Posted on Apr 3, 2019 in Devotions |
WHO IS JESUS ? As the Christian calendar turns to the annual celebration of PALM SUNDAY, it is great to reflect on the meaning and message of that amazing day. It was a bit like a ticker tape parade. A bit like a rock concert with screaming fans. There was genuine admiration, emotional patriotism, and a little group hysteria. Fronds from the palm trees, wraps from their robes…whatever was handy…tossed on the street in front of the donkey which Jesus rode into the city! Of course some folks frowned, clucked their tongues and shook their heads. And among the ones cheering, there were those who were jubilant for the wrong reason. They thought their national liberation was at hand. Nonetheless, it was a potent moment for that day and place and for those people of Jerusalem.
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Posted on Jun 22, 2018 in Devotions |
If you have been trapped by what you said or ensnared by the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, to free yourself. GO and HUMBLE YOURSELF to your neighbor and APOLOGIZE. Allow no sleep to your eyes. Free yourself like a bird from the snare of the fowler” (Proverbs 6:3-4). This advice from the Scripture is as relevant today as it was 3000 years ago! How different our lives would often be if we simply followed this maxim. Notice the urgency. Allow no sleep! Don’t wait! Notice the condition. Humble yourself! Get off your high horse! Notice the result. This sets me free! I have changed my future! Notice the relationship. New terms with my neighbor! Second chance with my coworker or friend or family! New beginning with GOD! A simple, sincere apology. Read more…
Posted on May 2, 2018 in Devotions |
Certain professions carry with them a contingency. They are “on call.” Many of these have equipment which they need to have READY. It may be clothes, tools, weapons, beepers or specialized equipment. They have their things packed…ready for immediate access and deployment. NOTHING must be allowed to interfere with their readiness and availability. They never know when they will need it, but they are certain that they will need it. Therefore, its readiness must be guarded. When the call comes, that suitcase or trunk or equipment may be their only lifeline. Their salvation. Think of SWAT teams, SEAL teams, law enforcement, emergency personnel, fire fighters, Coast Guard, electrical linemen. Lifeboats on a ship. Fire extinguishers in an office. Emergency wash rooms in a lab. Etc.
What MOTIVATES or ENABLES such an attitude, such preparation, such readiness?
A person in this position has to see the unseen! Read more…
Posted on Mar 5, 2018 in Devotions |
David Rawley Otterbein United Brethren in Christ Church
The final (ending) word of the Bible is the “revelation” given to St. John while he was imprisoned on an island fortress for preaching and speaking about Christ. He tells us that he “heard” and “saw” this vision (Revelation 1:10-12). The speaker was one “like a son of man”, that very phrase being a self description often used by Jesus. This person who John saw had eyes as bright as fire and feet as bright as bronze. The eyes speak of the intensity and purpose of Christ, not the meek lamb going to the slaughter but the risen Lord who possesses all authority. The feet speak of the dual nature and purpose of Christ, a union of God and man. Bronze, a union of copper and iron, is malleable but rigid, representing both the strength of God and the vulnerability of man. Read more…
Posted on Jan 6, 2018 in Devotions |
How can you follow God and thrive in the secular world at the same time? Almost every workplace Christian faces this question daily, and many find the answer so difficult they are tempted to give up. Daniel, the central character of the Book of Daniel, faces the question under extreme circumstances. Exiled from Jerusalem when the Babylonian empire conquers God’s people, he must live out his life in an environment very hostile to the Most High God. Yet circumstances bring him to a position of high opportunity in the service of the Babylonian king. Should he withdraw from the corrupt and profane Babylonian government and seek a life pleasing to God in an enclave among other Jews? Should he relegate his faith to a private, personal sphere, perhaps praying to God in his closet, while living the life of Babylonian power and influence indistinguishably from those around him? Daniel chooses neither. Instead, he embarks on a promising career while remaining publicly devoted to God. The story of how he navigates these treacherous waters is a guidebook and case study for today’s times.
