Monthly Archives: April 2014

OLD SCHOOL TRUTHS FOR TODAY’S JOURNEY

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

In the 1950’s Betty Cornell’s Teenage Popularity Guide offered advice and guidance for young girls who wanted to be poised, self-confident, and “shiny bright.” A few years ago, then 13-year-old Maya Van Wagenen read this guide, and she says that without a doubt her initial impression was how outdated it was. However, having had personal difficulty making friends and being social, Maya gave some of the guidance a try. Through her own “social experiment” she documented her experience in her own book entitled Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek.  Van Wagenen came to realize was that what was not outdated about Cornell’s original guidebook was a message that has withstood the test of time. Maya says that “it’s really less about what you wear and how you look and more about the kind of person that you are.”  Over fifty years ago Cornell captured this universal truth that Maya has now been able to validate first-hand, and recently Time Magazine cited her as one of their most influential teens.

We live in a throw-away society where the stuff of life becomes outdated very quickly. It should not surprise us, therefore, that some will debate whether the words in the Bible, written for and by a culture thousands of years ago, have any relevance for those of us today. Be assured that they do! Some good examples are found in the promises of God. The skeptic within reminds us that we are accustomed to seeing promises made and broken. But God’s Word is filled with His many promises that have not changed and will never be broken. God has promised to supply every need we have (Philippians 4:19).  God has also promised that His grace is sufficient for us (II Corinthians 12:9) and that those who believe in Him shall have victory over death (I Corinthians 15:57). Paul also tells us that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). Whenever we find a promise in Scripture and cling to it in faith, God is pleased and faithful. The uniqueness of God’s promises are that they help us to submit to His will and to trust Him, “being fully persuaded that God has the power to do what He has promised” (Romans 4:21).

The Bible contains a great deal of relevant information. God’s Word will never be outdated, superseded, or improved upon. James L. Wilson said: “Cultures change. Churches change. Life changes. God doesn’t.”  The Word of God is as applicable today as it was when it was first written. Not all of Scripture necessarily applies explicitly to us today, but all Scriptures contain truth that we can, and should, apply to our lives. They may have been written to an ancient society, but they were meant to inspire all generations. The Word of God comes to us not in the form of a dead book but rather as a living guide for each chapter in the journey we personally write every day.

REFLECTION:  What do I value (and therefore find pertinent) in God’s many promises?  If Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), how can I use this scripture to refute that Jesus’ teachings are not relevant in today’s culture?  How does the Word of God meet the needs of modern man and society’s disregard for respecting others?

(MY NEXT WEEKLY DEVOTION WILL BE UPLOADED ON SAT. MAY 3, 2014.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REMINDED OF THE FREE WEEKLY POSTINGS, SEND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO: LookUpwrd@aol.com  YOUR ADDRESS WILL NOT BE SHARED).

 

PLAYING THE LOYALTY CARD

“Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” (Mark 14:42)

Earlier this year, six coffee shops in Washington, D.C. issued a ‘Disloyalty Card’ in an effort that some believed was designed to take business away from the Starbucks chain. Buying a coffee at one of six local shops earns a stamp on the card; collect six stamps and you get a free drink from any one of the participating stores. Whether or not the creative move was in reaction to the national chain’s ‘loyalty card’ can’t be certain. But for sure, the DC locals’ card doesn’t encourage patrons to be loyal to any one shop.

How loyal are we?  We have our favorite sports teams, but as soon as they have a losing season – many will begin the next season in search of a more certain winner.  We’re friends with a couple, until there are separation issues.  Then we either take sides, or the friendship is abandoned.  While in life not everyone has the same talents and abilities, loyalty is one of those traits that is attainable by anyone.  We are either loyal, or we’re not.  If you’ve ever been in a life-altering situation, you quickly find out who is in your corner. And there are often surprises both ways in terms of who your loyal supporters turn out to be, or not. We quickly come to understand that ‘fair-weather friends’ are defined as those who last only as long as there are no storm clouds in our life.

Just as the world provides plenty of opportunities for us to be disloyal, the events of Holy Week bear witness to an agonizing display of disloyalty in the life of Jesus.  During the Last Supper, Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray him (John 13:21).  In the garden of Gethsemane, they fall asleep when Jesus needs a friend. It is there that Judas leads the temple guard to Jesus, and then identifies Him with a kiss (Luke 22:47-48).  Later Peter swears that he doesn’t know Jesus and as predicted, the rooster crows for a third time (Luke 22:54-62).  John was the only one of the called twelve who was at the foot of the cross with Jesus’ mother (John 19:26-27). Like the others, there were times when he too had failed Jesus. But he understood the reason he was so beloved was not based on his faithfulness to Jesus but rather on Jesus’ faithfulness to him.

Jesus never fails us; however there are many times that we fail Him.  An outward show of loyalty to Jesus on the Lord’s Day is meaningless unless we also follow Christ in our heart every day of the week. The world will try to get us to betray Jesus in many ways.  But unlike the disciples during that week of Passover, we know how the story ends.  Good Friday has no significance without Easter.  It is in the Resurrection that we have confirmation that Jesus is who He claimed to be. Just as He promised the thief on the cross next to Him at Calvary, He offers us forgiveness and Eternal Life as well. This gift is not because of anything that we have done, but by what He alone accomplished.  He simply asks that we be loyal followers

REFLECTION:  In what ways has the world challenged your loyalty in your relationship with Christ?  Are you a true follower or a secret pretender?  In your failings of loyalty, are you able to seek restoration and accept His forgiveness?

(MY NEXT WEEKLY DEVOTION WILL BE UPLOADED ON SAT. APRIL 26, 2014.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REMINDED OF THE WEEKLY POSTINGS, SEND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO: LookUpwrd@aol.com  YOUR ADDRESS WILL NOT BE SHARED AND IT’S FREE)

HERE I AM

“Behold. I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”  (Revelation 3:20)

I don’t know how many times as a youth I sat around a campfire or on a log seat at an outdoor retreat chapel and sang the words,  “Seek and ye shall find; knock and the door shall be opened, ask, and it shall be given, and the love comes a-tricklin’ down.”  The words must have stuck with me, for many times as an adult I have used them as advice to others on how to act in given situations.  For instance, if someone would ask me about making an application for a job opening, I will often say, “Hey it’s a door.  Walk through it.  You may or may not get the job, but you’ll never know unless you walk through the door.”  As we give such advice, we pray that the actions we have prompted in others are delivered with wise counsel.

There are times in my life when I have just wanted to be apart from the world – away from the bombardment, confusion, and criticism of others.  On those days as I would unlock the door to my house, I would suddenly feel a sense of relief because I was home. It’s amazing when we cross the threshold and close the door behind us, we can take a deep breath and feel secure. It is there that I frequently find comfort and peace in the loving arms of Jesus. Many Christians are touched in a similar manner when they walk through the door of a church.  In fact, as you pass from town to town you may notice that many church doors are painted red often used to symbolize the blood of Christ and the protection that He offers us through salvation.

So much of what we create in life depends upon our actions.  However, we come to find that salvation is different. It is a response, not an action.  When Christ says, “I stand at the door and knock” (Revelation 3:20), He is giving us a choice.  Similarly, when someone comes to your house and knocks, you can either answer the door or anticipate that they will go away.  Our answering or not answering is a response, not an action. Jesus pursues us by knocking at the door of our heart.  Those who respond by opening their heart to Him shall come to adore His presence, for He will supply a rich feast of comfort and grace.

As we enter this holiest of all weeks in the Christian calendar, let us remember that He is the door (John 10:7). From the cup that is shared during the Last Supper, to the blood shed on the cross of Calvary – the acts of salvation are something that He alone can give.  Our response to His great love for us is there for the taking.  “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). And so He says to each of us – “Behold,” or “Here I am.”

REFLECTION:  Where have you found places of refuge and comfort in your spiritual journey?  During this Holy Week, allow yourself to reflect on the great debt that Jesus paid on your behalf. As you consider the acceptance of salvation in your life, do you see it more as an action on your part or as a response to God’s abundant love for you?

(MY NEXT WEEKLY DEVOTION WILL BE UPLOADED ON SAT. APRIL 19, 2014.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REMINDED OF THE WEEKLY POSTINGS, SEND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO: LookUpwrd@aol.com  YOUR ADDRESS WILL NOT BE SHARED AND IT’S FREE)

 

FIRST FRUITS

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”                      Malachi 3:10

A photo of a restaurant receipt posted on the internet shows a bill for $34.93 that included an automatic 18 percent gratuity of $6.29 for an additional tip. Writing his sentiments on the receipt, the diner pens this thought – “I give God 10%; why do you get 18?” The person scratched out the amount for the automatic tip, then wrote an emphatic “0” in that space on the bill.  The receipt was part of a total bill of over $200 for a large group where it has become common practice to automatically include the gratuity. Beginning in 2014, the IRS started to crackdown on this exercise, stating that this type of automatic addition to parties in large groups must be counted as wages.  The new rule will prevent the waiter from taking home this tip on the day it is paid.

In 2013, the TV news journal 60 Minutes featured an interview with Warren Buffet and Bill and Melinda Gates. The segment reported a “golden age of philanthropy” as part of “an ambitious and targeted campaign.”  The movement requires a commitment known as ‘The Giving Pledge’ in which the world’s wealthiest individuals and families dedicate the majority of their wealth to benevolent or charitable causes.  Membership comes with just two requirements: be worth at least a billion dollars and be willing to give half of that away.

So here’s a good question to ponder:  Who will be more blessed, a widow who places her only remaining dollar for the month into the collection plate or the multi-billionaire who donates half of his wealth?  This is the kind of question Jesus asked and the lesson he, in fact, taught when he said, “They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on” (Mark 12:41-43).  This, of course, does not diminish the fact that persons of wealth are sometimes moved to share great sums of their treasure with others who are less fortunate.  Andrew Carnegie said, “He who dies rich dies disgraced.”

Bottom line for the Christian, our giving needs to be motivated through a desire to serve God.  It is, in and of itself, an act of worship. We should do it without purpose except to say that in doing so we declare ‘God is first in my life.’ Our practices must include giving with a cheerful heart (2 Corinthians 9:7), being private about our generous acts (Matthew 6:3-4), and offering ourselves through other deeds of service (1 Peter 4:10). We therefore “honor the Lord…with the first fruits” (Proverbs 3:9-10).  And the harvest from the vineyard will yield the finest new wine that we will come to realize all  belonged to Him in the first place.

REFLECTION:  What kind of giver are you?  What motivates your tithes and other offerings?  Do you see the tithe to be the extent of your obligation, or is it a starting point?  Finally ask the question, is Christ really first in my life or do I put myself and my own desires first?

(MY NEXT WEEKLY DEVOTION WILL BE UPLOADED ON SAT. APRIL 12, 2014.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REMINDED OF THE WEEKLY POSTINGS, SEND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO: LookUpwrd@aol.com  YOUR ADDRESS WILL NOT BE SHARED AND IT’S FREE)