You’re Good . . . Really Good
“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives.” (Proverbs 27:21)Confession time. At one point in my life, what I wanted most in the world was to be James Bond. Yes, it had a lot to do with the fact that he was always cool under pressure while saving the world. And he had all those awesome gadgets. (I’m a sucker for gadgets.) And the babes couldn’t wait to get their hands on him after just one glance. Very few fictional characters could make a 12 year old want to wear a tux.
But honestly, part of the appeal was that one Bond song: “Nobody does it better. Nobody does it quite the way you do.” At the time, I was mostly oblivious to the sexual connotations. I just wanted people to think I was the best . . . at anything! I wanted someone to say that to me about math or basketball or being funny or killing colorful villains. I was a sucker for praise, not just gadgets. The thought of being Bond appealed to my pride.
Okay, that’s not a huge confession. We all want to be praised and admired and honored. It’s normal. But the Bible tells us over and over and over again that God cares about what’s going on in our hearts as much as He cares about the actual choices we make. You might be doing a lot of good things, but God is looking past the “what” to the “why.”
That’s why praise is a test. Usually, we think of tests as being hard things. Will we keep trusting God when we’re broke or sick or lonely? Those can be hard tests. But praise is a motives test. When people say things like, “You’re the best on the team.” Or, “You are so smart; how do you know all that stuff?” Or, “Has anyone told you you’re really beautiful?” -- our response tells us what matters most to us. Do I collect compliments like little statues for the trophy case in my heart? If I start depending on those praiseworthy “strengths” to get me through life, the impure arrogance in me is revealed.
On the other hand, if praise jabs me into thanking God for His power, His gifts, and the abilities He gives me, the test exposes some actual gold in my motives. “Wow, that person thinks I’m really good; God is so amazing to allow me to do well at this thing.” Sounds unnatural, doesn’t it? Not the kind of thing you'd hear in a rap song. But remember what God wants most from us -- to be needy for Him, to realize we’re less than nothing without Him, to trust Him more. Because of what my heart kicks out in response, praise is a test of how much I’m leaning on Him and how much I’m trusting in me .
It takes courageous humility to turn praise for me into praise for God. But who really wants to wear a tux, anyway? Nobody does anything better than Him, after all.
What God Wants Most
“Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook.”--2 Kings 18:5-7
Growing up, I carried around a wrong idea about what God really wanted from me. I thought He cared most about me being perfect, avoiding sin, reading my Bible and praying every day. I thought what God wanted most was for me not to fail. I was wrong.
I’m not saying God doesn’t care about any of those things -- or that I shouldn’t work on being disciplined in my choices. I’m saying my understanding of God was skewed. I was thinking about God like a stern, demanding basketball coach who wanted me never to miss a lay-up or shoot sloppy three-pointers. In a way, I imagined Him shaking his head in disappointment every time I blew it. Yes, He cared about me in that gruff, coachly way, but His approval was based on my “doing my best” and steadily improving. I was wrong.
Here’s the problem: My view of God was all about me “doing,” but His Word finally convinced me that what He wants most from me is to focus on His doing. In short, He wants me to trust Him. He wants me to be needy and clingy and dependent on Him for everything. What He wants most is for me to trust Him, to believe Him, to turn to Him when I’m worried or angry, to thank Him when things go well, to hold on tight to Him all the time. He wants me to talk to Him, read His words, and obey Him because I can’t live without Him -- not to earn His approval or show off my own skills..
As a king of Israel, Hezekiah’s years on the throne weren’t exactly the glory days of David and Solomon. He started strong, but if you read 1 Kings 18-20 you’ll see he didn’t make all the right choices. In fact, he had some significant character flaws. But in today’s passage, we’re told there just wasn’t another king like him. Why? Because he “held fast” to the Lord. Other translations say he “clung” to God.
In the New Testament, nearly every book makes the same point. The strongest Christians are the ones who finally get around to giving up and leaning hard on the God who likes them. For everything.
Where’s Your Head At?
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”--Colossians 3:1-4
I learned a few years ago that I’ve got to be careful how much time I spend playing video games. No, the point of this devo is not that YOU should stop playing video games. You’re probably fine. But I had to back way off. The problem wasn’t violence or language or related to the game’s content. It doesn’t matter if it’s a first-person shooter or saving the princess with Mario. The problem is that I can’t get seem to escape from the game in my head until I beat it, and I hate being “owned” by anything in that way.
