Thursday, October 30, 2008

Cleaning up others mess - Devotion for 10/30/08

Cleaning up others mess – Devotion for 10/30/08

Last night we had a fall festival and “Trunk-or-treat” at the church, and it was crazy! There were people everywhere, and believe it or not, all the kids actually made a lot of noise (I know, shocking, right?). In the chaos of getting set up for everything I had a guy randomly show up who needed some assistance so off I went to try to help him. As soon as I finished with the dude, I found out it was time for the “trunk-or-treat” to begin, and I had missed supper (or dinner if you prefer). I thought maybe I was going to get to eat after the outside festivities, however then we all went in for the costume contests (I won – I was “Batman” – I simply stood holding a baseball bat – nice, right?). At the end of the evening, all the food had been eaten and put away, and I never got a bite to eat – other than 1 or 20 packs of SweeTarts. As the fellowship hall was a complete mess, I felt the need to help the youth clean up, so we proceeded to clean off all of the tables and pick up the trash. As hungry as I was, I have to admit my thorough disgust at the mess that everyone else had left. Half-eaten hot dogs, chewed on cookies, and spilled drinks – it was really quite gross. All I kept thinking as I was picking up the mess with everyone else was, “I didn’t even get to eat, and here I am cleaning up other people’s mess.”

With that in mind, this morning I came in for my devotion time, and the passage I was supposed to read for today was 1 Peter 2:21-25. Verse 24 in particular stood out for me: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” Sometimes I think I forget how much of my mess Christ had to clean up for me. As I felt disgust at having to clean up other people’s mess when I didn’t even get to eat, I can only imagine what it was like to suffer for something I didn’t even do. Today I want to try to set out with a purpose of living in that way – will to take on other people’s mess so that they may be free.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Be bold - Devotion for 10/28/08

Be bold – Devotion for 10/28/08

If you are the fan of any sports team, you have no problem letting that be known. Even if you are in the midst of fans of different teams, once again, you still don’t have a difficult time showing your support. About the only time that we become a little quiet about the teams that we root for is when our team is doing horribly. Well, there may be another time – such as when we actually at an away game for our team, and we are completely surrounded by the threatening home fans. In that type of situation it may be best for our own personal safety to be a bit quiet. It is in such a context that Paul wrote to Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”(2 Timothy 1:7)

The author of 2 Timothy is imprisoned and it is not a good time to be a follower of the Way. Greatly outnumbered by every other religion of the day, followers of Christ were being persecuted and imprisoned, much in the way that Paul had done earlier in his life. And now the author is writing a letter of encouragement to Timothy, and instead of telling Timothy “lay low and keep quiet,” he instead tells him to be bold, and as he continues in verse 8, to “not be afraid of the testimony of our Lord.”

We all have moments when it would be much easier for us to just “lay low and keep quiet” about our faith. We all have those moments where we are almost “afraid of the testimony of our Lord.” I honestly don’t think I need to spell those out, because I truly believe you can easily think of one or two of those moments right now. I do believe that today we have an opportunity to be bold with our faith, and that when those moments arise that instead of being timid, fearful, or quiet, we will instead be bold.

Monday, October 27, 2008

For God's sake - Devotion for 10/27/08

For God’s Sake – Devotion for 10/27/08

When I was growing up, one of my favorite foods was pizza, and particularly pizza from a certain pizza establishment. I just knew that my parents loved me because we would get to eat almost every week. When your parents keep doing something for you like that you truly know that they love you. The problem was that when I got older I found something out: we didn’t eat pizza almost every week because l loved it; we ate pizza almost every week because my dad loved it! There I was all that time thinking that it was about me, when it really wasn’t about me at all – I just got to be the beneficiary of it! That’s probably what it’s going to be when my boys eventually find out how much I love Outback!

