Archaic Inspirations

Romans 12:1-2

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

This passage makes it clear that it is not only expected, but that it is reasonable to give my life as a sacrifice unto the Lord. The word reasonable implies that it is not an extreme or excessive request, but rather an expression of sound judgement for me to do so. It is my intention to do so willingly and joyfully.

Flesh is weak. I intend to honor God, not only with my time, but with my physical being. I intend to honor Him as my Savior, but also as my husband. I will focus on keeping my thoughts pure by founding them in scripture and my flesh pure by striving to reside in God’s perfect will.

It’s no wonder Paul begins this passage by begging (“I beseech you”) us to be conscious of this spiritual service/act (not merely ritual activity but the involvement of heart, mind and will – Zondervan NIV reference)! Just as being conformed to this world is a process of exposure to its standards, so shall we be transformed through the process (not a single event) of conscious renewal.

“That ye present your bodies as a living sacrifice” – to sacrifice is to surrender something precious for the sake of something else. So often, the focus of the word sacrifice falls upon our own surrender of something precious to us. We struggle because we are so busy hanging onto those things we don’t want to let go of. We forget about the other half of sacrifice – “FOR THE SAKE OF SOMETHING ELSE.” We should not make this into a selfish process. The very fact that we are giving up something for the sake of something else defines sacrifice as a process in which self righteouseness and selfishness can play no part. Yes, we are giving our LIFE, but we are giving it so that OUR REASON FOR LIVING may be glorified. Which is more important? Our life, or our reason for living? What importance would our life have had we no reason for living it? Our gratitude would never suffice the gift we have been given through Jesus Christ. May we never hesitate to joyfully give what little God expects.

Romans 12:2 is one of my favorite verses in that it calls us to a higher standard by raising us out of the muck of this world. My how standards have changed over the years! When I read, “And be not conformed to this world” I instinctively think…we are not only conformed (acting in accordance with prevailing standards) but we are deformed (to mar the character of) by this world. What God made in the image of Himself has been corrupted. It isn’t enough to say that we have been changed. We’ve been volunteering for plastic surgery of the soul! Since when is being made in the image of God not good enough?

As our Christmas feasting draws near and busyness ensues, the hunger pains of our spirit can seem mute amidst songs of merriment.  It is at this time of year that we claim our love for Jesus Christ but how often have we proclaimed it to Him in thankfulness during this season?  Take time today to be silent with your Savior, to remember His sacrifice,  claim His gift of salvation and proclaim your gratitude.  It is the greatest gift you can offer the One whose birth we celebrate.

After all, what’s a birthday party without the guest of honor?

Psalm 119:9-11

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.

Do I seek my Father with my whole heart – not lacking in any one part of me that doesn’t desire, or even moreso, demand it of myself? This is a verse I wish to engrave upon my life with my actions.

I will call upon the Lord to go before me and to prepare my way; this request acting as a reminder of my promise to Him to seek Him in all I do with my whole heart. I cannot possibly ask for God’s guidance and assurance without receiving personal conviction to give Him my whole heart in return.

The human appetite is a strange thing. It seems to me the longer I go without eating the less hungry I become. Don’t get me wrong – initially I want those things I have become accustomed to, but as time goes by I find that my hunger recedes. And when given the opportunity to eat again I am initially unable to digest as much as I used to. It is the same way when we feed upon the Word. The longer we neglect our appetite for the Word the more our hunger and capactiy for it diminishes. Granted, the taste is much more intense when we do eat again because we have been deprived, but we are unable to initially digest the same amount because we simply cannot contain it. We are suffering from anorexia while God is offering us a feast. Are you suffering from spiritual starvation? I urge you to taste and see God’s goodness!

“With all my heart”…the defnition of the word heart according to Strong’s concordance encompasses the following, “soul, mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, inclination, resolution, determination, conscience, moral character, appetite, emotions, and passions”. Imagine for a moment, devoting every thought, every reflection of the mind, every memory of the heart, every waking moment, every twinge of hunger, every emotion, every passion to God.

“Do not let me wander from your commandments.” Do not give me a single opportunity to stray. If ever there were a request to which I could predict God’s answer, it would be those words. I hear His emphatically loving, “No.” Essentially we are saying, “Do not fail to prevent me of my own free will.” The intention is good, but the request against the very nature of our God. It can be interpretted as asking God to remove all accountability because, after all, we asked Him to prevent the testing of our faith by removing free will. Where is the testimony in a faith never tested?



Genesis 3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.”

Reflecting on these words we come to realize something is not quite right. Although Eve’s intention was surely not to lie, she did so by adding to the perfect truth. I am sure she did so as a matter of self preservation…haven’t we all done it? We expand the boundaries beyond their original confinement just to be certain we don’t overstep them. However, the boundaries God gave were perfect boundaries, within a perfect garden. The balance of perfection leaves no room for improvement or alteration. So, what DID God say?

Genesis 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

Here we have it…God said don’t eat of it or you will surely die. He didn’t say anything about not touching it. However, in Eve’s desire to consciously or unconsciously improve upon perfect boundaries, a conflict arose. I obviously wasn’t in the garden but I could imagine it went something like this. Along came the serpent and he cunningly engages Eve in a conversation by exaggerating the truth…”Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” He knew Eve would correct him, which would then turn her attention to the one thing God had “denied” them. What little convincing it took for her to reach out and touch the fruit.

What do you suppose was going through her mind as she reached up? Was she considering that she shouldn’t even “touch” the tree, as she had stated? Was her hand trembling in fear as it brushed the surface of the fruit? Was there a sigh of relief that she had not perished upon contact? Was there a false sense of comfort that if she hadn’t died in touching it, then perhaps she could eat of it?

The snowball effect…she had sinned in her heart to desire it in the first place, followed by a “sin of no consequence”, and then a sin of irreversible defiance. Isn’t that the way it goes? A mere consideration of the consequences…to the toe in the water…to the sinful submersion. One single action that would remove Adam and Eve from their garden of protection and perfection to Satan’s dominion of darkness. They were removed from a covering of Light that was permeated by a single darkness, to a covering of darkness that would have to be permeated by a single Light. In a single instant they were, quite litereally, “in a world of sin”.

If you are considering the consequences today…if you are testing the waters…if you find yourself submerged in a sea of sin, there is another element to your story. The darkness we live in has already been permeated by the single Light. That Light is Jesus Christ. He came and died on the cross for your sins…the sins you are considering…the sins you have tested and tried…and the sins that are suffocating you at this very moment…even those you have yet to conceive. You are not being banished, but beckoned. Beckoned into eternity with an invitation from God Almighty . Will you accept His invitation?

Devotional from the book Keeping God in the Small Stuff:


No Limits The love of God has no limits.

Human love is conditional. Whether we’re dealing with a friendship or a marriage, our commitments will only go so far. Friendships fail and marriages end in divorce because one can no longer tolerate the other.

But God’s love is unconditional. He loved us before we were even interested in him. He continues to love us even as we disappoint Him with out immature attitudes. And His love for us prevails although our conduct may offend Him. There is nothing we could do that would make God love us less.

God’s love extends to us in full measure. It is not distributed in small portions as we earn “spiritual brownie points” if we are good deed doers. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more.

God loves us unconditionally even though He knows we can’t love Him back to that extent. That’s what makes His love so perfect.

Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39

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Personal reflection:

As I read the line “spiritual brownie points” above I recalled the image that God brought to my mind weeks ago – allow me to illustrate.

Remember as a kid going to the Chuck E. Cheese and earning all those tickets?? Remember being certain you were going to get a handful of tickets for your efforts and occasionally not receiving any at all?? Remember pushing all the tickets into every pocket available for stuffing?? Remember laying out the tickets and counting them one by one…the coveted LONG strands that were so great because that meant you did a really GREAT job to earn so many…and the piddly singles that never seemed to add up to quite enough?? Remember gazing at the prize cabinet…and even up to the prize wall?? Remember not even turning them in for the piddly prizes because you were saving up for the BIG prizes on the wall??

Some people think we have a Chuck E. Cheese kind of God. That He is standing behind the counter guarding His “Wall of Blessings”. That we can look but will not receive unless we earn enough “perseverance and good deed tickets”.

Imagine such a thing…here we are going through life doing good deeds and earning our tickets. Sometimes we do something really good and out comes the coveted LONG strand of good deed tickets! Sometimes we put forth great effort but not a single good deed ticket is produced and we are rewarded with the mere frustration of our insufficiency. However, we know that if we persevere and continue to do enough good deeds we could pocket those occasional perseverance tickets that would add up to something worthwhile in the end. Imagine taking all your tickets and stashing them away, hoarding them for the eventual personal satisfaction you’ll receive one day.

The day arrives and off you go, pockets bulging and anticipation high! You’re willing to bet you may even be able to get one of those really GREAT blessings on the blessing wall! You wait in line thinking about all those people in front of you and wondering how long they have been saving up for this day. You walk up to the counter, present all your tickets to God, certain that the more you pull out of your pocket, the more impressed He becomes…counting them one after another, after another until you’ve calculated all your good deed tickets and perseverance tickets. Your eyes climb the wall to the top where the best blessings reside. You’re sure you must have enough perseverance tickets to earn that long-awaited Godly spouse. Or maybe earned enough good deed tickets to finally get that mission field opportunity! You are nervous with excitement…

Your eyes scan for the price, shifting back and forth, but it can’t be found. Where could it be?? How much does it cost?! You have waited this long, put forth this much effort, persevered and done good deed after good deed all for the purpose of claiming your prize and now a nervous anxiety grows up inside of you. Your gut reaction is one of anger, “God, where are the prices??!! How do I know if I have earned enough?! I have been waiting for this day to come and claim my blessings and I have no idea if I have enough!! “

“My child, why is this the first time you have come to me? Why have you waited so long? Every day I have longed for you to come to me and simply ask, ‘Lord bless me, indeed!’ You will find no price upon my blessings. Their value is not made perfect through your payment, but rather through My timing.”

God has no use for your perseverance and good deed tickets. He is not looking for those who are hoarding their talons. Thank the Lord that your tickets are worthless and that the fact is that the blessings are free! Thank the Lord that He doesn’t want to give you what you have earned or even what you deserve!

Have you been saving up your good deed and perseverance tickets to present to God?

God’s saving grace is a gift, not one that can be earned, we all know this if we are truly saved. However, we so often stubbornly maintain our human mindset that we somehow have the ability to earn the blessings of God. Do not present your good deeds and perseverance as an offering to the Lord. It is your life He requires…love keeps no record of wrongs and humility keeps no record of rights. God will prove to you that when you wrap your arms around His will there are no hands to grab your good deed and perseverance tickets and better yet, no need to. Lay down your rights and pick up your cross.

God’s blessings are never out of reach.