A Wonderful Gift - Matthew 20:34

Matthew 20:34           Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him. (NIV)

            I love reading about the healing miracles of Jesus. What usually affects me is not what He does, but why He does it. In this passage, (Matthew 20:29-34) two blind men cry out to Jesus for mercy and healing. He hears their request and He restores their sight. Why? Because He had compassion on them.

            Compassion is a wonderful gift that Jesus has given to His followers and church. Compassion means that we align ourselves with those who are suffering and seek ways to relieve their pain, illness, or circumstances. The major role of the Church is to be a compassionate reconciler and healer to the world. Compassion is a major hallmark of our Christian faith – if we ever lose that, we will no longer be the Church in God’s world.

            Jesus could have walked by the two blind men and carried on with His mission. Instead, He listened to their plea for help and as He did, His heart melted with compassion. At that moment in time, He had the power to remedy their blindness, so He stopped what He was doing and healed them of all that was harming and debilitating them. They were powerless to do anything but cry out; He was powerful enough to help and cure them.  As Christians, we are called to do the same – to be heart-led followers of Christ and not heartless folks in our community.

Point to ponder

What is compassion and how do I show it to others?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, we call You ‘Lord,’ because we seek to serve You. We are meant to emulate Your ways and share Your compassion to the world. Help us to empower the powerless and to support the weak. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest church bulletin drawings for Epiphany 6A. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Ep6A.

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

4 Minute Devotions: Scattering Gifts

We all want to change the world and make a difference in the lives of others. Last year, I came across a charitable website that enables donors to do this. A short devotion on Psalm 112 v 9.

Podcast version here

Psalm 112:9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.

Last year, I came across a wonderful business site on the internet. It’s called Kiva and its whole purpose is to get people to invest in small businesses across the world. Investors are encouraged to make a $25 donation through the website, acting as sponsors of people in developing countries. The hope is that these small investments will enable the entrepreneurs from other lands to successfully establish and market their own skills. Thousands of people are joining Kiva to do this. They are fulfilling today’s verse from Psalm 112 by scattering abroad their gifts to the poor.

To date, I’ve managed to help sponsor five businesses. The entrepreneurs come from Samoa, Tanzania, Peru, and Cambodia. Because I feel that they have a harder time growing businesses in developing countries, all of my chosen beneficiaries are women. They are working hard for their families, as well as their own self-esteem. Each month, they pay back some of their loans and when they have completed it, the initial $25 can be re-invested into another business, in another part of the world. It’s a gift that just keeps on giving and one that makes me feel that I am helping someone else make a positive difference in their community.

You can find Kiva on the internet at http://www.kiva.org/. For those of you who subscribe to the email devotionals, look for a Kiva invitational email to come your way soon. It’s a wonderful organization to support, and I think it’s a great way of advancing God’s Kingdom throughout the earth.

So, if you ever wanted to make a difference in the world, but didn’t know how to go about it, perhaps Kiva is the vehicle to help you do that. If you have any questions about it, just send me an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, there are many people around the world who need help in a dignified way. They want to build up their lives and communities by establishing their own businesses and using their unique skills. Help us to help those who seek to help themselves in honest, hard-working, and effective ways. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee

Daily Devotions: Helping Others

There’s a family in Knoxville that our church has been helping for years. They always seem to get hit with a crises, illness, or injury that makes it difficult for them to keep up with house payments, utility bills, and paying for groceries. Every time they move one step ahead, something happens to put them two steps back, which in turn makes them dependent upon charity.

Bible Verse of the Day

Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Podcast version here

I’ve tried to get them to understand how important it is to be a part of a church. They live on the other side of the city and need to get involved in the fellowship of a local church. Each time I try to convey this to them, they put up barriers of being too busy, or they can’t manage transport, or they don’t know where to go. I’ve visited them at their house several times, delivering special food baskets and other needed items. I pass several churches that are very close to their home. I just wish that they would see how much their lives could positively change if they had a real connection to a neighborhood church.

This week, the church paid $100 towards their utility bill, but it will probably be the last time that we do this. There are many other families in our own area of Knoxville who are in need, so we have to concentrate on them. I also think that through the gifts and hundreds of dollars that we have given to this one family, we have actually made them co-dependent. Instead of helping their situation, we’ve actually enabled them to depend upon our support. It’s sad to see this, and it’s hard to let go of people in such circumstances, but unless they seek their own local church fellowship, I cannot see how our church can sustain them much longer.

Doing good for others makes us all feel good, but knowing when to stop helping others is very hard to do. Paul encourages us to help others, especially those who belong to the family of believers. Sometimes, because we help those who are outside of the church and who live far away, we don’t see those in need from our own congregation and neighborhood. It’s far easier to give with no strings attached and walk away feeling good; it’s much harder to deal with those whom we know because we will have to get involved in their lives, and invest time, resources, and energy to help them.

I guess the challenge for us today is this: who is it in our families, among our friends, or at our church currently needs our help? And what is God calling us to do for them?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You never said that having faith and doing good works would ever be easy. In fact, You called it “carrying our crosses.” You know how much it will cost us to really help others in our midst, especially those at our church. Grant us patience and perseverance; give us a loving faith to truly convey Christian compassion and fellowship to those, whom we know, that have great needs at this time. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Daily Devotions: Grace Gifts

At our monthly Session meeting last night, one of our elders gave the devotional. She read from a similar passage of Paul’s on this subject of gifts, using the new Message version of the Bible. The elder reminded us that we all had different abilities and skills which blended together to form a strong body of spiritual leaders in the church. She also told us that our talents and resources were given from God not for ourselves, but to be used as channels of His grace in and to the world. It was a good lesson and one that we all need to keep remembering, reviewing, and applying in our lives.

Bible Verse of the Day

Romans 12:5 …so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Perhaps today or over this weekend, you will find yourself in a situation where your gifts can be employed on behalf of someone else. Perhaps God will lead you to a certain place, at a certain time, to use your skills, experience, and resources in ways that will show God’s compassion and grace, mercy and love to other people. Whatever that moment is and wherever it may occur, pray that God will open your eyes and spirit to such an opportunity. Be His hands and feet, His voice and heart to those who need to be reassured, embraced, and encouraged.

Who knows? By doing this you may help someone else to reconnect to God, so that they may also use their grace gifts to help others and expand the Kingdom of God.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You call upon us to serve You in the world, to help other people, and to love our neighbors. Help us this weekend to apply Your lessons of love and to show Your compassion and grace through the gifts we share and the support that we give. In Your Holy name, we pray. Amen.

Erin Church daily devotional : Finding Real Joy

Audio version here

John 16:22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. (NIV)

One of the very first Sunday school lessons that I can remember was all about Joy. My teacher asked our class what joy was and we all answered with the usual “being happy,” “smiling,” and “laughing out loud.” She then asked us if we knew what real joy was, which puzzled the class. Hadn’t we just explained it to her?

Our teacher put up the letters J-O-Y on her flannel graph board. “Real joy,” she continued, “happens when you put Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last.” It was a simple lesson, a beautiful truth, and a life-long message. I’ve never forgotten what she said, and I’ve tried to put it into practice throughout my life. And when I do, I rediscover that simple truth again and again.

When Jesus was talking to his disciples about joy, He was referring to the joy of the Resurrection. They didn’t know it yet, but they were going to be a part of a glorious event that would change their lives and the whole world forever. They would have a short time of grief when Jesus died, but through the miracle of Resurrection, their lives would be joyously transformed. They would know of a new joy that would be with them throughout their entire lives – a joy that would last for all of eternity.

These days, some so-called biblical scholars and progressive theologians are trying to take away that joy. They explain the Resurrection in terms of symbolism and refute it as an actual reality. They make Jesus out to be a great teacher, but not the Savior and Lord that you and I know. Because of their own academic disillusionment, they have become joy suckers of the Faith that once inspired them. The sad thing is this: the more they try to rationalize the Gospels, they less joy they feel in their hearts. They sour the sacred scriptures and end up academically alone. Instead of putting Jesus first, they have given their own research the priority. In the process, they lose their joy in Christ and let go of their faith in God.

So what’s the lesson for today? The same as it was for me almost 45 years ago. If you want real joy in your life, put Jesus first, others second, and yourself last. Try it. You’ll find it really works!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, in the midst of all our busy-ness, help us to put You first in our lives. Teach us to take care of others second, and give us the will to put ourselves last. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.