Archives: Watchword

A bit of scripture, short meditations and stories, prayers, news and maybe a touch of humor.

Psalm 46

WATCHWORD:

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake with their surging. 

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,  the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  Psalm 46 Continue reading

Self-Confession

WATCHWORD:

Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  James 5:16

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:5 Continue reading

Not My Fault!

WATCHWORD:

1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”  John 14:1-7 Continue reading

Sign of a Christian

WATCHWORD:

33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”   John 13:33-35 Continue reading

Let Go!

WATCHWORD:

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  Romans 1:16

 18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’ ” 21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Luke 18:18-23 Continue reading

Talking with God

WATCHWORD:

I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun!   Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah 43:19 Continue reading

What Is Love?

WATCHWORD:

16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So, we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?  1 John 3:16-17

4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people. Philemon 1:4-7
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The Greatest of These Is Love

WATCHWORD:

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 Continue reading

Adversity as Grace

WATCHWORD:

12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”  (Proverbs 11:31)  19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1 Peter 4:12-19

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What If…? Again

WATCHWORD:

3 “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. 4 I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam. 5 My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.” 6 With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:3-8 Continue reading

What If…

WATCHWORD

O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee  1 Chronicles 29:18

At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. Jeremiah 3:17

He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. Luke 1:51

 

Meditation:

What If…

Have you read anything by Charles Martin? Martin is an author of Christian fiction and nonfiction, devotionals and engaging storylines. One of his books that I have truly enjoyed is entitled What If It’s True? He makes a persuasive argument that God meant what he said when he said some of the things that may cause us to question.

The whole process of writing story is often based on what if… as a device that authors use to put together interesting and creative stories. I believe we have all played a game of what if… as we have grown up, and we continue to play it. You know, we fantasize, what if… there are no taxes to be paid. What if… pigs can actually fly? What if… dinosaurs returned and they were as friendly as golden retrievers and they know how to fetch all the good stuff. Sorry, childish.

Or perhaps this, what if… the Israelites obeyed all of God’s commandments and didn’t have to wonder for 40 years, but had gone straight to the promise land in about nine months? How would that have changed things? Or even earlier, what if… Adam had said to Eve, “You ate What? I’m telling Father.”

How about this, what if… Noah had been more discriminating and did not allow pairs of mosquitoes on board?  Or deadly snakes, or ill-tempered relatives?

What if… is a game and there are times and places for it to be played that pass the time and entertain. But at some point, in time, reality has to step in. Reality has this uncomfortable way of bringing us back to where we are and what is happening to us. Pigs can’t fly, taxes are coming due, dinosaurs only return in the movies. The promised land was earned, after the sinning generation had died off in 40 years. Noah did not discriminate. We have to deal with reality.

I don’t think God wants us to live in what if… or fantasy land, lost among our imaginings. Escapes from reality are just brief vacations and, maybe, they recharge us, give us energy to follow His will, if that is our commitment. But I don’t believe He wants us to live there.

Confession: “What if…” is a writer’s device in the creation of story. When my friend Mac McKinley writes stories for children, he starts with the what If…and ends with a moral. My book, A Life for Barabbas, is historic fiction. The historic part is where reality fits in, where research led me to facts about first century Jerusalem and what actually happened with the disciples. The fiction, or the what if… part, was to imagine how this man, Barabbas, might have behaved as a result of being touched by the crucified Jesus.

I don’t agree entirely with author Flannery O’Connor, who wrote that “Writing a novel is a terrible experience, during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay. I’m always irritated by people who imply that writing fiction is an escape from reality…”

For me, writing is creative. Those who see me from afar, it may seem like I’ve become a recluse, and escaped from reality, but writing is akin to my morning devotional times. Often the two are wedded together. This is when the light of God seeps through my “cracks” and becomes inspiration. The what if…s, often filter in with that light, and story-lines are born. Does that make sense? For me, writing is not an escape from reality, it is a deeper dive into reality.

Where does What if… fit into your relationship with the Lord? Don’t think “what if it’s true?”, instead acknowledge the source, the Creative God that put each piece in place, including you and me. Amen.

 

Closing Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your amazing power and work in our lives, thank you for your goodness and for your blessings over us. Thank you that you are able to bring hope through even the toughest of times, strengthening us for your purposes. Thank you for your great love and care. Thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you that you are always with us and will never leave us. Thank you for your incredible sacrifice so that we might have freedom and life. Forgive us for when we don’t thank you enough, for who you are, for all that you do, for all that you’ve given. Help us to set our eyes and our hearts on you afresh. Renew our spirits, fill us with your peace and joy. We love you and we need you, this day and every day. We give you praise and thanks, for You alone are worthy! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

Wisdom and Sense

WATCHWORD:

5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” James 1:5-8 King James

5-8 “If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.” James 1:5-8 Message

 

Meditation:

Wisdom and Sense

Sometimes when we read the Message version of the Bible we hardly recognize the…well, message. Sometimes, however, it speaks to us more clearly than, say, King James, even though it is James!

In King James, the subject of this passage is right up there in the first sentence: ‘If any of you lacks wisdom…’ Wisdom. In the Message, the subject is implied, ‘If you don’t know what you are doing…’ Yet, to me, the instruction in the Message is more straight forward on how to proceed, ‘Ask boldly (of God), believingly, without a second thought.’ In other words, have no doubts.

The truth is, it doesn’t matter which version we prefer, it is His Word we are to meditate on each moment of our lives. So, the subject of the passage is wisdom and its related cousin, common sense. Not surprisingly, many sophisticated and intelligent people lack wisdom and/or common sense, maybe both. Wisdom and common sense are closely related, wisdom being a gift from God, while common sense is the way we mortals apply God’s gift.

I guess another way of looking at it might be that wisdom allows us to find the truth in any given situation, while common sense provides the basis for sound decision-making, or judgment. Wisdom has an aura of the supernatural, something that is not manmade, but God given.

I can’t help but think that in today’s world, truth is hidden by bluster, relegating common sense to a rare commodity. We live in a dangerous world, starved for facts because we are faced with real issues, real threats and we need real answers. So, we turn to the Word, doesn’t matter which version: ‘If you don’t know what to do, pray to the Father.’ Or, ‘If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God.’

I know, that sounds just a little bit like God telling us to have patience. I am sure that you have noticed that “have patience” is code for “Trust God, or “Wait on the Lord”. So, wisdom says “patience”, while common sense seems to be saying ‘stay calm’ and we rather imagine God telling us, “I got this. You, chill.”

Looking for a little truth? Well, here is one. In faith, you do the seeking and God will do the speaking. He is the Spirit of Wisdom and will not tell you to do things that are unwise.” Amen.

 

Closing Prayer:

Loving God, your desire is for our wholeness and well-being.  We hold in tenderness and prayer the collective suffering of our world at this time. We grieve precious lives and homes lost and vulnerable lives threatened. We ache for our loved ones; neighbors, family, ourselves, standing before an uncertain future.

We pray: May love, not fear, go viral. Inspire our leaders to discern and choose wisely, aligned with the common good. Help us to practice social distancing and reveal to us new and creative ways to come together in spirit and in solidarity. Call us to profound trust in your faithful presence, You, the God who does not abandon, we lay all this at your feet, and pray in Your Name that Your Will be Done. Amen.