Tag Archives: Devotional

November 27, 2012 · 7:23 AM

Come Home

I’ve always loved the parable of the Prodigal Son. I’ve been able to identify with so many parts of that story throughout my life. I’ve taken my spiritual inheritance, ran off and squandered it before. I’ve come to the end of my rope and realized that the Father still has enough grace to call me His son even when I didn’t deserve it. I’ve even been the son who stayed home and was upset at how those who’ve returned home have flourished and been blessed.

When we read that, I think many of us are somewhere in that story. Some of us are on that journey away from home. All we have known is a Christian life and we somehow think we will find true happiness outside the confines of Christianity. We take what we’ve been given and throw it away. We live how we want to live. How we think we’re supposed to live. I can tell you just like the Prodigal Son could, it comes to an end at some point. There comes a time when all of that catches up and it’s not fun anymore. What was once freedom becomes a cage.

I know. I know. It’s not going to happen to you. Somehow you are different. You can do this on your own. Since the beginning, that is the lie we have all believed. Adam and Eve believed they could do it without God. Genesis 3:6 says that Eve was convinced and she wanted the wisdom that the fruit could give her. She wanted to get it on her own without God. Everything that God had given them was taken away for believing that lie.

The Prodigal believed it too. He figured he could take what was rightfully his and do better with it than his father could. As soon as it was all gone, there was a famine. Pride kept him from going home. He tried to stick it out as long as he could. He finally got so miserable that he had no pride left. He didn’t even see himself as a son anymore. There have been times where I haven’t seen myself as a son either. Where I did what I could to survive. It was miserable.

Thank God for His grace. He, like the father in the story, is patiently waiting for our return. He isn’t there to say, “I told you so.” No. He’s there to say, “I love you and I’ve missed you. Welcome home, child.” That’s the heart of the God we serve. He doesn’t sit and plot revenge on you for leaving. He sits and looks for your return so He can embrace you and call you His once again. He wants you safely in His arms where you belong.

So, where are you in this story? Have you left? Are you out having the time of your life not realizing what’s coming? Are you in that desperate place trying to figure out a way home so that you will be accepted again? Maybe you’re home now contemplating leaving. I can tell you that wherever you are in this story, God sees you. He knows where you are. Don’t believe the lies that take you away or keep you away. There is freedom in Him. There is joy in Him. There is security in Him. It’s time to come home and be His child once again.

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November 19, 2012 · 9:39 AM

Your Spiritual Ancestry

I read a book last year by Mark Batterson called “Primal”. It was one of the most spiritually challenging books I’ve read. In it, he starts off by going into the catacombs in Rome. As he is looking at the graves of early Christians, he refers to them as our spiritual ancestors. I had never thought of the early church as ancestors or what they would think of the church today. They made sacrifices for the faith that many of us will never have to. They faced lions, ridicule, beheadings, torture and more.

I would call it bravery what they did, but I think it was more than that. It was the epitome of faith. Being sure of things hoped for. They believed with all of their heart in Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven and salvation. They did not count this life on earth as more valuable than the life which is to come. Their faith was certain even in the face of death.

I often wonder how I would react if I were ever in their situation. It’s easy to sit here in my air conditioned living room in a free nation to say I believe in my faith enough to die for it. It’s another thing to have those freedoms erased and having to live my faith in secret. I’ve lived in places and am friends with people who aren’t as fortunate as I am. They meet in secret to hold church. They are under constant threat of their lives for their faith.

I’ll never forget being with some of these friends one night. After our service, when we got back to the place we were staying, men formed a circle with me in the middle. They leaned over me as I squatted and walked from the car to the house. Their bodies were shields for me from snipers who would like to kill us for being Christians. It’s an humbling thing to have others risk their lives to save yours as if somehow your life was more valuable than theirs.

For generations ahead of us, our ancestors, spiritual and otherwise, have made sacrifices so that we could enjoy the heritage and freedoms that we have today. When I think of that, it challenges me to want to make sure I continue the heritage that was passed to me. I don’t want to be the one who the line ends with. I want to make sure that my children and the next generation receive it and carry it on. One day I will be someone’s ancestor and I want to make sure they can look back in gratitude on the part I played in handing it down.

What can you do to pass on the heritage you received? How will that shape the decisions you make today, how you raise your kids or how you share your testimony? Each of us are a part of a greater story. Our role is to live how God called us to live so that our faith is interweaved into the next generation. To put it how Paul put it in Ephesians 4:1, we should live a life that is worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. You have been called. What are you doing with it?

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November 15, 2012 · 8:52 AM

Doers not Planners

A couple of years ago I was sitting in a board room with my peers, my district manager, the regional director and president. We were having to defend our results for the quarter and show projections for the next quarter. One of my peers was talking about what his results would be for the next quarter when the president noticed a huge gap between what he just produced and what he was going to produce. She asked him, “What are you doing to get those numbers changed that much?” He quickly answered back, “We’re going to…” and then she interrupted him.

She said, “I didn’t ask what you are going to do. I asked what are you doing.” He again said, “Like I said, we’re going to…” Again she stopped him. She looked at him, but the message was to all of us. She said, “I don’t want to know what you are going to do. I want to know what you are doing right now. If you were going to get those kind of results, you wouldn’t wait to do it. You’d be doing it right now!” I don’t think I’ll ever forget that meeting. Partly because I was next up to deliver my results and also because of the message.

As Christians we often talk about what we’re going to do for the Kingdom, but we rarely get to it. Life gets in the way. Schedules get packed. Traffic jams slow us down. Kids have games and practices we have to go to. Things just happen and keep us from doing what Christians should do. They keep us from helping widows, orphans and even our neighbors. They prevent us from stopping to help a stranger on the side of the road. It’s not that we don’t want to, it’s that we haven’t made it a priority.

All of us are good at saying what we will do, but few of us are good at doing it. I’m guilty of this myself. I make plans to do things, but often the execution gets lost in other priorities. Each day I pray and ask God to open my eyes to see that need in someone else. I ask Him to help me to be His hands and feet to someone. I also ask that He would speak through me to someone. At the end of the day, I often ask myself, “Did I help anyone today or was it all about me?”

In the book of James, the first chapter tells us that we are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. Most of us are good at going to church and hearing the message. Most of us can’t remember that message on Monday though. We do what James warned us about. We let it go in one ear and out of the other. God called us to action. To do things for Him. To be present in our generation and not stagnant. It doesn’t have to be great or big or world changing. Doing something small for someone else could be great or big or world changing for them.

If enough of us start making an impact on just one person’s life a day, the Church could rise to be who she was called to be. She could be effective in this broken down world. She could get the results that she was forecasted to make. It’s not going to be done by one of us. It will be accomplished by all of us. What is something you can do today to be the hands and feet of Jesus? Who is someone in your path today that needs an encouraging word? Don’t plan on doing it tomorrow. Do it today!

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November 13, 2012 · 9:23 AM

Storm Survival 101

When you grow up along the Gulf Coast, you are trained in school and reminded on the news constantly how to survive a storm. If you are at school, you get under your desk, knees to chest, clasp your hands over the back of your neck and face down. If you are home, you need to find an interior room without windows (like a bathroom), huddle up in there and assume the other position. If it’s really bad, lay down in the bathtub and pull a mattress over you. Once the storm has passed, you then can asses the damages and move forward.

What’s true for surviving physical storms is true when facing life’s storms. For most of us though, we don’t seek shelter from the storm. We don’t assume a kneeling position. We don’t look for a covering. Instead we run headlong into the storm and try to fight it or withstand it on our own. I see people try that all the time. I’ve tried that myself. It doesn’t work. It prolongs the storm and creates more damage. Damage that you are trying to avoid.

The first thing we should do is seek shelter. Psalm 91:2 says, “I will say of The Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I confidently trust.” God is your refuge from the storm. He is your shelter, but for some reason, when storms come, we run from God. We end up blaming Him instead of trusting Him. We question Him instead of relying on Him. Verse 4 of that same Psalm says that His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Rely on His promises.

The next thing we should do is assume the safety position. Coincidentally, it is the same position as kneeling in prayer. Spend time alone with God in your struggle. Cry out to Him in your distress. He hears even the softest whimper of a prayer. He sees you in your fight and wants to converse with you. Take time to spend time with Him during your storm. In Psalm 46:10, God says, “Be still, and know that I am God!” We need to stop running, get on our knees and recognize Him as our God.

After that, get a covering. You need support from friends, family and other church members who will lift you up in prayer. There are times when our struggles and pain are so intense that we don’t have the strength to even lift our heads to Heaven to pray. When you can’t, others can. They need to know your need though. You need to share your struggles with others so they can lift you up and provide a covering for you. Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens.” Someone else can only help you carry the load if you share it with them.

If you find that you are in a storm, take cover in the shelter of the Most High God. He is your refuge from the storm. Spend time on your knees. Don’t run from God during this time. Run to Him. Don’t run from the Church. They will provide you with the covering you need to help protect you during this time. Allow them to share in your burden. You need to be surrounded by people who love you, know you and will pray for you. You weren’t meant to weather the storm alone. You have shelter, help and hope.

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November 12, 2012 · 7:29 AM

Jesus is for the Weak

When Jesus was ministering on this earth, the religious scholars and leaders of His day were confused by His ministry. They wondered why He didn’t cater to the rich? Why would He hang out with the poor and the worst of sinners? It was opposite of what they were doing and people followed Him more than them. It angered them that He was able to draw such huge crowds. They followed Him to see what He was doing and often were the ones asking questions of Him.

One day they approached the disciples while He was doing just such a thing. In Mark 2:16, they asked the disciples, “Why does He eat with such scum? (NLT)” Jesus knew what they had asked and responded, “Those who are strong and well have no need of a physician, but those who are weak and sick. (AMP)” Jesus came to help the weak not the strong. The strong can defend themselves. Maybe that’s why in Psalm 72:12 it says, “He will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.”

In our world of mega churches, I often wonder what is the goal of our churches? Are we trying to grow numbers so we can get larger offerings to do more things? Are we so caught up in a numbers game that we are forgetting our call is to help the weak? Have we forgotten James 1:27 that says true religion is “to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need (AMP)”? True religion isn’t pandering to the rich and powerful. It isn’t having the largest church. It is caring for the weak.

Jesus was and is for the weak. He is for those who have no defender. He is for those who have no voice or someone to speak for them. He came into this world to show us that our lives should make a difference in those less fortunate than ourselves. We should do what we can with what we have to defend orphans, to care for widows, to provide for the poor and to give water to those who thirst. I always think of the scene in “Schindler’s List” when he breaks down and says, “I could have given more. I could have sold this car. I could have…”

I don’t want to get to Heaven one day with a list of “could have’s”. I want to show up broken, bruised, beat up and scarred by what I did to help and defend those whom I was called to defend. I want to hear Jesus say, “Well done. You followed my example of defending and helping the weak.” Today, this blog is putting that into action. It is sponsoring a tee at a golf tournament raising money for CoreLuv International. Their dream is to bring hope to orphans, through Jesus Christ, by partnering with communities and orphanages around the world to provide 6 basic needs: clean water, food, education, healthcare, job skills and a loving environment to call home.

Jesus is for the weak. Are you? If you don’t know where to begin, donating to people who are already making a difference is a great place to start. I recommend donating or buying merchandise from CoreLuv International. I personally know the ministers who head it up. They are making a difference in the lives of children in Haiti and around the world. You can to by simply partnering with them.

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November 9, 2012 · 7:18 AM

The Problem with Fear

I rarely watch the news, but this week, the hotel I was staying at had it on during breakfast. As I watched each day, I remembered why I don’t watch the news. It seemed like all they were doing was making people afraid. Every story created new fear. Fear over election fallout. Fear over a fiscal cliff. Fear over a divided government and country. In the age of 24 hour news channels, it’s easy to get addicted to the news. It’s also easy to let it control your emotions.

Fear is the author of inactivity. It paralyzes. It causes your imagination to run wild and can create hysteria. I think maybe that’s why throughout the Bible, God’s message to us is “fear not”. God spoke to him in Genesis 15:1 and said, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you.” Fear had caused Abraham to start doubting. That doubt lead to questioning God. When we question God’s promise, we fail to act on them and rob ourselves of the blessings He has for us.

For many of us, we know what God has called us to, but the vision is so large that we are afraid of it. That fear will keep you from acting on what God has called you to do. He has a plan for each one of us. To some He reveals far in advance where they are going. To others He gives them one step at a time. For both, the course of action is the same: take that first step of faith. Do not let fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of insecurity or fear of unworthiness keep you from your calling.

What God has called you to is for you alone. Everything in your life is preparation for your future. Your past victories, failures, storms, hurts, loss and gains are all there as preparation to equip you to take that next step. If you need the courage to take that next step of faith, turn around and look back. See how far you have come by faith. You are further along than you ever thought. You didn’t arrive to where you are without His help. If He has brought you this far, trust Him to carry you the rest of the way.

God puts you in position to help others too. Where you are now is not just for you. He aligns us with others along the way to be a helper, a challenger or an encourager. You cannot let fear keep you from doing what God asks of you. It doesn’t just affect you. Be the person God has called you to be when He’s called you to be it. In John 14:1, Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.” The choice is yours to either let your heart fear or to overcome it. You can listen to fear or you can listen to the voice of God and take that step. Don’t listen to fear. Take it.

