Best Gifts

by Christina Johnson

Two more days to finish twenty-nine pairs of white sailor pants for her church’s school play.  Twenty-five completed; only four more and she would be done.  Patty spent a lot of her time volunteering, because her heart was filled by Jesus and she looked for ways to serve.  But there had been a time when everything she did was because she was trying to earn God’s forgiveness.

Even though Patty had been confirmed as a teen and regularly went to church, she understood the law better than forgiveness.  Her parents had been strict and often told her that she was a sinful child and what her punishment would be if she did not do better.

Patty’s husband, Marty, expected her to make the decisions about church.  Marty would share Bible stories with the children and tell them that Jesus loved them, but he only accompanied the family to church for special services.  Their marriage was struggling and their six-year-old was not doing well in school.  Patty prayed that God would help her family be better so they would deserve his love and forgiveness.  She prayed daily, asking God to forgive her sins.

A few months after they moved into their first house, neighbors brought over information about a Summer Bible School to be held at the church across the street.  The neighbors encouraged them to enroll the children, and they spent some time talking about the joy of fellowship in Jesus.  They also left devotions and meditations for Patty and Marty. Patty and Marty discussed enrolling the children in the Summer Bible School; to Patty’s surprise, Marty wanted them to go.   The next day Patty called the church to get the children enrolled.  The church secretary asked if Patty and her husband would like a visit from one of the pastors.  Patty set up a time for the following week, but Marty wasn’t pleased about that.  He asked Patty to cancel the pastor’s visit.

Summer Bible School started and the children came home every day excited to share what they had learned.  Family meals became filled with discussion about Jesus’ love for everyone.  While the children were at Bible School, Patty was spending time studying the meditations and devotions left by the neighbors. 

At the end of that week, parents were invited to the Summer Bible School closing service followed by a potluck dinner.  As Patty made salad for the potluck, she was thinking about a Bible verse she’d learned: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).  It was so clear that Jesus was telling her he had always loved her.  She had spent several hours studying Luke 7:36-50, using one of the devotional items that was in the materials from the neighbors.  It was during this devotional time that she realized her sins had been forgiven and her faith was given by God.  She could not earn forgiveness. 

Patty could picture, in her mind, the sinful woman who had brought an alabaster jar of perfume as a gift for Jesus.  “As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them” (Luke 7:38).  The sinful woman’s love for Jesus flowed from a forgiven heart.  Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace” (Luke 7:50).

Marty and Patty went to the church service and the potluck dinner that followed.  After the meal and fellowship, when everyone was helping to clean up, Marty and the pastor approached Patty to discuss available times for the three of them to meet the following week.  They decided to get together the following Tuesday.  Patty watched her husband walk back to where the other men were stacking tables and folding chairs and said a silent prayer of thanksgiving. 

Patty used to fear that Jesus did not love her.  She now knew she could never earn forgiveness; God simply gave it.  She and her husband joined the Bible study group at church. The children were enrolled in the Christian Day School.  The family attended church weekly and took an active role in activities.  Her love for Jesus and the joy and thankfulness in knowing that her sins were forgiven were the reasons Patty loved sharing her time, talents and treasures.  Faith had made it all possible – faith that came as a gift from from God.

Prayer: 
The weight of our sin is more than we can bear.  We praise you, Lord Jesus, for the forgiveness that we have through faith.  May all our gifts be evidence of our love, based in faith in you, Jesus.  Amen.

Christina wrote this devotion in connection with
a course on Devotional Writing offered
through MLC Continuing Education.

10,000 views

As of this weekend, The Electric Gospel has hit a milestone: 10,000 pageviews of this blog.  In the world of the Internet and social media, that's really not any big thing.  But for this fledgling effort, it seems like a landmark worth noting.

The most-viewed devotions have been:

1. You Are Precious in His Sight by Emily Hunt
2. Out of the Pit  by Naomi Unnasch
3. Body Building by Tracy Siegler
4. He Cannot Disown Himself by Becca Rehberger
5. Jesus is Coming Back - Are You Ready? by Allison Wessel

Some gems you might have missed (some of those with a low number of views -- but we can change that now!) are:

• A Cry from the Depths of One's Heart by Carl Heling 
• A House Built for Us by Monica Sletten
• Family Altar by Michael Peek
• Facing the Future with Hope by Emily Shank
• Demons by Brooke King
• Sacramental Blessing  by Jared Natsis
• The Spirit Works through Our Words by Andy Westra
• Do We Truly Love Each Other in the Church by Evodia Cassius

There are more you can explore on your own in the archives, but I thought I'd call attention to a few ... as we aim toward the next 10,000 views!

Look along the right side of the blog page to join the blog as a follower or to subscribe by email. And feel free to share devotional posts from here via the social media of your choice.

Roots and Shoots

by Beth Messman

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness  (Colossians 2:6-7).

A farmer has acres of fields to plant. Farmers have equipment to help with the planting. A tractor saves farmers time and labor. There are special tools to pull behind the tractor, like the grain drill and the planter. Before a farmer plants the seeds, he must first remove large rocks from the fields. There is no special equipment for this job. The farmer uses his hands to pick up the heavy rocks, and tosses them onto a wagon. Picking rocks is a long and hot chore. The farmer knows that rocks in his fields could cause his equipment to break and prevent seeds from falling into good soil.

The Sower by Van Gogh

Farmers in Jesus’ day didn’t have tractors. A farmer would walk up and down the fields with a sack of seeds on his arm and toss the seeds onto the ground. Sometimes the seeds fell on dirt paths and were trampled by people or picked up by hungry birds. Seeds that fell on rocks didn’t last long, because their roots couldn’t get down to good soil. When seeds did land on good ground, they started to grow. But, sometimes weeds crowded them out. Farmers in Jesus’ day were glad when their seeds made it into the good soil and grew strong and sturdy shoots.

Jesus told a story about a farmer planting his seeds (cf. Matthew 13). This kind of story is called a parable. In a parable, Jesus tells an earthly story in order to explain a heavenly meaning. Some people who heard the parable about the farmer planting his seeds did not understand what it meant. Jesus told the meaning so that we would understand how our hearts can be.

Some people hear God’s Word but reject it. They are like the seeds that fell on worn paths, gobbled up by hungry birds. Those seeds had no time to put down any roots. People who don’t take any time for God miss out on hearing about their Savior, Jesus.

Other people hear God’s Word and believe his promises, for a while. When life goes well for them, they see the blessings God gives them. But when life gets hard and the walk of faith seems too difficult, they fall away from God. They are like the seeds that fell on rocks. Those seeds sent out roots, which took in nourishment, but only for a little time, because the roots could not reach the good soil below the rocks. Even people who have been baptized, who have received the gift of faith through the Holy Spirit, can lose their faith if they don’t continue to take in the nourishment of God’s Word.

Some people hear God’s Word, believe that Jesus is their Savior from sin, and grow in their faith. But, when problems creep into their hearts, threatening to choke out their faith, they forget about Jesus. They forget that he is the answer to all of their worries and troubles and start to search for their own solutions. Those people are like the seeds that fell among the weeds in the fields. The weeds crowded out the good plants, not letting them get the nourishment, water, and sunlight they needed to grow strong.

There are also some people who cling to the promises they’ve learned from God’s Word. They know that temptations, doubts, fears, worries, troubles, and all kinds of sins will surround them. These “weeds” threaten to choke out the hope they have in their Savior. So, these believers study God’s Word even more. Because of God’s amazing love, these people grow strong in their faith. They are like the seeds that fell on good ground, pushing their roots deep into the soil to receive all of the benefits of the nutrients and water.

Roots anchor plants to the ground. They keep the plant from getting pulled out by strong winds, or pushed away by swift moving rainwater.  Roots store food for the plant to use when it can’t get sunshine or water. And when the time comes to pick the crops, those roots can also provide nourishment for people and animals.

Just like the plants in Jesus’ parable, we will always have troubles and temptations in our lives. When we are anchored in God’s Word, Jesus holds us up, nourishes our faith with his promises, and provides opportunities for us to “feed” others when we share the promises found in God’s Word.

Jesus knows farming. And Jesus knows us. He wants us to be deeply rooted in God’s Word. Jesus wants us to thrive. Jesus wants us to continue to live our lives in him, rooted and built up in him.

Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for nourishing us through your Word. Keep us rooted in your promises. Help us to grow stronger in our faith. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Beth wrote this devotion in connection with a course on
 Devotional Writing offered through MLC Continuing Education.

He Cannot Disown Himself

by Becca Rehberger

“I promise I won’t do it again.”

“I promise I’ll get you something.”

“I promise I’ll be there.”

“I promise that I will always love you.”

How many of these promises have we made? How many have we broken? Whether we forgot them, were forced to give them up, or simply lost the desire to keep them, we have all broken the trust of another, whether we used the words “I promise” or not. Broken promises have far-reaching consequences nonetheless, for our relationships with each other and with God.

God does not want our excuses. He clearly states that he expects us to keep our word, without even using an oath to bind it (Matthew 5:27). Some might say that this makes God unfair, to expect so much of us, but he is absolutely holy – he cannot tolerate sin. In fact, Jesus tells us in Matthew, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

Unlike our temporary, broken promises, though, God has kept every promise he has made. That includes the promise to send a Savior, a promise given to all humanity after the first man and woman fell into sin. God promised that this Savior would wash us clean of the brokenness in our lives. Throughout the next several thousand years, God repeated this promise to every generation until he fulfilled it in Jesus.

The apostle Paul wrote of these promises to a young pastor named Timothy. These verses’ nature is uncertain – some think it may have been a hymn that early Christians sang. In any case, it sums up well the promises that God has given to us: 

Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him,

    we will also live with him;

if we endure,

    we will also reign with him.

If we disown him,

    he will also disown us;

if we are faithless,

    he remains faithful,

    for he cannot disown himself  (1 Timothy 2:11-13).

“If we died with him, we will also live with him.” Since we were born as enemies of God and opposed to his Word, God also put faith in our hearts. He did this by putting the enemy in us to death, and by creating a new person in its place – one who loves God and wants to do his will (2 Corinthians 5:17).

“If we endure, we will also reign with him.” Though that enemy – the sinful nature – keeps rearing its ugly head, God will be with us as we struggle and overcome sin.

“If we disown him, he will also disown us.” Only one sin can permanently separate us from God: rejecting God’s Word and promises.  It’s not because Jesus didn’t take away this sin, but because this sin makes faith impossible. God has promised, however, that he will hold onto us, and that as we listen and take to heart his Word, he will strengthen our hold onto him (John 15:4).

“If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” If we do sin, we need only to turn back to God for forgiveness, and, out of his deep love for us, he will give it. Because of Jesus, he considers us to be a part of his family, to be his beloved children. Since we are his children, God has promised to take us to his heavenly home, to live with him forever. Since he has kept every promise he has ever made, we know for certain that he will keep this one, too (John 14:3).

What a comfort it is to know that God will keep his promises! Through his promise to send Jesus to save us, God has solved the one question all humanity asks: “What will happen when I die?” Because of these promises, we can be sure that God is not angry with us, but will help, keep, and save us from our sin. And, ultimately, we can be sure that heaven is ours.

Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for being faithful to your promises. Please forgive us for when we’ve broken our promises to you and to each other. Through your Word, remind us of your promises, and give us the strength to live for you, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Becca wrote this devotion in connection with a course on Devotional Writing

offered through MLC Continuing Education.

What's your story?

by Steve Soukup

“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Some time ago I was asked to write a devotion for this blog, but who wants to write a devotion for a professor who teaches people how to write them? Who willingly subjects himself to the ire of the critics who are so quick to judge? It just got to the point where something deep inside had to come out and maybe that in itself is a key to writing. God created so many different kinds of people, and different approaches to writing relate to different people. So, this is for those who are like me -- the handful of us.

My father opened every new acquaintance with the question, “So, what’s your story?” People’s stories are fascinating. You can give me good doctrine all day and I will agree, but fall asleep.  But if you tell me your story… you got me. If your story teaches me something about what Jesus means for me, all the better. This is why God asks us to love him with all our heart as well as all our mind. In my strong, not so humble opinion, the absolute worst thing someone can do when trying to communicate in writing or speaking is to be boring. You can be right as rain, but if you are boring, few will hear.

That is why there are only a handful of theology books in the Bible but page after page of people’s stories. Even the theology books like Romans have sections of great insight into Paul’s story and how Jesus blew his mind, then supercharged and completely reconstructed his every day afterward. The Bible does not read like a dogmatics text. So if you write or speak, tell your story, even if it is ugly, be honest. Boast in your weakness. Sometimes people call this being “real.” To be honest, that jargon is lost on an old guy like me, but it seems to be reaching a ton of people.

So tell us about your scars and wounds. Tell us about your sin like David or your depression like Elijah. We want to know how Jesus redeemed you from your struggles. We want to know there is hope for us outcasts. We can’t relate to how right you are or how much you know, because we are so messed up.

Maybe, just maybe, the reason God redeemed us, as messed up as we are, was so that like Peter, we could tell our story once he got us through it. That is why after Jesus told Peter he would betray him, three time he said, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31). Unfortunately, it took me way too many years to learn this and countless Sundays subjecting God’s people to my boring sermons. I am so sorry. I know God used it all anyway.

Steve Soukup has served as a mission pastor in the Seattle area and in Grenada.  He is presently praying for an opportunity to return to a ministry position in which he can use his gifts for serving people and communicating precious gospel to them.