31 January 2008 Devotion for Today "Foundations" Psalm 82

31 January 2008 Devotion for Today "Foundations" Psalm 82

This text in Scripture takes me back to the First Baptist Church
of Zelienople, Pennsylvania in 1990. We were constructing our first
unit building. Escavations were going very slow throughout the entire
summer because of rain. Mud kept sliding down the hillside into the
giant crater that had been dug for the church basement and cracking
the cinder-block walls. No matter how much we tried strengthening
them-filling them full of iron bars and cement-the walls kept
collasping because of the pressure of the mud. The trenches were
redug again and again until someone in a volunteer work crew from
South Carolina spoke up and said, "Isn't this church supposed to be
built upon the Word of God?" I said yes, but I didn't understand his
comment until later that week, after a lot of trouble rebuilding the
walls and laying new drainage tile, the walls stood firm. I asked
the volunteer team what they had done to make it work this time. It
came out that one of the team members had a pocket sized New Testament
that he had been reading while on the job. He had laid it on the wall
next to his lunch sack. When he returned for it, he noticed that the
New Testament was gone. Looking down into the hole of the cinderblock
where it had been laying, the man could barely see the corner of the
cover of the testament way down deep into the crevice. He tried in
vain to retrieve it by sticking his hand down into the hole. His hand
was too big.

The construction worker decided to leave it alone, and more blocks
and cement were built on top of it where it remains to this day. And
since then, I am told, there has has not been one problem of the walls
cracking, or any leakage of water in the church's basement.

You might be thinking that this is purely coincidental. Perhaps it
was. But the truth is, there is nothing like God's Word to correct our
foundations. The Psalmist laments his society in Psalm 82:5 "They know
not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the
foundations of the earth are out of course." The reason- man builds
on the shifting sands of his own limited reason. We may determine to
set our foundations in one way, but time and deterioration will inevitably
cause them to shift if they are not built upon God's Word. The pressures
of the world may cause them to buckle and crack if not reinforced by
the iron bars and cement of godly resolve.

What are your foundation built upon? Go around and examine them.
Are there any cracks or places where they have shifted from whence they
were originally set? Go back to the Word, my friend. Have a blessed day!

(from 29 September 2000)

28 January 2008 Devotion for Today “A Friend Like Jesus” John 15:14-15

Last Thursday I went visiting with a church member to someone in our neighborhood. When we pulled into the driveway we noticed a little dog in the front yard of the one we were visiting. I thought at the moment, “this family has gotten a new dog since I was here last.” When we knocked at the door, the dog approached us, but as soon as I reached out to the little dog to pet it and say kind things to it, the dog backed away. His little eyes seemed to long for love and affection, but seemed frightened at my advance. The woman whose home we visited commented on the same fact, and that she surmised the poor dog must have been abused because he was too frightened to trust anyone. After a time, the dog trotted off to someone else’s yard.

The memory of that little dog crept back into my mind this morning. There are many of us like that little dog- craving love, crying out for affection, even reaching out for friendship. Yet as soon as we see others reaching out to us, we become distrustful of their intentions, and back away, or push them away- leaving us even lonelier than ever. Our memories from hurts from the past, perhaps like the abuses heaped upon that little dog, keep us from the love and friendship we might have received. The pattern continues and we go through life sad and empty.

It’s sadder still to see that this generation is perhaps one of the most disconnected generations there has ever been. We might be connected to the internet. But we do not have to place ourselves in a position of trust when we talk to our on-line friends. In our minds they are like the make-believe friends we had as children. When we no longer wish for them to be around, or if our interests change, we can easily dispose of them with no emotional attachment. But at the same time, we seem more un-wired from personal relationships than ever before.

Christ comes to us with an offer of friendship that we can trust like no other. Who else has made the offer of not only sacrificial love, but unconditional love as he tells us, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call your servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:14-15)

Friends like these are rare, but less so when you become the kind of friend Christ desires you to be. He will never hurt you, and as your friend, Christ will help you overcome your fear of others. In a world that desperately needs friends, you will never lack for companionship when you learn to trust Christ and become a friend to others.

Have a blessed day!

24 January 2008 Devotion for Today “Muzzle Mouth” Psalm 39:1-4

24 January 2008 Devotion for Today “Muzzle Mouth” Psalm 39:1-4

I believe it was author Mark Twain who once said “It is better to be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.” There is certainly truth to be found in those words, and its biblical basis can be found in my devotional text today in Psalm 39:1-4

“I said, ‘I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle. While the wicked are before me.’ I was mute with silence. I held my peace even from good; and my sorrow was stirred up. My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned, then I spoke with my tongue: ‘Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.”

