Past Devotions

People at prayer last Tuesday night laughed when I offered praise to God for our neighbor finally “cutting down that god-awful cottonwood tree.” I don’t know if you have ever lived around cottonwood trees, but they really are a nuisance. This one was along the border of the apartment complex next door and hung over our children’s church building. It left twigs, leaves, small branches all over that building and entry all year long. And when it was losing its ‘cotton,’ that was everywhere. Perhaps the worst part was the small offshoots of the tree that sprung up in our yard seemingly overnight; some grew big enough to push the fence over.

The apartment owners must have decided enough was enough and the tree came down. Bob watched the whole thing. He said he shouted the loudest “Hallelujah” he’d shouted in a long time! (Probably because he and Jerry are the ones who have had to constantly deal with that tree’s mess.)

The enemy of our soul often works the same way as that “god-awful cottonwood tree.” He tries to overwhelm us with various ways and from many directions. He often uses the scatter method – spreading his temptation all over, like the cotton from that tree. Other times he inundates us with thoughts and ideas based on the world’s philosophies and desires, like those leaves and twigs that fall constantly from that tree every time the wind blows.

And when we allow his seeds to take root, they seemingly grow overnight into problems, sometimes into strongholds in our life that must be pulled out root and all. We can grow weary with the battle, as Bob and Jerry grew weary fighting off that “god-awful cottonwood tree’s” influence on our property.

We have been granted the authority (exousia) and power (dunamis) of Christ Jesus. We were raised to sit with Him in heavenly places. Paul has repeatedly told us to “stand firm” in Ephesians 6:10-18, and to “stand firm in the faith” in 1 Corinthians 16:13. Let’s pick up that armor and get serious with the enemy of our soul. He’s a defeated foe. Isn’t it time we treated him as such?

The big news in the pro-football world this past weekend was the announcement by Andrew Luck, franchise quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, that he was retiring at the age of 29. In his announcement he cited the toll the game had taken on his body and that for the past 4-5 years he’s played it’s been a continuous cycle of injury, pain, and rehab. When you read the list of his injuries, it’s a wonder he’s played this long. He said that the enjoyment of playing football was no longer there and noted it was the hardest decision of his life.

I was stunned that many fans booed him when the announcement was made following the game. One fan made a point of removing his “Luck” jersey and tossing it away. That made me wonder how long some of those angry fans would last on a football field themselves!

Injury, pain, and rehab. Unfortunately, that can be a cycle of life as well as for football. It isn’t always physical injury or pain which plagues us, often it is emotional or spiritual. We make bad choices in many areas of life that leave us wounded. We expose ourselves repeatedly to temptation and sin. We are hurt, pain sets it and it take months or sometimes years to recover, if we recover at all.

I truly believe that the only way to break that cycle is to surrender to God. The writer of Hebrews tells us that God disciplines us so that we might live and that it is a good thing to submit to Him. “How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! … God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.” [12:9-11]

God has a plan for our life. His desire is that we have His life in us to the fullest. That requires that we submit everything to Him, our desires, our goals, our decisions, our choices. Only then can we make a clean break with the things of this world that have brought nothing but injury and pain into our lives.

Maybe you have noticed lately that the message the Spirit of God seems to be bringing to the Church in this nation comes straight out of the Book of Romans. “And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.” [Romans 13:11-12]

It is time for the Church in our nation to wake up. We have been slumbering, sleeping, for way too long. We have been sleeping for so long that the world considers us dead, irrelevant, useless. They pay little attention to us because we’ve paid little attention to our God! That may sound harsh, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

Amos tells us that “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets,” and what I am hearing from the modern day prophets is that it is time to awaken, put on our spiritual armor, and be what God has called us to be.   [3:7 NKJV]

And what has God called us to be … the light of the world, the salt of the earth, those who offer water to the thirsty, clothes to the naked, food to the hungry. He’s called us to take God’s Word into all the nations. He’s called us to be courageous and compassionate, kind and forgiving. He’s called us to speak truth in love. He’s called us to go … not remain in our pews for a couple hours on a Sunday morning, drinking our coffee and watching a performance!

I know, I am being severe … but am I really? If the Church doesn’t awaken from her sleep, there are many who will never hear the truth of salvation, many who will remain “in the night” even after the “day of the LORD” has come.

Isn’t it time, Church, to be what God calls us to be?

Isaiah 40:31: “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength.” [NKJV]

I know this may sound silly to some, but I see Scripture come alive so often in the everyday occurrences of life. This past trip we were blessed to dine out with two couples, friends we had not seen in almost two decades. We went to Tahoe Joe’s for dinner the day we arrived, and to Venita Rhea’s for brunch the next morning. The ones who waited on us could not have been more unalike.

Our dinner waiter confused our orders, failed to bring something we asked for, and did bring things we didn’t want. He never checked back with us until it was time to pay the check, and then he checked back twice, seemingly having forgotten he had already asked us how we wanted to split the check.

Our brunch waitress was a blessing. She had personality and a welcoming spirit. She checked in often, got our orders just as we asked for them, and seemed interested in us. She conversed and laughed with us. She was such a pleasure that she left us wanting to come back more often!

When I think about waiting on the LORD, the Scripture from Isaiah above, I don’t think of it as just sitting around, doing nothing, waiting for something to happen. No, when I think about waiting on the LORD, I think about being a waiter/waitress – in other words, a server.

 And just as the two servers we had on this California trip, I can choose how I serve. I can ignore God, not really listen to Him, and only check in with Him when I want something; or, I can spend time with Him, listen to what He wants and do it, converse with Him (pray) and seek His pleasure.

They that wait on the LORD that way, really shall renew their strength!

Last April our middle grandson was in a production of Oklahoma at the Gallo Performing Arts Center in Modesto. We traveled down and were blessed with being there for two performances. One of the performances was recorded and they were offering DVDs to purchase. My daughter-in-law sent in the order and bought a DVD for us. We were so excited this trip to bring home that DVD. A couple days after being back we planned to watch the performance.

I put the DVD in the player, and nothing happened. After a few minutes I got a message, “Playback not available.” Not knowing if it was the DVD or the player, I put it in the TV/DVD combo set we have in the bonus room. Nothing. I then put it in my laptop. Still nothing. Talk about disappointment. We had waited months to view the performance again, and there was nothing there to see. That DVD was nothing but a broken promise.

One thing I am certain of is that God’s promises, God’s great and precious promises as Peter described them, will never disappoint us. We aren’t going to arrive into the very Presence of God and find that our faith was futile, our treasures raided, or our acts of love ignored. God has promised. And God will fulfill His promises.

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” [2 Cor 1:20-22]

We have the Spirit of the Living God in us – that is God’s deposit, His down payment on every promise He has made. Glory!

Let me preface this day’s devotion with the fact that I pastor a small church, so I am probably going to be somewhat biased.  I received an article from SermonSearch recently regarding small churches (they were offering me a 30-day FREE Trial). It was titled, “Are Small Churches an Essential Element in a Divine Strategy?”

As I pondered that question, I turned it around, “Are large churches an essential element in a Divine Strategy?”

And as I pondered both question I wondered “is the size of any church what is most relevant?”

Maybe I missed it, but I can’t remember anything in the Scripture that commends a church for the number of people in it. I’ve seen lots that commend churches for their love and grace and devotion. I’ve seen Scriptures that urge us to grow in grace, kindness, compassion and faith. And I’ve seen the great commission to go into all the world and make disciples of every nation. But evaluating a church by whether it is large or small?  I’m sorry, if it’s there, I’ve missed it.

The article, written by Chris Bolinger*, acknowledged that there is a place for both small and large churches.  But as I said, I’m partial to small churches, the kind that feel like family. As a member of the Body of Christ, we are commanded to “Encourage one another and build each other up.” and “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” [1 Thessalonians 5:11, Romans 12:15]

I find it so much easier, so much more personal to fulfill commands such as these in a small church. So, I guess I’ve answered the question, “Are small churches an essential element in a divine strategy?” to my own satisfaction at least. I pray you also have found that kind of “family” where you attend.

*If you would like to read Chris Bolinger’s article, here’s a link:  https://www.sermonsearch.com/article/are-small-churches-an-essential-element-in-a-divine-strategy/

Today is my oldest grandson’s birthday; he’s turning 23. Last year he moved to Kiser, Oregon. He seems to be happy there, but I sure do miss him. He was my “bud” for many years. We loved to explore ethnic restaurants, we went to DC together, we visited museums, parks, and exhibits. At one point in his young life, I would go get him almost every Saturday and we would set out for the day. One ritual was that end-of-the-day ice cream cone from Baskin Robbins. I would take him home dirty, tired and sticky!

I have three grandsons. Two are ours through natural means. Carter came to us ready-made. He’s our “adopted” grandson. He’s not related to Bob or me by blood, but he sure is related to us by love. When I look at Carter, I see how wonderful “adoption” truly is. Each one of our grandsons is special … each one is precious … each one is loved. It didn’t matter how they became ours, it just mattered that they are.

Carter helped me to truly understand our adoption into the family of God that Paul writes about in Ephesians 1:4-6. “In love [our Father God] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”

God has chosen us as sons and daughters. He sent His spirit to us to woo us to Him, to convict us of our sin and invite us to accept His invitation of salvation. He did this according to His pleasure and will and through His glorious grace freely given to us in His natural Son, Jesus the Christ.

Now God our Father loves us with the same love He has for Christ Jesus our LORD. I’m adopted into His family. If you love the Son, so are you! I am a child of God … no more beautiful words have ever been spoken.