Devotional for Friday February 27th

Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Success”
Our Bible verse for today: “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, knowledge in all kinds of crafts – to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.” Exodus 31:2-5 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Every skill and ability can be used for the glory of God.”
The story is told about the great sculptor and painter Michelangelo. He was commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint a small scene on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. However once Michelangelo got started on the work, he became so engrossed in it that he couldn’t stop painting. He ended up painting for four straight years, over 400 Biblical figures, and he created one of the greatest pieces of Christian art there has ever been.
Michelangelo had artistic skills which he utilized to the best of his ability for the glory of God. His story reminds me of another. A church I used to Pastor in California was located on the corner of the busiest intersection in town. Every Christmas we held a Live Nativity Scene that included a full size manager, costumed actors, and even live animals.
Over the years of putting up and taking down the big manager, it had become loose in the joints and was a bit unstable. A man in the church with superb carpentry skills decided he was going to build a new one. I helped. (Actually I stood there and passed him the nails).
I was amazed at the precision and attention to detail he applied to the job. The man explained that although there were many things he could not do, carpentry was a skill he did have and he was therefore determined to use that skill for the glory of the Lord (and he was satisfied with nothing less than his own best effort.)
Whatever your skill is, whatever it is that you do well, I encourage you to identify that thing and then utilize it for the glory of God. You are needed. Your skills are needed. Whoever you are and whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. That is what it means to be truly successful.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Thursday February 26th

Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Success”
Our Bible verse for today: “Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God.” Ecclesiastes 5:19 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Enjoying what you do is a mark of success.”
Do you enjoy your work? Many people don’t. It’s estimated that two-thirds of Americans are in the wrong job for their skill-set, and one-third report that they actually hate their job. Many others succeed in the work world in that they get promotions and make money, but they’re not fulfilled, satisfied, or happy. Most suicides occur on Sunday nights and most heart attacks occur on Monday mornings.
That’s pretty sad stuff considering that the average American will spend something like 83,000 hours on the job over the course of their working years.
In Ecclesiastes 5:19 Solomon reminds us that if you are content and happy with your work you should recognize it as a gift from God. (Amen!) But wait, does this mean that God chooses to bless some people with happy and satisfying careers and everyone else is just out of luck? “Too bad, so sad, better luck next time.”?
No, I don’t think so. Please remember from previous devotionals in this series that God created you as a unique individual with specific skills, abilities, and talents. Remember the lessons about finding your “sweet spot”, the thing you love to do and which brings you great joy and satisfaction. Sadly, most people never do discover that sweet spot; or they never pursue it.
When I was a young man a very wise career counselor gave me some great advice. He said, “Jim, discover the thing you love to do then figure out a way to get someone to pay you to do it.” It was great advice. (Did I mention that as you’re reading this I’m in a boat on a river in the Amazon Rainforest? It’s a wonderful adventure and they actually pay me to do this!)
Success in life is not a matter of making a lot of money or attaining prestigious positions. The key is finding happiness and contentment in what you do. That’s true whether we’re talking about a job, a hobby, a volunteer position at church, or any other activity. Find the things you are good at and enjoy doing, then apply yourself to those. Then you will be successful in the ways that truly matter. More on this tomorrow.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Wednesday February 25th

Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Success”
Our Bible verse for today: “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Success begins with taking delight in the Lord.”
I love the promise of Psalm 37:4, the Lord will give me the desires of my heart. Yea! I have lots of desires in my heart and I’m looking forward to the Lord giving me all of them!
But wait, that’s not exactly all that the verse says and it’s also not exactly what it means. The Lord will give me the desires of my heart, yes, but first I am to take delight in Him.
The dictionary says that to delight yourself in something is to derive great pleasure and joy from it. Synonyms for delight include enjoy, appreciate, love, relish, revel in, indulge in, and feast on.
So … I am to enjoy, appreciate, love, relish, revel in, indulge in, feast on, and derive great pleasure and joy in the Lord, and then He will give me the desires of my heart. But wait, there’s more. The editors of the Holman Christian Study Bible explain that the Hebrew words used here mean that, “When there is close fellowship with Yahweh, a person’s heart’s desires will match God’s will and purposes.”
Putting all of this together I discover that when I am completely enraptured with God, in such close fellowship with Him that I am delighting in Him with love and relish and all the other descriptive words used above, the desires of my heart will match God’s will and purposes. “Then” He will work to fulfill those desires because they come from His will and purpose.
So the end result is not that God has finally come around and agreed to give me what I want, but my heart has changed and the things I want are now consistent with God’s will. And it all grew out of me delighting myself in Him.
A successful life isn’t a matter of me getting the things I want. A successful life is a matter of me wanting the things God desires to give me. It’s all about me (and you) being in synch with God. We have to spend time with Him, think about Him, worship Him, take delight in who He is and what He’s like, giving Him glory and praise. When your heart is His, He will change your heart. And from that will flow a life that is truly successful in the ways that matter to God.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Tuesday February 24th

Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Success”
Our Bible verse for today: “Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Just give the Lord your best.”
The great football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field.”
To that the Apostle Paul would have shouted a loud “Amen!”
The world often gives us a distorted understanding of what it means to be successful. In worldly terms success is usually associated with wealth, power, promotions, possessions, big numbers, fame, etc. But that’s not how God sees it.
The lesson taught by both Paul the Apostle and Vince the football coach is that a person is successful when they are doing their best. Whatever you do, give it your best effort. That’s especially true for the Christian. All God requires of you is to be the best “you” you can be. Do you make your living as an auto mechanic? Then be a really good auto mechanic. Treat every car you work on as if it belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Are you a school teacher? Imagine every student in every seat is actually Jesus and He can’t wait to hear what you’re going to teach next.
Maybe you fly an airplane, deliver the mail, raise babies (or puppies); perhaps your skill involves mowing other people’s lawns, or wiping other people’s bottoms (nurse); your job may be to preach sermons, teach Sunday school lessons, greet people and hand out bulletins. Well, do it all as if you were doing it for Jesus (because ultimately, you are).
All the Lord requires from each of us is our best. And whatever that is, it’s good enough. Just give the Lord your best.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday February 23rd

Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Success”
Our Bible verse for today: “The man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed.” Jeremiah 17:7 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “When it comes to having success, our trust must be in the Lord.”
On Friday I told you a little about the mission trip I am currently embarked on in the Amazon Jungle of Peru, and I asked you to pray for the safety and success of our team.
Often international mission teams go to places that are remote and even dangerous. Our team is currently in the Amazon but in truth, CERT International has had teams here countless times over the last twenty-five years and we are familiar with it and fairly comfortable here. On all those mission trips over all those years we have had few serious problems and no serious injuries.
But there are innumerable other short and long-term missionaries, currently serving in even more remote and more dangerous locations, all around the world. They are in war-plagued Syria and Iraq; they are bravely serving Ebola patients in Liberia; they are in refugee camps in Sudan and Somalia.
How do they do that? How to they go to places like that, endure the hardships and the risks, and experience success in the process? The primary reason is that they trust in the Lord. Philippians 4:13 says, “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Notice that the faith expressed there is in God, not in the individual, or in the circumstances, or in resources. Faith in God is the key.
Alexander MacLaren once wrote, “Each of us may be sure that if God sends us on stony paths He will provide us with strong shoes.”
A war zone in Syria or Iraq, a refugee camp in Sudan or Somalia, could certainly be termed a “stony path”. But God does provide the strong shoes.
Whether you’re serving as a missionary in some far away place, or if you’re just living your regular day-to-day life in hometown USA, your success depends on God. Look to Him, rely on Him. He will provide all you need to accomplish all He has ordained.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Saturday and Sunday February 21-22

Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Success”
Our Bible verse for today: “His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.” Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)
Our thought for today: “You need a church family.”
On CERT International mission trips it always amazes me how quickly the team members bond with one another. We draw our team members from different places around the U.S.A. and from other countries as well. They fly from many different points of origination and the team comes together at a major airport in our host country. Often the first time team members meet each other is at the orientation meeting the first day on the field.
And yet, within a day or two it’s as if they’ve known each other for years. Everyone is laughing and joking, enjoying each other’s company, and working well together. As the mission trip unfolds deep friendships develop, many of which will end up lasting a lifetime. In the course of only 10-14 days the team becomes a family.
That’s the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of Christian brothers and sisters and drawing them to one another in the power of the Spirit, and that bond is always the key to the success of the mission. None of us could have accomplished it on our own. It had to be a team effort.
The same dynamic works in church families. In fact, it has too. If there isn’t a close-knit bond among the members, the church will be fractured and ineffective. If that bond is there, the work of the church will be powerful and successful. And just like on a mission team, no one person can do it alone. The mission of the team, and the mission of the church, cannot possibly be successful unless everyone is working together.
This also means that individual Christians are not living-up to their full potential unless they are part of a united and successful church family. Ephesians 1:5 is just one of the many verses that make it clear that God intends for all of us to be a contributing member of a church family, working with others to accomplish His purposes through that body. There is no model in Scripture for individual Christians to be making their journey through this world without the support and fellowship of a good church family.

God intentionally adopted you into His family and He intends for you to be actively involved in the family. If you’re not, then you are missing an important piece in your life as a child of God. Everyone needs a church family.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Friday February 20th

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Success”

Our Bible verse for today: “Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.” Ephesians 6:18-19 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “We must pray for one another’s success.”

This morning as you are reading this I am on my way to Peru. I will be leading a small medical and dental team into the restricted region of the Amazon Jungle in southern Peru near the Bolivian border.

Our ministry will be to the Machiguenga Indians who live within the boundaries of the Manu Reserve, also known as Manu National Park. Manu is 3.5 million acres of pristine Rainforest. It is about the size of the state of Massachusetts but there are only about 10,000 people who live in the entire area. The Indians live in small tribal groups scattered along the riverbanks. Our team will provide free medical and dental care, and we will look for opportunities to tell them about Jesus. However, the Peruvian government only allows us to speak about Christianity if the Indians ask first.

