Sunday Devotion: Tuning Out

How a music teacher’s negative attitude in High School discouraged a lot of students. Why faith is a complete turn-off to the world if God is always presented as being judgmental.

When I was in High School, I used to enjoy music and looked forward to learning how to decode all of the notes and symbols on paper. Then one year a new principal of music took over the department and she turned out to be the most obnoxious teacher in the whole school. She had a sour attitude towards most of her students and even though we tried hard to please her with our efforts, it was never enough. Thus, instead of carrying on with music, most students like myself gave it up as soon as we could. If only her demeanor had been different, it may have produced a lot more musicians and singers in our school.

I remember one day that I was hurrying to get to my after school work. In order to save time, I changed out of my school uniform into my working clothes. Just before I left the school building, I met the music principal. She berated me for twenty minutes about not honoring the school by being out of uniform. I tried to explain, but she wouldn’t listen to me. All she was interested in was teaching me a lesson that had no relevance to my life. I was late for work and had some of my precious pay docked. To this day, I have been unable to remember a single music lesson that she ever gave; all that I recall is her ugly attitude.

Verse of the Day: Job 34::9 For he says, 'It profits a man nothing when he tries to please God.'

Sadly, for some people, God seems to be the same. Churches and preachers present a judgmental and vindictive God who wants to destroy sinners by their billions and wreak havoc in their lives. How can people be in love with a God that absolutely terrifies them? How can they cheerfully serve a deity who wants to eliminate them? If God is presented as being critical of people all of the time, then no wonder that the world is tuning out. Divine judgment is a serious issue, but there also has to be a generous helping of grace applied for the Gospel to be effective and attractive.

Christ came into the world to encourage, comfort, and unite us by His love. He gave up His life because God loves this world. And Jesus was raised from the dead because God wants that love to continue for ever. Isn’t that the message of the Gospel? Isn’t that the hope we all have faith in? Isn’t that the lesson we all yearn to learn?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we can never applaud You sufficiently for the work of salvation that You wrought for our world. We are truly grateful for the wonder of Your Life, the power of Your Sacrifice, and the glory of Your Resurrection. We are attracted to You because You embrace, comfort, and guide us. Help us to encourage others around us to do the same, by presenting to them the grace of Your Gospel. In Your Precious Name, we pray. Amen.

Stushie is a Scottish Presbyterian Pastor in Knoxville, Tennessee. He writes the daily devotional "Heaven's Highway." He also illustrates a political cartoon blog called "Pushing the Envelope."

Sunday Devotional: Boxer

Audio version here

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

A couple of years ago, the WWJD movement swept Christian circles. I can remember seeing many young people wearing bracelets with those initials on them. It all had to do with the much loved book, “In His Steps” written by Charles M. Sheldon. The book was all about a church being transformed by an event that caused the congregation to ask themselves “What Would Jesus Do?” in every situation.

Like most movements, this one has had its day, and people have moved on to something else. Sheldon’s book can still be purchased online, but how many people are reading and applying it?

Sheldon wrote a much better book called “Broken Earthenware,” which is sadly out of print. It tells the story of a fierce thief called Boxer, who is dramatically converted one night during a burglary. Instead of remaining a thief, Boxer becomes an itinerant preacher, who is slain by the Spirit and washed in the blood of Jesus. Instead of bullying the people in his community like some sort of Bill Sykes, he changes the thieves and vagabonds, drunks and prostitutes in his part of London. He gets them to build a church and the book tells of his struggles with faith. In the end, his young son becomes a pastor and continues the work of Christ.

It’s a great book based on a true story. I owe my ministry, marriage, and children to Boxer’s conversion. Why? Well, you see Boxer’s son was known as Pastor Howard and when he was in his late eighties, he came to the 428 Gospel club in Glasgow, Scotland and preached a message about his father, which reduced everyone to tears, including my own wife Evelyn, who gave her heart to Christ when Pastor Howard gave the call. Boxer’s legacy of faith continues in the love of the Lord that both our children have in their hearts. God does indeed work in mysterious ways.

It is my fervent hope and prayer that you have also given your heart to Jesus in a personal way. All it takes is surrendering yourself to God’s love, looking for His forgiveness, and receiving His blessing through Jesus Christ, God’s Holy Son.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the people in the past whose lives and faith have touched our own. Thank You for the Spirit of conversion that transforms even the wickedest of people into becoming Your most devoted servants. Give us the courage to surrender our hearts to You today, and help us to place our lives into Your hands, both now and forever. Amen.

Stushie writes the daily devotional Heaven's Highway, which is now podcast on Stushie's Stuff and listed on ITunes.

Sunday Devotional - Dad's Camera

John 5:26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. (NIV)

My Dad loved to take photographs, in and around the city of Glasgow, where our family grew up in Scotland. Practically every Saturday morning, he would catch a bus to go downtown and walk around the city streets with his wee camera. He would photograph buildings and stores, street signs and busy roads. He would make pictures of statues and fountains, churches and pubs, parks and ponds.

When he had the photographs developed, he would write out short comments about the history of the places he visited. He built up amazing scrapbooks of local information. The city that he loved was changing all around him and he knew in his heart that if someone somewhere didn't mark those changes, local history would be lost to future generations.

When my mum died, our family wondered what Dad would do and we worried about him. But then he surprised us all by contacting a publisher to put all of his photographs, postcards and comments into a book. When he died, eleven years later, he had successfully published ten books. All those Saturday mornings had become a bounty of blessings, not just for him and our family, but for the entire city of Glasgow.

So, guess what some of his children are now doing? Going all over Scotland taking photographs and writing short comments about the scenery, history, local stories and people. Perhaps, in the years to come, other books will be written, for just as Dad made a meaningful life for himself, he has passed on and granted that to his children.

I guess the challenge for all of us today is this: what are we going to do with our time and talents in the life and locality God has granted to us?

Prayer: Lord God, You have blessed us with life and we seek to make it meaningful. Help us to discover our talents, so that we may focus upon them, make something of ourselves, and bring all the glory to You. In Jesus' Name, we purposefully pray. Amen.