Wednesday Devotions

 

Due to the current crisis, our Wednesday Bible Study is not meeting.  In lieu of that study, a devotional is being posted here.  This can be used for personal reflection or in a small group.  If you are with a small group of people, I encourage you to do the devotional together, or to go over it with a friend over the phone. 

 

In Christ, Pastor Andy

April 8 Devotional

 

The Ministry of Reconciliation

 

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 -- "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

 

During this Holy Week, we remember the crucifixion of Christ on the cross to pay for our sins so that our sins our not counted against us. Now, we are representatives or ambassadors of what God has done for us. Because of what God has done for us, we invite others to be reconciled with Christ! We implore others to be reconciled to God. An article written recently shares some thoughts on how we can be ambassadors of Christ. Feel free to read it on the Gospel Coalition website. This article helped me to think through some of the ways that we can be ambassadors of Christ in our current situation, and I will share them below.

 

1. Pray! All things start with prayer. Ask God to open doors for sharing the gospel. Ask for hearts to be open to the gospel. We don't change people. God changes people.

2. Go for a walk. Lots of people are out and walking right now, spending time outside. It's a great way to meet new people. Remember to keep 6 feet away. And don't shake hands! Or if walking is not a great option, the phone is a handy tool. 

3. Keep a look out for people's needs. Then think about how you can meet those needs. We need to use words to communicate the gospel message, but those words often hit home with acts of genuine kindness. I have been finding the biggest struggle of people to be loneliness and isolation.

4. Don't worry about seeming silly. I think what keeps us from sharing the gospel or making new friends a lot of times is a hyper self-awareness. Right now, everyone is acting different and oddly compared before. So don't worry about seeming silly. A part of reaching out to others is taking risks and putting our own self-regard aside.

 

Question: In what ways can you, with your gifts an callings, be an ambassador of Christ?

 

Prayer: Dear God, please help us to be ambassadors of Christ. Please provide us with occasions to act as ambassadors of Christ. In Jesus' name, amen.

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For our April 8th Wednesday evening meeting, we will be reading from the Gospel of John to get the story of the passion of Christ. We will also read into the beginning of the resurrection account. We will stop before the last 10 verses of the Gospel of John. The sermon on Easter will be from those last verses and will focus on our call to discipleship in light of the resurrection. The information for joining our meeting is posted at the top of this page. 

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April 1 Devotional

 

Facing our Mortality

 

John 14:1-3  "Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

 

Read:  "Dealing with Death and Disease" by Robert Rothwell.  

 

Question:  In what ways have you faced your mortality?

 

Prayer:  Dear Lord, please help us to face our mortality.  Help us to do so honestly, and point us towards eternal hope in Christ.  In Jesus' name, amen.

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March 25 Devotional

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Forgiveness and a Pandemic

 

Colossians 3:13 – Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.

 

In a Navy training talk several years ago, I learned the importance of forgiveness when stress is high and when small mistakes can turn into big consequences.  It was somewhat of a passing point in the lecture.  However, it stuck with me.  The instructor’s point was that, in the midst of a stressful situation, we need to be able to forgive one another when we let each other down.  Forgiveness is vital to staying together as a team.

 

Now, this pandemic has put our country under a lot of stress.  That stress has brought the best and worst out of people.  Personally, I have had good responses, but I have also had bad ones.  I have had to seek forgiveness for impatience and a short temper, and am grateful that I received forgiveness.   Forgiveness mends relationships and groups.  Forgiveness is vital to our relationship with God and our relationships with others.  As this pandemic has many on edge and reactive, remember to “bear with each other and forgive one another.”

 

Question:  In what areas do you need to seek forgiveness?

 

Prayer:  Dear Father, please forgive me for my sin that are stress provoked, and sins of all kinds.  Also, please help me to forgive others when they sin against me.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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March 18 Devotional

 

Matthew 6:25-26 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

 

Paul Tripp wrote this poem "SAFE"

I am safe,

not because I have no
trouble,
or because I never experience danger.
I am safe,
not because people affirm
me,
or my plans always
work out.
I am safe,
not because I am immune from disease,
or free of the potential for poverty.
I am safe,
not because I am protected from disappointment,
or separated from this
fallen world.
I am safe,
not because I am
wise
or strong.
I am safe,
not because I deserve
comfort or have earned my
ease.
I am safe,
not because of
money,
or power,
or position,
or intellect,
or who I know,
or where I live.
I am safe because of the glorious
mystery of
grace.
I am safe because of the presence of
boundless love.
I am safe because of
divine mercy,
divine wisdom,
divine power,
and divine grace.
I am safe,
not because I never face
danger,
but because you are
with me in it.
You have not given me
a ticket out of danger.
You have not promised me
a life of ease.
You have chosen to place me in
a fallen world.
I am safe
because you have given me
the one thing
that is the
only thing
that will ever keep me safe.
You have given me
you.

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Discussion Question:  How have you seen God's special care towards you and in the world, even in the midst of chaos.

 

Prayer:  Thank you God for your special care towards your people, that transcends the chaos around us.  Please help us to rest securely in your care, and to have peace and wisdom.  In Jesus' name, amen.