Looking for an earlier Watchword?
- Sunday, July 12 – Cradled in God’s Love - We are cradled in God’s love. Have you ever thought about that? God’s love surrounds us in so many ways, twenty-four hours each day, every week, every month, all the time. We talk about how our Lord is around us, within us. We pray to Him most every night. But, are we conscious of His presence? CS Lewis, in his essay “The Four Loves”, makes this statement about understanding the depth and the breath of God’s love:” We must not begin with mysticism, with the creature’s love for God or with the wonderful foretaste of God’s gifts in our earthly life. We begin at the real beginning, with love as Divine Energy. This primal love is Gift-love.” I don’t know fully what Lewis means by "Divine Energy", do you? Continue reading
- Saturday, July 11 – Baffling Call of God - I wonder if we understand even the basic meaning of words and phrases coming from God? I wonder if we have read too much into some of those phrases that we rely on, and, yet, we understand “none of these things”? Phrases like; “Pray without ceasing”, or “Lay down your life for your friend”, or perhaps a simple phrase like “Good works”. What is God telling us, really? God called Jesus Christ to what seemed unmitigated disaster. Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death. He led every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. We may not fully understand the meaning of the Resurrection, yet, God’s purpose is never man’s purpose. Do we need to understand all things? Or, do we simply need to worship Him? Oswald Chambers in the original edition of My Utmost for His Highest makes this statement: “There comes the baffling call of God in our lives also. The call of God can never be stated explicitly; it is implicit. The call of God is like the call of the sea, no one hears it but the one who has the nature of the sea in him..." Continue reading
- Friday, July 10 – Rehabilitation - Redemption – “The act, process, or an instance of redeeming.” That is the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of redemption. In theology, redemption is a metaphor for what is achieved through the Atonement. Okay, so that the death of Jesus pays the ransom, releasing Christians from bondage to sin and death. It is a completed process. The wife of a dear friend and colleague of ours is going through a process of rehabilitation. Or said another way, she is going through the means of being restored to normal physical capabilities. In a sense, we are all going through a process of rehabilitation, putting us in a right relationship with God, the one that God designed us to be, which is what Christ did in the redemption. Continue reading
- Thursday, July 9 – Support Group - Yesterday morning our men’s group was studying Genesis Chapter 26. We had a lively discussion, some on point, others not so much. Mostly reverent, some on the edge. Over all, we had an enriching time, learned a few things, and, because of the bond between us, openly shared. That is the beauty of our group and, I am sure, not unlike such groups you have been involved with. We all need that kind of support as we do our very best to walk with Jesus through this life. We can study the Bible, like Genesis 26, and learn about repeating mistakes, some handed down from generations, or simply not learning from previous errors. But, on the other hand, a person could wonder about the relevance of what happened between Jacob and Isaac, or Isaac and Abimelech, and how that applies to us, here and now, in our present circumstances. Continue reading
- Wednesday, July 8 – Christ Within Us - In my home I have a framed, rustic rendering of a variation of that quote from Joshua, “…as for me and my house, we will serve that Lord.” I have a prayer list that reminds me each morning of the names and faces of those I am lifting to the Lord, and my morning prayer always concludes with “Help me Lord to be committed to what you have placed on my heart.” In a basic sense, these are all just words, sentiments that are simply read and have little meaning, until the words are translated into the actual flow of everyday living, inspired by our faith in God. Randy Alcorn, in his book The Grace and Truth Paradox, dramatically describes the horror of what Jesus endured, from trial to cross, for us. Continue reading
- Tuesday, July 7 – Contentment - Contentment. Oh, my, what an interesting word. The Urban Dictionary defines contentment this way: “Contentment is true peace of mind and has absolutely nothing to do with any external pleasure or condition, but rather your attitude.” “All of Me” is a popular love song by John Legend that contains these words and sentiments: "All of me, loves all of you, Love your curves and all your edges, All your perfect imperfections, You're my end and my beginning, Even when I lose I'm winning." Isn’t that lovely? I especially like “perfect imperfections” which really sums up the key to contentment. Continue reading
- Monday, July 6 – Never Give Up - Renewal. This new normal that we have experienced over these past many months, took some getting used to, and maybe we aren’t completely adjusted to it yet. We can get weary of the absence of social interaction, the boredom of isolation, the whole act of wearing a mask, that seems so foreign to us, and yet so necessary now. All this makes us look longingly at the “joys we once had”. Somehow, we tend to want to just push ahead on our own limited strength, and only when our reserves are exhausted will we trust God. Often it is the crisis in our lives that brings us to that door where Jesus stands, waiting. God brings renewal into our lives by satisfying longing with good things, such as forgiveness and redemption, along with joy and humor. Continue reading
- Sunday, July 5 – People Person - Jesus was a people person. People were always on Jesus’ mind. Even while on the cross, where was his focus? People. The thief on his right, his mother and a disciple at the foot of his cross. Yes, His mind was on people. Long before the cross, Jesus was out there, where the people are. The sinners, the hurting ones, the possessed, the lepers, all of us. In Mark 6:34 we read “When Jesus went ashore he saw a large crowd, and he had compassion on them…” So many came to Him because they needed someone to have compassion, to see them as valued, to know that in the eyes of his Holy man, they existed. Continue reading
- God Bless America! - Cost of Discipleship, Part 3 of 3: God Bless America! Here it is tomorrow, and what about that Cross? We’re talking about the cost of discipleship, and who wrote the book on that? Oh, yes, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. What does he have to say about this cost, which is the cross we are to bear? “The life of discipleship can only be maintained as long as nothing is allowed to come between Christ and ourselves–neither the law, nor personal piety, nor even the world. The disciple always looks only to his master, never to Christ and the law, Christ and religion, Christ and the world. He avoids all such notions like the plague. Only by following Christ alone can he preserve a single eye. His eye rest holy on the light that comes from Christ, and has no darkness or ambiguity in it…thus the heart of the disciple must be set upon Christ alone…If the heart is devoted to the mirage of the world, to the creature instead of the creator, the disciple is lost.” Continue reading
- Cost of Discipleship II - Cost of Discipleship, Part 2 of 3: Let’s put the Savior verse Lord question on hold for a moment. I’m in the process of writing a story, based on the man in the above passage of Luke. So, I have the rich man, Caleb, walking away from his encounter with Jesus. He is sad and has this conversation with Rachel, his wife/girlfriend/partner (yet to be determined): “Caleb and Rachel watched Jesus walk away. The discontent that he had felt before was still with him. He was disappointed that this man, this Jesus, did not help him get beyond his lack of peace. What he said was confusing and he wasn’t sure it made any sense at all for him. How could he follow him, as Jesus had said? What did that mean? He had responsibilities, he had family, he had duties to perform in the synagogue, and he had others relying on him, counting on him, trusting him. It made no sense! Follow him? Indeed! Continue reading
- Cost of Discipleship I - Cost of Discipleship, Part 1 of 3: 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? I remember a story out of the sermon I heard years ago. The preacher was saying that a friend offered him a free ride in his airplane. He just got his pilot’s license and he was so proud of that accomplishment. If I accept his invitation for a free flight, I have just committed my very life to him. If he learned his lessons well and he flies safely, I’m safe. If he crashes, I die. Continue reading
- Slow Down - Welcome to July! Oh, I do not like the way these days, weeks, months move quickly through our lives. I want things to slow down, just a tad. Okay, having gotten that out of my system, on to the Meditation – The Pastor, sitting on the floor with a group of children, doing the children's message. He asks "What has 4 legs, scampers around on tree limbs, and has a big bushy tail?” No answer from the children. He offers a clue, "it likes nuts!" Finally, after a lengthy period of silence one small boy tentatively raises his hand and says -- "I know the answer is Jesus, but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me." Continue reading
- Busy Lives - If yesterday’s meditation was Part #1, focused on worshiping in our own homes and not being in in the formal worship service in church, then this is Part #2: What has happened to us as we have concentrated on the presence of Christ in our lives, sitting in the familiar confines of our homes? Recently I was reading a devotional by Joyce Meyer where she alluded to the busy routine of daily lives clouding our deep relationship with our Lord. She wrote that too often the motions and schedules and commitments and calendar overloads proves to be a waste of time. When those things carry little weight, then we can get to the real work of following Christ: The revelation that Jesus is alive within us, and then we allow him to change us into new creatures in Christ. In my conversations with many family and friends, and in my own experience, as the days turned into weeks, and weeks into months of our isolation, many of those things that we should’ve gotten to before the virus hit, have been put into good order. Continue reading
