Daily Devotions

Monday, April 13, 2009

Current Study: First Peter

Today’s Topic:  He Is Risen

Today’s Scripture:  1 Peter 1:3  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

All over the world people are celebrating Easter Monday today.  It’s a national holiday in 117 countries of the world. It is traditionally a day set aside to spend relaxed and recreational time with family and friends. In Canada, people eat Easter eggs and enjoy time outdoors. In Germany, they go out into the fields early in the morning and hold Easter egg races. In Guyana, people fly kites, which are made on Holy Saturday. In Leicestershire, England the people of Hallaton hold a bottle-kicking match and Hare Pie Scramble. In the Netherlands, people eat a festive breakfast and go hiking or cycling in the countryside. After yesterday’s incredible celebration of the resurrection of Christ at our church, I can understand the need for a holiday on Monday.

WOW! In all my years of ministry, and in all of my attempts to make Easter special with unique aspects to the service, yesterday was more special than any of them. Why? Because the Holy Spirit of God was there. Not that He never has been before, but this was different. It was not based on an expectation of His presence through our planning and program. We had no Easter cantata, no dramas, no videos. We simply had a crowd of people celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. They did it through music as they joined their voices in worshiping God. They did it through participation in the preaching of God’s Word as the Holy Spirit moved them to actually clap twice during the sermon, punctuated by numerous amen’s throughout.

But the most exciting time of the service for me, and I think for many others, was the baptism service. Three people who had come to Christ for salvation in the last two months stepped into the water and gave testimony to the saving power of Jesus Christ to transform their lives. You should have heard their testimonies. The Holy Spirit used them to move the people of the congregation to tears as they celebrated the resurrection of Christ in the lives of these three people. In all my years of ministry, while every baptism has been significant, I think the testimonies I heard yesterday were the most powerful ever. From the mouths of a husband and wife who have been through the worst of tragedies came a message of hope. It was hope not based on anything this world has to offer. It was hope that is out of this world. It was hope that comes from a living and powerful Savior – Jesus Christ.

Today we begin a study of the New Testament book of First Peter. We are going to dive into it verse by verse starting tomorrow. But for today, let me give you a synopsis of the first nine verses that will assist you in continuing the celebration of the resurrection on this Easter Monday. Read the verses first:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Here’s a simple outline for you:

        R is for regeneration. In Christ we have been given a new birth

         I  is for inheritance. We have been born into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade, and is being kept in heaven for us.

        S is for security. By faith in Jesus Christ we are being shielded by God’s power until the coming of Christ.

        E is for endurance. Even though for a time now we have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials, our faith is being refined so our lives bring glory to God.

        N is for nearness. Though we do not see Him, our faith in Him fills us with an inexpressible joy – the joy of His presence in our lives.

He is risen! He is risen indeed! And because He lives, I too shall live. But it is not me living. It is the resurrected Christ who lives in me! Hallelujah! May we celebrate His resurrection every day, because we live in it’s power every day!

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Current Study: A to Z

Today’s Topic:  One More “Z”

Today’s Scripture:  Hebrews 12:22-24  But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

The next four days are the most significant days of celebration in the Christian faith. Tonight many will gather and celebrate the Last Supper. Tomorrow people will stream to churches and auditoriums to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus. Early Sunday morning there will be those who attend sunrise services to celebrate Christ’s resurrection. Others will attend worship at the normal time, but the service will be far from normal.

This Sunday at our church we will be celebrating the new life found in Christ by witnessing three people get baptized by immersion as a statement of their faith in Jesus Christ. All three are new followers of Jesus. All three now understand that faith is not just a religion, but a relationship with the living God based on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. His work fully satisfied the wrath of God against our sin, making it possible for us to be forgiven and declared “not guilty” by a righteous and just God. The resurrection of Jesus guarantees that God’s forgiveness results in eternal life. One day, when Jesus returns to the earth to gather together all those who belong to Him by faith, we will see Him face to face and behold Him in all of His glory. HALLELUJAH!

