What's the Big Deal?

Colossians 2:9

November 7th Devotional

      On this day in 680, 43 bishops convened in the imperial palace of Constantinople to debate a religious doctrine that was rapidly spreading.  This meeting would later become known as the Third Council of Constantinople.  This was the smallest gathering out of the major councils that helped determine the basis for Orthodoxy in Christianity.  The church was fragile in the mid 600’s and was seeking identity.  The religion of Islam was rapidly growing and becoming a genuine threat.  Many areas that were previously ‘Christian’ quickly fell under the flag of Islam.  The church as a whole was splintered as there was tremendous tension between the “western” church and the “eastern” church due to theological disagreements.  The church felt pressure to be united but in their attempt, they were willing to forsake Bible doctrine.  These compromises were a menace that caused the church to be divided and weak.  Emperor Constantine IV oversaw the meeting with hopes of settling some of the major differences that were rising.  This ten-month debate revolved around two new doctrines that were being propagated, monoenergism and monothelitism.  These complicated words mean that while the churches had agreed that Christ had two natures, the human and the divine (the God-Man), there was a question of Christ’s ‘energy’ and His will.  Did Christ have one will or two wills?  Was His will merely divine or was it like His nature, both divine and human?  This might not seem like a huge issue in our time but the church had five previous councils that each debated Christ’s relation to God the Father and the balance of His humanity and deity.   These previous councils were built on great scenes of passion and discussion.  Heretics abounded and it was of the utmost importance to have the right doctrinal teaching.  There could not be a tolerance for any ‘false teaching.’  After eighteen sessions the bishops concluded that Christ had two wills, both in perfect unity and accord, a human one and a divine one, though the human will was subject to the divine will.  The argument was basically if Christ has two natures, human and divine, then He must also have two ‘wills’ or else that would deprive Him of His full humanity.

      One might ask, why was this council of such value?  The value was to solidify our Christological doctrines.  We must teach correctly on who Jesus is.  The Bible unquestionably teaches that Jesus is both 100% God and 100% man.  In Colossians, we read that “For in him (Jesus) the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9).  The deity of Christ matters.  If He was merely a man, a good teacher, a prophet, etc then He was also a liar when He told the people in John’s Gospel account “Before Abraham was, I AM (John 8:58).  Christ also could not just be just a man because that would destroy the understanding of His incarnation.  John 1:14 says that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).  Jesus, being 100% God, took on flesh (100% man).  We cannot divorce those Biblical truths.  Christ undeniably affirms His deity and humanity over and over in Scripture.  We need to rejoice in our spiritual fathers who bravely stood firm on Bible truth, even when it would have been alluring to compromise.  We need to rejoice in their efforts to study the Word.  May our hearts take peace in settled theology.  May our hearts also be convicted to spend quality time in God’s Word to behold the truths before our very eyes.

Releasing Resentment: November 2nd Devotional

Releasing Resentment 

Ephesians 4:31-32

November 2nd Devotional

      On this day in 1880, James Garfield was elected as the 20th president of the United States.  James was the youngest of five children.  He was born in a log cabin in Ohio and would end up being the last of the log cabin presidents.  His father died after saving the family farm from a raging wildfire.  James was only two at the time.   His father’s death caused the family to suffer through abject poverty.  Childhood was extremely difficult for James.  He was often picked on and found comfort by reading for countless hours.  Books became his best friends.  His love for reading formed a love for learning in general.  He excelled in college, especially in the subjects of Latin, Greek, and mathematics.  He worked as a janitor, preacher, and canal man to pay off his education.  Garfield remains the only president who was an ordained pastor.  His faith would continue to grow throughout his life.  He was in church so often that his future assassin thought about attacking him at church.  He would continue his education, later becoming the president of Hiram College.  But politics drew him from full-time ministry and the education field.  He joined the newly formed Republican party because of its aversion to slavery.  He was elected to the Ohio Legislature in 1859.  While serving he joined the Union effort during the Civil War.  He proved to be a very distinguished soldier during the Tennessee theater of the war.  He served so well that he was named a Major General.  After the war he continued to serve in the House of Representatives, fighting for reconstruction.  The Republican convention convened in 1880 and Garfield wasn’t supposed to be a nominee, but his speakers enchanted those that were in attendance.  James argued against his nomination but after thirty-six ballots he became the dark horse candidate.  His excellent oratory skills helped him defeat his Democratic opponent, Winfield Scott Hancock (a fellow Union General).  He was by a narrow 11,000 votes, less than .1% more than his opponent.  Garfield’s tenure started with great promise. He also happened to be the first left handed president. He was a strong leader and an excellent speaker, but his presidency was cut short when Charles J. Guiteau shot the president twice.  His primary motivation was resentment for not being offered a position to serve under Garfield.  James suffered for weeks until he succumbed to an infection.  He served a mere 199 days, marking his presidency as the second shortest.

      James Garfield’s life was cut short because someone was resentful.  Resentment is like drinking poison and hoping that it harms someone else.  We’ve all felt that powerful emotion.  We have felt robbed, unfairly treated, ignored, overlooked.  It might be a job where we aren’t given a promotion or a scorned love, or maybe we feel like others have taken advantage of us.  What do we do when those dark thoughts creep into our mind?  Do we allow them to take our mind captive?  Instead, we are to put them away.  Paul told the church of Ephesus “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:31-32).”  Paul powerfully says put this away.  Bitterness, wrath, anger, etc cannot be tolerated in the life of the Christian.  Yes, we might be disappointed, and yes we might feel scorned, but that does not give us a license to allow those emotions to overwhelm our lives.  We need to put them away.  Most of us are putting away summer clothes during this month because we won’t need shorts and swimming trunks.  They aren’t needed.  The same can be said about resentment, we put it away because we don’t need it.  It doesn’t benefit it, it only harms us.  Instead, Paul says to be kind, tenderhearted, and to forgive.  Those are the harder things to do.  It causes us to take our focus off who offended us and instead to have the mind of Christ.  The next time feelings of bitterness or resentment wash over your soul, put them away, right away.  Put on kindness and love.  There are no regrets when we love like Jesus.  

Sparking the Flame: October 31st Devotional

Sparking the Flame

Ephesians 2:8

October 31st Devotional

      On this day in 1517, an obscure German Monk named Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door at Wittenberg Castle.  Luther was born to wealthy parents in 1483.  His family wanted him to be a lawyer, but after a near-death experience, Luther felt that God was calling him to be a monk.  Luther joined an Augustinian Monastery and would go on to achieve his doctorate in Biblical studies.  During this time, the Scriptures started becoming more readily available in the common tongue, along with the writings of various church fathers.  Luther began to pour over the scriptures and was quickly convinced of the erroneous teachings within the Roman Catholic Church.  The 95 theses were in essence an invitation for public debate on the subjects they contained.  His two primary arguments against the Roman Catholic Church was the selling of indulgences and that salvation was by grace alone.  The selling of indulgences had been common practice since the ninth century.  The selling of indulgences included performing certain acts that would ‘absolve’ someone of their sins.  One example would be when Pope Urban II remitted anyone’s sins who fought in the Crusades.  More commonly a person was asked to perform an act or purchase something from the church and in return the priest would provide the person with a slip of paper reducing someone’s time in purgatory, or forgiving them of their own sin.  While the selling of indulgences is illegal in our time, they are still provided for people who do good works for the Roman Catholic Church.  Luther’s other primary argument was salvation by works.  For countless centuries the Roman Catholic Church taught that salvation was found only in the church and was only attainable by works.  His 95 Theses spread rapidly in Germany and eventually came to the pope in Rome.  Over the course of the next four years, Martin Luther was labeled as a heretic, the church demanded that he recant, and eventually, he was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church, thus the church condemned Luther to hell.  Luther would live out the next thirty years of his life challenging the Roman Catholic Church, even under the threat of harm and death.  He even dedicated himself to translating the Scriptures into German for the common man, a task that took him over ten years to complete.

      Luther was the spark for the Protestant Reformation and the breaking of the Catholic stronghold on the world.  We are ‘children’ of that great fire that swept forth.  The Protestant Reformation is one of the greatest miracles in history.  Luther dared to stand up to the most powerful men of his time and declared “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).”  Today we echo Martin Luther’s revolutionary thought, we are saved solely by God’s grace.  We are not saved by any works, effort, morality, religion, or good that we possess.  We are saved only by the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross and the faith that we place in Him.  It seems odd that there was a period when that theological truth was contested and standing against it meant the possibility of harm.  A time may come when the world will move away from salvation by grace alone.  We need more “Martin Luther’s” who will stand on the truth of salvation by grace.  Today, rejoice that God saves unconditionally.  Rejoice that He made salvation simple.  Rejoice that it’s not based on what you and I do, but based on what Christ has done.

Reflections at the Beach: A Sunset Ending

 

Picture Credit: My beloved wife Tiffanie.  This is taken as 

drove over the Bay Bridge.  She would tragically pass away

from cancer one month after this picture was taken.

Each sunset matters, even the glorious final one when 

we go home to heaven.

Reflections at the Beach

Week sixteen

A Sunset Ending 

Psalm 113:3

      I can't think of a better way to close out a day at the beach than simply walking hand in hand with those that you love as the sun sets near you. It might sound overly romantic or somewhat cliche, but nothing can disturb the perfection of a sunset. Nothing can compare with a sunset near the shore.  The typically blue sky is radiated with Hues of orange, pink, and purple. The Master Artist chooses to change the palette of His colors He uses. Each brushstroke reminds us to magnify His name. The final few rays stretch the heavens to remind us of someone far greater than us. It's incredible that the most important star in our solar system which resides over 93 million miles away can have such an effect on us. Humanity since its creation has been in awe of it. Sunsets also remind us of the beauty in endings. Endings don't always seem beautiful though. I'm sure we've all watched movies or read books where the ending wasn't quite what we expected. Possibly it was anti-climatic or disappointing. But the glory of a sunset reminds us that endings can be beautiful, but can be difficult. 

      Most of us have adopted the picturesque image of every story ending with the words 'they lived happily ever after.' The idea that happy endings are etched in stone is nothing more than wishful thinking. Every story has an ending, but maybe not the happy one that we had planned. What do we do when the relationship that we planned falls apart? What do we do when the dream job closes? What do we do when a doctor's visit changes our entire outlook? Or when our spouse gets cancer? Or loved ones endure dementia where they don't even know who they are ? Or what do we do when the college we wanted to go to says no? None of that was in 'the cards. ' We didnt plan for that to be the ending. We would have never wrote the story in that fashion. What do we do when our happy ending forces a new beginning?  The psalmist wrote "From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD'S name is to be praised (Psalm 113:3)." How can we praise God when disappointment and discouragement strike our hearts deeply? How do we thank God when we are mired in the fog of confusion? How do we praise God when an ending tragically causes us to say goodbye to those we love the most? We're able to praise God because He holds every tomorrow, the expected and the unexpected. We're able to praise God because the ultimate ending is to be with Him forever through Jesus Christ. Each of our temporal endings on planet Earth fluctuates, but our Eternal ending is a glorious promise to live with Jesus forever. Maybe you are stuck right now living in the disappointment of what could have been. Maybe you are carrying feelings of bitterness because the ending is not what you expected. But don't allow the bitterness to take your eyes off of the Lord and to praise Him. To give Him thanks for each ending, happy or not. And give Him the ultimate Glory that the ending of your story is His story. 

The Disharmony of Anxiety: October 24th Devotional

The Disharmony of Anxiety

Matthew 6:34

October 24th Devotional

      On this day in Berlin, 1819, Felix Mendelssohn played in his first public concert at the age of nine.  Felix was born in 1809, one of four children to a wealthy Jewish family in Germany.  The Mendelssohn family believed in providing the best education and opportunities for their children.  They would often invite various professors or musicians to their home.  All four of their children showed interest in the area of art or music.  Felix’s sister Fanny would become a great pianist (which was rare during that time).  Felix started to learn piano from his mother at the age of six.  He quickly excelled beyond the ability of his mother.  He would receive more formal training, often surpassing his teachers.  His family quickly realized that he was a child prodigy, but they did not want to exploit their son or try to capitalize on his ability.  They begrudgingly allowed him to perform publicly in a chamber music concert.  The audience was awed by his ability.  The family would then invite others to Sunday concerts in their home.  Felix became a household name.  Between the ages of 12-14, he wrote 12 stringed symphonies.  The bulk of his famous works were composed before he turned twenty.  His most famous composition would be setting music to Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”  Most of you reading this are unknowingly aware of this overture.  Brides come down the aisle to the “wedding march” which is a portion of that wonderful piece.  His musical ability would grow to playing the piano, the organ, composing, and even conducting.  He would also become quite an accomplished painter.  His fame would spread rapidly.  Large audiences would fill music halls all across Europe as Mendelssohn toured.  During this time of traveling, Mendelssohn started to suffer from the effects of overworking and anxiety.  His anxiety started to take effect on his physical health.  Tragically Felix died at the age of 38 after suffering multiple strokes.  To this day he is still considered one of the best, if not the greatest musician of the Romantic period.

