Wednesday’s Devotion: Why I Can’t Do All Things through Christ

Philippians 4:13  (NKJV)  I can do all things through Christ  who strengthens me.

Let’s face it, just like any other pastor, I’m a busy person.  My day begins early with prayer and exercise (after a pot of coffee) and ends late usually in the den with my laptop as I answer e-mails, work on my Sunday study or write the next day’s devotion.  When my calendar and to-do lists fill up it would be easy to become overwhelmed.  As I walked yesterday morning seeking a sense of peace I considered the fact that being overwhelmed with all that one has to do is sometimes more a state of mind than anything else.  Sometimes when I start feeling that way I do the illogical.  I’ll go get my nails done or spend the day in the mountains – doing something totally unproductive.  I come home less stressed and get everything done anyway. 

I am going to start trying to try to thank God for the many blessings and opportunities that I have in my life instead of complaining about my full schedule.  I considered Philippians 4:13 and decided that we can’t take that literally.  We do need to set priorities and if we overload ourselves we are going to get tired.  Christ will help us with the important things but I don’t think Christ will give us strength to do all the unnecessary activities we try to cram into our lives.  I’m getting better at saying no to things I want to do and people ask me to do so that I have more time to do things I need to do.  And that includes time for play and exercise.  It really is all about the right balance of priorities.

God in Heaven, thank you for the opportunities you place in our lives.  Help us to choose our activities wisely and then give us the strength to carry them out.  We ask in the name of the One who knew to withdraw for prayer and rest.  Amen.

Monday’s Devotion: Stuck in the Middle

Galatians 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Paul has just written to the people to let their lives be governed by the Spirit instead of the flesh that desires what is contrary to the Spirit.  The Common English translation describes these desires: “The actions that are produced by selfish motives are obvious, since they include sexual immorality, moral corruption, doing whatever feels good,  idolatry, drug use and casting spells, hate, fighting, obsession, losing your temper, competitive opposition, conflict, selfishness, group rivalry,  jealousy, drunkenness, partying, and other things like that. I warn you as I have already warned you, that those who do these kinds of things won’t inherit God’s kingdom.” 

I wonder how many of us are stuck in the middle somewhere.  We love God and sincerely sincere to let the Spirit work through us and exhibit those fruits and we are not morally corrupt in the ways described in this text.  But we get cranky, critical, and find our foot in our mouth too often.  How do we get closer to the ideal?  I think part if it is working on stress by staying connected to God through prayer throughout the day.  Everyone needs to have some stress management tricks.  I’m going to try to be more conscious of that this week and see what happens.  Let’s do that together.

Holy God, It’s often when we’re stressed that we lose our patience and kindness towards others.  Help us to feel your calming presence; save us from our self-serving actions and help us to love you and others according to your desires for us.  We ask in Christ’s name.  Amen.

Friday's Devotion: Stressing Less

Luke 10:41-42 (NLT)  But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!  There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

This is the first time I’ve read this scripture from the New Living Translation and I like the way this is put.  The story is about two sisters. Martha toils in the kitchen to feed Jesus and the disciples.  Mary sits with Jesus to learn.  Martha gets upset – she’s doing all the work. Other translations say that Martha is worried and upset about many things.  What has Mary discovered?  She has discovered the joy of learning from the Master; of growing spiritually.  Our relationship with God is the One Thing.  Seek ye first the kingdom of God – then all these other things will fall into place.  How many of us worry and fuss over so many things that are trivial?  This scripture tells us to seek Jesus.  A relationship with him is more important than all the little bits and pieces that we get stressed about.  To understand our worth in Jesus eyes helps us see what is unimportant and what we should be concerned with.  The next time you find yourself getting worked up over something, go sit at Jesus feet for awhile and see what happens.

We worry over so much God.  Help us to let go and trust that you take care of our days. Give us wisdom and guidance to handle the big things and to not fret over the rest.  We ask in the name of our Lord and master. Amen.