In Ezekiel 36:22-32, God is explaining to Israel all the things He is about to do: He will gather Israel together in her own land; He will make them clean; He will given them a new heart and put a new spirit within them; He will even bring forth extra grain, fruit, and produce so that they may not suffer from another famine. Why is He doing all these wonderful things for them? We can find the answer to that at the very first part of this particular passage: “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.”(verse 22)

Sometimes we pray to God asking for something that really is of no benefit to anyone else. Sometimes we live a life that is so self-interested we can’t even begin to see why God does some of the things He does. Living a life full of faith means entrusting all things to Him, accepting God’s will, and trying to live a life for God’s sake. Who knows? We may even get to reap the benefits.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

You know better - Devotion for 10/23/08

You know better – Devotion for 10/23/08

Do you remember what it was like as a teenager to think that your parents were complete idiots? OK – maybe idiots is a bit of a strong word, but I think you know what I’m talking about. We all went through a period of time where we thought we knew more than our parents about many things, such as what we should eat, what kind of allowance we should get, why we shouldn’t have a curfew, etc. One of the things my Dad used to drive me crazy about when I first got my driver’s license was that whenever I would get ready to leave the house, he would ask me “Do you have your wallet?” Every single time I would have my wallet, and I would fuss at him, “Why do you always ask me if I have my wallet?” And he would explain that he knew me and he knew I tended to forget things (who me?), and so he wanted to make sure I had my wallet with my license and any money just in case I needed it. I remember one evening blowing up at him about always asking me if I had my wallet, telling him that I was old enough to take care of myself. Funny how those things come back to haunt you sometimes.

There I was on a date at Rock-Ola CafĂ© in Raleigh. After a lovely dining experience (if such a thing is possible at Rock-Ola), when the waitress brought the bill, and I reached back for my wallet, I realized in terror that my wallet was not there! This was back in the dark ages when we didn’t have cell phones (well, some people might have, but they were about the size of a suit case), and so I was panicking! I couldn’t ask my date to pay the bill – I had at least learned that from my Dad. The only thing I knew to do was to go to the payphone, which fortunately was near the bathrooms, and call home. Tail tucked down, I called my Dad and had to confess that I had forgotten my wallet, and sure enough just a few short minutes later there he was. That was the first of many lessons that I received demonstrating to me how truly smart my father actually was and is.

This morning I was reading in Acts 9, specifically verses 10-18, and in that passage, God speaks to a follower of the way named “Ananias.” God tells Ananias to go and find Saul because Saul has had a vision that a man named Ananias would come and lay hands on him. Ananias knows this name Saul, and he knows all about Saul’s exploits, terrorizing any and all of the followers of Christ, so Ananias decides he needs to explain a thing or two to God, telling him all about all the harm Saul has done, and how he even has the authority to bind all of call on the name of Christ. What I love is Ananias is telling God that God’s plan just doesn’t make sense. God says to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine . . .” And Ananias goes. So many times we want God to give us an answer to a prayer, and when He gives it we don’t like it because it doesn’t make sense to us, and so we try to argue with God about His plans and purposes. I believe that God does the same thing to us that He did to Ananias – bringing certain people into our lives for a purpose. Even though in our heads it is easy to try to argue with God about why it wouldn’t make sense, sometimes we just have to trust that He knows what He is doing.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

It's already done - Devotion for 10/22/08

It’s already done – Devotion for 10/22/08

Like it or not, almost all of us get to go through the experience of having our wisdom teeth removed. Most of us have it done around our late teens or maybe even early twenties, and I think I had mine done back when I was 19. I remember when I had mine done I went in that day prepared for anything. I remember sitting in the chair and having a delightful conversation with the cute dental assistant, I remember them putting the mask over my mouth and nose, and I remember the doctor telling me, “Ok, we’re done.” I was stunned that it had already been done, because I knew I didn’t hurt at that moment (yes – the pain was yet to come), and I just knew it had only been a second before that I was still chatting with the cute dental assistant (did I mention she was cute?). As my Dad helped me walk to the car, I was still filled with utter and complete amazement that my wisdom teeth had already been removed. Truly, it was done before I knew it.

