Author Archives: jsjdevotions

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May 28, 2015

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God's Grace & Love, Salvation: A New You, Thanks & Praise

DRESSED LIKE A BRIDE OR GROOM

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I will find joy in the Lord. I will delight in my God. He has dressed me in the clothes of salvation. He has wrapped me in the robe of righteousness like a bridegroom with a priest’s turban, like a bride with her jewels. [Isaiah 61:10 (GW)]

 

I like to visualize Bible verses but this verse from Isaiah had escaped me. The typical American groom wears a well-tailored black tuxedo and his lovely bride wears a beautiful gown with some pretty pieces of family jewelry. While lovely, it’s nothing as magnificent as the clothing of salvation and righteousness should be. When going through photos for yesterday’s devotion, I reviewed my pictures from this beautiful Indian wedding. While this couple are neither Jewish nor Christian, their attire helps me picture what Isaiah is saying. The clothes of righteousness aren’t just a tuxedo or a long white dress worn with a pearl necklace and a pair of diamond earrings. They are made of richly woven colorful fabric with gold threads. The materials are laden with pearls, beads, and crystals and the gold jewelry is measured in pounds not ounces! While the groom didn’t wear a turban, he was elaborately dressed. He and his nephew sat on an ornamented saddle as a white horse carried them to the marriage canopy. Every bride is beautiful, but I’ve never seen another bride so richly attired at this stunning young woman was that day. It’s this kind of attire about which Isaiah is speaking: splendid, ornate, extravagant, spectacular and sumptuous. The clothing of salvation and righteousness is all that and more; yet it weighs not an ounce, doesn’t need cleaning, pressing, to be insured, and is always a perfect fit.

Like the ground that brings forth its crops and like a garden that makes the seed in it grow, so the Almighty Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up in front of all nations. [Isaiah 61:11 (GW)]

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May 23, 2015

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God's Word: The Bible, Nature, Sharing Our Faith, Wisdom & Guidance

POINTING THINGS OUT

Uncover my eyes so that I may see the miraculous things in your teachings. [Psalm 119:18 (GW)]

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Today, in my gratitude journal, I thanked God for the people who point out the hidden treasures of life. Yesterday, while walking in the bird sanctuary, a powerful scope had been placed along the boardwalk. Beside it was a note reading, “Pileated woodpecker nest with two young.” The scope was focused on the nest and we watched, entranced, as mom and dad flew back and forth to feed their hungry babies. We would never have seen it by ourselves. In fact, we’ve walked by that spot numerous times and never noticed that small hole high up in a cypress tree. Without someone else pointing it out, we’d never have enjoyed this beautiful sight. Last week, another scope had been left out on the walk and focused high on a different tree. Someone had kindly enabled us to observe a hummingbird nest while Ms. Hummingbird flitted back and forth with food. I am appreciative to the Audubon volunteers who have helped me see what so easily could have been missed.

As I made this morning’s journal entry, I also thought about last night’s Bible study when the Minor Prophets were the topic. I’ve already read their dark pronouncements of God’s judgment upon Israel and wasn’t anxious to visit them again. Unfortunately, it’s easy to skim through their words of doom and gloom and miss the message of hope hidden within them. Our teacher’s comments, however, shed new light on these prophets. Deeper meaning was given to some very ancient words, I was pointed to the perfect verse I needed to complete a devotion, and I reread Habakkuk this morning with new appreciation.

I’m no naturalist but, when walking through the bird sanctuary, I’ve managed to identify birds and flowers or point out gators concealed in the murky water to those less knowledgeable. In fact, yesterday, I told someone where in they’d find what appeared to be the first scarlet hibiscus of the season. I’m no Bible scholar either, but I’ve managed to point out a few nuggets of truth in scripture to others, as well. Sometimes we’re the pointer outers who gift others with our insight and, sometimes, we are the ones to whom something has been shown. Either way, we’re blessed!

Thank you, Lord, for the many people you put in our paths who have shown us the treasure and riches hidden away in this world and in your word. When we have the opportunity to do the same, give us willing hearts. If there is a way we can make someone’s walk through life more meaningful, give us wisdom and guide us as we share our knowledge and point out what could easily be missed.

We hope for light, but we walk in darkness. We hope for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope like blind men along a wall. We grope like people without eyes. We stumble at noon as if it were twilight. [Isaiah 59:9b-10a (GW)]

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May 22, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Money & Wealth, Obedience, Thanks & Praise

BILLS, BILLS, BILLS

Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers! [Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 (NLT)]

Bills, bills, bills! We all complain when we get them. We recently got our property tax bill which meant for a few groans. Instead of complaint, however, today I will choose to give thanks.

3-30-15 billsDSC07878redwebThank you, Lord, for my tax bill. It means that I have a home, when many are homeless, and our community has schools, police and fire protection, a library and community center, garbage pick-up, good roads and beautiful parks. While I’m at it Lord, thank you for my electric and gas bills, for those mean I have lights and warmth. Thank you for my water bill because that means I have clean safe water to drink. Thank you for my insurance bills, for those tell me that I have possessions enough to insure. Thank you for my Blue Cross and doctor’s bills, as well; those mean I have medical care when many have none. Thank you for our cable bill because it means I have news, music and entertainment readily available. Thank you for my phone, wireless and internet bills. Those services mean I have all sorts of information at my fingertips and allow me to communicate with loved ones anytime and from any place. I look at my credit card bill and I am again thankful. Seeing the charges from the grocery, I give thanks that I’ve never gone hungry when many do. I look at the rest of our charges and see how we’ve purchased clothing, books and gifts, gone to movies and out to dinner, or taken trips while there are far too many who can barely make ends meet. Thank you, God, for all my bills; they are a way of reminding me of how truly blessed I am.

As I thank God for our financial blessings and the privilege of paying my bills, I remember another privilege he has given me: the privilege of supporting my church and various worthwhile charities. As much as I appreciate having shelter, food, clothing, communication and entertainment, they would mean nothing without God. So, today, as I write yet another check, I thank God for the privilege of financially supporting His work here on earth.

We can tell our values by looking at our checkbook stubs. [Gloria Steinem]

“Your money, or your life.” We know what to do when a burglar makes this demand of us, but not when God does. [From “The Second Neurotic’s Notebook’” by Mignon McLaughlin]

Don’t you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings. In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it. [1 Corinthians 9:13-14 (NLT)]

Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need. [Proverbs 21:13 (NLT)]

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May 21, 2015

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Challenges & Difficulty, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Love & Works, Today: Make it Count

TRAIL MAGIC

You yourself have done this plenty of times, spoken words that clarify, encouraged those who were about to quit. Your words have put stumbling people on their feet, put fresh hope in people about to collapse. [Job 4:3-4 (MSG)]

5-15-15-hiking to RosenlauiawebWhile reading about one man’s trek along the Appalachian Trail, I came upon a new term: “trail magic.” A tradition along the Appalachian Trail and other long distance trails, trail magic is an unexpected act of kindness and can take many forms: snacks handed out at a trail crossing, cold drinks left in a stream, rides to or from nearby towns, a night’s stay at a home, a cook-out at a shelter, packages of ibuprofen or even an impromptu concert along the trail. Trail magic seems to serendipitously occur when a hiker needs it most: when his spirits are lowest, his legs weariest, or his supplies nearly depleted! There is also another kind of trail magic of which many hikers are unaware. Trail magic occurs when volunteers clear fallen trees and branches from the trail, paint blazes on trees, repair shelters or cut back poison ivy. Those who offer trail magic usually have hiked the trail themselves and know how strenuous it can be; they are known as “trail angels.”

I don’t live near any long distance trails and, while I love to hike, long distance hiking is not on my bucket list. Nevertheless, I can be a trail angel and so can you. A through hike on the Appalachian Trail is about 2,200 miles; it is grueling, challenging and lasts several months. Our walk through life can also be grueling, challenging and can last several decades. We have opportunities every day to be trail angels to those we encounter on our journey.

A friend, another church photographer, recently shared a “trail angel” moment and she didn’t even know she’d been an angel until it was over. We both love zooming in on the face of one of our church singers. She is absolutely beautiful, not only because of her features (although she is lovely), but because of the joy she radiates as she sings her praises to the Lord. We both try to capture her radiance but it seems to elude our cameras; that radiance, however, enhances the worship experience of all who see her. Recently, after church, my friend approached this woman to tell her how much she appreciates her singing and the way she shares her love of the Lord with us all. To my friend’s surprise, this beautiful woman got misty and shed a tear. It had been a difficult week for her. She’d been running on empty and needed encouragement and kind words. My friend’s message gave her a spiritual recharge just when she required it most! Those few words were trail magic for her spirit and fortified her for the challenging days ahead.

What little kindnesses can we leave along the trail of life for God’s children? Are there ways we can make that trek easier for our fellow travelers; are there obstacles we can clear or ways we can help them find their way? How can we lift their spirits or brighten their day’s walk? We don’t need to be hikers or find a long distance trail to be trail angels; we have that opportunity every day right where we are. What gift can we leave for those who might pass our way?

Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love. [St. Therese de Lisieux]

Gracious speech is like clover honey—good taste to the soul, quick energy for the body. [Proverbs 16:24 (MSG)]

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May 20, 2015

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Faith & Hope, God's Grace & Love, God's Plan, Knowing Him, Miracles

THE GREAT PHYSICIAN

I am the Lord who heals you. [Exodus 15:26b (NLT)]

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it. [Psalm 139:14 (NLT)]

5-20-15jasmine (star)- naples442-1webShort of seeing his incision, steri-strips and a small bandage on his back, one would be hard put to know that my husband had surgery less than a week ago! When commenting on his quick recovery, a neighbor said, “You must have had a good doctor!” Of course he did; we wouldn’t have deliberately chosen a bad one. Better yet, my husband has a Great Physician! God made our bodies wonderfully complex and, in the process, gave them the ability to heal! Wounds can close, broken bones can mend, and weak hearts can get stronger. We have an immune system to fight infection and platelets and plasma to help blood clot. Cancer cells can be defeated and, in my husband’s case, peripheral nerves can regenerate and repair themselves.

From a quick Internet search, it seems that we humans have anywhere from 15 to 70 trillion cells in our bodies. Like all living things, however, those cells don’t last forever. Muscle cells may function as long as 25 years, liver cells might last 18 months, and red blood cells can live up to four months; the cells in our gut, however, survive only four or five days! I read that an adult male loses roughly 96 million cells per minute (and not just from his rapidly balding head). Yet God, in his infinite wisdom created a body that can replace those same cells in that very same minute! Literally, out with the old and in with the new.

God did an outstanding job when he put us together. Granted, He allowed parts to break, wear out, deteriorate and fail, but he also gave our bodies the amazing ability to heal! Moreover, he gave us the art of medicine along with healers and researchers who are constantly finding ways to keep these bodies of ours working a bit better and longer.

Even though our bodies have an incredible ability to heal, not everything that goes wrong with them can be fixed. Not all pain can be alleviated, not every poison has an antidote, not every disease can be cured, and not every medical condition has a remedy. Our bodies will eventually be broken beyond repair and God will take us home.

Jesus was a healer and, while He healed the physical ailments of many, He wasn’t in the medical business. His business was that of the soul and, no matter what happens to our mortal bodies, His presence in our lives keeps our spirits healed and whole. While we may not be restored to physical health, he renews our spirit, eases our fears, turns our weakness into strength, our sorrow into joy, and our pain into peace. Thank you, Father, for the gift of healing, both of body and soul.

Prayer for Health of Body and Soul: May God the Father bless you, God the Son heal you, God the Holy Spirit give you strength. May God the holy and undivided Trinity guard your body, save your soul, and bring you safely to his heavenly country; where he lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen. [Book of Common Prayer]

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. [Psalm 73:26 (NLT)]

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May 19, 2015

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God's Word: The Bible, Holy Spirit, Knowing Him, Wisdom & Guidance

HE SPEAKS

And you said, “The Lord our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks with them.” [Deuteronomy 5:24 (NIV)]

The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. [Psalm 29:3-4 (NIV)]

rabbit-naples39awebGod speaks to us in many ways. The most obvious way He does, of course, is through the Bible; indeed, it is “God-breathed.” Sometimes, however, it is simply through coincidences, circumstances or “Aha!” moments like the one I wrote about in yesterday’s message. Sunrises and sunsets, births and deaths, chance encounters, close calls, and even bunnies and bright green anoles: they can all be the voice of God. Some people are sure they’ve actually heard God speak. While it didn’t sound like the thunder mentioned in the Bible, I’ve heard His voice telling me things like, “One step at a time,” “Patience,” and even “Stop!” In addition, God often speaks to us through the voices of others. How many times have you read a devotion, sat through a sermon, heard a song or listened to friends and known that the message (even though it may have been shared with many others) was meant specifically for you at that very moment? Sometimes, we have those instances we just “know” what to do (and not to do) or say (and not to say). That small inner voice that tells us what action to take or clearly convicts us when we’re wrong can also be God speaking to us through His Holy Spirit. It’s called many things: intuition, discernment, conscience, insight, or even “gut feeling.” When we think we’re hearing His voice in our innermost thoughts, however, it is wise to proceed cautiously and return to the first way He speaks to us: the Bible. It’s often difficult to know the difference between our own thoughts and desires and His direction and plan. We need to compare what we think that inner voice is saying to scripture and reading His word is the way to test what we think we’re hearing against what He’s already told us. How God speaks to us, however, is nowhere near as important as how well we listen to Him and how often we heed what He says!

All Scripture is God-breathed and He doesn’t waste His breath. [Jim McCotter]

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. [2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)]