Colossians 2:6-7 -- So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,and overflowing with thankfulness.
Every morning that I can, after getting out of bed, I get a little fruit juice, and go to a place I have set up to read the devotional, "The Upper Room". This includes Bible scripture and then a story and prayer someone has written.
I enjoy this quiet time and pray for the rest of my day to please the Lord. By doing so, I feel I am doing as Jesus wants me to do. He is helping me through my day. I am also learning and renewing my faith in Jesus Christ.
What a glorious feeling to be rooted and built up in Christ, strengthened in the faith I was taught as a child and overflowing with thankfulness.
Let's pray: Our gracious heavenly Father, bless me as I take my quiet time to strengthen my faith in you and Christ Jesus. I am overflowing with thankfulness at being with you. Amen
Kay Lewis
Friday, July 26, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
Devotional 7-19-13
In Luke 10:38-42, Martha has opened her home to Jesus. She is scurrying around making preparations for the visit. Her sister Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to what He has to say. Exasperated Martha asks Jesus to intervene and tell Mary to help her. Jesus answers, ”Martha, Martha you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it won’t be taken away from her.” (NIV)
Pressures, demands on our time, tasks to be finished, appointments to be kept; everyone wants a piece of our time. Yet, Jesus is telling Martha that Mary has made the better choice. Relationships are important--with God, our families, our friends, and even strangers that we meet. Time is a precious commodity, but it doesn’t always take a lot of time to show someone you care and that they are important to you. My daughter and my grandson (almost 21 and no longer living at home) both work at Amazon. Their paths usually cross as he is coming to work and she is on her lunch break. He never fails to give her a hug and a kiss and tell her he loves her. When his friends give him a hard time, he said, “Hey, it only takes a minute, and it makes her day. When was the last time you hugged your Mom?” A minute out of his day and she feels loved and appreciated. A minute out of your day to smile at a stranger or say hello, and maybe offer a helping hand. A little act of kindness that can brighten someones day.
Of course the more time and effort you put into a relationship the closer you feel to that person. My mother-in-law recently passed away. We all would have liked one more hug--one more conversation with her. But, it really made me appreciate the long chats we used to have, the stories of her life she told me and that she allowed me to know her not only as a mother-in-law, but also as a person.
The more you open yourself up and honestly share your life, your dreams, your failures and your joys the closer you feel. It is the same with God with one big difference. There is no reason to fear His reaction or His rejection. He already knows and loves you and accepts you. But, in the telling you become closer to God. In the quiet listening after you finish you often come to new insights, a new peace and a closer relationship with God.
It is all too easy to get distracted by life, work, chores and worries. But relationships are not to be taken for granted. They need to be nurtured. Take care of your relationship with God, your family, and your friends. Don’t take them for granted. Schedule the time if you have to, but make them the priority that they deserve to be.
Margaret Williams
Pressures, demands on our time, tasks to be finished, appointments to be kept; everyone wants a piece of our time. Yet, Jesus is telling Martha that Mary has made the better choice. Relationships are important--with God, our families, our friends, and even strangers that we meet. Time is a precious commodity, but it doesn’t always take a lot of time to show someone you care and that they are important to you. My daughter and my grandson (almost 21 and no longer living at home) both work at Amazon. Their paths usually cross as he is coming to work and she is on her lunch break. He never fails to give her a hug and a kiss and tell her he loves her. When his friends give him a hard time, he said, “Hey, it only takes a minute, and it makes her day. When was the last time you hugged your Mom?” A minute out of his day and she feels loved and appreciated. A minute out of your day to smile at a stranger or say hello, and maybe offer a helping hand. A little act of kindness that can brighten someones day.
Of course the more time and effort you put into a relationship the closer you feel to that person. My mother-in-law recently passed away. We all would have liked one more hug--one more conversation with her. But, it really made me appreciate the long chats we used to have, the stories of her life she told me and that she allowed me to know her not only as a mother-in-law, but also as a person.
The more you open yourself up and honestly share your life, your dreams, your failures and your joys the closer you feel. It is the same with God with one big difference. There is no reason to fear His reaction or His rejection. He already knows and loves you and accepts you. But, in the telling you become closer to God. In the quiet listening after you finish you often come to new insights, a new peace and a closer relationship with God.
It is all too easy to get distracted by life, work, chores and worries. But relationships are not to be taken for granted. They need to be nurtured. Take care of your relationship with God, your family, and your friends. Don’t take them for granted. Schedule the time if you have to, but make them the priority that they deserve to be.
Margaret Williams
Friday, July 12, 2013
Devotional 7-12-13
Others
Psalm 82:1-4, Luke 10:25-37
The two readings above are from this week’s lectionary; their overall theme is helping others. And the passage from Luke is one we are all familiar with, the “Good Samaritan”.
When have we helped “others”? Has it been outside the walls of the church? Have we walked past someone in need? These questions are not to point a finger at inactivity but to make us think about how we should reach out to those in need.
Helping “others” may be as simple as making a monetary gift to an organization like UMCOR but why not go a step further and be part of a recovery team following a disaster, like flooding. Why not come down to JM on Thursday evenings and help serve food and even lend a listening ear to our neighbors attending Common Grounds? Trust me, you will be blessed. How about checking on your own neighbors during a prolonged electrical outage? Are they cool, do they need something from the store?
When you see someone that may need help and your gut feeling or inner voice says, stop and help, do you listen? I recently observed some young people doing just this on US Route 60 near Barboursville. (I had stopped at a traffic light to make a turn, and I observed what was unfolding). See, there is a gentleman who has everything he owns stacked high on a cart that he pulls behind a bicycle as he travels around the Route 60 and Barboursville area. Well, apparently the cart had gotten stuck, and he was trying to free it. (This I learned later) The young people had stopped to help him, when everyone else just passed by. Remember the Good Samaritan, stepping out of his comfort zone.
God has charged each of us to do “give justice to and rescue the weak”. Micah 6:8 “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly[a] with your God.”
Pray;
God of justice, your word is light and truth. Let your face shine on us to restore us, that we may walk in your way, seeking justice and doing good. Amen. 1
1: from Revised Common Lectionary
The two readings above are from this week’s lectionary; their overall theme is helping others. And the passage from Luke is one we are all familiar with, the “Good Samaritan”.
When have we helped “others”? Has it been outside the walls of the church? Have we walked past someone in need? These questions are not to point a finger at inactivity but to make us think about how we should reach out to those in need.
Helping “others” may be as simple as making a monetary gift to an organization like UMCOR but why not go a step further and be part of a recovery team following a disaster, like flooding. Why not come down to JM on Thursday evenings and help serve food and even lend a listening ear to our neighbors attending Common Grounds? Trust me, you will be blessed. How about checking on your own neighbors during a prolonged electrical outage? Are they cool, do they need something from the store?
When you see someone that may need help and your gut feeling or inner voice says, stop and help, do you listen? I recently observed some young people doing just this on US Route 60 near Barboursville. (I had stopped at a traffic light to make a turn, and I observed what was unfolding). See, there is a gentleman who has everything he owns stacked high on a cart that he pulls behind a bicycle as he travels around the Route 60 and Barboursville area. Well, apparently the cart had gotten stuck, and he was trying to free it. (This I learned later) The young people had stopped to help him, when everyone else just passed by. Remember the Good Samaritan, stepping out of his comfort zone.
God has charged each of us to do “give justice to and rescue the weak”. Micah 6:8 “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly[a] with your God.”
Pray;
God of justice, your word is light and truth. Let your face shine on us to restore us, that we may walk in your way, seeking justice and doing good. Amen. 1
1: from Revised Common Lectionary
Fred Herr
Friday, July 5, 2013
Devotional 7-7-13
Feeling Insignificant – in a Good Way
Recently the congregation of Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church was blessed with a visit from a former pastor, David Johnson. I always look forward to David’s sermons because he takes me down memory lane, reviews the lessons I was taught as a child, and then reminds me that I am breaking God’s heart with my disobedience. What really amazes me is that he makes me laugh and cry all the while. He has a way of making me feel insignificant – in a good way.
David shared a story about a hiking trip he took through the Appalachian Mountains when he was a young man. I will not go into detail because I will probably get it wrong, and besides, it will not be as funny as when he told it. As he described the trip, we could imagine the endless trees, heavy backpacks, and blistered feet. Just when I was thinking, “I’m glad I wasn’t there,” he continued his story. After he had put down the backpack and doctored his feet, he stepped away from the group into a clearing. He drew in his breath as he surveyed the vista before him. He said that at that moment he felt – insignificant – in a good way. As he admired all that God had created, he knew that he was a small part of the universe. Insignificant, yes. Worthless, no. The God who shaped the Appalachian Mountains was the same God who imagined, loved, and guided David Johnson.
As I listened to his story, I searched my recollections for a time when I felt particularly unimportant. Those of you who know me know that I have never been accused of suffering from low self esteem, so this was no easy task. Then I remembered. I was twelve years old, traveling to Boise, Idaho, on the train. As I watched the sun set over the Rocky Mountains, I remember thinking to myself that the beauty I beheld at that moment was no accident. And I felt insignificant – in a good way. The God who had created all that I surveyed was the same God who had taken a moment to imagine, love, and guide me.
I’m not saying that the twelve-year-old Becky Wright suddenly became the perfect child. There wasn’t a sunset long enough for that. But somewhere in my mind I tucked away the realization that I was part of something big, and that, maybe even more than my parents, kept me going back to church to learn more about that God.
Have you had a similar experience? It may not have included sunsets in the Rockies, hiking trips in the Appalachians, or a cruise on one of the vast oceans. It simply would have been a time when you knew God was there, and you were lucky to be there, too, no matter how insignificant it made you feel.
Please sing the following hymn as a devotional prayer.
“How Great Thou Art” by Stuart Hine p.77 in The United Methodist Hymnal
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee;
how great thou art, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee;
how great thou art, how great thou art!
Becky Warren
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