Thursday Devotional - Loving Concern

James started kindergarten last week! He was super excited, but I was quite nervous. In fact, over the past month, he told everyone he saw that he couldn’t wait until school started! He then would add, “but Mom’s worried…”

James is a loving, compassionate and caring child. He loves life, has lots of energy and is quick. So, he often doesn’t think before he acts, needs re-direction at times and is easily distracted. I talked to the kindergarten teacher about that at orientation. As much as we’ve reviewed appropriate school behavior this past month, I’m still concerned about his discretion in the moment.

Similarly, Paul was concerned for his “children in Christ” and gave them some final reminders as he closed his letter to them.

Romans 16:17-20 ¹⁷ I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. ¹⁸ For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. ¹⁹ Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. ²⁰ The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Like James and the Romans, where do you and I need reminders?

How can we prepare well now, so that in the moment we make wise decisions and aren’t easily misled or distracted?

Let’s welcome those giving us godly warnings, out of loving concern, so we can make wise choices in the moment.

Alice

The Beauty of Wisdom

I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
    I possess knowledge and discretion.
To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
    I hate pride and arrogance,
    evil behavior and perverse speech.
Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
    I have insight, I have power.
By me kings reign
    and rulers issue decrees that are just;
by me princes govern,
    and nobles—all who rule on earth.
I love those who love me,
    and those who seek me find me.
With me are riches and honor,
    enduring wealth and prosperity.
My fruit is better than fine gold;
    what I yield surpasses choice silver.
I walk in the way of righteousness,
    along the paths of justice,
bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me
    and making their treasuries full.  Proverbs 8:12-21

Some of the most beautiful things one might hear comes from the poetry.  My middle name comes from a famous poet; Ralph Waldo Emerson (FYI – My initial is E  😊).  There are many quotes that are attributed to him.  For example, “Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is in God’s handwriting.”  Not bad, eh?  One of his poems, Give All To Love, says about love:

‘Tis a brave master;

Let it have scope:

Follow it utterly,

Hope beyond hope:

High and more high

It dives into noon,

With wing unspent,

Untold intent:

But it is a god,

Knows its own path

And the outlets of the sky.

Now to many, this may not sound special, but to a romantic at heart like me, it is where I can just sit back and let it marinate in my mind for days.  There are some of you who would focus on the poet’s mention of love being ‘a god,’ and of course, there is only one true God.  My thought is Emerson’s point is we are to focus on the limitless potential of love we have.  This is not only toward others but also God.

I bring this up to discuss today’s verse focusing on the topic of Wisdom.  We all aspire to have it, and some might say we aspire for it more than anything.  Even love.  So, what is it?  What does it look like?

Wisdom is an amazing gift given by God.  The verses in Proverbs 8 speak in words that initially come across as if wisdom is the finest girl at the dance.  But if we take a poetic approach to it, perhaps we read it as God sharing with us a vivid description of when we are blessed with it.  Wisdom is “fear the Lord.”  Additionally, there are other characteristics it has.  Counsel, sound judgment, hating of evil, pride, and arrogance, but in the path of righteousness and justice.  Thus, it becomes a guide of what wisdom both ‘sounds’ and ‘feels’ like, and like all things God gives us, wisdom “loves those who love it.”  Thus, today’s verses in a poetic sense is God’s instruction of how we are to desire, embrace, and share with others the wisdom that He bestows on us.  It provides clarity on how it is gifted as a reward for one who follows Him with discipline, devotion, and love.

We should desire the wisdom that God provides.  It is more than just being the right thing to do.  It is God inspired for even as Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs, God had granted him incredible wisdom as noted here:

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 1 Kings 4:29

The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 1 Kings 10:24

Let us aspire to be guided by the same kind of wisdom God placed on Solomon’s heart.  What areas of your life are you praying for God’s wisdom?  What wisdom has God placed on your heart to share with others?  My prayer is that we embrace and understand the poetic beauty of wisdom.  Amen.

Tues Devo: One item

Hello,

This past week I was reading through 1 Kings. Certainly a time of trial for the fledgling nation of Israel. Wars from the outside, struggles for power from the inside – to the point of splitting Israel and Judah. While there are many chapters written for David and Solomon (starting sooner in Samuel for David) – those that follow were given less detail and description. But watch what happens:

(All from NASB)

1 Kings 15:3 “He (Abijam) walked in the sins of his father which he had committed before him; and his hear was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, like the heart of his father David.”

1 Kings 15:11 “Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord.”

1 Kings 15: 25-26 “Now Nadab the son of Jerboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”

1 Kings 15:33-34 “In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah become king over all Israel at Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years. He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”

1 Kings 16:25 “Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and acted more wickedly than all who were before him.”

1 Kings 16:30 “Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him.”

1 Kings 22:43a “He (Jehoshaphat) walked in all the way of Asa his father; he did not turn aside from it, doing right in the sight of the Lord.”

1 Kings 22:51 “Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. He did evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.”

While there are many ways to remember people, and things to say – look at the characterization: either they followed God or they did not. There is no middle ground. What will be said of us? If we follow, what will be said of those we influence?

I pray this challenges you today.

Will Hill

Disciples

Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We have been called!  What is it that we are called to be and to do?  While we all have different purposes for our lives, we all have one purpose that is the same.  That is that we are called to be disciples and to make disciples. 

A disciple is a follower and a student of a mentor, teacher, or other figure, according to Wikipedia.  We are called to follow Christ, to learn from him.  At the same time, we are called to make disciples, to teach others how to also follow him and learn from him.

This weekend I watch a tribute video that was put together for Naressa “Jake” Allen.  For those of you who do not know who she was, she was the one who started this devotion group when she worked here, probably about 20 years ago. 

As I watched this video, not only could I see that she was a disciple, but you could clearly see as well that she was always making disciples. 

When the times comes that people reflect on your life, will the same be said of you?  I pray that it can be said of me. 

Thursday Devotional - Sister Confirmation

Continuing from last week…

After coming home and finding out Sarah asked Jesus into her heart, I was thrilled! There was a part of me, though, that was somewhat skeptical about what she understood. I wasn’t sure how much rejoicing to do until I saw evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in her life.

Then, after reading books before nap time, Sarah asked if we could pray. We pray together before bed, but not usually before nap. Sarah hadn’t ever initiated a prayer time before. So, it was confirmation that the Holy Spirit was indeed inside Sarah and beginning her sanctification (ongoing  process of being made holy and set apart for God’s work)!

Later the same day, for additional confirmation, I overheard her singing her own made-up song “Jesus is inside my heart!” She often sings, but it’s usually a song she knows. So, that’s when I started crying tears of joy at her new life in Christ, praising God for His work in her life!!!

As Paul prayed for the Romans:

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

I pray for God to continue to fill Sarah with His joy and peace as she trusts Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray this for all of us!!!

Alice

Colorblind

So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.  Luke 15:20-24

Who came up with the concept of being ‘colorblind?’  Yes, there are people who are literally color-blind, but I have heard that phrase used often in conversation with people with respect to their view on race.  “I don’t see color when talking to people,” is what some would say to me as if it were a badge of honor.  “It does not matter what color you are.  I see you as a brother in Christ,” is the latest version of it that I hear.  Now, I understand where the people are coming from, and assuming positive intent, I am sure they mean well when they say.  However, I want to let you in on a little secret the next time you have the urge to say it.  It is the worst thing to say to a person of color and particularly a Christian.  “Why?  God doesn’t see color,” is the most commonly response when I say that.  I mean it sounds like a very Christian thing to say.  He or she is noting that God loves us no matter what our color is, and that is true.  It is also true that most teen fathers struggle to make a living, and yet, here I am.  My point?  All because it is true does not necessarily make it relevant.

God made us different as a test of our faith.  The test is not to see if you embrace someone as you would anyone.  It is to test if you would embrace them for who they are!  The story of the prodigal son as many know is filled with lessons.  Today, I look to the part of the father running to His lost younger son.  Remember this son was ungrateful as he left, and many would say he was unworthy of this kind of celebration.  Yet instead of focusing on his son’s sins, he focused on his return acknowledging where he was (dead, lost).  We often see someone different from us, and we look at them from where ‘we’ are.  A key to this story is we must always find people at their level.  That is exactly what God does.  He finds us where we are and raises us up.  He does not stay where He is and tell us to climb.  To be clear, I am not saying we are not all brothers and sisters in Christ.  I am saying that when you see someone who is not like you, ask them about themselves and understand where they come from.  See where they are, and then, determine how to move forward.  Furthermore, be the authentic person God made you to be.  Reach out earnestly and with love.  They will embrace it and more importantly, so will God.

The beauty of God is that as His creation, we get a front row seat to His intentionality.  When we see a butterfly, it has different colors to it.  We could say that it is just like every other butterfly, but if we look through God’s lens, we see its uniqueness in comparison to other butterflies.  We will see its individual beauty.  Not compare it with others.   That is how to overcome colorblindness.  So l challenge you to love all people not only for their similarities but also because of their differences.  Who is God challenging you to find a greater relationship with someone not like you?  How can your circle of friends look more like a mosaic than just yourself?  My prayer is that we allow God to push our boundaries to avoid being ‘colorblind.’  Amen.

Tues Devo: Costs something

Hello,

I spent the last week or so reading through the life of David in 2 Samuel. While there are many things through his life to evaluate and consider (good and bad), his relatively steady heart towards approaching God is a thematic element of his life. He had a reverence for his relationship with God. He knew that it was more than just a casual thing. He knew that God was serious, and expected to be taken seriously. Towards the end of his life, David selfishly had a census taken. God sent calamity to the people including an angel who was striking down some of the people. When it was over, God told David to put up an alter to God where the angel had been. The man tried to give King David the property, but see David’s response:

2 Samuel 24:24 “However, the king said to Araunah, ‘No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing.’ So David bought the threshing floor and oxen for fifty shekels of silver” (NASB)

Yes, David was in the position because of sin – but as he righted his heart towards God, He knew that real sacrifice had to be present in this relationship.

No different today. God has done most of the sacrifice – nothing we can give up will ever compare. But we also must be approach our relationship with God in this way – desiring to participate, no matter the cost. Being unwilling to just take what comes at a surface level. In a deep manner, acting on our knowledge that God has sacrificed for us – and deserves all we have.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Thursday Devotional - Another New Sister!

Last Friday I came home from work to another new sister!

James and Sarah were playing together when James asked: “Do you want to be a Child of God?”

Sarah: “Yes.”

James: “You need to ask Jesus into your heart in order to be a child of God. do you want to ask Jesus into your heart?”

Sarah: “Yes.”

This wasn’t the first time James had asked Sarah similar questions. In the past, she had said no or ignored the question.

Joe overheard the whole exchange and stepped in to talk with Sarah about what it means to ask Jesus into our hearts and to ask about her understanding of what Jesus did for us. Sarah knew Jesus died on the cross for our sins and she was able to identify some of her own sins and her need for a Savior. She prayed in her own words, asking Jesus to forgive her and come into her heart! She is not only my daughter, but now my sister in Christ, a child of God!

Romans 10:9-13 ⁹ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Have you believed in your heart and professed with your mouth that Jesus is the resurrected Lord?

If so, you are saved from eternal destruction and a meaningless life and are a child of God!

If not, what is holding you back?

Alice

Information For Good Decisions

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Mark 1:16-18

My mother was an avid reader of Consumer Reports magazine.  She would keep old copies of it so that when it came time to shop for something, she could pull up one of the old articles giving ratings on various brands, and then weight cost and quality to what would ultimately would be her decision.  She passed that on to me, but I was not the one who enjoyed having magazines laying all over the household.  However as kids says nowadays, there’s an app for that.  Thus, finding brands and researching on them right down to the model number became easy.  I love my microwave oven that we replaced years ago because it was that good.   It gave me this sense of surety and confidence that my decision would work out just fine because I had enough information.

The decision to follow Christ was a decision I made just about fifteen years ago.  However one might ask what took me so long?  It took me a while to figure out that Jesus wanted me to follow him.  When you are an imperfect person who saw His followers as perfect, you do not believe you are worthy of such a blessing.  Thus, God had to provide me with a lot of information.  Through His watching over me, He loved and protected me.  He gave me scriptures through devotions, and words of encouragement through followers.  Thus when the time came to make the decision, I was ready to follow.  The choice was easy because much like my mother taught me when finding the right brand, God had shown me His goodness, love, and finally, His grace.  So the decision was easy.

Making choices for Christ is easy once you have the right information.  This sounds like a very simple and easy Devotion to take in.  However, it is not the information that is difficult.  The application and practice to come to the decision is.  Our life is a constant struggle to make good decisions because of our sinful nature.  As Paul so well put, “I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” (Romans 7:19)  This is the challenge we have as followers.  We all fail in some degree or another.  This is why Christ’s sacrifice was necessary.  We alone could not cover our failures, and through Him, we are made perfect.  Thus, we must always remember that following Christ, while an easy choice, is a challenging journey if we do not have practices that ensure our walk of faith stays true to His word.  Understanding this provides us with the information needed to make good faith based decision that allow us to walk as Simon and Andrew did trusting in Jesus without hesitation.

Our choice to follow means embracing the adventure that God lays before us.  The journey of faith is one that is filled with choices that have both blessings and at times heartache.  But Jesus wants us to know that no choice is without God’s watchful and loving eyes there to help and protect us.  We do not ever get to either know or understand this unless we have chosen to take up His cross and follow Him.  So let us always remember Jesus Christ as our savior as the foundation of all choices, and utilize the information we’ve gathered in our journey of faith going forward.  What information are you needing from Christ today?  What decisions might you need to wait on God for?  My prayer is that we trust God as our source of information to make good decisions.  Amen.

God's Hand

Psalm 23:4

Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

I love how God works in and through people at the perfect time.  There are times that we have no way of explaining how perfect something happened except that it was God.

Recently, my sister tagged me in a post on Facebook that her nephew had posted looking for someone to recreate a poster he found.  See, he is a teacher and uses his desk area at school to be a witness for the Lord.  Add to that the fact that he was diagnosed with a very aggressive stage 4 Hodgkin Lympoma a few weeks ago, he really wanted something that would share with his students that he is not afraid.  This poster had Psalm 23:4 on it.  It was done with very crisp lines and he said he liked it because it made him feel like it was God saying that he had already set the plans for him. 

When my sister tagged me, her nephew, Johan, wasn’t sure who was being tagged.  It has been about 25 years since we’ve seen one another.  I took a look at it, knew I could not do the exact image for copyright reasons but said that I’d play with it and figure out something.  I ended up doing a design and he loved it even more.  He said that it was completely who he was, even down to the colors (which were not yet set in stone as I showed him screenshot of what I put together). 

Though all of this, Johan kept saying how God worked it out perfectly.  The canvas was set to be delivered to him today, which is when he was hoping to have it by as school started today for him.  Yet it arrived early, allowing him to get it hung in his classroom before students would arrive. 

Our God is amazing!  When we are in our darkest, most trial filled times, he is there.  He is with us, comforting us. 

Today I want you to think about the things in your life that could be nothing other than God working it all out.  I also ask you to be praying for Johan as he undergoes treatments.  He is only 35 and has young children.  They are positive that they will be able to treat it however this will certainly be a battle that will wear him down.