Devotionals for Women

 

 

 

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Directional Signals

Consider all the “directional signals” surrounding the birth of Jesus. The phenomena of angel who came to Mary, to Zechariah, to Joseph, to the Magi, and the host of angels who serenaded the shepherds. This phenomenal “happening”—the entering of our physical world by these divine Beings—demanded unusual attention to their guidance for the main characters of the story.

Then, we read of the astronomical sign of the unusual star—or merging of several planetary objects—that “led” the Magi to the vicinity of Jerusalem around the time of Jesus’ birth. This spectacle in the sky signaled to the Gentile world that God was entering earth in wonder and amazement.

But, what of divine direction for us in our ordinary lives in the 21st century? Rarely do we ever hear of such spectacular signs and directions. Does God still guide? How should we decipher His ways for us?

It seems to me that, for those to whom God appeared in miraculous events, He had already prepared by giving them humble and watchful hearts. They awaited His coming. They watched for signs. And, they prayed for their world. These ordinary men and women gladly obeyed the signs they believed to have come to them through the Holy Spirit, no matter the sacrifice and personal pain that their obedience would cause.

We not only have the Scriptures known to the people of that time, we also have the written Word given by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, as well. God still speaks to us through His written Word. He does not speak through magic, or some kind of spiritual voodoo. Yet, we can clearly perceive His direction in His written Word, as we follow and obey this Word day by day.

God also speaks to us through circumstances, sometimes obviously and, at other times, hidden from our consciousness. Sometimes God guides through the words or actions of dear fellow Christians. At still other times, God gives direction in unique ways through the actions and words of ungodly people—remember how the Magi learned from the words of King Herod.

We know that God still wishes to direct His people. As we stay close to Him in prayer and in faithfulness to His sacraments and holy worship, He continues to guide His searching people on their way through this difficult life. He wishes us to see His directional signals, to trust Him, even when we can’t see ahead. And, He delights to have us follow the admonition of Proverbs 3:5,6:

—Posted: Monday, December 30, 2019

 

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Suddenly Christmas

The familiar story of the shepherds on the night of our Savior’s birth never gets old. This band of societal outcasts, watching their smelly sheep on a hillside, reminds us that God came to earth for all people, no matter how rich or poor, no matter their social stratum, no matter… well, anything. The suddenness of the angel’s announcement and the suddenness of the vast host of angels must have totally blinded and stunned these humble men.

The people of that time may have known the prophecy recorded in Malachi 3:1:

Even so, they certainly didn’t expect Him to come in this manner and to these men. They had waited some 400 years since this prophecy was given to the people of Israel.

Recorded in Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus left a guide for his disciples pertaining to His second coming, telling them the manner of that coming, but admonishing them to stay vigilant. In Matthew 24:42, 44 Jesus told them:

Jesus instructs His followers in Matthew 25 by telling them the parable of “The Wise and Foolish Virgins,” that He, the Bridegroom will come. And, He will come to those alone who stand prepared for Him.

How do we prepare for such a coming? We allow the Holy Spirit to do His work of filling our lives with His light, His love, and by watching expectantly for Him.

In this context, I love the hymn, “Lo! He Comes, with Clouds Descending.” To us who wait for Him—if we remain alive on this earth at the time of His coming—we will see the glory of the Lord, and hear the heavenly choirs praising and singing, hallelujahs to our Everlasting God.

As you take in the music of this glorious hymn, allow the text on the screen to fill you with wonderful anticipation of the next advent of our King of Kings!

 

—Posted: Monday, December 23, 2019

 

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Stumbling

Even when we walk in places we know well, we can lose our way in the dark, stub our toe, or run into objects. Just ask anyone who has ever tried to escape a smoky blaze in their home or other building. Bottom line: we aren’t good at walking in the dark!

In Isaiah’s time, the whole culture lived in the land of darkness with the inability to find their way, or to make sense of life. When God sent Jesus, He sent a “Light” that would help His people—including us, as well—to find the way out of a life that Satan had shrouded with sin and death.

I love the Season of Advent. It is a time of darkness that reminds us of our lost-ness, of our need for a Lamp to guide us and to light up our sin so that God can remove that sin and bring us into His glorious light. I love the reminder that no matter how dark our lives may become—with troubles, sorrows, pain, or disappointment—Christ comes to offer us His healing light.

Psalm 91 tells us that the person who dwells in the shelter of the Most High rests in His shadow of protection. I like the way Psalm 91:11 (MSG) explains our tendency to stumble and God’s ability to protect us:

We have the tendency to stumble in the dark, trying to find our way into places we may have been, as well as into places we may have never been. If we try to walk in God’s way, He will give us the Light of His presence and command His angels to lift us high enough above our troubles to keep us from stubbing our toes.

During this Season of Advent, take comfort in your darkness today. Be assured that God knows the way that you take, and that He knows how to keep you from falling. Trust His hand and His guiding light. Amen!

—Posted: Monday, December 16, 2019

 

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A Beautiful Silence

Silence adorns the Season of Advent. While the world around us goes crazy with shopping and parties, God calls us to wait in quiet for Him.

In the northern climes, nature hides the earth in a blanket of white stillness. No birds call to us from the wooded glens. Even the sleeping animals and foliage wait in quiet. We, who recall the Nativity, wait in silence for the coming celebration of our newborn Savior.

To prepare for this coming—to prepare for the Holy Spirit’s coming at any time—or for the hearing of God’s word, we should prepare in silence and wait to recognize the coming of His awesome presence. We must practice silence and wait for Him.

Can you imagine the period of silence before God first spoke, when He said, “Let there be light!”? Or, the 400-year period of silence between the last prophecy of the Old Testament from Malachi until the angel spoke to Mary? In Heaven, at the opening of the seventh seal, a half hour of silence preceded the blowing of trumpets and the message of the seven angels. (Revelation 8:1-2)

We need to pause and refresh our poor brains in silence, separating ourselves from the cacophony of our materialistic world by spending time before our God and in His written Word. Many people can find this kind of re-set walking in the penetrating stillness of nature. Others experience a re-set in the ministry of quiet music. Still others gain a re-set by contemplating great works of art. God’s written Word speaks so much more powerfully when we have prepared ourselves for its work in silence.

This silent waiting for Christ, this Advent stillness, often results in giving us the most blessedness of the Season. We know from Genesis 3:8-9 that God waited for Adam and Eve in the quietness and beauty of the Garden. He waits for companionship with us, as well. The Babe came for this very reason—to restore fellowship between heaven and earth.

This Season of Advent, let’s purposefully appreciate the anticipation and joy of waiting for the Promised One to come to us with His gifts of joy, hope, light, power, and presence. He waits this Advent Season to bless us.

—Posted: Monday, December 9, 2019

 

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Half-Spent

In the Christmas Carol from as far back as the fourteenth century, the images of the rose with its tender stem, its fragrance, and the half-spent night, remind us of the largely unnoticed way in which Jesus, the Messiah, came into our world. The first and second stanzas of the carol “Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming” use this phrase: “When half-spent was the night.”

When we think about that phrase, it suggests that the night still goes on. We continue to have darkness in our world. Yet, in the last stanza of the carol we see that “this Flower dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere.”

This tender rose depicts our Savior, who has come to us as a beautiful baby and at a time in history that God chose while things were void of His light. Depending on our circumstances, we may face a time of darkness and seeming absence of light this Advent season. But, we must remember that we do indeed have a Savior. And, we must remember that He does come to us in the darkness of our lives. When we know Him—when we look for Him and seek Him—He has promised to come in His glorious presence to us.

The Baylor University Chamber Singers share this lovely carol:

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1 Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming. German Carol, Public Domain.

—Posted: Monday, December 2, 2019

 

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Sweet Ponderings

In this season of Thanksgiving, we need to curb our rush, even if for only a brief time, and consider the goodness of our Lord. Over and over in the Psalms, we see the admonition to give our praise and thanksgiving to God.

In Psalm 111:4 we read:

God intends for us to notice and meditate on the wonderful acts He does for us. He wants us to observe them and to purposefully review them. We can blow our minds, so to speak, by recounting the mercies and providences—as Christians in past centuries referred to them. Seventeenth century Presbyterian minister, John Flavel, wrote the following:¹

If you will allow me to do so, I would like to suggest the following exercise to help us understand how God has worked in our lives:

I sincerely believe that we will encounter so many mercies and graces that God has poured into our lives that we will have trouble putting down our pens. Next, we should review our lists during this week and arrive at Thanksgiving Day with joy and gratitude in our hearts—joy like we’ve never before experienced.

Through this exercise, I believe that we will come to understand that God has given His wonderful acts for us see and to remember!

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1 Flavel, John (author) and Richard Rushing, editor. Voices from the Past: Puritan Devotional Reading, Vol. 2 Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2016. p. 272.

—Posted: Monday, November 25, 2019

 

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Rest

Through the Prophet Isaiah, God gives us a picture of rest as He intends it. Our world does everything it can to prevent such rest, to rile us up, to give us fear instead of confidence, and to take away our faith in the God of Peace. Even though God allows troubles in our experience, He wants us to see Him and His powerful rest in the midst of these troubles. Rest does not come naturally. We learn it from Him.

Scottish evangelist of the 19th century, Henry Drummond, puts it this way:¹

We would think that the absence of trouble would spell rest, but as we read here, it consists of peace in the midst of trouble. As Peter quickly learned on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus makes the peace available (see Matthew 14:22-33). However, our focus must be on Him, rather than on the storm. We must rely on the inward voice of His Holy Spirit, and not the roar of the waterfall.

Have you learned this kind of rest? God wants to teach all of us the same strong confidence and quietness that only comes from Him. I pray we all find it, to the praise of His glory!

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1 Drummond, Henry. The Greatest Thing in the World and Other Addresses. London: Collins, Public Domain. pp. 117, 119

—Posted: Monday, November 18, 2019

 

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Remember Who You Are

I always had my chorus children recite this mantra before every concert and every field trip. I wanted them to rise to their very best when representing from where they came.

Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his sermons on the “Sermon on the Mount,” spends sixteen chapters telling Christians who we have become in Christ. He begins with the Beatitudes and describes us in terms of poverty of spirit, mourners over sin, meek, hungry for righteousness, merciful, peacemakers, and how we behave as persecuted people. Then He compares us to salt and light.

But, when he gets to the seventeenth chapter, he goes from describing Christians to reminding us of how we manifest this essential character we carry with us. He says:

Because Jesus came directly from the Father, He was not a Pharisee, or trained as a Pharisee. He detested their interpretation of the Law and the Prophets. He sought to live and teach a new way of living. Jesus did not abolish the Scriptures. But, He fulfilled them in new and vibrant ways, which caused the Pharisees to criticize Him. And, He wanted His followers to see the difference so they could properly represent themselves, as Christians, in His footprints.

Upon careful study, we often learn that the Old Testament Scriptures taught unorthodox ways compared to the leaders in Jesus’ day who were exponents of the Pharisaical laws. Jesus taught us to follow Him, to represent Him, to apprehend the spirit of the Law, so that the world might know He has come to bring a new way of living empowered by His Holy Spirit.

Just as I wanted my chorus children to represent a different character from what culture believes children should look like, sound like, and behave like, so Jesus wants us to proudly represent Him and His Kingdom to the world. This will happen only as we live by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which He has given us, and as we study His written Word to understand His ways for us. Then, let the world sit up and take notice!

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1 Lloyd-Jones, Martyn D. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co./Inter-Varsity Fellowship, 1971. p. 180.

—Posted: Monday, February 11, 2019

 

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A Unique, Beautiful Frame

When looking at a picture, do you notice the frame? The frame can either enhance or detract from the picture it holds. It can reflect as much beauty as the picture. I am convinced that our lives compare to frames. They get more ornate as the years add up and reflect the imagination of God the Creative Artist who fashions them.

As time works on us, our struggles bring out a rich patina to the metal. The trials and deadly effects of life add swirls and cut deep into the wood, adding carved designs to the frame. In the end, we realize that Romans 8:28 has become true for us:

Recently, in preparing to teach from 1 Samuel about Samuel’s mother, Hannah, I came across this quote about her:¹

When we feel the effects of wear and tear on our bodies, or the scraping and carving of the knife on our emotions and heart, we must realize that God considers the unique, beautiful frame with which He has surrounded us.

Our prayers and our words of encouragement to others have been framed by those circumstances that God the Artist has allowed us to experience. The picture may not be completed yet. Nevertheless, along with the finished frame, that picture will sometime reveal a more beautiful piece of art than we have ever realized.

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1 James, Carolyn Custis. Lost Women of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing Company, 2005. p. 132.

—Posted: Monday, November 4, 2019

 

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Nooks and Crannies

“I’d like to go down to Grandma’s and help her clean today. I don’t think she sees as well as she used to and doesn’t see the dirt,” my mom said to my sister and me. Indeed, though my grandma kept a neat house, her glaucoma had diminished her eyesight to the point where sharp vision no longer allowed her to see the grime in the corners.

We all get used to seeing through eyes that no longer pick out the details of our “dirty” ways. God calls this dirt “sin.” He sent His Son, Jesus, to us so that He can purify us from all sin.

However, just as daily cleaning around the sink needs doing, we need a daily washing away of the filth we accumulate, even in a day’s time. Jesus addressed this idea to Peter when He said, in John 13:10:

With these words, Jesus indicates that, as Christians, He has washed us and made us clean. But, the sinful nature still clings to us and we frequently need to cleanse away this sinful act or that one. In my house, I abhor having to give anything a thorough cleaning now and then. Likewise, we seem to abhor coming to God with our filthy deeds and thoughts, asking for His cleansing.

We quite often have to work at this kind of examination of our hearts. And often, it means coming to God for a new, even repeated, cleansing. We need to use our “near-sighted” vision to see what God sees in us.

“Far-sighted” examination of our neighbors seems to come easier for us. Even Jesus observed that tendency in us when He said in the “Sermon on the Mount” from Matthew 7:3-5:

As I recall, my grandma gratefully accepted the help to make her kitchen sparkle again. We, too, need to thank our blessed Lord Jesus Christ for the offer of His help in keeping our hearts and minds cleansed and ready for His use.

Happy cleaning!

—Posted: Monday, October 28, 2019

 

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Passion for the Game

I can still see him: a little boy, Bobby Martin, running the bases all alone after the church softball league had finished their game. Of course, no one would have allowed him to play in the actual softball game. He was too young to have what it would take to play effectively—except for one thing: Bobby had passion.

In Scripture, the word for “passion” is “zeal.”¹ The word “zealous” comes from the same Latin root as the word “jealous.” In our zeal, we are to be jealous for the Lord and careful to do our best work for Him.

The Puritan, Samuel Ward, likens zeal to fire. He writes:²

Often, others will think of us Evangelical Christians as too strait-laced, or as goody-two-shoes, if we exhibit genuine zeal for God and His church. When the Holy Spirit at Pentecost came to the first church, flames of fire appeared and rested on all of those present in the room. As these newly Spirit-filled disciples went out and began to speak in the languages of the throngs of foreign people gathered in Jerusalem, the outsiders mocked them and asked if they were drunk. Today, God still wants His church to “burn” with the fire of Pentecost.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:19, Paul tells the early church:

We would do well to check for passion in our lives. And then, if necessary, ask God to rekindle that flame, so that we can serve Him with the kind of zeal that leaps from person to person with the flaming power of the Holy Spirit.

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1 The King James Version of Scripture renders the word “passion” as “not slothful.”

2 Ward, Samuel (author) and Richard Rushing, editor. Voices from the Past: Puritan Devotional Readings. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009. Pp. 141, 142.

—Posted: Monday, October 21, 2019

 

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Look Who You’re Talking To!

I can hear a sassy child talking to his teacher, or an impertinent teenager talking to her mother, each one complaining and wanting his or her way, NOW! And, I can also hear the response from the adult, “Look who you’re talking to!”

I ask myself if God feels like the adults feel in this situation. Does He wonder who we think we are when we speak to Him in the manner of a spoiled child. We need to be reminded that God is in heaven and we are on earth. He is God and we’re not.

When the mother says, “I carried you for nine months and spoiled my figure over you! I buy your clothes and clean up your messes.” We see the teen respond by rolling her eyes and not really changing her mind.

But, when we think about our Heavenly Father, we should know better. He simply does not react to our impertinence the way a parent might. Yes, He indeed deserves our deepest respect and our trust in His plans for us. After all, He created us, maintains us, provides everything for us, and, through His Son, He even carried our sins on His back to the cross. He chose us to know Him and anticipate heaven with Him. Look who we’re talking to! Indeed.

I like the way that the Puritan writer William Gurnall puts it:¹

We are wise to take this reminder to heart when we get impatient and testy in our prayers, stomping our spiritual feet and demanding immediate answers: “Look who you’re talking to!”

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1 Gurnall, William and Richard Rushing, editor. Voices From the Past, Volume 2. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2016. p. 261

—Posted: Monday, October 14, 2019

 

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Moses’ Rod and Sampson’s Jawbone

All of us can probably recount some of the ways God used Moses’ staff (or rod) in the book of Exodus. The plagues God sent on Egypt began with a raised staff in obedience to God’s commands. The parting of the Red Sea and the water from the rock came as a result of Moses’ use of his simple staff.

Then, we recall Sampson, the judge God used to help Israel defeat the warring Philistine army through the use of a simple jawbone of a donkey, recorded in Judges 15. He used this available instrument to wage war and kill a thousand Philistines.

The men of Gideon, in Judges 7, used torches and trumpets at God’s command. In Judges 6:14, we read:

The boy David used a slingshot to defeat Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. Scripture tells of too many more heroes God used to do His work through something simple than we have room for here.

Maybe you think God can’t use you because of some real, or perceived, weakness, some handicap, some lacking of financial goods, or the lacking of some special talent. Maybe age has crept up on you and you wonder if God has finished using you.

Just remember the Biblical stories of weakness and lack. Remind yourself of what Paul said about the Lord’s message to him in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:

Well said, Paul. Thank you for those words of encouragement!

—Posted: Monday, October 7, 2019

 

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Jigsaw Puzzles

I like to think of you and me as jigsaw puzzles. We’re made up of many parts that God has placed here. He takes the many parts of us and puts those parts together with the parts of other people to create an even greater, more magnificent puzzle. That greater puzzle becomes the breath-taking reality of His Kingdom, along with the Body of Christ, the Church.

We become small, yet integral, pieces in other people’s puzzles, too. Have you ever considered how God’s magnificent wisdom allows each of us to perfectly fit into the final, truly wonderful picture He is making in this world?

Yes, we can easily see how our parent’s love and care formed a good deal of the puzzle that we have become. Yet, their choice of place to live, the particular year in which we were born, and the friends, colleagues, mentors, teachers, and ministers we have met have helped form us—put together our pieces—in ways we could never have put those pieces together by ourselves.

Trace just one thread of your life back to its origin and see all the people who handled the puzzle pieces for you. How did you get that position? How did you end up in the city, the marriage, the church in which you have found yourself? Who taught you to read? Who introduced you to your chosen profession? Who helped you develop your passion for whatever brings you the most joy?

Psalm 115:1 gives glory to God.

God’s love saw the final completed puzzle from the very beginning. In fact, God designed it. He saw the finished picture of you, complete and totally unique as a part of His great plan.

Praise Him for the way in which He has placed you in the big-picture puzzle next to others with whom you can share a spot. Thank Him for His wonderful wisdom, far above us all, and for His completed work of art that depends upon and totally involves you and me!

—Posted: Monday, September 30, 2019

 

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Not Seen As Yet

Noah found favor with God. And, according to Scripture found in Genesis 6 and 7:

Noah was chosen by God for a very unique and historical appointment. In great detail, God laid out for Noah plans and promises for building an ark because God intended to send a great flood of judgment on the world.

Scripture tells us in Genesis 6-8 just how Noah dedicated his time, effort, and faith in doing exactly what God had said. This act of extraordinary faith landed Noah in the “Faith Hall of Fame” found in Hebrews 11:7.

