Monthly Archives: March 2018

TO THE GLORY OF GOD ALONE

“It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:7)

Born on March 31, 1685 in the small German town of Eisenach, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest musical composers of all time. Johann Sebastian Bach was orphaned when he was ten, so he went to live and study with his older brother. By his mid-teens, he was ready to establish himself in the musical world, showing immense talent in a variety of areas and getting his first job as a church organist at age 17. His Lutheran family was pleased to see him carry on the family tradition in music. Besides being one of the most productive geniuses in the history of Western music, Bach was also a theologian who just happened to work with a keyboard. Through personal losses within the family and professional frustrations, Bach maintained a loyalty to perfection that never quit. During one of the unhappiest periods of his life, he wrote a cantata each week of which several hundred survive. Worship for Bach was not an end in itself but rather a collective response made by God’s people to His redeeming grace in Jesus Christ. Nearly three-fourths of his 1,000 compositions were written for use in worship. Today his music is played and studied around the world, as well as used in nearly every Christian denomination.

Most of us know that Bach is one of the most brilliant composers ever. However most of his works received little notice until the mid-nineteenth century. Bach had profound talent and eventually became a respected icon in the music world.  His enduring legacy is that in his life and work – he gave the glory to God. The story has been told that on one occasion, he was scheduled to debut a new arrangement. He arrived at the church expecting it to be full, but instead – no one showed on that wintry night. Bach told his musicians that they would still perform as planned. Taking their places, Bach raised his baton, and soon the empty church was filled with magnificent music. Bach often wrote I.N.J. for the Latin phrase In Nomine Jesu on his manuscripts. It is translated in English as “In the name of Jesus”. He also initialed S.D.G. for the Latin phrase Soli Deo Gloria on at least one of his works. It is a translation from Romans 16:27: “All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.”

When Johann played music, he felt his soul praising God. In fact, he once said, “I play the notes as they are written but it is God who makes the music.” He undoubtedly understood Jesus’ words: “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come” (Mark 4:26-29). God invites us to know, serve, and praise the Grower, as He reaps the benefits of the spiritual maturity He creates within us. There are times, however, when God will cultivate us for His purpose, using the gifts He provides to further His kingdom long after we are gone.

One of God’s most faithful servants, King David, wanted to build a temple to honor God (1 Chronicles 17:1). But God spoke through a prophet and said, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD has declared: You are not the one to build a house for me to live in” (1 Chronicles 17:4). David’s desire to build a house for the Lord was noble, but God had other plans for David’s son to build the temple (1 Chronicles 17:11-12). David accepted God’s promise that it would be so. He contributed to the cause by gathering materials and making preparation for its’ construction before he died (1 Chronicles 22:5). We may find ourselves like King David, not always being able to see the fruits of our labor in this lifetime. As we work to further God’s kingdom, it is important that we do not allow ourselves to become discouraged. We are merely seed-planters. We should do what we can with the abilities God gives us, accepting that the fruits of our labor will be harvested only when He is ready. In the meantime, we serve . . . deferring appreciation for any triumph to the glory of God alone.

REFLECTION: What abilities and talents has God given you, and how are you developing those? Do you invest your abilities in order to secure public gratification? How can you follow Bach’s example and do all you can, simply for the glory of God?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT. APRIL 7, 2018.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

AN ESCAPE ARTIST LIKE NO OTHER

“So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” (Matthew 27:64)

Erik Weisz was born in Budapest on April 24, 1874 to a Jewish family. Weisz arrived in the United States just over four years later with his parents and brothers. The family changed their name to the German spelling Weiss, and Erik became Ehrich. They settled in Appleton, Wisconsin where his father served as a Rabbi and later moved to New York City in 1887. As a child, Weiss took several jobs, making his public début as a 9-year-old trapeze artist, “Ehrich, the Prince of the Air.” .” Later he became a professional magician, soon to be known as Harry Houdini. Initially he had little success, so he began trying out escape acts and was performing with great achievement by the early 1900’s. He would free himself from handcuffs, chains, canvas bags, coffins and straitjackets, sometimes hanging from a rope or suspended in water. The greatest and most sensational of all Houdini’s escapes was without doubt his ‘Chinese Water Torture Cell.’ In this trick, Houdini was to escape from an extraordinary contraption resembling a fish tank, filled with water, while he was placed head down in full view of the audience.

Houdini reappeared from many a desperate situation and anticipated he could also do so from the grave. But then on October 31, 1926, death laid its hands on Harry Houdini never to escape. Before dying, Houdini told his wife Beth that If there was any way out, he would find her and make contact on the anniversary of his death. He said he would communicate the message “Rosabelle believe,” a secret code which they agreed to use as it referenced their favorite song. For ten years on his birthday, she kept a vigil before a candle-lit portrait of Houdini believing and waiting for a signal from him. On the Halloween of 1936, Bess and a group of Houdini’s friends gathered in Hollywood for what would later become known as the ‘Final Houdini Séance.’ After trying to reach the late-magician’s spirit for over an hour, Bess finally acknowledged to a worldwide radio audience, stating these words: “Houdini did not come through. My last hope is gone. I do not believe that Houdini can come back to me, or to anyone…The Houdini shrine has burned for ten years. I now, reverently… turn out the light. It is finished. Good night, Harry!”

The expression of loss of hope that Houdini’s wife so profoundly expressed is often the sentiment articulated by far too many of us. As the followers of Jesus celebrated His arrival in Jerusalem on what we now refer to as Palm Sunday, their hope for a Messiah was soon shattered when He died on a cross by week’s end. While drawing his last breath, Jesus declared “It is finished” (John 19:30). However, the difference between Houdini’s wife giving up all hope and uttering those same words was that for her, it was indeed an end. For Jesus, it was only the beginning of hope for mankind. When He said, “It is finished,” He did not say, “I am finished.” As Jesus died, His spirit was released, removing the debt owed by each of us—the debt of sin. Three days later, His empty tomb was more than mere deception. Had Jesus Christ not died and risen again, we would have been lost and doomed to everlasting separation from God. But because of His suffering, each of us has been extended hope and the offer of eternal life.

What do we do when things fall apart and we’ve lost all meaning for whatever comes next? This is exactly where the disciples found themselves when Jesus was crucified. They did not understand the hope of His pending resurrection, even though Jesus had told them (Matthew 17:23). The lesson for all of His followers is that God can bring wonderful things out of the darkest moments of our lives. He surrendered His Son to death so we could have life, and He will not abandon us. While many of us enjoy a good magic trick from time to time, we appreciate that distraction is the key to a trick’s success. Houdini once said – “What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes.” The Apostle Paul stated it differently: “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’” (1 Corinthians 15:54). The Risen Christ will always seek to draw us away from the illusion that there is no hope. You can count on it!

REFLECTION: Can you think of a time when God brought you peace and newness when you thought it was too late?  How does Easter and the rebirth of the earth through Spring offer new hope in Christ Jesus?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT. MARCH 31, 2018.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

MAY GOD BLESS

“We may throw the dice, but the LORD determines how they fall.” (Proverbs 16:33)

Images of tiny green men, rainbows with pots of gold, and lucky shamrocks are all symbolic of St. Patrick’s Day celebrated internationally each March 17. Although he was not Irish, he was one of the most successful missionaries in history. Saint Patrick was born into a Christian family in the late 4th century at a time when the Roman Empire, of which Britain was a part, was on the verge of collapse and vulnerable to attack. When Patrick was sixteen years old, a group of Irish raiders invaded his village and took him captive. They transported Patrick to Ireland where he spent six years in slavery. In those Irish hills where he worked as a shepherd, he was exposed to a harsh climate and nearly starved to death. Often completely alone, he turned to God for comfort and companionship. He discovered a way to escape finding passage on a ship to Britain, and he was eventually reunited with his family.

Believing he had been called by God to Christianize Ireland, Patrick joined the Catholic Church and studied for 15 years before being consecrated as the church’s second missionary to Ireland in 432. While spreading and preaching the Gospel, he faced frequent opposition and was in constant danger of being killed for his bold faith. By the time of his death, believed to be on March 17 in 461 A.D., the island was almost entirely Christian. Patrick used his sturdy resolve and ambition to advance God’s kingdom in a mighty way, making him one of the great saints of the church. Early Irish settlers to the American colonies, many of whom were indentured servants, brought the Irish tradition of St. Patrick’s feast day to America. For thousands of years, the Irish have observed the holiday of Saint Patrick’s death by attending church services in the morning and celebrating with food and drink later in the day. Today, Americans of Irish descent rejoice on St. Patrick’s Day by participating in parades and engaging in raucous partying. As millions around the globe put on their best green clothing and toast the luck of the Irish – it’s a day when many claim that along their ancestral line, there is just a ‘bit of Irish in their blood.

St. Patrick lived his years as a great example for us today.  Whether or not one believes his life held the “luck of the Irish” doesn’t much matter. For it’s easy to see that God’s Presence and Sovereignty were powerful throughout his years. The life experiences of St. Patrick are reminiscent of a different story that happened many centuries before. In the Book of Genesis (vs 37:1-50:26) – Joseph, a son of Jacob, was sold into bondage as a young man at the very hands of his jealous brothers.  As a slave in Egypt, he lived many years under the rule of another and suffered in prison.  He was unjustly accused of wrongs he did not do.  He was forgotten by those whom he had tried to help. Yet even in his loneliness, weariness, and confusion – God comforted him. Just as He provided a way of escape for St. Patrick, God paved a path of freedom for Joseph.  Slavery and imprisonment could not keep them contained, because the Lord had a greater purpose in mind. While some might describe their fate as luck, it is clear that both recognized who had been in control of their lives. In speaking to his brothers years later, Joseph said – “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20).

St. Patrick would want us to remember him not for the secular revelry which has become so much a part of the day that bears his name…but more, as a reason to follow Christ. He stated this prayer: “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me…” Years before, the Apostle Paul wrote – “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11). The word ‘luck’ does not appear in The Bible or much adapt to the Christian faith. While the phrase “Good Luck” is often spoken by those who certainly have kind intentions, it’s important to understand that luck is a way of trying to explain things without including God in the discussion. Let’s honor Him with the sentiment of the Irish – “May God be with you and bless you, as He holds you in the palm of His hand.” Or just simply . . . “May God Bless.”

REFLECTION: When you look back on your life, what outcomes have you attributed to “dumb luck?” Are you able to rethink those events (good or bad) and attribute the navigation of your life to a Higher Power?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT. MARCH 24, 2018.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

RICH TOWARD GOD

“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it.” (1 Timothy 6:6-7)

Conceiving a life full of money, wealth, and power in the midst of the Great Depression – an unemployed electrical engineer by the name of Charles B. Darrow developed his version of a board game involving the buying and selling of land and the expansion of that land. Using playing pieces named after locations around his home in Atlantic City, New Jersey – Darrow introduced MONOPOLY® on March 7, 1933.  After showing a draft to Parker Brothers who rejected his design, Darrow decided to release the game on his own, but he was unable to keep up with production due to increasing demand for its popularity. He once again contacted representatives of Parker Brothers who turned Monopoly into a household name, as it soon became the best-selling game in America. It has been distributed to countries all over the world and has been translated into dozens of languages. Over the years, the most expensive version was made from 18-karat gold estimated to be worth roughly $2 million, and the world’s largest permanent outdoor Monopoly board is 30-foot square, made from granite, and located in San Jose, California. How fascinating that a game about living the high life as a financier would be introduced at a time when the country was trying to rebound from its worst economic depression and continue to have relevance today.

As we develop the skill-set of playing games as children, we sometimes learn valuable life lessons as well. Author and Pastor John Ortberg tells the story of playing Monopoly with his grandmother at an early age. He described the manner with which she maneuvered through the game as “totally ruthless.” As a little kid, his approach was always to hold on to his money. Inevitably his grandmother would buy everything she could, take his assets, and win the game. Without reservation she would always say – “One day you’ll learn to play the game.” After many hours of practice with a friend, he was determined to beat his grandmother at her own game.  When he finally did so, he thought it was a great moment. But grandma had a final word, one remaining lesson. She simply said, “None of it was really yours. You got all heated up about it for a while, but it was around a long time before you sat down at the board, and it will be here after you’re gone. Players come and players go. But it all goes back in the box.” Ortberg has written a book logically entitled – When the Game is Over. . . It All Goes Back in the Box.  It’s a profound lesson he learned from his grandmother and one he had also heard from Dr. James Dobson.

Our society often fosters the attitude that aggressive achievement is necessary to win in life and that you have to relentlessly get everything you can, while you can. Accumulate wealth, grow that résumé, build up power. Those who live out that philosophy can quickly succumb to feelings of great emptiness. Ortberg says: “You have to ask yourself: When you finally get the ultimate possession, when you’ve made the ultimate purchase, when you buy the ultimate home, when you have stored up financial security and climbed the ladder of success to the highest rung you can possibly climb it, and the thrill wears off–and it will wear off – then what?” Jesus said: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:19-21). The most valuable success for any Christian is to learn how to play the game in light of this one great truth: to consider what will matter a lot and what’s not so important in light of eternity.  Make sure that your heart is right with God, and all else will follow. “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you” (1 John 2:15). We can expend a lot of energy and time gathering things that merely go back in the box when the game of this earthly journey is over. We must realize that our ultimate goal is to become rich toward God and that accumulation of stuff is only an exercise in futility.

REFLECTION: Have there been times when you wished that your accomplishments could remain as a permanent memorial of your greatness? What might a life that is rich toward God look like? As you consider your life — where you have been, where you are today, where you’d like to be, and what you’d like to do tomorrow — what is it you are trying to win and how are you setting the strategy as you determine that successful conclusion?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT. MARCH 17, 2018.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

ONLY ONE MIRACLE WORKER

“If I were you, I would go to God and present my case to him. He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.” (Job 5:8-9)

On March 3, 1887, two ladies met and changed each other’s lives forever. The older of the two, Johanna Mansfield Sullivan, was born to illiterate and impoverished immigrants who migrated to the United States from Ireland during the Great Famine. At a very young age, she contracted a bacterial eye disease which over time made her nearly blind. Through a course of events, she was enrolled in the Perkins Institution for the Blind where she learned the manual alphabet in order to communicate with a classmate who was deaf and blind. Eventually several operations improved her weakened eyesight. She graduated at age 20 as the valedictorian of her class and became known simply as Anne Sullivan. Then she was introduced to a seven-year-old blind and deaf girl by the name of Helen Keller. Challenged to socialize her wild, stubborn student – she began to teach her using the manual alphabet she had learned at Perkins. One day a breakthrough occurred and Sullivan stated, “My heart is singing for joy this morning. A miracle has happened. The light of understanding has shown upon my little pupil’s mind, and behold, all things are changed!” It was the beginning of a 49-year relationship during which Sullivan evolved from teacher to governess and finally to companion and friend. Literary references and performance productions labeled her “the miracle worker” because of significant contributions to Helen Keller’s most accomplished life.

Believers in Christ know that there is only one true miracle worker; that is if we define miracle as a wonder or marvel that defies rational explanation surpassing all known human or natural powers. The Biblical accounts of Jesus miracles here on earth are evidenced in the healings of the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19), a blind man named Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), and a woman who had been afflicted for 12 years who reached out and touched His garment (Matthew 9:20-22). Everyone whom Jesus willed to be healed was healed. Sometimes He healed those who expressed their faith in Him, and He clearly stated it to be so. Other times in His great mercy, He healed those who had no faith and later drew them to Himself. We come to understand then that it is only by the power of Christ that miracles occur, not through the influence of our faith. Faith is only the instrument, not the power itself. St. Augustine concluded, “Miracles were necessary before the world believed, in order that it might believe.” Some say that miracles no longer exist since the message of Jesus and His apostles has already been confirmed in the Scriptures. The logical question which follows then . . . does God still perform miracles today?

To answer that, you just have to give attention to the March, 2015 story of Lynn Jennifer Groesbeck, 25, who lost control of her car and landed in the icy Spanish Fork River in Utah. Fourteen hours later, first-responders found her 18-month-old daughter, Lily, in her car seat hanging upside down just above frigid river water. Prior to finding Lily, both police officers and firefighters report that they heard an adult voice yell “Help me!” All were emphatic it came from the vehicle. It looked as though no one could have survived, but the voice prompted three officers and firemen to lift the car. They determined that the plea for help could not have come from the young mother, who likely died from the impact. Authorities had no explanation as to how the girl survived hanging upside-down for those many hours in freezing temperatures in meager clothing with no food or water. Coincidence . . . left to chance, some might say? Little Lily made a full recovery and her survival could only be clarified by three words – “It’s a miracle.”

As long as people have faith in God, miracles are certainly possible, since it’s faith that ushers miracles into the world. After all – “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow” (Hebrews 13:8) and God is still on the throne. Likewise, we should not necessarily expect miracles to occur in the same way they did in Biblical accounts. There will be occasions in which He will use His Holy Spirit to work through us. The Apostle Paul stated so: “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” (Ephesians 3:20). And yet the greatest miracle of all continues to occur each time there is a spiritual transformation of a sinful heart through faith in Christ.

REFLECTION: Are you able to give an example of a modern-day miracle? Can you argue the fact that something which happens at exactly the right time is more of a divine alignment than a true miracle?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT. MARCH 10, 2018.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.