Only imagine...

Last night, I was blessed to be the guest of my mother-in-law at a concert.  Now, some of you, or perhaps most of you, may not either know this group, or like this group, but I both know it and LOVE it.  Il Divo - four singers - Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, baritone Carlos Marin from Spain, the French pop artist Sebastien Izambard and tenor David Miller from the USA - gave an amazing concert!  The blend of voices is like nothing else... well, except perhaps some LAJ singers, but I digress...  Il Divo means "divine male performer" in Italian, something fans of the group agree is a fitting title!  Over 2 1/2 hours of heavenly music and we left wanting more...

Heaven... it's going to be a lot more than 2 1/2 hours of heavenly music.  And... we won't be leaving, but we will be wanting more.  Well, I don't know that for sure, but I can sure guess it to be true!  Singing, praising, loving... and being in the presence of God forever - it's beyond anything I can possible imagine or grasp with my finite mind.  I cannot imagine not being there... can you?

And how might you know you will be there?  Glad you asked!  You see, God makes it very clear in the Bible that we need to believe.  And God knows our heart, whether or not we truly believe.  Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God?  I mean, really believe it!  'Cause He is, you know - yes, He came to earth as a human, but look at the things He did, the miracles He performed, the healings that happened, etc.  Yes, He died at the hands of those who hated Him for what He did and who He was.  But yes, He rose from the dead - He was not in the tomb in which His body was buried.  And... He appeared to people after His death, telling them He will indeed be with them and come back for them, so they get to spend forever with Him.  It's all true, you know... it's in the Bible. 

• Do you believe? 
• Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God? 
• Do you believe you have done things in your life that are not what God would have you do? 

We all have, you know - it's called a word some people don't like, but hey, it is what it is - sin.  Sin is simply anything that isn't from God.  We all do it because we're human, but we all can stop doing it, or at least work towards that, if we want to.  Actually, we can't do it, but God can do it in our lives.  Yup, we just need to believe. 

If you are not a believer, Jesus is calling you to be one.  It's a matter of truly wanting to stop doing the things you are doing, and saying to God that you want to try things His way.  God loves you so much, and wants you to come to know Him.  He does.  It's true!  Will you?  Listening to Il Divo was like a bit of heaven here on earth, but it doesn't even begin to approach what I imagine heaven will be like.  Not that heavenly music should be an inspiration, but hey, imagine what it will be like to spend forever in heaven with God - we can only imagine!  But it's up to you...  If you want to, pray this prayer with me:

God, I know I am away from you.  I am sorry for the things I do that hurt you.  Please forgive me for this; help me to turn away from these things, and do the things you want me to do, and be the person you want me to be.  Come into my heart and help me to live a life pleasing to you.  Amen.

If you have done this, please let me know: pastored777@gmail.com

God loves you - know this!
And just in case you missed it... God loves you - know this!

Someday, all believers will be experiencing heaven, and perhaps we all might be considered "Il Divo", male or female!  I can only imagine... how about you?

Amen!

F A I T H

So, how are you and God today?  I mean, are you feeling His presence in your life in a strong way?  Wondering where He is, perhaps?  Hmm... wonder no more - read this amazing Bible passage from a very modern translation:

Habakkuk 3: 17-19 (The Message)
Though the cherry trees don't blossom and the strawberries don't ripen, though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I'm singing joyful praise to God.  I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Saviour God.  Counting on God's Rule to prevail, I take heart and gain strength.  I run like a deer.  I feel like I'm king of the mountain!

Doesn't that kind of make you want to just jump up and down for joy!  Every time I read this passage, I feel that way.  God is here, with me, never leaves me, always there for me.  And for you.  And for each of us.  Always.  Through the good times.  Through the bad times.  Through times when life just sucks - and you know it does sometimes!  Through it all...  we can have faith in God, 'cause He just never leaves us, or fails us.

Faith is trusting in God even when you don't feel Him, or see what He's doing, or when you're wondering why, or how, or whatever.  Faith is trusting that God will always be God, no matter what kind of stuff life throws your way.  Faith is always feeling that assurance of God's presence, even if we don't always like what He is doing in/with us, and even when we wonder what in the world is going on!  In all of life's ups and downs, God is that even ground where we can know He is there for us... always...

• Have you been through times when you doubted God?
• In those times, what did you do?  Get closer to Him?  Run from Him?
• Will you trust God, have faith in Him... today and always?

Through all that happens in life, God is there.  Through all that happens in life, God is there.  (repetition intended - we really DO need to know this!)  Just have FAITH!


PRAYER
God, when I doubt, give me faith.  When I wonder, and you don't always give me answers, give me faith.  Thank you, God, for your assurance of always being there, no matter what.
Amen.

Round Peg, Square Hole

Okay, so what do you think?  Are you crazy?  Are you a misfit?  Are you 'one of those'?  I don't know about you, but I often wish I was more crazy (although some would say I am already!), more of a misfit (again, some would say... well, you get the drift), etc.  But every now and then, are you like me and you just see something, oh, differently than most, or wonder why something ISN'T being done when, to you, it just makes SO much sense to do it, or... a million other things that might just qualify you as 'one of those'!

And the Bible...  you know, the Bible is absolutely chock-full of "crazy ones", "misfits", "rebels", "troublemakers", and "round pegs in square holes".  Full of people who saw things differently, and yearned to see things done differently.  And the chief of all these was... yes, you know it... Jesus!  Yuppers!  Now put your stones down and read something from the Bible, something we all should read... a lot...

Isaiah 53:12 
He was counted among the rebels.  He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

The prophet Isaiah was speaking about Jesus.  Jesus - the Son of God - the one who came to earth as a baby and, taking all our wrongdoing on Himself, died a horrible death.  Jesus, the rebel.  How in the world is anyone able to conclude this of this... this... Jesus?

Jesus entered into world history and turned everything upside-down.  Seriously, He did.  Jesus took what the people of the day considered the 'status quo', and told them there was a different way of doing things.  Well, not only a different way of doing things, but a different way of looking at things.  In other words, His way.  And Jesus all but told the people that it was either His way or the highway!  Okay, not in so many words, but He did say we are to honour Him, worship Him, listen and obey Him, pray to Him, and basically surrender our lives to Him.  You know, your typical grocery-list of demands, right?  NOT!  No idols, no doing things their own way, no listening to what others say, etc.  I say it again: Jesus was a rebel.  Jesus IS a rebel. 

And because He is, change has happened, and continues to happen.  And because He is, we have the hope that, if we believe He is the Son of God, and ask Him to live in our hearts, we will live forever with Him:

John 3:16
For God SO loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have eternal life.

That's it!  And that's what makes this so... well, different.  Because we have a hope in Him, which is both a present reality (living with/for Him on earth) and a future hope (living forever with Him in heaven).  And all this because of a rebel, a misfit, a crazy guy who came with a head full of different thoughts and a heart full of different love.  For this, we thank Him.  For this, we praise Him.  Jesus - rebel with a cause!  Amen!

PRAYER
God, thank you for the amazing gift of your Son Jesus - rebel, misfit, whatever.  Thank you for loving us so much to give Him to us, so that we might get to spend forever with you.  Thank you for this 'square peg in a round hole', because without Him, there is nothing!
Amen.

Give us this day...

Okay, did you notice?  Notice what, you might say?  Um, hello!  Did you notice the new name of the blog?  Yea, I guess if you are reading this, then yes, you likely have! 

"Your Daily Ed" was a nice play on words, but there were those who thought the name could be... well, different, better, whatever.  I have to admit, I like "Your Daily Ed", but... kinda draws attention to me, not to whom it should - God!  So... in the spirit of the Lord who gave us the words of the present title, here it is - GIVE US THIS DAY - for better or for worse!

Speaking of "Give us this day...", pull up a chair, grab your coffee (or tea, or whatever), and take a moment to read a portion of what we often refer to as "The Lord's Prayer":

READ:  Matthew 6: 9-13

This is the prayer that Jesus taught to His disciples, His followers.  Jesus wanted them to know how they were supposed to talk to God (which is what prayer is - talking to God!), and so this teaching moment happened.  One of these verses reads:

Give us this day our daily bread...

We think of 'bread' as being a staple, a food, solid and nourishing - and it is.  In this context, however, Jesus was not limiting 'bread' to being only that; He was saying we need food ('bread'), in order to survive - it feeds us and gives us the nourishment we need to keep going - but we also need His Word ('bread', the Bible!).  Confused?  A bit hard to wrap your head around?  Well, think of the Bible, which is God's teachings for us, as what nourishes us and keeps us going - without it, we just get by.  If we can see this, then we can understand that the Bible and its teachings are what we need to live a full life, and so asking God to give to us - daily! - what we need to stay alive in Him is exactly what we should be doing! 

I saw this picture on FB and thought it very appropriate to this devotional:

Don't get me wrong, cake is great - I love cake - who doesn't! (especially chocolate cake with chocolate ganache icing... but I digress...)  However, eating cake just doesn't give us what we need to grow and be healthy!  Eating solid food, like bread, does it - and that's what the Bible is for us.  AND... we are to do this DAILY (remember: "Give us this day our DAILY bread"!). 

• What kind of 'spiritual food' are YOU eating?
• How might your 'eating' habits be able to be changed?  improved?

In this day and age where health and fitness is so huge, why not make certain that your spiritual health is where it should be also!  I mean, really, God said to, so it's not like we should be thinking otherwise, right!

PRAYER

God, help us in our times of spiritual famine, to eat properly, to eat of the Bread of Life.  And God, please give this to us DAILY - our daily bread!

Amen.

New Things

Change... the mere word brings horror to some, excitement to others.  Change... it's all about NEW THINGS, isn't it!  Change...  it's inevitable, it's necessary, it's happening!  Take a moment and watch this clip from a longer message...

(This clip is excerpted from the sermon "Dead in Sardis: Stopped Caring or Trying," preached by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church at the site of the ruins of the Temple of Artemis in the ancient city of Sardis in Turkey)

New things... you make my heart sing... you make everything... groovy! 

Okay, maybe not quite the words but hey, new things DO make our hearts sing... don't they!?!?!?

New things are happening!  New things are exciting; new things are frightening.  New things cause us to stop and think and move ahead and... well, new things mean change and change never stands still!

READ:  Isaiah 42: 1-9 (NIV)

Isaiah 42:9 (NIV)
See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare...

As I look around our congregation, and I see new people, and new life, and new things going on, I am amazed.  Not amazed that it's happening, but amazed with God.  Not amazed that God is doing new things, but amazed by how good God is and how faithful God is when we are faithful to Him.  You see, God is a God who desires that we hear Him, listen to Him, obey Him, and tell others about Him.  If we aren't doing those things - either as individuals or as a church - we can't really expect God to do His thing, a new thing!  Not that He can't or won't - after all, He IS God and is able to do what He wants! - but He really desires that we are faithful.  And if we think about it, we should want to be faithful anyhow, shouldn't we?  Just look at what God has done in our lives, in our church, and we should be wanting to be uber-faithful just 'cause!

Ask yourself:

• Am I being as faithful to God as I could be?
• If not, what do I need to change?
• Am I willing to be part of the change God wants to do in me?  in my church?

God is a God of new things, and it's so exciting when He starts a work, and keeps on working, in us &/or in our church.  I am excited about change - although there is indeed a small element of AARRGGHH sometimes! - because I know God is in it and He is just so good at doing what He does... isn't He?  Amen!

PRAYER
God, thank you for moving and working in my life, in my church, in the world today.  Help me to be faithful, to listen and obey you, and to embrace whatever change you bring.
Amen.

Judge Not...

I once read this devotional, and thought of the amazing message in it; I'd like to share it with you:

When I walked into my office this morning, there was a crisp $20 bill on my desk.  Puzzled, I asked my assistant Carol if she knew where the money had come from.  Carol smiled and said, “That’s an interesting story, Scott.  This morning when I arrived at the office, there was a nice-looking young man in the reception area. He asked if you were here.  When I told him it would be an hour or so before you arrived, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and handed it to me.  He said that you had given him some money several years ago, and that he promised he would repay you. He said to tell you he had a great job now and to thank you.  Then he left.”  As Carol talked, I suddenly recalled meeting that young man. Late one Saturday night, I had been leaving the church office after putting the finishing touches on a sermon.  As I turned out the lights and walked toward the door, I saw the silhouette of a man standing on the steps.  I opened the door cautiously, and the man turned to meet me.  For a moment our eyes met, and I heard him say, “Pastor, I need some help.  My car is nearly out of gas, and I’ve got to get to Austin tonight.  Could you lend me some money?  I promise I’ll pay you back.”  How many times have I heard that line? I thought, and I mentally formulated my reply: “The office is closed.  There’s nothing I can do.”  At the same time, I felt my hand reach for my billfold.  Pulling out what I thought was a $5 bill, I realized too late that I was handing him a twenty.  I wished him luck, we parted and the man melted into the night.  While I had quickly forgotten that moment long ago, he had remembered.  And now I could only be thankful that God’s Spirit had shut my mouth and guided my hand to my pocket.

READ:  Isaiah 11: 1-5

How many times have I encountered a similar situation and ended up not giving anything?  Of course, we must be careful, and we cannot always give something to everyone, but... there's always God, isn't there?  I mean, what about asking God what He thinks we should do, and then just do it?  Sometimes, what we consider to be interruptions or inconveniences may actually be God giving us opportunities to serve Him by serving others.  It all boils down to knowing what God wants us to do before we possibly do the opposite!

Consider how you might do things a bit differently this week...

• How might I "step out" and do something I might not normally do?
• What role does God play in my decisions?  Now?  From now on?

The Bible tells us that perhaps we might be entertaining angels without being aware of it - perhaps the situation(s) we will find ourselves in this week might just be a part of God's plan for us to be reaching out to help others, to serve God by serving other people.  Who knows!

PRAYER
God, may I always err on the side of grace as I give your love to others.
Amen.

God's House or...

READ:  Haggai 1: 4-12

Have you ever been so proud of what you have, that you haven't even given a thought to those who might have nothing?  Have you ever put so much money, time, effort, etc., into your own place, pleasures, etc., that you have neglected to think about God's place, pleasures, etc.?  In the Bible reading, God is telling the people that they cannot neglect His house and His servants; in fact, God is asking them how they can stand to live in their panelled homes while His house is in ruins! 

The people started to build God's house, but then things like money and time became scarce, so they decided to stop building.  However, they didn't stop building their own places; in fact, they made them plush and comfortable places to be.  God says He isn't impressed, that they are not to neglect His place while pouring their all into their own places.  AND... because they do this, God says He will bring hardship on the people, primarily in their fields.  Obviously not a God they should have been ignoring!

So what about you?  Is there something you are concentrating all your efforts on, to the neglect of something you should be concentrating all your efforts on?  Ask yourself that question, and if you come up with something, then ask yourself why you are neglecting what you should be concentrating on.  No, I mean it - ask yourself that.  Out loud.  Ask.  Why?  Because neglecting what God wants us to do, and focusing on what we want to do, is not pleasing to God. 

Whether it is financial support, or your time, or your talents, remember that God is pleased when we give to Him.  His house - the church, us - cannot be neglected, while we do our own thing and concentrate on our own places. 

PRAYER
God, thank you for your Word to us, telling us and reminding us of our obligation to you and your house.  Help us never to focus on the things of us to the detriment of the things of  you!
Amen.