Category Archives: Today: Make it Count

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October 3, 2024

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Attitudes & Behavior, Joy, Knowing Him, Thanks & Praise, Today: Make it Count

GRACE NOTES

Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy. [Psalm 96:11-12 (NLT)]

clouded sulphur butterfly - asterIn Letters to Malcom, C. S. Lewis wrote, “We, or at least I, shall not be able to adore God on the highest occasions if we have learned no habit of doing so on the lowest. … Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something about the sun which you could never get from reading books on astronomy. These pure and spontaneous pleasures are ‘patches of Godlight’ in the woods of our experience.”

What Lewis called “patches of Godlight,” I think of as God’s grace notes. In music, a grace note is played with a light quick motion that immediately leads to the principle and stressed note. Unnecessary for the melody and so brief they don’t alter the tempo, grace notes merely enrich the music by adding a small embellishment. Like the musical grace note and Lewis’s “patches of Godlight,” God’s grace notes aren’t necessary; nevertheless, they enhance our lives. They’re subtle reminders that God is present and loves us enough to embellish the day with a little something extra.

Unlike Kodak moments, Godlight and grace notes are not meant to be saved. They’re rarely repeated and we can’t predict when a “patch of Godlight” will shine into our lives or a grace note will play. While waiting at a red light, I glanced at the grassy median to my left where small yellow flowers appeared to be dancing in the air. Although hundreds of dainty Sulphur butterflies were flitting to and fro just a few inches above the yellow wireweed in the grass, it looked like the flowers’ petals had escaped from their stems and the field was bursting with joy! Did God arrange that revelry in yellow just for me? Probably not, but it felt like He did and my day changed for the better because of it.

After noticing that others at that light seemed oblivious to the butterfly frolic, I wondered how many of God’s grace notes I’ve missed because I wasn’t looking or listening. As the prophet Elijah learned, God doesn’t necessarily reveal Himself in spectacular displays of things like lightning, wind, thunder, and fire. Our infinitely creative God whispers through the ordinary as well—with things as mundane as yellow butterflies, a child’s laughter, the aroma of jasmine, a finch on the windowsill, a song on the radio, seeing a young couple caress or an old couple walk hand in hand, a shooting star, a stranger’s smile, or a patch of sunlight while walking through the woods. Although God personalizes His grace notes for each one of us, we need to slow down and be mindful enough to recognize and appreciate them.

There is an old Hindi poem, translated by Ravindra Kumar Karnani, in which a child asks God to reveal Himself. God responds with a meadowlark’s song, then the roar of thunder, followed by a star, and the birth of a baby. In her ignorance, however, the child doesn’t recognize any of God’s answers. Finally, in desperation, she cries, “Touch me God, and let me know you are here!” But, when God touches the child, she brushes off the butterfly and walks away disappointed. It occurs to me that we are not much different from her. May we never thoughtlessly brush away one of God’s gentle kisses, fail to notice His grace notes, or miss appreciating a small patch of Godlight!

Are we paying attention to the everyday moments of our lives and seeing God in them, or are we living in such a chaotic frenzy that we hope we’ll have time to look for the presence and mystery of God later, when we have more time – say, when the degree is finished, the kids have moved out, this project is completed, or we retire? [Dean Nelson]

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. [Romans 1:20 (NLT)]

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September 16, 2024

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Bible Stories, God's Plan, Love & Works, Obedience, Today: Make it Count

SUPPORTING ROLES

And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. [Hebrews 11:32-34 (NTFE)]

pipevine swallowtail butterflyHebrews 11 lists the great examples of faith found in the Hebrew Scriptures. Every story, however, has a supporting cast and, while we may not remember or even know their names, they played an important role in everyone’s story. We know Moses is one of those heroes of faith but what of the midwives Shiphrah and Puah? If they hadn’t defied Pharaoh’s orders to kill newborn Hebrew boys, Moses wouldn’t have lived long enough to be found by Pharaoh’s daughter let alone lead Israel to the Promised Land!

