Keep it to yourself...

Does this happen to you?

I have an idea or thought.  And I just want to share it.
But because it doesn't "fit" (at that moment, in another person's opinion, etc.) I'm encouraged to "keep it to myself".

As children - we naturally share those thoughts - but as parents we unfortunately (and mostly unwittingly) give our kids the message to "keep it to yourself".
Not right now, honey.
This isn't a good time.

And that gets ingrained in our thinking.
We share less.
We keep it to ourself.
And in the end - that makes everyone's road a little more difficult.

God didn't plan it that way.
And he sure doesn't want it that way regarding his glorious message of salvation.

From 1 Corinthians 14:1-3
1-3 Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does. Give yourselves to the gifts God gives you. Most of all, try to proclaim his truth. If you praise him in the private language of tongues, God understands you but no one else does, for you are sharing intimacies just between you and him. But when you proclaim his truth in everyday speech, you’re letting others in on the truth so that they can grow and be strong and experience his presence with you.

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Lord,
Remind me that all good gifts come from you.
And the best one - the gift of life with you in heaven - is too good to "keep it to myself".
Help me share it everyday in any way.
Amen.
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What's the big deal about Jesus?

Special Assignment!

(Guest devotion from my brother Chris)
Special Assignment!

It was the proudest moment in my young life when Mrs. Munsch, my 3rd grade teacher, asked me to her desk to give me a special assignment.  She trusted me to show the other students "the ropes" as we began the school year.  In giving me this assignment, Mrs. Munsch made me feel special and important.  I was motivated to do my best for her because she had trusted me to take on this task.

What makes this all the more special was that this was the beginning of my second year in 3rd grade.  I'd been held back because I simply wasn't where the other students were.  This decision crushed me.  I felt stupid, slow, singled out.  Life wasn't fair.  I'd spent all of the time since my mother and father had informed me of their decision, pouting, sulking, worrying and dreading the first day of the next school year.  But one special assignment made all of the negative disappear.

Paul's opening words in 2 Timothy 1 are "I, Paul, am on special assignment for Christ, carrying out God's plan laid out in the Message of Life by Jesus."

Writing this devotion today I genuinely felt the pride and joy that had filled me up when my first leadership assignment was given to me many years ago.

I have to wonder though, why don't I wake up each day feeling that same pride and then some?  My God has worked the miracle of faith in my heart through the Holy Spirit.  My God has sacrificed his only Son and purchased my salvation, freeing me from the eternal punishment that is rightfully mine.  My God has given me the special assignment of proclaiming this to the world, in my actions and words.   Yet I so often approach this assignment as a chore, a task...work.  This assignment is more special than any other.  This assignment is to be at the core of who I am, what I'm about and what I do.

Today, our special assignment is the same as Paul's.  We are to proclaim the good news of Christ crucified to the world.

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Dear Father God, I pray that you help me to find and appreciate the joy that comes from being entrusted with such an important special assignment.  Thank you for choosing me, empowering me and making me up to the task.

Amen
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What's the big deal about Jesus?

I can't see clearly now...

I get frustrated when I can't figure things out.  
When I can't see clearly and make out what's really there, what's really going on, and what to do about it.

It affects all areas of life - my work, my family, even my leisure!

That's when it's important to remember that I'm NOT SUPPOSED TO be able to figure things out.  

This is a sinful, messed-up world and it is a constant conundrum.

Paul reminds us of this in...

1 Corinthians 13:12-13

12 We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

13 But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

The fog will clear and true 20/20 vision will be mine in heaven.  Not sooner.

In the meantime - trust, hope and love is more than enough to get me through!

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Thank you God for giving me the prescription glasses of your Word.

Remind me where I "left my glasses" when I forget - and to put them on!

Only then do I see the clarity that is to come.

Amen.

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What's the big deal about Jesus?

Alive again...

As Christians we have some special prayers which remind us about our God and what He has done for us.  We call them creeds because they are our words to live by and believe.  Our motto, our creed.

One of them is the Apostles' Creed and in the section that talks about Jesus - it contains the phrases:

• He suffered under Pontius Pilot,
•   Was crucified, died and was buried.
• He descended into hell.
• On the third day he rose again.

The order is important - because that's the order that things happened in.

This past Sunday - pastor unpacked 1 Peter 3:18-22's meaning and illuminated the creed words that we say so often - but don't stop to think about.  You can watch or listen to it at "Sermon: Evil is defeated.  You are not." 

What pastor reminded us was that there is a moment not mentioned in the creed that most certainly occurred.

It's that Jesus became alive again.  

• He suffered under Pontius Pilot,
•   Was crucified, died and was buried.
• [Jesus became alive again]
• He descended into hell.
• On the third day he rose again.

