Burunche’s Blog

James 1:13 “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. “

Many years ago, there was a popular comedian on TV named Flip Wilson who did impersonations. One of Mr. Wilson’s most famous characters was a pastor’s wife named Geraldine. Geraldine was forever getting into messes and explaining her way out by saying “the devil made me do it!” All the time Geraldine was explaining how the devil made her do things, the audience could see that it was Geraldine herself who created her own problems. Geraldine was funny because she actually said what many of us tried to tell ourselves.

Sadly, there are lots of people today who would like to use Geraldine’s excuses. But James makes it very clear what is actually going on.

1. God does not tempt anybody. Why would a sinless, holy God want anybody to fall into sin? If God desires fellowship with us, why should he do anything to drive us away?

2. We are tempted when we are lured away and enticed by our own evil desires. There is a saying that “the thought is author of the deed.” We create our own problems by the things we think about. Proverbs 4:23 says “Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.”

All recovering alcoholics and addicts of various kinds can tell you that they have to guard their thoughts at all times. For someone addicted to anything, whether to alcohol or drugs or gambling or pornography, the second they are tempted, they must reject the temptation. Alcoholics Anonymous members have sponsors so that if a recovering alcoholic is tempted to take a drink, he or she can call their sponsor and the sponsor can help counsel them, getting them beyond the situation that has triggered the desire for a drink. The longer you consider an evil decision, the more likely you are to abide by it.

In the early days of computer programming, there was a phrase: GIGO – Garbage In, Garbage Out. The same thing is true for our minds. Put in garbage and that is what will come out. On-line pornography is a major temptation for many, whether or not they are Christians. Putting parental guards on your computer may help you protect yourselves as well as your children.

3. Desire gives birth to sin and sin gives birth to death. Actions have consequences. Decisions have consequences. There is no action that will not trigger some kind of reaction. One of Satan’s deadliest lies is the temptation to procrastinate. “Sure, you should do this or that good thing….but not today. Maybe tomorrow.” But tomorrow never comes, and meanwhile you are continuing to make choices by your very choice to procrastinate.

What is the answer to this problem: Identify sin as sin! Don’t entertain evil thoughts, or allow them to entertain you! Don’t give Satan so much as a toenail’s worth of space in your mind. And don’t blame God when you are tempted. The night that Jesus was betrayed, he warned his disciples to get up and pray that they might not enter into temptation. (Luke 22:46) This is still the best advice possible. When we call out to God for help, he will surely answer us!

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for your Word! Thank you that we do not have to be at the mercy of our own desires and that you give us a means of escape when we pray to you. Lord, please help all who read this to experience your love and your grace, your forgiveness and your mercy. And help all who read this to continually reach out in prayer, so that you may save them from temptation. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.”

We’ve all seen and heard them! You know the guys I mean! They sit around talking big about what they’re going to do some day….but somehow some day never comes. When King David was a teen ager, herding the family’s sheep and goats, he was the least impressive of his entire family! All of David’s brothers were tall, good – looking, and well – muscled. God sent the prophet Samuel to David’s family, telling him to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be the next king of Israel. Naturally, Samuel looked at all of David’s brothers and figured one of them must be God’s choice. But God had other ideas. ”… the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) While David’s brothers had been sitting around the house, David had been out fighting lions and bears to protect the family’s sheep. And it was David whom God chose to be king over Israel.

Sometimes we feel that when bad things happen to us, either we must have done something wrong or else God is angry with us. But neither one of those things might be the case. Life presents challenges for everyone. Here James is telling us that we should not worry about the things we suffer but we should continue to be faithful. It is not so much a matter of what kind of start we make as it is how we continue and how we remain focused, no matter what.

When we came to the village of Saboba in northeastern Ghana in January 1993, there was a small health center with eleven workers. There was no theater (OR). There was no laboratory. There was no electricity. There was no running water. We had a small pharmacy and one consulting room. I was a fully – trained general surgeon with no OR. When we had been in Saboba for a year, the Northern Ethnic Conflict of 1994 broke out. We had to begin operations and laboratory services in the middle of chaos. But God was faithful to help us. From that small beginning, we now have a 112 – bed district hospital with three doctors and a staff of more than 200.

I am not telling this story to boast at all. There were many times when we were tempted to despair and only the needs of the people drove us onward. But God was faithful. And this is the message of hope that James 1:12 gives all of us.

If God has called you to do a work, God will help you. The work may be very difficult. You may find yourself with your back to the wall. You may find your health breaking down at times. You may find that the very people you are trying to help fail to understand and hurl cruel criticisms. But the important thing is to make sure that you are truly following the Lord. Hudson Taylor was the Founder of the China Inland Mission. When Taylor began his work in China, his original sending agency failed him and he finally had to resign. But from that humble beginning, CIM grew so that at one point there were more than 1500 missionaries in various parts of China. During the Boxer Rebellion in the early 20^th century, many CIM missionaries were martyred; yet, their fellow missionaries persevered. The work started by CIM was so well grounded that when the Communists overran China, they could not destroy it. One of Taylor’s favorite sayings was this: “God’s work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.”

Today, what work has God called you to do? Do you feel inadequate? GREAT! That means that you won’t act presumptiously! If you feel totally sufficient for the situation, watch out! That is the very time when you are most likely to make a costly mistake. Far better to realize that it is only by the grace of God that you are able to work each day, that you MUST depend on God for your strength, your inspiration, for everything you need to do the work. But remember that one day there will be a reward – the crown of life. Is the struggle difficult? You bet! Is it worth it? Eternity wil give you the answer.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us and for calling us to be your hands and feet to a hurting world. Lord, help us to always depend on you and not to trust our own intuition, our own insight, our own knowledge, our own training. We thank you that you give wisdom freely if we will only ask. Help us to persevere and to continue to follow hard after you all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 1:9-11 “The brother in humble circumstances should exult in his high position. But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.”

One year ago, there were a number of flourishing businesses in various locations throughout the world. Had you told these business owners that the world was about to be hit with a pandemic that would force people to stay home and would keep people away from their businesses, they would never have believed it! Today, sadly, many long – time businesses are quietly folding, victims of a disease that restricts people from any kind of social gathering. Truly, many who were quite wealthy one year ago have faded away just as James described so long ago.

The Apostle James is still at it, still shocking us and bringing us up short. In James’ world, there were the very rich civic and religious rulers, the middle class tradesmen and artisans, and then day laborers. Servants generally enjoyed the same status as the day laborers, and slaves were at the bottom. Then as now, there were many people who had to work hard just to make enough money for them and their families to survive from one day to the next. For those at the bottom, life was particularly difficult. So why is James talking about the “high position” of those who are in humble circumstances?

If we have learned nothing else from the events of recent months, we should have learned that money can evaporate. Viewed from a heavenly perspective, money is only a tool and sometimes not a very useful one at that. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” In those days, people kept money in all kinds of places, including ceramic jars. These days, there are cyber thieves who hack into people’s accounts and steal credit card information or bank account information. These thieves then misuse credit cards or send all the money into their own bank accounts.

Is James saying that poor people are inherently more virtuous than rich people? No. One can be fixated on money, whether or not one is rich. But James is saying that those who are poor already realize that their futures are in God’s hands. Whether you have a lot of money or a modest amount of money, there is a temptation to trust in your money as your main source of support. Here James is warning us that none of us is actually in a high position. The only real difference between the rich and the poor is that the poor are conscious of their vulnerabilty while the rich may enjoy a false sense of security.

What is the answer to this problem of security? Jesus gave his disciples the answer: Store up treasures in heaven. Fix your mind on God; love Him, serve Him, and worship Him. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

PRAYER: Father God, we thank you that you are our source of supply. We thank you that you know our needs even before we do. Lord, help us to trust you, to worship you, and to serve you all the days of our lives. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 1:5 – 8 5 “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

There used to be a TV commercial for a brand of men’s aftershave called “Aqua Velva.” In the commercial, a man who had just finished shaving suddenly found himself being slapped on the face by an unknown hand. The accompanying slogan read, “Thanks! I needed that!” Viewers were to believe that men using Aqua Velva Aftershave would find the tingle of the aftershave on their faces as bracing as a slap in the face. These men would then go out and do great things, now that their aftershave had wakened them up. (It seems like an awful lot to ask of some aftershave!)

The Book of James is a very short book; however, reading Jame is a lot like being the subject of that T.V. commercial. Line after line, James is doing everything he can to wake people up with verbal slaps to the face! First James starts by talking about the benefits of suffering. Now a few short lines later, James is addressing another common problem: that of the “mugwump,” the man who can’t make up his mind and who veers from one direction to another. Someone who is a mugwump has his mug, his face, on one side of the fence and his “wump” or rear end on the other.

Unfortunately, many of us behave like mugwumps, especially if we pay too much attention to news media. Go on – line or turn on the television and you can find all kinds of dramatic and eye – popping headlines. But headlines are generated to catch attention, and the articles may contain little or no truth. Your mind really will feels as if you have been caught in an ocean storm. You can easily become mentally seasick!

Where does wisdom come from? How do we gain wisdom? Someone once said that we gain wisdom by learning from our mistakes. But what if we make a mistake that leads to a deadly consequence? James has the answer: wisdom comes from God. God is a good Father who gives wisdom to anyone who will ask sincerely. If you pray and ask God for wisdom, you should be looking for His guidance. That guidance is most likely to come from the Bible, but God also uses friends and relatives and sometimes even strangers to help us.

When my mother was dying with cancer, my father was extremely distracted and expressed his confusion to a friend who was not at all religious. “But, Lowell,” this friend advised, “the Bible says that God’s ways are higher than ours..” and the friend went on to give my father Biblical advice that comforted him. Clearly, this was a situation in which God put His words into the mouth of a non – believer because that was what my father needed to hear at that point. God is a God of infinite variety and He will move everything to help those who cry out to Him.

Please notice something: James says that “God will give wisdom generously to all without finding fault.” Nothing is mentioned about being good enough or having met any other criteria. The only thing God requires from us is the humility to recognize that we need wisdom so that we will ask for it.

But it is not enough merely to ask; once we have received wisdom, we must act on it. When I was in general surgery training, I helped care for a man who was a severe diabetic. We had had to amputate one of this man’s toes because it became infected. At that point, the rest of the foot was healthy. I spent a long time with this man, urging him to be very careful about how he handled his feet, particularly stressing the dangers of his trimming his toenails too short. (Diabetics with poor circulation in their feet can easily develop infections from the small wounds left after aggressive trimming of toenails.) Unfortunately, several months later, this same man returned with a far worse infection and that time we had to amputate the lower part of his right leg, all because he had failed to follow simple instructions about caring for his feet. If we receive wisdom but fail to act on it, we are like someone who has been given the keys to a brand new car, only to continue riding a junky bicycle.

How do we know if we have received divine wisdom? James 3: 17- 18 has the answer: “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.” The mark of the Holy Spirit is peace. When you pray and ask for wisdom, start looking for God to give it. Also look for the peace. Because when the wisdom is truly from God, the peace will come.

PRAYER: Father God, please give each of us humility to ask for wisdom and then the wisdom we need. Help us not to be mugwumps, not to be double – minded, but to wholeheartedly follow you all the days of our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 1:2 – 4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothrs, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

“I don’t want to hear anything more from someone who hasn’t earned his or her Ph.D. in suffering!” The year was 1990. We had just returned from Ghana, where we had stayed for two years. We had made many friends among the Ghanaian people and had become semi – fluent in one of the major tribal languages.

But the group that had sent us out refused to fully assess our situation. Jumping to conclusions, the group that sent us had ended our term at two years, refusing to allow us any defense, any discussion, or any appeal. To make matters even worse, ridiculous and hurtful things had been said by people who had no grasp of the challenges of our situation. Now we were back in America, and well – intentioned acquaintances were mouthing useless platitudes.

By the time I made this statement to my friend, I had decided that these acquaintances evidently lived in shrink – wrapped situations. Shrink wrap is the clear stretchy cellophane that covers vegetables and fruits in packages, protecting them from any harm. During that terrible time, the people who were most helpful were those who had suffered the most themselves. One friend had endured repeated sexual abuse by her stepfather; another was in the midst of a difficult divorce that she did not want. Yet another friend had several children caught up in substance abuse despite all her best efforts.

It’s amazing but true that frequently those who have suffered the most are not only the least likely to speak about their own suffering but also the most likely to sympathize with others. So what good is suffering anyway?

James tells us that suffering comes through “trials of many kinds.” Most of us don’t learn very much the first time we encounter injustice or difficulties. We sort of soldier our way through but remain basically unchanged. Many times, we blame others for the problems, conveniently ignoring any contribution we ourselves might have made. Or perhaps we really do come up against pure absolute injustice; we haven’t done anything to deserve the problems we are facing. But again, the first few times this happens, we are still likely to just slog on through and hope that situation never occurs again. Unless and util we encounter trials of several different kinds so that we suffer at different levels and in different circumstances, we are not too likely to learn perseverance.

