Past Devotions

I am always fascinated by our changing world. Everything changes, whether culture, societal norms, technology, education, medicine. Some changes are hard for me to follow, such as the ones that revolve around something as simple as my morning cup of coffee. First coffee was good for me, then it wasn’t, then it was but only in limited quantities, then it was good again if it was bold not light. (Whatever, I am still going to drink it the way I like it – strong , bold, and black!)

 Some changes are hard for me to swallow.  I have a hard time with those who seek to change, modify or revise truth, whether in the classroom, politics, or church pulpits.  Truth is truth and I hold that there are absolute truths.

 One thing, however, gives me great hope and great comfort. That is God’s promise in Malachi 3:6: “For I am the LORD, I change not.” [KJV]

 Society and culture will change constantly. Politics change according to who is in power. Medicine changes with new discoveries. Even pulpit messages change when preachers get off base (more on preachers/teachers tomorrow). But long after our present-day society has gone the way of the dodo bird (in others words becomes extinct), God will remain the same.  “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”  [Rev 1:8 NKJV]

 As He was, so He is. As He is, so He will be. We can try to change, modify, revise Him, but He changes not.  Hallelujah!

I opened my online newsfeed Monday morning and the first headline I saw asked me “What were the stars wearing?” at some gala event. If that was the first time I read that headline this year, I might have been vaguely interested. But it wasn’t the first gala event or award show where “stars” were wearing outfits that cost tens of thousands of dollars (and ones that they’ll probably never wear again). It wasn’t even the fourth or fifth time that headline has appeared.  I had to ask myself, are people really interested in what “stars” wear?  I also had to ask myself, “who are these people?” I don’t even recognize the names of “stars” anymore, and I haven’t yet figured out just what they are “stars” of!

 I do know lots of stars, however, and what they wear. You’ll find them in regular clothes in classrooms, in uniforms and white coats in hospitals and medical centers. You’ll find them in common clothes and workplaces, factories, and service areas. Some care for children and the sick and the elderly. They leave each day and work long hours. And they are not paid anything near what they are worth. Yes, I know a lot of stars.

 And I will even go so far as to remind true Christians what Paul wrote about them.  I am talking about those true Christians who live the Gospel no matter what the cost, whose actions match the words of Christ Jesus. Paul said of them that they are “blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which [they] shine like stars in the universe as [they] hold out the word of life.” [Phil 2:15-16]

 And I even know what these “stars” are wearing. Jesus described them as “clothed in white garments.” [Rev 3:5]

 I guess I can answer what the headline asked me this morning, “What were the stars wearing?” They are wearing glistening garments of white as they stand in the greatest gala of all – the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!  Can’t wait to see that headline someday!

Last week I knew that Sunday I was going to begin the “Shout” part of the “Seek & Shout” series we’ve been in for the last few months.  The “Seek” part was rather uneventful, as it centered around seeking “More of God.” In other words, learning to pursue and experience that abundant life that Jesus promised in John 10:10: “I have come that they might have life and that more abundantly.”  (Well. uneventful except for that one lesson on counting it all joy when you fall into various trials.)

 I knew going into the week that the “Shout” part wasn’t going to be as easy since it centered on the battle we have with the enemy of our soul whose sole desire is “only to steal, kill and destroy” the life we have in God, especially that abundant life.

 I also knew that “to give it you have to live it.” So, I was on my guard on Monday, expecting an attack. None come. Then Tuesday, still nothing. Wednesday passed without event, and so did Thursday. By Thursday night I had let my guard down. I failed to heed Peter’s warning to “be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” [1 Peter 5:8]

 I didn’t stay alert, nor vigilant. I let my guard down and the enemy blindsided my emotions and attitudes, bringing up old hurts that I thought were healed. Friday and Saturday he rode roughshod over me until I finally realized late Saturday evening what was happening. Boy, did I feel dumb. Even though I knew to be prepared, even though I’d been through it before, I still failed to be alert. 

 Oh beloved, we can’t ever let our guard down when it comes to the enemy’s attempts to steal, kill and destroy. We can’t allow Him to infiltrate our thoughts and attitudes, our emotions and desires. We must remain ever vigilant and alert!

Early Friday morning I went for a two-mile walk with my MP3 player and worship music. I chose to walk that morning in an area where I have long stretches with sidewalks around subdivisions, rather than through them. I feel free as I walk to sing aloud and raise my hands in praise. The weather was cool even though the sun was shining. I didn’t meet one person on my walk.  As the songs rolls through my MP 3 player I just worshipped and prayed.

 There is, however, one line in one song that makes me cry every time it comes up. And, of course, it came up Friday morning. The song is “Jesus Loves Me” by Chris Tomlin. And the line goes, “Jesus, how can it be, He loves me, He is for me.”    (There’s a YouTube link at the bottom.) 

 I am always amazed when I hear that line in the song about Jesus being for us because I was raised in a denomination which presented God in a very different way. Always I was on edge that this All-Powerful God was angry with me and looking for ways to exclude me from His grace and presence. Oh, how, wrong that was.

 Jesus is for us. He is not against us. In fact, as Paul explains it, when God is for us, who can be against us? There is nothing strong enough to stand against or overpower the God Who is for us.  And Paul reminds us that we know God is for us because He didn’t even withhold His Only Son but gave Him up for us. [Rom 8:31-39]

 “Jesus, how can it be, He loves me, He is for me.”  That gets me every time.

 https://www.bing.com/search?q=jesus+loves+me+by+chris+tomlin&qs=AS&pq=jesus+loves+me+by+chri&sc=8-22&cvid=81E82273AA6F4720B619FECA757EB20B&FORM=QBRE&sp=1&ghc=1

I received an email offer for 3 free printable charts showing 30 names of God. The charts were to have the original language, pronunciation, Scripture reference, meaning, etc. All I had to do was go to the website to download them. Well, first I had to input my email. I knew doing that would get me on another email address list and I’d start receiving more “offers” in my inbox. The idea of the charts was still interesting, so I input my email.  Then I needed to check a box indicating, “I’m not a robot.”

 I’ve been seeing these “I’m not a robot” boxes on all kinds of websites. I am sure it has something to do with viruses and filtering out things the website doesn’t want to acquire, but this morning I thought that box hilarious. I kept thinking about why a robot would want 3 free printable charts showing 30 names of God.  Not being a robot, I checked the box and received my free charts.

I am not a robot.  I am a child of God. I don’t think God is into robots. He created us with such variety in our appearance, talents, and abilities. We have different motivations and personalities. No two of us are alike., We are all unique – just like everyone else.

 He gave us free will. That free will allows us to choose even whether or not we will embrace Him as Creator God, Savior and LORD. He is willing to allow us to stand by our free-will choices, even if that means rejecting Him and choosing to spend eternity separated from Him.

 No, we are not robots. God made sure of that. But it is our choice if we will be a child of God. We are the only ones that can make sure of that. He’s provided Jesus, “The Way, the Truth, and the Life” … and gave us the free will to “come to the Father” through Him.  [John 14:6]

 I am not a robot. I used my free-will to choose to be a child of God.

One section of my daily worship walk is next to a drainage ditch. There is a path down both sides and lots of vegetation growing all around the ditch and the walkways. This seems to be a favorite place for quail, killdeer and little black birds with bright red on their wings. 

 When I walk there, the quail burst from their nests. The killdeer also spring from theirs and lead me away all the while wailing and pretending to be injured so that if I was a true predator, I would follow them instead of going after their babies. The blackbirds fly up to the heights and begin chattering and warning others.  I’ve even seen them go after a hawk that frequents the area.

 I usually softly sing, “it’s okay, I won’t hurt your babies, I promise,” but they don’t trust me, so we go through this routine every time I walk this area.  God has placed in these little mamas and papas such a strong instinct to protect their young. Strong enough that they would battle a hawk, and I think even me if needed.

 At The Way Church this morning we are going to begin the second half of our series, “Seek (More of God) & Shout (Stop Thief!).” The “Shout” part is the battle to keep the enemy of our soul from doing what he wants to do.  Jesus told us what the goal of the enemy is, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.”  [John 10:10 NKJV]

 God gives life. Jesus said He came that we might have that life in abundance, in other words, that we might have “More of God.” But the enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy that life. We need to be more like those little birds, ready to do battle with anything that seeks to destroy God’s best for each other.

My most memorable experience at the Boise Art Museum (BAM) was an exhibit of vases of all sizes and shapes. I’ve often shared about this experience because it became a living Scripture verse for me. The vases were blown into their various shapes and then covered with layer upon layer of different colors, one on top of another. Then the artist scored and scarred with a tool through the various layers of these colors and created woodland and forest scenes. BAM placed a light in many of them and the brilliance of that light on the inside made these vases and scenes come alive.

And as I watched a film of the process and looked at these amazing works of art, I was immediately reminded of 2 Corinthians 4:7:  “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

 Paul had just reminded his readers that God “made his light shine in our hearts” by giving us “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.’ Now he tells them that this glorious, brilliant light (our treasure) is housed in jars of clay—that’s us.

 And just like the vases I saw at the BAM, created by that amazing artist, we too are scored and scarred by life, by trials, by difficulties. Our amazing God uses those things to reveal the treasure we received in Christ Jesus our LORD. What an amazing artist He is! And to think He’s in the business of transforming pots of clay into wondrous works of art to be displayed throughout eternity.  Oh, my.

Light. I love light. I open blinds early in the morning so that I might catch the first rays that come through my windows. I don’t care if it is summer or winter, the blinds are open and inviting the light into our home.  That changed when Bob went through this recent eye surgery. The light bothered him, so we kept the blinds and curtains shut to keep the room dark for his comfort. This went on for five days. He was comfortable in the dark; I was miserable.

 When Paul told the Corinthians that the “god of this age” blinded eyes, and that it was the work of the believer to share Jesus Christ as Lord to all, he continued with a reminder that God has moved us from darkness to light. It’s a precious theme of Paul’s repeated to the Ephesians, Colossians, and Thessalonians.

  “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” [2 Cor 4:6 NIV]

 The same God who created the natural light, also created a supernatural light in our hearts. Paul calls that supernatural light the “knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

 When we look at Jesus the Christ, listen to His words, see the way He related to people, we see the glory of the Creator. And that glory is brilliant! 

My husband Bob needs to have cataracts removed. Speaking from experience that’s fairly easy surgery nowadays. He needed to have a growth removed on one eye, however, before the surgeon could do the cataracts. So last week I took him in for the surgery. It was supposed to be a 15-minute procedure. I started to worry after 90 minutes.  Finally, he came out of the eye surgeon’s office, grimacing, wearing a large eye patch. The growth was more complicated to remove than originally thought and he had a few stitches in his eye under a pressure bandage. Not a happy camper.

 He complained the next few days, and I can’t say I blame him. His good eye kept watering in sympathy and he didn’t like light. So, he sat in the dark. He said he wished he’d never decided to have the cataracts removed and started this process; he could see just fine the way he was. Then he asked me to get him that “white and brown” blanket. I would have, except we don’t have a “white and brown” blanket. We do have a “white and lavender” blanket.  I realized then just how bad his vision is. He won’t realize it until the cataracts are removed in a few weeks.

 I often have people ask me how others can be so blind to truth, how so many can believe the lies that are often propagated in our culture.  I remind them of what Paul wrote to the Corinthians so long ago – his words still hold true today.  “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” [2 Cor 4:4 NIV]

 Let’s remember, however, that even though the “god of this age” continually seeks to blind the eyes, God has a remedy, and His remedy involves believers. We are to share the Good News that we have received: “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” [2 Cor 4:5 NIV]

 We have been called to scatter the seed of the Gospel of Peace. We have been called to love people, to be humble servants of truth. We are called to kindness and compassion mixed with gentle courage.  In other words, we are called to present Jesus Christ as Lord by our actions and our words.

I woke up last Friday morning with two things that had replayed in my mind throughout the night. The first was from Scripture, the second a line from a song.  The verse that kept repeating was actually a combination of two found in Romans 8.  “There is, therefore, now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus … to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  

 Somehow in my sleep I combined part of verse 1 with part of verse 28.  I kept thinking (in my sleep) about how wonderful it was to be called according to God’s purpose. I wondered how much God’s purpose for me has directed my life.  I thought of all the times I was miserable when I fought God’s purpose, and how delighted I was when I finally surrendered to Him. I thought, “Why me, LORD? How can You love me so?”

 Then I was reminded that because I am in Christ Jesus through God’s calling, there is no condemnation.  None. I will never have to stand before the judgment of God condemned because in Christ Jesus I have been set free.  All these thoughts ran through my head while I slept.

 Then I began to sing (in my sleep) over and over the line from a song we’ve sung in church. “And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise.” *Hillsong’s “From the Inside Out”

 I love it when God speaks to me in the night. I love when my soul responds to His Words and His Love.

 *Hillsong (From the Inside Out):  https://www.bing.com/search?q=from+the+inside+out+hillsong&form=EDGSPH&mkt=en-us&httpsmsn=1&refig=758d34449d3d47d2864a70ed19e0979b&sp=2&qs=AS&pq=from+the+inside+out+&sk=LS1&sc=8-20&cvid=758d34449d3d47d2864a70ed19e0979b&cc=US&setlang=en-US