Minute for Monday: Caring & Sharing

 

Moment for Monday: A New Hope

Need to let go of the past and begin again? Here's a short message and two great Bible verses for you. :)

Minute for Monday: Something New

Minute for Monday: God's Love

 A short devotion based on 2 Corinthians 8:0 - a verse to help us when we feel unworthy or have low esteem :)

Minute for Monday: Gifts - James 1:17

 A short devotion with a good promise to start the week :)

Monday Minute: Snow - Isaiah 1v18

 Today's Monday minute message :)

Midweek Devotion: Breakfast Buddies - John 21:12

 Here's today's short Midweek video devotion called "Breakfast Buddies," which is based on John 21 v 12. The text is below the video box. :)

John 21:12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. (NIV)

 One of the things that I miss dearly at the church is our monthly Men’s breakfast. About a dozen of us guys get together to sit down to a delicious breakfast which two of the group carefully prepare. We typically eat well and laugh well – sometimes at the pastor’s expense – and it is a great support group for all of us. Once this pandemic is over, I’ll be looking forward to be sharing breakfast with those guys in the church fellowship hall.

 I guess that’s why I like this post-resurrection story of Jesus having breakfast with the disciples. I can imagine that after their initial shock and surprise, they would share some laughter and light-hearted ribbing – probably at Peter’s expense – in order to rebuild their ties of friendship and faith. It seemed to be important to Jesus to share this moment with His friends. I think all of us will be happy to do something similar when we get through this present crisis.

 So, instead of dwelling on our current predicament, let’s look forward to those food and faith-sharing times when we will re-experience the laughter and love of friends in church together.

 Prayer: Lord God, You know how much we miss our church sisters and brothers and that we yearn to be in fellowship together. Please keep us safe throughout this pandemic and bring us to a time when we can thankfully be with one another gain. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

When? - Psalm 63 v 3

Psalm 63:3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. (NIV)

This morning, I received a lovely card from someone in the congregation. On the front, it had a picture of a beautifully lit church standing beside a gently flowing stream. Inside was a check donated to Erin church along with one simple question “When?”

I have asked myself that question hundreds of times lately, so I know what this church member was lovingly expressing. We all miss coming to the church sanctuary to be in God’s presence with His people. We all miss saying prayers and singing together. Sunday mornings are just not the same without being at church.

Now, I know some people say that the church is not a building and they are perfectly right, however, church buildings become sanctuaries and safe places to us where we can humbly enter and feel God’s peaceful presence that we sometimes cannot get in our homes, schools, or workplaces. We attach ourselves to a sacred building in much the same way as our pre-historic ancestors felt connected to their caves – it is a place of safety and acceptance, peacefulness and love.

I wish I could answer that simple question of “When?” with the word “Now,” but in our present circumstances, it has to be “Not yet.” I would love to open the doors today and have the good folks of the church streaming past me to get to the sanctuary that we all dearly love, but as a shepherd, I’m called to look after the sheep under my care, even when some of the flock want something else.

There will come a time, when we shall gather to declare our love for God and one another. There will come a moment when we will praise God together and even sing those ancient psalmist’s great words of faith: “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”

Please pray with me:

Lord Jesus, we all long to be in God’s House to praise Your Name as one family of faith. During these troubled times, grant us the patience to persevere and the wisdom to follow Your will. In Your Holy Name, we pray, and for Your Holy people, we ask. Amen.

Thanks for watching the devotion. May God bless you and all whom you love. BFN.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can watch our online service from our website at www.erinpres.org.

Midweek devotion - Hallmark - Luke 6:31

A short devotion on Christ's words from Luke 6:31 "Do to others as you would have them do to you."


 

Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. (NIV)

Mutual respect. Equal opportunity. Loving one another. Those are three teachable and reachable qualities that Christ encapsulates into this mind-blowing sentence:

‘Do to others as you would have them do to you.’

Many years ago, an old Scottish minister introduced me to this Bible verse and called it ‘The Golden Rule’ because it is basically taught by most religions throughout the world. It is also meant to be the hallmark by which Christians are recognized all over the Earth. Sadly, especially these days, that hallmark has been defaced and replaced with defiant un-Christlike words such as “Don’t tread on me,” or selfish, unbiblical phrases like “God helps those who help themselves.”

I find it deeply disappointing to come across Christians who are very selfish and insensitive to injustice. It makes me wonder what has made them so insecure and unsure about Jesus. His way of transforming human society was meant to bring out the best in us; however, we ended up idolizing the wrong things and, in the process, we have cast aside Jesus as the Liberator of our lives, choosing instead to embrace hostility, paranoia, conspiracies, and prejudice.

I believe we are at a significant crossroads today – not only as a nation, but as a worldwide faith. If we allow fear and falsehood, arrogance and indifference to publicly display our beliefs, then we will be called hypocrites and fools, driven by greed and power, defined as bullies and racists. People will walk away from our churches and reject anything we have to say. We will neutralize, marginalize, and stigmatize ourselves because of our failure to follow Christ’s path through selfishly pandering to our self-centered opinions, prejudices, and pride.

