Daily Devotional for February 4, 2016

February 4 ~ Psalm 89:7
You are the most fearsome
    of all who live in heaven;
    all the others fear
    and greatly honor you.

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

When Greg and I started our own business nearly 30 years ago, I did “PR” work on the side to help pay for our office equipment. Some of this work had me “rubbing elbows” with a few well-known public figures – and even a celebrity or two.  I don’t mean to name drop, but I’ve spent time with President Bill Clinton (when he was Governor of Arkansas) – and even dined with Hillary.  I’ve met well-known authors like the late Norman Mailer…and I used to be on a first-name basis with home, beauty and fashion editors from coast to coast - and the CEO’s of several companies in the RV/Camping industry. 

I know a back-up singer for Christian recording artist CeCe Winans, three former pro football players, and my childhood neighbor is a retired Arkansas Supreme Court Judge. Another childhood friend edits videos for the likes of Garth Brooks, Justin Bieber, and Lady Antebellum…and one of my lifelong friends has been the secretary for every Arkansas Razorbacks Football Coach since Lou Holtz!

How does this relate to Psalm 89:7?  As I have grown closer to God, I have learned a valuable lesson…these are all just “plain folks” like you and me.  Oh, a few celebrities and notables may feel that they are more important…but I can tell you that each one of them grew up pretty well as you and I did.  They had typical childhood experiences, played outside with friends, went to school, and grew up similarly to us. They had challenges, heartaches, and disappointments, too. Some of them may want you to think they are “all that and a bag of chips” now…but their “roots” are probably about as common as anyone else’s.

So I am not all that impressed with “notoriety.”  My heart does not pound faster when I’m near someone with wide-spread recognition.  I am not awed by them…nor all that dazzled by an opportunity to meet them and shake their hands.  I can remember standing in line to get the autograph of a well-known athlete…and yes, James Taylor actually signed my denim jacket at one of his concerts.  But I also remember passing up a chance to walk over and speak to a US Olympic boxer and actor who was standing just a few feet away.

There is only ONE who can bring me to my knees and cause me to tremble in “fear” and excitement…and that is God Almighty.  This scripture passage says that even the angels shake in His presence!  God is the only “celebrity” worthy of my awe…the only One whose “autograph” I truly wish to own.  I want Him to write His name on my heart…and I’ll keep it there forever.  I am happy to “name drop” big time when it comes to God…I want everyone to know that I know Him.  I will never become complacent about our relationship – He will always make my heart beat faster. 

What about you?  Are you “star-struck” for mere mortals?  Do you have respect and reverence for God…and more importantly, is He the object of your deepest “celebrity crush?”  Have you got your priorities in order…and do you understand that in God’s eyes, we are all created equal…from the orphan and homeless woman on the street to the drug addict, to the leader of the free world – and everyone in between?  Do you get that God is in a league all His own - far and away superior to all others…and yet, He calls you His child?

Will this be the day that you begin to give God the respect and “billing” that He deserves?  If angels tremble in His sight with respect and reverence, don’t you think you should, as well?  Who causes you to tremble with fear and excitement?  Isn’t it time you figured it out?

©2016 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for October 28, 2013

Proverbs 25:6

Don’t demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great.

 

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

Greg and I took my mother-in-law, a.k.a. “Grandma E”, to a nearby city for a routine eye exam.  While the two of them went into an exam, I sat in the waiting area and read a book… or rather, I tried to read.  A little man came in - huffing and puffing - and practically collapsed in a chair near mine… as if he could not go a step farther.  He was short, with hunched shoulders and rather long, wildly flowing “salt-and-pepper” hair - and a full beard.  His khaki pants looked like they would fit a man six times his size, and he had them cinched with a belt that was equally large and swung from his waist as he shuffled along.  His oversized shirt further emphasized his slight frame…and his dirty fingernails underscored his rather unkempt – appearance. He looked like he might be on his last leg…yet when he stood at the receptionist’s window to sign in, he was jovial and bright as he eagerly signed in, saying…“You gave me two good eyes last time… how about a third one this time?”

 

Returning to sit near me, the man began to breath heavily – and steadily, as if he was asleep… and occasionally he groaned and grunted almost as if he were snoring – or talking in his sleep!  I tried to keep my eyes on my Kindle and continue reading.  When the nurse came to get another patient, we both looked up at the now-empty waiting room, and the man said, “I guess you and I are next!”  I explained that I was merely waiting for someone and that “You’re next!”  He replied, “Doesn’t matter… I’m 71 and retired… I don’t get in a hurry about anything!”  (This man looked every day of NINETY-one, if he looked a day!)  And then, he began to talk!

He told me that he had stayed up all night watching very good old movies… and now he was tired.  He asked where I live, and he told me he had moved to this city recently because he thought renting would be cheaper than owning his own home.  I listened politely to what he was saying… and soon he had picked up a magazine and settled in to read it (somewhat aloud and under his breath!).

 

When the nurse came for the man, she treated him especially kindly and with respect… as if he were the most important person to her at that moment.  And it struck me… shouldn’t we treat everyone this way?  Why do we reserve our best for those we feel are “royalty” or celebrities?  Why is it such a big deal to us to have our picture made with some people… or to get their autograph… when we might not give their family members…or most certainly their neighbors… the time of day?  What makes them so much more special?

 

For all I know, this man was a retired professor from the university in the city we were visiting.  He might have acquired his hunched appearance from bending over patients in a dental office or surgery table… or from assembling parts in a factory or shoveling garbage or soil.  He might have once had a wife and children and a lively family life…but from all accounts, he now appeared to be fairly alone in the world.  The point is… why would we desire his presence any less than that of a famous athlete, musician, movie star or politician?  Why would we treat him with any less importance or respect?  Why would we shy away from such a person in favor of someone we deem more “worthy”?

 

How would you feel if God treated you this way?  What if He said, “You’ve not done as much as So-and-So…you’re not as important as he/she is to me. What you do with your life doesn’t really matter to me, because it will never measure up or be as good.”  One of my dearest friends dropped out of college to start a family.  She reared two amazing sons and practically ran her father’s construction business for nearly 30 years.  She loved God and served Him in her home church and her community.  And one day she said to me, “I never did anything with my life.  I was just a mom.”  It nearly broke my heart.

 

You see, God doesn’t see who we are in the world or what we have accomplished… at least not in the way we see it. God sees us as His precious creations… each one with the potential He gave us to accomplish what He desires for us in this earthly lifetime.  He designed some of us to be Olympic athletes… and others to do incredible things without arms or legs.  He created moms and dads who stay home and rear children... and people who never have children of their own – but parent and mentor countless others along the way.  God made the well-dressed businessman sitting in the waiting area… and the disheveled, sleepy little man who sat beside me.  And none is better than the next.

 

So think about WHO you are… and who you think you are.  What are your aspirations?  Are you striving to be a celebrity or hang out with kings? Or are you focused on being who God wants you to be?  Are you treating others differently, according to who – or what – you think they are?  Isn’t it time you treated each person as you desire for God to treat you… with respect, kindness, grace and mercy?

 

There is a popular television show called “Who Do You Think You Are?” that features “celebrities” who trace their family’s ancestry.  They discover all sorts of things about their ancestors… some good, and some not so good.  The question I have for you today is, “Who do you think you are?”  We would all do well to consider this question as it relates to our own aspirations… and how we treat others in our midst.  Who do you think you are… and how are you behaving as a result?

 

©2013 Debbie Robus