Daily Devotional for January 9, 2017

1 Peter 3:13-18
Usually no one will hurt you for wanting to do good. But even if they should, you are to be envied, for God will reward you for it. Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord, and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way.

Do what is right; then if men speak against you, calling you evil names, they will become ashamed of themselves for falsely accusing you when you have only done what is good. Remember, if God wants you to suffer, it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong!

Christ also suffered. He died once for the sins of all us guilty sinners although he himself was innocent of any sin at any time, that he might bring us safely home to God. But though his body died, his spirit lived on...

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
    
You’ve heard the joke about “I had a drug problem…I was drug to church.”  That pretty well describes me and my siblings. We didn’t go EVERY time the church doors were open…mainly because I don’t think my parents could manage the logistics of working several jobs and getting us there on Wednesday nights. But if we missed a Sunday morning or evening service, somebody had better be on his/her deathbed! We weren’t the only kids in our church who attended that “faithfully.”  There were a few more in the same boat. And we were often labeled by others as the “goody-two-shoes” - or laughed at because we tried to abide by the lessons (and fear of burning in Hell) that were drilled into us!

There were a few sympathetic adults who tried to commiserate with us when our parents were strict…while defending them for being that way. And more than one mentor told me that someday, I would understand the benefits of my childhood “suffering” for Jesus by doing good. At the time, I thought these folks were nuts…or just feeding me a line.  But over the years, I’ve come to see that doing what is good…and right…is always best.

There have been times when I wanted to lash out…and there have been times when I did just that (and almost always regretted it later, if not immediately). But there have been times when I have managed to hold my tongue and suppress the desire to express my feelings toward someone who was unkind or unfair…and I have always been better for it.  Whether that person recognized his/her mistake or not…I knew that GOD knew.  Whether I ever get an apology or better treatment, I know that God will bless my efforts.

Many years ago, I was in a situation where some pretty unfair things happened in the workplace because of one particular person. One day, a senior supervisor and I were talking, and he noted that these things were happening. And then he said, “I’ve been watching you…and I have never heard you say one unkind thing about this person. I’ve never seen you act inappropriately or voice your disagreement…and I KNOW you had to have been extremely frustrated at times.  But it never showed…and I am truly impressed.”

I had no clue this person had been paying attention. I really thought nobody knew or cared.  To be honest, things didn’t really improve all that much after this conversation…but at least I knew that I had an ally. And I knew that God was blessing my efforts to do the right thing and contain my frustrations.

We will all be faced with opportunities to “be good” – and to yell, kick, scream and show out when others “do us wrong.”  But let’s remember Who we really need to serve – and impress.  Let’s remind ourselves Who truly matters.  More importantly, let us never forget how Jesus suffered and was ridiculed…all because of us. It’s amazing to think about…but Jesus would do all of this again for us in a heartbeat!

Now with this in mind, how can WE behave any differently toward others?  How can we acknowledge and appreciate Jesus’ gift while lashing out at others and doing the wrong things?  Isn’t it time we trust God to handle ALL things…even the words and actions of those who would criticize and mistreat us?  Are you willing to “suffer” for your faith - and demonstrate honor and glory for Jesus’ great gift of suffering for us?  Isn’t it time you were?

©2017 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for December 31, 2016

1 John 1:8-10
If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of 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.
 
When I was about twelve, I got braces to correct an overbite and a huge gap between my two front teeth. I wore the braces for about two years, and the result was a really nice smile with perfectly aligned teeth. I even had my wisdom teeth removed, because the orthodontist said they might affect my new “alignment” if we allowed them emerge later on.

Despite my efforts to practice good dental health, my perfectly straight row of lower teeth have pushed together a bit over time – probably due to “bruxism” – a condition where I grind my teeth at night. I also started to have a slight gap between two of my upper teeth that was cosmetically bothersome. To compensate for the grinding, the dentist made me a little “retainer” of sorts to wear at night - called a “night guard.”

Many years ago, the dentist made impressions of my teeth to create a model for the night guard. Over time, this device became pretty worn. Last spring, I took in the old models of my teeth and asked the dentist to make me a new device.  For a few weeks, this new night guard fit pretty snugly…but over time, my teeth adjusted. The gap is much smaller now as my teeth have conformed to the fit of this device created from my original impressions.

I could deny that I grind my teeth…but the dentist can prove otherwise.  To say that he is mistaken would be to essentially call him a liar. And while this might offend him…I would be the real loser as my teeth weakened and separated over time. I’m not going to say that my teeth would ever be as badly aligned as they were when I was twelve…but I could surely do some serious damage and negate all of the hard work it took to get a nice, straight smile.

Even worse, I could grind the teeth down so much that they began to crack and break. And besides…my parents really scrimped and scraped to pay for my braces. To fail to do what I need to protect my teeth would be incredibly disrespectful and ungrateful toward them.

The solution is simple. I pop in this little soft plastic night guard each night and sleep with confidence that my teeth are protected – and staying in place.  And honestly, the “solution” with God is pretty simple, too.  All we have to do is acknowledge that we are sinners…then affirm that Jesus died so that our sins are forgiven. Then we must stay in close contact with Him through prayer and Bible study, so that we have the best chance of maintaining alignment with His will for our lives.

Just like my teeth can still shift and change, we are all still capable of sin. To claim we aren’t is the same as saying that God is a liar!  A right relationship with Jesus Christ is our spiritual “night guard.”  When we admit that we are sinners and do all of the “preventative maintenance” necessary to honor Jesus’ sacrifice for us, we will always enjoy His protection and blessings.  To accept Salvation in Jesus Christ - then try to have things our way after the fact - is essentially the same as thumbing our noses at this amazing Gift and indicating that we are plenty capable of keeping ourselves aligned without any help. Honestly, this tells Jesus, “I didn’t really need You in the first place…and any claims You make to the contrary are lies.”

Surely this is not how we want to live.  And there is no time like today to make necessary changes.  Don’t let your spiritual relationship with Jesus weaken or lose its alignment. As you think about the New Year and resolutions to make improvements, put your relationship with Him at the top of the list!  Jesus is already your perfect “Night Guard”…all you have to do is acknowledge that you continually need Him – and enjoy the perfect alignment of His grace, mercy, forgiveness and blessings.  It’s an offer you can’t afford to refuse!  Are you ready to “line up” with Jesus?  Will this be the year that you do?

©2016 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for December 5, 2016

John 3:16-18
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to 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.

There are people in this world who are hard to love…but no one is unloveable.  If you don’t remember anything else I ever say, please remember this.  I get it…some people are rude and insensitive…some children never seem to behave themselves...and some folks simply smell bad.  Others do horrible, unspeakable things…treat each other with disrespect…and present conduct so terrible that nobody wants to be around them.  Some people act as if they don’t care…about anything or anyone (except maybe themselves.)  And God sent Jesus for all of them.

I frame these thoughts in the context of three locations…school, the workplace, and church.  If you are a teacher or someone who works with children, remember that your most important job every single day is to make each child feel worthwhile and special.  Building up their self-worth is far more critical than building their knowledge base.  School should be their safe haven…the place where they are accepted and acknowledged…the place where they feel that they belong.

If you are a student, you should be surrounded by people who encourage you and build your heart and character every day…and you should do all that YOU can to encourage your fellow students in the same manner.

In the workplace, you should recognize that every customer and employee has worth…that every one of the people you encounter each day brings a unique set of abilities, problems and concerns with him/her…and your most important role is to show kindness, respect, and tolerance.

Church should be the one place above all others where people feel loved and acknowledged.  Many who come through the doors are seeking respite and refuge…love and acceptance...someone who will offer them encouragement and hope.  Instead, I’m afraid that many find people arrogance, social cliques, criticism and judgment, and a strong dose of condemnation that makes them feel inferior.  There doesn’t seem to be much room in some of our churches for the broken - and brokenhearted.

The thing is…God sent Jesus for ALL of us…not just the nice ones – or the pretty ones.  He didn’t say, “I am only sending my Son to save those who are clean and behave themselves every single minute…the ones whose home life is perfect, and those who have no money problems or struggles with addiction.  I’m not sending Him for those who are emotionally a little off balance…are anything other than 100% heterosexual…and have less than creamy white skin and a fat bank account.

God did not put a single limitation or qualification on who could have salvation because of Jesus Christ.  So why do we?  God gave us the most perfect gift possible…a gift that not a single one of us can ever earn or deserve.  He loved every single one of us enough to do this. So what makes us think we can love others any less?

Most of us learned early in life to be gracious recipients of gifts…even the ones that we didn’t ask for – or really don’t like.  But there is nothing unlikeable about God’s gift of salvation.  In fact, the mere idea that someone would reject this gift is probably absurd to most of us – although there will be those who do so.  I trust that you are not among them.  And in accepting God’s gift of Jesus, we must also accept the command to love others as we love Him – and ourselves…and to treat them as we would wish to be treated.  As you go to school, work, church – or just out in the world each day – think about Jesus and what He did for you.  Ask yourself if how you are treating others and responding to them lines up with this perfect Gift.

Make every minute of your day a time to show God your gratitude for Jesus.  Do this with your words and actions – and by treating others as the precious recipients of this great Gift, as well.   Because of God’s great love for us…no one is unloveable. Are you demonstrating this in your daily living?  Isn’t it time you were?

©2016 Debbie Robus