Daily Devotional for January 1, 2017

1 John 2:1-2
My children, I am writing this so that you won’t sin. But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us. Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.

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

Happy New Year! I hope yours is off to a great start (and includes some black-eyed peas, greens, pork – and maybe big ole piece of cornbread!!!). Sweet tea is optional!

Okay, enough about our Southern traditions...but I do have a point in sharing them.  I saw a meme on Facebook this morning that offered an explanation for why we eat these foods on New Year’s Day.  Rather than go into detail about each dish, let me just say that the collective reason is – HOPE!  We hope that these foods will bring us good luck in the coming year.  Yes, it is a “superstition”…and okay, maybe it’s ridiculous.  But what is NOT silly is hope in Jesus…and that’s where these verses from 1 John 2 come into play.

When Jesus takes away our sins, we all know that this doesn’t mean we will never sin again…right?  We surrender our hearts to Jesus…He washes us clean…and we make every effort to stay that way.  But scripture tells us over and again that, as human beings, we will never be completely free of sin or a sinful nature.  Only Jesus can claim this perfection.

BUT...because of Jesus, we can humbly acknowledge our failures and shortcomings, and ask forgiveness...and Jesus will petition God on our behalf.  Because of Jesus, we always have hope.  HE is the assurance that we are claimed and sanctified before God…that our seat at the Heavenly Table is forever secure.

Just as I will probably never stop eating peas and greens on New Year’s Day, I will never stop depending on Jesus to stand in the gap for me and ask God to continually forgive my sins.  And He will do this for you – and all of the world’s people – just as surely.  All you have to do is genuinely and humbly surrender your sinful nature to Jesus…to beg His forgiveness and accept His generous gift of Salvation.  THEN…you must make every effort to live a holy and acceptable life…to serve Jesus and share His Good News with others.

Because we have the promise of salvation and an Eternal Home…we are free to live with hope and confidence…and encourage others to do the same.  Will this be the year that you fully let go and let God have control?  Will you live in expectation that Jesus has your back?  I pray that this is the case.

Old habits die hard, so I’ll probably keep eating peas and greens on New Year’s Day.  But I know that with Jesus standing in the gap for us, anything and everything is possible…with no “good luck” meals required!

©2017 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for September 9, 2016

September 9 ~ John 3:27-30
John answered, “It’s not possible for a person to succeed—I’m talking about eternal success—without heaven’s help. You yourselves were there when I made it public that I was not the Messiah but simply the one sent ahead of him to get things ready. The one who gets the bride is, by definition, the bridegroom. And the bridegroom’s friend, his ‘best man’—that’s me—in place at his side where he can hear every word, is genuinely happy. How could he be jealous when he knows that the wedding is finished and the marriage is off to a good start?

“That’s why my cup is running over. This is the assigned moment for him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.

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.
    
During the Sunday school lesson last week for second and third graders, I mentioned my brother Tim, who died almost 18 years ago.  It was like a light bulb went on in Timothy’s head, and he said, “OH!  So Uncle Tim was named for ME?”  I smiled and explained that it was the other way around…that Uncle Tim was here first.  This was logical thinking for a seven-year-old.  Little children tend to believe that the world revolves around them.  And I will have to say that most of the time, Timothy is unusually empathetic for his age. Still…every child has his/her moments.

You and I are no longer children.  We cannot afford the “luxury” of selfish thinking…much less the assumption that “we’ve got this” by ourselves.  There is no way that we can navigate “life” on our own for even the shortest amount of time.  And if you believe differently, you are in for some pretty big heartaches and disappointments.

A friend shared a post on Facebook that started off, “Imagine getting to heaven and hearing God say”…and then “God” described how thought of us before we were born…laid out plans for us and prepared the way. “God” noted how He gave us time to accomplish these goals and supplied us with the Holy Spirit to guide and protect us…and provided us with missions and opportunities to fulfill them. And then it ends with “Let’s talk about how that all went.”

Too many of us want to have Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our hip pocket…but we still want the spotlight.  We want it to be all about us…about our needs and desires.  We spend our lives asking, “Is it fun?  Will I enjoy this?  Will it make me happy? What about ME?”  And the truth is…it’s not about us at all.  There’s an old hymn – “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” - that says, “Thou are the potter, I am the clay.”  Jesus is the bridegroom…you and I are just the “bridesmaids and groomsmen.”  Our job is to support Him…to fulfill His plans and missions…to step aside and bask in the rays of His limelight.

A little self-absorption is cute when you are a child…but it is in no way an attractive quality in adults…especially people who are supposed to represent Jesus.  Humility, servitude, and the desire to keep Christ front and center are hallmarks of a faithful Christian disciple.  It may never be “your turn” or “about you”…and that’s okay.  When Jesus is given top priority, all other things fall into place as He designed.  THIS is what truly matters!

When God has the talk with you about “how things went,” what will you have to say for yourself?  Have you stepped aside and given Jesus the spotlight?  Or are you still fighting to get off the sidelines and take center stage?  How you answer makes all the difference…both now and for all eternity.  Where are you standing today?

©2016 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for April 13, 2016

James 4:4-6
You people aren’t faithful to God! Don’t you know that if you love the world, you are God’s enemies? And if you decide to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you doubt the Scriptures that say, “God truly cares about the Spirit he has put in us”? In fact, God treats us with even greater kindness, just as the Scriptures say,

“God opposes everyone
    who is proud,
but he is kind to everyone
    who is humble.”

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

In my Jesus Calling®* passage for April 11, the author (speaking as Jesus) says, “The best way to handle unwanted situations is to thank Me for them.”  I was reminded of more than one recent report of an injustice that transpired that seemed incredibly unfair to some of the parties involved…especially children.  How can we thank God when a child is being used as a pawn in adult disagreements?  How can we thank God when our loan has been refused…we are slapped with exorbitant medical bills that require, at best, a huge co-pay…or the business where we’ve been employed for decades suddenly closes its doors?  How can we thank God when He has just called our loved one to Heaven and left us brokenhearted?

We have a hard time being faithful in such moments.  We want a “Burger King®” kind of faith, where we are allowed to “have it our way” any time of the day.  How can we thank God when He doesn’t give us the desires of our heart?

The bigger question is…”How can we NOT thank God?”  Don’t we get that we are telling God how to run things when we make demands of Him?  When we tell God, “You need to fix ABC or deal with Sam or Sue,” we are acting as His enemy.  We have decided that we know better than God what needs to happen.

Instead, we should look at “unwanted situations” and ask, “What are You trying to show me?”  We should humbly ask God to help us handle these events – and to show us how He can be glorified by our actions and reactions to them.  Jesus Calling® explains that when we demonstrate such faith, we are freed from resentment – and God is freed to work His ways into the situation and produce a good outcome.

Is this easy to do?  Absolutely not!  But that’s what makes it an act of faith!  The more we let God have control in our lives, the less hold the enemy has on us – and the closer we draw to Him.  When we humble ourselves before God and submit to His plans and His will, we are free to bask in His glory and care…and to fully experience His profound kindness.  Don’t you want this in your life?  I know I do!  Are you willing to fully surrender in order to get it?  Don’t you think you should be?
   
©2016 Debbie Robus
   
*www.JesusCalling.com

Daily Devotional for September 2, 2015

September 2 ~ Matthew 20:20-28
It was about that time that the mother of the Zebedee brothers came with her two sons and knelt before Jesus with a request.

“What do you want?” Jesus asked.

She said, “Give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom, one at your right hand, one at your left hand.”

Jesus responded, “You have no idea what you’re asking.” And he said to James and John, “Are you capable of drinking the cup that I’m about to drink?” They said, “Sure, why not?”

Jesus said, “Come to think of it, you are going to drink my cup. But as to awarding places of honor, that’s not my business. My Father is taking care of that.”

When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers. So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.”

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.

The children started Taekwondo classes yesterday.  They were three of five students in the “Tiger Cubs” division.  The instructor showed the children some basic kicks and began to teach them about how to respond with a “Yes, sir!” and how to bow to the American flag – and to him – with respect. They all did well for their first effort.  But at the end of the class, the instructor gave “stars” to the three children who were wearing the “best t-shirts” (as judged by students from the older class).  This group included Nathan, who got “third place” for his dinosaur shirt!  Then he gave a star to the person who had worked hardest and performed the best in the 30-minute class…and that star went to Zola!  Timothy did not get a star…and the instructor issued something of a challenge to him…”I bet NEXT week, YOU get the star for best work!”

Timothy tried not to cry as he put on his socks and shoes – and he had one a game that the class had played.  But for a six-year-old, the understanding that we are not always the “winner” or at the top of the heap was a hard lesson.  Our job as adults will be to teach these children that there is value in working hard and serving from the “middle”…that we don’t always have to be the leader or the “winner!”

This is a challenging lesson for us, also…particularly when it comes to our faith.  We get the mistaken idea that because God chose us…because we are saved by the blood of Jesus…we are on the same level as He is…that we will sit side Him for all Eternity.  Go back and comb through the scriptures again.  I believe the wording you will find indicates that we will sit at His feet!  And this is where we humbly belong!  God will decide who sits on the throne…and all indications are that this position is reserved for His Beloved Son – Jesus Christ! 

This does not diminish our salvation…or our roles as Jesus’ disciples.  It merely defines our relationship.  He is the Master…we are His servants.  And that is a perfectly good arrangement…one in which we should proudly and honorably do our best to glorify the Kingdom of Heaven and present our best work.  Our ultimate “star” will be a position at Jesus’ feet…forever and ever…and His blessings and abundance in the meantime.

It’s time for us to quit trying to always be the leader…or the winner…or to always be right about everything.  We need to humbly focus on being the best disciple and servant of Jesus Christ that we can be…and let God handle the rest.  Are you ready to bow with respect and say, “Yes, sir!”…to do your best work and earn the “star” of God’s approval when He presents it?  Will this be the day that you begin?

©2015 Debbie Robus