Noah no doubt suffered cruel mocking by the godless people who lived around him. Yet, he followed every element of God’s plan. Noah may not have understood these life-changing commands of God, but Noah was rewarded with the saving of himself, his family, and all the living creatures when the world was indeed destroyed by a great deluge and flood.

Consider the extraordinary matter of this story. The key to the strength of Noah’s faith is contained in that phrase: “…of things not seen as yet.” Despite what Noah could not see, he believed God and obeyed.

Puritan Thomas Manton comments on Noah’s faith:¹

Could this account of Noah speak to us in 21st century America? Does God see things in our lives that we “have not seen as yet”? In His good season, does God intend to ask us to step out in faith? Are there new relationships He wants us to form? Does God have a new ministry that He wants us to create or join? Does God intend to give us new talents that He wants us to develop for His use?

While God may not ask us to build an ark to save those we love from the judgment He intends to bring against our generation, certainly He calls us—and all Christians in this day—to step out in faith for the saving of His people and for the performance of the work of His church.

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1 Manton, Thomas (author). Richard Rushing (editor). Voices From the Past. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2016. Vol. 2, p. 255.

—Posted: Monday, September 23, 2019

 

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Shimmering Aspens

As a follow-up to the devotional I wrote in the last blog post about “Roots and Fruits,” I would like to share with you another tree image worth comparing to the Christian life. This tree, widely distributed throughout North America, nevertheless, has the thickest concentration in Colorado.

These beautiful trees, not extremely tall, can live for 150 years or more and often survive best and recover best from wildfires. Their root system can live and reproduce by cloning for thousands of years.¹

When God places in us His powerful Holy Spirit, He puts within us the capacity to withstand the storms of life. He knows such storms will strengthen us and ultimately prepare us for use to His glory. Even when we think the fiery experiences of life might destroy us, we can come through those experiences by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The leaves of the aspen shimmer in the wind and “quake.” They show a lacey daintiness that belies their strength. They move in the slightest breeze. Here’s how Joni Eareckson Tada compared them to a Spirit-led life:

Each season of the year, God has something to teach us. As we view His world of creation and ponder the lessons it provides, let’s pray He will help us grow deep and strong, able to withstand the storms, and yet free and sensitive to the leading of His Holy Spirit, as we live day to day in order to declare His glory.

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1 Information about “Aspens” from Wikipedia and from an article by R. Scott Rappold in “Out There Colorado,” September 19, 1918, published in the Gazette.

2 Tada, Joni Eareckson. More Precious Than Silver. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998. Entry for September 11th.

—Posted: Monday, September 16, 2019

 

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Roots and Fruits

Trees fascinate me. I love the variety, the shapes, the different leaves, and how the trees and leaves look in different seasons. Trees have often seemed like major décor in God’s world—decorating and defining space, shading, and quietly fluttering in the breeze.

I am impressed that, often, the Scriptural writers use trees to teach us, to describe a characteristic, and to liken the trees to some quality in our lives. In the verse at the beginning of this blog post, we see the offspring of a healthy tree: leaves and fruit. Often these elements supply life-sustaining food for humankind and animals. They also give evidence to us of health, strength, usefulness, and beauty.

Yet, we don’t often see the most important part of the tree because that part lies deep underground. In a healthy specimen, more than half of a tree remains beneath the surface of the ground. There, it reaches out for nourishment from the soil and for deep springs of life-giving water.

Trees that have stunted roots, those that grow quickly and sprout early, often do not have the stabilizing power of those that have grown over many years. Jesus uses this principle in His well-known “Parable of the Sower” found in Matthew 13:5, when He teaches about the farmer’s seed:

Our growth in grace follows a similar timeline. God plants His Spirit in us. But, God wants to grow us deeply into the “soil” of His written Word wherein we will grow in our knowledge of, and relationship with, Him and His church.

We must not look for our Christian lives, or our churches, or our ministries to “spring up overnight.” Rather, we must allow time, difficulties, and the seasons of life to develop God’s process of deeply rooted spiritual growth.

Seeds of vegetation scattered on a soil with rocky places will spring up quickly and die off quickly because they haven’t grown deep roots into the nourishing soil. Likewise, our personal spiritual formation that develops too rapidly with unnatural enthusiasm and without putting deep “roots” into God’s written Word, without cultivating faithfulness to a local church, and without spending time with mature fellow Christians will ultimately run the risk of burning out and of failing to produce useful spiritual fruit.

Instead, let’s find a beautiful large tree. And, let’s think of the seasons of its life and how deeply the roots must have reached. Then, let’s allow God to mature us spiritually in the same way. We must remain patient and look forward to the sweet fruit and beautiful leaves which will surely appear.

—Posted: Monday, September 9, 2019

 

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Digging Ditches

Are you ready for a blessing? King Joram of the Northern Kingdom and King Jehoshaphat of the Southern Kingdom had been marching with their armies for seven days. But, they had no water for themselves, or for their animals. They knew that they could never fight their enemy, Moab, in this condition.

They asked Elisha, the prophet of the Lord, what they should do in their helpless, desperate state. I like the fact that before Elisha gave an answer, he asked for a harpist to come and play music. During the music, God spoke to Elisha so he could share the words captured in the Scripture verses above.

Even though they asked Elisha to petition God in their behalf, these kings were not prepared to receive the blessing for which they were asking God. As Charles Spurgeon suggests,¹ they needed to make a…

How often do we pray, asking for God’s blessing, while we remain unprepared to receive the answer?

In a story recorded in Acts 12, when the disciples gathered for prayer for Peter’s release from prison, they were astonished when he stood at their door. Like them, we often pray without really believing in God’s miraculous ability to answer our sincere prayers.

If God has led us to pray for a blessing of deliverance, or enlargement, or wisdom, or protection, or peace, or anything else we desperately need, we must also show our faith in Him by preparing to receive that blessing. Although God may not use our expected methodology in answering our prayers, if we make a believing preparation to receive that answer, we will clearly see His answer come to pass.

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1 Spurgeon, Charles H. Morning and Evening. McLean, VA: Macdonald Publishing Company, Public Domain. p. 275.

—Posted: Monday, September 2, 2019

 

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Sibling Rivalry

Where does sibling rivalry come from? Largely, I’d say, it comes from jealousy, selfishness, or both. Even the Bible has stories of such family arguments. These stories caution us about the common, but contentious, occasions between brothers and sisters, both at home and within our churches.

One such story occurs in Luke 10:38-42. You know how this story goes. Martha is cooking, while pots and pans pile up in the kitchen. But, Mary sits at Jesus’ feet listening to Him teach. Martha complains to Jesus and He sides with Mary because she chose to do “the most important thing.” Mature Martha loves Jesus. So, she undoubtedly responds in humility and love for her sister, as well.

Jesus tells another well-known story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32. In this story, the younger brother rebelliously takes his inheritance money, recklessly spends it on foolishness, but later returns home to ask forgiveness from his father. The older brother, who has remained faithful and continued to work for his father at home, doesn’t appreciate the celebration and the banquet given to this ne’er-do-well sibling. The rift may have separated these brothers permanently. But, we aren’t told.

My last illustration from Scripture can be found in Mark 10:35-45. This story shows what can happen within a faith community infected with rivalry. Brothers James and John come to Jesus and ask if they can sit in the two most prominent seats in heaven—one on Jesus’ right and the other on His left. The remaining ten disciples became so indignant that Jesus has to sit them all down and tell them:

These stories illustrate the way that small rifts between brothers and sisters can cause disunity in our homes, workplaces, and in our churches. Each such rift provides an entrance for the work of the evil one. This kind of disharmony harms the witness of the body of Christ and affects the power of the Holy Spirit to work freely in that body. Scripture admonishes us often to work at keeping peace with our brothers and sisters, particularly within the church.

As Paul tells Christ’s followers in Ephesians 4:3:

We may expect, even tolerate, sibling rivalry between little children. But, among mature believers, we must ask God to protect us from the sins of jealousy and selfishness that create an atmosphere ripe for disunity. In our homes, in our places of work, and particularly in our churches, may God’s peace grow and abound to Christ’s glory!

—Posted: Monday, August 26, 2019

 

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Move Ahead

I am “risk averse.” As a pianist and organist, I always look at printed music, even though I have a particular piece completely memorized. I try to stay out of crowds, afraid of the danger that may lurk there. I avoid certain sections of highway during snowstorms, lest I become involved in an accident. I like to plan ahead. And many times, I have opted to stay put rather than move ahead.

The Israelites showed this same kind of aversion to risk. Or, let’s be honest, they displayed a decided lack of faith during the time they wandered in the wilderness. They had certainly seen God perform amazing miracles for them in their escape from Egypt. He had supplied their needs and protected them. Still, they persisted, with heavy cement-laden feet, to resist forward movement in their lives, individually and as a nation.

When God calls us to take a risk, our arguments usually begin with a long list of “what ifs.”

In the first two chapters of Deuteronomy, God reminded the Israelites of His faithfulness. And, He reminded them of their lack of faith. He had prepared really big things for them in the days ahead and He needed them to get moving.

Twice we read that God said, “You have stayed here long enough.” He reminded them that He had watched over them and provided for them for forty years. Later, He egged them on to move and take possession of the land He had promised them since the days of Abraham.

I like the second verse of the hymn, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.” ¹

When God prompts us to move on, to venture out and trust Him, we must move forward in faith, fully relying on His provision and protection. If we turn a deaf ear to God’s call to move onward and insist on standing still, mired in the fast-drying cement of our current situation, we stand the greater risk of getting stuck where nothing will move us.

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1 Cowper, William. God Moves in a Mysterious Way. Verse Two. Public Domain.

—Posted: Monday, August 19, 2019

 

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Reflection

Have you ever considered how differently the brightness of the moon affects what we can see at night? Driving seems so much easier. And, the distance we can see is so much farther. Nights with a full moon allow us to see so much more than we can see when the moonlight is absent or diminished.

Scientists tell us that the phases of the moon, and the amount of light we observe from the moon, results from how much of the moon’s surface faces the sun and reflects the sun’s radiance. The moon produces no light of its own. It serves only to reflect the glory of the sun.

