Pastor Bross will publish Daily Devotions, Bible trivia quizzes, and items of theological interest here. If you would like to receive Daily Devotionals via e-mail, Monday through Friday, please subscribe here.

Churchmanship

Jonah's Prayer

Jonah’s Prayer

Jonah 2

“In my distress I prayed to the LORD,
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
³ You hurled me into the depths,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.
⁴ I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’
⁵ The engulfing waters threatened me,^[b]
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
⁶ To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, LORD my God,
brought my life up from the pit.

⁷ “When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, LORD,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.

⁸ “Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.
⁹ But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’”

¹⁰ And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Happy New Year! 

May your year be blessed and full of great hope and joy!

"God, help me follow You in all I do!"

Last night I stayed up way too late watching the Discovery Channel.  I got hooked on a show about Nostradamus and his predictions as they relate to the anti-Christ and end of the world.  As I watched I caught myself thinking "YEAH RIGHT.  He just made a random statement and over the course of history SOMEONE would be close enough to his predictions to make it look like they were real."  I was very skeptical.  As I thought about that, however, I thought about my own beliefs.  Is that what a new person to the faith thinks when I preach about a baby wrapped in a manger?  A star that would lead wise men to him?  Angels that would talk to the shepherds?  A bush that burned without being consumed and talked to Moses?  Animals coming 2X2 into a huge ship?  Our Bible is full of outrageous, miraculous and almost unbelievable events.  Yet, I believe. 

What is it that makes me believe in a Christ who would live, be killed and yet come back to life?  What makes me believe in a man who is also God?  What makes me believe in a man who walked on water, healed the lame and used mud and spit to cure blindness? 

God has given us free will.  This is not just simple freedom, but an opportunity to be freed to believe.  Free will does not free us up to not believe, it frees us so we can believe.  Free will frees us from our captivity so we can believe in a God who would do all of these things.  Free will, however, does allow for the opportunity for disbelief.  A crucial role for us as Christians is to constantly battle that unbelief.  If we claim that we believe 100%, we are fooling ourselves.  Our simple minds are just not complex enough to grasp and fully attain an understanding of the infinite.  So, while we are here on this earth, we will be tempted away from faith, away from the truth and to sin and death. 

In 2011, I encourage you to stop, listen and discern your beliefs.  Answer these questions:

1.  What do you really believe about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, salvation?
2.  WHY do you believe this?
3.  What keeps you from a deeper faith?  What will you do to overcome those barriers?

Add this line to your prayer (from Mark 9:24):  "I believe, help my unbelief"

All of us have some level of belief, but it is in the depths of the unbelief, no matter how deep, that we can get caught into actions that are hurtful and detrimental, painful or not constructive.  All of us do good things, but it is in the moments that we forget our faith and act contrary to our faith that we allow evil to enter in and we do things we regret.  Strengthen your resolve this year to be a better follower of the One who loves you so much that he sent his only son that who so believes in him shall everlasting life and should not fall!

AMEN!  

Prayer Devotion

 November 4, 2010

Many of you have been asking me “How do I pray?”  The prayer above is a great prayer to do throughout the day.  It is my chant that I pray.  I pray it in the morning, I pray it throughout the day and I pray it at night.  It encompasses everything I want to be as a disciple and it encompasses what I believe God wants from me.  It is a short and easy prayer, but when we consider how Christ taught us to pray, we will see the power in simplicity.  Pray this simple prayer throughout the day and you will find your life to be abundantly blessed.
Christ gave us the way in Scripture.  Here is what He says is most important.
When Jesus’ disciples asked him how to pray, he gave a very simple but powerful formula:
Luke 11:1-4
He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ 2He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3   Give us each day our daily bread.
4   And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.’

Beyond that he gave us 4 other things to do when we pray:
1.       Keep it humble:
Matthew 6:5-6
5 ‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

2.       Keep it uninflated (you don’t need to say more than what needs to be said)
Matthew 6:7-8
7 ‘When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

3.       Keep it up
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
16Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19Do not quench the Spirit.

Luke 18:1-5
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, “Grant me justice against my opponent.” 4For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.”

May God bless your prayer life this week!

October 12, 2010

As I drove around today I was struck by the colors of the trees. It seems like overnight Summer has turned to Fall. So, when I read one of my daily devotions, I thought it was a perfect one to send out. Enjoy!
From ODB.org (Author: David Roper)
Why do some trees turn into a collage of radiant maroon, red, orange, and yellow colors in the fall? Trees are green in the summer because chlorophyll, a green pigment in the leaves, absorbs red and blue light from the sun. The light reflected from the leaves appears green to our eyes.
Chlorophyll is an unstable substance, and bright sunlight causes it to decompose rapidly. Therefore, plants must continuously synthesize and regenerate it. The shortening days and cool nights of autumn, however, interfere with this process. As chlorophyll breaks down, the green colors of the leaves begin to fade. Some trees change from green to bright yellow as the chlorophyll degrades. In others, the action of sugar in the leaves creates a red pigment, causing the leaves to turn maroon, purple, and bright red as the chlorophyll fades.
But why do we have color? It seems to serve no practical purpose—at least none that scientists can discern. And why are there photoreceptors in our eyes that enable us to see it?
I believe that God’s goodness is the point of His creation. He is “good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Ps. 145:9). He colored the world for our childlike delight. He’s like that, you know.

God, the engineer of all creation,
Spoke the word, and beauty was begun,
Then He gave to us His great salvation
Through the sacrifice of His own Son. —Hess

God’s glory shines through His creation.

October 5, 2010 

Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." (Mark 1:23-24 NRSV Bible)

 Our scripture reading today tells us about man who had an unclean spirit. Something had gotten into him that made him unclean in the eyes of those who surrounded him. He had what was called, in Jesus's time, an unclean spirit. I often have people ask me if there are really unclean spirits and demons. I think the terms of "unclean spirits or demons" used in the Bible are simply a personification of the unknown. Terms like "unclean spirit" give some identification to things that people didn't understand. When people where sick with some unknown disease, they were labeled as being possessed, especially people with mental illness. I am a firm believer that when we choose to do something wrong, that it comes from within us. It is a choice we make. 

When the census was being taken, I heard a story about a census worker who approached a house in her territory very slowly. There was a fence around the house and the worker being terrified of dogs, quietly opened the gate. She hurried up to the house and rang the door bell. She breathed a sigh of relief when the lady of the house opened the door. She felt safe now. But the lady of the house promptly bit her! The census worker actually required medical attention for the human bite.

What causes people to do such things? What causes someone to take their own life? What causes people to experiment with dangerous drugs? What causes nearly 50% of marriages to end? What causes us to do wrong things and move ourselves away from God?

When Michele and I got married, a minister friend of mine told us that children have a very important job in life. Their job to continuously test the boundaries. This statement has given us much relief too. But why do children always have to test the boundaries? They would receive so much more attention, support, and love, if they would simply follow the rules and butter us up a little bit by saying, "Yes ma'am and yes sir."

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. Our basic humanness was messed up with original sin in the Garden of Eden. Fortunately, there is someone who can help us to make choices that will bring us closer to God. That person is Jesus Christ.

How to live a life of Discipleship in three easy (not so easy, actually kind of hard…but well worth it) steps:
1. Be Aware
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
5Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters,* you do not need to have anything written to you. 2For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! 4But you, beloved,* are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; 5for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 6So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; 7for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

Awareness is a crucial component of the Christian life. We must listen for the call of Christ and for God’s guidance and the leading of the Holy Spirit. To do that, we must not make excuses for why we don’t go to church or why we didn’t pray today. As often as we can, we must be in prayer, devotion and be listening to God’s call. We do not know when we will be called upon and we must be ready. A critical understanding is that God is always present, always available. Stop what you are doing and listen….listen by prayer, listen by talking to others (i.e. a small group or other venue), listen by being patient rather than quick to judge or talk, listen by knowing more of Scripture. The best way to listen is to prayerfully read the Bible.

2. Respond
Judges 4:1-7
Deborah and Barak

4The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. 2So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. 3Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly for twenty years.

4 At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. 5She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. 6She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, “Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. 7I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.” ’

To be a successful leader and judge, Deborah not only had to be aware of God, but had to respond as did the people who listened to her. First, Deborah had to be sure that she was doing as God called and not doing things her way. I am sure Barak was also inundated with war strategies. He probably had many voices telling him what to do. For him to be successful, he too had to listen. Sometimes God’s call seems crazy to us or will not work. Noah certainly thought he was insane. Build an ark? Get all the animals by twos into the ark? Stay in it for the entire world will be flooded? RIGHT! Sometimes I feel that way. Every Sunday morning I sit in a middle school surrounded by corn and wonder…is this where God wants us to worship him? Yet…when we are patient and listen, we see the fruits of God’s call.

3. Multiply our Gifts
Matthew 25:14-30
The Parable of the Talents
14 ‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15to one he gave five talents,* to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” 21His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” 22And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” 23His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” 24Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” 26But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

God is not asking for us to be aware of Him and sit on our hands. We are called to do all we can for His Kingdom. That means sacrifice, commitment and going places we don’t necessarily want to go. The question cannot be: Does this benefit me? The question must be: Does this benefit God?
 

