The Importance of Character and Integrity

August 12 BIBLE MEDITATION: “The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.” Proverbs 20:7 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: This world says if we could just arrange conditions where we never have any sorrow, pain, or hurts, then we could change men. If we can change conditions, we can change character. But the Bible teaches just the opposite. The world puts the emphasis on condition. God puts the emphasis on character. Someone has well said you can’t purify the water by painting the pump. And yet that’s what we try to do. We think that if we can change the exterior or make conditions such that we never have any hurts, then we’re going to be okay. But Jesus put the emphasis upon character — on what you are, not what you have. ACTION POINT: Is there someone in your life you admire? Someone who is a person of integrity? Praise God for His work in that person’s life and give him or her a word of encouragement. share devotional with a friend visit lwf.org

 

True Trust

Trusting God turns problems into opportunities.

John 9:1-11

Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.—John 9:3

If you didn’t know him, you might think Nick Vujicic has everything going for him. Nick has never had a sore arm. He’s never had knee problems. He’s never smashed his finger in a door, stubbed his toe, or banged his shin against a table leg.

But that’s because Nick doesn’t have a shin. Or a toe. Or a finger. Or a knee. Or an arm. Nick was born with no arms and no legs.

 

When We Don’t Draw Near To God

Practical Steps for Effective Quiet Times

1. Schedule time with God. Your devotional time is like anything else you intend to do. Unless it planned, it usually wont’ happen

Specifically, before you go to bed, try to decide on a time and place to be alone with the Father the next day.

 2. Choose a place. If possible, conduct your quiet time in the same location every day. Eventually, this spot will take on special significance. Being there will affect your mood and your ability to concentrate.

Choose a place off the beaten path of your daily activities. You need a place where the only thing you do there is meet with God.

No matter where you live, you can find a spot to be alone with God.

 3. Use a variety of methods. If spending time with Him has become monotonous, the culprit is probably your method. The cure is to modify your routine.

Remember, this is a relationship. Look for ways to keep it fresh, and your quiet times won’t be boring.

 

Adapted from “Charles Stanley’s Handbook for Christian Living,” 1996, pgs. 500-503

 

Urge To Jump

Jumping to wrong conclusions is one of the greatest of all dangers.

Joshua 22:10-16,21-29

If you hear someone…saying, “Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants,”. . .then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently.–Deut. 13:12-14

In April 2006, a stuntman tried to jump from the top of the Empire State Building. At the last minute, authorities restrained him and charged him with reckless endangerment. After a judge had looked carefully at all the facts, he dismissed the charges, noting that the accused had taken steps to ensure the safety of others. With parachute strapped to his back, Jeb Corliss had safely made 3,000 previous jumps, including leaps from the 1,483-foot Petrona Towers in Juala Lumpur and the Eiffel Tower.

 

The Debt Of Leadership

The only leaders qualified to lead are those who have learned to serve.

Psalm 86

Save Your servant who trusts in You!—Psalm 86:2

Examine the words of Psalm 86, and you might forget that you are reading the musings of a good leader. King David prayed, “O LORD hear me; for I am poor and needy” (v.1). Then the king of Israel refers to himself as a “servant” and pleads for mercy. Think of it! This was the man God had chosen to lead His people, pleading for God’s help. Wow!

As we think about the role of leaders—whether centuries ago or today—it’s vital that we review what leadership means. According to businessman and author Max De Pree, whose leadership moved his company near the top of the Fortune 500: “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to

 

Waste Time Wisely: The Word

As we dive back into the practice of spiritual disciplines . . ., this segment should probably come with a warning. Something along the lines of: Spending time in the Word is both beneficial and hazardous to your life.

Actually, it might also need another caution: Setting aside time for the Word will be one of the hardest and yet most beneficial habits you can form.

If these ideas seem overly negative or somewhat pessimistic, let’s take a moment to reflect on how we (I) spend our (my) time. I’ll start out with my daily routine. Wake up. Get ready for work. Work. Work. Work. Go home. Eat dinner. Spend time with my wife/friends. Take the dog for a walk. Watch TV. Go to sleep. Wake up. Rinse and repeat.

That incredibly basic summation doesn’t even include the myriad of things that we—the talented multi-tasking generation—do along with our usual “stuff.” There’s music, movies, phone calls, Blackberrying, emergencies, duties at church or school, etc. And if you have one or more children, you can multiply those responsibilities by 10 (or 20 or 100).

 

Waste Time Wisely: Fasting

Ah, fasting. Willingly going without food. The thought of not eating for a day or any extended period of time is enough to make one’s blood run cold. Not eat? Surely you jest. There are people starving around the world; people who wish that they could have access to the bounty of food we in the western world enjoy. How arrogant of us to take something like that for granted!

Or perhaps we think that fasting is an ancient practice, something that Christians of old had to do, but has since become passé. As modern followers of Jesus, we can rely on the entirety of Scripture. Plus we’ve got prayer and the church. Surely that’s all we need to hear from the Lord.

But what if it’s not that simple? It’s time to unpack some of this and see what place (if any) fasting has as a spiritual discipline for us today.

 

Waste Time Wisely: Solitude

What choices are you making in your relationship with Christ? Whether you realized it or not when you started walking with Jesus, the decision to begin that relationship is only the first in a lifetime of choices. You choose how to walk with Him, how to serve Him, how to stand for Him…or conversely, how not to do those things. Even being apathetic about your faith in Him is itself a decision.

With all these possibilities for your faith and how it could grow, you might be asking yourself, “Where do I start? How do I make the right choices in my life concerning my walk with Jesus?”

Let’s take a look at His life and see how He handled these decisions in His own relationship with His Father. Over the next few weeks we’ll be examining the spiritual disciplines that were central to His life…and we’ll consider what it might look like to actively incorporate those practices into our own lives.

 

Respect

Even the most dificult people we know bear the image of God.

Esther 1:1-5, 9-12

You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.—Psalm 8:5

Long before Aretha’s hit record, Queen Vashti topped the Persian charts with her own version of “Respect.” The book of Esther begins with King Ahasuerus hosting a great celebration. In addition to displaying his wealth and power, he also wanted to showcase his wife’s beauty. So he commanded that Queen Vashti be brought before him and his guests.