We know the promised Messiah was to come from David’s line but that line nearly became extinct in 841 BC when Judah’s king Ahaziah died and his mother, Athaliah, seized the throne for herself. To secure her position, the queen mother murdered Ahaziah’s children (her grandchildren) and the rest of the royal family! The Davidic line remained only because Athaliah’s sister, Jehosheba, rescued Ahaziah’s infant son Joash. At great risk, she kept the boy hidden for six years until the time was right for him to be named king.

We recall the names of Esther and her uncle Mordecai but probably not that of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the king’s harem. Without his coaching and assistance, Esther never would have captured the heart of Xerxes, become queen, and been able to save the Hebrew nation from extinction. We revere the name of David but probably don’t know the names of his thirty-seven “mighty men” listed in 2 Samuel 23. We know of Jeremiah but not Ebed-melech, the court official who risked his life to rescue the prophet from the cistern where he had been left to die.

What of those heroes of faith whose names we don’t know—people like the slave girl who told Naaman about the Samarian prophet who could heal him of leprosy? It was her testimony that introduced the Syrian warrior to the one true God of Israel. What of the king’s cup-bearer who told Pharaoh that Joseph could interpret his dream? Without his action, the story of Israel could have ended in Genesis! We only know her as the widow of Zarephath but this nameless woman fed Elijah the last of her oil and bread during a time of famine. We know Gideon but not the names of his 300 valiant men who bravely fought 135,000 Midianites. When outnumbered by 450 to 1, most soldiers would have fled, but those nameless men belong in the “Hall of Faith” along with Gideon!

The New Testament is not without its unnamed heroes of faith—consider the boy who gave his lunch, the widow who gave her two mites, and the four friends so committed to the paralytic’s healing they cut a hole in the roof and lowered him down to the Lord! What of the nameless shepherds and Magi who worshipped the newborn king? We don’t know the names of the woman at the well, the hemorrhaging woman, the Ethiopian eunuch, the repentant thief on the cross, or the Syrophoenician woman who was determined to have Jesus heal her daughter, but they were just as much heroes of faith as were Moses and Abraham.

Every story, play, or movie has both major roles and a supporting cast. While we may have the lead role in our own personal story, we are just supporting actors in the Kingdom’s story. Nevertheless, we are as essential to God’s scenario as were Shiphrah and Puah, Gideon’s 300 and David’s 37, the woman at the well, and those four faithful friends! For the most part, those supporting actors didn’t even know their own importance; nevertheless, acting in faith, they simply followed God’s direction. Let us take the small (but essential) roles God has given us and play them as well as all the unsung heroes of faith did!

There are no small roles, only small actors. [Konstantin Stanislavski]

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. [Hebrews 12:1-2 (NTFE)]

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September 12, 2024

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, Obedience, Sharing Our Faith, Today: Make it Count

OUTSIDE THE LINES

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. [Romans 12:2 (NLT)]

Several years ago, I purchased a beautifully drawn coloring book featuring scenes from the Colorado mountain town that had been part of our lives for thirty-five years. Since it was a gift for one of my grands, I asked the artist to sign the book. She added these words to her signature: “Don’t be afraid to color outside the lines!” Was the artist’s advice limited to her book or was it about something more?

“Coloring inside the lines” has come to mean thinking or acting within the generally accepted guidelines. It’s staying within your comfort zone by doing what’s safe—the way it’s always been done. Creating a new and better picture, however, requires coloring outside the lines! Although it can get a little messy, coloring outside the lines means thinking outside the box, seeing new possibilities, stepping out of the norm, using different colors, and drawing new lines. It must be willing to get uncomfortable. Doing God’s work often requires coloring or living outside the lines draw by society!

The unconventional John the Baptist lived outside the lines. A Nazarite from birth, he was an ascetic who practiced self-denial, wore a rough robe of camel’s hair with a leather belt, and ate locusts and honey. Not one to play it safe, he called the Pharisees and Sadducees a “brood of snakes!” and dared to call King Herod and his wife adulterers! Nevertheless, it was by coloring outside the lines that the Baptizer fulfilled God’s purpose to be the voice in the wilderness that prepared the way for Jesus.

Elisha lived outside the lines when he left his prosperous farm and team of oxen to become Elijah’s successor—an odd choice his family and neighbors probably didn’t understand. The young shepherd boy David stepped outside the lines when he dared to take on Goliath—something none of Saul’s seasoned soldiers had attempted. Abigail went outside the lines when she kept David from taking vengeance on her foolish husband as did Rahab when she helped the Israelites. Joseph colored outside the lines when he remained with the pregnant Mary rather than breaking their engagement. Mary of Bethany went outside the lines when she sat with the men rather than help in the kitchen and again when she anointed Jesus with expensive perfume. Peter colored outside the lines when he stepped out of the Jewish code of ritual purity and ate with the Gentile Cornelius as did Paul when he insisted Gentiles didn’t need to become circumcised.

Coloring outside the lines is what we do when we allow God to take control of our lives; it’s leaving your livelihood and tax booth as did Matthew or stepping out of the boat onto the water as did Peter. Staying inside the lines is failing to trust God enough to answer His call and follow His lead. Staying inside the lines is what the Pharisees did. It’s being more concerned about what others think than what God says; it’s being more concerned about how we appear than who we really are.

Coloring outside the lines is refusing to compromise our faith; it is obeying God before man. The artist’s advice to my grand applies to us all: “Don’t be afraid to color outside the lines!” Let’s not be afraid to live outside the lines—honestly, boldly, creatively, faithfully, and joyfully—fulfilling God’s purpose and trusting in His promises.

For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” [Hebrews 13:5b-6 (NLT)]

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August 12, 2024

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Bible Stories, Church & Worship, Obedience, Sharing Our Faith, Today: Make it Count

THE DRAGNET

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [Matthew 13:47-50 (ESV)]

Because most of the disciples hailed from Galilee where fishing was fundamental to the area’s economy, Jesus’ parable comparing the Kingdom of Heaven to a fishing net gave them a beautiful visual image of the Kingdom when the final judgment occurs. Since we’re not Galilean fishermen, however, our picture of a fishing net might be like the hand-held ones used for trout or bass fishing. Jesus, however, used the word sagéné, meaning dragnet; its English equivalent is seine.

Unlike the trammel and cast nets the disciples used when Jesus provided them with miraculous catches, the fine meshed dragnet could be as long as 1,000 feet, as tall as 25-feet at the middle point, and required a team of fishermen. One end of the net would be firmly secured on shore while the other was attached to the boat. The boat would make a large circle out in the water before returning further down the shore. Because cork floats were attached to the net’s top while lead weights were attached to its bottom, the dragnet formed a net wall parallel to the shore from the top of the water to the bottom of the lake. Once the net was set, a team of up to 16 men (half on each side) would man the ropes attached to the net’s upper and lower corners and start pulling them in as they walked further inland and toward each other. Any fish between the net and shore would be trapped and hundreds of pounds of fish could be caught this way.

Because the net allowed nothing to escape, more than the desired fish were caught. Jewish law considered the musht (tilapia), biny/barbels, and sardines fit to eat because they had scales and fins. The dragnet, however, trapped everything in its path including weeds, trash, and all kinds of undesirable sea life like catfish, eels, shellfish, mollusks, frogs, snails, and turtles. The fishermen had to sort through the catch. While the fish worth keeping were collected in baskets, the worthless were tossed back or thrown away. After sorting the fish on shore, the net would be reordered and the fishing team would begin again in a different spot.

In this parable, the fishing net that is put into the sea is like the gospel message that is to be broadcast into the world. Just as the good fish can’t be distinguished from the bad ones until the net is pulled ashore and the fish are sorted, the true believers can’t be recognized from the false until the last judgment when, like the trash and worthless fish, the wicked will be thrown away. The parable repeats the lesson of the parable of the wheat and tares—that the righteous will have to coexist with evil until God’s final judgment when only the righteous will remain.

While the parable is about the last judgment, it also is about evangelism. Jesus called the disciples to be “fishers of men” and He calls us to the same task. As Christ followers, we are called to cast our nets and share the Gospel message. Dragnet fishing required a team and each person had to pull the weight; the same goes when we fish for men. Spreading the word isn’t the pastor’s job; it’s ours and each of us is responsible for our part of the net! Moreover, a Galilean fishing team didn’t stop after the first catch and neither should we!

Spreading the gospel is not like sport fishing with a rod and tackle designed to catch a specific type of fish. Spreading the gospel is casting a dragnet far and wide and drawing in all that it touches. The dragnet doesn’t decide which fish are worth catching and neither should we! Just as the Galilean fishermen didn’t know whether they were catching biny or turtles, musht or eels, we can’t possibly know what’s in the hearts of the people with whom we share the good news. Our job is to do the fishing while knowing that God will do the sorting at the right time.

Cast in the net and gather them in,
Out of the depths of sorrow and sin;
Out of the gloom and darkness of night,
Gather the lost to gladness and light. [Mrs. C. L. Shacklock]

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. [Mark 1:16-18 (ESV)]

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July 18, 2024

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Today: Make it Count, Trusting God, Worry

FACING GOLIATH

I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you. [Isaiah 46:4 (NLT)]

While writing Monday’s devotion about the seemingly insurmountable giants we face, I wondered about the identity of my Goliath. Of who or what am I afraid? What giant looms over me and blinds me to the presence of God?

Unlike David’s Philistine foe, my Goliath doesn’t look imposing, strong, or powerful. Rather than being nearly nine feet tall, he has osteoporosis and is stooped, frail, and weak. Instead of wielding a sword and being accompanied by an armor bearer, this fearsome enemy uses a cane and has a caregiver. My Goliath isn’t surrounded by an army because he’s outlived his spouse and most of his friends. It’s the inadequacies, limitations, and loss that accompany old age that frighten me.

Back in 1819, Thomas Jefferson painted a vivid but grim picture of those limitations with these words: “First one faculty is withdrawn and then another, sight, hearing, memory, eucrasy [physical well-being], affections & friends, filched one by one till we are left among strangers, the mere monuments of times past, and specimens of antiquity for the observation of the curious.” My in-laws lived to the ages of 96 and 102 and we saw first-hand the toll those years took both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, no matter how well we care for ourselves, as the years progress, our bodies and minds start to wear out and cease operating at full capacity.

It was when our family gathered to celebrate our youngest child’s 50th birthday that my eyes were opened to the gifts accompanying advanced years. As I relished the time with family that weekend, I thought of my parents. Having died at 47 and 56, they never celebrated a child’s 30th birthday, let alone a 50th­, nor did they get to celebrate their 100th surrounded by their great-grands as did my mother-in-law! Although they’d planted the field, they never got to enjoy the harvest! It wasn’t just the red-letter days like weddings, birthdays, and graduations they missed; they never enjoyed the special moments that come with grands and greats—another round of soccer matches, Legos and Tinker Toys, tea parties and dress-up, and endless games of Crazy-8s and LCR.

Although my parents avoided things like arthritis, memory loss, hip replacements, cataracts, and assisted living, I think they would have accepted all that and more to have had additional years with their children and to hold a grandbaby or a great. A walker, hearing aids, and macular degeneration are a small price to pay for watching one’s children and grands develop into the kind of people you’d want to spend time with even if they weren’t family! Indeed, as daunting as it is, old age is a privilege granted to few and should be embraced.

My Goliath really isn’t old age; it’s my fear of old age! I can’t vanquish the indignities and decline of the oncoming years nor can I evade my body’s final defeat, but God will give me the power to rout my defeatist attitude. Knowing He is with me, I can confidently face the future with confidence. As long as God gives me breath, He will continue to calm my fears and give me both purpose and strength in the coming years (whatever they may bring).

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)]

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. [2 Corinthians 4:16 (NLT)]

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June 10, 2024

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Church & Worship, Fear & Doubt, God's Plan, Today: Make it Count, Wisdom & Guidance

AGE IS ONLY A NUMBER – Part 2

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”… Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” [1 Samuel 17:33,41-43 (NLT)]

While reading about David and Goliath, I realized that it’s not just our seniors who can be undervalued or overlooked. It’s as wrong to disregard the youth in our midst as it is to discount the old. Likewise, just as some seniors may underestimate their gifts, the same could be said for those who still count the years rather than the decades! Age is just a number to God—He’s more interested in willing hearts than number of years!

As the youngest of his eight sons, Jesse took little notice of David and didn’t even include him in the feast when Samuel visited! God, however, doesn’t judge by appearances (or age) and it was the 10 to 15-year-old David who Samuel anointed king! When he faced Goliath, David was in his teens and Saul ridiculed him for thinking he could slay the giant. Like Saul, Goliath underestimated the young unarmed shepherd boy and the Philistine paid for it with his life!

Samuel was no more than 5 when he started serving Eli, the high priest and judge of Israel. He was about 12 when God tasked the boy with telling Eli that God’s judgment was coming upon him and his family. Most grown men wouldn’t have done that, but Samuel did and he continued serving God for the rest of his life.

Miriam was a young girl when she saved Moses’ life. It was her quick thinking that convinced Pharaoh’s daughter to hire their mother as his wet nurse. Saul’s son Jonathon was 20 when he and his armor bearer bravely attacked the Philistine camp and Jeremiah was less than 20 when God called him to be His prophet. While we picture Solomon as a wise old king, he was about 20 or less when he ascended the throne and sensibly asked God for that wisdom. Although Josiah was only 8 when crowned Judah’s king, Scripture tells us that he sought the Lord in all he did and showed more wisdom than far older kings.

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were between 13 and 20 when they courageously refused Nebuchadnezzar’s food so they could observe the dietary laws of the Torah and it was young Daniel who found the creative way of doing it. Having wisdom and understanding beyond their years, all four entered the king’s service in their teens and Daniel became chief of the king’s wise men. God began speaking to Joseph in prophetic dreams when he was 17, it was a young slave girl who directed Naaman to Elisha for healing, and Esther probably was 14 to 16 when she became queen of Persia.

Mary was no more than 16 when she accepted her role as the mother of God and Jesus was about 30 when he began his ministry. While we don’t know the disciples’ ages, we tend to picture them as mature men. Yet, a rabbi’s disciples usually were younger than their teacher so they probably ranged from no more than 30 to as young as 13—the age a boy usually became a rabbi’s disciple. When Christ was crucified three years later, they probably were between 16 and 33! Yet, those young men brought 3,000 to Jesus on Pentecost, formed a Christian community, preached in the Temple, spoke before the High Council, and defiantly continued to teach and preach that Jesus was the Messiah. Tradition holds that Timothy was about 16 when he became a Christ follower, under 20 when he joined Paul and Silas through Asia Minor, and probably in his mid-30s when he led the church in Ephesus. Youth didn’t deter the heroes found in Scripture!

Let us never make the mistake of writing off the young people in our midst just because of their age. Along with their amazing technical skills, they offer enthusiasm, energy, innovative methods, fresh insight, a “can do” attitude, and the ability to quickly learn new things. On the other hand, the younger generation shouldn’t discount their value because of their lack of years. God doesn’t care about age and neither should we! Let us all remember that it was a young boy’s offer of his meager lunch that saved the day and fed over 5,000!

Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. [1 Timothy 4:12 (NLT)]

“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.” [Jeremiah 1:6-7 (NLT)]

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