Category Archives: Devotional

Mason Jars

mason jar

If you have been to any sort of antique mall recently, you will see a large collection of mason jars. These rounded glass containers with metal lids were used in the past to store and preserve fruits, vegetables, jams and jellies, which are also quite appropriately referred to as preserves.

Now that we have freezers and refrigerators to store and preserve food, we no longer need mason jars for their original purpose. But they are popular now for decorative reasons to add a rustic feel to a room. And I have often seen them filled with marbles, buttons and coins. I have become a collector of mason jars, I admit, and have several lined up on the window sills in my kitchen.

I got to thinking about these jars when I ran across this beloved verse of scripture:

But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us (2 Corinthians 4:7).

If this verse was written today, it might have said “mason jars” instead of “clay jars” since glass can be just as fragile. So we are like mason jars in many ways—holding, preserving and storing the treasure of God’s revelation of himself in Jesus Christ, as the verse just prior to the one above tells us:

For it is the God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

The earthen vessels of our bodies house the presence of Christ within us, and we should not hide that fact, but should let Christ shine through our fragile flesh in whatever room we find ourselves. You might never look at mason jars the same way.

Daily

daily

Then he said to them all, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

I have been on a mission to read more daily devotionals and listen to daily podcasts on a Scripture verse. Like with anything, it comes easily at first, but then I have noticed that other distractions get in the way. “I have to take a shower before I do a devotion.” “I have too much work to do to listen to a podcast today.” “I have a TV show I want to watch instead.” So I have fallen behind. With the Holy Spirit’s help I hope to get back on track this week and carve out time for spiritual meditation on a daily basis.

At the same time, I am sticking to my personal commitment to walk every day, no matter what. How am I keeping that up? I think it is because I do it right away in the morning before any other distractions hit. I also am accountable to my trainer, who will ask me if I walked every day this week. And I do see results. I have lost 15 pounds in the process, for instance.

Some of these same motivators could help in daily focusing on God. I can do the devotion or podcast right away in the morning. I can have someone keep me accountable for doing the meditations. And I can be on the lookout for ways in which what I thought about in my spiritual moments positively affected my attitude toward others, my approach to work and my desire to serve.

My prayer continues to be that I be a daily disciple for Christ, and I hope the same for you.

Fall Leaves

leaves

We are in the midst of the fall season now, and that can only mean the changing of the leaves has begun (in Midwest climes, anyway). I never cease to be amazed at the variety and vibrancy of the colors of the orange, red, yellow and brown hues that appear from once-green foliage. There are even bus tours to areas of the country where the fall leaves are known to be the most beautiful.

The sad thing, of course, is that the turning of the leaves means the leaves will soon be falling off their branches and crumbling on the ground.

I think of the words of Jesus, when he said, “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees; as soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near“ (Luke 21:29-31).

While he said this in spring, the reverse is true in the fall. The changing of the leaves is a reminder to us as Christians that “our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). The Last Day is a season closer for us when we see the leaves fall, and that leaves us with increasing joy!

Old Locks

old locks
The remains of an old lock along what used to be the Ohio and Erie Canal.

I recently found myself in an area where there used to be a canal that was built in 1825. But now all that is left of the canal are the remains of the locks that balanced the water in such a way that the boats could pass through from one level to another (as I understand it).

Though these locks had served a vital purpose in their time, they no longer were needed, and I found what was left of them rather beautiful. They had done what they were designed to do, and now they stood as an example of good workmanship and a tribute to water transportation.

I find myself thinking about what might remain of anything I have worked on 200 years from now. Will an article I wrote resurface or will this very blog post pop up on a monitor somewhere? Probably not, but who’s to say?

The one thing I must remember are these beautiful words from Scripture: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). God has a plan and a purpose for us that is beyond what we might have in mind for ourselves, and he will use us as he sees fit to bring good things to pass through Christ Jesus.

Riding into Water

water path
Bike path to South Hero Island, north of Burlington, VT

On my trip to Vermont this summer, I went on a bike trail just north of Burlington. As I rode along, I suddenly realized that the trail was taking me straight into Lake Champlain. I kept pedaling and the trail on dry land kept going. With water on both sides, I became a little frightened and made a concerted effort to keep the wheels of my bike rolling near the certain of the path. There was no room for error. If I somehow left the path on either side, I would be veering into water. Eventually the trail ended midway through the bay, where a railroad bridge once spanned the water the rest of the way to South Hero Island. I carefully returned on the path on came in on, feeling stronger in my legs and more sure of my balance on the bike as I again negotiated toward the center of the path to a wide expanse of land on shore.

The experience, while thrilling, made me think for a moment about the trepidation the Children of Israel must have felt as they traversed along dry land with the water of the Red Sea being held back by God on both sides. They must have focused on their feet, making sure they were walking a straight line toward shore, not accidentally stepping into the churning waters that could have swept them away. After a while though, their steps must have gotten easier; they found themselves more sure-footed as they neared the end of their trek. We are reminded of how they celebrated with song and tambourine when everyone had safely crossed and they had escaped their Egyptian captors.

God provides us with ways out of dangerous situations that often take some courage on our part. We need to stay focused, pay attention and keep the goal of relief in mind each time we step foot into paths marked out for us that can be tricky to navigate, but in the end are for our benefit. I think of recovery after surgery, getting out of a difficult relationship or searching for new employment.

Like the Children of Israel, we have a God who will deliver us. All we need to do is put one foot in front of the other and trust him to take us to where he wants us to be.

Doomscrolling

scrolling

Have you heard of the term doomscrolling? It refers to scrolling on our phones through large amounts of negative posts and videos on the web and social media. We’ve all experienced it. You start with one post about something dire, which leads to another link, and before you know it an hour has passed and you are feeling pretty pessimistic about the state of the world.

The fact is, though, that we don’t need our phones to go doomscrolling. Our brains take care of that all on their own sometimes. Psychologists call it catastrophizing. One bad thought leads to another and another until we envision the worst case scenarios of future times or an overly exaggerated view of mistakes we may have made in the past.

The Bible is well aware of our tendency for doomscrolling. “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance” (1 Peter 1:14). And St. Peter has this advice for us: “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:12). Yes, there are bad things in the world because of the presence of sin, but our thoughts should always scroll to the hope, the grace, the presence of Christ that we have now and will have forever. In the end, our future is not doom and gloom, but light and love, peace and joy in Jesus our Savior. Think on those things.

Echoes of Pickleball

pickleball

On my morning walks, I can hear the sounds of pickleball in the park near my house. The pop of the ball hitting the paddles and the courts seems to echo throughout the block, along with the the yelps, cheers and laughter of the players, even when I am blocks away.

Since the pickleball courts are rather new and are very popular, the echoes of pickleball-playing are something that has caught my attention. “I wonder what all the fuss is about?” “It sure sounds like they are having fun,” “I should go over there and check this out.”

Which brings me to the Christian application. What sounds coming from our churches can attract the attention of passersby? Maybe it is a choir singing. Maybe it is hearty laughter coming from a picnic after worship. Or maybe it is people praying the Lord’s Prayer together.

How can you “let your light shine” in the world that ”others may see your good works and praise your Father who is in heaven”? (Matthew 5:16).

All it may take is an echo of something uplifting that may ping in someone’s ear and bring them to the house of the Lord. Be that ping, that joyful noise, that permeating happy beat that draws a crowd for Christ.

Even Now

Mary, Martha and Jesus

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” —John 11:21-22

The two words “even now” were brought to light to me in a recent sermon. They are spoken by Martha in the midst of what must have been one of the most trying times of her life. Her brother whom she loved dearly had died, and Jesus, whom she knew to be the Messiah, had not come in time to help him. But even in the the midst of this upheaval in her life, she was able, in faith, to say that even now she knew Jesus could be anything. And, amazingly, he did. He raised Lazaras!

Fast-forward to today. Even now, in the midst of wars around the world. Even now, with political unrest in our nation. Even now, with mass shootings and violence. Even now, with those we love sick or dying. Even now, with our own physical or mental struggles, we can still say with certainty by faith, to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, “I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” And he will.

Inspiration

Robert Frost Trail
Scene along the Robert Frost Trail in Green Mountain National Forest

The famous American poet Robert Frost got inspiration for his poetry from the nature he witnessed around him on his walks through the woods near Green Mountain in the state of Vermont. I had an opportunity to take the path that Frost took through the woods of Vermont and witness for myself the trees, the meadows, the roads diverging in a yellow wood that elicited such a creative response.

What inspires you in this world? More specifically, what does the Holy Spirit inspire you to notice to help you learn more about our God? For many, it is indeed nature that inspires us to draw closer to the God who created all things. For others, inspiration comes from books, articles and podcasts that open our minds to the meaning behind the works and words of God. Often, it is music, and many times, it is simply a word, phrase or response from a friend that strikes us in a way that makes God come alive for us.

Inspiration is the primary work of the Holy Spirit. That is why it is important for us to stop and recognize that we are being inspired by something or someone. It is the Spirit of God speaking to us and telling us to pay attention. So be open to inspiration and do something with it when it comes you…like write a poem.

Barns

barn

On a morning walk while I was in Iowa recently, I passed a large, old, rustic barn that has been preserved along what has become a more modern, suburban road. The stark contrast of this farming structure in the midst of new construction homes made me think more deeply about barns and what they have to say to us as modern-day Christians.

Surprisingly, barns are mentioned several times in Scripture to represent different things.

The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you undertake; he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you (Deuteronomy 28:8).

Barns are a sign of blessing from God. They store the bountiful harvests of plants that come from God’s creation, and they represent a thriving and established community, which God will give the Children of Israel in the Promised Land.

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:26).

Jesus describes barns in his Sermon on the Mount as places that birds of the air have no need of because the heavenly Father takes care of them without the birds worrying about where their food will come from. Barns in this case are symbols of buildings that we fret over filling, when we should trust that God will keep us filled, even if our barns may not be full.

Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.”

In the parable of the rich fool, barns represent greed and amassing earthly wealth for our own personal gain. Jesus points out that we should store up treasures in heaven instead of riches here on earth. In the end, gifts of forgiveness, faith in Jesus and love for God and one another are more valuable than anything that can be stored in a barn, which will one day be destroyed.

Be on the lookout for barns on your travels this week, if you are able, and remember the lessons that can be learned from them for our walk with the Lord.