November 23 (John 1:3, Matthew 5:17, Revelation 21:6)

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  (ESV)

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  (ESV)

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  (ESV)

Is there even one issue facing the world, our government, your state, your place of business, your community, your family, or yourself that could not be answered or solved by Jesus Christ?  I am serious.  We sing our praise songs and then go right back to purely human reasoning to approach the issues of our day.  As I listen to plans and ideas and grand designs for handling this or that, I have to shake my head.  Much of what I hear is based on speculation of what people think will work, when the true solution stands available, yet ignored.

Jesus is it, folks.  As the verses above testify, He is the whole deal.  Approaching anything…from war and taxes to family challenges…without appealing to God and being guided by His Holy Spirit is ultimately a waste of time.

Thanksgiving is this week.  Families will gather, and talk will turn to politics and jobs and the issues in our lives.  When the armchair philosophies have all been exchanged, will those who follow Christ speak the truth?

Father, it is so tempting to follow the logic of others and to engage in conversations on purely human terms.  Help me to speak the simple truth in love.  Give me the words that You would have me say.  In the name of Him Who is the way, the truth, and the life, Jesus my Lord, amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins

November 16 (Matthew 2:18)

“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”  (ESV)

This verse leapt to mind as I heard the news that a fifth Westerner has been savagely executed by the terrorist organization known as ISIS.  This young man, a humanitarian worker in his mid-twenties, was a recent graduate of the high school where I teach.

There are no words in the face of such savagery, such brutality.  Anger and well-intentioned platitudes are equally pointless.  Such events do, however, remind us that we live in a world at war.  There is darkness that wars against light, and so it will be until the One Who is Light from Light, true God from true God, even Jesus Christ our Lord returns.  He was born into just such a world, and savagery and brutality sent Him from it.  The bedrock of our hope is that He triumphed over such evil.  The wickedness of today is the same wickedness of Cavalry, but as Christ’s resurrection showed, that evil was foiled, for He took death and turned it into life for all who would accept the offer of His grace.

As the old hymn sings, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’s blood and righteousness.  I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’s name.  On Christ the solid rock I stand.  All other ground is sinking sand.”

Father, forgive all of us, for we know not what we do.  In acts of heinous murder and in moments of the casual lie, we stand accused before Your holiness.  Thank You for the grace of Jesus that extends to all sinners.  Comfort and bless those who suffer loss at the hands of evil.  We eagerly look forward to the return of Your Son and our Savior, Jesus, in Whose name we pray.  Amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins

November 9 (Psalm 62:1)

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.  (ESV)

Is this true?  Don’t jump to the end of the verse and start talking about how you believe in Jesus as your Savior.  I’m talking about the first part.  Do you wait for God?  Is He your sole focus so that you are not expecting anything else, like your own strength or some earthly program, to save you?  Do you wait on Him in silence?

I am struck over and over again by how much of a frenzy my life is.  I am much more like one of the Greek warriors in the Trojan War, about whom Homer said, “Now here, now there, he darts from place to place.”  I want to work out my own salvation.  I do not mean my eternal salvation, but I want to make things work out for me in the here and now.  I try to make it happen, and when I do pray, it is not a period of waiting in silence.  I hurl my to-do list at God and say amen.

David was a man after God’s own heart.  God Himself said so.  He must have known something about living a godly life, and unless I miss my guess, this was anchored in a quiet waiting upon God.

Lord, I know I must seem silly running around trying to accomplish things on my own.  This day I commit to slowing down.  I am also not going to ask You for anything, at least not with the anxiety of my mind.  You know the true needs of my heart.  I am simply going to wait on You in silence.  Amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins

November 2 (Galatians 3:3)

Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?  (ESV)

If you have grown up knowing how to swing a bat, hit a golf ball, or perform any other athletic feat, only to have a coach or trainer instruct you in a new and better way, two things will happen.  You will experience success with your new method and at first, and then you will start to perform poorly and not know why.  You may find yourself frustrated, but your coach will quickly spot the problem.  You have reverted to your old way of doing things.

