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
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
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
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
Thursday, September 11, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
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
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
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