Monthly Archives: April 2018

SEE WHAT GOD HAS DONE

“Our help is from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 124:8)

On April 27, 1791 – Samuel Finley Breese Morse was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the eldest of three sons of clergyman, Dr. Jedediah Morse. The Morse boys were educated at a Christian boarding school and later at Yale College. As part of his studies at Yale, Samuel saw demonstrations of electricity, which had not yet been put to any useful purpose. His real interest was drawing, but his father believed that being an artist was not a suitable occupation for a gentleman. When his talent began to be recognized, the father finally agreed to send him to England to study art where he gained public acclaim. During his lifetime, Morse observed first-hand the problems that delays in communication could cause.  While on a ship traveling back to the United States from Europe in 1832, he conceived the idea of a single-circuit, electromagnetic telegraph. His ideas included the use of a code containing a series of dots and dashes representing letters of the alphabet, later known as Morse Code. In 1837, he applied for a patent for the telegraph. After many setbacks and disappointments, his projects eventually received funding. He demonstrated the telegraph for the first time on May 24, 1844 by transmitting a Bible verse, “What hath God wrought?” (Numbers 23:23), translated in modern versions as “See what God has done!”

On May 23rd, 1939, the submarine USS Squalus sank during a test dive off of the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 243 feet of water. A valve failure caused flooding of the torpedo room, both engine rooms, and the crew’s quarters – drowning 26 men. Quick action by the remaining 33 crewmen prevented the other compartments from filling.  It had only been a decade earlier when sailors in a similar situation tapped on the hull of their vessel a Morse Code message to their would-be rescuers asking, “Is there any hope?” They eventually died from a depleted supply of oxygen.  This time, for the USS Squalus – there was hope, in what became the greatest submarine rescue in U.S. history.  Navy and Coast Guard vessels rushed to the scene and picked up some of the Morse code messages hammered on the side of the Squalus. They knew 33 men were alive in the forward compartments. Having prepared for such an occasion, a rescue ship arrived carrying and attaching a never-before-tried device to the hatch enabling the remaining sailors to be rescued after a 39-hour ordeal.  The invention of Morse Code nearly a century before and the transmission of SOS alerts became an internationally-recognized distress signal. In popular usage, SOS became associated with such phrases as “Save our Ship” and “Save our Souls“.

Hope for rescue is a reality for all of us at one time of other. Indeed, it’s a customary life reaction when we are in distress. Stories of hope and searching for help from God affirm our faith. In the Old Testament, we read about a widow whose husband, a man who respected the Lord, had died and left her in debt. If her debt was not paid, the creditor would come back and take her two sons as slaves. In her distress, she looked to God for help by turning to His servant Elisha. When Elisha asked her what she had in her house, she said that she only had a little olive oil. He told her to ask her neighbors for as many empty jars as she could gather, and then to go to her home and close the door.  He further instructed her that she and her sons should fill each of the jars with oil, setting each one aside. When there were no more jars remaining, the oil stopped flowing. “When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, ‘Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over’” (2 Kings 4:1-7). This needy widow had hope that God could do something about her situation. And He did!

Four years before his death, Samuel Morse wrote: “The nearer I approach to the end of my pilgrimage, the clearer is the evidence of the divine origin of the Bible, the grandeur and sublimity of God’s remedy for fallen man are more appreciated, and the future is illumined with hope and joy.” Unfortunately, hope is what people often seek when it appears no one else will answer their cause. Some people live their lives trapped in an hull of emptiness and despair, wondering if there is any hope for escape. It is when we fully turn over our lives to God and trust that our help will come through Him alone that we will rejoice in the blessings that follow. We will then say to all who will listen – “See what God has done.”

REFLECTION: How can we become more reliant for God’s help in our daily walk rather than turning to Him as a last resort?  Are there ways that we can affirm the words of the Apostle Paul to others as He speaks of God’s Son – “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls” (Hebrews 6:19).

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT. MAY 5, 2018.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

FAKE NEWS

“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?” (Galatians 5:7)

On the third Monday in April, the state of Massachusetts commemorates Patriots’ Day – the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first ones of the American Revolutionary War. On that day, mounted re-enactors retrace the midnight rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes. The festivities also include the Boston Marathon, an annual race which began in 1897. It is the world’s oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the best-known road racing events. The event attracts half a million spectators each year with over 30,000 registered participants from many nations. On April 21, 1980, the 84th Boston Marathon, 26-year-old Cuban-born Rosie Ruiz finished first in the women’s division with a time of 2:31:56. It represented the third-fastest marathon time in history for a woman and was a 25-minute improvement over her New York City Marathon time the former year. Ruiz was unknown in the running world, and her victory raised suspicion with some. When interviews were conducted, it was discovered that neither the monitors at the various checkpoints nor any of the marathon runners remembered seeing her during the race. After studying photographs, it was noted that Ruiz didn’t appear in any of them until the very end. Eight days later – Ruiz was stripped of her victory after race officials learned she entered the race about a mile before the finish line. Apparently miscalculating, she had not realized she had jumped in ahead of the other 448 female competitors. Her New York time from the prior year was also later invalidated, when officials discovered she had taken the subway during part of that race.

