The Story

Meet Matt. Meet Anna. They are the heroes of our story. You and I are going to watch them walk through life that is necessary for developing character. Matt is tall and lean, in his mid-twenties, and making his way through life as a post-college graduate. Anna is a bit shorter than Matt, full of sparkle, and is a joy to be around. Both are well-liked among their family and friends. Right now, they don’t know each other. But that could change.

Matt and Anna go through a lot in this book. Your job throughout this entire process is to put yourself in their shoes. Try and evaluate what it would be like to be in their situations and learn from them. This is like being in a simulator. You will get to fake the experience without needing to undergo the true feelings or hardships. Do your best to imagine yourself in these scenarios and relate to what is happening in them. If you can do this, you will learn from their mistakes. You will learn how to build your own character.

Love Matt. Love Anna.

The Set Up

The only thing from this life that you will take with you into eternity is your character. It’s plain and simple. You can build massive wealth, drive a fancy car, have the most amazing husband or wife, but when you leave this world the only thing you take with you is your mental and moral distinctions that make you, you. This is your character. Your character dwells within your spirit. The spirit is the only eternal part of our being. Our privilege under the sun is to do our best to make our character look more and more like Jesus. This is a great privilege indeed!

Romans 5 instructs us that it is through our suffering [trials] that produces perseverance then character then hope. Both Matt and Anna walk through many trials. These events can be dramatic and they each lead toward something greater. They are initiators of change in their lives.

Jesus said that you can know a tree by its fruit. Jesus often spoke of trees and gardening. As we think about it, this comparison is brilliant. Consider that a fruit tree 2000 years ago is still a fruit tree today. Jesus could look into the future with his metaphors and realize what was lasting and what was temporary. Imagine Jesus saying you can know an iPhone by its latest software release. Thirty years from now you will probably need to visit the Smithsonian to see an iPhone. Its ability to be relatable would have been lost due to the passing of time and irrelevancy.

Character is a lot like fruit. The fruit of the tree marks the type of tree that it is. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control [Galatians 5:22-23]. Together these embody the full picture of character. If you master each of them then I believe you are as close to being like Jesus as possible.

The question that you need to answer is what type of tree are you going to be? As an example, consider both the Christmas tree and the fruit tree. The Christmas tree, while beautifully adorned, is ultimately a dead tree. Yes, it is festive and it signifies a certain meaning, but ultimately it is unproductive. Everyone throws out their Christmas tree after the holiday is over.

A fruit tree, quite conversely, bears fruit in season, season after season. It is living and because so, it continues day after day. We benefit from a fruit tree in ways that we cannot benefit from a Christmas tree. There is quite a difference.

So, the question is what type of tree do you want to be? Quite obviously, the answer I am hoping you will choose is you would like to be a fruit tree. Throughout this journey, we will do our best to unpack how to integrate the fruit of the Spirit into our lives.

Most devotions, and the ones contained in this book, are intended to be short thoughts to motivate you for a few minutes so that your day begins well. These are not true Bible studies. They would certainly lend themselves to a future study, however.

I recommend reading one of these devotions each morning to set the course of your day in motion. I write morning because reading devotions at night may not benefit you the most. God intentionally created us to live morning to evening. We wake to the day ahead and close the day in both rest from this day and in preparation for the next.

The main objective of growing your character is to love people better; to build them up. You will find that love in this book could easily be replaced with words like humility and selfless service to others. Why am I telling you what I want you to take from this book before you even crack the pages of week one? The answer is simple. You need to know your objective before you entertain character development. If you don’t, you will leak, fizzle, and tire. When you keep the objective of loving people in your aim you will maximize your results.

Each devotion is broken into four sections. These are intentionally laid out this way. The first section is called The Story. This is where you live life with Matt and Anna who encounter that day’s theme. Next, you will read the The Devotion. This section is the black and white, here’s-how-it-is part of the book. I attempt to cut right to the heart of the matter. The next section is the most important. In The Bible, you will hear the very words of God for that day’s theme. You will need your Bible, an app, or some other way of getting to the chapters recommended. It is intentionally last because you’ll be prepared to hear what the Bible has to say about the topic now that you’ve considered the theme for a few minutes. The final section is The Prayer. You will have an opportunity every day to say a prayer that relates directly to the devotion. It’s important that you take the prayer for yourself and say it to the Lord. This is your prayer now.

Each day of the week has its own theme. You will rotate through this list three different times as you progress through this challenge. The weekly themes are:

DAY ONE: People
DAY TWO: Theology
DAY THREE: Bible
DAY FOUR: Prayer
DAY FIVE: Words
DAY SIX: Holy Spirit
DAY SEVEN: Marriage and Family

This entire book can be summed up like this: Love God, love others. Jesus said in Matthew that the entire law can be summed up in that single prescription [Mark 12:30-31]. If you open your life up to Scripture and believe that it is God-breathed, these thoughts, that are grounded in Scripture, will matter. The Bible is a manual for living. This is the only way that God, who designed our lives, has said life works best.

This is not the all-encompassing method for perfecting your eternal character. I wish it were! Rather, this is an excellent catalyst for change in your life. It will cause Spiritual momentum to form within you.

Share these devotions with friends. Talk about what God is teaching you. I believe that countless people coming into a greater knowledge of Christ Jesus is a good thing. To God be the glory!

I would be remiss if I didn’t pray for you before we begin.

The Prayer

“Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You for my fellow servant in Christ. I pray that you would let your Spirit rest on them as they read Your Word and these devotions. May the application they assume be transformative for many years to come. May these 21 days act as a catalyst for strong Spiritual growth and momentum. I thank You that You have the best laid plans for Your people. I bless them now. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Now, onto the many devotions you were promised.

