Preparing for the Coming Days: April 30th Devotional

      

Preparing for the Coming Days

2nd Timothy 3:12

April 30th Devotional

      On this day in 311 Roman Emperor Galerius signed the Edict of Serdica (also known as the Edict of Toleration).  This edict granted liberty to Christianity for the first time and recognized the faith as a legitimate religion in Rome.  This edict was revolutionary regarding how Rome viewed the Church.  Before this, the church was severely persecuted.  Amazingly the church continued to grow despite the harsh treatment that it received.  One church father named Tertullian said that the blood of the martyr is the seed of the church’s growth.  But why was Rome so insistent on causing Christianity pain?  Rome was considered extremely accepting of other religions and they tolerated Christianity as long as it was regarded as a sect of Judaism.  Judaism enjoyed a position of religio licita (a legal religion in Rome) but as the church developed it became glaringly apparent that Christianity was distinct from Judaism.  Christianity would not embrace Rome’s full authority, they did not have many external practices of worship, and would not tolerate the sinful ways of Rome.  The height of oppression was felt under Roman Emperor named Diocletian. Diocletian reigned from 286 to 305 AD. In the year 303 on the feast of Terminalia, Diocletian put forth an edict demanding that churches be burned, Scriptures be burned, confiscation of church and Christian property, arrest, removal of office for Christians in authority, loss of legal rights, and even death. Four edicts would precede from Diocletian, the final one demanding that if a person did not offer sacrifice to the pagan gods then that Christian could be persecuted. The persecution swept through the land for nearly ten years. The suffering did not diminish the church but strengthened it. Rome noticed that their edicts failed to eradicate Christians and the new edict was meant to be a form of compromise. The edict still was harsh in its wording talking; it called Christianity foolish and abandoning reason. Here is an incredible quote from the edict about how the Christians responded to suffering "And yet since most of them persevered in their determination." They persevered.  They were determined that even in the face of loss and suffering they would not abandon their faith.

      The Scriptures tell us that we can expect to suffer persecution (2nd Timothy 3:12).  Most Christians in the West haven’t suffered much, if at all for our faith. Our brothers and sisters around the world languish in daily persecution and yet their faith remains strong.  American Christianity has become comfortable and tragically complacent.  A lack of drastic opposition has lulled us to sleep and inactivity.  The church as a whole is more bothered about politics than people.  We clamor over candidates instead of souls.  The world is literally on a wide road to hell and yet we are like Jonah at the bottom of the ship slumbering.  We need a shipmaster to cry unto us “What meanest thou O’ sleeper?”  Christ tells His church not to be afraid of what they will suffer (Rev. 2:10) because He is with them. The reality is that persecution will grow against the faith in the coming days and years.  God will not allow His church to slumber in a state of laziness because that does not prepare us for the coming days.  It is best NOW to live out your faith while persecution is minimal and it is best now to prepare yourself for coming oppression against your faith by getting into the Word of God, getting into prayer, and getting the Word out to a world that is lost in the darkness. Don't allow the liberty of faith to cause you to be lazy.  Let the world view us like Rome viewed early Christianity, “they persevered in their determination.”

No Need for New: April 23rd Devotional

 

No Need For New

Malachi 3:6

April 23rd Devotional

      This day in history will always be remembered as a commercial flop for a major corporation.  Most of us are familiar with the Coca-Cola Company.  Their delicious brown fizzy drink has been around since 1886 and has become a staple of American culture.  Their red can is one of the most easily identifiable logos in the world and who can forget about the cute polar bears that helped popularize the drink each Christmas?  Coke has typically been a corporate juggernaut in the world. At one time Coke held over 60% of the soda market. By the early '80s, that number dwindled to around 20%. The Pepsi company was growing rapidly and the Coca-Cola company felt a need to do something to win its market share back. Coke decided to change its formula for making soda. That formula had not endured any major changes for nearly 100 years! They started Project Kansas to tweak the formula to something new and fresh.  They created taste tests and the evidence was overwhelming, the people liked the sweeter taste of the new Coca-Cola. Coke started a huge marketing campaign pouring millions of dollars into the new product. The only problem, the public did not like the new product and demanded that Coke revert to its old formula.  The company received thousands of calls daily from the outraged public. After 79 days and losing nearly 30 million dollars Coke changed back to its old formula. It was of such importance David Pryor, the Senator from Arkansas, said on the Senate floor that it was a meaningful moment in U.S. history.  It worked because Coke doubled its sales the following year and was Christened Classic Coca-Cola.

      Change.  That single word can cause multiple different emotional responses.  Some people love change, and others dread change.  Most Christians fall into the second category.  We think that change is bad, and sometimes it is, but typically change can be a good thing for us.  I like the change of high-speed internet versus dial-up or a modern car versus a model t, and I like indoor plumbing better than an outhouse. We change jobs, our life changes when go to college, get married, and become a parent.  To be honest we are living in a world where very little stays the same. The always-revolving door of change can create anxiety and worry in our hearts.  We are creatures of habit and when our routine changes we typically struggle. Life demands that we can’t steer through it on cruise control.  Good or bad change can be hard. But there is one who is constant and changeless. God. Malachi 3:6 says "For I the Lord do not change." God doesn't have to change.  Why not? To change means you were wrong, dated, inferior, or that something else was better. God does not need to change because He was, is, and always will be perfect. God doesn't need to change because He is perfectly loving, compassionate, just, graceful, merciful, and the list could go on and on. In a world where everything is constantly changing one constant is the Lord. Hebrews 13:8 says "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." His love for you never changes, His justice never changes, He does not change and we should rejoice in that!  When the turbulent changes of life rage against you, anchor your life to the changeless one, Jesus Christ.

He's Already There: April 16th Devotional

He's Already There

Deuteronomy 1:30

April 16th Devotional

      This day in history takes us way back in time.  The year was 1457 BC and the Egyptian army was under the command of a Pharaoh named Thutmose III.  He gathered his forces to fight against a large coalition of Canaanite people under the command of the King of Kadesh.  Egypt had laid claim to the land which we now call Israel but the Canaanite people were often rebellious and refused to acknowledge Egyptian rule.  This rebellious attitude lasted for decades until Thutmose determined to ruin the people entirely and show the power of Egypt.  He mustered an army of between 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers, including chariots.  The Canaanite king rallied almost an equal number of soldiers unto himself to challenge the coming Egyptians.  There were three paths to enter the Valley of Megiddo, two easy and one more difficult. Thutmose chose the more challenging path and surprised the confederate Canaanite armies by leading his men personally and routed them soundly.  The remaining Canaanite people fled to the city of Megiddo and fortified it against attack.  Thutmose set a siege against the city for seven months.  He built a moat and forced the people to surrender.  He was victorious, he bought peace to the area and extended the reach of Egypt into the Jezreel Valley.  But why is this battle so important?  This date is important because it is the first battle recorded in history with a reliable account.  The events of the battle were recorded by a military scribe named Tjaneni. Tjaneni traveled with Thutmose and wrote daily accounts about the battle.  He would return to Egypt and have the events carved into the walls of a Temple dedicated to Amun-Re at the city of Karnak There were countless battles before this but the details were always sketchy. This particular battle was very detailed in its recording.

       But why are these events important to us 3500 years later?  What Biblical importance does it hold?  The reason why this battle is important is because of the events that would take place shortly thereafter. The Bible gives us the rough estimate that the Exodus from Egypt took place around the year 1440 BC and the Pharaoh during that time would have either been Thutmose III or Amenhotep II. The battle of Megiddo stands out because God sovereignly uses a pharaoh to destroy a huge Canaanite army that would have withstood the Israelites as they entered the promised land.  God already had a plan even while Moses was wandering in the back side of the wilderness.  God was already setting His plans into motion, though no one but Himself knew it.  God sees the past, present, and future all in the blink of an eye. The hand of God moves in the present in ways we cannot understand, but He does it having a complete future in view. He was in control then and He is in control now. It reminds me of a passage in Deuteronomy 1:30 which says “The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.”  God was reminding the people that He is already making the path for victory, that He is already ahead of them making way.  Many of us believe these beautiful truths, but we fail to embrace them.  We are often overcome by the here and the now and in the present news that we lose hope. All we see is failure and ruin and we forget that God is already setting up plans for us to triumph. All that is happening in the here and now has a purpose, though unseen at the time.  We need to cling to the Biblical truth that God will make a way, even though we do not see it clearly at this moment.  Trust Him, even if you don’t see the end of the path. Why?  Because He’s already there.  Corrie Ten Boom once said that we can trust an unknown future to a known God.

