May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. [Psalm 19:14]
I’m sharing these daily devotions in the hope they will inspire you to read God’s word. I’m praying that they will help you find your way to a closer relationship with God. [Read More ….]
All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all. [Cecil Frances Alexander]
A giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus is the narrator in Shelby Van Pelt’s delightful novel Remarkably Bright Creatures. While the animal’s ability to verbalize is pure fiction, Marcellus’ curmudgeonly personality and ability to plan are quite possible. Said to have the intelligence of a Labrador retriever or a 3-year-old child, octopuses are the most intelligent of the invertebrates. They can use tools, recognize people, hold grudges, escape aquariums, untie knots, and solve mazes.
Scientists have identified distinctive behavioral traits in animals as diverse as elk, fish, ferrets, spotted hyenas, spiders, sea anemones, rodents, lizards, and birds. Naturally, the same characteristic presents differently in different species. An introverted octopus, for example, will stay in its den while feeding and try to hide by changing color, but an introverted human might stand alone at a party or skip the party entirely. As for a shy African penguin named Tubbs who once wintered at our local zoo—the introverted bird took his food into the back corner of his den to eat it, usually stood with his back to the other penguins and zoo visitors, and, like many timid fellows, wasn’t successful with the females.
Several years ago, we became acquainted with Tubbs and his penguin friends Missy, Squirt, and Sal when we had the opportunity to meet their keepers and go behind their exhibit to feed them. Initially, the penguins all looked alike but, when we looked more closely, we realized their black chest spots were as unique as are human fingerprints. Like zebras, jaguars, monarch butterflies, and the rest of God’s creatures, no two are exactly alike. God never repeats himself.
As we fed those fascinating birds, their distinctive personalities began to emerge. Along with the socially awkward Tubbs, we met the outgoing Missy who, unfortunately for Tubbs, clearly had a crush on her human keeper. The “hen-pecked” Sal followed his domineering mate Squirt wherever she went. Although the other penguins preferred eating their fish “headfirst,” Squirt insisted on getting her dinner presented sideways. While it was penguin instinct that made Tubbs gorge himself in preparation for molting, it was his timid personality that caused the curious penguin to peek around a corner at us rather than stand at the gate with the others.
Scientists have found intelligence, personalities, and emotions in everything from limpets and crabs to coyotes and water striders. Nevertheless, until meeting those penguins, I’d thought of personalities only in domesticated animals and attributed them to training and environment. I hadn’t considered the possibility of undomesticated animals having distinctive personalities and the ability to feel and express emotions, but scientists have found that even honey bees can exhibit optimism and pessimism!
The fictional Marcellus was a gentle reminder of the lessons I learned from my time with the penguins. While animals may not be able to speak in a way that we can understand or exhibit emotions in a way we recognize, there is nothing dumb or unfeeling about any of God’s creatures. Their complexity and diversity point to our unlimited Creator and His intelligent, imaginative, and loving design. God created every living thing and none of His creation happened by accident.
God commanded us to keep and care for His creation, not to exploit or abuse it. As title holder to the earth, He will hold us responsible for the way we care for it and for the creatures with whom we share it. Wednesday is Earth Day, a day dedicated to honoring the environmental movement, raising awareness about pollution, and promoting global sustainability. Saving the environment depends on each and every one of us. For the sake of penguins, octopuses, and the rest of God’s creatures who are unable to speak for themselves, let us be better stewards of God’s beautiful earth.
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. O God, enlarge within us the sense of fellowship with all living things, our brothers the animals to whom Thou gavest the earth as their home in common with us. We remember with shame that in the past we have exercised the high dominion of man with ruthless cruelty so that the voice of the earth, which should have gone up to Thee in song has been a groan of travail. May we realize that they live not for us alone, but for themselves and for Thee and that they love the sweetness of life. [Attributed to St. Basil the Great]
For three days, Israel traveled across the desert without finding any water. When they arrived at Marah, the exhausted and thirsty group was disappointed to find the water undrinkable because of its bitterness. When Moses cried out to the Lord, God told him to throw a piece of wood into the water to make it sweet. It was then that God proclaimed His name to be Jehovah Rapha, the “Lord who Heals You.” Jehovah Rapha took the bitter out of the Israelites’ water and made it palatable.
Jehovah Rapha does more than turn bitter water sweet. He can heal any physical ailment. Scripture tells us He made the barren fertile, the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers clean, and even raised people from the dead. While the hands that do the work may be mortal (as were Moses’ when he tossed that wood into the water, Isaiah’s when he applied a poultice to Hezekiah’s head, and a surgeon when he successfully removes a tumor), the healing always comes from God! Jehovah Rapha, however, is more than the Great Physician (and water purifier)!
The Hebrew word rapha means to heal, to cure, to restore or repair. Originating from Arabic and Ethiopic words meaning to darn, stitch together or mend, rapha occurs about sixty-seven times in the Hebrew Scriptures. Rapha conveys the sense of restoring wholeness where destruction, harm, disease, unrest, or confusion have made inroads. It isn’t limited to making foul water drinkable or healing physical ailments. Rapha is used for restoring land, cities, broken hearts and minds, and covenant relationships as well as bodies. Emphasizing that it is the Lord’s choice to fix what has been broken or tainted, the subject of the verb rapha usually is the Lord.
In the true sense of the word, Jehovah Rapha is more than the Great Physician. He’s the tailor who stitches up the tears in the fabric of our lives. He’s the restoration specialist who scrubs out the gunk and mold left from life’s devasting storms and the handyman who fixes what’s no longer working in our lives. Instead of darning socks, He’s the one who weaves together the fibers that hold us together. He’s the mason who rebuilds our fallen walls and the contractor who brings back structural integrity to our crumbling foundation.
Bitterness, anger, shame, fear, depression, loss of faith, and guilt can poison our hearts and take away life. We still may be breathing but we’re dead inside. Just as the God who Heals, can provide healing to our broken bodies here on earth, Jehovah Rapha can take our ailing embittered minds, hearts, and souls and restore them to health. As He did with the water at Marah when he made the unpalatable palatable, Jehovah Rapha can transform the bitter in our lives into something bearable.
Christ is the Good Physician. There is no disease He cannot heal; no sin He cannot remove; no trouble He cannot help. He is the Balm of Gilead, the Great Physician who has never yet failed to heal all the spiritual maladies of every soul that has come unto Him in faith and prayer. [James H. Aughey]
If there were a litmus test for Christians, it would not be pious words, powerful preaching, grandiose gestures, or even extraordinary feats; it would be the presence of the Fruit of the Spirit. If love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control aren’t evident in our lives, we may be talking the talk but we’re clearly not walking the walk. Jesus recognizes us by our fruit and, if we’re bearing the Fruit of the Spirit, people will see some of Christ in us.
It’s not always easy to exhibit the Spirit’s fruit and I’m reminded of Shirley who lived in our Colorado mountain town. Although the town’s bus service was free and frequent, we often saw her hitch-hiking around town. Carrying her ever-present travel mug of coffee, Shirley would stand in the middle of traffic and shout at drivers who passed without stopping. Although she maintained sobriety, years of hard living, drug and alcohol abuse, along with a traumatic brain injury had taken their toll. Shirley usually attended our church but she could be found at any church’s activity when free food was involved. Supported by family but living on her own, Shirley meant well but she was erratic and could be disruptive, muddled, and even volatile. When a pastor friend called her his “Jesus meter,” knowing Shirley, I understood what he meant. This challenging woman was his litmus test for Christlikeness!
While my friend’s “Jesus meter” was Shirley, ours could be the neighbor whose dog poops in our yard, the never-ending complainer at work, the perpetually late friend, a certain politician, or the relative who dithers about everything. Your meter may be tested by the customer service rep, aggressive drivers, or the person who takes your parking spot! While it’s different for each of us, we all have certain people and situations that rub us the wrong way, challenge our patience, or frustrate, annoy, and exasperate us. How we react in those challenging situations tells us where we stand on our “Jesus meter.” A low score on His meter tells us we’re not walking His walk!
When we encounter the Shirleys of the world, let us remember what Jesus said about loving our neighbor and doing for the “least of these.” Being a Christ follower doesn’t mean life will be without its temptations and challenges; there always will be people and situations that challenge our capacity to act as would Jesus. I suspect our Shirleys are part of God’s character building! They’ll try our patience, test our faith, challenge our self-control, and make us question our ability to love our neighbor. Flawed people that we are, we can’t bear Christ’s fruit on our power alone; it’s the power of the Holy Spirit that makes it possible! Nevertheless, sometimes we’ll get aggravated, exasperated, irritable, or anxious—times when we’ll fail to turn the other cheek, lose our tempers, and even say things we shouldn’t. When our “Jesus meter” fails to register, we must ask forgiveness, repent, take comfort in God’s grace, learn from our errors, reconnect with the Holy Spirit, and continue to grow on His vine.
God develops the fruit of the Spirit in your life by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you’re tempted to express the exact opposite quality. Character development always involves a choice, and temptation provides that opportunity.[Rick Warren]
In contrast to works, which are produced by us, the Fruit of the Spirit is produced by the Holy Spirit. Rather than a basket with a variety of fruit, this is one indivisible fruit characterized by nine virtues: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We could call this the “Christlikeness fruit” because these characteristics describe Jesus and should describe us.
Planted by the Spirit in our hearts when we accept Jesus, the Fruit of the Spirit is a little like a Swiss Army knife with its numerous functions. Just as the multi-faceted pocketknife can provide us with two blades, along with a corkscrew, screwdriver, bottle opener, scissors, toothpick, tweezers, can opener, and key ring, the Fruit of the Spirit is an all-purpose spiritual tool providing us with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Victorinox, however, doesn’t equip every Swiss Army knife with the same tools. With its 13 functions, their rescue knife comes with a saw for cutting shatterproof glass, a seatbelt cutter, and a window breaker but it doesn’t have the huntsman knife’s corkscrew and multi-purpose hook or the mini champ’s cuticle pusher and orange peeler! Unlike the knife maker, however, God equips every one of His children with the same nine all-purpose attributes in the Fruit of the Spirit!
It’s not Victorinox’s “cross on shield” logo that identifies it; the knife is known by its tools! In the same way, it’s not labeling ourselves Christians that identifies us as such—we’re known as Christ’s followers when the Fruit of the Spirit is evident in our behavior. The tools on any Swiss Army knife are meant to be used but, once it’s sold, Victorinox doesn’t care if you never open the knife. The virtues of the Fruit of the Spirit, however, are meant to be evident and God notices when they aren’t.
When describing the Fruit of the Spirit in “newspaper English,” famed preacher Samuel Chadwick (1860-1932) may have said it best: “The Fruit of the Spirit is an affectionate, lovable disposition, a radiant spirit and a cheerful temper, a tranquil mind and a quiet manner, a forbearing patience in provoking circumstances and with trying people, a sympathetic insight and tactful helpfulness, generous judgment and a big-souled charity, loyalty and reliableness under all circumstances, humility that forgets self in the joy of others, in all things self-mastered and self-controlled, which is the final mark of perfecting.” It is the presence of the Fruit of the Spirit that enables us to grow more like Jesus every day—to have His purpose, thoughts, words and actions be ours.
We recognize a Swiss Army knife by its tools; do people recognize us by our fruit?
Easter means you can put the truth in a grave, but you can’t keep it there. [Anne Lamott]
Several years ago, an entertainment network did a story on the highlights of Charlotte, North Carolina. Since the Billy Graham Library was considered a point of interest, it was visited by the show’s co-host Kristy Villa and her film crew. Commenting on the many crosses she saw throughout the property, Villa asked, “I see all the crosses, but where is Jesus?” Her guide simply replied, “He’s in Heaven,” adding, ”He is also present in the lives of those who believe in Him and follow Him as their personal Lord and Savior.” Villa exclaimed, “Oh, that’s right! Some worship a crucifix, but Christians worship a risen Christ.” Indeed, Christ’s story doesn’t end with a dead man hanging on a cross. Nevertheless, rather than an empty cross, our emphasis should be on His empty tomb!
Confucius, founder of Confucianism, was buried in his hometown of Qufu in China and the body of Muhammad, founder of Islam, can be found in the Mosque of the Prophet in the Saudi Arabian city of Medina. Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism, was cremated following his death. His cremains were divided into eight portions, taken throughout Central Asia, China, and Japan, and placed in different stupas (dome-shaped shrines). Today, the Buddha’s cremains (including his teeth and a finger bone) can be found in shrines throughout Asia. Bahá’u’lláh, founder of Bahá’í faith, was buried near his home in Bahji, Israel, and the remains of the Báb, a central figure in Bahá’í and founder of Bábisma, was interred at the Shrine of the Báb in Haifa, Israel. After his death, Joseph Smith, founder of the Morman church (LDS), was buried in the family cemetery in Nauvoo, Illinois. When Cyrus Teed, founder of Koreshanity, failed to resurrect, his decomposing body was buried on Estero Island; two years later, a hurricane washed his tomb out to sea. All of these men—people who claimed to know the truth revealed by God—are dead but their remains are still here.
Let us never forget that Jesus’ story didn’t end with His crucifixion! The cross couldn’t stop Jesus and the tomb couldn’t contain Him. Pilate’s best efforts to secure the tomb were worthless. A Roman seal, large boulder, and a sixteen-man Roman guard were not enough to keep Jesus shut in that tomb! Both cross and tomb are empty and His body’s remains are nowhere to be found! With His death and resurrection, Christ triumphed over both sin and death. Alleluia!
I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world—and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible. [Charles Colson]
Last February, we celebrated love with the secular holiday Valentine’s Day. We may have given or received flowers, candy, or a card—tokens of someone’s love for us or our love for them. Seven weeks later, however, the flowers are dead, the candy is eaten, and the card in the recycling bin. The day dedicated to “love” is forgotten until next February when the ads for jewelry and flowers remind us.
It was on Valentine’s Day that I read a love letter said to rank among the “fifty greatest love letters of all time.” It was written by the famed composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Intended for an unnamed woman, she is only known as his “Immortal Beloved.” Addressing her as, “My angel, my all, my very self,” the composer continues, “However much you love me—my love for you is even greater. Is not our love truly founded in heaven—and what is more, as strongly cemented as the firmament of Heaven?” The passionate letter continues with Beethoven’s promise that, “I am faithful to you; no other woman can ever possess my heart—never—never.” The ten-page letter concludes with, “Ever thine. Ever mine. Ever ours.”
Beethoven’s is not the greatest love letter of all time because the greatest love letter can’t be found on the internet nor is it filled with saccharine sentiment and romance. While Beethoven wrote words with a pencil on paper, God sent the very Word! Regardless of how beautifully written, no love letter can compare to the one sent by God to His children—Jesus Christ!
When Beethoven declared his love to be greater than that of his “Beloved Immortal,” his words weren’t put to the test but, with His death on the cross, Jesus proved that His love for us is far greater than our love ever could be for Him! Unlike Beethoven’s love for this unnamed woman, God’s love truly was founded in heaven. The composer’s letter was meant for just one woman but God’s love letter was intended for all of mankind. While Beethoven promised her his undying faithfulness, history tells us the composer always was in love with some woman or another. God, however, is not fickle and there’s nothing we can do to make Him love us less or more! Sadly, while God always is faithful to us, we have not proved to be so faithful to Him.
Although Beethoven wrote that he wanted to post his letter immediately, it was found in his belongings several years later after his death and appears to never have been sent. In contrast, we are blessed that God’s love letter arrived here 2,000 years ago. Beethoven may have failed to send the letter because it was a clandestine romance but there was nothing clandestine about God’s letter to us. The Hebrew Scriptures are full of Messianic prophecies and Jesus’ arrival was heralded by angels, welcomed by Magi, and announced by John. While not everybody received Him, Jesus didn’t conceal his love as would a couple of secret lovers.
Perhaps the letter wasn’t sent because Beethoven loved his lady from a distance and she never knew of his love for her. God, however, has never hidden His love from us. Even before Jesus’ arrival on earth, God openly announced his love with every sunrise, birth, butterfly, wildflower, rainbow, and breath taken!
Tomorrow is Good Friday—the day we remember how God showed His love by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us! That dark Friday 2,000 years ago was a day of agony and anguish, torture and degradation, betrayal and abandonment, along with sorrow and sacrifice. Nevertheless, the overwhelming message of that horrible day is one of love! Because of His sacrifice for us, God’s beautiful love letter remains with us forever. Indeed, He is our Immortal Beloved!
By the cross we know the gravity of sin and the greatness of God’s love toward us. [John Chrysostom]
Devotions of the Heart 