Author Archives: jsjdevotions

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December 8, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Grace & Love, Love & Works, Money & Wealth

NOTHING BUT THE BEST

Honor the Lord by making him an offering from the best of all that your land produces. [Proverbs 3:9 (GNT)]

Our guest room is a jumble of wrapping paper, ribbon, tape, tissue and gifts waiting to be wrapped. Whenever another package is delivered by UPS or Fed Ex, I eagerly open it, examine the contents and then start wrapping. I looked forward to the arrival of some projects I’d made on my favorite photo web site but, when I opened their bright orange package, I was disappointed to find two small manufacturing flaws in one of the items. I wouldn’t give anything less than the best to my family so I immediately e-mailed my complaint. The company is making another (and hopefully perfect) one for me, but my refusal to give something slightly flawed to someone I love brought to mind this verse from Proverbs. 
If I’ll only give “the best” to a loved one, what makes me think that less than my best is good enough for God? If we love God, we should honor Him by giving Him only the best we have to offer! Yet, instead of giving Him the first and finest, we often give Him only what’s left-over or substandard. Instead of choosing the items most needed by the food bank, do we ever look through our pantries and only donate what we’ve overstocked or, worse, what is outdated? When we contribute to charity auctions, rummage sales, or resale shops, do we choose items we’d ever consider possessing or just the stained and damaged things we’d never consider wearing? Do we have the unspoken caveats of “Only if it’s convenient… if I remember… if nothing better comes along!” when we volunteer to help a worthy cause? When we contribute our time or talents, do we ever slack off and think, “Well, it’s close enough for volunteer work,” and do shoddy or sloppy work? When (perhaps I should say “if”) we use our money to help the disadvantaged or sick, is it just our spare change that is dropped into the bell-ringer’s bucket or do we dig deep into our pockets? After serious thought and prayer, do we budget money for the church’s work as readily as we do for our mortgage and vacation fund, or do we just give God whatever money happens to be left over once we’ve spent all we want?
Let us never forget that everything we have, every blessing we enjoy, is a gift from God. It’s only right that we should return it to Him. He knows we’re not perfect and he doesn’t expect perfection from us. He does, however, demand the first and best from each and every one of us. After all, He cared enough to send the very best, his only begotten Son, so that we could have eternal life. We should always give him our best in return.

When you care enough to send the very best. [Hallmark Cards slogan]

Give all ye have, as well as all ye are, a spiritual sacrifice to Him, who withheld not from you his dear Son, his only Son. [John Wesley]

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and we praise your glorious name. Yet my people and I cannot really give you anything, because everything is a gift from you, and we have only given back what is yours already. … O Lord, our God, we have brought together all this wealth to build a temple to honor your holy name, but it all came from you and all belongs to you. I know that you test everyone’s heart and are pleased with people of integrity. In honesty and sincerity I have willingly given all this to you, and I have seen how your people who are gathered here have been happy to bring offerings to you. [1 Chronicles 29:13-14,16-17 (GNT)]

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December 5, 2014

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Bible Stories, God's Grace & Love, God's Word: The Bible, Knowing Him

NOT HOW, BUT WHO (Genesis, part 2)


Grand Canyon-cape royal 171aFaith convinces us that God created the world through his word. This means what can be seen was made by something that could not be seen. [Hebrews 11:3 (GW)]

For some of us, the Book of Genesis doesn’t satisfactorily explain how the world was made. But that doesn’t matter, because it does explain who made it all happen. It answers the basic questions we all have. Who made the universe? God. Who created me? God. Why am I here? To have a relationship with God. What keeps me from this relationship? Man’s sinful nature.

The Book of Genesis tells us about man’s character: we sin. We want what we can’t have, we lie, we get jealous, we disobey and we don’t trust God. More important, however, the Book of Genesis tells us about God’s character. We see that God is omnipotent; He has unlimited power and authority over all things. He not only gave form to the universe, but He also filled the earth with all sorts of living things. He can speak things into existence and create something from nothing. He is omnipresent; He can be everywhere all of the time. He was here before anything else existed and yet He is transcendent. He exists outside of our universe; things like time and space don’t limit Him. He is omniscient; He knows everything. No one can hide from Him and nothing escapes His notice. Although He is a demanding and jealous God, He is also loving and forgiving. He is a personal God who will speak to us. That is what Genesis tells us and that is all I really need to know and understand.

