Category Archives: Devotions

Devotions

Dark and light

Romans 6:22-23 “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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In my darkest times, the smallest light becomes the most noticeable. I acknowledge life can be tough.  Aches and pains, financial distress, strained relationships, and a pandemic, all seem to darken our lives.  In the darkest of places, it is simply easier to huddle away from the cold of worldly reality, close my eyes, and just give up.  Yet, God is still there shining in the darkness. God loves me in the middle of my darkest nights. He is the still small candle that brightens with each looming cloud. He will give me a path to follow.  He will give me a solution to my problems.  He gives me relief from my darkness. God never disappoints those who place trust in Him.

My prayer:

Lord, at this moment I open my eyes to see the light that is revealed to me. Teach me again of your gifts to me of light, justice, and life. 

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Assurance, Devotions, Motivation

Assurance blossoms in repeated conflict

Ezekiel 36:25-28 “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will be my people, and I will be your God.

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Assurance blossoms in repeated conflict.  The discouragement is caused by losing sight of the promise of God. Stand up, repeat the words of faith. The Lord’s power and goodness are not diminished by your conflict.  When we are torn apart, God still lives.  When we are discouraged, God still loves us.  When we are in danger, God still reaches out. When evil stands in the door, God still is your protector.  When discouragement haunts you, God is there to remind you of his very presence. God is beyond appearances.  You will be my people, and I will be your God.

Church, Culture, Devotions, Life, Ramblings

Peculiar

Isaiah 25:9 “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

I am peculiar.  I act peculiar.  I have a belief that is peculiar.  I have a faith that is peculiar.  I am so peculiar that I believe God caused a virgin to give birth.  I am so peculiar that I believe in walking on water, healing the sick, raising the dead, and a man being God simultaneously.  I am so peculiar that I believe that the same man who was beaten, spit upon, and died on a cross was raised on the third day.  I am so peculiar to believe that this same man now sits on the throne of the universe. I invite you to join me in my peculiarity!

Answers to questions, Devotions, Preaching

Quit Asking!

And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” – Luke 1:18-20

“How am I to know I am saved?”  “How shall I know this?” That hidden and nagging doubt of forgiveness has touched us all.  We want some evidence.  Some sort of brand on our arm as a seal of becoming part of the grand Holy club. The Angel Gabriel came down and told Zachariah he should have a son, the old and shriveled man wanted a further token than the angel’s word.  “How shall I really know?: The answer, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of the Lord.” “I know all about that, but I need something more, a token, another sign.  Gabriel said, “You shall have a token: you shall be dumb till your son shall be given you.” I must quit asking for more evidence and be assured of God’s word.

Bible Study, Devotions, Life, Motivation

Acceptance and Love

Mark 2:14 “As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.”

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Why call a hated, despised tax collector to be a disciple?  Why call odoriferous, gross, and rough fishermen?  Why call a young man out of a tree?  Why take a chance on a zealous Roman hater to join the merry men?  Why select a man that was from the beginning unwilling to acknowledge Jesus? It would have made much more sense to reach out to the religious, to the highly born, to the Roman aristocracy. Jesus chose who he did just because they were unloved. They were neglected and marginalized. And to their surprise, the previously unloved found a place of acceptance and love.  To be loved when you know you are unlovely.  I am loved today.  I will praise God all day for that acceptance and love.

Bible Study, Devotions

Rain drops falling on my head.

John 14:26-27 “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

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Everywhere I look, there is everything but peace. Wars, pandemics, political infighting, the declining health of those I love, all wanting to steal my inner tranquility. Like B. J. Thomas sang, “The rain keeps falling on my head, And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed, nothing seems to fit,” Life doesn’t conform to my standards.  Yet there is still a feeling of peace in my soul.  Praise God!  My sins are forgiven.  I have declared to be at peace with God.  God is at peace with me. Today I will experience the peace that is simply incomprehensible. I trust in a God that loves, cares, draws, forgives, restores, destroys fear, and limits trouble within my heart.

I live with peace within myself, I live in peace with one another, I live at peace with God.

Answers to questions, Devotions, Theology

The question.

Matthew 21:23 When He had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”

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It is a question that has been asked for two thousand years.  By what authority did Jesus do all that He did? Was Jesus more than a teacher, a magician, or a charismatic leader? Is my belief from God or is it just religion?  The question asked of Jesus was more than innocent questions by religious leaders.  These were questions directed to the center of my belief in God.  Religious leaders ask.  Elders ask. Leaders ask.  You may well ask. The source of their asking was unbelief.  Any authority would diminish their self-conceived importance. Any acknowledgment of the authority of Jesus diminishes their claims.  

But the asking is not wrong. The effort to accept God’s authority over all others starts with asking.  Let us not let unbelief and the opinions of others be our authority.  It is quite acceptable to ask if you accept the answer that Jesus is Lord.

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Devotions, Life

Intention without focus

Matthew 21:12-13 “And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.  And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves””

Our intent is often lost in the bustle of the usual.  The temple was designed by God to be a place for all to find a place to pray, a place to be forgiven, a place to connect with God.  Yet, there was nothing but confusion.  Confusion from the intended purpose.  Doves, sheep, coins, barter, signs of business attracted the penitent away from their intended purpose. Jesus was not just overturning tables and whipping the merchants, he was overturning the entire religious establishment. The house of God must not be sold by the latest merchandise.  The church, the body of believers to which I belong must not be distracted by the trappings of life and focus on the reason for being there.  We come to worship a God of simplicity and purity.

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Devotions, Ramblings, Worship

Everlasting Love

Jeremiah 31:3 – The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

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The age of Jerimiah was a terrible time. The invasion was inevitable. It was a test of the whole land of the Hebrews.  It was a test of Jerimiah’s home in Judah. It was a test of Jerimiah’s tribe of Levi.  The greatest test was Jerimiah’s test.

All faith and belief are the solitary. I do not live in the times of Jerimiah, but there are still threats to my peace. How am I to find peace in a world that seems to be upside down.  I must find peace based upon something more than a hope of someday. “Hey God, are you up there?”, flashes across my soul. Even though I may not see God’s omnipotent hand reaching down and changing the world around me, I must acknowledge God in my past.  I praise God for all the mercies shown to me.  He has protected me and mine millions of times.  These past mercies are great and warm thoughts.  God gently whispers in my ear, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” In that assurance comes a quietness, a settled peace in the middle of the turmoil

Bible Study, Devotions, Sermon Illustration

1+1=2

Mark 12:42,43 “A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, ‘Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”

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Science is not a bad thing.  Being able to prove two plus two is a good understanding when you have to pay for something.  Yet when science tells me the cold clear water coming from a mountain stream which rushes down from the crest of a snowcapped mountain is equal to the tepid liquid coming out of my kitchen faucet, while true, is a little disappointing. In science, the granite gravel in my dad’s driveway is the same as the grand sheer face of Half Dome in Yosemite. There is no wonder in science.  There is no place for miracles. The mystery of the world hides behind the constant scientific explanation and presumption.  The very fabric of our seemingly poor, browbeat days are miracles.  Two small coins became a treasure; a miracle. Each miracle shines brightly, and sometimes we do not notice.