Fly the Kite…It starts small!
(This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s message: Win the Day…Fly the Kite – LISTEN HERE)
The challenge was clear.
How do we get a bridge across the Niagara River near Niagara Falls? The span at the narrowest point was 800 feet. The rapids above and below the falls was treacherous. The cable needed to be substantial to support the weight of foot traffic and later buggy and railroad traffic.
The year was 1847 and the challenge was awarded to an engineer by the name of Charles Ellet, Jr. While the vision was clear to have a safer and more accessible way to cross the river from the United States to Canada and vice versa, the feasibility of getting a strong cable across was formidable. The place where the bridge was to be located has significant rapids and crossing by boat was impossible. So the idea was presented to have a kite flying contest and a prize of $10 to whomever could fly a kite across the rapids to the other side.
While accounts vary on the details, the winner is affirmed as Homan Walsh. 16 at the time, he is said to have crossed the river on the ferry and walked 2 miles down river to the place where the bridge was to be built. His first attempt failed as his string broke and the kite blew across to the U.S. side. He had to wait a few days to get back to the U.S. side as the winter cold prevented the ferry to cross. Finally he got back to his home side and found his kite, repaired it, and went back across to try again. On January 30, 1848, he was successful and his effort earned him the $10 prize.
However, the kite string was not strong enough, but by tying a little heavier strength rope to the kite string, the larger rope was pulled across with the kite string. After multiple times of fully rope, each successively bigger and stronger, eventually the 36 strand of 9 gauge wire cable was pulled as the beginning tether for the foot and buggy suspension bridge.
It all started with the flying of a kite.
This interesting piece of history reminds us that big things are accomplished with small beginnings. One might look at the bridge and marvel at the wonderful accomplishment this was to span the raging river. However, the bridge and its impact would never have materialized if the string of a kite was not first successfully flown across the river.
The Lord loves to work in the small things to create bigger impact. However, if we are always looking and expecting the big impact, we may miss the importance of starting small with the little things.
The prophet Zechariah didn’t celebrate a kite flying across the Niagara River, but he was encouraged to celebrate the string that held a plumb bomb, a measuring device used to ensure a walls of a building were straight.
Zechariah was a prophet to God’s people as the captivity in Babylon was coming to an end. Individuals were returning to Jerusalem to find the temple destroyed and the prospect of rebuilding it looming large.
People were distracted at getting their own homes built and God uses the prophet Zechariah to get the people focused on a priority – rebuilding the temple. He affirms the reality that the temple would be rebuilt, but it would take small steps along the way.
Small steps that were not to be spurned, but to be celebrated because through the small steps, the large structure of the temple would again rise to honor the Lord and serve his people.
Zechariah wrote this:
Zechariah 4:10 “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel?”
The Lord is doing and going to do great things in your life – as he determines best. However those large realities come as we faithfully fly the kite, take the small things and celebrate when we see God at work.
Apply: What “little thing” is on your agenda today that you internally despise having to do? What might be God’s possible “big thing” he might work in your life as you faithfully engage in the little things?
Prayer: Lord, forgive me for despising the day of small things. Help me to see you at work in the little things as the steps you use to carry out your bigger plan. AMEN.
If interested in a video recap of the kite that connected two countries, click here:
Eat the Frog…Win the Day!
(This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s message: Win the Day…Eat the Frog – LISTEN HERE)
Cinco de Mayo
I was curious. I’ve heard of “Cinco de Mayo” and it seems to be a significant holiday in the Mexican culture. Some have labeled it “Mexican Independence Day” (which is incorrect.) So is it just an excuse for a party, mariachi music and margaritas? Perhaps.
The day marks a battle between French forces and the Mexican resistance army. Napoleon in France saw an opportunity to gain a foothold in Mexico and pushed the Mexican emperor and forces to Puebla de los Angeles. A French force of 5000 met a rag tag 2000 Mexican fighters on May 5, 1862. By the end of the day the French retreated after losing 500 men and the Mexican fighters claimed victory with a loss of 100 men. The day marked a win and momentum for the resistance against France. (More info HERE)
Every win is worth celebrating. So if this works for a party on May 5th for you, go for it.
Winning the day can seem like insurmountable odds. Perhaps there are days where our emotions are heavy, the tasks in front of us difficult, and the heart do do them is minimal. Days come when we feel like giving up and giving in.
What makes a difference in battles where one army is outnumbered? Sometimes strategy, but often times heart. The one who has the greater to lose will fight the hardest to keep it.
Why eat the frog? Why put the Lord first?
We don’t want to lose. We want to stay engaged in the spiritual battle and know that we need strength each and every day to stay in the fight. We know our energy gets sapped, our soul gets tested and our mind gets drained. So what’s the answer? Every day “eat the frog.” Allow the Lord to begin your day.
2 Corinthians 4:13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
We need the inner renewal and we need the strength to stand amidst the waves of life that come crashing. Jesus encouraged:
Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
The word of God is the strength for your faith and the guidance for your life. The spiritual enemies will be ready to fight today…with the power of the living Jesus, be ready to fight back…confident of victory through Jesus!
Apply: What battle is before you today? What promise of God gives you confidence to engage in that battle?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for renewing our hearts and strengthening our faith to engage and win the spiritual battles each day. AMEN.
Eat the Frog…Together!
(This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s message: Win the Day…Eat the Frog – LISTEN HERE)
“I’ll do it if you do it!”
Remember when you were facing a challenge for the first time and had a fear or hesitancy to do it? Perhaps it was jumping off the high dive for the first time. Or maybe it was going to the Prom. We like people to do things with us if we are a bit scared or have never done something before.
Engaging is easier if we see someone else do it first.
Having a community of believers is a blessing because we are surrounded by individuals who are doing life as followers of Jesus. We may be hesitant to be bold in speaking, make Christianity a daily reality, or engage in a daily reading of the Bible, but if we know others are doing it and inviting and encouraging us to be part of it, it gets easier.
Especially in the times in which we live.
We are being bombarded by messages from the world around us that are challenging us to accept lies as truth, engage in lifestyles as if any choice is normal and ok, accept deviant behavior as normal and blame anyone but the individual if evil is perpetuated. It’s tough to stand on the solid foundation of God’s truth when it is being challenged from so many different directions and in so many different ways. It’s easy to give in…just a little…to fit in.
So we need each other to eat the frog…to make sure that the Lord and his Word of truth are daily part of our lives.
We are not the first era to need this.
The writer to the Hebrews wrote this:
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hold “unswervingly” to the hope we profess…don’t give an inch! We need each other to not give in.
Spur one another on toward love and good deeds…it’s hard to love those that are a challenge to love and to know what is the loving thing to do…We need each other to keep going.
Don’t give up meeting together…We need to see each other, be in the same space as each other, have conversations with each other, be around the Word with each other!
Can I encourage you to commit to being in worship each week? Put it on the calendar as a non-negotiable. Schedule around it. With rare exception, make it your commitment to be in worship. We need you and you need us. Honestly. We need a place where we can be encouraged by the Word together and be an encouragement to each other. Live-stream is nice, but we don’t see you, hear from you, or able to worship and praise with your. Zoom is helpful, but we don’t have your undivided attention or you real time expressions and interaction.
Eating the frog can be hard…we need each other. We need to do it together!
Apply: Make a commitment to be with your Christian family at least once a week in worship. Add to that being in person, if at all possible, for a group Bible study. We need each other!
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the community of believers and the encouragement they are to me. Help me to not only receive encouragement but to give encouragement by committing to being with my Christian family weekly. AMEN.
Eat the Frog…Make it a Habit!
(This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s message: Win the Day…Eat the Frog – LISTEN HERE)
Make it a habit.
What are your daily habits? I’m not sure who to give credit to, but I have heard it said, “I can determine the future of a man by his daily habits.” We may call them routines or daily tasks, but really they are habits…things we do without having to decide to do them.
Habits can either be positive that lead us to a greater goal or they can be negative that lead us to a less-than-desired outcome.
Perhaps a daily habit of exercise and taking vitamins gives you better and longer health. Perhaps a daily habit of fast food and soda do just the opposite.
Habits can happen by default and once formed are hard to break…really hard.
