The Giving Tree

Proverbs 11:24-31

 

In the 1996 movie, Jerry Maguire, a slick sports agent has a crisis of conscience which results in him getting fired and starting his own agency. Desperate to salvage the only client/athlete that he has left, the agent shouts over the phone, “SHOW ME THE MONEY!” to show his client just how committed he is to him.

 

In the world, this is what it comes down to a lot of the time. Somebody somewhere is shouting, “SHOW ME THE MONEY!" As believers though, we’re to have a different view towards money; a different perspective for its use. Proverbs has this to say about it.

 

²⁸ A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump;
    a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.           Proverbs 11 MSG

 

This verse paints a picture that reminds me of the children’s book written by Shel Silverstein titled “The Giving Tree”. It’s a story about a boy and a tree.

 

During his childhood, the boy enjoyed playing with the tree; climbing her trunk, swinging from her branches, and eating her apples. However, as he gets older he begins to use the tree for his own selfish pleasure; selling her apples, building a house from her branches and cutting her trunk to make a boat.

 

The tree gave and gave and gave of herself until all that was left was “a stump”. This is an interesting twist on verse 28. In “The Giving Tree”, the stump actually became “a flourishing tree”.

 

Every time that the tree gave another part of herself to the boy, the narrative states, “And the tree was happy”. This is similar to what Proverbs has to tell us about giving.

 

²⁴ The world of the generous gets larger and larger;
    the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.

²⁵ The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;
    those who help others are helped.       Proverbs 11 MSG

 

THE Giving Tree of the Bible, gave and gave and gave of Himself to the point of sacrificing His one and only son whom He loved. Likewise, God calls us to invest ourselves in the lives of those around us; not just with our treasure, but also with our time and talents. If we do this, the result will be “a flourishing tree”.

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

The Hope of the 60’s

Revelation 22

 

The 60’s generation thought we were the hope of the future. We thought we were going to correct all the mistakes that our parents had made; that politicians had made; that the establishment had made.

 

Then came the assassinations of John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert F Kennedy. It was a tumultuous time with the Viet Nam war, demonstrations and Woodstock.  Yet, we thought we were the hope of the future.

 

What keeps you going when you fail to meet your own expectations; your own hopes; your own dreams? What keeps getting you up in the morning after life knocks you

down? What keeps you trying when circumstances seem hopeless?

 

When John wrote the book of Revelation, circumstances did seem hopeless. Emperor worship was being enforced. Christians were facing greater and greater hostility, even to the point of martyrdom. John himself had been exiled to Patmos, which was a penal colony, probably for his missionary activities.

 

God’s Covenant of Hope always seems to include fruitfulness. He started in the Garden of Eden; continued with the promise of a land filled with milk and honey; and concludes with the promise of the restoration of Eden. See if you can visualize this idyllic garden that John describes.

 

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ³ No longer will there be any curse. NIV

 

"No longer will there be a curse”… In the 60’s, we thought we would put an end to the curse. We were wrong. Only the Living God can do that. Through the promises of Revelation 22, He gives us hope. Not only is it hope for us as believers, but also for us to share with others in a world without hope.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

Talk is Cheap

1 John 3:16-20

 

When my daughter was about 10 years old, we were riding in the car when a song came on the radio. She asked me in her sweet, innocent 10 year old voice, “What are they singing about Daddy”. I listened for a minute, and simply replied, “Love”.

 

Isn’t that always the answer? But how do you define love? In the media, it is normally defined as romantic. In advertising, it is defined as something you desire. In politics… well never mind. But truth be known, everybody seems to have their own definition of love.

 

Adding to the confusion is how we use the word. “I love this pizza”. “I love my car”. “I love that perfume”. “I love the Buckeyes”. “I love my church”. Love has as many different applications as there are… objects to love.

 

According to the Urban dictionary, the saying “talk is cheap” is defined as: “a phrase used to indicate an individual’s inclination to verbalize opinions, stances, or other traits and subsequent reluctance to act upon said traits”. Talk is cheap. Everybody has a different opinion of what love is.

 

John, who was known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”, had this to say about how to define love.

¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for others! GNT

¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.                  NIV

 

Not surprisingly though, talk was not cheap for Jesus, and he set the bar high.

 

¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command.     John 15 NIV

 

How do you measure up to Jesus’ standard? Thankfully, we have a gracious Lord who paid the price so that even with our worst failure, we are still forgiven and loved. And because of his love, we can show it to others, not just by our words, but by our actions.

 

 

 

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

 

Here are some more images that fit today's blog.

 

 

 

 

 

A Silver Lining

Acts 8:26-31

 

Have you ever heard the saying “Every cloud has a silver lining”?

 

 

According to Wikipedia, it is a metaphor for optimism. In other words, no matter how bad life gets, you can always find something good in it. You know, make lemonade out of lemons.

 

It’s nice to be positive about life; to be one of those people who sees the glass as half full rather than half empty. But why should you? Why not see life’s struggles as half empty? After all, what silver lining can there be in a broken relationship, a still born baby or a fatal car accident caused by a drunk driver?

 

The stoning death of Stephen, precipitated in a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. “Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged

off both men and women and put them into prison”.

 

As a result of this persecution, rather than wallowing in self-pity, depression and fear, Philip went to Samaria, which incidentally was not a friendly place for Jews. He preached the Good News and performed signs and wonders. As a result, many Samaritans came to faith and followed Jesus. You could call that a silver lining.

 

From there an angel directed him to go south of Jerusalem. He had no idea why or what was waiting for him. In fact, it was probably somewhat dangerous since he had to go through Jerusalem, the epicenter of persecution, to get there. He went by faith; faith in a God that was in control even in the midst of injustice and chaos.

 

Again following the lead of the Spirit, we read: ³⁰ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?”

Philip asked. ³¹ “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

 



 

The result of this “chance meeting” was that the Ethiopian official was baptized and received the Holy Spirit. I think that qualifies as a silver lining too.

 

However, the good news is that we believe in and serve a god who isn’t a god of silver linings, but the Living God who is sovereign over this world.

And although we don’t always understand why things happen, we can be confident in His love, faithfulness and constant presence in our lives no matter what.

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

Famous Last Words

2 Timothy 2:22-26

 

Sometimes people are recognizable by their last words as much as they are by their physical appearance. It may not even be the last thing they ever say, only in a sense it is. See if you can recognize any of these famous “last words”. The correct answers are at the bottom of the page. (Don’t cheat now.)

 

• I am not a crook.
• What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
• Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.

 

At the time that he wrote 2 Timothy, Paul was nearing the end of his life. Like a common criminal, he was chained, in a cold, dark dungeon waiting for his execution.

 

Knowing that his days were numbered, he wanted to make the most of his time. He wanted to impart his most important wisdom to those who were most important to him.

 

Therefore, he wrote this letter to his “son”, Timothy. He wrote with passion, conviction and purpose. Pay close attention to these final words.

 

²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone,

able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵ Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.     NIV

 

Gently instruct, in the hope that God will lead them to the truth; not hammering it down their throat; not making your point so that you are right and they are wrong; but being invitational and unconditional in your friendship while expecting nothing from them, but everything from God.

 

Keep in mind the most famous of last words spoken by our Savior Jesus, “It is finished”.

What he did on the cross for all who will accept him makes it possible for us to know him and spend eternity with him. But it also makes it possible for us to share with others his love and message.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are the correct answers:

• Richard Milhous Nixon denies involvement in the 1972 Watergate scandal.
• Paul Newman who starred in the role of a prisoner in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke. Upon speaking this line he was immediately shot.
• Red Saunders the UCLA football coach in 1950. Sorry Packer fans Vince Lombardi didn’t originate this quote.

 

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

 

 

Here are some more famous “last words”. See how many you know.

 

1. I’ll be back
2. Old soldiers never die; they just fade away
3. “You won't have ____ to kick around anymore.”
4. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
5. “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.” 
6. Wow! I’m going to heaven.
7. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit

 

 

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator
2. General Douglas McArthur in his farewell address to Congress
3. Richard Nixon in 1962 after losing the race for Governor of California
4. Muhammad Ali before his fight with Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston
5. Albert Einstein
6. Bo Diddley on his deathbed after hearing the song, “Walk Around Heaven”
7. Jesus on the cross as written in Luke 23:46