I want to ask you to pray for our safety. We will spend many hours on the rivers in a 50 foot canoe and we will sleep in tents in the villages. It’s the rainy season and so there are always huge downpours of rain, which often results in raging rivers. Also, for the most part, we will be out of communication with the outside world. No cell phone coverage where we’re going. Most of the villages do have a shortwave radio, but that’s it. So please pray for our safety.

But also pray for our success. The medical and dental care, and the medicines our team will be providing are all desperately needed. But even the best healthcare is temporary. Someday that person will get sick again and someday they will die. We want to give them more. We want to give them Jesus. But, they have to ask. Our agreement with the government is that we will not attempt to introduce the Indians to Christianity unless they initiate the conversation by asking questions. So, please pray that they will ask.

The Apostle Paul knew how important it was to have people praying for him. So do I. When God’s people pray, things happen. So please pray.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Thursday February 19th

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Success”

Our Bible verse for today: “May You be praised, Lord God … Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty …” 1 Chronicles 29:10-11 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Worship is the great equalizer and a key to success in the Kingdom of God.”

This morning I want to continue our discussion from yesterday. In yesterday’s devotional we considered the great truth that God equips and empowers us for the success He wants us to have. We also considered the fact that some people are way too impressed with themselves, while others go to the opposite extreme of thinking too poorly of themselves.

In his book, “Cure for the Common Life”, Max Lucado suggests that worship is the great equalizer. Worship adjusts our attitude and gets it where it needs to be. In his words, “Worship humbles the smug and lifts up the deflated.” Consider this example from King David’s prayer recorded in 1 Chronicles 29:10-14:

“Praise be to You, O Lord … Yours is the greatness and the power … everything in heaven and earth is Yours … Yours is the kingdom … You are exalted … wealth and honor come from You … You are ruler over all things … In Your hands are strength and power … “

If a prideful person slowly and thoughtfully considers those words they will surely be humbled. After all, the greatness and power and majesty and honor all belong to the Lord. But if a discouraged and dispirited person considers those Godly attributes, surely they will be encouraged and lifted up. God is on the throne. He alone is Sovereign and all-powerful.

The next time you find yourself on either end of the emotional spectrum, try a little thoughtful worship. Come before your God and consider His amazing attributes. You will either be humbled or lifted up, whichever is most appropriate for you at that time. Worship is the great equalizer and for the Christian, it is the key to real success.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Daily Devotional Feedback

Good Morning Everyone,

 

I have always been a strong believer in the value of receiving feedback. That’s especially true when it comes to ministry efforts. I think it’s important to periodically evaluate our ministry efforts to make sure we are being effective and that we’re making the best use of our time, efforts, and resources.

 

I have been writing the Daily Devotional messages every day, six days a week, for more than four years. Although I enjoy doing it, and I find it personally rewarding, it does require an investment of time an energy each day. I’ve reached a point where I’m finding it difficult to gauge how effective this writing ministry really still is and therefore I’m considering if perhaps it’s time to stop.

 

If you have opinions on this one way or another, I would appreciate hearing whatever your thoughts are. Please feel free to be open an direct. If you think changes to the format would be helpful, or if you think this series has run it’s course, please say so. And thanks in advance!

 

God Bless,
Jim

Devotional for Wednesday February 18th

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Success”

Our Bible verse for today: “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “God enables us to have the right success, at the right time, in the right way.”

When it comes to having success in life people tend to gravitate towards one of two extremes. First, there are those who are way too impressed with themselves. They’ve managed to accomplish a few things and as a result they think they’re pretty nifty, pretty special. These folks believe “I can do anything”.

Then there are those who have a poor self-image and who don’t believe they’re capable of accomplishing much of any real value. These folks believe “I can’t do anything.” Max Lucado calls it the difference between “self-loving” and “self-loathing.”

The correct balance actually lies in the middle and is explained in Philippians 4:13, “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” In other words, I can do anything God wants me to do. It’s not a matter of what I can do, but what God can do. And therefore, He gets all the credit (and the blame).

“And the blame”? Yes, and the blame. What I mean is that if God has not equipped and empowered me to do a thing, then He obviously doesn’t want me to do it and therefore I can stop stressing about it.

There are three things in life that I have always wanted to accomplish and never have. I’ve always wanted to be a talented musician and singer, I’ve always wanted to be a fluent Spanish speaker, and I’ve always wanted to be six foot three. But I’m none of those things. I’ve tried. I’ve studied the guitar and sang some songs; I’ve stuttered and stumbled my way through broken Spanish; I’ve done stretching exercises and worn platform shoes; but none of it took. I still croak like a frog, I still accidentally say outrageous things in a language I don’t understand, and I’m still only five foot ten.

And it’s God’s fault. He didn’t grow me the extra five inches, and He didn’t give me an ear for music or a gift for languages. But it’s ok. He did give me the gifts, abilities and skills He wants me to have in order to accomplish the things He wants me to do. And so I leave the singing to others, I play golf instead of basketball, and I rely on translators when I’m in Spanish-speaking countries.

It’s true for me and it’s true for you: God enables us to have the right success at the right time and in the right way. And that’s about right.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim