Tag: daily devotional

John 14:9

They had been with Him for three years. Sitting at the table together, having eaten what,
unbeknownst to the 12 chosen followers, was to become their last meal with Jesus. They were listening to Words Jesus had never spoken before. . . at least not in this way. . . to the small group of men who had been with Him for the past 3 years. So much time spent around the table together in so many places as they had followed Jesus throughout their tiny country of Israel. They were back in Jerusalem now. Home. Three years of following Him, “schlepping” all over that Land. They were not the same men He had told to “Follow Me.” And they had.

But it had changed their lives and their hearts.

So, when Jesus, after the meal, looked around the table and told them that, soon, He would be “going” and that they were not coming with Him, at least not yet,. . . it grabbed their full attention.

“What? Where? Why?” This was something different. He was saying things about leaving. . .
going to His Father . . . and they would not be going with Him. He was talking about their new Assignment, but without Him physically with them. They would be staying, but He was “going.”

I am reminded of a familiar scene that plays out in every family. . . Mom or Dad start putting on their coats because they are going somewhere. They assure the children that it’s for a little while, but they’ll be back. It’s such a familiar scene for each child, yet their thoughts go into a brief panic-mode….Where are you going? Can I come with you? I don’t want to stay home!

Why? When? How long? But . . . but . . . but . . . “ The anxiety is real in the hearts of the
“little’s” staying behind. Tears . . . clinging. . . following to the door. . .Jesus’ circle of men were familiar with Jesus’ periodic short absences. But He always came back. And although they could never have imagined what was coming in just a few hours . . where He was about to go, and what He was about to go through, Jesus made it clear that this Journey He would have to make alone.

“Don’t you know Me yet?” In the Journey each of us is making as we follow Him, the Path and Steps we must take are often not easy . . . not of our own plans nor desires. . . at times
dangerous, heartbreaking, and unimagined.

But in the midst of walking…stumbling…limping…running along that Path, with our fears,
insecurities, heart-aches and joys, He leans over and says, “Don’t you know Me yet?” That’s
the “bottom line” issue as we follow Him. As He asks us to do things…go places…step into
rough waters…face unspeakable fears and sorrows along our Journey, His Voice echoes in our Hearts. . . “Don’t you know Me yet?” That is the bottom line question . . . and Answer.

“The Word became human and lived among us.
We saw his glory.
It was the glory that the Father shares with his only Son,
a glory full of kindness [a] and truth.”
John 1:1-2,14

“Being human” is the most common reality shared by every person, everyday,
everywhere in the world, throughout all of Time. From your first breath until your last,
you are a human being. You are “being human” without any script, or instruction
manual, or on/off button. It is our primary basic reality.

As I hold my newest little grandchild, look into her little dark eyes, see her facial
expressions, the movements of her tiny body, and the incredibly powerful little voice that
comes out of that tiny Being, I have no explanation nor operating manual other than to
begin discovering this little Creation who has entered our family.

Although I can hold her in my arms, I have no real control of her life. All that I can do is
to love her, try to meet her needs, and be present in her life.

In this season of focus on the Birth of Jesus into human life, our newest baby can give
me the most realistic picture of what His Coming physically entailed. Complete
vulnerability, with no possibility of controlling how He was treated, cared for, held, or
taught. From His birth, his survival was at great risk due to circumstances far beyond
his nor his earthly parents control. They could model qualities like kindness and truth,
but they could never be the source of those qualities. Living out those qualities would
have to be His choice.

How do you teach a child “glory”? We cannot, as human parents. That comes only from
God Himself. What we can do is live lives that are full of kindness and truth. It involves
our words and our actions. Jesus’ life on earth was marked by those practical qualities.
. . qualities that can be seen, felt, and experienced by the people around us.

The identification marker for the “Glory” of God Himself in the Life of Jesus throughout
His time on earth was in the tangible form of kindness and truth. And that is something
that God longs to weave into our lives here. . . so do-able that even our children can
bring it to this world as they learn from our examples.

“Those who want to save their lives will lose them.
But those who lose their lives for Me,
will find them.”
Matthew 16:25

What would it require to save your own life? Wouldn’t it require a total focus on yourself?
Your circumstances, your risks, your possibilities to save yourself, and anyone or anything that might give you a chance to survive would likely capture your entire focus. Panic would set in as you frantically look for anything that might save you from being swallowed up by the danger. Even using another person to be able to save yourself from death would become a very real consideration in order to survive.

Most of us battle with thoughts of not being enough, doing enough, not knowing enough. And looming before us is the thing that gives us faith to take the next step of the Journey We don’t want to die in our wilderness! So we may grab onto the “hope-giver” on our path. . . and hang on for dear life… Even if what we’re clinging to for survival is another human being who is also frantic to survive.

Jesus knew the dangers for human beings on this earth. Desperation to live can mean
grabbing onto anything that floats by . . . even if it’s another human being.

Our desire to survive is deeply ingrained in us. We look for any means of escape from our peril. We hate being afraid. We hate suffering. We hate facing our own death. Jesus understood that about us. He had temptations to save His own life from the death He knew was ahead forHim. He struggled . . . even to the point of sweating blood.

Jesus calls us to follow Him. Wherever that might lead. Whatever it costs us personally. It’s
serious business. It’s scary. It may cost us everything.

But to walk that Path with Him, and to know His nearness as we walk together, is worth all of the unknown’s along the way.

“Sing to God; make music to praise his name.
Make a highway for him to ride through the deserts.
The Lord is His name. Celebrate in His presence.
The God who is in His holy dwelling place is
the Father of the fatherless
and the Defender of widows.”

Psalm 68:4-5

I will never forget the “thunder” I heard in the desert. It was the thunder of a camel race. I
heard it long before I saw where the “thunder” was coming from. The camel riders in their
flowing white robes and ornate headdresses were heard before they were seen. Clouds of sand dust filled the air. The race eminated power, both of camel and rider. In the unbroken desert sands, the powerful camels and the billowing robes of the riders were nothing less than a jaw-dropping drama that seemed to come right out of a movie. Crowds of people lining the sandy raceway were going wild in the excitement. The thunderous power created a deafening sound that caused all of the spectators to move far back from the path of the ground-shaking racers.

The Psalmist captures a glimpse of such a scene. . . but the race is not one of human nor
beastly power.

The Rider is God Himself. All-powerful, all-mighty, focused, fully present, and thundering
through Time.

We become aware of His Presence through a strange, distant sound , , , before we see the
cloud surrounding Him as He comes our way. When we realize Who is in the Cloud, we
instinctively step back, because there is awesome Power in the middle of that moving cloud of sand dust.

In the most desolate, desert places and times of our lives, we feel alone, unprotected, and
have experienced great losses, like the “fatherless” and “widows” in this verse, Then, we hear something… a Sound grabs our attention, and we begin to see the Cloud moving our direction. The Rider comes into our sight . . . into our lives. He chooses to come.

He is not focusing on a trophy for winning a race. He has come, not for the praises of the
powerful. He comes to those who are unprotected . . . unloved . . . alone in this world, no matter how that Reality became theirs . . . His coming into our worlds is not for trophies, or accolades of the rich and famous. . . He is not focused on Himself. His Focus is not on the spectator crowds watching Him from the sidelines. . . at a safe distance from Him.

His focus is on those who are most unseen. . . most unprotected . . . most alone. . . most
vulnerable . . . Those who feel the most unable to offer Him anything of value in this world.

He comes to those who grab onto Him in the desperation of knowing that they have nothing to offer but themselves. Those who, out of great sorrow, know that He has come for them.

“They were united with Moses by baptism in the Cloud and in the Sea.
All of them ate the same spiritual food,
And all of them drank the same spiritual drink.
They drank from the spiritual rock that went with them,
And that Rock was Christ.
Yet . . .(here’s the kicker)
God was not pleased with most of them,
So their dead bodies were scattered over the desert.”

They’d done it all . . . and they’d done it together. The dramatic deliverance from
slavery in Egypt, the Cloud of God on the mountain top, the 10 Laws written by the
finger of God that they were to follow, the 40 years of walking through the endless
desert following a Cloud and Fire, the Sea splitting to allow them to walk through safely
into their Promised Land, and then seeing that Sea wiping out the entire Egyptian army
that had been in hot pursuit of them.

The miracles that God had done for them were unprecedented in all of history. And He
had done it for them because they were truly His People.

Never before, never since, was there such a long-lasting miracle unfolding for the
people God had chosen to be His Own. Sharing such miraculous and faith-building
experiences together had helped to form them into a nation, with a great mission to the
world. God had His Plan for them.

When God does things that only He can do with a people, or a person who He has
chosen, there are lots of people who want to be part of the experience. They want to fit
in with that “Chosen” crowd through which God is moving. They want to be part of the
“fireworks” and the action. They want to be chosen.

But if they have not been chosen by God for carrying out His Plans, or if they are just
looking for a new emotional thrill, God will orchestrate events to sift out those who have
chosen themselves. God looks for people whose hearts belong to Him. They may
have blended in with those God has chosen, may have learned “the walk” and “the
talk”, but God cares about their heart. Blending in with the “faith crowd” can work for a
time, but eventually the Truth will become clear and the performers will fade away.

The ‘Next New Thing’ will come along, but God knows each heart involved. The heart
He looks for is one that has truly surrendered everything because of the love that moves
each to follow Him however He leads, regardless of who is or is not watching or doing it
with you. All that matters is what HE sees in your heart, and that you truly belong to
Him. . .no matter what. You are His.

In your heart of hearts, why are you following Him?

“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky displays what His hands have made.
One day tells a story to the next.
One night shares knowledge with the next.”

Psalm 19:1-2

When I look up into the sky, especially at night or during an amazing sunset, I can’t say that I
imagined the above conversation shooting back and forth up there. Story-telling, heavenly
displays for all to see and hear!

What would a heavenly declaration be like? I’m sure it wouldn’t be missed by anyone. A
“declaration” is a verbal announcement of Truth. What’s the theme of the declaration? God’s Glory! When you look up into the black night sky, especially, and focus on all the visual action taking place, it’s mezmerizing. A Light Show that you don’t want to miss. . . not even a blink! Constant movement. And every tiny sparkle or shooting star or glow radiating out is by God’s own Hand. Illuminated….sparkling…..shooting through the sky….creating images as stars move into place and shine through the night. Nothing man-made can even begin to compare.

The Conversation uses individual stars, and entire galaxies of the universe. That captivating
Moon glows larger than any other shimmering point up there.

But there’s a Story being told. And the Story has a universal point. . . The Story the heavens
are telling is all about God, and how He made it all. That night sky is telling His Story. Those
heavenly bodies are not just showing off, or causing “Oooh’s” and “Ahhh’s” from earthlings.
They are all telling God’s Story. The Story of the Glory of God. And the Sky is the Display of
what God’s Hands have made. Each Day tells its story to the next day.

This is not sleepy, dreamy, warm and fuzzy feelings or Bedtime Stories. This is a seamless,
brilliantly written and perfectly-orchestrated living production, staged in the Universe itself.

• Story Written by God
• Stage Design: God Set Design: God
• Creator: God
• Orchestrated by God Production Concept: God
• Produced by God Credits: All God
• Directed & written by God
• Night Sky: God
• Technical Director: God
• Funded by God
• Heaven’s Declaration: God
• Moon’s Lighting: God
• Goosebumps by God
• Theme Music: Composed by God
• Twinkling Stars: God
• Shooting Stars: God Galaxy
• Designs: God
• Copyright unnecessary

“We should all be concerned about our neighbor
and the good things that will build his faith.”
Romans 15:2

It’s usually the people with whom we have the most contact that also cause the biggest “rubs” in our lives. Neighbors may fit into that category at times. Paul likely knew how neighbors can affect each other…in good ways and bad ways. Though he was often on the move, unless he was in exile on a deserted island, he likely had experienced a “neighbor.”

In our first home, our neighbor was a sweet, old woman who had never had kids. Our three
busy little boys were “interesting” to her. One day, in the midst of making a cake, I realized I
had no eggs, and called my neighbor to ask if I could borrow two. My two-year-old was
“helping” me, seated on the counter watching the mixing process. My neighbor popped in,
handed me the two eggs and went back to her house. My little helper soon climbed down and disappeared as I was mixing in the borrowed eggs. I assumed he had better things to do.

Then my phone rang. It was my neighbor. “Did you get the eggs, Jan?”

I asked, “What eggs?”

She said, “The two eggs Seth came to get from me, because you had broken the first two.”
As the little guy appeared through the back door, carefully holding the two eggs in his little
hands, my sweet neighbor and I shared a delighted laugh.

Nothing profound, nor deeply meaningful. But it was a sweet moment provided by a little boy who had innocently created a special memory shared by two neighbors.