Life Is _____ Forty-Day Experience: A Devotional Journey Through God's Illogical Love (40 Daily Devotions)

by Judah Smith

Overview

What is life? What are we here for? What will bring us true satisfaction and lasting happiness? 

In this companion to Life Is ___, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Judah Smith takes readers on a forty-day devotional journey through Scripture to find the answers to these and others of our deepest questions. In forty daily readings, Judah helps readers understand that the meaning of life is found in loving and being loved, in enjoying God to the fullest, in trusting Him in every moment, and remaining at peace with God, others, and ourselves. 

This thought-provoking and inspiring collection of meditations is sure to reveal new and illuminating truths about what God intends for every person's life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780718032678
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	11/10/2015
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	496 KB

About the Author

Judah Smith is the lead communicator of Churchome, a thriving community with multiple locations and a global app, known for its cultural relevance, commitment to biblical integrity, and love for Jesus. Judah is the author of the New York Times bestselling book Jesus Is ___. He and his wife, Chelsea, live in Seattle, Washington.

Read an Excerpt

Life Is___. Forty-Day Experience

A Devotional Journey Through God's Illogical Love

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By JUDAH SMITH

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2015 Judah Smith
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7180-3267-8

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CHAPTER 1

Amnesiacs

Bible Reading: Romans 8:38–39

Have you ever been tempted to use sarcasm when responding to your kids? I'm thinking in particular of confrontational situations, where you need to correct something and you'd like to inject a bit of humor. Preferably at their expense. In hindsight, that is not a good motivation.

It never works, either. At least with kids under age twelve, which is the limit of my firsthand knowledge. Usually what you say goes over their heads, and they look at you like you're from an alternate universe. The rest of the time they take what you say literally, and consequently they feel hurt — which makes you loser dad of the year.

One of the phrases that I've found myself tempted to use is this one: What part of no do you not understand? For example, we're at the store, and I've just told them for the sixty-seventh time we are not going to buy candy. I've explained the reasons why: It's unhealthy. It will torpedo their immune systems. And their mom is watching. Logical reasons. Spoken with love and patience and longsuffering.

But childhood amnesia strikes, conveniently and repeatedly. So they ask, with eyes wide in angelic and totally fraudulent innocence: "Can we buy candy, Dad? Please?"

And that's when the sarcasm tries to creep out. "What part of no do you not understand?"

Believe it or not, there are a few instances of divine sarcasm in the Bible, especially in the prophetic books of the Old Testament. So I feel slightly justified. But I still wouldn't recommend it as a discipline technique with literal-minded children.

Sometimes I suspect God gets just a little frustrated with our ongoing resistance. Our recurrent amnesia. Our hesitancy to believe what he has said. And if I were God, I'd probably resort to sarcasm. I'm not talking about our refusal to accept his requests and commands (although we do that sometimes too). I'm referring to the tough time we have believing the good news of the gospel and of God's love for us.

That sounds odd, I know. You would think that we would easily embrace and believe his love, and that we would wrestle against his holiness and demands. But in my experience as a pastor, most people struggle more to comprehend the love of God than the commands of God.

As humans we find it easier to believe that God wants something from me than believe that he wants something for me. We would rather believe that he has a list of complaints than that he has a list of compliments. Yet God tells us time after time — after time — that he loves us. I can't even begin to list all the verses and stories that reveal God's love.

The entire Bible is a love story. God dealt with Adam, Abraham, and Moses in love. He led Israel in love. Jesus' years on earth were a tangible demonstration of God's love. And Jesus' death and resurrection proved beyond question God's unconditional love. But we keep getting amnesia. Selective amnesia.

We remember we are sinners, but we forget we've been set free. We remember we were guilty, but we forget we've been forgiven. We remember we've fallen, but we forget that God picked us up. And I think God is up in heaven saying, "What part of love don't you understand?"

I want to respond, "Um, all of it?"

God's love is so drastic, so forceful, and so expansive that it really is too hard for us to grasp. But we need to try. We need to spend the rest of our lives discovering and rediscovering the simple grace of the gospel, the overwhelming and overarching love of Jesus. We need to believe it, even if we can't understand it. Paul wrote this:

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below — indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38–39)

Note how Paul phrased it: "I am convinced." He seems to be implying that for him, believing God's love was a process and a choice. Somehow — through the Scriptures, his experiences, and his personal walk with God — he had come to the point of firmly believing God's love for him. He was convinced.

That is the journey we are on: understanding, believing, accepting, remembering, and rehearsing God's love for us.

Forget amnesia. (Oh, the irony.)

Let's be convinced of his love.

Questions for Reflection

• When is it hardest for you to remember that God loves you? Are there particular circumstances or character issues that make you forget? If so, what are they?

• Is it easier for you to accept God's love or his commands? Why?

• How convinced are you of God's love for you? What convinced you? How could you be more convinced?

