Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Daily devotion: Dream On - Genesis 28:12


Genesis 28:12             Jacob had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 

            I had a dream last night that troubled me. It was a mixture of the past, present, and future. When I look back on it this morning, I realize that there were many symbols in the dream of what I care about most. I won’t go into details because I’m still pondering over what it means, but it has left me unsettled.

            I’m no interpreter of dreams, but I know that they have a way of bringing our hopes and fears to the surface. I can still remember a few dreams from childhood that terrified me, as well as a couple of dreams from adolescence that solidified my faith in God. Even although it has been decades since those dreams occurred, they are still with me, which mystifies me at times. Why would something that didn’t really happen still stay within my heart and mind?

            Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28:10-15 was amazing. He was on the run from his brother who wanted to murder him and from his father who would have cursed him. He didn’t have a place to call home and no doubt he was carrying a lot of fears and troubles within him. We can only guess how those traumatic circumstances affected his faith in God. He was at the lowest point in his long life. If ever he needed a sign or a symbol of reassurance, then this was the time that God had to show Jacob that He was real.

            So Jacob dreamt of a stairway to heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it. He was apparently at the mystical point where Heaven and Earth actually meet. And then he heard the great voice of God confirming the covenant that had been made with his father and grandfather. God was personally reassuring Jacob that his life had a purpose and that the LORD’s promises would be fulfilled through this runaway. It was the most important crossroads in Jacob’s life. From that point on, he personally knew that God was always with him.

            I believe that God still speaks to us in dreams, simply because the world cannot interfere or cause distractions in the middle of them. I firmly believe that God also takes a deep personal interest in each of our lives, so that when we ask Him for guidance, assurance, and a calling, He will listen to our hearts and speak to us in our dreams. Perhaps, in the midst of all of the pressures, stresses, and troubles that we presently endure, the best advice may just be this: sleep on it.

Questions for personal reflection

When and how do I hear God speaking to my heart and mind? Do I really listen to what He is saying to me?

Prayer:            Lord God, through the blessing of Your Son Jesus Christ, we know that You are with us each day until the fullness of our lives and the end of all Time. Speak to our hearts and minds this day and help us to actually hear Your voice. Give us a calling of our hearts and a mission of Christ’s work. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest sunflower drawings. It’s called “Garden Glory.” A larger version can be viewed at the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8281/7607009436_906976cd09_b.jpg

Friday, July 20, 2012

Christian devotions: Naughty or Nice? - Luke 6:26


Luke 6:26                   Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

            They are called “Blessings and Woes” in the Gospel of Luke. It’s the Good Doctor’s equivalent of what Matthew wrote in his Gospel when Jesus preached the sermon on the hillside. Most people know the Matthew 5 version; very few have ever read or compared Luke’s version of the same message. Church people tend to want things to be bright and positive, cheerful and light – Matthew supplies that in his record of the Beatitudes. Luke, however, who was a physician, was perhaps more used to thinking in terms of remedies and consequences. His version of what Christ said reads more like a spiritual health warning from God.

            I often struggle with this in the ministry God has given me. There’s a fine balance between preaching, teaching, and writing what people want to hear or read, as opposed to what God wants us to understand. Life is not a game, it’s a gift. Faith is not a spiritual convenience, it’s a constant challenge. The symbol of what we believe in is not a smiley face, it’s a cross. In my humble opinion, Christianity is the hardest faith that anyone can seek to live by; it meddles with our lifestyle choices and interferes with our ideals. Sometimes, as Christians, we have to assertively push back against society and our own community because the wrong ideas and sinful choices are being promoted.

            C. S. Lewis in his wonderful book “Mere Christianity” wrote this: ‘A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world — and might even be more difficult to save.’ Luke’s version of the Beatitudes reminds us that all of our choices have both positive and negative eternal consequences. If we take salvation for granted, we will never be saved. If we live by our own personal creed, as opposed to Christ’s challenging message, we will never see God.

Questions for personal reflection

Where does my faith challenge me most? Do I surrender to Christ’s demands or the world’s ways?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, being a Christian is never easy and we each have crosses to bear. We sometimes think sin is just ‘being naughty’ and faith is just ‘being nice.’ Within our hearts and minds we know that there’s more to life than just being superficial. Teach us the serious differences between sin and salvation, deliverance and damnation, blessings and woes. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest waterfall drawing. It’s called “Heavenly Falls.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/7593826054_57a16df2f2_b.jpg

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Short devotion - Presbyterian Patches - Luke 5:36


Luke 5:36       Jesus told them this parable: “No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old.”

I love being a Presbyterian because of the deep roots and time honored traditions in the Presbyterian Church. It appeals to my Scottish way of thinking and embraces my need for a Reformed Celtic Christianity. I admire the heroes of the past who devoted their lives to ensuring that the Presbyterian faith would blossom and grow in Scotland, Ireland, Canada, the United States, and all over the world.

I love Presbyterian missionary zeal which was built upon the great ministries of people like Mungo Park, David Livingstone, and Mary Slessor. I read their biographical histories and I connect with their fiery faith and courageous confrontation of the communities they served.

I love Presbyterian thinking and its commitment to social justice. When I look back across the centuries, I see the dedication of the Covenanters, American revolutionaries, Advocates of the Poor, and Civil Rights marchers who changed the industrial revolution and shaped the modern world.

In the midst of all these movements, revolutions, and issues, a Christ-centered Presbyterian Christian faith was at the heart of them. People protested because Jesus advocated justice. Presbyterians rallied to reform because Christ redeemed the world. The Church challenged the world to change its ways so that more people could turn to Christ and be saved. Faith was revived; society was reformed; and the Church glorified Christ above all things.

Because I love being a Presbyterian and because I love all things Presbyterian, I am sad that we appear to have taken the wrong turn and are going down a path which may rend, tear apart, and divide the church into many pieces. New patches of post-modernism seem to be ripping apart the faith fabric of Protestant Presbyterianism. Instead of growing in Christ by doing what God wants, we’re giving the world what it wants, and surrendering who we are as Reformed Presbyterians. The new patches are creating a larger hole in the churches and congregations across the land; unless we do something soon, we may see the end of Reformed Christianity this century.

It takes courage to confront the waywardness of society and to challenge the characteristics of a civilization that is spinning out of control. But then again, that’s when Presbyterians in the past have boldly stepped up to the plate and revived the Church. Maybe it’s time to do the same again in order to not just repair the godly garment that has been ripped apart, but to restore it to the glorious goodness of God, the candid constancy of Christ, and the uncompromising honesty of the Holy Spirit.

Questions for personal reflection

Is the post-modern Church headed in the right direction? How can we ensure that we are following Christ’s path and not our own way?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You have watched the path of the Church since its very beginning. You know the outcome of the paths that we are presently following. Grant us the gift of discernment in order to recognize Your Way of Truth and Life that we should be journeying on. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest chess pop art drawings called ‘Three’s a Crowd.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/7586308216_7d7d189ebc_b.jpg

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Daily devotions: Lord and King - Luke 5:8


Luke 5:8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 

Currently, I’m perplexed as well as frustrated and, as usual, it has been caused by the Church trying to be culturally correct. I’ve been reading two reports, one from the denomination and the other from what has been said by the Episcopalian church. In the first instance, a motion was passed by our own denomination at the recent General Assembly to stop using terms like ‘Lord’ or ‘King’ when describing, addressing, and praying to Jesus and God. The second issue was part of a discussion raised at the Episcopalian bishop’s National conference where it was suggested that churches and pastors stop using the word ‘sin’ because it offends people.

I’ve heard of some dumb ideas in my time (and I’ve come up with a few of my own) but these types of theological appeasement mentality must be amongst the stupidest church ideas that I have ever come across. How can you stop calling Jesus ‘Lord?’ Do people not know the history behind the title? Have church people forgotten that to have said “Jesus is Lord” in the Roman Empire was an act of treason against the emperor and brought the death sentence to many First century Christians? Have we become so vain that we cannot humble ourselves before Christ as our King? Have modern Christians never read the following verse from the first letter of John:  ‘If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.’ (1 John 1:8)?

Both these current lines of thinking are absolute nonsense and turn our faith into a cozy, convenient set of ideas which neither challenge nor change our ways.

When Simon Peter knelt humbly before Christ, he knew two things: that Jesus was His Lord and that Peter himself was a sinner. Heaven help us if we ever forget those same two important things!

