Devotionals
by Jerry Londal
August 20, 2010
In I John 3:23 John states: “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.” At first blush, this sounds like an easy command. We believe in Jesus don’t we? And we are loving people aren’t we?
John, however, gets considerably more specific. In I John 3:16-18, John tells us: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possession and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” This then is the test of our faith in Christ: do we show by our actions that Christ dwells in us?
We must examine ourselves each day and evaluate whether our actions show Christ in us. It is often easy when we see someone in need to ask them if there is anything that we can do to help. It is much better when we see someone in need to ask ourselves what we can do for that person and simply do it. By so doing, we are allowing the Christ in us to be shown.
Let us pray each day that we be filled with love for one another, and seek ways to show that love.
July 14, 2010
by Judy Brummeler
In these past years of my life I have had several people ask me ‘why do you believe in God? or how do you know if God is present?” Reverend Don Merrill used to answer by saying “I believe in God and that he is there for me because it works.” And then he goes on to tell his story.
Many times in my life God has been there for me whether I have asked or not. I lost my check book with two paychecks just deposited into our account. I looked everywhere and even emptied my purse but to no avail. I retraced my steps and sure enough there it was in my purse.-I hadn’t asked. I was the Lay Director for an Emmaus walk. I was in front of the group waiting to read my script when I realized the person speaking before me was reading my part. I was introduced and was praying, What do I do?. I spoke and although I cannot remember what I said, our pilgrims seemed to respond as expected. God was there! Last year when our Women of Grace speaker called two days before the retreat to say she could not be here due to a family illness and trauma. I prayed asking what do we do? With in an hour I had several options but the best one was our speaker’s prayer partner, who volunteered to come. She had a beautiful message for us. To add more, our praise and worship leader had heard from God that the music needed to be changed at the same time. With no co-ordination between her and our speaker, the music chosen fit in with the speaker’s message and was music she would have chosen. God was there without a doubt! Just recently, Bob and I were travelling home from Traverse City. We were travelling 45 MPH in a line of traffic when a car pulled out in front of us. Bob reacted quickly and was able to dodge the car and a brick wall coming to a stop just short of the wall and into a driveway. Every day small or big incidents happen. Yes “God(Jesus) is with us always even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20.
June 4, 2010
by Joanne Snedden
The last Sunday School class for this spring had the little ones come together near the end of class to sing and then go off and have an ice cream treat. I was the lucky one as I got to lead the singing. I absolutely love the songs of the children. We sang “Into My Heart, into my heart, come into my heart Lord Jesus. Come in today, come in to stay, come into my heart, Lord Jesus.” And then we sang “Jesus Love Me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me; yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.” Then we sang, “The B – I – B – L – E, yes that’s the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God, the Bible!” Then we sang the song about Zacchaeus was a wee little man…
Those songs are not very sophisticated, but they are so complete! To ask Jesus into our hearts is a basic act of faith. Declaring that Jesus loves me is a strong statement of belief ~ for the Bibles tells me so. For a youngster to learn how to spell Bible and then sing that it is the book for ‘me’ sets up one of the most important principals of faith. Then the song about Zacchaeus is just one of the many wonderful songs about stories in the Bible. I wish you could have seen their faces as they sang these songs of faith. These young ones have a foundation of faith through their parents, their Sunday School teachers and in these simple songs. And I love remembering that when my Dad (age 92) was in the nursing home and could not carry on a conversation, he could and did sing, Jesus Loves Me. Precious Memories!
Today an old song kept coming to my mind ~ remember it?
Count your blessings, name them one by one.
Count your blessings, see what God has done.
Count your blessings, name them every one.
Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
Just as I finished singing it, my cell phone beeped which meant I had a text message. As I brought the screen to life, there looking at me were two pictures of our 8 month old great grandson, Ashton. His Mommy had sent pictures of him for us to enjoy his smiles, to be able to watch him grow ~ he in California and we back here in Michigan. Our granddaughter blesses us when she remembers her grandma and grandpa and includes us in her life through such messages and pictures.
So on a day when your spirits need a little lift, sing the songs of your childhood and feels God’s love enfolding you. Then count your blessings and just see what God has done in your life and then “Give thanks with a cheerful heart.”
Dear God, We praise your Holy Name! You have blessed us in so many ways; may we never take those blessings for granted. Help us then to be blessings to others as you have blessed us. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!
by Joanne Snedden
May 1, 2010
Psalm 124 ~
If the Lord had not been on our side – let Israel say –
If the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us,
When their anger flared against us,
The flood would have engulfed us,
The torrent would have swept over us,
The raging waters would have swept us away.
Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare;
The snare has been broken, and we have escaped.
Our help is in the Name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
In reading the Psalms today, I noticed notes I had made in the margin of this Psalm. I don’t recall if I copied these notes or if I was compelled to write them after reading these prophetic verses.
In the margin, I wrote:
I would have been stopped by worry ~ “If the Lord had not been on my side!
I would have been defeated by anger and distrust ~ “If the Lord had not been on my side!”
I would have been hindered with indecision and discouragement ~ “If the Lord had not been on my side!”
These last few weeks have been ‘valley’ weeks for us as our precious daughter has had to redesign her way of life after experiencing a severe grand mal seizure. She has been told that it is vitally important for her to take the stress out of her life that has become her ‘way of life.’ It has been humbling and quite scary for her. We were blessed to be able to be make an emergency trip and be there with her for the last two weeks. I am always so awed by the way the scriptures present themselves to guide us, to challenge and to comfort us during such times.
As there were moments when things were not going well; Hab. 3:17-19 challenged us and affirmed His presence.
Assuring us were the words in 2 Cor. 12:9-10; we were so aware of our weaknesses and thanked God for His perfect strength which held us and carried us.
We thanked God for the support and care that was shared with us continually by family and friends and so we were reminded of 1 Thess. 1:2-6.
And all of this reminded us that to know the Lord and “joy” in the Lord truly strengthened us. Neh. 8:10
Repeatedly we have remarked about the fact that we didn’t know how we could have handled things had we not known the Lord and knew that he was at our side. So even when I have a strong moment of ‘want’ to worry, and feel defeated and discouraged, I don’t stay there very long as (in Psalm 124) I call for help in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. I thank God for His Word that comes to us in times of need.
Thank you, Jesus, for walking with us and like the footsteps in the sand, carrying us occasionally.
by Jerry Londal
Scripture references: Exodus 16 & 17 and Philippians 4:19
In the book of Exodus, we read of the Israelites held captive by the Egyptians, and God’s deliverance from captivity. In chapter 16, we find the Israelites in the desert after being delivered from the Egyptians. The people begin to complain because of the lack of food and water. Many voiced the opinion that they wished they were back in Egypt in captivity, where at least they had food and water. They did not have faith that the Lord would provide for them. This is in spite of the miracle that they had recently observed of the parting of the Red Sea, which allowed their escape from the Egyptians. But the Lord heard their grumbling, and provided bread, meat, and water for the 40 years that they remained in the wilderness.
In Philippians 4:19 Paul writes: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Jesus also addressed the issue of our needs when he stated: “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. Your father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” (Luke 12:29-31)
Do you find yourself in a wilderness today? Perhaps your wilderness is one of financial need. Perhaps you are lonely, or having relational problems with a spouse, child, parent, or friend. Perhaps your health, or the health of a loved one, is a major concern to you. God has promised to be with us in our time of need. Can you take God at his promise that he sees your need and will provide for you? Seek him through prayer and meditation, and take him at his promise.
by Joanne Snedden
April 9, 2010
The scripture for my daily reading recently was in Hebrews 11:23-31. Take a moment and read the “By faith….” verses. They are a primer about the ‘saints of faith’ through their biblical accounts. These verses touched my heart with reminders that life as lived out by the likes of Moses certainly lived by faith. They paved the way for us to have 20-20 vision while they journed one step at a time not knowing or understanding just where and how things were going to turn out. And yet, because we do not know what our tomorrows bring, we, like Moses, find ourselves also living by “faith” because the scenario we are living out may not be happening the way we have expected.
As we know because we call on the name of the Lord does not mean we will be happy and healthy all the time. Some days may find us feeling rather alone and/or forgotten and so these verses lift us up to remember ~ even so… we too will live ‘by faith.’ Day to day living was hard for Moses and he often did not receive respect, but even in the hardship and his weakness, Moses honored God and lived by faith.
My “Encounter with God” devotion’s author noted that “One of the great paradoxes of the Christian life is that God seems to get the most done through our weaknesses, not our strengths. Moses in his recorded weaknesses, strengths, and faith is a proven model of a servant leader who experienced all of life’s emotions amongst the rebellious people, but he remained faithful to God.
In 2 Cor. 12:9-10 ~ Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul said, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak then I am strong.” ( I loved that these two verses were a part of those devotions as they became life-changing for me when they were sent in a note at a time of great weakness in my life.) The accounts of Moses and others reveal how God used their weaknesses to give them strength ~ Jesus’ strength made perfect in weakness.
I am reminded of another scripture that happened1000 some years after Moses lived, a time when the people had lived with broken lives. In Nehemiah 8:10b we read, “ ...Do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Recognizing our weaknesses, going before God and confessing and celebrating God in their lives allows God to strengthen us spiritually and bring joy into our lives. I can’t help but think that Moses experienced and understood this joy even in his time.
So it is that when we come before God, we can know that His strength is made perfect in our weakness, making us strong and able, as long as we put our trust in Him, the God of our fathers, who forged their paths before us.
These are the questions listed in my devotions for us to consider:
What would you say are your three greatest strengths?
What are your three greatest weaknesses?
How is God teaching you to trust him more?
What have you done recently “by faith?”
Let us soak in the Word of the Lord, reading and meditating and learning the messages God has for us in these powerful scriptures. Let us pray to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us to trust, even when our faith is small. May we ‘lean not on our own understanding, but in all ways acknowledge God’ so that ‘by faith’ we will continue learning about trust and His grace as His power is made perfect in our weaknesses. May we claim that the “joy of the Lord is our strength!”
I want to bring the devotionals for lent back to the top. Enjoy!
There is a devotional for each day in this file.
(this a 4MB+ file)
February 27, 2010
by Pam Moyer
Remember. . .
Our Disciple Study this year at PUMC is entitled “Remember Who You Are”. We have been discussing the significance of remembering to be obedient. Obedience to God’s teaching is at the heart of loyalty to God. Yet in our modern society we often want to avoid both the word “obey” and the idea of “obedience”. Why? We are a “me” society and a “why me?” society. We want everything for ourselves yet want to take the blame/responsibility for nothing. Remember the consequences for such attitudes. Remember God’s responses to such attitudes. Remember what happened to the many unfaithful people of the Old Testament. During this Lenten season ask yourself these questions:
Have I grown complacent? Have other concerns taken God’s place in my life?
Remember. . .
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5
Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight. Deuteronomy 6:18
There is a devotional for each day in this file. Enjoy!
(this a 4MB+ file)
February 17, 2009
by Judy Brummeler
“To live in prayer together is to walk in love together” --Margaret Moore Jacobs
My prayer life keeps changing as I grow in Christ and his love and forgiveness. I was a young mother when a friend asked me if I ever prayed. My answer was yes, the Lord’s Prayer at church, blessings before meals and with the children before bed, all rote prayers. I told her I felt very uncomfortable praying because I did not know what to say. After much discussion and gentle coaching she left my home with, “Pray before you do anything, thanking God for what you are doing , what the weather is ,rain, snow, or sun.” As I grew and became involved in adult Sunday school and bible studies, again with gentle encouragement I was able to say a simple prayer out loud with the group. God will hear our prayers in simple or sophisticated words. Thoughts coming from the heart are more important. Bob and I were visiting our son, in Lansing, after our and his Emmaus walks. We visited a church whose pastor had been a spiritual leader on our walk. He did not speak that week but his associate did. His topic was taking a special time for God. After the service a church member approached us and gave us a tape of the sermon from their pastor of the previous week, a sermon on sacrificing for God. We decided to listen to it as we rode home. Pastor Dick spoke about sacrificing for Lent. He said he was asking us not to think of sacrificing some food, or TV, or movies, but to give time to praying out loud with your spouse or close friend. He asked us to take 15 minutes every day during Lent and pray together. Bob and I decided we could do this. This started as a sacrifice of time for Lent and has grown from 5 minutes over the 26 plus years to whatever time it now takes to give all our prayers to God. It has grown from beyond intercessory prayer to prayers of concern for ourselves, prayer asking for forgiveness and direction. It is a continual growing but very fulfilling time. Today is the beginning of Lent ifi you are not already doing this maybe now is the time to give this a try.
PRAYER SUMMONS ME
Where two or more of you come together in my name, I am there with you.
The prayers of a righteous one are powerful and effective.
Seek me eagerly and you will find me!
Love,
Your HEAVENLY FATHER
Matthew 18:20, James5:16, 2Chronicles 15:15
(from HUGS for FRIENDS)