Daily Devotional for November 10, 2016

Philippians 2:1-4
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.  Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO.  All rights reserved.

Yesterday, I got a shipment of greeting cards in the mail.  Greg was watching me sort through them, and I noted that “I seem to send a lot of sympathy cards these days.”  Indeed, we are in a season where a lot of our friends and family members are leaving for heaven…parents and grandparents of our friends…contemporaries of our own parents…and yes, even friends close to our age.

Sending cards is my “thing.”  I got it from my mother…and as I sift through boxes of old mementos, I see that it was also a big deal with my grandmothers.  Hand-written notes are quickly becoming a lost art.  Everything seems to be done by e-mail and text these days. But I have a couple of boxes full of notes and cards I have saved over the years that have special meaning.  Occasionally, I will read through them…and I am always encouraged and blessed by what I find there.

My thoughts on greeting cards and the people who send them made me think of the people who have had a strong, positive influence on my life.  I recalled several who have always been there to pull me up by the bootstraps when I needed it…and stand me upright when I began to sink and fall in discouragement.  I thought of people who helped me through some really dark times…women AND men who were there to give me just the right word when I was concerned about an issue…or deeply sad over circumstances beyond my control.

I thought of people who have truly cared…who put their own agendas and calendars aside to be with me when I needed them…who lent a helping hand, and then some…who had a heart for me and my loved ones – and more importantly, for Jesus.  THESE are my role models…these "Philippians 2:1-4 Christians" who forget themselves, remember Jesus – and reach out to others in His name.

Jesus’ love HAS made a difference in my life…and being a member of the community of the Spirit IS important to me. I want to be like Jesus and those who have modeled His love, grace, compassion, forgiveness, mercy and kindness in my life and those of others around me.  I want to be known as someone who has a heart and truly cares about ALL of God’s children. I want to be a deep-spirited friend to others.

I am asking God to equip me for this mission, as He has done for so many who have influenced my life.  Will this be your prayer, as well?  Are you willing to give up any selfish desires and attitudes…to operate in humility and forego the instinct to first ask, “What’s in this for me?”  Are you ready to go “all in” for Jesus and be His hands and feet to each and every person you meet?  Don’t you think it’s time you were?

©2016 Debbie Robus

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 January 23, 2015

Psalm 133:1
How wonderful, how beautiful,
    when brothers and sisters get along!
 
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 just read a book called 1-2-3 Magic*, written by Thomas W. Phelan, Ph.D.  This book is subtitled “Effective Discipline for Children 2-12”.  Phelan has an interesting approach to parenting effectively – and with joy – and he discusses sibling rivalry in several sections of his book.  Some of Phelan’s statistics were quite interesting.  He notes that all siblings will fight, and those ages 3-7 fight about three or four times per hour, while some younger children fight as much as 6 times an hour.  Phelan claims that kids ages 10-15 have the highest rate of sibling rivalry!
 
I won’t detail how Phelan recommends handling sibling rivalry…but he admits that there are times that a separation – or “time out” – is necessary for all parties. He advocates a “1-2-3” approach of “3 counts” and then a “time out”.  I couldn’t help but think of counting to Timothy one day, and when I got to “2”, he said, “Don’t make me count to THREE!”
 
All you have to do is read the book of Genesis to see that sibling rivalry is nothing new! But here’s where I think this verse in Psalms applies to us as Christians.  In too many areas of our life, we have stopped trying to get along.  We’ve adopted the philosophy that “It’s my way or the highway”…and everyone else is just plain wrong if they disagree with us!
 
I believe that Psalm 133:1 is about getting along with ALL of our brothers and sisters…not just those with whom we share parents.  God delights when His creations live in harmony…are patient, kind, tolerant and loving toward one another.  Jesus demonstrated grace, mercy, and forgiveness…and He called on us to share these “fruits of the Spirit” with others…to honor God and all that He has bestowed upon us.  And this means that we must hold our tongue (more often than most of us would like!)…and sometimes walk away and/or take a physical break from a “sibling” who is upsetting us in some way.
 
Ask God to show you how to operate more in love rather than “sibling rivalry”.  Don’t take the “count” to three…learn to call on the power of the Holy Spirit and stop with the first hint of animosity or disagreement. Honor your relationship with God by developing love and tolerance for others…even if they make you “count to three”!
 
©2015 Debbie Robus
 
* http://www.amazon.com/1-2-3-Magic-Effective-Discipline-Children/dp/1889140708/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422029621&sr=1-1&keywords=123+magic&pebp=1422029624302&peasin=1889140708

Daily Devotional for November 16, 2013

1 Thessalonians 5:13-15

Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.

 

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.

