Dev: Nov 15 - 2 Kings 6:33

Why should I hope in

the Lord any longer?

2 Kings 6:33

We are studying "hope." But ... the first two mentionings of "hope" in the Scriptures are not very hopeful! 

Yesterday we looked at the first time that the word "hope" appeared in the Bible. In Ruth 1:12, we learned that Naomi had her husband. She'd also lost her sons. From a human perspective, she was without hope. 

And that's true for all of us. If we focus only and ultimately earthly things, we will eventually and inevitably wind up at the side of a grave. Lasting hope does not come from the things of this earth. Thus ... the lesson is: Look up. 

Today's verse represents the second time that "hope" is mentioned in the Scriptures -- the second time at least in my translation (NRSV). 

Now it seems like the king of Israel, who utters these words, has been looking up, right? As opposed to Naomi who'd been looking only downward at her losses, the king of Israel seems to be say, "I've been looking up and looking up and hoping and praying, but the results are not in my favor; therefore, 'Why should I hope in the Lord any longer?'"

Isn't that what this sounds like? "I've been looking up ... but now I just plain give up." (Isn't that interesting ... and sad. The first two times that hope is mentioned in the scriptures, the people are hopeless.)  

A little context: In 2 Kings 6, the capital of Israel is under siege by King Ben-Hadad of Aram. Cut off from food and supplies, the famine was so bad that anything even semi-edible cost a fortune. For example, "25 one-fourth of a kab of dove’s dung [sold] for five shekels of silver." (And trust me, as disgusting as that is, that's the pleasant part of this story.)

The king is mortified by the plight and horrors surrounding (and perpetrated by) his people. And he cries out to the prophet Elisha, "Why should I hope in the Lord any longer?" 

Question: Was the king looking up -- hoping, trusting, believing in the Lord all along? Or was he really looking down? In grief at the plight of his people, was he focused on earthly circumstances (just like Naomi was looking down at the  griefs in her own family)?

It's possible (probable) that as humans we think we're looking up and relying on God when we're really still focused on the things of this earth and the trials around us. 

Even with a prophet (or pastor) standing right next to us, it's natural to focus on the things of this earth, to worry about the things that can be seen rather than trusting in the One who can't be seen. 

I am constantly guilty of this too. It's normal. It's human. And it's self-defeating. 

The last words of 2 Kings 6 are, "Why should I trust in the Lord any longer?" But turn the page! The first words in chapter 7 are: "But Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord ..."

What was God speaking life into the king and into Israel. He was saying essentially: “Today looks bad. I know. God knows. Today, pigeon dung is being sold as food for five shekels of silver, but by ‘7:1 tomorrow about this time a measure of choice meal shall be sold for a shekel.’ Indeed, by tomorrow at this time, there will be hope." 

Yes, today is often hard, but trust in God for tomorrow. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who needs to quit

focusing on today's troubles

and start looking for

tomorrow's victories

Dev: Nov 14 - Ruth 1:12

… Even if I thought

there was hope for me …

Ruth 1:12

 

Years ago, my wife’s beloved 2½ year old poodle died rather suddenly and very unexpectedly. Brain cancer.

 

When it was finally time to get a new dog, she said, “What’s the Hebrew word for ‘Hope’?” “Why?” “Because that’s what I want to want to name my dog, since I’m hoping in the Lord for a good dog!”

 

Now we didn’t actually name our dog that word for hope. (One of the most common Hebrew words for hope is tikvah, but we didn’t want to wish ticks and fleas on our pet!) Nevertheless, we still chose a form of ‘hope,’ a less common Hebrew word that speaks of hopefulness – chasah.

 

The question for today is this: What are you hoping for?

 

For these next several weeks, we’re going to be focusing on hope. Hope is an obviously an important spiritual concept. We hear about the Messiah being Israel’s long-awaited hope and salvation. We hear about heaven being our eternal hope. But do you know the first time “hope” occurs in the scriptures (the first time at least according to my translation)?   

 

It’s in our verse for today. Naomi and her Jewish family moved to the land of Moab. Now her husband and both her sons have died. And she is hopeless. Defeated, she is going to wander back to Israel. And her plan is to do it alone. In fact, in the fullness of this verse, she is urging her Moabite daughters-in-law to stay in Moab. She’s essentially saying, “’Even if I thought there was hope for me’ back home in Israel, there’s no hope for us as a family or for you as young women without husbands.”

 

Hopeless!

 

She is looking down at this earth … and not at all up to heaven. And in her power and according to the ways of this world, everything truly does look hopeless.

 

Have you ever been there?

 

I don’t want to compare for a second my wife’s loss of a dog to Naomi grief for her husband and sons. (Not by a million miles.) And I don’t want compare my wife’s grief to yours – whatever it is. Nevertheless, I do want suggest that there are two ways of looking at the world. One is in a purely human way. The other is in a hope-filled way.

 

My wife look up from her grief and said, “I’m hoping in the Lord for a good dog.”

 

Which direction are you pointing in life. If it’s downward (if it’s earthly), you’ll inevitably be very disappointed. (Everyone dies.) But if you focus upward and hope in the Lord, then the best is yet to come. Always!

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s honestly and

probably a little dyslexic –

and yet I know that my hope

does not come from DOG.

(It comes from GOD.)

 

Devotions 11/13: Ecclesiastes 2:1-3

 

I said in my heart, “Come now,

I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.”

But behold, this also was vanity.

I said of laughter, “It is mad,”

and of pleasure, “What use is it?”

I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine

—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—

and how to lay hold on folly,

till I might see what was good

for the children of man to do under heaven

during the few days of their life.

Ecclesiastes 2:1-3

 

Guest Devotion Writer – Pastor Nate Wolcott

 

One thing that strikes me about our American culture is how focused we are on entertainment.  According to Barna Group, 62% of Americans watch 3 or more hours of TV a day.  30% of those are watching more than 5 hours… a day!  I would say that I never did such a thing, but honestly I very much used to watch many many many hours during football season.  Hey, many times I was multitasking, working on homework with the game or a show on for background noise.  I probably worked slower, but it got done, and so it wasn’t wasted time…

 

But let’s be honest.  Our society and culture push the idea that time when we are not working should be spent being entertained.  Win the lottery, and what do people say they’re going to do?  Quit their job and go to Mouseworld™. 

 

We don’t do well in silence.  We want to have a show on, or be engaged in a hobby.  I enjoy doing a lot of things!  I have to remind myself the teaching of the Bible: the richest king and the wisest king tested his heart with every pleasure and hobby he could think of and afford, and his verdict?  “It is vanity.”  Vanity, which more literally translated would be “a mere breath.”  The NIV renders it as “meaningless.”  The HSB translates it as “futility.” 

 

Entertainment is often times just a diversion from things which actually have significance. 

 

Many times I have an unsettled feeling in my soul, and instead of turning to God and seeking peace, I turn to a diversion to seek distraction from the uncomfortable feeling.  Every time I make that wrong choice, I’m choosing an idol over my God. 

 

I’m not saying that watching TV is evil, or that playing sports with our kids or reading a novel is sin.  However I have noticed in myself that frequently games and diversions and videos online is something I end up doing because I’ve not intentionally chosen to do something better.  Very frequently this is what turns me away from spending time with the Father in whom I am supposed to be finding my delight.

 

As we look at how we can take time to pursue joy in relationship with God through prayer and the study of his love letter to us, I challenge you (and myself) to take a hard look at your entertainents and diversions.

 

Are your diversions of no lasting significance getting in the way of the one eternal relationship you are offered? 

 

Come as you are, but by all means COME.

 

For the King who is worthy

of all of me and not the scraps of me,

Pastor Nate Wolcott

 

 

 

 

Devotion 11/12 - Mark 9:20-24

And they brought the boy to him.

And when the spirit saw him,

immediately it convulsed the boy,

and he fell on the ground and rolled about,

foaming at the mouth.

And Jesus asked his father,

“How long has this been happening to him?”

And he said, “From childhood.

And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him.

But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

And Jesus said to him,

“‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said,

“I believe; help my unbelief!”

Mark 9:20-24

 

Guest Devotion Writer – Pastor Nate Wolcott

 

I love the story of the halfway-believing father.  He comes to Jesus, not really sure if there’s any hope, but desperate to try Jesus out just in case he can free his son from bondage.  He says to Jesus, IF you can, and Jesus calls him on his lack of faith. 

 

“What do you mean IF?  I can do anything if you’d just believe!”

 

Here is where this story brings me much hope.  Our human expectation is for God to be offended that he (or us!) has not believed enough.  We expect God to leave in a huff and not do anything for us.  Sometimes we expect God to not do anything for us but to do something against us because we just aren’t believing hard enough.

 

God isn’t doing what I want.  I guess I’m not believing hard enough.  I’m not even going to bother praying about that, because I don’t believe God’s actually going to do anything about it.

 

There’s a tremendous problem with this mindset.  It makes faith a work. If I do this faith thing, God is bound to answer.  It’s about faking myself into believing something I don’t yet believe.  Friends, this is not the Gospel.  Notice how the father responds to Jesus, because he did it right: “I believe, help me in my unbelief!”

 

The father confesses belief in Jesus as being Lord, and confesses his struggle in trusting the implications of Jesus being Lord.  Essentially that man said to Jesus, I trust you, even though I can’t in my human frailty and grief see how you can do what my heart cries out for.

 

Heer’s the amazing fact this verse teaches: coming to Jesus in prayer is enough.  Even if we come doubting, as long as we are choosing to come to him it is enough. God didn’t require perfect faith from us.  The cross paid for that lack as well.

 

Do you have doubts about God’s ability to meet you at the point of your deepest hurts and needs?

 

Come as you are, but by all means COME.

 

For the King who

makes our faith strong,

Pastor Nate Wolcott

 

 

 

Devotion 11/11 - Luke 10:38-42

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village.
And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.  
And she had a sister called Mary,
who sat at the Lord's feet
and listened to his teaching.  
But Martha was distracted with much serving.
And she went up to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care that my sister
has left me to serve alone?
Tell her then to help me.”  
But the Lord answered her,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious
and troubled about many things,  
but one thing is necessary.
Mary has chosen the good portion,
which will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42

 

Guest Devotion Writer – Pastor Nate Wolcott

 

One of the biggest things that keeps me from spending time with God in prayer is business.  When there’s a list of things that I think needs to get done, the great temptation is to get off my knees and on to work.  Martha apparently had this same issue.  The food had to get served, the duvet had to be smoothed out on the guest bed, and the pillows needed to be plumped and arranged… or whatever hospitality looked like in those days.  Martha was anxious and troubled.

 

I get that.  I know that Greer and I can get anxious and troubled whenever we have someone coming over.  Our house alternates between orderly and toddler typhoon.  Orderly takes hours.  Toddler happens in the time it takes to nuke your coffee.  It’s not just house.  It’s job!  We get up and start doing, but we are not dwelling.  We aren’t taking time to be with God, unless we’re careful to choose that over getting a head start on all the things we think we need to get done. 

 

Mary knew that all the things Martha was stressed out about needed to get done.  They both knew of those needs.  Martha asks Jesus, don’t you get it?  I need helping doing all these important things!  Jesus tells her where she’s wrong.  There’s one thing, he tells her, that is so much more important than the other important things that it might as well be the ONLY thing.  He calls it the one necessary thing.  Spending time at his feet, being in relationship with him.  Other things are perhaps important, but only fellowship with Christ is necessary. 

 

If we let the important things crowd out the necessary things, we have discarded the better portion.  In God’s eyes, faithfulness in relationship is more critical than crossing tasks off of our punchlist.  It’s a better portion. 

 

Are you choosing the better portion?

 

Come as you are, but by all means COME.

 

For the King who wants my heart before my work,

Pastor Nate Wolcott

 

 

 

Devotion 11/10: Jonah 4:1-4

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,

and he was angry.  

And he prayed to the Lord and said,

“O Lord, is not this what I said

when I was yet in my country?

That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish;

for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love,

and relenting from disaster.

Therefore now, O Lord,

please take my life from me,

for it is better for me to die than to live.”

