Semana 3
Abril 17-23
The Heart’s Delight
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)
EN PALABRA
We live in an age in which many people think God is distant. We are amazed, then, when we learn that the relationship we are called to have with Him exceeds any other relationship in its level of intimacy. We are reluctant to believe such a truth. It is a theological proposition, perhaps, that God desires an intimate relationship with us—something that preachers say to convince us of His love, but that only the super-spiritual actually experience. We may wonder, deep in our hearts, if this is true for all of us.
But not only is it true, it is one of the major emphases of the entire Bible. Not only does God love us and we are to love Him, He delights in us and we are to delight in Him. This is no sterile act of our will—a love that must press on in spite of the coldness of our hearts. And God’s love for us is not portrayed as a struggle for Him, either; He does not simply tolerate us in spite of His lack of feeling. No, the feeling is real. This relationship in its fullness is the most pleasurable relationship we could possibly have—with anyone.
EN LA ACCIÓN
Meditate today on what Jesus says here in the context of two Old Testament verses: “Delight yourself in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4) and “He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). Think of that. God sings! Not just about anything, but about us! And He asks us to return the feeling. It’s an amazing invitation.
Jesus intended this revolutionary truth to sink into our lives. It is not just a pleasant pat on the back that will help us have a better day. It is the truth that shapes our hearts for a lifetime. An eternal lifetime. Allow it to do its work in you, and see your relationship with God transformed.
Semana 4
Abril 24-30
The Heart’s Contentment
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38
EN PALABRA
Despite our extraordinary calling—to experience God’s love and to love Him in return—we fill our lives with idols. Given the greatest invitation in the universe, we treat it as an obligation that we might be able to squeeze in around our other interests. Could anything be more ludicrous? The infinite, holy, jealous, merciful, mighty Ancient of Days makes a straight path for us into His heart of passion, and our response is so often to say, “We’ll see; I’ve got some other things I’d like to do, too.” The angels must be astonished at the squandering of such an opportunity.
The idols of our hearts grip us tightly. We are afraid to let go of them. We are, in imagery provided by C. S. Lewis, like children content to make mud pies in a slum because we can’t imagine what is meant by the offer of a vacation at the beach. We hang on to what we know—our idols—because fellowship with God is too incredible for us to grasp.
Our idols are essentially one-night stands. They provide a moment of empty pleasure, but there is no lasting joy in them. They string us along with the offer of contentment, but contentment never comes. They rob us of something far more valuable—an intimacy of infinite depth with a Lover whose love has no limits.
EN LA ACCIÓN
The passions that draw us away from God can be intense. Jesus does not ask us to rid ourselves of passion, but to turn that passion toward God. When we realize this and break ourselves free from the illusions—or delusions—that make us think we can find fulfillment in anything other than Him, our lives begin to resemble watered, fruitful oases where there was once desert. Determine to pursue God in love as a response to His loving pursuit of you. Leave everything else behind.
Semana 5
Mayo 1-7
The Deeper Passion
Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Galatians 5:16)
EN PALABRA
You will follow your passions. Yes, there may be times when you compel yourself to say, “Not my will but Thine,” but the sustaining drive of your life will be somewhat in line with the deepest loves you treasure. So when the Bible tells us to live by the Spirit and not by the desires of the sinful nature, it is also implying an important relationship issue: our love for the Spirit must run deeper than our love for the world.
The contrast really is that simple. We have a constant choice: whether we are going to be in love with God or with the world, the flesh, or the sins we once held dear. That should be an easy choice—after all, God is far more worthy than any other—but our suitors know just how to dazzle us with empty words and false promises. Sometimes we’re far too easy prey. And when we are, we gratify the desires of the sinful nature, just as Paul warns. We do so not because we have evil intent, but because we’ve misdirected our love. We’ve let the intimacy with the Spirit grow cold and turned our eyes in other directions.
Turn back. The blessing of living by the Spirit—basking in His love and returning His embrace—is far greater than anything the sinful nature can deliver.
EN LA ACCIÓN
You may have thought of your life as a series of moral choices, some pleasing to God, others not. While that’s true—there are moral choices that God has very strong opinions about—that’s not to be our focus. Our focus is not to be on banishing sin from our lives but on falling deeply, passionately in love with the One who redeemed us and has made a home with us. If we get that right, the sinful nature doesn’t stand a chance.
Cultivate love. Develop your relationship with the Spirit. Spend time with Him, praise Him, ask Him to have His way with you. The closer you get to Him, the further from sin you will be.
Semana 6
Mayo 8-14
Forever Mercy
It is by grace you have been saved, through faith. (Ephesians 2:8)
EN PALABRA
The first Christians could hardly get their minds around the gospel of grace. We have trouble with it ourselves, but at least we’ve had centuries of preaching and theology to lay it out for us. Not so in first-century Ephesus, or anywhere else the gospel was taught. That’s why Paul spent so much time in many of his letters explaining that mercy was God’s way from the beginning. In the relationship between God and people, grace has always been the key.
Think about it: God could rightly have taken Adam’s and Eve’s lives on the day of the first rebellion or flooded the world without saving Noah’s family. He could have never called Abraham, never rescued Israel from Egypt, never established David’s kingdom, and never promised a Messiah. He could have let the law render judgment on our stubborn ways, never hanging His Son as a sacrifice. The wages of sin was death, even from the beginning. Yet God let us live.
When that realization dawned on the first Christians—that our sin was so bad that it deserved the judgment so nauseatingly visible on the cross—it became the unquenchable inspiration of martyrs and missionaries. Christians were so convinced of the advent of the Kingdom of God that they counted their lives in the kingdom of this world as a temporary bother. Many in the early church saw the magnificent grace of the gospel and abandoned all self-righteousness, self-dependence, and self-will. Nothing else mattered.
EN LA ACCIÓN
That’s the will of God for all of us. The grace that underlies our salvation is humbling and precious. It is the way God has always operated with His people, in every age. Grace through faith saves. Nothing else ever has.
If grace has always been God’s modus operandi with His people, and we are His representatives on this earth, what does that say about our attitude toward others? It should be gracious. Always. Nothing else reflects His character like a heart of mercy.
Semana 7
Mayo 15-21
Necesidad de pastoreo
"Yo soy el buen pastor". (Juan 10:11)
EN PALABRA
Cualquiera que haya trabajado alguna vez en una granja con ovejas dará fe de este hecho: las ovejas son estúpidas. Se alejan sin ningún sentido de la orientación; después de haber consumido todo el follaje de un campo, hay que llevarlas al siguiente o no comerán; a menudo no reconocen el peligro cuando está presente, e incluso cuando lo reconocen, no hacen nada para defenderse; y se pierden fácilmente. De todas las criaturas de Dios, son unas de las más vulnerables y sencillas. Y ésta es exactamente la imagen que Jesús utiliza para nosotros.
Cualquiera que haya sido pastor dará fe de este hecho: es un trabajo servil e ingrato. Es una tarea que la mayoría evitaría hacer, si pudiera (que es como David se quedó con el trabajo como el más joven de ocho hermanos). No ofrece ninguna recompensa a los ojos del mundo, y es un trabajo solitario, que no ofrece al hombre ninguna compañía fuera de su rebaño. Y esta es exactamente la imagen que Jesús utiliza para sí mismo.
EN LA ACCIÓN
La relación de la oveja con el pastor es de absoluta dependencia. Es una relación de protección. Es una relación de largas horas juntos en el mismo campo. Es una relación en la que la vara y el cayado la guían o la rescatan constantemente. Cuando una oveja se aleja y se atasca en una zanja (lo que ocurre a menudo), el pastor debe buscarla, encontrarla, sacarla y obligarla a volver. Si no lo hace, morirá en su aprieto. Pero un buen pastor siempre lo hace.
Esta imagen que Jesús eligió para describir su relación con nosotros puede resultar extraña para la mayoría de los miembros de la civilización occidental moderna, pero era una imagen fuerte para sus oyentes. Era una promesa de que, independientemente de su situación, Él tomaría la iniciativa para mantenerlos en el redil; que, independientemente de su vulnerabilidad, su bienestar estaba totalmente en Sus manos. La relación oveja-pastor es una imagen humilde, pero es una ilustración reconfortante y convincente de nosotros y nuestro Salvador. Piensa en ello la próxima vez que te encuentres atrapado en una zanja.
Semana 8
Mayo 22-28
Pruebas de amor
"Yo amo al Padre y... hago exactamente lo que mi Padre me ha mandado". (Juan 14:31)
EN PALABRA
En Juan 8, Jesús tuvo uno de sus muchos enfrentamientos con los fariseos. Durante la discusión, estos líderes religiosos apelaron a su autoridad como hijos de Abraham. No, les dijo Jesús; eran descendientes de Abraham, pero no sus hijos. Entonces los fariseos apelaron a su condición de hijos de Dios. No de nuevo, les dijo Jesús; se llevarían bien con Él si fueran hijos de Dios. No entendieron el punto; Él tendría que explicárselo. "Vosotros sois de vuestro padre, el diablo", dijo (v. 44). Fue lo más ofensivo que pudo haberles dicho. ¿Por qué fue tan directo? Porque estaban ciegos a esta verdad: los que aman a Dios hacen lo que Dios dice.
La afirmación de Jesús en Juan 14:31 sobre hacer exactamente lo que el Padre manda no debería resultarnos extraña. ¿Podemos decir lo mismo? No estamos libres de pecado como Él, así que no podemos pretender haber amado a Dios perfectamente. Pero podemos hacer de ello nuestro principio rector, ¿no es así? Tenemos que darnos cuenta de la conexión entre el amor y la obediencia. Se combinaron perfectamente en Jesús; pueden combinarse cada vez más en nosotros.
EN LA ACCIÓN
Muchos cristianos se ven atrapados en una incoherencia entre sus palabras y sus vidas. Es bastante común. Decimos que amamos a Dios, pero fallamos repetidamente en nuestra obediencia, generalmente en una o dos áreas en particular. Tenemos pecados secretos, hábitos molestos, defectos de carácter persistentes que no queremos dejar de lado. Lo sabemos, y conocemos el deseo de Dios de que dejemos esas cosas atrás. Pero no lo hacemos; es demasiado difícil. Es entonces cuando necesitamos hacernos una pregunta profunda: ¿Realmente lo amo? Esa es la cuestión, ¿no? Si lo amamos más que ese hábito, pecado o defecto de carácter, tendríamos la victoria. Perseguimos las cosas que más amamos. Si nos aferramos a nuestras faltas ocultas, ¿no las amamos más?
Jesús utilizó a menudo "amor" y "obedecer" en la misma frase. No es una coincidencia. Es un reto. Busca en tu alma. Decide a quién amas, y obedécelo con todo tu corazón.
Semana 9
Mayo 29 — Junio 4
A Higher Perspective
“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!” (Revelation 19:6-7)
EN PALABRA
Are you beaten down by circumstances? The antidote to our depression and anxiety is surprising to many. But those who have put into practice the prescription of Scripture have found an amazing truth: Praising God lifts us above our trials and reminds us of how He overcomes them.
Why is that? It’s a matter of perspective. When we focus on the turmoil of life and the weakness of our flesh, we get discouraged. When we focus on the problems of the day and the people who seem to oppress us, we get intimidated. On the other hand, our praise reminds us of who God is. As we worship Him, the threats and burdens that weigh us down grow smaller and He grows bigger—at least in our eyes. The thought of an exalted God who is entirely on our side is an awesome inspiration.
We don’t find that perspective in our minds very often. We have subtly but persistently trained our minds to think negatively. We don’t feel like praising God when the bills are overdue or our loved one is lying sick in the hospital. We don’t even feel like praising Him when our lives have gotten mundane and we’ve gotten restless. Perhaps we mistakenly think that our praise is based on how much of His power and love we’ve seen today. It isn’t—or shouldn’t be, at least. It is based on who He is. And He is who He is all the time. For that, we can praise Him. All the time.
EN LA ACCIÓN
That might sound like a platitude, setting us up for insincerity. How robust will our praises be when life has beaten us into the ground? We could end up mouthing the words without ever passing them through our hearts, and we know that’s wrong. But we must try. The more we worship, the more we see who He is and the more sincere our worship becomes. And our perspective jumps from one lowly, impossible place to the side of the God who reigns, both now and forever. Our praise opens our eyes to the truth of the situation: God rules.
Semana 10
Junio 5-11
A Sacrifice of Love
Love the Lord, all his faithful people! (Psalm 31:23)
EN PALABRA
Being a living sacrifice is more than a holy obligation; it is a holy passion. It’s the lover who says, “I would do anything for you. I’d sacrifice my life, my dreams, my everything for your welfare.” Few of us love God like that with any consistency, but that’s our goal. And the only way to get there is to ask Him for that kind of love. It’s supernatural. Only He can offer it and maintain it in our hearts.
How do we know if we have it? We’ll know by what fills our minds when we lie down at night and when we wake up in the morning. We’ll know it by where we direct all of our resources and all of our abilities. And we’ll know it by the things we pray for.
If a stranger were to pick up the ledger of our checkbook and read it, would he know that we are lovers of God? If he were to examine our calendar, would he be able to tell that we have a holy desire for a beloved Savior? If he were to hear our prayers, would he find that we’re wholly dedicated to the will of Another? We’re reluctant to answer, because we know our shortcomings. We know how fickle our hearts and how self-directed our desires are. We know we have more than one agenda—God’s plus our own. We know we have a long way to go to be filled with a holy, God-centered love.
EN LA ACCIÓN
That’s okay. God’s grace is more than enough to cover our lukewarm hearts. But He doesn’t want us to remain ambivalent toward Him. He wants to stir us up to a consuming obsession with His goodness, His love, and His plans. He wants us not just to try hard to please Him—we’ve done that and failed so many times—but to delight in Him. Like any lover of another, He wants to be our joy. Like a wife who craves evidence of her husband’s affections, or a husband who looks expectantly for affirmation from his wife, our God—though never needy—wants to be adored.
Can we adore Him? We must—it’s our created purpose, and it’s the only love we’ll ever have that will leave us completely satisfied. All others fall short. But passion for Him always fulfills.
Semana 11
Junio 12-18
Necesidad de Dios
Probad y ved que el Señor es bueno; dichoso el hombre que se refugia en él. (Salmo 34:8)
EN PALABRA
La mayoría de nosotros hemos estado en las profundidades emocionales. Hemos estado desesperados por una situación -relacional, económica, física, espiritual- y hemos clamado a Dios con cada gramo de energía que tenemos. En esos momentos, difícilmente pensamos que lo estamos honrando; incluso podemos pensar que somos una molestia para su ocupada agenda, con todo el cuidado del mundo que Él hace. Tal vez la próxima vez que estemos en un momento tan bajo, nos animemos a recordar que cuando oramos de esta manera, estamos adorando.
Las oraciones desesperadas son, de hecho, una de las formas más claras de honrar a Dios. Decir "Señor, te necesito" es reconocer su importancia para nosotros. Él es esencial, después de todo, y el alma desesperada no tiene miedo de decirlo.
Hay una dinámica que se repite en la Biblia: El pueblo de Dios tiene una gran necesidad, acude a Él con fe, Él provee satisfaciendo esa necesidad, y presumiblemente (aunque no siempre) le dan las gracias y cantan canciones de alabanza. La Palabra nos da cantos de liberación, de victoria, de gratitud y más. ¿Por qué? Porque las personas necesitadas lo buscaron, Él respondió y lo alabaron. Él fue glorificado en la dinámica de la necesidad humana. No es de extrañar que nos permita ir a esos lugares bajos tan a menudo.
EN LA ACCIÓN
La dinámica se distorsiona, por supuesto, cuando (1) no le llevamos nuestras necesidades a Él; (2) no creemos que nos va a responder; o (3) no le damos gloria después de su amable respuesta. Tal vez por eso nos lo perdemos tan a menudo; malinterpretamos todo el asunto.
Pero Dios ha elegido crear un planeta de personas necesitadas como escenario para su gran oferta. En nuestras profundidades, Sus alturas son más visibles. En nuestra depravación, Su justicia brilla más. En nuestra pobreza, Sus riquezas son mucho más apreciadas de lo que habrían sido de otro modo.
¿Ves tus necesidades profundas y desesperadas como ocasiones para adorarle? Lo son. Incluso el mismo acto de clamar a Él es para su gloria. Reconoce quién es Él: el Dios esencial.
Semana 12
Junio 19-25
Amor indiviso
"Ama al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón, con toda tu alma, con todas tus fuerzas y con toda tu mente". (Lucas 10:27)
EN PALABRA
La mayoría de los cristianos caminan por una línea difusa entre la devoción a Dios y la devoción a otras cosas. Creemos en nuestros corazones, por supuesto, que debemos estar totalmente comprometidos con Dios y amarlo plenamente, y deseamos hacerlo. Pero en la guerra contra nuestro amor indiviso por Él hay otras distracciones: cosas que podríamos llamar defectos menores o hábitos de distracción; actitudes que podríamos saber que están empujando los límites del carácter cristiano, pero que son difíciles de resistir; placeres que podríamos entretener sin querer preguntar a Dios si están o no dentro de Sus parámetros. Podemos vivir con un poco de impureza.
Pero Jesús no pide poca tolerancia para las impurezas e indiscreciones. No implica ninguna tolerancia hacia ellas. Lo que pide específicamente es un amor incondicional, eterno y apasionado por el Creador. Según la ley de Moisés y el evangelio de Jesús, Dios desea todo lo que hay en nosotros. Cada rincón de nuestro corazón, cada gramo de nuestra fuerza, cada impulso de nuestra mente, cada aliento de nuestra alma. Lo quiere todo. Todo.
El gran engaño del enemigo es que este tipo de pasión por Dios nos robaría placeres y privilegios. Satanás lucha contra ese tipo de amor, y también lo hace nuestra carne egocéntrica. Estamos divididos en nuestros corazones, y somos miserables. Pablo también lo sintió. "¡Qué miserable soy! ¿Quién me librará de este cuerpo de muerte?" (Romanos 7:24). Pero no tuvo que decírnoslo. Nosotros mismos lo hemos experimentado.
EN LA ACCIÓN
Cuando finalmente nos damos cuenta de que una pasión total por Dios -independientemente de los pequeños sacrificios que pueda implicar- es increíblemente satisfactoria, nos sorprende que hayamos estado divididos en primer lugar. ¿Perdernos por obedecer y amar a Dios? Eso es ridículo. Jesús tenía razón. Este es el mayor mandamiento. Obséquialo.
Semana 13
Junio 26 – Julio 2
Los que tienen hambre y sed
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (Psalm 42:1-2)
EN PALABRA
Cuando Jesús dijo a sus discípulos que los que tienen hambre y sed de justicia son bienaventurados y serán saciados (véase Mateo 5:6), ¿les estaba recordando este salmo? Tal vez. O tal vez les estaba recordando la profecía de Isaías: "Venid, todos los que tenéis sed, venid a las aguas; y los que no tenéis dinero, venid, comprad y comed". (Isaías 55:1). Los pobres de espíritu, los que lloran y los mansos encontrarán en sí mismos un hambre santa que les roerá el alma.
Jesús no era ajeno a las imágenes del Antiguo Testamento. Su Espíritu la había inspirado, y su humanidad había sido educada en ella. Cuando anunció las Bienaventuranzas, acababa de recordar al enemigo que "no sólo de pan vive el hombre, sino de toda palabra que sale de la boca del Señor" (véase Deuteronomio 8:3; Mateo 4:4). Más tarde se anunciaría como el pan de vida y la fuente de agua viva. Era cierto que todos los que tuvieran hambre y sed serían saciados, y lo sigue siendo; podemos ser saciados con Él.
EN LA ACCIÓN
Tendemos a pensar en el descontento como un rasgo de carácter impío, pero hay un lado piadoso en él. El alma descontenta sabe que algo va mal en su interior. Conoce ese agujero al que se han referido Agustín, Pascal y muchos otros: el vacío en forma de Dios que hay en cada corazón humano. Y por mucho que intente llenar ese agujero con placer, trabajo, personas o cosas, el vacío permanece. Fue tallado para Dios, y sólo Dios puede completarlo.
¿Tienes hambre y sed? No cometas el error de intentar satisfacer tus ansias con cosas sin valor. Sólo Dios puede ocupar eficazmente tu corazón. Comunícate con Él allí. Pide a Jesús que te bendiga con su presencia hoy.
Semana 14
Julio 3-9
The Pleasure of God
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. (Psalm 63:5)
EN PALABRA
When we speak of learning God’s wisdom and having the mind of Christ, it often sounds like we’re sitting in a sterile classroom environment. We assume that we’re being mentally trained in a new way of life. We are, but it’s not in a cold, calculated transfer of information; it’s a warm, wonderful learning experience, a hand-in-hand adventure with a loving Father who wants us to be like Him.
With God, familiarity does not breed contempt. It breeds passion and pleasure. We can dispense with the idea that we serve a cold, hard master. We can let go of the image of the ever-unsatisfied holiness of our Creator. He has satisfied His holy requirements Himself in the person of Jesus. What’s left for us is an affectionate Father who laughs when we laugh and cries when we cry. The more we get to know Him the more we come to love Him. It is, of course, a holy and respectful kind of love—He is entirely above us and worthy of our awe. But there is a warmth to Him that many people never feel. And we are called to feel it deeply.
EN LA ACCIÓN
How would you characterize your relationship with God? Cold and sterile? Distant and frustrating? It need not be any of these. It can actually be—dare we suggest it?—fun. Yes, the wisdom of God—His mind, His ways, His character—can be beautiful and charming. He is not the cruel killjoy we often make Him out to be. And that’s the great tragedy of sin: It fails to understand the amazing implications of knowing Him. It turns Him into someone He’s not.
Learning the wisdom of God is not just an intellectual pursuit. It is a heartfelt pleasure in His personality. The presence of the Almighty can be an emotionally satisfying affection. His character is lovely, His words winsome. Abandon the image of the stern, distant God. His wrath toward us, though entirely legitimate, was poured out on Jesus. It has been fully satisfied. Our only response is to be fully satisfied in Him.
Semana 15
Julio 10-16
Una disciplina de agradecimiento
Enter his gates with thanksgiving. (Psalm 100:4)
EN PALABRA
The distance of God is an all-too-common malady among believers. It isn’t that God is really distant, but we go through waves of feeling that He is. Sometimes the waves are prolonged—circumstances batter us, discouragement plagues us, and God seems far, far away.
God’s prescription for entering His presence is to give thanks. This verse doesn’t just tell us the right attitude with which we are to enter His gates; it also tells us the means by which we enter them. Thanksgiving coupled with praise will bring us to where He is; or it will bring Him to where we are. Either way, we find that worshipful gratitude is the right place to be. God lives where He is acknowledged.
If God does not seem to be living near you, perhaps there is something lacking in your acknowledgement. You rarely see gratitude in someone who thinks negatively about life. Why? Pessimistic thoughts remove the glory of His presence. Negative thinking is not faith; it is the antithesis of reality from God’s point of view. Reality, as He defines it, is all about who He is and what He does. Negativity isn’t. It assumes the worst. It feeds—and is fed by—the enemy of God.
EN LA ACCIÓN
Paul told believers to give thanks in every circumstance (1 Thessalonians 5:18). He didn’t tell them to give thanks only when the clear evidence of God’s blessing is visible. He told them to give thanks always—in every situation. How can we do this? On the basis of who God is. If we always see the downside, we are doubting something about God—that He is good, or able, or wise. But if we know that God is good, and that He is sovereign, and He is wise, we can give thanks that He is working out His plan even in the difficult circumstances of life.
Establish in your mind a discipline of thanks. Enumerate every aspect of your life and thank God for it. In every circumstance, choose to see it from an angle that will cultivate gratitude. God will be honored. And His presence will be real.