Daily Devotional
Cleveland, FBC
Friday, May 29th, 2020
The other day, Crosswalk finished our Romans study that we began back in January. Our adult bible studies on Wednesdays and Sundays are fast approaching that finish line as well.
Our two studies were pretty similar, breaking down each chapter, mostly verse by verse, exegetically.
But, even when you do that, there’s so much goodness in Scripture, we often still miss things the first, second, or even third time we read through a scripture.
Something that really stood out to me, and the more I’ve chewed on it, the more it stands out, is Romans 5:10-11
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
When we think of ourselves before our life in Christ, we often think of someone wandering around without a purpose, someone who just doesn’t know where they are going in life, doesn’t have a plan-just an aimless drifter in life.
But Paul paints a different picture here in these verses. He tells us that, when we were not in Christ, we weren’t just wandering aimlessly, but were in fact enemies of God. The word used here for enemy speaks of someone who isn’t just “not for” God, but is “against” God. It speaks of someone who wishes to do harm to God, someone who has absolutely no intention or desire to be at peace with anyone. Yet, the second half of verse 10 tells us that this doesn’t matter to God. In fact, verse 8 tells us that while we were still sinners, so while we were still enemies of God that had no desire to be at peace with Him, Christ died for us, on our behalf. He did this to do what? Verse 10 and 11 say Christ did this to reconcile us to God. Reconciliation is the act of bringing two things together. Making peace where there was brokenness. Making peace where there was enmity and fighting.
When we become Christians, because of God’s mercy and grace, we are reconciled to God. No longer are we enemies, but we are His children.
How marvelous and great are the riches of God’s mercy and grace! His love is more than we could ever deserve, and more than we could ever imagine. Let us rejoice that He desired us when we could never desire Him.
In Christ,
Wesley
Daily Devotional
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Cleveland FBC
I don’t know how many of you watched the Wednesday Night Bible Study last night on Facebook / YouTube. If you didn’t, I hope you will. We were talking about the unity of the church. I think that something like the pandemic is a test of our unity and I believe we have passed the test well. There is a genuine concern for each other and a hope that we will soon all be back together.
Paul says
“There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all
(Ephesians 4:5-6).
That’s unity! I read a story recently about two students at the Chicago-Kent College of Law. The highest-ranking student in the class was a blind man named Overton, and when he received his honor, he insisted that half the credit should go to his friend, Kaspryzak. They had first met one another in school when the armless Kaspryzak had guided the blind Overton down a flight of stairs. This acquaintance ripened into friendship and a beautiful example of interdependence. The blind man carried the books that the armless man read aloud in their common study, and thus the deficiency of each individual was compensated for by the other’s ability.
That seemed to me to be a wonderful picture of the church. Each of us is gifted and as we serve each other with the gift we have, we grow in Christ and become interdependent. We live in a world that encourages an extreme form of independence. But, the Bible knows nothing of that. We are saved because of our dependence on Christ and his great sacrifice. As long as we insist that we are independent, we cannot know Christ.
In the same way, the proclamation of every person who is a true believer is “Jesus is Lord”. The statement itself is a denial of personal rights and the complete subjugation of my personal will under the will of the one to whom I belong. There cannot be two “Lords” in one house. We must determine to make Jesus the only Lord in our lives if we truly follow him. And if the two of us have the same Lord, and serve his will in all we do, then we are bound to each other through the common Master we serve.
And in coming to know Christ as Lord, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit that lives in me lives in every single believer. All believers have the same Spirit and thus all believers are bound together at the deepest possible level.
In addition to that, every believer is gifted with spiritual abilities. But the abilities are not given for personal gain but are given for the good of the Body of Christ. I am gifted for your good and you are gifted for mine. We are “interdependent”. I need you and you need me. I can carry the books you cannot carry. And you can read them even though I’m not able. What a beautiful picture of our dependence on each other!
I pray for us that as we go through the Corona Virus test, we will grow closer together even as we are forced to stay apart. God’s wonderful plan is unity in spite of diversity!
Bro Rick
Daily Devotional
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Cleveland FBC
Nancy and I are so glad that our two grandsons from Nashville can be with us for the first time since Christmas. And our other set of grandchildren will be coming in July! It is good to see things slowly return to some semblance of normalcy! Although we’re a long way from being back to normal, at least many are able to go back to work, families can go on some vacations,
and we get to gather for worship.
I must say, after all the years of ministry, this has been one of the most challenging times we have ever had to go through. And in many ways, it seems so senseless. Personally, I believe that God uses everything we experience to teach us, mold us, and direct our lives for the good of his
eternal purposes. Since those purposes are eternal, they are often not within the rage of our comprehension. We simply do not have an eternal perspective. We live trapped in the here and now.
But this isn’t the first time we have been puzzled by God’s ways. Eleven years ago, it became clear to us that God was directing us back home after 27 years in Germany. We were needed to care for Nancy’s parents. However, it took us several months to wrap things up and get back home. During those months we thought a lot about Nancy’s dad. She talked with him regularly and each time, she would tell him again that we were coming home. Having lost his short-term memory, the news of our return excited him each time she called. We were saddened when he passed away before we could get home. And it remains one of those things we do not understand.
Paul wrote to the Romans and said,
“Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and
knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!”
(Romans 11:33).
There are many things we do not understand. But we do know that in his great knowledge and wisdom he has everything—including our lives—in his hands. We must remind ourselves that at the very heart of our relationship with Christ is the call faith. It is a call to trust his wisdom and knowledge when life doesn’t make sense. I’m praying that you are able to trust his wisdom and knowledge when yours is incomplete.
—————————————————————————————–
There are several people we need to pray for especially today.
-Janice Patterson and Jim Holiday are having surgeries this morning.
Pray for God to hold his hand of protection and healing over them.
-Hilary Thomas had a second spinal block yesterday.
-Becky Clemons was at the pulmonologist for tests yesterday.
-Dell Swindell will have a pacemaker implanted on Monday of next week.
You are a great family to be a part of. Pray for these brothers and sisters who need the Lord’s healing.
May God’s ways be your ways—even when you don’t understand.
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Monday, May 25, 2020
Cleveland, FBC
Shortly after we moved to the former East Germany, I was in the city park, which is one of the largest city parks in Europe. In fact, they say of Weimar that it isn’t a city with a park, but a park with a city. The park meanders for miles along the banks of the Ilm River. As I walked, I was amazed to see about 50 sheep being led over an old stone bridge from one side of the river to the other. There was a shepherd with a shepherd’s staff, and he stood on one side of the bridge and counted the sheep as they crossed over.
It was impossible not to think of all the Bible passages that refer to the Lord as the shepherd of his people: their provider, defender, counselor, and friend. As I watched the shepherd carefully count, I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d given the sheep names. There certainly seemed to be some sort of bonding between sheep and shepherd.
When the people of Israel were facing desperate times, the prophet Micah encouraged them to depend upon God. The seventh chapter is entitled, “Misery Turned to Hope”. In verse 14 Micah says:
O Lord, protect your people with your shepherd’s staff;
lead your flock, your special possession.
Though they live alone in a thicket
on the heights of Mount Carmel,[c]
let them graze in the fertile pastures of Bashan and Gilead
as they did long ago.
Micah 7:14
In this brief passage, Micah compares the work of the Lord with his people to that of a Shepherd. He protects the sheep with his staff. Of course, the staff—a stick with a crook on the end—could be used to fend off wolves, BUT it had other protective possibilities as well. When a sheep found himself caught in a thicket of brambles from which he could not free himself, the shepherd could use the crook on his staff to pull the sheep out.
Is that not a good analogy of the times in which we live? Is the pandemic not like a thicket of brambles that ensnares us, holding us firmly in its grip? I am reminded that we have a shepherd who knows us and sees us and is not indifferent. He will rescue us with his staff and pull us from the thicket that holds us.
But he does so with a purpose in mind. He has good plans for his people. He will lead them and provide for them. God loves his church, sending his Son to sacrifice his life for his special possession. He will pull us from the thicket. He will lead us. He will bring us again to good pastures! That is the Good News. No matter what we face in this life we know that in all the Misery we have the certain hope of salvation. With that in mind, I hope you have a wonderful week with the Shepherd at your side. God bless! Bro. Rick
A few prayer needs.
- Let’s continue to remember Becky Clemons who will has an appointment with the pulmonologist on Tuesday. Give thanks for her successful surgery this week. She is in much less pain and her arm is stable.
- Pray for Janice Patterson who will have back surgery on Wednesday. Pray for complete healing. Pray as well, that Janice will be able to have a time of in-house physical therapy / rehab.
- Pray for Wesley and Abby and the safe delivery of baby Thompson on Wed / Thursday. Pray for safety for mother and baby and ask God to bless the whole family as they celebrate Thompson’s arrival.
- Pray for Hilary Thomas. She is suffered with a pinched nerve in her neck that has been tremendously painful. She will have the second block on Tuesday. Pray also for Mitchel. The chemo treatment that he is getting right now made him really sick this past weekend. Ask God to lay his hand on this family.
- Pray for John and Brittney as they start their new life together. Ask God to bless their marriage and show them each step of the way.
- Pray for Josh and Jessie Hoagland. Josh’s grandfather died this past week and was buried on Saturday. Pray for comfort.
- Ask God to bless the church as we continue during this strange time. As things open up and the youth and children begin to meet, ask God to keep us safe.
Daily Devotional
Cleveland, FBC
Friday, May 22nd, 2020
As of this day, we are likely less than a week from meeting our child. We are scheduled for Wednesday night the 27th, and can’t wait! All this preparation will be brought to fruition soon. So we ask, please keep us in your prayers! Abby will be home with the Baby for quite some time before we bring him to church, but you won’t be rid of me so easily. I’ll be back in a few weeks (and I’m sure I’ll be glad to get some quiet from the baby, haha).
Enough of that. I want to share with y’all a verse that has always stood out to me and been of great importance in my walk with Christ.
Psalm 19:14
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight O God, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
I want to look at five things here. First of all, let’s think about “the words of my mouth.” We’re told in Ephesians 4:29 that the only speech that we are to utter is that which is useful for the edification of the saints. What we say is to encourage, to uplift, to benefit others. Not to tear them down. Not to belittle them.
Secondly, “the meditation of my heart.” Scripture tells us that God looks at the heart, but man at the outer appearance. God knows what is in our hearts, and what our hearts’ desires are. Often what we say and what we actually think or believe are two different things. But we are to not only say things that are honorable to God, acceptable to God, but are to have the right heart about it. We can say we love one another, but if our hearts are full of hatred, God our Father knows about it. He sees it. We cannot be double minded. We are to speak and think in ways that are honorable in his Sight.
Thirdly, “in your sight.” God knows what is in our hearts as we said above. He doesn’t just see our outer appearance, but our hearts intent. So all things, whether outward or inward, are in his Sight. This understanding should really impact how we live. What we say, but also, what we meditate on. What we really think and chew on. Who we are.
Next, God is our “Rock.” He is our strength. As a rock, he is the one that protects us, strengthens us, shields us. He is the cornerstone upon which the church is built. He is the sure foundation upon which our faith is built. We can trust in him without fail.
Lastly, God is seen here as our “Redeemer.” He is the one who redeemed us. As Boaz redeemed Ruth, and gave her a home, a future, a family, a name, so Christ redeems us by His blood and gives us an eternal home; an eternal future with Him free of Sin’s presence and punishment; a faith family, our brothers and sisters in Christ; and, a new name: Christian.
I want to encourage you in this passage today. God is your Rock and your Redeemer. He is the one who protects you because he is the one who has saved you. So, as a response to His work in your life, for you, on your behalf, honor him with your words and your deeds. May they be acceptable in His sight.
I leave you with this from Hebrews 13:20-21
“20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us[a] that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
In Christ,
Wesley
Daily Devotional
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Cleveland FBC
Yesterday Janice Patterson went for her preop in preparation for back surgery next week. The description of what she and Erin encountered sounded like something from an episode of the “Twilight Zone” (for those who remember that weird show). They were greeted by staff in complete protective gear who held up signs: “Do not roll down windows!” “Speak to No One!” “Call This Number…” With that telephone number they received further instructions. Ultimately Janice succeeded in getting her corona virus test.
What a strange place this has become and what a strange time in which to live. Some people are protesting. Conspiracy theories are a dime a dozen. There have even been outbreaks of anger and physical violence because of the things we are being asked to do. It really is like the Twilight Zone! But for us—as followers of Christ—there is a different standard. We are called to follow Jesus, acting as he would act, speaking as he would speak, reflecting him in all we do.
Ultimately, we are to bring glory to God no matter what the situation might be. In a time when fear and anger and frustration seem to be on every face you see, (that is, if you can make that out behind the mask) we are called on to radiate joy and trust. David wrote a Psalm for the dedication of the temple. The last stanza goes like this:
“You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
12 that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!”
(Psalm 30:11-12)
It is important to remember that what we are going through is temporary. Granted, we don’t know how temporary, but it will be over at some point—maybe six months, maybe a year. God is still in control and we can trust him. As followers of Christ we are called on to glorify our Father in Heaven no matter what the circumstances that surround us. And it seems to me that the witness our faith and joy in Christ will communicate is much stronger because we are in the middle of a pandemic.
So, let me encourage you, wherever you are, to be clothed in joy, praise the Lord instead of being silent. And, give thanks forever! (David suggested joyful dancing, but I’m not sure that fits every situation!)
May God keep you safe and fill you with the assurance and joy that comes with knowing him.
Bro Rick
Daily Devotional
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Cleveland FBC
First, I want to ask you all to be in prayer today for Becky Clemons who will have surgery on her arm. A fracture has been caused by a tumor that will be removed and the bone will be cemented into place and fastened with a plate. Soon she will see the pulmonologist for evaluation and a plan for further treatment. I’m so thankful that Becky’s daughter has been able to stay with her and can be with her tomorrow as she goes to surgery. I wish it were possible to be with them.
