PC3 Devotions

Acts 17:24-25

24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

Throughout the Bible, we are commanded to deal with our mindset by paying attention to what our mind is focused on.  This is where we get ourselves into trouble.  We don’t set our minds on anything so it is free to drift on whatever seems to deserve the most attention. When we are faced with a difficult decision or things we cannot control, we get consumed with pressure.

Sometimes this pressure comes from within. The pressure is fueled by believing two destructive myths. First, we believe we can control more than we think. We get angry and frustrated from trying to control the things we can’t. Then there is the “messiah” myth that leads us to believe we contribute more than we actually do. If we don’t act, no one else will. If I don’t spring into action, nothing will get solved. If I don’t make the right decision, then everyone is doomed for failure.

Too often when we consider faith or trust we tend to wait and see if God will do something.  Then, and only, then will we respond to the thing that He has done.  We think of faith as “observe and decide.” This is why we are often frustrated and paralyzed in our walk with God.

Why? Because He doesn’t invite us to observe and decide, but rather to taste and see. Psalm 34:8 says,”O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” It is an interesting connection.  You don’t see with your tongue and you don’t taste with your eyes.

Taste and see is an invitation to experience.  You see not with your eyes, but with your being.  You see because you have experienced.  This is what God is drawing us towards.  This is exactly how faith is described in 2 Corinthians 5:7. We are told to “walk by faith, not by sight.”

According to this verse, we are called to walk by faith, at the expense of seeing with our eyes.  When the pressure is on you, you are not going to be able to sit and observe.  You have to step out and taste – then you will see.  Faith operates as the way you perceive the world around you and sense God’s work in that world.

When we walk with Him, we find Him to be a blessing to us as we take refuge in Him.  So walk by faith– taste and see. We need a new perspective in those moments when pressure is consuming us. When we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders and all we want to do is freak out, we must taste and see that Lord is good by casting our cares on Him.

God, all too often I put the weight of the world on my shoulders. But, that is not what I was meant to bear. Instead of cracking under the pressure, may I lay everything down at your feet. Amen.

Proverbs 16:32

32 Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.

Since God takes our anger seriously, the time has come for us to quit making excuses and justifying our anger. Some of us need to put to rest the tired line of “that’s just the way I am” to describe our anger issues. Trying to explain away our freakouts is just a crutch. By making ourselves out to be the victim, we don’t have to take responsibility for our actions. How often do you catch yourself saying “if my wife would…if my boss would…if others just…” It’s always someone else’s fault. But here’s the thing.  Regardless of how justified you might feel about your outburst, no one else causes you to be angry.

Someone else’s words or actions just serve as a context where the current state of your heart rises to the top. These circumstances serve as a revealer. As we’ve learned over the past week, the cause of our anger lies deep within us. Normally, it is our ingratitude, impatience, pride, selfishness, or desire to control. We have a choice to respond to every circumstance we face. We can either take the easy road and let the anger flow or we can utilize this circumstance to transform our character.

There will be some who feel they have no choice in the matter. A circumstance presents itself, and before they know it, they’ve blown up in anger. This speaks to a lack of self-control as well as the failure to take the time necessary to tend to your heart. We need to be proactive about change, so today we want you to be honest and identify the trigger points of your emotions. I’ll ask it again: what makes you angry? Only you know where you are most vulnerable to grow angry and resentful. Isolate those reasons and ask God to reveal the depth of your sin in this area of anger.

When you are aware of your trigger points, you have a leg up in responding differently. If you feel your temperature rising, ask yourself, “Why am I getting so angry? Am I angry because I’m impatient, lonely, selfish, or feel disrespected?” If you are, don’t act on those emotions. Stay in control even when you are angry. Then take it a step further by taking the focus off you and your situation and place your attention on the other individual and God.

Ask yourself questions like, “What would it be like to be on the receiving end of my anger?” and “How would God want me to respond in this situation? Would my response bring God glory?”  Now, don’t get me wrong; I’m not foolish enough to believe you will always go through this mental checklist in every situation, but attempting to ask these questions on a consistent basis gets us into the mindset of taking a hold of our anger.

Maybe for you the take home point from this week’s devotionals is the need to ask for forgiveness. Numerous people who you truly care for were caught in the path of your hurtful words or actions. They were the unlucky victims of your freak out. For you, this means putting your pride aside and seeking forgiveness from those you hurt.

Pride is a funny thing. When you are all alone, your pride enables you to justify your behavior. In your messed up mind, anything and everything can seem logical. However, when you expose it to light, those actions you once thought were completely justified seem silly and childlike. This goes back to the need for community.

Sometimes all it takes is verbalizing your anger to others for you to see the error of your ways. Imagine if there was no place to hide. All of you anger issues, both the verbalized and the stuff that you bury deep within, are suddenly visible for all to see. What would you do? I bet you’d get a whole lot more serious about changing things.

The intent of coming to grips with your anger is not to turn you into some softie pushover who always has a smile on his or her face. In fact, we need more Christians who have passion and emotion. Sadly, we waste most of our energy and focus over insignificant and selfish desires while ignoring the things over which it’s worth getting angry. Anger can be an emotion harnessed for good. We want you to fight, but fight for the things that matter. Get angry over your own sin. The injustices of the world should also get your blood boiling.

We are called to righteous anger (Psalm 7:11 and Mark 3:5). Stop wasting away your days bitter, angry, and resentful over issues that don’t matter in the long run. Get mad about the right things. Use this anger to produce change in the world.

God, may my heart break for what breaks yours. Instead of getting angry over things that inconvenience me, enable me to harness my anger in ways that bring your glory. Amen. 

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.

A few years back I attempted to teach my daughter how to swim. Like most kids, she loved being in the water, but only when dad was around. As long as she knew I had a hold of her, she was in heaven. However, if I attempted to let go, my daughter would flip out. She’d apply the death grip, tears would start flowing, and she’d scream at the top of her lungs. She wasn’t buying the rumor that those big inflatable tubes around her arms would prevent her from sinking to the bottom of the pool. It didn’t matter how much I tried to reassure her of her safety. From her perspective, drowning was inevitable.

Sadly, many of us have learned to navigate our lives similar to my daughter’s approach in the pool. We allow our circumstances and feelings to be our ultimate guide. If our life is going well and nothing seems to be rocking the boat then from our perspective things are going okay. What we don’t realize is that this line of thinking can only get us so far because the only certainty in life is its uncertainty. Eventually, life will throw us a curve ball, or we’ll encounter a situation we can’t control or determine its’ outcome. Our response to this situation is to freak out.

Freaking out is giving up what you can control (yourself) in an effort to control what you can’t (circumstances). The only antidote to overacting is a ruthless pursuit of the truth. We have to be able to comprehend what is true in those moments when everything inside of us wants to freak out instead.

Now don’t get me wrong. I realize this is easier said than done. In those moments, you must depend on something you are not accustomed to leaning on. Yet, this is exactly what we are called to do in Scripture. We are tasked with the responsibility of walking by faith. There is a truth that exists in every single moment of our lives. But, most of us are so busy freaking out that we never notice. So, how do we change our reaction? How can we begin to let our character define us and not our circumstances? For a moment consider these words found in Psalm:

Psalm 119:133 

133 Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

This verse speaks to what we learned last week.  What happens in those moments when we freak out? We can easily become bitter, entitled and ungrateful. We lose self-control and this quickly leads to sin, which causes guilt and shame. Freaking out erodes trust. But, what is even more devastating is the fact that when we freak out we forsake God’s intention for us in that moment. To freak out is to check out.

The author of Psalms knew this to be true. So, he is asking God to keep his feet steady according to His promises. The markers of spiritual maturity are stability and gratitude. However, these markers don’t take root in our lives by chance. Character takes formation. It begins by ruthlessly pursuing the truth of who God is and what God is doing in every single moment of your life.

But, this is where things get tricky. For some reading this, you aren’t sure of what is true. You live your whole life by what you feel. This is a charge for you to study the Scriptures. Studying and reflecting on God’s word can build a steady foundation. It’s a foundation secure enough to hold you in place regardless of what circumstance you face.

What you believe influences the way you perceive things. Godly perspective causes stable reactions. Maturity goes hand and hand with stability. The key to stability is grounding yourself on that which is true. Rather than reacting to our circumstances, we are called to respond to them based on who we are. We can react to how we feel or we can react to what is true.

Start today by trusting what you know. In the absence of information, trust whom you know. This is why walking with Jesus is so important.  You know Him and knowing Him is trusting Him.  By finding Him faithful time and time again, we are able to trust Him to be even when life doesn’t seem to make sense.

God, help me to trust you rather than my circumstances. May I lean on who I know and what I know during these moments when I want to freak out. Instead of my feelings, allow me to use your Truth to be my guide. Amen.

1 Peter 5:7

7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

We tend to think of “freaking out” as something expressed through our words or our actions. Yet, there is another side of this reaction that can remain hidden from plain sight. But, don’t be fooled. Reacting in this way can be just as dangerous to our walk with God than those moments when our angst gets expressed. As the saying goes, you do have the ability to “worry yourself sick.”

Some people refer to worry as the great revealer. The things that keep us tossing and turning at night or occupy our mind throughout the day shine light on two realities. They reveal not only the picture we have of ourselves, but also expose our view of God. Worry is powerful because it possesses the uncanny ability to cut to the heart of who and what we worship.

If you freak out over your finances, what does that say about who you view as the ultimate provider? If there is anxiety over taking care of all the people around you, who do you really believe is their sustainer? If you worry about a relationship that is crumbling, have you lost sight of the source of hope and redemption? When we worry we tend to take on more than we should and one of two things will happen- we either check out or drive harder in an effort to control the situation.

Worry slowly begins to steal our faith, passion, and confidence suffocating God’s work in our lives. In the midst of our freak out, we look to our circumstances for freedom, peace and life. Yet, we are asking something from our circumstances that they are incapable of doing- to bring us peace. Circumstances can change with a moments notice so any peace we might feel is fleeting at best.

Peace is not connected to our circumstances, but to our God. Only He can provide us unshakable peace in the midst of any circumstance.  We understand this in our heads, but struggle to truly believe this in our hearts. In the midst of our uncertainty, we often second guess and doubt God has our best interest at heart. Worrying forces us to drift towards questioning God’s heart and wondering if He really cares.

The power worry has to control our heart hinges on the way we view our relationship with God and the value that relationship holds in His eyes. Worry is directly connected to our perception of our personal value. In 1 Peter 5:7 we are told to give over our anxiety to God because He cares for us. When Jesus commands us not to worry He speaks in great detail about our worth. Psalm 55:22 says “cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

All of these verses touch upon this idea of relationship. The opposite of fear is trust and trust is rooted in a relationship. Coming to Him in thanksgiving for all He has done will cause us to stand strong in the midst of those future moments when uncertainty reigns.

God, even though my worrying might not been seen by others or verbalized out loud, I know that it has the ability to consume my heart and mind. May I cast all my concerns to you, trusting that you care about me. Amen.

We are finishing up our second week of exploring the life of Jesus Christ through the lens of John’s gospel. Remember, everything we read in John is written that we might believe that Jesus is God. In this book, Jesus makes some bold statements about who He is:

I am…..

• the bread of life  (John 6:35)
• the light of the world (John 8:12)
• the resurrection and life (John 11:25)
• the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6)
• the true vine (John 15:1)

Today, as you read the 10^th chapter, you see Jesus making two bold “I am” statements:

John 10:1-18

 1“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

 7Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I AM THE GATE for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I AM THE GATE; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

 11“I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

 14“I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

This imagery would’ve resonated with Jesus’ audience. Not only was this a job present in their culture, but also the image of a sheep and shepherd were used throughout the Old Testament. In fact, the words Jesus uses to describe himself are similar to how the Lord is described in one of most beloved scriptures:

Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my SHEPHERD, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, 
he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

In a way, these passages should cause two different reactions to well up within us: (1) comfort and (2) humility. The image of a shepherd is a way for Jesus to describe whom He is and what He wants to do for us. We are cared for and protected by a God who knows us intimately. Every day the shepherd makes sure that the needs of His flock are met.