This is true of anything, including our walk in faith.  Our natural tendency is to rely on our own strength.  We hear the call of Jesus and begin to walk by faith.  We are in step with the Holy Spirit, and then all of a sudden, we find ourselves weak, exhausted, and frustrated from trying to move mountains with our own two hands.  We have gone back to living life on our own terms.

Or maybe I am the only one who does this.  I will have days where it seems I am floating, just flowing through life in the smooth grace of God, and the next moment I am swinging away like King Kong swatting at the planes that buzzed his head.   Oh, you, too?

Jesus, I really do not want to live by my strength, which is nothing more than weakness compared with the power of Your Spirit living within me.  Help me to slow down and get back in step with the Holy Spirit, Who guides me as You promised He would.  Amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins

October 26 (Romans 10:11)

For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”  (ESV)

What things shame or embarrass you?  It is usually something like realizing you have gone out with two different socks, calling someone by the wrong name, or thinking that the party you are supposed to plan for your friend is next weekend only to look at your calendar and see that is in ten minutes.  In other words, we are embarrassed when some aspect of our life for which we had responsibility has fallen apart.  We have dropped the ball, and there is no one else to blame for it.  Blush!

Paul tells the Romans that if they will trust in God, they will not be ashamed.  No matter what happens as a result of the decision to trust God, shame and embarrassment are not among the consequences.  We can trust Him, absolutely and without qualification.

When was the last time you trusted God like that?  Come on, now.  You are not at church.  There is no need to put on your Perfect Christian mask.  It is just you thinking about your life.  So when was it?  Yeah, I can’t really remember the last time, either.

Father, I want so much to trust You.  In my head, I know the words of  Scripture about Your faithfulness are true, yet it feels like jumping off a cliff with no parachute.  Strengthen my faith so that I can live a life of confident abandon, trusting really and truly in You.  In the name of Jesus, Who trusted You in all things, I pray.  Amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins

October 19 (Romans 1:16)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes….  (ESV)

It is a simple story, really.  God loved the people He made in His image so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to them.  Jesus revealed the true nature of God and went on to stand in the gap between life and death for us by dying in our place.  He rose again to prepare a place for us with God our Father.  Oh, and He sent the Holy Spirit to live within us, reminding us of all this and constantly redirecting us to Him.  What is there to be ashamed about in a story like that?

“Well, you just don’t understand.  I have co-workers who aren’t religious.  Some of my relatives have been hurt by the church.  Who am I to say that my private faith has to apply to everyone?  I don’t want to push my religion off on someone else.”

Sigh.

Lord Jesus, do not let me get caught up, swept in, and pulled under by misguided human reasoning.  Help me remember the simple, yet world-transforming power of the gospel.  May my life and my words at every moment of every day in every situation with every person I meet reflect the love of God that You have shown me.  Amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins

October 5 (Joshua 1:9)

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.  (ESV)

When we encourage someone, it is often like a Dixie cup of water offered to a parched marathon runner.  When God encourages someone, it is like a shot of nitrous oxide to a muscle car on the drag strip.  We want to encourage, but we don’t want to be too forceful.  We tell our friends to hang in there and not to worry, but we may as well add “pretty please” for as much power as our words sometimes carry.

Now look at how God encourages Joshua.  In nine verses He repeatedly tells Joshua to be strong and courageous.  He tells him what is going to happen and the specific things Joshua needs to do, and then God ends this encouragement with a reminder.  “This is not an option,” He tells Joshua.  “I have commanded you.  This is an order, buddy.  I am not suggesting that you not be frightened.  I am flat out telling you, and the reason is that I will be right there with you the whole way.”

What would it be like to receive that kind of encouragement from God Himself?  Because the words of Scripture are living words, we are in fact receiving the same encouragement that Joshua heard.  Of course, that can be a sobering realization.  Since God Himself is telling us to get up off the mat and face the world with Him at our side, we really do not have much choice but to do it.

Father, I often feel overwhelmed by the world around me.  I would say thank you for these strong words of encouragement, but I know You well enough to know that You do not just want to hear my words of gratitude.  You want me to get out there and live, strongly and courageously, with You.  That is what I am going to do.  Amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins