Friday, February 25, 2005

Grey - Go Away!

It was grey today. In a place that gets over 300 days of mostly sunshine.

Everything was wrapped into a big grey package that you kept waiting for the sun to rip open.

But he never did.

I'm not really into grey. (Understatement alert!!!!)

And I'm ready for winter to be over.

The earth around me is beginning its annual revolt against the forces of greyness. Pink azaleas have begun to appear, along with daffodils. Soon the rebellion will be all around me, as each flower, each tree competes to see who can contribute the most to the banishment of all things grey to wherever grey goes until next winter.

Good riddance. Old Man Winter can pack his bags and leave any time. In the meantime though, I've got to look forward, not back, just as I have to look forward to what God has for me, not back through my old grey life without Him.

Listen to how expectantly Paul of Tarsus writes about what's ahead for believers. It's like Spring!

12So don't you see that we don't owe this old do-it--yourself life one red cent. 13There's nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. 14God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!

15This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" The Letter to the Romans, chapter 8 The Message

Call me "Adventurously expectant" about what God's going to do around us and in us beginning again tomorrow - rain or shine. :)

There are things to do and places to see with our loving God. I can't wait to see what's next.

Grace!

David

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Light In Dark Places

I saw the first daffodil of spring today.

And every robin within 5 miles showed up in front of my office to remind me that Old Man Winter is on his last legs here. I needed to hear that, because after being down here almost six years, apparently my blood has thinned to the point that a 50 degree morning has a real chill to it.

Remember, I was born and raised in Middle Georgia, where a winter just isn't winter unless you have a good old fashioned ice storm, and at least a couple of days without electrical power. When I left there, I gave away all my cold weather gear - my parka good to 5 degrees, my leather gloves, my scarf and stocking hats. I kept one coat, and grumbled about having to do that. I was moving to Florida - why would I need a coat?

But it gets cold here sometimes. Gray days happen, seeming to drag along one after another, until they pull down your spirit with it.

So God sent me daffodils and robins.

As our church has grown, we've embraced so many awesome people. Those families added to the ones who originally dreamed the dream that became New Hope make Sunday each week a celebration of just how good God is.

But there are gray days for some at times.

Today I visited one in the hospital, talked to several going through trials on the phone, and visited with one saint who may be headed home soon. That wasn't an easy visit. Even though she was in good spirits, thankful for her family and church, and confident in her God's love and care, when I left I was touched by sadness, knowing we might not have many more conversations.

As I was walking to the car, I prayed that God would shine His love into that home for all to see. One day, He's going to do that for everyone. One day His light will shine into the darkest places.

7 In that day he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. 8 He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken!
Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Is 25:6-8). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.

One day our Loving Father will end all our pain and heartache. And His own hand will wipe away every tear.

Friends, it may be dark where you are too, but the Light that came into this world through Jesus Christ is as close as you'll let Him be. Take heart! Have hope! If God is for us, who can stand against us?

Grace!

David

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Friday, February 11, 2005

"When You Get the Chance"

A friend and I were finishing a conversation the other day, and right before we ended it, he said "when you get the chance, come see us." It's one of those things you say full of more hope than substance, knowing that in this busy world, it might happen, but likely as not it won't. Good thing to do? Absolutely. Gonna get done? Pretty doubtful.

Call it a hunch, but it seems that's the nature of human interaction - Good intentions.

We so often fail to act on them that we just accept such a lack of love as "just the way it is." After all, we are all busy. "Who has time?", we'll say.

Yet we are the same people who say that we seek to pattern our lives after the One Who in His essential nature is love.

It hurt me to write that.

God's example is so clear.

43"You're familiar with the old written law, "Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, "Hate your enemy.' 44I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, 45for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best--the sun to warm and the rain to nourish--to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. Matthew 5:43-45 The Message

God loves. He loves those who refuse His love, and those who embrace His love. Even before any one of us now alive drew our first breath, or committed our first sin, God had already paid the price Himself for those wrong-doings.

7We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. 8But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. Romans 5:7-8 The Message


God put His love on the line- on the cross, so that whoever decided to turn away from their old life of lies and embrace the new life of love would have a home to come to, arms to run into, shoulders to cry on. And the Bible says that was His plan from the beginning.

He didn't wait until He "had a chance."

Friends, there are days like this that make me re-evaluate just who I am and what I'm doing. Right now it's busy here. Things are jumping, and I'm doing a lot for God. But am I doing it in love? Purposeing to let God's love flow through me? Letting Him use my hands, my feet, my speech to love others?

"If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing." 1 Cor. 13:2 The Message


So the preacher opened his Bible and His heart this morning friends, and God whacked me upside of the heart. Maybe you are there too. Maybe you are doing a lot, but loving a little. Or maybe you are living and loving on your schedule, and giving the people around you only that love you "get a chance" to give.

I don't know. But I know this - I want to be like Jesus.

When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. 29It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying--quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard. Matthew 7:28-29 The Message


Don't you?

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.