Tim Hetzner – Daily Devotions

Do Not Be So Controlling!

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” (Romans 12:10)

Do you get upset when you cannot control others? Or moody and irritated when people don’t do what you want? Do you react when your mistakes are pointed out? Or try to force people to comply with your demands? Do you exaggerate your pain, sickness, or need in order to gain attention or sympathy? Or criticize the opinions and choices of others, and position yourself as superior? Do you become angry and abusive when someone disagrees with you or challenges your authority?

Are you reluctant to compliment others, but quick to try and fix something you think is wrong in them? Do you find it hard to say, ‘I need you’? Do you try to drive a wedge between your loved ones and anyone else who gets close to them? Do you ‘give orders’ to those you interact with, rather than using the simple courtesies of ‘please’ and ‘thank you’?

If your answer to these questions is yes, then the word for today is – don’t be so controlling! The Bible says, ‘Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another’ (v. 10). That means stopping to consider how your behavior affects other people. You say, ‘But I just happen to have a strong personality.’ Sorry, that does not let you off the hook! ‘A servant of the Lord must…be gentle to all’ (2 Timothy 2:24). So if you are a controller, start changing your ways!

And if you’re being controlled because you fear anger and rejection, it’s time to draw a line in the sand. Seek help from a trusted friend, church leader, or healthcare professional, especially if you feel at risk. Ask God to help you stand firm and refuse to be controlled any longer.

Prayer

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Take Time to Wonder and Worship

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:31)

The first reaction recorded in Scripture is God’s reaction to His own creation. He stepped back at the end of each day, looked at what He had made, and said, ‘It’s good.’ Then on the sixth day when creation was complete, He said, ‘It’s very good.’ This is why we feel so spiritual when we watch an ocean sunset or the towering summit of a mountain. Thomas Carlyle said, ‘Worship is transcendent wonder. Wonder for which there is no limit or measure; that is worship.’

It’s standing in amazement of the Creator and His creation. It’s translating the beauty of creation into worship of the Creator. It’s thanking God for splendid sunrises and dazzling stars and unique snowflakes. It’s giving credit where credit is due – to the Creator. The psalmist captured it in the words: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God’ (Psalm 19:1 KJV). The musical group U2 captured it in the words of their hit song ‘Beautiful Day’. Such wonder is also an act of worship.

One pastor writes: ‘The sunrise is so consistent that we take it for granted, but few things are as miraculous as the celestial dance that takes place on a daily basis. The earth spins on its axis at a speed of 1,000 mph. And while [it] rotates 360 degrees on its axis every twenty-four hours, it is also hurtling through space at the unimaginable speed of 67,000 mph. You may not have any big plans for today, but you will travel 1.6 million miles in your annual lap around the sun. Quite an accomplishment!’

So, take time to wonder and worship God.

Prayer

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Be a Disciple of Jesus

“So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” (Acts 11:26)

Did you know that the word ‘disciple’ occurs 269 times in the New Testament, whereas the word ‘Christian’ is found only three times? The word ‘Christian’ was first introduced to describe who they were, disciples of Jesus Christ! Dallas Willard uses the illustration of the car: ‘The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian – especially padded, textured, streamlined, and empowered for the fast lane on the straight and narrow way. He or she stands on the pages of the New Testament as the first level of basic transportation in the Kingdom of God.’

Becoming a Christian is the work of a moment; it happens when you place your trust in Christ. But becoming a disciple is the work of a lifetime; it calls for denying yourself and saying yes to the will of God every day of your life. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? Three things:

1) To listen to Him and learn. That calls for reading, studying, memorizing, verbalizing, and applying the truths taught in the Scriptures to your life each day.

2) To follow Him wherever He leads. This may call for changing your plans, forfeiting some of your relationships, and giving Him access to things you would like to hold on to.

3) To be devoted to Him. One day Jesus said to Peter, ‘Do you love Me more than these?’ (John 21:15). Note the word ‘more’. To be a disciple means to love Jesus more than anyone or anything else. And it’s the most fulfilling and rewarding life you can live!

