Sabbath Psalm - Wise Words

Psalm 111:10 Revering the Lord is where wisdom begins; all who follow God’s teachings have good sense. To God belongs everlasting worship.

            One of the sacred things that we’ve sadly lost is reverence for God. In an age and society where wisdom and knowledge have largely been replaced with self-opinion and prejudice, we tend to put God on the same level as ourselves, expecting Him to follow and approve our ways. We put ourselves at the center of our own universes and shape God into being a benevolent bystander, forgetting that we actually live in His existence and under His sovereignty.

            The writer of today’s psalm reminds us that the smartest thing we can do in life is to respect and worship God. No matter how big, how powerful, or how accomplished we think we are, God is always infinitely greater than anything we can imagine, do, or fulfill. It is very humbling to realize that God can do anything better than us and that we are all just creatures who exist in His creation. When we understand and accept this, then we will begin to realize what our lives are for: to worship God and enjoy Him forever.

            A lot of the world’s foolishness, as well as its wickedness, originates when people are besotted with themselves, their power, and esteem. Putting ourselves first before God panders to our pride, supplements our selfishness, and activates our arrogance to such a degree that we consider ourselves to be little gods and seek equality with Him. An example of this occurs when we talk about the ‘kindom’ of God, rather than the kingdom which Jesus constantly expressed. Kindom places us all on the one level, whereas kingdom reminds us that we are subservient to God. Kindom makes us look wiser and greater in our own eyes; kingdom reveals to us Christ’s wisdom and personal knowledge about God.

Point to ponder: How do I revere and worship God wisely?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You revealed to us many truths about God in order to help us gain a greater knowledge of who God is and what we are. Help us to embrace Your ideas and ways rather than holding tightly and foolishly to our own. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Lent Devotions: Broken Pieces - Mark 6 v 43

Mark 6:43       And the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.

Yesterday, a controversy was brewing at a Texas College where atheists were running an exchange program. They offered to exchange Bible for pornographic magazines to students on the campus in order to protest First Amendment Rights. The atheists believed that because Bibles were placed in dorm rooms, then they should be allowed to distribute pornography. They argued that the Bible’s puritanical statements about sexuality needed to be vehemently challenged and opposed, so they offered to exchange Bibles for sex magazines.

I guess that kind of behavior and controversy highlights the society that we are living in. I was visiting with an elderly church member at the time and she was angered by this news. However, I pointed out to her that God is big enough to take care of this kind of an issue on His own. We don’t need to get enmeshed in a maelstrom of indignity and self-righteousness. There’s more than enough suffering and trouble in Haiti and Chile for us to focus upon instead of being distracted by atheists.

I think that the hurt that she was feeling was for God and Christ’s Church. We keep thinking that the world is fragmenting, diminishing, and belittling all of our cherished beliefs. We are afraid and anxious that the divisions amongst us will break the Church into pieces and end our faith entirely. That’s never going to happen.

Look at the Gospel passage again (Mark 6: 37-44) and re-read today’s highlighted verse. Even the broken pieces that are left over are more than sufficient to meet our needs and to keep Christ’s ministry going on. Jesus specializes in broken pieces, broken people, and even a broken world. He is the great faith provider and godly healer that we all need, so instead of becoming anxious and indignant about what atheists do or don’t do in Texas, we just need to remind ourselves that in all of history and all over creation, Christ is victorious and He will eternally endure.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we are all broken people, belonging to a broken Church, and living in a broken world. You have the divine capacity to lovingly heal us through forgiveness and faith, godliness and grace. Help us to remember that the Church has always been attacked by the world. Remind us that Your words, ways and works will endure from this time forth and into all eternity. 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 the latest drawing in John’s Bird Art Series. It’s called “Peacock Pride.” A larger version of the image can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/traqair57/4402879204/sizes/l/in/set-72157623366524553/

Daily Devotions: More Than Being Saved - Psalm 9

Psalm 9:18      But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

When I first became a Christian, I thought that my mission was to ensure that the world was saved. Being born again had such an impact upon me that I wanted other people, my family and friends, to experience the same spiritual awakening and dynamic change. To be saved meant more to me than anything because I knew that without Jesus intervening in my life, I would have ended up as an alcoholic on skid row. Jesus changed my life completely, so I expected that everyone else would want the same.

It’s been almost thirty three years since I have had that wonderful experience and although I am truly thankful for being saved, I now know that it’s not what the Kingdom of God is all about. If that was the case, I could rest upon my spiritual laurels and live the rest of my life without any changes. Being saved is extremely important in the eternal scheme of things, but what I do with that salvation is crucially important with regard to being a saved Christian in the world.

Christ didn’t ask us to become His disciples just to look after ourselves. He called us to God’s Kingdom so that we could go out into the world to right the wrongs, heal the brokenness, and support the needy. Faith is a wonderful gift for the believer, but faithful works are precious gifts to the world. If we think about what’s currently happening in Haiti, we know that the people who are suffering over there don’t need a bunch of Christian groups telling them that they must be saved. Instead, they need to be shown the loving kindness, tender care, and compassion of the Kingdom of God.

The Haitians are looking to survive this terrible catastrophe. As Christians, we can build the Kingdom of God over there through acts of support rather than brow-beating them with the Bible just to add numbers to the ranks of people being saved. This is what makes it crucial to the growth of the Kingdom of God on Earth. Faith alone saves an individual person; faith and good works saves the world.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You are the Savior of the World and the Healer of the Nations. You bring the Kingdom of God into our hearts through our salvation, so that we can take that precious gift out into the world through acts of love and compassion. Help us to do what we can to help the needy, support the poor, and care for the perishing, so that God’s Kingdom may be effective and restorative in the world today. 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.