CHAPTER 2

TMI

Bible Reading: Luke 15:11–32

There are certain things I would be happy to go my whole life without knowing. It's just too much information; too many gross details. For example: How many bacteria are exchanged when you kiss? How do toilets work? What is really in chicken nuggets?

In instances like these, ignorance may not be bliss, but at least it's less disgusting than the truth. There's one other instance where I'm happy to remain ignorant. It's with respect to the severity and gravity of my sin. I realize, mentally at least, that sin is contrary to God's nature. It's an affront to his creation and purpose. But I don't think any of us can grasp the full significance of our human depravity.

I don't mean to sound negative. Actually, the fact that we can't completely comprehend our sinfulness serves to highlight God's goodness. And that's my point. God understands everything. Even chicken nuggets. He knows the good and the bad about our lives better than we do.

And he loves us anyway.

Remember the story of the prodigal son? A son talked his dad into giving him his inheritance early, then he went and wasted it, partying with his cronies. Eventually he ended up broke and hungry, feeding pigs just to survive. One day he decided to return home and throw himself on his father's mercy. He hoped to become just a hired servant. Luke tells us how the father responded:

So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)

I can only imagine what the boy smelled and looked like. He had been hanging out at a pig farm, after all. Have you ever been to a pig farm? I've driven by one, and that's enough for me. The aroma itself was TMI. But his dad didn't care. He hugged him, kissed him, and brought him into his house.

That's hard for me to picture. I can't stand stains on my clothes. I can't handle the thought of germs. I can't deal with things being out of order. It's an OCD issue, and I hold my mom and older sister responsible. They trained me this way.

So if my children try to hug me but they have dirty hands and faces, I will stiff-arm them. I don't think about it, and I can't help myself. I just do it. It's a self-defense mechanism. All I can think about when I see them is where those little hands have been, what might be on them, and what it's going to look like all over my white shirt. They are welcome to clean up, wash up, and dry off. Then — and only then — can they approach me. Sorry, kids. I'll pay for your psychiatrist someday.

My response is the polar opposite of the father of this parable, who of course represents God. God knows exactly where we've been and what's all over us. He sees the dirt and grime before we do. And he embraces us anyway. He restores us anyway.

Maybe you think you're too dirty, too filthy, too soiled for God. Maybe you think if he knew the real you, you'd never make it past the gates of his house. I've got news for you. There's no such thing as TMI with God. God knows where you've been and what you've done, and he's running down the road toward you anyway. His knowledge of your condition doesn't slow him down one bit. If anything, it makes him run faster.

He wants to embrace you. To love you. To restore you.

Questions for Reflection

• Have you ever felt ashamed of your past before God? If so, how did you process those feelings?

• How does God's unconditional love for you help you deal with any current weaknesses and flaws in your life?

• If God knows your past and loves you anyway, what does he think about your future? If you mess up down the road, how will God respond?

CHAPTER 3

Exaggerating Infinity

Bible Reading: Romans 8:1–2

I've discovered something about myself. I always exaggerate. I do it all the time. Life is never bland or colorless to me. I make everything bigger, crazier, and more dramatic than it actually was.

See? I just exaggerated four times in one paragraph. You can count them. Words like always, all, never, and everything are, by definition, terms of exaggeration. Those are dangerous words. Fun words, too, I might add.

This gift for verbal embellishment makes for exciting storytelling, but it doesn't always work out well in marriage. Especially since I happen to be married to a smart, literal, analytical person who actually remembers the details that I would rather lump into generalities.

So in moments of intense discussion, phrases like "But you always say ..." or "Well, you never do ..." sometimes fly unplanned from my mouth. But as soon as they do, I know I've lost the argument. My poetic, hyperbole-laden speech is pointless, because the non-exaggerating half of our marriage has already mentally catalogued, outlined, and footnoted the exceptions to my sweeping statements.

Exaggeration is a great rhetorical device. But it short-circuits healthy dialogue. It can also short-circuit a healthy relationship with God — especially when it comes to dealing with our weaknesses and sins. Let me explain.

As humans, we tend to exaggerate our spiritual condition. Either we overemphasize our own righteousness or we overemphasize our sinfulness. Sometimes we do both within seconds. It's like spiritual schizophrenia.

If you're having a good day — for example, you've had minimal temptation, you've committed little to no actual sin, you kept your temper in rush hour traffic, maybe you even did a good deed or two — then you might start to think you are incredibly spiritual.

But if you lost your patience with your spouse at breakfast, yelled at the neighbor kid for leaving his bike behind the car again, and in general acted like a selfish brat during the day, you swing to the opposite extreme. You think you are a sinner who is hopelessly and irrevocably excluded from friendship with God.

The Bible calls the first exaggeration self-righteousness. And it calls the second one condemnation. Both are wrong, and both will damage your walk with God.

Here's the best part. Humans often exaggerate — but God does not. He can't deceive, he can't lie, and he can't stretch the truth. Therefore whatever he says in the Bible is 100 percent true.

Take a look at Romans 8:1–2:

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

Wait. No condemnation? None? At all? Ever?

That sounds like an exaggeration. But it's not. It's the truth, and it has the power to set us free from our tendency to swing from self-righteousness to self-condemnation.

If we are in Jesus — if we trust in him for forgiveness and salvation — the guilt and condemnation of sin are a moot point. We are free to enjoy God and walk with God even though we'll stumble from time to time. Even though we'll feel guilty and ashamed from time to time.

None of us is perfect — not even close. So to think we could ever earn God's love or acceptance based on our performance would be comical if it weren't so common. We don't have to earn God's love. He already loved us before we were born. And we don't have to deserve his forgiveness. Jesus already did that once and for all.

That's the beauty of the gospel. That's why it's called "good news." It's good because anyone can receive it. It's good because it trumps our failures. It's good because it provides security even in our ups and downs.

Whether you feel angelic or diabolic at the current moment is irrelevant to your spiritual position. I don't mean to demean or undervalue your actions or emotions. Of course what you do or don't do is important. And God cares deeply about your feelings. He wants your life to be characterized by righteousness, peace, and joy. But the temporary absence of those things doesn't change your position before God.

Your position is a result of your faith, not your works. You were saved by faith, you live by faith, and someday you'll be welcomed into heaven by faith. Your good deeds and holy lifestyle are a result of your walk with God. They enhance your walk with God — but they aren't a condition for it. So don't exaggerate your goodness. And don't overemphasize your badness. Neither extreme is helping anyone.

If you are going to talk about big things, if you are going to use grand, sweeping statements — do it about God's love. Go ahead and try. Just try to exaggerate his love. To overstate his goodness. To overemphasize his faithfulness. To overestimate his kindness toward you and me.

No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to.

You can't exaggerate infinity.

Questions for Reflection

• Which extreme do you tend toward: Exaggerating your goodness or your badness? Or maybe both? Why?

• What is the relationship between your actions and emotions and your spiritual position? Explain.

• What are the biggest, broadest words you can think of to describe God's love for you? Do they do his love justice?

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Life Is___. Forty-Day Experience by JUDAH SMITH. Copyright © 2015 Judah Smith. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction, vii,
SECTION 1: LIFE IS TO BE LOVED AND TO LOVE,
1. Amnesiacs (Romans 8:38–39), 3,
2. TMI (Luke 15:11–32), 7,
3. Exaggerating Infinity (Romans 8:1–2), 11,
4. Pet Troubles (1 John 4:8–10), 17,
5. Fixer-Uppers (Romans 2:4), 23,
6. He Likes Me (1 John 4:16), 29,
7. Emotional Kites (Ephesians 3:16–19), 33,
8. God Doesn't Do Stereotypes (Psalm 139:13–14, 17–18), 39,
9. Idiosyncratic You (Psalm 103:12–14), 45,
10. Loving Failure (John 21:1–25), 49,
SECTION 2: LIFE IS TO TRUST GOD IN EVERY MOMENT,
11. Feed Me (Hebrews 13:8–9), 57,
12. Revenge of the Kitchen Appliances (Psalm 91), 61,
13. Jesus Is Beast Mode (John 11:1–44), 67,
14. Cops and Robbers (Romans 8:31–39), 71,
15. When Sharks Fly (Mark 4:35–41), 77,
16. Superhero Status (Hebrews 7:18–28), 83,
17. Math Fail (1 Corinthians 1:18–31), 89,
18. Just Say Thank You (Romans 15:13), 93,
19. Boogey Boy (Psalm 61:1–4), 99,
20. Breaking News (Psalm 46:1–11), 105,
SECTION 3: LIFE IS TO BE AT PEACE WITH GOD AND YOURSELF,
21. The Principal's Office (Hebrews 4:16), 113,
22. Dirt Ninja (Philippians 3:3–11), 119,
23. Dodging the Question (Psalms 42–43), 125,
24. Why Are You Not Freaking Out? (Psalm 127:1–2), 131,
25. The Road Not Taken (Philippians 4:6–7), 137,
26. Peace and Pebbles (Romans 5:1–5), 143,
27. Lights Out (John 14:27), 149,
28. Wait for It (Psalm 130), 153,
29. What's Your Point? (Matthew 5:17–20), 159,
30. Stop Staring at That (2 Corinthians 12:8–10), 165,
SECTION 4: LIFE IS TO ENJOY GOD,
31. Uh. May. Zing. (Psalm 36:7–9), 173,
32. Just Wait (1 John 4:13–19), 179,
33. Road Trip (Psalm 139:7–10), 185,
34. The Secret of Living (Philippians 4:10–19), 191,
35. The Struggle Is Real (Matthew 11:28–30), 197,
36. Bedtime Stories (Numbers 6:24–26), 203,
37. I Don't Know (Romans 12:3–21), 209,
38. Multitasking Times Infinity (Matthew 10:29–31), 215,
39. Look at the View (Psalm 103:1–12), 221,
40. The Most Important Thing (Luke 10:38–42), 227,
About the Author, 232,