Weekend Wisdom

March 25 – March 26, 2023

The Way Up Is Down

¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.

¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” 

John 13:14–15

Jesus Christ, Son of God, second person of the Trinity, Lord of the universe, humbled Himself and washed His disciples’ feet. This wasn’t a seminar on foot washing. It was an example of service. “For I have given you an example,” Jesus said, “that you also should do just as I have done to you” (13:15).

So what does that mean? Let’s not let the applications slip into something retouched and generic. Let’s be specific and consider five, necessary brands of humility—actual things we can do. What are the verbs that should be flowing out of our lives?

1. Choose a difficult obedience. You’ve got your run-of-the-mill obedience, things that may feel easy to you. These are everyday, entry-level actions. But there are actually some difficult obediences, choices that require sacrifice. We obey for Jesus Christ. He deserves everything, and it should cost us, it must cost us, and it will cost us. What is the difficult obedience right in front of you? Run to it, wrap your arms around it, humble yourself, and obey Jesus. It will be good for your soul.

2. Own it all to reconcile. Generally where there’s friction in relationships, there’s fault on both sides. But maybe you’re in a conflict with someone who can’t see his own fault and who won’t listen to you anymore, so you can’t reason with the person. If you want to work that out, humble yourself and own it all. Take everything you want to say, all your rightness and accuracy, and permanently file it under G for garbage. Forego any opportunity to clarify your position. Lay it all down, and humble yourself. “I’m sorry that I hurt you. I never wanted you to feel this way. I know that I have responsibility in that, and I want to own it, tell you how sorry I am, and ask you to forgive me.” Grace will rush like a river upon you. Even if the person refuses you, grace will flow into your life. God loves humility. He doesn’t like it. He loves it. With God, the way up is down. That’s how it is in the family of God.

3. Serve in total secrecy. Find ways to do things no one will know about. A few years ago, I felt an urge to serve somewhere anonymously, where no one knew my name or even recognized me. That experience was so good for my own soul. Find a way to serve in total secrecy.

4. Lay down a liberty. Too often we think the continuum runs between legalism and liberty. But legalism is a lie, so we don’t need to react against legalism by flaunting our liberty. For the followers of Jesus, the continuum is between liberty and the forgoing of our liberties. In Christ, we have freedom and liberty, but when our liberty becomes an obstacle to the gospel, we need to forgo our liberty. We lay down our liberty for the sake of Christ’s kingdom. We don’t glory in our liberties. We don’t fail to love our weaker brothers and sisters. We live in liberty, but we gladly and willingly forsake freedoms for the sake of our influence over others.

5. Refuse to be offended. It’s so easy to take things personally. I can't believe what she said about me. How dare he treat me that way! Instead of taking offense, we can simply refuse to be offended. My mom used to recite these lines from an anonymous poem:

             “I’ve asked the Lord to take from me
             the super-sensitivity
             that robs the soul of joy and peace
             and causes fellowship to cease.”

Do nothing when you’re hurt. Hurting people hurt people. If you want to break that cycle, get low. Humble yourself, and refuse to be offended.

Jesus gave us an example that we would go do for others as He’s done for us. Which brand of humility do you need to practice today?

Points to ponder…

• Review the five brands of humility. Which strikes a chord with you?
• How can you follow the example of the Master and humble yourself today?

Saturday’s Reading

Judges 19-21

Sunday’s Reading

Ruth 1-4

I love you!!!

© 2000-2021 B. Michael Goerlich

March 24, 2023

Friday

Temple Duty

John 14: 19-25

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”

1 Corinthians 6:19

Solomon’s Temple, perhaps the most beautiful building ever constructed, cannot compare with the temple of our bodies. Just one statistic will suffice: If you took all the blood vessels out of your body and laid them in a straight line, they would stretch close to 100,000 miles. We are fearfully and wonderfully made!

On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on the believers who were meeting together, and tongues of fire sat upon each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3-4). That day the Spirit came down from heaven to indwell every believer, and now our very bodies are His temples. He does His work through our hands, feet, minds, and mouths. He lives within us.

Just as we grieve a little when passing a dilapidated church building, so we should grieve when we don’t care for our bodies as we should. We have a duty to stay as healthy as possible and glorify God through our body, which is the temple of the Spirit.

A point to ponder…

Christ wants to sanctify our body and fill it with the Holy Spirit so that it can be a vessel for Him.

Watchman Nee

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 16-18

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 23, 2023

Thursday

March Madness—A Biblical Course in Anger Management: Forgiveness

Matthew 6:12

¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

Matthew 6:12

Between chemotherapy appointments a few summers ago, Mike Veley planned a trip to Europe with his wife, but things went wrong in Venice when a pickpocket robbed them. After asking God to help him manage his anger, Veley wrote an open letter to the thief: “This is my last trip with my wife. I’m dying from cancer. You left me with no money and no credit cards. Imagine for only a moment what this does to your victim. I have been praying for forgiveness. I also pray for you. Turn away from your sin which hurts innocent people. I forgive you. Michael Veley, USA.”

