CamDevo

Then he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬ ‭CSB‬‬

As a young Christian in high school I struggled over how to know God’s will for me. When someone asked me out, I asked God what I should do. I didn’t hear Him say yes or no, so I got frustrated. When opportunities arose to get a part-time job or join a certain team or club or go on a study-abroad program, God was equally silent. When it came time to decide where to go to college, still no guidance from God.

I read in the Bible about all the times God spoke directly to people, and I was envious. When Gideon asked God for a sign to verify God’s call, God obliged by making Gideon’s fleece dewy while the rest of the ground around it remained dry. And a second time, when Gideon was still unconvinced, God kept the fleece dry while the ground was covered in dew.

I never got any signs like that.

To this day there are still decisions I wish God would weigh in on.

On the other hand, I never got any unusual or challenging commands from God either. He never came to me in a dream and told me I would be pregnant by the Holy Spirit or appeared in a burning bush asking me to lead a slave revolt.

So I have learned God’s relative silence means that I have freedom to choose. That’s not a bad thing. It’s a great gift, in fact. Plus, He assures me that I can’t mess up His plan for me no matter what choices I make, which is also good news.

Today’s verse reminds me that God isn’t entirely silent however. If I want to know God’s will for my life, I don’t need to look any father than this verse. God wants me to tell everyone about His love. As long as the other choices I make don’t impede this command, God allows me to choose whatever I want. There will still be consequences of my choices that I will need to live with, but that’s life.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for the marvelous freedom you have given me to run my life as I see fit, for the most part. Thank you for today’s reminder of the one clear command you have given me. Help me to keep it as a top priority in my life when evaluating how I spend my time and how I resolve the decisions that I need to make.

“The Lord is near all who call out to him, all who call out to him with integrity.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145‬:‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬

How many times a day do you say, “Oh my God”? How many times do you actually mean it? Do you ever mean it? My guess is no. Never.

When I say “oh my God” in conversation, I never actually intend to invoke God, the Creator of the universe and His righteous power. I am never even thinking about God when I say that. So I tried to stop saying it. But it still pops out sometimes. Shortening it to OMG doesn’t change anything. Neither does stopping at “oh my…” The “God” is implied.

Now this is not a huge deal. At least I don’t think so. It’s just a pattern of speech the means I’m surprised, right? Meaningless.

But God is God. I wonder if He gets aggravated by being part of that phrase. Is that “taking the Lord’s name in vain” which is actually one of the Ten Commandment no-nos?

It makes me think of the boy who cried wolf. How many times can I say “oh my God” before God stops listening? What if I really need God? If I really want His attention on my life and need His power, protection, love, help, comfort…?

If He were like me, He would start ignoring people’s cries when they clearly needed His help, just to teach them a lesson, or for spite.

Fortunately, God is not vindictive or petty like me. Today’s verse clarifies that. He promises that when I call on Him — with integrity — He will be near me. He doesn’t stop listening, no matter how careless I have been with my words.

Dear God,

I’m sorry for using your name in such a thoughtless and casual way that has nothing to do with you. Remind me to only use your name when I am talking about you or to you. Thank you for continuing to listen to me and for answering my cries to you when I am honestly seeking you. I need you and love your promise to be near me. Thank you!

“Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭CSB‬‬

We adopted a dog during the pandemic. A lot of people did, I guess. It happened to be really good timing for us as our previous dog had died a few years earlier and we were finally ready for someone new.

We got Rocky from the local Humane Society. He was about two years old and had been wandering alone in the desert, hungry enough to be eating rocks. (Hence his name, Rocky.) He was also scraped up as if he’d been attacked by other dogs, poor thing. He was in rough shape.

You never know what you’re going to get when you adopt a dog. Happily, Rocky has bounced back brilliantly from his rough start. He is a happy dog who loves going for walks and playing in our backyard — once we taught him how to do those things. He’s a gentle soul who loves to snuggle. He’s gotten over a lot of anxiety that he had around strange places and loud noises. He still has some anxiety but has safe places in our house he can comfortably sequester.

We were really fortunate that although Rocky has some anxiety, being left alone does not seem to contribute to his fears. He does not suffer from separation anxiety which many dogs, pack animals by nature, do.

Humans suffer separation anxiety too. Prolonged solitary confinement is considered torture. Nelson Mandela described solitary confinement as “the most forbidding aspect of prison life.” The United Nations forbids solitary confinement longer than 15 days.

That is why today’s verse is so comforting. God promises that I never have to be totally alone. He is always with me, ready to provide strength, encouragement, protection, guidance, comfort… whatever I might need. There is no place I can go where God can’t find me. I can be trapped at the bottom of a deep well or lost in an underground cavern, and God is there with the light of His love. I can be on a stage in front of thousands expected to speak or perform, and God is there with His peace. I can travel to a jungle or a mountaintop or a desert or a different planet, and God will be there before I arrive, waiting for me with the same joy and majesty that I know when I meet Him at home.

Dear God,

Thank you for the beautiful, miraculous gift of your presence. I’m so relieved that you are everywhere. I never have to be afraid to go anywhere because you are always there first, preparing the way for me when I trust you.

“Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬

If God created everything, that means He created me. He didn’t just set some evolutionary top spinning and wait to see what surprising creatures popped up. He thoughtfully designed and built me from zygote up.

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe in evolution. But I also believe God lovingly crafted everything that exists, including evolution. Evolution is simply one of His many tools for creating, like a weaver uses a loom.

God created me and numbered every hair on my head. He also created each ant’s antennae and every hummingbird’s long tongue. He created the earth’s molten core and the shifting tectonic plates. He created some planet somewhere that we haven’t discovered that maybe has life on it. Who knows? Well, God does.

The fact that this unknowable being that has such reach, wisdom, power, and joy in creating bothered to make me blows my mind. It’s incredible, and yet the Bible says (many times) that this is true.

Not only did God create me, but He cares about the minutiae of my life well after He finished creating me. Isn’t He busy with more important things? Yes, but God has unlimited capacity. Somehow. Way beyond my ability to comprehend.

All I can do is join the heavenly chorus singing today’s verse of praise to this Almighty Creator.

Dear God,

My mind boggles at all you have done and can do. And even more so at the notion that you created me, care about me, notice me, love me, want to hear from me. Thank you so much for this assurance of your love. You are indeed worthy of all the praise and honor that I can give and then some.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Why?

It’s a big question. I have asked it many times. And about big things in my life. Why did my younger sister die of cancer? Why did my younger brother’s kidneys fail? Why was I diagnosed with multiple sclerosis?

I usually turn to God with my why questions, almost always in an accusatory way. “God, why did you do this?!” Or “God, why did you let this happen?!”

As I think about the questions I have asked God, I see how unfair they are. Why am I only blaming God and demanding answers for the awful things in my life? I haven’t asked, “God, why did you bless me with three wonderful siblings and parents who loved me enough to teach me about you?” Or “God, why have you given me such a beautiful, comfortable home?” Or “God, why did you make this flowering tree whose fragrance I enjoy every time I walk out my front door?”

If I’m going to blame Him for the bad stuff, it’s only fair to blame Him for the good stuff too.

The thing is, as today’s verse says, God is really only to blame for the good stuff. All the good stuff. Everything good.

The surrounding verses explain that the bad stuff comes from a combination of satanic wheedling and our own selfish desires and choices and failures, as individuals and as a society.

And God “allows” these bad things because He committed to giving us free will long ago. Freedom to listen to satan and freedom to choose unhealthy, evil, dangerous, treacherous things.

I can’t have freedom without the freedom to discover the consequences of my choices. So even the bad things in my life are the result of God’s true freedom-giving love for me. He hates the pain we continue to unleash upon ourselves, and one day He will redeem it all, but His offer of freedom to live as we choose still stands.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for your perfect and generous goodness. I am so grateful for all you have done to bless me. Forgive me for only blaming you for the bad stuff when you really only deserve credit for the good. Thank you for giving your children freedom to choose. I’m so sorry we’ve chosen evil so often and made such a mess of things. Please come soon and wash the evil away forever with your beautiful love.

“Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples.”
‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I’ve never been interested in marketing or sales. They do not mesh with my personality or skillset. I think to be great at sales, you have to be a lot more outgoing.

But if I really believe in my product, the sales pitch gets a lot easier. There have been a few products in my life that I have cheerfully and boisterously promoted because they improved my life or worked so cleverly.

God wants His people to be enthusiastic salespeople. He expects me to promote His product — love — cheerfully and boisterously. To be honest, God’s love has definitely made my life so much better.

It should be an easy sell. It can save your life. It can heal all your relationships. It can bring peace where there is strife. It can provide purpose and meaning. And it’s free!

God has a great marketing program. He created the universe — a beautiful brochure that everyone can see with a glance at a sunset or a hibiscus. The literature is readily available too.

So why aren’t I out there obeying today’s verse and selling, selling, selling? Do I believe in my product or not?

Dear God,

Please forgive my reticence when it comes to talking about your marvelous gift of love. Give me boldness to declare your glory and your wondrous works among all the people I encounter. Give me the right words at the right moments and the courage to promote you with humility and love. Thank you so much for loving me.

“And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭32‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Christians are commanded to be different.

If you’re a non-Christian, you may look at Christians and think the difference must have something to do with voting a certain way or maybe spending Sundays a certain way or condemning certain kinds of people or dressing a certain way or even speaking a certain way. Some very vocal “Christians” certainly seem to think this is how we are to differentiate ourselves.

Today’s verse describes the actual way followers of Jesus are to be different. We are to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving. We are to love others.

This is very different!

Human nature, and society, has the goal of self-preservation and self-promotion. Being kind does not get me there so instead I take whatever I can get away with and don’t give a thought to anyone else. If I have a chance at being part of the 1%, damn the other 99%. And if someone else threatens my plan, I will expend all my energy climbing on top of them until they have failed, and I have succeeded. That’s the advice of common culture.

So to be different, to stand out the way Jesus intended, I must be like Jesus and be giving instead of taking, be reaching down and lifting up instead of grasping up and pulling down. I need to ignore my own status and needs in favor of the comfort and goals of others. That is radically different and is exactly how Christians should be identified.

Dear God,

Please forgive me for fitting in more often than I strive to be different in the way you ask. It is easy to be self-serving but hard to be kind and compassionate. It is easy to judge but hard to forgive. Yet I want you to forgive me. Teach me and remind me to be different, every chance I get.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭CSB‬‬

What is the main requirement for a confession? You might think some kind of crime, insult, or infraction must have taken place. Well, true, but according to the Bible, this is not the main requirement for confession because sin is a given. It is assumed. It is unfortunately always part of my life. All have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard.

So what then is the main thing needed for a confession? The answer is that I have to acknowledge my crime, insult or infraction. I have to recognize and agree that I have sinned. I must face the fact of my failure and want to be different.

Without that, there can be no confession, and without confession there can be no forgiveness, and without forgiveness, I am dead, separated from God by my sin forever.

When a close friend is being cold to me, I assume I have done something to anger them. My first reaction is to apologize. But unless I know what I am apologizing for, my words are meaningless. They won’t be accepted. My relationship will remain stilted.

Likewise, when a close friend has hurt me by (for example) telling someone else something I told them in confidence, I get angry. If they apologize to me without understanding what I’m angry about, it won’t change anything. I will still be angry.

Good friends will have a conversation about problems that arise within the relationship. They will honestly explain to each other how they were hurt. And genuine apologies will ensue mending the damage and healing wounds.

God is the very best friend one can have. He is ready to forgive my worst infractions, most heinous crimes, and deepest insults. But confession must come first. And it has to be honest confession, so I need to know what I’m apologizing for. I may know some things, but there are always more. If I don’t think so, I’m calling God a liar.

As a good friend, God is happy to reveal my sin to me if I ask. He loves me, so He won’t be more harsh than I require, but He will be honest. And if I honestly listen and genuinely repent, today’s verse is the marvelous result. I am cleansed from all unrighteousness. I am perfect and pure and welcome in God’s most holy presence. It’s as if it never happened. Just like that.

Dear God,

Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for the miracle of your forgiveness! Please show me what I need to confess today. Teach me how to be better so I don’t need to confess and repent of the same thing tomorrow.

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Psalm 139 is my mother’s favorite. It is so meaningful to her that she even made it part of her email address.

I love it too. It is a beautiful love poem David wrote to God. It’s a fan letter from God’s biggest fan.

But today’s verse makes me think about a relationship on the rocks. The hopeful apology at the end of a beautiful love letter. David was indeed God’s biggest fan, but he wasn’t perfect. He betrayed God’s trust on at least one glaring occasion recorded in the Bible.

Relationship experts say that when one person in a relationship betrays the other, their trust must be rebuilt from scratch. It can be a slow process. Part of that process involves complete transparency on the part of the betrayer, moving forward. For example, after a husband is caught cheating, if he wants his wife’s forgiveness, he needs to eagerly volunteer to show her every text and email he sends or receives, to hear every phone call he participates in, and to see his location on her phone at all times. (Among other things.) This kind of transparency if critical to rebuilding that broken bond of trust.

In today’s verse, David is offering this kind of transparency to God. David knows he failed God badly. But he loves God deeply and longs for the intimacy they once knew. So David offers to be thoroughly searched and tested. He is begging God to search his heart.

Of course God already knows everything about David and his heart. He didn’t need this permission. He forgave David as soon as he repented. But this beautiful offering of David’s is still very meaningful and important. And I’m sure it was a worthy and much-appreciated gift to a loving God who also wanted their intimate relationship back.

Dear God,

Thank you for the example of David. His skill and creativity at praising you is inspiring. Clearly he loved you deeply. I would love to know you the way David did. I’m afraid to be searched because I know I am so flawed. But please do search my heart and reveal to me what you disapprove of so that I can change. I want you to be glad and delight in me as your child the way you delighted in David.

“Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭12‬:‭3‬ ‭CSB‬‬

The Bible doesn’t actually include many descriptions of what I should expect from heaven. In fact, no one in the Bible really refers to the eternal life we have after Jesus returns as “heaven.” Instead the Bible refers to heaven as a kind of realm, that I can’t see, where God exists now. It vaguely overlaps my realm but is also somehow separate. Heaven and earth.

It also refers to “the heavens” as what we might simply call space or the sky.

Popular culture calls the place of the afterlife “heaven” (or “hell”), and describes a variety of characteristics of it, some of them Biblical, most of them not. Often it’s thought of as somewhere “up there” with clouds and bright light. Some say “good” people go there when they die and bad people go to hell. (What constitutes “good” in this scenario is highly debatable.) Usually people talk about these being everyone’s immediate destinations upon death.

The afterlife is fascinating to contemplate because it is totally unknowable, and yet everyone wants to know about it because everyone dies. And death is scary because it is such an unknown. Is that the end? Is there more? If so, what’s it like? Will it be the same for everyone? If not, how will it vary and why? How can I get the best room? Or at least not the worst room…

The Bible has answers. But not many, and not with much detail. Why? Apparently I don’t need to know!

The Biblical afterlife’s main characteristic is that those who are there get to enjoy God’s presence for all eternity.

The Bible also mentions that Jesus’s return is what ushers in the afterlife, not my death. When I die, Jesus says I “sleep” until He comes again and makes a new heaven and a new earth and gives me a new body, different from my current body. Interesting, right?

Not only that, but when Jesus does come again, there will be a judgment of some sort. All those “sleeping” dead people will be woken up and judged next to the ones who happened to be alive at that time. The ones who accepted Jesus as their Savior will go on to the eternal “heaven” of God’s presence. The ones who did not, go on to eternal destruction, whatever that means.

Since God didn’t give us an in-depth instruction manual or even a sales brochure, He’s telling me it’s not something I need to understand beyond these basics. But today’s verse is one more little hint at that afterlife.

Just a glimpse.

Wherever I am, I will twinkle and shine forever, the way a star lights up the night sky, with all my fellow believers.

Dear God,

Thank you for reassuring me that I don’t need to know exactly what happens when I die. I just need to know that, because Jesus saved me, whatever it is will be forever and good and with you. I look forward to spending eternity getting to know you. Until then, guide me in how to delight you by living this life obediently.