Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NIV)

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There’s nothing you can do as well without Christ as you can with him. Any struggle you’re facing will be easier to conquer with his help.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you have to clean up all your messes before you ask God for help. That’s like curing yourself of a disease before you drive down and see the doctor. Go to God first and get his help in all your battles.

The secret of self-control is Christ’s control. Then, as you face temptations that are too strong for you to resist, remember he is with you and turn them over to him. Remember, Christ provides the power to change your life!

But Jesus will also use two things to help you develop self-control:

1. Avoid temptation. It is just pure common sense: Don’t put yourself in situations where you’ll face temptation. If you struggle with alcohol, don’t go into a bar. If you’re struggling to lose weight, don’t load the refrigerator with ice cream. Do whatever you must to avoid temptation.

2. Make yourself accountable. Find someone who will check up on you, pray for you, and encourage you in the areas where you want to develop more self-control. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (NIV).

If you’re serious about self-control, find another believer you trust and say, “I have this problem. I’ve confessed it to God. I’ve asked forgiveness, and now I want to ask you to help me. Will you be my ‘buddy,’ a person I can call on the phone when I need support and encouragement?”

I believe God intends for every church to be filled with “buddy” relationships where people are accountable to each other, where they help and encourage each other in the Lord.

Having someone hold you accountable is tough, but it works.

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: Judge fairly and honestly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and poor people. And do not make evil plans to harm each other.” Zechariah 7:9-10 (NLT)

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You have the power, by God’s Spirit within you, to help people rebuild their lives, to give hope to people in despair, to offer others a fresh start when it seems they have nothing left.

God empowers us to:

· Judge with an even-hand – We show compassion when we act as a voice for those who have no voice. Our compassion can help the powerless, the ignored, the forgotten, the defeated, and the falsely accused.

· Show mercy – When we show mercy to those in the wrong, it doesn’t mean we’re letting someone “off the hook”; rather, it means we recognize he/she is a flawed human, just like us, in need of salvation.

· Be kind – In the graceless age, we can show kindness, even to those with whom we disagree. We can model civility and respect.

· Use your advantages to help – Instead of focusing on getting the advantage, we can use what advantages and privileges we do have to help others. We can willingly put ourselves at a disadvantage in order to serve someone else, such as when Jesus, the leader and the Messiah, washed the feet of his disciples.

· Protect others – Our compassion compels us to look out for the interests of others, in particular, those in volatile or vulnerable situations.

God says when we do this, our light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around us will be as bright as day: “The Lord will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Your children will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as the people who rebuild their walls and cities.” (Isaiah 58:11-12 NLT)
Here we see the cycle of compassion: God gives compassion to us; we give compassion to others; then we receive compassion from God and others in our time of need. “The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.” (Proverbs 11:25 MSG)
This is the essence of a Christ-community – living together, serving together, and loving together.

What does this mean?

· What would biblical compassion look like if you judged with an even hand in your home? At work? In the community? What can you do to be a voice for those who have no voice?

· What would biblical compassion look like if you showed mercy in your home? At work? In the community? What are ways you can express compassion and mercy to those who’ve failed, done things wrong, or simply disappointed you?

· What would biblical compassion look like if you exhibited civility and respect, even for those who show little civility or respect for you?

· What would biblical compassion look like if you used your advantages and privileges to help those who are disadvantaged or those who have no privileges?

· What would biblical compassion look like if you placed the interests of others above your own interests?

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: Judge fairly and honestly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and poor people. And do not make evil plans to harm each other.” Zechariah 7:9-10 (NLT)

*** *** *** ***

You have the power, by God’s Spirit within you, to help people rebuild their lives, to give hope to people in despair, to offer others a fresh start when it seems they have nothing left.

God empowers us to:

· Judge with an even-hand – We show compassion when we act as a voice for those who have no voice. Our compassion can help the powerless, the ignored, the forgotten, the defeated, and the falsely accused.

· Show mercy – When we show mercy to those in the wrong, it doesn’t mean we’re letting someone “off the hook”; rather, it means we recognize he/she is a flawed human, just like us, in need of salvation.

· Be kind – In the graceless age, we can show kindness, even to those with whom we disagree. We can model civility and respect.

· Use your advantages to help – Instead of focusing on getting the advantage, we can use what advantages and privileges we do have to help others. We can willingly put ourselves at a disadvantage in order to serve someone else, such as when Jesus, the leader and the Messiah, washed the feet of his disciples.

· Protect others – Our compassion compels us to look out for the interests of others, in particular, those in volatile or vulnerable situations.

