Past Devotions

I sat in my chair last Tuesday morning contemplating my second surgery in eight days scheduled for that afternoon. Thankfully, this was only a patch to repair a complication created by the more involved surgery the week before. There was a chance the original surgery would need to be redone, but the doctor, after examination, determined that would not be necessary.

Still that patch meant another day without food or water, another IV, another anesthesia and another recovery room trying to wake up and become alert enough to be released. It also pushed out the recovery period one more week into the first week of September.

I’m not allowed to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk, no vacuuming or pushing heavy shopping carts, no riding horses or motorcycles and no walking on my treadmill. Still I can walk and climb stairs as my strength returns, and for that I am grateful. (I think I might even be grateful about the “no vacuuming” restriction!)

Now that the second surgery is behind me, I’m looking forward to an enhanced life where I can finish my walk.  Paul on his way to Jerusalem asked the Ephesian elders to meet him along the way. In his closing remarks to them, he reminded them of his desire to finish. “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” [Acts 20:24]

Paul not only held himself to a good finish, he held others to the same standard. “Tell Archippus: ‘See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.’” [Col 4:17]

We need to finish well. God has given us a purpose for our life, an individual work to do. I want “to see to it that [I] complete the work [I] received in the Lord.” 

July 25

Peter reminded us to make “[our] calling and election sure” in the opening paragraphs of his second letter.  Paul also had something to say about our calling.  He wrote in his letter to the Ephesians, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” [2 Peter 1:10; Eph 4:1]

Ever think about that word “calling.” The word used by both Peter and Paul is the Greek word, klesis (klay’-sis). It means an invitation. Wow!

I get a lot of invitations. I only need to open my email box or go to my mailbox each day to read multitudes of invitations. I am invited to seminars for retirement, to get my carpets cleaned or my windows replaced. I’m invited to purchase cars, groceries, clothes, hearing aids and furniture. I’m also invited to book sales, grand openings, and to meet the candidates. Lots of invitations, most of which will cost me something should I accept.

Peter and Paul remind us that God has also extended to us an invitation, an invitation to become part of His family. Peter says, “make sure you accept God’s invitation,” and Paul follows, “make sure you always life your life worthy of God’s invitation.”

How do we make sure we live worthy? We need but read Paul’s following thoughts to get a good start. “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 4:2-3]

Father, may I always strive to live worthy of Your invitation. Amen.

How often I hear, or even say, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff,” usually with the tagline, “And it’s all small stuff.” I agree heartily with that, with one exception—that little word “all.” I think I would substitute for “all” the word “mostly.”

It’s mostly small stuff that we fuss over. Things like traffic, lines in stores, computers that don’t work (ugh!), dogs that bark in the middle of the night while we are trying to sleep. Yep, it’s mostly small stuff that riles us.

Even my recent surgery was “small stuff.” It wasn’t surgery for anything life threatening; it was life-enhancing surgery meant to fix a problem in my body so that I could have a more comfortable time in the years I have left. I can walk easier, stand to minister with less discomfort, etc. Small stuff compared to what many others are going through now.

The Apostle Peter opens his second letter with a couple of great reminders about life. First, he tells us to make every effort to add to faith such things as goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and finally love. But then he goes on, “My brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” [2 Peter 1:10-11 NIV]

We are to eagerly make our calling and election sure. Doing that will enable us to stand during the rough places of life and guarantee that we will receive a “rich welcome” into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. On the other hand, not doing that will guarantee a far different “welcome” and eternal dwelling.

Making our calling and election sure is not small stuff … it is the biggest “stuff” of all to take care of in this life. But we don’t have to “sweat” it … Jesus already did the work; we just need to make sure we’ve done our part by submitting our lives unto Him. PTL

Gumption. Lovely word. Merriam-Webster had this to say about the word “gumption” in my Word for the Day.

“English speakers have had gumption (the word, that is) since the early 1700s. The term’s exact origins aren’t known, but its earliest known uses are found in British and especially Scottish dialects…. In its earliest uses, gumption referred to common sense. American English speakers adopted the word and took it in a new direction, using it refer to the kind of courage or get-up-and-go that makes undertaking difficult things possible.”

I remember my friend, Nella, who has gone on to be with the LORD. As she aged, Nella a tall woman, became severely stooped. Whenever she saw me, she would laugh, pat my cheeks, and say, “Sweetie, growing old ain’t for sissies.”

No, it isn’t. But to be brutally honest, “life ain’t for sissies.” Life often takes gumption, the kind of courage or get-up-and-go that makes undertaking difficult things possible. Unfortunately, when we are at our lowest, when we need the most gumption is often when we have the least. Where do we find the gumption then?

Paul found his gumption in grace. “But, [the LORD] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  [2 Cor 12:9-10 NIV]

Beloved, when life gets tough, and it will get tough, God’s grace will infuse us with gumption so that we have the courage – the get-up-and-go that’s needed to undertake and succeed amid the greatest difficulties. Amen.

July 17

I will be offline for a few days beginning Tuesday. Going in for surgery , hopefully I’ll come home after or possibly spend one night at hospital. Thank you for your prayers.  I plan on being back online by Monday July 23. Love you all! 

I got another of those emails, you know the ones where someone is trying to sell something. This time it is “The Secret to Answered Prayer.” It’s a 40-day “experience” for me and my congregation. The starter kit has been marked down from $185 to $80. Sounds like a bargain, doesn’t it?

That, of course, made me ask myself … is there a secret to answered prayer … and even more, if there is, why would God keep it a secret? God loves us. He wants us to experience everything He has for us to the fullest and most abundant extent. He wants us to live in the knowledge of Him, align our desires with His. Why, if those are His desires, would He keep how to experience all that a secret?

I think it’s wonderful that there are so many tools available now to the church, both leaders and members. We have more than we could ever ask for (mostly available at a cost). But I think having someone else think for us has weakened the church. We turn to the tools someone else has developed rather than seek the LORD personally for His plan for us specifically. One size does not fit all … what works in one church culture may not work in a different one.

Remember King David’s battle against the Philistines in 1 Chronicles 14:13-17 that I wrote about recently? David had lots of victories against the Philistines, but when they came at him again, he didn’t depend on what he had always done, or what someone else had done, he sought God for that particular battle, and God gave him a totally different plan and a victory!

Oh, and the “secret” to answered prayer? First, you have to pray. Second, you have to make sure your prayers line up with God’s Word. Third, you must listen to what He says. Finally, you must obey. At least, that’s what I’ve discovered!

I want to finish my meditation out of Psalm 37 this morning with a most wonderful thought. God delights in His children.  Yes, He does. It says so in Ps 37:23-24:  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.  [NKJV]

It also says so in Psalms 35:27 (The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant) and 147:22 (The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love) Yes, God delights in those who trust in Him and seek to follow His way.

I remember when our children were little. There were times as I watched them learn to walk and talk, as their language skills developed along with their curiosity, that all I wanted to do was delight in them. They were the best part of every day. They made me laugh and smile and love them even more, if that were possible. As they grew and so did their interests and accomplishments, I still found my delight in them. As I’ve watched them now parent their own children, my delight in them has spread to the grands also.

As little ones when they fell, I ran to them to pick them up and hold them. I held on to them with my hands to keep them from falling again. As they grew and sometimes failed, I stood by them, ready to offer my hand through encouragement and wisdom.

I’m a failed, weak, flawed human being. If I delight in my children this way, can you even imagine the magnitude of a perfect, powerful God’s delight in His own? Oh beloved, God delights in you, orders your steps. He picks you up when you fall. He holds you by His Strong Right Hand so that you will not fall again. Meditate on that thought today! Be encouraged.

Ah, if you are French, you know what today is. Bastille Day! Bastille Day is France’s 4^th of July … the day marking the storming of the Bastille and a turning point in the French Revolution. The oldest and largest regular military parade is held the morning of July 14, on the Champs-Élysées in Paris in front of the President of the Republic, along with other French officials and foreign guests. It’s a great day for the French.

There is another anniversary celebrated this date. It’s Pastor Jim Gardiner’s birthday, he would be the same age as I am, 71. He was six months behind me. Instead of celebrating another birthday here on earth, Pastor Jim gets to celebrate his birthday in heaven with his Savior and all those saints who have gone before him. His struggle on this fallen planet is completed and he is at rest in the Lord.

I’ve been meditating in Psalm 37 these last few days. My meditations have centered on verses 3 & 4, and 5 & 6. Verse 7 goes on to reminds us to “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him.”  [Ps 37:7 NKJV]

Rest does not come easy this side of the veil. There are so many things which make our lives busy, even frantic at times, that rest seems almost foreign. Still, the psalmist reminds us that we need to rest “in” the LORD and wait patiently “for” the LORD. We can only do that when we follow the commands that preceded this one. Let me remind you what they were:

Trust, dwell, and feed on God’s faithfulness. Delight in Him. Commit your way to Him. And, again, Trust in Him.

When we do those things, rest will follow naturally. Amen.

Personally, I think the famous song “My Way” sung by Frank Sinatra is the worst song ever written. I like Frank Sinatra music. I love the off-beat tempo he sings, the pauses and breaths he takes in the not-so-usual places. He’s one of a kind. But, I still hate the song “My Way.”

I can’t think of a worse way to go through life, doing everything “My Way.” I don’t think David, the song writer, would have thought much of that song either. David wrote a totally different song:  “Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.”  [Ps 37:5-6 NKJV]

“Commit your way to the LORD” he begins. In other words, David’s song would be titled “God’s Way!” Commit your way to the LORD, trust in the LORD, He shall bring it pass … then your righteousness will shine like a light and your justice will be as bright as the sun.  Now that’s a song.

I can look back on my seven-plus decades and see that whenever I did things “My Way” they almost always turned out wrong. Oh, sure, I had some successes and made some wise decisions, but none of that matters much when you are walking away from God – which is what “My Way” is. When I turned around, faced my LORD and Savior and began walking toward Him, in step with His Spirit’s leading, then things began to turn out eternally right. I began to love righteousness and justice. I began to pursue His Holiness in me. I began to trust that God knows way better than I how to make my life worthwhile.

So, let me revise Frank’s Song just a little. “And now the end is near And so I face the final curtain. My friend, I’ll say it clear, I’ll state my case of which I’m certain. I’ve lived a life that’s full, I’ve travelled each and every highway, and more, much more than this, I did it God’s Way”

Have you thought about the desires of your heart? What are yours? Today, I would have to say the greatest desire of my heart is to see the LORD powerfully present in our midst.  We have been praying for that at The Way since before Easter. We are waiting, and expecting, and continuing to pursue Him in prayer. I know He is going to reveal Himself to us, I just don’t know when or how it will happen.

How can I be certain? Because God has promised to give us the desires of our heart.  Ps 37:3-4:  Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. [NKJV]

What does that mean, that God will give us the desires of our hearts? Does that mean God gives us everything we want? Does that mean He will give us everything we pray for?  Of course not. I’ve had a lot of strange desires in my lifetime, which had God given me would have made me miserable for years to come! No, God doesn’t give us everything we want.

He gives us the desires of our heart. What that means is that He places in our hearts His desires so that they now become ours. How do I know the LORD will reveal Himself to us in what some have termed “Revival?” Because that is my greatest desire … and I know that desire was not conceived in my fallen nature, nor even in my saved one! It was birthed in the heart of God and transplanted in mine. Since He placed that desire in me, I can trust Him and delight myself also in Him. And I can know for certain that He will fulfill that desire.

What are your greatest desires? Are you allowing the LORD to transplant His desires in you?