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October 19

Thursday, October 19th, 2023

It seems incredible to me, and maybe to you as well, that on a planet of millions of people, in this world of school, work, sports, church, organizations, family, friends and a whole host of other options, there are people where one emotion would describe their world.

LONELINESS

Singer, Roy Orbison (probably before your time) captured that emotion in a song he called “Only the Lonely.” A couple of the lines were “Only the lonely know the way I feel tonight…Only the lonely know the heartaches I’ve been through.” That song resonated with a lot of people.

The soft rock group, America (again, probably before your time), sang, “This is for all the lonely people/Thinking that life has passed them by/Don’t give up ’til you drink from the silver cup/And ride that highway to the sky.” Yeah…like many of America’s lyrics I’m not totally sure what that is saying except, “Don’t quit. Don’t give up. There is someone who cares.”

Dan Peek, the writer of that song, once said that even though he had achieved success, he had cut ties with his family and friends, and was in fact, lonely.

Tragic isn’t it? One has the world by its proverbial tail and still has nothing. One can have it all; one can have nothing; and still be lonely.

Jesus spent 3 1/2 years with many lonely people. But He didn’t leave them lonely. The woman scorned by so many, bankrupt because of a blood issue, took one last grasp to the hem of Jesus’ garment and was made whole. The man at the pool of Bethesda in John 5 who was abandoned and had no one to help get him into the water found his health and purpose when Jesus reached out to Him and said he was healed. The outcast leper (multiple times) whom Jesus touched and healed and gave life and hope back to him.

Maybe you. I want you to know you are not alone. I don’t know your situation, and you possibly don’t know me. I want you to know that if you reach out to me, I’ll listen. I’ll listen because I have Jesus in me and He doesn’t want you lonely.

Oh…and by the way: Dan Peek changed his tune. Before He passed away in 2011, he came to know Jesus and left America because he tired of the emptiness of the sex and drugs lifestyle. He found the solution to being lonely. You can too. It is not in stuff or pursuits. It is a Person. His name is Jesus.

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March 20

Monday, March 20th, 2023

Counselor and teacher, the late David Powlison, wrote about what he called “ladders to nowhere.” It goes something like this: if you’re on the sixth rung and I’m on the fourth, you’re better than me. But if I’m on the sixth and you’re on the fourth, I’m better than you.

It’s sad that we see life through those eyes. While he would call it “ladders to nowhere” (and I have no quarrel with that), I would call it “the comparison game.” We find our lack of self-worth or our height of self-worth in how we measure up to another. I read years ago where someone said, “Comparisons are odious.”

We all do it. “I make so-and-so.” Our importance is wrapped up in how much we make. “I do this-and-this in my company.” Our importance is wrapped up in a title or a job description. I know for a fact pastors do it. Get a group of them in a room on a Monday morning and their demeanor will often depend on how Sunday went. Ask them how their church is doing and you will hear the latest stats-giving, attendance, converts, and visitors. Sad. Then ask them how they are doing and one will often hear that they are doing in direct proportion to how their church is doing. Even sadder. Men who should be finding their worth in their relationship with Jesus are no different than their secular counterparts.

My worth, your worth, is not found in having a letter or letters after our name. An “R” or “D” or “I” or “L” should not be our identity. A title of “Pastor” or “Dr.” or “PH.D” or something of that nature should not define our worth. Nor should our worth be tied up in our job, how much we make, how much territory we cover, our title, our family name, or any other temporary means. To quote Powlison: “Before the living God, however, all of us are poor. We are all strangers, not insiders. We are all weak. We are all disabled. We are all dying. We’re all slaves. We’re all children. We need a deliverer.” *

That deliverer is Jesus. He is the One who sets us free from the endless pursuit of nothingness. He is the One who sets us free from worth determined by trivial pursuit.

*Powlison quote from Take Heart-Daily Devotions to Deepen Your Faith– (March 19-p.79)

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March 23

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2022

If I was to put into words what I consider to be one of the premier struggles Christ-followers have, it wouldn’t be Progressive “Christianity.” It wouldn’t be the rightness or wrongness of CRT or BLM or transgenderism or the LGBTQ+ agenda (although I don’t see much right in any of them). It wouldn’t be the whole political game being played on the world stage, nor even the one being played in the states. It wouldn’t be crime or the border or immigration or masking or vaxxing. I think it is something much more serious.

Losing your heart for God.

It’s easy to do. Gotta go here; gotta go there. Have to do this; have to do that. That shiny new thing looks really good. “No one will ever know if I do this or that.” “I’m not a workaholic…I just love my job.” “Arrogant? Me? I’m just good at what I do.”  “The applause of men is so refreshing. It is nice to be appreciated.”  “I’m tired of being good, of denying basic pleasures. I’m going to let go and live for today.”

And the beat goes on.

What doesn’t go on is a heart beating for God. It is sacrificed for the temporary. Displaced by secondary or second rate idols, it fights for supremacy. Being displaced from the throne of my heart is not God’s plan. He wants first place.

He wants my heart always beating for Him. Pursuing a deeper walk with Him. Pursuing intimacy. Passionate. Worship. Adoration. All for Him.

Is my heart beating for God? Is yours?

“Father, You know my prayer without me even stating it. Let my heart beat for You and for You alone.”

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November 10

Wednesday, November 10th, 2021

I finally said it out loud yesterday while talking to one of the elders on the way home from the one day conference in Trafalgar. “I’m tired,” I said, “And if I am honest, a little fried. I feel I guided us through the pandemic fairly well. I (we) worked hard trying to stay in contact with the people. I thought I was going to get some time away in about a week but that trip to AZ was postponed until maybe March. I make no apology for riding or working out. It is my safety net, my sanity trip.”

I said more, but the truth is I am tired. I’m also edgy. What scares me is exhaustion makes me vulnerable. To mistakes. To poor decisions. To raw emotions. To feeling incompetent.

Psalm 142:7-9 spoke to my weary soul this morning. Couple that with 144:1-2 and it was what the doctor ordered. {Please take a moment to read those verses}. Every morning I try to meet with God and have an Encounter Time with Him. I want this to be more than just read a few devotional “helps”; read Scripture; journal; and pray for the folks of OVCF by name. I want Psalm 143:8 to be me!  “Let me hear Your faithfulness in the morning, For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; for you lift up my soul.”  I WANT 143:1-2 to flood by soul. I not only want it; I NEED it. Especially now.

I want to burn for Jesus, not flame out. I want to make a difference, not be indifferent. I want to walk the path, not fall by the wayside. I want to be faithful, not fail.

“Father, be my rock, my faithfulness, my fortress, my stronghold, my Savior, my shield in whom I take refuge (Ps.144:1-2).”

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October 20

Wednesday, October 20th, 2021

All of us go through those times when our faith is dry. The late Keith Green once wrote and sang a song with these lyrics: “My eyes are dry/My faith is old/My heart is hard/My prayers are cold/And I know how I ought to be/Alive to You and dead to me.”

Been there. Done that. Don’t want the t-shirt.

There are all different reasons as to why our faith can become dry. I’m not going to get into them. Instead, I want to look at the cure.

The verse which started my thoughts this morning was Pr.20:27-“The spirit of the person is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the innermost parts of his being.” My mind quickly went to the story of David. After Nathan exposed David’s sin, it drove him to his knees and he wrote Psalm 51. Included in that chapter are these words: “Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; Cleanse me, and I will be whiter than snow…Create in me a clean heart, God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Verses 7,10). David is not only praying for a clean heart, but also a restored one.  Ps.139:23 says, “Search me, God, and know my heart; Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.” Acts 3:19 says, “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

There will be times of coldness, of distance, of hardness, of feeling disjointed. When those times hit, don’t despair. If it is the result of sin, confess it and ask for forgiveness and a renewed spirit (ala David). If it is just one of those times that happens to all of us, don’t panic. Seek the Lord and He will show up.

“Father, when I am dry flood me with Your presence. When I sin, forgive me. Help me to always seek Your presence.”

All Scripture from NASB2020.

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September 2

Thursday, September 2nd, 2021

As I mentioned at the end of yesterday’s devotion, the devotion was too long to have it as one. So I made the decision after writing it to split it into two.  This is a continuation of yesterday’s devotion.

As we talk about increasing versus decreasing our faith; as we talk about just “going through” versus “growing through” something, I’d like to focus on a very familiar passage of Scripture.  I know these verses can be overused (often consigned to “Jesus junk”), or even misused (especially by charlatans), but please read these verses S-L-O-W-L-Y and meditate on them as you read:

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NASB2020)

People latch onto that prosperity word and name-it and claim-it and think God is obligated to give material prosperity. But do you see the latter part? “You will call.” “You will seek.” “You will find.”

God wants us to pursue Him. Sort of like what is said of David: “He is a man after my own heart.”  David pursued God with a passion. Sure, he stumbled, but his passionate God-heart always brought him back to the heart of worship. Instead of expecting God to drop things in our lap because we think (or someone has told us) He is obligated to do so, let’s throw that junk aside and have a heart that pursues Him.

If I remember correctly, did Someone not say, “If you seek you will find”?

“Father, may my heart run after you with an undeniable passion.”

Late addition: after reading Psalms today I feel I need to add something to this devotion. In my morning reading today, I read the following words: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?”  Psalm 42:1-2 (NASB2020) The picture of the tired, desperately thirsty deer running from his “hunter” who finally reaches water where he can refresh his spirit, is one that should picture me, you.  We are being pursued every day by forces designed to take us down and out, to capture or “kill” us. We MUST find our rest, our refreshment in the Father.

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April 12

Monday, April 12th, 2021

I grew up in church. I think I was there from the earliest time mom could bring me. Back then doctors said, “Take your child to church, the grocery store, shopping. It’s not going to hurt them. In fact, it will be good for them.” Exposure to the outside was seen as a good thing since they felt it helped with immunity. I can only remember one shot (although I’m sure there were more)- the polio vaccine.

We had both our girls in church and the nursery the first chance we had. Today’s parents keep their child in and away from church for the first year then won’t let them alone in the nursery. Okay so that is a slight exaggeration (6 months maybe but not a year). 🙂

But I digress.

I learned a lot growing up in the church. Like how to pray. “We thank Thee, O most Mighty and Holy One. We thank Thee…” You get the point. The more flowery the better.  In one man’s case, the longer the better…even if he repeated himself several times.

I learned as I got older that God’s not interested in long flowery prayers punctuated by a lot of King James English. He is delighted in humble hearts that give simple prayers. Matt Redman wrote a song with the lyrics: “May my words be few.” I’m guessing that pleases God. A humble heart with simple words. Not a rehearsed speech. Not a copycat of someone else. Just me and Him. Just you and Him.

“Father, may I realize what you really want is a humble heart seeking You. No pretense. No hypocrisy. Just a heart wanting to speak to You.”

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March 4

Thursday, March 4th, 2021

Several years ago-around 2006/2007-I read a book which changed my perspective on people. More specifically, on how I saw people and reached out to them.

In retrospect, I have always “prided” myself in accepting people as they were. You know, like the old song says, “Just as I am without one plea…” My thinking was if God could accept me as I am/was then surely I could do the same. And I thought I did. But I was stopped in my tracks and forced to reevaluate my ways and actions.

The book was NO Perfect People Allowed by John Burke, a pastor of a church in Austin, TX. And while I now realize some of it was the attractional church message, some of it was on the money. People can’t be expected to change before accepting the Gospel message.

Jesus never did that. He didn’t tell the woman at the well to get her act together, leave her current live in, before He would talk with her and give her hope. He didn’t tell the woman caught in adultery to “Repent sinner!” before He came to her defense and then sent her away a free and forgiven woman. He went to Zacchaeus’ house to eat without demanding a life change. That came after his encounter with Jesus. The same goes for all He came in contact with (except maybe the arrogant, self-righteous Pharisees).

No, when Jesus exhibited “Come as you are” it was genuine and sincere. Can I do any less? Do I expect people to change first or do I accept and let God change them? The latter is preferable.

“Father, You accepted me as I was and am. Can I do any less? Please teach me and help me to do as You have done for me and countless others.”

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August 4

Tuesday, August 4th, 2020

In reading One Faithful Life, a harmony of the life of the Apostle Paul by John MacArthur, I read Acts 8. It is sort of the interlude between chapters 7 and 9. Chapter 7 ended with the mention of Saul at the stoning of Stephen and chapter 9 is the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus. I see chapter 8 as a chapter of contrasts. It is the brief story of two men who make differing choices.

Philip takes the message of Jesus to Samaria. Pressure took him away from Jerusalem. As he preached in Samaria, people responded to the message and were saved. One individual specifically mentioned is Simon, a sorcerer. It says he believed and was baptized then continued following Philip.  Reading the rest of the account seems to tell us that Simon’s “decision” was not sincere but an effort to get close to Philip and to learn his secrets. Even when Philip rebuked him for his misguided heart, Simon didn’t repent. His reply (v.24) was not one of sincerity, but fear of the consequences. That’s like saying, “I want to go to heaven because I don’t want to go to hell.” That’s the wrong answer and the wrong motive.

The other man mentioned in Acts 8 has a different response. Philip meets an Ethiopian eunuch who is reading Isaiah 53 and doesn’t understand who it is about. Philip hops into his chariot and begins to teach him about Jesus and the eunuch responds to the message. No guile. No hidden agenda.

Two people. Two responses. It is no different today. People are presented the Gospel message. One responds with wrong or hidden motives; the other responds with an open heart in sincerity. The one is temporary; the other permanent. The one is outward; the other is inward. The one might be performance-based; the other is grace-based. The one has no change; the other has a lasting life-change.

Which one am I? Which one are you?

“Father, I want to be like the eunuch in my response to you. An honest seeker. One whose motives are pure and sincere and not for show. “

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July 29

Wednesday, July 29th, 2020

Sandwiched between two powerful, ground-breaking sermons is a story almost as equally stunning. Tragically, for us we we read it, the story becomes almost a by-word. The two sermons are the first two recorded ones of Peter- Acts 2 (the first on the Day of Pentecost) and Acts 3 (his sermon at Solomon’s Porch). Two sermons that specifically teach that Jesus is Messiah, the One who died for the sins of the people. Ironically, Solomon’s Porch is where Jesus taught the parable of the Good Shepherd. You can make the connection.

Anyway, sandwiched between those two sermons is the story of the lame man at the Gate Beautiful. There is no hidden meaning. He asks for healing; Peter gives it. Oops, I was wrong there, wasn’t I? He didn’t ask for healing; he asked for alms. Peter knew what he really needed and it wasn’t money.  He even says that: “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you.”

I’m going to push aside the snarky comment about so-called faith healers today and focus on something else. Something relevant to us. It is common for people to think they need or want something when what they need is something totally different. In Jeremiah 2:13 God says, “They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” Get rid of one thing; add another. Abandon God; add emptiness. The lame man wanted money; Peter knew what he really needed.

People today remind me of the lame man. In search of something, they can’t see what will really satisfy them. They can’t see what they really need. Don’t be fooled by their fake smiles and pretend happiness. What they really need is a WHO. Just like the lame man.

“Father, I know I need You. Those I come in contact with also need you.  Help me not to be fooled by their fake smiles and pretend contentment, but remember to point them to Jesus- the ONE they really need.”

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