Tues Devo: Common life

Hello,

In the reading of everything that happened this last weekend in Virginia, I have been thinking about how little regard we seem to have for human life. We have forgotten that being human is the common bond. Hatred ought to only exist in one form – towards sin. I came across a writing by Tim Keller, a Pastor and author from New York. I want to snag from him some scriptural references that he made. (you can find his full article on the gospel coalition web page)

-The Bible is clear that racism is wrong: Acts 17:26-27 “and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;” (NASB)

We also see in here that it is God’s desire for all to come to know Him.

-In Genesis God sets a high standard for taking the life of a person, and the reason is that we are all in His image Genesis 9:6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.” (NASB)

-Jonah puts the work of God behind his interests for his country – not wanting to see them repent. When they do, and Jonah sulks over it God says in Jonah 4:11 “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 person who do now know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” (NASB)

-In the New Testament as the work of Jesus is being spread throughout the world we see that it breaks down racial barriers, not creates them: Galatians 2:11-14 “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the Gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, ‘if you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?” (NASB) Paul goes on from here in this chapter to lay out salvation by faith in Jesus being available to all.

-Paul in Galatians 3:28 says “There  is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (NASB)

-Later in the letter to the church at Ephesus Paul discusses the Jews/Gentiles topic and says “But now in Christ Jesus you who were formerly far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier fo the dividing wall.” (Eph 2:13-14, NASB)

You want to help push for peace? Recognize our common human bond as created in God’s image and share His love in real and practical ways – and talk about it!

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Train yourself to Trust the Lord

John 16:33

 “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.”

Psalm 145:18

 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.

Numbers 6:25

 the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;

Yesterday I read a devotion with the verses above.  It was talking about how the Lord is training us to become an overcomer.  To find Joy in the midst of circumstances that previously would defeat us.  We can transcend trouble based on the fact that Christ has overcome the world.  He has already won the ultimate victory.

Trust is something that is easy to do when things are going smooth however do you trust the Lord when in the mist of challenging circumstances?  When you are trained to trust, it will be easier to do so in the hard times.

What is it in your life that you need to train yourself to trust the Lord with?  For me, it was my career.  For a long time I kept trying to figure it all out on my own, get myself promoted.  I am now training myself to trust the Lord with this area of my life and it’s amazing how he has changed my outlook and helped me to overcome situations that would have previously defeated me. 

I encourage you to work on training yourself to trust the Lord in all circumstances. 

Thursday Devotional - Focused Perseverance

An unusual incident happened at church on Sunday. While a young lady was playing violin during the offertory, a piece of flaming glass (or lightbulb) fell from overhead. It hit the gal on her leg and burned the piece of carpet where it landed. I never saw her flinch! She stayed focused on her music and kept playing her violin until the end. When she sat down across the aisle, we all noticed she was bleeding. I handed her a tissue and my friend handed her a band-aide.

Jesus voluntarily suffered under far worse conditions for you and for me, yet He stayed focused on His work. He didn’t let His pain and suffering or the evil around Him distract Him from His purpose.

John 19:28-30         ²⁸ Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. ³⁰ When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Jesus persevered to the end, fulfilling God’s plan. Jesus finished His work of redemption!

Do you and I persevere to the end? Or do we get sidetracked when hardships come? What can help you and me stay focused on glorifying God through any hardship so we can finish the work He’s given us to do?

Alice

Open Your Eyes

And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?   Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.  Matthew 7:3-5

The other day, a lady fell while walking, and broke her nose.  With her face on the ground covered with blood, my wife raced to help her, and summonsed my daughter and me to assist.  We found out that she lived about a half mile down the street.  I offered to take her home, and we offered to pick her up.  She kindly refused, and asked that I get her husband.  I raced over to the address she gave to get him.  He picked up his son, and they drove to meet me at the location where his wife was.  As he arrived, he asked if she could get up.  She acknowledged that she was not sure.  He asked her to get up, and my wife helped her get to her feet.  They walked her to the car, and soon, they were on their way.  My wife and I were grateful we were able to help them, and gave praise to God that we could.

