Full Satisfaction

"The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops"- 2 Timothy 2:6 (NIV).

Today is Farmer's Day at our high school. Everyone gets to wear overalls, plaid shirts, and boots. Red bandannas are hanging out of back pockets. There's a John Deere tractor parked out front and many are taking advantage; making it a Kodak moment with their fellow farmers. It's a fun day; a comfortable day. In reality, farming is hard work. Today's Scripture says a hardworking farmer, who plows, plants, and harvests a crop, is to have their share. If they don't, then the farmer is nothing more than a slave. They are forced to work. God doesn't force us to work, but He also doesn't make the work easy simply because we are obedient to the call. There's a lot of lessons to be learned in farming: trust, discipline, diligence. It doesn't come without toil and it doesn't happen fast. Crops are labor intensive. Because we are not slaves, we get to choose whether or not to go into the fields and it's an everyday choice. Those who choose not to go are sluggards. "A sluggard's appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied" (Proverbs 13:4). The "share of the crops" means to be "fully satisfied." We all want to be fully satisfied, sluggards and diligent alike. Do you understand the Scripture? "Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing" (20:4). Jesus said the fields are ready, but the workers, the farmers, are few (Matthew 9:37). Harvest time is coming and Jesus has the sickle in His hand. We are not slaves, but called to be fellow farmers in His fields. We will be the first to receive if we are diligent. So, pull on your overalls and pull up your boots. There is full satisfaction awaiting you.

Revelation

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it"- John 1:5 (NIV).

Accepting that I have nighttime vision problems has not been easy for me. Being restricted to daylight hours, reduces my opportunities to get most things, outside the home, done before dusk arrives; especially, during the winter months. There is a different type of darkness that robs us of opportunities: Darkness only the devil can produce. It's a thick, heavy blanket that Satan throws over us to spiritually blind us, to restrict us from God's work; but, today's Scripture comforts us in knowing that darkness in our life is defeated by God's Light. God's Light throws off the darkness, granting us freedom, but more importantly, revelation. God reveals Himself when darkness veils us; He unravels the blanket of darkness until we are shrouded in His Light. This is a truth, plainly spoken: "When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life" (John 8:12). God, in His mercy, covers us with Light; with Jesus.    

Master Finder

"Am I only a God nearby," declares the Lord, "and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?" declares the Lord. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?' declares the Lord"- Jeremiah 23:23-24 (NIV).

When my girls were young we played hide-and-go-seek. I would close my eyes and begin the count, while they giggled and squealed, frantically searching for a place to hide.Then they would curl up on the couch and cover their head with a pillow. They couldn't see me, but I could obviously see them. Imagine a game of hide-and-go-seek with God. It's impossible. He would always know where you were hiding. There may be times in your life that you wonder if God does not see what is happening in your world. Your secret hiding place is not secret to God. Maybe it's crumbling, broken, shattered, and God seems to be far removed from finding you. Today's verse reminds us that God fills everything; He's everywhere. His presence is promised and can be relied upon. Those frantic moments in our life, when we are trying to find a safe place, God is waiting on us...He's counting down to find us and He will find us. Just as I removed the pillow from my child's face, God tenderly reveals His presence to His children. I think the key is to get past the frantic feelings and wait on God. He can see you; your secret places are obvious to the Master Finder.  

Good Reviews

"Then the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" And he added, "These are the true words of God""- Revelation 19:9 (NIV).

We had circled the restaurant three times, in a two-block radius, without finding parking. Parking in a historical city, like Charleston, South Carolina, is hard to come by. We finally found a spot two blocks away and walked to the restaurant. The reviews had been very good, our mouths watering the closer we got. Finally reaching our destination, and starving at the late hour, we were dismayed to be turned away. They were too full and it would be an hour before they could begin to prepare our food. There was nowhere to wait inside the small restaurant. This incident reminded me of a supper we will not miss, no matter how crowded; in fact, the more crowded the better. There won't be any circling like a vulture to get a seat at the wedding supper and our hunger will be satisfied with streams of living water. John ends his prophecy with this statement: "He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (v.20).That statement either gives you great joy or heart-skipping fear. Will you be inside at His supper or outside circling? By the way, the reviews are very good!  

Drawing Attention

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another"- John 13:34-35 (NIV).

Jesus was talking about loving fellow believers. In doing so, the watching world judges us to be Jesus' disciples. Don't we want to be identified as such? I cannot think of any better compliment, even if meant as an insult, than to be called a disciple of Jesus Christ. Scripture says God is love (1 John 4:8). When love flows from one Christian to another, the love is really Spirit, it's God, moving through one believer to another. We become a conduit, a pathway used by God, streaming His essence and power, filling each other up...with love; with God's presence. If only we could visibly see it; if it were bright red; or if it had a discernible warmth to it  It would look like the stage of a music concert with brilliant technicolor and pyrotechnics drawing everyone's attention. Everyone can easily identify there are musicians on that kind of stage. Today's Scripture tells us that everyone can easily identify Christ's disciples, too, by the way we love one another. What better way to draw everyone's attention to Jesus. And all we have to do is obey Jesus' command.   

With All My Might

"Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might"- 2 Samuel 6:14 (NIV).

I love worshiping through music: both traditional and contemporary. My church does a great job of having both. Our praise team sang "Oceans" Sunday morning. Then the choir did an old time gospel that had some of us swaying side-to-side on our feet (no church-wide clapping though). We don't raise our hands or shout out "Amens" (well, maybe sporadically), but we do sing joyfully. Our limp hands are not due to the choice of music. The point of my devotional thought is that I think God loves to see His church worship Him with abandon, regardless of what culture accepts as worship. It's very freeing to let go of any fear of judgment while worshiping. I experienced that type of worship at a Beth Moore Bible study in Charlotte, North Carolina. We all traveled, by public bus, to her meeting, with Bibles in hand. During her study, we found ourselves on our feet with our hands lifted high above our heads, singing and praying. It was one of the most beautiful worship moments of my life; very liberating. That must have been how David felt. He didn't care what others thought of him; he loved the Lord and danced before Him with all his might. Don't think that David's culture was any different about being as judgmental as modern culture. His wife despised his behavior afterwards (v.16). I loved his retort: "I will celebrate in the Lord's presence, and I will degrade myself even more than this" (v. 21b-22a). David was a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). What kind of church would we be, what impact would we have, if we worshiped Jesus with all our might? 

Eyes Open

""Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. "Couldn't you men keep watch with Me for one hour?" He asked Peter"- Matthew 26:40 (NIV).

Jesus didn't say, "Couldn't you men keep watch for one hour." This is the first time I contemplated the 'watch with Me' part of His question to Peter. Jesus didn't just want His followers to watch, but watch with Him. At first blush, you might think Jesus wasn't wanting to be alone, these His final hours, but I think He was thinking of them. They were about to go through a very traumatic event...and they were sleeping. They should have been watching for their own accord. We are never quite as anxious, fearful, or excited when it doesn't concern us or we think it's not pertinent to our well-being. But, when the shoe is on the other foot, sleep isn't going to pull us under its spell. In fact, sleep would be hard to find, just as it was for Jesus. Jesus had given them warnings that the the Shepherd would be struck and the sheep scattered (Matthew 26:31). Jesus had told Peter he would deny Him three times that night (v.34). Don't berate Peter. We are all "Peters." Jesus has warned us what is to come and we are to "watch and pray" (26:41). Watch and pray; or will we be found sleeping at our post, like Peter, and the other disciples? Jesus may seem slow in coming, but He IS coming. Don't let His return become a traumatic event, but, instead, a joyous gathering for those who have kept their faith alive...and their eyes open.