I just have to outrun you."

There is some wisdom to what this man said, but this type of earthly wisdom is not sufficient to accomplish God's purposes. Joshua needed much more than common sense if he were to be the leader God wanted him to be. Therefore, as Moses laid hands upon him in prayer, God granted Joshua a supernatural measure of wisdom through His Holy Spirit.

God still offers such wisdom today. James says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). But this is not just any wisdom; it is a godly wisdom. James calls it "the wisdom that is from above" (3:17). God, who is the giver of all good gifts, delights in giving godly wisdom to those who truly desire it. We all need it; do we all desire it as well?

If you are facing a situation that calls for real wisdom, don't settle for earthly wisdom. So much more is available to you. Ask God to give you the wisdom that comes from above. Only by godly wisdom can you meet God's expectations.

Spiritual Health

Nutritionists remind us that we must have the minimum daily requirements of vitamins and minerals if we are to be physically healthy. Similarly, David gives God's minimum daily requirements we need if we are to be spiritually healthy.

The first requirement is praise. "Oh, give thanks to the Lord! . . . Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him" (vv. 1,2). Praise means giving thanks for all that God is, all that He does and all that He shares with us. Praise is rejoicing in the presence of the Lord because of who He is and because we are His children.

Prayer also is essential. "Call upon His name" (v. 1). We call upon the Lord when we need strength and grace and help in a time of need. And He always hears us.

Witnessing is another element. "Make known His deeds among the peoples.... Talk of all His wondrous works. Glory in His holy name" (vv. 1-3). If we only praise and pray but don't present the Lord to other people, our lives will become narrow, shallow and selfish. We need to tell others that He is the only Savior.

The final requirement is seeking His face. "Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore!" (v. 4). In other words, live in the light of God's countenance. Live with the smile of God upon your life and seek to please Him alone.

* * *

Just as your physical health requires care, so does your spiritual health. Are you taking proper care of your soul? God's minimum daily requirements help you maintain a healthy spiritual life. Make sure you meet your daily minimum. It will please Him and bring glory to Him.

Law, Grace and Victory

Galatians 3:1-14

The Christian life is a "by faith" life not a "by Law" life. Paul makes a very strong statement at the end of Galatians 2 when he says, "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain" (v. 21).

If we could save ourselves and if we could live a righteous life by our own efforts, there was no purpose in Christ's dying in the first place. He might as well have stayed alive.

Many things were in vain if the Law was necessary for salvation. Not only was Christ's sacrifice unnecessary, but the sufferings of the Galatians because of their faith in Christ were also unnecessary if Judaism was the way of salvation (3:4).

Later on Paul said, "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law" (5:4).

We do not downgrade the Law when we put it in the place God has put it. But we frustrate the grace of God if we try to substitute Law for grace.

When faith is given its proper place with grace, we find that a person is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law. The Law is not set aside by faith but is established.

The Law was never given to save people's souls, so whatever being "established" means, it is not that. The sinner establishes the Law by confessing his guilt and acknowledging he is justly condemned.

Furthermore, by Christ's assuming the sinner's place and enduring the penalty of the Law, He establishes the Law. The Law is righteous and condemns the sinner to death. When that death takes place, the Law is satisfied. Christ through His death, then, established the Law.

"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).

Thinking of Others

And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD.

SELFISHNESS is innate to man's being. Human philosophy says, "Look out for number one for if you don't, no one else will." The question of the first murderer, "Am I my brother's keeper?" is still being asked in society today. This is indeed unfortunate. When we live self-centered lives we are denied the joy of delighting in others.

Abraham was a man little given to such selfishness. When he and nephew Lot came to a parting of the ways, Abraham gave his kin first pick of the land. Looking eastward on the fertile plain of the Jordan, Lot fell prey to temptation and chose the valley thick with vegetation. Abraham then withdrew to the oaks of Mamre, near Hebron, in the center of the south hill country. Willing to obey the stern inward call of duty, Abraham quietly received the less desirable terrain.

The picturesque valley of the lower Jordan was dotted with five "cities of the plain." They were Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim, and Bela, which was later renamed Zoar. Sodom, the chief city of this pentapolis, was so wicked that a particularly abnormal sin still bears its name. Here the worldly Lot chose to settle and even become prominent. The men of this city were especially wicked and sinned exceedingly before the Lord. How it must have grieved the genuinely pious Abraham to see his nephew choose these surroundings.

In the course of time three angelic guests stopped at the door of Abraham's tent in Mamre. Abraham greeted them hospitably and made ready a feast. As the men prepared to leave, Abraham accompanied them a short distance toward Sodom. Two of the strangers went on ahead while the third, who was actually the Lord, lingered awhile with Abraham. It was then that Abraham received the crushing news. The Lord had come with His two angels to destroy the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The sins of these two cities were so heinous and abundant that God could no longer tolerate their existence. They must be destroyed.

Immediately Abraham thought of Lot. He began to intercede with the Lord in Lot's behalf. After a typically oriental bargaining session, Abraham pled with the Lord not to destroy Sodom if ten righteous people could be found in it. The Lord agreed. However, there could not be found ten righteous citizens in this horribly wicked city and its destruction was certain. The angels prompted Lot to take his wife and two daughters and escape to the mountains. Lot fled, not to the mountains, but to the city of Zoar and as soon as he arrived the Lord rained fire and brimstone down upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

This fierce fire and brimstone that fell from Heaven not only destroyed the cities and their inhabitants but even the soil around them. The entire valley was burned out and utterly destroyed. It is likely that either the Dead Sea originated with this catastrophic event or that the existing sea was greatly enlarged to the south by engulfing this destroyed valley.

And what of Abraham? Is he resting comfortably in his tent while all this is going on? Not at all. Genesis 19:27 records, "And Abraham got up early in the morning" and viewed the smoke rising from the plain. He was genuinely interested in the welfare of Lot and his family and eagerly awaited news of them. The foolish nephew was spared from this devastation because God remembered the concern of Abraham.

Lot had slapped Abraham in the face by choosing the best land for himself. He had broken the heart of God's friend by settling in a center of wickedness. Abraham had every right to care nothing about Lot's welfare, yet he did care. He arose early, unselfishly, for he had learned not to seek his own but the good of others (1 Corinthians 10:24; Philippians 2:4). If you want to be happy today, why not spend the day helping others? Be interested in them; pray for them; bring good cheer to them. It will do a lot for you, too.

MORNING HYMN
Others, Lord, yes, others,
Let this my motto be.
Help me to live for others,
That I might live like Thee.