Monday Morning Devotion (Clinging to Gifts)

Posted on December 31, 2007 by Henry Neufeld

1For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you gentiles—2you have surely heard how the stewardship of God’s grace, given to me, was for you! — Ephesians 3:1-2

Paul’s thinking sometimes gets ahead of his grammar, and I’ve tried to reproduce that in my translation of today’s text. “Surely you understand,” says Paul, “that the grace I’ve gotten was for you.” Let’s think about that!

Christmas is a time to receive gifts. Then we come to New Year’s Day, and it’s a time to make resolutions. Many of those resolutions will be broken, but many of them will be kept. Often we make excuses not to make any new resolutions because we’ve broken them so many times. But that’s also a part of grace. Grace let’s you do it all over again!

But there’s something else that I want us to focus on here. Paul says that he has received grace. He has received a gift. One thing I like to remind people of when I teach about God’s gifts is that Christians are gifted people. Gifts are not given only to some special folks. Everybody who is in the body of Christ has gifts.

Now I could add that every human being alive has gifts as well. So what’s so special about being a Christian? Well, one very special thing is that we are not given our gifts to hold onto. We are given our gifts to serve. It’s not so much what your abilities are, or what talents you have, or what spiritual gifts you have received. The question is this: What are you going to do about it?

For Paul, God’s grace came crashing down on him (I think that’s a good image!) on the road to Damascus. Now Paul could have said, “This is wonderful! I think I’ll sit around and kind of wallow around in this grace. I’ll attend meetings with the Christians, and I’ll just be blessed.”

Imagine what would have happened if Paul had done that. It’s quite possible there would be no Christian church, because of all the apostles, Paul was the one who truly spread the Christian message around the world. He received a gift, but he knew that the real difference between a follower of Jesus and everyone else was not how much he had received, but what he was going to do with it.

So let me suggest something for this New Year’s Day. This isn’t a specific resolution, but rather a type of resolution. How have you been gifted by God? Don’t worry about distinguishing talents, gifts, abilities, or any other words we use to describe what we have. It all comes from God, no matter how we get it. Make a list—mentally or on paper it doesn’t matter—of what you have received.

Then ask yourself this: For whom did God give this to me? Who am I supposed to benefit with this?

Resolve that God’s grace, in all its forms, will keep flowing from you to bless the world.

1As we work together, we make this appeal: Don’t receive God’s grace for nothing! — 2 Corinthians 6:1

Posted in 2 Corinthians, Bible Books, Devotional, Ephesians, Lectionary | Comments Off on Monday Morning Devotion (Clinging to Gifts)

Friday Morning Devotion (Satisfy!)

Posted on December 28, 2007 by Jody Neufeld

The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.
The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

Psalm 145:13-16 (NIV)

‘Satisfy’. Now there is a word that may have come to mind as you pushed away from the table recently. Or ‘un – satisfy’ may have come to mind as you picked up the mountain of discarded paper and ribbons around noon on Christmas Day.

The Psalms must be THE book in the Bible that offers almost unlimited encouragement to our spirit: God is faithful to ALL His promises! He is loving to ALL He has made! God will hold me up when I fall and can’t stand again! God lifts me when I walk humbly with Him! God provides everything that I need to not only sustain me but cause me to grow at just the time I need it! In God’s hand is the answer to every desire that I have! WOW! Those 3 verses – I want them to run through my head all day – maybe even for several days – so that they take root and become a part of what I think and how I act and make decisions!

My daughter and son-in-law and granddaughters are coming in today for a visit. When they arrive, it will seem like Christmas to me. My son is coming in two weeks. I am praying that God is going to provide financially for his wife and sons to come also. I believe in God’s promises and His faithfulness. When they arrive, it will seem like Christmas to me. I’m not talking about just a holiday – I am talking about ‘home’. Home is where those I love reside. With my family spread (literally) across the U.S.– I’m pretty fluid about where my home is located. There is a peace at home. There is faith at home. There is a strength at home. There is a place where I am satisfied. God is in each one that is coming – and so we are home. In the same location, we are aware of the tangible expression of ‘home’. When we are apart – we hold on to what we know is true – and STILL feel that sense of home.

Did I just suddenly wake up one morning and find myself filled with satisfaction? NO! I am human and so I LEAK! I MUST refill and refill and refill each day! I leak from the arrows of hurtful people and events in my life. I leak from poor choices I have made. I leak because of what I pour out as I reach out to others with the grace and mercy that God has given me. And so – I must refill!

Read Psalm 145 today. Let God lead you to another one tomorrow. May write down 1 or 2 verses and put it in your pocket and pull it out today to remind you about God and how you are home and there is satisfaction in being home with your Father. This might be better than any New Year resolution you have tried! �

Posted in Bible Books, Devotional, Psalms | 1 Comment

Thursday Morning Devotion (Called Out of Egypt)

Posted on December 27, 2007 by Henry Neufeld

13After they had left, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you otherwise.” 14So he got up, took the child and his mother at night, and went to Egypt. 15And he was there until the death of Herod. This was so that what was spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled: “I have called my son out of Egypt.” — Matthew 2:13-15

Let me sound complicated for a moment. We each have some set of metaphors for our life. A metaphor is something that is carried over. It’s a way of expressing something indirectly. We use metaphors more than we believe.

For example, the psalmist says: “Oh that I had wings like a dove, for then would I fly away and be at rest” (Psalm 55:6). Now nobody expects us to literally fly away and get into a nest, but the imagery is very powerful. It works for many of us when we’re tired.

As a nation, we have stories. Here in the United States, one of the major defenses of our freedom is the story of how we got them, how our founding documents were written, and how our founding fathers fought and acted in order to create this nation. Yes, I know, there are the documents themselves, and there are traditions of freedom passed from generation to generation, but have you noticed that we can hardly debate politics without making reference to the story of how these people acted and what they intended? The national story becomes part of our discussion.

One of the key stories of the Bible was the story of the exodus from Egypt. It involved escape from bondage, dramatic divine action, good leadership, conflict, and finally success. It was a story that shaped Israel. The prophets of Israel could hardly talk about their country without talking about the exodus. When they were taken into exile in Babylon and then returned they interpreted that story according to the exodus. They told the stories together, and the national story grew.

Jesus came to join the national story of Israel, and as such, he adds new dimensions to the story of rescue from bondage, of trouble, hardship, oppression, and then rescue. It’s a powerful story, and Matthew wants you to tie it all together.

What’s so important about stories? I’m going to suggest that there are overriding stories of your life, and you talk about events in your life according to those stories. Some people have as their main story all the things that have gone wrong in their lives, the way they have been mistreated, and how impossible it is for anything to change. They don’t have to say, “I’m never going to amount to anything.” The story of their life does it for them. Others, even many who have had great difficulties, tell stories of hope. They tend to remember and repeat good things. They don’t have to say, “I’m going somewhere!” Their life stories do it for them.

God enacted a story of redemption in the Bible. The story is repeated over and over. When things get really bad, God is there, redeeming. Matthew tells us in our passage today that Jesus experiences that same story as one of us. Jesus repeatedly tells the story of redemption throughout his life, and his death and resurrection again repeat that story of redemption.

Jody pointed out to me the silence in church when stories are told of people coming to Christ, or of miracles that happen in people’s lives. Why is it that we treat this kind of testimony as routine. A profession of faith, a baptism, [yawn]. It’s just the routine life of the church.

I think the problem is that we don’t really take in the story. What we do is add the “church story” to all those other dead stories in our lives. We don’t really expect things to change. But when we come to Christ, and are “buried with him by baptism into his death” (Romans 6:4) we have joined the story of Jesus. We have joined the story of God’s redemption.

We’re called out of the water into a new life. Our life story should now be about getting called out. Are you entrenched in failure? You are called out! Are you burdened by sin? You are called out! Are your relationships failing? You are called out? Do you feel far from God? You are called out!

Let the fundamental story of your life change. I don’t know what it was. But in Christ, it should be this: Called out for glory!

Posted in Bible Books, Devotional, Lectionary, Matthew | Comments Off on Thursday Morning Devotion (Called Out of Egypt)

Wednesday Morning Devotion (Like Us)

Posted on December 26, 2007 by Henry Neufeld

17For this reason it was necessary for him to be like his brethren in all ways, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest concerning divine matters in order to reconcile those who have sinned to God.. 18Because he was tested by the things he suffered, he is able to sympathize with those who are tested. — Hebrews 2:17-18

The day after Christmas! What a rush! What excitement.

Well, at least for those in a hurry to do shopping at good sale prices. I had to stop at Walmart early this morning to get some necessities, and the rush was already starting. Fortunately, it wasn’t all that intense at that time, so I got through fairly quickly.

We’ve just started the season of Christmas. Yes, I do mean started. Even though the commercial presentation started before Thanksgiving, and the day itself has just passed, with opened presents and all, the season itself has just started. We tend to drop fairly quickly out of holiday mode right after Christmas, and certainly after New Year’s day. But the church calendar gives us some time to think about the arrival of Jesus.

We have celebrated Immanuel—God with us. But let’s think about that just a little bit more. God is with us. He is right here. He’s not with us just a little bit. He’s not with us only when we do what is right. He’s not with us only when we’re paying attention.

Jesus arrived in Bethlehem in a bustle of activity. His early life wasn’t easy. He didn’t arrive rich. He didn’t live in comfort. He was tested and lived his life just like we do. He knows us. We say of Santa Claus that he knows when we’re bad or good, but Jesus not only really does know that, he knows why. He knows of the pressures that will make people yell at store clerks today, or behave badly in traffic, or curse people they don’t know for no particular reason at all. He knows what it means to be stressed.

We have a holy God, a powerful God, one we can trust. But because of Christmas, we also know we have an understanding God, one who knows just who we are.

It’s the comfort of the Christmas season. May God bless you into the New Year. Remember! God is with us!

Posted in Bible Books, Devotional, Hebrews, Lectionary | Comments Off on Wednesday Morning Devotion (Like Us)

Monday Morning Devotion (Christmas Eve)

Posted on December 24, 2007 by Henry Neufeld

O Holy Night

lyrics: Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure in 1847
music: Adolphe Charles Adams

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O’er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

This is our Christmas devotion. I am praying that you will take time on today and Tuesday to read Matthew and Luke’s accounts of Jesus’ birth. But right now I want to look at some of God’s inspired words from the 19th century.

“…the stars are brightly shining” I like to go out and look up at the stars. If I had a more mathematical mind, maybe I would have been an astronaut! I remember from my growing up years that a crisp, cold winter night is a beautiful backdrop for stars that seem closer and more clear to the naked eye than any other.

“…long lay the world in sin and error pining” Now ‘pining’ isn’t a word that I use in my daily vocabulary – but it does have a true note in its ‘voice’, doesn’t it? We live in such a sinful, bad-judgment world. We desperately search for happiness and peace and either talk and talk and talk and do NOTHING or we impulsively and frantically run from new idea to new idea that will produce that ‘thing’ that we want. If I vote for the ‘right’ presidential candidate, will that ‘fix’ the world? If I was one of those who got a Wii for a holiday gift, will I find the ultimate relaxation and fun? (sigh)

“…till He appeared and the Spirit [or soul] felt its worth” There it is. The Truth. The Hope. The Reason. The Answer. Jesus came in the flesh and I am with my Creator. What else could I need? I am home.

No matter how old I am, no matter that my parents have left this world, going home for Christmas still brings up warm feelings in the region of my heart; my spirit. It’s not specific memories or specific people. It is just the definition of ‘home’ that my spirit knows is good and refreshing; restoring me to a young, stronger, more hopeful time.

Jesus does that. When I turn my eyes to Him and thank Him for the tiny and big things in my life, when I turn to Him and seek to lay my head on His strong chest and tell Him the difficulties of my life, I am restored. I am forgiven of “errors” and I no long “pine” for what is missing. I have it deep inside of me.

So when all the shiny paper is stuffed into the garbage and all the cheery songs are quiet, let us continue to walk with our Lord every moment of the day. Begin each day with a time of thanksgiving that acknowledges the big and the small moments that may come our way. And when those moments become confusing or more difficult and painful than I can handle – turn to Jesus first and lay it out there for HIS answer. And when the day is done, leave each moment at the feet of Jesus just as the Wise Men laid their gifts. Jesus, God with us, will separate the gifts from the difficulties with a loving hand and restore that peace that does pass our understanding.

Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Posted in Devotional | Tagged | Comments Off on Monday Morning Devotion (Christmas Eve)

Thursday Morning Devotion (Of Images and Molds)

Posted on December 20, 2007 by Henry Neufeld

26Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our form, according to our appearance, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of heaven and the cattle and over all the earth, and over all the moving creatures that move on the earth.” 27And God created humanity in his form. He created it in the form of God. He created them male and female. — Genesis 1:26-27 (TFBV)

Jody and I were discussing our children the other day, and we noted how the next two generations all have blue eyes. Now it’s important to note, for those who don’t know, that these are my stepchildren, since I’m talking about genetics. They’re mom and dad, however, both have brown eyes. Now as I understand genetics, it’s likely that both parents had recessive genes for blue eyes, but by various combinations, everyone ended up with blue eyes in the third generation.

Now what’s so important about that? In one sense, nothing. We won’t love our grandchildren any less or more because of the color of their eyes. But in another sense, I think it tells us something about the principles of God’s kingdom.

In the passage I quoted, you’re probably used to seeing the word “image” where I used form. Some people debate over whether this is a physical or a spiritual form, but that is not my main point here. In Genesis one, we are also told that creatures will produce “after their kind.” I’m reminded of that phrase each time I take our dog Barnabas for a walk in our neighborhood. Now Barnabas is a Shih Tzu, and he’s quite small, but he thinks he can pretty much take on any dog who wants to challenge him.

He’s ready to go after German Shepherds and Labradors without hesitation. Across the street there’s a standard Poodle several times his size who particularly irritates him. Perhaps it’s the notion that something with the name “Poodle” would challenge him!

But in that same yard, there’s a Great Dane. This dog is big. He looks over the fence sort of like a horse. When he first saw that dog and heard his deep bass “Woof!” Barnabas realized he was out of his depth. He didn’t trust that fence. He cowered down to the ground and tried to persuade me that his walk was over and it was time to head home—fast!

What a variety of dogs we have, after their kind. Humans similarly reproduce “after their kind,” but again what a variety of kinds. Each new child results from a mix and match of genetic material from both parents, and then develops from a wide variety of experiences in its life.

It seems that God is satisfied with things that don’t exactly come out of the same mold, even though they are of the same kind, or come bear the same image (or form). We humans, on the other hand, are especially pleased by having things made exactly the same, over and over. We have invented the assembly line, after all!

And what devotional thought might come out of all of this? Well, we’ve been thinking about how some of the principles of the natural world apply spiritually. God illustrates his love for us through sexual passion. Just consider the Song of Songs! And I think God illustrates his will for each of our lives through his own principles of reproduction. Biological reproduction doesn’t work as though multiple copies come out of a mold. Scientists have learned to come very close to this through cloning, but God’s natural world doesn’t work that way.

God’s spiritual children don’t come out of a mold either. They are made, and recreated, in God’s image, but not stamped from a mold. As parents, whether physically of our own children, or spiritually of those we have brought to Christ, it’s very easy for us to want to treat our offspring as though they came from a mold, or at least as though they might be fitted into a mold.

We imagine futures for our children, and then we push and push to get them to follow the right path toward that future. But what is that is not what they want? What if that is not what God wants for them?

Many times someone has prayed for me, and I hear a prayer that I’ll become more outgoing, or more physical, or less intellectual, or that I’ll have a simpler faith. Now I’m willing to take each of those things to God and check them out, but I’m pretty sure God made me the way that I am. There are certainly areas in which I need to grow, but God doesn’t need to make my personality more like someone else’s. I don’t worry about the prayers, though, because I believe God can answer prayers ever so much better than we can pray them. And humorously enough, each of those prayers can be matched by other prayers asking God to do precisely the opposite!

Pastors, teachers, parents, evangelists—everyone who has children, spiritually or physically—how about giving those children a present this Christmas? Turn them over to God. Teach, guide, inform, assist. But don’t stamp them from a mold.

Posted in Bible Books, Devotional, Genesis | Comments Off on Thursday Morning Devotion (Of Images and Molds)

Wednesday Morning Devotion (Monuments)

Posted on December 19, 2007 by Henry Neufeld

Note:  Today’s devotional is taken from yesterday’s Running Toward the Goal, since I think it is so relevant.

18When Absalom was alive, he had set up a stone monument for himself in King’s Valley. He explained, “I don’t have any sons to keep my name alive.” He called it Absalom’s Monument, and that is the name it still has today.

2 Samuel 18:18 (CEV)

25But Jesus called the disciples together and said:

You know that foreign rulers like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over everyone they rule. 26But don’t act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. 27And if you want to be first, you must be the slave of the rest. 28The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.

Matthew 20:25-28 (CEV)

Absalom is such a sad, tragic figure in the Bible story. He always seems to choose the wrong way. He chooses the wrong way to get justice, the wrong way to gain popularity, and finally the wrong way to become king.

It reminds me of a poem by Christian Morgenstern about monuments:

Set a monument for me,
built of sugar, in the sea.

It will melt, of course, and make
briefly a sweet-water lake;

Meanwhile, fishes by the score
take surprised a sip or more

They, in various ports, will then
be, in turn, consumed by men.

This way I will join the chain
Of humanity again,
while were I of stone or steel,
just some pigeon ungenteel,
or perhaps a Ph.D.
would discharge his wit on me.

You can read his story in 2 Samuel chapters 13 through 20. Absalom wanted to be important. He wanted to be remembered. And he is remembered. But what a legacy!

Despite his difficulties, we remember Absalom’s father, King David, for his songs, his battles and his love of God.

We remember his brother Solomon for wisdom, wealth and building the temple, even though he too made his share of mistakes.

We remember Absalom for futile activities, ending with this monument of stone. But without a valuable legacy from his life, of what value was the stone?

It seems that often when we can’t get the right thing, we’ll try for any substitute. Absalom wanted, and pursued, love, respect and a legacy that would be remembered with favor. He got the poor substitute.

This is advent, and you may be wondering why I’m talking about Absalom.

What I really want to talk about is Jesus. It’s now about two thousand years after his birth, and he is remembered. Many of the things done in the name of Jesus will not be the kind of legacy he’d prefer. Commercialism, greed, envy and even idolatry. But in spite of all those years, he is still remembered.

He is remembered because he showed how to do it right.

He was born without any pomp and ceremony. He did nothing to attract attention. He lived a humble life working. He carried out a short ministry. He didn’t try to attract the crowds, but they came to him anyways, because they could see that here was a life that was making something to last. Finally, he died a horrible, shameful death. But the horror of that death couldn’t overcome the power of his life. He rose from the dead with power.

But you know what I find really remarkable? That cross, symbol of horror, agony, shame and humiliation became a monument of love. Jesus, through his life of love and service, overcame the horror of the death he died, even the horror of death itself, and changed a monument of horror into one of joy and peace.

Let me tell you—you don’t look at a cross today with anything like the same thoughts it would have brought forth in someone in Jesus’ day. Jesus transformed the nature of the monument, because his life of love was a greater monument than any piece of stone, or wood, or steel.

What is your monument today?

Posted in 2 Samuel, Bible Books, Devotional, Matthew | Comments Off on Wednesday Morning Devotion (Monuments)

Tuesday Morning Devotion (God With Us)

Posted on December 18, 2007 by Henry Neufeld

18Now the birth of Jesus happened like this: His mother was already pledged to Joseph, but before he had actually married her and taken her to bed with him, she got pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19Joseph, her husband was a righteous man, but he didn’t want to publicly shame here, so he was planning to divorce her quietly. 20But while he was considering it, an angel of the Lord put in a surprise appearance in a dream, and said, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what she has conceived comes from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. 22This all happened to make complete what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:

23‘Look! The virgin will get pregnant, and will bear a son,
And they will call him Immanuel!’” {Isaiah 7:14}
(Immanuel means “God is with us”) — Matthew 1:18-23 (slightly paraphrased)

For us, Advent is a very time oriented part of the year. There is a sense of expectation. We light one more candle each week, indicating the coming of the light. Now in modern times we rush things a bit. I saw Christmas decorations and heard Christmas music in October. But in that year so long ago, there was no early Christmas cheer, no bustling puchase of presents, no string of Christmas parties to cheer one and all.

It was a dry and dreery time in Palestine. The country was subject to King Herod the Great. History would call him “great” and he did accomplish some extraordinary things, but he combined those with extraordinary cruelty. It was a time of darkness. And even after the birth of Jesus, things didn’t look up much. We see Christmas as a time of great joy—and rightfully so. Then we see Good Friday as a kind of “down” day, followed by Easter, which is great joy all over again. But such was not the feeling of the people at the time.

And that’s the thing about us humans. We’re very time oriented. But you see, God is not so time oriented. God is all over space, and he’s all over time. He’s all over everywhere and everywhen. He’s with us all the time.

When God sent Jesus, he wasn’t doing something new to him. He was expressing who he always was. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. That’s a wonderful thing. I may be in a good mood one day, and a very bad mood the next. I may be cheerful and encouraging one day and drag you down the next. But God is always the same. When it’s dark, he’s there. When we have only one candle lit, he’s there. He’s still there when we light the last candle.

Matthew tells us that all this happened to fulfill what Isaiah had spoken. Now we have trouble with the word fulfill. We think it’s just a matter of predicting one event, and then the event happens. But God has much more than that. He fills events with meaning.

When Isaiah spoke the words that Matthew quoted, he was talking to a king who felt abandoned. He was checking out the defenses of Jerusalem because he expected to be attacked. He wasn’t a particularly good king, and he had no reason to expect God to come to his aid. But God, the same in Isaiah’s time, in Jesus’ time, and in our time, was on the job. He sent Isaiah the prophet to find King Ahaz and tell him this: God is with you.

That was a little sign of who God is, a little intervention. It opened a window of light. But Ahaz didn’t want to make use of the light. He didn’t recognize “God with us” in Isaiah’s words.

It’s advent, and time for us to ask the question: Are we going to be like Joseph, who went on after his dream to marry a pregnant bride—a dangerous thing in his day? Or are we going to be like Ahaz and say, “I don’t want to get involved in this.”

God was present in both places. Will we be there?

Posted in Bible Books, Devotional, Lectionary, Matthew | Comments Off on Tuesday Morning Devotion (God With Us)

Monday Morning Devotion (Equal-Share Heir)

Posted on December 17, 2007 by Jody Neufeld

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ…

What I am saying is…

Because you are sons, [a child of God!] God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. Galatians 3:26-27, 4:1, 6-7 (NIV)

Christmas. If you turn on your TV or radio or drive down a city street, you are smothered in what the advertising or retail industries believe they can convince you is essential to your holiday happiness! It isn’t the overt jingles that tell you that a diamond is the only thing that can make “her” happy. It isn’t how awesome it would be to surprise him with a new car that hooks most of us. It is the basic message that it is only right and expected that we BUY, BUY, BUY so that each person will have 3, 4, 5, or 6 gifts to open from under the overflowing tree! Whether you spend your budget or over your budget or you have no budget – following the instructions given will not leave us happy and content at 8 p.m. on Christmas night when all that is left under the tree is a stray ribbon or a forgotten, empty stocking.

I am a child of God. I am an heir to God’s Kingdom. I am an equal-share heir! I won’t be getting less than my pastor or even less than Peter himself. I am a treasured and precious daughter of God. WOW. I may not receive numerous presents wrapped in shiny bows but I have a guarantee of an eternal gift that is extravagant and far more than I can imagine. (And I have a really GOOD imagination!)

Is this what I believe? Is this what I have taught my children and grandchildren? Is this what I live out in my life? Or do my children see that I live differently than I ‘preach’? To live the life of a child of God is to live against the flow of this world. It is living a life that begins with my choice to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and know that I need only Him. It is walking that faith today in this season of opulence and seeing not what I do not have (envy what others do have!) but keeping my eyes on the Creator God who is lying in a manger, following His footsteps to the Cross, and choosing to crucify my flesh so that I may have the Spirit of Jesus Christ that shows me how to live as He did.

I hear God’s words that assure me that I am His child. I know that I cannot earn this gift. I call out “Father” and He answers me. He gives me gifts not just at Christmas but every day of the year: faith, trust, mercy, patience, gentleness, kindness, knowledge, compassion, self-control, joy, wisdom, peace, and love. His gifts to me are many, varied, size-perfect, and never-ending.

Posted in Bible Books, Devotional, Galatians | Comments Off on Monday Morning Devotion (Equal-Share Heir)

Friday Morning Devotional (The Redeemed Return)

Posted on December 14, 2007 by Henry Neufeld

8There will be a highway there,
A passage that will be called the Holy Way.
Nothing impure will go up on it.
But it shall be for God’s people.
No traveler, even a fool, will go astray.
9There won’t be any lions there,
Nor will ravenous beasts enter it.
They won’t be found there.
But the redeemed will travel on it.
10And YHWH’s ransomed ones will return
And enter Zion with singing.
Eternal joy will be on their heads.
They will attain gladness and joy.
And sighing and sorrow will flee. — Isaiah 35:8-10

Isaiah 35 is one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible. It is a song of longing, but also a song of encouragement and of promise. It can speak to you in the dry places of your life, and it keeps right on speaking when things are going so much better.

This passage was first written for those who would go into exile and then return. It was the promise of return. God speaks of judgment a great deal in the Hebrew scriptures, but he intersperses these judgments with the promise. God doesn’t bring judment on his people to destroy, but to correct and ultimately to restore.

We also needn’t argue about who these scriptures apply to. They were indeed spoken first to Israel, or more specifically to Judah. There is a specific prediction involved. But when we read Bible prophecy in this way, looking for the one time that the prophecy applies, we often miss the major point.

This chapter reveals in a most powerful way who God really is. We look for this text and that to tell us about God’s attributes, and there are some good ones, but what about God’s actions? With people we would say that actions speak louder than words—and I think God sees it that way as well. That’s why so much of the Bible is about his actions.

We also say that the way you’ll truly know a man’s character is by how he behaves when the going gets tough and trouble is all around. Can God get in trouble? Can God suffer hardship? Well, God expresses sorrow over his people’s failures, over their disasters, and hope that they will return to him. Picture Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. Sometimes we forget our trinitarian doctrines, but Jesus is God, and God was there weeping. Why would they not come to him? God feels the sorrow of one who passionately desires a connection, a relationship with another person, and that passion is not returned.

So how does God behave under pressure? He ransoms! He redeems! He recreates!

This passage, one of the greatest songs of God’s redemption, comes out of the most difficult time. From the time of Hezekiah, who heard Isaiah preach, Judah went downhill with only the briefest of blips of reformation. God looked forward, saw that his people would reject him over and over again. He saw that they would reject the work of the prophet Jeremiah and stand up against the Babylonians until Jerusalem was destroyed and they were taken into exile.

If a father were told that his children would reject him, refuse all help and all advice, and finally end up—all of them—on death row, he would be discouraged. God, however, follows the path as far as it will go, and says, “I will make a path back!”

As God’s people, we are the ones who act in God’s world. (Perhaps I’ll mention some of the scriptures on which I base this in future devotionals.) We bring God’s redemptive power to people. We should be the most optimistic people around, because we know that no matter how bad things get, God remains a God who redeems.

Posted in Bible Books, Devotional, Isaiah, Lectionary | Comments Off on Friday Morning Devotional (The Redeemed Return)