Category: devotional

Because of health concerns for a great friend, this afternoon I taught his classes at our community college.  When I entered one of the classrooms and asked if this was his class there was collectively immediate concern.  “Are you subbing?”  “Is he okay?”  “Will he be back next class?”  “What hospital is he in?”  “Can I call him?” “He’s a great teacher.” “I miss him already.”  These were just a sampling of the expressed care.  I was very impressed with the impact he had been making on these young lives and hope I will not let him or them down.  After one of today’s classes one of the students asked me if I was Jewish.  I’m still trying to figure out why he wondered that.  On this coming Thursday I need to ask him what I did or said that made him wonder.  I assured him that I was a Christian.

While driving home, accompanied by a glorious sunset, I remembered I Peter 3:15 which says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”  Of course he did not ask “why.”  He only asked “was.”  If he had asked why, I hope I would have been quick enough to have an answer that went beyond, “Because I always have been.”

Each of us needs to stop all the momentum in our lives long enough to know why we love Jesus.  We need to have a succinct response without a lot of “himming and hawing.”  Or are we Christian merely because our parents were and our grandparents were?  Peter was right.  We need to be able to give a reason for this marvelous hope.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 11, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

There is a pretty little tree at the bottom of our hill.  Each evening while walking our dog we brush its branches.  You can imagine my more than slight reaction to notice, now that the leaves have fallen, there is a hornet’s nest inches above our path.   How often do we have close encounters of which we are totally naïve?  Highways, of course, are notorious.  We almost come grill to grill with other vehicles each doing sixty plus miles per hour with only a paint line between us and instant death.   Many years ago in north Georgia while hiking with my family I was totally unaware that I had just stepped on a poisonous snake until my family kindly pointed it out.

When I was really little my parents put a picture of an angel on my wall with Psalms 91:11.  “For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”  It was very comforting.  We can add to this, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” Psalm 34:7.

I wish I could say this is always true.  But we know it isn’t.  I do believe it is true on thousands of occasions but terrible things do happen to good people.  And really good things sometimes happen to really bad people.  Even Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 said of His Father, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”  The truth is we do not understand all the “whys” of our existence.  We just have to trust that someday God will explain and then we will see that He always has our best interests at heart.  Always!

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 12, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Jenga is a non-fatal way to play Russian Roulette.  Instead of pulling a trigger one pulls out a block.  Eventually there is a loud crash and someone with a block in their hand loses.   In many ways it is like ignoring God’s commands.  You can pull out several blocks without the crash.  However, the crash will occur.  It is inevitable.  It is merely a matter of time.

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap.”  (Galatians 6)  This is not a matter of God being irritated that we are disrespecting Him.  It is merely a matter of harvesting the fruit of stupidity.  When we enter an airplane we are trusting a host of people to get us safely to our destination.  Not only are we trusting the pilots but also the mechanics, the fuelers, the air traffic controllers, the air marshal, the weather forecasters, the computer programmers, the assembly line personnel who put together the thousands of parts, the people who prepared the food (if there is any) and on and on.  That is a lot of trust.  We do this because we believe those people have been well trained.

How is it that sometimes we ignore or don’t trust the Being who made the universe?  He does have a lot of experience. He wrote the manual.  Sin (not obeying) and obedience are a matter of common sense.  It is most unfortunate that people associate sin with religion and going to church, when ignoring God is running stop signs, driving on bald tires, texting while driving, playing Jenga.  The crash is coming.  It is merely a matter of time.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 30, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Yesterday we saw a young man wearing a muscle shirt.  There was one small problem.  No muscles – just two skin-covered sticks hanging out.  I remembered being a boy on the playground during recess.  There was a shouting match going on between two would-be  pitchersduring a choose-up game of baseball.  One of them said, “I’m going to pitch or else.”  The other said, “Or else what?”  The first fellow had no “else”.   He didn’t own the baseball.  He couldn’t take his ball and go home. If you’re going to challenge someone with an “else”, you better have an “else.”  If we are going to wear a muscle shirt, it would be a great idea if we had muscles. (I now only wear long sleeve shirts.)

