PC3 Devotions

Statistics show that more than 60% of people lose their temper at least once per week. These stats should get you angry because you know the other 40% of respondents are not being honest. Each one of us has buttons that, if pushed correctly, amp up our emotions and cause us to freak out. These triggers have the ability to set us off on a path of destructive words, thoughts, and behaviors if not dealt with properly.

When you are angry, you should take notice. Why? Because anger serves as an indicator of disarray happening within your heart. Our anger is a gauge of what is taking place on the inside. Jesus confirms this point. In Luke 6:45, Jesus says, “For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Later on in Matthew 15:18-19, Jesus takes it a step further. Take a moment and consider these words found in Matthew:

Matthew 15:18-19

18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

To understand anger, we have to look at our heart. Proverbs 4:23 encourages us to guard our heart because it serves as the “wellspring of life.” What is taking place within our heart when we get angry? There are numerous reasons our emotions get all amped up: feeling our “rights” have been violated, frustrated over our current circumstances, not having control over a situation, our pride getting hurt, feeling misunderstood, being disrespected, or someone blocking what we desire.

At the core of all these reasons is the fact that you wanted something and didn’t get it. James 4 tells us that the source of our quarrels and fights “come from the evil desires at war within you.  You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.” Kill seems like a pretty harsh word. But in Matthew 5:22, Jesus placed the anger you hold towards someone on the same playing field as the sin of murder. The Bible says we shouldn’t take our anger lightly. It is no wonder, then, that scripture also urges to not let the sun go down on your anger (Ephesians 4:26) and to put all anger away (Colossians 3:8, Ephesians 4:31).

Selfishness, ungratefulness, and impatience define our anger. We get angry when we don’t get what we want and sometimes think we deserve. This places us on shaky ground because people who feel they are owed something walk around with a chip on their shoulders. The longer we let this anger fester the more it clouds our judgments. Proverbs 27:4 compares anger to a flood in its power to destroy and harm.

Other parts of scripture go as far as saying anger kills the foolish man (Job 5:2). How? By consuming our thoughts and dictating our actions which tend to bring with it all kinds of sin (Proverbs 29:22). Getting angry rarely solves problems and, in fact, tends to produce more conflict and trouble (Proverbs 30:33). Losing our cool only makes things worse because we tend to act like fools (Proverbs 14:7, Ecclesiastes 7:9). The anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires (James 1:20).

Yet, Paul, the writer of Ephesians, expects us to experience anger.  He understood that emotions are God-given. Paul is more concerned that his readers understand how to manage their anger, and from his perspective the key is not allowing it to get wedged inside your heart. In other words, cut it off at its source as quickly as possible.

Instead we are commanded to be slow to anger (James 1:19, Proverbs 16:32). Yes, patience in difficult situations does bring peace and perspective (Proverbs 14:29). But that is not our main purpose for being slow to anger. During those moments of patience, we are reflecting God’s heart (Exodus 34:5, Numbers 14:18). The kindness of God, seen through His being slow to anger, is what allows us to repent. We get rid of anger and bitterness through the difficult act of forgiveness, which is both an event and process. We must forgive just as Christ forgave us (Ephesians 4:32).

Understanding the love God has for us is critical in helping us process through our anger and tense situations. We want so desperately to control our own world and have everything fall into place. We desire to be the one who dictates our path and our direction. In a way, believing we are in control of anything is foolish. God is in complete control and holds everything together by His hand (Psalm 103:19, Romans 8:28). He controls the laws of the universe, the tides of the ocean. Our very existence depends on Him. We can rest in the fact that the one who is in control of everything loves us deeply. This helps us from agonizing over trying to control every situation or fuming with negative anger over our current situation.

God, may I not take my angry lightly. Help me to confront the real reasons I freak out and get angry. Enable me to see the deeper issues taking place within my heart. Shine your light on these areas. Expose them for what they are. Amen.

Over the course of the past few days we’ve begun to explore in depth God’s character. At best, we’ve just hit the tip of the iceberg. We’ve barely begun to describe the attributes of God. There aren’t enough pages to adequately describe and contain His greatness. Volumes could be written on God’s mercy, grace and goodness and, even in that, we will just see a shade of each quality.

Our goal is to not only give you a glimpse into God’s heart, but also to dispel how intimidating big theological words can be. For instance, let’s reflect on God’s omniscient. Chances are good some of you just halted in your tracks. You’ve never heard this word, let alone know how trusting in this characteristic of God can alter your perception of your worth in God’s eyes. Omniscient can be defined as having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things. One of yesterday’s scriptures spoke of God’s omniscience:

Luke 12:7

7 Indeed, the VERY HAIRS OF YOUR HEAD ARE ALL NUMBERED. Don’t be afraid; you are WORTH more than many sparrows.

Here are a few of the other passages on this aspect of God’s character:

Psalm 139:1-6

1 You have searched me, Lord, 
and you KNOW me. 
2 You KNOW when I sit and when I rise; you PERCEIVE my thoughts from afar. 
3 You DISCEN my going out and my lying down; you are FAMILIAR with all my ways. 
4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, KNOW it completely. 
5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 
6 Such KNOWLEDGE is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Hebrews 4:13

13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. EVERYTHING IS UNCOVERED AND LAID BAREE before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Job 37:16

16 Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who has PERFECT KNOWLEDGE?

Matthew 6:3-4

3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, WHO SEES WHAT IS DONE IN SECRET, will reward you.

God knows everything. He possess all knowledge. God doesn’t ever get surprised and nothing new ever occurs to God. He knows both the past and the future for every single human being from creation until the end of the age.

Who we are going to be twenty years from now is known to God just as much as who were a decade ago. He hears and responds to every prayer ever spoken.

At first, it can be terrify to think that not a single thought, action or word of yours has happened without the full attention of God. There are things we’ve done or said we wish no one knew about, especially the creator of the universe.

But, this attention should cause a different emotion to stir within us. Yes, he has witnessed your struggles with sin, but he knows and cares about your feelings, scars, wounds and fears.

David, the person who pen the majority of the Psalms, was left speechless when he considered the amount of knowledge God possessed on his life. All he could utter was “You have searched me and know me.”

God, the one who spoke the world into existence and knows the details of how everything works, also pays attention to you. The only conclusion you can draw this is that you must really matter to God. You are valuable in His eyes.

Lord, your intimate knowledge of me is beyond my comprehension. You know about me and care for me in ways I will never fully understand. Everything is known to you, including my heart and for that I am forever grateful. Amen.

Psalm 39:5

5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. 
Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.

The Psalmist says our life is but a breath (Psalm 39:5 and Psalm 144:4). Other parts of scripture compare the days we have on earth to a shadow (Psalm 102:11 and Job 8:9) or grass that is here one day and gone the next (1 Peter 1:24 and Psalm 37:2). Coming to grips with the brevity of life should cause two different reactions to erupt within us: reflection and action. As we come to the end of the Why Bother series, we want you to take a moment and reflect on the direction your life and marriage (or future marriage) is headed.

Each one of us wants their life, and their marriage, to matter, to count for something. But, the question you must ask yourself, is what are you doing today to invest in your marriage for the future? It is very easy to take your marriage and your spouse for granted. You grow comfortable in your situation. You know there are things that need to change or conversations that must take place.

Or, maybe your single and think you have plenty of time to work on your character and prepare your heart for your future spouse. So, you put it off for another day reasoning that your future self can deal with it. But, tomorrow is not promised. Today is truly all you have.

Our purpose here on earth is to make an eternal impact on our world. We have been entrusted with the responsibility to impact culture by making Christ’s name known through the way we live our lives, treat our spouse and raise our families. God uses us, the church, to be Him in this world–to make an impact in our world to draw people into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Yet, before that can happen, you have to make a decision. Are you going to put yourself in a position to be used in this way? Are you going to allow your life and marriage to be used for this purpose? That’s the question we’re asking today.

To describe our brief stay on this planet, Scripture says we are but dust. This is partly to encourage and partly to humble. It is encouraging because it gives us perspective to endure knowing that there will be a day when, from everlasting to everlasting, we will be filled and complete. But, it is also humbling because we are called to steward this precious gift of life according to the One who made us and knows us. His hand formed us and we will stand before Him. Our children will continue the legacy we provide for them. We are like a flower that quickly fades, so don’t waste your life. Life is short and we only possess a small window to leave an eternal mark.

Without an understanding that our days are like a breath, it is easy to just sigh and put off investing in our marriage. The reality is tomorrow has never been promised to us. Each day is a gift so stop for a moment and think: what are you doing with the moments you’ve been given?

God, help me to see today as a gift. May I steward it well by investing in my marriage or future marriage. Allow me not to put off things for tomorrow, but utilize today to love my spouse by nurturing my heart with your Word. Amen.

The Psalmist says our life is but a breath (Psalm 39:5 and Psalm 144:4). Other parts of scripture compare the days we have on earth to a shadow (Psalm 102:11 and Job 8:9) or grass that is here one day and gone the next (1 Peter 1:24 and Psalm 37:2). Coming to grips with the brevity of life should cause two different reactions to erupt within us: reflection and action.

Life is short and we only possess a small window to leave an eternal mark. Without an understanding that our days are like a breath, it is easy to just sigh and put off sharing our faith, forgiving someone who hurt us or putting our One Word into action for another day. Spiritual transformation suddenly gets pushed to the back burner. We’ll get to it eventually. Yet, the reality is tomorrow has never been promised to us. Each day is a gift and the question we must ask ourselves is what are we doing with the moments we’ve been given?

Psalm 90:12 (NASB)

12 So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

In Psalm 90:12, the author says we are to present to God a heart that is full of wisdom. Wisdom is discovered. It is accumulated. It occurs when we take the time to process what happens around us, to us, and in us. Most people think that wisdom is simply a matter of learning from your own mistakes, and that is a start. But, wisdom is gained by listening and obeying the One who is wisdom. Proverbs tells us that wisdom begins with a proper perspective of God—the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). Notice the connection.

We are commissioned to present our hearts to our Creator at the end of our lives. They will be full of something. He tells us they are to be molded and shaped by wisdom. They are to be formed by the way we see God—and the way we see everything else in that light. The process by which this happens? Time. Number your days. Be aware. Take notice.

What this verse is talking about is being purposeful on presenting to our maker the position of our heart. Very few people think about that. Presenting the condition of your heart to the one who made you isn’t even a blip on your radar. Imagine being able to say ‘here is my heart and it is full of wisdom.’ Today matters in the formation of your heart. What will you discover today that will add to the heart you will one day present to the Father. This is a day that God has made.

Lord, open the eyes of my heart. Help me to number this day—to make it count. Whether it is hard or easy, stressful or relaxed, don’t let this pass without changing my heart. At the end of the day, let me know more about You than I do now. Reveal your ways to me. Instead of me projecting my ways on Yours and questioning You, I will submit mine to Yours and learn from You. Thank you for Your patience with me and for giving me days in which to discover more of You. Amen.