Devotional for Friday February 28th

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Patience”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17 (HCSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Patiently live by faith.”
 
This world sure is a mess. Wars are raging across the globe. Multiple millions are starving. Weather patterns have shifted causing flooding in some places, droughts in others, and widespread suffering. The global economy is weak. Political divisions in our country are more pronounced than ever.
 
But perhaps the greatest challenge for Christians is the fact that unbiblical values are being promoted as normal and we’re under great pressure to agree with these new cultural trends. It’s now being demanded that we embrace them and even help to perpetuate the notion that these ideas are not only normal, but good – even though they run counter to what God teaches in the Bible.
 
However Christians are called to view the world and all of life not from a cultural perspective, but from a Biblical perspective. Cultural norms change from place to place and from generation to generation, but the Bible never changes. Societal standards of ethics and morality change all the time, but God’s standards never change – they are the same for all people in all places at all times.
 
And so, despite whatever new thought or idea or behavioral patterns society is currently promoting as good and normal, as the people of God we turn to the Word of God as our sole reference for what is good and right and acceptable. Doing that will often put us at odds with whatever society we live in. That’s ok. That has always been true for God’s people. Whether we’re talking about the Israelites as they attempted to live as a holy people surrounded by pagan nations, or the early Christians living among Romans and Greeks, God’s people, in all places, at all times, in all societies, have always found themselves out of step with the worldly values and behaviors being practiced and promoted by others.
 
The answer has never been to give in and go along. The answer is, and always has been, to be a people apart – a people distinct and separate – a holy people who live by the Word of God regardless of current cultural trends.
 
As we conclude this month of devotional study on the virtue of patience, I encourage you to patiently live by faith. Trust that for God’s people, God’s Word is the only legitimate standard for how we are to live. Know it, trust it, and then patiently live by it.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Thursday February 27th

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Patience”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “…so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior.” 1 Timothy 2:2-3 (NIV)
 
Our thought for today: “Just be patient and live a good life.”
 
It’s easy to get caught in the trap of thinking we have to do big splashy things for God in order for our lives to be meaningful. Many times we can feel that if we’re not caring for lepers in the gutters of Calcutta, or witnessing to drug addicts in the dirty back alleys of New York City, then we’re obviously not doing much for the cause of Christ.
 
But that’s just not true. God doesn’t call most of us to be career missionaries in some remote corner of the world, or even to inner-city ministry right here in the USA. For the most part, for most of us, we’re called to live quiet and simple lives right where we are, but to do so in a way that clearly marks us as the people of God. We’re to be faithful witnesses making a difference in our homes and neighborhoods and work places.
 
The editors of “The Mission of God” study Bible, in their introduction to the book of Romans, as they’re explaining Paul’s purpose for writing the letter, write this: “Here is your part in God’s mission: live as one transformed.”
 
That’s pretty good. You are to live – right where you are – as one who has been transformed. Everything about you should be different from the world around you. Your quiet sense of peace, joy, and serenity; your obvious displays of kindness and compassion; the way you use your words to build up and encourage others; the fact that you are known as a man or woman of integrity, one who is completely dependable and trustworthy. Your lifestyle itself is a witness to the world around you. That’s your part in God’s mission.
 
Don’t get frustrated or impatient with yourself because your life isn’t the subject of inspiring magazine articles or movies. It isn’t supposed to be. There may be times when you will go overseas on a short-term mission trip; or on a weekend trip to Eastern Kentucky to minister to impoverished people living in a remote region of coal-mining country; or to your local rescue mission to serve a meal. But most of the time, for most of us, we are to patiently and faithfully live quiet and godly lives that are a living testimony to the love and compassion and mercy of God. Be content to patiently and faithfully live a good life.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Wednesday February 26th

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Patience”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “May God be gracious to us and bless us; look on us with favor so that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all the nations.” Psalm 67:1-2 (HCSB)
 
Our thought for today: “We have been blessed so we can be a blessing.”
 
