Past Devotions

I enjoy spending time in the Book of Psalms. Spending time in the Psalms does wonders for the soul. There are two very important lessons we can learn from becoming familiar with these songs. First, they teach us how to pray – honestly pray. We can express our thoughts to God from the deepest level of our hearts; nothing is off limits.

The Psalms also teach us how to worship. They sing of the goodness of God, His protection and care for His own. We learn to sing with Israel’s singers, “How wonderful you are, O LORD!”

We are going to spend August in the Psalms at church. Today’s message comes from Psalm 118. Take a moment to read Psalm 118 today. This was Martin Luther’s favorite.

The author of Psalm 118 reminds us of God’s victories and deliverances. He reminds us of God’s goodness, His enduring love and mercy.  He also reminds us where we should place our trust.  Verses 8-9: It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.  It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.

Where is your trust? In people? If so, you will be greatly disappointed. People will always disappoint, they are fallen beings just like us.

Is your trust in governments (princes)? Even “princes” will fail us.  After all, governments are made up of people.

God, however, is good, His mercy and love endure forever. He will never fail us.

“Let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.” [Ps 5:11-12 NKJV]

Yesterday I was reminded by David in Psalm 5 that we can lay our requests before God and know that He will hear us. We can wait expectantly and know that He will respond to us. [vs 3]

This morning I was reminded that there is a response to God that should mark our lies … joyful rejoicing. Knowing God’s favor upon His children should produce a glorious response in us. We should be shouting for joy, ever delighting in Him.

“The Lord is good, His mercy [love] endures forever.” That is the theme of the Old Testament. That song was sung at the dedication of Solomon’s temple, repeated by the psalmists. It was sung by Jehoshaphat’s army as they went in to battle and by the people who returned from captivity at the completion of the foundation for the post-exilic temple. It was acknowledged by Jeremiah and by Daniel.

In the New Testament it was Peter who reminded us that the Lord is good. “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” [1 Peter 2:2-3 NIV]

Have you tasted that the LORD is good?  If so, there should be a joyfulness that stretches far beyond circumstances and trials. There should also be a loud rejoicing that expresses that joy so that others might come and “taste” that the LORD our God is Good!

Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMY3ivdNzwE&list=RDeMY3ivdNzwE&start_radio=1

I was to be all alone today with only one thing on my schedule, lunch with a good friend. Bob was going fishing to a lake that is far enough away he’d spend the entire day getting there, fishing and getting back. The trip was canceled.  Following my surgeries, we’ve been home together a lot. I love him but he’s a bit of a hoverer when he thinks I’m sick or down physically. It would have been nice to have had an entire day to myself.

I’ve been unable to do my 2-mile worship walk in the morning after breakfast. I’m gradually increasing my step count but mainly by walking around the inside of the house. It’s just not quite the same as a long walk with my worship music, singing and praising God in the early morning. My soul has suffered. I know that because of the difficulty I’ve had this week prepping for Sunday’s message.

I think David was a morning person. I love the way he opens Psalm 5, “In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” [NIV]

The psalms are full of reminders that when we lay our requests before God, He hears and answers. While we may not perceive His immediate response, we can be assured that He has heard us and that He will respond. So, we do what David did, we “wait in expectation.”

God will never ignore His children. His response can take many avenues. He might say yes or no. He might change the direction of our thinking. He might ask us to wait or tell us to start moving. The one thing we can be absolutely sure of is that He hears the voices of His children and He will act in our behalf. Amen and Amen.

Ever look around the congregation in your church. Hopefully what you see are people of all ages and backgrounds and social stations. Hopefully, you also see people at various levels of Christian maturity, babes amid the mature, milk-drinkers alongside meat-eaters!  People should be coming from every and all directions.

That’s exactly what Mark reported in his opening chapter. Jesus had gathered disciples around him, Simon, Andrew, James and John. He had cast an evil spirit out of a man in a synagogue, healed Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever and spent that evening healing all the sick and demon-possessed who were brought to him.  The next day he began to travel through Galilee, peaching and healing.

As people witnessed the work of the LORD in their midst, they began to flock to Him.  Mark reports, “they came to [Jesus] from every direction.” [Mark 1:45 NKJV]

I’ve been told repeatedly that the church needs to utilize more and varied methods and means to reach people, that people won’t just come to a church anymore. While I acknowledge that may be true, I can’t help but wonder why. Is it because people have changed … or is it because the church has changed?

I look around at our world, at our society, and I don’t think it is because people have changed. They still age, still suffer sickness, accidents and traumas. They are anxious, nervous, addicted, rebellious, and perverted (to name just a few conditions). In other words, they are the same fallen human beings they have been since the Garden.

So then, if people aren’t coming to church to find relief, healing, and freedom from what plagues them, it must be because the church has changed … perhaps it is because we’ve driven the true Jesus and the revolutionary power of His Spirit out of our midst. When Jesus has been banned, there’s really no reason to come to church. But, when Jesus is present and allowed to move among us, people will be drawn to Him “from every direction”.

Col 1:6: “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.” [NIV]

Following is a quote from an email from Voice of the Martyrs (VOM): “When 500 jihadis from the Fulani tribe attacked the areas of Barkin Ladi and Jos South on June 23–24, Christians in the area could only pray and flee. By the time the attacks had ended, hundreds lay dead and more than 10,000 — primarily Christians — had been displaced from their homes and villages.

“The Fulani Nationality Movement took credit for these violent attacks and warned of even more attacks. ‘Our men are waiting,’ the group threatened. ‘We are eager to fight.’ The group has promised to fight against all those ‘raising their voices against us and against Allah.’”

One of those attacked was an 8-year-old boy named Dalo. Dalo’s entire family was killed in the attack and Dalo suffered second-degree burns over most of his body. VOM reports that when Dalo was brought to the hospital, he was praying and has continued to pray. He is asking God to heal him and praying for others injured in the attacks. He is also doing something else, he is asking God to forgive his attackers.

“All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing.” As I read about Dalo, I was reminded that there are many parts of the world where being a Christian is life-threatening and the fruit that is born is done amid tribulation and sorrow.  I was reminded of something else … that sweet little phrase found in Isaiah 11:6: “and a little child shall lead them.” [KJV]

His name was Epaphroditus. He had been chosen by the Philippian church to send a care package to Paul who was imprisoned at the time.  Epaphroditus went beyond just delivering the gift from the Philippians, he stayed to help Paul.  Paul calls him “my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier.”  He says that Epaphroditus took care of his needs while there and even risked his life to provide Paul the help he needed.  That’s a great testimony to the man’s character from the Apostle.

While with Paul, Epaphroditus fell ill, so ill that he almost died.  Even then, Epaphroditus wasn’t concerned with himself, he was worried about the distress hearing about his illness might have on the church who sent him. If you have read the second chapter of Philippians, you’ve read about Epaphroditus.

What you may not know about him is what his name means. His name is of pagan origin and means “belonging to Aphrodite.” Aphrodite is the ancient Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. The name of the pagan goddess is actually incorporated in Epaphroditus’ name.

At some point, Epaphroditus heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The power of that Gospel set him free from dead paganism to serve the Living God. No longer was Epaphroditus “belonging to Aphrodite,” now he was “belonging to Jesus.” The old life had no more claim on him; he was a new creation in Christ.

We may not think often about Epaphroditus, but he is a perfect example of what God can do when He gets hold of a man or woman. He’s a perfect example also of someone who is so in love with and thankful to God that he is willing to sacrifice it all for the cause of Christ.

May there be a little Epaphroditus in all of us.

Poor Meghan Markle. Yes, poor Meghan Markle. In case you’ve been out of this world over the past months and don’t know about Meghan Markle, let me update you. Meghan Markle is the American actress who married Prince Harry of England a few months back and became the granddaughter-in-law to Queen Elizabeth. Story-tale romance, beautiful wedding, handsome prince for a husband, so why do I call her poor?

Every day there is another article in the press about her … mostly about what she’s doing wrong as the new Duchess of Sussex. She curtsied too low, her dress was too billowy, she bared her shoulders, she wore black other than to a funeral, she sat with her legs crossed, or she didn’t do this or that correctly according to royal rules. Apparently, there are so many rules, both written and unspoken, about how royals are to dress, walk, act, eat, that the learning curve is enormous. And poor Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, is taken to task by all the rules-watchers every day for some new thing she just hasn’t gotten quite right.

May I boldly say, it is more complicated to be a granddaughter-in-law to England’s Queen than it is to be a son or daughter of Heaven’s Eternal King!

 “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.” [Eph 2:6-10 NIV]

God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in His heavenly kingdom. God shows us the riches of His grace. God is kind to us. We are saved by His grace through our faith, not by following rules or laws. That grace is God’s gift to us. Our Father God, through the work of His son, Christ Jesus, did it all for us. The only “rule” we have is the one Jesus gave to His disciples shortly before His death … to love as He has loved us. [John 15:12]

Thank you, Father. Amen

Jesus told His disciples in John 14 that He was going to prepare a home for them in the Father’s Heavenly House and had reserved their rooms in that house.  He also told them, “You know the way to the place where I am going.”

When He said that, Thomas told Him that they didn’t know where he was going, so how could they know the way. Jesus’ response is one that every Christian can probably recite.  “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” [John 14:4-7 NIV]

Jesus’ statement is one of the most crucial statements regarding salvation ever uttered. Either what He claimed was the absolute and perfect truth, or He was a madman. We can be assured, that the resurrection of Christ Jesus following His crucifixion—one of the most attested to events in history—was God’s confirmation that Jesus was exactly who He said He was, God’s Son—the Way, Truth, Life—and the only avenue to the Father.

That truth both narrows and expands salvation. It narrows it by denying the claim that there are many paths to God. There is one path, a narrow one, and it goes through Christ Jesus.

In another way, however, it expands salvation to “whosoever believes.” We don’t need to belong to a certain ethnic group, a certain denomination, or a certain country to be saved. We don’t need to trace our linage or worry about our gender or social status or education. We simply come to Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Father, how wonderful that the way to You has been opened by the work of Your Son, Jesus the Christ. All may now come. Amen.

“Layin’ about” after this surgery has meant watching a lot of television, reading, crocheting, searching the web, listening to music, sleeping, and trying to walk a few steps more each day (that part is doctor’s orders.) I usually begin the day on the computer, then read or crochet (until my eyes get tired). I’ll pull up YouTube and listen to worship music, but as the day wears on and I get tired, it’s television. Television has little to offer most of the day, although I did enjoy watching the British Open over one weekend.

On one segment of Dateline I learned about a couple who returned to Virginia and bought a home after traveling the world. They named the house they bought after one in a British novel. Maybe it’s a southern custom I’m not aware of, but I don’t think I know anyone who has ever named their house.

I live in a white house with teal trim on a street in Caldwell. It is a cute house, small porch with a little white fence. Three bedrooms, two baths, and a bonus room. The house now has a renovated kitchen, but it still doesn’t have a name. Not sure how I would even begin to choose a name for it.

As I thought about naming this house I now live in, I realized that I have another home waiting for me. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” [John 14:1-3 NIV]

That home I think I can name. “Terry’s Room in the Father’s Heavenly House.”  Thank you, Lord Jesus, for reserving my eternal home for me. Amen.

I have two great doctors. One is my go-to-for-everything doctor. She’s so special because she’s willing to spend time and talk if you need that. She’ll come in with lab results, high-five, and say “stand up and we’ll do the happy dance!” I have a new doctor surgeon, a young no-nonsense-straight-in-your-face doctor. She’s also special in her positive can-do attitude. I really like these two women.

My doctor surgeon was up front when she told me there was an unexpected result of the first surgery, one that only 1-in-600 women experience. (Aren’t I special!) When she came in to consult just prior to taking me in for the second surgery, she was cute and said that there is a third complication that can result from the second surgery, one that only 1-in-300 women experience (requiring an additional surgery). Then she smiled and reminded me that while I had already found myself in the first group, she’d do everything she could to make sure I didn’t find myself in the second!  So far, it appears she kept her promise.

I found myself despite all these “complications” very peaceful, maybe even perfectly peaceful.  I was reminded of the beautiful promise in Isaiah. “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” [26:3]

It is possible to find peace amid difficult circumstances. We do it by “Trust[ing] in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.” [26:3]

It is so important that we place our trust in the Lord and it is vital that we do that in the good times. We must drive our pilings deep into The Rock, establish our foundation upon Him. That way when the storms blow (be they small storms or massive ones), our foundation of trust is sure and our minds are steadfast on Him. Then will we have that perfect peace promised by our LORD.