Opening devotion: Constantly Amazed - 1 Kings 8:27

1 Kings 8:27   Solomon said, “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!”

            God often amazes me. In the littlest things like a blade of grass, I see His handiwork. In the vastness of space and the colossal starry sky, I recognize His hallmarks of creation. In the people I love, I see His image constantly before me. In the work of the church I serve, I watch for His ways. Every day is a special gift from His goodness, so no matter how I feel, what I am experiencing, or what I face, I still find sacred seconds in which He just plainly and truthfully amazes me.

            My mind cannot contain the infinite wisdom and boundless glory that is God’s. My heart overflows with His love because it cannot be kept personally within me. He makes me glad to be one of His creatures and He makes me proud to be a child of His. I know that I do not deserve such goodness and love, or His compassion and mercy, but I am joyful at knowing these beautiful blessings. Sometimes my heart is fit to burst with God’s overwhelming love; in those sacred moments, I wish that the whole world could be filled with the same feelings.

            Ages ago, when King Solomon had completed the building of the First Temple in Jerusalem, he knew that God could not be contained with the bricks and mortar of a mere building. However, Solomon understood the symbolism of God’s dwelling with humanity and felt humbled by God’s favor on his people. It must have been a glorious and sacred day for all of God’s people.

            The older I get, the more that I realize that because God is gracious, He allows His Spirit to reside on this paltry planet we call Earth. Humanity does not deserve such a blessing because of our broken and sinful ways, but the love of God persists in the midst of all the evil in the world. We are still His people. We are still His children. We are still loved and never alone.

The infinite God abiding in a finite planet – this is what constantly and will always amaze me.

Questions for personal reflection

Where do I see God’s handiwork around me today? When do I feel His love in my life?

Prayer:            Lord God, You have created the entire universe with its vast array of galaxies, solar systems, stars and planets. You have also made the tiniest of things like atoms, cells, seeds, and people. Thank You for the wonders of creation that are all around us, which constantly amaze us. And we especially thank You for Your deep and abiding loving presence which will always gladden our hearts and give meaning to our lives. In Your Holy Name, we cheerfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask a question about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s Psalm pictures which depicts God as Creator. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: Psalm 115.

Church devotions: The Royal Law - James 2:8

James 2:8       If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.

       

Yesterday, in the Sunday School class that I teach, we were discussing the parable of the Good Samaritan. It’s probably the best known story that Jesus ever told so, throughout the class, the participants offered their personal ideas and opinions about the parable. It was a good way to share our faith beliefs together, and even though it was a fictional story, Jesus told it in such a way that even thousands of years later the heart of its message is still as relevant today as it was in His lifetime.

I also like how James described the teaching ‘loving your neighbor as yourself.’ He called it ‘the royal law.’ This doesn’t mean that it was only meant for kings and queens, princes or princesses; James meant that this came as a command straight for the heart of Christ our King. In other words, it’s meant to be taken and practiced seriously by those who consider themselves to be disciples, followers, and servants of Jesus.

Throughout this week, we will all have many opportunities to ‘love our neighbors as ourselves.’ The real test will come in whether or not we respond to the needs our neighbors have, or whether we will be too busy, causing us to walk by on the other side and discard the royal law. The great Chinese scholar Confucius once wrote, almost five hundred years before Christ, “To see what is right and not to do it, shows a want of courage.” For the Christian, to see what is right and not to do it, shows a want of faith.

Questions for personal reflection

What hinders me from helping others in need when I see it? How do I justify my inaction?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, truly teach us Your ways so that we may practice our faith in loving and compassionate deeds. Keep us from being fainthearted, and encourage us to witness to You through our acts of kindness and care. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, TN. If you would like to comment or ask a question about today’s message, please send John an email to traqair@aol.com.