Indeed the Psalmist says that we are all frail creatures- especially with regard to our tongues. There are times when we will open up our mouths, turn them on, and then just walk off and leave them. David says at times such as this, he wishes for a muzzle to be placed over his mouth. A muzzle is a strap or a bridle that is designed to keep an animal- like a dog’s- mouth closed so that he will not bark or bite. Our words may sound like barking to others, and they often will bite as well. But even when they do not, there are times when we are uncomfortable with the silence and feel the need to fill that void. Yet David, the Psalmist, wisely withheld the need to blurt something out at these moments, realizing that the wicked were before him. The wicked were the people who were looking for a moment to hear David say something out of the overflow of his emotions. These words are thoughts that we think aloud- most of the time we speak them without thinking them all the way through, and certainly without praying about them. The wicked, says David, use opportunities like this to turn our words around on us, bending them to fit their perceptions, and adding meanings that we did not mean when we said them. Before we know it, we have committed ourselves to something that we later wished we had not-all because we want to be seen saying something that will underscore our sense of self-importance.

One thing we know and that is if we are not made to account for what we say now, we will be made to account for it later. Jesus said in Matthew 12:36-37 “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Perhaps, after hearing this, buying a muzzle may not be such a bad idea!

Have a blessed day

Rev. Jeffery Russell
Devotion for Today
jefferyrussell@embarqmail.com
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC

23 January 2008 Devotion for Today “Zero-Tolerance Policy” 2 Timothy 4:3-5

23 January 2008 Devotion for Today “Zero-Tolerance Policy” 2 Timothy 4:3-5

Most public schools in America have what they call a “Zero-Tolerance Policy” concerning the possession of weapons on their property. It’s a very good rule- sometimes enforced to ridiculous proportions at times (I’m talking about all the first grade boys who inadvertently pack a plastic water pistol in the knapsack, and end up being tackled, tazered, and tied up by the bomb squad), its to protect our children from crazies like the gunmen at Columbine or Virginia Tech. This policy only serves to demonstrate the terribly violent world we have to live in, brought about because of the devaluation of human life, and the endeavor of Postmodern culture to remove the very concept of God from our consciences. This has occurred at the same time that apostacy has crept into the teaching of our churches, weakening our doctrine in an effort to make the Gospel popular and palatable to the masses. In fact, it seems like the coffee shops now available in some of our mega churches are able to serve up stronger stuff than what we hear from their pulpits.

What we needed long before we needed a zero-tolerance policy in our schools is a zero-tolerance policy in our churches. A zero-tolerance policy for what? Bringing guns into churches? Well, unfortunately this has happened, but that is not exactly what I am getting at. I’m talking about zero-tolerance against any form of false teaching, false doctrine, or even any methodology which seeks to subvert the Gospel in the name of being popular or “reaching people.” Not that I am against reaching people, but it depends upon what message one is trying to reach them with.

Paul issues Timothy the reason for this zero-tolerance policy in 2 Timothy 4:3-5 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they having itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

The first century world resembled much of what we see in postmodern culture today. There was the proliferation of many philosophies, theologies, and ideas about moralities. The Greeks in particular were a pluralistic society which regarded all religions equally. On top of that, there was monotheistic Judaism contending against polytheism of all forms, yet it was against Christ and His followers. Within the fledgling movement of Christianity were many false teachers and philosophers who were pushing their agenda to reject any strong stands of morality on one hand to those who heaped all sorts of legalistic rules and regulations on the other. But where the danger was the most ominous was when Christians allowed the attitude of tolerance, or hearing what they wanted to hear to subvert the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. The way Paul dealt with it is to have a zero-tolerance policy toward false teachers and false teaching.

This devotional may not be very uplifting or inspirational, still we need to be discerning. How do we discern false teaching and false teachers? This is for the next installment but let me leave you with this. Satan has adopted the methodology of the middle eastern terrorist on this one. He straps a bomb vest of apostacy on and parades into the congregation. When the church members are comfortable with him being there, Satan touches off the bomb, taking many casualties with him into hell.

The pressure to do away with the Gospel is basically the same as it was in the first century. We can usually identify apostacy when there is a challenge to try to make something more palatable, or to lower the bar on what it mans to be a Christian, or to give more importance to being trendy and culturally relevant. We must remember that while we might want to change the form of what we do, we never want to change the meaning of Scripture. I’ll talk more of this tomorrow. But in the meantime, guard your heart, and create a zero-tolerance policy against false doctrine.

Have a blessed day!

First Video Edition
Devotion for Today
January 17, 2008

Don't worry, I will be making a lot of improvements, but this is the first pilot, which I hope will eventually turn into a weekly concept. The purpose of putting Devotion for Today in video format is to help those who cannot get to church keep in contact with their pastor and church family, as well as to reach out to seekers.

17 January 2008 Devotion for Today “Five Things to Do” Psalm 37:1-8

17 January 2008 Devotion for Today "Five Things to Do" Psalm 37:1-8

Author Richard Horne recently wrote a best-seller entitled, /101 Things
to Do Before You Die. /All in all, it is a good read from the
standpoint of reaching out and enjoying your life before it races to the
end such as learn to fly a plane, go on a demonstration, meet your idol,
milk a cow, swim with sharks, etc. He encourages journaling to measure
one's progress, and to record impressions of the experiences attempted
or made. Horne points out that the majority of people fritter their
lives away aimlessly, accomplishing very little that is worthwhile
outside of working and raising a family. Meanwhile, the experience of
life is neglected, to say nothing of working to make life meaningful.
I have to say I agree with Horne. While his book is not based on a
spiritual perspective necessarily, there are Biblical principles
contained in it, boiling them down to this one premise: Trust in the
Lord, and Do Good."

Psalm 37 is a beautiful passage which outlines what is essential and
what is not. In the passage given, there are not 101 things to do, but
only 5 which will bring about priority, focus, and calm in the course of
your day if they are acted upon. I will give them to you in the course
of the Scripture

1. The first is "Fret not" (v.1) Do not fret because of evil men or be
envious of those who do wrong." Worrying about people who do wrong,
that they are getting ahead of those who do the right thing are not
worth worrying about, because it is out of our control and God is the
author and giver of all justice. At the beginning of the day, we must
remind ourselves of this, because at the end of the day, the tables are
often turned.

2. Secondly, "Trust in the Lord and do good" (v.3) this is taken
together with verse 4: "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give
you the desires of your heart." Faith is incomplete without action.
Trusting in God does not just believing in Him, but doing something
meaningful as an expression of that trust. If you are trusting in the
Lord, do something (consistent with His nature and His will as found in
Scripture, of course).

3. Thirdly, Commit: (v. 5-6) "Commit your way to the LORD; trust in
him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the
dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." This goes
beyond doing, because many times our actions run into roadblocks and
obstacles sometimes put there by the devil. It takes persistence and
commitment ahead of time to get the job done, while trusting in the Lord
the whole time. When things are difficult, when study is harder than
what we first thought, when the job is more tedious than expected, when
the task is more arduous than anticipated- that is the time to think
back to what we have committed to, even if others are running away and
we are the only ones left.

4. Fourthly, be Still. (v.7) "Be still before the LORD and wait
patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when
they carry out their wicked schemes." Again, a second admonition not to
fret with this counter command: to be still. "Freaking out" is not what
is called for here, and panic only incites more confusion. Worrying
will not put it right. But being still causes us to focus upon God and
what He desires to say to us in the midst of the problem that does not
make us happy.

5) Fifthly, Refrain from anger (v.8) When things don't go your way, or
a decision is made and you are not happy about it, hold back from saying
what you might regret. "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not
fret—it leads only to evil." I know that many people say, "I couldn't
help but get mad!" But turning from wrath is a deliberate, conscience
choice. We are not responsible for the actions of others, but we are
responsible for our reactions. When we flare in anger, we only make the
confusion and misunderstanding better, not worse.

I have given you five things to do. Apply them as Biblical principles
as you set about your day. At the end of it, do not be surprised that
as hard as you work, that God indeed delights to give you the desires of
your heart. What Five Things have you got to do today? Have a blessed
day!

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Devotion for Today
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@embarqmail.com
jcrussell@liberty.edu
Website:

http://25621.lifewaylink.com

16 January 2008 Devotion for Today "Those who are at Ease" Psalm 123

16 January 2008 Devotion for Today "Those who are at Ease" Psalm 123

If there is any psalm that we have looked at thus far that speaks to
the Baby Boomer/Buster generation, it is Psalm 123. Many will not like
the statement that I make today, but I must tell it. I do not enjoy
saying this, but I am a member of this generation, and it is not
something I speak of with pride. Just about every generation before me
have accomplished something significant,or have overcome tremendous
suffering or hardship. But the only thing my generation has had to
overcome is selfishness, materialism, and immorality. My parent's
generation lived through the Great Depression, World War II and began
with the basics just so they could give my generation a better life.
And in truth, we haven't wanted for anything,yet we are the biggest
"cry-babies" on the planet. We sit with our cell-phones and our DVD
players, and our designer this and that and whine about what we don't
have. We see this in our society and we see it in our churches, where
the pervasive mentality is "What are you going to do for me?" The cause
of missions, evangelism, and the whole cause of Christ suffers. Our
attitude of commitment thrives on novel ideas. But when these ideas
confront great obstacles to achieve them-we find them too hard and go
on to find something else to do.

