April 11, 2011 Asylum

            No it’s not just the name of my first fictional novel I hope to one day have published.  An asylum is a place of refuge or a haven, shelter or even a type of sanctuary.   Many times we want to find quiet contemplative places to rest and catch our breath.   We might choose a posh beach resort, secluded mountain cabin, grassy meadow over looking a crystal lake, or maybe just a library where we can get lost in a favorite novel.  

            Isn’t it surprising how a beautiful building that has weathered a tornado or earthquake may look great on the outside but inside may have sustained structural damage that requires the edifice be torn down?  All of us would do well to examine our places of asylum and refuge.   Can we trust them or are they shaky structures.  

            During the last two centuries, persons who didn’t “fit” into society were often locked away in asylums or mental hospitals.  Today people are so conditioned to think of asylums or refuges as quiet places for restoration.    However, Joan Esherick wrote an interesting article for Discipleship journal some time back pointing out that refuges in the Bible times were placed in places of battle.  Those beautiful castles carved in the bedrock throughout Europe were meant to fortify cities during times of attack.   

            By now I’m sure you can tell where I’m going with this.   As Christians our only true assurance of asylum can be found in the person of Jesus Christ.   He is our only viable refuge.   We gain confidence by focusing on who he is and the many characteristics of his nature.  I hope you’ll take time this evening to not only rejoice in the provisions he can give you, but also receive His encouragement and love.   He’s always available to ease our stress and relieve our suffering.   Let’s not hide in escapism.  Instead confront battles with His promise.   I love the words of Mark Twain on courage.   “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear ~~not absence of fear.”    Find your asylum in the midst of the battle!

March 7, 2011 "Defining Moments"

March 7, 2011   “Defining Moments”

            You can call them whatever you like.   Flashpoints, Milestones, Forks in the Road, or Turning Points.  These phrases speak of moments in time when there is a great potential for change.   If we define the word define we’d see it means to classify, identify, characterize or delineate.  As parents, we thirst for defining moments like these with our kids and young adults.  We want people to know who they are In Christ and the enormous possibilities that lay ahead.  

            It’s too bad we can’t schedule times like this.   It would seem too contrived and people would feel “preached at.”   Instead we have to look for teachable moments during “Hang Times.”   Remember Jesus’ dinners, seaside chats, weddings, and walks through the field?  He capitalized on opportunities to “hang” with others.   We might do this over a cone of soft serve ice-cream, chili and cheese, cookies, or a cappuccino; but take time to cultivate time with others, especially those who are younger in the faith.  

           Some people are like St. Peter, always opening their mouths to reveal a need for growth, but we need to ask open ended questions.  What has the Lord been saying to you?   How can you deal with a guy who doesn't love you as much as you love him?   What are you going to do when you grow up? 

            Ephesians 6:18 instructs us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for all the Lord’s people.”   Pray and be ready to act on these types of openings that will help others become characterized and delineated as God’s people.   Have a great evening!  

Have You Been Informed?

March 6, 2011:   

            No, I’m not going to be the bearer of anymore bad news.   The truth is sometimes, I’ve had about as much bad news as anyone one can stand.   That’s usually when I declare a media fast. 

            When I asked if you’ve been informed, what I was referring to is how well do you keep yourself up-to-date and enlightened?    1 Peter 5:8, tells us to “be alert and of sober mind.   Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (NLT)   Luke 21:36 warns us “to keep alert at all times.  And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”   (NLT)   Finally, 1 Thessalonians 5:6 cautions us to “Be on your guard, not asleep like the others.   Stay alert and be clearheaded.  (NLT)

            Although we might sometimes want to bury our heads in the sand, as Christians we can’t neglect the opportunities all around us to be notified and enlightened.  We are to be truth tellers and truth seekers.   Samuel Smiles once said, “It is not enough to have books, or to know where to read up for information when we want it.  Practical wisdom for the purposes of life must be carried about with us, and be ready for use at call.”  Let’s get wisdom and stay enlightened!   Have a great evening. 

March 5th 2011 - The Best Thing In This Life Are Friends!

            I love Psalm 68:6, “God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.  But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.”  As I’ve said many times before, I have a wonderful family and extended family, yet unfortunately none of us live near one another.  That’s why God places us in families within the body of Christ.

            A year or so ago our church keyboard player asked our Sunday School class to pray for someone help care for and bond with her daughter.  This lady and her husband both played in the orchestra for all four of our morning services.  Their school age girl had Down’s syndrome so meaningful connections had been difficult.  

