Standard

Posted by

Posted on

September 5, 2016

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Faith & Hope, God's Grace & Love, Love & Works, Money & Wealth, Obedience

MAKING A PERFECT SACRIFICE

“When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. [Malachi 1:8-9 (NLT)]

blue flag irisIn Leviticus, Moses laid out God’s law regarding sacrifices—only a perfect animal was acceptable. One thousand years later, in the time of Malachi, the priests allowed people to offer blind, crippled, diseased and even stolen animals as offerings. The Israelites were offering God the animals that were worthless or someone else’s animal entirely. Since, by definition, a sacrifice requires the giving up of something of great value to us, those certainly didn’t qualify as sacrifices. The Israelites, like a dishonest salesperson who substitutes an inferior product for a good one, were actually cheating God.

Abraham understood what it meant to give something valuable to God. When God demanded that he give his only son, the beloved Isaac, as a sacrifice, he obeyed. Fortunately for Isaac, when it was clear that Abraham loved God more than his precious child, God stopped him from completing the sacrifice. Hannah, the mother of Samuel, also understood what it was to give something irreplaceable to God. Unable to have a child, the anguished woman promised the Lord that, if he should bless her with a son, she would give him back to God. Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son called Samuel. When he was three years old, she brought him to Eli the priest and dedicated him to the Lord. Although Samuel later became a prophet and one of the greatest of Israel’s judges, it had to break Hannah’s heart to leave her young son in Eli’s care. Both Abraham and Hannah gave God their most cherished possessions: their sons. Moreover, God gave us His best when He sacrificed His only son for us.

What we offer God reflects our attitude toward him. Do we give Him our best or less? Does He get our gifts first or does He just get our leftovers—whatever remains after we’ve done whatever else we wanted to do? Our time, energy, talent, money and possessions—they all belong to God. He’s just allowing us to use His gifts for a short time while we’re here on earth. He deserves the best we have to offer; after all, it’s His anyway!

Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sands on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed – all because you have obeyed me. [Genesis 22:15-18 (NLT)]

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine. [Proverbs 3:9-10 (NLT)]

Copyright ©2016 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

September 2, 2016

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Church & Worship, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Love & Works, Salvation: A New You, Sharing Our Faith, Temptation & Sin, Today: Make it Count

LOGOS

Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. [Philippians 3:17-18 (NLT)]

CardinalAs I grabbed my jacket, I noticed the familiar Under Armour logo on the front. Looking down, I saw that my t-shirt advertised a local boot camp class and my shorts displayed Fila’s logo. Eyeing my husband, I saw that his shorts displayed the same logo as mine and his shirt advertised the physical therapy clinic that has treated him over the years. While my cap sported the famed Nike swish, the name of a local pub was embroidered on his. A red swish peeked out from the top of his shoes while my socks were decorated with New Balance’s logo and pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness. The large “N” on each side of our sneakers identified them as another New Balance purchase. We were virtual walking billboards and we’d paid a hefty price for the privilege of advertising other people’s goods and services!

Although we both find our shoes comfortable and have spent plenty of hours at that PT clinic, we have no reason to advertise any of those brands. Labels used to be hidden on the inside of our clothes but now we proudly display them on the outside. Yet, many of us cringe at the label of “Christian.” I think of a husband-wife team of Christian apologist authors who have encountered such negative reactions to saying they are Christians that they now describe themselves as “Followers of Christ.”

Unfortunately, much of the world has a negative stereotype of a “Christian” and it may not be entirely undeserved. If we wear the label “Christian,” are we afraid people will think they know our politics or that we’re Bible thumpers, don’t believe in laughter or fun, are judgmental and intolerant, hate people for their lifestyles, are hypocrites, think we’re better than everyone else, or will give them a list of shouldn’ts, can’ts and don’ts? Unfortunately, some Christians are like that but, fortunately, most are not. Moreover, other than the Bible thumping, that description can be applied to plenty of non-Christians as well.

Do we wear our faith as openly as we do our sportswear logos? Do we advertise for Jesus as readily as we do our favorite businesses? With my husband’s noticeable limp, he’s probably not the best advertisement for that physical therapy clinic. Are we good advertisements for Christ or do we just further the negative stereotypes? People need to recognize us, not by Christian symbols but by Christian love. If we’re ever going to change those negative stereotypes, people will need to know our true identity—a child of God, a follower of Christ, a Christian—not just by our behavior but by knowing that Jesus is the reason we act as we do! Let us never forget that we may be the only Bible some people read and the only Jesus some people meet.

Christ has no hands but our hands To do His work today;
He has no feet but our feet To lead men in His way;
He has no tongue but our tongue To tell men how He died;
He has no help but our help To bring them to His side.
We are the only Bible The careless world will read;
We are the sinners gospel, We are the scoffer’s creed;
We are the Lord’s last message, Given in deed and word;
What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?
[Annie Johnson Flint]

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. [Colossians 3:17 (NLT)]

Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. [1 Peter 2:12a (NLT)

Copyright ©2016 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

September 1, 2016

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, God's Grace & Love, God's Promises, Joy, Money & Wealth, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Wisdom & Guidance

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you! [2 Chronicles 1:7 (NLT)]

No one is really happy merely because he has what he wants, but only if he wants things he ought to want. [St. Augustine]

Mountain Bluebird In the many television tributes to the recently deceased actor Gene Wilder, a scene from the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory frequently has been aired. In it, Willy tells Charlie not to forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he wanted. When the boy asks what that was, Wonka replies, “He lived happily ever after!”

While that exchange made for a nice ending to a children’s film, getting everything we want is hardly the way to guarantee living happily ever after—unless, of course, we only want the right things! Yet, even wanting the right things is no guarantee of happiness. Look at Solomon; when God asked what he wanted, the young king requested the right thing—wisdom. God rewarded him not just with wisdom but also with riches, possessions, honor and fame. Here was a king who truly got all that he wanted plus more. Surely, with everything that Solomon received, he should have lived happily ever after.

Nevertheless, all the wisdom and wealth in the world could not give meaning to Solomon’s life. Although gifted with wisdom, he failed to use it when he broke God’s rules for kings by amassing horses, collecting a harem of 1000, accumulating riches by excessive taxation, sealing alliances by marrying foreign women and worshiping pagan gods. Although he got everything he wanted, Solomon did not find happiness. His words in Ecclesiastes show us how disillusioned, bitter and disappointed this wealthy sage was when he realized how empty his life had been without God at its center.

Getting what we want will only lead to a happily ever after if we want what God wants for us and if we use His blessings with a wisdom far greater than Solomon’s. Let us never forget that God’s answers to our prayers often are not what we think will make us happy. They are, however, always what we need. Moreover, God has already given us all that we need for our happily ever after: His beloved Son, forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. [C.S. Lewis]

I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. [John 6:47 (NLT)]

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” [Revelation 21:3-4 (NLT)]

Copyright ©2016 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 30, 2016

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Forgiveness, Love & Works, Peace of God, Temptation & Sin

BLESSINGS NOT REVENGE (Anger – Part 2)

If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. Don’t give the Devil a chance. [Ephesians 4:26-27 (GNT)]

But now you must get rid of all these things: anger, passion, and hateful feelings. … The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make. [Colossians 3: 8a,15a (GNT)]

Anger itself isn’t the sin; it’s what we do with it that can make it a sin. [jsjdevotions]

jump in the lake

For several years, our lake home has been for sale. Although one potential buyer has been circling our house for nearly two years, he’s had absolutely nothing good to say about the property, our broker or even us. Granted, this is his method of negotiation, but there was no need to be unpleasant, rude and argumentative. In good faith, we’d entered into an informal agreement with him but he hadn’t honored his side of the agreement. As I was writing yesterday’s meditation about anger, he finally made an offer on the house. Had it been made by anyone else, we would have been interested. Made by him, however, a man who’s been both disagreeable and uncompromising, our first reaction was “Absolutely, no!” We’d taken such a dislike to this party (someone we’ve never even met) that we didn’t want him to have the house no matter what he paid.

God does seem to have an uncanny sense of timing! There I was, writing about not being led by anger and yet we were letting anger lead us into making a foolish decision. Realizing it was nothing personal—just the way this man negotiates and probably deals with everyone else in his life—we made the deal. We didn’t have to like or respect him to sell him our house.

Anger and resentment, however, were still lingering in our hearts. While the buyer may have won the battle, we could still win the war. We didn’t have to tell him how to winterize the house, ready the hoists and piers for winter, or the quirky way the fireplace works. We weren’t obligated to share the names of the people who service the boat, mow, weed, trim trees, wash windows, and fill the propane. Although we sold the house furnished, much was not included in the inventory list. We didn’t have to leave him the extra light fixtures and light bulbs, spare glass for the fireplace, and books of directions for every appliance. It wasn’t necessary to leave the modem, water softener salt, hangers, fire extinguishers, extension cords, surge protectors, and directions for rigging the sailboat. We could take the children’s chairs and picnic table, crib, high chair, booster chairs, books, toys, games and the basketball backboard. The flash lights, coolers, grass seed, weed killer, and garden tools could have disappeared. Although we had no use for any of those things, out of spite, we were ready to take them to the Goodwill store or garbage dump before we’d leave anything for this man and his family.

Enjoying the taste of petty revenge, I went back to working on yesterday’s anger message. The Apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit and even my own words convicted me and that taste of revenge immediately turned sour. Clearly, by thinking of ways to strike back, we were still sinfully leading with anger. We realized that we’d never feel good about selling the house until we let go of our pique and desire to even the score. Instead of exacting revenge, we decided to give the buyers all of that stuff and plenty more.

Letting go of anger and forgiving those who offend us are the only way God wants us to live and they’re the only way I want to live. Last week, as we departed the lake house for our final time, instead of being angry, we were happy. We pictured a family with four young children who would move into the beautiful house we’ve enjoyed for 37 years. We thought of the wonderful memories they’ll build as their children learn to swim, water ski, sail, fish, make s’mores and catch fireflies! We also left two bottles of champagne chilling in the refrigerator, a photo book I made of the lake’s wildflowers, my nearly world-famous recipe for buttermilk pancakes (our guests’ favorite breakfast since 1979) and our blessings to the new owner and his family!

Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody. Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God’s anger do it. For the scripture says, “I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord.” Instead, as the scripture says: “If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you will make them burn with shame.”  Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good. [Romans 12:18-21 (GNT)]

Copyright ©2016 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 29, 2016

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Obedience, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

BRAIDING A WHIP (Anger – Part 1)

Do not be quick in spirit to be angry. For anger is in the heart of fools. [Ecclesiastes 7:9 (NLV)]

He who is slow to anger is better than the powerful. And he who rules his spirit is better than he who takes a city. [Proverbs 16:32 (NLV)]

IMG_2145web

In Jesus’ day, the Jews made animal sacrifices at the temple to satisfy Biblical requirements. Since those who traveled long distances to Jerusalem found it inconvenient to bring their own livestock, merchants sold animals at the temple. Additionally, every Jewish man had to pay an annual temple tax. No coin bearing the image of Caesar, a foreign prince, or an idol could be used, so money changers worked in the temple exchanging half shekels for any foreign coins. It’s easy to see how the outer court of the temple became both a marketplace and bank.

Unfortunately, what seemed a good idea turned into exploitation and corruption. The priests were renting out temple stalls for this bazaar. In order to pay that rent, merchants sold the animals at inflated prices and excessive fees were charged by the money changers. Moreover, the priests and Levites were reselling the animals offered as sacrifice back to the merchants. Instead of being sacrificed, the same animals were being sold and purchased over and over again. Think about the noise all those people made while conducting business and haggling over prices. Add to that the racket of bellowing cattle, bleating sheep, and cooing doves. Then consider the odor from all those animals and their droppings. Picture that sort of commotion in the narthex or on the front steps of your church. How could anybody worship in such a corrupt and chaotic environment? No wonder Jesus was angry at the way His Father’s house was being misused.

John recounts an interesting detail in his narrative of Jesus’ first cleansing of the temple. After seeing the temple’s marketplace, Jesus made a whip from ropes. With all the sheep and cattle around, it wouldn’t have been difficult to find ropes but braiding a whip would have taken some time. Knowing our Lord’s tendency to pray, I suspect Jesus prayed as he fashioned that whip. In those few minutes of prayer, He took his anger and turned it into a plan. He must have planned well because, as intense as his actions were, we don’t read of injuries, rioting, arrests or Roman soldiers arriving to quell the disturbance. While many of us would have gone off half-cocked and made a mess of things, Jesus took the time to prayerfully plan his action.

The Old Testament is filled with instances of God’s anger and we know Jesus got angry. If God can get angry, why can’t we? We can, if our anger is a righteous indignation. Anger itself isn’t the sin; it’s what we do with it that can make it a sin. The Bible tells us that God is slow to anger and we should be, too. Jesus took the time to braid a whip; let us take a lesson from our Lord to wait before expressing our righteous indignation or acting out of anger. We must never be led by anger but rather by God’s word and prayerful thought.

The Lord is full of loving-favor and pity, slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. [Psalm 145:8 (NLV)]

Copyright ©2016 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 26, 2016

Posted under

Faith & Hope, God's Grace & Love, God's Promises, Knowing Him, Trusting God

OUR LIFEGUARD

The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. [Psalm 121:5-8 (NLT)]

See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. [Isaiah 49:16a (NLT)]

lifeguardAs I stood by the community pool, taking photos of the grands, I noticed that I wasn’t the only person keeping watch. Two lifeguards kept their eyes on the pool full of people. These young women probably go all summer without having to rescue someone and their main purpose is to keep rowdy children (and adults) in line. Still, it is a tremendous responsibility for a couple of teenagers. As attentive as they were to the swimmers, I wasn’t about to trust either one of them with the safety of my loved ones and my eyes remained on the little guys.

To the lifeguards, keeping watch over the swimmers is a just a job and my two grands were merely two of many children. They were just the little girl in the turquoise suit and the dark-haired toddler with the red noodle wrapped around his waist. To me, however, they have names and personalities. They are my children (one generation removed), cherished and loved. While their names aren’t written on my hand, they are in my heart! I know we live in a troubled and sin-filled world and that I can’t protect them from all harm but, loving them as I do, I’m not about to let anything bad happen to them on my watch!

Of course, the only one who truly guards my grands (or even me, for that matter) is God. Guarding us, however, is not just a job for Him as it is for those lifeguards. Because we are His children, He watches over us out of love, not duty. His love for us is greater than that of a mother for her child (or a grandma for her grands) and He will guard us with a ferocity that would put a mama bear to shame. To God, we’re not the concerned grandma at the pool, the bearded old man with a walker, the surfer dude in yellow board shorts, or the bratty little kid in the green shirt—we’re Julie, John, Brent, and Avery, His beloved children.

A fellow at church often wears a shirt with the message, “My lifeguard walks on water!” Indeed, He does.

What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. [Luke 12:6-7 (NLT)]

Copyright ©2016 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.