Devotion for Today

09 February 2011 Devotion for Today "Bumper Crop" Matthew 13:8-9

2011-02-09T07:07:00.000-08:00

09 February 2011 Devotion for Today "Bumper Crop" Matthew 13:8-9

But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matthew 13:8-9

It is mid-winter here in Weeksville, but very soon the farmers will be out in the great field behind where I live. I have noticed already that many growers in the area have ordered and have had potato seed delivered. Potato seed appears to be little more than chopped potato spuds left over from last year's crop. Soon the soil will be plowed and the potatoes will be planted. Weeksville is known for its fertile soil ideal for growing potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, and other table produce- and farming is usually fairly profitable here. God has blessed this very productive soil which is rich in nutrients and easily hydrated.

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells of the seed which falls on "good" ground or fertile soil. Of course, that was the intent all along, but even so- the seed which falls on the productive soil more than makes up for the small percentage of the seed which seems wasted on the wayside, the rocky soil, or sown among thorns. This seed will sprout, form a good root system, hydrated and cultivated properly until its stalk shoots up out of the ground. The natural photosynthesis process creates leaves and then the fruit or grain. A bumper crop is produced- in some cases a hundred times what was planted, on less fertile ground it is thirty times. But all told, the crop is far more productive than imagined in the right soil from just one solitary seed. This was very important in Jesus' day, because a bumper crop usually meant that everyone was going to be fed that year.

Jesus interprets this part of His parable in verse 23:

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” The seed of course is the Gospel message of Christ, but the good ground is the one who not only receives the word into his mind but also into his heart to the point that he makes a personal commitment and allows it to transform his life. In turn, as he grows in Christ, he witnesses and makes disciples of many others.

This is the process of making disciples which will be much more productive than just making converts to Christ. This is not to say that evangelism in itself is bad- far from it! But if we place our focus on making disciples of those who will reproduce and bear fruit, instead of just making converts, we will fulfill the Great Commission much faster and with better results. There will be fewer seeds sown on unproductive soil or those who fall by the wayside.

Of course, Jesus knows that some soil is going to be more productive than others, just as some people are capable of producing more valuable fruit than others. But the point is not who is going to produce more fruit- the point is that everybody is capable, if their hearts are fertile and hungry for the word, to become disciples who will reproduce.

Has the seed fallen upon productive ground in your heart? May God help you do all that you can to make it more productive as you expose it to conditions that will make it more fertile such as studying the Word, meditation, and prayer. You will be surprised not only how much you have grown, but how you have produced your life in Christ in the hearts of others.

Have a blessed day!

07 February 2011 Devotion for Today "Thorny Problems" Matthew 13: 7

2011-02-07T11:58:00.000-08:00

07 February 2011 Devotion for Today "Thorny Problems" Matthew 13: 7

7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. Matthew 13:7

This passage takes me back to when I was a teenager. One of the first summer jobs I ever had was working on a truck farm picking produce- mostly cantaloupes and watermelons. I worked all summer for about $1.75 per hour- big money, I thought for back then! It was hot, back breaking, and tedious work. The crew would arrive early in the morning at the packing house where the crew forman would drive us out to the field that needed picking. When picking cantaloupes, we would fleece the vines looking for ripe melons, pick them, and them place them in our baskets. When the baskets were full, we would have to run and dump their contents into the back of an old truck which was slowly motoring through the field, and repeat the process again.

My fingers would get scraped and bleed even through the cloth gloves that I would wear. But sometimes I would grab a surprise cocklebur that would penetrate the glove and bite into my flesh. It happened to all of us, and we would slow production down somewhat in order to extract those thorns and burrs from our hands. It reminded me of the curse on Adam after he had sinned in the Garden when God told him in Genesis 3:

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”
(Genesis 3:17-19)

In the parable of the Sower, Jesus recognizes that not all of the seed the sower scatters will land where it is supposed to. Sometimes it will land on the wayside or in the stony soil. It will also land among thorns, He says. When that happens, the seed and the thorns usually grow at the same time, making it virtually impossible, or very uncomfortable, to harvest the grain in those places. More often than not, however, the thorns and weeds will rob the plant from needed nutrients in the soil or sunlight, causing the plant to wither and die. And because of the unpleasant work that it will take to cultivate the soil and pull those nasty weeds, the sower will probably not worry too much about the seed that falls there; focusing instead on tending the fertile soil.

In the parable, the seed that falls among thorns are described as the worries and cares of this world that seems to overtake many who are exposed to the Gospel message. Many will receive it but when some of these insurmountable problems begin to creep in, the recipient will often become discouraged. Worldly habits, which are often unpleasant to extract from one's life, will overtake the growth in Christ unless that person has help to cultivate and pull out the thorns. Sometimes circumstances which require a lot of immediate focus discourages the new believer from moving forward in his faith. Sadly, his interest in the Gospel will wane away in light of all of these distractions and concerns in his life.

Like the seed which falls on the stony soil, the thorny problems and cares of this life can render our lives ineffective unless properly cultivated and discipled. Seldom will the message of Christ properly germinate unless we have someone more mature in the faith to come along side of us and encourage and keep us going In the faith. The thorny problems of life have a way of overtaking us if we are not careful. We're not usually mature enough to spot them when they come, and when we try to remove them, they hurt too much, we think, to bother with.

Do you have these thorny issues in your life that set you back? Perhaps this is God's way of telling you that you need a mature Christian friend or prayer partner to work with you and help you to keep those thorns from getting too big in your life. Thorns are everywhere, and its not only the young Christians who are susceptible to them.

Have a blessed day!

31 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Stony Places" Matthew 13:5-6

2011-01-31T08:32:00.000-08:00

31 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Stony Places" Matthew 13:5-6

Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. (Matthew 13:5-6)

Here in Weeksville, NC where I live, the ground is very sandy and one doesn't find many rocks. One can dig not very far, maybe a foot or two, and find water. One will not find many rocks under the soil, either- except perhaps for some bits of shell. We are at sea-level and where I live is less than a mile from the Albemarle Sound. But where my mother lives in West Virginia it is a different story. Hard clay, shale, and limestone composes the mixture of the soil there. I have broken many shovels and pick-axes digging in the dirt up there. Mineral deposits of all kinds reside in the earth, giving a horrible after taste to the drinking water and it has to be treated with expensive chemicals. It is somewhat difficult to till the soil for her garden, much less try to get anything to grow up there. When I read this part of the parable, I thought of the stony soil of that Mountain State.

Jesus relates not only the principles of agriculture but also the condition of some people's hearts concerning the message of the Gospel. Last time I looked at the wayside and how hard-packed it was, unfit to receive the seed to the point that the birds of the air would swoop down to devour it. The stony ground, if it can be plowed and broken up, will receive the seed but to a point. This type of soil is somewhat different than the soil I just described. There is a thin layer of topsoil, but a hard layer of rock beneath It. It can grow some plants but because of the shallow soil, the plants are unable to build a good root system to get much water or nourishment from the soil around it. The wind blows away the soil around the shallow roots, and the rain erodes it, exposing the roots to the sun and thus killing off the plants. This type of soil is comparable to the stony hearts of many we would consider skeptics or those naturally so devoid of faith; unwilling to trust anything they cannot see or comprehend through reason or logic. But even a stony heart can be touched given enough patience and love. Even so, it often does not take much for that ground to erode through the hardness and difficulties of life to the point that it goes back to its skeptic ways again. Their spiritual roots simply do not go deep enough to deal with the hardships and trials of life.

All of us will at some point experience hardship and tragedy in life. Deep roots of faith are essential if we want to get through them and have something to encourage others who will undoubtedly go through the same things. If we find ourselves in shallow soil, we need to keep cultivating the soil so that our roots will go down deeper. Once they are there, nothing can pull us from it.

How deep do your roots of faith go? Is it one full of stony places? You will find out how deep they are the moment you begin to weather the storms in life. Hopefully you will find out before this happens, and the time to begin to cultivate that soil is not when the storm happens, but right now while the sun is still shining.

Have a blessed day!

25 January 2011 Devotion for Today "The Wayside" Mark 4:3-4

2011-01-25T09:40:00.000-08:00

25 January 2011 Devotion for Today "The Wayside" Mark 4:3-4

3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air[a] came and devoured it. (Mark 4:3-4)

Have you ever been "way-laid?." This figure of speech means to be unexpectedly detained or delayed- usually by a person who decides to take interest in you at the most inopportune moment or to speak to you when you have to hurry off and get to a pressing engagement. Its an uncomfortable feeling because, at least with me- I do not wish to be perceived as being rude to the one who has taken the time to speak with me- neither do I wish to be harried or late for my engagement. Sometimes it happens and I cannot focus on the conversation because there are other things on my mind. It has nothing to do with them; it is me. I remember one such incident where it was imperative that I find the "facilities" before I got up to preach. I do not wish to seem crass at this point, only to seek empathy from a reader who has been in that situation. This individual saw me coming before I saw them, and then cornered me before I could duck down the hallway. They kept talking to me about this and that- "oh and did you know that Mrs. So and So got an infection in that toenail and now has to have it operated on?" and on and on they went and I'm thinking: "I would love to be able to stand here and talk to you but I am going to have to change my sermon to Jesus Walking on the Water" or "My Cup Runneth Over!"

I strike this up to my sheer lack of character at this point, but If some one wants to relay details of a very important matter and I'm getting ready to start a worship service, I cannot always retain it. If someone gives me something to look at or to read over before that same time- you may count on it descending into the black hole of oblivion. I wish that I had the ability to retain better than this but alas, I do not. It is hard because I hate to disappoint people and have them think less of me for all the time they took to invest in me at a moment of convenience for them. I call this moment the wayside- a situation not too unlike what Jesus recounts for us in His Parable of the Sower.

In this passage he discusses the sower going out to sow seed. The seed, as Christ explains later, is the seed of the gospel. Some of the seed will, as a matter of consequence, fall on the wayside. The wayside is the road or the path along the field where the seed is to be sown. The wayside has not be broken up or ploughed and not suitable soil for the seed to be planted. It is firmly packed and virtually impenetrable. As the farmer, or sower, goes to scatter the seed from his seed bag, some of that seed is going to spill out as a matter of consequence. Some of this seed will fall from his hands and land on the ground Jesus calls the wayside.

Does this mean that Christ, as the sower, is careless about the expensive seed of the gospel to the point of allowing it to fall on unfertile ground? No. He tells us this to help us understand that everything we do in sharing the gospel message is going to have some "spill-over" effect because of how we impact the world around us. In some places, the ground is hard and just not prepared to receive the message just yet. But just because the birds come along and eat it does not necessarily mean that the seed is wasted. The birds in this parable represent the world or worldly ideas that have some ability to consume the gospel message. These birds will always follow any enterprise where the gospel message is being preached or sown just as a flock of birds will follow a tractor tilling or planting farmland. I have seen birds eat sunflower seeds and then carry them away. Through their droppings they excrete the seed and allow it to fall in other places where no farmer could ever reach. I have seen whole fields of sunflowers sprout up this way, usually around the tree lines at the edges of fields where other crops grow. It has done them some good even if only passed through their digestive tract to benefit somewhere else.

Going back to the wayside and being way-laid- even those moments and encounters are not altogether unfruitful. I have had some say to me years later- "Preacher something that you said to me really encouraged me! I really appreciate you taking time out to speak with me and I know that you must have been in a hurry but what you said changed my life!" Not that this has happened very often, but it causes me to think that God can make more of those moments than we think. Since I heard this recently I will be more determined than ever to guard my spirit for special moments like these and to make the most of them for God. And I will determine to make more of an effort to take care of business and to anticipate those moments before they come. God can use them, no matter how insignificant.

What wayside moments have you experienced today? If you have not, make more of an effort to look for them. You may find that they were more God-appointed than you think!

Have a blessed day!

2011-01-24T08:25:00.000-08:00

24 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Parable of the Sower" Mark 4: 1-9

1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:

3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air[a] came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mark 4:1-9)

Last week I reflected on a series of meditations of the Parable of the Mustard Seed, but this week I would like to also reflect upon the parable which probably inspired it: Jesus' Parable of the Sower. Like the Parable of the Mustard Seed, it too is found in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and is told with some variation in all three books. For today, I just want to relay some background to this and other parables.

In this gospel, Jesus taught such a great crowd of people beside the sea (a multitude) that He needed to innovate in order to speak loud enough to be heard by them. He pushed a small boat out to the water so that he could speak to them. Remember that Jesus is God. He knew about the principles of physics and acoustic thousands of years before churches began installing expensive audio equipment into their sanctuaries. This also shows us that Jesus was not above innovation or doing some unusual things to enable the Word to be heard. He did not focus upon the innovation, however- or use it to impress others. This was only incidental to getting His teaching heard by those who had come out hungry to hear it. What is more, Jesus did not speak academically or pompously above their heads. Jesus spoke directly to the people with colorful illustrations and stories that they could understand. But He did not insult their intelligence and He challenged them in ways that broadened their understanding and appealed to their growing rational abilities.

This is why Jesus often taught in parables. The word parable is from the Greek language parabola, meaning- "that which is placed beside in comparison". Parables were also used as an innovation to translate all kinds of thoughts so that they could be grasped by a world that was mostly illiterate in a manner in which most people could never forget. But Jesus' parables also required understanding that came by the illumination by the Holy Spirit. The people who understood them not only grasped the principles in their minds, but the Holy Spirit allowed them to take root in their hearts. This was what caused the parables to come to come alive, and translated them not only into facts but into life.

The one statement at the end of this, as well as many of Jesus' other parables sums it up for all of us: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Mark 4:9) Its obvious that Jesus was not only speaking to the fact that most people have two ears or a natural hearing apparatus. Your hearing may be working just fine, but the thing that causes most people not to hear is because of their inattention to what is being said to them. This is usually because they are distracted by other thoughts that they think are more important than what they are listening to or that they are filtering what's being spoken by their own perspective or circumstances of life. In other words, they are hearing, but not listening.

I hope that this week you will be listening. You may not be hearing my audible voice as I write to you today, but you can listen with your heart. A person who is physically deaf has this capability as well as is even more keenly perceptive than most in order to compensate for what he cannot physically hear. I hope that this will be the case for you as well. Until tomorrow, keep your ears- and your heart- open for God to speak to you.

Have a blessed day!

20 January 2011 Devotion for Today "The Birds of the Air" Mark 4: 30-32

2011-01-20T09:15:00.001-08:00

20 January 2011 Devotion for Today "The Birds of the Air" Mark 4: 30-32

Not long ago I parked my car in the driveway at the home of my inlaws; my wife's parents home. It was dark when I parked it there, but the next morning I discovered my car speckled all over with bird droppings from these wonderful creatures who live way up in the tall pines above their home. It was a mild irritation because I had just had the car washed. I knew I would have to drive it around everywhere before I had a chance to wash it again. I find it unpleasant to be seen in a car like that. As I entered my car, I could hear the cackles and calls of the birds above me. Adding insult to injury, I think that they are crows, and they sounded as if they were almost laughing at me! Of course, I knew that they were not, but my sensitivity to the situation made it seem so.

Again, meditating on Jesus' Parable of the Mustard Seed. In this text, as well as in Matthew and Lukes' gospels, Jesus is expounding on seeds. This parable seems to be an offshoot or spin-off of the Parable of the Sower. It is told almost as a side-bar to the Sower parable. A side-bar is a related topic of interest that relates to it, and although it is usually not the central focus, sometimes takes on a life of its own.

However it is regarded, the mustard seed parable is still a very powerful story. I have already examined the tiny speck which can yield tremendous results, and the great shade produced by its branches. What I wish to examine now are those birds which roost in the branches of the tree which are produced by that tiny little mustard tree.

Some commentators judge the birds as large birds like vultures or eagles, or judge them as demons or evil forces as they are regarded in the earlier Parable of the Sower. They are seen sometimes as pests. It reminds me of the old fable of birds making nests in someone's hair. However, these birds are not necessarily given the same meaning. They are rather side-bars themselves that could be seen as giving something useful or positive to the tree. In other words, the birds are a good thing, and they are not all "dirty birds!" They contribute to the spreading of the seed by eating it and pollinating it elsewhere. God provides for the birds in the same way from the mustard tree by giving them food and a place to build their nests. They are not pests at all; for the birds and the tree benefit from each other just as God does with so many things in His wonderful creation.

When we spread our branches out in faith, people will be attracted to us and may come from a considerable distance. Don't regard them as pests, either. They will grow and learn from you, but they will also nurture others from you, and their influence will grow and emanate from and through you. This is a good thing and will demonstrate that God is working richly in Your life. The "birds" may eventually move on and make room for others, but you will be better off for the fact that they spent some time with you.

What people have you influenced for Christ because of the faith that was nurtured in your life? Meditate today about the birds however they appear in your life, and thank God for them.

Have a blessed day!

19 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Day of Small Things?" Luke 13:18-19

2011-01-19T09:22:00.000-08:00

19 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Day of Small Things?" Luke 13:18-19

18 Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.” Luke 13:18-19

About eight years ago now we returned from our ministry in Europe to fit back into the American way of life. We lost no time in doing so, but many things about our lifestyle in Europe we retained. One of them was punctuality: the Germans, with whom we lived, are known for their precision and being meticulous- especially about time and being on time. They say over there that if you are on time, you are late. Another thing to adjust to was free drink refills, as well as the portions and size of meals. An all-you-can eat buffet type of place is virtually unheard of and in some cases, distasteful to the European mind-set. It is wasteful and even obscene in the European's mind. Another mindset that we are slowly changing is attitude toward recycling refuse and waste products. We would get one trash can per type of waste product that was dumped only once a month. And if you missed the trash pick-up, that was too bad.

By far the most significant thing to get readjusted to in American life was the sheer size of things such as automobiles and refrigerators and other household appliances. This is changing a little bit here in America but European automobiles are much smaller. Our big SUV's don't fit the roads well over there, plus the sheer cost of gasoline in Europe dictates smaller engines and size of vehicles. Even though we complain about the rising cost of gas, we still drive our Hummers and our Ford Expeditions. Europeans have tiny refrigerators- about the size of a college student's, and they shop several times a week where we Americans go to the Price Club, Sam's or some other bulk or wholesale grocery outlet and pile it into our SUV once a month to carry home. You get the idea. Americans still do things in a big way, make a huge splash, draw attention to their lifestyles probably because it relates to how they wish to see themselves. In our minds, big is associated with significance. The larger car or house we own, the greater we feel our significance might be.

Because of the economic slowdown in the past few years, some of this is changing. And while I lost little time fitting back into my American lifestyle, there were many things about the European lifestyle I still admire. But sometimes we have the tendency in America to overlook little things just because they don't demand or draw much attention to themselves. AS I've been reflecting on Christ's Parable of the Mustard Seed the past few days, the Spirit has caused me to focus more on the smaller things that are growing and taking root around me.

Seeds of faith, for example, that are being planted in people's hearts. Sometimes, like the mustard seed, you can't even see them or even see the results of them right away. The more time taken to cultivate and fertilize them, the more that they will grow. We ought never to discount what God is doing in someone's life; even if we cannot see a change in their attitude right now. Some of the most vibrant Christians I know now were also some of the toughest "nuts to crack." In this parable, Christ tells us not to equate His work always in terms of big results and significant change. Like the large branches that appear in the mustard tree, this will occur in time, but not right away. Big does not always mean better. And where God is working, dare I say it, size does not always matter.

What areas in your life do you see growing, but not very much right now. Do not be discouraged. Keep at it. Zechariah tells us not to despise the day of small things. The Psalmist also tells us we will reap if we do not give up. Give it a chance to work, and keep on cultivating what you know God wants to grow in your life. It may reap only a small harvest at first, but keep doing it. Before you know it, it will reap a hundredfold to the point you do not have room to hold it all.

Have a bless day!

18 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Mustard Seed Faith, Part II" Mark 4:30-32

2011-01-18T08:42:00.001-08:00

18 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Mustard Seed Faith, Part II" Mark 4:30-32

30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.” Mark 4:30-32

Several years ago while living in Germany, I was a passenger on a shuttle bus going to the Frankfurt Airport. I was sitting near the front, close to the driver and front windshield. The shuttle bus was involved in a minor accident. A car in another lane was crossing several other lanes of traffic, trying desperately to merge into the lane our bus was in; side-swiping us as it tried to lurch ahead of us. The bus driver slammed on the breaks trying not to hit the vehicle again. The driver of the other car exited her vehicle and became angry and animated. Our driver got out and began inspecting the damage done to his shuttle. Within a few moments, the police arrived; taking statements from both drivers, as well as the passenger in the other vehicle. The police climbed aboard and took a statement from me. However, the police found the driver of the shuttle bus at fault. I surmised it was because he was Turkish and I was an American and the driver and the other passenger were German. A sad reality but what we had here was one incident, but four different stories. When I questioned the Polizei officer writing the Turkish bus driver the citation, he said in German: "In every accident there are several viewpoints: what you say happened, what they say happened, what you would like to think happened, and what really happened!" I suppose he was correct on that statement. Everyone told the truth (I hoped) as they saw the situation- but the facts of all four stories were not quite the same.

This Scripture is a variation of the one I shared with you yesterday from Matthew 13. The differences in the telling of these two parables seems slight and has more to do with emphasis than it does contributing facts. However, unlike the incident of the bus crash I told above, the varying facts in the telling of this parable from three different writers do not change the truth of it. First of all, Matthew speaks of an actual person physically taking the seed and planting it in a field- as a deliberate act; whereas Mark gives the impression that the mustard seed's presence was incidental- as if it were scattered and laying on the ground rather than planted deliberately in the earth. Luke's gospel also tells of a man who takes the mustard seed and puts it in his garden: a fact that both Luke, Mark, and Matthew do not tell us about the ownership of this plot of ground- that it belongs to the one actually doing the planting.

Also, the writers emphasize the growth of the mustard seed in several different ways. One speaks of the large branches where another just focuses on the tree itself. Still another highlights the fact that the birds come and rest in the shade which the branches produce- a fact that the other two parables leave out.

