Daily Devotional for November 27, 2016

Isaiah 25:1, 8-9  
You, Lord, are my God!
    I will praise you
for doing the wonderful things
you had planned and promised
    since ancient times.

The Lord All-Powerful
will destroy the power of death
    and wipe away all tears.
No longer will his people
be insulted everywhere.
    The Lord has spoken!
At that time, people will say,
“The Lord has saved us!
    Let’s celebrate.
We waited and hoped—
    now our God is here.”
The powerful arm of the Lord
    will protect this mountain.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

What a wonderful conversation I had this morning with 10 second and third graders…about heaven. Their ideas about what it will be like astounded me.  Many were “spot on” with scriptural descriptions of streets paved with gold and jewels.  Others talked about no tears or sadness...and one little girl said, “You won’t have to do anything, and that’s great – because I’m lazy!”  I shared my vision of the never-ending “heavenly table” and the feast we will have there…and they were duly impressed to think they could eat forever and never get full – or FAT!

We talked of how perfect heaven will be…and how blessed we are that God loves us enough to want us there with Him forever and ever!  Most of the children have lost a loved one in the last year - if not a family member, a close friend has passed.  It seemed like we all had at least one person near and dear to our hearts who is already sitting at the feet of Jesus and celebrating His amazing love and care, front and center!  We talked about how comforting that image is for us.

My goal this morning was to give the children a clear picture of how they can spend eternity in heaven with God and Jesus…and to give them hope about their eternal future.  I don’t think of heaven as a sad place at all…and apparently, neither do they!  And that’s a good thing!

So what about you?  Are you looking forward to your eternal home?  Are you doing what Jesus has commanded on this earth while He prepares a place for you at his heavenly table?  Have you surrendered your heart to Jesus and confessed your sins…and are you serving Him with every ounce of energy you can muster?

In the last four weeks, the children and I talked about angels, the devil, prayer, and heaven…and we used the Bible to answer a lot of questions about each of these topics.  We confirmed today that the devil is headed to hell…and we are doing all we can to spend eternity in Heaven. If seven- and eight-year-olds can do this, why can’t you?  Are you making every possible effort to secure that your eternal destination is heaven?  Have you thanked God for this amazing possibility and promise?  Isn’t it time you did?

©2016 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for August 30, 2015

Matthew 16:26
What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What would you give to get back your soul?

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

I took the children swimming after church today.  Afterwards, as I tried to distribute towels, remove life jackets and water shoes and sack everything wet before we went to the dressing room to change, I promised every child who stayed in his/her seat a Lifesaver ® candy when we got to the car. Every child sat motionless…and then one-by-one, each child popped out of the chair for some random distraction.  By the time we got to the dressing room, nobody was in line for a piece of candy!

Oh, the remorse that can come from children ages 6, 4, and 3!  They were SORRY!  They would never do it again.  PAH-LEASE???  Can’t we just have a Lifesaver®?  So we started over.  Okay…let’s see who can put on their clothes and sit quietly on the bench until we’re all dressed!  It sorta worked…and the children redeemed themselves enough to get the candy when we got in the car.

Here’s the thing…you and I are not little kids…and we cannot bargain with God to gain entry into Paradise.  All of the possessions and money in the world won’t buy us a ticket to Eternity at the feet of Jesus.  Don’t we all know of at least one person who seems to have it all…or “has more money than sense”…yet this person has destroyed his/her life with drugs, alcohol, gambling, a sense of entitlement that ruined any and all personal relationships, and more – and essentially “blown it?” Don’t we know people who seem to have everything going for them…but they don’t appear to have any semblance of a relationship with God – and some downright disavow Him?

If you felt you had blown it completely with God, what would you do to get back your soul?  Do you understand that there is only one thing that matters?  Do you get it that the key to all of this is to love God with all your heart…to love others as He loves you – and as you love yourself…and to put serving Him above everything and everyone else?  This is the “ticket to heaven.”  Inviting Jesus into your heart, confessing your sins to Him and asking that He forgive you is the only way to ensure your Eternal Life with Him in Heaven.

We cannot just sit on the bench and promise to never get down again.  We can’t say, “I didn’t mean it,” and trust that God will look the other way and let us have the “Lifesaver®.”  We are not little kids, and our salvation and relationship with Jesus Christ are nothing to negotiate and treat in a cavalier manner.  What if we gain the world and lose our soul?  The world is NOTHING…Jesus is EVERYTHING!  Without Him, the world doesn’t matter.

What would you give to get back your soul?  Give your heart to Jesus! Commit fully to His will for your life…to sharing His message with others and loving them as He has commanded.  This is the “Lifesaver®” worth achieving!  Are you ready to do what is necessary to receive it?
   
©2015 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for July 13, 2015

Romans 8:1-2
With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.

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.

A couple of weeks ago, Greg went to a nearby restaurant to get take-out dinner for us.  Local radar showed a thunderstorm approaching as he drove out of our neighborhood, and he got some amazing photographs on his phone of the dark wall cloud that was nearing our community.  Thankfully, all we got from the storm was some brief gusts of wind, a little lightning and thunder, and LOTS of rain.  But those low-lying black clouds looked ominous and made us stop and take notice.  For those of us in “Tornado Alley,” we know that “wall clouds” can sometimes spell disaster, so we take them seriously!

Like low-hanging dark clouds, our sins and the guilt and shame of our past can often give us pause.  And were it not for Jesus, they could indeed signal disaster.  But this is the good news of Romans 8:1-2…that Jesus finished all of this, once and for all, for those who choose to surrender their hearts to Him.  Like the strong winds of the thunderstorm - and the rain that followed – Jesus’ death on the cross cleared the air and washed away our sins forever and ever.

There is nothing wrong with a healthy respect for the black shelf clouds of impending thunderstorms.  We are wise to keep an eye on the sky when storms threaten.  But when it comes to our faith in Jesus Christ, we don’t have to keep looking over our shoulder and expecting “gloom and doom.”  All we have to do is call on Him and say, “LORD Jesus, I ask you to forgive my sins.  I admit that I cannot do this on my own, and I don’t want to live like this any longer. Please come into my heart and wash me clean, once and for all.  I promise to listen for Your voice…to do what You ask of me and do all I can to leave my sinful ways behind forever.  And I pledge to love You like no other.” 

If you commit your life – and your heart – to Jesus…He will never let go of you.  Aren’t you ready to lift the dark cloud of sin, guilt and shame and send it packing with the wind?  Do you understand that Jesus can do this for you in the blink of an eye?  If you have not asked Jesus to forgive your sins, don’t you think it’s time you did?  Will this be the day that you step out of the clouds and into the Light? 

©2015 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for May 3, 2015

Romans 5:6-8
Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.

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.      
Yesterday while I was working out in the pool, a mother arrived with two toddlers.  The oldest was about 2½, and I am guessing his little sister was just past one.  Both children were wearing “puddle jumpers” – a type of flotation device that secures around the middle of the body and has additional flotation bands for each arm. Our kids have them, and they work great!

The older brother got right into the water and began paddling around.  Soon he got out and talked with his mother and baby sister, and then he moved to the edge of the pool and positioned himself to jump back into the water.  Except he didn’t jump.  He counted…”1…2…”  His mother counted…”1…2…3…JUMP!”  I watched this little guy as he tried so hard to make the leap.  He wanted to so badly, but there was a part of him that just wasn’t ready.  He even trembled a little.  And there was no one in the water to catch him.  I was positioned quite a distance away, and his mom and sister were sitting on the pool deck.

After a few seconds, the child did jump.  And everyone applauded.  Subsequently, he jumped in several times…demonstrating a little fear and trepidation each time.  But with every successive leap, he went a little farther a little sooner – and made a bigger splash.

As I read this passage today, I thought of the little boy.  Whether we will admit it or not, some of us have made up our minds to jump fully into a life with Christ – but something holds us back.  Let’s be honest…a lot of times, our sins are fun – or feel pretty good!  It’s tough to make that final leap and give it all up – even to the One who gave up EVERYTHING for us.  For whatever reason, we are quite often simply “not ready” – or “not ready enough”!

It is indeed a great thing that Jesus didn’t wait on us to make up our minds…that He didn’t say, “When Debbie…(or you…or that other guy) decides that she/he is ready to go all in for Me and surrender fully from sin, I will be ready to allow the soldiers to nail me to a cross.”  Jesus knew that this would never happen.  He knows how weak we humans are.  But the bigger thing is that our salvation is not based on when, where and how we are ready to live for Jesus. He has always been ready to live – and die - for us!

This is what makes Salvation in Jesus Christ so special and amazing…that He has been ready to sacrifice so much for us whether we were ready to live for Him and serve Him or not.  Because you see, we do have a choice…and sadly, there will be some who are never ready.  I cannot understand this…and you probably can’t either.  We must do all we can to demonstrate how glorious a life in Christ is…how amazing it is to love and serve a Risen Savior…how He makes every aspect of our lives better and more hopeful.  We must give others a reason to choose Jesus by living in a way that causes them to say, “I want what he/she has!”

I completely identify with the toddler learning to jump.  There are a lot of things in this big ole world that can be pretty scary!  And fully surrendering your life to Christ Jesus can be one of them.  But oh, the rewards are so amazing!  There may not be visible or audible applause and cheering – but I assure you that there is some clapping going on in heaven.  And as we learn to give God control and walk in His ways instead of our own, the “jumps” get easier…and the “splashes” get bigger!

My question for you today is…”Have you let go of the edge and ‘jumped in’ with Jesus?”  Whether you are “ready” or not…the time to take this leap is now!  Don’t look back…just jump!  Jesus will be waiting to catch you.

©2015 Debbie Robus 

Daily Devotional for May 2, 2015

Revelation 3:20-21
“Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you. Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That’s my gift to the conquerors!

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.

When I was a little girl, my neighborhood was a lot like one big family.  We visited the houses of each other, and while we might knock lightly, we mostly threw open the door and asked, “Anybody home?” before we stepped inside.  It was no big deal to drag up an extra chair at the lunch table for my Mam-ma Polly when she popped by…or my “Aunt” Martha who lived next door and came in and out for frequent visits. Lots of mornings when I was little, we would wake up to find my grandfather Truman sitting in a living room chair!  We visited our neighbors in our bath robes and pajamas…and didn’t give it a second thought.  When someone knocked on the door, we answered…and generally, they were invited inside. 

Today, if someone knocks on my door, I hurry to a nearby window to check out who is there.  I rarely drop in on anyone – even family members – and I feel a little uncomfortable when I do so.  There are certain folks (mostly family members and a couple of close friends) who can drop in on me and not ruffle my feathers.  But generally, a little “heads up” phone call or notice would be greatly appreciated…and I promise to extend the same courtesy to you!

Recently, a man tried to “drop in” at the White House.  His “knock” was not very well-received.  There are certain doors that you can stand at and knock all day…and no one is going to throw them open and say, “Come on in!  Sit down…have a meal with me… and stay awhile!”  Thankfully, Jesus’ “door” is not one of them.  The Be-All-End-All, most important Being ever, welcomes any and all visitors, 24/7!  And you do realize that when I talk about “knocking at the door,” I am not literally talking about a DOOR…right?

This passage refers to you and me…sinners…”knocking” at the “door” of Jesus’ heart…saying “I need Your salvation in my life!  I need to dwell in You – and You in me.  I need Your nurture…Your sustenance…Your continual forgiveness, grace and mercy.  May I come in?”  Jesus says in reply, “Not only may you come in, but sit with Me…here…at this place of honor next to MY Heavenly Father (and yours!).  You are one of Us…and you are most welcome!”  Isn’t that amazing?  Not only did Jesus suffer and die for our sins…He wants to give us a place of honor at His table…right next to God Almighty! 

This is almost more than I can comprehend.  Everyone wants to feel welcomed…but to be treated so royally by the LORD Himself is just astounding!  And yet, all it takes is one “knock”.  All we have to do is “tap on the door” and sincerely say, “LORD…I’m here…I need You and I want to be Yours forever.” Jesus stands on the other side, ready and willing to open the door of His heart – and welcome you inside. He is the neighbor you want to visit…the One who needs no advance warning that you are on your way.  You don’t have to dress up – or dress at all – to dine with Jesus.  All you have to do is show up on His “doorstep”…and knock. 

