The Closer Walk

Devotions from 2007 by Sheila Sattler Kale

Almost Easter

By Sheila Sattler-Kale

It’s almost Easter—Resurrection Celebration Day. We celebrate our Savior’s victory over death. We celebrate the display of the evidence of God’s love for us.

Leading up to Easter we look at our need for a Savior.  Many of us saw “The Passion” film produced by Mel Gibson. We were overwhelmed by the pain and suffering inflicted on Jesus. The fact that Jesus—a man—would allow himself such severe torture and humiliation leaves me speechless with sorrow.

I know it is the punishment I deserve but I can’t imagine why my sins would require such an exorbitant price. Looking through the eyes of my own understanding of how I do and should live, the places I fall short just don’t seem that extreme.  No court would hand down so hideous a sentence even if I could confess everything I’ve ever done. 

If the image of Jesus’ death on the cross is the image of my own sin, there must be something I’m missing. 

How do I hack through the brambles of my self-serving, self-protective walls of justification to see the truth?

Maybe-- the answer is in the question.  Brambles: vines of briers twisting and massing together to repel entrance to my fortress of excuses and explanations

As I think of this word-picture, I see myself securely encased, standing alone in my carefully constructed fort.

Self-serving

Self-protective

Self-justifying

Self-sufficient

Each ‘self’ reveals the sin of mistrusting  God’s good intention for us as we decide to take control and make life work separate from God—another lash on the back of Jesus.

Relying on our ‘self’ instead of God effectively locks God on the outside.  The crucifixion is the image God gives us of how much sorrow and pain it causes Him. The violent death of Jesus is the picture of the spiritual wrenching away of life we choose every time we act upon choices made without Him.

Lord God Jesus, expose my lack of trust and self-separation from You. Help me surrender every part of my life to Your love and mercy. Amen.

 *Copyright 2007 Sheila Sattler-Kale. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use only. Commercial copying, hiring,  lending is prohibited.   Any use of this material must include copyright information.

Barking Dogs

By Sheila Sattler Kale

John 14: 12-13 “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” (NIV)

The huge barking mutt charged out from behind the house.  All thought of asking for directions disappeared as I turned to run.  Instantly, I realized two things: the dog would overtake me before I got to the car and a dog will chase anything that runs.  So, I whirled around and screamed, “NO!”  

The dog stopped almost in mid air looking like it was trying to dodge my shriek. We faced each other. His tail began to wag as he lowered his head.  My heart continued to beat furiously as I fought to keep control.  “STAY!” I said. With my eyes locked on his, praying silently, I backed toward the car.

He stayed.

Initially, I believed in the power of that unknown dog. He was a big, black, hound-looking mix. In a second he could have me on the ground. But I remembered. Face the enemy.  Display control and authority--authority that every instinct in me doubted.

This memory came to mind as I was reading the gospels. Story after story tells of Jesus’ miracles of healing.  All accounts share one thing in common.  They were hopeless conditions like blindness, seizures, and even death. They seemed like a dog that was capable of devouring its victim. If any one of those things were trying to overtake me, I would be running for the nearest refuge.

The illness or the circumstance has power if we let it.   Like the barking dog, it is intimidating and menacing.  If we look only through our eyes of logic, we cannot stand up to the huge black thing that is vaulting toward us.

I had to ask myself, how many things in my life am I running from like I started running from the dog that day? Does that reveal that I believe the lie of the power of the problem more than I believe in the power of Jesus to overcome the problem?  Are there difficulties in my life where Jesus is asking me to remember the truth of his strength living in me? Is it time to face the enemy and say, “No. You are just a dog with more bark than bite and God has given me the authority to stop you in your tracks.”

Lord, Jesus, help me not to presume that my ‘wants’ are Your will. But, also, help me not surrender to the attack of “the barking dogs” when a mere word would stop them in their tracks.  Show me the places in my life where I need to stand firm.  Amen.

*Copyright 2007 Sheila Sattler-Kale. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use only. Commercial copying, hiring,  lending is prohibited.   Any use of this material must include copyright information.

Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend.

Battles
By Sheila Sattler-Kale

Deceiving Images
By Sheila Sattler-Kale

Heb. 13:5 "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." [NIV]

Before dawn's light, I was engrossed in my writing project. A fly buzzed round and round the room as if angry at being awakened so early. The annoyance remained on the fringes of my awareness as I concentrated on my work. Then another sound crept into my consciousness: Splat.

