Daily Devotional for March 3, 2016

1 John 2:9-11
Anyone who claims to live in God’s light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark. It’s the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God’s light and doesn’t block the light from others. But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn’t know which end is up, blinded by the darkness.

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.
       

My great-aunt Altha (left) and my
maternal grandmother Loree - obviously
on a family picnic.  In the background
is my paternal grandmother, Polly!

Last night I was looking through an old photo album from my mother’s.  I found a photo of my grandmother and my great-aunt – her sister – standing arm-in-arm.  They were obviously on a family outing…both had on red “pedal-pushers” (we sometimes call them “capris” today), and there were items in the background that indicated this was a picnic.  I wanted to get a closer look at this photo, which was dimmed by age.  So I moved the photo album directly under a lamp with a fairly strong light bulb.  I plan to scan the photo and see if I can enhance the details even further with light and shadows, so that I can get a full and clear picture of what was going on that day.

If ever there were an applicable scripture passage for what is currently happening, this is it!  I know that people have been disparaging one another for centuries…but with all of the media that is instantly available to us these days, we are far more aware of this – and much too numb to its effects. 

We have become all too complacent with the darkness of hatred.  You may think it is not only your right – but your DUTY – to speak out against people who observe other religions – or no religious belief at all. You may honestly believe that people who practice alternative lifestyles are sinners who live in immorality. You or someone you know and love may have had an unpleasant experience with a person from another race or ethnic or socioeconomic group, and now you feel justified in lumping everyone from that group together and judging them negatively.

You may be aggravated and disgusted with lazy people who won’t work and those who appear to always have their hand out…often at YOUR expense, if only inadvertently through your tax dollars and charitable gifts.  And you may feel compelled to publicly express your disdain with these folks – even at the risk of including some who really are trying and cannot help their situation and need for assistance.

In each of these situations and circumstances…you may feel completely entitled to shed a little darkness.  And in every one of them, you would be living a contradiction to your Christian faith.  If we truly live in God’s light…we must step aside and let Him shine on every person…with no exceptions.  When we start to criticize, berate, disparage…and yes, HATE someone else…we have effectively blocked God’s light and “blurred the photograph” of others’ lives.  And God is heartbroken by this.

I cannot say this any more effectively than scripture…we cannot claim to live in God’s light and then create an atmosphere of darkness for others.  We cannot say or do anything that might even suggest the impression of blocking His light from anyone else.  We cannot discriminate, condemn, judge, insult, verbally abuse, and yes, HATE other people because they make us uncomfortable or we do not like their words and actions, for whatever reason.  We cannot risk blocking God’s light.  Conversely, we must do everything we can to allow His light to shine even more brightly on all people.

Let me be clear. I am not pleased in the least with a lot of people who are offering their opinions on a variety of subjects and situations these days.  I do not approve of the venom that is being spewed by politicians…the hatred that is directed at so many people and groups.  But insulting these people and trying to “shout them down” in some manner makes us just as bad in God’s eyes. 

Jesus had the power and authority to do this, and yet, the times I can actually count in scripture where He lashed out at someone else are minimal.  Instead He taught us to operate in love, compassion, grace, mercy, forgiveness…and yes, LIGHT!  Jesus demonstrated how we must step aside and let God’s light shine on all people, so that the features and details are fully illuminated and clarified…and His glory can truly be illuminated.

Are we contributing to the darkness with our words and actions?  Or are we positioned so that God’s glory and power shines brightly on others? My question for each of us today is…”Where are we standing?” 

©2016 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for September 18, 2015

Proverbs 12:16
A fool is quick-tempered; a wise man stays cool when insulted.

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

Recently, a 2016 Presidential candidate commented to the media that another candidate could not be elected…because of her face.  He quickly began to backpedal and say that he wasn’t actually referring to her physical appearance…but rather, he was referencing her persona. It’s hard to imagine that anybody bought his excuses.  But rather than throw stones in his direction, this woman did something that was rather extraordinary – especially in an age when mud-slinging has risen to an all-time high!  This candidate put out an ad that features dozens of women who represent the “face” of America today. 

In a televised political debate, the woman was asked how she felt about the comments made against her, and she firmly stated…”I think women very clearly heard what [he] said.”

I have deliberately not named either candidate.  This is not really about either of them.  And I will say that I have heard this woman hurl insults at other candidates…though not to the degree of the one delivered in her direction.  But we would do well to look at her very public reaction to what had to be a hurtful affront.  It is human nature to want to retort…to strike back and wound the person who has offended us.  And the question we have to ask ourselves is, “Would Jesus do this?  Would He approve of such a response?”

We have the perfect example in Jesus of someone who did not retaliate…and let me remind you that He had more than enough reasons to do so!  There are times to speak up…to stand up for your convictions and set the record straight.  But there are ways to do this…to prayerfully and carefully respond with dignity befitting a Disciple of Christ.  And honestly, there are times when it’s best to simply back away and let the insult lie.  As in the case I have shared…the ugliness of the comments spoke for itself.  No retort was really necessary – certainly not a negative or hateful one.

I’ll be the first to say that this is challenging territory.  Our human instinct is to repay “an eye for an eye.”  But we are also told in this scripture passage to hold our tongue.  In Matthew 5:28-30, we are reminded to “turn the other cheek”…and this is exactly what Jesus did.  So how can we justify any other response?

©2015 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for November 5, 2014

1 Timothy 1:12-14
I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were invective and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing—didn’t know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus.
 
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.
 
We have a running joke in our family about our niece and nephew – both grown now with children of their own – and their “competitive” card playing some twenty-plus years ago.  One would claim the other cheated, and the “winner” would gloat like there was no tomorrow.  There was no grace or mercy in their games of “Old Maid”…it was every person for himself/herself, and the “winner” bragged unapologetically!
 
As you might imagine, there were quite a few hurt feelings as a result of these exchanges…and each gained a “reputation” as a “cheater” – or at least a “bad sport”.  But as the kids grew and matured, they learned to “forgive and forget” (although an occasional tongue-in-cheek jab still appears from time to time on Facebook!)…and the two of them have mutual love and respect for each other today.  They realize that these were the behaviors of somewhat-innocent children who really didn’t know better or fully understand the long-term ramifications of breaking the rules - even in a child’s game of “Old Maid”.
 
We are like these children…eager to have our own way – and perhaps willing to say or do things we shouldn’t in order to get it.  At least, this would have described many of us before we had a personal encounter with Jesus. And perhaps even today, some of us who claim to know Him continue to be critical…insulting…and arrogant.  We ridicule others and gloat about everything from “our” team’s latest win to our personal possessions and accomplishments.  And we fail to remember that Jesus told us in Matthew 25:40 that…" When you did it to these my brothers, you were doing it to me!” (Living Bible)
 
Today, I am humbled and grateful for Jesus’s “grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me.”  I am thankful that He offers me mercy and forgives my sins.  I want to honor the trust that Jesus has placed in me to “minister” to others in His name by acting with integrity and respect – for Him and for others.  I want to conduct myself in a way that reflects His grace and mercy over me...and to share Him in this same manner with those whom I encounter.
 
Often, our immediate “gut-reaction” to outside comments and actions is to retaliate…to yell, “He/she cheated!”  But Jesus has demonstrated compassion and tolerance…and if we want to be like Him, we must pay this forward.
 
Let’s start today with a prayer of gratitude for the grace, mercy, forgiveness and acceptance that Jesus offers each of us.  And then let’s make a concerted effort to honor Him by sharing these things with everyone we meet…even those who insult or disrespect us or show us no mercy in return.  It won’t always be easy, but that will make it even more honorable and tender to Jesus.  Isn’t He worth the effort?  How grateful are you for what He has done in your life…and just how far are you willing to go to show it?
 
