LOVE'S LITMUS TEST

[Jesus said,] "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

JOHN 13:34-35.

MAKE NO MISTAKE: Jesus was a revolutionary. He didn't overthrow the political establishment, but He turned the spiritual world upside down. In the culture of His day, people lived by the "law of retaliation," which is commonly stated as "an eye for an eye." This principle says that an injured person has the right to retaliate to the same extent as the offense. Jesus, though, told His followers that He had a different law: Forgive your enemies.

In the final week before He was killed, Jesus gave instructions to His men, and His directive for believers' relationships with one another was just as revolutionary as His message about enemies. He instructed them to "love one another; as I have loved you." We can imagine the power of that statement to men who had been with Jesus for over three years. They had seen Him overlook a thousand offenses, they had watched Him forgive a thousand sarcastic remarks, and they had witnessed Him return kindness for coldness a thousand times. Suddenly, they realized He was telling them to love one another with the same patience, forgiveness, and kindness He had shown toward them countless times.

Loving people comes down to choices. When we're tempted to compete with people to show we're superior, to compare ourselves with them, or to engage in petty jealousies and gossip, we need to stop, think about the way Jesus loved, and choose a different course. Love doesn't happen because we use flowery words or express good intentions. It becomes real in our difficult choices every day.

How would you describe Jesus' love for His followers?

Who is one person to whom you need to show more of Christ's love?

"The fundamental issue in life and Scripture is the ability and willingness to forgive like G.o.d."-IKE REIGHARD

FEBRUARY 25.

SPIRITUAL REDWOODS.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

PSALM 133:1.

WE'VE ALL HEARD STORIES (too many stories) of organizations, companies, and churches that disintegrated into bitter conflict. Quite often, the conflict began with someone shifting blame for a failure, petty gossip that caused hurt, envy that someone else was treated better, or fierce compet.i.tion that produced genuine bitterness. Whatever the cause, people took their eyes off the common goal and started protecting themselves. That's no way to build a team!

But unity isn't the goal. Rather, unity is a result, one of a shared vision and cooperative efforts. In families, companies, churches, or any other organization, leaders can build unity by living for and pointing people toward a purpose that transcends each individual. With that goal in mind, they can identify and affirm each person's abilities and contributions, overlook petty issues, and communicate with clarity and compa.s.sion. When each person feels valued and included, incredible things can happen! People develop their skills, grow more committed to the cause, and encourage one another. In this environment, they grow as tall and strong as redwoods!

What's the temperature of your family or organization? If you aren't "dwelling together in unity," don't try to force it. Instead, focus your energies on clarifying a purpose and enlisting cooperation to achieve a common goal. It'll make a difference in those around you . . . and in you.

Describe the climate in your family, company, church, or other organization.

What can you do to clarify the purpose and enlist cooperation?

"Leadership is the ability to organize the spiritual gifts and limitations of others."-J. OSWALD SANDERS

FEBRUARY 26.

DOING G.o.d'S WILL

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

JOSHUA 1:8.

MANY SINCERE BELIEVERS are confused about the will of G.o.d. They've heard stories of G.o.d speaking to others to tell them what to do, and they've read accounts of G.o.d giving someone a chain of circ.u.mstances providing an unmistakable path through one of life's quagmires. Voices and signs, these confused believers a.s.sume, should be the norm in knowing G.o.d's will.

G.o.d can use any method He chooses to lead His children, but certainly His Word is the surest, yet most neglected, compa.s.s. The Scriptures are referred to as a "lamp to my feet and a light to my path" by the psalmist in Psalm 119:105. They are the source of wisdom to sort out black, white, and gray in our lives, and they expose the heart of G.o.d. In addition, they sometimes painfully expose our own hearts so that we can admit we are headed in the wrong direction and repent.

If the Bible is such a wonderful source of insight, encouragement, and direction, why do we spend so little time in its pages and expect G.o.d to lead us in some other way? Because studying the Bible takes work. It contains vast riches, but only a few of them are on the surface. The bigger veins of gold require effort to dig out. But for those of us who mine these treasures and follow their leading, G.o.d promises wisdom and success in relationships with Him and others. If we are wise, we cultivate the habit of internalizing G.o.d's truth so that we meditate in it day and night (see Psalm 1:2). That's a lot more productive than many other ways we spend our time.

Describe the blend of how G.o.d uses circ.u.mstances, the Spirit's whisper, and His Word to guide us.

What would it take (in motivation, discipline, and time) for you to make internalizing G.o.d's Word a habit in your life?

"When we want to know G.o.d's will there are three things which always concur. The inward impulse, the word of G.o.d, and the trend of circ.u.mstances. Never act until these three things agree."-F. B. MEYER

FEBRUARY 27.

APPROVED BY G.o.d.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to G.o.d, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 TIMOTHY 2:15.

NOT EVERY SPEAKER who talks about G.o.d is G.o.dly, and not every author who writes about spiritual life is writing about G.o.d's truth. In Timothy's world, as in ours, a lot of popular teaching about G.o.d sounded good but was at least "a half bubble off center." In the first century, some teachers said that man's spirit is entirely good and the body is entirely wicked. Those teachers claimed to have special knowledge beyond what was written in the Bible, but their teaching resulted in confusion and rampant sin. Today, far too many of us simply accept what a teacher says about G.o.d and spirituality. Paul told Timothy to study and to dig deep in order to find out what's true and what can't be trusted.

One of the most common messages we hear is that G.o.d wants all of us to be rich and healthy. All we need to do is ask Him-and perhaps give a wad of money to the teacher's ministry-and G.o.d will give us everything we want. To many people, this sounds very attractive; however, those who have read the Scriptures know that, while G.o.d promises blessings, they are often spiritual ones-not necessarily financial and physical blessings-and they often are experienced in the crucible of suffering. That's a very different message!

We are wise to follow Paul's advice to Timothy to study the Scriptures diligently. They are the source of truth, and we discover this truth by reading verses in the context of longer pa.s.sages, by using trusted resources like study Bibles, and by listening to respected teachers.

Does it really matter that we dig deeper? Only if we want to pursue G.o.d and live by His truth instead of a counterfeit, and only if we want to be approved by Him.

What are some popular teachings that you suspect might not be the full and accurate truth?

What would it mean for you to be diligent in studying G.o.d's Word? What are some resources you can use?

"Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure, nor this thing or that, but simple growth. We are happy when we are growing."-W. B. YEATS

FEBRUARY 28.

HEALING TOUCH.

[The Lord] heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

PSALM 147:3.

WHEN WE EXPERIENCE the trauma of loss-through death, disease, rejection, or any other kind of major setback-we naturally and instantly ask why. That's not an idle question. We desperately want to find an answer because we believe that the answer will help us regain control of our lives. However, those of us who have found restoration and healing through grief know "Why?" is the wrong question. In most cases, we may be able to point to a human cause for our pain, but we can't figure out why G.o.d allowed it or caused it, and we are left angry, confused, and bitter. A far better question is, "What now?"

When Elisabeth Elliot experienced the devastation of losing her beloved husband when he was killed by the Auca Indians, she recognized that she couldn't dwell on all her grief all the time. It was simply overwhelming. So she determined to do "the next thing," even and especially if it was only sweeping or cleaning or cooking dinner. Focusing on the next thing gave her a tangible step to take in her grief, and eventually, G.o.d healed her broken heart and bound up her wounds.

We live in the information age, and we expect to know the answers to our questions immediately. But G.o.d will not be rushed. We are wise to change our question from "Why?" to "What now?" and choose to do the next thing. As we look to Him, in time G.o.d will touch our hearts to heal and restore.

What might be the outcome in our faith if we insist on knowing why something happened?

Describe how G.o.d has healed your broken heart.

"I do not pray for a lighter load, but for a stronger back."-PHILLIPS BROOKS

March.

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MARCH 1.

CALLED WITH A PURPOSE.

We know that all things work together for good to those who love G.o.d, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

ROMANS 8:28.

PAUL'S a.s.sURANCE in his letter to the Romans is one of the most quoted and least understood pa.s.sages in the New Testament. When some people hear the verse, they flare up in anger because they think Paul is saying that the traumatic event they've just experienced is good. But that's not at all what he's saying.

Paul is inviting us to remember-in every situation, even the most painful ones-the final result of our lives' tapestry. We should remember that the G.o.d of love, wisdom, and strength has the ability to weave the dark threads of our lives in with the light-colored ones to produce something beautiful. In our pain, all we can see is the back of the fabric, but we can be a.s.sured that G.o.d will produce something fine out of it.

Although G.o.d promises to work things for our good, the promise of this verse isn't that things will work out the way we want them to. G.o.d is the weaver, and events are the threads. Our lives are just the loom on which He works to create His masterpiece. In many cases, we find that G.o.d's design is quite different from what we hoped, dreamed, or even contemplated. We can either follow the design He has planned, or we can continue to demand our own way. One leads to life and peace; the other, to anger and despair. Choose wisely, with faith in G.o.d and His design.

What are some difficult things you've been facing?

What difference would it make for you to believe that G.o.d can weave those painful experiences into the fabric of your life and create something beautiful?

"G.o.d is too good to be unkind; too wise to be mistaken. When you cannot trace His hand, you can trust His heart."-CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON "Mankind is all too often inclined to take credit for his accomplishments, but when things go wrong, he blames G.o.d."-ZIG ZIGLAR

MARCH 2.