Splat. Buzzzz.   Splat.   Buzzzzzzz.  Splat.

I began searching for its source. Was something hitting my window?  As I looked, I saw the fly come into the middle of the room, make a few turns, and then fly full force into the mirror.  Seeing the reflection of the room, the little insect was certain that another room existed. Over and over it
hit the same invisible barrier.

How many times would it hit the glass before it learned, gave up, or killed itself?

As I watched, it occurred to me that my own actions are similar to that of the fly. There are invisible walls I keep running into.  My spirit's mirror reflects my longing for the way I think the world should be.  Time after time, I try to step through the looking glass to find that imaginary place
where if I do everything right, things will go well. God will be pleased. I will have a trouble-free life of comfort, good relationships, peace and abundance.

I constantly hit the wall of reality. There is sickness even though I've done nothing to cause it and everything I know to prevent it. There are fractured relationships even though I've tried hard to act like Jesus would have me act.

Peace eludes me precisely because I am looking at the mirror of my desires instead of trusting God. My 'abundance' doesn't give me any security that I have enough to meet whatever calamity might be waiting to assault me. 

Over and over I try to make God promise a trouble-free life.  Over and over He promises, instead, that He will never leave me or forsake me.

Lord, God, help me to simply trust you and value your presence with me more than my comfort. Overcome the smallness of my vision with the enormity of Yours. Amen

*Copyright 2007 Sheila Sattler-Kale. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use only. Commercial copying, hiring,  lending is prohibited.   Any use of this material must include copyright information.

Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend.

Eat with me

By Sheila Sattler-Kale

Rev. 3:20 “I stand at the door and knock.—If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.” [NIV]

The stomach can be satisfied with food rather quickly and without much thought of presentation.  The abundance of fast food restaurants attest to that. But when I think of eating with someone, I think of sitting down at a table to enjoy, not just consume the food.

Food is more than nourishment to me.  It represents time. It means bringing together flavors, aromas and color. It means planning for a taste delight. When I think of truly fine dining I never think about enjoying it by myself.  It is an experience that needs to be shared with someone I enjoy.

Thinking of eating with someone means that from a half hour to several hours neither of us are going anywhere. We get to savor the flavor of both good food and good conversation. I look forward to exploring my deeper thoughts and receiving my friend’s insights and feelings.  Food is the setting and the excuse.

When Jesus says, “I will come in and eat with him” I hope for the time of sharing.  When Jesus finishes the statement with, “and he with me,” my hope is lifted to truly intimate communion. With those simple words, I envision feasting on the presence of Jesus.  He will touch my very soul and allow me to touch His at a dinner like that.

*Copyright 2007 Sheila Sattler-Kale. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use only. Commercial copying, hiring,  lending is prohibited.   Any use of this material must include copyright information. F

First Gifts
By Sheila Sattler-Kale

Jeremiah 18:6 “…can I not do with you as this potter does,’ declares the LORD.   ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.’” [NIV]

When I give a gift, it is not mine to control. The receiver is completely free to do whatever they choose with it. My delight is in the giving.
 

When I offer God the gift of my heart, my obedience, my faith, I am not so benevolent. I too often find myself pulling back and demanding, “What are You going to do if I really let You have me?”

God answers, “Trust Me.”

 “Will following You be easy?”

God replies, “Will you trust ME?”

 “Will things work out the way I imagine I want them?”

 God says, “I knew you and loved you before you knew yourself. Trust Me.”

But, what if I can’t do what you ask? What if I waste my life in futile striving? What if no one understands me?  What if ….?  What if….?

With no guarantees in hand, my true heart is exposed.  I am more important to me than God or his purposes.--And this is the first gift I must offer: my doubt and my fear.

Before I offer my heart, before I promise my obedience, before I proclaim my faith, I must place my fears in the potter’s hands and allow him to reshape and mold them into courage and strength.

Lord, God, relinquishing fear is impossible for me. Enliven Your spirit within me. Implant Your courage in my soul. Fortify my desire to love You with strong, unwavering trust. Amen.  

*Copyright 2007 Sheila Sattler-Kale. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use only. Commercial copying, hiring,  lending is prohibited.   Any use of this material must include copyright information.

Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend.

Giving Birth
By Sheila Sattler-Kale

Luke 1:30-32a “But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” [NIV]

One woman at one very specific time in history carried the son of God within her body and gave Him birth. It can never happen again.
 

Or can it?  Those of us, who identify ourselves as Christians, carry Christ, through the Holy Spirit, within us. By our own naming of ourselves, we become the face of Christ to our world. 

