Category: Daily Devotionals

WHICH WAY THE WIND BLOWS

Ephraim feeds on the wind, and pursues the east wind continually.  Hosea 12:1

            The ‘east wind’ in all countries, is a parching, injurious wind.  What does it mean that God’s people are pursuing and feeding on a wind that is self-destructive?  They make alliances that are bad for them.  They feed off deals and agreements that are made by their own ingenuity, created without prayer and without regard for what God might have in mind.

            To hear many talk, ‘the big deal’ is always around the corner.  They’re always working on it and are quick to let others know that it’s going to be prosperous.  Continue reading “Which Way The Wind Blows” →

WHEN I’VE EMOTIONALLY CHECKED OUT!

Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. And he blessed Abram and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” Genesis 14:17-20

             Abram had been traveling by faith for a long time now.  He had entered many foreign territories and encountered king after king.  They had all been unrighteous, whether by deed or in whom they worshiped.  Not one had been a follower of Yahweh!  Yet, out of nowhere comes the King of Salem to meet Abram after his battle for Lot and his family.  Abram is weary and, most-likely, vulnerable.  He has just risked the lives of himself and his men for a spiritually wayward family member.

            The thought of meeting a righteous King was out of the realm of his experience.  He had probably never thought there was such a thing.  Say the word ‘king’ to Abram, and he’d think ‘enemy’ or ‘heathen’.  Yet, here was a king who came to refresh him with a meal, encourage him with God’s very words, and give him a blessing.  He was the first to bless Abram other than God!  Abram had not grown cynical with his previous experience of other kings.  He did not approach Melchizedek warily and refuse his affection.  This, to me, is one of the miracles of this story.

            When life has always been one way for 40 years, the thought that it could be different is often beyond hope.  I quit praying.  I stop dreaming.  My faith shrivels.  I simply cease believing that God will do a new thing.  Technically, I may know He can because He is God.  But dangerously, I believe His heart for me has switched off.  He doesn’t love me enough to bless me with a different experience. Continue reading “Checked Out” →

CLINGING TO TRUTH IS CLINGING TO JESUS

Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ.  Jude 1

Jude was the brother of James (James the less) and Simeon, and all three were the half-brothers of Jesus.  They had at least one thing in common; they did not believe that Jesus was the Christ until they were older.  Blood relatives can be blind to anointing. Proximity yields a normalcy that obscures the signs of kingdom greatness. In spite of rejection, they all became bright lights after fully receiving the love of Christ.  Their passion for Him was stunning. They defended the faith and were martyred by people in far off lands, people who were hostile toward the Gospel.

Jude’s only letter was short but powerful.  He wrote generally, to the church at large, about the deterioration of doctrine.  He just about begs his listeners to defend the faith, to contend for it vigorously at all costs, even unto death.  He was clear to convey that when you and I defend doctrine, we defend Truth and Truth is a Person.  When we err from any one important tenet of the faith, we mar the face of Christ.

Today’s church is weak in theology. And, if weak in theology, absent in faith. We must know Jesus’ history, understand the sweeping narrative of Scripture, and become intimately acquainted with the backbone of our Rabbi’s faith if we are to possess the steel foundation that endures challenging times.  If our doctrine is mushy, so is our faith and weak is our light. Continue reading “Clinging To Truth is Clinging To Jesus” →

SINGING A SOLO IN MODERN DAY BABYLON

By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”  How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy! Psalm 137:1-6

         Not all Psalms were written by David. This one was written by a Jewish exile living in Babylon. Having seen his homeland destroyed and taken as a captive into the foreign culture of the Babylonian Empire, he struggled to find his voice and get his spiritual bearings. His new homeland was corrupt and excessive and the people of God stuck out like sore thumbs. They were invited to sing their simple songs of faith to the taunts of the crowd, not unlike the Jews who were made to perform in the camps for Nazi soldiers. Brilliant violinists, violists, cellists, and bass violin players formed string quartets to pacify the military tyrants who despised them.

       This week, our song was rendered just as peculiar against the backdrop of the Supreme Court ruling. As we continue to witness the rapid decline into the abyss of godlessness, we know that we must not conform. God’s grace will enable us to stand and to sing. Our allegiance is to the kingdom of heaven and the culture of holiness.

       For many of us, depression is near and inviting. Admittedly, there is emotional and spiritual adjustment for what we’ve witnessed and what we know will come next. But in our grief, God invites us to sing the songs of the exiles. We are clearly outsiders here and the brunt of society’s jokes but our voices must not be silenced. The noise of evil must not, and cannot, prevail over the praise of God’s people.

         It’s not time to close the piano lid. It’s not time to retire the pen of the poet. It’s not time to put away the instruments. Never has the music of faith been more important and never are the songs sweeter than when saints raise their joyful voices with tear stained faces.

You are my joy. Let my hope sing. In Jesus’ name, Amen

UNFINISHED GRIEVING

We do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.  I Thess. 4:13

Anyone who has said goodbye to a parent, a child, or a sibling in death, can stop grieving too soon. Perhaps the pain is too frightening.  It appears as an abyss of unfathomable depths.  Someone said to me recently, “If I start crying, I won’t be able to stop.”   This is usually how true grief feels.  It overwhelms us with its power. Continue reading “Unfinished Grief” →

EMPTYING MY HEART

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:8

         How many people exist with whom you can speak freely – without a filter? With whom can you pour out your heart and know that divine wisdom is hearing it, filtering it, and responding to it? Precious few. To speak freely is a gift rarely experienced.

I had a conversation recently with a ministry acquaintance and well-trusted friend. Though I only see her once a year, my trust in her walk with God goes deep. I met with her to seek her wisdom on an issue that required feedback of someone with a true prophetic gift; one who could discern the mind and heart of God on a matter. At the beginning of our time together, I expressed my gratitude over the fact that for several hours, I could pour out my heart in safety. I wouldn’t have to weigh my words and hold anything back.

‘Pouring out’ in Hebrew means what it portrays. To empty oneself of something. I’ve been surprised just how often this phrase is used in scripture. A dependent prayer is described as the ‘pouring out of one’s soul’. God also says that ‘He pours out His wrath’. That’s sobering. And how about this? God says that He will ‘pour out His Spirit on the house of David’ and they will finally be able to see ‘whom they have pierced and weep bitterly.’ Zech 12:10

Remembering the day I poured out my heart to a trusted woman of God made me ask myself if I feel that freely with God. Continue reading “Emptying My Heart” →

SPIRITUAL RESTING

So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.  Genesis 2:3

What God meant and what I perceive can be two completely different things.  I plugged in the meanings from the Hebrew words for resting. God ‘praised and gave strength’ to the seventh day and ‘removed it from common use’.

Something very powerful is going on.  This is the first instance of God making something holy, like Himself.  When God blesses, he infuses strength.  When God makes something holy, it is no longer common and ordinary.  And when God rests, he stops everything and ceases his work.

Do I believe that my Sabbath is a day like the other six except I don’t do much?  That can be the impression from the past generation as teaching on the power of original Sabbath rest was absent.  There were rules about everything we couldn’t do on Sunday but the privilege of being quiet to meet with God was never mentioned. We watched through our windows as everyone else had fun on Sunday afternoon while we were trapped inside.  Continue reading “Spiritual Resting” →

ENDURING THE SHAME

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.  Romans 1:16

            It’s not easy to stand alone.  Shame is a powerful weapon.  Perhaps you are the only Christian in your entire family.  The ridicule you have to endure because you believe God’s Word is cruel, even crushing, at times.

            I am writing this today to some Christian leaders who are fighting for truth in the midst of their own lukewarm congregations.  Committee meetings get overheated quickly in Laodicean churches as truth becomes relative and the sword gets dull.  The one who threatens the status quo is publicly lynched. Continue reading “Shame” →