Weekend screensaver; Emmaus Bread

The resurrected Christ was recognized in Emmaus through the breaking of bread.



Luke 24:30

Erin Church Devotions: Monkey Puzzle

Audio Version here

Have you ever seen a monkey puzzle tree? They are also known as Chilean Pines and come from the Andes regions in South America. They prefer a cold, wet climate so you see a lot of them in Scotland. I guess some intrepid Victorian explorer brought the seeds back home with him and they started to flourish in Scottish gardens.

I think that they are beautiful trees and love seeing them around the world. I know that there are some in Virginia, but I’ve not come across any in Tennessee. They make beautiful ornamental trees when they are young, but as they grow older they reach massive heights. The leaves on the tree are packed tightly together and look like cacti. I suspect that they were called monkey puzzles because South American capuchin monkeys would have a hard time getting to the top to eat the tree nuts.

Some verses from the Bible are like that. Take today’s for instance:-

Luke 18:8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?

It’s from a parable about prayer and justice, which seems to conclude when Christ teaches His listeners that God hears those who persevere in prayer. But then Jesus tags on something completely different. He challenges the people by asking ‘will faith be found on earth when He returns?’

What does Jesus mean by this? You would think that people who persistently pray have faith and those who uphold justice would be godly. Why is Christ not expecting much faith on the earth when He returns? This is one of those verses that I wish Jesus hadn’t uttered. It just makes my head go round and round in circles.

And then a light goes on: it’s a lesson for all of us not to get too preoccupied with our needs or to be overwhelmed by the woes of the world. If we are too focused on the here and now, we will disregard what’s to come and forget that, as well as having earthly experiences, we also can have an eternal life with Christ. So I guess instead of trying to make everything perfect in the world, we should be willing to wait for that perfection when Christ eventually arrives. If we concentrate too much on what happens here, we end up having faith in ourselves; but if we hold on to that sacred hope that when Christ returns peace and justice, blessings and happiness will be ours, then we will be constantly looking forward to that precious time. And if we do that, then Christ will indeed find faith on earth when He at last returns.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we constantly talk to You about our needs and seek justice throughout the world. Help us to do whatever we can to make this world a better place, but also remind us that perfection and peace, justice and true enjoyment will only come to all the earth when You arrive. Be with us and bless us as we wait to serve You forever. Amen.

Erin Church Devotional - One Hour: Choosing to use our time for God

Audio Version here

Luke 12:25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (NIV)

“So much to do, so little time to do it in.”

Do you ever have the feeling that time is running out and all the things that you have planned are never going to be accomplished? I guess I’m at that stage in my life right now, when I have to decide what I am going to specialize in for the rest of my days. I love writing, painting, singing, song-writing, doing crafts, fishing, going places, reading books, planning lessons, leading studies, telling stories to kids, watching movies, etc, etc, etc. The list is endless and I’ve only so much time to cram it all in.

I’m sure that we’re all like that. We want our lives to make a difference in the world, so we hope that what we choose to do will make an impact in our churches, community, and world. We want to make the best use of our allotted days, but Time is like a river, it moves on regardless of how much we try to slow it down or extend our lives. As Robert Burns, Scotland’s greatest poet once wrote, “Time and tide wait for no man.”

Jesus reminds us that we are all finite creatures. We can’t add anything to our years, not even a single hour. We come and go as God wills, and that is sometimes pretty hard to accept. We all want to live forever, but our times are in God’s hands, so no matter what we do, there will be a moment when we leave earth and enter into eternity.

That’s where making good use of our lives is very important. We all want to make a difference, we all want to make an impact – but is that only for ourselves or is it to glorify Christ? Our lives are in His hands, but our choices are our own. Do we choose Christ and eternal bliss, or do we choose ourselves with no everlasting hope?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to weigh our lives in eternal terms and to understand that the choices we make here on earth affect our future in eternity. Grant us the courage to reach out to You and take You into our hearts. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Weekend Screensaver- Healing the Gerasene

Stained Glass design of Christ healing the demon-possessed man from Gerasene, as described in Luke 8:26-39