The good shepherd guides them through danger and rescues them when they’re lost. But, Jesus takes it a step further to a point that would appear crazy to his listeners. This shepherd was willing to lay down His life for some sheep. These animals are a dime a dozen. Why go so far as dying for them?

Indeed, the shepherd’s actions show how valued we are in His eyes. However, think about the implications on what Jesus is saying about us. If he’s our shepherd, than what does that make us?

DUMB SHEEP. That’s what we are.

Sheep are notoriously stubborn, stupid and helpless. They don’t have any way to protect themselves. Let’s be honest: what predator is going to be intimidated by an animal who “baaaa’s”? Sheep startle easily and are known to walk off the sides of cliffs. They’re too slow to escape their predators. They have no sense of direction.  Unless someone stops them, sheep will eat until they die. As you can clearly see, sheep aren’t thought of too highly in the animal kingdom.

Now, I don’t know about you, but everything in me wishes Jesus would’ve picked any other animal to describe me. Unfortunately for me and you, Jesus says “that’s who you are…..you’re sheep.” We are lost and helpless. Without the protection of a caring shepherd, we startle easily when we are in danger or faced with uncertainty. We can be prideful and think we know the right direction for our lives, but just like sheep, we often don’t see the steep cliff that awaits us on the other end.

For as clueless as sheep are, there is one thing they do very well: they know their shepherd’s voice. During Jesus’ time, at night shepherds would bring their flock to a common stall with only one gate in and out. All the sheep would spend the evening there, but no shepherd worried about their flock get mixed up over night. Why? When the sheep heard the voice of their shepherd, they’d separate from the rest of the pack and follow his lead. A sheep instinctively knew who his or her shepherd was just by their voice. Even though other shepherds would call to the sheep, they only respond to the call of their owner.

This is why we must humbly tune our ears and LISTEN to His voice. We must KNOW His voice because there are others who are vying for our attention and affection. Discernment only comes when we immerse ourselves in God’s word. So, continue to read through John and listen to God’s voice speaking to you and your heart.

Lord, thank you for being a loving shepherd who guides and protects me. Help me to hear and trust your voice. Let me see myself as a sheep that is utterly helpless and vulnerable without you. Amen.

Psalm 26:2-3

2 Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; 
3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.

We want to continue to explore how our belief in God influences our worldview. Why? Because the way we see the world affects every aspect of our lives. In today’s passage, we notice once again the call to position ourselves to see God.  We must allow Him access to those troubled areas of our soul where worry, stress and pressure can destroy.

Take this verse to heart.  Allow God to test your motives and your beliefs, especially when it comes to those places you worry and doubt. Your mind and heart need to be brought into submission before God and His truth when it comes to these areas.

As you wrestle through this process, take comfort in verse 3.  His loving-kindness is before our eyes.  It is not just a matter of agreeing with the fact that God’s loving-kindness is true, but seeing it for ourselves, as a matter of experience. It cannot be a theoretical knowledge. We must walk in this truth.

This prevents us from thinking of God as either irrelevant or indifferent. We SEE that He is with us searching our hearts and testing our motives. We SEE that He is for us because of His great love towards us.

We must position ourselves to SEE Him.  This is critical to walking in the truth.  When we bring to light the things we worry about, we will now be looking at those things alongside of the Truth established by God. So today let Him examine your beliefs and test your heart and mind.  Set His loving-kindness before you as you walk with Him today.

Lord, test me. Search my heart.  I want you to explore the places where I worry the most.  Help me to be honest about what I tend to believe about my world.  But most of all help me to see you above everything else.  Lord, I pray that seeing you will change everything about the way I see my world.  Amen.

“…He (God) sustains the universe (as He once founded it) by His boundless might, regulates it by His wisdom, preserves it by His goodness…bears with it in His mercy, and watches over it by His protection.” –John Calvin

Psalm 50:1

1 The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets.

Psalm 46:1

1 God is our refuge and strength, an EVER-PRESENT help in trouble.

Isaiah 41:10

10 So do not fear, for I AM WITH YOU; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Deuteronomy 4:7

7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods NEAR them the way the LORD our God is NEAR us whenever we pray to him?

God, where are you? Are you there? Do you even care what is going on with me? If you loved me, how could you let this happen? These are just a few of the questions we ask when God feels a million miles away. In these moments of perceived distance, we let our experiences shape our theology and belief about the unchanging characteristics of God.

Instead of relying in the God who revealed Himself in Scripture, we often trust what we see and experience. This puts us on a shaky foundation. It would be very easy to perceive God as one who took a step back after creation and just watches everything unfold from a distance. This is only a hop, skip and jump away from saying, “God is not here…and if he is, he certainly doesn’t care. He won’t help us.”

The perceived lack of God’s involvement in our lives also opens up the door to feelings of insignificance, worthlessness and doubt. We wrestle with why God moves and speaks to other people, but doesn’t seem close to us. We reason that this must be due to our lack of value in His eyes. This can be nowhere further from the truth.

God’s providence is our provision. Providence simply describes the ongoing power of God to sustain, guide, govern and care for His creation. Author and theologian RC Sproul says “the doctrine of providence declares that God’s providential rule extends to all things great and small, from the huge to the minute, the infinite to the infinitesimal.” This teaches that Christians are never in the grip of blind forces like fortune, chance, luck or fate.

Each event that comes your way is a new opportunity to trust, obey and rejoice; knowing that all that happens to you is for your spiritual and eternal God. Sadly, we often fail to recognize His working because we tend to define it too narrowly. There is no denying God being involved in miracles like surviving a devastating car crash or a tumor disappearing after prayer. However, if these big events are our only definition of God’s providence, we will miss much of His providential working.

God cares for us and shows it all the time by His working in our lives. You getting up this morning is an act of God’s providence. Taking your last breath is an proof of God’s providence. But because God is invisible to us, we often fail to recognize His active presence in our lives. God is not only actively involved in our lives, He is also intimately involved. God’s providence is our provision and if we believe in God’s provision, then we can trust Him with our needs.

When we rightly view providence, our perspective changes. We begin to see His mercy and grace everywhere as He moves through secondary means to care for us. You may think that what you do is not that important in light of eternity, but providence says otherwise. Your work matters to God because He is at work often through your work. You can be the catalyst of God’s providence in the life of another. If we believe God’s providence, we are aware of God’s activity. Once we are aware, we can respond.

Our response should be one of gratitude. When our understanding of God is accurate, we can Him as the great and all-powerful God who cares for us through His continued exercise of His power, mercy, grace and love. He is greater than we know and closer than we imagine.

God, thank you for always being with me, even in those moments where I wonder where you are. You move in my life in so many ways I fail to see. May I be more aware of your providence so that I can respond and trust you with all my needs. Amen.

God is good.  Good at what you might ask.  Too often we have this trite little truth somewhere in our memory, but we do not know what God’s goodness looks like.  I mean no sarcasm by my last statement.  I am tremendously grateful for the things I am privileged to enjoy.

I know God has been good to me in so many ways.  A beautiful wife, and provision are just a few things I’ve been given. I can list off a lot more “stuff” that displays the goodness of God in my life. But I believe God’s goodness goes deeper than all the things that normally come to my mind and probably yours.  If God is good and I am to reflect on His goodness, it must run beyond solving my problems and bringing fun stuff into my life.

Psalm 25:8-9

8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 
9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

Here we see two descriptions of God.  God is good and He is also upright.  These are simple descriptions of God’s character.  Next we notice how His goodness is expressed.  It is shown through the fact that He gives us instructions.  Remember, His commands are merciful.

Think about that for a moment.  Even while you are a sinner (Romans 5:8), God is good in that He lets you in on His agenda and His way. He treats you according to the way you were made to be and not how you are right now. God’s goodness comes across in the way He sees you.  This benefit must be embraced and received.

Humility is what unlocks this gift and makes the instruction applicable.  Proud people do not follow God. Yet, the humble are led into the way of truth and rightness. God’s instructions are heard by humble ears. As God gently leads and instructs you, be reminded that this is a direct expression of His goodness by humbly following him.

God, may I develop humble ears to hear your voice. Help me to tune my ear to your Truth. Thank you for being so good to me. Your grace and mercy overwhelm me. Amen. 

Psalm 102:25-26

25 In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 
26 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.

Psalm 33:11

11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Over the past two weeks we’ve learned that what we know and believe about God dictates many things in our life. So far we have looked at two aspects of God’s character: His love and His justice. When we believe and rest in the fact that God loves us freely, then, and only then, are we able to free love. Our love for others now comes from an overflow of something freely given to us. We also explored how God’s justness provides us the freedom to forgive. In light of the forgiveness and grace we’ve received, we no longer have to second-guess whether God is just or whether or not some deserves our forgiveness.

The overarching theme for the Greater Than series has been what you believe about God will determine what you trust Him with. Even though it is worthwhile to talk about God’s love and justice or any of His other attributes, there is one that is absolutely critical in our ability to trust God.

We tend to only trust things that we believe are consistently true. We do no trust something that we feel moves and changes. If what we believe about God determines what we trust Him with, then we must see Him as unchanging above all else. Why? God’s love, justice, providence and all His other attributes provide no security or foundation if they are inconsistent. If we think God’s love is unpredictable then we won’t trust His love. If we think God’s mercy is erratic then we won’t trust His mercy. If we think God’s grace is fickle, we won’t trust His grace.

We must learn to rest in the fact that the Creator is immutable. Immutability is just a fancy way to say that God’s character does not change. His nature cannot be worsened or bettered. It remains the same. God does not change in either His being or His will. What God is doing in history since the creation to its eventual consummation is according to His plan. It is a constancy that guarantees that He remains always one and the same true God.

There are implications to His immutability.  God’s unchanging nature means that His attributes are perfect. He can’t become less loving or more loving. The extent of His wrath, justice and faithfulness are all complete. Nothing can be added or subtracted from them. If there were things that God did not know, He couldn’t be all knowing. If there were things God could not do, He would not be all-powerful.  Immutability is the glue for all the other attributes. It is at the core of all others.

An unchanging God that is revealed in His word logically means that His word is also unchanging. Scripture teaches us that God does not change and that His word does not change. This is important for us to understand. It gives us clarity on what it means to follow Him. We don’t have to guess.

The challenge we have to wrestle with is whether we believe the Bible is true. We all want to find Truth. We are always trying to make sense of our lives and are trying to define Truth. Since God is unchanging, His word is unchanging which means we are the ones that are constantly changing. We know what it takes to please Him, if we study His word. Our challenge is whether we trust Him more than ourselves.

Every day we engage in this game of God’s Truth verses our truth. We rationalize our truth to make sense of it. Our lives, what we believes is not based on facts or Truth a lot of the times, but is instead based on our perspective of the facts. We know more of God’s Truth than we care to admit. Unfortunately, we find it easier to embrace our truth instead.  We approach God with a bunch of excuses.

We spend more time listening to ourselves than listening to God. Tuning our ears to the wrong voice, we begin to doubt His promises are true. But, they are. No matter the situations problems you are facing today, God says He is with you. No matter who may forsake you, He is with you through the thick and thin. In this every changing world, we must cling to his promises. As we do, we fill find purpose in our pain. He is with us. He is our firm foundation and we know that God is working all things together for the good. Because we believe God is unchanging, we can freely trust. We are free to trust in His word and how He has revealed Himself to us. We can trust Him despite our changing world.

God, thank you that in the midst of this ever-changing world I can cling to your promises. Your truth remains the same. Your character can be trusted and counted on. You are the security I long for and today I am grateful. Amen.