No Ordinary Birth

Vol 2 No 52 THEO'S DEVOS

Matthew 1: 18a Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born.  NLT

I am always amazed at how the Bible can state somethibg extremely profound in such ordinary language. I read lots of authors who can take way too many words to say something simple. Our verse today is a great example of this. Much like Genesis 1:1 it uses a few words to describe a monumental event.

Many have tried to picture the scene in heaven just prior to this event. What did the angels think when they heard that the Second Person of the Trinity was going to enter earth as a baby in a manger? I'm sure that God the Father explained some of the details to them but it is certain that this act must have caused quite an uproar. Matthew tells us that the angels were there to announce the birth and we know about the shocked shepherds. But after all is said and done what we have is the Lord of All entering time and space, here on earth, born of a human mother, and lying in a manger.

And so God became man. God in flesh. A child in a human family. Emanuel. The center of your manger scene. But is He the center of your life.

There are some things that flood my mind and senses around Christmas time. There is a song that starts out “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...” It may be a simple song but it has significant meaning to me. I remember, when I was just a young boy, going downtown with my parents. We would walk down Market Street in Philadelphia and there would be vendors selling merchandise along the sidewalk. One of my favorites was the guy selling chestnuts he was roasting right there on the street. We would buy a bag of them and take them home, eating some on the way. To this day I enjoy roasting chestnuts but they never seem to taste as good as those that we bought downtown. In fact, as years go by, it seems that a lot has worn off of the Christmas spirit. We have turned it into a shopping nightmare. It has become, for many, a time to anticipate what we are going to get under the tree rather than contemplating what went on in that manger long ago.

God loves to trasnsorm things and the greater the transformation the greater His pleasure. Conversely man seems to like to tear things down and the more the get torn the better he seems to like it. This Christmas we all have a great opportunity. We can fix our minds on the true meaning of the season and celebrate the coming of Jesus. We can discuss the beauty of our savior. To be sure the air may be filled with the smell of pine and our fireplaces will be aglow with the logs we burn giving heat to the room. We may hear the sound of toy trains that we have set up to enjoy (do we do that anymoire?). The tree will be decked out with ornaments that may or may not have meaning and we will probably eat too much again. But while all this is going on we can also think back to that first Christmas when the angels cried out and the shepherds made their way to see the baby Jesus. We can think about the wise men who sought to worship Him and give Him gifts. Finally we can discuss the meaning of this birth, that He came to save us from our sins.

I hope you get a chance to go to a church where they will be singing hymns and reading scripture about the coming of our Lord. Try to make that the center of this holiday. Enjoy the family and think of the family of God. As you drive around, look for someone less fortunate than yourself and offer them something to show them the love of God. Jesus came to make strangers family. He went to those who hated Him and showed them love. Let's make this Christmas different from all the others.

I hope this is the merriest Christmas you have ever had. May God bless you this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N35VmlaCgqc

heo

GREAT JOY

Vol 2 No 51 THEO'S DEVOS

Luke 2:8-10 That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. ⁹Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, ¹⁰but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone!

By now I suppose most of you have heard about controversy over the sign placed next to a Nativity scene in the Washington State House. It has created quite an uproar since it was placed there by a group of atheists and it proclaims a diatribe against people of faith in God. I won't repeat what it says here but it does lay out the atheist position that organized religion is a 'myth' that 'hardens hearts.' Now we know that 'religion' is not a great word. There has been serious damage done by 'religions' in the name of God. The word means 'to bind back' and all religions teach some form of trying to get back to God. That is why I have often said that Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship with the God who did not wait for us to come to Him but reached out to us in the form of a child, Jesus, to save us from our sin.

Having said that, it is obvious that I am no fan of 'religions.' However, at least religious people are willing to admit that there is a God or god. They have reacted correctly to the creation around them. Even agnostics do not go so far as to deny God. But atheists do. Now my question for them is: as a result of becoming an atheist, what joy have you produced? What national holidays have you given us to celebrate a better future? The truth is quite the opposite. If they had their way our streets wouod be dark at Christmas time. There would be no Christmas. No parties. No manger scenes. No presents around the tree. I say this with no intended disrespect but atheists do live in a cold, barren world. They have no hope for the future and no real reason to celebrate life. For them, a death in the family is a great tragedy for which there is no reason to rejoice. I could go on with this but I think you catch my meaning.

However, our verse for today catches a glimpse of why we Christians celebrate the Christmas holiday. Can you imagine what it must have been like to be a shepherd out in that field when the angel appeared to them? At first they were frightened out of their minds and rightly so. But the Angel was quick to reassure them that they had no reason to fear. “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone!” they said. Great joy they said. That is the result of what God did when He sent Jesus to earth. He gave us reason to have great joy. Not the great sadness you can expect at an atheist funeral. Great joy.

Do you have great joy today? Have you trusted that Jesus Christ came, lived, and died on that cross to pay for your sins and mine? If you have then you know the meaning of great joy. You have no fear of death. You know that God loves you and can see His love in your life daily when you look for it. If you have not, then now would be a great time to trust in Him. Believe that Jesus died for you. Trust in the sacrifice that He made so you could have a relationship with God. It could make this Christmas different from all the others in the past. I trust that you are getting excited about the celebration of Jesus' birth. Oh, and don't worry about the signs that atheists put up. They are advertising for us without realizing it. No God, no hope. No God, no true joy. BUT “Hark the herald angels sing...” They sure do.

Here is a last minute addition sent to me by a good friend in Texas, Bob Holmes. If you haven't seen this about the 13 year old boy who called in to a Christian radio station you need to right now. Thanks Bob.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0r_FbARIn8&NR=1

Theo

Truth Unseen

Vol 2 No 50 THEO'S DEVOS

Psalm 73:17 Then one day I went into your sanctuary, O God,

and I thought about the destiny of the wicked.

We have noted, on several occasions, that there is a reality not visible to mortal sight. Within that reality there is a spiritual war and we are pawns in that war. You and I become collateral damage at times and, when we are, it can hurt – badly.

Quite a long time ago I found myself misunderstood and it felt like my world was spinning out of control. Now I am not given to depression. I am, seemingly by nature, a very positive person. So, at that time, as I experienced a touch of depression, I had no idea how to pull out of it. My brain told me that (and I would like to say God told me) that the answer to my dilemma was within the pages of scripture. So that is what I did. I opened God's Word and just started looking around for some word from God that would help me in this time of worry.

Another thought came to my mind that a good place to look would be in the book of Psalms. I remembered that David had wrestled with depression so it could be that he had some thoughts on the subject and I could not have been more right. In reading through this book I found a new appreciation for the truth that the Bible is a living book. It can reach inside your mind and heart and bring about change that no other book, or person, could hope to. With the exception, of course, of Jesus who is the Living Word.

To really appreciate our verse today it would be a great help if you went back and read the entire 73^rd chapter. David was being threatened and that threat came from evil men who appeared to be doing very well. While David suffered, those who caused his suffering fared just fine. So how did the knowledge of God help David at the time he needed it most? That is where our verse comes to play. He entered the sanctuary of God. He went into the presence of God. For David it meant entering the temple. For you it might mean going someplace quiet with your Bible and reading these verses over and over again.

My problem was that, until I turned to scripture, I was using my natural thought processes to deal with my problem. You see, our natural processes were never intended to help us deal with inner stress. We may be able to put a bandied on our problem but it will not deal with the essence of the problem,. In fact you begin to focus on the problem itself and that is not the heart of the matter. We are in a spiritual battle and most inner struggle is best faced with a spiritual mind. How do you appropriate this spiritual mindset? God's Word. It is the reason we were given this book. To help us see things from God's perspective and not our natural one.