Blessings,
-Micah Brooks

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UP NEXT: Day 01: Treat Everyone Like A Ten

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Week One: Day One

The Story

She was only sixteen, growing up in a lower middle-class family. Jackie had just found out that she was pregnant. Her family was in no place for her to quit her job so she went in to work that day as a cashier at a local grocery mart. 

Anna decided to do her weekly shopping and filled her shopping cart with what looked like a month’s worth of groceries. As she laid her groceries onto the conveyor belt, she noticed the sorrowful disposition on her cashier’s face. Not thinking too much of it at the time, she kept loading the belt with her goods.

The checkout clerk began scanning Anna’s items and accidentally scanned one item twice but didn’t recognize it. Her mind was elsewhere. Anna did notice, however, and pointed it out right away. Jackie looked over the itemized bill and agreed that she had overcharged Anna. She didn’t say that she was sorry but did rectify the error. Finally nearing the end of the long conveyor belt full of canned goods and other groceries, Jackie did it again. Anna, being quite watchful at this point, pointed out the mistake. Jackie agreed to rectify this mistake as well. When it came time to pay for her goods, Anna paid in cash and the bill totaled one hundred and seventy dollars. She gave Jackie two crisp one hundred dollar bills. She was returned a twenty-dollar bill. Jackie had forgotten to give her the other ten. 

At this point, Anna looked in into Jackie’s eyes and realized that something was wrong. Anna said to her, “I believe you still owe me ten dollars, but may I ask, are you okay? I’m not frustrated with you. I can see that you’re dealing with something important. Is there anything I can pray for you about?”

Jackie burst into tears and said, “Thank you so much! I really appreciate your kindness!” She told Anna to be praying as she steps into a new season of unexpected life, but didn’t go into any more detail.

In the afternoon that same day, Matt needed to do his weekly grocery shopping. He loaded his cart as full as he could because it was triple-coupon Wednesday. Matt happened to be in the line where Jackie was still working.

As Matt filled the conveyor belt full of canned goods, boxed food, and everything else he had in his cart, he noticed the checkout clerk seemed angry. He thought she was angry at him for having such an enormous order that she was going to need to scan. Matt was immediately upset. He thought about how that, in a way, he was paying this girl’s hourly wage and could not fathom how she dare scowl at him.

As the checkout clerk began to scan the food items, she made the same error as she had with Anna by double scanning one of the goods. Immediately, Matt caught her mistake. Jackie didn’t say she was sorry but did rectify the error. Matt was fuming. He thought, “How could she not apologize?”.

After all his groceries had been scanned into the system, Matt pulled out his wallet of coupons, one of them being worth several dollars in discounts, but was a day past its expiration. Jackie said that he couldn’t use that coupon because it had expired the day before. 

Matt lost it! He told the checkout clerk that the coupon is only one day expired and that it was ridiculous that he couldn’t use it. He told her of how loyal a customer he had been and that he would never come back. He asked to see a manager stating that the checkout clerk had had it out for him the whole time.

As soon as Matt got irate, Jackie broke down in front of him. She told him of how she had just found out that she was pregnant; that her parents were going to kick her out of her house. She said that she would have honored the coupon except that the store policy didn’t allow her to do so after the expiration date. She explained that when she does honor an expired coupon, she is required to pay the difference to the store. At this point in her life, she couldn’t afford to do so.

Matt’s heart immediately melted in front of Jackie. He was reminded at that moment that his life was not the only one that mattered. After getting her name, he apologized to Jackie and had learned an extremely valuable life-lesson.

The Devotion

This may be the most important and mission-critical piece of advice that I have received and am trying to live out this year. The advice: Treat everyone like a ten. 

Consider the Olympics. It seems like about half of the sports are won or lost based on a group of judges’ opinions of how good the Olympians perform. I am sure that their scores are based on some sort of objective scale, but as an onlooker, the scale appears rather subjective. Either way, we all understand the concept of being judged on a scale. Also interesting, no one makes a perfect score. It is impossible in sport judging to be perfect. At best, the athletes can only strive to beat the other opponents who have gone before them.

I believe that in life we tend to give everyone around us a score. We score people when we first meet them (first impressions) and when we have known them for a while (built upon a list of their strengths and shortcomings). It’s hard to get a “10 out of 10” on any one of our current people-scales.

However, a new way of thinking is to begin to score everyone a “10”. No one gets less. No one is immediately criticized [in your mind] when you first meet them. Those you have known for a while get a free pass and become a “10” to you now.

This begins to develop a deep love for people in you. You will cast out criticism. In its place, you put compassion. This isn’t just a change in how you interact with someone, it’s a total shift in the way you think about them.

The benefits of this type of discipline: character and influence. People want to be around those who treat them like a “10”. You get invited into meetings you had never been before. People go out of their way to be around you because they know you are safe not to criticize. You become known as an encourager. Perhaps the biggest gain with this change of heart is the favor of God. You can be sure that if you treat his children well, you will be blessed as well.

You can do this. I believe success is incremental. Daily, make choices to think of others as a “10”. Share this with anyone who would benefit. That’s probably most of us. This is important for me!

The Bible

1 Corinthians 13 | Mark 12 | 1 John 4

The Prayer

“Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your Word and the Truth it speaks to me. I pray that You would give me a heart to see Your people as you see them. In every situation may I treat them like You would treat them. Let this begin with my own family and friends. May my character be formed more and more into Your likeness. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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UP NEXT: Day 02: Righteousness

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Week One: Day Two

The Story

The floor had just fallen through to the foundation underneath. Water was everywhere. Anna had laid new carpet only two months ago. She spent time agonizing over whether her insurance would sky rocket due to a claim. It was only two months ago that she had a flood of water from a broken washing machine drench her floor. Here she was again in the same predicament. It was the same washing machine now twice broken. Someone had to pay and it was not going to be her or so she had thought.

It turned out that the first time the washing machine broke was Anna’s fault for overloading the machine well past it’s limit. The machine itself was under warrantee and was fixed by a technician. She also had to have the carpet and flooring replaced due to the water damage. While it had been her fault due to improper loading, she had an insurance policy for her home and decided to file a claim. Until now Anna had never placed a claim on her home. 

Here she was again. She was in the same scenario. Anna had placed an oversized comforter in her washing machine that she knew was too big for her small unit yet thought very little of it. When she returned from playing volleyball with her friends she found her entire living room and kitchen under water. What could she do? She knew that her insurance company could raise her rates if she submitted another claim this quickly, but she could not afford to fix the home herself. 

Anna called her insurance agent, Mr. Jareth Gilliard, and threw herself at his mercy. She explained her scenario and the financial trouble she was going to be in. Mr. Gilliard showed his kind heart and beautiful mastery of his insurance prowess and got Anna the help she needed. He filed it in such a way that would not hurt her insurance reputation. They each ended the call and Anna jumped for joy looking over her soaked home.

As the insurance claim went through so did the re-flooring of her home. The floor installers needed to move the broken washing machine and while doing so, they made a few scratches on her wall. Instead of letting it go, Anna fumed at the two men who had accidentally made the mistakes. She immediately began to plan how she was going to get the company’s management involved. Little did Anna know that one of the installers was Jareth Gilliard Jr. As she was beginning to berate these gentlemen, she read Jareth’s name tag and realized that his father had gone to great lengths to help her. Here she was about to belittle someone for something much less. Immediately, she reconsidered her anger and let her installers off the hook. She learned a lesson in what mercy could and should look like. After all, she had been forgiven of much more.

The Devotion

Words have meanings. Words also come and go out of our lexicon. Some of this is to our detriment. The words righteous and righteousness are seeming to lose their utility in our English language. So much so that when I asked my junior high worship team on Wednesday night to define the word righteousness, there were few who would even attempt it.

The best definition for the word righteousness that I know is right standing with God. The idea is that because of Jesus’ work on the cross, we now have the right to stand in the presence of God. Righteousness cannot be attained through works. It is the grace or unmerited favor of the Lord. Due to this favor, we have right standing with him.

In the Bible, there are several references to righteousness or to being righteous. You will see this phrase repeatedly “the righteous shall live by faith” [Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38; Habakkuk 2:4]. Righteousness is referred to several times in the book of Psalms. One instance is, “Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart” [Psalm 36:10]. In most cases, righteousness and faith are intermingled. You cannot have one without the other. To have faith you must act in faith. I can tell you that I’m a chef, but if I have never been in the kitchen, there isn’t much evidence to support my pronouncement. Living a righteous life requires faith in action in the same way. In the Old Testament, Abraham’s faith in God is what made him righteous. He was still longing for the cross of Jesus, so it was in his believing God would do what he said he would do that made him righteous. Awesome!

Daily faith in God is not easy. Faith in gravity is a bit easier. We all believe in gravity because we can test its limits. Perhaps, however, faith in God can be as easy as understanding gravity, when we learn more about him. Paul wrote, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” [Romans 10:17].  Therefore, to increase your faith, you must increase your time in God’s word.

Today, we need to do our best to live out our faith in action and claim our right standing with God; our righteousness. Share the word righteousness and its meaning with as many as opportunity allows. We desperately do not want to let the word righteousness and various other ecclesiastical words fade off into the lexicon old folks home. Keeping important words like this alive only happens when we are intentional.

May you be a person of great faith today and may your faith move you to action. Let the righteous acts of the saints be like your robe [Revelation 19:8].

The Bible 

Matthew 18 | Romans 10 | Hebrews 10

The Prayer

“Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You today that I can stand righteous before the Father because of Your work on the cross. I do not deserve to stand here, but I do. May You continue to increase my faith and show me more of the Father. Please bring friends, family members and co-workers into my path whom I can encourage to trust You more. As my faith increases inwardly, may it be apparent outwardly as well. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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UP NEXT: Day 03: Daily Word

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Week One: Day Three

The Story

Matt had no routine that mattered. In fact, the only thing he did routinely was tell people about how chaotic his life was. This all had to change when he got his first job outside of college. Matt knew that showing up whenever he felt like it might not sit well with his employer. He decided he needed to create some sort of governance over his time or he may find himself back on the job market.

For being someone who boasted about living a life of chaos, Matt found out that getting up at a specified time was good for his body. He began to sleep better and could concentrate more efficiently. He began to wonder what other arenas of his life could change and operate in better order. While Matt loved Jesus, he rarely read the Bible. At least, he did not do so consistently. He made a covenant with God that he would read at least one chapter a day for a month and see what he could accomplish. 

To Matt’s amazement, things in life seemed to be going better for him now that He was reading the Word consistently. Because he was getting up earlier to read, he was more cheerful with his new coworkers. While they had begun their day just an hour before work, Matt had done so two hours before. After the month of reading the Bible was over, he decided to do another month, but at a rate of two chapters a day. Things only got better from there for Matt. His boss promoted him. 

Then the shoe fell. Matt’s favorite aunt passed away suddenly. No one in the family saw it coming. Amidst his grief, Matt happened to be reading in Psalms. Matt found out about Aunt Mary around 9:00pm. The next morning Matt’s reading plan found him in Psalm 23. As he read, “Though I pass through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil,” he couldn’t believe it! He had heard of these set of verses before, but here they were the very day that he needed them. How clever is God? He knew right then and there that he would never miss a day without the Bible. He didn’t know when he might need it again. 