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November 7, 2012 · 8:30 AM

Today’s Doubting Thomas’

Most of us know the story of Thomas after Jesus was resurrected. Other disciples had seen Jesus but he had not. They kept telling him that Jesus was alive, but he knew what he had seen. He watched as they beat Jesus with a whip that had 9 strands on it with chunks of glass. He saw them put the crown of thorns on His head and then nailed His hands and feet to that splintered wood. He was even there when the soldier took a sword and rammed it through the ribs of Jesus. He heard Jesus say, “It is finished.” You couldn’t tell him that Jesus was alive after that.

Can you blame him? It’s easy to sit here two millenniums away and call him “Doubting Thomas”. Would you or I have been any different? Are we any different now? Thomas allowed circumstances to dictate his faith. He had also walked with Jesus and watched as He healed people with leprosy, issues of blood, lameness, mutism, deafness and all kinds of incurable diseases. He even watched on a few occasions as Jesus raised people from the dead. Yet here he was listening to others as they said they had seen Jesus.

Many of us have walked with Jesus too. We have seen what He has done in our lives, can point to healings that we’ve witnessed and watched as The Lord touches the hearts of the worst among us yet we still don’t fully trust in Him. We allow circumstances and things going on in this world to rob us of our joy, hope and faith. Our faith rises and falls on what happens around us. It is far too easy to forget what God has done in the past when there is a mountain ahead.

It’s no wonder that Thomas uttered the famous words, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in His hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in His side.” We do the same. We just say it different. “God if you’re really there and if you can really hear me, I need you to do…” It’s a good thing that God is patient with us. When Jesus saw Thomas, He didn’t mock him or ask why he didn’t believe. Instead, Jesus walked up to Thomas and gently said, “Thomas, put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

I think that’s what Jesus would say to us today. Don’t be faithless any longer. Don’t allow what you’re going through cause you to forget what He’s done for you in the past. He is patient and kind. Slow to anger. He is talking to you this morning and is inviting you to trust Him. He is in control even when it doesn’t feel like. He sees you where you are and knows your fear. He is deeply concerned about you and wants to show Himself to you and to provide the opportunity for you to touch Him. Thomas had to reach out and touch Him to believe again. Will you reach out today to touch Him in order to believe again?

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November 6, 2012 · 6:54 AM

A House Divided

I will rarely delve into the world of politics with this blog. Not because I’m uneducated about them or uninterested in them, but because I have been called to be Biblical and not political. No matter who wins today’s election, half of this country will be excited and half will be upset. That is a dangerous place to be. What Jesus said in Matthew 12:25 and echoed by Abraham Lincoln holds true today: A house divided cannot stand.

I’m not saying we should all agree politically so we can be united. A single party system is what we fled. It’s ok to have differing views. Each side has things that it does better than the other, but we fail to see that. We have allowed ourselves to become so entrenched in our party’s ideology that we can’t see any good in the other side. We have vilified them and have allowed that vilification to destroy relationships with friends and family.

Somewhere along the way, we began to put political party ahead of country and God. We would rather see our party win than to do what is right for our country. We have things backwards somehow. We should put God first, country second and party third. That is the only way forward. Whoever wins today will not move us forward because we are so deadlocked into our party first thinking. We would rather have gridlock than to compromise (equating it with losing) to move the country forward.

As a Christian, my responsibility is to pray for whoever is elected today whether I like them or not. Romans 13:1 says that those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. That doesn’t mean I’m not to vote. It means I should seek God about whom I am to vote for. If the person I believe should be elected isn’t, it doesn’t change the Scripture or that I voted wrong. It simply stands that he is who God has appointed and it is my responsibility to pray for him.

It’s not just a political problem. It’s a spiritual problem. What is happening politically is a reflection of what is going on spiritually. We are divided too. Even among Christians we fight against each other rather than to work together. We were called to be one body with one purpose: win the lost. One denomination is not better than another and not one has all the answers. We are all different parts of the same body with different functions. We, like our country, were meant to work together despite our differences.

I Timothy 2:1,2 says, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity (NLT).” We are to not only intercede for them and ask God to help them, we are to give thanks for them. Whether it is your city council members, congressman, senator or president, you are to hold them up in prayer and ask God to help them make decisions that affect your life.

So today, don’t just vote. Pray. Pray for those who are voting to make wise decisions. Pray for those who will be voted out and seeking other things in life for their families. Pray for those who are elected or re-elected to get past party lines to do what’s right for our cities, states and nation. I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing. That means we should pray for the leaders we elect today tomorrow and beyond.

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October 31, 2012 · 7:33 AM

Halloween Light

Unless you’re hiding under a rock, you know that today is Halloween. It’s one of those holidays that is confusing to most Christians. Do we celebrate it? Do we hide from it? Is it ok to dress up? Are “Fall Festivals” an appropriate alternative? There is such a wide range of beliefs on this holiday in the Christian world. I remember trick or treating in the neighborhood as a kid. I also remember going to church sanctioned Fall Festivals.

Somewhere along the way, the belief sprang up that we should shun Halloween, turn off all the lights in the house and lock the doors. We couldn’t give out candy because we would be celebrating the devil’s holiday. When someone still knocked on the door, even though the lights were out, everyone would get quiet so the person outside wouldn’t know we were in there. Hopefully, they would think we weren’t home and go to the next house. Then we would try to figure out what kind of person knocks on a door where all the lights are out.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to disagree with that approach to Halloween. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus said we were the light of the world. So why would we turn out our light on the one night people other than Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons come knocking on our door? Tonight is your greatest opportunity all year to be the light of the world that you were called to be.

There isn’t another time this year that you will have complete strangers coming to your house asking for a treat. What better treat is there than God’s promises? I’m not saying that you should just put Bible verses in everyone’s bags. They’re coming for candy. Give them candy, but also give them God’s Word. You can buy labels for your printer and print John 3:16 out on it. Attach that sticker to candy.

If you don’t want to do that, sit on the porch with Christian music playing on your radio while you talk to neighbors and hand out candy. There are lots of things you can do to be light tonight. Closing your door, turning off your light and hiding is not one of them. Jesus didn’t just preach in the temple. He took His message into the homes of others and also to the hillside. We are not to hide behind the walls of the church or in our homes. We are to go outside and be who He called us to be.

Don’t let tonight just be another Halloween. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. Your good works could be passing out candy, hot chocolate or anything. Jesus said if you give even a cup of water in my name, you will be rewarded. Don’t just give someone a sugar rush tonight. Give them a spiritual rush. Give them life and light because that’s what you have. Don’t hide it under a bushel.

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October 30, 2012 · 1:08 PM

God’s Questions

In my job, I not only get to teach people how to ask questions, I get to ask them. There are different ways to ask the same question in order to get a more complete response. After I have given information to a group of people, I use questions to check their knowledge of the content that I presented. I often ask open questions and pose them to the entire group. I see who is paying attention and who gets it by doing that. I also ask direct questions to individuals in order to engage them in the conversation.

I’ve noticed that God does that too. He often asks questions that are open to all of us and other times He asks us directly. In Isaiah 6:8, God asks the questions, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah was standing right there. I can see him raising his hand, bouncing on his tippy toes and wiggled his fingers saying, “Ooooh. Ooooh. Pick me! Pick me!” I wonder if he knew what he was getting into. I wonder if any of us really know what we’re getting into when we volunteer for God.

There are other times when God asks very direct questions of us. Jesus did this to Peter. He asked him, “Peter, do you love me?” I can see Peter a little stunned by the question. His eyebrows furrowed, head tilted to the side and saying, “Uh, Lord, you know I do.” Then Jesus told him, “Feed my sheep.” I’m sure you know Jesus asked him two more times if he loved him. Peter got a little upset at Jesus for His persistence in asking a question He knew the answer to over and over. When God does that, it’s for our benefit, not His.

He often asks things of us to see what our response will be. It’s not that He doesn’t know what our response will be. It’s that He wants us to be sure in our purpose. What I’ve found is that when God asks us a question, action on our part is required beyond our answer. When Isaiah answered, he had to go deliver God’s message Israel. When Peter answered that he loved Jesus, he was then given the command to feed God’s sheep.

Whenever God asks a question of you, know that He is looking for a commitment beyond your answer. Answering is the easy part. Following through becomes something more difficult. You’ll have to make changes to your life, sacrifices to your schedule and give of yourself to someone else. God is looking for us to serve others for Him. We are to be His hands, His feet and His voice to show and to speak His love to those who need it.

I think God asks that same question to us that Jesus asked to Peter. “Do you love me? Then feed my sheep.” If we love Him, we will find ways to feed others both physically and spiritually. He also asks, “Who can I send? Who will go?” While many of us love Him, not all of us are ready to say, “Here am I, send me.” Faith requires action on our part. James 2:17 says, “Faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).”

So what is God asking you right now? What will you need to do beyond what He is asking? Are you willing to make the changes and sacrifices required? The men and women in the Bible who followed through after God asked them a question were blessed beyond measure. I believe you and I will be too if we respond in obedience with action.

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