Daily Devotional for December 28, 2016

1 Corinthians 1:10-13    
But, dear brothers, I beg you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so that there won’t be splits in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.  For some of those who live at Chloe’s house have told me of your arguments and quarrels, dear brothers. Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul”; and others say that they are for Apollos or for Peter; and some that they alone are the true followers of Christ.  And so, in effect, you have broken Christ into many pieces.

But did I, Paul, die for your sins? Were any of you baptized in my name?

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

Twenty-nine years ago, my Mam-ma Polly gave me money for Christmas and said, “Buy whatever you want.” Greg and I had just started our new business venture…and there were plenty of things on which we could have spent this money (I think it was $25).  But I wanted to buy something that would last…a tangible reminder of my grandmother and this gift.  So I went to a local “Christmas store,” and I bought two nativity sets…a large 4-piece white ceramic Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus on a manger of straw…and a musical nativity scene snow-globe that played “Silent Night.”  With a few dollars left, I purchased a small wooden 3-piece set that had been hand-crafted by an Arkansas artisan.

Sadly, the snow globe leaked and ruined last year and had to be discarded…but over the last 3 decades, I have added to the collection, so that today has grown from the initial 3 sets to nearly 100 if you count “nativity” ornaments we hang on our tree.  I have enjoyed rescuing sets from the thrift store to go alongside those I purchased at estate auctions.  Many sets once graced the homes of people I knew who are in heaven now - from a plaster set that belonged to my mother’s first grade teacher to a beautiful towering Madonna that I purchased at the estate sale of dear friends.  And this year – the large creamy colored set that my parents purchased in Mexico several decades ago has a special place of honor among the other sets.

A few years ago I wrote a song about how “we set out nativities beside Santa Claus.”  Indeed, plenty of people collect “Santas”…and I will admit that I have a table of them in the same room with most of the nativities!  When starting my nativity collection, I decided that I would rather amass something that celebrated the birth of Jesus…the hope and faith of Mary…the “true meaning of Christmas.”  So while I have a few “Santas” on display…I have far more images of Jesus, Joseph and Mary.

Does this mean that I feel my collection is superior to those who collect “Santas?”  Absolutely not!  Does it mean that I disapprove of the secular compilations…or judge those who assemble them?  Never!  Can “Santa” and Jesus be recognized in the same space?  Most definitely!  Are we worshipping Santa and splintering our faith – or devaluing the true meaning of this holiday season?  I don’t think so…as long as we keep Jesus the real “reason for the season.”

But too many of us HAVE placed a great emphasis on the teachings of one person, like a particular evangelist or Bible scholar.  We have made too much of which form of worship is the best…traditional, contemporary – or even “communing with nature.”  We have drawn a line in the sand that only the King James Version of the Bible should be studied and quoted…or that traditional hymns are outdated and no longer “speak to us.”  And we have definitely made people who practice other religious beliefs feel inferior…or even evil!

In numerous ways that we don’t even realize, we have “broken Christ into many pieces.”  We have created division among us…the very thing that Jesus taught against.  And in so doing, we have dishonored and disrespected our Lord and Savior.

It is time to regain our focus.  In these waning days of 2016, let’s take some time to think about Jesus…the commandments He gave us…the sacrifice He made for each of us.  Let’s remember who the real KING of KINGS and LORD of Lords is! And let’s stop pitting ourselves against one another over petty issues.  Christian faith is not a competition…it is a unification – or it should be.

Now is the time to “be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.”  Are you ready to be a part of the body of Christ? Will this be the day that you begin?

©2016 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for June 21, 2016

Luke 23:34-35
Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people! They don’t know what they’re doing.”

While the crowd stood there watching Jesus, the soldiers gambled for his clothes. The leaders insulted him by saying, “He saved others. Now he should save himself, if he really is God’s chosen Messiah!”

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

The children and I sometimes use a little “punch card” system to reward good behavior.  I punch holes in a card numbered one to twenty, and when the child gets all 20 numbers punched, he/she gets to pick something out of my “prize” basket.  Yesterday, I started cards with Timothy and Nathan.  They didn’t get all 20 punches, but they got a few.  Late in the afternoon, the boys disappeared upstairs – after I had told them, “Don’t go upstairs.”  I went to get them, and I said, “If you don’t go downstairs right now, I am going to tear up your punch cards, and you will not get to count those punches toward a prize!”

Nathan stomped his feet and began to and cry.  “That’s AWFUL!” he wailed!  “Why would you do that?  That’s a TERRIBLE thing to do to tear up our punches.” He was absolutely furious with me!  And I had to turn away, so that he wouldn’t see me laugh.  It’s easy to forgive an almost-four-year-old for such an outburst.  In fact, it’s often easy to forgive our children for a lot of things, because they honestly do not know what they are doing.  At best, they do not fully grasp the ramifications of their words and actions.

I am not sure whether the Roman soldiers truly knew what they were doing to Jesus or not.  I think what Jesus means in this passage is that they don’t fully grasp the implication of their actions.  They have no idea the consequences that will result.  This seems to be somewhat confirmed by Matthew 27:54, where…“ The officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus felt the earthquake and saw everything else that happened. They were frightened and said, ‘This man really was God’s Son!’”

So what does all of this mean for us?  I believe there are times when we sin and/or offend others…and we truly don’t have a full grasp of our words or actions.  And that is where Jesus stands in the gap for us and says to God, “Forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”  He paid the price on the for our ignorance and carelessness, even before we were born.  I also believe there are times that people offend us or mistreat us, and we are called to be like Jesus…to offer them grace, mercy and forgiveness - just as He has done for us so many times.

It may be a whole lot harder to forgive a teenager or adult than it is a young child…but we still must try.  We must ask Jesus to equip us with whatever we need to operate in mercy…to say, “Maybe he/she didn’t have the whole picture.”  Yes, Jesus could have climbed down from the cross and settled things totally with the Roman soldiers.  He could have clearly demonstrated to the satisfaction of their understanding, that He was truly the King of the Jews. But because Jesus stayed on the cross, those of us who know Him and comprehend the ramifications of this loving act understand clearly WHO He is.

Because Jesus stayed on the cross – and suffered and died for our sins – we are forgiven…forever and ever.  Only the true King of Kings would do this!  And as His children, we are called to demonstrate this same mercy and forgiveness to others…to be sons and daughters of the Most High King and operate in grace and understanding.  There will be days when we want to stomp and scream and cry out, “Why would you do such a terrible thing?”  But instead, we must say, “Father, forgive them…as You have forgiven me.”  Are you ready to truly act like a child of the KING and operate in mercy and forgiveness?  Will this be the day that you begin?

©2016 Debbie Robus