Words from Psalm 118

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 

Praise in Music

Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. James 5:13

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

Music brings us together to share our joy and sorrow, to comfort us, to rouse our spirits, to celebrate, and to stir up memories. When we get together with friends of the same “era,” reminiscing about favorite tunes and lyrics tightens the bonds among us. I know a family of musicians who take their guitars and keyboards whenever they gather.  Every family reunion is ended with a bittersweet singing of Edelweiss - “May the Lord, mighty God, bless and keep us forever.”

Although solos can be beautiful, the community created when a group of musicians perform is a unique experience. Just like athletes who feel a surge of energy when their team successfully defeats an opponent, choir and orchestra members feel their spirits soar when the climax of the finale is perfect.  Individuals who previously had no connection come together to achieve a mutual goal.

Sacred music holds a special place in worship. Everyone has a specific hymn that is meaningful to them. When the initial notes rise from the piano or organ, the warmth of the familiar words and melody comfort us; we join in heartily and create a community of believers sending the message to God. Cantatas and oratorios pull us into the story they are telling. The opening chorus of Beethoven’s “Messiah” can send your heart beating in anticipation of the soaring solos and choruses to come. Whether it’s a traditional hymn written by John Wesley, a stirring gospel or spiritual, or a praise song sung with guitar accompaniment, the shared experience of joining with a congregation to sing affirms our membership in a community with shared beliefs.

A study reported in the Journal of Religion, Spirituality and Aging, found that adults who participated in religious music activities had a greater sense of purpose and meaning in life as well as reduced evidence of anxiety and depression than others who were not involved in spiritual music. Along with the spiritual benefits of music, it can improve our learning, concentration, memory, mental fitness, and reduce pain. The benefits of music affect people of all ages.  Involving and encouraging young children and teens to join a community of music lovers exposes them to the same benefits.

Prayer: Dear God, make us aware of opportunities to sing praise to you. As we join with the community of your believers, let us sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in our hearts to you.  Amen 

Carol McClain (reprinted from 2024)

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

I went to my collection of “Children’s Moments” books for an inspiration for a devotion and found one to adapt for today. Visualize two books in a bookstore, one book has a colorful cover and is blank inside. The other book has a plain cover and is colorful inside. If you saw these two books, which one would you choose to bring home and read? People are just like the two books. Our outside appearance does not always show what is inside. Sometimes people that are beautiful on the outside are not so nice on the inside and sometimes people who are not so beautiful on the outside might be very nice. You cannot judge a book by the cover and you can’t tell what someone is like on the inside by looking at their outside. God cares about the way we are on the inside—character, if we are mirthful and full of love. God does not care what kind of clothes we wear or how we fix our hair. What matters is how beautiful we are on the inside. We should not be worried about how people look but getting to know how they really are on the inside.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to not judge others by appearance, but look at their heart and character. Amen.

Susan Taylor (reprinted from the Eastridge Daily Devotional Book, 2008)

Wisdom

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.  Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Proverbs 19:20-21

This spring marks five years since I completed graduate school. It feels like just yesterday I was spending hours every week pouring over textbooks, writing papers and finishing class projects. In those five years I have come to learn (sometimes the hard way) that it is good to ask for directions from those who have been down the path before you. As a project manager, I am responsible for working with a team to determine what work will be done, develop a plan to complete the work, and then carry out the plan and introduce the new technology. There are important lessons learned on each project and this is a job that definitely teaches a team about the dangers of making assumptions. Sometimes during a meeting, I know that the team will be annoyed or frustrated because I will ask the same question in different ways, but this is part of the wisdom that has been shared with me by my peers. From time to time, we work on plans and think that we have come up with a foolproof way to make something work, only to have it fall apart in testing. 

I always think that the second part of this verse matches with the often-seen sign, “We plan, God laughs”. I know that is meant to be tongue in cheek, but there are so many times that we plan and plan because we want something to be perfect. Sometimes we are close to what God has planned for us, other times, he needs to share his wisdom to get us back on the right path, still other times we are completely off course and God lets us learn a lesson so that next time we won’t make the same mistakes. These lessons, give us wisdom to carry forward on our own to accept instruction and also helps us to share our experience with others. While we don’t want to “wallow” in the past, it is good to know what we won’t do again and to have a plan to repeat things that have been successful.

As I was writing this devotion I reflected on the lessons I have learned throughout life and the times that I refused direction and wisdom and insisted on forging my own path. While I have certainly learned a lot, I have grown to have a lot more respect for wisdom and guidance and the need to slow down and pay attention in moments where my plan and God’s plan are not aligned.

Prayer: God who has guided us in all our lessons, help us to know when to ask for advice and wisdom, when to recognize that a lesson has been learned and to place value on those things that work well and are worth repeating.    

Christi Moock (reprinted from 2019)

Words from Romans

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. Romans 12:6

 

Follow Me

As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people." And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. Mark 1:16-20 

As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. Mark 2:14 

Recently I helped lead an adult class in an intergenerational Bible School at my grandson's church in Iowa. We talked about the disciples of Jesus and one of questions we asked was, "What if Jesus ran a want ad in the local paper to find his disciples?"  What would it say? Their responses were the following: 

• Wanted persons willing to make a 3 year or longer commitment to follow me.
• Wanted persons willing to participate in personal spiritual growth.
• Wanted persons willing to travel long distances by foot.
• Wanted persons willing to learn about the kingdom of heaven.
• Wanted persons willing to participate with the Rabbi (teacher) working long hours with multitudes of people. 
• Wanted persons who believe in miracles. 
• Wanted persons who are willing to do my bidding.
• Wanted persons who believe in me. 
• Wanted persons who are willing to take risks and hardships to be one of my disciples.  

It was a good discussion. Then I thought about this list and how it might pertain to today's Christians. Review the list and consider how you would answer the want ad to be a disciple of Christ.  

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for challenging us to be one of your disciples. Thank you for your invitation to "follow me". Help us to live up to the high standards of your call for discipleship. Amen 

Nancy Hall 

Service

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind...In humility, count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:1 - 11

Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:25

I have been dismayed at how much time and energy I have had to put into the simple act of changing cell phone service providers because I have been given a phone that is not one used by my current provider.

There are so many large and complicated issues in our daily lives; sometimes we must meet draining challenges in our work, and other times our loved ones might need our help in addressing overwhelming obstacles.  Our own personal situations often lead us to have to sort out issues in areas where we are called to make big changes. 

I find myself in all three categories at the moment, and alongside those issues my focus is drawn daily to the upheavals our country and the world are experiencing.  Times like these require more effort to connect to God's heart and to be God's vehicle to the world he created. 

My communications with my current cell provider have been frustrating.  The customer service is truly customer disservice.  The company has done everything it can to frustrate the customer looking for essential information, and to keep the customer powerless and ostracized. 

The situation has made me realize that frustration with worldly things is a distraction from my life with God.  I am anxious to solve this problem because I don't like what it is doing to my mind.

The one successful thing I did might not have helped to advance my request, but it helped me not to lose myself in this mess:  I wrote a letter describing how Harry Potter might need to wrestle the information I need, and filled it with references to the stories I love so much.  Who knows? Perhaps the person pushing the button of the automated email response got a chuckle out of reading my email.  Anyway, I tried to make the best of a communication that was intended to convey the resistance I was sensing by the company that supposedly is set up to "serve" customers. 

It is illuminating to note the times each day when something worldly tries to distract me from my real purpose.  Praying for blessings on each person driving alongside me on the commute to work is more important than anything except driving safely.  It is something I can do to serve the God and the people in God's world. It is small, but mighty.  Like most prayers, the power is in how it changes the feed of human consciousness, and how it changes me. 

It must be so frustrating to work in the service industry when the company you represent will not allow you to truly serve and relate to your customers.  I can recall so many instances of helpful people on the other end of a phone call or email recently, and I hope I have indicated my gratitude sufficiently to those who have served so well.  In my own work, I find that when people understand that I am ready and willing to be of service to them we accomplish great things.  We connect and we engage our gifts. 

Service is for some people their complete mission, their utter joy.  I have not been guided to that kind of purity yet in my life, but I do know how right it feels sometimes to join the forces of those who feel complete in themselves and at the same time feel completed by the service they can offer to others. 

Prayer: God who calls us to celebrate our being simply by being the gifts we can be for one another, teach me to focus on the beauty of serving you and my brothers and sisters rather than by wasting energy on things that pull me away from you. Help us all to remember these words: (1 Peter 4:10-11:) As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves as one who serves by the strength that God supplies - in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Mollie Manner (reprinted from 2017)