Do we give him birth?

Do we listen and obey God instead of our own desires or fears? Do we give Christ life even when the path is filled with people who don’t understand and mock our idealism? Do we give Christ life when our comfort is threatened? Do we give Christ birth when the promise we heard is the only evidence that this is the plan of God?

Some of us have never given physical birth.  Some of us may have known the sorrow of losing a child before birth. The deep grief that accompanies that loss is immense. The expected celebration is drowned in tears of anguish.

In some very real way, loss is experienced in Heaven when we don’t allow the Holy Spirit expression through us--When God’s intention is in a sense, still-born. 

The spirit nudges we ignore and the things we know we’re being asked to do that we refuse because it would cost us too much, are of deep significance.  Randy Alcorn, author of one of the best books on Heaven available, says, “We should live our lives so that Heaven will be enlarged.” 

When God’s intentions in us are still-born, Heaven is diminished.

So the question remains. How can you and I get to the point where we can hear and be willing to obey God’s life within us?

Lord, God, help us surrender our will to Your purposes. Let us experience You life in us so fully that it overflows onto everyone around us. Amen 

*Copyright 2007 Sheila Sattler-Kale. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use only. Commercial copying, hiring,  lending is prohibited.   Any use of this material must include copyright information.

Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend.

God Is
By Sheila Sattler-Kale

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” [NIV]

“If God would just speak out loud to me…..”  

“If God would just make His way plain before my face…..”

Haven’t we all said those words?  We are searching for an answer, for a direction, for anything other than the confusion or desperation we’re feeling.  We want to want what God wants. We want to do what God wants.  We can’t hear.  We can’t understand.  Yet, we need answers!

Several years ago, my husband and I were in Flagstaff, Arizona where we knew no one except his daughter and her husband. Steven had a life-threatening illness.  I screamed in my spirit at God, “Why has this happened when we are so far away from home?”

It turned out, Steven had a very rare disease. The doctor in Flagstaff had treated four other patients with this problem in the previous six months. Steven’s own doctor had never seen a case and told him later that he would have misdiagnosed it.

While I was questioning God’s good intentions for us, God was providing us with exactly what we needed.  I was and am so grateful.

It is an experience I use now to comfort myself.  God is working for my good.  God is answering prayers whether I see the answer yet or not.  God is preparing my path even in the darkness of my limited comprehension.

God is good.  God is in the process of loving me—and you--every moment of every day.

God is.

That is what I most need to know.

God is.

That is really all I need to know.

Lord God, thank You for the experiences of Your provision.  Thank you for your love.  Help me to rest and rely on Your faithfulness to Your promises. Amen.

*Copyright 2007 Sheila Sattler-Kale. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use only. Commercial copying, hiring,  lending is prohibited.   Any use of this material must include copyright information.

Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend.

Independence
By Sheila Sattler-Kale

Rom 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  [NIV}

Haven't all of us taken some action--then asked God to bless it? Haven't we decided something was good and desirable then simply assumed God agreed?  Perhaps worse, we've been in a crisis, entrapped in fear, struggling to find an answer, when finally we remember to pray.

Recently, I attended a meeting with women who each loved Jesus.  We began with some tension mixed with expectancy. After a faltering start, the leader simply stopped.

"Let's pray," she said.

It is amazing how sincere prayer creates a bond of unity. More amazing, is the way turning our thoughts to God clears our mind for productive ideas and actions. Yet, often our impulse is to focus on the problem at hand, instead of the problem-solver.  It's like trying to put a bicycle together without looking at the instructions.

Each of these illustrations reveals places in our lives we assume we can live independently of God. Each time we try to remedy a problem apart from reliance on God, we put ourselves into the place of God. Each time we try to solve a conflict apart from wondering what God's view of our situation is, we usurp God's place and steal His glory.

It is sin. It is subtle, mostly unintentional sin. It is the sin of the garden when Satan tempted Eve to 'be like God, knowing good and evil". [Gen. 3:5]

We don't need 'big' sins to convince us of our 'fallen short-ness'. These little, unrecognized deeds of arrogance reveal our desire to be God. These acts of independence reduce the grandeur of God's glory to human size imitation glory.

Lord, help us to be so aware of You, that we naturally and continually confide our fears, pain, questions, and triumphs to You as our Constant Companion. Amen.

*Copyright 2007 Sheila Sattler-Kale. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use only. Commercial copying, hiring,  lending is prohibited.   Any use of this material must include copyright information.
Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend.

