Category: devotional

It is difficult to find a more powerful passage in Scripture than Ephesians 2. “God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we  were dead in sins. . .”  Somewhere in our youth we lose our innocence.  Does it happen at birth, or when we first disobeyed our parents or at puberty when passion rages through our almost every thought?  I don’t know.  That is a theological debate filled with theory and isms.  For those of us who are adults it doesn’t matter when it occurred, what we know is we are not innocent.  Just as God cares for us so he will care for children; with buckets of mercy.  The point is we were dead in our sins.  We earned death.  We cannot compensate for our behaviors and attitudes.  The only answer for us is grace; lots and lots of grace.

Grace removes our guilt.  God looks at us as if we had never sinned.  However, as wonderful as that is we still remember our sins.  It is fascinating that we remember things God doesn’t remember.  I haven’t yet figured that one out.  But I rejoice in the fact. God declares us innocent but our brains are not yet erased.  The feelings, the emotions, the memories are all still there.  And they stay there until as Paul tells us in I Corinthians 15, “this corruptible shall have put on incorruption . . .”

One of my students told me he often deliberately sinned because he knew God was a God of mercy and would forgive him.  Really?  Well, that’s another discussion. My concern was that even if in God’s great love He did forgive him, the fruit, the scars, his lost innocence would mar the rest of his life on earth.  He would not be the man he could have been.

Written by Roger Bothwell on March 2, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

It finally snowed here in New England.  We’ve had barely a flake from November first until now.  It’s a heavy snow and the city snowplow built quite a barrier across the end of our driveway.  Grabbing the snow shovel I headed out to the barrier to do battle.  As I was digging in for that first heavy load a man with a pickup outfitted with a plow saw my task.  “Wait,” he called.  “Don’t kill yourself. I’ll be right there.”  In a few moments all was clear.  Needless to say I was grateful and even more so when he adamantly refused any money.

I wanted to pass this along just for the sake of saying not all is bad with the world.  The news is usually so gruesome.  We hear all manner of horror from self annihilating walking bombs to weapons powerful enough to destroy our planet.  Murders, robberies and rapes fill our evening news broadcasts.  It’s the bad stuff that makes the news while everyday millions of good people do millions of good things for others.

The Golden Rule has not been lost in the mire of humanity.  The Silver Rule says, “Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you.”  That’s not bad at all but the Golden Rule is so much better.  “Do to others what you want them to do for you.”  In Romans 12:13 Paul tells us to be “inventive in hospitality.”  We should not just wait for an opportunity to do something nice.  We should be creative and make opportunities.

The world isn’t totally bad.  Who knows maybe he did save me from killing myself.  As we all know old guys shouldn’t be shoveling heavy snow.

Written by Roger Bothwell on March 1, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

We have a flock of gold finches that are just tanking on our thistle feeders.  For days now they have devoured so many Nyjer seeds we have to refill them every day.   While I am happy to provide sustenance to these lovely creatures I fear we might be doing more harm than good.  If we were not feeding them they would be foraging and thus getting a variety in their diet.  What we are doing is allowing them to stuff themselves on something that is good for them but it seduces them into a one item diet, which I am not so sure is healthy.

I once had a church member who would not read anything except his Bible.  That is a pretty hard thing to condemn without looking like a pagan but I worried about his balance.  He knew very little about current events.  He was not conversant in things that were for most of us just common knowledge.  Perhaps I am the one in error but I think we need to care for the whole person, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.  God made us multi-faceted beings and each requires our attention if we are to be healthy. Every good parent wants their children to be healthy and God is a good parent.

I once heard a committed vegetarian say, “I would die before I would eat a piece of meat.”  Obviously she was not a vegetarian for health reasons because the last time I looked it seemed that eating a piece of meat and staying alive was healthier than dying.  Alas, it can be difficult to strike a right balance in life, but I do believe it is a quest God desires and expects from us.

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 29, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

This morning I watched a 7th grade math teacher instruct her students how to solve a ratio/proportion problem using an algorithm.  At the end of the lesson, after the students were gone, I mentioned that there is a much easier way to solve the problem.  She laughed and agreed.  She explained that the algorithm was for students who didn’t know what they were doing.  It is a menu.  Do a logical step-by-step process and one will get the correct answer. However, she said, “Some of the students look at the problem and know how to solve it without the algorithm.  I give them credit for that.”  Good for her.

Through the years I have sat through some very complicated, complex presentations on righteousness by faith, sanctification and justification, predestination, free will, etc.  My conclusion is these presentations are akin to algorithms.  They are explanations for people who just don’t get it.  Or perhaps it’s the presenter that doesn’t really get it.  And just what is “it?”   “It” is the simplicity of the Gospel. Jesus created us and took responsibility for us when we failed.  His righteous life, death and resurrection makes it possible for us to be adopted into the family and receive eternal life.  We are no longer under an obligation to the law but instead are obligated by love to be as much like our Savior as we can.  The only real mystery here is why He loves us so much to do this for us.

No algorithm needed.  Perhaps there is another mystery and that is how come something so simple can sometimes sound so complicated?  Perhaps the fault is in the old saying, “If something sounds too good to be true.  It is.”   But “it” is true!

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 28, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

On the way into the Kodak Theater for the Academy Awards people dressed in their finest walked the red carpet, being interviewed for their moment in the spotlight.  Robin Roberts from ABC was one of the interviewers and when referring to their clothes she said to one of her interviewees, “I’m being paid to ask you, ‘Who are you wearing?’'”  Each person responded with the name of some famous or semi-famous designer.  The question, “Who are you wearing” stuck in my head.  Should there be a red carpet to walk before we someday enter the throne room of the King of the Universe there just might be an interviewer from some far off galaxy asking, “Who are you wearing?”  The answer, the only answer, for all of us will be Jesus, for it is His and only His robe of righteousness that will be appropriate.  All other answers just will not work.

“For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.”  Isaiah 61:10   It is an expensive garment; much more than anything on the red carpet that Sunday evening.  This garment came at horrendous cost and we are the most blessed to be adopted into the family so we can wear it.  “For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but we have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Romans 8

It’s a wardrobe that will never be out of style

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 27, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

Most commentaries list about 32 -35 miracles of Jesus.  But we should not forget such interesting verses as Matthew 4:23, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.”  And of course there is the end of the Gospel of John, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

One of His more interesting miracles isn’t in the lists.  In John 8 Jesus met His foes with some very interesting information.  He knelt down and with His finger wrote in the construction dust on the temple floor.  He was very specific.  Generalities would have had no impact.  He looked to see who was there and then wrote their names along with detailed times and places of their sins.  It must have been horrifying to these righteous men to be so publicly exposed.  Jesus was taking no prisoners.  They were fair game.  Many must have tossed and turned that night wondering how He knew.  The miracle was He knew.  Many fled before He got to their names.  If today’s press had been there they would have had a media feast.

However, it ended with Jesus and a frightened woman who soon learned she had nothing to fear because of who she was with.  Surely to her dying day she never forgot His rough carpenter’s hand helping her to her feet and those words, “Neither do I condemn you.”  Aha, yet another miracle – the miracle of grace.  We can add two more miracles to the list.

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 26, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

The King James Version renders Exodus 20:5 as follows, “I the LORD thy God am a jealous God.”  I remember sitting in church reading my Bible, often it was much more interesting than the sermon.  I was puzzled by this verse.  I thought, “Wow, that’s bad.  Jealousy is not nice.”   Little did I know that words tend to change meanings as the decades pass.  Scores of words used in the KJV have since altered their intent.  Take Matthew 19:14 for an example, “Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: . .”  I doubt if many little children would understand the word “suffer” in that context.  And so it was for me with “jealous.”   “Jealous” and “zealous” come from the same roots.  Since 1611 “jealous” has taken on great negativity.  Most likely those same translators today would possibly render the verse, “For I the LORD thy God am a zealous God.”  It certainly has a more positive feel.

I very much like the idea that God is zealous for us.   That word means actively and unreservedly enthusiastic. I certainly like enthusiastic people.  It’s awful when we are waited on in stores by unenthusiastic people.  When they fail to smile and mumble, I really don’t ever want to return.  Oh, there was that word “awful” – talk about a word changing meaning.  It used to mean wonderful, full of awe.  My wife would hardly be happy if I told her she looked awful.

And so it is that we have a God who is an enthusiastic fan; so much so that He gave His only Son that we might have everlasting life.  Now that is zealous.

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 24, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

It is an outrageous thing to be a teacher.  It assumes that someone knows something others don’t know.  That is not so difficult to conceive when someone knows how to read or do math, but once we advance past the fundamentals it isn’t so clear-cut. History especially is and should be regarded with care.  Just because it is in a book or a newspaper doesn’t mean it really happened and if it did everything has nuances that appeal only to some.  The writers of textbooks, just like the rest of us, have agendas colored by their personal experiences and opinions.  I have to laugh at people who claim to “tell it like it is.”  All they can really do is tell what they think they know and what they think they saw or heard.  Everyone thinks they know the truth and yet few of us can stand in mental lockstep with another.  In many ways truth is but an agreed upon set of assumptions.

When I say Jesus died and rose again I am speaking out of my hopes, aspirations and biases resulting from where I was born, who my parents are, where I went to school and what books I have read, which were written by others like me.  I wasn’t there.  I didn’t see it happen.  Yet I believe from the depths of my heart that it is true because it makes good sense.  It doesn’t seem like a cunningly devised tale.  (See II Peter 1)  All of the disciples but John suffered a horrible death.  They would not have done so if it was a contrived tale.  Jesus said, “Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”  That’s us.

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 23, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

Millions of tons of debris from last year’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan is making its way across the Pacific to our western shore.  It will be yet another year before the bulk of it arrives.  Needless to say, it will be unwelcome as it clutters our coast.  It seems like a long time to wait but it will arrive.  It is much like the fruit of bad decisions we often make.  Because there is no immediate detection or results we think we got away with it.  However, the debris will someday surface.  A rotten diet, lack of exercise, burning the candle at both ends, smoking, alcohol, etc, erode away years at the end of life.  The only advantage to that is you don’t have to make as many payments to the life insurance company before they have to pay your heirs. Too bad you won’t be there to see them enjoy it.

Our God is a very sensible God.  He has good reasons for the lifestyle instructions He gives us in Scripture.  There isn’t one thing He asks of us because He is arbitrary.  He always has our best interests at heart.  Recently I was challenged about this by a student who wanted to know just how it benefited us not to take His name in vain.  Well, the answer is if we reduce His name to an exclamation point we lose the reality of who He is.  If He is only a word to express surprise or glee or shock, He ceases to be a loving caring parent interested in our well-being and we will not access the blessings that come with a close personal relationship.  It isn’t that He is offended.  He is way too big for that.  We are the losers.  Actually, He also loses.  He loses us.

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 22, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

My wife and I had the splendid opportunity to visit one of our former students.  She is teaching in a one room school in Vermont.  What we observed was idyllic.  Nestled in a rural environment surrounded by the glorious Green Mountains is a place every parent should desire for their child’s educational setting; a well-trained caring Christian teacher, modern media and a committed constituency provide an experience beyond what we had hoped to see.  We are so very proud.  Her parents must also share our feelings.

As we were returning to our home in Massachusetts I could not but reflect how our heavenly Father must feel about us when we excel.  When we do good surely there is great joy in the courts of heaven. Alas, I also remember that Job was doing very well.  God was very proud of him when Satan came and ventured that Job only did well because he was so blessed.  I think we all know the rest of the story.  We do live in a world that does not seem to relish good fortune and as the old saying goes, “No good deed goes unpunished.”  It seems to be the nature of our existence.

But we should not forget the end of Job.  After Satan has been proven wrong and was duly chastised Job spent his later years once again blessed.  Even then he must have had moments when he missed his children.   My sons are alive and well and make me proud on a daily basis and yet I do miss those little boys that chased each other around the house and squealed with delight when I came home.  There is a sweet sadness even in good times.  What must it be like to live for a thousand years?

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 21, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org