Category: Devotions

I am reading in Philemon for a few days. I know the story: run away slave, Paul found him and sent him back to his owner with a plea. I hear the words he said and wonder what I would think if someone who has betrayed me came back to me with a letter from someone I highly respected. That would carry more weight than a simple, I am sorry please take me back. But the words Paul uses tears my heart in a totally different way. But now is profitable to you and me. I know much of my life has not been profitable to much of anyone. That hurts the heart. That also bring to the forefront what forgiveness is all about. If God thinks I can be profitable again by his forgiveness then people surely will see my value. That’s a God moment; people aren’t so quick to have a change of heart. I can put myself in Onesimus shoes. Standing there while the old master read the letter waiting for the other shoe to fall. Watching his owners eyes and body language and waiting to see what would happen. I think about that when people have shut me out, considered me useless to them and it has happened in the past few years. Hurt, frustration and betrayal make the heart want to stay hidden under a rock. But God says I am profitable. God says I am valuable. God says I am priceless.

The flowers, beautiful cone flowers are actually quite ugly until they bloom. I have been Trying to get a row to grow along side the lounge . It has been a challenge. And then, it seemed to happen overnight but I know it wasn’t quite that simple, I looked and the whole wall of the lounge and the wooden bunker is filled with bloom and beauty. The beauty was there before but hidden by undeveloped green stalks not quite ready to bloom. We are much like those green stalls. Given time we will be beautiful and profitable. Walking others through life never let us forget that we will all be profitable someday. And never forget forgiveness is a conduit through you and doesn’t stop with you.

 There is a saying, “Hindsight is 20/20”.  Another, “Hindsight is wonderful. It’s always very easy to second guess after the fact.”

I have great conversations with the rear view mirror. I am probably the only one. You always say the right thing, at the right time, with the right facial look and the right tone of voice. I don’t. I get beyond the situation, sometimes for less than a minute and think, I should have said this, or used this approach, or kept my  mouth shut or better yet not even come here in the first place.   Our rear view windows seem to be always much cleaner than our windshields, less bug guts and less traffic. The truth is, we can’t go back but we can learn.  I rarely make the same mistake twice. I tend to look back with discouragement because I make such a big mess the first time, I won’t repeat that mess.  I should think of the walk through a muddy lane as a challenge to learn and try a new approach next time. I can always see what I should have done differently, but do I pray and ask God to help me prepare for the next time?   Rather than spending time worrying about what I should have done, just talk to the rear view mirror about how next time can be a positive and a great experience. The rear view mirror is usually clean because we don’t have sticky fingers all over it. The back window doesn’t have the bug guts and bird poop because the front window takes all the brunt of the wind. Remember that the beauty of the moment or what you think you see looks different from where you are sitting in the car.

I grew up sitting on Grandma’s lap in the back seat, right hand side of the red Impala. The road looked different from where I was sitting. All I saw was the white line and grandma’s smiling face. When I got bigger and couldn’t sit on Grandma anymore, so we didn’t hurt Grandma, I sat in the middle seat. Suddenly I could see the front window, part of the road and both sides where the ditches are. Eventually I progressed to the shot gun seat, and then driving. All in the same car (well the impala was gone and we had a green Ford wagon then) but when we change our position in the car, looking at how we are driving, living and the decisions we make changes. My conversations with the rear view mirror are different now.

Just something to think about. God doesn’t want us looking backwards all the time. See where you have come, change what you can and do it different next time. That’s what the Holy Spirit does best; changes the future by how he teaches us from our past.

I am at a horse show. When you help with volunteer organizations you are expected to volunteer! So today I am sitting on my Throne high above the arena floor in the tabulation booth. It’s an interesting way to spend a Sunday. Enter numbers, save and tabulate but the coolest thing I get to do is start the class and end the class. I push the button to begin and push the button to end. Of course I pushed it at the wrong time. It’s useless because nothing happened. What makes the show exciting is what happens in the middle. You can’t place a class if you start and finish it in the same second; which is what I mistakenly did! Of course they don’t fire volunteers. So when we start life and God pushes the button, the part of life that makes us smile is the stuff between the start and finish. Anticipate, get excited but don’t rush it. Take it one horse at a time! And enjoy the ride! It may not be the most beautiful or exciting but it’s your ride. God gave you this time so ride it you stole it (a phrase from the horse world) . That’s means simply give it all you have until your ride has ended!

Several have asked about the most recent communion meditation I shared when I led worship. Here it is. The songs we sang leading up to Communion was “You’re a good, good Father”, and “God is so good”.

“You’re a good, good father. God you’re so good.”  Good- a word used a lot when I was a kid. When we would leave home, our parents would say, “be good”. According to Webster, good means to be desired or approved of.  To have a favorable character or tendency.  Our parents wanted us to reflect them- good parents- good children.  So, what does our good good father expect of his son?

John 13 tells us that the evening meal was in progress; the devil had already invaded Judas heart and what did Jesus do? “³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. “

I want to look back at the part where “The father had put all things under his power.”  Power is an interesting thing. Our human nature tends to take power and use it as leverage against others.  The mere definition of power is the capability of doing or accomplishing something. So often we tend to see power as a way of controlling situations or making the result benefit us. We have control, we have the power to make things happen.

There is a saying, “Nearly all men can stand adversity but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

So a good good father, who imparted his goodness into his son, and the son after having all things put under his power, got up and picked up a towel.

Here we are at the Lord’s supper. The same supper that the evening meal was in progress from John 13. We remember what Christ did for us at the cross. He had the power to call the angels. He had the power to call off the cross. He had the power, but he chose to pick up a towel and serve.

We take the bread; the cup and we get up from the table. The question is, will we pick up the towel to serve?

Several have asked me about the last couple Communion meditations I shared while leading worship. So here they are.

Eating Supper:We sat eating supper the other night. It had been a bad week. Life, people and circumstances have beaten my heart to a bloody pulp. Our small group sat eating BBQ and Potato salad while passing the cornbread and honey intermittently with the large jug of Iced tea. As we ate, the burdens of the week lifted. As we talked and prayed, the heaviness of my beaten heart slowly eased. It didn’t change the problem. It wouldn’t affect tomorrow morning, but for today, God was allowing my Spirit to be lifted and encouraged. That’s what the church is all about. It’s not about the building, what’s in the bulletin or who is working in the nursery this week although those things are important. It’s what happens between the hearts of the people who make up the church.

A time of gathering to share the Lord’s supper is equally important. It’s not BBQ, potato salad and cornbread but it’s nourishing especially for a wounded battered heart. From a reading of ‘Valley of Vision’ a devotional prayer book,

“In the Lord’s supper I remember his eternal love, boundless grace, infinite compassion, agony, cross, redemption and receive assurance of pardon, adoption, life and glory. As the outward elements nourish my body, so may thy indwelling Spirit invigorate my soul.

Until that day when I hunger and thirst no more and sit with Jesus at his heavenly Feast.