When a local Italian paper printed his letter, the couple was showered with hospitality, though they soon had to return to the States for chemotherapy. “The memory of this trip was initially ruined,” Veley said, “but after writing this letter the memory has now gone from anger and frustration to joy.”

When we choose to forgive, we unchain the shackles of anger in our hearts. Forgiveness helps us move from frustration to joy.

A point to ponder…

I don’t know the source of your betrayal, hurt or disappointment. But I do know that there is a way to get rid of those seeds of anger, and that it all relates to forgiveness.
Gary Smalley, in From Anger to Intimacy

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 13-15

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 22, 2023

Wednesday

From Success to Significance

Matthew 6: 32-34

³⁷ Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.”

Daniel 4:37

The late Bob Buford had been successful in business but felt he was missing significance. He began writing books for leaders, challenging them to consider how to move from success to significance. The Halftime Institute is his legacy—a place successful men and women can learn to explore significance in the second half of life by making God their priority.

We hear it all the time: “I had everything I ever wanted, but still something was missing.” Step one is realizing something is indeed missing; step two is seeking and finding it. The great king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had all the world could offer—but he didn’t have God. And he didn’t know what he was missing until God entered his life, humbled him, and opened his eyes to see. After seven years of humbling and learning, Nebuchadnezzar was a changed man—a man who glorified God.

True significance in life is not found in possessions or power but in knowing the one true God through Christ.

A point to ponder…

If God is God and man is made in His image, then each man is significant.

Os Guinness

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 10-12

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 21, 2023

Tuesday

Resist or Assist?

Matthew 23: 11-12

⁶ But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

James 4:6

When the new nation of the United States of America elected its first President, no one knew how to address him. Since America was populated by people from European monarchies, some wanted to call the President “Your Highness” or “Your Excellency” or other such fancy titles. But the first President, George Washington, would have none of such exaltation. The title he agreed to use was humble and has stuck: “Mr. President.”

History is littered with the biographies of leaders of nations who loved to be exalted and who loved to exalt themselves. The king of Babylon was one. Nebuchadnezzar, typical of ancient kings, saw himself as all-powerful, a potentate above even God Himself. But through Daniel, God delivered a humbling message to the king: He would be humbled for seven years until he confessed that God was the Almighty—which he did (Daniel 4). Nebuchadnezzar learned the lesson of humility the hard way—by suffering.

Nebuchadnezzar is an example of what the Bible teaches throughout: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Better to humble ourselves before God and others than for God to humble us Himself.

A point to ponder…

God assists the humble but resists the proud.

John Blanchard

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 8-9

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 20, 2023

Monday

The "Better" Principle

Mark 4: 35-41

²⁵ He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

Daniel 3:25

The “better” principle is illustrated a number of different ways in Proverbs. For instance, Proverbs 15:16 says, “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble.” And Proverbs 16:8 reminds us that “Better is a little with righteousness, than vast revenues without justice.”

Another example of the “better” principle is this: Being in God’s will in a difficult place is better than being out of God’s will in an easy place. Or, said another way: Being in a hard place with God is better than being in an easy place without Him. There are examples in Scripture. When the three young Hebrew men found themselves in a fiery furnace in Babylon, they discovered that another person—“like the Son of God”—was with them. And they came out alive. Likewise, when the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee with Jesus in a storm, His presence assured their survival.

God may not always keep us out of hard places, but He is always with us. A hard place with Him is better than an easy place without Him.

A point to ponder…

The more terrible the storm, the more necessary the anchor.

William S. Plumer

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 6-7

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

March 18 – March 19, 2022

The Arm of God

¹⁰ Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

¹¹ He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Isaiah 40:10–11

Have you ever given much thought to God’s arms? (“God has arms?” you might be wondering.) When God describes His arms, He doesn’t tell us their circumference or how much He can lift—those are human, physical terms, like the jock showing off at the gym. But God’s description of His arms tells us some awesome things about Him. In fact, the dual description of God’s arms in this passage shows us His power and His comfort.

“Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him.” When the Bible talks about God’s right arm, it refers to His powerful, ruling arm—His justice, His holiness, and His strength. God is like that. He is all that and more.

But then the very next verse describes His tender shepherd arm. “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” If you’ve spent any time in church, sadly you’ve probably heard one extreme or the other: a ton of preaching about the transcendent, holy, awesome Judge or a ton of preaching about the tender, loving, merciful Shepherd. But He’s both, right? In this passage we clearly see both. Don’t let God’s nearness minimize His transcendence nor let His transcendence make you think He isn’t very aware of you individually.

