Weekly Devotion

One of my closest friends since moving to our new home happens to have the same great taste in football teams as I do. Without mentioning any cities or mascots, I’ll just say, “Go Big Blue.” One important principle that many Jesus followers forget is the art of love. I’m not talking about food, vacation spots, TV shows, or even sports teams, I’m talking about loving the way that God commanded us and showed us.

One Christmas Eve, we were testing out a brand new sound system at our church. At the time, it was cutting edge. It was fully controllable by an iPad. The only problem is that the tablet hadn’t arrived yet. As the point person for the audio-visual, it meant that I had to control the soundboard and all the mics manually from a small room between the Sanctuary and the social hall. Since I couldn’t see what was going on during the service, I had to go back and forth to get my cues and put them into action.

The older I get, the less likely I want to learn from other people, especially younger ones. Yes I sound like a curmudgeon, but it happens to everyone. When it comes to learning more about the Holy Spirit in people’s lives however, I thirst for knowledge. God works through all of us differently because He knows what we’re capable of and where our weaknesses are. He knows what we will be as a finished product. So everyone’s story is equally interesting and powerful.

It’s funny when you run into someone who you haven’t seen since you were a different person. It’s surreal. I vaguely remember partying with this friend almost 40 years ago while we were in college. We weren’t particularly close friends, but we hung out in the same social circles. I can’t even say with confidence what we had in common back then. Our conversations probably stayed on the superficial level, digging into who did the best guitar solo, which football team was better, or who held the wildest parties.

Easter is the pinnacle of the Christian faith. All of the days in the liturgical calendar, even Christmas, point to Christ’s resurrection. Without our redemption from Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, none of the other days can stand alone. Our faith would be hollow without it.

When things are going right in our lives, we tend to be self-sufficient and put God on the backburner. Success makes us feel like we’re not only in control of our status, but we’re also responsible for it. A close relative of my wife spent some time with me this morning talking about her faith, her struggles, and her victories as a child of God. “When I go through bad times, it brings out His importance.” As we examined her responses to her life challenges that God puts in front of her, she added, “In my life, I try to praise him at all times. I pray about letting go, but it keeps coming back.”

For trust in God to be true, it must also be complete. When we trust in God with all our heart, it means to put away our own understanding and to choose to trust the one who created it all. It means to trust God’s understanding. The phrase “lean not” in this passage referred to relying on something with limitations. Too often, we look to our self-sufficiency and self-dependence for answers.

All the experts in social rules and regulations say that you should never discuss religion and politics at work or in formal settings. I agree with the political side of that equation. But, I also believe there’s a right way to talk about our faith with people in settings other than our immediate circle of friends and family.

There are those rare people in life who make you feel safe. Safe in your personal space, safe in your home and community, safe in your beliefs. People like this are confident, well grounded, and are almost always powered by very profound faith. Quite often, people with these characteristics are also quiet leaders. Like shepherds.

Have you ever had one of those days when you have to throw up your arms and just accept what is happening? No matter your plans, on this day, things just won’t be working out. Today was exactly that kind of day. There was no interview lined up for this week’s devotional, so I prayed to God asking what wisdom he would impart on me? I asked him what he thought I should write about and what we should learn? As I walked out of my office to grab a different Bible, James 1:7 flashed in my mind.