PC3 Devotions

We let the desires of the immediate trump the concerns of the future. In those moments when we want to freak out, our greatest concern is getting the issue at hand resolved. We want the moment to pass. We desire a little bit of peace. We hope to be heard or respected. And we are often willing to get that by any means necessary.

Why is this often our response to uncertainty and situations we cannot control? Why is our natural tendency to escape these moments instead of engaging in them? The cause is often two things. First, there is no depth of character. We haven’t taken the time necessary to saturate ourselves in God’s word. When we don’t rest on His promises, we subject ourselves to all the things that will happen around us. Genesis 4:7 says that sin is crouching at the door ready to attack you. In 2 Corinthians, Paul talks about easy it is to be deceived about the things that truly matter:

2 Corinthians 11:3

3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Satan knows all to well those areas we are most vulnerable to freak out and he is just looking for an opportunity to entice us to give in. Whether we are overwhelmed, tired, anxious, angry or out of control, sin is right there hoping we choose it so we can wreck our lives. When we check out we miss out on the opportunities that are available in those moments.

The other reason we are vulnerable to choosing our immediate needs over the concerns of the future is due to a missing picture. Many of us haven’t begun painting a picture of the person we want to become. We’ve failed to give it much thought and, if we have, we tend not to make it a priority by allowing it to shape our actions and words. The best way to avoid regret is by possessing vision.

Each of us has places in our lives where we are more prone to forgo our integrity to feel loved, valued and accepted. Doing whatever it takes to meet those needs almost becomes second nature. Most of the time we act without even thinking. When we allow our lives to remain unchecked, these reflex actions build upon each other and can lead to enormous regret and hurt. They also reveal our true character and shine light on the things we truly value. The question that we must wrestle with is whether the things we label as our convictions truly matches up to our words and actions.

Eventually, you will pay attention to what matters. The question is will it be by choice or determined by your circumstances. What matters later needs to matter now. What matters in the moment is not the moment itself, but rather the impact of that moment on either your life or the life of another.

God, may I not forsake my future for the things I think I want and need at the present. Help me to not cut corners with my character. Enable me to understand that what matters later needs to matter now. Amen. 

Genesis 1:1-27 
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 
 11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 
 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

For many of you, the story of creation is nothing new. Just like me, you’ve read this passage on numerous occasions. But, maybe that is the problem. Somehow in the midst of our familiarity with it, we’ve lost sight of the savory bites of truth it contains. It’s easy to read this passage and understand it only in the context of it describing creation. But, we must continually ask ourselves how does this scripture apply to the way I live my life? So, today we return to this text in hopes of seeing it in a different light than we have before.

For a second, stop reading and look down at your hands. Notice the lines on your palms or the contrast of your complexion. Consider how your fingerprints are unique. This speaks to God’s creativity. When you consider the complexities of the universe, it becomes increasingly difficult to believe that everything your eyes can see came about by chance. The only other option is to believe we are the work of an artistic creator.

From nothingness, God spoke everything into existence. Imagine the amount of power required to create a universe. How much force was needed to stack up the mountains, carve out the sea and scatter the stars? The only force able to accomplish such a feat is the Creator himself. God is all-powerful.

God is great and powerful, but we must invite Him to be powerful in our lives. His strength is always there, but it is up to us to be receptive- trusting and leaning on the Holy Spirit. Just as God spoke and there was light, He was also proactive in providing us grace, which enables us to step out of darkness and into the light.

Why must we be open to living in the light and allowing God to transform our heart? Verses 26 and 27 say we were created in God’s image. We serve as an expression of His love. When we don’t reflect His character, we are in essence not functioning as we were designed.

One way we reflect His image is through our creativity. God wired you with unique gifts, talents and passions. Have you ever stopped and asked yourself how you can use your uniqueness to make God’s name known?

