Past Devotions

I was in Walmart early Monday morning walking through the boxed furniture aisle when I met with a dear pastor and his wife who share our church building. It must have been a divine “coincidence” … no one is in the Walmart boxed furniture aisle early Monday mornings. I know that because while we talked for about 30 minutes, no one even came near the boxed furniture aisle.

We had a great time talking about the LORD. As we talked, we discovered that our messages have even been similar over the last few months. (I’m pretty sure that’s because “what the Spirit is saying to the churches” is the same warnings and encouragements everywhere.)

God is calling all the Body of Christ to put aside the things that keep us apart. Sure, we may think differently on some things. Our church meets on Sunday, theirs meets on Saturday … may I say, who cares! What if we all just decided to meet on Tuesdays? Or Mondays? I doubt it matters much to God which day of the week we meet as long as we gather to worship Him.

As we shared Monday morning, it was clear that the core of our focus is one.  We both lovingly and faithfully serve the LORD Jesus (Yeshua), Him crucified and raised from the dead. We are brothers and sisters in the LORD, not rivals but sister churches who meet in the same building.  When we first began our church, they blessed us enormously, helping us to continue when times were tough. Now times are a bit tough for them and we have been granted the privilege of blessing them.

I loved our conversation Monday morning in the boxed furniture aisle in Walmart. I was blessed. Maybe I need to hang out there more often!

I just responded to a “question of the week” sent to my email.  It asked me, “have you ever felt uncomfortable being labeled as a Christian?” The choices to respond: Yes. No. Not sure.

What kind of a question is that? How can you answer it with only those three responses?  And what exactly do they mean by “labeled?” Labeled by whom?

Have I ever been uncomfortable being a Christian?  You bet, especially when I hear a message and feel the prompting of the Spirit of God in my heart that I need to change. The Gospel at times has made me very uncomfortable because I know I’m not measuring up.

Have I ever felt uncomfortable when other Christians are acting very un-Christlike? Yep. Nothing more embarrassing than being around people who call themselves Christian but don’t act any differently from the world.

Have I ever felt uncomfortable being labeled a Christian by someone (or society) that doesn’t want to hear the truth of the Gospel of Christ Jesus? That would be a negative response. I feel sad that people don’t want to hear the Good News – perhaps some of that is of our own making because we have been far less compassionate and kind than we should have been. Still, I’m hanging with Paul on this.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes …. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’“  [Romans 1:16-17 NKJV]

If we are going to do this Christian walk correctly, it’s not going to be easy. What is “freely given” – our salvation – costs a lot! Jesus even warned His followers that they needed to “count the cost.”  [Luke 14:28]

Paul commanded his readers to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Then he told them what that would cost to do so.  “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” [Eph 4:1-3 NIV]

That means it’s going to cost me my arrogance (to be completely humble) and my anger (to be gentle.)  I’ll need to throw in my irritation (so I can be patient), and my indifference (so I can bear with others in love.)

And if I am going to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace, that will cost me my divisiveness, murmuring, gossiping, envy, and resentment.

Paul didn’t stop there either. He came right out later in his letter and identified even more cost! “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”  And finally, He said we are to “be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  [Eph 4:31-32 NIV]

It’s going to cost even more when I must get rid of my rudeness (so I can be kind), my heartlessness (so I can become compassionate) and finally my unforgiveness (so that I might reflect the forgiveness I received in Christ).

Yes, to do this walk right will cost quite a bit.

A recent Fox News report indicated that we saw more than 500 tornadoes in the month of May across the United States. To add to that, Hurricane Season began June 1!  This has been a wild weather year so far and it’s not even half over.

When Jesus was questioned by His disciples about the signs of His return, He began “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” [Matt 24:4-8 NIV]

We might be able take today’s headlines and fit them into this prophecy, although I’m sure that isn’t the wisest thing to do. I don’t know if the crazy weather pattern we are experiencing is the “beginning of birth pains” or just some fluke of nature confined to this year. I’ll leave that to scholars to determine.

I do know that the return of the LORD is closer now “than it’s ever been,” and that we need to heed the words of the LORD and “see to it that [we] are not alarmed.” 

 Our LORD will return, whether we go with Him in a rapture or at His Second Coming when all will see Him, matters not to me. Just to hear Him bid us home, just to see Him coming in clouds of glory, that will be enough.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhF3nXw8kIo     (Ivan Parker, “Midnight Cry”)

While we are living in this world most of us have experienced what Jesus warned us about: In the world you will have tribulation [John 16:33 NKJV]

Jesus wanted us to understand that it is not about “If” we are going to have trials or tribulations, it is “when” we are going to have them. It’s a given; trials do come.

Yesterday we saw that James gave us a blueprint for handling our trials when they come. He said we are to “Count is all joy when you fall into various trials.”

 There are two parts of that blueprint that are crucial. The first is the command to Count.  Count means to evaluate. It’s a financial term. We are to determine if the trial goes in the asset or the liability column.

The second crucial part is the timing of that accounting.  Do we wait to the end to see if God really does work all things to our good?  Or do we do it at the beginning?  James says we count our trials as all joy “when [we] fall into” them.  We aren’t to wait until we can look back and see how the trials benefited our walk with the LORD, but we are to put the joy at the beginning of the trial.

Our outlook, or attitude, will play heavily into the outcome. We are far more likely to mature in our Christian walk if we go into a trial with joy, expecting to draw closer to the LORD in it, than if we murmur and complain through the experience.  Not saying it’s easy. Just saying it’s necessary.

Everybody has them. Nobody likes them, I’m sure. They pop up at the most inconvenient of times. They are trials.  Some are small, others are overwhelming, and they come to us from different sources.

Some trials come from the fact that we are fallen. We make mistakes, we are foolish, stupid, or we allow sin in our lives. When those trials come, repentance must happen before anything else.

Some trials come because we are human. Our bodies age, we acquire a disease or illness, we are involved in an accident or we lose our jobs or find ourselves economically unable to keep up.

Some trials come because we are Christians. Peter reminded his readers, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ.”   [4:12-13]

So, if we are going to have trials anyway, why not use them to our advantage? Why not use them to grow closer to the LORD? James says our outlook can determine the outcome. His blueprint is to “Count is all joy when you fall into various trials.”

 I seldom put “joy” and “trials” in the same sentence. James wants us to count our trials as “all joy.” I think I need to mull this over a bit. Tomorrow!

I saw a picture of courage today as I was coming home from walking at the mall.  She was young, wearing a backpack and crossing a major intersection. Just crossing that intersection would have taken all the courage I possess, but it took much more for her I’m sure. Her left hand held the harness of a guide dog for the blind. Her right hand was guiding a baby stroller. It was evident she was blind when she came up to a road sign in the middle of the sidewalk. The dog stopped. Then led her around the sign on the safe side.

I cannot even image the courage that young woman must have daily just to do the kinds of things the sighted take for granted.

Courage.  The English definition according to Merriam-Webster is “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.”

As Christians, we are called to display courage. “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men [and women] of courage; be strong.” [1 Cor 16:13 NIV]

The NKJV calls us to “be brave, be strong.”

It does take courage and strength to live your walk with Christ where the world can see. It has always taken such courage – when Paul wrote to the Corinthians and today as I write to you.  The world’s view and God’s view are often incompatible. And let’s admit it, the enemy of our soul does everything he can to keep us fearful and quiet.  We must always remember the Great Commission Christ gave to us to go into all the world and make disciples. We can’t do that if we are afraid to speak. We must be courageous and strong.

I recently went to a social gathering at the home of a friend. Shortly after I arrived, I found out that people I had hurt very badly a few years ago were there also. I had said some things in a forum I thought was private, but which later I found they were privy to. I compounded the wound when I responded to them in a defensive, hurtful manner.

I repented and asked God’s forgiveness, which He granted. I also admitted my failure – my sin – to them, repented, and asked them to forgive me. It was evident, however, that forgiveness is not a choice they have yet made.

I wish I was perfect. I wish I have never done anything to hurt others. But I’m not perfect, and I have created wounds and hurts in others by my rashness, my arrogance, my propensity to speak before thinking. While God readily forgives when we express sincere repentance, wounds in others can last a long, long time.

I left the social gathering after staying only a few minutes. I didn’t not want to create a tense environment for the hostess in what was a happy celebration. On the way home, I prayed. I prayed for me and I prayed for them.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commanded, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” [Matt 5:23-24]

When we sin and wound others, we must repent and ask for forgiveness from both God and those we hurt. We must attempt to be reconciled with our brothers and sisters. But I am aware that it is not always possible to be reconciled. We can ask, but forgiveness is not always granted. All we can do then is pray – pray that we might never wound another with our words, attitudes or deeds.

We have decided not to plant a garden this year.  We have a lot of work to do on the house and in the yard that will take not just our time, but a lot of our energy.  Bob is 79 and I’m 72, energy is not as abundant as it once was.  Still, I will greatly miss the tomatoes.

There is just something about the flavor of a home-grown tomato that is so totally different from what you can buy in the store.  If you have never experienced a home-grown tomato you have no idea what you are missing.

Last Sunday at The Way my message centered on gaining that firsthand, lively, personal experience of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  That kind of experience that is more than just knowing about Him or studying theology. I’ve had numerous people tell me (especially on their first visit to church) that they have spent decades studying theology.   My response to their declaration of being theological experts is usually to ask them, “tell me how that has influenced your experience with your Savior.”

We must learn about Jesus, and we must have sound theology. That is a given. But it is not enough. Mere information is head knowledge. And while we need head knowledge about spiritual things, head knowledge stops far short of what God wants for our lives.  We can see that in Paul prayer for believers in Ephesians 1:17.

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”

If you have never had a living, personal, firsthand experience with God, you don’t know what you are missing.

Someone said to me recently, “the days drag by and the years fly by.” Oh, how true!  I was thinking recently about three great vacations I’ve had in my lifetime. The first was a cross country trip with my brother and his two girls and my youngest son. We traveled from California to Pennsylvania in a small motorhome. It wasn’t a straight trip, it was ten days lazily traveling up through Wyoming to the Canadian Border states, and down through Indiana, Illinois, Ohio (the Football Hall of Fame!) and into Pennsylvania. It was a great time.

It was also more than three decades ago, thus I can understand David’s lament. “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.” [Ps 39:4]

Earthly life is fleeting, whether it be 20 years or 120 years. Especially when we consider our earthly years in light of eternity. We only have a few and we need to make sure we seize every opportunity to be the kind of people God expects of us.

Three times in the New Testament, Paul urged his readers to seize the opportunities presented to them, Galatians 6:10, Ephesians 5:16 and my favorite, Colossians 4:5-6.  “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” 

When we allow Jesus to shine through us, we will have opportunities. People will ask, “how can you be so …” when they see our responses in trials, troubles, fears, and difficulties. And when they do ask, we need to make sure our responses are grounded in godly wisdom, grace and truth.