Category: From Pastor

Today’s devotion is based on Week 2 of “Tough Love”: Challenges Perspective! (WATCH HERE)

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Here in the south, you can often times hear people use the phrase, “Bless their heart!”  As I reflect on the use of the phrase, it seems to be used in a situation where something not so good has happened or someone has done something understandably dumb.  So in the midst of a not so good situation or a somewhat dumb move, a person says “Bless their heart!”  I think what is implied is this, “I hope something good comes to you out of this” or “They were so well intentioned that they deserve favor at least for the good intentions that got them in a sticky situation.”  If any devotion readers are more educated in southern phrases, please correct my understanding.

What’s the point in bringing it up?  We all want blessings…even in situations that seem antithetical to being blessed.  We want good things in our lives and to affect those whom we love.  If given the choice between blessing and curses, we would choose blessing every time.

The challenge as our heart yearns to be blessed, is sometimes our heart is misguided to seek blessing (sometimes equated with “happiness”) in things that are only a quick fix but not a long term sense of contentment, peace, and spiritual sufficiency.

As Jesus likes to do, he reverses our natural thinking to point us to where blessings for our heart and life can truly be found.

The most famous list of blessings is the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5.  A second listing of four statements of blessing is in Luke 6, another of Jesus’ sermons.  Jesus doesn’t just look at the crowd and say a pithy, “Bless their hearts” but rather indicates where true blessing is to be found.  The first is this:

         “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 

The world around us wants us to believe that blessing is merely wrapped up in the material things around us.  It’s easy to drive by a large house with expensive cars and think, “They are blessed” and look at our lesser house and 15 year old cars and wonder how do we get that kind of blessing.  The “quick fix” to blessing we think is to have a successful job and career in which we earn a lot of money and are able to enjoy the nicer things this life has to offer. However, the danger is this: We try to fill the void in our hearts with the material things of this world.  We seek to fill our spirit with a feeling that we are successful, have arrived, or have status in this world. 

Jesus changes our focus from the material to the eternal.  He directs our hearts to be filled with these two things: First, you have the status of a child of God and heir of the kingdom of God.  This is something way beyond any material blessings the Lord may allow you to have.  Second he reminds us that true value and worth is found in the treasures of heaven, not the treasures of the earth.  Things on this earth can be swept away, burned up, and given away when you die.  Your membership in God’s kingdom as a gift of grace is what is worth far more than anything this world could offer. 

Want true and lasting blessings?  Detach your heart from the material things of this world.  Let your love and life’s mission be focused on following Jesus and enjoying the spiritual blessings of his kingdom…forgiveness, grace, eternal life and more.  These are the realities that leave our spirit filled, satisfied, and completely blessed.

 

Apply: Is there something in your life that you are looking to fill your soul other than the love of Jesus?  Write it down and ask the Lord to replace the void with the truths of his kingdom.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for making me your child through baptism and including me in your kingdom.  Help me to always fill my spirit with the truths and grace of your kingdom.  AMEN.

Today’s devotion is based on Week 2 of “Tough Love”: Challenges Perspective! (WATCH HERE)

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It’s hard to wait.

It’s hard to believe that something better is coming when you are in the middle of something hard.

It’s hard to keep working at something when the outcome seems uncertain.

It’s hard to avoid short term satisfaction for long term happiness.

Our culture around us thrives on quick fixes, fast remedies, and immediate gratification.  Fast food, medications, instant access and more make waiting difficult and delaying gratification even harder.

We can carry this “fast food mentality” into our spiritual lives. We want God to act now.  We want him to give us what we want now.  We want a life free of hardship and full of blessing now.

It’s hard to wait.

If you think its hard for you, imagine some of the situations where people in the Bible had to wait.

Noah…100 years for the Lord to send the flood.

Abraham…25 years for the Lord to give him a son with Sarai.

Joseph…years in prison waiting to be released.

People of Israel…40 years waiting to enter the promised land.

David…waiting from his anointing until assuming the throne in Israel.

All Old Testament believers…waiting for hundreds and thousands of years for Jesus to come into the world.

In all of these situations, the Lord brought great blessing to the one who waited on the Lord.  

However, the sinful nature led some to get impatient and want an immediate gratification.  Abraham had a child with Hagar.  That created and still creates tension between the offspring of Isaac and the descendents of Ishmael.

The people of Israel got tired of waiting on Moses and had Aaron build a golden calf to replace God himself.

David got himself into trouble when his lust and desire for sexual gratification turned into adultery and murder.

If we consider the root cause of impatience and the lack of ability to wait on the Lord, it is caused by our sinful nature  When we are unwilling to wait on the Lord and take matters into our own hands, we often sin and create problems for ourselves.

It is really a gift of God’s Spirit to be able to have a heart willing to wait on the Lord.  It is a gift of grace to have a faith that trusts that God’s timing is best.

Use Psalm 130:5-6 as your prayer this week.  Ask the Lord to develop in you a willingness and ability to confidently wait for the Lord to act.

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,

    and in his word I put my hope.

6 I wait for the Lord

    more than watchmen wait for the morning,

    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

 

Apply: What situatio

n are you having a hard time waiting for God to act?  Pray to the Lord to help you with your heart first that it may drive a calm content that the Lord is always faithful and his timing is best.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your eternal plan which you systematically worked in time for me to be included in. Help me to always be patient and seek your direction and step forward in every situation. AMEN.

 

Happy Valentine’s Day! Jesus loves you!

Today’s devotion is based on Week 2 of “Tough Love”: Challenges Perspective! (WATCH HERE)

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Riley Gaines didn’t start her schooling career with an ambition to be an advocate for protecting women’s sports from men infiltrating it.  However when she was forced to give up a swimming championship to a man allowed to compete in the women’s swimming event, her mission changed.  She didn’t want other girls who worked their whole lives to compete at their best to be out done by a man who was given the ability to compete as a woman.  She has become the face of the effort to keep only biological women in women’s sports.

Perhaps there is an event in your life that has changed your perspective on some issue.  Navigating my father-in-law’s recent stroke and illness has made us acutely aware of what is needed to ensure someone else can come in and care for you if needed, transfer of financial responsibilities and perhaps the need for long-term care insurance.

When events in life happen, it can change our focus and our ambitions.

The interaction of Jesus and Peter did just that for Peter.

Peter was keeping an ear for Jesus’ teaching as he was cleaning his nets after spending a whole night fishing.  He was cleaning his nets, because he had every ambition to go out again fishing the next night or in the near future.

However, when he cast those same nets in the deep water as Jesus had said, he saw such a catch of fish that almost landed two fishing boats at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee. 

Here is his reaction:

Luke 5:8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. 

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. 

Two things became crystal clear for Peter.

First he was standing in the presence of God, and didn’t deserve to because he was sinful.

Second, his life was forever changed from the ambition of being a great fisherman in Galilee to the mission of Jesus to save souls.

All in an afternoon, the ambition of fishing was changed to the mission of Jesus.

The nets, just left on the shore.  Did they sell all the fish?  We don’t know.

We just know Jesus worked on this day to help them see their calling was much bigger and more important than fixing and casting nets into the water.

While we weren’t there, the Spirit records this interaction so we see and hear a similar calling from Jesus.

He’s calling us as sinful individuals to be part of sharing his glorious Gospel. 

It’s a calling, purpose, and mission greater than any earthly ambition you may have.

Headed to work this morning?  It’s ok.  Do your best at work, but see that God has placed you in the “deep water” at work to cast the net of the Gospel.

Headed to school this morning? It’s ok.  Learn.  Do your best, but see that God has placed you in the “deep water” of the classroom with classmates to cast the net of the Gospel.

Headed to care for your children and home? It’s ok. Be the best mom or dad you know how to be today.  Give it your all, but see that God has placed you in the “deep water” of your family to cast the net of the Gospel in the hearts of your children.

Headed to a Dr. appointment, the gym, a club meeting, or out on the golf course?  Have fun.  Enjoy the company of others or the expertise of your doctor, but see that God is moving you around today into the “deep water” of relationships to cast the net of the Gospel wherever today’s events take you.

It just takes a change of perspective and you begin to see that today your personal ambitions become second to being part of God’s mission.

 

Apply: Think through your schedule today.  How might God be directing you to interactions so you can cast the net of the Gospel into the hearts of people?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for opening my eyes to see your grace that you want to use me in your mission to “catch” people with the Gospel.  Help me to see all my interactions today as ordained by you for the purpose of connecting hearts with your saving grace.  AMEN.

Today’s devotion is based on Week 2 of “Tough Love”: Challenges Perspective! (WATCH HERE)

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It’s hard to see another perspective.

 

Ask any experienced fisherman on the Sea of Galilee and he would have said, “Jesus is not the one you want giving you fishing advice.”

Throwing your nets into deep water was not the optimal or preferred setting for a successful fishing outing.

But that’s what Jesus told Simon Peter to do.

Peter’s perspective was this.  They fished all night and caught nothing.  It was time to clean the nets and go home.

When your experience tells you something, it’s hard to see someone else’s perspective.

How many times have you heard the phrase, “We already tried that.  It didn’t work.”

Our perspective is built on our personal experiences and when those personal experiences have resulted the same each time, it’s hard to do the same thing or something slightly different and expect different results.

Sometimes our perspective prevents us from experiencing a different result.

If Peter would have objected AND stayed on the shore, he would not have experienced what happened next.

There was one thing that changed his perspective.

Jesus.

Luke 5:4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 

5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 

“Because you say so…”

This powerful statement of faith moves us from a perspective that is governed by human limitations to one that is open to see what the power of God can do.

Having no idea if they would catch anything, Peter trusted the words of Jesus and let down his nets.  The result was two boats on the brink of sinking because the catch was so large.

Jesus taught his Word.  Now he demonstrated the power of his Word.

Jesus wanted his disciples to move beyond the perspective of their human limitations to the power of Jesus’ words and the impact of his promises.

What if we did the same?
When we are hesitant for whatever reason to trust and live out the promises of God, we must set aside our human perspective and see God’s power and promises.  Our ineffective excuses that keep us limited by our abilities must be set aside to see the power of God at work in our hearts and lives. Our perspective must shift from seeing life only from our ability to do something to the power of God that is at work in his promises.

Here’s how the Apostle Paul saw things:

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

It is hard to see things from another perspective, but when that perspective starts with a Word from Jesus, maybe all we need to trust is “because he said so” he is going to show me a new perspective that brings great blessing.

 

Apply: What promise of God is hard for you to belief and act on because your personal experience has been completely different?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to live life from your perspective simply “because you say so.” AMEN.