Please & Thank You
By Sheila Sattler-Kale

I Thessalonians 5:17 “…pray without ceasing,” [NKJV]

My week has been spent grandmothering. While normally that means pure joy, this week it meant quiet prayers—desperate prayers—prayers for a baby girl born early and small—prayers for her mother, my daughter—good night prayers with her brothers as we knelt beside their bed each night. 

Prayer was as necessary as breath. Breathing in: Please, Lord, Jesus.  Breathing out: Thank You, God. Breathe in the fear. Breathe out gratitude. Breathe in dark possibilities.  Breathe out remembering God’s faithfulness in times past. Breathe in what if…? Breathe out God knows.

After the week was over and both daughter and granddaughter were past their greatest danger, I thought about things I know about prayer:

Praying scripture for your needs ties your heart to God’s own words.  That is a powerful way to pray--but it isn’t the way I prayed.  
 

Confessing sin frees God to work in our lives.  I had no thought of myself or my failure. It never crossed my mind that the loving God I know might hold ransom the lives of those I loved as He waited for some declaration of guilt from me.
 

God inhabits the praises of His people. Lofty praises acknowledging the strength, majesty, glory and power of the Creator of all the universe makes for well-rounded prayer acceptable to a Holy God. I had no lofty words.

My universe was very small this last week. It was in a hospital and a home in Dallas, Texas. My prayers followed no formula. They were simple life sustaining connection to my God whose presence was as real as the air around me.

There were times in my life when I would have chided myself for the smallness of my world and all the things I should have thought and done.  That condemnation holds no power over me tonight.  God was real; God is real; God will always be real. His love for me was, is, and always will be.

It is only the enemy of my soul that would prod me to offer back to God anything less than that reality. My reality was, please, Lord, help us. Thank You, God, that You are here.

Lord, God, thank You.   Thank You.   Amen.

*Copyright 2007 Sheila Sattler-Kale. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use only. Commercial copying, hiring,  lending is prohibited.   Any use of this material must include copyright information.

Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend.

Stuck
By Sheila Sattler-Kale

I John 4:16 “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love…”

“Stuck!  Stuck, Mommy!”

“I know. It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.  Just a few more minutes,” his mother tried to sooth him.

After a fall that cut a gash into his face, two and a half year old Evan was stuck.  He lay in an emergency room snugly wrapped in a papoose as the doctor glued the wound back together. 

“Stuck, Mommy!” he tried again.

“I know. I know. It’s okay,” she said as she smoothed his hair back from his forehead in an effort to comfort him with her touch.

Still, he pleaded, “Go, go, Mommy!”

How could he understand that this added trauma was necessary to help him heal well? His few years of life gave him no perspective about the future.

Hearing my daughter’s story, I thought how often I have cried out to my heavenly Father, “I can’t fix this. I’m trapped in this situation that I can’t change. Take me out of this misery!”

 I can’t begin to understand the need for this painful process or what it all means for my future. At those times I’m comforted to think that my heavenly ‘Daddy’ is saying, “I know. I know. This will take some time, but it is going to be okay.”

If I let my heart focus on the truth I know about God, I can calm down not because I understand, but because my ‘daddy’ loves me and He is here with me. I may not feel like it is okay—or maybe like it will ever be okay—but I can trust the love I feel in His touch just as surely as Evan felt the love and assurance as his mother stroked his head.

What I believe in those moments is not as important as Who I believe.

Father, You are ‘love.’ Thank you that you break through my confusion and help me rest in the fathomless depths of Your love for me. Amen.

*Copyright 2007 Sheila Sattler-Kale. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use only. Commercial copying, hiring,  lending is prohibited.   Any use of this material must include copyright information.

Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend.

Think About Such Things
By Sheila Sattler-Kale

Philippians 4:8 “...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” [NIV]

“It’s ten o’clock. Do you know where your children are?” 

As I was growing up, that question opened ten o’clock news broadcasts across the nation.  Now, almost forty years later, when I hear, “It’s ten o’clock,” I still want to add that all important question, “Do you know…” It was a reminder of responsibility. It was a reminder of what was most precious. It seemed very fitting that our news broadcasters would use their time and influence in that way.

Things have changed dramatically. News has become a form of entertainment that caters to our lowest common denominator as the latest horror is incessantly replayed. Frustrated with the repetition of the details about the worst of humanity, my husband and I were discussing whether we should give up cable TV entirely.  I wondered aloud, “What would it be like if at the beginning or at the end, the newscaster would simply say, “Now, if anything is excellent or praise worthy, think about such things.”

Would it change the world?

Would it change our hearts?

We don’t need to wait for someone to say it for us. If we choose, we can tack that thought onto the end of the news—or the end of our day—or the beginning of our day. Then, when we look at what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy, we will be looking at some revelation of God.  When we look at God we are transformed.   The delight we find in the wonders of God expresses itself in actions that are noble and true.

Dear Lord, help me to focus on You and all the wonderful blessings poured out on me daily---blessings of nature, blessing of family and friends, blessings of challenges. Lift my spirit above the mundane. Let my mind and heart be filled with praise for You. Amen.

*Copyright 2007 Sheila Sattler-Kale. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use only. Commercial copying, hiring,  lending is prohibited.   Any use of this material must include copyright information. 

  Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend.

Worst Sinner
By Sheila Sattler-Kale

I Tim. 1:15-16 “…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”  [NIV]

When I was in Junior High, I was called ‘goody-two-shoes.’  Instead of taking the label as a badge of honor, I felt shame. Instead of realizing it meant I was an independent thinker, I understood it to mean, ‘You don’t fit in; you’re different.’  At thirteen, you only want to be different from people over 30. 

You could rightly assume from the label that I didn’t ‘sin’ much. As much as I wanted to fit in, I wanted more to be good. 

That is how I’ve always thought of Paul. He was doing what he thought was good. He kept the commandments.  With fanatical zeal, Paul’s actions followed the teachings of the temple. Not only did he think he was defending God, tradition, and his nation--he thought it absolutely.

However, he calls himself the worst sinner.  Further, he says he is the example of God’s mercy used to reveal Jesus Christ to others that they too can receive eternal life.

I am a little stunned.  I thought the ‘worst sinner’ designation would have been reserved for wanton rebellion—for those who lied, cheated, committed adultery, murdered, and generally shunned any idea of God.

What does it mean that a man who diligently followed the teachings of his youth and out of ignorance persecuted those who believed differently than he did, earned the title, “worst sinner?”

One thing I think it tells us is this: The more determined we are to save ourselves by our good works the more desperately we need a Savior.

Whether it is obvious and atrocious evil or stubborn self-righteousness, or pride that we are trying to do good works, God offers us mercy, forgiveness, and eternal life.

Dear Lord, thank You that Your loving forgiveness extends to the most flagrant sinners, to those who are absolutely wrong even though they want to please you, and to the one who is earnestly trying to be the best they can be. We all need You. Thank you for our salvation. Amen.

*Copyright 2007 Sheila Sattler-Kale. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use only. Commercial copying, hiring,  lending is prohibited.   Any use of this material must include copyright information.

Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend.

Yes, Yes! Of Course!
By Sheila Sattler-Kale

Genesis 18:25 “…Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” [NIV]

Most of us read scripture in order to understand what God would have us do or how he would have us act. We want to know what is right or wrong. Our justice system mirrors the fundamental laws of society found in the 10 Commandments. 

Jewish people, however, read the scripture in order to know God.  Scripture is to be questioned, and argued as a way of interacting with God. What we see as God’s final word, they see as the opening of dialog.

Genesis 18 is an example. Abraham begs God not to destroy Sodom if He finds fifty righteous people in the city.  The pleading is almost admonishing God. “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? …Far be it from you,” he tells God. Then he barters. What if there are only forty-five righteous?  Forty? Thirty? Twenty? Only ten?  With each smaller number, God relents and says, if there are only that few people, for their sake I will not destroy the city.

With each smaller number, Abraham becomes bolder. I wonder if he is counting in his mind the people who might be called righteous. With each reduction in number, Abraham confronts the desperate wickedness of Sodom.  By the time they reach ten, Abraham must be sick at his stomach as he comes into agreement with God. 

What does this story tell us about God?

He revealed His plans. Then, He lingered with Abraham and allowed his questions. God wanted Abraham to comprehend the enormity of evil.  God wanted to be known.

For only fifty people, God would spare the whole city.  For five less than fifty? Yes, yes, of course. The number reaches ten.  Abraham is silenced. God’s mercy and hope lies exposed in stark contrast to the grievous sins of the people.

LORD, God, when I can’t understand the circumstances, stay with me until I understand Your heart. Amen.

*Copyright 2007 Sheila Sattler-Kale. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use only. Commercial copying, hiring,  lending is prohibited.   Any use of this material must include copyright information.

Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend.