Tim Hetzner – Daily Devotions

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Being In The School Of Faith

“For in the Gospel, a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (Romans 1:17)

The story has been told of a mother who said to her son, “It’s time to get up and go to school.” He replied, “I’m not going to school today!” His mother said, “Why not?” He replied, “Because the children hate me, and the teachers criticize me. Why should I have to go to school and put up with that?” His mother replied, “Because you’re the principal!”

On a serious note, the Christian life is a school. Paul describes each grade as going “from faith to faith.” In the school of faith, the Holy Spirit is the teacher, and the Bible is the textbook. If you study well and apply yourself, you can move up through the grades. If not, you stay in the same grade you’re in until you have learned the lessons and can pass the tests. You’re like the lady who quipped, “My favorite grade was the fifth grade. Three of the happiest years of my life were spent in that grade!”

Unless you want that to be your fate, read these words and take them to heart: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) If you want to know God, you will meet Him in the pages of His Word. And you will also need to stay filled with the Holy Spirit: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory [grade to grade], just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Prayer

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Be Biblical And Be Bold!

“With flattery, he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.” (Daniel 11:32)

The Bible says, “The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” This Scripture is not a license to be arrogant and insensitive to the feelings of others, or to have an overinflated opinion of yourself. It means that when you understand God’s Word, God’s ways, and God’s will, you will be confident in who you are and in what God has called you to do.

Here’s a question: When was the last time you attempted to do something for the first time? You say, “I am afraid of failing.” Everybody falls; the winners are those who keep getting back up again. Evidently some people in the New Testament church thought Timothy was too young to be in leadership, so Paul encourages him to be bold in his calling: “I thank God…when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord … but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God.” (2 Timothy 1:3, 5-8)

God has not promised that you won’t experience hardship in doing what He has called you to do, but He has promised that you will succeed. So, the word for today is – be biblical; be bold!

Prayer

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Discover What Is Special About You

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.” (Romans 12:6)

A fascinating study was done on divergent thinking – which is thinking outside the box. The results? Ninety-eight percent of children between ages 3 and 5 years old scored in the genius category for divergent thinking. Between ages 8 and 10, that number dropped to 32 percent. By the time they became teenagers, it dropped down to 10 percent. And of those over 25 years of age, only 2 percent scored in the genius category for divergent thinking.

That means the older you get, the greater your tendency will become to resist change. It also means you may fail to discover your God-given assignment in life and develop the skills necessary to fulfill it. The Bible says, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function…God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.” (Romans 12:4, 6) God’s plan for your life involves finding out what makes you different and discovering those things you do well.

Too many individuals in too many churches look and act too much alike. Pastors can create this. Peer pressure can create this. If we should celebrate diversity anywhere, it’s in the church. There never has been, and there never will be, a person like you. And that isn’t a tribute to you; it’s a tribute to the God who created and redeemed you to fulfill His purposes. And that calls for discovering who you are, and who you’re not. Think about it: Wouldn’t you rather be disliked for who you are than liked for who you’re not? So, discover what makes you special.

Prayer

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Your Prayers Will Be Answered

“Cornelius stared at him in fear. ‘What is it, Lord?’ he asked. The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.’” (Acts 10:4)

God told Cornelius, “Your prayers…have gone up as a memorial before [Me].” Memorials are usually built for people who are dead and gone. What a great promise this is. Even after you have gone to heaven, the prayers you pray on behalf of your loved ones become a memorial before God, getting His attention and moving Him to action. So, don’t stop praying.

Saint Augustine is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of Christianity, but he didn’t start out well. Young Aurelius Augustinus lived for three decades in utter immorality. And for each of those decades, his mother Monica prayed for him, following him to Carthage, to Rome, and on to Milan, weeping, pleading, and assaulting heaven in prayer on his behalf. Monica lived to see her son become a mighty man of God.

So, the word for today is – keep praying, and God will answer your prayers.

Prayer

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Live By Obedience And Not By Emotion

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” (Genesis 3:6)

Emotions have a tone that we call “feeling.” And the tone of feeling is very strong. Most of us realize how we feel. We make decisions driven by feeling. Relationships are established or damaged because of feeling. Seeing what felt good, enjoyable, and to be desired is what led Eve to disobedience. The Bible does not say she was hungry; otherwise, she would have eaten of every other tree in the garden of Eden. Emotional drama in the first woman opened the door to emotional drama in all of us. So, it’s genetic. And emotions require satisfaction: anger, hurt, and love want to be satisfied. If we do not rule ourselves, we live in the drama of emotions gone bad.

Prayer

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Keep Going And You Will Succeed

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

In life, you’re going to have all kinds of problems. So, what should you do? Persevere! No matter what’s going on in your life, the victory is in refusing to quit. Keep in mind that in the heat of your struggles, the Holy Spirit is often doing His greatest work within you. Paul writes, “We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character” (Romans 5:3-4).

God is not moved by circumstances, and you must not be either. He will lead you through anything if you will just hang in there and follow Him. This means being diligent in prayer, relentless in your resolve, unwavering in faith, and determined to stand firmly on God’s Word and His promises to you. Don’t be side-tracked by how slowly things seem to be going at the moment. When you’re in the “not much seems to be happening” phase, that’s often when God is laying a strong foundation in order to build something significant in you and through you. The Lord’s work in you is preparation for the work He wants to do through you. When life seems hard, and progress seems too slow, ask God to help you remain steadfast. He will do it.

Here are two Scriptures you can stand on today: “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9). “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Prayer

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Want What God Wants

“The king said to me, ‘What is it you want?’ Then I prayed to the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 2:4)

The rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls began with two questions the king asked Nehemiah. The first question was “What is bothering you?” (see v. 2). The second question was “What is it you want?” (v. 4). Nehemiah replied, “Send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it” (v. 5). Nehemiah knew exactly what he wanted, because a passion for it had been conceived in his spirit. He had been thinking and praying about it for quite a few months when the king asked him what he wanted.

A pastor writes: “Few things are as miraculous as the moment of human conception. A sperm penetrates an egg, and all the genetic data that determine who you will become – everything from facial features to personality traits – is encoded within that single cell. And it begins a nine-month process of gestation. The mother’s body starts producing hormones before she even knows she is pregnant. The baby’s heart starts beating on day 22. At four weeks, that single cell has grown 10,000 times larger. At around day 42, neurons start multiplying at the astounding rate of approximately 10,000 per second. Everything from the optic nerve to the auditory cortex to the respiratory system is being formed in the womb.”

And a God-given vision is conceived the same way. It begins small and keeps growing within you until the time of delivery. That’s why the Bible says, “The vision is yet for an appointed time…though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come” (Habakkuk 2:3 KJV). So, the word for today is – want what God wants.

Prayer

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What’s Keeping You From Winning?

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

In ancient Greece, athletes practiced with weights strapped to their bodies. But on the day of the race, they took them off in order to win. What’s keeping you from running and winning?

1) Comparing yourself to others? The only person you should compare yourself to – is you. Your objective is to become better today than you were yesterday. You do that by concentrating on what you can do today to improve and develop. If you do that often enough, and if you compare the way you were weeks, months, or years ago to how you are today, you should be considerably encouraged by your progress.

2) Limiting beliefs? Because of how they were raised, or certain mistakes they may have made in life, a lot of people don’t believe they can accomplish great things. But the greatest limitations people experience are typically the ones they inflict on themselves. For example, what if you want to learn a foreign language but don’t think you can do it? Once you have uncovered that faulty belief system, understand how not learning that language is restricting you. Then imagine what it will be like when you learn that language. How will it make you feel? What will it enable you to do? Then write an inspiring statement that upholds your ability to learn the language! Remember, it isn’t what you are that hinders you; it’s what you think you’re not.

Claim this promise: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). That means – by God’s help, you can win.

Prayer

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Practice Being Tender-Hearted

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

In his best-selling book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen Covey describes an experience he had on a subway in New York. A man and his children boarded the train, and the children were so loud and rambunctious, they disrupted the entire car. The man sat down beside Covey, seemingly oblivious to the situation. Covey finally said, “Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you could control them a little more?” The man looked startled. Then he said, “Oh, you’re right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.” Covey’s attitude instantly changed. Looking back on it later, he admitted that he learned a valuable lesson: seek to understand before seeking to be understood.

Sometimes the people who irritate and hurt us do so because they themselves are in pain. They’re dealing with issues we don’t know about. And when they lash out, it’s just the burst dam of personal frustration. And it calls for looking beyond their words and actions and trying to see their hearts. That’s hard to do when you’re self-absorbed.

The Bible addresses this: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (vv. 31-32). If you have been grumpy towards those you live with and work with, the word for today is – practice being tender-hearted.

Prayer

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God Can Keep You Together

“So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate.” (Matthew 19:6)

This may come as a surprise to you, but the main purpose of marriage is not to produce children. Couples who cannot give birth are as married as couples who can. Jesus said, “A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (v. 5). When God looks at a parent and child, He sees two. When God looks at a brother and sister, He sees two. But when God looks at a husband and wife, He sees one. “Joined together” means “to be glued to.”

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck with the person you married? Well, you are! Marrying and becoming one flesh is not what two people do for each other, but what God does for them. Marriage is not a relationship joined together by culture, or the law, or sex, or even love. Marriage is what God joins together. And the good news is, when God joins you together, He can keep you together. (However, if you feel unsafe in your relationship, it is important to get help, and get away if you’re at risk.)

Today, the most popular reason for issuing a divorce decree is “irreconcilable differences.” But Jesus went to the heart of the matter – which is the matter of the heart. “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so” (v. 8) . God can soften your hearts toward one another, and He can open your hearts toward one another. You say, “But I’ve tried everything, and nothing works.” Try God! He can change the heart of your spouse and give you a new future together.

Prayer

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