Friday March 23

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Don Schmidt

Joshua 24:15a  But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,

In 1996 my two oldest sons and I went on a mission trip to Romania with a small group led by a close friend from Seattle.   We flew into Munich, picked up our van and spent the first night in Europe at the Y WAM castle in Hurlach, an hour west of there.  The next morning we left early to beat rush hour in Munich.  We had to drive south from Hurlach and pick up the highway going east toward Munich and then on to Hungary where we would spend the night.  We got on the highway and after about 15 minutes, John, my oldest son asked an important question: “Dad – since when does the sun rise in the west?”

We had inadvertently taken the wrong ramp and were headed for France – not Munich and Hungary!  Thank God that it wasn’t a rainy morning and that my sons noticed this major discrepancy.  The dawn and the sun coming up on a clear morning are kind of hard to miss.

We need to recognize that life is filled with opportunities to take mistaken directions in terms of the attributes that characterize our lives.  The wrong choices become easier to make when we are distracted from following the Lord and become preoccupied with other things.  Instead of choosing righteousness, we make choices that are more appealing to our fleshly nature.

We get careless and wind up going the wrong way without being aware of it.  Such decisions frequently made become life habits and contradict or undermine our faith: situation ethics, shading the truth, the ends justify the means, a little promiscuity, cutting corners, let someone else do it, no one will know, getting even – hey everybody does it.  If you’re reading the Bible and are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, you hear them echoing within you, “Don’t go that direction!”

Unfortunately, hearing them doesn’t mean listening and obeying them.  Worse, our spiritual eyesight becomes dull and we don’t see the warning signs around us – (i.e., the sun rising in the west!)  We become comfortable with our Christianity being something we put on like a T-shirt.  Outward appearance might seem okay but inwardly we become filled with rot and decay.  Look at our society – about 75% consider themselves Christian, but you sure wouldn’t know it by looking at our culture.

We must recognize that our choices are the true reflection of whether we have chosen to serve the Lord.  It’s not what we say.  It’s not what we think we believe.  It’s not what we do on Sunday mornings.  The consequences of our choices are immense.  “Choose for yourselves this day….”

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Thursday March 22

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Don Schmidt

Psalm 37:23a  If Yahweh delights in a man’s way,

Our Pekingese, Snuggles, sleeps with us every night. Usually she sleeps through the night but now and then she wakes up having to go to the bathroom.  This means I get up, get dressed and take her outside.  We haven’t lived somewhere with a totally fenced-in yard, so it has meant that I go out with her.  From the beginning this struck me as a job for me, not Donna.

Sometimes during the night I don’t hear Snuggles when she is making sounds to go outside but Donna does.  When that happens, Donna nudges me awake and I take Snuggles out.  This is a little “big thing” for me.  On my scale of things, it’s little, but it sure blesses Donna; to her it’s big.

Taking Snuggles out in the middle of the night is an opportunity for me to bless my wife, the girl I love.  It’s not a chore and it isn’t burdensome.  Believe it or not, it truly is a source of joy.  Standing outside in the cold, snow or rain in the middle of the night for a few minutes isn’t a big deal; and invariably, I think of her snuggled in bed and it brings a smile to my face.  It’s an opportunity for my actions to say “I love you” to her.

What a blessing it is to live our lives together; loving one another.  There are so many opportunities for us to communicate that love to each other through our attitudes and actions.  While we recognize our responsibilities for tasks needing to be done, pervading it all is the gratitude for the love we share.  That love and gratitude bring pleasure to jobs done; bringing delight to each other.

There is delight, in bringing delight to someone – particularly someone we love.  This truth is epitomized in our relationship with our Lord Jesus.  Given the magnitude and wonder of His love for us, I find it mind-boggling that we have the opportunity to bring Him delight!  The realization of this is truly a “Eureka” moment.  It’s like finding gold!

And bringing delight to God is not just doing things for Him – it’s living our lives, doing whatever He tells us to do!!  We bring Him delight when we walk in His ways.  The more we become like Jesus, the more delight we bring Him.  We delight in Him – and He delights in us.  WOW!!

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Wednesday March 21

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Don Schmidt

Isaiah 9:6-7  6 For 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.  7 Of the greatness 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.