When we meditate on Jesus’ words in the first Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, where He told is that He is the Light of the World, we must realize that Jesus has given us the same designation that Creator God gave to the moon. As His devoted followers, Jesus expects us to understand that we give divine light to those around us only to the extent that we reflect Him. The more “face time” we have with Him, the more fully we will reflect His powerful light.

In the second Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, where Jesus said that we are lights of the world, He used the illustration of a lamp. Even if we shine as lamps in this dark world, we must have oil, or power, from some source other than ourselves. The image of oil in the Bible often refers to the power of the Holy Spirit.

We cannot expect to give off the Light of Christ in this world unless we reflect Him, just as the moon reflects the sun, nor can we shine as lamps without the oil of the Holy Spirit. The divine light must come from outside our own selves.

This question, then, is worth asking ourselves: “Is the ‘light’ I give off coming from the dimly lit bulb of my own selfish glory, or do I truly reflect the glory of my blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the glory of God, my Father in Heaven?”

How we answer that important question makes a difference. And, that difference is like night and day!

—Posted: Monday, August 12, 2019

 

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Slaying the Dragon ¹

	“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
	—James 4:7

David and Karen Mains, in their marvelous children’s book, Tales of the Kingdom,² tell a story of Amanda, a princess, who, despite warnings, takes home a dragon egg, hatches it, and makes a pet of the baby dragon. At first she enjoys playing with the little guy and does everything she can to domesticate it. But, before she realizes it, the dragon has become much too formidable for her to control and she has to kill it to save her own life.

Private sins are like that. We try to housebreak them and keep them under our control. Our secret fantasies, the so-called minor offenses we hide and whitewash, never stay the same. Like the dragon, they grow too large for us. The gossip we share with just one friend becomes too easy to share with many more. The anger we allow to spill out in occasional verbal outbursts at others soon becomes a way of life.

Recently I read this quote from J. C. Ryle in the book, Diamonds in the Dust ³ by Joni Eareckson Tada:

We need to remember that the dragon has a burning breath and a dangerous tail. When we first entertain the idea of letting him near us, or even domesticating him for our pleasure, we need to slam the door on him and flee.

We can never hope to serve God effectively with known sins in our lives. The longer we let them grow, the more attached we become to them, and the harder it gets to slay them.

Please pray with me:

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1 This blog post was originally published on June 16, 2014.

2 Mains, David and Karen. Tales of the Kingdom (Kingdom Tales, Book 1). Elgin, IL: David C. Cook Publishing Company, ©1983, Chapter 10.

3 Tada, Joni Eareckson. Diamonds in the Dust. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, ©1993, Devotional for June 8th.

—Posted: Monday, August 5, 2019

 

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Little is Much

Jesus understood small things and appreciated their worth. In Luke 21:1-2, He remarked about an incident, barely noticed by anyone else:

Jesus honored the smallest things by pointing them out and using them for His glory. The story recorded in John 6:1-15 of the five thousand plus people who came to hear Jesus speak, points to His use of small things.

These people had come out from nearby towns and had been there many hours listening to Jesus. He told the disciples that they needed to feed them. They brought Jesus all they could find: the small lunch of a little boy that contained five small barley loaves and two fishes. Jesus showed His appreciation and used this small gift by multiplying it to serve all five thousand people present, with twelve baskets of food left over.

What do we have so little of that we feel God cannot use? Time? Money? Talent? Strength?

In Judges 6-8 we read the account of Gideon in the days when the Midianites invaded the land of Canaan. God called Gideon to save His people. In Judges 6:14-15, God said to Gideon:

The story goes on to point out how God chose to use this reluctant warrior. God chose to use Gideon because Gideon was the weakest available: the runt of the litter.

We need to think beyond ourselves, too. Maybe God wants our family, or our neighborhood, or our work department, our school, or our office staff to do something big for Him. Even more, maybe He purposes to use our little church for a big ministry, when it may seem that plenty of mega-churches in our area could do the job so much easier.

God’s voice asks of the prophet in Zechariah 4:10:

Instead of bemoaning our lack of anything, let’s praise God for small things and small strength. He wants to show His mighty power through us. May we submit to His will and watch the blessings follow!

—Posted: Monday, July 29, 2019

 

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Stepford Christians

The 1975 movie, The Stepford Wives, has remained in my memory, not only as a very bizarre story, but as an example of how very like the “Men’s Association” our enemy—the prince of this world, Satan—operates.

The story takes place in the affluent, idyllic town of Stepford, Connecticut. A new resident, Joanna, notices how strange all the women seem to appear. They are fawning wives, mindless, and perfect in every way.

What she doesn’t realize is that one-by-one, the husbands of the “Men’s Association,” who make it their mission to completely control their wives, have killed off their wives and replaced them with perfectly engineered robots. These robots look identical to the wives. And, the robot wifes have absolutely no flaws whatsoever.

These formerly very successful professional women, now transformed into robots, think only of pleasing their husbands in every way. Since they are not real, they have given up any resemblance to the actual personhood of each wife they have replaced.

Joanna watched as one of her more “normal” neighbors seemed to go through this metamorphosis. For one thing, her tennis court in the back yard was dug up and replaced with a putting green for her husband. Only when Joanna’s own family becomes victims of the “Men’s Association” does she try to escape in order to protect her own life.

We would all love to be the perfect model of a Christian, not only pleasing to God, but especially pleasing to each other. We study the right “moves” of Christians we admire and try very hard to imitate them. We learn to play the game of “church” and strive to never allow our own sinful natures to become visible. To openly acknowledge sin, to repent, to ask forgiveness takes too much humility. To do that we would have to admit we cannot live the Christian life in our own strength.

While it may seem honorable to overlook faults in others and to look for the best in each other and in our churches, we should never tolerate to just plainly cover-up sin and hide horrific wrong-doing. Christ did not die for people who pretend to be without fault. He died for sinners and welcomes anyone who, in reality, comes to Him in honest confession.

The world, like Joanna, watches us. Anything that smacks of being phony is clearly evident to them. Why would they want to join a group of perfect people anyway, especially when they know their own hearts?

We glorify God the most when we rely on Him for His grace to live our lives according to His desires and when we willingly acknowledge and repent of our sins. Away with the plastic complexion, the nylon hair, and the mindless play-act!

—Posted: Monday, July 22, 2019

 

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The End in Mind

I love the title of Eugene Peterson’s book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.¹ In this book, Peterson shares the “Psalms of Ascent.” Pilgrims repeated these Psalms as they traveled up to Jerusalem for feast days. Peterson likens the Christian walk to this pilgrimage.

God sees our lives, beginning to end, and plans to mature, or “complete,” us throughout. I understand the concept.

As a teacher, I can remember the fall when the school system changed my schedule from being an iterant teacher—in two or three buildings—and placed me at one elementary school full time. I could now think of these children as “mine.” And, I could map out what I felt they needed to learn, step-by-step, from kindergarten through the fourth grade. Even more, I could see them grow over these years.

This long view, or “longitudinal” plan, allowed me to plot each year. Then, I could plan each month or season. Finally, I could plan each individual lesson.

God has a longitudinal plan for our lives. Just as I didn’t share the full scope of the curriculum with my second graders, or burden them with constant assessments and adjustments for their growth, neither does God do this with us.

Sometimes, it looks as though God must not have a plan. Or, it appears that we have gotten off track somehow. In Romans 8:28, God assures us that:

Said another way, His plan for us, though it may seem hidden, will weave all the threads together in the end.

Carolyn Custis James, in her book, Lost Women of the Bible,² describes those who walk this long walk as theologians. She writes:

Sometimes it seems we are not moving forward. From day to day, things look and feel the same to us. But, when we look back, and we can do this through meditation and through looking at former journal entries we’ve written, we see that, indeed, God has led us, and we have moved closer to His ideal.

While on the pilgrimage, enjoy the sights. Know that God has planned this marvelous journey with a magnificent end!

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1 Peterson, Eugene H. A Long Obedience in the Same Direction 2nd edition. Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Books, 2000.

2 James, Carolyn Custis. Lost Women of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Company, 2005. p. 34.

—Posted: Monday, July 15, 2019

 

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The Child Proclaims the Parent

When people observe a male child, we often hear them remark, “He looks so much like his father.” Within a family, we can see, even more closely, the presence of family resemblances. “Aunt Roberta’s hands remind me of Grandma’s.” Or, “I see that Joey is losing his hair at just about the same age as his father did.”

During my years as an elementary and middle school teacher, I heard the comment after colleagues met parents at conference time: “Well, the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree!” Our children do not only carry the physical characteristics of their parents. They also often carry the personality traits and life styles, as well.

The sentence from Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount,” stated at the beginning of this blog post, speaks to us in a similar vein. When people see our good deeds, they shouldn’t praise us, but rather they should praise our Heavenly Father.

Do we often think of the loving Creator-Sustainer God when we see His good works in the people that we know? Do we cause people to pause and consider our own behavior, as though Christ Himself is living His life in us and through us?

Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones puts it this way:¹

In referring to Matthew 5:43-45, Jesus speaks about loving our enemies, blessing those that curse us, doing good to those who despitefully use us and persecute us. Why should we do all these things? We do these things that we may be children of our Father who is in heaven.

Again, Dr. Lloyd-Jones writes:²

Parents hope for their children to represent the family well, to make them proud, to have others observe what the years of training, disciplining, and loving have produced. In the same way, our Heavenly Father looks at us and desires that we represent the family into which He has placed us. Out of sheer gratitude, we should apply ourselves to look like Him!

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1 Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. God’s Way of Reconciliation. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1972. p. 334.

2 Ibid.

—Posted: Monday, July 8, 2019

 

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Imitate

Can you say, “Imitate me?” Can I? I’m not talking about a “Simon Says” game here. This declaration to “Imitate me” comes from the divinely inspired words of the Apostle Paul.

When I held my public school teaching position, I often thought about my “off-duty” persona, my example in the community. I know many teachers who say, “What I do on my own time is my own business!” They give little or no thought about the kind of influence they have on anyone watching them during non-school hours. But we, as Christ’s ambassadors, have a higher calling (2 Corinthians 5:20).

We study God’s written Word to see what God may instruct us about this or that circumstance and how we should live among those who don’t know Him. According to 1 Timothy 4:12 (NKJV), God wants us to:

Even knowing these words of instruction, we constantly fail at this kind of living. But, if we study our own behaviors and stay attuned to the Spirit of Christ—the Holy Spirit—He will prick our conscience when we need His forgiveness and restitution because of our deeds, and when we need a heartfelt turn-around.

We must remember that people watch our lives and either have their negative suspicions about God and the church verified by the way we behave. Or, through our faithful behavior, they come to understand our Savior, as they view His divine Presence in our lives.

In addition to unbelievers, we can be sure that children and new believers in the faith constantly look to us for examples of behavior they should imitate. Whether we present them with good behavior or bad behavior, we have a profound effect on their spiritual growth. Their Christian formation, their language, their reverence for the things of God, their priorities all take on the qualities they see in us.

In a day when young people see popular “models to imitate” in rock stars, celebrities, even political figures, we must attune our hearts and our lives so that we imitate the Lord Jesus Christ in all things. If we do this, we will live our lives in a way that will become worth imitating!

—Posted: Monday, July 1, 2019

 

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Perspective

You may remember the 1989 movie, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” in which a scientist father accidently shrinks his two teen-age children and two of their friends. This poses all kinds of dangerous threats to these teens, as they battle to stay away from danger while their father searches for them.

Sometimes our perspective gets out of whack, just as things did in this movie. We see problems that loom nearby in such a way that we dwarf God by allowing Him to fall away into the background. In such a case, we need an adjustment to our perspective.

Many of the Psalms reveal the way in which saints of the past had to deal with their perspective. Some Psalms begin with tales of woes too large with which the psalmists can cope. Once they get a different view of God, the enormity of their problems contract to a much more manageable size.

In Psalm 73, Asaph, the musician, begins his Psalm remembering how he had nearly slipped away because he was looking at the prosperity and the seeming good luck of the wicked. He says he felt oppressed until he entered God’s sanctuary and got a different perspective. He ended the Psalm praising God’s goodness and sharing his gratitude for the riches of God’s grace. Verses 25 and 26 give us a glimpse:

Many times the psalmists have to remind themselves of the greatness of God. They do this by talking directly to themselves through the words they write in their Psalms.

This same kind of reminder can stir us, as well. We can see God, in His proper perspective, in our church services, or after a prolonged period of time spent in reading His written Word. When this happens, we see the extent of our woes in a much clearer way. We can shrink them down to size and allow God to show us His power and wisdom that rule over us.

I like the way that Paul explains the process of moving from despair to faith by means of a new perspective in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18:

It’s important for us to remember that a proper perspective can change everything!

—Posted: Monday, June 24, 2019

 

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The Art of the Blend

When we think of the work of an oil painter, we often neglect to consider the artistic competence and sensitivity needed to prepare the paint used for the project. A good artist considers the pigments of color and the medium through which to use those colors. He or she also chooses between solvents for the viscosity (thickness) of the paint and the varnish that will give the appropriate glossiness to the finished work.

Perfumers also study their art by learning about the distinguishing characteristics of fragrances. Because of the keen sense of smell needed, the most skilled ones of these people get dubbed “Noses” by those in that field. Such perfumers know the strengths and power of each fragrance and carefully blend only those which augment the others.

Similarly, organists exhibit concern about what choices they make in registering the sounds for each piece of music they play. My first organ teacher quizzed me for the names of each pipe when I had my eyes closed. Is the sound a reed, a flute, a diapason, or a string? Does it match the intended mood the composer of the music requires for this particular piece? Is one stop too sharp to play alongside another because it will cover the sound or blend poorly?

God, the most creative of all artists, looks at His church in much the same way as these other professionals look at the works they produce. He desires to create something beautiful for His world out of the flesh and blood of His people in specific locations. Look around at your local church. God has placed people of various ages, various races, various abilities, and various limitations.

He has carefully gifted His people with talents and abilities, and with a wide range of life experiences. Children love to gather around old Uncle Pete because of his kind and loving ways. Grandma Pearl gets everyone laughing each time they talk with her. Roy has such knowledge of Scripture that people flock to his class. And, Ruby sings like an angel and brings the Holy Spirit near whenever the congregation hears her voice.

Carrie and Fred have owned a successful business for many years and they freely give of the wealth God has provided them. They love to see God’s church blessed through their giving. Beverly doesn’t have money or abilities to teach, but when she gets in the kitchen she blesses the entire congregation through the foods that she so lovingly prepares.

God also places His people in churches where they need growth and maturity—perhaps even through learning to get along with others who see things in opposite ways from them. He is creating a beautiful body of work for His glory. We should stand in awe of His workmanship.

Look at those in your church as instruments in God’s hands, as gifts to you and others, and see yourself in a way that makes you happy to share with others the qualities that God has given you. Stand back and look at the picture God is painting in your congregation. Take time to smell the aroma of His blessing. Pause in a quiet moment to hear the music of His joy in your midst.

Praise the Artist of Heaven today for the magnificently creative way He has blended the people in your church into a powerful force for His Kingdom!

—Posted: June 17, 2019

 

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Stuck!

Judah was stuck! They didn’t know which way to turn. Their enemies were coming against them.¹ What to do?

The king proclaimed a fast and the people together sought the Lord for His help. God gave Jahaziel, one of the Levites, God’s message for them to “stand firm and see the deliverance of the Lord.” Their enemies ended up destroying each other. As a result, God’s people could only lift their voices in praise to Him.

I was stuck! That spring day so many years ago, I ran across the field in my tall barn boots and before I knew it, I had sunk too far into the mud to get out. I yelled for my father and he came and quickly pulled me out of my boots to rescue me.

Plenty of times in life we get stuck. We don’t know which way to go. The way we thought the Lord was leading us turns out to be a dead end. We try to step this way and that. But, we simply have no power to move.

I knew, standing there in the mud on that long-ago day, that my father would come to help me. He heard my cry. Likewise, our Heavenly Father sees us and hears us when we call out to Him in our distress. He knows the way to safety before we do. We can trust Him to help us out of our predicament and lead us onto the right pathway.

We learn the lesson of waiting patiently for our God when we have no place to go but to Him. We pray and stand still. And, as stated in Psalm 40:1-3, He will come:

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1 According to 2 Chronicles 20:2, their enemies consisted of a vast army.

—Posted: Monday, June 10, 2019

 

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Servant Winds

The Bible’s use of the image of “wind” fascinates me. Some passages speak of stormy winds, such as those sent to the ship in which Jonah tried escaping God’s call, as recorded in Jonah 1:4. Or, the stormy winds sent while the disciples maneuvered to cross the Sea of Galilee, as recorded in Matthew 14:22-36. Or, the stormy winds sent to Paul and the other prisoners traveling to Rome, as recorded in Acts 27:1-44. In each case, God had specific purposes for such storms.

In some cases throughout the New Testament, the word “wind” refers to the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:1-13, we read the story of the first Pentecost during which “a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” That powerful “storm” filled everyone there with the Holy Spirit.

In Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, recorded in John 3:1-21, He said:

God’s people and His Church both need the “wind” of the Holy Spirit to blow within us, to remove the dust that has fallen upon us during the years we sat idle. We need to pray again that the Living Lord Jesus Christ would breathe His wind through us, sending us in new directions, bringing new birth by the Holy Spirit, and making the “wind” His servant to fulfill His purposes in us, through us, and for us.

Like seasoned sailors, we need to watch for the direction of the God-given spiritual winds and set our sails appropriately. We need to meet together and wait in prayer, just as the believers did after Jesus’ ascension, watching for Him and for His promised Holy Spirit.

This well-known hymn expresses the kind of prayer God wants us to pray:¹

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1 Head, Bessie P. O Breath of Life. Public Domain.

—Posted: Monday, June 3, 2019

 

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Endurance

“Life is not a sprint. It is a marathon.” You’ve heard that quotation. I would like to think that “Oftentimes, trials are not a sprint, but a marathon.” Some trials God gives us in our lives last a day or two. Others go on far longer than we could ever imagine and demand much more of us than we could have ever thought.

In fact, some troubles take far more strength and endurance than we would naturally have available. Don’t believe the idea that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle—by ourselves, alone. In fact, He often gives us more than we can handle just for the purposes He has of causing us to rely totally on Him to carry us beyond our own strength.

We can find comfort in the Sovereignty of God: His supreme, unlimited, wise authority over everything that happens to us gives us assurance that we are in His hands. Yet, does that mean we have no responsibility at all? Whereas some people think they have to manage everything in their lives, others think that submitting to, and waiting on, God alone, getting out of His way, allows Him to perform His will in us and through us.

I love the way that Carolyn Curtis James writes about this subject:¹

Sometimes, God allows us to feel exhausted, to press us beyond our limits. As anyone who has taken athletic training, or even physical therapy, knows—if you have invested yourself fully in this experience—you will feel exhausted and pressed beyond your limits. But, the payoff comes from that pressing forward in strengthening your own self.

God wants to make us into marathon runners and warriors for His glory. In the end, we will not celebrate our great skill, but our great God. Only by our cooperation with His power and His loving wisdom, will the race be run. All glory to Him!

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1 James, Carolyn Curtis. When Life and Beliefs Collide. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing Company, 2001. (Amazon Kindle) Pp. 128-129.

—Posted: Monday, May 27, 2019

 

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Refresh

Without water, we would all die. We rely on God to supply the rain in order for us to live. I am amazed at how quickly my drooping indoor plants revive once I pour a little refreshing water on them.

We humans can live in a dehydrated condition for a while. But, without natural water and without God-given spiritual water, we cannot live with the vigor, joy, and beauty that God intended when He made us.

A deficiency in the electrolytes that keep our bodies’ electrical systems in balance shows up in lethargy, fatigue, heart rhythm problems, dry skin, and a host of other dire consequences that appear when we have not had enough water. Our bodies only become refreshed with a return to proper hydration.

Let me ask each of us this question: How are our “spiritual electrolytes”? Those of our churches? Can we detect a loss of spiritual hydration there? Sometimes, we hardly know when our spiritual posture sags from lack of the refreshment that God wants to provide for us.

In fact, Jesus addressed this problem with the Samaritan woman in John 4:1-45 and called Himself the “Living Water.” Once she drank of His life-giving spiritual water, she left her water jug, ran rejoicing, and called her neighbors to come at once to meet with Jesus.

In John 7:1-24, we read of Jesus preaching to the crowds at the Feast of Tabernacles, and calling them to come to Him for living water. Like those in that long-ago crowd who responded to Jesus, once we learn to rely on this “Water of Life,” we will need the refreshing and the life-giving health it gives in order to serve Him well.

When we fall into patterns of mundane worship, when we droop in our service to God, when our hearts do not beat with vigor for Christ, and when our tired service yields no fruit for others, we know that we need to stop and ask God for a refreshment of the “Living Water” that only He can give us through His precious Son. Fortunately, we only need to ask Him and He will surely supply us with this “Living Water.”

Let us pray that we will clearly see our weariness and, in response, ask God for “rain in the springtime” before we dry up and blow away. Let us ask God for showers of refreshing and a renewal of life, so that we can serve Him effectively.

I particularly like the way this hymn describes such a prayer:¹

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1 Roberts, Daniel C. God of Our Fathers. Public Domain.

—Posted: Monday, May 20, 2019

 

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The Sting

Whether you have an allergy to bee stings or not, the experience of being stung causes a pain that you will not easily forget. Two aspects of a bee sting cause the pain. First, the stinger itself, like a tiny sword, contains a sharp barbed point that stays in the skin until you remove it. Secondly, the venom causes a chemical reaction within one’s body producing pain and swelling.

St. Paul used the “sting” to illustrate the experience of sin and death. He paired these two poisons in Romans 6:23, when he wrote:

We can easily see how death carries a “sting.” No one can dispute that this ending point comes to us as the ultimate battle that we face. As believers in the Lord Jesus, however, we are assured of the absence of the “sting” of this enemy.

If you have experienced the death of a loved one who lived as a follower of and believer in Christ, you know that the terror, no matter how terrible the death, has been softened as a result of the sacrifice Christ made for us on the cross. Jesus dealt with the victory of death when He died on the cross and rose again from the dead.

We, as humans, experience many other kinds of “stinging” events in our lives. We know the pain of scary medical diagnoses, the loss of jobs, difficult financial straits, legal battles, and numerous other kinds of disappointments.

Sometimes, we have faith to believe all that God has told us in His word concerning our experience of death. But, in the midst of our particular trials, we fail to realize that He has also removed the “stinger” from these lesser struggles.

Reason with me, that the God who has power over death, also has power over all other events in our lives. In response, let us resolve today, to face all of life and death by trusting our God to remove the venom from each powerful heartbreak. We must remember that He has removed the sting!

—Posted: Monday, May 13, 2019

 

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King Me

Most of us have played the game of Checkers at one time or another and know that when our “man” reaches the first row of the other player’s side, we gleefully shout, “King Me!” As a result, we get an extra “man” on top and can move in any direction we want to move.

Don’t all of us want to be “King” of our lives in that way, so that we can move wherever we desire? According to Paul David Tripp:¹

Yet, over and over again in Scripture, Jesus reminded us that He is King and wants us to honor Him as King. Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 6:15-16, that He is:

Again and again, Jesus taught about His Kingdom: how to become great in that Kingdom, how to enter the Kingdom, what the Kingdom is like, and to whom the Kingdom belongs. Those who belong to His kingdom have made, and continue to make, Him the Sovereign over their lives.

Our sinful nature compels us to want to be king of our own lives. The culture around us lives with that guiding principal. This poem perfectly demonstrates that philosophy.²

See the contrast in this passage from Philippians 2:8-11 written about our King of kings:

Though it requires of us humility and suffering, this remains the Kingdom to which we belong and the King to whom we bow!

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1 Tripp, Paul David. Come, Let Us Adore Him. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Publishing Company, 2017. p. 83.

2 Henley, William Ernest, Invictus. Chicago, Illinois: Poetry Foundation Publishing Company, 2019.

—Posted: Monday, May 6, 2019

 

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Misunderstood

Throughout much of history, largely because of the proximity of their stories in the Bible, many scholars and other individuals have confused the identity of Mary Magdalene (or, Mary from Magdala) with that of another unnamed woman. In order to rightly understand this narrative portion of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must examine more carefully the exact identity of this important woman, Mary Magdalene.

In Luke’s Gospel (Luke 7:36-50) we read the story of a woman who anointed Jesus’ feet in gratitude and worship. She had lived a sinful life as a prostitute and came to worship Jesus for forgiving her.

At the beginning of the very next chapter, (Luke 8:1-2), we read about a different woman, Mary Magdalene, who became one of Jesus’ closest followers. The Scripture tells us that Jesus had touched her and cured her from the possession of evil spirits and diseases. She has a distinct identity from the unnamed woman described in the previous chapter of Luke’s Gospel.

Nevertheless, this godly woman, Mary Magdalene, has been portrayed by writers and filmmakers as Jesus’ wife, as in the motion picture, The DaVinci Code. At best, the play, Jesus Christ Superstar, portrays Mary Magdalene as a fallen woman now in love with Jesus, comparing Him to her other lovers in the song: “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.”

Even biblically knowledgeable Christians get the prostitute in Luke 7 confused with Mary Magdalene, out of whom Jesus called the evil spirits, setting her free. Mary Magdalene became a close follower of Jesus, sat at His feet, and traveled with His large group of disciples.

Throughout the New Testament, all four Gospel writers have mentioned Mary Magdalene only slightly fewer times than Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary Magdalene’s name appears in nine lists of women. And, it always appears first in those lists.

States a well-known writer, Carolyn James:¹

At the tomb on Easter morning, here sat Mary Magdalene, in despair, weeping over her crucified Lord. She, out of whom Satan was cast, became the first to celebrate the victory of the seed of the woman prophesied to Eve in the Garden of Eden. But, as Carolyn James points out, not only did Jesus show Himself first to Mary Magdalene:²

Considering the life of Mary Magdalene should cause us to ask some questions of ourselves. Do we feel like a misunderstood Christian? Do others think of us more because of a past reputation that has been forgiven, rather than the godly disciple Jesus is making of us?

We must not be disheartened. Jesus has a way of coming near and speaking to us in unprecedented ways—ways that show His love and choice of us as His treasured followers. He has not misunderstood us. In fact, He understands us best of all. We must rejoice in that knowledge!

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1 James, Carolyn Curtis. Lost Women of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Co., 2005. Pp. 188, 197.

2 Ibid.

—Posted: Monday, April 29, 2019

 

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Accomplished

“Hold on,” you say. “That’s a Scripture passage that we heard preached during Advent!” Or even, “Isn’t that passage referring to the exiled Jews in Babylon? Are you saying they could now come home to Israel? And, are you saying this is an Easter passage?”

Think about it. Couldn’t this announcement refer even more to the work Christ accomplished on the cross? And, couldn’t this be the rightful message He could proclaim to His disciples on that Resurrection Sunday? Jesus ended the warfare that has come against us because of our sin. He died in our place and God brought Him back to life.

Jesus’ last words from the cross can be heard in this passage when He spoke, “It is finished.” To respond, we need only to accept that pronouncement over our sins and accept the work that He has already accomplished for us. We can stand in the wonderful position of peace with God through Jesus. Romans 5:1-2 tells us:

This Easter, may we bask in the glory of the accomplished work of Christ, and sing with thanksgiving this now-accomplished Advent hymn:¹

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1 Olearius, Johannes (1671). Tr. by Winkworth, Catherine. Comfort, Comfort Ye My People. Public Domain.

—Posted: Monday, April 22, 2019

 

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The Wail

Other-earthly; prolonged and deathly; loud and terror-ridden. This sound came from Joseph’s body, up from the depths of his soul when he revealed himself to his brothers. This unnatural act of forgiveness came with a terrible cost: months and years of turmoil.

Philip Yancey perfectly expresses this occasion:¹

Now, change the scene. See Jesus during the last twenty-four hours of His life. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He fought in prayer with His Father: “Would You possibly take this dreadful task away from me? If not, I will bow to Your will.”

Jesus prayed until He could agree with the Father’s will. This death had to be died. This pain had to take its course. There was no other way. In order to fully love us, He agreed to the Father’s plan. On the cross, in torturous agony, Jesus gave Himself for the sins of the world.

What is that wail? Listen, and hear that horrible sound. It graphically illustrates that He came and willingly died for us all. The wail revealed the sound of this perfect Man forgiving—forgiving us!

Jesus asks us to forgive others as He forgave. We bow in prayer during this Holy Week to ask for His grace that will allow us the healing that comes from His wail and from our own.

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1 Yancey, Philip. What’s So Amazing About Grace? Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997. Pp. 84-85.

—Posted: Monday, April 15, 2019

 

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Broken and Given

By growing accustomed to our modern supermarkets and the plastic-packaged-machine-sliced loaves of bread we buy in abundance, we forget the raw materials and the deadly process that goes into such food. Of course, in Bible times, everyone understood what Jesus meant when He referred to broken bread. These people saw daily the practice of bread-making.

The wheat goes through a wounding process in which each grain gets ground down to the flour with which we make bread. In Jesus’ day, large mill stones crushed the grain and ground it. Using the image of broken bread, Jesus demonstrated the breaking of His own body by which the Father made Him food for us.

Even if we understand Jesus’ brokenness when we partake of the Sacrament of Holy Communion—the Lord’s Supper—we must realize that not only should we celebrate and remember Christ’s giving for us, He also wants us to give ourselves away in the same manner.

Here’s how author Ann Voskamp describes it:¹

If we have felt the crushing of our hearts—most all of us have had such an experience—we must understand that Christ wants more from us than our single ripened grain of beautiful wheat. The way of the cross, on which His body was broken, has become a demonstration of God’s sacrifice for us. Now, He wants us to give our broken lives to others as bread, nourishment, and healing for them.

We can praise our risen Lord for the crushed body He gave for us. And, we can praise Him for the honor He gives us to demonstrate the same brokenness and sacrifice to a needy world in which we live.

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1 Voskamp, Ann. Be the Gift. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Company, 2017. p. 57.

—Posted: Monday, April 8, 2019

 

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Cleansing the Temple

Jesus came to the temple at the time of Passover and saw the following scene:

We have all read the story of Jesus coming upon this scene, angered by what He saw, and taking authority to overturn tables, scatter coins, and let loose the animals. He felt personally attacked because, unknown to the crowd, this was His temple on earth.

I often wondered what lesson God wanted us to learn from this account. How can we apply this to our world? I doubt anyone reading this has seen such a scene in their churches.

However, I am reminded of these verses from 1 Corinthians 3:16-17:

Pretty strong words, right? It begs the question, “What would Jesus in anger like to overturn, or throw out, of our lives?” What does He see in us that does not belong? What should be replaced with prayer, or with a strong healing touch of the Holy Spirit’s power? Have we become so accustomed to the sight, smells, and noise of sinful activity that we no longer notice?

Oh, Jesus, You who died so that we might become a temple in which You feel comfortable to live, to pray, and to serve, please have mercy on us! Reveal to us the sinful clutter, the bellowing din and smelly sins that crowd out Your “still small voice” and Your beauty. Cleanse us, purify us. Reveal Yourself in love, rather than in anger. And, heal us, that we may carry Your precious Spirit glowing with light and peace to the world. Amen.

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1 Brouwer, Sigmund. The Carpenter’s Journey to the Cross and Beyond. Nashville: Countryman-Thomas Nelson Publishing Company, 1997. p. 31.

—Posted: Monday, April 1, 2019

 

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The Brook Kidron

Even today, as the photo above shows, the Brook Kidron carries the foul waste from the city of Jerusalem. King David—in fleeing from his son, Absalom, who had usurped King David’s power and proclaimed himself king—sorrowfully crossed this brook into the desert in order to mourn. David prayed that God would allow him favor to let him again see his beloved city of Jerusalem and the tabernacle of Jewish worship.

The King of Kings Himself took the same path on His way to the cross. He left, with Peter, James, and John, to spend the night in prayer on the Mount of Olives. Mark 14:33-34 describes Jesus’ spirit:

Jesus gives all of His followers a Brook Kidron to cross. Sometimes, He give us many. Just as our Savior had to suffer, He gives us the path of suffering. Philippians 3:10 offers us this testimony of St. Paul:

As God did with King David, and also with our Lord Jesus, He uses our Brook Kidrons to achieve His good will in us. I like the way that Charles Hadden Spurgeon puts it:¹

What results did God plan of all these sorrows? David returned in triumph to his city. Christ arose triumphant from the grave. Thus, we have Spurgeon’s encouragement to us:²

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1 Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. Morning and Evening. McLean Virginia: MacDonald Publishing Company, Public Domain. p. 304.

2 Ibid.

—Posted: Monday, March 25, 2019

 

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Inside Out

Often in the dreary days of winter, or when the school year winds down, teachers and administrators create school-wide activities to bring some excitement to their students. They try “hat day,” or “mis-match day,” or “school colors day.” One such of these special days that I remember we called “Inside Out Day.” Everyone dressed with their clothes inside out.

I got to thinking: What if we wore our personal sins on the outside, instead of hiding them as if those personal sins represent our fraying seams and tags? If we dressed this way all the time, would that make us consider more clearly the way that God sees our sins?

More than fifty years ago, our Houghton College chaplain often said we came to church showing our “respectable exteriors.” We wore our best suits and shoes, showed everyone our smiles, and sang using our heartiest voices. What if everyone could see us on the inside, just as God does? He knows very well our hidden faults and our sins too dreadful and embarrassing to admit.

The parable Jesus told about the tax collector and Pharisee—a religious leader in the temple—illustrates this condition of heart. Jesus wants us to see that we live much of the time like the Pharisee did: respectable, confident in our holy living, and looking down on those we know who have major sin problems. Jesus asked which of the two men He actually justified. He wants us to humbly and willingly show our hidden sins to Him and to bow before Him seeking for His mercy, grace, and forgiving love.

During this Season of Lent, let us make a point of looking at the “wrong side” of our image—the side God alone sees and waits for us to confess to Him. If we need to take a day and wear something inside out, allow it to remind us of God’s all-seeing eyes and His readiness to cleanse us from our sins and dress us in the fullness of His righteousness!

—Posted: Monday, March 18, 2019

 

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Behold the Lamb!

References to Jesus as “the Lamb of God,” come up often in the New Testament Scriptures—from His baptism by John, all the way to Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Most often the image of the Lamb refers to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and His disposition as He made that sacrifice.

The challenge for us, who follow the Lamb during this Season of Lent, comes when we humbly acknowledge how far we fall from His standard.

The British evangelist and author, Roy Hession, refers to an address he heard in London in the 1940’s by a Mr. Marshall Shallis, who spoke of Jesus as:¹

If we make it our goal to be like Jesus, we need to consider how the Holy Spirit continually urges us to allow Him to accomplish more of these characteristics of the Lamb in us. We should accept the challenge during this Season of Lent to join in meditating on the love that led Jesus to become the Lamb for us. Then, let us listen as the Holy Spirit urges us to ask what qualities He would like to see blossom in our lives.

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1 Hession, Roy, The Calvary Road. London: Christian Literature Crusade, 1950. Pp. 60-64.

—Posted: Monday, March 11, 2019

 

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Rending

In Bible times, rending, or ripping, your garments signaled a deep emotion: grief, anger, penitence, etc. The devout individual would use this act also as a symbol of deep repentance for sin when he or she cried out to the Lord. Yet, this act, over time, became an ostentatious symbol that belied a different inner reality.

The prophets of the Old Testament, and Jesus in the New Testament writings, warned against “playing to the crowd” by acting in holy ways without the inward changes the outward signs represented. As the prophet Joel warned in the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, God looks at the hard, humbling work in the heart and ignores the outward pretentions.

What kind of things do we do in our culture to represent repentance, or a turn around, in our spiritual lives?

Many people will attend Ash Wednesday services this week and wear the sign of the cross on their foreheads to demonstrate their heart intentions. But, quite likely, some will go through the motions and never truly deal with the sins they retain in their hearts.

When I attended high school many years ago, those of us who loved the Lord would carry our Bibles on top of our books. But, I also watched as teenage attractions led some to try to please someone of the opposite gender by playing the part of a devoted Christian and also carry a Bible on top of their books without actually ever allowing God to make a sincere change in their hearts and behaviors.

Some people join churches where the “important” people attend to “see and be seen.” This, too, illustrates “rending the garment and not the heart.”

Charles Spurgeon reminds us:¹

I am reminded of the beautiful recitative and aria in the oratorio Elijah by Mendelssohn. The texts for this solo come from the verse in Joel, which I quoted, and also from Job 23:3:

Mendelssohn continues by quoting from Deuteronomy 4:29-31:

Let us watch the video clip that follows and allow God to speak to our inner beings, as we soon begin this Season of Lent:

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1 Spurgeon, Charles H. Morning and Evening. McLean, Virginia: MacDonald Publishing Co., Public Domain. p. 706.

—Posted: Monday, March 4, 2019

 

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The Tent Peg

The nation of Israel certainly knew about tent pegs. In their forty years of wandering the desert, and until the “permanent” temple in Jerusalem was built, they worshipped in a large tent or tabernacle.

In the Book of Exodus, we read that these tent pegs were crafted of bronze. They were mentioned throughout that Book and into the Book of Numbers. These tent pegs had a significant purpose in maintaining the stability of the tabernacle.

We all have our tent pegs. Our tent pegs consist of those things we have crafted, or more likely received as a gift of God’s grace, that help us feel stable in the unfolding of our daily lives.

As a child, I felt secure because I had loving Christian parents and large Christian extended family. I lived in the same house until I left for college. I went to the same church, to the same school, and so forth, all through those years.

As an adult, I may not think I rely so heavily anymore on “earthly” tent pegs, but I guess that I do. I get stability from my home, my husband, my family, my church, my friends, and more.

Furthermore, each of us has likely suffered loss of something we have relied upon as a “tent peg.” The circumstances of our lives have caused us to lose something or someone we held dear that provided stability in our lives.

Sometimes, as God did with the Israelites, He asks us to pull up our tent pegs because He has a new venture for us. We may be thrust into a new situation that feels so new and unstable to us. Yet, God wants to show us that He is the unchangeable tent peg of our lives on which we need to rely. He provides the rock-solid stability upon which we need to depend.

Though the Psalmist used somewhat different images, in Psalm 46:1-7 we read the same sentiment:

Whether you want to think of God as a refuge and a fortress in the storm when everything falls around you, or the stable tent peg that keeps the tent upright and stable, we do our best when we rely on Him, rather than on those earthly tent pegs of which we tend to expect too much.

—Posted: Monday, February 25, 2019

 

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“I’ll Be Okay!”

The three Hebrew men had determined to serve the Lord. They had trusted Him to act in their behalf according to His powerful will. The king had ordered everyone in the Persian kingdom to bow before the large golden image he had erected of himself. Those who disobeyed would be thrown into the fiery furnace. These three refused to bow to anyone or anything except to their God.

This story from ancient times reminds me of the trial-by-fire my younger sister went through. Five years ago, she received the staggering diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a rare cancer of the blood plasma cells. She certainly did not know if the long, painful process ahead would mean life or death for her. When she told her weeping grandchildren of the diagnosis, she comforted them with these words: “I’ll be okay. And, even if I’m not, I’ll be okay.”

Mixed with all the distressful and discouraging days she went through were also days of hope and seeming progress toward a restoration to full health. During all of the months of not knowing what would happen, she remained stalwart in her faith and never waivered from a solid trust in God that drove her to remark: “I’ll be okay.”

Time passed. The doctors harvested her stem cells, subjected her to horrific chemotherapy to kill all the cancer cells, and transplanted her harvested stem cells back into her body. For a short time, it appeared this therapy had worked. Then, the devastating news told her the cancer was back with a ferocity that startled everyone. As she lost her battle with cancer, she gained new strength to submit her life to the wisdom and care of her Heavenly Father. And soon, He welcomed her to her heavenly home.

Plenty of Christians have suffered loss and terrible life circumstances without losing their faith. Yet others, when life’s trials come, seem to lose their connection to the sure foundation we have in Christ Jesus our Lord. Some, finding themselves disappointed with God, create a new god and even re-frame the tenets of Christianity to transform the historic faith into one more of their liking.

In contrast to those who seemingly abandon their faith, when Christian businessman, Horatio G. Spafford, lost all four of his daughters in a sinking ship in the Atlantic Ocean, he wrote the words to a beloved gospel hymn, that begins with these words:¹

Casting all our cares and concerns on God allows Him to work His will powerfully in us, regardless of the earthly outcome of our circumstances. Whether God comes to the rescue, as He did for the Hebrew men, or chooses that which we fear most, as He did with my sister, may He always be praised! And, may we be comforted and given strong assurance that His will for us is always, always perfect beyond our ability to comprehend.

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1 Spafford, Horatio G. “It is Well with My Soul.” Public Domain.

—Posted: Monday, February 18, 2019

 

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Welcome

I know that plenty of children do not find their fathers approachable—especially when connecting with their dads means reporting on some bad news. Having borne the brunt of numerous angry, abusive responses, they shy away from intimate relationships with their fathers.

This phenomenon is not limited to childhood. Even approaching people with whom we work, or with whom we volunteer, or to whom we are related can bring the same kind of reticence. If the individuals we intend to approach have rebuffed us in the past, we may stew a bit before we try to connect with them.

I think of two Bible stories that clearly demonstrate this kind of fear:

Our God does not treat us in such a way that we need to fear coming to Him with our requests. A. W. Tozer writes:¹

When it comes to approaching God in our times of need, His welcome mat will always greet us. Yes, He welcomes us, just as He did in both Old Testament times and in New Testament times—as He welcomed the children in Mark 10:13-16. And, in various other passages of Scripture, just as He welcomed the beggars and sick.

We must never consider that we are interrupting God to come to Him. We must never consider that our needs are too small for Him to meet. Instead, we must accept His gracious welcome and know that He never changes.

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1 Tozer, A. W. The Knowledge of the Holy. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1961. p. 53.

—Posted: Monday, February 11, 2019

 

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I’m Late! I’m Late!

Nearly everyone recognizes the scene in the story from Lewis Carroll’s (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) delightful book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in which the White Rabbit, in a panic, races down the road and into the rabbit hole. Alice, in bewilderment follows him down the hole, and experiences all the adventures in Wonderland.

I must confess, I am rather like the White Rabbit. I hate to arrive late, and don’t like anything to get in my way when I’m heading for an appointment. We can probably all name a handful of people in our churches who would also fit that description. We also know which friends will almost always come late to a worship service, or a meeting.

While I believe that to make a habit of arriving late shows rude behavior, I need to also realize that insisting on getting somewhere on time, no matter what kind of interruption comes up, can show potential disobedience to the Holy Spirit. Let me illustrate this latter point using Jesus as an example.

One day Jesus was interrupted by a sickly woman as He hurried off to heal a little girl. (Luke 8:40-56). Instead of ignoring her, or brushing her aside, even telling her He’d come back to listen to her, He stopped, heard her plea and healed her.

Another day, Jesus and a crowd of followers left Jericho together on the way to Jerusalem. Jesus knew His days were numbered before the crucifixion as He headed out to Jerusalem. Some Scriptures say that He had set His face steadfastly toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). On the way, He encountered a blind, man Bartimaeus. Jesus stopped, cared for, and healed the man. (Mark 10:46-52.)

On still another occasion, when Jesus taught about loving our neighbors, He used the story of the Priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). This story serves as an illustration of Christian love, the kind that Jesus would want His disciples to possess. I presume each man in the story had something important for which he traveled this road. Perhaps each was concerned about safety for himself on this road known for its bandits.

Nevertheless, the busy Priest and Levite (God’s holy men) avoided the interruption presented by an injured man by walking on the other side of the road. Instead of helping, they purposely walked away from this wounded man, who hadn’t been fortunate enough to travel in safety. The Samaritan, however, went near and took the time to listen, tend to, and help the man in an extraordinary way. Jesus used him as an illustration as the one who pleased God.

The Lesson for me today: I must get out of my “zone” of the importance of arriving on time if it causes me to disregard anyone God might put in my way. This person, this interruption, may just be the most important thing I will do all day, or all week.

Please join me in this prayer:

—Posted: Monday, February 4, 2019

 

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Infinite

We humans get stuck on measurements. We describe our world that way. We compare and make sense of things with numbers. From the measuring rod and the scale or tape measure in the delivery room to our obsession with our weight and an obituary giving our age at death, we describe and understand ourselves by the numbers.

Yet, numbers alone do not apply to God. In fact, He simply cannot be measured. He is limitless in His being, in His power, in His understanding, and in His love.

I like the way that A. W. Tozer explains it: ¹

This understanding of our God, calls for worship of Him and a renewal of our faith. The One who has called us to Himself can capably care for us. He can see us, understand us, have compassion for us, and send help to us when we have no stores of our own.

We may be out of wine at a wedding. But, with Him in the room, we have all the resources we need to fulfill our responsibilities. (See the Parable in John 2:1-11.)

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1 Tozer, A. W. The Knowledge of the Holy. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1961. Pp. 45-46.

—Posted: Monday, January 28, 2019

 

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All Things Hold Together

God has gifted some people with the ability to put things together well and to even maintain them in proper working order. For me, things rarely work as I envision them. And, they certainly would not hold together through years of use and misuse.

Do you ever wonder how God keeps the runners’ legs from falling off in an Olympic race? Or, how He keeps a person’s heart from exploding when he or she gets overly excited? What about the way He can keep a child’s “feet on the ground” at Christmas time?

The Scripture verse above tells us that not only does God create everything, He also holds all things together!

I used to teach the song, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” at this time every year. I did so because history tells us that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. loved this particular spiritual. The song also certainly touches on the sovereign power of our God in holding everything in our world together.

Sometimes it feels like our personal “worlds” will surely blow apart. In response to such feelings, God speaks through the Psalmist Asaph in Psalm 75:3 and tells us:

Ahh! What an assurance that verse brings. We can likewise say:

We should say that sentence over and over until we realize that the Sovereign Lord holds us in His hands! Because He does so, we will not fall apart.

—Posted: Monday, January 21, 2019

 

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A Spoonful of Sugar

You have undoubtedly seen the Disney character, Mary Poppins, in the movie with that name, trying to get the Banks children to clean the messy nursery. She finally sings a song to them with the lyrics: “A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.”

An account records¹ that after a struggle to come up with a song for the movie, lyricist Robert Sherman went home one evening to find that his children had just taken the Sabin polio vaccine. In asking if it hurt, his son explained that he had felt no pain because the nurse had given him the vaccine on a tiny sugar cube. This gave Sherman the inspiration he needed for the lyrics to the now-famous song.

When they suffer various problems and afflictions in their lives, I truly believe that God devises all kinds of “sugar” for His children. Though our troubles cause us great pain and anguish, God still sends His grace to help us bear the suffering. Our God pours into us as much—or even more—mercy as He may pour into us His discipline.

When I read the Old Testament Book of Judges, it always amazes me. Over and over again, God gives Israel a judge with His Word for them to follow. Once the judge dies, they begin to increase their sin and things go awry again.

The author of the Book of Judges records the length of time the children of Israel have to deal with their disobedience Then, God calls another judge. Each time, I read the words, “So the land had peace for ?? years,” I take particular note that the years of peace always exceed the years that they suffered war and turmoil.²

As we look back over the years of our lives, and as we move forward into the future, we must search for the grace that God sends us during our trials. We then must write the instances of His grace down! This little exercise will encourage us to see that God really does care, that He walks with us, and that He has gifts beyond our imagination to help us through the pain.

The Puritan writer, Thomas Watson, says it this way:³

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1 Sherman, Robert. A Spoonful of Sugar Online Disney Wiki.

2 For example: Judges 3:11, 3:30, 5:31, 8:28

3 Watson, Thomas, as quoted in Rushing, Richard, editor. Voices. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009. p. 228.

—Posted: Monday, January 14, 2019

 

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Priorities

With what do you concern yourself the most? I can honestly say I spend most thought on those things that I can do nothing about except to pray. Jesus knew we tend to suffer most over things it would actually take a miracle of His grace to resolve.

In His Sermon of the Mount, Jesus used as His illustration the worries about food and clothing—something we would all commonly worry about if we didn’t have them. But, rather than telling His disciples to pray about those things, or giving them solutions to those potential problems, He tells us to put our minds first on His kingdom requirements and on the righteousness He expects of us.

Sometimes, in order to get our lives straightened around after a deeply embedded sin and its consequences, we think most about the consequences. Instead, Jesus turns this idea on its head and tells us to first take care of the sin problem. He is the very embodiment of righteousness. And, He has graciously made a way, through His death on the cross, to make us righteous, too. He speaks peace with the words, “I will take care of the other problems.”

Do we put His Kingdom first? Are we anxious about living righteously in our New Year? In each new day? At the beginning of a new venture? When we are faced with troubles?

I was interested to see that in James 5:13-16, where the Apostle teaches us about praying for a sick member of a congregation, he admonishes those praying to confess their sins one to another. Would we consider that important when a man’s or woman’s life hangs in the balance? Certainly God does.

As we begin another new year, whatever worries we may have, if we start by first dedicating ourselves to His kingdom work and His righteous requirements for our lives, we can remain assured that God has the power to act in our behalf. I love the way that Charles Spurgeon addresses this verse:¹

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1 Spurgeon, Charles H. Faith’s Checkbook. Chicago: Moody Press, 1980. p. 150.

—Posted: Monday, January 7, 2019