            A few weeks ago, the young girl and her daughter were shopping in a Kohl’s Dept. store when the girl made friends with another downs child.   The two mothers began to talk and discovered they both attended the same church.   The other girl’s mom had wanted to become involved in the music ministry, but had concerns about her daughter’s adjustment.    One thing led to another and today during rehearsals and on most Sunday mornings, we have the pleasure of watching the two girls sit next to each other and share the precious gift of friendship.

            It was Larry Emerson Fosdick who said, “No man is the whole himself; his friends are the rest of him.”    Invest in friends! 

4/4/2011 God of Miracles

            Miracles today are taken with a grain of salt.  Or should I be more direct and say what they’re often called, frauds, schemes, rackets, hoaxs, or con games.    How sad that people in fact have tried to swindle God?  Yet, don’t forget, He’s GOD, and a God of Miracles He is! 

            Merrill C. Tenney in his analytic study of the book of John called, The Gospel of Belief JOHN, points out that only seven of Jesus’ miracles are listed in this forth gospel.   Track with me and see the progression.   In John 2:1-11 we see Jesus turning water into wine.  (Jesus is Lord over Quality.)   John 4:46-54 shows Jesus healing the nobleman’s son from a distance.   (Jesus is Lord over Space.)  John 5:1-18 tells the story of Jesus healing the man at the pool of Bethesda who had been handicapped from birth for several years.  (Jesus is Lord over Time.)    In John 6:1-14, Jesus is feeding the five thousand with a boy’s meager lunch.  (Jesus is Lord over Quantity.)   John 6:16-21 reveals Jesus ability to walk on water.   (Jesus is Lord over Nature.)  John 9:1-41 shows Jesus progressively healing the blind man.  (Jesus is Lord over Misfortune.)  Finally in John 11:1-44 Our Lord raises Lasarus after being dead in the grave for three days.   (Jesus is Lord over Death).   Jesus has no limitations! 

            Philip Schaff write, “Being a miracle himself, he must perform miracles with the same ease with which ordinary men do their ordinary works.”    Is there anything He can’t do?

4/3/2011 SHOUT JOY!

            Say what?  SHOUT?  How ilreverant?  What about the scripture that tells us to be still and know that He is God?  Over in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, we find there are appropriate times for everything.   Ecclesiastes 3:4 tells us that there is a time to laugh and dance.   I’ve laughed and I’ve danced and there was usually some shouting going on.  Right?  

            In the book of Job, thought to be the  first recorded book in the Bible, and we’re told in Job 8:21 that God, “will once again fill your mouth with laugher and your lips with shouts of joy.  In Job 38:7 we find that, “all the angels shouted for joy!”   During the animal sacrifices in Leviticus 9:24, we see the people shouted for joy and fell on their faces.   As the Isrealites carried the Ark of the Covenant they, “shouted with joy so loud that the ground shook, in 1 Samuel 4:5.   Kings 1:40, records when the people followed Solomon into Jerusalem there were, “people playing flutes and shouting to God so joyously that the earth shook again.”   1 Chronicles 16:32 says, “let the sea and everything in it shout his praise, and crops burst out with joy!  Finally, In Ezra 3:13 we find “the peoples joy shouting could be heard far in the distance.”   And all of this shouting happened in the Old Testament.   We have Jesus!  Isn’t He something to shout about?

            Take note to Alexander MacClaren’s statement on joy: “The out-and-out Christian is a joyful Christian.   The half-and-half Christian is a kind of Christian that a great many of you are~~~little acquainted with the Lord.  Why should we live halfway up the hill and swathed in the mists, when we might have an unclouded sky and a radiant sun over our heads if we would climb higher and walk in the light of His face?”

Hanging Out - March 29, 2011

           If you have been anywhere near a teen or tween in the recent past you couldn’t have escaped this term.  Wikipedia defines the term as “friends at ease.”  It goes on to note that friends desire what is best for the other person and demonstrate sympathy, empathy, honesty, understanding, compassion, trust, and reciprocity.  Wow!  Don’t we all need a lot of friends?

            Abraham called himself a friend of God.  That’s sometimes hard for us to think of the creator and sustainer of our universe wanting to be our friend.   In Psalm 8:4, David shared this dilemma when he writes, “what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”(NLT)   Yet David had a keen understanding that God knows us intimately.   In Psalm 139:13, he notes, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.” 

            God’s willingness to have a frienship with us is even more amazing when you consider that we have nothing to bring to the partnership.  Jesus, the son of God tells us in John 15:16, “You didn’t chose me.  I chose you.”   How cool that God invites us to hang out with him when we are emptyhanded.   Just imagine a friend that can live inside us.  He want’s us to be friends at ease.   Who better than an all powerful God can desire what is best for the us and demonstrate genuine sympathy, empathy, honesty, understanding, compassion, trust, and reciprocity?   Maybe we don’t need a lot of friends, but we definitely need one true friend in Jesus!   Have some great Hang Time with Jesus.

Silence Please! March 28, 2011

             Lawrence Coughlin use to say, “Don’t talk unless you can improve the silence.  Did you ever notice how Jesus was always slipping away to be alone and pray to His father?   My wife and I even have problems finding a quiet restaurant where we can talk without TVs.  Car steros, I-Pods, cell phones, computers, and other forms of technology all each bombard our feable attempts to find solitude. 

            Perhaps that’s why King David in Psalm 119:147: says, “I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words, (NLT).   Notice he had learned the importance of not just spewing out a laundry list to God, but getting ourselves into a quiet atmosphere where we can hear Him speak back to us.  That might be through words from the Bible or by hushed inner promptings from Holy Spirit. 

             Psalm 46:10 says to “be still and know that I am God.”(NLT)   This verse is instructing us to quiet ourselves and come to understand that He is God.  Contemptation on who God is takes time, yet when we make the investment of our time He increases our confidence.  Because we have a better understanding who we are praying to, we are certain that what we ask of Him, He can do.   

            The old testament word for Salvation meant deliverance.  Lamintations 3:26, says, “So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.”(NLT)   I wonder how often the Lord has wanted to deliver wisdom, insights or answers to me, but I haven’t done my part to quietly wait before Him?   Why not find a quiet place this evening where you can spend a little one on one time with God?

In Christ - March 24, 2011

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.  The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (NLT)”   Your thinking, yeah right, this is Christianity 101.   I can still remember hearing that verse when I first became a Christian, but as I matured in the faith it’s easy to forget that all of the power of the God head now lives inside each of us!

            Ephesians 1:3 reminds me that,“God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”   Because of the sacrifice Jesus made we have hope, love, freedom, forgiveness, and power!   Just doing a quick scan through the Bible, we can see that IN CHRIST we are joint heirs, a new creature, blessed, living stones, delivered, transformed, the bride of Christ, sons of God, children of light, over-comers, adopted, disciples, kings and priests, saved, and friends of God!  

            Always remember the words of Henry Drummond, “Will-power does not change men.  Time does not change men.  Christ does.”   Ready for a change?

March 23, 2011 - MAGNIFY

           A year or so ago, my wife started wearing glasses all the time.   I should have done so too, but I’ve held out.  Why?   Vanity?  Lazyiness?  Haven’t taken the time order them?  You pick the reason.   At any rate, my right arm has gotten quite long.    When I had my cateracts removed three years ago, holy molie!   (No I’m not that old it’s because of the sun).   It was like everything had been run through a car wash.   The world sparkled!   

            In Psalm 34:3, David enourages us to MAGNIFY the Lord with him (NIV).  Other modern translations interpret magnify to mean giving glory to or spreading the good news.  Two other definitions of Magnify are to enlarge or intensify.  How do you magnify the Lord?   Have you ever thought of how to can help others see God in a larger way?   I ask all the time how I can get my friends and associates to share in the intensity and passion I have for Christ?   If you’re having problems magnifying God to the world maybe your God is too small?   Perhaps we could expand their vision of who God is by how we display excellence, show love, offer encouragement, give compassion, demonstrate kindness, remain thankful and faithful in service to Him even when we’re going through trials?

          As fellow saints of Jesus Christ, each of us can benefit from reflecting on Oswald Chamber’s definition of Christian Character.   Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested.   May each of you have a great evening and MAGNIFY! 

March 22, 2011 - Your Sweet Spot

            No, I’m not referring to your back yard pool, best golf swing, favorite candy, special gift, or the finest place to relax.   I’m referring to that gifting or ability you have that is under-utilized amid the chaos of this thing we call life.  

            In 1 Peter 4:10, the Apostle states, Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.  Likewise, St. Paul encourages Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6, to fan into flame the gift of God.   

            My father was a great man, but the epitome of a true home-body.   These days I’m having fun watching my newly widowed mother come out of her cocoon and flit around town like a beautiful butterfly brightening the lives of everyone she encounters.   She’s found her sweet spot.   I think to many of us hold onto beliefs, relations, and ridiculous opinions about ourselves that restrict God’s power working through us.   

              I love the challenge Charles H. Spurgeon shares, Serve God by doing common actions in a heavenly spirit, and then, if your daily calling leaves you cracks and crevices of time, fill them up with holy service.   Have a great evening!

ARE YOU A SENSITIVE CHRISTIAN

Of course you say.   How could I have a heart changed by the love of Christ and not have a tender heart?   In Philippians 2:1,2 we find these beautiful words from the New Living Translation: Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ?  Any comfort from his love?  Any fellowship together with the Spirit?  Are your hearts tender and compassionate?  Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

            It’s so important that we live as compassionate caring Christians, standing out as salt and light to our communities.   However, the flip side of that coin is that we can’t be so sensitive of offending someone that we neglect to tell them the truth.  In fact by doing so we could be loving them into hell.  John 1: 14, 17, reminds us that all grace and truth are found together in Christ. 

            The Christian life demands that we learn to overlook those petty offenses we encounter in life.   Yet, for those weightier matters, perhaps Francis Schaeffer put it best, Truth demands confrontation; loving confrontation, but confrontation nevertheless.

FOCUS FACTOR

As I flip on the porch light I’m reminded of the importance of our aim.   We’re not talking here about some new vitamin supplement that promises greater mental clarity.   It’s that point we focus on that becomes the center of our attention.  Pray with me tonight that the Lord will clear away the distractions and shine His spotlight on those specific areas He wants our focus to be upon.   

In chapter 30 of Genesis, we find an interesting story of how Jacob served his father- in-law Laban.   Jacob had shown great diligence in tending Laban’s  sheep and goats for several years, with nothing to show for it.  In time, the two men stuck up an agreement whereby Jacob could have all the speckled and spotted sheep and goats.   In a dream, the Lord gave Jacob and an idea to increase his herds.   God told him to gather fresh tree branches and peel back the bark leaving streaks on each branch.   Then Jacob was to place these branches at the water hole where the livestock mated.   As crazy as it sounds when the herds came to mate they produced streaked, speckled and spotted sheep.   By the act of giving these dumb animals something to focus on Jacob had expanded his own flock instead of increasing Laban’s herd. 

What gifts and abilities has God inspired within you?  As we focus our efforts on His callings the rewards will follow.  I love this quote by Robert Forman: Success lies, not in achieving what you aim at, but in aiming at what you ought to achieve, and pressing forward , sure of achievement here, or if not here, hereafter.     Have a great weekend.  The next Porch Light devotion will come on Monday.  

We're Expecting You!

Twilight’s come.   At any time within the next two or three hours, I know my son will come traipsing through our front door.   He’s a good son and he’s always on time.  Yet, I’ve turned the porch light on so that he won’t have to walk in the dark, trip coming up the front drive, or not be able to find the keyhole on the door.   Besides, when he see’s the front porch light it’s reinforcement that we’re expecting him.

Do you ever think about the fact that God’s expecting you too?   Yes, He’s expecting us to be with Him in heaven one day.   Jesus told us in His Word that He left this earth to go and prepare a place for us to be with him forever.   But, Jesus has some expectations for us here on earth. 

The word Responsibility literally means that we each have the ability to respond; either positively or negatively, to any situation or circumstance.   We can make a choice to respond positively.   It’s not only the right thing to do, but it also our way of honoring God.   In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father, Matthew 5:16 (NLT)   My prayer for each of us tonight is found in Romans 15:5, May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. (NLT).   Amen.

PILLAR OF FIRE

I stepped up onto the old front porch and took a seat on my imaginary swing.  Beginning to rock, I gazed up and saw a beautiful full moon.  In the book of Genesis we know that God made two lights, the Sun for day, and the Moon for night.  This new evening devotional will be coming to you each evening to boost your spirits at the end of a long day and offer a morsel of scriptural light. 

In the Old Testament, we find the Lord leading his people into the desert, for a period of testing and trial.  In Exodus 13:21-24 we see, The Lord went ahead of them.  He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire.  This allowed them to travel by day or by night.  And the Lord did not remover the Pillar of fire from its place in front of the people. (NLT)  

Each of us needs more of God’s light.  It brings a sense of balance and meaning to our lives.  As I share nuggets of God’s Truth each evening, I pray that they will become as a Pillar of Fire in your heart.  Why not ask Jesus now to burn away those idle passions, worries, or distractions that keep us from becoming consumed with His transforming power.  Let’s stop the swing now as I bow my head with yours and we center our attention upon the Lord.  In the words of Gregory Nazianzen, Let us not ask of the Lord deceitful riches, nor the good things of this world, nor transitory honors; but let us ask for light.”

Have a blessed evening!