CamDevo

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73‬:‭26‬ ‭CSB‬‬

This whole chapter is about how deceptive this world is. We are taught over and over to seek beauty, value youth, strive for wealth, and glorify fame. If we can just have these things, we will be successful and happy. We will have won.

But this mindset is a trap. These enticing but worthless and deadly goals are set up by the devil to distract us from the only true thing that actually matters: God.

The author of this Psalm admits to falling for the trap for a while, until he entered God’s sanctuary, and, “like waking from a dream” (vs. 20), he recognized his stupidity (vs. 22).

Like the author here, I am often stupid. I fall for the big lie. I see people around me with bigger houses, newer cars, jet-setting lifestyles… Their lives seem easier, better, more fun.

It’s so easy to be lured into this way of thinking. But then I return to God’s sanctuary. He says, “Wake up!” I remember that old age comes for everyone, no matter how many surgeries you buy to delay its ravages. Death comes to the door of the rich and the poor, the famous and the obscure, beauty queens and plane Janes. There is only one escape in the end, and I can’t earn it or buy it or steal it or inherit it.

As today’s verse says, God is the only thing solid enough to cling to and the only thing that is eternal, always, and forever.

Dear God,

Forgive me for looking outward and comparing my life with other people’s. Forgive me for judging my success by the wrong standards. Thank you so much for your patience and for always being here for me when I come to my senses. I love that you are love and truth and forever and available to me. You are all I need, ever.

“Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and he will give a reward to the lender.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭17‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I was taught about philanthropy as a young child, in the form of giving to the church. My parents always put money in the collection plate when it came around, which kind of mystified me because I knew how little they had. (I learned what it meant to postdate a check from my mom.)

The Bible often calls it tithing, which is a very churchy word for giving back to God at least ten percent of what He gives me.

Tithing is hard. But it is also something that God clearly asks, and I have always tried to be obedient with. My tithing has sometimes involved giving to a church and letting them decide how to disburse the funds in service of God’s will. More recently, it has involved giving to other organizations that directly meet the needs of the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society. I think God approves both methods of tithing. It’s just a matter of how much I want to be involved in the process of vetting and selecting worthy causes.

Today’s verse is part of my evidence for that opinion. If I am generous with the poor, whether through the church or not, God is pleased.

And God is actually more than pleased. He considers generosity to the poor equal to generosity to Him. God takes it personally. If I treat a person who is downtrodden with kindness, generosity, and respect, it is the same as treating God with kindness, generosity, and respect. And God will repay me for it. That’s what a loan is. Loans get repaid. But today’s verse says I will even get a reward on top of the repayment. Bonus!

In case obedience to God isn’t enough incentive toward philanthropy, today’s verse offers the selfish motivation of getting even more in return. And I can honestly and personally attest that this is very much true. God has repaid me many times more than I have given away, and I have given away a lot.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for your promise to reward my generosity with even more generosity from your infinite resources. I am so glad that I took you up on your offer to test you in this area. You continue to prove yourself faithful. Forgive me when selfishness and fear get the upper hand in my life. Remind me of this verse at those times, and pry open my fingers (and heart) to give.

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬ ‭CSB‬‬

To be honest, I didn’t really want to write here today or do my Bible study. I’m tired and busy with many things.

But thinking about today’s verse, I am reminded of all the people who would rather have been doing other things.

I’m sure Mary didn’t really want to be pregnant right then. She was young and betrothed. Her whole life was turned upside down. And yet she obeyed.

I’m sure Joseph was confused. He likely didn’t feel like marrying someone who was already pregnant and raising a child that wasn’t his. And yet he obeyed.

Then there’s Jesus Himself. He was worshipped as Lord of all in heaven. He probably didn’t feel like being birthed into some filthy stable in the middle of nowhere as a tiny, helpless baby human. And yet He went through with the plan. All the way to the end.

I thank God that these folks all obeyed even though they didn’t feel like it.

Mary would have rather spent her time preparing for the picture perfect wedding and honeymoon. Joseph would rather have been showing off his beautiful new bride around town and preparing to start his family. Jesus would rather not have had to come here the way he did, take all our sins on Himself, and die a grizzly death for us.

But I’m so glad they each chose to stick with the plan, the one that saved me from my sin.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for your plan to save me from my sin. Your forgiveness comes so easy for me, but required so much from you, and Mary and Joseph. I am so grateful! Forgive my laziness. Remind me of these things when obedience seems hard.

“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I remember the first time I received a job title worthy of a business card: Technical Director. I was so proud and delighted to see my name and my title on a little rectangle of paper. I felt important.

But that job title described only one small part of who I was — the only part my company was concerned with. Besides being Technical Director though, I was Third Base on my softball team. I was Trumpet Player in my marching band and Sweeper on my soccer team. I am Older Sister to my brother and Younger Sister to my sister. I am Wife, Daughter, Niece, Aunt, Cousin and Granddaughter. I am Neighbor, Friend, and Volunteer.

God has a lot of names and a lot of roles too. These names are described throughout the Bible. Today’s verse includes four of them, and they are all business-card-worthy.

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Reading these, it is interesting to me that adjectives are included in God’s titles. He is not just a counselor, He is Wonderful Counselor! Could I have been “Terrific Technical Director” or “Stupendous Soccer Sweeper”?

Another thing that is interesting is that these titles seem a little in opposition to each other, and yet God is all of them, and more. He is both mighty and the Prince of Peace. How can He be both mighty and peaceful? How can He be God of everything and Father to me? One is so grand and global, the other so intimate and near.

God is all these things all at once. He is the ultimate oxymoron. He is big and small. He is powerful and gentle. He is holy and merciful. He proved all these things by coming to earth as a baby boy in a humble nowhere town and then powerfully conquering death forever.

Dear God,

Thank you for the reminder of who you are in all your glorious, mysterious variety. Thank you for your humility and your majesty, your ability and willingness to be anything and everything that I need. And thank you for the reminder that my most valuable identity is that of God’s Beloved Child.

“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭7‬:‭14‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I feel like God used to give signs a lot in ancient times. He spoke with prophets and even sometimes with random people. When reading the Bible it seems like God made His presence much more apparent and His will much clearer then.

But maybe that’s because we only have stories about the times when these things did happen, some written by the prophets themselves. There are many more times when God was silent or appeared to do nothing. There are many more people who lived and died and never witnessed a miracle like those in the Bible. Those stories aren’t in the Bible, of course.

Would there be any stories from my life in the Bible?

Well, actually yes. God did give me a very important sign once. At the time I was a workaholic. I was dying inside because all my energy, identity, and time was being poured into my job. I was miserable and a bit desperate. I prayed to God about whether I should quit my job to find balance. The problem was that as a single woman, there would be no way for me to continue to afford to pay my rent if I quit. I felt God was asking me to quit. To trust Him. But I was terrified. So I asked for a sign.

Shortly after that, I was at church and a couple mentioned they would be relocating to Asia for work. I asked if they’d be selling their house. I don’t know why I asked. I wasn’t in the market to buy. I was simply curious.

Their reply was that they were keeping their house but looking for a house sitter. They then asked whether I would be interested.

That was my sign. It was a big, blinking neon sign. I could practically hear God saying, “See, you can trust me.”

I took the house sitting gig, quit my job, and my world changed for the better in countless ways. And God has taken care of me ever since because I continue to try to trust Him.

Dear God,

Thank you for the way you have revealed yourself to me over the years. You have shown me your love and your provision. Forgive me for trying to rely only on my own strength. Forgive me also for still being afraid to listen to you. Open my eyes to what you are doing in my life and guide me along your path even if it looks a bit frightening.

“Boast in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.”
‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Pride is one of the so-called “seven deadly sins”. (Well, actually all sins are deadly. I’m not sure why these seven get extra attention.) So why is David commanding the people to boast in today’s verse?

Boasting about myself is pride. Boasting about someone else can be a loving act. I say “can” because often boasting about someone else is actually meant to reflect back on the boaster. For example, a parent may boast about a child, expecting adulation for the masterful way the child was raised and trained.

But if the boasting is done with a loving and sincere motive, it can be wonderful for everyone. For example, if you are genuinely impressed with the skills, character, or accomplishments of a co-worker, boasting about them to your boss would be loving and generous.

David tells me to boast about God. What a great idea! I hadn’t ever really thought about that. I genuinely am impressed quite often by God’s skills, character, and accomplishments. He is so beautiful, loving, wise, creative… He made everything, and it all works so amazingly well. There is so much to boast about. And none of it reflects on me. I didn’t do anything to make God be as great as He is. So, boast away!

Dear God,

I want to learn how to boast about you to people without being weird or off-putting. There are so many wonderful things about you and your creation to boast about. Show me ways I can proclaim these good things as I notice them so others see and appreciate your beauty too.

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I was a mathlete in high school. No, that’s not a typo. I meant mathlete. With an ‘m’. I used to compete in math tournaments around the state. Sometimes I did great, other times just OK. But I thought it was a ton of fun. Solving math problems is like a puzzle, and I like puzzles.

Nerd.

OK fine. (I was also an athlete, by the way…) But I guess it’s this math propensity that makes me see today’s verse like an equation. The God of hope is explaining the formula for hope. If anyone should know, the God of hope should.

The formula seems to be joy + peace + belief = hope. Or maybe there’s some multiplication in there too. Something like: (J + P) B = H. Or is says “all joy” so maybe we have to put joy to the tenth power or something. I’m not sure I can write the formula correctly with this editor. Does it allow superscripts?

I’m getting off-topic.

The point is that hope comes from belief in God who supplies me with joy and peace. The joy and peace come directly from Him when I turn to Him with belief. The combination of His joy and peace with my belief equals hope.

Have you ever felt hopeless? I have. I think maybe everyone has, or will, at some point. This world can get really dark. To fill that hope void, look to the formula. Take your belief, even if it’s just a smidgen, and tell God about it. Say, “God, I believe! Help my unbelief!” Like the man in Mark 9:24. (Read that whole story. That man must have felt so hopeless until he cried out to Jesus with his meager belief.)

When you turn to God, holding out that little molecule of belief, He will pour out joy and peace on you, to the 10th power. And hope appears.

Dear God,

Thank you for providing all joy and peace for me and turning my pittance of belief into plentiful hope. You are big and good and loving and merciful and wise. I know I can trust you and hope that your plan, whatever it may be, will be the best.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭35‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Often I’ll be out and about and see someone wearing a hat with a team logo or a sweatshirt in their school colors. Sometimes I will remark about it, saying, “Go Cats!” when I see someone sporting a Northwestern University sweatshirt or asking if they are from Chicago when the have a Cubs hat on. Quite often the person I am talking to looks at me befuddled. It seems they’ve forgotten what they are wearing. They may be wondering how I knew to connect them to the school or team they are advertising. It’s happened to me before so I recognize the feeling.

Today’s verse is reminding me that as a follower of Jesus, I should be advertising my allegiance to Him. Not with a certain color or logo, but with an attitude and behavior toward other people. My team logo is love.

The question is whether I’m wearing love prominently enough to make other people notice and remark about it. Is my love for others remarkable? Sadly, I don’t think so.

Dear God,

I’m sorry that I’m not wearing our team colors proudly and loudly. Teach me how to love remarkably so that people know I follow you and that you are the source of love.

“And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I went on a mission trip to the Philippines once. I was going with a group of dentists and hygienists to run a free dental clinic. I am neither a dentist nor a hygienist so I felt a little useless, but they said they needed “support staff.” I guess I can pray and stuff, I thought.

Right before I left on this trip, I happened to read today’s verse. I marveled at how apt it felt. And at that moment I prayed to God that I would happily serve in whatever way was needed, even if it meant cleaning bathrooms.

When I arrived in the Philippines, I was told that in addition to running the dental clinic, we would be helping a young couple move into their new home. It was in really rough shape. My job would be to clean their bathroom.

My jaw dropped and then I laughed. I imagined God laughing too saying, “I called your bluff!” I’ve learned that God has a great sense of humor.

So I cleaned that bathroom (which really was in developing world rough shape) with a smile on my face and a song in my heart because I knew God was there with me, smiling at His good joke.

After that I did get to do lots of more fun things like paint a mural on a wall and take before and after photos of the dental patients. (Those after photos were very rewarding photos! People had been in pain and ashamed of their teeth and now they were beaming.) But I will always associate this verse with God’s good joke on me.

Dear God,

Thank you for sharing your sense of humor with me during a time when I need it badly. Thank you for promising to be with me always, everywhere. Remind me that everything I do should be done as if I am doing it for you and with you. I love that.

“The one who has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father. I also will love him and will reveal myself to him.”
‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭21‬ ‭CSB‬‬

The Christian story is really hard to believe. Why would anyone believe it? There are just so many parts to it that are incredible, beyond the part about Jesus being killed and then coming back to life. For example, why would God, the all-powerful Creator of everything, want to make people? And why, once we had turned out to be so selfish and greedy, didn’t He scrap the whole project and start fresh? Why go through the trouble of redeeming us from our crappiness? And why did our redemption require Jesus to die? And before that, what’s with all the sacrificial animals? So many questions!

That’s why I like today’s verse. I like the part about God revealing Himself to those that keep His commands. Keeping God’s commands shows God that I’m interested in participating in the love relationship He wants to have with me. It’s my meager contribution. (Meager because His commands are so simple: love God and love people.)

So after my meager contribution, the love relationship can begin. God loves me and will reveal Himself to me. How wonderful is that!

You might be thinking that you still have lots of questions. Why hasn’t God revealed Himself yet? Well, like with any intimate relationship, you don’t learn everything about the other person all at once. That would be overwhelming and might make you think twice about them. The truth of each other is shared over the course of time as you spend time with each other and go through various experiences together.

It’s the same with God. He reveals Himself to me slowly, over time, as needed. I learn more as I spend time with Him, talk to Him, read what He wrote, and try out His advice. He never gives me more than I can handle. And some questions won’t be answered until He comes again. But for now, I absolutely know what I need to know about God. He is good. He is trustworthy. He is love. He is beautiful. He is funny, clever, wise… And He also likes to be mysterious.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for your promise to reveal yourself to me now and in the future, when I can stop seeing through a glass darkly but see you face to face. I love what I know about you. And I want to know more. I trust you to show me what I need when I need it. Remind me to simple obey by loving.