Imagine a shepherd in the fields, and this gives you a picture of God. A shepherd can oversee hundreds of sheep, but he holds only one at a time. He gathers the lambs one by one in his arms. The point here is that this awesome God cares for you. Personally. Individually. Yes, He’s guarding a big flock, but when He cares for the lambs, He tends to them one by one. This is God’s love for you. Personal. Individual. Attentive. Aware. Devoted. That’s how He cares for you.

When He carries His lambs, He holds them “in his bosom.” Picture that. He doesn’t hold us awkwardly squirming at arms’ length. No, He draws us close, right to His own heart.

And He will “gently lead those that are with young.” The sheep that is about to give birth has special needs, and the shepherd accommodates those needs. In the same way, when our needs are great, the Lord is that much more attentive to us. Some of us are at a point of acute need right now in our business or in our family. God knows what it is. And just as pressing as that need is, His attention matches that. He’s on it! He is right there, gently leading those whose circumstances demand additional care.

So which one is He—mighty or tender? Yes. His arm is a picture of absolute power and unconditional love.

That’s your King. That’s your Shepherd.

Point to ponder…

• According to A.W. Tozer, the most important fact about any person is “what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.” How does Isaiah 40 shape your theology—your thoughts about God?
• On which side do you tend to err—God as Judge or God as Shepherd? Why is it important for you to realize He’s both mighty and tender, both transcendent and near?

Saturday’s Reading

Judges 1-2

Sunday’s Reading

Judges 3-5

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 17, 2023

Friday

Speak Up for Revival

Ezekiel 2: 1-10

⁷ And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.”

Ezekiel 2:7

After one hundred years of Protestantism and in the wake of the Thirty Years’ War, Philipp Jakob Spener, a German pastor, called people back to regular Bible study, prayer, and piety. The Church had grown cold, and many Christians had become indifferent. Spener exhorted people to trust God completely and to produce good works. He felt pastors should rededicate themselves to ministering the Word of God to their people, and that youth should be well-instructed in Scripture.

For all this, Spener was frequently attacked, yet the revival begun under his ministry—called Pietism—touched Christianity in a way felt to this day.

It seems odd we’d be attacked for calling people back to God, back to Bible study, prayer, faith, and good works. Yet we live in a culture increasingly opposed to spiritual revival. Don’t be intimidated. God is able to protect us when we take a stand for Him. We need revival in our lands, and it won’t come unless it begins in us.

A point to ponder…

If we succeed in getting the people to seek eagerly and diligently in the book of life for their joy, their spiritual life will be wonderfully strengthened and they will become altogether different people.

Philipp Spener

Read the Bible through in a year

Joshua 22-24

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 16, 2023

Thursday

March Madness—A Biblical Course in Anger Management: Actions

Numbers 20: 1-13

¹¹ And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.”

Numbers 20:11

In May 1962 a new comic book showed up on newsstands The Incredible Hulk—about Dr. Bruce Banner, who, when enraged with angry surges of adrenaline, was transformed into a huge, green-skinned humanoid. It is an image we can identify with because strong anger has a way of transforming our personalities for a few moments and making us destructive people.

Psychologist Dr. Joshua Klapow warns, “Anger is a highly physiological emotion. There are so many changes going on when we are angry that we literally become a different person—if only temporarily—if we are angry enough. Adrenaline rushes through our body causing us to feel strong and ready to act. We very much go from ‘normal’ to an ‘Incredible Hulk’ state.”

In Numbers 20, God told Moses to speak to the rock and it would bring forth water, but Moses was so enraged at the people that he struck the rock twice. It was a brief act of anger, but it kept Moses from leading Israel into the Promised Land.

Robert Ingersoll said, “Anger is the wind that blows out the lamp of the mind.” Don’t let the winds of March madness blow across your mind this month.

A point to ponder…

Anger is one letter short of danger.
Anonymous

Read the Bible through in a year

Joshua 19-21

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 15, 2023

Wednesday

A Whole Person

Titus 2: 1-9

⁷ In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,”

Titus 2:7

In mathematics two of the basic kinds of numbers are integers and fractions: 2, 100, and 56 are integers, while ½, ¼, and 2.5 are fractions. Integers, from a Latin root meaning “whole” or “entire.” The word integrity comes from the same root; a person with integrity cannot be divided in beliefs or morality based on varying circumstances.

When the apostle Paul wrote to his young pastoral protégé, Timothy, he told him to show “integrity” in doctrine, to be incorruptible in belief and in actions. Paul wanted Timothy to hold fast to the truth of God, not allowing himself to be divided. A person of integrity obeys the whole counsel of God every day, in every circumstance. Daniel’s three friends in Babylon demonstrated integrity when they were threatened with being burned alive (Daniel 3:16-18). They told the king they would not divide their allegiance, that they would maintain their faith in God and His promises. That is integrity.

Are you a whole person or a fractioned person today? If your beliefs, and therefore your actions, have become divided, gather them back together as you commit to God and His Word.

A point to ponder…

Integrity of heart is indispensable.

John Calvin

Read the Bible through in a year

Joshua 16-18

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich