Category: devotional

Last evening one of my grad students told us about an exercise she does with her third graders.  Each student takes a piece of paper and writes down somebody’s name.  Under that name they have to write a mean nasty name.  Then they have to scrunch up the paper into a ball and sit on it.  After a short time the children become physically uncomfortable with what they have done so they can take the paper, spread it out as nicely as they can and erase the nasty name.   What the children discover is that no matter how hard they try to make the paper look new.  It can’t be done.  The wrinkles and the erase mark are still there.   The children then talk about what this means.

It’s a good exercise and should be combined with James 3.  Words once spoken and deeds done leave permanent results.  Forgiveness is real. Forgiveness is powerful.  Forgiveness does set a course for a better future. But the reality is humans remember. Relationships betrayed are forgiven but are never again as they were when they were new.  This is why Jesus asks us to forgive 70 times 7.  He is not necessarily talking about 490 offenses as much as He is talking about the need to forgive someone 490 times for one offense because the human mind remembers.

Now comes the amazing part.  When we ask for forgiveness, God’s divine power enables Him to look at us as if we have never sinned.  This is awesome. Please note Ephesians 5:27, “He might present to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on October 10, 2008.

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

After food, shelter and safety, the most important human need is love.  From the moment we are born love is essential if a baby is to thrive.  The infant brain needs cuddling and gentle human touch.  God created us this way.  God is love.  (I John 4:8)  We satisfy His desire to nurture.  We are avenues for His innermost need.   It is difficult for us to imagine a perfect being with needs.  However, love needs a lovee.   Most adults need children.  If they don’t have children they have a pet or pets.  We spend huge amounts of money on in vitro procedures or adoptions that we might have the joy of parenting.  Jesus told us to call God “Our Father.”   No one knows God better than Jesus.  He is God.  See Hebrews 1.

Just as children that prosper bring happiness to their parents, so God is glorified when we do well.  Jesus told us He came to give us the abundant life.  When we avail ourselves of His offer He is pleased.  In Ephesians 2 we are told God saves us for the purpose of showering us with gifts of grace.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told us we give God glory by our works. What a wonderful understanding of the nature of living a Godlike life.  We are saved by grace.  Ephesians 2.  Our works don’t save us.  But our works are very important for they bring great joy into the heart of the One, who by His great work on the cross, saves us.  Grace saves.  Works are an expression of our character growth and our love for God.  Works make God happy.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 4, 2008

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

According to Aristotle there are two primary reasons for having friends. Either we profit from them or derive pleasure from being with them. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to gain both profit and pleasure in a relationship.  Unfortunately, sometimes we find pleasure in another’s company but it costs us.  Usually that kind of friendship rarely lasts.  Pleasure in another often exists because of common interests.  Pilots love to exchange flying stories and chess players enjoy explaining complicated moves.   How can I exchange any meaningful conversation with the Maker of All Things?  He knows everything and I am woefully ignorant.

Keeping this in mind I have asked the question why does Jesus call us His friends?  I grew up singing “What a friend we have in Jesus.”   I know what I gain from Him.  I get freedom from guilt resulting from His forgiveness. I get to shed this mortal body that is quickly going to ruin.  I get to live forever with a ticket to unimaginable growth.  But what does He get from me? That question puzzles me for most of the reasons I give myself are purely egotistical and ultimately meaningless.  If He does not gain from my friendship then He must take pleasure in me.   But how is that?  I must confess I do not enjoy the company of those whose behavior is obnoxious.  I must be obnoxious to Him.

Hebrews 12:2 says, “For the joy that was set before Him, Jesus endured the cross.”  Surely that joy is because by His sacrifice the universe is cleansed from sin and ultimately at-one-ment, but to be my friend?  I am puzzled!

