Daily Devotional for November 20, 2016

Romans 13:11-14
But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!

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 still remember the day when I got a phone call from my Mam-ma Polly, and she and her best friend, Ruby, had been involved in a car wreck.  It was probably 4:00 p.m., and I was dressed in some of the worst clothes I own…a ragged t-shirt and some very loose cropped knit pants.  These were my “house cleaning/workout” clothes.  I had on no makeup…I had not fixed my hair.  It was “one of those days” at my house, where I had gotten busy with other things and never bothered to really “dress.” And now, my grandmother was calling me…stranded on the other side of town and in immediate need of rescue.

I did what I had to do…I grabbed my purse, hopped into the car and headed to the scene of the accident.  I’ll shorten the story a bit by saying that Mam-ma refused treatment at the scene from the EMTs and assured everyone she was okay. Then she got in my car and said, “I can’t breathe…my chest is really hurting.”  We ended up in the hospital Emergency Room for several hours, where x-rays were made, tests were run, and the diagnosis was a badly bruised sternum.

People came and went, and I shrunk into the corner, greatly embarrassed by how terrible I must have looked. I’m sure that there were some who thought I must be the real accident victim!  And I should have learned my lesson from this day…but I have to admit that I have not.  I love nothing more than a day where I can spend much of it – if not all – in my pajamas!  It’s not that I am lazy…or that I am totally unproductive these days.  But I have to say, I am more productive on the days that I dress and get up and get going!  Just a few minutes of attention to getting dressed and “presentable” could mean a world of difference in how the entire day progresses.

So what’s the point?  Some of us get so caught up in the particulars of our life that we don’t take even a little bit of time each morning to “dress” with God…to spend a quiet minute or two asking Him to help us with our day.  We don’t “put on the full armor of God,” and we are often caught off guard in some manner later on.  We put on the old rags of “dressing” in things that do not honor God…gossip, dissension, overindulgence, self-serving activities, and sins of all kinds.  Instead of placing our focus on God and ways to serve Him with our whole hearts, we “lie around in our sweats” and leave room for the devil to take control!

So take a few minutes each day to seek God’s help in your preparation.  Whether you are packing lunches and dressing for school or work…or just grabbing a second cup of coffee to sit and read the newspaper in your pjs…ask God to equip you for the day.  Call on Him to meet your needs and those of your circle of friends and loved ones - and ask Him to show you how and where to serve.

Take inventory of the things that fill your life…your priorities, your friends and acquaintances, the activities that occupy your mind and your time.  Where have you failed to get dressed and get going?  Where do you need to make some adjustments?  Time is passing so quickly, and we truly don’t have a minute to waste. Will this be the day that you begin to “get up and get dressed” with God?  Don’t you think it should be?  

©2016 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for August 14, 2015

James 2:19-20
Are there still some among you who hold that “only believing” is enough? Believing in one God? Well, remember that the demons believe this too—so strongly that they tremble in terror! Fool! When will you ever learn that “believing” is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith.

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Our little ones shower us with demonstrations of love and affection.  We get hugs, kisses, and lots of “I love yous!”…and we are grateful for every single gesture.  As they get older, they are learning that acts of respect demonstrate love, also…things like helping without being asked, picking up toys and responding right away to a summons, and showing kindness and consideration to each other do not go unnoticed.  We see their efforts to prove their love to us…and while we would love them anyway, these endeavors are not without merit – and we make sure the children know that we have taken note of them.

The point is that God would love us whether we ever publicly lived out our faith in Him or not.  Certainly, the thief on the cross had neither the time nor the means for demonstrating his faith in Jesus…but I have no doubt that he is in Paradise today, just as Jesus promised him.  Still, Jesus commanded us to demonstrate our faith.  He used words like “go”…”make disciples”…”teach”…”heal”…”minister”…”baptize”…and “share the Good News.”

Jesus did not follow this up with, “If you don’t do this, I won’t love you.”  I believe that He gave these directives with the understanding that we would surely want to serve in the name of One who had given so much on our behalf…that we would want to tell others about Him, and give them the opportunity to have Jesus as their Savior, too!

So don’t serve Jesus out of fear…serve Him out of faith!  Serve because you love Jesus so much and want others to know about His incredible message and gift.  Serve in His name because it’s the only thing that makes sense.  To accept His suffering and death for our sins and then do nothing in return seems incredibly preposterous…and downright ungrateful.

People who are truly faith-filled act like it.  They “walk the walk” to reinforce their claim of unfailing love for Jesus Christ…and others know their true position by not only their words, but also their actions.  People who are truly full of faith in Jesus Christ are busy serving Him as the Holy Spirit leads them.  Are you one of them?
  
©2015 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for June 21, 2014

Matthew 26:45
Finally, Jesus returned to his disciples and said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners.”

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

Timothy has this book we read at bedtime about a farmer whose entire menagerie – and even his family – arose before he did.  Every time he heard the rooster crow, he would say, “Just a few more minutes”…or “Not yet”…or “Just one more second” so that he could continue sleeping.  He would burrow further under the covers as the cow mooed and the cat and dog came to sit on top of him.  And then, his wife yelled “ALBERTTTTTTTT!”  He continued to try to sleep until the second time his wife yelled “ALBERTTTTTTTTT!!!” Then he said, “Oh, alright!”  He got up, dressed, did his chores, and sat down to a hearty breakfast.

Timothy loves this story.  So when he awoke at 6:15 a.m., and I wanted to continue sleeping, I reminded him that I was like the farmer in his story…”just a few more minutes, please!”  “But it’s a beautiful day!” Timothy told me.  And as much as I wanted to sleep and rest a little while longer, I knew that it was time to get up and start enjoying this “beautiful day” with my nephew.  Soon enough, he will be too old for his Aunt Debbie.  I will be the one saying, “Get up!  It’s a beautiful day,” and he will be grumbling and groaning as many teenagers do…and saying, “Just a few more minutes!”

Soon enough, this little boy who thinks we are “perfect” (his word, not mine!) will not want to be seen with two old fogeys like us! Soon enough, he will be grown, move out of the house, and maybe have a family with little boys and girls of his own.  The time to “get up and enjoy a beautiful day” with him is NOW!  And this is the point of today’s scripture passage…the time to get up and share the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ is here!

Jesus didn’t tarry…He didn’t say, “Just a few more minutes”…or “God, can’t this wait until another day?”…He didn’t make excuses and shirk His responsibilities.  Surely we can get up and get going on behalf of the One who did so much for each one of us!  Soon enough, our earthly lives will be over, and all of the opportunities we had to serve Jesus and share His message of love, grace, mercy, forgiveness – and a new life in Him – will have passed.  Where will you be on that day?  Will you have spent your time wisely and obediently?  Or will you have been like the farmer who pulled the quilt up over his head and pled, “Just a little while longer!” as his wife and animals called to him.

“The time has come.”  These are Jesus’ words…will you answer His call… or are you still sleeping?

©2014 Debbie Robus