Psalm 121 has always been one of my favorite Psalms. Vivid imagery paired with timeless truth makes for a beautiful journey through a powerful passage about God’s care and protection. I really learned a lot about this passage in 2016 when I was preparing for a mission trip with my church to Brazil. This trip would take me farther from my family than I had ever gone before, there was the Zika Virus outbreak, and I was working two jobs at this time. So to say I had a lot on my mind would be an understatement. I jumped in the shower after a long day at both jobs and just let the water wash over me as I was thinking of all that was going on in my life at this time. Now I have never had panic or anxiety attacks, but that night I did. My knees were weak, shortness of breath, and I was really worried about why I was feeling this way. Then I heard a voice so audible as if it was in the room with me. “I’ve Got You.” It was no booming voice like in The Ten Commandments film when Moses is given the commandments. It was just a loving whisper yet in the moment it was all I heard. Even to this day I remember that moment, hearing those words, and feeling that peace wash over me as I stood under the water bracing myself against the wall. “I’ve got you.” Three words and ALL of my doubts, fears, and worries were washed away. We had been asked several weeks prior to the trip what our favorite Bible verse was and I had used Psalm 121:1-2 as mine just because I have been able to envision looking up to God for help. After receiving the comforting words that late night I decided I would go back and reread the passage and I found some more great words of comfort. I lift up my eyes to the mountains-- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The first couple of verses have always been an easy visual for me. In one of my favorite books there is a scene that is a nearly perfect mirror of what these verses are talking about. In one of the major battles we find an army that is extremely outnumbered standing against the forces of evil. They have endured the night, barely, and are strategizing on where they stand. They are in a valley stronghold backed into the corner with no way of escape or retreat. At this point when they are at their greatest moment of need they are reminded that they had allies on their way. As the remaining warriors are riding out to meet the enemy they look up to the eastern ridge and find their allies joining the fight. Their combined forces win the day. When we are distressed, depressed, or otherwise embroiled in the personal battles we face day to day, our heads and spirits are often downcast and we feel as though there is no way out. We don’t always remember when we are in that situation, if we would just raise our heads we could see that God is there bringing victory to us. Now I will not say it is an instantaneous, fast, when we want it fix, or the fix we want but this chapter also speaks about how He will never leave us. While we don’t face the same battles that are depicted in books, movies, and history but the idea is the same, “When you are down or need help, look up”. One day, a rule-bound lawyer, hoping to get a checklist to prove he was good enough, approached Jesus and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Like a wise rabbi, Jesus didn’t give an answer, but countered the question with his own question, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” The lawyer was thrilled, because he knew the answer to that one! Proudly, he rattled off something he learned in the synagogue as a child years ago, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” Then he added, “And, love your neighbor as yourself.” “Bingo!” said Jesus. “You nailed it! You said it right. Now, DO it!” The lawyer was startled. The conversation was moving fast from theory to real life application. He wasn’t so sure he liked the direction this was going, and got defensive.” “But. . .. But. . . who is my neighbor anyway?” He wasn’t asking in order to find a neighbor to love. Instead, he was asking “who is NOT my neighbor? Who can I exclude?” Jesus would have none of that, so he responded with a story. “A man, traveling to Jericho, was attacked by robbers, beaten and left for dead beside the road. A priest hurried by. He was late to church. When he saw the broken, bleeding victim, he thought, “That’s sad. I wonder what he did to deserve that” and passed on the other side. Another religious guy a local politician, approached him, and, horrified when he was the battered man, thought, “We need to have a discussion about violence in our community. At the next council meeting, I’ll see if we can form a committee to look study it.” Then, he scurried on his way. Finally, a Samaritan passed by. (Samaritans were considered half-breed outcasts in their culture. All the characters in the story so far would have looked down their noses at him — especially the lawyer who asked the question in the first place.) The Samaritan stopped and helped the injured man. He bandaged his wounds, put him on his own donkey and carried him to a safe and comfortable place to heal. Now, who was the neighbor in this story?” The lawyer realizing there was only one correct answer here, replied, “The one who showed mercy.” And Jesus smiled and said, “You are right — and THAT is what you need to do.” The lawyer started the conversation by asking “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus ended the conversation by asking, “Whose neighbor are you?” Posted with permission. Originally posted on 5-4-2017 at www.MarkOWilson.com [Rev. Mark Wilson an author, speaker, and assistant professor of multiplication at Southern Wesleyan University. Before that Mark pastored Hayward Wesleyan Church in Wisconsin's Northwoods. He has a pastor's heart and a warm spirit.] Yesterday I wrote about what it was like to receive a gift you really didn't want or have any use for. As a kid, receiving a case of various types of vitamins was not my idea of a holly jolly Christmas. Over the years, I would use that experience as an illustration in messages about how perfect God's gift is to us. During one sermon I talked about this very idea, that God knows what we need and what we want. He always gives the perfect gift. I talked about how we sometimes missed the mark in our giving... "Like, you wouldn't give me certain things, because they just