Category: Devotional

Pulling Together
Did you ever notice how small special interest groups gain momentum and eventually get what they want? They don’t really need to be in a majority, they just have to have plenty of support. They eventually are able to withstand all opposition and over power it.

Solomon compares this to a three-fold rope. (Ecclesiastes 4:12) A length of rope is made from a number of smaller strands twisted together. The total strength of each small strand is less than the strength of all of the strands working together as a unit.

Good rope has many small fibers twisted together to make it strong and flexible
- Rope works as a unit – The weight a rope bears is distributed across all the strands
- Rope is strong. – The weakness of each small strand is hidden by the others
- Rope is dynamic – it can be stretched and the it returns to its original state
- Rope is dependable – Mountaineers rarely attribute falls to their rope. When they do, the rope was often not maintained properly.
God gave us a gift that operates just like a rope. He gave us the church.

Your attendance, participation and contribution to the work of the church is how it grows (and therefore growing God’s kingdom.)

Just like the fibers that are wound into strands, that are wound into rope, your small contribution becomes huge to the group at large. That little bit of weight you bear could be enough to keep the whole operation running well.

If you are trying to decide whether or not to go to church today, I hope you’ll think about that.

Daily Bible reading for July 7

Ecclesiastes 4
Joshua 5
Jeremiah 1:1-10
Matthew 16
July 7, 2013
Seeing the Big Picture
Last night a group from my church and some guests from some other congregations sat down together and read Genesis. This is our no discussion, no commentary group reading I’ve written about before. We call it Biblepalooza to contrast our love for God’s word against the worldly activities that use up our time. These long sessions always take me through a new depth of understanding that I have never experienced before.

A quilt has hundreds of seems and edges pieced together for a single beautiful pattern

Last night I saw God’s plan unfold. It was almost like stepping back and looking at the big picture beside God.

Despite the efforts to tear down and defile God’s creation, he showed us over and over again that his will is going to win out in the end. Even to the extent of using evil men, God can make good come out of even the worst of situations. (Genesis 50:20)

When we take a Christian look at current events, it is easy to get shaken up. Sometimes we even ask, what has happened to “God’s people?” Our view might be described as that from the underside of a patchwork quilt. The rough edges of the seams, the hanging threads and faded colors do not do justice to the beauty on the other side.

Ecclesiastes 3 helps us understand a few things:
- Man cannot circumvent God’s time and seasons
- Man should accept that God’s will is beyond his control
- Everything has a purpose in God’s scheme
- Sometimes it is good to pull back and look at things from the perspective of eternity
It is God’s intent to use us in his kingdom. He wants us out there teaching and being an example as close to Christ-like as we can humanly be. (2 Timothy 2:2, Philippians 4:9) His plan will be complete in his time. It is good to know that the path we are on right now might have something to do with that.

Daily Bible reading for July 6

Ecclesiastes 3:9-22
Joshua 4
Zephaniah 3:9-20
Matthew 15
July 6, 2013
Why Did You Doubt?
Peter looked around and saw the waves and felt the wind pulling at his cloak. Then he saw how far away the shore was and that was enough.

Do you feel the disappointment in Jesus’ voice as he reaches out and grabs Peter?

Matthew 14:22-32 is the account of Jesus walking on the water. That Jesus could walk on the water isn’t the surprising part. What is surprising is even after all that Peter has been through with Jesus – after being able to heal the sick, just like Jesus – his faith faded.

Wouldn’t Jesus be disappointed in us if we let our faith slip a little bit? Doesn’t our situation often worsen when we forget to give our fears and doubts to him? Some of the little things we do (or forget to do) is a symptom of that happening.
- When our giving isn’t at the top of our budget, our faith has slipped.
- When we worry about the little things in life, our faith has slipped.
- When we don’t pray regularly and earnestly, our faith has slipped.
- When we choose not to mention Jesus when given an opportunity, our faith has slipped.
Just as when he got into the boat, when we let Jesus in our lives, the winds cease.

Daily Bible reading for July 5

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Joshua 3
Zephaniah 3:1-8
Matthew 14
July 5, 2013
Avoiding the Thorns
If you have been to church as many years as I have, you’ve heard the Parable of the Sower hundreds of times. (Matthew 13:1-23) Some new angle pops out of it every time I come across it. Any Bible teacher should refer to it often, but even as Bible students, we can look at it as a warning of what will happen if we fail to tend the garden of our heart.

When the seed fell among the thorns, that was the hearer caring more for the world. (Matthew 13:22) These are people that understand what they have heard, believed it and maybe even have taken the steps to respond to it through baptism. Every Christian was in this spot when they were first baptized.

What causes the thorns? Where do they come from?

So many things can cause the seeds of the kingdom to be choked out:
- Allowing TV and Movies to influence us
- Failing to be with the church at every opportunity
- No self-reading and Bible study routine
- Poor choices of friends
- Allowing the world to guide our priorities.
The list can go on and on.

What is the thorn in your life? We all have one. Whether or not we fall to it depends on how much it is given an opportunity to grow.

Daily Bible reading for July 4

Ecclesiastes 2:24-26
Joshua 2
Zephaniah 2:4-15
Matthew 13
July 4, 2013
Being Known By Our Fruit
They shall be know by their fruit

The world (and many that claim to be Christians) will use Matthew 7:1 as a way to avoid being told they are living wrong. To make that verse an instruction against judging good and evil causes a conflict with nearly everything else Jesus taught.

Take for instance Matthew 12:33-37. Jesus gives us a benchmark on how to tell the difference between good and evil. We can use a person’s actions and their speech to determine what kind of people they are because:
- We can easily know the kind of tree by the fruit hanging on it.
- Good speech comes from good people
- Good things come from good treasure
In this passage, Jesus tells us we simply cannot be expected to consider sinful people good.

To prove my point, I challenge the reader to a little mental exercise. What goodness is demonstrated by a few of these “harmless” activities?
- Gambling (The lottery, gas station slots, boy’s night poker games)
- Social Drinking
- Showing cleavage (Or dressing immodestly in other ways)
- Crude language
Through Jesus’ point we can understand our lifestyle is a very accurate indicator of what is inside our heart. It will definitely be used in the final judgment!
July 3, 2013
Wearing His Yoke

When most people think of a yoke, they think of it as a tool of burden. Yokes help animals push plows and carriages. There are hot summer days and boiling sun associated with working around yokes.

Yokes actually make life easier. There are various ways yokes have been rigged for humans so they can carry enormous loads. Without a well-designed yoke, it would be impossible to carry enough provisions in a backpack to hike very many days at a time. Farmers can carry gallons and gallons of water for their livestock on a yoke.

When Jesus said to take his yoke from him and learn, (Matthew 11:29) he knew he was asking a lot of us. Being a Christian is not always an easy lifestyle. Like the yoke of a hiker’s backpack, or like the yoke of a farmer moving large buckets of water, the yoke that Jesus asked us to take helps us deal with so much more.

Jesus’ yoke makes us better at love. Better at kindness. Gentleness.

Jesus’ yoke makes us strong enough to deal with life’s pain. Stronger to defend God’s word. Courageous.

We weren’t promised an easy life – but he gives us the tools to cope with anything.

July 2, 2013