27 May 2010 Devotion for Today “Seeking Great Things” Jeremiah 45:5

27 May 2010 Devotion for Today "Seeking Great Things" Jeremiah 45:5

 
 

        This story is told that when Charles Haddon Spurgeon was eighteen years old and seeking God's will for his life, he felt the need for theological training. Both his friends and his father advised him to attend college. So he made application to Regent's Park College, and an interview was set between the head of the college and young Spurgeon. The meeting was to be in Cambridge at the home of Mr. Macmillan, the publisher. Spurgeon rose early that morning and had special prayer, seeking God's guidance in the matter.

 
 

        At just the appointed time, he showed up at Macmillan's house. He rang the bell, and a servant showed him into the parlor. There he sat for two hours until at last his patience could stand it no longer. He called for the servant and was horrified to discover that she had forgotten to announce his arrival, had not let anyone know he was there, had forgotten all about him.

 
 

        Meanwhile the head of the college had sat waiting in an adjoining room until his patience, too, had been exhausted, and he had left Cambridge for London by train without the interview ever having taken place.

 
 

        Spurgeon was deeply disturbed, and his first impulse was to run after the man, to chase him to London, to explain what had happened. But he took a long walk out in the country to calm down, and by-and-by a verse of Scripture came to his mind so forcibly that he almost seemed to hear it audibly—Jeremiah 45:5: "Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not!"

 
 

        The Lord seemed to be telling him not to worry about the misunderstanding, not to make extraordinary efforts to clear it up, but to take it as the Lord's will and serve the Lord humbly where he was. As a result, Spurgeon never did make it to college, but it didn't matter. He became the most powerful, successful and fruitful minister in the history of Victorian England, and he later said that he "a thousand times thanked the Lord very heartily for the strange providence which forced his steps into another and far better path."

 
 

        I have to admit that there have been times when I, as a pastor, have been tempted to think, "I can certainly preach better than Billy Graham! So why am I not in a big church by now?" A few years ago, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, "When you are as close to Me as Billy is, then maybe one day you will be!" Since that time, God has not assigned me to any big churches, but I am in, right now, one of the greatest churches that I have ever known. Do you seek great things for yourself? Don't seek them, Jeremiah says. They will find you. Paul Robinson, veteran missionary to Uruguay, to fellow missionaries at his retirement reception in 1990 said: "Don't worry about doing something great. Be great by doing what you can where God has placed you. It will pay off after awhile."

 
 

Have a blessed day!

20 May 2010 Devotion for Today "Consequences " Genesis 27:41-46

 41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob."

 42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, "Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. 44 Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I'll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?"

 46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living. (Genesis 27:41-46)

 
 

As we continue with this saga of Jacob and his family we see by now that they have put the fun in the word dysfunctional. Jacob had twice swindled the birthright and the blessing from his brother Esau, which reminds me of the old adage: "Fooled me once, shame on you; fooled me twice, shame on me!"

Esau wailed and cried upon learning of the irreversible blessing conferred upon his younger twin brother by his father, Isaac. After this, Esau plots his revenge, waiting for the day when his father dies and killing the conniving little chiseler- which is what the name, Jacob, means.

 
 

Their mother is now in fear for Jacob's life, and urges him to leave and run to her brother's place in Haran in all haste. This is something she has initiated, and pays a bitter price in not being able to see her favored son again. But in verse 46 she makes a statement to her husband,

"I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living."

 
 

Isaac's wife deceives her husband once again, making him think that the cause of her anguish is her daughters in law, the wives of Esau, and their families and not from having her heart torn out by seeing her beloved Jacob leave. It was true that both Isaac and Rebekah were grieved by the women Esau married, but Rebekah had a concern to marry Jacob from among her people as well as to keep her son alive. This lady truly knew what she was doing. To anyone else she may have been a manipulator and a schemer. But God used her wit and determination to preserve His people and their blessing to all the earth.

 
 

Isn't it interesting how God will use not only the brightest and the best, but also the less noble among us to bring about His plans and His purposes. This is not to say that God countenances manipulation, guile, or backstabbing. He cannot look upon sin, but He will not be hindered by its consequences. Indeed, Jacob would still learn from some bitter lessons ahead that God would yet use to chisel more of His influence into Jacob's irascible character.

 
 

As you look back on your own life today you may see some things that you had wished you had done differently- consequences you have had to endure to set you straighter on the road to life. If so, your journey is not unlike Jacob's.

 
 

Prayer: Dear Lord, I am not always proud of the things I have had to learn, especially the hard ways of my life. Teach me Lord to respond better when you lead me, and to be more obedient to your kinder graces as I get older. In Jesus Name, Amen.

 
 

Have a blessed day!

18 May 2010 Devotion for Today "Blindness" Genesis 27:1-10

^{1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, "My son."}

      "Here I am," he answered.

 2 Isaac said, "I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. 3 Now then, get your weapons—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die."

 5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7 'Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.' 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies." (Genesis 27:1-10)

 
 

There is an old proverb that says, "There are none so blind as they who will not see." In this passage we see two kinds of blindness. Isaac's blindness is the most obvious. Overcome by the natural affects of old age, his eyes are going dim. Perhaps he has cataracts or some other type of disease is deteriorating his sight. Dementia may also be playing a role in this too, as the blind are usually very perceptive about their surroundings. However, Isaac seems to be easily fooled as we shall see later. The other blindness is the blindness of his wife, Rebekah's heart. Her love for her children, especially Jacob, has surpassed the love which she once had for her husband, so much so that she was willing to deceive her husband to give Jacob what she most wanted for him and that was the inheritance and blessing bestowed upon him from his father. To do this, Rebekah heard her husband's desire for the oldest son, Esau, to hunt some wild game and to fix it for him. She knew that after this Isaac would pronounce the formal blessing upon Esau.

 
 

This was no common ordinary blessing, like the blessing we have over our meals. This was a solemn event where the father basically issued his last will and testament before his death, issuing the inheritance- usually to the oldest son. Esau was the eldest of the twin brothers, but they were as different as can be. Esau is also exhibiting some blindness here too. He has no idea what is about to befall him. He should have realized the trickery about to be conspired against him, knowing that Jacob has tricked him out of his birthright before.

 
 

Rebekah may have thought she was clever in doing this, but she was blind to the consequences of her behavior. Even if she were to succeed in her clever plan to disguise her beloved son Jacob and deceive him into thinking he was Esau, she did not realize that she was also pronouncing a death sentence on Jacob; for Esau would surely try to kill him when he found out about this plot. This act would separate the family forever.

 
 

Two hundred years ago, Sir Walter Scott wrote: "What a tangled web we weave when first when first we practice to deceive." Indeed a tangled web of blindness was woven that day by Rebekah. However, God was not blind to this deception, and would use it to bring about His purposes, as we shall see tomorrow.

 
 

This is the reason that prayer is so important in the lives of God's people. We may struggle with the things we most want in life, but have we submitted them in prayer seeking God's will? There are consequences for every action. Have we sought today to do our best and to make the best decision for the glory of God, or do we simply want what we want, and continue to walk in blindness. God knows the future, and the knows the outcome of every possible situation- we do not. Let us not delay in taking our concerns and decisions to God who can best help us to see with His eyes what lies before us.

 
 

Prayer: Dear Lord, I do not know the outcome of this day. It could be that I may meet success or failure, life or death. Either way, may I submit myself to Your plans so I may see as much as I can. In Jesus Name I pray.

 
 

Have a blessed day!

12 May 2010 Devotion for Today "Let's Dig Some New Wells" Genesis 26:17-25.

 17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.

 19 Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek, [b] because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. [c] 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, [d] saying, "Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land."

 23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 That night the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham."

 25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.

(Genesis 26:17-25)

 
 

As I read this lengthy passage I am reminded so much of our behavior as people today. Its impressed upon me as I read of the quarrelling between Isaac's people and the others how fiercely protective we are about our turf or our territory. Its true that Isaac and Abraham dug those wells at Gerar. But they were dug in Philistine territory. Not everybody remembered the rules for their use or who had the rights to them since so much time had elapsed. Their descendants had different understandings as to who could use them and who could not. The Philistines filled the wells in, thinking that they could prevent Abraham from encroaching into their lands. Isaac new that he and his ancestors dug those wells with their sweat and labor- it is extremely hard work to dig a well, especially with the primitive tools they had at that time. However, Isaac was wise enough to see the wisdom of digging new wells- even if others would use them after he dug them. For one thing, the water was free and everyone needed it. Even more than this, Isaac found that the more wells he dug, the more prosperous he became and his territory expanded. When there was more than enough for everyone, the less the people complained and bickered, the better everyone got along, and the greater influence Isaac had over the entire region. This was truly a "win-win" situation for everyone. Even more beneficial is the fresher water from new wells, and that no one needed to keep drinking from the stagnant wells of Gerar.

 
 

Perhaps it is time to dig new wells into our situation where God has placed us. You may be working on a ministry project that others are benefitting from, but some want to take it in another direction. What do you do? You dig a new well. Every time we sink new wells, develop new ministries, build new churches, start another Sunday School class or reach a new family everyone is blessed by it regardless of who did it. How boring it is when I see people so fiercely protective of their "well" that they won't allow anyone else to get involved in it. They feel threatened that someone wants to change it or benefit from it that it never occurs to them that it belongs to God, not them. We are about working for the Kingdom of God, not the kingdom of self. So each time I encounter those situations where people want to quarrel over their territory, I try to take Isaac's example and dig a new well. In the meantime I have expanded my influence and see that people want to do something new, not keep going back to the old.

 
 

Has God shown you a new well that needs to be dug today? Don't listen to what others are telling you, that we already have enough wells around, or that people are not drinking from all the wells we already have. God has more than enough fresh water for everyone but people want fresh water to drink, not stale. Keep on digging, and as Jesus said, "But whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never become thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become a well of water for him, springing up to eternal life." John 4:14

 
 

Prayer: Lord, do you want me to dig a new well today? I know we still have all the old wells, but You are always doing something new, and You desire to refresh Your people with fresh spring water. Thank You for using me to dig it. In Jesus name, Amen!

 
 

Have a blessed day!

 
 

 
 

 
 

10 May 2010 Devotion for Today “Selling Your Birthright” Genesis 25:27-34

10 May 2010 Devotion for Today "Selling Your Birthright" Genesis 25:27-34

 ²⁷ The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. ²⁸ Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.  ²⁹ Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. ³⁰ He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom. )  ³¹ Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."  ³² "Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?"  ³³ But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
 ³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.      So Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis 25:27-34)

Last time we dealt with the birth of these two children of Isaac and Rebekah, who asked throughout her turbulent pregnancy if everything were fine, why was she so troubled? It turned out that these twins who were later born to her were as different as two boys could be. One was a "man's man"- a hunter, an outdoorsman who made his father proud. This was Esau. Jacob, however, was characterized as "a mama's boy"- one who stayed close to home and evidently acquired some great skill in the kitchen. This did not escape Esau's notice, either.

When Esau came in one day from a hunting trip, he smelled his brother's cooking and declared that he was so hungry he was about to die. Why he said this we do not know. Perhaps he was just joking. Jacob heard him and decided to take advantage of his jest by pretending to go along with it. In those days, when someone said something publicly, it was not taken lightly. Evidently there were witnesses around; perhaps servants or Rebekah, their mother may have been standing close by. Jacob then told him, "sell me your birthright"- that is, the status of inheriting all of his father's land and possessions. Esau quickly and unwisely agreed. He flippantly did what he thought he needed to do to get what he wanted to eat. Esau was possibly "not the sharpest tool in the shed", for had he been thinking, being of superior strength, could have challenged Jacob to an arm-wrestling contest or even overpowered the weaker Jacob to get what he wanted. However it happened, Esau swore an oath to his brother declaring that he had essentially dispensed with his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew.

Esau was one of those kinds of people who do not appreciate what they have until they have lost it? Apparently Esau didn't even realize what he had lost as he gets up from the table and goes back out to hunt. Esau was one who lived for the moment, and not long-term. Your birthright is your faith in God. How many people do we know who are like this- who will make a terrible choice because it seems good at the moment only to find that, down the road, they wished that they had chosen differently. Their birthright of the most fulfilling future and opportunities have been forfeited, squandered on what they want right now. I know young people, for example, who have squandered their virginity for a momentary pleasure and had to set aside college plans for menial jobs in order to raise families for which they were not prepared emotionally or financially. I have known others who traded their birthright for a sip of alcohol or drugs and are now in a wheelchair or have had legal woes steal the realization of what opportunities they could have had. I've known some who gave into the temptations of pornography and have stolen what passion their wives could have given them. These are just some examples that all demonstrate how easily lost our birthrights can be because they were not regarded for the value they might have had.

Don't sell your birthright. Keep it, protect it as the dear thing that it is, and when you are older you will find that because you kept and protected it, that it will keep and protect you.

Have a blessed day

 

 

 

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03 May Devotion for Today "Great Matters" Psalm 131

03 May Devotion for Today  "Great Matters"  Psalm 131

 
 

I read this week where a person said that "a person with six children

is better satisfied than a person with six million dollars.  The reason

for this is tha the man with six million dollars wants more!"  Funny!

This may not be true with everyone, however.  But I have observed that

simplicity in life and satisfaction in life go hand in hand.  The more

complex one's life is, the more difficult it is to cope and the less

happy they are.  There are people that I have known who

singlehandedly feel that they must take on a personal crusade against

every problem in the world that they do not feel is right.  I am not

saying we shouldn't be involved where change is needed, but very

often a person sees a very unhappy world and tries to fix it, when really

the problem would be much easier to deal with if they would just look

within themselves and fix what is wrong there first.  Psychologists

tell us that this is what they term as "projection."  To set up a

straw man and make him responsible for all the problems of the world

is the acting out of a heart that full of turmoil.  Some would call

them "trouble makers."  But this is a misnomer, because people do not

make trouble.  They already have it- they just want to make sure that

they share it and that no body is left out!

 
 

Does the world seem to be constantly in trouble around you.  Do you

feel the constant urge to fix it (even when it is not broken).  My

friends, this is a sign that there may be be a more direct and

intimate cause.  The Psalmist understood the secret to the satisfaction

he experienced when he said in Psalm 131: "Lord, my heart is not haughty,

nor my eyes lofty.  Neither do I concern myself with great matters,

nor with things too profound for me.  Surely I have calmed and quieted

my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is

my soul within me.  O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth

and forever."

 
 

Are you troubled today?  May your soul be quieted within you, and may

you be as happy as the writer of this psalmist.  Have a blessed day!

 
 

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