Category: devotional

It is amazing to Google a satellite nighttime picture of Korea and look at the electric light difference between the North and South.  North Korea is a nuclear power that doesn’t even supply its people with lights.  Then there is the issue of food. Once again because of government mismanagement and/or deliberate action masses of people in North Korea are facing starvation.  We have food, lots of it.  Too much if you look at the size of our children.  Our moral dilemma is should we send North Korea food only to have it put in storage for their military.  It is difficult for us to imagine a government allowing its own people to starve and yet we saw such behavior during the years we lived in East Africa.  Tons of food rotted on shipping docks while fifty miles away people were dying for lack of nourishment.

Have we done our human duty to give and then not have control over the use of what we give?  This is a question akin to giving our offerings only to see church officials with large travel budgets using the money to fly all over the world when they could have used Skype for free.  Is the issue not our concern because we did the right thing by giving; thus transferring the responsibility to others?

Living in a modern world with new technologies continually changes the moral landscape. Does God wish for us to carefully ponder our giving and not merely blindly trust others to do the right thing?  Service and sharing is the noble part of our humanity.  It is the substance of our happiness and of our moral values.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 23, 2011

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

We’ve all ordered pizza over the phone.  It wasn’t something new or unique when I called Papa John’s this evening.  Twenty minutes later I was walking in the door ready to do battle.  The price they quoted me on the phone was quite a bit more than the sign on the door that said, “Any Large Pizza – $10.”   But wait; they didn’t have my order.  It was then that I realized I hadn’t called Papa John’s.  I had called Papa Gino’s.  How I wish I had called Papa John’s.  Their pizza was so much cheaper.

Now back into the truck and on my way to Papa Gino’s, Frank Sinatra started to sing, “My Embraceable You”, which of course contained the line, “Come to papa, come to papa do.”  My grandchildren call me “papa” as they also call their other grandfather “papa.”   I even heard a sermon where the preacher said Jesus referred to His father as “papa.”   There are just too many papas around.

Or are there?  Is that even possible?  If God loves me as much as I love my sons and their children then I’m okay.  I’m in a very safe place.  I couldn’t help not thinking of Romans 8 where Paul says, we “received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.”

The word “Abba” is well translated as “papa.”   This personal fatherhood of God is a very New Testament idea.  Jesus wanted us to know what God is really like.  There really can’t be too many papas.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 20, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

One of the stages of human development is object permanence.  If the baby can’t see you, you do not exist.  That’s why peek-a-boo is so much fun.  We keep popping in and out of their life.  I could very well be wrong but I think I saw a version of this last night with our five month old lab, Annie. She was being naughty and I called to her to get down.  Instead of getting down she hid her face so she could not see me.  Was she thinking if she could not see me, I could not see her?  This is not the first time she has done this.

I think some people are like this with God.  If they can’t see Him then He doesn’t exist.   Or if He does exist perhaps He won’t see them if they don’t see or look for Him.  However, like Annie and me, I could still see her whether she thought so or not and God can still see us whether we think so or not, or whether we like it or not.   We are quite visible to Him.

Jonah discovered there wasn’t any place to hide.   And the Psalmist said, “If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.”  Psalms 139:8   The point is very simple.  We are watched. God is hoping He will catch us doing something good so He can enjoy watching us reap the good results.  As for being punished for doing something bad, He doesn’t have to do that.  He can merely allow us to reap the negative results of our bad decisions.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 21, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

The earth on the evening of the third day of creation must have been amazing for God didn’t spread the earth with seeds; He planted fully grown trees and shrubs.  New fields of flowers scented the air with waves of perfume.  It would be forty-eight more hours until there were bees.  How intoxicated they must have been at the close of the fifth day.  Surely His new creation must have been a dazzling bouquet.  While there were not yet people, angels marveled and enjoyed every new display of color.  Our God is an artist!  Splashes of reds, yellows, blues and colors for which we have no names filled the continents of this beautiful blue orb.