Do you “dine with Jesus”?  Don’t you want to?  Will this be the day that you “drop in” and are welcomed to His table – and into His Kingdom forever?  What are you waiting for…go ahead and “knock!” This will be the best “visit” ever!

©2015 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for October 30, 2014

Psalm 30:2-3
I prayed to you, Lord God,
    and you healed me,
saving me from death
    and the grave.
 
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
 
Recently, my mother got a virus on her computer. She phoned in something of a panic…hoping that I would know how to fix this. I determined that it might be easier to go to her house and assess the problem than to try to help her over the phone.  I really thought she had gotten “malware” – malicious software that can somewhat “freeze” the computer and deny access to certain files and programs.  Mother was really upset…the messages she received indicated that her files were “dead and gone” and that retrieval was impossible.
 
I wish it had been as simple as “malware”. My mom, her husband Lee and I determined that she had somehow gotten something called “CryptoWall Ransomware”…a really bad virus that arrives when the user clicks (sometimes inadvertently) on a file like a PDF or a “Word” document or a .zip file…and this malicious program begins a scan of the user’s hard drive and all of its files – plus any files that might be on a “peripheral” apparatus, like a flash drive or DVD.  All of these files are also encrypted, so that they no longer can be opened conventionally.  The “fix” the hacker proposes is for the user to pay a “ransom” that begins at $500 and increases to $1000 or more each day that the person who has been violated waits.  In return for this ransom, a “key” is provided to decrypt the files.
 
This is hopefully not the only repair option for this virus.  We are in the process if trying some suggestions from YouTube videos and information we Googled about “CryptoWall Ransomware” that will hopefully enable my mom to remove the virus and retrieve at least SOME of her files…or a previously stored version of them. Most certainly, this will not be a 100% solution.  There will be collateral damage, probably in the form of lost files and photos that Mom worked on in the last week or so.  But the goal is to repair the hard drive and contain the destruction.
 
What does this have to do with the healing power of God?  For starters, I spent more than a few minutes in prayer for help as I sat at my mother’s computer and searched for a solution.  I have prayed that these “remedies” will indeed work.  But more importantly, I have been reminded of another “ransom”…one that was paid for my sins – and for yours!
 
The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus covered all of our sins…and restored us COMPLETELY in the eyes of God.  We don’t have to worry about the loss of “important data”.  We are “fixed”, complete, whole, even better than new in the eyes of God.  And it’s all because of the “blood” of Jesus Christ.  He paid the price in full, so that we could be totally well.  We were on the brink of death, but Jesus rescued us.  The only thing we “lost" was the burden of our sins and the potential to spend eternity in hell.  And I don’t think any of us minds one little bit to give up either of these!

There are “take-aways” from these situations for all of us.

1. We must tighten our security measures on our computers.
2. We must be painfully careful about every click we make…every document we open.
3. We must disconnect from the Internet when we are not using it…and disconnect “peripheral” devices when we are not using them.
4. We must recognize the tremendous sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us…the “ransom” that He paid for our sins.
5. We must thank God for sending Jesus…and for providing us with a “fix” that ensures us of Salvation through the ransomed blood of Jesus – and the promise of spending time in His presence in Heaven - forever and ever.
6. We must guard our hearts and the privilege of a ransomed life in Christ with as much fervor and attention as we give to caring for the files on our computer…maybe even more!
7. We must recognize that at the end of the day, computers and files are just stuff…important though they may seem…but our salvation through Jesus is the most important “file” that we will ever have.

I’m hoping that a week from now, my mother is “back in business” and well on her way to creating new files, and recreating those that could not be retrieved - or learning to live without them.  My hope for each of us is that we have the ultimate “protection” in place in the form of salvation through Jesus…that He has rescued us from near death…that we trust Him completely to heal us and keep us free of the “virus” of sin.
 
My “ransom” from sin has been paid, praise God! The “hard drive” of my heart is fully protected…my Eternity with Jesus Christ is secured.  He paid for the “decryption key”…and I have accepted His offer of healing and deliverance.  Can you say the same thing?  Will this be the day that you do?
 
©2014 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for July 11, 2014

1 John 1:8-10
If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.

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.

Suppose you plan a little party at your house, and you invite several people.  One of these people plans a party – for the same date.  Rather than say, “I can’t come…it seems I have scheduled my own party for the same night,” you get a phone call from this person with a made-up excuse about why they cannot attend your soirée.

Now you know that this person is having his/her own party.  Several people who are coming to your event have said, “I can’t stay long…I’ll have to make an appearance at the other event, as well.”  That’s fine…you understood that completely.  You’re not even insulted that you were not invited to the other person’s party!  But this person has told you a bold-faced lie…and you can’t figure out why…and their dishonesty stings!  This is the perfect example of a case where the truth would be so much better.

I get that we sometimes want to spare others’ feelings.  We make up excuses, rather than say, “I don’t want to do that,” or “Yes, that skirt makes you look fat,” or “I’m just not interested in you (or your hobby, or what is happening in your life…and more). We “play nice” to people we really do not like – for lot of reasons.  Some would even say that this is hypocritical behavior.  I am not advocating that you start saying hurtful things…or that you become honest to the point of insulting others.  If we will stay attuned to God’s teachings, He will show us how to offer compassion and grace in our treatment of those we encounter…and in what we say to them.

It hurts to think someone would deliberately deceive you…for whatever reason.  And when we do this to God, it hurts Him, too.  He is insulted…disappointed…and grieved when we lie to Him. Claiming that we have it all together…acting as if we are better than the next guy - and at least compared to him/her, pretty much sinless – breaks God’s heart.  Let’s face it, God knows better! 

God sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.  He paid the ultimate price for them.  To say that we are blameless – or superior in any way – is like saying, “Thanks for sending Jesus to take my sins…but I don’t need You anymore. I’ve got this now!”  It even suggests that we feel like we really didn’t need God in the first place…or that we used our salvation as a “ticket to heaven”…and now we’ll handle things ourselves the rest of the way.

Salvation is not a one-shot deal!  Don’t misunderstand me.  I believe that once you accept Jesus as your Savior, He takes your sins and writes your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life…assuring you a seat at His table in Heaven for all Eternity.  But I also believe that we have to keep returning to the cross (figuratively) each and every day.  We have to stay close to God…and call on His Holy Spirit to keep us in check…to guard our thoughts, words, and deeds…and to restore us when we falter. 

Think of our life in Christ like a delicate china teacup that falls off of the shelf and breaks. The teacup can be glued back together, but it will be forever fragile.  Tender care will have to be exercised in its use…and there may be some repeat or additional breakage along the way that must be repaired.  So it is with Jesus.  We are broken…sinful.  He restores us through His death on the cross.  But we are fragile, vulnerable…and subject to more sin and breakage that only He can repair.  To claim that we are “as good as new” and able to manage on our own - or that we are better than the next guy - amounts to lying…and God sees right through this!

The truth would be so much better.  Admitting that we are fragile, vulnerable human beings who need Jesus each and every day is anything but shameful.  Claiming the blood of Jesus…and acknowledging that we must be covered in it daily…attests to our faithfulness and dependency on Him for continual care and maintenance…for grace, mercy and forgiveness. 

While we might not always recognize when someone lies to us…God always knows!  This passage tells us that to lie to God is to not really know Him…to not fully understand who He is and how He operates.  Where have you lied when the truth would be better…to others – and to God?  Isn’t this the perfect day to “come clean”…to ask God to forgive you and restore you? Isn’t this the time to seek God’s guidance in living honestly with others…showing them compassion, grace, and mercy as you do your best to be truthful with them – but in a loving way? 

Where do you need to admit your sins and shortcomings…and ask God to forgive you for them?  Are you ready to operate in truth and receive the favor of God upon your life?  Will this be the day that you begin?

©2014 Debbie Robus