The Power Of Ritual
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Posted:Oct 1, 2014 7:43 am
Last Updated:Oct 2, 2014 4:36 pm 19081 Views
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Read: 1 Corinthians 11:23-34
Do this in remembrance of Me. 1 Corinthians 11:24
Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 11-13; Ephesians 4
When I was growing up, one of the rules in our house was that we weren't allowed to go to bed angry (Eph. 4:26). All our fights and disagreements had to be resolved. The companion to that rule was this bedtime ritual: Mom and Dad would say to my brother and me, Good night. I love you. And we would respond, Good night. I love you too.
The value of this family ritual has recently been impressed on me. As my mother lay in a hospice bed dying of lung cancer, she became less and less responsive. But each night when I left her bedside I would say, I love you, Mom. And though she could say little else, she would respond, I love you too. Growing up I had no idea what a gift this ritual would be to me so many years later.
Time and repetition can rob our rituals of meaning. But some are important reminders of vital spiritual truths. First-century believers misused the practice of the Lord's Supper, but the apostle Paul didn't tell them to stop celebrating it. Instead he told them, As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes
(1 Cor. 11:26).
Rather than give up the ritual, perhaps we need to restore the meaning.
Lord, when we observe the Lord's Supper, help
us avoid the trap of letting our observance
grow routine. May we always be moved with
gratitude for the wonderful gift of ritual.
Any ritual can lose meaning, but that does not make the ritual meaningless.
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A Fresh Start
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Posted:Sep 30, 2014 5:03 am
Last Updated:Sep 30, 2014 5:06 am 18949 Views
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Read: Luke 5:17-26
Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Luke 5:31
Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 9-10; Ephesians 3
In many countries, health laws prohibit reselling or reusing old mattresses. Only landfills will take them. Tim Keenan tackled the problem and today his business employs a dozen people to extract the individual components of metal, fabric, and foam in old mattresses for recycling. But that's only part of the story. Journalist Bill Vogrin wrote,Of all the items Keenan recycles . . . it's the people that may be his biggest success (The Gazette, Colorado Springs). Keenan hires men from halfway houses and homeless shelters, giving them a job and a second chance. He says, We take guys nobody else wants.
Luke 5:17-26 tells how Jesus healed the body and the soul of a paralyzed man. Following that miraculous event, Levi answered Jesus call to follow Him and then invited his fellow tax collectors and friends to a banquet in honor of the Lord (vv.27-29). When some people accused Jesus of associating with undesirables (v.30), He reminded them that healthy people don't need a doctor adding, I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance (v.32).
To everyone who feels like a throwaway headed for the landfill of life, Jesus opens His arms of love and offers a fresh beginning. That's why He came!
The power of God can turn a heart
From evil and the power of sin;
The love of God can change a life
And make it new and cleansed within.
Salvation is receiving a new life.
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Amazing Grace
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Posted:Sep 29, 2014 5:54 am
Last Updated:Sep 30, 2014 5:03 am 18990 Views
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Read: Ephesians 2:1-10
For by grace you have been saved through faith. Ephesians 2:8
Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 7-8; Ephesians 2
Pressed into service in the Royal Navy, John Newton was dismissed for insubordination and turned to a career trafficking in slaves. Notorious for cursing and blasphemy, Newton served on a slave ship during the cruelest days of trans-Atlantic slavery, finally working his way up to captain.
A dramatic conversion on the high seas set him on the path to grace. He always felt a sense of undeservedness for his new life. He became a rousing evangelical preacher and eventually a leader in the abolitionist movement. Newton appeared before Parliament, giving irrefutable eyewitness testimony to the horror and immorality of the slave trade. We also know him as the author of the lyrics of perhaps the best-loved hymn of all time, Amazing Grace.
Newton described any good in himself as an outworking of God's grace. In doing so, he stands with these great heroes a murderer and adulterer (King David), a coward (the apostle Peter), and a persecutor of Christians (the apostle Paul).
This same grace is available to all who call upon God, for in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His graceâ(Eph. 1.7.
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
Lives rooted in God's unchanging grace can never be uprooted.
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A Matter Of Trust
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Posted:Sep 26, 2014 3:36 am
Last Updated:Sep 26, 2014 4:20 pm 19128 Views
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Read: Psalm 5
Let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them. Psalm 5:11
Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 1-2; Galatians 5
A news item from Australia told the story of Pascale Honore, a paraplegic woman who, after 18 years of being confined to a wheelchair, has taken up surfing. How?
Ty Swan, a young surfer, straps her to his back with duct tape. After getting the balance perfect, Ty paddles out into the ocean so they can catch a wave and Pascale can experience the exhilaration of surfing. This requires a tremendous amount of trust; so many things could go wrong. Yet her confidence in Ty is enough to enable her to enjoy a dream come true, in spite of the danger.
Life is like that for the follower of Christ. We live in a dangerous world, filled with unpredictable challenges and unseen perils. Yet, we have joy because we know Someone who is strong enough to carry us through the churning waves of life that threaten to overwhelm us. The psalmist wrote, Let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in Youâ (Ps. 5:11).
In the face of life's great dangers and challenges, we can know a joy borne out of our trust in God. His strength is more than enough!
Iâm so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.
Our faith is stretched by exchanging our weakness for God's strength.
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the Wise Old Owl
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Posted:Sep 25, 2014 7:40 am
Last Updated:Sep 26, 2014 3:36 am 19057 Views
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Read: Proverbs 10:17-21
He who restrains his lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19
Bible in a Year:
Song of Solomon 6-8; Galatians 4
Years ago an anonymous writer penned a short poem about the merits of measuring our words.
A wise old owl sat in an oak;
The more he saw the less he spoke;
The less he spoke the more he heard;
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?
There is a connection between wisdom and limiting what we say. Proverbs 10:19 says, In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.
We are wise to be careful about what we say or how much we say in certain situations. It makes sense to guard our words when we are angry. James urged his fellow believers, Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath (James 1.19. Restraining our words can also show reverence for God. Solomon said, God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few (Eccl. 5:2). When others are grieving, our silent presence may help more than abundant expressions of sympathy: No one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great (Job 2.13.
Although there is a time to be quiet and a time to speak (Eccl. 3.7, choosing to speak less allows us to hear more.
Dear Lord, please grant me wisdom to
know when to speak and when to listen.
I want to encourage others and to care
for them as You have cared for me.
Let your speech be better than silence; otherwise be silent.
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The Language Of Whistling
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Posted:Sep 24, 2014 5:47 am
Last Updated:Sep 25, 2014 7:45 am 19013 Views
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Read: Zechariah 10:1-8
I will whistle for them and gather them, for I will redeem them. Zechariah 10:8
Bible in a Year:
Song of Solomon 4-5; Galatians 3
On La Gomera, one of the smallest of the Canary Islands, a language that sounds like a bird song is being revived. In a land of deep valleys and steep ravines, schoolchildren and tourists are learning how whistling was once used to communicate for distances up to 2 miles. One goat herder who is using this ancient language once again to communicate with his flock said, They recognize my whistle as they recognize my voice.
The practice of whistling also shows up in the Bible, where God is described as a shepherd whistling for His sheep. This image could be what the prophet had in mind when he described how God will one day whistle to bring a wandering and scattered people back to Himself
Zech. 10.8.
Many years later Jesus said, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me
John 10.27. That may be the whistle of a shepherd. Sheep don't understand words, but they know the sound that signals the shepherds presence.
Misleading voices and distracting noises still compete for our attention (cf. Zech. 10.2). Yet God has ways of signaling us, even without words. By events that can be alarming or encouraging, He reminds us of His guiding, protecting, and reassuring presence.
Father, it is a noisy world. Thank You for
always calling to us above the din and
ruckus that distracts us. Help us to recognize
Your voice and follow Your leading.
The call of God can always be heard.
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An Emergency Of The Spirit
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Posted:Sep 23, 2014 6:13 am
Last Updated:Sep 23, 2014 6:15 am 19025 Views
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Read: 2 Samuel 1:17-27
David lamented with this lamenttion over Saul and over Jonathan his . 2 Samuel 1:17
Bible in a Year:
Song of Solomon 1-3; Galatians 2
In March 2011, a devastating tsunami struck Japan, taking nearly 16,000 lives as it obliterated towns and villages along the coast. Writer and poet Gretel Erlich visited Japan to witness and document the destruction. When she felt inadequate to report what she was seeing, she wrote a poem about it. In a PBS NewsHour interview she said, My old friend William Stafford, a poet now gone, said, A poem is an emergency of the spirit.
We find poetry used throughout the Bible to express deep emotion, ranging from joyful praise to anguished loss. When King Saul and his Jonathan were killed in battle, David was overwhelmed with grief
(2 Sam. 1:1-12). He poured out his soul in a poem he called the Song of the Bow: Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided. . . . How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! . . . I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; you have been very pleasant to me (vv.23-26).
When we face an emergency of the spirit whether glad or sad our prayers can be a poem to the Lord. While we may stumble to articulate what we feel, our heavenly Father hears our words as a true expression of our hearts.
Sometimes I do not pray in words
I take my heart in my two hands
And hold it up before the Lord
I am so glad He understands.
God does more than hear words; He reads hearts.
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Repeat Warnings
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Posted:Sep 22, 2014 3:04 am
Last Updated:Sep 23, 2014 6:13 am 18876 Views
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Read: Galatians 1:6-10
I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel. âGalatians 1:6
Bible in a Year:
Ecclesiastes 10-12; Galatians 1
Caution, the moving walkway is ending. Caution, the moving walkway is ending. If you've ever used an automated walkway at an airport, you've heard this kind of announcement repeatedly.
Why do airports repeat this announcement over and over? To ensure safety and to protect them from liability if someone were to be injured.
Repeated announcements can be annoying, but they do have value. As a matter of fact, the apostle Paul thought repeating a warning was so vital that he did it in the text of Galatians. But his statement had value far beyond the danger of tripping at the airport. Paul warned them not to listen to, nor believe, him or an angel from heaven if they preached âany other gospel than what they had already heard(1.8. In the next verse, Paul said it again. It was a warning worth repeating. The Galatians had begun to believe that their salvation was dependent on good works instead of the true gospel: faith in Christ's work.
The gospel of Jesus His death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins is the story that we have the privilege and responsibility to share. When we present the gospel, let's share that the risen Jesus is the only solution to the problem of sin.
He is the way, the truth, the life
That One whose name is Jesus;
There is no other name on earth
That has the power to save us.
Only one road leads to heaven Jesus Christ is the way.
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On Being Known
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Posted:Sep 19, 2014 6:45 am
Last Updated:Sep 19, 2014 6:46 am 18821 Views
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Read: James 5:16-20
I acknowledged my sin to You . . . . I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Psalm 32:5
Bible in a Year:
Ecclesiastes 1-3; 2 Corinthians 11:16-33
One of the most difficult inner conflicts we have is our desire to be known versus our fear of being known. As beings created in the image of God we are made to be known known by God and also by others. Yet due to our fallen nature, all of us have sins and weaknesses that we don't want others to know about. We use the phrase dark side to refer to aspects of our lives that we keep hidden. And we use slogans like put your best foot forward to encourage others to show their best side.
One reason we are unwilling to risk being known is that we fear rejection and ridicule. But when we discover that God knows us, loves us, and is willing to forgive even the worst thing we have done, our fear of being known by God begins to fade away. And when we find a community of believers who understands the dynamic relationship between forgiveness and confession, we feel safe confessing our sins to one another (James 5:16).
The life of faith is not about showing only our good side. It's about exposing our dark side to the light of Christ through confession to God and also to others. In this way we can receive healing and live in the freedom of forgiveness.
Lord, help me to expose my sin,
Those secret wrongs that lurk within;
I would confess them all to Thee;
Transparent I would always be.
The voice of sin may be loud, but the voice of forgiveness is louder.
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Love To Tell His History
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Posted:Sep 18, 2014 4:23 am
Last Updated:Sep 18, 2014 12:24 pm 18682 Views
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Read: 1 Chronicles 16.7-13
Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! 1 Chronicles 16.8
Bible in a Year:
Proverbs 30-31; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15
When noted author Studs Terkel was looking for a topic for his next book, one of his friends suggested death. While he was resistant at first, the idea gradually began to take shape, but its voice became all too real when Mr. Terkelâs wife of 60 years passed away. Now the book was also a personal search: a yearning to know what lies beyond, where his loved one had just gone. Its pages are a poignant reminder of our own search for Jesus and the questions and concerns we have about eternity while we walk our faith journey.
I'm thankful for the assurance we can have that we will be with Jesus after we die if we have trusted in Him to forgive our sin. There is no greater hope. It is now our privilege to share that hope with as many as we can. First Peter 3:15 encourages us: . . . always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. We have the opportunity from God, as David said, to call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples 1 Chron. 16.8.
The stories of so many people we love are not yet ended, and the privilege to tell them about the love of Jesus is a gift most precious.
I love to tell the story; more wonderful it seems
Than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams.
I love to tell the story, it did so much for me;
And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.
Let our days be filled with a longing and the opportunities to tell our story of Jesus.
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