4 Minute Devotions: Everything We Need

This is one of those blessed verses that we all need to read and hear during uncertain times. Peter reminds us, in a cheerful way, about the grace of God and how He uses His divine power to sustain our needs.

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

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Most of us worry about our future, and with the stock market crash, some of us have lost substantial amounts in our savings. Others of us are working for businesses that are teetering on the edge of liquidation. And there are some of us who are getting ready to go out into the marketplace, to look for or start a new job. In times like these, faith becomes a priceless commodity through the promises that God makes in the Bible.

Peter states that God has given us everything that we need for life. It’s not everything that we want, but it is all that we need. As we get through this recession, we may come out of it as more thrifty people. We may have a better understanding of what is necessary for our lives, and what are luxuries. It may be tough on all of us for a while, but God’s promises are always fulfilled. His divine power has given us everything we need for life. That’s an assurance that God will sustain His people through these times.

But God also adds a blessing to this promise. Peter talks about being given godliness through our knowledge of God. In other words, as we experience God’s blessings, we increase our understanding of who God is; and as we grow in understanding, we become more confident of His assurances, blessings, and promises. Having faith in Christ and knowing who God is, gives us tenacity, strength, and wisdom for the years ahead. People without faith are left to get through these times on their own. People with faith are carried and supported by God to better days, better times, and better, more meaningful and purposeful lives.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life.

Prayer: Lord God, we are all subject to fears and worries, anxieties and concerns, especially about the future. We thank You for the blessings of Your words and the promises of scripture. Assure us that Your presence and power is all that we need for life. Help us to share this message with those who need to be most reassured throughout these times. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Expectantly Waiting

Is Advent about Christmas or something more important? What’s the reason for this season?

Luke 3:15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ.

I wonder what would happen if we were to celebrate Advent every day? Most of us think about Advent when we see the candles being lit in church on Sunday mornings. Some of us even think that Advent is the season when we await the baby Jesus being born amongst us.

But Advent is much more than candles and cribs. It’s not about nostalgically looking back; it’s all about expectantly looking forward.

Looking forward to what, I can hear some of you say? Looking forward to that wonderful day when Christ will return to the Earth in all of His glory, majesty, and power. You see Advent is not about Christmas time; it’s about the end of Time.

We spend so much of the Yuletide holidays singing carols, buying gifts, and wrapping presents, that we’ve forgotten to wait expectantly for Jesus. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the lights and decorations, glitters and garlands, Christmas trees and cards, but they don’t reflect what this important church season is all about.

I often wish that someone would produce Advent cards with a picture of Christ’s Second Coming and these words inside: ‘Are you ready for Christ to return?’ Instead, we will all send and receive ho-ho-ho Santa cards, or ones pictured with snow covered churches and sparkling fir trees, which sadly lead our thoughts away from the Coming Messiah and back to the commercialized manger.

So I guess today’s challenge is this: are you getting ready for Christmas or Advent?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we have largely forgotten what Advent represents. We busy ourselves with Christmas, instead of taking time to remember that You are coming again to completely reconcile Creation, bring an end to Time, and to judge the Earth. Keep us mindful of Your return and help us to wait expectantly each day. In Your Holy Name, we 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: Handling the Word

Correctly handling the word of truth is something that all preachers should remember. Omitting what we don't like from scripture only causes us to rewrite the Gospel and reject God's Word.

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2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

I’ve been a bit remiss these past couple of weeks in writing these devotionals. It’s been really busy at the church I serve, and lately I’ve had difficulty in prioritizing my time. It makes me feel ashamed because I’m always advising people to make time for God. It seems as though the pastor hasn’t been practicing what he preaches, so I need to get back on the right track.

I’ve also been more aware of what constitutes correctly handling the word of truth. At a big meeting the other day, which was full of pastors and elders, someone preached a really good sermon on chapter three of John’s Gospel. It was a great message of hope and full of the Spirit, but the preacher only preached from John 3: 1-17. She opted to omit verses 18-21, which actually ends the conversation between Christ and Nicodemus in this chapter. It made me wonder why. Here are the verses:

John 3:18-21 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

You see those last four verses reveal how serious it is to reject believing in God through Jesus. Up until that point in the chapter, Jesus is attempting to teach Nicodemus about the love, grace, and mercy of God. But He ends His conversation with dire warnings, and so when we preach from that chapter, we need to be prepared to correctly handle the word of truth. It may be a lot easier to ignore the bad bits and just preach the good, but when we do that, we end up rewriting the Gospel and making Christ’s words suit ourselves.

Do I wish that Jesus had never spoken verses 18-21? Sometimes, but then I remember that God’s grace is never given cheaply or just casually placed before us. We are given an invitation to believe in Jesus, along with an opportunity to receive salvation. It is never thrust upon us and each person must accept or reject it. The consequences of our decision are plainly expressed by Christ; we can never complain to Him that we didn’t understand our options. Grace and judgment go hand in hand. How we finally experience them depends upon the choice each one of us makes.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your Gospel gives us the greatest opportunity of a lifetime for each one of us. You offer us the hope of being forgiven for all of our mistakes, and restored to God’s favor for all of eternity. This is the greatest blessing that we can receive in our lives. But You do not force this upon us; instead You allow us to use our free will to determine whether or not we will accept Your invitation. Grant us the wisdom to respond lovingly to this everlasting gift. Remind us of the consequences which will follow our final choices. In Your Holy Name, we humbly and gratefully pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Church or Kingdom?

Are denominations important for our spiritual journey? Are Christians dividing their loyalty between Christ and the Church?

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Acts 17: 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

Our wee church is growing, but sadly our denomination is not. Erin is a Christ-centered, biblically moderate church, whereas our denomination is on the progressive side of Christianity. It used to be that this didn’t matter, but lately it has caused people to become a part of our congregation, without officially joining the church.

I understand how people feel, but I believe that they’re missing out of a great opportunity to get officially involved in the Fellowship of the church. In the Church of Scotland, such friends of the congregation are known as adherents: they stick to the congregation, but will not participate in the life, ministry, and work of the denomination.

There’s no easy answer to this dilemma, except to say that God doesn’t recognize any denomination. Christ’s Church is One Church, of One Faith, and One Lord. When we all get to heaven, there won’t be separate gates, places, or mansions for Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Anglicans, Baptists, Pentecostalists or even Roman Catholics. We all become one Family of God and the Bridegroom of Christ. Denominations might define our Christian identity on Earth, but they are absolutely not required in Heaven.

Paul puts it even better: God is not far from anyone who seeks, reaches out, and finds Him. In other words, it’s not our denominations that bring us closer to God; it’s our genuine desire to seek and find God that ultimately brings us closer to Him.

As a pastor, I wish people would join the church without any misgivings, but as a Christian, I’m happy to see them worshipping with us on Sundays and keeping within God’s Kingdom. In the end, it’s our relationship with God through Christ Jesus that is eternally important, not our allegiance to any branch of His Church.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You call us to be disciples of Your Way and followers of Your Truth. We find that churches can provide us with the seeking skills, scriptural knowledge, and faithful fellowship that we need on our spiritual journey. We thank You for all denominations and congregations throughout the world. However, constantly remind us that our allegiance is meant solely for You above all else. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Indiscriminately Kind

Why is God kind to the ungrateful and wicked? What is it about grace that is so amazing?

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Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Years ago, I had to make pastoral visits to a highly successful businessman who was dying of cancer. We talked about life in general and how the world had changed throughout the years. The man expressed his sincere faith in God, but often wondered why some wicked people became rich, whilst faithful people remained poor. He had seen this happen time and time again in the business world, which made him question God’s wisdom in dealing with the world. Surely, if people were loyal to God, He would bless them? So why did so many good people fail to become successful?

I really couldn’t answer that question, but I asked him to take time to read over Psalm 73, which deals with the problems of a faithful, religious person becoming upset with God because the proud, brazen, and wicked seem to get all of the breaks. After reading the psalm, the businessman seemed to understand God’s ways a bit better, and he let go of his doubts.

If I had remembered, I would also have included today’s verse in our conversation. God is kind to both the ungrateful and the wicked. We might think that to be unfair, unreasonable, and ungodly, but it reminds that God is in control. His ways are not always our ways; His thoughts are not always the same as ours.

