October 14 ~ 2 John 1:8
And be very careful around them so you don't lose out on what we've worked so diligently in together; I want you to get every reward you have coming to you. Anyone who gets so progressive in his thinking that he walks out on the teaching of Christ, walks out on God. But whoever stays with the teaching, stays faithful to both the Father and the Son.
(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.)
I was reading an article in our state newspaper recently about the “Little Rock Nine” – nine black teenagers who were escorted into Central High School by armed militia in 1957. The story talked about how scared the students were as they walked along the sidewalks and heard death threats and obscenities and shouts from those who did not want them to attend the all-white school. Many church leaders discouraged them. Many in the crowd claimed to be God-fearing Christians.
As a result of the un-Christian behavior of the protestors and others in roles of leadership and influence, some of the young black teens turned away from God. They couldn’t understand how a loving God would allow such things to happen… how God could allow them to be so tormented and abused.
So often, when the chips are down and life seems to be crumbling around us, we are tempted to turn from God. We are tempted to blame Him for our troubles and question His existence. Worse yet, sometimes we become so high and mighty or “forward thinking” that we rationalize that surely GOD – if He existed – would not allow all the suffering in the world. Or we become convinced that anyone with half a brain would be open to the possibilities that there is more than one way to Heaven. If you are a college student, you may very likely hear all of this and more in some of your classes or discussions with other students.
I beg you to stay with the teachings of Christ. Keep in the Word of God. We do not serve a God who delights in punishment or suffering – nor does He cause it. We serve a loving, merciful God Who is full of grace for us. We serve a God Who gave us our brains and expects us to use them, but He also expects us to listen to Him and be obedient to His teachings.
I can assure you that life will not be easy on this earth. Suffering will come to most of us, in one form or another. And many of us will be presented with other teachings and ideas and maybe even criticized or belittled for believing that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. We may be mocked for believing in the One True God. But I promise… that criticism, mockery and any attempts to make you feel small are all only momentary. The reward is Heaven and Eternity with God the Father and His Son Jesus. We will understand everything when we get there. But we have to get there! And the way to do that is to stay faithful and continually walk with God and follow His teachings. You can do it! I’m in your corner, and so are countless other people. Have faith, walk with God, and claim your prize!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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October 13 - 1 John 1:6
If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth - we're not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin.
(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 and I both know that many people will, at some time or another, say, “Oh, So-and-so is a good friend of mine.” And either this is just not so – and the two people in question are not friends, or, once the “friend” is away, the person talks about them like anything but a friend. We would probably both agree that this is despicable behavior… and even quite sad. How awful to have to invent “friends” – and even worse, to have friends whom you criticize and mistreat.
And yet… this is what we do with God, isn’t it? We claim we know Him well, when we hardly give Him the time of day. We claim we love Him and serve Him, and then we live anything but a life that pleases or honors Him. We take His name in vain. We disobey His commands, and we walk around in the darkness of a life that better serves and honors Satan. And I can assure you, compared to a life in the light of God, this is truly a dark, dark existence.
So what are we to do? Certainly, we need to reconsider how we treat our so-called “friends.” But most importantly, we need to reconsider how we treat the Friend who matters above all others. He is in a class all by Himself, and we must make sure that He knows how important He is to us. If we do this, His bright, bright light and love will shine on and around us in every moment and situation of our lives. We won’t have to worry about how we treat our “friends” because the Light will make it evident to us. We won’t have to stumble… HE will light the way!
Are you lying through your teeth? Are you living the life you claim? Come out of the darkness… turn on the Light!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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October 12 ~ James 1:22
Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.
(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.)
I watch the evening news almost every day, but I have to admit that many times I am only halfway listening, at best, while doing something else. The news is often so negative and depressing that I just don’t care to pay that much attention to it. Consequently, I sometimes find myself catching a small snippet of a story and wishing I had paid more attention. Sometimes I even get on the Internet and do a Google search to try to learn more.
I admire those who absorb and retain most, if not all, of what they hear. I wish I retained more of what I read. I find myself having to read and re-read stories in the newspaper or other articles and information (i.e. instruction manuals) if I really want to understand and/or convey the info to someone else or put it into practice.
So it is with God’s Word. Hearing it one time, or reading through it once in the Bible is not going to get it for most of us. We are going to have to study it, dissect the passages and investigate their meanings fully. We are going to have to hear scripture lessons on the same passages… over and over and over again! And we are going to have to put into practice what we are reading and hearing.
In life, I find that I have better results if I do something with the information I “import” into my brain right away. I can’t read an instruction manual for the new computer printer and then wait a week to install it and try to recall what I read! It’s the same with the Word of God. When you read it/hear it, act on it – right away! If the Word told you to share God’s love with others, do it! If you read a passage that talks about prayer, pray! If you read or hear about giving God praise, stop and worship Him! It doesn’t have to take your whole day… but putting God’s word into action when you hear it or read it will make it real! So “act on what you hear” and walk with God every day!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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October 11 ~ Hebrews 13:5
Don't be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I'm fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?
(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.)
I correspond with a couple in New York whose son, Joseph Patrick Henry, answered the call on 9-11 with his fellow firefighters in Ladder Company #21 and lost his life that day. This 25-year-old with his whole world ahead of him walked into that situation and never returned. His mother told me a few years later, “we never recovered his body.” Two years ago, a childhood classmate of mine went on a fishing vacation in Costa Rica with his buddies. He stood to reel in a big fish and fell back into his chair, dead of a heart attack at the age of 48. The “red tape” of dying in a foreign country resulted in his remains being cremated and returned to his mother and brother as a box of ashes marked with his name.
Any time someone dies, the emptiness and devastation of never seeing them again on this earth is very hard. But when there is nothing tangible – a body – the feelings are compounded. It is as if everything is unfinished, and “closure” is often hard to achieve. It happens a lot… the bodies of countless soldiers are lost in every war, and families are left to wonder and grope with the fear of the unknown, and possibly the obsession with wondering “did he/she really die?” They may even fear moving on with their lives… plagued by the gnawing idea that their loved one might actually be alive and return someday.
I describe all of this to you to serve as a background for this… God will NEVER walk away from you and not return. God IS with you; Jesus IS coming back! You don’t have to wonder; you don’t have to fear; you don’t have to feel empty and devastated. Relax! Enjoy God’s love and company, and “chill” with Him! It doesn’t get better than that!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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October 10 ~ Hebrews 10:19
So, friends, we can now - without hesitation - walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body.
(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.)
Imagine if you had a relationship with someone, but the only way you could communicate with them was to send a message through someone else. How long do you think that relationship would endure? Do you think it would be very strong and intimate?
In the Old Testament, only certain “priests” could go into the small inner tents and offer a blood sacrifice to speak to God. Can you imagine it? What if you had to go to the church and present your prayers and offerings to a minister, who in turn went into a special private room and offered blood sacrifices and burnt offerings for you. Do you think this would allow you to get close to God… to develop an intimate personal relationship with Him?
Jesus HAS cleared the way. Because of HIS blood and sacrifices for us, we no longer have to have someone else to speak to God for us. We can “go boldly to the throne” by ourselves and talk with Him directly. Better yet, His Holy Spirit is freely available to fill us. He can walk with us everywhere… every day!
This is GREAT NEWS! Walk right up to God… enter His Holy Place… invite Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit and bask in His company every minute of every day!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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October 9 ~ Hebrews 4:14
Now that we know what we have - Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God - let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all - all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
(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 is really nothing to add to today’s scripture passage. Imagine walking right up to Jesus and accepting His mercy and help! That is exactly what He wants us to do. So what are you waiting for? I’m in… are you?
©2007 Debbie Robus
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October 8 ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:4
But friends, you're not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You're sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let's not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let's keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we're creatures of Day, let's act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.
(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.)
I’ve enjoyed sitting on my back porch this fall and watching the sky grow dusky dark with nightfall. It’s interesting to watch the night creatures come out… the fox who saunters through our yard… the spiders who spin their webs and catch their prey… the moths who are drawn to the brightness of the lights… the raccoons who scurry up trees to eat muscadines… the possums who scamper across the yard and “play dead” when they sense someone has spotted them. If I am sitting outside when the darkness falls, I can adjust fairly easily and see this activity for several minutes.
If I have been inside in the light and venture into the darkness of nightfall, I have trouble seeing things, because my eyes cannot readily adjust to the extreme change. If I sit long enough in the darkness, things come into focus better.
But in the early morning, when the sun is rising, I can also see all sorts of things. I see much more clearly, and enjoy the birds and the squirrels playing in the trees. I can see the chipmunk hopping across the yard and the lizards scurrying in and around the leaves. I can see buzzards and herons flying overhead and a pair of pileated woodpeckers I enjoy watching collecting bugs from the tree bark. I can see butterflies and hummingbirds and fluffy clouds floating overhead. I can see leaves rustling in the breeze and flowers in bloom.
The dark is enticing… the “mystery” of what is “out there” is intriguing and alluring. But the daylight is so much nicer. In the light of the day, there are still surprises and “mysteries,” but you can see them so much more clearly! I much prefer the daylight… or a bright starry night with a full moon!
I also prefer the daylight in my walk with Christ. I have tried the darkness… and it is mysterious. But it is also intimidating, lonely, and filled with potholes and pitfalls. We are called to be spiritual “creatures of the daylight!” We are called to walk in Christ’s love and light! So step out of the darkness into the light and feel Christ walking right beside you!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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