Thursday Devotional - True Worship

I usually think of worship as something that comes from my mouth, whether I say it or sing it to God. I can praise God in prayer for His character or sing praise songs to Him. However, Paul points out that our entire lives and whole body are to be involved in worship.  

Romans 12:1-2       Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

As I was praying for my Dad that first week after his heart surgery, I wanted to know how best to help him. The surgeon had recommended a vegan diet to not just stop the rapid heart disease progression, but to hopefully reverse some of the blockage in the arteries that didn’t get stents. So, I helped make some vegan meals and decided I could join him in his new diet!

A couple different follow up doctors didn’t recommend that extreme of a diet, but did suggest an increased focus on plant-based foods. So, I haven’t kept to the original diet perfectly after that first week, but we have been much more intentional and careful about what we eat. It made me realize how difficult it is to make one small sacrifice when God has made so many sacrifices and didn’t ever quit or give up.

In addition to your and my words and songs, how else will you and I worship God with our bodies (whether it’s what we put into them, what we do with them, or what we choose not to do)?

Alice

Territorial

You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.  You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.  But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.  Exodus 20:4-6

Funny story about my wife and me.  Early in the spring, we went to a new breakfast place.  As we sat down, I saw a young lady from work that I said hello to.  The lady responded saying, “Hi, Kent.”  Without hardly missing a beat, the young lady looks at my wife, and says, “Oh!  Hello!  We just worked together.”  My wife has this astounding look on her face as if to say, “What did I do?”  However, I know my wife.  It seems like there is some unwritten girl code about not to be too friendly to another woman’s husband, and my wife must have given a certain look to remind her of it.  I laughed as she continued to deny the charges that I in no way had levied against her.  However, I understood her.  There is no doubt how much she loves me.  The way she puts it is that she’s not jealous of anyone, but she may at times be a bit territorial.  I smile with adoration knowing this.

God’s jealousy is out of love.  Not fear.  We often see jealousy as a self-centered ‘I am insecure and you do not want to see me angry’ type of jealousy.  That is simply not true.  I was listening to my pastor’s sermon this weekend, and he brought up a great point about God’s jealous streak.  He loves us, but not like the ‘I’m leaving for work.  I love you, honey’ kind of way.  It’s better described as the ‘You are the air that I breathe and when we are apart I am dying inside’ kind of love.  Yes, this does seem extreme, but here’s the thing.  In talking about the love of Jesus Christ, Paul wrote, “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.” (Ephesians 3:18-19a)  God’s jealousy takes on a different light here.  This Commandment that God gave to Moses was not a ‘bow down and worship’ Commandment.  It was a ‘my love for you and my people is so great, it should be cherished’ Commandment.  God could at any time send us into an uncontrollable tailspin for our sinful ways, but instead, He chooses to love us incredibly, mercifully, and unconditionally.  This is why our love for Him should be greatest because there is no doubt we are unworthy of it but yet, He gives it to us anyway.

Our relationship with God is a love story.  I was once told by a great pastor that the Bible is about how God lost a people, and through Jesus Christ, He wants us back.  It should be truly humbling to think that the God who created the earth, the God of awesome wonders, and the true Holy and Living God thinks so highly of you and me.  He loves us so that He gave His Son’s life for us.  So, let us embrace this love He has and all that comes with it.  How can you see God’s love even in His correction of your wrongful ways?  How can we appreciate His jealousy for what it is?  My prayer is that whether we are right or wrong, we lovingly appreciate that our God at times will be ‘territorial.’  Amen!

Tues Devo: Not busy

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (NASB)

Hello,

This past weekend I was talking with someone I hadn’t seen in a while, and in the course of normal chit-chat I mentioned that I was “staying busy”. It struck me as I stood there because I had recently been reminded of a need to have focus in both the work and spiritual areas of my life. It got me thinking about the opposite of busy. What if It wasn’t the absence of things to do, but rather focus? What if instead of filtering our choices for things based on if we had time, we filtered based on if it was related to something we were supposed to be focused on?

Don’t get me wrong – we all need rest and down time, but how much are we missing out on because we don’t make focus one of our primary filters for how we use our time? This brought to mind these verses in Hebrews and the phrase “fixing our eyes” – what a great way to think about our focus. I hope this encourages and challenges you today.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Be Prepared

I have now rewritten today’s devotion about three times.  I would write something then felt that was not what God was leading me to share today.  I pray that as I have been lead today to change what I have written, that it will speak to whoever God has intended for it to be for.

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

Always keep on praying.  No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

These verses are amongst the verses that are talking about Christ’s return and not knowing the day or the hour.  We need to always be prepared at all times. 

I was talking with my husband yesterday about a situation that we have been dealing with.  We were talking about someone close to us that is always telling us how we should be living our lives and how we are not doing the right thing by sending our son to a public school in the fall.  We started talking about faith and being prepared for God’s return at any point.   We are not to just be faithful in going to church, rather we are to live a Godly life. 

This is something that I try hard to live.  I try to be God to others, be it with the words that I share, taking someone a meal, caring for someone’s child or whatever it might be.  I have been asked why I do this when I don’t get hardly even a thank you at times.  To me, it is not about getting anything back, it is about being ready for Christ’s return at any point.  Would I want those around me to see Christ return but not know Christ? Of course not.  To be prepared, I need to constantly be sharing Christ with others.  I need to be constantly praying and be thankful for those opportunities each and every time they come up. 

How are you preparing for Christ return?  Will those around you also be prepared because of your example?

Thursday Devotional - Prayer in Dilemma

In addition to praying for my Dad’s health last week, I also prayed for wisdom to know when to let my Mom and sister, Jane, know about the situation. When we first headed to the ER, my Dad had asked me not to tell them (since it was the middle of the night where they were and he didn’t want to worry them so far away). So, I only let Mary (my sister in CT) know. I kept Joe and Mary updated as tests progressed.   

James 1:5-8 ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

After praying and talking to Joe and Mary about when to tell Mom and Jane, one idea was to wait until after all the tests were over. However, I wasn’t at peace with that and kept praying. Finally, after hours of tests Sunday night and just before heading into a stress test Monday, with a heart catheterization most likely on Tuesday, I felt God clearly gave me an answer.

If my daughter, Sarah, took Joe to the ER while I was far away, what would I want her to do? I would want her to tell me even if Joe asked her not to tell me!!! It seemed like a dilemma between honoring one parent over another, but I didn’t feel right about not telling my Mom. It seemed God kept having me play the Sarah/Joe scenario in my head until I understood it as my answer.

Where do you need wisdom today? God gives wisdom generously! So, let’s ask Him for it, patiently wait for it, and actively look for it!

Alice

Building The Brand

I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.  I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.  Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!  John 17:22-24

I once read a book called, “It’s Not What You Sell.  It’s What You Stand For.”  The fundamental concept of the book is there are certain companies that focus on selling, but those who are truly remarkable focus on what they represent.  What they represent becomes part of the fabric of everything they do from the start of building a product to the services they provide their customers.  It was here that I began to fully embrace what it means to be a Christ follower.  I know what you might be saying to yourself.  “Here comes Kent, and another one of those business to Bible analogies,” you are thinking.  In this case, let me just be honest, and say, “Yes, you’re right.”  However, this one is incredibly impactful because there is a great deal of relevancy to some of the challenges of the church today.

We are ‘the brand’ of Jesus Christ, and as such we must always remember what we stand for more so than just ‘selling the brand.’  Many will tell you that there is a war of faith going on, and I believe they are right.  A few weeks ago, I spoke of the inner struggle of what we want versus what God wants in controlling of our lives.  The struggle I speak of today is one where the battle lines are drawn about who do we represent.  To be a disciple of Christ is such a tight rope to walk.  There is a part of us that believes we are indeed the righteous ones, but as you see, sometimes we sell ‘Christ’ but truly do not stand for Him.  Some will fight for the rights of the unborn, but then they turn a blind eye to babies living in poverty saying it’s the parent’s fault.  Others love those they are connected to, and yet, close themselves to knowing others because they are different.  You see, this is ‘the brand’ we put out there.  This is at times me.  I wrote this to call myself out and ensure I was uncomfortable because if you are comfortable being a Christian, you’re probably not a good Christian.

Today’s verses serve as a reminder that we have been empowered by Jesus Christ himself.  The ‘brand of Christ’ requires pain, suffering, and anguish along with love, inner-peace, and joy.  We can’t ‘sell’ God.  Selling means we want something out of it.  ‘Standing’ for Christ means we reveal who we are being a shining of example and speaking His truths.  Thus, being Christian is not just a Sunday service and saying grace at meal time.  It is doing things you may not be comfortable with.  It may be serving at a homeless shelter, consoling a woman grieving over her battle with cancer, or walking with a protestor for moral justice.  It does not matter what you do.  What matters is that you move motivated by God and His Spirit to represent Him in each and every moment.  You never know when that moment where you stand for Christ is when He is revealed to others.

Serving Jesus Christ is relatively simple to do.  The journey is difficult, and it is filled with both bumps in the roads and detours ahead.  But if you believe in Him, it will be alright.  One of my favorite songs at church, ‘We Believe,’ has a chorus line that goes:

We believe in God the Father.
We believe in Jesus Christ.
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He's given us new life.
We believe in the crucifixion.
We believe that He conquered death.
We believe in the resurrection
And He's comin' back again, we believe.

So, let us be the people that Jesus prayer over in today’s verses so fervently.  How can you best represent Christ?  What changes must you make to stand up for Him?  My prayer is that as followers of Christ, we are His representatives in ‘building the brand.’  Amen.

Man-Up

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

13 Keep your eyes open for spiritual danger; stand true to the Lord; act like men; be strong; 14 and whatever you do, do it with kindness and love.

Yesterday we visited a church where the pastor preached on this scripture.  Being Father’s Day, he was really wanting to preach to the men.  What I really enjoyed about it is that he wasn’t all feel good about it.  He really dug in.  The Greek term that here is translated to say act like men, he explained is a single word in the Greek language and it is really telling men that they need to step up, to “Man-Up” as the pastor put it.  This message though, is not just for the males.  We, as Christians, are called to follow the direction here in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14.  It got me thinking and breaking down these verses a bit.  Here is what I take away from these verses:

·         Keep your eyes open for spiritual danger – What surrounds you that could pull you away from Christ?  Be aware of it and avoid it.

·         Stand true to the Lord – Don’t be a Holiday Christian, or even just a Sunday Christian.  Live for God daily.

·         Act like men – Be a positive example and serve others

·         Be strong – Don’t like someone else or something else pull you away

·         Whatever you do, do it with kindness and love – Be the example that we are called to be. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all called to “Man-Up” for Christ.  I pray that this week you will seek those opportunities.

Thursday Devotional - Prayer Struggles

On Sunday night I took my Dad to the ER with chest pain. They ran lots of tests, confirmed he hadn’t had a heart attack (at least not yet) and kept him overnight to run more tests and do a heart catheterization. It was quite scary.

My Mom and one sister were out of the country and it was the middle of the night for them so I didn’t call them right away. I did let my other sister (in CT) know so she could be praying with us. I was struggling in prayer, though. I didn’t want to pray for God’s will but for what I wanted. I knew God was in control and I could trust Him. I knew He was listening. However, I also knew that His plans are different than mine and His ways are higher. What I think is best and what He knows is best can be very different. I did know God would give us what He knew we needed, when we needed it. 

As the next day progressed, the surgeon found blocked arteries during the heart catheterization and put in two stents. So, we stayed another night in the hospital. God provided peace through it all, especially to my Dad. He wasn’t even scared for the procedure (but I was a little anxious)! We are thankful to God he is recovering well and hasn’t had any complications!

Romans 11:33-36 “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.  Romans 11:33-36   

I don’t deserve anything from God. As this passage says, He doesn’t owe me anything. However, He is always faithful to listen to my prayers, offer peace in difficult circumstances, and give wisdom when I ask.

What are you struggling in prayer about? Even if we don’t get the answer we are wanting, God will always provide wisdom, strength and comfort when we genuinely seek it. He has all wisdom and knowledge beyond our comprehension!!!

Alice

The Guiding Light

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”  Matthew 5:14-16

Earlier this week, I was emotionally ‘lost.’ I received some distressing news regarding an incident at my daughter’s school, and it left me at a loss for words.  There was a wide range of emotions that I felt unsure which was the correct one.  Ultimately, it got to a point where I just had to fall on my knees and pray to God.  “Why was this happening,” I asked.  How could I see Him amidst all that was going on?  There were lots of questions, and yet, I had no answers.  Ultimately, I just started walking forward trusting in Him, and with each step, I felt God was with me.  With each word I spoke and direction I went, His spirit dwelled in me, and where there was once doubt, a renewed confidence replaced it such that those nearest to me felt the same things.  It was as if He guided me forward, and through His light, it showed His light to those around me.

When we have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of our life, He provides us with guidance to walk where others will see Him through us. In today’s verses, Jesus speaks of those who follow Him as the light.  Some might jump to a conclusion asking, “How can I be the light when Jesus is the light of the world?”  They are of course referring to John 8:12a, and would only have gotten half of the story referring to Jesus being the pathway to eternal life.  However, once we were given the gift of grace through Him, we too were given a ‘light.’  This is not only referred to by Jesus here but also in the beginning of Acts saying, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (1:8) The importance of this is very simple.  We are given direct power through the Holy Spirit to not only connect to Christ but also be His representative in the world.  Thus if we trust in Him, our steps are guided by Jesus Christ himself, and those who know Him will see it through our actions, words, and deeds.  This is the light Jesus speaks of, and we should feel empowered filled with the confidence knowing He is with us every step of the way.

God gives us authority to act on His behalf. This does not mean we substitute ourselves for Him (i.e. being His equal, judging others, taking out vengeance, etc.), but instead, we are to be living examples of Him.  The Apostle Paul said, “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!” (Ephesians 5:8) Thus, let us take this light given to us and let it shine for all those near and dear to us to see.  What is God prompting you to act on?  How can you trust God more to walk by faith?  My prayer is that we trust God to be our guiding light for others to follow that same light.  Amenl

Tues Devi: Operating from strength

Hello,

I started reading through Joshua this week, where I was reminded that we as followers of God are operating from a position of strength, and not weakness. Now, when Joshua took over leadership from Moses he was not new to being a leader of Israel – in fact, he was one of the two who tried to get Israel to go to the promised land earlier…but the rest were fearful and didn’t do it – and that generation passed away while they remained in the wilderness. But as Joshua takes over, his first mission from God is not small. It is to go and take the promised land, which was filled with enemies of Israel and people that wanted to protect their lands.

The people of Israel had a new leader, and were facing new challenges- Joshua is faced with a motivational challenge. Where does he go? He reminds them to operate from a position of strength because of who their God is. Look at the 2 times in chapter 1 that he specifically does this:

Joshua 1:7 ”Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.” (NASB)

Joshua 1:18 ”Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous.” (NASB)

I hope you have a blessed day, as you operate from your position of strength in God.

Will Hill