Temper

On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there.  He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling dove, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.  And as he taught them, he said, “is it not written my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations"? But you have made it a den of robbers. Mark 11:15-17

I’m a little relieved that Jesus had a temper. I’ve slammed a few too many doors thus far in my life and remember taking out my frustration by banging on a piano as a child (boy do I remember the punishment for that one!) Many of us tend to think about God as a kind and loving God, and certainly, He is. But many times God was filled with righteous anger. God was angry when Adam and Eve committed the first sin and He punished Satan as well as Adam and Eve. He was angry with the wickedness of people and destroyed everyone except Noah and his family. God was angry when the Israelites made a golden calf and He rained down fire at Taberah when they complained about their hardships. And there were several incidences of Jesus' anger during his ministry. It must make Him angry now when we choose to do things which we know are wrong. It must make him angry at the magnitude of our sins which resulted in the death of His only Son for our redemption from those sins. Yet overriding that righteous anger is the opposing emotion, which is God’s never-ending love for us.

Prayer: When I’m angry, Lord, help me to remember that Yours is the truly righteous anger. And although our sin resulted in the death of Jesus, thank you for never ceasing to love us. Help me to follow your example and to temper my anger with love. Amen

Cindy Thomson (reprinted from July 2012)

Hate Evil; Love Good

Seek good and not evil,
That you may live;
So the Lord God of hosts will be with you,
As you have spoken.
¹⁵ Hate evil, love good;
Establish justice in the gate.
It may be that the Lord God of hosts
Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. Amos 5:14-15

Wisdom from Above

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. James 3:13; 17-18

Thank you!

We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for Your name is near; Men declare your wondrous works. Psalm 75:1

The expression “thank you” can mean many things; just a courteous reply for a task or favor someone has done for us; a curt reply at the end of a conversation in person or on the telephone in order to end an exchange of words quickly; or it can be a heartfelt, fervent thanks from the bottom of the heart for a gift of love, forgiveness, or kindness. Sometimes I end in my daily prayers of supplication for myself and others without remembering to say, “Thank you, Lord, for your many, many blessings.”

In a phone conversation with my birth mother recently (she is 92 and I am 72, but I have only known her for a few years) she said, “I’ve never done very much for you.” I thought for a second and then said, “You gave me a gift no one else ever can—you gave me the gift of life. Thank you!” I don’t think I have ever said that to her before, and I’m not sure I had ever thanked God for the miracle of our finding each other just a few years back. After I thought, “What if I had waited until too late to express my thankfulness to her?”

How many times do we miss the opportunity to say ‘thank you’ when it might mean so much to someone else? I’m going to try to do better.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I thank you for your never-failing guidance, comfort and strength, and for your miracles, seen and unseen, that surround us. Help us to be truly grateful for our many blessings each day. Amen

Betty McBride (reprinted from the Eastridge Daily Devotion book, printed in 2008)

Gardens

Arise north wind, Come south wind. Blow upon my garden that its perfumes bay spread abroad. Psalms 4-16

The warm sun has eased our aches and pains and our gardens are busy producing tomatoes, peas, carrots, squash, cucumbers and more. How is your garden growing these days?  Have you sown friendships as well as flowers and vegetables?  Are your friendships as well as flowers and vegetables?  Are your friendships lasting or short or long gone?  Do you have a good friendship with Christ these days?  Do you thank God for your Savior and your life?  Take time to ponder your blessings, don’t count them, just enjoy them.

Prayer: Our Father, thank you for your life and my Savior and this warm summer day. In Jesus name, Amen.

DeEtte Kohrell (reprinted from the Eastridge Daily Devotion book, printed in 2008)

Blessed Assurance

I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13

As we face each new day only God knows exactly how that day will go. For some of us the day may hold untold joy, for others sadness; perhaps there will be uncertainty or undreamed-of opportunities to reach out in Christian love to those around us. What a blessed assurance to know that God is in control and that He has a plan for each of us.

Prayer: Gracious and loving God, we thank you for being mindful of us and for inviting us to abide in the shelter of your everlasting arms. Thank you for your tender care in good times and in bad times. Help us to follow the example of your Son, Jesus, who said that we should love one another. Use us, Dear Lord, to be your servants so that Your will may be done here on earth. Most of all, we thank you for sending Jesus Christ who died for our sins and gave us the blessed assurance that whosoever lives and believes in Him should never die but have eternal life. Amen

Georgia Lambert (reprinted from the Eastridge Daily Devotion book, printed in 2008)

Lessons

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance. Romans 8:18

Recently, we have had conversations about the things you learn in your late teen years and early 20s that are able to give you perspective and resiliency for later in life. My husband and I lovingly refer to these times as the “lean years”.  The times in your twenties when you knew you could survive on peanut butter toast for a few days… or the lesson about what happens if you don’t pay the electric bill (spoiler, they will turn that off), or what happens in college when you get a roommate that you don’t like. All these minor sufferings are important life lessons. Even when you finish college and get a real job, you will have to plan a budget and live with it and there will always be difficult people in your life.    

We know parents with kids the same age as ours who don’t want their children to suffer in any way. Don’t get me wrong, if our son and daughter in law were on the verge of being evicted after an emergency we would work to put a roof over their head and help them get back on their feet. If they were hungry, we would send a grocery store gift card and help them locate resources in their community. But those are extreme scenarios. If they made bad decisions and had to suffer a late fee, or a few days without internet, or had to take a bus because they were out of gas money, I’m inclined to let them live and learn.  We have all known someone who hasn’t learned from bad decisions because no one ever let them suffer and figure out the rules of adulthood.       

When we talk about the lean years we know that it helped us learn to endure and grow up. It strengthened our relationship because we had to work together. It increased our personal feelings of worth and value because we gained independence and knew that we could take on our challenges and make it out successfully on the other side. We learned that we didn’t want to live without electricity and that packing a lunch every day made it so that we could afford to keep the cable and internet. Now, in our forties, we would never imagine asking our parents to foot the bill for us for anything. We know others who are the same age who never suffered and learned in their twenties and still lean on others for help. As Christians, we don’t want to see others experience harm or suffering, but we also cannot foster a community where those around us never learn the empowering value of independence.       

Prayer: Eternal God who sent your son to suffer with us on earth, help us to let others grow and mature. Remind us of the lessons we learned about independence and the power to persevere. Help us to see all the opportunities you have made for us and to learn that the suffering is worth it. Amen.  

Christi Moock