April 7 ~ 2 Chronicles 20:10-12
”And now it's happened: men from Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir have shown up. You didn't let Israel touch them when we got here at first -- we detoured around them and didn't lay a hand on them. And now they've come to kick us out of the country you gave us. O dear God, won't you take care of them? We're helpless before this vandal horde ready to attack us. We don't know what to do; we're looking to you."
(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.)
In February 2008, a high school classmate of mine left her mobile home in Mtn. View, Arkansas, and ran for the seeming safety of her next-door neighbor’s brick house as a tornado approached. When the tornado drew near, the neighbors determined that they would all be safer lying in a ditch outside. Everyone ran for cover there, but at the last second, my classmate turned back toward the house. Just as she got to it, the tornado hit, and the house was ripped apart as if it had exploded. Why she chose to turn back is a mystery, but she paid with her life. Ironically, the mobile home she had left earlier remained fully intact next door.
I’m sure the neighbors felt incredibly helpless. I am sure they cried out to God to take care of them – and to their friend to come with them. Maybe she panicked and decided the ditch was unsafe – and maybe she cried out to God that she didn’t know what to do. Was she looking for answers as she turned and ran back inside? We will never know. And what about us? As the storms of life brew around us, are we running around frantically, crying out to God that we don’t know what to do? Do we start flailing around and trying to figure things out on our own?
Jehoshaphat and the Israelites knew what to do. They had listened to God and built His temple, then protected it. And now as all of this was threatened, they felt weak – but only for a moment. They cried out for help from God, and while they may have temporarily panicked, the rest of the story tells us that it wasn’t for long! The Holy Spirit spoke to the group through a man in the crowd and told them to believe in God and to give Him thanks – that they would come out on top. And that is exactly what happened. Verse 13 says that “Everyone in Judah was there—little children, wives, sons - all present and attentive to God.” The enemies were killed – ambushed by agents of God… and the Israelites were not only spared, but they were blessed with the collection of their enemies’ spoils. And they were shouting – “Give thanks to God. God’s love never quits!”
I am not saying that God didn’t protect my classmate. I honestly don’t know what happened in that whole situation – or what might have been happening in her life that was much worse than a ticket to heaven. But I do know that so often, we work ourselves into such a tizzy and try to handle things on our own, all the while crying out to God to help us, but not really hearing what He tells us. God shows us what to do… He gives us clear guidelines through His word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers. But WE have to do our part – we have to sit still and LISTEN! We have to pay attention and TRUST Him – and we can never give up or lower our guard! We are so quick to prepare a “safe room” and an emergency kit for natural storms… but have we prepared adequately for the storms of life? Isn’t it time we did?
©2009 Debbie Robus
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April 6 ~ 2 Samuel 3:38-39
The king spoke to his servants: "You realize, don't you, that today a prince and hero fell victim of foul play in Israel? And I, though anointed king, was helpless to do anything about it. These sons of Zeruiah are too much for me. God, requite the criminal for his crime!"
(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 watched a situation unfold that you knew would have a bad outcome, and you were helpless to do anything to prevent it? Or maybe, as in the case of David, someone did something stupid or wrong even after you warned against it. Do you remember how you felt afterward? As much as you wanted to “mop up” and fix things, the damage had been done.
In David’s case, he told his soldier Joab to leave a man named Abner alone. Joab insisted to David that Abner was a spy… and besides, Abner had killed Joab’s brother. So, Joab and his men ambushed Abner and killed him. When David found out, he made Joab and his men - and everyone else - put on mourning clothes and throw a big funeral and cry and act all sad so that HE (David) would be seen weeping and wailing, and he would be publicly cleared of any wrongdoing. Then David cried out to God to fix things, because he realized he was not able to do this for himself.
Now you may be asking, “What does this have to do with us?” How many times do we get ourselves in a mess… either by saying or doing the wrong thing, or by association with the wrong people… and the first thing you know, we’ve dug ourselves a pretty good hole. Maybe we really had nothing to do with creating the mess… but there we are, trying to smooth ruffled feathers or cover someone’s debt or mistake and “make it all go away” or “prevent World War III!” And how many times do we throw up our hands and cry, “Lord, help me!”?
The crazy thing is that the Lord DOES help us! And honestly, He should be our first line of defense, not the last. He should be the One we turn to immediately, laying out our problem and trusting Him to help us solve it, instead of the other way around. When will we learn that without God, nothing turns out right? When will we really GET that WITH God, all things are possible? It’s time to admit that we are nothing without Him. If we really, truly GET this, then many of our messes will never materialize in the first place. And when they DO, God will be there to hand us the mop.
©2009 Debbie Robus
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April 5 ~ Judges 6:15
Gideon said to him, "Me, my master? How and with what could I ever save Israel? Look at me. My clan's the weakest in Manasseh and I'm the runt of the litter."
(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.)
She was the runt of the litter - our little kitten. She couldn’t run as fast as her siblings. So when her mother crossed Highway 7 in Russellville, just past the Pizza Inn, she trailed behind. Our friends saw her and stopped to rescue her from certain death on the busy highway. And that is how we became the “parents” of a little gray kitten we named Tigger.
Throughout the next fifteen years, Tigger was our baby. She sat with us as we studied for college courses. She birthed four babies of her own, and one of them became our second cat, Grady, who kept us company for nineteen years. Tigger may have been a runt, but she grew to become a precious member of our family. She did whatever we did much of the time… from watching TV and eating Nacho Cheese Doritos… to snuggling for a nap… to just sitting and keeping us company. She was more than a cat… she was a friend and companion.
Our little seven pound cat never saved a nation, but she may as well have for all of the joy and love she gave us. She was the weakest in her family… the runt of the litter, but she was everything to us. If a small feline can do so much for two humans, how much more can WE do for others? We may feel weak… we may be “the runt,” but just look what God can do with a runt! Surely He can use us!
The next time you feel weak or inadequate… the next time you feel you are not able to do something - especially something for God… remember Gideon, and remember our little cat Tigger. Do you see what God can do with runts? Do you see what He can do with you?
©2009 Debbie Robus
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April 4 ~ Matthew 22:36-40
When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: "Teacher, which command in God's Law is the most important?"
Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."
(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.)
In our laundry room, we have a wall with hooks on it for holding coats and hats. I looked at the wall recently, and throughout the winter, the collection of jackets, hats, and scarves has grown to the point that the hooks are laden. Surely there are far more outer garments there than we need… especially for spring and summer! I think it’s time for a little “spring cleaning!”
On our “spiritual coat rack,” we may possibly have too much hanging from the pegs. Jesus has shown us that we have two commands that support everything else. But we come along, and we load those commands with so much “stuff” – we love God, but we want Him to shoulder our distance and apathy. We love others, but we want God to “fix” them to suit our needs. These are just two examples of how we try to make our relationship with God something besides what He has designed.
I suggest we all have a “spiritual spring cleaning.” I suggest we examine our hearts and see where we have a few extra “coats” on the “pegs” that don’t belong there, and either put them in the proper perspective or get rid of them altogether. Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence, then Love others as well as you love yourself. Be careful how you load these “pegs” – don’t weigh them down with unnecessary baggage.
©2009 Debbie Robus
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April 3 ~ Hosea 12:6
What are you waiting for? Return to your God!
Commit yourself in love, in justice!
Wait for your God,
and don't give up on him - ever!
(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 don’t know about you, but I am not a quitter. In fact, I will sometimes pursue something long after I should have folded and moved on… a glitch in my computer I can’t seem to solve… that pesky stain that will not come out of my favorite t-shirt… correspondence and communication with a friend or family member who does not reciprocate. I just have a really hard time saying, “That’s it… I give up.”
Some might argue that I am just being stubborn… and maybe even stupid. And there is wisdom in knowing when to “cut your losses” and move on. Even Jesus told the disciples to “shake the dust from your feet” and move on from an area where the people will not welcome a disciple or listen to the Gospel. But I am SO glad to know that God doesn’t ever shake my “dust” from His feet. And I will never turn away from Him. It may seem at times as if God has left and wandered away from us, but I assure you, it is exactly the opposite. God sits in the wings sometimes and observes… and lets us learn a thing or two… but He never leaves!
So I may try to do a little “selective quitting” in the future. I may let the stain stay or cut my losses on the computer program – or even “shelve” the one-sided communication (notice I didn’t say I would abandon someone completely!), but I will never quit on God! And thankfully, He never quits on ME! This is the best news of the day!
©2009 Debbie Robus
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April 2 ~ Jeremiah 32:37-40
"'Watch for this! I will collect them from all the countries to which I will have driven them in my anger and rage and indignation. Yes, I'll bring them all back to this place and let them live here in peace. They will be my people, I will be their God. I'll make them of one mind and heart, always honoring me, so that they can live good and whole lives, they and their children after them. What's more, I'll make a covenant with them that will last forever, a covenant to stick with them no matter what, and work for their good. I'll fill their hearts with a deep respect for me so they'll not even think of turning away from 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.)
You can go home again… that is the message God gave me today through this passage. For some of you, this means that whatever has happened to separate you from your parents, your siblings, or your closest friends, God can restore. For others, it means that whatever happened in your relationship with your child, all is not lost. God can bring reconciliation and build a new, stronger connection between you. You may have bitterness over a situation that even transcends to include a particular building or city - even the thought of this place causes you to shudder. God can change that, too.
Worse than any earthly separation, you may have had a “disconnect” with God. His word for you today is that this can change. God is waiting to welcome you home. He is promising to stick with you forever and help you work for good and peace in your life.
God can collect children from the ends of the earth and return them to their home – and restore relationships in the bargain. God can give peace where none existed – and where we believed harmony could NEVER happen. God can bless us in ways we never even imagined, if we will open our hearts to Him. God’s presence in our life can make such a difference that we will never EVER consider turning away again. I don’t know about you, but I so want that! In most ways, I feel I am there… but we can always dig in deeper with God, can’t we? With all that He has promised, why are we dragging our feet? We have nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to gain. So c’mon… what are we waiting for? It’s time to go home!
©2009 Debbie Robus
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April 1 ~ Proverbs 4:18-19
The ways of right-living people glow with light;
the longer they live, the brighter they shine.
But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—
travelers can't see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.
(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 stayed in a strange place and felt disoriented in the dark? Maybe you got up in the night to go to the bathroom or something, and not wanting to wake up the others, you didn’t turn on a light. Remember how you had your hands out in front of you, fearing that at any minute you might bump into something? Or maybe you actually did trip over something or stub your toe and stumble a little? It’s not a good feeling at all, is it? Even worse, think of a dark hallway or path in the woods, and you are walking along and going farther and deeper, and it gets darker and darker. That can be a scary feeling… and it can be dangerous, too!
Now think of swimming. Imagine you dive down deeply into the lake, and it’s dark and murky along the bottom. But as you rise, the light of the sun shines brighter and brighter, and you are naturally drawn to that light. Or think of a dark hallway, and the little ray of light that might be illuminating the far end and drawing you forward. I also was reminded of the new energy efficient light bulbs we are using these days. When you first turn on a lamp, the light is a little soft and dim, but as the bulb “warms up,” it burns more brightly.
Now think about your Spiritual life. Are you fumbling around in the dark, stumbling over things and stubbing your toes and feeling scared, alone and frustrated much of the time? Or are you growing ever brighter in the light of Christ, drawing closer to Him and reflecting His brilliance? It’s time to get out of the dark. It’s time to come into the Light of Christ and shine for Him. Don’t you agree?
©2009 Debbie Robus
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