God is a just God, and all sin must be punished with death. The holiness of God and His wrath against sin and sinners is to be feared above all else. In the Old Testament when the people of God under the leadership of Moses came to the mountain God had set up as a meeting place, they were terrified. Moses himself said, “I am trembling with fear.” But in Christ all fear is gone. We will never stand on a mountain where God judges sin. Read with rejoicing the words of Hebrews – But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Because of the blood of Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant of forgiveness and grace, we who believe and receive have been saved from God’s wrath and will live forever with Him in Zion.

One of the people being baptized on Sunday wrote the following testimony on the blog site where they track the progress of their son who suffers from some serious medical issues. She gave me permission to reprint it here. This is what the death and resurrection of Jesus are all about.

First of all I promise not to complain about being tired one little bit later today.  So let’s get to why in the world I am updating Caring Bridge just after midnight.  The reason is because a few hours ago I began reading a book.  I finished it just now.  Why would I, a mother who values sleep (a tricky thing to capture in this house some nights) stay awake reading when clearly I could put the book away and resume reading tomorrow?  The answer simply is that the story is so profound and relevant that I was compelled to finish.  There is nothing left to chance in this world.  The book that was placed in my hands today, the book that I needed to read before my life this Easter week could continue was: “He Chose the Nails” by Max Lucado.  It took me on a walk to Calvary.  It painted pictures in my mind about what that walk would look like; what the pain may have felt like, and most importantly…why it happened and for whom it was meant.  There is nothing left to chance.  He chose the cross for you and for me, but left us with the will to choose for ourselves.

Jordan and I are to be baptized this Sunday at Calvary Baptist.  To be honest when Pastor John asked if we’d consider doing it on Easter Sunday we both were unsure.  Not because we weren’t sure that we had accepted Jesus’ gift of salvation, but because the day itself is so meaningful.  I can’t speak for Jordan of course, but after reading this book tonight I understand that being baptized this Sunday is the only day that makes sense for me.  My salvation originated from Jesus dying in my place on that cross on the hill called Calvary.  All of my sins I lay at his feet and with tears that can only be described as gratitude (because my human words are inadequate) I pray that I can live my life in a way that pleases Him; draws Him closer to me; and never allows me to forget that He “chose the nails” for me.

( http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jeffreybergeman)

She has come to Mount Zion and found the grace of God. So has her husband. So can you. Do not let this Easter celebration be a mere religious holiday. Do not just go through the motions of a new dress or suit and a nice ham dinner. My prayer is that you will discover the cost of the cross – the life of Jesus who died for your sins, and that you will discover the reality of the resurrection by inviting the living Christ to live in you. He’s alive…and because He lives, we too shall live!

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Current Study: A to Z

Today’s Topic: Zeal

Today’s Scripture:  Romans 12:11-13  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Many years ago Eugene Ormandy was directing the Philadelphia Orchestra. Suddenly something terrible happened. In his enthusiasm over the music, and his burning desire to bring out the best in the musicians, he dislocated his shoulder. I don’t know what they were playing. Certainly not Mozart. Perhaps Stravinsky. But at any rate, he was giving all of himself to it!  

In the Bible, such burning desire is called zeal. The very word zeal means “to be hot.” It is translated in a variety of ways in the New Testament, but always has to do with strong desire and passion for something or Someone. As I read the story of Mr. Ormandy, I asked myself, “Have I ever been so passionate about something that I’ve dislocated anything, even a necktie while preaching?” 

I looked for some examples of zeal this morning, and I think I’m getting a good idea of what it is. My understanding started to grow when I read this prayer from a country preacher in Red Rock, Mississippi. “O Lord, give Thy servant this mornin’ the eyes of the eagle and the wisdom of the owl; connect his soul with the gospel telephone in the central skies; ‘luminate his brow with the Sun of Heaven; possess his mind with love for the people; turpentine his imagination; grease his lips with ’possum oil; loosen his tongue with the sledge hammer of Thy power; ’lectrify his brain with the lightnin’ of the word; put ’petual motion on his arms, fill him plum full of the dynamite of Thy glory; ’noint him all over with the kerosene oil of Thy salvation and set him on fire. Amen!”

That’s zeal! To be set on fire. To burn hot with passion for a purpose or cause. And who has a better cause for which to be zealous than the cause of Christ? What other mission can ‘lectrify the brain like sharing the Good News of Jesus? What other outcome can compare to the miracle of rebirth in the life of a sinner as we watch God transform their life before our eyes?

Unfortunately many have never experienced zeal. The nuggets of knowledge they collect about God never become a blazing fire of activity for God. Instead of the unsaved being warmed by the love of God burning in the Christian’s life, they are driven away shivering with the coldness of condemnation. So many Christians live life like Luigi Tarisio collected violins.

Luigi Tarisio was found dead one morning with not a comfort in his home. As they looked through his house, they found 246 exquisite violins which he had been collecting all his life. They were crammed into an attic, and the best one was in the bottom drawer of an old rickety bureau. In his very devotion to the violin, he had robbed the world of all that music because he treasured the instrument rather than burning with zeal for the music they make.  His greatest treasure was a Stradivarius that had not been played for 147 years.

Many of Christ’s people are like old Tarisio. In our very love of the church and with a displaced zeal we seek to protect ourselves from the world rather than sing out the Good News to the world. In our zeal for the truth we forget to publish it. When shall we all learn that the Good News needs not just to be cherished, but needs to be told? All people need to hear it.

I challenge you to read carefully again these words from the Apostle Paul:  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.  Take these words to heart. Let them be the embers that start a raging fire in your heart to bring the love of God to a lost world. Be zealous for Christ!

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Current Study: A to Z

Today’s Topic: Yield

Today’s Scripture:  Ezekiel 34:26-27 I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the LORD…

When I learned to drive a car, I was not living in Wisconsin. I remember distinctly the first time I was told to use an entrance ramp to get on to a freeway. The instructor reminded me of the merge rules we had studied in class. He said, “Use the ramp to accelerate to freeway speed while checking your mirrors for freeway traffic. Signal your intentions, and then merge into the flow of traffic.” There was even a sign at the end of the ramp that said “Merge”. Years later, after moving to Wisconsin, I noticed the signs on all the freeway entrance ramps said “Yield”. I still haven’t figured out the logic of that. I still get frustrated with the people who do it. I know – it’s my problem.

The word yield carries a negative connotation for me. It seems like most of the time, when we talk about yielding, it has to do with giving in to someone else. None of us really enjoys doing that. That attitude even carries over into our spiritual lives. For example, last Wednesday as I was teaching my Next Wave guys (That’s the leadership training course I teach at our church) we were talking about the importance of prayer. I had laid out for them the acrostic of the word pray and we were talking about each element of a powerful prayer life – Praise; Repent; Ask; Yield.

As we got to the last point, the emphasis was on surrendering to the will of God. It is accurate and advisable to pray with such surrender, as Jesus did when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on he night He was betrayed. Remember what He asked? “Father, if it is possible, don’t make me go through this.” But do you also remember how He finished His prayer? “Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done.” That’s yielding. That’s hard.

But this morning I thought about yielding from a different perspective. I guess I’ve been a city boy too long, because I had almost forgotten the other meaning of the word yield – to produce. In fact, of the 23 times the word yield is used in the New International Translation of the Bible, 19 times refer to the produce of crops rather than the surrender of self. It seems to me that I’ve been looking at yielding the wrong way.

Again, yielding to God in surrender is essential, but imagine how our prayer lives would change if we used both definitions of yield at the end of our prayers. How much blessing are we missing when we simply focus on what has become the negative attitude of surrender and forget to embrace the positive attitude of harvest? I am just a little bit excited about this. Every prayer we pray should end with the expectation that God is going to produce a bountiful harvest of glory as He accomplishes His will, and we get to share in the harvest.

Just look at what God said to us in Proverbs 8 – I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than fine gold;  what I yield surpasses choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full.

Using those truths of God, maybe it’s time we start ending our prays with faith by saying, Lord, as I yield to your will, let the fruit of your life and your glory be yielded to me in abundance. Let’s begin praying with the expectation of God’s yield.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Monday, April 06, 2009

Current Study: A to Z

Today’s Topic: Copy Christ

Today’s Scripture:  Romans 12:1-2  And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. 

