Daily devotion

My Mother the Bat and Being a Disciple

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But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. Matthew 13:16 KJV

Being a disciple means being a learner, and I learned from my mother that you can’t be afraid if you want to learn something new. As a science-fiction writer, she always was learning something new and doing a lot of research so that her books would be as accurate as possible. Her second published novel was about a planet whose people were blind and got around like bats using a radar like sense. This really impressed my eight-year-old imagination and got me wondering what it would be like to just listen like a bat to what was around me.

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Then one day as I was playing in the woods behind our house, I found a real live bat hanging upside down and sleeping a few off the ground on a tree trunk. Excitedly I ran home, found an empty peanut butter jar, then scooped up the bat, slid the lid over the top of the jar and raced home. I couldn’t wait to show mom! When I ran into the house letting the screen door slam behind me, Mom put down what she was doing and came in just as I flipped the jar upside down and dumped the bat on her kitchen table, shouting, “Look mom! A real bat!” Most women back in those days would have either run away screaming or they would have picked up a broom to send the poor bat into eternity. But not my mom! Because she wanted to learn more, she was just as excited as I was to watch our sleepy friend as he stretched his feet and slowly started crawling across the table. That memory got me to wondering how ready any of us are for what God has in store. The only way to be ready is to be in His word every day. Then when a bat is dumped on our table,  we’ll be excited to learn all about it instead of running away. That new thing God is bringing us is exactly what we need for the story He is writing in our life today.

Saint Patrick and Lent

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments

For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.           Philippians 1:21 KJV

It is interesting that Saint Patrick’s Day is in the middle of Lent, because he shows us that we need both the joy of salvation and the courage of faith to fully live for Christ. It is well known that Saint Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, but did you know that Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland was actually from either England or Scotland? In fact, young Patrick’s first trip to Ireland happened when he was kidnapped by a raiding party and sold as a house slave in Ireland. Patrick soon escaped his masters and was directed by a dream to a ship that just happened to be ready to sail for England. Eventually Patrick made it safely back home, but strangely enough, he soon found, God stirring his heart about the needs of the Irish people. Though Patrick struggled over the decision for months, but He finally decided that it would be better to die doing what God had called him to, than to live a safe and empty life. Saint Patrick went on to bravely bring the message of Jesus to Ireland, even converting its pagan king to Christianity. Yes, he lived an amazing life, but I believe that God has a special purpose for every one of us as well and in this season of Lent what better thing could we do than to live fully just as Patrick did for the love of Jesus Christ?

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I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me; God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me, God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me afar and near, alone or in a multitude.”        Saint Patrick

A Beautiful Aroma

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 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could – Mark 14:6-8a ESV

While my wife was away for three months, taking care of her sister because of a serious medical condition, today’s scripture became very real to me. Neighbors, fellow church members and sometimes even I, asked why she was taking so long. Sadly we sounded a lot like the folks in this familiar Bible story. It just seems to be part of our human nature to begin to question when a gift seems too costly. Even in the case where someone is giving to us, we sometimes react with the words, “You really shouldn’t have!” But if they buy a new car or a bigger home for themselves, we all shout, “Wow! Fantastic!”

When someone like the woman in today’s verse gives extravagantly, without expecting in return, we start criticizing. Maybe the reason is because of our own miserly giving. Instead of pouring out on the feet of Jesus we have kept the perfume for ourselves. I have found that it helps to ask, “What will I do with my alabaster jar in heaven?”

What will I do with my alabaster jar?

Here is the only place and today is the only day I can break it and give it away to Jesus. Remember that we can still smell the beautiful aroma of this one woman’s gift after 2,000 years!