Irritate one another - Devotion for 8/22/07

Irritate one another – Devotion for 8/22/07

Being a younger brother, I learned at an early age how to annoy and irritate my older sister. There were all sorts of tactics that I could use, from making really annoying sounds (like “blleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh”) to simply staring at her in the car (“Mom, he’s looking at me”). Amazingly enough, I can see now that my youngest son has inherited some of those same spectacular abilities, as in no time at all he can annoy his older brother (“Dad, he won’t stop singing!”). I think we all know how to annoy, irritate, and even provoke those who are close to use – we know just what buttons to push to get them going. Husbands and wives learn quickly which buttons to push to provoke the other in the midst of an argument (“What do you mean you do everything in the house? When was the last time you took out the trash?”). And yes, fellow employees do certain things just to annoy you (“I think he is late everyday just to annoy me!”). It is funny to me, but it seems that it is almost human nature to have the ability to provoke, irritate, or incite one another. But it even goes beyond human nature, because in watching our 2 cats (who are brother and sister), one will be perfectly comfortable and napping, when the other one will come and pounce on the tail of the other – and you can see the look of irritation upon the face of the used-to-be-napping cat.

This morning I was reading from Hebrews 10:19-25, and verse 24 really jumped out at me: “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” The Greek word that is defined here as “stimulate” is PAROXYMOS, which is used in various places in the New Testament as stimulate, sharp contention, sharp disagreement, stir up, and provoke. Another form of the same word is defined as “be irritable.” I think that the choice of word used here is very interesting, because the author of Hebrews could have used a word like ENERGEŌ, which means “inspire,” and then the verse would read “let us consider how to inspire one another to love and good deeds.” Or the author could have used the word PARAKALEŌ, which means “exhort” or “encourage,” so the passage would then be “let us consider how to encourage one another to love and good deeds.” But I believe that the author of Hebrews was very intentional in his choice of words, and I believe that he truly meant to choose such a strong word as PAROXYMOS, because I believe that he literally wants us to stimulate, and even irritate, one another to love and good deeds. It goes way beyond just simply inspiring and encouraging one another. He takes it to another level, to the point that we may even enter into sharp contention or disagreement with a brother or sister so as to get them to love and do good deeds.

So who can you irritate today?

Under the Influence - Devotion for 8/21/07

Under the Influence – Devotion for 8/21/07

Who influences you? Friends? Your boss? Your family? We all have people who have influenced us and helped us become who we are – for good or bad. If you are around people who talk differently than you, before long you will realize that you have begun to talk a little bit more like them. If your friends or co-workers say certain things, before long you will realize that you are saying some of the same things. It is easy for us to fall under the influence of the people who surround us without us evening trying. So consider what Mother Teresa had to say:

“Put yourself completely under the influence of Jesus, so that he may think his thoughts in your mind, do his work through your hands, for you will be all-powerful with him to strengthen you.” – From A Gift for God by Mother Tersea

And consider what David had to say:

“For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? The God who girds me with strength and makes my way blameless? He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me upon high places. He trains my hands for battle, sot that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.” – 2 Samuel 22:32-35 & Psalm 18:31-34 (same passage found in both places)

When we place ourselves under the influence of God our Savior, then we begin to talk, walk, and even act like Him. Put yourself under His influence today.

Faith without fear - Devotion for 8/20/07

Faith without fear – Devotion for 8/20/07

I have always found fear to be a useful thing. Fear heightens my sensitivities, and it gets the adrenaline flowing. Fear makes me more aware of my surroundings. Fear keeps me from doing some stupid things (the word “some” is very important here). Fear helps me give things their proper respect. Fear can be a useful thing, I have always believed. Yet there are so many passages in the Bible that tell us that we should not fear. Joshua is told many times to be strong and courageous. Throughout Isaiah and Jeremiah the people are told “do not fear.” And just today I was reminded of how we should not fear through reading John 14, and in particular verse 1: “ Do not let you heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.”