Talking to Becky today has been a reminder of how wonderful the gift of presence is. To be able to be with someone when they are hurting is a privilege that we generally take for granted. During this time of isolation, I have often thought how blessed we are to live in the modern age when we can, at least, talk to each other when we can’t visit with each other. Words can have a powerful impact on our lives. Paul said,
“So encourage each other and build each other up, just
as you are already doing”
(1 Thessalonians 5:11)
This is what God intended when he gave man the gift of speech—a gift that can have an incredibly positive influence on everyone around us. The words we say can heal hurts, can bind up wounds, can express love and gratitude, empathy and compassion, instruction and solidarity.
If you think about it, words are the very thing that bind us together as a church, the glue that the Holy Spirit uses to make us one. The Bible gives frequent instruction about the use of speech and the blessings and dangers that words have in their power. They can be a power for good and they can be a power for evil. When Paul was instructing his young preacher friend, Timothy, he said,
“Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. 17 This kind of talk spreads like cancer…”
(2 Timothy 2:16-17).
I guess that the first part of that verse is obvious. Words used in the wrong way always lead us in the wrong direction, causing pain instead of healing, hate instead of love, ingratitude instead of thankfulness. Words used to hurt others are a terrible misuse of the gift of language. Words that tear down instead of building up are never words from God. But the last part of the verse is the part we often forget. Our talk—good or bad—spreads like cancer. It’s that “spreading thing” that can be so devastating. Think about it! The very thing that makes the corona virus so devastating is the speed with which it spreads. The very thing that makes those harmful words we say about others so damaging is that they are so quickly repeated, spreading destruction far beyond the one time we said them. No wonder Paul expresses such caution.
Thankfully, God gave us instruction about how to use words when we face disagreement with our brothers. We’re supposed to talk directly with them. That can build up. That can heal. That can clarify. And best, of all, it doesn’t spread!
When we can’t be together, the words we say are more important than ever. I pray that God will give us the courage and wisdom we need to use our words as a power for good. Encourage someone today!
Thank you for being the loving, encouraging family you are!
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Cleveland FBC
Tuesday, May 19th, 2020
Well y’all, you thought you were finished with me, but I’m back! On Friday I wrote that I was all through with these Daily Devotionals, but here we are. I’m not complaining! I enjoy this quite a bit and am glad for the privilege of doing so.
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in a rut? As if you’re in a holding pattern and you’re wondering if you’ll ever get clearance to land? That’s been Abby and I for the last week or so. We’re just in holding, waiting on Thompson to make his arrival. We’re about as ready as we can be, and now we wait. Hopefully, for Abby’s sake especially, we’ll have him here soon!
Getting antsy waiting for something to happen is normal. We all do it, whether that’s waiting on a baby, waiting on a promotion, waiting for a vacation to start, for school to get out and the list goes on!
Gregg Carter taught in Romans 8 about three weeks ago for Sunday School. In that lesson he taught through verses 20-25
‘“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
Verses 23-25 are especially key here
We wait so much, with anticipation, jobs, vacations, babies. But even more eagerly should we be awaiting for the day that we are united with Christ, and are glorified with Him. We eagerly await and anticipate the completion of all that Christ’s work on the Cross began. We have a hope that this will come to fruition. Romans 5 says this about Hope in verses 3-5
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
We have hope for the future glory with Christ, and that hope does not put us to shame. We do not hope in vain. We hope because of Faith, though we cannot see as chapter 8 says, but we have faith that God will bring to completion what he began in us. We hope, especially now in a time of worldwide suffering, that there will be an end to all of this chaos. And we know that this hope is not for nothing.
So, if you feel like you’re stuck in a holding pattern, if you’re stuck in anticipation of something better, something purer, something more than what this world has given you so far, take heart.
God will finish what he started. If you are in Christ, you have a hope of a future that is better than anything this world could ever offer. Hold tight to that hope.
I leave you with this from Ephesians 6:23-24
“Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.”
In Christ,
Wesley
Daily Devotional
Monday, May 18, 2020
Cleveland FBC
Well, it has been six weeks since we began this “journey of isolation”. Chris and I discovered that we had had the same idea about how this period of social distancing would end. We had both envisioned a grand and glorious worship service together, again able to hug each other and get on with the work of the Kingdom. It was wonderful to meet again as a church family yesterday. But it wasn’t what we’d envisioned, and it made very clear the fact that we are still involved in a battle. Let us persevere with faithfulness and courage.
One of the things that God has impressed upon my heart during these strange times is the brevity of our time on earth and how important it is that we keep our focus on the things that count and the things that are eternal. Jesus made this statement to his disciples in a discussion about money and possessions. He said,
“And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?”
Luke 12:28.
Why do we have so little faith? Why is it so hard to keep focused on the Kingdom of God when we know for sure that this life is only a passing vapor or a withering flower? As for me personally, I don’t have a good answer for the struggle within me.
But I can testify to these things:
- God is faithful to provide for his children. His love is so overwhelming. He goes through every storm with us. Sometimes he gives us the desires of our hearts and sometimes he changes our desires. But he never leaves us alone.
- Life is short. I love flowers but their bloom is generally only for a day or two. I’m not so sure about the “thrown into the fire” thing, but I am sure that the beauty of this world as we know it is only passing. It makes no sense to live for the things that will be so quickly gone.
- God loves his church and cares for her. Through the ages, no group of people have faced more persecution, struggle, and hardship than the Christian church. But she will be victorious, made perfect in God’s eyes, the bride of Christ. So, I’m going to stick with her. Despite all her blemishes, God is at work in his church.
- Priorities make all the difference. Jesus said in this same discourse, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and he will take care of the rest!” (my translation).
My problem there is the single word, “first”. It is not hard to seek the Kingdom of God. It is, however, hard to seek it first—above all else. I’m still trying. - My story will have a happy end. By that, I don’t mean I will get it right or accomplish all I want to accomplish. It doesn’t mean that I won’t get sick or lose everything or make tremendous mistakes. It simply means that God is going to complete me in the end. Jesus said,
“So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your father great happiness to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
We’re hoping that things will continue to go well and that instead of a daily devotional we can continue to meet together as a church family—the whole church! One Body! The Lord will show us the way. What a blessing you are to Nancy and me.
We love you all.
Bro. Rick
Next week we will begin again with the weekly prayer letter for those who are on the prayer team. But for today, please remember these:
-Becky Clemons will be seeing an orthopedic oncologist today. She has had terrible pain in her right arm, and they discovered a tumor that has caused a bone fracture. In addition, she’ll be seeing the pulmonologist because of spots they have found on her lungs. We want to lift Becky up and ask God to heal her and give her relief from the pain.
-Janice Patterson is “flat on her back”—literally! She has a ruptured disk and is in a great deal of pain. She will have surgery in a week or so. The doctor feels he can correct the issue through surgery and that she should feel better immediately. Begin now to ask God to bless Janice and the surgeon and make that surgery successful.
-Pray for all or our church members who are in nursing homes as they live through the isolation from family in a very different way. Norma Collier is doing better, getting up and eating again.
-Remember Frank Green in the Magnolia House.
-Pray for Nedra Green in the Olive Home. And remember Gail Fullenweider who is in a home in Birmingham. All have been separated from their families during this entire ordeal. Ask God to lift their spirits and make his presence known to them.
-Pray for our church and the decisions that will be made as we continue to start things back up.
-Pray for Abby and Wesley as they anticipate the arrival of a son. Pray for a safe and uncomplicated delivery. Pray for calm and God’s protection and a healthy baby and mom.
-Begin now to ask God to spare us from a resurgence of the virus in the fall and to continue to hold his hand over our entire community. Give praise that we have not suffered the large number of cases that have plagued so many other places around the country.
Daily Devotional
Cleveland FBC
Friday, May 15th, 2020
This is our next to last daily devotional. Between Bro. Rick and I, mostly Bro. Rick, we have written 56 (counting this one) daily devotionals during this time of Social Distancing. Bro. Rick’s first devotion was on March 19th. Wow how long ago does March 19th seem? A lot has happened between then and now. We’ve had 8 services without being gathered fully together. Those of us who have been together to conduct those services have missed being with the rest of our church family. Thankfully, in two days, we will get to be together, somewhat, again!
If you haven’t seen it, please check our Website, our Facebook page, and our YouTube channel to read a letter from Bro. Rick and watch a video of Bro. Rick and Jonathan Thomas. These both detail how we will return to in person services beginning this Sunday the 17th.
Bro. Rick will write our last Daily Devotional on Monday the 18th.
As I thought about the subject for this devotional, the word kept sticking in my mind: “Devotion”.
What does that mean? We write these devotionals, but what does it mean to be devoted to something?
The definition of Devotion is as follows:
love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause.
To be devoted to something is to show it loyalty, to be enthusiastic about it, to care deeply about it, to be sold out for it.
Then I thought, what’s the definition of devotional?
Well, the definition of the suffix -al is this:
of the kind of, pertaining to, having the form or character of
So, a devotional is something that pertains to, or has the character of devotion. Something that has to do with enthusiasm or deep loyalty to something.
We have been writing these devotionals, these daily essays, that are pertaining to a deep loyalty to something. That something is to God. We write these devotionals to help us grow in our Faith, to help us be more dedicated to, or enthusiastic about, God. Why? Why do we need to be “devoted” to God?
We do this, because we are called by God to be Holy as He is Holy.
1 Peter 1:14-16 says this:
“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy, in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’”
The Apostle Peter was quoting Leviticus 11:45b:
“You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy”
God, when he says this to the Israelites is telling them, I brought you out of Egypt. So you are to be set apart. Holy. Devoted to me. To be devoted to God is to live a life that is set apart, that is committed to His will, His ways, His plan. We aren’t to be committed to what the world offers. We aren’t to be committed to the ways that we walked in before we were God’s. The people of Israel were called by God to different than they had been when they were in Egypt. They were to be set apart, holy, devoted now in their new life. We, in our new life in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) are to be set apart, holy, devoted to God.
Let us be devoted. Let us be committed. Let us be set apart for our God.
I look forward to seeing those of you that can join us this coming Sunday.
In Christ,
Wesley
Daily Devotional
Thursday, May 14, 2020
Cleveland FBC
How many of you have recently said, “I have a hard time keeping up with what day it is. Since the lockdown, every day seems the same!” Well, that is exactly why you didn’t find a devotional waiting on you yesterday morning. I got the days mixed up. Time and the division of time are very much a part of our lives. Every day is measured. We live by a calendar. We always seem to have too little time—even though we all have the same 24 hours each day. And a disruption of our time brings with it multiple challenges. I failed one of those yesterday.
God is the author and creator of time—he made the sun for the day and moon for the night. He divided our time into 24-hour periods, and he sustains the rhythm of time that we so depend upon. But God is timeless. He has no beginning and no end. He does not live by a calendar and, for him, there are no 24-hour days. In fact, when Moses asked God what name he should give to the people of Israel, God said “I am”. That is, the one who is—without beginning and end. God went on to say, “This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations” (Genesis 3:15). So, what does eternal mean? It is a description of “without time”. Eternal cannot be measured because there is no beginning from with to begin the measurement. And even if there were, eternal has no end. Eternal is without time.
That thought is shocking. But think of this. The end of time is just that—the end of measuring hours. The scripture says that the New Heaven and the New Earth will be without night. Revelation 22:5 says, “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” Guess what! That means no more time. No more 24-hour periods. We will be made like Jesus and that means we will be timeless.
But we aren’t there yet. We need time. We need the structure that time gives our lives and the lack of that structure has been one of the most difficult things about this pandemic. Somehow, without our regular routines, we have difficulty keeping up with “the time”. One of the good things about the physical world in which we live is that all things come to an end. Corona will not last forever. Vaccine or not, it will, at some point, die out. We will not be in this strange “timeless world” forever. In fact, one of the things we will enjoy this coming week is that Sunday will give us a benchmark for the week. I will know that it is Monday because the day before was Sunday! I can’t wait!
But I do look forward to the day when God renews his broken world and we can enjoy his presence without any darkness. Without the darkness of the Coronavirus. Without the darkness that fear of it brings. I do look forward to not needing a light because we will live in the light of our Lord. There, we will enjoy the timelessness of our Savior.
May the Lord who made days and the nights keep a watchful eye over your day and give you the assurance of his steadfast love.
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotion
Cleveland FBC
Tuesday, May 12th, 2020
“Let Love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ”
Romans 12:9-10
How are we to regard one another? How are we to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ? The final section of Romans 12 is all about this. We are to love genuinely. What does it mean to be genuine? Authentic, real, true. Our love for one another is to be authentically real and true. Not a show. Not a facade. But real. From our hearts. As an outpouring of the love that Christ has given to us. All that we do for the body is to be an overflow of Christ’s blessings on us.
Paul then says to abhor what is evil, and to hold fast to what is good. The life of the Christian is to be one that doesn’t hang out with evil. Doesn’t hang around evil. Doesn’t play around with evil. Abhors evil. Hates it. Despises it. Cannot entertain it. When we play with fire, we tend to get burned. Sin doesn’t leave us with a weak 1st degree burn or a little blister. Sin gets deep. It gets down to our core. Goes down to the bone. We can’t play around with it. We are to hate it. Avoid it. Stay away from it and to hold fast, to hold tight, to clench what is good. To cling to Christ and to run from the appearance of evil.
If we cling to Christ and run from Evil, it will be so much easier to do what Paul says next: to love one another with brotherly affection, and to outdo one another in showing honor. We are to put others above ourselves, to strive for the good of others over the good of even ourselves. This is the opposite of the world.
The world says, put yourself number one, take care of yourself above everything else, you first, everyone else second. But we are to put others above ourselves. To outdo one another in showing honor to one another.
The life of the Christian is dramatically different than the life of the non-believer. It must be. It has to be. If we are in Christ, this is how we are to live. This is what our life is to look like.
Strive for this way of living. Not to be legalistic, not to try to be righteous on your own ability, but as a response to the Grace given you in Christ. Strive to pour out the blessings given you in the way you regard one another.
I leave you with this from 2 Thess: 3:16
“Now may the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. the Lord be with all of you.”
In Christ,
Wesley
Daily Devotional
Monday, May 11, 2020
Cleveland FBC
It is so good to think that we will soon be meeting together again as a church family—even if it will remain a little strange. I said to someone this week, “I’m just ready to get this whole thing behind us!” I imagine that most of us have said something similar. But a young man dampened my spirits a bit yesterday afternoon when he said, “Getting it behind
you is only possible because you haven’t lost anything.” Ouch! Certainly, that is true. I find myself struggling to watch the news and hear the stories of so many hurting people. But the suggestion was made to read the newspaper or listen to the news with the intention of hurting with those who hurt. That is, pray for those who have lost loved ones, those who have lost jobs, or experienced major disruption in their lives. Pray for them, even though you don’t know them.
In doing so, we find healing.
I believe that that is exactly what Jesus would tell us to do. Not to avoid the hurt and suffering of those around us, but to become a part of it. Yesterday, we read a well-known quote from Jesus:
“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it”
Matthew 16:25.
We know what it means to “hang on to your life”. It is to live your life for self. To concentrate on what we want, what we need, our goals, our desires, our hopes. But the more pressing question is, what does it mean to “give up your life for Jesus’ sake”. A part of the answer would certainly be evangelistic in nature. A willingness to tell others about the Good News of Christ. But if we examine the life of Jesus, we find that it was much more than that.
He identified with those who suffered; he touched them when no one else dared. And he did that even if they didn’t respond by following him. In fact, most did not. Of the ten lepers he healed, how many came back to thank him? Of the 5000 he feed, how many remained when the free meals stopped? In fact, of the twelve, how many were at his side on Calvary?
I wonder if Jesus meant two things when he said we will
“save our lives if we lose them in him”?
He certainly meant we would have eternal life in his presence. But I believe he also was speaking of the quality of life we gain right now. When I can lose that egotistical self and cry for those who cry, I begin to live in a different way. I become more like Jesus. I “save my life” by living in a way that is more consistent with the way Jesus called us to live. That means not cutting ourselves off from this suffering world. It means the willingness to care about the 80,000 families that are grieving even though we have been largely untouched.
But Jesus also celebrated and laughed and went to parties. For me, it will be something of a party when we can finally worship together again. But as we do, we must not disconnect ourselves from those who cannot celebrate. We dare not “put the whole thing behind us”. Because Jesus would not do that. So, we sing praise. We give thanks. We rejoice in the fellowship we have in
His Spirit. And we hurt for those who are hurting—even those we don’t know personally.
May God continue to hold his hand over our family, guide us in his love, and use us to do his bidding.
We love you all.
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotion
Cleveland FBC
Friday, May 8th, 2020
I sat down to write this devotion yesterday afternoon and I struggled. Usually I write about something that we are going through in our daily life, drawing inspiration from that. But I didn’t have much going on yesterday. All I’ve done is order some home improvement things, cook breakfast, clean the kitchen, do some laundry. Just normal things, nothing spectacular. Nothing worthy of writing a devotion on.
But then it hit me. I didn’t know what to write. Often, we don’t know what to say about a situation in our life. We don’t know how to react, how to deal with, how to pray about what is going on in our lives. How to know what God’s will and purpose for us is in hard times and difficult situations. Thankfully, God says there’s a solution for that, through His provision.
Romans 8:26-27 says:
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to
pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with
groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is
the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints
according to the will of God.”
When we go through hard times in life, when we face trials and tribulations, and we wonder, why? What is this for? Why am I going through this? Why am I dealing with this? What is God’s purpose for this situation? When we don’t know what to pray, how to deal with the situation, we see that the Spirit, who dwells in all believers, makes intercession for us, He goes to the Father on our behalf. He does this to help us in our time of grief. He does this to help us understand what God’s will is for that situation.
So, if you find yourself asking, why? What is this for? Why am I going through this situation? When you don’t know how to pray, and you can’t even find the words, trust that God hasn’t left you alone in that situation. He hasn’t left you without His presence or His plan. The Spirit who lives in you will always be with you and will always be making intercession on your behalf.
Rest in Him and in His will for you, even when you don’t know what that plan is. We can trust that it is far better than our own.
I leave you with this from Gal. 6:18
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.”
Wesley
Daily Devotional
Cleveland FBC
Thursday, May 7, 2020
I read a proverb today that I feel is a good word for us as we go through an unfamiliar situation. It reminds us that the Lord looks at our hearts and it is the attitude of the heart that causes sin and hurt or brings glory to God’s name. Jesus reminded us that what comes out of our mouths—the spoken word—is an accurate reflection of the condition of our hearts. The greatest Old Testament promise to God’s people is that he will one day give us a heart of flesh and remove the old heart of stone. When that happens, he becomes our God and we his people.
Of course, in Jesus we have received the Holy Spirit and the new heart that God’s people have been promised. Paul even says that we are “new creations”! But that transformation will only be fully completed when we see Jesus face to face. It is the thing that we hope for more than any other.
But in the meantime, we have to struggle along, seeking to have our heart renewed each day, and cautiously watching for signs of a heart that is not yet what it one day will be. The heart is the reflection of our relationship to Jesus. And I need to keep a close watch over mine. Recently, there have been continuous advertisements for a device that gives you an immediate, hospital quality, EKG. An instant heart-check.
That’s what I need on a spiritual level. I need to see a little red light that says: WARNING! Heart in danger! But, unfortunately, we don’t have such a spiritual device. We can look at many things that give us a “heart check”. Our generosity is a reflection of our relationship to Christ. Our service to his
Kingdom, or faithfulness to his church. Our willingness to sacrifice, etc. But perhaps the thing that most accurately reflects our true spiritual heart condition are the words we speak. Ouch! I don’t even like writing it! Already I feel convicted!
Solomon wrote these words that have helped me on several occasions. He said:
“The Lord detests the proud, they will surely be punished.
Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin.
By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.”
Pride is the most commonly mentioned heart-attitude that keeps us from a living relationship with Christ. And pride is nowhere so clearly revealed as in the words I speak. If I had a spiritual heart-check device that would warn me when I was in danger of a prideful attitude, I’d hear her constantly calling out: Warning, you don’t know it all! Warning, you have no right to be the accuser. Warning, every sentence for five minutes has been filled with “I, me or mine”! I’m ashamed to say, I’d probably turn her off. Alexa, stop! But what I should do, is listen. Solomon says to us, that instead of a prideful attitude, our heart should reflect unfailing love, faithfulness, and overwhelming awe of God.
If we can do that, we will avoid the pitfalls.
May God give you the wisdom to watch your heart today. May it reflect our Savior!
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Cleveland FBC
Recently, a lady I was speaking with, said, “The last six weeks have been like something out of a bad dream.” I agreed wholeheartedly. Pictures of body bags on the streets and temporary mass graves certainly do not seem like something we could be seeing in America. Food lines that go for miles and food banks that run out of supplies. Empty grocery store shelves and empty interstates. It just all seems so unreal. That is, in part, because our county has remained relatively untouched. Few cases of illness. No deaths.
It is not hard to understand that some conspiracy theorists contend that it is all a hoax. I suppose that we are always in the midst of a struggle to discern fact from fiction, reality from fantasy, truth from falsehood. And much of our struggle lies in the fact that we are not personally privileged to have all the information we need to make a valid judgment call. In the case of the pandemic, we believe in its reality on the basis of what someone else tells us, not on the basis of what we have personally seen. I have not seen a single person gasping for breath. I have not personally seen anyone die—although we’re told that over 70,000 Americans have died of thecorona virus.
I do personally believe that the pandemic is real and that it is a genuine danger for me and all those I love. But that belief is not based on what I have seen—and I hope it stays that way.
Just because I cannot see something doesn’t mean that it is not real. I am glad that the reality of the last six weeks is not the ultimate reality. The virus will not be permanent—even if we were never to have a vaccine. How can I say that? Because reality is not always based on what we see.
In fact, as a follower of Christ, we have been encouraged to focus on what we cannot see because that is the true reality. Wholeness is our future—not illness. Abundance is our future—not hunger. Life is our future—not death.
Christ is our future—not corona. This is only temporary.
For those who belong to Jesus, there is a different reality. Paul cautioned the church at Corinth not to be focused on this world, because all we see in this world will pass. That means all the things we can own will pass away. All the things we love to do will pass away. All the hurt and sorrow, illness and death—every nightmare will come to an end. Paul told the Corinthians to
“fix their eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”
2 Corinthians 4:18.
I don’t know about you, but that is an especially good word to hear next to the daily news. What we see in this world is only a passing vision. What we hope for in Christ is the true reality. Wow!
That’s a thought for today.
I pray that you can focus today on what is real—Christ and his Kingdom—our true home!
God bless you!
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Cleveland FBC
Tuesday, May 5th, 2020
Today is May 5th. I have almost everything in my garden planted. I’m always a little late getting that going, but better late than never I reckon. There’s an old wives tale that says, you don’t plant your garden until after Easter because there’s always one last cold snap at Easter. And sure enough, there always seems to be one last cool night or two, though maybe not a frost, around Easter each year. So I waited patiently, Easter came and went, a cold couple of nights came and went with it, and I got things going. Then I checked the weather forecast for this weekend. One of the weather forecasting websites says the low this Friday night/Saturday morning for our area is 32 degrees. Farenheit! On May 9th! That’s just crazy. Hopefully it won’t get that cold, and even if it does, it probably won’t affect the garden too much, but it makes you think, man, why? All that preparation and for what? What if the cold does kill a few plants, or mess up the germination on some of my seeds? All that prep and I might have something bad happen? Was it worth it if the plans changed from what I had intended and desired? What if I have to replant a few rows?
Well, the fact is, sometimes our plans change. Our efforts are sometimes not going to produce the end results that we desired. When I was a child, I was very black and white in my view of the world. There was no gray area for me, just what things were and what things weren’t. No room for change. My parents had a hard time putting up with me, I was a handful. If we made plans to go somewhere, or do something, in my mind that was how it was going to be and there was no way it was acceptable for that plan to change. And if the plan did change? Man, I was not a happy camper.
I had to learn, and have mostly done so, over the years, that things do change. Sometimes for the worse, and sometimes for the better.
But I have also learned that if we are in Christ, that we can find encouragement for when things change, when we are tested, when we are tried, when we face trials, in the word.
James 1:2-4 says this:
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces [a]patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be [b]perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (NKJV)
The ESV says it this way:
Count it all joy, my brothers,[a] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Change is okay. Spiritual change is even more okay, though it is often not how we want it to be. God has a plan for us, and that plan is often not what we envision it being. We plan in our hearts what we will do, and where we will go, but God says, no my way is better. This way is the way you should go. Sometimes he drags us kicking and screaming down that path, or at least we feel that way. But his way is better than ours. That path is often through many trials and tribulations that, if left up to us, would be avoided at all costs. We get comfortable with our “plan.” We have a plan for our life, for our retirement, for our children.
That plan, as most would agree, is not what is going to actually happen. But, that’s okay. Trust that God’s plan is better. And if that path He leads you on takes you into various trials, know that those trials produce patience, or steadfastness. They make you stronger. They make you more complete in Christ. He faced the ultimate trials, following the path set before Him. If we walk the path set before us, we will face trials that will bring us closer to the fullness of Him.
Embrace the path set before you.
I leave you with this from Romans 1:7
“Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and from the Lord Jesus Christ.“
Wesley
Daily Devotional
Monday, May 4, 2020
Cleveland FBC
How great to be in your homes for worship yesterday. God touched my heart and I’m praying he spoke to you as well. It is always amazing to see how God puts a service like that together. The songs we sang, the testimonies we heard, and the word of God served to encourage and challenge us all. It certainly made me look forward to our next baptism when God’s family can be together again. (Thanks, Kolin and Brenda for those inspiring testimonies!)
Yesterday afternoon, after lunch, I worked a while in the garden (O, how I miss choir practice!) and ended up thinking a lot about the last point of the sermon. Examples of faith. Jesus, of course, is our perfect example of what it means to know and live in obedience to God. But Jesus is made real to us through people whom he uses as examples. That’s what Paul meant when he said to the church, you are Christ. We together are the example for the people around us. And we as a church are the example—the living explanation if you will—of what it means to be a follower of Christ and the people of God.
As a college student, a ministry leader once said to me,
“You are the only Jesus someone knows!” That is awesome and little frightening. It means that there is someone out there, who sees me as the example of what a Christian (a little Christ) really is. And it reminds me of the responsibility I bear for my words and actions.
Paul encouraged us, as disciples of Jesus, to
“live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us”
2 Corinthians 6:3.
Our words and our actions are to encourage others to live in such a way that they bring glory to God’s name. Today, in the age of social media, we see how powerful such examples can be. When we make a comment or tell about something we did, it can result in a flood of responses. Our example leads them to respond directly in some way. The question for me is: “Have I said something that causes them to act and speak in a way that brings glory to God? Or have my words caused them to bring dishonor to him? Have I cause them to stumble?”
What an enormous responsibility we have as disciples of Christ! Our words of encouragement, love, and support for others can cause exactly that response from hundreds of people. They-perhaps totally unintentionally-bring glory to God by following your example. You speak a kind word and they do the same. The opposite is also true. Words of criticism or hate can result in a flood of similar words posted for everyone to read. Christ’s name is dishonored, and we have caused someone to stumble.
My grandfather was my strongest example. He was honest to a fault. Hard working. Kind. And completely dedicated to his Lord, his church, and his family. He was a small business owner and respected in the whole county. His example changed my life. I pray that my example has changed someone’s life.
My prayer is that we—all of us at CFBC—will be living examples of Jesus. Hard work!
Live it today!
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Friday, May 1, 2020
Cleveland FBC
Welcome to May! What an April it has been. We’re entering a time where we usually are preparing for so many things. Graduations, vacations, summer breaks, finals, gardens, so much more. But this year is different. We don’t know when some of those things will happen, if they do happen.
For our family, we are preparing for something that we are fairly certain will be taking place in one month. The baby is due in 30 days, and let me tell y’all, I am terrified. We’ve been getting as much as we can ready for his arrival. Thanks to so many of our family and friends and especially our church family, we now have more than we could have imagined to help us as we ready to become a family of three. We’ve put together his crib, set up the rocking chair, assembled the pack n play, tried not to fight while doing all these things, and tried to mentally prepare for the last full night of sleep we get, the last time for a while that we’ll be able to do spontaneous things.
It’s bittersweet. But we know that no matter what we do for the nursery, no matter what advice other parents give us, no matter what books we could read may tell us, nothing will prepare us for the actuality of being parents for the first time. Nothing will prepare us for how life will be. And that’s okay. It’s almost calming knowing that we can’t truly be prepared for what’s to come!
But, we have to prepare. Even if we can’t prepare perfectly.
The same is true of preparing for eternity. We can’t prepare perfectly. But we have to prepare. We are to live with an eternal mindset, not an earthly mindset.
Jesus says in Luke 12:35-40:
“Stay dressed for action[f] and keep your lamps burning,
36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.
37 Blessed are those servants[g] whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.
38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!
39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he[h] would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Jesus told His disciples, be ready for my return. We know that we don’t know when exactly Jesus will return. But we are not to live as if He never will. We are to live as if He will be back tomorrow. Tonight. Right now. We are to have the mindset that we don’t want the Master, Jesus, to return with us unaware. We want to be ready for His return. So we should live in such a way that he will be pleased at how He finds us upon His return.
“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning.”
Be ready. Live a life that is Kingdom minded. Preach the Gospel. Feed the poor. Love one another. Be prepared.
I leave you with a benediction from Numbers 6:24-26:
“The Lord Bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up His face upon you,
And give you peace”
Wesley
Daily Devotional
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Cleveland, FBC
Today Nancy and I were just considering what has happened in the last six weeks and how sad it makes us. Personal issues aside, it makes me sad that we, as a family of God, can’t meet together. How often have we reminded each other that the church is not the building! The Body of Christ is the followers of Jesus serving, living, and worshiping together. But we can’t be
together!
The last several weeks before the pandemic hit were wonderful weeks in the life of our church—the Nine Marks study, the inspiring family meetings, the weeks of joint Sunday School, and the plans we had for the future. Then everything came to a screeching halt. From one day to the next! It makes me sad.
What are we to do? Paul gives good advice in one of the best-known passages he ever wrote.
Philippians 3:14
“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through
Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
I press on even though we can’t see each other face to face. This is so painful and difficult. But despite that disability we can press on.
I press on even though we struggle with technical glitches. Irritating and frustrating, but we press on.
I press on, concentrating on growing in Christ even when that growth is rather lonely now.
Pressing on is a matter of focus. It is keeping our eyes on the heavenly prize for which God has
called us. Paul as already mentioned some things about that prize.
- It is not earthly. It’s heavenly! That means it is not a matter of what we have or do or can do in this life. The prize is there whether we can meet together or not.
- We attain the prize through Jesus Christ. What Christ did for me is not dependent upon my ability to meet in a certain way at a certain time with other believers. As important as that fellowship is, it is not the prize. We reach the prize only through Jesus. And I have Jesus even when I have nothing else!
- Pressing on is not limited to a certain time period. I must press on to the end! I must keep running until my race is over. If you think of it in terms of a race, this time of pandemic is an uphill part of the race. But there will be a downhill part afterwards.
- Pressing on is an answer to God’s call. We must not forget that he has placed his holy call on our lives. He is aware of the pandemic. Nothing escapes him. Still he calls us to live for him.
This “uphill” part of the race I find to be quite tiring. In fact, it is exhausting! And yet we press on to the goal that Jesus has set for us. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Don’t give over to the temptation to quit the race.
Focus! Focus on Him!
We love you all.
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Cleveland FBC
A team of deacons met with me and Wesley on Sunday night to plan the slow reentry into normal church life. I found it to be an upbeat meeting and one in which we all expressed gratitude to God that our church family has been largely spared the suffering that many others are enduring because this pandemic. As far as I know, only one church member has contracted
the virus and he has recovered and returned to work. We were certainly looking forward to the gradual reopening of normal life in our state.
As we listened with anticipation to the address from Governor Ivey, I found myself facing mixed emotions. A part of me was relieved. The worry of being able to begin meeting and at the same time keep everyone safe is a big concern. A part of me was disappointed because I look so forward to seeing everyone. A part of me was anxious about the future—who wouldn’t be!
But I must say that Governor Ivey’s calm and well-informed manner of presenting her decision gave me some reassurance. I believe that it was the right decision. So, for at least two more weeks, we will continue to worship together while we are separated.
Although I believe the decision to wait to be a good decision, I am aware that it presents a continued burden for many people. Although we have avoided the overwhelming wave of illness and death, we have not avoided the overwhelming wave of lost jobs, family separations, childcare needs, and emotional stress. Most families are hurting.
There is no character in the Bible who faced more pointedly the lasting scars of suffering than Job did. Job lost everything but his life. And he struggled with the same questions we struggle with. Why? Why me? Why now? Why do good people suffer? Where is God in all of this? Job
deals with all those questions and he does not end up with a simple formula for answering them. He does, however, maintain his faith in God—even when he was not given an answer to the questions that plagued him. Job’s statement of faith is dramatic:
25 I know that my redeemer [a] lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth. [b]
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet [c] in [d] my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
(Job 19:25-27)
Job does not have many answers, but he knows three things: His Redeemer lives. His Redeemer will stand upon the earth! He will see God for himself, with his own eyes! My prayer for us is not answers to the questions that face us. My prayer is to have the faith of Job as we continue to
endure.
May God fill you with the assurance of the living Redeemer whom you, too, shall see!
Bro Rick
Daily Devotion
Cleveland FBC
4/28/20
When you work in a garden, you have a lot of time to think. Today, I planted half of my garden; tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, sweet potatoes, watermelon, and eggplant. Tomorrow, I’ll work on the corn, squash, green beans, butterbeans, okra, carrots, and cantaloupe. All that takes a good bit of time. Like I said, you have a lot of time to think.
So, as I thought, raked, tilled, and planted, my alarm went off for my prayer time for our weekly prayer chain. Now I’ll admit, I have struggled to pray the past few weeks without a prayer letter. I started praying today and the thing that really came to my mind was this: how am I growing in my faith? Am I growing? What’s the fruit, the evidence of that?
In John 15, Jesus utters his final “I Am” statement. He says in John, I Am: The Bread of Life, the Way the Truth, and the Life, the Resurrection and the Life, the Light of the World, the Door of the Sheep, the Good Shepherd, and lastly, I am the True Vine.
John 15:1-2
1 “I am the True Vine, and my Father is the Vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit.”
It is my opinion that most people like to read that passage and focus on verse 1 and part 1 of verse 2 and think- “I’m a Christian, so I’m a branch that won’t be taken away, so I’m Good to Go.”
But often, we overlook verse 2a:
“…and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit.”
When my pepper plants and tomato plants start to really grow in a few weeks, they’ll develop small blooms. Those first few blooms can get a gardener excited thinking, “It worked! All that sweat and toil was worth it!” But, for those peppers, in order for them to grow tall and truly produce fruit, you have to pinch off those first few blossoms. This hurts to do so, but it is necessary. You have to pinch off that growth, prune that plant, so that it will grow taller and produce even more fruit than it would have had you not done so.
This is true of our walks with Christ, the process that the Bible refers to as “Sanctification.” As we grow in Christ, if we are “abiding” in Him, we will have to be pruned by the Father, the “vinedresser” if we are to continue to grow and not be stunted. We sometimes have to give up things that we love, things we enjoy, good things, because God is calling us to better things, according to His will. Sometimes pruning is painful. Sometimes we lose people in our life that we care deeply for. Friends that we had for years, are no longer friends. We have to move for a new job, a friend or family member moves for their job or another reason. Countless things can be taken away, or adjusted, or “pruned” from our lives, and why? So that God can grow us more in Him. Not so that we can be better people. Not so that we can be the “best version” of ourselves, but so that we can be more and more like Him and less and less like ourselves.
You see, a vine-dresser wants to shape the vine according to His will, according to how He desires that plant to grow, what direction it should grow, how far, how high, how low. And it is all for the good of that plant, though the branches may not know why.
Romans 8:28 tells us this:
“For God works all things to the good of those that Love Him and are Called according to His purpose.”
Don’t be upset when you feel God pruning your faith. Embrace it. Though it may be painful. Though you may not always know why God prunes you, may never know why on this side of Eternity. We know that it is for our good because it is according to His purpose. We can rest and find peace in that knowledge.
God Bless y’all.
Wesley
Daily Devotional Monday
April 27, 2020
Cleveland FBC
Good Morning! Or for some of you it might be evening because I forgot to send this devotional to Wendy for dispersal. Sorry about that! Yesterday was our sixth Sunday without meeting together. But something exciting happened after the service. Three of our deacons met with me and Wesley to begin making plans for getting together again. You will get a call from your deacon with information and a few questions. We will be waiting for state guidelines from Governor Ivey but want to be ready when those come to us this week.
Brenda Trujillo forwarded to Nancy an email last night about the Corona virus and the way it affects people and what is likely to happen as we “reopen”. It was excellent, non-political information that really helped you understand what we have experienced. I guess the bottom line is this: The virus is not going away for a while. We will learn to live with it until a vaccine is developed but it is not going away.
Paul talked to the Corinthians about the difficulties they were experiencing and said to them,
“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair “
(2 Corinthians 4:8).
That describes pretty accurately how I feel about the past weeks. There have been days when despair was nearby and we do seem to be oppressed from every side, but we have not given up! Paul continues,
“ For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever”
(2 Corinthians 4:17-10).
Amen! Amen! That’s the key: “We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen—things that will last forever!” In times like these we must remember that whatever we experience in this life—and it can be full of troubles—is not the thing that counts. We must doggedly focus on what is to come, the thing that lasts, the hope we have in eternity. That’s our mission in a world of trouble that presses us on every side.
And the promise is something else we must hold on to: “Our present troubles produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them!” Did you catch that? Present troubles—Corona virus—produces for us glory! That is the promise that God is working through our troubles to produce in us his purpose. He uses these things to form us and prepare us for eternity. In that light, living with, and through, whatever comes pales in comparison to the benefit it will bring us. God is at work even through Covid-19.
When we begin to meet again, it will be different, even strange. But God will be with us. He will accomplish his glory through us.
I pray that this week you will be fix your gaze on Jesus. He will be with you!
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional Friday
April 24, 2020
Cleveland FBC
So, what are the things that occupied your thoughts yesterday? Family? Work? Health? How many had the thought—more than once—when will this crazy situation end! That certainly is the human response to one of the most trying experiences of our lives. Would it even be possible for the pandemic not to occupy our thoughts? Probably not.
Anybody confess to thinking—more than once—WHY is this happening? More specifically, why is this happening to me, to my family, to my church? Whether we confess it or not, most of us have had that thought. Again, a normal human response to difficulty.
In one of my very favorite Old Testament books the main character must have asked that question as well. Unlike most of us, she was a person of position with access to wealth and influence. But still, she faced a life-threatening situation. And she had to decide what to do. Ester, Queen of Babylon, was a Jew and the Jews were about to be eradicated. She was confronted by her uncle as the only hope her people had for rescue. She must go to the king. The only problem was that she was not allowed to approach the king uninvited. To do so, could mean death.
Uncle Mordecai didn’t hold back any punches. He just said it like it was. He made a statement that is hauntingly relevant for us today. Ester, he said, “perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this! “ (Ester 4:14b). Mordecai confronts Ester with the possibility that God had a plan all along. Perhaps she was a part of that plan, carefully placed exactly in her position so that she could do what needed to be done. Perhaps her role in the whole affair was cast by God. Perhaps she was to have an impact on the lives of her countrymen. Who knows? The problem was, of course, that the role she seemed called to play could cost her her life! Not so easy!
If Ester had been put to death that day, how would she have been remembered? As one who was faithful to her God and to his people no matter what the cost! Today, I’ve asked myself that question: “Could it be that God has placed us here at this point in history for just such a time as this? Could he have ordained this challenge just for you and me to prove our faithfulness to him and to his people?” We are not really told how Ester thought about what she ended up having to do. It all turned out to have a happy end. But my guess is that Ester was not too happy about having to stick her neck out. But she did and God blessed her effort.
We are asked to love God’s people and be faithful to his church and to serve him in whatever situation we find ourselves. Well, this is a different situation, to be sure. But just maybe we were born for a time like this. Trust God! He will show you the way!
May God give us strength and protection for what he needs us to do today!
God bless you.
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Cleveland FBC
Can I just be honest? This has been a really grey day. I don’t mean the weather, although the weather seems to reflect my emotional state. I mean the way I feel about our separation from each other, the way we have to worship, the hurt and pain we see but can’t be a part of. It isn’t right. It isn’t normal. “Alone” is just not what God intended for his people.
God does, however, have a way of reminding us of who he is when our emotions get turned upside down. I thought of Elijah who, after a spectacular triumph over the prophets of Baal, fell into a deep depression. When God visited him and asked what in the world he was doing, Elijah said,
“I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too”
(1 Kings 19:14).
God just told Elijah to pull himself together and get back to the task. After all, Elijah was not the only one. There were 7,000 who had never worshiped Baal!
Ouch! Of course, we are all suffering under the attacks of the invisible foe. We all are alone in a way that we have never known before. We all are feeling the longing to be together again and to do God’s work like we’ve always done it. But feelings often do not reflect reality. In truth, although they were trying to kill Elijah, he was not alone. For one, the Lord was at his side.
And secondly, there were a lot of people he didn’t even know about who had remained faithful to the Lord.
I’m sure that the reality of the time in which we live is not accurately reflected in our feelings. We may feel alone. But we are not alone. The Lord is always with us and even though we are not experiencing the togetherness we’ve always known, we do care about each other. God is always working in ways we fail to see.
God was a little blunt with Elijah, I’ve always thought. He picks him up and tells him to get going. He had work to do. I believe that God has work for us to do. It just requires a way of doing that work that we’ve never tried before. Don’t press me on the details of what that looks like. But I know that God has a plan and he has a plan for his church. I may not like it, but he
We love you all!
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Cleveland FBC
Yesterday, James Sullivan and I met at Walmart at 6:00 am to do “big-time” shopping. We purchased about a weeks’ worth of food for six families in our community who have been hit hard by covid-19. It is still a little shocking to see so many empty or half-filled shelves and it made us both a little self-conscious to have six packages of toilet tissue in our buggy. What would people think!
In retrospect, I found myself feeling very blessed to have an abundance of all I need. It occurred to me that we feel deprived because some shelves are empty or just sparsely stocked. It is important to remember what real need looks like.
Nancy and I were fortunate, during numerous visits in the 1980’s, to experience life behind the Iron Curtain. That gave us a real understanding of the word “scarce”. Everything was in short supply. In East Berlin, a city of well over one million, a grocery store was about the size of our living room. There were no choices. You bought groceries according to what was available that day. That’s how it was for decades.
This had an impact on the churches as well. One church, near were Nancy and I would later live, had wanted to build a sanctuary. There were political hurdles, of course. But once they were accomplished and permission was granted, the real hurdle became finding material. Although the town had a brick production factory, there were no bricks available to purchase. The men of the church (about 20 of them) made a deal with the factory management. They would rotate filling the evening shift and the bricks produced would be divided—50% for the manufacturer and 50% for the church. For nine months these men ran the ovens of the brick factory at night—after a regular day’s work—to obtain the building material for their church. That is a kind of need we can hardly imagine.
Strangely enough, years later, as they told us of the experience, there were no complaints. Just heart-felt gratitude, that they could build their church. In fact, they felt stronger through the experience. The Apostle James wrote something along that line.
James 1:2-3
Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
Although it is difficult to completely embrace that truth—troubles and great joy don’t usually fit well in the same sentence—we all know that it is true: God uses the difficulties, the shortages, the trials of every kind in this life to strengthen our dependence upon him.
Remembering that, let us praise him for the abundance of grace he has shown to us!
God bless you this day!
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotion
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Cleveland FBC
The longest Psalm—in fact the longest chapter in the Bible—is Psalm 119, a Psalm about God’s word. In that amazing Psalm David praises God’s word and the help and strength it continually gives us. David writes:
May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.
Psalm 119:76
There are so many times in life that we need someone to comfort us. God’s word is given to us as a comfort in difficult times, because His word is a record of his promises, especially his promise to be present with us through his unfailing love.
We live in a time when comfort is sorely needed for many people. Tens of thousands have lost loved ones. Many more have lost jobs and are in the constant stress of uncertainty. The fear surrounding a deadly virus and the separation from loved ones that the “shelter in place” has brought upon us, is distressing. Many people feel alone in their grief, pain, and fear. Comfort is desperately needed.
Often, in the face of such hurt, I am reminded that Jesus, when preparing to leave his disciples, promised to send his Holy Spirit to be with them. The word he used is parakletos and is translated in the King James Version as comforter. This is logical since the disciples were about to face the trauma and grief of losing their Lord through death. They would be alone. They would be overwhelmed. They needed a parakletos! A comforter.
But the word parakletos means so much more than our word “comforter”. Comfort comes from a French word that meant to “cheer up” or “console”. But parakletos means literally, “one called to stand at my side”. It means one who is called on to help me, to be with me and get me through my trial. The parakletos is God, present with me, giving me wisdom and strength to face the hurt and giving me hope by surrounding me with his love.
And there is one more thing: the Greeks used the word parakletos in a legal sense. When someone was accused of a crime and taken to court, he called someone to be his parakletos, or his defender or advocate. When the world accuses us, we have a defender, someone standing with us.
You may know someone today who is grieving the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, or just the loss of hope in the face of so much uncertainty. Darrin Wade lost his father yesterday and Rex Branham lost a step-father last week. God promises to stand at our side, to be our parakletos through his Holy Spirit when we grieve. He also commissions each of us to be his representatives wherever people are hurting. We, too, serve as God’s comforters, when we surround others with his love. Let us do that today, wherever we see those who are hurting.
God bless you and use you this day.
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Monday, April 20, 2020
Cleveland First Baptist
What a wonderful Sunday School and worship time we enjoyed yesterday morning! During the past month, Nancy and I have often talked about how lucky we are to get to go to the church building on Sunday morning. Even though there are only ten of us, it is still a blessing to be in God’s house instead of getting only to participate online. (Although a cup of coffee, pajamas, and the recliner are a nice thought!) Thank you all who don’t have the privilege of being physically present in the building but are still faithful to worship with us at home.
It’s been one month since we began this trek. I wrote the first daily devotional on March 19 as we began “sheltering in place” in Alabama. Today is April 20. As we look at the loss of life—over 40,000 now—we can be so thankful that our area has been spared such a dramatic impact. Directives for the future are still being considered. But even with all the uncertainty, we can be filled with the hope that comes only for the Lord.
Paul, as he was concluding his letter to the Romans, said:
Romans 15:13
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you
trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Hope, from a biblical standpoint, is never wishy-washy. If fact, biblical hope is the steadfast assurance that God will keep his promises. He, the source of our hope, never fails. Paul, when writing to the Romans, who were experiencing persecution for their faith in Christ, reminded them of the source of their hope. But, when praying for the Romans, Paul did not ask God to grant relief from the pressures the church in Rome was facing.
Instead, he prayed that because of their hope in Christ, they would be filled with joy and peace.
Joy and peace are related. By peace, Paul meant peace with God and the strength that comes through knowing that our future is secure in Christ. Peace results in joy—a state of contentment and well-being despite outward circumstances. Paul’s desire is that the Christians in Rome would be so filled with that kind of peace and joy that it would overflow. Think of a bucket filled with water (hopefully not from your basement floor). When it overflows everything around it is affected. When we overflow with the peace and joy of knowing Christ, it has an affect on the people with whom we have contact. You could say that joy and peace are contagious (to use a term we’ve grown accustomed to hearing).
But it’s true. Joy and peace—especially in a time of hardship—are contagious. They have a way of lifting the spirits of others. I pray that you have the kind of hope in your relationship to God that spills out in joy and peace. I pray that you are contagious, touching the lives of others today.
God bless you and fill you with his hope!
Bro. Rick
Some prayer requests…
Pray for our government leaders who will be making decisions that affect so many people. Pray for the governor and the team that has been put in place to decide how Alabama will respond
over the next few weeks. Ask for wisdom and selfless courage to make tough decisions.
Pray for your church and our continued faithfulness even in a time when we can’t see each other.
Ask God to impress upon your heart five people who need your encouragement. Pray for them.
Contact them this week in some way—letter, call, email, text. Let them know you are praying for them.
Continue to pray for protection for all those who are most vulnerable to the corona virus—those in the nursing homes, health care workers, the elderly and those who have preexisting health conditions.
Pray for peace in our country and for an abiding patience as we weather the storm together. Ask God to give us the kind of unity we need to face such an enormous foe.
Pray for those who have lost income and are struggling to put food on the table for their families.
Ask God to let us be a part of the solution for those people.
Ask God to fill you with his hope so that you can overflow with joy and peace to those around
you.
Daily Devotional
Friday, April 17, 2020
Cleveland, FBC
This morning, as I began planting our vegetable garden, a saying of Jesus’ kept coming to mind. He said, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone” (John 12:24). As I dropped green beans into the soil, I considered what Jesus had said—and how he said it. I think, I would have worded that differently. I might have said, “If a green bean doesn’t fall into the soil and die, it will never be more than one bean.” But Jesus said, “it remains alone.”
If you think about it, the sacrifice a seed makes in enormous. It loses its identity completely. A green bean vine does not resemble the seed it came from. That seed is completely sacrificed; it completely vanishes. That’s a lot to ask of a person, I think. But it is exactly what Jesus said. Truthfully, I’d forgotten that this verse in John is a part of Jesus’ teaching during his last week of life. He was telling his disciples what he was about to do. And, he was recommending that they do the same—lose their lives for Kingdom of God. But what seems so strange to me is the alternative Jesus gives to losing your life. You just remain alone. Just you. Nobody else. Nothing else. Just you and only you. Alone.
Perhaps the greatest challenge during this “sheltering in place” that we’ve all been asked to do, is that it is difficult to lose your life for the Kingdom, to invest your life in the people of God, because you’re supposed to be alone—for everyone’s protection. I get that, but I don’t like it! And I’m praying that we’ll soon be back together as God’s People.
But in the meantime, we need to work at dying—to self, that is. We need to work at giving our lives for the Kingdom in any way we can. If we do, we will multiply. The love we share, the concern we show, the service we render will be used by God to build his kingdom. I guess, the bottom line is this: Don’t live today, Friday, April 17th, just for you. In some way, surrender your life for God, for the People of God, for the Kingdom of God. Try to fall in the ground and die—at least a little bit. If you do, God will use you to be a blessing.
May the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ make you strong, firm, and steadfast. To Him be the power and the glory forever!
God bless you this day.
Bro Rick
Daily Devotional
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Cleveland FBC
Last night I talked to Laura, our daughter in Nashville. For the last 10 years she has come to Oneonta for a day to help me plant my garden. It is a special day each year of digging in the dirt together, remembering, laughing, and just enjoying being dad and daughter. Similarly, our older daughter, Melinda, and family come each year from Maryland to participate in Cleveland’s VBS and to have a week together. It’s one of those special times when dad and daughter spend time together just remembering, laughing, and loving each other. This year those wonderful days seem unlikely to happen.
Hurt comes in many forms. We see the public face of hurt in the tears of grief, the despair that follows the physical destruction of a storm, or in the anguish of divorce. But most hurt is never seen at all. It is silently carried in the heart, hidden from view. Certainly, not every hurt is of the same magnitude. Silent hurt may indeed be a smaller thing. But just the same, it hurts.
Do you remember the story of the woman who had had a menstrual cycle that lasted twelve years! It would have been devastating to her relationships and her religion because her bleeding would have made her unclean—unfit for human or divine contact. That hurts! But it was a silent hurt. Not one you shared with others.
Having heard of Jesus’ power to heal, she slipped up behind him in a crowd, hoping to be made whole by touching his robe unnoticed. She was healed. She knew it immediately. But, so did Jesus! He turned and said simply,
“Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over”
(Mark 5:34).
This touching story of silent hurt is sandwiched, almost unnoticed, into the recounting of a much larger story. Jairus, a synagogue leader, had a dying daughter. Nothing hidden here. He’d come for Jesus. He needed a miracle and he needed it fast. He fell before Jesus and pleaded with him publicly. His hurt drove him to extreme measures. It was a hurt that could not be silenced. Jesus answered. She was healed.
You see, hurt comes in many forms. Some is public—there for all to see and respond to. Other hurt is silently carried, unnoticed by the crowd. We live in a time when hurt overshadows everything. The images of grieving families and their stories stick in our minds. But where there is so much disruption, there will also be much silent hurt. For the most part, it goes unnoticed, and it is indeed small in comparison to the pain of others—hardly worth noting. The hurt of dealing with an out of whack menstrual cycle can hardly be compared to losing a daughter! No argument there!
But my point is this: Jesus sees all the hurt. He sees our silent pain as well as our public pain. Most of us carry some silent hurt. It may be hardly worth mentioning. The world does not notice, nor does it care.
But Jesus does. Jesus knows and Jesus cares. Today would be a good day to touch Jesus’ robe and let him say to you, “Go in peace.”
May the grace of our Lord touch your hurt today!
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Cleveland FBC
Yesterday was a wasted day! It was spent cleaning up the basement after it flooded Sunday night—I mean really flooded! Everything had to come out of the room, water vacuumed up, and then the slimy residue removed. That’s to say nothing of getting it all back in! Gives a guy some time to think—and lots of time to grumble. As I mopped, I was reminded of the drought we had four years ago and how I hated seeing things slowly dry up and die. Drought or flood? Which is worse? It occurred to me that it is all a matter of perspective. Suffering is always a matter of perspective!
The author of Hebrews spurs us on when he says, “And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.[a] Because of the joy[b] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”
This is hard to imagine, but we are told that Jesus endured the cross and its shame by maintaining a proper perspective—concentrating on the joy it would bring and the honor he would receive at the right hand of his Father. Keeping the right perspective during times of suffering is everything!
Now, I’m certainly not comparing mopping up a flooded basement with real suffering. But many people are suffering now. If we’re fortunate, we suffer only the inconvenience of working at home, missing many of the things we love and enjoy, and the hurt of separation from family. If we’re not so fortunate, we don’t have food on the table at night and can’t see how we’ll make it to the end of the week. We find ourselves in a fight against despair. And thousands are in a fight for their lives. Like I said, suffering is a matter of perspective!
The writer of Hebrews spurs us on to “run with endurance the race God has set before us”. I don’t know exactly how to make that practical, but I think he’s saying, “Don’t give up. This time has a purpose and the suffering we endure will not be in vain.” If the problem is a flooded basement, I’d say, “Suck it up!” If the problem is existential, I would say, “Look to Jesus!”
He is our example. While suffering the pain of the cross, he found joy in knowing he was faithfully doing what the Father sent him to do. And he could look forward to the honor he would receive because of his faithful endurance.
If our suffering is limited to the inconvenience of a flooded basement, let us commit ourselves—our time and resources—to helping those who are really suffering so that they can look to Jesus. That will bring glory to God and it will be our joy when we are honored for our faithfulness.
May God give us this day a right perspective so that we can look to Jesus. And may he use us to give hope to someone in real despair!
God bless you and use you!
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Cleveland FBC
Yesterday afternoon, Nancy and I were taking shelter in the basement
before the approaching storm. I was writing Monday’s devotional while she
listened to the rapidly worsening weather warnings for Oneonta. Suddenly,
the power went out and that was that! What an amazingly strange Easter it
turned out to be. But I am grateful for so many things. I’m grateful that
we are still able to worship as a family—even though it is done digitally.
I am grateful for all the calls and texts expressing gratitude for
encouragement received. I am grateful that God has spared our church and
county from the pain and sorrow many cities and other areas of our country are going through. But today I am most thankful for the knowledge that he lives and is present in our lives.
I am grateful that we can proclaim with the Psalmist: “You are my rock and
my fortress. For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger”
David was facing a human conspiracy against him that was so powerful that all his friends abandoned him. He had no where to turn and no one to turn to. In that moment he experienced God as his rock and his fortress. “Rock” is a reference to the foundation on which David’s life was built. It was a foundation that would hold against anything life might confront him
with—pain or illness, economic calamity, or personal failure. The Lord
remained his rock, his foundation. The “fortress” was a picture of
protection during times of personal attack. The Lord was a fortress that
surrounded David and shielded him from the fiery darts of the enemy—no
matter who or what that enemy might be.
The uncertain times we have experienced in the past weeks lead us to
examine the foundation on which we build our lives. If that foundation is
nothing more than the financial institutions of our society, we’ve been
shaken. If that foundation is only our job or the relationships we enjoy,
we’ve been shaken. But if our foundation is the Lord, we’re on firm footing
for he is the rock. In addition, it is probably fair to say that all of us
have had the strange sensation of being “under attack” through all that is
going on. He is our fortress and we do not have to live in fear. He can
absorb every fiery dart the attacker can hurl.
The Psalmist says with confidence that the Lord will “lead me out of this
danger”! But we should not overlook why David expects to be led out of
danger. It is certainly not for the glory of his royal name. Rather, David
says, it is for “the honor of your name!” God will lead us out of this
danger. He will be our fortress and our rock. Let us be certain to give him
the glory and honor for the salvation he will accomplish in this time of
attack.
We love you all,
Bro. Rick
CFBC Daily Devotion
Friday, April 10, 2020
Good Friday
Is this Friday good? Well, there would certainly be many things about this Friday that could not be considered good. We can’t meet together as a church to celebrate the most important day of the year. Thousands of people are out of work and school. Worst of all, over a thousand people a day are dying of COVID 19. But, despite all of that, this Friday is certainly good.
Strangely, it is death that makes this day so important. It is because of Jesus’ death that we call today Good Friday—good for me and good for you because someone else hung on the cross where I should have been. It is good because on this day Jesus gave his life as a ransom for me.
His death freed me from eternal death, giving me new life, allowing me to live in fellowship with God. That is certainly good!
After having celebrated the Passover Meal together, Jesus led his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. When they got to the garden, Jesus asked the inner circle of disciples to gather in one spot and pray.
Luke 22:40
“There he told them, ‘Pray that you will not give in to temptation.’ Jesus went a stone’s throw deeper into the garden in order to pray alone. He sought his father’s help and was strengthened for his coming death by an angel. When the time had come, he went back to the inner circle of disciples he’d left alone to pray. He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.”
Luke 22:46
“’Why are you sleeping?’ he asked them.
‘Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.’”
Exhaustion from sorrow hits a chord in me. We are in many ways exhausted by the sorrow we see in our country. Torn by political discord, by spiraling problems that seem to have no immediate answer, faced with unspeakable numbers of sick and dying. Like the disciples, we too face a formidable foe: temptation. And like the disciples, we have a source of strength: prayer.
On this Friday, a truly good Friday, let us not be overwhelmed by sorrow, fear, or discouragement. Instead, let us pray! Let us give thanks for the eternal life Jesus bought for us on the cross. And let us be filled with the hope that Good Friday brings. Sin is paid for. Death will be defeated! We have a future!
May God fill you with the hope of eternal life on this very good Friday!
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Cleveland First Baptist
I’ve gone to church all my life. In fact, my Grandmother used to tell me that I was taken to church the first time when I was only six days old. As a teenager, that church became my family. There were people who cared about me, who encouraged me, and gave me a much-needed sense of worth. I never missed a service—morning or evening; never missed a youth event; never missed an opportunity to be together with my church family. And that kind of relationship has continued uninterrupted for 69 years. There have been times when I felt distanced from the Lord (for sure, I was the one doing the distancing) but never from my church.
On Tuesday I went to Walmart at 6 am for the “senior shopping hour”. I was a couple of people behind James Sullivan waiting to go in. Ten minutes later I passed Pam Green. Being careful to keep our distance, we waved and spoke through our masks to each other. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of sorrow, like a black cloud that engulfed me. I realized how terribly I missed my church family. Texting, phoning, even facetiming, does not replace real time together—working together, praising God together, serving together, praying together!
I thought of Paul’s words about the church:
1 Corinthians 12: 12; 26-27
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ…If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
The sorrow I felt is understandable if you think of the church in the way Paul did. How many times has your foot kept its distance from you? How many times have you been separated for weeks from a hand or an eye? How can we suffer with each other when we can’t be near each other—or at least that suffering can’t be shared so that it helps the one who is hurting. What kind of rejoicing can be done when I can’t be with the person celebrating?
As I thought about this, two comforting things came to mind: First, although we can be separated from a hand or foot, we cannot be separated from the head. Paul said clearly, “Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior” (Eph. 5:23). Nothing can separate us from Him. There is no distancing from our Lord.
And secondly, this will not last forever. We will come back together soon, and when we do there is going to be a loud and tumultuous rejoicing over God’s protection, our love for his church, and the wonderful gift of fellowship that He has given us.
Hang in there! We’ll be together again soon! See you online Friday night at 7:00 pm for the Lord’s Supper.
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Cleveland First Baptist
The news on Monday night seemed especially bleak. The number of fatalities grew enormously. Reporters carried us through hospital waiting rooms bursting with people, through a makeshift morgue filled with body-bags, and then the eerie emptiness of Time Square. Then, in an interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci, leader of the Corona Virus Taskforce, the question was asked, “When will we be able to return to life as normal?” There was a long pause before he responded, “I do not believe we will be able to return to life as we knew it before the pandemic.”
Today, as I spoke with our older daughter, Melinda, we discussed what that might mean, how the post-corona world might be different. After a while she sighed and said, “Dad, you’ve got to remember that God does not break his covenants. And he made a covenant with Noah, Noah’s family, and with all creation after the flood.” Good point!
Here is that covenant promise:
Genesis 9:12-13
Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. 13 I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.
As I read the covenant again this afternoon, I remembered that astounding photo of our church under an enormous rainbow that goes from one side to the other. That rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant with us. His covenant with all creatures. It is God’s sign for all generations—including ours—including the post-corona world, however it might look. And God does not break his covenants.
So, as we struggle with isolation, mourn with those who have lost loved ones, worry about economic fallout, and shudder at the thought of life not returning to “normal”, let us remember that we live under the rainbow of God’s covenant. He has not abandoned us. He is still the God who loved us enough to die for us on the cross! He is the one who gave birth to his church and gives life to her today. Life may be different in a post-corona world. But it will still be life with Him. And it will be life under the rainbow of his amazing grace.
God bless you and keep you safe this day! See you on Facebook tonight at 7:00 pm.
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Cleveland First Baptist
Last week we found a message on our phone from a church family who shared with us that Psalm 91 had been a special comfort during the Covit pandemic. I, too, love Psalm 91, but after receiving their message I read the Psalm again and found some striking promises for us today that had never been so important to me before. Verse 3 is a promise of protection from deadly disease. Even more pointed:
Psalm 91:6-7
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
The Psalmist seems to be speaking directly to us when he talks about the “dread of disease”. It is in some way the emotional stress of uncertainty, dread, and fear that make this experience so difficult. Since thousands have died, dread is understandable. The psalmist encourages us to place our hope and trust in the Lord where we find shelter under his wings.
But, of course, the difficulty is that we all know faithful followers of Christ who have fallen prey to some deadly disease and passed away. How do we reconcile that fact with the promise of hope given to us in this psalm? As always, it is important to see God’s word in its context. I think in Psalm 91 we find two very important points of instruction related to the Psalmist’s promise.
First, the promise is made to those who “live in the shelter of the Most High”, who “make the Lord their refuge”, who “love the Lord”. The Psalmist is speaking to those who live lives centered on the Kingdom of God as starkly contrasted to those whose lives that are primarily centered on material gain. The dread of disease should help us focus on what is truly lasting, what will go beyond this life.
Secondly, the Psalmist, who promises long life, concludes with the most powerful promise for those who live in the shelter of the Most High: Salvation! “I will give them my salvation!” When we face danger, our confidence lies in the power of Christ over the grave. Yes, our enemies may overcome us, but Jesus has defeated death. Nothing can take that victory from those who live in the shelter of the Most High!
We must not forget, however, that his promise is not just for eternity. It is also for today during this frightful pandemic! He does protect from deadly disease! He does shelter us under his wing, when the dread of disease stalks us. He is our armor when the plague comes near our home.
As you “shelter in place” today, let it be the “shelter of the Most High”! We love you all and pray his protection over each of you this day!
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Monday, April 6, 2020
Cleveland First Baptist
Most of you will be familiar with C. S. Lewis, one of the best-known Christian authors of the last century. He wrote Chronicles of Narnia, Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity—just to name a few. Laura, our daughter in Nashville, sent me a quote from C. S. Lewis, written in the dark days of World War II. Lewis writes a dialogue between Satan and Jesus.
Satan:
I will cause anxiety
fear and panic.
I will shut down
business, schools, places of worship,
and sports events.
Jesus:
I will bring together neighbors,
restore the family unit.
I will bring dinner back
to the kitchen table.
I will help people slow down their lives
and appreciate what really matters.
I will teach my children to rely on me and not the world.
I will teach my children to trust me
and not their money and material resources.
Is Jesus doing these things? Yes, I believe he is. This week I was surprised to find a gift bag hanging on my front door. At a glance, I saw a picture from a budding child artist and a note written in an adult’s handwriting, along with several homemade and neatly wrapped cookies. I assumed it would be from a church family who’d been thinking of us during this strange time.
I pulled out the note and read a kind word of encouragement along with an assurance that the cookies had been baked with gloves and masks for our protection. But I didn’t recognize the signature. Then I saw at the bottom, in parentheses: (Your next-door neighbors in the yellow house.) What a surprise! It has only been during the past week, as they are now home and the young daughter has been playing outside, that we have gotten to know each other a little bit, sharing experiences across the street. That’s something that hadn’t happened during normal times in which no one had time to do more than wave as we pulled out of our driveways.
Jesus does have a way to use the meanness of Satan to bring good for his kingdom. This week let Jesus do something good in your family or with your neighbors. Let good come from that which was intended for bad.
We love you all,
Bro. Rick
Some things to pray for today and this week:
- Continue to pray for Norma Collier. As far as I know, there has been no change. She remains in hospice, and can eat only a small amount. Since she is in the nursing home, she can’t have visitors.
- Pray for Jason Hawkins who tested positive this week. He has had a rough go of it but is feeling better. He may go back to work on Tuesday.
- Chris and Pam Green’s daughter, Hanna Mize, has a brother-in-law who has come down with the virus and is very sick. Pray for him.
- Pray especially for those of our family who work in the medical field and will be exposed constantly to the virus. Pray for Nicole Carter, Sandra Murphree, and Sherri Horton who are respiratory therapists. And pray for Sheila Byram who is a long-time CNA at Diversicare. Pray that the facility there will not be exposed.
- Give thanks that Dustin Green, who was exposed, tested negative.
- Pray for all those who will continue to work in the public sector, being exposed as they keep the country going.
- Pray for Brittny Davis and the situation with the completion of her degree that has been put on hold. Pray for Brittny and John as they have made completely different wedding plans.
- Pray for the children of our community—especially those who may not have adequate food or care. Let us know if you hear of someone in need. We want to respond to that as a church.
- Pray that God will use all that is happening to mature us in our faith.
Daily Devotional
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Psalm 56:3-4
Listening to the White House briefings on the news this week sounded more like an April Fool’s joke than reality—and I wish it were. However, everything around us makes us know that is no joke. It’s downright frightening. Fear is a tricky companion. It can take control of us in a way that few things can. And in a time like this, we need to talk about fear and how we deal with it.
Of course, many scriptures talk about fear. One is the Psalm David wrote about his experience of being seized by the Philistines in Gath. Look at these two verses that give us some good advice as we deal with our fears.
Psalm 56:3-4
3 But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.
4 I praise God for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?
One of the first things we notice is that David does not deny his fear. He says, “When I am afraid…” There is no shame in being afraid. After all, we can’t hide our fear from God, nor does he want us to. We don’t have to be the “tough guy” when we face the challenges that seem so overwhelming today. They are, in fact, overwhelming! This seems more astonishing when we consider who David was—the boy who slew the giant! If he was afraid, then I can be afraid, too.
The important thing is what David did when he was afraid—and what we do! He put his trust in God. To trust someone is an action, not a feeling. David didn’t just sit down and do nothing. In fact, you should read the story of his action in 1 Samael 21:10-15 (You will chuckle a bit!). David didn’t have a lot of options. He acted both cleverly and decisively. We’re facing a real threat today. We, too, need to be wise and decisive. It matters that we avoid physical contact, that we do the things we can do. Real trust is never the lack of action.
Nor is trust thinking that somehow nothing can happen to me. Suffering is a part of our human experience and our Christian experience. It can happen to me! David took the situation to heart—and so should we.
So, how do we trust in God, during this scary pandemic? What action do we take? David wrote, “I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God.” We have many promises from God. Let us praise him for them! He promises that he has a plan for our lives, that he will be present with us in every situation, that our lives will count for his Kingdom because we belong to Jesus. Most importantly, he promises that we will live in his very presence forever!
David then asks a rhetorical question: “Why should I live in fear? What is the worst a man can do to me? He can’t take God’s promises from me!” Guess what? Neither can the corona virus. His promises are forever! Are we scared? Yes, at least sometimes! Do we live in fear? No! We praise God. God is present with us?
God be with you as you act today on the trust you place in a loving God!
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Cleveland First Baptist
“I’ve been exposed! Someone I was with tested positive!” Hearing those words is frightening because this thing I can’t see has invaded my private space. It has come into my secret self—a part of me that no one else knows. I can’t protect myself. I am vulnerable. I am—in a word—exposed!
That may be a good analogy for sin and the work it does in our lives. We are exposed from early on. It invades our lives almost invisibly and occupies even the secret parts of our hearts. When Adam and Eve sinned, they suddenly felt naked. They felt exposed. However, their physical nakedness was not the real thing that filled them with shame, it was the exposure of their heart’s desire to be their own God. Their rebellion against the One who loved them so much and had been so good to them in every way was the source of their shame and guilt. Their hearts had been exposed!
And the exposure to sin had grave consequences: death. God had warned them. How surprised they must have been, when at their expulsion from the garden, they did not die, but instead an animal. God clothed their nakedness, remedied their exposure—but it cost the life of an animal. No doubt, that is a picture of God’s great love and the ultimate price that he would pay for our sin.
Paul tells us, “And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.” (Romans 2:16). This is the message for all of us. The virus of sin has invaded our lives and a day will come when our hearts—like those of Adam and Eve—will be exposed. But we must remember that God will judge us “through Jesus Christ”! This is the message of the Gospel—the Good News that Paul was preaching. Paul makes clear that we’ve all been infected by the sin virus and the exposure of our hearts is unavoidable. But the God who loves us, will cover our nakedness, will remove our guilt, will cleanse our hearts and make us righteous through the righteousness of his Son, to whom we belong.
Paul wrote to the Galatians and said, “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.” (Galatians 3:26-27). Through faith in the work of our loving Father we put on Christ, like new clothes. The nakedness and exposure of Adam and Eve was covered through the death of an animal that provided clothing for them. Our nakedness and exposure to sin are covered by the death of God’s only Son, whom we wear like new clothes!
In this very weird time in which we live, we feel exposed, even dirty. Someone told me this week that she got home from grocery shopping and immediately took a shower. That is understandable to me. But what is so often on my mind right now is that God is the one who will make me clean. He will cover me with his righteousness—like a new set of clothing. Praise be to God my Savior, my Redeemer, my loving Father!
May God constantly remind you today of the new clothes you wear in Christ!
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Psalm 56:3-4
Listening to the White House briefings on the news this week sounded more like an April Fool’s joke than reality—and I wish it were. However, everything around us makes us know that is no joke. It’s downright frightening. Fear is a tricky companion. It can take control of us in a way that few things can. And in a time like this, we need to talk about fear and how we deal with it.
Of course, many scriptures talk about fear. One is the Psalm David wrote about his experience of being seized by the Philistines in Gath. Look at these two verses that give us some good advice as we deal with our fears.
Psalm 56:3-4
3 But when I am afraid,
I will put my trust in you.
4 I praise God for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?
One of the first things we notice is that David does not deny his fear. He says, “When I am afraid…” There is no shame in being afraid. After all, we can’t hide our fear from God, nor does he want us to. We don’t have to be the “tough guy” when we face the challenges that seem so overwhelming today. They are, in fact, overwhelming! This seems more astonishing when we consider who David was—the boy who slew the giant! If he was afraid, then I can be afraid, too.
The important thing is what David did when he was afraid—and what we do! He put his trust in God. To trust someone is an action, not a feeling. David didn’t just sit down and do nothing. In fact, you should read the story of his action in 1 Samael 21:10-15 (You will chuckle a bit!). David didn’t have a lot of options. He acted both cleverly and decisively. We’re facing a real threat today. We, too, need to be wise and decisive. It matters that we avoid physical contact, that we do the things we can do. Real trust is never the lack of action.
Nor is trust thinking that somehow nothing can happen to me. Suffering is a part of our human experience and our Christian experience. It can happen to me! David took the situation to heart—and so should we.
So, how do we trust in God, during this scary pandemic? What action do we take? David wrote, “I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God.” We have many promises from God. Let us praise him for them! He promises that he has a plan for our lives, that he will be present with us in every situation, that our lives will count for his Kingdom because we belong to Jesus. Most importantly, he promises that we will live in his very presence forever!
David then asks a rhetorical question: “Why should I live in fear? What is the worst a man can do to me? He can’t take God’s promises from me!” Guess what? Neither can the corona virus. His promises are forever! Are we scared? Yes, at least sometimes! Do we live in fear? No! We praise God. God is present with us?
God be with you as you act today on the trust you place in a loving God!
Bro. Rick
Daily Devotional
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Cleveland First Baptist
Jeremiah 29:4-14
When the Jews were taken into Babylon as captives, there were many false prophets predicting the quick defeat of Babylon and a speedy return to Israel. Jeremiah, who had been left in Jerusalem, wrote them a letter with a word from the Lord. You can read the entire letter in Jeremiah 29:4-23. But this is what Jeremiah tells them:
“Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens and eat the food they produce…And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it…But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord.” (Excerpts from Jeremiah 29).
Yesterday, the Corona Virus Taskforce gave us a kind of timeline. They told us to expect the shelter-in-place to continue for about another four weeks before we begin to see a return to normal. So many thoughts went through my mind: five weeks without worship together; five weeks without seeing family; inconvenience, suffering, disruption of our daily lives, financial struggle for many, fear for all. But despite everything, it was somehow comforting to see a timeline—to know what to expect!
The children of Israel were in exile in Babylon and the Lord gave them a timeline. It wouldn’t be a month, but 70 years. And he gave them instruction for the time they would be living in exile.
- He said, live your lives as best you can. It won’t be like Israel but carry on.
- Seek the good of the people around you.
- Pray for your neighbors.
- But remind yourselves that I have not forgotten you. I will come and take you home.
- And don’t forget that your future is a good one because, when this is all over, you will be closer to me. You will seek me, and you will find me.
We have a very different timeline, but the instructions given to the children of Israel are good ones for us today.
- As best we can, we must carry on. Everything is different but all is not lost.
- Seek the good of the people around you and pray for them. We must stay connected with our neighbors even when we can’t go see them. And certainly, we can pray for them.
- God has not forgotten us. In fact, he has good plans for our lives, and he will bring this period of our lives to an end.
- Allow him to work in your heart even through the suffering, fear, and hurt of all that is going on. He promised his children that, when we seek him, we will find him.
We love you all! Please call if you need to talk!
Bro. Rick
CFBC Daily Devotional
Monday, March 30, 2020
We are friends with Dudley and Janet Graves who have worked for over 30 years as Southern Baptist missionaries in Italy. Nancy has been in touch with them on Facebook and they have now been “sheltering in place” for weeks as the corona virus ravages the country with over 10,000 deaths. Dudley posted a word for Americans: “Do what you’re asked to do. Stay home!” We pray for Dudley and Janet as they stay put in their little apartment, so that they will be able to continue their ministry to the people of Italy when the danger finally ends.
It is a strange thing to face an enemy when your main line of defense is to do nothing! Just do nothing but shelter in place! Should be simple, right? That’s what I thought, but I’m finding it to be more challenging than I’d anticipated. We are accustomed to a busy schedule. What do you do when you have no schedule at all? I talked with a man this week who told me, “One week, and I’ve completed every project in the house. What now?”
Indeed!
When the Israelites left Egypt, they quickly found themselves trapped between the Red Sea and the approaching Egyptian army. They panicked. But Moses told the people:
13“Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.
14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm”
(Exodus 14:13-14).
They were facing an enemy they could not fight on their own. They had no weapons, no place to flee, no possibility of self-defense. Sounds eerily familiar, doesn’t it? But Moses reminded them that they had someone who would be their protector. The Lord himself would fight for them. Fear was not helpful. Panic would not assist them. They would see the Lord act on their behalf.
By nature, I am not a calm person who stands still and waits. But in this case, that is what I need to be. I must remember that my trust in the Lord who is my defender is not only my single available course of action, it is also the best course of action that anyone could have. The Israelites would see the defeat of their enemy. I believe that the Lord will defeat our enemy as well.
As we “shelter in place”, however, we can use the time in a positive way. A few cleaned out closets are a good thing. But even better is to use the time to strengthen your dependence on the Lord. Pray for his hand to work. Pray for the rescue of his servants, like Dudley and Janet in Italy. Pray for our own health care workers who are put in harms way in order to help others who are sick. Pray for your church and lift up the people of our community who are scared because they don’t know the Lord, their defender.
Find creative ways to stay in contact with others. Ask the Lord to give you a calm spirit that can wait on him!
God protect you this day!
Bro. Rick
Special Prayer Requests
We have four people in our church who have been exposed to the virus:
Dustin Green, Brad Monk, Randy Faulkner and Lynn Sweatman. Let’s remember these especially. Pray that they do not develop symptoms.
Pray for protection for all those who continue to go to work and are exposed to the public. And pray especially for our members who are in the medical profession, seeing patients every day: Sandra Murphree, Nicole Carter and Sherri Horton.
Pray for Brittney and Jon who have had to change all of their wedding plans because of the pandemic. Pray for Abby Carnley and Laura Fountain, and Kaitlyn McAnally who are expecting.
Continue to pray for Mitchell Thomas who is being treated for an autoimmune disorder. Pray that the lower dose of chemotherapy he is now taking will be successful.
Pray for Norma Collier who is on hospice at Diversicare. She cannot be visited, of course. Pray that she senses the presence of the Lord.
Pray for all those in nursing facilities who are will now remain on lock-down for several more weeks. Pray that none of the facilities here in Blount County will be invaded by the virus.
Pray for those you know who have lost jobs.
Pray for all those in local, state, and national government who must make decisions concerning the pandemic. Pray that God will have mercy on our country and spare us catastrophic death tolls.
Pray for your church during this time when we cannot meet. Pray that God will use the situation to strengthen the Body of Christ.
March 27th, 2020
CFBC Daily Devotional
Friday, March 27, 2020
Psalm 34:4
Let me begin by making a confession. It is 2 am as I write these words. Having awakened, I was unable to go back to sleep as the images of the crowded hospitals in New York flooded my mind. One expression a doctor had used when relaying the harrowing experiences of his day stuck doggedly in my mind. “Apocalyptic” was the way he described it. It became clear that sleep would not return. I got up and took my Bible in search of a verse that had been an earlier companion to me.
Psalm 34:4
I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
Fear is not an emotion I’ve often experienced, but last night she seemed somehow familiar. I took some time to analyze my feelings, to think about the fear that refused to let me sleep. I concluded that it wasn’t fear of the virus or sickness. It wasn’t fear of an overcrowded hospital or even death. It was fear of the unknown. And then I recognized her. She had visited me once before—on the night we were moving to former East Germany, to a place we didn’t know, to a work we’d never done. O yes, it was her! She’d been there that night, too. Just like this night, she had used images and questions and words to fill me with uncertainty, doubt, and a dark foreboding of what might be.
Fear is an unwanted companion. But she is not easily expelled in the night when we lie awake pondering an uncertain future. Like the Psalmist, we must seek help in the Lord. Fear loves the darkness. In Christ there is no darkness! And where He is, there is only light. She will be defeated. We will be delivered. It is interesting that fear appears again in this Psalm, only three verses later. But this is a different fear, a distantly related cousin, perhaps.
She is exactly the companion we need. David says, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” Fear of the Lord is that emotion of awe when we enter his presence. There we find that his angels surround us, and nothing is unknown, for we know Him. He is the one who loves us, who died for us, who promises to be at our side each day. He is the one who fills us with peace, driving out fear of the unknown. For in Him, we can say, “I know!” I know my Redeemer lives, and I, too, shall live.
Thank you, Lord, for surrounding us with your angels. Thank you for driving out our enemies. Thank you for going with us through each and every day. If I fear, it will be only the awe of your presence!
God bless you all and fill you with his presence today.
Bro. Rick
March 26, 2020
Daily Devotional
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Cleveland First Baptist
Read Mark 4:26-29
Good morning!
Another day of waiting—not what we do best! Politicians are getting impatient; after all, it’s been almost two weeks. We worry, stress, and cancel plans. We long to find something to occupy our first grader who has been home from school for what seems like months! How many times a day does the question cross our minds: “Why is this happening?”
In one of Jesus’ parables he tells us that the Kingdom of God is like a farmer who sows seed in the ground. Then, in Mark 4:27 he says: “Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens.”
It is a wonder, is it not, that a tiny seed can do what it does! In this scientific age, we understand much about how that seed functions. We know it’s DNA and understand that at a certain temperature combined with a certain amount of light and moisture a trigger is pulled, and the seed begins to grow. Right now, science races to answer the ‘hows’ of the killer virus ravishing the peoples of the earth. How does it spread? How does it infect? How does it kill? Getting the answer to those questions will enable scientists to produce a vaccine to protect us from it. And they will get the answers. I’m
sure of that.
