Press the arrow to listen to Hillsong sing “Shout Your Fame”.

Scripture
And let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified.” Psalm 70:4

Observation
This isn’t about me. That’s an easy sentence to say until our life is on the line, or at least our reputation, our money or our kids are at risk. Then we cry out to God for help as if it is all about us.

There is a prayer so edgy that it gains the attention of heaven. It happens when we step out of the centre and into the periphery and say, “This is not about me. This is about God. How can he solve my problem in a way that glorifies him?” That is a selfless prayer.

I can be either a lens cover or a projector lens. The video projector in our home has a plastic cap to protect the lens. If it is left on to project, there is no image. But when the cover is removed the prism of glass projects an HD image on the screen. When my prayer says in so many words that solving my problem is not about me, then God is magnified through my life. His brillance, colour, movement and life are portrayed for all to see.

Application
I wonder what would happen if I changed the tone of my prayers for help from my best interests to God’s? He must be magnified through my life. This isn’t about me. It is about him.

Prayer
Lord, be magnified through Phil McCallum. Use my life as a lens to project your glory bigger. Help me not to get in the way of something brilliant you want to do through me. Amen.

Press the arrow to listen to Brian Littrell sing “I Surrender All” as you read today’s devotion about holding life loosely.

Scripture
But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.” Acts 25:10-11

Observation
Paul was a high stakes roller. He scooped up the dice from the table and rolled them all again, not knowing exactly what might spin out. The option before him was to go back to Jerusalem to stand trial, either to be assassinated along the way or to be trounced in a kangaroo court. So Paul rolled the dice again.

Paul’s decision to appeal to Caesar was not hurried. He had been seasoning in gaol for two long years. He had time to think things through. There had been plenty of time to contemplate the “if/then” scenarios. He knew the political pressure on Festus to appease the Jews. He knew that trial in Jerusalem was a likely outcome. So in his prison cell he certainly must have weighed the options and made the decision to risk it all.

How did Paul make such a tough decision? Easy, for once he considered his life disposable, everything became clear. Had Paul been trying to save his skin, the options would have been worrisome. Paul, however, was composed because he had dropped his need for survival. With surrender Paul could see the promise of God. Jesus had assured him that he would testify in Rome. Paul knew that as a privileged Roman citizen he was entitled to appeal to meet with Caesar himself. After two years of waiting, the option was simple.

Application
Too often my life decisions are fretful because I’m devoted to my own survival. I’ve not been where Paul was with the potential of death. But I have lived on the brink of political or personal suicide. There are tough calls in life that run the risk of the loss of credibility. In some ways death is easier to face than disgrace, for death is short-term pain while disgrace is a constant companion. I want the clarity that Paul had as he stood before a powerful man in a crowded room. That will come only as I consider my own ego expendable.

Prayer
Father, there are times that this surrender is needed. Show me when those times come and show me how to accomplish them. Amen.

Press the arrow to listen to this worship song while reading this devotion.

Matthew West “You Are Everything” 

Scripture
Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now. For the Lord has driven out great and powerful nations for you, and no one has yet been able to defeat you. Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised. So be very careful to love the Lord your God. Joshua 23:8-11

Observation
Soldiers should love their General. It is not enough just to obey him. Warriors must love their commanding officer so that their heart is fully engaged.

The General, of course, is the Lord, the recruits naturally are us and the war is life around us as we now find it. For men, it’s great to have Joshua in the Bible. Let the girls have Ruth; Joshua is a boys book of heroes and blood baths. In this book men learn how to follow God.

But the description of trekking after Jesus doesn’t sound very masculine. We are told to cling to God. That sounds weak and dependent until we understand the strength of the Lord. Our heavenly Father is so strong and caring that it is safe for a man to be weak in his presence. There is no where else that it is safe for men to be weak except in the presence of God. He will never abuse our vulnerability instead he will always use it.

Application
God is the one who can drive out nations, send a legion running and help us to face another day. All of that strength can be ours if we will do but one thing: love him violently. The word “cling” also means to run in pursuit of the Lord and never letting go. If we are allowed as men to do any strong thing it is to lay down every ambition we have and to run hard after God. In desperation is true power.

Prayer
Father, today I cling to you because all of this comes from you and not from me. Amen.

Scripture
…If you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. 1 Corinthians 7:22

Observation
We are free only when we are captivated with the Lord. I like the word “captivated” because it says we are not captives against our will but because we desire Jesus. When I rightly understand who Jesus is and what he offers to me then I want only what I can find within his love. I become a willing prisoner.

In this captivation I find real freedom. Freefalling can feel like freedom but the hard ground argues otherwise. Freedom is when I let Jesus take me over. The choice to follow him is a guided adventure. Following the Lord is never dull.

I remember from my childhood a hymn that rang out,

Make me a captive Lord, and then I shall be free,
Force me to render up my sword, and I shall conquer be.
I sink in life’s alarms, when by myself I stand,
Imprison me within your arms and strong shall be my stand.

Those words were written by a blind man whose fiance broke their engagement after he lost his sight. His sister, who devoted herself to her sightless pastor/brother, learning Greek and Hebrew to help him prepare for his sermons, fell in love and was married. George Matheson was alone. He could not attend her wedding, so great was his anguish. In what he described as a mental collapse too great for words, he wrote that night another hymn,

O love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary self in Thee,
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow may deeper, fuller be.

Application
The greatest liberty I have is to pray, “Jesus, take me over.” He will pull me to the shore of his choosing. We will end up where God wants us to be. The secret is to be captivated by Jesus.

Prayer
Father, let Jesus take me over. Let the confines of my situation remind me of his embrace. Amen.