Author Archives: revjaf

NEVERTHELESS Luke 5

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A certain lawyer always intimidates me.  Has a way of keeping me at arm’s length, letting me know who’s boss.  One day I’m called by this legal eagle’s office for certain financial planning information which I know is all wrong.  My chance arrives!  I’m ready to pounce upon this legal beagle with my right as rain straight stuff.  Gotcha!  Finally!  Thank you, Lord!

When this solicitor gets on the phone, the first word I hear is this–‘Nevertheless…’  As if to spout off–‘I don’t care what you say.  Just give it to me’.  Oh, how I’d love to!

Blasted member of the bar almost sends me to the nearest watering hole.  Nevertheless…I stay sober but in a blue funk, down in the dumps, chewing on a bitter pill!

In Luke 5 Simon Peter and Andrew, along with James and John, are out fishing but with nary a bite.  They’ve worked hard all night when the catch should be at its best.  But this industry offers no guarantees.  They know the risks.  Its fishy ups-and-downs.

Yet here comes someone who happens to be a carpenter.  Callouses from totally different work.  May know about wood and hand tools, but fishing?  It’s Jesus!  Listen to Him when these pro’s know best?  Who’s He to tell them what to do?  Buttinsky and meddler?  Nevertheless…Simon casts the net to where he’s told.

Simon’s pride and know-how say to forget it.  His heart says to follow.  His better judgement gives way to the Master’s wisdom.  Faithful obedience overcomes what his eyes can’t see.

Is there something in your life that you need to toss the net to on the other side?  Where it seems fruitless?  Giving it one more try?  Humbly listening to someone else for a change?  Praying more while not letting go?

I’m thinking of so much that I need to let Jesus handle.  Taking my net and tossing it His way.  I get in the way so often.  Don’t want to, yet here I am smack dab where I shouldn’t be.  Like some smarty-pants judicial know-it-all.

Nevertheless…Jesus still wants to help.  Will you let Him?  Toss the net His way?  Why not?

 

Lord Jesus, please help me.  In your name.  Amen.

 

 

 

ONLY TWO TYPES? Isaiah 65

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Are there really only two types of people?  On the one hand, certainly not.  As in ancestry, interest levels, intellectual abilities, artistic talent.  You name it and there are scads of different folk in this world.  Can’t think of anyone in my family who’s the same as me.  Who said, ‘praise the Lord’?  I heard that!  Sounded like first cousin once removed so-and-so!

On the other hand, Isaiah 65 states that spiritually there are only seekers and forsakers.  Now, it’s true that we can’t see into another’s heart and soul.  But by their fruit, Jesus says (Matt. 7:16).  You can sense something, can’t you?  Telltale inward and outward signs of the Lord?

However, surprises happen.  People we thought were Jesus’ own turn out to walk as far from Him as possible.  I’ll never forget a late night phone call from a denominational international mission executive crying his eyes out to me as his wife, also ordained, has run off with a younger guy of a non-Christian religion.  She renounces her husband and her Lord.  Can still recall the agony and shock echoing in his wailing, howling screams.  We don’t always know, do we?

Check out Isaiah 65: 1-16.  Seekers of the Lord receive abundant blessings.  Note the order.  Seek Him–as when you first turn to Jesus, welcoming Him into your life.  Serve Him and blessings arrive.  Always that relationship with our Lord Jesus comes first and foremost.  Even when material things evaporate, the best of the best is here to stay– our relationship with Him.  Agreed?

Seekers–eating until full, thirst satisfied, happiness and joy abounding, a new name and identity given, sins forgiven and hidden far from God’s eyes.  Wow!  Sounds great?

Forsakers–hungry and thirsty, shamed, broken in spirit, possessing a cursed name even as death lurks in the wings.  Not my cup of tea.  Yet most thumb their noses at God.  Think Him irrelevant.  Jesus–unwanted, rejected, unknown.  Not good.  Tragic and sad, eternally so.

This week be a seeker of Jesus, thanking Him for being your savior.  For loving you with all His heart.  For you are His very own, giving you the very best ever.  Himself!

 

Lord, thank you for calling us your own.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

 

BUT NOW! Colossians 3

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It doesn’t take much to dredge up memories of shameful sins.  Pops into mind with barely a nudge.  Long past messy ones as if they happen yesterday.  Hard to let go of.  Just me?

In Colossians 3: 5-17, St. Paul talks about sinful lifestyles.  Sexual aberrations, greed, idolatries.  You name it.  Get rid of them, he declares.  Put them to death (v. 5).  Good riddance.  Adios.  And, by the way, move on.