Jesus is the one of whom Isaiah wrote in the above verses.  He is the One who is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace.  Jesus is the One who reigns on David’s throne forever.  Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

The more we see Jesus the more we are overcome with the awareness that we can never thank Him adequately for what God has done for us.  We were lost and separated from God but because of Jesus, we are now His.  We are God’s people!  Peter writes of this wonderfully quoting another verse from Isaiah about this One (1 Peter 2:4-6),

4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”  (Isaiah 28:16)

As Peter goes on to write about ‘those who believe’ – to whom this stone is precious, he describes what God has done and is doing with us (1 Peter 2:9-10),

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Because of Jesus, we are God’s special possession!  Because God so loved us, ‘unto us a child is born, to us a son is given…’  We, who were not a people are now His.  We, who had not received mercy, have now received mercy.  We get to spend our lives declaring His praises because He called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.

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Monday March 19

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Don Schmidt

Psalm 37:7a  Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

I cannot remember ever having a March like this one here in the North.  Normally, March has always been a transition month from winter to spring.  But this year it’s as though a switch was thrown turning winter off and late spring on!  Shorts, convertibles, outdoor picnics – and the month is only half over!  What a blessing that this month of changing seasons is peaceable instead of stormy at least here where we are.

This morning I’m also blessed because Snuggles, our wonderful Pekingese, came to me where I’m working, wanting to get in my lap.  I lifted her up and she curled up, snuggling against me and went to sleep.  I’m typing – writing about change – with the little dog I so dearly love with me, in my lap.

Those of you who have been sharing my devotional adventure with me are familiar with how the Lord has used Snuggles to speak to me.  This morning is particularly fitting because the moment I saw her at my feet, I thought of how the Lord is with us always – but somehow He is especially so when we are going through times of change.

Right now, change seems to be going on everywhere around us.  Uncertainty abounds as we look at gas prices, jobs, the government, the middle-east, and threats here and abroad, life in theUS, an election year upon us, etc…  In the midst of it all, our God is with us and is our source of peace and strength.  The Amplified adds valuable insight into today’s verse:

“Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him;” (Amplified)

The Lord used Snuggles to emphasize the preciousness of being still with Him.  We are wise if we make the time – and take the time to be still with our Lord – regularly.  In the ‘busy-ness’ and uncertainty we are all going through, there is such benefit in becoming quiet and focused on Him.  When we do, don’t give Him our list of concerns – but just allow His peace and presence to settle upon us.  He changes and transforms us as we quiet ourselves and lean upon Him.  Find the time today to be still with Him.

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Sunday March 18

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Don Schmidt

1 Peter 1:8  9You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. (The Message)

After I met Jesus years ago, I remember being told about an older prominent Christian by the name of Rufus Moseley.  Apparently he had a great deal of joy and for some strange reason some church people had a problem with that.  One old dour-faced Christian came up to him and sourly asked, “Do you think Jesus ever smiled?”  Rufus looked at her, grinned and answered, “I don’t know, but He sure fixed it so I can!”

I love to think of Jesus smiling and laughing.  I’m so grateful for paintings I’ve seen where the artist has presented Him doing so.  Then there’s Johnny Cash’s film Gospel Road that has such wonderful scenes of Jesus laughing and smiling with the disciples and children.

There’s also a production called The Thorn that began in Colorado Springs about 15 years ago that is very similar to The Passion of the Christ.  It tells the story of Jesus, and the violence done to Him is vividly represented.  But this serious production also presents Jesus as a man who smiled and expressed such joy when the miracles were performed and in times with His disciples.

Think of Jesus healing crippled children and their stunned and ecstatic response.  Can’t you just see the incredible joy in His face as He performed these wonders?  Can’t you just see these children running to Jesus and jumping in His arms, squealing with delight! Think of His face and the utter joy it would express.

This is our Lord.  This is the One we live with and for.  The Amplified Bible presents today’s verse this way:  8Without having seen Him, you love Him; though you do not [even] now see Him, you believe in Him and exult and thrill with inexpressible and glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy.   Oh my goodness, there are times when the wonder of what we have in Jesus is so overwhelming I pinch myself.  It just seems too good to be true.  Hopefully you regularly have such moments of wonder too.