wouldn't make sense as a gift to me. You wouldn't walk up to me and give me say... pot holders for Christmas. I don't want pot holders. I wouldn't use pot holders. They just wouldn't make any sense, so they would not be a good gift." This happened to be the Sunday before Christmas. As we were going around giving out cards to people in the church, we received a card and small package from one of our dear friends. My wife opened the package, and lo and behold... crocheted pot holders. Yep! A few minutes after saying that no one would give me pot holders for Christmas, a lady gave me pot holders for Christmas... handmade pot holders. I just stood there, mortified. The lady stood there smiling at me. You see, sometimes it isn't about what you think you want, or what you think you should get. It is about being a humble and grateful recipient. The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:35) The blessing is in the giving.. not the receiving. In a real sense, who cares what you get? If a gift is given in love and thoughtfulness, why would I despise it? Who cares if it is 'useful' to me? The fact that someone thought enough of me to do something nice is a rare and valuable thing in itself. In a world that is in many ways more careless and thoughtless than ever, the mere fact that someone cares enough to give me something they made is quite powerful. The blessing is in the giving... even for me. That someone else gave to me is a blessing. This holiday, you will likely get some things you don't want or desire. But if that thing comes from someone who cared enough about you to put forth the giving effort, receive it graciously, and treasure it. And give, not just out of compulsion... but out of true love and generosity. When 'giving' is seen as the gift, receiving becomes a spiritual act instead of a greedy one. For God loved the world in this way:[j] He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) This is an absolutely free resource. If you would like to support us, you can give via the above link. The video below is associated with the topic. When I was a kid, we always looked forward to Christmas. I'll be honest... the presents were a big part of our excitement. About the time I was 7 or 8 years old, we received a package before Christmas from an aunt living in another state. My brother and I were pretty pumped about what it may be. It was a box that was big enough to crank up our imaginations. We talked about what it might be, and tore into it on Christmas morning. Upon opening it, we looked to our parents asked asked what it was. It looked like we had been sent the wrong package, and somewhere there was a pharmaceutical rep opening up an electric racetrack. My dad laughed and said, "Those are vitamins, son." Vitamins? We got vitamins for Christmas? And these weren't even Flintstones vitamins. They were medication grade vitamins. And it was a whole case. It would have supplied a wing of the nursing home for a year. My aunt was a Shaklee distributor. She sold products like vitamins and other things. So either she had a bunch of samples left over, or she needed to buy a case to meet her quota and make diamonds, or she really thought these two boys wanted vitamin D for Christmas. Whatever she thought, I can guarantee you the last option was not viable. We weren't picky kids, but to say we were disappointed would be an understatement. As was our custom, later in the day we called our relatives to wish them a Merry Christmas, and thank them for their gift, if they sent one. I can't tell you how difficult and weird it was for me and my little brother to talk to the aunt on the phone that day. Wishing her a Merry Christmas was easy. But when it came time to thank her for the dozens of bottles of vitamins, I'll admit... my heart wasn't really in it. You can imagine how difficult it would be for an 8 year old boy on Christmas day to say, "Thank you for the case of vitamins." To be honest, we tried them. I remember the vitamin C was not half bad. But some of the other horse pills were bad enough to gag a maggot. I remember specifically telling her, "The vitamin C tastes pretty good." (File that under "Things a kid should never have to say on Christmas day.") The next year we got another box from the same aunt. Since we were kids and had short memories, my immediate reaction was, "Oh boy... a big box..." Then we realized it was from "Aunt Shaklee." There was literally no anticipation for opening that box on Christmas. I mean, there was the outside chance that the previous year was the ultimate setup to send us the most surprisingly cool toy gift ever the next year... but no... it was another case of vitamins. Once again, we got on the phone and thanked her for the health store. Aunt Shaklee didn't have any kids. Perhaps she was just trying to unload some overstock. Maybe she really did care about our health. It could be that she thought it better to send vitamins than nothing. I don't know. I never asked her. It may be that in a strange twist of circumstance, the first box was a mistake, but when she heard two little kids thank her for Christmas vitamins she thought she was the coolest aunt ever. I don't know. All I know is that we started to dread the box of what amounted to medicine to boys who would rather try to pull apart a Stretch Armstrong. It became a family joke... like the grandma who would give underwear. Yippee! Gratefully no one in our family gave underwear. So while we may have had old socks... we had the strongest bones in the county. Ironically, at this stage of life, I would probably be glad with some vitamins as a present. Aunt Shaklee wasn't wrong... she was just early. The most difficult part of those days was not opening a box of vitamins. It was coming up with the words to say to an aunt who gave the wrong gift. On the other end of the gift spectrum, we have God.. who has given us the perfect gift of salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ. He is exactly what we need, when we need it, all the time. I was lost, but now I'm found... was blind, but now I see. How can I say, "Thank you" for that? The apostle Paul apparently understood the problem of giving thanks for something that is beyond description. So I agree with him when he wrote, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift." (2 Corinthians 9:15) Today, as you open up Christ, and He opens up life to you, just be thankful. Be thankful that He is perfect for every stage of your life. Be thankful that He knows what you need as much as He knows what you want. The story continues tomorrow... This is an absolutely free resource. If you would like to support us, you can give via the above link. The video below is associated with the topic. In the book of Joel we find a prophecy that goes like this... "I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions." (Joel 2:28) As the world gets darker and lives become more wrapped up in just surviving, it is easy to lose the spiritual art of dreaming and visioning. But seeing things that are not yet is an important element to thriving in difficult days. Today I am going to do something a little different, and I hope it is an encouragement to you. I have been married to my wife Becky for 25 years. During that time we have constantly been involved in some sort of ministry. From youth work, to sports ministry, to pastoring, to counseling, to compassion ministry, we have enjoyed many aspects of work in the kingdom of God. During that time we have mostly been financially strapped, but that never stopped us from serving and giving as if we had access to the treasury of Heaven. For five years our family lived in the Sunday School wing of an inner city church as we pastored and led in a turnaround effort. God was always good, and I don't think we ever missed a meal, even though there were some slim days. To us, serving God and others was the goal, so whatever needed to happen to accomplish that was part of the mission. But from our early days as a couple, God gave us a dream. It was a vision of a home with more than enough room for us. Room for a missionary family needing a place to stay while home on furlough, trying to catch their breath from intense overseas missions. Room for a pastoral couple who is closew to burnout, needing to renew themseleves and check to see if the fire was still burning for God's call to lead people. Room for a couple who is trying to survive a relationship disaster in their lives. Room for a young adult who is trying to figure out exactly what God's call is in their life. Room for a single mom or dad who is trying to figure out their next step after being turned out by their spouse. Room for a group of college students who want to spend a weekend discussing and debating philosophy and theology. Room for a youth group to come out and sing and cry around a bonfire while making some important commitments to Christ. Room to renew, refocus, and reflect. We feel like God has led us in a way that allows us to help people who are in a place where they are seeking renewal. We can walk with people and encourage thought as we ask questions and provide responses based on a practical Christian worldview. God has helped us renew, refocus, and reflect over the years. And we would like to help others do the same. The same way this devotional causes you to think more deeply about certain issues is the same way we want to initiate conversations with people seeking God's leading or renewal in their lives. For many years we had this dream, but we didn't know how it would come about. We didn't spend our lives in the secular workforce building up savings. We were living God's hand to our mouth and giving a good portion of that to those in need. Not much room for savings. Over the last couple of years God has moved us away from some of those leadership positions. We didn't exactly know what He was doing, but recently He has rekindled the vision of a place that would allow us to see the dream become reality. God has opened up an opportunity for us to purchase a small farm setting with 5 acres just north of Nashville, TN. The house is plenty big enough to offer independent lodging to friends or recommended people who need a short retreat or place to seek God in a quiet setting. The house is structurally sound, but in need of a few repairs before being approved for the kind of loan we are seeking. It needs some laminate flooring in a few rooms, some wiring squared away, some painting, etc. These are things we can do, or have done fairly quickly. But we don't have all of the funds we need at the moment. We are on a bit of a time crunch as we are taking possession of the house on December 15, and will have one month to get the house ready for closing by January 15, 2017. As much as we believe this is a great way to start a new year and new chapter of our ministry life, we do not like asking for help. Yet that is what I am doing. I really do not like asking for financial help. But I have been encouraged by some people around me to allow ourselves to be on the receiving end of the blessing just as we were so many years giving out of our lack to those in greater need. To be honest, we need around $2450 by December 15 (which is about 3 days away. we will also need around $5,000 to do the repairs over the next couple of weeks. And then we need around $8,000 for the down payment for the house by January 15. Nope... I don't have $15,000 in my pocket. Yep... That's a lot of money to me. Nope... Its is not a lot of money to God. Yep... I believe He is going to provide. Perhaps this daily morning devotional has been a blessing to you, and you've wondered how you can be a blessing back. Well, here's one way. A friend and one of my daughters has set up a GoFundMe account for those who would like to help us launch our next phase of ministry. I will continue doing this devotional, but if you feel like you can or should help this kingdom dream become reality, please click the HERE and give as you are led. As in our other areas of ministry, we will be working hard to see this part of God's kingdom flourish. We believe this property will be a part of saving lives, marriages, ministries, and launching people into a new trajectory for Christ and His work. You can see photos of the land and house in the video below. If you have any questions, let me know. I thank you in advance for any help you can offer. You can also give directly through the PAYPAL link right here. This is an absolutely free resource. If you would like to support us, you can give via the above link. The video below is associated with the topic. |
AuthorMy name is David, and I want to know God more, and help other people find Him. Archives
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