January 21 ~ 1 Corinthians 15:58
With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Have you ever been involved in an effort or project that just seemed to go nowhere? Have you felt like throwing in the towel – or maybe you did just that? We’ve all been there, and there is no shame in “changing gears” if you feel God is leading you to do so. But what if you feel you are stuck in something that is going nowhere, but you don’t feel God leading you to move?
Whatever challenges come, we must remember that anything we do as Christians – any time we spend on a certain project or task – has merit in God’s kingdom, if we are doing it in a spirit of service and witness. So if you started a Bible study and only three people (including yourself) attended regularly before you disbanded, then three people were blessed and fed from God’s word. If you checked groceries at a local store and were courteous and kind to customers, you were sharing God’s love. Something as seemingly mundane as keeping a clean house for your family – or keeping the family vehicles in repair and running well – or even taking out the garbage! – can bless God as you serve others.
I don’t know your station in life. You may be a student, a single mom or dad, a single person getting started in a career – or seeking a job to pay your bills, a newlywed navigating the waters of a new marriage, a retiree trying to stretch your pensions, or even a minister or church leader. It doesn’t matter. Whatever you do, remember this passage. Ask yourself two questions… 1) am I doing this in a spirit of service to God, and 2) are my efforts a blessing to Him? If the answer to these questions is “Yes,” then your time has been well spent… and God has used you to further His kingdom.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 20 ~ 1 Corinthians 1:7-9
Just think — you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Adventure… now there’s a word for today. As we inaugurate a new president, we wonder what the future holds for our country – and even for the world. Regardless of our political leanings, we can all agree that there are a lot of uncertainties in today’s world. One way or another, we are all touched by the economic crisis. We may not have lost our job, but we have paid higher prices at the stores and the gas pump. We may not be hungry or homeless, but we have all seen the news stories of those who are – or who are one paycheck away from such devastation. War ravages many countries, and global warming is changing the composition of our earth.
And yet we have reason to be hopeful. We have reason to look toward the future and consider the “adventure.” Why? Because of God’s gifts. The reason we will survive does not rest with our president, our congressmen and senators, or any one world leader or organization. Our future rests in God Almighty, Who never gives up on us. It is because of God standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us and keeping us steady and on track that we can face each day with confidence and courage.
No matter how hard things get… no matter how low the stock market sinks or how high prices go, God will be with us to help us navigate the waters. I don’t know about you, but this excites me. God will NEVER give up on us, so how can we give up – on Him or on life in general? Change IS in the air today… and regardless of the outcome, God will be with us. With Him on our side, there is no way we can fail! Sometime today, stop and thank God for loving us – and for all of His good gifts, especially His Son, Jesus Christ!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 19 ~ Romans 8:31-39
So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Nearly every one of us has encountered a troubling situation or a “bully” of sorts at some point in our lives. Maybe it was a classmate at school – or maybe it was an overbearing boss or coworker – or maybe it was a family member. Regardless, you may have felt a range of emotions from sadness to frustration, loneliness and/or total hopelessness. This person’s actions may have hurt you deeply. You may even be experiencing some of these emotions now due to circumstances in your life – “bully” or not.
What I want to emphasize to you today is the sentence that says “None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us.” I want to turn this around and also emphasize to you that none of this fazes Jesus, and He is the only One who matters. So if it doesn’t faze Jesus… if it doesn’t alter how much He loves us or how He feels about us… why should it bother us so much? “But you don’t understand… I was really hurt!” you may say. I am sure you were. But what I am saying is that there is no attack that can come upon us that God doesn’t understand. There is nothing that separates us from the love of Christ, and He is always with us! Doesn’t knowing that make a difference? Doesn’t embracing this passage give you hope even in a dark time? Doesn’t this give you renewed confidence and courage?
I was profoundly struck by the verse that said that Jesus – the One who died on the cross for us – stands before God at this very minute on our behalf. WOW! It was more than enough that He died for us… but He continues to go to bat for us. He continues to stick up for us and to fight for us. Now, if He is willing to do that for us before God, surely He can help us overcome our everyday battles. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ… with Him on our side, how CAN we lose?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 18 ~ Romans 8:29-30
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
There used to be a show on AETN where a man named Bob Ross painted scenic landscapes – an entire painting in thirty minutes. Mr. Ross is now deceased, but he perfected a method of painting that he taught to countless other people, and many became followers – and teachers - of his method. Bob started with a blank canvas that he would paint one or two solid colors, such as blue on the top two thirds, and green on the bottom third. From there, he would add mountains, trees, water, and maybe even a little house or a small animal. He used a palette knife to add bark to trees and rocks to creeks. And more than once, he made a mistake, and he would laugh in his velvety soft voice and say, “that’s just a happy accident.”
Bob Ross was known for his “happy accidents,” and they didn’t upset him. He knew before he ever put the first drop of paint on his canvas that things would not go as he hoped, but in the end, the painting would be beautiful. He took the slips of the brush, the wayward tree or the miscolored rock and turned them into something unique and interesting to give his masterpiece character.
And in the same way, we Christians are all often God’s “happy accidents.” He planned for us long before we were born. He chose us, and He wouldn’t wipe us off the canvas and start over for anything. But we are not perfect, and often we do or say things that are not what God would have added to his landscape painting. But He works us in… He covers the sins over in His infinite grace and mercy, and He keeps working on His masterpiece.
I cannot begin to put into words how grateful I am that God doesn’t give up on me. I am so humbled, honored, and BLESSED that He will stick with me until my “landscape painting” is completed. I am amazed that He loves me enough to want me to join him in heaven for eternity – to “hang my painting” in His house, so to speak. I praise God for loving me so generously. I thank Him for sticking by me and working out a way to cover over my “accidents/sins.” I am grateful that He has called me by name, and I am doing all I can to be who He has called me to be in Him. What about you… how is YOUR “painting” coming along these days?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 17 ~ Romans 2:5-8
You're not getting by with anything. Every refusal and avoidance of God adds fuel to the fire. The day is coming when it's going to blaze hot and high, God's fiery and righteous judgment. Make no mistake: In the end you get what's coming to you — Real Life for those who work on God's side, but to those who insist on getting their own way and take the path of least resistance, Fire!
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Have you ever been to an Ash Wednesday service where the pastor gave you paper and a pencil and asked you to list your sins? Then one by one, each person in attendance dropped the papers into a fire pit and burned them, signifying that through Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven and scattered like dust. Most likely, the pastor took the ashes from that fire and mixed them with oil to mark your forehead afterward with the sign of the cross to symbolize this.
One Ash Wednesday, I remember the fire grew rather hot. We were indoors, and the smoke rose and swirled through the sanctuary… and it even burned our eyes a little. As I read this passage and thought about the sins of those who will refuse to believe in Jesus, I was saddened. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to think about hell and its fires. I don’t like to think of God - my Heavenly Father, my protector, my all-powerful, all-loving, all-knowing Comforter – as fiery and punishing and condemning ANYONE to the furnaces of hell. But I recognize that MY God is also a just God… and jealous. While my God is the God of second chances (and third, fourth and more), in the end He will not stand for those who choose Satan over Him.
Satan’s ways may seem fun, exciting, and easier – and some would argue that his ways are more loving… more “all-welcoming.” But this is not what the Bible tells me. Matthew 11:28 says “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.) That sounds welcoming to me! This is the God I want to serve. I’m convinced that following Jesus and working for Him will bring me Real Life and an eternity in Heaven. I’m betting there will be campfires there, and I enjoy a good campfire as much as the next person. But I also have the option to move away from a campfire if I get too warm. That sort of “fire” is the only kind I care to experience… how about you?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 16 ~ Acts 14:21-22
After proclaiming the Message in Derbe and establishing a strong core of disciples, they retraced their steps to Lystra, then Iconium, and then Antioch, putting muscle and sinew in the lives of the disciples, urging them to stick with what they had begun to believe and not quit, making it clear to them that it wouldn't be easy: "Anyone signing up for the kingdom of God has to go through plenty of hard times."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
You know that question people ask, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” You know the comedian, Larry the Cable Guy and his famous phrase, “Here’s your sign…” Well… “here’s your answer in scripture!” Paul and Barnabas have spelled it out clearly for Jesus’ disciples – and for us today – when you sign on to serve Jesus, you have to go through hard times.
Now you may be asking, “But why?” Let me ask you something… if serving God were a piece of cake and always smooth sailing, how would we grow in our knowledge and faith? If we never had any challenges, how would we experience God’s grace and mercy over us… His comfort and His healing? How would we share with others the powers and wonders of God if we sat back on our haunches and were handed nothing but positive experiences all the time?
God will NEVER give us more than we can handle, although it surely seems so to us mere mortals much of the time. In our deepest grief – our darkest hour – our most trying physical, economical, social and moral challenges – GOD will be there. HE will deliver us to the other side. But He needs our hand… we have to reach out and take the first step toward Him, no matter how hard it seems. One step… He will do the rest. Stick with what you believe and don’t quit. It may not be easy, but it will surely be worth it!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 15 ~ Acts 13:42-43
When the service was over, Paul and Barnabas were invited back to preach again the next Sabbath. As the meeting broke up, a good many Jews and converts to Judaism went along with Paul and Barnabas, who urged them in long conversations to stick with what they'd started, this living in and by God's grace.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
If you are like me, sticking with things is a constant challenge. I don’t consider myself a quitter, but I am human. And when I feel that my efforts are not productive (or as productive as I want them to be!) or several things seem to go wrong in rapid succession, I’m just like a lot of folks – I tend to want to curl up in a ball and forget it!
Can I tell you something? In the life of a true Christian, 1) we are going to be challenged a lot, and 2) quitting is not an option! So how on earth will we get through it all? The answer is found in one word – Grace! God will give us the grace we need to make it through each day.
God’s grace prepared a way for us before we were even born – He planned for our family, our upbringing, even the continent on which we would live! God’s grace provided Jesus to die on the cross for our sins as a way out of hell. God’s grace covers us when we stumble and fall – and when we fail to live the life we have been called to live for Him. God’s grace helps us to grow as Christians – allowing us to learn more and more about how He operates. God’s grace protects us and keeps us… even when things seem to go wrong or people turn on us or we just simply have a bad day.
God’s grace is manifested in us in countless ways each and every day. If we just focus on Him and stick with what we started, He will help us to overcome any obstacle. It may not be easy – or pretty – but by God’s grace, we will survive to live for Him another day. We all get down – we all have bad days. But hang in there – God is on our side, and His grace is sufficient to meet all of our needs.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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