The Right Time

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

“You saw the misery of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cries from beside the Red Sea.  You displayed miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, his officials, and all his people, for you knew how arrogantly they were treating our ancestors.  You have a glorious reputation that has never been forgotten.  You divided the sea for your people so they could walk through on dry land!  And then you hurled their enemies into the depths of the sea. They sank like stones beneath the mighty waters.  You led our ancestors by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night so that they could find their way.  “You came down at Mount Sinai and spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and instructions that were just, and decrees and commands that were good.  You instructed them concerning your holy Sabbath. And you commanded them, through Moses your servant, to obey all your commands, decrees, and instructions.  “You gave them bread from heaven when they were hungry and water from the rock when they were thirsty.  You commanded them to go and take possession of the land you had sworn to give them.  Nehemiah 9:9-15

After being released from yet another long period of bondage, Israel rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls.  But the long, hard process to rebuild a nation had just begun.  As the covenant with their God is renewed, the man who oversaw the whole project, Nehemiah, leads the worship time, remembering parts of their journey: release from Egyptian bondage, travels through the wilderness, and God’s continual providence meeting their every need.  He challenges the people to renew the covenant in their hearts…to renew their grip on the plow handle of God’s Kingdom, and serve without fear or reservation.

Looking back is a good thing when it is used to take strength in moving forward, not just longing for the good ‘ol days.  There have been more than a few times in my life that process served God’s purpose well.  At the beginning of our ministry together, I told Elizabeth I was convinced God was leading me to give up the job that had fed, clothed, and housed us for 10 years, so I could go to school and work out just how God wanted to use us in ministry.  The timing of my announcement was odd; Elizabeth and our newborn third child, Carrie, were in bed trying to get through scarlet fever.  My bride smiled, and said “OK…as long as we do it together.”  Over the next 40-plus years there were so many difficult times, and so many right times when God’s providential care opened a window, when all the doors had been locked shut. 

Today, these early days of “retirement” have been walked gingerly, awaiting God’s move once again.  We have often talked of what to do now, and there is no handbook to give definitive answers, other than the Book we’ve used to proclaim the Kingdom of God.  And from that Book, the wisdom of Solomon still speaks through tough times and easier times, through gladness and sadness, with all the certainty and mystery life holds.  Scripture still tells me one thing:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.  

Proverbs 3:5-6

For You Today 

I have (perhaps like you too) been broken, confused, wondering where the strength for another single step will come.  The answer is always the same:

God will supply…at the right time!

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

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library. 

Title Image(s) courtesy of Pixabay.com

Images without citation are in public domain.  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

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^©   

 

Measuring the Love of God

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Friday, July 19, 2019

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.  Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.  Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever!  Amen.                                  Ephesians 3:14-21

Did you ever have one of those moments when everything suddenly made sense?  And you learned this because of a seminar, a book, somebody’s advice, or a new app on your iPhone?  More than likely those influences on your life have provided some helpful insights, but this was more than that; it was being knocked to your knees with an overwhelming sense of God’s love pulling all the harshness of life into an understandable heap, tied-up with the unfailing covenant string of grace.

How can you measure something like that?

Apostle Paul was an expert at being knocked to his knees.  Pursuing a career as a Jewish religious rock star, Paul turned into a Christian-hating persecutor of Jesus.  But on the road to Damascus he met the One he was kicking against, and the thing that became most real under God’s ultraviolet spotlight of loving salvation was the ugliness of how hardened his heart had become.  That changed everything for Paul, including a name change from Saul to Paul, and the direction of his life from church-hater to church-builder, lover of Christ, and author of 14 of the New Testament’s 27 books.  It’s amazing what a little knock-you-to-your-knees-GRACE can accomplish.

I’m no Apostle Paul, but I’ve experienced a little of that.  These days it’s more common having gotten a lot older, and a little wiser, I find it easier to recognize more of how much God’s love has given me everything I am and have, and it’s so much more than I could’ve dreamed or asked-for.  I’m tempted to write out a list of all those blessings, but this is a four-minute devotion, and I’ve got more of a list than Hershey’s has little chocolate kisses! 

