4 Minute Daily Devotions: One of Us - Habakkuk 2 v 13

Habakkuk 2:13 Has not the LORD Almighty determined that the people's labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?

Our Monday night study group at the church is looking at J B Phillips wonderful book, “Your God is Too Small.” It was written just more than half a century ago, but it is still relevant for Christians today. Phillips discusses the various conceptions that people have about God and how those conceptions are inadequate for modern people. Our group is enjoying the study because we all get to share our individual ideas about God and see how these relate to Phillips’ book.

At one point in the book, Phillips suggests that sometimes people conceive God as a Supreme Distant Being, with no opportunity of establishing a worshipful, prayerful, and personal relationship. Such deists end up feeling spiritually empty, and so they intensely devote themselves to do good deeds and make the world a better place. In the end, their purpose is futile and their mission does not last beyond their years on Earth. In other words, they exhaust themselves for nothing in trying to please the world and a Supreme Being, who is remotely not interested in anything they accomplish.

As Christians, we are thankful for the nearness of God and His intense interest in each of our lives. Jesus came down to be with us, to fully experience human life, to know of its pains and joys, and to recognize our weaknesses and strengths. We live for the Lord and the good that we do is not to bolster ourselves or better the world. We do it to glorify Christ and to continue His mission on Earth, even until the end of time.

Our God in Christ is not too small or remote at all. And our lives are His forever.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we thank You for becoming one of us and connecting our lives to God’s Kingdom. We praise for truly experiencing the human condition and for granting us the glorious opportunity of restoring us to God forever. Thank You for being one of us and for being with us. 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. He enjoys reading your comments.

Psalm Screensavers: Psalm 30

Continuing my Book of Psalms art project

4 Minute Devotions: Faithfulness

It's only through God's faithfulness to His Word, that we can ever be restored to His favor and love.

Podcast version here

1 Corinthians 1:9 God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

My faith is built upon the faithfulness of God. If God was ever unfaithful to His Word, my faith would instantly diminish and be destroyed. I depend upon His words being true, which is why I hold fast to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This gets me into bother sometimes, especially with other Christians whose affinity to the faith does not depend upon how truthful God’s Word is, but on how much they believe that God’s Word is trumped by God’s Love. Acceptance and tolerance are the keys to their faith and sometimes I envy them. It would be so easy to give up on God’s Word and interpret things the way that I wanted. Life would be less cumbersome without divine rules, regulations, and readings. I could do as I please, instead of trying to do what would please God.

Now don’t get the impression that I am a sanctimonious, saintly, separationist who delights in being perfect and loves it when other people fail. I am a sinful person, whose mistakes often disappoint God, other people, and even me. Because I hold fast to the faithfulness of God’s Word, it hurts me to hurt Him. My failure to remain faithful, however, does not diminish the truth about God’s Word. He remains faithful, so that when I seek forgiveness, He pardons me through the precious blood of Christ.

That’s why my faith is built upon God’s faithfulness. Left to myself, I cannot always keep His words. At some point, during each day of my life, I am going to sin. My thoughts, my words, or my deeds are going to betray God. Whether it’s intentional or not, the result is still the same: through my selfishness, I have separated myself from God. It’s only through His faithfulness that I can ever be restored to God’s favor and love.

Perhaps you’ve separated yourself from God through something that you’ve done or said. Maybe like me, you find yourself spiritually alone because of selfish and sinful ways. It seems as though there’s no hope, no solution, and no one to turn to, but that is completely wrong. God is faithful and He will find us, no matter how lost, sinful, or unfaithful we have been.

Prayer: Lord God, we all make mistakes and allow our sinful ways to separate us from Your love. We feel alienated and isolated, spiritually crushed and totally abandoned at times. Despite what we do to what we do to ourselves, You remain faithful and offer us forgiveness through the holy sacrifice of Your Son Jesus Christ. Help us at this time, to turn to Him and receive Your mercy and grace. In Christ’s Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

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

No One Cares

I was there in the kitchen when Annette’s mom took a massive stroke. One moment, she was laughing and smiling; the next, she had a strange look on her face and her eyes seemed out of control. It couldn’t have happened at a worse time. It was during Annette’s 10th birthday party, when everyone was supposed to be happy and joyful. I remember that within minutes all the kids at the party were ushered upstairs out of the way. We soon heard the sirens of the paramedics, and then about half an hour later, we were all sent home.

Podcast version here

For the next seven days, we all prayed for Annette and her mother. And then came the news that Annette’s mom had died. It was the very first time that death had ever touched our generation.

