The Teachable Heart

At the end of my daily quiet time, I go back over the passages I’ve read and look specifically for anything I can apply to my own life. Recently, I was in Acts 10 where we read about Cornelius. Luke begins by describing Cornelius this way: "a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God." (Acts 10:2, ESV)... Later, his own men said this about their leader: an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation (v.22) As I closed my Bible, I prayed that I would be as Cornelius was devout, God-fearing, a man of prayer, obedient, and well spoken of by all. I was about to get up and start my day when I sensed God nudging me, Hey Dave, aren’t you forgetting something? I read back through the descriptions of Cornelius and realized I had left out Lord, help me give generously There were many reasons Cornelius was well spoken of by the people, and perhaps chief among them was his generosity. As I considered it further, I realized that if I’m truly going to be an upright, devout, prayerful, and God-fearing person, I will also need to be a generous person. I’ll be honest asking God to make me more generous was the hardest part of the prayer. But how can I claim to be right with God, while being close-fisted toward His people? I’m not sure those qualities co-exist well. How about you? Are you trying to be devout and God-fearing without being generous? Dave (To receive these free daily devotions via email, sign up above or subscribe at: https://theteachableheart.com/classrooms-%26-devotions. For more information about the ministry, or to order the devotional books, visit: https://theteachableheart.com/books.)

I’ll be honest asking God to make me more generous was the hardest part of the prayer

If we were to ask the typical person on the street what they know about Christianity, more than likely they would list what they believe we are AGAINST. We’re against pre-marital sex, homosexuality, drinking, dancing, cards, etc. Few likely know what we are FOR, and perhaps none would mention Jesus Himself. They seem to have an idea of our rules, but not our Christ. Following Jesus certainly requires some boundaries for behavior. Overall, however, God’s commands are not r...estricting or designed to squelch our joy. In fact, the longest chapter of the Bible (Psalm 119) deals extensively with God’s rules, statutes, commandments, etc. And tucked away in that chapter is this surprising bit of truth: "I shall run the way of Your commandments, For You will enlarge my heart." (v.32, NASB) The original Hebrew translated enlarge above means to make room or make wide open. Another translation says, I will run in the way of Your commandments, for you set my heart free. Far from squeezing us in, God’s commandments set us free! By keeping us from straying off His best path and into the weeds of damaging sin, we are free to love others from an enlarged heart. We are free to love and serve Christ more because we aren’t encumbered by the weight of many disastrous sins. The Lord’s commands are like guardrails at a go-cart track they keep us from flying off course. And knowing they’re there allows us to open up the throttle and fly! What’s your attitude toward God’s commandments? Do you see them as restricting or freeing? Dave (To receive these free daily devotions via email, sign up above or subscribe at: https://theteachableheart.com/classrooms-%26-devotions. For more information about the ministry, or to order the devotional books, visit: https://theteachableheart.com/books.)

Far from squeezing us in, God’s commandments