“But what good is perseverance anyway?” you might ask. James tells us that our faith must be tested in several different kinds of trials before we develop perseverance. Every time we survive another trying situation, we gain faith that we will be able to overcome the next challenge. As our faith grows, we also develop the ability to continue onwards, no matter how many negatives we find in our situation.

I used to love to listen to my dad’s stories of growing up on the farm in the age of horses because things were so much more difficult and yet people were able to succeed in farming despite those problems. Dad told me about years of drought, years of poor farm prices, the terrible weather in the 1930’s that led to blizzards, dust storms, hordes of swarming insects attacking crops, floods, etc. Through all of these things, the farmers continued to endure, to adapt, and to move on.

When I was a kid, we had a horrible sickness that attacked many of our baby pigs, wiping out much of our hog population and threatening our family’s livelihood. Watching my parents endure helped me to realize that it was possible to cope with terrible situations and to move on. (I will never forget the stench of the burning bodies of the dead baby pigs; there were too many to just bury.)

Finally, James tells us that when perseverance has completed its work in us, we will be “perfect and mature, not lacking anything.” We can fight against a trial, or we can see how we can cope, how we can adjust, how we can move forward. It sounds incredibly trite, but it is true: suffering will either make us bitter or better. Which will it be? The choice is yours.

PRAYER: Father God, help us to see your hand in all of our circumstances, the bad ones as well as the good ones. Please help us to endure suffering and to learn perseverance. We thank you that you are a loving Father and that you send us trials to help mature us and not to destroy us. We thank you that there is always a way of escape, spiritually if not physically. Please help us to see your hand in our problems right now. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

James 1:25 – 27 “But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Today we have a number of different groups all demanding reparations for past hurts. There has always been injustice in the world. Beginning in the Old Testament, the Bible is full of admonitions about caring for widows and orphans and strangers. Why? Because widows and orphans and strangers are the most vulnerable groups in any society. Widows have lost their husbands and must fend for themselves. Orphans have no parents to care for them and are at high risk to be trafficked and enslaved. (Consider the story of Joseph – one of the first recorded cases of human trafficking in the Bible.) Strangers may not know the language or the culture of the land in which they find themselves and are at risk for exploitation.

Protesting injustice is one thing. Working against injustice may be quite virtuous. Destroying the hopes and dreams of others, destroying homes and businesses and entire neighborhoods of innocent people – this is something else entirely. Protesters have moved into neighborhoods and have threatened long – time citizens who have nowhere else to go. Many of the people in neighborhoods that have been taken over are older people – some even are widows or widowers. In many cases, they are the vulnerable.

Now, someone might say, “Well, I am not religious, so this verse does not apply to me.” It all depends on your definition of religion. If you are speaking about organized religion, that might be the case. But if you are describing that cause or purpose that motivates you to action and that is the most important thing in the world to you, then everybody is religious about something. The question that must always be asked about someone’s beliefs is this: what is the fruit? what is the outcome?

We are free to choose our own actions. We are free to choose to build up or to destroy, to encourage or to condemn. But we are not free from the results of those choices. Galatians 6: 7 says “Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.” One secular saying sums it up well: what goes around, comes around.

“But,” you say, “I don’t believe in your God.” No problem. That is your choice. You have free will to choose to believe or not to believe. But whether or not you believe, the fact remains that all actions have consequences. The measure you give out will still be the measure you receive.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us so much that you sent your Son Jesus to die for us. Lord, let all those who read this devotional consider your words and turn their hearts to you. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

James 1: 22- 25 “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.”

Folks in the American West can generally size up someone quickly. If a fellow claiming to be a rancher shows up and talks big but doesn’t live up to the things he says, his neighbors are likely to describe him as one of those guys who is “all hat and no cattle.” The guy looks and sounds impressive – like somebody wearing a big ten gallon cowboy hat. But at the end of the day, the fellow is a phony with nothing to show for himself.

The way the Apostle James writes, he could have been a rancher in Wyoming. By the time James wrote this epistle, he had lived a long life and had observed many of the Roman and Jewish politicians as they postured and preened before the public. James had also watched a number of people who claimed to be Christians. And one specimen James had noticed repeatedly was the man – or woman – who would sit in church and listen as if he or she was the most sincere believer ever. But once church was over, such people would walk out with unchanged hearts.

Today we have a lot of people who are mouthing slogans and accusing others of insensitivity. But the question is this: when someone quits talking, what do they do? Do they actually go on and help people, or do they just spread more bitterness and discontent? Where is the fruit? What kind of fruit is it?

Jesus also warned his hearers about the need to walk the walk and not just to talk the talk. Matthew 7:21- 23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’ “

Today, what kind of a believer are you? Are you just going through the motions or are you truly a doer of the Word? Are you truly following Jesus and doing the will of your heavenly Father, or are you following someone different? Are you “all hat and no cattle?”

PRAYER: Father God, forgive us for being phonies! Forgive us for talking big and not following through. Help us to truly love you, to truly serve you, and to truly follow you all the days of our lives. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 1:19 – 21 “My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.”

Recently the news has been flooded with horrific images of neighborhoods being looted and burned. Recent social media has been full of angry posts promoting violent causes, criticizing violent causes, criticizing those who are not violent enough, etc. Jesus said that we would know a tree by its fruits. At the end of the day, what kind of fruit is this anger bearing? Is it actually accomplishing anything?

It was Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. who said “Anger is fake power. We don’t acutally control anyone with anger. When we choose to use anger it ends up controlling us.” The Apostle James told his hearers that “man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.”Both men are correct.

Throughout the world, there is a need for social change. Injustice is not limited to any particular country or to any particular skin color. Insofar as all of us are human, all of us have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Unless we undergo a holy heart transplant, each one of us is capable of unspeakable evil.

One problem today is a lack of humility. Rather than acknowledge that each of us has a sinful nature and that only through God can we be changed, we choose to behave as though we are really superior beings. Many of us appear to believe that those who do not agree with us whole – heartedly are deserving of punishment; meanwhile, we do not know their hearts. Believing that we alone know what is best, we blunder on our way, hacking at those who are not measuring up to our particular set of standards.

James has the answer for us: we are to be quick to listen and slow to speak. We also need to examine our own hearts. Rather than jumping to conclusions about others, we must look inside ourselves. Have we treasured hatred, slander, vicious attacks? Are we thrilled at violence and bloodshed? What moral filth and expressions of evil are we cherishing in our own hearts and calling it righteous indignation?

Do not prize anger. You might think that you are controling your anger, but in the end, it will control you. And anger feeds into self – pity and self – pity feeds into bitterness, and bitterness feeds into anger. And all the time this is happening, you are digging a deeper pit inside your soul.

PRAYER: Father God, we confess that we are the problem and not the solution. We have judged others but have allowed ourselves to become people of anger and people of hate. Lord, change us into people of love, for only then can you work through us. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

RESPECT – WHAT DOES THIS ACTUALLY MEAN???

When we moved to the American South many years ago, one of the things we had to learn quickly was the use of respectful forms of speech. Children growing up in states such as Mississippi or Tennessee would never simply tell a parent, “Yes,” or even worse, “Yeah.” Instead, it was “Yes, Ma’am!” or “Yes, Sir!” These phrases were not merely a formality but they were a sign of respect, an acknowledgement that the person to whom one was speaking was a person of worth and dignity. We soon learned to appreciate this manner of speaking and adopted it.

What does it mean to respect someone? It means that you value them, that you follow what they say. If a person you respect advises you to do something, you act. If a person in authority gives you an order, you obey.

Years ago J. B. Phillips wrote a book entitled “Your God Is Too Small.” For many of us, our problem is not that we consider the greatness of God, but that we have no idea how great God really is. Don Moen wrote a song “Be Magnified, O Lord.” Most of us have put God off in a little corner in our lives, a little box. But God is the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe. How can you possibly squeeze an infinite Being into a tiny container and say to Him, “Stay there until I want you!”

Consider this: God made you! God knows every cell in your body. The Bible says that even the hairs on your head are numbered. At any moment, any of us can cease breathing and die. Even if you go to the gym and work out for two hours every day, even if you train so that you can win the Iron Man Triathlon in Hawaii, no matter what you do, you can still die.

When I was in junior high school, one of my friends lost her father in a freak accident. Her father had been eating popcorn and had fallen asleep in his easy chair. One of the pieces of popcorn blocked his airway while he was asleep, and he died.

God controls our circumstances. We did not choose to be born into a certain time or place. We did not choose to be born to a particular family. We did not choose the location in which we were to grow up. God made all those choices. Now, you might be angry that God did not send you to a different situation, but consider this: perhaps God chose you especially for that set of circumstances because He gave you special gifts that would help you overcome them and demonstrate His glory.

What is the opposite of respect? Well, there is a term “disrespect.” “Disrespect” means that you have no regard for someone, you do not consider them as being of any importance, and that you have no intention of minding anything they might say. Now, here is the thing: if God truly is all – powerful and all – knowing, why would you choose to ignore Him? If you had been captured by someone who could kill you at any moment, would you follow commands from that person, or would you taunt them and rebel? Common sense would advise you to be careful.

God is not only all – powerful and all – knowing, but He is also all – loving. Psalm 95:6-7 tells us “O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care.” God cares for us more than we can care for ourselves because God knows us far far better.

Today, let us respect God! Let us worship God! Let us bow before God and acknowledge that He is our Maker and that He is the One controling our lives.

PRAYER: Father God, many of us have never learned how to respect anyone. Please help us to see how great you are and how magnificent you are. Lord, move in our hearts so that we will learn how to respect and reverence you. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 68: 4 – 6: “Sing to God! Sing praises to His name. Exalt Him who rides on the clouds — His name is the LORD— and rejoice before Him. father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in His holy habitation. God settles the lonely in families…”

Many of us struggle with the concept of fatherhood. Some people have had fathers who were engrossed in their work. Other fathers may have been wonderful men, but they might never have experienced being the child of a loving and protective father. These men had no clear example to follow. Still others either had abusive fathers or never even knew their fathers.

When you have never experienced the love of a good father, you have no idea what to think. If your clearest memory of your father is the times he beat up your mother, you will naturally shy away from the term. But it’s time for all of that to change.

Cindi McMenamin, a Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer, says: “The Bible speaks of God as the ultimate Heavenly Father. (https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/10-ways-god-is-the-perfect-father-in-case-yours-wasn-t.html) Scripture says God’s ways are “perfect” (Psalm 18:30), that He is a “faithful God who does no wrong,” and is “upright and just“ (Deuteronomy 32:4). That makes Him the perfect Father you never had. If you didn’t have a father who was approachable, loving, and had your very best in mind, God – as your Heavenly Father – is waiting to more than make up for what you never had.”

Ms. McMenamin goes on to list 10 ways in which God is the perfect Father:

1. 1. God’s patience and kindness never runs out. Psalm 103:17 “from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children.” God is always forgiving, never holds a grudge, and forgives you your past.

2. God the Father is always approachable. God never has a “bad day.” When you pray, God listens. Hebrews 4:16 says “Let us “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

3. You don’t have to earn God’s love. Earthly fathers frequently lay out unrealistic expectations, but God does not do that. Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” While we were messing up, God was already making a way for us to be with Him.

4. You will never blow it enough to lose his love. Since there was nothing you could do to earn your Heavenly Father’s love, there is nothing you can do to lose it. Romans 8:38-39 tells us, “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

5. God has your very best in mind. Romans 8:32 ““He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

6. God the Father loves you enough to discipline you. Proverbs 3:11 – 12 ““do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” I had a foster sister who came to stay with us when she was 16 and I was 6. My sister refused to believe that my parents loved her until the day my mom swatted her bottom for something she did. That’s when my sister realized that my parents loved her enough to discipline her.

7. God’s timing is perfect. Psalm 84:11 says “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” God knows what we need and when we need it better than we do. Trust Him.

8. God gives wisdom generously. Some fathers give advice and if it isn’t heeded, that’s it. No more help. But James 1:5 says“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” God doesn’t punish you if you don’t get it right the first time.

9. God lets you make your own choices. Romans 8:28 says ” God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” But please realize that God knows that you might mess up. God is not sitting in heaven, hitting his forehead with his hand and saying “Why did I give that guy the chance to do that?” God can redeem our mistakes, if we will only confess them.

10. God knows you intimately. God doesn’t have to guess what you are thinking or feeling. Psalm 139:1-3 “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways”

Yes, God sees everything in our hearts. God knows us better than we know ourselvs. But the miracle is that knowing everything about us, God still loves us. If your earthly father was a disappointment, forgive him! You have no idea how bad things might have been for him. It doesn’t matter. You have a perfect heavenly Father. Run to Him!

PRAYER: Father God, many of us are afraid to call you that name. Our fathers have failed us. Lord, please help all who read this to embrace you as their perfect Father and to forgive their earthy fathers for their mistakes and inadequacies. Lord, thank you for loving us! In the mighty Name of your Son, Jesus, Amen.