And the Lord said,

“Do you do well to be angry?”.

Jonah 4:1-4

 

Guest Devotion Writer – Pastor Nate Wolcott

 

This morning, at least 59 million people in our country alone are upset with how things turned out.  Many will fail to move to Canada, but are wondering if life would be better there.  Some are questioning why God let it turn out this way.  If the votes had gone the other direction, much would be the same except Canada would have been exchanged for Texas.  Either way, times come when We don’t much like the meal God sets before us.

 

Jonah didn’t like the meal God set before him.  He hated the Ninevites, but God wanted him to go and preach repentance to them so that they might be spared destruction.  Jonah had a great respect for God’s ability to work a miracle through preaching, he just didn’t like the implications.  So he got angry, and ended up sitting and watching Nineveh, hoping that God would do what Jonah wanted instead of what God wanted.

 

Many times we get mad at God.  We might be embarrassed to admit it, and we know at some level that being mad at God is not right.  After all, God never does anything wrong, so if I’m mad about something, I guess the wrong one is ME, right? 

 

Often this keeps us from praying and talking with God.

 

Yes, we are wrong when we’re mad at God, but the good news is that it’s OKAY.  Note that Jonah is mad, but God’s answer to his anger is a question.  It’s a question that is supposed to make Jonah consider and process through the emotion.  God doesn’t answer with a thunderbolt and offense at the nerve of the guy!  As the book of Jonah concludes, we see a tender God teaching Jonah through the life and death of a plant that God is a God of mercy, and Jonah deep down understands.  God leads Jonah into a deeper understanding of His merciful nature.  He does it even when Jonah is being a pill about it!  That’s what God does when we’re angry with him: tenderly grows us so that we better understand him, and trust in him.

 

As one of my Pastor-friends told me, “it’s okay to tell God you’re mad at him.  Hey, he already KNOWS, right?”  He takes joy in bringing you out of your anger and into peace and understanding.

 

Are you angry with God?  Are you mad about how things have turned out for you?  Go start a conversation with God.  You don’t have to stop being angry first.  He’s secure enough in himself to hear you out, and then answer in mercy.

 

Come as you are, but by all means COME.

 

For the King who is gentle

when we’re angry with him,

Pastor Nate Wolcott

 

 

 

Devotion 11/9: Isaiah 40:28-31

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable. 
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might
he increases strength. 
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the LORD
shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

 

Guest Devotion Writer – Pastor Nate Wolcott

 

Several weeks ago I preached on the parable of the persistent widow that Jesus told in Luke 18:1-8.  The point that Jesus was making was that Christians are to “…always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).  In our church this week, we have seen the answer to many, many years of prayers!  Sandra finally received lungs!  Eight years of praying.  Three years of being on the list.  Finally! 

 

However I think anyone involved will confess if you ask that there were times when they were tempted to give up on praying.  When we’re praying for something and it’s not happening, there are a lot of ways that we can be tempted to give up on praying.

 

I often expect God to answer within a certain window.  As I look at circumstances, in my wisdom there appears to be an 11^th hour beyond which no help can come.  In all honesty, as the window within which God answering my prayer with “Yes” grows smaller and smaller, the hope within my heart that he’s going to answer with yes also shrivels.  When we’re six months away from depleting our savings account, praying for a new job isn’t that stressful.  After all, God can answer without this really hurting!  However the closer and closer to the wire we get, the more we see that we might actually suffer.  There’s a tendency to turn to fear instead of faith.

 

“If God was going to answer my prayer, he would have done it by now so I guess he’s not going to show up for me.”

 

“There’s no more time left in which God can help me.”

 

“I’ve prayed for years.  Why isn’t God listening to me?  Does he even care?”

 

When these thoughts start bouncing around my head, I am tempted to give up and not spend time with God in prayer.  I forget that I don’t come before God in need of answers only, but also I come to him in need of the faith and understanding to persist in prayer at all.  God shows up the biggest when we run to the limits of what we are able to give.  When I have nothing left in my own strength, and I go to God confessing my complete lack of anything, God often shows up the biggest. 

 

As Rutherford said, “Faith grows best in the winter of trial.”  1 Peter 1:6-7 confirms this, but so does our experience.  How much faith did it take to pray for new lungs three years ago when Sandra was first put on the list?  A lot less than two weeks ago when we were weary in praying and not having received an answer yet.  Praying at the 11^th hour takes a more refined faith.  Refined faith doesn’t happen unless 10 hours of trial have already happened.

 

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness... (1 Peter 3:9)

 

So are you not approaching God in prayer because you are weary of not receiving answers?  Are you stumbling because you interpret the lack of a “Yes” as a lack of God’s listening to you?  Come to God in your weariness, and ask Him to renew your strength in prayer.

 

Come as you are, but by all means COME.

 

For the King who calls renews our strength,

Pastor Nate Wolcott

 

 

11/1 - Numbers 21:4 - Will you face the old to embrace the new?

⁴ Then they traveled from Mount Hor

on the road toward the Sea of Suf

in order to go around the land of Edom;

but the people's tempers grew short

because of the detour.

Numbers 21

 

I like progress, but I hate detours.

 

I know. “Hate” is a strong word. But my dislike for being rerouted is often palpable.

 

I want to move forward. I don’t want to be slowed down. I don’t want to be distracted. I don’t want a longer route. I don’t want the inconvenience. Indeed, like the Israelites taking the long way around Edom, “tempers gr[o]w short because of the detour.”

 

And, you know, most of us are like that in life. We just want to move forward – no slowdowns, no distractions, no inconvenience.

 

But sometimes we can’t move forward – swiftly, effectively, for the rest of our life – without a little road construction.

 

As a driver over these last two years, I’ve been repeatedly inconvenienced by the building of at least three new bridges. My humanness wanted to squawk every time I hit that detour sign and five extra minutes were added to my old familiar route. But you know what? A year later, those routes are much safer and I’m flying through my journey more productively.

 

Was it worth the inconvenience? Well, imagine if traffic engineers never rebuilt the original 1930s bridges over wide rivers. Modern metropolitan traffic would be bottlenecked as two narrow lanes were the only link between different quadrants of cities. A city couldn’t progress.

 

And in life, neither could you!

 

In life, many of us travel slowly and unsafely because we haven’t dealt with real issues in our past. We’ve put a makeshift bridge over the hurts in our past, and we lie to ourselves, saying that “of course we’re moving forward.” And we are – kind of. But it’s not fast and free.

 

No one wants to go back and reopen old scars. No one! But sometimes true healing can’t take place until we do a little surgery.

 

Now, depending on the depth of the hurt and pain, I don’t recommend that you do this phase of road construction alone! For example, if you are detouring to deal with the pain of past abuses, it’s imperative that you see a counselor. And it’s imperative that God is part of this process too. He loves. He heals. He forgives. He rebuilds bridges, straightens twisted roads, and fills in deep pot holes.

 

But if you aren’t truly moving forward in life, it’s time to take a detour, and find a new route until a bridge that can sustain the weight your future joy can be fully built.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who already this morning

was trying to figure out how

to run an errand

because of a detour

(I need to reroute my thinking:

“Thank you, Department of

Transportation for progress!”)

 

 

How might we pray ... in November?!

Prayer List for November …

How can we pray for you?

 

10/31 - Exodus 20:10 - Are you working from your rest?

¹⁰ But the seventh day is a 

sabbath to the Lord your God;

you shall not do any work—

you, your son or your daughter,

your male or female slave,

your livestock, or the alien

resident in your towns.

Exodus 20

 

One of the most important questions anyone ever asked me is, “Are you resting from your work … or working from your rest?”

 

Think about it. This is much more than a clever turn of phrase.

 

In my mind, I illustrate this with a canteen. If I’m going on an adventure, it’s wise to fill up my canteen before I start my hike. With a full canteen, I have the sustenance to venture forth boldly, scaling tall mountains, crossing raging rivers, and escaping darkened forests.

 

But … if I start my journey with my canteen empty, all I do is spend my day searching for water.

 

Life is a lot like that. If our canteen is full – if we are rested and fresh – we can venture forth boldly. We will scale steep mountains. Leap tough obstacles. And praise God even in the storm.

 

But … if we start our days with an empty canteen, all we tend to do is whine! There’s never enough rest. There’s always a new deadline. “Life isn’t fair.” “If I could just catch a break ...” With no reserves, small inconveniences become tall mountains, little creeks to cross become raging rivers, cooling and refreshing shadows on a hot day become cold forests that envelop us in darkness.

 

And that’s where the question that started today comes in: “Are you resting from your work … or working from your rest?”

 

Now, we all like to occasionally work from our rest. But what happens when that’s our perpetual state? To rest from our work, we have to continually stop the journey to fill up a perpetually empty canteen. For example, at the end of a busy week of work, we come home and our canteen is empty. We’re all poured out. And we hope the weekend will refill and refresh us.

 

However, how many weekends are filled with all the errands and chores that we couldn’t get to during the week? We rest … a little … but we only fill up our canteen an inch or two. Then we head back to work, running on fumes.

 

But what if we turned that around? What if we worked from our rest? What if the Sabbath principle of rest filled us up before we ventured forth?

 

Now, here’s what I know. You’ve said two things in this devotional. First, you said that I want a full canteen before I go on life’s adventure. Second, you said that life is too busy and working from our rest is an impossible ideal in this crazy, modern world. (Am I right?)

 

I’m guilty of this too. Life is busy. There’s so much to do. And I can make all the excuses in the world, but when I rest first – when I abide in Christ as a priority ^{see John 15} – I can venture from Christ’s rest, I work from his strength, I can scale tall mountains, and fight big battles.

 

I am called to work … and so are you. But we don’t have to do it on our own. And we don’t have to do it from a place of exhaustion. We can do it from the strength of rich sustenance and power.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who owns a canteen

(… but it’s pretty girly.

It was my wife’s when

she was a Brownie Scout!

But I guess the package

doesn’t matter, only the

living water … or not.)

 

10/28 - Prov 27:17 - Who's Your Accountability Partner?

As iron sharpens iron, so

one man sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:17

 

I always way to the flagmen who are directing traffic.

 

This is one of the most boring and thankless jobs in world. You stand for hours – often in the heat of the summer sun – and hold a heavy sign. Stop. Go. Melt in the sun. Freeze in the winter. Bored out of your skull.

 

I don’t know if it makes them feel any better, but I wave. I figure it’s a dose of humanity on an endlessly boring day.

 

Our sign for today is a flagman sign.

 

In this picture, our little flagman is holding a stop sign.

 

And what is the point of this sign on our journey to freedom? I’m using it to signify the need for accountability as we seek to escape our enslavements. It says to me: “Stop! Don’t go it alone! Trust your burdens to others.”

 

When Jesus sent out his disciples, he sent them in pairs. Why? I think it was for the blessing of accountability. (And probably mutual support and encouragement too!)

 

In my life, I’m a pretty smart guy. I’ve got pretty good instincts. But even if I get things right eighty or ninety percent of the time, those other ten or twenty percent can absolutely sink me! Those other ten or twenty percent of those can occasionally walk me to the edge of disaster. Therefore, I need someone to occasionally walk me back from the edge of the cliff.

 

I think that’s one of the primary reasons why God created marriage. It was for the blessing of accountability. In fact, my wife has walked me back from the edge of many cliffs. On my own, I could act foolishly. I could act angrily. I could have slip in my integrity. My wife is a piece of my accountability. (And she’s mutual support and encouragement too.)

 

Having a “partner” – including an accountability partner – is one of God’s foundational principles for human life (see page two of the Bible, Genesis 2:18).

 

More secular organizations pick up on this godly principle. That’s why there’s all kinds of cancer support groups and grief support groups and parents with disabilities associations. We need each other!

 

Alcoholics Anonymous is a good example. When AA seeks to set people free from their enslavement to addiction, one of the first things they do is link a new person with a veteran sponsor. This experienced accountability partner blesses the newly confessing alcoholic. They can say, “I’ve been there.” “You’re not alone.” “It’s hard, but you can do this.”

 

And yet it’s even more than that! These types of relationships are two-way streets. Testifying repeatedly to the discipline of sobriety blesses the sponsor too! In a wonderful twist, the sponsoree becomes a sort of accountability partner for sponsor. To help heal another person, the sponsor must stay strong themselves and must daily confess their own struggles.

 

If you’re on a journey to freedom, it’s counter-productive to try to do it on your own. God made you for community. But Satan keeps lying to you. He says, “No one will understand.” “If they know the true you, they won’t like you.”

 

Don’t flatter yourself. You are not the most creative person in the world. Others struggle daily with whatever is gripping you. Confess to someone who is trustworthy – like your pastor. Hear God’s forgiveness. Feel God’s embrace. And find a community that’s going through the same struggles.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who believes

that iron shapens iron

… unfortunately, however,

I spend more time around

chocolate chip cookies

than iron

(Can you guess what

that’s doing to me?)

 

  

10/27 - Luke 10:34-35 - Where Should You Go for Healing?

³⁴ [The Good Samaritan] went

to [the battered man] and

bandaged his wounds

… [and] brought him to an inn,

and took care of him. 

³⁵ The next day he took out

two denarii, gave them to

the innkeeper, and said,

‘Take care of him; and when

I come back, I will repay you

whatever more you spend.’

Luke 10

 

A few years ago, my father was moments from having his leg amputated.

 

He had sudden and severe blood clots in his left leg. His foot was dying. The doctor came in to tell us that he was doing surgery. Reflexively, he took the pulse in my father’s foot one last time. And his expression suddenly changed. He was shocked. The doctor said, “His foot is warmer and the pulse is stronger.”

 

He came in to tell us that he was going to amputate. He left telling us that he was going to put in stents to open back up the vessels.

 

We call it a miracle that at the precise moment when the doctor took the pulse in my father’s foot my father’s foot was warmer!

 

And yet … that’s not the end of the story. It was lots of surgeries for my dad. It was a lengthy recover. My father – nearly eighty at the time – worked hard! (How many times have we said that hard work and diligence is required to be set free from the things that enslave us?)

 

Well, I was there for part of my father’s journey. While visiting my son in New Haven, Connecticut, my father’s foot went numb. A bad sign! Were the veins and stents collapsing again? Away from his regular doctor, we hurried to the Yale University Medical Center.

 

Wait … we tried to hurry to Yale’s Medical Center.

 

I had a brand new smartphone. I said to it, “Direct me to the Yale Medical Center.” And I started driving. We were in a town just west of New Haven, and my smartphone turned me in the wrong direction – further west.

 

Thankfully, I’m not directionally challenged. So against my phone’s advice, I drove east toward New Haven where the hospital is. When we got close to the city, I said to my phone, “Direct me to the nearest Hospital.” Already driving around Yale’s campus, it tried to direct me further west again, to the “nearest” hospital fifteen miles away.

 

I refused, and seeing a row of food trucks. I stopped and said, “Can you direct me to …”

 

They did! It was just a few blocks away!

 

Our sign for today is the hospital sign. (I could have used a sign like that, while trying to anxiously navigate those tight city streets. We knew where to go to heal … we just couldn’t get there!) The question for you, though, is do you know where to go to heal? Indeed, where is the place – perhaps with the right people – to set you free?

 

Too often we are stuck in the wrong place, with the wrong people, at the wrong time. And too often we are doing the wrong things.

 

The problem is this: When we’re in bondage, we’re often tired. Exhausted. Our bed and our couch have like this gravitational vortex. They suck us in … and keep us stuck.

 

When we’re exhausted, we’re stuck in maintenance mode. We do just enough to by. We compromise. We do the easy things and go to the easy places rather than work to find the places of healing.

 

If we hadn’t worked to find Yale’s Hospital, the results could have been disastrous for my dad. If you don’t work to find your places (and people) of healing, the results will be disastrous for you.

 

In Christ’s Love,

an old fashioned guy

who still uses maps to confirm

the computerized directions

when the trip is important

(for example, a couple is

married today because

I looked at a map

for a country wedding

and turned left instead of

right like my phone said!)