NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

Day 21 - More words of warning about faking life

Scripture focus: You know where I am, God! Remember what I'm doing here! Take my side against my detractors. Don't stand back while they ruin me. Just look at the abuse I'm taking! When your words showed up, I ate them— swallowed them whole. What a feast! What delight I took in being yours, O God, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! I never joined the party crowd in their laughter and their fun. Led by you, I went off by myself. You'd filled me with indignation. Their sin had me seething. But why, why this chronic pain, this ever worsening wound and no healing in sight? You're nothing, God, but a mirage, a lovely oasis in the distance—and then nothing! Jeremiah 15:15-18 The Message

"Attempting to control sin will not stop sinful behavior." (Bill Thrall and Bruce McNicol)

In the book of Galatians, chapter five, there is a commonly quoted section on the fruit of the Spirit. Among the list is "self-control." I understand why we think we need to be self-controlled (with the emphasis on self). Isn't it what our mothers taught us? Haven't I told my own children to be "self-controlled?" I don't want my kids led by peer pressure or driven by cultural mores. I want my kids to know who they are, inside and out – and choose to behave accordingly.

But here's the rub. Knowing who we are can only be fully realized as we accept that God determined who we were to become before he set the first star in the sky. Jeremiah 1:5 – Before you were born, I set you apart. Awesome – but for what purpose? And exactly what happened to the instruction manual?

"To resolve our sin issues we must begin trusting who God says we are. We cannot mature without the healing gifts of grace." (Bill Thrall and Bruce McNichol)

Jeremiah can cry and complain and call God a mirage for only one reason. It is because at his core, on the inside, he believes that God knows where he is and remembers what he's doing and will ultimately show Jeremiah how he has been on his side all along – even when Jeremiah couldn't figure it out.

Pete and I tell each other the truth about ourselves and our relationship. We express our frustrations and voice our disappointments. Why do we do this? Because we believe in our core, that no matter what's going on, we're there for each other. We don't have to pretend that everything is always ok. Some days we whine to each other, other days we whine about each other. We tell the truth – because we can trust each other with it. But our goal isn't self-revelation. We tell each other the truth so that the other can provide much needed feedback. On any given day, one of us might grow forgetful of our true God-created identity – we need each other's support in right remembering. "Self-control" is a fruit of the Spirit, not a skill set we master. It comes as a gift from God, graciously bestowed in the context of a living, breathing, healthy relationship where truth is expressed because grace abounds.

Recommended reading: Psalm 18-20

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