Daily Devotional for February 25, 2017 – Is Your Faith Rock Solid – or a Chink in the Mortar?

Matthew 16:18    
So I will call you Peter, which means “a rock.” On this rock I will build my church, and death itself will not have any power over it.

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

My great-grandfather, Ellis Ramsey, died when I was about 11 years old.  I remember sitting on my great-Granny’s lap and hearing her say, “Everything is going to be okay.”  I actually recall a lot about that moment in the worn and weathered living room of my great-grandparents’ little farm house at Wilburn, Arkansas. I can picture how Granny held me as she sat on a small white ottoman…the black dress she was wearing and how her long white hair was pulled back from her face…the weariness in her eyes – but the fact that she did not cry.  When I told my mother what Granny had said to me, she replied, “Granny is a strong woman…she is like a ‘rock’.”

No doubt, you know a few people who are “strong like a rock”.  You may have even said to someone who has encouraged and supported you in a time of need…”You are my ‘rock’.”  So when we read in Matthew 16:18 that Jesus has referred to Peter by the Greek meaning of his name, we see that He is most likely saying, “Your demonstration of faith will be like a ‘rock’ of strength and support to others. I will build My church on such faith and fortitude.”

I believe that this is also a call for us, as Jesus’ disciples, to “be the rock” for someone else…to demonstrate unwavering faith…to assure them that, because of Him, “everything is going to be okay.”  We can do this by demonstrating grace, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, and kindness.

We can operate with calm and in a peaceful manner…behave rationally…and forego judgments of others.  We can stand up for what is right and true…champion those who are oppressed in some manner…and denounce misinformation.  And we can do all of this with a spirit of love and decency that is fortified by the power of Jesus Christ.

Think about those who serve as YOUR rock…who demonstrate Jesus’ love and teachings – and demonstrate a firm foundation of faith. Consider those in your circle of influence who need to see the same from you. Can Jesus depend on you to offer others a firm foundation of faith in Him as demonstrated by your words and actions – free of cracks and holes where the devil can gain a foothold?  Isn’t it time He could count on you to do your part as His disciple?  Don’t you think this is a good day to begin?

©2017 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for February 24, 2017 – What’s the Condition of YOUR “Soil”?

Matthew 13:20-21
The shallow, rocky soil represents the heart of a man who hears the message and receives it with real joy, but he doesn’t have much depth in his life, and the seeds don’t root very deeply, and after a while when trouble comes, or persecution begins because of his beliefs, his enthusiasm fades, and he drops out.

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

I cannot remember a time when I didn’t know about God. My earliest recollections include nightly prayers and little songs like “Jesus Loves Me”.  My mother wrote of leaving my sister, brother and me with my Grandmother Polly…and returning to find her rocking us and reading her Bible – or studying her Sunday school lesson. I can picture both of my grandfathers sitting at night and reading their Bibles.  I was “drug” to church every week until I married!

When my niece Jasmine was little, we talked a lot about God…and I know she and my mother and grandmother had a lot of talks about Him, too. Ever since Timothy was a little baby, I have talked to him – and then Zola and Nathan, also – about God.  We’ve read “God books,” and I have sung songs to them about Jesus, Joseph and Mary.  One of their all-time favorites is an old spiritual…”Mary Had a Baby, Yes, LORD!”  Each verse ends with, “The people keep a comin’ but the train done gone.”  I cannot say for sure, but it seems that this last line is a reference to the Underground Railroad – and the train being a “way out”…as Jesus’ coming denotes our way out of sin!

I share all of this to say that my siblings and I were “firmly planted and deeply rooted” in the teachings of Jesus long before we were old enough to even fully understand His tremendous gift and sacrifice.  When we did start to comprehend what Jesus did for us on the cross…we were already in love with Him.  Staying committed to Him was made easier because of the “nutrient-rich soil” in which we were situated…and the encouragement and nurture we received from others.

You and I have a responsibility…to share the love and teachings of Jesus Christ in such a way that others become firmly rooted in their faith and grow according to God’s will.  Of course, we must first be well established…or we’ll be like the plant that Jesus describes in this passage. If a “heart” for Jesus is not ingrained in us, our efforts to serve Him will wane…and our witness will surely be affected.

How do we establish a strong “root system” for our faith?  We must immerse ourselves in “all things Jesus”.  We must pray…often and always.  We must study scripture and physically make ourselves available to do the work of serving others in Jesus’ name.  We must talk about our faith with fellow believers.

I am thankful for my Christian heritage…for Godly parents, grandparents and extended family that nurtured and encouraged me – and shared their wisdom and experience base. As our little ones grow in their faith and familiarity with Jesus, my heart is filled to overflowing with joy that they are “growing roots” that will hopefully sustain them for a lifetime and beyond to even more generations. And we are doing all that we can to provide them with “nutrient-rich soil” in which to establish these “roots”.

Even if you did not grow up in a nurturing, faith-filled environment, you can still have “deep roots.”  You can start here…today…to do the things I have outlined that will enable you to develop a strong foundation on which to build and share your faith.  You can fortify the “soil” with nutrients of prayer, Bible study, service, and Christian fellowship. And you can help to build a legacy that will endure for generations to come.

This is God’s calling on us as His children and faith-filled believers in Jesus.  We are to fill His “garden” with beautiful, strong, healthy plants that bloom for His glory.  Are you doing YOUR part in this process?  Isn’t it time you did?

©2017 Debbie Robus