Hope Renewed

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

But now Timothy has just returned, bringing us good news about your faith and love.  He reports that you always remember our visit with joy and that you want to see us as much as we want to see you.  So we have been greatly encouraged in the midst of our troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith.  It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord.  How we thank God for you!  Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence.  Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith.  May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon.  And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.  May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people.  Amen.  1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

A friend who, with her husband, is facing a mountain of medical problems recently shared how, even though she and her husband have faith that is strong, there are valleys of fear the enemy throws in their way.  I know how she feels, and so do you.  We can say that without shame or embarrassment, because one of the pillars of the New Testament fathers, apostle Paul, shared the same, being greatly encouraged in the midst of our troubles and suffering.  That encouragement came as Timothy brought news of the Thessalonian believer’s faith “standing firm” which renewed his hopes for their strong witness.  Paul said that good news was like new life.  Paul’s faith is unquestioned, yet the “wear and tear” of years on the road battling human and spiritual opposition do take their toll. 

The apostle’s reaction, having his hope renewed, led to an outburst of joy that he might soon see those dear friends and be able to contribute (filling in the gaps of their faith). 

In this we stand certain…strong faith in Christ is what renews hope in hard times.  And with hope renewed for the downtrodden, oppressed, and marginalized, the result is greater vision for a future of God’s blessing.  This is what the church stands for, not building bigger sanctuaries, larger attendances, better programs, and slicker organizations; the church stands for the hope of Christ in each of us[1], a testament to the marvelous grace extended to all who, though unworthy, are willing to bend a knee at the cross.  It is the message of forgiveness and love, born in Heaven, fleshed-out on Calvary’s hill, and celebrated with every breath in those who have received Christ.

For You Today 

If you’re facing trouble of any sort, and any size, don’t manage it by yourself.  Just as my friend shared with her community, keep engaged with those of strong faith; it is there you will be in a perfect place to find your hope renewed.  And with that hope renewed and shared to others, you just might start an explosion of faith!

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.

Today’s title Image from Pixabay.com  

Images without citation are in public domain or cited via weblinks.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

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[1] Colossians 1:27

Gather ALL the People

Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023

…the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time.  Give me your hearts.  Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.  Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.”  Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.  He is eager to relent and not punish.  Who knows?  Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse.  Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the Lord your God as before.  Blow the  ram’s horn in Jerusalem!  Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting.  Gather all the people—the elders, the children, and even the babies.  Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room.  Let the priests, who minister in the Lord’s presence, stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar.  Let them pray, “Spare your people, Lord!  Don’t let your special possession become an object of mockery.  Don’t let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say, ‘Has the God of Israel left them?’”  Joel 2:12-17

The prophet pours-out that which God had poured-into him…Sound the alarm, blow the trumpets, tell everyone you know, and those you don’t know.  God was calling for a gathering of ALL the people, and the message was too important to miss.  And when the people came, this is what God had to say:

“Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy.  Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.  In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike.  And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and columns of smoke.  The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the Lord arrives.  But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape, just as the Lord has said. These will be among the survivors whom the Lord has called. Joel 2:28-32

Today is Ash Wednesday; the calendar says it is time to go to get a little thumb-print of ashes and oil on your forehead.  Some places are offering a drive-thru service…McAshes King…no waiting for the flame-broiled religion burger.  No kneeling, hand-sanitized and gluten-free charred remains of the day…open your car window for a three-second, deeply-meaningful grab of God…then get to your 18-hour-a-day job to take care of real life.  Hmmm.

That’s a bit much cynicism and sarcastic exaggeration, but sometimes I wonder just how easy we can make things for ourselves…even dumbing-down repentance to a Methodist-Lite dosage.  God says:  Give me your hearts!  That takes a bit more than hoping the line at the church won’t be long enough to make you late for work or tennis, or a drink with the girls.

Down to business.  That “little bit of ashes” is an announcement to all who see you today.  Does it say:  I’ve been an obedient church member.  Or does it announce what the prophet was aiming at:  I’m a sinner.  I repented, and God forgave every bit of it.  He promised to wash it all away, and I’m forgiven!

For You Today 

If it’s just a little dirt on your brow, skip it; that’s just surface anyway.  God is inviting the deeper version of you to connect.  Submitting to the ashes is surface; repentance begins deep, down, inside.  That’s where the Spirit dwells.

