Monday November 10, 2014

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Don Schmidt

John 9:1-3 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

These verses begin the wonderful story of Jesus healing the man born blind.  It is so fascinating because of all it reveals about the Pharisees and the difficulty they had grasping the obvious.  They were confounded by the miracle, particularly because it was done on
the Sabbath.  But more than that is the reality that Jesus describes in these verses above.

Do we understand that this man was born blind because that was God’s plan?  That his blindness was an essential part of God’s working to be displayed in his life?  Think about the difficulties that he and his parents had to deal with all through his life.  They weren’t victims, they were experiencing God’s plan for them.

The Bible is filled with difficult situations and painful experiences that God brought into people’s lives in order for His plan for them to unfold.  Does our understanding of God and His ways recognize that He does all manner of such things today?  Specifically, that God
will do such things in our lives?  Sudden loss of a job, illness, accidents, birth defects, financial ruin, unexpected deaths of loved ones, good situations made difficult – the list is long.

We have a tendency to respond negatively to difficult things that occur in our lives – more likely to view them as a curse rather than as a blessing.  So how are we going to respond?  Will we recognize and embrace the fact that they present opportunities for us to
experience God’s work in our lives?  Regardless how we view them, we still have to deal with these difficult circumstances in our lives.  But when we see God in the midst of them, there with us and for us, it changes us.  Not only is there is no problem too big or
situation too difficult for us to walk through but He will transform the way we walk through them.

Faith in the Lord produces the heavenly wisdom spoken of by James in 3:17, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”  Think of having the inner well-being described by this verse within us as we navigate the difficult adventures that
God brings or allows in our lives!

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Sunday November 9, 2014

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Isaiah 6:9-10  He said, “Go and tell this people: ” ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’  10 Make the heart of this people
calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes.  Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts,   and turn and be healed.”

Suppose we are walking down the street and we see a man walking along throwing $100 bills in the air.  What would our response be?  Would we ignore him because we doubted that the bills are real?  How about getting angry with him because he’s littering?  Would we stand back and criticize the people scrambling to pick up the bills as they were scattered on the street?

Now, let’s tweak the situation a bit.  Suppose that we happened to be in the bank in line behind this person when he received 1,000 $100 bills.  We stood there and watched the money being given to him.  We then followed the person out of the bank and saw him begin to walk along throwing these $100 bills, which we knew were real, into the air.  What would our response be now?  Would we be scrambling after the money with everyone else?  Or would we be upset with him for littering?    Sounds absurd, doesn’t it – except it’s not!

Today’s verses are some of the most frightening verses in the Bible for they describe a condition that can happen to us and we won’t likely know it.  The condition they describe would cause us to be angry with the man for littering in the above illustration.  The fact that the $100 bills were real would be irrelevant.  We would be consumed with our perceived impropriety of it all.

Think of Jesus and the miracles that He did – particularly those done on the Sabbath.  The Pharisees and religious leaders had a fit and wanted to kill Him for it.  The fact that the stunning miracles were real was irrelevant to them.  They were blind to the reality of what was going on in front of them!  John’s gospel describes their condition (12:37-41):

 37Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: 
   “Lord, who has believed our message 
      and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

 39For this reason they could not believe, because, as
Isaiah says elsewhere:  40“He has blinded their eyes 
      and deadened their hearts, 
   so they can neither see with their eyes, 
      nor understand with their hearts, 
      nor turn—and I would heal them.” 

41Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

To be continued…

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Saturday November 8, 2014

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Isaiah 9:6-7

For many years I tended to stay away from the Prophetic Books of the Old Testament.  My studies would take me to the Prophets, but I wouldn’t sit down and just read them
through.  I was more interested in the history, the Psalms, Proverbs and the New Testament.  That is where I devoted myself.

Meanwhile my wife, Donna, just loved the book of Isaiah.  I would hear her talking about
it and she made it sound like such a special place, filled with treasure.  Fortunately her comments eventually made me curious to find out for myself what was so wonderful about this book of the Bible.  So I deliberately did what I had been avoiding – I read through Isaiah.  And then I read through it again – more slowly.  I am so grateful that I did.  Needless to say, I discovered that Donna was right (as she usually is) – the treasure in Isaiah is extraordinary.