But here’s just a starter, looking at the height, depth, length and width of the roots of God’s love I have recognized which weaves-together the threads of my 70+ years on this planet into a tapestry that makes more sense than the individual parts.

·      Stuff – I’ve got way more than I need, and He’s showing me how to share it better than I did with that favorite seat I had on the merry-go-round at school recess when I was a first grader.

·      People – I’ve got a few friends I know I could count on in any pinch, and a host of brothers and sisters in this strange forever family of the church.

·      Mate – She’s there for me like a mama bear if anyone so much as looks sideways at me…and she’s tender as a baby fawn in my heart.

·      Purpose – the thing so many people have told me over the years…I just wish I knew what it is God wants me to do.  Frankly, I don’t have a problem with that in my brain…I’ve realized I’m simply a man God has blessed with an inner peace about how much He loves me.  That peace is there because Jesus died my death on Calvary’s cross, and that gift – a lovely indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit – compels me to do for Christ what I can, where I am, with what He’s put in my hand.  That’s my purpose for being here.

And that, my beloved, is how I measure the love of God lighting up my world.

For You Today

Look around; his love is much bigger on you than you thought.

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

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[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com        Unless otherwise noted, Scripture used from The New Living Translation©

[2] For another post on this Scripture  Understanding the Dangers of Peanut Butter

Tag!

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Monday, June 29, 2015

“What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins?  Yet God does not forget a single one of them.  And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.  Luke 12:6-7^(NLT)

If you have a Facebook account you have participated in facial recognition technology!  Every time you upload a picture with a person’s face as part of the image, those little boxes show up and encourage you to “tag” (identify) the person.  With the number of “selfies” taken and uploaded these days, Facebook alone must have a database of images, names and what color eyeshade sells best about as big as three universes!

According to a report on the website of Interesting Engineering, facial recognition technology is a favorite of marketing firms.  Retailers want to track your information so they can send you offers on special deals (as well as identifying potential criminals!).

Privacy issues are a big concern with some groups who understand that the private information of people ought to be kept that way, unless you give your permission.  Some of the possible abuses of information are suggested by the article:

One of the biggest worries of the privacy groups against the technology is that people could be profiled and targeted. One company who has used facial recognition is Facebook and they have used it for categorizing and identifying pictures. Therefore they know which products people look at when they are online as they scan the cookies which come from the websites of retailers. They then use this information to send you product ads.  Another worry is hacking. Passwords and credit card numbers can easily be changed but you cannot change your face if it has been scanned. The privacy groups say that categorizing people based on their face is invasive, even if that person isn’t named.

I’m a little uneasy with giving out too much personal information.  I tend to make my passwords and personal identification numbers long and complicated to protect against hackers and other bad guys. 

The “point” of all this security and watchdog guard duty over the big bad marketers and government intrusion into our privacy, is because we want to protect our property; we want to hold onto that which belongs to us!

Which brings me to the point of today’s devotion:  so does God!

Jesus said God knows the hair count on your head, and that suggests our God is into much more than facial recognition technology; it tells us He knows all about us, and cares what happens. 

And He cares for a reason bigger than that he wants to know what shampoo we use, or what kind of car we want to drive.  God is not into selling us anything; He cares that we should get to enjoy eternity living in His eternal paradise called heaven. 

And he cares that we have a fulfilled and meaningful life with purpose during these few short years we walk here on the dust of planet earth.

He cares, and he has tagged us as friends.

I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.  John 15:15^(NLT)

For You Today

So the question today isn’t what’s in your wallet from the marketers at Capital One™.

The question today is Who’s in your heart, from the God, Creator and Sustainer and Lover of your soul!

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[1] Title image:  By Jimmy_answering_questions.jpg: Wikimania2009 Beatrice Murch derivative work: via Wikimedia Commons