The Greek philosopher Plato once wrote, “Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden.”  A further lesson we can take from the incident at the Boston Marathon is that we cannot always be certain that the world’s way of ranking things represents truth. Jesus was once asked by a young rich man what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus responded by saying, “Why do you ask me about what is good? “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). The man replied that he felt he had been doing all those things and wondered what he still lacked. “Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth” (Matthew 19:21-22). Jesus teaches us that there will be many surprises in heaven. Heaven’s value system is far different than that of the world we know. Those who are esteemed and respected in this world (like the rich young ruler or others who are not always what they appear to be) may be frowned upon by God. The opposite is also true, for those who are despised and rejected in this world (like the disciples) may be rewarded by God. In fact, Jesus concludes this passage by saying: “But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first” (Matthew 19:30).

So what is the take-away here? It is simply this. The world’s way of making judgments is often far too prone to error. In the 21st century, the impact of ‘fake news’ has become widespread with instant access to social media. In recent years, the usage of the term has also increased in the midst of heavily fought political campaigns. And while it wasn’t always a favorite subject of politicians and news media – misinformation, spin, lies and deceit have been around forever. It is up to each of us to speak for God. In opening the holiest week of the Christian calendar in 2018, Pope Francis delivered a Palm Sunday homily suggesting Jesus was the original target of ‘false public spin,’ as he urged young people not to keep quiet about their faith. That’s good advice for all believers, regardless of our age. In the words of Jesus: “The time promised by God has come at last! The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” (Mark 1:15).  If we want to be people of fact, then we must steep ourselves in the ultimate truth of Christ and share it with others. Unfortunately, good news of any kind is not always what our society values or wants to hear. And that’s too bad, because there will undoubtedly be times ahead when the Good News of Jesus may represent the only real news of the day that is not fake.

REFLECTION: How do you weigh the news you see and hear in published, broadcast, and social media against what you know to be true?  How can you do this without becoming judgmental? How might you apply the words of Peter: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT. APRIL 28, 2018.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

FALSE HOPES AND TRAGIC ENDINGS

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.” (Psalm 46:1-2)

April 14 was a tragic day in history.  Five days after General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox in 1865 – the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, was shot at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. Many years later, Ward Hill Lamon—Lincoln’s former law partner, friend and sometimes bodyguard—related a story about the President’s premonition of his own death. According to the tale, just a few days before his assassination Lincoln shared a current dream. In it, he walked into the East Room of the White House to find a covered corpse guarded by soldiers and surrounded by a crowd of mourners. When Lincoln asked one of the soldiers who had died, the soldier replied, “The president. He was killed by an assassin.” Lincoln told Lamon that the dream had “strangely annoyed” him. However, on the afternoon before his death – he accompanied his wife Mary on her daily carriage ride.  It was a pleasant spring day and the Lincolns discussed their plans for life after his presidency. He was said to have been quite blissful on this final day of his life. Following the shooting, the President would live throughout the night but die at 7:22 am on April 15, 1865.

Forty-seven years later in 1912 just before midnight in the North Atlantic on April 14, the RMS Titanic failed to divert its course from an iceberg, ruptured its hull, and began to sink. One of the largest and most luxurious ocean liners ever built, the Titanic was considered unsinkable. On its maiden voyage, the ship carried some 2,200 passengers and crew. Because of a shortage of lifeboats and the lack of satisfactory emergency procedures, more than 1,500 people went down in the ship or froze to death in the icy North Atlantic waters. A number of notable American and British citizens died in the tragedy, including the ship’s architect and captain.  Some survivors later reported that the ship’s string ensemble played the hymn “Nearer My God to Thee” as the vessel sank. At 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912 – she slipped beneath the waters of ocean, leaving only 710 survivors. The wreckage itself was never discovered until 1985, and her memory was kept alive by numerous works of popular culture.

These two events give credence to the statement that we should live and have our best possible today. Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). The song “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” tells only part of the story. While full of hope about the future, it might be more realistically titled, “A Lot of Livin’ to Do . . . Maybe!” These days, we often act as if we are going to live forever but, on the other hand, we expect to be protected from everything. A good example is the offer of travel insurance. Normally included is coverage for trip cancellation and interruption, baggage loss or damage, medical expenses, emergency evacuation, as well as accidental death and dismemberment. Some plans protect travelers from their driveway to their destination and then back home, including exposure to terrorist activities. One wonders if Titanic survivor Eva Hart’s parents would have made such an insurance purchase, had it been available in 1912. Hart once stated: “My mother had a premonition from the very word ‘GO.’ She knew there was something to be afraid of and the only thing that she felt strongly about was that to say a ship was unsinkable was flying in the face of God. Those were her words.”

For the Christian – the only insurance policy we have as we journey through life is the ‘assurance’ that our forever has been signed with the blood of Jesus. This is the wonderful gift of Easter. Lincoln seemed to agree when he said: “Surely God would not have created such a being as man, with an ability to grasp the infinite, to exist only for a day! No, no. Man was made for immortality.” Whatever you are facing this day, my friend, you can be certain that if you look toward the heavens . . . “You will be rewarded for this; your hope will not be disappointed. My child, listen and be wise: Keep your heart on the right course” (Proverbs 23:18-19). For if our hope is based only on holding tight to the things of this earth, then we will never know the things of God . . . and that would indeed be quite a tragic ending.

REFLECTION: When you think of hope for your future, what considerations to you have? How can you help yourself and others free themselves about obsessing over earthly matters?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT. APRIL 21, 2018.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

MISSING THE MARK

“Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” (Romans 10:3)

On April 6, 1909, American explorer Robert Peary, assistant Matthew Henson, and four Eskimos reached what they determined to be the North Pole. Peary, a U.S. Navy civil engineer, made his first trip to the interior of Greenland in 1886. In 1891, Henson, a young African-American sailor, joined him on his second arctic expedition. In 1893, the explorers began working toward the North Pole, and in 1906, during their second attempt, they came within 150 miles of their objective. In 1909 they crossed hundreds of miles of ice to reach what they calculated as latitude 90 degrees north, believing they had reached the long elusive dream. Although their achievement was widely praised – Dr. Frederick A. Cook (a former associate of Peary) challenged their distinction of being the first to reach the North Pole, claiming he had arrived there by dogsled the previous year. A major controversy followed, and in 1911 the U.S. Congress formally recognized Peary’s entitlement. Decades after Peary’s death, however, navigational errors in his travel log surfaced, placing the expedition in all probability 30 miles short of its goal. In 1997, Robert M. Bryce released a book entitled, The Polar Controversy, Resolved, in which he used newly uncovered documentation from diary entries, ship logs, and newspaper transcripts. He believed that these were further evidence to settle the epic debate about the claim by Frederick A. Cook that in he was the first to reach the North Pole in 1908, a year ahead of rival explorer Robert E. Peary.

Peary’s destiny is not all that different from our own at times when we diligently try but somehow miss the mark in life. And like his, there is frequently someone in the wings who is quick to point out our blunder. For those who walk with Christ, we realize that it is impossible to be perfectly on target and, in the case of our spiritual journey, without sin. We are fortunate, however, to worship a God who is filled with grace which He extends to each of us. He is indeed the ‘God of second chances’ (and more). Some criticize this phrase, saying that it deceives folks into believing that they just need to try harder, trusting in their own works as being necessary to achieve righteousness, and thereby missing the point of His grace entirely. In reality, we find that scripture is full of second chances. After he had disobeyed God once, “Then the LORD spoke to Jonah a second time: ‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh and deliver the message I have given you’ ” (Jonah 3:1-2). As Jesus healed the invalid by the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15) as well as when He refused to condemn a woman who was caught up in adultery (John 8:3-11), He told them both to “go and sin no more.” In saying this, Jesus was not speaking of sinless perfection. He was warning against returning to sinful lifestyle choices. His words both extended mercy and demanded holiness. Jesus was always the perfect balance of “grace and truth” (John 1:14).

With God’s forgiveness comes the expectation that we will not continue along the same path of rebelliousness. If you ever had the opportunity to experience parental discipline either through a child’s eyes or as a parent yourself, you know that it is not uncommon to repeat the phrase, “How many times do I have to tell you?” That same is true in our relationship with God. In the acceptance of His grace, we are expected to make a heartfelt change, try harder, and hopefully do better. The Apostle Paul stated it this way: “Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness” (Hebrews 12:9-10). We quickly learn in life that we can offer second chances to others until a healthy relationship is no longer realistic. So it is with God. He does everything possible to draw us into becoming more like Him, offering forgiveness and second chances. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).  At some point, however, if sin becomes our god, we find that we have not only missed the mark but instead may lose our way for all of eternity.

REFLECTION: When you examine your own life, in what ways do you fall short of becoming more like Jesus?  How can you avoid falling into the trap of thinking that because you have received God’s grace that you can do as you please? In what ways might you help others see both His grace and His truth?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT. APRIL 14, 2018.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.