Guilt and Grace - Acts 10

Acts 10:43 Peter concluded, “All the prophets testify about Jesus that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”

            Guilt is something that a lot of us struggle with on a regular basis. As we go through life, we carry a lot of baggage, some of which include regrets from the past. This might be something wrong in our teenage years, an old family conflict, a foolish and embarrassing choice, or even a mistake that affected our relationships or careers. Whatever the case, our guilt is usually about something that remains unresolved and unforgiven.

            From its very beginnings, the message of Christianity has always included the gift of forgiveness, which Jesus offers to us in His name. He can do this because God allows Christ to claim us as His own. This means we can be both pardoned and restored to God at the same time. All of the baggage that we carry from past mistakes can be personally removed when we trust Jesus. We also don’t have to go through religious acts of penance or make major sacrifices to appease God. We only have to embrace Christ and rely on Him to keep His word.

            Perhaps there is still something in your life that constantly casts a shadow over you. Maybe there is an unhealed memory that haunts you or a deep regret that weighs you down emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Please know that you can bring those things to Christ in prayer, express to Him your sorrow, and ask Him to forgive you in His name. As soon as you do this, God will forgive you, Christ will release you, and the Holy Spirit will help you to start again.

Point to ponder

What is my greatest regret? Am I willing to let Jesus forgive and heal me of this burden?

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, You know all that we carry in our hearts and play over again in our minds. You are aware of the burdens of guilt that we carry and the sources of sorrow in our lives. Please help us to quietly come to You to ask for mercy and grace. Hear us now as we humbly pray in Your Holy Name. 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 John an email to Traqair@aol.com. You can also read the church website at www.erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s digital glass drawings called ‘Time to Pray.’ If you would like to view a larger version, click this link: Pray.

Broken Bottles - Matthew 24:35

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

            “My head is full of broken bottles” is an old Glaswegian saying from Scotland that I sometimes experience and express.  To me, it means that I can’t really concentrate on what I need to do and that my focus is all out of whack. It usually occurs after a bad night’s sleep or a stressful time. My mind can’t fix on anything and I’m relatively unproductive until it passes.

            When I go through those moments, Bible verses like the one for today reassure me that Christ is in control and no matter what happens, His words will endure. The older I get, the wiser Jesus becomes. When I am weak, He is strong. When my mind is scattered, He is mindful of me.

            Perhaps you’re feeling something similar today and don’t know what to do about it. Maybe the solution is that sometimes we don’t have to do anything – we just have to allow ourselves to be embraced by Christ and depend on His promises.

Point to ponder

How am I feeling today? Am I letting Christ hold on to me?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You are there for us in so many different and reliable ways. You know our needs before we ask; You understand our feelings before we express them. Thank You for always being near to us. In Your Holy Name, we gratefully pray. Amen.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest worship bulletin drawings called “Love Your Enemies.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Love.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can find the church’s website at this link: www.erinpresbyterian.org. John and the congregation would be delighted to see you there at any time J

Christian devotions: Divine Gift - Acts 13:39

Today’s Bible readings can be found online here: Proverbs 15:1-11 and Acts 13:36-52.

Acts 13:39       Through Christ everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the Law of Moses. 

            One of the greatest gifts of Christianity is that people, even the wickedest among us, can be forgiven by God. This allows all of us to begin our lives again and make a new start. Many of us have past regrets and have made terrible mistakes. We carry the burden of our guilt within us, and sometimes even punish ourselves for being so foolish, corrupt, and sinful. To be human, is to be frequently wrong. To be forgiven, is to be set free from the past.

            Our beautiful world and wonderful planet is full of broken, guilty, and remorseful people. Much of the disappointments we experience or cause, are deeply rooted in our sinful nature. We all could be better people; we all could make better choices; we all could do better things with our lives.

            Christ gives us a gracious opportunity to begin again, no matter who we are, no matter what we’ve done; no matter what age we are, and no matter what hurt or damage we have caused. He sacrificed Himself for our sins and, as Paul preached long ago, ‘everyone who believes is set free from every sin.’

            Today, I rejoice in the eternal fact that I am forgiven. I hope that you can also receive and experience this greatest of all gifts from God. As the poet, Alexander Pope once wrote: ‘to err is human; to forgive, divine.’

Personal questions for reflection

What is currently my biggest regret? Have I truly asked Christ to forgive me?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You are our Divine Savior and Gracious Lord. We know the wrong that we have done and the disappointments we have created. Forgive our past mistakes and foolish choices. Allow us the opportunity to begin again and to re-start our lives by being connected to You. In Your Holy Name, we gratefully and humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest drawings called “Northern Delights.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Northern.

Christian devotions: Mea Culpa - Luke 18:13

Luke 18:13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’”

As many of you know, my mother was a Roman Catholic and when she was both young and fit, she went to Sunday Mass. She grew up in the days when all Masses were said in Latin, which she learned to recite at an early age. In later years, in the midst of her tragic moments of insanity, she would sometimes wail and beat her breast, saying, “Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.”

At the time I had no idea what she was doing. It was only when I went to Divinity School that I learned the meaning of the phrase. It was once used by Roman Catholics at Latin Mass just before they took communion. It literally means, “I’m to blame, I’m to blame, I’m totally to blame.” It comes from today’s passage (Luke 18:9-14) when Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

The tax collector recognizes his unworthiness before God and beats his breast. He knows that he has done something wrong, so he feels that he cannot approach God or even look up to Heaven. He also knows that his only hope is in receiving God’s mercy: he cannot do anything to obtain this; he cannot justify his sinful choices; he can only stand and wait for God’s forgiveness.

As Jesus points out in the parable, the tax collector’s sincere, contrite, and humble prayer is heard by God and answered compassionately. This is an example of God’s grace through Christ, which we all need every day of our lives.

The beautiful blessing of Christianity abides in this: when we make mistakes, they are not irredeemable; and when we sincerely confess them to Jesus, He forgives completely.

Questions for personal reflection

Do I still have something in my life that remains un-confessed? Do I want to be forgiven?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You know us completely, even those sins and mistakes that we are ashamed of or too proud to confess. Help us to pray about them and encourage to humbly ask You for mercy. 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 Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Fall drawings. It’s called “Autumn Magic” and features the Glade Creek Grist Mill which is located just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8449/8041616084_bbd1f3b6ec_b.jpg

Daily Devotions: Tennessee's Biggest Idiots

One of our local radio stations has a talk show host who devotes a section of his program to what he calls “Idiot of the Day.” In the last 24 hours, I’ve come across several people who would easily win that title.

Last night, when I was driving home from church, I got stopped at the traffic lights at a busy intersection, right next to the interstate. I happened to glance over at the car on my left side and was totally shocked at what I saw. A middle aged couple was in the front of the car with no seat belts and laughing carelessly.

Shocking? Surely not, John, I hear you say. But it gets worse. In between the couple was a small ten year old boy. His right hand was on the steering wheel whilst his “Dad’s” left hand held on to it, too. When the traffic lights turned to green, the young boy was actually steering the car! No seat belts, no signals, and no common sense. These idiots were all over the road and all three of them were laughing away. If I could have spotted their license plate, I would have called the police.

But just when I thought I had never seen a more idiotic trio of idiots in Tennessee, this morning I saw someone who topped them all. I was driving to church along the busy five lane interstate, when all of a sudden all the vehicles in the five lanes of traffic had to apply their brakes. A guy was running across the five lanes of traffic to get to the median where he would have to run across another five lanes in order to get to the other side. Totally unbelievable!

John 14:15 If you love me, you will obey what I command.

You know there are some scary people out there folks, and their stupidity endangers the rest of the community. And that’s also the message for this morning. Jesus says that those who love Him will obey His commands. But we’re living in a society where church members believe that it’s okay to love Jesus, but we don’t have to follow His commands. And the trouble is this: those who stupidly and sometimes brazenly discard Christ’s commands are endangering the souls of the whole Church community. Instead of sticking to the rules, teachings, and words of God through Christ, foolish theologians, prideful pastors, and completely misguided church members are heading down a dead end path that leads to oblivion, instead of heaven. It may be alright for these careless individuals to follow their own ways and end up separated from God, but the Biblical ignorance and Christian superficiality of some in Christ’s flock is causing them to stray away.

I think that’s why Christ’s emphasizes this in His teaching: “If you love me, obey my commands.” This is not unconditional love, as some misguided preachers and teachers would have us believe.  This is a love that has responsibilities placed upon it. We cannot say that we love Jesus and then go and do what we want. It may not be popular to preach or make people happy about their faith, but then again we have to ask ourselves these questions: does our faith shape us or do we shape our faith? Do we love Jesus freely without His conditions, or are we willing to love Him faithfully and serve Him responsibly?

Personally, I think if the Church has any future in the World, then it has to rediscover its backbone of Christ’s commands and teachings.

 Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, it’s getting harder to be a Christian in the world. We’ve let things slide and we each have failed to live up to Your commands. We want to love You truly, but we are afraid to love You conditionally. Forgive our foolish ways and help us to reclaim our spiritual strength through Your ways, words, and works. In Your Holy Name, we contritely 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.