The Power of Words: May 28th Devotional

The Power of Words

Proverbs 18:21

May 28th Devotional

      Noah Webster was born in 1758, in Hartford Connecticut. His family had a rich pedigree in American history. Noah excelled at learning and entered Yale University at the age of 15. His father mortgaged their home to send him to college. While learning at Yale Noah joined the Connecticut militia. Upon graduation, Noah took the Bar examination and became a lawyer but despised practicing law. He quickly spiraled into a deep depression until he started working in the newspaper industry. He was eventually asked by Alexander Hamilton to be the editor of the Pro Revolutionary newspaper called the Federalist. Webster was an adamant supporter of the revolution. Over time he became an advocate for public education. He became a teacher and eventually printed the Blue Backed Speller which would be the best-selling book used by teachers (selling over 100 million copies). He also served in the Connecticut House of Representatives along with other ventures into printing but his Magnum Opus was the American Dictionary in the English Language. He started the project in 1802 and it took him 26 years to complete. During this time Webster learned over 28 languages. His dictionary had over 70,000 words, 12,000 of which had never been published in a dictionary before. His dictionary was not the first of its kind but was the most complete and scholarly work. Tragically it only sold 2500 copies and he needed to mortgage his home to produce a second edition. Webster struggled financially most of his life and by the end of his life, he was destitute.

      Webster spent his entire life studying the etymology of words, dedicating himself to understanding what they mean. Webster understood the value and power of words, and the Bible speaks about the power of words too. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 18:21 "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." You've heard the proverbial phrase "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." That statement is rife with errors on so many different levels. Words do hurt, sometimes more than a physical wound, and take longer to heal. Words that hurt are often spoken by people that we love and care about. The words we speak can either be a construction crew building people up, or a destruction crew, destroying other people. Words have the power of life and death. Examine the words you have spoken so far today, are they construction and life-giving? Or are they destroying and bringing death? Today, purposefully speak words of life to EVERYONE around you, regardless of who they are.

Reflections on the Beach

Week Fourteen

"Packing Light"

Focus Text: Hebrews 12

       So, you’re going on a vacation. Typically, there is a lot of planning that goes into a vacation....and a lot of packing (dun, dun, dun, dramatic effect). Packing. That single word has caused small wars in families. Tense road trips are usually birthed from whose ready and where to put all the stuff. There are two types of people in this world. One group of people pack days before the trip and the other group pack the morning of the trip. Those two very opposite types of people usually marry each other. In our home, I’m typically the early packer. My bag is usually ready about a week before the trip and sitting by the bedroom door, but my wife is the master packer of items in the van. She looks at those odd-shaped items and creates some sort of geometric puzzle that only makes sense to her. Somehow, she can fit a trapezoid-shaped item into a square hole! If you are a family of multiples you know how hard packing back be.  You are packing up your house, especially when the kids are young. You have high chairs, walkers, bumbo seats, bathtubs, and the list could go on and on. It doesn’t take long to figure out if you have overpacked. I’m sure that each of us has overpacked at some point and time in our life. We get one of those hotel luggage carts. Other people stare in amazement as you continue to load what looks like the leaning tower of Pisa. The luggage sways as you push the cart. Occasionally something falls off; a sock here, a pillow there, a binkie for a baby there, etc.

 

      We need to be mindful of the items that we pack. We should ask “Do I need this?” We need a spiritual packing list too. Oftentimes we carry around unnecessary spiritual baggage. This cumbersome baggage weighs us down, wears us out, and steals our joy. The writer of Hebrews tells us “Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which cling so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hone in on that phrase “lay aside every weight.”  The Greek phrase means to put something off something and it always refers to something that harms our life.   The term never tells us to lay aside beneficial things, only detrimental things. What are some pieces of luggage that the Bible tells us to leave behind?  Things like anger, wrath, hurtful words, impure thoughts, envy, any former work of darkness, and traits of our old person. Read over that list again. What piece are you currently lugging around? What benefit does it bring to you? How is it impeding your walk with Jesus? The closer it clings to us the further we will find ourselves from Jesus.