This is the kind of story we tell about how we as Christians help others in need.  They are indeed necessary and reinforce the goodness of God.  But what if this was not the full story.  What if there was a bit more color in this picture.  How would it change?  Here is how.

The other day, a lady fell while walking, and broke her nose.  With her face on the ground covered with blood, my wife raced to help her, and summonsed my daughter and me to assist.  We found out that she lived about a half mile down the street.  I offered to take her home, and we offered to pick her up.  She kindly refused, and only asked that I get her husband.  I raced over to the address she gave to get him.  I rang the doorbell, and there was no answer.  I knocked.  Still no answer.  I went back to my car only to notice the husband getting in his car in the driveway.  I asked if his wife was named ‘Linda.’  He said yes.  He received a message on his phone about the accident, and was on his way.  He picked up his son, and they drove to meet me at the location where his wife was.  I noticed right away something wasn’t right when we talked.  Why didn’t he seem concerned?  In fact, why did he look inconvenienced?  Furthermore, why didn’t he follow me back?  I arrived at location of the accident, and he arrived a minute later.  As he arrived, he asked if she could get up.  She acknowledged that she was not sure.  He asked her to get up looking at us as if he was embarrassed that we, an African American family, had helped her, and my wife helped her get to her feet.  They walked her to the car, and soon, they were on their way.  There was no thank you.  No gratitude.  Just left.  My wife and I were grateful we were able to help them, and gave praise to God that we could for our act of kindness may change their hearts one day.

God’s love truly does conquer all, and while we stand in the light of His grace, we stand in a world where darkness still exists.  I share this not because of a belief that people are racist.  I share because an awesome and amazing God tells us to serve Him above all our prejudices and feelings.  God would not want us to ever tolerate this type of behavior, and to accept it at any level is a failure.  My wife and I choose to forgive remaining as loving of others as God is as loving of us.  Any failure to love others is the plank we must remove from our own eyes.  Only then can we see how hurtful it is when people do not love God’s people as we do.  We pray that those who read this would also choose never accept the type of behavior we endured.  My prayer is your eyes are open to this.  Please.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Get comfortable

Ephesians 6:10-17 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (NASB)

Hello,

Last week I mentioned the armor of God, and I thought this week I would go back to that a little bit. Think of your favorite hoodie, or favorite pair of sneakers. You fit right into it! You know what you can do with it on, and how it wearing them affects results/choices. But…think of the first time you put it on. It didn’t feel so comfortable! It took time to break it in and get used to how it impacted your movements. But after some getting used to it, that favorite clothing piece is almost part of you.

When we look at the armor of God, I think there are similarities. The armor affects and impacts our movements/choices. Sometimes at first they feel unnatural. But, as you keep working with it you become more natural. The armor as it is put on day after day becomes a part of you, and feels fluid in motion.

There is one difference - unlike clothing that breaks in, the armor should break us in. But – the end result is a comfort in wearing it, and a fluidness to our movements over time.

Keep at it! Keep your foundation on truth, keep sharing your faith as you walk, let your faith in God handle the things Satan throws at you.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Confidence booster

Hebrews 10:35-37

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.  For,

“In just a little while,
    he who is coming will come
    and will not delay.”

Life is certainly not always easy.  It often does not go the way that we want it to and we often feel defeated.  Even my 4 year old can feel this way at times.  So how do we carry on, how do we believe in ourselves and not give up?

It is in the little things that boost our confidence that we hold on.  It might be someone complimenting you on something you did, it might be just a moment when you think to yourself that you overcame something.  God gives us confidence when we feel like we are in the storms of life.  He provides that light needed to keep going. 

Today I want to encourage you to not throw away your confidence.  Also, build up the confidence in others.  Give a compliment, share a smile, be God to that person that needs a confidence booster.

Thursday Devotional - Selfless Son

Children can be very selfish. Actually we are all selfish, but it’s especially easy to spot in children! So, when children voluntarily share, it’s touching. 

The other day my son, James (4), “earned” some money from his grandmother (my Mom). His cousin, Mark (5), earned a similar amount. While they were playing with their money, James spontaneously decided to offer his money to Mark. Mark kindly refused, saying: “No, James, you earned that dollar!”

The selfless moment of our sons was the highlight of my Mom’s day and touched us all!

Jesus was the perfect selfless son! He didn’t have selfless moments; His entire life from start to finish was selfless! Even through the most excruciating death by crucifixion, He thought and cared for others. 

John 19:25-27         ²⁵ Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” ²⁷ and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Jesus was in excruciating pain, yet He was able to focus on caring for His mother! What is your and my biggest need right now? Maybe it is some sort of pain, too. Like Jesus, how could you and I selflessly meet the needs of someone else even while we feel lacking?

Alice

Perfect Clarity

Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.  1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT

The other day, I was struggling to figure out how to respond to a situation.  My thought was I needed to encompass what God would want me to do.  Do I respond with God’s love and compassion, which was what I typically had done?  Or do I focus on sharing God’s word that might ruffle feathers but held true to God’s law?  Was there an answer that blends both God’s love and discipline that fits an equal balance?  I kept throwing thoughts and scriptures up in the air like a juggler with three balls on a tight rope.  Then, I paused and stopped.  Perhaps, it was not the time for me to answer at all.  I have this urge to respond immediately when presented with a situation.  The thought is the information and wisdom to decide is there, but sometimes, it is best to let God weigh in at the right time before responding.  That way, I would have the assurance that I am doing what God wants.  Not my own selfish thoughts.

It is ok to wait for clarity from God to ensure we are taking a righteous path.  When reading the verse above, it seems confusing.  However, it makes perfect sense to someone who is struggling with clarity as we all have those moments in our lives where we are unsure about what is happening around us.  Sometimes, it is emotion that is getting the best of us, and other times we simply procrastinate.  Our goal as Christ followers is not to make rash decisions.  It is to wait on God’s instruction, and when clarity is provided, act without hesitation.  Our goal is to trust in God for the path He lays in front of us never leads us wrong.  There we will eventually find clarity.

Only God is all-knowing.  One of the best lines I’ve heard about surety in God comes from a movie where a priest, answering a young student says, “Son, in thirty-five years of religious study, I've come up with only two hard, incontrovertible facts; there is a God, and, I'm not Him.”  God does not expect us to always have the answer.  But as my dad taught me, He expects us to figure it out.  It is the journey that matters more than the actual answer for in the journey we will find clarity of God’s will for our life.  That is what Paul is getting at in this verse of 1 Corinthians.  So let us not be either too quick to react or lazy to respond.  Trust enough to wait for God to provide clarity in your situation, and act decisively when clarity is given.  What decision should you wait for God to provide His wisdom on?  What reservations do you have when God wants you to act?  My prayer is that we have sound judgment to trust God to give us perfect clarity.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Built for action

Hello,

What is your faith for? Why do you have a belief system? So often today I feel like we as followers of Christ have our faith for future protection reasons, or some kind of safety net or a mental feel-good that we have some structure behind us. But our faith is meant for action, not passive protection. Even when we think of things that are protective – it is about protection as we do what we are called to do, being active in our faith. This struck me in reading Romans 13 this morning. Here are verses 12-14 from the NASB “The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lust.”

When Paul mentions the armor of light and putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, it reminded me of his letter to the believers in Ephesus “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11, NASB)

No need for armor if you aren’t taking action – we are built for active faith, use it today!

Will Hill

Harvest

Galatians 6:9

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

If you garden, you know that it takes a while to have your seeds become something that seems rewarding.  It takes caring for your crops and watering them.  It takes removing weeds so that the weeds do not take over.  It can be tiring caring for that garden. 

Many things in life are the same way.  You might put all of your effort or energy into doing something and some days wonder if it is worth it.  Lately, I’ve felt this way as I was trying to accomplish something and it just felt like it would never happen.  I had spent hours praying on it and just couldn’t figure out where God was leading.  I had started to grow weary.  While I am certainly not where I want to be with this situation, I am starting to see a little bit of the harvest that God has in store for me.

I want to encourage you today to hang in there if you feel you are becoming weary.  God has a harvest planned for you.