What if...?

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

What if the Lord had not been on our side?  Let all Israel repeat:  What if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us?  They would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger.  The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us.  Yes, the raging waters of their fury would have overwhelmed our very lives.  Praise the Lord, who did not let their teeth tear us apart!  We escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap.  The trap is broken, and we are free!  Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  Psalm 124:1-8

I think Advent is my kind of season.  As an introspective sort, I naturally turn towards the inner self, thinking, evaluating, wondering, and (too-often) overthinking!  But, it is what it is; we are hardwired one way or another.

As much trouble as I can get into by keeping my mouth closed, and mind working, and, therefore open to criticism of being moody, or uncaring, I do sense I stay out of trouble more that way than the other.  Two sayings come to mind:

1.    Open mouth, insert foot…and

2.    Better to keep mouth closed and be thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove all doubt.

Advent was built with the thinker in mind.  To relfect is to consider deeply about what you’re doing, or what happened, or, perhaps most importantly, what’s coming.  In the Christian life, there is no larger consideration upon which to reflect than that last one…what’s coming is Jesus!

The “thinker” of Psalm 124 does all three:

He looks back:  What if the Lord had not been on our side?  The result of life in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria would’ve been a catastrophe.  The blood would have run neck-deep to a horse for miles. 

He looks at what he does now in light of what happened:  The trap is broken, and we are free!  Freedom carries responsibility; the Psalmist doesn’t want to waste this gift of opportunity to reflect positively on God’s great kindness.

He looks very deeply at what’s coming:  Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  To consider every last nook and cranny of creation takes a long time.  Somehow, the sober moment of escaping the tragedy of an enemy attack, has driven this thoughtful one to remember not only where he (and all Israel) would be without God’s divine favor and grace, but resolve to trust in no other strength, save the lovingkindness of JHWH, Jehovah-Jirah, the God who is I Am.

For You Today  

There is enough emotion at this time of year.  Hallmark sees to that detail.  For believers, it is a time to think, carefully, deeply, and with the very-pointed purpose of engaging where we’ve been, what we’re doing, and what’s coming. 

Advent is the stuff of life time.  What hangs in the balance for you and me is to either being engulfed by this world’s system, or released like a bird from a cage.  Prison of sin, or release to the Kingdom.  That’s Advent; that’s today!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

       Rescue   and   Committing Advent

Images:  Title Pixabay.com   Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

 

Too Good for This World

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

How much more do I need to say?  It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.  By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them.  They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength.  They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.  Women received their loved ones back again from death.  But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free.  They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.  Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips.  Others were chained in prisons.  Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword.  Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated.  They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.  All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.  For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.  

Hebrews 11:32-40

Paul, well-schooled in the history of God’s people, remembered the saints of ancient times.  He also had a firsthand knowledge of saints who were too good for this world.  Many Old Testament saints and prohets were a powerful force for good, at least temporarily.  By the time of Jesus’ birth there had been an absence of that kind of presence for 400 years.  The new brand of prophet was an outcast; the new brand of saints were sufferers, too good for this world..

Paul ends his comforting message to us with a reminder that, even with no earthly resolution to the difficulties, and even outright persecution we may suffer in remaining faithful to Christ, His plan for us is blessing. 

In the same way Job, who suffered at the hand of the unseen enemy, Lucifer, and, even with the help of wise friends who sat days on end with Job’s suffering, there was never an answer that quite satisfied that question we all have…WHY? 

In the end, we all must face the reality of human condition…we already know why; truth be told, we don’t like the answer, and we anguish in the search for something that lets us down gently. 

The reason for suffering is sin; the reason it hurts so much, is, merely entertaining the notion that we can do something about our problem without God only deepens and strengthens sin’s hold on us.  Paul expressed this frustration in his letter to the Roman church, along with the only answer that truly makes any sense in a sin-darkened world:

Oh, what a miserable person I am!  Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?  Thank God!  The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Romans 7:24-25^a

For You Today  

Remember this day all those who suffered for the cause of faith in God.  Include those who suffer today from the persecution of this world’s evil ones, aligned against heaven in every way.  If you’re among the suffering, take heart, and hold faith tightly – God has something better planned for all saints.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

       Something Better   and   Impossible

Images:  Title Pixabay.com   Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

When Grace Carries Us

 

Monday, November 28, 2022

God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were.  But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.  So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?  Of course not!  Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?  Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?  For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism.  And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.  Romans 5:20-21, 6:1-4

If nothing else can be said about the grace of God, this can:

Grace changes us!

