Past Devotions

Artificial intelligence (AI) has suddenly popped up everywhere. According to Britannica.com, AI is “the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings. The term is frequently applied to the project of developing systems endowed with the intellectual processes characteristic of humans, such as the ability to reason, discover meaning, generalize, or learn from past experience.”

Recently AI has popped up in some of my computer applications, likely downloaded through recent updates. It reminds me that I can generate unique images, or perfect what I write. It wants to interpret my thoughts and give them “meaning.”

No matter how developed AI might be, it cannot give meaning to my life. It cannot interpret my soul, my heart. What I write does not come as much from my brain, as it does from my heart, a heart that has been reborn in Christ Jesus, a heart that has been cleansed and renewed, a heart that is now indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. A heart that was translated from the realm of darkness into the Kingdom of Light!

“God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” [2Corinthians 4:6-7 NLT]

No way AI can duplicate that! Praise God!

About a week ago, I went to a birthday celebration lunch for Pastor Laura. There were five of us in a “girlie” café. We laughed and laughed and laughed some more. I have been thinking of the joy that flowed around that table ever since.

Anyone looking at us at that table would have thought we did not have a care in this world, yet all of us were dealing with things, aging, illness, loss. But whatever we were facing was overridden by the joy of knowing deep in our souls that we are loved by our LORD.

Rejoicing does not happen in our lives ONLY when we are carefree. When we know the love of Jesus, joy and rejoicing are abundant no matter the circumstances around us.

Paul wrote to the Philippians “Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.” [2:16-18 NLT]

“I will rejoice even if I lose my life ….”

It is not the circumstances OUTSIDE; it is the Joy of the Lord INSIDE our hearts that determines our rejoicing!

I truly dislike politics (not a surprise to anyone who knows me). And nothing annoys me more than news broadcasts. To me, it is nothing but “doom and gloom.” Everything is bad news. Oh, there are the occasional human-interest stories, but they are far outweighed by the sad, tragic, evil, discouraging events focused on. And politics …? Do not get me started!

When I listen to the politicians and newscasters, I can picture them breaking out into song. Not “Happy Days are Here Again” but the song we used to hear on “Hee-Haw.”

“Gloom, despair, and agony on me / Deep, dark depression, excessive misery / If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all /Gloom, despair, and agony on me.” [GLOOM, DESPAIR AND AGONY ON ME, From the TV Show “Hee-Haw” (1969 -1992) Buck Owens & Roy Clark]

Scripture reminds us continually – through the Old Testament and the New – that our hearts are to focus not on the doom and gloom of life, but on “rejoicing!”

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” [Philippians 4:4-9 NLT]

How can we Rejoice(!) amid a world of doom and gloom? By remembering our “LORD is coming soon!”

 He will make everything right.

One of the best parts of life is spending time with people. I love nothing better than fellowshipping with others who love Jesus, people full of the Joy of the LORD. I love talking with them about their love for our Savior and His love for us.

Paul wrote two letters to Timothy that we have in our Bibles. In both letters he encouraged Timothy to “run from” an evil life and “pursue” a godly one.

 “But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.”  [1 Timothy 6:11 NLT]

“Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.” [2 Timothy 2:22 NLT]

In both letters Paul reminds Timothy to “run from” evil things, and “pursue” right living, faithfulness, love, godliness. But what always makes me smile is what Paul tacks on to those thoughts of “run from” and “purse.”

He tells Timothy to “Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.” We cannot do this Christian Walk apart from the companionship of others. It is too difficult to “run from” and “pursue” alone. We need others, and spending time with them encourages us and reinforces our determination and strength.

Today my husband turned 85 years old. He grew up in Wisconsin and joined the Marine Corps when he graduated from high school in 1959. He was 20 and I was 13 the first time I met him. He showed up in his Dress Blues to take his then-fiancé to her high school graduation. I was babysitting her two younger brothers. A few months later, he got a Dear-John letter when he was overseas.

When he was discharged from the Marines, he asked the mother of his former fiancé if she knew any “good Catholic girls.” She didn’t, but she gave him my phone number. Our first date was August 11, 1966, and we were engaged less than a month later September 9. We waited until the following April to get married.

We have been married nearly 58 years. Neither of us had good home lives growing up and we were determined to raise our children differently. I have watched this man rock a sick child with a high fever for hours overnight. I have watched him work hard, leaving before the children were awake and getting home long after they were asleep.

While he drove old vehicles, he always made sure the ones his children drove were in good working order. Being in construction and enduring many recessions, I watched him sacrifice his “retirement fund” so his children had food on the table and good shoes on their feet.

His motivational gift has always been Service [Romans 12:7], and I have watched him use it in many ways in many churches. His “love language” was never more than in evidence than when he would call me on Friday’s nights to tell me he deposited his paycheck.

He’s older now. His short-term memory isn’t what it used to be. He struggles with some things … but his love for me and for his children and their families has not diminished. His life was not, is not, always easy, but he lives it to the best of his ability.

Happy Birthday Bob!

