Daily Nourishment Needed
A full day with family surely has its rewards, Father, but we are all pretty worn out. Thank you for Your blessings and watchcare over our comings and goings.
Luke 11:3 (<<click to read the passage)
It is interesting how our physical bodies often parallel our spiritual bodies.
Water is essential to our continued good health. The standard rule of thumb is that we should strive to drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water each day, which equals about a ½ gallon.
The thing is, it’s not bad for you to drink more water in one day but it has to be throughout the day. Say that you doubled your water intake each day, spread out, you would be fine but if you drank that much water in a short amount of time, hyponatremia could occur. Hyponatremia is when there is so much water in your body that the sodium in your blood gets diluted and it could make you sick. Your kidneys can eliminate quite a bit of water each day – about 5.3-7.4 gallons, but the kicker is they can’t get rid of more than 27-33 ounces (that’s around four 8 oz glasses) per hour.
Today’s verse reads, “Give us each day our daily bread.”
It is important to realize that the sustenance we get from God is a daily thing – not an all at once thing. My study Bible* says,
We cannot store it up and then cut off communications with God. And we dare not be self-satisfied. If you are running low on strength, ask yourself, “How long have I been away from the Source?”
So many people think that they can stockpile all the spiritual nourishment they need in a single service on Sunday and they are good to go for the week. Yeah, we fill up on some good stuff in a good service of Word and song in our weekly time of corporate worship but it is of paramount importance that we attempt to nourish ourselves numerous times throughout the week – daily would be great, several times a day would be even better.
Right now, my goal is to provide some nourishment. You can also pick up and read your Bible. Listen to some uplifting spiritually oriented music. Pray – and not just before your meals. Read other faith-based literature – books, blogs, devotionals. Just about anything will be beneficial!
Water is essential but nobody in their right mind would try and drink your whole week’s requirement in one day, much less in one hour! Now obviously, no one has ever had adverse effects from experiencing a lot of Jesus, but it is so much more beneficial to spread it out.
He is the source of our strength. He is the source of our love. He is the source of our compassion for one another. He is the source of our forgiveness and grace and mercy and…you get the picture.
Each day we need to ask for our daily sustenance, and God faithfully fills us with all good things. Amen? Amen!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
June 8th, 2020, Mon, 9:17 pm
Cheez Wiz and Wafers
Thank You, Father, for the safety provided as we took care of somethings away from home today. As I come into Your presence tonight may I clearly see what You have for me. Amen.
Luke 11:2 (<<click to read the passage)
Several years ago, I worked in a Christian bookstore. At one point I was the supervisor over the Church Supply area. We had pretty much anything a church would need in basic supplies – bulletins, candles, anointing oil, choir robes, offering plates, communion trays, along with a couple of types of communion bread. We carried the little square pillows and we also sold the round wafers.
One day a lady came in asking about the wafers, so I showed her where they were. I will never forget what she said to me next! Wafers in hand, she very matter-of-factly said, “You know, these are great with Cheez Wiz!” I about fell over!
I realize that those wafers are made with common ingredients, but still! They are a part of a holy sacrament of the Church – set aside to remember the body of Christ as He gave Himself in our place to secure our salvation!
As I read the first couple lines of this very familiar prayer, another thing that should be kept holy – that quite often isn’t – came to mind. A portion of verse 2 reads, “Father, hallowed be Your name.”
Before you say, “That’s not right!” let me say that Luke’s version of Jesus’ exemplary prayer varies just a bit from that recorded in Matthew. It is Matthew’s version that most of us can recite by heart.
The point that needs to be made has to do with that phrase, “Father, hallowed be Your name.”
It used to be that most people were careful not to used God’s name in vain. And in case you have forgotten, it is one of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:7,
“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.” (NLT)
From an early age, I learned to not even speak something that sounded like God’s name! Even typing these words makes me uncomfortable, but they have become so commonplace in our world. Every day we hear words like, jeez, gosh, golly, Jiminy Christmas, and one of today’s popular ones is OMG! I can’t bring myself to use them – in my mind, they are just wrong!
And those examples are the mild ones! I cannot even begin to count the number of times that someone around me has literally spit out the name“Jesus Christ” and it had nothing to do with my Lord and Savior…it was used solely as a curse! God’s name is used in conjunction with other curse words for the same effect – I don’t think we need to be reminded that God’s last name is not damn! It is profane!
So, what does hallowed mean? It means to set apart. It means to keep and treat as holy and revere. What we need to do is to check ourselves. The mindset that it is OK to say things like these because – let’s say it together, “Well, everybody does it!”
Our God is holy. Yes, He loves us. Yes, His sacrifice to bring us back into right relation with Him is beyond our comprehension. It is of utmost importance, at least in our hearts and minds, that we set God apart from the mundane perverseness of our culture. May we treat Him and the Name we call Him, may we set them apart with paramount holiness and reverence. Amen!
June 5th, 2020, Thurs, 9:12 pm
Watching You
What a productive day, Father! Thank You for the ability to get my head together and to make some good progress both this morning and then this evening of Sunday’s sermon. You are the originator of it all! Praise Your Holy Name!
Luke 11:1 (<<click to read the passage)
Alright, this one’s a little more out there than normal. I will say that I enjoy all kinds of music and, though I don’t necessarily listen to it regularly, I enjoy country music, too. But first…
I read the first verse of Luke 11 and the first thing that popped into my head was how Jesus praying caught the attention of one of his disciples, prompting him to ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. Jesus’ example had an impact.
Whether we want to deal with the ramifications or not, people watch us. If it is known that we wear the name “Christian”, much of what we say and do is put under the microscope by those around us. Many want to see what being a believer looks like in us. And they can be impacted for Jesus…or against the faith we claim to hold.
I worked at Kohl’s for 18 years. I am so grateful that I am no longer there. But – and this is a huge “but” – I may not miss the job, but I so miss my friends, and truly I would count many of them as family. I have seen a few of them in the year and a half since I left but I’ve not seen enough of them. And those I have seen; our time together has not been nearly as long as I would have liked.
Right up front, people knew who I was. I didn’t crack anybody over the head with my Bible, but they knew Who I belonged to. I was by no means perfect, but I strove every day to be true to my faith by reflecting my Lord in everything I said and did. I got angry on occasion. I griped about leadership and working conditions far too often, but I hope, and most importantly I pray, that the life I lived before them, shown clear and bright with the light of Christ’s love.
Going back to country music…when I read that first verse and associated Jesus praying with the impact it had on his watching disciple, I knew I had heard at least one song about kids watching their dads and wanting to be just like them.
The song I found in my searching is one by Rodney Adkins, I have no idea where he stands in his relationship with God but I would dare say with a song like the one I’m going to share, he has to have a relationship of some sort. It’s fun but straightforward in communicating the good, and the bad, that we pass on to our children – because like it or not, they are watching.
Here is the official video for the song “Watching You” and for your convenience, I’ve included the lyrics at the end, as well.
Driving through town, just my boy and me
With a happy meal in his booster seat
Knowing that he couldn’t have the toy
‘Til his nuggets were gone
A green traffic light turned straight to red
I hit my brakes and mumbled under my breath
As fries went a flying and his orange drink covered his lap
Well, then my four year old said a four letter word
That started with “S” and I was concerned
So I said, “Son, now where’d you learn to talk like that?”
He said, “I’ve been watching you, dad, ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food, and grow as tall as you are
We got cowboy boots and camo pants
Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad?
I wanna do everything you do
So I’ve been watching you”
We got back home, and I went to the barn
I bowed my head, and I prayed real hard
Said, “Lord, please help me help my stupid self”
Then this side of bedtime later that night
Turning on my son’s Scooby Doo night light
He crawled out of bed, and he got down on his knees
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
And spoke to God like he was talking to a friend
And I said, “Son, now where’d you learn to pray like that?”
He said, “I’ve been watching you, dad, ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food, and grow as tall as you are
We like fixing things and holding mama’s hand
Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we, dad?
I wanna do everything you do
So I’ve been watching you.”
With tears in my eyes, I wrapped him in a hug
Said, “My little bear is growing up”
He said, “But when I’m big, I’ll still know what to do”
“‘Cause I’ve been watching you, dad, ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food, and grow as tall as you are
Then I’ll be as strong as Superman
We’ll be just alike, hey, won’t we, dad?
When I can do everything you do
‘Cause I’ve been watching you”
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Brian White / Rodney Adkins / Steve Dean
Watching You lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Universal Music Publishing Group
June 4th, 2020, Thurs, 8:00 pm
Priorities
Father, as I sit with You this evening, may I set aside everything that would distract me from You. Let me see only You. Let me hear only You. May I feel only You about me. Amen.
Luke 10:38-42 (<<click to read the passage)
Priorities. To some, setting priorities comes pretty easily, while others may struggle.
I was by no means a great student in my younger years. I would say that I was a good student but I was definitely not a great student. I probably could have been an “A” student, but I was content with a few “Bs” and, though I wasn’t happy with them, I recall a few “Cs” as well. I got by in high school and, really, without being an overachiever, I did OK. Not setting those kinds of priorities didn’t hurt me too much.
When I went to college, my lack of setting priorities, had a far greater impact on me. Again, I was an OK student, but I had a bad habit of putting things off instead of getting a head start on them, and then I had to pull all-nighters to get everything done. …and too often things still didn’t get done – at least not the way they should have.
I have improved with age (in my Adult Studies work for ordination and then the courses I took to pastor in the United Methodist Church I earned mostly As!), but sometimes I still struggle. Not establishing a good mindset concerning prioritizing workload at a young age, continues to nip at my heals in adulthood.
Mary and Martha (who, by the way, were siblings of Lazarus, the man Jesus raised from the dead) were friends and followers of Jesus. On this occasion, Jesus was on way to Jerusalem and Martha welcomed Him into her home.
As you may be aware, Martha was very busy and distracted with all of her serving responsibilities while Mary spent her time seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was continually listening to His teaching.
Husbands are guilty of this quite often, our wives are busy getting ready for company and we tend to be off in la-la land and don’t provide as much help as we probably should.
Interestingly enough, Mary chides Jesus to a degree when she asks Him, “Lord, is it of no concern to You that my sister has left me to do the serving alone? Tell her to help me and do her part.”
Doesn’t that sound like a mom? “Jesus, meaning no disrespect, of course, you’re keeping Mary from helping me get things around for You.” And she literally tells Him, “Tell her to help me and do her part.”
No offense is taken by Jesus, but He kindly reminds Martha of her need to prioritize. He says,
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered and anxious about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part [that which is to her advantage], which will not be taken away from her.”
Do we get so busy doing things for Jesus, that we get to the point where we aren’t spending enough time with Jesus?
Priorities are important throughout life. And if there is anything I have learned, spending time with Jesus needs to be at the top of our list.
June 3rd, 2020, Wed, 9:01 pm
Life Within a Burning Bush
(October 22, 2019)
A busy day outside, Father. Thank You for keeping me steady on the ladder cleaning gutters and for the energy and strength to complete the many tasks we needed to get done!
********
On the east side of our home, we have a burning bush. I don’t remember when we planted it, but it was some years back. It has thrived on the sheltered side of the house. It may be buffeted some by winds and weather, but it grows in a place where the house itself takes the brunt of most nature has to throw at it.
Another thing we are blessed with is a very healthy cardinal population around our home. They are beautiful birds with a distinct song that I can readily identify when they are around.
Well, this year a mating pair of cardinals have taken residence in the upper portion of our burning bush. I saw them flitting about and wondered and before leaves started filling in I could see the beginnings of a nest. At this point, if I look to the left from our living room window, I can just see the mother sitting on her nest. And even with all the branches and foliage, most often I can just see the orange of her beak. In the burning bush, unbeknownst to most who pass by, there is life! And soon there will be more life – three or four more lives – than there has been!
Early in the biblical account, there was a burning bush of another sort and it was full of life as well! The third chapter of Exodus tells us of Moses’ excursion onto Mount Horeb (Sinai) with the flock of sheep he was tending. Beginning at the end of verse 2, it reads,
Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”
That act would change his life forever for the beginning of verse 2 tells us that, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush.
The next thing he knew God was calling, “Moses! Moses!” and he replied, “Here I am!” He was commanded to take off his sandals for he was standing on holy ground. God identified himself and when Moses heard Him, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.
God calls each one of us, as well. Though today, because of Jesus’ sacrifice, God’s presence does not fill a flaming bush but fills our hearts…and they, too, can be set ablaze with the power and might of the Holy Spirit. And as Moses’ life was changed, ours is, as well.
Moses had all kinds of excuses and rationalizations as to why it was a bad idea to choose him for the tasks ahead. But God had made him and knew what he was capable of, and though he wasn’t perfect, he filled the job God had called him to, perfectly.
We may be hesitant about God’s ability to use us, but He can…and He will. Yield today to God’s calling on your life, for you, too, will perfectly fill the job God has called you to.
June 2nd, 2020, Tues, 7:19 am