It’s not long after our birth before we begin to attempt to copy the actions of people around us. It starts with a smile. Soon the baby is making noises that imitate what the parent is doing to imitate the baby. After a while there will be hand-waving. It’s not long before emotions are able to be expressed in tantrums and thoughts are able to be expressed in words. Suddenly, before our very eyes, stands a mirror image of ourselves. We don’t always like what we see.  

Some of you have been following this latest study for a while, and you know that today was the day for a word that starts with the letter “x”. Tough assignment. There’s not a lot of selection. But there is a word that connects with our Scripture passage today from Romans 12:2 –  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world. It’s a word from which a major copy machine company chose their name, and in my early days of business and church ministry it was synonymous with copiers. The word is “xerographic”, and the company was Xerox.

The definition of xerographic is this – a process for copying printed material in which the image of the original material is transferred by the action of light to an electrically charged surface to which the image attracts oppositely charged dry ink particles, which are then fused in place on paper, reproducing the original image. Sounds complicated, but I see it as a spiritual analogy.

Jesus is the original. God is the Light. My life is the electrically charged surface. The Holy Spirit is the ink. Here’s how I see it working.

Babies are born with both a genetic nature that will dictate some behavior, like crying when hungry, and a blank slate of learned behaviors that will become the expression of their thought process. The same is true of newborn Christians. When we come to Christ, we are born into the family of God and are given the genetic nature of Jesus. His nature will dictate some of our behavior, like hunger for the Word of God. But other behaviors remain our choice, and we learn how to choose to express our thoughts in our words and actions. When we choose to expose our thoughts to the nature of Jesus under the light of God, the Holy Spirit duplicates His nature in us. We become a copy of the original.  We’ve been spiritually Xeroxed.

Unfortunately many of us don’t expose ourselves to the light of God. We choose the nature of the world over the nature of Jesus. We become copies of culture rather than Christ. From my own experience that doesn’t work out very well. I think you know that from your experience also. Copying the behaviors and customs of the world will lead to the end result of the world – destruction and death. But transforming our minds so that our lives become the copy of Christ brings the end result of God – the good and pleasing will of God for an abundant life.

Each one of us must decide who or what we will copy. We have all become the behavioral product of our choice to copy someone. If that choice has led you to become the copy of anyone but Christ, then it’s time for you to expose yourself to the transforming light of God and His truth. You can become the copy of Christ. Let the xerography begin today. Let’s copy Christ.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Current Study: A to Z

Today’s Topic: Winning Is Everything

Today’s Scripture:  Acts 14:19 – 22 (NIV) Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.  But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch,  strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 

It’s all about winning. Everything in life is about the experience of victory. From sports to business deals, everyone pursues triumph. Even when we diet, losing is really winning. We were created with an undeniable urge to experience the “thrill of victory” and avoid the “agony of defeat.”

Now before you react negatively to this, think about it carefully. It is not wrong that we focus on winning. The Bible speaks of winning, overcoming, and victory almost 100 times. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies. (Psalm 60:12)

Sports are one of the Apostle Paul’s favorite metaphors of the Christian experience. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. (2 Timothy 2:5) The passion to win is not a sin. It is only wrong if we think winning defines our worth and if we believe winning in this life is the ultimate victory. An exaggerated emphasis on worldly accomplishments results in ultimate loss, not gain. If a person’s worth is measured by their win/loss percentage, then ultimately at the point of death everything is loss. Even after all of our personal victories in life are counted, death still wins and none of our wins matter: UNLESS death itself can be conquered.

The good news of Jesus Christ is that death has been conquered, and everyone who comes to repentance and faith in Him will ultimately win. Paul wrote about this in 1 Corinthians 15 when he said, “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  The only victory worth training for is that one. The only win worth fighting for is eternity with Jesus Christ. The only true motivation to get up after a defeat and continue fighting for the faith is the knowledge that ultimate victory is ours in Christ. Look at these incredible promises from God:

1 John 5:4 – 5 (NIV) For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Luke 10:19 (NIV) I have given you authority…to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 

John 16:33 (NIV) “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Life will be filled with lots of losses. We will suffer rejection from our families and friends because of our faith in Jesus Christ. We will be criticized and even persecuted by our culture because of our stand for moral righteousness and God’s justice. We will suffer financial loss. We will experience emotional loss. There will be deaths in our families. Living life faithfully for Jesus is not easy, and we may experience very few personal victories. But Paul was a great example of how to keep our faith and live it consistently even in the face of death. He was considered dead after the stoning he suffered at Lystra, but he got back up and went right back into the city that had rejected him, putting himself in harm’s way again. Then, after visiting Derbe and winning people to Jesus Christ, he went back to Lystra again to strengthen and encourage the people to remain true to the faith. He modeled to the people how to look beyond the hardships of today to the victory that was coming when Jesus returns.

Death was but the doorway to victory for Paul, and it must be that for us as well. When we see it that way, the fear of worldly loss is consumed in the fire of faith that Jesus Christ has conquered the world. So be encouraged. Do not fear what the world can do to you. Do not fear the loss of worldly gain and worth. Do not fear the people who stand against you because you stand for God. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4) And when you do fall down in defeat, even to the point of death, know this: God’s people, the disciples, will gather around you and encourage you so that you will get back up and go back to doing God’s work. And when one of the faithful disciples you know falls down under the weight of persecution and loss, go to them and take your stand around them so they are encouraged to get back up also. We are not in this alone. God is with us, and God’s people stand beside each other. Remain true to the faith, and let’s fight until Jesus comes and we win!

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Current Study: A to Z

Today’s Topic: Victory Is Assured

Today’s Scripture:  1 Corinthians 15:57  But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Today is a hard day for many of us. I will spend most of it with a family that is grieving. We will cry together as we remember the life of a daughter, sister, aunt and friend. But underneath all of the sorrow will be a firm foundation of faith that will allow us to rejoice. We will laugh together. We will not nearly so much mourn a life that has ended on this earth as we will celebrate a life that is extended into eternity. It will be a time of release and we will respond with hope. Because Jesus lives, Lynn is alive, and we who are in Christ shall live as well. Eternally.

I have come to realize that far too much of our time is spent in trying to gain victories over the issues of the world and far too little time is spent living in the victory of eternity. We exhaust ourselves seeking to enhance and extend this life, when all effort to do so is futile. All we gain from this world will be lost. Jesus said, What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?  There is no ultimate victory that can be gained from the world. Jesus declared this truth to us when He said, For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Victory comes at the end of the race of life to those who have lived by faith, not to those who have gathered the most goods. The Apostle John reminds us of this when he says, “everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”  Our faith is in the God who was victorious over death through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. We have a hope that is sure.

Unfortunately many of us run the race of life with the wrong focus. For most of us the track on which we run the race of life is filled with hurdles. Each hurdle has a name. There’s one called financial security. There’s one named success. Others are labeled as family, friends, and acceptance. Each of our races has different hurdles in a different order. But all of our races have one final hurdle named death.

Most of us run our races with our focus on each hurdle. Many of us take a break from running after each hurdle is successfully jumped. We leave the track and spend time soaking up whatever glory we can get from bystanders, as if we have accomplished some great victory. Some never get back on the track, and melt into the crowd of those who have no sight of the finish line and will never get past the final hurdle. While they think they are living, they never really do.

Some run the race with faith. Every hurdle is crossed with determination to make it to the next one, and the next one, until finally, with eyes fixed firmly on Jesus at the finish line, the last hurdle of death is navigated and they cross into eternal victory.

Dear Lord and Savior, let me run the race with my eyes fixed firmly on you, and not the hurdles. Let me pass each hurdle with a determination to run faithfully to the end. I determine to not be distracted by the temporary joys of hurdle-jumping, but to remain focused on the joy that is set before me at the end of the race, when there are no more hurdles to jump and I will rest in your arms. May I not be tempted to place value on the things I accomplish for myself while running the race, but to rather consider all things a loss compared to the excellency of knowing and serving You. May my life be filled with thanks – not for things, but for the victory I have in You. May I live every day in full confidence of the hope of glory, and that one day You will reward me for having run my race faithfully as Your servant. I pray this in Your Name, Jesus. AMEN!

Pastor John  

Daily Devotions

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Current Study: A to Z      

Today’s Topic:   Unity

Today’s Scripture:  Psalms 133:1 – 3 (NIV) How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

A story in a magazine caught my eye. A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5, and Ryan, 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, he would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’” Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”

Today’s Scripture is a call to unity, which requires personal sacrifice. In Exodus 28 and 29 we read the historical account of Aaron being ordained as the first high priest of Israel. This required a great sacrifice on Aaron’s part. He was giving up his rights to herds and flocks and personal wealth. He was giving up his right to ownership of land. He was surrendering his entire life to the service of God in the tabernacle. He was doing the same for each of his descendants as well. Why would he make such concessions? Because he saw the bigger picture of God’s plan for personal relationship with His people. He was willing to do whatever God asked him to do to bring unity between God and man. At the end of Exodus 29, after all has been accomplished and the precious oil has been poured on Aaron’s head, God says, “So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

If unity is to be accomplished in the church of Jesus Christ today, it must begin with the precious oil of sacrifice. Unity with God is possible because of Christ’s sacrifice for us.  It is at the point of His sacrifice where God bestows His blessing, even life forevermore. Unity is only possible among people if they are first united with Jesus in His sacrifice. We must be in tune with Christ to be in harmony with one another.

God’s Spirit is quenched where people are divided. A bone of contention has no place in the body of Christ. We are called to cooperate in a higher purpose than our own personal pursuits. Opinions are not options. Personal preferences are not mandates. Anything that satisfies self must be sacrificed to the singular purpose of God. True unity is found only in surrender to His Spirit.

Unity, however, does not necessarily mean uniformity. By that I mean this – unity focuses on goals while uniformity focuses on methods. We must all have the same goals – those given to us by our King. We are united in our passion to accomplish God’s goals. We must not demand uniformity of methodology. Just look around the world and take notice of all the examples we have, like team sports. Every team is made up of individuals with a common goal – win a championship. Each individual is united with his teammates in his pursuit of the goal. However, each individual has a specific function on the team. How many football games have been won by a kicker who comes off the bench as a David among Goliaths and becomes the hero? While all the giants are out there play after play banging heads and battering their bodies, a little guy does one thing and gets all the glory. But they won, and that’s all that mattered.

God has placed each of us as individuals on His team with unique skills and responsibilities. Unity requires that we share a common goal. Unity requires understanding of distinct methods. Unity is accomplished through sacrificial cooperation. Unity is not possible in a group of one. Remember the banana? Every time it leaves the bunch it gets skinned.

How good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters in Christ live together in unity – all made possible by one sacrifice, which becomes the model for each one of us. When we turn our focus from self to Savior, the LORD will bless us with unity.

Pastor John

For further study, refer to the series we did in 2006 on unity from the book of Philippians in these devotionals –

http://calvaryeauclaire.org/Devotions/2006/022706.htm

http://calvaryeauclaire.org/Devotions/2006/022806.htm

http://calvaryeauclaire.org/Devotions/2006/030106.htm

http://calvaryeauclaire.org/Devotions/2006/030206.htm

http://calvaryeauclaire.org/Devotions/2006/030306.htm

Daily Devotions

Monday, March 30, 2009

Current Study: A to Z         

Today’s Topic: Give Thanks!

Today’s Scripture:  1 Chronicles 16:8-10   Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

Two weeks ago I was sitting around our dining room table with my entire family and a birthday cake in front of me. Five of the six grandkids gathered around me (one isn’t old enough yet) to help blow out the candles that had been arranged in two groups of five and six  to represent my age. Yes, that’s right, I’m now 56 years old. Then the kids delivered presents to me. They were all very well thought out and met a need I had mentioned in the past. One of them was especially fascinating. It was a rectangular box about ten inches long and three inches wide. I wondered what it was.

When I peeled off the wrapping paper I found something inside I had never needed before. I had talked over the last couple of years about doing it, but had never really thought seriously about it because I didn’t have all of the equipment necessary, some of which costs hundreds of dollars. But thanks to my favorite hunting buddy – my son – I was now set up with the first piece of equipment. I took it out of the box and tried it right away. I was incredibly attracted to it. The sound it made resonated in my heart. For the first time in my life I owned a wild turkey call. Thanks to another hunting friend who will loan me a shotgun, and my son who has arranged for us to hunt together on a friend’s land, I will be trying my luck calling in one of those big Toms and having deep fried turkey this spring.

Turkey always reminds me of Thanksgiving. I know we’re on the wrong side of winter to be thinking about that holiday, but we’re never in the wrong part of the year to be thankful. In fact, expressions of thanks are to be a prominent part of our communication. But it isn’t, is it? I’ve discovered a severe lack of thanksgiving in my personal life. Getting a turkey call for my birthday made me realize that. As I’ve learned the meaning of all the different sounds turkeys make, I’ve discovered that I’ve not even been a very good turkey. I’ve done a lot of cackling out warnings and I’ve gobbled in pride about my position in the flock, but I’ve done very little clucking of contentment. Even when others around me are softly purring their satisfaction with group life, I interrupt them with gobbles that draw attention to me.

The spirit of thanks is destroyed by the philosophy that everything is about me. I think that philosophy started with the very way in which we are taught as children to be thankful. I’m a victim of it, and I know I’ve done it with my kids and grandkids. We require them to say “thank-you” when they receive something, but we don’t take the time to teach them how to be thankful. We have taught them to say thank- you because it pleases us, gets us off their backs, and gets them what they want. But it doesn’t do anything to teach them the attitude of thankfulness. Maybe instead of telling them to say thank-you, we need to ask them how the gift made them feel. The attitude of thankfulness and its verbal response of thanks is generated only by a sincere appreciation for what was done. We’ve learned to say thanks without really being appreciative.

What it really boils down to is a lack of understanding about grace. We only really appreciate what we know we didn’t deserve. We are only truly thankful for what we never expected. That’s why we should be overwhelmed with thanksgiving for God’s unmerited gift of salvation. That’s why when I arrived at the office this morning and unlocked the door, it took me five minutes to enter because I was so overwhelmed with the beauty of the day. I stood outside and looked into the blue sky and praised God for the birds singing. I thanked Him for the wonder of forgiveness. I cried tears of joy as I recalled all the expressions of grace in my own life that have brought me undeservedly to this point of ministry. I gave thanks unto the Lord.

As I entered the door, I found myself singing an old, old chorus. I was singing it loudly, and I’m sure the guys in the warehouse next to our offices could hear me. “Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you, Lord, for making me whole. Thank you, Lord, for giving to me; Thy great salvation so rich and free.”

That’s the call I want this turkey to make all day every day.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Current Study: A to Z         

Today’s Topic: Short and Sweet – I’m Saved!

Today’s Scripture:  Zephaniah 3:17   The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

I really don’t like being obvious. Unfortunately, most people who know me tell me I am. I don’t hide things well. My thoughts become spoken words too quickly. My facial expressions are clear windows to my heart. My tears flow easily. There are days I wish I could hide more. Today is not one of them.

If I were to take a poll of all of the readers, I wonder how many would say that the most obvious “S” word of the faith is “salvation”? Now, if we took that same poll of people outside the faith, how many would answer with the word “sin”?

Here’s my simple point to ponder for today. When the people of the world think about Christianity, what word comes to their minds first – sin or salvation? What do we talk about the most when referencing people of the world – sin or salvation? What is the most frequent topic of our conversations with one another – sin or salvation? What is most obvious to people about our theology and doctrine – sin or salvation?

Uh-Oh! Here come the tears…

I’m saved!

Our God is mighty to save! He takes great delight in us. In the midst of any storm, He quiets us with his love. When He looks at us, He rejoices over us with singing. Let it be obvious in me all day and every day. I am saved!

Pastor John