Daily Devotional for September 30, 2016

Mark 7:14-23
Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. Your souls aren’t harmed by what you eat, but by what you think and say!”

Then he went into a house to get away from the crowds, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the statement he had just made.

“Don’t you understand either?” he asked. “Can’t you see that what you eat won’t harm your soul? For food doesn’t come in contact with your heart, but only passes through the digestive system.” (By saying this he showed that every kind of food is kosher.)

And then he added, “It is the thought-life that pollutes. For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts of lust, theft, murder, adultery, wanting what belongs to others, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, pride, and all other folly. All these vile things come from within; they are what pollute you and make you unfit for God.”

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
 
There has been lots of talk lately in the news about the “5-second rule.”  Apparently, new studies have been done (who pays for these things?!) to determine whether food that is dropped on the floor is safe to eat, if picked up within a certain amount of time - like five seconds. It turns out that there are extenuating circumstances…particularly what type of floor surface was involved and the specific food item in question.

The bottom line is that it probably is NOT a good idea to eat food that has fallen on the floor.  However, we’ve all seen our kids do it before we could get to them to stop this – and the children are still here!  I’ve been volunteering at the elementary school in Timothy and Zola’s classrooms, and I have had to remind myself that children are resilient…and they must have stomachs of iron! As they take turns drinking from the water fountain…eating all sorts of things without using hand sanitizer or washing their hands…and so much more, I try not to think about what they are ingesting!

In a way, you could maintain that we should be more worried about the knowledge and wisdom our children internalize than the potential for a few germs to enter their bodies as they eat their snacks and lunch – or quench their thirst.  And this is essentially the message that Jesus is giving to us about our own daily living.

Too often, we are overly concerned with the wrong things.  We worry about what this one or that one is thinking - or how he/she is living - but we don’t pay a bit of attention to what is in the person’s heart. We condemn all sorts of behaviors from others while demonstrating plenty of sins and “errors” of our own. In The Message, verse 16 says, “It’s not what you swallow that pollutes your life; it’s what you vomit—that’s the real pollution.”

So let’s stop worrying so much about “appearances.”  Let’s quit judging others based on surface observations and things that really don’t matter that much…ditch the name calling and overt criticisms…and stop acting like we are better than the other guy because we call ourselves Christians. Let’s take a long hard look at what is in our heart…and what we present to others.

Are our words and actions polluted with sin? Do we have our priorities in line with those of Jesus?  Are we focused on keeping the main thing the main thing? Are we more concerned with keeping up appearances and feeding the body…or feeding the heart and soul?

Jesus is very clear that what we think and say – and how we treat others – matters. Our thoughts, words and actions have lasting consequences.  Are you more worried about the Spiritual “5-second rule”…or spending Eternity in His presence?

©2016 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for May 13, 2015

May 13 ~ 2 Timothy 4:3
For there is going to come a time when people won’t listen to the truth but will go around looking for teachers who will tell them just what they want to hear.

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

There is a new “craze” circulating that involves wearing a tightly-fitting corset to supposedly whittle your waist and give one a defined, “hourglass” figure.  Yes, it really is a “thing”…and there are late-night infomercials about it and the whole nine yards.  I saw a news interview with physicians who warned that this “quick fix” would mostly result in health complications…trouble breathing, spinal damage, and even a weakened “core,” to name a few.  One doctor said that the “best” thing about the corset was that it would make people eat less…because they were too constricted to do otherwise!

There is probably no topic on which people will spend more time and energy seeking the “answers” they want than weight loss.  People don’t want to believe that diet and exercise work!  They want a quick fix…something easy…a solution that doesn’t require any real effort on their part.  Drink this and burn the calories!  Put on this belt (or corset), and the fat will melt away!  Use this gizmo and your body will tone itself while you sit in your easy chair!

I can see you rolling your eyes now. We seem to have no trouble understanding how ridiculous some of these gimmicks are…but when it comes to matters of faith, we’re all in!  Historically, people have justified everything from the “prosperity gospel” to slavery – and so much more - by twisting and turning scriptures to suit their agendas.  If you look long and hard, you will find SOMEONE who will justify your “take” on just about anything to do with religion and Christian faith!

So the question becomes, “Do you want to know the truth…or do you want to hear what suits you?”  In the movie A Few Good Men, Tom Cruise’s character, Lt. Daniel Kaffee, tells Col. Nathan R. Jessup (played by Jack Nicholson)…“I want the truth!” - to which Col. Jessep replies, “You can't handle the truth!”  The question we must ask today is…“Can you handle the truth?” 

Are you really ready to go “all in” with Jesus and live according to the genuine intention of God’s word?  Will you dig deeply, spend time with God and discover for yourself what He has to say?  Or will you continue to search for the “corset” that will cinch your faith into a shapely version that you find attractive and tolerable?  Will this be the day that you get real with God, surrender to His word and will for your life…and really start to “get in shape?” 

Are you looking for a “quick fix” or a relationship that will stand the test of time and carry you through to Eternity?  Are you ready to handle God’s truth?  Will this be the day that you begin?

©2015 Debbie Robus