New Year devotion - Living for God - Romans 14:7

Romans 14:7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. (NIV)

            Just after the new year, we’re all full of ideas and goals that we want to achieve. Most of us look forward to the possibilities and opportunities that the next twelve months may bring. It’s as if we’ve all been given a clean sheet with the ability to start again. A lot of people get energized by the turning of the year, so it’s a good time to begin something novel, tackle something fresh, and get excited about the new path that we’re on.

            As people of faith, we look to God to give us guidance and reassurance. We hope that all we want to accomplish is aligned with His will. We desire to do something significant and feel that our lives are not just worthwhile, but actually meaningful. In other words, we seek to be all that we can be, using the gifts, skills, and resources that we have managed to accrue and develop. When we use them effectively and devote them to God, we sometimes discover new blessings and opportunities coming our way. Through the giving our lives to God, we honor the important work of His Son Jesus. By choosing to bring our lives into line with God’s will, we are given a deep sense of belonging to God, no matter what lies ahead.

            Let’s hope and pray that 2018 will be an exceptional year in which we can deepen our faith commitment to God and develop new ways of experiencing significance in all that we prepare and plan to do. Time is a wonderful gift that should never be wasted; life is an amazing blessing that should always be celebrated. May God bless all of your hope and dreams by allowing your plans to succeed.

Point to ponder

What do I hope to accomplish this year? Have I truly asked God to help me?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You for allowing us to be restored to God’s favor, so we may truly experience belonging to Him. Guide us with Your Spirit throughout this year and help us to accomplish all that we seek to do. In Your Holy Name, we humbly ask and pray. Amen.

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

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

New Year Devotion: Happy New You

Like everyone else, I try to make resolutions at the beginning of the new year. Like most people, I fail to live up to my own expectations. This year I'm going to try something different. I've written a new e-book called "Happy New You," which contains 31 short daily devotions for the month of January. My plan is to read and reflect on God's Word each day and try to get closer to Christ right at the beginning of the year.

I believe that if I do this, then I will make God the focus of my 2014 journey. Would you like to join me? If so, then you can also do this by getting the e-book for your kindle, PC, Mac, or mobile device. The link to the book is contained in the box below.

God bless you all. May 2014 be a year where your hopes and dreams are all fulfilled in Christ!

New Year devotions: 2010 - A New Journey

Psalm 147:5    Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

I like to think about each New Year as a journey of faith, where my understanding about God and my beliefs in Jesus will grow deeper and stronger. I’ve tried to be a Christian for almost 33 years and throughout each year, I’ve learned more about God’s words and Christ’s ways. It doesn’t make me anymore holy or saintly, but rather as each year passes I am in awe of God’s patience, love, and grace.

Perhaps you are also wondering about this New Year and new decade that we’re about to enter. Maybe you have hopes and dreams for your life, or perhaps there are fears and worries on the horizon. Whatever is ahead, know this: God is still mighty and powerful, and His understanding of our lives and circumstances are limitless.

We all tend to make resolutions at this time of year, but perhaps this is the perfect time to ask God what He would wish to resolve in us. If we will let Christ guide us throughout this new journey of 2010, then I think that there will be all sorts of new opportunities and possibilities about growing in faith, getting nearer to God, and finding our purpose.

So may 2010 be a Happy and Prosperous New Year for all of us, but also a more meaningful and faithful journey in Christ.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, as we stand on the threshold of another new year, we pray that You will come to meet us and lead us onward in this amazing journey that we call life. Take us to where You would have us effectively do Your work, and empower us to minister to those who travel with us. In Your Holy Name, we expectantly 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@presbyterian.org.

4 Minute Devotions: Faithful Love

Is God a Great Santa in the sky who laughs and lovingly indulges everything that we do? Or is there more to faith, love, and life?

Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.

Ever since the Beatles came out with the song, “All You Need is Love,” our church and society seem to have adopted that creed. It’s as if we’re meant to excuse everything under the sun that we do or don’t do, and cover it all under the umbrella of love.

Don’t get me wrong, love is the greatest of all things, but we’re talking about real love here, not the indulgent, narcissistic love that our society idolizes. This text is about the total love that involves faith and loyalty, and in this case, it is the faithful love that we give to God.

Sometimes I worry about my own generation and how casually we treat God. Maybe it’s nothing to some folk, but as a pastor with people under my spiritual care, it’s a very big deal to me. If I couldn’t care less about where people ended up eternally, then the way we narcissistically approach the throne of God’s grace wouldn’t bother me one bit. But because I do care, I express my concerns in my preaching, my writing, and even my blogging.

Maybe I’m a dogmatic dinosaur who has outlived my need to be here. Or perhaps I’m a joyless Jeremiah or preacher-prophet who is destined to cry out in the wilderness of the world. Whatever the case may be, my approach to faith is not to follow the popular or well traveled path; I follow God first and lean on Christ when I fail. I guess it could be called ‘old-time religion’ and, as the song boldly declares, ‘if it was good for Paul and Silas, then it’s good enough for me.’

We’re all heading into a New Year and we will soon make new resolutions. How about we all take on an old one: to love God with all of our heart, strength, body, and soul? Perhaps then we would be able to show the world that faithful love Christians keep talking about. Perhaps then we would put God first and realize that life, as Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church so simply stated it, is not about us. It’s all about God.

Prayer: Lord God, sometimes we take You for granted and we believe that anything we say, do, or write will be indulged by You. Forgive us for being so vain and for putting ourselves, our needs, wants, and desires, at the center of our lives. Re-teach us that the universe does not spin around us, and that we are all creatures created by You. In Christ’s Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

Daily Devotions: The Comancheros

Podcast version here

For me, New Year’s Day wouldn’t be perfect without watching a John Wayne movie. Today I’m enjoying “The Comancheros” with John Wayne, Stuart Whitman, and even Lee Marvin. Wayne plays a Texas Ranger who keeps getting outwitted by a Mississippi gambler, who is his prisoner. Eventually, the two of them get together to break up and defeat a community of outlaws who are terrorizing the region. It’s the usual John Wayne epic cowboy movie. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a perfect start to the New Year.

Acts 12:6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.

Today’s passage from Acts 12:6-10 is all about the apostle Peter escaping from jail. I love this story. Just like the Wayne movie, it’s exciting, intriguing, and even comical in some parts. For instance, Peter can’t believe what is happening around him. He’s sure it’s either a vision or a dream. At some point, I think he wants to pinch himself to make sure he’s really awake. God is providing a miraculous escape for Peter, but he cannot believe it.

There have been times in my life when I have experienced something similar. Decades ago, New Year would have meant getting drunk for me and partying non-stop for three or four days. I was on a path to self-destruction, but the Lord took a hold of my life and changed me. Today I feel like pinching myself to see if it’s real. I thank God for turning my life around and giving me a miraculous moment to escape from the addiction that was destined to kill me.

New Year’s Day can be a time of new promises and the start of new dreams. Asking God for guidance and placing our lives in His hands can present new possibilities and opportunities that will enable us to overcome our troubles and realize our goals. It is my hope and prayer that this will be both a Happy and Prosperous New Year for all of you.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your presence in our lives and for the many opportunities that You give us to fulfill our dreams and realize our hopes. Grant us the faith and strength to overcome our problems and to accomplish all that we can to glorify and honor You. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Daily Devotions: Christians First

Podcast version here

Acts 12:1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.

Over the holidays, I watched a television program on the History channel called “The First Christians.” It was all about the origins of our faith and how Christ’s devoted followers suffered for their beliefs. It was such an interesting program that I’m in the process of developing a five week series on the subject for our church’s Monday Night Bible Study.

I’m always amazed at how much pain, suffering and injustice that the First Christians experienced and endured. They truly believed in Christ and most were willing to give up their lives for Him. When I think about how much we modern-day Christians take for granted about our faith, it makes me wonder if Christianity would ever have overtaken the Roman Empire if we had been given the opportunity. We tend to get upset over non-issues of faith which does nothing for our witness to the world. The First Christians, however, seemed to understand what was important and they staked their lives on those crucial matters of faith.

As we head into 2008, perhaps instead of making New Year’s resolutions that never last, we should work on those essential parts of our faith that are everlasting. We should make more time to study God’s Word and the history of Christianity. We should put more of our lives into worshipping God and serving Christ. We should prioritize our faith and seek God’s guidance for the life changing decisions that we may make during this coming year. If we set out to put God’s Kingdom first in our hearts, then we will find our lives being transformed and made more meaningful by God’s Spirit within us.

Perhaps then we will have a faith worth living and dying for. Perhaps then we will encounter and experience that incredible joy and strength that the First Christians discovered in devoting their lives to Christ.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we want to be good Christians, with a faith that empowers our lives. Help us to make this New Year a special crossroads in our lives, when we can be reborn and rededicate our hearts to You. In Your Holy Name, we fervently pray. Amen.