Mid-week devotion - Looking Ahead

A short devotion on Psalm 22 v 31 and how it can help us through this time.

Podcast for Today's devotional: A Congregational Prayer

I'm getting back to podcasting my devotionals. Today's message (01-10-2011) can be located here:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/stushie/2011-01-10_A_Congregational_Prayer.mp3

Enjoy!

4 Minute Devotions: Everything We Need

This is one of those blessed verses that we all need to read and hear during uncertain times. Peter reminds us, in a cheerful way, about the grace of God and how He uses His divine power to sustain our needs.

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Podcast version here

Most of us worry about our future, and with the stock market crash, some of us have lost substantial amounts in our savings. Others of us are working for businesses that are teetering on the edge of liquidation. And there are some of us who are getting ready to go out into the marketplace, to look for or start a new job. In times like these, faith becomes a priceless commodity through the promises that God makes in the Bible.

Peter states that God has given us everything that we need for life. It’s not everything that we want, but it is all that we need. As we get through this recession, we may come out of it as more thrifty people. We may have a better understanding of what is necessary for our lives, and what are luxuries. It may be tough on all of us for a while, but God’s promises are always fulfilled. His divine power has given us everything we need for life. That’s an assurance that God will sustain His people through these times.

But God also adds a blessing to this promise. Peter talks about being given godliness through our knowledge of God. In other words, as we experience God’s blessings, we increase our understanding of who God is; and as we grow in understanding, we become more confident of His assurances, blessings, and promises. Having faith in Christ and knowing who God is, gives us tenacity, strength, and wisdom for the years ahead. People without faith are left to get through these times on their own. People with faith are carried and supported by God to better days, better times, and better, more meaningful and purposeful lives.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life.

Prayer: Lord God, we are all subject to fears and worries, anxieties and concerns, especially about the future. We thank You for the blessings of Your words and the promises of scripture. Assure us that Your presence and power is all that we need for life. Help us to share this message with those who need to be most reassured throughout these times. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: God is Our Future

The economic crisis and stock market meltdown makes us all feel uneasy. Where is God in these uncertain times?

Podcast version here

Psalm 46:5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

Economically, people are hurting all over the world. The stock markets are fluctuating wildly; businesses are closing down; unemployment is at an all time high for decades. There just doesn’t seem to be a lot of hope going around and some of us are wondering what we should be thankful for this year.

Spiritually, people are also hurting around the world. When uncertainty creeps into our society, God becomes a scapegoat for our frustrations and fears, our anxieties and anger. How can He allow all of this suffering to continue? Why doesn’t God do something about it? With all of His power, He could straighten things out and let us all lead healthy, wealthy, and successful lives.

But then we would just become puppets and wouldn’t know freedom. We wouldn’t experience triumph over hardship, or even learn from our mistakes. Each day would be the same and eventually, in my opinion, all of our feelings – good or bad – would shut off entirely.

So what does God do about uncertain times? How does He help us overcome our present troubles?

God abides within us, giving us guidance and encouragement, as well as granting us mercy and grace. It may seem trite to some people, but for those who maintain a strong spiritual connection to God, it is a wonderful blessing. Our future is in God’s hands; in fact, God is our future. As Christians, we look forward to an amazing day when we will be with God. Jesus, our Savior, has given us an everlasting opportunity to enter God’s Kingdom here on earth. Stock markets may rise and fall; jobs may come and go; but the love of God endures forever.

Prayer: Lord God, everything seems to be changing in our world, and at times we are fearfully anxious. Help us to cling to Your promises and allow us the holy experience of Your comforting presence in our hearts, minds, and souls. We pray this in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord forever. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Handling the Word

Correctly handling the word of truth is something that all preachers should remember. Omitting what we don't like from scripture only causes us to rewrite the Gospel and reject God's Word.

Podcast version here

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

I’ve been a bit remiss these past couple of weeks in writing these devotionals. It’s been really busy at the church I serve, and lately I’ve had difficulty in prioritizing my time. It makes me feel ashamed because I’m always advising people to make time for God. It seems as though the pastor hasn’t been practicing what he preaches, so I need to get back on the right track.

I’ve also been more aware of what constitutes correctly handling the word of truth. At a big meeting the other day, which was full of pastors and elders, someone preached a really good sermon on chapter three of John’s Gospel. It was a great message of hope and full of the Spirit, but the preacher only preached from John 3: 1-17. She opted to omit verses 18-21, which actually ends the conversation between Christ and Nicodemus in this chapter. It made me wonder why. Here are the verses:

John 3:18-21 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

You see those last four verses reveal how serious it is to reject believing in God through Jesus. Up until that point in the chapter, Jesus is attempting to teach Nicodemus about the love, grace, and mercy of God. But He ends His conversation with dire warnings, and so when we preach from that chapter, we need to be prepared to correctly handle the word of truth. It may be a lot easier to ignore the bad bits and just preach the good, but when we do that, we end up rewriting the Gospel and making Christ’s words suit ourselves.

Do I wish that Jesus had never spoken verses 18-21? Sometimes, but then I remember that God’s grace is never given cheaply or just casually placed before us. We are given an invitation to believe in Jesus, along with an opportunity to receive salvation. It is never thrust upon us and each person must accept or reject it. The consequences of our decision are plainly expressed by Christ; we can never complain to Him that we didn’t understand our options. Grace and judgment go hand in hand. How we finally experience them depends upon the choice each one of us makes.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your Gospel gives us the greatest opportunity of a lifetime for each one of us. You offer us the hope of being forgiven for all of our mistakes, and restored to God’s favor for all of eternity. This is the greatest blessing that we can receive in our lives. But You do not force this upon us; instead You allow us to use our free will to determine whether or not we will accept Your invitation. Grant us the wisdom to respond lovingly to this everlasting gift. Remind us of the consequences which will follow our final choices. In Your Holy Name, we humbly and gratefully pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: I Don't Like Ike

The path of destruction that Hurricane Ike will unleash cannot be avoided. How Christians respond to the devastation will let the world know where God is in the midst of this impending disaster.

Podcast version here

John 11:37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

On CNN the other day, I watched a report about some church members in Galveston, Texas, who were standing on the beach, facing the direction of Hurricane Ike. They were sincerely imploring the Lord to eradicate the storm before it hit their town. They were using written prayers, bible texts, as well as making pleas from their hearts. At one point, it sounded as though they were trying to impose their prayerful will over the force of the hurricane. We have a saying in Scotland that reflects the futility of such an action. We call it ‘peeing on the roses whilst the house is on fire.”

I do not doubt the sincerity, concern, and beliefs of those who were praying, but wouldn’t have all of that energy and time been better spent on preparing for the inevitable and ensuring that their church and homes were protected from the brunt of the storm? I love Christian people, but sometimes we can be amongst the most impractical groups of believers on Earth. I do not doubt the power of God to extinguish a hurricane, but I believe that He puts us on Earth to compassionately deal with calamities and disasters when they arise.

Last week, our wee church at Erin was involved with evacuated refugees from New Orleans. We partnered with the Red Cross in screening volunteers. Whilst the bigger churches in the area helped with food, shelter, and necessities for the evacuees, our role was to administer and organize the number of volunteers required. It was a great success and I am really proud that our wee church, in the midst of such a disaster, was able to do its part.

After Hurricane Ike has landed, some distraught people will ask the question, “Where was God when we needed Him? Why didn’t He extinguish this storm?” It’s the same as Christ’s people asking: "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" It’s a tough question, but the one that I will be asking is this: “What are God’s people doing to help those who have suffered ruin, devastation, and loss from this storm? Where is God, in the midst of this destruction, now?”

Prayer: Father God, we pray for the people who have homes and businesses in the path of this fearful storm. We pray for Your protection and ask that all the preparations to evacuate the population and shore up their buildings prove to be sufficient, as well as efficient.

Help the Christian community throughout the United States to be prepared to help clear up the destruction, rebuild the storm affected areas, and offer support to those who lose much. Be merciful to us, O Lord. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: 9-11 Reflections

Seven years later, 9-11 still haunts me.

Podcast version here

I always find this day difficult. The horrors of seven years ago never seem to go away. It was an uncanny moment and it still seems surrealistic to me. I still can’t believe that religious fanatics would kill all those innocent people in the Name of God. It defies logic. It defies humanity. It defies faith.

John 11: 21Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

I’m also transported inwardly to the hospital room with David and Linda. David was dying of cancer and Linda was crying fearfully. On one side of David’s bed, we were helplessly watching his vital signs flat lining. On the other side, a muted TV was showing the Twin Towers ablaze and collapsing. I have never felt so powerless in my life and, for the first time, I understood Martha’s blunt statement: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

As has become my custom, I visited David’s grave this morning and talked to him for a while. I miss his quiet ways and wry sense of humor. I miss his private faith and personal devotion to God. I miss his friendship and sharing lunch with him, every now and then.

I dwell upon the inevitability of my own mortality and how it might come. I thank God for the friends I have known and promise once again not to waste a moment of my life. I think about how time moves on and realize that the old oak tree, which once stood near David’s grave, is no longer there. Everything changes and I have, too. After seven years, would David know the pastor and person I have become?

And then, just as I am sighing and getting ready to leave, I see that a new sapling has emerged beside the trunk of the old tree. Death does not have the final say. Life emerges out of loss and faith overcomes fear. The Lord is here with the two of us where heaven and earth, humanity and eternity, mortality and immortality meet.

I am both resurrected and renewed.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are always with us, even when we feel distance from You. Thank You for Your presence which lifts and carries us throughout our lives. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: In the Name of the Father

Why are we so reticent to call God “Father” these days? If Jesus did it, then why don’t we?

Podcast version here

John 10:32 Jesus replied, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?"

In this politically correct world, we often forget how radical and dangerous it was for Jesus to call God “Father.” The Jews of His time were outraged because He dared to declare a closeness and intimacy with God that was blasphemous to their ears. God was supposed to be holy, sacred, and distant. Christ’s familiarity with God was sacrilegious. His message was too bold and undermined 2000 years of tradition. He had to be stopped; He had to be silenced; He had to be stoned to death.

These days, it is becoming more subversive to call God “Father.” Whenever I go to Presbytery, I am often saddened by the politically correct statements of faith that reflect our culture, instead of Christ’s words. In an effort to make everything palatable, God is often referred to as Creator. There is no intimacy or relationship with that word; God may as well be called Manufacturer of the Universe or Chief Producer of Life.

Christ came among us to reveal how intimate, involved, and interested God is in our lives. He called God “Father” because of the real relationship He had with God. Jesus wanted His people to get over their holy hang-ups and sacred taboos because those things were creating a gap between themselves and God. So boldly, fearlessly, and faithfully, Christ named God as Father. It was such a distinct and true relationship that even His last words from the Cross were, “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit.”

We need to get back to basics and stop messing up our faith with cultural conveniences. Jesus faced stoning because He dared to call God “Father.” He opened up a radical way of being in relationship with God, despite the protests of His peers. And in the end, it was His faith in His Father that triumphed over His miserable, lonely, and painful death.

As Christians, we call Jesus “Lord” and seek to follow His ways. If calling God “Father” was good enough for Jesus, then why isn’t it good enough for us?

Prayer: Father God, break down our self-imposed barriers and politically correct structures which fence off our intimacy with You. Liberate us from modern day conventions and enable us to fully accept and embrace You as our Father in Heaven, the Father of our hearts, and the Father of our faith. Give us the boldness of Jesus to step out from cultural limits, so that along with Him, we may boldly declare You as our Father. In Christ’s Holy Name, we pray. Amen.