Giving All

This blog is designed to give people an inner look at a devotional life. Taking time each day to spend time with the Lord. The hope is if you travel on this journey with Rev. Jacob Shaw, you may be more inclined to spend time with the Lord as well. I encourage the use of a devotional, a scripture reading and prayer, then finally some form of artistic mark to tie it all together. 

Today's devotional is taken from: Zacharias, Ravi. The Logic of God: 52 Christian Essentials for the Heart and Mind. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2019. [E-Book] Chapter 52: Giving All

Opening Thought: Today is the final reading from The Logic of God, and I must say I have enjoyed this book a lot. Zacharias gave us many things to think about and questions to help us strengthen our relationship with God. When we started this book, I was hesitant due to Zacharias’ moral failings in his sexual misconduct scandals, but I wanted to look pass his sinful issues to see what value could be found beyond his struggles and sinful ways, and sure enough I think we have found some diamonds in the rough. So, I hope this will be a little lesson, we are all sinners to some degree, but we also have a great capacity for God to use a sinner for good things too. That does not mean we do not take ownership of our sins or name the sins of others. Rather, I think it is better that we remember that God came to save us all, and if we can all give ourselves fully to that, with hope and mercy, we can reduce the sin in the world and not fall prey to its temptation.  

Now this is suitable for the theme of this reading because Zacharias is talking about sacrilege. Sacrilege can be defined as “taking something that belongs to God and using it profanely.” In this way our holy spaces: churches, temples, chapels, and shines could be seen as something belonging to God, but I would also go as far to say our homes and bodies are all so sacred, thus belong to God. So, if we use something that belongs to God in profanity then we are being sacrilegious. But since God is the creator of everything, technically, all things could be used in a wrong way, against the will of God, if God happens to have a particular will for said thing. On the flipside, that means there is a right way to use things, you could possibly call this: the order of things, natural law, or the teleological design. 

Sacrilege can also be defined as giving to God something that is of no value to you. Now the reading below references inappropriate sacrifices to God to make a point towards this, but I would go a simple as the attitude you have during prayer, or any form of worship. If you are muttering off the Lord’s prayer in church but thinking about gardening, then the prayer you are expressing is not being cared for in a manner that brings glory and praise.   

The devotional begins with: Malachi 1:6,8

“A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty … “When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty.

Second Thought: If I had to speculate where Zacharias went wrong it would have been that he thought he could get away with his sexual misconduct. The temptation probably built overtime, and the first time he allowed himself to trespass into the threshold of sin once and he felt he got a way with it, it was all over. At the point Ravi Zacharias stopped offering all he could, and the best he could for God, and started using the world for his own purposes. What he warns his readers of in this very book, he fell to. The hard pill to swallow is that when Zacharias was up on the stages of auditoriums, and speaking to millions and millions through social media, inspiring thought and emotional adventure for people to seek God, it appeared that Zacharias was giving all he had to God, but there was a part of his heart he was holding back, and it was that part that twisted him and used his vices to harm instead of heal.

So today, I pray for Zacharias and his family, because it would be heartbreaking to discover this truth, about someone who seemed to capture the imagination and hearts of so many, who spoke so lovely about God and His kingdom could do such a thing. Let us learn from Zacharias’ mistake and not hold back when God calls us to come to him, let us give the best of ourselves and all of ourselves. And, of course, we also pray to those who fell victim to Zacharias' sin, may the God of love and mercy help to heal the victims from this error in morality. 

Continual Work: Are you being sacrilegious? Are you holding yourself: mind, body, and spirit from God? You are a temple, and you are a vehicle for the Gospel! Be one today! 

What Rev. Jacob is Working On: Everyone has vices, even me! I know, I know, shocking! But I think the key to dealing with vices is to talk about them. Let other Christians know what you are struggling with and ask for support, and of course talk to God in prayer. My vice I struggle with is frustration, it feels good sometime to fall into the angry and irritability of frustration. So I pray for support with this, so I can be a more genuine disciple in faith.   

Prayer for your day: Lord we pray for all those who struggle to give themselves fully to You. Maybe a temptation blocks their sight or a fear has them standing still. We ask You to come out like a battle cry and lead us home to the light and love that is Your kingdom. Amen.

Artistic Close: The Book Cover - a cover to close. 

ONE MORE THING!!!

This blog series is going to take a little break over the summer and will return this Fall. I am so pleased so many of you have continued to read this, and we hope you will join us this Fall when I tackle controversial author Jordan B Peterson’s book 12 Rules for Life: an antidote to chaos, and see if I can formulate it into daily devotional for myself, and you!

 

Thanks Again, we will see you in a few months.