Devotions

Ah, the “Saga of the Sink” is writing a new chapter this morning. They are beginning the process of building it back up. It only took them four hours to tear it all apart, rip up floor, remove cabinets, etc. Four hours that left us with a big hole in the cabinet, a laundry tub for a sink, and exposed sub-floor. We’ve been living like that for six weeks.  But today, TODAY, they are starting the re-build.

Unfortunately, it will take a lot longer than four hours. It will take multiple days across a couple weeks as they bring in different sub-contractors to do the different work needed.  In the end, however, we will have a kitchen that is much better than the original.

Funny how tearing down is a lot faster, cheaper and easier than building up. It doesn’t take much to tear down, rip apart, and leave destruction in the wake.  Our society is proof of that.  We seem to be geared to it. If someone attempts to raise their head above the crowd, someone else is waiting in the wings to take them apart.

Paul told the church at Thessalonica that they were to, “encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”   Paul even gave them a “therefore.”  They were “therefore” to encourage and build up others because “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.”  [1 Thess 5:9-11 NIV]

Life is rough and often unfair. Society is moving away from compassion and kindness. Hopelessness is becoming the norm for so many. Opioid use is epidemic. Bullying, suicide, violence commonplace.

Church, we must become a bastion of encouragement. We must always seek to build others up. There are more than enough ready to tear down.

It’s a beautiful day. My kitchen is still torn apart. Our finances are tight. We haven’t had a real vacation in three years since we toured the Grand Canyon area. We probably won’t see our grandsons from California until fall and our oldest grandson is moving from Idaho to Western Oregon in July. Summer is coming and with it the hot weather that I really don’t like. And it’s still a beautiful day.

As I look and listen to what is around me, I realize that today God is calling me to focus on the small delights that so often are ignored. The sunshine after so many cloudy days. The sounds of the birds outside my window. And perhaps most of all, His still small voice.

Last Sunday as we prayed for people in church it became obvious that the enemy of our soul was reminding people of all the things that were wrong and using that reminder to make people think that God didn’t care about them and had abandoned them to their circumstances. The noise of life’s difficulties can often drown out the voice of God.

God adamantly refuted the enemy’s message during prayer time by reminding us that He cares for us. He reminded us how much we are worth to Him.

Remember, our worth is determined by what someone is willing to pay for us—and God was willing to pay the very life of His Son for our redemption. If He is willing to pay that, why would He abandon us now?  “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”  [1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV]

Yes, God is speaking His love and it’s a beautiful day!

I was scrolling through my email inbox and spotted this. “STOP EVERYTHING! something HUGE is coming!”

I started to laugh! Of course, it was an announcement of a semi-annual sale by a company who wants something from me – my money. Still, maybe it is more than that. Maybe it is God’s way of reminding me this early morning that something HUGE really is coming. And it won’t cost me money, but it will cost me everything.

It will cost my worship, prayer, sacrifice, and giving. Oh, and one other thing, my obedience, my complete obedience.

Obedience opens the door to power. Obedience opens the door to God’s presence. Obedience will open the door to Revival!  Remember what God told King Saul through the prophet Samuel in 1 Kings 15? “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to His voice?”

Read 1 Kings 15 today. Read how King Saul did almost everything God told him. He obediently destroyed all the people but disobediently kept their king alive. He obediently destroyed all the worthless animals but disobediently kept the good ones. Then he made excuses for his partial obedience. God would have none of it.

Our obedience must be complete obedience. What does any of it matter if we don’t obey God?

I got together last Thursday with a couple pastors from Middleton to pray. We spent a few minutes just talking and the subject at one point turned to Revival. I related what the evangelist had told us on Pentecost Sunday. I even told them how I wrestled with the heaviness of the first message, that God would honor “Pastor Terry’s desire” for His Presence and bless all those with that same desire.  Then I conveyed the second part of the message – the part that I had to reconcile – that Revival would be different than I expected.  It was in the telling that I found my peace.

The night before, I had wrestled with God over my expectations of what Revival would look like. I heard God ask me if I would still love Him if He brought it through a different church. The Way is probably the smallest church in Middleton, in both population and building size. And we all know the rap against small churches – that we must not be doing something right or we would be growing. My expectation of what Revival would look like definitely centered at The Way.  So, could I rejoice if it came through another church after all the praying we’ve done? At the end of prayer on Wednesday I had not yet settled that question in my spirit.

But Thursday afternoon, as I sat with these precious pastors I could feel the same yearning in their spirits – they, too, want to see the Lord’s Presence in their churches, they want to see their people alive in Christ, they want healing and harvest. I knew I could rejoice with them if Revival came through them. The minute I resolved that in my spirit, I knew what the evangelist meant when he said that Revival would be different than we expect. It’s going to come to all of us in this little town!  Instead of through one church, each church that is praying for life will get it. Each pastor seeking the Presence of the Lord will receive.

There will be no jealousy or envy, we will rejoice together. It will matter not our denomination nor theological alignment. We will see the One who will unify us all, Jesus our Lord and Master, and when He comes, walls are going to come down!  The last great spiritual awakening in our land will not be denominationally led or owned, it will be led by pastors who have grown hungry in the dry and lean years and who are now crying out together for the rain.

The evangelist that brought a message to us on Pentecost Sunday said two things, that God would honor the desire for His Presence, and that Revival would come but would be different than we expected. As I wrote yesterday, I wrestled with the first part of that message for a good week, but finally gained a peace. I hardly thought about the second part of the message, mainly because I never fully outlined my expectations of what Revival would look like.

That changed Wednesday evening. I was the only one at prayer. All alone I felt led to not even turn on the worship CDs but to just walk around the church and listen and pray about what I heard God speak. To say I was stunned would be an understatement. The second part of the evangelist’s message came to me – that revival would come but be different than what I expected. I realized in that moment I do have an expectation about Revival – one only – that it would through our church. I heard God ask me, “will you still love and serve me if it comes to a different church in your city?”

I began to wrestle and weep. I knew I would still love God and serve Him, no matter what. But would I be able to rejoice and be glad that Revival was here. I picked up my Bible and turned immediately to Philippians 1 and began to read verses 12 to 20, especially verse 18: “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice…”

Paul was in prison and might possibly be condemned by Rome to die. Others were preaching the Good News – some from good motives, others hoping to make things even more difficult for him. As he thought about that he rejoiced in the fact that no matter what, Christ was being preached and he could rejoice.

If revival comes through another church, if it begins in a different church, could I rejoice like Paul. To be perfectly honest, I was still wrestling with that when I left for home.

Decades ago I began the practice of journaling. I followed “ACTS,” Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. I also added an “L” for Listening. As I finished each day’s entry I would put my pen down and simply listen. Then I would write down whatever popped into my head. Sometimes it was a Scripture, or its address. Other times it was a word, a sentence, even a paragraph. That process greatly enhanced my ability to hear and recognize God’s voice from all the others.

I no longer journal, now I write daily devotions. I realize writing the devotions often has the same effect on my life as journaling did all those years ago. In the devotions I often wrestle with my will and aligning it with God’s.

I’ve been wrestling in my spirit with the message the evangelist had for us on Pentecost Sunday. The first thing he said was that God would honor “Pastor Terry’s desire” for His Presence as we have pursued Him in prayer, and those who have joined in that pursuit would also be blessed.

“Pastor Terry’s desire.” That was the first thing that shook me. “My desire?” A heavy burden fell on me at that moment. I was flooded with questions. What if I grow weary and stop pursuing? What if I lead incorrectly? What if I miss “what the Spirit is saying to our church?” What if I take my congregation to the “North Gate” only to find that Jesus has entered the “South Gate?” What if ….?

Fear entered my mind. It took me a very long week to remove that fear and trust that as God has led me to this pursuit, He will lead me to the place at the right time when His Presence comes (Revival!). I have nothing to fear.

Ps 56:4:  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? [NIV]

There is one occurrence of that lovely word “always” that appears in every translation I checked.  It is found in the Great Commission that Jesus gave His disciples shortly before He ascended into heaven.  Matt 28:20:

“and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [NKJV]

“and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” [NIV]

“and remember, I am with you always to the end of the age.” [Christian Standard Bible]

“Lo! Idou (id-oo’) in the Greek and is variously translated as “be aware, behold, consider, see, be sure, tell, and understand.” Always, remember, means “at all times” and “forever.”

Be aware that Jesus is with us at all times and forever. Consider that Jesus is with us  at all times and forever. Be sure that Jesus is with us at all times and forever. Understand that Jesus is with us at all times and forever.  Always – even to the end of the age.

We should never doubt that our Lord is always with us. He gave us a great work to do (read Matthew 28:18-20), He gave us the power to fulfill that work (read Acts 1:8), and He promised that “LO!” He would be with us always— at all times and forever.

We are never alone in this Christian walk or work.  Our Lord and Savior is right beside us – even to the end of the age. Amen and Amen!

Yesterday’s thoughts about “always pray” and “always seek the Lord’s face” left me thinking about that word “always.” Merriam-Webster tells us that always means “at all times” and “forever.” Probably just what you thought it meant.

1 Corinthians 13 is known as the “Love Chapter” in the New Testament.  In that chapter Paul reminds us that while we should desire the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we gain nothing – even should we have all the gifts flowing through us – if we have not love. He then goes on to describe how love should operate in our walk. Most of the translations that I looked at translate Verse 7 like the NKJV does: “[love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 

But I like how the NIV uses the word “always” in Verse 7 to describe love. “[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Love protects at all times and forever. Love trusts at all times and forever.  Love hopes at all times and forever. Love perseveres at all times and forever.

I do like that word “always.”

Monday morning, Memorial Day, I was all alone, well, except for Miss Molly Magee who was enjoying her first morning siesta. Bob was gone. All the windows in the house were open to let in the cool morning breeze. The neighborhood was yet to awaken, and I was enjoying the quiet. I realized when I came home from church Sunday afternoon that I was under-prayed! Last week was busy and I had only one good session of prayer on Tuesday. By the time Sunday arrived, I was struggling to hear the Lord. That isn’t where I want to be.

I put on a worship CD and I walked around the house and prayed and worshipped. It was a start. I have found that if I want my walk to be consistent, my prayer life must be consistent. Jesus reminded his disciples when He gave them the Parable of the Persistent Widow and the Judge that they should “always pray and not give up.”  [Luke 18:1 NIV]

The psalmist reminds us that we should always seek God’s face.  “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.”  [Ps 105:4 NIV]

Always pray. Always seek His face.  Just another way of saying that we are to be consistent in prayer.  It’s a simple truth of God…praying is conversation with God. Through prayer I not only learn how to express my deepest needs (which are often far different than my ‘wants’), but I also learn how to hear His responses.  To keep my walk true to Him, I must be consistent and true in prayer.

Father, I have learned the more I pray, the more I want to pray. Help me to keep my prayer times with You.  Amen.

Warm weather is here, many add “at last!” to that remark.  For me it means I need to do my outside walking much earlier in the day, usually after breakfast. A new road has also opened that allows me to completely encircle my subdivision without having to backtrack. It’s a 2-mile route, so perfect for my long walk of the day.

As I walk, I listen to worship music on my MP3, and I praise and worship. I think, and I pray. Last week, I had barely begun walking when the battery in my MP3 player quit. I had forgotten to re-charge it. I decided that for that one morning, I would simply listen. Perhaps the hardest thing in life is to calm our thinking, stop our talking and simply listen.

I heard the distant sound of a train whistle crossing the tracks a couple miles away. I heard many cars on the interstate as it was during the morning commute.  I heard killdeer, doves, and noisy red-winged blackbirds. I heard the laughter of two boys heading to school on their bikes. I heard the breeze as it rustled the leaves on the trees.  I heard the roar of school buses heading up the street to the elementary school I would pass.

And I heard the peace of God in my soul. I wasn’t wrestling with any great sin that morning. I wasn’t upset or worried—not even about my kitchen being in disarray or wondering where the deductible would come from in our tight budget. I wasn’t debating anything or trying to arrange any bargains with God. My soul was quiet and at peace with my Lord. It was well with my soul.

Philippians 4:7:  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [NIV]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8HffdyLd0c&list=RDE8HffdyLd0c&t=19    “It Is Well With My Soul”