Devotion for September 21

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

There was a chill in the air and I could see my breath. The leaves on the trees were still green but, as my dog and I walked, I couldn’t help but notice the growing accumulation of yellow and brown leaves strewing the road. The crisp air and fallen leaves spoke of the coming fall and another change in the seasons.

I love the fall. Of all the seasons in the year, it is my favorite. I love the crisp cool air, the crimson leaves, the impending harvest and the cackle of the rooster pheasant. Fall is a season for reflection. The year is drawing to its close – but there is still time for making the year a thing to be remembered. Fall is both the harbinger of months past and the hope of time enough to renew and claim what is good and worthwhile.

Nothing is as constant as change. Our lives are an endless sequence of changes. I read that the human body will be re-clothed with new skin every seven years. We are creatures of change.

The Bible affirms this and then gives us the hope of our never-changing Savior, Jesus Christ. It is not that the Lord will not change with us, nor even that our God is unaware of the changes in our lives and in the world. Rather, it is the assurance that our God’s love in Jesus Christ is unwavering.

Great is thy faithfulness, O God our Father. There is no shadow of change in Thee… so goes the wonderful old hymn.

No matter what season of life you find yourself in; no matter how great the changes you are facing; God’s attitude toward you is firm. There is still time to claim the wonderful, never-changing grace of God. Look for it today in the quiet place of your heart. Seek it out in the wonders of creation. Then give thanks to God with the words of that old hymn.

Devotion for December 2

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. Isaiah 42:1

I remember one of the early lessons of my childhood because it was painful. I had told a family friend that I would come and help in her yard clean up but something else came along. I didn’t show up. My father heard about it from church and, the next day, I was there cleaning the yard by myself. My father told me that there are few things as important as doing what you say you’re going to do. The importance of that lesson was reinforced as I watched my father live it.

Faithfulness is a key value in the Bible. We celebrate God’s faithfulness to us in Jesus Christ. This is a personal promise to all who believe… and it brings with it the gift of eternal life.

On the other hand, the prophet Isaiah reminds us that our God’s faithfulness is to the world. The passage above from Isaiah 42 brings to mind the baptism of Jesus. In that event, Christians throughout history have seen God’s promises above fulfilled in Jesus Christ -that this has been understood as a messianic prophecy certainly predates Jesus. But in Him, we see God’s word being kept. God did what God promised to do. Here is the source of our confidence.

Justice is the consequence of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Justice for the Christian is not blind – except in establishing fairness. Then the blindfold comes off and the wisdom of Jesus is applied. I thought of this when I listened to the mayor of Philadelphia talk about Michael Vick – the dog fighting, former quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. Now, he is starring as the quarterback in Philadelphia – but also in his own story of redemption, according to the mayor. His is a life brought back from the pit through faith. The Justice of God is fair… and then gives us as many chances as we need.

Give me the attitude of your justice, O Lord. Amen