In Psalm 67:1 the Psalmist prayed for God’s blessing to be upon the people. That’s nice. We all want to be blessed by God. But wait, what was the intended purpose of God’s blessing upon His people? Was it simply so they could sit back, relax, and enjoy a comfy lifestyle? No. In verse two he makes it clear that the purpose of the blessing that was asked for in verse one, was so that God’s ways could be known on the earth, His salvation among all the nations. God’s people were being blessed so they could then be a blessing.
 
It’s a common theme all throughout the Bible. God blesses His people so they can in turn bless others in His name, and all so that His ways and His salvation will become known throughout the whole earth. We know this. Both the Old and New Testaments teach the people of God to go out into the world and bless people so they will experience God’s love and come to know Him in a real and personal way. Jesus did this, and then He commissioned us to go and do it too.
 
But this business of going out into the world and sharing God’s blessings with people can be messy and frustrating. Many times those we offer the blessings to either refuse to receive them, or don’t appreciate them, or they do receive them but it doesn’t seem to make any noticeable difference. That can be frustrating. How do we deal with it? Well mostly, we just keep on keeping on. We just patiently continue to do what the Lord told us to do and trust that in His way and in His time it will make a difference.
 
In Genesis 18:18 God told Abraham that ultimately, eventually, all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him. But Abraham never got to see it. In fact, on the front end of that promise Abraham couldn’t even imagine how it could be so. And yet, the promise did come to pass. The little nation of Israel has been the most influential nation in history. Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior, came from the line of Abraham. Now for 2000 years since then, the entire world has indeed been blessed by the spiritual descendants of Abraham, the followers of Christ, as they go out into the world sharing the blessings and preaching the Good News.
 
And so it continues. Today you and I – the people of God in this age, have been blessed and are being blessed, so we can in turn be a blessing to others. Sometimes it isn’t easy. Sometimes there don’t appear to be any immediate results from it. But be patient and do it anyway. It will make a difference. I encourage you to make it a point to be a blessing to someone today.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Tuesday February 25th

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Patience”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “You get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.” 1 Peter 2:20 (NLT)
 
Our thought for today: “We must assume personal responsibility for our actions.”
 
How many of our problems are our own fault, a result of our own poor choices? If we’re honest about it we probably have to admit that much of what we suffer in life we bring on ourselves. One of the worst and least helpful things we can do is to play the victim. Way too often people convince themselves that their problems are someone else’s fault and they are the innocent victim of unfair treatment from people who are being mean to them. That’s a prescription for failure. You can’t succeed in life if you won’t take personal responsibility for your situations.
 
That’s pretty much the point Peter was making in 1 Peter 2:20. If I’m suffering as a result of wrongdoing or bad choices on my part, then I’m getting what I deserve. Now I have to deal with the consequences. Of course, there are times when we are treated unjustly by others. When that happens, God is aware of it and He will ensure there is justice in the end. For our part we’re to respond in a Biblical way that honors Him.
 
But still, and this is my primary point today, we must assume personal responsibility for our actions and for our poor choices. If you are fully or partially to blame for your problems, but you fool yourself into believing it’s really all someone else’s fault, you stand virtually no chance of fixing the situation or of avoiding a similar problem in the future.
 
The best response is to assume full responsibility for your actions and the consequences of them, and then patiently work with the Lord to fix it. Righting the wrong and repairing the damage may take some time, but the starting place is to acknowledge your personal responsibility for the situation you are in.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday February 24th

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Patience”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Naaman and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, ‘I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel.” 2 Kings 5:15 (HCSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Be patient, God is working.”
 
Naaman was the commander of the army for the king of Aram. He was renowned as a mighty warrior and was highly regarded by the king and the people. He was not a Jew and therefore did not know or worship the God of Israel, but that was about to change because Naaman, this mighty warrior, this hero of the nation, was suddenly diagnosed with leprosy. He desperately needed help.
 
Through an unlikely series of events God brought a young Jewish girl into Naaman’s home as a servant for his wife. The girl told Naaman’s wife that there was a powerful man of God, a prophet named Elisah, who had power from the One True God to work miracles and perhaps to even heal leprosy. So a skeptical, impatient, and unbelieving Naaman went in search of this so-called “prophet” and to his astonishment, he was healed. Through the process Naaman came to place is faith in the One True God, the God of Israel.
 
It turned out that God was at work, behind the scenes in Naaman’s life, not only to bring about a cure for the man’s leprosy, but to bring him to a saving knowledge of the One True God. As these events were unfolding Naaman had no idea what God was doing, or even that there was a God. But God’s unseen activity behind the scenes ended up have a profound and life-changing impact on him.
 
The editors of “The Mission of God” study Bible write, “God has a purpose for everything, even the odd, painful, or difficult events that occur. Because we can often see behind the scenes in the lives of Bible people, we are privileged to watch how God works. He weaves together a complex set of choices and events to bring about His will. And His work is never limited. He reaches out to all people and meets them right at their point of need.”
 
The same is true in your life. Be patient with your current circumstances. God knows what you’re going through and even if you can’t see where it’s heading or how it will turn out, you can be sure that God is quietly at work behind the scenes orchestrating events as necessary to bring about His desired results. God has a purpose and a plan for what you’re dealing with. It is a good plan and in time you will see that. Just be patient.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotionial for Saturday and Sunday February 22-23

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Patience”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed off to Cyprus.” Acts 15:39 (HCSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Be patient with people.”
 
People are fallible. We make mistakes, we make bad choices, and often we’re our own worst enemies. Sometimes we’re just young and foolish and make immature decisions. Other times we’re older and should know better, but we screw it up anyway. Fortunately our God is a God of second chances, and third, and fourth, and ….
 
Barnabas was a young man who was given the golden opportunity to travel with, and minister alongside of, the Apostle Paul and Barnabas. But, he blew it. We don’t know exactly what happened but apparently things got a little tough and Mark wasn’t up to it, so he left and went home. Later, when it was time for another mission trip, Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them again but Paul said “no”. Evidently Mark wanted a second chance but Paul wouldn’t give it to him. However Barnabas did give him a second chance. Barnabas parted ways with Paul, took Mark on their own little mission trip to Cyprus, and it turned out to be just the thing Mark needed. Mark ended up becoming a great man of God in his own right, he wrote one of the four Gospels, and in his later years Paul even admitted that Mark had turned into a valuable ministry partner. Thank God for second chances.
 
Jesus gave Peter a second chance and look at what that resulted in! Paul stuck with the young man Timothy, even though he was timid and lacked self-confidence, and ultimately Timothy ended up becoming a leading pastor in his region. The Old Testament prophet Elijah patiently worked with the impetuous young man Elisha and eventually Elisha became a powerful prophet too.
 
The editors of “The Mission of God” study Bible offer this helpful insight about sticking with, mentoring, and giving people second chances:
 
“I believe in you.” Perhaps some of the most powerful words we can say to someone. These four simple words evoke confidence and anticipation in all that a person can and will become by God’s grace and power. If you have ever had the privilege of someone uttering those words to you, you know the emotion it evokes. They inspire you to become all God wants you to become.”
 
You’ve probably seen the old bumper sticker that reads, “Be patient. God isn’t done with me yet.” There’s a lot of wisdom and truth in that. God isn’t done with any of us yet. We will all make mistakes and we will all find ourselves in need of second, third, fourth, and tenth chances. The truth is that we need to be patient with each other.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Friday February 21st

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Patience”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t say, ‘I’ll avenge this evil!’ Wait on the Lord, and He will rescue you.” Proverbs 20:22 (HCSB)
 
Our thought for today: “God will right all wrongs.”
 
As a military officer I was trained to think fast and act fast. Most military training is designed to condition you to respond quickly and appropriately to a crisis or life-threatening situation. Your goal is to quickly assess the situation, decide on an appropriate response, and then act decisively and with speed. Of course, you don’t want to allow your decision-making to get ahead of your facts, but you also can’t afford to hesitate for very long. Bold and decisive action usually carries the day.
 
Unfortunately, that’s also the way most of us react when we think we’ve been wronged. Basic human nature moves us to respond. While that may be a good thing in a crisis or in some life threatening situation, it’s frequently the wrong response in most other cases. Most of the time the better thing to do is to patiently wait, prayerfully consider the situation, and many times – do nothing.
 
Allowing our emotions to dictate our responses is almost never a good thing. Unless you’re shooting down an incoming missile, dodging a bullet, or fighting off an armed robber, an immediate response to a negative situation is seldom the right thing. Almost always it’s better to let time pass, emotions to cool, and tempers to settle down before you say or do anything.
 
When dealing with difficult and unpleasant situations I’ve usually found that if I commit the thing to prayer, and then patiently wait on the Lord, He will very often deal with the situation for me, and in the end there will have been little if any action required on my part.
 
I’m not necessarily advocating for doing nothing. Sometimes we do have to respond. But if time and the situation allows, then the more prudent approach is usually to patiently wait and give the Lord plenty of time to deal with it first. It may turn out that you are supposed to respond. It could be that the Lord intends to respond to the situation through you. But even then, that will become apparent in time. Almost always it’s better to patiently wait. In time God will right all wrongs.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Thursday February 20th

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Patience”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “A man who endures trials is blessed, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12 (HCSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Patience and perseverance are the keys to success.”
 
We live in a ready-made, microwave world where we’ve come to expect everything to be fast and easy. We want what we want, we want it now, and we don’t want to have to expend too much effort or energy to get it. And what if we don’t get it fast and easy and without too much effort? We give up on that goal and move on to something new.
 
Of course, that’s not true of everyone. It’s probably not even true of the majority of people, but it is an increasing trend in our society. More and more we’re becoming accustomed to having things made easy for us. And so we tend to have less patience with things that are not easy and we’re less likely to persevere in the accomplishment of hard things.
 
But almost anything worthwhile does take time and effort. The accomplishment of any worthy objective requires a goal, a plan to achieve that goal, and the commitment to walk it out until you achieve it. Frequently the thing that deters and discourages us from sticking with it is that the ultimate end seems so far away and so hard to get to. The college degree is four years and hundreds of hours of studying down the road. The twenty pounds we need to drop is going to take many months of dieting and exercising. Getting those bills paid off will take a couple of years of sacrifice and financial discipline.
The ultimate achievement of our goal seems far away and hard to get to. And so, we give up.
 
The key of course, is to focus instead on the achievement of smaller, immediate goals which, when strung together, will get you to your long range goal. So just focus your attention on completing the class you’re currently enrolled in. Then once that one is done, shift your focus to the next one. Eventually, when enough classes are completed like that, you’ll be a college graduate. Never mind about the twenty pounds, just focus on losing the next one, and then the one after that, and then the one after that.
 
Patience, combined with perseverance, together create a path that leads us to where we need to go. Patience and perseverance are also Biblical themes that God hammers home time and time again, verse after verse, writer after writer, book after book. Why? Because He wants us to have patience and to persevere. He wants us to hang in there and to not give up. He wants us to set good and worthy goals and then walk them out to ultimate achievement and success.
 
Patience and perseverance are the keys to success in life.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Wednesday February 19th

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Patience”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! Why do you spend money on what is not food, and your wages on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and you will enjoy the choicest of foods.” Isaiah 55:1-2 (HCSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Spend the time to seek that which really matters.”
 
Albert Einstein once wrote, “The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” Another way of putting that would be, “If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you will keep getting what you’ve always gotten.” In other words, if this thing you’ve been doing hasn’t produced the desired results for you the first one hundred (or one thousand) times you did it, and you haven’t changed anything, is it really rational to expect it to produce a different result this time?
 
There’s a spiritual application here. Isaiah wrote about it in Isaiah 55:1-2. God’s people were spending extraordinary amounts of time and energy pursuing worldly pleasures and earthly riches, only to discover that in the end, those things didn’t really fully satisfy. When it was all said and done the itch was still there, the emptiness wasn’t really filled, the need wasn’t really met. And how do people typically respond to that? With more of the same. We try harder, we work longer, we acquire more. And what’s the result? The same as it’s always been. The itch is still there, the emptiness wasn’t really filled, the need wasn’t really met. And so we take a deep breath and then we go at it again.
 
We’re like hamsters on a treadmill. Lots of activity, lots of energy expended, but not really getting anywhere. The problem is that the real itch, emptiness, need, isn’t physical (although we think it is), it’s spiritual. What we really need is not more money, or a bigger house, or a newer car. What we need is more of God. Our real need is spiritual at it’s core, and only God Himself can meet that need for us. God’s answer to our frantic and futile efforts at fulfillment is to simply come to Him.
 
But, we’re impatient. We’re impatient when it comes to the spiritual disciplines of prayer and Bible study and worship. We are so focused and so busy pursuing the worldly pleasures and earthly treasures that if we make time for prayer and Bible study at all, it’s short and it’s rushed. Isn’t that silly? The thing we need the most, the thing that would provide us the most peace and joy and fulfillment, is the thing we give the least time and effort to. And the things that have proven over and over again to not really meet the need or provide the fulfillment we seek, are the things we continue to run after with an almost hypnotic intensity.
 
Before you go to your time of prayer this morning, take just a minute to read Psalm 46:10 (Be still, and know that I am God), and Mathew 11:28-30 / John 7:37-38 (Come to Me). Then ask God to help you have the patience to focus on what really matters and what will really make a difference.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotionial for Tuesday February 18th

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Patience”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “… for they were tentmakers by trade.” Acts 18:3 (HCSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Be patient with your job.”
 
Aquila and Priscilla were Christians whom Paul encountered in the city of Corinth. Like Paul, they made their living as tentmakers. Since tents were needed everywhere, it was a trade that allowed them to travel from place to place while always being able to market their skills and make a living. That was a good thing because evidently the reason they were in Corinth was that they had been driven out of Rome because of their Christian faith.
 
So Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla joined forces in Corinth. Together they made tents, but they also used their tent making skills as a springboard from which they conducted their ministry. From their example we get our modern understanding of being a “tentmaker”. The term is usually applied to those who go to the mission field to perform a secular trade, such as medical doctor, or auto mechanic, or school teacher, but then use that secular skill as a springboard for their primary purpose of sharing the Good News of the Gospel. Most commonly we apply the term “tentmaker” to those who have the official title of “missionary”.
 
However, all Christians have been tasked by Christ to be missionaries wherever we happen to be. Since the overwhelming majority of Christians do not make their living in paid professional ministry that means they have secular jobs, just like Paul, and Aquila, and Priscilla, and like those missionaries we label “tentmakers”. So in a broader sense – since every Christian is on-mission with Jesus Christ everywhere you go, and since most Christians have secular jobs – that makes most Christians “tentmakers”. Your secular job should be a springboard from which you carry out your primary role of sharing Christ with a broken and bleeding world.
 
In her book “Tentmakers”, author Ruth Siemens wrote: “The secular job is not an inconvenience, but the God-given context in which tentmakers live out the gospel in a winsome, wholesome, nonjudgmental way, demonstrating personal integrity, doing quality work, and developing caring relationships.”
 
Your current occupation may not be your dream job. You might not even like it very much. But it does afford you the opportunity to be a “tentmaker”. I encourage you to not only be patient with your job, but to thank God for it and to then use it as a springboard to serve and bless others in the name of Jesus Christ.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim