Category: devotional

I wonder how many guys have used the line “You complete me”?   It really grabs a lady’s attention even if she knows it’s a quote from the film Jerry McGuire.  I’ve tried it on my wife with stunning results.  What is interesting is the line is not original in the movie.  I believe Paul was the first to use it when talking about Jesus.  Colossians 2:10, “You are complete in Him.”

In our quest for development we are so aware of our deficiencies. If we were on our own in this pursuit we would be doomed to failure.  It is just part of being human that the better we know ourselves the more aware we become of our needs.  Surely discouragement would eventually overwhelm us when we realize there is a certain point in the aging process that our cognitive skills and our physical skills aren’t what they used to be.  When my family says to me, “Are you all right?” I realize I am sending subtle signals I thought I was covering up.

Fortunately for all of us the completeness encompasses the entirety of our being and with Jesus as our righteousness we stand before God not as a forgiven sinner but as an individual who has never sinned.  I have a friend who tells me he wants to check my record when he gets to heaven.  I just smile because I know the only thing there is the good stuff.  The bad stuff isn’t just a secret between Jesus and me.  It’s gone!  I love it!  He will be so frustrated because he is suspicious I have a pretty raunchy record.  He will never know because I’m not talking and neither is Jesus.   Jesus completes us!

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 8, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

 

It’s not my age.  I have always had difficulty handling strings of numbers that are spoken too rapidly.  My definition of “too rapid” are numbers spoken faster than I can write them down.  When I was a pilot and needed to talk to air traffic control or the control tower I always spoke very slowly.  They would respond with headings, altitudes and clearances at the same pace.  If I forgot and rattled off the plane’s number the numbers I got back were way too fast for me to comprehend.  It is the same way with my phone’s voice mail.  People leave a message saying, “Call me” and then rattle off their phone number with such speed I never can get it.  If they wonder why I do not call them it’s because I have a policy.   If I cannot get their number written down after listening to their message four times, I give up.

Obviously I am not like God.   Number one – He never gives up.  Number two – He gets it the first time.  He doesn’t need to listen four times.  Number three – He actually gets it before we even call.  He’s been watching and He knows our need and knows what to do.  Sometimes when we pray we tell God our problem and then we tell Him how to solve our problem.  When we think about that it is rather insulting.  He is God.  He knows.  He doesn’t need us to explain.  Recently I was at a large gathering and the person who prayed told God who we were and where we were and why we were gathered and what we needed from Him.  Instead of talking to Him as an intelligent being we treat Him as if He was some vending machine in the sky.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 7, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

There is a story in the news about a man who after accidentally throwing away his wife’s ring went to the city dump and crawled through tons of trash and filth to find it.  He found it.  My first inclination was to equate this with God sending Jesus to paw through the filth of sin on planet Earth looking for diamonds.  Obviously my ego saw myself as one of the diamonds.  Sorry about that.  I cannot help the self-love.  It is endemic to our species.   However, on second thought I realized how wrong I was.  This is not a good illustration because it assumes the masses of humanity are trash.  Not so.  Each child, each person is, flawed though we may be, a product of God’s creative love. There is no such thing as human trash.  As much as Jerry Springer and Maury Povich seem to find the worst of humanity to display on television, those people are but victims of ignorance and of our voyeurism.  We look at them and gloat that we are not so vulgar.  See Luke 18:9.

Then there are those horrific moments when we are overwhelmed by our unworthiness and think we are the human trash. That is such a depressing experience.  Lucifer delights in those moments.  He thinks we will just give up and not take what Jesus’ offers.  Do not despair.  Even though your community makes you feel ostracized Jesus never does.  Even though decades can pass and people still look at you as a pariah, Jesus never does. You are the object of His redemptive love because He formed you in His image.  I know it is difficult for us to believe but Jesus still loves His old friend Lucifer.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 12, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

It must have been a real struggle for Paul to explain to people who loved and revered the law that the law could not save them.  In Romans 7 he tries by using an illustration of marriage.  He says when one is married they are bound for life to their spouse.  But when the spouse dies they are free to marry anew.   Via the body of Christ we died to the law.  We are then free to remarry.  Our new spouse is the one who was raised from the dead. We have been released from the law so we can bear fruit by the Spirit.  No longer are we obligated to keep the law in an attempt to be saved but now in a new relationship of love we bear good works because we want to and not because we have to.   It is a brilliant and beautiful illustration.  Once understood our walk with God becomes a joy instead of a fearful march that we might have strayed and unknowingly become lost.

Often I hear people pray that God will reveal to them what they need to do so they do not ignorantly come up short on judgment day.  Paul would have us be free from this tyranny.  Now we can pray that God will reveal to us what we should be doing for the joy that comes from doing it.  This is not some subtle esoteric difference.  This is the difference between living with the joy of salvation as opposed to living with a sword dangling over our heads being held by a thread.

Is the law bad or evil?  Horrors no.  Paul tells us the law educates us as to the nature of sin.  But as good as the law is, it is weak. It cannot save us.  Only Jesus can do that.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 11, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Usually we have a mental picture of Jesus and twelve men moving about Palestine.  Then we come to Luke 10 that speaks of Jesus sending out thirty-five teams of two.  These seventy were disciples that moved with Him.  Add to that the women that cooked for them, etc. and we have a very large group.  These seventy were given power to do mighty things and when they returned they were filled with stories of healings and great miracles.  I am jealous.  Surely everyone who has ever been a pastor has been jealous to do such wonders for our God.  Their work had been so successful Jesus declared that in their work He saw Satan being cast down.  They must have been high and rightfully so. Then Jesus said something that put it all in perspective, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”

For reasons that God understands we do not now go about touching the eyes of the blind and having them see.  How I do wish we could.  But as grand as we think that would be there is something more wonderful.  There is something that should bring us to “Hallelujah” and “Thank you, Jesus.”   Our names are written in the Book of Life.

Lucifer is a fallen angel.  He could restore sight to the blind but his name is not in the Book of Life.  I could only think of something grander and that would be if we sacrificed our place that others could have that privilege.  The irony of that thought is the impossibility of it.  For should we be so selfless to step aside for another, we would be so much like Jesus He would be sure our name was there.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 10, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

A lifeless visitor from space passed between our world and our moon.  We can be thankful that it missed us by 210,000 miles.  A direct hit would have been devastating.  It would not have been the first time we have been hit.  One of the more obvious hits was in New Mexico and the crater is very impressive.  Years ago we stopped for a closer look and walked to the edge.  While doing so my wife looked down and there was a very well formed arrowhead.  We could hardly believe what we saw.  How long had it been lying there?  What ancient warrior or hunter had passed that way and left his treasure on the ground to be found hundreds (?) of years later.

I’m sure all of us have wondered what we will leave behind.  What will be our legacy to our families, our communities, and our world?  Some people leave books, some leave poetry, some leave children and grandchildren, some leave students, some leave family businesses.  Whatever it may be I think we all want to be sure what we leave will be positive and make the world a better place.  When I say “all” I am thinking of the mentally healthy among us, for there are those who for reasons unexplainable want to leave destruction and pain.

This past week the world’s population topped seven billion. It is difficult to conceive that God has seven billion different tasks that need to be accomplished.  Yet that is but a small number for an infinite God who does have a positive task for everyone.  See Ephesians 2.  Most of us will not know until heaven exactly what it was, but that’s okay.  Just so when we do find out we will have the joy of having been successful.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 9, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Hosea said it.  “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.”  Hosea 8:7.   I first heard that as a small boy but of course could not then comprehend the depth.  Now I get.  I should have connected it with Nahum 1:3, “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power: he will not leave the guilty unpunished.  His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.”   How often we want to blame God for what has occurred but the real truth is we are but reaping.  God’s punishment isn’t active.  It is passive.  Ever so painfully He sits back and let’s nature take its course.

He would like to intervene every time.  His love is endless.  But should He do so mankind would never learn.  We would continue in our reckless ways believing there was always a bale out.   The results would be sin continuing on forever.  The only reason God hates sin is its results.  He is not offended that we do not obey Him.  He is hurt that we do not obey because all He ever asks is for us to stop harming ourselves and others. I cannot sit here in the evening drinking an arsenic laced drink and expect Him to negate its effects.   He will forgive me but will allow the arsenic to do its work.

And so it is that the whirlwind blows its horrors upon us.  Does this mean we are lost?  Not if we genuinely repent.  That door is open.  But why should we desire to bring suffering upon ourselves thinking at some later date we will repent?  Not only is that risky.  It’s stupid.  Hosea and Nahum were excellent meteorologists.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 8, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

She really is a good dog.  She is very protective and jealous if anyone gives me too much attention.  She is totally housebroken and very dependable.  That’s what makes her action so despicable. We have house guests, who of course, are the source of much attention and conversation.  This evening, after she had been outside to care for her needs, she obviously had enough of my talking to our company.  She walked over and about two feet away from me she squatted on the rug.  It was a despicable act of “Hey, look at me.”   She was definitely tired of sharing.  Getting attention for being a bad dog was better than not getting enough attention.

Children do similar things.  Teachers see it all the time.  Little kids often misbehave as to not be ignored.   So I got to wondering if sometimes we adults act poorly because we want God’s attention.  Actually, we always have it but sometimes we think He doesn’t care.  I know we are often angry at Him because we don’t get all the things we pray for.  When we have a very sick loved one we ask, we beg, we plead, we implore God to make them better and it doesn’t happen.  Sometimes we actually lose them and our anger spills out with contempt that God would allow something so horrible.  It is on such occasions we should be honest with Him and tell Him exactly how we feel.  He appreciates our honesty much better than should we lie to Him and tell Him how great we think He is.  As difficult as it is for us to understand, the truth is He always has our best interest at heart and does the best thing even though we just don’t get it.  We have His attention.  We really do.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 7, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

The message on my computer screen said, “Configuration Update #496.”  In a moment the screen changed with the following message, “Configuration Update.  Do Not Turn Off Your Computer.”  This happens with some regularity. Somewhere out there in computer land someone, with no name that I know, is keeping the bad guys out of my computer. When they detect a weakness or an attack they surge into action and send me a shield.  I like these nameless guys.  It’s like they are living in my machine.

Psalm 68:19 says, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.”  What a great verse. Someone out there, with a name, is watching us but is loading us with benefits.  In Ephesians 2 Paul tells us He saves us so He can shower us with grace. Then there is the shield thing.  Psalm 28:7 says, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped.”  I also might add it seems like He is living in me.  He is.  Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me.”

This is a fabulous metaphor.  When Jesus told parables He used everyday things so the people would be reminded of the lesson each time they saw the object in their daily lives.  Our computers and our contact with these nameless guys from Windows that send us updates is about as ubiquitous in our lives as anything else.   So the next time you receive a message saying, “Do not turn off your computer” remind yourself “Do not turn off your contact with Jesus.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 6, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

The first time he walked past me I barely noticed.  I was deep into a biography of Teddy Roosevelt but my peripheral vision picked him up.  The second time grabbed my attention from Roosevelt to this medium sized spider.  I was sitting on our patio by a glass table with a four foot diameter.  It is ringed by a white metal band so his small black body struck a good contrast.  Five times he went round and round.  He must have thought he was going somewhere but soon he was back where he started.   He was like planet earth.  Round and round our sun we go racing along at over 67,000 miles an hour and yet ending up at the same place a year later.

Without Jesus it would all be quite futile.  Without Jesus it would be about 70 to 80 trips with as much meaning as my spider’s five trips.  Perhaps we would think we were making a difference but really what would it be other than reproducing the human species to make more trips?  A small percentage of us might be fortunate enough to live abundant lives and see our children and grandchildren do well but most of mankind has not done so well.   Over 56 million of us died during WWII.  Over 300 million died from Small Pox in the twentieth century.   In 1919  Spanish Flu killed over 50 million. To this day malaria kills 2 million a year.

If we read Ecclesiastes we learn of Solomon’s despair about life and he had every material thing a man could desire.  Lest I sound like Solomon let me lift your soul and let it soar to the truth that we are, according to Paul, sons and daughters of the Most High God and we are destined to forever grow more and more like our God.  Now that is purpose.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 5, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org