CamDevo

“Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Why is John calling his readers “little children?” I doubt he was actually writing to literal children. So what could he mean?

Perhaps he was accusing his readers of behaving like children, prone to selfishness and ruled by whims and emotions.

Or perhaps he was encouraging the innocence of youth in his readers. His aim was to push aside any pride and pretentiousness by calling them to a purer time.

Or maybe both. John wanted his readers to love. It’s very basic. It doesn’t require a higher degree. It doesn’t require complicated planning or strategy. It doesn’t require committees to make bylaws or board meetings with agendas. John’s message, like Jesus’s message, is so simple, even a little child can understand and obey.

Love with your hands, your feet, and your things. Love by doing, going, and giving.

Every little child knows it’s not enough to say that I can play with your toy. If you scream and yank it away when I reach for it, you aren’t sharing. Real sharing requires you to go beyond words. If you hold your toy out for me with a smile, that is sharing. That is love like a little child.

Dear God,

Thank you for the reminder to love with my actions. Forgive me for the times when I have simply wished someone well instead of taking steps to ensure that they are well. Teach me how and when to love properly, generously, and with a smile in my heart.

“But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us  —not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy  — through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
‭‭Titus‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬

The verses preceding today’s verse discuss how followers of Jesus are to live and behave in the world. In sum, be different by being kind.

It’s a sad thing to say that being kind is abnormal. But it’s true. My human nature’s primary goal is meeting my needs. It doesn’t ask me to consider others, but Jesus does. He said, “Be different. Be kind.”

Today’s verse gives me the why and the how of that command.

Why should I be kind?

Because God was kind to me. He gave me the gift of forgiveness, belonging, and love when I didn’t ask for it and didn’t deserve it. Because of that, my gratitude bubbles up and overflows to others in my life who probably don’t deserve my kindness any more than I deserved God’s.

How can I be kind in such an unkind world?

That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in. I was reborn as a new creature when I accepted Jesus. This new creature has the Holy Spirit in addition to my human nature. The Holy Spirit reminds me what is good and right and kind. Human nature continues its whining, but if I spend more time listening to the Holy Spirit, the constant droning demands of my human nature become easier to tune out and ignore. Kindness comes easier and easier with practice.

Dear God,

Thank you for your undeserved kindness and love. Help me to attune my ear to the Holy Spirit and to obey. Teach me to push aside the inane and selfish demands of my human nature. Help me practice turning my desire for retaliation into forgiveness, my selfishness into generosity, my bitterness into kindness, my suspicion into loving vulnerability.

“Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬ ‭CSB‬‬

What an amazing gift to be able to approach God with boldness! I don’t have to be sheepish or shy or ashamed. I don’t have to fall on my knees or bow down or avert my eyes. I don’t have to take off my sandals the way Moses was asked to at the burning bush.

But I didn’t do anything to earn this privilege. I can only come close to God without being burned to dust in the glorious fire of His pure holiness because Jesus died and took my sins with Him. So now I am clean and inoffensive. I’m not going to muck up the joint.

Each time I approach though I need to reclaim Jesus’s gift of purity. The guards at the door see me and are horrified. I point to Jesus and say, “It’s OK, I’m with Him. Right, Jesus?”

The guards turn and look at Jesus to see what He says. Will Jesus verify my claim with a slight nod? Or will He banish me with a frown?

I stand there in my filthy, moth-eaten sin, waiting.

But Jesus does neither of those things. He jumps up excitedly, smiling brightly, and wraps me in a warm embrace. “Welcome in!” He says. “You are always welcome here, my friend.”

Now I look down and my clothes are now pristine and new. And my heart is light. I have been bathed in mercy and grace. Because of Jesus’s welcome and forgiveness I can stand in God’s presence confidently. I belong.

Dear God,

Thank you for the promise, that as long as I come with Jesus, I will never be turned away from your presence. Because of the grace and mercy you leave for me by the door, I am welcome to approach you, to bask in your beautiful, holy presence, to speak with you and hear your voice.

“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬

How can you tell a Christian from a non-Christian?

The answer should be simple, like a Bible verse-inspired song I learned as a child: “They’ll know we are Christians by our love…”

Sadly (devastatingly?), this is definitely not the answer most people come up with, and it breaks my heart as a follower of Jesus Christ. If I were to guess, based on what I hear from and about “Christians”, most nonbelievers would say Christians are self-righteous, judgmental, stubborn, xenophobic, close minded, selfish, fanatical, illogical, afraid of science and differing opinions, easily brainwashed by people who say what they want to hear, and more concerned about theoretical unborn zygotes and other people’s sex lives than the actual living breathing people struggling to live and thrive in a difficult and confusing world.

I could go on, but it’s too depressing. It’s so disappointing to hear what “Christians” are doing and saying and getting worked up about and fighting for that I really can’t bring myself to use the category for myself. Instead, I call myself a follower of Jesus Christ.

And Jesus Christ was all about love. Not fear. Not hate. Not issues. Not policing behavior. Jesus loved people right where they were. He listened and healed them. He ate with them and taught them the truth. He died to forgive them. He loved them dearly and He still does today.

And that’s what He has told His followers to do as well. And like today’s verse says, if I do that — if I love people — they will know that I know God. And only then can I call myself by His name.

Dear God,

I know I am very far from perfect. Thank you for forgiving me for my stubbornness, my close mindedness, my selfishness, my self-righteousness, my failure to listen, my fear of differing opinions, my choices to judge rather than love… Please teach me to do better. Help me to be your loving representative in this world so I can truly call myself your child.

“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭33‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Why does God promise suffering?

He’s God, after all. Can’t He protect me from suffering once I have chosen to follow Him?

He could, I suppose, but my motives would then be suspect. Would I be choosing God, or would I simply be choosing the path of no suffering?

Well, why does there have to be suffering in the first place? The answer is that it is self-inflicted. We brought it on ourselves. And we continue to do so!

The good news is that God will one day put an end to all suffering. That’s why Jesus can say that peace and courage are possible even in the midst of all this suffering.

Almost all movies have a happy ending of some sort. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be nearly as popular. They would be too hard to watch. Who wants to invest two hours of their life watching someone else’s problems? No one. But when there is a happy ending, a glorious solution and relief at last, the two hours are a delightful distraction from reality where things rarely end up neat and tidy and resolved.

But today’s verse promises a happy ending to reality! Jesus did the work to make sure everything will end up neat and tidy and resolved for those who choose Him. So, don’t worry. We may all be in the middle of some drama or horror or dark comedy, but there will be a happy ending.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for promising that everything will come out perfectly in the end. Help me to be patient in the midst of my movie where things will go wrong and I will screw things up and bad things will happen. Teach me to focus on you and not my suffering. I look forward to your beautiful ending.

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

When I was a child, my family used to drive across the country in the heat of the summer to visit family. With no air conditioning. The windows were all open in our station wagon, but the air blasting through was hot and dry. My father would make us take salt tablets. I guess that’s what was done before Gatorade? Sometimes I had a difficult time swallowing them, and they would end up starting to dissolve in my mouth. The taste was horrific as I panicked and kept failing to swallow them.

Salt by itself is truly unpleasant.

But added in the proper amount to various foods, it is miraculous! It is a game-changer in the world of cuisine. From flavor-enhancer to preservative, salt can be a hero.

My words are supposed to be like that. The things I say to Betty should encourage her to be the best version of herself, the way salt encourages broccoli to taste its best. The way I talk to Veronica may be different because she is a very different person, but it should still encourage the best in her. I don’t salt broccoli the same way I salt cookies. But either of them without salt is definitely harder to enjoy. And either of them with too much salt is inedible. In the same way, I must be careful not to either inundate my listeners with my attempts to be encouraging or avoid meaningful topics altogether.

But how do I know how to talk to Betty or Veronica in a “salty” fashion? How do I know what they need?

A big part of the answer is listening to the Holy Spirit, constantly, before, during, and even after our conversations. He knows my audience through and through and knows exactly what they need.

The second part is listening to them! I will be much more effective at understanding Betty and her needs if I spend time listening to her. I can’t get to know Veronica by blathering on about myself or the weather without stopping to hear what she has to say. People tell you what they need if you pay attention.

Dear God,

Thank you for the opportunity to be an encouragement to someone else, to perhaps bring them to experience your love — the greatest encouragement of all. Remind me to listen to you always. Remind me also to listen more than I talk. And when I do talk, please give me the exact right amount of salt for each person.

“But I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the end he will stand on the dust.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭19‬:‭25‬ ‭CSB‬‬

This was written by Job who had a really rough go of things for a long time. In fact, when he said this, it probably seemed that all he had left of his formerly lovely life was dust.

But the end of the story is that God restored to Job a new lovely life, and I think today’s verse explains why.

Job had faith.

He knew God, trusted God, and believed God when God claimed to be just and loving.

Even though all Job could see when he looked around was dust, He also believed God was at work as his eternal, omnipotent Redeemer.

When I look around my life, do I see God? Or do I just see the dust?

I live in a place where desert winds bring heaps of dust. It’s a real chore to clean up our patio over and over and over. I get really frustrated, and I forget to look up from the dust and see the beautiful mountains where the sun sets and the palm trees sway.

There is a lot of dust in this life, some days (years) more than others. But God is at work even so. He is loving, forgiving, patient, generous, holy, and beautiful. And He is very much alive. One day He will stand atop all the dust, but for now He is right in the midst with me.

Dear God,

I am sorry that my dread of the dust in my life has distracted me from all your beautiful gifts. I am so grateful for your generosity, wisdom, and patient love. Thank you for saving me and promising to one day remove all the dust. I trust you and refuse to be misled by the way my circumstances appear.

“Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I’m currently reading The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, a book that includes people who travel to a distant galaxy and encounter aliens. The language of the aliens has an interesting feature. Their words for something non-visual (like the wind, or God, or a mythical creature) are the same as for something that is not currently present but can normally be seen (like a friend who is away on a trip or an item in another room).

The reason I bring that up is because this kind of language might be helpful in referring to God. He is like a friend whom I just can’t see. Like the wind or the air, He is here but definitely non-visual to me. So it requires faith to believe He exists.

When a friend leaves the room, I can’t see her anymore. She is now non-visual, but I believe she continues to exist. I can please her by making her a cake to enjoy upon her return. I wouldn’t make her a cake if I didn’t believe she existed.

I can’t see God right now, but I can please Him by loving people. (He told me He would really enjoy that.) I wouldn’t bother trying to please Him if I didn’t believe He existed.

One day God will reveal Himself to me, and all who believe. We will be rewarded with visuals, with complete understanding of God. (See 1 Corinthians 13:12.) I really look forward to that day. And on that day I’d love to know I spent my non-visual days pleasing Him.

Dear God,

Thank you for your promise to reveal yourself to those who have faith during this non-visual time. I know you exist even though I can’t see you. I want to please you. Forgive me for my doubts and failures and dark moments when you seem far. Thank you for the ways you remind me of your existence in non-visual ways. Please continue to do so!

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭55‬:‭22‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I’ve been shaken before. That is, disturbed or shocked by some event or circumstance in my life to the point that my confidence is diminished.

So if God allowed me to be shaken, does that mean I’m not righteous? Well, I’m definitely not righteous on my own, but through Jesus I am absolutely righteous.

So why did God allow me to be shaken?

Maybe it’s because I didn’t “cast my burden on the Lord.”

To “cast” means to “throw something forcefully in a specified direction.” So, I’m supposed to hurl my burden at God! Not hand over, not set down in front of, not toss to, not request it be removed when it’s convenient…. Throw. Forcefully. Right at God.

And He promises to catch my burden and deal with it for me.

If I’ve thrown my burden the way I’d throw a poisonous snake I found on my lap or a grenade about to go off, then I no longer have it. It is gone and far away from me. I don’t need to stress about being bitten or blown up anymore. God has caught and killed the snake or detonated the grenade out of harm’s way.

So why would I still be shaken?

The problem isn’t with God here. It’s with me. I don’t trust God to have caught my burden and dealt with it. Or maybe I never hurled it away in the first place. If I hang on to my problems and wring my hands and worry and just stare at them, they are going to shake me.

If I throw my burdens to God, trust Him to deal with them, and focus on moving forward, living obediently instead of obsessing over my burdens (that have been hurled away), I will not be shaken. I can live confidently in His strength.

Dear God,

Teach me how to throw my burdens to you with force and permanence. I don’t want them, and I know you can handle them. Forgive me for the times when I choose to try to deal with everything myself, with my own puny strength. Thank you for providing confidence and righteousness!

“A generous person will be enriched, and the one who gives a drink of water will receive water.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬ ‭CSB‬‬

This seems counterintuitive. Like many principles in the Kingdom of God that Jesus described, it seems opposite of what experience, culture, and human nature tells me. He said things like the first shall be last, love your enemies, and it’s really hard for a wealthy person to get into heaven.

Generosity is one of those things. How can I have what I need if I give a generous portion of it away?

In the example of water, for example. I live in a hot and dry desert. A simple walk down the street can be a thirsty affair. Water is a precious commodity, especially when you lack it.

Imagine you are hiking in the remote scrubland, lugging enough water for your planned expedition, when you come across another hiker who hadn’t planned well and is out of water. They are relieved to see you. The sun is beating down without a cloud or a shade tree in sight. The thirsty hiker has another couple of miles to go before they reach the trailhead. Would you give them some of your water? A sip? Or would you give generously?

A sip wouldn’t require much sacrifice on your part so you might agree to that. But giving generously would require you to change your plans. You would have to cut your hike short to account for your diminished supply. Your whole day’s complexion is altered.

It’s at this point you have to decide whether you trust God.

God says if I give generously, I will be enriched.

God is very creative in the ways He chooses to enrich His generous givers. In the scenario above, He might suddenly send cool clouds to the situation after I share my water generously with the stranger, allowing me to continue my hike after all. Or maybe since I am forced to turn back, I end up hiking with the stranger and forge a valuable, lasting friendship. Or perhaps my car is dead when we return to the trailhead, and this stranger is able to give me a jump or a ride or make a call for me because my phone has no service. There is no telling how God plans to bless my generosity.

And if I only offered a measly sip, or nothing at all, I would never find out.

Dear God,

Thank you for your beautiful promise to reward generosity. What a wonderful world this kind of behavior could create! Your wisdom is so refreshing and delightful. Teach me the joys of giving generously. I’m sorry when I fail because of selfishness or fear. I know I can trust you. Keep reminding me!