Devotions for Dieters

Colossians 3:2
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

The smells from the cafeteria were more than Blanche could take. Not that the cafeteria food was anything to write home about, but when she was on a diet, almost anything smelled good! She grabbed her jacket and headed out the door. Immediately, the fresh fall air erased the cafeteria smells. The sky was a deep blue, and the white clouds lazily drifted by. The sun was out, the birds were singing, and everything was right with the world. Blanche spent her lunch hour just strolling through God's splendor. Before she knew it, her hunger had passed, and she was ready to tackle the afternoon. The glory of God had lifted her above her earthly passions, and she was grateful.

Today's thought: There's much more to life than lunch!
Copyright © 2008, Crosswalk.com. http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/fordieters/

Bitter, Not Better

Isaiah 11�?3, Ephesians 4
Key Verse: Ephesians 4:31

Do you remember the medicines your mother tried to give you as a child? There was aspirin, cough syrup, cod liver oil and more. And for some reason mothers were always trying to get kids to take castor oil. All I remember is that they all tasted terrible.

Sometimes bitter tastes made us healthy; sometimes they didn't. Bitterness is a bit like that. It tastes terrible, but it doesn't do us any good. That's why Paul said, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice" (4:31). Did you notice what topped the list of bad medicine? Bitterness.

Bitterness is the only substance that does more damage to its container than it does to those it is applied to. It destroys people, but not those who are its recipients. Bitterness destroys those who are bitter towards others.

If you are bitter toward your spouse, your boss, your pastor, your brother, your parents, your neighbor or anyone else in your life, they are untouched and unharmed by your bitterness.

Identify your bitterness. Admit it. Confess it. Discard it. It's the only way to have a relationship with others that benefits both of you. Replace bitterness with forgiveness and you will replace acid with honey.

"Lord, don't allow me to retain bitterness. Help me to confess it as sin and forsake it. Help me to realize the personal harm bitterness causes, not to those toward whom I am bitter, but to me."

Genesis 11:31

The First Step

The Chinese philosopher Lao-Tse once said, "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." While we all tend to focus on the destination, the time it will take to complete our journey or the items we need to accomplish it, the trip itself cannot begin until we’re willing to take the first step.

Abraham was willing to take that first step. True, Haran was not his ultimate destination. Some have faulted him for stopping short of Canaan. We don’t know for sure why he didn’t go on. Perhaps his father, Terah, was not physically able to continue. We do know that Terah died in Haran. It is also possible that Abraham got temporarily sidetracked. Circumstances may have caused him momentarily to forget that God’s call was to Canaan, not Haran. But we should never forget that at least Abraham took the first step toward his ultimate destination.

You, too, may have a goal in mind. Perhaps God has burdened your heart to teach a Sunday school class, to receive more training in the Bible or to witness to your neighbor. But as you look at that objective, you don’t see how you can reach it. The way seems too long or the process too difficult. The answer is to take the first step. Even though the way may not seem clear at the moment, you can be sure that if you don’t begin, you’ll never finish.

Trust God to provide whatever is needed along the way. As you step out in faith, expect God to step in with power. As you take the first step, He will make sure all the other steps fall in place.

Weathering the Storm

Quite frankly, I don't like large bodies of water. I don't like to be on them, and I don't like to be in them. I don't mind being by them; to sit by the ocean and watch the waves is fine.

When I read these verses I almost get seasick. They describe a storm at sea. "For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths; their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end" (vv. 25-27).

Storms do come to our lives. What causes them? Sometimes other people cause them. In Acts 27 Paul got into a storm because the people in charge of the ship would not listen to the Word of God. Sometimes God causes the storm to test us and build us. In Matthew 14 Jesus sent His disciples directly into a storm to teach them an important lesson of faith. Sometimes we cause the storm by disobedience--we are like Jonah running away from God, and the only way He can bring us back is to send a storm.

But the greatest storm that ever occurred was at Calvary. When the sun was blackened for three hours and God the Son was made sin for us, all of the waves and the billows of God's judgment came upon Jesus on the cross. Because He weathered that storm, you and I can cry out to God. He can deliver us from the storms of life or take us through them, giving us the strength and courage we need. The psalmist promises, "He calms the storm, so that its waves are still.... So He guides them to their desired haven" (vv. 29,30).

* * *

Do you find yourself in a storm today? Ask God for the strength and courage to weather it and for the wisdom to understand it, not waste it.

Enthroned and Enabled

Ephesians 2:1-10

Because we are seated in the heavenlies in Christ, we should have spiritual rest and relaxation. However, many who know Christ as Saviour are characterized by worrying.

The Bible says, "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity" (Ps. 37:1).

The believer is commanded, "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil" (vv. 7,8).

We need not worry, "for our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20).

Paul was writing these great truths from a dungeon in Rome, but he was deeply conscious of his position in Christ. This was the secret of his victorious living. He realized what his spiritual resources were in Christ.

Christ has been set "far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come" (Eph. 1:21).

He has been raised far above everything and everyone else. He is not contaminated by the things of this world. As we live according to our heavenly position in Christ, we will not be contaminated by the world either.

This involves having a proper attitude of the heart and mind and living by faith. As we appropriate what we have in Christ, we will share in the power and conquests of that exalted position.

"In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

First Appointment

O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.

How amazing it is that finite creatures such as you and I may have fellowship with the infinite God. Yet this is our privilege as Christians; it is our right. But rights always bring responsibilities.

Psalm 63 is a gem of a morning psalm. The eloquent preacher of the fourth century, Chrysostom, testifies, "It was decreed and ordained by the primitive fathers, that no day should pass without the public singing of this psalm." It is easy to see why the early Christians sang this song aloud at the beginning of every day. They would start their song, "O God, Thou art my God." This is easy to say, but difficult to live. To say that God is our God conveys a great deal of benefit. Because He is our God, all that He has is ours as well. We are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17). Ours is not an empty relationship with God but one filled with great blessing, great benefit, great privilege.

But all of us who claim the Lord as our God don't just receive special favors from Him; we return special services to Him. This is why in Psalm 118:28 David says, "Thou art my God, and I will praise Thee: Thou art my God, I will exalt Thee." Because He is our God and because we have special rights it is incumbent upon us to exercise certain responsibilities. This David recognizes when he says, "O God, Thou art my God: early will I seek thee" (Psalm 63:1).

While as servants of God we may claim interest in Him, we also must exhibit our duty toward Him. Before all things, at the dawn of every day, before we seek anyone else, before we have our breakfast, "early will I seek Thee."

There seems to be a direct relationship between seeking God in the morning and success throughout the day. Dr. Andrew Bonar once wrote in his diary: "Tonight I gave myself to a time of waiting upon the Lord. I had not been much in the spirit of prayer, but now several things have become clear to me. I realize I have not communed enough with the Lord, nor come to Him as often as I should. Little forethought has been given to the requests I've made. There has been much conversing and outward engagement with men, but I have not been occupied enough with God Himself. I also realize that a closeness to Him gives abundant strength and is like sunlight shining through the clouds on a gloomy day." Bonar recognized that had he sought the Lord early, at the beginning of his day, and walked with Him consistently throughout the day, his evening time of waiting on the Lord in prayer would have been much more productive. The same is true for each of us.

Satisfaction for the soul cannot be found apart from fellowship with the Lord. David the psalmist sought to maintain his companionship with God from early morning until late at night. He made a practice of being in the "presence" of God throughout the day by the blessed privilege of prayer.

When our souls thirst for the Lord as our parched tongues thirst for water, when our appetite for righteousness equals our appetite for food, then we will make it a habit of rising early in the morning to make our first appointment of the day an appointment with God. He will be the first one on our minds in the morning, and the last one on our minds at night.

MORNING HYMN
When morning gilds the skies,
My heart awaking cries;
May Jesus Christ be praised;
Alike at work and prayer
To Jesus I repair;
May Jesus Christ be praised.