A Scottish Spiderman

How a wee spider saved one of Scotland's greatest heroes.

Next to William Wallace of ‘Braveheart’ fame, Robert the Bruce is one of Scotland’s greatest heroes. He led the Scottish forces to victory over the English at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. It was a victory that ensured Scottish independence and enabled the Scots people to enjoy their freedom for several centuries.

Podcast version here

Like Wallace before him, Robert the Bruce had many setbacks and almost gave in to despair. At one point, he was a fugitive and spent the night in a cold, damp cave in order to hide from his enemies. He had reached the lowest point of his life and felt his struggle to win independence for Scotland was not worth the trials and tribulations he endured.

The story is told that he watched a spider trying to spin a web at the mouth of the cave. It kept trying to hook itself to a ridge, but kept failing and falling. Bruce was fascinated with the attempts that the spider made to latch itself on to the cave, but felt that it was futile. However, the wee spider persevered and eventually managed to accomplish its task. Soon the mouth of the cave was covered with a web.

This inspired Bruce to rethink his own unsuccessful campaign. If he and his Scottish army persevered, then perhaps they could win their freedom. After all, thought Bruce, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again.’ For the first time in what seemed like ages, Bruce slept soundly in the cave.

What he didn’t know was that his enemies were nearby, scouring the land and searching for him. When they came to the cave, they almost entered it and would have found the sleeping Bruce defenseless. But they passed it by. Why? Because of the spider’s web. His enemies wrongly thought that because the web was unbroken, no one had entered the cave. The wee spider had not only inspired Bruce, it had actually saved his life.

Bible Verse of the Day

Jeremiah 32:39 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them.

When Jeremiah speaks of “singleness of heart and action”, he is talking about perseverance and endurance. His people have wavered in their religious beliefs, causing them to be disunited and divided, which in turn made them easily conquered by their enemies. Jeremiah’s prophecy is about a time when God will put all things right and His people will not be diverted or distracted from fully worshiping and believing in God.

As Christians, we are the heirs of that prophecy. God has given us His Son Jesus to worship and glorify. When we focus upon Him and place our lives into His Hands, we are inspired to lead better lives because He sets us free from our sinful past and leads us towards a more promising future. In Him, we are given meaning for our lives; through Him, we are restored to God’s love and favor forevermore.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You for succeeding over sin and winning the battle with evil and death. Your singleness of heart and action led You to the Cross at Calvary, which in turn granted us the hope of forgiveness and the opportunity of everlasting life. We owe everything to You, so we place our lives into Your hands for Your service, mission and Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Erin Church Devotionals: Why We Should Still Celebrate Columbus Day

Hebrews 11:27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. (NIV)

Today is Columbus Day but the only way most people are going to notice it, will take place when they look for their mail. The Post Offices are usually closed, although even that may have changed because we just don’t celebrate or commemorate this holiday like we used to. I wonder if the schools even talk about Columbus’ journey to the New World? It seems like we want to forget it ever took place. Some people even think of it in terms of an invasion force, as opposed to a voyage of discovery.

Columbus’ log of the journey reflects a lot of his faith, which he shared with Queen Isabella of Spain. Part of his mission was to try to find a route to China, but he also saw it as a means of spreading the Gospel to people across the world. His journal of the voyage begins with the solemn words “In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He saw himself as being the primary vehicle of bringing Christ’s words across the globe. As Columbus himself put it, "I feel persuaded by the many and wonderful manifestations of Divine Providence in my especial favor, that I am the chosen instrument of God in bringing to pass a great event-no less than the conversion of millions who are now existing in the darkness of sin."

Whatever we think about this special day, there’s no denying the fact that all of us have benefited by his journey. None of us would be here if Columbus hadn’t sailed the ocean blue in 1492. The timeline that we are living under would never have happened without that voyage of perseverance and discovery. His story is our story, too.

Perseverance is something that Columbus had to keep in order for his voyage to succeed. In today’s Bible passage, we also read about Moses’ perseverance in the face of temptation and corruption, which enabled him to break free of the Egyptian court and eventually led him to deliver his people from slavery. Again, his story becomes the story of his people. Without Moses’ perseverance and faith, none of it would have transpired, in which case, none of our faith in Christ would exist today.

I guess what I’m trying to express is that there is a fragile timeline of connectionalism which links us to the past. Without those events, we would not exist. Without Moses or Columbus, our world would be entirely different today. That’s why commemorating Columbus Day should be important to us. That’s why acknowledging the great moments of discovery in the past should help us to appreciate the present and look forward to the future.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Time is a mysterious element which is fundamental to our lives. Past events are all connected to our present conditions and our faith is tied up to moments in history that were world changing events. Grant us an appreciation of how important past discoveries and faithful events have had in shaping our faith, beliefs, and church. In Your Holy Name, we live and pray. Amen.

Do Not Lose Heart

Scottish audio version here

2 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. NIV

At this time last year, our church underwent some serious trouble. One of our staff members had terrible personal problems, which in turn affected the whole congregation and created a small division. It took a great deal of focus, energy, and determination to endure and overcome the fall out. A lot of prayer was said and eventually the tide turned. We lost eight members, but by the end of the year, we still managed to have an overall gain of eighteen people. God’s mercy enabled us to carry on our ministry and mission at Erin Presbyterian. Through His grace, we did not lose heart.

Since then, we’ve undergone recovery. We’re still picking up the pieces and are only beginning to restart some projects that fell by the wayside. For the first time in a long time, we’ve let God carry us, as well as lead us. It’s been a humbling experience, but in the end it will prove to be a worthwhile one.

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians so long ago, he was addressing them as someone who had been through a lot of trouble, grief, and pain. He had been beaten up for his faith, cast out of different cities, shipwrecked, and almost lynched on several occasions. He had also been arrested, thrown into jail, and was now awaiting trial. If anyone had a right to lose heart, it was Paul, but he also relied upon God’s mercy to get him through the bad times, as well as the good ones.

He was also writing to a church that had its share of problems. The Christians at Corinth were going through a cultural war, where members of the congregation were struggling with adhering to Christ’s demands, as opposed to accepting the world’s ways. They wanted to be holy, but not different; they aspired to be faithful, but not unfashionable. Paul reminded them of their special calling in order to help them get back on the right track. And even though he was hundreds of miles away from them, Paul embraced them in his heart and loved them back to the Gospel.

Today, you may be doubting yourself, your faith, your church, your purpose, your personal ministry and mission. Remember that God is merciful and that through Christ, He will sustain you. Do not lose heart, for remember, He who called you to do His will is patient, gracious, faithful, and forgiving.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we feel so unworthy, so unprepared, and so faithless at times to fulfill the ministries that You ask us to undertake and accomplish. We get frustrated and impatient, bedeviled and beguiled by our fears, our doubts, and our problems. Grant us Your grace to sustain us through our worst experiences and most troublesome of times. Lead us by Your love, so that we will not lose heart, nor let go of our calling. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.