The Devotion

Below are five tips for reading the Bible. You may wish to implement a few of these or all five. They work for me and I imagine that at least some will work well for you. 

*These are subjective and in my favorite order. Change them around and I bet they will still work.

1. Get up a little earlier in the morning to give yourself a little extra time to read your Bible. If you are not a morning person, I would still try to give yourself a few minutes at the beginning of each day to set the Word of God in motion in you before you begin your day. Getting up earlier develops discipline.

2. As you step out of bed, just as your feet first hit the floor, begin your day with thanksgiving. Thank the Lord for the day at hand. Use Psalm 118:24, “This is the day that the LORD has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Thanksgiving opens the door for blessing. It should never be attempted the other way around.

3. Situate yourself in a comfortable and easy to focus place. One of the worst ways I have ever tried to read my Bible was on the couch. I need a desk. I need a pen. I need my coffee. Find out where your best location is and go there.

4. Don’t go digital. While this one is rather subjective, I would tell you to use the printed Word of God. Oops, I just lost my under-20-year-olds. I think the ease of use of the Bible on smartphones is incredible. In fact, when Jesus said, “The word will be preached in all the world,” he was probably referring to the latest smartphone. However, for me, there is something to be said for the pen-to-paper underlining of passages that stick out to you. Plus, your hardcopy Bible, with all of your underlining and notes, is one of the greatest gifts you can leave your children. I have a printed Bible in which I’ve underlined passages for each of my kids. You can too.

5. Pray beforehand, “Lord, please let Your Spirit rest on me while I read Your word today.” Then get started. You do not need long, drawn out prayers before God to stretch your Bible-reading muscles. However, I would always invite the Holy Spirit, who helped write the Good Book, to be present while you read. He makes a difference. Believe me.

These five tips are a great start! You could easily add five more. Instead, let’s all go read our Bibles today.

Share this with friends who love the Bible and want to further their Bible-reading momentum. Developing this routine is like pushing down the first few dominos in a series. Eventually, momentum becomes your friend.

The Bible

Psalm 23 | Psalm 119 | John 1

The Prayer

“Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your Word and the Truth it speaks to my life. I pray that as I commit to reading it, You will give me revelation beyond the words I am seeing on the page. May I learn to know the heart of the one true and living God. Thank You for being the Word and dwelling among us. Please go before me and let Your Spirit rest on me as I read Your Word today. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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Week One: Day Four

The Story

The community where Matt and Anna lived organized a special building project using individual bricks that children throughout the community donated. It continued brick by brick through the month of May. Each of these kids, by bringing individual bricks, made it possible to erect a large home for underprivileged teens to live within. The construction of this home is supposed to begin June 1st. Matt never wanted to participate in this sort of thing because he felt like it took too long. However, this new home was going to be built along his walking path to the bus stop where he had to travel each morning and evening to get to and from work. 

Anna was the organizer of the month-long event and believed that it would help the community if they could see something being amassed little by little. There was an added benefit that it was being built through the help of children. Large companies in the area would donate most of the financial backing, but the children were the ones to bring the bricks as they became available. 

On May 1^st, the children began carrying the bricks. Throughout the first ten days, so many bricks were donated that Anna had to plan how to organize the donations for the rest of the month. Each day more and more bricks were given. By the 31^st, there were clearly more bricks on the building site than would be needed. The community had pulled it off! 

Matt had the daily opportunity of watching the mountain of bricks grow. He could not believe the daily progress. This inspired him to begin to think of other projects that might work best under this slow and steady approach. Matt was also inspired to bring this process into his personal and spiritual life. 

The Devotion

The word prayer has about as many connotations as the word food. It can mean a hundred different things. Today, I want to encourage you to pray rather specifically for something.

Praying for your day before you begin each morning has certain benefits. The best illustration of how to understand prayer that I know of is that when you pray, it’s like sending up bricks to God as a tool for him to build a heavenly structure. The more bricks you send, the stronger and bigger the structure. When mighty winds blow, if you’ve only sent up two to three bricks, then your structure will not withstand the fury. However, if you have delivered enough bricks to build a fortified military outpost, you could say “good luck” to the evil one and his arrows of attack.

I sincerely recommend praying for each person with whom you plan to meet today by name. If you know that you will have meetings with certain people, lift them up by name in the morning, before you head to work, school, or the job site. You will be laying bricks for a spiritual foundation that strengthens your day.

The Word of God says to pray without ceasing [1 Thessalonians 5:17]. I’ve always thought that was meant to be like how there is always a guard at Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In some way, we were never to stop praying; never stopping to even take a breath. For a season in my early Christian life, I assumed this was how holy people spent their time. Today, I believe this is more of a wordplay. To pray without ceasing is to always be seeking a relationship with God and to always be lifting your requests to him. Do your best to pray in the morning, at midday and in the evening.

Praying is one of the ways we can daily respond to God. If prayer has seemed like a struggle to you, I challenge you to begin with short, one sentence prayers. Like any good habit you want to build, you will naturally and gradually build a prayer life that is sustaining and substantial. One of the worst things we can do as believers is to leave prayer solely up to our pastors. My goodness, even they need our prayers every single morning!

In summary, take time to pray. Be as specific as you know how. Pray with an outcome in mind and do your best to search out the will of God. You can do this!