Springtime has been hovering, gently pushing the winter cold away. Thoughts are of the warm days that are ahead. And for many, those warm days mean sandals, flip flops, and bare feet. Many will be heading to the salons for pedicures to try to make their feet look great in those sandals and flip flops.

But let’s admit, feet are ugly. That’s just the way it is. We lather them with lotions, get expensive pedicures, polish them, decorate them with jewelry and put them in pretty shoes to belie that fact. But without all that, left to their own devices, feet are just downright ugly. They get dirty. They develop calluses, bunions, hammertoes, warts, and corns. Yep, they are ugly.

That is why the scene in John 13 never fails to touch my heart. “Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. It was time for [Passover] supper…. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.  So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.” [13:1-5 NLT]

Feet remind me of our souls before Christ. They are downright ugly too, but we lather them up, polish them, decorate them, and hide them hoping no one will notice.

On that last Passover evening, Jesus washed the ugly, dirty, callused feet of those He loved. Before that Passover was over, Jesus would by His blood, wash the ugly, dirty, callused souls of man, making them whole and clean and beautiful in the sight of His Father.

Where I am in Idaho, we have had a few “false springs.” We enjoyed the temperatures in the 60’s, sunshine, lovely days for walking and being outside. In between those “false springs,” winter reclaimed its rightful place, and we got rain and wind while the mountains got more snow.

On my walks I noticed some of the early flowers emerging from the ground, promising beautiful blossoms soon. I am always touched by the beauty around me, the emergence of flowers from the cold, hard wintry days, the buds springing forth on the trees, the lengthening daylight and soft spring skies.

As I walked around our neighborhood the other day I thought of that line from the Alfred Lord Tennyson poem, Locksly Hall, “In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.”

In the spring my fancy also turns to thoughts of love, especially the love my Savior has for me. Easter, Resurrection Sunday, is late this year, April 20, but what the world considers “Easter” items have already appeared on the store shelves. There are bunnies, baskets, boxes of candy, and much more.

My “Easter” items are a bit different. There is a rough cross, a crown of thorns, weeping, ridicule, swords and whips. I see a tomb and soldiers and a confining stone across the entry. But then … what joy! I also see a stone rolled away, an empty tomb, tears turned to laughter, sorrow into joy! I see Resurrection Sunday(!) in all its glory and wonder.

In the spring, my fancy always turns to thoughts of love … “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” [John 3:16 NLT]

I love how David, in Psalm 34, asks a question to which we give a hearty “Yes!” “Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous?” [vs 12 NLT]

Then he outlines what a prosperous life looks like (vs13-14) and follows with the promises of God for those who seek that “prosperous” life (vs 15-18).

David wrote Psalm 34 at a time when he was faced with many challenges and reminds us that those who want to life a righteous, godly, prosperous life will also face challenges.

“The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.” [vs 19 NLT]

This life is full of challenges. Being a Christian doesn’t make us immune from those challenges. Christianity is not a one-time vaccine that keeps everything evil and difficult away from our doorstep. In truth, it might even “increase” the need for courage and strength.

The enemy of our soul pretty much leaves those who are his alone – but he hates God with a passion and knowing that he cannot succeed against God Himself, will often direct his attention to God’s children. Fortunately, God has provided us with the Indwelling Holy Spirit. He gives us everything we need to live a godly life.

“The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.” Amen!

The question David raised in Psalm 34 is quite simple. “Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous?” [vs 12 NLT]

Most would answer “Yes!” But while it is easy to define “long,” it is not so easy to define “prosperous.”  Thankfully, David did a good job of defining it in the verses that followed. “Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.” [vs 13-14 NLT]

We must admit, however, that living that “prosperous” life is often difficult and challenging, so David follows his command with promises made by the LORD who watches over His own.

“The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right: his ears are open to their cries for help …. The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.  The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” [vs 15-18 NLT]

Our LORD watches over us! He hears our cries. He rescues. His presence is with us in our joys and in our griefs. We can trust Him to be our “ever present help in times of troubles.” [Psalm 46:1 NLT]

The Scriptures repeatedly remind us of the promises of God’s help. We need to get them deep into our hearts so that when trouble abounds, we reach out immediately to the ONE who helps.

David asks a question in Psalm 34 that most of answer with a resounding “Yes!” “Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous?” [vs 12 NLT]

While long is easily defined, “prosperous” is a bit more difficult. David gives a few qualities of a prosperous life in the eyes of the LORD.

“Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.” [vs 13-14 NLT]

*Those who want a prosperous life refrain from seeking evil. Instead, they search for good in all things and love and treat others better than self.

*Those who want a prosperous life are honest. Their life is one of singular integrity. They are transparent in all their dealings, in church, school, business, politics, etc.

*Those who want a prosperous life do good. They love and are compassionate. They grant grace and mercy. They seek always to put God first.

*Those who want a prosperous life search for peace and when peace is found, they cling to it. They become peacemakers in a world that is disruptive and challenging.

David will now go on in this song to reveal the promises of God for those who seek to “live a life that is long and prosperous.” (More Tomorrow)