Tag: Devotions

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
      but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.

                                  -Proverbs 17:22

This year at Tallowood, we’ve been hearing a lot of words with the prefix “re”: refresh, revival, restore, renew.  It means “again” or “again and again.”  I don’t know where you find yourself on this day.  I know some are rejoicing over new jobs, new friendships and new opportunities.  I also know some of you are greatly in need of restoration.  You identify with the above verse not because you are cheerful, but because you feel broken and sapped of strength.  You are weighed down with concerns for family and friends and your own needs and desires.

The good news is that God invites you to “come.”   Scripture says “come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”  He wants to revive and refresh.

I hope you are planning to come to the revival services next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7 PM.  However, even if you are unable to come, God is able to meet you where you are.  He can begin to renew and restore even now.  You need only to come to Him.  Take refuge in Him.  He is able to turn your mourning into dancing and restore the joy of your salvation.  Will you come?

If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. -1 Peter 3:13-16 (The Message)

Whether of not you are a football fan or watch the Super Bowl, you may have heard about the controversy surrounding a Super Bowl commercial by Focus on the Family.  The ad features college football star Tim Tebow and his mother sharing the story about Tim’s birth. Doctors urged Tim’s mother to have an abortion.  She chose not to.

Today, I read an article about Tebow on ESPN.com.  It is a well written article praising Tebow for his courage regardless of whether or not one agrees with him.  It would have been a whole lot easier for Tim to do the typical endorsements, make millions and not have to deal with the criticism he is sure to face.  He could have still maintained his faith, but life would have been easier. Discipleship isn’t easy though.

I think Tim gets the 1 Peter passage.  I wonder if we do.  I’ll be the first to confess that while I want to do the right thing, I don’t often want to do the hard thing. I don’t like it when people throw mud at me.

This morning, a small group of people met to begin fleshing out plans for evangelism in March and to think about long range plans for outreach and evangelism.  Any plan moving forward has to start with us as individuals believing we do indeed have hope to offer the world.  If you don’t believe it, you are not compelled to share it.  Chris Tomlin sings:

“There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city”

Do you believe this?  If so, how will you respond to God?  Will you plan to be at the Refresh Revival services February 23-25 at Tallowood?  Will you plan to participate in the Refuge Prayer Journey prior to each service in order to prepare your heart?  Will you participate in a prayer walk in Tallowood’s neighborhood on March 6^th?  Will you be involved in other evangelism efforts in March and beyond?  If you are not able to do these things, what will you do?  Who knows what God will accomplish with hearts committed to His Glory?

So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it.
-1 Thessalonians 5:11 (The Message)

And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another— and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrew2 10:24-25 (NIV)

Years ago in the days prior to email, Facebook and Twitter, I was an avid letter writer.  I wrote because I wanted to continue to build my relationships with friends who were no longer part of my daily routine.  I was very intentional in my efforts to stay in touch.  I kept a chart in my day planner of all the people I corresponded with.  I even tracked each time I sent or received a letter.  Yes, I was a little obsessive, but then I loved to write and receive letters.  One year, my New Year’s resolution was to write one letter each day of the year.  I did not write 365 letters that year, but I did write more letters than any other year.

These days I’m not the letter writer I once was.  Email, Facebook and other technologies have made it easier than ever to stay in touch.  However, I find myself out of touch more often.  I’ve been thinking about this and realized that though it is easier, I still have to be intentional about personal contact.  Posting to my Facebook status and reading my friends status does not guarantee a connection.  I still have to interact on a personal level whether through comments or email or some other means. 

This same principle is true in every aspect of my life.  In order to build relationships and encourage each other, we must interact on a personal level.  In order to build community, we must be intentional.  With that in mind, here are a few challenges for us:

• Don’t wait for someone to update their Facebook status to find out what they are thinking and what’s going on.  If you are thinking about them, let them know.  Ask them what’s going on?
• Take time to write a note or send a card to someone you know is going through a tough time
• Don’t wait until someone misses church or Bible Study to send them a note.  Let them know you are glad they are here
• Find creative ways for your Bible Study class attendance list to become a ministry list
• Thank your teachers for the time they take preparing the lesson
• As you pray through the prayer list each week, take time to send a note to someone you are praying for

These are just a few ideas I had.  The bottom line is…be intentional.  Find ways to encourage those around you at work, at home, at church and all around you.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
-Romans 12:14

Years ago, I had a boss that flat our rubbed me the wrong way.  I felt like nothing I did was acceptable to her and she had a way of making me angry.  Then one day, I felt a conviction to begin praying for her.  It shouldn’t surprise me, but it wasn’t long before the dynamic between us began to change.  God softened my hard heart and let me see some of the wounds she was hiding behind.  He also seemed to soften her heart.  I can’t say that we ever became close friends, but we were amicable and the tension disappeared.

Most of us have had co-workers or others, at some point in our lives that drive us crazy.  We might not go so far as to call them enemies, but we feel that way.  Romans 12:14 gives us good, but difficult instruction to follow.  The Message puts it this way, “bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath.”

It would be easy to relegate this instruction only to people we think of as enemies.  I think, however, that misses the point.  I think it also applies to the person that said something that hurt you and made you angry.  No doubt you can think of other examples.  It is easy to hold on to our wounds, replaying events in our minds and conversations when we’ve been hurt.  I contend though, that doing so only adds salt to our wounds. 

Instead of muttering words against someone who has hurt you, pray for them.  Take a look at Romans 12:17-21.  Verse 17 says “never pay back evil with evil.”  Verse 21 says “conquer evil with good.”  In between these verses, Paul writes about leaving room for God’s wrath and that we are to feed our enemies when they are hungry.

This may not be easy for us to do.  I know it’s not for me.  However, discipleship is not easy most of the time.  It requires sacrifice.  God may not change the other person or fix the situation, but I guarantee when you pray, He will change you.

Listen to my cry for help,
       my King and my God,
       for to you I pray.

 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
       in the morning I lay my requests before you
       and wait in expectation.

                -Psalm 5:2-3

 When was the last time you brought your requests before the Lord and waited expectantly?  I don’t know about you, but I am far too often guilty of drive by prayers.  In my hurry, I toss out my requests before the Lord as if he is little more than a genie in a bottle.

In the Psalm, David cries out to the Lord to hear him.  He acknowledges that He is Lord.  Each day, he lays out his requests and waits expectantly to hear from God.

My desire in this New Year is to lay out my requests before the Lord each day and wait expectantly.  I want to pray acknowledging Him as Lord and knowing that there are things that I want to see happen that only He is capable of accomplishing.  I have already begun to pray God-sized prayers for my friends, my family, for the single adult ministry and for Tallowood.

What will your prayers be this year?  Will you regularly approach the throne of God and ask Him to do what only He can do?  Remember that He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.  Will you join me in prayer God sized prayers for yourself, for your loved ones, for the single adult ministry at Tallowood, for Tallowood, for Houston and the World?  Will you wait with expectation to see the works of His hand in this New Year? “God still moves.”

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.- Zephaniah 3:17

This verse was a favorite of my 6th grade teacher, Miss Riddle. She often used it when writing letters and notes. I think largely because of Miss Riddle, the verse ended up in my Scripture Memory box and has stuck with me for years.

Last night, after Bible Study, God spoke the Zephaniah 3:17 to me. I felt His love and grace as I reflected on the last two hours. We had a visitor and a regular and we had Church. I was so encouraged by their testimony and journey in the faith. We each shared, and before I knew it, we were leaving at 9:30. I think I could have sat all night long.

I realized when this verse came to mind that God had been singing over me all week long: Through a wonderful message in Sunday Bible Study, through my dad surprising me by having my car detailed, through the gift of lunch with a dear friend who I do not get to see enough, through Bible Study and even later in the evening when I found a gift card that I thought I had lost. God said “I love you.”

God, the Lord of Heaven, my Savior delights in me. Once again, I experienced God’s grace this week. Though I found myself ill prepared for Christmas, God had not forgotten me. His grace continues.
As you approach the New Year, be encouraged by this verse. It is a new year, but you have already been made new in Christ. He delights in each of us. Though there are days, even years, when we feel far from Him, He is never far from us.

My prayer this New Year’s Eve is that you each experience His presence as He delights in you, quiets you with His wondrous love and rejoices over you. I’m praying your ears are opened to hear his glorious singing over you. What a song it is!

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father
-Philippians 2:5-11

Last night in small group, we watched a movie called “God Grew Tired of Us.” It follows the story of three Lost Boys of Sudan. It is worth seeing if you haven’t. I rented it from Blockbuster. It is a documentary on their lives as they fled Sudan, spent years as refugees in Kenya, and then were given the opportunity to come to the U.S. As much as it is a documentary on their lives, in my mind, it is also commentary on the life we live in America.

One of the things that struck me is that they did not understand who Santa was and what He had to do with Christmas. Santa, Christmas trees, etc are not in the Bible, but no one they asked could explain to them what they had to do with Christmas. One of them commented that they spend the weeks prior to Christmas preparing their hearts.

Please understand that I am not against some of the traditions that we, in Western culture have developed for Christmas. I just wondered after watching the movie how often we let these traditions override the celebration of the birth of our Savior. Christmas seemed to sneak up on me this year and I find myself ill prepared. Sure, I have presents to give, but have I given of myself? I am grateful for a few days to rest, but wondering why I let so many “things” crowd my heart. I wonder if I am worshipping or merely going through the motions.

My Lord and Savior became nothing. He became the most vulnerable form of human possible and, as a man, He died that I might live. You would think my response would be to honor him with all that I am in everything I do. My confession is that too often, I do go through the motions. I’m sure you have gifts to give this Christmas too, but what gift do you bring to the Savior?

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” -Isaiah 30:21

“Follow Me” Jesus Said

How do you follow? I was thinking about this question as I drove through the fog in Houston this week. The thickness of the fog reminded me of another time when I had even more difficulty seeing.

I was taking my first road trip on my own during college. I hadn’t even had my driver’s license a year. I was driving into Dallas on I-35 and it started pouring sheets of rain. I had to drive over a bridge that crossed over a big lake, so at one point, all I could see was water on either side of me and the tail lights of the car in front of me. Being a new driver, I was incredibly tense and focused on the car in front of me. I almost followed the car when it exited even though it wasn’t my exit.

I remember reflecting on that experience a couple of hours later when I was safely ensconced in the house of my friends. I wondered what would happen if I followed Christ like that—if I turned when He turned and moved when He moved.

I confess that while I was able to follow that car well, my following of Christ doesn’t always look like that. I am easily distracted. Fortunately, there is grace. God loves me the way I am and too much to leave me there. Isn’t it wonderful how His Spirit can move in us and take a simple thing like fog to serve as a reminder? So I ask again, how are you following?

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
      I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you.
      I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.

-Psalm 9:1-2

Last year about this time, I received an email in which the writer shared some of the things that brought him joy in 2008.  At the end, he challenged readers to do the same. Never one to give up the opportunity to make a list and reminisce, I took up the challenge. 

As I read this Psalm, I was reminded of that experience.  It occurred to me that when you praise the Lord with all your heart, it leaves no room for other things that try to capture it.  These verses are a cycle of joy.  The exercise in sharing your gifts of joy is one way of entering into that cycle.  Try it.  Share with someone else, the gifts of joy, God brought you this year (This is both the praising and telling of the things He’s done).  As you reflect on God’s gifts of joy this year, and share them, you will be filled with joy again.

I can hardly wait to begin.  Here are just a few of God’s gifts of joy to me this year:  laughing at the Christmas party, spending a weekend in Fredericksburg, playing football with my nephews and letting them pile on top of me,  asking God to take care of something because I couldn’t and getting an answer the next day…

When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. -Romans 12:13 (New Living Translation)

My senior year of High School, my family moved into our mission Guest House so my mom could manage it.  The Guest House was a little like a hotel in that there were two floors of rooms, each with a kitchenette.  It was a place for our missionaries from elsewhere in country to stay when they were visiting their children, on business, or for downtime. We served breakfast and dinner. It was a great fit for Mom because she loved talking to people and listening to stories. 

Sometime that year, Mom and Dad were both out of town for a week leaving me to play hostess.  I remember telling the missionaries one night when they asked how it was going that hospitality was not my gift.  I got a good laugh.

I was wrong in my assertion.  I understood hospitality to be playing the perfect host—entertaining.  A note in my Bible says “Hospitality, by contrast, focuses on the guest’s needs, such as a place to stay, nourishing food, a listening ear, or just acceptance.  Hospitality can happen in a messy home.  It can happen around a dinner table where the main dish is canned soup.  It can even happen while the host and guest are doing chores together.”

I am not an entertainer.  I can, however, offer hospitality.  We all can, and should practice it.  In fact, the NLT translation of Romans tells us to be eager to practice it.  That indicates to me that we are to be on the lookout for opportunities to practice.  The Message says “be inventive in hospitality.”

This Christmas, and this coming year, let’s be inventive as we practice hospitality.  Who knows what might happen.