This morning as I read during my devotion time, I read from Matthew 9, and at the first part of this chapter, some people bring to Jesus a paralytic who is lying on a bed. Jesus sees the faith of the ones who brought the man to him, and Jesus says, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”(Matthew 9:2) Suddenly some of the scribes who were nearby and overheard what Jesus said started freaking out, saying to each other that Jesus had blasphemed God because he had forgiven the man’s sins, and that was only something God alone could do. So Jesus turns to these skeptics and says, “Which is easier, to say ‘Your sins are forgive,’ or to say ‘Get up and walk’?” And then to show them who He truly is, he then turns to the paralytic and says, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” And the dude gets up and goes home!

I wonder when the paralyzed man was healed. You’ve got to know that ever since he had become paralyzed, whether it was from birth or later, he had prayed to be made complete. You can only imagine how many times he had doubted God, and you can only imagine the jealousy and even hatred that had built up within his heart. But when Jesus said to him, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven,” do you think only his sins were removed, or his complete condition? I don’t have the answer to that question, but the next time Jesus addresses the dude all he says is essentially “Get up and go home.” I tend to lean towards the possibility that the man was healed the moment Jesus told him his sins were forgiven, and he just didn’t yet know that his prayers had been answered. I think he didn’t yet know that he was healed because his mind was still conditioned to the limitations life had put on him.

I once read about the training of elephants begins when they are infants. As an infant, a rope is put around their neck and they will be tied to a stake in the ground, and the infant elephant will pull, tug, and struggle against the rope trying to break free, however eventually the elephant will accept his condition and quit fighting. From that point on in the life of the elephant, the trainer only has to use the exact same size rope, because in the mind of the elephant, it still has accepted the condition of bondage. I’ve read that in some cases a trainer can even quit tying the rope to a stake because the elephant accepts the condition of bondage the moment the rope is put on his neck. I believe that we have been set from all of our limitations. I believe that Jesus came to remove us from bondage to sin and death, yet I believe we still keep sitting as if we are still in that bondage. Not only are our sins forgiven, but many of the things we’ve been praying for has already been done. The strength to face the battles ahead of us? It’s already done. The patience to endure the difficulties? It’s already done. The ability to reach out and help a friend? It’s already done. Today, look for the ways we still are living tied to the stake of bondage, and know that we’ve already been set free.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

I can't stay - Devotion for 10/21/08

I can’t stay – Devotion for 10/21/08

My family and I visited the NC State Fair this past Saturday, and we had a great time. The boys got to ride some fun rides, we got to see the animals, we got to eat some wonderful food, and I even got to witness the magic show called “My Disappearing Money” – AKA the ridiculous fair games. As much fun as we had, we knew that eventually we would need to leave. That thought is always with me when I am somewhere and I am experiencing a real “mountain top” type experience. Whether it is a spiritual retreat, a vacation, or even a quick day trip to the State Fair, even in the midst of the joy of the moment is the hint of sorrow that I must leave that mountain top. And I can only imagine what that felt like to “Legion.”

In Mark 5:1-20, we learn about the man who was possessed by many demons, and when Jesus asked him his name, he replied “We are Legion; for we are many.” You know the story – Jesus casts out the demons into a herd of swine who are nearby, and then all 2,000 swine go running and jump off a cliff into the sea and drown. What is really remarkable to me is what takes place after that. Verse 15 tells us that Jesus and “Legion” were sitting down together, and I can only imagine what they were talking about. After people came out to see what had been going on, they became scared Jesus may hurt their own line of work and they implored him to leave. As Jesus is getting into the boat, we are told that “Legion” was begging Jesus that he might be able to go with him. Imagine that – Legion had not had peace for years. For year he had been untamed, breaking the chains every time they tried to control him, harming himself with stones, and constantly screaming night and day. And now Jesus had brought him peace. If I was Legion, I would have wanted to go with Jesus as well just to ensure that I wouldn’t have to suffer like that again. But Jesus did not let him stay with him, saying “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”(Mark 5:19)

I think Jesus says the same thing to us when we have those special moments and experiences. Though we would love to stay in the moment, we know that we can’t stay in that moment. We have a responsibility to go and report what God has done. Enjoy those mountain top moments, but know we can’t stay at the mountain, and we’ve got to go and report “what great things the Lord has done.”

Monday, October 20, 2008

Stumbling and Bumbling - Devotion for 10/20/08

Stumbling bumbling – Devotion for 10/20/08

Our family has two dogs, Riley and Oscar. Riley is a HUGE Golden Retriever, and Oscar is a little yellow lab mix. These two dogs are indoor pets, and they seem to enjoy the life of luxury, and each night they sleep in the room with us. Oscar has his favorite place (which is under the bed), while Riley sprawls out wherever he desires. This is all well and good until I have to get up in the middle of the night. You see in the middle of the night our room is quite dark. And Riley is quite large. More than once I have found myself desperately reaching out for the bed post as I am falling from having tripped upon that huge dog on the floor. And more than once I have found myself sprawled out on the floor. It’s moments like that that I wish I had the capability of having night vision.

There are a lot of moments like that in my life that sometimes we feel like we are walking in the darkness. Uncertainty clouds our perspective of things, and our vision becomes greatly inhibited. As we make our way through the darkness, we know that there are going to be obstacles in our way, and we just try to shuffle-step our way through. So many times as I am stumbling and bumbling through the darkness of life, I would just wish so bad I could see what was next.

This morning I read Psalm 139 to begin my day. This happens to be one of my favorite Psalms, but I got to thinking about it from the perspective of the author, David. David is one who knew what it was like to be stumbling and bumbling through the darkness before him. As many wonderful and great accomplishments as David had, he also truly expressed a great deal of darkness and despair. I believe he took great comfort and solace that there was One who searched him and knew him. Having fled so many times from his enemies, I think David found sanctuary that there was One who he could not flee from. In verse 12, David states, “Even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.” I have to believe that David found great strength that in the midst of his stumbling and bumbling in the darkness, there was One who knew the path. As we find ourselves stumbling and bumbling in the darkness of life, find strength in the fact that there is One who came to pierce the darkness, who helps us to see those difficulties ahead of us, and ways around (or over).

Thursday, October 16, 2008

What do you think? - Devotional for 10/16/08

What do you think? – Devotion for 10/16/08

Have you ever offered your opinion to someone whether they wanted your opinion or not? No? Really? Because I know I’ve shared mine more than a time or two, and I know people have shared their opinion with me more than a time or two. Whether it was something completely random about something I was wearing, such as “You know, that tie really doesn’t go well with that suit”; or maybe it was something about my personality like, “You know, you’d make a really good kindergarten teacher.” Sometimes the opinions people share with you creates an awkward space that you get to temporarily dwell in, and it is all because someone gave you an opinion that you didn’t ask for. But just because you didn’t ask for it doesn’t stop them, does it? Nor does it stop you from giving you opinion. We give our unsolicited opinions all the time regarding politics (got a bumper sticker on your car?), sports affiliations (got a decal or license plate cover anywhere on your vehicle?), or even how good of a driver someone is (that 1 finger means you think they are #1, right?). We do those things with our cars, and we wear the t-shirts, but do we speak of the things we truly believe? Of course we do! All the time!

2 Corinthians 4:13 states, “Having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed, therefore I spoke,’ we also believe, therefore we also speak.” If we truly believe something, then it is not something we can keep quiet. People that believe strongly in something will refuse to keep silent. I heard Andy Stanley talking recently about how ridiculous it was for people to say that they can’t talk about their faith to other people because they don’t want to alienate them. We don’t mind alienating people about hundreds of other things, why wouldn’t we alienate them about something we truly believe in? Something that truly matters? I’m not saying to go beat people over the head with the Bible (trust me – I tried that once – if you do it, don’t use a soft cover!), but what I am saying is that in conversations where it is relevant, do not hide what you believe.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Running with a smile - Devotion for 10/15/08