The prevenient grace of God draws us to our need of the Father, and understanding it is only through Jesus that can happen.[1]  When people find that truth has changed their eternal destiny from death to eternal life, it’s a wonderful moment of release and joy!  Sadly, too many put a period on what has happened, as if there is nothing more.

Past that salvation experience is a whole ‘nother dimension of the change God wants to bring about in us, for us, and through us.  It starts (and never stops) with God’s sanctifying grace.  It is the power of God that changes the way we live.

Over the years, in the course of pastoral work, I have met thousands of people.  Many of these are former attenders of church.  Usually, when they find out I’m a pastor, they ask me what church I serve.  After I tell them, I ask where they go.  The next sentence goes like this:  Oh, I’m a member of                church; I don’t go there any more, but I believe in Jesus.  That “I believe in Jesus” is a defensive thing, as if to protect that card-carrying-going-to-heaven thing.  They don’t want God to revoke their membership which guards against hellfire and brimstone.  I always have to stifle a little grin when that sentence comes…as if this (or any other) preacher could change anything about whether they’re going to heaven or hell.  What’s really going on is they’re just being defensive about why there’s nothing going on in their life about growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  They trusted Jesus’ grace for salvation, but that grace which makes Jesus LORD over their life just didn’t fit in the way they wanted to live.

This is where the Apostle Paul’s issue with the Roman believers comes in.  They had believed in Christ, but surrendering all of life to His will was a change they weren’t ready to entertain.  There were too many parties to attend, fortunes to aquire, and lands to conquer.  The grace that forgave was refreshing and welcome…as long as we don’t have to change too much. 

This was the first-century version of getting your name on the church roll as something of a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card.  Put it in your pocket for that rainy day when the Grim Reaper comes knocking on your door.  Whip out that card, and you pass through the pearly gates!  Well…how’s that working for you?

For You Today  

Don’t drown in your baptismal waters by refusing to go further. The same grace of God carrying you away from a life of sin, is the same grace that will lead you into a life of serving, loving, and joy. 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

       Temptation - Facing the Dark Side   and   Upheld Since...

Images:  Title Pixabay.com   Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] There is salvation in no one else!  God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:12

The Days of Noah

Friday, November 25, 2022

Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them.  The sons of God saw the beautiful women and took any they wanted as their wives.  Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh.  In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.”  In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.  The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.  So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth.  It broke his heart.  And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth.  Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky.  I am sorry I ever made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor with the Lord.  This is the account of Noah and his family.  Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.   Genesis 6:1-9

I can’t remember when, or who said it, but it was the description of a platypus being …the result of a beaver-duck-osaurous being the assembled result of the committee from Hell.  As memory serves, it may have been at a committee meeting from a church (long-ago) that shall remain anonymous!

The days in which Noah lived, where everyone did what they wanted, not regarding the lives of others, with the result being chaos of the darkest nature, are pictured in Scripture as that which broke God’s heart; it was anything but what the Lord had designed.  If you compare it to the peaceful, gentle, and beautiful setting described as Eden (before sin entered the picture), you can understand why God was so upset! 

Many years ago, when our children were still in diapers, one of them climbed out of the crib during the night and found the full container of baby powder.  In the morning when we went into the nursery the container was no longer full.  But every crack, crevice, nook, and cranny of everything else in the room had baby powder to spare! 

I compare my feeling on that morning to the events of Noah’s days, and how God must’ve felt about his children messing up the environment.  In my mind’s imaginative eye, I can see God turning on his TV to the Jerry Springer Show, or some modern reality series where the woman finds out her man’s been cheating on her with her best friend’s husband, and they were planning to divorce, elope, and adopt a platypus.  No church committee can match that, except, perhaps the committee in charge of planning an orderly and dignified gay pride parade! 

If, in light of the previous descriptions, there is any wonder left in your mind about why God decided to start-over, give me a call…I’ll paint you a picture.

For You Today  

The world news program you watch today (maybe even your local news) will be filled with 95% of the anger, hatred, killing, disaster, and whatever other horrible happenings form the core of 21^st century culture.  We are living in the days of Noah.  Our prayer should always start (and end) with:  Come, Lord Jesus!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

       When It Hurts So Much   and   The Thin Line Between Black Friday and Good Friday

This devotional memoir first appeared on Rocky Road Devotions entitled Thanks Dad! August 11, 2016 (updated this date)

Images:  Title Pixabay.com and WikiCommons without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Thankful!

Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, 2022

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

Seven years ago on a rainy August morning, I awoke to find that our little dog Wellie’s hind legs had become paralyzed.  A few hours later I got the call from my brother Thom that our Dad had graduated to the Church Triumphant. 

When big things happen in your life, especially on the same day, you remember that day clearly, and with an intensity of emotion.  I don’t know how more oddly-connected two events could be – the death of my father joined in my memory to a dog’s health issue.  But there are some similarities.

There is pain

While our vet assured us our little fur-beast feels no pain, the look of bewilderment on his little face that morning, and the growing sense of loss was unmistakable.  Perhaps the harsh reality of seeing a little animal suffer helped prepare my heart for what was to come just moments later, when I would hear the words that Dad had passed.

There is also patience

My father was not a patient man.  He could get excited about the prospect of getting something accomplished in an intense way that was so focused, all else had to be put on-hold.  You could see it in his eyes, and it always meant you could get on board or you could stay behind! 

Sometimes it took great patience just to be around my Dad; navigating his energetic ways caused patience to develop in those who knew him well. 

Our little Wellie’s paralyzed legs have forced him to slow down.  I had to re-learn patience as I help him up and down stairs, and do the mundane tasks that were taken for granted before.

There is perseverance

Wellie is not a little dog to be denied!  When it is supper time he lets you know with that stare and incessant barking, right in your face!  He maintains his space, and will not be pushed aside.  

He still plays, loves and licks you on the ear lobe when you pick him up.  He knows the family routines and is always willing to lead the pack when it’s time to go, dragging his little back legs behind.  These are important issues to a dog.

My Dad also paid attention to the important things.  He loved my Mother and his sons fiercely and faithfully.  He loved and served God with whatever lot God placed in his hands.  Even in his nineties Dad could be seen in the halls of the local nursing homes limping along with his cane, visiting (as he called them), the old people, bringing the joke-of-the-day and a smile to each room.

My father was a man of perseverance, overcoming his depression-shortened education with a lifelong thirst for learning.  He would make the most of his annual vacation time by visiting historic sites in the United States. 

Perhaps what I will remember most is Dad’s integrity, a character strength which balanced-out his impatience and perseverance.  Somehow this ordinary man had an extraordinary impact on those with whom he shared this life. 

One story my Mother told me was how Dad worked his way up to be the foreman’s assistant at the aviation plant during World War II.  He supervised a dozen workers.  After the war the need for planes eased up, and with it came layoffs.  One day the boss came to him with the list of people Dad would have to give notice of termination.  One of those men had a large family, and had been a faithful employee for years.  My Father tried to reason with the boss that the man shouldn’t be on the list.  Another employee, a young girl had only recently been hired; it was only right that she be let go, because she was living with her parents, and the economic hardship would be less than someone with so many depending on his paycheck.  The boss refused; Mom said they later learned it was because the boss was pursuing her romantically.  When Dad found this out he refused to fire the man with the family.  The boss said:  you either put his name back on that list, or put your own on there in his place.  And that is exactly what he did!

At times I have been faced with ethical decisions, and it is my Dad’s integrity, placing faithful commitment to doing what’s right, above career, money or comfort, which helped build in me a moral compass based upon kingdom principles.  Whatever sense of character I possess, my Father was a Godly teacher who led me to the well. 

For You Today  

It’s been more than seven years, and the thankfulness for a man’s impact on a son is still growing.  Thanks,Dad!                                                                             

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

       A Gift in the Basket   and   The Passover Connection

This devotional memoir first appeared on Rocky Road Devotions entitled Thanks Dad! August 11, 2016 (updated this date)

Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

An Everlasting Love

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

“In that day,” says the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.  This is what the Lord says:  “Those who survive the coming destruction will find blessings even in the barren land, for I will give rest to the people of Israel.”  Long ago the Lord said to Israel:  “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.  With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.  I will rebuild you, my virgin Israel.  You will again be happy and dance merrily with your tambourines.  Again you will plant your vineyards on the mountains of Samaria and eat from your own gardens there.  The day will come when watchmen will shout from the hill country of Ephraim, ‘Come, let us go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord our God.’”  

Jeremiah 31:1-6

My Mom and Dad were married for more than 60 years.  Dad was always the one who had a funny line (or corny joke).  One of his favorites was telling how, when they first met, Cecilia wanted nothing to do with Elwood.  Then, Dad, with a telling twinkle in his eyes would smile and say:  Yeah…she didn’t like me, but I chased and chased her until she caught me!  Inscribed on the inside of their wedding rings were just two letters, O.F.  Those engravings were the first letters of the words, Only Forever.  Their marriage was not built entirely on sentimental emotion, but the kind of commitment tied to the very last breath God would give them.  It stuck, and I was blessed to have grown up in a family with that kind of commitment and example.  It was a very present assurance, throughout my life, and to the end of theirs, the knowledge, through thick and thin times, without much of this world’s trinkets or position, we always had each other. 

God’s prophet, Jeremiah, reminded Israel with another two words:  coming destruction. There were incredibly difficult times on their horizon.  Blood would be spilled, and freedom would vanish.  They would be at their captor’s whim, serving as slaves to a heartless and evil despot. 

Then Jeremiah delivered the punchline:  their God loved them with a love that was stronger than any captivity or national disaster!  His love was everlasting, never to fade like fickle passions.  No matter what may come, God would be there, and hope was real.

Jeremiah was part of Israel’s hope.  His presence and faithful ways manifested the love and promises of God all the way through the captivities.  Although the prophet himself never saw another day of liberty in his earthly life, God’s promises he’d shared with Israel became the reality of their eventual freedom.  And that everlasting love still stands for God’s beloved nation…and will stand throughout eternity.

For You Today  

The promises of God are eternal, and without wavering.  Here is one of those promises you can count on, because God’s beloved Son, Jesus offered it:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Matthew 11:28

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

       Giving Thanks   and   The View of Forever Right Now

Images: Title image Pixabay.com Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Hands Off!

 

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things.  And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me.  But he said, “No, don’t worship me.  I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!”  Then he instructed me, “Do not seal up the prophetic words in this book, for the time is near.  Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm; let the one who is vile continue to be vile; let the one who is righteous continue to live righteously; let the one who is holy continue to be holy.”  “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”  Revelation 22:8-13

Much of what the angel said to John was prohibitive; it was hands-off!  We can easily understand the admonition to not-worship an angel.  God has told us He is the only One worthy of worship in the universe.  The other word of prohibition to John is about the words of prophecy in God’s book.  John is not to seal them up, because the time is ripe to allow it free access to all people.  But there is an unspoken (but implied) third prohibition, stated inversely.  The angel tells John to let the Word have it’s way with evil…and for John (and by extension all believers) to not compel others to do right, rather to let free will run its’ course.

This third injunction makes it clear that believers are missing the mark of compliance with God’s will when trying to coerce behavior.  In my lifetime the growth of government regulation has gone off the chart.  The latest wave is the wokeness generation’s compelling so-called righteous behavior.  If you don’t toe the line, you’re ghosted…exiled to the land of foolishness…a non-entity.

Marching against “wokeness” are some rather well-meaning, but ill-advised people, who want control of the government so they can correct all the nonsense.  You can see it in the push to assimilate political power in the name of righteousness.  You can see it in the infamous January 6^th invasion of the Capitol.  You can see it in the indignation of believers who want to punish wrongdoers severely, but can’t keep their own house in order.  Well-known and popular Christian leaders who couldn’t see past the glitter of power-grabbing, spearheaded the presidential campaigns in 2016 to gain control of the White House and Senate. 

There is a well-known saying, little heeded or even acknowledged these days, which offers the same kind of advice about all that, which the angel offered John:

When the church gets in bed with the government,

it isn’t the government that loses power.

The church’s real power is in prayer and the example of Christ, lovely, sacrificial, respect for all, with joy, unspeakable, and full of glory.[1] 

As the angel told John, God will do the judging and correcting soon.  The Alpha and Omega is better at it than any of us.  For now, hands-off the judge’s gavel.

For You Today  

It is a good thing to want to do something, instead of just standing by.  Today would be a good day to look around:  you’ll have no problem finding someone who is hurting for lack of food, clothing, a place to live, or a friend.  Then, do what’s natural for a child of the King…be a blessing.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

       Morning Star   and   Overwhelmed

Images: Title image Pixabay.com Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] 1 Peter 1:8