Morning devotions

Be A Preacher

/ The Pastor

“Grant me, Lord, to know and understand which is first, to call on Thee or to praise Thee? and, again, to know Thee or to call on Thee? for who can call on Thee, not knowing Thee? for he that knoweth Thee not, may call on Thee as other than Thou art. Or, is it rather, that we call on Thee that we may know Thee? but how shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? or how shall they believe without a preacher? and they that seek the Lord shall praise Him: for they that seek shall find Him, and they that find shall praise Him. I will seek Thee, Lord, by calling on Thee; and will call on Thee, believing in Thee; for to us hast Thou been preached. My faith, Lord, shall call on Thee, which Thou hast given me, wherewith Thou hast inspired me, through the Incarnation of Thy Son, through the ministry of the Preacher.“
[Augustine, S., Bishop of Hippo. (1996). The Confessions of St. Augustine. (E. B. Pusey, Trans.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.]

I read this in The Confessions of St. Augustine and was inspired to write the following poem. May God lead me to be a preacher for someone who does not know Him so that they, too, may call on Him who saves – praising His name through Christ Jesus my Lord.

Why do people not call on You?
Why are they so silent?
Why do people call on other gods?
Why is Your praise so absent?

You are higher than the gods.
Your power is by far greater.
Your love is infinitely more awesome.
Through Jesus You are my vindicator.

Why do people not call on You?
Why are they so silent?
Why do people call on other gods?
They seem to be so ambivalent.

People just coast through life.
With nothing but their own power.
They just have no idea, Lord.
How close is their final hour.

And so I sit and wonder, “why is this so?”
“Why are people such lost creatures?”
But God convicted me and said,
“But I have made you to be their preacher.”

Never Alone

/ The Pastor

Have you ever felt discouraged, attacked, beaten down, driven away like chaff or defeated? Have you ever felt like running away, hiding or curling up into a ball to wait out what’s afflicting you? Have you ever felt alone, lost or hopeless? Have you ever wondered if God actually cares? Have you ever wondered if God really knows what is going on or is doing what He said He would do? Well, you are not alone – and in more ways than one. First of all, you are not the only one to feel this way and second, you are never alone. God, your Shepherd, is always watching His sheep – He is always watching over you. Satan may get his punches in, but Satan will never remove and devour the sheep of the Shepherd, our God through Jesus Christ. And so, raise your voice to the Shepherd, but know – you are never alone, and Satan will never win.

Satan is on the prowl,
Looking to devour,
And I feel so defenseless.
He bites and scratches,
Wounds are appearing,
Injuries sustained,
Energy is draining.
And there is nothing I can do to stop him.
Hopelessness is his goal.
Lostness is his desire.
Oh God, come and rescue me.
Smash out his teeth,
Destroy his goals,
Slay the lion,
Leave him defeated.
Oh my Shepherd,
Keep me close to You,
May Your rod and staff comfort me,
Lead me through this dark valley,
May I once again see green pastures and still waters,
As You lead me in Your path of righteousness;
Healing and restoring my soul.
Satan is on the prowl, but YOU, oh God, are my Shepherd.
And thus, I am yours,
In Your house dwelling,
Forever and ever to worship You.
Amen.

Abundant Wisdom

/ The Pastor

1 Timothy 2:1–4 (ESV) ~ First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

James 1:5 (ESV) ~ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Oh God of all wisdom,
Wisdom seems to be in short supply,
But people stepping up to the microphone are abundant.
People raise themselves up to be leaders.
People raise others up to be leaders.
But rarely is it considered: Are they wise?
Rather, what is considered are qualities that are flawed and fleeting:
Appearance
Power
Money
Intelligence
Ability to make people feel certain things
Ability to manipulate words.

But wisdom, oh wisdom, is in short supply.
Without wisdom, we can not lead Your people to fear you – to live peacefully.

Oh God, You give generously to those who ask for wisdom.
Oh God, I now ask that you may give wisdom generously to:
Our president
Lawmakers on every level
Judges
Lobbyists
Teachers
Law enforcement
Media professionals
And so on and on…

And, oh God, I ask for wisdom for myself.
May I be a wise leader:
in my family
in my church
in my community
May I strive to glorify you and be obedient.

Oh God, wisdom is indeed in short supply, but not with You. So please give generously out of Your infinite supply that we may lead peaceful lives glorifying You. I don’t ask for my glory or for my comfort but for Your glory.

Oh God of wisdom, please give generously – please give generously.

Through Jesus Christ my Lord I pray,
Amen.

Creation Chorus

/ The Pastor

As the morning sun rises above the horizon, shining it’s life-giving light for the world to see, may my rising this morning shine the glory of your love and grace.

As the birds sing their beautiful song, filling the air with joy and peace, may I sing Your praises of joy and peace that comes only through Jesus my Lord.

As the flowers open to receive the sun’s light, soaking up every ray, may my heart be open to receive Your Word, soaking up every promise.

As Your creation is faithful in returning praise to You, may I not cease to worship You and thus be put to shame by the rocks crying out.

And so, as this new day begins, fill me with Your Spirit that I may join the creation chorus as we joyously sing Your praise in beautiful harmony.

To You be the glory, oh God, this day and always.

Amen.

Beginning the Day

/ The Pastor

Holy God,
You have redeemed me through the blood of Your Son –
my Lord Jesus Christ.
You have set me apart to be a light in this world.
You have seasoned me to be the salt of the world.
You have filled me with Your Spirit.
Oh God,
may I stand apart from this world –
shining a “strange” light within it –
one that makes people take notice as it shines the way to Life eternal.
May my dealings with the world open eyes and my love draw people to You.
May my conduct be holy and my words speak the Truth.
May I see the trials in my life as Your holy plan to bring me to maturity so that I may show the world Your glory through my faith.
Bless this day, oh God, as I engage my mission field.
May my life be all about You.
All praise be onto You, always and forever. In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.

Abounding God

/ The Pastor

The morning dew covers the ground
I know that Your love so abounds.
Your grace surrounds me all around.
I thank you that my life is found.

But now I enter the battleground.
My Lord, Jesus, I seek to resound.
May Satan be completely bound.
For You are always ever crowned.

Good Morning, Sweet Lord

/ The Pastor

To God be the glory this morning and everyday. Seek His Spirit to guide you and keep your eyes firmly fixed on Him. God blessed your night that you may bring Him glory. So, let’s get underway…

_______________________________________________________

Good morning, sweet Lord, I’m refreshed this day.
And ready to follow You in Your way.
It’s Your love I desire to display.
Good morning, sweet Lord, let’s get underway.

Carrots

/ The Pastor

I am tired of the world’s empty promises,
for it cares nothing for me.
It promises satisfaction.
It promises fulfillment.
It dangles its promises before me as a carrot before a horse,
and I can never quite obtain it,
always falling short –
lacking,
hungry,
unfulfilled.
But You have promised me Your heart, oh God.
No empty promise.
No dangling carrot,
rather You lovingly feed me the carrot and I am filled.
Now it’s You I long for,
but You long for me more.
I desire You,
but You desire me more.
I strive to know You,
but You know me –
more.
And yet, You still feed me carrots?
No strings attached?
No empty promises?
I am fulfilled.
Oh God, please feed me more
carrots.

Praying the Psalms ~ The King of Glory

/ The Pastor

Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord , strong and mighty,
the Lord , mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory!
[Psalms 24:7‭-‬10 ESV]

Oh, who is not guilty of glory-stealing? We all are. We all seek to satisfy good ole number 1 — ourselves. That is why I am always convicted when I read these verses from Psalm 24. But God, the King of Glory is worthy; Him and Him alone. Just reflect and meditate on what God has done through Jesus Christ and you will soon be reminded of why He is called, the King of Glory. Let us pray…

Oh to praise You, oh Lord.
Oh to sing of Your mighty name.
For Your name is glorious,
Your name is Life.
You have lifted me up from the miry bog of sin and have rescued me from the clutches of the Deceiver.
You have sealed me with Your Spirit and marked me for Life.
You have claimed for me an inheritance through Christ Jesus my Savior.
You have shielded me from my enemies; placing a guard over my soul.
You reign victorious and thus Your title, “the King of Glory”
But I confess that at times I have sought my own glory. I confess that at times I have tried to make it about me.
Oh God, King of Glory, I confess and repent. Forgive me.
I open the gates of my heart that You may enter in.
You are my King.
You are the Creator.
You are the Mighty One.
You are the Lord of hosts.
There are none that can compare with You; none that can stand against You.
There are none beside You who is worthy of worship.
You are the King of Glory.
Oh Lord, my God, the Lord of hosts,
To You I lift up my head and praise You.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.

His and Yours

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

The following is something I wrote for our July 21 Sunday bulletin; a section called, “Pastor’s Corner”. I thought I would share it with all of you as well…

While on vacation and visiting my parents, my children were treated to multiple golf cart rides with grandpa. On our last day, grandpa took each one on a ride, and as it turned out, to the grocery store. Upon their return, I could see a big smile on their face while they held a plastic grocery bag. Inside was a treat that grandpa spoiled them with. One cannot help but to smile at this. But don’t confuse a relationship like this with your relationship with God. He doesn’t take you to the “grocery store” to give you your heart’s desires, but rather to show you His. It is not about what you want but what God wants for you. But when you align your heart to God’s, through faith in Jesus, you will always return from the “store” with a smile because you will have received the desires of God’s heart, which will be your desires as well. Seek His will, not Your own, then and only then will you get want you want.