Running with a smile – Devotion for 10/15/08

Do you ever notice those crazy folks running on the side of the road? I noticed one guy this morning as I took my boys to school that was running, and seriously you would have thought he was wearing a Halloween mask already. I’m not saying he was that ugly, it’s just the look on his face was one of horror. You could see he was struggling with his run, and his eyes looked crazy desperate to stop, yet he pressed on. I can relate to that, because not too long ago I started running again. One of the places that I run is on a sidewalk beside a very busy road here in town, and as I run up the road I watch all the cars go by. About a week or so ago I started to try to run with a little bit of a smile on my face. Why would I do that, especially when I obviously feel like crap from running? I’m not too sure, other than one day as I was running I got to wondering if I was somehow portraying the love of Christ even through my running. I knew that hanging my head low and having that desperation look upon my face certainly wouldn’t convey anything about Christ, so I decided to try to smile. Now I’m not saying that I smile all the time when I run, but I do make an effort to smile with the hopes that somehow in the midst of my suffering I can portray just some of the joy found in the Christ.

My attempts to share the joy of Christ in the midst of suffering reminds me of the apostles. In no way could I compare my sufferings with theirs, but I think their sufferings still teach us how we are to live. Paul speaks to this in 2 Corinthians 6:4-6: “but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love . . .” Paul goes on and on as this passage continues, but I believe his words of encouragement to the early apostles can also encourage us today. In the midst of whatever we are suffering or enduring, we can do it with a Spirit that portrays the love, grace, and peace and Christ. So maybe you should try running with a smile (even if it means having to pick bugs out of your teeth afterwards) – you never know who might be watching you.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

What are you good at? - Devotion for 10/14/08

What are you good at? – Devotion for 10/14/08

A funny thing happened on the way to the office . . . This morning as I was trying to head out of the house to go to the office, I had to take something back to my boys room, and just when I turned the handle I heard a “crunch.” I thought to myself, “That didn’t sound good.” And it wasn’t. I tried to turn the handle again, and I had nothing – it wouldn’t turn at all. So I applied some of my Herculean strength, got the knob to turn again, and I got some more really cool “snap, crackle, pop” type sounds as well. I knew something was wrong with the door knob, and I had to get a handle on things (get it?). So I got out my trusty screwdriver, and proceeded to thoroughly and effectively destroy the complete handle mechanism, unintentionally of course. As I looked at what remained of the door knob to my sons room, and I saw all the tiny pieces that once were a part of something that was able to keep Mom and Dad out when they wanted us out, I knew I had messed up. Fortunately, every Tuesday some of the Trustees of the church come and walk through the building to see if there is any maintenance that needs to be taken care of, and since the house we live in is owned by the church, I went across the street to get one of those guys to take a look. Sure enough, I broke the knob. But also sure enough, they are getting a new one to replace it. And on top of that, they are installing it for me!

So I thought it was kind of funny to finally sit down for my devotion time, and to begin by reading these words from Romans 15:1 – “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.” Today I proved that I am quite inept at being a handyman. However, though that may be a weakness of mine, I was able to rely on the strength of another. It was a good reminder to me how we all have certain strengths, and those strengths are to be used in such as way that they can help someone else. So today, what are you good at? What is your area of expertise? How may you bear the weakness of someone else, instead of just pleasing yourself?

Monday, October 13, 2008

Pass the Plate - Devotion for 10/13/08

Pass the plate – Devotion for 10/13/08

How many of you had the delightful opportunity of sitting at the kid’s table when you would visit family? When we would go to my grandparents and visit, my cousins, my sister, and I would get to sit at a little card table they would set up over to the side, and we would be quite content with that. We would be content with that because when we were sitting at the kids table, we could get away with the goofy things that kids like to do (like getting your spoon to stick on your nose!). The unfortunate thing about sitting at the kids table is that our table was never big enough to have any food sitting on it, so for us to get food on our plates, we had to be completely dependant upon someone passing the plates of food our way. My Grandma was always so good about making sure that all of the plates got to the kids table. While everyone at the adults table would already be eating, Grandma would not take her seat until all of the grandkids had exactly what they wanted and needed to eat – especially for me to have her Macaroni and Cheese! That woman always wanted to make sure everyone else had something before she herself would even sit down and begin to eat.

