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.