 Today’s image is one of John’s latest stained glass Pentecost designs called ‘Sacred Spirit.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2922/14024051194_10b3cce1ec_b.jpg

Church staff devotion: Grace - Home and Abroad - Romans 11:5-6

Romans 11:5-6           So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

            Yesterday, we celebrated Rally Day in our wee church. It’s a special Sunday because it officially kicks off the new Church year with regard to discipleship. A lot of good people put in a lot of time and work to make the whole venture successful. Breakfast and buttons, classrooms and coffees were all prepared for this annual occasion.

            God is so gracious to us! Many families and members turned out, not just to enjoy breakfast, but to also get actively involved in discipleship. It was wonderful see people of all ages make an initial commitment of their time to learn more about God, to share their spiritual experiences, and to make strong connections with their peers. At Erin, we all want to grow in hope, faith, and love. God has graciously made all of this possible, so we are truly thankful to Him for allowing us such a blessing.

            Grace is a wonderful gift in any church, congregation, or community. Later on, during the worship service, we were reminded of the hostility and violence that our Egyptian brothers and sisters are currently experiencing. Their churches are being burned and their Christian faith is being severely challenged. Compared to what they are presently enduring, we are so blessed with peace, fellowship, and love. The challenge that we now have today is this: how can we prayerfully support and care for the Coptic Christians in Egypt? What can we do, in the midst of our blessings, to ease their distress and rebuild their faith communities?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, help us to remain committed to growing more in faith, so that we can support those whose faith is being attacked. Keep us focused on strengthening our congregation and churches, so that we may support, send aid, and stand with other Christians around the world who are facing real persecution in their lives. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask a question about today’s devotion, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is from one of my collectible card drawings called “Cat’s Eye Moon.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3806/9420111961_5c2249a355_b.jpg

Short devotion: Struggling - Romans 3:20

Romans 3:20  Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

We all struggle with sin. There is not one of us who lives life perfectly, so in God’s eyes, we are unholy, imperfect, and just not good. We can justify our sins and make excuses for our mistakes, but that just compounds the difficulties in our lives and our relationship with God.

Most of us just want to be happy and hope that God understands when we fail Him. We want to be loved and tolerated, accepted and embraced by God, without being challenged or changed. We want our choices to be approved and our lives to be given an A+, but that’s a sinful delusion and selfish way of dealing with life. We are not at the center of God’s great universe; we are not God’s sole focus in the world. We are sinners who do unholy, unworthy, and ungodly things. We are careless creatures who cast God aside when He gets in the way of getting what we desire, and living the way that we want.

Thankfully, God knows us better than we actually understand ourselves, which is why He sent us His Son to die for our sins, in order that all things could be redeemed, reconciled, and restored perfectly to Him. Great sinners like ourselves need a Great Savior. Who else but the Holy Son of God can forgive our sins and bring us back to God? In all of the universe, there is Only One; in All of Creation, there is just One Savior: Jesus Christ.

Questions for personal reflection

What is my most repeated sin? How can Jesus forgive me, and empower me to overcome that persistent sin?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, forgive our foolish and imperfect ways. Pardon our sinful and unholy words. Challenge our lives and change us for the better. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask a questions about today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Nativity drawings called “Royal Baby.” If you would like to view a larger version of the image, please click on the following link: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5535/9349348586_0ba6664023_b.jpg

Acts 23:14      They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. 

Men do stupid things, especially when religious
fanaticism is involved. A lot of the unrest that we know in the world today is caused by males who swear oaths and wreak havoc all over the planet. Wicked and evil acts are justified because they are undertaken in God’s Name. Inhumanity
and fanaticism are called holiness and faithfulness, whereas in reality they are religious excuses for creating horror and fear. Those who teach young
people to grow up hating and call it ‘being faithful’ are the biggest blasphemers in the world today. Jesus would not participate in anything remotely connected to spiteful religion. He called upon and challenged His followers to do the exact opposite. “Love your enemies,” is what He specifically taught.