 

Reflection on the Road:

Unzip your spiritual suitcase. Look over each internal item and ask “Does God want this in my life?” If the answer is no then ask the Lord to help you to lay it aside and give it up. Walk lighter and with less encumbrance. Pack carefully each day.

The Red Cross: May 21st Devotional

The Red Cross

Hebrews 9:22

May 21st Devotional

      On this day in 1881 Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomon officially founded the Red Cross. Clara Barton stands out as one of the most incredible women in American history. She was born in Oxford Massachusetts. Her family was devoted to the cause of abolitionism. Her love for nursing started at a young age after her brother suffered a head injury. She took care of him for nearly two years. Clara loved learning. She became a teacher at the age of 15 and eventually would become a headmaster of a school. Eventually, she moved to Washington DC and noticed that a makeshift tent was created on the Capital grounds. Her love for nursing came back as she worked tirelessly with the wounded, sick, and depressed. She spent countless hours with the soldiers. She became a devoted advocate for the health of the soldiers demanding that surgeons, nurses, field hospitals, and supplies go along with the army. In 1862 she joined the Union Army on a full-time basis. During the Battle of Antietam, she gained the nickname "the Angel of the Battlefield." She handed out supplies, aided surgeons, and started to make band-aids out of corn husks after the medical supplies started to become scarce. While she was tending to one man a bullet came through the fabric of her dress and killed the soldier she was aiding. She never mended that garment. Barton's service did not end after the civil war. She traveled to Europe and famously started wearing the Red Cross to help during the Franco-Prussian War. By the end of her life, she would help tens of thousands of people.  Today the Red Cross has never 100 million volunteers around the world.  They have been active on the most dangerous of frontlines and are typically some of the first responders.  

      The Red Cross' goal is to aid victims of wars and natural disasters. Today we know the work of the Red Cross mainly through their blood drives. Think of the power of blood. Each human has around 1.5 gallons of blood coursing through their body. Roughly 7% of our body weight is blood! If we start losing blood we die! The incredible thing is that through the shed blood of one man, we are given life. It wasn't so much a blood transfusion as a life transfusion. Jesus shed His blood and gave His life for us. Hebrews 9:22 tells us that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (forgiveness). Beloved, if Jesus does not shed His blood then we have no spiritual life. Clara Barton started the Red Cross to rescue those that were sick and suffering. Jesus suffered on the cross for those that are spiritually lost and sick to save them from sin. He alone can rescue, He alone can save

May Prayer Letter

 

“Mobilizing the Church Through Short-term Missions

May 2023

      We wanted to provide some exciting news from our most recent trip.  Matt led a team from Boonsboro Bible Church down to Welch in April.  The team consisted of four people but God used those four in a HUGE way!  Never doubt what God can do with smaller groups.  Jesus turned the world upside down with twelve followers.  The team was incredibly hard-working and faithful.  We started with simply running errands and getting ready for the next day.  We packed LOTS of hygiene bags to hand out at our community event on Saturday. We didn’t quite have the turnout that we had hoped for, but we served around 40 people and had a chance to pray with folks on the streets.

      Our team worked closely with the Living Waters Resource Center in Welch WV.  The center’s primary purpose is to provide Christian drug rehab for women.  There was only one lady actively involved in the program when we arrived.  Her name is Margaret.  Margaret had a long history of drug abuse, namely opioids.  She kept telling us that she was ashamed of how she had wasted her life.  The ladies on the trip poured out their love and attention on her.  They provided her with a Bible study focusing on hope.  She was so grateful and texted that she wants the ladies to come back again.  The ladies also led a cooking class for Margaret.  She wanted to learn basic life skills so she could live on her own one day.  She was so proud to make meatballs for the first time.  She couldn’t wait to tell her family that she was officially a ‘chef.’  Our team also worked on mudding walls that were recently dry-walled, reset cement to the fence, and planned future construction jobs to the shower area and a laundry area.