Whether it is through your creativity and being proactive or by love, patience and forgiveness your life is suppose to serve as a reflection of God’s character. As we come to an end, I want you to examine your life and what it reflects. Are you living like you were designed? Do you see yourself as valuable in God’s eyes? How are you reflecting the image of God through your actions and words?

God spoke and then there was light. Now, you serve as the light for the world to see. Go live as you were designed.

God, I stand in awe of your power. From your lips, you spoke the world into existence. You breathed life into my lungs. I pray that my life would serve as an expression of your mighty love. Thank you for creating me unique and special. May I use the gifts you have given me to make your heart known to this lost and hurting world. Amen.

When confronted with our sin often our first reaction is to point the finger or to place the blame squarely on someone else’s shoulders. This tactic has been practiced since the Garden of Eden and man’s first encounter with temptation (Genesis 3:12,13). Adam took things a step further by not only throwing Eve under the bus, but God as well. Like many of us, Adam blamed God for his own failures as he said the equivalent of “If YOU wouldn’t have given me Eve in the first place, we would never be in this mess.”

Adam’s response is eerily similar to ones we have uttered in the past, “If God wouldn’t of put me in this situation, I wouldn’t of _____________ (fill in the blank with your struggle).” To even suggest God played a part in our temptation is an affront to His character. God does not delight in evil and never entices anyone to sin.

If this is the case, we must ask ourselves where does sin and temptation originate? The easy answer is to say the “devil made me do it.” Even though there is some merit to this line of thinking, it is just another excuse we use to pass the blame for our struggles with lust. Consider these words found in James:

James 1:13-15

13 And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

Verse 14 puts an end to this blame game once and for all as it says that we are individually responsible for our own sin. The temptation that leads to sin comes from within us.

The process of temptation is similar to a dog race where the greyhound chases after a fake bunny that remains just out of his reach. The bunny serves as the bait that gets the dog’s attention (ENTICE) and now becomes his sole focus (DRAG US AWAY). The desire to devour the fluffy bunny (OUR OWN DESIRES) is what causes the dog to storm out of the gates. Some external lure catches our eye while our own lust allows the gaze to move towards pursuit.

According to verse 15, just as there is a process to our temptation, our lust follows a consistent pattern: LUST GIVES BIRTH TO SIN –> SIN GIVES BIRTH TO DEATH. Thinking our actions are not that big of a deal, we pursue the bait, but what we thought was a harmless pursuit causes harm in our lives and slips out of control. Giving into our lust culminates in indulging in sin and sin always leads to death.

If we allow these thoughts to make room in our heart and mind, lust will eventually lead to indulgence. This is why these lustful desires cannot be tolerated or taken lightly.  Letting them remain will always lean to ruin. These desires never remain dormant. They are looking to move and to be acted upon. Either we will fulfill the desire or give them up, surrender them to Christ or crush them with God’s word. Commit to taking the time needed to do some housekeeping when it comes to cleaning out the dark places of your heart where lust has made itself at home.

Lord, help me to examine the places in my heart and mind that I allow lustful desires to feel at home. Speak to these areas and help me realize why I have enabled them to be such a stronghold in my life. Allow me to see how these desires are just twisted desires I have for intimacy with you. I want to break these patterns of lust that have only led to devastation in my life. May I surrender them to you at the foot of the cross. Amen.

Marriage is not the THING!  It is not the next THING you do after dating for a while.  It is not the THING you dream of as the conclusion of a fairy tale.  Marriage is an EXPRESSION of the THING…  and the thing we are talking about is God.  Simply put, marriage is about God.  In our quest to learn to honor marriage, we must learn to honor God.  We place ourselves in submission to God’s truth and His definition.

We are made for God and marriage is created for God.  Understanding this principle removes marriage from this THING that we do and becomes the way in which we live.  It provides a framework for singles to understand their relationships with the opposite sex because while, marriage might be an option, honoring marriage is not.  Therefore, the way you pursue and respond in a dating relationship must be done in a way that honors marriage.  Marriage is not some THING we are trying to achieve, but a way of life in which God is seen in the way a man loves and pursues his wife and the way a woman responds to such love.  We honor marriage, by honoring God, with our bodies and with our emotions.  We make God the THING and then allow our dates or lack thereof to fall into place upon the foundation of Christ.

I want us to look at the redemption of the first marriage found in Genesis.  This passage takes place after the fall.  Eve is deceived, Adam is silent, and shame drives a wedge between the couple and God.  Adam blames Eve.  To say Eve is hurt would be an understatement.

Somewhere in their encounter with God, the following verse provides us the conclusion of this intimate encounter without much detail.  I try to imagine this couple standing before God- tears, anger, hurt, disappointment, guilt, and shame.

And yet, it isn’t over.  God had called the marriage into existence to reflect Him and now marriage was going to reflect not just the perfection of God, but the grace of God.  Marriage was marred by sin and would now require the grace of God…  or more precisely, would now be called upon to express the grace of God.  We see here in this one verse the relentlessness of God’s call and unfathomable provision He would make to seal the promise He’d made.  So after the fall…  an encounter with God…  Adam looks his wife in the eye, and perhaps with some understandable hesitation he gives her a name, a task God has given to him.

Genesis 3:20-21
20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

God’s call for Adam and Eve was not changed by the fall.  He was still called to rule and subdue the creation God has made as a trusted steward.  Eve was still a suitable helper, a ‘help meet’ (we will talk about that week 4).  So Adam took a risk and named his wife Eve.  Eve took a risk and received Adam’s name and trusted his lead.  They were still covered by their own effort and I believe still remained in their shame.

So God covers them.  God did this.  They could only stand by and receive the cover that God provided by the sacrifice, the first sacrifice.  This paves the way for us to understand marriage in the context of the Gospel.  I love the picture.

God has promised that these two would be one, because God is one.  Adam and Eve blew it, but even sin cannot stop God’s promise…  The Covenant, specifically the new covenant sealed the promise.

We are left to simply obey the call God has given us.  Men are called to love and lead and steward the purity of a woman.  We embrace this simply because God has not relented in His call for us.  Women are called to respond and trust and return their affection in the safety of a promise sealed by the covenant.

Many live in shame, covered only by their own efforts.  It is God who covers.  It is the Gospel that is designed to be reflected in the gift of marriage.  It is not the THING, but an expression of the thing.

My aim this morning is not for us to focus on the marriage, but focus on the Gospel.  The havoc caused by the fall did not alter God’s call on the first couple and it does not alter God’s call on you.  The quest is not to understand marriage better, but know God better and in doing so find the meaning in marriage- so honor God and in doing so, you will honor marriage.

Lord, I trust the Covering of Your Son, Jesus Christ.  I will no longer stand in shame because of sin.  I will not allow the condition of my marriage or the regret of my divorce to define the way I honor marriage.  Instead, I will honor You and trust You with my marriage.  I will honor You and trust You with my singleness. Lord, use my life to reflect Your love in whatever condition I am in.  Amen.

This series has helped us think clearly through decisions.  We’ve learned to “decide to decide” and go through steps of seeking information and using it to pursue clarity not certainty.  All of this is done so we decide in ways that express our faith in God and His calling on our lives.   But what about our emotions?  What role do they play in all of this?  Are they obstacles to be navigated around?  Are emotions just another set of baggage brought in with original sin?

God has emotions—he is pleased with his creation (Genesis 1:31) and angry with rebellious generations (2 Corinthians 9:7).  He seems to want us to have emotions that correspond to the truth of the matter.  Taking time to explore and process our emotions can be a great conversation starter between us and God and help us make better decisions in the process.

God, thank you for the emotions that make my life richer and more vibrant.  Please help me to bring even my emotions into alignment with your truth and will for my life.  Help me to fear what I should fear and love what I should love as part of a healthy emotional decision making process in my life.