Daily Devotional for April 7, 2022 – The earth and everything on it belongs to God – we’re all on this bus together!

Psalm 24:1
The earth and everything on it,
including its people,
belong to the Lord.
The world and its people
belong to him.

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

Today, our Nathan and his fellow third graders are traveling to a nearby city to visit a planetarium. Yesterday, a photo of Nathan popped up on my Facebook feed. He was eight months old – and making his first trip to the city park with us and his older siblings. I looked at that little chubby face and wondered where 9 years have gone…and I was momentarily yearning for the days when the children were small and happily playing in our living room.

This passage made me think about what is going on in our world. There are aunts, grandmothers and mothers in Russia who love their babies every bit as much as I love mine. Some of those babies have grown into soldiers who are butchering Ukrainians…and those Ukrainians were once precious babies to aunts, grandmothers and mothers, as well. Uncles, fathers, and grandfathers around the world love their children, homes, pets and more. And for the life of me, I cannot understand why one person would think it is okay to destroy another person – or the things that are precious to him/her.

Almost instantly as I think on this, I consider how we treat God…our Heavenly Father. How must it grieve Him to see us treat one another so terribly? What is God to think when we berate, discriminate, judge, exclude, disparage – and physically harm – even one of His children? How must it feel to God to see us disrespect His planet with pollution and literal destruction of land, water and air? Have we forgotten Whose this is…and Whose we are?

As you look around today, consider that the person you are judging (even in your mind) belongs to God. Remember that Russian soldiers and their families are God’s creations, too. I don’t know what kind of evil brainwashing has led some of them to commit such heinous acts against other human beings…but I know that in our own way, you and I disgrace and dishonor God with our words and actions all too often. But there is hope! We can do better!

We can humbly admit to God that we’ve made terrible mistakes – and we can beg His forgiveness. We can make every effort to speak and act in a way that honors and glorifies God and the earth He has created – and everything on it. We can love one another…really love them. We can stop judging, hating and bickering – and start working together as members of God’s great family. We can speak and act in a way that shows others the love and teachings of Jesus. We can do our part to take care of this planet and its resources.

Stop and remember that you belong to God…and so do your “neighbors.” There is room at His table for all of us. We are being called to be worthy of a seat – and to invite others to join us there. Make sure that you are honoring God’s great gifts – and His commitment to you – by speaking and acting in a way that shows your gratitude and respect. Let’s strive to be like carefree third-graders riding on a bus to a planetarium – and figure out how to get along, for the glory and honor of our great God! Alleluia!

©2022 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for August 30, 2020 – Recognizing Jesus – and following His lead

Luke 4:16-20
Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as usual he went to the meeting place on the Sabbath. When he stood up to read from the Scriptures, he was given the book of Isaiah the prophet. He opened it and read,

“The Lord’s Spirit
has come to me,
because he has chosen me
to tell the good news
to the poor.
The Lord has sent me
to announce freedom
for prisoners,
to give sight to the blind,
to free everyone
who suffers,
and to say, ‘This is the year
the Lord has chosen.’”

Jesus closed the book, then handed it back to the man in charge and sat down. Everyone in the meeting place looked straight at Jesus.

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

Sometimes, people do not pay attention to what is right in front of them. We certainly do not learn from history, or we would be heeding the warnings about COVID-19. We would understand that treating fellow human beings as “less than” didn’t work in the past – and it doesn’t work now. We would listen to those who tell us to be careful about what we read and hear – and take a good hard look at who is trying to persuade us. We would spend more time asking God what He wants us to do and less listening to the opinions of mere mortals.

Isaiah foretold of Jesus’ coming…of His power to heal and free the afflicted from illness, burdens, and suffering of all kinds. Yet when Jesus first returned to Nazareth, the people looked at Him like He was from Mars. Who was this “local yokel” claiming to be an authority – on anything? What did the son of a carpenter know about God’s business?

Many still didn’t believe Jesus at first…if you read further in Luke 4, you will discover that some were so un-convinced that they actually tried to throw Him off a cliff. They essentially told Jesus, “If you’re really the Son of God, prove it! Heal some folks, show us some miracles!” And Jesus refused to “put on a show” to prove His sovereignty.

There are a couple of lessons for us in Luke 4. First, Jesus is not a magician who is at our beck and call. We cannot demand that He heal us or make us all get along with each other. We cannot expect Him to comply, just so that we will believe He is the “real deal”. We are a people of faith, and as such, we are to trust in Jesus simply on the merits of God’s word that He truly was sent to save us. God spoke through Isaiah to prophesy that Christ was coming to heal and rescue us. God shows us throughout the Bible how to live and serve with faithful obedience. Whenever we have a question or a doubt, all we have to do is turn to scripture and prayer…and God will set us on the right path.

The other lesson is that we need to return to Jesus and let Him guide our steps. We need to quit listening to human beings who have their own personal agendas and egos to feed…even those who claim to be doing the will of God. We’ve seen this fall apart too many times…and yet we keep making the same mistakes. Let this be the day that you change for good…that you turn to GOD for your answers and leadership – and trust what He tells you.

While God has the power to simply breathe and change the world, He may not instantly heal you or cure COVID-19. God is not likely to immediately bring every human being together in perfect harmony, or repair and restore our planet in an instant. God may show you how to do your part to bring about these changes. He may guide you to wear a mask and stay socially distanced…or to rethink how you feel about certain groups of people. God may lead you to start paying more attention to how you treat your environment – or even to recycle and conserve wherever possible.

If every person paid attention to what God is telling him/her, things would change. People would be healed of sickness and suffering, and “miracles” would happen on all fronts. We don’t need signs and wonders – or a “circus act” to show us Who God is. We have Jesus…and the Holy Spirit! We have God’s word…and immediate access to Him anytime, anywhere via prayer and meditation.

Look around and ask yourself, “Who am I following?” Make this the day that you turn to God and ask Him to guide your steps and your thinking…and to show you how to truly serve His Kingdom and bring honor and glory to His name. Look straight at Jesus, and humbly follow Him – and watch what He does with our faithful obedience.

©2020 Debbie Robus