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

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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 the Darkness Comes  and  The Brokenness of Lent      

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^©   

With Ears Like That...

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you.  Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”  Psalm 32:8-9

God made us different from the rest of sentient beings (fish, animals, and plants). God gave humans consciousness (awareness) of meaning and the importance of intrapersonal connection.  More than merely an affiliation with our own species, God gave us an innate sense of the purpose and worth of each other’s existence, as well as the sacredness of all creation.  And on top of that gift God placed a requirement that we use all that awareness better than a stubborn mule. 

We humans are a particularly strange lot, especially in our lack of intelligent choices.  One would imagine humans possessing sensory understanding, or (if you wish) ears like a mule , humanity might pay better attention to our Creator’s instructions.  That is so strange, considering God has given us a promise (as the Psalmist clearly stated) of guidance to the pathway of a better life.  And it has been so from the opening gun.  Adam and Eve were told not to dine on one particular tree…that lasted a half-second.  Cain and Abel were told what to bring for a worship offering.  Cain completely ignored God’s instructions, got angry with jealousy, and killed his brother for spite.  If you’ve ever had the responsibility of a parent, to make important choices for your child, you know first-hand what that child will do when you say clearly, authoritatively, and lovingly:  Child, don’t go near that road.  In the next heartbeat he or she will be dancing on the pavement!

We have ears to listen and, generally, turn them to a deaf side.

Occasionally, however, there is a revival of God’s Spirit, like the one currently in progress at Asbury University.  

By many social media accounts and news outlets, it isn’t a wild jumping-over-the-pews, shouting goofiness.  Rather, its calm sitting in His presence, praying for each other, boldly trusting that waiting before God for His next word is more important than classes, jobs, spreadsheets, schedules, or anything else in which we dabble-away our time.  It is joy without giddy foolishness.  It’s healing of the spirit, building of the spirit, and connection with God’s family.  It is, frankly, koinonia, the common Greek word used in the New Testament to describe how the real church acts when they truly listen to God’s voice.  It is the combined atmosphere of community, communion, sharing, and deeply-held intimacy.[1]  This is the spiritual garden where God’s Holy Spirit produces excellent fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control[2].

For You Today 

The spiritual fruit of revival begins in the church, when God’s people, who have surrendered Lordship to Jesus Christ, promising to walk in the Spirit, nail their sinful desires to the cross, and invite the transforming power Jesus offers, to change their deaf ears to deeply-listening ears.  And with ears like that…there’s no telling what good Christ will produce in your life!

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: 

Oh! What Joy  and  The Problem With Pharisees      

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] For more understanding read κοινωνία in Wikimedia.com

[2] See Galatians 5:22-25

Holy Ground

 

Monday, February 20, 2023

“Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush.  When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight.  As he went to take a closer look, the voice of the Lord called out to him,  ‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror and did not dare to look.  “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.  I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt.  I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now go, for I am sending you back to Egypt.’  Acts 7:30-34

Even current day images of Mt Sinai leave no doubt Moses was in a wilderness place.  

After being kicked-out of Pharaoh’s palace, the former Jewish foundling child, raised as Pharaoh’s grandson, spent forty years in the shadow of Sinai, living a quiet life as a “nobody shepherd”.  Then came that burning bush which just wouldn’t leave him in peace. 

It's been that kind of time in Wilmore, Kentucky the last week.  

Wilmore is the site of Asbury University, where revival broke-into a chapel service, and has grown stronger each day, with no sign of letting up.  Revival is kind of that way; it shows up unannounced, and takes over.

Not having been there, I’m not about to offer any opinion on what’s happening, nor if the Asbury revival is a genuine move of God, or perhaps a cultural phenomenon, spurred by generations of longing for revival.  Either way, it is sweet music to hear of young people desiring God’s presence in their lives.  Like Moses, the young people of this century (as well as us older birds) have been in a dry, spiritual wilderness for too long. 

My prayer is that this local event in Wilmore spreads like a wildfire across this nation, and the entire globe. 

May there be a new awakening to God’s presence, love, and holiness.  May the fire of heaven’s glory light us up to prevail against the gates of Hell.

