Devotion - God's Time

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Sep 022010

While I was in line at Starbucks, one of the Baristas was holding this nasty greenish health drink which looked like mint flavored motor oil. He told some coworkers that it contained some kind of grass and apricots. The guy could only have been in his mid twenties, but he was already into the whole health-conscious stage.

Now, I don’t have anything against being health conscious; I think it is a good thing to a reasonable degree, but it reminded me of a news story about a New Zealand Parachutist. He was jumping from 15,000 feet with a camera attached to his helmet to catch the excitement. But things got a little more exciting than he wanted. At 4000 feet, he discovered that his main chute wouldn’t open; neither would his reserve chute. The camera shows him working frantically to fix the problem, but to no avail. The last shot is him waving and yelling “bye” before the screen goes black.

What’s absolutely amazing is that a thorn bush broke his fall, and he survived!

Now, what do a healthy Barista who drinks green mud and a falling parachutist have in common? They’re both on God’s timeline. One day, God decided that it wasn’t time for a parachutist to die. The next day (although I hope not), God may decide that the healthy Barista’s time is up regardless of his yummy drinks. While we treat our bodies with care and respect as the temples of the Holy Spirit himself, we recognize, as the Psalmist said, that “My times are in God’s hands.” And then we must humbly ask with Moses, “Ps 90:12 Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

All too often, we look at life as “my life,” instead of recognizing that it is God’s life.

That’s why we keep going back to Christ who said, “John 12:27-28 27 “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!” As Jesus looked a hellish death in the face for the sin of the world, our sin, he was terribly troubled. He knew the cost and the pain, but this was the whole reason he had come. It was God’s glory and love for us that drove him forward to that very hour! And so, he put his time in the Father’s hands.

God give us strength to do the same with our lives, as spouses, parents, employees, and citizens. Our time is God’s time; let’s live for his glory every day that he gives us!

Posted by matt at 5:34 pm Tagged with: , , ,

Devotion - God's Priests

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Aug 262010

Remember the first Passover? God’s people, the Israelites, were in slavery in Egypt. He sent nine plagues to convince Pharoah, “You’d better let my people go.” But Pharaoh didn’t want to lose his cheap labor. So God sent one final plague. He struck down every firstborn son in Egypt. But the Israelite families who slaughtered a lamb and put its blood on their doorposts were spared. No firstborn son died in those homes. But because God, in his grace, spared these firstborns, they became his special property.

Not long after, we hear how God made Moses count all the firstborn Israelite males in the tribe of Levi who were a month old or more (Numbers 3). He also made Moses count all the firstborn Israelites in the other 11 tribes who were a month old or more. There were 22,000 Levite firstborn males and 22,273 other firstborn males. (Stay with me; this is going somewhere.) God told Moses that he would take the Levite males as his own special property instead of the other males from the other tribes as payment for sparing all the firstborn males of Israel at the Passover. In fact, the extra 273 males had to be bought back with a special offering.

The Levites became God’s special priests and holy servants who offered sacrifices for the people, prayed for the people, preached to the people, sung to the people, and cared for the temple for the next 1500 years.

Jesus is the Passover lamb whose blood was shed to cover our sins before an angry God. Jesus was slaughtered; we went free. But when God sacrificed his Firstborn, He bought us for himself to be His new Firstborn children. See where this is going? When God bought us, then, we also became his priests. 1 Peter says, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a people belonging to God.”

As priests we offer our bodies as living sacrifices, living lives of worship for God’s glory. Everything in our lives belongs to God, our time, our abilities, our finances—every moment, every chore, every event on the calendar. Paul wrote, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it ALL for the glory of God.” We are priests who pray for each other in good times and bad, every day praying for our Christian brothers and sisters, every day praying for this community and the lost. We are priests who preach God’s amazing grace to all those who need it. We are priests who sing of God’s love with melodies of kindness and generosity toward our Christian family and the world. We are priests who strive to care for the beautiful temple (that is, the body) that God has given us so that he is praised through purified thoughts, words, and deeds.

All this because we are God’s. That’s a comfort and a call to action!

Posted by matt at 11:01 am Tagged with: , , ,

Devotion - Save the Church

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Aug 192010

Recently, some young ladies in our congregation heard about our financial crunch and decided to do something about it. So, they set up a little table outside their home and sold snowcones and sandwiches to raise money. Along the front of the table was a sign: “Save the Church.” When sales weren’t quite what they wanted them to be, they apparently just marched up and down the road looking for donations from anyone they could find. Their plea was so heartfelt that one boy ran into their parent’s house and yelled out, “Is your church really going to be destroyed?” God be praised for such Jesus-centered enthusiasm!

“Save the church.” Thankfully, in spite of a whole lot of sin and folly over the centuries, the Church, capital “C,” has been saved. The Apostle Paul tells us, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, to make her holy (set apart, guiltless), cleansing her by the washing with the water through the word.” (Ephesians 5:25,26) Those who follow Jesus have no need to fear life or death because Christ has completely cleansed them from their guilt through his blood.

And through that salvation, He has also called us to participate in His project to “Save the world,” starting in Central Texas. That’s why we pour ourselves into ministry and sacrifice our time, abilities, and treasures in service to this Community. That’s why we come together in Worship and Small Group. That’s why our families volunteer in the community and hold bake sales for the Serving Center. That’s why we send devotions home and encourage parents to pray with their children. That’s why we send money to places like Asia Lutheran Seminary and relief groups in Haiti! “Save the World!” Christ gave everything up so that all could have real redemption, peace, hope, and purpose. Let’s get the word out as far as we can, whatever it takes!

Posted by matt at 12:04 pm Tagged with: ,

Devotion - From Infancy

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Aug 122010

Not long ago, Jack Neal briefly became the proud owner of a pink convertible car after he managed to buy it for 9,000 pounds ($17,000) on the Internet despite being only three years old. Jack’s mother told the BBC she had left her password for the eBay auction site in her computer and her son used the “buy it now” option to complete the purchase. “Jack’s a whizz on the PC and just pressed all the right buttons,” Rachel Neal said.

They always say, “if can’t get your computer to work, ask a forth grader.” But three years old—that’s pretty impressive. Kids just keep learning technology earlier and earlier, and that on their own.

But when it comes to spiritual things, kids will not pick it up on their own. In fact, the Bible says, “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child.” (Proverbs 22:15) David wrote, “Surely I was sinful from birth…” (Psalm 51:5)

That’s why God gives parents the responsibility and privilege of raising their children “in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Consider the great missionary Timothy. Paul wrote, “From infancy you (Timothy) have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15).

Here’s the thing to remember: Timothy was from Lystra. There was no synagogue (church building/meeting house) in Lystra and probably not even a place of prayer. That means that there were probably no pastors, teachers, or missionaries in Timothy’s city. His father was a non-believing Greek. But Timothy became a great missionary. Why? He was raised in the training and instruction of the Lord by his mother and grandmother who were devout believers and taught Timothy God’s Word from the moment he entered this world.

At bed, in the morning, around the dinner table, tell your kids how great it is to follow the one who freely covers us in his mercy, grace, forgiveness, and purpose. It will make them wise for a life and eternity of peace in the Living Savior!

Posted by matt at 7:03 pm Tagged with: , , ,

Devotion - Whatever IT is...

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Aug 052010

Ebay’s slogan used to be: “Whatever IT is….” They’re trying to convince you that Ebay is an online store worth visiting because you can find whatever it is you want there. And if you visit their site, they really aren’t kidding. Remember when someone sold the world’s longest French fry on Ebay? Remember when one lady sold her body for advertising, offering to be tattooed with any company’s slogan? If you are looking for vintage matchbooks or a 14 Karat yellow gold champagne swizzle stick with retractable slide design, it’s there. “Whatever IT is….”

So many people, even many who know the Good News about Jesus, get trapped by this lie that their sin is unique and terrible, that there is no one so evil as they, that their sin is too great for God’s grace. Even if they don’t say it, they live it. They just keep beating themselves up.

But on the cross, where God’s love and justice collided, Jesus was punished for every sin, no matter how great, how twisted, or how unique—every sin of all time. And Christ’s hellish agony didn’t end until he could honestly cry out, “It is finished,” paid in full! So, whatever IT is, it has been paid for. Stop beating yourself up! Leave your sin, and live for Jesus!

Posted by matt at 6:47 pm Tagged with: , , ,

Devotion - Dumb Mistakes

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Jul 292010

“An Italian thief accidentally turned himself in after losing his cellular phone while robbing an elderly lady, calling his own number to meet the finder — and unwittingly arranging a date with police.

“The 77-year-old victim handed over the phone that the bag snatcher had dropped to police, who lured the thief to a meeting where he was arrested….

“By the time police were waiting for him at the meeting point, the 35-year-old had already robbed another old lady and was riding a stolen scooter, Agi said.”

How dumb can someone be? Calling your cellphone which you dropped at the scene of the crime to find out who picked it up so that you can get it back.

But see, we make the same kind of dumb mistakes when we let our sinful nature move us to embrace a different path than God lays out for us. It convinces us that the only thing which really matters is the moment. Think about the consequences later. Just blow up at your kids now because you need somewhere to take out your aggression; don’t think about how that will devastate them for hours. Look at that filthy picture now; worry about the effect it’s going to have on your relationship with your wife later. Gossip about that person now. Worry about her reputation later. Spend way more than you really have on new clothes or that great electronic toy. Worry about paying for it later. And we dive right in to make some really foolish mistakes. That’s the thing about temptation: it shuts our brain down while enticing our desires.

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus, a two-part victory. When we fall to temptation and do something stupid, it’s the victory of forgiveness. Through Jesus’ resurrection, our guilt has been removed. And the second victory is a victory of power. In Jesus, we are given the power to think through what we do and to contend against temptation.

It’s a victory that is yours right now through Jesus. Let’s pray for his strength to realize it and live it to his glory.

Posted by matt at 3:01 pm Tagged with: , ,

Devotion: Don't Owe

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Jul 222010

The news recently carried this story: “William Fogarty doesn’t understand the fuss. He just forgot to pay a parking ticket. When he finally realized it, the 86-year-old retiree made good and mailed in a money order, to pay a $1 ticket he got 60 years ago.

“Fogarty got the ticket in Norfolk, Va., in May 1946. Soon after, he bought a $1 money order to pay the fine but forgot to send it in. About a month ago, as he was looking through a box of collectibles from his Navy days, Fogarty discovered a wallet with the money order inside.

“So he wrote a letter to the Norfolk Police Department and included the money order.

“’At my age, when I go out of here, I don’t want to owe anyone a dime,’ he told the St. Petersburg Times.”

I think William may have been joking, but I still thought his comment was a pretty interesting commentary on our nature. There is this deep, internal knowledge that tells us we have to deal with our debts before we die, that we need to make things right before we face a Holy God.

People spend years trying to work their way out of moral debt (even subconsciously sometimes) by occasional acts of kindness and sacrifice, hoping that such things will “pay off” some of what they owe.

But how do you know when you’ve done enough? How do you know when you’ve reached zero balance? Still more, how do you know when you’ve begun to acquire enough moral capital to make God happy? You see, it’s more than just staying out of debt that makes a person righteous before God; it’s also remembering to do all the good things that should be done in the first place. That’s why trying to pay off our sinful debts before we “go out of here” is frustrating and ultimately fruitless venture that ends up casting us into despair or blinding us with a deceitful self-righteousness that will never fool God.

Praise to Jesus, the Savior who lived perfectly in our place. He never accrued any debt, because he never did wrong. On the positive side, he never missed an opportunity to do right, either. He did what we needed to do so that God could count us debt-free. Because of his death and resurrection, his life has been credited to us in a miraculous way. Those who trust in him can leave this place confident that they don’t owe God a dime, because Jesus paid the debt through his death and built up the perfect moral capital with his life. Ponder that today and live for his glory.

Posted by matt at 3:50 pm Tagged with: , ,

Devotion: Creation

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Jul 152010

Recently, I was at a restaurant, loading up my plate at the salad bar when I noticed, as if for the first time, the baco-bits. They are so unnatural. How do they make those things? Where did they come up with that hot-pink neon color? Then, a few days later, as Chris and I were taking our regular prayer walk, we were absolutely astounded by the blazing, deep orange ball of the sun rising in all of its brilliance. I concluded that God does color so much better than red dye number 2.

When we look at creation—I mean really take a few moments to push “end” on the cellphone, to stop the car, to take a break from vacuuming, planning, and running—we can’t help but be overwhelmed by its amazing beauty. We’re struck by the infinite imagination of our Father who loves to “wow” us with a daily display that makes Disney World productions look like someone flashing a pen light on a wrinkled bed sheet. Why should we be so blessed as to be privy to the deep salmon color of a mile-high cloud bank reflecting the newly risen sun? Why should we be so blessed as to look out from the top a snow-capped mountain upon countless acres of plush valley? Why should we have the wonderful opportunity of dozing off under an umbrella to the rhythmic sounds of frothy surf?

For that matter, why should God choose us not only to experience these wonders but to someday inherit a New Earth where beauty will never be tainted by disaster, heartache, or death again?

Ps 8:3-4

3 When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,

the son of man that you care for him?

NIV

Posted by matt at 3:43 pm Tagged with: , ,

Devotion: Collapsed Mine

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Jul 082010

A few years ago, after a Russian coal mine collapsed, the news reported that 106 workers died, four were still missing, and one survived. ONE survived.

Just for a moment, I tried to put myself in the shoes of that ONE man. How would I feel if I were the only one who walked out of that mine? How would I handle it? How would my life change? It’s difficult to imagine.

And yet, by God’s grace, that is what has happened to us who follow Jesus. Out of the billions of people on this planet, God has chosen you to walk out of this collapsing world into the safety and beauty of heaven. Why you? Why me? Why any of us? It’s certainly not because we’re any better than the rest. In fact, if we think so, that’s the sin of arrogance; maybe it’s a different sin, but sin nonetheless. It’s not that we’re more talented than the rest or have so much more potential. In fact, Paul writes, “1 Corinthians 1:26-30 26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus…” Notice, “It is because of HIM.” It is because of God’s mercy that he chose you from eternity to experience His grace. It is because of Him that you know forgiveness and purpose. It is because of Him that you will walk out of this collapsing mine someday.

Actually, the neat thing is that this worldly mine hasn’t fully collapsed yet. There are still more people trapped alive and in desperate need of deliverance. We know the mine well and, more importantly, the way out.

Why you? Why me? Why any of us? In part, it’s to go back in and bring others out.

Posted by matt at 3:28 pm Tagged with: , ,

Devotion: Cemeteries

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Jul 012010

Ps 146

Praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

2 I will praise the LORD all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

3 Do not put your trust in princes,

in mortal men, who cannot save.

4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

on that very day their plans come to nothing.

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD his God,

6 the Maker of heaven and earth,

the sea, and everything in them —

the LORD, who remains faithful forever.

7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed

and gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets prisoners free,

8 the LORD gives sight to the blind,

the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,

the LORD loves the righteous.

9 The LORD watches over the alien

and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10 The LORD reigns forever,

your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the LORD.

NIV

Did you notice that sobering sentence? “On that very day (when they die) their plans come to nothing.” It reminded me of what a friend once said when I was overwhelmed by all that I had to do and what would happen if I didn’t get it all done. He said, “Remember, cemeteries are filled with people the world couldn’t live without.”

It’s a sobering reminder. We have such grandiose plans, a great list of things that we hope to accomplish on this earth, all of the ways that we hope to make our mark on the world, but the moment we die, it all comes to nothing.

That’s why the psalmist continued: “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God.” He encourages us to trust in the eternal God whose plans never fail. As we build our lives around Jesus and His grace, working to give Him the glory, He promises that he will work out all things for our good and will accomplish His good will in our lives.

What is one thing that you need to hand over to God instead of fretting about it? Is there something that seems so important but detracts from God’s purpose for your life? Do you need to drop one or two programs to get life more into balance so that you can focus on God’s plans for you as a spouse, parent, or friend?

Posted by matt at 1:33 pm Tagged with: , ,
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