CamDevo

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

There’s are 3 parts to this verse: give thanks to the Lord, call on His name, and proclaim His deeds among the peoples. It’s easy to understand the first and the last parts, but really easy to gloss over the middle part. When I started to focus on that one, I realized I don’t really know what it means exactly. It’s not something I ever hear in my culture. I thank people and get thanked for various things frequently. And people’s deeds are “proclaimed among the peoples” all the time. Often it’s the one performing the deed who is also doing the proclaiming. We call that posting on social media. But I don’t hear about people calling on someone’s name. So what does that mean? I can call a person when I want to talk to them. But I don’t call on their name. I can use someone’s name to get special access perhaps. For example, I might get a discount on blueberries at a farm my cousin owns if I mention their name and how we’re related. I think this is a little closer to the intended meaning of today’s verse. In the blueberry farm example, my cousin’s name had power. (Pretty measly power, but still power.) By calling on her name, I got cheaper blueberries. God’s name is the most powerful name there is. So powerful that some ancient scribes didn’t even think His name should be spoken aloud so they abbreviated it in the old texts to remind people just to say Lord instead. But Jesus gave His disciples permission to use His powerful name. Kind of like using my cousin’s name to get fresh blueberries on the cheap, I can use Jesus’s name to accomplish His will on earth. And in today’s verse, the psalmist is saying I should use God’s name – not in vain though! I should call on it only when I mean it. I need to be very aware of its power and use it wisely while thanking Him and praising Him. Because of Jesus’s sacrifice, I don’t have to be shy about coming to God, calling on Him and using His name purposefully.

Dear God,

Thank you for allowing me to use your name, to call on you whenever I want, to use you as a reference. I am your child, and I am so grateful for that. Thank you for the mighty and awesome power available to me through your name. Teach me to use it wisely and purposefully and never to take it for granted.

“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I was just visiting a friend who is very crafty, meaning she enjoys all sorts of crafts. She has some small looms that can be used for weaving. She also has a big bag of all kinds of yarns: thin or thick, wool, cotton, and all the colors of the rainbow. She spent some time this morning teaching me how to weave. I selected some colors and started making something that might end up as a lop-sided placemat, at best. My friend was very gracious. When I made a mistake she had the attitude that it’s all part of the process and further weaving can solve any problem. If a color I selected didn’t end up looking the way I wanted, she helped me find a different complementary yarn to weave in that somehow made it look beautiful. When I pulled it wrong and had a loop sticking out that I didn’t want, she showed me how to weave in other loops that made the first loop look intentional and altogether more interesting. And in general she was much less concerned than I was about “perfection” during the weaving and said it would be beautiful in the end. I may not have ended up with the most perfectly woven product, but today’s verse made me think about my weaving experience. God is weaving my life with me. He has a plan for my life. Often I make choices that feel like I’ve ruined something important. I added the wrong color or ended up with too much yarn or not enough. I get frustrated or scared or discouraged. But God is a master weaver. I can’t ruin this project. If I trust Him, He can weave any rotten string I’ve added into something beautiful, something that makes my life better in the end. In God’s hands, my life will end up exactly how He intended it — beautiful and perfectly suited to its purpose.

Dear God,

Thank you for caring about me. I hand the weaving loom of my life over to you. I know your plan is perfect, you are more than capable, and you will weave all the events and choices and situations of my life into something beautiful and useful. Forgive me for trying to wrestle the yarn away from you and do it myself when things aren’t looking so great. I trust you.

“Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I’ve read through the whole Bible a few times. I’m not saying that to brag but to point out what I have learned from the experience. From reading the whole of the Bible (and not just the New Testament) over and over again, I clearly get the sense that love is God’s primary goal for me. It’s His goal to love me, His goal for me to love Him, and His goal for me to love other people. Over and over and over, this point is made. It’s easy to pick out a snippet here and a blurb there that doesn’t sound anything like love, of course. If you try hard enough, you can make the Bible, or any book for that matter, say anything you want it to. However, you will have to very selectively pick and choose and take things out of context and gloss over key elements to make the Bible say anything other than God is love and He wants us to love each other. Today’s verse is one of so many verses that hammers home God’s main goal again. God loves me soooo much, and He in turn wants me to share this love with others. The verse says God loves me “in this way”, referring to earlier verses’ descriptions of His sacrifice to save me from death brought on by my own selfish choices. And the verse says in the same way I should love others. Sacrificially. I should give up things I have and like so that I can love others. I should give up my time, my money, my pride, my reputation, my health… whatever it takes, in order to love someone who may never even notice or care. That’s what God did, and it’s what the Bible says He expects from me. But that’s not the end. Why? Because God’s love for me didn’t end. And God’s love is enormous! Bigger than I can ever imagine! I can’t give faster than He can. Philanthropist R. G. Letourneau was fond of saying “I shovel out the money, and God shovels it back — but God has a bigger shovel.” If I give my time toward loving people, I will have more than enough time for myself. If I give my money toward loving people, I will have more than enough to meet my needs. If I think I’ve destroyed my reputation by loving people, I’ll discover how wrong I am about that. God asks me to test Him on these things. His love is bigger. It’s big enough for me to give it all away and still have more than I need. That’s what the Bible says. And that’s what I believe. Now, if I can only have the courage to live that out!

Dear God,

Thank you so much for your never-ending supply of love! And thank you for heaping it on my head. And thank you for showing me how much faster you can give than I can. Please remind me of this and show me where I am being stingy with my resources. Show me where I need to love more today. Forgive me for being afraid and for hoarding your love. Give me a generous heart, ready to love courageously.

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

Calling someone a tool is an insult. (Apparently it has been since the 1660s.) But I think being a tool, more literally, can be a good thing, depending entirely on who is wielding the tool. A hammer on a shelf is just a lump of metal accomplishing nothing. A hammer in a toddler’s hand can really only cause destruction and injury. A hammer in the hand of a master carpenter however can end up creating some beautiful masterpieces that improve the lives of those for whom they were created. According to today’s verse, God has a good purpose for my life. He wants to turn it into a beautiful masterpiece that improves the lives of everyone I encounter. In this case I want to be a tool. Without God, I’m just a hammer sitting on a shelf gathering dust, at best. At worst, if I allow culture to wield me like an ignorant toddler, I end up causing more harm and destruction than good. I want to be a tool wielded by God.

Dear God,

Thank you for working in me toward a good purpose. Thank you for giving me the passion to do your will and the energy and skill I need to do it. Forgive me for allowing anyone else to manipulate me. And forgive me for doing nothing at all. Reveal your will for me today and let me be a tool in your loving, capable hand.

“Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

When I first read today’s verse, apart from its surrounding verses, I thought it meant that “the flesh” thinks about death a lot. The mindset of the flesh is death… The flesh means the part of me that is fallen and human and without God, the rebellious, physical, and carnal part of me. Perhaps it’s true that this part of me does preoccupy with death because without God, death will be the absolute end of me, and that’s an unsettling thought. However, I don’t think that’s Paul’s intended meaning here. I think he meant that the mindset of the flesh leads to death. Without God, my flesh is a bunch of cravings and needs. My mindset is all about seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. Now, I might not seem as bad as that sounds. I can still do some pretty good things, some selfless-seeming things, from the “flesh mindset”, but ultimately my purpose in doing them is to make myself feel better in some way or to make the world better so that I can benefit from that. This sounds pretty cynical. But I think this is what Paul is saying. Only with God’s Spirit can I have a different mindset, one that is not self-serving. A mindset that leads to life and peace instead of judgment and death. This is the mindset of love. How could I have a mindset of love without God? God IS love after all. Can someone who doesn’t know God actually love? The Bible says no. The Bible is clear about this. Someone who does things from the flesh mindset, someone who doesn’t accept Jesus, cannot please God. Of course it’s also true that followers of Jesus can do fleshy, selfish things, things that do not please God—and frequently do! My flesh is still here after I’ve accepted Jesus. But His Spirit is here as well. Today’s verse is pointing out that both are present in me. I have a choice of who to listen to. Every time I do something, say something, don’t do something, don’t say something, I should contemplate where my motivation is coming from. Is it my physical self, my flesh mindset? Or is it God’s Spirit in me?

Dear God,

Thank you for sending your Spirit to live in me. Please forgive me for the (many) times I have ignored His guidance and have listened to my cravings, my insecurities and selfishness instead. Speak loudly and clearly, and open my ears to hear your voice. Give me the strength to ignore the cries of my flesh and to obey your wise way of life and peace.

“The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭20‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I go for a walk almost every morning because I have a dog. He insists that we do this as soon as I get out of bed. I’ve discovered that you learn a lot about a dog by walking with them. Dogs like to smell things I can’t smell. They hear things I don’t hear. They leave their mark on various shrubs and tree trunks for a reason I don’t fully understand. They are alert to dangers I don’t notice and ignore other things that I think are important. And they aren’t embarrassed by pooping in public. Dogs are interesting creatures and are very different from me. Today’s verse talks about walking but not with dogs. It encourages me to walk with wise people. By doing that I somehow also become wise. Listening to wise people talk isn’t enough. I need to walk with them, see them in action regularly. By encountering a dog one time, I would not have learned all those interesting things about them. Only by regular and sustained observation have I come to understand my dog, including his particular skill in hunting lizards. He approaches a bush quietly. Then he pounds a foot onto the bush to see what scurries out. He watches and listens carefully. He pounces on the larger bushes with both front feet. It’s such a clever way to hunt lizards. If I spend time observing people who know more than me about anything, asking questions, experiencing different situations of life with them, I will certainly learn their methods and processes. I will become wiser. If I spend time instead with people who are foolish and make bad choices, I will probably be swept up with them in the consequences of those bad choices whether or not I deserve to be. It matters who I “walk” with. It is a choice I can make with a big impact on my life. For better or worse.

Dear God,

Thank you for the abundance of people wiser than me whom I can seek to walk with in my life. Thank you for the wise people whom I have learned from in the past, people who taught me about you. Point out to me the people you’d like me to learn from now. And if I have anything to offer anyone else, guide my words and actions to be those of wisdom instead of foolishness.

“He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭3‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Yesterday I mentioned a few of God’s names. One of them was the Good Shepherd. All of Psalm 23 is about God being our Good Shepherd. I memorized this chapter as a child and can still recite it (in the King James Version.) It is popular because it is so comforting, poetic, powerful, and beautiful. Today’s verse is one part of this great poem of David’s. The King James Version says, “He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” I don’t know much about the job of being a shepherd. But I know sheep aren’t very smart animals. They are very dependent on their shepherd. They are often oblivious to danger as they focus solely on meeting their own needs, grazing blithely along a cliff edge or near a wolf den. Even though it feels a bit insulting to be compared to sheep, it’s unfortunately quite fitting. God can see the big picture that I can’t see. His wisdom is so far above mine. I spend a lot of my time and energy trying to meet my needs and fulfill my desires and cravings. I’m often oblivious to the dangers toward which my actions and choices are leading me. Sheep will die if their shepherd doesn’t care or ignores them or gets distracted. That is a bad shepherd. But God is a Good Shepherd. He loves me, even in my silly, selfish oblivion. He pulls me from the cliff’s edge, returning me to the right path. The righteous path.

Dear Good Shepherd,

Thank you so much for loving me despite my self-centered idiocy and greed. I trust you and humbly submit to your rod and staff of discipline that turns me back to the safety, joy, and abundance to be found in your pasture. Remind me to keep my eyes focused on my Good Shepherd as I go through my days.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭CSB‬‬

God has a lot of names. Yahweh, I AM, God Almighty, the Good Shepherd, LORD, the Creator, the Father, King of Kings… In today’s verse Paul adds “Father of mercies” and “God of all comfort” to the list. I’m noticing that it’s not God of some comfort or God of a little comfort, but God of ALL comfort. There is no comfort that God is not part of. (Just like there is no love that God is not part of because God IS love.) There is no way for me to comfort (or love) anyone apart from me knowing God and receiving comfort (or love) from Him. That’s a bold statement! But if I believe that God is the God of ALL comfort, then it must be true. So, to comfort anyone in my life, to have any comfort to give, I have to receive comfort from God first. The part about this that makes me cringe is that for God to give me comfort, I need to suffer. Eek. Why would God give me comfort if I were already perfectly comfortable and fulfilled and content with everything in my life? The sad truth is that in this fallen world, suffering is plentiful and certain. God doesn’t have to do anything to foist suffering on His children; we bring it on ourselves and each other constantly. But He doesn’t always stop pain from happening either. Today’s verse answers the “why” of that. Why does a loving God allow me to suffer?! (Such a common and familiar question.) The answer: so that He can give me comfort. And so that in turn, I have comfort to share with others who maybe don’t know Him yet.

Dear God of All Comfort,

I am so grateful for your love and comfort. I sorely need it. Remind me of the purpose of my suffering and your comfort however. Teach me how to give the comfort away to those in my life who need it. And show me how to reveal you as the source of the comfort I have. Forgive me for being selfish and stingy with my comfort. It is meant for sharing. Thank you for your generosity with me!

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I’m feeling extra tired as I write this, for no specific reason, so today’s verse sounds extra comforting. Many times in scripture Jesus urged people to come to Him to have their physical needs met. He understands what it feels like to be tired or hungry or thirsty or sick. Part of the purpose for Him becoming human was to make this clear to us. He know what it’s like. When God created everything He didn’t intend for these challenges to be part of our lives. These problems didn’t exist in the garden. Pain and struggle arrived as part of the fall, because we chose sin. Adam and Eve decided they wanted to have control, to make their own way using their own power and wisdom. They disobeyed and were kicked out of the garden into the world of striving, struggle, sweating, and pain. Today, I continue to rebel, like Adam and Eve, and try to accomplish things using my own power and wisdom. I say, “Just a minute God. I’ll get to you when I’m done with this important thing.” Or “I’ll donate some money to the foodbank after I pay my doctor bills and the rent and buy that hat I saw…” And then I complain about being tired. Or hungry. Or thirsty. Or sore, sick, and sad. Jesus is saying my life doesn’t have to be like that. In today’s verse, He says, “Come to me!” If I put Jesus back in the driver’s seat, I can sit back and enjoy the scenery. I will have rest for my soul. If I trade my ambitions and goals and ideas about how my life should look for God’s will and purpose for me, I will have His infinite strength and wisdom to draw from. It reminds me of a time I was trying to open a spigot. It was stuck tight. I gripped it hard and tried to turn it. I hurt my hand so got some gloves and tools to help me. I sweated and strained and groaned. Finally I looked at the instructions. I had been turning it the wrong way. It turned easily in the opposite direction and opened right away. If I had just turned to the instructions first, I could have avoided all that wasted effort, pain, and frustration. My life can be like that. If I come to Jesus first, He will show me the easy way to accomplish the things that really matter and give me the strength to do it.

Dear God,

Thank you for giving me access to your wisdom. Thank you that I do not need to rely on my own power or cleverness. Lead me to the right goals and show me the way you want me to accomplish them. Forgive me for my stubbornness in wanting to do things my way. Your way is so much better!

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬

When I was a kid, I remember wondering why I existed. Why was I born to this family in this place and time? Why did I like the things I liked and dislike the things I disliked? Why was I good at some things and really bad at others? Later as an adult I have gone through periods of time when I wrestled with questions about my purpose. Why am I here? What should I be doing with my life? Should I take this job, date this person, move to this town? I think everyone struggles with these types of questions. They are hard questions! I believe one day God will give me all the answers to everything I want to know about my life here, when I “see Him face to face”. But for now, I can only see the answers “through a glass darkly.” (1 Cor. 13:12) However, today’s verse has been a huge solace for me when these big questions haunt me. Why am I here? This verse says God created me. Not only that, but I am His workmanship. He made me carefully, with specific intention and loving design. He thought about what He needed and planned my arrival, just as I am, right where He needed me to be. What am I supposed to do? Today’s verse says before I was even born, God planned good works for me to do. He has a purpose for me. I am ideally suited for this purpose. I will be happiest and most fulfilled if I follow His plan and obey Him. He created me to enjoy certain things, to be passionate about and be fulfilled by certain tasks and those are the things He wants me to pursue. Because He loves me. I can choose not to. He gave me choice. He will accomplish His plan with or without me, but why wouldn’t I want to join in His plan that He created me for? If I am a tire, I am ideally suited to be on a car driving down the road, speeding up, slowing down, keeping the car on the road through sharp turns. I’m good at it, it’s easy for me and I enjoy it. People appreciate me and keep me inflated and clean. But as a tire, if I tried to be a chair, it would be a huge challenge. I would be considered ugly perhaps. Uncomfortable. Dirty. I might find limited success, but it would always be a struggle, and I would have to contort my true self. God made me with a purpose in mind. I am perfectly suited to that purpose. My job is to seek Him and His will for me everyday so my beautiful purpose can be fulfilled joyfully.

Dear God,

Thank you so much that you created me lovingly with a purpose in mind. I pray that I discover my purpose every day more and more. Reveal to me what you want me to do. Thank you for giving me this purpose. I look forward to the day when I have all the answers, but thank you for your word that provides what I need for today.