Deaf Devotion 10/25/2010

“But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. And he shall judge the world in righteousness; he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” (Psalm 9:7-10 KJV)

There is much talk today about trust. What is trust?

The dictionary says trust is “reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence; confident expectation of something; the obligation or responsibility imposed on a person in whom confidence or authority is placed.”

The Bible is full of verses calling us to trust in God, in His Love, in His ways, in His protection. The word trust shows up mostly in the Book of Psalms. The Old Testament revolves around the Hebrew word “batach.” This means to act boldly with security. This is shown in Psalm 91:2: “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” (KJV) It is also reflected in the New Testament with the Greek word “pepoithēsis” which has the meaning of submitting with confidence. “We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 3:4 NLT)

This is all nice and well. But how much are we really willing to commit our trust to God? Before answering, consider these situations. Do we really trust the Lord when everything seems out of control and He appears absent? Do we commit our trust when He's called us to move in a certain direction that seems risky and does not seem to make sense? Or are we willing to trust when painful circumstances continue, making us wonder if the Lord really cares at all?

We all have times of doubt when our expectations of God are crushed by the reality of our situation. Many of us want to trust Him more but aren't sure how to do so.

In verse 10 of today’s passage David reveals that the key lies in knowing the Lord. Distance in our relationship with Jesus results in a lack of faith, but those who are in close relationship with Christ find it easier to trust Him wholeheartedly.

Whenever we are tempted to doubt, remember these three essential truths about the Lord:

He is completely sovereign. “The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.” (Ps. 103:19 NLT) God has everything in His control even when we can't see it or recognize it.

He is infinitely wise. “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” (Rom. 11:33 NLT) The Lord knows every side of the situation, the up side and the down side, inside and out. And every He knows every event past, present, and future.

He loves perfectly. When God came and met Moses, He declared His love for His people. “The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.” (Exodus 34:6 NLT) “Love and faithfulness” focused on whom? Is it Himself? No, His love and faithfulness is focused on you and me. Without exception, He always chooses what is best for us, even if it's not easy.

We grow in faith, not by trying harder to believe but, rather, by seeking God’s face in all we do. We trust the Holy Spirit will lead us to what God has planned for us. But we must submit with confidence knowing that God is in control and act boldly in all we do so that what we do exalts the name of Jesus Christ. This involves doing all we can to get to know Him--in particular, spending time in His Word and talking to Him in prayer. Then our trust in Him will grow as we learn that He never forsakes those who seek Him.

The early American Indians had a particular way of training young boys to become Indian braves. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, he was put to one final test. He was placed in a thick forest to spend the entire night alone. Up until then, he had never been away from his family and the tribe. But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken several miles away.

When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of a thick woods and he was scared to death! Every time a twig snapped, he would think that a wild animal was getting ready to pounce. After what seemed like an eternity, and the sun began to rise the next morning; the boy looked around and saw flowers, trees, and a path.

And then, to his complete amazement, he saw the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was his father. And he had been there all night long.

God is like that. Even when we don’t see Him, He’s there. He is faithful and true. He has promised, and He has kept His promise. He is our refuge in times of trouble, and we can trust Him on that.

Deaf Devotion 10/18/2010

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13 KJV)

Anyone who studies the way God does things soon realizes the way God does things is quite different from the way we humans do things. Worldly wisdom says that extraordinary people and abundant resources are needed for great success. But God often chooses the small and insignificant to achieve His purposes on earth. The King James translation of today’s verse uses the words “unlearned and ignorant” and at the same time there was amazement at Peter’s and John’s boldness in their testimony.

“Unlearned and ignorant” are not pretty, positive, or uplifting words in the English language. Most of us would be offended if someone said that about us. But let’s go back to the original language. The real context of this is that Peter and John were ordinary men with no special training in theology or spiritual things. Yet they spoke with authority, and the council “marveled.” This means they were amazed, even shocked. This is the same amazement the Pharisees had when Jesus at a young age was teaching the teachers in the temple. He spoke with an authority that only God can bring. This is the same amazement the Rabbis had when Jesus preached in church in His hometown.

Think about it. Jesus called a rather unimpressive group of men as disciples, yet after being filled with the Spirit, they literally changed the world with their testimony. During His ministry on earth, Jesus fed thousands with an unknown child's meager everyday lunch, and He viewed the lonely unnamed widow's two small coins as a greater offering than all the other generous offerings.

God specializes in using people who aren't naturally qualified to accomplish His tasks. Moses was an 80-year-old shepherd with a speech problem who brought an oppressed nation out of Israel. After Gideon hid from the enemy, God made him a valiant warrior. David was the overlooked youngest son who killed a giant with a small stone and became Israel's greatest king.

God isn't looking for impressive people. God is not looking for ability. God is looking for availability. He wants those who are willing to bow the knee in humble submission. Being weak and ordinary doesn't make us useless. Rather, it puts us in a place for God to show HIS divine power in our lives. He takes anyone at any level and takes delight in making them great to do great things for HIM.

The religious community during the time of Jesus was given to proud, conceited and snobbish attitudes. The Pharisees boastingly told Jesus: “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” (John 8:33 NLT)

Peter and John had for three and one-half years studied at the feet of the greatest Teacher in the history of the world but their demeanor was one of humility, grace and magnificent simplicity.

Have we ever considered that what we think is our lack of ability, talent, or skill is really the ideal setting for a great display of Christ's power and glory? If we are willing to submit to His leading and move forward into the scary yet rewarding territory of faith and obedience, He will do great things in and through us. We are called as “ignorant and unlearned” to obey, and then trust God with the details, not the other way around.

Deaf Devotion 10/11/2010

This week I am being called to write about faith and salvation. Salvation is already done. It happened at the Cross when Jesus said, “It is finished.” Faith, on the other hand is not a goal or a place. It is something which we cannot always fully grasp. It is total dependency on God. It is total acceptance of His plan as the roadmap for our lives. I’m not so sure this is always possible. Faith is a journey.

Here is today’s Bible passage in two translations:
“For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:5-7 KJV)

“For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong. And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:5-7 NLT)

Most times Christians generally associate faith with their salvation experience, and rightly so. By believing in Christ, we enter into a relationship with Him. But that's not the end--afterwards comes a lifetime of “walking” with Him.

Since the word “walk” is used to describe one’s behavior and the way we do things, we may mistakenly believe that after salvation, the Christian life is all about what we do and how well we do it. But today's verses clearly state that we “walk” with Christ in the same way we received Him--by faith. This means we place our trust in Him for every circumstance of life. To help us understand this, Paul uses some phrases which describe how confidence in God grows:

"Having been firmly rooted" or “Let your roots grow down into Him” --At the moment of salvation, believers are "planted" in Christ. Our roots grow deep as we anchor ourselves in the Lord, drawing our spiritual nourishment and our life from Him.

"Be built on Him" or “Built up in Him” --The believer's life is built on the foundation of the Savior through obedience. God wants us to choose precious and valuable building materials that will last into eternity. “Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:10-11 NLT)

"’stablished in your faith" or “Grow strong in the truth” --In time, as we begin to understand more about the Lord and how He operates, our trust in Him increases, and we experience stability even in the times of trouble. Jesus must increase and I must decrease.

In our goal-oriented society, it's easy to forget that “walking” in Christ is a really a process. While on earth, we never "arrive" but are slowly transformed along the way. As we trust the Lord, our hearts will overflow with gratitude for all His blessings and the strength He offers in every circumstance.

Living in our faith and living out our faith are two different things. We are called to live in faith that Jesus Christ, at the cross, finished the work of salvation for all mankind. We are called to live out our faith by living in obedience and surrender to God’s plan for us.

In the end these two verses challenge us to:
Grow downward by being “rooted” and anchored to Jesus Christ.
Grow upward by being “built up” in Him as Savior and as the Son of God.
Grow inward so that we can be “strengthened in the faith” and fully trust in Him.
Grow outward as we “overflow with thankfulness” because of His sacrifice that is fully pleasing to God.

Deaf Devotion 10/4/2010

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV)

Nobody gets through life without trials. Realistically, we are either in a storm, just getting out of a one, or about to enter a rough time. That is the bad news. Thankfully, we serve a good God who provides beautifully—especially during the dark periods of life.

If we are not in a difficult time, we more than likely will encounter one soon. Jesus promised that we will have many hardships in this life. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 KJV) And was He right!

As unpleasant as trials are, and as much as we do not like to admit we are in a time of trouble, there's still much reason for giving thanks.

Protection. God doesn't necessarily keep believers from suffering or disappointment. Stopping the storms may be our goal, but from His point of view, the hardship may be necessary to make us more spiritually mature. But the Father offers protection by staying with us in the struggle. Once we receive Jesus as our Savior, we are promised that God indwells us and will never leave. What's more, we have assurance that nothing can separate us from His love. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39) So our ever-present God walks with us through the hardships, providing guidance and speaking nothing but pure truth into the situation. The problem becomes whether are we paying attention to what God is doing in the situation or focusing on what we can do to get out of the situation.

Peace. While difficulties cause many people anxiety, believers have God's peace. This inner serenity does not depend on whether circumstances improve. Rather, it's a result of our relationship with Him. Our main focus shouldn't be on fixing the problem but on our dependence upon God.

As we recognize the Lord's provision during trials, we can genuinely express gratitude. Doing so will enable us to fix our eyes on Him rather than on our circumstance. We often don't know what the purpose is for each ensuing trial, but we do know that our God is good and trustworthy.

No one enjoys trials or hardships. But remember to express gratitude for God's hand in our life and the way He will use the difficult times to bring glory to Himself. Hardships are chances to trust our Creator and to know Him better. Of course, they are painful, but don't waste the opportunity to become all the Lord has planned for us.

Deaf Devotion 9/27/2010

On a personal level, I have been feeling “under attack” on many different levels. I know and feel that through all the attacks and uncertainty God will bring a breakthrough to something that is greater than I can imagine. And in the middle of the struggle and feeling of defeat, God will glorify Himself in what He does. It’s not about what you or me are going through. God already knows that. But God wants us to let go and let Him turn loose every power He has to draw us closer to Him. In that way God will use you and me to show His power. I may feel forgotten, overwhelmed and even discouraged. Being disappointed will happen. Being discouraged is a choice. But God is our rock, our anchor, and our salvation.

We can be disappointed in ourselves, with others, or with a situation that involves home, ministry, or finances. But that disappointment cannot drag us into discouragement. When we look at God’s Word, one clear example of this comes out: David.

To set this up, the Israelites were trapped against the Sea on one side and the Philistines on the other side. (By the way – did you know the name “Philistine” is the old name for “Palestine?”) The Israelites had all but given up. Their disappointment in their leadership, and in God, to some extent had led them to become discouraged and then unable to act. They were just too afraid of what would happen, could happen, or should happen.

“David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (1 Samuel 17:45-47 NLT)

Life's “Goliaths” come in all shapes, sizes, and strengths. It can be in the form of an unhappy relationship, a difficult job, a rebellious child, a pile of debt, an uncontrollable habit, and so on. David faced what appeared to be a problem too big to overcome. Like Him, we can gain victory through God's power, though we may "suffer and bleed" on the battlefield.

Notice that in verse 46 David declared victory over Goliath before the battle even began by declaring “Today the LORD will conquer you.” It was a done deal. But notice also that this did not stop the Philistines from advancing. They depended on their earthly “Goliath” to win the victory for them. They put all their confidence in the size and power of Goliath. But Goliath was a man. David had the unlimited power of God on His side. David knew his human limitations would not bring victory. David's confidence, on the other hand, was rooted in his past experiences. David credited God with protecting and strengthening him when he killed the lion and bear that had threatened his flock.

Furthermore, David believed he would triumph because he was God's servant. The boy had spent hours alone in the wilderness listening to God's quiet voice. Even a giant's discouraging shout could not shake his convictions about who the Lord was and what He could do through His servant.

David had practical faith habits. He spent time with God, which yielded a strong relationship. In turn, he responded to a problem with the certainty that he was a beloved child of God with full access to his Father's storehouses of power, courage, and wisdom. If David had a moment of doubt, he could recall his own poetic words about the Lord's great faithfulness in past troubles.

Our faith does not depend on the wisdom of men. Our faith depends on the power of God. Sometimes words of encouragement fall empty. Sometimes what others say to lift us up will fall short. But it is the faithfulness of God that will stand strong. I encourage all of us to practice David's faith habits. Spend time alone with the Lord, and keep a record of His work in our life. Then we can act in confidence that God is sufficient, no matter how big a problem looms. He gives victory to those who stand in faith and confront their “Goliaths.”

Deaf Devotion 9/20/2010

“He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.” (Colossians 1:17 NLT)

There is a song some of us learned as children. It goes, “He’s got the whole world in His hands. Red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight.” We sing about the Lord having the whole world in His hands. But do we realize what is more remarkable than that? He has the whole universe in His hands.

He's the One who spoke it into existence.
He’s the One who keeps it going.
He's the One who is going to fold it up like a garment and tuck it away in a drawer somewhere.
He has absolute power over it; He rules it, and He runs it.

When we pick up the newspaper and read something alarming, we don't need to panic. It is no surprise to God. That just says "Praise God, I told you so!" God is in control! He who flung the stars in space has the whole universe in His hands!

There is one name that is above ALL names in heaven and on earth: Jesus Christ. The more we realize who He really is, the more we will give Him the worship and praise He deserves. Let’s do that today! “Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.” (Psalm 34:3 NLT)

We tend to lose sight of what was done at creation. God as Father, Son, and Spirit existed before the universe came into creation. God as Creator, Son as the spoken Word, and Spirit as the motivator were present when the universe was called into creation with a single Word. God looked at each step in creation and said, “It’s all GOOD.”

-A single drop of water is filled with so many molecules that if each one was the size of a grain of sand, you could build a road a half mile wide, one foot thick all the way from New York to Los Angeles.
-The surface temperature of our sun is about 11,000 degrees. Fortunately, we are 93,000,000 miles away. -- Just the right distance for life on earth to be possible.
-The earth is tilted just the right way for us to have seasons.
-Right now we are spinning at a thousand miles an hour.
-At the same time we are flying around the sun at a thousand miles a minute. -- But we don’t even have to hold on because the Lord’s design is so perfect.
-Our atmosphere is 21% oxygen. -If it was 45%, then the first time there was a spark -- BOOM -- the whole earth explodes!

Think about our heart. It’s about the size of fist and weighs 12 ounces. -- But in 12 hours your heart will do enough work to raise 65 tons off the ground one inch.

All of these things and countless more give glory to the One who created us -- Jesus Christ! “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” (John 1:1-5 NLT)

What does this mean for us? It means that our God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is bigger than we can possibly imagine. Nothing is too hard for Him. It also means that God is paying attention to the smallest details of His creation. He cares about all of His creation. He cares about every person. As Pastor Bill Bouknight once said, “Every new baby bears the fingerprint of Christ.”

Give glory to God the Son! We give praise because He is the cause of all creation, and because He has the strength to sustain us. The common thread that holds all of creation together is Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the spoken Word of all creation, the reliable revelation of God, and the source of our salvation. But who is Jesus to you? Now is the time to trust in the Lord, follow the Lord, serve the Lord, and worship the Lord. Share His Gospel and lead others to open their heart to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Whenever we go to God in prayer, behold the greatness of God.

Deaf Devotion 9/14/2010

Pastor's Note: Please forgive my absence for a couple weeks. It has been full of activity preparing for the launch of Master's Hands Deaf Church (See update below). I thank each person involved in the hard work of preparing the building, assisting in worship and uplifting us in prayer as we start a new journey reaching the Deaf in our area. To God be the Glory! Great things He has done! -Pastor John-

Ahead with today's devotion:

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)” (Hebrews 10:23 KJV)

Let’s be honest. How often do we catch ourselves feeling "hopeful"?

“Hope” is one of those mysterious feelings. It sometimes comes across as an ”emotion” or “view” that we seem to know more when we don’t think about more than when we do think about it. It should not be that way, but it often is. Most times we may not recall the last time we felt hope-full, but we can probably remember the last time we felt hope-less.

Hope, often taken for granted, is nothing more than rock-solid assurance that what God has said is true and will happen. It will happen even when there is nothing except His Word to back up what He says He will do. Hope does not depend on a person’s circumstances. God says our hope is all about our relationship with Jesus Christ. With Jesus as Savior, we ALL have a place in heaven. Jesus said that in His Father’s house are many mansions. That means a place in heaven with your and my name on the door. (Mine has a Starbucks next door too!!!)

Seeing is not the same as believing. Hoping is believing! We walk by faith and not by sight. Hope is the knowledge and confidence that wells up as a result of our believing God. There's a fine line between the two, and one must take a close look to understand fully the difference. A person must believe before they can hope, and hope happens as soon as you believe. So if today we are walking confidently in our relationship with Christ, if we are at peace about today and the future, if Jesus holds the key to your and my future, we are full of hope. We are hope-“full”. When we are hope-“full” there is no room for doubt. A glass full of water will become full before it overflows.

What happens when we become hope-“full”? Our hope overflows and we tell others about the rock-solid assurance that God has a place for EVERYBODY in heaven through a personal relationship of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.

The Bible says to "hold fast” to the Hope, the assurance, and the promise we already have. It was finished at the cross. When Jesus died, the temple veil was torn. Heaven was opened and God is calling His children to come home through Jesus Christ. Stay hopeful by staying faithful, just as God is faithful.

When we hold fast, it means we are “unshakeable.” It means confidence. It means trust. It means assurance.

When we are “unshakeable” we:
1. Depend on Jesus Christ – It’s not about what we do. It’s about what Jesus did for everyone at the Cross.
2. Plan for Growth – We seek to be the hope-“full” person where the hope we already have overflows to others. It is the growth in a closer relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
3. Meet with friends – We have fellowship with others. We have fellowship with God.
4. Encourage others – Our community strengthens our faith. We see someone struggling we come alongside to encourage. We see someone rejoicing we come alongside and help them share their joy.
5. Stay connected - Too many of us are “off and on” or “hot and cold.” We plug in then we pull out. We’re like yoyos – up and down, up and down. The people who are unshakeable are the ones with the HOPE.

Hope means believing that God is in control when things are otherwise hopeless.