Devotions

I have a special love for hawks. Years ago, I was on a worship walk and saw a hawk making “lazy circles in the sky.” It was during a tough time in my life and as I watched that hawk circling overhead, I heard God speak His love into my soul. Ever since then when I see a hawk circling in the sky, I remember God’s love and I thank him for His loving care.

Wednesday, July 25, I had labs and other tests done in anticipation for my July surgery. A few of them came back stamped “abnormal.” I won’t know until tomorrow’s per-operative appointment how or if those “abnormals” will affect me going forward. I just know that seeing that made me a little nervous.

The next day, Thursday, July 26, following prayer at church, I headed to St. Luke’s to pick up two prescriptions. On the trip over there and home I spotted six different hawks circling in the sky. By the time I spotted the last one, I was laughing and thanked God – “Thank you, LORD, I get it – You do love me. I don’t have to worry any more about the ‘abnormals.’”

Then I heard God speak Nahum 1:7 into my soul: “The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.” [NLT]

The world is ripe with “abnormals.” They assault our peace whenever they get the chance. But thankfully we serve a LORD who is good, a LORD who is a strong refuge when those “abnormals” come. He draws close to us. And the hawks – the birds of the air – remind us of His faithful love.

Despite all the advancements of our modern era, people are still the same. We may claim to be more sophisticated or advanced or civilized, but we haven’t really changed. We share most of the same attitudes as our ancestors. We handle things very much the same way.

I was reading in Isaiah this week and got to chapter 39 about King Hezekiah. Hezekiah did some things well and other things not so well. When Sennacherib, King of Assyria came against Hezekiah and the nation of Israel, Hezekiah turned to God and God delivered them.

But when Merodach-Baladan, King of Babylon, sent Hezekiah a gift through envoys, Hezekiah got puffed up in pride and showed off everything he had. So, God sent Isaiah to Him with a word that the time was coming when everything – all the glory of Israel – even some of Hezekiah’s very own descendants – would be carried off to Babylon.

It’s Hezekiah’s response that always reminds me of us … “’The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,’ Hezekiah replied. For he thought, ‘There will be peace and security in my lifetime.’”  [39:8]

Ah, at least everything will be good for me … people who come after me can deal with the rest of it!  Isn’t that us, today? Greed influences some corporations to do long-term damage to the environment. We drive governments into debt that our children will struggle to repay. We pollute, we destroy, we “advance” without thinking of long-term consequences or even if we should!

We are very good at passing off the consequences of our actions to the next generation. At least, “there will be peace and security in my lifetime.”  God forgive us.

Love. Mercy. Grace. Truth.

Love. God loves us. Oh, how we love the fact that God loves us!  We can’t get enough of God’s love, and that is as it should be.

Mercy. God is merciful to us in Christ Jesus, not giving us what our sins deserve – judgment – but giving us mercy.  We need God’s mercy!

Grace. We are recipients of God’s abundant grace – giving us what we don’t deserve, His divine attention, His peace, His indwelling Spirit.

Truth. Oh, Wait …. Truth isn’t always something we want to hear, nor follow. It often stands in opposition to what we want to pursue. It’s usually difficult. It’s even offensive. It divides. It’s … well … convicting. Just give us love, mercy, and grace, and keep quiet about truth.

But as Jesus told His disciples, it is the truth that sets us free. “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  [John 8:31-32]

Truth remains inviolate, whether we like it or not. It is not opinion, nor popularity, nor majority rule. Truth is truth, and it is God who determines what truth is. As for me, I agree with the Psalmist (even when it is difficult to do so): “I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.”  [Ps 119:30]

It is just like the LORD to bring a Scripture that I need exactly when I need it. I was a bit unsettled with everything going on in my life currently and as I opened my Verse of the Day, I found Psalm 91.

“The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty…. Because you have made the Lord—my refuge, the Most High—your dwelling place, no harm will come to you; no plague will come near your tent.” [Psalm 91:1, 9-10 HCSB]

I will be having surgery in July, and I have numerous things that must be done before that date. I have labs and peri-operative and pre-operative appointments, as well as things to set in place at home. I was running in overdrive trying to get a list together and make sure that I have everything covered for the six-month recovery period.

I felt a bit breathless … then Psalm 91 came into view. I immediately stopped, took a deep breath, and prayed. “Because” I have made the Most High God my Lord and Savior, I have a dwelling place. I have protection. I have a refuge.

So I crawled under the “Shadow of the Almighty” and relaxed. He’s got this. He’s got me. God is good and I have nothing (no harm, no plague) that can touch me. Amen and Amen.

“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”  Abraham Lincoln said that when questioned about whether God was on the side of the North in the Civil War. They are words we should really re-consider in our day and age. So many people claim God is on their side, but I wonder if they could make the claim that they are on God’s side? (I also wonder if God would agree with their claim that they are on His side!)

God has only one agenda – His Kingdom Agenda. Jesus told us we were to pray about God’s Kingdom agenda. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” [Matt 6:9-10]

To be on God’s side means we live to see God’s glory and His Kingdom reign in this world, just as it reigns it heaven. To know God’s Kingdom agenda means you must know God’s Word. Whether you like what is in it or not, is not the point. It’s His Kingdom, His Agenda, and He sets the rules.

Remember Paul’s warning? “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” [Colossians 2:8]

Beloved, we need to get on board with God’s Kingdom Agenda. We must not allow hollow, deceptive philosophy and human tradition to infiltrate the church. Let’s make sure we are on God’s side.

A couple times a week I receive a poll question in my email. Usually the sender wants me to answer either “yes” or “no” to their questions. Most times the questions are far weightier than a yes or no response.

Yes or no questions are usually the least valuable to elicit a meaningful response. Counselling courses teach how to ask other than yes or no questions. It’s not easy, but it is certainly a good technique if we want good answers. And to get a good answer, you must ask a good question.

THE most important question ever asked was recorded in three of the Gospels. “But what about you?” [Jesus] asked. “Who do you say I am?”  [Matt 16:15, Mark 8:29, Luke 9:20]

It’s the most important question asked because how you answer that question will determine where you spend your eternity. Who do you say Jesus is? A good teacher? An example to follow?

Unfortunately, in our modern church, some are tossing out the parts of “Jesus” that they don’t like. They are dissecting Him and taking out only the fragments that fit their own programs. Some have tossed out His virgin birth; others His Resurrection and Ascension. Some embrace all His words about “love” but omit His warnings of judgment and hell for those who don’t repent of their sin.

Jesus, however, asked a good question and the only good answer – the only answer that will allow you to abide with Him forever – was given by Simon Peter. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” [Matt 16:16]

To answer that way means we accept all of Jesus, all He is, all He claimed to be, all He said.

As I have aged, I’ve discovered some things are getting harder to do and I need to find alternatives. For example, lids on jars are now opened with a tool rather. Small print needs a magnifying glass. Ripping open packaging requires a scissor. Threading a needle requires a needle threader and a magnifying glass.

I’ve also discovered that some things aren’t even possible to do anymore. Every Sunday I lament that I have lost my ability to jump. Now at 78 jumping is not something I can do even though I would so love to jump during song service, especially when I see Pastor Paco and others jumping as they worship.

So, I’ve learned to compensate by finding alternatives for the “harder” things, and I’m waiting until I get that glorified body to “jump” when the heavenly choirs start singing.

While I am waiting, it is comforting and reassuring that our God has no such limitations. Nothing is too difficult or impossible for Him. “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” [Jeremiah 32:17]

We can look at the mess our world is in and bemoan that evil SEEMS all-powerful and nothing can be done to stem the tide. Or we can look at our Sovereign LORD, the Almighty One, and begin to intercede in power for righteousness and truth. Nothing is too hard for our God. 

We cannot let the world underestimate our SAVIOR and LORD. We must display His Almighty power in our everyday lives – no matter our age – even when we can no longer Jump!

The neighbors at the end of our block have three little girls and two dogs. They moved into a home where the previous owners planted four fruit trees outside the fence next to the sidewalk. The apple and pear have died, but the peach and cherry are still there.

As I walked past those trees recently, I noticed that the cherries are ripe. I wondered if the owners would pick them, and then I spotted the entire family with buckets in hand. The little girls and mom were having a great time picking cherries and filling their buckets while Dad and the dogs watched. I was glad that the fruit would not go to waste.

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew, Jesus reminds his listeners that “by their fruit you will recognize [prophets].” Then Jesus uttered a stark warning, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” [7:20-21]

Frankly, people who walk into a church and say “Lord, Lord” and walk out to live their lives as they please are much too common. They profess Christ as LORD with their mouths but rarely obey His word. It doesn’t cost anything to be a “professing” Christian.

It costs everything, however, to be a “true” Christian who not only says, “Lord, Lord” but also “does the will of the Father in heaven.”  We do a great disservice to people by allowing them to think that Christianity can be acquired by mere words. In truth, it is a life totally given over to pleasing God. It costs everything.

I had a cousin, Tommy, on my father’s side of the family. He was a few years older than I. Tommy’s mother contracted Rubella when she was in her first trimester and Tommy was born mentally challenged. It was before there were schools available, so Tommy spent most of his time in his room with his record player.  We visited them in Cleveland, Ohio, when I was nine years old.

 Tommy loved to play his records. The problem was, he’d get stuck on one song and would play it repeatedly. That weekend Tommy was stuck on “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford.  To this day whenever I hear it, I think of Tommy.

 Yesterday as I walked, I began singing “Amazing Grace.” As it always does, it touches my soul, and I spent most of my walk thinking about God’s amazing grace. I thought “when I get back home, I’ll sit and write about God’s amazing grace. It always just amazes me so!”

 Then I thought, “good grief girl, if you write about amazing grace again, they are going to think you are a broken record.” Then I started to laugh and thought that I am not so much different from Tommy – I could listen to “Amazing Grace,” and write about amazing grace all day long! 

 I don’t want you to think I am a broken record, however, so I won’t talk about how God’s grace is so amazing. I won’t remind you that we are justified freely by God’s grace through Jesus Christ no matter your past. I won’t even remind you how God is able to make all His grace abound to you.  I won’t write that it by God’s grace you are strengthened. I won’t even speak of the incomparable riches of grace that will be ours for all eternity.  Nope, won’t talk about any of that. Don’t want you to think I’m a broken record!

I turned to Philippians 4 in the NLT and the first verse captured my attention. “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters stay true to the Lord.” [Philippians 4:1 NLT]

What does it mean to stay true? I looked that up and I got one of those AI answers: “To stay true to something means behaving according to your beliefs and doing what you think is right. It can also mean being consistent with fact or reality. In the context of a relationship, it means being loyal or faithful to someone. Shakespeare famously wrote, ‘This above all, to thine own self be true.’”

I decided to look at Philippians 4:1 in other translations. “…my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved,” and “In this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.” [NKJV HCSB]

Stand fast in the LORD. Stand firm in the LORD. Stay true to the LORD.

The world thinks we should be true to ‘self,’ but my ‘self’ is a rebel and traitor. It is always trying to lure me away from God – not towards Him. It is only by holding firm and fast to my LORD and Savior that I can stay true to the Holy and Good God.

Oh, LORD, by the power of your Spirit of Truth, enable me to stay true to You always. Amen.