Tag: self-centered

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Proverbs Devotionals

Being refreshed

…whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25)

It’s very easy in these difficult times to become self-centered because of our own problems. We say, “I’m the one that needs to be refreshed.”

But often times that refreshment comes when we look outside of ourselves and bless others. By refreshing others, we ourselves feel refreshed.

And often times, what we give comes back to us. When we refresh others, they in turn refresh us.

But we must never forget that our main source of refreshment is found in God. If we are not refreshed by him, we will have little to give others.

It is one major reason why it’s important to spend time with him every day.

Jesus did so. (Mark 1:35, 6:45-46)

How much more do we need to do so?

So two questions to think about today:

  1. Am I spending the time I need to be refreshed by God?
  2. Who does God want me to refresh today?
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Acts

Spreading the joy

Acts

Well, Christmas season is upon us. It is officially December 1st here in Japan, and my 5 year old daughter and I put up our Christmas tree and all the Christmas decorations yesterday.

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but this is truly my favorite time of the year.

In this passage, we see the church going out and spreading the joy of Christ to the areas beyond Jerusalem. But it wasn’t without a push.

With the death of Stephen, persecution swept the Christian community in Jerusalem under a Pharisee named Saul.

The ironic thing is that he hoped to squash Christianity, but not only did he unintentionally cause its initial spread by persecuting the church, he would eventually be responsible for its spread throughout the known world as a minister of the gospel.

I wonder, though, if such persecution would have come to such an extent if the apostles had done what they were supposed to do.

Jesus told them,

Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:49)

Then just before his ascension, he told them,

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

And yet though the Spirit had come upon them, they all stayed in Jerusalem.

Had they all left Jerusalem to do what Jesus had commanded, would the church still have been persecuted with all the main leaders out of sight of Jerusalem?

Perhaps, but it’s possible that a lot of the trouble they suffered would have been avoided.

Even after persecution struck the church, the apostles still refused to leave. Why? I don’t know.

Maybe they felt they needed to show their courage to the rest of the church. But in doing so, they continued in disobedience to the Lord’s command.

But others did go out.

One of the deacons, Phillip, went to Samaria, a place where Jesus had visited before, but which was despised by the Jews. But Phillip followed in the footsteps of his Lord, not only by preaching the gospel there, but by performing miracles as well.

The result?

There was great joy in that city. (Acts 8:8)

It can be so easy to become self-centered at Christmas. To focus on ourselves and the things we want.

But let us remember that Jesus doesn’t want us to focus simply on our own joy. He wants us to take the joy we have received and to spread it to the people around us.

So many people are hurting and are in need of Christ.

So let us seek to be filled with his Spirit. And then let us go out, praying that he will use us to touch and change every person we meet.

Categories
Jeremiah

Spiritual pitfalls: The trap of self-pity

Jeremiah

Sometimes when following God gets hard, it becomes easy to complain.

“Why is this happening to me? I don’t understand. I thought that if I followed you, all would go well. Why are you allowing this to happen?”

And that’s how Jeremiah felt. Once again, he felt the sting of rejection and persecution from his own people.

As a result, he started to face doubts about what he was doing for God, saying,

Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable?

Will you be to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails? (Jeremiah 15:18)

In other words, “I’m suffering here. Can’t you see? Are you truly going to help me? Or will you let me down like so many others have in the past?”

But once again, God doesn’t allow Jeremiah to wallow in his own self-pity. Rather, he challenges him, saying,

Therefore this is what the Lord says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman.

Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.

I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you,” declares the Lord.

“I will save you from the hands of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the cruel.” (Jeremiah 15:19–21)

Put simply, “Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Walk away from your pity party so that I can use you. Stop your complaining, and instead speak the words I give you.

“These people around you would have you become like them, but you must not. Instead, you must make them bend to you.

“They may fight against you and persecute you, but they will not overcome you. I will rescue you.

“So take your eyes off of yourself, and put them on me where they belong.”

How about you? Do you wallow about in self-pity when things get hard because you’re serving God?

Satan loves that, because it makes you utterly useless to God. Satan wants you to focus on yourself, because when you do, it’s impossible to focus on God or the people around you.

Let us not be people that focus on ourselves and our own troubles.

Rather, as the writer of Hebrews says,

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:2–3)