Life Budget - Devotion for 11/5/07

Life Budget – Devotion for 11/5/07

When I was in college, I had no real understanding of money. I remember just constantly spending and spending whenever I wanted or needed something. I remember using the ATM machine kinda like a slot machine – I’d stick my card in hoping that there would be some money coming out. It probably wasn’t until the first time or two of walking away from the bank empty handed that I began to understand a bit better that my resources were finite. That understanding led me to begin to make a few changes – spending my money a little more wisely, saving when I could, earning when I could, and appreciating what I had a little more. It took an experience of having none to realize how precious having any at all could be.

Sometimes we treat the days of our lives as if they were stored in some college kid’s bank account. This morning as I read Psalm 90, one verse really seemed to speak to me: “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12) I think some days pass without me even recognizing that another day has passed. Not that I didn’t live that day, but maybe I didn’t live that day significantly. When we let a day pass without there being any significance to that day, we’ve not really valued that day. When I use that word “significance” to describe a day, I’m talking about have we done anything that day of lasting value to either our own lives or the life of someone else? Your day can become “significant” and worth numbering through simple gestures of kindness to a stranger, encouraging someone who is down, or just taking the time to sit and read God’s word and pray. And if we truly set out a budget on the days of our lives, considering each and every day as a valuable commodity, then we too may present a heart of wisdom to God. Have a significant day!

Being unreasonable - Devotion for 10/31/07

Being Unreasonable – Devotion for 10/31/07

One thing that I hated hearing from my parents when I was growing up was “because I said so.” I swore I would not ever say that to my children, but guess what? I say it all the time when they try to argue with me. “Because I said so” is the near perfect way of saying to your child, “Quit arguing – I’m the parent and I’m right and you’re just going to have to live and trust it!” As a teen, I thought that “because I said so” was completely unreasonable, because that really isn’t much of an excuse why I should do something or why I wasn’t allowed to do something. But it was my parents word that won, so I had to abide by it, whether I believed it to be reasonable or not.

John 9 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. In this familiar passages, Jesus and his disciples happen upon a blind man, and after a brief discussion as to why the man was blind, Jesus ultimately healed him with some mud made from his spit and dirt. Well, the Pharisees get all worked up because Jesus did this on the Sabbath, and they felt that him healing this man on the Sabbath was a sign that he was not from God. The Pharisees interrogate the former blind man and his parents, simply trying to understand what and why this has happened. The Pharisees ask him a leading question: “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.” (John 9:24) In their words, they want him to give glory to God by proclaiming that God is the one who healed him, and not this “sinner” named Jesus. The formerly sight-impaired replies, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind.” (John 9:25) What I love about his reply is that he didn’t know how it happened exactly. He couldn’t explain the science of his healing, and he didn’t need to. He didn’t even really know who Jesus was, and he certainly didn’t know whether or not Jesus was a sinner, and to him it didn’t matter. What mattered is one moment he was blind – the next moment because of the touch of Jesus he could see, and he was just fine with not knowing the rest of the who, what, why, when, and where. To him, it was kind of like accepting a “because I said so” thing – he didn’t need to know anything more.

Oh that I would live that way sometimes. Sometimes I get so caught up in why something happens, or why I’m supposed to do this or that. I want a reasonable explanation for everything, and I try to rationalize everything. I have a difficult time accepting “coincidences,” and I try to find a reason for those types of things. Sometimes I just need to quit asking why. Sometimes I need to just acknowledge that I don’t have all the answers and I’m not going to figure it all out. I need to accept that God doesn’t need a reason for everything that He does or allows. I think I need to accept that I can be unreasonable.

I.O.U. - Devotion for 10/25/07

Debt is a four-letter word. Usually that title – “four letter word” – is used to categorize certain cuss words such as “%$&*” and “#@?>” (come on, you didn’t think I’d actually include them, did you?), and I believe that debt belongs in such a category. It truly is amazing how quickly and easily debt can spring up on someone. Think about a student that heads off to college (that is financed via college loans). That student arrives on campus and is offered a “free” t-shirt and other assorted goodies just for applying for a new “low-interest” Student Visa card. After growing tired of the campus meal plan, that Visa card provides an attractive option as he or she can go off campus to get some real food. After 4 years (or 7, if you’re an NC State grad – hehehehe) of college, you matriculate with probably at least $33K in college loans and debt accumulated from those late night trips to Taco Bell (open till 3AM!). Finding a new job after college, one has to spruce up the wardrobe and maybe even need a new car, so again more debt is charged and incurred. Love struck, the fellow buys a diamond ring on credit which costs far more than he can actually afford, but he really wants to “prove” his love. Fortunately Mom and Dad are helping with the actual wedding costs, but the happy couple wants a honeymoon that they will remember for the rest of their lives, so they plan an elaborate week-long cruise. When they get home (with plenty of souvenirs for everyone), they settle into their beautiful new home, which is way too big for just the 2 of them, but just right for when they start a family. Kids come along, cars break down, taxes come due . . . get the idea why that word “debt” is such a dirty word?

But debt seems to be a fact of life. My hope is that by the time Jacob and Aaron earn their scholarships to play soccer at Duke, the debt that Jennifer and I incurred through our education will be paid off. I think it is interesting that to have a good credit rating, you actually have to incur some debt. Something seems backwards about that to me. Paul brings up debt in the book of Romans – “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8) Somehow I always get caught up in that “owe nothing.” Why is being in debt to someone such a bad thing? Because it limits what you can do with what you have. Debt is usually a sign of us living beyond what we actually have. It is a promise, “if you give this to me now, I will give you that when I get it.” As faithful Christians, God wants us all to be healthy within our soul, our body, and yes also in our wallet. If you’re in debt like me, don’t become overwhelmed by that huge mountain before you. How do you scale a mountain? One step at a time. Every day work to make the mountain smaller by paying more, and work to not make the mountain bigger, by living as close to within your means as possible. Trust me – I’m not just preaching to the choir on this one.

Put in our place - Devotion for 10/24/07

Put in our place – Devotion for 10/24/07

Last night as I was coaching my sons soccer team at practice, I overheard one particular little boy saying that he was the third best player on the team. I personally despise hearing that kind of talk, because as I have learned so many times that kind of talk takes the emphasis off of the team as a whole and puts the focus on individuals. I told the little group of boys that I didn’t want to hear that kind of talk, but sure enough boys being boys, I heard the one boy continuing on that he was the third best on the team (hey – at least he has something to strive for, I guess). We were doing a particular drill that was a one-on-one drill, and I could see that each time he was up he was aligning himself against another player who wasn’t quite as strong of a player as he was. So his next time up, I called forward one of the better girls on the team and had her go against him. Just like I had wanted, she went out there and just smoked him in the drill. As he came back to the group, I called him to the side and told him that I didn’t want to hear any more talk about who was better because there was always someone better. I almost felt bad about doing it, but I didn’t say it so that others could here, and I knew it was important for him to understand it is not about one person, but the whole group. And, I needed to put him in his place. Well, I guess I didn’t actually put him in his place – the little girl that smoked him did.

Sometimes we all need to be put in our place. It’s called being held accountable. We’ve got to recognize that there are consequences for our actions or inactions, and if there is no one around to put us in our place, then there is no accountability. In 2 Chronicles 7:12-22, God is speaking to Solomon, and He tells Solomon that there is a level of accountability that he and his people will be held to: “humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) However, if they do not do these things, He is going to put them in their place: “Then I will uproot you from My land which I have given you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.” (2 Chronicles 7:20) As Christians, sometimes we tend to begin to think a little too highly of ourselves. We can attempt to be smug about how holy and pious we are, but the fact is we still sin and we still fall short of what we are called to be. Let us not forget that even though we are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, God still has expectations of us. As God told Solomon, let us too keep ourselves humble, pray and seek the face of God, and turn from our wicked ways.

Finishing sentences - Devotion for 10/22/07

Finishing sentences – Devotion for 10/22/07

Many of us have a friend or 2 that knows us so well that they can finish our own sentences and thought before we do. Jay Locklear is one of those friends of mine that can do that to me – Jay seems to know what I’m going to say before I even do. Jay and I have played music together on a variety of occasions over the past few years, and there have been so many times where we have been playing, and we look at each as if to ask, “What do you want to play next?”, and almost instantaneously we start playing exactly the same song. We’ve just played too much music together to not know what the other one is thinking. Same thing with anyone that is close to you that knows what you’re thinking before you even say, or they finish your thought as you are saying it – it is a result of the familiarity that they have with you due to the amount of time they have spent with you.

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my though from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all.” (Psalm 139:1-4) God know knows all of your thoughts before you even say them because of how well He knows you. He knows what you’re going to do next, not because He has ordered you to do it, but because He simply knows what you’re going to do in virtually all situations. He is intimately acquainted with all of your ways. He could finish just about any sentence you could begin because He is that good of a friend.

Could we live up to a similar standard with regards to our friendship with God? I’m asking if we spend enough time with God, know Him well enough, that we know His words, His plans, His desires for us? As David went on in Psalm 139:6, “Such knowledge is too wonderful me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.” But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t keep reaching to draw as close to God as He is close to us.

Modern tribulations - Devotion for 10/18/07

Modern tribulations – Devotion for 10/18/07

Recently here in Fayetteville, NC, there has been somewhat of a religious/political flap. A memorandum was sent out to all city and county employees by the city and county attorneys stating that no employee should pray “in the name of Jesus” at any public function or ceremony so as to prevent any potential lawsuits. There have been a few letters to the editor in the paper regarding this “persecution” that Christians are experiencing, and that if we “deny Christ, He will deny us.” In the mindset of persecution, I was drawn this morning to 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 as Paul describes some of his “persecutions”:

Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.”

Sometimes we forget what it really means to be persecuted. Going back to something I said earlier this week, John Wesley always felt that Christian when rightly practiced will always be met with resistance. In that mindset, persecution can be confirmation that you must be doing something right. Being told to not pray at a public government function in the name of Jesus is not persecution, although I would argue that abiding by it is compromise, which is something I can’t say I believe God feels too good about. I take strength in knowing that in the midst of all of Paul’s persecutions, struggles, and tribulations, although his body became weaker his faith seemed to be made stronger. Today, let us lift up in prayer all who today may actually be experiencing real persecution, real suffering, real hardships in the name of the Lord. And if our time ever comes, let us too be willing to face those same persecutions “in the name of Jesus.”

Concealed Faith - Devotion for 10/17/07

Concealed Belief – Devotion for 10/17/07

I remember there was a time that I didn’t want people to know that my dad was a preacher. Once they found out I was a PK (preacher’s kid) they would automatically make one of 2 assumptions: either I was a “goody-goody Holy roller” or I was “Hell on wheels.” It was embarrassing to me either way, because even if I was thought of as “Hell on wheels,” people still assumed that I had the same faith that my dad did, and that was something I didn’t want people to think. I’ve said it before how embarrassed I used to get when our family would be eating at a restaurant and we would say a prayer of blessing over the meal – I felt like everyone in the world was staring! Yes, in this world full of stereotypes, I remember wanting to keep my dad’s vocation and our faith concealed.

As I’ve been reading from Matthew 10 this week, it seems to really be hitting me how much Jesus is pressing on us living a life that reveals our faith. The passage I read today was Matthew 10:24-42, three times Jesus encourages his disciples to not fear what might happen as their faith is revealed through their preaching, teaching, and living. In that same passage, He also offers this: “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33) Let’s live a life that doesn’t deny the presence of Christ in our lives. That doesn’t mean go push your faith down the throat of your co-workers (they wouldn’t appreciate that much, probably). But you can live a life that proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ and models the love that Christ showed you.

Love me, Hate me - Devotion for 10/16/07

Love me, Hate me – Devotion for 10/16/07

Do you have a mortal enemy? I love to watch the re-runs of “Seinfeld,” and I always love it when Newman comes walking into the room, and you have this exchange between the two enemies: “Hello, Jerry.” “Helloooo, NEWMAN!” Even if you’ve never seen the show before, you know what it is like for two people to hate or strongly dislike one another, and it is not a pleasant thing to be around. Most of us want to love and be loved, and like to think that people like us and not hate us. The problem is this: we aren’t supposed to always be liked or loved!

John Wesley felt that Christianity when rightly practiced would always be met with resistance. As Jesus Christ is sending out his disciples in Matthew 10, he warns them, “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” (Matthew 10:21-22). As I understand it, if we are living in the name of Jesus Christ, whether we know it or not, someone hates us. Conversely, if we aren’t living fully in the name of Jesus Christ, then all people may not like us, but we probably aren’t hated. So to experience true love we must also experience true hate. For someone to hate us, we’ve got to take a stand in the name of Jesus Christ – we’ve got to be identified with Him by more than just our words. Today, are you identified with Christ? Are you ready to be hated? “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.” (Matthew 10:24) If Jesus was hated, we can’t be above being hated as well. Stand up for Christ. Be identified with Him.

Take the test - Devotion for 10/15/07

Take the test – Devotion for 10/15/07

There is a passage in the book of Judges that I think is really cool – Judges 12:1-7. In this passage, one of the judges that God has raised up to deliver Israel is Jephthah the Gileadite, and the people of Ephraim have entered into a dispute with the Gileadites. They got to war against each other, and the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan opposite the Jordan river. When any on would come to the river to cross over, the Gileadites would ask them if they were from Ephraim, and if the people said “no,” then they were given a special test. The Gileadite would say, “Say now, ‘Shibboleth,’” but someone who was truly from Ephraim would instead say “Sibboleth” (without the “h”), because they would not pronounce it correctly. If they failed this quick linguistics test, then the people of Gilead would seize the person and kill them. Judges 12:6 tell us that “thus there fell at that time 42,000 of Ephraim.” Personally, I think I would have tried to learn to say “Shibboleth.” Such a language test was used many years later in the border wars between Scotland and England, and the word “tree” was used to identify who someone really was.

I think that test is really cool – it shows quite simply who you really are. In this day and time, such a thing could be quite useful. Many times people aren’t actually what they seem – we say one thing, yet do another. What kind of test could we take to determine what we really are? In Interior Castle, by St. Teresa of Avila, she has a good idea of what that test might look like. “Fix your eyes on the Crucified and nothing else will be of much importance to you. If his Majesty revealed his love to us by doing and suffering such amazing thing, how can you expect to please him by words alone?” Take the test – are we attempting to please God with only words? Let our lives be a pleasing and acceptable sacrifice to God as we serve him each day in the specific ways God has called each one of us.

Take the test - Devotion for 10/15/07

Take the test – Devotion for 10/15/07

There is a passage in the book of Judges that I think is really cool – Judges 12:1-7. In this passage, one of the judges that God has raised up to deliver Israel is Jephthah the Gileadite, and the people of Ephraim have entered into a dispute with the Gileadites. They got to war against each other, and the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan opposite the Jordan river. When any on would come to the river to cross over, the Gileadites would ask them if they were from Ephraim, and if the people said “no,” then they were given a special test. The Gileadite would say, “Say now, ‘Shibboleth,’” but someone who was truly from Ephraim would instead say “Sibboleth” (without the “h”), because they would not pronounce it correctly. If they failed this quick linguistics test, then the people of Gilead would seize the person and kill them. Judges 12:6 tell us that “thus there fell at that time 42,000 of Ephraim.” Personally, I think I would have tried to learn to say “Shibboleth.” Such a language test was used many years later in the border wars between Scotland and England, and the word “tree” was used to identify who someone really was.

I think that test is really cool – it shows quite simply who you really are. In this day and time, such a thing could be quite useful. Many times people aren’t actually what they seem – we say one thing, yet do another. What kind of test could we take to determine what we really are? In Interior Castle, by St. Teresa of Avila, she has a good idea of what that test might look like. “Fix your eyes on the Crucified and nothing else will be of much importance to you. If his Majesty revealed his love to us by doing and suffering such amazing thing, how can you expect to please him by words alone?” Take the test – are we attempting to please God with only words? Let our lives be a pleasing and acceptable sacrifice to God as we serve him each day in the specific ways God has called each one of us.

Harry Potter & the Mediating Friendships - Devotion for 10/11/07

Harry Potter & the Mediating friendships – Devotion for 10/11/07

In the book (and movie) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, there is a particular moment where Harry and his best friend Ron have had a disagreement and are not talking to each other. Not getting into all the details for all you non-Potter fans, Ron has some information that he needs to pass along to Harry, but because of their dispute, he refuses to tell him himself. So Ron recruits another one of their friends, Hermione, to go and tell Harry what Ron has found out. As Ron and Harry are standing no further than 20 feet apart, Hermione is going back and forth delivering one another’s messages as they both refuse to speak directly to each other. Finally, Hermione is frustrated at the two and tired of delivering one another’s messages and proclaims, “I’m not an owl!” (In the books/movies, owls are used to deliver messages/mail).

Have you ever been caught as the go-between with friends who are in a dispute? There you are, caught right in the middle, almost afraid to say anything that would be understood as you taking a side. Yet, because of the friendship you have with these 2 people, and the friendship that they used to have, you do what you can to mediate between the 2 so that the friendship can be restored. And yes, sometimes we too can get to that point of frustration like Hermione and just want to give up. If you’ve ever experienced what it is like to be in the middle – the go-between – the mediator, then you have at least a slight understanding of what Jesus is doing for us as He sits at the right hand of God.

Hebrews 8 speaks of Jesus as the “high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.” (Hebrews 8:1) The term “priest” literally means one who serves as a mediator between God and man – the go-between, so to speak. Through our sins, we have created a dispute with God, as our actions stand in opposition to Him. As Jesus sits at the right hand of the throne, He is serving as our priest, our mediator, dare I say our attorney representing us before God, working to reconcile each one of us with the Master. With understanding Jesus as our priest, He has offered an acceptable sacrifice to God the Father on our behalf – His own blood. And now, because that sacrifice was accepted by God, the Father is willing to offer a new covenant to all who come to Him via the mediation of Jesus Christ – salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ.

So today, maybe you’ll find yourself in the middle of 2 friends who have a dispute. Put yourself in Jesus’ sandals, and be willing to find a way to mediate that friendship. And when you do, maybe consider how great the friendship of Jesus Christ is, that He would go so far as to lay down His life so that you may be reconciled with God.

Successful friendship - Devotion for 10/10/07

Successful friendship – Devotion for 10/10/07

This morning as I was reading from 1 Samuel 18, I got to thinking about the friendship that David and Jonathan had with one another. Throughout David’s life, we can see how genuine the friendship between David and Jonathan was, no matter what Jonathan’s father Saul did (or attempted) to him. I think that the friendship that they had was a part of the reason David was so successful in almost everything he did. A good friend will encourage and support you to success. A good friend will hold you accountable and point you back in the right direction towards success. I believe that these two had that type of friendship – the type that allows you to talk openly and honestly with one another – the type that allows you to correct one another – the type that allows you to encourage one another.

Do you have that type of friendship with someone? Maybe it is with your spouse – I know that my wife truly serves as that type of friend to me, helping to hold me accountable and correcting me (in a loving way . . . usually) when I need to get back on track. Maybe it is with someone else - I have another friend, Jay, that for years I have been able to call on to talk through difficult things, and also to enjoy the fellowship of simply “clowning” around with one another. Today, give thanks for those friendships that we have that help build us up, encourage us, and make us stronger. I believe that the friendship between Jonathan and David demonstrated to God that David had the capability to care for someone other than himself. Let us look to make one another successful through our friendships as we look beyond just ourselves.

Stick with it - Devotion for 10/7/07

Stick with it – Devotion for 10/9/07

I remember what it was like when I was 15 and learning how to drive a car with a stick shift. At the time we lived in Raleigh, NC, and my car was a 1976 Datsun 280Z (Google it if you don’t know what that is). This awesome little sports car was a fun car, but learning to drive it was another thing. My dad would take me out to rural areas outside of town for me to practice driving, and I had such a difficult thing getting the timing down of when to pop the clutch and when to shift. My dad would have to constantly instruct me when to do what, and I would get so frustrated that I almost just wanted to get rid of the car (notice the use of the word “almost”). I remember dad telling me, “One day you’ll just get it, and you won’t even have to think about what to do and when to shift – you’ll just do it without even thinking about it.” He let me know that it may be struggle until I get to that point, and that I may make a few mistakes, but if I was diligent, I would get there.

I thought about those experiences of learning to drive a stick shift this morning as I read Jeremiah 31:27-34. In this passage God is proclaiming that a new day is coming for Israel and Judah. God has already had to execute judgment upon them, and now God is proclaiming that a new start is coming and a new covenant that will be unlike the old covenant: “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of the, for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34) I think that learning to be a faithful follower of Christ is like learning to drive a stick shift. As immature Christians, we get so caught up in trying to do things exactly right, and yet we find ourselves making many mistakes. But the more we press on within the Kingdom of God, the more we know what to do – and we begin to live as if it is written on our hearts, instead of just in our head. Today, let us stick with following Christ, even if it means we make a few mistakes along the way. As my dad told me a little over 20 years ago, “One day you’ll just get it, and you won’t even have to think about what to do and when to shift – you’ll just do it without even thinking about it.”

Devoted Football - Devotion for 10/8/07

Devoted football – Devotion for 10/8/07

My sons are starting to more of an interest in watching and playing football, and I’ve got to admit it is kind of cool to be able to sit and watch a game with them. Earlier this football season, I took the boys to see Duke field a team for a game (that’s about all I’ll say about that), and as soon as we got home they wanted to get out in the yard and play some football. They love to run and throw, and they especially like to tackle. One of the difficult things for them to get is where to run for me to throw them the ball. I’ll say “hike,” and they’ll just stand where they are waiting for me to throw the ball. I’ll instruct them to run down the field and I’ll throw it, so they run down the field a bit and stop – waiting for me to throw the ball. I tell them I am going to throw the ball in front of them, and for them to keep running to where the ball is going, and finally it begins to sink in to them. You see, it’s difficult for them to understand that they are to go certain places on the field when they don’t even have the ball, just so they can get the ball. They seem to be thinking, “Why can’t the ball just come to me where I’m at?”

This morning I got to thinking about Moses, and how Moses really did not want to have to go confront Pharaoh. In Exodus 3-4, Moses is coming up with all kinds of excuses as to why he shouldn’t be the one: “who am I?” (basically, I’m nobody – Ex. 3:11); “what will I say? (Ex. 3:13); “what if they don’t believe me? (Ex. 4:1); “I am slow of speech and slow of tongue (Ex. 4:10). Moses spent all the time arguing with God, kind of like my sons arguing with me to throw the ball at them while they are just standing there. I think God wants us to walk (or run) by faith to where He wants us, and then He’ll throw us the ball. We may feel scared and exposed, and we may come up with all kinds of excuses that keep us from going where God wants us – “I don’t know what I’ll say;” “I’m not that good and telling someone about God;” “Who am I to tell someone about His love?” Sometimes we’ve just got to go and trust that when we get there the “ball” will get there. Don’t sit and wait for God to throw you the ball. Go to where God wants you and then expect the ball.

Distractions - Devotion for 10/4/07

Distractions – Devotion for 10/4/07

Are you easily distracted? When you are in a class or lecture, does the smallest thing take away your attention from what you are supposed to be paying attention to? What about when you go to the store to get just one particular item? I’ve gone to the store before just to get a galloon of milk and I walk out pushing a cart full of cheetos, fritos, and Doritos (what’s up with all the ‘tos?). There are times when we may be doing chores around the house, and right in the middle of dusting the din, someone will get distracted and move on to something else without ever completing the task they were assigned to do. On a spiritual level, how many times do you go to God in prayer, but in the midst of your prayer you begin to think about how you need to go the bank, pick up the dry cleaning, wondering how they put the filling in a Twinkie – “umm, where was I God?”

As a Christian in the midst of the world, there are tons of distractions that do nothing but distract us. While our task may be to edify and glorify God with our lives, there are literally hundreds of thousands of potential distractions that may keep us from our objective. I confess, if the phone rings while I am in the midst of prayer I will quit my prayer to answer the phone! That’s kind of like putting God on hold because I think that whoever is on the other end of the line is more important. Any day that we say that we don’t have time to read at least some of God’s word – any day that we say that we have too much to do to pray – any day that we say that can’t spare a few minutes to simply listen to what God has to say to you that day – those days we are allowing distractions to take the place of God in our lives. When we allow distractions to take the place of God in our lives, we are de facto saying that those things are more important than God. And when we put something in a place of greater importance than God we have entered into idolatry. 2 Timothy 2:3-4 states, “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” In Eugene Peterson’s The Message, he puts it like this: “When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did. A soldier on duty doesn’t get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders.” Today, maintain focus on the mission and the purpose of our creation – to glorify God with our lives. If you’re reading this, you’re already taking a little bit of time to spend with Him – good start! Don’t stop there! Talk to Him, and give Him a chance to respond. Don’t get distracted.

Compromise (a dirty word) - Devotion for 10/3/07

Compromise (a dirty word) – Devotion for 10/3/07

All my life I have been of the understanding that a compromise is a good thing. I remember in our premarital counseling (which was done by my father, by the way) hearing about the need to compromise: “You both will have to make sacrifices in order to bring about a happy marriage.” I was taught about compromise through team sports, recognizing we needed to do what was best for the team and not for individuals. I teach my sons about compromise, finding ways that they can agree on something (actually, I haven’t really figured that one out yet – still working on it). Compromise has always been something that has been encouraged, and in most cases compromising is good. However, there are certain areas of our life that must be “uncompromisable” (yes, spell check is telling me that’s not a word). Time with our friends and family should not be compromised for something else. Putting aside money for the future should not be compromised. Your integrity and honesty must not be compromised. And most importantly, your faith and living out of that faith should never be compromised.

This morning as I was reading Hebrews 11, I was reminded of some of the great heroes of faith. As we are reminded about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and even Rahab, we see how powerful things can happen when we live an uncompromising faith. But as Hebrews 11 goes on, we begin to recognize why some people may be tempted to compromise their faith: “. . . others we tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chain and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword . . .” (Hebrews 11:35-37) They endured these difficulties because they would not compromise their faith. If you read the letters to the 7 churches in Asia contained in Revelation 2-3, one of the recurring themes that they are doing wrong could be spelled out as “compromise” – some are worshipping both God and the emperor so as to avoid persecution. I am reminded of St. Ignatius of Antioch, who was martyred around 98-117 AD. Ignatius refused to worship the emperor, Trajan, and thus was bound and chained and sent to Rome in order to be thrown to the lions in the Roman Coliseum. On the way to Rome Ignatius wrote several letters to churches, and in the letter known as the “Letter to the Romans,” Ignatius wrote, “I implore you: do not be unseasonably kind to me. Let me be food for the wild beasts, through whom I can reach God. I am God's wheat, and I am being ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I might prove to be pure bread."

Do not compromise your faith for anyone or anything. God is a jealous God, and a God deserving of all of our adoration and praise. God deserves our faith in Him. Today, let us be uncompromising when it comes to matters of our faith.

My Dad can beat up your Dad - Devotion for 9/28/07

My Dad can beat up your Dad – Devotion for 9/28/07

“My Dad can beat up your Dad!” As a PK (Preacher’s Kid), we had another version of this: “My Dad can preach better than your Dad!” Of course, I’m sure that BK’s (no, not Burger King, but Baker’s Kids) probably had a different version: “My Dad can out-bake your Dad!” And again, I’m sure that OK’s (Optometrist’s Kids) probably had still a different version: “My Dad help people see better than your Dad!” As kids, I hope we all kinda looked up to our parents and thought in many ways that our parents were the best. We looked up to them with admiration and we were super impressed with their size, strength, and abilities. We had so much faith in them that we would easily make comments such as “My Dad can beat up your Dad,” fully believing and having all confidence that he could.

We have a God that we can have that same kind of confidence in. We have a God that time and time again has done it all – from creating a masterpiece (take a look in the mirror – you’ll see what I mean) to kicking the butt of the enemy (take a look at any of the Old Testament battles where God intervened – sometimes with just loud noise, other times with hail and fire). We can’t have too much confidence in our own actions, because comparatively speaking we are weak and unreliable. Paul reminded us as he defended his own ministry in 2 Corinthians 10 that if we boast or brag on anything, the thing we should boast in is our Dad – God. “For we do not want to baost about work already done in another man’s territory. But, ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’” (2 Corinthians 10:16b-17)

For the love of money - Devotion for 9/27/07

For the love of money – Devotion for 9/27/07

It’s funny to me that the last thing my wife and I talked about this morning before I left the house was about money, and then this morning I come into the office to do my daily Bible reading and the passage I was to read for today was about money (I think God planned that). Life was so much simpler when we were kids because back then we didn’t worry too much about money. I knew that my family didn’t have much, but I also knew we always had a meal on the table, and I always had clothes to wear. When I was young there may have been certain toys that I really wanted (like a Stretch Armstrong) and certain household things I knew would make our lives better (like a Commodore 64), but all in all I was pretty content. I didn’t worry about where my lunch money was coming from, and I didn’t worry about where my clothes were coming from. I didn’t even really care what I wore and whether it matched or not.

But then I began to get a little older. Suddenly the type of shoes that I wore became more and more important (“Can I please have the white Nike’s with the blue swoosh?”), and the shirts had to have a little alligator logo sewn on the front. The older I got the more concerned I became about money, or more importantly our lack thereof. With each year passing, money became more and more important, and the desire to acquire/earn money grew more and more. Now as an adult, money plays a prominent role every day – money for the kids lunch, money for my lunch, money for gas, money for bills. This trend is not something that is unique just to Adam Seate – this trend is extremely common. Something that as kids we didn’t worry much about eventually becomes such a big part of our life that it is the leading cause of divorce in America. Think about it – if you’re married, have you ever had an argument with your spouse about money?

The passage of scripture that I read this morning was 1 Timothy 6:1-19, and a large part of that passage regards money and what we do with it. Verses 8-10 read, “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Let’s find contentment in food and covering. Let’s find contentment like a child, knowing that we may not have everything we want, but we have what we need. Don’t let money cause us to wander away from our faith and cause us the pain and grief that Paul speaks of to Timothy.

Small miracles - Devotion for 9/26/07

Small miracles – Devotion for 9/26/07

One definition of the word miracle is “an extraordinary event, perceived to be the result of the direct, purposeful action of a god or the agent of a god.” (The Oxford Companion to the Bible) Every now and then we get to witness some special miracles, from the miraculous healings to the miracle of a life changed. Biblically, we can point out quite a variety of miracles, from the parting of the Red Sea for the people of Israel to cross, to the miraculous healings found in the book of Acts. We also are quite aware of the first miracle recorded in the Bible – Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Jesus took that ordinary water and made it into extraordinary wine.

St. Augustine felt that there are more miracles that what we normally recognize. Augustine wrote, “At the wedding that day he made wine in the six waterpots he had had filled with water; but he does the same thing every year in the vines . . . the Lord turns into wine the water that the clouds drop.” There is no God like our God, who does miraculous things each and every day. Every day I am amazed at the miracle of life when I think of the 2 boys that Jennifer and I helped bring into this world. Every day I am amazed at the miraculous beauty of the sky. Each and every day we have the opportunity to witness miracles – big and small. Let’s not overlook the small ones in an attempt to just see the big ones.

“There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like Yours. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and they shall glorify Your name. For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.” Psalm 86:8-10

People pleasing - Devotion for 9/25/07

People pleasing – Devotion for 9/25/07

Are you a “people pleaser”? Sometimes we become quite caught up in making everyone else happy, and in doing so, we end up making ourselves unhappy. A people pleaser will try to be what someone else wants them to be, and they are afraid of rocking the boat in certain situations. A people pleaser may find it hard to speak their own mind, finding it easier to just go along with what someone else wants. A people pleaser will just want everyone to get along, and so they also have a hard time saying “no” in situations so that they can just “keep the peace.” It is a natural tendency for us to want to be people pleasers – it begins quite early as children trying to please their parents and teachers. But at some point in our life we have to change our view of who we should attempt to please.

In Luke 12:1-21, I think Jesus is addressing “people pleasing.” He is talking about covering up things, keeping things hidden. We all have something in our lives that we keep (or try to keep) hidden from other people because we are scared what others might think of us if they knew the truth. But Jesus reminds us “there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (Luke 12:2). We are reminded by Jesus that he knows everything about us – “indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (I think I just lost #457!). He knows all about us, and he still loves us. Maybe instead of focusing on pleasing others we should focus on pleasing God. A God pleaser will try to be what God wants them to be, and the will rock the boat in certain situations if it pleases God. A God pleaser may find it hard to speak their own mind, because they instead speak from the mind of God. A God please will recognize that to have true “peace,” sometimes they will have to disagree with people and that not everyone will get along. Today, who do you want to please – God or people?

Praying the fog away - Devotion for 9/24

Praying the fog away – Devotion for 9/24/07

This morning in my devotion time, I read about the faith of an evangelist from the 1800s – George Müller. As I read this, I realized that these words would be a great word for anyone to read today. It seems that Mr. Müller was on a voyage aboard a ship that had encountered a very dense fog. Because of the severity of the situation the captain had stayed on the bridge continuously for twenty-four hours. Eventually Mr. Müller came to him and said, “Captain, I have come to tell you that I must be in Quebec on Saturday afternoon.” The captain informed him that considering the fog and the distance that getting to Quebec on Saturday would simply be impossible, to which Mr. Müller replied, “Very well, if your ship can’t take me God will find some other means of locomotion to take me. I have never broken an engagement in fifty-seven years. Let us go down to the chart room and pray.”

The two of them went down to the chart room, and the captain thought to himself, “What lunatic asylum could the man have come from? I never heard of such a thing.” The captain interjected to his determined passenger, “Mr. Müller, do you know how dense this fog is?”

“No,” he replied, “my eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God, who controls every circumstance in my life.” Mr. Müller then got down on his knees and prayed a simple prayer, a prayer that the captain though would be suitable for an 8 year old child. When he had finished praying, the captain was beginning to pray, but Müller put his hand on the shoulder of the captain and told him not to pray.

“Firstly, because you do not believe God will, and secondly, I believe that God has, and there is no need whatever for you to prayer about it.” Astonished, the captain just looked at him as Müller continued, “Captain, I have known my Lord for fifty-seven years, and there has never been a single day that I have failed to get an audience with the King. Get up and open the door, and you will find that the fog is gone.”

Indeed, when the two exited the chart room they both saw that the fog was indeed gone, and George Müller was in Quebec Saturday afternoon for his engagement.

Today, let us go to God with that same faith.

This story can be found in greater detail in I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes, by Glenn Clark.

Solving the mystery - Devotion for 9/20/07

Solving the mystery – Devotion for 9/20/07

Prior to serving Trinity, I had been appointed to serve a wonderful charge located near Spivey’s Corner, NC (Home of the National Hollerin’ Contest). The parsonage that we lived in was more than adequate, and the yard was tremendous (I was told it was just over an acre – whatever that means). When I went out to the storage building to look for the riding lawn mower, I threw open the door only to find a push mower. I quickly assumed that meant that they must have sent out the riding mower to have it serviced for the new preacher, because with a yard that large I was sure they had a riding mower for the preacher to use. It didn’t take too long for me to find out that I was wrong (imagine that), and that the only mower they had was that push mower, and I was told “Frank didn’t have any trouble with it.” Frank, you see, was the pastor who had just retired from the charge I was now appointed to, and there was no way I was going to complain if the previous old preacher didn’t complain.

Days went by and I held off on mowing the grass. Days went by and the grass kept growing. Since we lived on the same road as the church, and since everyone in the church drove past the parsonage at least once a day, eventually a member or two (or three) commented to let me know that it was acceptable for me to mow the yard. Finally a Saturday came, and my family was invited to a birthday party being held at a member’s swimming pool – and this member lived just about a half-mile down the road from us. As we were enjoying the fellowship out in the pool on that hot July Saturday, I knew that if the yard was going to get mowed, I had better get back home and get to it. So I left my family to enjoy the rest of the party and I went back home, changed clothes, and got out there to get started. After several minutes of pulling on the cord trying to get that darn thing started, it finally puffed to life. I went around to get started in the front yard, and I trekked along the front edge of the yard, and I soon learned just how big our yard was. After I had done just a few rows, I was already exhausted from the heat, the humidity, and the fact that the grass was kinda sorta high. Add in the fact that each row that I mowed was about a quarter mile long (or so it seemed). I was barely half way through the front yard and I already felt like I was about to give in. As I turned back to start another row something mysterious in the distance down the road caught my eye. It appeared to be something that looked like it was burning way down the road. I looked at whatever it was until I completed that row, and then I had to turn my back to it as I headed back in the opposite direction. When I turned around again I could see that whatever it was, it was moving closer to me, and now I could discern that it did not appear to be on fire, but instead it seemed to be casting a cloud of dirt. Finally I finished that row and had to head back in the other direction again, but now I was becoming more and more energized as I was extremely curious as to what this mystery was that I was seeing. I turned back and now I could make out just what it was coming down the road – it was a riding lawn mower! I was disgusted, saying to myself, “Here I am out in this hot sun sweating my tail off, and someone has the audacity to be using their riding lawn mower as transportation.” Man, I was ticked. Appalled, I finished that row and turned back around to head the other way, but when I turned back around again I only became more angered – it was a member of my church riding on that lawn mower on the side of the highway in the middle of July on the hottest day of the year! Man, I started thinking of all kinds of sermons I was going to preach to them on the need to better stewardship, stronger giving, and using more wisdom when I realized that the member on the mower was actually turning into my yard. I cut off my mower and approached, and she just waved and headed towards the backyard to begin mowing back there. By this time I actually needed a break from the heat, but there was no way I was going to let a woman finish mowing my yard with me sipping on some lemon-aid, so I kept on mowing (that’s the male ego for you). Soon we were finished, and this kind, gentle, wonderful spirited woman returned to her home about ¾ of mile down the road.

All along I new there was something coming down the road, but I just didn’t understand it. When I did recognize what it was, I became angry and still misunderstood what it truly meant for me. When I finally comprehended what it was that was being done, I was humbled and grateful for receiving such a gift. Sometimes in life we go through mysteries that we don’t yet understand. We know something is there, but we don’t fully comprehend what it means for us. Paul alludes to such in Ephesians 3, where he talks about how the Gentiles and the Jews were equal heirs in the one body of Christ. It was always known to the Jews that the Gentiles would be blessed, for this was predicted several times in the Old Testament. But now God has fully revealed that the Gentiles would be blessed, and not just blessed, but made equal to the Jews in the body of Christ. What had previously been a mystery to so many had now become clear. What had been a struggle for so many had now become a blessing.

We may find ourselves right now in the midst of a struggle, and maybe we know something is coming down the road but we’re just not sure what it is. Before it finally gets there we may have to go through the hardships of the struggle. Before the clarity of the situation finally arrives we may go through the anger. But know this – the mystery will be solved. God is coming to you in a special way. Keep on mowing – He’ll get there soon.

Play smart - Devotion for 9/19/07

Play smart – Devotion for 9/19/07

Once again this year I am coaching my sons in soccer. Coaching the kids is really something that I enjoy, and I am personally grateful for the opportunity to be able to be involved in the community. One of the things that I try to stress to the kids is an understanding of their position, and if they understand their position and where they are supposed to be when something is happening, they will be excellent soccer players. The problem is that some kids don’t want to play a position – they just want to run all over the field, and some are actually good enough to do that. But the problem with running all over the field trying to do everything is they become worn out, and soon they aren’t able to help the team at all. I try to teach them that a smart soccer player stays at home in their area they are responsible for, and the smart soccer player is usually the better soccer player. They demonstrate how smart they are by not doing the things such as running everywhere, trying to make every play all by themselves.

In the letter of James, at one point in chapter 3 he is talking about true wisdom. “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.”(James 3:13) Like the soccer players, God has given us certainly responsibilities that we are to live up, but many times we try to play by our own rules. When we deviate from the plan that God has established for us, we really just ending up running around in futility, wearing ourselves down and out. Today, consider what is the plan God has laid out for you. Are you living within the confines of his law (Love your neighbor and love God)? Are you living responsibly within the context of the team (the church)? If not, let’s start to play smart.

"How do I do this?" - Devotion for 9/18/07

“How do I do this?” – Devotion for 9/18/07

I know I’m modest, but I have to admit that my two sons are absolutely brilliant. I could brag about how smart they are, but I really don’t need to – after all, what else would you expect from my own offspring? (Just in case you didn’t know, there was just a little bit of sarcasm there.) All of that being said, homework time becomes quite a bit of a stressful time. They come home from school and first they want a snack. Then they want to pet the cats and the dog. Then they want to fight – well, I don’t know if that’s what they want to do – it’s just usually what happens. Finally they get settled down to open up their folders and books to begin working on their assignments. Before long, the boys will begin to seek out the assistance of whoever is home and available at the time – “Mooooommmmm, I need heeelllllp” (in a very whiny little tone). “Daaaa-ad, I don’t get thissssssss.” They bring the problem to us, or beg us to come to them, and as almost every time it really is something they already know how to do. I don’t have to do much other than clarify what is actually being asked and then they realize, “Oh – I know how to do that.” So it seems that we play this game going back and forth, with them asking for help when it really is something that they don’t need help on – they’ve just gotten side-tracked on other things and they have overlooked what is really being asked.

Sometimes that’s the way our lives get. Sometimes we overwhelmed by all the activities and stressors in our life that when we hit a little problem, we think that we are in a crisis. Many times when we turn to God in the midst of those “crises” and we seek His help, God has already provided us with the knowledge of how to handle them. We already know the answers, but we just seem to be having a difficult time sorting them out in the right order. I love that when God asked Solomon, “Ask what you wish me to give you,” that all that Solomon asked for was “an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil.” (1 Kings 3:5, 9) Solomon wanted God’s wisdom to help him sort out all the answers to the problems that would arise. He knew that the answers would already be there – God’s wisdom would help him put them in order. Today, as we face those problems and issues that arise, and as we begin to cry out for help, recognize that God has probably already presented the solution to you. We’ve just got to seek His wisdom to recognize how it is to be done.

Despising wisdom - Devotion for 9/17/07

Despising wisdom – Devotion for 9/17/07

Sometimes I can’t stand it when someone gives me advice. The reason is sometimes that advice flies completely in the face of what I want to do, but somehow what they are telling me makes sense. Deep down I know what they have told me to do is the right thing to do, but I just don’t want to do it, because I have my heart set on something else . . . plus I still hold out that I’m right. I recall many times going through this sort of thing with my father. Many times he would give me his opinion on something, and that opinion would not agree with my opinion on something. Dad would just say, “Trust me on this, Son. I know what I’m talking about.” However, I just wouldn’t want to listen. And almost every time I later discovered that I should have listened to him. So why is it that sometimes we despise wisdom? Why is it that we still want to hold fast to our ideas even when someone presents a wiser idea?

In Ecclesiastes 9:13-18 we read about wisdom. The passage references a small city that a great king came and surrounded with his men and large siegeworks. Inside the city was a poor but wise man, and this poor wise man delivered the city by his wisdom. Somehow, according to the passage, even though he delivered the city, “wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded” (Ecclesiastes 9:16b). So we have the proverb, “Wisdom is better than strength” from Ecclesiastes 9:16a (sounds kinda like a fortune cookie, doesn’t it?).

I think that a majority of the time when we hear true wisdom we know it, yet we will still resist it. I see it in my sons, who want to argue with me even when I know I am giving them good advice. I see it in myself, when I still get those words of wisdom from my father that I have to learn the hard way that he was right. Today, if you hear those words that you want to despise and defy, recognize that God is the giver of wisdom, and those words we despise and oppose may have come from God.

Filing taxes - Devotion for 9/13/07

Filing taxes – Devotion for 9/13/07

I hate doing my taxes. For years I did our tax returns by using the some of the computer software you can buy, but it always something I despise. I always get nervous putting in all the figures, hoping that I am doing everything right. Being a minister, there are certain things that makes filing our taxes a little more complicated, because in some respects we are considered self-employed, and in others, employed. So this year we did something different. This past year Jennifer and two others formed a new law firm, and since she is now self-employed, we felt it would be safest for us to use an accountant to do our taxes. The whole concept of turning everything over to the CPA to do for us is magnificent! No worries at all – we just turn over all our paper work and records, the CPA computes all the relevant data, finds savings for us, and completes the job. After using the CPA this year, it really made me wonder why it took us so long to use one. If we had gone to one a long time ago, I wouldn’t have had to have that time of frustration and worry as I attempted to file the taxes by myself. It’s a great thing to just turn it over to him and not have to worry any longer about it I got it right or not.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”(Ephesians 2:8-9) Thank God that in life we don’t have to worry about doing everything to save ourselves. Goodness knows I’ve made so many mistakes in my life. Any audit of my life that God could do would certainly find me guilty. That’s why I’ve turned it over to Him. Because I know through faith that God’s grace is sufficient for me, and I know that it is sufficient for you. Don’t stress over the mistakes we make. Just keep God informed so that they can be corrected. Turn it all over to Him.

Waiting to be unstuck - Devotion for 9/12/07

Waiting to be unstuck – Devotion for 9/12/07

One time when I was young, my Aunt Cordy came to Wilmington to visit for a few days. One particular day when she was at our house all alone, and she had to go out into the garage to get something. When she pulled the door closed, and she suddenly realized that she had just closed a locked door, and she was now locked out of the house. But fortunately for her, she wasn’t all alone – our pet Golden Retriever Rusty was in the garage with her. That is, he was in the garage with her until she mistakenly hit the button to open the garage door, and then Rusty took off running. The very unfortunate thing for Aunt Cordy was that she was only wearing her nightgown and bathrobe. She called out to Rusty to try to get him to come back, but he was gone, and dressed as she was, she wasn’t about to go running off chasing after him. She was stuck, and desperate for someone to come home with a key who could get her unstuck.

You and I have all had some kind of situation that we have been stuck in needing help from someone. Maybe it was embarrassing, or maybe it was desperate, we all know what it is like to feel trapped in a situation. In Psalm 25, David knows what if felt like to be stuck. “My eyes are continually toward the Lord, For He will pluck my feet out of the net (Psalm 25:15). David certainly had to feel as if he was stuck in net on several occasions:

• Stuck in the net of the sin of adultery, murder, and the consequences
• Stuck in the net of oppression as he is hunted by Saul
• Stuck in the net of sorrow of his own children’s actions

David had plenty of nets to be stuck in. And although he may not have always made the right decisions which led to him sometimes getting stuck in the net, he sure knew what to do when he got there. He called out to God, and waited for the Lord. Are you waiting to be unstuck from some sort of net of trouble right now? “My eyes are continually toward the Lord, For He will pluck my feet out of the net.”

Tuned in - Devotion for 9/11/07

Tuned in – Devotion for 9/11/07

Have you ever noticed how good you are at tuning something out? Maybe it’s the sound of planes constantly flying overhead, or the sound of cars incessantly driving past your house – whatever it is, we have an amazing ability to selectively tune out some of the things we don’t want to hear. For example, as a kid when I would be sitting in front of the TV furiously playing Pitfall on the Atari, I developed the skill of tuning out the voice of my mother when she would tell me I needed to turn off the game. Amazingly enough, my sons must have inherited the same ability.

Today I give thanks that God is incapable of tuning us out. God loves us so much that He tunes in for every word of every prayer that we ever utter. In the mysterious ways of God, He is intimately tuned in to us, and God is eager to listen to us. This morning I read Psalm 141, and I was struck by the first verse: “O Lord, I call upon You; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to You!” I think all the exclamation points really made me pay attention. David was really emphasizing his need for God to tune in to him at that moment, and I know that we all can relate to those times. There are those moments when we are really in need of God hearing our prayers, and we feel that same desperation that David did. The good news is that we don’t have to try to get God’s attention. He is always tuned in.

After forgiveness - Devotion for 9/10/07

After forgiveness – Devotion for 9/10/07

Have you ever had an argument with someone you really care about – say a wife/husband, boyfriend/girlfriend, or even one of your parents? Obviously we all have, and at some point in time, hopefully, there is reconciliation. The two of you come together once again, and apologies are reciprocated back and forth, and then what? To me the time following forgiveness can be an awkward time. You’ve gone straight from being angry to being sorry to being . . . well, it’s just hard to describe. You’re kinda glad that the argument is over, but you’re still kinda stinging about some of the things that we said. You’re kinda glad that the apology was rendered, but you’re still wondering if this argument is going to come up again. So what do you do after forgiveness?

In John 5:1-15, Jesus comes upon a man who has been sick for 38 years, and he is unable to help himself. Jesus asks him if he “wishes” to get well, and the man begins to explain that he wants to get well, but he can’t get himself into the pool of water (there was a belief that at this particular pool of water, when it was stirred by “a spirit,” then the first person in the water would receive healing). So Jesus simply tells him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk” (John 5:8). Sure enough, the dude is healed, and so he gets up, and before you know if he’s getting blasted by some of the Jews because he’s carrying his pallet on a Sabbath, which was obviously work, and obviously a violation of the Sabbath. The dude passes it off on Jesus – “that dude made me do it” (Adam Seate paraphrase). Jesus found the guy in a short while in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may befall you” (John 5:14).

It’s safe to assume that the dude that was healed was in the temple to worship, which is a pretty cool thing to do after having been healed. But Jesus knew there was something else there, something else that needed to be said. This dude must have had something going on to make Jesus seek him out again and give him the little subtle reminder not to sin again. Now, I don’t think that Jesus was expecting perfection out of our newly-walking fellow. But I’m guessing that Jesus knew something deep, dark about this guy, and Jesus wanted him to know he had been forgiven, but he better not going back to his sinning ways. The guy might have been sort of in that awkward after-forgiveness moment. Harry Emerson Fosdick says in The Manhood of the Master, “Only by a stronger passion can evil passions be expelled.” So as the forgiveness has been granted, meaning that the sin or misdeed has been erased, it must be replaced with something positive, something good – a “stronger passion.”

After forgiveness has been established – after reconciliation has taken place – replace those hard feelings from the argument, those guilty feelings from the apology, and those awkward feelings after forgiveness, with something new – a new stronger passion. Embrace the forgiveness and give thanks to God for the reconciliation.

The Golden Rule - Devotion for 9/6/07

The Golden Rule – Devotion for 9/6/07

Have you ever noticed that there is no promise or guarantee associated with what is known as the “Golden Rule” – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”? That sounds great and all, but like I said, there is no promise or guarantee that just because you treat them the way you would want to be treated that they are going to do it. So what makes this rule so “golden”? Yes, I know that by living up to it we are storing up treasures in heaven, and no I don’t mean to demean that – but as far as life on earth goes, sometimes it is really, really difficult to treat others the way I would want (and expect) to be treated. So who came up with the idea that this particular bit of wisdom would be called the “Golden Rule”? And why does virtually everyone know this particular rule, but so few live up to it?

I think the idea to call it the “golden rule” derived from the element of gold (Au for all you science geeks). Gold, as you know, is a precious metal and it is precious because it is rare and has high economic value. It’s high economic value comes from how difficult it is to find, and once found, all the different ways it can be used. Gold is usually found as a nugget or vein in the midst of rock. To obtain pure gold, many times one has to mine down into hard rock, and once a vein has been found, it then has to be chipped out, separated, and purified – quite an extensive process. Sometimes people can luck out and find gold in the bottom of a river where the water has naturally eroded away the rock and left pieces of gold – but to find said gold is like finding a needle in a haystack. I think the level of difficulty of acquiring this precious metal sheds some light on the level of difficulty of living up to the “golden rule.”

It is not supposed to be easy to “treat others the same way you want them to treat you” (Luke 6:31). I don’t think it is supposed to be easy. There is no guarantee that just because you are kind to your enemy that your enemy will be kind to you. I’m a dog lover, and at one point in my life I dealt with a lot of dogs as I worked for the electric company, and part of my job was to go to houses and cut off the power if they had not paid their bill. I dealt will all kinds of dogs in my job, and I learned that most dogs, even the meanest ones, if you treated them kindly that they would befriend you. One day I was to cut off the lights at a house the had a fence around it, and inside the fence was a large, mean Doberman Pinscher. Although the dog was barking and growling furiously at me, I began to try to talk to him through the fence. I got him calmed down enough, so I reached over to let him smell my hand, and he did, so it seemed like we were on good terms. Suddenly that dog turned and clamped down onto my hand, and now I was the one howling. So I punched him with my other hand. I didn’t have a problem with the dog after that, and I was able to do my job, but I was angry at myself for even trying to be nice to that dog. My coworkers would have just sprayed the dog with our “dog mace” and gone in to do the job, but I wanted to show kindness. And because I had been bitten, I became bitter – not at the dog, because the dog was only trying to protect his territory. I became bitter at myself for trying to live up to that “golden rule.” If you try to live up to the “golden rule,” it will get hard, and you can become bitter, because you will get bitten. But just because we get bitten doesn’t mean we should continue to try. “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).