Welcome to the JCPC Daily Reflections Blog. Reflections are daily devotionals authored by JCPC pastors, staff and members and provide insight, guidance and comfort to help you make it through each day. If you’d like to receive Reflections each day via email, provide your email address.
Bobby's sudden death brought home to me the stark reality of death and the brevity of life. My childhood friend was only twenty-four when a tragic accident on an icy road claimed her life. Growing up in a dysfunctional family, she had recently seemed to be moving forward. Just a new believer in Jesus, how could her life end so soon?
Sometimes life seems far too short and full of sorrow. In Psalm 39 the psalmist David bemoans his own suffering and exclaims: "Show me, Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere hand-breadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure" (vv. 4-5). Life is short. Even if we live to see a century, our earthly life is but a drop in all of time.
And yet, with David, we can say, "My hope is in [the Lord]" (v. 7). We can trust that our lives do have meaning. Though our bodies waste away, as believers we have confidence that "inwardly we are being renewed day by day"-and one day we'll enjoy eternal life with Him (2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1). We know this because God "has given us the Spirit . . . guaranteeing what is to come"! (5:5).
Prayer for Today
Thank You, Lord, that this life is not all there is! You have eternity in store for all who believe in You. Help us to spend our numbered days here in service to You. Amen.
I am back in the office after two weeks of vacation. During part of that time, Pam and I were in Montana. I was there to perform the wedding for my first cousin who lives in Billings. We arrived a few days early and drove to see Mount Rushmore - the first time for both of us. (I discovered that the man who completed the carving of Mount Rushmore was actually the first carver of Stone Mountain, but he was fired before it was completed!)
It was very beautiful there in the park as we walked among the evergreens and saw different views of the carving. I was amazed to learn that no one was killed in the carving process - it looked like very dangerous work.
As much as I enjoyed and needed the time off, I was actually ready to come back to work on Monday - which I think is a good thing. Part of it may be the new sermon series I am working on to begin this Sunday. I am calling it "A Time for Everything." It is based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 - which is probably the only passage most of us would recognize from Ecclesiastes. The words were made popular in a song written by Pete Seeger, but performed by The Byrds called, "Turn, Turn, Turn." Ecclesiastes 3:1 goes this way: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:" (NIV)
The series will focus on finding balance in our lives today. Most of us probably need more balance. The words from someone who is called "The Teacher" paint a picture of what a balanced life can look like. Sunday we will also talk about the purpose of having a balanced life. So, plan to be here for this new series, and invite a friend to meet you here, too!
Prayer for Today
Eternal God, help us find the balance and time in life to do what you want us to do - knowing that is the way to serve you and to enjoy this life fully! We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
After a busy season in the year or following the completion of a big project, I feel excitement mixed with exhaustion. I often have lots of questions about what's next or what direction God is calling me into. As we concluded Vacation Bible School last week, I was feeling both of these emotions.
When I stop and reflect I realized that there is work that God needed to do in me before God could completely work through me. I experienced a fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit working in my life last week through the over 150 children, youth and adults that joined us last week.
When I find myself in need of renewal, I sometimes remember the story of Elijah running for his life from Jezebel in 1 Kings 19:3-21. Elijah was physically, emotionally, and spiritually spent. He was exhausted. God gave him specific instructions to recharge his spirit.
First, the Lord instructed Elijah to lie down and sleep, then to eat. When we face a crisis in our life, God gives us practical advice for getting the things our bodies need: rest and nourishment.
The second piece of advice that the Lord gave Elijah was to get someone to help. Take some time to look around you and realize that you are not in this alone and God has provided a community of faith to support you on your journey.
I would invite you today, to stop and take a few moments to ask yourself:
Do I need rest and nourishment?
Have I asked for help and support when I need it?
Prayer for Today
God of Creation and Giver of Life, Thank you for the gifts you provide for us in times of crisis and times of exhaustion. Help us to continue to be open to the ways you are taking care of us. In Christ's Name, Amen.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
-Psalm 100
Psalm 100 came alive last week during VBS. Pictured below is Karla Arnold, our in-house Psalmist.