I wonder what happened to those forty men, mentioned in Acts 23, who religiously vowed not to eat until they had killed Paul. When he escaped their plot, did they all die of hunger two months later? Did their anger and bitterness against Paul continue to relentlessly feed their fanaticism? Somehow I suspect that most of them slunk away in humiliation and cried into their first bowl of soup. There’s a good old-fashioned Scottish
word for people like that: eejits.

We all have one life to live on a small solitary life-filled planet. Self-righteous religion is something that the world needs to address and be rid of by the end of this century. As Christians, if we listen more to Christ and apply His ways, we might yet convince the world that His peaceable Kingdom can actually be fulfilled on
Earth. Perhaps if we stopped fighting one another, we might even begin to see this in the Church first, and then in the rest of the world.

Questions for personal reflection

Where is religious fanaticism destroying people’s lives in the world today? How can we
oppose this effectively and peacefully?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, we have all failed to live by Your teachings. We are sorry for our part in making the world a bitter place. Help us to look deep inside of ourselves and see where we are feeding
hostility, resentment, and discord in our lives. Teach us to be truly faithful instead of being religiously right. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s drawings called ‘Face to Face.’ It’s made up of the skin colors of people all over the world and the faces merge into one another signifying dialogue, intimacy, and peace. It was used earlier this year as a logo for a national conference in the Philippines dealing with tolerance. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link:

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2267/2503232332_7491c708d1_b.jpg

Opening Devotions: Discretion - Acts 19:30

Acts 19:30       Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 

In Henry IV, Part One, William Shakespeare had his comic character Falstaff declare the following words: 'The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part I have saved my life.' Ever since then, the phrase has been commonly used by people in the midst of conflict to apply common sense, in order to avoid escalating any further trouble. To some people, this seems cowardly and ineffective, but to those who have the gift of discernment, this is really the best choice in potentially high risk conflagrations.

The apostle Paul had to be taught this lesson the hard way. His zeal was almost his downfall when riots began in Ephesus over his teaching. An ugly mob began protesting about the success of his ministry which directly affected silversmiths and other tradesmen. At the height of the riot, Paul wanted to stand before the crowd and possibly preach a message about Christ, but his friends and the other disciples in Ephesus would not let him do this. Unlike Paul, they knew that the crowd would have killed him. They decided to restrain the apostle and prevent him from going anywhere near the hostile mob. Discretion was, indeed, the better part of valor, and it certainly saved his life at this moment in time.

There have been moments in my ministry when I have allowed zeal and self-righteousness to cloud my vision as a preacher and teacher. However, the older I get, the more I understand that being passionate about Christ is not the same as being pastoral for Christ. Discernment and discretion connect more with seekers and servants of Christ than religious self-righteousness. It’s taken me years to understand this, but hopefully it’s not too late to live what I have learned.

I wonder if Paul was initially outraged by his friends’ intervention? Probably so, but perhaps he also learned the greater lesson that self-righteous zeal was detrimental to the very cause he was preaching and espousing. As Christians, we all need to be aware of the effect that our words and actions, ways and deeds have on the world and society. If we are too full of zeal and self-righteous indignation, we will weaken our witness. If, however, we decide to be discreet, either by turning the other cheek, or displaying humility, we may reach out to a rising generation that has been largely been turned off to self-centered, navel-gazing, and constantly affronted Christianity.

Questions for personal reflection

Have I sometimes allowed my religious zeal to overcome my faithful witness? What has Christ still to teach me about being with other people?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You could have destroyed the world but instead You died for the world. You could have condemned the people of Your time, but instead You allowed them to crucify You. Your humility healed humanity. Your sacrifice saved our souls. Teach us these truths and help us to share them honestly, prayerfully, and discreetly. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s 2013 Pentecost series of drawings. It’s called “Pentecost Dawn.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8086/8499310448_1dfb37c6fc_b.jpg

Church devotions: Teaching the Faith - Acts 13:12

Acts 13:12       When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

I like to teach the Faith. It’s an important part of my calling. I enjoy discussions about Christ and Christianity and the sharing of questions, ideas, and thoughts at my regular Sunday School class. It keeps me on my toes and refreshes my faith each time I enter and exit the classroom. Preaching is meant for the big moment of the week in worship; teaching is an entirely different method of sharing the faith.