      Anxiety takes its toll on everyone, even people like Felix Mendelssohn.  Sometimes we are good at masking it but nonetheless, anxiety causes the heart to race and the mind to doubt.  It is a spiritual issue that plagues all of us; it does not discriminate based on age, gender, social status, or skin color.  Anxiety is one of the only problems in our world that affects us mentally, spiritually, and physically.  To worry is human, so how do we battle a beast that has waged war on humanity since the introduction of sin?  In Matthew 6:34 we find Jesus saying “So do not worry about tomorrow.”  Those are simple words for our problem with anxiety.  Worry doesn’t stop simply because we tell it to stop.  I worry about how to stop worrying.  Jesus gives us the ultimate remedy for anxiety and stress in the previous verse, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…”  Anxiety often hits me when I take my eyes off Jesus.  Stress takes me under like the waves of the ocean when I stop taking life’s circumstances to Jesus.  Jesus says to seek His kingdom first, to seek Him first.  Next time you feel that tension rising in your chest, that tightness in your jaw, run to Jesus…seek Jesus.  Simply give it to Him.  He wants the things that burden you and worry you.  Give up worry and give in to Jesus.

A Healthy Sweet: July 9th Devotional

A Healthy Sweet

Psalm 119:103

July 9th Devotional

      Warning; today's day in history will make you hungry and is not supported by any major donut corporation :-) Today's date in history is extremely sweet   :-) It doesn't matter if you are dizzy for Dunkin, crazy for Krispy Kreme, craving Krumpies, or hankering for Home Run we can all agree that donuts have a place not just in our hearts but also in our stomachs. On this day in 1872, John Blondel of Thomastown Maine received a patent for a donut-cutting machine. The spring-loaded device was used to punch out the center hole of the donut. It served as a hole punch for donuts. Donuts were probably introduced to the colonies by the Dutch but they did not receive their now common round shape until the 1840s. While Blondel didn't invent the donut his ingenious invention would dramatically increase the production of this tasty food and much to our delight also increase their consumption.  Who doesn't love a donut? They have captivated our culture and have become a staple in our diet.  Estimates show that Americans eat around 10 billion donuts a year, or about 63 donuts per person, per year!

      While donuts are fantastically delicious they are also extremely bad for our diets. Most things that are sweet or taste good are not particularly good for us. But the Bible speaks about something sweeter than anything else and should be part of our daily consumption. This extremely sweet thing is also beneficial for our life and can be consumed without any negative consequences. Psalm 119:103 says "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" The word of God is sweet to our taste because it provides us with the words of life and direction. It is inspired by God and meant to be read and applied daily. The word of God is not something that we merely carry around, allowing it to collect bulletins from church on Sunday, or collect dust in our home. The word of God, like donuts, is sweetest when ingested. No one enjoys going to Krispy Kreme and watching the donuts made without eating them, nor should we as Christians be content having the word without reading it.

Our Spiritual Superstore: July 2nd Devotional

Our Spiritual Superstore

Philippians 4:19

July 2nd Devotional

      On this day in 1962, Samuel Walton opened his first Walmart store in Rogers Arkansas. Walton was born in 1918 in Kingfisher Oklahoma. Samuel's family were farmers in his youth but due to the difficulty of the great depression and the dust bowl his father was forced to work for farming mortgage and insurance companies. Walton learned the value of work at a young age. Due to the severe suffering of the great depression, Walton would work long hours at a variety of different jobs each day to help his family make ends meet. During his youth, he also became the youngest eagle scout in the state. Walton would later work his way through college at the University of Missouri. Walton excelled both academically and personally. His degree was in economics and he would manage his first store at the age of 26. He would quadruple the value of this store by providing cheaper products and keeping the store shelves stocked. He continued to develop fantastic marketing ability and was extremely competitive with other businesses. He would open up multiple different five-and-dime stores, one of them being in Bentonville Arkansas where the corporate office of Walmart is today. He also owned multiple different Ben Franklin stores. His greatest success though would be Walmart. Originally the Walmart corporate design was to provide American-made products at a cheap price to compete with a foreign market. At one time Samuel Walton was the world's wealthiest man. Over time, Walmart has become the biggest private employer in the world. there are nearly 5,000 Walmarts in the United States, over 11,000 in the world, and over 2.2 million employees.

      Walmart today is known as a One-Stop shop where you can purchase anything you need in one store. Walmart revolutionized the shopping experience by creating super stores that provided a mass variety of different products. It seems that Walmart can provide everything that you need. The Bible speaks about somebody who provides for all of our needs. Paul writes in Philippians 4:19 "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Jesus is literally our spiritual superstore who we can come to about any matter, any time, anywhere. Philippians 4:19 is a promise from God that he will supply for us, that he will take care of us. He does this through the immeasurable riches of his son Jesus Christ. The immeasurable riches do not necessarily refer to the physical but to the spiritual. God takes care of his own in incredible and often jaw-dropping ways. Reflect at this moment on how God has provided for you.

Finding Victory in Defeat: June 18th Devotional

Finding Victory in Defeat

Psalm 37:23-24

June 18th Devotional

      On this day in 1985, the New York Knicks picked Patrick Ewing as the number one pick in the NBA draft. The 1985 draft was the first of its kind, created to prevent teams from tanking to get the best draft pick (ironically teams still do the same thing today). The Knicks pick at number one was mired in controversy because David Stern the NBA general manager was an adamant New York Knicks fan. Many people felt that the envelope with the Knicks logo inside was marked in a way that Stern would pick it. Either way, the pick of Patrick Ewing changed the future of the New York Knicks for the next 15 years. Ewing was born in Kingston Jamaica and attended college for Georgetown, where three out of the four years he led the hoyas to the NCAA championship game, winning the national title in 1984 against Villanova, the final score being 66 to 64. Patrick Ewing stunned audiences in Madison square garden during his rookie year with his incredible talent and authority in the paint, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award. His looming seven-foot stature was an incredible force of nature. Patrick would play seventeen years in the NBA, fifteen for the Knicks, one for the SuperSonics, and one for the Orlando Magic. His most notable years were spent with the Knicks where they were constantly a playoff team. He was an 11-time All-Star and a two-time gold medalist. Ewing's career was always overshadowed by the greatness of Michael Jordan, but the Knicks were able to play in two championships while Ewing was with them. In 1994 they lost a 7-game series against the Houston Rockets and then again in 1999 losing in a 5-game series to the San Antonio Spurs. Patrick Ewing was most recently the coach of the Georgetown Hoyas.

      Despite Patrick Ewing's great talent, he was never able to bring a championship to Madison Square Gardens. Everyone that has ever played a game or a sport loves the taste of victory but despises the pain of losing. More often than not we will lose more than win, and that applies spiritually too. We will endure hardships and battle temptation, and we will not always find ourselves on the winning end. We will have fought and resisted and yet found ourselves in defeat. But as Christians, we cannot allow our defeats to define us. Psalm 37:23-24 says “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand." The psalmist makes it clear that we will indeed stumble, we will indeed fail, but God is faithful and is bigger than our failures. We will not fall because God holds us up with his hand. When we find ourselves on the losing end let us not linger in our defeat but let us learn lessons in our defeat so that we would find victory in the Lord the next time. You will win, you will lose, but God is everlasting in his faithfulness and his love for you changes not.

The Comeback Kid: June 11th Devotional

The Comeback Kid

Matthew 28

June 11th Devotional

      On this day in 1956 the football legend Joe Montana was born in New Eagle Pennsylvania. His family was of Italian stock and desired to find a way to acclimate to American culture. Joe's father felt the best way to adapt to a new culture was to play sports. Joe played quarterback for the Ringgold Rams and excelled. His play on the field earned him a scholarship to attend Notre Dame University. In 1977 Joe found himself third on the depth chart for quarterback but early in the season, he became the starter and never looked back. Notre Dame won the national college championship that year. Because of his play in the national championship game he was drafted in the third round, 82nd pick of the 1979 season by the San Francisco 49ers. Montana would spend 14 exceptional years for the San Francisco 49ers and would spend the last two for the Kansas City Chiefs. Montana played in 8 pro bowls, was a two-time NFL MVP, four-time super bowl champion, and three-time super bowl MVP, and holds various records still in the NFL. Joe was most noted for his ability to come from behind in the fourth quarter. Montana led 31 4th-quarter comebacks (including playoffs) earning him two iconic nicknames, Joe Cool and The comeback kid. the most famous comeback in Montana's career was in super bowl XXIII. The 49ers were playing an excellent Cincinnati Bengals team. For three quarters Joe Montana played a fantastic game but at the end of the fourth quarter the 49ers were still down 16 to 13. With three minutes and 20 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, starting on their own 8-yard line, Joe Montana surgically let his team 92 yards, completing 8 of his 9 passes. Montana finally connected with John Taylor with 34 seconds remaining in the game, sealing a 20-16 victory.

      Montana was known for bringing victory from the jaws of defeat. When all seemed like it was lost Montana would give his team hope in the most dim of situations. This reminds me of another time when it seemed like all hope was gone. Jesus was crucified on a Friday, laying down his life for the sins of all mankind. Shortly thereafter he was laid in a tomb and that seemed to be the end of the story. His disciples and followers despaired thinking that all was lost. Their countenance had fallen and doubt plagued them mightily. They were ready to raise the white flag. Early on the third morning a group of women went to visit his tomb, and the Earth shook with violence. An Angelic host came and removed the stone. And Matthew chapter 28:5-6 the angel gave the message "But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay." Shortly after Jesus appeared before the women verifying that death could not hold him, that he arose victorious over the grave. Jesus brought forth victory from the jaws of defeat. When all look lost and dark Jesus shed forth hope and light. We can heartily agree with the words of Paul in 1st Corinthians Death is swallowed up in victory.” O death, where is your victory?" Death is defeated because Jesus rose and lives forever.  O death, where is your sting?”

Prepared for Battle: June 4th Devotional

 Prepared for Battle

Genesis Chapter Four

June 4th Devotional

      This day in history marks the first major day of conflict during the Battle of Midway. The Battle of Midway earned its name because it took place on the Midway Aleutian islands, which was a military base located between America and Japan. This WW II battle was fought in the Pacific between the Japanese Imperial Navy and the United States Navy. It took place a mere six months after Pearl Harbor. The goal of the Japanese Navy was to destroy the American naval presence in the area. The American Navy was already reeling from the effects of Pearl Harbor. Pitted against each other was Admiral Isaraku Yamamoto who oversaw the imperial Japanese Navy and Chester Nimitz who oversaw the American naval fleet. Interestingly, overseeing the Japanese aircraft carriers was Admiral Chuchi Nagumo who helped coordinate the attack on Pearl Harbor. The American Navy was prepared for the battle due to breaking the Japanese naval code. They knew when and where the attack was going to take place. On the day of the battle the Japanese Navy greatly outnumbered the American Navy. They had over 300 aircraft, multiple battleships, submarines in the vicinity, and four aircraft carriers. The Japanese Navy boasted an undefeated record for 50 years. All expectations were on the Japanese to win the battle. But due to great preparation and the use of radar on the ground, the American forces were able to defeat the Japanese in a matter of four days. They destroyed all the Japanese aircraft carriers and aircraft that were engaged, and over 3500 Japanese soldiers died. The Battle of Midway is considered the turning point in the Battle of the Pacific. It provided much-needed confidence to the American Navy and started a slow fade of power for the Japanese Imperial Navy

       What gave the Americans the advantage was a warning that the enemy was coming. The Bible warns us about a coming attack from our enemy too. In Genesis chapter 4 two brothers made an offering to God.  One brother, Abel made a right offering to God, while Cain made an offering that was rejected. In turn, Cain was filled with hatred and anger. God came to Cain and said in Genesis 4:7 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door." Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it. God tells Cain that sin is crouching at the door ready to attack. God gave the warning and Cain refused to hear it. The next day he shed his innocent brother's blood. Cain is not the only person to have sin knocking at the door. Every day sin crouches at the door of our hearts, ready to pounce. Sin doesn't need a big opening in the door. If we give sin an inch it takes a mile. God warned us to be prepared. We become prepared for the attack by being in prayer, reading the Word, and enjoying sweet fellowship with God's people. The warning has been given, get prepared to do battle.

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

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

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.