Looking for an earlier Watchword?
- Cost of Following Christ - Cost of Following Christ: Over the months, we have heard a great deal about polls and the census, and what they might reveal. George Gallup contends that fewer than 10% of evangelical Christians could be called deeply committed. Most of those who profess Christianity don’t know basic teachings and don’t act differently because of their Christian commitment. Fewer than 50% say they read their Bible once a week, or not at all. Being a disciple of Jesus can be hard. Salvation is both absolutely free and yet it costs you your very life. You receive it freely at no expense to you, but once you receive it, you have just committed everything you are to Jesus Christ. Absolutely free? Continue reading
- Jesus Prayer - Jesus Prayer: Several years ago I wrote a devotional where I listed a number of classics of Christian literature that were important for the walk of a Christian. One of the books listed was The Way of a Pilgrim. It was written by an unknown author, who tells the tale of a pilgrim wandering Russia sharing his beliefs and, in particular, the Jesus Prayer. As you read, you get the impression, that the author is that pilgrim on his own odyssey of faith. The story of the Pilgrim is our story, or, at least, could be our story. Continue reading
- Birds, Bugs and Weeds - Birds, Bugs and Weeds: I probably could’ve included sheep. Jesus liked to share parables, lessons and instructions from nature. Peter was in the process of being forgiven and I believe he knew exactly what Jesus was saying to him. It wasn't about sheep, but it was about being a shepherd. He was not saying that Peter was to convert to his own way of thinking, but he was saying see that followers of Jesus get nourished in the knowledge of him. Now about the birds and the bugs... Continue reading
- Where Is Your Sting? - Where Is Your Sting? Do we fear death? With some frequency, you may hear of people who, due to incurable illness, age, pain or loss of faculties, say they are “Ready to go.” They wish to leave this vale of tears. They may say they “long to be with Jesus”. I have a friend who is not in good health, has lost the spouse, and has expressed that very wish, to be with Jesus. This person has the will made out, funeral planned, all bills paid, insurance in place, and has said goodbye to those important in their life. I cannot walk in another’s shoes, or feel their pain, or know their thoughts. From our standpoint, it is hard to fully understand what is going on in their lives, or how their mind is working. The only gauge is our own, and the comparison is foggy, at best. Continue reading
- Keep Your Spiritual Balance - Watchword: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Thessalonians 5:16-17 So then, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you may do, do all for the honor and glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 Continue reading
- Thy Will Be Done - Thy Will Be Done: How do you pray? Do you pray as Jesus did: “If it be thy will, take this cup from me”, or do you skip the first part, about ‘thy will, and go right to the second, take this cup, this fear, this uncertainty from me. Lord, it’s uncomfortable. Help me. Is that us? In our desperation, in our inner discomfort, in our fear, do we make one last desperate plea to the fisherman, to Our Father who art in Heaven, or perhaps The Lord is my Shepherd? Of course, we do. He is our Father, our Lord and Savior, our Shepherd, the One we trust, the One we place all of our faith in. Continue reading
- This Very Moment - This Very Moment: This is the day the Lord made and I’m glad. Sure enough, just look at the sky! Oh, my goodness – Carolina-blue broken up with little puffs of white, lookin’ all the world like a Colorado mountain top. It must be close to 70° out, and the breeze, perfumed by fresh-cut grass, is heaven scented. I drive slowly out into the country with the windows down, taking in all this beauty, lovin’ every minute of it. But, that was a memory. As I write this the rain is pouring down, the wind is blowing and I just heard thunder. In my mind a rainy day has beauty of its own, often with just the touch of the rare ozone perfume. God never leaves us. We know that when we get up every morning. We may look out on a gloomy day, with hard work and difficult times ahead for us, but this is the day that God created just for times like that. This is when thankfulness floods our souls with peace and joy, knowing we are His. Continue reading
- Knock! - Knock! What’s next? The Lord God tells us, “You know what’s next, Mortals, knock!” I think it’s amazing, our Lord God has told us time after time, not to worry, not to fear, I will be there for you. You only have to seek and you will find. You only have to knock and it will be open to you. Yet we shake in fear for the future. We feel a sense of helplessness as we consider the evil occurring around us.Have you ever knocked? I mean really called upon the Lord when you did not know what to do, and did not know what to say, and it was frightening. Did you knock until your knuckles were bleeding, spiritually? Or did you fail to knock and later regretted that, later felt dirty because you did not ask of the Lord, and did not speak out. You let evil go by because you didn’t want to draw attention to yourself and now you have those second thoughts, those shameful second thoughts. What is wrong with us? Continue reading
- What’s Next?! - What’s next?! In the 1999 TV series, West Wing, there are multiple episodes where the President, played by Martin Sheen, after hearing all the discussion on a topic, asks the question, ‘What’s next?’ which signals the end of one topic, now is the time to move on to the next. What’s next? For the apostles, the followers of Jesus, and members of The Way, the temple is behind them. The tongues of fire and the wind is behind. What the Master had promised, the Holy Spirit, was now within them. Their brief time with Jesus on earth was over and, yes, they knew the lessons, the memories were clear; what they have seen and heard. But, now, there on that street in Jerusalem, the question: What’s next? Continue reading
- Favorite Passages - Favorite Passages: Proverbs 3:5-6 was a favorite of Glenn Hawkins, a long-time member of the men’s Bible Study group at our church. He spoke of how meaningful it was to him at especially difficult moments in his life. That testimony had an impact on my life and the lives of others. So, what is your favorite passage? What is there about those words that has drawn you? Does it bring you closer to God? Yes? When you consider those words, think of it as a prayer, a calling on your Father, the King of the Universe, your Lord and Savior, and that mountain that bothers you will move. Continue reading
- W W J D - WWJD: I'd like to pick up where I left off at our last Watchword, June 2, entitled "History Repeating?" The last sentence in that meditation was: “What would Jesus have us do?" So, this is what I think: Jesus said that the most important commandment was to love God with all of our being, and the second commandment was to love one's neighbors as ourselves. Jesus also taught us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. He was also explicit in his identification with those who are marginalized in society for he called them ‘the least of these’ and went on to say when you neglect them, you neglect Him. Clearly Jesus wants us to open our hearts to envelope everyone in his love. Continue reading
- History Repeating? - History Repeating? I've had reoccurring thoughts that comes and goes for the past several months. They’re bothersome thoughts, that if I gave them too much lead, it would cause sleepless nights. I hesitated to incorporate the focus of those thoughts in a devotional, so I tried to neatly put them aside and move on. Then, from another source, a nudge, a reminder, and I concluded that I’m dealing with a whispered message from of my Holy Spirit. As this year has unfolded it has become clear that the nation and the new presidential administration is going to have mass deportations of immigrants and refugees based on fear and bigotry against some of the most vulnerable residing in our country. Is this country acting in opposition to God? Continue reading
- Tough Stuff* - Tough Stuff: 2 Peter 1:5 - For this very reason, make every effort to ADD to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; Powerful little word, ADD, based on what follows. Look at all those behaviors as a way to build up your faith. That powerful little word means that we have to do something. There are times when we are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can. Did you get that? God will not do but we can. Oswald Chambers, in My Utmost for His Highest, makes the distinction clear: “We cannot save nor sanctify ourselves -- God does that. But God will not give us good habits or character, and he will not force us to walk correctly before Him. We have to do all that ourselves. That is the tough stuff that the Lord has told us we must do. In Philippians 2:12 God tells us that we must work out our “own salvation which God has worked in us.” The tough stuff. Continue reading
- That Terrible Day - That Terrible Day: That terrible day? Do you remember? Good Friday. That’s when our Lord and Savior, as he was dying, prayed the Prayer of Forgiveness. Do you remember what some of His last words were there on the cross? “Father, forgive them.” He was saying, “I forgive them and, Father, I ask you to forgive them and not to put this on their account, not to blame them.” His cry, his plea to God, was for us. Forgiveness is hard! No, it is impossible! There is no way to forgive and forget on our own. This is work that requires a partnership, you and The Holy Spirit. Continue reading
- Worry and Pride - Corrie ten Boom, from Clippings from My Notebook, “Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strength.” Worry. We do, despite our Lord telling us “do not worry”, we just go right on worrying. Or do we? Some worry is not worry. Right? We look both ways, twice, before driving through an intersection. We use caution on stairs. Some of us check the ‘Use by date’ on foods, just to be safe. Is all that evidence of worry? In this age of covid19, flu, and other viruses, we are reminded to get our shots, to keep ‘social distance’, all in the interest of keeping healthy. To not take those steps, recommended by science who know, is foolhardy. When you worry, God says, “You’re my child. Why are you acting like an orphan?” Continue reading
- The Light Within - The Light Within: Thomas Kelly, in his book A Testament of Devotion, has a chapter entitled “The Light Within” where he writes that deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul. It is a Holy Place, what he calls a Divine Center, where resides a speaking voice. It's that speaking voice that we sometimes call conscience, that we turn to, continuously, whether we are aware of it or not. Kelly goes on to say that the Light Within is what “illumines the face of God". That Light Within, according to Kelly, can fade, and can weaken, when we surrender to the humdrum of what we’ve referred to as the old normal. This we must guard against. Continue reading
- Failure To Respond - Failure to Respond: I just returned from California where my son took me on a driving tour through his neighborhood in Altadena where the fire had burned its way through so many beautiful family homes, both luxurious and simple, causing chaos, heartbreak and loss. What role should we play in responding to the needs of others? How do you understand the parable of the good Samaritan? What do you think Christ meant when he said go and do likewise? What do you think he meant when he said love others as he has loved us? Imagine yourself standing beside the still smoldering embers of what was once your life. What would you like your friend do to lift you up? Never underestimate the power of your voice, your touch, your extending of a hand. Continue reading
- It Doesn’t Matter - It doesn't matter: 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 straightforward on how to proceed, ‘Ask boldly (of God), believingly, without a second thought.’ In other words (King James), no doubts. Continue reading
- It’s Good News - The Good News: Your life will be richer if you take joy in the people you love and who love you back. We are in God’s classroom, and, whether you are attentive or not, you are learning your lessons. If you are like me, the lesson is not learned until the teacher beats you over the head with it time, after time. Take the lesson; “Love one another as I have loved you.” If we did that it would produce joy! We would be happy! We would smile at one another, etc. etc. And, Yet… Continue reading
- The Life… - The Life: We have considered "The Way" and "The Truth" in previous Watchwords, now for a perspective on The Life. What does it mean to be given your life as a reward, as promised in the Jeremiah prophecy? Is that an easy question? I think it is for those who have surrendered their life to Jesus and feel the power of His Peace. However, we do tend to worry about silly things, such as food, clothing, drink and that other "most important" factor; what other people think about us. These are the things that take us away from the blessings of our Lord. We whine, we are impatient, we display lack of trust in God, all because we do not see the graces that abound in our lives, and rejoice in them. Continue reading