     We also offered a painting class to the community.  We had around 15 people come in to paint, most of them were unsaved and unchurched.  Pastor Allen faithfully led the class.  As we painted butterflies, he talked about how God changes our lives.  The class was extremely fun and I’m not sure if I’ve ever laughed so much in my life.  Needless to say, I don’t think I’ll be a professional painter in the future.  This outreach allowed the church to build bridges of relationship to the community

    Our final outreach was to the teachers of Welch Elementary.  The teams prepared a lovely lunch for each teacher along with a goodie bag will with teacher supplies and snacks.  CiM has built a wonderful relationship with the principal, Sarah Diaz.  Sarah is a faithful follower of Jesus who is passionate about giving children hope.  She loves having teams come to the school to reach boys and girls for Jesus, but also to encourage her teachers.  Welch Elementary is one of the poorest schools in West Virginia.  100% of the children receive free breakfast and lunch through the school.  Also, a majority of the children are dramatically behind.  Pray for the school and for other future projects to love the kids and teachers of the community.

     Thank you for partnering with us and loving our family. We are eagerly preparing for VBS, camps, and mission trips this summer.  Pray for energy, good connections, our teams as they prepare, and mostly that people would know Jesus as their Savior too!

Gifts sent to:  P.O. Box 51519 Durham, NC 27717

 give online via www.churchesinmissions.org      

Designate for Matt & Tiffanie Robinson

Promises to the Dry Bones: May 14th Devotional

Promises to the Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:11

May 14th Devotional

 

     The Jews were a people without a nation for nearly two thousand years.  The land known as Palestine was under the control of Britain since WW I and the British government was to relinquish authority over to the Jewish agency. The Jewish people were nearly exterminated under Nazi Germany. It seemed like nothing good could come from the Holocaust, but God works the evil of this world for good. On this day in 1948, in Tel Aviv, the Jewish Agency Chairman named David Ben Gurion (who later would become the first prime minister) declared Israel a free state for the Jewish people. The reaction among the Arab world was quick and harsh. Within minutes Arab armies moved against the nation of Israel. Egypt started an air raid. The cities were told to have a blackout, but that night during the black out the people celebrated. Why? Because on this day in history US President Harry Truman telegraphed to congratulate Ben Gurion.  Only eleven minutes had passed since the official announcement of Israel becoming an official nation.  The United States was the first nation to recognize Israel as a country. This was not an easy decision for Truman to come to. Truman had already been working on reuniting the world after WW II and rebuilding the world economy. Truman faced a battle over the official recognition of the nation of Israel. His predecessor, FDR, was an adamant opponent. His own Secretary of State, General George Marshall strongly withstood him and even threatened to resign, but Truman held firm. Why did Truman go against the opinion of everyone? The reason why was because of a daily prayer he prayed, "Almighty and Everlasting God, help me to be, to think, to act what is right because it is right."  Harry Truman was a passionate Christ follower and understood the promises that God had made to the Jewish people. Truman knew it was the right thing to do and compelled other nations to recognize the nation of Israel.

      Why is this event important in history? This event was a fulfillment of prophecy.  It was a supernatural work done by the hand of God. The Jews had wandered without a home for nearly two thousand years after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by Roman Emperor Titus. Many thought that God forgot them, abandoned them, and had broken the promise that He made to Abraham thousands of years earlier. But God always keeps His promise, including the rebirth of the nation of Israel. In Ezekiel 37 God brings Ezekiel to a valley of Dry Bones and asks him to prophesy over them. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army." Life came back into the dead, and sinews formed over dry bones. Some argue who the dry bones are, but God gives us the answer in Ezekiel 37:11 "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel." This day is not just a day in history, but a day in prophetic history. God keeps His promise!  God isn't just a promise maker, but a promise keeper.  Scripture contains countless promises that God makes to us,  each one of them irrevocable.  If God can keep a two-thousand-year promise to the children of Israel then God can also keep His promises to us.

High Security: May 7th Devotional

High Security

John 10:27-28

May 7th Devotional

      One of the most famous Norwegian painters was a man named Edvard Munch. Edvard was born in 1863, on a small farm, in the country of Norway. He endured a tormented childhood that was filled with countless illnesses and intense loss which resulted in severe mental illnesses that plagued him for the rest of his life. Edvard grew up with a love for art and eventually entered an art and design school. His father disapproved. He felt that art was a pointless profession that only led to poverty. But his talents began to flourish in school. By the time of his death, he would paint over 1700 pictures, 4500 drawings, and nearly 20000 prints. He was also a very talented photographer. Ironically many of his photos were old school selfies of himself (he was way ahead of our current trend). His most famous piece of artwork is called "The Scream." He was inspired while walking one night by a red-tinted sky. He felt that the sky was screaming, thus why he named it "the Scream of Nature." This painting originally sold for nearly $120,00 and then the year 2012 the painting sold for almost 136 million. The painting was displayed in the National Gallery in Oslo. On February 12th, 1994 two burglars broke into the Gallery. It only took 50 seconds for them to successfully steal the painting. They even left a note that said "Thanks for the poor security." An investigation started and ended with LOTS of dead ends. Finally on this day, May 7th, 1994, the painting was recovered in a hotel 40 miles from Oslo.

      The museum had woefully poor security, especially for such a priceless piece of work. If something is valuable, we secure it. The higher the value, the higher security. The thing of highest value to God is us, our souls. It was of such high value that He sent His only begotten Son to depart from heaven to die for our sins. Once we believe in Jesus we are saved, but how secure is our salvation? Is salvation something that can be stolen? The answer the scripture gives is no. Jesus said in John 10:27-28 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." Jesus tells His sheep that they will be held in the most secure place in the entire world, the palm of His hand. He is holding onto us, holding our salvation. To imply that someone could steal our salvation means someone or something is more powerful than God, and nothing is more powerful than God. Today rest in the peace that God holds us tightly and lovingly in His arms. No thief or burglar can break can get through God's security system.

Out of the Heavens: May 5th devotional

Out of the Heavens

John 6:38-40

May 5th Devotional

      The space race of the 1950s was dominated by the Soviets. In 1957 the Soviet government launched the satellite Sputnik into space and in 1961 the Soviets successfully launched Yuri Gagarin into space, making him the first person in space. The Americans quickly found themselves woefully behind the Soviets and felt pressed to respond. The Americans created a team of Astronauts called the Mercury Seven. These seven men were dedicated to going to places where man had not gone before. Two men stood out, John Glenn and Alan Shepard. Shepard performed excellently after over 120 simulated flights and was chosen to lead Project Mercury to go into space. Sadly though the flight endured 5 cancellations and postponements. If the cancellations did not happen Shepard would have been the first man in space. On this day of May 5th, 1961 Shepard sat in his Freedom Seven space capsule. This space capsule was only about twelve feet tall and about six feet wide. This tiny capsule sat atop the Redstone rocket for the countdown. The rocket came to life and shot through the sky. His top altitude was 115 miles above the earth. He didn't manage to get into orbit and his flight was only for fifteen minutes (Gagarin's was over 108 minutes) but it was a success and the first American entered the heavens.

      An earthman entering the heavens was historic, but even more historic was when someone came from heaven to earth. Jesus spoke these iconic words in John 6:38-40 "38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Jesus said that He came down from heaven. Jesus tells us that His existence did not begin in Bethlehem nor was His birth His start. Jesus makes it clear that He came from heaven. That means before His incarnation Jesus Christ dwelt in perfect union with His Father in heaven. But He left heaven, why? He left heaven because it was the will of God that Jesus came to earth, wear flesh, live among us, and lay down His life as a sacrifice for us (you). The magnitude of His love is seen in His departure from the perfections of heaven to come into a sin-cursed world. He suffered, agonized, and died for you and me. A man going into the heavens is amazing, but Jesus leaving the heavens to come to Earth changes everything