Today I read a passage from Meditations of a Hermit, by Charles de Foucauld, who proclaimed, “One thing we owe to Our Lord is to never be afraid.” He went on to state that to have fear causes 2 issues with God. One, fear means “that we forget him; we forget he is with us and is all powerful.” The second is that our fear means that we have not fully accepted “thy will be done,” since all that happens is according to the will of God. Now for me, faith without fear is something that I need to work towards, because there are truly moments that I have plenty of fear. But when I am reminded of what my fear represents (my lack of faith that God is truly there and my lack of faith in what God has ordered for me), then I believe that I can work on living a faith without fear.

Slow to anger - Devotion for 8/16/07

Slow to anger – Devotion for 8/16/07

Are you quick tempered? For me it depends on the day. Some days, for whatever reason, it seems like the smallest little thing will just set me off immediately. Other days, I will be much more judicious in what angers me. I feel that as I have gotten older that I am not as quick to get angry as I used to be. I was going to insert an example here of some of the type of things that I used to get angry about real quick, but the examples were too numerous for me to limit to just one. No matter how quick we may be to get angry, chances are that we know someone who serves as something of a role model for us – someone who seems to rarely get angry. I know that I have encountered some of these people (in fact a couple of faces come to mind as I write this), and many times when I am about to get angry I try to think what one of those individuals might would do in that situation.

One of the characteristics of God that is mentioned over and over again is mentioned in Psalm 145:8 – “The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.” That verse (or similar variations of) is found over and over again throughout the Old Testament. Too many times we think of God as a punishing God or an angry God. But in reality, God is a loving God, who is compassionate and understanding. God is gracious and merciful in the way that He deals with us – so gracious and merciful that instead of punishing us, He allowed His own son to suffer the punishment that we deserved. God is slow to anger – He does not delight in anger. Anger isn’t always a bad thing, but if we jump straight to anger quickly, then we definitely are not following in the ways of God. So today, instead of letting your first instincts take over, hold off on the anger. Demonstrate the same grace and mercy that God has shown you.

From generation to generation - Devotion for 8/15/07

From generation to generation – Devotion for 8/15/07

Last September my grandfather passed. My granddad was some kind of fun to be around. I loved when he and I would get a chance to just sit around and talk, and usually it would lead to us joking around and remembering some of the silly times. I knew that I wanted to get to share some of the memories of my granddaddy at the funeral, but it was so difficult to try to think of exactly what to share. I finally was able to share a few memories that gave a snapshot of who my grandfather was, but the most important thing I think I said was about how my grandfather had changed the world. You may have never heard the name Badger Fenton Seate, but you have certainly felt his impact as this man had the opportunity to touch the lives of thousands upon thousands.

Was my grandfather someone famous? Nope – you won’t even find his name if you searched it on Google. Was he rich? Not by worldly terms. Was he powerful? Well, he did have a strong grip, but powerful in the sense of political power – not so much. So how did he touch the lives of “thousands upon thousands”? Because he was a man of influence within his own home. Within his home he helped shape and mold three children. He taught them the ways of God. He taught them to pray. He taught them to respect God. He taught them to respect each other. He taught them to love as God loved. Through his home he changed the world. Because those 3 children have made a difference in the lives of thousands – one teaching Sunday School, one singing in the choir, and one serving as a minister. Those 3 children who my granddaddy shaped and formed have subsequently passed on what he taught them to their own children, who have subsequently been passing on to their own children. The spectrum of influence of this one man from Oxford, NC has been felt around the world – because if you are reading this today, you too have felt the impact of that simple auto mechanic who loved God with all his heart, mind, soul, strength, and body. And I will never forget his words that he spoke to me as his wife of 60+ years lay in a bed next to him dying – “I don’t care if I live to be 150 years old – there still will not be enough days to give God all the praise He’s due.” This one man has touched the lives of thousands upon thousands as his children (and their children) have continued to hand down what he handed down to them – the love of God.

That is how I understand each one of us can change the world. Each one of us can change the world by shaping and molding those within our own homes. To make a difference in the world we don’t have to have mass revivals (although those are great). To make a difference in the world, we just have to look within our own homes. Psalm 145:4 states, “One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.” Make a difference today. Let your influence be felt as you share the praise of God from one generation to another. One day you too may be remembered as having influenced thousands because of what you begin in your own home.