April Prayer Letter

“Mobilizing the Church Through Short-term Mission Trips”

      The theme for these last few weeks has been “on the road again.” We have traveled eleven hours of the East Coast last month, starting with a visit to McDowell County WV. The purpose of this trip was to take pictures to promote future mission trips. Matt’s mom, Terrie, who is a professional photographer, tagged along to take pictures of the community. This trip also allowed us to prepare for future construction jobs that will take place in the summer months. We love working with our friends in Appalachia and are excited to see God do some incredible things in that area!

      The next weekend our family traveled to Central New York to survey a small, rural church in Blodgett Mills New York. The weather was a lot colder and most of the areas were still covered in snow. It was a 50° difference in temperature. We met with Pastor Thomas and his precious family. He gave us a tour of his church and the surrounding area. Thomas has a HUGE pastoral heart and it tremendously burdened for the people of that area. Thomas has been at the church for nearly five years and has poured his heart and soul into the community.  The church needs some major construction. The building was originally constructed in 1811 and moved to its current location in the 1840s. There is a LONG list of jobs to be done. The church’s size limits its ability to reach its neighbors, so teams will be needed for community outreach and VBS ministries. We helped the church grill some food and coordinate an egg hunt.  Around 10 children showed up for the egg hunt and Gospel presentation! Pray for this lovely family and us as we coordinate trips to this area.

      The next weekend Matt was invited to give a Gospel presentation at South Mountain Bible church for their egg hunt. Matt used multiple magic tricks along with a wordless book to share the plan of salvation. There were around 60 children in attendance. Please be praying that the seeds would take root and grow. Our family enjoyed lunch and fellowship with Pastor Colin’s family. It was a wonderful time filled with laughter, smiles, and lots of playtime for our kiddos!  On Easter Sunday our family was invited to Faith Bible Baptist Church in Capon Bridge WV. This church has endured a lot in the past two years and has been struggling to stay afloat. They have been without a pastor for quite some time and have dealt with a church split.  Matt preached, lead them in communion, and even had the privilege to baptize three people!  We will be visiting this church in the next few weeks. Continue to pray that we would be an encouragement to their ministry.

      The next weeks offer a lot of Gospel opportunities. Matt will be leading Boonsboro Bible to Southern WV, we will be meeting with various churches to prepare them for future mission trips, preaching at Mercersburg Presbyterian, and preparing for our VBS theme this summer, Truassic Park.   Thank you for joining us in the goal of coordinating Christ-honoring, short-term mission teams. Thank you also for your prayers, support, and kindness. We are overwhelmed to have such supportive ministry partners! 

Take Me Home: April 12th Devotional

Take Me Home

John 14:1-6

April 12th Devotional

 

      On this day in 1971, the famous folk singer John Denver released his hit single, Country Roads.  The song debuted on his RCA label named “Poems, Prayers, and Promises.”  This album helped skyrocket Denver into the mainstream.  This song has morphed into the state anthem of West Virginians and holds a special place for many mountaineers, but what is the story behind Country Roads?  The song was the creation of a husband and wife songwriting team, Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert. They were struggling musicians trying to make it big.  They wanted to create one hit song that would impact the music industry.  That song came in the form of County Roads.   The inspiration for the song came after they left a wedding in Maryland.  They were enjoying the drive through the winding roads and started to sing together.  They instantly knew they had something, the problem was that the state of Maryland only had three syllables, and their song needed a state with four syllables.  Taffy mentioned her home state of Massachusetts had the correct number of syllables and they started to craft a song based on it. But Massachusetts sounded clunky so they quickly changed to West Virginia.  They said that it had a certain ring to it.  The irony is that neither Billy nor Taffy had ever been to West Virginia.  They wrote a song that would become West Virginia’s state national anthem without ever being in the state!  Their original goal was to perform the song for Johnny Cash and sell it to him, but all of that changed in 1970.  They were the opening act for Denver at a Club called the Cellar Door in Washington DC. They listened intently to Denver singing folk songs.  They knew that Denver had the voice and the heart to bring their song to life. They introduced the song to Denver after the concert and he was smitten with it.  They stayed up until the early hours of the morning tweaking it until it was the masterpiece that they were aiming for.  Denver returned to the same club later in 1970 to sing the song for the first time.  The result was astounding.  The crowd was moved to tears and gave him a five-minute standing ovation. This continued every time he performed the song.  The song became a part of American culture.  It topped at number 2 on the Billboard charts in 1971 and became a gold-certified album.

      The chorus opens up with the words "Country Roads, take me home, to a place, where I belong."  Where does this country road lead us?  To Maryland which inspired the song?  Or maybe Massachusetts Taffy's home state which happened to have four syllables?  Or to the mountain state of West Virginia?  Or maybe home is somewhere else.  For the believer our ultimate home is heaven.  We trek through this world for a temporal time, though it might seem long, but as the old song says 'this world is not my home, I'm just a passin' through.'  According to Paul, our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).  But how can we have confidence that heaven is our home?  Our confidence is rooted in the words of Jesus in John 14:1-2, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you."  We often get hung up on the word 'mansions.'  We get this image that we are going to have a golden palace just over the hilltop, but that isn't what Jesus is saying.  The Greek text makes it clear that there are many rooms in our Father's House (heaven) and one of them is ours if we trust in Christ as our Savior.  The image that Jesus paints is that heaven is like one house and each believer gets a room.  I would rather have a room in God's house than a mansion down the street, further away from His presence.  A room in our Father's house symbolizes how near we will be to God in heaven.  It's almost as if He is just down the hall.  It paints a picture of how 'intimate' our relationship will be with the Father in glory.  There will be no separation or boundary between us.  According to the promise of Jesus, we are going to have a room in our Father's House.  The troubles of this world can overwhelm us at times.  Discouragement and disappointments mount, often taking our focus off heaven.  Today, allow your eyes to move from the woes of the world and the screens that we hold and instead look to heaven.  Realize, with an assurance that Christ has made the way.  He holds the keys and has already opened the door.  We are simply waiting until we head home.  Let us be comforted to know that there is more than this temporal life, so much more, and we are already on the road heading home.

The War is Over: April 9th Devotional

The War is Over

John 19:30

April 9th Devotional

      In 1865 General Robert E. Lee traveled to Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia to meet with Union General U.S. Grant. Early that morning Lee was still holding out hope to escape the Union army, but he quickly found himself boxed in and greatly outnumbered. The time had come to surrender. The war drug on for over four years, splitting the United States into two separate nations. The cost of the war was great, over 620,000 soldiers died during that time. Two days prior Grant sent a letter to Lee stating his desire to avoid the further effusion of blood and placed the invitation for surrender at Lee’s feet. Lee dreaded this day. He said that he would rather die a thousand deaths than surrender, but he knew what was best for his soldiers. His men were tired, they were ragged, and they were deserting the army daily. Lee arrived at the McLean House and Grant followed thirty minutes later. Lee was in his best-dressed uniform, and Grant entered with his dirty uniform. This was a perfect contrast between the two great leaders.  The meeting was naturally awkward and after a few minutes of conversation about the Mexican-American War, the conversation turned to surrender. Grant had sent out letters before the meeting writing about some potential conditions for surrender but he feared the worst. He worried that his men would be severely punished, but Grant was extremely graceful. Lee simply wanted them to sign terms of surrender, he would parole prisoners, allow Confederate soldiers to keep their weapons and horses, and give Union rations to the starving Confederate army. It was considered a gentlemen’s agreement with little pomp and circumstance. Upon leaving General Grant told his staff, “The war is over, the rebels are our countrymen again.” It was time for the nation to heal, recover, and be made whole again.

      The definition of surrender is to “cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority.” The image of quitting is implied. Most of us don’t like quitting or acknowledging defeat. We have a disdain for it. We don’t like to admit that we aren’t strong enough, talented enough, smart enough, or good enough. We hate raising the white flag. The feeling of shame overwhelms us in those moments. The Bible talks about a type of surrender that is good for us, that’s necessary for us. Surrendering is a battle term and we are in a spiritual battle. We live in a world that is at spiritual war with God, us included. We have fought against Him, we have denied His overtures of grace and forgiveness. The battle is over sin and self.  We are fallen creatures that are unable to rescue our sinful souls. We can try to be moral, religious, ethical, and good but none of that will end the war that is encompassing us. We will continue to battle until we surrender, until we give up until we raise the white flag to God. Remember that surrender means to cease fighting and to give up your rights to a conqueror. 

We need to come to a moment of repentance. We need to come to a moment when we are broken over our sinfulness. We need to come to a moment when we are finally willing to admit that we are fighting a battle that we cannot win. We need to surrender. We need to admit that we are defeated and undone. We need to come to Christ for the forgiveness of sin. This concept reminds me of John 19:30.  Jesus hung on the cross, suspended between heaven and earth, suffering and dying for our sins.  Jesus said from the cross, it is finished, and gave up His life.  The price had been paid in full, the victory had been bought, we simply have to come and surrender to Jesus by faith.  After we submit to Christ, we will find a similar thought that Grant expressed to Lee, the war is over, and we are God’s family now. Friend, have you surrendered to Jesus yet? Have you trusted Him by faith? Is the war over or are you still fighting? Submit to Him today and have Christ live in you.

Acts of Foolishness: April 2nd Devotional

Acts of Foolishness

Proverbs 28:26

April 2nd Devotional

      On this day in 1877, Rosa Matilda Richter was the first person shot from a canon.  Rosa was no stranger to the circus.  Her father was a talent agent who often supplied animals and performers for the circus while her mother was a dancer in the circus.  She studied ballet and gymnastics at an early age and started to perform as an acrobat at the age of six.  She thrilled audiences everywhere with her talent on the high wire.  She was a danger junkie that was always looking for the newest and most dangerous performance.  She would push the limits and people would flock to performances that billed her name.  She became aquatinted with a Canadian daredevil named Willian Hunt, who was nicknamed the “Great Farini.”  Hunt was already a household name due to his high-wire performances over Niagara Falls.  He had invented a mortar-like device that was designed to fire a human being from it.  It wasn’t an actual canon, it was an elaborate device that relied on springs and tension to propel a person through the air.  Spectators filled the London Royal Aquarium on that Easter Monday.  Posters invited people to see someone do the impossible.  Rosa was billed under the name “Zazel.”  A hush fell over the crowd as fake smoke and a fake explosion bellowed from the ‘canon.’  Then Rosa was propelled sixty feet in the air.  She landed safely in the net and gave a gracious bow to the roaring crowd.  There is a debate over the distance that she traveled; some say 20 feet, others claim 70, but either way, the crowd was astonished and demanded more.  She continued to perform the act daily, sometimes twice a day.  Some crowds numbered in the tens of thousands.  She eventually signed with the famous P.T. Barnum.  Tragically one day she missed the net and broke her back.  This injury put her in a full-body cast for months, forcing her into retirement.  In her later years, she became a safety advocate and fought for the rights of circus performers.

      I don’t know about you, but the thought of being shot out of a canon seems treacherous.  I am not a danger nut, if anything I’m probably a safety nut.  I get lightheaded being on a step ladder!  I don’t take many risks.  I credit that to being an only child who might have been slightly overprotected as a child (by slightly I mean majorly).  My dad would often say that risky things were foolish.  Getting shot out of a canon seems like a definition of foolish.  The Bible has a lot to say about the subject matter of foolishness.  Psalm 14:1 tells us that “a fool says in his heart that there is no God.”  But can Christ's followers be foolish sometimes?  You better believe it.  Proverbs 28:26 says “whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”  The Word of God gives us a stern warning that a person who trusts in their mind, in their own way is a fool.  How often have we forsaken the way of wisdom just to do something our way?  How often have we gone headfirst into a situation without praying about it?  How many times have we forfeited the peace of God because we wanted things our way?  Why is there such a strong desire to follow our hearts?  First, because our flesh desires to be fed sinful things, second because the world wants to press us into its mold, and finally because Satan wants Christians to always be pursuing things below, not things above.  One Bible commentator said that trusting in your own heart is like trusting an imposter who has deceived you hundreds of times or believing a traitor who has proved himself false every time.  If we can’t trust our fickle hearts and minds, what can we trust?  We seek our wisdom, we seek out the truth, and we seek out the mind of God.  We take the path of wisdom from above instead of feelings from below.  Most of you would never get into a canon to get shot into the air because it's foolish, and yet this week we will enter into a spiritual canon of foolishness by trusting our way instead of God.  This week, seek God’s counsel, not your mind.