August 31 devotion - Happy Endings

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (NIV)

            Most of the stories that I read or heard as a child ended up with this unforgettable line: ‘And they all lived happily together.’ No matter how scary the wicked witch was in ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ or how terrifying the Giant was in ‘Jack and the Beanstalk,’ or how cruel the villain was in ‘Aladdin,’ everything turned out well and the heroes of the story ended up being blessed and happy. I guess that because most of those stories were told to me at bedtime, it was far better to go to sleep on a blissful note than to have nightmares about the villains. We all like good stories and prefer those that have happy endings, even if they are all contrived just to make us feel secure.

            Throughout my sixty years on Earth, I have watched folks go about their lives expecting a happy ending. I guess they figure that God will somehow work that out for them, granting them a blissful everlasting life no matter who they are, what they believe, or what they’ve done. Jesus has taken care of everything, so there’s no need to worship or serve Him; all we need is to acknowledge that Christ will do it for us, no questions asked. If only it was as simple as that – we could close our churches forever, stop printing the Bible, and put a halt to praying. After all, if Jesus understands how busy we are, how wise we have become, and how important we’ve made ourselves, He will give us a happy ending. We can get on with life and Christ will be there at its conclusion as our personal Caretaker, Assistant, and Guide into the next life.

            I wonder if it really is that simple, and if so, then why was Christ crucified? I wonder if eternal bliss is waiting for us somewhere beyond the rainbow just because we want a happy ending? In my heart, I may want to believe this, but I feel as though it would just be wishful thinking. If Jesus is the Resurrection and Life that we truly want, doesn’t actually obtaining it involve some sort of allegiance to Him?

            There’s much more to Christianity than just thinking happy thoughts and taking Jesus for granted. Wishing for a happy ending is not the same as truly hoping for eternal life. At some critical point in our lives, we need to connect the dots between Christ and us – without that full and final connection, we’re just whistling in the dark and deluding ourselves.

Point to ponder

Am I truly connected to Christ? Am I ready to receive everlasting life?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, keep us from deceiving ourselves that everything will turn out okay just because we want it to be that way. Help us to reflect on our commitment to You and enable us to serve You faithfully throughout all that is left in our lives. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can read the church website at www.erinpresbyterian.org. If you would like to ask questions or make a comment about today’s devotional, please send John an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest drawings called ‘Iconic King.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: King.

Thirsty Times - John 4:13-14

John 4:13-14 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (NIV)

            The best water I’ve ever tasted came directly from my mom’s kitchen tap (faucet) in our Glasgow home. I can remember during some hot summer days running in from the backyard to stick my head under the cold tap and guzzle as much of the pure clear Scottish water in order to slake my thirst. Some folks reading this have probably done something similar as a child by drinking cold water directly from a garden hose. You feel totally refreshed within seconds and very soon your thirst is completely satisfied.

            Just like our bodies, our spirits get thirsty, too. We run ourselves ragged with all the business and responsibilities in our lives. We use up all of our energy looking after family, keeping up with work, and getting through each day. We may sometimes feel everything is uphill for a while and end up emptying ourselves emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. We need to refresh our weary souls and renew our tired spirits. In other words, we need to reconnect with God to fill ourselves up with His grace, care, and love.

            This is why Jesus talks about being living water. He is the One we can tap into in order to quench our spiritual thirst and satisfy our parched souls. He has words to comfort us, ways to guide us, and the will to refresh us. All we have to do is to trust Him and seek His living water for ourselves.

            Whatever you are facing today, however empty you feel, and wherever you go, seek Christ and receive His love, mercy, and strength.

Point to ponder

How much do I need Jesus to help me today? When can I make time to seek Him?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know us completely and are aware of how empty we feel. Fill us up with Your living water and refresh our weary souls. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come along and join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome and filled with Christ’s love 😊.

Today’s image is one of John’s living water drawings. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Water.

Christian devotion: Simply Sacrificial - Colossians 1:19-20

Colossians 1:19-20     For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (NIV)

            Paul simply states in the above verses what I have always believed and experienced as a Christian. Without the Cross, I could not be forgiven. Without Christ’s blood, I could never be reconciled to God.

            This candid sentence in Paul’s Letter to the Colossians makes it perfectly clear: the Cross was not an accident; it was fully intended to be used by God to reconcile us to Him. It was not a mistake; it was a divine instrument of God’s mercy and grace. We look at the Cross and experience the horror that Jesus endured. We know that we put Him there, so it makes us feel uncomfortable, self-loathing, and ashamed.

We would rather it was a mistake because we wouldn’t feel that our sins had wounded Him. We would happily accept it as an accident because we would be able to cast the Cross aside and simply approach God without any boundaries or barriers. But the Cross is there to remind us that we are sinful creatures, forbidden to enter God’s Holy Kingdom without the shameful Cross of Christ and the sacrificial blood of Jesus.

As post-modern people and 21^st century idealists we want things to go our way, be what we wish, and embrace our own understanding. However, as Paul writes elsewhere, the Cross becomes a stumbling block in the way of our wisdom, and the foolishness of God is infinitely above the cleverness of people. If we want to be with God after we die, we need to come to the Cross before we die. If we wish to enter into the glorious Kingdom of God at the last, we need to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus first. There is simply no other way, nor can we ever find another truth to gain us everlasting life.

Questions for personal reflection

What does Christ’s Cross mean to me? How has Christ’s blood reconciled me to God?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, being a Christian is never easy or comfortable. We have to make hard decisions and a personal commitment to You. We want eternal life and to go to Heaven after we die. Help us to both understand and embrace the divine fact that we cannot do this on our own. We need Your Cross to convict us; we require Your blood to cleanse us. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to send him an email, feel free to do so at Traqair@aol.com.

Toda’s image is one of John’s Good Friday drawings called “Outside.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Outside.

Gospel Devotion: Who is Jesus? - Luke 9:20

Luke 9:20 "But what about you?" Jesus asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God." (NIV)

            For the past fifty years, mainstream Christianity has been involved in what I term as ‘The Interpretation Wars.’ At some point during the 1960s, when every institution was being confronted, challenged, and changed, the Church also faced a return of an old conflict in a new form. The authority of scripture was undermined with the Death of God controversies, only to be countermanded by the Jesus movement. A couple of decades later, inerrant fundamentalism championed society and was immediately confronted by social justice liberalism. These days, we are still dealing with the fallout caused by past theological and Biblical differences; we are still fighting one another in a new phase of the Interpretation Wars where the sovereignty of God is being assaulted by the ascendance of humankind.

            No matter where we are located on the theological spectrum, or in which Interpretation Front we are entrenched in, there is only one crucial question that needs to be debated and answered: who do we say that Jesus is? At the end of our lives, when we are each on the threshold of Eternity, this is the only question that will be important. All of our pre-conceived ideas and life assembled opinions will pale in significance. The only question we will be asked is this: Who is Jesus?

            If Jesus is only an historical religious leader to us, we will have no future. If He is only a teacher of lifestyle morals, we will have no more life. If He is just an ancient person whose real characteristics are lost in the myths of time, we will never live beyond death. But if He is to us the Christ of God, sent to save us from our sins, we will be forgiven, we will be welcomed into heaven, and we will be given everlasting life.

Question: Who is Jesus to me?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, You are the King of kings and the Christ of God. You came to Earth to draw us to Your Light and save us from our sinful ways. May we serve You throughout our lives and acknowledge You as our only Savior. In Your Holy and sacred 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.

Today’s image is John’s latest Celtic Cross drawings. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Cross.