Ultimately, we live for an audience of One. G.o.d is the only One who is worthy of our affections and allegiance. When we compare ourselves with others, we quickly become consumed with pride or envy, and our pa.s.sion for Christ quickly fades.

Solomon tells us that pa.s.sion is a choice. He said, "Don't let your heart envy sinners." Envy doesn't just happen. It's the result of choosing to look, to compare, and to desire more than we have so we can look better than we do. To make the choice for G.o.dly pa.s.sion, we need to value G.o.d's purposes more than getting ahead of others, and we need to care more about people's souls (including our own) than cars, clothes, and vacations.

As our hearts grasp the wonder, the majesty, and the mystery of knowing and following Christ, we realize that nothing else compares to Him. As long as we live in this world, the choice to focus on Him is never easy. But focus is a product of habit, and we can develop the habit of letting our minds and hearts soak up the riches of G.o.d instead of comparing the riches of this world.

What are some ways you can "not let your heart envy sinners"?

What about Christ is so valuable that it makes Him beyond compare?

"The price of greatness is responsibility."-WINSTON CHURCHILL

MAY 14.

REFINING YOUR REPUTATION.

The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, and a man is valued by what others say of him.

PROVERBS 27:21.

OUR REPUTATIONS OCCASIONALLY may be unfairly tarnished when others spread gossip that's not true, but over time, the judgment of public opinion rings fairly true. That can be good news or bad news, depending on the opinion!

When precious metals endure the refining process, ore is heated to the melting point. At intervals, the dross, or sludge, is skimmed from the top, gradually leaving the purified metal. In the same way, the opinions of others are the fire in our lives to separate the n.o.ble from the selfish, the good from the bad. If we are wise, bad reports can be tremendously valuable-if we'll accept them and respond with changes. But if we take ourselves off the fire by excusing our actions and blaming someone else, we won't learn, and we won't benefit from the heat of criticism.

A good reputation takes time to earn, just as it takes time for the fire to heat ore and slowly purify gold and silver. We need to pay attention to others' opinions of us, but we should be careful not to weigh everyone's opinion equally. Place high value on the perceptions of wise people, but discount the backbiting gossip of angry people or those who flatter to win your approval.

Stay in the heat, learn hard lessons, and let G.o.d use the fires of others' opinions to purify your heart.

How do you respond to criticism?

Who are the people you trust to tell you the truth?

"To disregard what the world thinks of us is not only arrogant but utterly shameless."-CICERO

MAY 15.

DON'T FOOL YOURSELF

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.

GALATIANS 6:2-5.

WHEN WE ARE INVOLVED in leading people or helping the disadvantaged, we can lose track of our motives. Controlling people is heady stuff. We feel powerful, and to be honest, we can feel indispensable. n.o.body can do it as well as I can, we might tell ourselves. What would they do without me?

Paul reminds us not to fool ourselves. Humility is essential in leading and helping so that we don't let power go to our heads. Instead of being distracted by the abilities and positions of others, we need to stop and examine only our own work and our own hearts. The measuring stick, we soon learn, isn't that we know more than people below us in the organization or that we have more power than others and can tell them what to do. The measuring stick is Christ, who "emptied Himself" to serve (Philippians 2:7, NASB).

Comparison may be a natural thing everybody does, but people in leadership and in helping ministries need to avoid it at all costs because it feeds either insecurity or pride, not humility and trust in G.o.d. Ultimately, each of us will stand before Christ to give an account of our lives. On that day, He won't ask us if we were more powerful than others. He'll ask only if we did all we could to help, serve, and give, taking responsibility for our choices-all to "fulfill the law of Christ" to help others instead of wielding power for our own sake.

What roles do you have that can foster comparison with others?

What would it look like to humbly "fulfill the law of Christ" in each of these roles?

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."-RALPH WALDO EMERSON "Success is not measured by what you do compared to what others do; it is measured by what you do with the ability G.o.d gave you."-ZIG ZIGLAR

MAY 16.

OUR SHIELD.

Every word of G.o.d is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

PROVERBS 30:5.

THOUGH RELATIVELY FEW of us have experienced war, all of us are under attack from a wide range of enemies. Envy, l.u.s.t, and greed attack our hearts and tell us that G.o.d isn't enough to make us happy. Possessions, s.e.x, and prestige, they insist, are more important than G.o.d's purposes. Friends and family turn against us, betray our trust, stab us in the back, or just walk away, leaving us alone and abandoned. Our culture shouts that no matter how much we have, it's never enough. And the enemy of our souls lies to us, telling us that G.o.d doesn't care, that He can't help us, and that we're on our own.

In the fight against all these enemies, G.o.d is our shield. He protects us by giving us insight from His Word so we can fight and win every battle. To be sure, warfare isn't clean and neat. Sometimes we get dirty, and occasionally we get hurt. But G.o.d's Word reminds us of His love and strength, and it gives us truth about G.o.d's purposes, our motives, and the destructive ways the world, our sinful flesh, and the devil are trying to bring us down.