I thought about my Grandma as I read Psalm 71 this morning. Verse 17-18 state: “O God, You have taught me form my youth, and I still declare your wondrous deeds. And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.” The psalmist remembers what God taught him in his youth, and now as he has aged, he still feels the need to pass along to the next generation the power and strength of who God is. He feels the need (dare I say burden?) to pass along to the youth what He knows. Just as my Grandma wanted to make sure that we got the food, her actions also passed along to us love. Today, give thanks for those who passed down the love, hope, and faith to you, and begin to look for the ways that we may pass the plate to the next generation.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Gotta go - Devotion for 10/9/08

Gotta go – Devotion for 10/9/08

Everybody wants something for nothing, right? Who doesn’t like getting some kind of a free coupon? I have a friend who was employed by a certain fast food establishment, and every now and then he’d give the church free ice cream coupons, and I’d get one of those and go so fast you could hear the sonic boom! Every body loves a freebie! But how often do we actually get freebies? You may occasionally get that free ice cream cone, and maybe occasionally you’ll BOGO (buy one, get one free), but it is not too often in life that we get too many freebies. Yet somehow we seem to expect God to fill our lives with all kinds of freebies.

Last night as I was teaching Bible Study, I was really reminded of something powerful. In Genesis 12, God calls out to Abram, and He tells him to “Go forth from your country . . . to the land which I will show you.” (verse 1) Now once Abram goes, then God will do many great things: He will make him a great nation, and he will be blessed. What’s awesome to me is that God is willing to do these amazing things for Abram – but Abram first has to go. To receive these abundant blessings, Abram has to first go. This is not a freebie offer by God to Abram – there is a cost – Abram has gotta go.

So many times in the church we pray for this and we pray for that, and we expect God to pour out all these blessings upon us. What makes us think that God works like that? To receive a blessing from God we’ve got to be willing to go. Go where? Well, look again at Genesis 12, particularly the end of verse 2: “And so you shall be a blessing.” You see, if Abram goes he will be blessed, but he will be blessed so that he will be a blessing “to all the families of the earth” as verse 3 states. So many churches in this day and time seem to think that if they just offer a wonderful worship service that they will grow because God will bless them. Maybe God will, but the way I understand how God works, He intends us to use some of the gifts and energy He has provided to go out into the world to be a blessing to the world. Though God freely offers his love and forgiveness, if we want the abundant blessings in this life, we can’t sit and wait for them to come to us – we’ve gotta go just like Abram. Where is God calling you to go?

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Priming the Pump - Devotion for 10/8/08

Priming the Pump – Devotion for 10/8/08

Maybe you’re familiar with the old legend about someone being out in a desert, and stumbling upon a water pump in the sand. With an empty canteen in hand, the water pump is truly a welcome sight, but when lost soul finally gets to the pump he finds a hand written sign put there by some other wandering traveler. The sign reads: “I have buried a bottle of water to prime the pump – don’t drink any of it! Pour in half of it to wet the leather, and wait. Then pour in the rest. Then you may pump. The well has never gone dry, but the pump must be primed to bring the water up. Have faith and believe. When you are through drawing water, fill the bottle and bury it in the sand for the next traveler.” What would you do? Would you dig up the water bottle and drink it yourself? Or would you risk it all to prime the pump, so that you may actually have more than you would even need?

I thought about that legend this morning when I read Isaiah 40:29-31: “He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” I guess it just reminded me of the business principle that you’ve got to spend money to make money. We understand that principle easy enough: you’ve got to spend money on overhead and advertising, hiring excellent employees and maintaining an excellent product in order to be able to make money. Same with the water pump legend: you’ve got to use what water you’ve got to be able to get an abundant supply.

How does that translate to Isaiah? To get strength from God, you’ve got to use what strength He has already given. The passage doesn’t say that He gives strength to the strong, does it? Why would He do that? That’s kind of like recharging a fully charged battery – what’s the point? The passage is very clear that He gives strength to the weary, which completely implies that one has used all the strength they had to begin with. We live in a day and time where we are greedy not only with our resources, but also with the gifts and strengths that God has given to us. Today, let’s look for all the ways we can go ahead and use the strength we have already been given, and then see how we are restored when we become weary.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

What are you worried about? - Devotion for 10/7/08

What are you worried about? – Devotion for 10/7/08

Have you ever felt like your prayers haven’t been answered? Maybe you pray and you pray and you pray for something to happen, and yet it never does. Or maybe you pray and you pray and you pray for something to happen, and yet the opposite actually happens. I think we all can relate to the frustration that comes with God answering our prayers in ways that we don’t quite think to be satisfactory. Jeremiah went through something like that a few times. Jeremiah was a prophet (and you thought I was going to say a bullfrog!), and in Jeremiah 32, though the Babylonian armies are advancing, he feels that God has led him to purchase land – a field of a relative. Now common sense told him and everyone else that when you are getting ready to be attacked and laid siege, it is not a good time to buy land. Jeremiah went through with it; however he quickly seems to question why God had him do it. He goes on and talks to God, praising God for how He made the heavens and the earth, His lovingkindness, His great counsel, and His leading the people of Israel, but then He seems to express His concern that the Babylonians are encroaching and preparing to attack the land God had given to His people. Especially, Jeremiah is a little concerned about his recent purchase, and he reminds God that he bought it because God told him to buy it, even though the armies were approaching the city. And God’s answer? “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”(Jeremiah 32:27)

God was allowing them to suffer the defeat because the people of Israel, because “they did not obey Your voice or walk in Your law; they have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do,” according to Jeremiah 32:23. However, God goes on to reassure him that after the captivity, He would cause His people to prosper again. I’m guessing the people of Israel were praying to prosper, they just didn’t know they would prosper after the defeat.

I read something yesterday that has really stuck with me, and then feel it confirmed in my reading today. So, below I’m sharing a passage from Meditations of a Hermit, by Charles de Foucauld:

We can do anything by prayer. If our prayers are not answered it is either because we are wanting in faith, or because we have not prayed enough, or else that it would be bad for us if our request were granted, or perhaps God gives us something better than what we ask. But never do we not get what we ask because it is too difficult to get. We need never hesitate to ask God for the most difficult things, such as the conversion of great sinners or of whole nations. The more difficult things are to grant the more we must ask for them, believing that God loves us passionately. But we ask with Faith, constantly, instantly, willingly, and with great love. We may be sure that if we ask thus and with enough persistence we shall be answered and be given the grace we ask or something even better. Let us then ask bravely from God things that seem impossibilities, if they are for God’s glory.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Who cares? - Devotion for 10/6/08

Who cares? – Devotion for 10/6/08

This morning I was reading from Exodus 3, and in this chapter, God speaks to Moses through the infamous burning bush. As things are heating up in the discussion (pun intended), I really like one of the things God says to Moses. In verse 16, God tells Moses to go and get all the elders of Israel together and to tell them that “The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying ‘I am concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.’” What I think is cool about that is that instead of God telling all the elders personally that He is concerned about them, He tells Moses who is then supposed to tell the elders.

I think God still does that kind of thing today in the world. I think God may speak to us, wanting us to tell certain people we encounter that He is concerned about them. I know first hand that there are those moments that you really begin to wonder if anyone in the world cares about the difficulties you face in your life. I believe that the people of Israel had probably gotten to that point – where they began to feel that all hope was lost, and that God truly did not care about them any more. So God spoke to Moses, a reluctant servant, and made him a messenger boy.

