CamDevo

I went to a college football game a few weeks ago. Throughout the game, a man stood behind me and cheered loudly every time the team he was rooting for did something good. He shrieked just as loudly in horror when something bad happened for that team. He made his allegiances well known.

The noise wore on me. But it also annoyed me because he was rooting for the wrong team.

I started to wonder why he cared so much. And then I wondered why I cared at all.

The team I was rooting for was comprised of young men who happened to attend the same college as I had. They wore the familiar colors and logos. Aside from that, I knew nothing about them and didn’t feel invested in their lives. My life would not be affected by their success or failure during that game. And yet, I cheered proudly when “my” team scored a touchdown, while the man behind me wailed in misery.

We humans get caught up in tribal mentality quickly and easily — always seeing the world in stark divisions of “us” vs. “them.” We take credit for and celebrate the victories of any individuals in our perceived tribe as if they were our own. And we take their failures personally.

Unfortunately the devil knows us all too well. He recognizes our tendencies toward tribalism and uses that to deepen our divisions, drawing out misplaced fears and unwarranted hatred.

The truth is that we only have one enemy here, and it’s not another human or group of humans. Our true enemy is sin which leads to death, and the devil wants to drag as many of us there with him as he can.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭57,‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

We only have the one true enemy, but because of God’s love, we can already claim victory against it. Death will no longer have the final say for those who trust in Jesus.

Dear God, forgive me for thinking that I have any enemies among your children here. Remind me that the only meaningful team or party or tribe I really belong to is your team. And the only rivalry worth focusing on is between me and sin. Thank you so much for letting me play on your winning team, a unifying team of love.

As I played tennis this morning, I found myself annoyed with my partner. It was a woman I had just met. She seemed intent on blaming me for our losing score. Sure, I was making my share of the errors, but she was making plenty too. For a while, I decided to keep quiet and accept the criticism in stride, while trying to improve my game. But I eventually ran out of patience and pushed back. The next time she highlighted an error I made, I pointed out that she had made errors on the previous two points.

This was not a winning strategy. Both of our games got worse instead of better. My pride kept my focus on my partner’s judgment and comments instead of focusing on my footwork or on the ball.

Humility is really challenging. Pride is insistent and indignant with plenty of rationalization to go around.

When I feel I am in the right or if my rights are being stepped on in any way, humility is not my natural reaction.

“Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross.” (Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬-‭8,‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Jesus had every right not to be humble. He is God. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and eternal. He created the world. And yet, He laid all of that aside to model perfect humility for His followers.

Jesus’s humility was total. He followed humility all the way to death. I couldn’t even follow humility’s course for the rest of a tennis match.

Dear God, I have a lot of work to do when it comes to humility. Help me to stop caring so much about my rights and to care more about the needs of others. Help me to care less about other people’s opinion of me and to care only about your opinion of me.

When Thanksgiving rolls around, we are often asked to list the things we are thankful for. And when praying to God we are encouraged to contemplate the things he has done for us, today, yesterday, and last year.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭34,‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

But the real thing to thank God for is for being God. For being the good God that He is. For loving me, for being faithful to me, and simply for being good.

I’m so grateful that the Creator of the universe values beauty and harmony. He made the world to sustains itself, to continually renew itself, for all things to work together in magnificent ways. (Of course we messed it up quite a bit, but the blueprint of His perfect creation is still visible.)

We could have a creator who enjoyed squalor and pain, but we don’t. He hates those things more than we do. How glad I am that God is good, always and forever.

Dear God, thank you for being you. I’m so grateful for who you are and all that you created out of your goodness and love. Teach me to be good like you.

“Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭8,‬ ‭CSB)‬‬

When I came across this verse today, I decided it was impossible. Ridiculous even. How could I be expected to maintain constant love for anyone? I can’t even maintain constant love for myself, and I allow myself a lot of excuses and rationalizations. I can’t maintain constant anything, really. Every day is different with vastly fluctuating levels of energy, interest, and ability to care.

So what am I supposed to do with this verse?

Two things come to mind. One is that God is the only real source of love. The second lies in the part of the verse that says “love covers a multitude of sins.”

God doesn’t expect me to love anyone out of my own measly resources. He knows my heart and how hard and selfish it is when left to its own desires. But when I stay in constant contact with Him, I have access to His bottomless reservoir of love. He does expect me to spread that around generously. The only thing I have to keep constant is my nearness to Him. Like a hose connected to a spigot. The hose is useless and empty without that constant connection.

And as for the second part, God doesn’t expect me to be perfect, nor should I expect other people to be perfect. That’s the beauty of love. It includes forgiveness and infinite do-overs. To maintain constant love, I just have to maintain constant opportunities to do better next time. God does it for me, and if we do that for each other, love abides, constantly.

Dear God, I’m sorry that I’m so terrible at maintaining constant love. Thank you for your forgiveness and for giving me infinite opportunities to do better. Thank you also for giving me access to your bottomless reservoir of love. Teach me to share it generously with everyone I encounter today, by staying connected solidly to you.

It’s common for people, at some point in their lives, to wonder about their existence. Why am I here? What is my purpose?

For followers of Jesus Christ, our purpose is the same: to spread the Good News about Jesus. In other words, my job as God’s beloved child is to make sure everyone in my sphere of influence knows that they too are loved dearly and unconditionally by the Creator of the universe. This is my purpose, and if you are a believer, it is your purpose too.

The differences between my purpose (aka ministry) and yours is not in the “what” but in the “how.” If I am a landscaper, my ministry will involve other gardeners, the staff at the garden supply store, and my land-owning clients. I may also use my beautiful landscape and floral design to showcase God’s creation, furthering my message of God’s love.

If instead I am a banker, my ministry may involve my coworkers at the bank, the security guard, and bank customers. I may work hard to help people make the most of their resources while modeling generosity and giving glory to God’s wisdom with any financial successes.

“Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬, ‭CSB)‬‬

No matter who I am, what I do for a living, or how I spend my leisure time, I have the same purpose for my life as every other follower of Christ — to share the news of Jesus’s offer of reconciliation with those who don’t yet know.

All the details of my life are given from God as tools to help me fulfill that purpose in my very unique way, location, and time.

Dear God, thank you for giving me a purpose for my existence, one that has so much value. Help me to recognize my daily life as a ministry. Show me who you want me to minister to and how best to do it. I’m so grateful for your gift of reconciliation. Remind me to share this great news in everything I do.

I’ve heard many times, from many different sources that marriage is hard and that it takes work. A good, lasting marriage requires dedicated and consistent effort from both parties.

I have found that to be true. But I have actually found it to be true for all relationships. The difference is in the level of commitment. With other relationships, I can walk away if things get hard, instead of putting in the effort needed. With a marriage, walking away is not an option. At least not an easy one, or one that should be taken lightly.

“Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus,” (Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭5,‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The Bible says that our relationships with other believers should not be taken lightly either. I must commit to the hard work and dedication required to live harmoniously with other believers so that we present a united, welcoming, and loving front to unbelievers. If we are fighting amongst ourselves, how could we ever convince an outsider of our One God’s love? God isn’t fractured; nor should we be.

That is why God promises to provide endurance and encouragement. The endurance is gifted through prayer, allowing us to wake up every day and try again. The encouragement we need is provided through the Bible. In it we can find the harmony we seek. It is the beginning and end of the things we must agree on.

Dear God, thank you for your promise of endurance and encouragement so that I can live in harmony with all your children. I struggle mightily with this. Give me the strength to keep struggling, returning always to your word to direct me back to your truth, leaving behind any personal ideas that are not from you or important to you.

I used to climb trees when I was a kid. There was something almost magical about being up high in the branches. I could see so much farther in all directions. I also felt invisible up there because people rarely look up into trees. It seemed peaceful and safe. I could sit up there for a long time just watching the world, enjoying the gentle sway of the trunk and the sound of the wind in the leaves.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are protected.” (Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭10‬, ‭CSB‬‬)

This verse reminds me of the safety and peace I found in my high refuge as a child. The literal translation of the word translated here as “protected” is “raised up.” When my life gets scary and confusing, I can run to God and be raised up. Like in my treetop. God can give me clarity to allow me to sort my priorities more wisely. He can fill me with peace, dispel my fears, remind me of His love, and give me a moment to rest and recover, away from all the distractions.

To some, a tower is a safe place. To me it was a tree, so that’s the metaphor I choose. The name of the Lord is a strong tree. The righteous run to it and are raised up.

Dear God, thank you for giving me a safe refuge as a child and for being my safe refuge today. I run to you now, asking to be lifted into your protective, loving branches.

How do you know if you’re a sinner? To answer that, you have to know what sin is. Is it stealing? Lying? Cheating? Is it thinking about stealing, lying, or cheating? Is it killing someone who doesn’t deserve it? Is it killing someone who does deserve it? Does it include killing an intruder who is stealing from you? How about killing an enemy soldier in a war zone when they are about to kill you?

It’s a tough question. Or is it?

Jesus said it’s not tough at all. Practically everything we humans do in our fallen state is sinful. My thoughts run rampant with judgment and jealousy. My body, as well as the devil, constantly cajole me to seek my comfort and satisfaction, disregarding the needs of others. Often this happens subconsciously.

