Daily Devotional for October 20, 2016

Matthew 5:8-9
“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

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.

Greg and I watched a news report about  I Wish My Teacher Knew…How One Question Can Change Everything for Kids*, a book written by third-grade teacher Kyle New of Denver, Colorado.  Knew wrote the sentence “I wish my teacher knew…” on the board one day in her third grade classroom and asked her students to complete it.  What resulted was astounding and led to this book by the same name.  As I listened to some of the sentence endings, read by young children, I was moved to tears.  They ranged from “I wish my teacher knew how much I love her,” to “I wish my teacher knew that I don’t have very many friends” and “I wish my teacher knew that my dad works two jobs and I don’t get to see him very much.”

Oh.My.Goodness! We have SO much work to do!  As much as we think we know about “children” of all ages…there is so much we do not understand.  We don’t know what is in another person’s mind and heart.  We don’t understand the conflicts, angst, insecurities – or even the running dialogue that plays in the minds of so many around us…maybe even you! We seldom stop to look at others in the grocery line or on the street and think that they have just as many thoughts, ideas – and problems – as you and I have on any given day.

Many people skate through life hoping that nobody discovers who they really are - or what they really think or feel.  But God knows all of it…and He loves us anyway.  So can’t we learn to emulate Him just a little?  Can’t we get our heart and mind right and see others as He sees them - as His children… beautifully crafted and designed…valuable and full of purpose?  Can’t we find a way to cooperate with others…to empathize and understand…to share and get along instead of the operating in the horrible divisive words and actions that so many of us have chosen as our stock in trade?

I look at our own children…and the other little ones I spend time with at church and school…and I wonder what they must think.  What must they be learning from so many of us? Too many children are seeing hatred, discrimination, criticism, judgment based on everything from appearance and body image to ethnicity and economics - and a revolting atmosphere of unkindness like none I’ve ever witnessed before.  They are observing adults who attend worship on Sundays, teach Bible classes, sing in the choir, and espouse “Christian values”…then call others ugly names as they talk about current events – and make excuses for comments and behaviors that would embarrass even the most raucous teenager!

God must surely hang His head in shame and disappointment.  I am truly amazed that He puts up with any of us!  And yet, He is calling us to purify our hearts and minds…to get along and cooperate with others…to operate in HIS blessings rather than the devil’s disturbing ploys to derail us. And He is willing to help us “get there!”

God is calling us to stop and ponder the comment, “I wish my teacher/friend/relative/spouse/pastor/neighbor knew…” and put ourselves in the other person’s shoes. While we cannot know all that GOD knows…we can develop a tender heart for His children…ALL of them.  Today seems like a pretty good time to get started…doesn’t it?

©2016 Debbie Robus    
  
*http://iwishmyteacherknewbook.com/

Daily Devotional for February 28, 2014

1 John 1:9
But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.

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

Attending a high school basketball game can be akin to looking at humanity in a fishbowl!  You have two teams fighting for the same victory.  Then you have the parents, friends, relatives and casual observers who care about the outcome to varying degrees.  On the teams themselves, you have players representing several age groups…from freshmen and sophomores who are relatively “green”…to the seniors who are playing their last season and laying it all on the line.  In the case of a district tournament we recently attended, the outcome of the games signaled not only the end of the season for some…but also the end of a “career” for many who will not be moving on to play ball at the college level.

So as we sat and cheered our senior girls’ team to victory, I watched the players on the opposing team see their hopes and dreams dashed in a one-point loss.  I observed in the previous game as almost-grown boys quite literally made a trudge of defeat to their bench…tears filling their eyes as they hugged teammates and commiserated the end of this phase of their lives.

I know what you may be thinking…a year from now, these will be distant memories – maybe totally unimportant to these young people in the scheme of things.  And yes, the final game(s) of your high school “career” are not as critical as world peace…or even many of the crises and concerns that affect each of us on any given day.  But let’s keep things in context…and in so doing, let’s have a little empathy and compassion for the other guy.

We were all teenagers once…surely we remember how all-important many of those experiences were at the time…the first dance…your athletic competitions…your last band concert or marching performance…a budding romance.  Some of you remember what it felt like as a parent to see your children go through these rites of passage and realize that they were growing up…and away from your “nest” in short order.  Surely you can feel some semblance of empathy for the person seated next to you who is exuberant over every basket…yelling at the referee in protest of a foul on his/her kid that seemed undeserved…or tearful at game’s end.

What does this have to do with our scripture verse for today?  I’m glad you asked!  The very same God who forgives our sins when we call on Him… the One who takes away our tears and fears and forgives us when we “act a fool” and admit it…the God who cares about worldwide hunger and injustice…also cares about the mixed bag of emotions that surround a high school senior’s last ballgame.  The same God we trust to care for us and take away our sins cares for that dad who is unhappy with the refs - and the mom who is crying her eyes out because her baby has taken one more step toward independence.

The same God who holds us in His hands when we are sick or in need will heal and comfort others who are sick or troubled.  The same God who orchestrates even the most mundane occurrences of our daily living will guide the steps of others who call on Him.  The same God who forgives our sins and washes them away will offer salvation and eternal life to anyone else who confesses his/her sins.

We are no different…no better…no more privileged before God than anyone else.  And at the end of the day…or the end of a game…we are all pretty much the same.  We love our kids… our schools…our communities and our country.  We live, love, laugh and cry…and we are all precious to God.  Take a good hard look at the people around you and recognize that what God offers to you…He also offers to them.  Does this change how you relate with them?  Shouldn’t it?

©2014 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for February 16, 2014

Hebrews 2:18
Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Yesterday, a schoolmate named Carol messaged me and asked if I would post a prayer request for her on Facebook.  She was distraught over recent events involving her mother, an Alzheimer’s patient who lives in a nursing home and has experienced several falls and a broken hip in recent weeks.  Carol lives 800 miles away in another state and is unable to be with her mother right now, and she was feeling incredibly frustrated, worried, and alone.  I posted a prayer request for her and spelled out her needs, as well as those of Carol’s mother – and her brother who lives close by and serves as his mother’s guardian.

In no time at all, dozens of comments were posted.  Many “tagged” Carol on Facebook and gave her words of encouragement and advice.  Some had “been there, done that” with their own parents, and they were able to offer tremendous comfort to Carol because of their own “suffering and testing”.  One person in particular described how she had cared for her own mother as she suffered from dementia.  She made some constructive suggestions for how to handle this situation – and the accompanying emotions.  It was a blessing to be able to petition prayers for this family…and even more so to read the responses and see how so many people stepped up to offer compassion and support.

This is what we are supposed to do. I was listening to a sermon recently by Pastor Joel Osteen, and he reminded us that God uses our trials and tribulations for His purposes.  When He allows us to experience something that is difficult or unpleasant, we often question why these things happened.  Many times we cannot see that God has plans to use these circumstances in some manner. It may happen 3 days from now…or 30 years down the road.  But God will not waste these events.  And it might just be that He is setting us up to help someone else.

So while you wonder why you are facing so many challenges with your aging parents, God might be planning to put you in a position to someday support and encourage someone else who is going through the same thing. If you struggled to get through a course in biology, God might put others in your path who face the same struggle, so that you can reassure them that they can handle this.  If someone stole your credit card and racked up a huge bill, God might show you a way to warn others…or to share with someone what you did to recover – and how he/she can, also.

The bottom line is that God never wastes an opportunity to show us His love and compassion…and He expects us to do the same for others.  Look around you.  Who needs your compassion, encouragement, and reassurance?  Where can you share a personal experience and give something that may have seemed truly horrible a positive spin…while helping someone else who is going through the same thing?  How can you share God’s love and compassion with others and emulate Jesus Christ?

Are you ready to reach out to the people around you…to allow God to work in and through you and turn your suffering and testing into opportunities to minister to others?  In the words of Pastor Osteen, will this be the day you become a “victor” in Christ instead of a “victim” of circumstances?  Will you truly demonstrate the love of Jesus to others by sharing in their burdens?  Isn’t it time you did?

©2014 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for February 9, 2014

2 Corinthians 4:7-12
If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!
 
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.
 
Early in our marriage, Greg’s mother gave us a “quilt” that Greg’s grandmother had made.  Actually, I think it is probably an old quilt that was recovered with this red “bandana-like” material and “string tied”.  This means the coverlet is not actually “quilted”… but every few inches, a piece of yarn was tacked through the material and tied into a strong knot to hold the fabric –and the quilting inside – in place.  There is nothing especially pretty about this quilt.  But over the years, it has kept us warm, padded our seat at countless ballgames, and served us well.  The fabric is almost threadbare around the edges…still, it provides warmth and comfort.  Now our little ones use the quilt…for warmth…as a “pallet” on the floor…and even once as a “fort” when it was draped over the playpen!
 
Oh, the places this quilt has been…the things it has done with us!   This blanket holds a lot of “history”…picnics, ballgames, cookouts, snowy nights, childhood fun, and so much more! You cannot tell all of this just by looking at it…the naked eye cannot see the love and comfort that has emanated from the folds of this inanimate object.  Considering that this quilt belonged to Greg’s family before I came on the scene, it is safe to say that this roughly 36-square-feet of blanketing has been a source of contentment and coziness for well more than 40 years!
 
The blanket itself is not extraordinary.  What is truly worth noting is how it has served our family…and how we have repeatedly turned to this quilt in countless situations.  And this is where my mind went when I read these verses from the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians.  We are the vessel…the unadorned clay pot or the plain and simple quilt.  Without God, our purposes – and their effects – are minimal, at best.  The “beat-down” of life in general - and the devil specifically – should by all rights have done us in long ago.  But we keep on going.  We have amazing strength because of God’s power.
 
For a lot of us, plenty of people know the troubles we’ve seen… but not how we survived them - or more importantly, WHO got us through these trials.  A few of us have understood that the “wear and tear” of our life has made us who we are in Christ…and we are supposed to share that with others in the same boat!  Some of us get it that we got this far because of Jesus…and others need to know that they can do the same thing!  We understand that we are plain, ordinary, everyday people through whom God has done extraordinary things.  Oh, I don’t mean that He has necessarily used us to cure a world-wide plague or even to become the next big thing (whatever that is!)...but God has used us, just the same.
 
God has worked in and through you in countless instances that could be shared with others to help them in their journey.  Just like an old clay pot or a well-used quilt, you may be a little rough around the edges…or you may appear to be so ordinary that others seem to walk right past you.  But you are incredibly unique - and important - and so capable of sharing God’s love and compassion with others.  It’s what He’s calling us to do all throughout the scriptures…and it’s time we started paying attention.
 
Will you ask God to show you how and where you can share His power at work in you with others?  Will you find your purpose as a Christian disciple and see where you are to serve as His vessel?  Who needs the warmth and comfort of your blanket of experiences…and kindheartedness?  God is giving you His best – even when you are at your worst.  Are you ready to “raise a corner of the quilt” and invite others to share in His love and power?  Shouldn’t you?
 
©2014 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for February 3, 2014

Hebrews 5:2
And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses.
 
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
 
My Mam-ma Polly became something of a “personal spokeswoman” for her Assisted Living Facility.  Whenever a potential new resident toured the building, the administrator would ask Mam-ma if it was okay to show them Mam-ma’s room.  While she was still able to talk, Mam-ma would visit with the potential resident and tell them, “Moving here is the best thing I ever did.” I’m not sure she fully believed that statement, but she counseled and encouraged a lot of people in her two years there.  She understood their fears and apprehensions…how hard such a move and life change was - and the finality it represented.  She could commiserate.  My grandmother made a great ambassador for her Assisted Living Facility!
 
Who could better encourage an addict or alcoholic than someone who is recovering from the same affliction?  Who could possibly be a more effective minister to those in prison than someone who was once incarcerated?  Who knows more about the daily demands of dealing with a child with a disability than another mom or dad who is also the parent of a child with challenges?  Who understands the heartache and suffering of being a student who is bullied – or has a learning disability – than someone with the same experience?  We can commiserate with the athlete who suffers a career-ending injury…but we cannot possibly understand how he/she truly feels like another athlete who experienced the same thing.
 
The point is that we all have something…some life events that qualify us to “deal gently” or share compassion and encouragement with someone else.  God never wastes an opportunity!  And the very things we see as “baggage” or a burden…He may plan to use to help others - and bless us in the bargain.
 
When we fail to reach out to others and share our experiences, we potentially block God’s plans – and our own blessings.  God wants us to minister to others out of our own history…to say, “This is my story…and this is how God got me through it.  What He did for me, he will surely do for you!”  I can tell others all day long that an Assisted Living Facility is the right place for them to live at a certain life stage…but I’ve never had to make that decision, so what do I really know?!
 
I have never lost a spouse…or a child…I’ve never been divorced, been fired from a job, or experienced the overseas deployment of a loved one who was in the military.  But I know people who have…and they are ideal disciples for others in the same boat.  By the same token, I have my own set of experiences that give me insight into certain situations that others might be facing…and so do you.  We might be just the person to offer encouragement and compassion to these folks.
 
So what’s keeping you from doing this?  Are you “too busy”…lazy…ashamed…insecure?  What IS your excuse?  Do you understand that God wants each of us to reach out to others and share what He has done for us? Do you get that this is part of real Christian discipleship?
 
Take a good look at your life…your “skill set”…the experiences and events that mold and shape your life.  Think about how God has brought you to this point…how He has brought you through trials, tribulations, joys and sorrows.  Look around at the people in your circle and see who is going through a similar incident.  Aren’t you the perfect person to reach out to them?  Isn’t this what God is calling each of us to do?  God wants each of us to strengthen and encourage others through our own “weaknesses”.  Are you ready to be His ambassador and do your part?
 
©2014 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for January 23, 2014

Matthew 7:12
“Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.
 
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.
 
In her book The Glass Castle, author Jeanette Walls provides us with a vivid picture of her childhood.  Walls’ mother and father were somewhat the “poster children” for dysfunctional parenting.  If you read this book, you will wonder how Walls and her siblings ever wanted to have anything to do with their parents.  And yet, they cared for their father as he lay dying when the rigors of alcoholism ravaged his body – and ultimately took his life.  Walls opens her book with a description of pulling up alongside her mother, who was dumpster diving on the streets of New York City, and inviting her into the car for a conversation.
 
Many people would have looked the other way and pretended that this was not their mother…or they would have rushed her into the car and ridiculed her for embarrassing them in such a manner.  But Walls did neither.  She does not speak of a faith in Christ in her books, but surely she has developed an understanding of the basic tenet of what we know as “The Golden Rule” somewhere…somehow.  She is able to put aside her own humiliation…what would be understandable resentment for the way she, her brother and sister were reared – neglected and mistreated, if not downright abused.  Jeanette Walls is able to consider the person before her and ask a simple question, “How would I want to be treated?”  And this is how she responds.
 
Surely you have had at least one instance in your life where someone has essentially – if not literally – slapped you in the face.  You’ve been the brunt of an embarrassing or derogatory gesture…you’ve been called an ugly name, experienced a betrayal, or someone has treated you so unkindly that you felt like the breath was sucked from your lungs.  Maybe you have been lonely, sick or injured…and no one bothered to even call to check on you – much less visit and offer to help.  Maybe you have had to figure out how to manage what seemed like an impossible task all by yourself, while those around you acted like you were virtually invisible.  Either they were too busy, too disinterested, or truly didn’t care enough to help you…but the result was pretty much the same.  You were left feeling insignificant and unloved.
 
I could list other situations…but you get the picture.  We’ve all “been there, done that” at one time or another.  So we should all understand how terrible this feels.  We should all be ready to take a look at “the other guy” and ask, “How would I feel in his/her shoes?”  But time after time – for whatever reason – we seem to be too busy to exercise this “rule-of-thumb behavior” that sums up all of the laws and teachings of Jesus.
 
We can do better.  We MUST do better!  We should take a page from Jeanette Wall’s book (no pun intended!) and put aside our own feelings to consider the other person…to meet his/her needs as we feel led by the LORD… and to let HIM handle the rest.  We must get to a point in our own Christian discipleship where we focus on treating others as we would like to be treated (and as God directs us)…and we allow God handle how others treat us!  I get it…this is far easier said than done.  But again, nothing about being a disciple of Christ is necessarily easy!
 
So how do we proceed?  Leo Babauta, author of the blog “Zen Habits”, posted “18 Practical Tips for Living the Golden Rule”.* It’s worth a look, and I encourage you to click on the link and read through them.  There is so much more that each of us can do to share love and compassion with others…and to honor the teachings of Jesus and His amazing gift of grace, mercy, forgiveness and compassion in our own lives.  This may not come easily at first, but practice truly does “make perfect”…and in time, we can become far more adept at exercising this tenet in our daily living.
 
Babauta encourages us to do this so that we will be happier and “a better person”…so that our community will be a better place.  I believe we must do this “because Jesus said so!”  He has demonstrated this principle for each and every one of us.  If we want to truly be His disciples, we will “pay it forward” to others...and trust Him to give us the wisdom, strength and courage to accomplish these things for His glory.  I know I’m in… what about you?
 
©2014 Debbie Robus
 
*http://zenhabits.net/18-practical-tips-for-living-the-golden-rule/

Daily Devotional for January 19, 2014

1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!

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.

In a January 3, 2014, report for the DailyMail.com, correspondent Melissa Kite describes donning a “fat suit” made in the United States for the Peterborough City Hospital in England, to the tune of over $1600US.  Kite, a svelte 119 pounds (8½ stone in British terms), donned a “bariatric suit” that elevated her weight to 40 stone…or 560 pounds.  The hospital is using this suit to help provide nurses with empathy for the obese patients they treat in their facility.  Hite points out that over a million people are classified as “morbidly obese” in Great Britain.  Given the added health risks that come with obesity, it’s a sure bet that more than handful of these folks will visit the hospital for some sort of treatment.  I encourage you to read this thought-provoking report for yourself.*

I chose a fairly “mainstream” example of “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes”…but only because this is one we can physically imagine and envision.  We can also visualize simulating homelessness for a weekend, restraining an arm or leg or wearing a blindfold and trying to imagine what it would be like to function without a limb or our eyesight.  But how do we gain insight into the more “invisible” lives - and burdens - of others?  Are we able to imagine what it would be like to be bullied?  Can we truly understand the emotional anguish of someone who has suffered the loss of a child? Do you know what it feels like to be mistreated because of the color of your skin, your sexual orientation, something that happened to you in the past, your ethnicity, or your social status?

Can you possibly imagine what it is like to suffer from some form of mental illness?  Have you considered the challenges that come to the family members of those who do? Are you able to truly understand what it is to wake up hungry every day… and go to bed wondering whether you will survive another?  Can you relate to the terminally ill person who is facing his/her own mortality, and all of the worries and concerns for those left behind?  Do you have any idea the mental and emotional torment that may plague an addict, adulterer, prostitute, gang member, or psychopath?  Do you know firsthand the heartache of parents who are filled with worry and anguish over delinquent children or a child with mental, physical or emotional issues?  Have you personally been charged with responsibilities of caring for an aging loved one…and had to make difficult “life decisions” in the process?

I do not believe that Paul is calling on us to literally become one of these people…even for a short term experience.  But in essence, He is telling us to stop for just a minute and try to envision their world…to “put on their fat suit” in our minds and hearts…and to see what – and who – God sees.  Then…and only then…will we have a shot at truly sharing the compassion – and Good News – of Christ with them.  There is an adage that is attributed to several people that essentially says, “People don’t care what you know…until they know that you care.”  This is what Paul is trying to share with us in this passage of scripture.  So my question today for all of us is…do people know that we care?  Isn’t it time they did?

©2014 Debbie Robus
 
*Wearing fat suits can make you sympathise with the obese...