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 4, 2008

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box124, St. Helena, CA 94574

The Bible says Adam was 930 years old when he breathed his last breath. Considering the average person takes 17,280 breaths a day that means Adam breathed 5,865,696,000 times after God knelt in the grass and breathed into him the breath of life.  His heart beat 29,328,480,000 before it wore out. It took a long time for that perfect body to run down.  Originally it was designed to run for an infinite amount of breaths and beats, but sin finally took its toll.

Those are staggering numbers compared to our statistics.  However, they are nothing when we accept the gift promised in John 3:16.   I would not be surprised if Adam was anxious to let go.  Old age had taken its toll. Nothing could be worse than eternal life in our present state of decline. There comes a time when death is a blessing and life is a curse.   Eternal life with eternal vitality is what Jesus offers, otherwise heaven would be hell.  Ephesians 2 tells us God gives us eternal life so for the coming ages He might continually shower us with gifts.  It is difficult not to be anxious.

The longer we live on earth the more underwhelming it can be.  The longer we live with Jesus the more overwhelming it will be.   It is difficult not to tell everyone we can when something good happens to us.  It will be impossible not to sing His praises.   It is no wonder Revelation 7 describes a numberless multitude around the throne singing, “Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 8,2008

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

There seems to be a new law that orders us to use computers, video projectors and Power Point in all our presentations.   It is getting quite uncommon to see a presentation without all our modern (toys) devices.  Dare I add, more times than not things don’t work the way we want and we do a lot of fooling around with cables and buttons when we should be talking about our subject. Recently we witnessed a presenter who could not get her handheld clicker to work so she stayed by her laptop and pressed a key each time she wanted a new display.  It was intriguing to note that even though the handheld clicker didn’t work she firmly grasped it for her entire presentation.

Isn’t it interesting how we hang on to useless items?  When we stop and analyze our situations most of the things we have are very expendable.  When we lived in Africa we received a message from the American Embassy to pack one small bag and be ready to immediately evacuate our homes.   We packed a few pictures and were ready to go.   The rest was just replaceable stuff.

I wonder if we ever hang on to useless, or worse, harmful habits.  Paul once wrote, “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.”     That’s puts it in total perspective.   There is nothing more valuable than having Jesus live within that we might grow forever into His likeness.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 21, 2008

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

I’m sitting here looking at a container of something called “Ultra Color Safe Bleach”.  It takes out the stains and the bad stuff but leaves the intended colors behind.  This is just like what God does for us.   Each of us is a colorful character.  How dull life would be if we were all bland or sparkling white.  Isaiah 1:18 says, “Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow.”   Please note it’s our sins that are as white as snow.  We aren’t.

I have actually witnessed cases through the years when a foot-dragging family member finally yielded and was baptized. The family enthusiastically started in making a “new man” in Christ.   It entailed telling him or her all the old characteristics and mannerisms had to go.  They wanted to create some perfect person that they themselves were not. 

Being the new man that Paul speaks of in Romans is about overcoming soul-destructive, selfish habits. It isn’t about transforming someone into a non-recognizable human.  Our personalities are the fruit of a lifetime of memories and experiences.   We are the sum of all the years we have logged.  God has no desire to bleach that away.  God loves our color.  God loves the things that make us us.  On resurrection morning we get a new body infused with all those memories and experiences.  We will be we forever.  The difference will be a lack of self-destructive and other-destructive characteristics because we will care more for others than for ourselves.

Written by Roger Bothwell on June 21, 2008

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

The few moments of violent winds in a summer storm thrashing branches in wide arches across the lawn left a baby cardinal dashed and sprawled upon the concrete walkway.  It was the family’s second unsuccessful attempt to raise a family in what appeared to be a safe place.  Sadly I looked at what could have been a bright dashing color swooping across the yard.  Instead I saw a rather ugly, cold, partially feathered, big mouthed, blob of gray matter.  Would I have cared so much for the loss if it had been an English sparrow, whose presence sometimes seems like flying mice?  Do I only care for beautiful things and give not a second thought to the plain? Do we not fuss more over the beautiful, successful people in our midst than the ordinary?  Do the children with big blue eyes and long lashes not get more attention than the brown-eyed child whose eyes are just a bit too far apart? 

Apparently our insensitivity to the ordinary is not new.  In James 2 we read, “If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him, and you say to the man in the suit, ‘Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house.’ and either ignore the street person or say, ‘Better sit here in the back row,’ haven’t you segregated God’s children and proved that you are judges who can’t be trusted?”  

I guess nothing much changes. What is amazing is so often the real treasures in our midst come in plain wrappers.  We just need to pay better attention.

Written by Roger Bothwell on June 27, 2008

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

I was the first person to see my second son.  When I first saw him I could not yet tell if he was a he or a she.  This was in Africa a long time before sonograms.  Yet I was not the first to know him.  Long, long before I was born he was known.  God said to Jeremiah, “Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.” And there is the magnificent passage in Ephesians 1 about you and me.  “Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.”  It gets even better in verse 5. “Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ.”

We were born in sin but that did not deter Him one iota.  Have you ever seen something you want so badly it is all you think about?  That something is you.  Long, long ago He knew all about you and wanted you.  The earth is very old but before there was an ocean or a continent or a tree God wanted to adopt you into His family.

Now it gets even better because in Romans 8:17 we are co-heirs with Jesus Himself sharing in His inheritance.  In Ephesians 2 Paul tells us God did this so He could lavish us with gifts of grace.  Is not this the Good News? Can it be any better than this?

Written by Roger Bothwell on June 24, 2008

Spring of Life Ministry, Box124, St. Helena, CA 94574

I looked out my window just in time to see three very chatty crows walking down the center of my street.  Whatever they were talking about must have been fascinating because they were paying no heed to traffic.  I’m not sure if they were complaining about the weather or sharing garbage can secrets. Whatever the topic it was engrossing.  However, it sure sounded like complaining to me.  How very human they appeared.   They were walking when they could have been flying.

So very few of us have ever learned to soar.  It is easier to stay in the comfort of doing what we know we can do when we can do so much more.  Very few of my undergrad students seem to enjoy being challenged to reach beyond what they can already do.   So often I have heard, “But I don’t know how to do that.”  My response is, “That’s why you are here.  If you already knew how you would be wasting your tuition.” Instead of “I can’t” I wish I would hear “Help me try.”   Isaiah 40:31 says, “They shall mount up with wings (not like crows but) like eagles.”  I see young people with all the gifts necessary to rise up and fly but I fear they will spend their lives walking around like three yakking crows.

In Ephesians 1 Paul tells us God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.  We all cannot be gold medal winning Olympians or geniuses, but we all can become spiritual giants who bask in forgiveness and revel in a knowledge of the deep things of God.  We can fly if we try.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 21, 2008

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

Recently while kneeling in a prayer circle, instead of rehearsing what I was going to say when it was my turn, I decided to really listen to what the others were saying.  Gradually it occurred to me that this prayer circle was a strange ritual.  I got the feeling those praying weren’t really talking to God but were speaking for the rest of us to listen to how cleverly they could weave together a collection of cliques I have heard since I was a little boy.  I got the feeling they were praying for their human audience and I wondered if God bothered to pay attention.  If I was very wrong and they really were talking to God why should I be eavesdropping?   When I am talking to someone about really meaningful things I don’t particularly like having others listening.  They can listen when it is trivial but not when it counts.

I realize I am being judgmental and wrongly projecting my own cynicism on others.  So please forgive me.  The older I become the more personal prayer becomes.  The things I want to talk to God about are not for your ears or the ears of those with whom I work and play.  When I pray in public I want to ask God to indulge my trivia knowing that I will get back to Him later with what is really on my heart.

“Now it was in those days that Jesus went to a mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night in prayer to God.”  Luke 6:12.  Do you ever wonder what They talked about?  Surely it was a dialogue.  The following verses tell of Jesus calling the twelve to ministry.  That night they must have talked about each of the twelve one by one.  Now that’s a conversation I wish I had listened in on.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 8, 2008

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