Past Devotions

Last week was emotional for me.  I wanted to be in California for our youngest grandson’s birthday, but we couldn’t quite pull it off. Add to that other issues and by week’s end, sadness was my prevailing mood.

The Scriptures do not use words like sad or its opposite—happy. No matter which translation I searched, there were only a couple dozen references to “happy.” The Scriptures focus much more on “joy,” with hundreds of references in each translation.

My sadness last week was based on circumstances that were out of my control. Many times, circumstances produce either sadness or happiness.  The thing we must remember, however, is that our relationship with the Lord in any and all circumstances produces “joy.”

In his first letter, after Peter addressed the fiery trials his readers were experiencing because of their faith in Christ Jesus, he reminded them, “Though you have not seen [Christ Jesus], you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”  [1 Peter 1:8-9 NIV]

That inexpressible and glorious joy [joy unspeakable and full of glory] resides deep within us even while our circumstances produce sadness or happiness.  That joy is produced by love and faith and salvation and our relationship with our Lord and King.

Father, I thank you for the deepest joy that resides always. Amen and Amen.

Every now and again I see a verse that simply reminds me of what we have in Christ Jesus – all those benefits for which Psalm 103 tells us to “Bless the Lord, O My Soul and do not forget!”  One such verse appeared as my daily reading in my email last week.

“He Himself [Jesus] bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds. For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” [1 Peter 2:24-25 Christian Standard Bible]

Jesus bore the punishment for our sins.  We have been healed by His wounds.  The Great Shepherd has found us and brought us into His flock.  He now guards our souls.

Just those four benefits alone should be enough to bless the Lord down through the ages.  I especially love the one that “guards my soul.” Heaven knows I tend to expose it so often to things that would damage without that protection.

Too often, beloved, we approach God constantly demanding to be blessed. There is no doubt that we are blessed by God abundantly, but instead of grateful thanksgiving and blessing God for all He’s done, we act like little children in a toy store focused on getting more and more. Maybe it’s time we bless (praise and worship) our Shepherd and Guardian of our souls more abundantly.

“Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits.”  [Ps 103:1-2 NKJV]

Fifty-one years married, as of today at 2 PM PST. The church we were married in was in the shape of a cross, with a raised altar in the very center. It was very large, so the crowd looked sparse with just a couple hundred attendees.

I remember it was raining and I had to run from the car to the church in my wedding dress and veil. I remember the rain drops spotted the satin dresses the attendants wore. I remember that the communion cup contained “real” wine, not grape juice! And I remember how difficult it was to kneel during the service in a wedding dress.

But the thing I remember most was the look on the bridegroom’s face when he turned around and saw me coming down the aisle. It was one of love and amazement and tenderness – so much so that it is hard to describe and impossible to forget.

I wonder, church, what it will be like when our bridegroom, Christ Jesus, turns and sees His bride. I have a feeling it will be a look we will never forget, one that is hard to describe, but impossible to forget.

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” [Rev 19:6-8 NIV]

I love reading signs and email titles, headlines, etc. Often, people in their haste to say something that will attract with very few words, end up saying something hilarious. I drove past a sign anchored on the lawn of a memory care center last week, it said, “Walk-in’s welcome.” Huh?

One of my all-time favorites was a local restaurant’s sign, “Chicken Fried Stake.” When I pointed out the mistake in “S T A K E,” the person riding with me said that they probably didn’t have enough of the right letters to spell “S T E A K” correctly. Double huh?

One email subject that hit my inbox recently was, “Christ the King’s website finished!” I didn’t know that Christ the King needed a website?

Perhaps the worst though was on a pair of sneakers worn by LeBron James. One had “I’M” and the other had “KING” emblazoned on them.  Ah no, sorry, LeBron, Jesus Christ is King … you just throw a ball through a hoop.  It’s not even close.

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.   His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns…. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” [Rev 19:11-12, 16 NIV]

Even so, come quickly KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS! Amen.

I read a phrase in a book Saturday morning … “peace with disappointment.” That is what happens when people say, “Don’t get my hopes up!”

How many times has the church felt the promise of revival. How many times have we sought the presence of God in our services, but after a few small drops, we walk back into the desert again. “Don’t get my hopes up,” we say, “revival is for somewhere else, someone else, some other time.”

We make peace with our disappointments. Our expectation shrivels, and we go back to enduring “normal” again. You know “normal.” It’s when nothing ever happens in a service except what we planned to happen. We sing, pray a little, listen to a sermon, then get home in time for lunch.

Too often that has been my experience in church, sometimes even when I was behind the pulpit! There is something about giving up control [even to God] that is downright scary. But it’s time, beloved. We need more of the Presence of the LORD if we are to thrive in these turbulent times. We need to let go and let the Spirit of God have His way.

“The glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.” [Ex 24:17-18 NIV]

Father, send Your Fire! We welcome Your Presence among us! Amen

Decades ago I attended a Women’s Ministry retreat and learned a little ditty from the speaker … “A bird can sing, on a wire that swings, because she knows how to fly!”

I don’t remember the name of the speaker, I don’t even remember the subject matter. I just remember that little jingle.  And, I am reminded of it all the time.

In our backyard we have cedar trees. We also have a large bird feeder, consequently, we have many birds that call our trees home. Doves, red-winged blackbirds, sparrows, and other cute little sparrow-sized birds eat at our table. The doves and blackbirds come and go, but the little ones spend the day. They latch on to the upper-most branches of our cedars and travel back and forth to the feeder whenever they get hungry.

Last Sunday I took a walk in the afternoon while the wind was 35 miles an hour. It nearly knocked me off my feet several times. When I got home I looked out back and the little birds were safely anchored on those swinging branches and riding out the wind. They didn’t seem at all affected by the gusts. Of course, they weren’t, they know how to fly!

How often the winds of life blast us. They seem to come out of nowhere and suddenly we are off balance, in danger of falling. But for those who know Christ Jesus, we are anchored no matter how strongly the winds blow.

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” [Heb 6:19-20 NIV]

When you get to the last song in the Book of Psalms, to the last verse, you are left with one command. “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.” [Ps 150:6 NIV]

Well, I’m still breathing, so I guess that means me!

Last Friday I arrived for our Pursuing the Presence Prayer two hours early. The church was empty. I set my things down on a table, turned on a CD and in just a moment, I began to praise my Lord and Savior. It didn’t require a lot of lead-in time. It didn’t matter what songs were playing or how loud or soft the music was. There was no one else joining me. I just began to praise.

Soon, I could sense the sweet presence of the Lord. Later, two others joined me and they too, sensed His presence. Sometimes we get loud as we pray, sometimes we plead or cry for revival. Friday we just sat with Him.

I usually am pretty good with words, but I can’t seem to find the right ones to describe Friday night. All I can say is that I didn’t want to leave … and I want to go back!

I am reading four books at present. One is “The Crucified Life” by A. W. Tozer (compiled and edited by James L. Snyder).  Its sub-title is “How to Live Out a Deeper Christian Experience.” Tozer’s “The Pursuit of God” may have been the most life-altering book I’ve ever read. I read it early in my Christian walk and it changed my entire perspective.

I highlighted one of the statements in “The Crucified Life,” chapter 4.  “Today we seek God and stop searching, whereas the early saints sought God, found Him and continued to seek more of Him.”

David said it this way:

Ps 143:6: “My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.” [NKJV]

Ps 63:8: “My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.” [KJV]

We are praying every day at the church for God’s Presence to not just visit but inhabit! We pray for 1 hour, from 6 to 7 PM MDT. We’ve asked others who are longing for God’s Presence to pray with us at that time. I am finding the further we move into this pursuit, the hungrier I have become. So much so that I began arriving at church one hour earlier to pray before anyone else gets there. Now I’m find that arriving one hour earlier isn’t enough. I want more time just so that I might worship Him.

I am hungry. I am thirsty for God. I want more of Him. I am tired of the status quo in our churches, I am tired of “normal!” I want the supernatural, but even more I just want Him!

Seven times in the Book of Revelation, Chapters 2 and 3, Jesus reminded the church: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  [NKJV]

So, are we listening?  Or have our ears grown dull? I wonder what kind of response I would get if I asked each person exiting church today, “What is the Spirit saying to the churches in our day?” I have no doubt, He is talking! But, are we listening.

I was reading one of my favorite stories this morning, found in 2 Kings 5. It is the story of Naaman, army commander for the king of Aram. A leper, he came to Elisha, the man of God, for healing. He was told to dip seven times in the River Jordan to be cleansed. After a bit of fussing he did just that and was cleansed.

Toward the end of the story, Naaman offered riches to Elisha, who refused them. After Naaman set off for home, Elisha’s servant got a bit greedy and caught up with Naaman. Using subterfuge, he received two talents of silver and two sets of clothing, which he later hid in his room. Elijah confronted him, having seen everything by the power of the Spirit of God and asked him a pointed question.

“Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants?” Then Elijah pronounced a judgment, “Naaman’s leprosy will clink to you and your descendants forever.”  [2 Kings 5:26-27 NIV]

Maybe Elijah’s question is for our time also? Maybe that is part of what God is saying to the church. We’ve grown rich but at what cost?