In fact, God gave us His Law, over 600 rules including the “Ten Commandments”, to point out just how bad we are at meeting God’s standard.

So how am I to avoid sin!? It happens without me necessarily even being aware of it. I can’t control every thought I have. And I definitely can’t remember, obey, or even understand all of those ancient commandments. I can’t even obey those vaunted ten.

Fortunately, because of Jesus’s sacrifice, I don’t have to. He did it for me. Although, I will always be a sinner, I am saved through Him from the punishment I have earned.

Not only that, He made it simpler for me to combat sin every day. He summarized God’s Law for me in an easy to digest, understand, and remember way. When asked what the greatest command was, He quoted this verse:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭5,‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

And then He quoted this verse:

“…love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.” (Leviticus‬ ‭19‬:‭18,‬ ‭CSB)‬‬

And He said all of the Law is summarized here. If I focus on this, all my questions about what sin is will be easier to answer, thus sin will be easier to avoid. It’s no longer a shadowy moving target.

I will never succeed in being sinless in this life. I am grateful that I don’t have to be. God doesn’t expect that, but He does expect me to focus all my attention and priorities on loving Him by loving others.

Dear God, I’m sorry for how dreadfully sinful I am. I am so grateful that you love me anyway — enough to die for me. Thank you so much for simplifying your law so I only have to focus on how best to love today.

I’m a very light sleeper. It does not take much to wake me up, and once I’m awake, it’s difficult for me to get back to sleep.

One thing that makes it harder for me to sleep is light. In my bedroom, I have removed or covered every little source of light. And there are a surprising number. I covered the thermostat with a flap of black fabric. I bought a clock with a red digital display (the least disruptive night color) and set its brightness to the lowest setting. I sat a stuffed rabbit on top of a speaker with a small offending power indicator light. I even covered the tiny blinking lights on the network switch behind our TV with black tape because even though I couldn’t see them during the day, they drove me batty at night.

When I travel, I search my hotel room for sneaky lights that will harass me in the dark. I usually miss one and have to get up in the middle of the night to see if I can throw a towel or a sock over it. I’m continually baffled by how a tiny blue light on a TV can seem so innocent until 3 am when it behaves like a searchlight, simply because my eyes have adjusted to the dark.

We live in a dark world, and we’ve all grown used to the darkness. Our hearts, like my eyes, have adjusted. Even small acts of generosity and kindness seem brilliant.

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.” (Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬, ‭CSB)‬‬

God is the author of light and is its only source. His first act of creation was to “let there be light.” But His people chose darkness. We eschewed His light thinking we didn’t need it.

Fortunately He didn’t take it away from us entirely. He left us with dribbles that seem bright enough while we scurry around with our sin-adjusted hearts. Then He sent Jesus — such a brilliant reminder of how bright true light is supposed to be.

Those who want the light are drawn to His love like blossoming flowers. Those who prefer to hide their deeds in the shadows scurry from Jesus in fear and disgust.

One day, God will reveal the full and undimmed wattage of His glory, burning away all that is evil. And there will be no more darkness to adjust my eyes, or heart, to.

Dear God, thank you for your brilliant light. I can’t even begin to fully appreciate it now, but I look forward to basking in the glow of your goodness for eternity. In the meantime, teach me how to reflect your light in the darkness around me.

Last night I was walking down a crowded sidewalk, and I felt like a salmon swimming upstream. There were more people walking toward me than with me. Each time someone approached, I got out of their way.

Many times these people were talking or looking at their phones — not paying attention to their paths — and would have run right into me if I hadn’t slid out of the way.

After a while, I got frustrated. I wondered why it was my job to get out of their way every time. I decided to let the next collision happen. So, when a man strode toward me chatting excitedly with friends, I kept walking and braced for impact. But it never happened. At the last second the guy hitched up and jigged out of my way, stumbling slightly.

I felt a little guilty. I could have easily gotten out of his way, but I didn’t. I was angry and ready for a confrontation. I was prepared to take out the anger I had accumulated on one guy.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭9,‬ ‭CSB)‬

I recognize that feeling I had on the sidewalk. I’ve had it in all kinds of situations in my life. Each time, I have a choice. With every interaction, I can choose to be a peacemaker, or I can brace for impact. I can seek the interests of others, or I can make sure my rights aren’t trampled. I can put aside my pride and act with love, or I can serve myself.

Clearly, Jesus has an opinion on which I choose. Every time.

Dear God, thank you for the reminder of what it takes to be your child. Thank you for looking out for my needs so I don’t have to. Teach me to choose love, in all circumstances.