Gospel Devotions: A Wee Clype - John 5:15

John 5:15       The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

He was sneaky. Absolutely sneaky and completely ungrateful. In Scotland, we used to have a word for a person like that: ‘clype’. It was the worst name that you could ever be called. If somebody at school or in the playground was called a wee clype, then he or she was instantly shunned by the rest of the class. Tell-tale, tattle-tale, or tale bearer were relatively mild compared to clype. To be a clype was to be the lowest and meanest person on the planet. It was to be avoided at all costs.

But some people like to get others into trouble. Take this person who has been healed by Jesus in the Gospel passage (John 5:1-15). Jesus has cured him of his paralysis, but instead of being thankful and delighted, he appears to be resentful and somewhat ungrateful. He even goes later in the day to find the religious authorities, in order to tell them who healed him on the Sabbath. He is a tale bearer of the worst kind: he is a wee clype.

Other people who are healed by Jesus are normally ecstatic and exuberant about being cured. They want to tell the whole world about Jesus in order to share their joy and celebrate His goodness. This appears to be the only occasion in the gospels where a cured person actually betrays Jesus in order to get Him into trouble. Instead of glorifying Christ, he seeks to humiliate Him. Rather than being grateful, the cured man is totally unthankful.

Every day, Christ guides us and takes care of our prayers, therefore our daily response should be one of complete thankfulness. Are we?

Questions for personal reflection

In what recent situations has Jesus helped me? Have I been truly grateful for His intervention?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You are meant to be at the center of our lives during good times and bad times. In the midst of our present issues and complications, grant us Your guidance and allow us Your grace. Keep us mindful, as well as thankful, of Your mercy, healing, and love. 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 about today’s message or ask a question, please send John an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest seasonal images called “Christmas Tree.” If you would like to see a larger version, then please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8063/8200761419_9a23df46d8_b.jpg

John’s drawings are available as signed limited edition prints. If you are interested in obtaining one for yourself or as a gift for someone else, send him an email for details.

Advent Christmas devotions: My Best Friend - Matthew 11:19

Today’s Bible readings are Isaiah 27:1-5 and Matthew 11:16-24

Matthew 11:19            “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ‘ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”

My name is John Stuart and I’m a sinner. I also have a wonderful friend called Jesus who wants to change my life and help me follow a path that will lead me to God’s Eternal Kingdom.

I struggle with sin, but Jesus remains my friend.

I get lost in life sometimes, but Jesus is still my Guide.

I worry about the future, but Jesus knows the way ahead.

I regret my past mistakes, but Jesus has forgiven me.

I feel helpless at times, but Jesus is my strength.

I guess that you’re a sinner too; why else would you need to read a devotional? Guess what? Jesus is also Your Friend, Guide, Comforter, Savior, and Strength.

Being a Christian is the best gift in life that God has to offer. Bringing someone else to Christ is the best way that we can thank Him. This Christmas, let’s invite someone to church to meet Jesus.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, thank You for being our Friend. Because of our many sins, we don’t deserve such a blessing. You were sent into the world to reconcile everything to God through Your Holy, Sacred and Supreme Sacrifice. Thank You, Jesus, for doing that for us. Thank You for being here in our lives. In Your Holy Name, we gratefully 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. John loves to read your comments.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Nativity drawings. It’s called “Child of Peace.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6060/6419950643_3d838119c0_b.jpg

Free Devotions: Which is Easier? - Matthew 9:5

Today’s Bible readings are Isaiah 22:9-16 and Matthew 9:1-8

Matthew 9:5    Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 

Which is easier: to say, ‘I’m a Christian,’ or to actually be a Christian?

Wow! That second statement hits me right at the heart of my heart. I can say I’m a Christian all day long, but if I don’t practice what Christ preached, doesn’t that make me a hypocrite? It’s so easy to fool myself into thinking I’m a good person, doing good deeds, thinking positive thoughts and not doing anything bad, but is that just a delusion? Am I fooling myself, but not the people who know me best or the God who knows everything?

It would be very easy to point out other people who are not Christians. It would be less difficult to unlovingly label other people as outcast and strangers, hypocrites and heathens; but to honestly call myself a Christian? Is that my call to make or does Jesus do it for me?

Today has been a quiet day of self-reflection, meditation, and reconnecting with Christ. I seem to be at a spiritual crossroads where I must seriously ponder what God wants me to do with the rest of my days. I want to be totally committed to Christ, but that would involve a lot of challenges and changes. On the other hand, I want life to be easy as a church-going Christian teacher and preacher, but is that what faith is all about?

