Monthly Archives: May 2018

ALL GOOD THINGS

And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

If you were to ask who the best baseball player of all time is, most persons would reply that it was Babe Ruth. George Herman Ruth Jr. acquired the nickname ‘Babe’ while playing for the Baltimore Orioles minor league team when he was referred to by a team scout as one of manager Jack Dunn’s babes. Not only did Ruth become the premier slugger of his era, he did what no one had done before. Many of his records took years to be broken, and some of them still stand today. When he joined the majors in 1914, the all-time record for home runs in a season was 27. Within seven years he had more than doubled it with 59, and he eventually produced a personal-high of 60. Playing for the Yankees in 1929 – he hit his 500th career home run, while the player with the next most homers had only 237. On May 25, 1935, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – he hit number 714 out of the park over the right field upper deck. It was the first time anyone had hit a fair ball completely out of Forbes Field.  It was one of Ruth’s last games, going four for four on the day, hitting three home runs and driving in six runs. His record of 714 for career home runs would stand for another 39 years until Hank Aaron broke it. Ruth retired only a few days later with his worst full-time yearly average fulfilling the old adage – “all good things must come to an end.”

Ruth’s legendary power and charismatic personality made him a larger-than-life figure. During his career, he was the target of intense press and public attention for his baseball exploits and off-field proclivities for drinking and womanizing. His often-irresponsible lifestyle was tempered by his willingness to do good by visiting children at hospitals and orphanages, no doubt recalling his own reckless youth listing him as “an incorrigible.” He said he had no faith in God before he was sent to the Catholic school and that the biggest lesson he got from the experience there was learning that “God was Boss.” With the help of some friends, these final documented words were published in 1948 by Guidepost Magazine: “I doubt if any appeal could have straightened me out except a Power over and above man – the appeal of God. Iron-rod discipline couldn’t have done it. Nor all the punishment and reward systems that could have been devised. God had an eye out for me, just as He has for you, and He was pulling for me to make the grade.” It sounds like in the end, the Babe recognized what was truly important in the journey of life.

Recently I overheard a group of retirees talking about the years they had worked together. One of them said, “Those were good times, weren’t they?” The others nodded in agreement, uttering “But nothing lasts forever.” The Apostle Paul would dare to argue with that statement, for he wrote: “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). Our time on earth is very short, but what we do here will have a lasting effect on those with we whom share our lives. The things of this world will pass away (1 John 2:17), and the only effects we will be able to take to eternity are our relationships with God and the people we reached. As we affirm God’s Word in our own lives, we can’t help but witness to those around us. In 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, it is written: “You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

We spend many hours every day trying to improve systems, knowledge, relationships, and situations.  In our preoccupation, we often become consumed with our efforts toward wealth, fame and accomplishment failing to realize that in the end it will simply fade away. In the process of doing so – we may lose touch with God, the one true constant in our life.  If your relationship with Him has changed or your faith seems more distant than it once was, dare to ask the question – “Who moved?”  The King of Eternity always has His hand extended to be your soul mate.  For when all else passes, He will be our shepherd to a world without end.  What a peaceful reassurance it is to know that He alone is the essence of all good things.

REFLECTION: What parts of your life contain heavenly value for you and others? Consider ways to apply these words of Paul in your own life: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT. JUNE 2, 2018.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

AN ANGEL ON THE BATTLEFIELD OF LIFE

“I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign LORD.  I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again.  I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak…”               (Ezekiel 34:15-16).

When she was young, Clara Barton was an extremely shy person. The youngest of five children, it was recommended that she become a teacher to overcome her profound inhibitions. She did so in her home state of Massachusetts, later moving to Washington, D.C. where she became the first female clerk at the U. S. Patent Office. Clara wanted to help with the American Civil War effort as much as she could, initially collecting and dispersing supplies and eventually nursing the wounded. In accord with her own deep desire to help others in need, Clara Barton sacrificed personal well-being to bring healing and comfort to others. Working close to the battlefields, she narrowly escaped death herself many times. It is said that once while tending to a wounded soldier during the Battle of Antietam, she felt her sleeve move as a bullet went through it and killed the man she was treating. In 1865, Clara was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to “search for missing prisoners of war,” helping soldiers separated from the units reunite with those units while also informing families of the fate of missing soldiers. While in Europe in 1870, she worked for the International Red Cross. Upon returning to the United States, she later gathered support for an American branch of the organization which was established on May 21, 1881. Clara Barton was a woman ahead of her time, always prepared for the calls for help that followed disasters. No one could have predicted that God would have created this once shy little girl to become a woman who, years later, would be referred to as the “Angel of the Battlefield.”

The American Red Cross received its first U.S. federal charter in 1900. Barton headed the organization into her 80s and died in 1912. These days, a red cross is widely used to designate first aid and medical supplies. Commonly used at the sites of medical and humanitarian relief workers in war zones as well as natural disasters, their service under this symbol of protection has grown to become unquestioned. The Son of God ministered to emotionally wounded and unhealthy sinners and was frequently questioned by those of His day before He would bear His own cross. “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me and be my disciple,’ Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with such scum?’ When Jesus heard this, he said, ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor–sick people do.’ Then he added, ‘Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’  For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Matthew 9:9-13)

Jesus is known as the Great Physician offering ultimate healing to a broken world. A doctor cannot help you if you claim to be well, and Jesus cannot help you if you claim to be righteous. The Apostle Paul said that we should “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4). Jesus is clear that no-one is actually righteous.  Yet tragically, there are millions who cover up their bruised souls and act as if they are. Jesus would want you to know that ‘the doctor is in’ for all who acknowledge that they need to see Him. Those who seek His loving care have the privilege of leading others who are spiritually sick to a place of healing and hope.  We get to carry the bandages and crutches as we, the walking wounded, continually pursue healing from the One who can truly make us whole. Just as the red cross became the symbol adopted for a humanitarian organization providing aid to those in need, the rugged cross of Calvary represents a Godly sacrifice of salvation for all of mankind. He continues to comfort us through His Holy Spirit, a true angel for whatever battles we are facing.

REFLECTION: Have you found there are times when you need to recognize your own feelings of righteousness and realize that you are, inf fact, a sinner?  Are you part of any informal groups or organizations that are quick to notice ‘sick people’ around you but who fail to acknowledge your woundedness? How might you challenge others to examine their own self-righteousness?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT. MAY 26, 2018.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

DO NOT GIVE UP

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)

At the beginning of World War II – Hitler invaded Holland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Winston Churchill, known for his military leadership ability, was appointed British prime minister on that very occasion – May 10, 1940.  He formed an all-party coalition and quickly won popular support. In the first year of his administration, Britain stood alone against Nazi Germany, but Churchill told his country and the world – “we shall never surrender.” In their book God and Churchill, Jonathan Sandys (Churchill’s great grandson) and journalist Wallace Henley conclude that despite his early years as an agnostic, he came to personally believe in God. They relate a story in which he narrowly escaped a bomb while on a walk with his bodyguard in St. James Park in London during the 1940 blitz. Churchill is said to have told his companion not to worry, that there was someone else who was looking after him. He went on to lead Britain to victory and grew to become one of the 20th century’s most significant figures. He later made a statement (frequently misquoted) – “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” His glowing courage, clarity of purpose, and perseverance made him an admired leader who lived to be 90.

Fifty-four years to the day when Churchill became Prime Minister, it was on May 10, 1994 that Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was sworn in as the first black president of South Africa. Similar to Churchill, Mandela said: “A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.” He spent 27 years of his life as a political prisoner of the South African government, the first 18 of which were under brutal conditions. However, Mandela’s resolve remained unbroken. When his release was ordered in 1990, he promoted reconciliation efforts between the races. This led to negotiations with the minority in power, an end to apartheid, and the establishment of a multiracial government, resulting in the country’s first free election. Mandela’s message as president four years later was one of forgiveness. While he didn’t say much publicly about his personal beliefs, ministers who knew him say he was a man of deep faith. The ideals for which he is most remembered are indeed contained in scripture. An example is found in this statement: “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.” It is amazing that after a lifetime of hardship and persecution, he was around for 95 years and remained a global advocate for peace and social justice until his death.

While at times each of these men were controversial figures, both of them had moments that obscured everything else and made the world a better place. Their lives challenge us to persevere, regardless of the odds we may be facing. Jesus shares the Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8) who is poor and powerless but who nevertheless persists in nagging a corrupt, powerful person to grant justice for her. Jesus focuses the parable on the fact that we are “to pray always and to not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). One can conclude from His teaching that if persistence pays off with a corrupt human of limited power, how much more will it pay off with a just God of infinite power? It serves as an encouragement for Christians to persevere in their faith in spite of the odds. It provides hope that even in the midst of what may appear to be injustice, justice may be done. We must never give up hope, and never stop working for the greater good. God can heal wounds even in an unethical world. Suddenly, an apartheid regime crumbles or peace triumphs over war. This parable of Jesus indicates that God is the unseen actor, as He suggests: “Will not God grant justice for his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?” (Luke 18:7).

Applying perseverance in a positive way is not an easy task for many of us.  In a world where instant gratification is the prevailing expectation, it is difficult to be patient and accept that resolution may not be immediate. The Christian must continue to walk with God by our side while unyielding in the journey of serving him with whatever talents and abilities He has gifted us. “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). If our motives are pure and our convictions are honorable, then God will indeed hear and answer the cry of those who love Him.

REFLECTION: Can you recall a situation in your life when you had to persevere for a long time before you found resolution?  Were there emotions or hardships you had to endure?  How can you use your experience in helping others who are struggling for a solution while growing impatient or discouraged in their wait?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT. MAY 19, 2018.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.

A BENDING WILLOW IN THE WILDERNESS

“The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness…” (Mark 1:12)

On May 5, 1864, the forces of Union General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee clashed in the tangled Wilderness west of Chancellorsville, Virginia in one of the largest campaigns of the Civil War. On what had been the site of his brilliant victory the year before, Lee hoped that confronting the Federalists in the dense woods would mitigate the nearly two-to-one advantage Grant possessed. The fighting was intense and complicated by the fact that the combatants rarely saw each other through the thick undergrowth. Whole brigades were lost as muzzle flashes set the forest on fire, and hundreds of wounded men died in the inferno. On May 6, the second day of battle in the Wilderness – the Federals were on the verge of breaking through the troops of James Longstreet, a lieutenant general of the Confederates and one of Robert E. Lee’s most trusted subordinates. Becoming disoriented as they drove back the Union troops, Longstreet was wounded by his own men and suffered an injury that paralyzed his right arm. Following two days of intense fighting in which neither side would gain a clear victory – the Union lost 17,000 men to the Confederates’ 11,000, nearly one-fifth of each army.

It is not unusual to become lost in a wilderness situation. Indeed, just the opposite is also true at times when those who are already lost  enter into a type of wilderness experience to find themselves again. These can include troubled or disadvantaged youth who are closely supervised while they are being taught skills of interdependence and self-reliance.  It can also be useful instruction for leadership training in corporations where the basics of team-building need improvement. The ‘wilderness experience’ is relevant too for Believers who are enduring a tough time of trial or discomfort. In such a period – the pleasant things of life are unable to be enjoyed, may be absent altogether, and are often coupled with forceful temptation or spiritual attack. Some note that periods like these are a time of God-ordained testing when one may struggle to simply exist day to day. During these occasions which may contain financial, material, physical, or emotional burdens – the believer is forced to wait on the Lord and hopefully find God’s peace and joy. Many claim their ‘wilderness experience’ ends up being a turning point in their life, because their surrender to Christ results in a more mature walk with Him.

Words translated as “wilderness” occur nearly 300 times in The Bible. Wilderness in the context of scripture refers to a desert situation, rather than the forests we might imagine today.  God liberated the Israelites from slavery, with Moses leading them out of Egypt and into a barren wilderness. They became hungry and complained. In faith, Moses prayed for God to sustain them, and He responded with the provision of manna and quail (Exodus 16:1-16:35). God appeared to the Israelites through a cloud (Exodus 16:10), tested their faith, and established commandments for serving Him (Exodus 20:1-17). Through forty years there, they were transformed to be God’s chosen people. In the New Testament, we find John the Baptist preaching in his wilderness of many years (Matthew 3:1). And although Jesus performed much of his ministry in populated settings, many of his most transformative moments occurred in the outdoors including bodies of water, mountaintops, and, yes, the wilderness. It was where He spent forty days and was tempted by Satan three times (Matthew 4:1-11).

The wilderness of The Bible is an isolating place where ordinary life is suspended, identity shifts, and new possibilities emerge. Through the experiences of the Israelites in exile, we learn that while the wilderness can be a place of danger and uncertainty – it is also where solitude, nourishment, and revelation from God can be found. Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “I am a willow of the wilderness; Loving the wind that bent me.” God often uses “wilderness situations” to mold people and prepare them for His purposes. If you have never had such an experience, you will most likely find yourself there at least once in your lifetime. God puts you in the wilderness to set you apart so that nothing else matters except hearing His voice and growing closer to Him. Ultimately the experience of the wilderness can positively fashion and mature every believer in a unique way. The alternative is to wallow in self-pity, allow temptation to rule over you, or become so lost that you simply lose sight of who you are. You choose!

REFLECTION: Have you ever had the chance to observe someone in a “wilderness experience?” Can you learn to become that “willow in the wilderness” without allowing the emotions of fear and resentment?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT. MAY 12, 2018.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.