NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

March 1

Scripture focus: Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said: Father, it's time. Display the bright splendor of your Son so the Son in turn may show your bright splendor. You put him in charge of everything human so he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge. And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, the one and only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent. I glorified you on earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do. And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor, the very splendor I had in your presence before there was a world. John 17:1-5

I love the opportunity that our NSC website and devotional blog provide for me to hear from people all over the world. My “inbox” is regularly stuffed full of inquiries about what life would look like if we lived it God’s way.
People ask questions like, “What does God want from me?”

I usually respond with something out of Micah 6, like, “God wants us to act justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.” This response is usually somewhat unsatisfying. The questioner often has a series of follow up questions that contain more details…and reveal more of the heart of the matter.

Let’s face it. Sometimes we already know what God wants from us, we just don’t want to have to deal with the answer. When my husband is acting like Cranky McCrankster, I don’t want to love mercy – I want my love to stop acting like Dougie Downer. I am often less interested in his suffering than mine. I don’t want to sit quietly and ask him to share his inner thoughts; I want to verbalize my need for a perky partner. I think and feel and act this way because I falsely believe that if he will behave in a way that pleases me,
I can have a really good life.

Scripture tells a different tale. God’s word teaches that real and eternal life comes to us through the Son, not the sunshine of another mere mortal’s willingness to comply with our requests. Jesus taught that the real life has nothing to do with the Real Wives of any city, but is experienced by those who know God and Jesus.

To know God is to experience real and eternal life.

How do we know if we know him? When we see the fruits of our knowing lived out as we care about what God cares about, love as God loves, act justly, love mercy and actually walk with God.

This month’s devotionals are going to provide us an opportunity to practice our walking. In the meantime, I’ve got to go check on my hubby.

Click on the word comments below and join our conversation!

© Copyright 2010 NorthStar Community

---