Have you ever noticed how often children roar with shouts of joy?!! Their roaring is a playful reminder that joy is one way to approach a wild and dangerous world. I'm reminded of the classic children's book, Where the Wild Things Are written by Maurice Sendak. In the story, Max has thrown a tantrum. A child's tantrum (as well as our adult tantrums) accentuates that life is wild which most often is met with angry and aggressive impulses. Max traveled to the land where the Wild Things are and along with the Wild Things, he roared his terrible roar and gnashed his terrible teeth through play. In the book, you can see the joy he expressed and experienced and it was his joy that tamed his tantrum and his rage.
When we have our wild days it's important to remember Psalm 100. This reminder that God is good, at all times and in all things, especially in our troubles, can ground us in the knowledge that this too shall pass. Realizing this expression of faith often takes shouts of joy and here's a mind bender. Often, we have to roar our terrible roar and gnash our terrible teeth to tame our inner beast and when we do, we remember again that the Lord is good, and his love endures forever.
Prayer for Today
Keep us mindful of your love, Merciful God, because life is wild. Grant us the ability to shout for joy and open ourselves to your calming presence. Amen.
On our way home from our honeymoon, my husband and I waited to check in our luggage at the airport. I nudged him and pointed to a man standing a few feet away.
My spouse squinted. "Who is he?"
I excitedly rattled off the actor's most notable roles, then walked up and asked him to take a photo with us. Twenty-four years later, I still enjoy sharing the story of the day I met a movie star.
Recognizing a famous actor is one thing, but there's Someone more important I'm thankful to know personally. "Who is this King of glory?" (Psalm 24:8). The psalmist David points to the Lord Almighty as Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of all. He sings, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters" (vv. 1-2). In awestruck wonder, David proclaims God is above all, yet intimately approachable (vv. 3-4). We can know Him, be empowered by Him, and trust Him to fight on our behalf, as we live for Him (v. 8).
God provides opportunities for us to declare Him as the only Famous One truly worth sharing with others. As we reflect His character, those who don't recognize Him can have more reasons to ask, "Who is He?" Like David, we can point to the Lord with awestruck wonder and tell His story!
Prayer for Today
Lord, thanks for blessing us with the pleasure and privilege of seeking You and giving us opportunities to share You with others every day. Amen.
and Israel must go into exile away from his land.'" And Amaziah said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom."
-Amos 7:11-13
For the first time in many years and only the second time ever, I spent Independence Day in another country this year. This meant I got to skip the uncomfortable (but important) tension of how much our national pride influences worship and how much our faith should inform and shape our personal patriotism. Scripture is full of reminders that our leaders should be guided by their morals and faith as they seek to serve as humble public servants. However, we sometimes forget that it contains warnings about the encroachment of our secular governments into our houses of faith.
If Jesus Christ is Lord of all, he's lord of every part of our lives. This has been dangerous to princes and powers throughout history when our faith challenged the evils of slavery, genocide, racism and sexism, and more. However, if our rulers become rulers of everything, they can begin to set the rules and endanger our faith. It can challenge the articles of our faith like everyone being a beloved child of God or love for our neighbors, our enemies, for all. I was thinking about the Fourth of July when I chose to study Amos for our youth bible study this week. I wasn't prepared for how relevant its exact words would become by the time I taught the lesson yesterday.
Our youth immediately recognized the words from the corrupted priest Amaziah to the prophet Amos in the words we read. In their recall, "Go back where you came from back in Judah. You're not a real Israelite, if you challenge our behavior and our king. This is his temple." He says it's the royal temple, implying it is not God's. (Bethel, the place Jacob had seen angels ascending and descending from heaven literally means "House of God") When our houses of worship echo the words of our secular leaders over those of God's word, they become royal temples, government property. Not God's house. It is clear that this challenge is not new and that we are called like Amos to say what may be unpopular - a message of love for all - even our enemies.
Prayer for Today
Lord, help me to see your image in all of your created and beloved children, to listen and engage, rather than to shun or expel. Amen.
When Xavier McCoury put on the glasses Aunt Celena sent for his tenth birthday, he burst into tears. Born colorblind, Xavier had only ever seen the world in shades of gray, white, and black. With his new EnChroma glasses, however, Xavier saw color for the first time. His euphoria at witnessing the beauty around him made his family feel like they'd beheld a miracle.
Witnessing God's colorfully radiant brilliance also evoked a powerful reaction in the apostle John (Revelation 1:17). After encountering the full glory of the resurrected Christ, John glimpsed "a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. . . . From the throne came flashes of lightning" (Revelation 4:2-5).
In a different time, Ezekiel had a similar vision, seeing "what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli," with a figure above the throne who "looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire" (Ezekiel 1:26-27). This magnificent figure was surrounded with rainbow-like radiance (v. 28).
One day we will meet Christ face-to-face. These visions give us just a hint of the magnificence that awaits us. As we celebrate the beauty of God's creation here and now, may we live in anticipation of the glory yet to be revealed.
Prayer for Today
Father, words fail us when we try to imagine what we will experience when we meet You face-to-face. Thank You for the small hints of Your beauty You have placed in our world. Amen.
It's that wonderful week of the year again, Vacation Bible School. As I look back over the past 6 years, the word that comes to mind is thanksgiving. I am grateful for the warm welcome that we received upon moving here. I am thankful for the constant support that this church family and extended family provides during this week each year. I am blessed to have the opportunity to grow in my faith with this community of believers.
I believe that thanksgiving is all about what God has done. Since faith is our response to God's presence in our lives, then expressions of thanks are at the heart of our spiritual lives.
This time of year I am so grateful for the team of adults and youth that made Vacation Bible School happen. There are many people who work diligently behind the scenes in the spring through this week to make this a life changing experience for so many children.
What would you write in your thank you note to God today? Over the past few hours, days, weeks or months, what are you thankful for?
Many of the Psalms provide prayers and songs of thanksgiving. I was reading Psalm 100 recently and found it to be meaningful prayer of praise and thanksgiving.
"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Amen."
Prayer for Today
Thanks be to you, Gracious God, for all the benefits which you have given me. O most merciful Redeemer, may I know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
The 3 A's areApproach, Attach, and Avoid. When we feel safe and engaged in collaborative activities we enter into Approach behaviors. The other two behaviors occur when we are in the fight/flight stress reaction; we either Attack or Avoid.
When I read the gospels, I see the 3 A's as people seek out Jesus. When people, who were aware that they needed healing Approached Jesus, he engaged them with interest and they experienced health and salvation in his presence. The key was that they were open and sought his help.
Other people, namely Pharisees and Sadducees sought out the Lord, their purpose was to make a point, their point, in order to win an argument. Matthew 16:1 states, "The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him..." This is Attack. Later, they would Avoid Jesus as Matthew 26:3 describes, "Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name is Caiaphas..."
In our own lives, we are no strangers to the 3 A's. Whenever we are out to make our point, we stray into Attack or Avoid and tend to miss each other. But when we are open and want to ask for help or offer help, we practice Approach.
Jesus shows us the better way to relate to each other through Approach behaviors. Be open, curious, engaged, and interested when others approach. They just might see Jesus through your behavior toward them!
Prayer for Today
Loving God, help us to be imitators of Christ; loving our neighbor, being gracious to our enemies, and asking for help rather than thinking we need to be right. Amen.
When Xavier McCoury put on the glasses Aunt Celena sent for his tenth birthday, he burst into tears. Born colorblind, Xavier had only ever seen the world in shades of gray, white, and black. With his new EnChroma glasses, however, Xavier saw color for the first time. His euphoria at witnessing the beauty around him made his family feel like they'd beheld a miracle.
Witnessing God's colorfully radiant brilliance also evoked a powerful reaction in the apostle John (Revelation 1:17). After encountering the full glory of the resurrected Christ, John glimpsed "a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. . . From the throne came flashes of lightning" (Revelation 4:2-5).
In a different time, Ezekiel had a similar vision, seeing "what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli," with a figure above the throne who "looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire" (Ezekiel 1:26-27). This magnificent figure was surrounded with rainbow-like radiance (v. 28).
One day we will meet Christ face-to-face. These visions give us just a hint of the magnificence that awaits us. As we celebrate the beauty of God's creation here and now, may we live in anticipation of the glory yet to be revealed.
Prayer for Today
Father, words fail us when we try to imagine what we will experience when we meet You face-to-face. Thank You for the small hints of Your beauty You have placed in our world. Amen.