I’d be willing to bet that as you read this right now, you can probably think of somebody in your life that God has already told you that you need to speak to them. I’d be willing to bet that you can easily picture that person who is going through some type of struggle, some struggles you may not even be aware of. That individual has probably begun to wonder, “Does anyone even care? Does God even care?” This message today may very well be used by God to tell you the same kind of thing He told Moses. So go and tell them, and demonstrate that someone does care.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

I'm with the band - 10/2/08

I’m with the band – Devotion for 10/2/08

Back when I was in high school, I was in a bad (very bad) rock band named “Dead End.” We came up with that name because it was the only street sign we could “borrow.” In reality, we wanted to be called “Handicapped Parking,” and we thought it would be cool to wheel out the drummer in a wheel chair, but we were not able to “borrow” one of those. Anyway, in this so-called-band, we had one dude that started “playing” with us. Supposedly he played keyboards, but I could never hear him play, and I could never actually tell that he was doing much of anything. However, this particular fellow had no problems telling all kinds of people that he was a part of the band. I know how annoyed it would make me feel to hear him talking about the contributions that he made to the band and our songs, and yet I would be amazed because I truly didn’t even know what he brought to the group. In other words, he said he was something, but to me he was nothing.

You probably know people like that. Maybe you were a part of a group assignment at school, and though the whole group got the same grade, you knew that only 1 or 2 people actually did all the work. Maybe you were a part of a team, and yet you knew that there were a few people who said they were a part of that team, but you knew they were really not bringing anything to the table. Good thing we don’t have people like that in the church!

This morning I read from Matthew 21:28-32, and in this passage Jesus tells a parable about a father who had 2 sons, and he asked both of them to go out and work in the vineyard. The first one said, “Um, no thanks,” however, he eventually did do as he had been asked. The second one said, “Sure thing, Pops,” however, he never found his way to the vineyard. Jesus then asks the question, “Which of the two did the will of his father?” The answer was as obvious to them as it is to us: the first one. Even though the first one may have resisted at first, he eventually did the right thing. The second one said the right thing, but ended up doing the wrong thing.

Just like the guy who said he was in the band and yet he actually did nothing, sometimes people may say they are followers of Christ, but instead follow the devices and desires of their own hearts. Today, instead of us just saying that we are followers, let us actually bring something to “the band.”

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Productivity - Devotion for 10/1/08

Productivity – Devotion for 10/1/08

Some days just seem to be completely unproductive. Yesterday was one of those days. From the moment I walked into the office it seemed like a tropical storm was blowing through the building. Phone call after phone call, visitor after visitor, visitor while on a phone call, visitor sitting down in my office uninvited while I’m on a phone call. You ever have one of those days? I felt like the most productive thing I did was I eventually went and ate lunch. From my own personal goofiness, I’ve learned that God truly does use all things to His glory, but I couldn’t help but think, “Even this day God?”

So in the quiet of my office this morning (ahhhh!), I was doing some reading and I came across a prayer by John Baillie that was originally a part of A Diary of Private Prayer. One line in particular of that prayer really jumped out at me: “Have I today done anything to fulfill the purpose which Thou didst cause me to be born?” As I read that question in the prayer, I immediately thought of yesterday. And I began to wonder, “God, did I actually do anything to fulfill the purpose you made me for yesterday?” Though yesterday still seems to be an incredible blur (except for the lady walking in my office and sitting down while I was on the phone), I can not honestly answer that question in the positive. I’m not exactly sure that I did anything yesterday to fulfill the purpose for which God allowed me to be born. But just because I can’t recall that for yesterday doesn’t mean that it can’t be something I focus on today.

Our lives will always be filled with unproductive days. But we can still be productive in our lives. Psalm 92:12-15 states, “The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, They will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Each day we can try to “grow like a cedar” – growing in God’s grace. Each day we can still bear fruit – even in old age. Even when things seem unproductive in our work lives, let us still try to keep in mind that we can still attempt to be productive in fulfilling our reason for being – even if that means enduring the unproductive interruptions that sometimes God brings in – even into our office while we’re on the phone.

About Me

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I am a minister in North Carolina.