 

Rex was the boy who sat beside me at my table in first grade.  One day, he threw up his morning milk.  Since I was not a fan of morning milk time in the first place, I scooted my chair away from the ugly puddle, for fear of becoming nauseous myself.  There were no intercoms or cell phones in this dank concrete block building with its cold cement floor, but I’m sure that somehow the janitor was summoned.  Meanwhile, my teacher, Mrs. Troy, walked over to the table and snapped, “Debra, if that is getting your goat, then MOVE!”  I never said a word.  I had the deepest respect for Mrs. Troy… call it a mixture of admiration and a healthy dose of fear.  I’d seen that little wooden ping pong paddle she kept perched atop the chalk rail at the reading circle!  I sat stock still and waited for the janitor to come sprinkle that dusty clay mixture over the puddle and wait for it to absorb so he could sweep it away.

 

I didn’t dare move, as Mrs. Troy had suggested.  But don’t you find it amazing that some 50 years later, I still vividly remember that incident and her words?  I remember going home and telling my mother what she said… crushed in spirit at what I perceived as an insult and a total lack of empathy for my feelings.  A woman I had deeply revered and respected had totally betrayed me… and even as a six-year-old first grader, it somewhat broke my spirit.  To be honest, for all of the things I lovingly remember about Mrs. Troy… that lone incident is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of her even today.

 

You can insert your jokes and jabs here… “So you were scarred for life by a first-grade puking incident?!”  You can declare me incredibly sensitive… overly so, to allow something so minor to affect me for half a century.  But here’s the point.  We truly do not know what others are thinking and feeling.  We have no clue what effect our words and actions toward them can have.  As a former teacher, I can assure you that I get it… the last thing you want in your classroom in the middle of a busy morning is for some kid to upchuck his/her milk!  I still remember the morning I was collecting lunch money and a child approached me and threw up all over my open-toed shoe… and it was not pretty!  And I remember distinctly that I did NOT snap at this child… perhaps because of my own childhood experience.

 

Still, you have to look at it from the other person’s perspective.  My teacher apparently didn’t consider how close I was to joining Rex in this disgusting “upheaval”.  She probably didn’t mean to snap at me… but once words are spoken, they are very hard to retract.  And apologies (if/when offered) have fairly little relevance for young children.  They say “Sorry!” all the time without meaning it!

 

What has all of this got to do with us today?  Plenty!  We need to work harder at respecting each other.  We need to choose our words and actions more carefully… to be kinder… to look for the best in others and point this out rather than their faults.  We need to take deep breaths and count to ten before responding, and we need to look for those who could use a little encouragement – and give it to them!  And we need to ask God to help us with every bit of this and more… to equip us with wisdom, compassion, and common sense!

 

An acquaintance of mine recently lost her husband in an airplane crash.  She wrote a blog post about how people are constantly asking her, “How are you doing?”  She said she knows the desired response is, “I’m fine.”  But the truth is… she isn’t “fine”… she is deeply hurt, scared, lonely, and feeling her way through the days in a world that she feels is spinning around her while she stands still. Several people commented to her and told her that they never fully understood these emotions until they lost someone dear to them… and now they get it.  If nothing else, the experiences of grief and loss – and personal disrespect - have a way of making us more tender and sensitive to the needs and feelings of others around us… or they should.

 

We shouldn’t have to be thrust into a situation such as the death of a loved one before we become more attuned to the feelings of others.  We should be looking for ways to show our respect for others… to offer them kindness, grace, mercy, encouragement, and support.  We should recognize that every person has value – and needs… and our job as Christian disciples is to meet them right where they are.  No one wants or deserves to be disrespected… not even a six-year-old.  Look around.  Who needs your respect today?  What will you do to find the best in others and bring it to the forefront?  Is there someone you have disrespected who needs to hear from you today?  Will you make an effort to bring out the best in others and meet their needs, in Jesus’ name?  Shouldn’t you?

 

©2013 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for October 3, 2013

Matthew 7:1-5
“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own.  Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
 
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.
 
This morning, Greg and his mother and I attended a 50th anniversary celebration of the dedication of Greers Ferry Dam, which was dedicated by President John F. Kennedy on October 3, 1963.  Today’s keynote speaker was President Bill Clinton, who reminded us of President Kennedy’s remarks and the world events of that era.  He noted the civil rights struggle and how Arkansas’ own governor disagreed with President Kennedy in this matter… that our country was just beginning to emerge from the effects of wars and global conflicts…and how there was a struggle in our country over voter rights. He also cited a famous speech by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in which Dr. King reminded all of us to… “Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.”  In other words, President Clinton used Dr. King’s words and those of President Kennedy to encourage us to set aside our personal affronts and differences, and reach out a hand to one another… to work together for a better future.
 
There is no room in this admonition for us to pick on one another… to argue and dole out blame.  This is not just the wise caution of two former United States Presidents and a Nobel Peace Prize-winning clergyman and civil rights activist!  These are also the words of Jesus Christ, as He tells us clearly to take a long, hard look in the mirror before we choose to criticize or belittle someone else.  Jesus reminds us that we cannot call another person names, look down our nose at them, or demean them in anyway until we have become blameless, spotless, and inarguably perfect in every way!  Can I tell you something?  This will never happen!
 
We do have a choice.  We can remain smug and find every possible reason to fail to get along.  We can be critical and self-serving and find faults in others left and right.  We can neglect to make any progress… and create a pretty sad legacy for future generations.  Or we can heed the suggestions offered today in President Clinton’s remarks and this scripture passage… we can take the focus off of ourselves and our own agendas and find a way to get along.  We don’t always have to agree.  We don’t always have to be right.  We just have to find a way to work together and make forward progress.
 
Our focus should not be on “us versus them”.  Instead, we should be asking at every turn, “How does God want me to work with others for His purposes?”  What does He desire that we build together?  How does God want me to set aside my desires and differences for the greater good of His kingdom – and others?  It’s simply not about you… or me!  And the sooner we quit griping and complaining about the other guy and work on our own shortcomings… the sooner we stop being so critical of others and start looking for positives…the sooner we take the focus off of ourselves and put it where it belongs - on God and His plans and desires - the sooner things will improve on all fronts.
 
The choice is ours… the next move depends on us.  How will you decide?
 
©2013 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for August 12, 2013

Proverbs 20:3
It makes you look good when you avoid a fight — only fools love to quarrel.
 
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
 
It seems that everybody has that one family member who likes to pick on kids.  Sometimes it’s an ornery uncle or grandpa… as was my mother’s experience.  Her great-grandfather used a cane, and he liked to “hook” little kids with it.  He thought it was funny… my mother did not!  I had a similar experience that has stuck with me to this day.
 
When I was about nine, I went home one weekend with a classmate to spend time on her family’s farm.  She lived “out in the country”, and we rode the bus to her house. My friend had an older brother and sister.  Her brother was probably thirteen or fourteen, and his cousin who was about the same age was visiting the same weekend as I was.  The two boys decided it would be fun to tie up my friend and me out in the yard with some baling twine.  My friend was laughing and thought it was funny.  I didn’t like it one bit.
 
It might help you to know that I am incredibly claustrophobic… the result of a visit to the hospital when I was two for my stomach to be pumped after I drank rubbing alcohol.  The doctors and nurses wrapped me tightly in a bed sheet and pushed a tube down my nose to pump out any residual liquid.  To this day, I am not a fan of tight clothing, tight places… or even the thought of things that bind.  So being tied up and unable to get free was torture for me.
 
To add insult to injury, these boys produced a pocketknife and threatened us.  They were having such a good time with their taunting… they thought they were so clever.  But my friend did not find this quite as funny, and she gave them “what-for” and began to scream for her mother.  We were quickly released… no worse for the wear.  But to this day, I cannot shake the feeling of fear that I had whenever I think of that incident… and it colored my opinion of those two boys forever.  I don’t remember ever going home with that friend again… over time, we grew apart and developed different circles of acquaintances.
 
In some way or another, a lot of us are like these teenage boys or the ornery grandpa.  We mean well enough… we are just teasing and/or having a little fun…but we are anything but funny!  Here’s a news flash… little kids don’t like to be picked on by adults!  They don’t like it when you poke at them or give them “wet willies”.  They don’t like to be badgered or taunted… and honestly, their moms don’t like it either!  They have to “mop up” and deal with ornery kids afterward… or smooth hurt feelings. And adults feel much the same way about being antagonized.
 
My friend’s brother and cousin were not bad people… and you probably aren’t either.  You just are not thinking about your words and actions.  You may not even realize that you are opening the door for a quarrel or some sort of “unrest”.  You certainly may not understand that your behavior could have long-term ramifications… cause lifelong hard feelings or uneasiness – or even ruin a friendship or other relationship.
 
This is a call for all of us to think before we speak and act.  If you have a strong urge to retaliate for something another has said or done… this might be just the sign that you need to respond in exactly the opposite manner.  If you are unsure what to do, take a breath and step back… ask God to guide your words and your actions… and tread lightly!  I guess there are actually a few people who enjoy a good quarrel… but I’m not one of them.  When you consider the potential consequences, I can’t imagine that it’s really worth the risk… and I’m not sure that God would be very pleased, either.
 
So focus on creating peace… for yourself and for others.  Choose a path that avoids confrontation whenever possible, and do all you can to avoid a quarrel.  And for goodness sake… figure out another way to relate to people besides picking on them!  Everyone involved will be better for it.
 
©2013 Debbie Robus