Devotions

Nothing I hate worse than a run of 100 degree days. I get grumpy! To beat the heat in a house with an aging air conditioner, I leave the blackout curtains closed to reduce the sun exposure. I love light so that adds to my grumpiness. It seems like the heat saps the joy out of my soul. I can hardly wait for the dogdays of summer to expire!

So, of course, where did I end up today? In Psalm 19, one of my favorite psalms. David takes us to creation and shows how God speaks to everyone every day across this world. Then David turns his attention to the way God speaks to us in Scripture. Finally, he turns his attention to our hearts and applies the revelation of God to them. It is the final verse of this song that made me think about my lack of joy.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” [Psalm 19:14 NLT]

If there is a prayer that should be on my lips each day, it is this one. It reminds me that it is the meditation I allow in my heart that will affect all the words that flow from my mouth (or my keyboard!) It urges me to affirm that those meditations are pleasing to my LORD, my Rock/Strength, my Redeemer.

That word “meditate” carries the image of a musician plucking the strings of a harp. In other words, meditation is the music of the soul. 

My music has been a bit offkey in this weather and needs to change its tune! What song is your soul singing this morning?

I was reminded at a recent Bible Study about the need to forgive others. No one gets through this life untouched by hurts. We get hurt in churches, in our families, at work, in politics, and a host of other places. The people we loved often hurt us, as well as the people we expect to understand us, but who do not do so.

We can carry these hurts throughout our life. They can influence all our relationships. They often destroy our ability to trust.

There are many Scriptures about forgiveness in our Bibles. The first thing you might notice is that forgiveness is both a gift (from God) and a command. God calls us to forgive because He first forgave us. [Matthew 6:14-15]

Holding grudges against another because of a hurt will forever bind us to that person. Bitterness will rise in us. Holding onto hurts will harm our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. But forgiving others releases the power to heal our hearts and relationships. It can transform our lives.

Forgiveness is not just words, it is a choice to let go of our anger, resentment, and bitterness over the hurts we experience.

Colossians 3:13: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

In addition to Peter reminding us in 2Peter 1:10 to make our calling sure, Paul also had something to say about our calling. He wrote in his letter to the Ephesians, “I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.” [4:1 NLT]

Ever think about that word “called.” The word used by both Peter and Paul is the Greek word, klesis (klay’-sis). It means an invitation.

I get a lot of invitations. I only need to open my email or go to my mailbox each day to read multitudes of invitations. I am invited to seminars for hearing aids, to get my carpets cleaned, or my windows replaced. I’m invited to purchase cars, groceries, clothes, and furniture. I’m also invited to book sales, grand openings, and to meet the candidates. Lots of invitations, most of which will cost me something should I accept.

Peter and Paul remind us that God has also extended to us an invitation, an invitation to become part of His family. Peter says we are to make sure we accept God’s invitation, and Paul follows with the command to make sure we always live our life worthy of God’s invitation.

How do we make sure we live worthy? To get a good start Paul provides the answer in the following verses. “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.” [vs 2-3 NLT]

Father, may we always strive to live worthy of Your invitation. Amen&Amen

Lately as I deal with so many little aches and pains, I remind myself “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff,” usually with the tagline, “And it’s all small stuff.” I try to practice that with one exception—that little word “all.” I think I should substitute the word “mostly.”

It’s mostly small stuff that we fuss over. Things like traffic, lines in stores, computers that don’t work (ugh!), dogs that bark in the middle of the night while we are trying to sleep. Yep, it’s mostly small stuff that riles us.

The Apostle Peter, however, opens his second letter with a great reminder that some things aren’t “small stuff.”

“So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” [2 Peter 1:10-11 NLT]

We are to work hard to make our calling and election sure. Doing that will enable us to stand during the rough places of life and guarantee that we will receive a “grand entrance” into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. On the other hand, not doing that will guarantee a far different “entrance” and eternal dwelling.

Making our calling and election sure is NOT small stuff … it is the biggest “stuff” of all to take care of in this life. But we don’t have to “sweat” it … Jesus already did the work; we just need to make sure we’ve done our part by submitting our lives unto Him.  Amen&Amen

I love the word “gumption,” but it is a word rapidly disappearing from our language. Gumption has been around since the early 1700s in British and Scottish dialects. In the beginning it referred to common sense (which is also rapidly disappearing), but when Americans got ahold of the word they took it in a new direction. Now it refers to the kind of courage or get-up-and-go that makes undertaking difficult things possible.

I remember my friend, Nella, who has gone on to be with the LORD. As she aged, Nella a tall woman, became severely stooped. Whenever she saw me, she would laugh, pat my cheeks, and say, “Sweetie, growing old ain’t for sissies.”

No, it isn’t, but to be brutally honest, “life ain’t for sissies.” Life often takes gumption, the kind of courage or get-up-and-go that makes undertaking difficult things possible. Unfortunately, when we are at our lowest, when we need the most gumption is often when we have the least. Where do we find the gumption then?

Paul found his gumption in grace. “Each time [God] said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  [2 Cor 12:9-10 NLT]

Beloved, when life gets tough, and it will get tough, God’s grace will infuse us with gumption so that we have the courage – the get-up-and-go grace that’s needed to undertake and succeed amid the greatest difficulties. Amen&Amen

How marvelous it was to wake up last Friday to the first promise that I realized was mine! The first thing I read as I climbed out of bed was my daily verse …

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” [Philippians 1:6 NLT]

I have often recounted in my testimony, in my preaching, in these daily devotions, that the first promise the Holy Spirit led me to in the Scriptures – the first promise that I then memorized – was Philippians 1:6.

Throughout the decades since I was first saved, I have often gone back to this beginning. When things were difficult, or I wondered where God was in all that was going on around me, I remembered that no matter what it might look like from my perspective, God is faithful and is continuing His work in me (and in you)!

I remembered, “He started it and He will finish it!”

I remembered, “I am not finished now, but I will be!”

I remembered, “I am certain that God will …”

I remembered, “Christ Jesus is returning!”

This is our “beginning promise” and we can be certain it is our “ending promise!”

Amen & Amen

Luke 12:35-35: “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks.” [NLT]

Two Kings, Saul and David, give us examples of how to wait and how not to wait.

Saul wasn’t very good at waiting.1Samuel 13 tells the story of Saul’s battles against the Philistines. Samuel, prophet and priest, had told the king to wait for him. Saul did not. Instead, he usurped the duties of the priest and offered sacrifices. As soon as he did that, Samuel arrived, and Saul made excuses (aren’t we so good at rationalizations and excuses!). Samuel then delivered God’s message to King Saul … his kingdom would be taken from him and given to another … given to a man after God’s own heart.

David on the other hand was usually good at waiting on God. I love the incident in 1Chronicles 14:13-17. David already had victories over the Philistines, but they were attacking again. Rather than just assume he knew what God wanted, David asked for God’s plan and the Lord gave it to him. He was to wait until he heard movement in the tops of the mulberry (or balsam) trees, and only then was he to move out in battle.  David followed God’s plan and waited. And God gave him the victory and made all the nations fear him.

Waiting is hard. The very definition of the word “wait” implies a passage of time, and heaven knows we humans are not patient waiters. We are prone to take matters into our own hands, as King Saul did. When tempted to do that, we should remember that Saul lost everything by not waiting.

The Scriptures are full of exhortations to “wait on the Lord.” The Scriptures are also full of promises that come to those who wait on the Lord. Amen&Amen

Decades ago when our children were young, Bob and I hosted seven men who had come to Sacramento for Bible training. They were from Canada, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Indonesia, and two from the USA. One spoke very little English. One did not bathe regularly, as that was “unmanly” in his culture. A couple had no idea what was being served to them at mealtime since they had nothing like that in their own country.

All loved the Lord, however, and were enthusiastic about serving God. They danced and sang with our children in the evenings. It was a great experience for them and for us.

I was reminded of the young man from Nigeria today, John Okoriko, as I read an article that reported more Christians are killed in Nigeria than anywhere else. As I was reading, I wondered about John and about all our young men. Are they still alive, are they still serving the Lord? What happened to them when they returned to their native lands.

At times we only have a short while to make an impact on people for the Lord. We scatter our seed; we water the seeds already scattered. We may or may not see the harvest. That does not negate the command to scatter our seed to everyone in courageous humility. We invested a few weeks into seven young men. They took our love and God’s love back to their homelands. I pray they were able to reap a harvest there.

Mark 4:3-20: “Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Then [Jesus] said, ‘Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.’” [vs 8-9 NLT]

I am a greeter at church this morning, which requires a lot of standing. One of the hardest things for me to do physically is to stand for any length of time. It is much easier to walk.

One of the hardest things to do spiritually is also to stand. Standing in the face of fear, or opposition, or difficulties is challenging. Standing when the winds of circumstances are blowing against you is downright tough.

Yet, standing is what we must do  – standing firm in the face of false accusations, in time of trials and personal attacks. I was listening (again) to Rick Rigsby’s famous commencement speech the other day, “Lessons from a third-grade dropout.” I was reminded of the fortitude it takes to simply stand as he recounted the last words of advice his father gave him. As they stood at the casket of Rigsby’s beloved wife, his dad said to him, “Son, just stand.”  Meaning “don’t ever give up.”

That’s what Paul is saying to us in Ephesians 6:10-18 … son, daughter, just stand – don’t ever give up. Put on the full armor that God supplies and stand against the devil’s schemes aimed at you. Just stand!

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”  [Ephesians 6:10-11 NIV]

Take a minute and read Ephesians 6:10-18. Be the person God has called you to be no matter what comes against you! Just Stand!

This is a tough world. I know that there are joys, love, and goodness also. I see it in my God, in my family, my church family, and even in the acts of strangers. But weaving through those things I also find difficulties, injustices, unfairness, and evil.

I remember people telling me as a new Christian that if the enemy of our soul isn’t actively working against me it is because I am not actively working against him! In other words, if I am an ineffective Christian, content to just coast along, there will be no reason to attack. But if I am making inroads into the realm of darkness, I should be prepared for the enemy to notice and do everything to stop me.

I think the enemy cares little if we go to church and listen to music and messages. Certainly, he’ll throw a few stumbling blocks in our paths, but nothing too aggressive. But when we pray, that’s a different story. When we approach the throne of God with the confidence that God will hear and will respond, and that we will hear what God tells us (and be obedient to His command), then the attacks get a little more intense. Prayer really shakes up the devil and his minions.

We must remember when this happens that we aren’t fighting people, which can be a channel through which attacks come. “We are fighting powers we can’t see, spiritual powers in heavenly realms! For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” [Ephesians 6:12-13 NIV]

Beloved, keep up the good fight! If attacks are coming your way, and they are not of your own making (smile!), then you must be making inroads into the realm of darkness for the Kingdom of our Lord and King. [1Timothy 6:1]