A Radio

Isaiah 6:8
Ever get to feeling a bit tuned out from life, a bit bewildered? Sometimes it gets difficult to decode the message I'm getting about the direction I'm supposed to be going. It's like when you're trying to listen to a radio program but static keeps creeping in, making some of the words unintelligible. You think you kind of, sort of understand what God is saying, but chunks of the memo are missing. It seems, just when I thought I understood my calling questions arise, a door closes, or discontentment sets in. Even when the way seems hard to find and the instructions seem unclear, keep pressing on. It is better to be doing something for God and to grow in your walk with him, than to sit on the sidelines waiting to get called into the game. God is still at work in you even when things seem jumbled, or the pieces don't seem to be coming together, or things just don't seem to make much sense. Somehow in his amazing design, God fits all those pieces together molding us and our ministry. As life unfolds, your experiences, both good and bad become a way for you to connect with others and minister for the Lord in your own unique way. It may not be until much later that we look back and see how some small thing we did fit into God's greater plan. Just being available and faithful to whatever opportunities God gives you is what matters. Right now what I'm doing doesn't seem like much to me, yet several of the kids I serve in the childrens home have given their hearts to Jesus. It really had nothing to do with me, other than I was the one who was taking them to church and prayed for them. Nothing showy, nothing anyone else couldn't do. It's just about letting the Lord use you where a need is. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me (Isaiah 6:8 NIV)!" Be willing to serve the Lord, even in small ways. After all, even if only one person were to come to know Christ as their Savior because of you being faithful to the call - wouldn't that be a big deal?

The Christian music video to go with today's devotion is "Here I Am" by Downhere.

Batteries

Isaiah 32:15
Ok I have a serious block keeping me from coming up with something wonderful for today's devotion. I'm just sitting and staring at the screen, searching headlines, music sites, anything to come up with an idea. Sometimes I am like batteries that keep going and going and going, then suddenly, they're gone. "This will continue until God pours his Spirit from above upon us. Then the desert will be like a fertile field and the fertile field like a forest (Isaish 32:15 NCV)." Like the Israelites waiting for God to deliver them, we too get dry and weary. It is when we have these moments that we need to recharge like those wonderful rechargeable type batteries, which are great as long as you remember the charger. Thankfully we have a myriad of ways available to us to refuel. Spending some quiet time in God's Word, praying, meditating, spiritual retreats, or one of my favorites is just going out and getting lost in God's creation. In fact I will be starting a blog based on the sacred places I spend time at around where I live in Tucson, AZ. There is nothing like immersing oneself in God's handiwork to cure a lack of inspiration. The more we seek him the closer we will draw to him and our eyes will be opened to even greater things. It is important for us to ask the the Spirit to fall afresh on us, regularly and to breathe new life into us. There is an old hymn I used to sing in church that went, "Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me....melt me, mold me, fill me, use me, Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me." Let us seek more time for the power of God to come upon us.

A Celebrity

Leviticus 26:1
I just saw in the news that Michael Jackson is touring in England for the last time. Of course fans waited for hours just to hear the short announcement of the tour by him and naturally some were even going hysterical just to see him. Now I have to admit I was a fan back in the days of Thriller and probably still have a copy of the album somewhere. But, I'll also admit there isn't any celebrity that I'd go nuts to see. They're people just like all of us. What I see in this is that people are made to worship something. God is the right target of our worship, but for those not in a relationship with him, their worship goes somewhere else, be it towards celebrities, wealth, power, cars, etc... The major problem is all of these things will come to an end just like Jackson's music career, and then what will you have? We must direct our worship towards God and him alone, seeking him with all that we are. He is the only one that will remain when all else fails. That's why He said, " 'Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 26:1 NIV)" In light of this I find it unfortunate that we've named a TV talent search, "American Idol." While I'm fine with looking for talented individuals and helping them realize their dreams, we're promoting this idea that the folks on stage have some kind of special power worthy of our praise. While it's true most people probably don't think about it this way it, we should see it as a warning that our country as a whole treads the dangerous territory of creating idols for ourselves. Worshiping and giving glory to God is the only thing that will also lift us up and empower us and give us a reason to keep going strong each day. Nothing else will satisfy our desire to worship better than praising the One who we were meant to bow to, the One who programmed us with the longing to worship. It would be great to see folks getting as hysterical at worshiping the Lord as they do over human beings or stuff. Pray that you and your house will serve and bow to the Lord and him alone.

Today's music video by TobyMac is a repeat from a previous devotion but it is worth repeating: Lose My Soul.

A Rock

Matthew 7:24
Today as I was out touring around Tucson with my family I spotted a house that was really built on the edge of quite a hunk of rock. It was really taking the idea of building your house upon the rock quite seriously.

(Jesus said:) ²⁴So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [obeying them] will be like a sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock. ²⁵And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.²⁶And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a stupid (foolish) man who built his house upon the sand.²⁷And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great and complete was the fall of it.

I've heard some sad stories in the news of people, even whole families committing suicide over our current economic crisis. This is particularly tragic to me as a Christian because I feel sad for those who have put all their hope in the fragile things of men. For those whose investment is in possessions, stocks, and worldly goods it spells disaster when these temporary items fail. These are the folks who built on the sand and when the times got tough there was nothing to keep their house from taking a great fall. My prayers go out to those in that predicament and I hope they will come to know the one who gives us riches that will never loose their value. For me, even though there are nights I look at my budget and wonder how I've been managing to stay afloat, I know there's nothing to worry about because God has always been there for me and will help me make it through. My house is like the one built on the rock. Believe me, I've had some pretty big storms in my life, yet I still keep battling on, clinging sometimes only to the faith I know will stop me from taking a serious spill. Christ is the solid rock and the firm foundation on which to build and with him in your life you are always in good hands. Like Paul, I don't say these things to boast about myself, but instead that all may understand how the Spirit has given me the endurance to keep running the race of life, which at moments is quite grueling. That same perseverance is available to anyone who has put their lives in God's hands. It is never too late to build your life on Godly principles. Just as houses can be moved, you too can take a life that has been being built on sand and move it to the rock. So, where have you built your house?

An excellent Christian video to go with today's devotion is "American Dream" by Casting Crowns or "Million Dollar Man" by Kutless.

A Stick

1 Peter 5:8
I was out at Sabino Canyon with family today and they handed out a warning that mountain lions had been spotted in the area and were showing some aggressive behavior. They suggested using a walking stick so you would have something at hand to use in defense if one were to come after you. Fortunately, I've never had to deal with that but all of us as Christians have to deal with an adversary who requires much more than a stick to stand against. Peter says, "Stay Alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8 NLT)." His solution to this problem is to stand firm, be strong in your faith, and remember all the other Saints that are doing the same. While we may suffer and have to take all kinds of action to escape the evil one, with faith and knowledge of scripture we can do so. Use the appropriate spiritual tools and armor as we discussed before so you will be armed and ready for battle (see Ephesians 6:10-17). Always remember, even when it seems like other people are against us that in reality we are fighting against mighty rulers, authorities, and evil spirits of the unseen world who will come against us in many forms (Ephesians 6:12). Pray that you will be strong, carry a big stick and speak strongly against devil and he will flee!

Binoculars

Luke 9:62
I was out with family today enjoying the desert and often we pulled out binoculars to see subjects off in the distance. As Christians we need to be focused on what we are moving towards as well, the Kingdom of God. We need to see past all the temporary trappings of this world and into the eternal future. We must set our sights on what the Lord is calling us to and not look back. But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:62 NLT).” Being a disciple isn't easy, we're expected to leave the old life behind, abandon it, say farewell to it. It has been crucified with Christ on the cross. Yet we look back out of our fleshly desires and even return to the things of the world. Fortunately, God is merciful and isn't likely to turn us into a pillar of salt, like he did to Lot's wife after telling the family not to look back at the city of Sodom as they were fleeing it. She looked back - end of story (Gen. 19:26). We have to let the past be the past and with our eyes fixed on Christ, press on, erasing from our minds the burning wreckage we were saved form. As hard as it is we can't have it both ways, we can't serve two masters. The only way is to say never again to who we were and live for Christ and him alone. We must pray hard and have great determination to stay on task and fight the pull to go back to the old self and the old way of living life under our own mismanagement. Seek God hard each day and it will be a whole lot easier to keep your sights set on the right path.

Today I'm providing both a soft and hard rock video to go with this devotion, so take your pick of either So Long Self by MercyMe or go hardcore with Sincerely, Ichabod by Project 86.

Selections from Luke 5:36-39 & 6:1-11

Pastor Rob was speaking today on the fact that by being Christians we are called to a dangerous faith, a faith of unpredictability. The faith Jesus calls us to is one of relationship not religion. The pharisees wanted the predictable, a religion, something all about commands, rituals, and religious activity. They were mostly concerned with the externals. As we see Christ in action we note that his concern was the thoughts and hearts of the people, just as what God is really concerned with. Being clean wasn’t just about some outer appearance, but an inward state of mind. He brought a change in ethics, turning the tide on self-centered religion. The pharisees were also more concerned about keeping themselves clean and “holy” rather than getting involved in the lives of “sinners,” and seeking out those that needed to be cleaned and turn their hearts to God. Jesus brings in a new era, bringing the kingdom of God to earth and puts in no uncertain terms that he’s not going to be doing the same old things. He brings a new way. He changes the idea of what is acceptable on the Sabbath, since he is God and therefore it is his to control. He makes it clear that meeting the needs of the people, saving their souls and doing good is more important than rituals. That to do good things on the Sabbath for someone else, like healing them, is not sinful. Jesus makes clear he prefers compassion above sacrifice. He wants us to know that we need to avoid getting hung up in tradition and programs. The words, “Well we’ve never done it that way before” shouldn’t be seen as negative in the church. We need to be willing to do things differently if it will reach more people with God’s love.