- Hurting Our Churches? - This morning, in the midst of our devotionals, I had this thought: When this pandemic is passed and we are free to worship within the church, what will our numbers look like? Will some of our families not return, or will others join us? During this pandemic, many have drawn closer to our Lord and Savior without the benefit of lectionary, hymns or sermons delivered in the physical structure of our church buildings. Many found the comfort of in-home worship, finding it to have a special flavor, a special meaning. It’s more than just the informality, the comfort of pjs, a warm cup of tea or coffee as we pray and view previously recorded worship services. Continue reading
- Jesus Prayer - In an earlier Watchword, possibly a month or so ago, I mentioned classics in Christian literature that were important for the walk of a Christian. One of the books I listed is The Way of the 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 he is that pilgrim on his own odyssey of faith. Here is part of that book related to the Jesus Prayer: “As I noticed that he was always in prayer and versed in the inward prayer of the heart, and as he spoke Russian perfectly, I questioned him on this matter. He readily told me a great deal about it and I listened with care. I even wrote down many things that he said. Thus, for example, he taught me about the excellence and greatness of the Jesus Prayer in this way... Continue reading
- Familiar Hymns - I suspect that we each get so much more from a worship service when we can sing familiar praise songs and hymns. I would go so far as to say that members of this network lean more towards the old hymns, the ones we grew up with, the ones that we loved as we learned to love Jesus. Personally, I love to worship in my Lutheran Church where we follow some traditions, Many we have memorized we don’t need the bulletin in front of us to follow along. I like the predictability of the lectionary with specific scripture passages in the season. But, I don’t have that same affection for some of the hymn selections. Hymns that I may never heard before in my memory, and can’t get my faith-teeth into the singing. Many of us mumble through those hymns when we should be praising our Lord with a ‘joyful noise’. Out of curiosity, I pulled up the 100 best loved hymns of all time. Continue reading
- Safe - Safe, Part 3: (Based, in part, on the essay, Safe, and the song The Prayer) How about those times when you are not plummeting to the earth from 14,000 feet, or on the verge of a medical crisis, or on that roller coaster wishing you weren’t, and things are good and you’re not scared, confused or lost? You know, when things are going smoothly, and you’re enjoying life. Or, maybe you have a decision that you must make, A or B, two good choices, but simply cannot make up your mind. While either is good, which is better? One way seems colored with service for others, while the other is one you favor. What to do? Continue reading
- Thursday, June 25 - Safe, Part 2: (Based, in part, on the essay, Safe, I published six years ago) Fantasy #1 – You stand at the open hatch of the of the Cirrus SR20. You had packed your own parachute, under the watchful eye of your instructor, and you are ready for your first solo jump. You are confident that you are ready, but your mouth is dry and your heart is beating loud enough to be heard over the roar of the engines. The wind buffets you, there on the threshold, looking down at farmlands nearly 14,000 feet below. You wait for the tap on your shoulder, then, without another thought, launch yourself out into the void. You follow instructions, and throw your arms and legs out, spread Eagle, to slow your descent, you let out a cry of joy and excitement; “You’re doing it!” Continue reading
- Wednesday, June 24 - Safe, Part 1: (Based, in part, on the essay, Safe, I published six years ago.) Safe. Such a little word. We know what it means in baseball and in banks. When we use it to describe our sense of presence, it strongly implies physical safety. It is a little like security, but a bit closer to peace. Safe. David Foster and Carol Bayer Sager have written a beautiful, special song, “The Prayer“, which captures the meaning and importance of a spiritual presence, which, by its very nature, is part and parcel of being “safe”: I pray you’ll be our eyes, and watch us where we go, and help us to be wise, in times when we don’t know... Continue reading
- Tuesday, June 23 - Spiritual insight through the minds and the pens of Oswald Chambers and Dietrich Bonhoeffer -- From Oswald Chambers: “When Paul received his sight, he received spiritually an insight into the Person of Jesus Christ, and the whole of his subsequent life in preaching was nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified. No attraction was ever allowed to hold the mind and soul of Paul, save the face of Jesus Christ. We have to learn to maintain an unimpaired state of character up to the last notch revealed in the vision of Jesus Christ. The abiding characteristic of a spiritual person is the interpretation of the Lord Jesus Christ within himself, and the interpretation to others of the purposes of God. This is the one concentrated passion of the life in Jesus Christ. Whenever you meet this characteristic in a person, you feel he/she is a person after God’s own heart. Continue reading