Daily Devotional for January 12, 2014

Romans 12:20-21
Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
 
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.
 
Forty-something years ago, when I was in junior high and high school, we didn’t talk about bullies as much as people do today…but I had one.  And it turns out that this person bullied a lot of my friends, also.  Maybe it was just as bad for them as it was for me, but I felt like I was one of her favorite targets.  I didn’t say much about it to my mom, so she probably had no clue just how miserable it was for me at times.  When I did mention something, she would remind me to be kind to others and say things like, “People only tease you because they like you.”  Today, we all know better about many instances of bullying.  We’ve all read and heard the stories of children who were taunted and badgered horrifically…often with tragic consequences.  Thankfully, my situation – and that of my friends – was never this severe, and we all appear to have survived our teenage years fairly unscathed.
 
As adults, most of my friends and I have been incredibly blessed.  But the person who bullied us has not fared as well.  Her life has had a series of ups and downs…and included some pretty significant struggles.  When I learned of one instance, I sent word to her that I was praying for her… that I was sorry for her troubles and hoped things improved quickly.  A few months later, I saw her in person, and she was incredibly kind and complimentary.
 
I will admit… there was a part of me that wanted to scream, “Do you know how you tormented me when we were growing up?  Do you know how miserable you made life for me and many of my friends on an almost-daily basis?”  (There was also a part that wanted to thumb my nose and say, “Nyah, nyah, nyah-nyah, nyah!”  But something told me that either: 1) she doesn’t have a clue what she did; or 2) she knows full well how badly she treated us, and she is incredibly remorseful.  I went with option #2.
 
In our brief encounter that day, it seemed as if this woman was almost relieved – even grateful – that I did not bring up the past.  I got a real sense that she may have expected me to either snub her as she approached me - and refuse to speak to her - or to rebuke her vehemently for what she had done.  I could almost feel the appreciativeness in her voice and demeanor when I did neither.
 
In the end, we both came away with a positive impression. Another school friend once said to me, “I guess it must be satisfying in some way to know that her life didn’t turn out all that well.”  I told her that nothing could be farther from the truth.  We are not supposed to delight in revenge or another person’s misfortune, regardless of what they might have done or whether we feel they “got what they had coming.” I could have even excused this person by saying, “You treated me so terribly when we were growing up…and I have forgiven you for every bit of that.”  But I didn’t have to say anything…my actions and my lack of retaliation spoke volumes.  I don’t know if she felt better afterward…but I surely did!
 
Throughout the Bible, there are verses that support the adage that we are to “Kill ‘em with kindness.”  Every single one of us will be insulted, mistreated in some way, knocked down or betrayed.  Hateful words will fly…unkind actions and injustices will be inflicted upon us.  And the Bible is very clear that we are to continue to treat others with compassion and generosity.
 
Regardless of how much or how little you have…whether your life has been a “bed of roses” or littered with “thorns”, share love and compassion with others. Operate out of the blessings and abundance of God’s grace and mercy in your own life.  Income and status do not determine needs of the heart.  Give freely to all who are in need, and “kill ‘em with kindness”.  Never operate in evil or retaliation.  Surprise others with goodness…and you might just surprise yourself in the process!
 
©2014 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for January 5, 2014

Matthew 18:28-35
“The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, ‘Pay up. Now!’
 
“The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ But he wouldn’t do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.
 
“The king summoned the man and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn’t you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?’ The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that’s exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn’t forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy.”
 
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.
 
January 3, 2014, author/blogger Ben Irwin wrote a piece for http://HuffingtonPost.com titled “20 Things the Poor Really Do Every Day”*. Irwin cited several sources for creating his list, and the points were compelling…search for affordable housing…try to make $133 worth of food last a whole month…skip a meal…work longer and harder than most of us - just to name a few. Irwin’s point was that the poor may not share the habits of the rich… but it’s not necessarily because they don’t want to…or because they are lazy or ignorant.  More importantly, Irwin notes that the poor are “those with whom Jesus identifies most closely”.
 
As I thought about this article and how we look at people who are “less fortunate” than we are, I considered this scripture passage and Jesus’ admonition to show mercy to those who ask for it.  I believe that His message extends much further.  How many people in need do you know who are unabashed about asking for help or mercy?  I’m sure my church’s staff might argue this point with me, because they spend every Tuesday fielding request from folks who need money or assistance from our “Pastor’s Emergency Fund” - and I am quite sure some are not the least bit embarrassed to ask repeatedly.  But at the same time, I know there are people who will do without a lot of things most would consider necessities – or simply avoid certain people and situations - rather than ask for help.
 
There are also those who are so embarrassed and ashamed of their situation… or their behavior… that they cannot bring themselves to ask for forgiveness and/or a second chance. If you don’t believe me, ask yourself if you have ever felt you had to improve in one area or another before you approached God.  It’s the same thing.  We all have times when we think that we cannot rectify our situation… rebuild a relationship… or ask for help… until we get things straightened out a little more on our own.  And in doing this, we rob ourselves of blessings on so many levels.
 
I say all this to remind each of us – myself especially – to put ourselves in the shoes of the other guy.  Consider how he feels… what struggles plague him…how hard it might be for this person to ask for help – much less seek mercy and forgiveness.  I am in no way suggesting that you let people run over you and take full advantage of your kindness.  I’m merely suggesting that we truly offer others compassion and understanding… that we try to see things from their vantage point.  Rather than demand payment or to be treated in a certain way… perhaps we should shower this person with love and gentleness.  You know…treat them just like Jesus treats us!  We might just find that they come around sooner...or at the very least, that we are more tenderhearted and merciful in our own thoughts and actions!
 
God does not want us to be “doormats” for others.  But many of us have plenty of situations and relationships that are far removed from this status…yet they could use a hefty dose of grace, mercy and compassion.  Are you willing to take a step back and consider the other person’s perspective?  Can you operate more from a position of kindheartedness, understanding and compassion… and less from one of judgment and ultimatum?  Will you offer others the same level of mercy that you desire from God?  Shouldn’t you?
 
©2014 Debbie Robus
 
* http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-irwin/20-things-poor-people-really-do_b_4533691.html

Daily Devotional for June 30, 2012

James 5:19-20
My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from 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.

One day last week, I made tuna salad. As I opened the cans of tuna fish, my cat, Lucy, came into the kitchen and began to cry and rub my legs. I have never given Lucy and Mabel tuna fish. They get a small spoonful of canned cat food each night, but never “human” food! I was tempted to give Lucy a small bite of the tuna, but I knew from experience with our first two cats that this would start something that I could never reverse!

We could apply this same principle to how we treat others… we cannot get this started! When someone wanders off track… engages in behavior that is irresponsible at best… or even downright immoral or ungodly… we must not dismiss them. We must never say, “Well, I tried… I gave it my best… but I’m done.” We most certainly cannot become disgusted and give up on them. If we give up on others, this will have a cumulative effect. We will find it easier and easier to throw up our hands, concede defeat and walk away. And the devil will dance.

Jesus never gives up on us. If we want to be like Him, we can never give up on others, either. We must continue to pray and trust God for His will to be manifested. We have to stay positive and faithful. We don’t need to preach and lecture. But we must maintain contact and offer love and kindness… let the other person know we still care - no matter what.

I can’t tell you how or when things will turn around… or if you will ever physically see the results of your efforts. I can assure you that if/when someone who has wandered away does make a change, you will be blessed… and so glad you didn’t give up on him/her. Either way, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you did what God asked of you… that you persisted in showing love, grace, mercy and forgiveness. Never let it be said of you that these attributes have limits in your life. Love as Jesus did… without conditions or constraints.

Be ready to go the distance for others, just as Jesus does for us. And if/when the person does come back to God’s truth, be grateful… not for what you have done, but for how generous and dependable our Heavenly Father is toward each of us. Humble yourself and thank God for allowing you to play even the smallest part in showing unconditional love – and persistent faith – to others. This is not only our duty… it’s our privilege as Christians and Disciples of Christ. Are you doing your part to be the hands and feet of Jesus to others? Isn’t it time you did?

©2012 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for May 29, 2012

1 Corinthians 10:13
No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.

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.

In the newspaper today, I saw a photograph of a woman kneeling at a grave site in a military cemetery. She was placing an American flag on one of the graves… and she appeared to be crying. I wondered if this was the grave of her husband… father…mother… or a son or daughter. I imagined how she must be remembering the sad events surrounding this person’s death… and reliving them. I thought of my own loved ones – and how I would feel were I the person in the picture. And I also considered how this woman is one of thousands all over the world who are mourning the loss of a dear loved one lost to one war or another.

Yesterday was Memorial Day in our country, and many of my Facebook “friends” posted photos of their loved ones who served in a branch of our armed forces. Some of these men and women perished during their tour of duty. But as the survivors posted their picture and reminded us of their sacrifice and service, I have to believe they also found comfort in the knowledge that they were not alone. They had to sense that others understood how they felt… and that ALL of them had managed to somehow come through this. More than few credited God with giving them the strength to endure the pain and grief… the heartache and loss. And just as surely as He has done this… He has also steered the paths people in similar situations in the same direction in order to bolster one another with empathy and encouragement.

A friend told me recently, “I sometimes feel like I am all alone on an island.” We all feel this way at times. But look around you. I’m betting you don’t have to look very far to find someone who is going through something very similar to your own experiences… or something far worse. Does this discount or diminish your feelings? Absolutely not! But the same God who is helping the other guy get through his/her test or temptation will help you. And maybe God wants you to help each other!

Let’s be honest… even the youngest among us has been through some “stuff!” And the older we get, the broader our experience base becomes. I don’t believe this is an accident. God doesn’t waste opportunities any more than He gives us more than we can handle. Perhaps instead of asking, “Why me, LORD?” we should be asking “What are You showing me… and how will You use this – and me – for Your glory?” My dear friend Becky, who lost her battle to breast cancer several years ago, always asked, “Why NOT me?” Now that’s FAITH in action!

We need to pick ourselves up by the bootstraps and buckle on the full armor of God. We need to say to ourselves… and to others… “With God, all things are possible. He will never let me down.” We need to leave the devil’s pity party and the negative enabling that is in steady supply and move over to the LORD’s table. We’ll be among friends there... support and encouragement will be the “Daily Special.” We will feast on the profusion of God’s strength and blessings… abundance that enables us to handle anything and everything that comes our way.

The choice is ours. We can decide which “party” to attend – and what kind of “support” we will seek. Whose table are you sitting at these days?

©2012 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for April 25, 2012

Matthew 14:15-21
That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This place is like a desert, and it is already late. Let the crowds leave, so they can go to the villages and buy some food.”

Jesus replied, “They don’t have to leave. Why don’t you give them something to eat?”

But they said, “We have only five small loaves of bread[c] and two fish.” 18 Jesus asked his disciples to bring the food to him, 19 and he told the crowd to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and handed it to his disciples, and they gave it to the people.

After everyone had eaten all they wanted, Jesus' disciples picked up twelve large baskets of leftovers.

There were about five thousand men who ate, not counting the women and children.

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

A childhood friend of mine is facing a heartbreaking situation. This will be the last night she gets to spend with two children she has fostered for several months. Tomorrow they will return to their mother. The now-4-year-old boy and his 7-month-old sister have been with my friend since the little girl was seven weeks old. As my friend puts it, “they feel safe.” She also wrote lately, “This is not what I prayed for, Lord! I asked for children of my own!” Yet God gave her foster children instead. Understandably, my friend has grown attached to her “children” these last few months. She worries about the environment they will return to, and she is trying to mentally and emotionally prepare herself for their departure. I’m sure my friends who are involved in fostering children in our community will totally understand this.

One day this week, my friend wrote on Facebook about a conversation she heard on television between Oprah Winfrey and Bishop T.D. Jakes. Bishop Jakes mentioned this passage from Matthew 14 and said (speaking of Jesus)…” We are certain that He had 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread when He blessed it. As he broke it - that's where we lose count. You understand then, that the blessing is at the breaking. That which refuses to be broken, refuses to be blessed. It is the breaking of life that produces the blessing of life. I have noticed in my life that the most blessed people I have ever met have gone through something that broke them."

Really think about this and let it soak in for a while. Have you had “broken” experiences that produced growth? Have you lost a loved one – and grown in your faith and dependence on God to sustain you? Have you been sick or injured and seen God work through others to heal and comfort you? Have you suffered a broken relationship or a personal loss of some sort that made you more aware of others’ feelings and caused you to be more aware of how you treat them?

I am sad for my friend… I understand her pain. And because of this, I have been able to offer her words of encouragement that she knows are sincere and heartfelt. She knows that I speak firsthand when I tell her, “I don’t know how God will get you through this… I only know that He will.” Whatever you have experienced… or whatever may happen to you in the future… can be the catalyst for your next blessing. My friend concluded her Facebook post by saying… ”I am so very thankful, and I bless these little children who brought - and bring - challenges, laughter, and joy to my life. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to have loved them. And so I surrender to fully embrace and bless this experience… and look to God for even greater, unimagined blessings.”

I had never considered these verses from Matthew 14 in this context. I had never thought of the broken bread that multiplied as an illustration of how God uses our brokenness to create growth and blessings. But I have learned that God’s word is new every day – and always timely – so I should not be surprised that He would use this familiar passage to teach me another lesson. And I don’t plan to miss the message! I hope you won’t, either.

Whatever God is doing in your life… whatever seems to be breaking or falling apart… God will use this to create blessings and growth. The question we must as is not “LORD, why?” but rather, “Lord, what next?” Are you seeking blessings in your brokenness? Are you asking the right questions?

©2012 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for April 6, 2012

Romans 8:15-17 This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with 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.

Lately, I’ve been exchanging messages with a friend from high school who will soon be transferring two foster children in her care back to the home of their mother. She has cared for these children for several months now, and her home has been a loving, stable environment for them… their longest “stability” ever. Naturally, she is dreading the day that they will leave her… for many reasons.

While my husband and I were not fulltime foster parents, we did spend a lot of time with my little nephew, Timothy, during his first 2½ years of life. Saying “Good-bye” to him when he moved to another state last December was truly heartbreaking. I understand on some level what my friend is experiencing… I know the dread of “the day” and the sadness of the actual “good-bye.” I also know that God has never left me… He has given me strength and courage when I sad and defeated. He has enabled me to smile, laugh and find joy… and given me a deeper appreciation for other children. And I am assuring my friend that He will do all of this – and more – for her.

The point of sharing this is not to make you feel sorry for my husband and me… or my friend. It is to show you that God not only shares our pain and heartaches… He shields us and lifts us, also. He never leaves us… and out of our most difficult circumstances, He sets us upright and enables us to ask, “What’s next?” Because of my experience, my friend knows that my words of encouragement are genuine and based in firsthand knowledge. And because of Jesus’ suffering, we can trust that He understands our own – and His comfort comes from a place of true empathy.

There are heartaches, challenges and sufferings of all kinds for each of us. Being a Christian doesn’t insulate us from these experiences… but it does insure us against a terminal suffering. In Psalm 30:5, we read that “…weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”(KJV) I like how The Message puts it… “The nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter.” Isn’t this great news? We should be deeply encouraged to know that a “new life in Christ” includes another day with a fresh start and a return of joy and laughter… and that Jesus is with us every step of the way.

Remember two things today: 1) God totally understands everything you are going through… your joys AND your sorrows… the good times AND those that are painful. When you suffer, He suffers with you, and… 2) God will restore your joy. I have no idea what your challenges, or heartaches are… but with God’s help, you WILL get through whatever it is you are suffering or grieving. God will see that you experience “good times” again.

Recognize the presence of Jesus and His Holy Spirit. Thank Him for His company… His grace, mercy, and blessings. Learn from God, and share the comfort you have received with others who have similar needs. Reach out and genuinely say, “I’ve been there… I understand… and you will get through this!” Because Jesus suffered on the cross, He can say, “I know how you feel… I understand what you are going through.” Remember the adage that “people don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” Because I know that Jesus cares, I care what He knows… and I want more of Him each and every day. Don’t you?

©2012 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for March 7, 2012

Romans 15:1-6
Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, "How can I help?”

That's exactly what Jesus did. He didn't make it easy for himself by avoiding people's troubles, but waded right in and helped out. "I took on the troubles of the troubled," is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it's written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we'll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!

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.

I grew up in an atmosphere of “seeing after” others. It was common to “take a dish” when someone died or got sick. I’ve seen my grandmother make everything from vegetable soup to a pan of hot rolls to a full meal for others who were going through a rough patch. I’ve heard her talk about going to someone’s home and taking care of them and their family when they were sick and in need. My late cousin Eddie was known for the smoked or baked hams he delivered to families who had suffered a loss. I remember how a dear neighbor brought a delicious meal to the home of my husband’s parents the night my father-in-law died.

As important as food and nurture are when we are in need, human contact and support are equally vital. I will never forget the half dozen or more ladies who came from my parents’ church and organized shifts to prepare meals and run my mom’s kitchen and household when my dad and brother died. It seemed as if there was someone there to organize everything from the morning breakfast to mopping the floors before bedtime – for almost a week! I can still picture a dear friend who lay across a bed with my grandmother and consoled her after my dad – her only son – had died. I still recall the weekly visits of a certain pastor in our town when my dad and brother were ill. Neither of them were members of his congregation… yet, he found time to visit and offer support to all of us.

I know as surely as I am writing this devotional that there are people in my community – and in my own circle of family and friends – who are in need of help, strength and encouragement today… the kind that I can offer. And I am sure that it is the same for you. Who is sick? Who has been injured? Who has suffered the loss of a loved one, a job, a relationship, their health, a home, and more? Who is moving or working on a project that could use a couple of extra hands and feet? Where are you able to offer God’s love and a little hope to someone who might need it? Can you “take a dish” and offer physical sustenance? Can you offer a hug, write a note of encouragement, or share a conversation to let someone know that you care? Can you give someone a ride, care for a pet, or babysit for a few hours?

I guarantee you, as much as people notice when you help them, they also notice when you don’t. And we can all come up with dozens of excuses for not coming to the aid of those around us who are in need – even down to our own family members. The tasks are not always pleasant. It’s often downright difficult. Knowing what to say and do takes prayer… and practice!

Meeting the needs of others may not come as easily for you as it seems to for some… but that doesn’t give you a “free pass.” God will equip you with exactly what you need to say and do… but you have to get up and get going. You have to be willing to take a risk and “take on the troubles of the troubled” in Jesus’ name.

Who will you reach out to this day? Where will you lend a hand… offer God’s hope… surrender yourself and do what is less than convenient? I can assure you already that you will never regret it. You will find that in blessing others in God’s name, you always get the bigger blessing. Are you ready to truly count for God? Are you ready to serve Him and exercise your “faith muscle?” Where will you “wade in” and make a difference today?

©2012 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for December 27, 2010

1 Corinthians 12:25-26
He did this to make all parts of the body work together smoothly, with each part caring about the others. If one part of our body hurts, we hurt all over. If one part of our body is honored, the whole body will be happy.

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

Last year, my niece and our great-nephew Timothy got sick a couple of weeks before Christmas with stomach flu. This “bug” was running rampant through our community, and by the week of Christmas, my sister and her husband had succumbed. On December 22nd, my sister called me and weakly asked, “Can you come and get Timothy? His mother is working, and we [meaning she and her husband] are too sick to care for him.” I went right away and collected Timothy, who was still fairly sick himself.

Over the course of the next few days, Timothy got better and began to drink his bottles again and keep down liquid Jello and a drink designed to restore the electrolytes in infants. By Christmas Eve, my sister and my niece seemed to be feeling better, too. Everyone gather at our home for a Christmas Eve lunch and an afternoon of opening gifts and visiting.