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Saturday March 17

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Don Schmidt

Acts 9:31  Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

Have you ever lived anywhere where the drinking water was too unpleasant to drink?  In such situations a couple of alternatives are available.  One is to get bottled water and many people do that.  The other is to get a good water filter system that removes all the unpleasantness from the water.  Think about traveling overseas and the issue of whether it is wise or safe to drink the water?  There’s a lot more to it than just the taste and smell of the water.  Water that might seem fine can be a disaster to drink, that’s why it pays to be careful.

There are other water issues to be concerned about depending upon where you live and the water source.  Suppose you have the water tested and discover that there is ‘stuff’ in the unfiltered water that can and will hurt you.  But the good news is the testing also confirms that a quality water filter system removes those negatives; making the water safe to drink.  It’s just a matter of maintaining the filter system.

In this situation, with the filter system, the water is safe to drink.  Without the filter system, there are negatives in the water that will hurt us even if there is no bad taste or smell.  Water is important and it pays to be careful.  With this in mind, it’s important that we recognize that the fear of the Lord is a vital component of our spiritual filtering system.  There is a lot of deadly stuff out there in our culture that doesn’t ‘taste’ or ‘smell’ bad.  But it’s stuff that can kill and destroy.

We must also remember that we play a key role in our spiritual filtering system.  We have to pay attention to it and provide it with God’s Word so that it is fully operational.  We have to care! There is a very key verse in Numbers 32:23 that is a Biblical principle that we tend to forget but it’s still there: “your sin will find you out”.

That begs the question: “What is sin?” and the answer to that leads to specifics in every area and aspect of our lives.  Fortunately, the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life in the motivational aspect of our lives in this realm.  It is life producing and the more we respond the more it protects us from things we must avoid.

Reread today’s verse.  The fear of the Lord was what they lived in.  It is healthy and positive and vital to our life in Christ Jesus.  We are to live in it too.

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Friday March 16

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Don Schmidt

Scripture verse is at the end of the devotional

Let’s go back about 50 years to when people didn’t have cable or satellite TV.  The only TV signals we received were from local stations within signal distance which was about 75 miles.  Beyond that, there wasn’t TV service.  A simple antenna was on the roof of each house in order to receive the signals.

Reception at times could be wonderful but frequently weather interfered and the TV screen was blurry or fuzzy and having big lines go through it.  The sound was also affected so that when reception wasn’t good any program was hardly worth watching or even listening to.

Into the above picture came my older brother with a Christmas gift to my parents.  When Mom opened it, she asked, “What is it?”  He said, “It’s a UHF antenna.”  She replied, “Like I said, what is it?”  The UHF stood for Ultra High Frequency.  There were TV stations nearby that sent different signals than the main stations we received from across the lake in Chicago.  Once we connected this small antenna we could receive their signals.  Obviously, we had never heard of it and were clueless.

That morning, in spite of the snow, I helped my brother climb up on the roof of our 2 story home and attach it to the pole of the regular antenna that was attached to the chimney.  One side memory of standing on the chimney with my brother holding my ankles while I attached the antenna was my dropping the wrench.  It slid across the roof and shot down and crashed into the rear window of our car!  Boy was my dad thrilled with that!

Well, we got the UHF antenna connected and my brother turned on the TV in front of everyone.  First he turned to our normal channels in Chicago 2, 5 and 7 (CBS, NBC & ABC).  Reception was poor.  Then he turned to each of the three UHF stations broadcasting from northern Indiana (16, 22 & 28).  The reception on each was crystal clear!!!  We were all stunned and my parents couldn’t believe it!!

We turned the TV back to the normal stations – crummy reception; and then back to UHF and perfect reception for the same programs!  WOW!  Many times over the years we all laughed about this story.  But here is the punch line of this story for today:  For all practical purposes, Christians today are as clueless about the fear of the Lord as we were back then about how to get good TV reception.

Just the mention of the fear of the Lord produces a negative reaction in many.  Often, “Perfect love drives out fear” is quoted.  But that verse is not talking about the fear of the Lord.  The fear of the Lord is not simply reverence – nor is it a negative.  It is a glorious positive in our lives that we desperately need. It is identified in Proverbs 14:27 as a fountain of life!  If this sounds strange to you, think of my Mom’s response holding the UHF antenna.  Also remember the radically results once it was connected.