©2014 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for November 19, 2013

1 Samuel 19:1-8
One day, Saul told his son Jonathan and his officers to kill David. But Jonathan liked David a lot, and he warned David, “My father is trying to have you killed, so be very careful. Hide in a field tomorrow morning, and I’ll bring him there. Then I’ll talk to him about you, and if I find out anything, I’ll let you know.”
 
The next morning, Jonathan reminded Saul about the many good things David had done for him. Then he said, “Why do you want to kill David? He hasn’t done anything to you. He has served in your army and has always done what’s best for you. He even risked his life to kill Goliath. The Lord helped Israel win a great victory that day, and it made you happy.”
 
Saul agreed and promised, “I swear by the living Lord that I won’t have David killed!”
 
Jonathan called to David and told him what Saul had said. Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in Saul’s army just as he had done before.
 
The next time there was a war with the Philistines, David fought hard and forced them to retreat.
 
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
 
In 2001, Kent Heitholt, a reporter for the Columbia Daily Tribune in Columbia, Missouri, was viciously bludgeoned to death as he approached his car in the newspaper’s parking lot after a work shift.  The case remained unsolved… until 2004, when a young man who had a history of problems with drugs and alcohol came forward.  Chuck Erickson claimed that he was having dreams that he had been present at a murder… and he thought these might be flashbacks.  With him in the dream was a “friend” named Ryan Ferguson.  I’ll skip all the details here and get to the nuts and bolts… Erickson implicated Ferguson, and while nothing matched… DNA, hair samples, footprints – NOTHING – Ferguson was arrested… and convicted… and sentenced to prison, where he stayed for 9 years, 8 months, and 2 days.
 
On November 12, 2013, Ryan Ferguson was released from prison and is now a free man. Try to imagine being 19 years old and hearing a judge sentence you to 40 years in prison for a crime you did not commit… something of which you had absolutely no knowledge.  Imagine how Ferguson’s parents felt as they saw their son led away as the result of a judicial system whose ruling was based on false testimony that piled up from two “key witnesses”.  Think about the incredible fear, betrayal, disrespect, and sheer panic this young man must have experienced.  Try to envision how he felt for nearly 10 years as he sat behind bars for something that he didn’t do, trying to clear his name. We would all agree that Ryan Ferguson has every right to be angry… upset… heartbroken… that he should be ready to tear the world apart for this indignity and affront.
 
There has also been a lot of information in the news lately about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy…fifty years ago this week.  I watched an interview with the Secret Service agent who is shown in film footage reaching across the trunk of the President’s limo toward Mrs. Kennedy. as she climbed toward the rear of the car.  The agent says she was retrieving the portion of Kennedy’s head that had just been blown away.  The interviewer asked, “What did she say to you?”  The agent replied, “She told me, ‘I’ve got the President’s brains in my hand.’”  Imagine her shock and horror.  Imagine the indignation of having your husband’s head blown away as you sat beside him.  Can you even fathom the dishonor and disrespect – the downright evil – of pulling the trigger and taking another person’s life?  Jackie Kennedy is reported to have refused to change from the pink Chanel suit that bore her husband’s blood stains, saying, “I want them to see what they have done.”
 
Don’t we all feel this way sometimes?  When someone disrespects, insults, or hurts us in some way, don’t we often want to lash out… and rightly so?  I have no doubt that you have been mistreated somewhere along the line – maybe even today!  And maybe much like Jonathan’s question to King Saul, you are saying, “Why is this happening to me?  I have done nothing wrong.”
 
I certainly do not have all the answers – about anything!  But here’s what keeps coming to me about this dilemma… remember Jesus.  Remember that He did nothing wrong, yet he was falsely accused, beaten, persecuted… and sentenced to death.  As if that were not enough, his murder was brutal and indignant.  He was mocked, stripped, pierced, horrifically tortured… and spit upon.  And still He cried, “Father, forgive them.”  Tall order?  You betcha!  There have been times when I have argued… “But how am I to forgive?  Haven’t I had enough?”  The answer is a resounding… “Seventy times seven.”  (Matthew 18:21-22…” Peter came up to the Lord and asked, “How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?” Jesus answered: Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!”)  The temptation for revenge can be great… even to the extent of “I want them to see what they have done.”  The answer to my prayer is found in John 13:34…” But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you.”
 
If you continue to read the book of 1 Samuel through at least Chapter 23, you will see that Saul did not keep his word.  He became consumed by the devil and tried several times to kill David.  And you may feel like you keep getting kicked and disrespected and knocked down over and again.  You may be tempted to quit… to give up and walk away from the people or situation that is causing you so much pain.  I encourage you to spend a lot of time in prayer and ask God to show you how to proceed.  Feel His hands on your shoulders, holding you and absorbing your tears and frustration.  Allow Him room to work… and listen as He shows you where to back away – and how far to go.  Let God give you the strength and wisdom to handle indignation and disrespect with grace, confidence and peace.  Continue to fight hard… in Jesus’ name…and because He did it for you.
 
I don’t know how a 28-year-old man adjusts to re-entering society after almost a decade of injustice.  But I do know that with God, all things are possible.  Won’t you allow Him to work in your life today?  Will you ask God to give you empathy and sensitivity for those who have been unfairly treated… and a strong confidence that God understands the heartbreak of disrespect and offense, because He experiences it firsthand as we mistreat Him?  Can you look beyond your own burdens and operate in God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness?
 
When was the last time you apologized to God for how you have disrespected and disappointed Him?  Isn’t this a good place to begin your healing journey?  As you begin to repair your relationship with God, you will find the strength, courage and wisdom to operate in His grace and mercy toward others.  Just as Ryan Ferguson cannot retrieve the near-decade he lost to prison… and we cannot bring back those who have been murdered and taken from us…we cannot change our past.  But God can equip us to handle the future… and to enjoy our life as Christian disciples.  Are you with me?
 
©2013 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for July 31, 2013

Matthew 10:17-23
“Don’t be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don’t be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they’ve done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don’t worry about what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.
 
“When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you’ve run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.
 
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 can remember times when I was growing up that certain friends and acquaintances did not include me in an activity or conversation because they thought I would not approve, based on my church affiliation.  Whether their assumption was correct or not, they must have assumed that I would judge them… so they judged me first!  I wasn’t invited to certain parties… I was excluded from a few “cliques”.  Honestly, I wasn’t all that popular.  It wasn’t that I was judgmental – or even that I was especially vocal about my faith.  It was more that since I attended a certain church with a reputation for believing particular things, others assumed that I felt the same way and would probably condemn those who attended elsewhere – or nowhere at all!
 
Like many, I was stung by these judgments… so much so that I distanced myself from church in my early adulthood.  I never turned my back on God, but I tried to be more “regular”… to fit in and avoid situations where others might label me a “Jesus freak” – or even “religious” or “spiritual”.  Maybe you have done this, too.  It’s an easy trap to fall into…and there is a certain comfort level in hanging out “under the radar,” so to speak.  Nobody expects very much of you there… and most never think to judge you one way or the other.
 
As God began to help me through some difficult and challenging situations, I realized that being bold in my faith was not an option… it was an obligation.  But there is a caveat… we Christians walk a fine line between being effective examples of faith in Jesus Christ – and being obnoxious fools. There will always be those who label us as “the token Christian of the family”… a “Jesus freak”… “the Church lady”…”religious fanatics”…or some other tag meant to demean and offend us.  The temptation will be there to close our mouths, lay low, and try to fit in with the rest of the world.  But we must listen to Jesus’ words in this passage… “Don’t quit!  Don’t cave in! It is all well worth it in the end.”
 
How do we do this?  I don’t have a solid answer for you.  But I can give you a couple of working examples.  I have two very dear lifelong friends, JR and John, who have always been loved and accepted by others as kind, hardworking men… good husbands, fathers, and in one case – an adoring grandfather.  You will see them at outings from school sporting events to civic gatherings. They take their wives to the movies – as one of them put it…“to see a chick flick with my chick!”  And you will see them at church on Sundays, where one serves as a pastor – the other (also an ordained minister) serves as a minister of music.
 
These men are not “preachy” or pushy about their faith, but their quiet, wise demeanor speaks volumes about their Christian faith.  Both have a way of offering a welcoming smile and calming, sage advice… of praying over a friend with wisdom and confidence… of saying just what needs to be said and showing up at exactly the right time.  And I have seen both of them criticized for their stance…and judged unfairly.
 
In my book, these men have mastered the “dance” of proclaiming love in the midst of hate.  They have figured out how to “win friends and influence people” by simply living for Jesus.  Yes, they are pastors… but they do not “preach” outside of the pulpit.  On the street on an ordinary weekday, they are just JR and John… men who love God and care deeply about His people… and it shows.  They do more to win over the naysayers with their quiet strength than a dozen sidewalk evangelists!  And we would do well to take a good long look at their “Christian business model” and copy it in our own daily living.
 
If you are persecuted or judged for your faith, I’m sorry… it’s often part of Discipleship.  But there are things we can do to temper this.  We don’t have to stop proclaiming the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ… or sharing what great things He has done in our own lives with those around us.  But we can ask God to grant us the wisdom and good sense to know when to simply BE… to love others unconditionally and SHOW them how we have been blessed rather than by telling them… to quietly distance ourselves from activities and conversations that we know are wrong, rather than making a big noise about it… to show others that living for Jesus doesn’t make us weird or superior – or even dull and boring!
 
We can show others that a life in Christ is filled with peace, joy, and abiding comfort in all situations.  Maybe then, others will want what we have for themselves.  Isn’t it worth a shot?
 
©2013 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for January 29, 2013

1 Peter 3:8-9
Finally, all of you should agree and have concern and love for each other. You should also be kind and humble. Don’t be hateful and insult people just because they are hateful and insult you. Instead, treat everyone with kindness. You are God’s chosen ones, and he will bless you.

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

Be honest… when someone says something unkind to you – or behaves in a way that is hateful or insults you – don’t you sometimes wish you could retaliate? We’ve probably all at least secretly wished we could make the person who hurt us feel just as badly – if only so he/she would know how we felt! Or maybe someone has mistreated you in some way, and then something unpleasant happened to them. Were you even a little glad inside? Did you feel like he/she got what was coming?

It is terribly hard for us as human beings to fully implement this scripture passage. We are simply not programmed to turn the other cheek, so to speak, and to love those who are hateful and insult us. And the devil is right there to whisper in our ear that the other guy deserves whatever we dish out in return. It would be so easy to strike back when we are “wronged.” We would find it so easy to give the other person a hefty dose of whatever he/she doled out in our direction.

We must work diligently to implement the teachings of this scripture passage. After all… look how terribly we have treated Jesus, yet he offers us love and kindness. He does not retaliate… Jesus never treats us hatefully or insults us.

How badly do you want to be a disciple of Christ? Do you truly desire to be like Him… to be His hands and feet to others…to love unconditionally and demonstrate His grace, mercy and forgiveness? If so, you must do everything you can to express kindness and humility… to treat others better than they sometimes deserve… and to love even those who would mistreat you in some way.

This is a tall order… but one that is extremely important to God. He will give you the strength and courage to implement these behaviors – if only you will ask Him. Don’t get caught up in the “tit for tat” game. Take the high road… share the love of Christ with everyone – even those who treat you hatefully and insult you. Let God handle those who behave this way… and glorify Him with YOUR behavior. Don’t do this because He will bless you – although He surely will! Treat others with respect, dignity and kindness because of Jesus, who loved us enough to give His very life. He would never treat us this way. Love others as Jesus would… and let God handle the rest.

©2013 Debbie Robus