Monthly Archives: January 2016

EACH LIFE MATTERS

Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers? (Job 31:15).

On the occasion that you pick up the daily newspaper and look at the obituaries, most of us pay little if any attention to the names whom we do not recognize. When it happens to be someone you do know, you feel a sense of sadness depending on the relationship you had with that person or their loved ones. One day I read that two people, a mother and daughter, were murdered. Their names didn’t register with me, but afterwards when I saw their pictures – I realized that I had met the mother years before. I also recognized the daughter from being a customer in a store where she had worked. I was surprised to learn how they had died, and I felt empathy for the shock that those who had known them well must be feeling.

On March 11, 2005, Ashley Smith was a 26-year old waitress in Atlanta simply trying to get her life in order. She was a struggling mother and widow dealing with substance abuse, attempting to regain custody of her five-year-old daughter. That evening after she had finished work, Brian Nichols, an escapee from a rape trial, forced his way into her apartment where he held her hostage for seven hours. Earlier he had stolen a gun from a sheriff’s deputy and shot a judge and court reporter before fleeing. As Smith was held by her captive, she appealed to his humanity telling him about her daughter and asking about his own infant son. She read passages to him from Rick Warren’s bestselling book “The Purpose Driven Life”. She says that both of their lives were changed that night. Nichols’ heart was softened, and she came to terms with her drug use and was faced with the question “Do you want to do this, or do you want to have a different life?’ In the ensuing years, she wrote a book “Unlikely Angel” telling her story. She married, gained custody of her daughter, and states that by the grace of God, she hasn’t used illegal drugs since the day before that event. In 2015, a faith-based film called “Captive” was released sharing her true-to-life revelation.

We live in a time when human life is no longer regarded as special, let alone sacred. Unless we have developed a connection with another individual, it becomes quite easy to write them off or simply ‘unfriend’ them on our social media page.  God values each life. It is sacred to Him. We are created in His image. We are His most prized possession. Jesus said “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Luke 12:6-7). God’s interest in the smallest details of human beings isn’t limited to the disciples or a chosen few. God is that intimately aware of and interested in each of us. After all, Jesus reminds us that “I come that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).  The abundant life that He promised has nothing to do with collecting more earthly treasures. It has everything to do with developing the right relationship with God through faith in Christ and accordingly being able to spend eternity in His company.

Paul informs us that all human beings “live, breathe, and all else” because of God (Acts 17:25). God surrounds His children with His presence. There is no place we can go, no word we can say, no action too insignificant for God not to notice. The relationship we build with our Creator will enable us to exhibit more genuine love toward our fellow man, just as He has for us. Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll once said: “Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitudes toward life. The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is ten percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it.”  The sanctity of life must always be respected. The unborn child, the person with a disability, older and infirm individuals, those with diverse or ethnic backgrounds different than our own – He cares for every one of us, and so should we.  God says that you are valuable regardless of who you are – for through His eyes, each life matters.

REFLECTION: Do you sometimes feel inferior or superior to others around you? What is it about that person that makes you think he or she is better or lesser than you? Do you really think that God loves you any differently than they? Is it enough for you to know that God considers your life to be sacred? In what ways might you reflect your understanding of His vast love for you? Take a look at the trailer for the movie “Captive” and find a copy to watch – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5uT7tp2mC4

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT., FEBRUARY 6, 2016.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

           “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds,                it is dead and useless.”  (James 2:17)

If you are old enough, you might remember a time when if you missed a program on TV, you would not have a chance to see it again.  Then came the era of the video cassette recorder when you could tape a show if you were not home and view it anytime you desired. That led to the advancement of the DVR and the highly marketed TIVO that offered an improved digital recording without the need for those clumsy tapes. Today there are many opportunities to view programming, including streaming live events on your SMART TV or mobile device.  If you are willing to wait, you can even ‘binge watch’ an entire season over a myriad of on-demand services or purchased CD’s which can be played when you are ready to watch them. There once was a time when not being in front of the TV was a missed opportunity you would not have a chance to recoup.  Now days, there are multiple ways to view whatever you want to watch at your own convenience, because the pace of our existence has become far too hectic. No more missed opportunities, at least in that part of Life.

One day, I was at the grocery store and saw a lady having difficulty getting something off a shelf. The reasonable thing to do was to help her, so I did. When I exited the store a few minutes later, I observed her loading her groceries into her car. I went over, assisted her in doing so, and thought later how blessed I was to be able to help this lady twice. I share this story, because I remember another time when I was not nearly as responsible. I had again been at the grocery store and was about ready to pull out of my parking space when I saw an elderly woman coming across the lot with a cart full of groceries. I wondered if I should get out and help her, but I decided to see how she did. She struggled unloading the bags and started back toward the store to return her cart. I paused again, thinking that I might embarrass her if I offered assistance. As she deposited the cart at the front of the store, she methodically moved across the lot toward her car. She moved slowly, but she managed. It would have been much easier for her had I gotten out to help. It was a missed opportunity, and I felt guilty for not having done so.

After this last event occurred, I heard a voice inside me saying, “If I can’t trust you with the little things, how will I be able to give you bigger ones?”  This was actually my own paraphrase from The Parable of the Shrewd Manager, sometimes known as the Parable of the Unjust Steward, found in Luke 16:1-15. On first reading, it would seem that this parable is about two characters, a master and the steward who manages his money. When the steward learns of his impending discharge, he manipulates the debt owed to his master for his own future benefit. This prompts Jesus to eventually say, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities” (Luke 16:10). Everything we have is from God. This includes not only our finances and other earthly possessions but the blessings of our health, physical and mental capacities, and other talents He has provided as well. We must use those wisely, especially in service to others. Otherwise we risk denying ourselves the ‘true riches’ (Luke 16:11) of the future.

On a different occasion, Jesus cited another parable (Matthew 25:31-46) in which He talks about meeting the needs of others. In it He concludes by stating: “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me’” (Matthew 25:40). For our good deeds should not come as a means to an end; to gain approval with God. Rather they evolve out of that which God has already provided for us through the death of His Son. “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do” (James 2:18). For when our hearts are in tune with Him, He will make us conscious of missed opportunities so that day by day, year after year – we will be moving down that eternal path of becoming more like Him.

REFLECTION:  Can you think of a recent time in your life when you did not respond to another’s need in an effective Christ-like manner? How did your actions make you feel? How might you use those feelings as a source of motivation for the next opportunity that presents itself?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT., JANUARY 30, 2016.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

FIRST, DO NO HARM

“We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited” (2 Cor. 6:3).

If you were a healthcare student, one of the general principles you would learn is to “Do no harm.” It is a reminder to all who practice that before they do an intervention or a procedure, they should first consider any possible harm that might occur to the person whom they are treating. Regarded as an historic rite of passage for those who are about to become physicians, the Hippocratic Oath contains the phrase – “Also I will, according to my ability and judgment, prescribe a regimen for the health of the sick; but I will utterly reject harm and mischief.” These days, political candidates practice the opposite of this philosophy. Theirs is more about surfacing any past negative history in their opponent’s life so that their credibility will be questioned and an advantageous position would be gained. To be sure, political adversaries do not follow the counsel to “make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19).

Most likely there has been a time in your life when you have stumbled and hurt your toe.  Sometimes this can be quite painful, and the nail will turn black as a lasting reminder of the incident.  Eventually, it heals and returns to normal.  But in a few cases, your toe may become broken or the nail damaged to such an extent that it needs special attention.  In fact, for a long time the injury can serve as a lasting reminder of the hurt that was caused. Life can be like that as well. There are times in our lives when we recover quite quickly after we falter.  On other occasions, it can affect us dramatically.  Likewise, there may be situations when we stumble and in our act of doing so, it can have a profound effect on those around us. The Bible makes many references to stumbling, particularly as it relates to others. It goes so far as to even caution how we act with those who oppose us. “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice…”  (Proverbs 24:17).

We must scrutinize our interactions with all persons and, in particular, the witness we bear as we connect with them. As we mature in our faith, there will be experiences when our practices, however non-threatening to us, may expose a vulnerability in another. For instance, our view might be that having a glass of wine with dinner is entirely acceptable. However, if among our guests there are those whose discipline does not condone the consumption of alcohol – then we would be wrong to serve it. After all, how might you feel if in the group there was an individual, who by no knowledge of your own, was a recovered alcoholic?  Indeed, we have all been faced with situations where it might be better to do nothing rather than to risk doing more harm than good. Paul would tell us: “But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9).

These days our society condones doing what feels right and to exercise our right to speak out. The greatest freedom we have is to consider others’ welfare over our own. In speaking to the church at Rome, Paul said: “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way . . . So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves” (Romans 14:12-13,22). While hitting one’s toe can cause a person to physically trip, we never want to give ourselves permission to become a stumbling block in the spiritual sense causing damage to or weakening one’s faith. As we relate to others, we might take heed from the Latin phrase Primum non nocere. It is translated to mean -“first, do no harm.” Lord, help us to examine our interactions with those in the world around us, in order that we do not cause them to stumble and in any way harm their relationship with you.

REFLECTION: Have we on occasion set a poor example for non-believers so that being a Christian is the last thing they would want to do?   Are there times when we might have said or done something that has caused another person’s relationship with Christ to be compromised? How might we implement the philosophy “first, do no harm” when we are asked for an opinion in the company of others?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT., JANUARY 23, 2016.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

OIL, ICE CREAM, AND LIVING WATER

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38).

In the classic movie The Wizard of Oz – the main character Dorothy meets a motley cast of misfits as she traverses down the yellow brick road on her way to Emerald City. One of the merry band is the Tin Man who on their first encounter looks like a metallic statue standing in the middle of the woods. A muffled high-pitched sound resonates from the body-like structure, as Dorothy and her newly found friend, the Scarecrow, inspect their discovery. A resemblance of a voice from within appears to be saying the words “Oiill Caaan” as the two locate an actual can of oil not too far away. A few squirts to the mouth and the joints, and the silver-plated being begins to speak and move. He says that he has been that way for ages, ever since one day when he was chopping down a tree and it began to rain. Now with the oil application – he has found new life.

Not so long ago, I experienced my own oil can story. I was engaged in the process of making homemade ice cream using an old motor contraption that has been in our family for many years. The apparatus has saved a lot of churning-by-hand and has produced hundreds of gallons of frozen delight for many special events. On this particular day, the freezer was not mixing well and I thought that I had perhaps misconnected something.  So I disengaged the freezer from the motor and tried several other approaches, but I soon became discouraged. I was left to conclude that after many years of hard work, the old motor had just burned itself out.  As a last-ditch effort, I grabbed a can of WD-40 and sprayed any visible moving part that I could find. Reluctantly, I plugged in the machine, and it began to purr like a baby kitten. All it needed was a few drops of oil, and like the Tin Man – it had also found new life.

One day, Jesus encountered a Samaritan woman by a well and asked her for a drink. She was surprised that this Jewish man would make such a request of her, for in that day Jews did not associate with Samaritans. She was even more shocked to learn that He knew everything about her and concluded that He must be a prophet. Jesus told her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10). Seeing that she was perplexed, he further explained: “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14). Although she may have been naïve about many things, she gave indication that she had some awareness: “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us” (John 4:25). Then, He revealed Himself to her (John 4:26).

Jesus was offering the “living water” of eternal life that only the Holy Spirit gives. It is a continual source of life that indwells in the heart of all believers, and it’s always active and flowing. David understood this need when he spoke these words: “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1). The Tin Man, my family’s ice cream motor, and the Samaritan woman were all given the opportunity to experience new life.  The main difference between the three is that Jesus was promising a healing with free flowing water that would never need replaced. Eventually the Tin Man and the motor are going to need oil again, and through time they will both end up in a state of disrepair. And therein lies the choice for each one of us. We can continue to drink from the world’s sources as we search for lasting spiritual fulfillment, and we will be sure to thirst again. But one drink from the “living water” that Jesus offers, and we’ll never be the same.  Jesus told the Samaritan woman all she needed to do was ask. The Tin Man knew what He needed and made it known. We would do best to take their lead.

REFLECTION: What cultural restrictions do we face today that may keep us from talking with others about Christ? Do you know an individual who you think would not be interested in the gospel? How might you ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to bridge your reluctance to approach such a person?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT., JANUARY 16, 2016.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

A FAIR EXCHANGE

“As a fair exchange–I speak as to my children–open wide your hearts also” (2 Corinthians 6:13)

While time for Christmas giving has passed, the season of returns has just begun. Some estimate that up to 20% of holiday gifts are returned each year amounting to billions of dollars in merchandise. What do you do when you receive a gift you can’t use?  Many folks simply take it back to the store where it was purchased and just exchange it for something else. The late Johnny Carson is credited with once having said – “The worst gift is fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.” What if your holiday present happens to be a symbolic fruitcake taking the form of one of those gift cards from a place where you don’t even shop? Now days one of the new trends is to go online and do a gift card exchange for cash.  While you do not get the full face value of the card, some sites claim to get you up to 90% of what the giver paid. But seller beware, just like the rest of our society – there are scams out there that are targeting folks who are both buying and selling gift cards making it not always the fair and easy exchange some might promote it to be.

Sometimes though there are gift exchanges done on earth that just may have been a match made in heaven. Here is just one of those. Jay Matuska and Jackie Sitkowsky met five years before working for Habitat for Humanity. They fell in love, but their blossoming relationship was clouded by Jay’s failing health and need for a kidney transplant. Jackie would have gladly provided a kidney to the love of her life, but she was not genetically compatible.  As the Milwaukee couple were about to be married, they found out that a donor had been located for Jay many states away in Georgia. There, Blake Underwood had hoped that he could be a donor for his mother who was also in need of a kidney. While he was not a match for her, he was a perfect match for Jay. But Chandra, Blake’s mom, also found her seamless match at another household where, as it turned out, two kidneys would just swap addresses.  The newlywed couple, would not only receive a kidney for Jay, but his wife Jane would provide one of hers to Chandra. Following the separate surgeries in different states – the two families have reconnected to share their gratefulness for each other, realizing that there is a new future in store for each of them.

Jesus had His own take on a fair exchange for giving ‘new life’.  He spoke about it with his followers as He predicted His own death. “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?  Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels’”(Mark 8:34-38).  Similar recordings are also found in Matthew 16:24-28 and Luke 9:23-27.

These words are particularly poignant in a world where it would seem that those who speak out for Christ are being persecuted more than ever. As we journey through this life and follow the teachings of Christ, we come to find new meaning in the phrase “we all have our own cross to bear.” Jesus calls on each of us to lay down our life for Him. Unfortunately in many parts of the world, this may literally involve violence and suffering. To others, it might simply necessitate giving up those things that Jesus would have despised in order that we might embrace those things that He would love. The call to follow Him is more than that of simple belief; it is rather a call to action. So we are faced with this choice: we can do as the world would have us do and live for the temporal pleasantries of today. Or we can follow Jesus with the understanding that we may suffer some hardships through the denial of self in the present. In doing the latter we will position our self for everlasting peace, joy and contentment for all of Eternity. Now that seems like a fair exchange at the beginning of a new year . . . or anytime for that matter.

REFLECTION:  Who is the master of your life? What have you done with the gift that Jesus offers? In order to follow Him, what are those things you might need to exchange?  What would be required of you to put your own plans to death and commit yourself to His will?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT., JANUARY 9, 2016.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.