Wednesday’s Devotion: Dressing Up Bible Style

Matthew 23:5-6 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;

The Pharisees loved to dress up in fancy garb in order to emphasize the respect they were due as religious leaders.  They took advantage of their position and preferred to be served rather than to serve.  I saw photos of a Halloween party a few days ago and a guy actually came as a priest.  I thought I dress up like that every Sunday!  I offered Joe my robe and stole for the Holy Ghost Wiener Roast but he decided to go as a Tombstone Territory marshal instead. I was Annie Oakley.  It was easy; we already had our own hats, boots and spurs.

It’s fun to dress up at Halloween but the Bible also gives us a suggestion for every day dressing up. Romans 13:14… clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

In all things, Lord help us to put on Christ so that we may have the purity of heart and desires after his example.  Help those trick or treating tonight to be safe.  In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Have a blessed day and safe Halloween.

Paige

Tuesday’s Devotion: Like the Cowardly Lion

2 Samuel 17:10 Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a fighter and that those with him are brave.

Last week while on my morning walk I was really startled by a large very life-like stuffed tiger that someone had placed at their curb for trash pick-up.  Once I realized it wasn’t alive I thought it was really too nice to throw away. But as I looked closer I saw that the far shoulder had been ripped open revealing the stuffing inside.  I thought, “Some little pooch asserting puppy power probably did this.”  The above scripture comes as Hushai advised Absalom regarding his father David.  He’s saying even the brave will become afraid.  That stuffed tiger made me think that even people whom we fear are often wounded in some manner. Perhaps it’s their wounds that make them act in ways that cause us to fear them.  There are times when we should be wary yet perhaps we should also try to understand others and to get to know them a little better.  Dorothy learned that the lion in Oz was not something to fear once she got to know him. 

Father, you tell us to trust in you and to fear not. Help us to take time to get to know people before making snap judgments as to their character.  Protect us from evil and lead us in our daily walk helping us to care for others as you care for us. Amen.

Blessings,

Paige

Monday’s Devotion: Stormy Weather

Psalm 55:7-9  I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”

During a GMA segment this morning on staying safe from hurricane Sandy a guest says that in events like this the communities that fare best are the ones in which people look after each other.  They followed that with advice to check on the homebound elderly to make sure they had supplies in place.  I thought that advice goes even beyond times of natural disaster.  Communities and individuals all fare better when people look out for one another.  What do you have in place to offer help to others in times of trial?  Are you willing to do that?

Holy God, as you care for us and calm the storms of our lives help us to reach out to others.  We pray for your guidance, strength and comfort so that we may be able to care for ourselves and then be the strong hands and feet of Christ reaching out to the world.  We pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.

Have a blessed week,

Paige

Friday’s Devotion: Changing Seasons

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.

If you ask people what their favorite season is I think the majority would answer either fall or spring.  Fall brings brisk mornings and a relief from the hot summers. The turning leaves are beautiful and we love the smell of the first wood burning fires. Spring brings flowers and green leaves replacing the barren winter and the warmth of the sun to comfort our winter-chilled bones. There’s something about the change of seasons that speaks of hope and renewal.  Regardless of the season, our Lord always offers hope and renewal. Sometimes it’s not as evident as the changing of the seasons but God says if you seek him, he will be found.

Holy God, in the dry seasons and bleak seasons, we sometimes feel all alone. Help us to always find your presence when we seek it with our whole heart.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Have a blessed weekend – hope to see you at church.

Paige

Thursday’s Devotion: Let the Child Lead Us

Colossians 3:12 (CEB)  Therefore, as God’s choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

My friend from Loganville Fran Bagley had this experience yesterday which she shared on Facebook:   While I sat in the reception area of my doctor's office, a woman rolled an elderly man in a wheelchair into the room. As she went to the receptionist's desk, the man sat there, alone and silent. Just as I was thinking I should make small talk with him, a little boy slipped off his mother's lap and walked over to the wheelchair. Placing his hand on the man's, he said, I know how you feel. My Mom makes me ride in the stroller too. 

For some reason this reminded me of Isaiah 11 and the prediction of a future of peace:

The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.

Could we not follow the example of kindness to others that we see in this child?

Gracious and holy God, teach us to be kind and compassionate to one another as you are to us. Help us to be a blessing to others, both friend and stranger.  We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Blessings,
Paige

Wednesday’s Devotion: We May Not Know What We Think We Know

John 7:24 (CEB) Don’t judge according to appearances. Judge with right judgment.”

When Jesus spoke these words it was in his own defense.  He was being attacked by Jewish leaders for healing a man on the Sabbath. People were saying he had a demon. I guess there are times in each of our lives when we are judged unfairly by someone else. It hurts when we find out about it.  Yet that doesn’t always keep us from judging others.  As Joe and I walked out to the concourse last Sunday we passed a series of statues that always impress me.  They are of figures carved from great blocks of rough gray stone. The sculptor then polished the stone on only parts of them; the hands and faces, arms or legs of the men and women. The polished parts were smooth and ebony black.  When I saw them I thought about the above scripture.  On the outside we might only see something plain and apparently of not much worth – but when we look deeper or put some effort into encouraging someone we may find something very different.  Jesus knows what it’s liked to be judged and he says the first (those who think they are the better people) shall be last. 

Creator God, help us to look deeper than outward appearances or economic circumstances or language or orientation when we encounter others.  Instead let us see the precious person you created and when we look down on them may it be to offer a helping hand.  In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Blessings,

Paige

Tuesday’s Devotion: When Words Fail

Romans 8:26 (CEV) In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words.

At one point during out trip last week I was trying to navigate as Joe and I sought to find our way to part of the original Route 66.  We had the Rt. 66 guidebook and set of turn by turn maps and I was reading the directions to him.  Joe asked some questions I couldn’t readily answer.  Finally I read him the paragraph and said “These are all the words I have to work with.”  Immediately I was reminded of Romans 8:26.  Sometimes when we pray we are limited by the ways in which we can express our desires.  Thankfully the Holy Spirit takes our few words and translates them into just what we need for God to hear.  On our trip we had the book and maps. Using my iPhone apps we could find hotels and restaurants along with their addresses and also the addresses of points of interest mentioned in our guidebook. We put these into our GPS and went straight to them. It might not have been the Holy Spirit but the marvels of modern technology are pretty neat.

Thanks, Lord that we have the Holy Spirit to intercede for us when we don’t know how or what to pray.  Thanks for not letting our loss for words hinder your ability to discern our deepest desires.  And thanks Lord for GPS and Google!  Amen.

Have a great day,

Paige

Monday’s Devotion: Back from Route 66!

Proverbs 18:15 (ESV) An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

We had a wonderful time on our Route 66 trip and as promised, I found many inspirations for devotions as we traveled.  Before we left our son gave us a Route 66 Adventure Handbook and a set of state by state Rt. 66 picture maps that helped us find the old route and discover points of interest along the route along with suggested side trips.  In Hinton OK, we were directed to the Hinton Historical Museum.  It has one of the largest collections of antique buggies and carriages in the state and the third largest collection of examples of barbed wire in the country along with lots of other interesting historical artifacts. The president of the museum took us around and was a wealth of information.  For instance one large enclosed carriage had a sign noting the stationary windows on the wagon.  It is actually from this that station wagons received their name.  You know I’ve actually owned station wagons and have never once given any thought to why they are called that.  Car, truck, SUV – all make sense but station wagon - - I should have wondered about that. Now I’m still not sure how the transition from stationary windows on a horse drawn wagon translated into a vehicle being named station wagon.  Still it is good to learn new things especially when it makes us wise.  The Bible can be the source of wisdom if we study it diligently.  There are many scriptures that speak of the importance of knowledge and wisdom.  If you want to learn something new, just delve into your bible or maybe visit our new friend at the Hinton Historical Museum.

Lord, help us to never tire of seeking to learn new things about your world and your Word. May we continue to grown in the knowledge of the love of Jesus Christ and the wisdom of his ways.  We ask in his holy name, amen.

Have a blessed week!
Paige

Friday’s Devotion: Sand in my Shoes

Ephesians 4:26 (Weymouth) If angry, beware of sinning. Let not your irritation last until the sun goes down;

 Midpoint in yesterday morning’s walk I felt sand in my shoes.  I don’t know how it got in there but it made walking unpleasant.  It’s amazing how these little tiny grains of dirt could be so irritating. I pressed on and after I got home I emptied my shoes. During my walk in the park I prayed over other issues that were bothering me.  As I did I spied a bright yellow feather, maybe from a yellow shafted flicker.  It was as if God said it will be fine. Whatever might cause us irritations, I recommend going to God in prayer and look for signs that God is hearing that prayer.

Holy Lord, We pray for your comforting balm when things of life irritates us. Bless us as we go into the weekend.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Joe and I will be on the road (Rt. 66) next week.  Musings will return the following week.  I promise I will still be observing and making notes of things I want to share with you.  Please be in prayer for traveling mercies for us.

God Bless,

Paige

Thursday’s Devotion: Those Out-Of-Place Sounds

Yesterday I was surprised when a large hawk swooped down across the road in front of me.  I’m used to seeing them overhead but recently have seen a couple just sitting on fences or low in the trees.  After seeing the hawk I continued my walk and heard a rooster crowing and crowing.  Roosters belong on Old McDonald’s farm, not in the middle of Hapeville!  At a dinner Tuesday night Matthew Pinson said that he has a pair of whippoorwills behind his house even though he lives in Atlanta near I-85.  A bird expert sitting with us said that was highly unusual. But the song of a whippoorwill is unmistakable. Our birding friend related the time he and his wife were in Germany when one of the other tourists complained that there were cuckoo clocks all over the hotel.  He explained that it was really cuckoo birds she was hearing.  Our ears are attuned to our surroundings and we notice something that sounds out of place – even the odd click or squeak in our car.  Yet often, we don’t hear God’s voice trying to break into our normal surroundings.  That’s because God doesn’t always crow loudly or sing incessantly like the mockingbird that used to perch in the tree outside my bedroom and keep me up all night.  God often comes in a still, small voice.  We have to listen a little closer; but wow when we hear his voice – how sweet it is.

Holy God, help us to hear your voice above all the others that would crowd you out.  We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

God bless,

Paige

Wednesday’s Devotion: Change Points

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

On an episode of Perception a while back a football player was told he could never play again.  It would be too dangerous because of a brain condition he had. Very distraught he asked, “If I’m not a football player, what am I?” You see his whole life from a young boy had been aimed towards a career in football.   He was going to have to find a new identity.  Having to do that isn’t that uncommon although it can come in many flavors.  We go from single to married life or vice versa – new identity.  We go from being outside the church to becoming a member of a congregation – new identity.  We go from being Catholic or Baptist to being a United Methodist – new identity.  From student to graduate, from gainfully employed to unemployed, from healthy to ill – it goes on and on.  When we become a Christian we change as we grow in our faith and relationship with God.  And we can’t put this new identity into the trappings of our old life any more that we can put new wine in old wineskins.  A new identity requires a new mindset and sometimes a new change of environment.  To try to hold on to that old identity will hamper our acclimation into a new life.  I saw a segment yesterday on a man who is teaching young adults with cancer how to kayak on river rapids. They aren’t trying to hold onto a pre-cancer identity.  They are creating a new bold identity within the new situation in which they have found themselves.  Adopt and adapt to whatever life brings you – however always do that with both eyes on our Lord and Savior who will help us through all our changes.

Creator God, we know that change is difficult but always inevitable.  We ask your direction and support as we encounter change points in our lives.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Have a good day!
Paige

Tuesday’s Devotion: Don’t Forward this to Ten People

Daniel 4:34-35  “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes to heaven. My reason returned to me, and I praised the Most High. I worshipped and glorified the one who lives forever because his rule is everlasting; his kingdom is for all time.  All of earth’s inhabitants are nothing in comparison. The Most High does whatever he wants with the heaven’s forces and with earth’s inhabitants. No one can contain his power or say to him, ‘What do you think you are doing?’”

 Recently I received an email informing me that one of my twenty angels was reading that message; God has seen me struggling with something but that it’s over. Blessing is coming my way.  It continued, “If you believe in God, send this message on, please don’t ignore it, you are being tested. God is going to fix two BIG things tonight in your favor. If you believe in God, drop everything and pass it on. Tomorrow will be the best day ever. Send this to ten friends, including me, if I don't get it back, I guess I 'm not one of them. As soon as you get five replies, someone you love will quietly surprise you.”

For goodness sakes this is terrible theology!  Think about it – we can’t manipulate God.  We can’t cause God to act in a certain way by sending an e-mail or praying some particular prayer or adding “in Jesus’ name” on the end of a prayer.  Praying in Jesus’ name admits the authority our life in Christ gives us to approach God’s throne and our desire to pray according to God’s will.  It isn’t a magical incantation.  The audacity of the theology in these e-mails is amazing or just perhaps it’s simply unthinking by well-meaning persons.  We do well to hit “Delete” and then send a personal message to someone saying you are thinking of them and hope all is well – that if they have a prayer request you would love to pray for them.  Still in his greater wisdom, God will answer as God wills, in God’s time.

Holy God, none can truly know your mind. You do as you will. Yet in your mercy you hear our prayers. Grant us your peace and lead us in your ways.  Amen.

Monday’s Devotion: Paid in Full

1 Corinthians 6:19-20   Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you? Don’t you know that you have the Holy Spirit from God, and you don’t belong to yourselves? You have been bought and paid for, so honor God with your body.

Recently a couple told me that they were so happy to have just paid off their home mortgage.  They did it in only 7 ½ years.  It took determination and I’m sure sacrifices. Good for them.  As I congratulated them, the husband said this, “Our home was really paid for 2,000 years ago.”  What a beautiful statement especially coming from someone whose earthly body is confined to a wheelchair.  He has learned that when our body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, we can overcome our earthly frailties.  It’s that Holy Spirit who is the link between our worldy homes which many of us are still paying for and that paid for heavenly home. I’m not ready to move quite yet.  I don’t think my tasks here are finished, but one day I’ll be called home. And like my friends, it will be great to know that I’ll move in debt free.

Holy God, help me to never forget that I have been bought with a price. May we all live lives of grace and gratitude in response to your bountiful love and underserved gifts. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Have a blessed week,

Paige

Friday’s Devotion – Blinded by the Light

Philippians 4:8  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

It’s really difficult to drive west at the end of the day.  More than once the sun hitting the car windshield has blinded me momentarily to the point I could see nothing through that windshield. It’s frightening to be driving down the road at 50 MPH and suddenly not to be able to see the road ahead.  The other morning while walking in the park the sun hitting my glasses also impaired my sight.  If someone texts me or if I want to check my mileage on my iPhone when I’m outside I have to find a shady spot to see the screen.  Still as I pondered all of this I wondered what it would be like to be blinded by the Son.  Jesus restored people’s eyesight for sure, but when we turn our eyes upon Jesus we no longer see or want to see some things of the past.  We look for the good instead of things to criticize and we don’t see some of the things that tempted us to sin.  I don’t like being blinded by the sun but being blinded by the light of Christ -- that could be a good thing.

Holy God, direct our eyes to look upon the good, the wholesome and the things pleasing to you. In Christ’s name we pray.  Amen.

Happy Friday!

Paige

Thursday’s Devotion: Bird’s Eye View

Luke 10:23 Then when they were alone, he turned to the disciples and said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen.  I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.”

The squirrels in my yard like to sit high in the trees and scold me for getting between them and the bird feeders on my deck. When walking the other day I saw one sitting on the very top of a telephone giving something a piece of his mind.  Yesterday I thought I spotted another one on a telephone pole but when I got near I saw that it was a large hawk, perched on top surveying the world.  He could surely see a lot from that high perch.  It would be nice if we could get up high and see things from a clear vantage point, too.  Often we can’t see the forest for the trees.  There are too many conflicting pieces of information, there’s too much to comprehend.  Christ is telling his disciples that they are blessed because he has revealed things to them that others could not see. Sometimes, all I can do in a situation is to pray to God for vision, for discernment and guidance.  I think perhaps we fail to do that enough.  What’s troubling you now?  Pray to God for a clearer vision of the circumstances.

Heavenly Father, we ask for eyes that see and ears that hear, not just things of humans, but your will, your desires and your wisdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Blessings,

Paige

Wednesday’s Devotion: Heroes

Joshua 2:3-5 So the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab: “Send out the men who came to you, the ones who came to your house, because they have come to spy on the entire land.”  But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. Then she said, “Of course the men came to me. But I didn’t know where they were from.  The men left when it was time to close the gate at dark, but I don’t know where the men went. Hurry! Chase after them! You might catch up with them.”

It’s nighttime.  The camera zooms in on two middle-aged men standing near the end zone of a football field.  They are reminiscing about “the play” – you know the one where one of the men made that heroic, unbelievable last second touchdown  to win the championship for the team.  This play seems to have partly defined that man’s life.  For one brief moment in an ordinarily hum-drum existence, he was a hero to a thousand people.  How many of us fanaticize about having a “hero” moment-- when we save someone’s life or save the company or rescue someone’s pet?  Rahab was a heroine in this scripture – hiding the two men Joshua sent to check out the Promised Land and especially Jericho before he led God’s people on the last leg of their 40-year journey to their new home.  Not all of us will experience a dramatic heroic moment in our lives.  Yet we can in many quiet ways of care and service do much more for the good of others than any one act of heroism.  That’s the stuff a really successful life is made of isn’t it?  “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”  --Colossians 3:12  Hmmm, “holy and dearly loved” sounds even better than “hero” to me.  What do you think?

Holy Lord, there are action heroes and quiet heroes. Help us to be the one you would have us be.  And God, if we do get that one moment, help us not to boast in ourselves but to give you the credit that is due.  We ask in the name of the one who saved not a football game, but the world.  Amen.

Tuesday’s Devotion: Praise Him to the End

2 Timothy 4:9-13 Timothy, please come as soon as you can.  Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia.  Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry.  I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.  When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers.

According to the chapter subtitle, these are from Paul’s final words. I wonder what it would be liked to be memorialized for all times as one who deserted Paul! Yet Paul seems to take it in stride.  Until the end he was thinking about how to be in ministry.

One of my favorite hymns is by Isaac Watts.  “I’ll Praise My Maker While I’ve Breath.” It draws from Psalm 146. 
“I'll praise my Maker while I've breath, And when my voice is lost in death, Praise shall employ my nobler powers; My days of praise shall ne'er be past, While life, and thought, and being last, Or immortality endures.”

John Wesley played a prominent role in preserving this hymn as we know it today, slightly adapting four of the six original stanzas. Wesley strengthened Watts’ first line of the hymn which originally read, “I’ll praise my Maker with my breath.” Wesley included it in the first hymnal published in America, the Charlestown Collection of Psalms and Hymns (1737). Its appearance in every Methodist hymnbook since 1737 attests to its popularity. J.R. Watson noted: “In its shortened and less threatening form, this hymn was greatly loved by John Wesley, who died singing it.”  I think if that song has been around in Paul’s day he would have died singing it also.  We let so many things distract us.  Our faith is there, but often it plays second fiddle to the things of this life.  Yet when we’re gone, the things of this life will go to someone else and God will be all that remains along with the results of our works – good or bad.  O that we would have the faith commitment of Paul, Isaac and John.

Dear Lord, forgive us our distractions.  Help us to center our lives around you as you center your love around us.  Bless us this day and may we in turn be a blessing to others.  In Christ’s name we pray.  Amen.

Have a praise filled day,

Paige

Monday’s Devotion: Before it’s too Late.

1 John 4:7 (NLT)  Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.

Yesterday I officiated at the memorial service of my friend, neighbor and member of our church family Bruce Lindsey.  Bruce would have been 58 in a few weeks.  Bruce never met a stranger and knew many people.  Those like Bruce who grew up in Hapeville stick together.  He was the type person who would stop and help strangers and he helped me around the church and parsonage at times.  But with all the good that could and should be said, we also acknowledged that Bruce had problems with addictions.  His life was a series of ups and downs and lately the downs outnumbered the ups.  I didn’t know how many might attend the service but was amazed that the sanctuary was packed.  People came to pay their respects, and to grieve, especially those who hadn’t seen him recently.  We all get busy; we think about calling friends but don’t.  Bruce died suddenly while alone in his home.  I am sad for his family and friends and for myself.  And I’m sad that Bruce could not see how many people came to send him off into the arms of Jesus.  I think he would be greatly surprised.  I hope we do better about letting people know how much they mean to us during their lifetime.  You never know when that opportunity might end.

Holy God, thank you for the lives that touch ours.  Please help us to be more loving to those around us.  Help us to share the love that you so lavish upon us with one another.  We ask in the name of the one who assures our resurrection.  Amen.