Daily Devotional for September 24, 2015

Proverbs 26:12
There is more hope for a fool
    than for someone who says,
    “I’m really smart!”

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

When I was a little girl, my mother would make tuna casserole for us when my dad was away on business.  Daddy did not like tuna casserole…or fish sticks…and I loved both.  So it was a rare treat to have either one.  I find that I make a lot of the dishes from my childhood for Timothy, Zola and Nathan. I suppose that I am carrying on the tradition - and perpetuating fond memories from my own childhood.

So one day, I made a tuna casserole as lunch for Nathan, Greg and me.  It was very simple…a basic cream sauce, mini bow-tie pasta, some frozen “English” peas, and a can of sliced carrots…plus a couple of cans of drained tuna.  After I mixed all of this together, I added American cheese.  I was running short on time, so I did not bake this dish like my mother did (complete with crushed potato chips on top for texture – and fun!), but I let the “flavors” melt and blend together a little before serving.  Can’t you just feel the love?!

Nathan eagerly plowed into his plate of pasta…and he meticulously picked out every single bow-tie and ate them.  He ate the creamy sauce and tuna that clung to the noodles…but just as carefully, he left a pile of green peas and carrots.  Then he declared, “I’m done!”  “No,” I told him…”you have not finished.”  “Yes, I have!” he protested.  I insisted he needed to eat his peas and carrots.  “But I don’t ‘wike’ them,” he said.  “They’re yukky!”  I argued that he had eaten peas and carrots countless times…that he LOVED them.  He insisted he did not.

I told Nathan that he could not have anything else to eat – or get down from the counter – until he finished his lunch.  So I got a spoon and presented him with some peas and carrots and said, “Just try one bite.”  Reluctantly – and with much fanfare and drama – this stubborn 3-year-old tried the vegetables.  And he looked at me with great surprise and delight and said, “Hey!  These aren’t yukky!  They taste GOOD!”  He began to shovel in the peas and carrots…and every few bites, he would say, “This is so GOOD!”  And then he had another helping of the casserole!

There are a lot of things that three-year-olds say they don’t like – and haven’t even tried.  Life is full of seemingly “yukky” things when we are young.  But if we are still operating like this at our ages, there is a problem.  Assuming that we “know it all” is not only incorrect…it often makes us look incredibly foolish.

Too many people are spouting off these days without all the facts…speaking what is their “truth” rather than God’s…and trying to appear smarter than the rest of us.  In reality, they are looking rather foolish and hurting other people…AND their “Christian” witness.  As a friend of mine so eloquently asked, “Why do people presume to speak for God?”  Understand her question…she is not suggesting that God can’t use us to share His message with others.  What she means is…why do we feel entitled to put our own spin on things? 

I’m reminded of the question asked of Jesus in Luke 20:2, where the chief priests, the teachers, and the nation’s leaders “asked him, “What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?’” In other words…”Who died and made you King?” Read this chapter of Luke for yourself to see how Jesus responded with a question they could not answer…at least not without incriminating themselves.  The point is that we are often just as immature as a three-year-old who declares his food to be “yukky”…and we usually look just about as foolish!

It’s time for us to check ourselves…to see where we are acting more than a little high and mighty…and damaging our Christian witness in the process.  Where are we coming off as “know-it-alls” about everything from social issues to scripture interpretation to how much everyone loves and adores us?  Where are we looking more foolish than a toddler?  Isn’t it time we opened our hearts, minds, eyes and ears and heard from God before we declared ourselves to be “King?”  Will this be the day that you get started?

©2015 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for September 20, 2015

Proverbs 15:7
Words of wisdom
    make good sense;
    the thoughts of a fool
    make no sense at all.

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

I am not a Catholic, but I am totally enthralled with Pope Francis.  His wisdom and compassion for mankind…and his demonstrations of kindness and empathy for others have at times moved me to tears.  When I watched a video clip of him embracing a young American boy with cerebral palsy in the Easter Sunday crowd at St. Peter's Square, I had chills.  The child’s mother said she felt like her son had been “kissed by God.”  She was not literally comparing the Pope to God…she was acknowledging that he has God’s attention and serves at His discretion.