So much for my generation. But we were not the only generation to behave
this way. The Psalmist laments in Psalm 123:3-4 "Have mercy upon us, O
Lord, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at
ease, and with the contempt of the proud." We are indeed a generation
of ease and filled with scorning. How can we make it better? By taking
our eyes off our selves and on to God. Taking our thoughts off our own
wants and looking to a world that we have hurt with our selfishness and
caring for them. That is what Jesus tells us to do. And we will find
that the most meaningful things of life for which we have always desired
will be those which we will receive. Our lives will be filled with richness
(as oppossed to emptiness and riches). We may not even be thinking of them,
but when we start thinking of who comes after us, then maybe, just maybe,
we may have a legacy to pass on to our children and our grandchildren.

Have a blessed day.

15 January 2008 Devotion for Today “The Accusatory Sense of Failure” Romans 8:1-4

15 January 2008 Devotion for Today "The Accusatory Sense of Failure"
Romans 8:1-4

Guilt. If ever there was a word we shrink back from and avoid today is
the very notion of guilt. Someone once defined guilt as "an accusatory
sense of failure." When I was a child, guilt was a good motivator to
get me to eat my vegetable: "Think of all those hungry children in
Africa with nothing to eat!" It didn't make me like my veggies any
better, but the statement jerked on my heartstrings and got my mouth
open. Statements like "Look what you did!" were also designed to
instill shame or embarrassment, as well as bring recrimination upon the
individual. Feeling badly for hurting someone's feelings, for making a
bad grade on one's report card, for taking cookies out of the cookie jar
when told not to do so were sufficient at one time. We have raised an
entire generation, however, that knows very little about "this
accusatory sense of failure." No one likes to fail. Failure is
extremely unpleasant. We cannot fathom the thought of our children
failing, so we have tried every way we can to remove failure from our
classroom curriculum. You are forbidden to make anyone feel guilty
anymore. You make a child feel guilty in the classroom, it reflects
upon the parents' ability to raise that child. Then the teacher has a
real problem! F's are reserved for those who don't show up for class,
and even then, there are few consequences. When Johnny knows he will
not be left behind, then he will try to get by doing less instead of
more. The problem is, by removing the guilt factor, we have produced a
generation of underachievers. Many children's sports leagues have
changed the rules as well, and have removed the spirit of competition
which drives kids to do their best. But because we don't want kids to
have their feelings hurt, we tell each team that they are winners,
despite who has the highest score.

The worse sin in the world now is the sin of making someone feel
guilty. Make someone accountable, and you are self-righteous.
Challenge someone not to take part in self-destructive lifestyles, and
you are judgmental. The Bible teaches us, however, that it is not God
that condemns us, but our own sins.

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in
Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to
the Spirit, For the law of the Spirit of life inn Christ Jesus has made
me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in
that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in
the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in
the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled
in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the
Spirit:" Romans 8:1-4

Where does this "accusatory sense of failure" come from? We think it
comes from God, but it doesn't. It comes from ourselves. Our sin cries
out against us not when we have a personal relationship with God, but
when we are without one. Without that personal relationship, the law of
sin takes over, and condemns us.

My friend, Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, and
heap the sense of failure on this world. It had enough of that
already. Jesus came into the world to remove our sin's guiltiness and
place it upon Himself. Have a blessed day.

14 January 2008 Devotion for Today “The Father of All Self-Hatred” I Timothy 4:1-2

14 January 2008 Devotion for Today "The Father of All Self-Hatred" 1
Timothy 4:1-2

Dr. Ergun Caner, President of Liberty Seminary, recently spoke in a
devotional where he discussed the memory of a college roommate who, in a
lame attempt to make himself impressive to young women, would
continually fake a British accent. He was from Newark, NJ. Apparently
the accent extended only beyond the men's dorm. In the dorm room,
however, the young man spoke with his usual, nasally, "Joisey" brogue.
The dorm mates would try to dissuade the young man from speaking thus,
but to no avail. However, the fake Brit accent drew the attention of a
young coed, and they went out on a couple of dates until it blossomed
into a serious romance. The British accent grew stronger the whole
while until one day, the young man's girlfriend invited him to meet her
parents for dinner, which he happily obliged, and looking forward to
meeting them.
As they sat at the table together, the student noticed that her father
spoke somewhat differently than his daughter. Apparently, the girl did
not tell her boyfriend that her father, though a resident of the states
for almost three decades, was from Wokingham, England!

"What part of England did you say you were from?" asked the father,
curiously. He had detected some variance of the dialect, "Because I
can't decide if you are South African, Welsh, or from New Zealand?" The
young man excused himself, pretended to go down the hall to the
bathroom, and walked out the front door instead. He never returned to
the table for dinner- nor did he return to campus. In fact, no one
seems to know to this day where he is!

For your reflection today I would have you ponder this thought:
"Dishonesty is the father of all self-hatred." It is true. When we
lie, or deceive, what we are saying is that we have no respect for
ourselves, for if we did, we would not have to lie, cheat, steal, or in
any other way deceive. We say we are too dumb or stupid to know how to
achieve something worthwhile or honestly. We initially think we are
smarter than the rest for the short-cuts that we take until we realize
that we have not fooled anyone but ourselves.

We seem to encounter more lies and more falsehood than in any other time
in recent history. Paul warns us about this phenomenon in I Timothy 4:-
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart
from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of
demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared
with a hot iron." (I Timothy 4:1-2 )

The desire to impress- to become someone that we are not, is as old as
Satan himself. He is not called the "father of lies" for nothing. In
his own pathetic ploy to rebel against God in heaven, Lucifer deceived
himself into thinking that he could ever do God's job better than He did
it, much less become like Him. Being cast out of heaven, he deluded
himself into thinking that he really matters, and that he can live out
his quest for attention and prestige in each of us. We think despise
people who are better than we are, when we really just hate ourselves.
And when we try to deceive others, we also try to deceive God.

Rid yourself of the father of lies and all of his notions. Begin loving
yourself and appreciating yourself as the person God loves and created
to be unique and significant. When you care about the truth enough to
speak and to live the truth, you love yourself. Have a blessed day!

Dr. Elmer Towns' lecture

Dear Church Family,

Just a note to prove to everybody that I am where I'm supposed to be
:-) Here is Dr. Elmer Towns, our professor and Dean of the School of
Religion here at Liberty. He's teaching us about 21st Century
Techniques of Church Growth. Its a great class, learning a lot, but its
tough. There are several quizzes and papers to write, about lots and
lots of reading, but making new friends every day.

Hope that you will pray for me as you meet together tonight. Thought I
would pop on over to the service at Thomas Road Baptist Church
tonight. Will be thinking of ya'll too.

God bless you and looking forward to seeing you Sunday.

Your Servant in Christ,

Pastor Jeff

08 January 2008 Devotion for Today "Not to the Pit" Psalm 30:1-5

08 January 2008 Devotion for Today "Not to the Pit" Psalm 30:1-5

Today is day two here at Liberty. This morning I rose early, refreshed
and full of confidence ready to meet the day. My devotional reflection
was on Psalm 30 which I shall share in a moment. It seemed that I
had every expectation that the day should go well, or at least better
than it did yesterday (although not bad, it was a bit stressful).

Little did I know that Satan was there to trip me up at just about
every corner. The first thing that happened was Dr. Towns plunged us
headlong into a quiz (did I remember this material- I think I did- wait
when did we talk about that?, etc!) Then I kept getting repeated on
line email warnings from the university-something
about not getting my financial check-in properly- an administrative
error, to be sure. Why am I just hearing about it now? A little later
I read a news report on-line from my home newspaper about a very
disturbing incident. I was invited out to lunch by some new friends,
which was very nice- its always nice to meet new friends, and so I
proceeded to make the very best impression on them I could- by having to
excuse myself
from the table because of a sudden and unexplained attack of nausea!
Barely making it to the restroom on time, I tried to refresh myself for
the ride back to campus. On the ride back, the California driver
I rode with whizzed around turns and made many erratic movements. I
have to admit that while I admired my new friend's fancy sports Mercedes
Roadster with leather and valour seats, I was green- but not with envy!
My friends driving skills caused the the attack I thought had once
vanquished me to return with a vengeance! I will spare you the other
details.

When we returned after lunch, another quiz greeted us. In the meantime
my computer started getting queezy as well, and kept shutting off. It
became interminably slow and difficult to deal with. In the meantime I
had lost an entire morning of valuable notetaking. Later on in the day,
after I had returned to my room, there was another call from the finance
office. I am so glad I prayed that the Lord would give me stength today.
I do not know what I would have done had I not done so.

Going back to Psalm 30, my Bible has a heading above it entitled
"The Blessedness of Answered Prayer".

I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, and have not let
my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried out to You, and You
healed me. O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave: You have
kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the
LORD, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His
holy Name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:
1-5)

Praise the Lord for that last line especially. The psalmist says in
verse 3 that the LORD brought my soul up from the grave and has kept me
alive, that I should not go down to the pit. I can be thankful for that,
also. There have been times that I felt like I had a foot in the grave.
God kept me alive today (even though I did not feel like it at times),
and he kept me from the pit (though at times I felt like I was holding
on by my fingernails!). In any event, I have much to thank God for. I
am grateful for the opportunity to study and to be here on campus to learn
many wonderful things. I am grateful for a church that has provided this
opportunity for me. Even though I may not be in the best of health right
now, my family is healthy and we all were safe. We all got to live
another day. And as far as my computer is concerned, well- right now it
is getting a good virus check and going to bed for the night after signing
off. The old trusty laptop has served me well for 5 years- (that's age
75 in human years-well past its prime, I suppose. Its bound to have a few
creaks now and then.

If God took me home tonight (which right now, the way my stomach feels,
I'm not sure I would care either way!), I would go home to Him having
lived a full and happy, joyful life He has given me these 47 years. Of
course, there is much I would like to do. But one thing I do know, I
will not go to the pit, even though there are times I joke of felt like
having been there. I must shamefully say that there are probably millions
who would want to trade their life circumstances for mine-even on my
worst day- so there is absolutely nothing I should be complaining about.

God is there for you today, as well. He loves You and has all of the
expectation for You. If You have trusted in His Son, Jesus, there is
in this life everything to look forward to no matter what you might be
facing right now. If someone were to offer to trade his life for yours,
would you take it? Actually one already did, His name is Jesus.

Have a blessed day!

07 January 2008 Devotion for Today "My Mind is Spinning" Psalm 8:3-9

07 January 2008 Devotion for Today "My Mind is Spinning" Psalm 8:3-9

My mind is spinning. It hasn't stopped since I arrived on campus last
night at Liberty University for another week of doctoral intensives.
This is my second course and at times I find it difficult to relate back
to a world I hadn't been much a part of since 1985 when I graduated from
seminary. Life on campus and the campus has definitely changed since
then. In 1985 there were a few people using computers to do
assignments, but it was not hooked up to the internet and most
professors then would not accept a paper printed on a "daisywheel"
printer. I did have an electric typewriter with a self-correcting
ribbon. I thought I was way ahead of my classmates on that one. Still,
I could not save my work, and often I had to type it over again. If I
wanted to make a duplicate, I had to use messy carbon paper. When I
started college in 1978, it was the first time I had ever seen a
computer. It was so large it took up a room the size of half a basket
ball court.

Today we have modern classrooms with video monitors and projectors
flashing notes up on the screen. That means that 76 year old Dr. Elmer
Towns can go faster in his lectures than ever! He keeps up with the
times better than guys my age. He is remarkable. The stuff he can
rattle off the top of his head without looking at notes is amazing.
Speaking of being rattled. Today he called me up in front of the class-
impromptu, to give an oral presentation on the pros and cons of the
housechurch movement from a chapter in a book we read. I thought I had
read the book pretty well until I stammered out a few lame statements,
then listened to him correct me and quote an entire section of the book
verbatim without even looking at it! My body language must have begged,
"Can I go sit back down now?"

The point I am making is this: While technology is indeed moving at a
rapid pace, it still cannot compete with a well-trained, intelligent
human mind. If that is the case, how much greater is God's mind than ours?

The Psalmist reflected upon all this in Psalm 8- one of my favorites-
which reflects upon man's minuteness with respect the entire universe.
The psalm shows us, that as mighty and malleable as we are, God is
greater and never needs to change:

"When I consider Your heavens. the work of Your fingers. The moon and
stars which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him,
and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little
lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.
You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You
have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen-even the beasts
of the field, The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how
excellent is Your name in all the earth." Psalm 8:3-9

When we take time to reflect upon the vast expanse of our universe, it
might make us look small. But it also demonstrates just how great and
how mighty God is. What is more, while He is bigger and greater than
the universe which He has made- and it goes on forever- God still finds
time to care for us and to love us. He calls us so special that we are
the apple of His eye. It causes us to open up our hearts of love and
faith to Him.

Speaking of faith, Dr. Towns proposed this thought to us as we were
beginning to conclude the class. He said: "It takes more faith to be
an atheist than it does a believer in Christ. Ponder on that one till
you come back tomorrow!"

Have a blessed day!

Have a blessed day.

04 January 2008 Devotion for Today “Asking Amiss” James 4:1-3

04 January 2008 Devotion for Today "Asking Amiss" James 4:1-3

This week there was an ad on television that seemed to stick in my
mind. I don't recall everything about it, although it was about the
lottery. But I did pick up on this phrase: "The 6 million dollar
jackpot- you can't win if you don't play!" That might be an obvious
statement to most viewers, but a reminder to them that so-called
millions are waiting for them if they will take the time (and money) to
purchase lottery tickets.