What is the point that I am drawing out here? First of all, as God conveys truth through the inspiration of His Word through the Gospel writers, He shows us that God's truth about some things is so much greater than what one man can convey alone. Secondly, the total Truth is greater than the sum of the facts combined. Thirdly, while the facts are important, it is what we do with what we know that truly matters. Who cares about how one writer talks about branches and another talks about shade? It doesn't if our faith does not grow which is the point of this parable which three writers recorded Jesus teaching.

As I leave you today, please reflect upon these questions. What difference does the fact of trusting in Jesus Christ make in your life? Has your faith grown significantly as a result? What impact is it making in the world around you? Does your faith provide something encouraging and desirable for others?

Have a blessed day!

17 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Mustard-Seed Faith" Matthew 13:31-32

2011-01-17T11:09:00.001-08:00

17 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Mustard-Seed Faith" Matthew 13:31-32

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Matthew 13:31-32

Not long ago I visited an old house in West Virginia that was familiar to my childhood and teenage years, but I place that I have not visited in well over thirty years. The first thing that struck me was how dilapidated it was. The memories I had of its occupants was that they were meticulous housekeepers and fixer-uppers. They would be very disappointed to see the condition of this old house now if they were still living. But the thing that struck me the most was how small the place actually was. For some reason, I remembered this house much larger. It was a modest home even then, but it is strange how things look larger to you as a child than what they actually are. I stood there looking at the place thinking, "Was it always this size, or did I remember it being much larger?"

The Lord has impressed upon me lately the need for my faith to grow. I can remember times when my faith in Him was much greater than it seems to be now. Or is it that I have no less faith than I ever did, but the size of the problems, combined with the wearing down of one's spirit with age, seems to make the obstacles in my life much larger than I remember them being. Perhaps my capacity or confidence for allowing God to do great things through my faith was greater then. Either way, God is showing me that my faith and confidence in Him needs to be greater than the obstacles, problems, and difficulties I see around me.

This is what I see in the parable presented to me today. A mustard seed is a tiny little seed; not much larger than a speck. It can be easily blown away by a puff of wind or a sneeze. However, the mustard seed is remarkable not because of its size, but because but its capacity to grow. Christ tells us that while it is one of the smallest seeds, the tree which it produces is among the largest to be found in the region where he lived in Palestine- a tree so large that the birds of the air (meaning, very large birds like vultures and eagles) see in it an easy place to light their feet.

So is our faith. Everyone is given some faith or has some faith in some capacity. Now that faith might not be in the right things or in the right Person, but no one can deny how much that small faith can grow into things which most would seem to be impossible.

I will be reflecting on this parable a few more times this week. But until next time, reflect or analyze the size or better yet, the condition of your faith. Is it run-down from the stress, disappointment, and heartache that you have experienced over the years? You may have imagined it much larger years ago than it is now. If this is the case it has the capacity to grow into something greater than what you see at this time. It all depends upon the vision of your focus. You may see a tiny little mustard seed- but if that is all that you see, it will be easily blown away by the first difficulty it confronts. But if your mind's eye is upon what it can become, certainly greater things will become of it.

How ever you may see your faith today, may God help you renew the condition of your heart so that it may grow again.

Have a blessed day!

15 December 2010 Devotion for Today "God Offline?" Isaiah 40:27-31

2010-12-15T07:39:00.001-08:00

15 December 2010 Devotion for Today "God Offline?" Isaiah 40:27-31

As I was studying a passage of Scripture for my Wednesday night Bible study, I hit the "print" button on my computer. Instead of hearing the customary whirr of the printer, it did nothing. I looked at the panel and the green light, which normally remains on, was blinking. Then I looked on my laptop screen and a window that interfaces with the printer said, PRINTER OFFLINE! That meant I had to fool around with it a bit to get it to work again and after several moments of turning off the printer and restarting it, and even rebooting the laptop, both devices were "online" again and things started working normally.

Now I recognize that not everybody has an experience like this- and I don't want to leave anyone out. But if you are reading this devotional "online" then it is likely you are somewhat familiar with computer or internet terminology. When something goes "offline" it means it is malfunctioning or has completely shut down. Computer websites typically go "offline" for updating and regular maintenance. People go "offline" on Facebook chat or Twitter because they have a life and can't be spending every waking moment being available, and have to get on to something else. Computer and other electronic devices go "offline" when something is wrong with the connection or if there is a deliberate shut-down initiated by the operator. "Offline" typically means there is an interruption in the connection. This usually isn't a huge inconvenience, of course, unless the electrical power grid suddenly goes "Offline" during a major winter snow storm or cold snap and you are praying it goes online again before you freeze to death.

But have you ever considered what would happen if God ever went "Offline?" I doubt most of us ever have, because God is always available. He never shuts down. He never takes a vacation and He never sleeps. What's more, He is perfect and therefore never needs scheduled maintenance. Plenty of Scriptures abound to underscore this point: "And lo, I am with you ALWAYS, even to the end of the world," says Jesus in Matthew 28:20. "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5. Or what about when David says in Psalm 23, "Yea thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for You are with me."? These and other Scriptures are constant assurances and reminders that God is always there and that He never goes "Offline." Can you imagine if that would ever happen, how disastrous that would be? That you would be praying and He didn't get your "knee-mail" because He went offline for a while? Literally millions of prayers would go unreceived because unknown to us, God didn't get them because there was a disconnect.

Isaiah mimics the cry of the typical Israelite when he asks in Isaiah 40:27

Why do you say, O Jacob,

And speak, O Israel:

“ My way is hidden from the LORD,

And my just claim is passed over by my God”?

It was another way of asking, since ancient Israelites did not possess computers, "God, have you gone offline?" He was complaining because he felt distant and alienated- disconnected from God.

But let's get closer to reality. If there ever were a time when you and I have ever experienced some disconnect between us and God it is not likely that it is God who is the source of the one being offline. It means we are the source of there being something gone wrong that puts us in Offline mode between us and God. Unlike God, we are constantly in need of spiritual and physical maintenance. Perhaps it is sin and our heart has gone offline, because the Bible says that if we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us. We also always need sleep and go through periodic phases where we shut down for one reason or another. This means if there is an adjustment or a rebooting session that needs to occur, we need to do that to ourselves in order to reconnect the fellowship between us and God. Isaiah tells us in this Scripture that He always stands available to answer our prayers and to always be online whenever we need Him, but that it is up to us to keep those channels of communication open and keep ourselves "Online" for Him. And when we stay online with God, here is the result:

28 Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the LORD,

The Creator of the ends of the earth,

Neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

29 He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

And the young men shall utterly fall,

31 But those who wait on the LORD

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

Keep your spiritual systems restored and refreshed so that you will not go into Offline mode with God. Keep connected with Him. Possibly you might have to shut down something that is keeping you connected to the world so that you can go online again in your relationship with God. When you do, you will find, as Isaiah says, more power and joy than you know what to do with.

Refresh your system and stay online today with God. Have a blessed day!

06 December 2010 Devotion for Today "Almost Persuaded" Acts 26: 24-32

2010-12-06T08:49:00.000-08:00

06 December 2010 Devotion for Today "Almost Persuaded" Acts 26: 24-32

24 Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”

25 But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. 26 For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”

28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

29 And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”

30 When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them; 31 and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, “This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains.”

32 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

(Acts 26:24-32)

This passage of Scripture takes me back to a childhood statement that many of us might remember: "Almost counts only with horseshoes and hand grenades!" The meaning of it of course is that almost means nothing at all. If a man attempts to spring over a two-hundred-foot chasm and almost makes it to the other side, he plunges to his death just the same. If a runner in a race stumbles and falls even before a foot of making it to the finish line, that doesn't make him almost a winner. He loses just the same. You get the idea.

Here in this passage of Scripture the Apostle Paul is defending his very life before Governor Festus and King Agrippa, their "significant others," as well as most of the important dignitaries and officials of the client Kingdom of Judea. Paul was determined, however, to make the most of this situation for a witnessing opportunity for Jesus Christ. The reactions of both Festus and Agrippa were probably predictable. Festus retorted that Paul's testimony was too deep for him, saying that such learning is driving Paul crazy. He refused to take it seriously and ridiculed Paul. King Agrippa's response, however, but much different. He did not treat Paul so contemptuously, and regarded him with respect. Paul appealed to him on the basis of the King's knowledge and background of Judaism. Still, Agrippa deflected Paul's attempts to convert him- probably feeling the pressure of the spotlight in front of all the officials who were watching his every move. It was evident that both the king and his cohorts had heard enough. While the appeal was enough to acquit Paul with the spurious charges against him, it was not enough to get them saved. Both Festus and Agrippa found a way to remove themselves from any responsibility for Paul's case by remanding him to Rome since Paul had appealed on the basis of his citizenship.

Paul, however, is brilliant in his ability to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. He used this trial to aim the Gospel message directly at the leaders of his nation. I'm sure Paul knew that this was a "long shot," but he was not going to discount the ability of the Holy Spirit to change people's hearts. Not only that, but there were many positive outcomes even though Agrippa was "almost persuaded." Paul elevated his own credibility, as well as all others who followed Jesus Christ in that region, and that the government had nothing to fear from this new movement that sought to promote peace and love. Paul could have been released, but he would have done so at his own peril; for the Jews would certainly have murdered him. It was better that he exit Jerusalem for he clearly had done all that he could do there, and going to Rome would build the cause of the Kingdom that much more. Paul did so all at the expense of the Roman Empire- which got him that one-way ticket to the capitol.

Many Christians do not witness today because they feel discouragement or fear defeat. This did not dissuade Paul from doing so. He relied upon the Holy Spirit to instruct him about what to say and left the results to Him. So what if those who heard did not turn to Christ? Imagine the possibility of what may have happened had they done so? This was too great an opportunity to pass up. We have tremendous opportunities around us even today. So if others to whom we speak about Christ are "almost persuaded," don't count it as a failure. Consider it as a victory to the point that they are that much nearer to Christ than what they might have been had you not said anything to them. And count it also complete obedience on your part that you did what Christ instructed you to do, instead of "almost!"

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to be completely obedient to You today, instead of "almost." In Jesus Name, Amen.

Have a blessed day!

02 December 2010 Devotion for Today "Before Kings" Acts 25

2010-12-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

02 December 2010 Devotion for Today "Before Kings" Acts 25

23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. 25 I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. 26 But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. 27 For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.”

(Acts 25:23-27)

In this passage Paul had already met with Felix's successor, Festus. Festus, like Felix, seemed very taken with Paul- but not so much that he was willing to release him. Festus needed to build trust with the Jews who repetitioned charges against Paul. However, the charges against Paul were now more subdued. Festus enjoyed a good relationship with King Agrippa, the puppet-ruler of the region. Both enjoyed hearing an educated and articulate man such as Paul give forth with sophistication, learning, and philosophy. Apparently there were few minds as gifted in Judea on the level with Paul's. I think they also enjoyed the intrigue that had been brewing between Paul and the Jews for some time. It was still a very delicate matter Festus and the King had to deal with. They knew that to hand Paul over to the Jews would mean certain death for him. They also did not wish to offend the Jews by holding a trial where Paul would most certainly be acquitted- since they knew that Paul had not broken any laws, civil or Jewish. Their recourse was suggested to them by Paul himself who stated that he had the right to appeal to Caesar to allow him to try his case. Festus, elated at not having to contend with the matter any further, lost no time in expediting the appeal to the Imperial government. Festus appeals to King a
Agrippa (who was not technically a Jew, but of the tribe and people of Esau and raised up in the court of Emperior Claudius). Bernice was an interesting figure. She was the sister of Agrippa and Drusilla- the wife of the former governor Felix. Josephus, the Roman historian, suggests Agrippa and Bernice carried on an open, incestuous relationship; for she was not the queen we might suppose. These highly political figures demonstrate their extreme spiritual poverty, and the fact that they will even willing to listen to Paul suggests that they were somewhat open to hearing about Christ and the reparation that Christ could do for their extremely broken lives.

Brokenness lies every where today. We find it in our political figures as well, but where we see it most pronounced is in our pews. It is a wonder that the modern church today can be as effective as it is considering the dysfunction which has invaded it at times. Our society is rapidly becoming as morally corrupt as that of the Romans. In fact it makes me wonder just how far away we are in countenancing incestuous relationships like we find with Agrippa and Bernice. We must not, however, underestimate what the power of the Gospel can do to change lives and restore or even invent character where none has been before.

You may not stand before Agrippa and Bernice but you stand nonetheless before a pagan and wicked society that seems to tolerate anything or anyone except for those who call us accountable to God's standards. Where do you stand today?

Prayer: Dear Lord it is to a very wicked world that You send me to. All of the virtues and ideas which You have instilled in me are considered old-fashioned and outmoded by the sophisticates of my modern world. Yet the power of the unchangeable Gospel and commitment to Christ's love continues to reside in me. Use me to demonstrate love and compassion for people like Agrippa and Bernice that they may see themselves people whom God loves and wishes to draw unto Himself. I go today as Your Ambassador. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

30 November 2010 Devotion for Today "How to Respond When the Chips are Down" Acts 23:1-8

2010-11-30T07:49:00.001-08:00

30 November 2010 Devotion for Today "How to Respond When the Chips are Down" Acts 23:1-8

1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”

4 Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

5 Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’[a]”

6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)

(Acts 23:1-8)

How do you respond when the "chips are down?" In this passage we see the Holy Spirit guiding every word and action of the Apostle Paul as he is standing before the Sanhedrin- the very council that tried Jesus and handed him over to be put to death. They were supposed to be the spiritual leaders of Israel, representing the leading families of the region and led by the High Priest. The first thing was that Paul showed no fear- he looked straight at them, making eye contact in spite of the intimidation he received from the Sanhedrin. He knew that he had done nothing wrong, confident as God's spokesman. Standing before unhappy, angry people can be a very fearful thing. But if a group like this senses fear, they will not feel sorry for you. Instead they will overwhelm you with a barrage of evil threats- just as they tried to do with Paul. Seeing that they could not easily intimidate him, their frustration drove them to resort to physical violence as the High Priest ordered someone to slap Paul in the mouth. This nearly got the best of Paul, who retaliated by lashing out at the High Priest but in a carefully controlled manner. Paul was expecting this also, and knew he must not add fuel to the flames but even here, his wisdom prevailed and easily answered the charge of insulting the High Priest with Scripture by mildly rebuking himself and at the same time pointing out how the High Priest stooped to showing frustration and violence. As Paul composed himself, he aimed at them philosophically by exploiting and driving a great wedge between the two factious parties within the Sanhedrin over the doctrine of the resurrection; which the Pharisees upheld but the Sadducees rejected.

After this, it was impossible for the Sanhedrin to keep the group in focus as they melted down into a "free-for-all" which prompted the Roman guards to have to wade into them and extract Paul by force once again. The Sanhedrin made a poor impression upon the Romans by doing this, and Paul received some admiration from his Roman captors. Even the conservative members of the Sanhedrin threw their lot in with him when they realized Paul had been a member of the Pharisaical party and identified with his doctrine.

It was evident that Paul came away from that difficult situation as a winner. Paul gives us some pointers and shows us how we need to respond in the same way:

1. When facing intimidation, be fearless. You may be shaking in your boots but do everything you can to stare them down. Showing fear in a hostile crowd is like bleeding in a tank full of sharks.
2. Remember, you are not just facing people, you are facing the very presence of Satan himself. Do not count on any sympathy from him or anyone.
3. Show control and Christ-like behavior. Do not result to insults or pettiness even when others have done so. Maintaining control will only make you look better even to the ones who disagree with you. Lashing out will only add fuel to the fire and make it difficult to keep the dispute in focus.
4. Ask Christ to give you wisdom when you realize you will not be able to convince anyone of the truth of your innocence or intentions. Do not become frustrated. Observe carefully the weaknesses in the group assembled against you. Are they united as a group, or does something divide them? It could be that someone is setting you up to be used to further their own agenda to gain advantage over the rest of the group. Are they being truthful? Is there a lie they fear you might expose? People fear this so much that often they keep quiet in such situations, or they will say too much and discredit themselves. Ask the Lord to give you wisdom to be meek and humble, but fearless at the same time.
5. Do not stand for being abused. Paul spoke to this situation when someone slapped him. He addressed it, but moved on and remained calm. Note that he didn't say he would slap them back, but that God would!
6. Resist the temptation to grandstand to the audience or to those who have nothing to gain from the situation one way or another. There is no need to try to go privately to enlist support for your cause, either. Paul could not do this anyway and it seldom helps. You cannot count on anyone to "back you up" when the proverbial chips are down. The only one whom you can count on in a situation like this is the help and power of Jesus Christ who identifies readily with what you are going through and can help you more than the majority.
7. Remember, every day you are in a battle. Chips are being called in every day! You may win the battle in this situation, but that does not mean that the war is finished. Even Christ's wisdom in the same situation did not save Him from being crucified. But He did so gloriously, and finished the task He had come to do. What I am saying is, you may live another day, but it is more likely you will not. This is not a defeat, however. It is a glorious victory. God is still on His throne and the best thing you can do is to show the best you can for His glory.

Prayer: Dear Lord, Your enemies seek to destroy me. I feel so alone and friendless in this world. Help me in this time to gain confidence and strength from You. Keep me strong and sweet and gracious at the same time. And should I go down, may I do so in the spirit of the One who said, "Father into Thy hands I commit my spirit!" In Jesus Name, Amen.

Have a blessed day!

29 November 2010 Devotion for Today “When People Do Not Know What to Do with You” Acts 22:22-30

2010-11-29T07:55:00.001-08:00

29 November 2010 Devotion for Today “When People Do Not Know What to Do with You” Acts 22:22-30

²² The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” ²³ As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, ²⁴ the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. ²⁵ As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” ²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”

²⁷ The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes, I am,” he answered. ²⁸ Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.” “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied. ²⁹ Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains. ³⁰ The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.

In this somewhat amusing story of bureaucratic bungling, the Apostle Paul is arrested on trumped up charges for stirring up a riot at the Temple in Jerusalem. Paul had been given an opportunity to address the crowd once again, to help them understand why he was there and to proclaim the truth about Jesus. But the crowd did not want to hear the truth. Instead they called out for Paul’s blood. The Roman guards, fearing Paul would be killed by the crowd, took him into custody.

There is something about the human mind that is closed off to the truth when it does not want to be convinced otherwise. This is a form of blindness. It has nothing to do with the eye organ or neuro centers of the brain affecting physical eyesight. This blindness is emotional, even spiritual. We prefer to believe lies if it is more convenient to us than the truth; especially if that truth is threatening to us. We will even react to the truth with violence, even bloodshed if we are affected in such a way. I have even seen family members turn on one another because of this. Paul experienced this first hand from the Jews who rejected him. After he was arrested he was about to be beaten by the cruel Romans. This was standard policy by the Romans to make an example out of anyone who inconvenienced them. It was also their way of demonstrating their contempt for the Jews and other conquered peoples. They mistook Paul for being a classless trouble-maker, and were determined to make him pay for it until Paul invoked his citizenship. The brief exchange between Paul and the commander is comical. The commander is startled and realizes he could get into big trouble for abusing a Roman citizen and denying him due process. He wonders what other credentials he possessed that he did not know- something that could easily have threatened the Roman commander’s career: especially the fact that Paul was born as a Roman citizen, whereas the commander was naturalized and had to pay a lot of money for it. No one seemed to know what to do with Paul, so he was released on his own custody so that he might appear before the Sanhedrin.

Do you ever find yourself, like Paul, in situations like this where no one knows what to do with you. A certain group will hate you because of what and who you stand for. Others are indifferent to you. Still others, like the Romans, will not know what to make of you. They may admire your Christian character and even like you- but not well enough to want to be friends with you. Subsequently, you will not get many invitations to parties or other social activities. This is why we must value our fellowship in Christ with other Christians. They are our family when the world has rejected us. They are our source of support when others shy away from us and do not know what to do with us.

Do people not know what to do with you? If that is the case you probably are closer to Christ than you realize. Do all that you can to demonstrate Christian integrity and character so that if people get upset with you it will not be because you cannot be trusted. Believe me, they will be looking for a reason. Don’t expect people to be easily swayed even by your most convincing testimony. Just expect spiritual blindness to be there, and don’t get frustrated with them. It is Satan who puts those blinders on. Just keep your attitude and heart sweet and leave the rest up to the Lord and stay close to Him.

Prayer: Dear Lord, often I find myself in situations where people don’t know what to make of me. This may be a good thing, but sometimes it hurts because it is so lonely. Help me to understand that this is just part of the price I pay for being a follower of Jesus Christ. It cannot hurt nearly so much as what You have been through. Help me keep that in perspective as I battle the loneliness and the treatment this world gives me.

Have a blessed day!

15 November 2010 Devotion for Today "Mondays" Psalm 145

2010-11-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

15 November 2010 Devotion for Today "Mondays" Psalm 145

I'm probably being anachronistic again, but I grew up listening to the Carpenter's singing words to a tune that goes

something likethis: "Hanging around, nothin' to do but frown. Rainy days and

Mondays always get me down!" Do you like Mondays? I can't remember at whose office I saw this

but perhaps you have seen it also: the Peanuts cartoon character,Snoopy, the famous black and white beagle, is depicted in

attitude for each day of the week. On Friday, Snoopy is happy and smiling.Saturday, Snoopy is in ecstacy and floating on air.

On Sunday, Snoopy is happy too, but he has one eye of concern as he looks toward the next day. Then Monday comes and

Snoopy is bleary-eyed, laying down almost lifeless, with a black cloud over his head. Does this sound like your Monday? It certainly seemed that way with my children this morning-they were so tired and grumpy they could not even lift their heads from the breakfast table to eat, griping: "Man, why do we have to go to school?" . I felt badly for them having to

start off the day that way. But really, Monday is not unlike any other day. Its just that western culture is just blessed to have normally two days off on the week-end. Even in some European countries this is not true. We learned in Italy last week that the children there go to school six days a week (it wasn't long ago that they did that here in Germany). I said to my son who made the remark, "How would you like to grow up in a country where they didn't have a "Saturday?" He said, that would be all right, just as long as they didn't have a "Monday!"

