July 14 - Who Am I?

“And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” Mark 8:27-29

I saw a young child playing with her father as my car came to a traffic light stop. They were in a high vehicle next to me and he was turning around as they waited for the light to change. The relationship looked really playful and affectionate. The child was in a car seat and looked around 3 years old.

My eye was drawn to a notice in the car window. It was an acronym of the word 'Autism' spelling out the letters - Always Unique Totally Inspiring Sometimes Mysterious.

It made me smile especially as it was a definition that rang true with my knowledge of those on the autistic spectrum.

I asked around my Christian community and looked online for an acronym for Christian and came up with... nothing! Sure there were a few which were random words strung together which had spurious links but none I would classify as memorable.

Maybe you could think of one in your family devotion or as part of a youth program and send it over to me? I would gratefully receive it.

And finally what would that acronym say about you? Who do men say you are? Food for thought.

Our song today is 'Who do men say I am?' by Commissioned. Click on the picture to listen.

'He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.' Daniel 7:25

I recently read an article which has caused quite a stir in my Christian circles. It made claims that the Pope has ammendments the 10 commandments, taking away one and adding two others. Please read the original article here. After a little research I have found out that the article is false as something as huge as this statement should have attracted more media attention than it currently has. My suspicions were correct. Look here.

My immediate response was to look to scripture. In Daniel 7.25 we read,

 'He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.'

Matthew 24:24 concurs,

'For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.'

So this might have been a false alarm, but when things of this nature arise and people who do not know the scriptures challenge us, will we know what to say? While we have the time and the resouces let us study deeply Gods word so that we can guide others who do not yet know His voice.

Our song today is 'Peacespeaker' by Heritage singers. Click on the picture to listen.

JULY 10-11 – Rivalry

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10 NIV)

If milk is kept too warm for too long it will turn sour and curdle. The same applies to our dispositions – let aggravation stew without a cooling down period, and a bitter attitude is the result.

This reminds me of Martha, an organiser, who loved to offer hospitality – she took it seriously and was far more sober and practical than her sister Mary. Ask Martha to choose between a book and a broom, and the broom would win every time. Mary's priorities were different and she would take the book. Martha had things to do. Mary had thoughts to think.

Martha worried that things weren't right that day, and only she seemed bothered, She was in fact so bothered that the food wouldn;t be ready in time, she even started bossing Jesus around. Worry does that, you forget who is in charge.

Martha's attitude is understandable, her reasons good. Jesus has been invited to lunch – she's literally serving God – and all she wants to do is please Him. But the work she began for Him became more important than Jesus, her guest. What had begun as a way to serve God, slowly and subtly had turned into serving self.

Hands and arms covered in flour, flushed, and pummelling the bread dough, she glares at Mary through the doorway, grumbling to herself that Mary has 'left her to it,' and was just sitting on the floor listening to Jesus. Indignant she said, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work? Tell her to help me” Luke 10:40. Yes, it's easy to forget who is in charge.

Satan used his same old tool of distorting the truth; he didn't take Martha out of the kitchen, but he changed the purpose of Martha being in the kitchen. The same with us. The devil won't take us away from our tasks, our ministry; he'll just disillusion us in our ministry, in our purpose. He'll distort every action, every thought, every plan, until we're convinced we are badly done by, and unsupported. What began as service for the Lord has become us, us, us. Remember, the thing that matters more than our service, is the heart behind the service.

God has gifted each of us with talents. Don't be envious, resentful and concerned with the seeming advantages of someone else's talents or position, and neglect the benefits and impact of your own. You are chosen and placed where you are, and your attitude could inspire others.

Acknowledgments to Max Lucado.

Today's music is “Born to Serve the Lord” LIVE. Click on the picture to listen.

JULY 9 – Did you call?

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” - Psalm 23:4

You know the feeling, you're busy with your usual daily routine when you suddenly feel called – just chatting to Him in your mind about your problems as you wash the pots, isn't enough – you want an in depth, two-way conversation with Him....time alone with Jesus.

That has happened to me several times over the last two weeks, and just this morning, I sat down and opened my Devotional Bible. The first thing I saw as the pages fell open, were the words, “Jesus prayed, followed by “He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray.”

Jesus faced an impossible task. More than 5,000 people were ready to fight a battle He had not come to fight. How could He shw them that He had not come to be a king, but to be a sacrifice? How could He take their eyes off an earthly kingdom so that they would see the spiritual one? How could they see the eternal when they only had eyes for the temporary? What Jesus dreamed of doing and what He seemed about to do were separated by an impossible gulf. So Jesus prayed. He prayed for the impossible to happen.

Maybe He didn't ask for anything. Maybe He just stood quietly in the presence of the Presence and basked in the majesty. Maybe He lifted His head out of the confusion of earth long enough to hear the solution of heaven. Perhaps He was reminded that har hearts don't faze the Father. That problem people don't perturb the Eternal One.

We don't know what He did or what He said. But we do know the result. The hill became a stepping stone; the storm became a path, and the disciples saw Jesus as they had never seen Him before.

During the storm, Jesus prayed. The sky darkened. The winds howled. Yet He prayed. The people grumbled. The disciples doubted. Yet He prayed. When forced to choose between the muscles of men and the mountain of prayer, He prayed.  There are crevasses in our lives that we cannot cross alone. There are hearts in our world that cannot change without help. There are mountains that we cannot climb until we climb His mountain.

Climb it when you are called. You will be amazed.

Music today is “I Just Came to Talk With You Lord” - LIVE Click on the picture to listen.

JULY 3-4 – For us

“Thou dost visit the earth, and cause it to overflow; Thou dost greatly enrich it; The stream of God is full of water; Thou dost prepare their grain, for thus Thou dost prepare the earth. Thou dost water its furrows abundantly; Thou dost settle its ridges; Thou dost soften it with showers; Thou dost bless its growth. Thou hast crowned the year with Thy bounty, And Thy paths drip with fatness. The pastures of the wilderness drip, And the hills gird themselves with rejoicing. The meadows are clothed with flocks, And the valleys are covered with grain; They shout for joy, yes, they sing” (Psalm 65:9-13).

As Christians we often wonder what it would have been like to have walked along the shore of Galilee with Jesus and hear him teach, heal the leper, open the eyes of the blind and turn five loaves and two fish into enough food to feed five thousand. What was it like to stand next to Him as He said, “Lazarus come forth” and a man who had been dead for days came back to life?

While it is true that you and I weren’t there to see these miracles nor stand at the foot of the cross and witness Him suffer and die for our sins, we can travel back in time to experience these life-changing events by reading the Bible — the most important book ever written. We can read about Him in one of the six billion Bibles that have been published just as we can envision Him radiating through the universe of our daily lives.

What would it have been like to be a witness of Creation? and when Jesus was on earth, to have walked with Him and His discples through the fields, and over the mountain passes, talking about? - apart from His Father, what did they talk about, those thirteen men together? How great it would have been to grill the fish with Him at a seashore picnic? 

The tree laden forests, oceans and streams, billowing clouds and ominous thunderstorms, roses and lilies, breathtaking mountains and delicate snowflakes all eloquently argue for the existence of a Master Creator. Roses are the color of the blood He shed for us at Calvary. Mountains are a sign of his strength. The sky represents his expansive and endless love. The air we breathe sings of his ability to sustain us in the most difficult of situations and the rainbow, in its unique multifaceted beauty, tells us He is here for us no matter how daunting life might become.

The clouds whisper that our storms will pass because He cares for us. A tree reminds us of the Cross and a graceful sparrow, circling overhead, reminds us of His compassion for even the smallest of creatures. If you are experiencing a wintery season in your life and spring has yet to bring fresh flowers of hope and peace, why not take a moment to pray?

Ask the Lord to fill you with His presence and know that His light of love will shine as a mighty beacon of hope, penetrating the darkness and granting you victory over insurmountable odds. Christ is our Beacon of Hope! “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love” (Psalm 33:18).

We live in a beautiful world, created for us by a God of love, for our enjoyment and pleasure. Let us be glad and rejoice in it.

(Adapted from DayStar)

What other music could I choose for today than “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong.

JULY 2 -

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint” - Isaiah 40:31

I’m convinced the Sabbath was created for frantic souls like me, people who need a weekly reminder that the world will not stop if I do.

In one of the most dramatic examples of waiting in the Bible, Daniel prays for people who had been oppressed for seventy years. He abstained from food and drink for twenty-one days, as he labored in prayer, persisted, pleaded, and agonized. No response. On the twenty-second day an angel of God appeared. He revealed to Daniel that his prayer had been heard on the first day.

From an earthly perspective, nothing was happening. But from a heavenly perspective a battle was raging in the heavens. God was working! What if Daniel had given up…lost faith…or walked away from God? Consider these better questions:

What if you give up? Lose faith? Walk away? Don’t! God is at work.

Keep waiting!

From - “You'll Get Through This” by Max Lucado

Music today is, “Surely Our God is Able” - Gaither Homecoming