CALM, COOL AND COLLECTED Daniel 2

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President Eisenhower spoke these wise words–‘the important is seldom urgent and the urgent is seldom important.’  This maxim, the Eisenhower Decision Principle, helps people focus on long-term goals, ignoring what needs to be ignored.  How often I’ve fretted over something that never happened.  Or when it did, the outcome was better than I feared.  So much wasted energy.  And I don’t possess a huge stamina-reserve to fritter away!

Daniel is certainly up against it.  A ‘wise man’ trainee, who’s been forcibly abducted from his homeland in Israel to ungodly Babylon.  Now all the high mucky-muck ‘wise men’ fail King Nebuchadnezzar by flubbing his demand to recount his nightmare dream-details and interpretation, meaning it’s literally lights-out for all including Daniel and his three friends.  Unless.  Now he faces the urgent and the important!

What does Daniel do?  Tell you what I’d do.  Pack my bags, escaping on some hush-hush camel train.  Cash out my investments, turning shekels into gold bars, fleeing under the cover of darkness.  Craft a nifty disguise as a female jockey.  Whatever it takes to save my hide!

Not Daniel.  Beginning at chapter 2, we see him approaching the King asking for extra time, hoping to return with some answers.  Holds out for a breather.  Takes a step back.  Why?  Daniel gathers his three friends asking them to pray to God for mercy and insight into what troubles the king.  Pray!  Not just to save themselves, but the lives of all the king’s ‘wise men’ (v.18).  Prayers are offered–important and urgent pleas.

Answers come from the Lord.  The exact right ones, of course!  Verses 20-23 overflow with Daniel’s praise to God for all His help–‘To you, O God…I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what was asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter’ (Dan. 2:23).

Is it too demanding and exhausting to lift our voices in prayer to Jesus?  And to ask a few trusted Christian friends to join in?  Answers will come.  When?  I don’t know.  In what form?  Not a clue.  Who can we trust?  That I know…and so do you.  Our great God–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

Good reminder on this our country’s 4th of July!  That trust business, I mean.  ‘In God… we trust.’  Agreed?

 

Thank you, Lord, for helping us when we need it most.  Amen.

 

 

 

QUITE THE DIFFERENCE Psalm 123

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You’ve heard it said that youth is wasted on the young.  Squandered and down the tube.  Only them?  Can hear my Grandfather Fischer saying– ‘you’re smart like your father, you dope you!’  Rocket science riddles my DNA!

Reflecting on my early bird church ministries, I admit the following–too young, too immature, too self-centered.  Can you imagine?  Better not.  What’s best is a resolve never, ever to be that way again.  Too smart, too late?

Early career centers on a church membership number’s game–large…larger…largest!  I’m at the helm, of course, with most of the work done by underlings; likewise, of course!  I’m riding my high horse, too big for my you-know-what.  Hey, it feels good to confess.  Especially to the Lord.  As if He doesn’t already know?

When I receive my final church call, it’s truly miraculous.  For years I’d pray for that church as I exercise walking by it.  Then I’m asked to fill in for two summer Sundays, only to discover that they want me full-time.  Really?  Me?  Must have passed the test with flying colors.  Or they’re totally desperate!

Mostly, I feel a tug from the Holy Spirit to do whatever the Lord wants me to do.  For Jesus, first of all.  Then to find the lost, pointing them to the Savior.  For all of us to know Him better.  To push out the church walls, so to speak, supporting mission work way beyond our four walls.  To stay as long as He wants me to, along with the congregation’s glad nod.

My overall task?  To love Jesus and His people from a heart of service.  Feel the difference?  I’m glad the Lord allowed me to sink deep down in a churchy swamp.  For He pulls me out, and places me on dry land.  Just like for Jonah and that big fish.  I used to be the big Fisch!  No longer.

As it says in Psalm 123:1-2(NIV)–‘I lift up my eyes to you…to the Lord our God…’  In Hebrew language, the word order is different.  It reads literally–‘To you I lift up my eyes…’  Who’s numero uno?  Top of the list?  You know.  ‘To you…’–the Lord!

When we focus on Him, first and foremost, the world looks different.  You’ve noticed?  We can even bear bad breaks, knowing that Jesus makes all things better and for His own good (Romans 8:28).

Maybe this message isn’t only for me.  Someone else needs to take note.  Is that you?  Get off yourself and…well, you know!  Don’t you?

 

Thank you, Jesus, for being our Lord forever.  Amen.

WHOSE PERFECT LOVE? 1 John 4: 7-21

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Searching for a new family practice doctor proves stressful.  Getting an initial appointment seems like asking for a miracle.  Takes months before new appointments can even be scheduled due to you-know-what that we’ve all been trying to live with.  I don’t even want to name it as I’m sick to death of it, figuratively speaking, thank the Lord.

Two months ago, calling the recommended clinic phone number at 7:30am, not my best time of day, I almost beg for an appointment, knowing there’s no way I’m getting one.  Not with that certain physician I prefer.

Remember about that miracle?  Well, it happens!  The Lord opens a door for me even with my faith being almost nil.  Yes, I get that appointment.  And it’s months off so I can relax a bit.  Ahh!

Until the day arrives.  Mask on, looking like the Lone Ranger, off I go about a mile away to the medical building where my new doc works.

Frazzled nerves an understatement.  Not his, mine!  What if I can’t stand him?  Or he’s pushy, wanting me to undergo immediate myriad procedures, seemingly funding his early retirement.  Tests and more tests.  Med’s galore.  All with my back to the wall.

I’m sitting in a tiny cubicle awaiting either Drs. Kevorkian, Jekyll or Frankenstein.  At that moment, a Bible verse pops into my fear-riddled mind–‘Perfect love casts out fear’ (1 John 4: 18).  Where did that come from?  You know and so do I.  From the Lord.

Hearing my anxious cries, He responds.  A word so gentle I wonder if I’ve made it up.  But I haven’t.  Unfortunately, however, I must admit that my love is far from perfect.  More like puny and dinky.

What I sense is nothing audible or scrawled upon the clinic walls.  No visions or signs.  Just a mellow whisper reminding me who’s love is perfect.  Hardly mine.  It’s Jesus’ love that’s coming my way.  And it’s mighty perfect!

Looking up I notice a crucifix above the doorway.  But it differs from usual ones.   Jesus has His hands raised in triumph as if ready to fly off the cross straight up to heaven!  I’m in a Roman Catholic hospital network that hasn’t forgotten the Great Physician, who I’m also seeing this day.

Here’s His message–it’s not your love that matters so much.  Not at this moment.  It’s His perfect love…for me and you.  Need some?  Who doesn’t?  Jesus’ perfect love helps wipe away jittery, shivery-quivery worries, along with weak-kneed butterflies that drive us up a wall…right to Him!

I’ll admit it.  I’m made of clay and dust.  But Jesus?  No way.  He’s perfect in every way!  Amen?

PS–I really like my new doctor.  So far, at least!

 

Thank you, Jesus, for being with us in scary places and times.  Amen.

COUNT MY LUCKY WHAT? Genesis 1

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A financial guru, referring to successes in the stock and bond markets (except for last Thursday!), urges us to ‘count our lucky stars’.  Do what?  Star-gazing seems more credible to moderns than praising you-know-who.  Better to grab hold of a ouija board?  Lady luck?  Check out your horoscope?  Your zodiac sign?  Karma chameleons!

I get so sick of it.  Don’t you?  How could Christians not?  Such an insult to God, the One and Only.  And rejection is everywhere.  Well, almost.  The Lord has His own to remind us who He is.  Has been.  Still is.  Always will be.  So, remember–don’t forget!

Hear the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah–“This is what the Lord Almighty says…’To whom can I speak and give warning?  Who will listen to me?  Their ears are closed so they cannot hear.  The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it'” (Jer. 6: 10).  Words so old they’re new.

Certainly true of our society.  Might as well turn to tea leaves.  See what the Dalai Lama has to say.  Or the Buddha.  Or infallible science, which changes quicker than those chameleons.  Or to politics, which unites bringing such peace and harmony.  As in our backyard city of Seattle.  Yeah, right!