David did not use the calendar that we use today, nor did he even

havea concept of "Monday" as we do today. He treats each day as a blessing and as an opportunity to serve and commune with God. He writes "I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise

Your name forever and ever.Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable."

(verses 1-3).

Notice he says, "every day I will bless you"? David says this because he knows that even our Mondays have blessings in them, and something worthy to thank our Lord about. Some preachers don't do this, but I work on Mondays. And typically it is not any better a day for preachers than for most other people. I had a preacher friend tell me in jest-"I never take off on Mondays, why be miserable on your own time?" But seriously,

Monday is a good catch-up day-one to reflect upon what happened the previous day, how to do things better next week

and whatnot to do again. Its a good planning day, but most of all its another day to rejoice in what God has done in my life. If "rainy days and Mondays always get you down", as the song goes,

then you have a reason to smile today, because Jesus loves you and He has given you another day. Bless Him for it. Have a blessed Monday!

03 November 2010 Devotion for Today "Greatly Comforted" Acts 20: 7-12

2010-11-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

03 November 2010 Devotion for Today "Greatly Comforted" Acts 20: 7-12

7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted. (Acts 20:7-12)

She seldom, if ever, waits for an invitation. She shows up unannounced and rudely barges in, demanding that others take notice of her. Everything has to come to a stop because of her, and she will not allow you to ignore her. She makes her entrance on the scene, takes all that she can from us, deliberately hurting us as much as she possibly can, and then takes her leave without the slightest courtesy, leaving all she visits to pick up the pieces of their lives while she goes about seeking other hapless victims. Who is this person who inflicts such pain and misery every where that she goes? Her name is Tragedy. Like a nightmare from which we cannot waken, Tragedy invokes her presence with a heavy heart and a flood of tears. We never know who she will visit next, and we cannot protect or prepare ourselves enough.

This unwelcome guest paid a visit to the church in Troas where Paul preached to a huge crowd throughout the night. Tragedy sized up the scene and waited to strike. The lamps which illuminated the room were putting off a fume. Those seat in the window sills did not help the ventilation for their bodies blocked the fumes and allowed noxious gases to build up. Paul, unaware and characteristically filled with the Holy Spirit, took no notice of what was happening as he preached to bleary eyed men and women struggling hard to stay awake. All of a sudden, there was a noise in the direction of one of the windows. Someone emitted a terrified scream as everyone's eyes dart to the scene of where Tragedy just struck. A young man named Eutychus, overcome by the fumes and sleep, falls from the third-story window to the ground below. Suddenly the crowd trumbles down the stairs and gathers around this poor young man, his neck broken, laying obviously dead before them. We imagine the shrieks and wails of his parents and other family members trying to lift his lifeless body from the ground.

However, Paul arrives, throws himself upon Eutychus and announces, "He is alive!" Could it be? How can this happen? No one seems to question this as the young man is taken back upstairs. They feed him and then Paul continues speaking until morning as Tragedy is evicted from the room. The God of comfort takes over where Tragedy leaves off as their heavy hearts melt into joy.

Everywhere around us we see the aftermath of this unwelcome visitor, Tragedy. But God 's comfort is the only one who is any match for her. He uses us to usher in that Comfort Some people confuse comfort with being comfortable. Those who are comfortable take no thought of Tragedy or her victims when they happen to others, and look for excuses not to get up from their comfortableness to out their arms around others or try to assuage their grief. Those who comfort, however, overcome thoughts of inconvenience. They may not know what to say in a situation which Tragedy has struck, but the presence of Comfort means more than a whole encyclopedia of words trying to describe the situation. This is the meaning of Comfort. Where can you employ God's comfort when Tragedy strikes? IF ever the presence of Jesus Christ is seen the most, it is when His comfort is invoked. May God help us not to fear comfort, but be used of it to bring to bind up the wounds and hurts of broken hearted people all around us.

Prayer: Dear God, Tragedy struck somewhere this week. I feel the pain and hurt of the ones whom she hurt. Help me dear God to do what I can to alleviate this hurt In Jesus Name, Amen.

Have a blessed day!

01 November 2010 Devotion for Today "Seven Sons of Sceva" Acts 19:11-20

2010-11-01T08:39:00.001-07:00

01 November 2010 Devotion for Today "Seven Sons of Sceva" Acts 19:11-20

11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. 13

Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We[a] exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.

15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered[b] them, and prevailed against them,[c] so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. 19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. Acts 19:11-20

When I was a teenager, the blockbuster horror flick, "The Exorcist" was a sensation at the box office. I didn't bother to go see it, namely because the R rating was strictly enforced back in the those days and secondly I hated horror films- they gave me nightmares! I'm no prude or a legalist, but there was also something about movies of this nature that created a check in my spirit- that they were just something I felt would help me as a Christian even at the age of thirteen or fourteen. But the films premise is about a couple of Catholic priests who visited this certain home to drive out demons from one of its young occupants. In the end, both priests end up dead and its uncertain whether the demonized teenager was successfully exorcized.

The content of the passage here in the book of Acts is just as frightening because this was a real-life situation, not Hollywood Spielberg fiction. A prominent Jewish man named Sceva and his sons made their living driving out evil spirits where ever they went, and challenged an evil spirit in the presence of the Apostle Paul and a crowd of people. They tried to adjure the demon using the power of Jesus after listening to Paul preach about Him. When challenged, this evil spirit became extremely agitated, and flew upon the exorcists and ripping into them, wounding them and tearing off their clothes with brutal power.

This must have been quite a scene, but it ought to underscore the fact that spiritual warfare is nothing to play around with. These people made several mistakes: 1) they underestimated the power of Satan and his forces; 2) they went unprepared into the presence of Satan; 3) They invoked the power of Jesus Christ without discerning a personal relationship with Him.

Jesus Christ has greater power over the forces of darkness in this world. For this reason many people fear the name of Jesus and do not like to hear His name invoked in public places. Also, people the world-over will acknowledge this power, but they do not have a personal relationship with Christ. They would rather just use Jesus to get what they want and not deal with Him after that. We should never misuse the person or the work of Jesus Christ for our own purposes- which is what the Scevians did.

But make no mistake, spiritual warfare is not for the curious or for the unprepared. It is something that goes on today as much as it ever did, and it is not to be treated lightly. A person ought never to go against the forces of darkness until he or she is sufficiently prepared in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Furthermore, we ought never to go out of our way to find evil spirits that need removing- they will find their own way to our door soon enough.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I must admit that I am greatly troubled by this doctrine and don't know much about it. But I also know that I have nothing to fear if I have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I appropriate His eternal power over my life today to go before me in whatever challenge I experience. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.

27 October 2010 Devotion for Today "In Sync" Acts 18:1-7

2010-10-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

27 October 2010 Devotion for Today "In Sync" Acts 18:1-7

And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”

So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”

4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. 7 Now the men were about twelve in all. (Acts 18:1-7)

I have a button on my new cell phone with this command- "Sync". It is pronounced "sink" and its purpose is to bring up to date all of my data (on my computer, internet, cell phone and other devices) up to date with all my data bases holding my cell numbers, addresses, contacts, and calendars. When I push this button, I wont have to worry about finding, for example, a calendar on another device that I need to update. It does it all automatically through the internet.

I realize that I probably lost about half of you. Indeed I'm not sure I can comprehend it all myself, much less explain it. Syncing is a time-saving feature that is a necessary feature in all modern methods of mass communications. Without it, none of us would be able to keep up with the lightening-fast advances in technology and information processing. Its as difficult to keep pace with oneself as it is trying to keep up with others now since the advent of social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook. In fact, one has to be careful about Tweeting also. You can harmlessly send an update about the health (or demise) of someone before appropriate family members have even been notified. Just another one of those awkward problems that the mass communication industry has not helped us work through yet.

First-century communications were just as awkard- if not in reverse. Following the encounter with Apollos in Acts 17, Paul makes his way to Ephesus and finds a group of Christ-followers who do not seem to know anything about the Holy Spirit. Apparently, Apollos and several others experienced the same problem until others more knowledgeable came to correct them. Their spiritual ignorance, or at least their ignorance of the Holy Spirit is not surprising. People lived in extreme isolation from one another in those days. Even with the improved highway system of the Romans, mass communication was difficult, if not impossible. Dissemination of ideas took decades to filter through even as other ideas were coming to the surface. It was difficult to maintain consistency to "sync" all of the words, ideas, concerns and updates that comprised the common faith. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit maintained that consistency as the Gospel message circulated. This passage shows us how the Holy Spirit, through Paul's preaching, did just that. Even though there were times when errors and aberrant theological ideas came to the surface, I have always been amazed how the Holy Spirit unified and strengthened these fledgling churches into such a mighty force for Jesus Christ in the midst of such a backward civilization. Modern technology may have helped spread ideas but it certainly has not solved the problem of spiritual ignorance that many people express today. Thankfully, we still have our ability to read our Bibles and to pray which enables us to stay in sync with God- allowing the Holy Spirit to do the same work of teaching, discipling and unifying as He did 2000 years ago.

Are you "in sync" with the Holy Spirit? Drop what you are doing right now and hit that "sync" button right now.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I admit right now that I find myself not in "sync" with you. It is not because I do not possess the technology, but rather the will to do so. Help me overcome this today, in Jesus Name, Amen.

Have a blessed day!

22 September 2010 Devotion for Today "Anger on Steroids" Acts 13:42-47

2010-09-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

22 September 2010 Devotion for Today "Anger on Steroids" Acts 13:42-47

42 So when the Jews went out of the synagogue,[j] the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. 43 Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. 45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us:

‘ I have set you as a light to the Gentiles,

That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth" (Acts 13:42-47)

Envy Its an evil emotion that is beyond my understanding. Not that I would ever deny being guilty of it myself, but truly it is one of the most irrational emotions seated in the sinful heart of man. I heard someone describe this emotion as "Anger on steroids!" Envy is an intense of inadequacy and occurs when a person lacks another's (perceived) superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it. It often brings about anger, resentment, and even aggression towards those whom one envies. Such was the feeling the Jews of the Synagogue at Antioch had when they saw that a huge crowd of Gentiles were hanging on every word of Paul and Barnabas while they preached. The missionary pair had preached in the Synagogue, but were not well-received and no one received Christ there. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, the missionaries decided to preach to the Gentiles, whose response to Christ was nearly overwhelming. The Jews obviously did not approve of their response, and resented Paul and Barnabas for stooping to preach to them. The Jews, thinking they were so much better, were blind to the possibilities of further influencing the Gentiles about their God and benefited both groups greatly as a result.

Have you ever been tempted to envy? Its hard not to be when you have worked hard on something, hoping to win someone's approval, and then have that person take no notice of it as they shower that approval on to someone else. I have even seen preachers grow envious of another's congregation or response to his preaching, etc. The most evil form of envy is Shadenfreude, a German word describing the emotion of envy so intense that it takes delight in the downfall or misfortune of others of whom they had been jealous. God commands us in the Ten Commandments not to covet- to be jealous of another's possessions but to be content with what they have. Imagine what would have happened if John the Baptist had coveted Jesus' popularity or speaking ability? It would not have dissuaded Christ in the least but it would have made John the Baptist look badly for all time.

I suppose what I am saying is, while most of the sins that we commit have to them some degree of rationality, envy clearly does not. It is perhaps the most destructive emotion, because wars, feuds, and even family violence has ensued over envy. Nations have been inflamed over envy, and so are most relationships.

Are you envious of someone today? Perhaps the seat of your ill-feeling runs deeper than your jealousy of that person's attractive looks or athletic prowess, or even their cleverness. It stems from a lie of Satan who whispers to your heart and says, "You are no good! You will never be good enough!" Satan's lies are dispelled by the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ who can liberate you from that evil emotion and set you free to love and to appreciate others for all of their qualities you can celebrate, and make you glad that you know them.

Do all that you can to kill that green-eyed monster, envy, and allow good thoughts about others occupy your heart.

Have a blessed day.

2010-09-15T11:13:00.001-07:00

15 September 2010 Devotion for Today "P.U.S.H" Acts 12:11-17

What does the word "push" mean to you? The verb "push" means to physically move something or somebody out of your way or in a forward direction. In this passage of Scripture we see people pushing- actually they were praying. The people in that day (unlike today) really believed in the power of prayer. They came together for the purpose of praying for Peter and James who were in prison and threatened with death. Unfortunately, James befell the sword- but Peter is miraculously released from prison. He is just ushered right out of there, as the Scriptures described. What made the difference? Prayer!

Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."

¹²When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. ¹³Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. ¹⁴When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!"

¹⁵"You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel."

¹⁶But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the brothers about this," he said, and then he left for another place. (Acts 12:11-17)

Notice what the people of the church were doing. Were they listening to a sermon? No. Were they singing? No. Were they eating and sipping on coffee? No. They were praying. Prayer is the most important thing we can do as Christians, and yet the most overlooked and undervalued activity that we do because most people neither see the value or the sense of prayer. You can tell the temperature of a church by their attendance at prayer meeting and what they pray about. What does this have to do with PUSH? It is not original with me, but PUSH is also an acrostic which means to "Pray Until Something Happens.

In Luke 18:1 Jesus said that "men always ought to pray and not lose heart". We are to continue in an attitude of prayer until the desired goal or outcome is reached or until God shows us differently. We might not receive the answer we had hoped to have- such as in the case of James; God allowed James to be executed but Peter was not only spared but ushered right out of the prison. Why did this happen? No one knows but the mind of God. It could have been because God knew who would become the most effective disciple of the two, or perhaps because the people in John Mark's mother's house were not praying fervently enough. Perhaps this is the case because when their prayer for Peter's release was fulfilled, the people of the church did not want to believe that when Rhoda went to the door and saw him standing there. Even then they tried to explain it away.
Prayer is not Pushing God- because He will do what He intends to do or not do. He has commanded us to pray so that we can accept His answers and to allow our minds to be likeminded with His. This is not to say we will understand everything by praying about it. But God wants us to pray nonetheless because God desires to see if we are truly serious enough about what we want by coming to Him persistently in prayer. In prayer we not only discern the will of God but also know our own hearts better as we do. It is as one person said years ago, "Be careful what you pray for- you just might get it!"

Do you have something that you are praying about? PUSH it through until you get the answer. It may not be the answer that you want, but you will get an answer nonetheless.

Have a blessed day!

2010-09-08T07:58:00.001-07:00

08 September 2010 Devotion for Today "Change" Acts 10:1-8

Acts 10

1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!"

4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked.

4 The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea."

7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13 Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."

14 "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."

15 The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

Acts 10: 9-18

Back in 1912, Ford Motor Co. had a production manager named William Knudsen - considered one of the best in his field. Knudsen became convinced that the Model T (which had been in production for 4 years now) had to be updated. But, the only problem was - Henry Ford loved his creation so much it was well known that he opposed changing anything about the car.

According to Robert Lacy (in his best selling biography, Ford: The Man and the Machine) Knudsen thought to convince Ford by building an updated and impressive model to show what could be done with a few changes in color and design.

Ford had just returned from a European vacation, and he went to a Highland Park, Michigan garage and saw the new design created by Knudsen.

On-the-scene mechanics later revealed how Ford responded.

They say that the car was it was a four door job, and the top was down, painted gleaming red and built on a new, low slung version of the Model T.

One eyewitness tells how "Ford had his hands in his pockets, and he walked around that car 3 or 4 times�. Finally, he got to the left hand side of the car, and he takes his hands out, gets hold of the door, and bang! He ripped the door right off!� How the man done it, I don�t know! He jumped in there, and bang goes the other door. Bang goes the windshield. He jumps over the back seat and starts pounding on the top. He rips the top with the heel of his shoe. He wrecked the car as much as he could."

Knudsen left for General Motors. Henry Ford nursed along the Model T, but design changes in competitors models made it more old-fashioned than he would admit. Competitive necessity finally backed him into making the Model A, but his heart was never in it.

Henry Ford was one of the most creative men of his age. And yet Henry Ford - one of the great minds of his day - resisted the obvious need for change. Most people don't like change in their lives any more than he did. One man once observed that the only people who DO like change are "wet babies" and even they aren't' too excited about it. Churches are notorious for that kind of attitude as well. You'll find church boards saying things like "we've never (pause to let them complete it) done it that way before!"

Someone once said that when it comes to change the church is often like the snail riding on the back of a turtle and do you know what a snail does when it rides on the back of the turtle?

It goes: "Whee!" Many churches bulk at even the slightest change in their routine. Even when they�re fairly sure the changes would be something pleasing to God they still resist.

I. Now, things weren't a whole lot different back in the days of the early church.

People back then didn't like change anymore than people now do.

When we read about the events in Acts 10, it may be hard visualize how earth shaking the events actually were, but the changes God brought to pass reverberated in the early church for the next 50 or 60 years. In this passage Peter was praying on his rooftop and began to grow hungry. While a meal was being prepared for him, Peter continued in prayer until a deep trance came over him. In the trance Peter saw a sheet being lowered with all kinds of unclean animals- swine, oysters, shrimp, catfish, etc., being lowered down in the sheet before him. Then the voice of God instructed him to kill these unclean animals and eat them. As a good Jew, Peter protested because he had been taught that such animals were unclean and not fit to eat. However, God chided him in his prejudice, and told Peter that what God had cleansed he ought never to call unclean.

This food was symbolic of an even deeper struggle- overriding the prejudice of the Gentiles. For no sooner had Peter awakened from his trance than Cornelius, a pagan Roman soldier with a heart for God appeared before him. Peter spoke to him about Christ and the Roman committed his life to Jesus Christ. Peter also baptized him, but he did not speak to him about circumcision. At that time a huge wall fell down- a wall that had been the barrier of division between Jews and Gentiles for millennia. Christ opened the pathway for Jews and Gentiles to unite under a common banner, paving the way for Christ's message to be preached throughout the world. . Prejudice was confronted and overcome, and Jesus Christ was glorified.

To be sure, there were people who would not like this, and the Jewish Christians would give the Gentile believers some trouble because not all issues are resolved immediately or overnight. However, the cause of Jesus Christ was pushed forward because of Peter's obedience and his reaching out to Cornelius.

We often fear change and latch on to what we know not only because we are afraid of losing what we have, but the challenges of confronting the need for change is simply tedious and difficult. It is much easier staying where we are comfortable. Is Christ demanding change in your own life right now? What about in your church or community? What evidence is there right now where change is greatly needed. However change is identified, may I say that it will be disastrous if the change is entered into without the power of Christ. IF He is not present, we may speak of change all we want, but it will not amount to anything.

Examine your heart today and let the changes Christ desires begin first in you.

Have a blessed day!

2010-09-07T04:12:00.001-07:00

07 September 2010 Devotion for Today "Tabitha" Acts 9:36-43

36In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas[b]), who was always doing good and helping the poor. 37About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come at once!"

39Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

40Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. 42This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.

Acts 9: 36-43

In this very touching passage we learn of a dear saint whom many loved for her selfless service to the Lord. Her name is Tabitha. We are not told of her age or whether or not she was married, only that she lived in Joppa, that she was a disciple of Jesus Christ, and that she devoted her life to serving Him and helping the needy by making clothes for them. Making clothing is a complicated skill. It requires focus and attention to detail, and is also very labor intensive- especially in the days before the sewing machine. Tabitha must have made some beautiful clothing as special attention was made to the robes and other clothing she had made. She was probably middle-aged- old enough to have acquired such a skill in being a seamstress, yet was not so advanced in age that her death would have been considered understandable. In fact, her sudden illness and death hit the Joppa community so hard that word was sent for Peter immediately to come. Peter prayed and called upon the Lord, and life was restored to the dear woman.

Tabitha serves as a testimony to us of the joy of self-less devotion to Christ and to others. People like Tabitha are remembered for their sacrificial love and their dedication to serving others. They are sorely missed when they die or unable to do what they used to do because of age or illness. They do not live for accolades or for appreciation, but appreciation still ought to be shown to them anyway. Making clothing is a dying art. It is difficult to find yard goods anymore. Clothing is manufactured cheaply and sold at Walmart because most women today do not have the time to spend making clothing the way my mother and grandmother used to do it. They were also very much like Tabitha. But being remembered as a disciple is an even greater testimony; that is how one learned of and modeled commitment to Jesus Christ. It is interesting how most disciples in the New Testament were characterized by men, but here is a female disciple of Christ who is held up to women as a wonderful example of how a Christian woman ought to live her life. In this Tabitha brought glory to Christ.

So live your life so that when you die, people will be sorry to see you leave this world.

Have a blessed day!

30 August 2010 Devotion for Today "Eye-Opening Experience" Acts 8: 34-40

2010-08-30T07:56:00.001-07:00

34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"[f] 38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. (Acts 8:34-40)

In Germany we baptized our newly committed Christians in a near-by lake called Kinzigsee. One summer we took our congregation to a secluded part of the lake and baptized about twenty newly professed Christians. The bathers at the lake, intrigued with what we were doing, wandered over to the area of the lake where we were holding our service. In that country, as in many places in Europe, they have, let's say, different understandings about modesty- especially in swimming at the beach or the lake! I shall spare you the details, but because of the apparent lake of modesty by several who had joined in with our group, it became somewhat difficult to keep focused on what we were supposed to be doing, but we got through it. Dr. James Heflin, our European Baptist Convention director, was also present with us. He chuckled and joked afterward, "Jeff, I'll have to hand it to you. That baptism service was certainly the most 'eye-opening' service I've ever been to!"

Today we look again at Philip and his encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch- the treasurer of Queen Candace of his country. Philip is not intimidated by this cultured and powerful man as he explains the Scriptures to him. Their chariot travels close to some water- perhaps a lake or a river and asks if he can be baptized. I've often explained that baptism comes from the Greek word, baptizo- which is a Greek nautical term meaning "to plunge or sink beneath the water. When a sea captain would spot an enemy ship, he would order his crew to "baptizo" the enemy vessel. He certainly did not mean sprinkle the ship, or even "christen" the ship. He meant to send it to Davy Jones' locker!

Baptizo has carried over into our culture and even transliterated to mean "to plunge beneath the water." It is symbolic of one's faith and commitment to Jesus Christ, an outward testimony to an inward commitment to what Christ has done when He died on the cross, was buried, and raised to life again. It is in keeping with the death of our sinful nature, its burial, and our resurrection to a new life in Christ. The image was so powerful that Philip did not really have to explain it or convince him of his need to do this. As an obedient child, he submitted to this act which demonstrated immediate change in his life. He had no control about having to become a eunuch to the queen, but he did have control of committing his life to the Savior who became His King.

A strong church and powerful presence of Christianity remains in Ethiopia to this day, even against the bloodthirsty rise of Islam in modern times. What prevents you from being baptized? It is not an empty ritual or meaningless tradition. It is an ordinance that we enter into with obedience that has a lasting and abiding purpose, and this is our witness for Christ. The image Christ chose to demonstrate our relationship with Him was so compelling that it still inspires and draws people to Him today. It is still eye-opening today!

Have a blessed day!

23 August 2010 Devotion for Today "Stephen" Acts 6:8-15

2010-08-23T09:26:00.001-07:00

Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. 9Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, 10but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.

11Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God."

12So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."

15All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. (Acts 6:8-15)

Stephen was one of the original deacons chosen by the people earlier in this chapter. His zeal and witness for Christ is so evident in this chapter that it does not take long for the enemies of Christ and His church to single Stephen out and to desire his death. What the Sanhedrin had failed to do with Peter and John, another group of prominent Jews (called the Synagogue of Freedmen) are more careful this time to gather evidence (or concoct it) that will be sure to destroy Stephen. Gamaliel's presence at the previous session of the Sanhedrin brought restraint. But since Gamaliel is not a member of this Freedmen's group, his counsel is either ignored if it is known at all. These men are considerably less learned and probably not as politically connected- perhaps a collection of tradesmen and laborers from the areas noted in the Scriptures who would be more inclined to demonstrate violence than the cultivated Sanhedrin. They lost no time in accusing Stephen of blasphemy against Moses and God. At some point they then take Stephen to the Sandhedrin and noted his angelic face. Persecution is coming down upon him quickly, but Stephen maintains his dignity. He does not plead for his life or lash out in his own defense. Instead he continues to preach the Gospel to these learned, respectable, but lost men. He is hoping that someone will respond to the message of Christ before he dies. He demonstrates absolutely no fear, and demonstrates his boldness in the power of God.

As Christians, we do not realize that there is a sentence of death upon every one of us as far as the world is concerned. They will, sooner or later, mark us out for persecution. We might be tolerated for a time but even now the world's patience with us is growing thin. This is because the Holy Spirit has convicted them of sin and they refuse to listen to it any more. I expect that in the years to come it will become more and more difficult. It is already difficult to present the Gospel message in the public arena. It is technically against the law for a preacher, for example, to say anything negative against those who indulge in homosexuality- making it a hate crime even though no hateful intent is given from the pulpit. It is against some federal income tax regulations to advocate political candidates or positions from the pulpit; putting at risk the church's federal tax-free status. These are just some minor examples. The day when the church enjoyed the freedom to practice her faith and had the government's protection is over.

Perhaps that is a good thing for the church. When the church was driven underground in the 1940s, the church in China experienced great persecution. But since then it has grown in an alarming rate to the point that the communists cannot keep pace with the church's rapid growth.

Are you ready for the kind of persecution which has befallen people like Stephen and the church in communist China? I believe it was the early Roman theologian and historian, Tertullian, who said "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." Are you willing to be part of that seed today?

Have a blessed day!

2010-08-18T09:32:00.001-07:00

18 August 2010 Devotion for Today "Gamaliel" Acts 5:34-40

^{34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35Then he addressed them: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."}

40His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. (Acts 5:34-40)

Here Luke introduces Gamaliel- a relatively minor character in the Biblical narrative who had pervasive influence throughout the Mediterranean world. He is a celebrated scholar and Pharisaical rabbi who is also a prominent member of the Sanhedrin council. He demonstrates amazing restraint and advocated tolerance toward Peter and John, as well as early Christians at that time (though this could never some maintain that Gamaliel was himself a secret convert to Christianity). He also was a great teacher. Even the Apostle Paul claimed to have been one of his students prior to his conversion experience (Acts 22:3).

Gamaliel's tolerance was practical, and his cool head was an asset not only to the Romans but especially to the Jews in that turbulent time of Roman occupation. Boiling just below the surface of their society was latent rebellion against Rome. It was this man's influence who kept the Jews and the Romans from killing one another; whose smooth words kept this galvanized society functional in the midst of extreme hostility. Gamaliel wisely pointed out that there was really no need to prosecute Peter and John, for previous upstarts and rebellious Jews- all with messianic complexes had come to nothing. Several had been executed and their following had frittered away to nothing. If their preaching were of men, Gamaliel said, their words would fade away as quickly as the others. However, if they truly were of God, then nothing they could do would stop them. Gamaliel pointed out that they would run the danger of fighting against God (which they had already done by crucifying Christ). So there was really no need to get up in arms. In any event, the best advice he would give is just to let them all just go away.

Gamaliel's advice was very sound- so much so that the rest of the Sanhedrin followed it even though they would have preferred to have had these men executed. His influence and spirit is so much needed in the divided world in which we live, when our impulse is to respond with hostility rather than grace. As far as we know, Gamaliel is not a Christian, at least not here. But he follows the Spirit of Christ who desires that instead of seeking confrontation, that we turn the other cheek. Practicing such peaceable attitudes plays down the selfish dragon within all of us so that we might better serve Christ and put Him first. Wouldn't it be good if the spirit of Gamaliel be present in all of our families and all of our churches? Perhaps we would have greater influence for Christ than we have now. Perhaps God has called you to be a Gamaliel?

Prayer: Dear Lord, help the spirit of Gamaliel- as following Christ- live in me today instead of the confrontive spirit of the world which demands its own way. In Christ's name and for His sake. Amen.

Have a blessed day!

2010-08-17T07:25:00.001-07:00

17 August 2010 Devotion for Today "Does God Still Heal?" Acts 5:12-16

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

9:46 AM

^{12The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed. (Acts 5:12-16)}

In May, 1987 I was ushered the ICU ward where my father lay critically ill with what we had been told was acute pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. We were told he would not live long, and I scarcely recognized his severely jaundiced body which was tethered to all kinds of tubes and monitors. The day before the doctors there at the Oakland Naval Medical Center told my mother to put their affairs in order, and that they could do surgery to isolate the tumor and hope to make him more comfortable, but not to expect much. I trembled as my reached down to embrace my dad. It had been a long flight from the east coast and I was exhausted. As I kneeled beside his bed, instinctively I prayed. I don't remember the exact words I prayed, only that God would make my dad well again. It was not a long prayer, nor did I even think to anoint him with oil as I did it. There were no overly exaggerated incantations of the name of Jesus; in fact the emotion inside of me could barely get those feeble words out. I just prayed.

Later my mother's sister and her husband, both strong Christians, arrived to join us in the vigil at the hospital. The doctors came in the next day to the waiting area where we sat hoping we would hear better news. The doctor said, "Well, I've got good news and some not-so-good news. The good news is, we cannot seem to locate the tumor- only severely impacted gall stones around the site in the pancreas where we believed the tumor to be. I can't explain what happened- all I know is, the mass is gone. But the bad news is that we already performed the Whipple procedure and that is irreversible. Had we known the results of the tests before hand we would not have performed this surgery which will take some time to heal. But we believed time was crucial- I hope you will understand."

Hearing this surgeon's words caused us to leap for joy. We were told not to expect too much, since my dad was a very sick man. But what I heard that day was hope. To this day I don't believe the doctor made a mistake. God healed him, two months after his fiftieth birthday. There was no question in my mind- God had allowed him to live another 18 years to see the births of 6 of his 8 grandchildren.

A question I have heard considered is, "Does God heal today?" In Acts 5 we read of the apostles Peter and John preaching in the Temple where a large number of people heard them. They also brought the sick and demon possessed with the expectation that they would be healed. This passage says that all of them were healed. Should we have the same expectation today? I've had several theologians tell me that what was manifested in the New Testament was limited to the apostles. Their gifts, we were told, died out when they did. The proof text of I Corinthians 13:8 "But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away," is often invoked for such moments, but even so the text says nothing about healing passing away. To say that God no longer demonstrates His power to do what He will is to deny the existence of a sovereign God. It is true that I have witnessed some ridiculous extremes, and even some spiritual quacks who do more to repudiate the power of God than they promote it. It is also true that even though we may pray for someone's healing, not all of them get well. This has nothing to do with the strength or the lack of strength of the believer who prayed or the quality of faith the patient may or may not have had. Even so, we are commanded to pray to the end that God receives the glory for everything that happens. Countless times since then I have heard doctors say that they did not know what happened, that the patient was not expected to recover and did anyway and that "someone must have been praying!" Many times those same doctors are not prepared to hear, but I want to scream out in times like those: "I know what happened! God did a miracle. He still heals today, and don't ever forget it!"

Have a blessed day!

11 August 2010 Devotion for Today "The Encourager" Acts 4:32-37

2010-08-11T07:43:00.001-07:00

11 August 2010 Devotion for Today "The Encourager" Acts 4:32-37

32Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neitherdid anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they hadall things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands orhouses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 andlaid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

36And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Sonof Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, 37 having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 4:32-37)

Do you have any people like Barnabas in your life? Barnabas was known as a leader in the early Christian church. We really do not know much more about him, but what we do know is enough to love him. Luke tells us his Jewish name was Joseph but he was such an inspiration that the apostles gave him the nickname, Barnabas, meaning "Son of Encouragement." He is first mentioned in the book of Acts. We assume he is somewhat wealthy, or at least wealthy enough to own property and selling it. We then learn of his outstanding example of generosity when he sold a field that he owned and then took the money to the apostles to distribute to those in need.

In Acts 9:27Barnabas is also seen encouraging the great evangelist Paul. Paul, who was originally Saul of Tarsus. Saul had made a name for himself persecuting and killing Christians. After his radical conversion experience, Paul went right to work preaching that Jesus was the Sonof God but many Christians were understandably suspicious of his motives. However, Barnabas befriended him and even took him to the apostles in Jerusalem for an introduction. What I find refreshing about Barnabas is that he risked his own reputation and credibility in doing so. However, Barnabas cared more about exalting Christ and advancing His Kingdom than he did his own.

InActs 11, we read of Barnabas encouraging new believers in Antioch. Barnabas wasdescribed as a good man, confident in the Holy Spirit. Many people came to faith in Christ with his help. During this time, Barnabas went to find Paul and brought him back to Antioch, where they worked together for a while.

Later, Barnabas stood up to Paul in defense of a young disciple, John Mark who had failed Paul's expectations on an earlier missionary journey. The single-minded Paul wasn't going to take a chance on a repeat performance, letting nothing get in the way of his priority of spreading the gospel. You can understand Paul's passion, but Paul forgot about the lessons of encouragement Barnabas gave him. Paul went on his own way and due to this, Barnabas went another, taking John Mark under his wing. His objective was encouraging and building a future leader in the church.

As I read about Barnabas, I see a man who had a close walk with God. He was willing to give his personal wealth to help the less fortunate. He was confident enough in the Holy Spirit's leading that he trusted and befriended the repentant persecutor of Christians.

Barnabas went out of his way to help new believers in their walk with Christ. He was strong enough to stand up to the dynamic Paul, knowing his place was that of an encourager. Barnabas fulfilled God's purpose for him. God also has a plan for all of us. He has a job for you,although it may not be what you expect.

I have run into a number of notable people throughout my ministry career. Some have even been celebrities. But the people I remember the most never aspired or received any earthly acclaim. They stand out to me because of the love and the encouragement they gave. You may never be asked to preach, teach or work in the mission field. God's work for you may be that of an encourager. You may be asked to encourage new believers in their faith. It may be as simple as stepping out of your comfort zone to be a friend, giving a smile or a handshake. The young lady featured in the attached photo inspired millions of young women to join our country's workforce while their husbands were fighting overseas in World War II. While the dear lady who posed for the graphic died in relative obscurity a few months ago, it is clear to us that her encouragement in this simple pose helped us to win that war over sixty years ago! We neverknow where something so simple is going to lead.

Have a blessed day!

Pasted from <http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=14924&uid=5545138868>

2010-08-05T07:36:00.001-07:00

05 August 2010 Devotion for Today "A Church on Fire" Acts 4:23-31

^{3On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:}

" 'Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

26The kings of the earth take their stand

and the rulers gather together

against the Lord

and against his Anointed One. 27Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4: 23-31)

The story is told of the village atheist who wasn't really a bad man, he just didn't believe and refused to go to church. Many had been after him for years but he turned them down partly because the church was a lifeless social club filled with hypocrites. However, one night the church building was struck by lightening and caught fire. Everyone in town ran to the church to try to put the fire out, including the atheist. The preacher, seeing the atheist running as fast as he could to the church, exclaimed, "This is the first time I ever saw you running to church!" The atheist responded, "This is the first time I ever saw the church on fire!"

Once again we see Peter and John, who had just been released from the custody of the Sanhedrin and threatened for preaching the name of Jesus Christ. But their threats fell on deaf ears; partly due to the boldness of these two men and because of the prayers of the church who were praying for them. Prayer is the most powerful weapon the church has to defeat the enemy. Satan has been trying for years to shut the church down- but the meeting he despises most is the church's prayer meeting. He causes that recliner to feel so much better on a Wednesday night (the time of most American evangelical prayer meetings) than any other time of the week. But the church in the book of Acts prayed powerfully, and we get a sense of their prayer in the text here today. They began by praising God and spent time thanking Him for the release of the apostles and thanked Him for their boldness. They then asked God to stretch out His hand to do powerful miracles, signs and wonders. You will notice no time was taken up in this prayer meeting for Aunt Sally and sister Sue and their ingrown toenails and irritable bowel syndrome. I once had a prayer request from someone for a case of chronic flatulence! I am not kidding!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that God is not interested in prayers for all of our aches and pains but let's face it, we've all got aches and pains. We need to be less focused on our ingrown toenails and chronic flatulence so that we have the energy to pray not eloquent prayers, but powerful prayers and more importantly show up to see God doing these great wonders that we ask Him to do.

The place that night was shaken in a powerful way, and the Holy Spirit's fire burned within them. Someone once said that if you catch fire for God, people will come out to watch you burn. May you burn with a passion for God today and let it begin in your prayer life!

Prayer: Dear God, remove this lethargic attitude in my life and instead set my heart afire with a passion to burn for You. Let my prayers blaze brightly to the heavens and pour down Your power down upon me. Let people come out to watch me burn for You and spark that same blaze upon them as well. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Have a blessed day!

2010-08-02T08:20:00.001-07:00

02 August 2010 Devotion for Today "No Other Name" Acts 2:8-12

Monday, August 02, 2010

11:14 AM

^{8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11He is}

" 'the stone you builders rejected,

which has become the capstone. 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:8-12)

Recently Brit Hume of Fox News spoke that name in recommendation to Tiger Woods, citing his need of forgiveness and a faith that offers it. It was a personal recommendation given because he was asked for his personal opinion. But oh what a firestorm of controversy it sparked!

No one says "What in Allah's name is going on?" No one texts "OMB" for "Oh My Buddha." These facts help to prove the case that Christianity is the truth, and all else is false. Because only Jesus' name has the power and punch behind it to matter.

The truth hurts and the truth helps, but it never is neutral. No one ever tells an enemy to 'go to purgatory' for there is no jab found in saying it...for there is no truth in that non existent place. They tell their enemy to 'go to hell' ... a place they supposedly don't believe exists! I even heard an atheist say this before.

For 2,000 years the name of Jesus has not just reformed alcoholics, but transformed them. Purified prostitutes / made liars tell the truth / turned haters into lovers / turned wife beaters into docile men / made whoremongers faithful / cleaned up cursing mouths / has saved souls from hell!*

Every other religion on earth has this in common: their founder is today dead.

But I can say: "I serve a RISEN Savior." And that's why it's the only name!

Have a blessed day!

Thanks to Jerry Shirley

2010-07-29T04:28:00.001-07:00

29 July 2010 Devotion for Today "Silver and Gold Have I None" Acts 3: 1-10

Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

6Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. (Acts 3:1-10)

Earlier this week we visited our son who is temporarily stationed in New Orleans with the Coast Guard. We were staying with him at his hotel, which is right on the corner of Bourbon and Canal Streets. Unfortunately, while Bourbon Street in that city is definitely alive, its reputation is much deserved. Sin and dereliction was everywhere, and certainly not a street you would want to walk down at night. Occasionally, beggars will sit at the street corners or even in the ditch and ask for spare change. One that I saw was a wounded war veteran whose leg had been blown off in the recent war in Iraq. It was a heart breaking scene. As I spoke with him, tears welled in my eyes as I thought of the sacrifice he had made for our country and then to come home to a life on the streets. When he returned in January, 2006, he found that his home had been destroyed in the Hurricane Katrina disaster, and that his wife and children had left him. To cope with the misery of the years, he turned to alcohol and drugs. As I opened my wallet I was stunned to find I had no cash- not even a dime was to be found in my pocket. Sure I had debit cards and credit cards in my wallet but I was not about to part with any of those. It did not occur to me to go to a nearby ATM machine and withdraw a little bit of cash to give him. Then I thought of Peter and John as they stood over the man begging by the Temple gate in Jerusalem. They responded, "Silver and gold have we none, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk." Peter and John were well aware of this man who sat in this one place for years. Everybody knew him, but up until then, nothing had been done about him since they all assumed all the beggar wanted was other people's money. But Peter and John refused to think that way. They urged him to look at them and then prayed for him to walk- and he did!

I'll be honest, I stopped short at that point. All I did was to apologize and tell the beggar I had no money. I felt utterly helpless, but why? Did I really believe I could help him? Better yet, did I honestly believe Jesus could help him? Because I did not expect that God could cause the beggar to grow a new leg and follow what happened to the man in the Bible story above, I said nothing more and went on my way. To me, that was harder than confronting the man in the first place. I know what some of you are thinking right now. Some of you may be thinking, "you probably did him a favor by not giving him any money, since he would have probably spent it on alcohol, anyway!" Yes, that thought occurred to me also, and shame on me for thinking that; for what a judgmental spirit I struggled with, confronting that desperate vision of humanity before me. The very least I could have done is to pray for him, which I did not do because I felt too embarrassed to do so- in the likelihood of not seeing the man healed. All I could do is to choke back tears and say, "Sir, I don't have what I would like to give you, but I want you to know that God loves you." The words sounded so hollow and lame as I struggled for a better response. The encountered showed not how sick and hurting that man was, but how sick and sorry my faith was!

"That's alright, mister, don't worry about it," he said. "You have a nice day!" He pulled a brown bag with a bottle inside to his lips and I turned and walked away. But as I sit and reflect on that scene this morning, and as I no longer chastise myself, I still can't decide who to feel sorrier for, the wounded derelict veteran or myself? True, silver and gold I did not have, but I could have shared the hope and love of Jesus. Who was I to think what this man did not need to hear? Was I thinking too much of myself, rather than what this man needed? When we shrink back from situations like these, we deny God the opportunity to work to demonstrate His power. Perhaps the man might not have grown a leg or walked, but he could have gotten saved, or at the very least, found the strength to live on with hope for one more day. In spite of my lame demonstration of faith that day, perhaps he did. But the point is, who was I to deny what only God could do?

Admittedly that day was not a high point in my walk with the Lord, but it taught me several things- mainly that God has empowered me to be used by Him in every situation, and not just the ones that I choose. And God is in control of the circumstances of the encounters that I have, not me. Only God can predict the outcomes of those circumstances to bring glory to Himself.

Today let us not deny what only God can do. May He give us the faith to see beyond the obvious at least to trust Him with our limitations and meager resources. Bring glory to Him today as you trust Him in this.

Have a blessed day!

13 July 2010 Devotion for Today "Tongues of Fire" Acts 2:3-13

2010-07-13T09:12:00.001-07:00

^{3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[}a] as the Spirit enabled them.

5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

13Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine.

(Acts 2:3-13)

The other day I was having lunch with one of my sons at a local sub shop. We were in a little bit of a hurry and when I placed my order the counter lady asked me what ingredients I wanted on my sandwich. She then asked if I wanted hot or sweet peppers, olives and pickles on my sub and not hearing all of the selections she offered I just said "yes" to all of them. When our order arrived, we said grace over the meal and started chomping away on our sub sandwiches when all of a sudden, my mouth began to burn like fire. Instinctively I reached for my drink and began gulping it down, coughing and choking back tears as I did. The more I chewed, the worse it got. Tears rolled down from my eyes and nose. Finally I had to open my sandwich and extract all the jalapeño peppers that were mixed in with the ingredients. However, the seeds from those spicy peppers had permeated my entire meal. Even though I must have consumed 3 more large sodas, my mouth burned for the rest of the afternoon. John, my son, said, "Didn't you hear the lady ask you if you wanted hot peppers on your sandwich?" I said no, but that experience taught me a lesson- I needed to listen better to people who offer me something and not assume I know what they said.

In our devotional passage we read about the church gathering there on the day of Pentecost, and after a mighty rushing wind filled the room where they were located, it says that they saw what appeared to be tongues of fire disseminating out and landing upon each of them. Its not because they had eaten spicy peppers at the local sub shop. This was a little flame that signified the presence of the Holy Spirit, causing each one to begin speaking in what Luke calls "other tongues." I know that this is a controversial thing and many shy away from this passage because of the varying interpretations given to it.

As I interpret this, it says that they spoke in other tongues- not unknown tongues- languages that were understood by those to whom they began preaching to in the crowds around Jerusalem. They were also languages which the disciples themselves had never learned, spoken, or understood before, yet the Holy Spirit gave them the miraculous ability to proclaim Christ in Latin, in Syro-Phoenician, in Egyptian, in Arabic, as well as in Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek. Perhaps those overhearing could hear the Gospel preached in his native Ethiopian or even Farsi or Hindi. We know that modern languages such as English, French, German, Italian or Spanish did not exist as such back then but if they had the Gospel would likely have been preached in those languages.

This phenomenon, is different from what is commonly known as glossalalia , which is a repetitive, fabricated or non-meaningful speech associated with religious trances or highly ecstatic state. I vividly recall how controversial this was back in the 1970s. But this is not what I believe is happening here. Rather, it is the miraculous ability to speak a known language previously unlearned by the speaker. I'm not saying that glossalalia cannot happen, I am only saying that it did not occur here in this passage. Granted, there were those in the crowd who mocked them and accused the speakers of being drunk; but that was only because they heard people speaking on other languages- not because they were hearing "gibberish." But most of those witnessing this event knew the disciples were unlearned Galileans who only spoke that particular dialect of Aramaic.

Has this happened before? I'm not aware that it has, but has this phenomenon happened since and can it happen again? Well, because we serve a sovereign God, I believe that it certainly can. I know that in my own experiences preaching in Europe in the late 1990s and early 2000s, there were times when I struggled to preach in German the people listening to me must have miraculously understood what I was saying in spite of the terrible way that I butchered their language. It wasn't because they were hearing my words necessarily, but they were hearing my heart. I uttered those inarticulate words, and He did the rest; underscoring the fact that God is still a God of miracles. The thing I want to emphasize however that God will not issue a supernatural gift when we are not making use of what He has given us right now. In other words, why would God give us a supernatural gift of imparting a language we do not already know right now when we are not making good use of the English language to preaching the Gospel that we do know?

You may only know English as your only language. Are you employing it to the fullest to the glory of God?

Prayer: Dear Father, help me to utilize the fullness of Your Spirit today that I may witness to others with simplicity and honesty. Help them to see not how articulate I am, but to see You most of all in my heart.

Have a blessed day

2010-07-07T08:45:00.001-07:00

07 July 2010 "The Mighty Wind of God" Acts 2:1-4

"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord^[a] in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4)

I don't know about you, but this passage of Scripture is perhaps one of the most exciting in the entirety of the Word of God- perhaps just down a notch from the Birth narrative and the Resurrection is this spectacular appearance or entrance of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

I mentioned that this entrance of the Holy Spirit was spectacular- in some ways a little bit too spectacular for some folks reading this narrative- and for good reason. Many people tend to fear that which they can neither understand nor control. The person and the work of the Holy Spirit cannot manipulated, duplicated, or contrived. And when you read this chapter from the Book of Acts, it is clear that you cannot make this stuff up!

For instance, Jesus never told His disciples exactly in what form the Holy Spirit would come when He came, only that He would come. But He began with a great noise and a mighty rushing wind. God had long been associated with wind. In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself in an emblem of breath or wind. In fact, the Hebrew Word for wind and spirit is the same. Often when God is revealing Himself or making His presence known among His people, He frequently uses sound. The sound of a howling wind gets people's attention, for it is just latent with anticipation!

About a month ago- very early on a Sunday morning we were all awakened by the sound of a howling wind. It sounded like a freight train, its roaring was so fierce. In fact, it was the signature sound of a tornado passing overhead. When we turned on the news we heard what confirmed our suspicions- tornadic activity was in our vicinity and had touched down over by Camden. We could not go back to sleep after that. The Holy Spirit of God creates spiritually what a tornado will create physically- although I believe without a doubt that both can be heard.

Charles Spurgeon once said "I would be the last to depreciate meetings in which there is nothing but holy silence, for I could wish that we had more reverence for silence and it is in stillness that the inner life is nourished. Yet the Holy Spirit does not work for the advancement of the kingdom of God by silence, alone, for faith comes by hearing. There is a sound as of a mighty rushing wind when the Word of God is sounded forth throughout whole nations by the publishing of the Gospel. If the Lord had not given men ears or tongues, silent worship would have been not only appropriate, but necessary—but inasmuch as we have ears, the Lord must have intended us to hear something."

What is more is that Spurgeon was quick to say that the Holy Spirit continues to operate and reveal Himself as such. You will note the effect that this wind had. The sound came on this occasion, no doubt, to call the attention of the assembly to what was about to occur—to

awaken them and to fill them with awe! There is something indescribably solemn about the rush into their midst- not just from a corner of the skies, but like a down-draft from heaven: showing us that the true Spirit, the Spirit of God, neither comes from this place nor that—neither can

His power be controlled or directed by human authority—His working is always from above, from God Himself!

The work of the Holy Spirit is, so to speak, the breath of God, and His power is always, in a special sense, the immediate power of God. Coming downward, therefore, this mysterious wind passed into the chamber where the disciples were assembled and filled the room. An ordinary rushing mighty wind would have been felt outside the room and would probably have destroyed the house or injured the inhabitants if it had been aimed at any one building—but this heavenly gust filled, but did not destroy the room—it blessed, but did not overthrow the waiting company! The wind came and was noticed, it was felt, but it did not totally overwhelm the people who came nor did it scare them half to death. At the same time, wind makes change. Jesus said in John 3 "The wind bloweth where it listeth." And perhaps this is why the people are most fearful of the work of the Holy Spirit the most. Change scares people. They like their comfort. They like things predictable. They don't like things out of the ordinary because it is too unsettling. But the Holy Spirit is no one to be afraid of, neither should we be afraid of the affects of Him.

Next time I will get into the tongues of fire, and until then, have a blessed day!

01 July 2010 Devotion for Today "Holy Hands in Prayer" I Timothy 2:8

2010-07-01T04:53:00.001-07:00

^{8I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. ( I Tim 2:8)}

As I write this morning the oil well continues to pump its black crude into the Gulf of Mexico. For two months now it has been spewing this filth into the water, ruining the ecosystem for decades to come. It makes me weep that they cannot seem to bring it under control. The news tells us that they are trying desperately to bring relief wells to intercept the flow, but I fear what will happen if these efforts do not work. I pray every day about this and trust God that one day soon they will be able to contain this pollution. I cannot imagine what the poor people who live on the Gulf Coast will have to contend with in years to come. I pray for them also.

As I reflect on this oil spill- the worst in our world's history, I cannot help but wonder (and I'm not saying that it is) if this is not God's punishment upon our nation for our unholiness and disregard for who God is and our rejection of Him. To me, it is almost like God is telling us: "Ok, so you want to focus on your greed and materialism? Have you made oil your god? Well I'll give you so much of it you will never want to see another drop again!" I know that God is not vindictive, but He does direct our attention from time to time to refocus our eyes upon Him.

Maybe after this we will want to do all we can to decrease our dependence not just on foreign oil imports, but upon any kind of oil whatsoever. But its our greed and our relentless focus on materialism that has brought us to this disaster. We can't just lay all the blame on BP and the oil companies. Our desire and demand for this oil created this market through which this disaster occurred. This oil is, I think, a symbol of our sinfulness. As crude spills into the Gulf of Mexico, the crudeness of sin and evil pours from our collective hearts and pollutes the world around us. We are swimming in it every day, and seem to be content to do so more all the time.

I applaud the efforts of those like the Coast Guard and others are doing to try to stop and contain it. But I also think that we need to focus on prayer because ultimately only God can stop this disaster. The way He will respond, I think, is as Paul instructed Timothy in this passage: "to lift up holy hands in prayer." Holy hands- not "holier than Thou hands." Hands that are connected to people who have a sincere thirst and yearning for God who want to put as much room between God and sin as possible. Hands of people who are not tarnished and stained by sin. We need to desire a greater depth of holiness- to be more like God and to be pleasing to God; not just treat God as a hobby or just come to Him whenever we need Him but to live for Him in His holiness everyday.

Let's lift up these hands and pray that God will make them more holy. We do so not to compare our worth to others around us, but to point people to a God who expects this attitude from us. God help our nation as we celebrate our Independence this week to be independent from the materialism that creates disasters such as this oil spill.

Have a blessed day!

29 June 2010 Devotion for Today “You Cast the Deciding Vote” I Timothy 2:1-7

2010-06-29T09:52:00.001-07:00

^{29 July 2010 Devotion for Today "You Cast the Deciding Vote" I Timothy 2:1-7}

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— ²for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ⁵For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. ⁷And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles. I Timothy 2:1-7

We are fast approaching the 234^th anniversary of our nation's birth with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Many are unhappy with the direction that our nation is going right now, and unfortunately have lost faith in our government and even with their vote. In fact, some may have the attitude that their vote doesn't count or make any difference. Yet in 1984, the secretary of state of California compiled the following list and here is what he said about the worth of a person's vote:

In 1645, one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England
In 1649, one vote caused Charles I of England to be executed.
In 1776, one vote gave America the English language instead of German.
In 1845, one vote brought Texas into the Union.
In 1868, one vote saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment.
In 1876, one vote changed France from a monarchy to a republic.
In 1876, one vote gave Rutherford B. Hayes the Presidency of U.S.
In 1933, one vote gave Adolph Hitler leadership of the Nazi Party.
In 1960, one vote change in each precinct in Illinois would have denied John F. Kennedy the Presidency.

Our votes do make a difference. And we who are Christians should honor this sacred privilege and vote at every opportunity. This being said, however, we need to realize that there are 2 inherent weaknesses in the Democratic process. There are two problems that plague the voting public, because while I believe our nation possesses the best form of government known to the world today, it is still not a perfect system and we need to remember this.

Number one- when we vote, we vote for mortals. I dont care how moral and upstanding the politician is that we vote into office, he's still a sinner. Hes still prone to the same weaknesses and sinful tendencies and the same temptations as the rest of us. These politicians are not God they ARE mortal. They do not walk on water. They do not perform miracles and they will disappoint us.
Secondly, when we Christians vote, there are times that - when we cast our vote we often do so under the mistaken belief that the candidate, or the party for which we vote has the power within themselves to change the course of our city, state, or national destiny . This is not true. And it has never been true.

Furthermore, it is a dangerous mistake to put more faith in politics, and politicians, and political parties than we do in God. I don't care whether you watch Fox News or CNN, it doesn't take long for the career of an upwardly mobile and skyrocketing politician to flatten out. Be he Republican or Democrat, he will find the bottom very quickly unless we pray for him or her.

This week Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia passed away. I vividly recall hearing him speak at the Bicentennial celebration in my home town in 1976. He told of the man who had lived in a small town and had been a staunch Republican all his life. Now, he was 90, and his health began to fail. His doctor told him: "George, I'm sorry to tell you this, but, from the state of health, I'd say you'll not live out the year." The next morning, the old man asked his son to take him to the courthouse so he could change his registration from Republican to Democrat.
"But Dad," protested his the son, "you started this town's Republican Party and attended every function. Why would you want to become a Democrat?"
The old man replied: "Son, if someone has to die, it might as well be one of them!"
Senator Byrd got a lot of laughs at his own expense, and the crowd loved him for it. But he made the point that some people get so fired up about politics that they can be very unpleasant to be around. And some Christians seem to be more comfortable talking about politics than they do about Christ and this is what I find to be a problem.

Therefore, Paul tells us a method we can use to correct that kind political shortsightedness:

¹ Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. ³ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
I Timothy 2:1-2

In short, Paul commands us instead of griping about the nation or arguing about politics, we need to pray for all the politicians even the ones you don't like. Especially the ones you dont like! We ought never to complain if we don't vote, and we ought never to raise our opinion unless we first pray.

Pastor Gerald Flurry has written: "Prayer is political action. Prayer is social energy. Prayer is public good. Prayer shapes more of our nations life than is formed by legislation. That we have not collapsed into anarchy is due more to prayer than to the police. Prayer is a sustained and intricate act of patriotism in the largest sense of that word--far more precise, loving, and preserving than any patriotism served up in slogans." The single most important action contributing to whatever health and strength there is in our land is prayer. You see, our DECIDING vote, in any election is NOT the one we make in the privacy of the ballot box: Its the vote we make in the privacy of our prayer closets

The vote you make on your knees will have the power no ballot box can equal.

Have a blessed day!

2010-06-23T08:58:00.001-07:00

23 June 2010 Devotion for Today "What Grace Can Do" I Timothy 1:8-15

^{8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, 9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.}

^{12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."}

(I Timothy 1:8-15)

Jim Cymbala preaches at a church in the slums of New York. He tells the following story: It was Easter Sunday and I was so tired at the end of the day that I just went to the edge of the platform, pulled down my tie and sat down and draped my feet over the edge. It was a wonderful service with many people coming forward. The counselors were talking with these people. As I was sitting there I looked up the middle aisle, and there in about the third row was a man who looked about fifty, disheveled, filthy. He looked up at me rather sheepishly, as if saying, "Could I talk to you?" We have homeless people coming in all the time, asking for money or whatever. So as I sat there, I said to myself, though I am ashamed of it, "What a way to end a Sunday. I've had such a good time, preaching and ministering, and here's a fellow probably wanting some money for more wine." He walked up. When he got within about five feet of me, I smelled a horrible smell like I'd never smelled in my life. It was so awful that when he got close, I would inhale by looking away, and then I'd talk to him, and then look away to inhale, because I couldn't inhale facing him. I asked him, "What's your name?" "David." "How long have you been on the street?" "Six years." "How old are you?" "Thirty-two." He looked fifty- hair matted; front teeth missing; wino; eyes slightly glazed. "Where did you sleep last night, David?" "Abandoned truck." I keep in my back pocket a money clip that also holds some credit cards. I fumbled to pick one out thinking; I'll give him some money. I won't even get a volunteer. They are all busy talking with others. Usually we don't give money to people. We take them to get something to eat. I took the money out. David pushed his finger in front of me. He said, "I don't want your money. I want this Jesus, the One you were talking about, because I'm not going to make it. I'm going to die on the street." I completely forgot about David, and I started to weep for myself. I was going to give a couple of dollars to someone God had sent to me. See how easy it is? I could make the excuse I was tired. There is no excuse. I was not seeing him the way God sees him. I was not feeling what God feels. But oh, did that change! David just stood there. He didn't know what was happening. I pleaded with God, "God, forgive me! Forgive me! Please forgive me. I am so sorry to represent You this way. I'm so sorry. Here I am with my message and my points, and You send somebody and I am not ready for it. Oh, God!" Something came over me. Suddenly I started to weep deeper, and David began to weep. He fell against my chest as I was sitting there. He fell against my white shirt and tie, and I put my arms around him, and there we wept on each other. The smell of His person became a beautiful aroma. Here is what I thought the Lord made real to me: If you don't love this smell, I can't use you, because this is why I called you where you are. This is what you are about. You are about this smell. Christ changed David's life. He started memorizing portions of Scripture that were incredible. We got him a place to live. We hired him in the church to do maintenance, and we got his teeth fixed. He was a handsome man when he came out of the hospital. They detoxed him in 6 days. He spent that Thanksgiving at my house. He also spent Christmas at my house. When we were exchanging presents, he pulled out a little thing and he said, "This is for you." It was a little white hanky. It was the only thing he could afford. A year later David got up and talked about his conversion to Christ. The minute he took the mic and began to speak, I said, "The man is a preacher." This past Easter we ordained David. He is an associate minister of a church over in New Jersey. And I was so close to saying, "Here, take this; I'm a busy preacher." We can get so full of ourselves.

This heart-warming story that Jim Cymbala tells here reflects so much light upon ourselves as Christians. It shows us that we must never discount anyone, much less ourselves. Paul shows us also that the ones who are the most difficult to come to Christ are not the "down and outers" like Jim Cymbala talks about, but the ones like himself, the so-called "good people" who look and act decently but are empty, selfish, and sinful on the inside where no one but God can see. He transforms the lives of all of us by His grace- His unmerited favor extended to whom He will. Even as accomplished as Paul thought that he was, he knew that the law of God exposed him as a first-class hypocrite of the worst kind, a reprobate and even a murderer. This he had to see in the mirror of the law before he could see what the grace of God could do for him. Praise God, Christ saved whom Paul considered "the chief of sinners" in order to unleash his passion to tell the whole world about Jesus.

Do you see any so-called "good people" who need to be saved? They are out there everywhere. They may be sitting in your home or even in your chair? Who knows?

Have a blessed day!

2010-06-22T07:37:00.001-07:00

22 June 2010 Devotion for Today "Meaningless Talk" I Timothy 1:1-7

^{1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,}

2To Timothy my true son in the faith:

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith. 5The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. 7They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

Have you ever known anyone to turn their mouths on and then walk off and leave them? In my line of work, I see that quite often. I know that preachers are often accused of this- especially on Sunday. But that is only because we endure a lot of listening the rest of the week that sometimes we don't often get to say what we feel we need to say- especially to those who think they know it all and want to justify themselves to people like us. Today I am starting a new series of devotions from I and II Timothy, and in this passage Paul wastes little words in his introduction but soon gets to the point.

First of all, Paul shares with Timothy his concern about commanding certain men not to teach false doctrines. There were many who did this, both inside as well as outside the church. Paul constantly battled the ideas of gnosticism. Gnosticism simply means "knowledge" which embraced a whole gamut of spiritual ideas. One of the basis of this belief is that all spiritual knowledge was the same regardless of its origin, and that we are all connected through this "knowledge" as a life-source. It is similar to the ideas of spirituality we see emerging back into the mainstream of human life today as Postmodernism. These ideas teach that it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you possess a believe system. Ethics is relative and no truth is absolute. Both Gnosticism and Postmodernism teaches an independent, detached philosophy and spirituality. You can be spiritual yet non-religious. Conscious of the spirit, yet uncommitted to any one faith.

Paul teaches here that even though this philosophy of Gnosticism promoted tolerance, it was intolerant of those who held to a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. The worldly philosophies abhorred any mention or thought of guilt, just as Postmodernism does today. Such modern practitioners raise up the flag of Tolerance but cannot endure Truth. Their words are like trying to nail square pieces of jello to a wall. Paul says they cannot know what they are talking about because one has to have a relationship with the source of the Truth before it can be meaningful to them. Otherwise it becomes more elusive.

Is this too deep or heady for a morning devotion? Perhaps this is another problem Paul will mention as he goes further with Timothy. Likewise we are not encouraged to think deeply about our faith. Any more than a tidbit is too much for our minds to think about as we have so much to deal with in the course of our day. But when we have the Truth as our basis for each day, the other matters we are forced to think about will take on a new meaning and a higher significance instead of just meaningless talk.

May the Lord increase not only your intelligence, but your container of faith which holds it.

Have a blessed day.

21 June 2010 Devotion for Today “The House of Eli” I Samuel 2: 12-25

2010-06-21T10:06:00.001-07:00

The House of Eli

I Samuel 2:12-25

Jeffery C. Russell

Salem Baptist Church 06/20/2010

Scene: Eli, the Chief Priest at Shiloh, walks into a therapists' office and pours his heart out to him. Spoken as a dramatic monologue.

A priest's work is never done. So I really don't have time to be here today. I know you are expensive- 400 Shekels an hour! I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my wife. I've never been to a therapist before so I don't know how I'm supposed to act. I really don't know why I'm here. I got to get back to my work! Not that I'm complaining, mind you because I love the work that I do. I love working for God I would much rather do that than sleep and eat. But I haven't done a whole lot of eating or sleeping lately because of some problems that have crept up in the family. By the way my name is Eli- the local prophet and priest of Shiloh. I minister in the tabernacle and have been there all my life. I've seen a lot of things go on over the years and nothing really surprises me anymore. And yes we prophets have family problems, too- but nobody believes it or accepts this because they pay us not to have problems, which is really a very unrealistic situation. Its hard enough dealing with Israel's problems and the problems with the Philistines and problems with the Amalekites without adding family problems to the mix. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy this work, but sometimes it just gives me a headache, and often I don't know what to do about it but pray and hope that God will deal with it or that it will all go away by itself. At this stage in my life, I just want peace in my life!

I have to admit I haven't been the best father- but I feel like I've done the best I could. The whole time my boys were growing up I would try to plan to do things with them like take them fishing, play ball with them, take them and the whole family on vacation but there was always something more compelling I would have to attend to first. I didn't mean for this to happen, but somewhere along the way, my boys, Hophni and Phineas got the idea they really couldn't take me seriously- or God seriously, for that matter. I admit about all I've done for them is to teach them how to make good excuses. Most people don't understand the life of a prophet. They think you only work one day a week! On top of that, they also think you are rich whenever they come over to the tabernacle and they see all the sacrificial animals all lined up. I've done everything I could to keep things above board. But I don't need to explain things to you folks. Why, only a few days ago, I was about ready to leave the tabernacle, locking up and turning out the lights, when this woman is sitting there.

She's moving her mouth constantly, and talking in such a way I couldn't understand what she was saying. I know now that she was praying, but at the time I thought she was drunk! I'd seen so much of that with my sons Hophni and Phineas, and the women they would bring in here- I thought maybe she might have been one of their girlfriends. You shouldn't judge people by appearances, and was ashamed of myself that her this woman was praying for a baby and asked the Lord for one and if He gave her a son, she would dedicate him to God. God answered her prayer, and named the boy Samuel. When he was about 3 years old, she sent the little fellow to live with me to serve here in the tabernacle. I don't know why she would do that- everybody knew the terrible reputation my boys were starting to have in those days. Maybe I could do something with this boy that I couldn't with those two. They caused me such headaches, and people were always coming to me complaining about them- how they would steal from them, get their daughters drunk and run around with them. It was disgraceful. When I tried to say something to them, they would ignore me, or treat me disrespectfully. It was horrible. Until Samuel came along, I felt like such a failure. What in the world did I do to deserve all this? All I've ever wanted to do is to serve God.

I guess it's just all my fault I let things slide. I mean, its not like I never saw my kids. They were around the tabernacle and grew up around it since the time they were babies. But perhaps that was the problem- we were always there. You know what they say, "familiarity breeds contempt." Well, they sure grew up having contempt for what we did around there. I would be there at the tabernacle from sun-up to sundown, sorting out the sacrifices and listening to the people complain when I had to turn them down. Dealing with so many people was so tiring. We had to do every sacrifice in just the right way that God said to do it. It was very meticulous. If we disobeyed or cut corners it would be very possible that we could die. Years ago, when Moses' brother Aaron was in charge of the tabernacle, his boys Nadab and Abihu thought it would be fun to play around with the fire on the altar. They must have been bored, but they knew better. I'm not sure what they did, but it caused the fire to blaze way out of control, engulfing Nadab and Abihu in flames. There was barely anything left of them when they put the fire out.

All of us prophets and priests remembered that story. Poor Aaron, everybody criticized him for that but I know how it happened now. Aaron basically gave them no supervision, looked the other way when he needed to discipline them. I guess I let myself get caught up in the same thing and I didn't see it coming. I may sound like I'm making excuses, but nobody plans to let their children get out of control. And it doesn't get any easier as the children grow older. I found that out the year I was promoted to being chief priest of the Tabernacle. What an honor that was- something I for which I've dreamt all my life. But I didn't just dream it, I worked hard for it, putting in long hours and getting there before anyone one else and leaving only after everyone else did. My family, especially my sons, saw me less often. Their jobs were to help process the sacrifices and to make sure that the priests got their fair share, in fact they did their jobs too well- they learned every trick in the book, but not from me. For example, they would stick a big fork in the roasted meat and say things like, "the meat that stays on the fork belongs to us, and everything that gets left belongs to God!" At first I thought that was kind of clever, maybe a little funny. But they were serious. Oh why didn't I say anything to them about that?

When I found out about that, I was furious. At first I held back but then I spoke up and said something to Hophni and Phineas- not that it did a whole lot of good, but I said: "Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. ²⁴ No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the LORD's people. ²⁵ If a man sins against another man, God ^[e] may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?"

Hofni and Phineas looked at me like I was crazy. They just ignored me, brushed me off. They weren't in fact the least bit apologetic for the things they had done. I trembled for them. I just know in my spirit that something bad is going to befall them. Its like someone once said, "Your chickens will one day come home to roost!" And they did, as we will soon see.

Meanwhile the little fellow Samuel continued to grow. He was a delight to have around and helped assuage the troubles with my unruly boys. He was also a smart little guy, and very perceptive. On top of that, he loved God and tried to do what was right. One night, after we were all in bed, little Samuel awakened me from my sleep. "Father Eli," he said, "Did you call for me?" I said, "No, my child- I did not. Go back to bed." An hour or so later, Samuel came back and asked, "Father Eli, did you call for me?" Again I said, no, please go back to bed. A third time, Samuel came back again and "I heard it again, a voice calling for me." This time I told him, "It may be God who is speaking to you. Next time answer by saying, "Speak Lord, for Your servant hears!" Samuel did just that. In fact he received a message from God that Samuel needed to deliver to me.

I remember the little fellow came up to me, with tears in his eyes. I asked, "What did the Lord tell you, my son?" I could tell little Samuel feared what he was going to say to me. As he struggled for the right words to say, I told him, "Out with it boy! If God has given you a word, you must never hold back on what He has instructed you to say. Little Samuel blurted out, "The Lord says you are going to die, you and your sons with you!" I said, "Samuel, He is the Lord, let him do what is best for him."

I can't believe that here I am, a man of God, a man people look to for help and answers, to live in such a way as to let my own family down. There was a time when everyone wanted to live in the House of Eli. Everyone envied us, everyone wanted to be us, everyone in Israel looked up to us- what in the world went wrong? Its not like I abused them or tried to hurt them. Its not like I drank alcohol or stayed out late with my friends. I never cheated on their mother or did the corrupt things that my sons now do. I took my devotion and commitment to God and His work very seriously. Maybe a little bit too seriously. Sure I was the one who got the promotions, the acclaim, the spotlight, the families who were not as ambitious as I seemed to be so much happier than we were. I thought it was my job to work hard to provide for my family. I let myself believe that I never had time to take vacations with the family, to attend the games my sons were in. But Hophni and Phineas always got the best of everything- I made sure of that. They had the best food, the best clothes, the best education, the best of everything this world had to offer. Only now do I realize that though I gave them everything they wanted, I did not give them what they most needed. Oh what I wouldn't give to be able to have the years back when my children were young- the things I would do differently!

I can see right now I will not have that chance. A great battle is coming. I hear that the Philistines are coming again, and this time they outnumber us two to one. Hophni and Phineas have taken out the Ark of the Covenant to stand before the army. I have a grandchild on the way. I don't have a good feeling about this. I wished that I had spoken to them before they left, but there is still so much to do. Well I've got to get going- so much to do…..

04 June 2010 Devotion for Today "A Vision of God" Genesis 28:11-17

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Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway [d] resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it [e] stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." 17 He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven." (Genesis 28:11-17)

Last time we saw Jacob, he was running for his life from his brother Esau from whom he had just swindled his life's inheritance. His father Isaac quickly blessed him and sent him on his way. Its interesting to note, however, that Isaac never said anything to chastise Jacob about what he had done. Jacob takes off to where his mother grew up. When he lay down to sleep, in the midst of his broken heartedness, he has a dream, more correctly, a vision of God. He sees a tall ladder reaching up into heaven with angelic creatures climbing up and down on it. Here, God speaks to Jacob, and renews the covenant promises he had made to his father and grandfather. You can almost picture how overwhelmed Jacob is as he realizes where he has been, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it." (v.16).

This is usually how God catches up with the busy person. Its not that God was never there before, but it is the place where one realizes God has been there with them the whole time and they were just too busy or otherwise occupied to notice. This place was so significant to Jacob and so reassuring. Why would God pay a personal visit to a man who thought he would be dead soon? It brought wonderful relief to him to know that God had a greater plan for Jacob's life than being a man on the run.

Perhaps you too are on the run, or so busy you take little notice of God and what He is doing for you. It usually takes a crisis to bring us to our knees or to cause us to look up. Perhaps it would be better not to wait until this happens, because these crises are often painful. You don't have to wait until then. You can open your eyes right now and know of His touch and presence all around you. He is there!

Have a blessed day!

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

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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

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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

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^{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.

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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

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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

03 May Devotion for Today "Great Matters" Psalm 131

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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!

Pasted from <http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html>

29 April 2010 Devotion for Today "Why am I Like This?" Genesis 25:19-28

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^{19 This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begot Isaac. 20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. 21 Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I
like this?|" So she went to inquire of the LORD.}

^{23 And the LORD said to her:}

"Two nations are in your womb,

Two peoples shall be separated from your body;

One people shall be stronger than the other,

And the older shall serve the younger."

^{24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau.[ 26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.}

^{27 So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.}

(Genesis 25:19-28)

The next generations of Abraham's family are seen in this passage following his death. He did not get to see his grandchildren- or at least not the ones of the promised son, Isaac. Barrenness seems to have been a problem at first for Isaac and his wife as was the case with his parents. But after Rebekah conceived it was apparent that she would have twins. Her pregnancy was greatly disturbed, for the twins she conceived battled constantly. She was obviously troubled the whole time. In her distress she cried out to her husband, "If all is well, why am I like this?"

In other words, "If the covenant of God is so, why am I having these problems with this pregnancy?"

If I am in the will of God concerning this covenant, why am I having such severe complications?

If God's word is so, why am I in this condition?

So she began to inquire of the Lord. Have you ever inquired of the Lord? Have you ever asked him a question? Have you ever asked, "WHY?"

Have you ever asked the Lord, "Lord, if I am in your will, why am I going through this problem?"

Or, "Lord if I am doing what you told me to do, why am I in the middle of this trial?"

I'm sure all of us have asked this a time or two. Many say that we should not ask why, as though we demonstrate a lack of faith or that we do not trust God. I do not think so at all. I believe God wants us to ask why because it connects us to Him. It demonstrates that we are dependent upon Him and are trying to walk with Him in obedience- especially when we are under distress spiritually or physically.

Some of you are going through difficulties.

Other Bible characters in Scripture also asked why. Even Jesus, while nailed to the cross, asked "My God my God, why have You forsaken me?"

Some may feel that God has promised something, and they haven't received it yet.

Some feel they are in God's perfect will, but are facing difficulties that cause them to say, "If it be so, why am I like this?"

Somebody caused great pain. Now you are saying, "If I was in God's will why did that happen? Why am I thus? Some of are like those disciples, feeling like God sent them out on their little ship and everything was fine and dandy. The water was perfect, the waves were calm, and the sun was shining on their perfect day. But a storm came up and hid the sun from that perfect day. The winds began to blow and the perfect waves became great billows that beat against that ship.

And they say, "If I am doing God's will, why am I like this?"

If you are feeling this way today, God is still in control of your life! When you seemed to have lost control, know that God has taken control! When you have lost your composure, God still has His!

God knows where you have been, He knows where you are now, and He has already made plans to where He wants to take you. There's not a devil in hell that is able to stop God's plan for your life if you will be obedient to God.

What He says, He will bring to pass.

There's not a storm so severe,

There's not a trial so deep,

There's not a mountain so high and,

There's not a valley so wide,

That God cannot conquer on your behalf!

Have a blessed day!

2010-04-28T09:40:00.001-07:00

28 April 2010 Devotion for Today "The Dash" Genesis 25: 7-11

^{7 This is the sum of the years of Abraham's life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. 9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife. 11 And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi. (Genesis 25:7-11)}

We read in this passage about the death of Abraham, a man who walked with God and accomplished many things in his life. Abraham was promised a blessing and is a testament to the faithfulness of God and the trust that Abraham had in Him.

There are three things that we have in common with the Patriarch.

Poet Linda Ellis wrote this poem that summarizes the extent of all our years.

I read of a reverend who stood to speak

at the funeral of his friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

from the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth

and spoke of the following date with tears,

but he said what mattered most of all

was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time

that she spent alive on earth…

and now only those who loved her

know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;

the cars…the house…the cash.

What matters is how we live and love

and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard…

are there things you'd like to change?

For you never know how much time is left.

(You could be at "dash mid-range.")

If we could just slow down enough

to consider what's true and real,

and always try to understand

the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,

and show appreciation more

and love the people in our lives

like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,

and more often wear a smile…

remembering that this special dash

might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read

with your life's actions to rehash...

would you be proud of the things they say

about how you spent your dash?

Prayer: Dear God I pray that You will help me to consider that what I am doing right now falls within the realm of "the dash." Does it glorify You?

Have a blessed day!

27 April 2010 Devotion for Today "Isaac Loved Her" Genesis 24:63-66

2010-04-27T08:01:00.001-07:00

^{63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming. 64 Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel; 65 for she had said to the servant, "Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?"}

The servant said, "It is my master." So she took a veil and covered herself.

^{66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.}

(Genesis 24:63-66)

A couple had been debating the purchase of a new auto for weeks. He wanted a new truck. She wanted a fast little sports-like car so she could zip through traffic around town. He would probably have settled on any beat up old truck, but everything she seemed to like was way out of their price range.

"Look!" she said. "I want something that goes from 0 to 200 in 4 seconds or less. And my birthday is coming up. You could surprise me."

So, for her birthday, he bought her a brand new bathroom scale!

Postscript: Services will be at Downing Funeral Home on Monday the 12th. Due to the condition of the body, this will be a closed casket service. Please send your donations to the "Think Before You Say Things To Your Wife Foundation," Dallas, Texas.

There are of course an endless supply of jokes about marriage. This is because psychologists tell us we joke the most about the things with which we are the most uneasy or uncertain. I don't know about that, but I do know that when Abraham's servant brought Rebekah to Isaac, and when the two of them first laid eyes on one another, it was no joke. Isaac walked toward them (although a respectable man would never run, I'm sure he walked as quickly as he could). Rebekah asked the servant, "Who is this man?" The emphasis Rebekah gave the phrase is very telling. Her heart raced within her in excitement as she laid eyes on Isaac for the very first time. Isaac lost no time taking Rebekah into his mother's tent and the two were married. Then it says that Isaac loved her.

Its interesting here that it says Isaac married Rebekah first, then loved her. I would have thought it would have been the other way around- we love someone, then we marry them. But Isaac and Rebekah never knew the other existed until that day. Obviously there is something here that goes beyond physical attraction- although I'm sure both were physically attracted to each other. Marriage requires a commitment that goes beyond physical attractiveness, or even the length of time that one knows the other. This was not so much love at first sight as it was a commitment at first sight. It was a commitment to love another and to stay married no matter what. It also says that "Isaac was comforted after his mother's death." One woman's love was exchanged for another, and while Isaac no doubt missed his mother, he could think of no one else but Rebekah ever after that. While it was true that Isaac and Rebekah's marriage was prearranged before hand, their love kept it together afterward

There are times that I think that maybe we ought to go back to such a system. I'm sure most would not find that a very acceptable solution, but for the most part, many might agree that the modern, cultural idea of dating before marriage has failed us. It puts more pressures on a young couple that neither are emotionally prepared or suited for. And while it is true Isaac's servant went out of his way to find a great wife for his master, It's also true that a successful marriage is not about finding the right person, but in being the right person.

Prayer: Dear God I thank you for my spouse today. Satan hates marriage and the family and will do everything he can to tear them up. But only You can keep us together. Help me to be as committed to my mate as much as You are committed to keeping us together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Have a blessed day!

21 April 2010 Devotion for Today "A God Thing" Genesis 24: 50-60

2010-04-21T13:02:00.001-07:00

50 Laban and Bethuel answered, "This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has directed."

52 When Abraham's servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD. 53 Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there.

When they got up the next morning, he said, "Send me on my way to my master."

55 But her brother and her mother replied, "Let the girl remain with us ten days or so; then you may go."

56 But he said to them, "Do not detain me, now that the LORD has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master."

57 Then they said, "Let's call the girl and ask her about it." 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Will you go with this man?"

"I will go," she said.

59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,

"Our sister, may you increase

to thousands upon thousands;

may your offspring possess

the gates of their enemies."

(Genesis 24:50-60)

In this passage it is difficult to tell who is the more nobler person- Abraham's servant, or the young lady whom he is tasked to bring home to his master's son for a wife. Both of these individuals are well worth talking about. As was discussed yesterday, the servant was surprised and elated for having found such a high caliber of a person so soon. Women such as Rebekah are very difficult to find. But it was clear that the servant had high standards. Her thoughtfulness and unselfishness impressed him from the very beginning. When Rebekah's father and older brother heard that the servant was from their kinsman's family, they were determined to welcome him with a feast. However, the servant insisted that he would not eat until he had stated his business with them. Perhaps this went against the custom somewhat, but the servant desired to show no pretense with them- to eat their food and to drink their wine might influence his decision making somewhat or tempt him to lower his standards or conditions. It would not leave them wondering what his intentions were, and that tends to make people edgy. "Would these people have favor with me?" he must have thought, "What if they kill me for what I'm about to propose? Would they at the very least laugh me to scorn and reject me?" With such intense emotions within him, there was no way the servant could have eaten anyway. He probably swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and spoke clearly and concisely. Can you feel the uneasy tension falling over the group?

After stating his business, he ate as he was invited and gave the customary homage and brought out the gifts for the young bride he had selected. He was clearly a man on a mission. The next morning, the servant announced he would be leaving as soon as possible. But the bride's brother (possibly assuming the role as head of the family) and her mother wanted to keep her there for another ten days. The servant was not intimidated or pressured to relent in any way, insisting graciously that they be allowed to leave for God had granted them success for the journey. Only at this point did the brother ask his sister if she would willingly go with the servant. The young lady dutifully responded and announced her desire to go as a woman of courage as well as one of great faith. A huge sigh of relief was heard by all, and Rebekah's family along with Abraham's family stood united in purpose. Their destinies would be welded together many times throughout the years.

The servant's integrity and single-mindedness, combined with Rebekah's faithfulness and dutifulness must have been a powerful force to be seen that day as they prepared the young bride to go knowing that they may not see her again. Yet here is one of those times when God makes Himself known in our lives with such intensity it is unmistakable. When it happens, even though the situation is not without its challenges, but things work out so much better than we could have ever prayed or imagined. This is what we call "a God thing!"

"God Things" are rare, but when they happen, a strange warm catches hold of our hearts and slaps us still with a sense of awe. Its in the knowing that more than one destiny is at stake- it's the keen awareness that the plan and purpose of God has been revealed, and that you are now part of it. Perhaps you are now at the crossroads of one of those moments that breaks through the pall of monotony around you that shows you God is still there. Why don't we experience this more? Let's not forget how Abraham's servant prepared himself before he set out for the journey. He prayed not just once, but throughout. And he was not surprised when the "God Thing" confronted him, and was prepared to know what to do when it happened.

Prayer: Father today I reach out for that God Thing. The circumstances of my life You can override simply by making my own will submissive to Your own. May it be to me today, and may I see myself part of what You want to do not just for my life, but for all concerned. May I realize that God Thing today.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Have a blessed day!

2010-04-20T09:37:00.001-07:00

20 April 2010 Devotion for Today "Success" Genesis 24:1-12

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

12:10 PM

^{1 Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac."}

5 The servant asked him, "What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?"

6 "Make sure that you do not take my son back there," Abraham said. 7 "The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father's household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, 'To your offspring I will give this land'-he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there." 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

10 Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.

12 Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'-let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."

I had a conversation with someone this week who told me that success was overrated. I asked him to clarify what he meant. He said that we equate success as having a good-paying job, owning a nice house, driving a new or luxury vehicle, having an attractive mate with equally beautiful children. He then asked, "Can a person not have any of these things and still be successful?" We discussed the subject for a good while and concluded that there are certain ideas that man has which he defines as successful, but God has His own idea about what He deems as successful.

The servant of Genesis 24 was such a person. Abraham was successful in the ways of the world, but he was not always successful in the ways of God. However, his servant was a success because he was not only obedient to his master, but also because he was obedient to God and looked to him for guidance in his success. The servant's mission was to find a wife for his master's son, Isaac. He prayed that God would help him develop the criteria for the character Isaac would need for a wife. He prayed not only for superficial beauty, but for a thoughtful and considerate nature in the young lady to be selected. He prayed that the girl would not just do what was asked, but would be willing to do more than what was asked. Such a quality would come in handy when it was time to leave everything and everyone she had ever known to marry a young man she never met before. She would not be spoiled as some girls are, but willing to work and to work hard. Such an attitude would make her husband a success also.

What we don't consider here also is the character of this servant. He prayed to make his master's household a success. Too often we desire that we be the ones who shine and appear great in the sight of others. But the ones who are truly successful are the ones who help other people succeed, even if they do not get the credit or the recognition for it. It is God who is glorified whenever we do something well. So when we succeed, it is not us, but God who gives us that good fortune. Since we are nothing in and of ourselves without God, wouldn't it make better sense to help others to succeed and be all that God desires them to be? When we do, God will lift us up to the proper place of where we need to be when it is His desire to do it. God only calls us to be faithful and obedient. He is the One who gives success.

Prayer: O Father I pray today that You will grant me success in the right way, that I may not just think of myself, but to cause others to succeed as it glorifies You. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.

2010-04-15T06:17:00.001-07:00

15 April 2010 Devotion for Today "Til Death Do Us Part" Genesis 23:1-14

Thursday, April 15, 2010

6:37 AM

1 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.

3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. [a] He said, 4 "I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead."

5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 "Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead."

7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He said to them, "If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you."

10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 11 "No, my lord," he said. "Listen to me; I give [b] you the field, and I give [c] you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead."

12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, "Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there."

14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 "Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels [e] of silver, but what is that between me and you? Bury your dead."

Recently, the distinguished Latin-American actor Ricardo Montalban died. Many in my generation remember him for starring the lead role as Mr. Rourke in the TV program "Fantasy Island." His personal life was uncharacteristic of most people in Hollywood. He was devoted to his wife, Georgiana Young, and married to her for over sixty years. He once said that the true mark of a man is to be able to keep one woman interested in him for a lifetime. This he did until Georgiana died two years before he did.

Truly the concluding words of some of our wedding vows are these words, "Til Death Do Us Part" meant something to them. I say for some, because it is no longer assumed that this is the case as it used to be. Recently I presided over the funeral service of a dear lady who was married to her husband for over sixty years. I read in the newspaper of an elderly couple, both past ninety, who have been married for seventy-five years. Sadly, our present generation will not be hearing or reading of these marital milestones for much longer. Instead the milestones will read of how many times people have been married, rather than for how long. Sadly, for more and more married couples, their vows may read "til death do us part," but they no longer mean them.

Thankfully this was not the case for Abraham and Sarah. In this chapter we read of the passing of Sarah, Abraham's good and godly wife for nearly one hundred years. At the end of her days, Abraham finds a place of burial for her among the Hittite people among whom he dwelled. From what we read here, it is obvious that Abraham and Sarah were well known and loved by them. Abraham goes to the leader of the Hittites, Ephron, to ask if he may purchase a cave for his wife's tomb. Ephron not only agrees, but desires to give this tomb as a gift. Abraham is grateful but will not accept it as a gift; instead he wants to pay the full price for the tomb as a fitting tribute to his late wife. Ephron accepts Abraham's gesture, and it becomes the official burial plot for Abraham's family. After this, Abraham mourns for his late wife and then goes to focus on his son Isaac to find him a wife like the one he had known.

Abraham and Sarah's marriage was a long and vivid testimony to their relationship with God. Their's was not a perfect union, for no marriage ever is. There were mistakes that were made, and difficulties at times between them. But their blessings were ever greater so long as they kept God at the center of their relationship. It can be this way for us as well. If you are married, may God give you that kind of relationship that honors the vow, "Til Death Do Us Part."

Have a blessed day!

14 April 2010 Devotion for Today "A Faith That Can Be Trusted" Genesis 22:9-19

2010-04-14T08:38:00.001-07:00

9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"

"Here I am," he replied.

12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram [a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring [b] all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba. (Genesis 22:9-19)

The story is told about a man on the operating table who was very uncomfortable about his imminent surgery. Although anesthesia was to be applied, the doctor said, "It seems you are very uncomfortable about this surgery.Yes, the man replied, it is my first surgery. I understand, the doctor said, "this is my first surgery, too!"

Who would want to go to a novice surgeon? While it is true that every surgeon has to start with his first surgery, not everyone wants to be the one operated on by him. We want to go to a surgeon who has passed the test and partake of medicines that have been approved, and hopefully to one who has years of flawless procedures and surgeries under his belt.

Spiritually, our faith works in much the same way. Yesterday I spoke about exams that one cannot study for, and although I would rather be exempt from tests, a faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted. In this powerful passage, Abraham shows us how far will he can go with his relationship with God until i it ceases being a relationship of convenience to becoming a relationship of commitment. Abraham has not always obeyed God perfectly throughout his long life, but he is coming to the place where he is beginning to understand that obedience is what God requires if his relationship with God is ever going to grow beyond what it had always been.

An interesting side note here is this: In Genesis 21, we read that Abraham was asked to send away his son Ishmael. Galatians 4 tells us that Ishmael represented the world and the works of the flesh. � ust as the flesh was mocking the Spirit then, so it is today. We will never give God our Isaacs until we have sent away our Ishmaels.

We agree that God has the right to ask us to give up the bad, but we never expect him to require of us the good. It is a test between two loves. Abraham loved Isaac and God. But this test was to demonstrate whom Abraham loved more. The same question is asked on our exam today. God asks us, "Who (or what) do you love the most? God may never ask us to do what He asked Abraham to do, but consider these questions God could ask You today:

Do you love the material possessions, the security, the money that I have provided for you, or do you love Me more?

Would you be willing to part with all that to be in My perfect will?

Would you be willing to depend upon Me by faith even if it meant risking everything you have worked for your whole life?

Abraham was fully committed to surrendering everything up to God, including the promised son Isaac. He was actually in the process of coming down hard on the boy's chest with a knife when God grabbed his hand and would not allow it to come down. When we go to the very brink with God, He will go to the very brink with us and will give us much more than we were even willing to sacrifice.

Many avoid these situations in their relationship with God and then wonder why they feel discouraged or disillusioned. It is because they were not willing to put their faith to the test. Once again, a faith that is not willing to be tested is a faith that is not to be trusted. Are you willing to put your faith to the test today?

Prayer: Dear God I admit up to now I have lived with a very shallow faith of convenience. It looks good and puts on a nice show, but inside it is as hallow as a rotten log. Father I have many decisions and paths confronting me, and in order to survive them, I need a stronger faith than I have right now. Lord I submit my all to You, so that I may be after this testing a stronger, more secure vessel of honor. By Your grace let me submit to Your test today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

2010-04-13T08:32:00.001-07:00

13 April 2010 Devotion for Today "A Test You Cannot Study For" Genesis 22: 1-8

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

11:31 AM

^{1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"}

"Here I am," he replied.

2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"

"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.

"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. (Genesis 22:1-8)

On more than at least one occasion in my scholastic career, I have shown up at class and been unprepared for a test. Sometimes it was done at the whim of a professor- one of those "pop" quizzes. At other times (more like) it happened because I wasn't paying attention to the date and therefore did not study properly. Experiences such as these seldom went well for me. Panic would course through my veins. I recall one time I sat the whole hour starring at a blank piece of paper unable to put down anything of coherence. At that point I resorted to prayer, but not even prayer helped in a time like this except to help me keep my composure.

We are tested like this most all of the time. The exam is given in the great classroom of life. It is a test for which none of us can study. We either know the material or we do not- or at least we already know how we will answer. Abraham encountered such a test in Genesis 22. It appears on the surface a somewhat sadistic exam given by God. Why would God demand and take from Abraham the very thing He had promises him only a few years before? God demanded that Abraham go to Mount Moriah and sacrifice his precious son! How unthinkable!

Yet Abraham does not get flushed nor does he panic. Calmly and confidently he packs the donkey for the trip, takes the wood, his knife, the fire, and then finally, his son Isaac. Together they go until the donkey can go no further. Alone the two of them continue up the mountain where Abraham will construct a makeshift altar. Even young Isaac is aware that his father is unprepared for the test by asking, "But where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham answers, "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."

Such tests will either bring out the worst or the best from our character. In Abraham's case, he was confident in the fact that no matter what the outcome, God will provide. If it meant that he was to slay his son, then in some other way God was responsible for fulfilling the promise despite how much Abraham knew this would hurt. Abraham trusted God enough that if He were willing, God would provide the needed sacrificial lamb or animal atop the mountain. Abraham had followed God by faith many times, and God had never let him down yet. Abraham knew this, and calmly ascended the mountain.

God has made me aware today that He is giving me an exam. On it is only one question- "Do You Trust Me?" But it is not enough just to answer yes or no. In the space beneath the question God calls upon us to prove it. How will you respond to today's exam?

Prayer: "Dear God Your exam has but one question, but it takes different forms. I ask God that You give me Your grace to complete this test and pass with flying colors. I do trust You God, help me to be as confident of my proof as I am in my answer. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Have a blessed day!

12 April 2010 Devotion for Today “The Joy-Sucker” Philippians 4:2-3

2010-04-12T04:32:00.001-07:00

12 April 2010 Devotion for Today "The Joy-Sucker" Philippians 4:2-3

The official Handbook of the United States Peace Corps tells us what a Peace Corp volunteer has to do if he is attacked by an anaconda snake. The anaconda is the largest snake in the world. You might think it was the boa constrictor. The anaconda is in the family with the boa constrictor, but it is larger than that. The anaconda snake grows to be 35 feet long and can weigh about 400 pounds. For the volunteers that are assigned to the Amazon Jungle, there is a section in the Peace Corp Handbook on what to do if you are attacked by an anaconda snake. There are 10 steps here that you are supposed to follow: 1. If you are attacked by an anaconda, do not run. The snake is faster than you are. 2. Lie flat on the ground. Put your arms tight against your sides, your legs tight together. 3. Tuck in your chin. 4. The snake will come and begin to nudge and begin to climb over your body. 5. Do not panic. 6. After the snake has examined you, it will begin to swallow you from the feet in, always from the feet in. Permit the snake to swallow your feet and ankles. Do not panic. 7. The snake will now begin to suck your legs into its body. You must lie perfectly still. This will take a long time. 8. When the snake reaches your knees, slowly and with as little movement as possible, reach down and take out your knife and very gently slide it between the edge of the snakes mouth and your leg. Then suddenly rip upwards severing the snake's head. 9. Be sure to have your knife with you. 10. Be sure your knife is sharp!

To be sure, it is not likely that you will be attacked by an anaconda snake- at least not in Weeksville, NC. But there are other things that can suck you down and swallow you up just the same. For some it is a job that just gets under the skin. A neighbor that won't respect your privacy. A bully who is threatening you. Maybe it's traffic at rush hour. Maybe its walking into a building early in the morning and find water pouring from the ceiling like Niagra Falls. We can't ignore the problems: each problem needs to be confronted. But if we are not careful, those things can suck the joy-if not the life-right out of you. That is way we have to keep ourselves sharp in the joy of the Lord.

As Paul writes to the church in Philippi, he lauds them for many things. But in chapter four we find that the church there was far from perfect. In fact there arose a situation which threatened to suck the joy and the life out of that church: " I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

Paul confronted a "joy sucker" in Philippi. Evidently two of the ladies couldn't get along in the church. Paul pleaded for unity and cooperation, but he went further -- he gave them a formula for joy that works! We will be looking at this formula this week.

We live in an age of edgy, worried, peace-less people. We exist in a pressure cooker of racial tensions, family crises, financial and generational stress. The "feel-good" approach doesn't work. Drugs and simple optimism wear off too quickly. The "don't feel at all" approach is worse. You can only ignore a problem until it sucks us down. Then it may be too late to do something! That's like having an early lead in a football game, and playing defensively for the rest of the time. You're on the field, but you're not really playing -- just holding out till time ends. You are not really enjoying the game- just marking time. That is what we find so much in those who are in the game of life. There is no enjoyment, because there is no joy. Yet it is the joy that makes playing the game worthwhile.

Don't let the joy suckers pull you down today. Lift up your eyes to the Lord and receive the fullness of His joy. Have a blessed day.

2010-04-01T08:51:00.001-07:00

01 April 2010 Devotion for Today "April Fool" Psalm 14:1-3

Thursday, April 01, 2010

11:39 AM

The fool has said in his heart,

"There is no God."

They are corrupt,

They have done abominable works,

There is none who does good.

2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men,

To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

3 They have all turned aside,

They have together become corrupt;

There is none who does good,

No, not one. (Psalms 14:1-3)

I heard the story of an atheist who felt discriminated against because of the fact that he had no religion, but those of various religious persuasions God special holidays recognized by the government. Christians had Christmas and Easter, Jews had Yom Kippur and Passover, and Muslims had Ramadan. So the atheist decided to sue in federal court, demanding that there be a special holiday set aside for atheists.

A judge finally agreed to hear the case and after some deliberation he found for the atheist case. He further stated: "Inasmuch as the atheist has good cause for the case of discrimination, I find in favor of his argument with the condition that I select the date upon which the special atheist holiday shall henceforth commence. I further declare that from now on, April 1 shall be the prescribed holiday."

The atheist objected, "Your Honor, April 1 is considered "April Fools Day!"

The judge replied, "That is why I chose it, for Psalm 14:1 states, "The fool has said in his heart there is no God! Case closed!"

So much for political correctness!

Have a blessed day!

2010-04-01T08:36:00.001-07:00

30 March 2010 Devotion for Today "The Benefit of the Doubt" Genesis 21:22-32

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

9:52 AM

Have you ever given the "benefit of the doubt" to someone in good faith? This is what God desires of us in how we treat others. Its easy to imagine that someone seeks to take advantage of us or to plot our destruction. The imagination is indeed the devil's playground. It can cause us to become paranoid after a while. Sooner or later we have to learn to trust, to some degree, those who live around us. If we don't, we will likely drive ourselves crazy.

Living in good faith is a demonstration of love. When we trust people, we show that we love them. I don't think we can love someone without trusting them. The two go hand in hand.

We see this with Abraham's covenant with King Abimelech in Genesis 21. In the earlier chapter, Abraham's fears for his safety and lack of trust in the man caused him to lie and pass his wife off as his sister. This nearly caused disaster for the king and all his people. He was instructed by God to trust Abraham and allow him to pray for him. Isn't it refreshing to see this pagan acting more noble and godly than Abraham had been? Abraham had suffered some grievance in this chapter with respect to his wells. Abimelech's men had stolen a well and shown some sort of violence. Abimelech, however, was not aware of this. It seems that these two rivals were also equal in terms of their prosperity, and competing for the same land. Not desiring a war to start, Abraham was instructed by God to make a covenant with Abimelech- a treaty that neither would violate each other's property. In good faith, Abraham gave the benefit of the doubt to Abimelech by paying for his own well by giving the king what the well was worth, even though he himself had dug it. Abimelech had not way to prove whether it was truly his or not. But in good faith, each accepted the other's gestures and they became friends and allies.

The Scriptures tell us that if possible, we should live at peace with all men. It may not always be possible, but as much as it depends upon us we are instructed to do what is right even if the other party is not inclined to be so- even at the risk of being defrauded. We know that we can trust God for the outcome, because does not all property and even our own lives belong to God? But our trust in our fellow man demonstrates our trust in God as well, knowing that God can be depended upon to do what is right every time.

May God help you today to give someone the benefit of the doubt and help you stop worry about what that person may or may not do. Release the matter into God's hands and give a demonstration of that faith You have in Him as Abraham did.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I live in a wicked and violent world, and in a world that seeks to claim some advantage over me. But Lord nothing can come to me except what You allow according to Your Sovereign Will. Father help me to live in that trust by trusting others as I trust You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Have a blessed day.

29 March 2010 Devotion for Today "The Gift if Laughter" Genesis 21: 1-7

2010-03-29T09:03:00.001-07:00

^{1 Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac [a] to the son Sarah bore him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.}

6 Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." 7 And she added, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age." (Genesis 21:1-7)

The story is told of a preacher who went to his church office on Monday morning and discovered a dead mule in the churchyard. He called the police.

Since there did not appear to be any foul play, the police referred the preacher to the health department.

They said since there was no health threat that he should call the sanitation department.

The sanitation manager said he could not pick up the mule without authorization from the mayor.

Now the preacher knew the mayor and was not to eager to call him. The mayor had a bad temper and was generally hard to deal with, but the preacher called him anyway. The mayor did not disappoint. He immediately began to rant and rave at the pastor and finally said, "Why did you call me anyway? Isn't it your job to bury the dead?"

The preacher paused for a brief prayer and asked the Lord to direct his response.

He was led to say, "Yes, Mayor, it is my job to bury the dead, but I always like to notify the next of kin first!"

They say that God has a sense of humor. Indeed He does. Next to salvation, laughter is one of God's greatest gifts. The sinfulness and darkness of humanity would be too much to bear if God did not give us laughter to endure it. With laughter, God overrides the predictable and overcomes the routine-ness of our lives. When man thinks he has control of the world and his destiny, God often responds by demonstrating His power through laughter, such as in the case of Abraham and Sarah. When Sarah first learned that she was to become a mother, she laughed at the idea. She thought her laughter was in secret- although the heavenly visitors whom Abraham entertained knew about it. She may have been thinking, "What a cruel joke to play on an old woman! To give me a baby at my age?" But it was no joke. God indeed blessed Abraham and Sarah with a child of their own whom they appropriately named Isaac. This was a hope thought to be long since dead, yet once it was revived brought joy to this couple from the very depths of their souls. This was holy laughter indeed.

God's laughter is not unlike man's laughter except that it is pure. What we choose to laugh at may reveal what our spirit looks like. God's laughter is not slapstick, ridiculous, or silly- it is always appropriate and powerful, and focuses on His plans and His purposes. It is not risqué, dark, or filthy- as man's laughter tends to be. Again it is pure. It is the kind of laughter which brings tears to our eyes- not tears of sadness, but tears of joy. God brings laughter to help us not to take ourselves so seriously, but to realize that in our relationship with Him there is no one who can have a better time on this earth than a Christ-follower who has been given a good and godly dose of God's laughter. I find that the best way to sell a hard saying or approach a difficult subject is to look at the lighter side; for people listen far more with laughter than they will with their ears.

Today is Monday. Are you facing a long week ahead with little to ease the tension which you feel right now? Try a little laughter. Begin with a chuckle and work your way up to a big belly-laugh. As you do you can feel God's joy within you coming to the surface with love. Christ is always the way to joy as He said, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." (John 15:11)

Prayer: Dear God, I admit that sometimes I take myself too seriously to often see what You desire to do in my life. You have created me to enjoy the life You have given me by opening my eyes to happiness. Make my joy full today. In Christ name I pray, Amen.

Have a blessed day!

2010-03-24T08:37:00.001-07:00

24 March 2010 Devotion for Today "A Pattern Forming?" Genesis 20:1-7

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

7:48 AM

^{1 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. 2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.}

^{3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, "Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife."}

^{4 But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, "Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? 5 Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she, even she herself said, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this."}

^{6 And God said to him in a dream, "Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now therefore, restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours." Genesis 20:1-7}

If you have been following this devotion series on Genesis you probably thought as you read this devotional passage that it seems familiar. Perhaps you are thinking, "Did I not just read this before?" Indeed you read of a similar circumstance in the latter half of Genesis 12, where Abraham went to Egypt and while he was there, he feared for his life because of the beauty of his wife, and lied about his relationship with Sarah, calling her his sister. Pharaoh inducted Sarah into his harem but before he could consummate the relationship, bad things began to happen to Pharaoh. When Pharaoh discovered that Abraham passed Sarah off under false pretenses, he ordered the pair to leave his kingdom. There seems to be a pattern forming here, doesn't there? Some liberal commentators have noted that the repeated story is a literary device used somehow to insert the beginning of another story of Abraham. I would rather say that Abraham fell back upon his character weakness in order to impress the king of Gerar . Abraham was now in new territory where he had few connections, and wanted to stabilize his business interests there. Not one thought is given to God or His expectations of Abraham as he closes this deal. Though the Scriptures do not say, Abraham uses his wife as a pledge to assure the king of repayment of his debt. Why doesn't Abraham tell Abimelech that Sarah was his wife? Possibly because the king would never have accepted her under those pretenses.

However , the circumstances were half true. Sarah was Abrahams half-sister. Still, Abraham lies in order to deceive the king. Not only this, but the king says that Sarah also lied about the relationship. God appeared to Abimelech in a dream one night warning him that he would certainly die if he followed through with Sarah. It is interesting how this noble king seemed so much godlier and noble than Abraham did. However, Abraham did prosper from the arrangement, possibly receiving much more from the king than he would have ever expected.

There are times when I am very naïve and will often take people at face value. I have little reason to doubt them, because I do not expect that they will do me harm. To manipulate anyone as Abraham manipulated this king is the furthest thing from my mind. But as I learn discernment, I will often note what people are saying to me. If they are "not playing straight" with me, many times a pattern of themes, circumstances, or complicated situations arise in the conversations I have with them. Many times I will call them "sob stories." Sob stories are dramatic situations in a person's life which they declare are beyond their control. The purpose of these stories is, of course, to evoke sympathy from the listener. It is designed to compel or manipulate the listener to respond by offering the sob-story teller a favor: usually (and in my case, most often) a gift of money. Following this, I don't hear much from the teller of sob-stories until the next crisis arises and the pattern begins again. The sob-story teller profits most when the one to whom he tells the tale has a faulty memory.

I would have expected Abimelech to have had more sense than to be taken in by Abraham. After all, Abimelech was a king and kings often talk although it is doubtful Abimelech would have had contact from with Pharaoh. But when I hear a pattern, an alarm goes off in my head. A red flag goes up telling me to proceed cautiously- a pattern is developing here. The best thing to do in a situation like this is run before we get taken in any further.

Do you have people in your life who circulate similar patterns? Be friendly, but by all means use good discernment and discernment. If you are incapable of doing this, take along your spouse or a trusted friend. When the sad-tale bearer realizes you are playing it safe or holding back, you will note how quickly he or she will back away from the relationship looking for more positive or lucrative pickings.

Prayer: Dear God, please help me to be more focused on You to the point that I do not need to earn the favor of those who desire to use me for their own purposes. Help me to use good judgment in dealing with all people. Help me to do so with Christ-mindedness and love. And when I see a pattern development, help me to deal with it graciously but firmly. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.

Have a blessed day!

18 March 2010 Devotion for Today "Compromise" Genesis 19:1-11

2010-03-22T07:03:00.001-07:00

Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. 2 And he said, "Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way."

And they said, "No, but we will spend the night in the open square."

^{3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.}

^{4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally."}

^{6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, "Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8 See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof."}

^{9 And they said, "Stand back!" Then they said, "This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them." So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. 10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.}

(Genesis 19:1-11)

Meanwhile, back in Sodom, Lot is about to discover that his life is about to change forever because of his infatuation with worldliness and popularity. Indeed it is catching up with him very quickly. It is interesting that as the heavenly travelers approach Sodom, they find that Lot is not only an occupant, but a political and commercial leader of the city. The city gates were the places where the prominent city "fathers" hung out to discuss matters of their community. It was kind of a city council and a chamber of commerce all rolled into one. It was also where judicial matters were decided. It is interesting how Lot became so prominent so quickly. Lot was the first to recognize these heavenly visitors and acknowledged them by his offer to provide them hospitality, but they refused his offer at first. This shows us that while Lot was living in compromise in a very sinful city, he had not forgotten his godly heritage. In fact, his conscience probably cried out against him at this point. Lot also knew that groups of marauding and raping homosexuals roamed the streets at night, and he certainly did not want these visitors to experience such an encounter. Apparently this lifestyle was so open and widespread that there were men of all ages practicing this "alternative lifestyle." These people not only wished to practice this openly and without prejudice, but sought to impose their brutal and obscene preference upon Lot and the visitors in his home. When Lot made the suggestion of offering his daughters to them, they bitterly denounced Lot as a "homophobe" and threatened Lot with the same fate.

It is easy to see that Lot was caught up into this darkness just as we are in this day. Compromise is the thing that brings such a situation to pass. Had Lot's own life had been the testimony it should have been, (though doubtful Lot would be living there), Lot's lifestyle, instead of the other, would have been what the men there would have admired and modeled. Even though Lot was a leader in the city, he feared to speak out about the sin going on around him because he knew he possessed little if any moral authority in his own life to challenge it. He decried the vicious gang that confronted him, yet thought nothing of offering his innocent daughters- who were already married- to them. This crisis of compromise exposed Lot for the man that he was.

Compromise is good so long as it helps people to work together toward a common goal, or when it brings greater light or understanding on a given situation. But we should never allow compromise to detract or distract us from our faith and from our Christian principles. One thing I have observed about this subject is that we can only sit on the fence so long before we will wear a hole in the seat of our pants. Those who are pushed into a corner will eventually be forced to chose where they will stand. Straddling the line is the most dangerous place to be because no one will be able to trust you. Better to be labeled on one side or the other than to have both sides shooting at you!

Prayer: Dear God, I've observed a lot about compromise, especially this weekend. I saw people claim to give away parts of themselves and what they believe in just to get what they want, and I am distrustful of that. Father I know that not everyone may not agree with me, but help me so live my life that while they may not agree with me, at least they can respect me but also the faith that I have in You. In Christ's name, Amen.

Have a blessed day!

16 March 2010 Devotion for Today "Yielded in Prayer" Genesis 18:16-25

2010-03-16T07:57:00.001-07:00

16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."

22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

(Genesis 18:16-25)

Driving down a country road, I came to a very narrow bridge. In front of the bridge, a sign was posted: "YIELD." Seeing no oncoming cars, I continued across the bridge and to my destination. On my way back, I came to the same one-lane bridge, now from the other direction. To my surprise, I saw another YIELD sign posted. Curious, I thought, "I'm sure there was one posted on the other side." When I reached the other side of the bridge I looked back. Sure enough, yield signs had been placed at both ends of the bridge. Drivers from both directions were requested to give right of way. It was a reasonable and gracious way of preventing a head-on collision (Stephen Beck).

Yielding to God is one of the reasons why we pray. When we pray we usually ask God for things that we cannot do for ourselves, but it is not as though God doesn't know the answer or equipped to do what He wills to do. He desires instead that we come to Him with a yielded mind and a yielded heart. Abraham was having such an experience of yielding to God in this passage today.

Out of hospitality Abraham makes some special travelers a nice dinner and invites them to stay for some time. He was just being a good host. It seems like later in the conversation he realizes that who he is talking with is more than just a group of men. The LORD lets himself be known when he tells of the child Abraham and Sarah are about to have. Abraham now realizes that this is more than a mere man. In v. 3 when Abraham initially addresses the men he says lord with a small "l" (like the way we would say "Sir."). However, Later his address indicates the realization he is speaking to God.

It seems that in many places in the Old Testament, men like Abraham speak to God when God appears to them. I find in my own life there are a lot of times when I am just going through the motions of praying. I have not really gotten to the point of speaking to God. It is more of an exercise than a personal experience. When we see Abraham speaking to God it is a personal experience. He is speaking to a living breathing being. It was personal.

It becomes especially personal when these travelers share with Abraham that God is about to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Even though these cities are terribly wicked cities, Abraham is driven to the point of desperation because he knows that his nephew Lot and his family are living there. So Abraham prays in such a yielded way, and pleads for the lives of these cities. He asks God if God would not destroy them for the sake of fifty, and each time he hears an answer and yet prays again- "will you not destroy them for the sake of forty-five, twenty-five, how about ten, God?" Each time Abraham prays because he knows that the members of Lot's family, including his wife, daughters, and their husbands do not even equal that number. But each time Abraham prays, it is personal. He speaks to God on a personal level.

Praying personally with God and speaking to Him on this level is one of the things which makes and keeps prayer real. We might also expect God to speak to us on the same level. All of our prayers ought to be personal and yielded to God; even when we are praying for vast numbers of people- like those victims in the recent Haiti earthquake whom we do not know- when we cry out to God for them, we make it personal. God already knows them, but He wants us to enter into their anguish and heartache at the same time. This will cause us not to go through the motions, but to offer to God prayers that are personal and yielded to Him for the answers we know God is capable of giving. For example, when we hear of events like what happened in Haiti and we pray for the victims, they often feel like statistics. But when we know of someone involved in it, living there or helping with the relief, then it becomes personal. However, it can always be personal to us, because God is there and we know Him.

When you pray today, yield yourself to God. Pour out your heart to Him. He does not desire a formal, stained glass-window prayer designed more for others to hear than for God. God wants a personal prayer from our heart that acts as though there is a personal stake in the outcome. Will you be willing to do that?

Prayer: Dear God, I yield myself to You today and offer my prayers personally to You, because You are a God who cares much more than we do about the outcome of every situation. Father help us to realize how important our prayers are not just to You, but to ourselves. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen!

Have a blessed day!

15 March 2010 Devotion for Today "Don't Laugh!" Genesis 18:1-15

2010-03-15T09:17:00.001-07:00

^{1 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre,[a] as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3 and said, "My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. 4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant."}

They said, "Do as you have said."

^{6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes." 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. 8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.}

^{9 Then they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?"}

So he said, "Here, in the tent."

^{10 And He said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son."}

(Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.[b] 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"

^{13 And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."}

^{15 But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid.}

And He said, "No, but you did laugh!"

(Genesis 18:1-15)

Have you ever been sitting a formal occasion, such as in church or in another place where you are supposed to be listening attentively, if not politely, when something strikes you funny and it causes you to laugh. I must be warped or something, but it happens to me many times: and I am the preacher! Here I am, sitting up in front of the entire congregation, supposedly sitting there reverently, spiritually, trying to lead by example that I'm worshipful and focused on God and I want to break out laughing or snickering. Usually the actions of a small child will cause this, or the sour expressions of a church member who doesn't know I am looking at them, or watching a certain member falling asleep as their mouth falls open and a stream of drool leaks over their lips and down onto the floor. After witnessing things such as this for about an hour, it is all that I can do to regain my composure. Only thank the Lord for the singing, that helps me to diffuse the giggling and keeps my mind focused on the Lord until the next time something happens. Sometimes a funny memory will get me laughing. This happened to me yesterday at church when I allowed my mind to wander back to the previous evening when we went to the grocery store to pick up a few items for dinner the next day. As my wife and I were picking up a gallon jug of milk, I heard a tremendous commotion in the direction of the cereal aisle. I watched as some stock boys scrambled to the scene and a few bystanders gawked. As we made our way to the scene, we found our teenage daughter getting up from the floor, cereal boxes laying scattered all around her. Thankfully she was laughing. But a stock clerk had walked through the aisle with a large broom as he carried it on his shoulder. The broom head hit the cereal display perched precariously high above the shelf, dislodging the entire display- causing about two dozen or more boxes to come crashing down on Jinger as she was walking by. The sight of her picking herself off the floor with all those boxes of cereal sitting around caused me to want to laugh almost uncontrollably as I sang with the choir during the special music. I hope that no one noticed.

In the scene we read about in the Scripture lesson today, Sarai snickered, yea laughed, as she heard the heavenly visitors telling Abraham that he would soon be a father, and that his wife would bear a child in her old age. The thought nearly caused Sarai to laugh uncontrollably, to think she would be giving birth well past her child-bearing years. We would not think this too difficult to do today; unusual, yes, but impossible? Never. Thanks to modern medicine, we have seen women in the sixties have children at a time when they should be having grandchildren or great-grandchildren. But as the heavenly visitor said, "is anything too hard for God?"

A few moments later, after Sarai pulled herself together and began serving Abraham's company, she was reprimanded for her laughing spell. Embarrassed, Sarai denied laughing in front of these men, but they let her know that they knew even when Sarai was sure she was hiding in a place where no one could possibly have seen or heard her giggling in the tent. This revelation was given not just to reprimand Sarai, but to help her know that they were not ordinary visitors and that the promise that they gave was true and serious. She would have a child, and the child would be the beginning of the fulfillment of God's blessings.

You may be laughing, but remember God has the last laugh. God is serious in His promises and will prove to you that He is right and undeniable. Kneel down and thank Him. Even in your most incredulous moment, God always breaks in to show us how powerful and mighty He is. Is anything too hard for God? Never.

Prayer: Dear Lord as I begin another week I thank you for the gift of laughter. But I also thank you for showing me that there is nothing too difficult for You. I pray my sense of humor will always keep me from taking myself too seriously, but never to the point where I no longer take God seriously. In Christ's name, Amen.

Have a blessed day!

10 March 2010 Devotion for Today "A New Name " Genesis 17:1-9

2010-03-10T04:37:00.001-08:00

^{1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. 2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly." 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."}

^{9 And God said to Abraham: "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. (Genesis 17:1-9)}

Most people in western culture do not change their names to fit their character. Usually they may change their name to fit their status. For example, my wife changed her last name-her maiden name-Hathaway, to fit her new married status as my wife and took my name. There was nothing wrong with her maiden name- in fact it was a very good name. Rock stars and celebrities often change their names, but not to match their character, but to make their celebrity status more marketable, catchy, or to sound strange in order to stand out. For example, singer Engelbert Humperdinck was born as Arnold Dorsey in India. But he adopted the name of an obscure German composer and was propelled to stardom. Sometimes criminals will change their name, usually as an alias or a.k.a. in order to evade police investigations.

Why would someone give up the only name they had known for 99 years and go with another one? Its because God gave him a new name- one that would signify a new era and a new covenant with God and His people. To the Hebrews, the meanings of personal names were significant. They were often descriptive of a person's character, or what their parents hoped that it would be. Abram's name changed from "Exalted Father" to "Father of Many Nations." Abraham would one day realize that promise from God as he saw his children being born even in advanced age.

Has God given you a new name? Your name may be the same, but if you are born again in Christ, you have a new life and a new purpose. It might be fun to pick out a new "spiritual name" to go along with your new character in Christ. It may not be one you would necessarily ask to be known as to people in public, but between you and the Lord to identify the new personality you are now as opposed to who you used to be. This may sound strange, but it may help you to identify who you are now in Christ.

Prayer: Dear God, no matter what name I am called by here on earth, I am thankful for the new life that You have given to me. Help me, by Your grace, to live up to the Holy Name by which I am known, through my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Have a blessed day!

2010-03-08T08:53:00.001-08:00

08 March 2010 Devotion for Today "It's All Your Fault" Genesis 16:1-16

Monday, March 08, 2010

10:11 AM

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her." And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. 3 Then Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. 4 So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.

^{5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The LORD judge between you and me."}

^{6 So Abram said to Sarai, "Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please." And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.}

^{7 Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And He said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?"}

She said, "I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai."

^{9 The Angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand." 10 Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, "I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude." 11 And the Angel of the LORD said to her:}

" Behold, you are with child,

And you shall bear a son.

You shall call his name Ishmael,

Because the LORD has heard your affliction.

12 He shall be a wild man;

His hand shall be against every man,

And every man's hand against him.

And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."

^{13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?" 14 Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi;[a] observe, it is between Kadesh and Bered.}

^{15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.}

Comedian Anna Russell once wrote:

I went to my psychiatrist to be psychoanalyzed

To find out why I killed the cat and blacked my husband's eyes.

He laid me on a downy couch to see what he could find

And here's what he dredged up from my subconscious mind.

When I was one my mommy hid my dolly in a trunk

And so it follows naturally that I am always drunk.

And when I was two I saw my father kiss the maid one day

And that is why I suffer now from kleptomaniae.

At three I had the feeling of ambivalence toward my brothers

And so it follows naturally I poison all my lovers.

But I am happy now I've learned a lesson this has taught

That everything I do that's wrong is someone else's fault.

We see our society in these lines so much, especially when it comes to abdicating personal responsibility. We have gotten to the point that we honestly believe that "everything we do that's wrong is someone else's fault."

However, all we need to do is to read Genesis 16 to realize that this displacement of personal responsibility is not a modern symptom- it is as old as man himself. In fact, what played out in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were tempted is a case in point. Eve blamed the serpent for giving her the forbidden fruit. And Adam blamed God for the fact that He created Adam's wife who caused her to tempt him. In the present chapter, Sarai was overcome with anxiety for not yet having a child, so she insisted that her husband sleep with her servant Hagar- the Egyptian. We wonder first of al if Sarai had secured her services when they lived in Egypt. Egypt is a symbol of worldliness- a problem which Abram and Sarai battled since they were expelled from there. Abram did not seem to protest too much about the arrangement, but he did tell her that Hagar was Sarai's property- she could do what she wanted with her. Then Hagar got pregnant, and diminished her respect for her mistress. The situation precipitated an atmosphere of excessive competition between the two women that Sarai decided to turn Hagar into the wilderness.

At first, Sarai blamed God for not having any children. Then she blamed Abram for the fact that Hagar got pregnant- which is, after all, what she desired to happen in the first place. Abram was clearly in a no-win situation for having listened to his wife. However, Sarai does not own any of the responsibility for the result which was clearly neither in the will of God nor was it in anyone's best interest. Sarai's way of dealing with the consequences and the guilt she felt was to blame everyone else for the fact that her maid Hagar getting pregnant. She blamed Hagar and treated her spitefully. She blamed Abram for being so eager to listen to Sarai's idea. Sarai blamed God for the fact that she was childless.

The problem with finger-pointing and assigning blame is that it eventually produces a vicious backlash. From the offspring of Abram and Hagar was produced in Ishmael the greatest enemy the Hebrews, and then the Jews, would ever have. Ishmael grew to be the father of the Edomites and the Palestinian-Arab people. Our own backlash, when we refuse to own responsibility for our bad decisions, or our sins, is when the consequences come back to haunt us. Relationships are broken, trust is destroyed, and families and marriages are weakened. We still have the tendency to blame others. When a whole nation has that mentality, it produces governments such as our own that is so divided it cannot effectively cope with our problems or make any progress.

But when we take responsibility for our own problems, everyone is then free to work on their own problems. Our own pride is our own worst enemy, but we can be free to confront it as long as we trust God enough to know how best to help us deal with it. Resist the tendency this week all of us have to assign blame when things don't work out the way that they should. Instead of asking "What's wrong with these people?", ask "How did I allow this to happen?" Remember, when one finger points at another, there are three other fingers pointing back at you.

Prayer: "Dear God, I admit today that I am responsible for many bad decisions. When I see others make them, and when they affect me, I get angry. But that is only because I am angry mostly at myself. Help me to do what is right and to bring the most right to the situations in which I am involved this week. Help me also not to accept the blame for someone else's problem's, either, God. This is just as wrong as abdicating my own responsibility. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Have a blessed day.

2010-03-04T08:18:00.001-08:00

04 March 2010 Devotion for Today "Starry, Starry Night" Genesis 15:1-6

Thursday, March 04, 2010

10:23 AM

^{1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."}

^{2 But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!"}

^{4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." 5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."}

^{6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:1-6)}

I seldom read this passage without thinking of Don McClean's song "Vincent" that I remember listening to in junior high school. He sings of Vincent Van Gogh's impressionable capture of a starlit sky. Although his attempt is breathtaking and marvelous, the artist finds himself frustrated and incapable of capturing the night sky's brilliance totally on canvas as he gazes toward the heavens. Abram feels somewhat the same way as the Lord appears to him in a vision one night, telling him not to fear for God reveals to his servant the two things that Abram fears the most- a lack of security and a lack of posterity. You remember Abram's fear of insecurity caused him to compromise his integrity and lie about the true identity of his wife. Abram also feared that, though God had caused him to prosper greatly, the only one to whom he would leave his legacy of great wealth would be a servant and no one of his own flesh and blood. God calls Abram's attention to the dazzling brilliance of the night and relates a promise of a descendants as many as the infinite number of stars up in the sky. Even though Abram by this time was old, he refused to discount the promises or the God who made them. By faith Abram trusted God and because he did this, Abram receive another reward in the mix- the righteousness of God.

In other words, because Abram believed God, he trusted. And because Abram trusted, Abram was saved. By definition, salvation depends upon reaching out for help beyond oneself and accepting the help that is offered. Before one can be rescued from a capsizing ship on a storm-tossed sea, one must grab the hand of the rescue swimmer lowered from the winch of a Coast Guard helicopter. He will be pulled to safety even though all that he owns is swallowed up by the waves. If someone in that position could save himself, he would not require the services of the rescue team at all. The reward of having accepted the help is not only being able to live another day, but also valuing one's life in a way one has never seen before. Like a canvas full of gleaming diamonds, the gift of life takes on more brilliance than ever. One's prospects in this way become endless.

Do you see your life as having very little to look forward to, or to have another take from you what they did not earn or value? Looking inward does not hold for us very promising prospects, does it? It is not until we look to God by faith to we truly find hope and promise the way that Abram did. We will find our potential in Christ limited only by the infinite number of stars in the sky.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I lack the courage and the confidence to realize my potential until I see it in You. Thank you for the promise of such future prospects in spite of the way that things look right now. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Have a blessed day.

03 March 2010

2010-03-03T07:40:00.001-08:00

My Father, Who is in Heaven, Hallowed Be Your Name

Praise the LORD. [a]

Praise the name of the LORD;

praise him, you servants of the LORD,

2 you who minister in the house of the LORD,

in the courts of the house of our God.

3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;

sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.

Psalm 135 1-3

I praise You, Lord for this week You are so good to us.

Better than we have a right to expect.

You are great, because we have a great God who loves us

And cares for all of our needs.

Thank you, dear Father for all of Your wonderful deeds.

You make Yourself still known to us even in a world

That does not regard You at all.

Though the earthquakes rattle the islands and the coasts,

And floodwaters and high winds pour over the lands,

The blizzard and great storms prolong our winters,

Causing us to long for the spring;

Just other ways to remind us all that You are still there,

That if we do not regard You, to acknowledge You

You will humble us, and break us so that we will learn

Never to put ourselves first or to deny You.

Yet, You display Your awesome work in the hearts of those

Who show Your compassion and Your love.

I bless You today as we go out and attend to those

Who need to see that great love of Yours.

Magnify Your love within my heart.

Let them see less of me and more of You

In a world that desires more excuses than answers

And refuses to be honest with itself.

Draw their hearts back to You, dear God.

Let them see the true emptiness of their ways.

Let those who seek to silence You

And those who try to still our mouths be confounded.

Keep them from prospering in their blasphemies, O God;

Til every face falls prostrate by Your feet, dear Lord.

O vanquish us, our conquering King!

Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done, On Earth, as it is in Heaven

22 February 2010 Devotion for Today "Dealing With Differences" Genesis 13:1-18

2010-02-22T09:50:00.001-08:00

1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.

3 From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier 4 and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.

5 Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. 7 And quarreling arose between Abram's herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.

8 So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. 9 Is not the whole land befo

re you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."

10 Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD.

14 The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring [a] forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."

18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.

Have you been dealing with differences with others lately? Perhaps a conflict with a family member, a fellow employee, or a church member has left a hole in your heart. Perhaps you haven't experienced the conflict yet, but you see one looming on the horizon; threatening like a severe storm, you know it seeks to unleash havoc upon the relationships around you. You would like for there to be peace and good will, but the more you try to avoid the conflict, the more rapidly the conflict heats up. There are differences amongst you that you cannot deny or overlook. Sooner or later you will have to deal with a head-to-head. What will you do?

Abram gives us some insight as to how to deal with differences with others. From this passage, he was dealing with a close family member, Lot. The conflict may not have been between them personally, but it threatened to do so as the herdsmen of Lot and Abram began to fall into competitive rivalries which eroded into bitter disputes between them over the best pasture lands and watering holes from which they fed and watered their livestock. Ironically, this began to happen because God had blessed the herds of both owners. Yet what had been a blessing to Lot and Abram soon became the focus of a conflict that bubbled just below the surface of their relationship. What would they do?

Abram, the senior and perhaps most spiritual if not the wisest of the two took the initiative to speak to Lot and clear the air between them. He called a meeting between them to determine the future of their corporation. It is clear that Abram valued the relationship of Lot far more than any potential profits he might have reaped. So Abram proposed the breakup of their corporation, and allowed Lot to have the opportunity of the first choice between them. "Is not the whole land before you?" Abram asked, "If you go to the right I will go to the left," etc. Lot took Abram up on the offer, and made the first choice and chose what he perceived to be the best that was out in front of him. This was a risky venture, because Abram stood to lose a lot of money in the breakup. But God spoke to his heart and assured him this would not happen. Instead, Abram gained far more than he might have lost in the deal. Following this meeting, Abram went back to Mamre and built an altar of worship to the Lord confident that He would look after Abram's interests, he offered a sacrificial offering there.

Often for the sake of peace we try to forestall most conflicts, especially when we sense they might not be resolved peacefully. However, Abram knew that to delay a conflict is usually to make it worse until the issues are brought out upon the table. Wisely, Abram sought to diffuse the conflict and proposed that they part company before a bitter battle ensued. We must also be prepared to lose money or our pride as we offer the terms of peace- as Abram was. Still, Abram would have lost far more than money had he allowed the conflict to continue. It certainly would have cost Abram the relationship of Lot. The simmering conflict might have boiled over into bloodshed. No one wanted something like that to happen. God has called us to peace.

What threatens the harmony in your relationships today? Would you be the one that takes the high ground and defer to the other even though you know in your heart it is not fair? If you have, you have not only done the right thing, but you have also trusted God for the results and left the dealings in His control. Can you do this today?

Prayer: Dear God, I see conflict looming on the horizon. I don't want it to come, but there is nothing I can do about it. Help me to preserve the good will and love of the relationship within the storm as much as is possible for me to do so that I may continue to glorify You.

Have a blessed day!

2010-02-17T08:44:00.001-08:00

17 February 2010 Devotion for Today "In Memory of My Dad" Genesis 12:1-4

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

2:05 PM

1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

2 "I will make you into a great nation

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you."

4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. (Genesis 12:1-4)

This is a call to Travel with God.

God invites on a journey. One that will be long and difficult. This will be an uncomfortable journey. One that require everything Abram can must over the remainder of his life. But I'd like you to notice a few things.

Abram doesn't speak, at least not yet, in this story. He offers no ideas, no agendas, no plans, no solutions. God is the one doing the speaking and the direction. All Abram has to offer is his obedience and yielding of his plans over to God. Abram offers no excuses. Neither does Abram know the whole story or the road map of the entire journey, nor does he know the destination. Abram is called to follow. He is called, at age 75, (when most of us are in the full throes of our retirement years), to leave his homeland, his security, and everything he had grown up with and familiar and go to "who knows what?" Would we be as willing to do this? Yet Abram goes.

I have known a few like Abram in my lifetime. They are not the ones who are "set in their ways." As they grow older, they grow closer to the Lord. Every time you are around them you come away enriched, blessed, and with a full plate. They are always sensitive to the needs of the younger, willing to invest themselves into others and to divest themselves of selfishness. They always have you in mind.

Abram's call from God was one thing. But what about his wife? Wouldn't she have some say in this matter? Of course, that was a different day. But if Abram had lived today, his Sarai would be right by his side without him having or needing to ask anyway. She followed not so much because of Abram, but because of the God whom Abram trusted. She didn't need to be pushed, cajoled or demanded to do anything. Their nephew Lot also went with them- a young man so full of opportunity, but excited about the adventure.

I dedicate this devotion to my late father, Edwin M. Russell. He was a man like Abram in many ways. Like Abram he was a blessing to all of us. He was not afraid to take God by the hand and follow Him even if that meant giving up everything and starting over in a strange place. At age eighteen he joined the United States Navy at the beginning of his grand adventure. That was pretty much our lives anyway, at least when we followed dad around in his navy career. It wasn't much different after he entered the civilian world at age forty- there was always a new adventure, a new corner to be turned, a new lesson to be learned, a new challenge by faith to be shared. At age fifty, dad entered the adventure of illness and learning by faith what it meant to trust God when nearly all of his doctors had all but given up hope on him. At age sixty, when most men take up the golf clubs and the fishing poles, my dad did not retire, but instead embraced a new vision, by faith, of a business enterprise which would long provide for my mother and his family. He did not get to see age seventy, but like Abram, dad saw the promise fulfilled of everlasting life- a newer adventure still. When you live by faith you never get old. This new adventure Dad embarked five years ago today when he went home to be with the Lord. I look forward to being with him one day. But even then, he will be busy enjoying the new work that Christ has lined up for him there. I hope that I will be able to keep up with him then- I know I could scarcely do it when he was here on earth. Thanks, Dad, for showing us what it meant to live by faith, and to look to a vision greater than yourself, and for instilling that in me. I only hope I will live to be as faithful as you were to my mother, to my family and to my Lord.

Have a blessed day!