Too Much

Daily Devotional, December 29, 2010

Too Much

read›
Ecclesiastes 7:15-18
Pay attention to these
instructions, for anyone
who fears God will
avoid both extremes
(v.18).

The other day I was putting air in my car’s tires. The
small wording on the side of the tires warned me,
“Maximum pressure: 35 psi.”

I’m no mechanic, but this is good information to know.
I’ve been told that too much air in a tire will negatively
affect braking, cornering, and overall stability. Less of
the tire touches the ground when tire pressure is too
high. As a result, a car will tend to bounce around on
the road and its tires will lose traction. We all need air
in our tires, and we won’t get very far on a tire that is
low or flat. But as with many things in life, too much of a
good thing can be detrimental.

Take, for example, something as basic as food. We
all need to eat. But the Bible clearly warns against the
dangers of overeating (Proverbs 23:20-21).
Needing too much of a good thing can also show
up in our relationships. For instance, the Old Testament
character Leah (Rachel’s older sister and Jacob’s first
wife) was a woman who seemed to need her husband’s
love too much. From the start of a marriage that was
born out of deception, Jacob made no bones about the
fact that he loved Rachel much more than Leah (Genesis
29:30).

Coming in second place left Leah heartbroken. Sadly,
she thought she could win more of Jacob’s affection and
attention by giving him children (29:32,34). But her plan
never worked. It only drew her deeper into a jealous rivalry with Rachel that she
would never win (30:1-24).

Leah’s desire for her husband’s love was legitimate, but it began to consume
her when it became the primary focus of her life. Is there something good in
your life you need too much? —Jeff Olson

more›
Do you like honey?
Don’t eat too much, or
it will make you sick!
Don’t visit your neighbors
too often, or you will
wear out your welcome
(Proverbs 25:16-17).

Be sure to check out all of our Christian Clothing & Christian Shirts @ SoulHarvest.net!

Watching

Daily Devotional, December 24, 2010

Watching

read›
Psalm 59:6-10

You, O God, are my
fortress (v.9).

My 7-year-old son, Wyatt, loves chess. I first
taught him to play on the chessboard in our
local coffee shop, and last Christmas he asked
for his own set to enjoy at home. Recently, we were
playing after dinner, and Wyatt became infatuated with
the knight—the piece that moves two squares, then one
more square (like an “L”). His strategy was fixated on his
desire to get the knight to move all over the board. So,
with his focus fixed on the knight, I methodically moved
one pawn (the piece that can move only one square at a
time) across the entire board, taking out his pieces along
the way.

We’re tempted to fixate on all kinds of things: our
image, another person’s opinion of us, our success or
our failures. When things go poorly for us (bad health
news or relational disappointments or financial woes),
we search everywhere and look to anyone in a flailing
attempt to figure out how to change our situation. We try
very hard to save ourselves.

The psalmist knew serious trouble. He spoke of violent
men who were hunting him down, “snarling like vicious
dogs” (Psalm 59:6). Their assaults were not merely
physical: “Their words cut like swords,” he wrote (v.7).
Do you feel as if someone is after you or as if some
circumstance has consumed you? Are you experiencing a
relationship that’s painful, that cuts to your soul?

Rather than working frantically to find your own remedy (which never ultimately
works), Scripture invites you to turn to God, knowing that He’s the only One who
can rescue you. The psalmist encourages us to quiet our heart, turn fully to God,
and proclaim, “I watch for You” (v.9 NIV). We don’t watch for ourselves or our
friend or our spouse. Our true help doesn’t come from these sources. We watch
for God. —Winn Collier

more›
I look to the Lord for help.
I wait confidently for
God to save me, and
my God will certainly
hear me (Micah 7:7).

next›
Who or what do you
watch for when you need
help? What happens
when we’re slow to
watch for God?

Be sure to check out all of our Christian Clothing & Christian Shirts @ SoulHarvest.net!

Compassionate Anger

Daily Devotional, December 22, 2010

Compassionate Anger

read›
Mark 3:1-6
He looked around at them angrily and was
deeply saddened by their hard hearts (v.5).

Some things make me angry. Newspaper columnists
who belittle life-long marriage; radio hosts who
rile against refugees; the big glossy advertisements
for brothels in my local newspaper; climate-change
proponents who label their critics ”deniers” to silence them;
climate-change critics who label their opponents “alarmists”
for the same reason. Yes, some things make me angry.

