There Really is Something Free

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23 (NASB)

We all know that pleased feeling when we get our paycheck.  Even if it isn’t as much as we need to make all our ends meet there’s still a satisfaction in having it placed in our hand.  We’ve earned it.  Many make their life’s work to receive wages that are at odds with God.  Some work harder than others at that job but when it comes to payday all that reject the Son rejects the Father who sent Him (Luke 10:16).  It’s interesting that Paul talks about wages for it connotes labor and loyalty to something or someone.  The thing about the final wages of sin is that even if we did nothing we still have earned it because we were born alienated from God through Adam’s sin. 

Satan’s wages are separation from God and eternal death.  His workshop at first can seem beautiful and exciting until the harshness of the job catches up to us through the evil that comes from the tools of the trade.  There’s not enough room here to list the terrible things we can learn to do to ourselves and others.  Satan is not only a harsh taskmaster he absolutely hates his employees.  Murder is in his heart for there is no truth in him (John 8:44).

Notice Paul doesn’t say the ‘wages of eternal life’ for eternal life is a gift.  God says if we trust in His way of salvation, that is the Perfect Sacrifice of His Son Jesus, then we won’t receive wages for that choice-we’ll receive a present (a present is always free) in the gift of righteous eternal life.  There is no labor needed to gain it.  It’s the gift that keeps on arriving; a lifeline of peace and spiritual sustenance.  How much easier is it to receive a gift rather than a paycheck?  That’s not too simple; that’s the gift of grace.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com©

Building Fires

But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.  Acts 28:3 (NASB)

When the apostle Paul came to a saving faith in his Messiah he was told what great things he would suffer for the name of Christ (Acts 9:16).  It seemed an understatement.  During his ministry he received 195 lashes from the Jews (39x5) not counting the 3 additional beatings he took with the rod.  He was stoned once and left for dead, shipwrecked 3 times, bitten by a poisonous snake, in danger of rivers, robbers, his own countrymen, Gentiles, the seas, false brethren, hunger, thirst, cold and exposure.  Paul seemed like the first century poster boy for pain.

The thing that has astounded me about this account is when Paul landed here on Malta he continued unwavering in his faith.  He could have as easily walked up the beach and found a warm and cozy inn but instead he remained on that inhospitable beach to help build a fire.  This act of servanthood to the rest of the group far outweighs anything else that was witnessed that day, including suffering no ill effects after being bitten by a viper.  At this moment being shipwrecked on a cold and windy beach Paul found Christ trustworthy. 

There are times of adversity we feel like throwing our hands up and pursuing another avenue of our own choosing. Stopping to build a fire instead of cutting and running looks beyond the battle to the prize of our high calling in Jesus Christ.  It isn’t a physical fire like Paul’s but one made with the matches of patience and trust.  Christ is with us in every way and knows where we stand for He is familiar with every grain of sand on our cold and windy beach.       

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com©       

Ill Annoyed

“Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.”Matthew 7:7, 8 (NASB)

            

How it seems like yesterday I would just get home from work, sit down and put my feet up when I’d hear, “Daddy, would you get me some juice?”  “Daddy, would you come here and look at this?”  “Daddy would you come out in the backyard with me?”  It was just yesterday because now I have grandchildren.  Sometime it feels like most kids have ‘adult radar.’ It seems they won’t ask for something while one is in the vertical position but that radar detects ‘horizontal’ like bat sonar immediately followed by a request.  I must say that a lot of times when I’m interrupted I do not remain sweet and agreeable. Even if I stop what I’m doing to interact I can still get annoyed in my mind and heart at the cutting in on ‘my time.’  I’m so thankful God is never annoyed or short with any of His children when we ask Him for anything. 

Jesus encourages us to ask our Heavenly Father for our needs through His name (John 14:13).  We have the perfect picture of what God’s nature is through His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus.  He told his disciples if they had seen Him they had seen the Father.  Christ was known for His great love and compassion.   He is always willing to hear us and answer with pleasure.  When we seek of Him we shall find and when we knock on His office door it shall be opened to us with the greatest approval.  Our Heavenly Father has never lived in the state of ill annoyed and never will.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com©

What a Break

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Roman 8:28 (New American Standard Bible)

Did you know one of the most successful Christian endeavors in the United States happened because of a broken leg? It began at the beginning of the 1800s with a young Vermont farmer named Cephas Washburn. Washburn’s goal was to devote his life to working the family farm. One day while working on the farm he broke his leg and became too disabled to farm any longer. He thought his life was over but one day a local clergyman came to see him and persuaded the pious young man to enroll in theology school and enter the ministry. Washburn did, graduating in 1818 becoming a missionary to the Cherokee Nation. In 1820 he pioneered a successful Christian school, Dwight Mission, established first in western Arkansas and then relocating to the Oklahoma Territory. He served in the capacity of missionary, teacher and pastor until his death 40 years later. The school was finally closed for good in 1948 but for the years it was in operation hundreds of Cherokee, Osage, Choctaw and other Indian tribes were blessed with an education, job training and spiritual guidance. God didn’t break Cephas Washburn’s leg nor cause it. It happened in the course of choices the young man made that day. Who would have thought God could bring all this good to many through a broken leg? Cephas Washburn came to be known as the ‘Apostle to the Cherokees.’

At times when we’re in the throes of disaster this verse can be like swallowing a pill sideways-good for you but who wants to deal with the pain? It’s an easy burden when we realize God will perfect His will for those called according to His purpose through any circumstance, whether it is fortunate or regrettable. Though we may not understand it Christians know it intuitively even if it not experientially.

God’s plan for a simple Vermont farmer was not to break his leg but to use that broken leg as an opportunity to touch hundreds with the love of Christ. As he lay in his bed Cephas Washburn saw only a broken leg but God saw a heritage and used a broken bone to bring healing to a Nation.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

The Fish That Chewed Bubblegum

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”John 20:29 (New International Version)

When I was a lad of eleven I was fishing at Shasta Lake with my cousin Janet. I soon ran out of cheese I was using for bait. I was chewing bubble gum and thought I’d put a piece of it on my hook. I was holding my pole while the hook dangled above the water as Jan and I chatted. To our surprise a small mouth bass jumped at the hook and temporarily was stuck to the gum. All I could figure was he wanted to blow better bubbles. When I tried to pull it in he fell off the hook. One of the most amazing fishing stories of my life, if not the funniest. When I got back to camp I told the story to my dad and Aunt Dorothy. They both smiled skeptically and Dorothy said, “Ah, the one that got away…” My story made me look like a junior member of the Fisherman Liar’s Club. They had good reason to doubt my story as they had not witnessed it.

The religious leaders of Israel had no excuse to doubt who Jesus was. They saw Him bodily and witnessed the great miracles He did. They couldn’t deny what they saw Him do so they consigned His mighty works to the Devil declaring He was an agent of Satan (Matthew 12:24). Tragically they saw yet refused to believe.

Jesus offers a divine blessing upon all who would come to faith in Him without a visible, bodily manifestation. This blessing comes to all who believe through the gospel accounts and the validity of the evidences available to us. We who believe on Him are not deprived by not seeing Him physically. Because He is true when we believe on Him we become recipients of His special blessing. Sometime seeing doesn’t necessarily mean believing. The greater blessing comes in believing in something true even if we have not yet seen it.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

Treasured Stories

“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is so will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:20, 21 (New American Standard Bible)

There are some pretty funny stories about thieves and their not-so-smart moves. Like the guy why robbed a bank and left his driver’s license with the teller. Or the two guys in Texas who broke into a video surveillance shop, packed up around $10,000 dollars worth of surveillance equipment while 17 security cameras recorded them and got a read on the license plate of the car they’d parked out front. They were soon back on camera facing front and side.

One thing we can be sure of is there will always be people with valuable things and people who are more than willing to take it away from them. Where we currently live thieves do break in to steal, moths make holes and metal rusts. Jesus was pointing toward an attitude of reliance and trust. There are all kinds of things we can invest in our lifetime which temporary as they are can’t go with us to the undertaker. I’ve never seen a casket with pockets. The Lord is keen on rewarding faithful servants. He encourages us to put our minds and actions onto things that are spiritually substantial that will not rust, can’t be stolen or suffer decay.

We cannot serve both God and material things for where our treasure is our heart’s motive will be evident. We can be assured that what the Lord has waiting for us will be pristine with no blemish at all and most of all will remain untouched and in perfect condition. Things wear out, rust and rot. What remain imperishable are the treasures we lay up in heaven. Our service to God and the good we do here on earth will remain safe with Christ. What we don’t leave with will be waiting for us when we arrive.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

Golden Axes

“And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3, 4 (New American Standard Bible)

A colorful yet out of place term to come out of England during the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 17th century was ‘Dutch Uncle.’ It was originally meant as an insult. A Dutch Uncle was one who ‘educates’ someone through frank, harsh and severe criticism in order to better the person of their attention. Self righteous judgment is like listening to fingernails on a blackboard. While the other person is saying their peace in words that are meant to be ‘instructive and encouraging’ the manner and tone of the person giving it nearly shrivels the soul and spirit with ridicule and disdain. I believe every one of us has encountered someone like this in our lifetime.

The Pharisees were ignoring the Law and the Prophets concerning Jesus the Messiah. Jesus had become the target of self-righteous men’s judgment because in their eyes He did not fulfill the Jewish vision of what the Messiah would do. He moved on to illustrate His point with a word picture that is the best in history when it comes to judging another’s sawdust speck while peering around the log in their own eye. It is a humorous illustration from the Master story teller. I’m sure as He gave this illustration there were giggles and smiles from many in the crowd at the audacity, yet all too true reality, of how many of us are all too quick to self righteously judge another person. These so-called ‘wood expert’ do-gooders swing golden axes. They are meant to look pretty but they still cut deeply.

This passage does not teach that judgments should never be made. Christ speaks of removing the speck from a brother’s eye. Christ here was warning that those who habitually lean toward critical judgment become hypocritical. If we do speak to another about a trespass Paul tells us to gently restore such a one with gentleness, looking to ourselves, lest we too be tempted (Galatians 6:1). Golden axes are pretty but their sole purpose is to cut. Christ calls us to lay aside those kinds of tools and depend on the word of God given in a spirit of humility. It is sharper than any tool in our kit and is able to judge the thoughts and intent of the heart better than any uncle could.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com©