"Stuck up" Disciples - Devotion for 8/14/07

“Stuck up” Disciples – Devotion for 8/14/07

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I was born and raised in the South, and I have lived my entire life in the state of North Carolina. There are many stereotypes about the south, some of which are appropriate, some of which are just plain wrong. One of the stereotypes is about “Southern hospitality” – which is the image that southerners are friendly and welcoming to all, which is something we all know is only partially true. The part of that that is true is the part about being friendly, at least on the surface. By that I mean that most genuine southerners will commonly greet a stranger. You can drive down almost any country back road and if someone is out at their mailbox, they will wave. If you pass a pickup truck on that same country back road, the driver may raise one finger off the steering wheel as a way of greeting (no – not the middle finger – that’s what they do around DC). If you go to the local country store, almost any stranger you pass will speak to you. That is what is meant by southern hospitality – extending some form of friendly greeting to almost anyone and everyone (except Yankees – just kidding). And I never realized how strange southern hospitality must seem to people until I went to New York and spoke to just about everyone I passed – man, did I get some strange looks!

That’s why I have such an issue with something Jesus once said. In Luke 10, Jesus is commissioning and sending out the 70 (or 72, depending on your translation) to “the harvest.” As he is giving them the instructions that we have all heard before (carry no money, no bag, no shoes, etc.), he adds is one thing that is often overlooked – “and greet no one on the way.” (Luke 10:4) Greet no one? Now for a good ole’ Southern boy that just seems wrong. Is he actually telling these “harvesters” to be “stuck up”? Where is the hospitality in that? I know that there were other occasions (such as 2 Kings 4:29) where a prophet was instructed to not speak to anyone else on their journey as a way of demonstrating the importance of their mission, and I understand that that is exactly what is going on here – but I still have difficulty with it. If I am on a mission from God, am I really not supposed to greet someone else with a “hey – how are you?” And then I was able to relate it to my cell phone.

If you ever call my cell phone, there is more than a decent chance that you will get my voice mail. It is not because I do not want to speak to you. It is not because I am screening my calls. And it is not because I have lost my cell phone (which I haven’t!). It is most likely because I am in conversation with someone else, and when I am conversing with someone else, I will almost always simply hit the silent button on my phone instead of answering it. That is because when I am with someone I am giving them my full attention. In that same way, sometimes Jesus wants us to be fully committed and devoted to whatever mission he sends us on – even if it means we seem like we’re “stuck up.”

Sharing snacks - Devotion for 8/13/07

Sharing snacks – Devotion for 8/13/07

Each night before they go to bed, my sons like to have a small snack as they watch a little bit of TV. Although they are getting old enough that they could go in there and get the snacks for themselves, usually Jennifer and I go get it taken care of so that we don’t have to clean up their mess later. Once we have gotten the snacks for them, we bring them out and we spend a few minutes watching whatever TV program is on. The funny thing is that inevitably I will not have gotten a snack for myself, and inevitably I am going to want at least a little bit of whatever snack they are eating. It is funny how possessive they can become over something that I gave to them in the first place. After all, I (or my wife) was the one who purchased the snack at the grocery store with the money that I earned. I am the one who got the snack out of the package and put it into a bowl for them. I am even the one who brought the bowl containing the snack and put it in front of them to enjoy. So it seems a little silly to me when I ask for just a small portion that they would gripe about it. All I want is a little bit – I mean, I can go in the kitchen and get all that I want if I desire – I just want them to give me a little bit. Conversely, it warms my heart so much when I don’t even have to ask, and one of them turns to me and says, “Dad, here – do you want some?”

At the end of 1 Chronicles, in chapter 29 King David is making a final offering to God, and David seems to recognize where his “snacks” came from. “But who am I am who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things comes from You, and from Your hand we have given You.” (1 Chronicles 29:14) I think when we remember that “all things come from You,” then sharing what we have with God should become a bit easier. Don’t wait for God to ask for it – warm His heart by giving over and above what little He asks for.