When David entered the sanctuary he began to see his situation from God's point of view. He then saw that the end is not visible to him. He began to see that God was in control. It is so easy to be short sighted when faced with difficult problems that perplex us. Only God can bring you mind into clarity and you can understand the reality behind what seems so obvious to you.

One very important thing needs to be understood at this point. Where is the sanctuary you can go to like David? The church building? Well meaning people call the worship room in the church building the sanctuary don't they? Maybe that is where you should go. Sit in a pew and meditate on scripture. That is not a bad idea but it is not the sanctuary in the sense that David knew. The Bible tells us that our bodies are the sanctuaries of God. You can focus on scripture wherever you are and allow you mind, now the sanctuary of God, to think God's thoughts along with Him

The next time you are faced with a difficult problem, especially one involving someone else that seems to be causing you stress. Turn to Psalm 73 and begin reading it. Not just once or twice but several times. Watch how God uses the words to bring you comfort and transport your thinking into a spiritual realm that you could never have accessed with your own natural thinking. You will learn what many others have learned: God is still living in the words of the Bible. It is still a living document that can divide the indivisible and bring calmness even within great stress. You will know, beyond any reasonable doubt, that scripture has been given to us by God to enable us to understand the spiritual aspect of life.

May God bless you as you ponder His Word.

Theo

TRUE CHRITIANITY

Vol 2 No 49 THEO'S DEVOS

1 John 2:11 Anyone who hates a Christian brother or sister is living and walking in darkness. Such a person is lost, having been blinded by the darkness. NLT

Our verse today is, perhaps, one of the most difficult to appropriate given our fallen human natures that haunts us even as Chrisitians. It would be bad enough if the Bible said that anyone who hates his brother is doing a bad thing that needs to be confessed. but it is much worse than that. To hate your brother or sister is to walk in darkness. The implication here is that hating your brother or sister flies in the face of true faith. The ability to hate comes naturally to us and the ability to love in the worst of circumstances can only happen when something supernatural is alive within us. Only God can truly love like that and He is the only one that can enable us to.

One major impediment to not hating someone who we believe deserves it is wrapped up in our reluctance to forgive. Human beings can oftentimes find it almost impossible to forgive when we believe that the person in focus does not merit that forgiveness. This is to misunderstand the whole process of forgiveness. It is a failure to understand that forgiving someone fress the forgiver as much as the one being forgiven. Bearing hatred in our hearts is a blinding force. It tends to draw our focus on the one hated and can keep us from loving others in the manner that God would want us to. When we forgive someone, we free our minds to love others and can get our thoughts off of the paralyzing force that has captivated us.

Did you know that you can be surrounded by light and walk in dsrkness. It really isn't hard to do. Just close your eyes. Light does you no good if you are not watching where you are going. To be a Christian and to hate you brother is like walking through life with your eyes closed. You blind yourself and are, in effect, lost. Just as lost as if there were no light at all. But this isn't necessary. You can open your eyes and take advantage of the light. You can forgive that person who, you feel, doesn't desreve it so that you can focus on the direction that God would have you go. It is to open your spiritual eyes and allow God to guide you past whatever obstacles life has put in your way. Do not allow our adversary to blind you by throwing boulders in your path in the form of other people. Learn to love like God does. I know that this is easier said than done but that doesn't mean it can't be done.

“How can I forgive that person when I know that I will never forget what they did?” This is, perhaps, one of the most often stated lines where forviveness is required. And it is true that you may never forget. Forgiveness does not mean to forget. It simply means to 'act' as if you have forgotten. Now that you can do and that is what God is looking for. It is our actions that reveal what we are thinking and God can help you with them. Ask Him to do what you cannot. Ask Him to live His life in, and through, you. Watch what changes. Talk to Him every morning and renew your desire to follow His lead. If this is something that you know you should do, please do not wait. Every day that you hesitate will make it less likely that you will follow through.

Is there someone you should forgive? Is there someone that you harbor hatred toward? Please be careful. Allow God to do His work and help you do yours. You are not in this alone. There are many who pray that you will be able to learn a life of love and thereby do the work of God. May He bless you as you do.

Theo

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Vol 2 No 41 THEO'S DEVOS

PSALM 50:1 I don’t need the bulls you sacrifice;

I don’t need the blood of goats.

¹⁴ What I want instead is your true thanks to God;

I want you to fulfill your vows to the Most High.

This week millions of people will gather together for Thanksgiving. They may not know it but, when they do, they will be observing an activity that warms the heart of God. We do a lot of things and often believe that God is happy when we do them. You know like attend church services, sing hymns, pray and other well intended activities. Now don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with doing these things. In fact God is moved when we do. But we must understand that you can do those things and not have a heart that is aligned with God.

Our verse implies that Thanksgiving is a sacrifice but not like the sacrifices we normally think of. A sacrifice is something that costs. It takes effort. God puts a lot of emphasis on thanksgiving throughout the Bible. Have you ever wondered why? The answer to that question is that in order to be thankful you have to have received something. Someone has given you something and you are thanful for it. The fact is that, every day, you receive something from God. The fact that you are breathing right now is because God gave you breath.

This does not mean that you should go through life being thankful simply because you are told to. Have you ever met people who have a simple smile on their face and act thankful when, in your heart, it seems so insincere? Some people are just good actors. They can't paint a smile on ther face and pretend really well. Not does God expect you to be thankful for bad things. He doesn't expect you to say “Oh I am so thankful that my car was totalled last week. And thank God my son ran away from home.” No, that is not the things that God wants us to be thankful for. It isn't those kinds of things that are reasons for thankfulness. However, those kinds of things can reveal a God who cares for us and can strengthen us on the inside in spite of what is going on around us and we can be thankful for that. In the middle of the worst catastrophe there will always be something for which we can be thankful to God..

When we look for reasons to be thanful, no matter what the circumstance, we “ fulfill your vows to the Most High.” You see a vow is something you make freely of your own volition and when you are thankful to God it fulfills a vow to Him. If you have trusted God as your savior, you know in your heart that you are endebted to Him. How do you pay that debt? You can't. The closest you will get to paying Him back is to look for Him in your life and thank Him when you see His fingerprints. Where are they? Open your eyes, look around. He has given you life, friends, family. He loves you more than you can imagine. Thank Him for that love. This Thanksgiving be sure to let someone else know that you are thankful to God for what you have and where you are headed. Someday you will be glad you did. Do you have email? Then send an email to someone special and give them something to be extremely thankful for.

May God bless you and your family this Thanksgiving. I trust it will be an excellent day for you.

Theo

LOOK AROUND

Vol 2 No 47 THEO'S DEVOS

John 1:3 He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make.

Where are you right now? At home? Work? Take a moment and look around you. What do you see? Does it strike you as rather mundane? Just the stuff of life? Or do you see the touch of God? If not, maybe you are not looking close enough. What will you be doing later today? Climbing a mountain? Sitting on a surfboard? Filing reports? Maybe watching football like I will be. In the middle of all this normal life we can easily miss some very important things. You know the old saying that we need to slow down and smell the roses? Well, when you do that, remember who made them. The same one who made all that there is: Jesus.

Our verse for the day, taken in its context, tells us that it was, and is, Jesus who makes everything. You were made by Him and so was the paper clip you will use at some point in your life. Oh, you say that some man made the perperclip. Sorry but that guy simply assembled that paper clip out of the materials that God made. I am told that the scientists all got together one day and decided that, if there was a god, they no longer needed Him. So they assigned one of their own to go to g/God and tell Him that man no longer required Him. The scientist bowed down and said. “God we no longer need you.” Startled he heard a reply: “Fine, if you can make a person out of dirt, I will go away.” The scientist agreed and went outside. When he knelt down to scoop up some dirt he heard the words: “Oh no, get your own dirt.”

That apocryphal tale illuminates the reality that when you swim, you swim in God's water. When you eat, you eat God's food. Not Bhuda's food, the almighty God's food. Not Allah's food, but Jehovah God's food. When you fly, you fly in a plane assembled with material that Jesus provided us. Now look up and see the sky, the clouds. If it is at night the moon and the stars. Jesus made them as well. Get a microscope and delve into the innerwokings of a plant. There is Jesus' handiwork. From the subatomic particle to the universe, Jesus gets the credit for its existence.

So, when you think about it, thank God for the breath you take. He gave the air to you to breathe. It is His way of saying, among many others, “I love you.” Three of the most powerful words in the English language and words that appear in one of the most important verses in, not only the Bible, but in any book ever written. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” Yes eternal life. It appears that Jesus is capable of more then mere life. He can give eternal life.

Have you believed in Him? Do you trust that Jesus died on that cross for your sins and mine? If not, why not trust Him right now. Tell Him that you no longer trust in yourself to get you to heaven but that you believe that His death on that cross saved you from your sin and that, when He rose from the grave that He proved His power over death. Believe in your risen Lord and it will change your life and fill you with His presence. May God bless you all.

Theo

THE KING'S HEART

Vol 2 No 46 THEO'S DEVOS

Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he turns it wherever he pleases.

Last week was certainly an historic one. This last presidential campaign was probably the most important one in the last several. The outcome has put Americans into two distinct groups that seem slightly different in makeup this time around.

 

On the one hand you have a large group of people who act as though the Messiah has arrived. Did you see the Obama supporter who said she was so happy because Barack was going to pay for her mortgage and car. Hollywood got what they thought they wanted and I saw a letter from Michael Moore stating that "...today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me."

 

On the other hand you have a group of people who believe that we are on the verge of socialism, if not Marxism. That Obama will surround himself with the most liberal of the Washington elite and take this country down the road to financial ruin. They see Russia putting missils in Eastern Europe as a test of the new presidency and fear that we will embolden our enemies because they see us as having gotten weaker militarily overnight.

 

So what are we to believe and what are we to do? Do you find yourself in one of these camps? If so what does that say about the placement of your faith? We know from the scriptures that when God wants to punish a country, He gives them bad leaders. Is that what just happened? Or has He given us a new perspective on govering and that what was termed 'redistibution of wealth' is really an opportunity for those who have to help those who do not. Are higher taxes patriotism and if you don't like higher taxes, is that selfishness?

 

I don't know the answer to those questions and that is one of the many reasons I have never thought to enter politics. There was enough of that in the churches that I served. I am happy to not be a part of the political scene. What I do know is stated in our verses for this week. We are not called to put our faith in guns and swords. We must never think that, as wonderful as this country is, it is the final solution to our problems. Do you know what the best form of government is? The Bible tells us that the best form of government is a dictatorship. That's right. Now don't start sending requests to unsubsbribe just yet. When God sets up the Milennial kingdom, assuming you belirve that He will, do you know what kind of government that will be? It will be a dictatorship with God as the benevolent dictator. Christianity is not a democracy. Democracies are crucial whenever you have humen beings in control Checks and balances are required to stop our depravity from becoming a terminal operating system.

 

Listen, no matter what you think of the election, God is still in control. Only time will tell whether Barack Hussein Obamam was a good choice or a bad one. God is blessing those who love Him in the worst places on earth and He will continue to bless and guide those who trust Him here. I hope and pray that Mr Obama turns out to be a great president. But, one way or another, I know that God will keep us in the center of His will. So don't put your faith in a government. Keep your faith in God and understand that there is no need to worry and no cause to gloat.

 

Our God reagns. He reigns in my heart and yours. May He bless you and keep you and may you follow Him no matter what the cost.

 

Theo

Honesty Before God

Vol 2 No 45 THEO'S DEVOS 110608

1 John 1:8-10 If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. ⁹But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

Sin is a difficult concept is a few ways. Someone has said that sin is simply stupid. If we sin it is almost always to get what we want without God. To do that is to act in a way that is just plain stupid. God wants what is best for us and is in position to give it to us but we, like many characters in the Bible, try to take shortcuts to the goal and often end up short. We may then start to justify our actions by stating that what we did was really not a sin at all. It just didn't work and we have learned from it. However to try and dodge the obvious, John tells us, is to fool ourselves. Confessing our sin brings about cleansing and that heals a broken relationship with God. It frees Him to open blessings to us.

Note that verse nine says that He can cleanse us “from every wrong.” This cannot mean that we become sinless because right after saying those words he goes on to say that claiming to have not sinned calls God a liar. So what are we to do? It is clear that we are not supposed to sin. And yet it is apparent that we cannot avoid it. This is the great dilemma of human existence that can only be rectified by the entrance into heaven at the end of life. Until then we struggle with the sin problem and must be sure to heed the guidance of 1:9. We must be quick to confess our sin, or sins, to God so that he can cleanse us. The forgiveness has already occurred. “To forgive” is an aorist verb and indicates that upon confession of sin, they are forgiven; once for all. We do not confess to get forgiven over and over again. We confess because the words “to cleanse” is a present perfect and indicates that we must confess over and over in order to keep up to date and so the cleansing continues.

Note that, in these verses we are not told to confess to some person granted the power to forgive. We confess directly to God. None of the gifts of the spirit are given to grant forgiveness of sin. That lies in the hands of God. Asking forgiveness of a person when you have harmed them may be necessary and, in that case, it is in the hands of the person wronged to forgive but that is so human relationships can be healed. In those circumstances it is best if we offer forgiveness whether or not it is asked. To not forgive someone is to allow the lack of forgiveness to dwell in our hearts and minds like a social cancer, eating away at us and causing us to harbor sin in our hearts.

To try and justify what is sin is to call God a liar and that, my friend, is a dangerous thing to do. It certainly does not endear us to Him nor does it make the thing done anything less than sin. It falls into the 'lipstick and pigs' realm. Listen, God knows your actions and your thoughts. There is no advantage to pretend that something you have done was not a sin when you know that it was. Live your life open before your God. Talk to Him and confess those things that you know are sin. The fact is that you will do things that are sin and you may not even realize that you have done them. In those cases the Holy Spirit will talk to God on your behalf. Jesus will defend your case and you will stand 'in Christ.'

Sin is an important thing to avoid but since it cannot be totally avoided, be sure to keep in touch with God and confess those things that you know He wants you to. You may not be perfect but you can be heading in that direction. Please remember something we noted a while ago and will mention again. God loves you just the way you are but He loves you too much to let you stay that way. Confessing your sins to Him allows Him to help you progress along the path of Christian growth.

I am praying for you and asking God to fulfill your hopes and dreams. May you place a blessing in your life today.

Theo

Spare His Life

Vol 2 No 44 THEO'S DEVOS

Job 2:4-6 Satan replied to the LORD, “Skin for skin—he blesses you only because you bless him. A man will give up everything he has to save his life. ⁵But take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!”

⁶“All right, do with him as you please,” the LORD said to Satan. “But spare his life.”

I have always been fascinated by the book of Job, the oldest book in the Bible. It amazes me that a nomad, riding on a camel, in the middle of the desert would write such mind blowing words. It is one of the proofs that scripture was not written by man but by God. Some of the statements written therein would have been impossible for a human to write and we will look at them at another time. For now let us take comfort in this amazing passage. To put these words in their context, something I always do, you need to read Job 2:1-8. We have looked at this before. It is the awesome confrontation between Satan and God where God makes a divine wager, a bet, with Satan and one human is the target with many others suffering collateral damage.

You know the story. It is one of the most well known in the Holy Book. The aspect of this story that I am interested in has comforted me throughout my life. It is a statement about the sovreignty of God that has made some people think that I knew no fear at times. I have always been thanful to God for these verses. They have brought me great courage and I hope they do you as well. What I am going to write here does not mean that we will be safe from danger. Far from it. But, in the middle of danger, we will find the courage that we need in order to face anything. It is where the martrys of old got the strength to face lions in an ampetheater and go to their death as a testimony to God. It is where missionaries have gotten the boldness to serve God under any and all circumstances. It is where you will find the courage to live your life no matter what gets thrown at you.

Satan wanted to go after Job. He hated Job as he hates all who worship the true God. When Saten says “But take away his health.” he is asking to for access to Job himself. Not just his possessions but his humanity. Up until now God has allowed Satan to take things away from Job that meant everything to him. But now God is allowing Job to move in closer. To attack him physically. “All right, do with him as you please,” Now those are harsh words but there is something extremely important about them. God goes on to say “But spare his life.” Let's think about this for a minute.

We already know that there is a war going on behind the physical scene. This story is at the heart of that war. We also know that humnakind is the battlefield and that there are two classes of humans in the war. Those who trust God and those who do not. Those who trust God have shown it by accepting the truth about Jesus and have accepted Him as their personal savior. Those who do not may say that they do all day long, but prove that they do not by rejecting the offer of salvation that God has provided. We see in these verses that even Satan must bow to God's sovreignty and cannot do whatever he wants. This tell us that when things happen, they must pass through the sovreign will of God whether by His decision or permission. Either way it is by His divine plan that things happen and not simply happenstance.

When I was in the US Army Security Agency, I worked for the National Security Agency and had no idea, at the time, just how secrective that organization was. It hasn't been until the last several years that their activities have come to light. When I think about how people argue over politics these days I often have to smile because I know how little we really know about what is going on behind the scenes. What I do know is that the US government is not in as control as it thinks it is and qutie often our plans do not work out like we thought they would. This is why we can only guess about the final outcome in Iraq or what the Wall Street bailout will accomplish. We humans are simply not in control but God is. He knows the end from the begginning. He is the sovreign Lord and we can trust Him.

Since nothing happens without His knowledge, and permission, we can know that if we place our faith in Him all will work out as He plans and that will, in the end, be the best. Remember what I wrote in the begginning of this devo. ' What I am going to write here does not mean that we will be safe from danger.' No we may face danger and we may be hurt or even die but after everything has been said and done, we will find that we have had the awesome opportunity to be a part of God's plan and, as I have said so many times before: you will only be in heaven for less than a minute and all of this will fade away into obscurity. You will never regret serving God and, in fact, you can know that nothing threatens you unless it gets His permission and, if it does, you can face it without fear.

What are you afraid of today? Are you honestly trusting God? If you are'nt then you have a right to be afraid. Fearing God is a healthy thing and I don't mean having an awe of Him. I mean being afraid. His is not a God to mess with. He let His son die for you. But if you do trust Him then have no fear. He is in control. Even Satan has to answer to Him. You are in good hands with God.

May He bless you today. He loves you and so do I . I am asking Him to give you a blessing. Let me know if I can pray for you in any way.

Theo

TO DO GOOD WORKS

Vol 2 No 43 THEO'S DEVOS

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

There is a common misconception in this world that going to heaven depends on our 'good works.' That, when we die, God puts everything we have done on some kind of balance beam and if our good works outweigh our bad works we get in but, if not, we stay out. Notice that our verse today places an importance on good works but it puts them in their proper place. If going to heaven was dependent on our good works, how many works would that be? Could we ever know how we stood before Him. Now many would tell us that you cannot know but John tells us, in his first letter, that 'I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13. John clearly places the issue on where our faith is and not on works.

But what about works. Surely they have an important place in the life of a Christian. Our verse tells us that good works are the result of saving faith. That saving faith produces these good works. It is in this light that Paul calls us 'His masterpiece.' He does that because the word workmanship is a word poem. God is putting Himself on display through the lives of Christians. We are His workmanship, His poem of wonder before a lost and dying world. A masterpiece also brings to mind a painting. God is painting a masterpiece in order to show how wonderful He is. It is our good works that should be that display; Our compassion, love, devotion and kindness, among many other descriptive words, displays His incredible character and love.

And notice something very important here. He has 'planned these things for us a long time ago.' If you look carefully, you will find many times in your life when opportunities for these kind of good works are laid before you in such a way that you almost trip over them. We do not always take advantage of them but they are there nonetheless. Every time there is an opportunity to serve in some way: in the church or community, we have a chance to demonstrate good works. We can, in the name of Jesus, do good things for others. Senseless acts of beauty and random acts of kindness display parts of the masterpiece that God is revealing to the world.

I have seen missionaries all over the world give their lives to demonstrate God's love. I was amazed at the dedication I saw while visiting India. People from other cultures gave up all they had to go and live with the people of Calcutta, and other Indian cities, because they wanted to show the love of God to those who lived there. We have not been as good at this as we could have. Sin in our lives gets in the way, to be sure, but sin does not stop us from doing our part. We are His masterpiece and we must live like that.

Do you look for those times when you can show your appreciation for what God has done in your life by performing good works in His name. If you pay attention, you will see lots of them. They have been planned for you for a long time. They lie in wait for you to act. God walks by your side to encourage you in this direction. It is the reason you live. To be the expression of Jesus to those around you and to share His love by telling them about the good news of the gospel.

My prayer for you is that you discover more and more times to display God's good works today, tomorrow and the next day for as long as you live. May God bless you.

Theo

God Is Enough

Vol 2 No 41 THEO'S DEVOS

Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.”

I don't know about you but I have come to a conclusion about my life. I have not always made the best decisions and have a hard time trusting my instincts. Now many of you may not have that problem but I would bet that most of you would admit that all of your decisions in life have not been the best. It is those times when you have made a less than the best decision that you wish you could go back and get a second shot. That is the problem with being human. We rarely have all the information we need when making life decisions but they have to be made anyway. Someone in the marital counseling field made quoted an unhappily married woman: “I married an ideal, I got an ordeal and now I want a new deal.” There are way too many people who feel that way but marriage is just one of the decisions that have to be made before we know exactly what we are getting into.

Abram had learned that by the time this verse was written. He knew that he was not the best at making decisions when God spoke to him and revealed an important aspect belonging to God alone. He told Abram that He was “ God Almighty.” El Shaddai which means: 'the God who is sufficient.' What that boils down to is that God is enough. You really don't need anything more when you have God. God is sufficient in all areas of your life but you may not have been living as though that were the truth. You may have been making decisions, for instance, without even consulting Him. This is one of our major malfunctions. We say we are Christians. We believe all the right things but we often live as though we were atheists. We live as though God had no real interest in us and must not think that He acts in our lives. So why pray? Why include God? Isn't that sort of like talking to ourselves? Well Abram may have lived like that for some time but by the time Genesis 17 was written he was ready to learn a crucial fact about his God.

This is the kind of thing that the Bible can teach us and that we need to learn as soon as possible. The Pennsylvania dutch say that we are “Too soon old and too late smart.” That is true across the board but it is tragic in the life of a Christian. Wouldn't it have been great if we all had put to practice things we learned from the Bible the minute we learned them? Well it isn't too late as long as you are breathing. Understand that God has given you a mind and wants you to use it but He doesn't want you to trust it without considering Him and His plan for your life. God is sufficient for you. He is enough. You can trust Him and you will never regret talking to Him and following His guidance. He wants the best for you and you have not always given the best to yourself.

So what happens when you finally realize that God is enough for your life. You will serve Him faithfully and you will live a blameless life. Does that mean that you will be perfect? Well that would be nice but it isn't going to happen as long as you are alive. John tells us that 'if we say we are without sin, we are lying.' So what does it mean then? The base meaning of the word blameless, or perfect as some translations put it, is 'wholehearted.' Live wholeheartedly. Put you whole heart into what you are doing. Don't live a half hearted life. Whatever you do, do it all out. Oftentimes sin creeps in when we are living as though our lives don't mean much so it doesn't matter how we live. This is not true. Our lives have meaning that impacts eternity. What you do in this life has an effect on eternity. You are being prepared for an eternal life with God. Live each day as though it counted for something beyond yourself. Serve a greater goal than the mundane. Walk with God and let Him be your guide.

El Shaddai walks with you. Every day. All the time. He loves you. He will never let you down. He cares about your life and loves it when you talk to Him. May you be greatly blessed by the All Sufficient One today. I am praying for you to that extent. God bless you.

Theo

In The Beginning

Vol 2 No 40 THEO'S DEVO

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth

We have visited this verse before and I am happy to look at it again because it points out a very important aspect of God's Word. You can examine verses in the Bible over and over again and rarely exhaust the concepts that God is communicating to us. There is so much in these words that we may look at it several times more in the months to come. Follow me as we look a little closer.

Have you ever wondered what this was all about. You look out at the stars and you look through a microscope and the question has to be asked: Why? Where did all of this come from and is there a rational explanation for this creation or accident as some scientists seem to think that it is. If you have ever wondered about these thing you are not alone. All of us would like to know what in the world is going on and why.

Scientists have been trying to understand how all of this happened. How old is the world and how did it come about. Is there some grand design with a designer behind it all or did it just happen by happenstance. “Once upon a time there was nothing at all, and then it exploded.” Or so we are told. This may not make sense to you but, if there is no God then maybe that is how it was.

But these verses assert that there was a God and that He is the explanation for the questions we ask. “In the beginning...” The important part of this verse is that of all the scientists trying to wrestle with the beginning one thing is certain. None of them were there and therefore cannot express any view based on observation. That is important because for something to involve science, it must include observation. Without that, the discussion is outside science. These verses are so clear that they can be understood by anyone. You may not believe them but they clarify the concept of 'beginning.'

Search out other explanations for the beginning of the world and see if this isn't the simplest and clearest of them all. The Bible goes on to explain other things about this creation but it is not a science book. 'God created.' Once upon a time there was God and God alone. He spoke and all that is came into existence. This is a line of demarcation in the world. You can eliminate God if you wish but if you do, nothing will make much sense. C.S. Lewis said that “I do not believe in light because I see light. I believe in light because it by it I see everything else.” So it is with God. Belief in Him opens up all p;possibilities and knowing Him brings life eternal.

Thank God for His wonderful gift of life. Talk to Him today.

Theo

Why Armor?

Vol 2 No 38 THEO'S DEVOS

Eph 610-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms

As often as I have read these verses I am struck by on very important fact that seems to elude many Christians. Why do we need this armor? Whatever it is, why do we need it? When I became Christian and the Holy Spirit came to live in me, wasn't that enough? Shouldn't life just ease up and my need to deal with problems just diminish. When I hear Christians complain about life it seems as though they are surprised that they should have to deal with problems like everyone else. Rather than think that life will come at us without problems we probably ought to wonder why we don't have more.

It was just a couple weeks ago when we saw hurricane Ike hit our southern border with a vengeance. The suffering is nowhere near over and the loss of life is just now being discovered. When I saw the pictures of the devastation and heard about the teams of people that were being sent out by University Baptist Church and others like them it helped put the back pain that I live with in perspective. When I have a hard time sleeping at night I have to be thankful that I can go into the other room and sit up for a while. I should not take the other room for granted. Some of my friends (and some are reading this) cannot get into their homes and a couple do not have a home to go home to.

But in all of this we are told that the real struggle is not against flesh and blood. It is not against other people who let you down, and they will. It is against powers of the dark world and spiritual forces. Behind the difficulties that you face is a spiritual war that rages. It breaks out in your life and mine and it causes us to think that the target of our pain should be some other person when, if fact, those other people are victims of the struggle as well.

If we understand these verses properly we will be less inclined to take out our frustration on people and spend more time wrestling with God in prayer. That is where the spiritual war is waged, not in your home or street. It is waged in spiritual places and prayer is our major weapon. Time spent in prayer can help you focus more clearly on what is really going on and will help you maintain your relationships without tearing them apart.

We are called to be strong in the Lord. Please don't be surprised when things don't go the way you think that they should. Don't be hurt when someone lets you down (easier said then done I know). Spend more time with God. Tell Him about your troubles and trials. I would bet that some of us who are hurting right now will admit that we do not spend as much time in prayer with God as we should; if we spend any time at all. Prayer will build your faith. Prayer will help you unload some of those hurtful feelings that you carry around. Believe me, I know. People let all of us down at some time or other. Love them anyway. They won't always respond to you the way you want them too. Love them anyway. Let God worry about even the score and you just learn to love as best as you can.

My prayer for you this week is that you would get strong enough to deal with whatever problem you are wrestling with right now. If it is a major catastrophe like Ike so be it. If it is a lesser one that feels huge deal with it. Trust that God is in control. If you need prayer, let me know. I am ready and willing to uphold you in that way. Let's move into the future together.

May He fill you with His grace today and draw you into His arms. You are loved no matter how you feel.

Theo

Broken Walls

Vol 2 No 38 THEO'S DEVOS

Nehemiah 1:3b The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire

As I was beginning to read Nehemiah for the umpteenth time (I really like this book) this verse caused me to reevaluate Theo's Devos this week. Jerusalem was dear to Nehemiah's heart and its walls were down. The gates had burned and I couldn't help but think of the many friends that I have in the Houston Texas area whose walls were torn down by Ike and whose homes were set on fire by this vicious storm. I have been in prayer for a number of days asking God to help those who were impacted by Ike and have felt frustrated because there is little else that I can do.

That is when Theo's Devos came to mind and I realized that perhaps there are some among our readers who could help in a significant way and I know that you all can pray. Prayer alone would be tremendous but just maybe God would lead some to do more.

The church that I served in Houston is the University Baptist Church. They have teams going out every day to serve the community in various ways. They have been housing people in their chapel and providing them with meals as they go out to help people recover their homes. They are also providing day care for workers' children and need provisions along those lines. They have not told me specifically. but I know that they could use any help possible as they provide this service. Any financial contribution would be welcome but even a phone call to find out what other needs that they have would be a great thing to do. I will put their address and phone number at the end of this week's Devo so you can get in touch with them and just let them know you are praying for them. To know that you care enough to support them in any way possible will be a great encouragement.

I just got off of the phone with a good friend of mine named Jeff Newpher who works with international students. He mentioned an interesting fact that, although most won't actually say it, there is a need for emotional support even for those who didn't lose their homes. For all of the people in the path of Ike there is deep concern that they will be able to make it in the long run. For those Christians who understand that God is in control, it may not be so bad but even for them prayer support would go a long way.

If you are like most people when something like this happens you are concerned, may pray, but are not sure just what else you can do. Well here is my suggestion. Give Robert Creech, the senior pastor, a call, or someone else at UBC and let him/them know that you are praying. Ask them if there is anything they need that you might be able to provide. Know that this would be one way to give significant support to some people in need of your help. Don't pass up this opportunity to be an encourager. Let's make this a do something Devo this week, not just a 'let's think about this.'

May God bless you as you reach out to others in need of your help. May you be richer for it. Oh and just because you are in Europe or Asia, don't let that stop you. The world is getting smaller every day.

Here is the contact information for University Baptist Church:

16106 Middlebrook Drive Web site: www.ubc.org
Houston TX 77059 Pastor Robert Creech
Phone: 281-488- 8517 Fax: 281-488-6748

Theo

Where Are You?

Vol 2 No 37 THEO'S DEVOS 091808

Mark 4:33 He used many such stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they were able to understand.

Where are you? I know just what you are thinking. What kind of a question is that for a devotional. But hold on for just a second. I'm not concerned about your physical location. I am more interested in where you are on this journey called life. The Apostle John refers to three stages of Christian growth. Children, young men and fathers. We have looked at the specifics of these levels of growth before. For now let's just ask this question. On the road to Christian maturity: where are you? Please be careful here. Before you jump to the conclusion that you are grown up in the Lord remember this: you can be a Christian for 50 years and still be a novice. One other point is that if you think about it you will admit that quite often people who think they are mature in the Lord are simply folk who think that they have arrived. That they have nothing more to learn. They can sit in church on Sunday and get bored because they haven't 'learned' anything that day. Before going any further why not read these verses in their context: Mark 4:30-34.

Often, as Christian leaders, we can make the mistake of thinking that everyone should be at the same place on the Christian path as we are. We think that because a person has been a Christian for several years, they must be well along toward maturity, only to find out that, once put in a position of responsibility, they act as though they had just gotten saved. Or they place their own needs and thoughts above others. They believe that the church is there for them instead of a rescue station reaching out to lost and wounded people. It is the parent that complains that their child is being affected by the unsaved kids that the youth ministry is trying to reach for the Lord. They think that the church should be a place where their kids should be sheltered from the unsaved of the world. They want to be out of the world and not of it instead of in the world and not of it. It would be like going to the hospital and complaining about all the sick people that were there.

Having said all that, where are you? If you aren't sure what to answer, you may just be honest. Can you say that you are growing? That you are further along than you were last year or ten years in the past. Our verse today touches on this. Jesus knew that everyone was not at the same point in life. He taught them things that they were able to understand and not things beyond them. It is good that God treats us in this way because, frankly, we would never be able to understand if God were to show us too far into the future. Next week exists in a fog bank because God is preparing us for what will happen then, knowing we are not ready to handle it now. God reveals what we need to know, when we need to know it and not before. He never gives us the grace we need until we need it which is why we are often blown away by what other Christians are able to go through. We don't know what we would do if that happened to us. But the good side is that He will show us what we need to know when we need to know it so that nothing threatens us. He exists in our future and is preparing us for it.

Fear not Jesus liked to say. Why? Because for the believer there is nothing to fear except trying to fight against God. If you try to do that then be afraid, be very afraid. He let His only Son die to provide us with salvation. He is not someone to play around with. Of course many of us have already found that out and we are happy to inform the rest of you of this truth. God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way. When we are with other Christians, lets remember that they are in a process of growth just as we are and they may not be where we think they should be but, have no fear, they will get there by the grace of God, one way or the other.

May God bless you today as you walk with Him.

Theo

Even Greater Works

Vol 2 No 36 THEO'S DEVOS

John 14:12-14 “The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father. 14Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it!

There is so much of importance in this verse that it is hard to decide where to start. How will Jesus be able to do 'greater things' through us than He did. It is hard to imagine anything greater than raising someone from the dead or restoring a blind man's sight. Note that he He emphasizes that we would do greater things, not simply the same things.

Have you ever noticed that all the people Jesus healed eventually died. More than that where were they when He hung on that cross? You would have thought that all those healed by Jesus, or fed by Him, would have been so amazed that they would have followed Him anywhere but they didn't.

Now thing about the works of the disciples. They spread the message of Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, and those people went on to be fed to lions, killed in many horrible ways rather than recant their faith. Why? What was different about these people than the ones Jesus healed or fed. The answer to this question is that they were empowered by the Spirit of God and did things in the spirit. Rather than simply heal, which they did, they now could spread the gospel to say that by placing their faith in what Jesus had done for them on the cross they could be forgiven of their sins and made whole on the inside. They were made alive in their spirit, not just improved in their body.

This power is given to us as well. When you share the gospel with someone, end they respond in faith believing, they are changed in their spirit. They are made alive in a place where they had been dead. This, then, leads them to live a totally changed life. Not a better life, a radically changed life. They are made alive and are no longer dead in their transgressions and sins. Nowhere in the New Testament do we see Jesus doing this. He had not died on the cross. Their sins had not been paid for yet. They were in the same condition as those in the Old Testament, waiting for the Messiah to come and wipe away the need for all those sacrifices by offering Himself as the final sacrifice for sin.

In this sense He is doing greater things through us. Not only that but Jesus could only be in one place at a time. Anything He wanted to do from just being nice to performing a miracle could only be done where He was. There is not too many instances where Jesus performed a miracle at a great distance although even then it was one at a time. Think of the increased power of millions of Christians around the world offering the possibility of eternal life and think of how many people may be accepting that offer by trusting in Jesus right this minute. Not just one or two but thousands, all around the world, right now. Now that is power. Thousands of people being transformed from darkness into life because Jesus still lives in, and through, us. Does He live in you? Are you letting His love shine in your life? Are you telling others about the wonderful truth of the gospel? If so, you are letting greater things happen and you are fulfilling the purpose that God has for you. If not, then now is the time to start. Simply tell the trust about Jesus, as best as you can. And watch God work. You don't have to be a Billy Graham. That is what God is saying in this verse. You have all the power you need to see greater things happen.

You will never, ever, be the same if you have the chance to tell someone about Jesus and watch them say 'Yes' to Him. Oh and for sure, they will never be the same either. May God bless you today as you serve Him and spread His love around the planet.

Theo

Principle Problem

Vol 2 No 35 THEO'S DEVOS

Eph 2:1-3 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

Probably one of the most difficult concepts in the Bible and one that has caused confusion and bad doctrine is found in verse one. “... dead in your transgressions...” What does Paul mean by dead? How dead were we? How does this relate to free will?

I have seen a lot of definitions of the word dead but the one that seems to be the most helpful is: 'the inability to respond.' If we are physically dead we cannot respond. Poke us, pinch us, hook us up to a machine and any attempt to elicit any kind of response falls flat. We may make a muscle jump by giving it an electrical shock but that is not the kind of response we are looking for. The indication that the brain and body are no longer alive is that they cannot respond to stimulus the way they used to.

In the same manner, spiritual death is the inability to respond to God. A spiritually dead person simply cannot do anything that God wants them to do, including responding to the gospel. It isn't as though they were sort of dead but alive enough to accept Christ as their savior. No, they are dead, period. That is why the Bible says that we are saved by grace, not of ourselves. There wasn't anything in us that could respond. We were unable to respond to God and that is why we are referred to as dead. I know that this will be hard to accept by those who think that there is something within everyone that can respond to God but God would have used a different metaphor to be sure if He wanted to convey that concept to us.

If you want to consider how clear this is just think about doing this. Imagine going to a morgue and looking down at a dead man on a slab. Now think as hard as you can and see if you can figure out a way of explaining to him that Jesus died for his sins and that he needs to place his faith in that payment in order to be saved. Can't be done. Now when you talk to a living, unsaved person, you are talking to a dead person spiritually. One who cannot, any more than a physically dead man can, respond to God. It takes God's grace to do that.

Beyond all of this, we are told that we were dead in two areas. In our transgressions and our sins. Transgressions means to misstep. To walk where we were not supposed to walk. In a spiritual sense it reminds me of a zombie that stumbles around and is not sure of where he or she is going. We cannot respond to God so our walk is virtually random in terms of what God would want. And then sins, or doing what we know to be wrong. Think about the world today. Everyday we see people doing what is wrong and want to argue that it is OK to act that way. In their heart they know better but do not want to acknowledge it. I am amazed at what we watch on TV as an example. We laugh at the most crude and ungodly things but excuse it because it is funny. I sometimes wonder if they ever were able to make dirt taste good if those people would eat it. Sickening thought isn't it but we comfortably watch things that are godless and justify it because it is funny. It would appear that just because we are no longer dead doesn't mean that we can't act as though we were.

One mark of death is that the dead thing continues to corrupt. That is why, for instance, that our entertainment industry has gotten worse and worse and will continue to until Jesus comes again. In the meantime, we as Christians, ought to act in light of the life we have been given. Let's give thought to what we watch and what we do and say. Let's take advantage of being alive in Christ and not follow the example given to us by those who are still dead, completely dead, in their transgressions and sins.

May God bless you as you strive to live more like Jesus and less like a dead person;

Theo

GREETINGS

Vol 2 No 34 THEO'S DEVOS 082808

Ephesians 1:1-2 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
Of all Paul's letters, this is the shortest greetings, but it contains three important things of note. First of all look at how Paul describes himself. “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” An apostle was someone that God sent with a message for us. Paul was never able to get over the fact that he had been chosen as an apostle of Jesus Christ. Jesus met him on the road to Damascus and chose him to be an apostle. He did not get any approval from others, let alone the other apostles. The result of this is that Paul seems to need to clarify how this happened and he defends his apostleship on several occasions.

It stunned Paul that God would chose him. “ by the will of God” we read. Paul had no other thing that he would boast about except that God would call him an apostle. Think about that for a minute. Paul had spent most of his life persecuting the church. He had hated the people of God and had done all he could to eradicate them. This is the man that Jesus meets on the road to Damascus and tells him that he has been chosen to be an apostle. There is no other appointment that more describes the sovereignty of God than this. His choosing the Jews and His people is on the same level but even they were not trying to destroy the things of God when he chose them. There were other things that Paul could have stated here to impress us. His pedigree is long but Paul only cares that he was chosen by God. That is enough for him and he believes it should be enough for us.

Paul goes on to say that he is writing to 'saints.' Now I don't know about you but thinking of myself as a saint always made me nervous until I found out that a saint is not what I had thought. Our idea of what a saint is may be misconstrued. I always thought of them as bigger than life. People that were made into statues and so holy that they stood apart from the rest of us. The Bible, however, describes them much differently. It turns out that they are just like us. They have all the same problems, and worries that we do. It is true that they are not like ordinary people. In the original language used here, Greek, the word comes from the same word as holy. Saints are holy people. The Greek word holy means different or distinct. They live differently than most people. Holiness is what determines who a saint is. They are like everyone else with the exception of being set apart by God. If you have put your faith in Jesus as your savior, you have been set apart by God. You have been made a saint. You are called to live differently than others. Oh, you may not always pull that off but you are called by God to live a life for him.

The last thing that Paul says here is “ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Grace and peace are offered to them, and us, by Paul. I will discuss these two important words in later devos but, for now, understand that they are offered to you. They are yours every day. They will impact your life in ways you cannot imagine. Look for them in your life. Ask God to help you trust that they are there even when life gets bumpy as it is sure to do.

My prayer for you today is that the grace of God will be noted in your life and that His peace will be your experience today. May God bless you in all that you do for Him.

Theo

Final Lifestyle

Vol 2 No 33 THEO'S DEVOS

1 Peter 3:8,9a Finally, all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds. 9Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing.

What do you think of others? I mean do you constantly find yourself criticizing other people or are you quick to think good of them. It would appear that after what God saved us from, we should be so grateful to Him that we have a hard time faulting others but, somehow, we manage to. Have you ever noticed, however, how hard it is to be around someone who seems to have negative things to say about just about everything? It almost gets depressing. The problem with criticism is that it is so hard to come by.

When I pastored a church, I noticed that just about any idea that someone had could be shot down by someone else and that is why most churches go nowhere. If a project can be halted by one or two naysayers, then no project is going to move forward. I remember saying on a couple of occasions: “Now there may be 100 ways that this idea will not work. They are easy to state and any of us could come up with them. So lets not waste time spelling them out. Let's see if there is one way that this idea 'could' work. If we can think of it then let's move forward and, if we can't think of even one way that it will work then let's move on to something else.” I have found that it is the easiest thing in the world to find ways that things won't work or to find something negative in someone else's life. Anyone and everyone can do it. The Bible calls us to be different kinds of people. With the help of the Holy Spirit we are asked to look for the good in people and treat them with sympathy out of a humble mind.

Peter tells us that this is true even when the negative in someone else shows itself by their saying unkind things about you. Our natural reaction is to hit back. This reminds me of Barry McGuire in a concert one time saying that sin flies around the world like lightning bolts. When we get hit by one we raise our shields and strike back. This acts like a ricochet and someone else gets hit. When hit we feel the shock and disparately want to protect ourselves. Barry said that his prayer was to be a shock absorber and I thought that was a great idea. When hit by a bolt of sin, flung by someone directly at you, don't hit back. Absorb the shock, give it to God and let Him ease your pain. That tactic will fulfill the directive given by Peter in these verses and will go a long way toward helping that person who was throwing the pain around to deal with the shock themselves. It may even help them become a shock absorber too.

As I have been writing this devo it occurred to me that, perhaps, some of us are not aware of how critical we have become. It just may be that we think we are encouragers when, in fact, we have become discouragers instead. It might be a good time to find out. There are a couple of things you can do to determine just how much of an encourager you are. One thing you might try is to keep a piece of paper in your pocket and whenever you find yourself saying something positive make a check mark in the positive column. Whenever you say something negative put a check in the negative column (Ok so I should have told you to mark those columns first but you get the idea.) Then, at the end of the day, take a look at the columns and see how you did. Did the positives way outweigh the negatives. If not take a look again at how you relate to those around you. Another thing you might do, but be careful with this one, is to give someone the right to point out every time you say something negative. This will call attention to something that may be going unnoticed. Now I have said to note negatives and positives because that will allow you to notice how much you focus on negative things and how much you focus on positive things. This will really uncover the real problem. Being more positive than negative may not be easy but it can be done. Why?

We can do this because Jesus is alive and well and living in us. He is the reason for our belief and He is the one who helps us do these things that would be simply impossible on our own. I can across an interesting video on YouTube that I will pass on to you. It is by one of Ravi Zacharia's associates and it is only 5 minutes long but makes a very important point about our faith. I hope you can open it. You should be able to hear it simply by clicking the words in blue below.

May God help you to follow the path of humility and kindness and may He start with me. I am praying for you, please pray for each other. Have a blessed day today.

:www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJjLlJb1wE0


Oh and by the way, take a look at this and act on it if you think it is a good idea, I do.

 Please take the time to do this!
 
Here's your chance to let the media know where the people stand on our faith in God, as a nation. NBC is taking a poll on "In God We Trust" to stay on our American currency. Please send this to every faith-filled person that you know so they can vote on this important subject. Please do it right away, before NBC removes this poll from  the web page. 
 
MSNBC poll is still open so you can vote.
 
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/
 


Theo

Real Life

Vol 2 No 32 THEO'S DEVOS

Psalm 13:1-6 O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?
2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
3 Turn and answer me, O LORD my God!
Restore the light to my eyes, or I will die.
4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”
Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
6 I will sing to the LORD
because he has been so good to me.

I love these verses. The main reason for this love is that they reveal a God that is much different than the one I grew up knowing as a boy. In the first years of my faith I had a view of God as someone who was sort of made of crystal. You had to be really careful around Him or He might break. And heaven help you if you broke Him because, although He loved you, He had a short fuse and you didn't want His majesty to break all over you. I think I picked up this idea from the pastor that I had and the older Christians that were my teachers. You weren't suppose to ask 'Why?.' You were just supposed to accept whatever comes along and accept it as your fate. Questioning God was not allowed. It was a sign that you lacked faith.

Now if that is true then what in the world is David doing here. He seems to think he can walk into the Divine presence and state his case. He, in verse 3, demands that God face him. Where is the lightning here? God must have really gotten mad at David, right? Wrong. David was expressing his humanity in the only way he knew at the time. He was baring his soul to the God who was there and loved him. He was acknowledging that God was, in fact, there and that he wanted to know the answer to some pressing problems that he had.

What kind of God do you believe in? Can he handle it when you have problems and want to complain or is He a crystal god that will shatter if you step out of line with Him. Do you worry about the small things that you do that might not be what good Christians and what He thinks of you. If you do then maybe you should reread these verses and learn from them.

God is much stronger than we often give Him credit. He knows you because He made you. It is important for you to be completely open with Him. You already know that you cannot be completely open with anyone else. We all keep some things inside and can get sick because we feel like there is no one to talk to. Well believe this: David had no one to talk to and somehow he managed to maintain a peace of mind because he knew that he could unload on God and that God would listen. He also knew that when he did that, he would remember in his mind some other important things about God. He will recall God's unfailing love. Something that is virtually impossible to find anywhere else. He will remember the times when God was so good to him and know that life is not just a bowl of cherries but, as one writer told us, can also be the pits. You have seen the poster that says you weren't promised a rose garden? Well you were, sort of, but not in this life. In this life you will have trouble. Trouble enough to keep you close to God if you are smart but not enough to wipe you out even though it may feel like that at times. See, that is what faith is all about. Faith says that when life gets rally rough you should keep moving forward. If you want to yell at God go ahead but don't give up. Yell and keep moving. There is nothing in this life that can overthrow the will of God. He is supreme and sovereign. Your life is in His hands in the same way that David's life was. If David could get angry, so can you. God loves you and your human reactions do not faze Him. What fazed Him is when you exhibit a lack of faith by giving up. Take courage today and pass that courage on to those around you. Expect that God will show Himself in your life and He will.

May He bless you today. Thank you for reading these Devos. They have been written with you in mind.

Theo

Friends

Vol 2 No 31 THEO'S DEVOS

Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.

I was reading Psalms today and noticed this verse. Now I have read this verse many, many times before but, for some reason, it stuck in my mind this time. I have been pondering the reason all day. It is now late at night and, since I can't sleep, I have turned to Theo's Devos. I find myself using these late hours to write these devos often. The quietness seems to help me think and pray.

Now one of the reasons this verse means something to me is because I have a lot of friends. The only problem for me is that, since I have moved several times, my friends are at a distance now. They are literally spread all over the country and around the world. The result is that it is difficult for me to act on this verse and yet it still means a lot to me.

“A friend loves at all times,,” we are told. That is good to know because it not only assures me that friends will always be there for us but it also helps us know the quality of true friendship. Have you ever had a friend, or thought you did, but it just seemed like everything else was more important to them than your friendship. They were too busy to take time with you. I have found that we all have time to do the things that we want to do so taking time with your friend is something we should look to do. I am not sure what those people are who are 'too busy' for you but true friendship doesn't seem like it is in view here.

Now it could be that they didn't think about it like that. Maybe they thought that the friendship was strong enough to handle not paying much attention to it. The problem is that the Bible says that a friend 'loves' at all times. That is a strong word. Obviously there are lots of levels of love. We love lots of things but not at the same intensity. How much do we 'love' our friends? Do they know that? Have you told them?

I am not a big talker. I do enjoy a good conversation though and, when I get into one, I can talk quite a bit but I enjoy not talking as well. I also love to stay in contact with my friends and I love to hear from them too. I'm sure you know what I mean. Knowing what is going on in your friends lives is important to me and I am sure it is to you too. Maybe friendship just cools off after a while and we focus less on maintaining it when we have been friends for a while. I believe that friendship can be taken for granted and that's not a good thing. We often find it helpful to communicate with our friends when something goes wrong but let them slide when things are going along smoothly.

In any event, it is good to know that we have friends. I have been in contact with a couple of friends who are in China right now. They just went through a scary time but it looks like they will be fine. I can't disclose their names for security purposes (email is not secure in the least) but I was constantly in touch with them through a relative of theirs. They had friends praying for them for the last several days and they have cultivated those friendships via email over the last several years. I have a couple of friends in Europe who email me regularly and it helps us maintain our friendship even though we are so far apart. At least one of them subscribes to Theo's Devos and they often comment on them. I am grateful..

I suppose one of the things that goes through my mind when I read this verse it that I should not take my friends for granted. I need to let them know that they are thought of. It will take my time to do that. It will not be 'convenient' but it is necessary. They have been there for me when I needed them and I should be there for them. I hope that they know that I would.

May God bless you and may He give you even more friends. Take care of them and nurture those friendships. They are much more precious than you may think.

Theoo

Who Are You Part 2

Vol 2 No 30 THEO'S DEVOS 073108

Psalm 8:5-9 For you made us only a little lower than God,
and you crowned us with glory and honor.
6 You put us in charge of everything you made,
giving us authority over all things—
7 the sheep and the cattle
and all the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.
9 O LORD, our LORD, the majesty of your name fills the earth!


In last week's Devo we noted that God treats us with deep respect. He sent His Son Jesus to die for us and He has chosen us to spread the Word of His love and Gospel to this lost world. Today we note that there is a position for us in His creation. “... you made us only a little lower than God, and you crowned us with glory and honor...” Read those words slowly. We are not simply a part of the general creation. God has crowned us. We are children of God. We have already noted a while ago that we are a 'royal priesthood.'

Why then do so many people talk about themselves as virtually useless. The fact that we are unworthy of God's love does not make us worthless. We have something to contribute. If we do not do what God has chosen us to do, it will not get done. And if God considers us as crowned with glory and honor, shouldn't we think of each other in that way. Oftentimes we focus on our weaknesses and God know we have many of them. Or we observe our sin or incompetence and then act as though that is all we are. But we, that is you and I, are much more than that. Much more. I hear Christians all the time talk as though the things we do mean little. It would appear that God thinks differently of us.

In these verses we also see that there is something more involved in our creation. We were 'put in charge of everything.' This gives us great responsibility. These day there is a great debate about this thing called 'global warming.' Are we responsible for this phenomena or not. Is there anything we can do about it? I do not know the answers to these questions. Sometimes I think that the whole thing is an attempt of many in government to control us and make us dependent on the government. However, we cannot simply wink at this kind of thing.

I have a little pet dog. His name is Sam and he is a King Charles Spaniel mix. He's a little guy, about 20 pounds, and he is totally dependent on me for his entire life. Everything he has or can do is dependent on me. In a way the rest of the world is in that condition. We humans determine where animals can live. We move them all the time. We take their land at our pleasure. If a species goes extinct we note it. Now it is true that lately, in the last several hundred years we have become concerned and no longer allow certain animals to be killed just for the sport of it. W e are careful about forests, and wet lands. It is a shame that we, as human beings, haven't been concerned about these things since the day after our verses were penned. We do know that concern for the environment is not our idea. It springs from the heart of the One who created it. It makes sense that the Person who created all that is would expect us to care for it.

So who are you? You are a living being that God loves. Someone who has great potential and whose actions have meaning. You are responsible for the bears and lions. You should be concerned about the rivers and birds and bees and especially other people. We do not live just for ourselves. We are in charge of God's creation, created above it but responsible for it. Start with where you live. Care for that environment and then branch out to the streets around where you live and try to improve those as well. Then, as best we can let's be sure that the debate about things like global warming have a clear and full hearing. Take the politics out of it and let the scientists come to some honest conclusions about what can be done. Then let's do all we can to follow the command of God that we exercise our authority over it. At the very least stop thinking of yourself as a nobody and allow yourself the respect that God intends for you to have. Then, and only then, will you be able to pass that respect on to those around you. It will change your life and theirs in a very significant way.

May God bless you today in all that you do.


Theo