Questions for personal reflection

How can I serve Jesus and show the world that He is my Lord and King? What sins in my life humble me before God, causing me to seek His grace and pardon?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You are our King and we are merely Your servants. We are sinners in need of forgiveness, mercy, and grace. Only Your authority as our Savior King and Redeemer Lord can save us from the wrath of God. Keep us from idolizing ourselves and dishonoring Your power, Your glory, and Your Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s drawing is John’s latest art project called “Mountain Mill.” It’s a crayon drawing of the Mabry Mill which is situated off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. If you would like to view a larger version, please click the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8005/7546583852_3490c7cb03_b.jpg

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Daily devotions: In Between - Genesis 25:19a


Genesis 25:19a  This is the account of Abraham's son Isaac.

Years ago, when I was growing up in Scotland, going to the movies meant spending the whole afternoon or an evening in the picture house. Instead of just previews and the main feature like today, a whole program consisted of some trailers, a newsreel of important events, a one hour ‘B’ movie, several cartoons, and then the main feature film. It took almost four hours from beginning to end to watch the whole program.

If an epic movie was being shown like “Gone with the Wind,” “El Cid,” or “The Sound of Music,” there was always an interlude when movie goers could stand up and stretch, buy some ice cream from the pretty usherette, or visit the restroom. You could also catch up with your friends and neighbors if you spotted them in the theater. After ten minutes, the lights would slowly go down, everyone would return to their seats, and the program would continue.

When I read about the biblical patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – I always feel as though Isaac’s life is just a mere interlude between Abraham and Jacob. He appears to be a spectator in his own life. Abraham almost sacrifices him as a child. His marriage is arranged by his parents. His wife bears him two sons and then we next meet him as an old blind man who is tricked by his youngest son and rejected by his oldest boy. After all is said and done, Isaac’s importance is merely peripheral, as if he’s only a small character in an epic movie.

For most of us, life is a lot like that. Our life story seems to carry no great importance in the realm of all things, and we can sometimes feel small, insignificant, as well as useless. And yet we believe in an Almighty God who takes a great interest in us individually, who watches what we do in our lives, and knows what we accomplish for His Son Jesus Christ. Our lives are not mere interludes that have no value; our lives have a purpose in the continuing ministry and mission of Christ. If anything, we are each an integral part of the amazing prelude to Christ’s Return.

Questions for personal reflection

How am I important to God? What does He want me to do with my life for His Son?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You know our lives completely and You have a personal plan for each one of us. We are uniquely created in a special time and place where we can serve You by being witnesses of our faith to all the people we encounter and embrace. Help us to understand that we are each significant to Your life, ministry, and work on Earth. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest “Bonnie Scotland” drawing called ‘Dunure Castle Sunset.’ It features the medieval castle at Dunure, which belonged to the Kennedys, at sunset. The castle is situated on the West Coast of Scotland and John was parish minister at Dunure for nine years.

If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7541052224_c2ca921d0c_b.jpg

Monday, July 09, 2012

Daily Devotions: Read the Bible


Genesis 25:1   Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 

Luke 4:29       They got up, drove Jesus out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 

Okay, hands up all of you out there who knew that a) Abraham married again after Sarah died and b) that Jesus was almost thrown off a cliff to His death by his own neighbors?

I’m thinking that there may not be many hands up out there and that you are probably surprised by these events. Not many pastors preach on those topics and I can’t ever remember a Sunday school class ever tackling these passages. And yet, these events are written and described in the Bible, so why don’t we know about them?

We’ve stopped reading the Bible, plain and simple. We’ve all the time in the world for a best-selling novel, or checking our emails, or reading our tweets and texts, but when it comes to actually reading God’s best seller, God’s text message – the Bible, we’ve grown careless and inconsistent, making ourselves biblically weak and scripturally ignorant.

That’s why the church in Western society is encountering so much inner turmoil. Mainstream Christians believe that their own life experiences and personal feelings, their own ideas and individual opinions outweigh God’s Word. They want their faith to be relevant, but they don’t want to read the scriptures. They want their culture to be accepted, but they don’t want to accept Christ’s Gospel. In fact, when faced with the audacity of the New Testament message, they want to throw the uncompromising Christ and His First followers, like Peter and Paul, over a cultural cliff. In other words, they want the church to catch up with the world and alter its Christian ways, rather than face up to the world and challenge it to change.

I firmly believe that if people want their churches to grow, they have to re-invest their time in God’s Word. It’s no use hoping for the best and wishing things were different; if Christians really want to be effective and influential in the world, they honestly need to know God’s Book from beginning to end. Anything else will just be superficially experiential and grossly inauthentic.

Questions for personal reflection

How often do I read the scriptures? How can I make this a daily practice?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, our generation of church going people is guilty of setting aside scripture reading. We may pray to You several times a day especially in times of crisis and trouble, but we are forgetting or failing to read, meditate, and study Your Word.
Forgive our foolishness and keep us from becoming ignorant of Your Ways. Help us to make the time to read the Bible, as well as continually praying. In Your Holy Name, we humbly ask. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest “Bonnie Scotland” drawing. It’s a winter scene of the beautiful Eilean Donan castle which has been used in many movies. If you would like to view a larger version, then please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8160/7532542862_5b7b31bd43_b.jpg

Thursday, July 05, 2012

Daily devotion: The Art of Listening - Genesis 24:50


Genesis 24:50             Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other.”

Sometimes I wish that I could clearly hear God’s voice in the midst of all the cacophony of voices that creates confusion in the church and across the world. I might not like what He has to say to me, however, so perhaps I surround myself with theological noise and church distractions in order to drown out the still, small voice of God.

We live in an age when people want to be heard, but hardly anyone wants to listen. Shrill voices and angry tears, strident statements and intolerant expressions seem to be part of all our lives. Whether it comes from Church or State, religion or politics, sports or fashions, the modern trend is to make sure that you get the opportunity to express what you want to say before anyone else does. The ancient art of listening appears to be dying out.

Listening to the Lord requires quiet and no distractions. Every day, Jesus did this early in the morning before the local community could get to Him with their demands. Laban and Bethuel from today’s Old Testament passage (Genesis 24:42-51) also hear God’s Word in what Abraham’s servant tells them. They know it to be truly God’s will and so they will not speak a word against what God has obviously decided.

It’s that kind of humble acceptance that we are missing in today’s society. We’ve all become so suspicious of other people’s agendas that when God speaks to us quietly, plainly, and firmly, we still question Him. And if we do that to God long and often enough, then we become selfishly stubborn, destructively defiant, and eventually totally disobedient.

We have to find quiet places in the midst of all our busy ways in order to be still, listen, and hear what God wants. We have to quieten our own minds and silence our own voices. Eastern mystics call that process ‘meditation’; Christ would simply call it ‘service.’

Question for personal reflection

Where and when can I be alone with God?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, teach us to listen to God. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest 4th July drawing called “Liberty Lights.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8164/7503142478_e8e6283de3_b.jpg

Monday, July 02, 2012

Devotions: Outdated - Luke 3:3


Luke 3:3         John went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

I sometimes worry about the future of our faith. Words like baptism, repentance, confession, and salvation are becoming so outdated that people don’t know what God expects of them. Contrition and humility are so alien to our society that the next generation of pastors is going to find it difficult to preach the Gospel and expect people to turn their lives around.

I’ve watched it among my own family. I’ve seen it in my friends. There is no urgency to get saved anymore. There is no need to admit sinful behavior. There is no necessity to get right with God.

It’s hard to see this happening across society and not feel responsible. Did I make faith too cheap for my children to accept? Did I preach grace too glibly? Did I avoid challenging others because it would bring confrontation into my life? Did I disappoint God because it was easier to appease other people’s discontent with me rather than do what God wants?

Those are hard questions to ask, but they are not just for preachers like me; they’re for everyone who claims to have faith in Christ.

When John the Baptist valiantly preached repentance as the starting point for the forgiveness of sins, he knew it would cost him dearly. You can’t preach the gospel like that without incurring someone’s wrath or getting into trouble. Eventually, it would cause John to be imprisoned and beheaded, but it didn’t stop him from preaching God’s message in order to help his people prepare their hearts, minds, and souls for the coming of the Messiah.

I dearly hope and fervently pray that God raises up faithful followers of Christ and true preachers of the Gospel for the next generation of Christians because, as each generation comes and goes, we are all one step, one moment, one event closer to the sacred time when Christ returns and all of humanity will see the salvation of God through Him, but not all will be ready to receive it.

Question for personal reflection

If Jesus returned today, would I be ready to receive Him?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we do not know when You will return to Earth, but we hope and pray that we will be prepared. Open our hearts and minds to Your words and ways. Settle our fears and calm our anxieties. In Your Holy Name, we wait and pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest chess drawings. It’s from his “One of These Knights” art series which he hopes to exhibit in the Fall. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8008/7486709566_3887ab24ee_b.jpg