Author Archives: jsjdevotions

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June 13, 2015

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Bible Stories, God's Promises, Obedience, Salvation: A New You, Trusting God

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING

“Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. … Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” [Luke 9:3,23 (NLT         

Our Lady Cathedral, AntwerpVarious other translations of these verses from Luke say the follower of Christ is to “stop thinking about,” “lose sight of,” “deny,” or “disown” himself and give up his interests and the things he wants. Many translations are far less poetic when mentioning the taking up of one’s cross. The Expanded Bible, for instance, say followers must “be willing to give up their lives” and the Complete Jewish Bible bluntly refers to the cross as an “execution-stake.” It’s bad enough that Jesus told us to take nothing when we follow him. He then tells us that we won’t be staying at the Hilton nor having room service. In fact, there might not even be a bed at the Motel 6 with coffee and stale rolls in the morning. Moreover, since we’re to deny ourselves the things we want, there may be no bed at all and it’s quite possible we’ll go hungry. We have to learn to rely on God rather than ourselves. Finally, there’s that that whole “taking up the cross” thing meaning a loss of one’s life-style or, even worse, the possible loss of one’s life! It seems to me that Jesus needed to consult with a better advertising agency if He was going to get followers. There would be plenty of Christians if He, like most politicians, offered us a care-free life, one of effortless comfort and ease, instead of telling us how difficult it would be. Jesus, however, laid it all on the line. A follower of Christ must rely on God’s provision, not his own; God-dependence must replace independence and obedience must replace self-determination. Long-standing habits, desires and attitudes must be renounced and the old self crucified so we can be made new in Christ. Our old lives have to be left behind if we’re going to journey with Jesus. Indeed, his early followers and even some Christians today face the actual loss of life for their belief. Jesus certainly didn’t make Christianity sound very easy. Why would anyone follow him? Then again, when we consider the benefits, why would anyone not?

 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. [Luke 9:24 (NLT

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [Galatians 2:20 (NLT)]

 

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June 12, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, God's Grace & Love, Knowing Him, Salvation: A New You, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

BEEN HERE BUT DIDN’T DO THAT!

The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried – our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. [Isaiah 53:2-4a (MSG)]

Writing yesterday’s message reminded me of another common teen complaint: “But you just don’t understand!” My teenagers were positive that I’d never experienced any of the challenges, temptations and angst they were having. I’m sure my grandchildren are equally sure their parents have no idea what their life is like. We may not have had all of the gadgets and technology of today’s teens; we didn’t have Facebook, smart phones, texting, and the Internet. We did, however, struggle with many of the same issues: mean people, SATs, crushes, insecurity, rejection, being grounded, alcohol and parties when the parents were gone.

Sometimes we’re not much different than teenagers when we talk to God. “You just don’t understand!” we protest. But, He really does. Jesus actually experienced life and all of its adversities and struggles during his thirty-three years as a man. Granted, He experienced them in a dramatically different setting and time. The First Century didn’t have the bells and whistles of today, but the temptations and challenges were much the same: sexual immorality, pride, pain, abuse, anger, doubt, desire, envy, deceit, sorrow, injustice. Not everyone liked Him, not everyone listened to Him, and not everyone believed or respected Him. He truly knows what it means to be human; He certainly knows what it is to suffer.

When we talk with God, He truly does understand. He’s been here and he was sorely tempted by Satan; the only difference is that He never sinned.

Now that we know what we have – Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God – let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all – all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. [Hebrews 4:14-16 (MSG)]

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June 11, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Word: The Bible, Knowing Him, Obedience, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

BECAUSE I SAID SO!

God gives out Wisdom free, is plainspoken in Knowledge and Understanding. He’s a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well, a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere. He keeps his eye on all who live honestly, and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones. [Proverbs 2:6-8 (MSG)]

5-1-15baboons3002S-1crop-cropWEBI remember my parents responding to my teenage pleas of “Why not?” with the vague but decisive response, “Because I‘m the parent and I said so.” I hated that answer because I wanted an excuse to keep the discussion open in hopes of finally wearing one of them down and getting my way. Eventually, I occasionally used the same response with my own children, knowing that further explanation would just mean more debate and there were some issues that simply were non-negotiable.

It’s not just teenagers, however, that seem to have difficulty understanding that “No!” can be a complete sentence. Even though we’re adults, we still have trouble accepting that God’s directions are not open to debate or compromise. At times, we can be as willful as we were as teens. Sure that we’ve got a better plan, we argue with God’s wisdom to justify our planned actions.

Everything we need to know, every bit of wisdom we need, every guideline for behavior, is right there the Bible. We need to remember that God’s directions are not mere suggestions or good ideas; they are commands and meant to be followed. All we have to do is be obedient which, I admit, is sometimes much easier said than done. The power of the Holy Spirit, however, makes it possible.

Many years ago I heard a speaker say…, “Either sin will keep you from God’s Word or God’s Word will keep you from sin.” [Billy Graham]

God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me – my whole life one long, obedient response. Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway! [Psalm 119:33-35 (MSG)]

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June 10, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Grace & Love, Joy, Knowing Him, Love & Works, Prayer

THOSE THREE LITTLE WORDS


2-15-15 bleeding hearts - ACL774WEBI love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. [Psalm 116:1 (NLT)]

“I love you!” Do you remember how much you longed to hear those three little words from your boyfriend or girlfriend? Do you remember how good you felt when they were finally uttered? No matter how often those three loving words are spoken, we never tire of hearing them.

As I was going through Psalms, looking for verses about God’s love, I was struck by how often God was thanked and praised for His unfailing love and how rarely the psalmists actually said anything about their love for God. Of course, the various psalmists imply their love of God with praise and thanks but seldom is it actually expressed.

While I always try to finish any phone conversation with my family by saying, ”I love you,” I’m sorry to say that, like the writers of Psalms, I’m not very good about expressing my love to God when I speak with Him. When was the last time you said, “I love you!” to God?

I love you, Lord; you are my strength. [Psalm 18:1 (NLT)]

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June 9, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Grace & Love, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Temptation & Sin

FALLING DOWN

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. [Romans 3:23 (NLT)]

If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. [1 Corinthians 10:12a (NLT)]

Thrilled to finally get back on my bike after several weeks of prescribed inactivity, I was cruising along and in the zone. Suddenly, I looked up to see a person walking toward me, head down and ear phones on. Thinking I was reaching for my bell to warn of my approach, I ended up braking—hard. The next thing I knew, my bike and I were sprawled out in the muddy gutter. I had been having so much fun on the bike that my brain had simply gone on vacation.

Muddy, battered and bruised, I sat on a rock and nursed my wounds. I compared my morning’s tumble with the many times we fall into sin. When we stop paying attention to our surroundings, it’s easy to end up in a spiritual gutter. Even though we’ve been warned to stay alert for the enemy, we just barrel along, enjoying ourselves, “doing our thing,” and not noticing life’s hidden hazards. If we’re not watching for temptation, we’re taken by surprise when it comes our way. Before we know what happened, we fall and end up in sin’s sewer. I wanted to blame my fall on the walker but I had only myself to blame—I should have been paying attention. It’s that way when we sin; like Adam, we want to blame someone else, but we’re the only ones responsible for our actions.

Sitting there, bleeding and filthy, several people stopped to ask if I needed help; they were truly good Samaritans. Because I’d already asked my husband to come get me with the car, I thanked them and sent them on their way. The last time I had a bad fall, I wasn’t so smart. Insisting I was fine after a tumble down a ski run, I refused any assistance. Unfortunately, I’d broken ribs and torn ligaments in my knee and deciding to ski to the bottom was both prideful and foolhardy. This time, at least, I knew enough to admit I was hurt. When sin has knocked us down, it’s difficult to acknowledge that we’re in trouble and need help. We don’t want to concede that we’ve screwed up. While there may not be someone offering a helping hand, God is always there for us no matter how far we’ve fallen nor how dirty we’ve gotten. The problem for most of us, however, is admitting that we’ve fallen into a mess that we can’t clean up on our own.

Looking back on the morning’s misadventure, I’m incredibly thankful. The consequences of my fall are just some sore muscles and a nasty case of road rash. No car happened along as I went sprawling out into the road and, other than my bike’s bell, nothing is broken. We rarely get off that easy when we sin; sin’s consequences can be extremely painful and even fatal.

Once safely home, I got angry with myself. Our day’s plans were spoiled because of my stupidity. But my tears were not going to get me a do-over on the morning’s ride; the damage was done. When we’ve sinned, we also tend to beat ourselves up with guilt and remorse long after we’ve confessed and been forgiven. As far as God is concerned, however, our sins are over, done with, and gone; it needs to be that way for us as well. We should learn from our mistakes but must be willing to let go of the replays and shame. As for me, I’m sorer but wiser! And, if it’s all the same to you, God, could the inspiration for tomorrow’s devotion not involve blood and bruises?

Satan is the master distracter. He is always working to keep us off track in our walk with God. [Joyce Meyer]

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. [1 Peter 5:8a (NLT)]

The godly are directed by honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin. [Proverbs 11:5 (NLT)]

 

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June 6, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Joy, Peace of God, Thanks & Praise, Today: Make it Count

AWESOME DEFENSE

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I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. [Daniel 9:4 (NLT)]

Today I did something healthy and never had to leave the comfort of my La-Z-Boy chair! No, not chair aerobics or isometrics—I spent time in Bible study, worship and prayer. As usual, after spending quiet time with God, I had an incredible sense of awe. According to the University of California, Berkeley, that sense of awe can lower my levels of cytokines, some sort of “pro-inflammatory” proteins that raise my risk of depression, heart disease, type-2 diabetes, arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases. Apparently, other research has found that feelings of awe can also enhance creative thinking, keep me from feeling pressured and rushed, and “inspire profound personal transformation” (which I think is pyschospeak for improve my attitude.) It seems clear that a sense of awe leads to positive emotions and positive emotions go hand-in hand with good physical and mental health.

The cytokine study mentioned losing oneself in magnificent music, beholding amazing vistas, enjoying artistic masterpieces, or meditation as awe-inspiring activities. But, we don’t have to listen to Handel’s “Messiah,” visit the Grand Canyon, go to an art museum, or practice TM or yoga for a sense of awe. Worshiping God is just about the most awe-inspiring activity there is! For added health benefits, whenever you participate in any of the other suggested activities, be sure to remember they are only possible because of our awesome God and say a prayer of praise and thanksgiving!

God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God! [Psalm 68:35 9NLT)]

Who is like you among the gods, O Lord— glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders? [Exodus 15:11 (NLT)]

The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God. He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne. O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord? [Psalm 89:7-8a (NLT)]