But, to be honest, we’ve fallen down on the job when the thought of spending quality and quantity time in the Bible is too much bother.  After all, I’ve got my own agenda to look after.  Do my own thing.  Look after number one…Me!

Where does all this lead to?  If not for God’s grace and mercy, I’d have been ditched decades ago.  But He saw me through.  He was faithful when I was not.  Just me?

My best times are when I’m in concert with Jesus.  Harmonizing with His ways.  Singing His tune and lyrics with Him as lead singer.  You too?

If not, here’s where to start.  Open your Bible.  Read a psalm or two each day, every day.  No speed reading.  Turn off phones, tablets, whatever.  How about daily pouring over a chapter in John’s Gospel?  Not for information.  But for you and Him.  From your loving heart to His.

Get closer to Jesus.  You know that you can count on Him.  So forget those lucky stars!

 

Lord, we want to be close to you.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

 

REALLY LIVING 1 Thessalonians 3

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Don’t we all want a life worth living?  Not just putting in our time, waiting for the grim reaper.  Marking off earth’s calendar ’til heaven’s shores.  Hoping beyond hope not to mess up too much.  Less troubles.  More triumphs.  How sad to be given new life in Jesus only to fritter it away, hardly denting the enemy’s stomping grounds.

Making a mark for Jesus and His Kingdom–that’s what we want.  Listen to the Apostle Paul–‘…in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.  For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord’ (1 Thess. 3:7-8).

Really living.  Nothing phony-baloney.  Even through tough and terrible times.  Especially then.  We’re encouraged to faithfully stand firm for Jesus.  The old hymns rightly sing–‘I shall not be, I shall not be moved…’  So, ‘Stand up, stand up for Jesus…’.

This kind of living has little to do with our net worth.  Or how many bathroom suites we have in our home.  Or which academic degree hangs above our desk.  Or how big our church membership happens to be.  Or almost anything else for that matter.

Real life has to do with being in tune with Jesus.  With God’s Word resonating within as our tuning fork.  Standing proudly next to Him.  Unashamedly outspoken for Bible teaching, being careful to be compassionate and caring.   Encouraging others.  Giving more than receiving–not only money.  His follower rather than His leader.

Life in Jesus seems quite different from the world’s definition of success and meaning.  Does that come as a surprise?  Shouldn’t.  On my better days, it doesn’t.

So today I’m going to align myself closer to Jesus.  Grab onto Him for dear life with some good old-fashioned faith.  Put Him first for a change.  Join me?  Why wouldn’t you?

 

Father, please make my life more for you and others.  For Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

 

 

LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW Genesis 50

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I still remember certain accusations hurled my way.  Some complaints air their ugly heads during a church elder’s meeting decades ago.  Seems now like a different lifetime.  It’s my Dickensian ‘best of times, worst of times’ experience.

What was one infraction laid at my feet that night?  A former secretary points her finger at me saying that one time, upon entering my office, I was looking out the window.  Hmm.  What?  Really?  Daydreaming?  How disillusioning!  Such heinous behavior!  Should be fired on the spot while being tarred and feathered!

When I heard this bum rap, I looked around the room (not out the window!) knowing that Candid Camera’s Alan Funt must be lurking somewhere in the shadows.  Had to be a joke.  It wasn’t.  Church leaders were shocked when others mentioned that I wore shorts downtown during summer weather.  Worst of times.

The best began when I left that church of my own free will, discovering that the Lord had much better in store.  Like for Old Testament Joseph, who stays faithful throughout his worst times.  How I’d love to be like him, but to be honest…  Well, you know.

One door closes while another opens with the Lord Jesus as my trusted doorkeeper.  Locks the one behind me.  Unlocks so many good ones before me.  As in a successful 20 year financial planning career.  The icing on the cake being 14 years serving a small, loving church in that same town.  That thankful fellowship now honors me as their pastor emeritus.  Smell of tar dissipates!  Feathers all blown to smithereens!

Genesis 50: 19-21–“But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid…You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  So then, don’t be afraid.  I will provide…’

God allows bad things to happen to His people.  Not all peaches and cream.  Some noxious weeds grow in my field.  Some of my own planting and others that blow in from outside.  All within God’s knowledge and care.

Someone reading this devotional needs to give the Lord all the good and the bad.  The best of times and the worst.  He’ll make something beautiful of them both.  As only He can…and will (Romans 8:28).  I had a choice.  Curse Him for dealing me a rotten hand?  Or see what He has in store.  Same choice for you.

The Lord handles our lives so much better.  I know.  I’m still learning to lean on Him.  He’s not done with me… or you… yet!

 

Thank you, Lord, for seeing us through to a better future.  For Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

GREAT TIME TO BE A CHRISTIAN 1 Thessalonians 2: 1-16

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Really?  Great time?  Am I crazy?  Should I crawl out from under the rock I’m hiding under?  Get my head out of the sand?  No.  These are great times to be a Christian!

I know it’s not politically correct, as battles for the Lord are getting harder to win in our culture.  Losses mount.  Labels of bigotry and narrowness hurled our way.  Certain notable moral issues cause major rifts.

Saying you’re a Christian leaves you wide open to nasty comments.  But so what.  Rejoice!  You’re on God’s team.  If we lose this battle, we know that God has the ultimate victory!   For sure.

But family and friends?  That’s when the rubber meets the road.  We’ve lost some.   Hurt and sorrow tear at our hearts.  So, we pause and consider.  But hasn’t Jesus warned us (John 16:33, Matthew 10:34-39)?  Comes as no shock?  Yet it does.  After all, we’re not made of stone.  More like dust and clay.  Rejection hurts.  Scorn stings.

I sense the Lord wants to toughen me up.  Thicken my hide.  Be who I say I am.  I could use some of the Apostle Paul’s gutsy hard shell.   I don’t mean rudeness or arrogance; which, unfortunately, I have resorted to at times when cornered.  But more like what Paul says –‘We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.  You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed–God is our witness.  We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else’ (1 Thess. 2:4-6).  See what I mean?

When studying for my masters at Princeton Seminary, many of us took a social mobility test.  The results?   Most, me included, wound up as ‘country club managers’, making sure everyone was happy and taken care of.  Peanuts and drinks well supplied.  No controversies.  Everything cool and collected.  The model pastor?

Not what the Apostle Paul has in mind!  Stand tall for Jesus.  Lean in next to Him, holding on for dear life.  Helps us stay upright.  Tempered with love and humility.  And have a great time!

 

Lord, give us the strength to be yours regardless of anything.  For Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

 

TWISTED Psalm 106

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For the past 30 years, I’ve read the Bible from cover to cover.  After retiring from the pastorate, I’ve committed to in-depth study of God’s Word and its original languages.  For no other reason than to know the Lord better.  To get closer to Jesus.  Be more like Him?  A hope with little howling success to brag about.

What I notice is that my internal view of God can be quite different from what I encounter in His Book.  A good example can be found in Psalm 106:1–‘Praise the Lord.  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.’  God is so good.  His love lasts forever.  Praise God!  Clear as a bell.

But deep inside, I’m waiting for His other shoe to drop.  One more mistake and my house of cards collapses.  Unfortunately, He knows all about me.  One more slipup and out the backdoor I go?  God’s anger lingers with an even longer memory and shorter fuse?  Will He pull the rug out from under me at the slightest provocation?  Pour salt on exposed wounds?  This is what I think.  Like I said, twisted and contorted, like our filbert tree out front.

My off-kilter views of God need revising.  All those years of sin done by me, and what’s been aimed at me by others, take a heavy toll.  Paying out at a devastatingly high price.  Warping my ideas of God.  Putting the kibosh on my relationship with Him.  Just little ol’ me?

That’s why I keep my head deep down in my Bible every single day.  Week by week.  Year by year.   Ignored and cobwebs show up, skewing my spiritual vision.  I really want to experience something like this– ‘…that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may share in the joy of your nation and join your inheritance in giving praise’ (Psalm 106:5).

Relishing God who is so good and even more loving than I can imagine.  Dare I suggest that you too might need a bit more time in God’s Word?  If so, the skies grow clearer, so to speak.  The air noticeably cleaner.  Fog lifts as you mosey along with Jesus!

Arm in arm.  Hand in hand.  Exactly where I want to be.  Come on– join me.  There’s plenty of room!

 

Thank you, Lord, for opening our eyes to your goodness and love.  Amen.

TOO COMPLICATED? Psalm 92

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At times I’ve made my search for God’s will way too complicated.  Hemmed and hawed, tied up in knots, pinned-down with indecision.  An old friend could rarely make up his mind about almost anything.  He searched for divine signs high and low, under rocks and trees.  Even the color of a squirrel that crosses his path discloses God’s decision about whatever.  Really?  Very strange!

Others I’ve known test the Lord through fleece contests, wondering what His answers will be.  Superstitious use of a ouija board, reading a horoscope, prognosticating tea leaves, all of which I don’t recommend.  If any of these apply to you, stop!  No ifs and or buts.

Still want to know God’s will?  Listen to Psalm 92:1-2—‘It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night…’  Praise… thanks… and singing to Him!  That’s not too complicated, is it?  Hey, it’s exactly what He wants.  No exceptions.  No shilly-shallying waste of time.  His or yours.

Love Jesus.  Worship the Father.  Be filled with the Holy Spirit.   A Gaither gospel song keeps running through my mind–‘Jesus Is Lord of All’.  ‘All my tomorrows, all my life, Jesus is Lord of all.’  The song lifts my praise to Jesus.  Yes, Lord…of all!

Want to know God’s will?  The Presbyterian Westminster (1647AD) Larger Catechism’s opening question gets down to brass tacks–‘What is the chief and highest end (purpose) of man?  Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever.’  It’s that simple.  Easy as pie.  Child’s play–for such is the Kingdom.

Glorify Him.  Enjoy Him.  Fully!  That’s not too complicated, is it?

 

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us and giving us your salvation.  Amen.

NIGHT TERRORS Psalm 91 and 1 John 4:16-18

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I’m not alone experiencing ‘night terrors’.  Waking up in the wee hours gripped with anxiety’s sweat.  Like the psalmist writes–‘…the terror of night…the pestilence that stalks in the darkness…’ (Psalm 91:5-6).  Apt description, wondering when yet another of life’s shoes will drop.  Especially during these pandemic times.

But our psalmist offers hope– ‘…you will not fear the terror of night…nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness’ (Ps.91:5-6).  We won’t?  How?  Easier said than done.

Prayer offers me relief.  Startled awake, I spend time with God, reducing fear and panic.  I’ve much to pray about.  Asking relief for those up against it.  Help for family and friends.  Praising Him for so much.  Prayer pushes worry to the exit.  Shoved out the door.  Not enough room for both.  At least for awhile.

Here’s more help.  1 John 4: 16–‘And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.’  God’s love, known and relied upon.  But to be honest, I fear God’s punishment more than I rely upon His love.  The back of His hand more than His helping hand.  His patience running dangerously thin.  Distrusting His love more than trusting it.

Sorry to admit this.  Shameful for a retired pastor?  Hey, the Lord knows.  Comes as no surprise to Him.  After all, honesty with Jesus is never rejected.  It’s repentance and humility He looks for.  As in owning up.

1 John 4: 18–‘There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear…’  Letting God’s love simmer in my soul helps cast out fear.  Holding onto Him for dear life.  As if nothing else really matters… but Him.

Yes, I’ve a long way to go.  I’m neither faultless nor flawless.  Not even close.  Barely out of the starting gate.  Still in faith’s kindergarten.  But when I think of how much I love our children and grandchildren, and how each one is far from perfect, yet how much I love them anyway, then how about God and His love for you and me?  Think about that this week.

 

Thank you, Jesus, for being our Lord and Savior… and Friend.  Amen.