He says, ‘But now…’ (v.8).   A new time arrives.  Sin’s slate wiped clean.  Foibles and failures go behind God’s back, out of His sight.  By His free choice.  That’s forgiveness; and, not the least of all, His love.  But now…!

Colossians 3: 9-10,12–‘…(take) off your old self…and put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator…as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility…’  Get gussied up in your new wardrobe!  Rich fabrics and colors.  No expense spared.  Wear humbly for you know who paid for it.  You know, don’t you?

How about getting a different mirror?  One so small that you can’t gaze into it for very long, because you’re busy looking out for others…for Him.  Not always wondering how you look in someone else’s eyes.  What they think about you.  Self-absorbed.  Life’s not all about you or me.  Shocking, isn’t it?  To think there’s others who need us and not always the other way around.  Who’d a thunk it?!

Put on those… NEW …clothes!  Look the way Jesus wants you to.  Be more like Him.  Strong and loving.  Giving.  Caring.  Standing firm on the Bible as God’s unquenchable truth.

New clothes!  You look mighty fine.  Thank you, Jesus.

 

Lord Jesus, to live for you is life at its best.  Amen.

REGIFTING Isaiah 55

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Holidays are just around the corner.  Not really, but the stores sure make you think so.  Christmas stuff shows up awfully early.  Last year in Scotland, we note hotels inviting families to make their Christmas dinner reservations in early August.  Christmas?  Yes, it’s now or never!  Don’t dither or else!

Some of us scrounge around in the attic or down in some dark basement corner or on a back shelf of a rarely used closet for some nifty gift for some unsuspecting family member or friend.  Maybe that gift exchange at work deserves something ultra-precious while extremely expendable!  As in regifting.

Is that what we do with the gifts and skills given by God?  Have an inkling about your ability and aptitude?  Be honest.  What is it that the Lord has enabled you to do for Him, for others?

I’m no Dickens or Shakespeare.  So what.  I’m gifted to share Jesus with others through writing.  I know this.  No if’s, and’s or but’s.  That’s why you’re reading this!

What about you?  Regifting what God’s given you?  Expecting someone else to do what God asks of you?  Might as well tell Jesus ‘no thanks, don’t want it, won’t use it…for your sake or anyone else’s’.  Regift it.

Or you could get with God’s program.  Off your duff…for Him…for others… for a change.  Do I sound harsh?  Actually, while pointing directly at you, I’ve got 3 fingers curled arthritically back at me!

Here’s something else.  Isaiah 55:11-12–‘…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.  You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace…’  If you neglect God’s gift, He’ll get someone else much more willing and just as able.  Then who loses out?

How about saying ‘yes’ to Jesus.  Regifting proves a bad bargain at best.  Get with God’s plan.  Joy and peace drop by.  There’s more– salvation and maturity for others.  Most of all, God’s glory!

 

Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to serve you.  Amen.

 

WHAT’S HAPPENED? Philippians 3

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Following a visit with family in Florida, we fly home to the Pacific Northwest.  My wife prefers the window seat and I gladly take the middle, hoping that the person next to me has recently showered, doesn’t over tip the scales or sneeze all the way from Orlando to Seattle!

However, I’m not sure what’s happened.  I stretch my leg muscles like we’re supposed to on long flights.  Wiggle those tootsies!  I do.  Maybe too much for deplaning introduces me to unbelievable, zinging pain in my left leg, my polio one.  I can barely hobble out.

I check out my infirmity with a physical therapist, wondering if polio returns with latent vengeance.  This medico reassures me that it’s nothing to do with polio and gives me a couple of four-a-day exercises.  Walk up a step and down, repeat again and again…and once more for good measure.  Move those achy breaky muscles!

The results?  In a matter of days, improvement begins.  In weeks, I’m back to normal.  Much to the therapist’s surprise, I do those four exercises EVERY day.  Never miss one.  This therapist isn’t used to people taking advice and following through.  Why not?  Don’t want to get better, stuck in pain and suffering?  Not me.

St. Paul prescribes this–‘But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus’ (Phil. 3:13-14).  This business of advancing and progressing, will it be difficult?  Of course.  Takes determination.  Procrastinators will be frustrated.  Stuck in neutral at best, in reverse even worse.  Serious disciples shift gears into drive.

Most of us don’t like to stick with disciplines. We often poop out at the first sign of a rock and a hard place.  Not St. Paul.  He refuses to hang out in the good old days, digging a cement foundation down memory lane.  Doesn’t gaze back for long.  Nudges forward, embracing the prize of Christ Jesus.  Grabbing hold of promises made and promises kept by our Lord.

How about you?  Muscles atrophying by nesting in the past?  Halt!  Pull up stakes, hit the road, exercising your faith, following through on what you know increases your trust in the One who’ll never let you down.

Some pain?  Of course.   But lots more to gain!

 

Lord Jesus, I need to move forward with you.  Amen.

 

 

HEAR THAT? Isaiah 48

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It bugs me when I’m speaking with someone who’s obviously paying no attention.  In one ear (maybe!), out the other (probably!).  Or some hotshot, who jumps in when I take a breath, interrupting, telling his own story, a much more moving or tragic one, of course!  Few listen.  Too many with big mouths.  Present company excluded?  Me…or you?  If only you’d listen!

Reading Isaiah 48 you’ll notice that the Lord yearns for His people to ‘listen’ to Him.  Ears cocked.  Tuned in.  Isaiah 48–‘Listen to this…(v.1)’, ‘Listen to me…(v.12)’, ‘Come near and listen…(v.16).’  Hear that?

Two ears, one mouth.  A hint?  You think?  As Jesus’ follower, we’re His listener.  One who travels a step behind, eager to hear what He has to say.  Obedient rather than rebellious, being those who suffer life’s twists and turns under their own steam.  Wouldn’t you rather be in the fire with Jesus than out the frying pan without Him?  Think about Daniel’s three fired-up friends (Dan. 3).

Listening to God involves getting into His Word, your Bible.  Making it a meal you never miss.  Oxygen without which, well, you know.  How can you listen if you ignore His words; having, at best, a cursory knowledge?  Can’t!  God’s Word cries out for quality and quantity time.  So dive in.  The water’s fine.  Ready?

Something you’ll want to note about the word ‘listen’, is that it implies a following through, going by the Book, with His flow.  That’s listening.  Not simply gathering information or being a gossip and know-it-all, but to toe the line for Jesus.  Not like the one who preaches–‘do what I say but not what I do’.  No.  Jump in with both feet.  Eagerly catching every word from His mouth to your ears.  To do them.

Did you hear that?

 

Lord Jesus, we say ‘yes’ to you, to be better listeners.  Amen.

 

 

OLD GOAT Isaiah 46

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It happens again when completing an online survey.  It requires my birth year.  To get to it, I scroll down this endless list.  Takes so long, I wonder if it’s even included.  Finally, eureka!  1947!  Guess it means I’m old as dirt, barely standing on my last leg, worse for wear, an over-the-hill geezer.  Enough already.  We get the point.

Thankfully, it takes only a few verses from my Bible to give a much needed lift.  Isaiah 46: 3-4–‘Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth.  Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you.  I will sustain you and I will rescue you.’  See?  Told you so!

Since conception we’re in God’s good care.  Lovingly, He then carries us onward from birth.  Even an old goat like me receives His continuous, unbroken TLC.  Hardly means that we’ll dodge troubles and trials.  I wish… but not quite.  Does mean that God never deserts us.  Never.  Not a snowball’s chance…

That takes faith.  If only the size of a tiny mustard seed, it’s off to a good start.  As best you can, grab hold of God’s promises found in your Bible; which, amazingly, no longer gathers dust on an upper shelf but begins to blow off cobwebs of doubt and fear.  True?  Need a dust rag?

Remember, He’s always near and dear to us.  After all, He’s loved us from our life’s first moment.  Even before (Jeremiah 1:5).  There’s a thought for this week.  Chew on that until it’s well digested.  And then head back for seconds.  There’s lots more goodies where that came from!

 

Thank you, Jesus, for always being with us.  Amen.

 

SLIGHTLY TWISTED! WHO ME? Lamentations 3: 21-26

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If you’ve only read a few of my weekly devotionals, possibly you’ve wondered about my mental health!  These writings may not be the staid and stuffy one’s you’re used to.  Even though life overflows with pandemic fears, political conflicts and serious moral failures, my peripheral vision somehow captures a somewhat humorous angle, though slightly twisted.  Maybe I should be more serious.  Perhaps.  After all, what’s found here in the Old Testament book of Lamentations is hardly a laughing matter.  Not in the least.

The prophet Jeremiah likely pens this lament.  It’s a sorrowful tale about Jerusalem’s destruction.  Tragedy hangs out on every corner.  Violence rushes down streets like Spanish Pamplona bulls.  Tears flood lanes and alleys.  Ruination rules day and night.  As I said, no laughing matter.

Yet, in its midst come these comforting words–“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him'” (Lam. 3: 22-24).

God’s great love…unfailing compassion…daily newness…extraordinary faithfulness.  All together giving us His hope.  When the sky is falling, we need an encouraging word or two or three.  These are them!

Mental health, sprinkled with a random chuckle, pays rich dividends by adding capital to our fragile emotions.  Yet such sturdiness barely happens on its own.  No kidding, more is needed.  And we know whose helping hand reaches out to us.

Grab hold.  Mull over His promises, putting them front and center.  Help has arrived!  For the Lord stays close by.  No matter what comes our way, good, bad or indifferent, Jesus travels right beside us, His hand in ours.

Do I hear a hearty laugh of joy at that thought?  Yes!  And an old-fashioned ‘amen’ to boot!

 

Thank you, Jesus, for always helping me.  Amen.

DON’T IDLE ALONG Psalm 135

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I’ve never been one to sit back watching life pass me by, slipping and sliding through my fingers.  Goes faster than greased lightning.  I don’t need to remind you that the Lord has work for us to do.  So, don’t idle along!

Psalm 135 warns against idols.  I realize I’m shifting gears here.  Idle to idol.  But hear me out.  This psalm red flags idols and those absorbed in them.  It’s true that we don’t live in a culture where carved figurines receive much worship.  On the contrary, our society wants no god of any sort.  Banished.  Given the old heave-ho, including the bum’s rush.

However, in Old Testament times idols are everywhere.  Even in the holy city of Jerusalem.  Could hardly get around without bumping into pagan shrines.  Aren’t you glad we’re not like them?  Idol worshippers.

No, we’re among the smarty-pants.  Whiz kids and know-it-alls.  Our idols are computers and algorithms, profit and loss statements, political shenanigans coupled with never-ending greed.  Everyone bent over, bowing down to their smart phones.  Things which, sooner or later, will go out of fashion, become obsolete or break to smithereens .

Psalm 135:15-18–‘The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.  They have mouths, but cannot speak; eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths.  Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.’

Sounds wise not to get wrapped up in filthy lucre, or go ego-tripping on one’s high horse.  We’ll wind up becoming empty, useless, lifeless, not worth a plug nickel.  Idols that idle away precious life, missing the bus to serve in Jesus’ Kingdom.

So, don’t idle along getting along too well with modern day idols!  Get busy for Jesus.  There’s so much to do.  So much you can do.  Whatever that is, do it for Jesus.  Any ideas?  Then start…now!

Stop idling along!

 

 

Thank you, Jesus, for making life special.  Amen.

THE EYES HAVE IT Psalm 119

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More than 30 years ago, I note some blurring in my eyesight.  When I close one eye, no problem.  But the other contains a gray, cloudy spot.  What gives?  Of course, I panic.  Fear I’m going blind.  Or worse, a brain tumor.  Not long for this world.

Visiting a local eye doctor, he categorizes my ailment as ‘macular degeneration’ for insurance purposes.  Looking up that condition in my handy-dandy hypochondriac’s ‘Medical Guide for Idiots’, I realize that a seeing eye dog is just around the corner.  That’s great, since I’m highly allergic to dog dander!  As it turns out, I don’t have macular whatever.  But this big eye medico’s insurance form shortcut causes me considerable stress and strain.  His two cents’ worth quacks like a duck!

Next I make an appointment with a retinal specialist.  Upon examination he wants to know if I’m a welder.  A what?  A welder?  I can hardly maneuver a hammer let alone an acetylene torch.

His conclusion is that I have a leakage in one eye that will either get worse or clear up on its own.  Not to panic.  If needed, he’ll help with laser treatments.  Fortunately or not, I’ve experienced no change.  Decades later–none better, none worse.

I’ve adjusted to it, rarely even thinking about it.  Using both eyes, they compensate for one being partially blurry.  Both together give me rather clear vision.

That’s how the Bible works for those of us who believe in Jesus.  One eye alone, focused exclusively on this world, blurs and distorts.  Life’s meaning tilts out-of-whack, not sure exactly what we’re seeing.  Confusion more than clarity.

Using both eyes, so to speak, as in also reading the Bible, digging deeper within on a regular basis (sorry, once in a blue moon doesn’t cut it!), digesting what it says, allowing trust to grow in our Lord, while becoming obedient to His will, gives understanding as plain as the nose on my face.

Psalm 119:18–‘Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.’  And Psalm 119:105–‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.’  Let His light shine.  There’s plenty more where that came from.

 

Thank you, Jesus, for your Word that lights my way.  Amen.