Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: 1 Corinthians 6
Notes: Lord, that we would have the gentleness and courage to create a true Christian community that avoids worldly courts of law among ourselves, and lives pure lives. May we be authentic witnesses to your demands, but even stronger witnesses of your good news. Please give us the courage to not modify your gospel to suit the desires of our culture, yet have the wisdom to not pointlessly drive people away from you with sound bites and decisive speech. 

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: John 9
Notes: Have I developed schemas of how I expect God to work, or am I ready to look at His work and receive whatever He chooses to do, and worship Him for it?
What began in unbelief turned to accusing God of sin, reviling the one He healed, and generally turning spiritual leadership into a human endeavor to enforce their belief system about God, or be ostracized and excluded from the community. How deceived and evil we can be once we believe we know it all!
We would be wise to retain the humility of the one still searching for further enlightening, rather than believe we've "got it."
Lord, please help me to always humbly look to you and not build schemas of how you operate and first fail to recognize you, and then possibly fall into all kinds of sin defending my schema.

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: John 4
Notes: Someone else planted. The Lord knows how to steer a conversation, even when another tries to derail it by throwing in bait for meaningless argument to avoid talking about where it hurts. The harvest fields are ready now.
Lord, I often feel like I am in a drought-ravaged land, where no one wants to talks about you. Please give me opportunities for witness. You have said that the fields are ready for harvest. Also, please guide my conversations, and give me your wisdom and your words, as well as your love.

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: John 2
Notes: Mary had faith in Jesus to help in ways she had never seen before. God has compassion for us on all of our needs. God is not a pauper. He blesses extravagantly. Access to God in prayer was a serious matter to Jesus that warranted decisive action. -> I will ask God for help for the things I need, and trust Him for extravagant blessings, because He has compassion on His own.

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: Ephesians 3
Notes: Knowing Christ is a gift we receive through His Spirit whom He has given to us according to the riches of His grace. There is no ability or supply shortage - He provides both. Let's ask Him with faith to let us know Him in his fullness.

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: Ephesians 2
Notes: We sometimes struggle to associate with those far away from God. Yet, they are the ones the holy, pure, and perfect god LOVES, and they are the object of His grace.
Good works are not a nice-to. He has already prepared things for us to do - let's make sure we know what they are and actually do them!
We are one temple with the worst of sinners. Lord, please help us to love our fellow Christians and those who until now are still far off with your love.
Lord, please fill me with your love and help me keep my eyes peeled for the good works you have prepared for me to do today.

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: Jeremiah 38
Notes: When your situation seems hopeless and weak people fail to protect you and evil people try to destroy you, count on God to be faithful and provide you with salvation even from unexpected sources. Note that even after miraculous salvation from certain death, you may still find yourself in a prison cell.

Today's Devotional Thought

Passage: Jeremiah 37
Notes: Faithfulness does not guarantee exemption from evil done to you. It is okay to ask for lessening of torture. God can even use an evil ruler to save His people. Even the evil ruler may grasp His need for prayer, and a message from God. -> don't give up on prayer for authority, even evil rulers sometimes serve God's purposes.

Thank You

Thank you, Lord, for the rain on Saturday. It was just what we needed.

(Having a garden to care for gives you a different perspective on some things.)

On Our Knees

There was a significant line in a dramatic presentation we had at church last Sunday. I remember it like this:

American Christians would rather live standing that die kneeling.

That would be our problem.

I'm assuming that the idea behind the quote is supposed to be that we don't just give ourselves up and submit to another power (in this case, the entire Bristish fleet). Before I get back to those two alternatives, let's consider the words die and kneel.

Die

• I have been crucified with Christ. Gal. 2:20
• If anyone would come after me, let him [...] take up his cross. Matt. 16:24
• "We will abandon it all for the Sake of the Call." (SCC)
  

Kneel

• So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him... Matt. 18:26
• The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne... Rev. 4:10
• I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it... Mark 11:20
• You do not have, because you do not ask. James 4:2
  

I believe that the statement above is a statement of pride and self-reliance. I do not believe that the alternative is one of subjugation (and what I'm about to say is more general in nature, and not intended to be an answer to defending a country). Our problem as Christians is that we are too often characterized by our desire for comfort, entertainment, and riches, gained by our selfish efforts, and not primarily by being people on our knees, unable to help ourselves, but imploring our Father who alone is able, too rarely a people ready to die, giving up our priorities for his purposes.

Addendum: For those of my readers who will feel that this is an attack on their patriotism, the sacrifice at Fort McHenry, or the "Star Spangled Banner" itself: what if the answer of the lawyer had been, "we believe that what you're about to do is a great injustice, and we pray that God will help us to not be overcome, despite the size of your navy?" Same patriotism, different attitude?

Prayer on Being Made Redundant

The Church of England has published a well-put prayer for those who have been laid off. Hope none of you has occasion to pray it - maybe the only time I'll ever say, "I hope you don't pray (this prayer)."

Suppertime Prayer

"Jesus, help our food be in our tummy.
In Jesus' name, amen.
And our milk.
In Jesus' name, amen."

Ch.

Children Who are Mighty in Spirit

As I was in prayer today, I brought our children and our friends' children yet again before God, asking Him that they would become His children as soon as possible, and live their lives for His purposes. I am more than ever convinced that nothing could be more important for them. My study of 1 John has confirmed that the difference between succeeding in life is whether or not the Holy Spirit is guiding and enabling us. Without His power, all the best training is useless (= will not be used) because in our own strength we are unable. Then, the following verses struck me:

For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants; and they will spring up among the grass like poplars by streams of water.

Isaiah 44:3-4

As I looked up poplars in Merriam-Webster, they pointed out that a defining characteristic of poplars is that they grow up quickly. May that be the case for our children!

What a wonderful promise to claim: "I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring."

Keep Your Mouth Shut

The best time for you to hold your tongue is the time you feel you must say something or bust.

Josh Billings

Lord, have mercy, and help me learn this one.

Worry Warts

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow.

Certainly an interesting quote, though most people who tend to worry may shrug their shoulders - and keep on worrying. What gets me is who said it. When we worry, we may be concerned how long the car will keep on running, or how we're going to "get it all done," or whether our job will be safe for the foreseeable future - and also many smaller things. The person who originated the quote above would have had reason to worry, yet she is essentially saying, "Don't bother worrying. It's no use." 'Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow' was coined by Corrie Ten Boom.

Most likely, the reason she could say this is because she believed what her sister Betsie told her shortly before she died in Ravensbrück concentration camp: "There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still."

The Progress of the Lord's Kingdom

When we calmly reflect upon the fact that the progress of our Lord's Kingdom is dependent upon prayer, it is sad to think that we give so little time to the holy exercise. Everything depends upon prayer, and yet we neglect it not only to our own spiritual hurt, but also to the delay and injury of our Lord's cause upon earth.

E. M. Bounds