Devotional: Faith Circle October 2007

About a week ago, I came across the following passage in Jeremiah:

If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?
Jeremiah 12:5 (NIV)

I’m sure my initial attraction to this verse was the reference to running. However, when I pondered the verse more and more, I found myself meditating on the idea of stumbling.

I am quite aware that my life is one of great ease and little trouble. I know I am profoundly blessed in my circumstances and, yet, I can still find things in my life to trip me up on a daily basis. That is what makes the Lord’s response to Jeremiah’s questions so thought provoking to me. If I can find stumbling blocks in this easy life, what will I do when things really get tough?

Will I be like the seed sown on rocky ground in Jesus’ parable?

"The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts
only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he
quickly falls away.” Matthew 13:20-21 (NIV)

Or, even, the seed sown among thorns?

“The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22 (NIV)

Oh, merciful Father, I hope not!

Peter gives us hope that this does not have to be the case for us:

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away [i.e. stumble] . Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.2 Peter 1:3-11 (NLT)

Dear Heavenly Father, According to the Psalmist:

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.
Psalm 37:23-24 (NLT)

I pray tonight that You would direct our steps so that we might hold Your hand and continue to walk in Your ways instead of falling over the bumps we encounter in our lives. In Your Son’s most precious name, Amen.

friday's word

My brother-in-law, Andy, sends out daily word e-mails to a lucky group of people. This one came in on Friday and it uses the verse that gave this blog its name. He said it would be OK if I shared it here. And, by the way, I think Andy is a clear, steady light.

the word for friday is....LAMP.....this lamp on my desk is driving me crazy......i sit down to write, and as soon as i start typing (do you still call it typing, even if its on a computer?)... it starts blinking...

ive tried tightening the bulb.....but to no avail.......beth told me if it bothered me, i should fix it..... i told her that before i was married, my idea of fixing something was to throw it away and go buy a new one.....

but she said i cant do that..it was a wedding gift.....(not from anyone on this list!!!!!)

i only think about it for a few minutes each day.....then it never crosses my mind...until the next night......

it just gives off a screwed up light...not bright at all....and the constant on and off drives me nutty....which, i know, is a short drive.......... it just doesnt do what it is supposed to do !!!!!!!!

"You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14.....

really? are we? are we a clear light...or a blinking...on and off...screwed up one???

Devotional: Faith Circle July 2004

What Our Parents Get Us Into

Yesterday, in our women’s bible study, we were talking about the prophecy of the birth of John the Baptist. When his father was told that he would be born, he was also told what to name his son and that his son was to never take wine or other fermented drink. Samson was born into a similar religious vow. His mother was told her son would be a Nazirite, which involves several vows made in the name of spirituality, vows that were usually voluntary, but for Samson were a fact of life.

This got me to thinking about the kinds of things that our parents get us into. It’s all sorts of things. My mother bought certain brands of foods when she grocery shopped and I buy those same brands today. Family traditions. Political leanings. Choice of religion. Things from little to big, insignificant to life altering. Parents have far reaching influence.

Thinking further, I noted that John the Baptist thrived in the vow that was part and parcel with his birth. Samson did not. The same is true with all of the things I mentioned before. Just because a parent influences a child in a certain way does not mean that that will “stick”. Just ask my mother-in-law sometime about how different her son is from her in certain beliefs for an example. But, this isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, a child who is confident in his ability to think for himself and who is open to other ways of thinking is a great compliment to his parents, I believe.

Now, we have earthly parents and we have a heavenly Father. Just as our earthly parents get us into things when we are young, so does our Father in heaven if we are lucky enough to be raised in the church. As we grow in our faith, we are striving to hear, learn and internalize all things that come from our heavenly Father. We are hoping to “get into” whatever God wants us to. We want all of His influences to stick. We want to thrive in our vows to Him that come along with being His chosen children.

Let us pray:

Lord, please watch over all of us as we strive to be under your influence in everything we do. Open our ears that we may hear your quiet whisperings to us, our eyes that we may see your glory, our hearts that we may feel and share your love, and our minds that we may understand what it is to be a child of God. In the name of your son, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Devotional: Faith Circle May 2004

Maury graduates from preschool this Thursday. I find it hard to believe that he is old enough to have reached this milestone. But, that really is just an emotional response to this, not a logical one, because when I look at all that little boy can do and all he knows, it really should be no surprise that he is ready for kindergarten. It is truly amazing is how much learning he has packed into his short life. He came to us a clean slate, a perfect newborn boy with the world before him. We taught him what we could about the basics in life: how to eat, walk, talk. The preschool taught him so much more: colors, shapes, numbers, letters, words. He has absorbed everything put before him and now he is ready to go on to the next level.

Being a parent makes me understand a little better how God must feel about each and every one of us. He has not only known us since the day we were born, but before we were born. He placed us lovingly in the homes we grew up in. He left us to others to care for and raise, but He is still very much our Father, our parent. I am sure that He, like most parents, is amused by some of the things we do, not so amused by others. I am sure He wonders where we learned some of the things that we have learned…both good and bad. I am sure that He has times of great pride in His children and also times of great despair.

Watching Maury grow and learn reminds me of what I feel our purpose on earth is: to grow and learn and, in the process, grow closer to our Father by doing His work. In that sense, I wonder if He grants spiritual promotion in the same way that our schools grant scholarly promotion? If we seem to “get” most of what is being taught on a certain level, do we then get promoted to the next level? I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like I was demoted when I am facing yet another lesson in the same curriculum of life, one that is so similar to one I had before but clearly did not learn from. Still, there are moments of glorious understanding, moments when I feel ready to tackle new spiritual challenges, ready to move up to the next level.

So, as Maury walks down the aisle at graduation this Thursday, I will be thinking about what I need to do to move on to the next level in my walk with God.

Let us pray: Dear Heavenly Father, please be with us all as we attend your school here on earth. Show us all that however many days we have left here, you have valuable things to teach us if we will just take the time to sit at your feet and listen. Grant us your Spirit as a guide that we may not miss a single lesson set before us. These things we pray in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Devotional: Faith Circle May 2003

Has anyone else been looking for rainbows lately? I have. I know this weather is nothing like the great flood of Noah's day, but it does make me think a lot about that as we have day after day of rain.

Imagine what it must have been like to be Noah. Genesis tells us that Noah walked with God. In a time when the entire world was corrupt and evil, Noah walked with God. He heard Him when He spoke to him because he had a close relationship with God.

And, even better, he acted on what God told him to do. I don't know how many of you have ever heard Bill Cosby's take on the story of Noah, but I think it is rather enlightening. He humorously envisions Noah building this huge boat in the middle of a desert while his neighbors all think he has totally cracked up. But, Noah continued to do as he was told by God.

Then the waters came. The same floodwaters that swept away all those doubting neighbors, and everything else in creation, served to float the ark higher. The torrential downpours which destroyed others lifted Noah closer to God.

Somedays you look at the news and you have to think, surely God is going to rain down his fury on this world soon. It seems almost too much somedays. But, God isn't focused now, nor was he in Noah's time, on what was being destroyed by the evil of mankind's ways, but on what is being built. For Noah, what was being built was very obvious…a large boat. For us today, what is being built is a body of Christians who can go around the world and bring news of God's grace to all who will hear it. Yes, some of those who hear us may think we are just as delusional as Noah's neighbors must have though he was. But, if even one will hear us and believe, think how that will please God.

Heavenly Father, help us take after Noah, who walked with you, step-by-step, day-by-day. Help us find grace in your eyes by our faith. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Devotional: Faith Circle April 2003

Luke 10:38-42
Mary and Martha were among Jesus' closest friends and followers. No one loved Jesus more than these two women and Jesus loved them both.

These sisters were as different from each other as night from day. Mary was the quiet, contemplative sister. Martha was the busy, bustling and active sister. Martha was the one in the kitchen seeing to supper when Jesus came to visit. Her way of showing her love for Jesus was to cook and serve a fine meal.

Today's Marthas still serve Jesus in that way. These are the fine Christian women AND men we find at all the church functions pitching in and working their fingers to the bone. Their way of showing their love for Christ is to bake, cook, dust, sweep, polish, repair, and do anything else that needs doing.

While the Marthas of the church are bustling about, the Marys have their noses in a book of meditations, prayers or Bible study. They are prayer warriors who daily intercede for their friends, families, and church storming God's heavenly throne with their petitions. But they have that nagging fault which the Marthas find so unbearable. They tend to be sitting listening when the dishes need doing in the kitchen.

But Martha, too, had one glaring fault. She was too busy to sit down to study at the feet of Christ. There's nothing wrong with service-the Word tells us repeatedly that we are to serve one another in love. But, often, we allow our busy-ness to keep us from spending time with Him. Work for the Lord can distract from spending time with the Lord of the Work!

I think that most of us here are probably a little bit of Mary and a little bit of Martha, but maybe not. Maybe you find yourself squarely one versus the other. What we must remember is that there is a time to work, and a time to wait on the Lord. There is a time to serve, and a time to be silent before God. There is a time to prepare a meal, and a time to have our souls prepared for heaven by feasting on the bread of life. If all we do is sit at Jesus' feet, nothing will be done. If all we do is work and never sit at His feet, the things that are accomplished will not be long-lasting.

Heavenly Father, help us all remember as we go about our daily lives that, while we each have important work to do for you, we must take time to sit at your feet and have our souls rejuvenated by your love and your teaching. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.