UNIQUENESS 5 - God's Gardening

Uniqueness 5 - English file 

Einmaligkeit 5 - German file

Devotional Thoughts about 1 Corinthians 3:4-9 and John 4: 35-38

We’re often overly concerned with other Christians’ service for God, whether out of envy, condemnation or low self-esteem. When we compare ourselves with them, we often seem to come up short, although we don’t even know all of our own motivations, situations and results, much less those of others.

Amid this world’ prevailing values of self-realization and competition, the concept of working together to serve God for His glory alone can seem very foreign even to Christians. He’s made each of us different to play a unique role in His plan. None of us is a star-achiever; it’s not even about us but rather about God. It was His plan to give us strengths and weaknesses and make us dependent on each other—but especially on Him.

Working together routinely can be difficult, especially when others get more attention for their work than we do. It’s hard to be happy for others when our own situations seem to be so ordinary. Sunday School teachers aren’t usually in the spotlight, and the difficulties in working with rambunctious kids make many ready to quit. Yet what Christian can deny the importance of the task?

Lord, thank You for the privilege of passing Your Word on to the next generation. Help me do it faithfully for Your glory while encouraging and praying for those in other roles.

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UNIQUENESS 4 - The Talents

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Einmaligkeit 4 - German file 

Devotional Thoughts about Matthew 25:14-30

The first hurdle we must get over in applying the story of the talents to our lives is the widespread notion that our abilities and possessions belong to us. Our innate selfishness assumes ownership, but the truth is, nobody has anything that he hasn’t been given by God. It all belongs to Him, and we, like the servants in the story, are responsible to the true owner for how we use the things temporarily in our hands and in our power.

The servants were responsible to use their master’s resources in a way that would bring him profit. But what profits God? He, who already owns the whole world with everything in it plus all of the heavens outside of it (Deuteronomy 10:14), certainly doesn’t need real estate, stock portfolios or any tangible assets.

The Bible pounds home the message that what God wants from His servants—those who trust in Him—are attitudes and behaviors that bring Him glory (see for instance 1 Corinthians 6:20; 10:31, Romans 4:20; 15:5,6,8,9, 1 Peter 4:11,16). In trying to explain to kids how we can glorify God, I usually say that’s telling and showing others how great God is. In a world that’s largely denied, dismissed or forgotten Him, that has a larger impact than we can imagine.

Lord, please help me be faithful in using the abilities and assets You’ve given me to make You known in this world.

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UNIQUENESS 3 - The Body of Christ

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Einmaligkeit 3 - German files

Devotional Thoughts about 1 Corinthians 12:4-27

The Bible is full of word pictures. In a metaphor, something familiar stands for something that’s just as real but which we can’t see or fully grasp. The Body of Christ is a good example of this. Because our bodies are very familiar to us, thinking about their features can help us understand the diversity and unity of the group of people who follow and belong to Christ.

A living body needs a brain to direct every interaction of all its parts, from the smallest impulse of a nerve to the intricate interplay of nerves and muscles enabling the balance and movement a roofer needs to stay on the roof and do his job. Likewise, we all need the direction of Christ, our Head, to use the gifts He has given us. Our connection to other Christians exists only through our connection to Him.

When we recognize how ridiculous and counterproductive pride and envy would be in the context of the parts of a physical body (12:21), we can begin to understand how wrong they are in the amazing symbiosis that binds Christians with one another. 

Once at a grocery store I was amazed to see how routinely an employee with only one hand bagged and carried groceries. The stump of his arm and other parts of his body somehow compensated for the part that had been maimed. God wants us to care for and compensate for others who are somehow weaker or suffering (12:25).

Lord, help me to value other Christians and to use the gifts you’ve given me for Your glory.

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UNIQUENESS 2 – God can use weak people to do great things.

 Uniqueness 2 - English file 

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Devotional Thoughts about Judges Chapters 6 and 7

The book of Judges describes a period in Israel’s history marked by idolatry, God’s punishment through enemy oppression, and then repentance followed by God’s deliverance through a judge. Then this cycle repeats itself over and over again.

Read the summary of the book in Judges 21:25. Because of the corrupting power of sin, doing what’s right in one’s own eyes—which is anarchy mildly stated—leads to awful excesses of sin and isn’t sufficient for keeping society on an even keel, much less for pleasing God.

Gideon, soon to be the judge leading the fifth deliverance, was suffering with the rest of Israel the devastating consequences of a Midianite invasion when God appeared to him one day. He countered God’s stated intention of using him to deliver Israel by citing his unimpressive background.

Gideon’s weaknesses come tumbling out throughout the rest of the story. He asked for signs again and again (6;17,36-40). He was afraid of people’s reaction to his obedience (6,27), but carried out God’s command anyway.

When the 22000 men were excused from military duty because of their fear (7:3), I’m sure he wished he could have gone home with them, but God graciously created a special situation to reassure his fears (7:9-14).

Lord, help me remember that You’re able to use anyone, even me.

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UNIQUENESS 1 – God has made each of us wonderfully!

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Devotional Thoughts about Psalm 139:1-18

This Psalm contradicts the prevailing evolutionistic viewpoint that everything came about by chance. Not only has God created everything and is in control of it all, He’s involved with us, His creation, to an extent that we just can’t comprehend.

He knows everything about each of us, far beyond the statistics of height, weight, hair and eye color and even parents, siblings, ethnicity and socio-economic situation. He made and knows the most intricate details of our bodies, intellects and personalities. And all of this was planned long before we ever came to be (Verse 16).

And since our birth, He’s known every single thought before we’ve said it or even had it. It’s just not possible to keep secrets from Him (Verse 4).

Even if we were to run away from Him—which many people try to do—we wouldn’t have a chance of escaping because there’s no place where God isn’t. He can see in the dark, which is light to Him (Verse 12).

Thank You, Lord, that you designed me so thoroughly and thoughtfully (Verse 14) and that you know and love me. 

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DECISIVENESS 4 - Keep on praying!

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Entschlossenheit 4 - German file

Devotional Thoughts about Luke 18:1-8

Even Christians can become very discouraged when they don’t see answers to their prayers. Jesus told this short parable to encourage those with a relationship to Him (in this case His disciples) to keep on praying.

The judge in the story is an insufferable man. He enjoys the perks of his job without even pretending to carry out its duties. But we’re all relieved when he finally moves, however reluctantly, to make sure reparations are made to the widow.

I’ve wondered why Jesus chose to compare this man to God. At some point my attention was drawn to the “how much more” pattern in the New Testament (see Matthew 7:11 and Hebrews 9:13,14 for examples). This turns out to be a Jewish system of logic (apparently codified by Hillel) reasoning from the lesser (or more obvious) to the greater (or more obscure) to make a point.

Jesus doesn’t even use the “how much more” phrase in this passage, but gains the same effect by putting the judge in juxtaposition to God (18:6,7). Most of us have encountered people like the judge and know how infuriating they are. But no matter how long we’ve been saved, none of us yet knows the full extent of God’s love, endurance and justice. Jesus encourages us to trust Him with everything.

Lord, help me to keep on praying for people and situations I see as impossible.

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