Daily Devotional for May 14, 2023 – It’s time to sit with God, calm down, and trust Him to show us next steps

Isaiah 30:15
The holy Lord God of Israel
    had told all of you,
“I will keep you safe
if you turn back to me
    and calm down.
I will make you strong
    if you quietly trust me.”

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

Earlier today, Greg and I watched CBS Sunday Morning, which featured several segments regarding the immigration crisis at our nation’s southern border. One “data point” noted that if every unemployed American took a job, we would still have over 4 million open jobs. I looked at Greg and asked, “Why can we send a man to the moon, but we cannot figure out the solution to this problem?” His answer was…“Because ‘we’ don’t want to.” And he is so right! The hatred and selfishness in this country – and the world at large – has run rampant.

We don’t want to get along with the other guy. Like a petulant 3-year-old, we don’t want to share. Yesterday, we had a birthday lunch for our oldest nephew. His mother was looking through a box of toys and found a string of skulls. Since Halloween is her favorite holiday, she expressed great interest in these as a “swag” for decorating. I told her that Nathan and I bought those at a thrift store when he was three, and he still plays with them. Greg said, “I think she wants them!” I told my niece she had better consult her youngest son first…and she said, “I’d better leave them here.”

Honestly, I think that Nathan would probably be glad to give this decoration to his mother. But so many people in countless situations do not want to give an inch – or share anything with anyone else – including the love of Christ! We find dozens of ways to discriminate and isolate…and quite frankly, I am just done with it. Yesterday, the Arkansas United Methodist Conference ratified the disaffiliation of 67 churches in our state. A United Methodist pastor remarked online to a woman from one of those congregations that she and others who chose to stay were “in a great position to start something new.” Honestly, some are so weary and beaten down from the ugliness and heartache of all this that I am not sure they have the energy to rebuild – at least not yet. And that’s okay.

Before you take me to task and remind me that “with God, all things are possible,” read this verse in Isaiah 30 again. I hear God telling me to take a breath, calm down, and sit quietly with Him for a while. I hear God saying, “Step away from the division and hatred, and trust Me to guide your next steps.” Perhaps if more people on both sides of the issues of racism, bigotry, hatred, sexism, and discrimination of all kinds took a breath and sat quietly with God, His answers might become clearer. Rather than propel us forward willy-nilly…or heaven forbid, move ahead with the insistence that we are right, and the other guy is wrong – perhaps we should sit quietly and let our Master tell us what to do next.

I realize that some issues like the border crisis are pressing and all but demand an instant response. Still, there is no harm in taking a breath and asking God to determine the next steps. And in some situations, it may take a little longer for God to straighten us out and get us going in the direction He desires. Let’s not be afraid to do the work. Let’s not hesitate to sit quietly with God and put our trust in Him. Let’s turn back to God and calm down…and give Him plenty of room to work. Alleluia!

©2023 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for March 1, 2019 – Is your Christian faith an “incidental addition” or the real deal?

Matthew 7:24-29
“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

“But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”

When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying—quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.

People are watching…and we are among them!  If I asked you to name someone you felt truly lived out their faith, I would hope that several people would come to mind.  But if I asked you instead to think of someone who was “all talk and no action”, I’m afraid you would be able to list quite a few. Too many have made a career of looking good and saying the right things…of showing up for Bible studies and worship services…of raising their hands in public and offering to vocally lead others in prayer.

But when the doors are closed – and the chips are down – who are these people in Christ Jesus?  None of us gets a free pass in this world. Is their faith strong when they struggle? Are those who make public displays of “faithful discipleship” completely different people in the privacy of their own homes and familiar circles?  Do they claim to love Jesus and then mistreat others or disparage them?  Are they quick to judge and discriminate?  And are you among them?

More than once, I have had someone tell me…”I don’t believe that very many people who profess to be faith-filled Christians are being truthful.”  This comment was based on personal observations…often by someone who was struggling with his/her own faith. I realized just how many people are being turned off by the “un-Christian” words and actions of so many who claim to live for Jesus. And I have to say, this is a disturbing thought!

Read this passage again, and then give yourself a “Spiritual check-up”.  Ask the really hard questions…”Am I using the words of Jesus, Bible studies, attendance at worship services, and more such “demonstrations” like incidental additions to my life – or to give the appearance that I am Godly? Are the commands of Jesus the fundamental foundation of my daily living?  Have I built my life upon The Rock and Redeemer…and does it show in my words and actions?”

Make whatever necessary adjustments are needed to get your actual life in line with what you present to the world – and how you serve Jesus. People are watching.  What – and WHO – are you showing them?

©2019 Debbie Robus