Daily Devotional for July 13, 2012

Romans 15:1-2
If our faith is strong, we should be patient with the Lord’s followers whose faith is weak. We should try to please them instead of ourselves. We should think of their good and try to help them by doing what pleases them.

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

My grandmother was a great dancer in her day. She and her sisters grew up dancing while their dad and uncle played the fiddle and other musical instruments and sang. I find this funny – and ironic – because we grew up in a denomination that did not approve of dancing. Yet my grandmother and her dancing sisters were some of the Godliest women I have ever known! Still, we were taught that dancing was wrong – if we danced in public, something bad was bound to happen! We feared for the souls of our Methodist friends up the street who held dances… and enjoyed themselves!

I’m joking just a little… but not totally. Dancing was serious – and sinful -business when I was a teenager! I’m happy to say that attitudes seem to have relaxed a bit… although there will probably not be any dances held at the church of my childhood anytime soon! But my point is this… when people get an idea in their heads, it takes time – and often tenderness and patience – to try and persuade them to change. When someone tells you that all churches are filled with hypocrites who don’t practice what they preach, you will have to lovingly – and patiently – show him/her that you are different… that not all church members fit this description.

When a person is convinced that a loving God can’t exist, or bad things would never happen, you will not change their mind overnight. It will take time… and strong examples of living in faith. You will have to show this person how God uses bad situations for positive outcomes…how the people who go through them can experience His presence and blessings - even in the midst of some pretty nasty conditions.

Bad habits, long-held beliefs, and a history of skepticism cannot be changed overnight. We must exercise tolerance, endurance, and complete unflappability as we share the love of Christ – and His grace, mercy, peace and forgiveness – with others. We may never see a visible change. Evidence of making any inroad may elude us. But when we walk in faith and perseverance – operate in serenity and confidence that God can make a difference – He will do just that. And isn’t this the very essence of Christian faith?

We must learn to be the picture of kindness and sensitivity toward others. We must be the hands and feet of Jesus and reflect His love, grace and mercy to others. We must patiently trust God to change what we cannot… and rely on His perfect timing in these matters. We exhibit faith in God by exercising our own. Are you living by example? How strong is your faith?

©2012 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for February 16, 2012

1 Peter 3:4
Be beautiful in your heart by being gentle and quiet. This kind of beauty will last, and God considers it very special.

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

The last few days, the remnants of a light snowfall have been evident on our lawns. There is something so quiet about a snowy day… as if the earth is nestled under a fluffy, white blanket. And as the snow melted and warmer temperatures have returned, the air has been filled with the chirping of birds… a red-winged blackbird, a Carolina wren, and other songbirds who are beckoning the return of spring. Where is God ever more evident than in these beautiful, quiet creations? Yet, so many of us miss them… we are looking for something louder and more profound.

If I weren’t learning to expect God in the most unexpected places, I would be amazed at what I am about to tell you. A few days ago, I visited with a friend in Wal-Mart, and she recommended a book to me… God Calling, a daily devotional book written by two British women in the early 1930s. I came home and downloaded the book onto my Kindle. A London newspaperman, A. J. Russell, edited the writings of these two ladies for publication, and the book has sold millions of copies worldwide. The book’s introduction states that these women always remained anonymous, and ... “’were poor, brave and courageously fighting against sickness and penury,’ in Russell’s words. They were facing a hopeless future and one of them even longed to be quit of this hard world for good. But then, God spoke to their hearts, and God Calling was born.”



God can speak through the quiet beauty
of fog rising over a river on a sunny morning.

 The devotionals begin with a scripture passage, and then there is a commentary, written as if God is speaking directly to the reader. Here’s where it gets amazing… today’s commentary on Psalm 4:3-5 says in part…“if you only sat still and longed for Me, if you just drew hungering breaths for Me, as you do for the fresh pure air of the open. Be still, be calm. Wait before Me. Learn of Me patience, humility, peace.”

When I began writing this devotional to share with you, I opened my prayer journal to the sermon notes I’ve been using, and the scripture passage I was drawn to for today was once again the message… “be gentle and quiet.” Only God could tie together the scripture passages from Psalm 4:3-5 and 1 Peter 3:4. Clearly this is the word He has for us today… and it came in the “quiet” of reading from His Holy Word!

If we can only learn to be quiet… to listen for God… and then to let others “hear” Him through our peaceful, calm nature…great things can be accomplished. If we stop long enough to listen for a songbird and recognize that God cares as much for these tiny creatures as He does for each of us, we will be blessed beyond measure. If we can operate in the beauty and peacefulness of quiet, we can have far more impact than if we scream and shout!

We need to slow down… to look and listen for God in the most ordinary of places. We’ve become to “wired” for grandeur and “the bigger the better.” It’s time to dial it down a notch or two and let God work through a quieter, calmer, more peaceful approach. Stop, look, listen… breathe deeply… inhale all that God wants to give you this day… and exhale all the negative “noise.” Operate in peace and quiet for a change, and see for yourself how God can bless you… and others.

©2012 Debbie Robus