Daily Devotions: A Real Promise - Genesis 8:22

Genesis 8:22   (God said) “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

I am not a scientist so I have to trust what the environmentalists tell me about what’s happening to the planet. I also don’t fully understand what global warming may or may not be, so I have to depend upon them to let me know the truth. If they have a political agenda or an ecological philosophy to push, no matter what the facts present, I wouldn’t know because I am no expert in their fields. It’s all a matter of trust and faith, good will and wise conclusions.

I’m a theologian and a biblical scholar, so when I read in Genesis that God says everything will be okay on this planet so long as the Earth endures, then I trust that His promises are true. Throughout my life, I have never known of God breaking His Word, so I can readily accept that thousands of years ago, when He stated that the agricultural and weather cycles on Earth would persist, as long as the Earth endures, then it will always be the case. I realize, however, that these cycles will only continue so long as the Earth herself is sustained. If we destroy the planet by abusing the environment then those cycles, upon which all life on Earth depends, will be absolutely ruined. In other words, we don’t have to worry about God bringing the world to an end – we can manage that tragedy all on our own.

Question for personal reflection

­How can I faithfully serve God through cherishing the Earth and protecting its environment?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You are the King of all Creation and we best serve You when we look after others and the world that we live in. Help us to recycle our faith through sharing it with others, as well as combining our resources with other Christians to renew and value the Earth. 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 one of John’s latest digital glass drawings. It’s called “The Bright Morning Star.” If you would like to view a larger version, click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/6997700470_2e5fe82c6e_b.jpg

Free Bible Devotions: Countdown - James 5:8

James 5:8       You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 

Sometimes I wonder what James might have written if he had known that after almost 2000 years, we’re still waiting for the Lord to return? Would he have changed the urgency of his message? Would he have not mentioned it? Or would he have not bothered to write anything at all?

It’s a dilemma that Christians in the 21^st century of our faith have to wrestle with. It’s a question that makes some church people uneasy, because of the apparent delay. Surely God would have allowed Christ to return before now, so what’s keeping Him from ending Time? Is there still something that needs to be done? Are there still people and places on this planet that need to be saved?

Maybe we’re thinking in temporal terms instead of eternal ones. Years, centuries, and millennia may have passed since Christ was born into the world, but that’s not even the blink of an eye in eternal terms. Millions and billions of years may pass before Christ returns; humanity may colonize the Solar System and travel to other galaxies before Jesus makes His long heralded appearance, but in the eternal scheme of things that would not even be a blip on the cosmic screen. After all, if Eternity is eternal, then millions of billions of zillions of years could pass by and there would still be an infinite amount of years to be with God. I think this is summed up best in the old hymn ‘Amazing Grace:’

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’d first begun.

So, is the Lord’s Return near? Well, it’s certainly two thousand years nearer than when James wrote his letter. It will also take place for each one of us the second after we die, so I guess it’s only a lifetime away for all of us. In that sense then, James’ words are highly relevant to every individual on this planet who lives today. Within 120 years, we will all be dead, so for this current generation of people, including the babies who have just been born as we are actually reading this, the countdown to Christ’s Return has already begun.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, whether Your Return to Earth is five seconds away or five million years from now, the truth of the matter is this: we need to be ready. We will either fall at Your feet on Earth in our lifetime, or we will come face-to-face with You the split-second after we die. Help us to be patient and to carefully prepare our hearts and minds, bodies and souls for that sacred moment in Time or in Eternity. In Your Holy Name, we expectantly wait and patiently pray. Amen.

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

Today’s drawing is one of John’s digital glass pictures of Christ’s Ascension into Heaven. It’s a simple drawing, essentially depicted to help children imagine the process. If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click the following link:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3550/3551992426_68ddc730b0_b.jpg

Free Devotions: Happening Now - Mark 13 v 8

Mark 13:8       Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

We had an earthquake about 20 miles away from Knoxville this morning. I think it registered about 3.3 on the Richter scale, so there wasn’t really any damage although some people at the epicenter were a bit shook up with the noise. East Tennessee gets about 10 small earthquakes each year, but they are hardly noticeable to the population. I guess we forget that we live right next to the Smoky Mountains, which were created by earthquakes millions of years ago.

There’s seems to be a lot of turmoil in the world right now: the Icelandic volcano, the Chinese earthquake, and wars in various places. You can’t help but feeling that we’re on the threshold of something big, new, and mysterious. Jesus did warn us long ago that these were the signs of His imminent Arrival. Perhaps we’ve grown so used to being without His physical presence and living our lives in our own fashion that we’ve put the thought of His Second Coming to the back of our minds.

Maybe it’s the caffeine in my system right now, but I get this uneasy feeling that we should be preparing for something, after all today could be the beginning of the End.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, help us to use this day as a means of getting our hearts and minds, our lives and souls in touch and attached to You. Remind us that life is fleeting and that we are given the blessing of everlasting life through You alone. Show us that each day is a gift of grace and a time to prepare for Your Return. 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.

The Statue - Interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

Daniel 2:31 "You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue-an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. (NIV)

When I was in fifth grade, or Primary 7 as we called it back in Scotland, a Bible exhibition came to Glasgow. I think it was run by the Philadelphian Bible Society in Britain. It was fascinating because many of the exhibits were models of buildings and places in the Old Testament. Our teacher used to read to us every morning from the Bible before our other lessons began, so I guess he thought that by taking us to the Bible exhibition, our class would be able to visualize the events recorded in the scriptures.

I can remember one large model of this statue from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. It was made up of all the different parts – gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay. Beside the model was a hand-written interpretation of what it represented – the Persian Empire, the Greek Empire, the Roman Empire, and the British Empire – all of them were indicated on the model. It meant that the feet of clay represented the modern age and that the rock, which was thrown at the statue, symbolized Christ’s return. He is known as the Rock of Ages, so the person who interpreted the story historically at the Bible exhibition, was expressing to everyone that the end of Time would soon be fulfilled.

I couldn’t get to sleep that night because I was afraid that Jesus would come back whilst I was sleeping and that I would be condemned for all of my sins. It preyed on my mind and affected my whole being. During the day, I kept looking up at the sky and at night time, I shivered myself to sleep. It was hard to hold on to my faith in Jesus because I was afraid of Him. It was a very frightening time in my young life.

Almost forty years have passed since I was at that exhibition. Throughout that time, my faith has changed, so instead of fearing Christ’s return, I look forward to that moment. I know that I have committed a great many sins since being a child, but I also know that I have a Great Savior whose grace is amazing and mercy is limitless. I may have feet of clay at times, but Christ is my solid Rock, my sole Redeemer. His forgiveness sustains my faith; His love gives meaning to my life.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, one glorious day, just like today, You will return to reclaim the earth as Your own, and to restore God’s ways in this world. Help us to prepare our hearts for that beautiful moment and to build up our faith, so that we may lovingly and effectively tell other people about Your Gospel. As You give us opportunities to relate our beliefs, help us to do so in ways that are convincing and compassionate. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.