Thursday July 17, 2014

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Scripture is at the end.

Imagine living 2000 years ago in the Middle East in the land of Judea; specifically in a region called Galilee.  There are no hospitals, no pharmacies, no vaccinations, no antibiotics and very little medical care of any kind.  Injuries and illnesses that today are no big deal were life changing or deadly back then.

Our neighborhoods and families would likely have individuals who were crippled or sick with conditions that greatly affected their daily lives and the lives of those around them.  Chances are that some of us would be among those with such conditions, with no hope of them ever improving.

Into this mix comes word of a Nazarene carpenter named Jesus who is doing unbelievable things.  He’s going around doing miracles!  Cripples are being made whole, deaf are now able to hear, the blind are receiving their sight, the sick are no longer sick, lepers are being healed, demon-possessed are set free and there are even cases where the dead are brought back to life!  On top of that – we have seen individuals whom we know personally who experienced miraculous healings and restorations through this Jesus!.

Yes he is teaching about God, but teachers have always been a part of Jewish life.  Although people say he is teaching like no one they’ve ever heard.  No one has ever done what he is doing – and it’s not just isolated cases here or there.  He is healing everyone who comes to him!!!!  Multitudes are flocking to him.  Could he be Yeshua HaMashiach – Jesus, the Messiah?

Can we imagine the excitement?  Do we think that we’d be sitting around, discussing whether we were going to go see this Jesus – or not?  Rather, doesn’t it seem likely that we would be beyond excited; doing everything we could to gather all our sick and crippled family and friends – helping them to get to him?

Jesus was so much more that a ‘great teacher’ – there has never been anyone like him.  Here is Matthew’s description of the above scenario that we have been imagining together (4:23-24):

 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.

He was AND IS the Christ, the Messiah – the Son of the living God!  He is the Savior and Lord of all!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Wednesday July 16, 2014

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Don Schmidt

2 Corinthians 9:15  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Today – a prayer:  For the past couple of days I’ve just been so aware of the wonder we have being loved by our God.  This isn’t just a general Biblical truth but a faith-filled experiential reality. This is one of those precious times when God heightens our awareness and appreciation of Him.

All my thoughts just keep coming back to how fortunate and blessed I am.  I am just overwhelmed with God and His love for me.  What follows is written a bit differently.  I’ve written it in first person so that you can read it and pray it and speak it for yourself.  I pray that it will bless you as much as it is blessing me.

How can I ever thank you Lord for making me your own?  You, the God who created the universe know my name.  That is almost beyond imagining.  I am in awe of the fact that you care about me; that you would want me to be your child – to be part of your family for eternity.  It’s beyond words that you have made me your son and you are my father.

How can I ever thank you Lord that you let me experience your presence; that you give my life purpose and meaning?   How can I ever thank you for allowing me to be your hands extended; that you give me the opportunity to touch others with your love.

How can I ever thank you for Jesus?  Without Jesus, I have nothing.  With Him, I have everything.  How can I ever thank you for your Spirit who lives within me?  I am never alone.  You are always with me; loving me, encouraging me, comforting me, convicting me and helping me to repent whenever I need to.

How can I ever thank you for your Scriptures?  They teach me all about you – but even more wonderfully, they teach me how to love you!  Oh Lord, I do love you!  It is just so amazing that you give me the opportunity to be a blessing to you.  I don’t begin to understand it but I rejoice that I can give you pleasure.

How can I ever thank you for the passion you have put in my heart to live my life for you? – That I can gather with your people and sing to you and worship you and experience you.  Thank you Lord for my heart – that is bursting with gratitude for your kindness and love for me.

Forevermore your child, Don

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Tuesday July 15, 2014

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Don Schmidt

1 John 3:1a  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

What would we say to someone who asked us to tell them what Jesus has meant to us – and means to us?  In practical ways, how has He changed our lives and what difference does He make day to day?

These are questions that each of us should ponder and answer for ourselves.  The answers we give will be very revealing because they will reflect how genuine our enthusiasm and joy are for Him.  Are we truly excited to be Christians?  Do our eyes light up when we talk about Jesus?  Do we smile at the thought of Him?  Do we find ourselves overcome with gratitude?

As we think about what our honest answer would be, suppose God spoke out for all to hear and said that eternal life is no more – that once we die, it’s over.  But, that as long as we are alive, all of His promises and provisions in the Bible are still true.  What would our response be?   Would we walk away from Him?

Or – is our life in Christ so rich and wonderful that we would never leave it even if the promise of eternity with God was gone?  This is the point that the earlier questions want to focus on.  What is the reality that we have with Him here and now?  God has lavished His love upon us – that is something He wants us to richly experience and for our lives to reflect.

