Make a U turn!
This week’s devotions are based on the Week 2 “A Savior Born for You! (WATCH HERE)
Make a U-turn.
Has your electronic map ever told you to make a U-turn? Before Google Maps was the predominant mapping app, stand alone GPS units would have various voices help you navigate your route. When they sensed you were going the wrong way, the command was, “Make a U-turn as soon as possible.” Whether you heeded that advice was your choice. The newer mapping apps seem to just “reroute” you if you missed a turn. The distance may get longer, but the alternate route is suggested.
This parallels how we can deal with sin in our lives. It’s not easy to admit we have made a mistake and take measures to make a U-turn. It’s easier just to move past it and find an alternate route around the sin. As a result the action that was wrong is minimized with the thinking, “No big deal. I’ll just take an alternate route.”
Repentance is God’s call to make “U-turn.” The option isn’t just “alternate routes” that accommodate the sins we want to commit, rather the commitment is to turn away from the route that involves the sin we love to commit.
In this Advent season, John the Baptist, is a key figure as he preceded the public ministry of Jesus and was tasked with preparing hearts for his teaching and work. The call wasn’t just to take an alternate route in Jesus, but rather confronting head on the sin that was in people’s hearts and warning them to “Make a U-turn!” “Repent!”
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 3:1–2).
The people around John were dealing with sin, just like you and I do. Perhaps the ones that were visible to John were sins of the heart that came out in actions. The Pharisees thought they were good with God because of their performance with religious laws and ceremonies. They were wrong and needed to turn from their dependence on self to dependence on the LORD. People of the Jewish lineage claimed that they were good with God because they had the genetic code of Abraham. This too was a false security that John calls them to turn from and realize that children of God are not by blood descent but by faith decent. Others came who were cheaters and thieves that John called out to turn from their sin.
If John were speaking to you directly this morning, what U-turn would he be calling you to make? Is it a sin of pride and ego that makes you more important than others? Is it the sin of laziness and sloth that keeps you from using your days and potential to the glory of God? Is it a sin of anger and bitterness that harbors ill-will toward someone? Is it sins in the closet of your life that have not been exposed publicly, but God knows? Is it an addiction that needs to be overcome? We all have sins lurking within and need the GPS “God’s Positioning System” to redirect us away from sin to a life that walks with him and fights vehemently against sin. There is not just “alternate routes” that allow sin to exist, but rather a loving, yet stern “Make a U-turn!” call from a God who loves us and people who love us enough to warn us that the path we are on is not going to end well, but a path walking with the Lord is where we want to be.
Consider this a call to make a U-turn…and I hope you will do the same for me!
Apply: What sin is God calling you to make a U-turn and turn from today? Ask the Lord to overcome the temptation and walk more closely with him!
Prayer: Lord thank you for putting people like John the Baptist in my life to warn me of the danger of my sin and turn me back to you. AMEN.
Roadwork!
This week’s devotions are based on the Week 2 “A Savior Born for You! (WATCH HERE)
Road work.
For all seven years we have been in Texas, we have seen site preparation crews at work on different properties preparing the ground for the building of subdivisions. The first step usually is clear cutting all the vegetation on the land with maybe the exception of a few older oak trees. Then the graders and front loaders and bulldozers come into level out the areas where roads will be. In our area of Texas, this is not always the easiest because 4” under the top soil is limestone. So large jackhammers on the front of backhoes bang away to make the high places low and level. Eventually the work is done and the road is ready for traffic.
The process of preparing a roadbed is a lot of work, but the end result is one that has to be satisfying. Where only one could go with an offroad vehicle, now can be safely navigated by any passenger vehicle.
Spiritually speaking, this is the type of work that Isaiah prophesied John the Baptist would be part of. However, preparing hearts for the coming of Jesus probably was more challenging than leveling a piece of ground for a road. Yet, that was the task given to John the Baptist. Isaiah the prophet foretold his work in these words (Isaiah 40:3-5):
3 A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD;
make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
What makes the hard work worth it, is knowing what the end result will be. Spiritually, the hard work of spiritual change, repentance, and walking with the Lord can be very challenging. We love to hold on to our “pet” sins that come so naturally and easily. Like solid granite, the sin in our hearts can be hard to remove. Lust, pride, greed, revenge, laziness, etc. all can lurk within us. The jackhammer of God’s law can point out the sin and the consequences, but our sinful nature doesn’t give up easily. Yet, when the Spirit of God goes to work, it is possible to overcome these temptations and remove the guilt these sins create.