To be continued…

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Thursday March 15

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Don Schmidt

Ephesians 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

This morning I woke up thinking about the pain of couples who quit loving one another.  I was reminded of a dream that is unquestionably the most powerful and vivid dream I’ve ever had.  This dream occurred several years after Donna and I went through our marital difficulties (1992) that were due primarily to me – my being unkind and behaving like a jerk.  At the time of the dream, our marriage had become the best it had ever been.  But in this dream Donna and I had divorced one another and that was the given for what then happened.

In the dream I walked into a small room and there in front of me was a small narrow table with Jesus sitting on one side of the table and a chair opposite Him.  I sat down across from Him and looked up into His face.  I don’t remember what he looked like but I will never forget his eyes and the tones in His voice.

With a smile on his face and joy in His voice He looked at me and said, “Tell me how you loved my daughter who I gave to you to be your wife.”  I did not say anything as my heart sank. (Remember in the context of the dream we had divorced.)  His smile vanished and there was no longer any joy in His voice when He began a series of rhetorical questions.  By the rising tone in His voice with each question, He knew the answers.

With great deliberation Jesus asked, “What do you mean you didn’t love her?!”  “What do you mean you left her?!!”  What do you mean you divorced her?!!!!” I cannot begin to describe the shame and distress that I experienced in the dream; hearing my Lord’s voice say again and again with growing incredulity and disapproval, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN….”  He wasn’t yelling, but if you’ve ever been called on the carpet and confronted by your father or a boss for serious mistakes you’ve made, you get the idea.

Then, all of a sudden, in the dream, I was Donna and the scene repeated itself.  Jesus asked with a smile and joy in His voice, “Tell me how you loved my son who I gave to you to be your husband.”  When He began the “What do you mean…” questions I immediately woke up.  What a mixture of pain and joy – pain at remembering the dream – joy and relief in knowing that Donna and I truly loved one another and had not divorced.

This dream was a priceless gift to me because it allowed me to see and experience the incredible importance that our Lord places upon marriage.   It also gave me a gut-wrenching taste of displeasing Him.  I cannot begin to describe how excruciatingly painful that was – and still is.  I pray that I never forget it.

But importantly, the dream generated a core conviction in the depth of my being that loving my wife is a primary way that I love Jesus.  If I don’t love her, I don’t love Him – and He and His word describe what love is.  Love is a whole lot more than affection.  What joy there is in waking up each day able to love our Lord and love our spouse!

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Wednesday March 14

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Don Schmidt

2 Corinthians 12:9a  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Have you ever had the experience of trying to put something together only to discover a key part is missing?  Or getting a group together to address an issue at work and someone vital to solving the problem is unable to attend?

I know there have been numerous times when my wife is making something in the kitchen and she calls me to run to the store to get a missing ingredient.  Sometimes you can get by with what’s missing or substitute something similar.  But often times there is no getting around the problem posed by a key item being missing.

Fortunately the missing ‘key part’ problem never applies to God’s grace.  It is always in sufficient supply for every situation we encounter.  Can you imagine the uncertainty and trauma we would go through if God routinely withheld His grace from us?  Think of the nightmare if He allowed temptations to come our way that were more than we could bear.  Our faith would be radically impacted – and undermined.

Faith and grace are there for us to apply to everything we do.  We need them for the problems we face AND how we respond to the problems.  Suppose we are asked to do something and we do it in a negative manner.  In God’s scheme of things, it’s possible that the only reason we were asked to help was for Him to reveal our attitude problem to us; that we were not walking in His provision for us.

One of the most helpful paraphrases I’ve been taught applies to the Lord’s Prayer and to the “Lead us not into temptation” phrase.  The teacher paraphrased this, “Lord let there not be anything in my heart that would cause you to put me to the test.”  God never tempts anyone (with evil) (James 1:13, 14) but He will allow us to encounter situations that reveal problems we have that we might be unaware of – like spiritual termites.

What a privilege we have in God enabling us to respond in a way that glorifies Him no matter what we encounter.  The key is for our faith to focus more and more on Him throughout each day recognizing that He and His grace are there for us to respond righteously.

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