I noticed that my husband distanced himself from the group, but since not everyone could fit at the dining table anyway, I didn’t think much about it. But when he told me he had a headache and disappeared to an upstairs bedroom, I knew all was not well. By the end of the evening, he was too sick to move… and sometime after midnight, I woke up feeling just as badly. When the weekend was over, everyone in the family had gotten some version of this “bug” except my mother. My husband and I felt so badly that we postponed opening our Christmas gifts to each other.

While this was not funny at the time, we later laughed about “Timothy’s first Christmas” and how we all were so sick. We took the admonition of Paul to share one another’s hurts to a whole new level – and not by choice! I knew when I picked up the baby and brought him to our house that we would most likely catch his virus. But on that day, a tiny sick baby needed someone to care for him… and we were the only ones available to do so. There was no way we would have refused.

But here’s the deal… so often, we focus so much on ourselves that we don’t consider the other person’s feelings. We say, “I cannot get involved in that… I have my own problems.” Or we decide that “This is really none of my concern.” We look at the person who is hurting in some way… someone with great need… and we either pass judgment and determine that they got into this mess on their own and should get out of it the same way – or we declare that “this is simply not my problem.”

But Paul says otherwise. He tells us in this passage that when one of our sisters or brothers in Christ is hurting or in need, we should feel this deeply ourselves. “I feel your pain,” should not be a cliché… it should be the way Christians behave toward others. I’m not saying that there are never situations and circumstances that are none of our business. But the Christian servant prayerfully knows how to tell the difference.

Where has God given you opportunities to share in others’ needs, yet you turned and went in another direction? Where have you stepped up and answered the call? Can you do more? Shouldn’t you? Ask God to show you how and where to empathize with others in your daily life… to make a difference when possible… and to operate with wisdom and discernment in choosing when and where to get involved. Start looking for new ways to make the entire body of Christ happy, and see how greatly everyone is blessed by your efforts.

©2010 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for December 19, 2010

Leviticus 19:18
Stop being angry and don't try to take revenge. I am the LORD, and I command you to love others as much as you love yourself.

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

My brother was born when I was four years old. I actually remember praying for a baby brother. But as anyone who has had a younger sibling can tell you, this was just enough of an age gap that my brother became a pest to me much of the time when were younger. He knew how to push all my buttons… and my sister’s… and one Christmas, he made us both so mad that we plotted our revenge.

My mom has written a darling children’s story about this… “Bartholomew’s Christmas,” in which she substitutes a tiny field mouse and his family for that of my own. But here’s what really happened…

My brother had never had a new bicycle. My family’s household budget was like a lot of others with two parents and three kids – money was tight. So my dad would piece together parts of this bike and another and fashion something for my brother to peddle. What Tim really wanted was a brand spanking new “Stingray” bicycle. And he just knew that this particular Christmas was “it!” This was all we heard for weeks… “I’m getting a bicycle! I’m getting a bicycle.” It really annoyed my sister and me.

I’m guessing that my sister and I were 12 and 13, so Tim was about 9. My sister had asked for a wig for Christmas. I can’t remember what I had asked for, but on Christmas Eve, my grandparents gave my brother a tape recorder. He was so happy with that little machine, and when we got back home, my sister and I asked to borrow it. Of course, he naively said we could. We recorded a message for him, telling him that after our parents purchased my present and my sister’s wig, there just was not enough money to buy a bicycle for him. Better luck next Christmas!

We returned the tape recorder to my little brother and said, “We made a message for you!” The next thing we heard was heavy sobbing from my brother’s bedroom. We went into panic mode. We had not anticipated this reaction. We went to him and tried to convince him that we made it all up… that he WAS getting a bike for Christmas. But he continued to cry and would not believe us.

The next morning, we got up early… eager to see what was under the tree. My brother trudged into the kitchen as if he were headed to the gallows for hanging. My mom suggested he pull the sliding door curtain and take a peek out on the back patio. He was not enthused. Reluctantly, my sister and I began to reveal our dastardly deed… as our parents expressed great disapproval and unhappiness with us. But finally, we were able to coax my brother to the window, and once he saw the bicycle, he was back to dancing around and saying, “I knew it! I knew it!” And no other kid could have loved a bicycle as much as he loved this one.

My sister and I learned a valuable lesson that Christmas… one that haunted me for years to come. I apologized many times to my brother until his dying day. And he forgave me. But I saw the power of something as seemingly innocent as a practical joke. How often do we say or do something that we think is funny or harmless without stopping to truly consider the possible ramifications… the effect it could have on someone else? Do we think only of how much we will enjoy this… or how it might make us look “funny” or “interesting” in the eyes of others…failing to consider how the recipient of our “fun” might appear?

Where have we plotted to take matters into our own hands, forgetting that revenge is not our job? Instead of trying to handle these things ourselves, we should be opening our hands upward and saying, “This is yours, Father… do what You will with it.” At the end of the day, my sister and I were two young girls trying to play a joke on their pesky little brother. But even the smallest of acts has the potential for paving the way to larger, more costly situations.

Let’s stop ourselves now… let’s realize that even the tiniest things matter greatly. Let’s open our hands, let go and let GOD handle EVERYTHING… even little brothers and their bicycles.

©2010 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for December 7, 2010

Matthew 5:43-44
You have heard people say, "Love your neighbors and hate your enemies." But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you.

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

Several years ago, I learned a valuable lesson about “loving your enemies.” If you have heard this story before, please forgive me… but I think it bears repeating. I had driven my brother to Little Rock to be admitted to the hospital for experimental medication to help and control the rapid advances of his acute liver failure. The doctors felt that a “medical cocktail” used for the treatment of AIDS might be beneficial, although my brother did not have the “numbers” to support the need for this treatment. And ultimately, after a few days of having the drugs administered, Tim returned home, where the treatment did little more than make him violently ill, and he decided to suspend the medications.

But on the day he was admitted, my brother sat in the admissions area of the Oncology Unit with two Registered Nurses and answered the questions on the admissions form. Tim was an R.N., and as the nurses asked questions, he rattled off medically complicated answers that meant something to the three of them, but totally went over my head. And then one of the nurses asked, “So exactly why are you being admitted?” Without a second thought, he answered, “I’m HIV positive.”

There was no audible gasp, but I felt it anyway. And the room turned icy. The once-friendly nurses began to ask curt, to-the-point questions and offered little to no reaction as my brother responded. To his credit, he appeared not to notice, while I sat on the couch nearby and fumed. I was furious. These women were supposed to be professionals. They dealt with HIV patients every single day… they knew there was nothing to fear. Yet they acted as if my brother had just told them he was radioactive.

And then, Tim did something I will never forget. He reached into his duffle bag and produced a package of Smarties® Candies. Tim was a fanatic about candy – he loved the stuff, and he never traveled without it. He pulled out that package, held it in the air and asked, “Smarties®, anyone?” Taken aback, the nurses looked up, and then one of them began to laugh. I knew in that moment that by the end of the week, my brother would have won the hearts of every person on that floor of the hospital, and then some. His ability to “love his enemy” had made the difference. And sure enough, when he left five days later, I think more than one nurse cried.

See, we have a choice… we can let the devil have his way with us and take things personally and make mountains out of molehills. We can develop vendettas against those we think have “done us wrong,” and go around sad and miserable over every single transgression dealt us… and there will be plenty! Or, we can choose to pray for those who would dare to wrong us. We can rise above the pettiness and the judgment… the disrespect and the dismissal of others… and we can be the children of the Most High God we’re called to be. We can be the ones who don’t get upset… who don’t have ruffled feathers… who love even the unlovely, just as Jesus did.

What mode of operation will you chose? Will you only love those you perceive to love you in return, or will you offer the love of Christ to even your “enemies?” Do you have what it takes to say, “Smarties®, anyone?”

©2010 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for December 5, 2010

Luke 17:3
So be careful what you do. Correct any followers of mine who sin, and forgive the ones who say they are sorry.

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

When my niece was little and did something she shouldn’t, she would start saying, “Sorry! Sorry!” The young child of a friend of mine misbehaved continually one afternoon, despite threats of a spanking if he didn’t stop. When he hurdled the couch and knocked over a lamp, his mother grabbed a wooden spoon, and he said, “No thank you, Mommy. I don’t want a spanking!” He got a swat anyhow!

Children often believe that simply uttering the words “Sorry! Sorry!” can make all of their troubles go away. The little son of my friend thought adding “No, thank you!” would do the trick. And yes, as we age, we still hear “Sorry!” from people who don’t truly mean it or find these words a quick means to an end to their dilemma.

But there are many cases where we are not authorized to judge. We must accept that the person offering an apology is truly repentant, and forgive them. We must also gently correct – again, we’re not judging – those who we see going down the wrong path. So when you see your friends headed off to a party where there will be underage drinking, you should remind them that this is illegal activity… and refuse to go along! When you are with someone who has had too much to drink and cannot drive, you must take their keys and help them get an alternative ride home.

When you find out that someone said something unkind about you or a family member, and the person says, “I’m sorry… I was wrong,” you must forgive them and trust that this is the truth. When someone tells you, “I’ll never do that again,” you must accept their pledge, even if you suspect it won’t hold.

This is hard. We have to walk purely in faith as we accept the apologies of others and offer forgiveness. But it is not our place to judge them… or their sincerity. It is only our responsibility to operate in love and forgiveness… and let God handle the rest. And I know that we have all seen people doing stupid things or behaving badly, and we want to yell and scream at them and ask, “What were you thinking?” But this is not our job, either. We are supposed to offer “correction” – but only in the manner of positive alternatives… not admonition.

Instead of asking “Why don’t you get up and get a job or get to class?” we must say, “I noticed that So-and-so is hiring, and I think you would be a great fit!” or “I know you want to accomplish big things in your lifetime, and going to class shows that you are serious about it!” We must not chastise our friends and neighbors who don’t come to church… we must tell them, “We miss you, and we’d love to see you there soon.” With every fiber of our being, we may want to tell someone “You are acting like a fool!” But God wants us to offer constructive alternatives and gentle redirection toward more positive outcomes.

I’m not offering you pie-in-the-sky, airhead thoughts here. I’m telling you what the Bible says in Luke 17:3… and other scripture passages. We’ve elevated ourselves to a position of Judge and Jury, and that is not our job as Christians! When Luke says “be careful what you do,” he could have easily said, “Watch who you judge and how you correct others!” Talk to God about this. Ask Him to guide your heart… your thoughts, words and actions. Be sure you do exactly what He wishes… and leave the rest for Him to handle.

©2010 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for December 2, 2010

Ephesians 4:31
Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don't yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude.

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

I was watching a report on ESPN about the Miami Heat going to Cleveland, Ohio, to play the Cleveland Cavaliers in a pro basketball game. Many of the residents of Cleveland are absolutely furious that LeBron James, dubbed “The King of Cleveland”, left their beloved city to play basketball in Miami. They feel James disrespected the city by announcing his free agency on national television before giving notice to his Cavaliers team. Lest you think I am exaggerating this whole thing, the ESPN report said that security, both at the Quicken Loans Arena, and that provided by the Cleveland police force, has been beefed up for the 8:00 p.m. game to an unprecedented level… and there will be extra security around the Miami bench. One Cleveland resident said, “There needs to be!”

This is an overblown example of everything Ephesians 4:31 says NOT to do... and I believe that most of us see how foolish it all is. But the businessmen who say their restaurant revenues are down because James left town don’t see it the same way, nor do countless other Cleveland residents who feel their “beef” is valid. And honestly, even if it is on a much smaller scale, we often act just like these people about equally ridiculous things. And yet they don’t seem ridiculous to us… at least at the time.

We seem to have a knack for getting upset, mad, angry, bitter, frustrated and resentful over the craziest things. We show out, act up, and treat others rudely in the bargain. “I let him/her know such and such!” or “I showed him/her who was boss,” or “You have got to be kidding me! They can’t treat me this way!” We get mad at the wait staff, so we don’t leave a tip. We get angry at referees at every sporting event from Little League to the pros. We plot our “revenge” against friends, family members… you name it. We’ll show them!

In the end, the only person who truly suffers is us… and those who have to be subjected to our tirades! We end up being regarded as someone who is negative, difficult, and unpleasant. People start to avoid us like the plague and think up excuses to escape our company. Who wants to be around a grump or a chronic complainer? Who wants to subject themselves to the potential to be mistreated or berated? Who in their right mind would think that we are living with a heart filled with Jesus Christ by the way we behave?

Do you see my point? We can’t be true disciples of Jesus and act this way. Nobody will believe us. Nobody will see His face in ours if we are negative, angry, resentful, or rude. No one will look at us and say, “I want what he/she has! I want to feel like that!” I have to imagine that this sort of behavior causes God to hang His head and feel extremely sad and disappointed.

I pray that we would start to examine our lives… our hearts… our motives – TODAY! It’s especially easy to get caught up in the “stress” of what should be one of the most blessed seasons of the year and let our tempers flare and our feelings hang out on our sleeves. But that totally belies our faith and the Reason for this season! Take a good hard look at yourself today. See where you are letting your emotions get the better of you… and ask God to change your heart… now and all through the year.

Begin to operate in positives, blessings, grace, mercy… and the love of Christ. Make needed changes to improve your attitude… and the sentiments of those around you in the bargain… and make these changes for good!

©2010 Debbie Robus