GraceCreates

By Jon Walker

“I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop.” John 12:24 (HCSB)

When the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy was a boy, he and his friends started the White Polar Bear Club. There was only one requirement for becoming a member – you had to sit on a stool in the corner and not think about a white polar bear for thirty minutes.

You can imagine the difficulty of meeting this entrance requirement, particularly if you sat there thinking, I must not think about a white polar bear; I must not think about a white polar bear. No matter what I do, I must not think about a white polar bear.

And I think that’s what many of us do when we think about dying to self in order to be alive in Christ. (Galatians 2:18-21) We try to become “dead” to temptations, to distractions, to the world by repeating, “I must die to self; I must die to self.”

And that is like trying to not think about a white polar bear for thirty minutes.

We see how natural it is for a grain of wheat to fall to the ground and die, knowing it will provide a huge harvest that will benefit many people. But then we struggle – consider it unnatural – to follow the command of Jesus to “die to self” so that we will then be alive in Christ.

And so we begin to focus on the dying when we should focus on the living – on the Jesus-life within us that makes us fully human. Without the life of Christ within us, we live unnatural lives; it is only when Christ lives and works within us that we are transformed into the whole and complete and natural person of God’s design.

What does this mean?

• Focus on the life of Christ within – In other words, don’t look at the things to which you’re supposed to be dead; instead, look at the life of Christ within you – look at the power of the Almighty at work in and around your life.
• You become the “real you” when you connect to Christ – God didn’t design you to live apart from Him. You become fully human, the person God created you to be, when you die to self and become alive in Christ.

Jon Walker is the teaching pastor for “The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals,” and resident writer at www.GraceCreates.com. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

I am in them and You are in Me. May they be made completely one, so the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me. John 17:23 (HCSB)

Your soul is who you are on the inside. When you become a believer, God’s Spirit breathes new life into your soul, making you a new creation in Christ. His Spirit becomes an anchor to your soul, a steadfast force working within you so that you’re no longer pushed about by events, circumstances, or even your feelings – instead your life is controlled by the Spirit of God within you.

The Holy Spirit helps you mature as a believer, prompting you to obey and trust God’s guidance. God wants your soul so in sync with His Spirit that you act as one with Him, serving others on His behalf.

You love God with all your soul when you model the behavior of Christ, setting aside your own agendas and serving in a humble manner that points others toward God. You become an ambassador for Christ, representing His desires, not your own.

This helps you to see people from God’s point of view, recognizing them as eternal beings designed by God for a purpose — no different from you. You no longer make conclusions about them based upon their appearance or behavior; instead you look deep within to the needs of their souls.

The fact that God has breathed His Spirit into your soul means that you are never alone, and you are not on your own as you take steps of faith. God is always with you, and as a believer, you can never again be separated from His Spirit.

What does this mean?

• Ask God to renew a right Spirit within you – God can refresh the spirit within you. Tell God that your desire is for the Holy Spirit to flow freely through you, to renew and refresh you each morning.
• Love God with all your soul – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul ….” (Luke 10:27, NIV)
• His or yours? – Ask God to help you discern the answer to this question: ‘Am I serving others on behalf of God, or am I operating from my own agenda?’

Jon Walker is the teaching pastor for “The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals,” and resident writer at www.GraceCreates.com. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

“Therefore, this is what I will do: I will block her way with thorns; I will enclose her with a wall, so that she cannot find her paths.” Hosea 2:6 (HCSB)

We run from God; He calls us back. We hide from God; He seeks us out. We chase false gods; He reminds us He is the One True God, and He guards us jealously.

In order to illustrate his faithfulness and patience with us, God chose a prostitute named Gomer. Many men came to see her, but then one came, not to use her, but to marry her.

He was a prophet from God; a holy man committed to pure and righteous living. He came saying God wanted him to marry her. You can imagine the shock, the laughter – and the mixed-up feelings.

But it wasn’t too long before Gomer returned to her old lovers and old friends; however, God told Hosea to always go after her and bring her home – just as God forgives us and brings us home to Him.

Even though Gomer thought, “I will go after my lovers … (Hosea 2:5),” God blocked her path with a “hedge of thorns,” a spiritual wall He placed around her so she could not find her way back to those sinful relationships. (Hosea 2:6)

We can pray a hedge of thorns be placed around those in rebellion, but the same prayer can also be used as a “hedge of protection” for loved ones in vulnerable situations. For instance, asking God to place a hedge of protection around a child vulnerable to developing some wrong relationships, ones that may cause him to stumble or that may stall her Christian growth.

It is this hedge of protection that Satan points to when demanding God allow him to sift Job. The enemy couldn’t get to Job because God had placed a hedge around him. (Job 1:8-11)

What does this mean?

• You are protected by God – God places protection around you (although that does not mean you won’t encounter hardship). Pray a hedge of protection for yourself, asking God to guide you decisions and steps.
• Pray for your spouse, children, others – Pray this hedge of protection around you loved ones, friends, or any one else God suggests. Get quiet with God and ask him to identify the fears and vulnerabilities present and pray through those issues. “And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]” (Matthew 6:13 HCSB)
• Pray for the prodigals – God says he blocked Gomer’s path with thorns, so she would come back to Him, just as He is faithful to take us back when we return from the far country. (Hosea 2:5b-7 HCSB)

Jon Walker is the teaching pastor for “The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals,” and resident writer at www.GraceCreates.com. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

The Jewish leaders wouldn’t believe he had been blind … John 9:18 (NLT)

When Jesus healed a man born blind, the Pharisees opened an investigation to determine exactly what had happened. Yet, it appears they decided ahead of time what the answer should be, so when the facts didn’t support their predetermined conclusion, they just kept searching until they found facts they liked.

The Apostle John shows us a sequence of snapshots related to the Pharisee’s investigation:

• They ask the man, formally known as blind, what happened (John 9:13-16), but in this story of a blind man, seeing is not believing to the Pharisees.
• They ask the previously blind man who had healed him (John 9:17), and then they attempted to undermine the credibility of Jesus.
• They ask the man’s parents what they thought had happened (John 9:19-23), and in the process, they began to question the formerly blind man’s credibility.
• They returned to the question: “What did he do?” (John 9:26), demanding an explanation. Their focus was on the “how” and not the “wow.” Instead of saying, “This man who was blind can now see! Wow, God!” they have to know exactly what happened and how it happened. They walk by sight and not by faith, the exact opposite of what we’re taught in 2 Corinthians 5:7.
• When they’re not getting the answers they want, the Pharisees begin to ridicule this man, who now had 20/20 vision: “Then they cursed him and said, ‘You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.’” (John 9:28)
• When the Pharisees cannot intimidate the man, frightening him into abandoning his testimony, they pass judgment on him and throw him out of the synagogue. (John 9:30-34)

A sign of our spiritual maturity is when we follow truth, wherever it leads, and we face the truth no matter how much it hurts or how much it costs.

We are called to come out of the darkness and to be obedient to the Truth, who is Jesus Christ, our Lord, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6, HCSB)

What does this mean?

• Seek truth, don’t defend – When faced with something or someone you don’t understand, ask God to show you the truth and to help you let go of your preconceived notions or the prejudices you defend.
• Check the ridicule in you – If you find yourself ridiculing someone or his position, putting her down, vilifying another, then check with God. Ask him to show you the root of your attitudes and to guide you into a position of love.
• Remain teachable – No matter who you are or what position you hold, there are always things you can learn. The Pharisees were unteachable, rejecting anything that challenged their preconceived ideas. God sends us teachers all the time; Let Jesus open your eyes so you are no longer blind to them.

Jon Walker is the teaching pastor for “The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals,” and resident writer at www.GraceCreates.com. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.