May has decorated our yard with lily of the valley and pansies.  Even though they are limited in number they give us a taste of what is to come.  Our bird feeders are busy places.  Flying colors.  Never the same configuration.  Variety.  So much to see.  If one is bored it is a commentary on the depth of their thoughts and no reflection upon the Creator.  If all this is the survival of the fittest why are there cardinals, scarlet tanagers and blue jays that one cannot miss seeing?  Let the evolutionists cast their doubts and mock the idea of intelligent design, but I don’t see any of them writing books by just typing random letters on a computer screen.  No intelligent person disputes microevolution, while there are huge differences between a Scottie and Labrador Retriever, they are still dogs.  There isn’t just one missing link.  There are thousands of missing links.  All the charts supposedly showing a progression from simple-celled animals to us only reveal a common designer.  There is no uninterrupted flow from one to the other.

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for the One who made it all loves you and me.  He even loves those who don’t think He is.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 20, 2009

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

Rogerbothwell.org

More than once Ronald Reagan said in relationship to our relationship with the USSR, “Trust, but verify.”  After repeating it at the signing of the INF Treaty Mikhail Gorbachev responded, “You repeat that at every meeting.”  President Reagan said, “I like it.”   Me to.

I especially like it in our relationship with God.  Over and over God expects us to trust Him but He does not expect us to do so without some personal verification.  Hebrews 11 says, “Faith is the substance of things unseen.”   Please note even though unseen there is substance.   When Jesus called Peter, James, John and Andrew to follow Him, He had just filled their nets with fish.  He was saying I know you have family responsibilities. Follow me and those obligations will be met.   Earlier He said to them, “Come and see.”

God does not expect blind faith.  God gave us minds to use and He expects us to verify.  He does not want us to follow just anyone or anything because we have some unverified trust.  God backs up His word with evidence.  However, He always leaves that last little bit that is sometimes called “a leap of faith.”  While I love the song “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so,” I also realize that is for children.  Paul says, “Now that I am a man I think like a man.”   Men, big people, are tasked to give a reason for our faith.  Peter wrote, “Always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you.”

We are not the blind following the blind.  We trust but being the big people that we are we verify.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 19, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

There is a wonderful concept found in Hebrews 3:14.  It reads, “For we have become partakers of Christ. . .”  John 1 tells us that God, The Word, became flesh and dwelt among us.”  This is an intriguing exchange.  God takes on humanity and humanity takes on divinity.  Note the tense used in Hebrews 3:14.   “We have become.”  This is not a future thing that occurs when this mortal puts on immortality.  See I Corinthians 15.   This is something for us to experience now.

So what are the implications of such an experience?  First of all, divinity is righteous.  Since we are not righteous in actual experience at least we are forensically.  God declares us righteous with room to grow.  The entire Christian walk is about becoming.  Second, divinity is eternal.  We are still mortal but the promise is so sure we can claim to have started living forever.  See John 5:24 where we are promised we have already crossed over from death to life.  Third, divinity participates in all manner of blessings.  If we are partakers of Christ a whole cornucopia of blessings becomes available to us right now.  We could start with stress reduction. Our future is secure.  He holds us safely in His hand.  We can eliminate guilt and its accompanying anxiety.  The elimination of stress will result in a host of physical benefits.  Stress is extremely devastating to most, if not all, of our systems.

We should be happier making us nicer people and thus we can enjoy a wider circle of friends.   The list can go on and on.

“Partakers of Christ.”  It’s a marvelous reality.  Let’s not only look forward to what God has for us but let’s not neglect the joys of the present.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 18, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

We think some people are not nice.  Others we think of as being bad.  Then there are those we think are evil.  I’m not sure I have ever met someone I would classify as evil.  However, I realized I had never really defined evil.  Just what is it that makes someone evil?  Being rude is being not nice.  Telling lies about others is bad.  Somehow I think of evil as actually inflicting physical harm on another.  But that isn’t what the dictionary says.  My dictionary defines evil as being immoral. That certainly broadens the scope.  I finally came up with my own definition.  I think evil is the absence of empathy.  One becomes so self-absorbed there is no time to consider how another feels. We just don’t care about anyone but the person we see in the mirror.  When we say “How are you?” we really don’t care.  It is a prelude to give us an opportunity to tell others how we are.  Hurry and say “Fine” so I can tell you about me.

