January 7 ~ John 6:39-40
”This, in a nutshell, is that will: that everything handed over to me by the Father be completed—not a single detail missed—and at the wrap-up of time I have everything and everyone put together, upright and whole. This is what my Father wants: that anyone who sees the Son and trusts who he is and what he does and then aligns with him will enter real life, eternal life. My part is to put them on their feet alive and whole at the completion of time.”
(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.)
Glue is my friend. In the world of auctions and garage sales and “antiques and treasures,” there are often broken parts… the wing of an angel or delicate “signed and numbered” (i.e. valuable) ceramic bird… the handle on an exquisite teacup… and much more. These otherwise wonderful treasures usually just need a little glue to pull them back together… and as I practice and grow in expertise, I’m getting pretty good at aligning the pieces, so that often you can’t even tell the piece has been repaired. (I do always disclose this fact if I am selling!)
Sometimes, there are pieces that seem to defy repair. A good example of this would be a ceramic “sitting cherub” my mother-in-law gave me. I painted him to look “bronzed” and sat him on a rock in my birdbath, so that I could enjoy looking at him each time I looked out the window. This little cherub held a bird’s nest with a tiny bird in it, and it wasn’t long before I noticed the tail of the bird had broken off and was lying in the ceramic nest. I glued it on with my best glue, and it held for a few weeks, and then one day I glanced out, and “Oh, no!” – the tail was off again. THREE times I glued that tail – and I even tried other glues. But so far, it just won’t stick! So I decided to bring the cherub inside and work on him and see if over the winter, the glue will dry better and the tail will stay. However, when I retrieved him, I discovered that several freezes in December had caused his little feet to crack and fall off! So I have a lot of gluing and repair to do!
You may be wondering, “Why doesn’t she just toss the cherub?” Let me ask you something… what if Jesus just tossed us every time we became broken? What if He said, “Yeah… he/she was a pretty good piece for awhile, but I’ve got plenty more. No sense bothering with this one.” And He tossed us away like a broken piece of pottery? Is that the Jesus we follow? Absolutely not! Jesus puts us together… His blood on the cross is the glue that repairs us. Sometimes it’s just a broken tail or handle, and sometimes our feet are broken in several pieces… or worse. But He sees us for the beautiful, whole believer, and He restores us.
I am not pretending to compare my meager efforts to glue pottery to Jesus’ restoration of us as Christians. But at the same time, I hope you can see that giving up is not the answer… especially in our Spiritual life. Jesus never quits on us… how can we possibly quit on Him?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 6 ~ Matthew 24:13-14
Staying with it—that's what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry, and you'll be saved. All during this time, the good news—the Message of the kingdom—will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come.
(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.)
This past week, I put away the Christmas decorations. This is not a chore I enjoy. It is not so much that I am sad to see the decorations go (although I have to admit that I am) as that I put out a LOT of decorations, and taking them down and packing them all away is a daunting task. Just where DO you start?! I’ve found that once I get going, it seems to fall into place, and if I just keep plugging away, pretty soon I have it all neatly stored for another year. I can say the same for other tasks, like washing the dishes, doing the laundry and ironing, studying for tests, exercise, and more. By staying with it, the results do come. We do see “light at the end of the tunnel.”
For Christians, there are going to be times when we just don’t feel like we are getting anywhere. We may even begin to question if we are really on the right track – are we reaching anyone for Jesus? Are we growing in our faith? Are we learning more about the Bible and what the scriptures mean in our daily living? I can assure you, even when we feel we are not making progress or reaping any benefits, if we are working at staying with it, we truly are. God always blesses our efforts when we serve Him and study His word – when we seek His will for our lives. And whether we know it or not, He is using us to reach others for His Kingdom. You may not see it… but remember that “fruit” we bear? It’s there in the kindnesses we do for others… the contributions we make to charities… the volunteer help we give to various people and agencies… the way we conduct ourselves in our daily living. People are always watching… and God is always using us. Our job is to stay with it. You really won’t be sorry… are you in it for the long haul?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 5 ~ Matthew 10:21-23
"When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don't quit. Don't cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you've run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.
(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.)
Wherever God leads me, I will go… however He guides me, I will follow. I pray that we would always stay the course and never quit, regardless of how hard it may seem. It IS worth the effort.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 4 ~ Luke 6:43-46
43 "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. 46 "Why do you call me, `Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?
(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.)
“Do as I say, not as I do.” That’s a saying we have probably all heard. For instance, the overweight doctor may tell you that you must shed several pounds for your health. Or your parents may take a drag from a cigarette and tell you that “you must NEVER smoke!” There is a joke about the plumber, or other skilled professional, whose own plumbing/repairs never get done – he/she is so busy doing things for others – for pay – that things around their own house fall apart. This is really pretty illogical, isn’t it?!
Scripturally, we see that this is certainly not sound thinking. Yet all of us, at one time or another have said, “Yes, I love you Lord…” and then done something we knew we shouldn’t do. Our “fruit” has not matched the tree – we have neglected our own Spiritual “house!” I can tell you from my own experience that the times my “fruit” has not matched up with my faith, I have felt pretty miserable. Don’t get caught up in this. You can’t call Jesus, “Lord,” and then do your own thing – have it your way! Make a resolution today – to yourself AND to God – that you are going to live a Christian life that bears “good fruit.” Resolve to live for Christ in a “do as I do AND say” way – not one or the other. Keep your Spiritual house in order. And may the overflow of your heart fill your mouth with pleasing words that honor God and glorify His name.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 3 ~ Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
(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.)
January is a time of year when many of us clean our closets, organize our drawers, and try to bring a sense of order back into our houses, offices, dorm rooms, or garages. Cleaning closets and drawers can be an interesting process. Inevitably we find items we didn’t remember we had… and often we find things that have us asking, “What on earth were we thinking?” Outdated clothing, useless odds and ends like rubber bands and “twisty ties”, paper clips, various wrappers and old notes create clutter we didn’t even know we had!
Cleaning our closets and drawers brings everything into the light of day, where we can sort it all, judge the value of each item, and come to a conclusion about what to do with it. Some of it is worthless junk… and some of it may even cause us to cringe – what were we thinking?!
The truth of the matter is that someday, everything will be pulled out of the “closets and drawers” of our lives before God, and HE will be the One asking, “What were you thinking?” and “Where did THIS come from?” The hope is that He will illuminate many GOOD things – acts of faith and service, witness, worship, prayer, and study – and declare you a pretty dutiful person… a faithful and faith-filled Christian who walked closely with Jesus. The words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” are a worthy goal to which we should aspire… a neat and orderly “closet of life in Christ” is the ultimate conclusion. When all has been heard – when everything is laid out before God, what will He say about you?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 2 ~ James 5:19-20
My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
(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.)
Several years ago, my widowed grandmother was keeping company with a man in our community who had recently lost his wife to cancer. “Deb” was a wonderful octogenarian who we came to love like a grandfather. He had worked hard all most of his life as a house painter. He liked to hunt… and he and my grandmother loved to dance at the Sugarloaf Folklore Society east of town.
Deb never had much interest in church… and apparently he had not paid much attention to God or “religion” for most of his life. When he started seeing my grandmother, she invited him to attend her church with her… and to everyone’s surprise, he went. He also quit smoking and drinking. His own family members could not believe the changes. For some seven years, my grandmother and Deb were constant companions… spending nearly every waking moment together from daylight to dark, and they grew to know each other very well.
Then Deb was diagnosed with bladder cancer. The prognosis didn’t look good, and Deb decided he did not want to endure the prescribed seven weeks of radiation treatments that were not guaranteed to work but sure to sap his strength and his quality of life. It became apparent that he didn’t have long to live – maybe a year at best. My grandmother was extremely worried for Debt’s spiritual health. She knew him better than anyone, and she knew he had never given his heart to Jesus. She told me that one night, when she could stand it no longer, she sat next to him on his couch, crying, and told him, “I can’t bear to think you would die and not go to heaven. I am begging you to pray with me and give your heart to Jesus.” And he did! Right there, in his living room, they knelt next to his couch and prayed that Jesus would forgive his sins and welcome him into eternity in heaven when his time came. A couple of weeks later, this 87-year-old man was baptized at the First Baptist Church. The pastor said Deb was living proof that you are never too old to change… that it is never too late to give your heart to Jesus.
Deb didn’t live much longer. I gave him a Bible, and he spent a lot of his last weeks reading it. His three children, themselves Christians, were thrilled that their dad’s salvation was secured… that his future was certain. When the day came for Deb to go to Jesus, I sat with him and held his hand, knowing he was headed for glory very shortly - and taking great comfort in that knowledge. The only reason I was certain of this was because my grandmother loved him enough to fall to her knees and beg him to surrender to Jesus. Had she not shown this sinner the error of his ways, I probably could not have sat there with such comfort and certainty about his passing.
You and I may never get such a profound opportunity to witness to someone else and lead them to Christ. On the other hand, we may be getting opportunities at every turn and either not recognize them or refuse to act on them. Don’t let either of these be on your head. Be alert for chances to share Jesus with others. Be on the lookout for opportunities to boldly encourage others to invite Jesus to be the Lord of their life – to give up sin in exchange for eternity in heaven! You don’t have to be successful – you just have to try. God will do the rest. All we have to do is lead the way.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 1 ~ James 2:21-24
21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
(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.)
Happy New Year! Today is a day when many of us are tempted to make resolutions. We will resolve to lose weight, exercise, maybe quit smoking, read our Bible more (or books in general), be nicer to others, finish all of those projects we have been putting off, or any number of other goals and promises. There is something about the New year that makes us want to set goals and create a list of things we are going to DO in the next twelve months. We want something to show for our year… a way to mark the days and how successful we were in living each to its fullest!
I will be the first to admit that I have trouble just “being.” I wonder… am I ADHD? Seriously, I seem to have this overwhelming sense that I must be in continual motion… always busy… always doing something. And the question I ask myself quite often is… what do I have to show for all of my busyness? If I accomplish all of my goals and resolutions, how will that justify my faith and give it a voice? Do you see where I am going here? There is nothing wrong with New Year’s Resolutions and goals. But are your goals and resolutions working together with your faith?
Are you creating a total package for God… believing in Him with all your heart and serving Him with all you have?
We have a perfect model of how this works in the story of Abraham and Isaac. Make your resolutions… but ask God to guide you. Resolve to do HIS will this year… to complete the projects HE wants done. Live out your faith in every area of your life and resolve that your actions will make it complete!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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