Beyond Denominations November 21, 2015

Read Psalm 119:105-112

Psalm 119:105      Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

2 Peter 1:19     We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Proverbs 6:23     For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life,

Psalm 18:28      For you will light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

Job 29:3      When his candle shined on my head, and when by his light I walked …

My denominational background paints a muddled picture. I attended Catholic school during the week and then attended a United Methodist Church with my family on the weekends. What my parents instilled in me was a deep love of God and appreciation for creation. They always put our family first, building our relationships. Now that I’m an adult, I value people and relationships, especially my relationship with God. Perhaps that’s why I continue to attend a variety of Christian denominational services.

Today I split my time between several church families, attending a Baptist Chapel on Sundays, a Presbyterian Bible study on Wednesdays, and events and services at other Christian churches. What brings all of these services and perspectives together is the written word of God, our Bible. Sure, various translations are preferred in different churches, but the core messages tie all of us together, regardless of denomination. The Bible connects us as believers. What a wonderful thing to know that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ!

When Papaya Trees Break November 20, 2015

Read Luke 13:6-9

2 Corinthians 4:8-9      we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;…

Romans 8:35     Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

2 Corinthians 1:8     We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.

2 Corinthians 6:4     Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;

2 Corinthians 6:12     We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us.

2 Corinthians 7:5     For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn--conflicts on the outside, fears within.

Galatians 4:20     how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!

My wife finally planted a papaya tree after wanting one for a very long time. We watched it grow and looked forward to the day we would eat fruit from it. One afternoon she was watering the garden, and the hose lay on the other side of the new papaya tree. She needed more hose, so she yanked. 

Unfortunately, the hose snapped the trunk of the tree clean off. We couldn’t reattach the pieces, and the severed top withered. Our hope for a juicy papaya slipped away. But we continue to watch the stump to see whether it will grow a new stem.

Just as the hose unexpectedly damaged the papaya tree, many things can unexpectedly change or damage our lives. Debilitating diseases may scar the body. Broken relationships can lead to broken hearts. Lost jobs and foreclosed homes can wipe out years of hard work. Drugs, alcohol, and other forms of abuse can devastate families for generations.

But God watches over each of us and cares about the brokenness in our lives. The roots of the little papaya tree are still alive in the ground, and the tree may still come back. And with God’s help, so can we all.

Becoming One November 19, 2015

Read John 17:20-26

John 15:15      I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Proverbs 18:24     One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

John 8:26     "I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world."

John 16:12     "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.

John 17:8      For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.

Romans 7:15     I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

1 Corinthians 2:16     for, "Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

After 41 years of marriage, I know what my husband is thinking most of the time, and we finish each other’s sentences. The Bible says of married people, “They are no longer two, but one flesh” (Matt. 19:6). That oneness isn’t immediate. Becoming one with a spouse takes shared interests and experiences — time spent talking and doing things together.

Something similar happens with long-time friends. We often know, without being told, what our close friends are thinking and feeling because of shared experiences, interests, and conversations. We experience a unity with our closest friends.

Jesus called his disciples friends. Later he prayed for them, “that they may be one as we are one — I in them and you in me — so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” Jesus asked God to make us one with him, just as he and the Father are one. But this oneness takes time, conversation, and shared experiences with God. We can begin now to talk to Jesus and listen, as good friends do.

An Offer You Can’t Refuse November 18, 2015

Read John 4:28-42

John 9:27      He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?"

John 5:25     Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

John 9:15     Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see."

John 9:26     Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"

John 4:21     "Woman," Jesus replied, "believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

John 8:47     Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

I am a gadget man. When I discover a new electronic device or software, I get excited. Recently I found a free scheduling app for my tablet that would send reminders about project due dates and help me plan my work and hold myself accountable. I told my wife, Bonnie, about it and downloaded it to her tablet. Then I sent emails to my three children, urging them to download it quickly, since it would go back to full price the next day.

This zeal to share good news is a smaller version of the fervor that wells up in us when we receive Christ. What a treasure we’ve found! We feel buoyant, free from guilt. Immediately we wonder, Are others like me — feeling the pain of guilt? I have discovered just what they need, something they can’t live without. Christ offers freedom from guilt, the power to overcome, and daily fellowship with God. What’s more, we now have a new understanding of scripture and ultimately a home in heaven. This is priceless! I want to share this good news.

Never Alone November 17, 2015

Read John 14:15-21

Hebrews 13:5      Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Deuteronomy 4:31     For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.


Joshua 1:5     No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Isaiah 42:16     I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

Matthew 6:19     "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

2 Corinthians 4:9     persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

“Mommy?” a tiny voice called out from the restroom stall.

“I’m right here, honey,” her mother responded.

Although the child could not see her mother, she immediately calmed down because she heard her mother’s voice and trusted her mother’s word. Then suddenly, the outer door slammed shut. The unexpected bang shook the child’s confidence.

“Mommy? Are you still there?” Her little voice quivered.

“I’m right here, honey. I promise I won’t leave you.”

Like the little girl, we sometimes find ourselves in frightening situations. Because we cannot see God and may not sense God’s presence, we panic, fearing that God has left us alone in unfamiliar territory. But when we cry out, “Abba?” God’s word assures us, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

Through faith in God’s word, we can push through our fear, step straight into God’s loving arms, and find the strength to face life’s most difficult challenges, knowing that God will never abandon us.

Never Old or Damaged November 16, 2015

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

2 Corinthians 4:16      Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day

Isaiah 40:29     He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Jeremiah 45:3     You said, 'Woe to me! The LORD has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.'

Romans 7:22     For in my inner being I delight in God's law;

2 Corinthians 4:1     Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

Colossians 3:10     and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

1 Peter 4:14     If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

I recall a lovely flowering red Flamboyant tree standing beside a bridge near the highway in my town. What a sight to behold! One morning a construction crew cut down the tree in order to widen the road. Only the stump remained. How sad! The beautiful flowering tree was gone.

More than 40 years have passed, and the tree has refused to die. The stump has grown into a tree even more lush than before. Its branches are strong, and now we gaze again upon the beautiful tree with red flowers.

We too experience tribulations and illnesses. Our outer nature may change because of damaging life experiences. But through our faith in God, we are renewed day by day.

The Blessing of Work November 15, 2015

Read Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

Colossians 3:23      Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

Ecclesiastes 9:10     Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

Ephesians 6:7     Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,

Colossians 3:17     And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord …

2 Chronicles 31:21     And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, …

Many of the jobs I held as a youth were arduous and boring; but I was glad to get the work because I needed the money. Now, in my senior years, when I join a group on a mission trip, I expect to be on the business end of a shovel, an axe, or another tool that requires exertion and my best effort. While my aging muscles and joints are now taxed to a greater extent, I find satisfaction in the work.

The teacher in Ecclesiastes encourages us to find satisfaction in our labor. Working for God is the path to fruitful living. Also, Paul writes: “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10).

In some of my work, I have had trouble finding God’s blessing. However, God has patiently waited for me to realize through experience the blessing of doing all work for God. When we work as for the Lord, we find ourselves longing to do more.