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Weekly Devotionals  |
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Good News DailyVolume VIII Sunday, October 26 At our favorite vacation spot, we frequently travel a winding mountain road. It’s fairly busy and rather narrow. The driver has to keep both eyes on the road. One day, we noticed a car parked on a bit of shoulder. Curious, we stopped there on our next trip. A pipe dripped pure water ready to be drunk or stored in jugs. It was for the use of anyone who came by. Most travelers never notice the water source. They are not seeking for it. How true this is in our fast-moving lives. We faint for lack of the Living Water, our Lord and Savior, and he’s there ready to be known all the time. Slow down. Be curious. Pay attention. “…everyone who searches finds…” (Matthew 7:7). Esther 3:1-15; Psalm 98; 1 Corinthians 10:15-24; Matthew 18:15-20 Monday, October 27 Esther had been chosen to be queen. No doubt she expected to live in this role without significant change for the rest of her life. The actions of Haman cast her into a new way of seeing her life and the lives of her people. She had to move from denial, down through fear and refusal. Esther had to go deeply into her own soul for courage to act. Finally, her choice was to change or die. The actions of other people affect us. We are also subject to the weather, nature, death, illness, and that small voice within us. But change is often unexpected. We are programmed to stay in a place we are accustomed to. We need courage, too. Maybe our choice is not “change or die,” but it may be “change or cease to grow.” O Constant One, may we rest in You, not rest as an escape from the changes and cares of life, but a rest in your constancy and peace. Psalms 41, 52; Revelation 11:1-14; Luke 11:14-26 Tuesday, October 28 I love the way God acts with individuals, not just as “a group of people.” At the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:3, we read: “Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.” Each waiting person, each body, had a tongue, as of fire, resting on him or her. Perhaps Jesus was looking ahead to Pentecost when he speaks of a whole body being full of light. In our own strength, we cannot generate light, but a clean vessel can allow the light of the Holy Spirit to give light to all those around us. When we refuse to allow our lives to be used for God’s purposes, darkness dims our effectiveness. Evelyn Underhill says it well: “Ye are the light of the world—but only because you are enkindled, made radiant by the one Light of the world. And being enkindled, we have got to get on with it, be useful.” Esther 5:1-14; Psalm 45; Revelation 11:14-19 Wednesday, October 29 A nursing home facility is often the last place some people make their “home.” I was a chaplain for several years among men and women who were in their last home. Some were not able to express or acknowledge their faith, as illness and age-related problems had robbed them of their “songs.” But others still sang. One woman used her long times of bed rest to pray for her family, her pastor, and her church. She said it gave her a reason for living. One hymn-singing woman sat in a little rocking chair. I called it her “Jesus take me home” chair. There was peace in that room. I led a Monday morning group. One day we blessed “old memories.” They spoke with warmth about long-ago neighbors and family members. There was joy in that room. That home, for a different season of life, was a place where I learned about the steadfastness of a faith that can see you through the pilgrimage of life. I was blessed. Esther 6:1-13; Revelation 12:1-6; Luke 11:37-52 Thursday, October 30 When our daughter was a teen-ager, she baby-sat for a family who had three boys. They were close in age, and she sometimes called one by the wrong name. The boys were annoyed, and one said, “I don’t know why you get us mixed up. Our daddy never does.” And truly our Heavenly Father doesn’t get us mixed up. Each of us is of great value to Him. Recently, I made an inventory of the ways that God’s Church and individual Christian people have been used to teach and guide me through the seasons of my life. I started with my parents and grandmother. It is humbling to realize how God has been caring for me for so long. You might try this kind of listing yourself. It led me to a time of praise and thanksgiving. “Great is His Faithfulness.” Esther 6:14—7:10; Psalm 50; Revelation 12:7-17 Friday, October 31 One day, in my quiet time, I felt God speaking and I wrote in my journal, “Let your silence be in my presence and not used as an excuse when I choose for you to speak out. I’ll extrovert you when I want to.” Another person might receive this message: “I may introvert you for a while so that in the silence, you may have more hidden in your heart, out of which you shall speak.” Maybe God is opening doors for you to speak to groups, or maybe you are telling your story one-to-one. Or perhaps you feel a need to spend time on retreat, in a listening mode. The psalmist speaks of his inward journey and his outward journey. Open yourself to both. Esther 8:1-17; Psalm 54; Revelation 13:1-10; Luke 12:13-31 Saturday, November 1 The Sabbath was a “sign.” It was a weekly reminder of the connection between the people of Israel and God. It was a reminder that He had chosen them. Their keeping the Sabbath as a day of rest and remembrance proved that they were choosing to be faithful. As Christians, we have inherited the sign of setting apart one day of the week to honor and remember the Lord and all His blessings. Sunday is our connection, and we feel it as we worship. Jesus also gave us other signs. Each time we celebrate the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper “in remembrance of Him,” it gives us another opportunity to make a spiritual connection with God. And then, there is the constant sign which we have been given. We can know Him intimately, minute by minute, by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Psalm 55; Revelation 13:11-18; Luke 12:32-48By Carolyn Byrd Used with permission from the BIBLE READING FELLOWSHIP |