When we fail to read G.o.d's Word and gain its wisdom, we are vulnerable, and attacks can devastate us. Read and study, grasp the truths of G.o.d, and trust Him in the midst of the battle.

What kind of attacks have you experienced lately?

How can the wisdom, insights, and truths from G.o.d's Word defend you?

"It's not what you know; it's what you use that makes a difference."-ZIG ZIGLAR

MAY 17.

LIAR, LIAR.

Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

PROVERBS 30:6.

MANY MODERN TRANSLATIONS of the Bible are over one thousand pages. Why in the world would we think of adding anything to it? But many of us do. All of us interpret the Scriptures through the grid of our culture and experience. We can't help it; it just happens. But our goal is to understand these truths the way the G.o.d-inspired authors intended their original audience to grasp them. For instance, Paul's harsh words to the believers in Galatia were prompted by their wavering faith and their tendency to go back to trusting in good works to save them from sin (see Galatians 3:2-5). His words spoke to a particular need in the lives of those people.

Today, we "add to His words" when we make them say what we want them to say instead of digging deep to get to the real meaning. That takes work, but it's well worth it. People who want to justify their extravagant lifestyles insist that G.o.d promises wealth to everybody who trusts Him. He does? That would be news to Jesus. And other people insist that if they just pray a certain way or hard enough, G.o.d will certainly answer their prayers. He will? He didn't answer Paul's prayer for healing, Job's request for answers, or even Jesus' pet.i.tion to "let this cup pa.s.s from Me" (Matthew 26:39).

We like simple answers and answers that fit our lifestyles, but we need to go deeper to find the truth. Ultimately, G.o.d wants us to trust in Him no matter what difficulties we endure or joys we experience. When we insist on simple answers for life's most complex questions, and when those answers justify selfish behavior, we run great risk of being found to be liars.

What are some examples of simplistic answers to life's complex questions?

What are some ways you can dig deeper into G.o.d's Word?

"Some people believe in the 'Dalmatian theory' of the Bible. They believe the Bible is inspired in spots and that they are inspired to spot the spots."-W. A. CRISWELL

MAY 18.

IT NEVER WITHERS.

The gra.s.s withers, the flower fades, but the word of our G.o.d stands forever.

ISAIAH 40:8.

A FEW PEOPLE THRIVE on change, but for most of us, change threatens us because it shakes the little sense of security we have. Our lives are full of stresses and expectations, and we try hard to stay one step ahead. We cherish the one restaurant we know will give us a great meal, the one vacation spot that always allows us to relax for a while, and the one friend who understands even when we're confused.

But there's another source of stability that's far more important: G.o.d's Word. Throughout the Bible, G.o.d tells us that everything around us can change-even heaven and earth can pa.s.s away (see Matthew 24:35)-but G.o.d's Word remains rock solid and dependable. What exactly does that mean, and how does it become a rock of stability in our lives?

The Bible doesn't tell us everything about every problem and opportunity, but it gives clear teaching about the nature of G.o.d and clear principles about life. From these, we realize we can trust G.o.d through any and every circ.u.mstance, and we find direction for handling open doors, closed doors, and no doors at all. Culture changes (do you remember bell-bottoms?), age, and mobility alter every aspect of our lives except one: the Word of G.o.d, which stands forever.

What are some things the Bible teaches about G.o.d's character that you can count on?

What are some principles it teaches about life that you can count on?

"The Bible fits man for life and prepares him for death."-DANIEL WEBSTER

MAY 19.

GOOD ADVICE.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.

PROVERBS 3:5.

OUR IMMEDIATE AND NATURAL instinct is to trust what we can see, touch, and feel and to rely on our ability to figure out solutions to any problem. When the chips are down, we "lean" on our ability to a.n.a.lyze situations and figure out what to do next.

In fact, many of us become obsessed with figuring out what to do when times are tough. We call it "worry." We can't concentrate on the job in front of us because we're still thinking about the problem, situation, or comment that absorbs our minds. We can't sleep because we go over our fears and our plans again and again. We create scenarios and weigh options. We try to imagine others' responses, and our fears compound. Leaning on our own understanding may not sound like such a bad thing (after all, G.o.d gave us our minds), but hours, days, and weeks of endless a.n.a.lysis, confusion, and self-doubt can dominate our lives.

Our instinct, though, is flawed and limited. Another source of wisdom is far superior to our ability to figure things out. We are connected with the G.o.d of the universe, the One who knows all, sees all, and is powerfully able to accomplish anything He desires. The more we grasp this fundamental fact of the Christian faith, the more we will learn to overcome our instincts and trust in an unseen but all-seeing G.o.d.