God says when we do this, our light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around us will be as bright as day: “The Lord will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Your children will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as the people who rebuild their walls and cities.” (Isaiah 58:11-12 NLT)
Here we see the cycle of compassion: God gives compassion to us; we give compassion to others; then we receive compassion from God and others in our time of need. “The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.” (Proverbs 11:25 MSG)
This is the essence of a Christ-community – living together, serving together, and loving together.

What does this mean?

· What would biblical compassion look like if you judged with an even hand in your home? At work? In the community? What can you do to be a voice for those who have no voice?

· What would biblical compassion look like if you showed mercy in your home? At work? In the community? What are ways you can express compassion and mercy to those who’ve failed, done things wrong, or simply disappointed you?

· What would biblical compassion look like if you exhibited civility and respect, even for those who show little civility or respect for you?

· What would biblical compassion look like if you used your advantages and privileges to help those who are disadvantaged or those who have no privileges?

· What would biblical compassion look like if you placed the interests of others above your own interests?

“Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of….” (Luke 19:26 MSG)

In order to obey God, you need to take risks.

Risk is the substance of faith because it requires you to take Step 1 before you see Step 2. Risk compels you to action, even when there seems to be no guarantee of what will be on the other side of your choice.

But it’s those risks, large and small, that God uses to stretch you from living by sight into living by faith. By taking the risk of following God, you move from a life of independence and self-direction into a life of godly dependence and Holy Spirit direction.

The irony, as we struggle with the risks associated with faith, is that we take a greater risk by remaining independent of God than we do when we take a step of faith that seems to be risky.

If we believe what we say we believe, then, regardless of what we see on the other side of our risk, the reality is God is there. What seems to be a no-guarantee situation actually comes with the greatest guarantee of all – a God-guarantee – that he is on the other side of our choices, working all things out for the good (Romans 8:28), with plans to help us and not to hurt us (Jeremiah 29:11).

· With a God-guarantee, you can enter into a risky obedience as you do things that are impossible unless God gives you his strength to do them.

· With a God-guarantee, you can enter into a risky obedience as you love other believers so deeply and so richly that you prove to the world a disciple of Christ is a reflection of God’s great love.

· With a God-guarantee, you can stretch to love your neighbors as you love yourself.

· With a God-guarantee, you can enter into a risky obedience as you change your priorities to match the priorities of Jesus.

· With a God-guarantee, you can stretch to love your neighbors, knowing they live throughout all nations where you’re to go and baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded believers to do.

What does this mean?

· Safe outside the boat –I have a drawing of Jesus walking on the water during a storm; the disciples are cowered in a fishing boat. I look at it and ask, “Where is the safest place to be?” The obvious answer seems to be “the boat.” But the truth is, the safest place in that storm is standing next to Jesus. We only think the boat is safer.

· Safest steps – Work toward seeing faith steps as the safest steps you can take. What seems like a risk is actually a step supported by the one, true, all-powerful, all-knowing, awesome God, who is wiser than the best of man’s wisdom and stronger than the best of man’s strength.

· Live faithfully – As Rick Warren says in The Purpose Driven Life, if what you are doing doesn’t require faith, then you are living faithlessly. Ask God to reveal where you are living without faith, and trust him to gently guide you toward the place of risky obedience.

Author’s note – In Monday’s devotional, “Jesus in Hell,” I left the impression that Jesus had more redemptive work to do, even after his death on the cross. My hope is today’s devotional will clarify any confusion.

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With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Mark 15:37-38 (NIV)

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30 (NIV)

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When Jesus died on the cross, his work of redemption was complete. Matthew, Mark, and Luke say he gave out a loud cry as he died, but John adds the detail of what Jesus said in that moment: “It is finished.”

Jesus, a carpenter most likely familiar with buying and selling, used a business term that could be rendered, “Paid in Full.”

It is finished. It is paid in full.

Jesus completed the work required to bring us back into communion with God. No other work is required. We cannot do anything to further the work of Jesus, and, even if we somehow could, there is no need to do so.

The picture is this: Jesus, having completed his mission, gives a victory shout. It’s a shout emerging from his joy – not an “I’m glad this is over” but more like a good and faithful son hearing his father say, “It’s done, well done!”

Jesus responds with this glorious shout, “It is finished!” The victory is won; the captives are free to come home.

Then to signify that this singular path to peace with God was now open, the “curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Mark 15:38, NIV; see also Matthew 27 and Luke 23).
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:19-20, NIV).
What does this mean?

· It is finished – The work of Jesus Christ was complete and finished on the cross. There is no other redemptive work required to make peace with God.

· The father heart of God – My focus in the “Jesus in Hell” devotional was on the father heart of God. God loves you from the bottom of his heart, and his heart is bottomless.

· Separation from God – The gospel writer, Mark, reported “at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’—which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Mark 15:34, NIV) From this, it would appear Jesus was, briefly, separated from the Father. If you believe in the reality of hell, as I do, or if you see it as a figurative expression, the real horror is eternal separation from God. The work of Jesus created a bridge across that separation, allowing us to make peace with God and to cross into eternity with him (Colossians 1:19-23).
· Jesus holds the keys – The Bible says Jesus descended into the place of the dead, most likely to proclaim his victory over death and sin (Matthew 12:40). On the morning of his resurrection, Jesus told Mary, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’” (John 20:17, NIV). He later told John, “I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18, NIV). Jesus, and Jesus alone, holds the resurrection power that bring us into eternity with God.

· Prayer for Devotionals – God is leading me to spend more time in prayer over these devotionals. As you think of it, would you also pray that I say only what God wants me to say, and that I write in such a way that God’s truth is always clear? My desire is to be a faithful teacher of biblical truth in order to push us, myself included, closer to the heart of God.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:5-8 NIV)

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One of the most effective tools the enemy will use to keep you from serving God is to convince you that you’ve either messed up too much to serve God, or that you must clean up your life before you can even get God’s attention. When these thoughts pop into your head, sniff the air for the scent of sulfur – because they are lies straight from the fires of hell!

If you follow the sequence of Isaiah 6, you’ll see how God initiates the process that brings you into his holy presence and purifies you to remain in his presence, and that your new guilt-free, sin-atoned status will compel you – and prepare you – for the unique mission God sets before you.

In today’s passage, we see that God draws Isaiah into his holy presence in the same way he is reaching out to you. God began working to bring you home, back into his presence, long before you were born. God knows we can’t make the journey home on our own, so “while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. …For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, [then how] much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life!” (Romans 5:6, 10 HCSB)

In the presence of God, we – like Isaiah – are overwhelmed by the magnitude of our sin and ungodliness. It is no longer something we can wink at or rationalize. Even Isaiah, a Hall of Fame prophet, sees the woeful ruin of his own life, “a man of unclean lips … among a people of unclean lips ….” (Isaiah 6:5 NIV)
Yet God’s intention when he convicts us of our sins is not to condemn us; rather his breath of life disperses the “fog of war” – that satanic smoke the father of lies uses to keep us on the run from God.

In fact, Isaiah reports that God’s fire is a cleansing fire, a blaze that burns your guilt away and purifies you from sin, sealing within you the work of Jesus Christ. The prophet also reports that God’s ultimate purpose for cleansing us is to prepare us for mission: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8 NIV)

Prior to God’s initiative to cleanse Isaiah, the prophet was overwhelmed and unprepared for any mission on Holy God’s behalf. But after the cleansing, Isaiah is energized by a desire to serve God.

What does this mean?

· Saved to serve – As Rick Warren teaches in The Purpose Driven Life, we are not saved to sit in church; we are saved to serve God. As God transforms our lives, he places within us a calling for mission.

· No condemnation – When God convicts us of sin, his goal is not to condemn us; there is no condemnation in Christ. God’s intentions are revealed in this truth – that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-11 NIV)

· God’s power cleanses you – Your work for God does not cleanse you or make you worthy to stand before God. It is only through God’s power – his ability to wash you white as snow with the blood of Jesus Christ – that you are able to approach God’s throne boldly.

“For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.” Matthew 12:40 (HCSB)

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Jesus spent three days in hell. He spent three days in hell in order to bring us home with him.

He spent three days in hell because he loved you more than the human mind will ever be able to comprehend.

We often talk about the crucifixion, and we often talk about the resurrection – but it’s rare that we talk about how Jesus was “in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.” (Matthew 12:40, HCSB)

Gary Wills, in his book, What Jesus Meant, writes about a time when his young son woke up from a violent nightmare. Wills held the boy and asked why the nightmare had been so frightening. His son said, “I dreamed I was in hell.” Then he asked, “Do you think I’m going to hell?”

Wills said, “If you go to hell, I’m going there with you.”

Wills admits this was a gut-response, never meant to convey salvation theology. Yet, it does convey the depth of a father’s heart, telling his son that he loved him so much that even the pits of hell could not cause him to leave the boy isolated and abandoned.

And this is a picture of God, the Father, who sent his Son, Jesus, into the pits of hell, so we would not be left isolated and abandoned. Instead, Jesus faced the fires of hell to bring us home with him for eternity.

Wills said the incident reminded him of the time Jesus said: “What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:9-11, HCSB)

What does this mean?

· God’s love knows no depth – There is nothing you can do to take you beyond God’s love. God will never love you less, and he cannot love you more than he already does.

· Jesus spent three days in hell – Jesus spent three days in hell so you do not have to spend one second there – so you do not have to spend an eternity there. The blood of Jesus covers your sins; the power of the resurrection defeats the fear of death. Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6, HCSB)

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (NASB)

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The secret to living with confidence is to be confident in God’s compassion and power. He is the Almighty and everlasting God, and his power and compassion are unlimited. We gain confidence by developing confidence in God and letting go of confidence in ourselves.

When we think we have to do it on our own, or when we think we are doing it on our own, we stand on an uncertain foundation, like the man who built his house upon the sand. No matter how confident we are in ourselves, eventually the rains will come, washing away our self-confidence.

But when we have God-confidence, we know – deep down – that we will always be able to approach God’s throne of grace boldly with confidence – knowing “we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.” (Hebrews 4:16, NLT)
With God-confidence, we know we are loved and accepted by God; we know we are created and shaped by God; we know we have talents and skills given to us by God, and by understanding our true position in Christ, we can be confident that God is with us always, even unto the ends of the earth, even when we open our mouths to speak.

In faith, we can be confident, knowing God’s power is there, trusting God makes it possible for us to do “all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13, NASB)

What does this mean?

· Transfer your confidence to God – Believe he is “working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:13, NLT) Compare your track record to God’s and see which of you has proved to be more trustworthy. If you believe your confidence should still remain with you, ask God to help you dig deep to uncover why you believe that way. He is never upset or surprised by such honesty.

· Trust God’s Spirit is working within you – Ask God to develop within you a confidence that his Spirit will give you a supernatural power to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and to release prisoners from the darkness. (Adapted from Isaiah 61:1-3)

· Why God-confidence is important to you – You may be thinking, “There’s something I’d really like to do, but I don’t think that I can do it.” This kind of thinking may keep you from even trying, but if you’re confident in God – and what he can do through your life – then there’s every reason to move forward, and no good reason to stand still.

· If you had God-confidence, how would the next few days of your life be different?

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)

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Jesus might have asked: “Aren’t you tired and burned-out on all that religious stuff? Look, come walk with me, and I’ll help you recover your life – your real purpose – and even though it will require some hard, very hard work, you’ll be energized by it because you’ll be living life to its fullest. You’ll be doing exactly what my Father created you to do, and more importantly, you’ll be exactly who I want you to be.”

In taking on the Jesus-yoke, he is asking us to join the school of Christ. In ancient times, when a student studied under a specific teacher, it would be said that the student took on the teacher’s yoke; the student was yoked to the master.

Within that context, consider these words from Jesus: “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30, NLT)

Jesus says, by walking with him, we’ll learn how to walk with God. We don’t learn from afar; we learn from a caring and committed teacher-student relationship – caring and committed on both sides.

The Christian walk is not a lesson in how to run off doing things for Jesus while we ignore him. Our Christ-walk is a journey with Jesus, where he is very personal and specific about our growth and spiritual maturity.

What does this mean?

· Are you tired? – Jesus will teach you how to find rest in God, not a rest absent of stress, but the rest that results from believing in God’s faithfulness. Ask God to show you what blocks you from believing fully in his faithfulness, and then ask him to break those blockages down.

· Are you confused? – Join Jesus at his school of Christ, and watch him, listen to him, ask him to renew your purpose.

· Ask to be teachable – Tell Jesus you want to be yoked to him, and that you want to learn from him. Ask him to keep your heart teachable.

“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love other believers.” 1 John 3:14 (GWT)

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Our love for others is the fruit, not the root, of our relationship with God. The Apostle John taught that our love for others emerges from our relationship with God, that anyone who is born of God and knows God will love with the love of God. (1 John 4:7, NLT)

In a sense, you could say the process of sanctification – the movement toward becoming like Jesus – involves the Eternal One’s love cleaning the clutter you’ve stuffed into the cupboards hidden inside you. God strides confidently through the dust and the grime that builds up because of our sin, and he throws open the shades and wipes down the windows until we “shine like stars in the world.” (Philippians 2:15, HCSB)
As God scrubs our insides with the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, we pass from “death to life.” (1 John 3:14) We are transformed from people who are selective in who and how we love into people who, energized by God’s spirit, love one another abundantly and unconditionally.

In faith, we love with the love of God, and in our slow and stumbling walk toward spiritual maturity, we learn that what matters is “faith expressing itself in love.” (Galatians 5:6, NLT)
What does this mean?

· Express your faith with love – We reveal our faith when we express it as love, extending God’s unconditional love to all people, even those who are difficult to love. We express our faith with love, not by the rules we keep.

· Let God love through you – No matter how loving you try to be, you will eventually run out of love when you try to love in your own strength. Let God’s unlimited, unconditional love energize you.

· Ask for a deep “Jesus love” – Ask God to help you receive and then share his unconditional love. Name someone you specifically have trouble loving and ask God to develop in you a deep “Jesus love” for that person – a love based upon God’s strength and not your own.