Past Devotions

I am enjoying the “one thing” verses I am find in Scripture. John 9 contains the story of Jesus and the blind man. There are many characters in this story. In addition to Jesus and the unnamed blind man, there are the disciples asking questions, the rulers throwing accusations and the man’s fearful parents trying to dodge being involved in any of it. (Read John 9 today.)

love the formerly blind man’s testimony when confronted by the rulers who were furious because Jesus healed on the Sabbath.  After all the accusations and responses, however, it was the personal testimony of this man that truly settled every argument. “He replied, ‘Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!’”  [vs 25 NIV]

One thing I do know … I was blind but now I see!  John Newton wrote, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.”

The one thing in each of our lives that cannot be refuted is the healing that Christ brought to us. We who were lost and blind, now are saved and seeing. We are not what we once were. Each of us has a personal testimony. Christ met us one day along the way and nothing has been the same since. Glory to God.

Father, thank you for that divine meeting with the Savior. Thank you that I, who was blinded by the god of this age, now see the beauty and glory in the light of Christ Jesus my Lord. That You would save a wretch like me is almost beyond my ability to comprehend. I bow to Your amazing grace. Amen

Luke 10:41-42: “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”  NIV

How many sermons and articles have been written about the one thing found in the story of Mary and Martha. I have heard some great ones, and I’ve heard some that seemed to miss the mark.

Most of the time we see ourselves as predominantly one or the other. We are either Martha, bustling around trying to feed and care for a bunch of guys who show up for dinner. (Who knows how much that big fisherman could eat all by himself!) All the while her sister is lounging with the guys in the living room.

Or we see ourselves as Mary, choosing the better part to remain at the feet of Jesus to hear what He is saying, ignoring the work that needs doing, resisting the strains of complaining from her sister bearing the burden of service.

I love these two ladies. Jesus loved these two ladies. I don’t think we are to choose between being a Mary or a Martha, between being in the presence of the Lord or serving. Martha’s problem was not her service, it was her worry and anxiety in her serving.

Our loves are to combine Mary and Martha. We are to sit as His feet and find there the motivation and power to then serve with humility and peace. Spending time with Jesus always results in the desire to serve Him more, and how do we serve Him? By serving others.

Father, give me the desire and power to both bask in Your presence and serve Your people. Amen.

Reading an early release of a the book, “A Call for Courage — Living with Power, Truth, and Love in an age of Intolerance and Fear.” I am finding this book is life-changing, perhaps the most significant book I have read in decades. It will be released on March 13, but you can pre-order now. Barnes & Noble will be putting it on sale (50% off) for one day only, February 7. If you want to read the introduction and first chapter, you can download it at CourageMatters.com. I urge you to do so.

The last couple days we have been looking at some of the “one things” I have found when I searched the Scriptures.  Yesterday’s one thing uplifted me – God is strong and God is loving.  Today’s one thing saddens me. It comes in the encounter Jesus had with a rich young ruler in Mark 10.

The ruler wondered what he had to do to gain eternal life. Jesus took him to what the law said. The ruler countered with the fact that he had always kept those external commandments.  Jesus then took him to what the heart was clinging to.  “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.’”  [v17-22 NKJV]

It all came down to a choice, either a heart that had only one treasure, that of loving God to the extent nothing else mattered, or a heart centered on earthly possessions.  The rich young ruler could not give up his earthly treasures.

Jesus asked the young man to pick up his cross. It was right there before Him. Jesus invited him to follow. But the call of worldly riches caused him to leave his cross at the feet of Jesus and turn away. It says, “he went away sorrowfully.”

Still, he went away. There was only one thing he lacked, a heart that hungered more for God than for the treasures of this life.  How many go away because of similar one things?  I fear too many leave their crosses at the feet of Jesus and turn their backs because of their one thing.

January 31

I found another “one thing” in Psalm 62 when I was searching in the NIV:  “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.” [v11-12 NIV]

It reads a bit differently in the KJV and NKJV. “God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work.” [NKJV]

God is strong; all power belongs to God.  The Lord is loving; mercy belongs to the Lord. God rewards /renders to each one according to what we have done.

Our God is strong and all power does belong to Him. If we remember one thing about Him, we remember He is all-powerful. Would we want to serve a God who does not have the power to keep His promises? Every year we elect people to positions of authority based on the promises they make to us, and most often those promises are not kept because they lack the power to do so. God has the power to keep His promises.

But there is another one thing we need to remember about our God. He is loving, mercy belongs to Him.  The all-powerful Right Hand of God is extended to us in mercy and love. We need never be afraid of rejection or refusal.

And our God will reward us – He will render to us according to what we have done. And the one thing we have done is trust in Jesus. Amen and Amen.

Writing about the one thing David wanted yesterday had me researching other “one thing” passages in the Scriptures. My search took me to one of my favorite stories in 2 Kings. It is the story of Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he also had leprosy. A slave girl captured from Israel told of a prophet in Samaria (Elisha) who could cure Naaman. You can read his story in 2 Kings 5:1-19.

