Devotions for Dieters

John 16:33
'These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.'

Leo wanted to remember how tough it was. He'd lost the weight, but he never wanted to get back into the poor shape he'd recently been in. It would be way too easy to fall back into bad habits, thinking that the battle was won once for all time. It was nice to have succeeded. But Leo planned to make sure his success lasted a good, long time. It is nice to overcome obesity, but it is an ongoing battle. We should ally ourselves with the one true conqueror: Jesus Christ. With Christ's help, we can continue to triumph over our weight problems. He grants not only peace, but power to overcome any obstacle.

Today's thought: If we empty our plate, we won't lose our weight!

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Pointless Worship

Psalm 115 tells us about the blessings we have because our God is the living God. He's not one of the "idols of the nations." "Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands" (v. 4). How true that is today also. Many people worship silver and gold as their god. They think money can do anything. We do need money for some of the practical things in life. But what good are the things that money can buy if you don't have the things that money can't buy?

The psalmist describes the idols and the pointlessness of worshiping them. "They have mouths, but they do not speak [no promises]; eyes they have, but they do not see [no protection]; they have ears, but they do not hear [no prayer]; noses they have, but they do not smell [no praise]; they have hands, but they do not handle [no power]; feet they have, but they do not walk [no presence]; nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them" (vv. 5-). How unlike God. Christians have promises--our God talks to us. We have protection because He sees all that happens. We have prayer because His ears are open to us. We can praise Him. (In the Bible, the smelling of a fragrant offering is a picture of God's acceptance of our praise to Him.) We have power because He has an omnipotent hand.

We become like the god we worship. Those who worship silver and gold become like that--dead, lifeless and hard. Many people are making a god in their own image. But God made us in His image, and He wants us to have an active faith in Him

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Christians have a living faith and serve a living God. The more you read His Word, fellowship with Him and praise Him, the more you become like Him. You have His promises, protection, prayer and power.

Keep the Armor On!

Ephesians 6:10-18

The armor is not to be put on and taken off periodically but to be put on and left on. The armor is actually an attitude of faith; therefore, it is something that is put on by an act of the will and left on.

As we mature in the Christian life, we will discover areas in our lives where our faith is not as strong as it should be; that is, the armor is weak in a certain place.

At such a time, our responsibility is to go to the Word of God to study His promises concerning our area of weakness so that our faith will be strengthened.

Notice the parallel between Ephesians 6:11, "Put on the whole armour of God," and Romans 13:14, "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ." God's provision for victory is in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and through the Word of God.

In putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to remember that the living Word (Jesus Christ) is revealed through the written Word (the Bible).

In His prayer for His own, Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" (John 17:17). We put on the Lord Jesus Christ as we study the Word of God and obey what it says. The believer's armor, then, is not physical protective equipment, but is Jesus Christ Himself.

Putting on Christ is similar to what we are told in Ephesians 4:24: "Put on the new man." This new man is Christ formed in the believer. Paul was greatly concerned that this be true of every believer, and he told the Galatians: "I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you" (4:19).

"And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:24).

An Awesome God

Isaiah 39-40, Colossians 4
Key Verse: Isaiah 40:12

A popular praise song says, "Our God is an awesome God." Verses such as Isaiah 40:12 reinforce that truth. Allow yourself a moment to meditate on this description of God.

He has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand. See how much water your hand can hold. Maybe an ounce, maybe two, but probably not much more. Then go look at a body of water, add to it all water you have seen, and toss in all the oceans. God is described as being able to measure all of the water in His hand.

He has marked off the heavens with His hand. I sometimes use my hand, from the tip of my thumb to the tip of my little finger, as a basic measuring device. It is about 9 inches from tip to tip. That is my span. Compare that to God's. Isaiah said that God could mark off the breadth of the heavens.

We all know what dust is and how much of it there can be. God can put it all in a basket. He can even take the mountains and the hills and put them in a scale or a balance, much like we might weigh fruit at the grocery store.

Granted, this is only a representation of God. He does not have a body like ours but is spirit. Sometimes the Bible describes God in physical terms to help us understand Him. This description leaves us with only one thought: "Our God is an awesome God."

Take a moment to meditate on the awesomeness of God and then pray, praising Him for His majesty.

God's Timetable

And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.

If the child of God is to obey the will of God, he must keep his eye on the timetable of God. Israel had been miraculously delivered from Egyptian bondage by the evident power of God. Two months later the Israelites camped at the foot of Mount Sinai where Moses received the law of God. Here they remained nearly a year until God commanded them to move on to Kadesh-Barnea. Everything was right on God's schedule.

God had led His people each step of the way. But before He would lead them into the promised land, this luscious countryside had to be explored. For this task the twelve heads of their respective tribes were chosen. Their names are given at length but only two of them are memorable: Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

The twelve spies spent forty days on their intelligence gathering foray. Sure enough, the land was all that the Lord had promised. It was truly a land that "floweth with milk and honey." In fact, the grapes which they brought back were so robust that a cluster of them had to be borne on a staff supported on the shoulders of two men.

But the news was not all good. Ten of the returning spies reported that the people dwelt in very great, walled cities: the Amalekites in the south; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites in the mountains; and the Canaanites by the sea. But more than this, the giant sons of Anak dwelt there, before whom the spies felt as grasshoppers. In spite of the encouragement by Joshua and Caleb in the minority report, the people broke into open rebellion. God was leading them into the land, but they were afraid and would not follow His leading.

The disobedience of Israel evoked the wrath of God. All Israelites twenty years of age and older were banned from ever dwelling in the land they had refused to enter. Instead, God declared they would wander in the wilderness for forty years, one year for each day the spies were in the land, and would die during that wandering. Only Joshua and Caleb were permitted to settle in the promised land, for they alone were ready to move on God's command and according to His timetable.

When the people learned of God's sentence on their disobedience, they were not at all penitent. Instead, they resolved to atone for their sin by belatedly storming the promised land. But delayed obedience is the brother of disobedience. "And they rose up early in the morning" in preparation for their ill-fated campaign (Numbers 14:40). In spite of Moses' warning, the people marched against the Amalekites and Canaanites. What they would not do with God's help, they now attempted to do without it. First they refused to enter the land because of their unbelief in the power of God. Then they attempted to enter that same land because of their unbelief in the severity of God's judgment. In their own strength and outside of God's timing, they were sure to fail. They did. The enemy defeated the Israelites with a great slaughter and drove them back as far as Hormah.

Each of us who knows God must learn from Israel's tragedy so that it is not similarly repeated in our lives. We dare not question divine leading. If that leading is to dwell at the foot of Sinai, as the Israelites did, we must learn to be content where we are. But regardless of adverse circumstances, if God tells us that it is time to act, we have no reasonable choice but to act. Whether remaining indefinitely or moving out immediately, we must learn to follow the accurate timetable of God. This can be done successfully only when we are sensitive to that still small voice of His Holy Spirit and are willing to obey it.

MORNING HYMN

Genesis 15:1

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."

Fear Not

Fear is everywhere. Even people who appear brave, if they're honest, will admit to moments of immense fear.

During World War II, a military governor met with Gen. George Patton in Sicily. When he highly praised Patton for his courage and bravery, the general replied, "Sir, I am not a brave man--the truth is, I am a craven coward. I have never been within the sound of gunshot or in sight of battle in my whole life that I wasn't so scared that I had sweat in the palms of my hands." Patton's honesty is refreshing, but God offers the best solution for our fears.

Abraham was just as human as you and I. Even though he had 318 trained soldiers in his personal army and had just won a major victory over four mighty kings (Gen. 14:13-17), he still experienced times of apprehension and dread. That's why God said, "Do not be afraid." God then told Abraham why he need not be afraid: "I am your shield [to protect you from evil], your exceedingly great reward [to meet all your needs]."

Our fears fall into two broad categories. We fear that something will harm us or that we will suffer need in some way. God promises that He is sufficient for both of these concerns. The psalmist speaks of God's protection from evil when he says, "A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you" (Ps. 91:7). And in another psalm we are assured of God's provision: "The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing" (34:10).

What troubles you today? Put aside your fears and trust God. The God of Abraham is sufficient both to protect you and to provide for all your needs.

Where God stands, fear falls.