Today’s verses are so amazing, for in them Isaiah describes Jesus!  (For those of you who might question the prophesies, remember these were written hundreds of years before His birth to Mary and Joseph)  Two chapters earlier, he writes of the sign that God will  provide:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a
sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call
him Immanuel.”

The name Immanuel means ‘God with us’.  Now here in these verses printed below he tells us more of this wondrous child that is to come.

6For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, 
       and the government will be on his shoulders. 
       And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 
       Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  

7Of the increase of his government and peace 
       there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne 
       and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it 
       with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. 
       The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

This is our Jesus – Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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Friday November 7, 2014

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Don Schmidt

1 Peter 5:8  Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion looking for someone to devour.

A few years ago we flew from Denver to Colorado Springs (COS) and I had a most interesting experience.  It occurred as we were approaching the runway in our landing in COS.  The flight from Denver was smooth – no turbulence at all.  Typically, this has been a bumpy flight so I thought the smoothness was due to it being early morning when there is little wind and the air is still.

But in our approach I was looking out my window and saw something that indicated that it was really windy in COS.  Just before reaching the runway, our jet passed a reservoir that was covered with white caps.  There were also waves washing up on the shore.

Because the flight and approach were smooth even as the plane changed directions, I assumed there was little wind.  Seeing the whitecaps and waves, surprised me because I recognized they were caused by a strong wind.  Someone else might have looked at the reservoir and never associated what they were seeing with wind.

Because the flight was smooth, I incorrectly assumed no wind.  This realization struck me as an important reminder.  Things aren’t always what they seem!  We at times make casual assumptions on limited information.  This can be true of us in how we view relationships, movies, programs, movements, organizations, TV shows, etc…  It can also be true of our actions and attitudes.  If we’re not observant, we can miss situations that contradict  assumptions we’ve made.  Something that would be a warning signal – a red flag – is missed and we suffer for it simply because we don’t recognize it.

Think of watching a movie that was said to be good and things start becoming explicit.  Do we recognize the signs and stop the movie or change channels?   If we are with a group of people and friendly conversation starts becoming gossip.  Do we recognize it and direct the conversation in a redemptive way?

We might be shading the truth in what we say and the Holy Spirit convicts us to stop.  Do we respond to His convicting presence and speak with integrity?  How do we recognize if the company we’re with is bad – particularly since bad company corrupts good character?  Let us ask the Lord if there are warning signs in our lives that we have missed and enable
us to recognize them whenever they occur.

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Thursday November 6, 2014

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Isaiah 5:20  Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

I read this verse and sensed that my devotional this morning was supposed to be based on it.  Then an entirely different perspective of this verse came to mind and resonated with me.  Instead of viewing this verse from the perspective of it being a warning, our focus today is upon the reality of what the Lord enables us as Christians, and the Church, to be.

Because of Jesus, we are able to live lives that identify good as good and evil as evil.  Because of His love for us, we can put light for light and darkness for darkness.  Because of the Holy Spirit we are able to put sweet for sweet and bitter for bitter.  We, and the lives we lead, are God’s answer for those amongst us who are searching for Him and His ways – and who often don’t even know they are searching.

A few verses before this in verse 5:16 it says, “But the LORD Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will show Himself holy by his righteousness.”  Our calling
as Christians means we are to be light and salt.  We are to show forth His love and live lives of righteousness that glorify our God.  Amidst all the darkness and deception that our cultures and the world have, God has placed us!

This opportunity we have is expressed wonderfully by Paul: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)  Think of it!  In a world of darkness and despair He has chosen to spread His fragrance through us.  Some will recoil because they are not interested in Him.  But others will be attracted because they are
responding to the work of His Spirit, drawing them to redemption.  We get to share His fragrance with all who surround us, knowing and trusting that there are those who will respond to Him.

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Wednesday November 5, 2014

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Luke 8:24b, 25  He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm
subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

Fear and amazement!  This was the response of the disciples to this demonstration of power and authority even though they had already seen Jesus do all manner of healing
miracles and deliver many from evil spirits. We’re not talking about healings that only the person who was healed would know if the pain went away.  The miracles included those paralyzed, leprosy, withered hands, and demon possessed.  Think of the magnitude of the miracles that would attract thousands to pursue Jesus.

They had seen these miracles first hand, yet the disciples were stunned by seeing the storm, the wind and the waves obey Him.  Mark uses the word terrified to describe
their response and Matthew describes them as being amazed.  Somehow this was different for them.  Maybe it was the magnitude of what responded.  Having life come to paralyzed limbs or wholeness to a withered hand appeared small in comparison to a storm that was
threatening their lives immediately becoming calm.

I think of the word wonder.  The wonder of seeing and experiencing the miraculous power of God.  Have you thought of this aspect of our God recently?  Hopefully, you have experiences in your life that left you breathless and in awe of what God had done.  In fact
just the memory of such experiences can bring goose bumps or tears.  Think of the powerful testimonies and answered prayers that you have read and heard and ponder the wonder-working power of our Lord and Savior.

If you don’t have memories of such experiences, ask your Christian friends to share ones that they have or read about them.  There are lots of books available that recount inspiring experiences with our God.  Also, and most importantly, look to Jesus and ask Him to allow you to experience such wonder and awe.  The Christian life is the most wonder-filled life that can be lived.  Let us rejoice together because we get to live it.

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Tuesday November 4, 2014 – Vote Today!

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Mark 4:35  That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”

Have you ever noticed how sometimes it seems that everything happens at once?  While such times can be filled with pleasures and wonderful experiences, that isn’t usually the case.  More often it seems that they are filled with stretching and demanding difficulties and problems that all demand our attention – right now!  In such times we might wonder, if we see a light at the end of the tunnel, is it an oncoming freight train!

Then when our plate is as full as we think it can get, something more piles on and we feel like we’re about to go under.  In times like these, when the situation seems to go from bad to worse with no let up in sight, my primary reaction is to view myself as having been ‘set up’ by the Lord.  I ‘see’ a great big sign in the sky above me that says, “This is a test!”

The story involved in today’s verse is something similar.  The disciples think they are just going across the lake to get to the other side – just like the chicken crossing the road.  Little did they know what was in store for them.  There was this storm awaiting them.  The good news  was that Jesus was with them.  The bad news was that not only was he sleeping through the storm, but here is how this storm is described in scripture: 1) furious squall, 2) waves broke over the boat, 3) the boat was being swamped, 4) there were raging waters, 4) they were in great danger!

Think about these descriptions from the gospels and remember many of these disciples had worked on the water so they could recognize their situation.  It wasn’t just a storm, it
was a furious squall.  They were not just contending with wind and waves but with raging waters and the boat was being swamped.  On top of that, scripture declares that they were in great danger.  This wasn’t just a storm made to sound worse through later retelling,
like a fish story.  They think they’re going to drown and Jesus asks them, “Where is your faith?”

We too might feel like our circumstances are a furious squall – our boat is being swamped and we’re about to go under.  But the Lord is with us!  Our situation didn’t catch Him by
surprise.  Instead of feeling like we are threatened by the storm, we can rejoice in the opportunity to stand in the midst of it, with our faith focused on Him.  Instead of feeling like we are overwhelmed and facing each day with dread, we can be filled with gratitude for the ‘testing opportunity’ He has given us.  He’s watching and enabling us to glorify Him in the midst of it.  What an opportunity!!!

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Monday November 3, 2014

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Matthew 5:8  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

This is a verse that is so rich in promise and at the same time contains a foreboding
warning that we must not ignore.  As born again followers of Jesus, we can have ‘pollutants’ in our hearts – stuff that just shouldn’t be there.  Unfortunately, we tend to be far more concerned over what is in the food we eat or the water we drink.

I think of the religious leaders in the time of Jesus.  Here they had Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God right in front of them and the ‘pollutants’ in their hearts caused them to focus on everything but the reality God had right in front of them.  What were miracles, signs & wonders and the greatest teaching that mankind has ever heard compared to who Jesus was eating with; who he was talking to; who he was associating with; and whether he did something he ‘shouldn’t’ do on the Sabbath.

The scary thing is that the same thing can happen to us.  We can be so affected by the unclean stuff in our hearts, that we miss God.  We can become spiritually blind and disoriented.  That which should be avoided is embraced; while that which should be embraced is avoided.  It results in us missing the life and blessing that God has for us – the
wonder of Him working in us day by day.