October 1, 2010
I remember the first time I woke up with sleepy hands. You know those hands. They are the ones you have slept on and were in an awkward position all night so when you wake up, they are lacking in good blood flow. They feel larger than normal, almost swollen, tingly and have a very hard time gripping. Since then, I have had a few more mornings like that and remember one particular morning when it took a good minute or two to get my bearings and make sure my hands actually worked. I couldn’t even open the door to my bedroom. For those of you who have not experienced this, don’t worry, my doctor tells me it is a normal thing for many people who sleep with their hands tucked under their head (maybe I am getting too personal here)…let’s move on.
The point is that we are all weak at some point in our lives. We all experience times when we are too tired, incapable or weak to do what we need to do. It is during those times we need the strong hands of Christ to carry us and to rely on. To do that, however, we must do a few things. First, we must make sure we understand our weakness. We are incapable, alone, of saving ourselves, of providing for ourselves, of finding true happiness. We need Christ and other people. Second, we must surrender to Christ. We must share our entire being with God, putting our ego and selfishness aside for his sake and his sake alone. This is a difficult thing to do for the average American. Finally, we must be ready to be the hands and feet of others who are in need. We can never stop from serving those around us in the areas of justice, peace, love and basic human needs.  
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
-Matthew 11:28
“Jesus, I am Yours. I give my whole self to You. Hold me in Your arms. Use me to do Your will. Amen.”
“God, help me follow You in all I do.”

September 30, 2010

I greatly respect our country and its decision to try and keep religion and politics separate. Sometimes that is very hard to do. Today is not a day where you will hear me banter one way or the other…to the right or to the left. Instead, I want to share a general thought about our country, its politics and our economy. I am deeply disturbed. I am disturbed at the Republicans and Democrats. I am deeply disturbed at the middle and all those who sit outside of the political landscape. It seems that the political world has shifted dramatically from the sharing and debating and even vehement disagreeing to personal attacks. I don’t know how many emails I have received that have ripped or torn apart other individuals or parties, not for their beliefs or policies but in personal ways. Many of them are guised in the realms of humor, but there is a deep biting and attacking nature in them. I truly believe Christ right now is very disappointed at our behavior. It seems like we have truly fallen away from any possibility of discussion and debate and landed in a quagmire of bitter attacks and almost hatred of one another. I long for the days of healthy debate and discussion of issues as the focus of the political world. This is more than a “can’t we just get along” email. The world is in desperate need right now for something stable, something rational, something peaceful. 2000 years ago, Christ came to bring that peace, hope, love and joy that we need. Now it is time for the church to continue to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world until the time when he comes once again.
I am NOT suggesting the church should dive into the realms of politics. What I am suggesting is that as each of us engage in the realms of our politics or governance as we feel comfortable, we use our Christian walk to guide us. Let us be examples of civility, love, patience and understanding. Let us be strong and passionate about issues of justice and peace. Let us not sway from the teachings of Christ, but let us stop any bitter and personal attacks and jokes. Let us not fall into that pit. Our political and economic landscapes need great repair. I pray that Christ will lead us and we will follow and our political leaders will do the same.
The devotion from devotions.net is wonderful for this topic today:
The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. (Isaiah 62:2-3 NRSV Bible)
There are two themes that dominate the writings of all the great prophets. They are Judgment and Hope. As far as the prophets were concerned, Israel's greatness as a nation did not depend on its prosperity or its military might. They knew that a nation's character was more important than its cash reserves. They did not buy the prosperity Gospel. Israel's wealthy elite might "have it all," but they dare not call it the blessing of God if their hearts and their lives were corrupt. Thus the prophets pronounced judgment on Israel's sinfulness. Without righteousness and justice there will be a day of reckoning, they thundered. Things will not continue like this forever.
Their pronouncements of judgment, however, must be balanced by their messages of hope. They were not all gloom and doom. When Israel was hurting, when its people were still trying to sing the Lord's song in a strange land, when there was famine and pestilence and war throughout the country, the prophets again spoke up. Things will not be like this forever, they said. Hang in there. God will not forsake His own.
Judgment and hope, God is always with us. It is our job to welcome God into our lives, no matter what situation we face!

Loving God, help me to call on you and walk with you in all of the ups and downs of life. In Jesus name, Amen.

 September 29, 2010

One of the greatest joys I have had in ministry is to watch the 20 Something Group grow.  I know I share a lot about them but it has been fascinating watching their growth.  What started out as a social group has really turned into a very deep spiritual group, seeking truth and wisdom.  Katie told me that she had gone to a wedding in Wisconsin and was so disappointed that the service lacked any semblance of true worship.  This from a young woman who had not been in the church just over a year ago or so.  Her wedding in a few weeks is very centered on Christ and includes Communion.  WOW.  The devotion today is a continuation of what Clint shared with the group last Monday.  It is his analogy of his spiritual journey.  I do not have this verbatim, but his ideas are mostly captured here.

Faith, he said is like golf.  As long as you hit on the fairway, you are ok.  The fairway is like God’s path for us.  All of us will eventually get to the hole (salvation) but those who stay committed to Christ, following the readings of Scripture, will get there much easier and more quickly.  No matter how many strokes you take, it is possible to get to the hole.  However, like when sin hits, when we hit into the rough, it is harder to get out and back on track, but it is possible.  Moreover, he said, sometimes we go out of bounds and in a lot of games, that might mean game over, but we can still drop the ball in play and try again…because of Christ!

Pretty good analogy Clint.  I will never look at golf the same way again.  I just thank God I can drop a ball in from out of bounds…I shoot their a lot (and I mean in golf and life).

Peace!

September 24, 2010 - Devotion from Pastor Jeffry Bross

CLARIFICATION: Yesterday I sent out a devotion about a family that is taking care of an elderly mother. It has come to my attention that a sentence I used did not convey what I was trying to share. I praised the family for taking care of her and my words made it sound like if she had moved to a care facility it would have been wrong. I was not trying to suggest that families absolutely need to keep elderly parents and family members in their homes and that alone is the only way to care for our elderly loved ones. There are many wonderful caregivers outside of the immediate home and many folks receive wonderful care. I did intend to praise the family for the deep commitment they had for her and their love for her. Whether that kind of love is at home, in a care facility or some other arrangement, I am impressed when people sacrifice time and energy to care for others. It is what Christ showed us and what we should do. Sadly, there is a lost element of our society where often the elders of our country are forgotten. May it be that family, friends, churches or others step up to honor and love those who are forgotten. I apologize to anyone that might have been hurt or offended by the statement.
And now for the main event:

From Devotions.net
Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (Isaiah 60:3 NRSV Bible)
I'm reminded of two men who were talking about their New Year's resolutions. The first man said, "We decided as a family, we watch too much T.V. My son watches so much T.V. that he doesn't get his chores done. My daughter watches so much T.V. that she doesn't get her homework done. My wife watches so much T.V. that she doesn't get her work done." The other man said, "Well, what have you decided to do?" "Well, I have decided that I'm simply going to unplug the T.V. That is as soon as the football season is over!"
God is counting on you and me to make our lives and the ministry of our churches great, but let's not wait. Let's begin today to discover the great possibilities ahead of us.
In our scripture reading today, Isaiah is speaking about the peace that will come to the nation of Israel. Peace won't come easily, but the reward will be great.
The same is true for us. We can fulfill the great possibilities of peace and hope, if we allow the light of Jesus Christ to shine through us. Peace and hope won't come easily, but the rewards will be great. May we all do our part in fulfilling the great possibilities God has given to each of us.
Dear Jesus, please help me to fulfill all of the possibilities you have in store for me in doing your work. In your name I pray, Amen.

 September 23, 2010 - Devotion from Pastor Jeffry Bross

September 22, 2010 - Devotion from Pastor Jeffry Bross

 Today as I was running out the door to get to church, my son Timmy asked if I would help him practice pitching.  "No Timmy, I have too much to do today and have to get to work.  I have been to too many conference meetings and do not have the rest of my work done.  Some other time."  Timmy is a very happy kid and though I could see his disappointment, he hid it well and smiled and told me he understood.  As I ran out the door, grabbing a piece of bacon for the road, I stopped.  Maybe it was the lyrics of the song creeping into my head..."and the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon, little boy blue and the man in the moon.  When you coming home dad, I don't know when, but we'll get together then yeah, you know we'll have a good time then."  (Sorry if the reference is too old for some of you:  look up THE CAT'S IN THE CRADLE by Harry Chapin).  More so, however, was an understanding of what I am created to do and to be.  I am created in the likeness of God.  God, as parent, spends time with and for His children.  My Father would have taken time to stop and be with me.  I turned around and spent 20 glorious minutes chasing errant pitches and reveling at the times the ball passed over the strike zone!  I had 20 minutes of pure joy.  The stress of the day ahead was replaced by the love for my son.  For a brief time today, I stood in the promise of Christ, in the world as it is meant to be, simply because I took time to be with my son when it seemed I didnt have time.  Heaven came to earth between 7:45 and 8:05 today!