Why go through the hard work of repentance and heeding the law of God? Because the end result is worth it. “The glory of the LORD will be revealed.”
When my heart and mind is clouded by sin, I can’t see fully the love and grace of God. If sin continues to cloud my heart, I will miss out eternally on seeing the glory of God in heaven.
So the “road preparation” is not fun but necessary.
When we see God’s work on our heart as an act of his love to prepare our hearts to more fully receive and experience his grace and glory, it gives perspective to the hard work.
So let the Spirit go to work…making low the mountains and raising up the valleys.
Apply: What work is God doing on your heart to hammer out sin and help you see his glory more fully?
Prayer: Lord thank you for your love that is willing to tackle the sin in my heart and life and replacing it with your grace and forgiveness. AMEN
Don’t ignore the radar!
This week’s devotions are based on the Week 1 “A Savior Born for You! (WATCH HERE)
At dawn of December 7, 1941, the United States Pacific Fleet was caught by surprise by the Japanese naval fleet and air force bombers. While the naval command was aware that the Japanese wanted to attack US interests, they did not think that the Japanese navy could sail 4000 miles across the Pacific and launch any kind of meaningful attack without being detected. Here’s a reflection from an article entitled, “The Radar Warning that Went Unheeded” (https://pearlharbor.org/blog/warning-went-unheeded/)
Early on the morning of December 7, 1941, George E. Elliott, Jr. was manning new radar equipment, a state-of-the-art SCR-270, on the northern tip of Oahu alongside fellow serviceman Joseph Lockard. A few hours later, the tragic events of that day started to unfold. Would things have turned out differently had a radar warning they called in been taken seriously?
At just after 7 a.m., Elliot noticed an unusually large blip on the radar, something that seemed to indicate a rather large flight. Unsure of what the signal could be, Elliot made a call to the Information Center at Fort Shafter and was advised no one was available and he would receive a call back.
Moments later, the callback came through and Lockard answered. On the other end was Lt. Kermit Tyler who was quick to dismiss the large blip as a dozen American B-17 bombers arriving from San Francisco, a judgment call that, had it gone the other way, may have prevented the complete surprise of the impending Japanese bombardment.
With Tyler’s mistaken reassurance, Lockard was ready to pack up and end his shift but Elliot insisted on tracking the signal, partially hoping to use the incoming flight as practice on the new radar warning system. By 7:39, the blip had vanished entirely into mountains of Oahu. Almost immediately after the signal disappeared, Elliot and Lockard were pulled off duty to head back to base for breakfast. Upon their arrival, the two learned of the Japanese attack. Among the enemy forces were 183 Japanese fighters that Elliot had spotted on the radar.
It’s safe to assume that, even if Tyler had heeded Elliot’s warning, the attack on Pearl Harbor still would have been devastating, but some sort of preparation—even ten minutes notice—might have saved lives of men who were unprepared for the surprise bombing.
The story of Pearl Harbor reminds us of a couple things for our spiritual lives.
- Never underestimate the enemy. Satan is working to take us out and prevent us from growing in our relationship with Jesus. Sometimes we think we are “safe” but Satan surprises us with temptation.
1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
- Always stay watchful. Attacks can come at any time. We must stay spiritually alert and understand the warning signs that temptation and spiritual attack can always be looming.
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
Apply: What measures can you take to avoid a “Pearl Harbor” spiritual attack?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for those that have given their lives to protect our country. We also ask you to keep us always vigilant against the attacks of Satan. AMEN.
Ignorance is not bliss.
This week’s devotions are based on the Week 1 “A Savior Born for You! (WATCH HERE)
Don’t be ignorant!
Matthew 24:37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
They knew nothing?!?
For over 100 years the word of the Lord had been on the earth that he was sending a flood to destroy the wicked people that had strayed so far away from the Lord. While there is no evidence, I can’t help but think that people heard about Noah building an ark in the middle of the desert. The makers of the movie Evan Almighty capture what is probably a similar reaction as the real Noah had when he was building the original ark. This guy was crazy.
How could the novelty and abnormality of Noah’s action NOT circulated around the civilizations of the time?
What we do know is people “knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came.” Jesus tells us this. So ignorance prevailed around the world and the waters of the flood caught all but eight people off guard. As a result they perished.
Ignorance is not an excuse.
We have no reason to be ignorant of the reality of Jesus’ second coming. For not just 100 years, but 2000 years the message of Jesus and his promise that he will return has been circulated around the world. Especially in our era of digital Bible’s and translations in nearly every language of the world, ignorance is hard to justify.
Willful ignorance is even worse. To know something and then choose to ignore it puts one in a grave danger. Unfortunately there are many around us that will choose to ignore Jesus as Savior and also to ignore Jesus’ second coming. Perhaps we can look at the numbers of people that choose to ignore the real meaning of Christmas and conclude, “If they have no idea of the real meaning of Christmas, how will they ever understand the reality of that same child returning to judge the living and the dead?” They won’t.
So first, don’t be ignorant. Be aware. Jesus’ promise still stands. He is coming back. To remind us daily he has given these words:
Matthew 24:4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
All around us the “signs” are happening that remind us that Jesus is coming back. Only read or listen to the news and multiple things Jesus said would happen are happening. Each time is a call from ignorance to awareness, “Oh yeah, that’s right…Jesus could come back at any time.”
When we live in awareness instead of ignorance, we can use the information we know to share with others. The Lord has entrusted us with the promise of Christ’s second coming and privileged us with the opportunity to share this promise with others. Christmas is a great time to discuss spiritual things for today and transition from the manger to the promise of the future coming of the Christ-child.
Apply: When you hear Jesus’ words about what is to come, how does it change your interpretation of the news? Who in your sphere of influence might God use you to dispel ignorance with awareness?
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for coming in the manger of Bethlehem. Lead me to always be aware of and ready for your coming again. AMEN.
Would you build an ark?
This week’s devotions are based on the Week 1 “A Savior Born for You! (WATCH HERE)
Would you build an ark?
Genesis 6 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.”
5 The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. …17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”
22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
Perhaps this is an odd verse of Scripture with which to begin the season of Advent. It seems like nothing to do with Christmas or even Jesus’ second coming for that matter. Advent is a season of waiting and does lead us to prepare to celebrate Jesus’ first coming in the manger of Bethlehem, but it is also a season to remind us that Jesus is coming again…and he wants us to be ready.
Ironically in multiple areas of the New Testament, Noah and the flood are referenced and even some of the circumstances surrounding the flood are spoken of as going to happen in a similar way when Jesus returns (As we will see later in the week.)
So why Noah and the flood.
The promise of a world-wide flood would seem unbelievable to many.
The world was wicked and the justice of God was going to be carried out on the world. However, the reality of the coming flood must have made it to many ears in the 100 plus years that God waited after he told Noah about the flood. Don’t you think the “news” of the day would carry the crazy guy named Noah building a boat out in the middle of no where? Yet even after so many years, almost everyone was caught unaware of the flood coming.
For over 2000 years we have heard about Jesus and the reality of his birth in Bethlehem…and his promise to return. Yet, perhaps we see what we would call a similar level of wickedness and a similar level of ignorance of these facts in the world around us. Unfortunately, there is nothing new under the sun.
But Noah lived by the promises of God. He believed God and did as God commanded. I’m sure there were times where he questioned why he was getting ark ready for animals of every kind.
But when the flood waters came, I’m sure he was glad he did.
Jesus is coming back…we don’t know when. But we want to be ready. Noah built an ark to be ready. What are we supposed to do to be ready?
This week we will unpack what Jesus has to say to be ready for his return!
Apply: What would you have thought about a coming flood and building an ark if you were Noah today?
Prayer: Thank you for your love and grace which has let us know you will return, Savior Jesus. Help me not to blow this truth off, but to live this reality every day! AMEN.