The class that I teach is an inter-generational one. People bring their cultural backgrounds, life experiences, and personal questions into the melting pot which, in turn, adds to the whole collective discussion about a Bible passage, faith point, or church issue. Each Sunday that we meet, we add to the theological tapestry that we’re weaving. Faith, hope, and love are shared; encouragement, friendship, and inspiration are experienced.

Teaching about the Lord in philosophical or practical ways always has the potential of strengthening our beliefs and Christian convictions. In today’s passage (Acts 13:6-12), the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus is deeply impressed not just by what Barnabas and Saul say, but what they actually do. Their faith is amazing and fearless in the face of evil and deception. The proconsul becomes a believer because he sees for himself the authenticity and authority of the Christian faith.

Today, we will all be given opportunities to share our faith and be authentic witnesses for Christ. Let’s hope that we are both ready and real about being Christians.

Questions for personal reflection

Where do I go to be constantly taught about the Christian faith? What lessons of faith do I express to others with my words and deeds?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, help us to positively express our faith in You to others this day. Let our witness of Your power and presence in our lives be authentic and sincere. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, TN. If you would like to comment on today’s passage or ask a question about it, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings. It’s called “Heaven Sent” and features the Holy Spirit as a dove descending to Earth. If you would like to view a larger version of the image, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8536/8683999979_5ab8742e51_b.jpg

Church Devotion: A Single Day - Zechariah 3:9

Zechariah 3:9             “See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,” says the LORD Almighty, “and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.”

In a single day, Adam took the fruit from Eve and human sin tarnished the whole of Creation.

In a single day, Christ took the cup of wrath from God and human sin was removed from Creation.

In a single day, we are each given the breath of Life to begin a new journey in the world.

In a single day, breath is taken from our lives and we may be given the opportunity to enter into the next world.

In a single day, we are given the offer to believe in Christ who can forgive us and restore us to God’s everlasting Kingdom.

In a single day, we can reject Christ’s offer and fail to be redeemed, leaving us separated from God forever.

In a single day, we can seek God’s grace, be cleansed of our sins, and rejoice in God’s love forever.

In this single day, what will we do?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, all that we have is this single day with which to get things right with God, so that we may be forgiven of our mistakes and restored to His Presence through Your grace. Help us to encourage our loved ones and others to receive these blessings in this single day. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s latest Communion drawing called “Glasgow Cup.” It’s in the art nouveau style of one of his favorite Scottish artists Charles Rennie Mackintosh. You can view a larger version here: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8045/8118104006_81dd7214e3_b.jpg

Church Devotions: Everlasting Blessings - Luke 20:36

Luke 20:36     “And they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.”

I love verses like this from the Bible because they offer an everlasting hope of blessings yet to come. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not wishing for death – life is beautiful – but at the end of all this beauty and wonder, it’s comforting to know that there is something more wonderful yet to be experienced. This is why I am a Christian, and this is why I believe that Christianity offers the best hope of our earthly lives.

To be like an angel and a child of the resurrection is a precious gift that only Jesus can bring. When He spoke to the Sadducees, who did not believe in life beyond death, He did not condemn them for their beliefs. Instead, Jesus attempted to enlighten them in a charming and attractive way. He told them that all are alive to God, even those who are dead, because we all have eternal souls. I recently read a wonderful statement about this: “We are not human beings seeking an everlasting spiritual experience; we are eternal spiritual beings having a human experience.”

As a Christian, I want all of my family and friends, my neighbors and colleagues to live in the eternal blessings of God’s loving presence, so I have to try to share my faith with them. And I am certain that you want those blessings for your loved ones as well. The great news is this: Jesus can show us how to do that in a charming, attractive, and effective way.

Questions for personal reflection

Whom do I dearly love in this earthly life? Have I lovingly shared my Christian faith with them?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, they are people in our lives whom we dearly love and yet they do not truly know You. Help us to share our faith with them in loving and charming ways, so that they may be drawn closer to You and receive Your Gospel in their hearts. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s latest nativity drawing called “Star Song.” Every year, John draws unique nativity scenes which are used by many Christian groups and churches all across the world. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8328/8075856657_2c44d4c75a_b.jpg

Stewardship devotion: The Lord Needs It - Luke 19:34

Luke 19:34 They replied, "The Lord needs it." 

I wonder how much our faith would affect our daily lives if we lived to serve Christ’s needs instead of our own? Is that even possible? Would our churches be filled with people on Sundays because the Lord needed them to be there? Would missions throughout the world be fully funded because the Lord needs affluent Christians in the West to ‘pony up’ and provide from their ample resources all that is needed by Christ to medicate, educate, feed and clothe people living in poverty across the globe?

If we are comfortable doing religious things without being challenged by the scandal of the Gospel, then we are going to go through life as spiritually shallow people. However, if we take time to really think about what Christ needs us to do with our lives and resources, then everything will change about how we ‘do’ church and how we share our faith. The owners of the colt in today’s Gospel passage (Luke 19:28-36) could have told the disciples to clear off, or that it was inconvenient, or that it would be okay the next day. They didn’t do that; when they heard the words “The Lord needs it,” they gave over the colt freely and perhaps gladly.

Questions for personal reflection

What does the Lord need of me? Am I willing to give my time, talents, and money to Him for His work?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, Your Gospel brings goodness and forgiveness, strength and love into our lives. It also presents us with challenges and causes us to reflect upon our daily choices. Help us to live according to Your needs and liberate us from our insecurities, as well as our desires. In Your Holy Name, we cheerfully pray. Amen.

Church Devotions: Being a Christian - Luke 12:57

Luke 12:57  (Jesus said)        “Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?”

There’s a lot of talk these days about Christians being too judgmental. We’re criticized for trying to live according to Christ’s words and sometimes those accusations sting us personally. Consequentially, some people of our faith are afraid of appearing to be judgmental in the eyes of others, so they’ve stopped making judgments altogether. Instead of being the leaven in society in order to change the world for the better in God’s eyes, we’ve become stale. We would rather be respected by others in society, instead of respecting Christ’s own words. We want to be considered broad minded and open rather than following Christ’s sacred and singular way. And even when our church pastors or Christian teachers mention this, we close off our ears, hearts, and minds to any questioning of our choices or to those suggestions that we are walking on the wrong path.

Jesus also had to deal with this in His own day. He was frustrated by the lack of judgment His people were making with regard to their faith and everyday choices. They could work out what kind of day it was going to be by looking at the color of the sky in the morning, but they couldn’t discern that Christ was among them, challenging their ways, and confronting their choices. Even though the signs of the Messiah were all there before them, they didn’t accept Jesus as the Anointed One. They wanted Him to be shaped according to their plans, their needs, and their beliefs.

“Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?” Jesus frustratingly exclaims. In other words, you know what is right, so what is stopping you from choosing it?

Being a 21^st century Christian and living a cosmopolitan world is difficult, but who ever said it was going to be easy? When faithful people judge what is right, the world is always going to complain that we are narrow-minded and spiritually closed: yet isn’t that why Christ was crucified? He was totally misunderstood, became unpopular, and was finally executed for daring to judge what was right – perhaps this is why we find it so hard to do the same.