Over the years, I’ve watched Christian people of all ages fall into a religious routine that is soul-less, meaningless, and faithless. They don’t do it deliberately; it just happens day by day, week after week, year after year. They get so cozy with God and buddy with Christ that they believe everything that they say, do, or even think is okay with God and totally acceptable to Christ. That’s when it becomes easier to say, “I am a Christian,” rather than actually be one.

I don’t want to get comfy with Christ or cozy with God. I don’t want to just say “I’m a Christian,” I really want to live as one. I know it’s not going to be easy, or that the path ahead will be smooth, but I would rather walk in His ways for the rest of my days.

How about you?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You did not promise that following You would be easy; in fact You told us to pick up our crosses and then follow You. Help all of us this day to make the right choices that please, honor, and glorify You alone. 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 or ask a question about today’s message, please send John an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest drawing. It’s called “Whale Play” and features a humpback whale surfacing on the sea. If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click on the following link: http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6105/6336468229_058c5a5e5d_b.jpg

Devotions - Is Life a Game of Chance? Ecclesiastes 9:11

Ecclesiastes 9:11 I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. 

Do you ever play games of chance? I’m not talking about betting on horses or playing casinos. I’m talking about those games that we all see at the fairground or a theme park. The ones I like are skeeball and trying to flick the quarter on to a glass table. Sometimes I win; most of the time I lose, and the stall owner knows this when I put my dollars down to play the game. The other one I like is the claw that you see in stores. I’ve won a lot of stuffed animals over the years and I can remember almost emptying a machine in Scotland before the store owner asked me to leave.

According to Solomon, life is a game of chance with no rhyme or reason to what goes on. His conclusion is to eat, drink, and be merry because tomorrow we may die. It makes me wonder that if Solomon knew Christ, would he have changed his philosophy?

As a Christian, I believe that Christ has a plan for my life and every other Christian under the sun. I believe that Jesus still cares about the world and that His ministry is still effectively taking place across this planet. I believe that hundreds of millions of people will do good things in His Name today that will go unreported, unrecognized, and unvalued. And I believe that life is not a game of chance; it is a predetermined journey which will end in Christ’s Triumphant Return when the gift of everlasting life will be awarded to His followers.

Today can be the first day in the rest of our eternal lives if we surrender our hearts and submit our spirits to Christ. Chance has got nothing to do with everlasting life; it has everything to do with Christ.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, Your life and ministry were planned long before You came to Earth. Everything was predetermined by God and You fulfilled all that God wanted and needed You to complete. Our lives have been potentially predetermined by You and there is a purpose for our existence. Help us to be aware of what You want and need us to complete in order to continue Your ministry and mission. In Your Holy Name, we wait and pray. Amen.

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

Today’s drawing is John’s latest chess prints. It’s called “End Game” and features three old men playing chess in the park on a cold winter’s day. If you would like to see a larger version of this drawing, please click on the following link: http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6084/6047493889_86ca7e5e66_b.jpg

Daily Devotions: Love the Word

1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

I love the word of God as contained in the Holy Scriptures. Ever since I can remember, I have believed in its truthful teaching and eternal message. I don’t think there has ever been a time when the scriptures weren’t real to me, not even in my drunken alcoholic days. The Bible has always been God’s Holy Word and I take great joy in reading it, hearing it, and drawing strength from it.

Now please don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t mean that I’m a Bible Thumping, Scripture Bashing, Gospel Guru who sits on a self-righteous pedestal and guffaws at the rest of the world. I do have my arrogant and pride inflicted moments like everyone else, but basically I love God and His wisdom, as revealed to us through the Bible.

When my life was at its most self-indulgent and self-destructive, I kept going back to my Gideon’s pocketbook version of the New Testament and Psalms. Somehow the seeds of faith that my Sunday school teachers had planted in my mind and heart were never completely barren. More than thirty years later, I am in awe of what God chose to do and how He accomplished that through His words that were written thousands of years before I was born. And it’s that constant relevance of the Bible that I see enacted in people’s lives everyday that make me love God’s word even more.

So today, let us rejoice in this beautiful revelation that we call the word of God. May it always be an anchor, foundation, and basic cornerstone of our lives.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You have been revealed to humankind for thousands of years through the Holy Scriptures. Your message and ministry are still expressed, embraced, and enacted by millions of people in the world today. Thank You for such a divine, beautiful, and everlasting gift. 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.