First Covenant Church of Sacramento :: online devotional: May 2009

online devotional

Every Thursday, a different ministry staff member will be posting a devotional, so check back here often. You can also subscribe to this devotional by clicking the link to the right.

Walmart God

Thursday, May 28, 2009

I read the other day that the down economy is not fazing the businesses where people’s dollars go further, such as McDonalds and Walmart. Folks who seldom shopped at the discount stores before are now seeking deals at the lowest prices. It dawned on me that we can be like that in our spiritual lives. Here’s what I mean. Walmart offers good service, convenience, lots of stuff, easy and cheap. Isn’t that the way we sometimes want our God?

Think about it. We worship Him when it is convenient. Oops, stayed up too late last night, think I’ll sleep in instead of going to church. Wow, it’s raining; don’t want to get out in that. A breakfast in front of the fireplace sounds much better. God will appreciate that. Look, it’s a beautiful sunny day; don’t want to waste that sitting in church all morning. I’ll make up for it next week.

We want God to bless us with lots of stuff and we want it when we want it. After all, isn’t God able to do all things? Nothing is impossible for Him and He wants us to be happy, right? Somehow we’ve come to believe that we deserve everything we desire. Didn’t God say that if we ask for it, we’ll receive it? (Matthew 7:7-8). We get really good at taking the verses we like out of context to prove our point and forgetting those that don’t quite go along with our wishes (prayers of the righteous).

Which brings me to “cheap,” we want grace to be cheap. We want it to be free or at least not cost us much. I can’t find anyone in the Bible who didn’t pay a price for following God – many with their very lives. Not once did Jesus say it would be easy or cheap. To the contrary, so as not to mislead folks, He told them things like, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matt. 16:26). Or, “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.” (Mark 10:21). And, “You will indeed drink from my cup…” (Matt. 20:22-23).

The lifestyle of a devoted follower of Christ is not easy, cheap, and seldom, is it convenient. God calls us to something higher than a life that is all about us. We are not the center of the story, He is. It takes going out of our way to help others. It takes using our God given gifts and talents to make this world a better place for the Kingdom’s sake. It takes forgiving people who hurt us and asking their forgiveness when we hurt them. It takes self-discipline in our speech and scrutiny in our actions. It means forgoing the pleasures of the world for what pleases God. Our existence should draw people to the Creator, not make them want to run the other way.

It’s a full time job that can only be accomplished when we have a deep love for God and a belief that nothing else is as important. It takes prayer and a willingness to be led. It takes time. You have to “hang out” with God if you want His ways and His strength to rub off on you. That’s what Jesus is saying in Matthew 7:7-8. If we seek Him out, He will be faithful to meet us and teach us things that we can only know from Him. The blessings come from encounters with God. All the other “stuff” loses its luster and appeal and we just want more of Him; can’t find that at a discount store. It’s hard work, but it’s worth the price.

posted by:
Katie Nielsen
Director of Church Ministries

Idol-hood

Thursday, May 21, 2009

My wife Melissa and I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I do admit that we are hooked on American Idol. We’re usually not home when it airs, so we often have to record it and play it back later (skipping some of the fluff and filler of bad performances by good artists and definitely fast-forwarding through the mundane commercials). But we do watch most of the episodes, especially the top 12 (or 13 when the judges simply can’t make up their minds!) Even when my favorite gets voted off (like Danny this year or Lakisha from season 6 or Daughtry from season 5) I still want to watch the final to see who gets the title.

So am I obsessed with this glamorized talent show? Maybe a little. The truth is if American Idol had been invented before I hit mid-life, I probably would have auditioned at some point. I admit that the thought of stardom (or idol-hood) has a certain appeal to my personal humanity. Of course had I auditioned I would have had my dreams crushed by Simon taking some harsh jab at me about not being original, selecting the wrong song, or judging my poor choice of attire for my body type!

When I’m honest with myself, I realize I often secretly and subtly try to be an “idol” when it comes to my faith. I admit that there’s a part of me that likes to be noticed, so even when I’m sincerely trying to follow the footsteps of Jesus, my ego can get in the way. When I preach or teach a class, I really do want people to walk away with something spiritually significant. But I also hope they like ME. When I go out of my way to be a servant and do something nice for somebody, I pray that they will be blessed. But I also hope that they’ll have a warm fuzzy feeling about ME.

Jesus said, "Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding.” (Matthew 6:1, The Message)

It’s a constant battle: wanting to do good, desiring to do things that Jesus did; but at the same time hoping that a little bit of the praise might rub off on ME.

Maybe it was in God’s great wisdom and grace that American Idol wasn’t around when I was of the age to audition! The last thing I need is a spotlight on ME seeking more applause. Instead, I want to want nothing more than to be faithful in serving Him. Life really is about HIM and not ME.

God, help me throw away all my idols, including the idol of ME.

posted by:
Mark Shetler
Pastor of Student Ministries & Missions

No Worries

Thursday, May 14, 2009

When I think of Gideon, I think of this brave man who was mighty in victory over the Midianites. All he had was just 300 men, some trumpets and jars...and the Lord. They were out numbered, under powered, and were no match for the mighty enemies of Israel. All they did was sound the trumpets, break the jars and watch the frightened enemy turn their swords on themselves. It was a mighty victory!

But that’s not where the story began. It began in Judges 6. Israel is defeated and under a long siege by her enemies. Gideon enters the picture as he threshes wheat in an abandoned winepress, trying to find some food for his hungry family. He is hiding from the enemy and he is hungry and afraid.

Suddenly, the Lord appears to him and says, “The Lord is with you, oh mighty warrior.” What? Here is a man hiding from the enemy, scared to death, and the Lord calls him a “mighty warrior?” Gideon responds, “If the Lord is with us, then why has he allowed this?” When God brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, he had promised to protect them and give them a land, but here they are, defeated, hungry and afraid. Where is God? God responds (in the Ted Smith version), “I’m right here with you. I want you to lead Israel against the enemy and defeat them.”

What did Gideon do? He got up, built an altar and called it, Yahweh Shalom, which means, The Lord of Peace. How could he do that? It was the darkest period of his life, he had nothing left, he is about to go into battle...and he builds an altar to the Lord of Peace?

I suggest he understood the peace that God offers to his children. It is an inner security and well being in the midst of turmoil and problems. It is a peace based on the sovereignty, power and love of God. Gideon believed God controls the events of history and he believed God takes care of his kids.

You are either in the middle of problems, just coming out of problems or going into more problems. Life is full of problems. The question, how will you face those problems? Will you wring your hands and worry OR place those problems in the hands of God? Philippians 4:6-7 (The Living Bible translation) says, “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.” Yahweh Shalom to you!

posted by:
Ted Smith
Senior Pastor

God in a Box

Monday, May 11, 2009

Take a moment to read 1 Samuel 4.

Let me give you a little background to the story. Samuel is referred to as the last judge and the first prophet. This gives us the timeline in which this story takes place. The time of the judges was not a period in which the Israelites were following God. It tells us twice in the book of Judges “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes (Judges 17:6; 21:25).” Even though Samuel had been giving Godly leadership to the people of Israel they are still envious of the nations around them, reject God as their King and demand that Samuel anoint a human king. Samuel urges them to withdraw the request but they refuse: “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will govern us and lead us into battle.” (1 Samuel 8:19-20)

So as we go into chapter 4 it is important to note that the people of Israel were not following God wholeheartedly. The Philistines then come and attack the Israelites defeating them soundly. The people cry out, “Why did the Lord allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?” Then they come up with a great idea (I am being sarcastic in case you missed it). “Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies (italics mine).” This time the Philistines kill some 30,000 Israelite soldiers and take the Ark of the Covenant from them.

Where did the Israelites go wrong? Well, first of all they were already in a rebellious state when they went into the battles. Secondly, we never see anyone ever consult God about what they should do. And thirdly, they use the Ark as some kind of superstitious rabbit’s foot as though the Ark in itself could bring them victory.

What can we learn from this story?

1. We can’t expect God to bless us when we are living in sin. Even if we are doing all the activities in which we think are holy such as going to church, reading the Bible, praying, etc.

2. One of the things that I have done myself and often see people do that gets us into trouble is jump into a direction in life without consulting God and then when it goes wrong we ask, “where were you God?” What we often do is see a direction we want to go and then inform God that’s where we are going and pray that he blesses us. Instead, what we ought to do is present the choices before the Lord, ask Him to lead us in the direction He wants us to go, and then follow.

3. Although we probably do not use physical trinkets to bring us blessings as the Israelites used the Ark we do use spiritual activities that we believe are holy so that God will give us success. For instance, there are times that we pursue the spiritual disciplines in our life such as reading the Bible, going to church, praying, fasting, etc. not to draw close to God, not to become a fully devoted follower of Christ, but rather we try to use them as a method to success.

Maybe you have never fallen into this trap but I have. I won’t go into the details but I will never forget this one time in my life that I desperately wanted God to give me something. It wasn’t materialistic in nature but it definitely was selfish. So what I did is go on a 3 day fast. I wasn’t doing this to pursue God, I wasn’t doing it to grow spiritually, I was using a spiritual discipline so that God would give me my selfish desires. I, as the Israelites did, was trying to put God in a box and direct him to act on my behalf for my selfish desires.

So I ask you the question, why are you pursuing God? Is it truly to do the will of God regardless of personal cost or is it almost a superstitious action to get God to work on your behalf. Now, God will bless us tremendously as He did Israel when we pursue him with pure motives but that is not the reason why we should pursue him. Take some time to evaluate your motives as you pursue the almighty living God.

posted by:
Jesse Smith
Associate Pastor

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