Open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word. I am but a pilgrim here on earth: how I need a map—and your commands are my chart and guide. I long for your instructions more than I can tell. [Psalm 119:18-20 (TLB)]
Filled with law, wisdom, history, prophecy, poetry, gospel, and letters, the Bible is the basis of our faith. None of us, however, were alive in 1400 BC when Genesis was written or at the end of the 1st Century when Revelation was penned. We’re neither Jews in Judah, Egypt, Israel, or Babylon nor 1st Century Jewish or Gentile converts in Rome or Greece and we have little in common with the Bible’s original audience. Although Scripture is timeless, that difference in time and culture makes us think of Scripture as impersonal and its words as general instructions dedicated to the community of faith at large. There is, however, nothing impersonal about God’s message to us and we are not faceless nameless members of His family. Scripture penned thousands of years ago was written specifically for you and me today. There is a personal relevant message for each one of us every time we read its words.
This was made evident several years ago when our Pastor had several people share their impressions of the same Psalm. While there was no dissension about its meaning, they each found an individual message that pertained specifically to their lives at the time. The Bible is more than a message of love to all of mankind; it is a personal love note written specially to each of us. The very same verses may remind one person of his value when they reassure another of her forgiveness. While Scripture is like a general’s orders to his troops, it is also a directive sent specifically to each one of his soldiers. Some are sent to battle and others are told to wait. Scripture may be an atlas to guide us all as we journey through life but it is also a road map drawn to lead us each to our unique destinations. Some might be told to take the direct route when others are sent the long way. Scripture is an encyclopedia of life, but it is also an instruction manual designed for my specific situation just as it is for yours. I may be told to listen and you may be told to speak. While it is a Rules of the Road for all drivers, it also is a driver’s ed course taught expressly for each of one of us. Some of us have more difficulty stopping while others don’t yield well.
Today, try reading the Bible as if the words were written just for you and you alone. Instead of asking, “What does this mean for all of us?” try asking, “What does this mean for me?” I admit this is much easier to do with Proverbs and Psalms than with Chronicles or the many genealogies of the Old Testament. Nevertheless, hidden in your reading, you’ll find a message meant just for you. God sends each of us a personal shout out in His word. Read it, think it, pray it, and then claim it; His word is yours!
“It’s a masterpiece!” I exclaim while admiring my grand’s latest creation before hanging it on the refrigerator. In actuality, it is only a masterpiece in my grandmother’s eyes; to anyone else it is just a toddler’s effort with crayons and stickers. A real masterpiece is a work done with exceptional skill—it’s a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement. “Masterpiece” often describes an artist’s best work. While my grands need to hone their skills before creating a true masterpiece, we, my friend, are God’s masterpieces—His best work.
We just received one of those beautiful edible arrangements of fruit. The fruit was displayed as if we had an enormous flower arrangement. It seemed a pity to pull off the enormous ripe strawberries or take the melon balls from the centers of the pineapple slices but it was necessary if we were ever going to truly appreciate it. Fruit is meant to be eaten and that much fruit was meant to be shared before it spoiled. As I packed it up (all the while tasting as I worked), I couldn’t help but think of another gift of fruit—the fruit of the Spirit. Like juicy strawberries and sweet melon, it’s meant to be shared. Moreover, the Holy Spirit’s fruit doesn’t need to be refrigerated, can’t spoil, and is even more beautiful than real fruit, no matter how artfully arranged.
Several “Nancy” comics have inspired my writing and I was curious about the strip’s artist/writer, Guy Gilchrist. From the tenor of his work, I was not surprised to learn that he is a Christian but that was not always so. As a boy, he was poor, lonely, abused and searching for someone and something in which to believe. Missing a dad, he found a father figure in an unlikely place—television—and in a remarkable person—a radio, television and movie star by the name of Roy Rogers. Since there was no difference between Rogers’ screen persona and the man himself, Gilchrist chose an excellent role model in this man of integrity. Kind and honest, Rogers was a devout Christian who stood for decency, truth and justice. Gilchrist, however, didn’t know about his hero’s faith until many years later. When the young cartoonist was unsure how to behave, he’d look to the singing cowboy and ask himself, “What would Roy do?” He knew his cowboy hero would always take the right course of action. Of course, the boy didn’t know that the Christian entertainer had his own model for behavior: Jesus. While Gilchrist was asking himself what Roy would do, the star was probably asking himself, “What would Jesus do?”
In our part of Florida, yellow lights tend to mean “speed up” and red lights are just mere suggestions so no one really expects anyone to stop at a yellow. Although the light had just turned yellow, the elderly gentleman stopped his car. “The #@!% idiot should have sped through the intersection!” said the women following him. Having been tailgating his car, she was furious at having to brake so abruptly. Already late, now she’d be even later. Moreover, the unexpected stop caused her to spill her coffee and drop both her cell phone and makeup. Angry, she laid on the horn, called him a few more choice expletives, shook her fists and even gave him the middle-finger salute! She was in mid-rant when she looked up to see a police officer at her window. He politely ordered her to exit the car. Having forgotten her driver’s license in another purse, she was transported to the police station, fingerprinted, photographed, and finally placed in a holding cell.
Devotions of the Heart 