Category: devotional

The fallen hawk lay on the forest floor. He had not been dead long. He was still beautiful and noble. Soon he would return to the dust of the forest to become part of a flower, tree or vine. How high had he flown? What vistas had he seen? What conquests over mice and rabbits nourished him? Why was his piercing scream now silent? Was it old age? Had he lived his three score and ten? Or had a hunter used him for target practice?

There in death his remains would provide the essentials of life for a host of other creatures. His death would provide life. Thankfully God will take the memory of our personhood and on resurrection morning put it in a brand new immortal frame and body.

Jesus, who not only proclaimed Himself to be the resurrection and the life but also proved it, promises us so much more than decades of limited walk. Centuries and millenniums await us. We too shall soar like hawks and eagles with nothing to bring us down. Surely one of the most marvelous verses of all scripture is Isaiah 40:31, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Written 9/14/2000

Standing in front of a tempting display of freshly picked cherries was a very classy looking gentleman and lady. They appeared to be about sixty and were well dressed. His clothes were impeccable, and she was well appointed with expensive appearing jewelry. They were filling a plastic bag with cherries and were literally feasting while doing so. Even more amazing, after eating the not-yet-weighed-or-paid-for fruit, they spit the pits back into the display. It was truly an amazing display of thoughtlessness for others.

These people were someone’s parents, somebody’s grandma and grandpa, most likely someone’s employer. And they were behaving like small children. Now, true, Jesus tells us we must become as little children if we are to enter the kingdom, but surely this was not what he had in mind when he said that.

Being thoughtful of others. Thinking before we act and using our talents, resources, and gifts for others is what makes society work. Peter once said in 1Peter 4:10, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others….”

Written 7/27/2000

There is in central Connecticut an absolutely lovely little town that takes one’s breath away because of its quaint beauty. The houses date back to the 1700’s and the lawns are expansive. Giant trees shade the streets and the town square is out of a picture book. There is an ice cream shop on one corner with an antique store close by. A used bookstore filled with musty tomes beckons one to enter in search of treasure. The village square has a bronze monument with the names of townsmen who gave their lives in wars dating clear back to the revolution against Great Britain. An old canon sits on a concrete pedestal and is worn from the trousers of thousands of children who have sat astride its massive girth.

Inside the antique store are some of the most amazing prices! Simple small night stands, chairs and desks with thousand dollar price tags. And according to the proprietor, none of these pieces of furniture had been previously owned by some famous American like George Washington or Alexander Hamilton. You don’t suppose this proprietor simply drove to Vermont, bought the items for twenty-five dollars and then brought them back to his up-scale Connecticut store?

But then God put a horrendous price tag on us. In the eyes of the angels we must look like we are worth twenty-five dollars, if that. But obviously God thought differently. For you and me He spent His only son.

7/27/2000

King Solomon did not write all of the wise sayings we find in the Book of Proverbs. Chapter 30 was written by a fellow named Agur. We do not know who he was but he certainly was a smart man. Here is a sample of his wisdom. “Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up; a servant who becomes king, a fool who is full of food, an unloved woman who is married, and a maidservant who displaces her mistress.”

Perhaps a fifth could be added to the list. It seems the world cannot long endure someone who is always happy. From conversations overheard, to daily newscasts, and tabloids that attack us while checking out of the supermarket, it does appear we are bothered by other’s well being. When we hear that someone is rich we often ask, “But is he or she happy?” Inwardly, there is something that wants to hear “no” as the answer. After all why should someone have both happiness and wealth? This seems to be an unpleasant part of our human nature.

When Jesus tells us to love one another He uses a word that means “wishing another the best.” He is not asking us to desire that everyone be our best friend. But He is instructing us to want the very best for others. He wants us to pray for each other to be both happy and rich.

Written on November 20, 2000

A watch battery is such a tiny little thing. Yet it will power a timepiece with precision for two or three years. In a two-year period it will push the second hand around and around 1,051,200 times. If it lasts three years it will push it around 1,576,800 times. How does that tiny battery contain all that power?

When we hold our Bibles what enormous power is in our hands! Real power! We hold the power to change human lives. Our Bibles contain the ideas of God. Nothing is more powerful than an idea. Nothing is more powerful than idea from God. Ideas change the world. God’s ideas change the universe. And when we hold our Bibles, we hold those ideas in our hands.

The ideas of God render the ideas of man to kindergarten. The ideas of God are the wisdom of the ages. The ideas of God answer the great philosophical questions of mankind. The ideas of God—not Plato or Nietzche–tell us who we are, why we are here and where we are going.

God’s ideas are the power unto salvation.

First posted August 4, 2000

In the fall as the days grow shorter and the midnight frost starts to nip the flowers, squirrels become most industrious. They scurry around burying acorns everywhere carefully patting the dirt down on top of each acorn making it secure for future nourishment.

We are somewhat like those squirrels when reading our Bibles. Not always is a passage exactly relevant to what is happening in our current lives. But when reading we are burying seeds of truth and comfort for later times when we might need them. Just as those squirrels do not need the acorns in the fall, later during a very cold winter the acorns will be there waiting for them. If we hide God’s Word deeply in our minds, it will be there for us to use when difficult times come.

The Psalmist wrote in Ps. 119:19, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” If we store up God’s wisdom, the Holy Spirit can make good use of it when the need arises.

October 3,2000

Snow had been falling steadily for seven hours and a foot of snow covered the ground. The wind was pushing tiny crystals of ice into the tiniest of cracks. Just before sundown a towhee along with a pair of cardinals and lots of juncos were stuffing themselves at a sheltered bird feeder. They seemed to know it was going to be a long difficult night.

Towhees are not supposed to find themselves in this situation. Had he stayed behind in the fall because of the birdfeeder? Had he figured, “Why make the long journey? There is plenty of food here.” Where did the towhee spend the night? Was he cold? Was he sheltered? In the morning after the storm had passed did he have access to food? Had the owners of the birdfeeder remembered to clear the snow and refill the feeder?

In Luke 12 Jesus spoke of His father’s care for the birds. In the same way our heavenly father makes sure we have access to our needs. Storms come in life and when they pass God is still there. He always was there.

The temperature was perfect; the late afternoon sun was drawing long shadows across God’s artistic reflections of red maple leaves, yellow beech and birch leaves against a deep blue sky punctuated with white, billowy cumulus clouds. A kingfisher chattered his way across the river; this was one of life’s perfect moments.

There are those fleeting seconds worth all the years of life. No amount of wealth or fame could ever be worth just one of those gems of time. Perfection is rare in this world. To score a “perfect ten” is a moment that needs to be captured by the camera of one’s mind and printed indelibly for those coming years when other memories fade.

Have you ever wondered how heaven will work? If every moment is perfect, then will there be no special times? In the midst of an endless array of perfection, how can anything stand out as perfect? The truth is we do not know how heaven will work. But whatever it is, it will be grand.

“But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”
1 Corinthians 2:9

The little girl gazed with expectant eyes as her daddy put his coins in the machine. Ever so carefully he maneuvered the stainless steel claw toward the coveted teddy bear in the big glass case. There would be no second chance if he missed snatching it from the pile of goodies. The teddy would wait for another day or worse yet for another little girl’s daddy to snatch it.

Her face lit up when the claw picked up the teddy. But it dangled like it would fall.

“Oh, daddie-e-e-e-e,” she cried.

Ever so carefully he moved it towards the opening through which it would fall into her eager hands. Suddenly it looked ready to slip from the grasp of the claw. And then it happened. It fell off the claw onto the side of the opening. Where was the center of gravity? Would a tiny teddy arm catch and hold the treasure inside the machine? It held for just a moment and then fell through the opening into her hands.

What squeals of delight! Her curls bounced as she danced with joy. But there was even a better sight to behold. It was the look of triumph on her daddy’s face.

What do you suppose God looks like when we are saved?

Have you ever walked around for several hours with a stone in your shoe? Sometimes the stone would be under your heel; then it would move under your arch. It was annoying, but not annoying enough to stop what you were doing, take off your shoe, dump out the stone and put your shoe back on. It would have taken you less that a minute, yet you persisted in enduring the annoyance. And when you finally did take it out you found it was not much larger than a grain of sand.

How much like flaws in our characters. We have little things that annoy others and ourselves, but we do not take the time and discipline to “clean house.” Little quirks of personality and unhealthy habits that could be remedied we ignore because it would be inconvenient to make the mental effort.

Improvement in self is possible if we will just make a bit of an effort. We can stop annoying others and ourselves if we will only purpose to do so. Best of all we can have help. God does say in Psalm 91:15, “…call upon me, and I will answer….”