Come Home Running

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?' -Revelation 6:15-17 (NIV)

Last year, I led a small group study on the book of Revelation. In one of the commentaries I consulted in preparation for the class, the verses featured in this morning's devotional were emphasized.

The commentator pointed out that, in these verses, when confronted with their sin and God's judgment, humanity hid. The commentator then reminded the reader that this response was not unusual, that when the first man and woman disobeyed God and ate from the tree in Genesis 3, they too hid among the trees of the garden in an effort to run from God.

Why is it worth making the comparison to the beginning (the story of the first man and woman) and the end (the story of Revelation)? It's worth making because it reminds us that sin always results in people running and hiding from God. If we don't run completely away from God, we at least try to hide that part of our lives from God that we know is contrary to God's will.

The good news is that God sent Jesus to restore your relationship with God so that you need not hide and you need not run. In Christ, you have the opportunity to throw yourself at the feet of Jesus. I can assure you that His greatest desire is to save you, to redeem you, to reconcile and make you new.

Tired of running and hiding? Then in the words of the Chris Tomlin song, "Come home running, His arms are open wide. His name is Jesus. He understands. He is the answer you are looking for, so come home running just as you are."

May God grant you the grace to come home running today.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Ezekiel 17-19 and Revelation 7. Sunday's readings are Ezekiel 20-21, Psalm 111, and Revelation 8. I'll be back on Monday with a devotional from Ezekiel 22-24 and/or Revelation 9.

The Power of God in Weakness

"Do not weep! See the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." Then I saw a lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne... -Revelation 5:6-7 (NIV)

In today's suggested scripture reading John notices a scroll in the hands of the one on the throne. An angel asks, "who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" but no one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth could open it. John then begins to weep, likely because he has just been promised in Revelation 4:1 that he will be shown what will take place and yet no one is able to read the contents of the scroll. Thankfully, one of the elders says to John, "Do not weep. The Lion of Judah has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."

The interesting thing is that when John looks, he doesn't see a lion...he sees a lamb. He's looking for this ferocious animal who has sharp retractable claws to rip into the seven seals of the scroll. What he sees is a small lamb that looks as if it has been slain. One is a hunter; the other is the hunted.

It appears to me that, even though Jesus is referred to as both Lion and Lamb, John first sees him as Lamb because John realizes that Jesus' power comes not as a fighter but as a suffering servant. In the Old Testament, lambs were sacrificed to atone for sins; Jesus is the Lamb of God who dies as the final sacrifice for all sin. But when he died, the hopes of many of his disciples died with him. They doubted that the Messiah for which they waited would die in such a cruel, humiliating way. But in his resurrection, believers realize that Jesus was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, and by his wounds we are healed.

So many people reading this devotional are wounded in one way or another. Take heart, dear readers, for today's reading is one of hope. Scripture affirms over and over again that God's power is made perfect in weakness. And God's power can be made perfect in your weakness and in your woundedness. Yes, yours!

May God grant you the grace to see the power of God made perfect in weakness today.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's readings are Ezekiel 15-16, Psalm 70, and Revelation 6.

What Do You Want To Be?

You say, "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. -Revelation 3:17-18 (NIV)

When I was growing up, the two most often-asked questions of me were probably "Did you hit your brother?" and "What do you want to be when you grow up?" The answer to the first question was almost always, "Yes, but he hit me first." The answer to the second question differed throughout the years but always had a motivating force behind each answer: I wanted to be rich. My job aspirations were based more on potential earnings than potential effectiveness. One of the reasons why I initially resisted ordained ministry is because it would mean that I wouldn't make as much money as I would in some other field. Because I equated happiness with wealth, choosing a profession with less earthly-earning potential was frightening (everyone kept telling me that my rewards would be in heaven, which didn't necessarily mean a lot as a young adult).

Apparently the Church in Laodicea had a similar idea. They were rich but in so many ways they were poor. They assumed that, because they were wealthy, they had need of nothing else. Jesus says that for the people of Laodicea to be truly rich, they need spiritual treasures (gold) that come from him.

Scholars say that Laodicea also prided itself on its clothing trade. Their clothes were famous all over the world as premiere luxury items. Yet Jesus says that they are shamefully naked. Judging from what I've seen at swimming pools and beaches throughout the years, there are a lot of people in the world who have no shame in wearing little or no clothing. But in scripture, largely because of the Garden of Eden story, nakedness is often associated with shame. Jesus says that what the people of Laodicea need to overcome their spiritual and shameful nakedness is a white robe from him. This white robe likely represents the cleansing power of Jesus, the purity of life that is only available through Christ or maybe even the victory over sin and death that is found only in Jesus.

Finally, Laodicea was known for its eye salve. Their eye salve may be good stuff but Jesus insists that they are blind to their own poverty and nakedness. What they need, Jesus says, is the salve that he provides. Then they would see that it is being rich in faith that is of more importance than being rich materially.

I don't think any of us would turn down a raise or wouldn't like to be wealthier. But today's scripture reminds me of what we should really want to be when we grow up: rich with spiritual treasures, adorned with the grace and cleansing power of Jesus, and with eyes for God's truth.

May God grant you the grace to be wealthy in those things today.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Ezekiel 8-11 and Revelation 4.

Do The Things You Did At First

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. -Revelation 2:4-5 (NIV)

In The United Methodist Church, couples who want to be married by a United Methodist pastor must undergo pre-marital counseling. With divorce rates in our world so high, the hope is that counseling will help people to keep the vows that they are about to make to each other.

I usually begin pre-marital counseling by asking couples how they fell in love. I want to know what brought them together, what attracts them to each other, and when they began to have some sense that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

One of the things that I point out is that most couples don't love each other immediately. They may be attracted to each other, but the love takes time. Preceding their love for another was an intentionality to do loving things for each other: open the car door, pull out a chair for your partner before dinner, write a love letter on the back of a napkin, or send flowers for no special reason. In budding relationships, you're trying to convince the other person that "I'm the one you want to spend time with!" Loving acts lead to love; it's usually not the other way around.

Where marriages and relationships often begin to fail is when people who claim to love one another stop doing loving things for each other. Life happens. People get busy with careers and families. Whatever the reason, loving acts that were so instrumental in cultivating love initially become less frequent; the love light flickers.

I always ask people who tell me that their relationship is broken if things would improve if they would apologize to each other and go back to doing the things they did at first...the things that led them to fall in love initially. Are they willing to do that? Would it help? Some seem certain that it would; others seem certain that it wouldn't.

In the suggested scripture reading this morning, Jesus is addressing the church at Ephesus. He points out their good deeds, their hard work, their perseverance, their dislike of wickedness and false prophets. But he also points out that their love for God and for each other has waned. Jesus instructs them to turn around and do the things they did at first, the things that led to their intense love of God and each other.

Is there waning love in your life? Was there a time when it was SO awesome and now it's just so NOT? Is it worth saving? What would happen if you apologized and did the things you did at first, the things that caused you to fall in love to begin with? I cannot answer these questions for you, only for myself.

May God grant you the grace in whatever way you need it most today.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's readings are Ezekiel 4-7 and Revelation 3.

Thank God for Your Ebed-Melech

"My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city." Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Cushite: "Take 30 men and lift Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies." -Jeremiah 38:9-10 (NIV)

I can honestly say that I don't ever remember reading about Ebed-Melech. No one in my hearing has ever preached a sermon about him; no one to my knowledge has ever honored his memory by naming their child after him. And yet today his name leaps off the page as I read these suggested scriptures. Here is a man who is willing to risk his position and his very life for Jeremiah. When Ebed-Melech learns that an injustice is taking place, that a prophet of God has been left to die for speaking the truth, he cares enough that he approaches the king and is allowed to rescue Jeremiah from certain death.

Today I thank God for the Ebed-Melechs in my own life, people have stood up for me and stood by when no one else would. And today, if I see injustice taking place, I want to be one that will speak up and/or stand up for what is right.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Jeremiah 50-51 and 3rd John. Sunday's readings are Jeremiah 52, Revelation 1, Psalm 143 and 144. I'll be back on Monday with a devotional from the suggested readings of Ezekiel 1-3 and Revelation 2.

Hold Onto Hope

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. -Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

The last two devotionals I've shared have received more responses than I normally get. My inbox has been full (and I'm not complaining) of people who can relate: they're in Babylon, a place they don't want to be. They're probably going to be there a while so they need some peace about where they are or some hope that there's a better day coming.

Once again, God promises a better day in our suggested scripture readings this morning. God doesn't discount the present reality; it's bad. Unburied bodies are piled in the streets. Homes have been destroyed to make defense against invading armies. But God says that if they will call, God will answer and tell them great and unsearchable things that they do not know. Judah and Israel will be brought back from captivity. They will rebuild their homes as they were before. Their sin will be cleansed and forgiven. The city will once again bring God renown, joy, praise and honor. The people will be in awe of the abundant prosperity and peace that God will provide.

Sometimes the hand that life deals us feels so permanent, so terminal. Today's scripture reminds us that even in the midst of destruction and despair, in the most hopeless of situations, God is able to bring about resurrection and restoration. Isn't that the message of the gospel?

You may be in a place you don't want to be. God may be calling you to do something that doesn't make sense to some people, perhaps even to you. But hold onto hope that God can rebuild your life, your dreams, and your joy.

May God grant you the grace to have that hope today.

NOTE: Thanks to those who prayed for our son Nicolas yesterday. The surgery appears to have gone well. The surgeon doesn't seem to be worried about the fatty mass that he removed, but we'll wait for the biopsy results before we start rejoicing too much. Please continue to pray.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Jeremiah 37-39,. Psalm 79, and 2 John.

The Crazy Call of God

I knew that this was the word of the Lord; so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver. -Jeremiah 32:8-9 (NIV)

Tomorrow marks the 13th anniversary of my father's death. I couldn't help but think of a specific story about him when reading the suggested scripture readings for today.

I went to Ole Miss with dreams of being an attorney. While at Ole Miss, however, I began experiencing the call of God to enter ordained ministry. Despite his meager earnings, my father was helping put me through college and was planning to continue supporting me financially when I went to law school. When I told my father, who was not a Christian at the time, that I was going to seminary instead, my father said, "Well, if you're going to seminary to be a preacher, God can pay for it because I'm not."

I remember looking at my father and thanking him for all his help to that point in my life. I also remember telling my cash cow (sorry, dad) that this call of God was so strong that I was just going to trust that the God who called me would provide.

To make a long story short, I graduated from seminary with a tremendous amount of school debt. But by the time I was ordained, through a significant gift from my father (who had since become a Christian) and another from the church I was serving at the time, my seminary debt was completely erased.

In the Old Testament reading for today, the Babylonian army has surrounded Jerusalem. Jeremiah is in prison and God tells him that the Israelites are about to get the daylights beaten out of themselves and taken into exile by the Babylonians. So what does Jeremiah do? He purchases a piece of property in the town that's going down! Why? Because of the call of God that told him to buy it!

People who hadn't heard God's call to Jeremiah must have thought that he was nuts, which was probably my dad's first thought when I told him about God's call to me. But Jeremiah does what God tells him to do and God promises him that the land he purchases has a future.

Sometimes God calls us to do things that don't make sense to other people. If you're like me, you can come up with all kinds of reasons NOT to do these things. And oftentimes, there's only one reason to do what God calls you to do: because God says so. In Jeremiah's case and in mine, what God was calling us to do didn't make a lot of sense to some people, but God promised a good future and God kept that promise.

Has God been calling you to do something that doesn't make sense to a lot of people, maybe even you? If so, may God grant you the courage to do what God is calling you to do and may your future be bright.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Jeremiah 33-34. Psalm 74, and 1st John 5.

NOTE: This morning, my son Nicolas is scheduled to have surgery at Maury Regional Hospital in Columbia. Several weeks ago, a mysterious lump appeared on his left shoulder. Doctors think that it just a fatty mass but it must be removed and biopsied. I invite my faithful devotional readers to pray for Nicolas and his family today. I'll update everyone on Thursday.

Peace Where You Are

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce...seek peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you in exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper...for I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:4-5, 7, 11 (NIV)

I'm writing this morning's devotional with several friends in mind: people who are in places they don't want to be. They find themselves looking back to a better place and desperately longing to return. I'm guessing that there are many other people reading this who can relate. I certainly can.

In our suggested scripture readings for this morning, Jeremiah is writing to the Israelites that have been exiled to Babylon. They're unhappy in their new place. They're missing the way things used to be in Jerusalem. They want to go back.

Jeremiah tells the Israelites that he has a word from the Lord for them. I'm not sure that it's a word that the Israelites want to hear but it's a word they need to hear: Babylon is where you are. You need to find peace in your Babylon. You need to carry on with your life in Babylon. You need to learn to come to grips with your situation in Babylon because it's your new reality; it's not going to change anytime soon. Since you're going to be in Babylon for a while, you might as well just make the best of it. Build a home. Plant a garden. Seek peace in your Babylon. Don't pray for the place you want to be; pray for the place where you are. If it prospers, you prosper.

Then God assures the Israelites in Babylon that He has plans to prosper them and not to harm them, plans to give them a hope and a future. "You will seek me and you will find me. And one day, I will bring you out of this place where you don't want to be."

I'm guessing that someone reading this devotional is in a Babylon of your own. It's a place where you don't want to be. You're looking back and saying, "Where did I go wrong? What did I do wrong? I wish I could go back to that happier place."

Unfortunately, that's not always possible. Maybe God's word for you today is to find your peace in Babylon. Come to grips with where you are. Pray that the Lord will bless your Babylon, this place you don't want to be. And know that God wants you to thrive. God wants you to succeed. God wants you to prosper in a healthy way. One day, hopefully soon, there will be a way out of your Babylon. It may not be the way you'd choose or the way you'd want. But you can trust God to bring restoration...yes even to you...even in your Babylon.

May God grant you the grace to find peace in your Babylon and to know with certainty that God's desire is for you not to be harmed but to have a future of hope.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Jeremiah 31-32 and 1 John 4.

This is the Day

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24 (NIV)

Two years ago this morning, I finished my last of 35 awful radiation treatments for tonsil cancer. This past weekend, I learned that one church member has had complications following surgery. Another church member has received disappointing news from a recent scan. My own son has had a mysterious lump to develop on his left shoulder that will require surgery and a biopsy on Wednesday. Today, when I feel like doing just about anything but rejoicing, I needed the suggested scripture reading of Psalm 118.

The psalmist has great confidence in God's eternal love. The psalmist knows that regardless of what we face in this crazy world, the Lord is with us and as a result we should not be afraid. The psalmist knows that God can be trusted with our lives and the lives of those we love; God is our strength, our song, and our salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone...therefore we can rejoice.

I need to be reminded of God's constant and unfailing love today. I need to be reminded of God's great concern for God's people. I need to be reminded that God can be trusted...to be my strength, my help, and my salvation. If I really trust God with my life and with the lives of those I love, then every day can be a day of rejoicing. Regardless of what happens, God's love endures. Regardless of what happens, God is with me. Regardless of what happens, God is my helper, my strength, and my song.

May God grant you the grace, regardless of what you face today, to say "This is the day that the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad in it." To claim this isn't necessarily easy, but it is possible.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Jeremiah 28-30 and 1 John 3.

Believing is Believing

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. -John 20:30-31 (NIV)

In today's suggested reading, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb and sees that the stone has been removed. She runs to Peter and "the other disciple, the one Jesus loves" (doesn't he love them all?). These two disciples run to the tomb. When the other disciple (tradition says it was John) enters the tomb, he believes...presumably after seeing the grave clothes in which Jesus was buried.

Mary needs a little more evidence in order to believe. She returns to the tomb and encounters the resurrected Christ whom she mistakes for the gardener. It's only after Jesus calls her by name that she realizes that it's him. Once she hears her name, she goes back to the other disciples and says, "I have seen the Lord."

The disciples (minus Thomas) need still more evidence to believe. They've been told by Mary that Jesus is alive but that knowledge hasn't alleviated their fears. They're in a room (likely where they shared the Last Supper together) and the door is locked because they're afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus comes and stands among them, showing them his wounded hands and side. Only then are the disciples overjoyed.

Thomas needs even more evidence to believe. He isn't there when Jesus first appears to the other disciples in the Upper Room. But just seeing the wounded hands and side of Jesus isn't enough for him; he wants to touch the wounds with his own hands. Only then does Thomas proclaim, "My Lord and My God."

Thankfully, not everyone has to see the empty tomb and the linen clothes, or encounter Jesus in a graveyard calling our name, or see his wounds, or even touch his wounds. Jesus says that there will be those who believe who have not seen these things. And Jesus says that they will be blessed.

I've always heard that "seeing is believing". But my understanding of this chapter is that "believing is believing". Some of us require more evidence than others, I guess, and Jesus doesn't seem to mind or be too terribly offended. In the end, Jesus just wants us to believe that he is the Messiah and that we can have life in his name.

May God grant you the grace to believe today.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Jeremiah 45-47, Psalm 105, and John 21. Sunday's readings are Jeremiah 48-49, Psalm 67, and 1 John 1. I'll be back on Monday with a devotional from Jeremiah 21,24, 27, Psalm 118, and/or 1 John 2.

Proper Perspective

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. "Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." -John 19:23-24 (NIV)

What do you want from Jesus? The Roman soldiers in our scripture reading this morning want his clothes. The sinless son of God is hanging on a cross and they're interested in garments? Really?

So what do you want from Jesus? When you pray, what do you ask for? I try not to make my prayers a laundry list of things that I want or expect from God. I try not to pray for petty or selfish things that I don't really need. Christ poured out his life on the cross at Calvary and I don't want to be like the Roman soldiers standing beneath Jesus clamoring over something that may be trivial (to some, clothes would not be trivial, but I'm guessing it was in the case of the Roman soldiers). When I pray, I like to imagine myself at the foot of the cross because it gives me perspective. It helps me to focus on what's really important. It especially helps me to focus on the things Christ gives that moths can't destroy.

When you pray today, may God grant you the grace to picture yourself beneath the cross of Jesus. It puts the subject of your prayers and the desires of your heart in proper perspective.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Jeremiah 26, 35, 36, and John 20.

Take Time

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?" -John 18:10 (NIV)

When Judas and a detachment of soldiers come after Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemene, Simon Peter senses that something is wrong and is determined that something must be done. Peter responds by likely doing the first thing that comes to mind: attack! But Jesus tells Peter to put his sword away and Peter quickly realizes that his response is not of God.

I'm often impulsive and reactive, just like Simon Peter. Sometimes I sense a problem and impulsively try to solve it with the first idea that comes to mind. I don't stop to pray about it or to carefully discern God's will for that particular situation. A far better approach is faithfully praying that God would guide my thoughts and my responses when impulses might get the best of me. In situations where immediate responses are not necessary, taking additional time to pray and discern is a great idea.

May God grant you the grace to take time to discern will of God today.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Jeremiah 23, 25 and John 19.

Praying for Your Witness

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." -John 17:20-21 (NIV)

In the suggested scripture reading today, Jesus prays not only for the disciples but for all people who will come to faith in Christ because of their witness.

When people ask me to pray for them, it's usually because of some illness or situation. And when I'm asked to pray for these specific things, I honor the requests. But it occurs to me this morning that, when I pray for others, I seldom pray for their witness and how their witness impacts others.

Today I feel compelled to pray for the witness of the church I serve and for the witness of the people reading this devotional. I pray that you and I would live our lives in such a way that our witness might lead others to faith in Christ.

May God grant you the grace to be a witness for Christ today.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are 2 Kings 24, Jeremiah 22, Psalm 112, and John 18.

God Loves You Anyway

"A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." -John 16:32-33 (NIV)

My devotional last Friday, about people not being able to fool God, wasn't meant to be a threat. In fact, it's rather comforting if you think about it. Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray him and yet he still invited him to participate in the Last Supper. Jesus still washed Judas' feet. Judas was probably even sitting in the seat of honor at the table with the Lord. We can't fool God, but God still loves us. We can't fool God but that's why we shouldn't even try. We don't have to act like we love Jesus in order to get him to love us. God loves us anyway. That's grace.

It's a grace that's evident in today's suggested scripture readings. Jesus is telling his disciples that they will be persecuted because they are his followers. They will be thrown out of the synagogue. People will want to kill them, thinking that doing so is a service to God. Then he predicts that the disciples themselves will abandon him, each going to their own home. Surely Jesus will follow this prediction with some stern rebuke of the disciples, right? If his own disciples, with whom he's spent the last three years of his life, will run, a good tongue lashing before he dies might be in order, don't you agree?

Not so. Jesus says that he warns the disciples of their abandonment not to reprimand them, but so that they might have peace. It's as if Jesus is saying, "I love you. And I know you love me. But you're still going to make mistakes. You're still going to sin. And when you do, don't despair. Don't think that your sin precludes my love. I'm totally aware that you'll still sin. But I have conquered sin! So take heart, my disciple, and have peace."

We should strive to become more Christ-like, not in an effort to earn God's love, but as an appropriate response to it. May God grant you the grace to experience his love and respond to it by turning away from sin. Don't beat yourself up about your sin; just look to Jesus. Take heart and have peace, precious one: God knows you're a sinner and loves you anyway.

Tomorrow's suggested scripture readings are Jeremiah 18-20, Psalm 93, and John 17.

You Can't Fool God

His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. -John 13:22 (NIV)

Not too long ago, I was sitting at a restaurant having lunch by myself. At the table next to me were two women. The door to the restaurant opened and another lady walked in to pick up a take-out order. She saw the two women sitting next to me and approached their table. The woman sitting closest to me quickly got up, hugged the woman picking up her order and said, "Oh, it's so great to see you! I have missed you so much!" The three women spent a few minutes visiting before the third woman received her order and left the restaurant.

No sooner had this woman exited the restaurant than the one who greeted her so warmly sat back down and said to her dining partner, "I can't stand that woman!" And then they resumed the conversation they were having.

In the suggested scripture readings for today, Jesus is at the table with his disciples. It will be the last meal they share together before his crucifixion. Jesus, troubled in spirit, announces that one of the twelve will betray him. We are told that it is not clear which disciple Jesus is talking about... one of them even asks, "Lord, who is it?"

Why is it important that no one seems to know which disciple will betray Jesus? Well, it suggests that up to this point Judas has not done anything to give the other disciples reason to suspect that he is a betrayer. In their presence, Judas apparently acts like everything is okay, like he loves Jesus wholeheartedly and is faithfully committed to him. It's like the women sitting next to me in the restaurant. Based on the conversation I overheard, I assumed that they really loved the woman who came in for carryout...until I heard the comment after that woman left.

The women sitting next to me were successful in fooling the woman who came in for carryout. It appears as if Judas is able to fool the other disciples. But Judas did not fool Jesus. Jesus knows what Judas is really thinking. Jesus knows what is really in Judas' heart...which makes it all the more amazing that Jesus still washes Judas' feet and shares this last supper with him. Talk about grace!

This morning, I'm prompted to examine my own heart. In what ways am I masking what I really think? In what way is there a disconnect between the image I convey and the reality of my heart? I may be able to fool you but I am not fooling God.

May God grant us grace to realize that we cannot fool God today.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Jeremiah 10-12 and John 14. Sunday's readings are Jeremiah 13-15 and John 15. I'll be back on Monday with a devotional based on Jeremiah 16-17, Psalm 96, and/or John 16.

The Fragrance of Love

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair.. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. -John 12:3 (NIV)

A few weeks ago, my wife and I went out to lunch. She was craving meatloaf and I decided that meatloaf sounded like a good choice for me as well. But when we placed our order, the server told us that there was only one helping of meatloaf left. Knowing that my wife was really looking forward to meatloaf, I told her that I would order something else. Nothing says love like giving your wife the meatloaf, right?

There are no stories of a husband giving up meatloaf out for his wife out of love in the Bible. But in today's suggested scripture reading, there's an even better example. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are hosting a dinner in Jesus' honor. While Martha is serving and Lazarus is reclining at the table, Mary takes a bottle of expensive perfume, perhaps the most precious thing that she owns, and pours it on Jesus' feet. Why would she do this? The short answer is "love." And John tells us that this fragrance of love filled the house.

How might you fill your house or your office with the fragrance of love? May God grant you the grace to pour out your love on those around you today.

Tomorrow's suggested readings are Jeremiah 7-9 and John 13.

Still Willing

Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow-disciples, 'Let us also go, that we may die with him.' -John 11:16 (NRSV)

Thomas and I have more in common than just our names. I can relate to him wanting to see the resurrected Christ before believing (John 20:25). After all, the other disciples were given that opportunity...why not him? And I can also identify with Thomas' feelings of resignation in today's suggested scripture readings. My experience as a Christian is that it's often not easy to follow Jesus.

The good news is that Thomas does follow Jesus. He displays a willingness to assume leadership in the group by saying, "Come on, lets' go with Jesus." But let's be honest: he doesn't exactly sound happy or joyful about following. After all, they're going back to a place where Jesus' life had already been threatened and where Thomas and the other disciples would no doubt face similar threats. True, Thomas' acknowledgement that they're all going to die is probably not going to prompt a book to be written about his motivational skills. Nevertheless, he's still willing to follow.

What I appreciate about Thomas is that he seems to realize that following Christ is not always joyful. Oftentimes it leads to persecution and in some cases death. And yet he is still willing to do it. I want to be obedient like that! I want that kind of resolve. I hope you do too.

May God grant you the grace to be obedient today, still willing to follow Jesus regardless of the cost.

Tomorrow's suggested readings are Jeremiah 5-6 and John 12.

Places and Faces

Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed...-John 10:40 (NIV)

One of the reasons why I love going back to Ole Miss each fall (there has to be a reason other than watching us lose football games the past two years) is to see the places and faces that helped transform me into the person that I am today. It was at Ole Miss that faith became more than something I had because my mother wanted me to have it. It was Ole Miss that I began to faithfully study God's word. It was at Ole Miss that I began to understand the importance of surrounding myself with Christian community. It was at Ole Miss that I began to see that God could even use me to be a source of light and love in the world. Some of the most meaningful spiritual experiences that I've ever had with God occurred while I was at Ole Miss (and no, I'm not talking about a football game).

Sometimes it's good to see the faces and spend time in the places where we have encountered God most vividly. I think that's what Jesus is up to in the suggested scripture readings this morning. He's made his way back to the place where John often baptized people. It is likely the same place where Jesus himself was baptized, where he heard God speak to him and assure him that he was doing what he was supposed to do and that God was well pleased with him.

Who are the faces and where are the places where you've most vividly encountered or experienced God? Any chance you could spend some time in those places with those faces again soon? I hope so.

Tomorrow's suggested readings are Jeremiah 3-4 and John 11.

The Grace to See

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. -John 9:1 (NIV)

On Saturday night at our 7th Annual Fish Fest Christian Music Festival, one of the artists was Json, a rapper from St. Louis. In between songs as well as in his music, Json shared his testimony. He was born into a broken home to a mother who was a drug addict. By the time he was 16, he was addicted to drugs, had already spent time in jail, and had joined a gang. It was in jail that Json encountered Jesus Christ and since that time he has committed his life to being a faithful follower of Jesus. He travels across the country teaching, preaching, evangelizing, and rapping for the glory of God.

On some level, it sounds as if Json may have been blind to the power of Jesus in his early years. But if Saturday's night's testimony through word and rap was any indication, he now sees with great clarity the love and grace of God as well as God's purpose for his life.

Today's suggested scripture reading features a blind man who is given sight by Jesus. What stands out even more for me than this man born blind, however, is the other people in the story. They're blind too, although they don't realize it. They think they can see but they really can't. The danger in being blind but unaware of it is that you never seek to see.

I'm sure that I am blinded to things about myself...things that need to change. Perhaps the same is true of you. May God grant us the grace to see these things today.

Tomorrow's suggested scripture readings are Jeremiah 1-2 and John 10.

In the End, It's All About Healing

Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat." =John 5:8-10 (NIV)

This coming Saturday will the 7th Annual Fish-Fest Contemporary Christian Music Festival here in Fayetteville. Organizers expect 1,000-2,000 people to attend the event at Lincoln County High School. Gates open at 3pm and the last act should be finished no later than 10 pm.

Almost inevitably when Fish-Fest rolls around, I will hear or overhear a comment about contemporary Christian music. "It's not worship, it's entertainment." "They sing "7-11" songs, which are songs that have seven words sung eleven different times." "People sing with their hands in the air to draw attention to themselves." I suspect that you've heard these things being said and may have even said them yourself.

I confess that when I first arrived as pastor here, I had some of those same thoughts and concerns about contemporary worship. I was raised in a much more traditional worship setting and it was through those worship experiences that I found healing and hope. But then I began to witness that the Holy Spirit works in contemporary worship settings as well. I realized that most, if not all, of our contemporary worshipers don't view it as entertainment at all; it's heartfelt worship. When people raise their hands, it's in sweet surrender to Jesus, not to draw attention to themselves; in fact, some of the worshipers often feel led to raise their hands during worship but don't because they don't want to draw attention to themselves. And the songs? Yes, the songs are sometimes repetitive but they are memorable and I find myself singing them throughout the week.

I couldn't help but think of how people view different styles of worship when I read today's text. A man who had been an invalid for 38 years was sitting near the Sheep Gate pool. When Jesus saw him lying there, he asked the man if he wanted to be made well. Then he told the man to get up, take his mat, and walk. The man was at once healed and did as Jesus commanded.

There were witnesses to this miracle who could care less that the man found healing and hope. They were instead concerned because this healing and hope had happened in a way that they didn't believe should have happened: on the Sabbath. They focused on the bad (that a Sabbath law had been broken) rather than on the good (healing had taken place). I liken this to the negative view I used to have of contemporary worship despite the incredible way that God was using it bring healing and hope to others.

I assure you that the point of this devotional is not to convince you to like contemporary worship. Traditional worship is a wonderful expression of faith and offers healing and hope. I'm thankful to serve a church that has two styles and people who are blessed by each style. But the point of the devotional is to recognize that God often brings healing and hope to people in ways that you and I may not personally like or desire.

May God grant us the grace to desire healing and hope in whatever way God chooses to offer it.

Tomorrow's readings: 2 Kings 22, 2 Chronicles 34, and John 6.

For God So Loved the World

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. -John 4:13-14 (NIV)

Some of you have already noticed. The title of today's devotional is from yesterday's suggested readings. Did Tommy make a mistake? Shouldn't that have been the name of yesterday's entry?

It's not unusual for me to make a mistake. And yes, I could have focused on that verse yesterday. But there's a reason why I've chosen to focus on it today.

In yesterday's readings, we're told that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. God did not not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)

It's one thing to say that God loves the world. It's another thing entirely to actually see that love in action. That's exactly what is happening in today's scripture.

Jesus is weary and stops at a Samaritan well for some rest and some water. While he is there, a Samaritan woman approaches and Jesus engages her in conversation.

Now, Samaritans and Jews did not like one another; hatred would be a more appropriate word. Jews believed that Samaritans were impure and Samaritans held the Jews in contempt for their unwillingness to accept Samaritan help in rebuilding the Temple after their return from exile.

Not only did Jesus travel through a country that most Jews would have completely avoided, he stopped to rest and enjoy a drink of water from one of their wells. Not only did Jesus engage in conversation with a Samaritan while he was there, promising eternal life as an expression of God's great love discussed in John 3:16-17, but he did so with a woman, which in that day was also very unacceptable. Not only did Jesus speak to and provide comfort to a Samaritan woman, he did so to a woman who had a history of broken relationships and questionable decisions.

The good news of this text is that when John records that God loves the world so much that He sent Jesus to save the world, God really means it. God's desire is to save the world: the people that others hate, the people that others won't talk to, the people that others seek to ignore, the people who are especially broken and void of lasting relationships, Christ came to save.

May God grant us the grace to love the world and offer the gift of living water to anyone who needs it today.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggestions are Nahum 1-3 and John 5.