Sunday Devotions Holy Heritage

Lectionary Verse: Matthew 21:38 "But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.'”

It’s amazing what greed does to some people. Several times, in my twenty plus years of ministry, I have watched greed destroy families and friends, especially when it comes to dividing up property and possessions after the death of a loved one. It sickens my heart each time I see it occur and no matter how brazen or immoral the takers are, their greed supersedes their need to be fair and to share.

It happens on a faith level, too. Some churches are ditching their foundational beliefs in order to become more influential and powerful. They’re changing their names, denominations, and traditions for trendier types. They’re turning their venues into stadiums and cinemas, instead of houses of prayer. Each week, they lose something else in order to gain something new.

They’re driven by a power to be powerful and a need to be needed. They’re feeding the monster that they have created and some of them are beginning to splinter, divide, and breakdown. Perhaps the age of the mega-church, driven by personality and celebrity, is beginning to grind to a halt. Their towers of Babel have been built too high and people are returning to the smaller places, the safer sanctuaries, the more traditional churches.

When we kill Christ in an effort to be bigger and better, we kill our churches. The battle has always been between Christ and our culture. No matter what generation we are in, our lives are meant to be His. Anything else is unimportant. Anything else will just crumble and decay. Mega churches are nothing new – Christians built them in Europe 800 years ago and called them cathedrals. Most of them are in ruins or have very small active congregations in them now – the price of power and prestige, at the cost of people and faith.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You for growing some of our smaller churches in recent years. We pray that each growth of a person has meant a closer journey with You. Help us to build the strengths of fellowship with one another through Your Truth, Way, and Life. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Stushie is the writer of the daily devotional "Heaven's Highway" and the Christian Podcast "Stushie's Stuff."

Sunday Devotional: Boxer

Audio version here

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

A couple of years ago, the WWJD movement swept Christian circles. I can remember seeing many young people wearing bracelets with those initials on them. It all had to do with the much loved book, “In His Steps” written by Charles M. Sheldon. The book was all about a church being transformed by an event that caused the congregation to ask themselves “What Would Jesus Do?” in every situation.

Like most movements, this one has had its day, and people have moved on to something else. Sheldon’s book can still be purchased online, but how many people are reading and applying it?

Sheldon wrote a much better book called “Broken Earthenware,” which is sadly out of print. It tells the story of a fierce thief called Boxer, who is dramatically converted one night during a burglary. Instead of remaining a thief, Boxer becomes an itinerant preacher, who is slain by the Spirit and washed in the blood of Jesus. Instead of bullying the people in his community like some sort of Bill Sykes, he changes the thieves and vagabonds, drunks and prostitutes in his part of London. He gets them to build a church and the book tells of his struggles with faith. In the end, his young son becomes a pastor and continues the work of Christ.

It’s a great book based on a true story. I owe my ministry, marriage, and children to Boxer’s conversion. Why? Well, you see Boxer’s son was known as Pastor Howard and when he was in his late eighties, he came to the 428 Gospel club in Glasgow, Scotland and preached a message about his father, which reduced everyone to tears, including my own wife Evelyn, who gave her heart to Christ when Pastor Howard gave the call. Boxer’s legacy of faith continues in the love of the Lord that both our children have in their hearts. God does indeed work in mysterious ways.

It is my fervent hope and prayer that you have also given your heart to Jesus in a personal way. All it takes is surrendering yourself to God’s love, looking for His forgiveness, and receiving His blessing through Jesus Christ, God’s Holy Son.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the people in the past whose lives and faith have touched our own. Thank You for the Spirit of conversion that transforms even the wickedest of people into becoming Your most devoted servants. Give us the courage to surrender our hearts to You today, and help us to place our lives into Your hands, both now and forever. Amen.

Stushie writes the daily devotional Heaven's Highway, which is now podcast on Stushie's Stuff and listed on ITunes.

Sunday devotional - a day late

No Mean City

Audio version here

Psalm 13:4 “my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.”

I was devastated to hear about the terrorist attack at Glasgow airport in Scotland at the weekend. Glasgow is my hometown, a city with a rich diverse culture. Glaswegians are known for their hospitality and friendship. They even have one of the largest Islamic communities in Europe residing there.

I was angry, too, for the bombers knew that lots of innocent families would have been queuing up at the airport. Hundreds of children were waiting in line with their parents to fly out on their annual summer vacations. If the burning jeep had managed to penetrate the main doors, I dread to think how many children’s corpses would have been pulled out later.

And then this morning, I was shocked to read that two of the perpetrators were doctors! I thought that they took an oath to do no harm. What kind of inhumane, insane fanatics are being raised? How long will it take before these people come to their senses?

These terrorists are not religious people. They honor no one, nor do they respect the Quran. They are simply enemies of humanity whose wickedness has reached satanic proportions that they are willing to murder innocent men, women, and children in order to express their vile message of violence and cruelty.

They seek to overcome our way of life through fear, intimidation, and violence. They are barbaric bullies, contemptuous cowards, and pathetic parasites who malign the teachings of Mohammed, the peace of Christ, and the benign rule of God. They have sold their souls to the brazen god of fear, fanaticism, and vengeance. They have no honor, no glory, and no shame.

Glasgow is a diverse city that was built upon hardship, gumption, and true grit. The Nazis tried to bomb it out of existence in World War 2 and they failed to subdue the heart of the city. These terrorists will soon discover that the city of Glasgow flourishes in the midst of adversity and that the people will band together to overcome this evil. Wickedness will not prevail. Good will triumph over evil.

Prayer: Lord God, there are wicked people in the world who use religion to disguise their disgust for humanity. We pray that their efforts to destroy our way of life, hope, and faith will not be accomplished. Help us to confront this evil and join together with the majority of humanity to defend ourselves and overcome this wickedness. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.