Even when I wasn’t playing a game, I’d spend hours thinking about it, lying in bed not sleeping. I wonder if I crouched down and went through the second door on the right and threw my grenade, would that get me past the two-headed monster? I’ve got to get up and try that. I’d even dream about the game I was playing.
I hated spending so much time with my head “stuck” in a world that didn’t really exist. In this passage, Paul challenges Christians to rethink where our “reality” really is and to get our hearts and heads “stuck” there. “If you’re truly a believer,” he wrote, “then your real life is Jesus and it is with Him in heaven right this minute.” Yes, your day-to-day existence is unfolding on earth, but it’s not the life that really matters.
So, he said, set your hearts and minds “on things above.” Start investing more and more of your mental and emotional energy in the things of heaven now. Don’t wait until the screen reads “Game Over” on this life. Lay in bed at night thinking about the “above things.”
Like what? How about the writings directly from God, heaven’s primary occupant? How about the people with whom we will share our “real lives” there? How about what I can do right now to make a difference in the eternity I will spend there? Once you start, you could spend years thinking and dreaming about heaven. And that’s the idea.
So where’s your head at? Are you mentally and emotionally stuck in things that just won’t matter 100 years from now? Paul urged us to get move our thoughts to a more permanent reality. In the rest of Colossians 3, he described how that change of mind will change all of our choices about how to live on this side of heaven. If you take a minute to read through his lists, you’ll get a clue about what you’re really living for. Is it a life that matters?
hello! well i just got back from a planet wisdom c…
hello! well i just got back from a planet wisdom conference on sat. i went to the one in irving Texas. was wonderful. one thing that God showed me is that i need to be giving Him EVERYTHING! not just 90% but i need to give him 100% ! this is a great devo, it really emphasises how we have to live for God now, not later. thanks!
Someday Future Self
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”--2 Peter 1:3-4
I heard a comedian once talking about his Future Self and his Right Now Self. I don’t remember the jokes, exactly, but the idea stuck with me. His take was that Right Now Self is always taking advantage of Future Self. Do my homework now or wait and cram it in on the way to school in the morning? Oh, let Future Self worry about it. Work out this morning or pay the price of being out of shape when track season starts? That’s Future Self’s problem. Apologize to my friend for not showing up when I said I would? Ah, Future Self can handle that next time we run into her.
Christians sometimes carry around an idea like that, except for some reason we think Future Self will be some kind of spiritual giant. We tell ourselves, “I can’t believe I gave into that temptation again. Someday I’ll be a stronger Christian and able to make better choices.” Or, “I know I should be spending more time with God in prayer or studying His Word. I’m sure Future Christian Self will have more interest in that.” Or, “When I’m a stronger Christian, I’ll be able to do things to help at church or to forgive people who are jerks to me or to tell others about my faith in Jesus.”
Hit pause on this devo for a second. This is sounding like a guilt trip. It’s not meant to be. I think sometimes we actually believe that we don’t have what it takes right now to live the life God wants for us. This devo is supposed to point to that verse up there with the very staggering news that we don’t have to wait for Mr. Big Bible Future Self to get started living a life that matters. Unpause.
Peter wrote that God has already given believers His “divine power” through the Holy Spirit. That means our Future Christian Self is here right now. This moment. We don’t have to wait for someday. Yes, we do battle with ourselves to make wise and right choices. And, yes, we lose those battles sometimes. But Peter’s point is that none of the battles are fixed. In the power of God’s spirit, you can win every stinking battle with Self.
As a believer, you’re not missing one little thing you’ll need today for “life and godliness.” God promised. Your Right Now Self can “participate in the divine nature” (actually walk with God today) and “escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (actually not make wrong choices today).
If you take a minute to read the next five or six verses in 1 Peter 1, you’ll notice that Peter is NOT saying that you won’t have to work at. He says you’ll need to “make every effort.” But he also says you’ve got the power (in God) to make that effort pay off. Your Future Self will be stronger in Christ if your Right Now Self will stop waiting for "someday" to get in the game.
