Weekly Devotion

The crescendo from “Christ the Lord Has Risen Today” still brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. It’s not just the melody, the trumpets, or the words of the Hymn that creates the emotional experience within me, it’s the power of it all. My Mom was not a big churchgoer and yet she used to look forward to hearing the song at Easter. I will look around to make sure no one is looking because I’m often too overwhelmed to sing along.

Most agree that there have been 5 Great Jesus Revivals in our history. The Jesus Movement, or the Twentieth Century Revival, is the one we might be most familiar with. It’s where the term “Jesus Freak” came from. Originally intended to reflect a positive light on people using spiritual gifts, Bible studies, and workings of the Holy Spirit in the modern world, eventually was hijacked by a subculture of the hippie crowd who focused on pacifism and universal love.

I’ve been wanting to get to know one of my neighbors better for a long time. We have always enjoyed good conversations at community gatherings and have even been in his boat a few times. He’s not as much of an extrovert as people claim I am and even though I know he’s a believer, he’s so quiet about it, I was curious about knowing more of his story. A while back, I asked him if he’d mind sharing his faith journey and in his always agreeable way, he said he would be glad to.

\Every morning before I read a single email, I spend quiet time in God’s word. One day this week, it began with Psalm 130, one of the seven Psalms collectively known as Songs of Ascents. The Psalm begins with a lament and ends with rays of hope that come from waiting for God. For some reason, the Psalm didn’t spiritually move me. I felt flat. It was either a lack of focus or a hardened heart that day. I was really disappointed with myself. Next, I went to read the day’s devotion.

Christian author and speaker, Joyce Meyer, once wrote that, “Anger is not a sin—it is what you do with it that becomes sin.” It sounds so logical doesn’t it? This thought is echoed through both the Old and New Testaments. Ironically, there are many things in the Bible that are implied but not declared. Anger, however, isn’t one of those things.

A very close friend of mine recently encountered this situation in his life. Some day, all of us will have to make a choice about moving, taking a new job, agreeing to terms, or staying put in our lives. Each scenario comes with its own set of reasons and for different people, the answers fit differently. After the Israelites had endured 400 years of horrible torture and slavery, God led them out of Egypt. Whatever gratitude they had towards God didn’t last.

Nearly ever world religion and Christian denomination believes in some form of salvation from God. Most also believe that this salvation is a gift from God. A major split happens when we dig deeper.

My run this morning took me on a sandy trail that skirts along a mile of beautiful shoreline. This stretch comes with different turns and views offering tall pines on one side and a blue lake on the other. At the start of my run, the wind was in my face so by the time I reached the lake, it should have been at my back. It wasn’t. It was in my face. A few hundred yards along the lake trail I had turned enough so that the wind was diminished. Then, unexpectedly, it was in my face again. Some people believe that God can speak to us in the wind. Our life has lots of turns and twists and God will speak to us at different times and different ways.

Tuesday of this week, I had a strong idea of what this devotional would be about. Since that time, the world has been thrown into a dangerous fireball. No matter what we think our plans are, God’s plans will prevail. In this case, both personal and global events didn’t change my original intent.

There’s a pastor I’ve been listening to for at least 15 years. He has a sizable library of sermons from a multitude of churches where he has served. His messages have always provided me a source of truthful inspiration. I have quoted him in conversations, in church, and in small group meetings.