Why did he descend into hell after becoming alive?  The 1 Peter passage says "he went and preached to the spirits in prison" (that is, all of the condemned souls in Hell - including the Devil himself).  It wasn't a sermon of comfort that he preached - because there is no comfort in Hell - but rather to state loudly and clearly that He was alive again and death is defeated.

Death is defeated.
For Jesus.  For all time.  
For you, too.

And if death cannot defeat you, what else can?

Are you living like its Good Friday (...with your Jesus crucified, died and was buried)?
Or like it's Easter Sunday (...with your Jesus alive)?

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Sunday's coming...
Amen.

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What's the big deal about Jesus?

To Be Grateful...

(Guest devotion from my brother Chris)
To Be Grateful...

Maya Angelou once famously said "Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer."  To me, this means that the inspiration for our gratitude is to be the loving God who continues to give us so much when we give back so little.  

Our Father God shows us grace when we have done nothing to deserve it.  It is as a response to this unearned kindness, forgiveness and love that we ought to live a grateful life.

1 Timothy 1:12 says "I am so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work.  He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry."  These words were written by Paul, speaking directly to Timothy as he "handed over" leadership of the ministry to him.  These two simple sentences can serve as a  reminder of how we too are to live in a state of constant gratitude.  Not just to God, but to everyone and everything around us.

Modify the sentences like this.  "I am so grateful to _(Insert the name of your boss, neighbor, spouse, child, co-worker etc...)__ and to God for making me adequate to do __(list the task, chore, job, skill etc... that you are doing)__.   They (referring to whomever you said you were grateful to) went out on a limb for me, you know, in trusting me with this _(list the task, chore, job, skill etc...)_.

I believe that thoughts lead to words, words to actions, actions to habits and habits to outcomes or results.  If this is true, imagine the power that would come from thinking grateful thoughts continuously.  Imagine if we could fight the cynicism that our sin hardened heart produces and instead ponder grateful thoughts first.

• Instead of, "My boss is such a pain..." my thoughts should be, "I am so grateful for my boss, and to God for making me adequate to do my job as a leader of people.  They went out on a limb for me, trusting me to lead, guide, direct, correct and develop the members of my team."

• Instead of, "Why does my wife not see things my way..." I should be thinking, "I am so grateful for my wife, and to God for making me adequate to do my job as a husband.  They went out on a limb for me, trusting me to stand firm in my faith, remain true to my commitments and lead my family as Christ has directed me to."

• Instead of, "What next?  How much more of this (pain, suffering, sorrow, loneliness, heartbreak, disappointment etc...) do I have to take?", I should instead lead with "I am so grateful for this challenge AND to God for making me adequate to take it on without worry.  You went out on a limb for me, trusting me to persevere, pray, stand firm and overcome."

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Today dear Father God, let gratitude be the pillow upon which I kneel whenever I approach you in prayer.  Grant me the strength to overcome my cynical sinful self and instead to lead with gratitude in all things!
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What's the big deal about Jesus?

Stressing over...and out...

[Guest devotion from a co-worker in India]

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27)

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water everyone expected they would be asked the “half-empty or half-full” question. Instead with a smile on her face she inquired “How heavy is this glass of water?” Many answers came from the audience - 250 gms was the least value mentioned and 500 gms was the highest value. The psychologist replied, “The absolute weight does not matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it is not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case the weight of the glass does not change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” She continued, “The stress and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them for a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed - you’ll be incapable of doing anything. So always remember to put the glass down.”

Dear friends, how well it would be if we apply this truth in our spiritual lives too! Many times we keep worrying over petty things all day long as a result of which we lose our joy and peace. We become depressed. Ultimately our work becomes ineffective. So then what are we supposed to do? We should cast all our burdens on the Lord because He cares for us. In Matthew 6:25, Jesus Himself advises us not to worry about anything. He shows examples from nature - the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. How wonderful our lives would be if we follow our Lord’s instructions! Paul also writes in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” So let us not hold on to our worries and anxieties; but let us place them on the Lord. By worrying we do not achieve anything, but only spoil our mental and physical health.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, worry and stress not only affect me physically and mentally, but also makes me unproductive. So let me not worry about anything, but let me cast all my burdens on you trusting that you will take care of all my problems. Amen.

[your name here] is...

Paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4 [your name here] is patient, 
[your name here] is kind. 

[your name here] does not envy, 
[your name here] does not boast, 
[your name here] is not proud. 

5 [your name here] does not dishonor others, 
[your name here] is not self-seeking, 
[your name here] is not easily angered, 
[your name here] keeps no record of wrongs. 

6 [your name here] does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 

7 [your name here] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

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Lord, help me put [my name here].  Amen.

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Link to daily bible reading calendar (chronological - one chapter per day)

TIP: click the Bible Reference and then "more details" to get hyperlinks that open Bible Gateway

What's the big deal about Jesus?