Monday’s Devotion: Holy Geography

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

We were blessed to be in a training event on evangelism this weekend with several other partner churches.  It’s difficult to talk about reaching people with whom to share the Gospel without quoting this scripture. The explanation of the territories followed the conventional teachings. Jerusalem is very near, within the church and nearby community. Judea widens the circle and the “ends of the earth” involves world evangelism. With the internet the “ends of the earth” is closer than ever.  What about Samaria?  It refers not so much to a location as to a group of people.  The Jews and the Samaritans did not get along; there was mistrust and animosity between the groups.  In this world the people whom we are uncomfortable around or flat out don’t like are our Samaria.  To be a witness of Christ doesn’t always mean sharing the Gospel, evangelizing or preaching.  Sometimes, it means reflecting the personality and behavior of Jesus to others, even our Samaritans.  Who is your Samaritan?  Do you behave differently around them than you do others?  What kind of witness are you with them?  Just asking.

Precious Lord, when our human frailties make it difficult to love our neighbor as Christ calls us to we ask that you intervene. Help us to show Christ to all people, even our Samaritans with both our words and actions.  We ask this in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Friday’s Devotion: Stick-to-itiveness

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (MSG) So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.

I have a stamp collection that dates to my childhood.  Over the years I added to it and my sons added to it.  While we always hope to discover something of great value, for the most part the value for me is just the enjoyment I get from looking at all the old and varied stamps.  When we purchase stamps they have a defined cost but their true value lies in what they do.  They deliver the goods.  In order to do that they must stick to the letter or package throughout the mailing process. If they let go, the letter may not arrive at its destination. We sometimes get discouraged but as our scripture says, while on the outside things seem bleak, on the inside God is making a new life.  Hold tight, trust God and look for things to get better. Our loving Father wants the best for us.

Gracious God, we ask your blessing on this day. Please continue to lift us up when we are discouraged so that we may give you the praise for our deliverance. Amen.

Thursday’s Devotion: Expecting the Unexpected

Mark 6:48-49  He saw his disciples struggling. They were trying to row forward, but the wind was blowing against them. Very early in the morning, he came to them, walking on the lake. He intended to pass by them.  When they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost and they screamed.

Sunday afternoon as I backed out of my carport to return to the church for a meeting I suddenly heard a child’s voice.  A little boy, maybe 5 or 6 years old was jumping around in my driveway!  There are never children in my driveway unless Skye who lives next door comes down with her parents. The boy ran back up the hill to Skye’s house.  I thought that had he been a few feet over I could have easily hit him.  I wasn’t expecting a child or anything to be behind my car.  Several days later as I picked up branches knocked down by the prior night’s strong winds I spotted an orange object at the base of my tree. It was an outdoor Christmas tree light bulb.  How did it get there in April?  We don’t have any like that and it hadn’t been there before.  The next day I returned home to find a chewed up Styrofoam takeout box (not ours) in my living room. I determined that this was going to be a week to expect the unexpected.  Over the years I have observed that the people who are the most likely to have a discernible experience with the divine are those who expect that to happen.  We often don’t see what we are not looking for.  Just as Jesus came toward the disciples by walking on the water, God comes to us in unexpected ways and at unexpected times. Turning on our radio enables us to hear the music, likewise experiencing God often depends on being tuned to Him.  Pray and wait expectantly for an answer.

Gracious and holy God.  We are often amazed that you, the Creator of the universe would speak to us in such personal ways.  Help us to stay attuned to your presence in our lives.  We ask in the name of the One who came and ministered and died and rose again in unexpected ways. Amen.

Wednesday’s Devotion: Sometimes Freedom Leads to Slavery

Jeremiah 34:17  Therefore, the Lord proclaims: Since you have defied me by not setting your fellow citizens free, I’m setting you free, declares the Lord, free to die by the sword, disease, and famine!

Galatians 5:13  [ Life by the Spirit ] You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

2 Peter 2:19  They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”

In a time of sharing with some friends recently the subject of people wanting to be free (especially children) of the rules of authority came up.  I’ve observed that children go through several stages of breaking free.  When they are a toddler they start recognizing that they are a separate being from their parents and they begin to learn to say the word “no.”  As teens or pre-teens sometimes they begin to push the envelope to see how much autonomy they can have.  But freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. All of these scriptures address this in some way. Our conversation also turned to free will – the freedom God gives us to act as we will and how much of the bad things that happen come  from people abusing that freedom.  If God controlled the world like a huge cosmic puppet show there might not be any people being killed by drunk drivers, but we would not be a free people either.  I want God to take control of my life and help me live up to his standards, but I’m glad that I am free to ask for that or not.  Like Jesus we can say to God, “Not my will, but yours be done” or we can open ourselves up to becoming slaves of our desires and bad habits.  It’s our choice. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:23,
 [ The Believer’s Freedom ] “’I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive.”  As I write this the Newsboys song “I Am Free” is running through my mind.  Here’s a link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR7bBEBIC9g

Gracious God, you created us with the freedom to love or hate, follow you or reject you, ignore others or help them, live or die. Help us to use that freedom wisely. Amen.

Tuesday’s Devotion – Watch Your Step!

Jeremiah 31:21  “Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take.”

There is a house on one of my walking routes that has a set of double French doors coming off a second story room.  Perhaps it’s a bedroom.  Whatever it may be, the doors lead to nowhere.  There’s no porch or deck to step out onto. Should a sleepwalker open them it could be disastrous!  How many of us choose to walk through doors that lead to nowhere?  When we find ourselves doing that, we can be assured that God did not lead us there. Take note of the highway, the road that you take.

Dear Lord, you have given us free will to choose our own paths.  We pray that you would direct our steps and keep us from falling.  We want our roads to lead to the good things you offer us and we ask that you hear this prayer offered in your Son’s name.  Amen.

Monday’s Devotion: Branded!

Psalm 39:5-7  You have made my days a mere handbreadth;  the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom  in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth    without knowing whose it will finally be. “But now, Lord, what do I look for?    My hope is in you.”

Since I was a young girl I’ve been interested in fashion.  I like nice things of good quality. While I was in the nail salon last Friday I started noticing all the designer purses of the other clients.  I identified bags by Louis Vuitton, Coach, Burberry, and Chanel.  These bags are designed to show off their brands; to let people know that the carriers have money and good taste.  Or maybe they have no money and want to be pretentious or maybe like me they like nice things and think these brands guarantee good quality.  The point is would I rather be identified by the marks on my purses or by the marks of a true Christian? The two things are not necessarily mutually exclusive, however the Bible warns against vanity. Seek first the kingdom of God we are told. I try to do that; still don’t be surprised if you see me with a nice purse or two!

Dear God in Heaven, help us to set our priorities so that your kingdom comes first in our lives.  We ask you for guidance as we seek balance between personal luxury and care for others. We ask in the name of you Son who gave up everything, even his life for our sake.  Amen.

Friday’s Devotion: God’s in the Game with Us!

James 5:11 (GW) We consider those who endure to be blessed. You have heard about Job’s endurance. You saw that the Lord ended Job’s suffering because the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Baseball season has started.  I know because I got caught in pre-game traffic earlier this week. There’s always a lot of talk about the lineup, especially the pitching line-up.  The pitcher influences the outcome of the game maybe more than any other team member.  ESPN has a good website that gives stats and predictors by year.  Last season we only had one pitcher in the top ten candidates for the Cy Young award. So far this season we have none.  Cy Young so I understand was a great pitcher. Back in his day, pitchers pitched the entire game.  Now pitchers are specialized.  We have closers, relief pitchers.  Boy, sometimes in my days I’d like a relief pitcher to come in!
However, that’s not always possible.  We must stay on the mound and persevere as we face and work our way through challenges. I try to remember to stop and pray for strength and energy. God answers those prayers.  It’s available to all of us if we trust God and go to God for help.  In a way, maybe God is our relief pitcher!

Creator God, as the hymn goes, we need you every hour. Day by day we look to your for protection, healing, strength and direction. Please be with us today and bring us energy and joy for the day.  We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.