Jesus became angry (John 2:13-17;11:33). One
Sabbath He was preaching in a synagogue when a
number of His critics were present. In a provocative
move, Jesus called to a man with a crippled hand and
had him stand in front of the group. “Does the law
permit good deeds on the Sabbath,” Jesus asked, eyeing
His critics, “or is it a day for doing evil?” (Mark 3:4).
Silence. “Is this a day” (we can imagine Him speaking
louder now), “to save life or to destroy it?” Still silence.

God made the Sabbath as a time for rest and renewal
(Exodus 20:8), but by Jesus’ day the religious leaders had
made its strict observance a sign of one’s righteousness.
No work was to be done on the Sabbath, including, in the
Pharisees’ eyes, the healing of crippled men. And Jesus
was angry about that—angry at the Pharisees’ hard hearts.
But, astonishingly, we find Jesus being “deeply
saddened” by them too (Mark 3:5). His anger at evil
wasn’t accompanied by hatred for its perpetrators, but by
sadness, grief, compassion.

I ask myself, to what degree do I feel compassion for that columnist, radio
host, or brothel owner? Do I feel sad about that angry driver or climate-change
critic? I’m not sure how much of my anger is the least bit righteous, let alone
combined with compassion.

To feel anger is human. To feel compassionate anger is divine. I want to be
more like Jesus. —Sheridan Voysey

more›
• Proverbs 14:29
• Ephesians 4:26,31
• James 1:19-20

Be sure to check out all of our Christian Clothing & Christian Shirts @ SoulHarvest.net!

Sellout

Daily Devotional, December 21, 2010

Sellout

read›
1 Kings 21:1-29
You have sold yourself to
what is evil in the Lord’s
sight (v.20).

Anthony Marshall conned his mother out of millions
before she died at age 105 in 2007. Her money,
advancing age, and struggle with Alzheimer’s
disease made her an attractive target. Marshall’s mother
was Brooke Astor—famous New York City socialite and
keeper of the vast Astor family fortune. Ironically, her
senior-citizen son was already wildly wealthy, and yet he
conspired with his lawyer to ratchet up his inheritance!
Marshall’s actions confirm what the Bible says:
“Human desire is never satisfied” (Proverbs 27:20). But
greed is not always about acquiring more money. It’s
about wanting more of something than what we need.
King Ahab wanted more land (1 Kings 21:2). He
suffered from a greedy fixation on a vineyard next to
his palace. Problem was, the property-owner (Naboth)
wasn’t selling. So Ahab went home and pouted until
his wife appealed to his sense of entitlement, his status,
and his ability to have anything he wanted (v.7). Acting
like greed incarnate, Jezebel urged Ahab toward selfindulgence,
rather than self-control.
Jezebel then hired two thugs to falsely accuse Naboth of
cursing God and the king. As a result, the villagers stoned
Naboth to death, and Ahab “immediately went down
. . . to claim [the property]” (v.16). He never questioned
Jezebel’s means for procuring the vineyard. Greed says it’s
OK to trample people to get what we want.
Although we may not see it, God does. He does not want us to follow Ahab’s
example and become sellouts to greed (v.20). To avoid this, the Bible advises us
to “be satisfied with what [we] have” (Hebrews 13:5). Contented living guards
us against self-indulgence and a willingness to hurt others to acquire our heart’s
desire. It allows us to want only what we need, instead of needing what we
want. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

more›
• Colossians 3:5
• Luke 12:15
• 1 John 2:15

Be sure to check out all of our Christian Clothing & Christian Shirts @ SoulHarvest.net!

Small Sins

Daily Devotional, December 20, 2010

Small Sins

1 Samuel 13:1-14
“How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have
not kept the command the Lord your God gave
you. . . . Now your kingdom must end, for
the Lord has sought out a man after His own
heart” (vv.13-14).

Fish farmers in the southern U.S. had a small
problem. Algae was filling their ponds, so they took
the seemingly innocent step of importing Asian
carp—which can grow to 100 pounds and eat 40
percent of their body weight each day—to clean the
bottom of their ponds. But flooding swept the carp into
the Mississippi River, which they navigated until they
entered the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a mere
40 miles from Lake Michigan.
Now the entire region has a large problem, for if the
Asian carp reach Lake Michigan, their insatiable appetite
for plankton may upset the food chain and disrupt the
Great Lakes’ $7 billion-per-year fishing industry.
Little acts can have large consequences. King Saul lost
his kingdom for two small sins. His first mistake was not
waiting for Samuel to arrive to offer sacrifices. But who
can blame him? Samuel was late (from Saul’s perspective)
and Saul’s army was slipping away. If Saul didn’t seek
the Lord’s favor soon, he would go to war without God’s
blessing (1 Samuel 13:5-9).
Saul’s second failure came on the heels of a signature
victory. His armies defeated the Amalekites; but rather
than destroy everything as God had commanded, Saul
and his men “kept the best of the sheep and goats, the
cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs—everything, in fact,
that appealed to them” (1 Samuel 15:9).
The root of these seemingly insignificant sins was the sin of fear. Saul feared
losing his army, either by not offering the sacrifice fast enough or by sacrificing
something his men wanted. But he feared his men more than he feared God, and
God responded by revoking his kingship.
Learn the lesson of Saul: some sins are understandable, but none are
excusable—and all are devastating. —Mike Wittmer

more›
• 1 Samuel 15:1-23
• Luke 16:10-13
• Acts 5:27-32
next›
Do you feel pressured
by circumstances or
other people to do
something that you know
is wrong? How might
you use this opportunity
to demonstrate your trust
in God?

Be sure to check out all of our Christian Clothing & Christian Shirts @ SoulHarvest.net!

Waiting

Daily Devotional, December 17, 2010

Waiting

read›
Psalm 5:1-3
Each morning I bring my requests to You and
wait expectantly (v.3).

We have some friends, a young married couple, living with us. Finished with one part
of their university studies, they’ve applied to a variety of graduate schools to continue their
coursework. But they have no idea where they will end up. The possibilities are all over the map—from Boston
to Vancouver to Pittsburgh to Atlanta. They’ve filled out many applications and requested numerous grants.

There have also been interviews and carefully considered options as they’ve considered their future every which way. Now, all they can do is pray—and wait for the day when the postman brings news of what their future holds.

Psalm 5 begins with a straightforward request: “O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning”
(v.1). The psalmist, King David, was in a gloomy place. We don’t know his situation, but David was experiencing some measure of loss, sorrow, or torment. He was in pain, “groaning.” And in his difficult place, David wanted God to hear his agony. He needed God to listen to his “cry for help” (v.2).

David didn’t run to his advisors or his wife or the many wise sages of his court for aid. None of them could
help him. He didn’t roll up his sleeves and pore over documents, figuring out some solution to his predicament.
David knew he couldn’t help himself. He went directly to the only One who could meet him in his darkness. “I pray to no one but You,” David said (v.2). David waited, watching for God.

David’s only work was to not work. He decided to bring his heart and his hope to God and then to “wait expectantly” (v.3). The Message puts it this way: “Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend.” —Winn Collier

more›
Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior
(Psalm 38:22).

Be sure to check out all of our Christian Clothing & Christian Shirts @ SoulHarvest.net!

Not a Minute Late

Daily Devotional, December 15, 2010

Not a Minute Late

read›
Habakkuk 2:2-20
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
for it will surely take place. It will not be
delayed (v.3).

Jason took a trip to New York during spring break. One afternoon, he piled into a cab with some friends
and headed for the Empire State Building. The ride seemed totally chaotic and dangerous to Jason. After
arriving at their destination, the group headed up to the observation deck. Once there, Jason paused to
take in the view—102 floors above the ground. To his amazement, he saw order and design in the city streets
where—only a few minutes before—he had experienced chaos. Jason was struck by the change of perspective.

Jammed in a cab amid the honking horns of turbulent traffic, he had one view of life. But his perch up on the
Empire State Building gave him an entirely different take. To Habakkuk, God seemed indifferent to the evil
permeating Judah. And he was greatly disturbed when God said He would use the wicked Babylonians to judge His people (1:5-11). God responded to Habakkuk’s complaints (1:12–2:1) without explaining why He chose to use the Babylonians.

Instead, He gave Habakkuk a divine perspective. Habakkuk 2:2-20 reminds us that God is all about
righteousness. He might choose to use wicked people to further His purposes, but that doesn’t mean He approves of their sin. No, God will ultimately punish the wicked for the evil they’ve committed. It’s reassuring to know that the sinful deeds of men can’t thwart the purposes of God. God is sovereign. He will work things out in our lives for His purposes. His plans will be completed and on His schedule.

As humans, our perspective is limited. We can’t view the whole picture from our “cab ride” through life; only God can see it all from “His holy temple” (v.20). Things may seem chaotic in your life. But take heart, for “the Sovereign Lord is [our] strength” (3:19). —Poh Fang Chia

more›
In just a little while, the Coming One will come
and not delay. And My righteous ones will live
by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone
who turns away (Hebrews 10:37-38).

Be sure to check out all of our Christian Clothing & Christian Shirts @ SoulHarvest.net!