O Lord, you have been our refuge throughout every generation. Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, you were God. You are God from everlasting to everlasting. … Indeed, in your sight a thousand years are like a single day, like yesterday—already past—like an hour in the night. You are God from everlasting to everlasting. [Psalm 90:1-2,4 (GW)]

 

 

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December 4, 2014

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Bible Stories, God's Word: The Bible, Nature, Sharing Our Faith

IT’S NOT A DEAL BREAKER! (Genesis, part 1)

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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)]

For some people, the Book of Genesis keeps them from becoming Christians. “How can you possibly believe it all happened in six days?” they ask. Because they can’t reconcile apparent contradictions between science and Genesis’ story of creation, they reject the entire Bible. To borrow my mother’s phrase, “That’s like throwing out the baby with the bath water!”

The accuracy of the creation story can bring about heated discussions but, for me at least, it is a nonessential debate. Let the creationists and evolutionists, the fundamentalists and liberals, the scientists and theologians argue all they want. I’ve chosen not to become preoccupied with the cosmology, biology and geology of the creation story. Whether the creation of our world took six twenty-four hour days or six million year days is not the foundation of my faith. I’ve seen models of DNA, taken astronomy, studied biology and geology and I can’t really understand, let alone explain, the big bang theory, black holes, geologic eras, gene mutation, or evolution. I would hardly expect ancient people to understand these concepts. Genesis is not a book of science; it is a book of theology! The Bible’s purpose is not to be a scientific document; its purpose is to tell us about God and its ultimate goal is our salvation.

I accept the Book of Genesis as the word of God told in such a way that His people could understand and comprehend its meaning. Many others, however, have more fundamental or more liberal interpretations. While we may disagree about the exactness of the creation story as told in Genesis, this disagreement should never keep us from agreeing about the important things like sin, forgiveness, redemption, salvation, love, faith, resurrection and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our purpose is not to win people to our interpretation of Genesis; our purpose is to win people for God!

The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command. [Psalm 33:6-9 (NLT)]

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December 3, 2014

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God's Grace & Love, Knowing Him, Salvation: A New You

THE VALUE OF ONE SOUL

For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. [1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NLT)]

These questions were posed in my grandson’s math book: “When is $1,000 too much? When is $1,000 not enough?” That made for an interesting discussion considering we had just seen an article about a gold-infused cupcake in Dubai that sells for over $1,000. While we readily agreed that $1,000 was too much for a cupcake, at least seven others who had already purchased this treat clearly disagreed. It seems that worth, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

Some suffer from low self-esteem and think they have little value. Others suffer from misplaced self-esteem and may over-estimate their worth based on such transitory things as looks, wealth, education or position. We’re all valuable, but not for any of those reasons.

We’re valuable not because of who we are, but because of whose we are: God’s. We’re valuable not because of what we know, but because of who we know: Jesus. We’re valuable not because of what we have, but because of what has hold of us: the Holy Spirit. We’re far more valuable than a $1,000 gold-infused cupcake or even a $4.5 million Lamborghini Roadster. Moreover, we were purchased at a far higher price: the sacrifice of God’s only son.

Thank you, Father Almighty, for seeing the value in our lives and purchasing us with your Son’s life. Help us see our worth through your eyes and not the eyes of men. May we daily grow more like Christ and become worthy of the high price you paid!

So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. [Ephesians 1:6-8 (NLT)]

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December 2, 2014

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God's Plan, Joy, Miracles, Today: Make it Count

A FATAL REMINDER

I sank beneath the waves, and death was very near. The waters closed above me; the seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains that rise from the ocean floor. I was locked out of life and imprisoned in the land of death. But, O Lord my God, you have snatched me from the yawning jaws of death! When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord. And my earnest prayer went to you in your holy Temple. [Jonah 2:5-7 (TLB)]

Several days ago, a fatal accident occurred at the entrance to my subdivision. A car ran a red light and was hit by a dump truck. The car’s driver, a resident of our community, had made that left turn hundreds of time, but this time she made a fatal mistake and died because of it. Two people crossed paths and one is dead.

