Archive: 2023

This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s Pentecost Message – Week 7 of Win the Day “Seed the Clouds!” (LISTEN HERE)

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Peter stood up and addressed the crowd.

That’s all we need to know.

Because you remember what Peter did when the crowd around the campfire during Jesus’ trial questioned his location with Jesus that night.  His address to the crowd 50 days earlier was one of denial.

Perhaps there were some of the same people there.  We don’t hear anyone from the crowd at Pentecost yell, “You were there with Jesus in the garden!  Your accent gives you away!”  But that memory had to be fresh in Peter’s mind.

While he avoided the crowd gathered around the fire, he stood with courage and addressed the crowd gathered around the tongues of fire.

What changed?

Peter was running on Spirit courage, not personal preservation.  Peter knew that this was the Spirit’s work and he was there to speak clearly and boldly to the crowd.

Seeding the cloud takes courage.

It takes courage to fly into a storm cloud to spread the catalyst to bring rain.  In a similar way, flying into the cloud of culture surrounding us takes courage.

So we have to contemplate.  Will I cower or act with courage?  Better yet, will I rely on myself or on the Spirit?

So look at the headlines that describe the cloud of culture that is around you.  BudLight…Target…Los Angeles Dodgers…Ford…Michaels…and more.  Do I cower with disgust or ask the Spirit for courage to speak into these issues with truth and love?

When children are exposed to sexually explicit material in schools or confronted with friends with two moms or two dads…do I pray for courage or avoid the conversation?

When confronted with individuals who believe an unborn baby isn’t a person…do I pray for courage or cower?

When a religious discussion turns to “we all believe in the same God” or “Christianity is close minded” do I cower or fly in with Spirit-given courage?

It’s not easy to be sure, but Peter stood up and addressed the crowd.  He dismissed the drunk claim and then went on to explain what was happening.  Courage came from the Spirit, with conviction of the truth of Jesus, and the concern for the souls that were gathered. 

I benefited from this “narrative” of Peter’s actions.  Because it gives me a template to work with when engaging in tough conversations that occur in the “cloud” into which the Spirit is sending me.  

1. Pray for and expect courage from the Holy Spirit.
2. Be filled with the conviction that God’s Word is truth.
3. See that every soul matters and those you are with need Jesus.

And fly into the cloud.

The cloud could be a family member, a coworker, a classmate, or a neighbor.  The cloud may rise suddenly or unexpectedly.  But remember, to seed a cloud with the catalyst of the Gospel, the cloud has to form. Know that if the cloud forms, the Spirit is sending you to seed it with the Gospel!

14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 

         17      “ ‘In the last days, God says, 

         I will pour out my Spirit on all people. 

         Your sons and daughters will prophesy, 

         your young men will see visions, 

         your old men will dream dreams. 

         18      Even on my servants, both men and women, 

         I will pour out my Spirit in those days, 

         and they will prophesy. 

         19      I will show wonders in the heaven above 

         and signs on the earth below, 

         blood and fire and billows of smoke. 

         20      The sun will be turned to darkness 

         and the moon to blood 

         before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 

         21      And everyone who calls 

         on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Apply:  Look at the people around you.  Where is the Spirit sending you to seed the cloud?

Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I cower at the cloud to which you send me.  Give me courage from the Holy Spirit to fly in with courage and seed the cloud with the catalyst of your Gospel. AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s Pentecost Message – Week 7 of Win the Day “Seed the Clouds!” (LISTEN HERE)

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For nearly 80 years, individuals have been trying to find ways to manipulate the weather to get more precipitation out of the clouds to increase the rain or snow production of a given system.  The first individual to fly a plane into a cloud was Vincent Schaefer in November of 1946.  After experimenting in freezer on the ground, he took his theory to the air where he released 6 pounds of dry ice crystals into a cloud.  Observers on the ground indicated a significant increase in snow production.  Others would challenge the results.

The goal was to put a catalyst into a cloud that would bring rain on drought ridden lands.  Since 1946, efforts still are ongoing to seed the clouds and bring rain to the earth.

As we wrap up the series of “Win the Day” we can make practical application to areas of life where we initiate activity today that brings a result tomorrow.  As one podcaster put it, “What does your future self want you to be doing today?”

However, this past Sunday was the festival of Pentecost in the church year.  In many ways, the work of God’s Spirit is to seed the clouds with the catalyst of the Gospel.  The Gospel proclaimed at times brings immediate results, but sometimes the return isn’t realized right away.

Pentecost was a festival that occurred 50 days after Pentecost.  While the festival dated back to the time of Moses, the significance of the day for Christians occurred 10 days after Jesus ascended back into heaven.

The followers of Jesus had spent those 10 days in a home in Jerusalem, waiting for the promise Jesus had given that the Holy Spirit would come on them.  In this week and a half they chose Matthias to replace Judas and waited.

Then he came on the day of Pentecost when people from all over the world were gathered in Jerusalem. Why then?

Of course it was God’s perfect timing.  However, here’s a reflection.  To seed a cloud, the cloud has to gather.  To seed a cloud you have to fly into the cloud to deposit the catalyst to make it rain.  I have flown throughs some storm clouds in a commercial airliner.  If I were a pilot, I would try to avoid the chaos and tumult of a storm cloud.  But to seed the cloud, a storm cloud has to be present.  You can’t seed a cloud that doesn’t exist.

Pentecost was God’s perfect timing.  However, if I was one of the disciples it may have been a bit more chaotic than I was willing to fly into.  Just fifty days earlier the religious officials presided over Jesus’ conviction and crucifixion.  I don’t think they had left town.  God-fearing Jews from all over the known world had come.   Perhaps some had heard of Jesus.  Perhaps some had been part of the crowd fifty days earlier.  The crowd had the religiously confused and those convinced Jesus was good to get rid of.  Perhaps it was a crowd that would not be fully receptive to the fact they crucified the Messiah.  There were those who began the rumor that the disciples were drunk.  Those that were dismissive and wanted to “cancel” the disciples before they even had a chance.  Not always a fun conversation to engage with the hecklers.

But it was this cloud that provided the opportunity for the Gospel to be seeded.  So the Spirit flew the disciples right into the cloud so they could drop the catalyst of the Gospel.

Do we have similar situation today?  Maybe not exactly, but one might say you have those that stand opposed to anything Jesus and would be OK if he was dead for good.  You have people confused by various religions who may know something about Jesus, but not much.  And you have hecklers that want to in a quick post dismiss anything that Christians say or do as hypocritical, dumb, or out of touch.

But it’s the cloud into which the Spirit is flying us to seed with the Gospel.

Because without the cloud, seeding the cloud doesn’t work.  You are right where the Spirit of God wants you to be to seed the cloud with the catalyst of the Gospel.

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

 

Apply: What is in the “cloud” around you?  Why might God’s Spirit have you there with the seed of the Gospel?

Prayer: Spirit of God, thank you for flying me into the very cloud you desire me to seed with the Gospel.  AMEN.

Never forget.

Freedom comes at a cost.

155 years ago, on the very first National Decoration Day, President James Garfield made this statement to those gathered at Arlington Cemetery: For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue. For the noblest man that lives, there still remains a conflict. He must still withstand the assaults of time and fortune, must still be assailed with temptations, before which lofty natures have fallen; but with these the conflict ended, the victory was won, when death stamped on them the great seal of heroic character, and closed a record which years can never blot. (James Garfield, May 30, 1868)

We are forever grateful for the selfless sacrifice that soldiers gave to carry out the missions to which they were assigned and to protect the freedoms they treasured for future generations to enjoy.  To honor their sacrifice is to honor the freedoms we have been given in our country without abusing them or using them to impinge on the freedoms of others.  To honor their sacrifice is to never take our country for granted, but take time to remember our past, its failures and successes, to repent of our national sins that have created discord and division, to understand and protect the moral fabric which truly protects life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, to encourage values of hard work, personal responsibility, and excellence that allow our country to prosper as well as stand ready to help others less fortunate than we. 

We live in memory of many military giants who traversed the fields at Gettysburg, navigated the trenches of Europe, stormed the beaches of Normandy, slugged through the marshes in Vietnam, walked the roads in Afghanistan, traveled the convoys in Iraq, and engaged in many other points of combat around the world.  Many of those that perished were young men and women who lost the life they had and the life yet to be lived.  All who perish leave behind parents who grieve, spouses who live alone, children who miss a parent, and friends and fellow soldiers who feel the empty hole in their hearts.

A day of remembrance doesn’t fill the hole these men and women have left, but I pray it gives pause to give significance to the sacrifice they made.

I am forever grateful for those who serve in our armed forces, men and women, who stand ready, stand proud, and stand strong to give me and my family the blessing of peace and freedom to enjoy today.  Thank you.  I and our nation are forever grateful for the sacrifice you have made.  You are a gift from God.

^{Psalm 118:29} Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Apply: In grateful reflection and prayer, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6OS-gR-zqI

 

Prayer: God of all nations and ruler of all.  We give you thanks for the nation in which we live and for the freedoms which we enjoy.  May we use this gift to not just preserve the freedom of our country, but to proclaim and preserve the freedom of forgiveness which you have given to us through the ultimate sacrifice of your son, Jesus Christ.  In his name we pray. AMEN.

(This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s message: Win the Day…Wind the Clock – LISTEN HERE)

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What does it mean to be alive?

Breathing? Heart pumping? Mind working?

The question isn’t intended just to spark the physiological evidence that determines if someone is alive or dead, it’s meant to be more of a philosophical question.

What does it mean to be alive?

Some may speak of being “present in the moment.”  Others might speak of “conscious awareness” or similar concepts.  Perhaps these have some practical value to get the most out of each day, but let me proposed this as what it means to be alive.

Always Living In View of Eternity = ALIVE!

While each day has tasks, activities, relationships and more to enjoy, each day is one step closer to your death and the end of your experience on earth.

So what are you doing today to be ready for that day?

The younger one is, perhaps the farther from one’s mind that question is.  The older one is, the more real death becomes.  However, while actuaries give averages of life spans, there is no guarantee for any age the number of days one has left.

So live ALIVE today!

What does that look like?

First, invest in things that last.  The Prophet Isaiah wrote (40:8), The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.  The one reality that moves past this life is the One who created time and the One who spoke his Word into time.  Investing in that eternal word of truth is so important to do on a daily basis.  Your soul needs it!  

Yesterday morning I was listening to a podcast my wife invited me to listen to.  Honestly I didn’t get much of it, but toward the end the presenter was speaking about leadership and how leaders were to create the vision and direction for the future, but also create an environment of creativity and innovation to bring that vision to reality…not get caught in the weeds of the day to day operations, which is easy for leaders to do.  The topic wasn’t as important as the question he posed, “What does the future need you to do today?”  Great question!  Especially as a Christian, the future needs you to invest in your relationship with the Lord today!

Second, be ready and keep watch.  Vigilance is so important, but hard to maintain.  Jesus taught in Matthew 24:42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.”

Being ALIVE means spending today working, serving, learning, to the glory of God and the building up of your faith.  

Enjoy your day.  Invest in that which is eternal.  Your future will thank you for it.

 

Apply: What can you do today that invests in your eternity?

Prayer: Lord keep my hearts and eyes focused on you…always living in view of eternity. AMEN.

(This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s message: Win the Day…Wind the Clock – LISTEN HERE)

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Days and seasons…

King Solomon, the son of King David and third king of Israel, had everything one wanted from an earthly perspective.  He held the top position in the country.  He held more wealth than anyone in the world.  He was granted godly wisdom to make decisions that were fair.  He had relationships with other world leaders and respected around the known world.

Yet he too struggled at times to figure out the meaning and significance of day to day life.  The book of Ecclesiastes reflects on the years he had and observations that make life sometimes seem without deep significance.  The word that appears often is “Meaninglessness.”  The word that is translated in this way is a word that means “breath” as well.  Like your breath you “see” on a cold day, so are the days of mankind.  They come and they go like a breath.

This term puts life in perspective so that I realize first that every day has the opportunities mentioned in yesterday’s devotion.

It also helps me realize that not everything will continue.  As an example, after dropping our daughter off to school this morning, I realized that these days of spending the morning with her and driving her to school will soon fade as she gets her driver’s license sometime next school year.  It caused a reflective moment, but also the reality that seasons of life change and each one has its blessings.  The change in seasons isn’t bad or wrong, it just is.  Solomon reflected this sentiment too:

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything,  and a season for every activity under heaven:  2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,  3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,  4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,  a time to mourn and a time to dance,  5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,  a time to embrace and a time to refrain,  6 a time to search and a time to give up,  a time to keep and a time to throw away,   7 a time to tear and a time to mend,  a time to be silent and a time to speak,  8a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.  

Yet as we go through the seasons, some we can’t wait until they are over, and others we want to last.  But here’s another observation Solomon makes.  God has set eternity on our hearts.  We WANT to live forever!

Ecclesiastes 3:9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

While we live life in a linear fashion from beginning to end.  God is engaged in time from the end to the beginning.  He knows the end and sets the desire on the hearts of people to live. And so he give us us each day to live, to enjoy the moments of each day, to see the beauty of creation, the blessings of relationships, and the satisfaction of work.  

We also live with the understanding and confidence that life on this earth is simply a precursor to life in heaven forever.  We don’t just have the desire to live forever, we have the promise through Jesus we WILL live forever!

So today, embrace today and the season you are in.  While it may not be the most favorite season or set of events you will be facing, engage in your day to see the beauty, mercy and favor of God at work in your life!

 

Apply: What “season” are you in?  What beauty do you notice in this season of life?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the days that accumulate into seasons of life.  Forgive me when I complain of the season I am in and direct my heart to see the beauty of each day and of each season you give me.  AMEN.