CamDevo

God has made some really amazing products. Take muscles, for example. When you push them to the limit of what they can withstand, they actually get stronger. Little fibers inside them will stretch and break, and it will be painful, but with proper hydration and rest, those tears will heal and produce thicker, stronger muscle. They will be able to withstand more next time.

If I tried this with cloth or rope or just about any man-made product, I would discover it to be weaker the next time, not stronger. Any little breakages would not heal. Damage would simply accumulate until the item failed entirely.

“Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭3‬, ‭CSB‬‬)

Fortunately, my faith is not a man-made product. It is divine, created in me by God and strengthened, like my muscles, by usage and testing.

How do I exercise my faith? By doing something that requires its use. To strengthen my core muscles, I could to do a bunch of sit-ups. To strengthen my faith muscles, I could tell someone I know about my relationship with Jesus or donate time and money to someone in need.

God will also send me things to test my faith if I have been lazy about using it myself. He doesn’t want me to get spiritually weak and flabby.

It may be difficult, even painful, but with proper rest and spiritual nourishment, my faith will become stronger and ready to accomplish more next time.

Dear God,

Thank you for my amazing ability to heal and grow stronger when I use my muscles — my physical ones and my spiritual ones. Forgive me for my laziness. Teach me what I should do to exercise my faith today.

One of the things God likes His children to do is talk about the great things He has done.

This sounds kind of arrogant and self-absorbed, right? If a friend asked me to talk them up to everyone I knew, I’d be suspicious and put off. Maybe I’d tell them to seek therapy.

Well, God asks exactly this of His children.

“Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; proclaim his deeds among the peoples.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭105‬:‭1‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I used to wonder why the Creator and Ultimate Power of the Universe would need me to praise Him. I struggled with how (and why) to praise God.

Then I started a praise journal.

After adding to it faithfully every morning for a few weeks — just a few sentences about who God is and what is great about Him — I discovered the answer. Praising God is really for me, not Him. He doesn’t need my laudation. He knows exactly how awesome He is. But I need to remember how amazing He is because I forget. And fear creeps in.

If I take the time to talk about how powerful God is, about all the great things He has done, and remind myself of His majesty and splendor, the fear dissipates. And by sharing, maybe I can help someone else’s fear dissipate as well.

Dear God,

You are magnificent and you know it. You don’t need praise from me, but you deserve more than I could ever offer. Thank you for encouraging me to praise you so that I am reminded of your generous love, your invincible power, and your brilliant, beautiful holiness.

Early in my career as a software engineer I had a job at a small game company. I programmed games for a new thing called the Internet. I absolutely loved my job.

I was the only one in that office working specifically on Internet games so I worked by myself, for the most part. I had control over the game design, the art, the text, and I did all the programming and testing. It was fun and rewarding. I was annoyed by weekends and would look forward to getting back to work on Mondays.

I’d never felt that way in a job before. And sadly, I haven’t been lucky enough to find such a job since.

I think heaven will be a place where I can work hard doing things I love doing. The fruits of my labor will be useful and appreciated. Having a feeling of purpose, accomplishment, capability and joy, what could be better?

God wants this beautiful feeling for His children. It was His original design in the garden. Only after we chose power and control instead of obedience to God did we realize we also chose a grueling life of striving and struggle.

But God doesn’t want to leave us there.

“For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.” ‭‭(Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬, ‭CSB‬‬)

God has a beautiful plan and wants me to work with Him to accomplish it. The best part is that He wants me to do the things I already love doing and use the skills and talents I already have as part of that work.

Because He loves me.

Dear God,

Thank you for your generosity in providing ways to obey you and bring you glory that I actually enjoy. I know life isn’t all roses and rainbows in this fallen world, but I’m so grateful that in the midst of my striving, you provide opportunities to serve you in ways that fill us both with joy.

I have heard “fight the good fight” used in many situations. Some of them are very far afield from what is meant in the Bible, the source of the modern idiom. For example, I’ve seen it used in a magazine article about marketing to the appropriate customers. They really meant fight the “right” fight. Militarily it is used to encourage soldiers to fight hard for their particular country, making it a nationalistic slogan.

