Day 21: Friday, March 24, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 24, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions | Tags: 

 
Day 21: Friday, March 24, 2017
Robin McKinley
The Still Small Voice
Scripture: 1 Kings 19:11-13 11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: 12 and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
Devotion: We often expect, and even wish that the voice of God was as loud as a wind, an earthquake, or a fire. But we often hear the voice of God as a tiny nudge that is easy to miss if we aren’t paying attention. And then when we do pay attention, we often argue ourselves out of it.
 
I had a rough year last year. I moved to a town where I knew not one single person, miles away from any town I had ever lived. I chose Taylor because it was relatively close (30 miles) to my son and his family and because I could find a house there that I could afford. His three sons, my grandsons, are the most adorable in the whole world (I have pictures to prove it!) I am totally devoted to them. Only one month after I closed on my house, I found out my son, et. al., were moving to China. Now they would be a 15-hour plane trip away instead of a 45-minute drive.
 
Being in a new town, my first order of business was to join the church, and I loved our church from my first visit. Of course, relationships take a bit of time to develop, so I spent many a lonely day. I began to pray, “Please send me a friend.” And “Please help me get to know people at the church better.”
 
Then, I got the quiet nudge. “Robin, you need to go talk to people in the church and then write up a story about their lives.” But I put it off, thinking “I can’t do it now, there is an interim pastor and he won’t want to start a new project.” Soon, our new pastor came. Still I put it off. “Maybe she will think it is a dumb idea.”
 
Finally, after several more nudges, but with my heart in my throat, I laid out the idea with our new pastor. To my surprise, she loved the idea, and I began to write up the Member Spotlights. It has been such a blessing to me to get to know members and their interesting lives. Soon after, I began to feel well integrated into the church and truly a part of this community of God.
 
God works in many mysterious ways, and sometimes perhaps His voice is loud, but if we are quiet, and listen, the still, small voice will lead us. And then we have to follow it.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Spirit, Thank you for your guidance in my life and the blessings that guidance brings. Thank you for your patience and persistence as I stumble. Please help me to listen to your still, small voice and have the courage to act. Amen.
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Day 20: Thursday, March 23, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 23, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions | Tags: 

Day 20: Thursday, March 23, 2017

Rev. Sela Finau

Love Your Neighbor
 
Scripture: Leviticus 19:18New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Devotion: We often hear Jesus saying to love God with all of our hearts, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbor. Jesus also said that loving God and neighbor were the greatest commandments of all. What we don’t often hear is that these words reiterated by Jesus also show up in the Old Testament, in the book of Leviticus: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” Who is our neighbor? Everyone. How we show love to everyone can be challenging, particularly with those whose choices we dislike, whose lifestyles we disapprove of, or anyone that’s too different from us. When we encounter people whose race, culture, religion, or political view are different from our own, the challenge to love them increases. God, who created and loves all people, calls us and empowers us to love one another. We are called to love God with our whole selves, and we do this by loving one another and our neighbors.

C.S. Lewis once said, “Do not waste your time bothering about whether you love your neighbor; act as if you did…When you are behaving as if you love someone, you will presently come to love him.”

In this season of Lent, may we seek God’s guidance in helping us to grow our love for our neighbor.

Prayer: Holy God, you are always merciful and loving. May you continue to help us grow in our love for you through loving our neighbors. Amen
 
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Day 19: Wednesday, March 22, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 22, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions |

 
Day 19: Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Rev. Bob Walker
 
When All Else Fails
 
Scripture: Romans 8:26-28 NRSV “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
 
For those who know me, you have heard this testimony before, but here it goes again! There was a time in my life when I could hardly get out of bed in the morning. I could not work because I could not stand in front of folk and speak. I did not eat and I could not sleep. I roamed the house by night and the streets by day. I lost weight (not a bad thing but the wrong way). I am a very outgoing person and always have something to say to everyone (whether anyone wants to hear it or not), but I had nothing to say period. I lost my job and almost lost my life.
 
Into this bad situation stepped my wonderful wife and God. My wife loved me enough to get me good help and they got me good drugs. I persevered and God did not desert me. I could not pray because I had no idea what to say. I did not pray, but God stood beside me through it all. This was the first time anything like this had ever happened to me and I was shocked. What did I do wrong? What did I do to deserve this? Why me?!!! It did not make sense.
 
Then one day I got better. Like someone had turned the switch back on. I would never be the same old me, but I could function and God is good all the time, all the time God is good! My wife and I moved to another community and I began to preach, teach and pastor again. I still had relapses, but I have never dropped off the edge like then. If nothing else good came of this time in my life, I learned we are all totally dependent on Our Loving God for everything. May His name ever be praised.
 
Prayer: Dear God in Heaven, thanks for hearing our prayers even when we cannot pray. AMEN.
 
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Day 18: Tuesday, March 21, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 21, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions |

Day 18: Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau
 
Forgiveness
Scripture: Matthew (NRSV) 18:21-22 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
 
Devotion: Sometimes we attend church in an individualistic way. We like a church that meets our needs; and if something at church offends us, we go elsewhere. In Jesus’ teachings, we all have a responsibility for one another. He is especially present when we’re gathered with other Christians. He commands Christians to make the effort to forgive and uphold one another. In this context, Peter poses a famous question: How many times should we forgive?
 
Jesus’ response was 7 times 70 times. You just forgive, and you never stop forgiving. We gain strength and freedom when we forgive. We find strength to keep moving in our lives. When we forgive, we are able to refocus our emotional energies; and we are able to grow closer to God. When we grow in forgiveness, we begin to understand the heart of God.
Forgiveness is a gift of God. God already knows our feelings and still loves us. God can work healing power in our lives when we admit to God our deep feelings of hatred, hurt, and anger. Forgiveness is a powerful sign of our life together, not only in specific instances of forgiveness but also in Christian fellowship. If love and trust are present in our fellowship, we can discuss our painful feelings with one another. We are called to express an attribute of God in our life together. We are called to forgive as God forgives.

Prayer: Oh Merciful God, we give you thanks for your love and grace. Help us to show mercy and compassion to others as you show us. Help us to become more like you. Amen.

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Day 17: Monday, March 20, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 20, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions | Tags: 

 
Day 17: Monday, March 20, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau
 
Commandments
 
Scripture: (NRSV) Exodus 20:2-17 2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before[a] me. 4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation[b] of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. 8 Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.
12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 You shall not murder. [c]
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 
17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Devotion: Growing up, the Ten Commandments was the rule in our house. In fact, it seemed that my parents added a lot more to the ten found in the books of Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Leviticus. I learned early on that following the rules from the Bible was critical as a Christian. Later, I learned that being a Christian is not just about rules, it was also about accepting the free gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. We rely on God’s power to guide us and we accept God’s grace by keeping the commandments, not out of obligation but out of love. The Ten Commandments are a gift from God that guides us in our life together as God’s people. They are timeless ethical principles and are a part of God’s covenant with us. The Ten Commandments gives us a guideline to our responsibility toward God and one another.

As we journey in the season of Lent, may we reflect and examine our lives to see if we are living out this gift of the Ten Commandments from God. If not, what can we do differently to live more closely to this gift from God?

Prayer: Holy God, you have given us a gift of how to live rightly with you and with others. Help us to be faithful followers in both word and deed. Amen

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