Jesus devotion: Talking to Jesus - Revelation 20:14-15

Revelation 20:14-15   Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (NIV)

            When I first read today’s passage from Revelation, I was a teenager who had rebelled against God and my family. The words shocked me and cast a dire shadow over my soul. I felt quite anxious about the whole scenario depicted in Revelation 20, and fearfully convinced myself that God was waiting to punish me for all of my sins on the other side of death. I felt miserable and alone, unloved and hopeless.

            Instead of making me turn my life around, this frightening knowledge only made me worse. I flippantly cast aside God’s judgment for two reasons. Firstly, I was in denial about my own selfish and sinful ways. Secondly, my self-destructive attitude was summed up in an old saying: “I may as well be hanged for stealing a sheep, rather than a lamb." Defiance and rebellion against God fed my despair. Since God was going to punish me anyway, I might as well just sin as much as I could.

            Thankfully, Jesus saved me from myself, as well as from God’s wrath. Giving my heart to Jesus was the best decision that I have ever made in my entire life. It did not make me perfect, holy, or sinless, but that personal commitment offered me a hope to hold on to, as well as a Savior who has never let me go. Each day, I depend upon Him to accept, correct, and direct me; each day I need Jesus to both forgive and fortify me. Without His grace, I cannot truly find God. Without Christ’s love, I cannot truly live.

            Perhaps you are worried about your future with God. It may be the case that you’ve been burdened with a personal mistake, or a deep regret, or a secret shame which makes you fearful of God’s final judgment. Whatever it is, know this for a fact: it can be forgiven; it can even be forgotten. All it takes is a simple act of faith, a prayer of sincere confession to Jesus. Talk to Him about it and ask for His pardon. He will forgive you. He will save you. He will always love you.

Questions for personal reflection

What sins am I still carrying from the past? When will I bring them to Jesus and ask Him to forgive me?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You are the Only One who can forgive our past mistakes and bless us with an everlasting future. We carry our burdens too long and ask too little of You. Forgive our pride and resentment, pardon our shame and disappointment. Help us to come to You today, praying for mercy and asking for love. 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 ask questions or make comments about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s drawing is John’s latest digital glass image called ‘Tree of Life.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: Tree of Life.

Easter Poster: Salvation

Christmas devotion: Gift of God - John 4:10

John 4:10       Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." 

Many of us are currently under pressure trying to get the right gifts for our loved ones, friends, and acquaintances in order to make them and us feel good at the same time. I see people with lists in the mall, weary with shopping and frantically checking off names, before hurrying to the next store. Drivers constantly cut in front of me, racing towards other stores to get the latest item, gadget, or toy before they inevitably sell out. I even feel some of this undue pressure on myself as I try to work out the best evening to set aside in order to put up the tree and some outside lights. Christmas is coming fast and we are all suffering from an artificial urgency, as well as a self-imposed slavery to the commercial necessities of a religious feast gone astray.

Jesus is the gift of God and we miss out on the life refreshing blessings that He has to offer us. When He was born in Bethlehem, Christ was wrapped up in simple rustic swaddling clothes and not over-priced designer wrapping paper. His birth was meant to bring peace into the world, as opposed to the unyielding pressure we annually experience. If we honestly knew Christ as the gift of God and did what He simply asks of us – to believe in Him as the Son of God and Savior of the World – then we would ask Him for an everlasting peace to descend into our self-panicked souls, as well as his immortal love to reside in our harassed hearts.

Christmas is about The Gift of God. Jesus is graciously given to us out of God’s wonderful love, so that we would not perish under a pile of presents, parties, and pressures, but thrive on being thankful for forgiveness, restoration, and everlasting life.

Question for personal reflection

Am I willing to let go of the unreality of Christmas commercialism and be embraced by the everlasting reality of Christ?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You are God’s greatest gift to the world and we can be truly blessed by allowing Your Spirit to release us from the present pressures and lead us to the everlasting joy of Your peace. 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 or ask a question about today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is called “Advent 2012” and features John’s four special Advent drawings for this year. Churches all over the world are using these images in their bulletins, worship services, and Christmas outreach campaigns. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8197/8191609401_655228761a_b.jpg

Daily Devotions: Blind Teachers - Matthew 15:14

Matthew 15:14            “Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

I take my role as teaching elder very seriously. We’re living in an age where people make up their own ideas, live their own ways, and expect Jesus to rubber stamp their principles, opinions, and choices. As soon as anyone questions that, they turn off listening and turn away. Their reaction is nothing new and Jesus had to deal with it all of the time. No matter who or what opposed Him, He just obediently stayed the course and fulfilled all that God wanted of Him.

Yesterday, I was reading a pile of tripe that someone had made up in order to justify his lifestyle. Jesus was misquoted a number of times and the ideas that were expressed couldn’t be found in the Bible anywhere. In the comments section, screeds of folk were applauding the writer and, at the same time, heavily criticizing those who held traditional Christian beliefs. This morning, when I read today’s Gospel passage (Matthew 15:12-20) I couldn’t help thinking that people are being led astray by blind, populist teachers. How many will end up in the ditch of damnation who knows, but perhaps some will truly return to what Christ actually said, taught, and lived instead of what people re-imagine Him to have said.

It’s not popular, but I intend to stay the true course. I’ll be criticized as being narrow-minded, self-righteously stubborn, and theologically obstinate. Some will even accuse me of saying that I’m always right and everyone else is so completely wrong, but that’s not what I’m writing even here.

Christ is always right and His teaching is absolutely true. I take my role as teaching elder seriously. If I don’t teach what He truly said, then I’m being deliberately, rebelliously, and sinfully wrong.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, open our eyes to Your Truth and keep us from being blinded by the world. Remind us that our faith has never been popular and that Your ways are constantly being discredited by blind teachers, wrong interpretations, and anti-Christian beliefs. This Christmas, allow us the time to truly reflect upon our own ideas and opinions. Sift out the ones that are wrong and strengthen those that glorify You. 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 drawing. It’s called “Trotting Along.” If you would like to view a larger version, then please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7003/6551826543_f243250798_b.jpg

All of John’s drawings can be found on his art website at www.stushieart.com.

Free Devotions: Chilean Miners Rescue - Psalm 103 v 4

Psalm 103:4    Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion

Today the whole world is watching a miracle take place. The Chilean miners, who have been trapped underground for 69 days, are beginning to surface and our whole planet is rejoicing. It’s a remarkable feat and a wonderful testimony of human determination. The engineers who constructed the escape vehicle, with help from NASA, should be given a Nobel prize for their accomplishments.

I watched the first miner come out of the pit on live television. It was deeply touching to see his wife and young son embrace him. They have held out for hope for so long and for once it was wonderful to see a real happy ending to what could have been a terrible tragedy. I’m sure that many people across that mining community and throughout Chile are giving thanks to God in their churches today.

The whole event reminded me of the individual faith journey that we must all go through when we each personally experience death. Jesus has secured for His followers an escape from oblivion so that our souls can emerge from the pit of the grave and be reunited with all of our loved ones who are also believers. Just as the gathered crowd around the first rescued miner sang, clapped, and rejoiced as he resurfaced, so there will be great joy in heaven as each one of us joins God’s people in His Eternal Kingdom. And just like the miner who enthusiastically embraced the Chilean President for never giving up on them, we will also run to Jesus to give Him our personal thanks for saving us for all eternity.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, thank You for saving us from death and for the gift of eternal life. We could never have achieved this for ourselves and we look forward to the sacred moment when we will be able to embrace You in heaven. Thank You also for the saving of the Chilean miners and for supporting their families throughout this critical time. May they be truly blessed as they are reunited with all their loved ones. 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.

Sunday Devotions: Accepting Jesus - Luke 4:24

Luke 4:24 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.”

We live in a strange age. Our society and civilization, our culture and traditions have all been shaped, established, and blessed by Christianity. The freedoms we share have been formed by the faith we once held dear. In fact, if we were to erase Christianity from the last two thousand years of history, most of us would be serfs or slaves, ignorant and illiterate, cruelly treated and cast aside.

That’s what makes the living of these days very strange because Western society, in Europe and the Americas, is turning its back upon Christ, the true Founder of our freedoms and faith. It’s as if today’s verse from Luke could be rewritten to read: “No Savior is accepted in His world.”

Jesus lived and died almost two thousand years ago, but His Spirit still captivates most of the religious hearts and minds in other places throughout the world. Africa is a prime example of this. At the beginning of the 20^th century, 9% of the population was Christian and 36% were Islamic. A hundred years later, when we reached the year 2000, 40% of the African population was Islamic and over 44% of the population was Christian. The same thing is happening in China, where it has been estimated that by 2030 1.5 billion people will be Christians. Christ’s Church is growing at a rapid rate throughout the Earth, and yet on His home turf of Western Society people are forgetting what they really owe to His words and ways, His godliness and Gospel.

This morning our church has been closed due to the icy weather, so our people at Erin cannot collectively worship God. But for those of you who are reading this today, I want to say “Thank You” for taking time to accept Jesus into your heart and homes through the reading of God’s Word and the blessing of His Spirit.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, enable us to reconnect to Your words and ways, to find the time to rekindle our faith in order to make a recommitment to You. Help us to remember past days when we have needed You in our lives and the times that we have worshiped in our hearts and homes, as well as in our churches and cherished holy places. Thank You for being the Savior of our souls and the Lord of our lives. 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 picture is John’s latest drawing called “Moonlight over Maybole West,” featuring his first parish church. If you would like to see a larger version of the picture, please click on the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/traqair57/4317958402/sizes/l/

4 Minute Daily Devotions - Obama and IHS Controversy

I Corinthians 15:3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

There seems to be a growing political and religious controversy brewing over whether or not the Whitehouse asked for the Christian letters “IHS” to be covered over when the President made a speech at Georgetown University. I personally hope that wasn’t the case because it would offend some Christian people. The controversy however, has become a great teaching tool about those mysterious letters which are usually adorned in every church sanctuary. Through this incident, I hope more people will seek to find out what the letters actually mean.

When I was growing up, I thought that the letters stood for “In His Service.” It seemed perfectly natural to me for that to be the case because we are all meant to serve Christ in the church. At other times, I’ve heard people who were displeased with the minister’s preaching to take the letters to mean, “It’s His Sermon,” but it’s certainly not mine!

No matter what we think, the letters originate in the Roman Church for they actually represent three Latin words – Iesus = Jesus; Hominum = Of Men; and Salvator = Savior. So the three mysterious letters abbreviate an ancient title of Christ – Jesus, the Savior of Mankind. I hope that many people who hear or read about Tuesday’s incident at Georgetown take time to research what the letters mean. It may remind them of who Jesus actually is and hopefully it will bring them closer to Him.

As Paul points out in his letter to the Corinthians, this is of first importance to our faith: that Christ died for our sins. This is what makes Jesus our Savior, and this is what attracts us to becoming Christians in the first place.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Savior of Humanity, the Sacred One who died for all of our sins. You have saved us from the wrath of God and restored to His everlasting love and favor. We rejoice in Your Sovereignty over sin and salvation of humankind. We praise Your Name for ever and ever. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment upon today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org. Please feel free to pass this message on to your family and friends.