Boldness

 Boldness 

"Almighty God, may they be filled with the Holy Spirit

 and speak the Word of God with boldness..."

-- Acts 4:31 

                April fool's day is a day of practical jokes, misleading emails, and general tomfoolery. That will not work because we cannot hide from God, who loves us. So, let's skip reading our devotional and forget the Holy Spirit and our Lord so that we may participate. 

            Today the comics in the newspaper will have Fool's Day jokes, the news and sports programs will be full of them, and there will be a few bogus press releases to get your attention. If I were to write a press release for today, it would be "Bob shoots par at St. Andrews!" or "… wins the Ironman." People would immediately recognize these were jokes, and some would know they were my fantasies.          

Like all days, I hope this devotional puts you on track to recognize the Holy Spirit in your life and its role in you. While others are playing jokes, we need to be sure that we are bold in our faith.

Blessings to you all, and enjoy the start of April. 

Thought for Today: Today, we will be bold in our faith and remember that it is ok to be a joker. 

Prayer for Today: Father, we give thanks for all we are and have. We thank you for having the freedom to enjoy a good joke, a great laugh, and the faith to know the absolute truth. We pray for good health, world peace, and prosperity for all. Amen 

Note: Today, 2023, In am sitting surrounded by six to twelve inches of heavy wet snow covering golf courses that are expecting to open soon.

            

 

Harvest? Invite?

 

 Harvest? Invitation? 

"It's still four months until harvest?

I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!

They are ripe for harvest."

(John 4 vs. 35) 

            It is spring, and our fields are softening. It is approaching planting time, and harvest will be in the fall. That is how the world works in my upper Midwest mentality. We till, plant, weed, water, prune, and harvest when we are lucky. Along the way is wind, rain, hail, heat, and all the forces of nature that we cannot control. June and I had beautiful gardens for over twenty years and miss them a bit everyspring.           

Jesus is not talking about a food harvest, and his disciples are. Jesus talks about making converts, telling the story, and inviting people to worship. There are no seasons for that. Hold on to that thought because our churches may have harvest times when we are more invitational than others.           

There are times when we are open to inviting people to worship, Easter, Christmas, rally Sunday, and special events throughout the year. It is relatively easy, and most of us feel comfortable inviting people to join us at those special times. Throughout the year, Christians tend to hold back on invitations to worship. 

We are all proud of our faith, congregations, and church and are willing to share on special occasions. Jesus asked to "…open your eyes and look at the fields!" Let's invite a friend to join us soon.

Open your eyes and look at the fields! 

Thought for Today: Many of us are members of declining Christian churches. Today let's think about why.

 Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, our troubled world often seems to take control of our lives, and trouble seems to supersede your will. Today we give thanks that in our world, we have a choice to follow you, and we pray that we can choose to contribute to doing your will here on earth by following Jesus' teachings.

 

Saint Patrick's Day

 St Patrick’s Day 

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

(Galatians 5 vs. 1) 

            There was always a large St Patrick’s Day parade and celebration when growing up in Boston. It was great fun, mythical fun without a grain of truth to it. There were stories about a saint who drove the snakes out of Ireland, green beer, and buttons that said everyone was Irish today. 

            Wikipedia does not mention green beer or parades but tells of a great man who converted a country. St Patrick was an Irish saint who lived from 387 to 461. He is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. He allowed the Irish to become free of their demons (maybe snakes?) and experience the grace of Christ. We need to honor him for that today. 

 Thought for Today: Today, let us honor a person who spread our faith and the grace of Jesus to the heathen population. Ok, let’s do it by drinking a toast with green beer. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, we thank Saint Patrick and the many saints of the first millennium. They brought the grace of Christ to the world and made our lives special. We pray that, in some way, we carry on their work.

Amen

 

 

Endurance and Life

Endurance and Life

(Personal Story) 

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial,

because when he has stood the test,

he will receive the crown of life that God

as promised to those who love him."

(James 1:12) 

In our seemingly endless search for tranquility, we tend to "want what we want, when we want it." We want our victories to come via the easy route, which is rarely a reality. Life is not a sprint but an endurance event, a marathon.           

 As an amateur triathlete, swim, bike, and run to get to the starting line to race took hours of practice, primarily alone; sometimes in pain; often in terrible weather conditions. It seems strange that in most races, there are thousands of participants. What for? Why do people do that?             

Let me summarize the feelings that occur during a typical Triathlon. One experiences anticipation and excitement standing on the beach during the national anthem. There is generally a feeling of spirituality during the blessing. There was a period of fear during the swim in all my races. Boredom, pain, doubt, and an entire array of other feelings occur during the bike ride and run. Then comes the good time, the approach to the finish line. 

            The finish line of an endurance event generally has a crowd of 5,000 to 20,000 spectators. Enthusiasm and positive energy seem to radiate out of the group to be absorbed by the competitors. Most of my fellow racers agree that the feeling of finishing, the pride, accomplishment, and of course, just being done, is very special. Many cross the finish line with tears of joy in their eyes. 

            As a grandfather and senior citizen, I can look back over the years and see the parallels between racing and life. Life is full of challenges, fears, and excitement. Be patient, meet challenges, and look forward to receiving your "crown of life." 

Thought for Today: We are living through trying times. There is too much to do, too much work, not enough playtime. However, we have God and our Christian friends through Him. Today, look toward the future, knowing that patience and perseverance will bring us tranquility and happiness. 

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, as Christians, we are not perfect, and we seem to want immediate gratification throughout our lives. Today, we pray for patience to discover your will, the courage to implement it, and the knowledge to recognize your presence in our lives.

Amen

 

 

 

Life Of Victory

 

Life of Victory

 

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial,

for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life,

which God has promised to those who love him.”

(James 1: 1-12) 

The elderly can often be curmudgeons, maybe angry. They are focusing on the past rather than the joys they have now. A good goal in life is to have your grandchildren remember you as happy, content, and proud. 

Life comes at us in waves or phases; the rapid learning years of childhood and youth; the wealth-building, family, or working years; the secure phase or empty-nesting; the retirement years winding down to an end-of-life experience. Each stage is unique, different, and memorable, filled with both joy and sorrow, and that is life. 

We make choices with our focus. We could always use more money, more company, less pain in our joints, etc. The sun will rise and set; we will wake and sleep. The Lord will be with us, and we will have great memories of our past. Focus on them. 

One of my favorite television evangelists, Joel Osteen, likes to say, “Keep on keeping on!” 

Thought for Today: Negative influences will occur, and we can either dwell on them or deal with them. Today, let us focus on moving on with our lives and faith. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, the world is full of confusion. There is trouble in the mid-east, deranged people shooting up our sacred institutions and some awful winter weather. We pray for the ability to understand it all and put it into the context of your plan. We offer special prayers for the older generation as they move onward. We pray for peace, understanding our place in your world, and the opportunity to do your will here on earth.

Amen

Let God Lead

Let God Lead

 

"Commit everything to the Lord.

Trust him, and he will help you."

(Psalm 37 verse 5) 

        God works in many ways when we allow Him to help us. Yes, he is always there, but not always present in our minds. We have a way of being self-centered, focusing on business issues, personal problems, etc. We want to be in control, and we can deal with it ourselves.

       

Twelve-step programs focus on spiritual growth and simplify the process with slogans. When we try to control a difficult situation, they advise us to "Let go and let God." Our house had this on a four-inch refrigerator magnet. We tend to be control freaks. Worrying or controlling things outside our sphere of influence will make us "tired, …weak…and worn".

 

It is easy to become frustrated when things are beyond our control, and it is customary to try to control. It is better to recognize our place and let God take our hand, lead us home.

 

Thought for Today:  Today is the first day of the rest of our lives, and we do not have to function the same way as we did yesterday. Take a look at God's influence on our decisions and allow Him to help us.

 

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, we thank you for our many blessings and the many beautiful things we enjoy. We are concerned about others in our society that have less, some without food, housing, or a job. We are worried about the many people who are afraid they will lose their jobs and security. There seems to be a growing acceptance that this is OK here on earth, as long as it is the other guy. Today we pray for our society in general, that somehow everyone can be at peace, that all children have food and that our riches are shared as You would have us share them.   

 Amen 

 

Marriage

Marriage 

" A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value."
(Proverbs 31:10, 11) 

            Many of you have heard me discuss the benefits of a good marriage: great mutual support, care when illness arrives, and joint celebrations of the many events that occur. Yes, marriage is truly remarkable when things are well and blessed by God.

           

It has often been stated that marriage is the world's most challenging job. Let me quote from The Mystery of Marriage by Mike Mason.

 

            "Marriage, even under the best of circumstances, is a crisis, one of the major crises of life. It is a dangerous thing not to be aware of this. Whether it is a healthy, challenging, and constructive crisis or a disastrous nightmare depends largely on how willing the partners are to be changed, how malleable they are."

           

 "Crises" seems a bit extreme to me. Still, undoubtedly, marriage is a great opportunity for life fulfillment, and it certainly is not without its "opportunities" for either success or failure. A marriage blessed by God, one in which the partners have allowed God's love to grow in their relationship, is one of the world's most incredible experiences.

 

Thought for Today: We face many distractions in our daily lives; work, busy schedules, terrorism, war, deficits, and many more. Let us look at our primary relationships. Focus introspectively, up close. Focus on our loves. When things are okay in our relationships, the outside problems seem less intense.   

 

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, we are in a world of hurting people and crises. Wars, earthquakes, and general civil are creating havoc. It is uncomfortable. Today, we pray for love within our lives. We pray that somehow we can feel your presence in all of the fear and overcome our doubts. Somehow we pray that through your love, the fears will dissipate.
Amen