The Bible

1 Thessalonians 5 | 2 Chronicles 7 | 1 John 5

The Prayer

“Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You that You have great plans for me; plans to give me a hope and a future. By prayer and supplication, I bring my requests to You and I am hopeful You will answer them. However, please let Your will be done and not my own. Give me just enough. Too much and I would disregard You. Too little and I would dishonor You. Thank You that You care deeply for me. May my prayers be heard and I ask that You would respond in perfect timing. Thank You! In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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Week One: Day Five

The Story

Anna, in her early life, grew up with a loving mother and father who were always careful to encourage and never belittle her. They didn’t have a lot of money, but they made up the difference of expensive vacations with family experiences around town. This changed dramatically, though, when Anna was thirteen.

Matt had a very successful family where both of his parents worked. They attended church, but their faith-lives were Sunday-only church lives. It was not that they were bad people on Monday, it was simply that Jesus was kept in God-box meant for church on Sundays. 

One day Matt was feeling overly emotional and he could not figure out why. He had stepped on the scale that morning to see that he had packed on some weight. As a man, he was unaware of this fact until that day, even though he had been clearly overweight for quite some time. 

In the midst of this realization, he began to think of the moments in his life when food and feeling fat had been overwhelming. Immediately upon thinking about it, he remembered the moment that his dad had seen him wearing some shorts that were a bit tight. Not meaning any harm, his dad jokingly told Matt that he was part of an obese family. Matt’s other sisters and one brother had also put on some weight. That moment had stuck with Matt, even bringing it into his adult life. He knew that it was time to lose the weight.

Anna didn’t have any overweight issues. She was constantly exercising and knew about healthy eating practices which she implemented routinely. She did, however, deal constantly with self-image issues. Anna remembered the day her parents were arguing and when it all came to a head. She recalled her dad telling her mom that Anna was never able to finish anything. He said that Anna was such a perfectionist that she would never amount to much more than an hourly worker if she couldn’t push though. Her dad was unaware that Anna had overheard this conversation and to this day, he does not know about her hurt. Anna’s mom and dad had been fighting a lot at that point and this conversation, and one other, had broken the camel’s back. They were going to file for divorce. Anna was thirteen, an only child and heartbroken. 

Both Matt and Anna found themselves in a place of needing to forgive their fathers and resist the feelings of rejection. Each of them were wounded by simple, yet lasting words carelessly tossed about. 

The Devotion

Just about everyone knows the saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”. Few things could be further from the truth. This phrase first appeared in the mid-1800s. While it was certainly meant to thwart those who retaliate verbal abuse with physical abuse, it has been twisted to mean that words can have no lasting effect on your life. This is not true in the least as we shall see.

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” [Proverbs 18:21]. How many of us could take five minutes and build a list of ten things that our closest loved ones have said to us at critical moments in our lives that have wounded us? I imagine each one of us could do this. Even though we may not have intentionally catalogued these interactions, they still exist within our memories. That being so, words have more power than the old saying would lead us to believe. It is true that sticks and stones can break your bones. Look at the story of David and Goliath. Equally so, however, is how words can wound the spirit. What is also true is that words can bring about abundant life.

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” [Romans 10:9]. The first action in this Romans verse says that we must speak aloud that “Jesus is Lord”. The very action of using our words grants us eternal life. It is a requirement. There must be no doubt that there is great power in these words!

“But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” [Matthew 6:15]. Conversely, were we not to use our words to forgive others, Jesus tells us that our own sins cannot be forgiven. With our very words, we must forgive others. A confession like this also grants eternal life.

As we can see, our words make a difference. They can build someone up and in the very next breath break someone down. In the past, I have belittled a friend in a joke for the sake of the joke. In every case of doing this, I wounded. Getting rid of this type of humor is essential. Also, being critical of others is detrimental, especially if you verbalize that criticism every chance you get. Unless someone asks you for your opinion, it is always better to look for positive things to say rather than remaining focused on the negative. It takes more effort to do that but we are people striving to be like Jesus.

Sarcasm is a controversial topic. God even uses sarcasm in the Bible from time to time. Importantly, he knows how to do so without being malicious. He also knows how to show anger without sinning. He is God and we are not. There are far more times when Jesus was intently compassionate. We would be better to imitate that. It is much safer.

I challenge you today to make every word that comes out of your mouth subject to the love of Christ. If you sense that Christ would not say it, then do your best to not say it as well. In every opportunity, encourage. May your words have life today and not death. I hope we never again say that words have no power. Let’s be children of great purpose. Let our words speak life!

The Bible

Proverbs 18 | Matthew 6 | Psalm 19

The Prayer

“Lord Jesus, I thank You that You have given us power over our tongues. Not one word that someone utters against me has any power because You offer me the opportunity to forgive them. I hold nothing back. I forgive ______________. I will not withhold forgiveness from them for any reason. I bless them. Please help me to guard the words of my mouth so that they are acceptable in your sight. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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Week One: Day Six

The Story

The best and worst things in life are often results of people and our interactions with them. Matt has three sisters and one brother. He is closest to his brother who is only one year younger than him. 

Matt, being the first born male, seemed to have his life together. Jonah, Matt’s younger brother, was quite the opposite. He was always getting into trouble and never seemed to be interested in doing what Matt considered to be the right thing.

As any two brothers who were close, Matt and Jonah fought hard but loved each other even harder. There was very little that could separate their brotherly love. 

It happened again. Jonah lost his job that he didn’t really care for anyway and needed money to make rent. He did not want to speak to his parents about it. As in many times before, he came to Matt for a loan. He said he was certain to pay it back, but Matt had heard this many times before. 

What Matt didn’t know this time was that the money Jonah needed was not for rent but rather to pay back a gamer friend of his for the latest gaming system. 

It was Matt’s oldest sister Holly who came to Matt telling him she thought Jonah needed the money for the gaming system. It was at this point that Matt lost it. He was tired of being taken advantage of. Love can only go so far, or so he thought.

When Matt confronted Jonah, typically Jonah would fight back, but something in him crumbled before him. It was as if Jonah had met a breaking point. As Jonah’s tears filled his eyes, Matt’s heart broke. It was there, for the first time, that Matt saw Jonah as a person and not just his brother. Compassion replaced disdain and disappointment. Matt new that his new assignment with Jonah was to be patient and to help Jonah overcome. He had been learning about the nine fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians. He knew now that he was learning about forbearance.

The Devotion

Galatians 5:22-23

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Jesus said that you can know a tree by its fruit [Matthew 7:15-20]. He was referring to false prophets. A false prophet is someone who appears to be speaking for God, but is truly speaking by his/her own volition. Therefore, it’s not by someone’s words that you can judge intention, but rather by the fruit shown in their life. Discerning who to trust can be a tricky game these days. Because of the internet, everyone can easily have a voice. Thank God for Galatians 5:22-23 that clearly defines for us what to be looking for in the fruit or character of a speaker or columnist.

In Holiness by Mark Rutland, he remarks that “the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 is the composite moral picture of Jesus.” The Christian life will bear witness, or the fruit, of Jesus. Just like how an apple tree cannot bear figs, in that it would be a fig tree, the spirit of the tree is found within its fruit. It’s why the tree exists. Without the fruit of the tree, pollination wouldn’t occur. Its life cycle would be cut short and it would die. It is the same way with the Christian life and the fruit of the Spirit.

The nine things listed in the fruit of the Spirit are all actions. They each have verb tenses that can and should be used. They are not just to be studied like chemistry or even philosophy. They are meant to be strapped into place and utilized daily.

Forbearance may be most unusual of all the words in this list. To forbear is to restrain. One of the fruits of the Spirit is literally to not do something. This is restraint from being annoyed; restraint from belittling. God has written that we are to be careful with our words and actions. Others matter and by not saying something you may be better off than rephrasing what you may have said to be less offensive.

Self-control is under attack today. There is a general stigma around saying that someone should behave in a certain and defined-for-millennia way. To say that someone should show personal self-control rather than indulging in every desirable vice is Biblical. In fact, showing self-control and discipline produces (bears the fruit of) character. Remember, your character is the only thing you will take with you into heaven.

The fruit of the Spirit was not proposed as a reprimand. Rather, it is available to us as guardrails. These fruits are well attributed ways to live the best life that God has for you. There are nine in the list. If you take nine days to apply each one to your life you will bear fruit. There is no way not to. Just like if you plant an apple tree seed in good soil, water it, and provide enough sunlight, eventually it’s going to produce apples.

Do your best to bear fruit today. Use the fruit of the Spirit to help you become a discerner of the true and false. The results are always positive.

The Bible

Galatians 5 | Proverbs 25 | 2 Peter 1

The Prayer

“Dear Lord Jesus, may my life bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I know that I must tend each of these regularly to keep them growing. Help me to always see others as you see them. Each one is made in Your image with a purpose and plan of their own. Give me Your eyes to see and Your ears to hear. I offer my life to You as a living sacrifice. May it be holy and pleasing in Your sight. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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Week One: Day Seven

The Story

There is no word that brings more comfort and pain in Anna’s life than father. Anna’s dad was both aloof and around during her teen years. It depended on the season and her dad’s depression.

It was when Anna met pastor Jordan that she realized what a father figure could be. Pastor Jordan had three kids of his own and was the youth pastor for over a hundred middle school students. It was in middle school that Anna’s mother and father separated. Pastor Jordan welcomed Anna over to his home often during the terrible months of the divorce.

Anna remembers the day when her dad walked out on her family. He said that he had lost faith in God, lost faith in Betsy, his wife, and even lost faith in Anna. The wounds would be deep and long-lasting.

When Anna was around Pastor Jordan, she saw a man who loved his wife and children despite any shortcomings that they had. Pastor Jordan’s wife was an absolutely dreadful cook, yet Pastor Jordan always had something polite to say about the meal that was presented. The day that Anna’s father walked away, she went over to Pastor Jordan’s house. Pastor Jordan worked hard to help Anna not let bitterness creep in. He helped her to understand that the only perfect father is in heaven and each of those on earth are but fragile images of the real Father.

Years later, Anna was able to talk to her father. She phoned him to tell him of the great work of forgiveness that had gone on in her heart. She wanted him to know the importance of his role in her life even today. She spoke to him words of restoration. Though she felt more like the adult than him, Anna helped lead her dad back to the Lord.

The Devotion

Godly fathers matter greatly in the lives of their children. Here’s a quote from a research study noted in Tender Warrior by Stu Weber:

“The impact of a father is no different in Christian homes. One startling bit of research conducted by the Christian Business Men’s Committee found the following: When the father is an active believer, there is about a seventy-five percent likelihood that the children will also become active believers. But if only the mother is a believer, this likelihood is dramatically reduced to fifteen percent.” -Keith Meyering, in Discipleship Journal, issue #49, p. 41.

While Weber’s point in noting this study is not to belittle motherly Christian influence, his point is clear: God designed the family unit to be led by a Godly husband and father. The father should lead with tender love and care for his family. He should never be domineering. If this is the case, the mother and children have nothing to fear in his leadership.

There may be no greater word in our language than dad. Most of us learn it first when we are just beginning to speak. We say “Da-da” and begin an acknowledgement of a relationship with the first person with whom we bond outside of the womb. More than a word, the impact throughout life is indelible. The word dad spans across generations. A forty-year-old daughter will still call her seventy-five-year-old father, “dad”.

The Bible notes a beautiful hierarchy that shows fatherly responsibility: “I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God” [1 Corinthians 11:3]. Also, “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior” [Ephesians 5:23].

The reason that these two passages sound counter-cultural today is because men have fallen down on their job. The idea being recommended is not that men are not to be domineering, but rather that they are to be like Christ. They are to lay their lives down for their bride. If all men everywhere lead like this, we would be more apt to ascribe to this hierarchy more readily.

To be a Godly father begins by being a role model husband. If we can demonstrate to our children a pure and God-honoring love for our wives, children sense it. In the hierarchy we have been discussing, while children are not mentioned, they are sure to directly follow next. Love flows from God to God-fearing fathers, to God-fearing mothers down to their children.

Men, determine today to be Godly fathers. Women, determine today to support your husband no matter who he is. Begin to see him for what he can become even if there are still great hurdles left to be jumped. Men desire respect; women desire love. They are two separate but equal needs. (Read Love & Respect by Emerson Eggerichs)

God will gladly give to those who ask [Matthew 7:7]. If this is a struggle for you, ask. If you are currently winning, take your relationship as father or mother to the next level. We need Godly fathers; we need Godly mothers; now more than ever.

The Bible

Jeremiah 29 | John 4 | Philippians 4

The Prayer

“Dear Lord Jesus, I bless my own father today. It doesn’t matter to me if he was a consistent or inconsistent leader in my life. I bless him today. Now I pray that You would help me to identify my role in my home. May I live with a strong awareness of how You are calling me to live. I know that You have given me great plans: Plans to prosper me and to give me a hope and a future. May I live in obedience to Your Word, receiving all You have for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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Week Two: Day One

The Story

Matt was a part of a youth group at his church when he was thirteen. It was there that he met Jesus and also met a very troubled girl whose name was Lindsey. While Jesus expanded the opportunities of Matt’s life, Lindsey seemed to get in the way. Matt could not understand how his youth pastor, whom everyone called RAZ, cared so deeply for everyone in the group. 

As Matt’s thirteenth year crept along he learned more and more about Jesus and the care that Jesus had for people. Something in his heart began to change for Lindsey. Lindsey was certainly troubled, but Matt learned that Lindsey had come from an extremely abusive home. While she was now living with an aunt, she was required to see her parents from time to time. 

Lindsey was the type of person who fawned after every man twenty years her senior. She had a large hole in her heart that her earthly daddy had left. Even Matt, at thirteen, could see the chasm.

It was a beautiful night on a retreat in the middle of nowheres-ville when the small worship team was playing quietly allowing everyone who desired to come to the microphone. They told of what God had done for them during the retreat weekend. Matt could not believe his eyes and then his ears when Lindsey stepped up to speak. She began to cry softly as she said that Jesus had broken her heart to pieces that weekend and was restoring it in the most fortified and beautiful way.

To Matt, little changed on the outside in Lindsey’s life over the next few years. Then it happened. During Matt’s sixteenth birthday party Matt’s friend Sam came over to tell him the dreadful news. Lindsey had died in a horrific car accident just a few hours before the party. The entire group of Matt’s friends wept openly. They had never experienced the death of someone so young that they knew. 

As the weeks proceeded, Matt’s heart anguished at the thought of what he could have or even should have said to Lindsey after she had accepted Jesus. He knew that he had three years with her that he had squandered. He wondered if he would see her again one day.

The Devotion

A YouTube video went viral with this title: “See What Happens When I Blend This Goldfish”. What is wrong with us that we would click on a video link that says, “See What Happens When I Blend This Goldfish”? Recently, I put an image of a fish in a blender and made it look like a YouTube video. No, I did not blend a fish to furnish that image. A goldfish is hard to find and blenders are expensive. Photoshop is my friend. This was a bait and switch… It was one of the most clicked on images I’ve ever posted. Why?!

Here is a fantastic story about an illustration that a youth pastor used once concerning another unsuspecting goldfish. This youth pastor placed a goldfish in a bowl filled with water and set it on stage. During his teaching time, he reached his hand into the bowl and picked up this live goldfish. As you might imagine, the entire sanctuary, filled with high schoolers, became intent in knowing why he had picked up that fish. He then threw the goldfish onto the ground where it flipped and flopped, flipped and flopped. The stunned room could not believe their eyes. Several of the students jumped up to rescue the fish.

The youth pastor explained that everyone around them who did not have a personal relationship with Jesus was walking around like a fish out of water, dead. He asked them what makes them want to rescue a goldfish but let their peers flop around, walking in darkness, spiritually dead?

That youth leader got fired. No, I’m just kidding… He quit. Well, he did quit, but it was much later and to become a senior worship pastor. But I digress.

While I do not think I personally would be able to throw a goldfish onto the floor like that, his point will forever stick with me. Why would we care so deeply about a three-dollar goldfish whose lifespan is probably no more than a few months, yet we can often care so little about our fellow brothers and sisters? Loving people and loving animals are not mutually exclusive ideas. If you say that you love animals, you should also love people.

I recently heard a student saying that she does not like people. They annoy her. While I appreciate the honesty, Jesus tells us to “love the least of these” (Matthew 25:45). While that scripture is normally attributed to the downtrodden of society, it may also be addressed to those with whom we cannot stand. As Christ followers, we must follow Christ. Our commission is to be Christ’s body in the earth [1 Corinthians 12:27]. We are His hands and feet. Evangelism is our job. To do this, we may need to redirect our attitude and then evaluate those results.

I charge you to say a prayer for all the goldfish who have been harmed for illustration purposes and to find one person for whom you can bring a hot cup of coffee. Serve someone you normally, whether knowingly or subconsciously, have written off. Love God’s children well. You are one. This is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice in it [Psalm 118:24].

The Bible

Luke 10 | Genesis 45 | 1 Corinthians 12

The Prayer

“Dear Lord Jesus, I pray that You would awaken my heart to see people as You see them. May my heart long for the things that Yours does and break for things that break Yours. Give me Joseph’s heart of restoration as in Genesis 45. Regardless of what my circumstances are, I want to love Your people well. Please give me opportunities today to share Your love in a genuine manner and may it be received. I pray that I would help bring people into the Kingdom of the Living God and enrich their lives. Please continue to grow my character and teach me to be more and more selfless. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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Week Two: Day Two

The Story

Anna had a best friend who was, well, churchy. Leslie was always someone who seemed to have a God-word for every situation. It had grown so much in the last few weeks where even Anna, who had patience like that of Job, was getting sick of Leslie’s “holier than thou” attitude. 

Leslie grew up an only child of two missionary parents who lived most of their lives in Italy. She knew very little of American culture even though she was technically American. After all, both of her parents were from Texas and she was born there. Leslie moved back to the United States to attend college which is where she met Anna. Leslie always believed that Anna was not living a life of faith and was also willing to say so. Why the two remained friends is unknowable. 

One day Leslie saw a check sitting out on Anna’s desk made out to Generation Church for $50. She could not believe that Anna would give so little. She knew that a tithe should be a tenth and knew that Anna’s amount should be much higher. After all, Leslie not only tithed, but also gave an additional 5% to an organization who feeds the poor. She also serves three times a week in her church’s youth group. She was not shy in letting everyone around her know what she was giving.

What Leslie didn’t know was that Anna had a terrible month financially. In fact, $50 had been 12% of her total take home paycheck that month. Anna was trying to learn how to trust God more and knew that she could not really afford even a dime’s worth of tithe or other expenses that month. She was quietly going to give beyond what she could afford. 

It turned out that the treasurer for Generation Church, Lyla Maas, also owned the restaurant, Fifers, where Anna worked. She knew that Anna had an extremely pitiful month. When she saw the tithe check Anna had given to the church that evening, her heart broke. It was at that point that Lyla decided to do all she could to help Anna.

Both Leslie and Lyla happened to arrive at Anna’s apartment the next day at the exact same time. Anna didn’t know either person was coming. She let both women in. Lyla said that she could not believe the generosity that Anna had given to Generation Church. She knew that Anna had given out of her poor month’s wages. She told Anna how she planned to give her a modest raise, better hours and also a $500 bonus for being an employee for one full year. 

Leslie’s heart sank as she saw the graciousness of Lyla. In fact, Leslie had printed out several scripture passages from the Bible that she was going to show Anna about what God requires in a tithe. It was in this humbling moment that Leslie learned about true giving. 

The Devotion

I have been guilty of throwing out “church words” replacing them with words that I have deemed more current. You may know what I mean. Replacing words like sanctification with purity; grace trying to be hijacked by the word love; righteousness for, well, it seems like the modern church is trying to get rid of that word all together. Sad really.

Holiness cannot be one of these waste bin words. God said, “Be holy because I am holy” [Leviticus 11:44; 20:26; 1 Peter 1:15-16]. How many of us know what the word holiness even means? I am sure we could drum up a definition that may get close, but the fuller meaning of the word is becoming less and less commonplace.

“Holiness means perfect, entire, wanting nothing for completion” (Definition found in Mark Rutland’s book Holiness). In short, holiness means wholeness. God’s character keeps him from being able to do certain things. For instance, he cannot tell a lie. In the word holiness, there is right and wrong. It is well-defined. While what is right and wrong is under attack these days, the traits found in God’s character cannot and will not change.

Sin entered the world through Adam. Satan most certainly thought he had won the victory. Sin slammed the door of Eden and all that it represented. When Jesus was conceived of the virgin Mary He rerouted Satan’s winner’s party. Jesus opened the doors of Eden and spread them wide again by His perfect work on the cross. This is holiness.

So, why do we need to be holy and why because God is holy? The answer lies in Jesus. While that is the perfect answer in any Sunday school classroom, it is also truth. The only way to stand in the presence of God is through the complete and perfect (holy) work of Jesus on the cross. We must recognize its authority and yield to it. In great humility Jesus went to the cross. In great humility, we should recognize that we sin, that we cannot stop sinning, and that we are in need of a Savior. This is not about earthly prosperity. This is the Kingdom of God.

One of the names for Jesus in the Bible is the Holy One. Today, seated at the right hand of God the father is the Holy One. Through the greatest act of bravery mankind has ever seen, you and I may approach that throne. We may do so with confidence [Hebrews 4:16; Ephesians 3:12]. It is important to note that we aren’t to bring our own throne into that room and park ourselves beside Jesus. No! We are to come with fear and trembling. How awesome is it that through the cross we are invited in? Amazing!

You and I are blessed to live this side of the cross. We have been welcomed in. Please share this with someone you love. Be encouraged and walk in freedom. Give thought to the word and meaning of holiness today.

The Bible

Hebrews 4 | Leviticus 20 | 1 Peter 1

The Prayer

“Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You that You are holy. You are my sinless Savior who bore the weight of my sin. You defeated sin once and for all, nailing it to the cross and You now sit triumphantly at the right hand of God the Father. Please help me to turn from any wicked way in me. I want to be holy simply because You are holy. I recognize my imperfection, but trust that You walk with me in every season. Watch over my life as I do my best to reverently come into Your presence with confidence. Please grow my faith. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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