I am continuing on with the subject, "What Prayers Does God Hear" by
looking at the prayers that He does not hear. The obvious prayer that
God will not hear is the prayer that is not prayed. Don't misunderstand
my point, prayer is not like playing the lottery at all. But many
people I have met are disappointed with God because of the difficulty
they have in life, or they don't get what they want, or that things
don't work out the way they expected. Sometimes I will ask, "Did you
pray and ask God for it?" And they stare at me like a cow looking at a
new gate and reply, "No- I just thought God would know I needed it."

It is true that God does know our needs before we ever ask or think.
The Bible even tells us this in Matthew 6. And often God does provide
before we are even aware that He is providing, or even aware that we
have a need. But there is another side of this that we don't see and
that is, if we were in fact aware of the need, would we pray and ask God
for it? That is the point I am making, the tragedy of a prayer not
prayed. This morning I am in prayer for a young Christian lady with
cystic fibrosis who is on a respirator at Duke University Hospital in
Durham. She is also five months pregnant. Her husband is a music
minister at a local church. They had no qualms about letting us know
that we needed to pray for them. By the way, please pray for them,
because the young lady, Tricia, is seriously ill. We should certainly
pray that God will deliver her and her baby through this crisis. The
disturbing thought crosses my mind- "What if I had not prayed?" Even
worse, "what if the couple had not let us know to pray?" I would not
like to even fathom those questions.

In the text for today James says

"Where do wars and fights /come/ from among you? Do /they/ not
/come/ from your /desires for/ pleasure that war in your members? 2 You
lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight
and war. Yet^ you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do
not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend /it/ on your
pleasures." (James 4:1-3)

James also brings up another reason why God would not hear our
prayers- because we ask amiss- I'll address that one next week.
Remember: Always take time to prayer, morning and night and right
through the day. Always take time a prayer to pray.

Have a blessed day!

03 January 2008 Devotion for Today “Prayer God Hears, Part 2) II Peter 3:9

03 January 2008 Devotion for Today "Prayer God Hears, Part 2) II Peter 3:9

Several years ago I was pastoring a church in the Washington, D.C.
area- inside the infamous "Beltway." The community where we lived was a
vast mixture of internationals and Maryland natives who once lived on
small farms until suburbian sprawl overtook them. There was one event
to which I was invited bringing all of the spiritual leaders of the
community together. There were Catholic and Christian priests and
ministers of several protestant denominations. There were two or three
Jewish rabbis, a Muslim imam, two or three Hindu and Buddist priests,
and a Wiccan or two thrown in for good measure. At a certain point in
the event, each of the spiritual leaders were asked to recite or give a
prayer, incantation, or some sort of spiritual dialogue with their
spiritual being. I'm not really sure what the Wiccans were doing; maybe
casting a spell? I was so uncomfortable with what I saw going on around
me that I actually feigned illness and left the room. A strange
feeling came over me- as though I was in a place which I did not
belong. As much as I tried finding affinity with that group, I could
not. What I thought was even more strange was that as I came out of the
restroom, the Muslim imam, with his long peppery beard and white skull
cap on his face was coming in. Perhaps he felt as I did, though
possibly for different reasons. The next thing I knew I was in my car
and on my way home.

Yesterday I began the year's devotional by discussing what prayers does
God hear? I will continue on this subject once again by with a reminder
that God hears the prayers of the contrite, not the casual. I realize
that we have adopted casual as the lifestyle of the new millennium.
There are some things that are right about that, (I long for the day
when the necktie will be banished forever) but a lot of things that are
wrong also (which is a whole other subject). It is true that because of
our new relationship with God we may approach Him with all the
confidence of a child approaching his father, just as long as it is
understood that we approach God respectfully, and not flippantly, and
without sinful hearts and attitudes.

What would be another reason that God would not hear our prayers? I
have heard it said that God does not hear the prayer of the unsaved.
Usually there is a period after this statement, which would be partially
true and, once again, limited to at least one condition: God would not
hear the prayer of the unsaved for the same reason given above. If the
prayer is motivated from an unrepentant heart, saved or unsaved, God
would not hear that prayer. And since repentance serves one of the
bases of salvation, then it could be said that, at least in that
instance, God would not hear the prayer of the unsaved. Perhaps it
would be more correct to say that God does not hear the prayer of the
unrepentant, but not necessarily all of the unsaved. I will leave you
to your own conclusions about whether other faith groups will have their
prayers heard as well. However, to state unilaterally that God does not
hear all the prayers of the unsaved would place the unsaved completely
outside of God's redemptive purpose, which of course is absurd. "God is
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance." II Peter 3:9. God will indeed hear the prayer of the
unsaved when it is made thus: "Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner.
I repent of my sins and yield my live to You. I confess You as my Lord
and Savior." That type of prayer is open to everyone, and thereby
giving everyone access to God.

I realize that I will probably offend some by this writing. If I do,
it is not intentional. People are offended by what they perceive as
exclusivism. I submit to you that Christianity is not exclusivist.
Everybody loves Jesus, but hates Christianity. Yet let us not forget
that Jesus taught that there was only one way to salvation, and He is
that way (John 14:6). Exclusivism, by definition, means to exclude
others while keeping a few inside a predetermined circle. Christ has
never excluded anyone- He offers salvation for all. And He hears the
prayers of the repentant and those who have faith in Him. If there is
any exclusivism going on, its on the part of the unrepentant, who balk
at the one condition Christ has offered for their salvation.

Does God hear your prayers? You might like to think that He does, but
it never hurts to make certain. Go to Him with a repentant heart today,
and He will hear You.

Have a blessed day.**

02 January 2008 Devotion for Today “Prayers God Hears” Psalm 66:15-20

02 January 2008 Devotion for Today "Prayers God Hears" Psalm 66:15-20

Welcome back to Devotion for Today- now in its tenth year of bringing
you devotionals by way of the internet. For those of you who are
regular readers, I offer a very lame apology as to the recent
inconsistency of these reads for the following reason: computer
software. Early November I started cranking out devotionals and
sending them out as usual, along with hundreds of emails to church
members and friends, when I started getting emails, and personal
contacts from people saying: "Jeff, what has happened to your
devotionals? Aren't you sending them out any more?" At first, I
ignored the comments, thinking that a few of them might be somewhat more
computer illiterate than myself (if that were possible!). But then
there were some who became upset with me that I had not written them or
informed them of activities, or kept up important communications with
them. I knew now that something was wrong. It turns out that the
client email software I was using was able to receive email, but not
send it. And since I send out these devotionals to hundreds of people
every day- I could not just use the web server because they would
accommodate no more than fifty addresses per send.

Thanks to my son who discovered the problem and found another software
package to download, I am finally able to hit "send" again with
confidence. So hopefully I am back on the road to better consistency.
But the predicament caused me to reflect very seriously about prayer:
not just because I was praying that my emails would get sent, but about
the efficacy of prayer. In other words, does God always hear our prayers?

I would like to say first of all, "Yes, God always hears our prayers,"
but that would not be exactly true. God does and can hear our prayers,
but there must be certain conditions that are met on the part of the one
who is praying. I am going to treat this subject for the remainder of
the week so that I don't just give a gloss-over answer. May I submit to
you that if God does not hear all of our prayers, it is not because of a
lack of desire on His part to hear them, nor is it because of some kind
of prayer back-log so that He is not able to receive our prayers like
when the long-distance trunk line is so busy that it goes into meltdown.

No, one of the reasons why God does not hear all of our prayers is
because of the spiritual condition, namely; the sinful heart of the
pray-er. Allow me to guide you to
Psalm 66: 16-20:
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has
done for my soul. 17 I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled
with my tongue.18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not
hear.19 But certainly God has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.20 Blessed be God, Who has not
turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!"

I call your attention particularly to verse 18: If I regard iniquity in
my heart, the Lord will not hear." The Lord will not hear what? The
obvious subject is found in the context: prayer. The primary reason
why God does not hear prayer is not because of deafness, inability to
hear, or unwillingness to hear. It is because there are times that our
prayers are accompanied by sinful hearts and attitudes. These are
spirits which God refuses to abide.
I live in close proximity to a large beach resort area. Casualness is
very acceptable in most restaurants and places of business. But there
are places where they will let you know that being too casual is not
appropriate. As I stopped into a local IHOP, I noticed a sign which
read, "No shoes, no shirt, no service!" We might well think of God
displaying a similar sign which has absolutely nothing to do with our
outward attire, but the inward attitude of our hearts. For example, if
we go to God with an attitude of arrogance, or blatantly come before God
with unconfessed sin, God will not be disposed to hear our prayers
because He does not abide the presence of sin. Naturally, if our aim or
purpose of prayer is to confess to God our sinfulness, then He will want
to hear our prayers because we will have a heart that is yielded to Him
in repentance.
God hears the prayers of the contrite, not the casual. I realize that
we have adopted casual as the lifestyle of the new millennium. There
are some things that are right about that, but a lot of things that are
wrong also (which is a whole other subject). It is true that because of
our new relationship with God we may approach Him with all the
confidence of a child approaching his father, just as long as it is
understood that we approach God respectfully, and not flippantly, and
without sinful hearts and attitudes. I will write more about this tomorrow.

Have a blessed day.