How to Become a Car

By Peter Lundell –

It’s been said that sitting in a church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. I decided to test the theory myself. Still human.

Since the time of Jesus, people have been confusing the commitment and lifestyle of following Jesus with the religion of Christianity. We easily forget that Jesus never came to start a new religion. He already had one. We call it Judaism. Jesus came to connect us to God.

People have a habit of adding things like rituals, institutions and allegiances—any of which can either help or hinder. Besides things we do in worship services, or how we spend our time, we can also confuse our spiritual identity with our national or cultural identity.

Christianity as a religion too often replaces the intimate relationship Jesus intended for us to have with God. What a cheap substitute! We too easily settle for going through motions rather than engage the harder prospect of life transformation. No wonder people often leave church.

This tendency has a lot to do with why evangelicals often have a bad reputation in America. And why so many of them do things to deserve that reputation. When we lose sight of what Jesus cared and didn’t care about, we say and do all kinds of dumb things.

I’m not saying don’t go to church. People who bail out on church sever themselves from the main social/spiritual fabric God established to keep us spiritual healthy and interactive. The church is essential. The issue is what the church does about what Jesus said and did.

Where do you fit in all this?

PRAYER: “Lord Jesus, beyond any church routines and any of my comfort zones, I hunger for You. Change me and keep changing me. May I be a blessing in my church so that my church will better help people connect with You.”

“Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:9 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by Peter Lundell, author of the award-winning book Prayer Power. A rising new voice on connecting with God, Lundell is a pastor, Bible college teacher, and conference speaker. Visit him at www.PeterLundell.com for his inspirational “Connections” and free downloads of articles, parables, short stories, and book chapters.

It’ll Flatten Out Eventually

By Cynthia Ruchti –

So I’m hiking through the woods in Alaska and…

I’ve never written a line like that before. But there I was, following a guide over narrow trails that led up—and I mean UP—the cliffs around a glacial lake near Skagway.

When my husband and I signed on for this combination hike-and-float excursion, no one told us it would test our hearts’ ability to keep from exploding. Or our lungs’ desire to slip through our ribcage and run for cover.

No one told us, “It would probably be best if you were in good shape, underweight, and athletically inclined,” none of which matched our description.

I longed for the guide to list a few more points of interest while we stood clumped on a relatively flat part of the trail. My heart rate had only returned from nuclear meltdown to danger zone when he said, “Let’s keep moving. This next section of the trail is pretty steep. Watch your step.”

Too many minutes later, the guide motioned us to another clearing so he could show us what the bear had eaten recently.

“It’s pretty steep here yet for a while…”

Okay. Jesus, I’ll be seeing You soon. Looking forward to it.

“But the trail will eventually flatten out. The last third is fairly level land as we work our way along the shore to our put-in point for the raft.”

Level. I definitely heard the word level. The trail will eventually flatten out. Those words became my theme song as I hauled my sorry carcass over the rocks and roots and up the torturous path. I would have quit. Any number of times. But I didn’t want to look like a sissy, for one. And two, how would the others have gotten my body back to civilization? Just give me a shove and roll me down the cliff face? No thanks.

I took another step and another and another because of the promise that the trail would eventually flatten out.

And that’s how we keep going after grief crushes us or disappointment slices us open or the path turns so steep we can’t breathe.

God promised that the trail would eventually flatten out. We can make it that far. Then He will—as my husband did—put His arm around us and say, “What a trooper!”

Looking forward to it.

PRAYER: Lord, I’m clinging to Your promise that the trail will eventually flatten out. Could I ride on Your shoulders until it does?

“The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down” (Psalm 145:14 KJV).

Today’s devotional is by Cynthia Ruchti, writer/producer of THE HEARTBEAT OF THE HOME radio ministry and president of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Cynthia’s debut novel—They Almost Always Come Home—released with Abingdon Press May 1, 2010–http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtZb0by984g. Cynthia writes stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark (www.cynthiaruchti.com).

Warning—Forgiving Can Lead to Excessive Giggling!

By Bruce Hebel –

Recently my wife, Toni, and I were at a church in California helping people walk through heaven’s protocols of forgiveness. Jan, a hospitality leader at the church, was assisting us by finding places where we could minister to the people we were helping. After we finished ministering, Jan told us that she too needed help forgiving. Since it was so late and given the fact that she had people waiting for her to give them a ride home, she wouldn’t be able to meet with us. I suggested to her that she drop her passengers off where they needed to go and then meet us in the breakfast area of our hotel. She agreed.

We had barely arrived at our hotel when Jan called to tell us that she was in the lobby. When we met her we found that she had brought her husband and her daughter Lisa with her, along with her daughter’s best friend. You see, the wound that Jan was struggling with also involved her daughter. Lisa had recently revealed that a family member had molested her for four years when she was a child. Both mother and daughter were clearly in torment. We decided it was best to work with them one-on-one, so Toni took the daughter and her friend into another area of the hotel while I stayed with Jan and her husband. We individually worked these wounded ladies through Heaven’s protocols of forgiving the deep wounds that were caused by that horrific experience. As Jan finished forgiving the offender and also forgiving herself, it was remarkable to see the peace and joy that began to shine from her countenance. Her smile was radiant. Her once sad eyes were now full of joy.

Later, when Lisa returned to where we were sitting, I asked her, “How are you doing? How is your heart?”  She just giggled. The more I inquired, the more she giggled. She could not answer me for giggling. When we first met her, she was withdrawn and depressed. Now, after walking through Heaven’s protocols of forgiveness, she was so full of joy she couldn’t talk.

That’s the way it is when we forgive. Forgiveness always brings joy to the one who grants it. Always! And sometimes it even leads to excessive giggling.

AUTHOR QUOTE: God unleashes His blessings on us when we choose to forgive!

“I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11 NET).

Today’s devotional is by Bruce Hebel, Forgiving Forward Seminar Speaker, President of ReGenerating Life Ministries, and Adjunct Professor at Carver Bible College. He is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and has served in ministry for over 35 years.

Rooted in Christ

By Carin LeRoy –

For years I grew African Violets, collecting them in every color—pink, violet, lavender and purple. I loved seeing their tiny delicate flowers bloom. Because African Violets are fussy plants, it took time for me to learn how to encourage good growth. They need constant care. Too much water rots their roots, while too little makes them wither and die. Bump them, and you break their brittle stems. The right amount of filtered light helps them flourish, and they like a constant temperature range—not too hot or cold. The right amount of fertilizer encourages dark leaves while too much burns them.

One day I wondered what caused the difference between two of my plants. I found that the plant that had copious blooms was root-bound. The one without many blossoms wasn’t. Plenty of dirt and the plant became comfortable. Without a strong root system it didn’t have the ability to provide generous flowers. But when the roots were squeezed tightly in the pot, the result was a bountiful, colorful display.

That reminds me of our lives as Christians. When life is easy, we tend to coast through life. Others might not see much growth in our spiritual walk. When life is hard, we have a need to rely on God to get us through. When we feel squeezed with the pressure of hard times, God has the ability to teach and prune us. He begins to develop strong roots of faith in our life as we learn to trust Him. When those lessons are learned, we bloom. Others begin to see the beauty of change in our lives.

I believe God allows hard times because we may not learn the lessons He has for us any other way. It is during those difficulties that we become pliable and willing to learn and change. Just as I cared for my African Violets to encourage their flowers, God lovingly cares for us. He desires us to bloom and become a sweet fragrance for Christ. He wants us to bear fruit for Him. If you are facing a difficulty, let it be a time when God can grow strong roots of faith in your heart. Trust Him. Soon you will see beautiful blooms of growth in your life.

PRAYER: Lord, give me strong roots of faith in my heart as I learn to trust You through hard times. Keep me mindful that You are working in my life to help me grow and bear fruit for You.

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love, you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and thus know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3: 17-19 NET).

Today’s devotional is by Carin LeRoy, wife to Dale and mother of three grown children and one almost-grown teenager. She has been a missionary with Pioneers since 1982. Her passions are family, missions, piano, and writing to challenge others to live faithful lives for God.

What Our Unforgiveness Says To God

By Bruce Hebel –

Are you aware that whether or not we forgive others is a real big deal to God? It is. If you take the time to study scripture, you’ll be hard pressed to find any subject that is more important to Father God than forgiveness. Think about it. In the Lord’s Prayer, forgiveness is the only part of the prayer that has a condition attached to it; forgive us as we forgive others. In addition, forgiveness is the only issue in the prayer that Jesus gives immediate commentary on. In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus connected the Father’s forgiveness of us with our forgiveness of others. He repeats the connection in Mark 11:25-26.

Have you ever asked yourself why our forgiveness of others is so important to God? Believe me, He really does take it seriously when we don’t forgive. Why? The answer is found at the center of the redemption story. It basically goes like this: God created man for the purpose of enjoying Him forever. Man sinned against God, which required judgment and created a debt owed to God. Man could not pay the price required. Jesus, God’s son, came to earth for the purpose of paying man’s sin debt. When Jesus died on the cross He proclaimed, “It is finished!” thus declaring that, through the shedding of His own blood, He had paid for the sin debt of everyone in the entire world. Three days later, by raising His Son from the dead, the Father declared, “I agree. It is finished. I accept my Son’s blood as payment for the sins of the world.”

When we say, “I know God forgives them, but I can’t,” we are telling God the Father that, although we recognize that He values the blood of His Son enough to pay for the sins of the world, which includes the sins against us, we need something more than that. The blood of Jesus is enough to satisfy God but is not valuable enough to satisfy me.

Can you imagine looking at Father God and saying, “Your Son’s crowning achievement is not good enough. Jesus really didn’t finish His work because the sin against me requires a higher payment then He paid?” Really? Is there any father who would not be angered by that?

Now do you understand why unforgiveness is such a big deal to God?

AUTHOR QUOTE: The blood of Jesus covers all sins, including the ones committed against me!

“For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15 NET).

Today’s devotional is by Bruce Hebel, Forgiving Forward Seminar Speaker, President of ReGenerating Life Ministries, and Adjunct Professor at Carver Bible College. He is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and has served in ministry for over 35 years.

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