Daily Devotion, January 7, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Genesis 21:14-19.

Once Sarah gives birth to Isaac she wants Hagar and Ishmael permanently banished. Hagar and her son Ishmael are forced into the wilderness with only some bread and water, which is almost a death sentence. When the water runs out, Hagar places her son in the shade of a bush and goes off because she can’t bear the sound of his crying and the thought of her child dying. She begins to weep. Franklin Roosevelt said, “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” Hagar is near the end of her rope when, in what she believed were the last moments of her life, she lifted up her voice and called to God for help. God heard her, and heard the weak voice of her dying son. Then her eyes were opened, and she saw something she had missed before: a well of fresh water. She refilled the skin that Abraham had given her. They lived in the wilderness of Paran, where Ishmael grew to manhood.

There are a lot of lessons we can learn from Hagar’s experience. She was resilient and brave and she was a survivor. In the most difficult moments of her life, God showed up to give her comfort and hope. She was obedient to what God told her to do. Sometimes when we’re really hurting we can miss the resources and the help that God may have placed within our view or grasp, but with the Lord’s help we may discover there are wells of water available to us. All this happened with Hagar and it can happen for us too. Like Hagar, we may cry out to God in our time of deepest need and the Lord may speak to us and show us there is a way when there seems to be no way. When we’ve tied a knot in the end of our rope and are hanging on, that’s when God may show up.

Personal Worship:

Let’s pray: God, thank you for seeing us and hearing us in our times of need, especially when we’ve been mistreated or we find ourselves in the desert and feeling we can’t go on. We pray that you give us the faith, strength, and courage we need to go forward in life with renewed hope, deeper faith, and stronger love. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Daily Devotion, January 6, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-10. (NRSV) 

Stingy, Enough, Generous, Lavish, Cheerful. From the NRSV and the Message translations, these are adjectives on a continuum which Paul utilizes to describe ways of giving. These adjectives aren’t just about the giving of money. These words describe additional ways of giving from the heart toward an investment into the lives of others for Christ’s kingdom’s sake. This is also giving time, talents, service and grace toward helping individuals and communities who are experiencing and enduring poverty.

Paul is encouraging the people in this congregation to continue giving generously and cheerfully because these are the ways which God has given and continues to give to them. Paul reminded them of the all sufficiency of God’s resources. Each one could give generously because of God’s grace.

Paul weaves the threads of scriptures from Psalms 112:9 and Isaiah 55:10 into these verses to describe God’s ways of giving. Paul indicated that as God supplied “seed” to the generous “sower” so also, God would supply food, seed, and fruit to the generous giver.

It is our Creator who is truly supplying and providing for all of our needs. Thus, God enables the generous giver to have all of the resources that are necessary to produce a full harvest of good deeds of service unto others. We can completely trust God to provide.

Dr. J. Paul Sampey says,  “Paul writes the word ‘charis’, which is the Greek word for “grace”, ten times in Chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians. Not only is the charis freely given by God, but also it is given abundantly, beyond measure. The NRSV’s use of ‘generous undertaking’ reflects the translators’ efforts to express that God’s grace, once received, generates grace-laden acts to others and to finish the circle full round, the charis that is received as a gift from God can and does properly flow back to God in the form of grateful thanks from graced recipients. So, for Paul, charis is all at once a gift from God, the good works that charis inspires, and the thanks to God for charis and the abundance that it inevitably brings with it!”

Personal Worship Option:

Dear God, help me to see again all the ways that you provide. You provide enough and so much more. Lead me in ways to give generously and with a cheerful heart. Thank you for your abundant grace. Amen.

Daily Devotion, January 5, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read 1 Kings 19:1-8.

Elijah must have been worn out after the period of wars and prayers and rain but he must also have been on an emotional and spiritual high. What sometimes happens after really BIG highs? We feel really BIG lows. We are exhausted and emotionally drained. Elijah must have felt that. He probably wanted to get some real R and R by the Mediterranean Sea. And then Ahab reported (tattled) to Jezebel saying that Elijah had killed the prophets of Baal. Jezebel was not too happy, so she threatened to kill Elijah. I'm sure all Elijah wanted at that time was to sit on the hammock, eat some figs, and rest in his victory but then a death threat reigns down on his head. So Elijah fled for some alone time in the wilderness. He found a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. In his solitude Elijah must have examined the ugly in his life. God allowed Elijah to rest. Elijah lay down and slept under the broom tree, a type of desert shrub, sometimes large enough to offer shade for those in need. Isn't that what we all need? We need a broom tree to find peace and quiet, solitude. God spoke and told Elijah to eat. There beside his head Elijah discovered some baked bread and a jar of water. In the solitude, God was providing for Elijah. Then God allowed Elijah to rest some more. God's angel told Elijah to eat again because there was a long journey ahead of him. Elijah obeyed and gained enough strength to travel forty days to Mount Sinai. 

It is under our own broom tree where we may learn the most important lessons of life. The broom tree is where we can encounter God. It's the place where we are vulnerable. It is the place where we can surrender our will to God. It's the place where he wants to find us so that we can explain ourselves and so that he can reveal himself. Our broom tree is where we go for solitude so that we can really experience our own personal victory of faith. Personal Worship Option:

Consider yourself under the broom tree of God’s protection and love today. What do you want to tell him? Explain your heartaches or share your blessings with him. Then listen as he reveals himself to you.

Daily Devotion, January 4, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Exodus 16:13-18.

After God saved the Children of Israel at the Red Sea, they headed into the desert toward Mt. Sinai. They likely had killed and eaten the animals they had brought out of Egypt with them, and the unleavened bread made from the dough they carried from the start of the journey was no doubt gone. What would they do? First they would complain…that is what we humans do! God heard their grumbling and promised to provide food for them. That night, God sent quail to cover the camp; and the next morning the dew dried away, leaving white flakes like frost on the ground. The people asked, “What is it?” and called the substance “manna,” from the Hebrew for that question. Eaten raw, it tasted like wafers made with honey! In verse 23, God instructed them to bake it or boil it, preparing it as they wished. If this had happened in our southern culture, I am sure God would have told us to fry it!

The key point of the passage is that God always provides for our needs. God provided just enough manna for each person, no more and no less, and God provided it on a daily basis for forty years until the Israelites arrived in the Promised Land. God is faithful and provides for our daily needs and blesses us with a richness beyond just manna. Personal Worship Option:

Reflect today on the lessons from the way God provided the manna, constantly but one day at a time, enough but not too much. What lessons might this hold for us in our consumer-driven society? Pray today for the peace that comes with simplicity and the knowledge that God loves us and provides for our needs.  

Daily Devotion, January 3, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read John 10:11-16.

Today in our worship time at Christ Church, we will begin a new sermon series that focuses on the “I Am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John. For Jesus to regularly use this phrase as a way to identify himself, he was claiming to be God, because that was the name God gave Moses when he was sent to Egypt to confront Pharaoh. God said “Tell them “I am” sent you.”  

In these verses, Jesus describes himself as “the good shepherd.” To say that strongly insinuates that there are bad shepherds and he includes a description of them as well. They are just in it for the money and when trouble comes, they leave. They do not care about the sheep; they care only about themselves. By contrast, the good shepherd cares so much for their sheep, they are willing to even lay down their life defending those in their care. 

On our trip to the Holy Land last February, several times we saw shepherds out on the hillside. This was rugged, rocky land. A shepherd would have to love what they do and love the sheep in their care to persevere in that role. Jesus lets us know that God is that good shepherd who is faithful to care for and guide each of us. Be reminded of this assurance today: you are under the care of the good shepherd. Personal Worship Option:

Offer a prayer of gratitude to God for the many ways you have been cared for, nurtured and guided throughout your life.

Daily Devotion, January 2, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Romans 8:31-39.

This has to be in the “top ten” of the “good news” passages in all of the Bible! The Apostle Paul was writing to Christians of the first century, but these words have encouraged and assured God’s people ever since.  

There are a lot of things that can happen in life that cause us to wonder if God really cares about us. Paul lists several of those possibilities in verses 35 (“..trouble, hardship, persecution…”) and 38-39 (“...death, life, angels, demons....”). And just in case he left anything out, he adds the all-inclusive phrase “...nor anything else in all creation…”! He believes this deeply (“I am convinced…)!  

So do I! Why? Because of what he writes in verse 32: “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all…” God has already proven the depth of this love through that sacrifice.  

Think about what a difference it makes in your life to know that you are loved. To know that no matter what you do or what happens to you, somebody cares about you. But this is not just anybody who cares about you, this is the One who gave you life. As I like to say it, “God loves you and there is nothing you can do (or that can happen to you) to change that.”  

Let that sink into the core of your mind, deep into your soul. When you believe that down deep, you will then be ready to share that same good news with others. This year, find that one person in your circle of relationships (or find a new friend) who most needs to hear that good news. Make it your goal to help them believe that for themselves.

God loves you! Receive it and share it!  Personal Worship Option:

Who is that person for you? Put a “repeating reminder” on your planner/calendar/refrigerator to find that person and leave it there until you do. Pray for God to stay after you until you find that person. 

Daily Devotion, January 1, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Psalm 8.

As we begin a new year, this Psalm is a great reminder of who God is and who God has made us to be. When we look at all of creation, we wonder how God could be concerned for people who constantly disappoint him. Yet God created us only a little lower than himself or the angels! The next time you question your worth as a person, remember that God considers you highly valuable. We have great worth because we bear the image of the Creator himself. Because God has already declared how valuable we are to him, we can be set free from feelings of worthlessness. God has a plan for each one of us. You may not be able to see his purpose or plan, but rest assured that the Lord of heaven is on his throne and in firm control of the universe and our lives. Personal Worship Option:

Loving Father, you made me, so you know very well who I am. Despite my ordinariness, I belong to you - and you are anything but ordinary! Help me pour out your grace and compassion on others that they too may experience the richness of your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.