But the more difficult question is why? Why did it mutate and jump from animals to humans? And in matters of faith the “why” of a thing is often shrouded in mystery. Exactly why God allows something like the corona virus to happen is not usually something we know with certainty.
But in a general sense, Jesus does give us the answer: It will in some way be used to build the Kingdom of God. Jesus makes clear that God is at work—day and night—accomplishing his purpose. He is building his Kingdom. And that happens, as it did in the parable with the farmer, without our understanding. I know we don’t like it, but our understanding is not necessary for God to complete his purpose.
God’s primary call in our lives is a call to faith—not understanding. It is a call to place our trust in him even when we don’t understand. It is a call to believe that he will complete his purpose and build his Kingdom even when things seem all wrong to us.
But understanding will come! Paul says, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity” (1 Cor. 13:12). But that’s after the harvest! For now, we must trust him to lead us through this difficult time without an answer to the why question. What we know is that he is on the throne and on our side.
God bless you as you negotiate the difficult challenges of this day!
Bro. Rick
Bro. Rick will lead Wednesday Night Bible Study tonight from 7-8 p.m. and it will be streamed online on Facebook Live just like the service was on Sunday. Please tune in tonight on Facebook to be a part of the Bible study hour.
Daily Devotional
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Background Text: 2 Kings 6:8-22
2 Kings 6:16-17
16“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!”
17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
Remember the story? If not, read the background text. The King of Aram had been attempting to destroy Israel. Each time he made new plans for an attack, the prophet Elisha would warn the King of Israel as to Aram’s military plans. Each attempt failed. When the King of Aram was told that the prophet Elisha was the informant, he became livid and, in the night, sent his great army to surround Dothan, where the prophet lived. The next morning, Elisha’s young servant went outside and looked over the wall, seeing the military might of Aram surrounding the city! He cried out in despair to Elisha: “Oh, sir, what will we do now?”
The servant’s fear was based on what he could see and what he could not see. He could see the present danger. I’m sure the military possibilities of a single city were small or perhaps nonexistent. Surrounding them was the entire army of an enemy nation. Looking over the wall and seeing the danger—even certain death—facing them, would have been terrifying. He panicked.
The source of his panic lay not in the visible reality of the opposing forces. His panic was the result of blindness. He could not see the forces of God. Elisha understood the young man’s fear and did not rebuke him. In compassion, Elisha asked the Lord to allow him to see the situation as it truly was. Suddenly, the young servant could see the army of the Lord God which surrounded the city and the army of Aram. Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!”
Was the enemy real? Of course! Was death a possibility? Certainly! Was the situation hopeless? Absolutely not!
I am reminded of two realities. Standing at a distance from Calvary, the disciples looked at Jesus, nailed to the cross, and were filled with terror. They scattered, even denying that they knew him. Were they truly in danger? Of course! Was death a real possibility? Certainly! Was the situation hopeless? Absolutely not! The difference lay not in what they could see, but what they could not see. All they saw on Calvary was a dead Jesus hanging limply on the cross. What they could not see is the triumphant Jesus coming out of the tomb. Defeating death!
In the same way, our terror is the result of what we cannot see. Is the danger of sickness, financial collapse, and personal loss real? Of course, it is! Is even death a possibility? Certainly! Is our situation hopeless? Absolutely not!
The difference lies in what we can see and what we cannot yet see. We can see the frightening statistics, the overwhelmed hospitals, and the daily reminders of the enemy that surrounds us. Is it real? Of course it is! But what we cannot yet see is the triumphant Jesus descending on a cloud as he returns to take us home! We cannot yet see the New Jerusalem coming down to the New Earth. We cannot yet see the defeat of Satan and the destruction of his Kingdom. We cannot yet see the banishment of war, sickness and death. BUT WE WILL!
Today, no matter what you face, remember Elisha’s words:
“There are more on our side than on theirs!”
May God bless you and keep you safe this day, Bro. Rick
We’ve Never Gone this Way Before!
Daily Devotional for CFBC
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Psalm 18:1-3
1 I love you, Lord; you are my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
3 I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.
Despite the sorrow and uncertainty that surrounds us today, we find in the Lord strength, protection, a fortress, power, salvation and safety. One a prominent picture of all those enduring qualities of God is used throughout the scripture: It is the Rock.
“The Lord is my rock,” the Psalmist says. Then he repeats it, “My God is my rock!”
A glance in a Bible concordance will surprise you. God continually used stone as a picture of his presence with his people. God carved in stone his 10 Commandments, reminding the Israelites of what it means to be his holy people. Stones were taken from the riverbed and used to build an altar of remembrance, so that generations of children would be taught of God’s power and deliverance when crossing the Jordan River. The Psalms continually use the “rock” as a picture of refuge. Isaiah refers to the Lord as our Eternal Rock—safety not just for today, but for eternity. And Paul said, referring to the travels of the Children of Israel in the wilderness, “For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ” (1 Cor 10:4).
Psalm 18 is one of only a few Psalms that tells us the occasion on which it was written. After a long game of “cat and mouse”, David had been delivered from the hand of Saul, who was trying to kill him. David praised God as the rock of his deliverance, his salvation, his protection—the Lord, worthy of praise.
As we wait, worry, and plan our escape from the enemy that is steadily approaching, we must remember where we find a rock of security, rescue, hope, and deliverance. It is the rock of Christ. He is the one we can hold on to. He is the one who remains secure in every situation. He is the one who is worthy of praise.
And I especially love Paul’s thought: Christ is the one who travels with us through the dangers of life’s desert!
Just hold on! Hold on to the Rock of our Salvation, Jesus, who was with us yesterday, is with us today, and will be with us tomorrow and forever.
Our Eternal Rock!
God bless you all this day! Bro Rick
March 23, 2020
Daily Devotional
Monday, March 23, 2020
Cleveland First Baptist
Good morning. I’m hoping most of you were a part of the online worship service yesterday and received a blessing through the Word and the music. May the peace of God be your constant companion during the coming week.
If you have your Bible, read Psalm 127 together. I’ll print two verses from that Psalm.
Psalm 127:1, 3
Unless the Lord builds a house,
the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
guarding it with sentries will do no good.
Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.
Repeatedly we’ve heard parallels drawn between the attack on 9/11 and the attack of the corona virus on our land and people. At the time of the first attack, Nancy and I were still living in Germany and our children were here in the States. Being separated was difficult during that time of such fear and uncertainty. Now, once again, we are separated from our children (and now grandchildren) during a crisis. Again, there is an overwhelming sense of need to be near them, to protect them. We talk or text every day. (And sometimes tell them what they should be doing to keep safe!)
In the first two verses of the psalm, Solomon points out that all the work we do is in vain unless the protective hand of God is around us. The work of the home builder is useless unless that home is under the protection of God. The guards protecting the city will have no success unless the Lord defends them. The farmer works hard but a good harvest is always the gift of God, not the result of a clever farmer.
The point: We are dependent on God in whatever we do.
Solomon then makes what seems to be an awkward switch of metaphors. Instead of talking about the things we do—building houses, guarding cities, or planting crops—he talks about our children. They, too, are not the work of our hands but are to be seen as the gift of God to us. They are a “reward” to us from him.
Considering that, we should remember a couple of things.
• Our children are not ours! Never are they to be seen as our possession, but as a gift from God, given to us for our joy and help. But they were always his creation. Our greatest joy is not found in a resemblance to father or mother—he’s a chip off the old block—but when they reflect the character of their Creator. Since our children belong to him, we must depend upon him to protect and form them. We can be tools in his hands, but the work must be his.
• Secondly, when we are far away, he is not. He is protecting our children when we cannot. But we can pray for them and keep in touch with them.
Find a time today—right now if you are reading this together as a family—lay your hands on your children and bless them in the name of their Savior. If they are far away, as are my children, bring them now before the Father, their creator, and call down his blessing upon them.
I pray that God will give you wisdom and comfort as you go through this day. He is with us!
Bro. Rick
March 20, 2020
Cleveland First Baptist Church
Daily devotional
3/20/20
Jeremiah 32:14-15
‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. 15 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’
The news was bleaker yesterday than the day before. The effects of the Corona virus could last for 18 months! Really? Eighteen months! That sounds like a lifetime to me. After three days I am already feeling a little
stir-crazy! Will things ever be normal again?
That’s a valid question under the circumstances and it was one that was certainly asked in Jeremiah’s day in the city of Jerusalem. The city lay under the tight siege of the Babylonians who surrounded the city wall. No going in and no going out. Siege meant no movement. For the people of Jerusalem, life as they knew it was ending. They would be defeated and carried off to Babylon as exiles. Already all the fields and towns of Judah around them had been taken. Only the city of Jerusalem was holding out. In the city there was starvation, fear, and an overwhelming sense of doom. To make it worse, God’s prophet, Jeremiah, consistently preached the message of the Lord: The city will be defeated, and the people taken away to Babylon.
Could there be any worse situation? Certainly, it puts a different perspective on what we’re going through. But in the midst of all this bad news, the prophet Jeremiah did something really strange. He was given the opportunity to purchase a piece of family property in a town outside the city wall. That is, a town already occupied by the Babylonian army.
And the Lord told him to purchase that property. He was instructed to place both copies of the bill of sale in a clay jar and seal them up so they would last a long time.
The purchase of property was a public affair and had to be witnessed by others. A crowd would have gathered to observe the procedure. As Jeremiah shelled out the money, signed the deeds, and placed them in the clay jar for safe keeping, I’m sure the people witnessing the transaction thought he was crazy. Who buys a piece of property that you can’t even get to, in a time when the sky is falling in around you? Why would he do that?
Well, Jeremiah did it as a picture anyone could understand. It was evidence of the truth of the prophetic word he was about to speak: For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’
We, too, are facing a kind of siege and feel rather shut in. But we are not in danger of being taken off to a foreign land as slaves. Never-the-less, we also long for things to get back to normal. Just a simple day when people can go about their business doing the things they normally do—like selling a piece of property or planting a field or harvesting the crops. Jeremiah’s word is a word for us.
Let us remember: God is in control of the future. He has a plan for his people and the disasters we face are never the end of the story. The time
will come when we again do the normal things. The time will come when we gather for worship together—without keeping our distance. The time will come when we can lift our hands in praise together. The time will come when his word can be read, and we can come before him at the altar. That time will come!
Let us pray that the Lord will have mercy on us and that the time of siege will be a time in which we listen for his voice. Pray for any who are sick.
Pray for your church. Pray that God will give us light for this day.
We love you all. Have a blessed day.
Bro. Rick
March 19, 2020
Dear Church Family,
Since we are going to have to go for a time without the normal fellowship that we love, I would like for us to have a short daily devotional in our homes. My hope is that you will read it each morning as a family and spend a few minutes in prayer together. It will be posted each day, Monday – Friday, on Facebook and sent as an email for those (like me) who do not do Facebook. Please take time to share the thoughts with others who may be struggling with the whole situation. Because we love each other, it is hard to be separated. I hope this is a small help to each of you. Thank you for being the wonderful church family that you are!
Bro Rick
Daily Devotional
Cleveland First Baptist
March 19, 2020
Numbers 12:15
“So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.”
Good Morning Friends. We should have met last evening for fellowship, prayer, and to study God’s word together. Instead, we were sitting at home, distancing ourselves from our church family. They call it “social distancing”—a term we’d never even heard of a week ago. Now it’s all we talk about. Last night, lying in bed awake, unable to sleep and feeling very alone—or should we say, very distanced— I pondered that new term. And I don’t like it! After all, we have been created for fellowship—not for social distance. At first, man lived in fellowship with God, who walked in the garden with him—God didn’t keep his distance! Then God said, “It is not good for man to live alone!” (Gen. 2:18), so he created woman to stand at his side. They were to become one. Not distance themselves!
When Moses asked God what his name was, the answer was surprising. God said simply, “I AM”! That name denotes God’s presence with us—exactly the opposite of social distancing. God is a God who doesn’t distance himself from us! In fact, fellowship is the very nature of God who lives in the fellowship of the trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
But to my surprise, the concept of “social distancing” is practiced on more than one occasion in the Bible. It was used as punishment after Adam and Eve sinned. They were put out of the garden and were “distanced” from God. Numbers 12 tells us that Miriam sinned and was given a skin disease. As God had directed, she had to be removed from the camp—distanced from the people—until God healed her. Luke 17 recounts the story of ten men with leprosy who had been distanced from fellowship with others because of their illness. Although it had never occurred to me, God used the forced “social distancing” of those who were ill in order to protect those who were not. And Jesus’ ministry of healing often focused on more than the physical. In healing those ten men from their illness, he healed them from their social separation as well. They were reunited with the families from whom they’d been distanced.
But the real shocker was my realization that social distancing played a role in my salvation as God healed me from sin. On the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!” Having been loaded down with my sin, Jesus was “distanced” from his Father who could not look on sin. It was painful for Jesus—more painful, I think—than the nails that pierced his hands and feet. Jesus did not endure that separation from his Father because he liked it. He did it to heal us. His “social distancing” was for you and me. It tore the curtain. It removed the barrier that separated us from God. It freed us from death.
Social distancing! I don’t like it! But I will do it—not for me, but for those around me. It seems to me that God, himself, gave us the example. Social distancing is a sacrifice we make for others. It is inconvenient. It is irritating. It is against my very God-given nature. But I’ll do it because it may save others from sickness and death—just like Jesus saved me. As Jesus was separated from his Father on the cross, he did not focus on his loss, but on our gain. As you go through the inconvenience of being separated from others today, focus on how your pain may be their gain.
We love you all. Have a blessed day!
Bro. Rick