Today is the final day for the "His Ways" Journal. Today's devotion... by Kathi Colton is from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14:
"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him."
Today, Kathi shared a very personal story of her grandson's unexpected death. She shared about the happenings and the aftermath in a very revealing way. She said that Joshua's brother reminded her of a very important truth at the hospital shortly after his death... that "Joshua got to see God."
Death is a painful thing. An incredibly painful thing.
But it is also an incredible thing for the Christian. Today is Easter. And that is the best of days for the Christian. Today is the day that Jesus proved that death had no claim on those who trust in Jesus. After 3 days in the tomb, Jesus powerfully came out and showed himself to his disciples. That proof gives us hope that one day soon we will be with him for eternity.
Kathi shared the dream that she had about Joshua's casket being lifted to heaven. That's a dream that we can all share... although probably without the casket. Someday... for those who believe in Jesus Christ and what he did so many years ago on that first Easter morning... we will be raised to new life to worship God forever in eternity. So, while death may still be painful here... it's "sting" is gone. Thankfully...
Jim
Showing posts with label His Ways. Show all posts
Showing posts with label His Ways. Show all posts
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
His Ways... Day 13... Michelle Diamond
Today's devotion... by Michelle Diamond (who put this devotion together!!!)... is from Romans 8:28:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Michelle had a good thought today about God being in control. She points out... and I think this is true for most Protestants... is that even though in our minds we realize that God is in control, most of us still try to do it on our own. We are good little Armenians who believe that somehow we can still affect the outcome of our salvation. And to some degree, I'm still there.
But then there are verses like Romans 8:28... Paul says that GOD works things together. That's something that only He can do. One for instance was last night's Good Friday service. Steve put the music together. I wrote the message. We talked briefly about the direction of the night. But GOD tied together the pieces in a way that neither of us could have even if we would have written the whole night together in a room. There were strands of the message that showed up in the songs... in the video... there were strands of the video and the songs in the message. Something that wasn't intentional on either of our parts.
It always makes me wonder what GOD might be tying together even right now that I don't even begin to realize. And what is HE doing with it to impact HIS kingdom in a way that I may never realize.
Jim
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Michelle had a good thought today about God being in control. She points out... and I think this is true for most Protestants... is that even though in our minds we realize that God is in control, most of us still try to do it on our own. We are good little Armenians who believe that somehow we can still affect the outcome of our salvation. And to some degree, I'm still there.
But then there are verses like Romans 8:28... Paul says that GOD works things together. That's something that only He can do. One for instance was last night's Good Friday service. Steve put the music together. I wrote the message. We talked briefly about the direction of the night. But GOD tied together the pieces in a way that neither of us could have even if we would have written the whole night together in a room. There were strands of the message that showed up in the songs... in the video... there were strands of the video and the songs in the message. Something that wasn't intentional on either of our parts.
It always makes me wonder what GOD might be tying together even right now that I don't even begin to realize. And what is HE doing with it to impact HIS kingdom in a way that I may never realize.
Jim
Friday, March 21, 2008
His Ways... Day 12... Mark Batts
Today's devotion... by Mark Batts... is from John 13:21:
"After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.""
Mark gave us some great thoughts about betrayal today. I especially enjoyed Mark's stories about his children. But his conclusion really got me.
Most of the time, when we do something sinful... whether its premeditated or not... we often feel like no one will know. But that simply isn't true... as Mark reminded me today. God knows. And he sees that betrayal in a similar fashion to the betrayal that Jesus felt from Peter and Judas... two guys that I have often drawn comparisons between. The actions of both were similar (betrayal of Jesus... one to authorities... one to bystanders... but both betrayals). The difference was in the outcome.
But I guess I don't think often of my sinfulness in terms of betrayal. But it is. Mark says this, "When we sin, we are betraying God's grace and sacrifice. Whether it is a huge glaring betrayal like Judas' or a little white lie to protect ourselves like Peter, we have not lived up to the example set by Christ."
Thanks for the thoughts Mark.
Jim
"After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.""
Mark gave us some great thoughts about betrayal today. I especially enjoyed Mark's stories about his children. But his conclusion really got me.
Most of the time, when we do something sinful... whether its premeditated or not... we often feel like no one will know. But that simply isn't true... as Mark reminded me today. God knows. And he sees that betrayal in a similar fashion to the betrayal that Jesus felt from Peter and Judas... two guys that I have often drawn comparisons between. The actions of both were similar (betrayal of Jesus... one to authorities... one to bystanders... but both betrayals). The difference was in the outcome.
But I guess I don't think often of my sinfulness in terms of betrayal. But it is. Mark says this, "When we sin, we are betraying God's grace and sacrifice. Whether it is a huge glaring betrayal like Judas' or a little white lie to protect ourselves like Peter, we have not lived up to the example set by Christ."
Thanks for the thoughts Mark.
Jim
Thursday, March 20, 2008
His Ways... Day 11... Ken Hempel
Today's devotion... written by Ken Hempel... is from Mark 14:12-17:
"12On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"
"12On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"
13So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14Say to the owner of the house he enters, 'The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' 15He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there."
16The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
17When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve."
I have often wondered about the people in the Bible who don't get names and faces. With all the people in the Bible, if we were to know their whole story, we could never carry it around... we would need a box truck. But I wonder about some of the people from time to time.
Like this guy... this guy who had an upper room that was prepared and ready to go when Jesus showed up. What was his story? When he put the upper room together, did he have any idea of what was going to happen up there? When he began to build it, did people think he was crazy? Did they look at him weird (you're going to build a "what")?
Similarly, what did he think when these two disciples showed up and wanted to use it? Did he think that was strange? Did he wonder what they might do up there? Could he hear them from below in the rest of the house? Did he have any idea of what might be happening above?
I've often thought of people like this and wondered what happened to them. Did he ever become a believer? Did he hear Peter preach? Did he weep when Jesus was crucified? Or did he chant "Crucify, crucify" with the rest of the croud?
Here is a nameless, faceless person who had huge impact on the story of Christ. He provided the upper room... the room where Jesus ate the meal with his disciples... where he washed their feet... where he prayed for them... where the instituted the "Lord's Supper"... where he called them "friends." And yet, we know nothing about him. Maybe that's God's way of doing things. We think we need to be in the spotlight. Rather, we should just serve where we're at and with what God puts in front of us today.
Jim
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
His Ways... Day 10... Jennifer Waltermire
Today's devotion... written by Jenn Waltermire... is from Exodus 13:8(NIV):
"On that day tell your son, 'I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.'"
I need to be reminded of important things often.
I am a to-do-list person... I also leave piles of work on my desk... on the couch at home where I watch TV (when I should be doing work)... on the "to-do-list" of my iCal calendar... just about everywhere I can think of. Because, for me, out of sight is out of mind. And I need to be reminded. Reminded to stay 'on-task' and to get done what needs to be done. Even my wife knows this about me... In fact, when we got married almost 5 years ago, my wife knew that I would forget the date. So she had it engraved inside the band of my wedding ring (now... I can't wear it because I lost too much weight last year... and need to get it resized).
But I forget things easily. Even my Bible reading plan falls behind if I'm not careful. It's just part of who I am.
But I am grateful for what Jenn shared today. That God gave the Israelites a built in way to remember what God had done for them (the Passover) and that he has given me a built in reminder for what he has done for me and for you (Easter). What a great opportunity to go back and remember... remember again... what God has done for me on the cross.
Thanks God for knowing me... and us... so well as to know that we would need to be reminded often.
Jim
"On that day tell your son, 'I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.'"
I need to be reminded of important things often.
I am a to-do-list person... I also leave piles of work on my desk... on the couch at home where I watch TV (when I should be doing work)... on the "to-do-list" of my iCal calendar... just about everywhere I can think of. Because, for me, out of sight is out of mind. And I need to be reminded. Reminded to stay 'on-task' and to get done what needs to be done. Even my wife knows this about me... In fact, when we got married almost 5 years ago, my wife knew that I would forget the date. So she had it engraved inside the band of my wedding ring (now... I can't wear it because I lost too much weight last year... and need to get it resized).
But I forget things easily. Even my Bible reading plan falls behind if I'm not careful. It's just part of who I am.
But I am grateful for what Jenn shared today. That God gave the Israelites a built in way to remember what God had done for them (the Passover) and that he has given me a built in reminder for what he has done for me and for you (Easter). What a great opportunity to go back and remember... remember again... what God has done for me on the cross.
Thanks God for knowing me... and us... so well as to know that we would need to be reminded often.
Jim
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
His Ways... Day 9... Alex Glass
Today's devotion... by Alex Glass... is from Psalm 23:
"1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
These verses are quite possibly the most familiar to most people. I can't think of a funeral that I have been to when these words have been used or printed somewhere. Most years at VBS growing up as a kid, I was asked to memorize these words. Most people, regardless of their familiarity with church, will recognize these words.
And yet... the picture behind him is so powerful. God as a protecting shepherd carrying caring for His sheep.
Jim
"1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
These verses are quite possibly the most familiar to most people. I can't think of a funeral that I have been to when these words have been used or printed somewhere. Most years at VBS growing up as a kid, I was asked to memorize these words. Most people, regardless of their familiarity with church, will recognize these words.
And yet... the picture behind him is so powerful. God as a protecting shepherd carrying caring for His sheep.
Jim
Monday, March 17, 2008
His Ways... Day 8... Julie Brooks
Today's devotion... written by Julie Brooks... is from Matthew 6:27:
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
Julie focuses part of her devotion on a really, really big word (that seems really small): the word 'IF'. God can take care of us if we let him... God can handle our problems if we give them to Him... If is a big word... and a word that many of us don't like. Because it isn't very certain.
Then she said something that caught me off guard a bit. She says, "If Jesus could trust God to take care of Him through his death and resurrection, why shouldn't I trust Him to take care of me?" Wow.
Often I think about the resurrection and Easter in terms of the end of the story. I know that when Jesus goes to the Garden on Thursday night that he is going to end up crucified and nailed to a cross and then on Sunday he is going to raise from the dead. But imagine staring down that notion from the first person side of things. Knowing that I am going to be betrayed, crucified and killed. And that I am going to put my trust in God to take care of me and carrying me through. Why? Because He is the only one who can. Wow! Imagine the faith that Jesus must have had in his Father. Obviously Jesus is God and is confident in the outcome. But he is still man and he still must have been crazy with fear.
One of the scenes that just came to mind... and I will likely watch it over the next couple of days is from the Mel Gibson "Passion" where Jesus is in the Garden at the very opening of the movie. One of the things that the movie did for me was to paint some "fresh" pictures of the crucifixion for me (which I needed). But the scene that popped to mind is where Jesus is wrestling with whether to go through with it and Satan, the tempter, is right there with him, almost whispering in his ear. But yet, Jesus trusted God.
Incredible.
Jim
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
Julie focuses part of her devotion on a really, really big word (that seems really small): the word 'IF'. God can take care of us if we let him... God can handle our problems if we give them to Him... If is a big word... and a word that many of us don't like. Because it isn't very certain.
Then she said something that caught me off guard a bit. She says, "If Jesus could trust God to take care of Him through his death and resurrection, why shouldn't I trust Him to take care of me?" Wow.
Often I think about the resurrection and Easter in terms of the end of the story. I know that when Jesus goes to the Garden on Thursday night that he is going to end up crucified and nailed to a cross and then on Sunday he is going to raise from the dead. But imagine staring down that notion from the first person side of things. Knowing that I am going to be betrayed, crucified and killed. And that I am going to put my trust in God to take care of me and carrying me through. Why? Because He is the only one who can. Wow! Imagine the faith that Jesus must have had in his Father. Obviously Jesus is God and is confident in the outcome. But he is still man and he still must have been crazy with fear.
One of the scenes that just came to mind... and I will likely watch it over the next couple of days is from the Mel Gibson "Passion" where Jesus is in the Garden at the very opening of the movie. One of the things that the movie did for me was to paint some "fresh" pictures of the crucifixion for me (which I needed). But the scene that popped to mind is where Jesus is wrestling with whether to go through with it and Satan, the tempter, is right there with him, almost whispering in his ear. But yet, Jesus trusted God.
Incredible.
Jim
Sunday, March 16, 2008
His Ways... Day 7... The Alford Family
Today's devotion is actually written by a whole family... that's pretty cool... the Alfords (they have a 6th grade daughter who is AWESOME!!!)... and it's from Revelation 21:5:
"He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.""
The Alford family all had a part in writing a part of today's devotion.
In thinking about all things "new"... if you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that we adopted a couple of kittens yesterday... Zoe and Zelda... I wasn't sure if after we had to put Spot down that I would want another cat. Now, as I listen to them play under the couch and attack each other and run around the apartment, I'm glad that that's something "new" in my life. I can't wait to be "new" in heaven when God does what only God can do in the way that only God can do it... and everything is new... Wow!
Jim
"He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.""
The Alford family all had a part in writing a part of today's devotion.
In thinking about all things "new"... if you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that we adopted a couple of kittens yesterday... Zoe and Zelda... I wasn't sure if after we had to put Spot down that I would want another cat. Now, as I listen to them play under the couch and attack each other and run around the apartment, I'm glad that that's something "new" in my life. I can't wait to be "new" in heaven when God does what only God can do in the way that only God can do it... and everything is new... Wow!
Jim
Saturday, March 15, 2008
His Ways... Day 6... Suzy Gerber
Today's devotion... written by Suzy Gerber... is from Exodus 13:17-18a:
"17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea."
Suzy does a great job of pointing out that some times, God leads us through the difficult things rather than the easy things for a specific reason. She shares some of her and Steve's story.
It's a good reminder. The tough part is the questioning in the midst of the journey. It was always easier to stand on the other side and think "Wow... God DID that." And that is incredible. But it can be insanely frustrating to walk through the "wilderness" having no idea where you are going.
If that's you... I hope and pray that you keep following God... keep trusting Him... and allowing Him to lead you where he wants you to go.
Jim
"17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea."
Suzy does a great job of pointing out that some times, God leads us through the difficult things rather than the easy things for a specific reason. She shares some of her and Steve's story.
It's a good reminder. The tough part is the questioning in the midst of the journey. It was always easier to stand on the other side and think "Wow... God DID that." And that is incredible. But it can be insanely frustrating to walk through the "wilderness" having no idea where you are going.
If that's you... I hope and pray that you keep following God... keep trusting Him... and allowing Him to lead you where he wants you to go.
Jim
Friday, March 14, 2008
His Ways... Days 5... Hollie Sloss
Today's devotion... written by Hollie Sloss... is from Mark 6:34:
"When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things."
Today, Hollie gave a good reminder when things get busy. She is asking us to look at the verses from Mark 6 where Jesus has just heard the news of John the Baptist's death and the disciples are returning from missionary work. Things are crazy and loud and he wants to mourn and he wants to catch up with the disciples and there are the crowds. And what is Jesus' reaction: compassion.
She says... "Its usually about that time the phone will ring from someone in need, an email will arrive with some sad news or my children need a kind word or a teaching moment. Its in this moment I am reminded of Jesus and his circumstances of sorrow, weariness and desire for solitude and his choice to forgo that and reach out to those reaching out to him in need."
I need to be reminded of that often as well. It seems that I get into my day writing a lesson... making plans... putting together a newsletter... and I really get into a groove and then someone calls me on the phone with a request. Or the other direction, I would really like to have a quiet day to myself and there's an email there waiting for me. Often in those times, I confess, I want to avoid it and skip it and do what I want to do. But I too need to remember that that wasn't Jesus' habit. His habit was compassion.
Good thoughts.
Jim
"When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things."
Today, Hollie gave a good reminder when things get busy. She is asking us to look at the verses from Mark 6 where Jesus has just heard the news of John the Baptist's death and the disciples are returning from missionary work. Things are crazy and loud and he wants to mourn and he wants to catch up with the disciples and there are the crowds. And what is Jesus' reaction: compassion.
She says... "Its usually about that time the phone will ring from someone in need, an email will arrive with some sad news or my children need a kind word or a teaching moment. Its in this moment I am reminded of Jesus and his circumstances of sorrow, weariness and desire for solitude and his choice to forgo that and reach out to those reaching out to him in need."
I need to be reminded of that often as well. It seems that I get into my day writing a lesson... making plans... putting together a newsletter... and I really get into a groove and then someone calls me on the phone with a request. Or the other direction, I would really like to have a quiet day to myself and there's an email there waiting for me. Often in those times, I confess, I want to avoid it and skip it and do what I want to do. But I too need to remember that that wasn't Jesus' habit. His habit was compassion.
Good thoughts.
Jim
Thursday, March 13, 2008
His Ways... Day 4... Suzy Sitarski
Today's devotion... written by Suzy Sitarski... is from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18...
"16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
She also references a couple of other helpful verses on prayer... John 16:23 and Philippians 4:6-7...
Man did Suzy's devotion connect with me today. If you are keeping up, then you'll know that she talked about how when she prays, many times her mind immediately goes to things that she needs to do... call her husband to remind him of something... sign a permission slip for her children and drive it to school... etc... etc...
I think all of us have had that happen. That's a particular struggle of mine in terms of prayer. I am praying and suddenly I think of something that needs to be done... a phone call that needs to be made... plans that need to be finalized... etc... etc...
One of Suzy's suggestions was to pray continually throughout the day for whatever it is that you are working on or whoever you are talking to at the moment. That's good advice.
I would like to add one more idea. When I pray, one thing that I have found helpful is having an index card nearby. When I have a thought of something that I need to do, I write it down. I do this when I read my Bible and have my personal quiet time. Then if I think of something, I write it down. Then I don't have to think to myself... "Now what was it that I was thinking about???" and I'm off somewhere else. Quickly jotting the idea down gets it quickly from my mind to paper so I can remember it later and back to prayer or Scripture reading. Plus, I find that the more often I do that, the more I try to focus so that that list doesn't get longer.
Just a thought.
Hope your day goes well!!
Jim
"16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
She also references a couple of other helpful verses on prayer... John 16:23 and Philippians 4:6-7...
Man did Suzy's devotion connect with me today. If you are keeping up, then you'll know that she talked about how when she prays, many times her mind immediately goes to things that she needs to do... call her husband to remind him of something... sign a permission slip for her children and drive it to school... etc... etc...
I think all of us have had that happen. That's a particular struggle of mine in terms of prayer. I am praying and suddenly I think of something that needs to be done... a phone call that needs to be made... plans that need to be finalized... etc... etc...
One of Suzy's suggestions was to pray continually throughout the day for whatever it is that you are working on or whoever you are talking to at the moment. That's good advice.
I would like to add one more idea. When I pray, one thing that I have found helpful is having an index card nearby. When I have a thought of something that I need to do, I write it down. I do this when I read my Bible and have my personal quiet time. Then if I think of something, I write it down. Then I don't have to think to myself... "Now what was it that I was thinking about???" and I'm off somewhere else. Quickly jotting the idea down gets it quickly from my mind to paper so I can remember it later and back to prayer or Scripture reading. Plus, I find that the more often I do that, the more I try to focus so that that list doesn't get longer.
Just a thought.
Hope your day goes well!!
Jim
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
His Ways... Day 3... Harold Sechrest
Today's devotion is from one of our elders... Harold Sechrest... on Galatians 5:22-26.
"22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."
Harold does a great job of sharing that these verses seem to sum up all of the many words of the Bible.
We are currently asking our middle and high school students to memorize these words. They are currently studying through the book of Galatians and these words for Paul are the bottom line for this book. In a couple of weeks, we'll see how many of them have them memorized.
But the funny thing about fruit... it takes time to grow. You don't just plop a seed in the ground on Wednesday (today) and go out tomorrow and expect to see an apple (or orange or banana or whatever fruit you want... the type of fruit is unimportant in this case... just the illustration). It takes time for the plant to grow to maturity and then begin to produce fruit that you can see and eat. And too many times in our "instant... now/now/now" society, I think we we get frustrated when the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc) isn't available in high speed, wireless and available through the drive-thru with my Skinny Vanilla Latte from Starbucks.
Rather, it is slow. It's in God's timing. And many times, God's timing isn't Jim's timing. So I have to wait. But that can be tough. But like my dad said... and I'm sure many of your dads and moms said... "Good things come to those who wait." And the Fruit of the Spirit are an example of that.
Jim
"22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."
Harold does a great job of sharing that these verses seem to sum up all of the many words of the Bible.
We are currently asking our middle and high school students to memorize these words. They are currently studying through the book of Galatians and these words for Paul are the bottom line for this book. In a couple of weeks, we'll see how many of them have them memorized.
But the funny thing about fruit... it takes time to grow. You don't just plop a seed in the ground on Wednesday (today) and go out tomorrow and expect to see an apple (or orange or banana or whatever fruit you want... the type of fruit is unimportant in this case... just the illustration). It takes time for the plant to grow to maturity and then begin to produce fruit that you can see and eat. And too many times in our "instant... now/now/now" society, I think we we get frustrated when the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc) isn't available in high speed, wireless and available through the drive-thru with my Skinny Vanilla Latte from Starbucks.
Rather, it is slow. It's in God's timing. And many times, God's timing isn't Jim's timing. So I have to wait. But that can be tough. But like my dad said... and I'm sure many of your dads and moms said... "Good things come to those who wait." And the Fruit of the Spirit are an example of that.
Jim
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
His Ways... Day 2... Ruth Anne Boone
Today's devotion by an elder's wife... Ruth Anne... begins with a Scripture from Matthew 9:12...
"On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."
When I first read the Scripture today, I found myself instantly thinking of my life recently. As I posted yesterday, I recently visited my doctor. This doctor has been my doctor for over a year now and this was the first time that I had visited him. In sharing my recent visit, several people have asked why I waited so long. My response was simple: "I wasn't sick... Healthy people don't go to the doctor unless your doctor specifically asks you to come."
I am thankful that God looked down and recognized that even though we may think we're "okay" and "healthy," we really aren't. And he sent His Son... the "doctor"... who could help us and fix us in a way that we couldn't do ourselves.
Ruth Anne today talked about all the imperfections in our lives and how great it would be if we could have some of those peaceful and quiet moments of meditation and I must admit, it would be great to have those times. But I'm just like the rest of you... my schedule is way too full and I have way too little margin in my life. But I am grateful to have a God who loves me in spite of my mistakes and who made a way for me to be "healthy" before I ever knew that I was sick.
Jim
"On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."
When I first read the Scripture today, I found myself instantly thinking of my life recently. As I posted yesterday, I recently visited my doctor. This doctor has been my doctor for over a year now and this was the first time that I had visited him. In sharing my recent visit, several people have asked why I waited so long. My response was simple: "I wasn't sick... Healthy people don't go to the doctor unless your doctor specifically asks you to come."
I am thankful that God looked down and recognized that even though we may think we're "okay" and "healthy," we really aren't. And he sent His Son... the "doctor"... who could help us and fix us in a way that we couldn't do ourselves.
Ruth Anne today talked about all the imperfections in our lives and how great it would be if we could have some of those peaceful and quiet moments of meditation and I must admit, it would be great to have those times. But I'm just like the rest of you... my schedule is way too full and I have way too little margin in my life. But I am grateful to have a God who loves me in spite of my mistakes and who made a way for me to be "healthy" before I ever knew that I was sick.
Jim
Monday, March 10, 2008
His Ways... Day 1... Daryl Johnson
Today's first devotion is from a former elder Daryl Johnson and focused around Hebrews 8:12...
"For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more."
This devotion centered around the idea of washing out the stains in our lives and trying to do it by ourselves. Daryl talked about a time in the Navy when he was picked for a duty based on some stains in his uniform.
As I was reading it, it made me think about a recent trip to the laser tag arena nearby. We took a bunch of high schoolers who were doing the 30 hour famine together. As we were standing there waiting to go in, the place is totally covered in "black light." And if you've ever been around black light, you know that you can see where the laundry detergent was when it was on your clothes in the washer. In regular light, you can't see it, but in black light, it's very plain.
That got me thinking about what Daryl was saying. He asked a couple of questions in making the application.
1. Has God washed stains in your life white as snow?
2. What stains are you currently trying to wash out by yourself? What is keeping you from giving them to God? Pray that he will wash you today.
In regular light, you can't see those invisible stains on your clothes. But they are still there. Just as looking at me as a person, you can't see the sin that's there in my life. But God can see it. And it's a stain that only he can wash away. And boy am I glad that he has??!!!
Thanks Daryl for the thoughts today.
Jim
"For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more."
This devotion centered around the idea of washing out the stains in our lives and trying to do it by ourselves. Daryl talked about a time in the Navy when he was picked for a duty based on some stains in his uniform.
As I was reading it, it made me think about a recent trip to the laser tag arena nearby. We took a bunch of high schoolers who were doing the 30 hour famine together. As we were standing there waiting to go in, the place is totally covered in "black light." And if you've ever been around black light, you know that you can see where the laundry detergent was when it was on your clothes in the washer. In regular light, you can't see it, but in black light, it's very plain.
That got me thinking about what Daryl was saying. He asked a couple of questions in making the application.
1. Has God washed stains in your life white as snow?
2. What stains are you currently trying to wash out by yourself? What is keeping you from giving them to God? Pray that he will wash you today.
In regular light, you can't see those invisible stains on your clothes. But they are still there. Just as looking at me as a person, you can't see the sin that's there in my life. But God can see it. And it's a stain that only he can wash away. And boy am I glad that he has??!!!
Thanks Daryl for the thoughts today.
Jim
His Ways... FVCC Devotion Leading to Easter
FVCC is beginning a 14 day devotion leading up to Easter. It's called "His Ways."
Part of the thinking behind this was building on the success of the 40 days of Community campaign back in the fall and how great it was that the whole church was doing devotions together on the same day and on the same topic. So we thought we'd try it again.
One of our staff members, Michelle Diamond, organized some people in the church to write a devotion. She collected 14 of them and put them in a little booklet that was handed out this past weekend following the services. One of the great things about this effort is that she is the only staff member who wrote a devotion... and only one of our current elders wrote a devotion...
Instead, this devotion was written almost entirely by people and families in our church family. It wasn't dependent on the staff or on the leaders... but instead on the people of FVCC.
I had planned to blog about it previous to today... as today is the first day... but being gone over the weekend with Believe, I forgot to pick up my copy of the devotion before I left. So I thought I would put a little preliminary post and then post about the first day. Since I'm the ONLY staff member who runs an active blog and I do have a considerable amount of traffic of FVCC folks, I thought I would post my thoughts about the devotion for the day.
So... without further adieu... on to the first day.
Jim
Part of the thinking behind this was building on the success of the 40 days of Community campaign back in the fall and how great it was that the whole church was doing devotions together on the same day and on the same topic. So we thought we'd try it again.
One of our staff members, Michelle Diamond, organized some people in the church to write a devotion. She collected 14 of them and put them in a little booklet that was handed out this past weekend following the services. One of the great things about this effort is that she is the only staff member who wrote a devotion... and only one of our current elders wrote a devotion...
Instead, this devotion was written almost entirely by people and families in our church family. It wasn't dependent on the staff or on the leaders... but instead on the people of FVCC.
I had planned to blog about it previous to today... as today is the first day... but being gone over the weekend with Believe, I forgot to pick up my copy of the devotion before I left. So I thought I would put a little preliminary post and then post about the first day. Since I'm the ONLY staff member who runs an active blog and I do have a considerable amount of traffic of FVCC folks, I thought I would post my thoughts about the devotion for the day.
So... without further adieu... on to the first day.
Jim
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