Daily Devotions

I read an encouraging post this morning by Christian musician, Rebbecca St. James. In her post, she challenges students to be open with each other. Here is a snippet of what she said:

Hearts wide open before others. That’s a very cool thought! If we live with a purity of spirit we’ll have nothing to hide. We have nothing to be ashamed of, no fear of being found out. What a liberating feeling! That doesn’t mean we’re perfect, just that we are committed to living openly and honestly before others.

I agree with her and likewise encourage you to be honestly open with someone today. I have several close friends that have the right to ask me anything they want about my walk with the Lord, my personal sins, and the way I’m leading my family to know the Father more deeply. I have found that the more honest I am with them about such things, the greater the opportunity the Holy Spirit has to use them to convict and encourage me. Accountability is something that doesn’t have to happen in structured groups at designated times. Biblically, it happens while we simply live our lives together as brothers and sisters under our God and Father.

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.  2 Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.  3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.  4 To Him who alone does great wonders, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;  5 To Him who made the heavens with skill, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;  6 To Him who spread out the earth above the waters, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;  7 To Him who made the great lights, For His lovingkindness is everlasting:  8 The sun to rule by day, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,  9 The moon and stars to rule by night, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.  10 To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,  11 And brought Israel out from their midst, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,  12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.  13 To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,  14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;  15 But He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.  16 To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;  17 To Him who smote great kings, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,  18 And slew mighty kings, For His lovingkindness is everlasting:  19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,  20 And Og, king of Bashan, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,  21 And gave their land as a heritage, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,  22 Even a heritage to Israel His servant, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.  23 Who remembered us in our low estate, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,  24 And has rescued us from our adversaries, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;  25 Who gives food to all flesh, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.  26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

I talked to my mom on the phone this week and she mentioned that they youth group at my home church in Florida participated in a 30 hour Famine last weekend. She said that they group had a lock in where they spent much of the night praying for people around the world. The next day they went to one of the neighboring communities and served food at a soup kitchen.

I’ve never participated in a 30 hour famine, nor do I know anyone that has (aside from the youth group I mentioned above). I’m curious, have any of you ever participated in a 30 hour famine? What was your experience? How did it benefit your relationship with God? Was it a positive or negative experience for you?

I heard a story on the radio this week where a lady referred to her current husband (# 3) as her first. She claimed that her previous two marriages were only trial runs and that you have to try spouses on until you find the one that fits.

The story immediately rubbed against my Christian values (especially since I was still thinking about the whole friends with benefits fallacy). After the story was over and I turned off the stereo, I had to ask myself, “Why is this such a big deal? Why do I get so defensive when I hear stories like this one?”

As a believer, I care deeply about what God’s Word instructs me to do. On account of this, if God tells me that marriage is forever or that I should only have one wife, I seek to obey what He has commanded. But on what grounds has He commanded me? Why would God ask such things of me? Has God given us rules in an arbitrary manner, or is there purpose behind them? I think the correct answer is the latter of the two, and I think that is why I get so defensive when I hear stories like the one above.

As I stated above, I am a believer. This means that I have placed my faith in Jesus. I have publicly affirmed my belief that 1) I am sinful, 2) God is just, 3) Because of this I deserve to spend all of eternity separated from God 4) But God, in His infinite love sent Jesus to pay the penalty for my sins, and (4) that because I believe this - because I place my faith in Jesus - I know that I can now spend all of eternity with God. This belief that I have is huge. It affects every aspect of my life. One primary aspect that it affects is my belief in God’s wisdom. How can I place my faith in Jesus but not trust that what He has commanded me is of equal importance. Let me bring this diversion back to our case in point.

God has designed marriage in a certain manner (to be a lifetime commitment between one man and one woman - Genesis 2). His commands that I marry once, that I refrain from sexual activity outside of marriage, and that my marriage must be a lifetime commitment is based on His knowledge of what He has designed. There is wisdom in obeying God’s commands for more than the fact that He is God. We should obey His commands (like the ones above) because He is looking out for our own good when He gives them to us. Not obeying God’s commands is like ignoring the rules at the pool. If we fail to follow the instructions provided to us my by the creator, we are putting ourselves in risk.

That is why I disagree with this lady’s testimony. I think it is unwise ignore God’s clear instructions. He knows what is best for us.

It is true that Christians should be thankful every day of the year, but this week I want to publicly thank God for the following things in my life:

• The gracious sacrifice of Jesus for my sins
• A wonderful upbringing by parents that taught me to love God at an early age
• My siblings, Laurie and Drew… I spend way to little time with them these days
• My wonderful, beautiful wife, Krisite and the wealth of meaning, wisdom, and companionship she gives to me
• Our precious daughter, Grace (she’s 14 months) and our youngest child (still 4 months away from being born)
• All of my extended family and in-laws
• My friends from high school, college, and North Wake
• The unshakable faithfulness of God to take me through the many hard and difficult periods of life
• DEEPERDEVOTION.com and the many people who challenge me to think more about God on a daily basis

As I attempted to create this list, I realized that it could go on forever and that I should limit it due to space. It is amazing to me the many ways the Lord has continued to bless me and my family. He is faithful even when we are unfaithful. I pray that you would take a quiet moment this week to spend time thanking God for the wonderful blessings He has poured out on you and your family. After that, make it a point to praise His goodness to those around you. Happy Thanksgiving!

I ran across a post today by Jake White that speaks of the woundesrous nature of God’s awesomness in relation to man. This is one of my favorite characteristics of God to meditate upon. Jake, in his post, references Psalm 8:3,4. What a wonderful passage!

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”

Hugh Heffner, the founder of Playboy, once said, “sex can sometimes, quite properly, be an end in itself.” Behind this statement is the belief that sexual activity is solely physical in nature. I am afraid that the same faulty thinking is what motivates the idea of “friends with benefits.” Many of you have asked about this lately. As a Christian, is it okay to embrace the idea of having friends with benefits? I think the biblical answer to this is no. Let’s quickly explore two major reasons for this conclusion.

Sex should not be separated from love and marriage
If you believe that Bible to be God’s revealed word to humanity, it is impossible for you to have friends with benefits. Sex is good. God created sex, but He did so for certain purposes and within a given context. Genesis two specifies that context as marriage between a man and a woman. Sexual activity outside of marriage is sinful before the Lord.

Honorable sex is not selfish in nature
As a believer, you have the privilege of looking to Jesus as your ultimate example of true love. In His death on the cross, we see that true love is sacrificial in nature, not selfish. True love places others first. (John 15:13). This truth extends to sex because sex (and all sexual activity) is not to be separated from love. Selfish sex does not honor God. Sexual activity should not be pursued for your own physical gratification. The Bible understands sexual activity as an act of giving, not receiving. To enter into a sexual relationship solely for your own satisfaction is sinful before the Lord.

As I said, these are only two of many reasons that “friends with benefits” should not be embraced by Christians. If you are not a believer, I do not expect that the reasons given will carry any weight. Only those that wish to honor God with their purity will find validation in the above reasoning (1 Thessalonians 1:3-8).

This post has been in response to the question “Can Christians have friends with benefits?” If my response has raised further questions, please feel free to leave a comment or submit them here.

By Glenn Ansley
Proverbs 3:5-6Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Just as the intoxicated man fails to walk a straight line for the cop, too many Christians are far from the straight and narrow […]