Have you ever seen someone driving very aggressively by cutting people off and at the same time sporting a bumper sticker telling us, “My boss is a Jewish carpenter”?  If we are going to proclaim to the world that we are Christians, it would be a great idea if we really were the  kindest, most unselfish person in our school or workplace.  Jesus wasn’t kidding when He said in the Sermon on the Mount, “By their fruits ye shall know them.”  I know it’s a worn out cliché but I have to say it.  “Put your money where your mouth is.”

In all fairness to the wearer of the muscle shirt, perhaps he was trying to inspire himself to a new life of discipline, healthful eating and lots of exercise.  If we see him again in six months perhaps he will be sporting arms worthy of the shirt.  We have to begin somewhere when we have a worthy goal.

Written by Roger Bothwell on September 6, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Today I learned that my dog has 25 times the number of scent sensors than I do.  She has over 200 million receptors.  No wonder dogs love to go for walks.  There is so much to enjoy. This evening on our walk we, my wife and I, detected someone cooking with lots of curry, next we walked through a cloud that must have come from someone’s very moldy basement.  This was followed by the scent of someone’s dryer and finally another meal with a strong meaty scent. If my dog really can detect smells many times fainter than we can, I wish she could talk and give us a guided tour of our neighborhood.

One of my favorite verses is II Corinthians 2, God “uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.  For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life.”

I think we have all been around people who leave us with a bad scent.  They seem to spoil an occasion almost just because they are there.  How grand if we could leave a “pleasing aroma” wherever we went.  This week I entered a large department store and was immediately whelmed with a wonderful smell.  At first I thought it was coming from the cosmetic section but that was far away.  Then I remembered that stores scent the air in the air conditioning system.  They know if it smells good we just might purchase something.  If we also smelled great might someone also want to have Jesus in their life?

Written by Roger Bothwell on September 4, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Many years ago I stood on a sand bank on a small island in the South Japanese Sea and watched a typhoon literally smash a large concrete dock and several fishing boats into small pieces.  It was to say the least amazing.  People sometimes describe this as an act of God.  Others will argue that even if God did not cause it He certainly could have stopped it or diverted it to an unpopulated area.  There is no doubt this is most disconcerting.  Lucifer will be thrilled because he can cause such pain and heartache.  Our loving God’s heart will be crushed.  So, why does God not stop it?

For thousands of years God has been on trial.  Lucifer, the source of conflict and natural disasters, has tried to disgrace God in a great struggle between good and evil.   This battle is watched by the entire universe.  Should God always intervene, heavenly beings would never see the full effects of the evil administration of Lucifer.  Lucifer’s joy received by the pain he can cause God’s children fills him with such pleasure and this is demonstrated to all who are watching.  God’s future, our future depends upon a proper understanding of just who is the real cause.   Lucifer will lose.  God will win.  The day will come when Earth will once again be as planned in Genesis 1, when God can again say, “That is very good.”  We are assured of this in the last two chapters of the Bible.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 8, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

When my older son was six weeks old he went with us to a small city in western Uganda where we held a series of evangelistic meetings that were a part of our ministerial training for young pastors.  We put up a small tent that seated about 200 and hoped it would fill.  The first evening over 600 people arrived all wanting to see baby Jesus.  We were forced to hold him up and explain this was our baby and not baby Jesus who was born 2000 years ago.  One lady on the front row wanted to hold him.  Naively I handed him to her.  What followed was unbelievable.  Another lady wanted him and then another and soon he disappeared into the middle of the 600.  Obviously we were eventually able to safely retrieve him.

I have often thought of this through the years realizing what occurred is our calling.  It is the great Gospel Commission found at the close of Matthew.   By actions and demeanor we are called to bring baby Jesus, man Jesus, crucified Jesus and resurrected Jesus to those about us.  We might not be preachers on a church payroll.  This happens when we are a part of a community, by being kind and unselfish and knowing when to not say hurtful things.  The most effectual witnessing is being as much like Jesus as we can be.  This is our calling.  We don’t have to go to a far off land.  Real mission starts inside our homes and spreads outward from that center.   If we are open to His indwelling power, He will do what is needed.  Sometimes we are amazed at what happens.  Sometimes we don’t know anything happened.  But it did.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 7, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

The Mystery of Ephesians 3

In Ephesians 3 Paul reveals to us a mystery he says was hidden to his ancestors.  Verse 6 reads, “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”  God has no favorites.  Everyone may participate in the plan of redemption. This doesn’t mean God withheld His love from other groups.  In the Old Testament we have the story of Balaam, who was not an Israelite, but still a prophet of God; confused yes, but Jehovah’s man.  Human ego wants so badly to be special we automatically black list those who are different than we.  Up until the cross there was no special revelation regarding this.  Now there was.  Grace was and is available to everyone.

In Revelation 7 John tells us the mass of redeemed standing before God’s throne are too many to count.  Every gender, every nationality, every race, every age group are there.  You name it God saves it.   In Romans 1 Paul tells us God holds people to account through the revelation of nature.  Even if they have never heard the name of Jesus the opportunity for salvation is there.  In Acts we read that no other name other than Jesus can save.  Those who never heard His name are saved by Him per their reaction to the things He created.  He will tell them His name once they are in heaven.

Paul is telling us something wonderful about God’s nature. God is in the business of saving people.  He will weep over every human lost.   The mystery of God’s nature has been revealed.  Your group and my group have no exclusive ticket

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 6, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

An elderly man shuffled into Denny’s this evening using a walker but he was not humped over like most people with walkers.   His dark skin was accented by curled white hair around his forehead.  He wore a black suit with a black shirt buttoned at the neck.  He was wearing an engraved golden name tag where we put name tags when we attend meetings so people will know our names.  His tag said, “Jesus Christ.”  There was a second pin on his label.  It was a small rainbow. While sitting down he caught my eye and gave me a pearly white smile. He must eat there often because the waitress approached his table and called him “Pastor.”  I am kicking myself because I never went to his table to speak to him.  He was alone.  Now I know what Jesus looks like.

While Jesus does not walk with a walker He is old – old as eternity.   Surely Jesus will flash us a pearly white smile upon our first face to face meeting.  Jesus can look like all men.  He lives inside us and He opens the drapes and we shine like a light on a hill. (See Eph. 2:22)  Love, care and concern radiate from our very core brightening the lives of those who see us.  It’s not that we are wonderful but He is wonderful and we are the container.  This old man is not the first person that has revealed Jesus’ appearance to me.  I have met others along life’s way.  They are special people who know how to give when it is needed and how to aid us along the way when we need it.  It takes wisdom to do that and that wisdom is promised to us in Ephesians 3:9.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 5, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

 

One of our schools had an electronic recycle fundraiser today.  So I went around the house gathering unused devices.  I was amazed at the assembled pile of obsolete equipment.  As I looked at them I remembered how excited we were when each was obtained.  And now a decade or so later they are pretty much useless.  They just use up space and gather dust.  So off they go to the recycle truck.  Lest we become too discouraged about our throwaway culture I need to observe that fifty years ago cars were considered high mileage and worn out if you were fortunate enough to get 75,000 miles.  Now many of us drive our cars way over a 100,000.  I am pressing 200,000 on our car and it runs fine.  I spoke with someone just yesterday whose car is over 300,000 miles.

The question that arises is do people grow obsolete?   We live in a culture that idolizes youth and makes it very difficult for someone in their fifties to find new employment. Are nursing homes shelving for the elderly while we wait for them to die?   One thing that does give us comfort is in God’s eyes we are never obsolete.  Instead of replacing us with a newer model it is God’s plan to continue to upgrade us.  Paul tells us in Ephesians 3 that we “may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”  Please note “all the fullness.”  God’s “more than we can imagine” which appears in verse 20 is “all the fullness.”  Our heavenly Father holds nothing from us and gives as we are able to handle it.  His goal is to give us all there is – not 90% but 100%.  We are never obsolete.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 4, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org