4 Minute Devotions: False Alarms

Have you ever had one of those days when you walked in the house and forgot to switch off the burglar alarm? Or you had the alarm on, and went to take the garbage out late at night, only to panic when all of the sirens, bells, and whistles screamed throughout the subdivision?

Hello, my name is John Stuart, and I’m an accidental alarmist.

It’s so embarrassing and you feel like an absolute fool. One moment the neighborhood is all quiet and cozy, and then it’s as if World War Three had broken out late at night. And you know what the neighbors are thinking: that Scottish twit has just set off his burglar alarm again.

For peace and security, most people invest in some sort of burglar alarm. They want to keep their homes free from any disturbance, break-in, or invasion. A burglar alarm guarantees that everyone in the neighborhood knows that something is wrong and the security people, who monitor the alarm, get ready to call the police if no one responds to their call.

We all want peace and security in our lives, whether it’s in our homes, at our school, or in our workplaces. We hate the stress and pressure of conflict and alarm, fear and trouble. We all just want to get on with our lives and be left in peace to enjoy our freedom, resources, and leisure.

Isaiah 32:17 The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.

The Bible offers us these in two ways: from the Old Testament, Isaiah suggests that peace and security are the fruits of righteousness, which really means remaining absolutely loyal to God. If we are faithful to Him, then God will protect us from all sorts of trouble.

But the New Testament is slightly different. Paul states that if we want to experience the peace that surpasses all understanding, then we have to allow Jesus to guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7). In other words, Christ becomes for us the spiritual burglar alarm within our souls, so that when evil and temptation try to ruin our peace and upset our lives, Jesus gives us the strength, guidance, and courage to overcome them.

So, if we want real peace and security in our lives, we need to place our faith in God and let Christ rule our minds and hearts. Otherwise, we’re just setting ourselves up for fear and anxiety, worry and heartbreak.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we all feel insecure, isolated, and irrelevant at times. Help us to hold on to Your promises and to look to You to bring the peace and security that we need in our hearts, minds, and souls. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Holy Spirit

Audio Version here

John 16:8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:

Some people think that the work of the Holy Spirit is just to infuse everyone with dynamic energy so that worship services, ministries and missions can be made more effective, positive and amazing. Far too often, we have this idea that the Holy Spirit is the fizz in our spiritual lives that makes us feel better as Christians. But from this passage today, Jesus reveals to us that the prime purposes of the Holy Spirit are to convict us of our sin and disbelief; to show us what righteousness is; and to judge the world for its failures to accept Christ.

If we think about it deeply, we begin to realize that this is what Easter expresses to us. On Maundy Thursday, the night in which Jesus was betrayed, we all feel guilty because we recognize that any one of us could have been Judas. We say that we love and worship Jesus, but how many times each day do we cast aside His counsel and throw away His words?

On Good Friday, we are shown what righteousness is when we see Christ crucified on the Cross. We see our Savior dying for the world and we realize that it’s only His goodness that prevents God from destroying the world again.

And then on Easter morning, we experience the almighty power of God and Christ’s authority over the world, flesh, and the devil. They tried to keep Christ dead forever, but His righteousness prevailed so that this world and its Satanic prince are judged for all of eternity.

And how do we know that these things are true? Through the work of the Holy Spirit, because He takes away the veil that covers our hearts and minds. He opens the doors of understanding; He brings us to that sacred moment of recognition, revelation, and realization because He confronts, convicts and afflicts us with these eternal truths.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, You are more than we can understand and wilder than anything we can control. You enter our hearts and minds, penetrating our thoughts and ideas. We are afraid of You because of the truths about ourselves that You reveal. Come into our lives and help us to accept Your holiness, knowing that it will challenge and change all of us. In Christ’s Sacred Name, we pray. Amen.

Managing Branches

Jeremiah 33:15 "'In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land.

We have a grape myrtle tree right in the middle of our back lawn. When mowing season begins, I have to struggle past the tree with my lawnmower. The tree is also on the side of a hill, so it’s not an easy obstacle to circle. And when it reaches its peak growth in the Fall, the new branches that have sprouted are thick and hard to negotiate around.

Some friends have suggested that to make life easier I should just cut down the tree, pull up its stump, and re-grass the lawn. It certainly would make things less difficult for me. But there’s a story behind the tree, which is why it continues to exist in the middle of the lawn, at the crest of the hill.

We purchased the house from a young couple who had three boys. After we finally closed the deal, the mother drew us aside and asked, “Please promise that you won’t cut down the myrtle tree. I had a miscarriage and we lost our baby girl. We planted the tree in memory of her.”

So, during the mowing season, I circumnavigate the tree because of a promise that we made, and in memory of a little girl that we didn’t know. And if ever we have to move or sell the house, I’ll say to the buyers, “Please promise you won’t cut down the myrtle tree.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Righteous branch that sprouted from the line of David. Your connection to him across the centuries fulfilled the promises of God. Graft each of us onto Your Branch, so that we may grow in Your goodness and continue to fulfill those righteous promises. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.