What Lies Ahead - Genesis 45:7

Genesis 45:7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. (NIV)

            Sometimes I wonder why God brought me from Scotland to become a pastor in the United States. The trans-Atlantic move initially disrupted our family and caused some painful separation from our friends, but I believe that God’s hand was preparing the way and His will was being fulfilled for some purpose or purposes that I still cannot always comprehend. Whatever the reason, I hope that what God wants with my life is still being done.

            No matter how often I read or hear about the story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis, his encounter with his brothers in Egypt amazes me. When he proceeds to forgive them of the past by declaring all that happened was God’s doing, it touches my heart deeply. Instead of punishing them for selling him, Joseph finally pardons and embraces them. Rather than getting revenge, Joseph gives glory to God for directing his life to the point where he can offer his whole estranged family salvation. It’s a wonderful story of forgiveness and love, purpose and meaning, which still inspires many people today.

            Perhaps we should all take the time to reflect on our own journey and think about the wonders God has shaped and performed in our lives. We all have special moments, choices, and events which change us completely. If we see them as a part of God’s purpose for our lives, then we will come to understand that there is a higher hand in all that we seek to accomplish and do. Perhaps, like Joseph, we will realize how often God walks ahead of us and keeps all of our tomorrows in His hands.

Point to ponder

What are the most crucial events in my life? How was God involved in them?

Prayer:  Lord God, Your ways are often mysterious and we cannot fully fathom Your thoughts. Help us to look back to the past and see those moments of Your kindness and concern, as well as Your help and healing throughout our lives. Keep us faithful to Your will and continue to direct our journey. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. The church’s website can be found at www.erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest drawings called ‘Promised Blessing.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Promise.

Daily Devotions: Fractured Feelings

Romans 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

I was feeling sorry for myself the other day. It was the usual round of over worked, over worried, and over stretched. Of course I was the creator of all the stuff that I was experiencing, but in my selfish heart I just wanted God to make things easier, less difficult, and more relaxed. In other words, I was going through a self-pity party and needed God to do what I desired. Instead of fixing my heart on Him, I just wanted God to fix everything for me.

It only lasted a little while (along with a little whine), and then I began to hear about other people with real problems, serious issues, and tragic circumstances. There’s nothing quicker that jolts me out of being self-absorbed than a dose of someone else’s reality. It makes me soon realize that things could be a lot worse and that the stress I experience is no real hardship at all.

I wonder if we Western Christians will ever really understand what faith suffering is all about? Faith sharing is our big thing over here – we share our beliefs, ideas, and opinions quite a lot, but when it comes to faith suffering, that’s a different story.

As I am writing this, Christians in China are languishing in prison. Christ followers are watching their homes burn in India. Fellow believers are being harassed in Iraq and hunted down in Iran. Christians in Nigeria are being ambushed, mugged, raped, and slaughtered. Sudanese and Ethiopian Christians are watching their children die from starvation, malnutrition, malaria, or even measles. Meanwhile, I’m feeling sorry for myself and want the Lord to answer my prayers and respect my feelings.

HHhmmm, there’s obviously something wrong…

Prayer: O Lord, forgive me. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at 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.

4 Minute Daily Devotions: Spiritually Mobile

Psalm 21:6 Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

A new study from the Pew Research Council was released yesterday. It highlights the fact that many people move from one church to another several times throughout their lives. A large number of the adult worshiping population are no longer attending churches or denominations from their childhood. As they have matured and their children’s needs have grown, people have move from one worship center to another. As one commentator has stated, “We have become mobile and self-centered.”

Non-Christian religions, too, are showing the effects of a "salad bar approach" to faith, said Nathan Katz of Florida International University. He said many Americans shuttle between Zen centers, yoga classes and Kabbalah studies.

There seems to be a great spiritual restlessness affecting people today. It’s like a form of spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder, where people get too easily distracted and don’t give themselves enough time, focus, and familiarity with faith. Christianity is just another religious ware to be consumed instantly and discard easily if it doesn’t fit our expectations.

But faith was never meant to be an instant pill to cure all of our problems and make us feel better. True faith requires perseverance, commitment, and dedication for it to have any lasting effect over our lives. If we church hop from one place to another, we never really develop a faith community or worship family that we can depend upon when things go wrong in our lives. We become independent and isolated, cut off and alone from the power of the people of God.

I wish and pray that more people would get over their restless spiritual tendencies and stick with the program that Christ laid out. I personally and fully believe that Jesus has the answer to all of our questions about life, meaning, and purpose. I also personally know that He can be relied upon when things get tough and problematic in our lives. The eternal blessings that Christ has to offer us can become our greatest joy, but only if we truly, completely, and determinedly allow His presence into our hearts and minds, our days and lives.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, release us from spiritual restlessness and enable us to turn our lives over to You. Show us the value of faithfulness and help us to be more intentional about practicing, worshipping, and applying our faith. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly 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.

4 Minute Devotions: Running on Empty

I was reading a pastor’s blog yesterday which saddened me. He’s retired and after many years of serving the Church, he just doesn’t feel like going back on Sundays. He’s tired of the old liturgical ways and of Christ being hijacked by evangelical Christians. He feels more comfortable with Islamic and other world religion’s views of Jesus.

I think he’s reaping what he sowed. He’s on the progressive side of theology and has ended up with an empty heart. He’ll protest that the Church has gone to the dogs and that Bible thumping believers are just spiritual thugs, but those are just smokescreens for his unhappiness. He chose the wrong path long ago and he’s ended up in a dead end. I feel sorry for him and wish that he could turn his heart back over to Jesus, the Christ of the Gospels and the King of Good News.

Our faith is not a plaything or leisure pursuit. What we put into it, is exactly what we’ll get out of it. If we kick against the goads, as Jesus would put it, or reject His true words, we end up creating narcissistic gospels that reflect our own feelings, opinions, and ideas which, in the end, leave us spiritually bankrupt, isolated, and bitter.

Luke 12:31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

If, however, we come to the New Testament Gospels as seekers looking to become servants of God, and if we take Christ’s words as being true, then we spiritually flourish through the riches of His grace and find ourselves attached to the real community of faith. At the end of our lives, instead of feeling bitter, we will know the eternal comfort of God and the everlasting joy of Christ. That’s what that retired pastor could have received, but instead of being fed by Jesus, he sadly chose to feed himself until there’s nothing left.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive us when we take You for granted or seek to displace You in our hearts with our own ways and words. Keep us from creating our own gospels and instead, teach us to learn from Yours. Be with us and bless us throughout the days of our lives. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.