Why does God do this? Because He can, and because that’s how grace operates. Grace is applied to the least deserving; if it was only give to the good, then it would be called reward or merit. That’s what makes grace so amazing and so divine. We couldn’t do it – we would favor the good and cast aside the bad, whereas God applies His grace in ways that we do not understand and to people whom we would never accept.

The older I get, the less I know about God. Not because I forget, but because He is infinitely more than I can ever comprehend. That is both amazing and wonderful to me. How about you?

Prayer: Lord God Most High, we often underestimate Who You are and what You can accomplish. Your ways are often mysterious to us, so we need Jesus to positively reveal to us Your love, Your mercy, and Your grace. As we journey together in faith, teach us more about Yourself. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: 9-11 Reflections

Seven years later, 9-11 still haunts me.

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I always find this day difficult. The horrors of seven years ago never seem to go away. It was an uncanny moment and it still seems surrealistic to me. I still can’t believe that religious fanatics would kill all those innocent people in the Name of God. It defies logic. It defies humanity. It defies faith.

John 11: 21Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

I’m also transported inwardly to the hospital room with David and Linda. David was dying of cancer and Linda was crying fearfully. On one side of David’s bed, we were helplessly watching his vital signs flat lining. On the other side, a muted TV was showing the Twin Towers ablaze and collapsing. I have never felt so powerless in my life and, for the first time, I understood Martha’s blunt statement: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

As has become my custom, I visited David’s grave this morning and talked to him for a while. I miss his quiet ways and wry sense of humor. I miss his private faith and personal devotion to God. I miss his friendship and sharing lunch with him, every now and then.

I dwell upon the inevitability of my own mortality and how it might come. I thank God for the friends I have known and promise once again not to waste a moment of my life. I think about how time moves on and realize that the old oak tree, which once stood near David’s grave, is no longer there. Everything changes and I have, too. After seven years, would David know the pastor and person I have become?

And then, just as I am sighing and getting ready to leave, I see that a new sapling has emerged beside the trunk of the old tree. Death does not have the final say. Life emerges out of loss and faith overcomes fear. The Lord is here with the two of us where heaven and earth, humanity and eternity, mortality and immortality meet.

I am both resurrected and renewed.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are always with us, even when we feel distance from You. Thank You for Your presence which lifts and carries us throughout our lives. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: In the Name of the Father

Why are we so reticent to call God “Father” these days? If Jesus did it, then why don’t we?

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John 10:32 Jesus replied, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?"

In this politically correct world, we often forget how radical and dangerous it was for Jesus to call God “Father.” The Jews of His time were outraged because He dared to declare a closeness and intimacy with God that was blasphemous to their ears. God was supposed to be holy, sacred, and distant. Christ’s familiarity with God was sacrilegious. His message was too bold and undermined 2000 years of tradition. He had to be stopped; He had to be silenced; He had to be stoned to death.

These days, it is becoming more subversive to call God “Father.” Whenever I go to Presbytery, I am often saddened by the politically correct statements of faith that reflect our culture, instead of Christ’s words. In an effort to make everything palatable, God is often referred to as Creator. There is no intimacy or relationship with that word; God may as well be called Manufacturer of the Universe or Chief Producer of Life.

Christ came among us to reveal how intimate, involved, and interested God is in our lives. He called God “Father” because of the real relationship He had with God. Jesus wanted His people to get over their holy hang-ups and sacred taboos because those things were creating a gap between themselves and God. So boldly, fearlessly, and faithfully, Christ named God as Father. It was such a distinct and true relationship that even His last words from the Cross were, “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit.”

We need to get back to basics and stop messing up our faith with cultural conveniences. Jesus faced stoning because He dared to call God “Father.” He opened up a radical way of being in relationship with God, despite the protests of His peers. And in the end, it was His faith in His Father that triumphed over His miserable, lonely, and painful death.

As Christians, we call Jesus “Lord” and seek to follow His ways. If calling God “Father” was good enough for Jesus, then why isn’t it good enough for us?

