Devotions

I was reading in Ecclesiastes yesterday.  The book opens with “’Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher; ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’”

The Preacher was Solomon, the richest of all kings who had everything and anything a person could want.  And when he looked it all over, when he experienced everything possible, to him it was all vanity, a thought which he repeats through the book.

Vanity, hebel, means emptiness, transitory and unsatisfactory.

There is one thought, however, that always intrigues me in Solomon’s discourse on vanity. It comes in Chapter 3:11, when Solomon says that God has set eternity in the hearts of men.

Paul also talks about that heartfelt longing for eternity. “For we know that if our temporary, earthly dwelling is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands. Indeed, we groan in this body, desiring to put on our dwelling from heaven.” [2 Cor 5:1-2 HCSB]

Meanwhile we groan.  Boy, do we groan.  We groan when we face separations.  We groan when we face sin and its consequences.  We groan when we grow tired or sick or old or lonely or unsatisfied.  We groan, longing for heaven [our home], for the presence of God [our Father], and for our loved ones there.

God has placed a longing in our hearts for heaven (eternity) that cannot be filled by anything in this life.  There is something inside us that knows that our life in this world is not complete, not enough.

Deep within all of us is a knowledge that this is not our home.

“From the altars of our hearts Oh God, let flames of worship rise.”

That is a line from a Matt Redmond song called “Flames.”

“The fire on the altar is to be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest will burn wood on the fire. He is to arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat portions from the fellowship offerings on it. Fire must be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not go out.” [Lev 6:12-13 HCSB]

“Keep the altar of private prayer burning. This is the very life of all piety,” Charles Spurgeon wrote.  He added, “God loves to see the hearts of His people glowing towards Himself.”

Sometime my heart is burning, glowing in prayer and in praise and in worship to God, but other times my heart has seemed lukewarm, cold even.  With the pull of this world upon us, busy schedules, problems, aging or health issues, relationship failures, or financial troubles, it can be difficult to keep our hearts burning.  Too often the flames of worship become little more than cooling embers.

The key to keeping those flames burning brightly is in God’s instructions to the priests above.  They were not to wait until the fire died and then re-start it, but every morning the priests were to refuel the altar.  The fire burned continuously because it was constantly and consistently fueled.  It was one of the priests’ most important tasks.

Our prayer and worship are some of our most important tasks.  We need to be consistent and constant in our private prayer – that is what will keep the flames of worship rising continuously from hearts that are on fire for the Lord.

I used to have a step tracker that required me to manually upload the previous day’s steps to my computer.  The computer application would track my steps each day, giving me overall totals and averages.  It would also set the new day’s goals.  I remember the day that it told me that I had walked One Million Steps since I started keeping track. One Million Steps.  Wow!

One Million Steps was a great milestone – except I’d actually gone nowhere.  Most of those steps had been roundtrips around the neighborhood and from room to room at home or at work.   There were a few on vacation with the grandsons, but mainly my One Million Steps had been achieved within a few miles of my house.

My step tracking devices don’t care about where or how I walk. Their only demand is that I keep moving and get my steps in every day.

Not so with God.  Paul reminds us that God expects a worthy walk, a walk that matches the high calling we have in Christ Jesus.  “Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received.” [Eph 4:1 HCSB]

God doesn’t just want us moving.  He’s not into counting our steps.  Our God cares where we are going in this walk with Him.  He wants us on the narrow path, not the wide road.  He wants us walking in the light of His Son.  He wants us walking in gentleness, faithfulness, peace, and unity.  He wants our walk every day to become more like the walk of our Lord Jesus.

My step trackers can celebrate One Million Steps – God, however, is concerned with what I’ve done with those One Million Steps.

Recently I got a haircut.   I realized just how long and shaggy I had become.  Getting a haircut is often a tender experience.  My hair seems to get thinner and thinner each time.  It has always been fine (a nicer term than skinny hair shafts).  But in times past I had a lot more of it and it wasn’t as noticeable.  Now it is both fine and sparse.

All that reminded me about God’s care for me.  Both Matthew 10 and Luke 12 speak of God’s care for His creation … He knows even when the tiniest of birds fall to the ground.  He also knows just how many hairs are on our heads, He has them all numbered.

If God knows the ever-changing number of hairs we possess, He knows the whole.  He understands my fears and sorrows.  He is aware of my weaknesses and my needs.  He knows when I’m hurt and when I’ve given in to the temptation to be less than I should be.

He also knows what I can be in Him.  He knows when I’ll follow His leading, when I’ll be courageous in His Spirit and speak and do what He’s asked.  He knows the times He can depend on me, those times when I will faithfully respond to His call.

In other words, He knows all of me.  When I meditate on that thought, I understand why David wrote what he did in Ps 8:3-4: “When I observe Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You set in place, what is man that You remember him, the son of man that You look after him?” [HCSB]

To think that the God who created the galaxies and cosmos, the billions and billions of stars and moons knows and cares about my thinning hair leaves me both amazed and comforted.

I was reminded of God’s faithfulness and mercies this morning.  God brought this Scripture to me: “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! I say: The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him.” [Lam 3:22-24 HCSB]

In a book called Lamentations (meaning:  an expression of deep sorrow or distress) comes one of the greatest reminders of God’s love, compassions (mercies) and faithfulness. God reminds us of amazing promises in this short passage.

One, we are not consumed because of His great love.  Sometimes it seems my own sinfulness and faithlessness will consume me, yet in His Great Love I find not the death I so richly deserve, but the life He so richly gives.

Two, His compassions (mercies) will never fail – NEVER fail – never FAIL!

Three, each morning everything God has promised is renewed, it matters not what the day holds; we can face it with a renewal of God’s love, mercies, and faithfulness.

Four, God’s faithfulness is great!   Great, rab in the Hebrew means abundant, and is translated in the King James as exceedingly, full, mighty, more, plenteous.

Five, The LORD (Jehovah) is my portion.  Jehovah-Jireh my Provider, Jehovah-Rapha my Healer, Jehovah-Nissi my Banner, Jehovah-Rohi my Shepherd, Jehovah-Shalom my Peace, Jehovah-Tsidkenu my Righteousness, Jehovah-Tsori my Strength and more!

I need today (and every day) to be reminded of the greatness and faithfulness of my God and His mercies to me each morning.

Asaph was one of the Levites assigned to the work of the house of the Lord as his portion of the Promised Land.  He was a musician; you’ll see his name on a number of Psalms.

In Psalm 73 Asaph writes of a time in his life when he looked around and saw how prosperous the wicked had become.  He saw what he describes as their carefree lives; lives free from the daily struggles so many must endure just to survive.  He bemoans the fact that they are full of pride and arrogance, and that they oppress others to get what they want.

As he surveys the prosperous wicked, he almost loses his faith … he says my feet nearly slipped.  He almost lost his foothold as he became envious of their easy lifestyle.  The thing that saved him was when he surveyed the outcome of their lives … destruction.  Seeing their eternal future made Asaph appreciate his.

Asaph remembers his portion as a Levite, a musician and keeper of the Law of the Lord.  He writes in verse 26, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever.” [HCSB]

God was Asaph’s portion forever.  And God would keep his heart strong now.

Church, our portion forever is Christ Jesus.  That should keep our hearts strong no matter how the wicked prosper around us now.

This past Sunday Christian Faith Center (CFC) held an “interest meeting” at the Middleton campus (the old The Way). The refurbishing is almost complete. The inside has been modernized. The entry is bright and glistening. The sanctuary is nearly done except for some final touches. Soon the new planters in the front will contain shrubbery, and signage will be completed. It was amazing the difference a little remodeling can accomplish.

There was a good number of people interested in the Middleton location. They came to see what was done and to volunteer for the initial teams that will be needed once we get to the launch on October 9.

For me, the most amazing thing happened. I was introduced to the answer to a prayer I prayed a long time ago.

There were about 11 of us when we first moved into that log cabin building in 2010. We had no idea what was in store; we just knew we were going where God led us. I expressed to God one of the greatest desires of my heart was that I wanted to see an Espanol church in that building.

Over the next 13 years I never saw that … until last Sunday. Last Sundy I met Pastor Paco and his wife, who will be pastoring the Espanol church at CFC Middleton. (That church will kick off this coming Sunday afternoon, the first service in the new church.)

As I looked at this dear couple all I wanted to do was cry tears of joy. God answered my prayer and gave me a desire of my heart. I am going to attend this first service on Sunday. I am so blessed!

  “Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.”   [Psalm 37:4-5 NKJV]