Past Devotions

I got curious with the Academy Awards coming up in February about the number of awards shows that have to do with the film industry. It seems like I see one every week. I did some research and found a 2019-2020 calendar that started in October and ended with the Oscars in February. In those five months, there are 63 award shows. Not all of these award shows are broadcast, of course, but still—63?

How many awards do these Hollywood types need? I’m certain they don’t need 63 in the span of five months. I don’t know of any industry that is as self-congratulatory as the film industry. From the likes of some of the films produced lately I’m wondering how they can congratulate themselves at all.

Awards, rewards, I suppose are great motivators. Credit card companies, banks, restaurants, retailers, airlines all use rewards as motivation to use their products.

The Bible is also not without its promise of rewards either. In the Old Testament, 1 Samuel 26:23 promises that “The LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness,” and in the New Testament we read also of rewards in Hebrews 11:6: “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

I am not unaware that there are rewards for those who serve the LORD well. I look forward to seeing those crowns given out to the faithful ones. But rewards, crowns, are not what should persuade us to serve … there is a much deeper motivation to live not for ourselves but for the One who made us alive in Him. That motivation is love.

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all … that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” [2 Cor 5:14-15]

While I waited in the doctor’s office last week I became captivated by the program on televisions placed around the room. The show being broadcast was something about finding beachfront properties for people.

The episode was of a couple looking at a beachfront apartment, 800SF with a balcony from which they could see the ocean. They were quite thrilled with the apartment because it was only $450K; they had anticipated spending much more. They did lament, however, that there was only one sink in the master bath and would have to share it.

Now please know, I’m not knocking any of you who have two (or more) sinks in your master bath. I’ve never had more than one, and while I’ve had to share a bathroom for 53 years, we’ve seldom shared it at the same time. I have not really experienced the need nor the joy of having two sinks.

Still. It made me think about those who have no master baths, or perhaps no bathrooms at all. It made me wonder about those who must haul water manually from distant places in order to have something clean to drink, and about those who have no clean drinking water from any distance.

I remember when we had seven young men from around the world staying with us one summer. One said that his people back home could not understand the concept of garages … that our cars “lived in houses” while they had many generations living in one room.

As a nation we are truly blessed with abundance. There is nothing wrong in that, but we need to be so careful that our abundance doesn’t morph into greed and covetousness. If we are blessed, I truly believe God’s purpose in that is that we use our abundance to also bless others.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” [Matt 25:35-36]

This week NBC News sent me an article about a study being conducted on aging. (Like I really needed that, but if you do, there’s a link at the bottom of this devotion.)

Study author Michael Snyder, a professor and the chair of genetics at the Stanford University School of Medicine said, “As people get older, they start to be very concerned about aging.” Ok, I must admit that sentence made me laugh out loud. I wanted to say something really snarky, like, “Ya think?”

Of course, as we get older we start to think about getting older, aging. There is something about the aging process that makes its presence known whether we want it to or not. Psalm 39 is a song of David and it’s titled in some translations as a “Prayer for Wisdom and Thanksgiving.” In the song David cries out, “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.” [v4 NIV]

Paul reminds us in his letter to the Ephesians to “walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time.” [5:15-16a NKJV]

We only have so much time in this life, only so many opportunities before we reach the end. The wise person makes the most of every moment and every occasion to do good and serve the LORD. It may not seem that way when we have more days in front than behind, but when we cross that invisible line (aging), and we have more days behind than in front, it becomes quite clear.

Teach us LORD, to redeem our time for You.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/aging/there-are-least-4-different-ways-aging-scientists-say-n1112796?cid=eml_nbn_20200113

We sing a song in church titled, “I Will Trust in You,” written by Lauren Daigle, Paul Marbury, Michael Farren. (There’s a link at the bottom of the devotion if you’d like to listen.)

The song talks about how we stay strong when God doesn’t move the mountains or part the sea or give us the kind of answers we expect or want. How do we handle trudging over that mountain? How do we continue when we have to walk through the floods? What kind of heart attitude must we bear when the answers to our prayers don’t rescue us from situations, illnesses or circumstances of life?

The song says that it is then we must trust. “I will trust, I will trust in You.”

That’s not a new thought. David in the midst of trouble said, “I trust in you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands.” [Psalm 31:14-15 NIV]

Jesus told us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” [John 14:1 NIV]

We commit our spiritual well-being to God. No matter what we see with our natural eyes, or what we must go through, endure, or overcome in this life, our belief in God and in His Christ holds us steady. The mountains may loom, but God will give us hinds-feet for high places. The sea may seem to overwhelm, but Jesus can quiet our soul. And the answers to our prayers may be different than expected, but He will never leave us, nor forsake us. I will trust, I can trust, in Him.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=i+will+trust+in+you+lauren+daigle&form=EDNTHT&mkt=en-us&httpsmsn=1&msnews=1&rec_search=1&plvar=0&refig=53807e47e8c946d6a42a11bbbaace0e2&sp=1&qs=HS&sk=PRES1&sc=8-0&cvid=53807e47e8c946d6a42a11bbbaace0e2&cc=US&setlang=en-US

One of the best times for me to hear the voice of the LORD is in that twilight time between being fully asleep and fully awake in the mornings. The other morning I woke up praying for someone I had not seen face-to-face in at least a decade. The LORD gave me an encouragement for her, which I passed on through Facebook. (Yes, there are some good things about social media.)

This past Tuesday I woke up and heard, “The way ahead will be rocky for a while.”

That thought immediately brought to mind the prayer of David in Psalm 143. David was recalling his problems with an enemy and asking God for a quick, speedy resolution to his situation, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” [v10 NIV]

Bob and I have been talking recently about one last “big” vacation before we get too much older. We haven’t taken very many in our lifetime. I took Carter to DC. Bob’s been fishing in Canada and hunting in Virginia. Together we spent time touring the southwest a few years back. We’ve been looking at another road trip, or perhaps flying into Alaska.

When I heard God say so clearly, “The way ahead will be rocky for a while,” I decided to postpone our plans. If our path is going to be rocky rather than level ground, it’s not a time to go into vacation or spending mode, it’s a time to go into conserve mode until we see just how “rocky” it will be.

We may still take one last “big” vacation, but for now I think that’s going on the backburner. Instead I’ll be practicing some patience, gaining some wisdom and praying for God’s good Spirit to lead us onto level ground.

Prov 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” [NKJV]

I usually carry a walking stick with me when I walk outside. In the past I’ve carried it mainly as a guard against dogs or when I would walk on unpaved sections of the road where I’d have to deal with stones, uneven ground, and potholes. Lately, however, I use it all the time—even on smooth sidewalks. My muscles are a bit compromised and that throws my balance off, so, I “lean on” my walking stick. I trust it to keep me upright and bear my weight in every and all circumstances.

The Psalmist reminds us that we are to not rely on our own human understanding or wisdom but are to trust in the LORD our God with all our hearts. Our own understanding often fails us. I could even say our understand will “always” fail us if we base it on mere human knowledge and wisdom.

Instead we are to keep the LORD our God in the forefront of our mind in every situation, in every day. Trusting in God isn’t just a Sunday “come-to-meeting” experience, it’s a 365-24-7 experience. We are to remember Him all the time and not just remember, we are also to acknowledge Him. We are to follow Him.

When we follow Him, He “shall direct [our] paths.” That doesn’t mean that every obstacle will be removed, or every circumstance or situation averted. It does mean, however, that at the very least we won’t have all those self-generated obstacles in our way! Most of what I must jump over comes from my own impatience, rebellion, misdirection, and stupidity anyway!

Oh LORD, we trust in You, acknowledge You, and lean on You to direct our every step, every day. Help us, O God. Amen.

I visited with my primary physician last week again regarding my health. She continues to think I have polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) because of the way it came on suddenly. The rheumatologist she referred me to doesn’t agree because the two blood tests that should be abnormal came back for me as normal. However, many rheumatologists are of the opinion that you can still have PMR even with normal blood tests. So, we are still searching for a confirmed diagnosis of what is ailing me.

My primary told me that she would continue to research and asked me to be patient. She acknowledged how difficult that is when you are experiencing pain and fatigue but trusted me to remain patient while she continued to look for answers.

Patience. When the disciples asked Jesus about the end times, He gave them an account of the difficulties they would face. You can read that in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. Right in the middle of His discourse on the end times, Luke records this: “By your patience possess your souls.” [NKJV 21:19]

The word Luke uses for patience is hupomone and it means cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy, waiting. By your hopeful endurance, constancy and cheerful waiting, you will possess your souls (your hearts, your emotions, your life).

I doubt anyone has ever said waiting or enduring is easy … and it surely isn’t easy to do that “cheerfully!” But if it was easy, it would not be so valuable to our spiritual and emotional well-being.

“Teach me LORD to wait.”

I have been reading and watching the news and one thing that truly vexes my soul is the glee, the absolute delight I see on the faces of those who think they have discovered some “failing” or “shortcoming” or “fault” in another. They run to and fro trying to scoop everyone else and relate the news of someone’s flaws before anyone else does.

When did we become so smitten with revealing the faults of others? How can anyone in public life stand up under the scrutiny that is so prevalent in our society? When did we become so mean-spirited that we have to respond even to social media posts with angry, dividing, condemning words?

Or have we always been that way and now we simply have more opportunities to display our hardened hearts?

1 Corinthians 13 is a description of what love is. It tells us that love is kind and patient, that it is not rude or boastful. It always protects and hopes and is humble. Verse 6 reminds us that “Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.” [Christian Standard Bible]

Shortly before the crucifixion, Jesus looked over the City of Jerusalem. He saw all the problems, the sin, the defiance, the unrighteousness in her. He did not rejoice in what He saw. His reaction was the exact opposite of glee and delight. “As [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it.” [Luke 19:41]

Maybe it’s time beloved that we react to what is happening in our nation, in our world, in our churches, not according to the current attitudes of our society, but according to the way of our LORD. Maybe it’s time we weep.

I try to spend time talking with God every day, but Tuesdays are special. On Tuesday mornings I meet with a group of people in an “upper room” at the Oregon Trails Church in Middleton for community prayer. Tuesday night I meet with another group at our own church for prayer. We pray for our world, our nation, the church, the outpouring of God’s Spirit, the unsaved, our communities, first responders, people we know that are going through difficult situations and anything else the Holy Spirit puts on our hearts.

Jesus had a lot to say about praying, the Gospels are full of His admonitions to pray, how to pray, when to pray. And Paul was succinct when he wrote, “pray continually.” [1 Thess 5:7]

I saw a request on Facebook recently. Someone had posted a request regarding a family member who was sick. They asked that we “send healing thoughts.” That, of course, got me thinking about praying and the power of prayer.

The power in prayer rests not in our words. Some of us pray eloquently, some of us pray simply. I doubt the style matters to God. Likewise, let’s never forget the power in prayer does not flow from us (our healing thoughts) – it flows from the One to Whom we make our requests. The power to answer prayer is in God and God alone. Our “healing thoughts” don’t carry any weight or change anything. If anything is going to happen to give life, bring healing, or change circumstances, it will come from God.

Jesus said when we pray, we are to begin … Our Father who art in heaven …. He immediately puts our attention where it belongs on Almighty God.