Prayer: Father God, break down our self-imposed barriers and politically correct structures which fence off our intimacy with You. Liberate us from modern day conventions and enable us to fully accept and embrace You as our Father in Heaven, the Father of our hearts, and the Father of our faith. Give us the boldness of Jesus to step out from cultural limits, so that along with Him, we may boldly declare You as our Father. In Christ’s Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Skint Knees and Soccer Fields

As a boy, I used to play soccer on a red gravel football field. They still exist and you can see them all over Scotland wherever local schools have soccer fields. The gravel was the color of Tennessee red clay and when it was wet, which was usually every second day in Scotland, it stained my clothing and caused my mom to have a fit.

It was a great surface to play on because the bounce that it gave the football was terrific. Controlling the ball was difficult and the game was always played at a fierce rate. Most of my sprint skills were learned on a soccer pitch. However, there was one almighty drawback about playing on the pitch. When you were tripped up by another player or fell to your knees, the red gravel would cut through the skin, gashing your knees and filling the wound with small gravel stones. The pain was excruciating at times, but most players got up, laughed it off, and kept on playing with ‘skint’ knees.

After such an incident, I dreaded going home; not because I was worried about the mess of my clothes, but I was anxious about how my mom would treat my wounded knees. She would wash them with a hot cloth, and then painfully take out the small stones with tweezers. Finally, came the most agonizing moment when she would apply antiseptic to the wound. That would usually make me jump with pain and I would limp to my bedroom, vowing that I would never let her do that to me again. Nevertheless, within a couple of days, I would have to go through the same painful process.

Psalm 145:14 The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.

Sometimes when we fall in life, it’s hard to get up and painful to recover. We all make foolish decisions and fall prey to temptation. We have to live with consequences of our stupidity and sinfulness, but we do not have to be defined by them. The Lord, who watches over us, is willing to help us get back on our feet by forgiving our sins, healing our brokenness, and restoring our lives. It may be emotionally painful for a while and we may have to experience shame and contrition, embarrassment and rebuke for a time, but in the end if we are truly repentant and deeply sorry, God will raise us up through the cleansing blood of Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, we are imperfect, impetuous, and impertinent. We cause others hurt and humiliation, disappointment and dread. Forgive us for being so self-centered and sinful. Teach us the ways of contrition and sorrow, repentance and restoration. Grant us this through our Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Healer. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Faithfulness

It's only through God's faithfulness to His Word, that we can ever be restored to His favor and love.

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1 Corinthians 1:9 God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

My faith is built upon the faithfulness of God. If God was ever unfaithful to His Word, my faith would instantly diminish and be destroyed. I depend upon His words being true, which is why I hold fast to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This gets me into bother sometimes, especially with other Christians whose affinity to the faith does not depend upon how truthful God’s Word is, but on how much they believe that God’s Word is trumped by God’s Love. Acceptance and tolerance are the keys to their faith and sometimes I envy them. It would be so easy to give up on God’s Word and interpret things the way that I wanted. Life would be less cumbersome without divine rules, regulations, and readings. I could do as I please, instead of trying to do what would please God.

Now don’t get the impression that I am a sanctimonious, saintly, separationist who delights in being perfect and loves it when other people fail. I am a sinful person, whose mistakes often disappoint God, other people, and even me. Because I hold fast to the faithfulness of God’s Word, it hurts me to hurt Him. My failure to remain faithful, however, does not diminish the truth about God’s Word. He remains faithful, so that when I seek forgiveness, He pardons me through the precious blood of Christ.

That’s why my faith is built upon God’s faithfulness. Left to myself, I cannot always keep His words. At some point, during each day of my life, I am going to sin. My thoughts, my words, or my deeds are going to betray God. Whether it’s intentional or not, the result is still the same: through my selfishness, I have separated myself from God. It’s only through His faithfulness that I can ever be restored to God’s favor and love.

Perhaps you’ve separated yourself from God through something that you’ve done or said. Maybe like me, you find yourself spiritually alone because of selfish and sinful ways. It seems as though there’s no hope, no solution, and no one to turn to, but that is completely wrong. God is faithful and He will find us, no matter how lost, sinful, or unfaithful we have been.

Prayer: Lord God, we all make mistakes and allow our sinful ways to separate us from Your love. We feel alienated and isolated, spiritually crushed and totally abandoned at times. Despite what we do to what we do to ourselves, You remain faithful and offer us forgiveness through the holy sacrifice of Your Son Jesus Christ. Help us at this time, to turn to Him and receive Your mercy and grace. In Christ’s Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

4 Minute Devotions: The Bogle

We all should have spiritual mentors and heroes of faith in our Christian lives. One of mine is a Scottish preacher from Bo'ness.

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I have a few minister heroes that have been very influential in my life. One of the dearest to me is the Rev. Albert Bogle, who has been the minister at St. Andrew’s Church in Bo’ness, Scotland for his entire ministry. He is dearly loved by his people and deeply respected by a lot of ministers in Scotland. He is a great preacher, a wonderful musician, and one of the best holy teachers that I have ever come across.

I met Albert when I went to Glasgow University. His wife Martha taught in the same elementary school as my wife Evelyn. The two of them had a great friendship and because their husbands were studying to be in the same profession, we all met socially on a regular basis.

Albert’s enthusiasm for the Lord is deeply contagious. Whenever we came into his company, we always left feeling lifted up. His understanding of the scriptures is remarkable and the way in which he expresses his faith is highly attractive. Sometimes, I go to his church’s website just for a dose of enthusiasm to recharge my soul. Albert’s a great innovator who uses audio and video techniques in his worship services to make everyone feel that their faith is vibrant, relevant, and strong.

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction.

Years ago, when I was being ordained in Maybole, Albert wrote a special song for me called “Preacher John.” He wisely used today’s verse from 2 Timothy 4:2 in order to remind me that preaching is the one of the most important vehicles for encouraging faith and challenging people. It’s something that I have aspired to do over the last 22 years. Albert has been a great encourager to me, and so I want to pass on that enthusiasm for Christ to other people.

Albert’s church’s website can be found at http://www.standonline.org.uk/ If you click on the audio/video section at the top, you can watch one of his wonderful services.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You for the heroes of faith in our own lives. They may be preachers or Sunday School teachers. They may be members of our family or friends at church. Whoever they are, we pray that You will continue to bless them for their wonderful faith. In Your Holy Name, we pray. 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 Devotions: Holy Heights

I suffer from acrophobia – a fear of heights. Perhaps if I was a tall person, it might not be so bad. I get dizzy and unbalanced whenever I am up high. Standing on a ledge or a rooftop is very hard for me to do, although if I’m on a ladder, no matter how high it is, I’m okay. Go figure that one out, because I can’t.

I can remember being with a party of children walking up Ben Nevis, Scotland’s highest mountain. There is a path that reaches up to the summit. Halfway up the mountain, I happened to look down. That was a big mistake. All of a sudden I found myself rooted to the spot, clinging to the side of the path. The kids thought I was just joking, but the leader of the group knew differently. I was relieved when she decided to cancel the climb due to the ‘inclement weather.’ I think she had seen how white my face had become and realized that I was never going to make it to the top.

Revelation 2:5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.

When the apostle John writes about the Church at Ephesus falling from a great height, he’s talking about the status that the congregation had in the Mediterranean community. It had been established by Paul, so its theological pedigree was second to none. But pride had tarnished the church. The Ephesians were in love with their own achievements and had forgotten about their initial loyalty to Jesus. They admired their own successes, instead of truly glorifying Christ for the blessings He had bestowed upon them. It must have been hard for them to accept this piece of divine criticism, but it was necessary to bring them back down to earth in order to fulfill what Jesus needed them to do.

So, what’s the lesson for today? Whatever we accomplish in our lives originates in the riches of God’s grace. When we are blessed, let’s take time to thank Jesus and honor Him as the provider of our successes.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your Life changed the history of the world in such a way that we all owe our existence to You. Anything that we accomplish with our lives is a direct consequence of Your affect on our entire planet. Remind us of Your importance to all that we are and all that we shall ever be. In Your Holy name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today's message, leave a comment or send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

4 Minute Devotions: Beijing Boycott

The Olympic Games in China are about to begin, but I cannot watch any of them. China is still persecuting and imprisoning Christians, even in the city of Beijing itself.

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1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

It’s almost time for the Olympic Games to begin and it will soon seem as though the whole world is standing still. Athletes from many nations will be traveling to Beijing to compete in the Games. They will proudly carry their nations’ flags at the opening ceremonies and do their utmost to win medals for their countries. All of them will pursue the Olympic motto of “Faster, Higher, and Stronger” to attain their personal bests, so that they can go home, proud of their attempts and achievements.

As much as I have loved to watch the Olympic Games in the past, this year I cannot bring myself to do it. As a teenager, I loved participating in athletic events and was even a member of the High School sprint team. Throughout the years, I have been enthralled by the speed, skills, and success of modern athletes. This year, however, I cannot enjoy any of their performances.

My heart is heavy because the Olympics are being held in a nation that still arrests Christians and puts pastors in jail. As recent as Sunday May 25, Chinese police authorities in Beijing raided the Beijing Gospel church and disrupted worship. The pastor was arrested and interrogated; he was eventually released but is still under surveillance.

This happens every week, all over China. When the Olympic Committee chose Beijing as the site for the 2008 Games, they were assured that China would clean up its Human Rights and stop religious persecution. They never kept that promise, and so I will not be watching the Games. Instead, I will take time to pray for a young woman called Li Ying. She was arrested for producing and distributing a Christian newsletter in 2001, when China was awarded the Games. She is still in prison and will not be released until 2016.

As the world’s athletes run toward the finishing tape to secure their gold, silver, and bronze medals, be aware that just a few miles away from the sporting events, Christians are being harassed, persecuted, and imprisoned. They are running the real race that matters and their prize is a crown in Christ’s Kingdom. The Olympics are a world-wide, short-lived delusion. Winning souls for Christ and running for His Team are the eternal goals that we should be accomplishing. China may imprison Christians for years, but Christ keeps the persecuted free for all of eternity.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we get so caught up with the world’s dreams that we sometimes forget the vision You have for the entire earth. Afflict our hearts and minds so that we will remember those poor souls that are languishing in prison in Beijing and throughout China just for believing in You. Shame us into remembering the cost of being Christians and help us to pray for those who are imprisoned just for praying, preaching, and practicing their Christianity. In Your Holy Name, we humbly 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: Clydeside Preacher

God calls all sorts of people to minister and preach the Gospel, no matter where they came from or what they have done.

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My hometown of Glasgow, Scotland, used to have a magnificent shipyard industry on the River Clyde. Thousands of men were employed in the building of some of the biggest warships and ocean liners in the world. When I was growing up, it was wonderful to see the shipyards at night time. From all over the docks, flashes of light could be seen as the riveters and welders worked on the hulls of the great ships.

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

On Friday afternoons, when most of the workforce was paid, thousands of men would walk out of the gates to either go to the pubs and spend their wages, or head home to be with their families, possibly buying them a fish and chips supper for dinner. As these men walked out of the shipyard gates, a man, with his own portable platform, was preaching the Gospel to the huge mass of workers. Most of the men walked by, some jeered and some cheered, some hurled insults and called the preacher everything under the sun.

It was an amazing ministry to watch and, on some rare occasions, the preacher was able to reach into the heads and hearts of a few men. He had been a shipyard worker himself, so he knew of their hardships, addictions, and struggles with life. Jesus had changed him, so he wanted to help other men make that transformation. It was a courageous, yet often humiliating ministry. But every Friday, the preacher was there giving God’s message to thousands of men who had no time for faith.

The Church of Scotland was approached by some people and asked if they would ordain the Clydeside preacher. Sadly, they turned him down. He didn’t have the right academic qualifications, or the privileges of seminary training. This didn’t bother the preacher. He just kept turning up on Fridays to preach the Gospel. His strength was in the Lord, and not in an ecclesiastical certificate that proclaimed him to be an official minister of the church. I never knew his name, but I admired his ministry and he reminds me of this: God calls all sorts of people to minister, pastor, and preach in His Name.

Perhaps you are being led by God to initiate a new ministry in your church. Perhaps God is calling you to do something in Christ’s name for your community. Maybe you don’t feel qualified to start or accomplish it. Remember this: if God truly calls you, He believes you can get it done.

Prayer: Lord God, we are all so different and we each have various gifts, talents, and skills. Sometimes you call us out of our comfort zones and specialized areas to do something beautiful and completely unexpected for You. Grant us the courage to respond to Your call and give us the strength to successfully fulfill all that You ask of us. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org