Sunday, Psalm 8:1; The day was cold and overcast with sleet falling. The plane I was on was delayed twice for deicing. The ceiling was very low and on take off we were immediately engulfed in blackness. As we ascended through the dark clouds the plane shook and rocked. After what seemed like hours (of course it was just minutes) of pitching in the darkness we suddenly broke out into the clearest blue sky, the turbulence was gone and the ride was as smooth as silk. Looking out from my window seat I could see that we were flying just above the clouds. Looking up, it seemed I could see clear blue sky forever. I was filled with an overwhelming sense of the grandeur of God’s universe and a feeling of worshipful awe. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth! Thou whose glory above the heavens is chanted.
Monday, Mark 4:19a; Mike was truly dedicated to his church. Many people considered him the ideal Christian. He wasn’t afraid to share his faith or volunteer for all kinds of projects. All of that began to change when he was laid off from his job. At first he was positive and upbeat; but as the days of unemployment turned into weeks and the weeks into months he stopped volunteering, his attendance became sporadic and he stopped sharing his faith with others. When I met Mike he was spiritually empty—even though he still believed in God, he had no sense of the sacred. Mike’s problem was that he had an unrealistic view of the rewards of being a Christian. He had always had good things happen to him, and he gave God the glory (as he should have), but when he hit problems in his life instead of developing a realistic, practical faith he felt that his problems stemmed from not having enough faith. He had literally allowed the problems he was facing strangle all the joy and confidence out of his relationship with God. Gradually, Mike developed a healthy, mature faith that allowed him to weather life’s storms. When difficulties arise we must allow them to help us deepen our faith lest negative thinking choke not only the word but our witness. But the cares of the world…enter in and choke the word and it proves unfruitful.
Tuesday, Mark 4:19b; We live in the greatest nation ever conceived in the history of the world. Much of this greatness is due to the economic machine created by capitalism. One of the benefits of such a society is that people have the freedom to rise by their bootstraps and become financially successful. Almighty God has seen fit to give us this freedom and when it is used properly and kept in proper perspective it is a great blessing. Problems develop when people become so focused on making the most of the opportunity for a better life that they allow it to obscure their spiritual balance. This is a danger that is not reserved just for those “rich folks”. We’ve all known hard working church people who allowed their desire for a new boat, a new car or better things to compromise their giving and faithfulness to God’s house. We need to ever be mindful to keep the right balance between our faith and how we handle the great opportunities to better ourselves we have been blessed with. The delight in riches, and the desire of other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
Wednesday, Mark 4:24a; When I was growing up and my mother wanted to make a point she would say, “you can write that down in your little black book so you don’t forget it!” What she meant was that I had better heed and learn from what she was saying. As I got older I learned that I also had to be careful what I decided to “write down in my little black book” because some messages conflicted with the values and standards that I knew were right. As Christians, we need to “take heed” of what we hear—first, we need to pay attention to that which is good and “write it in our little black book (our minds)”; second, we need to take heed to what we are hearing to be certain it not only sounds spiritually reasonable but that it is spiritually sound. Take heed what you hear…
Thursday, Luke 15:17a; Sandra had been sharing her testimony with a group of friends. In it she talked about the many mistakes she had made during her life, then she added “I never really knew who I was until I came face to face with how much God loved me.” One of the problems most people have is that they become so focused on “finding themselves” that they never look in the right place. The young man in the familiar story of the lost son had been such a person. Like the writer of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, he had searched in all the wrong places. Finally having exhausted his resources (emotionally and financially) he “came to himself”. That is a wonderful phrase, it reminds us that in our search for ourselves we often wander farther away from who God created us to be. When this young man mentally turned around and came back to who he was born to be he realized that he had a father who cared for him. Once we realize who we really are we are ready to begin the journey to the heart’s true home. But when he came to himself
Friday, Luke 15:22; One of the tremendous things that coming into right relationship with God can do for us is it helps us understand who we really are. When we stop our search for ourselves long enough to “come to ourselves” we are in a position to begin to realize that we are spiritual beings, created by Almighty God. When we accept this fact, we are humbled by our failures and start on a journey home. Some people never seem to arrive in their Heavenly Father’s arms because they go through life defeated and downtrodden; it is almost as if after going through the gates of the family property they seem to have decided to camp out on the lawn rather than going all the way to house. When we come all the way home to our Heavenly Father, we discover we have worth beyond our comprehension because he bestows upon us the resources we need to live vibrant, victorious lives. But the father said, ”bring quickly the best robe and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand…”
Saturday, Isaiah 33:17; Tomorrow is Palm or Passion Sunday (depending on your religious tradition). This marks the week that leads up to Good Friday and Easter. As we take our annual pilgrimage to the cross and empty tomb we need to remember that we find what we are looking for in situations and events. We should begin today to prepare our hearts and minds for this sacred journey. As you reflect on the life and death of Jesus this coming week, why not begin today to let the words of Isaiah guide what you look for, Your eyes will see the king in his beauty
Saturday, March 28, 2009
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