Be Excellent At Good-Be Innocent Of Evil

“Be Excellent At Good-Be Innocent Of Evil”

By Zach Wood

Romans 16:19 NIV

Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

Through many years of my experience in church services, youth group, church camps and youth conferences, I’ve enjoyed the song “Romans 16:19”.  I’m sure many, if not most, of you know this song.  “Be excellent at what is good, be innocent of evil.  And the God of peace will soon crush Satan.  God will crush him  underneath your feet.”

What a great song this is and I’ve had so much fun singing it at the various services I’ve attended.  Not only is it a great song to do motions to, but it’s got a fantastic message.  The Apostle Paul is very clear in this passage to encourage us to be wise and excellent at what is good.  We need to focus on those things which please God and bring Him glory.  He also says to be innocent of evil.  Stay away from it.  Don’t go near it!  Don’t play with it!  Don’t mess around near it!  Don’t “poke the bear”! 

We often find ourselves in situations where we end up doing just the opposite.  We become weak at doing good and we become more guilty of evil.  We all fall victim to this.  Satan knows the buttons to push!  It is so very important that we stay focused on growing in God’s Word so that when the times of testing and trial come, we can be strong and stay excellent at doing what is good and steer clear and be excellent of evil.  We don’t need to be curious of what the evil is and go anywhere near it.  As my dad used to tell me when I was growing up and I’d mess around with thoughts of doing bad things or get tempted to do them, he’d say “Just leave it alone”.  Good advice dad! 

There are times in life when we just need to leave things alone and that includes evil.  Don’t go near the edge of the cliff.  Stay as far away from it as possible.  Be excellent at the good things and smart about the traps of evil.  The only way we can grow in this way is to stay strong in His guiding Word of wisdom and to grow in our faith. 

When we do these things, we can definitely relate with these words, “And the God of peace will soon crush Satan.  God will crush him underneath your feet.”  God will work in our lives do exactly as He has told us He will do.  God is on our side and will defend us.  We need to do our part and stay strong so that we can be wise in His Word to avoid the evil traps. 

Be excellent at what is good, be innocent of evil.  

Making The Cut

“Making The Cut”

By Zach Wood

Ephesians 2:10 NLT

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

We have all been through painful experiences in our past where we didn’t “make the cut”.  I remember in grade school, at recess, when we’d pick teams and the cool people were always picked first and the least favorite were always picked last.  Even though those who were picked last still made the team, it didn’t feel as if they were “wanted”.  It’s not a good feeling.

Think about when a player tries out for sports team.  He or she plays so hard and gives their best to try to “make the cut”.  However, there comes a time when the results come in and you know someone or some people won’t make the team. 

How about if you’ve applied for a certain college and you really want to get in?  They won’t let just anyone have admission.  You must fill out a form and give references and put a lot of hard work into proving to the college why you deserve to attend.  Some people will be receiving an admission letter inviting them to become part of the student body.  Others, they will receive the rejection letter no one wants to receive. 

None of us likes to be given a rejection letter or told we didn’t “make the cut”.  It’s a terrible feeling.  It’s not always necessarily meaning that we weren’t good enough, but then other times, that’s exactly what it means.  It leave us with a horrible, sick feeling at times knowing we weren’t good enough to make the list of people who apparently had what they were looking for.  We end up not feeling good enough. 

Whatever your situation was, every person experiences some kind of experience where you don’t “make the cut”.  It can be heartbreaking.  You wish they’d just accept you for who you are and not what they want you to be.  As I was thinking about this the other day, and all the experiences in my life where I didn’t “make the cut”, I thought about how God doesn’t work like that at all.  God loves each and every one of us and in us, He has created a beautiful masterpiece.  He doesn’t sit with a checklist when we give our lives to Him and say, “Nope, sorry!  You weren’t good enough!  Maybe next time!” 

God accepts us for who we are and is never exclusive.  We are a beautiful masterpiece and we don’t have to change ourselves or try to be someone better for Him to accept us.  With God we always “make the cut”!  Isn’t that a great feeling?  He accepts us regardless of what we are and what we are not.  He then takes us and continues love on us and mold us more into who He wants us to be. 

Aren’t you grateful to have “made the cut”?   

The Reality Of Putting Him First

“The Reality Of Putting Him First”

By Zach Wood

Matthew 6:33-34 NIV

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

In the sermon this past Sunday at church, this passage was shared and then Lauren Daigle’s song, “First” was played to close out the service.  It was the perfect ending to a great and challenging message.  As I sat there and listened to how we so often make excuses for not putting God first in our lives, I felt so guilty and my heart sank thinking of all the times in my life I have done and still do this.  I am so good at making other things a priority, but then putting His Word on the back burner and saying I’ll get to reading more later.

The clincher of the message was when our pastor challenged us about how so many people say that they are close to God in their own way, but hardly ever read His Word.  He illustrated how other relationships in our lives would be affected if we never actually talked to the person or spent long periods of time away from them.  If we greatly lacked in our communication with our spouse, kids, fiancé, boyfriend, girlfriend, aunt, uncle, best friend, etc., how in the world could we possibly believe we are getting to know them better?  How could we possibly claim to know the person better if our communication with them is little to nothing?

As I sat there and soaked all of this in and listened to the closing song, this question echoed in my mind and heart, “What does putting Him first look like in your life and mine?”  This question has haunted me, so to speak, since yesterday morning.  What would our lives truly look like if we really and sincerely put God first in every part of our lives?  What would the deep down truth of this look like in our lives?

I know in my life, it would look so different than how I am living.  You all have been a part of my writing life for so many years and you know that I try to be very transparent in what I write so that I can try to relate to others who read these writings.  I want to be as transparent as possible so that you all know I am doing my best to be genuine.  I am servant of Christ, a husband and a father.  I try so hard each day to be successful at all 3 of those areas.  But so many days, I feel like I’m doing my own thing and trying to be good enough without actually putting too much effort into it. 

What would it look like for you to put Him first?  Think about that and take some time to let that question sink in.  What would it really and truly look like in your life right now to actually make Him priority over everything else?  Making Him first over every decision you make? 

Do we really seek Him first?  

A Pleasing Aroma

“A Pleasing Aroma”

By Zach Wood

Psalm 19:14 NLT

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

We have all walked into restaurants, bakeries and houses where something was cooking and completely overwhelmed our senses.  Just imagine the last time you walked into someone’s home and they just baked cookies.  Or, one of my personal favorites, walk by or into a restaurant where steaks are cooking.  (I’m salivating as I write this!)  How about walking into a store were fragrances are sold or candles and the aroma just brings a smile to your face. 

We all like walking into places and smelling these aromas.  There is nothing quite like it.  Each of us has a specific aroma that we enjoy smelling and we know where to go to get that experience.  The smell can really “take you away” and leave you stunned at times.  We all like great aromas.  Who wouldn’t? 

Aromas attract us.  They bring us closer and closer to whatever is giving off the great scent or whatever is cooking that smells irresistible.  Now, consider the words we say each day and whether or not those words become an aroma for others to be attracted to?  Most importantly, are the words an aroma that would be pleasing to God?  Just like people can’t resist a great scented candle burning, a steakhouse nearby or fresh cookies from the oven, the words we use each day should be used to help people come to not resist knowing God. 

The way we live, the words we use, the thoughts of our heart should all be a pleasing aroma to God and to those around us.  He is the One we live for and the One Whom our hearts should long for.  We should be living to please Him and Him alone.  The way we live and the words we use should be an irresistible aroma for others to help bring them into an understanding of God and our relationship with Him. In doing that, help people come to understand better there is a very loving and compassionate God Who loves them. 

As we continue into this New Year, I want to challenge all of us to consider whether our lives each day, with the words we use and our actions, give off a pleasing aroma not only to others, but most importantly to God.  How am I living my life each day to please Him?  How am I living my life each day to attract others to Him?  I have to admit that most days I feel like I’m giving off a stench instead of an aroma.  My life often becomes a stench because I’m in my own world and doing my own thing, when I should be focused on living solely for Him and being an example of Him to others. 

Are you living as a pleasing aroma?

He Deserves All Glory

“He Deserves All Glory”

By Zach Wood

Revelation 4:11 NIV

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

All too often in life we tend to focus attention on ourselves with things we have done.  We all like being in the spotlight at certain times in our lives.  Even if we’re not outgoing people, we still have that deep down feeling of desired attention.  There’s not a human being in the world that doesn’t, as some point in life, like having attention on them. 

There is nothing wrong with desiring some attention at times in life.  However, it depends on the situation and how we deal with it.  Again, so often we take credit for things that we have done, when in reality, God has done them through us.  Our desire in life may be to serve God, but we get tempted so much, for different reasons, to turn the spotlight on ourselves when it should be on God. 

I remember attending a concert back when I was in Bible college in Tennessee. A friend of mine and I went to a Rebecca St. James concert and her stage presence hit me and I’ve never forgotten it.  After some of the songs, when people clapped and whistled and hollered, she simply stepped back and motioned upwards with her hands.  She wanted all of the praise to go to God and not to her.  It was really impressive and I’ve never forgotten that.

As we approach and begin this New Year, let us make a genuine effort to do the same thing.  Let us lift our hands in praise to God and step back, so to speak, when the spotlight turns on us and give Him praise.  Let us show the world around us that we don’t deserve the praise and glory, but He does!

One of my favorite songs from the group Unspoken is “Higher”.  Some of the lyrics say, “I may never get money, I may never have fame.  But if I'm ever in the spotlight, I'll point it back Your way.  'Cause standing at the top was never-ever my goal. But if You put me on a mountain then I'll tell the whole world.  Singing hallelujah 'til I hit the dirt.”

Let us have an attitude this year to always point the spotlight to God when we are in a situation where we get attention and recognition.  He is our Creator and our goal, as the song says, should never be to be at the top.  Our goal should be to lift Him high above all and shine His light for all to see. 

The title of this devotion pretty much sounds cliché, but when will we truly learn to live out that He deserves all glory?  We deserve nothing.  He deserves all. 

Give Him all glory!

Lead Them Wisely

“Lead Them Wisely”

By Zach Wood

Proverbs 22:6 NLT

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

There’s a scene toward the end of the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) appears to have fallen off a cliff and plunge to his death below.  His father, Henry Jones (Sean Connery) goes to the end of the cliff and yells for his son.  After a few moments, he thinks Indiana Jones is dead and he pauses and says to his friend that is with them, “I’ve lost him, and I never taught him anything.  I just wasn’t ready.  5 minutes would have been enough.”

Lately I’ve been thinking about that scene and the words spoken there.  How often so much of us parents feel like we haven’t taught our children what we need to teach them.  We spend so many years doing things with them and the time goes by so fast.  I’m often wondering if I’m actually helping and teaching my kids Godly values and what it means to follow Him.  I’ve spent so many moments of being a father praying that I’m teaching my kids things that will help them become lovers of their Heavenly Father and the desire to follow Him. 

There are many moments I question whether or not I have been a good influence on them and given them precious teachable moments from how I live my life, through mistakes and right things done.  I have to admit I feel emotional even writing about this.  My girls are 11 and 9 and the years go by so very fast.  I never believed that when parents told me that before I was a parent.  But now, I realize the years just fly by.  I want to take advantage of every teaching opportunity God gives me to be an example for them to follow.  And, hopefully they will carry that walk of faith in making their own decision to follow Christ.

I want to direct my children in the right path.  I want them to develop a love for God that is greater than anything in their life.  I want them to have a relationship with Christ that fills them with joy and guides them.  All I can do is pray for them and that God will give my wife and I the direction we need to be the best examples of Christ we can be.  I don’t want to feel like Henry Jones in that I didn’t teach my girls anything because I didn’t take the time to do it.  I don’t want to feel like I’m not ready, but to be ready at any given moment to teach them and help lead them.  So often I do feel like this, but I am reminded that God is using me in many ways to teach them.

If you are reading this and you are a parent, I pray that you would take advantage of every opportunity to teach your child or children about God’s love for them.  Do your best and then trust in God to lead them for many years to come.  I’m learning to trust that He will use me to help guide them and that they will make wise decisions as they continue to live through future years.    

Nothing Without Him

“Nothing Without Him”

By Zach Wood

Psalm 16:1-2 NIV

Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.  I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”

Imagine if we did not have electricity or batteries in our modern day living today.  I can also imagine how crazy it would be if we tried turning our devices on with no battery power or having them plugged in.  They simply wouldn’t work.  What if we reached for a flashlight and there were no batteries inside?  We could buy all the different brands of bulbs we wanted to or even buy the most stylish looking flashlight.  However, without batteries, we are wasting our time and going nowhere.  We must have batteries.

What if we tried turning on our TV’s without them being plugged in?  We can get the best, state-of-the-art, all-in-one technology remote on the market, but if the TV isn’t plugged into the source, we have no way of watching it.

How about if we wanted to go on a long trip a vehicle?  What if we bought the most expensive and most popular vehicle on the market, but had no fuel to go anywhere?  That would be pointless!  Who in the world would be able to drive a vehicle without any fuel (or drive a vehicle without any power for electric vehicles)?  We wouldn’t imagine being able to go anywhere without the fuel or charge.  It’s simply not going to happen no matter what we try to do if we aren’t going to fuel or charge it up.

While we all would completely nod our heads in 100% agreement on all these scenarios, we unfortunately live this way in our lives with Christ so often.  Jesus mentions back in John 15 that apart from being connected to Him/The Vine, we cannot do anything.  We read also in this Psalm that apart from God, there is no good thing. 

God wants us to take refuge in Him and rely on Him for everything.  If we are not plugged into Him, then no matter what we go after in life, there will be no fulfillment.  Nothing we do on earth apart from Him will have any lasting value.  I don’t know what it will take for us to get this into our heads and understand.  I’m as guilty as anyone.  I fight the feeling every single day with wanting and chasing after the things of this world a little bit at a time, only to discover, I’m trying to power up my own life and not connect to Him.  God is so patient with me! 

Let us take this powerful lesson from this passage in Psalm that apart from God, there is no life worth living.  To have a fulfilled life to the MAX, we gotta be totally plugged in and powered through God!  Period.

Are you plugged in?