THE PRAYER THAT IS ALWAYS ANSWERED

 

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

 

THE PRAYER THAT IS ALWAYS ANSWERED

 

Acts 21:11-14

11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

12 And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.

13 Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.

 

          Jan Karon is the best-selling author of the Mitford novels, also called the Father Tim novels. There are about 23 of them and I have read most, if not all of them.

 

          Father Tim is an Anglican [Episcopal] priest. Fortunately for him, Anglicans are permitted to marry beauties like Cynthia, his next-door neighbor. Throughout all of Tim’s adventures he invokes what he calls “the prayer that is always answered.” This, of course, is “Lord, let your will be done.”

 

          Last night I stayed up watching election results until the news anchors’ makeup melted. Finally, somewhere near two o’clock in the morning, we had a winner. This morning, we are praying Father Tim’s sure-fire prayer. The will of the Lord be done.

 

Eph 5:15-17

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17 Wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

 

Lord, because our ability to discern what is right is broken, please let your will be done. It is both a sane and safe prayer. AMEN

 

TRUTH HAS NO DENOMINATION!

 

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

 

TRUTH HAS NO DENOMINATION!

 

Matt 22:15-17

15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. 16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. 17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

 

John 9:24-27

24 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.

25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

26 Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? 27 He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear:  wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?

 

          The word “truth” can be found in the King James translation 235 times! In the verses selected this morning we see the Pharisees, self-proclaimed guardians of their definition of the truth, confronting Jesus so that they might entangle Him in his talk. Their pursuit was not for the truth but for a remedy. Jesus was most certainly a Jew but not a Pharisee.

 

          In John 9, we see just how inconvenient truth can be when Jesus heals a blind man. The religious leaders considered Jesus a sinner and now he is reported to have restored sight to the blind! Facts had gotten in the way of belief and so facts had to be discredited. Question upon question is hurled at the formerly blind man and his new sight is now accompanied by insight. He boldly asks “will ye also be his disciples?” Aldus Huxley (1894 – 1963) once said: “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”

 

          Today’s devotional is being read by friends who are Baptists, Catholics, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, a Methodist and a Missouri Synod Lutheran. These live in a world that is crumbling all around them. Global politics driven by pride and greed give birth to violence and confusion. Truth is precious because it is rare. Malcolm Muggeridge once said: “A collapsing world is more conducive to understanding the nature of truth than a triumphant world.” So, we now live in a world that is ready for truth.

 

“Plato, three hundred years before Christ, predicted that if ever the truly good man were to appear, the man who would tell the truth, he would have his eyes gouged out and in the end be crucified. That risk was once taken, in its fullest measure. The Man appeared. He told the world the truth-about itself-and even made the preposterous claim: "I am the Truth." As Plato foresaw, the Man was crucified.”  Elizabeth Elliot

 

Dear Lord, let truth prevail today. Give us both sight and insight. AMEN

 

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS!

 

Monday, November 4, 2024

 

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS!

 

Est 4:13-14

13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.

14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

 

          Esther was a Jewess who won a beauty contest and became queen. As strange as that sounds it was all part of God’s plan to rescue the Jews from a plot to wipe them out! Thrust unwillingly into an arena that would determine life or death for her and her people, she had a decision to make.

 

          Do you have any idea how important your simple act of voting might be? Perhaps with the touch of an electronic screen you could change the course of a region, or a state, or a nation. I’m not just trying to be dramatic. I’m trying to show you that God can use the seemingly insignificant to produce great change.

 

          Mordecai assured Esther that God would send relief to her people even if she refused her responsibility – but she would be the loser. What an opportunity to be part of God’s plan! What a risk!

 

          VOTE! It is your right and your responsibility! Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

 

Dear Lord, let your will be done in this election and let us not shun our duty. AMEN

 

A LONG-REMEMBERED GIFT

 

Sunday, November 3, 2024

A Pre-Thanksgiving Classic

 

A LONG-REMEMBERED GIFT

Mark 14:8

8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.

 

          Fifty plus years ago, just before leaving home to begin Bible college studies, an elderly lady baked me a pie. I don’t even remember what kind of pie it was. Perhaps it was double crust apple, but that detail has escaped me. What has not flown away is the memory of that simple kindness. The lady was probably living on retirement income so she couldn’t give me money. She didn’t offer sage advice although she most likely could have. She simply did what she could. She baked me a pie.

 

          The fact that I remember the kindness and not this woman’s name is testimony to the power of small investments made in others. It may seem insignificant to us, but it may literally linger a lifetime in the grateful mind of the recipient.

 

          Thanksgiving is just days away and we will gather with family and try to remember why we are thankful. It shouldn’t be as hard as it usually is. Perhaps it would be easier if we recalled the small kindnesses given simply. These enrich our lives and bore deeply into our thinking. They make a home there and change us for the better. For this we should be thankful.

 

          Stop thinking of what you can’t afford to do. Stop mourning your lack of time and energy. Just do what you can do and ask God to bless it. Your gift may last a lifetime.

 

Dear Lord, today someone will need a small act of kindness. Let me do what I can to be a blessing to others. AMEN

 

PEELED GRAPES

 

Saturday, November 2, 2024

 

PEELED GRAPES

 

1 John 4:1

4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

 

          In our text above, the word “spirit” is the Greek pneuma and one of the meanings of that word is “the human mental disposition.” So, with that meaning as the foundation, we should be wary of the opinions and mental dispositions of others.

 

          My high school civics teacher was an androgynous young man who rode a multi-geared racing bicycle to work and parked it in the back of the classroom. His blond hair was a bit over long but not for the mid 60’s. He avoided the school cafeteria and brought his lunch in what might be called Tupperware. I remember the peeled grapes and I pondered how long it might have taken him to peel each grape for the next day’s lunch.

 

          In that questioning time during the Vietnam war, he gathered a few disciples around his desk during the lunch break to discuss current events and philosophy. I remember a tall, male, drum major, a trumpet-playing redhead whom I dated once but only once, and a dark-haired girl who wanted to be a Nun. It was worth carrying your lunch to school just to be part of this group.

 

          Of all the things Mr. Peepers (for he looked like him) taught us, I remember one thing clearly. He challenged us to always ask: “According to whom?” Everyone has an opinion, but we should be cautious in our listening and even more careful in making those opinions our own.

 

1 John 5:20

20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

 

Dear Lord, help me to question opinions without being a rebel. Remind me to measure each opinion and disposition against the authority of Scripture. AMEN

 

HARD TRUTH APPLIED SOFTLY

 

Friday, November 1, 2024

 

HARD TRUTH APPLIED SOFTLY

 

2 Tim 3:16-17

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

 

Matt 5:17-18

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

 

          Stubbornness and inflexibility have fallen out of favor with modern thought. The great mantra of our culture is tolerance for divergent thought. But Jesus describes the Bible as very inflexible.

 

          A jot is the Greek letter iota which is the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet and Jesus used it to describe the dot above the “I” or the period at the end of a sentence. The tittle is the Greek keraia and refers to “something horn-like.” Jesus used it to refer to the accent marks which served for vowels in the Hebrew language. “It is the same as saying everything else may change; the very earth and heaven may pass away, but the law of God shall not be destroyed until its whole design has been accomplished.”(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

 

          Because we don’t speak either Hebrew or Greek, the originally written Bible has been translated into many languages. I suspect that both jots and tittles have been changed in the process, but the force of the truth and of the written Bible remains inflexible in its teachings. Right has not suddenly become wrong and wrong has not gradually become acceptable because of enlightened human culture and thought. 

 

          The Bible must remain rigid because it is the pier and beam upon which our entire faith is founded. It is not our position but our disposition that must remain tender.

 

Eph 4:14-15

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

 

Dear Lord, let me be inflexible when teaching Bible truths but tender toward those who are enslaved by sin. AMEN