But habits can help us make sure that the most important things are done each day.
Putting God first in your day is one of those habits.
An interesting case study is Daniel.
Daniel is probably best known for his trip into the lion’s den and how his life was preserved in that setting. However, this wasn’t just a “flash” of Daniel’s faith brilliance. Rather it was the result of a long-standing habit that actually was the reason Daniel faced the lions…he refused to break his habit.
What was that habit?
Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
The decree that was issued was that everyone had to worship the king of Babylon and anyone caught not worshipping the king would face the lion’s den. The king in his arrogance and pride signed the nefarious decree into law only to find out his favorite advisor was to be a victim of it.
Daniel’s opponents actually knew Daniel’s habits so well that they crafted the decree because they knew they would catch Daniel spending daily time with the Lord.
And they did.
Would people be able to convict you of being a follower of Christ by observing your habits?
Interesting question right?
The point isn’t to begin the day with guilt for not having a daily habit with the Lord, but rather to encourage you to start today. Again the fact you are reading this says you may have that habit, so let this encourage you to keep it up.
Daily our faith is formed to be read to face the challenges ahead of us. Daniel’s faith was formed and strengthened three times a day as he went to his room to pray. So when he was faced with stopping his habit or stepping into the lion’s den, there was no hesitation…he continued his habit and faced the lions with calm confidence.
Let your habits of time with the Lord allow you to face your day with calm confidence.
Apply: Make a list of the habits you notice in your life. Mark each one as beneficial or not beneficial. Make sure your habits are taking you in a direction you are blessed by and certainly work to form a daily habit with the Lord.
Prayer: Lord thank you for being part of my day even when I don’t make you an intentional part of it. I ask for the power of your Spirit to develop in me a habit of time with you. AMEN.
(This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s message: Win the Day…Eat the Frog – LISTEN HERE)
Why would Mark Twain encourage us to, if we had to, eat a live frog first thing in the day?
When there is a task we are not particularly eager to do or it is a task that brings a bit of extra stress to it, we tend to procrastinate. We think about it. Ruminate on it, or just stress about it, until the event is over.
So instead of spending the day procrastinating, stressing or being paralyzed by what you don’t want to do, get it done right away and free up your heart, your mind, and your activities to move on.
How many times do you spend your day, or a good portion of it worrying about something that may happen? How much of our days is thinking about what someone else said or did and what that says about you? How much of your day is wasted activity that is simply “being busy” so you don’t have to do what you are dreading to do?
Not that putting God’s kingdom first should be a drudgery or in anyway be a negative to our day, but there is a reality that putting God first in our lives does…it frees up the rest of the day to be free of worry, stress and be filled with noble thoughts and godly activity.
Putting God at the beginning of your day allows you to be ready for the spiritual battles of the day. Satan is working hard to win the battle for your heart, your soul, your mind and your actions. He is not going to give in or give up!
So what do we need to begin our day to win this daily spiritual battle?
First, allow God to ground your heart in his love.
Satan loves to lead our hearts to chase after things of this world and seek love from someone or something that, truthfully, will always let you down. We pursue relationships to find acceptance. We pursue worldly wealth to find security. We seek affirmation from social media.
It may last for a minute or two, but will leave you worried, uncertain and confused.
So Jesus wants to fill our hearts with his love. Before we even start our day, he would love to ground your heart in his love. The Apostle Paul put it this way.
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Second, set your mind with the truth of God!
There is a daily battle for our minds. Media, social media, news, reels, radio and more put thoughts in our minds that seem harmless. However, they are affecting our psyche and allowing impure thoughts to begin to carve their pathways into our minds. The battle for our minds must be won as well? Would it not make sense that the Lord would want to fill your mind with noble and praiseworthy thoughts? Would it not make sense to do just the opposite?
Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Apply: What changes today when you remind yourself you are a loved, forgiven child of God and realize you don’t have to find love somewhere else, but can have peace knowing your are loved? What changes when you allow the thoughts of God found in his Word to flow through your mind? What is pure, lovely or admirable?
Prayer: Lord fill my heart with your love and my mind with your thoughts today. AMEN.