Too often we look at life from a worldly point of view, mainly because we live in the world and are surrounded by it all the time.  However, what we need to do is live life from a Biblical point of view.  I have created a 28 day devotional that helps give us a Biblical perspective.  Each day has three different passages with the same three themes:

1. Who God is…
2. Who I am…
3. What I am called to do…

I believe that God wants us to look to the Scriptures and understand how these three fit together.  You can print out this one page devotional chart for your own personal use by clicking here.

How can I get the most out of this devotional?  Read and meditate on each passage of Scripture.  Meditation simply means that you take a few minutes to prayerfully think deeply and ponder what is written.  Jot down some notes, in a journal, as you go along .  Each day has a main theme, so as you go through each passage try to draw out the main theme.   Look at the relationships between who God is, who you are and what God is calling you to do.  Who we are and what God has called us to do should mirror who God is.  Finally, apply the truths to your own life.  Ask the question, “How do these passages identify me and cause me to live differently today as I interact with the world around me?”

• Read and prayerfully meditate on the passages.
• Draw out the main theme.
• Apply it to your life today.

It is critically important that we do not read the Scriptures as a book of “do’s and don’ts”.  God desires that we know Him intimately, that we understand Jesus Christ has come to save us from our sins and redeem us back into a loving relationship with God.  May you read, meditate and bathe yourself in the truth of God so that you walk away transformed by His love and grace.

Here is an example of one day:

Who God is…Ephesians 4:4-6

There is one God and this one God who is a Spirit is over all things.  God is sovereign, God is in control.  God watches over me as my Father.

Who I am…1 Corinthians 12:27

I am a member of the body of Christ.  All believers make up the whole body of Christ, but God has also called me to be an individual member, with specific gifts and living out a specific role He has for me.

What I am Called to Do…Ephesians 4:15-16

I am to be a part of a growing body, the church, the body of Christ.  I am to grow individually, but also corporately with everyone else.  I am to speak the truth in love.

The devotional really is that simple.  But I think you see the progression of Biblical thought.  The beauty of this study is that you can take ten minutes to prayerfully meditate on the passages or an hour, whatever you like.

All for Jesus,

Fletch

When you read through Exodus you cannot miss the point that God is in control.  If you believe like I do that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and written by him using human authors and actual  historcal events you see that God is constantly orchestrating history.  The Israelites needed to get out of Egypt.  Pharoh had used them as slaves for too long and it was time to leave.  As you read through the story in Exodus it is quite suspenseful to see how they get out.  And when you get to Exodus 14 God makes it clear that the string of events is not random nor did they happen by fate.  The events happened according to God’s plan and for His glory.

ESV Exodus 14:17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen.

ESV Exodus 14:4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.

ESV Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

God is jealous for His own glory.  He is the conductor of this meticulously orchestrated concert in history.  While we as humans may not fully understand why God does all that He does we still have to believe and trust in His holiness and righteousness to carry out His will.  We also have to understand that God sees everything all at once while we only get a glimpse of what is really going on.

Our current economic and historical situation is looking quite bleak.  Banks are collapsing, retail stores are going bankrupt and people are losing their jobs everyday.  While we understand that our situation is due mainly to man’s greed and pursuit of power we still have to believe that God is in control of the situation.  Our perspective is limited to what we can see and understand but God’s perspective is unlimited.  God led the Israelites into an impossible situation.  While they were fleeing the Egyptians God led them to the Red Sea.  God could have led them into the wilderness where there was at least some space to run.  But instead God led the Israelites to a spot where they could not flee.  The Egyptian army was breathing down their necks while the Red Sea stopped them in their tracks.  They faced an impossible situation. There was nothing that they could do for themselves. But that is exactly where God wanted them to be because He wanted to display His power and He wanted to get the glory.  You know the rest of the story, God parts the Red Sea, the Israelites cross on dry ground, the Egyptians pursue but once they try to cross the Red Sea God closes the waters and they all drowned.  The Israelites are saved and the Egyptian army is destroyed.  No human could have planned it out this way, but God did and He gets all the glory.

No human can figure out what the future will hold for our economy, our country, our families or for us individually.  But those who have trusted in Christ as their Redeemer can continue to trust in Him to redeem us from any situation or circumstance we face.  Our hope is in Christ.  When we begin to put forth our own notions of how things should be or how they should turn out we are setting ourselves above God and putting hope within ourselves.  All for our own glory and this is a big mistake.

So as we watch and live in this chaotic world, let’s not forget that God is in control, that He is sovereign, that His providence will prevail.  And let’s not forget to give Him all the glory for all that He does.

Is it better to live here on earth or is it better to be in heaven with Jesus?  To live here on earth means that we experience pain, suffering, difficulty and sorrow.  We have to live in a wretched world full of sin and misery.  Disease, sickness, depression, hatred and selfishness characterize our daily lives.  But in heaven none of this exists.  There is no sorrow, pain or sin.  Heaven is a holy place.  So is there really a question as to which is better?  Of course we will be better off in heaven.  Then the question follows…why don’t we just go to heaven once we become a Christian and skip the pain and misery of living here on earth?

The answer comes from the Scriptures;

²¹ “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²² If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. ²³ I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. ²⁴ But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.” Philippians 1:21-26

Paul says that it is better to be with Christ but to remain here on earth means fruit labor.  He says “it is necessary on your account.”  Don’t miss this.  For Paul, it is better to be in heaven with Christ.  But Paul is not looking at his life according to what is best for him.  Paul is looking at life from the perspective of what God thinks is best.  God wants Paul here on the earth for the progress and joy of the Philippians.  So Paul’s life here on earth has nothing to do with himself, at least not directly.  Paul’s life is to be lived for others for the glory of God. 

The problem is that most of us go through life living for ourselves.  So we live life exactly the opposite of how God wants us to live it.  We must understand the Biblical concept of not living life for ourselves but for God and for others.  Jesus makes this clear when He is asked what is the first and greatest commandment in Matthew 22:34-40.  Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and the second is like it, to love your neighbor as yourself.  Neither commandment says that we should live for ourselves.  There should be no confusion.  Except that our sinful nature constantly and consistently puts ourselves at the heart and center of everything.

Somehow we have to lose sight of ourselves and get caught up in loving God and loving others.  Joel Osteen has a bestseller called “Your Best Life Now”.  Where’s the focus? It’s on YOU.  I think a title of a more Biblical book would be called, “Life is not about you!”  It probably wouldn’t be a bestseller.  But it would be glorifying to God, whereas Olsteen’s book is a stench to God.