My Daily Pause

Author: Butch Adams

  • Enough Love For All

    …even sinners love those who love them. – Luke 6:32

    Today when you attend worship, say hello to someone you’ve never spoken to. Try to step outside your comfort zone for a little while.

    It’s good practice for acting like a Christian among those in the world. Jesus expects his disciples to demonstrate a quality of love, helpfulness, and compassion that exceeds everything that is above and beyond what people tend to do.

    When you have mastered this among your fellow church folks, and are able to avoid “fellowship” with only selected friends, you are ready to show worldly people a Christ-like love for all.

  • The Debris of Sin

    The Debris of Sin

    After reading Numbers, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Romans and James with a group from church last night, (Yes! 7 hours of reading!) I am left with one impression:

    A lot like a shard of glass, consequences of our sins can arise at any time.
    A lot like a shard of glass, consequences of our sins can arise at any time.

    The Lord is very forgiving of sin, but he leaves it to us to clean up the mess we make when we do.

    The children of Israel found this out when they ignored one of the conditions for inhabiting the Promised Land. They were to drive out all of the inhabitants. (Numbers 33:55) God even warned them that if anyone was left, those inhabitants would become like thorns in their sides. They failed to obey and we can look at the life of David to see that it still held true even through his days and beyond.

    God expects us to obey his word. He also expects us to act on his behalf when the time comes – a lot like when Mordecai told Esther at one crucial point in the Jews history: “…who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

    Yes, we can sin and be forgiven. We might even be able to take advantage of God’s grace a little bit. In the long run, the unintended consequences may cause us to perish.

    Daily Bible reading for September 7

    Psalm 36
    1 Samuel 27
    Daniel 8
    Luke 5:1-6:16

  • Biblepalooza – A Mental Refill

    Be careful what you think,
    because your thoughts run your life.

    Don’t use your mouth to tell lies;
    don’t ever say things that are not true.

    Keep your eyes focused on what is right,
    and look straight ahead to what is good.

    Be careful what you do,
    and always do what is right.

    Don’t turn off the road of goodness;
    keep away from evil paths. – Proverbs 4:23-27 NCV

    I’ve told you about Biblepalooza before. I have been mentally preparing for it this week as tonight’s session will be a long one. I can’t say enough good about sitting for several hours and letting my mind be washed in God’s word.

    In the passage above, Solomon cautions us in how we think, act and do. Our Biblepalooza sessions are one way to practice that – It’s like a mental refill of things to think about!

    The Things We Think About

    Earl Nightingale’s The Strangest Secret in the World was thought to be rather groundbreaking when it was released in 1961. His basic message was “we are what we think about.” Whatever we put into our minds returns in abundance through our actions. Spending time with God’s word is exactly how to become what God wants us to be. If we are what we think about, then thinking about God is how we do justice to being created in his image.

    Paul reminds us to fill our minds with whatever is good, true and honorable – so many suggestions for what to think about! (Philippians 4:8) What better way to obey such a command than to spend it reading the Bible?

    Tonight I will spend several hours in a room with my brothers and sisters. The only sounds will be the words of God.

    Look for a way to do something similar. Even if it isn’t a formal event like our Biblepalooza, find excuses to read your Bible.

    Start small if you have to. But start.

  • A Faith Lesson from Daniel

    A Faith Lesson from Daniel

    As Daniel noted the new decree that no one should be worshiped except the king, he went straight to his room and prayed. (Daniel 6:10)

    Daniel’s attitude is a model for all Christians, no matter how God and his followers are attacked.

    • He was not defiant – we see that he didn’t make a big deal out the fact he was going to worship his God. He just went about it as was his habit.
    • He was not a coward – we do not see Daniel hiding his worship either. In fact, the folks that set him up to commit a “crime” easily caught him in the act of worshiping.
    • He continued as always – It is difficult to fight for the right to practice something when we failed to exercise that right before it was threatened.
    • His window was open toward Jerusalem – We send mixed messages when we claim to put God first but “open our windows” toward money, fashions, government or any other type of secular concern.
    • He was faithful – Daniel didn’t have any concern for what his enemies thought, what the government legislated or his personal safety. Trusting God always works out in the long run

    By the end of Daniel 6, God was recognized by the kingdom and the freedom to worship not only was preserved, but was enhanced.

    Through Daniel’s example of faith, we see that God’s plan will prevail without our having to force it. We just need to …

    • keep living faithful lives
    • worship regularly without apology but without an air of defiance
    • teach others when we can
    • be an influence that makes others notice

    … and let God use us to complete his work.

    E10413.jpg
    Daniel in the Lions’ Den circa 1614/1616 – Sir Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577 – 1640 )

    Daily Bible reading for September 5

    Psalm 34
    1 Samuel 25
    Daniel 6
    Luke 3:23-4:13

  • How to Make God Glad

    How to Make God Glad

    Have you ever heard your mother or your wife start moving pots and pans in the kitchen and you knew exactly what she was about to make? Maybe it is the distinct sound of a mixing bowl or a cookie sheet. Whatever it happens to be, those sounds make your heart jump because you know something good is coming.

    I wonder if that’s something like the psalmist was thinking when he said “praise befits the upright” (Psalm 33:1) …

    I think about a God whose heart is glad when his children come together in fellowship. How must he feel when he hears the sounds of Christians encouraging each other? Does his attention snap right to us when the congregation begins a song of praise?

    Like Noah's sacrifice, what can we do today that God would consider a fragrant smell?
    Like Noah’s sacrifice, what can we do today that God would consider a fragrant smell?
    • Noah’s sacrifice caused the Lord to make a promise (Genesis 8:20-22)
    • Paul tells us our sacrifices are a credit to us (Philippians 4:14-18)
    • Brotherly love is a sacrifice that gets God’s attention (Ephesians 5:1-2)

    As we conduct ourselves today, what can we do to make God feel the same way we feel when the pots and pans rattle? What could give him the pleasure we know from the smell of hot cookies right out of the oven?

    Making God feel that way – to make God Glad – is the attitude with which we should be giving our praise, our offerings and our worship.

    Daily Bible reading for September 4

    Psalm 33
    1 Samuel 23-24
    Daniel 5
    Luke 3:1-22

  • To Hide From a Sin

    To Hide From a Sin

    Have you ever tried to hide from a sin? Maybe it was against God or another person, but the feeling would be the same either way.

    Hiding from a sin doesn't do us much good.
    Hiding from a sin doesn’t do us much good.

    David really nailed it in Psalm 32:3 about how it feels to have something like that on our conscience. A good dose of guilt is a little like a gift from God. It helps us to remember that we need God and we need to be in good standing with him. In Hebrews 12:5-13, we see that it is a sign of a Father’s love to be disciplined and our course corrected.

    Those whose conscience are seared shut and hearts hardened will find themselves separated from God. This begins through ignorance of the word – the word that reveals God’s love and desire to forgive us. (1 Timothy 4:1-2, Ephesians 4:17-19)

    Of course, those of us that know God’s willingness to forgive, and know his love for us often hide anyway. David said to quit acting like a donkey! (Psalm 32:9) Many of us will allow ourselves to be dragged along, too stubborn to be teachable or able to be lead.

    We are fortunate enough to have Christ has our redeemer and shepherd. Through him God has extended his grace to us and we need not try to hide our sins. It is through him that we have freedom. (John 8:31-32)

    Daily Bible reading for September 3

    Psalm 32
    1 Samuel 21-22
    Daniel 4
    Luke 2:22-52