For You Today 

One consistent fact about revival is that it always begins with brokenness, a heart that cannot live in its own death-loving sinfulness any longer.  That is the place where God shows up, and it’s holy ground.  And that is exactly what John the Baptist meant when he shouted-out from a wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord.[1]  What way?  It’s that pathway straight into our hearts so He can revive us.

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: 

Heart, Soul, and Strength  and  We Have Met the Enemy and He is Us!  and  Orchard of Driftwood  and Holy Ground  

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] For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.  Matthew 3:3 ^(KJV)

The Rough Road Home

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

God says, “Rebuild the road!  Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.”  The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this:  “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.  I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.  For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always be angry.  If I were, all people would pass away—all the souls I have made.  I was angry, so I punished these greedy people.                        I withdrew from them, but they kept going on their own stubborn way.  I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway!  I will lead them.  I will comfort those who mourn, bringing words of praise to their lips.  May they have abundant peace, both near and far,” says the Lord, who heals them.  “But those who still reject me are like the restless sea, which is never still but continually churns up mud and dirt.  There is no peace for the wicked,” says my God.  Isaiah 57:14-21

The prophet reaches into the psyche of every wanderer; thoughts of home seep into every waking moment of silence.  This part of Isaiah’s comforting word to God’s people, in captivity because they strayed from God’s ways, opens the possibility of return.  It’s a rough road home, but God is the one with peace for the troubled soul at the end of the journey.

Grasping the surreal possibility of being able to come home, after rejecting God, may not be easy to accept.  However, the only other alternative is the way the passage ends…no peace for the wicked!  The Father says you must come home!

Passages in Scripture like this one, and the Prodigal Son, the forgiveness of the thief on the cross next to Jesus, and many others, are so precious, offering hope to those who have strayed from their Creator.  They are precious because they reveal the heart of God, which is love that desires the best for each of us. 

In many lives, that central, loving heart of God’s may take many years to get through the hard exterior life tends to build around our own hearts.  But God’s love is tough, and relentless, and impervious to our foolish ways.  And when the weary, wandering soul finally arrives at nowhere else to go, the rough road of humble repentance only requires one small step.

And that one, contrite step towards God is all that’s required to have the floodgate of peace opened.

For You Today

You may have travelled the highways of life that seemed easier and much more suitable to bring you what you wanted, and been successful, or a dismal failure.  Either way, if you’re reading this far, you’ve also no doubt discovered rejecting God’s way has been emptiness of the soul.  The missing piece is like the dangling carrot in front of the mule pulling the cart….he’s never going to reach it, just like peace will always be just out of reach for you.  Time to rebuild the road home?

Hear one more time what the rebuilt road home looks like in your life:

The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this:  “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.  I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.  

Restoration and reviving…it’s worth the trip, no matter how rough the repair job gets on the road back home.

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: 

Resting in Peace and Two Billion

[1] Images:  Pixabay.com     Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

When the Fire Falls

 

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Again the Lord spoke to me and said, “I have discovered a conspiracy against me among the people of Judah and Jerusalem.  They have returned to the sins of their ancestors.  They have refused to listen to me and are worshiping other gods.  Israel and Judah have both broken the covenant I made with their ancestors.  Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am going to bring calamity upon them, and they will not escape.  Though they beg for mercy, I will not listen to their cries.  Then the people of Judah and Jerusalem will pray to their idols and burn incense before them.  But the idols will not save them when disaster strikes!  Look now, people of Judah; you have as many gods as you have towns.  You have as many altars of shame—altars for burning incense to your god Baal—as there are streets in Jerusalem.  “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah.  Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress.  “What right do my beloved people have to come to my Temple, when they have done so many immoral things?  Can their vows and sacrifices prevent their destruction?  They actually rejoice in doing evil!  I, the Lord, once called them a thriving olive tree, beautiful to see and full of good fruit.  But now I have sent the fury of their enemies to burn them with fire, leaving them charred and broken.  “I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who planted this olive tree, have ordered it destroyed.  For the people of Israel and Judah have done evil, arousing my anger by burning incense to Baal.”  Jeremiah 11:9-17

Fire can be good or bad, depending on how it is used.  In the kitchen it is a wonderful presence, helping to prepare a delicious meal.  In a dry forest it is a death knell for wildlife’s habitat.  The same is true in spiritual matters. 

God’s Holy Spirit is sometimes represented as holy fire, such as at the Day of Pentecost, when the Spirit energized the birth of Jesus’ church[1].  Fire is also a reminder of God’s judgment.  Jesus often taught of God’s love, but the theme of judging those who say no to God’s ways was always close at hand.  When teaching his disciples about His love for them, and how vital it was to stay close to him, enabling God’s mission to bring His love to the world, Jesus whispered the consequences of refusing…the fire would fall.  And, unlike the good fire of God’s presence on Pentecost, it would be the consuming fires of God’s judgment:

Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers.  Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.  John 15:6

The theme of judgment for sin is laced all the way through Scripture, from Cain’s killing of his brother in Genesis, thru Revelation’s Great White Throne judgment[2].

In Jeremiah’s prophecy it is hard to miss how clearly God said that it was He, Who was responsible for the woes that would fall on His people because they had wantonly broken their covenant vows with God.  God also claimed it was His right to do so, because it was He Who called and blessed them…He had planted the olive tree of Judah’s Jerusalem, and it would be God causing the fire to fall.

For You Today

Among most of the world’s once-Christian churches there is a deadly coldness when it comes to Pentecost’s fire.  They are like ovens without heat, only housing a possibility.  But, as it was with the prophets, it is not too late for the remnant of God’s people to return to faithfullness:

Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.  Amos 5:15

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:                                                            

After the Party and A Pathway Through the Darkness

[1] Images:  Pixabay.com     Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] See Acts 2:1-4

[2] See Revelation 8:7 & 16:9

Many Different Worlds

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!  His faithful love endures forever.  Has the Lord redeemed you?  Then speak out!  Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.  For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south.  Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless.  Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died.  “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress.  He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live.  Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.  For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.  Psalm 107:1-9

I’m a Baby Boomer, a generation of those born within 18 years following the end of World War II.  Subsequent generations were Gen X (born 1965-1980), followed by Gen Y, or Millennials (born 1981-2000), and Z (1997-2012).  Those born after 2012 are called Gen A.  The “move” spiritually and religiously has been towards the church is irrelevant syndrome.  As never before (at least in my lifetime and experience) younger people are progressively moving towards the exit door of church, in favor of “community” a loosely-defined search for refreshing change from the deadness of their parent’s “wasted-time” in the four walls with three hymns, recited liturgies, creeds, and a sermon of three points and a poem.  About the only agreeable worth for this on a Sunday was coffee and donuts (if provided).

Those for whom this description fits (loosely or like a glove) asked themselves the question:  What are you doing here?  The answer was mainly unsatisfactory. 

In some ways I couldn’t agree more.  At times the preachers, or other leaders made the discipleship process of following Jesus so uninteresting you wonder how any young people’s faith survived the entry process.  Like the Psalmist said:  Hungry and thirsty they nearly died.

MANY DIFFERENT WORLDS is an aptly described gap between Boomers, Millennials and the other letters.  This is not to say there isn’t ample precedent for young people ditching the established institutions.  Along with half (or more) of my Boomer friends, I was a lapsed believer in my teens and early 20’s. 

In the 17^th century a teen boy told his father the church and its’ music was so boring he couldn’t stand it.  His Dad said:  If that’s so, go write some better stuff.  The young man did just that, and we still sing Isaac Watts’ hymns these days.

To say we have “lost” the next generation is a two-fold mistake:

1.    That generation is yet to mature, age-out, and die.  We should be careful to not prematurely judge the changing appearance of spirituality.

2.    No generation is beyond God’s hand.  Martin Luther rebelled against a vile, dark church of his day; that didn’t turn out too badly the last 500 years.

So, coach, what do we do now?  How shall we live to reclaim and revitalize the faith once delivered (and now, seemingly deserted)?  I believe the game plan is unchanged from the playbook of Jesus’ first-century team – scatter and share!

In the daily living we do, we must continually be sharing the Gospel as the first Christians did, spreading-out from Jerusalem as they lived their daily lives, telling the Good news one-on-one, with a positive message of hope, love, and joy.

For You Today

Whichever of the DIFFERENT WORLDS you live, God calls us to connect with others.  The game plan is always scatter and share!  As the coach said to his team:  That’s the game plan, now go, and play your heart out!

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 in the Rocky Road Devotions library. 

To dig deeper on today’s topic read:    Good News   and   Patiently Patiently...O Lord How Long?

[1] Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©