What Happens in Vegas…

1 Corinthians 16:1-4

 

Have you ever heard the phrase, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”? If it helps you to understand what it means, Vegas is also known as “Sin City”.

 

Like Vegas, Corinth was not an ordinary city. The citizens were affluent, well educated and highly religious. It was a thriving city at the time when Paul arrived. Corinthian believers had all the trappings of success, and yet their problems festered just below the surface. They were self-sufficient and needed to learn to be God-sufficient.

 

Because of the immaturity of the believers, Paul had to address many problems which included incest, sexual immorality, idol worship and divisions. Even when it came to the practice of the Lord’s Supper they couldn’t get it right. It became a party of gluttony, excessive drinking and exclusion.

 

Although the Corinthian believers seriously struggled in many areas of life, there was

still hope. God was at work in them and through them.

 

The same is true for us. Despite our struggles, God is at work in our lives. In fact, God has a history of working through those that struggle; the weak, the unqualified, the broken, the hopeless and the ordinary.

 

“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.     Matthew 5:3-4 MSG

 

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”              Luke 4:18-19 NIV

 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.           2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV

 

 

“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” is a catchy little phrase. But for those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, we are bound to share the Good News, not keep it to ourselves.

 

Despite their problems, the Corinthian church gave generously to the Jerusalem church. In the same way, we are called to give of our time, talent and treasure for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

 

 

 

 

 

(If God has spoken to you, or touched your heart through this devotional, please feel free to share it with others.)

 

 

Outsider

Acts 10:34-45

 

Have you ever felt like an outsider; different than those around you? As I considered this devotional I remembered a man who came to our church for awhile. I haven’t seen him lately. He usually sat in the same pew as my wife and I. During the sermon he would knit. I have to confess that I judged him. Maybe that’s why he hasn’t been around.

 

It’s easy to judge others; to put them next to an artificial standard that we have created in order to make ourselves look and feel good. You know the one I’m talking about. You

have to dress a certain way; act and talk a certain way; look a certain way. Otherwise, you just don’t fit in.

 

The backstory to today’s passage is that Peter, a Jew, and Cornelius, a Gentile, have been brought together by supernatural means orchestrated by God.

 

Normally, the culture they live in would not permit this meeting to occur. It was a social and religious culture that put the Gentiles on the outside and the Jews on the inside. In case of point, look at the reaction of the good Jewish people when the Gentiles received the Holy Spirit.

 

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.          Acts 10:44-45 NIV

 

The disdain that the Jews had for the Gentiles was impeding the spread of the Gospel. God’s word, His love, His grace and forgiveness and even His Holy Spirit - were being held captive. Peter had a change of heart that not only changed him, but changed the world around him.

 

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.      Acts 10:34-35NIV

 

Who do you judge and keep in a box? Someone who looks different or acts different from you? Maybe they knit during the sermon. Let the Holy Spirit open your heart so that all might have access to the Gospel of Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(If God has spoken to you, or touched your heart through this devotional, please feel free to share it with others.)

 

 

Submit or Surrender?

James 4:1-10

 

No matter how you say it, if you submit or surrender to someone, it sounds like you’ve lost.

 

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?   James 4:1 NIV

 

My first year of marriage was very difficult. It was a battleground of wills over the smallest decisions. Do you fold your towel in thirds or half? Do you squeeze the toothpaste tube in the middle or the end? Do you roll your toilet paper over or under? The battles seemed endless.

 

Each decision was a contest with the winner maintaining their position of power and control, while the loser took another step towards losing their personal identity. (In case you’re wondering, we will celebrate our 42^nd anniversary this week.)

 

The fact is that we all struggle with submission and surrender. It’s in our nature. Adam and Eve failed to submit to God’s will and it’s been like that ever since. Really it’s a matter of pride, and the symptoms are often visible through our attempt to control our world. Here’s an example.

 

Someone with an addiction, like drugs or alcohol, will use in order to feel better. In other words, it is their way of trying to control their world.  It’s the addict saying to God and to anyone else, “I can handle this myself thank you very much”.

 

That’s pride, and if we are honest with ourselves, our pride keeps us from submitting or surrendering to God just like the addict. In fact, you could say that we are addicted to sin.

 

God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.            James 4:6-8 NIV

 

Going into my marriage, I had the best of intentions to be a good husband and to have a wonderful marriage. But my pride and my sinful nature were working against my best desires. Nobody wants to submit or surrender.

 

It takes work to draw near to God. It takes an intentional effort. It doesn’t just happen. However, God’s word promises that if you draw near to Him, then He will draw near to you.

 

 

 

(If God has spoken to you, or touched your heart through this devotional, please feel free to share it with others.)

 

 

Encourage One Another

Hebrews 10:19-25

 

²⁴ Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. ²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another… NLT

 

Recently I met my daughter at our church to rehearse for a duet that we are singing. Between the sheet music, a water bottle and, oddly enough, four bars of soap, she had her hands full. She had brought the soap to donate to a ministry to the poor that our church is supporting. Her example was motivating.

 

Fourteen years ago, when I was going through a very dark and difficult time, a friend met with me for lunch and asked if I would want to get together each week and pray for one another. As a result, virtually every week for the past fourteen years, we have met for breakfast and done just that.

 

There are many ways that we can encourage one another in our faith. Sometimes it happens by example like my daughter, and other times it is intentional like my friend. Regardless of how it is done, we help each other to pick ourselves up.

 

The above verses follow a passage that describes the sacrificial system that the Hebrews had followed for centuries. The problem was that the animal sacrifices never really took away their sins; it was just a reminder of them. However, Jesus was the sacrificial lamb that, once and for all, took away our sins.

 

What does that mean for us today?

 

²² …let us go right into the presence of God… ²³ Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm… ²⁴ Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. ²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another…  NLT

 

What Jesus did for us was a miracle. However, don’t discount what we can do for one another. In a very real way, it was just as much a miracle that my friend reached out to me during those dark times, and helped pull me through “right into the presence of God”. He was the hands and feet of Jesus to me.

 

 

 

(If God has spoken to you, or touched your heart through this devotional, please feel free to share it with others.)