Monday, September 29, 2014

Overcoming Evil

Monday 9/29/2014 4:49 AM
Over the weekend a disgruntled worker who had just been fired from his job returned to his place of employment and attacked two women, stabbing them both and beheading one of them. It is difficult for me to understand how one can reach that point of rage where one resorts to that level of violence but it seems to be happening with increasing frequency of late.
My devotional theme for the week is “Beyond Forgiveness.” If I were the husband, father or son of the beheaded woman it would take something way beyond forgiveness to deal with the anger I would have toward the perpetrator. My psalm for the week is Psalm 141 and verse 4 seems fitting, “Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat of their delicacies.” It is one thing to pray this prayer but it is another thing to live it out. Faced with the horror of this situation it would be natural to retaliate, to seek vengeance for the woman who was murdered. But vengeance is a delicacy that never satisfies. It always wants more. Verse 8 records David’s prayer to help him deal with his desire for vengeance. “But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge – do not give me over to death.” Rather than focusing on the injustices he encounters he focuses on God, trusting God to curb his appetite for vengeance.
In his book The Manhood of the Master, Harry Emerson Fosdick writes, “Only by a stronger passion can evil passions be expelled, and … a soul unoccupied by a positive devotion is sure to be occupied by spiritual demons.” Like David, if I want to be delivered from the evil that so easily entices I need to increase my passion for God and fix my eyes upon him and upon his word.
Lately I have spent less and less time reflecting on God’s love, his word and his will for my life. The result of spending less time with God and his word are feelings of indifference toward God, disenchantment with the world and apathy toward others, all things that are contrary to God’s will for me and for the Christian community at large. Lord, help me to keep my eyes fixed on you so I do not succumb to the indifference and disenchantment that is contrary to your will.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Forgiveness and Peace

Tuesday 9/23/2014 4:38 AM
Yesterday I read Peter’s words in the sermon he preached in Caesarea, after following God’s call to go to the house of Cornelius. “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” We need the good news of peace in our world today. The past few weeks have been filled with news of the Islamic State cutting wide swaths of land in northern Iraq and in Syria, brutally killing any who do not convert to their interpretation of Islam, which they believe to be the only true Islam. Men are slaughtered; women and children are raped and sold as sex slaves, there are beheadings and other means of torture are applied to anyone who disagrees or attempts to stand in their way.
My devotional theme this week is forgiveness, a concept that seems to be completely foreign to the brand of Islam portrayed by ISIS and something that would be nearly impossible to do if one’s family had been savagely brutalized and murdered at their hands. Later in his sermon Peter describes Jesus as one who “went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” As followers of Christ, Christians are called to do the same. This morning I spent time praying that the Christians who have been brutalized by ISIS would have the grace to forgive and that the Spirit of God would convict the perpetrators of this violence and bring them to faith in Christ. That is the only hope for peace.


Sunday, September 21, 2014

Lavishing My Life

Sunday 9/21/2014 6:37 AM
Psalm 114 was part of my scripture reading this morning. It begins with these words, “When Israel came out of Egypt, Jacob from a people of foreign tongue, Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion.” I thought about God calling me out of a life that was being lived contrary to his way and becoming a place where he dwells, his sanctuary. Because of my mathematical bent, when I first read it I thought it said Israel was his domain, rather than dominion. The domain of a function is the values for which the function is defined so if I am the domain of God it simply means I am a place where he is allowed to be. The idea of dominion is more that of being under the rule of God, which, for me has an entirely different connotation. If I accept the rule of God in my life then I cede the control of my life to him and forfeit it for myself.
Part of my reading included a prayer from the book Doctor Johnson’s Prayers. “Almighty God, in whose hands are all the powers of man; who givest understanding, and takest it away; who, as it seemeth good unto thee, enlightenest the thoughts of the simple, and darkenest the meditations of the wise, be present with me in my studies and enquiries. Grant, O Lord, that I may not lavish away the life which thou hast given me on useless trifles, nor waste it in vain searches after things which thou hast hidden from me. Enable me, by thy Holy Spirit, so to shun sloth and negligence, that every day may discharge part of the task which thou hast allotted me; and so further with thy help that labour which, without thy help, must be ineffectual, that I may obtain, in all my undertakings, such success as will most promote thy glory, and the salvation of my own soul, for the sake of Jesus Christ.”
There were three things in the prayer that caught my attention. The first fits in nicely with the idea of the dominion of God, to which I referred earlier. In the prayer he acknowledges that God has power over man; he gives understanding and takes it away, enlightens and darkens their thoughts. The second was the use of the word lavish as a verb. I have always used the word as an adjective, such as a lavish gift or a lavish lifestyle. The idea of lavishing away my life on useless trifles hits close to home, living in modern western society. Too often I concern myself with my own pleasure or with making my life more comfortable so that I have more leisure time to relax and enjoy life. The third is the part of the prayer that calls for me to avoid sloth and negligence, and perform the tasks God gives me, not to further my own personal success, but to further God’s rule and his glory. The idea of working for God rather than for man is consistent with the message of scripture but it is one that is easily forgotten when bombarded by the contrary message that is heralded by the society in which I live. I need to lavish my life away on the things of God.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Efforts and Results

Monday 9/15/2014 4:25 AM
The opening verses of Psalm 1 were the first things I read this morning for my devotions. “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.” I immediately thought of my students and how I want them to prosper, to succeed in their plans. There are times when I feel as if I almost have a greater desire to see them succeed than what they do. I know how much hard work is needed for success and it seems as if many of my students are more haphazard in their approach to life, unwilling to put in the time and effort that is needed.
I find the words of James Allen in his book As a Man Thinketh to be very sobering. “And you, too, youthful reader, will realize the vision (not the idle wish) of your heart be it base or beautiful, or a mixture of both, for you will always gravitate toward that which you, secretly, most love. Into your hands will be placed the exact results of your own thoughts; you will receive that which you earn; no more, no less. Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain, or rise with your thoughts, your vision, your ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration … In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not. ‘Gifts,’ powers, material, intellectual and spiritual possession are the fruits of effort; they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realized. The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart – this you will build your life by, this you will become.”
I agree with much of what Allen says. I realize that there are forces inherent in society that sometimes inhibit a person’s success but, more often than not, my own success or lack of achievement is more inhibited by my lack of vision or my own lack of effort. I want maximum results with minimum effort, like many others in our society today. If I constantly view myself as a victim of circumstances I will never rise above them, I will become the victim that I envision. If I view myself as a gifted child of God, made in his image for a purpose in this world, and work as hard as he gives me the ability to work, I will have a much more likely chance to succeed.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Tools and Work

Monday 9/8/2014 4:32 AM
My reading today includes Psalm 18. David was a mighty warrior and was successful in many battles. If there were anyone who had a right to be proud of his accomplishments on the battlefield it was he. David could easily have become proud or conceited thinking there were none who could even come anywhere close to his level of skill and accomplishment. However, he recognized the source of his success. Verses 32-36 read, “It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.”
I often complain to my small group that I am irritated when many in the Christian community think that the poor in our society are lazy and simply have to work a little harder to better themselves or better their position in society. There may, or there may not, be some truth to their claim but I want them to recognize that it was not their hard work that got them where they are in the world, it is the grace of God. God gives them health. God gives them a strong work ethic. God placed them in a loving, supporting family structure. God provided them with a job. I could go on.
In my opinion, David had the right perspective. He fought the battles but he recognized that God armed him, protected him, gave him insight, trained him, sustained him and gave him a clear, unobstructed path to follow. Lord, never let me forget that I am the tool and that you use me to do your work in the world.

Monday, September 1, 2014

Pressure Cooker

Monday 9/1/2014 6:24 AM
The opening sentence of the invocation in my devotional book this week is, “Lord Jesus Christ, hasten the day when all of your people may know the joy, peace, and harmony of your kingdom.” The world today bears little resemblance to that kind of joy, peace and harmony and, sadly, it is not often found even within the church. I like to portray joy, peace and harmony to those with whom I have contact but it doesn’t take much effort for me to scrape away the façade and unearth bitterness, resentment and frustration boiling just below the surface. Thankfully I have friends with whom I share my feelings so pressure doesn’t build to an explosive level but it would be nice to be released from root of it all. The opening stanza of a prayer by George MacDonald in Diary of an Old Soul is my prayer today.

O Christ, my life, possess me utterly.
Take me and make a little Christ of me.
If I am anything but thy Father’s son,
’Tis something not yet from the darkness won.
Oh, give me light to live with open eyes.
Of, give me life to hope above all skies.
Give me thy spirit to haunt the Father with my cries.