Devotional 7-21-17

My All

When I taught middle school English and reading, I was adamant that my students learn Greek and Latin word roots to help them unlock word meanings. The prefix omni was especially important when we discussed an author’s point of view.

Omniscient third person point of view gives the narrator the ability to tell the story through the actions and thoughts of ALL characters, as if the narrator were God and could see and hear everything. It is preferred by many because it reveals the most information to the reader.

I can remember teaching the prefix omni to a group of eighth grade students at Vinson Middle School. As we discussed the words omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, I saw Jeremy’s eyes light up. He said his pastor had used those words in his sermons many times, but he hadn’t understood their meanings. Now he would be more successful in following the pastor’s line of thought.

Just as the light came on for Jeremy, it came on for David as he sang about his all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present God.
  
Psalm 139:1-12   The Message (MSG)
A David Psalm
 God, investigate my life;
    get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
    even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
    I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
    before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
    then up ahead and you’re there, too—
    your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
    I can’t take it all in!
Is there any place I can go to avoid your Spirit?
    to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you’re there!
    If I go underground, you’re there!
If I flew on morning’s wings
    to the far western horizon,
You’d find me in a minute—
    you’re already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
    At night, I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
    night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.
23-24
Investigate my life, O God,
   find out everything about me;
Cross -examine and test me;
   get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong,
   then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Isn’t this a beautiful description of what it means to be loved by God? Isn’t this how it feels to love the people in your life?   “You know everything about me, and you choose to stay.”

Take a minute and rejoice in the thought that you’re loved that much. Take another minute and rejoice in the realization that you have the capacity to love that much. Finally, bow your head and give thanks to your omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent Father for the love in your life and the loves of your life.
Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 7-14-17

How firm is your root?

Gospel Reading for this week; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 “Parable of the Sower”

This parable is the first of many that Jesus will be teaching the Disciples and the people concerning the Kingdom of Heaven.  Although the people he is speaking with at the time for the most part are rejecting him.  In the parable Jesus uses the actions of a person sowing seeds by broadcast seeding.  On a land that is rocky, dry and where other vegetation may also grow with the sown seeds, not all of the seeds will mature.  In the first illustration, the seeds land on hard ground and are soon eaten by the birds. In the second some of the seeds land in rocky areas with some soil but not enough to sustain growth.  The third example, the seeds fall on soil but the seeds from weeds grow at a faster pace and choke out the farmers seeds.  The seeds that are sown on fertile land will grow and produce good crops some of which will produce great yields.

So how does this parable speak to us today?  First, There are those that hear the spoken Word but may reject it or let the evil one distract them from understanding the Word.  Second, The Word is heard and understood, even rejoiced, but when turmoil enters their life and their roots in faith and understanding the Word are weak they fall away.  Third, The worries of life and distractions of fame, money and things, choke out understanding the Word and the call to be Disciples for Christ.  Fourth, The Word is heard and understood with fruitful results of bringing others to Christ, “thirty, sixty and even one-hundred-fold, thus leading others to Salvation.  It also means working for Christ by using the fruits of the Spirit that we are all given.

A friend of mine recently told me his story after he accepted Christ.  He was so excited about what he had experienced he wanted to share it with others, to bring them to Christ.  So he talked with all of his friends and thought that they would attend his church one Sunday.  But when Sunday came not many attended.  He began to doubt himself.  (The Evil one speaking to him).  He prayed and tried again.  But he let Christ enter the hearts of those he nurtured and before he knew it some, then more and soon others started their journey with Christ.  So he was sowing the seeds where there was good nurtured soil.  There was one thing he didn't think about but how those he brought to Christ would themselves bring others over and over again.   All of this is preparing us, the Saved the well rooted, for the Kingdom of Heaven and we to should be increasing the yield for God !!

Blessings to all,
Fred Herr
Ref. A Christian Apologetics Blog posting by Bill Pratt

Devotional 7-7-17

Surrender
 

Lectionary Readings:  Genesis 24: 34-67; Psalm 45: 10-17; Psalm 72; Romans 7: 15-25; Matthew 11: 16-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11: 25-30

Life is like a roller coaster – multiple ups and downs, twists and turns.  Sometimes there doesn’t seem to be any resting place or even a slower pace.  I knew life was going by quickly, but the world seems to be speeding out of control these days.  I make matters worse by trying to change each situation myself.  I try to push and pull through until I am hopelessly tangled in the mess:  Saying the wrong things;  Interfering when I should stand back;  Spreading my opinions and agenda, not the love of God.

God keeps reminding me, though, (Sometimes gently and sometimes very loudly--but always persistently) that all I need to do is join with him and let Him take the lead.  When a lone ox is harnessed into the yoke, the ox just goes around in circles, because the yoke is so heavy.  The ox cannot get a bearing on balancing the load and moving forward.  Only when the oxen are attached to the yoke as a twosome, is the weight of the yoke and the load balanced so they can move forward with their task.  It’s a picture that makes so much sense, but in practice is so difficult to follow.  I can’t seem to relinquish my illusion of control for the assistance of the Master.

Jesus tried all through the Gospels to teach us about the power of God and to learn to trust Him in our daily walk.  The parables and the examples such as this one help to make things clearer.  God also sends messengers through the ages who preach and teach and share their thoughts through their writings.  God most especially uses music to help us learn more about our relationship with God.  George F. Handel used this passage from Matthew in his famous oratorio, The Messiah.  The words are first sung in a solo which is followed by a chorus singing “His yoke is easy and His burden is light.”  When the words and music are wafting through my brain, the message becomes clearer.  My role is to surrender.  But, NOT as a brain-dead zombie!!  He wants a thinking-doing follower who puts love into action.

God promises “rest”.  We tend to think of rest as an absence of activity.  But in reality, God promises that if we surrender, we can be freed from the ruts of worry and brooding. He will provide direction and strength to persevere.  Surrender, like forgiveness of sins and giving thanks is a daily activity.  We are called to awake each day and surrender to God all that the day holds.  We ask, not for an easy burden, but the strength to carry what we are given, knowing that we are not alone and the burden is always shared.

Dear Loving and Forgiving Father, please continue to send us messages to guide and teach us.  Hear our prayers as we ask for your understanding and eternal patience as we learn these lessons again and again.  Thank you for your love and for always giving us another chance to change.  Help us to surrender daily so that we might serve you by sharing your love through our words and our actions.  AMEN

Chyrl Budd