Let’s be honest.  There are a lot of evangelists and others who take the stage in this world today that are blowing hot air…at least somewhat.  They operate in scare tactics, hatred, judgment, and discrimination…and they often dare to claim the name of Jesus in doing so.  And then there is Pope Francis, who uses common sense…speaks rationally…and operates in humility and genuine love for all people.  Who do you think God looks upon more favorably?

On the way home from church today, Timothy explained to me about the devil…how he was once an angel, but he started doing really bad things.  He told me that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  I asked him if he knew what we needed to do to protect ourselves from the persuasions of the devil, and he said, “YES!  The Bible is like a sword!  If we do what the Bible says, it will help protect us from the devil.”  This six-year-old is onto something!  God’s word is an excellent starting point!

We must also commit our hearts and minds to Jesus – and to serving according to His will.  We must be willing to see others – ALL OTHERS – as Jesus sees them…to love others as Jesus loves them…and to stop judging, criticizing, and speaking negatively.  We must prayerfully ask God to give us wisdom and discernment…so that we know who is speaking foolish nonsense…and who is telling us the truth.  And we must carry this forward in our own daily living.  Let it never be said that we bought into the propaganda of the devil – and perpetuated it in our own words and actions!

We all do foolish things from time to time…but none of us wants to be labeled as fools.  With close attention to God’s word and our relationship with Him, we can be confident that we are operating in His wisdom – and not the foolishness with which the devil threatens to clutter our lives.  Timothy pointed out to me that the devil wants to make us do bad things…and he is right!  But armed with the “sword” of God’s word…and His wisdom…we can make good sense – at least most of the time!

©2015 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for November 4, 2010

Proverbs 13:20
Wise friends make you wise, but you hurt yourself by going around with fools.

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

There is an old adage that says something like, “You are known by the company you keep.” In other words, people will judge you based on your friends and acquaintances. Does this mean you don’t want to be seen in the company of those who are sick, needy, homeless or helpless? Absolutely not! Does this mean you can’t hang out with unchurched people or un-believers and minister to them? No way!

But if you are continually running with a crowd of people who have a reputation for drinking, drug use, and illegal or illicit behavior, you are going to be lumped with them in the eyes of many. If you are constantly in the company of adults who are blatantly vocal about social issues, politics or gossip, you may be considered “one of them.” If you go to local sporting events and sit with a group of parents and other adults who continually berate the referees and coaches over every single play and call, people will assume that you are on board with this… if not an active participant.

If you are known to be friends with people who have a reputation for being disciples of Christ and always speaking kindly and fairly, with a loving voice and heart for others, you will probably be thought of in much the same way. Call it “guilt by association” in a good way.

Does who you spend time with ensure that you will behave in a certain manner? Not necessarily… but it is a fairly good gauge. And distancing yourself from people you truly like who are behaving and speaking in a manner that belies your faith and your values can be very hard… but it has to be done.

This is why some have talked lately about cleaning up their “friends” on Facebook – and I’ve done this myself. If someone is making statements and claims that you feel do not line up with God’s instruction… or they are behaving in ways you know are improper or unkind at best – and immoral or illegal in the worst cases – you have no choice but to walk away.

I know these are hard choices. We don’t want to appear to be unkind. We don’t want these people to think we are judging them (even if we are) or that we feel we are superior in any way. But part of following Jesus – being His disciple – is setting ourselves apart from the mainstream. This doesn’t mean stepping away to stick out like a sore thumb and make a scene. Rather, we are to follow the example of Jesus and quietly go about sharing His message of salvation and operating in love, grace and mercy… imitating Him at every turn.

We have a choice, albeit a hard one sometimes… we can choose to follow Jesus and choose to associate with people who operate within His framework and according to His will... or we can hang out with those who are foolish enough to think they can do things their own way and “write the rules” themselves. And our decision does matter!

How are you choosing these days? Are you willing to make necessary changes and hard decisions? Are you willing to ask God to give you the wisdom and will power to move closer to Him and adjust your circle of friends and acquaintances accordingly? Are you really ready to be His disciple 100% of the time?

©2010 Debbie Robus