Deaf Devotion 11/26/2010

I will be honest. You would expect nothing less than that from any person, right? I try very hard to keep the devotions focused and that anyone can use for their personal situations. Sometimes my own feelings and thoughts collide with that and overflow so I write devotions to preach at myself too. Today is one of those.

I have been struggling with some issues in my so-called “life.” Things are not going exactly the way I would like them to go. Maybe I am experiencing my own mid-life crisis. (Don’t worry. I am not going out to buy a motorcycle!) Things are not happening the way I want them to happen nor are they happening fast enough for me. I ask God, “Why?” “Why not?” “When?” God responds with an answer that says that it’s not about what I want or what I expect to happen. It’s all focused on Him and His plan and purpose for me and the purpose for which HE created me. Still sometimes those words seem empty.

Do I need “more faith?” I thought I was faithful in quiet confidence. What is “more faith?” I pray my faith stays strong while at times it seems difficult and at other times seems not to make sense.

”All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT)

God's care for us extends to the smallest and most hidden details of our lives. He knows when His children hurt and longs to offer comfort “Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering. (Isaiah 49:13 NLT)

The Lord's compassion is personal, continuous, and always available. We receive His comfort through the Holy Spirit, who lives within us. There is no situation or time when He is inaccessible to the believer. We can be consoled and reassured at any time, day or night.

Consider how the compassion of God was demonstrated through Jesus' life. He interacted even with the "untouchables"—people whose bodies were infected with a contagious disease. And no sickness of ours will prevent Him from caring for us.

Jesus had compassion on people with medical conditions. He not only healed them physically but also gave an even greater comfort. Each and every time He gave new life through the forgiveness of sins. And while our infirmities may remain, the Lord lovingly strengthens us to carry on into the future.

And what about the messes we get ourselves into? Peter's betrayal of Christ was met with forgiveness. Thomas' doubts were answered by Jesus Himself. Our mistakes won't stop Him from loving us. Even to His enemies, Jesus left the way open for repentance.

God's comfort and care are adequate for anything we face, whether it's declining health, insufficient finances, or family trouble. Then, once we've experienced His consolation, we are to become bearers of comfort to others. People everywhere are in great need of His compassion.

Whenever feelings of low self-worth threaten us with discouragement, we need to rely on the truth of God's Word rather than our emotions.

“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10 NLT)

“A Chosen People” – God chose you and me to be part of His kingdom and family because He wanted us. No one who has been specially selected by almighty God can call themselves insignificant or even forgotten.

“A Royal Priesthood” – As believers, we are children of God and, therefore, part of a royal family. In other words, we are "heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ." (Romans 8:17 KJV) Just as Jesus fulfilled the roles of both king and priest, so God has also entrusted us with priestly responsibilities of worship and intercession for others.

“A Holy Nation” – The church—or body of Christ—is a group of people who are holy, which means "set apart" for God’s specific plan and purpose individually. Our lives are never meaningless, because living for the Lord is the greatest purpose one can have.

A People for “God's Own Possession” – You and I are the personal possessions of God. He so values each of us that He sent His Son to die in our place in order that we could be His.

Each of these descriptions shows the high value God places on us. Satan may whisper lies of condemnation and criticism, but he can't change who we really are. Begin today to demonstrate the truth of Scripture by remembering our real identity and living out our high calling from the Lord.

God gives to us so that we can give to others. God comforts us so that we can comfort others. The Christian life is about loving, giving, caring, comforting, etc. How can we help hurting people? How can we help one another? After all, we are to love one and bear one another’s burdens. What can we do? We don’t know what to say or how to pray or what to do.

I’m convinced that there are many people in the world who are hurting unnecessarily because they refuse to turn for the source of all compassion and comfort. Here’s the hope for the hurting this morning: when there is discouragement and hurting, and comfort is what we seek, go to the source. There’s only one source, and that is God.

He is called the Father of compassion, and the God of all comfort. God wrote the book on compassion and comfort, because He is the creator of it. That is the best self-help book one could buy.

Deaf Devotion 11/19/2010

“Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22 NLT)

God's grace has no limits. This is an easy statement to make. But do we really understand the meaning of “no limits?” Wherever we go God is already there. If we are worried about the future, God is already there. Whatever trouble we experience God is right there with us.

If we think of God in heaven, remember God is everywhere. If we think God is Wise, remember there is nothing that God does not know. Whatever problem we have God is bigger and more powerful. His name is the name above all names. The depth of His love is so great we cannot copy it here on earth.

His mercy can reach the darkest part of our hearts. What's more, the forgiveness Jesus completed on the cross stretches back to earth's first day and projects forward to its last. Christ not only erased our past, present, and future sin; He also paid for the wrongs of every generation.

When the ancient Israelites brought a goat or a lamb to the temple for a sacrifice, they placed their hands on its head and confessed their sins. The priest then killed the animal and sprinkled some of its blood on the altar of atonement. The ritual symbolized a person’s payment for sin. But that is all it was, a ritual, a habit, a tradition, or a procedure. The problem was that the lamb could not actually take on the sin and die in place of the Israelite (Heb. 10:4).

If an animal's blood could actually bring forgiveness and erase a sin-debt, you and me would still be offering those frequent sacrifices in a temple, and Jesus' death would have been unnecessary. Yet we must remember that, though the act itself had no saving power, the ritual of sacrifice was God's idea. He established such offerings as a powerful image of the seriousness and penalty of sin. The act of sacrifice also pointed to Christ's perfect sacrifice and death on the Cross for you and me and the salvation He offers.

Modern believers practice certain biblical rituals too. But God does not forgive us through prayer, Bible reading, or even the act of confession. Like the Israelites, we must also look to a lamb—the Lamb of God. When we receive Jesus' sacrifice for our sins, we are forgiven forever.

It is only through accepting Jesus Christ as Savior that our debt is paid in full and the payment was made at the Cross one time for all people.

If someone or someone we know of doubts that God has forgiven them, make it right immediately.
If someone or someone we know of needs to hear the truth of the Gospel, tell them now.
If someone or someone we know feels that they are unworthy or unable to be saved, remember that God loves us so much and thought us important and worthy enough that He sacrificed HIS OWN Son once and for all to forever erase the sin-debt we owe Him.

Right now stop and praise God for His unlimited grace and mercy. Exalt Jesus Christ the sacrificed Lamb of God who gave His life so that you and I can have eternal life. That’s forever. That means a future with no limit. And God is already there. Amen.

Deaf Devotion 11/14/2010

“Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.” (James 1:17-18 NLT)

There is a saying that says, “The more things change the more they stay the same.” We live in a changing society. A society that says:
If you don’t like yourself, change.
If you don’t like your job, change.
If you don’t like your wife or husband, change.
If you don’t like your church, change.
If you don’t like your God, change.

But, Praise God James says GOD DOES NOT CHANGE

God's character is often distorted and changed by the world. To those who do not know God, or those who say there is no God, He can appear as a harsh ruler who is quick to condemn any act of disobedience. Or He is some mysterious being who holds out salvation as a prize only to be taken away or lost the next time we make a mistake. Somehow that false view has infected our churches as well. There are believers who approach the Lord as if He were a stingy old man who gives out bits of love, grace, and forgiveness when things are good and then turns His back and disappears when things go wrong. But spiritual poverty is not the Father's plan for His children!

At salvation, God gives and we receive every good gift that God intends to give us: forgiveness, redemption, righteousness, a place in His family, and a room in His house, access to His richness and wisdom, and so much more. There is a mistaken notion among some believers that the Lord's grace to us increases as our faith matures. If that were accurate, we would be earning His blessing though works. The truth is that spiritual growth makes us better able to recognize and enjoy His grace in our lives.

Sadly, plenty of people feel unworthy to enjoy the Lord's blessings. Thankfully, we do not have to earn His goodness, because none of us would be able to do so. In fact, Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV underscores the fact that God operates on the basis of His grace rather than our works. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Think of how big, wide, deep and limitless is God’s love. We are His masterpiece. His best work. He honors, blesses, and showers us with grace because He wants to, not because He must, and not because we earn it.

Our heavenly Father is so generous. He opens His hand wide to pour out grace upon us. Instead of sampling meager bites of His Word and His presence on Sunday, we ought to devour whole "meals" every day. Follow the psalmist's advice to "taste and see that the LORD is good." (Psalm 34:8)

Praise and thanksgiving be to the Lord our God for all His countless gifts and blessings. Amen.

Deaf Devotion 11/02/2010

“O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do.” (Psalm 71:17 NLT)

Today is Election Day around the country. Have you noticed? Does it stir your heart to do something? Have you voted? If not, why not? If not, get up and go. Many people are saying this will be an Election Day to change history. It seems to be the same thing they say every two years. Some people say, “Well I am one person and my vote will not matter.” “I don’t have time.” “Why vote? Nothing will change anyways.” These excuses are sad, but people have actually said them.

Satan wants us to forget one simple truth. One thing is missing. We tend to forget that many men and women have given their lives so you and I can have the freedom and the right to vote. To not vote is to say all these heroes have died and their families sacrificed for nothing.

One of the things Brenda and I dislike about voting is the group of people who stand outside handing out papers and stuff about their candidate. You must go through them to get in to vote. Today was different. There was a group of people there representing several different candidates. None of them tried to hand us a pencil, a pin, or even a piece of paper with someone’s name on it. What happened is that when we were going in and coming out someone in this group shouted simply, “Thanks for coming out to vote!” That impressed me.

Understand when we do not vote because we do not feel like it or because we don’t think our vote matters or makes a difference actually dishonors God. God established government in the post-flood era with the family of Noah. They messed it up then, and because we are all sinners, it is still not a perfect system today. But in the end it belongs to God. The only perfect system of government is that which God lays out in His Word.

We need to understand that voting is a way for God to show Himself mighty and powerful through the votes HIS people cast on Election Day. Only God through HIS people can bring about the change HE wants to see.

Understand that Satan is on a killing spree. He wants to kill our memory and wants us to become forgetful, so that we will not remember our Christian heritage as a nation. Tragically, he’s aiming his artillery at our children, and particularly in the place where they used to grow, mature and become the future leaders of this country: The Schools.

Prayer is out. Police are in.
Bibles are out. Political correctness and tolerance is in.
The Ten Commandments are out. Social programs and trusting the government for everything is in.
Creation is out. Evolution is in.
History is out. Rewriting history to match a political agenda or “revisionism” is in.

God says we need to remember the generation to come. That is our children. Do we want children to not care about the future or think that the government will take care of it? No, the answer lies in today’s verse. “O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do.”

The universe as we know it and everything in it, leaders and followers, time, space, the past, the present, and the future are all in God’s hands. That includes voting and the right to vote. Let’s think about God as we vote. How would He view our choices? Would our choices show what God has taught since our birth? This is not an easy question. It does not have an easy answer. It requires prayer. It requires seeking God’s wisdom in voting, and not the wisdom of a newspaper writer, or a person on CNN or Fox.

I do not support politicians going into a church and speaking anything other than God’s Word. I will not use this devotion as anything other than that for which God wants it used. Today when we vote, let God lead our hands as we mark the ballot. “O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do.” Let our votes show what God has taught us.

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.