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August 3, 2017

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Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Grace & Love, God's Plan, God's Promises, Knowing Him, Peace of God, Prayer, Thanks & Praise, Today: Make it Count, Trusting God

YOUR HEART’S DESIRE

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. [Psalm 37:4-5 (NLT)]

May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed. [Psalm 20:4 (NLT)]

oxeye daisy
What is it your heart desires? A photo safari in Africa or a river boat cruise along the Rhine? A paid-off mortgage or an enormous IRA? A private chef, personal trainer, maid or someone to chauffer the kids to their assorted activities? To be free of physical ailments or pain? A better paying job, longer vacation, or nicer boss? Better behaved children, a more loving spouse, or an abundance of friends? Are these the things our hearts desire or do we really desire the things that will accompany them—things like love, security, joy, serenity, a sense of well-being and peace? When we commit everything to the Lord, we will have those things, even without the luxury items, vacations, ideal situations, money or even the health.

Concentrate on counting your blessings and you’ll have little time to count anything else. [Woodrow Kroll]

Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. [Psalm 73:25 (NLT)]

The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth. He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them. [Psalm 145:18-19 (NLT)]

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August 2, 2017

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Attitudes & Behavior, Knowing Him, Peace of God, Prayer, Today: Make it Count

BE STILL

Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. [Isaiah 55:3a (NLT)]

Goldmoor InnThe gardeners in our community always stop running their mowers, weed whips and leaf blowers whenever someone passes and we walkers appreciate not having grass clippings and yard debris blown into our faces. Yesterday, I noticed that nearly all of them check their cell phones during that short break in their work. Today, as I waited in the car while my husband pumped gas, the first thing I did was reach into my purse to check my iPhone. Had I missed anything in the world since last I’d looked? I will venture a guess that most people are like the gardeners and me—they check their phones during those brief pauses that occur throughout the day. Hopefully, they resist the urge to check them while at a red light but I see plenty of drivers who do!

It’s not just our cell phones—it’s our computers and tablets as well. Most of us frequently check our email, social media, the stock market or weather reports, the latest video on YouTube, or even the eaglets’ progress in the eagle cam. Then, as soon as we return home, we check the voice mail and caller ID in case we’ve missed anyone’s call. Are we ever so diligent about checking with God to see if He’s got a message for us?

In those brief moments of quiet that occur throughout the day, what if we didn’t check our computers, pick up our phones or, worse, the remote to see what’s on TV? Most likely, nothing that important has transpired since last we looked! What if we took those moments to check in with God? If He has nothing to say to us, we could always take those precious seconds to send him a thank you for the little blessings of the day or shoot out a prayer for a friend, co-worker, or that person who is texting while driving. If nothing else, we can take a deep breath, be still and know that He is God.

Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. [Psalm 46:10 (NLT)]

Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.” [Psalm 46: 10 (MSG)]

And what did I do after putting this devotion in my “To Post” folder? You guessed it, rather than thanking God, I checked my email!

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July 25, 2017

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Grace & Love, God's Plan, Knowing Him, Miracles, Money & Wealth, Nature, Peace of God, Salvation: A New You, Trusting God

AFTER THE STORM

compass plantThe terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone. [Acts 27:20 (NLT)]

“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor! [Psalm 107:28-30 (NLT)]

While walking this morning, I could see the toll last night’s hail storm took on the wildflowers. Many that yesterday stood tall and proud over the prairie were now bent and broken. These defeated looking plants made me think of a friend and the storm that overwhelmed and nearly defeated him.

Raised in a Christian home and once a believer, he lost his faith in a loving God years ago when a series of medical errors left his child with severe brain damage. Angry at God and then disillusioned by the hypocrisy he saw in his church, he decided to worship the god of achievement and wealth. All went well for him until one day it didn’t. The storm hit when the multi-national corporation for which he worked closed its doors. In spite of his stellar resume, nearly two years passed without employment. When the economy tanked, so did his investments and his savings dwindled to nothing. Upside down with his mortgage, his god of success and prosperity was nowhere to be found. It was at that point that this once proud man literally fell to his knees and humbly admitted his defeat and nothingness to God. He wanted to believe but needed to know that God really was there. He didn’t ask for relief; he asked for reassurance of God’s presence. “Show me that you exist, that you care, that you are good!” was his simple prayer.

Most of those drooping wildflowers along the trail will again stand tall when the sun shines. Like those flowers, my friend was raised up when he turned to God and allowed the Son back into his life. Within a day of his prayer, he received a call from a struggling Christian-based non-profit and, within a week, he’d started working there as the CEO. Several years have passed and he is happier and more content than he was in his previous life. Because of his business acumen, the organization he serves is now thriving and people’s lives are being changed in incredible ways. His child is still disabled and his standard of living is not what it was before the storm, but he lives joyfully in the knowledge of a loving and good God—a God who can still storms and lift a drowning man out of the sea.

A hail storm can knock down flowers and, sometimes, God knocks us to our knees with a storm of troubles. It’s when we’re on our knees, however, that the only place to look is up! When we ask God to reveal Himself to us, we shouldn’t expect Him to do it with a job or financial support. After all, God only promises relief from all of our troubles in the next world. In this life, we will be relieved only from some of them; other troubles He will enable us to endure. Nevertheless, when we humbly and sincerely ask God to reveal himself to us, He will.

If God seems far away, who moved? [AA slogan]

But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him. [2 Chronicles 15:4 (NLT)]

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July 24, 2017

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Church & Worship, Faith & Hope, Fruit of the Spirit, Salvation: A New You, Sharing Our Faith, Today: Make it Count

THE SANCTUARY CANDLE

Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually. [Exodus 27:20 (NLT)]

HibiscusAlthough an acolyte usually lights the altar candles at our northern church, our pastor did it yesterday. He came out of the sacristy with an unlit brass candle lighter in his hand, reached up to the sanctuary lamp, removed its red glass globe and took it out of the holder. Using the sanctuary candle, he lit the candle lighter before using it to light the altar candles. After returning the sanctuary lamp to its rightful place on the wall, he explained that, although there had been several books of matches in the sacristy, they all were empty. No one seems to smoke anymore and, being new to our parish, he had no idea where matches might be stored. A resourceful man, he solved the problem perfectly.

Sanctuary lamps probably date back to the original rules Moses was given for the tabernacle and they are often found in Jewish temples. Also called the Christ candle or eternal flame in Christian churches, they burn continually as a reminder of the eternal presence of God. While a sanctuary lamp often is present in traditional or liturgical churches, it certainly isn’t necessary for worship. Our mountain church, for example, doesn’t have one and our Florida church, which meets in the park, doesn’t even have a sanctuary let alone an altar or candles!

What, I wondered, would have happened if, while fiddling with the sanctuary light, our pastor had inadvertently extinguished its flame? Although he would have been embarrassed, worship would have continued without that symbol of God’s lasting presence. Candle or not, God is eternally present and the light of Christ continues to shine in our dark and troubled world. The flame from that one candle lit the altar candles much as the light from Christ lights our lives. God’s flame, however, must not stop with us. Jesus is the light of the world and it’s not enough for us just to shine; like that brass candle lighter, we must pass that light along to those waiting in darkness.

It only takes a spark To get a fire going,
And soon all those around Can warm up in its glowing.
That’s how it is with God’s love Once you’ve experienced it;
You spread His love to ev’ryone. You want to pass it on.
I wish for you my friend This happiness that I’ve found.
You can depend on Him. It matters not where you’re bound.
I’ll shout it from the mountain top. I want my world to know:
The Lord of love has come to me. I want to pass it on.
[“Pass it On” by Kurt Kaiser]

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” [John 8:12 (NLT)]

You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. [Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)]

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July 21, 2017

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Bible Stories, Faith & Hope, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Grace & Love, Prayer, Sharing Our Faith, Today: Make it Count

LEADING SOMEONE TO WATER

Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. He sleeps at night and is awake during the day. The seeds sprout and grow, although the man doesn’t know how. The ground produces grain by itself. First the green blade appears, then the head, then the head full of grain. [Mark 4:26-27 (GW)]

horsesAfter their recent visit to the oncologist, a friend asked me to pray for her father. His cancer is terminal and she asked me to pray that he will come to know God. He’s been sitting on the fence for quite some time and his time for fence sitting is rapidly running out. As I added him to my prayer list, I wondered, “Can we pray someone to God?”

While farmers can plant, water, hoe and fertilize, it is up to the seed whether or not it ever will germinate. Jesus told several parables about sowing seed and gathering the harvest. In none of them, however, does the farmer turn that seed into a sprout. All we can do is prepare the way by planting His word. We can bring to light the Son, but it is up to the seed to seek the Son’s light.

In the end, the harvest comes through God’s provision, not man’s efforts. If we could pray people to God, our churches would be full and all would be well with the world! It’s been said that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. Unfortunately, because of that pesky free will thing, the same goes for man and the living water offered by Jesus. While we can’t pray people to God, we can continue to share the Good News and ask God to reveal Himself to those for whom we pray. The rest is up to them; the choice is theirs and theirs alone.

A man came to evangelist Alexander Wooten and asked, using the biblical phrase, “What must I do to be saved?” Wooten said, “It’s too late.” The man was shocked. “It’s too late? You mean I can’t do anything?” Wooten said, “It’s too late. It’s already been done for you. The only thing left for you to do is to believe that it’s done.

They see, but they’re blind. They hear, but they don’t listen. They don’t even try to understand. So they make Isaiah’s prophecy come true: “‘You will hear clearly but never understand. You will see clearly but never comprehend. These people have become close-minded and hard of hearing. They have shut their eyes so that their eyes never see. Their ears never hear. Their minds never understand. And they never return to me for healing!” [Matthew 13:13-15 (GW)]

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July 12, 2017

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Church & Worship, Knowing Him, Love & Works, Prayer, Sharing Our Faith, Thanks & Praise, Today: Make it Count

31 PRAYERS

Hear my words, O Lord. Think about my crying. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God. For I pray to you. In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice. In the morning I will lay my prayers before You and will look up. [Psalm 5:1-3 (NLV)]

We thank God for you all the time and pray for you. [1 Thessalonians 1:2 (NLV)]

green heronAs I went through my prayer list this morning, I noticed that my prayers are very specific. I pray for those I know who are mourning, but they’re not the only ones dealing with loss. I pray for those I know who are sick and for my friends who are sitting at their loved one’s bedside, but they are not alone. Although I pray for a friend experiencing problems at work, another having financial difficulty, and a family in crisis, I know others must have the same problems. I pray for those I know who are struggling with addictions but can’t come close to naming all who need that prayer. I pray for my pastors and friends in the ministry but pastors (and congregations) everywhere need those same prayers. Unless I hear sirens, I don’t pray for first responders, but those firefighters and paramedics need my prayers more often than that. Some mornings I have enough trouble getting through my long prayer list, how can I add more to it? We’re told to offer prayers of intercession for all of God’s people, yet how can we do His work (or ours) if we spend all day in prayer? We’d be so heavenly minded that we’d be of no earthly use to anyone. Nevertheless, it’s not just my list of people who need my prayers. I suppose I could cover everyone else with a quick “God bless the world and everyone in it,” but that doesn’t seem heartfelt to me.

I thought of a friend who reads a chapter of Proverbs every day of the month. With thirty-one chapters, he finds it a good spiritual discipline. It occurred to me that I could do much the same thing with intercession. While I continue to pray for the unique needs of the people named on my prayer list, every day I could earnestly offer a general prayer for a different specific need.

It wouldn’t be hard to come up with a list of thirty-one intercessory topics, one for each day of the month. Off the top of my head I came up with the following: (1) government officials and their staff; (2) judges, juries and courts; (3) members of all branches of the military; (4) military families, veterans and wounded warriors; (5) law enforcement officers; (6) those who mourn or are in despair; (7) pastors and lay ministers; (8) churches, their members, and the expansion of God’s Kingdom; (9) missionaries and those who serve in developing nations; (10) the brutalized, oppressed, and persecuted; (11) the disabled and those with special needs; (12) businesses, bosses, and the nation’s economy; (13) our labor force and the conditions in which they work; (14) refugees and relief workers; (15) physicians, health care workers, and caregivers; (16) the destitute, those in financial difficulties, and the unemployed; (17) the environment, those who work to protect it, and the conservation of resources; (18) prisoners, their families and guards; (19) the ill, hospitalized, terminally ill, and their families; (20) students, teachers, school administrators, and school curriculum; (21) those damaged souls filled with anger, hate, violence, intolerance and prejudice; (22) the homeless and marginalized in our society; (23) the lonely, depressed and mentally ill; (24) those struggling with addictions; (25) the media and all who influence public opinion; (26) the family unit; (27) children; (28) charitable organizations, their supporters and volunteers; (29) fire fighters and EMTs; (30) Israel and other nations, both ally and enemy; and (31) peace within our borders and among all nations. That’s just my list and I’m sure it will be revised as the months progress. I’ve written that list in my prayer request book and plan on tackling a different concern each day of the month. I’ll be offering thanks and, depending on for whom I’m praying, plead for things like healing, wisdom, strength, skill, justice, truth, courage, compassion, comfort, safety, or protection. Adding one more prayer each day is feasible and lifting the concerns of others to God, even people I don’t know, is more than an obligation; it is an honor and a privilege.

First of all, I ask you to pray much for all men and to give thanks for them. Pray for kings and all others who are in power over us so we might live quiet God-like lives in peace. It is good when you pray like this. It pleases God Who is the One Who saves. He wants all people to be saved from the punishment of sin. He wants them to come to know the truth. [1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NLV)]

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