What's the Rush: October 6th Devotional

 What's the Rush

James 1:2-3

October 6th Devotional

     On this day in 1960, CBS premiered their newest sitcom, the Andy Griffith Show.  The concept was first pitched on the Danny Thomas Show as a special comedic act featuring Andy Griffith.  The audience reacted so positively that Thomas helped create and direct the new show.   The show focused on the adventures of a widowed sheriff named Andy Taylor who lived in the tiny little town of Mayberry North Carolina.  Living with Andy would be his Aunt Bee and his boy Opie.  Other main characters in the show included the incomparable Don Knotts who played Deputy Barney Fife, Goober and his cousin Gomer, Floyd the Barber, Howard Sprague, Emmett the repairman, Otis the town drunk, Clara Edwards, and my personal favorite, Ernest T. Bass.  Each show opened with the “Fishing Hole” monologue where Andy and Opie head to the lake to do some fishing.   Who can forget the simplistic whistle?  The show would continue for eight seasons, totaling 249 episodes (all of which included Andy), and winning countless awards along the way.  The show was always in the top ten for TV rankings and in its final season it was rated number one.  The show would create a spin-off, Gomer Pyle USMC, and would continue yet another three seasons as Mayberry RFD.  It also went on to produce a made-for-TV movie in 1986.

      My favorite episode is called “Man in a Hurry.”  It follows the story of Malcolm Tucker, a wealthy and important businessman from Charlotte whose car breaks down two miles outside of town.   Mr. Tucker enters the sleepy little burg of Mayberry with high hopes of getting his car fixed quickly only to find out that the town basically shuts down on Sundays.  People take the day off to relax and spend time with family.  Malcolm wasn’t even able to get a phone call out because the Mendlebright sisters would tie up the line all day.  Mr. Tucker was frustrated and fumed trying to get someone to fix his car; he would even exclaim “I want my car fixed now, today, this very minute.”  He struggled with relaxing, he struggled with taking a break, and he struggled with being patient.  I’m reminded of James 1:2-3, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”  Malcom struggled in the face of his trial and his trial proved that he was bankrupt in the department of patience.  Trials often do that.  They put us into the crucible of God to produce godly character.  Trials often touch on how much patience we have, or for some of us, me included, the lack thereof.  None of us like moments that try our endurance, but they are necessary for us to develop spiritual maturity.  Instead of getting anxious and worried maybe we just need to disconnect and simply wait on God.  Mr. Tucker found peace simply sitting on the front porch of Andy’s house peeling an apple.  God invites you onto His front porch to sit down and take your load off.  He invites you in your trial to relax, to rest, and to trust Him.  Don’t allow your patience to be a casualty of life’s pressures.

The Beard Tax: September 5th Devotional

 

The Beard Tax

Matthew 23:23-28

September 5th Devotional

      On this day in 1698 Russian Czar Peter the Great levied a beard tax on his citizens. Peter instituted this tax after touring Western Europe for the previous two years. His travels through Hungary, France, and countless other countries convinced him that Russia was drastically far behind them in regard to culture and fashion. Peter was determined to “Europeanize” Russia. He introduced the tax during his welcome home party. The first victims to fall prey to his petty beard tax were Russian Nobles. Peter had a jester go from bewhiskered man to bewhiskered man. If the man refused to be shaved the jester ‘bopped’ him on the head. Peter felt that the beard was backward and ‘repulsive.’ The cost of the tax varied based on your financial status. Peasants and clergy were exempt from the tax; the clergy because they felt that God created man, and the beard was a part of God’s creation. It was forbidden for Russian Orthodox priests to be clean-shaven. The typical tax varied from 30-100 rubles. When the person paid their tax they were given a ‘beard coin.’ The beard coin had a beard printed on it and gave the bearer the right to have a beard. The men were required to carry it and failure to do so could result in further fines, being arrested, or even being publicly shorn, no matter their financial station. Peter the Great was very serious about the enforcement of this tax. He created checkpoints in and out of cities and hired extra law enforcement officers to make sure the law was being carried out. The goal wasn’t just to eliminate beards but to also change the fashion of Russia as a whole. He demanded the tailors start making clothing in a more ‘modern’ style. These taxes and unjust changes naturally caused quite an opposition in Russia, it even led to a revolution in 1714 where hundreds of people were killed. The beard tax slowly grew out of fashion. It was a financial failure and never changed the Russian culture. It wasn’t officially repealed until 1772.

      Peter the Great wasn’t the only world leader who tried to enact a beard tax; both England and France had tried, all ending in failure. The nation of Yemen had a ‘beard tax’ that charged men for not having a beard. We laugh at such ridiculous rules, and rightly so. But are there ever times when we as Christians enforce things that are not ‘rules’? Are there times when we equate personal preference and conviction with that of Scripture? There is nothing wrong with personal preference and conviction. There isn’t sin in that, but there is when we make it equal with the Word. Jesus spoke very seriously against this error in Matthew 23:23-28. Jesus was addressing the religious leaders who had moved into legalism. Jesus does not mince words as He calls them hypocrites, blind, lawless, dead, negligent, and self-indulgent. In verse twenty seven Jesus says “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” The rules and legalism that they clung to made them look clean on the outside, but their hearts were still dead. That is what legalistic rules achieve, outward conformity without inward transformation. There is nothing inherently wrong with rules or preferences, each of us have them. The problem is when we focus on them instead of the Scripture, or when we ignore the clear things of God for the things of opinion and preference. Let us strive in unity for the Word of God.

Reflections at the Beach: The Rocky Shore

 

Reflections at the Beach

Week Fifteen 

"The Rocky Shore"

Focus text: Psalm 61

      Walking onto the sandy shore of the beach can one of the most therapeutic things in all the world.  The gentle, salty breeze hits you reminding you to unpack all your worries. The sound of the waves wash away your stress and anxiety. The soft sands is like a giant welcome mat inviting you to dig your toes in or to take a long walk. Almost each beach has that atmosphere, but beaches in the Northeastern part of the United States are unique, and not necessarily in a good way. The shore line of most New England coastal beaches are littered with huge rocks. I looked up why this phenomenon happens but no explanation could cause my feet to find comfort.  Walking the shoreline of Rocky beaches isn't very fun, if anything it's difficult to navigate. You have to take your time and watch each step. 

      Rocky shorelines aren't very fun and make the going more difficult.  The same can be said about life's rocky moments. Those challenging times seem to spring up out of nowhere with little to no notice. They punch you in the gut leaving you reeling wondering what hit you. We would love to remove this detour, we want to take a short cut and simply avoid it all together. But what do we do when God brings us to the valley of this path and asks us to walk through it. Things like cancer, unexpected death, loss of job, divorce, and countless other undesirable experiences leaving us yelling 'anything but this' but God in His providence points His finger toward the unknown and scary. Uncertainty becomes a normal emotion. We don't understand why, we might not get an answer on this side of heaven,  but God simply says trust Him. We aren't sure of the purpose but we know that God is faithful and good. We take the things that we have learned and now we do life. What can we do? How can we keep from drowning in disappointment, discouragement, and darkness? We need to take our eyes off the rocks and focus on the rock. Psalm 61:1-3 says "Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy." We believe the background of the psalm is when David was fleeing from his son Absalom. Imagine the uncertainty that plagued him. Imagine the fear that would have invaded his mind. Try to measure the rocky Shore that he had to walk. And yet in the midst of that he turned his eyes onto the rock that was higher than he. May we take the same advice of David as we stop looking at that which is challenging and instead look to the author and the finisher of our faith. 

Reflection for the week

Write down each rock that seems to weigh you down or is besetting you. Strike a line through each of those rocks and write Jesus name beside it. Take your focus and attention off the hard to navigate shore and make Christ the focal point. May He be so big that we can't see the rocks, only the rock!