No Other Rock

Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.” ~ Mark 5:22-23

Ever had a bad day? There’s nothing that can change your mood. Right?

Ever had something that is eating at you that nothing will make you stop thinking (or worrying) about it? You let it eat you apart for hours – days – weeks. Maybe you seek counsel, but it is often not helpful. Not because of the person giving it, but because you cannot let go.

Simply put, you are a black pit of despair. It is here, we should recall (or learn) that Jairus means “diffuser of light.”

He came to Jesus because he knew that Jesus was the only light that could save his daughter. He beleived in the power and willingness of Jesus. Sometimes, we just have to also.

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we’ll really start trusting Jesus.

Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it. ~ John 2:5

Yesterday, we were presented with the prospects of the being a cost to our obedience. Today, we received report of the rewards. In today’s devotion, Baxters references S.D. Gordon in quoting that:

Obedience is the eye of the spirit. Failure to obey dims and dulls the spiritual understanding.

We know the outcome of our obedience. However, through our full obedience, we are able to enjoy a rich communion with Him.

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we will seek to think and act in full obedience with God.

Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it. ~ John 2:5

Hmmm. . . Today’s devotion is about obedience, and I take this day to wait until 8PM to post.

Coincidence? I wish I could say I planned it that way, but the simple truth is that I just didn’t get things done in time.

No one can ever say that in merely being obedient that it would be easy. In fact, there are many times in life that there are penalties for being obedient. Sure, they are earthly penalties and the are based upon people’s opinions, emotions and man-made rules, but we are called to be obedient.

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we will be more obedient even when the walk mandates self-sacrifice.

Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it. ~ John 2:5

Perhaps an alternative title to today’s devotion could be “What Does God Want with Me?”

This is a question I hear quite often, and one that I think about ten times as often. I have long considered my place in this world and determined that there surely must be more for me to do. But this is flawed thinking.

Maybe a better alternative to the devotion is; “Am I doing what God wants?”

I like this idea better because it takes all the emphasis off of my selfishness. Too often, we become narrow in our thoughts because it is so natural to make everything relate to us. If you want a humorous take on this idea, please click here.

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we will continually question if our actions are God-approved.

Christ is all. ~ Colossians 3:11

If you haven’t noticed, a recent theme in the devotions has been the relevance of Christ in our lives. We refer to Christ by many names and with many labels. But today, we focus on one; SAVIOR.

Have you ever stopped to think about that? It’s very easy to say something and not give any thought to what those words really mean. Our society continually waters down the meanings of words and sometimes will even develop entirely different connotations.

Now, I am not suggesting that savior is such a word, but give it some real thought! Wihtout Christ, where would we be?

UPDATE: After posting this, I ran across this post this morning. It pretty much spells out evidence that Christ truly is all.

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we will consider the relevance of Christ being our personal saviours – that is, He is all.

Christ is all. ~ Colosians 3:11

‘Tis Jesus who can give
Solid comforts while we live.
‘Tis Jesus can supply
Solid comfort when we die.

~ J. Sidlow Baxter

Christ is all. ~ Colossians 3:11

When I read today’s devotion, I was reminded of the idea that we have a God-shaped hole in our hearts until Christ enters into it. It’s an idea posed by Augustine in Confessions when he states; “You have created us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

So often, we run through life with that hole in our hearts and we try desperately to fill it with everything . . . everything that is, except Jesus. And then, when we ask Christ into our lives, we are finally whole.

Through Christ, we are able to establish a relationship with God. But much like any relationship, we have our ups and downs. That hole be be no less filled, but we still sometimes act as though it is.

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we will remember that it is Christ who fills the hole in our hearts.

Who hat saved us, and called us . . . ~ II Timothy 1:9

One thing that is often talked about is the “works” we do here on Earth. People that don’t go to church will say they “do a lot of good in the world and that shoud be enough.” Then, there are people that go to church and say things like “I go to church and do a lot of good things, but I am worried that it is not enough.”

But, as Baxter points out; “If Jesus on the cross died exclaiming ‘It is finished!’ who am I to be insinuating that it is incomplete without additions of my own? Thank God, our Lord’s atonement is complete, perfect, final, and for ever. As soon as I accept Him as my saviour, I am forgiven, acquitted, justified, regenerated . . .”

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we will remember that we have been called, and help others to realize their calls.

Who hat saved us, and called us . . . ~ II Timothy 1:9

Printing Press. Vinyl Record. Radio. Television. Color Television. 8-Trak. Cassette. VHS/Beta Max. Computer. Compact Disc. Internet. DVD. World Wide Web. HTML. Blog. RSS . . .

Technology is wonderful. In each technology lies a great promise – and a great distraction. Within each technology emerges new uses and subsets. While one might be able to contend that technology creates and easy means for message delivery, one might also very well contend that each new technology further dilutes the number of messages available.

Let’s consider what messages get lost in the process.

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we remember to spread the one message that matters.

Out of weakness were made strong. ~ Hebrews 11:34

My daughter wants her mother and I to buy her a pair of Tinkerbell wings at Wal-Mart. She is three years old and is going through a stage where sh’ll awake in the night and come running downstairs, often in panic fear. She’ll curl up in the corner of our bedroom with a pillow and blanket and sleep until we force her to get up and get ready for school.

We have told her that the wings would be her reward for sleeping through the night several nights in a row. She really wants the wings, but continues to struggle with staying upstairs all night long. The fear overwhelms her. But every night, she suggests that “maybe I will [stay upstairs] tonight.”

It is that reward that continues to make her want to beat that fear. While that fear is now a weakness, I have no doubt the prospects of her reward will one day be enough to enable her rise above it.

Sometimes, we can learn a lot from a three-year-old.

Today, my prayer for you and I is remember our rewards in Christ as we face our fears and weaknesses.