Friday, October 1 Reading, Philppians 2:5-11

The Case for God’s Involvement Part Three: God Incarnate


Background Passage: Philippians 2:5-11

Today’s Focal Passage: Philippians 2:5-11

Attitude Adjustment

One of the great things about having kids (and I am convinced that God has designed it like this) is that we learn some incredible spiritual lessons from our kids. When we, as parents, interact with our kids we often see much that is similar in our relationship as kids to our Heavenly Father.

Has this situation every occurred at your house (if not, that’s OK, I’ll own it): your son is running rampant around the house in a complete tear and just completely bent out of shape. He is going off on everyone and is just acting (dare we say it)…poopy!

So, what do you do? You sit him down and say something to the effect of: Young man, you need an attitude adjustment! (and then sometimes it was necessary to bring out the ‘attitude adjuster.’) But, what exactly does that mean? It means that currently your attitude is really bad. It is not something that I, as your parent, want to see exhibited in and through you. I want you to stop for a few minutes, think about how you are acting and feeling, and then change that attitude to something that is more pleasant.

In Philippians 2, Paul challenged us to have our own attitude adjustment. We are challenged to have the same type of attitude that Christ exhibited. So, what does that mean to you?

o What difference would it make in various parts of your work day if you were to have the mind of Christ?

o What difference would it make in your family if you were to have the mind of Christ?

o So, does God need to sit you down in order to help you change your attitude?

Wednesday, September 29 Reading, Deuteronomy 8:2-5

The Case for God’s Involvement Part Two: Personally Involved

Background Passage: Deuteronomy 8:2-5

Today’s Focal Passage: Deuteronomy 8:2-5

2 Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these 40 years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. 3 He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then He gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out, and your feet did not swell these 40 years. 5 Keep in mind that the Lord your God has been disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.

GPS

Personal GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) systems have been one of the hottest gift items for the past several years. Chances are you probably have at least one in your family right now.

GPS units are available as personal, portable units, battery-operated units (especially useful for geocaching), built-in units in new cars, and applications on your cellular phone. All of this technology is an incredible help for us men who would rather drive around lost for 30 minutes than stop and ask for directions. Now, thanks to GPS, we no longer have to stop to ask directions. There is absolutely nothing wrong with punching a few buttons in order to find your way!

Some folks just can’t imagine what it would be like to go back to the days without GPS. We become very accustomed to the guidance and direction that our little GPS unit provides to get us from point A to point B.

Long before Garmin®, TomTom®, Magellan®, and Google Maps, the Israelites found their own source of guidance in their very own GPS—God’s Positioning System. God faithfully led His people through all sorts of difficulties and experiences. Just as He did for them He wants to do for you.

Trust God this week to guide you. Pray and seek His guidance.

Monday, September 27 Reading, Psalm 139:7-10

The Case for God’s Involvement Part One: Always with Us

Background Passage: Psalm 139:7-10

Today’s Focal Passage: Psalm 139:7-10

7 Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.

9 If I live at the eastern horizon or settle at the western limits,

10 even there Your hand will lead me; Your right hand will hold on to me.

Hide and Seek

Playing Hide and Seek with your kids is one of the great joys in life. First of all, it is just fun to play with your kids. What makes the game so much fun, though, is when your kids try to hide in a place that is so obvious. They think you can’t see them and you play along as if you can’t see them—while all along you know exactly where they are at. In reality, especially when your kids are young, there is not any place they can hide that you can’t find them.

I remember one special occasion in which my son and I were playing Hide and Seek. When it was his turn to hide, he took off like a flash. I must admit, he really did have a good hiding place—except for the fact that his feet were sticking out from under the drapes! After looking for him for several minutes, I came about the corner and saw his feet. I burst out laughing and found myself rolling on the floor—all the while my son maintained his hiding place.

There is a spiritual analogy there too. We often think we can find a place where we can “hide” from God. The reality, however, is that there is no place that we can ever go that will be outside of the presence of God. He is everywhere we go, every where we might go, and everywhere we would even think of going. That is what it means when we say God is omnipresent—He is everywhere. God is also omniscient, which means He knows everything, so we can’t go anyplace that He would not know that we are there—and since He is omnipresent, He is already there anyway. (OK—that will make your head hurt.)

One of the things that we like about the game Hide and Seek is that we will always be found. (Think about it—would you enjoy the game if nobody ever found you or if they gave up looking for you?)