Daily Devotional for April 23, 2024 – Seeking sensible instruction and using sound judgment…are you sure you can trust your “messenger?”

Proverbs 13:14-17
Sensible instruction
    is a life-giving fountain
that helps you escape
    all deadly traps.
Sound judgment is praised,
but people without good sense
    are on the way to disaster.
If you have good sense,
you will act sensibly,
    but fools act like fools.
Whoever delivers your message
can make things better
    or worse for you.

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

It happened to me again last week…for a hot minute, I believed the information of a trusted “friend” on Facebook, only to discover his “news” was not true. A local meteorologist I follow showed photos of a giant water moccasin said to be swimming in Lake Ouachita in south Arkansas. Several people noted that they have seen some really big snakes there…but then one person said, “I saw this same post somewhere else last year!” Sure enough…more people began to say this was an old post – purportedly to be from another state on another waterway. 
 
I have no doubt that the meteorologist thought these photos and the accompanying data were valid…he is not given to false reporting. But it just goes to show how easily you and I can be duped. And nowhere do we have to be more careful these days than media of all kinds. Just because we see something on the Internet – or read it in the newspaper – doesn’t make it so. And this brings me to the last verse of this passage…“Whoever delivers your message can make things better or worse for you.”
 
My example shows that even trusted “messengers” can sometimes provide misleading or false information. I would have been embarrassed if I had shared the post about the snake. But it wouldn’t be the end of the world. However, if I share claims that run counter to scripture, intend to disparage or demean a certain person or group, or misinterpret God’s word and commands, I can do great harm. We need look no further than the wild claims and rumors that swirled during the COVID pandemic – or the declarations of certain “people of faith” that God’s blessings are only offered to those from this religious belief or that group or lifestyle – to see the damage that can be done.
 
Yes, it is often tedious work to get to the truth. God never promised us “easy.” But He did give us everything we need to know…every command, proverb, and lesson to guide and guard us. God gave us His word – and the privilege of direct communication with Him 24/7 – so that we can dig deeply and find His truth over the din and dishonesty of the world. The rest is up to us. It seems to me that Solomon is telling us that we have a choice…we can assume that what others tell us is right and true. We can go along to get along and simply accept the words and actions of the crowd – or the claims and tenets of the people and groups to whom we wish to belong. Or we can do the hard work of getting to know God for ourselves – and strive to always speak and act as He commands.
 
As Solomon tells us…“Sensible instruction is a life-giving fountain that helps you escape all deadly traps. Sound judgment is praised, but people without good sense are on the way to disaster. Whoever delivers your message can make things better or worse for you.” My prayer is that we would dig deeply, seek God’s sensible instruction, use good sense, and only trust and serve one Messenger. Alleluia!

©2024 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for April 6, 2024 – Stick with Jesus through thick and thin…and He’ll always stand up for you!

Matthew 10:32-39
“Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I’ll cover for you?

“Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy. I’ve come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don’t deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don’t deserve me.

“If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.

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.

When I was teaching kindergarten in another city, I became friends with the school librarian. In fact, I played the piano for her wedding to a city cop who seemed perfect for her. My friend could not stop talking about her wonderful husband. He often visited and shared lunch with us in the teachers’ lounge. They were faithful members of a local church. And in retrospect, no other teacher’s husband visited the school that often. This “attentiveness” and how my friend gushed and shared too many intimate details about her husband and their marriage should have been a “sign” that something was amiss. 
 
Not long after I moved away, a mutual teacher friend phoned me to say that this couple had separated and divorced…and the husband had become somewhat unhinged. In fact, he lost his job with the police department, only to be hired as a city police chief in South Arkansas. This cop persuaded my friend to visit him on their wedding anniversary – even though they were now divorced. Fellow teachers begged her not to do this…but as a devout Christian mother, my friend felt she should at least try one more time to reconcile her marriage. And it went horribly wrong. The cop took my friend out on a deserted county road, strangled her, then dumped her body at a hospital emergency room. She died a few days later.
 
I can still see the bruises on my friend’s neck as she lay in the casket. I trusted this cop implicitly…I would have called him in any emergency with complete confidence. We would all discover as the murder trial unfolded that this man had a history of spousal abuse. I learned to be less trusting – and more skeptical. I learned the value of speaking up when you even think something is amiss. Better to be wrong and apologize than be right and miss an opportunity to prevent disaster.
 
In recent months and years, I have become even more dubious as people I love – and thought I knew as faith-filled followers of Jesus’ teachings – have said and done hateful things. These were not “under the radar” – but publicly, on social media and elsewhere. They have supported people who promote evil. They have claimed that their Bible says that hatred and discrimination are justified in certain situations (of their choosing)…and they have perpetuated lies that must surely grieve Jesus to His core. Several individuals I admired and respected for decades have endorsed people and groups who openly advocate evil, discrimination, bias, and hatred…and they have looked the other way and/or justified their stance – often with the weak excuse that “they’re the lesser of two evils.”
 
Even as my siblings and I rolled our eyes, my mother would say, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” Jesus is telling us here that standing up for what He truly teaches and commands won’t always be easy – not by a long shot. It may mean countering the words and actions of friends, family members, leaders, and others in your community and beyond. This may mean we have to “unfriend” some folks, distance ourselves from certain groups, and sever ties that span decades. We may have to be more cautious and less trusting. Some may have to walk away from jobs, political affiliations, social circles, and even church bodies.
 
I will always feel like my friend made the hard choice…that she prayerfully left an abusive situation for the sake and safety of herself and her daughter. And then, she let this man persuade her to “try one more time” – with deadly results. What if she hadn’t gone? How different would the lives of so many be? And what if we “cut ties” with those who we hear Jesus telling us do not represent His teachings and commands? What if we stand up and say to Jesus, “If it costs me everything in this world – and every human relationship – I will stand with You and speak and act in Your truth!” and let Jesus handle the rest? What if we fully surrender to the One who gave everything for us…and see where He takes us? I’m ready to see what happens…are you? Alleluia!

©2024 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for February 16, 2024 – Keeping it simple, and walking in the way of Christ…everything of God gets expressed in Him

Colossians 2:8-10
Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that’s not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.

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.

I have told you before how I studied the sermons and teachings of a particular evangelist in the early 1990s. I will say, this stirred a hunger in me to dig deeper and learn more. But I soon discovered that this person was interpreting scripture in a way that fit his personal agenda – and lined his pockets – as he preached about the wealth of Jesus and how He desires that you and I be wealthy, too. And, oh by the way, this man needed our generous donations to buy a new multi-million-dollar jet to travel the world and further the Kingdom of Heaven! Now, I do my own “digging” and spend time reading, researching – and praying about what God intended in a particular verse or passage of scripture – and I “give” as my Heavenly Father directs!
 
Over the years, I have learned that people often use a study of scripture – or a church setting – to promote their own agendas. And often, they can’t help but become political with their arguments. I remember a Sunday school class we attended once where the leader went off on a tangent about Ishmael, the son of Abraham. He declared that Ishmael became the “father of Islam” and the Arabs – and he used this as a tool to denigrate Muslims and Middle-eastern cultures.
 
If you do some research, you will see that while Islam considers Ishmael to be a prophet, there is plenty of contradictory information regarding Islam and this son of Abraham. My research most certainly does not bear truth that Ishmael – or people of other faiths – are enemies of our faith. Let me just interject here that I believe if you are fearful of anyone who practices another religion, you need to check your own level of faith in Christ Jesus. Surely we are stronger in our discipleship than this! Other faiths are not contagious, and quite frankly, Jesus would eagerly interact with these people and show them love and grace. But you can see how easily things get twisted and “massaged” to fit a narrative and/or personal agenda.
  
This is what Paul warns us about in these verses. I go back to my kindergarten classroom rules and the ultimate aim to “keep it simple.” You may recall that my “rules” were to 1)Be kind to others; 2)Work and play quietly; and 3)Respect other people’s property. If the words or actions of my students violated any of these rules, they were out of line and subject to consequences (which were also specified).
 
Today, we could easily follow these same rules in our lives as disciples of Christ Jesus. When we are kind to others, work and play quietly, and respect the property of others, we are following the teachings of Jesus – which Paul reminds us are “everything of God.” We don’t need to add anything to this…we can measure every single thought, word, and action against these tenets. If there is any misalignment, we know what to do and how to make all necessary corrections. We also know the “consequences” if we fail to make these adjustments.
 
As we continue to focus on Jesus – His life, death, resurrection, and all that He demonstrated – let’s remember to “keep it simple” and focus solely on Him. I love how the first verse of Psalm 23 explains this…“The LORD is my Shepherd…I have everything I need.” We do indeed have all that we need in Jesus. Let’s stop trying to add man’s opinions, attitudes, and bias to the mix. Alleluia!

©2024 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for June 6, 2022 – It’s time to follow Jesus’ rules!

Mark 7:7
It is useless for you
to worship me,
when you teach rules
made up by humans.”

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

Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “The LORD helps those who help themselves.” Many believe this is a real scripture verse. However, this is not an actual verse found anywhere in the Bible. An online article titled “11 Things You Think Are in the Bible, but Really Aren’t*” outlines several phrases many believe to be Biblical, such as “God helps those who help themselves…God will not give you more than you can handle…” and “Love the sinner, not the sin.” My all-time favorite comes from a former co-worker of my husband, who used to say, “If you lie, you fry – Hezekiah 3:5.” (You do know there is no book of Hezekiah in the Bible, don’t you?!)

I listened to a sermon yesterday about the scripture passage in Genesis 11:1-9 where people were all speaking the same language and planning activities and structures designed to make them autonomous. They said, “We’ll become famous, and we won’t be scattered all over the world.” The pastor hinted that perhaps this is where the first “clique” and bias/racism originated. But God caused the people to speak in different languages and scattered them all over the earth. This is the story of how the city of Babel got its name.

The point is that we have interpreted, molded and shaped scripture and “teachings” to fit our own personal agendas. And in doing so, we have demonstrated and taught rules made up by humans rather than ordained by Jesus. So many people are citing scripture these days to justify this bias or that preference. We hear much about a “Christian nation” and “God and country.” Human rules are being touted by more than a few as “scriptural” or “Godly.” I find it interesting how often these same people cannot locate a single verse in the Bible to support their ideas…but offer plenty that have been twisted or “rephrased” to suit their personal whims.

We all need to dig deeply into the Bible and see where we have taken what is there and “massaged” it at best to fit our personal agendas and preferences. Where have we made up the rules and claimed that Jesus said or did it? Where have we decided that what the Bible says – or doesn’t say – doesn’t matter, unless it lines up with what we want to believe and practice?

How did we wander so far away from Jesus’ actual rule that we “Love one another?” It’s time to find out…and set things right. With prayer, study and a commitment to the truth of Jesus Christ, we can find our way back to genuine worship and discipleship. There is work to be done – and it’s time to get busy!

©2022 Debbie Robus

*11 Things You Think are in the Bible But Really Aren’t