Happy 428 Day - Mark 14:55

Mark 14:55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. (NIV)

            As a teenager, I was very cynical about the Church and what Christianity stood for. I was determined to do my own thing and go my own way, so I had no need of any of the joy that Jesus was supposed to bring or the love that God had for my life. In fact, when one of my younger brothers brought in a Bible to the house with a ‘Jesus is Lord’ sticker on it, I mocked him in front of the family. As far as I was concerned, Jesus didn’t exist and anyone who thought differently was a complete idiot. Christ’s story was just a fantastic lie made up by religious fanatics who couldn’t cope with His death.

            A couple of years later, everything changed. Instead of being a stupid, drunken lout to my friends and family, I accepted Jesus into my life and decided to become a Christian. The evidence that I denied suddenly became an experience that I embraced. At the 428 Gospel Club in the heart of Glasgow, I surrendered myself to Jesus one Wednesday evening. My life has never been the same ever since that precious moment. And today, on 4/28, I fondly remember those friends that I made for life, including Evelyn my wife, and give thanks to God for leading me to Christ, even though I had followed a reckless path of alcoholism which could have destroyed my life.

            Today, I would encourage everyone who is reading this message to embrace Jesus in their hearts and lives. He can change everything and set you on a new path of spiritual discovery. “Today,” as the preachers used to say at the 428 Gospel Club, “can be the beginning of the rest of your eternal life.” All you have to do is to let Jesus embrace you, once and for all.

Point to ponder

Am I weary of trying to be strong? Am I willing to let Jesus become my strength?

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, You love us completely, no matter who we are or what we have done. Enable us to embrace Your reality in our lives and lead us from this day forth. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can view the church website at this link: www.erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is another of John’s latest Pentecost drawings called ‘Spirit 2017.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Spirit.

Don't Be Afraid - Mark 6:50

Mark 6:50  They all saw him and were terrified. Immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (NIV) 

            There’s a lot of fear and uncertainty in our world today. You can hardly pick up a newspaper without reading about terrorist bombs, gas attacks, and civilian deaths all over the globe. For those of us who were born in the 20^th century, we felt that the 21^st century was going to be a wonderful time to be born and live, experience and know. Unfortunately, the brutality and inhumanity of man have been carried over into this new millennium. The clean sheet and new start we were given in 2000 has been contaminated with cruelty and stained with sin. We are our own worst enemies who, instead of shaping the future for the benefit of humanity, we mangle it with our hands.

            In the midst of a life-threatening storm, the twelve disciples thought that they were all going to drown. They couldn’t keep their boat afloat and the boiling waves kept battering against their vessel. They were in the midst of a hopeless situation and even though all of them strained to row the oars, the wind was totally against them.

            And then Jesus appeared, walking on the water. At first, they thought He was a ghost, a phantom, or even a demon come to torment them. But then Christ speaks those beautiful words which instantly reassured them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” As He stepped onto the boat, the wind and waves died down and everything was calm again.

            In the midst of a baffling and brutal world, Christ’s Church and all of His people need to rely on His words and share them with the rest of humanity. Tensions may rise and storms of hatred may threaten our way of life, but Christ’s Spirit still walks among us, so we as Christians, more than any other group in the world, should hold on to the hope He offers humanity and share His peace which can pacify the people of this planet. The beautiful boat we are in is called ‘Earth’ and the One who can save it is Jesus.

Point to ponder

When I worry about current events, what do I pray?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, come among us and bless us with Your peaceful presence. Diminish the wickedness that damages our planet and help us to share Your hope in our community and around the world. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. The church website can be found at www.erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s stained glass designs of Christ calming the storm. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Calm

Devotion on Prayer: Praying Persistently - Luke 18:1

Luke 18:1      Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

            Like many other Christians, I pray all through the day. Sometimes I pray when I’m driving my car; at other times I pray when I’m sitting at my desk, or lying on my bed. My thoughts and prayers cover all sorts of subjects, people, issues, and requests. And whenever I’m going through a difficult time, or perhaps a family member is, or even a church member, I pray continually for help, healing, and wholeness.

            I try to be persistent in what I pray. If a friend of mine is really ill or going through a hard time, I constantly ask God for mercy and grace, guidance and goodness to come into that person’s life. I try not to give up, not because I seek to pester God with my requests, but because I know that God has the power, grace, and love to bring about healing, restoration, rescue, and renewal. Prayer is both a great privilege, as well as a powerful gift, so I really try hard to focus on what I am actually asking God to do.

            All of my prayers have been answered. Sometimes the answer is “Yes.” At other times, the answer can be “No,” but usually the answer is “Not now, not yet.” So I continue to pray thankfully, faithfully, and persistently. It doesn't make me holy or saintly; instead it keeps me connected to God and seeking His guidance. It makes me realize that I am a creature and He is Creator; I am a servant and He is my King.

            Today’s parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8) was told by Jesus so that His followers would continue to use prayer as the vehicle of their requests, as well as the channel of their direct connection to God. Prayer keeps our faith activated, as well as joining our spirits to Jesus. Persistent and sincere prayer maintains our hope for healing and sustains our strength in Christ.

Questions for reflection:    How often do I pray? What do I frequently pray to God? How does God answer my prayers? How do I respond to His decisions?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, thank You for teaching us how to pray faithfully and effectively. Keep us connected to You through the spiritual experience of focused prayer. Be with us and bless us this day. In Your Holy Name, we 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 image is one of John’s new woodcut type drawings called “Night Lights.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Lights.

Short devotion: Listening to Jesus - Luke 9:35

Luke 9:35      A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, Whom I have chosen; listen to Him." (NIV)

            Sometimes, instead of listening to Jesus, I listen to my own thoughts and ideas. I end up making foolish choices and stupid mistakes which Christ could have helped me to avoid. I thought that the older I got, the wiser I would become. That just doesn't happen. If I don’t listen to Jesus, I am not going to learn.

            I hear other people quoting Jesus, but not really listening or applying what He has said. It’s almost as if they have created their own fortune cookie Jesus who sagely expresses words of wisdom to justify their actions, choices, and decisions. I keep hearing things like “Judge not, or you’ll be judged,” or “Love one another,” or “Do unto others,” or even the apocryphal “We are all God’s children,” (which He never said). People misquote His words because they don’t read the Bible or truly listen to the Gospel. And what they don’t hear, they make up to suit themselves.

            When God candidly speaks to the three disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36), he does two things. Firstly, He reveals to them that Jesus is actually His Holy Son. Secondly, God commands them to listen to Him. We may not understand this at first, but what we have here is the true process of becoming and being a Christian. To be a Christian means that we have to believe that Jesus is God’s Holy Son. To remain a Christian, we have to keep listening to what He says, which we can only do if we consistently, studiously, and prayerfully keep reading the Gospels.

            So the challenge for all of us, including me, is this: Do I believe that Jesus is God’s Holy Son, and am I willing to listen to Him?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, You are God’s Only and Holy Son. Open our hearts and minds so that we may truly listen to You. Enable us to consistently make the time to continually read the Gospels. Help us to serve You in all of our decisions and deeds. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently 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.

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

Christian devotions for Kindle Users

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Devotions for Church Meetings

It's almost the start of the Church Year, so many meetings will be taking place in congregations all over the land. Most meetings begin with a short devotion; this is why I have written a large series of devotional books for church meetings, team leaders, busy chairpersons, conveners, and staff.


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Daily devotions: Two by Two? - Genesis 7: 2-3

Genesis 7:2-3              Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.

‘The animals went into the ark, two by two; the elephant, giraffe, and kangaroo’ was part of a children’s song that I used to sing in Sunday school. I loved to do the actions and sounds of all the animals and could even picture them in my mind walking onto the ark in perfect pairs. Two of every kind of animal that ever existed – except that it wasn’t two at all – for some ‘clean’ animals it was fourteen in all, especially sheep and cattle. Fourteen birds of every kind were also included. ‘Two by two’ might sound great as a rhyme to the word kangaroo, but ‘seven by two’ doesn’t really fit in the song or as a picture in my mind’s eye.

This is a good example of a popular misconception of the Bible. We’ve become so used to singing ‘two by two’ and seeing pictures, drawings, cartoons, as well as movies depicting this image that we take it for granted and believe it to be correct. If we don’t read the Bible accurately, then we accept the popular misconception. If we don’t take time to study God’s Book, then we will take short cuts and believe what is currently acceptable.

This is why Gospel preachers are presently struggling with society. There are a lot of popular misconceptions and even some serious deceptions going on in Church World. If people take the Bible for granted, they’ll end up believing in anything and make up their own ideas about Jesus and God. Usually those ideas will be shaped around their own lifestyle choices. It’s far easier to live with a popular misconception than it is to live according to an unpopular biblical truth. It’s far simpler to make up ideas about God and think everything will be okay rather than actually reading His Word and accepting the robust challenges of the Gospel. ‘Two by two’ and ‘kangaroo’ are far easier to rhyme for children than ‘seven by two’ or fourteen, but when we become adults can we honestly continue to accept popular misconceptions about our faith?

Questions for personal reflection

What is the actual source of my Christian beliefs? Have I succumbed to popular misconceptions or surrendered to God’s True Word?

Prayer:             Lord Jesus, Your words are Gospel and God’s Word is Truth. Somehow we’ve managed to stop regularly reading the Bible and, in doing so, have diluted and even ‘dumbed down’ the standards of our Faith. Forgive us for such arrogance, ignorance, and foolishness. Help us to humbly turn to You as the source of all that is true as revealed through the Holy Words of the Gospel. In Your Sacred 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 lectionary drawing called “True Vine.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7140981637_f1a12a5d31_b.jpg