Author: littleflatrockchurch

“Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.”  Philippians 4:5

When you study the virtue of gentleness throughout the Bible, it carries three practical ideas:

• Thoughtfulness — Think before you speak.
• Consideration — Put yourself in other people’s shoes, and give them room to make mistakes.
• Calmness — Don’t raise your voice or tense up your facial muscles.

Because we belong to Christ, these qualities should be evident to everyone who comes in contact with us.

But why does Paul throw in the next sentence? “The Lord is near.”

This can mean one of two things.  Once, the Lord’s return to earth is near.  When Christ returns, we don’t want to be found as harsh, arrogant, uptight, and loud.  Two, it could simply mean that the Lord’s presence is near us right now.  He is watching everything we are doing all the time.

Bottom line, in all of your encounters with people, imagine Jesus in the room with you, because He is in you, and He might actually show up face-to-face in front of you today.  Act accordingly.

— from The 31-Day Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.  Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”  Proverbs 3:3-4

The other day I went to a coffee shop for a meeting.  As I was getting a refill, a young lady sitting at a nearby table called out my name.  Knowing I didn’t recognize her, she introduced herself as Duane Whitfield’s granddaughter.

The first words out of my mouth were, “Anybody connected with Duane Whitfield is a friend of mine.”  Why did I say this?  Because Duane Whitfield has established a good name with me and has simply won my favor.  Over the last seven years I have known this man, he has consistently been an advocate for me.  He has never turned down any of my requests and has actively sought to encourage me and stand up for me. He has been a faithful friend.

I can’t speak for God, but my best guess is that Duane has established a good name with God because he faithfully relies on God’s presence in his life.  Through Duane’s good name, people like me who have been blessed by him extend favor to his offspring.  What a wonderful gift to give to your children.

Everyone has a name, but not everyone has established a good name.  In God’s strength, shoot for a good name.

— from The 31 Day Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.”  1 Thessalonians 5:15

 

Words matter, particularly in the Greek language of the New Testament.  The Greek word Paul used for “wrong” in the verse above is kaka.  Now, that is a perfect choice — “Make sure that nobody pays back kaka for kaka.”  What an awful way to live.

When Paul countered with a word translated “good,” he could have used the Greek word kalos.  It refers to outer beauty.  When you gaze at a sunset, you might say, “That is so kalos.”  If you give a kalos response to someone, you might offer a kind or courteous word on the outside while you are steaming with anger on the inside.  But instead of using kalos, Paul used agathos, which refers to an outward act toward others that is first generated from an inner moral sense of what is right and best for that person.  This inward sense rests in our heart, where the key beliefs of Christianity and Christ himself resides.  Regardless of what people offer us, we offer Jesus back to them.

The next time someone dishes you up a little kaka, don’t repay them with kaka or even some nice kalos.  Go deep into your heart and pull out a serving of agathos.

— from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.”  Proverbs 14:29

When you think of the virtue of patience, think of a thermometer.  When you are in a situation that pushes your buttons and frustrates you, put a spiritual thermometer under your tongue and monitor how quickly you are burning up with anger.

Developing a resistance and immunity to the bacteria of frustration involved ingesting daily doses of God’s patience toward you.  Aren’t you glad that God cuts you some slack and loves you in spite of your foibles and failures?  In spite of your missteps and mistakes?  As a growing follower of Christ, you long to be like him and offer that same patience to others.

The vision?  The next time you are in that same frustrating situation, place the spiritual thermometer under your tongue again and see if it doesn’t take a bit longer for your temperature to rise.  If that is indeed the case, you will have tangible evidence that you are growing in the virtue of patience.

— from The 31-Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.”  Hebrews 6:19-20

The first-century symbol of Christianity was an anchor, not a cross.  Pictured on the epitaphs of first-, second-, and third-century believers, it symbolized the hope they had in the life beyond because of Christ.  If you look closely, however, you will notice a large portion of the anchor is made up of a cross.  Strangely enough, while chips have changed dramatically since that time, the anchor used today has pretty much remained unchanged from ancient times.

The writer of Hebrews tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (13:8).  Much like the anchor.

Life changes from day to day, and turmoil and tempests come with no warning, but Jesus Christ never changes.  You can count on him to hold you steady no matter what the storms of life throw at your boat.  He will hold you secure until the billows have calmed and the skies have cleared.

The cross has always been the anchor of hope for those who believe.  When tempests in life shake your boat, put your hope in the eternal life offered through our anchor, Jesus Christ.

–from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”  Titus 2:11-12

There’s a conversation I had with renowned pollster George Gallup, Jr. that I would never forget.  We were working on the assessment tool built around the thirty key ideas found in this devotional.  We were discussing the virtue of self-control, and apparently I was pontificating on how Christians just needed to pull themselves up by their spiritual bootstraps and stop doing things they shouldn’t be doing.  George interrupted me and said, “You’re not an alcoholic, are you?” I answered no.

Then he said, “Well, I am, and so was my father.  When I took my first drink, it affected me differently than most people.  I couldn’t stop.  Even as a Christian, I tried and tried, and I couldn’t lick it.  Then one day I heard Jesus whisper, ‘George, if you never figure this out, it is okay.  I already died for this.’ And I haven’t taken a drink in thirty years.”

It was because of this conversation that we added the words “through Christ” to the key idea below.  The law of “have to” only makes us want to do the things we shouldn’t do more.  But grace, when embraced in our soul, gives us the power to say no to those things that harm us and others.

Jesus offers you the same grace to overcome your greatest temptations.  Hear him whisper this offer to your soul.

I have the power through Christ to control myself.

— from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7

One summer day when I was a kid, I made a bet with two boys I met at the local farmer’s market.  For every ball they hit over the fence, I’d give them fifty cents.  For every ball I hit over he fence, they’d give me five dollars.

Within minutes I was down five dollars.  I said I’d have to go get money at home and return with it.  But I didn’t have five dollars at home, and I had no intention of coming back.  I just ran off and hid in my bedroom with overwhelming anxiety, expecting to live out the rest of my days there.

Two hours later my dad asked me if I owed some boys five dollars.  The thugs had tracked down where I lived.  So I confessed.  He informed me that he’d paid the bill in full, and he hoped I had learned my lesson.  I walked out of that room relieved.  I just wished I had gone to my dad two hours earlier and saved myself from such intense worry and anxiety.

God wants us to do the same thing.  Whenever you feel anxiety or fear, don’t delay. Take it to your Father, and find peace that transcends all understanding.

–from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy & Rozanne Frazee

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”  John 15:11

“Nona, do you smile all the time?” These were my granddaughter’s words to my shocked ears.

“I do when you’re with me.”

The truth is, finding joy in spite of my circumstances is one of my biggest struggles.  If I’m not careful, even the smallest frustration can rob me of my joy.  Apparently, my granddaughter has not yet seen this side of me.

Jesus told his disciples that there is a brand of joy that is complete joy — the kind he experienced even when he knew the cross was just around the corner.  Now that’s a circumstance I have never faced.  This kind of joy is available to you and me as well, if we stay close to him.

My granddaughter isn’t always with me, but Jesus is.  If I stay close to him, I can experience joy in spite of any circumstance that comes my way.

Every time you choose to smile genuinely even though your circumstances are less than joyful, you give evidence that the same joy Jesus experienced in spite of the cross is in you.

— from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“This is love:  not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  1 John 4:10-11

Parental love is likely the purest expression of the love within the human race.  Parents spend their lives depositing their love into their children.  The children will never remember the caressing of their cheeks as babies, but the parents know it contributes to the overall physical, spiritual, emotional, and relational health of the children.

The greatest joy of parents is seeing their children all grown up and living a life of love — blessing their own children, their spouses, their neighbors.  When the children decide to live a life of love, the parents know their love has been received and made complete.

This is how it is for God, your Father.  He has been pouring His love into you all your life, even when you were too young to remember it.  When you grow up and choose to live a life of love, you give evidence that God’s love has been born in you and has been made complete in you.

Do you want to give evidence that God’s love is in you?  Go love someone else.

from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.  Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”  Ephesians 6:19-20

A husband came home from work after a very long and terrible day.  Everything had gone wrong.  He said to his wife, “I’ve had nothing but bad news at the office today.  If there is one thing I don’t want, it is more bad news.”

His wife gently replied, “In that case, you’ll be glad to know that three of your four children did not break their arms today.”

There is a real art to learning how to share bad news.  But delivering good news is so much fun.  Why, then, is it so hard for us to share our faith?  Without question, Paul goes down in history as one of the most aggressive evangelists ever to walk the planet.  Yet he confesses that it is easy to hold back and that even he needs courage.  If it is true for Paul, then it is likely true for you.

Maybe it helps to remember that the gospel is good news.  Try this on for size:  “You’ll be pleased to know that four out of every four people who ask for forgiveness and for eternal life in Jesus will receive it.”

— from The 31 Day Believe Devotional  by Randy and Rozanne Frazee