If your Christian life – your personal relationship with God – was a garden, what would it be like?  Would it be in bloom?  Would it be a tiny corner of the yard or would it be expansive?  Would people love to visit it because of the beauty there?

As we go about our day, please take note of the flowers and blossoms you see.  Let each of them be a reminder of God’s lavish love for us and the rich relationship that He wants each of us to experience daily with Him.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Monday July 14, 2014

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Proverbs 25:11  A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

Suppose someone gave you a handful of $10 bills that you were to give out during the day to people that you interacted with.  It’s safe to say that the people who received the money would notice and be pleased.  They’d probably look forward to seeing you again on the chance you had more money to hand out.

Now suppose the Lord let you know that there would be included in your day, several people that you met that had a specific need for $10, that they were praying about.  Or possibly they would have a need for the $10 shortly after receiving it.  In both cases, their blessing would be far greater than just receiving a $10 gift.  They would have the opportunity to recognize that it was a specific provision for a specific need – an answer to prayer.  If they did see that, they would likely glorify God for His provision in addition to being grateful for your kindness.

The words that we speak can have a similar impact.  They can bring blessing and provision to those around us.  Think of the people we work or interact with.   Do we recognize the kindnesses they do and do we say thank you?  Do we ever acknowledge the good work that people do?  When we are in conversations that start going in an unrighteous direction, do we gracefully speak words that redirect the conversation?

Think of the opportunities we have to show interest in others – in helping them with their problems or tasks.  The insight we offer might be the missing ingredient they’re looking for.  Proverbs 15:23 adds this insight, “Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!”   If we are in the middle of a chore, think of the blessing of someone seeing us and saying, “Let me help you with that.” Or as I wrote the other day about my problem getting the weed-whacker started.  Wouldn’t it have been helpful if someone came up – saw the situation and said, “It might help to turn the switch on!”?

Maybe our words trigger something in their memory enabling them to recall what they need.  Sometimes people are just in need of an encouraging word.  Remember, it’s not just us.  We are God’s hands extended.  He wants to minister life through us that blesses and draws others to Him.  We need to pray that the Lord will open our eyes and ears to be aware of the many opportunities that surround us where we can bring blessing through the words we speak and the kindness we show.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Sunday July 13, 2014

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Don Schmidt

2 Corinthians 2:14  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.

Our youngest son Michael was born with an artistic gift.  Even when he was little he could draw beautifully.  I describe him as having the eye of an artist.  After serving in the army, he joined the National Guard so that he could be trained in Broadcast Journalism.  He wanted to become a videographer – one who makes videos.  That is his job in the Guard.

Good videography requires technical competence.  It’s not just taking videos and splicing them together.  It is producing a product that accomplishes its intended purpose.  The quality and attractiveness of the video produced depends upon the skill and technical excellence of the one producing it.  But here is where Michael has a real advantage.  He brings the eye of an artist to his trade.

This artistic gift affects everything that he does in the process:  camera angles, shots taken, lighting, what to include or exclude, music, editing, how things are put together.   This enables him to produce videos that stand out and receive recognition.  They have an inherent attractiveness because they combine art and technical skill.  The resulting product has an attractive ‘fragrance’, if you will that art or technical skill by themselves couldn’t produce.  Michael’s generals and others noted the excellence of his work.

This illustration of the importance of artistic gift + technical competence has a wonderful parallel in our Christian life.  The gift is the life of Christ within us.  It affects everything about us and particularly how we view everything.  The technical skill component is walking in His ways.  We have the Holy Spirit within us motivating and enabling us to learn from God’s Word how to do it.  The more we walk in His ways, the greater this component becomes – the more Christlike we become.  Without this, excellence is not produced.

Whereas Michael produces excellent videos; we are to produce lives of excellence.  People watch us just like they do videos.  What are they going to notice and remember?  If we truly and seriously commit ourselves to Christ and His transforming work in lives, we will spread the wonderful fragrance of the knowledge of Jesus wherever we go.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Saturday July 12, 2014

Posted on July 12, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Isaiah 7:15  He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right.

I grew up in southwest Michigan.  I remember hearing my older hunting friends talking about the compass problems they encountered in parts of the Upper Peninsula due to the presence of iron ore.  The ore can cause the magnetic needle of a compass to spin crazily or to point the opposite to where it should.  That’s not good to be in the middle of the boondocks, relying on your compass for directions and to have it go haywire.

Other things can help when our compass can’t identify true north.  If the sky is clear and the sun is setting or rising, general directions can be figured out.  But how do we determine direction in the middle of the day, with clouds, rain or fog; or finding ourselves in the middle of deep woods (and we don’t have a GPS)?

There are a number of major scandals that are unfolding in the news right now where it seems a whole lot of people got ‘lost in the woods’ due to malfunctioning moral compasses – assuming they had them.  I wonder how many of those involved are Christians – or ‘church goers’?

Maybe their jobs were threatened if they didn’t ‘go along’.  Maybe more significant threats were involved – or maybe none at all!  Maybe their moral compasses were so inadequate that they didn’t recognize that ‘wrong’ was being substituted for ‘right’.  Or they simply accepted the perceived reality that they didn’t have a choice, but to go along.

It’s not an issue of being judgmental but one of learning what could happen to us when we find ourselves being similarly tempted.   How do we know right from wrong?  How well will we do in the ‘fog and rain’ of circumstances that might threaten us?  Will our moral compass be immune to the cultural ‘iron ore’ around us, that will try to misdirect us?  Will we choose the right?  Or if we choose the wrong, will we justify our actions because of the consequences of not going along?

In any circumstances we as Christians find ourselves in, we have a ‘Heavenly GPS’ to guide us.  It not only tells us where we are (a compass can’t do that); it also tells us where to go; but we must be attentive!  The assets of our Heavenly GPS include: 1) We are new creatures in Christ Jesus, freed from the tendency to sin, 2) We have the Holy Spirit within us, 3) We have the Scriptures, 4) We have God’s grace to enable us, and 5) The faith in God to trust and believe.

These resources enable us to choose righteously no matter what we face.  The Holy Spirit is with us, to guide our decision making process as we go step by step through any trial.  He enables us to choose the right – no matter what the cost.  The choice is simply ours.  Choosing the wrong must never be perceived as a tenable option.  Our goal is to live for Christ and to always honor Him.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Friday July 11, 2014

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Don Schmidt
Posted on July 5, 2011 by

Luke 6:37  “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

I have written earlier about my adventures with my ‘difficult to start’ weed-whacker.  I wrote about it in the context of recognizing the many trials we face on a daily basis and responding appropriately in a faith-filled manner.

Well – I had a new adventure with this delightful little contraption and am still laughing over it as I write.  The machine works fine once it is running.  The problem is getting it started and today I set the record for futility!

I was thinking of my earlier devotional as I got it out after mowing the lawn.  I confess that when I earlier wrote of having to pull the starter cord about 100 times, it was a bit of an exaggeration.  Today I was thinking about how it would start faster than ever.  I pushed the priming bubble and started pulling.  Because I thought it would start quickly, I was counting my pulls.

Well, nothing was working!  6, 12…30…48…60…72…78 pulls plus adjustment – not a hint of response.   In the midst of this, I’m praying; asking the Lord for wisdom; asking Him to ‘heal’ the machine.  I’m kneeling next to it in the heat, sweating from mowing the lawn, my arm was ready to drop and I’m laughing at this goofy machine and the difficulty I’m having getting it going.  All the while talking to the Lord, trying to understand what is going on.

Then I saw it! – and could hardly believe it.  It was right in front of me.  If the Lord had chosen to speak audibly to me, He would have said something like, “Son – You have to turn it on first.”  Well, I turned the switch on and in 3 pulls it started!

In my elation (and feeling a bit dumber than dirt for missing the off/on switch) I thought this is a devotional.  The lesson in this just jumped out at me.  First things must come first.  Similar to “If…then” propositions.  If this happens – then that can happen.  God gives us all manner of instructions that must be obeyed in order to produce Godly results.  How often do we skip something that needs to be done first and then wonder why the results of subsequent actions are less than desirable?

Think of forgiving, apologizing, acknowledging we’ve made a mistake, asking for forgiveness…to name a few.  These are all actions that are critical to relationships and our growth.  Failure to do these things when incidents happen radically affects the outcomes and the quality of our relationships.  It’s like trying to start a weed-whacker without turning the switch on!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Thursday July 10, 2014

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Don Schmidt
Posted on July 4, 2011 by

3:5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

Our 3rd son Andrew was part of a mission intern program in Colorado Springs from August 1999 – June 2001.  The program included an extensive amount of physical training along with the spiritual.  During his first year we got to watch the interns working out on the “Ropes Course” that was similar to the one used by the USAFA Cadets.

One event called the Pamper Pole really amazed me.  It was a telephone pole about 30 feet high that the interns would climb – wearing a harness and blindfolded.  Once an intern got to the top of the pole, he had to somehow get himself up on it so he was standing on the flat top of the pole that was about 15” in diameter.  Being blindfolded meant they had to trust the leader who was directing them.  He would tell the intern to turn so that he was facing a trapeze bar that was suspended out away from the pole.  Then the intern had to leap out from the pole and grab the trapeze bar that he couldn’t see.

We saw some interns fall off the pole; while others, who made it to the top, we saw leap out and miss.  All of these interns were swinging, high off the ground, in their protective harness.  Then there were those who caught the bar, did pull-ups, and were then lowered to the ground by means of the harness.

The interns were doing something that was frightening and difficult.  They knew if they made a mistake, the worst that could happen was a little embarrassment and they would be swinging in the air before being lowered to the ground so they could try again.  Sounds a lot like life, doesn’t it.

The security and safety provided by the harness form a wonderful illustration of how our faith in the Lord is intended to do the very same thing.  Faith in Him protects us and enables us to perform adventures that we otherwise wouldn’t do.  We need to recognize that our faith is every bit as real and protective as the harness the interns wore.  We might fall or stumble.  We might miss the bar, but faith enables us to overcome fear and pursue the adventures the Lord calls us to.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Wednesday July 8, 2014

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Don Schmidt

2 Corinthians 4:18  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Have you noticed how birds will sing in the morning as the dawn approaches but it still appears to be totally dark?  The other morning I was up very early and the birds were really singing.  Somehow they sense dawn coming or maybe they see something we don’t see.

I recall driving through Eastern Tennessee on our way to North Carolina, I was able to view the entire spectrum from darkness to dawn to the rising of the sun.  I was thinking of the birds singing while it was still dark and I wanted to detect the very first, faintest hints of dawn.  It is such a blessing to watch the dawn unfold in all its glory.

I knew to look east, but importantly, I knew which direction was east.  I was also confident; as we all are that the sun will come up.  This all speaks to me of faith.  When we are in spiritually dark places – even when it is at its blackest, it’s important that we know that the spiritual ‘dawn’ is coming and by faith we know where to look.  Faith will sing and rejoice in the coming dawn when others might be wondering if there is anything to sing about.  Faith sees what others don’t.

I think of Lucy in the Narnia Tales.  She is always the first to see Aslan.  She sees him when the others don’t.  It has to do with faith and relationship with our Lord and having eyes that see the unseen.  We have a God and Savior who is with us always.  In those dark and difficult places we can sense and see the evidences of Him.  In fact we can be confident He’s there whether we see Him or not.  We are not alone.  Nor are we at the mercy of anyone but Him.

The next time you feel down or alone, think of it as the early morning before the dawn.  Faith enables us to have confidence the spiritual ‘dawn’ is coming.  The Lord is with us and it is to Him that we must look.  As we do, faith enables us to experience His blessing and reassurance just as our physical eyes enjoy the dawn.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

Tuesday July 8, 2014

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Scripture to follow…

One of the realities that we live with is that we are all works in progress.  We have strong points and weak points.  There are areas where we have really grown in God, and then there are those areas where our growth is stunted or nonexistent.  We can become callous to the reality of who we are; the ‘who we are’ that others encounter.

In looking at our lives, there are many attributes of our character.  I would like us to look at each of the following and prayerfully ask the Lord to help us to have eyes to see where we are in the continuum that exists for each.  This assumes that we know what each of the attributes is.  Do we know what being polite looks like?  What about the nuances of being rude?  Do we readily recognize inappropriate pride in our lives?  How does it differ from humility?

Where do you see yourself on each of the following spectrums?

  • Rude               to                     Polite
  • Proud             to                     Humble
  • Boastful          to                     Not boastful
  • Unkind            to                     Kind
  • Easily angered             to         Not easily angered
  • Remember wrongs      to         Overlook wrongs
  • Impatient         to                   Patient
  • Envious             to                   Not envious
  • Self-seeking               to         Not self-seeking
  • Delight in evil             to         Rejoice with truth
  • Unprotective              to         Protective
  • Untrusting                  to         Trusting
  • Skeptical                     to         Hopeful
  • Gives up easily           to         Perseveres
  • Fails                             to         Never fails

We must recognize that the ingredients on the right are those of God’s Kingdom.  Those on the left speak of another kingdom in this world.  (It’s a place we aren’t even supposed to visit alone live there!)

You have probably surmised that this listing has to do with the attributes of love from 1 Corinthians 13.  The more our lives fall to the right side of each of the above continuums, the more they are demonstrating love of Christ.  Think of them as identifying ‘whose’ we are!  (Children of Light or children of darkness)  Here is the way Paul puts it:

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  8Love never fails.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment