Plain and Simple

When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

“We have never heard anyone speak like this!” the guards responded. John 7:45-46

I have grown to know that there are some things in life that are plain and simply true, and I do not need to test it.  For example, I have learned to trust my read on people.  I talk with them, and then observe them in certain situations.  Fairly soon, I have a beat on the type of person they are. There is no explanation that I have for this, and people ask me how I knew.  I don’t understand it, but have learned to accept that God gifted me in such a way.   As such, I have gained some really close friends because it feels like I knew them before we truly got to know each other further.

We know the validity of the word of God because it is proven beyond our natural understanding.  Today’s verses speak of Temple guards who do not arrest Jesus because of what they heard from Him.  Now in reviewing this, one might jump to the conclusion of, “Well what would you expect?  They had heard from Jesus!”  That is the simplistic way of viewing it.  We need to go deeper.  What did Jesus say?  (Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!) How did He say it?  (He shouted to the crowd)  This is nothing new from Jesus, and they knew their task was to arrest Him.  Yet, the Temple guards, with the simple task of ‘enforcing the law of God,’ would not perform their duty to arrest Jesus for violating their laws.  We know Jesus’ authority over all laws, but that’s a topic for another time.  Why?  The Holy Spirit had awaken within telling them what they heard was not from an ordinary man.  They had heard from the Son of God, and knew what He said was true!  If you think back to when you first heard from God, maybe you were a little messed up.  Perhaps your core belief structure shook, and/or your emotional grounding was thrown off.  God gave us His word for guidance, but He instilled the Holy Spirit within us to connect with and follow Him.  Put together, we know His word is true beyond a shadow of any doubt.

It has been proven time and time again that God’s word always has the answer for us.  We may have had a rough time adjusting to its truths, but we can walk with confidence and without fear for God has said, “The Lord is the One who goes before you.  He will be with you.  He will be faithful to you and will not leave you alone.  Do not be afraid or troubled.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)  That is a truth that you cannot just accept in your head.  You must fully embrace it in your heart, and then, the Spirit of God will flow from you for as Jesus said, “Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!  For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (John 7:38)  What is God’s word challenging you to change today?  Where can His word be a source of strength and encouragement in your life?  My prayer is that with our heads and hearts we embrace God’s word as true; plain and simple.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Joy, part 1

Psalm 16:10-11 “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” (NASB).

Hello,

As we enter December and Christmas time, I think of everything going on in the world that can get you bothered, upset, angry or even depressed. We cannot escape reality – these things are happening. But how can we find joy in the middle of this – without trying to isolate ourselves from reality? The Psalmist here gives us a huge insight – it is God’s presence. Now, not only does His presence bring joy, but the fullness of joy. To me when I hear “fullness” I think completeness – or something that cannot be filled any further. What more could you ask for when it comes to joy, but joy which could not be any more filling???

Struggling with joy – get into His presence.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Be a Good Shepherd

7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them. Ezekiel 34

There’s a lot of positive talk in the Bible about being a good shepherd and that Christ is the good shepherd, but what about the bad shepherds? Surely there are some bad in the lot of all shepherds. Well, God says that those shepherds will be held accountable for their actions (or lack of actions) towards the flock.

I’ve mentioned before that I mentor a group of young women, and every year, I have to remind a few of them that when the become leaders within the group, they need to hold themselves to a higher standard of accountability than the rest of the group. It’s often forgotten about, not just with them, but with many leaders.

There’s a tendency when people reach a higher level of responsibility to slack off, and to skirt the rules. God makes it clear that this is not his intention for his own people. His intention is for the shepherds to care for their flocks, not to sit on their laurels.

Everyone is a leader in one form or another. You may not think of yourself as a leader, but someone else looks to you. I’m going through a study guide about disciple-making, and it’s the first book that details the spiritual ages people go through. I’ve heard the term spiritual infant used many times, but this book also discusses spiritual children, adolescents and adults. Even if you fall into the children or adolescent stage, there are still spiritual infants and even the spiritually dead who may see you in a leadership role. Make sure that you are taking care of the flock, no matter what your role is.

Take heart!

John 16:31-33

³¹ “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. ³² “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I was raised in a small town, where everyone knew everyone. If someone died, half of the town would be at the funeral. If someone “important” died, everyone would be. Today, my hometown is saying good-bye to their sheriff, who died unexpectedly early this week. No, it wasn’t in the line of duty, it was at home. He was only 44 years old. He was known as the “good cop” to many. Roads will close for the processional and people will line the street to show their respect.

So why do I share this with all of you, who really aren’t affected by this story? Well, because each of us go through something at some point in our lives were we just can’t understand why. It might be the death of a loved one, the mass shootings, or something like a divorce.

It’s important to note here that Jesus told us ahead of time, we would face trouble. He was very clear when he said, “In this world you will have trouble.” But he didn’t stop there. The rest of that verse is so important not to miss. Yes, we will have trouble, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” We already know that we are going to live through some tough things. Let’s not forget that even through all of that, we have Christ, the Savior of the world, who has already overcome the world.

Today, my friends, take heart!

Thursday Devotional - What's Your Temperature?

Are you hot, cold or lukewarm? Physically speaking, I’m usually cold. Spiritually speaking, I desire to be hot for God!

As Jesus addressed the seventh church, He rebuked them for being lukewarm.

Revelation 3:14-22    ¹⁴ “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. ¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

¹⁹ Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

²¹ To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²² Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Jesus rebuked the Laodicean’s for their prideful reliance on their own material wealth. Kent talked about prosperity yesterday and I think today’s passage relates. Jesus seems to be telling the Laodicean’s that their spiritual depravity is significant. Maybe they thought God was pleased with them because of their material blessings and lack of troubles, but Jesus made it clear that was not the case.

I love how Jesus said he was “about to spit” them out. He is so loving and patient, that He gave them a warning. Out of love for them, He called them to repent and return to Him. Then, He would provide what they really needed – fellowship with Him.

What would Jesus say to you and me? Where do you and I think we have it together or are in control of our life? What would God say we really need from Him? Would He call us hot, cold or lukewarm? With His help, we can change our temperature!

Alice

Prosperity and Hope

This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.   For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.   In those days when you pray, I will listen.   If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.  I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”  Jeremiah 29:10-14

One of the great debates for the sanity of the church is the idea of the prosperity gospel.  To simply it, let’s talk about Joel Osteen.  Many agree with Joel’s belief that if you trust in God you will prosper beyond what you see today.  Others feel that life is not about prosperity.  It’s about spiritual growth, and growth as any child knows can be painful.  Now to be clear, I fall in the latter ‘spiritual growth’ camp, but many of us in this camp are missing a very significant point about what Joel Osteen has tapped into.  And that is quite simply the word ‘Hope.’

As Christians, we are to always live with the hope in Jesus Christ.  When reading Jeremiah 29:11, many people conclude that it is all about the great things God has planned for them.  Kind of like the prosperity Gospel, right?  But you see when you read the entire context, you realize this is not about some great prosperous unknown.  This about knowing what God has already promised!  These verses speak to a people who have been exiled from their homeland and are enslaved in Babylon.  They are in a situation where they have to feel that they are to never find home or have anything of their own.  But God tells them to not be troubled or dismayed.  He has not forgotten them or His promise to them. They may have to wait a generation, but they will be free and prosperous again.  Thus, they are to live their lives for God with the hope their hearts and minds are connected with Him.  Now if you were middle aged back then, this had to be somewhat discouraging. However if they were to remain faithful, you would rest easy with hope knowing that the future was indeed bright.

Hope is about patience.  Hope is about trust.  Hope is about knowing something that will come to flourish in the face of all signs that say otherwise.  Our hope in Jesus Christ is not for our salvation.  It is rather that we are living a life for Him that when the day is done, we can say in the words of 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.”  How hopeful are you in God’s promises to you?  How can you find hope in times of despair?  My prayer is that we prosper through good times and bad realizing that we always have hope through Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Don't lose heart

Hello,

We hear the phrase often – “Don’t lose heart!” It brings to mind times when we are pushing towards a goal, but various obstacles keep getting in the way. Sometimes those obstacles are related directly to what we are doing, but often they are things that are unrelated – but zap our time & energy and distract our focus. For me, I find the unrelated obstacles the hardest to deal with.  I expect some difficulty within the mission itself, but it is easy for me to get discouraged when things I perceive as outside of the mission slow me down or take my attention away. I find it easy when that happens to sit back and blame the lack of forward motion for the mission on those things. Now, that blame may be true – but as soon as we start to focus on blame, we quickly fall into pity/woe is me mode and that is when the wheels can really come off from the mission. We begin to look at our circumstances and see everything we cannot control as negative, and our effort begins to also slip.

So what do we do? We take heart! To me take heart is a challenge to stop and examine the facts that brought you to that mission in the first place. We revisit what we are doing and why. Check out 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

“Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” (NASB)

Here Paul talks about how they do not lose heart. They go back and in verse 5 revisit their mission – preaching Jesus Christ as Lord. It is a worthy mission, one that hasn’t changed even though the obstacles are big. So, they take heart and keep pushing forward.

Have a blessed day – and whatever obstacles are facing your mission, take some time to reflect – and take heart in what Christ has done for us.

(Bonus verse – John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (NASB))

Will Hill

Turn Words into Action

I’m moving off of Fridays and onto a weekend writing so I can have them posted by Monday morning.

32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice. Ezekiel 33

I tend to listen to music while at work, and I had been sticking to my own albums for a while. A few weeks ago, I started using some of the automatic stations on Google Play and was thrilled when I found a few 90’s stations. I got excited and was gleefully listening to the tunes of my school days (yep, I realize I’m dating myself here).

Anyways, there’s a big difference between singing along with your friends or in your car versus listening to it in headphones in a quiet environment. The words that were jumbled suddenly jump out at you, in crystal clarity. Some of the songs I thought at the time were innocent were actually far from it. A few of them I stopped and listened to the words more clearly, really hearing what the song was about for the first time. It was a rather eye opening (or ear-opening) experience.

I’ve written before that music is something that speaks to me. I made the switch around two years ago to start listening to only Christian music, and I pay close attention to the lyrics now. When I sing at church, whether seated in the congregation or up with the praise band, I make an effort to mean every word that I’m singing. It’s my way to communicate with God. This isn’t the same for everyone - particularly my husband - but everyone should have something that they find this meaningful as a way to worship and praise.

Whatever that may be, pay attention to the “words.” Put those words into practice. Do not go through the motions without putting effort in. It may be music, it may be what you read, it may be what you watch, it may be how you spend your Saturday nights, but whatever it is, your actions have words associated with them. Make those words and actions praise God.

The Good And The Bad Of Thanksgiving

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.  And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 5:19-20

Just a little over seventeen years ago, I received a phone call letting me know that I would be offered a job to work at my current employer.  As I looked back, I remembered my excitement getting the job offer.  Thoughts about the jobs I had before never quite being happy in any of them swirled in my head.  Each one of them prepared me in their own way for that moment.  Even the ones that I did not enjoy had a level of relevancy because they would become reminders of just how good I would now have it.  Thus I was thankful for all that had happened prior to that day.

When looking back at our journey of faith, we are to be thankful for all that happened to bring us closer to God today.  We are thankful of the blessings He has given us like our jobs and homes.  We are to be thankful for the people He brought into our lives to influence and be influenced by us.  We are thankful for the many victories He has given us in His name.  And yet, we are to be thankful for the many trials and losses we have had.  They have tested our faith and taught us lessons that would be useful for future success.  We are also to be thankful for the failures that we had for they proved our imperfections and reminded us how we are not God despite our knowing who He is.  They awakened the Holy Spirit within us saying something is not right.  They became the inspiration for us to do better, and once learned, became testimonies to those who once believed they could never make it.  You see?  Once we become a child of God, we are no longer bound by sin.  However like all children, we must grow and build a better relationship with God from it.  That is something we can be eternally thankful for.

God is good whether we are or are not.  When things are good, it is very easy to love God.  However our love is never fully appreciated when it is easy.  It is when the most trying of circumstances challenge our love is tested.  In spite of our greatest sins, God loved on us showing His mercy and grace.  For that most of all, we should be infinitely thankful.  What problem in your life can you give thanks to God for?  How can you show an attitude of gratitude for God in all circumstances?  My prayer is that we simply show thanks to God for everything; both good and bad.  Amen, and I pray for you and your family a joyous and blessed Thanksgiving holiday.

Gratitude, Part 3

1 John 4:18-19 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us.” (NASB)

Sometimes gratitude is the most important, when things are the simplest. When things get complex we find it easy to be grateful – we realize that things are beyond our reach or skill. But the simple – those things are harder to remember to be grateful for, but perhaps more important to be thankful for. It helps us not take things for granted, and it helps remind us that we are not here doing things alone and by ourselves.

So, in the vein of things that are simple – today I wanted to challenge all of us to have gratitude for God taking the initiative. It was Him loving us first. We forget that part….we just go to the mutual first, or mention His love – but it is vital that it was started by Him.

Take some time and just reflect on the impact, thanking God for taking the initiative.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill