Tag: trust

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Prioritize My Belief Over My Behavior

Loving Lord,
While discipleship certainly includes the desire to follow you and walk in your footsteps, keep me from ever prioritizing my behavior before my belief. Where my own righteous living could never save me, yours did. Where my own sacrifices could never please God the Father on their own merit, your sacrifice did. Help me first and foremost to trust these truths, as you reassure me of these realities through your Word. Press these promises firmly into my heart so that as you build up my belief, then allow it to flow into godly behavior in my daily living. Help me overcome any unbelief or any struggles I have with your Word, then through that same Word, equip me with everything necessary to honor you and love and serve my neighbor with my whole life. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

What We’re Given Guides Our Giving

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(1 Chronicles 29:1-2, 10-18)

It could have gone differently. We know it because we see it repeatedly in rulers and kings throughout history. We know it because we see it repeatedly in rulers and kings in Scripture. Nebuchadnezzar fell into the trap of thinking his kingdom was his own doing. “As the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, ‘Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:29-30). Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t the only one. About a century later, in Esther 1, we read that “For a full 180 days [King Xerxes] displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty” (v.4).

So it isn’t uncommon in history that, anytime a ruler is showered with exorbitant riches and wealth, he falls into the trap of thinking that it’s a reflection of his own magnitude and achievements. And, he wants to let others know. Why? To show off their wealth. To display their success. To prominently display all they had achieved to ascend to such greatness.

But David, who was not a man of meager means by anyone’s estimation, strikes a different tone. Oh, the opulence is there, the wealth and riches were definitely a part of the picture. “With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities” (v.2). He spared no expense! 

But David wasn’t self-aggrandizing. He was God-adorning. David explained to the assembly gathered on the occasion, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God” (v.1). None of this was “for man but for the Lord God.” This wasn’t about David. This was about David magnifying God. In all of these words, David directs the attention to God, not himself. The praise belongs to God, not himself.  

What accounts for the difference? Why is it so common for kings and those in power to make their wealth about them, while David rightly makes his wealth about God? Because David recognized and acknowledged this about his wealth: it was all God’s. “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (v.14). “Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you” (v.16). It’s all God’s! David clearly acknowledges that there is no discussion about his giving or contribution toward the temple apart from an awareness of what he had already been given. 

This is not a natural concept for us to grasp on our own in this fallen world. We think that what we have is ours and we deserve credit for all it took to acquire it. A person looks at his own situation and wants to claim responsibility for his successes. He can probably detail for someone else all the hard work and steps it took to get to where he is and to have what he has. We don’t hesitate to claim credit for anything we’ve achieved or accumulated. 

And this isn’t just a nonbeliever thing; believers struggle with it, too.

For some believers, this is a new concept to consider, that it’s all God’s. If we’re newer to the faith or not used to talking about how to manage our finances and belongings, we may have always thought of our stuff as our stuff. But the Bible has pretty clear reminders that everything is God’s, and he simply entrusts it to us to manage and care for. So nothing is really ours.

For others, perhaps those who have been life-long believers, or who are more familiar with the Bible’s topic of stewardship – a word that simply refers to the management God’s blessings – this isn’t a new concept at all. We have been taught and understand that everything is God’s, and we gratefully manage it to the best of our ability.

But… if we stick with this thought for a little while and assess our relationship with our belongings, isn’t it true that there are maybe a few things that, while we pay lip service to everything being God’s, we kind of think of as more of our own? In other words, this thing or that thing which we aren’t quite so willing to part with? Don’t touch my phone or laptop. That’s your car and this is mine – drive your own. Don’t eat my __________ in the pantry or fridge – those are my thing. This gift of money or gift card was given to me to use, so I don’t have to share. So yes, we know it’s all God’s, but when it comes to managing the use of it, we can be quick to claim full ownership of certain things.

Now some of you are reading this and thinking about someone else right now that you think is too stingy because they won’t share with you. This is not an invitation for you to argue that “since it’s all God’s, you have to let me use your thing.” No – there may be a very good reason someone has not let you use their thing – because you yourself haven’t managed it well in the past! You’ve lost it, broke it, or damaged it, which leads others to think twice about letting you borrow anything. In that respect, you’re guilty of the same wrong – caring poorly for something as if it were yours to mistreat instead of God’s possession that he entrusted to you through someone else letting you borrow or use it.

All of these challenges to managing God’s blessings to us make David’s relationship with his wealth stand out all the more. He did not only pay lip service to the truth that all that he had was God’s, but he also to reflected it in how he actually lived. To help us see things the way David did when he stated, “we have given you only what comes from your hand” (v.14b), maybe the following imagery helps.

Picture it like this. God has two open hands extended to David. His left hand is empty. His right hand is filled with all of the wealth and possessions he was entrusting to David. What did David do? He simply took some of what was in God’s right hand, and he placed it over into his empty hand. So then, what did David actually give to God? Nothing that wasn’t already his! He simply moved it from one hand to the other, but it was all God’s the whole time.

Do we view giving that way, that we are doing nothing more than giving God what was already his in the first place? That shift of perspective on giving has to happen if we are ever to “let go” of what we mistakenly consider ours in the first place. We need to start with the understanding and hold to the truth that everything is God’s. And, in order for us to follow in David’s footsteps with the level of generous giving that he demonstrated, we always start with looking first at what we’ve been given.

Isn’t it so much easier to zero in on what we don’t have instead, as we compare ourselves to those around us? Someone always has more, has better, has newer. And we convince ourselves we’re struggling, we’re just not well-off, we’re maybe even victims or definitely got a raw deal.

But, if we took the time to compare our situation with the vast majority of the rest of the world’s population, we’d have a better grasp of and appreciation for how good we have it and how generous God has been to us! Guess what percentage of the world’s storage units are in the U.S? 90%! And did you know that it’s been figured that we have enough storage unit to place the entire U.S. population inside of one. Only in America would we understand and laugh at George Carlin’s joke about a house just being a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff. We have such a high standard of living that we easily take it for granted and overlook how generous God is to us.

Now we could certainly keep going down this path, but we haven’t even hit the real treasure yet, have we? Think of what we have in Jesus. Really think about it.

From the moment you wake up until you hit the pillow at night, you could have the absolute worst day. Everything imaginable could go wrong. Yet all day long, you are able to remind yourself that no matter what, you are loved by God. When overwhelmed by all of the distressing local, national, or international news stories, you can find peace in Jesus’ promise that he has overcome the world. If you don’t fit in, struggle to make friends, or worry about the opinion others have of you, you know that Jesus’ perfection on your behalf means that God always cares about you and is always delighted in you. When you don’t have the answers or feel like you’re in control, you can relax knowing that God does and is. When you are stuck on that sin that you thought or said or did that made a royal mess of things, you can reassure yourself as often as necessary that you are fully and freely forgiven in Jesus. How can we possibly put a price tag on this treasury of rich promises from God? 

Of course there was a price. But you and I didn’t have to pay it. Jesus did. And as a result of his willingness to serve as both our Substitute and Sacrifice, we have treasure that is real, genuine, and eternal. 

David didn’t just know from first-hand experience how generous God was in providing him with an abundance of wealth. Remember that David had experienced something far greater, a gift that was lovingly wrapped up and delivered by the prophet Nathan long before the events recorded for us this morning. That gift was a story that served as a call to repentance for David. When that gift did its work, David’s crushed spirit confessed his sin – his scandalous sexual encounter with Bathsheba, his murderous cover-up, and all of the fall-out that followed. At that point, through Nathan’s promise of God’s forgiveness, David’s crushed spirit received the approval and acceptance from God that will always surpass any amount of wealth or possessions that a person could ever accumulate. 

We have to understand that about God. Even when he chooses to lavish a person with worldly wealth, it is never just the wealth – the stuff – that leads a person to stand in awe of God’s goodness. Rather, it is always the incomprehensible, mind-blowing reality of grace and forgiveness which opens my eyes and my heart to how good God is, and then appreciates God’s temporal blessings, too. Take it from David, who penned these words of Psalm 32: 

1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

2 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.

7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.

11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Everything David expressed in this psalm is true for you and me, too. Brothers and sisters in Christ, look at what we’ve been given. And let that always guide your giving. 

Warning From the Other Side

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(Luke 16:19-31)

Ignore the Bible. Don’t listen to it. Don’t read it. Don’t study it. Don’t waste your time with it. And whatever you do, don’t believe it.

I don’t even care what your reasons are, just make sure you avoid it at all costs. You don’t have enough time in the day to read it. You already know some of the things it says don’t sit well with you, so stay away from it. You don’t have any need for an old book written by old men that only suppresses women and pollutes minds by promoting patriarchy. No one actually believes all the foolish fables and fairy tales anyway, right? If you don’t already have your own reason, find one – whatever it takes – to make sure you ignore the Bible. 

The rich man found his reason. He rather enjoyed the best of what the world had to offer. He “dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day” (v.19). Purple, linens, luxury – this was the stuff of the upper class, the top tier of society. This man was not financially struggling to keep his head above water or just barely getting by; he was living the high life. Indeed, there has always been a lot to enjoy and appreciate in life, no matter when a person has lived throughout history. There have always been the “haves” and the “have-nots.” The rich man had it – whatever he wanted. Money was no object. Even his meals were so extravagant that the miserable beggar at his gate would have been delighted just to have a taste of the post meal scraps scraped off his plates. 

So, what do you think of this man? What is your opinion of him? We don’t have much of a biography about him. Honestly, we don’t even know if he actually existed or if he is just part of a story Jesus is telling. He was rich. It doesn’t seem that he was that interested in using his wealth to help others in need, otherwise we might expect the story of the beggar outside his gate to be a rags-to-riches story of some sort. He came from a good-sized family, having five brothers. In the second part of the story, it does appear that he is at least concerned about his brothers, which says something about him. So, what do you think of this man, this man that Jesus doesn’t even bother to mention by name?

Perhaps more important than what we think of the man is what the man thinks of his situation after he departed this earth. Did he miss the purple, the linens, and the luxury? Did he miss his lavish lifestyle and the ability to experience or purchase whatever he wanted? We might draw some assumptions, but we aren’t provided with that information, as it is overshadowed by the unyielding agony he was suffering. “The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire’” (v.22-24).

In place of any concern about riches is his preoccupation with relief. The degree of his suffering is amplified by the fact that he asks for so little in relief! He does not request a cold shower or a cool drink, but merely the tiny tip of a finger dipped in water to touch his tongue and offer such a minuscule measure of relief. Even that would have been welcome!

Have you ever experienced anything like that? I can tell you you haven’t, because no matter what pain or suffering you have experienced, we’ve all enjoyed the same benefit: it eventually passed. The pain went away. The broken bone mended. The gash or cut scabbed over and healed. New skin eventually replaced the blisters from the burn. We have pain reliever and medicine for headaches. Every pain that we can imagine experiencing, no matter how excruciating, eventually heals and goes away.

But not for the rich man. When Scripture describes hell, after the matter of being cut off from God eternally, one of the most terrifying elements of hell is trying to imagine no end in sight, no relief, ever, from the torment and pain.

In addition to the rich man’s pleas for relief, his sudden concern for others – his brothers – also highlights his agony.

“‘I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment’” (v.27-28). While we don’t know about his relationship with his brothers while he was living, he certainly cares enough about them now to see that they never have to experience what he was experiencing. Were they as wealthy as he was? We don’t know. What we do know is that he knew that if something didn’t change in their lives, they were destined to head to where he was. So in addition to pleading for relief, the rich man is begging on behalf of his brothers, asking for extreme measures. 

Listen again to the rest of the exchange, beginning with Abraham’s initial response. “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’  ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’  “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead’”  (v.29-31). “Get their attention! Send someone back from the dead to warn them to avoid hell at all costs! The agony is unbelievably unbearable!”

Abraham’s response better grab our attention, because it is the key to this whole account. When he pointed out to the rich man that his brothers had “Moses and the Prophets,” he was simply saying, “They have the Bible. The Word of God is enough. And if that doesn’t keep them from following in your footsteps and avoiding the same outcome, nothing else will – not even someone rising from the dead to warn them.” 

Ignore the Bible. Don’t listen to it. Don’t read it. Don’t study it. Don’t waste your time with it. And whatever you do, don’t believe it. 

Follow that advice, and you’ll be well on your way to personally experiencing how accurate the rich man’s take on hell really was.

Thankfully, the story Jesus is telling here doesn’t just involve one man. There was the beggar, the one positioned so close to a life of luxury and means, yet so far away. The beggar Jesus happens to mention by name is Lazarus. His experience in life couldn’t have been more polar opposite than that of the rich man.

“At [the rich man’s] gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores” (v.20-21). He had nothing to his name, and his desire for relief was met not by the rich man of means, but by his compassionate four-legged companions. But when his life was over, his fate was noticeably different.

“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side” (v.22). Where exactly did Lazarus end up? Not at all in the same place the rich man did, but rather in heaven, depicted by the presence of angels and Abraham.

Abraham is actually an excellent choice to serve as a representative of heaven. Why? Because the Bible makes it very clear how he got there. One of the New Testament writers, Paul, quotes a verse from the Old Testament to clarify how a person ends up saved and in heaven. He wrote, “What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness’” (Romans 4:3).Abraham was in heaven because he believed, and that faith alone is what allowed God to welcome him into heaven. The same writer explained in another of his letters, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Belief. Faith. These are the “must-haves” for heaven.

Verses like these are necessary to help us to fill in the missing blanks in Jesus’ story, because Jesus didn’t doesn’t tell us about any of the religious beliefs or activities of either the rich man or poor Lazarus. So, without any other knowledge of Scripture, a person might end up concluding that rich people are bad and go to hell and that poor people are good and go to heaven. But that take doesn’t find a shred of support in Scripture. Instead, we must conclude that Lazarus was a believer and the rich man was not.

Well then, how does one become a believer? Again we hear Paul: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word about Christ” (Romans 10:17). The Word is everything, and the rich man had no time for it as he gave his attention to his lavish lifestyle. So he traded temporary comfort for eternal torment. As Abraham explained to the rich man in the story, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony” (v.25). And that final outcome couldn’t be tampered with. His choices in this temporary life directly impacted his eternal life. 

As do ours. To be clear, it isn’t merely the act or frequency of reading the Bible that assures one of salvation, but believing it. Nevertheless, no one can ever believe it if they do not know what it says, for it is the only means by which the Holy Spirit convinces anyone that Jesus has provided both the necessary holiness required for heaven by his perfect life, as well as the payment for every sin by his innocent death. We only find the details of this good news, which we call the gospel, in the Bible. Only there are we introduced to Jesus Christ.

Your faith in Jesus Christ is the only thing that has everything to do with your salvation. It hinges on it. Which is to say, it hinges on the Word of God, where we come to know, love, and place our trust in our forgiving, gracious, compassionate, peace-bearing, always-with-us, patient Savior. And we have for ourselves not just Moses and the Prophets, as the rich man did; we have the whole Bible! All of it points us to the certainty of salvation that can only be found in the greatest Friend of sinners, the One who forgives all sinners, Jesus Christ. And there is plenty of room right next to him, along with Abraham, poor Lazarus, and all of the saints who believed the Word of God. 

So, friends, don’t ignore the Bible. Listen to it. Read it. Study it. Spend time with it. And whatever you do, believe it.

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Dealing with Difficult Friends

Friend of Sinners,
Friends are a special gift through which you provide many unique blessings. They can protect us from isolation and loneliness, we can enjoy events and experiences with them, engage in rich conversation, and share a variety of passions and interests together. Thank you for all that they bring into our lives.

Friends, though, like so many others in our lives, can also be difficult. Some struggle with confidentiality, passing along to others details of conversations that were shared in confidence. At times they can be unreliable, struggling to follow through or keep their word. There are also some friendships that are challenging because they tend to be very one-sided; we invest far more into them than we get out of them. When friends maintain destructive habits, reject our advice to their detriment, put us in bad situations, or tarnish our reputation, sustaining the relationship can be difficult. Give us patience and discernment when dealing with difficult friends, to know when we can make a sacrifice on their behalf, but also to avoid enabling them. Give us also the wisdom to be aware when it might be best for us to reconsider the friendship for our own good, and maybe theirs, too. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Grasp How Much You Treasure Me

Precious Savior,
Occasionally, I struggle with my self-worth, my value, or even my place in this world. Sometimes these feelings come as the result of my own failings or perceived inadequacies, while other times they are rooted in the opinions or comments others make about me. 

Rather than pretending I can ever really control or overcome such things, lead me instead to turn from them to the only successful and sustainable solution: remembering how valuable I am to you. Though you provide for every created thing under the sun, you yourself stated how much more valuable I am to you. Since you cannot lie, give me the trust and confidence to believe that you treasure me that much. Then, regardless of others’ opinions of me – or even my opinion of myself – I can rest at peace in your opinion of me, which carries more weight to me than all other opinions combined. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Replace Worry with Trust

Patient Teacher,
You tell me not to worry. I respond with… worry. Forgive me for not being able to take your promises to heart. Not only have you promised to provide for my daily bread – to give me all that I need for my body and life – but you also deliver. You make good on your promise. Let your promises and your favorable past be sufficient for me to take you at your Word and trust you. Free me from worry and replace my anxiety with rock-solid faith that clings to you for all that I need. Redirect my earthly concerns to spiritual ones, so that I might have complete confidence in my forgiveness and my salvation. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Become a Man of Prayer

Ever-Present Father,
You are always willing to bend your ear to our prayers. But your willingness to hear our prayers fails to be matched by our willingness to offer them. Too often prayer is a last resort. Too frequently we mindlessly mumble words of prayer while our minds are elsewhere. Too many times our prayers are not offered up to you with the mountain-moving trust that you deserve.

So it is with good reason that we routinely begin our prayers with repentance, confessing that our prayer lives themselves are not worthy of your time or attention. Forgive me and hear my prayers not for my own sake, but for Jesus’ sake. And since there are so many ways I can grow in my prayer life, I simply ask you to bless me with progress and growth in any one of them. As I focus my attention on the privilege of prayer this week, make me more and more a man of prayer.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Those Doubting Their Faith

Loving Lord,
The devil never tires of sowing seeds of doubt to spring up and choke out our faith. Whenever questions or doubts arise, direct those wrestling with them to your powerful Word. From there, send your Spirit to counter all doubts and combat all lies with the truth. Guard and protect those doubting from the presence of negative influences that would reinforce doubt and steer them away from your Word. Activate fellow believers to surround and support those struggling and to keep them in their prayers. Bring them clarity and understanding, and although Satan’s desire is for doubt to morph into unbelief, use such seasons of testing to strengthen and fortify the faith of the doubting instead. Manipulate Satan’s schemes to serve your eternal purposes, and by doing so, bring encouragement through such occasions to others when doubts arise in the future.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Those Who Are Weak in Their Faith

Patient Father,
Send an extra measure of your Spirit to all who are spiritually weak. Provide whatever is lacking to strengthen their faith. Regardless of the cause of weak faith, your Word is always the solution. Where faith is weak as a result of sheer neglect of your Word, bless the weak with fellow believers who are persistent in their encouragement to prioritize the Word. Where one’s faith is weak because it has been battered by trial and testing, grant them relief and redirect their focus away from their struggle and toward their Savior. When temptation is the culprit, either preying on weakened faith or causing it, keep your promise and provide a clear way out, not allowing the temptation to exceed what one can bear. Wherever souls and eternities are at stake, Lord, intervene and come to the aid of the weary and weak, and use me whenever possible on that rescue mission. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Those Living in Fear

Faithful Father,
So many people live in fear. Some may deny it or try to hide it, while others are more open about it. The sources of their fear vary widely. Financial fear of being let go at work and/or falling behind on bills and piling up debt. Physical fear of sickness, injury, or death. Fear of being found out as a fraud or a fake in some area of life. The fear of not being good enough. Fear of letting others who are depending on you down. Fear of the government. We face so many fears that we have specific names for them all!

Yet repeatedly throughout your Word, you implore us not to be afraid – and with good reason! You promise us your peace in the place of any trouble we could possibly ever face. Our hearts need not be troubled, for you have overcome the world. Whatever fear we face – it will pass. Even a worst-case scenario as long as you are by our side is manageable. For those who do not know you, lead them to you so that they can experience a life free from fear. For those who know and believe in you, yet are still crippled by fear, draw them closer to you and to your promises so that you can fill them with the faith needed to deflate their fears.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.