Prayer

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Make an Impact

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1–2)

The men and women who made the greatest impact on the world were those who were totally focused and sold out to their vision. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, once said, ‘If I had three hundred men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing but sin, and were determined to know nothing among men but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, I would set the world on fire.’

Jonathan Edwards, whose ministry sparked the Great Awakening in America, made this his life’s motto: ‘Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I will.’ C.T. Studd, one of England’s greatest athletes, shocked the world when he gave up fame and fortune to be a missionary to China. ‘If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him,’ he explained. Missionary Jim Elliot, who died as a martyr in South America, said, ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.’

The day you were born, God had a track for you to run on. But to win, you must get rid of 1) anything that weighs you down, and 2) anything that trips you up. ‘Let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus’ (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Prayer

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How to Deal With Difficult People

“If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” (Matthew 5:41)

Jesus said, ‘If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.’ Roman soldiers were permitted to force a Jew to carry a burden a mile for them. They treated Jews as tools to be used. So, what do you do in that kind of situation? Jesus invites us to take the high road. A Roman soldier like this could probably be a young boy, a stranger there, probably poor himself. All he receives is local resentment. So, you finish the mile and say, ‘You look tired. Can I help you some more? Can I carry it for you another mile?’ That would blow the soldier’s mind. Nobody asked that! That’s what you’re called to do!

When someone takes advantage of you, you want to think of them as unlikable rather than a real person with their own story. It’s said that a friend offered to introduce English essayist Charles Lamb to a man whom Lamb had disliked for a long time. ‘Don’t make me meet him,’ Lamb said. ‘“I want to go on hating him, and I can’t do that to a man I know.’

Understand this: you can give the gift of empathy. You can remember that the person you don’t like is also a human being. You can put yourself in their place. You can take the time to imagine how they feel, what they have been through, and how life has treated them. When you do that, your problem becomes an opportunity to practice the Christ life. Isn’t that what you want? Isn’t that what you signed up for in the first place?

Prayer

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God Knows What’s Best for You

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21)

They say, ‘The devil is in the details.’ But for a redeemed child of God, He is in the details! When you set your heart on something and it doesn’t happen, it’s only human to experience disappointment. At such moments, here is what you need to keep in mind:

1) At best, you’re always working with limited information. You may know the end result you desire, but God knows what’s best for you, and He plans accordingly. ‘I am God…declaring the end from the beginning…saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure”’ (Isaiah 46:9-10).

2) Trying to work outside of God’s will is like attempting to dig your way through a solid wall with a fork. Instead of digging your way out of a prison, you dig your way into one when you demand to get what you want. Do you really want to carry out a plan God hasn’t ordained? Can you depend on Him to know what’s best for you? ‘The Lord, the God of battle, has spoken – who can change his plans? When his hand moves, who can stop him?’ (Isaiah 14:27).

It’s better to be disappointed temporarily than end up with something you can’t handle. The story of Israel reads like this: ‘He…redeemed them from the hand of the enemy…Then they believed His words; they sang His praise. They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel…and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul’ (Psalm 106:10, 12-15). Trust God, and He will give you what’s best.

Prayer

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Choosing a Leader

“Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14)

There are plenty of good leaders around – don’t be afraid to follow them. But what about the ‘blind guides’ that Jesus talks about? Here are some signs to help you identify and avoid them:

1) Inflexibility. True leaders have a teachable spirit and a servant’s heart. They rejoice in your growth and aren’t threatened by your development. They won’t try to ‘keep you in the nest’ when it’s clear that you’re ready to fly.

2) Elitism. Look out for the ‘we-alone-are-right’ attitude. When someone can’t acknowledge and fellowship with other members of God’s redeemed family, something’s wrong. The word exclusive is often another word for paranoid.

3) Money-grubbing. Here is God’s standard for leadership: ‘Not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve’ (1 Peter 5:2). The Bible also says good leaders are ‘worthy of double honor’ (1 Timothy 5:17), which means twice as much. But look out for those who teach that you must only sow your seed into their field, and nowhere else.

4) Accountability. Beware of the untouchable, ‘I-am-God’s-anointed’ types. No matter how gifted we are, we all have blind spots and need to be confronted and counseled from time to time. Solomon said, ‘Pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up’ (Ecclesiastes 4:10).

Here is what Jesus said about the religious leaders of His day: ‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit’ (Matthew 15:13-14). When choosing a leader, you don’t need a blind prima donna; you need one with a servant spirit.

Prayer

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Muzzle Your Mouth!

“We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.” (James 3:2)

The Bible has a lot to say about the dangers of the tongue. James devotes an entire chapter to this subject: ‘If we could control our tongues, we…could also control ourselves in every other way.’ Now there is an aspect of self-control to consider! The Greek sage Publius said, ‘I have often regretted my speech, but never my silence.’ And novelist William Edward Norris wrote, ‘If you your lips would keep from slips, five things observe with care; to whom you speak, of whom you speak, and how, and when, and where.’ King David puts it this way: ‘I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle’ (Psalm 39:1). That’s what it takes – a muzzle!

David is talking about making a conscious commitment to watch what you say, and if you want to accomplish this, here are three principles you need to live by:

1) Think first. Before you speak, pause for ten seconds and mentally preview your words. Are they accurate or exaggerated? Kind or cutting? Needless or necessary? Grateful or complaining? What you don’t say today, you won’t have to explain tomorrow.

2) Talk less. Your chances of getting into trouble increase exponentially when you talk too much. That’s why compulsive talkers often find it hard to keep friends. Conserve your verbal energy.

3) Start today. Already, you have read enough to help bring your tongue into submission. So put that muzzle on your mouth now – and watch how it enriches your life.

Prayer

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Finding Self-Worth

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

When you read God’s Word, you discover how He feels about you. As a result, your memories begin to heal, your self-worth is restored, and you stop trading with a devalued self-image. When that happens, you no longer believe that ‘anybody’s company is preferable to my own’. In a survey of supposedly happy couples, over 50 per cent said they would not marry the same person again. Why? Because the answer to loneliness isn’t people; it’s purpose!

The Apostle John was a prisoner on the Isle of Patmos when God showed him the glories of heaven. Paul was alone in a Roman dungeon when he wrote half the New Testament. God did some of His best work when He was alone with no one to applaud Him, so he praised Himself, saying, ‘It [is] very good’ (Genesis 1:31).

Can you do that? It’s nice when others speak well of you, but when you can speak well of yourself, it reflects your opinion of yourself – and that’s the one you live with every day. Three cheers for those whose departure taught us how to be alone and enjoy it! Somewhere beyond loneliness, there is a contentment born of necessity. When your options close in the natural realm, you find doors opening to you in the spiritual realm. So, work on deepening your relationship with God. As you do, you will find joy, and you will also develop qualities that make you attractive to the right people. It’s why Jesus said that when you ‘seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously…he will give you everything you need’ – including self-worth.

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Use the Gift God Gave You

“But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” (1 Corinthians 12:18)

A respected Bible teacher says: ‘Because my family’s so large, we draw names to see who we’ll buy presents for. One Christmas, when I opened my present, I was disappointed…then I looked at my twin brother, who got two nice gifts. Sensing my disappointment, my wife came over to me and said, “Don’t worry. When we get home, we’ll exchange it for something you like better.” The same thing happens in the Body of Christ. We open the gifts God has given us and immediately run to someone else to see what he or she received…When we look at our gift…we’re unhappy…and immediately think…“I know…I’ll swap it for something I like better.” That’s why there are so many people running around claiming to be an apostle or a prophet or a teacher…They’re gift-swapping.’

You don’t get to decide what gift God gives you. God ‘put all the parts…in the body as he wanted them’. Sometimes it takes years for you to recognize your gift and start operating in it. Instead of coveting another person’s gift, be thankful for your own and ask God to use it to bless as many people as possible. And if you have questions about it, search the Scriptures. Paul says, ‘God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable’ (Romans 11:29); ‘God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well’ (Romans 12:6); ‘Each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that’ (1 Corinthians 7:7); ‘The Spirit decides what to give each person’ (1 Corinthians 12:11). So, use the gift God gave you.

Prayer

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