Category Archives: Devotion

A Heart Ready for Worship

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O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

When I remember You  on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.

My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63.1-8 NASB)

God’s Constant Compassion

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One day a young man was walking along an isolated road when he heard something like a crying sound. He couldn’t tell for sure what the sound was but it seemed to be coming from underneath a bridge. As he approached the bridge, the sound got louder and  then he saw a pathetic sight. There, lying in the muddy river bed, was a puppy about two months old. It had a gash on its head and was covered with mud. Its fronts legs were swollen where they had been tightly bound with cords.

The young man was immediately moved with compassion and wanted to help the dog, but as he approached, the crying stopped and the dog snarled his lip and started to growl. But the young man did not give up. He sat down and started gently talking to the dog. It took a long time but eventually the dog stopped growling and the man was able to inch forward and eventually touch the dog and begin unwrapping the tightly bound cord. The young man carried the dog home, cared for its wounds, gave it food and water and a warm bed. Even with all this, the dog continued to snarl and growl every time the young man approached. But the young man did not give up.

Weeks went by and the man continued caring for the puppy. Then one day, as the young man approached, the dog wagged its tail. Consistent love and kindness had won and a lifelong friendship of loyalty and trust began.

Romans 2.4 asks the questions, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” God has been reaching out to you for your entire life. He desperately wants to set you free from the prison of sin, heal all your wounds, bring you into His family, and provide for your every need; however, your rejection of Him is just like the snarling dog. God is faithful and will continue to offer you an eternal relationship, but you must accept His call.

Will you continue to reject and despise His offering of grace, or will you confess and repent of your sinfulness, place your faith in Jesus’ finished work, and then become a child of God?

Source: Stories For The Heart, Multnomah, Alice Gray, 108.

Is the Savior Calling?

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I can still remember struggling for several months with the inner turmoil that God was calling me to something more. I was actively serving in the church, visiting those who were looking for a church, and sharing the good news of Jesus with others as I went about my day. Yet I still had this feeling of discontent. I remember saying, “There has to be more to Christianity than this. I just feel like I am missing something.”

Eventually I sat down with my pastor and shared with him what I was feeling. He gave me the opportunity to teach at our church’s Wednesday night Bible study. Preaching that one simple study changed my life. Within the next five years I went from being a manager of a shoe store, to a missionary in Brazil, to a student at a Bible college, a youth minister, and then senior pastor of a church.

Being able to slowly work through the holy discontent of being called to more in my Christian walk is a comfort and memory I will cherish for the rest of my days. I never thought I would be able to pastor a church or write sermons that would help others grow in their spiritual journey into Christ-likeness. In truth, I was right! It has been over twenty-two years since I stood in the pulpit to preach for the first time, and were it not for Christ equipping me to carry out all that He called me to do I would never have been able to accomplish anything for His kingdom. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15.5).

What is Jesus calling you toward today? Is it to be more disciplined in your daily walk? Does He want you to be a more vocal witness? Is He opening doors for you to be a leader to others in your local church? Is He calling you to spend some time on a mission trip? Or, is He calling you to Christian ministry? If you are experiencing a holy discontent with your current Christian walk or calling take time to visit with your pastor. Share with him about your feelings. You never know where one conversation will lead you. The conversation I had led me to writing this blog post twenty-two years later!

Thank you Jesus!

I’m Going to be a Dad?

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In my office, on the wall above my computer monitor, is a present my wife gave me for Father’s Day 2005. It is a picture frame with thirteen pictures of me and William. It starts with a picture of me holding him the day he was born and is followed by another picture taken on the same day each month. The final picture is, of course, me holding him on his first birthday. On my book shelves I have several other pictures of him—graduating preschool, his school photos from kindergarten, first, and second grade.  In just a few seconds, I can see all seven years of his life.

Sometimes I just can’t think or study anymore, so I take a break to rest my weary mind. It is during those breaks that I recall all the wonderful memories I have had with William over the last seven years. I think about how much he has grown physically, all that he has learned educationally, and how he is maturing spiritually. Without a doubt, I am a proud father. I love my son with every ounce of my being, and I make sure he is confident of that love. I want him to know my love for him doesn’t change when I am frustrated at his disobedience, when I am disciplining him for his actions, and most especially when we are separated from one another. I want him to understand that my love is unconditional, and nothing—I mean nothing—will ever separate him from my love, ever.

Most of us have seen too many children literally fighting for the affections of their parents. When they do not get it, they go elsewhere in search of love and acceptance, and it is guaranteed they will find it somewhere. It was this thought which woke me up from a deep sleep shortly before William was born. I sat straight up in the bed with one thought racing through my mind, “What if I’m not a good dad?” I found myself gripped with fear and anxiety. What did I know about being a parent? I was thirty-nine years old and should be getting ready to be a grandpa not a dad! Needless to say, I wasn’t able to clear my mind or go back to sleep, so I quietly knelt down beside the bed so as to not wake my wife, and I began to pray.

That night, I prayed for everything. I prayed for my son’s health, protection, salvation, his spiritual calling, and even his future wife. I remember asking God to give him a heart that burns with a passion to live a godly life, tell others about Jesus, and meet the needs of the hurting. And then I prayed something I had never said before, “Father, I guess I’m asking you to give me a son like Jesus. A son who loves you, obeys you, seeks to glorify you in all he does.” To be honest, the words came out before I thought them through, so I stopped praying to contemplate what I had just asked for.

Up to that point, praying had eased my fear and anxiety; however, that last line had rekindled the fire of anxiety and put one thought in my fearful mind, “If he is to grow up like Jesus, he needs a father like Jesus’ Father, and I’m not GOD!” With that dark storm cloud of fear hovering over me I cried out, “God, please help me be a good dad!” Immediately a thought rushed into my mind, “Give him Jesus!” Give him the unconditional love of Christ, teach the commands of Christ, show him the love, grace, mercy, compassion, forgiveness of Christ, and most of all, live the life of Christ as an example for him.

That dark night of the soul has become a bright beacon on days when I just don’t feel like I’m getting the job done. It is a bright lighthouse shining in the darkness—lighting the way for me to avoid the dangerous rocks of doubt and depression. It is a memory that reminds me that my son doesn’t have to be perfect, nor does his father! Why? Because Jesus is perfect and He is in control of our lives!