Category: devotional

My dog doesn’t understand the time change from Daylight Saving to Standard Time.   She eats at noon each day.  She makes sure I do not forget.  If I am late there is a lot of nose pushing and running back and forth to her dish.  So far this week I have been getting the treatment at 11 instead of 12.  I have tried to explain to her about GMT and our standard five hour difference but I just get a cocked head and then a nose push.
 
The truth is times as well as time are changing.  The world is almost a different planet from just 25 years ago when we were asking, “What’s the Internet?”   Tonight I saw an IKEA commercial with a same sex couple celebrating their first anniversary.  That’s something we wouldn’t have seen just a year or so ago.  Soon we will be taken from home to church in our self driving cars.  Already mine stops and goes by itself when I am in stop and go traffic and it is a 2011 not a 2016.  I just sit and steer.
 
The question is, “Is our faith still relevant in the new world that is rushing at us?”  Times are changing.  However, people aren’t.  People are people and have been the same since Noah.  We have the same needs.  We need food, safety, love and self-esteem.  We also have spiritual needs that cannot be satisfied with any material acquisition. The anchor in all of this is God is changeless.  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  Hebrews 13:8.   Our hunger for righteousness is and always will be a basic need and Jesus will always be the bread and water of life no matter how much the times change.

We are having local elections and lawns along busy streets are strewn with a plethora of names from all over the world.    Today I saw Greek names, Irish names, Jewish names, an Asian name and a vast variety of Italian names.  This is America, land of immigrants.  When I got home there were cards hanging from my front door knob urging me to vote for the person pictured.  One of the reasons one of them gave was we need change.  That was it!  He apparently had no other qualifications other than being someone different. 
 
Change is important if there is a reason to change.  He didn’t tell me what was broken.  If it isn’t broken we shouldn’t fix it.  I try not to be a stick in the mud and be a bit adventurous.  I try new things.  But when it comes to my local government, I like what is happening here.  We have great schools, etc.
 
Revelation 12 speaks of a war in heaven where someone was determined to take God’s place.  There was nothing wrong.  So the lies began.  Lucifer said, “Vote for me.  I will make things better.”  Really?   Lucifer must have been the first politician to tell a lie.  Need I say he was not the last?  Heaven needed fact checkers.  Then Lucifer lied to Eve and told her she needed change.  Some change.  Just look at the mess that ensued.
 
Recently I saw a preacher who kept pointing his finger at us, telling us in a very loud voice that we needed to change.  Frankly, I thought it was he who needed to change, his style.  Yes, I do need to change.  I will ask the Holy Spirit to do the pointing.  Oh, by the way, He doesn’t shout.  He speaks in a still small voice.

English is extremely complicated, especially for native speakers.  We speak the way we heard English as a child and while we are following rules we don’t know the rules.  We just know when something doesn’t sound right it’s wrong.   Why does it sound wrong when I say, “old dump two red big trucks”?   We know what it means but it just isn’t right.  Actually there is a rule regarding the order of adjectives.  Adjectives are supposed to be used in the following order. Quantity, Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Color, Origin, Material, Purpose.  Therefore, I should have said, “two, big, old, red, dump trucks.” Our brains automatically do it without knowing the rules.
 
Jesus’ goal is to live in us so we automatically do the right things without having to think about whether or not we are following or breaking rules.  It is called living by principles instead of living by rules.  There are thousands of rules in life but only one principle.  If we live by that principle we don’t need a rule book.   We call it the Golden Rule.  But it really should be called the Golden Principle.  The Golden Principle is to do to others what we would want them to do for us.  
 
Unless we are mentally ill we know how to treat others because of what we would want for ourselves.  Life becomes very easy.  It is not complicated to know what to do.  However, often it is complicated to do it.  That’s where prayer comes into the situation.  We just need to ask God to help us figure out HOW to do it, not IF we should do it.

I spent the afternoon blowing leaves.  I highly recommend it if you are into watching patches of reds and yellows swirling about decorating your life.  I felt like I was Jackson Pollock splashing about getting ready for an exhibition. Truly nothing he ever did comes close to what I was doing.  My art was living for there was a breeze coming out of the north.  Obviously I was bright enough to blow the leaves southward.  Even still there were moments of futility if one’s purpose was to clear the yard.  But I had the reward of just watching them blow.  Everything we do in life doesn’t have to be practical.  Sometimes the reward is beauty. And that is enough.
 
I watched my dog sitting with her face to the wind staring at our mountain.  What was she thinking?  Was she merely enjoying the pleasure of the wind in her face or did she also see the beauty on the mountain?   Are we the only creatures to enjoy aesthetics?  I think she is beautiful.  What does she think of me?
 
The enjoyment of beauty is a wonderful gift from God.  Philosophers for millennia have sought to define it.  How is it that something beautiful to one is not so to another?  It is obvious that we see with our brains and not with our eyes.  Surely anyone who has ever been rescued from death thinks his or her rescuer is beautiful.  Thus Jesus, who rescued us from an eternity of death, is by far the most beautiful being in the Universe.  We will never tire of thinking of new ways to praise Him and new names we can call Him.
 
“How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of him that brings glad tidings.” Isaiah 52:7

It’s debate time in America.  Political parties are verbally battling for control of our lives.  We the people have to listen and decide who we can trust to tell us the truth.  Who is really doing this for us and not for their own ego satisfaction?
 
There is an interesting passage in Revelation 12:7 and 8.  It says, “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.”  Obviously this was a war of words and not physical combat.   Who could war against omnipotence?
 
This was a war for the hearts and minds of the universe. God, the omnipotent one, tolerated dissent because He knows His dream government is one where love and free will are the fundamentals.  If at any time before all the issues (accusations against Him) were openly understood by all His created beings His dream could never be.  Lucifer was allowed access to Earth and unfortunately we failed.  But God in His great love and for the sake of all the universe sent Jesus into the fray in the weakened form of humanity.
 
Satan had accused God of being a tyrant who demanded obedience and death.  God needed to show that the only thing He wants for His children is the abundant life.  Death is the ultimate NATURAL fruit of disobedience.  For thousands of years Lucifer toted his lies about what God wanted.  The universe listened to the debate.  God was not winning until Calvary.  On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross and Lucifer lost.  His lies were exposed.  His character was exposed.  Our heavenly Father won and with that win comes our victory over death.

When my mother was 85 she asked her doctor to do a cholesterol test.  I love what he told her.   He said, “Mrs. Felty, you’re 85 years old.  You won!  Go home and eat anything you want.”  I wonder what is the magic number.  At what age can I wake up and head for the supermarket to get anything I want to eat?
 
I salivate when I walk down the cake mix aisle.  Not because I want to eat cake.  I want to eat one of those cans of icing.  There are so many enticing flavors.  I fantasize what it would be like to take a can of chocolate frosting, pick up a spoon, sit down for a Patriot’s football game and empty that can.  In reality I know I would end up throwing up, but it might be worth it.  I fear if I wait too long I might lose the desire.  See Ecclesiastics 12:5.
 
Life is an interesting journey.  We are born with incredible potential.  If one is to maximize their potential one has to take good care of oneself.  That encompasses the total realm of what we are.  We are physical, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual beings.  We cannot neglect or abuse any one of these areas and reach our potential.  It is so important for us to educate our children to understand that everything that is good for us should be done in moderation.  The things God declares to be sin are those things that would keep us from being all we can be.  Therefore the only things that are sinful are things that harm us and others.  God is a wonderful Father who wants the best for us.  He is so proud when we do well.

Surely it did not come as a surprise to Jesus when James and John’s mother approached Him with the request for her sons to have privileged positions in Jesus’ kingdom.  Also He could not have been surprised at the anger of the other disciples when they heard about the request.  He knew human nature.  He understood the challenge of teaching people that the main principle of His new kingdom was service.  If one obtains position and power it is given that one might be of greater service.
 
Having been a pastor enables me to understand how difficult it is to remember the principles of humility and service when one is fawned over by one’s congregation. One is greatly tempted to believe the nice things people say to one’s face and to be thankful not to hear what they say behind one’s back.  The greatest sin of pastors is jealousy.  It is human to want to be the best, thus it is difficult to hear how wonderful another pastor is. Everyday a pastor needs to remind himself/herself why God gave him/her a congregation.
 
I am puzzled about heaven and eternal life.  If service is the law of God’s kingdom, what kind of service will be needed in a universe that has no sin and no rebellion?  If every being has everything they need what is there to give that would be meaningful?   Also I am puzzled while here we speak of our need to be unselfish and yet most of the time when we speak of heaven we speak of all the things WE are going to get, such as mansions, health, etc.  Surely there are amazing challenges and tasks awaiting us.  But what could they be?

Today we drove north from New York City to the west of Boston.  It was one of the top ten most beautiful trips I have ever made.  Someone had splashed the landscape with a trillion cans of orange, red, yellow and bronze paint.  When the sun shone on walls of color the atmosphere itself glowed.  At one point as we neared a tunnel we were swallowed by color not only on both sides but also on the mountain in front of us.
 
As our leaves are rapidly coming to their end I wondered why is it as we near our end that we could not go out in a blaze of glory.  Instead we grow pale.  Our hair, if we have any left, goes mousey gray.   I know only two people with really white hair.  Our skin wrinkles.  It is difficult to stand up straight.  We shuffle.  Do you remember the song, “Old soldiers never die. They just fade away.”?  I’m fading.  I find myself wishing I were a leaf.
 
I found myself smiling this morning at a lady who must have spent a fortune on a complete reconstruction of her face but she forgot to do her hands.  It looked strange to see a sixty face with twenty hair sporting a pair of eighty-five hands.
 
Fortunately, unlike the leaves which end in glory, we will begin again in glory and retain it.  When we are a thousand with a thirty face and thirty hands (I’m guessing thirty is prime.) we have no need of the plastic man.  We will never need the plastic man because we will always have Jesus, the resurrection and the life and the sustainer of life evermore.  John 3:16  promises, “shall have everlasting life.”  How grand!

His name is Jonathan Goldsmith and he has been called, “The most interesting man in the world.”  He is a pitchman for a product I best not mention.  But I call attention to him because of how he closes his commercials.  His ruggedly handsome bearded face looks into the camera and he says to us, “Stay thirsty, my friends.”
 
Jesus said in John 4, “”Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”   And in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
 
And in Revelation 7 we read about the redeemed standing before God being described as follows, “Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sits on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
 
There is an irony here.  In order for us to be led to the living fountains, in order for us to drink the water springing up to eternal life requires us to be thirsty.  We must want it.  We must never be satisfied until we drink it.  Each day we must drink.  And so in the words of Jonathan Goldsmith, “Stay thirsty, my friends” and Jesus will satisfy.

In the last 24 hours I have received several responses to yesterday’s message regarding Fels-Naptha soap.  Most of them were about having had their parents use it to wash out their mouths because of lies and bad language.  No longer do I feel like I was abused.  My mother used Ivory soap.  It’s 99.44% pure.  Pure what?
 
Jesus is an interesting study in purity.  Hebrews 4:15 says, “ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”  And yet we read of Him being angry.  “And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he said unto the man, ‘Stretch forth your hand.’ And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.”
 
Obviously anger for the right reason is not sin.  Not to be angry would be allowing wrong to rule when righteous people do nothing. In Matthew 23 He lashed out at the religious leaders by calling them names.  In the following verses He is anything but being politically correct.  “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  You are like unto whitened sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”
 
Jesus was purer than Ivory soap.  He was 100%.  But that did not mean He did not take action when He saw the poor and the powerless being abused by the 1% who had all the wealth and power.