"Scotty, Beam me up!"

Luke 1:28&29 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

“Scotty, beam me up.” Is a famous saying from our modern culture. Those are the word uttered by Captain James T. Kirk to his Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott in the television and movie series Star Trek. How many times have you been eyeball deep in a crisis or very difficult situation in your life and wanted to  “beam up” out of your difficulties.

Are you the kind of person who enjoys a life free from struggles, trials, and troubles?  If that is how your life is, you are one of a very select group of people who have that kind of life. The rest of us have enough difficulties to share. There is good news. First and foremost we need to remember the words of the anger Gabriel to Mary. “The Lord is with you.” The Lord is there right by our side. He never leaves us. He is our rock, and our salvation. He is there to share our load. And second, we must heed the words of James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  We are being tested, tempered, and refined. Nothing happens in our lives that does not have a purpose. We must look deep into our lives and our situations and search out the purpose of our struggles. We must carefully and prayerfully examine each situation and ask our Father in heaven what he would have us learn from each experience. When we sell ourselves short on our endurance and ability to learn and share from each trial we surrender an opportunity to share what we could have learned with others who may be struggling. We miss the opportunity to share the love God has for all with people we may not even know today. We give up an entry point for someone in need when we just throw up our hands and give up. Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Never give up, and never surrender for the Lord is always with us. And if the Lord is with us, who can possible stand against us?

PRAYER:  Father, Your children often encounter problems that seem to be beyond our capabilities to cope. We try with all of our might to fix things. And in doing so, we fail. Help us Father to remember to come to you with all our problems. Guide us in Your way so that in our lives You will would be done. Help us as we struggle to learn what You would have us learn. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Life is Good!

Luke 1:28&29 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

There are times in our lives when things are going well. These are times to be cherished and remembered. They can be fleeting in their duration. If you are used to a life of trials and tribulations these experiences can almost seem to be foreign in nature. You can bet no one says “Beam me out quickly Scotty” when times are good!

Just as our struggles are a gift from God, so too are the times of plenty. We know this to be true from the words of James 1:16&17 “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  We are constantly blessed in our lives by the Lord. We are given salvation and life eternal through the grace of God. We received these gifts through the sacrifice of no less than the Son of God. Talk about extravagant gifts. And we have done nothing, nor can we do anything, to make us worthy of receiving these gifts.  This is given as a gift to be cherished, and shared with others. But let me ask you one question. When life is good, and things are going well for you, do you stay as in touch with the Lord as when you are eyeball deep in a crisis?  Don’t be shy, look into your heart and ask yourself that question.  It is an important question so take your time and think through your answer. And don’t be ashamed if your answer is no. Do not beat yourself up too badly. That is all part of being human. Our very nature is sinful. We have lots of practice and it also just comes naturally. But that does not mean we ignore the problem of slacking off in our devotion to God in times of plenty. It just means we need to be aware of that tendency and try to do better. We pray for help from the Holy Spirit. We pray for the faith we need. And this we do not just for ourselves. We do this because how we behave is observed by so many others. If we strive to set a good example in practicing our faith, we can impact so very many others. We strive in our lives to be Christ-like knowing that we can never achieve that standard. But that does not keep us from trying to do better. We are already saved, so it is not a matter of salvation by works. Rather we do this out or gratitude and devotion. Praise God at all times.

PRAYER:  Lord of all creation. Thank you for our blessings, be they big or little. Thank you for the blessings we do not even recognize as blessings. It’s in the name of your Son, our greatest blessing we pray. Amen.

The Great Unknown

Luke 1:28&29 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”  Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

The great unknown can be a scary thing. By that I mean when we encounter situations where we are walking into a totally unknown situation, there can be a sense of fear along with a sense of adventure.  The adrenalin is usually flowing in these situations.  The human instinct to fight or flee is difficult to control in some situations. In these situations we pray for the peace of God to surround us.

Mary is confronted with a confusing and conflicting situation when she is greeted by the angel Gabriel. He is an imposing figure. Not the cherub figures we see frequently depicting angels. Look at the back cover of the devotionals and you get a better idea what angels look like. And face it, you just do not see angels walking (or for that matter flying) around every day. So the appearance of Gabriel is disconcerting to say the least. Mary was not expecting a visit from an angel, and yet there was Gabriel.  She was facing the unknown, and it happened rather suddenly. So what was she to do? Should she follow the instinct to fight or flee? Or should she trust in God?  We know from scripture that she chose to hear what the angel Gabriel had to say and she trusted in God. For you and I, that is the prudent thing for us to do. We need to listen to what God has to say in His word. We need to stay connected in prayer to the Lord. We need to prayerfully consider all aspects of our lives and trust in the Lord. Many wonderful possibilities can be realized when we listen to and wait upon the Lord. Reflecting on Mary’s situation, look at what happened in her life when she followed the will of God. Just imagine the possibilities in your own life when you listen to and follow the Lord.

PRAYER: Lord of all things visible and invisible. You reign supreme in our lives. Help us when we encounter the unknown to be strong and faithful to You and Your will in our lives. Guide us and comfort us. Let Your peace, the peace that surpasses all human understanding flow into our lives. We ask this in the name of the Prince of Peace, Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen

I consider everything a loss…

Philippians 3:8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

It is a travel day for me.  I am departing for Seattle to see Andy and to observe his Article 32 hearing.  It’s a day of many and mixed emotions.  I am happy to be traveling to see my son, who unfortunately is incarcerated for following orders. I very disappointed at having the life of a young man (my son) and the lives of his family disrupted by this whole process.  May the truth of God be the victor in spite of the plots of man.

The big picture, the grand scheme, are phrases frequently used when the short term seems to defy explanation or common sense.  We are temporal beings, and have a definite time line. Couple that with a short span of attention and we have impatience as the result of all this. We look to the here and now for answers and explanations.  And when they are not immediately available or readily apparent we become frustrated. This is the way of the world. And that is the problem. God works on a different timeline and to different reasons. He works to accomplish his will. He uses our lives and us as tools. We are not in control, he is and that can cause us “control freaks” problems.  This is the day to consider where lives will go, how they will be changed in the short term by Andy’s hearing. But there is one irrefutable fact. Through this whole process the strong hand of God is readily apparent. Old wounds are healed. A young man lost, has been found. People are standing up demanding that the truth be heard. Only God would have chosen this path. None of us would deliberately “take this cup.” For that we thank God for His love. We are not led into temptation by the Lord. Yet we are given trials and tribulations that while they seem daunting, none are impossible to go through with the Lord on our side. All these difficult lessons are a gift. Help my O Lord to cherish these gifts in times of struggle. And truly ‘I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”

PRAYER: Lord of all things visible and invisible. Your love and mercy endures forever. Today and everyday I ask that Your will be done in my life. I ask that through You all things are possible in my life. I ask that the strength of the Lord stand strong. May the belt of truth encircle the proceedings on Monday. This I boldly ask in the strong name of Jesus. Amen

Who put no confidence in the flesh--

Philippians 3:3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

It seems just yesterday that we finished the Halloween trick-or-treat ritual. It is always fun to go to the door and see the kids wearing their costumes. We have the opportunity to see miniature version of cartoon and comic book super heroes, or a traditional ghost, a skeleton, or maybe even a witch. Regardless of how much careful pre-planning we do at our house, we end up with lots of candy left over. In my mind it is better to have extra candy than to run out too early in the evening. Well, that’s my story and I am sticking to it.

Halloween reminds me of many things. There are childhood memories of running all over a small town in Michigan trick-or-treating. There are adult memories of taking my kids trick-or-treating in Pocatello.  There is another aspect of Halloween memories that comes to mind. It is the remarkable similarity between the costumes people wear and the Christian walk of some folks.  It is like they put on the costume of a Christian on Sunday and then go right home after church and hang it up in the closet never to look at it until the next Sunday they go to church.  It is a shallow walk, and a dangerous path too. They can be deceiving and deceptive in their actions while the Christian costume is hanging in the closet. Beware O believer.

Stop and think for a minute. How many people do you know that have that very same walk? The walk of a costumed Christian.  When churches look at what constitutes a fully devoted follower of Christ, and active member if you will, they usually identify at least three characteristics.  One is a regular attendance at worship services. By regular attendance that means more than two weeks in a month.  Two is participating in fellowship event like a small group or bible study group.  This is where they share their love and devotion to Jesus with others in a comfortable setting. Third would be actively involved as a volunteer in church activities.  This type of person cannot just put the costume on for Sunday, they are fully dressed all the time. And it is not a costume, it is the armor of Christ. This is what they wear into the battle against all the other forces arrayed around them seeking to distract their focus from Jesus.  When you see these people you see a true warrior for Christ, not a costume wearing wanna be.  Be very careful of the wanna bee’s. The path they chose to follow is not the path you should be on. Give it some thought. If you are going to talk the talk you better walk the walk.  Faith without love is an empty faith.

PRAYER:  Lord of all creation, there are many among us who talk a good faith. Help us as we move forward in our faith walk to not take that path. Guide in Your path. Light the way for us, lest we stray off that path and become lost.  And help us to reach out to those who do not walk the true path. Give us the words, Your words, to reach out in love. Let Your Spirit fill us with the faith to survive against the ploys of the evil one. We ask this in the name of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen