What do you need to do to align your work with G.o.d's purposes and presence?

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."-ARISTOTLE

JUNE 13.

WALK WITH THE WISE.

He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.

PROVERBS 13:20.

WE SEE IT ALL THE TIME: Teenagers join the "wrong crowd," and they make dumb choices they never would have made before. Sometimes these choices are minor annoyances for their parents, but sometimes they're fatal. The choice of friends isn't important just for teenagers, though. It's crucial for all of us.

Why are some of us attracted to "fools"? In many cases, we're attracted to them because they seem to live exciting lives. They take risks; they laugh loudly, play loudly, and sing loudly. This life looks like fun, and the truth is, it is fun-for a while. Many of us are wired to enjoy taking risks, and fools take more risks than others. The rush of adrenaline can be addictive.

On the other hand, "wise people" sometimes have a bad reputation. Actually, we often mistakenly believe boring, stiff, religious, and self-righteous are words that describe wisdom, and that doesn't make wisdom attractive at all! True wisdom, though, is the ability to really live, to squeeze every drop of meaning out of life, and to look to G.o.d to give us the greatest adventure life has to offer. Unfortunately, there are a lot more stiff, self-righteous people out there than there are those who are truly wise and live exciting, Christ-honoring lives.

Can you find a wise friend or two? Yes, they're out there, but you may have to look hard to find them. Can you be one? That's your challenge.

Why do you think fools can be so attractive to so many people?

How would you describe a really wise person?

"Your best friend is the one who brings out your highest and best, never your lowest and least."-IKE REIGHARD

JUNE 14.

THE LEAST OF THESE.

The King will answer and say to them, "a.s.suredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."

MATTHEW 25:40.

IN THE DAYS before He was to be killed, Jesus had some very intense conversations with people. Every word counted, and every message had the power to change lives. During those days, Jesus argued with religious leaders and He spent time with His closest followers. He talked about having soft hearts toward G.o.d, and He predicted a tragic future for those who turned their backs on G.o.d.

Outward appearance, Jesus explained, can be a sham. G.o.d cares far more about the content of our hearts and the expression of our hearts in loving actions. One of the clearest windows on the condition of our hearts, Jesus said, is how we treat "the least of these" around us.

Who are these people? They are the ones most of us ignore. We move to the suburbs to get away from them. If they do get in our way, we pa.s.s by as quickly as possible. Avoiding them, though, isn't what pleases Jesus. He values those of us who see needs and take steps to meet them. The needs of nice, clean people? Yes, but also the needs of those who are dirty, who are outcasts, and who can't give anything in return. We show our devotion to Christ when we feed the hungry, give a drink to those who are thirsty, invite strangers to our homes, clothe those who wear rags, and visit the sick and the prisoners.

Who are some needy people you see every day? Do you need to leave a coc.o.o.n of safety and peace to be with them?

What is one new habit you can develop to care for needy people?

"Small things done with great love can change the world."-MOTHER TERESA

JUNE 15.

LIKE NEON SIGNS.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

MATTHEW 5:16.

WHEN WE DRIVE down a city street at night, we see hundreds of lit-up signs advertising company products and services. Some are incredibly bright, and some barely flicker. Some are big and bold, and some are more subdued. Every one of them, though, advertises something.

In the same way, every person is like a neon sign shining in the darkness, and every one of us communicates a message to anyone who notices. Jesus tells us that we have the opportunity to design our life's sign and determine how it shines for people to see. And in fact, our choices about the design make a tremendous difference for today and for all eternity because He has chosen us to "advertise" the grace, mercy, kindness, and purposes of our Heavenly Father!

All of us made choices long ago that have shaped our lives and the signs we've designed, but G.o.d gives us the opportunity to make a new design if we need to. By His grace, we can trust Him to transform our hearts so that far more of His love shines through. Some of us need to do some major design work; some need to screw in a fresh bulb or two. All of us need to take a few minutes to reflect on what we've been advertising and what we want on our signs.

Describe what your sign has looked like for the last couple of months.

What changes need to happen so that your sign points people to the grace and truth of your Father in heaven?

"Every sin is the distortion of an energy breathed into us-an energy which, if not thus distorted, would have blossomed into one of those holy acts whereof 'G.o.d did it' and 'I did it' are both true descriptions."-C. S. LEWIS "Man was designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness."-ZIG ZIGLAR

JUNE 16.

LOVE G.o.d AND FORGIVE OTHERS.

If you forgive men their trespa.s.ses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

MATTHEW 6:14.

G.o.d'S FORGIVENESS of our sins isn't conditional. Christ has paid the price already, so our forgiveness is already purchased. But the legal fact that the penalty for our sins has been paid doesn't a.s.sure us that we'll feel forgiven. Our experience of forgiveness depends on our willingness to express forgiveness to those who have hurt us.

We live in the real world, and we all get hurt by people from time to time. Sometimes, it's a small cut, but sometimes people leave us with gaping wounds. Anger is a normal response to injustice and hurt, but if anger isn't resolved, it soon turns into resentment and bitterness-which sour our att.i.tudes and poison every relationship.

Bitterness is one of the chief causes of emotional stress and stress-related illnesses. We relive painful events over and over, and we rehea.r.s.e ways we will get revenge. We can't sleep, and we can't eat. Our relationship with G.o.d becomes shallow and empty. Our lives are consumed with the hurt inflicted on us, but quite often, the person who hurt us isn't even aware of our daily emotional pain, and he or she might not even care.

The only remedy to break this pattern of bitterness is to forgive the one who hurt us. No, it won't be easy. We'll have to go to the well of G.o.d's love and forgiveness and drink deeply so that we have plenty to pour out to others. The choice to forgive, though, opens the floodgates of G.o.d's presence and power. We just have to give up our bitterness first.

What are some consequences of bitterness in people's lives?

Is there someone you need to forgive? Start the process now.

"If we would read the secret history of our enemies, we would find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility."-HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

JUNE 17.

THE PARADOX OF LIFE.

[Jesus said,] "Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."

MARK 8:35.

DIE TO LIVE. It's the ultimate paradox of life. All of us want the most out of life. We want our lives to count for something, and we want to feel that we're living life to the max each day at home and at work. Most of us grab onto our lives and hold on as tightly as we can in our quest to live fully, but Jesus offers a different way. Instead of grabbing on, we need to let go. Instead of clinging to our rights, we need to give them up. Instead of demanding our way, we must abdicate the throne to One who knows far more than we do.

The paradox principle can be ill.u.s.trated this way: If you hold sand in both hands, you have to squeeze the sand to keep it in place. The harder you squeeze, though, the more sand shifts and drops from your hands. And while you're holding that sand, you can't take a gift of gold that someone wants to give you. You've "saved" the sand by clinging to it, but you've missed out on a far greater thrill.

The question each of us must answer is this: Is the life Christ offers more valuable than the life I can make on my own? If not, then we need to grasp all we can while we can. But if the abundant life Jesus offers is richer, deeper, and more thrilling than any other, we can let go of what we have to receive what we really want. And we make that evaluation a hundred times a day.

Describe the paradox principle.

Is Christ's offer worth more than what you can achieve on your own? Why or why not?

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."-JIM ELLIOT

JUNE 18.

TRUE RELIGION.

Pure and undefiled religion before G.o.d and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

JAMES 1:27.

WE LIVE IN AN ENTERTAINMENT CULTURE, but the Christian life isn't a spectator sport. We live in an age of instant news coverage and blogs on all kinds of topics, but the Spirit of Christ in us isn't content with a.n.a.lysis. When Christ's grace and truth penetrate our hearts, we're compelled to take action. We notice people in need, and we jump to help them. We hear of people who have an opportunity to touch lives, and we call to offer a.s.sistance. No, we can't just sit around any longer. We want to get our hands dirty and make a difference.

Jesus warned us not to practice our faith in front of an audience to win applause (see Matthew 6:1-6). Instead, He told us to give, pray, and serve in secret, where only G.o.d knows what we're doing. James had the same idea. He said that we could tell if we truly possess a "pure and undefiled religion" if we are willing to go to the down-and-out, the ones who are usually forgotten, and meet their needs. In the first century in Palestine, the forgotten people were widows and orphans. Today, these people certainly are on the list, but so are the thousands of homeless people in our cities and the tens of thousands of prisoners in our jails. What are we doing to touch their lives? What will we do today?

But James adds the insight that true faith surfaces in another choice we make: to stay away from sinful att.i.tudes, words, and actions. The real thing, then, is a choice to live for Christ in inward lives of purity and outward expressions of helping the unfortunate. Both are essential.

Who is the best example you know of someone who lives a true faith?

What steps do you need to take today to have true faith?

"Sympathy is no subst.i.tute for action."-DAVID LIVINGSTONE