365 Days with God - Day 18: Credit where credit is due

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 18, January 7, 2014

Readings: Psalm 17, Genesis 18:1-15, 1 Chronicles 18, 1 Chronicles 19, 1 Chronicles 20, Luke 11:1-36

Have you ever wondered why David was lauded as a man after God's own heart?

This is pretty big stuff. Despite his flaws, to be given this title is very significant. And it's not because he slew Goliath, or was the king of Israel. It's because of the life he lived, day in and day out. In his lowest lows, he repented on his knees, begging for forgiveness. In his highest highs, he gave credit where it was due. To God. David knew that without God, his victories would have been defeats. His sacrifices meaningless. His life, forfeit. David gave the honor, glory and recognition to God.

Recognition. Even those of us who do not desire the spotlight, or a place of honor, secretly desire recognition. Appreciation. Knowing that our work, or our effort, is meaningful and valued. We can rest in the knowledge that what we have done is not in vain.

But this is a tricky subject. There are many times when we are given the opportunity to take credit that is not ours. To rejoice in the glory and adoration that we did not earn. For if we desire this recognition, this appreciation, and we must work for it, then we could also take someone's work. Take someone's glory. Add it to our account.


King David takes the opposite tack.

"Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. And David took the shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David took a large amount of bronze. With it Solomon made the bronze sea and the pillars and the vessels of bronze.

When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, king of Zobah, he sent his son Hadoram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him; for Hadadezer had often been at war with Tou. And he sent all sorts of articles of gold, of silver, and of bronze. These also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he had carried off from all the nations, from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek. (1st Chronicles 18:6-11)

The Lord gave David victory wherever he went. David could have done anything he wanted with that victory. Who would know where it came from? David amassed wealth, power, prestige, everything a King needs to rule. But he dedicated it to the Lord.

 

Everything I have - my health, my family, my friends, my job and more - these are because of the Lord's provision. It's in my hands what I do with it. Do I use it all for me? Or do I dedicate it to the Lord as David did? I need to ask - if I want to be a man after God's own heart, like David - am I using the victories that He has given me for my own glory, or for His?

 

 

365 Days with God - Day 17: Living for Tomorrow

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 17, January 6, 2014

Readings: Psalm 16, Genesis 17, 1 Chronicles 17, Luke 10:25-42

We all put a lot of stock in the future. Future values, future earnings, future experiences, a future home, a future reality. Suffice to say, everything that cannot be changed for today, could be changed in the future. Or at least that's what we want to believe. For if we had no hope of change, then why try? If our hard work, planning and diligence amount to nothing, then what's the point?

The hard truth is, there is very little certainty in an our earthly futures. I too, wish it was like Back to the Future, where Marty Mcfly goes back in time with an almanac and can predict sports scores, with the potential of making millions on a "sure thing." But we don't have an almanac for the future. We put our security in the hands of chaos. And God calls us to something better.

King David sings of this in the Psalms, claiming that for him, God will be his future. Rather than relying on the success of his investments, or kingdom, he will take the LORD as his portion, his inheritance:

"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance." (Psalm 16:5-6)

David knows that his earthly riches cannot last. God's plans are David's inheritance. David is content to serve while he can on earth, but the earth is not where his security lies. His riches, his hope, is in the God who never fails. Everything he own can fall to pieces, but he is secure in the LORD:

"Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption." (Psalm 16:9-10)

Jesus also brings this lesson to the forefront in a very real way with some of his close friends, and uses it as a teaching moment - to instruct us in what matters, what lasts:

"Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me. But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)

Mary has chosen the good portion. Martha is distracted. Jesus makes the contrast here very clear. Martha is relying upon her good deeds, her service, to supply her future. She expects that because of her sacrifice, she will be rewarded. She is doing work to receive a reward.

Jesus doesn't call us to work for a reward. We are not paid laborers, receiving our due. We are children of the King. He owes us nothing, but has given us an inheritance. We came to him as nothing, but He has given us everything. If there was a work we could do for salvation, then we could demand our reward, our payment from God. But it is a price we cannot pay. A debt we cannot afford.

Our future rests not in our ability to produce, or create wealth, or even in our ability to do good things for God. Our future is secure because of who God is, and what He's done. We can be glad and rejoice. God will not abandon our souls. He holds our future, and His inheritance, our portion, is beautiful.

365 Days with God - Day 16: When I'm tired

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 16, January 5, 2014

Readings: Psalm 15, Genesis 16, 1 Chronicles 16:4-43, Luke 9:51-62, Luke 10:1-24

When I am tired, when I am weary, when I am ready to give up, I need to remember the goodness and might of God. For he is never tired, never overwhelmed, never on the verge of throwing in the towel. he is infinite, and he is good.

Giving thanks is a twofold expression. One part is expressing gratitude for a gift given, a good deed or kind word. But the second part is remembering that deed. Not only at the moment that it was done, but how it has continued to benefit the receiver. Being thankful is the reverse of holding a grudge - it strengthens a relationship instead of weakening it.

You may have heard it said that love keeps no record of wrongs. What it does is keep a record of rights - things done that are due love, appreciation and thankfulness. Remembering, and being thankful for these things is a wonderful gift for both the giver and receiver.

When I am about to quit is the moment (well, it should have been long before) that I need to stop thinking so much about myself and start thinking of the good things God has done, is doing, and will do for me and for others. It brings my mind outside of my present misery and to the present reality that I have more than I deserve. That despite my feeling blue, I am rich beyond my wildest dreams.

Elisha and I have a thing we do. I'll tell you, when you're on the "thanking" end, it feels like punishment. When one of us is grumpy, and funky, and generally causing things to spiral downwards, the other asks them to name 10 things that they're thankful for. Big, small, it doesn't matter. But they have to name 10 things before anything else happens.

You know what? It works. At the beginning, whoever is grumpy feels upset. Nothing can make this better, especially not just listing 10 stupid things that I'm stupid thankful for...you get the idea. But by the end, I can't help but breathe a sigh of relief for all that I've been given. All that I have to be thankful for. And it's all because of God's goodness.

King David knew this as well. After a long war with the Philistines, Israel was on the brink. Their first king, Saul, and his family, had been slain. It was certainly a time to mourn, and many had lost friends, family in the war. But David knew that the key to recovery was being thankful. Remembering and rejoicing in the victory that God had brought them, not only over the Philistines, but throughout Israel's history. And so he appointed some of the priests of the Levites to "invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel." (1st Chronicles 16:4)

David even wrote a song (which comprises the majority of 1st Chronicles 16) to be sung before all the people of Israel. And these ministers were not just there to sing for a day, no, they were to be thankful each day, bringing burnt offerings before the LORD in the morning and evening, and some "chosen expressly named to give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever." (1st Chronicles 16:41)

God is deserving of my thanks, my praise, my offerings. He has given me so many things. When I am tired, when I am grumpy, when I just want to think all about me, I need to think about Him instead. About what He has done. About what He has sacrificed, for my sake. To remember. When you are down, will you remember how great our God is?

365 Days with God - Day 15: A proud fool

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 15, January 4, 2014

Readings: Psalm 14, Genesis 15, 1 Chronicles 15:1-29, 1 Chronicles 16:1-3, Luke 9:1-50

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
there is none who does good." (Psalm 14:1)

Even now, these words are hard to write. Hard to accept. Hard not to make excuses, and to talk about how I'm not that bad, and I'm mostly good, and that I try real hard.

But the words are there on the page. Very clear. When I think that I'm good, I'm being proud. I'm not good. I am a selfish wreck without Jesus. The hardest part? There's a thousand, a million advice books, shows, blogs, whatevers out there, telling me that I'm good. Telling me to believe in myself. Telling our entire nation, influencing our culture, nurturing a sense of pride, accomplishment. We are great. We deserve this, that, and a million other things. 

We don't.

We are corrupt. We do abominable things. We are fools who don't believe in God. Who exchange his truth for a lie that we are self-sufficient. Yet everything we have, down to the air we breathe, is because He made it, and He sustains it. Our arrogance and pride is so thick I can taste it. And yet I struggle with it, every day. Every day I want to be in charge of my own destiny. To make my own path. To control my own outcomes. And each day, I have to tell myself that I can't. That it's not up to me.

And each day that I own this truth, each day that I submit myself to God's authority, is another day that I live free of the illusion that I have some type of power. I have none. I am at the mercy of a million things outside of my control - sickness, terrorism, natural disasters and more. And I could choose to live in fear, hiding from all these things, though never being safe. I could live in defiant ignorance, daring the world to challenge me. Or I can run to the arms of my heavenly Father, who is in control over everything.

And He loves me. He cares for me. He knows what is good, and He does what is good, unlike me.

"for God is with the generation of the righteous.
You would shame the plans of the poor,
but the LORD is his refuge." (Psalm 14:5b-6)

365 Days with God - Day 14: The difference between knowing & believing

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 14, January 3, 2014

Readings: Psalm 13, Genesis 14, 1 Chronicles 14, Luke 8:22-56

 At this moment, more than any time in history, we are a world that knows many things. We know details about infinitely small things like atoms. We know intricacies of other planets, and we are daily discovering new things. It was only a few hundred years ago that someone could be considered a "renaissance man" - someone who knew much about all the things of the world - math, science, arts, philosophy.

Nowadays that is impossible. The knowledge that we have is vast, the brainpower required to contain it has necessitated the invention of computers, and the increase in their power to bring us more and more knowledge. But for all our knowledge, intelligence and progress, we are lacking in an area that our forefathers excelled at: belief.

For in our society, we have come to accept that with our ever expanding knowledge, we never truly know anything. We are both blessed to be discovering new things constantly, and cursed in that we can never be grounded in infallible facts. And I believe that we need a solid foundation. Something that we can have faith in, something reliable. Something that we do not merely know with our minds, something that we believe with our hearts. That we base our reality on, and that defines our actions.

Jesus' disciples experienced the need for a belief such as this in a very real way, as they were faced with death:

One day, he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side of the lake." So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?" (Luke 8:22-25)

Many of his disciples were fishermen on this very lake. All their lives, probably from birth, they had grown up sailing and battling nature in boats. They were experts, with knowledge of the sea. But as the wind and the waves grew, they knew they were overcome. They saw their lives ending, the way friends and family of theirs had probably ended - at the hands of a vicious storm. They were afraid.

At this point, they didn't have any more answers. Their knowledge and expertise had been exhausted. But rather than trusting Jesus (who was still sleeping) they awoke him in distress. Despite all that they had seen following Jesus - lepers, lame, blind healed, death defeated, they still questioned the truth of Jesus' authority and power. They were convinced that unless they woke him, he would sleep right through the storm - well, right up until they perished!

I don't know what they expected at this point. They awoke Jesus in a panic, as if a man who had defeated death, disease and demons would be afraid of a storm. Jesus rebukes the storm, and all becomes calm. And then he asks a simple question: "Where is your faith?" Where indeed? For all their head knowledge, for all the examples and miracles he had performed in their midst, when it came down to brass tacks, they had no faith, no belief, in their hearts. 

And aren't we the same? We gloss over God's provision, his blessings, his saving grace in our lives, knowing he is good in our heads, but never believing it in our hearts. Our faith is comprised of knowledge, but knowledge fails in the face of adversity. True faith comes from the heart. True belief knows the goodness and faithfulness of God no matter the situation.

When I face trials, tribulations, and even death, I want to have a heart-based faith. One that believes in God and what he's doing in and through me. And when I am rescued, I want to be thankful, resting in the truth of who God is.

365 Days with God - Day 13

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 13, January 2, 2014

Readings: Psalm 12, Genesis 13:2-18, 1 Chronicles 13, Luke 8:4-21

It's only the second day of the new year, and already, I've been supremely dismayed by humanity. I suppose this shouldn't be a surprise. But nonetheless, it's sad. If you hear one thing from me today, hear this: I am, at my core, selfish, depraved and lost without God.

I need Him. Without Him, it's all about me. Without Him, we are all selfish, depraved and lost. Every. Last. One. And I was reminded of this by the oddest thing - an inspirational quote from Rhonda Byrne that someone posted:

"Do whatever you can to feel good, because when you feel good, life will be good. The better you feel, the better life will get! Think about, talk about, and focus on the areas of your life that make you feel good, and temporarily keep off the subjects that don't make you feel good. When you do this one simple thing, everything in your life will get better, whether that's better relationships, health, money, or better circumstances with your job. Nothing in your life can ever improve until you feel better, and when you feel better, everything will improve. Make feeling as good as you can your number one priority for 2014, and it will be the best year of your life!"

Do whatever you can to feel good? While not often directly stated, that is the message of modern philosophy and relativism. Jesus addresses this very simply in the parable of the sower.  

"And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature." (Luke 8:14)

Thorns. Cares, riches, pleasures of life - doing what makes you feel good! are defined by Jesus as thorns that choke. Thorns that prevent growth, fruit and goodness. Friends, if you call yourself a follower of Jesus, know that you and I are not called to chase earthly riches and pleasures. They will choke the life out of us, and those around us. 

Another example of this arrived in my inbox just after Christmas, from a certain retailer whose logo is a bitten fruit...and whose products I own. The title? "There's one last gift to get: Yours"

Get yours. Do what makes you happy. Live your best life now. Get rich quick, be satisfied, be secure, love the skin you're in, whatever it happens to be, do you notice the one common factor? It's all about you. And if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that when I live my life all for me, I'm a jerk. I don't help other people. I don't give. I don't have joy. I take and I use others for my own personal gain. I'm revolting when I live for me.

Jesus calls us to something different. We have been given the gift of life, the Good News of the gospel that saves. That heals. That restores brokenness. And all we are asked to do in return is love God and love others. I'm not in that, other than in the giving. My best life? It's when I give. It's when I am selfless. It's when I refuse to hide. And Jesus addresses this too, in the same parable:

"As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. " (Luke 8:15-16)

Live for others, bear fruit, share the good news, the light with others. That's what will make the best 2014 for me. And you, and anyone else who knows that only Jesus saves. Only he can bring joy. And his gift, freely given for all, is the only thing I need. 

365 Days with God - Day 12

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 12, January 1, 2014

Readings: Psalm 11, Genesis 12, Genesis 13:1, 1 Chronicles 12, Luke 7:36-50, Luke 8:1-3

A repentant heart. Not something that our society discusses much. In fact, in my experience, I can't say I've heard the word repentance used outside of the Church. There is plenty of talk, and arguments, and chatter surrounding topics such as tolerance, acceptance, co-existence, but there is very little talk about repentance.

I think this is because repentance has a rider attached to it - one that people aren't very ready to accept. And that is humility. Tolerance/acceptance/co-existence has basically been accepted as not bashing somebody's opinions. Live and let live. Agree to disagree. Something like that.

Repentance is admitting wrong, and a wrong that has hurt someone else. Repentance is pledging to change. Not only owning up to past mistakes, but committing to change future actions. As a Christian, God asks me to live a certain way. The best way - His way. He is the God of the universe, after all. And it is not up to me to pick and choose what I like and don't like. It my responsibility to obey.

But I'm not perfect - and no one else is either. We make mistakes. We live lifestyles of sin before we bow before Jesus, and we certainly sin after we have committed to him as well. Christianity is not a call to be perfect, it is a call to surrender to God, knowing His way is better. Repenting when we choose not to follow Him. Jesus demonstrates this very clearly as he ministers to some big "sinners" of his day:

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."

"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which one of them will love him more?"  

Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, You have judged rightly." Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven - for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." (Luke 7:36-47)

This woman understands repentance. Simon does not. She knows that she has done wrong, and she is weeping at Jesus' feet. Simon is relying on his good to outweigh his bad - he is proud of himself and his righteous accomplishments. What Jesus makes clear in his story is that both owe a debt. Yes, the woman who is weeping at his feet is the one who owes 500 denarii. But Simon is also a debtor - and he is not repentant.

I am a debtor, forgiven and free. Jesus' love, his sacrifice, paid my debt. The message of this story is that we are all in need of a repentant heart. Our debt to pay is all the same. A life is owed for the sins we commit, whether ten sins or ten million.

A repentant heart is grateful for the debt forgiveness. A repentant heart understands the depth of the grace given to us. A repentant heart has no pride in accomplishments, or quantity of good deeds, or lack of sins. A repentant heart understands the need that we have for Jesus, and weeps at his feet for the grace he has extended. I want to start this year, and continue this year, and every year, with a repentant heart.