Weekly Devotion

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.

Dreams were Joseph’s big thing. To be more specific, interpreting dreams. He developed quite a reputation for his ability to make sense out of people’s convoluted dreams. Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph unsuccessfully so she schemed against him landing him in jail. His dream interpretations continued in prison. Two years later, Egypt’s Pharaoh started having troublesome dreams. Joseph was summoned.

Karma is a concept from Hinduism and Buddhism that loosely means “action.” It means different things to different religions, but it generally refers to cause and effect where every action a person takes will affect him or her sometime in the future. As a Christian believer, I’m not sure I buy that premise. God does correct us, sometimes for things we’ve done and sometimes to refine us. But if you believe in Jesus Christ, you know that He already paid the price for the sins we’ve done or will do in our life.

Money. It’s a topic that pulls a different response from each one of us. I have many shortcomings, but my biggest weakness relating to money is insecurity. It’s not wealth or prestige that seduces me, it’s the comfort of a security blanket or the shivering cold of not having enough. I realize this thinking requires constant correction. It shows a lack of trust in God’s provisions. Essentially, it puts Him second.

I’ve had many conversations about religion and spirituality with people in my life. I don’t always think fast enough to articulate my views effectively. Needless to say, I’m not the best Apologist for the Christian faith. A close friend of mine said it’s usually better to find a point of understanding and ask questions rather than blasting someone with biblical quotes or mandates. That would turn me off, and I’m a believer.

A few Aprils ago, my Mom was diagnosed with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer in April and she succumbed to the disease only three months later. She was a wonderful, loving Mom and an even better Grandmother known as “Goggy.” I gained my appreciation for the arts and a good bit of artistic talent from her side of the gene pool.

This week witnessed a sizable snowfall in parts of the Mid-Atlantic region. The storm especially hit Virginia at a bad time when traffic peaks around busy holiday weekends. Six tractor-trailer crashes and inadequate road crews couldn’t prevent what would happen next. I-95 was closed. Cars and trucks were stranded, some for over 24 hours, with no food, water, or fuel.

Merry Christmas! Did you know that for a large part of the Christian world, Christmas will be observed on January 7. This includes the Greek, Russian, Eastern Orthodox Churches, as well as the Coptic Orthodox church. A wonderful friend of mine, and coincidentally my next door neighbor, was kind enough to share his faith story for this beautiful holiday.

This sounds ironic, maybe hypocritical for me to write, but Christmas is about gifts. Actually, one gift. In society, Christmas is a time of celebration, good will, festivities, and gatherings. For believers, it’s when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Most scholars don’t believe He was born on December 25th