That same day, a few hundred miles north of here, a very different story unfolded. A young man, Jason Derfuss, narrowly escaped death. When he was leaving the university library, he passed another young man, one intent on death and destruction. Hearing gunshots, Jason immediately sped away. He didn’t realize how fortunate he was until hours later when he started to dig out the library books from his backpack. Jason saw a small rip in the pack’s fabric and then the mangled books in it. In the middle of a 304-page book was the slug that could have taken his life. Three other people, however, were shot before the gunman, a mentally disturbed man, was killed. Two people crossed paths and one is dead.

God has blessed us all with the gift of life and a divine purpose. If we’ve woken up today, our purpose has not been fulfilled and our job is not yet complete. Will his narrow brush with death change this twenty-one year old man? From his words, I think it will. As for me: I see the skid marks and ruts in the grass from that fatal crash every time I enter or exit my subdivision. Those marks are a sober reminder of how precarious and priceless life is and how much more needs to be done. Let’s not waste a single moment of this precious, irreplaceable, commodity: life.

You can literally die at any moment and never see it coming.… I’m twenty-one – I thought I was invincible.… The truth is I was almost killed tonight and God intervened. I know conceptually He can do all things, but to physically witness the impossible and to be surrounded by such grace is indescribable. To God be the glory, forever and ever, Amen. [Jason Derfuss, survivor of FSU shooting]

How do you know what is going to happen tomorrow? For the length of your lives is as uncertain as the morning fog—now you see it; soon it is gone. [James 4:14 (TLB)]

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December 1, 2014

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Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, God's Plan, Patience & Perseverance, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

ON A MISSION FROM GOD

Then Moses went back to the Lord and protested, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!” [Exodus 5:22-23 (NLT)]

Sunday mornings, I take photographs for our church’s website. Last week, due to a cranky computer, only a handful of over 100 photos got edited, the day’s pics temporarily went AWOL, and my three editing programs eventually stopped working. In frustration, after hours of unsuccessful work, I gave up and tried to upload the few photos I’d managed to edit. That’s when I discovered my computer was on strike; there would be no uploading of anything from it! Panic set in and I resorted to what I usually do in such a situation: cry and complain.

Like Moses, I complained to God. If He wanted me to do this job, why was it so difficult? I then did what I should have done at first: asked for God’s blessing and guidance. “Lord, bless my work. If it’s your work as well, show me what I need to do to accomplish it.” After praying, it occurred to me that I didn’t have the only computer in the house! Duh! In fact, not only was my husband’s computer available, but I’d also installed a photo editing program on it several years ago. Using his laptop and my flash drive, I finished the editing in record time and uploaded all of the photos.

Moses was given a mission from God: get Pharaoh to free the Israelites and lead them to the Promised Land. Things weren’t going well; in fact, the situation had only gotten worse and Moses complained to God. After all, if we’re on a mission from God, shouldn’t it be trouble-free? Reading his complaint, I imagined what God was thinking. “Moses, you think this is tough? Just wait until you have Pharaoh’s army chase you into the sea, or you’ve had to provide food and water for over 600,000 men and their families, or listened to forty years of complaints before your task is done! Toughen up, big guy; you’ll encounter greater problems down the road. Trust me; I’ll never let you down. Don’t give up; you’re learning some valuable lessons that will help you in the future!”

Although God gives us tasks, He doesn’t promise they’ll be easy. It’s difficult to reconcile our problems with God’s assignments. As we struggle to achieve His work, however, we learn to depend on God and not ourselves. There’s nothing like a few obstacles to humble a prideful attitude. As He guides us through our difficulties and challenges, we become smarter, stronger and more determined. Moses’s early challenges prepared him for the trials of leading over half a million people as they walked forty years in the wilderness. Mine taught me about prayer, trust, perseverance, and backing up valuable computer files.

By the way, the next morning, my computer woke up in a far better mood. I had to do some minor clean up, delete some old files and back up others, but it is running smoothly again! Coincidence? I think not: more like a lesson from above.

“They’re not gonna catch us. We’re on a mission from God.” [Elwood to Jake in “The Blues Brothers”]

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. [James 1:2-4 (NLT)]