So what is the “good fight”?

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” ‭‭(2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭7,‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Don’t overthink it. A good fight, as Paul uses it here, is a fight for good. Specifically, a fight to remain faithful to Jesus and His ministry. Jesus’s ministry and command to His followers was to love God and love people. So, the good fight is to battle against anything that gets in the way of love.

And this is truly a hard battle. There are so many things that get in the way of love. In today’s society, one huge impediment to love (among many) is anonymity. From cars with tinted-black windows, to online comments, other people have become distant ideas and disembodied avatars. It’s easy to be rude to someone when I can’t see their face and how they are affected by my cruel words.

So we have road rage. I can’t see the person in the car who just cut me off so I can mentally turn them into a wicked villain, hate them, and retaliate. The devil loves nothing more.

And online we are quick to say awful things that we would never say to anyone in person.

The good fight involves battling the urge to demonize and retaliate, reminding myself that every other human is a beloved child of God. It requires me to de-anonymize myself and become vulnerable. I have to actually speak with people, get to know people, and fight hard to love them. This is where the battle lies. This is the “good” fight.

Dear God,

Please give me the strength and courage to fight for love every day. Forgive me for hiding behind barriers in fear and self-righteous judgment. Protect me as I step out to fight the good fight against hatred, pride, indifference, and injustice.

I live near the location of the highest recorded temperature on earth (according to the World Meteorological Organization). That was 134°F in 1913 in Death Valley, California.

Thankfully, I don’t live anywhere near the coldest temperature (‬‬-128.6°F), which was recorded in Vostok, Antarctica in 1983. (Although I grew up in Wisconsin which seemed about that cold when I stood outside in the morning waiting for the school bus in mid-February.)

No matter these extremes, the earth is a miraculous place. Wherever I travel, I can be sure I won’t boil to death like I would on Mercury or freeze solid like I would on the other side of Mercury.

Thanks to our atmosphere, held in place by our gravity, and our planet orbiting in the “Goldilocks Zone,” our mean surface temperature is currently around 59°F which seems pretty comfy. Without the atmosphere, it would be closer to 0°F, but the daily extremes would kill us all. (That is, if we weren’t killed by ultraviolet radiation, cosmic rays, and micrometeorites which our atmosphere also shields us from.)

While there may be billions of other planets that could potentially sustain life as we know it, none of them are anywhere near us. God created this one just for us, and it’s miraculously perfect.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew‬ ‭19‬:‭26,‬ ‭CSB)

Although earth was God’s perfect creation for us, we do have to take care of it. We can’t make a new one. God can, and has promised to do so, but I’m pretty sure we don’t deserve it.

Dear God,

Thank you for this beautiful planet with seasons and light and gravity and water and temperatures that allow your children to thrive. What a miracle! Forgive me for taking it for granted all too often. Teach me to do everything I can to love, appreciate, and care for the gift of your creation.

Life can seem like one long struggle when faced with addiction. Every day is a new test of endurance.

I am addicted to sugar.

Did you scoff? I am fortunate that my particular addiction is socially acceptable, unlike many addictions. We call it a “sweet tooth.” Sounds fun. Most people wouldn’t even call it a “real” addiction. That’s fine. To me it is real, and it’s a daily challenge.

American companies push sugar. They cram it into every possible food to boost sales and profits. And it works because sugar tastes good. And it is addictive.

I’m not overweight, but I could easily be if I were to stop fighting. The battle against my cravings for sugar is constant. I don’t always win, but I wake up every day with renewed determination to eat healthily.

The struggle against sin is like my battle with sugar cravings in many ways. I am fighting against powerful external forces as well as my own internal desires.

“Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Fortunately, in my battle against sin, I have an advocate more powerful than the devil, society, and my cravings combined. Jesus has already fought my battle for me and won. All I need to do is trust Him and keep getting up every morning to try to love well, gratefully accepting His forgiveness when I fail.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for giving me the strength to fight temptations in my life. Thank you even more for your promise of forgiveness when I fail, when I give in to the urge to hate instead of love, to take instead of give, to insult instead of encourage. Help me to try again today and endure in my struggle until you come again.

Doing laundry is a very unsatisfying task. I pull clothes from the hamper, wash them, dry them, fold them, and put them away, but before I can finish all that, more dirty clothes have appeared in the hamper again. I can never quite check “laundry” off my to-do list. It just always needs doing.

I think because it always needs doing yet never is completed, I rarely get thanked for doing it either. People get thanked for big, one-and-done tasks like fixing the broken refrigerator, picking someone up from the airport, or sewing a costume for the school play.

But laundry? When do I even thank someone? When it’s dry but in a pile in the laundry basket? Or when it has been folded perhaps? If I wait until it’s been put away, how do I even know that it happened?

There are plenty of other thankless tasks like this in the world. Garbage collection maybe. Janitorial services of all kinds actually. Lawn mowing. Weeding. Grocery shopping. Preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner…

Even though these tasks usually go unnoticed and seemingly unappreciated, they are all incredibly important. They are vital in fact. God knows it. He sees me and appreciates everything I do that contributes to a better world in any way, big or small.

“Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭CSB‬‬

When I’m folding laundry, I don’t think about all the accolades I will get for a job well done. And hopefully I don’t grumble about the thankless task either. Instead I remember I am humbly serving God by working hard and doing a good job.

Dear God,

Thank you for your promise to see me and reward me for my hard work and humble acts of service. Forgive me for grumbling when I feel under appreciated. Teach me how to be satisfied in this life with the promise of rewards in the next when I humbly serve you.

In ancient times the best way to protect your kingdom was to prove you could defend it well, especially with lavish displays of sturdy chariots and strong horses.

In modern times, and on a much smaller scale, homeowners stake signs outside their houses proclaiming the name of the security company that will rush to their aid if an intruder attempts to break in.

I can use this same strategy when protecting myself from spiritual attacks. If I cover myself with the name of Jesus, dark forces will stay clear. They know His name and the mighty power they will be up against if they attack me.

“Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭20‬:‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬

To get God’s protective banner on my life I need to stick close to Him at all times.

Dear God,

Cover me in the name of your Son today so that I am protected from evil attacks. Forgive me for wandering off on my own without your banner of love over me. Draw me back to study your word, to pray, and to worship you so that your name shines out from my life like a warning in neon.

I grew up in a house on a large hill. I remember being comforted as a child by the knowledge that this house would never suffer from floods due to our high position. When heavy rains fell, the people who lived near the river filled sand bags and wrung their hands with worry. But I was able to get on with the business of being a child. I put on my rubber boots and played in the puddles.

My confidence can be as strong today as it was when I was a child. But my confidence is in God, not in a hill.

“The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Instead of being confident that my elevation will protect me from floods, I can be confident that my God will protect me from any and all of life’s disasters. Problems will most definitely come, but I can trust that God will be with me through them all. He will lift me up, light my path, and comfort me. Even if I lose “everything,” whatever I have left will be all I need because God will provide. I can confidently get on with the business of being His child.

Dear God,

Thank you for the reminder that I can trust you in all things. No matter what life brings, I know you will be with me, your power will protect me, your wisdom will guide me, and your love will comfort me. I am so grateful to be able to put my confidence in you.

In grade school, my classmates and I were required to participate in the Presidential Physical Fitness Award program which involved accomplishing several feats of strength, speed, or agility including a 50-yard dash and a 600-yard run.

I excelled in the 50-yard dash but struggled with the 600-yard run. I loved sprinting but hated running. Still do.

I always ended up walking those 600 yards. To me, the award wasn’t worth the pain.

“Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭CSB‬‬

My pursuit of Jesus and His way of life should not be like my 600-yard run effort. The stakes are very high. The prize is incomparable. Every day, I need to give it everything I’ve got. God deserves my best.

Dear God,

Thank you for giving me your best when you sent Jesus to save me. Forgive me for serving you half-heartedly at times. Thank you for reminding me that you deserve and expect my full effort and attention on the tasks you have laid out for me.