Devotions

There are days when I wake up and my body is so stiff it takes hours to loosen up – if it ever does. Then there is pain. The old joke that “I hurt in places I didn’t know I had places,” really is funny – but it is true, nonetheless.

I’m old. Not as old as some; older than others. When I express these things to my primary doctor or to my rheumatologist, they sympathize but you can see behind their sympathy they are thinking … “well, you are old, what do you expect.”

What do I expect? I guess I don’t really know. I know what I hope …

I hope that my “old” body can keep up with all I want to do in my remaining years.

I hope that pain does not have the final word.

I hope I can remain relevant.

I hope I can be an encouragement to others and not a burden to them.

I hope I can live each day in the resurrection of Christ Jesus – my Living Hope!

“In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” [1Peter 1:3-4 NIV]

Amen&Amen

Emotions often get a bad rap. Yet, Scripture is clear, in both OT and NT, that our God has emotions. Genesis 6:6 speak of God’s heart being “deeply troubled,” and Exodus 34:14 proclaims that the LORD is a “jealous God.”  The NT reveals that “Jesus wept,” at the tomb of Lazarus and that it is possible for us “grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” [John 11:35, Ephesians 4:30]

Emotions are not the problem … the problem resides in what we do with our emotions.

Too often we allow our emotions to lead us. Our soul is defined as our mind, will, and emotions – and they should remain in that order. Instead, we live in the opposite order … our emotions lead our mind and will instead of following. We spend too much time listening to them when we should be speaking truth to them.

In speaking truth to them we do not deny that they are real. But no matter how strong our emotions are, they are not to become our identity. We take our identify from what God has proclaimed – we live in His promises.

I am a child of God! I may experience anxiety, frustration, grief, anger – all types of emotions – but nothing changes the fact that I am NOW and will REMAIN a Child of God. I live in His security, His provision, His strength, His truth. Amen&Amen

PS: I wrote this to myself after experiencing a week where frustration, impatience, and discouragement reigned!

I woke up the other morning and heard the LORD whisper, “There is nothing between Me and thee.” I laughed knowing it must be the LORD since I don’t ‘speak’ King James English. His words warmed my heart.

Then the other morning I heard Him whisper, “Stop! I don’t need you to promote, I’ll send whom I desire.” Ah, that didn’t quite warm my heart the same way. Yet, it should have. His words that morning reset my path to His way instead of my own. The more I thought about it, the deeper His words penetrated and I recognized a habit I certainly did not want!

My mother had a difficult time with life and the older she got, the more difficult it became. She developed a habit of manipulating people; a habit that my brother and I never wanted to develop. We often joked with our kids that if you see us acting like Grandma, stop us!

My kids weren’t around to see what I was doing, but my LORD was and His “Stop!” did just that – stopped me in my tracks.

I didn’t have to joke with my LORD about stopping my bad habits – I have throughout my life prayed “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” [Psalm 51:10 NKJV]

  Sunday morning, He reminded me that He took my prayer seriously. Amen&Amen

Writing yesterday’s devotion about our Eternal King Jesus, I used a Scripture from Revelations 11:15. That scripture verse announced that this world is the Kingdom of our LORD and Savior, Christ Jesus. It proclaimed the truth that He will reign forever.

“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: ‘The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.’” [NLT]

We know how it all ends! Do you realize what that means?

Wars will cease. Discords will disappear. Fear, anxiety, confusion will be gone. We will no longer see our sons and daughters sent into battles at the whim of those in temporary authority over nations. Famine will not be an issue; our children will never go to bed hungry again.

Sickness, death, and the grave will be banished forever. Cancer will be conquered. Alzheimer’s will be forgotten. Our bodies will be made like unto our Savior’s glorious body. Hospitals, Cemeteries, Rehab centers will disintegrate and blow away with the wind.

We know how it all ends. Do you realize what that means?

We can view today’s events from the perspective of promise – that this world is under the rule of the King of Kings and LORD of Lords—never to be surrendered to another. Amen&Amen

Bob and I just finished filling out our absentee ballots for this mid-term election. I am sure that there will be more than a few incumbents across this nation that will give up their positions to another. National elections will happen in two years. We’ll see a new President and probably more than a few incumbents across this nation will also be giving up their positions to another. That is the way in a Constitutional Republic.

But that’s also true for a monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years + 214 days, from February 6, 1952, until her death on September 8, 2022, when her son assumed the throne. It’s even true for a dictatorship. Paul Biya of Cameroon has been in power since 1975, 41 years, and the day is coming when he, too, will relinquish his rule.

Whenever we get focused on just who wields power now (and worry about what they might or might not do), we need to remember that they are but a temporary dot on the expanse of time and eternity! The rulers of this world are continually replaced. We need to focus on the One who is truly reigning, always has reigned, and always will reign. We need to focus on the One who has ultimate power.

 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” [1Timothy 1:17 NIV]

“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: ‘The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.’” [Revelation 11:15 NLT]

Whatever these elections might hold, we serve the One True, Eternal, Immortal, Invisible God! Amen&Amen

Fifty-three years ago, I made the decision to surrender my life to Christ Jesus as Lord. I seldom think of it as a “decision,” but I do think of it as “surrender.” While the Scriptures do not use the phrase “surrender to Christ Jesus” in a single verse, there are many verses that describe what that act looks like.

Those verses command believers to deny themselves, take up the cross, submit to God, trust Him fully, and my favorite–present your lives as living sacrifices. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” [Romans 12:1 NKJV]

Christian surrender means we abdicate the control and use of our total self – spirit, soul, and body – to the LORD Christ Jesus. That means that surrender is …

…a DELIBERATE act. You don’t surrender accidentally to Christ’s rule; you intentionally choose it.

…a VOLUNTARY act. No one can force you to serve God – even God will not force you to serve Him. It must be a personal choice.

… a FINAL act and a CONTINUING act together. In the LORD’s eyes, it is a complete transaction. In our daily thoughts and actions, it is a continuing act turning increasingly more over to Him. That’s called sanctification (maturity).

I Surrender All! Help me, LORD, to Surrender All! Amen&Amen

I wrote last week (9/27) about a verse in Romans. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” [HCSB]

Since then, the first part of that verse has echoed through my mind. “Now may the God of hope fill you with …”

I know Paul prayed that the God of hope would fill us with joy and peace so that we might spill out hope over everyone and every situation that crosses our path, but as I thought more about it, I realized that prayer could (should?) be expanded.

“Now may the God of hope fill you with”  love, so that you might see others as Christ Jesus sees them…

“Now may the God of hope fill you with”  forgiveness, so that you might release any bitterness or resentment you have acquired…

“Now may the God of hope fill you with” grace, so that you might be conformed to God’s heart!

And we could go on … there is so much more(!) … mercy, compassion, comfort, strength, knowledge…. What do you need most today? The God of Hope is more than ready to fill you!

Amen&Amen

We have probably all heard the term, “The Dark Ages.” We may have even studied it in history. There is some debate about the exact time frame and the exact meaning or who even coined the phrase.

Today I hear a lot about our world getting darker than ever before. “They” say it as if darkness is something new. I beg to differ. This world has been dark for generations, ever since the first generation caved to the temptation of the enemy in the Garden and doubted God and His Word. Sin and death entered, and the world became a hostile, dark, ugly realm.

We know it was so dark in the days of Noah that God even regretted creating mankind.

It was dark in the days of Moses when Pharoah oppressed the people of God with slavery and heavy burdens.

It was dark in the days of Jeremiah when God’s people were so occupied with idols that He had to send them into captivity to get their attention.

It was dark in the 400 years after Malachi prophesied leading up to the birth of Jesus recorded in the Gospels.

THEN CHRIST CAME, and light entered those who placed their trust in Him. But still, the unbelieving world was dark. And as Paul told Timothy in his second letter, perilous times will come in the last days. [2 Timothy 3]

Darkness still exists in this world, and will until Christ Jesus, the Light of the World, comes and banishes sin and death into eternal oblivion. The Dark Ages began in the Garden, but their reign is coming to an end. Christ Jesus, the KING of Kings and LORD of Lords defeated them at the cross and will abolish them eternally when this world’s kingdom becomes the Kingdom of our God and King. [Revelation 12:10]

Our Father …Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Amen&Amen

I’m reading through a devotion from Charles Stanley this year (“Trusting God with Today”). At the end of one day’s meditation, Stanley wrote, “So, trust Jesus to teach you in the way you learn best.”

My immediate reaction was “Oh No! I must be one hard-headed, obstinate kid!”

Looking back on my walk over the last 53 years, I can see that the lessons the LORD used were often not easy ones. Apparently, I only learn the hard way.

But Praise my LORD, I am trusting that I did learn (most of the time). I so want to be conformed to the image of my Beautiful Savior. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.” [Romans 8:29 NKJV]

I am also trusting that I am still learning. I want to look like Him in His compassion for others, in His love, in His grace and mercy. I want to sense His Presence with me each day. I want Him to rid me of self-centeredness, arrogance, and anything that displeases Him.

So, I will continue to trust Jesus to teach me in the way I learn best! Even if they could be hard lessons. Amen&Amen

“The Shadow,” which originated under the title “Detective Story” was one of the most popular radio shows in history. The show aired in 1930 and ran until 1954. It opened with the line “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!“ It immediately captivated listeners.

“The Shadow” may think it knows “what evil lurks in the heart of men,” (and that may have scared some people), but the truth is that God alone knows “what evil lurks in the heart of men,” (and that should put “The Fear of the LORD” in all of us!)

Jesus reminded the Pharisees in Luke 16:14-15 that God knows hearts. “The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and scoffing at Him. And He told them: ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God’s sight.’”

Jesus had been teaching about the dangers in the love of money through the Parable of the Dishonest Manager (vs 1-13). The Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day were “scoffing at Him.”  The word for “scoffing” is ekmuktérizó and it is a rather disgusting word. It means “to blow the nose,” to sneer, scoff, scornfully reject, like expelling mucus out of the nose. In our vernacular it would be to “blow someone off.”

People read us from the outside. The Pharisees were counting on that. They were reveling in their reputation as strict adherers to the law and men’s rules. They counted on being admired by people. God, however, reads the inside. It is not about our reputation; it is about the purity of our hearts. And that should keep us striving to please Him! Amen&Amen