We like to hear about being ‘Blessed’ and ‘seeing God’ but it is the core of being pure in heart that must command our attention.  We must come to understand what that means and commit ourselves to getting there.  Matthew Henry has some helpful thoughts on
this verse:

“Here holiness and happiness are fully
described and put together. The heart must be purified by faith, and kept for
God. Create in me such a clean heart, O God. None but the pure are capable of
seeing God, nor would heaven be happiness to the impure. As God cannot endure
to look upon their iniquity, so they cannot look upon his purity.” 

A clean heart is what God desires.  Let us remember Jesus’ words that describe the uncleanness that can come from within – when we do not take following Jesus seriously:

 “’For from within, out of men’s hearts, come
evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come
from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’” Mark 7:21-22

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Sunday November 2, 2014

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Romans 12:18  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

When I read this verse I think of the many wonderful things the Bible has to say about peace, and peacemakers.  I think of Jesus – He is the Prince of Peace.  In the midst of turbulence and strife we can be filled with peace because we have learned to trust in Him.  In Isaiah 26: 3 it says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

Have you noticed that we can share the peace we have with others?  It’s like the widow’s pot of oil in the Old Testament – there is a never ending supply.  We must understand the powerful impact God wants us to have in the lives of those around us, particularly when they are upset and stressed out.  The words we speak, and the manner in which the Spirit leads us to do it can have such a redemptive impact. In Proverbs 25:11 it says, “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”  Our faith and trust in the Lord make us immune to their lack of peace – their nervousness and anxiety.  In fact our destiny is to be peacemakers.  Remember in the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”  (Matt 5:9)

The more we walk in God’s ways – meaning bringing our lives into conformity with His word – the more we love Him.  The more we love Him, the greater the blessing we will be to all around us.  When we are faithful to Him, we won’t rise to provocation or insist on having our way.  We acknowledge when we are wrong and others are right.  We apologize and ask for forgiveness.  We are other oriented.  Instead of contributing to the anxiety and unrest, making bad situations worse, He will use us to defuse the unrest and turn the situations in a redemptive direction. He will use our righteous responses (meaning doing things His way) to positively impact the situations we find ourselves in.

The themes our lives are to involve love, faithfulness, righteousness and peace.  These qualities are so evident in the verses of Romans 12:9-21.  It’s like peace is the fruit or guest that comes when the other three are present.  Psalm 85:10 presents such a beautiful picture of what God does in us when we love Him: “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.”

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Saturday November 1, 2014

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Philippians 2:12b,13 …continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for
it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

In high school I took a reading improvement course.  It was a one semester speed reading course where we were taught to increase our reading speed (words read per minute) without losing comprehension.  Part of the course was regularly viewing films that were the printed text of a story.  All of the text was blurred except for a section of one line.  The purpose of the films was to teach us eye movement and to grasp all of the words that appeared in the readable section of the line.

Initially, each line was divided into three segments.  Rather than our eyes moving from word to word, the film forced us to absorb the words in one-third of the line at a time.  The highlighted, readable section would rapidly move across each line in three jumps and so on down the page.  Following the film we took a test over what we had just read to measure our comprehension.  In order to stay with the fast group, we were required to maintain a 70% comprehension score on each test.  Each film required us to read faster than the previous film.

Over the weeks, the films changed from showing three readable sections of each line to two sections and finally to one section.  In it, the entire line was then readable and our eyes had to take in the entire line of text in one moment as the highlighted section moved down the page.  I remember barely being able to keep up week after week, from the very first film until the last film at the end of the semester.  It was always a strain.  It never felt like I was making any progress except for the fact that I knew the word per minute reading speed was increasing.

I am so grateful that in our last class of the semester, the teacher showed us the very first film of the series we had worked through.  I was amazed.  This film, that 15 weeks ago seemed to move so fast that I could barely keep up with it, was now slower than molasses in winter.  It was one thing to know my word per minute reading speed was much faster.  It was entirely different to go back and see just how far we’d come.

Sometimes in our Christian walk we experience the strain of thinking we are not making any progress.  It can seem that we are always under strain from being stretched by our
circumstances and things in our lives that God is dealing with.  It is important to recognize that God is at work in us – and that He is a very capable worker.  Be encouraged!  Let your confidence be in Him.  He is making progress with us and accomplishing things in us that we might not be aware of.  Ask Him to open your eyes to see what He has done.

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