If we honestly believe ourselves to be Christians, then we will receive, embrace, and apply His teaching without polluting it with excuses, explanations, or exhortations that are definitely not what Jesus would ever have said or done. As always, the choice is ours to choose what is right or wrong; to select what our Savior says or to decide to follow something else. We will only have ourselves to blame for losing the world by pandering to our own souls.

Q: How do I display my faith in Jesus? Do others see Him or only me?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive us for failing to follow You. Pardon us for permitting our prejudices to conceal Your truth and display our inhumanity. In Your Holy Name, we shamefully pray. Amen.

If you would like to respond to today’s devotion, just send me an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

God bless and be with you all.

Midweek devotion: Growing Up - Luke 2:40

A short video devotion based on Luke 2:40. How Christ's young life can help us with our issues today.

 

Luke 2:40 And the child Jesus grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him. (NIV)

I like this picture of Jesus that Luke’s Gospel describes which, in just one sentence, covers at least twelve years. He grew up strong, probably because Jesus helped his earthly Dad, Joseph, in the carpentry business. I can see him carrying bundles of wood, using heavy tools, and even sweeping the sawdust from the floor at the end of each day. I think he would have enjoyed that work and there are old legends of Christ creating perfect pieces of furniture for customers in Nazareth.

But as well as strength, Jesus was also filled with wisdom, which meant that He must have attended school, studying the scriptures at the local synagogue, filling His mind with the wisdom of the Jewish sages in the past. In years to come, this knowledge would enable Him to follow God’s path and help other people find God’s Kingdom.

Lastly, in this one verse we are also told that the grace of God was on Him. What was the use of all that strength and knowledge if He didn’t know how to use it compassionately, mercifully, and lovingly? Strength can be used to bully others who are weaker; wisdom can be employed to marginalize those less able, but when God’s grace is mixed in with them, strength is used to support others and wisdom finds ways to help others. So, when Luke describes how Jesus grew up, he is showing us how God shaped Christ’s life for His future ministry.

Dear friends, in the midst of this pandemic, we may wonder what it is going to take to get us beyond this crisis. I believe that Luke presents the formula for such a solution: strength, wisdom, and the grace of God.

So, here is something to personally ponder: what strengths do we have and what knowledge do we possess that could be enhanced by the grace of God?

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, Your life is a true example of someone who was shaped by God to serve Him with strength, wisdom, and grace. Help us to be open to God’s will at this crucial time. May we serve Him and one another with all of our power and knowledge, mixed in with God’s grace. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

Midweek Devotion - Anxious Times

We live in anxious times, so what can this moment teach us about our loved ones and other folks who struggle with anxiety every day? A short devotion on Philippians 4:6-7.


Anxious Times from John Stuart on Vimeo.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

For some people, anxiety is a chronic illness which paralyzes them emotionally and exhausts them physically. They struggle with everyday tasks and try their utmost to combat feelings of unworthiness and insecurity which riddle their thoughts and tramp over their hearts. When they try to express what they are enduring, other folks don’t understand and say trite things like “Don’t worry about it. You’ll get over it. You can do this.” Instead of helping, it only makes anxiety-sufferers feel worse; instead of healing them, it hinders their well-being.

Living under the threat of a pandemic has perhaps given a lot of us a better understanding of what anxious people experience every single day. We feel lost with no clear sense of direction. We fear the worst will happen and some of our dreams at night have become pandemic nightmares. We don’t feel empowered or in control anymore because this crisis is way bigger than anything we have ever encountered. We feel inadequate and don’t know when or how this will end. We are experiencing anxiety and those who know this feeling every day can now say to us, “Welcome to my world.”

Today’s Bible verses from Paul may give some hope and reassurance to most of us. We can take these words and find the right amount of encouragement that we need to endure. When all of this is over, we may be in a position to thank God for an end to our dilemma, but our family members and friends who have chronic anxiety may not feel the same way.

Perhaps, then, if we use this time of pandemic as a life-teaching moment, we will be more empathetic to our loved ones who go through this kind of anxiety each day. And instead of saying trite words to make us feel better, perhaps just a sympathetic nod, a listening ear, and a more patient heart may offer some real support to them in the future.

Q: What have I learned about anxiety during this uncertain time? How may I use this to help others?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, these are times that try our souls and weary our spirits. We are deeply worried about the future and very concerned about what is yet to come. Help us to reflect on our present anxiety and teach us to become aware that this feeling of dread is what others among us experience every day. Bless them with the strength to endure and enable us to give them the empathetic support they really need. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

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

Mid-Week Devotion: Way to Go - Psalm 32:8

God is willing to help and guide us through this unsettling time.
A short devotion based on Psalm 32 v 8.

Midweek Devotion - Ancient Words - Psalm 27

A short devotion based on Psalm 27 v1 to help us through this crisis.

Mid-week devotion - Looking Ahead

A short devotion on Psalm 22 v 31 and how it can help us through this time.

Overcoming - Mark 9:23-24

Overcoming our fears and restoring hope in a time of pandemic.

Video devotion - Clean Hands - Psalm 18:20