It is very difficult to think of ourselves as evil. We define ourselves with softer adjectives.  When we are children we are imps or rascals.   It seems harsh to describe a five-year-old as evil.   Yet the seeds of self, if left to grow, will produce self-absorbed adolescents and it will continue to worsen without intervention.   Thankfully evil does not place us beyond God’s desire to change our hearts and help us care about others.  “He is able to keep us from falling and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.”  Jude 24   It fills Him and us with “exceeding joy” to do so.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 17, 2011

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Of all my blessings I count, the richness of having real friends is at the top of the list. At every stage of my life I have been surrounded by people who I would count it a privilege to give life itself.   My dearest one, of course, is the one who has shared my walk for over fifty years.   My walk has been incredibly rich with those who I believe would do the same for me. If they would not they had me fooled.

Once during the worst crisis of my life when I thought everything was gone a group of people surrounded me with amazing care.  When I took inventory of them many surprised me.  They stepped up from the background of my life.  I had not known they were there.  My crisis made my life richer.   One who did not surprise me by his presence surprised me by his depth.  He was an old friend who mailed me a signed blank check.   He told me to fill in whatever I needed.  It would be his worry to cover it.  I still have that check.

Have you ever wondered what you would want on your tombstone?  I think I would like to have the following.  “He had friends.”   And of course I must mention my friend from heaven who said to His disciples, “You are my friends.”   See John 15.

One spring day when the waters of the American River in California were particularly high and raging I had an incredible ride, or should I say swim since we were out of the raft almost more than we were in.  After hours of being bashed against rocks and gasping for air we safely arrived at our destination.  One of them seeing the glee in my eyes asked if there was ever a moment when I was afraid.  My response was heartfelt.  I said, “How could I be?  I was with my friends.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 8, 2009

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

There is a lilac bush in Lancaster, Massachusetts that doesn’t appear to belong to anyone.  There is a bank on one side and a donut shop on the other with an uncared for strip of land in between.  In the midst of the seemingly neglected land is a lush spot of beauty and fragrance.   I wonder how many of the thousands of people who pass by notice its contribution.

I know some beautiful people who are very much like that lilac bush.   They bloom.  They add fragrance to their space.  Yet I think most people just pass them by without noticing their contribution.  They rarely, if ever, get any accolades.  They live quiet lives watching others get the awards and the praise.  They must wonder what they would have to do to be noticed or maybe they enjoy the quiet life and would be embarrassed if the spotlight suddenly shone on them.

If you are one of those quiet beautiful persons allow me to say, “Thank you for making the world a better place.”  There is an interesting line in a Gilbert and Sullivan musical that goes like this. “When everyone is somebody, then no-one’s anybody.”  So I guess the somebody’s need the no-one’s so the somebody’s can be somebody.  But let’s never forget those people getting the awards couldn’t get them without the beautiful support people that actually make life work.

The writer of Psalm 84 talks about being a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord.  It leaves one with the concept of someone being so happy to be in God’s house they don’t care if they are hidden on the back row.  I don’t think that can happen.  I think God notices, loves and smells every lilac bush no matter where it is.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 11, 2011

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

On occasion we have moments of cacophony in our home.  We have a bonging grandfather clock, a clanging antique clock from my wife’s grandparents and a chiming clock from my father’s mantel.  There are times when they all are wound and set to the same time.  By the time ten or so comes around there is a lot of noise.  We really should set one a minute early, one on time and another a minute late.  That way we could appreciate each one’s unique quality.

They remind me of people, each eager to proclaim their point of view and none being patient to allow the others time to express their ideas.  Perhaps it is my inability to simultaneously listen to two or three threads of logic, but I have little tolerance for people speaking over the top of another.  Occasionally, in class I have to referee some impassioned students and fortunately being the teacher I have the clout to make them take turns.

I am so glad God is so omni.  If only one percent of the world’s population prays that still means God has to listen to 68,000,000 prayers a day.  That works out to a few more than 47,000 a minute.  I do not believe God has teams of angels handling this enormous task.  I do believe each of us get personalized attention from God Himself, our Father.   And just how does He do this?  I don’t have the slightest clue because my finite mind cannot grasp the power, the wisdom, the intellect and the creativity of such an infinite being.

Psalm 91:15 is a grand promise, “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him:”

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 14, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org