Initially Naaman goes to the king of Israel who fearfully passes him off to the prophet Elisha. Elisha’s simple command is to go wash in the River Jordan. Naaman balks at the simplicity of the command and departs until his soldiers convince him to return and give it a try. Naaman goes down in to the Jordan a leper and arises from it cleansed.

Naaman gives glory to the LORD God of Elisha, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel,” and then he promises to “never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the LORD.” 

He ends his visit with Elisha with one thing – a request for forgiveness.  “’But may the LORD forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also-when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this.’ ‘Go in peace,’ Elisha said.” [vs 18-19 NIV]

One thing. Naaman understood that his official duties would require him to accompany the king in religious ceremonies and asked forgiveness of Jehovah’s prophet. Elisha granted it – “Go in peace.” I wonder if we’ll meet Naaman when we get to glory. I hope so. I hope that his heart remained true to the God of Israel.

January 29

I have been reading a book as part of a launch team prior to its release. I am only in chapter 3, but today’s reading quoted one of my favorite thoughts out of Exodus 33, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” [v15 NIV]

To paraphrase Moses, “God, if you’re not going, I’m not going.”

Later in the morning I was reading in the psalms and focused on Psalm 27:4: “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” [NIV]

“One thing.”  David wants one thing from the LORD … one thing. He wants that one thing that Moses also wanted, to remain in the presence of the Lord all His life. That made me ask myself, is this the one thing I truly want from God?  Or is my life consumed with wanting many things?

I think my focus is too often diverted to many things. At times I feel like the dog that has its attention set on its master until it sees the squirrel cross its path and it’s off and running, only to return to the master a bit bedraggled after much calling and coaxing.

Father, one thing I ask of You this morning … to remain in Your presence all the days of my life. May I forever gaze upon the beauty of my LORD Jesus. Amen

In the spring of 2016, Bob and I took two of our grandsons on a road trip. We headed from Modesto to the coast and then up the coastal highway into Oregon. As we traveled that highway, we would dip down at times to sea level right next to the ocean and then a few miles later we would be heading up into the coastal mountains.  Each time we headed down by the ocean we were warned that we were “Entering Tsunami Area” and to be prepared to evacuate when warned. Then as we headed back up into the higher regions we were informed we were “Leaving Tsunami Area.”

This remembrance, of course, was prompted by the recent Alaska earthquake that generated a Tsunami warning for these very coastal areas we traveled.  Tsunami is a great sea wave that is produced by under-ocean movement (earthquakes) or volcanic eruptions.

Ever feel like you were hit by a tsunami? Maybe there was a great shaking event in your life and suddenly this wave of trouble was coming straight at you ready to overwhelm you.  There have been times in my life when troubles seemed like great tidal waves ready to drown me.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a “tsunami warning” so we could flee to higher ground? Ah, but we do. Jesus warned us that life brings tribulation. That’s a given. That’s our warning. [John16:33]

But there is also the promise of higher ground in Christ Jesus and deliverance through the tsunamis of life.  “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.”  [Isa 43:1-2 NIV]

Notice that wonderful phrase “through the waters.” Christ has promised deliverance through.

Ps 9:9: “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” [NIV]

The word translated refuge and stronghold in this verse is the same Hebrew word, misgab.  It means a cliff or other lofty inaccessible place. Psalm 9 is attributed to David in most Bible translations, but apparently some scholars disagree with that. If it was David, he surely knew about refuges and strongholds, having been pursued by both Saul with his armies as well as the armies of the Philistines on far too many occasions.

In this world we can experience oppression or trouble from many sources. Sometimes it comes to us from others, sometimes from the enemy of our soul. Life, itself, often crushes and injures us. We face difficulties, diseases, dying.

Under the law, God established six cities of refuge, Levitical towns where those who caused the death of another could flee for refuge from the family member designated to revenge the death. There they would be safe as they waited until a trial could be held to determine if the death was an act of murder of unintentional. [Number 35]

Under the Gospel, Christ is our city of refuge.  No matter what the affliction, oppression, or trouble, we can flee to Christ Jesus as our refuge, our stronghold. Safe in His High Place, nothing can reach us, no matter what its source!

Thank you, Father, for sending Your Son to be our City of Refuge. Amen.

“Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever.” [Isaiah 9:7 NKJV]

One last thought this week on the government of Christ Jesus, and that is, Christ’s government will be eternally established with judgment and justice.

How often we hear the complaints about the inequity/unfairness of government. We hear the lament that there is no justice. In our nation, we claim that “justice is blind,” meaning impartial.  We have all seen images of Lady Justice blindfolded and holding a balance scale and a sword. Unfortunately, justice is as imperfect as the people who have the authority of it. I think Lady Justice often peaks out from behind her blindfold. She is very cognizant of wealth, social status, race and other factors.

That will not be so when the perfect Christ, the King of Kings, Prince of Peace, Savior, Lord bears the responsibility for government. In that kingdom to come, judgment and justice will be established forever. Everything will be done in holiness and truth and none of His subjects will ever have cause to complain.

Ps 9:7-8: “The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.” [NIV]

Praise Your Holy Name. Amen & Amen.