Annette changed after the funeral. Before, she had been a happy person with beautiful sparkling green eyes that I still remember to this day. She became quiet and withdrawn, and those lovely eyes looked hollow and lifeless. None of us knew what to do or say. We were too young to understand and too helpless to reach out.

Bible verse for today
Psalm 142:4 Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.

Annette drifted for a while and grief struck her very hard. I guess she must have thought that no one cared for her life, or that no one was concerned for her. I cannot imagine what she endured during her teenage years, and I’m sure that she still dreads each year when her birthday comes around. Wherever she is today, I hope and pray that she has found the love that she lost, and that her bonnie emerald eyes sparkle with joy again.

There are times in each of our lives when we feel isolated and alone, insecure and vulnerable. During those painful and petrifying moments, God holds on to us, especially when we begin to lose our grip of Him. No matter what we endure or experience, God is there to love and support us, just waiting to guide and embrace us when we are ready to receive Him again.

Prayer: Lord God, today we pray for lonely hearts and sad eyes. We prayerfully ask that You touch those whose lives are wounded by loss and grief. Surround them with people who care, and concerned friends. Help them in the midst of their fears and foes, their despair and depression. In Your Holy Name, we sincerely pray. Amen.

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

If you would like to comment on this message, he would love to hear from you. Just email John at pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

Living with Loneliness

For some people, this is a very lonely time of year. The celebrations of Christmas have come and gone. New Year resolutions are beginning to fail, and the hopes of making a difference or being successful are starting to fade. Loneliness sets in and depression, like a creeping shadow, slowly overcomes some people.

Podcast version here

Finding God in loneliness can be hard at times. And yet the Bible is full of lonely people. Joseph is kidnapped and finds himself in a foreign land. Moses is exiled from his people until he is eighty. Ruth and Naomi feel abandoned by their community when their husbands die. David has to flee for safety and live in caves several times throughout his long life. Elijah is a fugitive and just wants to die because he is so lonely. Daniel is isolated in the lion’s den where no one can help him. Jesus gets so lonely at times, even in the midst of crowds, that He has to go off early in the morning to solitary places just to have some quiet time with God.

And how lonely must it have felt for Christ, when the whole world turned against Him and nailed Him to a cross of shame?


Verse of the Day


Psalm 118:29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.



Loneliness is a tough part of life and a hurting of the soul. A recent study suggests that people who are lonely, who feel disconnected to society, look to God for solace, friendship, and companionship. Perhaps they understand that loneliness and isolation will come to us all one day. Perhaps lonely people are one spiritual step ahead of the crowd, because they understand that in the end it’s our relationship with God that will eternally matter. And perhaps they know, in the midst of their hurt, disappointment, and loneliness that only God’s love endures forever.

In the midst of our busy, stressful lives, we should set aside sometime to be lonely – lonely and looking for God. Our loneliness can lead to faithfulness in a sacred way that only the lonely understand. Their loneliness can become a gift from a loving God, for better than others, they know that He will never abandon nor forsake them, nor will He ever stop loving them or let them go.

Prayer: O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee; I give Thee back the life I owe, that in Thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be. Amen.

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

Finding God in Loneliness

Study finds that Lonely people are more likely to believe in God.

People who feel lonely are more likely to believe in the supernatural, whether that is God, angels or miracles, a new study finds.

Humans have evolved as social creatures, so loneliness cuts to the quick. Living in groups was critical to the survival and safety of our ancient ancestors, and "complete isolation or ostracism has been tantamount to a death sentence," said University of Chicago researcher Nicholas Epley, who led the study.

While group living isn't critical to survival in the modern world, feeling socially connected is. Feeling isolated and lonely is a very painful emotional state for people, Epley said, and can lead to ill health, both physically and mentally.

Read the rest of the story here…

Only the Lonely

John 16: 32 "But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. (NIV)

Loneliness is something that afflicts every one of us from time to time. There are moments in our lives when we feel vulnerable, isolated, and even alienated from our friends and families, as well as the people around us. Each person has to get through life as best as she or he can. Every one of us goes through this journey we call life uniquely and individually.

Sometimes our loneliness is caused by our actions. We paint ourselves into a corner through making the wrong choices. At other times, we are fiercely independent, not willing to look for help or support from our friends or families. And then there are those occasions when we stand out against the crowd, believing in things that others don’t, or struggling to be different from the rest of society.

No matter what causes our loneliness, how we cope with it reveals our strengths and weaknesses, our characteristics and personality traits. For Jesus, loneliness meant speaking out against injustice, going against traditions, and preaching an unpopular message. His loneliness was brought on by remaining true to His calling and obeying God. It’s something that Paul would later describe as being true to oneself.

In recent weeks, I’ve come across people who think, act and do things differently from what I believe, say, and do. In the past, I’ve often dismissed them as being sad, weird, and disillusioned people. I’ve not credited them with the courage to be different. I’ve not respected their wishes to walk a different path. I’ve not recognized that God makes each of us unique with a different set of characteristics, personalities, and ideas. One such person is Ngia who writes the Wayside Pulpit blog. She has written about the loneliness of being a Progressive Christian. It is a remarkable statement of personal faith.

Loneliness can be a feeling of being unloved, but it can also be a calling to explore the unexplainable, to walk the unattainable, and to believe the untraditional. In other words, there are lessons to be learned, acquired and experienced in the lonely heart that hunts for meaning, purpose, and truth.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, loneliness is a part of life. We belong to many groups, societies, and organizations, but we are still individuals who experience existence in different ways. When we feel isolated and vulnerable, give us the perseverance to endure. When we feel that we are out on a limb, alone and all by ourselves, grant us the courage to sustain our thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and opinions. And when at last we walk through the valley of the shadow of death on our own, come near to us and take us by the hand. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

That Empty Feeling

Scottish Audio version here

Isaiah 63: 17 Why, O LORD, do you make us wander from your ways and harden our hearts so we do not revere you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes that are your inheritance. (NIV)

One of the saddest sights that I see in ministry happens when people decide to no longer come back to church. It happens in every congregation that exists, but for different reasons. Sometimes people fall out with the pastor; at other times they fall out with the denomination; and there are other occasions when they just fall away for no apparent reason at all. They just fade quietly into the background and then they’re gone. Their spirits are empty of God and their hearts are hardened. Whatever faith they once experienced is all gone, used up, and diminished.

In Glasgow, Scotland, there’s a controversy brewing because the Presbyterian Church of Scotland is closing a church building that was built over the site of a sixth century church. People from Glasgow are protesting and citing family connections of their great-grandparents as reasons for keeping the church open. But the sad and realistic fact is this: if the people have stopped going to church, why keep it open? Sometimes the biggest hypocrites are those who are outside of the church who want to keep it open for all the wrong reasons.

A church has a life, a ministry, and a mission to accomplish – it’s a living organism. It’s not a building, a sacred sanctuary, or a treasure house of memories. Every church is a mission station, not a museum.

As society changes and our Christian culture become more irrelevant to our civilization, we must ask ourselves this question: are our churches empty because our spirits are empty? Are our churches being closed because our hearts are closed to God?

I think we know the answers.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, come into our hearts so that we may come into Your churches. Take away our pride and arrogance, so that we may humbly serve and worship You. Remind us that faith is not a leisure pursuit, but that it is an eternal lifestyle choice. Keep us mindful that our lives belong to You and that our souls are empty without You. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Acedia

Audio version here

Romans 5:5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (NIV)

I came across a new word the other day: acedia. It means ‘spiritual languor.’ I guess it’s like belief burnout or compassion fatigue. It’s when you lose your connection to God, His church or His people, and you end up feeling isolated, vulnerable, and maybe even abandoned.

It’s like being in a spiritual wilderness with no sense of direction, focus, or meaning. It’s a hard state to be in and a hard experience to endure. Souls can feel lost in acedia, but it seems to be an important part of our spiritual journey and Christian growth.

The Desert Fathers of the fourth and fifth centuries experienced a lot of this, especially when they chose to be isolated from the rest of the Christian community. They went out into the desert to find themselves because they were too many distractions around them in the towns and cities where they lived. They found the peace and quiet, solace and tranquility they were looking for, but slowly and surely acedia wormed its way into their hearts and minds. For a time, their souls became depressed and their grasp of God weakened. Some of them went mad with despair, whilst others were overwhelmed with a spiritual malaise.

So, how did they overcome acedia? They kept on praying. They kept on meditating about God. They kept on reading the scriptures. And even although this was hard to do, they persevered; bringing their souls through that acediac wilderness to a realization of a new hope in God’s overflowing love through being reconnected to the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps, you are feeling the same acedia. Maybe you’ve felt disconnected to God for a while and have lost some of that peace, presence and spiritual strength you so desperately need at this time. You’re not alone, and others have walked that wilderness path before you. Keep praying. Keep reading. Keep persevering. You’ll one day discover that God still holds you in His hand and that He keeps pouring out His love to you day by day, hour by hour, second by second.

Prayer: Father God, sometimes we feel that we have lost our grasp of faith and that things are not the same. Sometimes we wonder if You are really there, or if we are really that important to You. As we struggle with acedia, keep on loving us. Continue to guide us by Your grace and lead us by Your love. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.