Category Archives: faith

Christian, devotion, faith, Luke, Gospel of, Parable, Presbyterian Church (USA), Uncategorized, United Church of Christ (UCC)

Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for June 8, 2017

Devotional Reading from the Common Lectionary: Luke 18: 1-8

Text: (Jesus): And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

The longer I live the less I know. When I was a young man I had everything pretty much figured out, especially in “the ways of God”. And then Life happened, and I got knocked down a time or two.  I have had times of losing my spiritual balance. But in the process, I think that I am learning what it is to be “faithful”. Now I tell people that I don’t have a clue what God is up to, but I know that somehow God is in the mix and will bring something good out of our biggest messes.*

In the parable assigned for today Jesus used a comparison of contracts. God is not like the unjust judge. Earlier in Luke Jesus did the same thing when He asked the disciples, “What father would give their hungry child a snake or a scorpion instead of a fish or egg?” It’s a rhetorical question but the answer is obvious. No one.  We don’t have to “beat down the doors of heaven for God to pay attention to us. We cannot weary God with our prayers and desires.

The real question is, can we believe that in life and death we belong to God even when our prayers are not answered?**  Can we believe that God is somewhere in the mix and that we have to live by Faith rather than Sight***?

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.****Amen.

 

*Romans 8: 28

**Romans 14:8 and The Brief Statement of Faith” in The Book of Confessions of the Presbyterian Church, (U.S.A.)

***II Corinthians 5:7

****Mark 9:24

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Christian, devotion, faith, Presbyterian Church (USA), Uncategorized, United Church of Christ (UCC)

Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for June 5, 2017

Devotional Reading from the Daily Common Lectionary: II Corinthians 5: 11-6:2

Text: So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (v. 20)

When I was a little boy my mother used to iron not only my father’s shirts* but his handkerchiefs, too! When I’d ask her about it she would tell me that she wanted my father to look his best out in public. But there was also a subtle “shadow” reason. At that time wives were judged by two things; how their family looked in public, and how clean the house was!

When I was in seminary an Old Testament professor named Arnold Black Rhodes taught an exegesis class on Genesis. He said that being “created in the image of God” meant that we Resemble God in that we can make decisions, have a Responsibility to God for the decisions that we make, are God’s Representatives or Stewards of Creation, and, finally, we are a Reflection of God.

The apostle Paul told the Corinthians that as followers of Jesus they were His “ambassadors”. Others “judge” the One that we worship by the way we act! As one country preacher said, “You may be the only bible that some people ever read”.

Lord, make me a good reflection of  your Kingdom so that my life may be an invitation to follow the teachings of Jesus. Amen. 

 

 

 

*This was before “wash & wear” and “no wrinkle”-“no iron”, neither of which is true!

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Christian, devotion, faith, Holy Spirit, Luke, Gospel of, Presbyterian Church (USA), Uncategorized, United Church of Christ (UCC)

Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for June 4, 2017

Devotional Reading from the Daily Common Lectionary: Acts 2: 1-21

Text:  And suddenly there came the sound of the rush of a mighty wind… (v. 2a)

When I was a boy I was in school when a tornado hit, seemingly out of nowhere. This was in a day before severe weather sirens, weather radios and cell phone alerts. School had just let out for the day so most of the students were on their way home. Only a relatively few of us remained in the building. Miraculously, no one was injured. The tornado forever changed the school, though, as the destruction was nearly total.

The thing that I remember most was the eerie silence accompanied by a loud roaring wind that seemingly occurred simultaneously.  For the longest time, decades in fact, whenever a thunderstorm would roll in, my stomach would lurch. I wonder if that is what the experience of Pentecost was like in today’s reading. Seemingly out of nowhere and without warning there was the rush of a mighty wind that filled the entire house as the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles like tiny tongues of fire. The apostles were filled with the Spirit of God. This Spirit changed them forever. They became bold and innovative proclaiming the Good News, the gospel of the Jesus they knew, even at the risk of their lives!

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of gentleness, the hymnwritere says, blowing through the wilderness, calling and free. It is the spirit of restlessness that stirs us from placidness.  The Holy Spirit calls from tomorrow and breaks ancient schemes as it frees us from the bondage of Yesterday and allows captives to dream dreams. (Taken from the lyrics of “Spirit” by James K. Manley)

On this Pentecost may you be touched by the life changing Spirit of God. May you be stirred from placidness, dream dreams and make bold decisions. Amen.

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Christian, devotion, faith, Luke, Gospel of, Presbyterian Church (USA), Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for May 27, 2017

Today’s Assigned Devotional Reading from the Common Lectionary: Luke 9: 37-50

Text: An argument arose among the disciples as to which one of them was the greatest. (v.46)

In security; it’s everywhere. It begins at a young age. Can a child have more than one best friend? What happens if your best friend plays with someone else or gets invited to a party and you don’t? The Smothers Brothers made a fortune over the schtick “Mom always liked you BEST!”

Many of our systems encourage a certain amount of insecurity. I inwardly chuckle when there is are multiple valedictorians at a graduation ceremony. Each one of the students worked hard, made sacrifices along the way, but still, I’ve seen one school have as many as 16 valedictorians! The television show Modern Family showed the humor in all of this competition in an episode where two of the characters felt ridiculous parental pressure to be valedictorian of a high school class. They even had a footrace around the school track!

In all three of the synoptic gospels we have some variation of the disciples arguing among themselves and even asking Jesus which one of the 12 was the greatest. Jesus placed a child in their midst and said that whoever comes to Him as a child is the greatest. In the eyes of God, the greatest is the least.  The disciples evidently didn’t understand because no sooner had Jesus answered their question than John said, “Master, we saw someone who is not one of us casting out demons in your name. We tried to stop him but he wouldn’t stop!” Make him stop! On my, our childish ways.

As followers of Jesus we can have ambition. We can even ascend the scale of affluence and influence, but we must always remember that the higher on those scales, the more responsibility we have to God. Our ambition should be in trying to out-serve one another without keeping score and worrying about who’s serving more!

And boy, is that hard! My insecurity keeps getting in the way!

Lord, let me not compare myself to another or be envious of another’s worldly success. Let me till the field in which You placed me. Continually remind me how to be faithful to the end. Amen. 

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Christian, devotion, faith, Love, Matthew, Presbyterian Church (USA), Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for May 25 2017

For Devotional Reading: Matthew 28: 16-20

Text: Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you until the end of the age.” (vss. 18-20)

When I first arrived at the church I am now serving, their governing Board said, “Now that  you’re here, we need to write a ‘mission statement’.”

I’ve been through this exercise in futility before.  All statements written by a committee are nothing more than gibberish reduced to its lowest common denominator! It gives the illusion of doing something when, in reality, after they are written they are generally put on a shelf and forgotten.

I replied, “Actually, we don’t. Jesus already gave us our ‘mission statement’. It’s very simple. It’s easy to remember. It’s only four words; ‘Go and make disciples.’ And, He even told us how to do it; baptize and teach ‘Love’. This is the ‘mission statement’ of every group of Jesus followers.”

So, those simple four words became our “mission statement”; Go and make disciples.

Everything that we do is educative; our personal decisions as well as our corporate decisions; how we treat others, how we spend our money. Someone is always watching and consciously or unconsciously judging. As Jesus followers we need to be conscientious in not only loving one another but also in loving the least, the last and the lost of God’s children.

We are called to be bold in our love for one another and those considered “different” by world. Each one of us have been created in God’s Divine Image.  We can be courageous in our love, even to the point of risking it all for the sake of God’s Kingdom because in today’s text the Risen Lord promises to be with us until the end of time. There is no greater love than this.

Lord, make me bold as I fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission today, tomorrow and all of my days. Remove fear and intimidation from my heart. Shape me day by day, more and more into the holy image of Christ. Amen.

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Christian, devotion, faith, James, Prayer, Presbyterian Church (USA), Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for May 24, 2017

Devotional Reading: James 5: 16-27

Text: The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.(v.15)

Prayer is essential. We cannot prevent ourselves from praying. Even when we are angry with God, prayer sneaks into our lives.And prayer changes things. A black free-church minister once told me that prayer changes God, God changes people, and people change situations. While I don’t agree with that theology, I do agree that prayer changes me and I can be a “change agent”.

I often pray with people for healing, especially when they are in the hospital or facing a terrible illness. But I learned long ago that not all healing is physical. The most important healing is spiritual. All of us will die from some cause. It is my prayer and hope that it does not happen for a long long time but even the New Testament figure, Lazarus, whom Jesus brought from the grave in the gospel of John, is not longer with us in the flesh.

When spiritual healing occurs we are at peace with ourselves, others and God. This is the peace that the apostle Paul meant when he wrote about “the peace of Christ that passes all understanding.” It gives us the ability to sing the words of the old hymn “It is well with my soul.”

It is my prayer for you today, that you have this peace. And that in having this peace, you will know both the love of God that will never let you go and the fellowship that knits us together into the Body of Christ on earth.

Lord, grant me peace. Give me the courage for reconciliation. Let me learn from my past but remember that it is past. This is a new day, one that You created and blessed. Amen.

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Christian, devotion, faith, James, Matthew, Presbyterian Church (USA), Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for May 21, 2017

For Devotional Reading: Matthew 13: 24-34a

Text: (Jesus) put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. (vss. 24 & 25)

Th older I become the more hesitant I am to judge others. That does not mean that I always agree or accept what some says or does, doesn’t say or do. Rather it means that  I find myself wondering more than judging; wondering why they did or said what they did. And I wonder what God is up to in the circumstances of our lives.

I’ve come to the realization that God isn’t finished with either you or me, yet. Or anyone else for that matter. An old hymn says that God is working out His purposes, “as year succeeds year”.  I think that that about says it.

In Jesus’ parable a farmer’s field has been vandalized. The farmer’s workers want to “walk the rows” and pull out “the weeds”. But the farmer said “No”. He was afraid that some of the good crop would also be destroyed. There would be time enough at the harvest, he told his workers, to seperate the good from the bad.

God is patient…and forgiving. God is also ridiculously gracious. And we should be glad about that because you see, someone thinks that we are a weed. Yes, God works in lifetimes and even in generations. The story of our life is not over until the Author says it is. And the Author is fond of happy endings.

Lord, make me slow to judge and quick to forgive. Thank you for cutting me some slack. I don’t deserve it. I will do my best to glorify you with my whole being. Amen. 

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Christian, devotion, faith, James, Presbyterian Church (USA), Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for May 22, 2017

Devotional Reading: James 1: 1-15

Text: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all people generously and without reproaching, and it will be given to you. But ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. (vss. 5,6)

There was a time when I was terribly lost and didn’t know which way to turn. It was the lowest point I ever experienced in life. My plans and dreams were simply not going to be. Almost by accident, or maybe Providence, who knows, I turned to The Letter of James and began to read. I read like a hungry man attacking a meal.

Early in my reading of James I saw today’s text. It was like a life-preserver thrown to a drowning man. I asked for wisdom for the moment, for the day and proceeded as if God was whispering in my ear and directing my decisions. I got through that day and each subsequent day, one at a time. And now, years and decades later I find myself still drawn to James’ instructions. Ask God for wisdom and believe that it will be given to you. Don’t second guess yourself. Believe that God is directing your decisions and move forward with confidence. Things will not always go as you plan but that’s okay. They happened the way that they were supposed to happen simply because that’s the way they happened.

To the best of your ability make every decision and live each day in the most God-glorifying way that you can. And remember, your life and mine are lived in the mystery of God’s Providential Care.

Lord, give me wisdom for this moment, this hour, this day. That is all that I ask. Amen.

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Christian, devotion, faith, Presbyterian Church (USA), Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for May 20, 2017

Devotional Reading: Luke 9: 1-17

Text: But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” The apostles said to Him, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish–unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” (v. 13)

“How am I ever gonna do this?” is a question that we all ask at one time or another whenever we face what appears to be an insurmountable challenge.  “Where do I begin?”

The feeding of the 5000 is the one parable that appears in all four of the gospels. And while each gospel has a slightly different slant, they all have one thing in common. The first step to facing any challenge is to simply begin. We begin by bringing the challenge to Jesus and asking Him what we should do, how we should begin. And He will as us assessed the resources that we already have. So step two, inventory your assets. Step three, dedicate them to be used by the Risen Lord. Step four, ACT.

Someone once said that no one has all of the spiritual gifts but everyone has the spiritual gifts necessary to be faithful to Christ’s call.  I truly believe in what I call “The Mustard Seed Principle”. The Kingdom of God begins small and grows in God’s own time. So don’t thing that you can’t do anything. You can. Take the first step today.

Lord, do not let me be intimidated by the immensity of the problems in this world, in my community, my church or even my life. Remind me that You are there with me. Guide my steps and give me the courage to take the first step. Amen.

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Christian, devotion, faith, Presbyterian Church (USA), Romans, Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace Daily Devotion for May 19, 2017

Devotional Reading: Romans 14: 13-23

Text:  I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it is unclean. (v. 14)

I try to be conscious of other people’s feelings and sensibilities. While remaining true to who I am, I adjust my speech and behavior in different settings. It is kind of like knowing what to wear at any given occasion.  The Apostle Paul did the same thing. He wrote that he is “all things to all people”. Some criticize this as being “wishy-washy”, a chameleon Christian. But that is not at all what Paul meant. He was flexible enough to communicate in such a way that people could hear what he said. I do the same thing when I am invited to do an invocation or a closing prayer at a public event. I am true to my Christian faith while not being offensive to others from another faith tradition.

In his letter to the Romans Paul encouraged the community to be sensitive to the sensibilities of others. The problem was that some people who joined the community came out of a pagan background where meat was offered to idols. If they saw a fellow follower of Jesus buying meat from a pagan butcher, they may think that it was okay to practice their old way of life while following Jesus.

Paul said that while followers of Jesus are free to do many things, they must not do something that would cause another, especially those new to the faith, to stumble. We are one another’s keeper. We are responsible not only for ourselves but for others. That is what community is all about. That is what family is all abound.

400 years ago John Donne wrote his Meditation 17 which said in part that no one is an island “entire of itself.” We are connected to one another by our common humanity and more importantly by the cords of God’s love.

Lord, when the weed of selfishness sprouts in my wife, remove it from me. Each day let me be more and more conscious of you and drawn into the likeness of the Risen Lord. Amen.

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