Devotions for Dieters

Hebrews 12:11
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Jeremy was good for Lisa. Whenever she did something she shouldn't or ate something that wasn't on her diet, he was quick to chastise her for it. She hated when he did it, but that made it all the more effective. There were times she wanted to throttle him, but most of the time she wanted to kiss him. He was the reason her dieting was working, and though sometimes it was annoying, she wouldn't change it for anything. God will help keep us in line, if we let Him. We need someone to watch over us; to keep us out of mischief. God will make sure we last until we triumph, if we will allow Him to do so.

Today's thought: The call of fattening food is not as loud as the call of God to do what's right!

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BIBLE STUDY

At the Eutaw Street entrance to Oriole Park in Baltimore, Maryland, stands a nine-foot, 800-pound statue of Babe Ruth in bronze. Every detail had been painstakingly researched. Did the Babe wear his belt buckle on the left or the right? Was his hat cocked to the side or worn straight? No detail was overlooked except one. The statue shows the famous baseball player leaning on a bat and clutching on his hip a right-handed fielder's glove. The real Babe Ruth was a lefty.

It seems like there's always some little detail that fouls us up. But God is different; He never let's a detail slip by. We see that in the genealogy of Jesus.

What Does God Say?

"Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God" (Luke 3:23-38).

How old was Jesus when He began his ministry?

Notice carefully how Luke begins this genealogy. What is the implication here?

Whose genealogy is this? Why is it included in these verses?

My Thoughts

God promised David that He would give him a descendant who would sit on his throne forever (1 Chronicles 28:4,7). Through hundreds of years of births and deaths, God never lost sight of that promise or the details needed to fulfill it. Even though Satan was able to corrupt that part of the lineage which produced Joseph (see Jeremiah 22:24, 28-30), Jesus, as the adopted son of Joseph, still had a legal claim through His adopted father to the throne. And through His mother, Mary, a descendant of David through another son, Jesus had a biological claim to the throne as well.

It is mind boggling to consider the myriad of details God kept track of through the centuries to produce a Messiah who met His promise to David. Without the use of computer software or even a PDA, God fulfilled every detail of what He had promised. You can be sure He will do the same for your life.

My Part

It's good to pay attention to details. Making sure you pay the bills on time, follow traffic laws and fulfill your responsibilities at work are details that you can control. And you should. But there are other details that are beyond your control. You can't control (usually) the way others choose to respond, the outcome of lab tests, the ups and downs of the stock market--these are details you need to leave with God.

List five "details" that you are concerned about right now. Indicate after each detail whether this is something in which you have control over or whether it's something only God can deal with. Lift these details up in prayer asking for strength and wisdom to fulfill what you're responsible for--and God's peace concerning the details that only He can control. Memorize Philippians 4:6-7.

DEVOTIONALS

Sweet to Taste, but Hard to Swallow

Jonah 1-4, Revelation 10
Key Verse: Revelation 10:11

Have you ever put off going to the doctor because you do not want to hear what might be said? Or have you delayed taking your car to a mechanic for the same reason? Or have you avoided your accountant for fear your financial picture is rather bleak? There are times when we need to hear from the doctor, mechanic and accountant. We know that what they have to say may be for our good, but it is hard to hear. It may be good for us, but it is hard to swallow.

Sometimes the Word of God is sweet to taste but hard to swallow. That was John's experience as he was given a little scroll and told to eat it. In his mouth it was sweet, but in his stomach it turned sour.

The Word should be as sweet as honey in our mouth. In it we read of God's promises, of hope and of heaven. God's Word teaches us about salvation and gives us the instruction we need to live a godly life. It is sweet to align ourselves with God and His truth.

Yet God's Word also contains judgment. That is the part that can be hard to swallow, yet it also is God's truth. We do not find pleasure in the prospect of the wrath of God.

John would rather have stayed with the sweet things of the Word, but God recommissioned him to carry the prophecy of judgment, to tell the hard truth to people. Sometimes we also have to tell others what they do not want to hear.

It can be hard to tell of God's judgments, but we must be faithful to the Word and its message.

1 Kings 10:23-24

Seeking God's Wisdom

An American arriving in England for postgraduate study went to visit Nobel Prize-winning poet T. S. Eliot. As the student was leaving, Eliot remarked, "Forty years ago I went from Harvard to Oxford. Now, what advice can I give you?" There was a prolonged pause as the younger man waited breathlessly for the great poet's words of wisdom. Finally Eliot said, "Have you any long underwear?" Good advice for someone going to a cold, damp climate, but hardly the life-shaping wisdom the student hoped for from someone of Eliot's stature.

The poet's visitor may have gone away disappointed, but no one who comes to God for life-changing wisdom ever will go away disillusioned. Solomon, the embodiment of God's wisdom, quickly became a magnet for people all over the known world who were seeking to find meaning in their lives. In a day when travel was both a hardship and extremely dangerous, people nevertheless flocked to hear Solomon speak the wisdom of God.

You can still benefit from Solomon's wisdom. It exists today in such books as Proverbs and Song of Solomon. But Christians have access to much more than the wisdom of the wisest king who ever lived. We have 66 books of wisdom in the Bible, revealed to us through more than 40 Spirit-inspired writers (2 Pet. 1:21). What people in Solomon's day had to travel hundreds of miles to receive, you and I can have simply by opening our Bibles.

Don't neglect the wisdom God has made available to you in Scripture. Find a time every day to read a portion of God's Word. Let the Holy Spirit impart to you practical applications of God's Word to your life. You don't need to cross oceans or climb mountains; just open God's Book.

Look Ahead

I do not like caves. When I visited Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, I could hardly wait to get out. Thus, I somewhat understand David's distress as he wrote this psalm while hiding from Saul in a cave. In his distress, he looked in four directions.

First, David looked within. "I cry out to the Lord with my voice; with my voice to the Lord I make my supplication. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then you knew my path" (vv. 1-3). He looked within and said, "Look, I'm in trouble; I'm complaining; I'm overwhelmed." Introspection sometimes can be good for you, but don't spend too much time looking within, or you will get discouraged.

Then David looked around, hoping to find help. "Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; refuge has failed me; no one cares for my soul" (v. 4). Do you ever feel like that? Do you look around and say, "Nobody even cares--everyone is bearing his own burdens, and nobody wants to share mine"? Perhaps in those situations you should take time to bear other people's burdens--then they might be interested in your concerns.

After looking within and around and finding only discouragement, David looked up. "I cried out to You, O Lord: I said, 'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living"' (v. 5). In other words, "God, you're going to hear my cry. You're going to deliver me from my persecutors; they are stronger than I am."

Finally, David looked ahead. "Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name; the righteous shall surround me, for You shall deal bountifully with me" (v. 7). After you have seen the glory and the blessing of the Lord, you can look ahead with confidence.

* * *

Perhaps you are in a cave of discouragement today. Your hope lies not within yourself or with your circumstances. Look to the Lord and obey His Word. Then look ahead with confidence, for God's promises are sure and His Word is true.

Power for Witness Is Yours

John 15:17-27

Through the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to bear witness of the Saviour.

This promise was made by our Lord to His disciples before His ascension: "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:47-49).

These words were fulfilled when the Holy Spirit was given on the Day of Pentecost. He began a work then that He now continues--indwelling believers and empowering them to witness as they give Him complete control of their lives.

This is confirmed by Acts 1:8: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

The disciples no longer hesitated to witness after the Day of Pentecost. We read in Acts 5:32: "And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him."

"And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49).

A Lapse Into Sin

Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.

Our folly and God's grace; if you see one, can the other be far behind? Frequent are the occasions when God's children foolishly mire themselves in difficulty only to have God graciously dig them out. Even the venerable Abraham found himself in this situation more than once.

After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham departed from the groves of Mamre and journeyed south to the Negev. Here he dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, pitching his tent in Gerar. Upon arriving in the south country Abraham hatched a plan which he had tried unsuccessfully in Egypt some twenty years earlier. He instructed his wife, Sarah, to claim that she was his sister.

Because of the disastrous consequences which it previously had brought on the pharaoh of Egypt, it is almost inconceivable that Abraham would try this scheme again. Apparently the stern rebuke Abraham received from Pharaoh had by this time faded from his memory. Still, Abraham had only recently received God's assurance that Sarah was destined to be the mother of the promised seed. By spreading the half truth that she was his sister and therefore eligible for marriage, Abraham placed Sarah's virtue in serious jeopardy. This constituted a foolish lapse in Abraham's usually stellar performance as the friend of God.

The arrival of Abraham and Sarah brought a greeting from Abimelech, the warlike king of Gerar. Having heard that Sarah was unmarried, Abimelech immediately sent and brought her into his harem. This likely was done to ally himself with the rich nomad prince, Abraham. Sarah was by this time ninety years old and probably not the beautiful maid she used to be. Suddenly Abraham's lie had come back to haunt him once again.

The whole course of human history could have been different if it were not for God's intervention. Genesis 20:3 begins, "But God," words which usually indicate the turning point between man's foolishness and God's grace. Abraham had lied about his wife and she was now part of Abimelech's harem. Her virtue would undoubtedly be violated. But God warned the Philistine king in a dream that Sarah was already a man's wife. He also caused Abimelech to be afflicted with an illness which prevented him from coming near Sarah. Thus, miraculously and graciously, the mother of the chosen nation was kept from impurity, not because of the wisdom of Abraham, but because of the grace of God.

In the dream God revealed to Abimelech that, although he had done no wrong, nevertheless he must restore Sarah to her husband. If the king refused, his death and that of all his kingdom would ensue. This was enough to convince Abimelech. The king "rose early in the morning, and called all his servants," relaying the message to them (Genesis 20:8). Respecting the authority of the living God, Abimelech was anxious to heed the divine directives. The Philistine wasted no time in returning Sarah to her husband but not without a sharp rebuke to Abraham. Happy to have his wife back safe and sound, Abraham received the reprimand with a sigh of relief. In return he prayed to God and Abimelech was healed along with his wife and maidservants. The kingdom returned to normal.

Once again God's grace had prevailed over man's folly. The results could have been drastically different, however, had not God's providence overruled man's foolishness. Yet, how much anguish could have been spared both Abraham and Abimelech, both Sarah and the Philistine's wife, if there had not been that one lapse from righteousness. The knowledge that God's grace is waiting in the wings is insufficient grounds for contemplating foolish action. As Abraham finally learned, every friend of God must carefully guard against even slight lapses into the folly of sin (Romans 6:1-4).

MORNING HYMN
Sinners Jesus will receive;
Sound this word of grace to all
Who the heav'nly pathway leave,
All who linger, all who fall.