Short devotion: Raiders - Revelation 11:19

 

Revelation 11:19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm. (NIV)

            Evelyn and I went to see “Raiders of the Lost Ark” at the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville yesterday afternoon. I had forgotten what a wonderful film it is. To watch it once again on a big screen was very enjoyable and a great way to unwind after a long and arduous week. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones has always been one of my favorite movie characters, so I enjoyed the whole event.

            The movie never stops or slows down – there’s always something going on. I remember talking to my Dad about it and he said the movie reminded him of the cliffhanger films that he saw as a child. I agreed. The movie has aged well. In yesterday’s audience, there were lots of people who had never seen it. They were just as enthralled as I was. It was a terrific movie theater experience.

            The story is all about a race between rivals who are looking for the lost Ark of the Covenant. The Ark contained the Ten Commandments etched on the original stone tablets, as well as Aaron’s Rod which he used to impress Pharaoh. For centuries, the Israelites used to carry it wherever they were and into battle. At some point, the Ark became lost and archaeologists have been looking for its whereabouts ever since.

            However, the Book of Revelation tells us that the Ark is no longer on Earth. According to today’s scriptural verse, it resides in God’s Heavenly Temple. Searching for the Ark may make the basis for a great Spielberg movie, but it’s a futile endeavor. God has it and we won’t see it again until the end of time when Heaven is opened and the Ark of the Covenant is once more revealed.

            As human beings, we can spend our lives looking for things in all of the wrong places. We can follow our own path, make our own way, only to realize that it leads to a dead end. We can ignore God’s guidance and end up nowhere fast. Or we can follow Christ and discover that faith, hope, and love not only exist, but that they endure forever. Now that’s a treasure worth finding, a discovery worth seeking.

Q: What am I looking for in life? Can God help me find this?

Prayer: Lord God, help us to focus on the things that You want us to experience and accomplish. Keep us from going down the wrong path. Lead us to Your Eternal Kingdom. In Christ’s Name we pray. Amen.

Today’s image is one of John’s Pentecost drawings called “SpiritFall.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: SpiritFall.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you want to know what’s happening at the church, please click this link: ErinChurch.

Christian Devotion: One Thought, One Path - Hebrews 13:14

Hebrews 13:14            For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

As Christians, we should always be seekers of God. Our purpose is to learn more and more about God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Our Christian Education did not end when we left Sunday School as a child or joined the church as an adult. As each day passes, we should know more about God than the day before.

This takes commitment, focus, and time, all of which are rare commodities in post-modern living. We want to read the next best seller or watch the latest episode of our favorite show. We wait in line for the next i-phone or pair of shoes. We queue up for the latest blockbuster at the movies or for the next thing in purses and clothes. We accumulate things instead of garnering knowledge. We add to our existence with objects, instead of increasing our experience of God.

            We exist to seek God but we allow ourselves to be distracted by things that will eventually wear down and be thrown out. We delude ourselves into thinking that money buys happiness, or brazenly convince ourselves that it will make us more content. We spend our lives looking for things that can’t last forever. We fool ourselves into filling up our lives with useless toys, appliances, and gadgets. We know in our hearts that we should seek God, but we excuse ourselves by taking God for granted and think that God indulges us. We idolize ourselves and become the center of a personal finite universe that will one day crumble and fall. We embrace our own spiritual extinction, instead of seeking God. In the end, we die alone, while God still exists for those who truly seek.

            There is One Thought in the entire universe: God exists.

There is One Path for our lives: Seek God.

Questions for personal reflection

What am I doing with my life? What does God expect me to do?

Prayer:            God of All Being, You exist and we only live in Your existence. May we set aside the delusions and distractions that misdirect us. May we seek more of You each and every day. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions on today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Pentecost images called “Spirit Guide.” If you would like to view a larger version, click on the following link: https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2908/13965185094_ee1b094897_b.jpg

Pray Today - Pass Tomorrow?

So long as students have to take exams, there will always be prayer in our schools. But how effective are those prayers? And what if a special written prayer could reduce stress, bring calmness, and help a student focus during the hours of an exam? Would it help the student to pass the test?

The Church of England has come with a novel idea of internet prayers for high school, college, and university students to recite before they enter exam rooms. The prayers are also available for teachers who tend to worry about their students during exams. After all, the outcome of the final grades is also used to measure the effectiveness of a teacher’s ability.

The Rev Janina Ainsworth, chief education officer for the Church of England has stated that the prayers were initially written for student gatherings or school assemblies. With a little tweaking, the prayers could be altered to suit an individual’s needs.

Leaving prayer to the last minute is more like wishful thinking, but taking time to sit down and really pray may help stressed out students calm down and give themselves a better opportunity of making their grades. The peace that passes all understanding may soon become the peace that passes every testing.

The prayers can be found at www.cofe.anglican.org/prayers

Persevering in a Bear Market

It’s looks as though we’re headed into a bear market. Stocks and shares around the world have depleted and a tide of recession is coming our way. This happens about once a decade and it requires a lot of nerve to pull through it. Investors get anxious about the short term effects upon their resources, whilst in the long run, the market eventually turns around and heads back up. Timing is everything and I guess the secret of successful investing is a bit like poker: knowing when to hold them and when to fold them.

Podcast version here

As well as an economic recession, I’ve noticed that we’re also experiencing a spiritual one. People seem weary of God right now and are looking for other solutions to give them meaning, purpose, and value to their lives. They’re scrambling to find significance for themselves, and any spiritual path that promises success, prosperity, and comfort will currently be highly attractive to a lot of people.

Hebrews 12:3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In a recent study, however, from Queensland, Australia, it was found that people who stray off the beaten traditional track to spirituality tend to become more dissatisfied with their lives. They keep pursuing God and happiness in the short term, not realizing that for faith to work it takes a lifetime commitment. This means that the weariness of the world will never satisfy our souls, but the constancy of Christ’s love can. That’s why the writer of Hebrews calls upon Christians to run the race of faith by fixing their eyes upon Jesus at the finish line. By remaining faithful to Him, we will not grow weary or lose heart.

No matter where the markets end up today, Jesus will still be with us. During these times that try our souls, we need to remember that life is not about bread or money, possessions or resources. As the world even says, you can’t take it with you. All that ultimately matters is our faith in Christ and His everlasting embrace of us.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, in the midst of all our troubles, fears, and anxieties, You are always present. Help us to remember that our faith is in You, and that it’s in God we trust, not the markets. Give us the strength to persevere, endure, and overcome whatever hardship, trials, or troubles we may still have to face. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

'Who is God' tops Internet searches

News just in from Religion & Spirituality

According to Google Zeitgeist's second annual report, "Who is God" was the most searched question on the search engine last year. It was first in the "Who is . . . ?" category. As for "What is . . . ?," love came on top, AsiaNews reported Wednesday. All this confirms that existential questions play a hugely important role on the net. Google Zeitgeist looked at all the questions internet surfers placed in the search engine. The study indicated that most questions came from the United States, the country with the most developed Internet.

Rest of the story can be found here