Questions for personal reflection

What makes me a Christian? How different is my lifestyle from my non-Christian peers?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You have called me to be a Christian and to judge what is right. Help me not to be fearful of my peers when they attack my faith or ridicule my religion. In Your Holy Name, I pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is a Good Friday crayon drawing of John’s called “Passover.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5259/5394517049_ef741c1bdf_b.jpg

Church devotions: God Has Other Plans - Genesis 39:20b-21

Genesis 39:20b-21      But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 

When Joseph was falsely accused of adultery and unjustly imprisoned (Genesis 39:11-23), he must have felt that his life was cursed and that God had abandoned him forever. Previously, his brothers had abused him and sold him into slavery. He was kidnapped and taken to a foreign land. He became an unpaid overworked servant in an Egyptian official’s household. Just when he thought that his life may have turned a positive corner, he suddenly found himself at the center of a woman’s scorn and his master’s wrath. He was thrown in prison to rot and die. Joseph’s life was a complete disaster and he was bereft of everything that was once good.

But God had other plans. He watched over Joseph and took care of his terrible circumstances. God did not abandon him like his family or wretchedly mistreat him like his false accusers. God sustained Joseph in the midst of his plight and elevated him into a position of trust and responsibility at the prison. He was not forsaken or forgotten by God. Joseph’s life was about to take on a whole new importance that would not only positively change his circumstances, it would actually change the history of faith in the world.

Perhaps you are in the midst of something that is either depressing you or just wearing you down. You may even feel isolated from God or even abandoned. Despair can imprison your spirit, but God wants you to be secure in His arms and feel enjoyment, meaning, and purpose once more. Put yourself into His hands and allow God to do what He does best: to make all things good again through Jesus Christ.

Questions for personal reflection

What problems or issues currently trouble me? Have I totally given them over to God in prayer?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, come into the midst of all that besets and plagues us at this present time. Grant us Your gracious guidance and assure us of Your loving presence. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest art nouveau drawings called “Paper Roses.” It’s based upon the unique art style of Glasgow artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/7834723686_d992ea78b1_b.jpg

Opening Devotions: In Between - Genesis 25:19a

Genesis 25:19a  This is the account of Abraham's son Isaac.

Years ago, when I was growing up in Scotland, going to the movies meant spending the whole afternoon or an evening in the picture house. Instead of just previews and the main feature like today, a whole program consisted of some trailers, a newsreel of important events, a one hour ‘B’ movie, several cartoons, and then the main feature film. It took almost four hours from beginning to end to watch the whole program.

If an epic movie was being shown like “Gone with the Wind,” “El Cid,” or “The Sound of Music,” there was always an interlude when movie goers could stand up and stretch, buy some ice cream from the pretty usherette, or visit the restroom. You could also catch up with your friends and neighbors if you spotted them in the theater. After ten minutes, the lights would slowly go down, everyone would return to their seats, and the program would continue.

When I read about the biblical patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – I always feel as though Isaac’s life is just a mere interlude between Abraham and Jacob. He appears to be a spectator in his own life. Abraham almost sacrifices him as a child. His marriage is arranged by his parents. His wife bears him two sons and then we next meet him as an old blind man who is tricked by his youngest son and rejected by his oldest boy. After all is said and done, Isaac’s importance is merely peripheral, as if he’s only a small character in an epic movie.

For most of us, life is a lot like that. Our life story seems to carry no great importance in the realm of all things, and we can sometimes feel small, insignificant, as well as useless. And yet we believe in an Almighty God who takes a great interest in us individually, who watches what we do in our lives, and knows what we accomplish for His Son Jesus Christ. Our lives are not mere interludes that have no value; our lives have a purpose in the continuing ministry and mission of Christ. If anything, we are each an integral part of the amazing prelude to Christ’s Return.

Questions for personal reflection

How am I important to God? What does He want me to do with my life for His Son?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You know our lives completely and You have a personal plan for each one of us. We are uniquely created in a special time and place where we can serve You by being witnesses of our faith to all the people we encounter and embrace. Help us to understand that we are each significant to Your life, ministry, and work on Earth. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest “Bonnie Scotland” drawing called ‘Dunure Castle Sunset.’ It features the medieval castle at Dunure, which belonged to the Kennedys, at sunset. The castle is situated on the West Coast of Scotland and John was parish minister at Dunure for nine years.

If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7541052224_c2ca921d0c_b.jpg

Church Devotion: Read Your Bible

Genesis 25:1   Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 

Luke 4:29       They got up, drove Jesus out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 

Okay, hands up all of you out there who knew that a) Abraham married again after Sarah died and b) that Jesus was almost thrown off a cliff to His death by his own neighbors?

I’m thinking that there may not be many hands up out there and that you are probably surprised by these events. Not many pastors preach on those topics and I can’t ever remember a Sunday school class ever tackling these passages. And yet, these events are written and described in the Bible, so why don’t we know about them?

We’ve stopped reading the Bible, plain and simple. We’ve all the time in the world for a best-selling novel, or checking our emails, or reading our tweets and texts, but when it comes to actually reading God’s best seller, God’s text message – the Bible, we’ve grown careless and inconsistent, making ourselves biblically weak and scripturally ignorant.

That’s why the church in Western society is encountering so much inner turmoil. Mainstream Christians believe that their own life experiences and personal feelings, their own ideas and individual opinions outweigh God’s Word. They want their faith to be relevant, but they don’t want to read the scriptures. They want their culture to be accepted, but they don’t want to accept Christ’s Gospel. In fact, when faced with the audacity of the New Testament message, they want to throw the uncompromising Christ and His First followers, like Peter and Paul, over a cultural cliff. In other words, they want the church to catch up with the world and alter its Christian ways, rather than face up to the world and challenge it to change.

I firmly believe that if people want their churches to grow, they have to re-invest their time in God’s Word. It’s no use hoping for the best and wishing things were different; if Christians really want to be effective and influential in the world, they honestly need to know God’s Book from beginning to end. Anything else will just be superficially experiential and grossly inauthentic.

Questions for personal reflection

How often do I read the scriptures? How can I make this a daily practice?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, our generation of church going people is guilty of setting aside scripture reading. We may pray to You several times a day especially in times of crisis and trouble, but we are forgetting or failing to read, meditate, and study Your Word.

Forgive our foolishness and keep us from becoming ignorant of Your Ways. Help us to make the time to read the Bible, as well as continually praying. In Your Holy Name, we humbly ask. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest “Bonnie Scotland” drawing. It’s a winter scene of the beautiful Eilean Donan castle which has been used in many movies. If you would like to view a larger version, then please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8160/7532542862_5b7b31bd43_b.jpg

Church devotion: Created to Be - Luke 1:30

Luke 1:30       But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.”

Every day I try to please God, but I know that at some unguarded daily moment, I’m going to say or do something wrong that will both displease Him and disappoint others. I could justify my mistake by shrugging my shoulders and saying, “I’m only human. What do you expect?” but that would be doubly sinful. If I want to find favor in the eyes of God, I need to confess my sin and makes reparations for my mistake.

Being humble does not come naturally to me and I guess if everyone was to be truly honest, they would say the same. I read a poster this morning which stated something like: ‘I do not seek God to make me what I want to be; I want to become what God created me to be.’ It’s a profound thought and something that I really need to write down and carry with me each day.

When the angel Gabriel visited Mary, he told her about God’s plans for her young life. She was to become the mother of God’s Son, just as He had created her to be. Mary could have rejected this blessing, but instead she accepted this special calling and humbled herself before God by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

It’s an amazing moment in the history of our faith. A young woman yields to God’s Holy Spirit and, in doing so, sets in motion an event and produces a life that will change the world forever.

Questions for personal reflection

What has God created me to be? How can I fulfill His purpose for me today?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, Your mother Mary humbly accepted the divine role and sacred responsibility of bringing You into the world. Without her obedience, our faith history would not be the same. Today, we each seek to fulfill Your calling in our lives in order to serve and please You. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest wildlife drawing called “Cheerful Chickadee.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7224/7373844830_2ce5af2fdf_b.jpg

Church devotions: Swords and Clubs - Mark 14:48

Mark 14:48     “Am I leading a rebellion," said Jesus, "that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?”

For the past nine months, I’ve been reading some sad stories about churches and pastors who have been treated badly by their religious authorities. Some ministers have been quickly dismissed and some congregations have been locked out of their buildings. Instead of showing understanding and grace, authority figures are displaying indignation and contempt. Rather than seeking reconciliation by arbitration, both sides get locked into a war of words that destroys Christ’s witness in the local community. If there are tears of sadness in heaven over these acts of unkindness, then there must also be tears of laughter in hell. Instead of showing Christ’s compassion in these trying times, we are all guilty of brandishing the devil’s swords and clubs.

Some days I wonder where it will all end up. Will we fatally fracture the Western Church with our social issues and creeping universalism that many people will just give up and forsake their faith? I’m seeing diminishing congregations across the land and churches struggling to survive. If accepting the present trends in culture is so good for the Church, then why are our numbers still going down at an alarming rate?

And then I read today’s Gospel passage (Mark 14:43-52) and I realize that it’s all part of the Great Plan. There is no revival without betrayal; there is no salvation without the crucifixion; there is no resurrection without persecution.

Questions for personal reflection

How is my faith impacted by society? When and where do I betray Christ?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, having faith in You is not easy. Across the generations and throughout the nations, Christians have struggled with cultural demands, as opposed to eternal commands. Help us to be honest with Your Word and keep us from allowing the devil to diminish the gracious witness of Your Church among ourselves, as well as throughout the world. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest ‘art nouveau’ roses drawings. It’s called ‘Lifetime Joy’ and is drawn in the style of Scottish designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh, whose work inspired Frank Lloyd Wright. If you would like to view a larger version, please click the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8148/7299741342_ea6f7664c3_b.jpg

John also has note cards and gifts available with these new designs which you can view at the following online store: http://www.cafepress.com/stushienotes

Church Staff devotions: Cosmic Collision - Genesis 15:5

Genesis 15:5   God took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then He said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

I’ve just read a fascinating article about an inter-galactic collision that will take place 4 billion years from now between our own Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy. Billions upon billions of stars will either collide or closely pass by one another over a time period of more than a billion years. The article is based upon a study that NASA has released; to even think about such a cataclysmic event is absolutely staggering to my feeble mind. The astronomers who have completed their observations, done their research, and completed the math are amazing scientists. We certainly won’t be on this side of Life when the collision occurs, so perhaps we will witness it as the equivalent of a divine Fourth of July fireworks display on a Heavenly scale.

When God takes old Abram outside to show him the night sky and tells him that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars, I find that equally amazing and fascinating. It tells me that when God makes a promise, He not only keeps His word, but He also blesses and fulfills it as wonderfully as He possibly can. The majority of the religious people on the Earth today can trace their spiritual roots to this moment of God’s magnificent blessing. Billions of people – Jews, Christians, and Muslims - find their religious ancestry in Abram of old. God’s promise, made thousands of years ago, has found its fulfillment in today’s world. This also tells me that God not only works in mysterious ways, He also has a great patience in fulfilling his work of salvation.

Questions for personal reflection

Where do my religious roots originate? How does my faith sharing with others expand this ancient blessing?

Prayer:                        Almighty Creator, when I gaze upon the stars in the night sky, I am struck with wonder and awe. Your works are amazing and I feel both humbled and privileged to be a creature of Your making. May I continue to bless and praise You throughout the days of my life. In Christ’s Name, I pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s drawings called “Sleepless Sky.” It features a beautifully starlit northern sky illuminated with the aurora borealis. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5322/7186639110_1bbac69be5_b.jpg