Daily Devotional for June 28, 2015

Philippians 2:5-8
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

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.
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A post is circulating on social media about a woman who moved into a neighborhood and began to hang out her laundry each morning.  The next-door neighbor noted that the laundry was dirty, and she remarked to her husband with great condescension that this woman ought to know better than to hang out dirty laundry.  Then one morning she got up, and the woman was hanging out her laundry – and it appeared to be clean.  The critical neighbor wondered aloud who had spoken to the woman about her wash, and the husband said, “Oh I just got up early and cleaned our windows this morning.”  The point was that how we see things depends upon the cleanliness of our “windows.”

In light of this scripture passage, I think we ought to ask ourselves, “Who do we think we are?!”  We have this perfect example in the life of Jesus Christ…the King of Kings who humbled Himself, lived 100% as a human being (and all that this implies), and then suffered a death worse than that of a common criminal.  The Son of God…the Savior of the World…the One who could have whispered to His Father and stopped everything…became a mere man, subservient to God in all things.  And still, His primary commandment to each of us is to love others, because that’s what He did.  And boy, did Jesus demonstrate how to love!

I don’t know about you, but I'm pretty sure that I’m due a “window cleaning!”  I would suspect that many – if not all – of us need to dial it down a notch…to think a little less of ourselves than we do.  It’s time to humble ourselves before God and recognize that we are not His equal…to learn from the One who truly was…and yet, He humbled himself to become a servant and the subject of ridicule, persecution, and the most humiliating and torturous death imaginable.

It is most likely that God is not ever going to ask us to truly suffer for Him – most certainly not anything like what happened to Jesus.  All He wants us to do is to humbly serve wherever and whenever He sends us…and to love one another.  And that means we need to “keep our windows clean.”  We can do this…can’t we?!  I’ll grab the bucket…you get the squeegee.

©2015 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for April 19, 2015

Isaiah 64:1-8
Rip the heavens apart! Come down, Lord; make the mountains tremble. Be a spark that starts a fire causing water to boil. Then your enemies will know who you are; all nations will tremble because you are nearby. Your fearsome deeds have completely amazed us; even the mountains shake when you come down. You are the only God ever seen or heard of who works miracles for his followers. You help all who gladly obey and do what you want, but sin makes you angry. Only by your help can we ever be saved.

We are unfit to worship you; each of our good deeds is merely a filthy rag. We dry up like leaves; our sins are storm winds sweeping us away. No one worships in your name or remains faithful. You have turned your back on us and let our sins melt us away.

You, Lord, are our Father. We are nothing but clay, but you are the potter who molded us.

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

Seattle's Gravity Payments CEO, Dan Price, recently did something that astounded a lot of people.  He announced that he was slashing his annual salary by approximately 1 million dollars...and giving all of his employees a raise. He pledged that each employee will immediately jump to at least $50,000 in annual salary...and gradually move to the $70K mark within the next three years.  The end goal will be for no one to work at Gravity Payments for less than $70,000 per year.

Price, a 30-year-old single man who runs Gravity Payments - a company that helps businesses process credit cards and offers business analytics, solutions and support - realized that there was a tremendous inequality in the pay among the employees of his firm.  He could see that some of his staff struggled to make ends meet, pay off student loans, and put food on the table - all while Price was paid well over one million dollars annually.  Essentially, he asked himself, "Who do you think you are?" and realized that he was only as successful and productive as the members of his team.  This young business executive understood that life was about something much larger than Dan Price.

If you research Gravity Payments, you will see that they do a lot of community work and philanthropic projects...giving 10% of annual profits to charitable organizations and reaching out to the community to help in a variety of ways. It sounds like a pretty great place to work…a company that truly is striving to make a difference in the lives of others – beginning with their own employees.

The question “Who do you think you are?” is one that we should all be asking on a daily basis.  Because honestly, we are nothing without the power and presence of Almighty God.  Without His blessings and care, we are 100% ineffective – in anything and everything we do…at least in ways that really matter! God is truly the potter…we are merely the clay.  Without salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are no better than filthy rags.  And certainly none of us is superior to the next guy.

This is a question that deserves to be answered by each of us.  Who DO we think we are? What are we doing in the name of Jesus?  If Jesus ripped open the heavens and returned today for His church, what would we have to say for ourselves? Are we making a point -  or making a difference?  And what are we willing to do about it?  
©2015 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