For His Will and To His Glory: 2013

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Think About These Things - Philippians 4:8, 9

Philippians 4:8, 9
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."
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I started writing this devotional in India sitting in the Bangalore Airport waiting on a flight to the neighboring state of Kerala. My travels are all-consuming and I pretty much just eat, sleep, and work, so I did not get to finish this until I got back home. But while in India, we did go on a little team-building outing with some of my employees there over the weekend. The attached pictures shows you the houseboat we stayed on and a short canoe trip we took with a local. I really had a great relaxing time with the team and we also formed some good relational bonds over the weekend.

Today's devotional verse is from my daily readings. At this point in Philippians, Paul has been talking about false teachers and the need for unity but here he is wrapping up his letter and wanting to give encouragement to the faithful. In these verses, Paul is simply exhorting them to think about good and righteous things.

Given all the secular messages we see and hear through our work, school, and media, our minds our often full of a lot of garbage that Jesus would not classify as lovely and pure. How do you think this affects our daily decisions? How do you think this affects our relationship with Jesus? I firmly believe that what we see and hear does have an impact out our minds and our actions.

But Paul does not stop with just focusing on our thoughts. He says that we also need to practice these things. So not only do we need to avoid "garbage in", but we need to take the pure things in and actually get off of our sofas and do something with them! And if we practice these these things of the Lord, then he promises to send his peace to dwell in us. I pray that wherever you and I are, we will think about lovely, excellent and honorable things, put these things into practice, and then be blessed with that peace that passes all understanding.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Monday, September 30, 2013

The Lord Is My Shepherd - Psalms 23

Psalms 23
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever."

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Well I am off to Bangalore, India tomorrow (Tuesday) night. I will arrive in Bangalore early Thursday morning after transiting through Frankfurt Germany. I always love visiting India and my team there, but a little part of me is also hesitant to leave my home and travel to the other side of the world. Additionally while I am there, I need to be "on" the entire time as I meet with and present to the 300-person office. For you fellow introverts, you know this is always a somewhat draining experience (mind you we have learned how to do it well, but it is still draining).

But just like the pilots of the planes I will be traveling on, we have a map of how to get to our "final" destination. And not only do we have a map, but unlike the pilots, we have direct access to the map maker to help explain any problems in our interpretation. As I was meditating the other day, Psalms 23 just popped into my head, and when I read it, a real peace came over me. Read the entire passage above again, and just list out all the promises that God has for us if we just put our trust in him. Here's a quick list of what I came up with: guidance, comfort, solace, confidence, protection, healing, abundance, righteousness, goodness, mercy, and best of all - Eternal Life!

As I travel this week and next, I pray I will remember to put my trust in the Lord and allow him to be my shepherd and to guide me where he will have me go. I pray I will find comfort and solace and confidence knowing that I am within his hedge of protection. I would also pray that wherever you will be this week, that you too would put your complete trust in the One who can protect and guide us through anything on this earth.

Please pray for my travels and if you have time, let me know you are praying for me and if the Lord is speaking to you! Thanks for your encouragement!

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

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Check out the performance below by Cissy Houston (mother of Whitney). If you have never been to an African American church, you need to go just for the music alone - let alone the on-fire preaching and free worship!

The Lord Is My Shepherd - Cissy Houston
http://youtu.be/1iql92NWt30

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The Heart of Worship is Surrender - Romans 6:13

Romans 6:13
"Give yourselves to God... Surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes."

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Chapter 10 of the book Purpose Driven Life is called "The Heart of Worship". It simply states that the heart of worship is surrender. What do you think when you hear the word surrender? Do you say "Never Surrender!" like a wartime battle cry? If winning is everything, why would be surrender?

Well God's word says that unless you empty yourself, and fill yourself with Christ, then you are ultimately defeated. And Romans 12:1 calls us to offer ourselves as a "living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer". C.S. Lewis even says that "The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become - because he made us." So if we are going to truly honor and worship our God and follow his will for our lives, then we need to surrender to that will and that plan.

Sometimes, especially in contemporary services, we make worship all about the music. In fact, we even call the music "worship" sometimes. I am sure many of you are already humming the song "Heart of Worship" by Matt Redman. Well Matt Redman's church was known for great worship music. But his pastor observed that many people were getting too hung up on how the music sounded, rather than what the song and lyrics really meant. So the Pastor banned all music for a period so that the people could focus on Christ and just approach the throne and truly worship him. During this time, Matt wrote this song and you can see from the first lines of the song how it impacted him ("When the music fades...and all has slipped away...and I simply come. Longing just to be...something that's of worth...that will bless Your heart.")

In our worship, we need to simply come to Jesus and pray that we will bless his heart. The next time you are in a service and you are singing a praise song or a hymn, stop singing for a minutes or two. Just listen to the words and repeat those words back to God as a prayer. And remember that worship is all about surrendering to our Jesus. As the song chorus says" It's all about you, it's all about you, Jesus".

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

"Heart of Worship" video
http://youtu.be/a1X_ev2OILA

"Heart of Worship" lyrics
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/mattredman/theheartofworship.html

Monday, September 16, 2013

Greed is NOT Good - I Timothy 6:7-10

I Timothy 6:7-10
"For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
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Many of you may remember the 1980s movie "Wall Street". It was a top grossing movie and one of the most famous lines from the movie was "Greed is good" (http://youtu.be/PF_iorX_MAw). I would bet that almost 30 years later, many Americans would still view greed as a good thing. Webster defines greed as "a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (especially money) than is needed. So is greed, in any form, good?

Well, let's see what God's word has to say about greed. Greed is mentioned in our verse today and it draws a direct connection between greed (the love of money), and straying from your faith. It also more pointedly says that the desire to be rich, will cause you to fall into temptation and harmful lusts and lead to destruction. In Luke 11:39, Jesus even exposes the greed of the Pharisees and calls it wicked. Note to reader: You don't ever want to be on the side of the Pharisees in Jesus' parables. ;)

The topic of "your" money is probably one of the sermons topics that many ministers avoid the most (maybe only second to sexual temptation). Since we have already covered sexual temptation and purity in my devotion on Aug 18th, I thought I could jump right into this topic as well! So does the Bible, and Jesus especially, talk about money that much? Well, money is mentioned literally hundreds of times in the Bible (about 1/3 of the parables discuss money, and Jesus talked about money more than heaven and hell combined). If Jesus spent so much time discussing money with his early disciples and followers, don't you think we should give it some of our attention also?

For me, the teachings of Jesus on money come down to this. We need to realize that everything we have on this earth is a blessing from God - it is all His and just on loan to us to steward and use to His Glory! In the Old Testament, the tithe was the standard of giving. But with Jesus, he wants it all! He wants all of our heart and if we have an inflated love of money, then we crowd out the space intended for him to dwell in us. You cannot serve two masters! Who are you going to serve?

At the risk of offending anyone (and we should all be "offensive for Jesus" more often), I ask each of you to honestly evaluate what place money holds in your life. How much of your income are you giving back to God? Are you hung up on whether God wants you to give based on your net income or on your gross income? Do you think that donating your time is a worthy substitute for donating your dollars? Do you keep saying that once you get your finances in order, then you will give more? Do you rationalize lower giving goals because you say the kids or grand-kids need it? Do you think you are too young to give more, or too old? Do you need to save "enough" for retirement first, and then you will give more to God? Do you use the 10% tithe as an ultimate and final goal to give, or do you strive to give even more than the tithe?

Ouch! Some of those questions may have hit home and stung a little for you - I know some did for me! We need to be convicted and stung a bit though sometimes and I know God will use that sore and softened heart to speak directly to you. Study on this topic, meditate on his word, talk to your pastor or spiritual mentor, pray about it. And after fervent prayer, I challenge all of you to step up your giving to your church and other Christian charities. Step out in faith and God will meet you there. I cannot tell you how many times we have increased our giving in faith and he has blessed us both financially and spiritually. So, don't hold back God's blessings, give of yourselves and your money to further his will and his kingdom.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Lord, Help My Unbelief - Mark 9:24

Mark 9:24
"Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!""

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This past weekend, we traveled to Ohio for Faith to tour the University of Akron and to spend time with our families there. It was a great weekend of watching the nephews play football, hanging out with family and also worshiping together on Sunday. Linda asked me to sing at her church and God laid on my heart to sing "Give Me Jesus" by Fernando Ortega. Through our trials this year, God has retaught me that I cannot solve all our problems, and that I need to turn every part of my life over to Jesus. Simply put, Jesus is all we need.

The passage today was one of the scriptures that the Pastor used in his Sermon. His message was on a broader theme, but I as read these verses from Mark again today, I was reminded about how we all struggle with unbelief sometimes. This world we live in bombards us with so much that is against our faith. We are continually told to put our faith and our trust in so many other things. But we know that there is only One that will always come through for us and will always be there for us.

So, why do we let unbelief creep into our lives sometimes? Well first, I don't think we should be too hard on ourselves. The disciples (who literally walked with Jesus) also had unbelief. In Matt 17:14-21 Jesus explains that they could not heal an epileptic boy "because of their unbelief". So, we should not feel less of a Christian if we have bouts of unbelief. And we should more often share our doubts with other believers and allow God to speak through his body to grow our faith (you can always send me emails or call with any doubts you want to share!). Ultimately, I do think the primary reason that Satan gets a foothold of unbelief in our lives is because we are not continually hearing God's word and we are not spending enough time in relationship and conversation with Jesus.

So, yes we need to cry out to our Lord and ask for him to help us in our unbelief. But we also need to help ourselves by studying, praying, fasting, fellowshiping with others believers, and communing with our Lord Jesus Christ. I'll close today with a song lyric by Alison Krauss from "A Living Prayer" (full song linked below). In the song, she says "In Your love, I find release, a haven from my unbelief". Remember that Jesus is your haven from anything that will attack you from this world. Seek Him always!

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

"A Living Prayer" - Alison Krauss
http://youtu.be/5gmVzbjxwl4

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

I know nothing but Christ crucified - I Corinthians 2:1-5

I Corinthians 2:1-5
"And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

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Before arriving in Corinth, Paul had been beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, run out of Thessalonica and Berea, and scoffed at in Athens. I imagine he was a bit tired physically and probably even emotionally drained also. But in the first chapter of I Corinthians, he comes right out of the gate praising and thanking God. Here was a man hated, rejected and abused by the world, and yet he was not discouraged from his mission.

In 1 Cor 1:18, Paul wasted no time in pointing directly to the cross when he said "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God". In our passage today from the second chapter, Paul goes on to expand on this theme. He states that he possesses no eloquent speaking abilities, or deep wisdom apart from God. He also says that he was weak, fearful, and even trembling. And Paul continually points us to God as the source of his wisdom and regenerated soul.

And so it is with us. We don't need to be master presenters and speakers to share the word of God and the gospel message with seekers. We just need to talk about how we were lost, and that now we are found in the cross of Christ. I believe that the most effective sermon we can give is our personal testimony. Your testimony highlights your weaknesses (you are not better than the seeker), and at the same time it focused them on the saving and transforming power of the cross. Seekers most often don't need to hear a theology class, they just need to understand and really see the cross.

So, I challenge you to share your testimony from your heart. Just talk about where you have been and where you are now. Talk about how important your faith is and how you would be lost without your relationship with Jesus. And if you bare your soul completely, don't be surprised if you see a receptive heart in the seeker. Then it is time to share the gospel message of Christ crucified on the cross.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Previous Bible Trivia: Both Kay and Sue found the verse (v11) in Ecclesiastes 3 that talks about how God has put eternity in our hearts. And Kay was the only one to identify the 60s song that was based almost solely on Ecclesiastes 3. The song was "Turn, Turn, Turn" written by Pete Seeger and made famous by the Byrds. Great job guys and keep that eternal perspective!

Family Update: We are looking forward to seeing everyone in Ohio this weekend!

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Find Your Purpose - Colossians 1:16b

Colossians 1:16b
"Everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him."

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It's not about you. It's all about Him.

This past week, Kay and I started rereading "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. As many of you know, we got the chance to attend Pastor Warren's Saddleback Church in the LA area when we were on our family vacation in California last month. After that visit, I was reminded how impactful that book was to my faith life, and I felt led to reread it. I often tell people that The Purpose Driven Life is the 2nd most important book in my faith life, and it is truly that important to me. I also found an inexpensive Kindle version of the book that includes chapter videos from Pastor Warren, and is also updated "for a new generation" as Pastor Warren describes. I will probably share other highlights of the book over the next 40 days as Kay and I make our way through the text.

The book starts off with the question, "What on earth am I here for?" The first section's chapters cover the topics of "You are not an accident", "What drives your life?", "Made to last forever", "Seeing life from God's view", "Life is a temporary assignment", "The reason for everything", and today's topic "It all starts with God".

As with any creation or invention, if you want to know why something was created, you need to go to the creator! In contrast, our culture today is very "me-centered". We are all about what makes me happy, how I can be fulfilled in life, my rights, my things, and so on. Even the thousands of books written to show you a better, more successful, more satisfying and happy life, are very self-centered. But God's word (Matt 16:25 MSG) says "Self-help is no help at all, self-sacrifice is the way." We can have incredible wealth, and be extremely successful in the world's eyes, but still never find and fulfill the purpose that God created you for.

My hope for you is that you will seek out the purpose that God has destined for you. Go to his word and pray that God will reveal his design and purpose for your life. Read "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren (only about $13 in paperback and kindle). Listen to Pastor Warren's complete sermon series on the book here: http://www.purposedriven.com/day1/ . Or seek out a spiritual mentor or talk to your pastor to help guide you. God designed the plan and purpose for your life long before you were even conceived and brought to this earth. And God not only has a plan for your life on earth, but he has "planted eternity in your heart" (Ecclesiastes 3 NLT) and is preparing you to spend it with him in heaven.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Previous Bible Trivia: Both Kay and Hannah found the chapter (Chapter 4) in Proverbs that talks about being careful with your eyes. Great job guys and be careful with your eyes everyone!

Bible Trivia: In the closing paragraph above, I made a reference to God placing the yearning for eternity in our hearts. Read Ecclesiastes 3 and see if you can find the verse where this truth is revealed. As a bonus, tell me the 60s hit song that was based almost solely on Ecclesiastes 3 (You guys who grew up in the 50s and 60s better get this one!)

And a special Happy Birthday today to Scott for being the best brother a guy could ever have!

Friday, August 16, 2013

Protect Your Eyes & Protect Your Heart - Psalms 101:3

Psalms 101:3
"I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar."

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Last Sunday when Jake and I were by ourselves (the girls were at Liberty), we spent a nice day doing chores, reading, eating, and just hanging out. At one point, the conversation turned to browsing the web and I reminded Jake that we need to be careful what we come across on the internet and that we have a monitor on our home network, so be careful. This reminded me of today's psalm that has been an important life verse for me. When the kids were little and we had a family computer in the study, I even printed this verse out and pasted it on the computer monitor.

So today's message might be a little edgy, but it is an important topic both outside and even more importantly inside the church. So many lives have been ruined through missteps on the road to sexual purity. And especially for men, the first wrong turn on that road is usually made with the eyes. I attended a great men's group study many years ago and the book that we studied was called "Every Man's Battle". The key turning point in the book is a chapter called "Victory with your Eyes" and it emphasizes how important it is to keep our eyes from impure things. This is the first step on the way to victory in our minds and ultimately victory in our hearts. If you care about protecting your heart, you need to fortify your first line of defense at your eyes.

I think the problem is especially acute today with our young people because impure things are so easily available through the internet. We have to be constantly on guard for pictures and links popping up that entice us to look at or read things that are off the pathway to purity. Even our pastor has shared in the past that he was addicted to sexual material and only through the grace and strength of Christ was he freed from this bondage. If our greatest leaders who are dedicated to God and in his word every day can fall, how much more careful should we be? We need to be on-guard and avoid temptations and when confronted we need to flee like Joseph with Potiphar's wife!

Psalm 101 is a psalm from David where he is explaining how he will love, serve, and praise the Lord. To worship and fellowship with the Lord, David says he will strive to be blameless and live a life of integrity through: protecting his eyes, not associating with dishonest people, avoiding perverse ideas, not tolerating people who slander/lie/deceive, and seeking out people who are faithful and above reproach.

My prayer for us today is that we would be convicted by this message and God's word and that we would pray that God would give us his strength to overcome. We can only find true victory in and through Jesus. And even if we have fallen badly in the past (just as David did), we can make a fresh start now and be made whole and pure through his cleansing blood. Praise God for his power and forgiveness!

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Previous Bible Trivia: I heard from Nancy and my mom that they had read and enjoyed the book - thanks for the replies! And Kay identified the verse and message I was looking for. It was Phil 4:11-13 and key closing message was "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".

Bible Trivia: For today's trivia, try to find a Proverb that also talks about the wisdom of being careful with your eyes, so that you will guard your heart. Hint: My NIV Chapter heading is titled "Get Wisdom at Any Cost" and the key verse on the eyes is verse 25. There are only 31 Chapters - happy searching!

Monday, August 12, 2013

Be Thankful In All Circumstances - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

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I just finished reading "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom. Wow, what an amazing story about an incredible Godly woman in an awful period in our history! Some of you probably have read this book (tell me if you have read and liked it also), but I will give a brief background to this story. The short synopsis is that the Ten Boom family lived in Holland during the German occupation during WWII. They ran a safe house and underground transit operation to protect and shelter Jews who were being rounded up, imprisoned, tortured and killed by the Germans. Well eventually the Germans uncovered their operation and sent most of the family to a concentration camp. The conditions there were deplorable and the passage I want to cover today, takes place in one of those concentration camps.

The situation was this... Corrie and her sister Betsie had just been moved to a new camp in Germany from Holland as the allies were closing in. The living quarters were extremely crowded and were dirty, dank, and the straw on their beds was infested with biting fleas!!! Betsy immediately began to pray to God to show them how they could possibly survive in these conditions. Then she suddenly exclaimed "He has given us the answer in the passage we have just read this morning!" They had just read today's passage that proclaimed that they ought to give thanks in ALL circumstances for that is God's will for them as believers. So to the surprise of Corrie, Betsie started giving thanks to God for the biting fleas! Betsie firmly believed that God had put them in this place so that he could work through them and reach prisoners and guards alike for his kingdom.

If you have read the book, you already know that they changed thousands of lives for Christ. In the barracks, Betsie and Corrie held Bible studies with the little Bible they had smuggled in. And they always wondered why the guards never checked on them in the living quarters. One day they found out that the reason the guards would not come into the living quarters was because they did not want to be infested with fleas! So the fleas were protecting the women from the guards and were allowing them to witness to large numbers without harassment.

Sometimes it is hard to imagine what that generation had to endure. For those of us who grew up post WWII, we can only guess at some of the hardships and burdens that they had to carry. This story though, really hit home for me. How many times do we go through tough times and pray to God to take us out of them? How many times do we call out and feel like we just cannot go on? Yes, we can and should ask God for deliverance from our trials, but we also need to stay keenly aware of the fact that God has probably put us in this situation to show his love to others and to further his kingdom.

I pray this week that we all will be ever joyful, never stop praying, and be thankful every day no matter what the circumstances. Sharpen your senses to listen and see how God is going to use you this week!

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Family Update: I am back from my travels and my meetings were very successful. Yesterday, Hannah went back to school, and Kay and Faith drove her there. Today, Kay and Faith are visiting 2 colleges near Liberty to take tours and see if they are a fit for Faith next year. Take care everyone!

Bible Trivia Question: (reply to me with your answers and I will give out gold stars in the next devotion. :) ) In another of Paul's writings, he talks not about being thankful in all circumstances, but being content in all circumstances. Which verse is this? And what is the important well-known closing message of that passage?

Monday, August 5, 2013

Hannah: The Faith to Cry Out - I Samuel 1

I Samuel 1:5, 10, 11, 17, 20, 27, 28

"But to Hannah, Elkanah would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb. ... And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, "O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head." ... Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him." ... So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked for him from the Lord." ... For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord." So they worshiped the Lord there."

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The passage today is from the sermon preached in our home church yesterday by our Pastor Janney. This passage is very special to Kay and me as this was one of the passages we read and prayed over right after "Baby Rudy" was born. Kay and I had decided that we would not name our first child until we could see her and then meditate over some verses and turn over our first decision about this new life to God. So for the first 90 minutes of Hannah's life, she was known simply to the hospital staff as "Baby Rudy". The name Hannah means "God's grace or favor" and God sure has given us great grace and favor through her life so far.

The main message this morning was that if we have the faith to cry out to God in all situations, he will hear us and awesome things will happen. The five situations in this passage that Hannah cried out were when she was empty (physically barren and emotionally dry - v1-5), provoked (when she was ridiculed by Peninnah because the Lord has closed her womb - v6-11), judged (Hannah was accused of being drunk - v12-19), torn (Hannah had to give up Samuel to the Lord - v19-28; we also need to give up our children for adoption to the Lord), and blessed (Samuel grew in the Lord and Hannah had 3 more sons and 2 daughters - Chapter 2).

Just like Hannah's example, God wants us to cry out to him for all our needs. And after Calvary, we now even have direct access to our savior Jesus to talk to. I have learned to cry out to Jesus in many of the situations above, especially as my kids have grown and experienced troubles and rough patches in their lives. I know through first hand experience that if we have the faith to cry out and depend solely on our Lord for deliverance through these times, that he will exceed our requests! I challenge you to cry out to Jesus today for those burdens you are carrying.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

"Cry Out To Jesus" - Third Day

http://youtu.be/JmVxRl5bc4Y

Family Update: The Rudys are still doing well. I am traveling again on business this week to Dallas, and 3 locations in California. I will be visiting 4 offices in 3 days so please pray for my safety and energy! Love you all!

Monday, July 29, 2013

Persecution to Preaching to Praising! - Galatians 1:23, 24

Galatians 1:23, 24

""The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!" And they praised God because of me."

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The book of Galatians is written by Paul to the people of the region of Galatia which is in modern day Turkey. Contrary to most of his other epistles, Paul gave no recorded commendations or compliments to the Galatians in this book. He was clearly writing to correct some of the teachings in and around the Galatian church that went against the important doctrine of "solo fide" (justification by Faith alone). In Chapter 2, Paul even recounts how he had to confront Peter to his face in Antioch as Peter had slipped back into requiring some elements of the law (e.g. circumcision). This is a powerful illustration to how important Paul is to our faith today in that he had to confront the very "rock" of the early church to ensure Jesus' message of salvation and freedom carried on in the church.

With this explanation of how important Paul was and is to the church, we come to our verse today. As I was reading through Galatians this past weekend, I came across this verse and was again reminded about how God can change us completely if we just listen to him and follow his lead. Scripture describes Saul (Paul before his conversion) as the biggest persecutor of the church. Saul was even present at the stoning of the first Christian martyr Stephen. Just the mention of Saul's name sent fear into the early believers.

But after Paul's experience on the road to Damascus, he was, to say the least, a changed man. God did not just settle for convincing Saul to stop persecuting Christians and to clean up his life a little. God turned Saul 180 degrees in the opposite direction from persecuting to preaching! Paul would become the apostle to the Gentiles and the single most important influence to the growth of Christianity throughout the world. Paul went on to even write almost half of the books of the New Testament. As today's verse points out the people went from fearing Paul persecutions to Praising God for him. What a turnaround!

The turnaround experience of Paul is not a rare theme in the Bible. The New Testament and the Old Testament are replete with examples of how God has taken the low and made them large for him. God delights in using the weakest of us to do his will so that we can only give him all the praise.

My prayer for you this week, is to take this message and apply it both to your own lives as well as others we come in contact with. For our lives, we need to remember that there is nothing we have done that God cannot forgive. And in fact, he will often use our sinful decisions to reach others for his ultimate good. And as we approach others that need a turnaround, remember that your care for them or your words of truth and life to them, could be the words and actions that the Holy Spirit uses to turn them slowly in the right direction. Have the courage this week to reach out to someone going in the wrong direction - your obedience and actions could be the spark needed to create the next Paul!

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Family Update: The Rudys are all doing pretty well these days. We are making our way through the summer and in fact Hannah only has 2 weeks left before she goes back to School! This morning, I am actually in Tampa on business (well actually planning to play some beach volleyball at Clearwater beach tonight). I am also in Tampa tomorrow and then travel to Atlanta on Wednesday and then back home late Wednesday night. Next week, I am traveling to Dallas, and 3 offices in California (Concord, Irvine, Emeryville) all in 1 week. I would covet your prayers for safe travel and productive discussions during this time. Love you all!

Friday, July 19, 2013

Please God - Psalms 19:14

Psalms 19:14

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."

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Earlier this week, I had a yearning to hear from the Lord so I opened my Bible and felt Psalms would speak to me. With all the preparation and very full days of our California vacation, I have not spent regular time with God and his word in the last few weeks. I really have no excuses, except that I let the world crowd out the one person that is the most important to me. I also think that since Kay's treatments have ended, I let myself be distracted and out of focus on what is really important in my life.

How many times do we find ourselves running to God when we are hit with trials? And how many times when he answers our prayers and gets us through those trials, do we walk away and let ourselves be distracted by the details of life? Is this how we would treat an earthly friend? What if you had a friend that only talked to you or paid attention to you when they were in trouble and needed advice, or money, or something else? And what if as soon as you provided that friend with what they needed, they then did not call you for months until they needed something else?

I can't help but think that this is how we treat God sometimes? How do you think He feels if the only time we talk to him or spend time in his word is when we need something? God created us for relationship with him - plain and simple. He loves us and wants desperately to spend time with us and for us to know him and love him as he already knows and loves us.

This Psalm did indeed speak to me and I fervently pray that my words and my thoughts are pleasing to my rock and my redeemer. But my words and thoughts cannot be pleasing to him, if I don't spend time reading his word, praying, and talking to him. Just as the previous devotion ("Trust the Lord & Be Happy") described how we will experience happiness when we spend time with God, we also bring joy and pleasure to God himself, when we spend time with him. We bring pleasure to God through our relationship with him! Wow, what an amazing thought! So in the next few days, spend time with God and "make his day".

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Monday, July 15, 2013

Trust the Lord & Be Happy - Proverbs 16:20

Proverbs 16:20

"He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he."

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Well as most of you already know, we made it safely through and back from our vacation (You can read and see more about it at vacation.therudys.com or twitter.com/rudyvacation). It was a jam-packed, fun-filled adventure from day 1 to day 14, topped off by 3 full days in LA with 3/4s of the AZ Rudys (We missed you Aubrey!). It is always great to get away and it is even more special when you can spend it with the people you love the most. I love you family!

Well coming off a very happy time for all of us, I thought this verse from Proverbs was quite appropriate. Even though we experience a lot of happiness and joy seeing many amazing things here on earth, there are some days for all of us that we would not describe as "happy days".

God does not promise us smooth sailing through this life here on earth. Even in the Bible, He gives us examples of great people of faith who also had some very rough roads to travel. He tells us over and over again in his word that we will experience trials and tough days (or weeks or years).

But most importantly, he also spells out over and over again (and this Proverb is a good example), that we can only find happiness in him. He say that if we put our trust in Jesus, drown ourselves in his word, and follow his statutes, that we are guaranteed of experiencing true joy! I know I for one need to be constantly reminded of where I can find true joy. I pray that you and I both will heed this call to spend some more time with Jesus and his word *THIS* week. Love you all!

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Not Our Will But His - John 6:38

John 6:38

"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."

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I am starting this devotion from 35,000 feet as we travel to San Francisco on our summer vacation. We are very excited to all be getting away together and also see this as a celebration trip for Kay's recovery (radiation was completed last week!). We will be tracking our progress and giving updates via twitter (@rudyvacation), instagram, vine, blogspot, and even facebook for you older generation. :). Don't miss out on the fun!

Today's devotion verse is from the 6th chapter of John and at this point Jesus has just fed the 5,000 and walked on water. He is in serious miracle-mode and now he is explaining that he is the true bread of life and that he has come so that we will hunger and thirst no more. Jesus tells us that even he, the very son of God, is here not to do his own will but to do the will of his father in heaven.

Again Jesus is the perfect example of how we are to be in relationship with the father. We are to seek and do his will. We are to block out the distractions of this world and the selfishness of our own desires. And we are to be obedient unto him only. My prayer for all of you and for me is that we will constantly seek God's will for our lives, and be the kind of obedient sons and daughters that we hope for our earthly children.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Don't be a Hypocrite - Matthew 23:2, 3

Matthew 23:2, 3

"The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do."

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The sermon this past Sunday was based on the 23rd chapter of Matthew and these second and third verses really sum it up. Jesus was calling out the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites and was saying to "do what they say but do *not* what they do".

Our pastor listed out several things that if you do them you might be a hypocrite (kind of the same vein of Jim Foxworthy's "You might be a red-neck if...") :) OK, here they are:

- you don't practice what you preach.
- you expect more of others than yourselves.
- you only do good for a pat on the back.
- you think you deserve the very best.
- you deny it because you haven't experienced it.
- you act the devil and pray like an angel.
- you win people to church instead of to Christ.
- you sweat the small stuff and miss the big stuff.
- you obsess on the outside but neglect the inside.
- you say, "it's not me!" When it is you.

I was convicted of several of these including sometimes not practicing what I preach. We continually need to check our motives for what we say and do and be sure we are doing everything for His glory. We also need to ensure we are not doing things in our strength but putting on the righteous of Jesus and relying on him. And finally we need to simply rest in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and trust that he will work in us.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

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Family Update: Kay and I finalized most of our California vacation plans this past weekend. We are really looking forward to a great family time together, including time with Scott and Gina in LA! We are also looking forward to spending a long weekend this weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Rudy when they visit us in Virginia. And I am going to the US Open on Friday so look for me in the gallery!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

The Lord Preserves Us - II Samuel 8:6

II Samuel 8:6

"The Lord preserved David wherever he went."

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I went to lunch on Friday with the Youth Pastor of our church, and we had a nice visit just getting to know more about him and his wife and he about the Rudys. We had some great conversation and prayer and spent some time talking about pride and the life of David. Then in my daily reading, I came across this verse in the context in Samuel of when David had to face many foes on all sides. God protected David without fail as he promised!

This verse was particularly relevant to us now as Hannah and Faith left early Saturday morning to drive to Ohio. Kay and I were a bit hesitant about them going because of time, commitments, money, and safety. But, as our kids grow up, we need to trust their maturity and judgement and ultimately trust that God will protect them as He promises.

There is one note of caution though in the life of David that I alluded to earlier. It is true that we should have confidence that if we are following the Lord and His ways, that he will bless us and protect us. However, we also need to be careful not to fall into the trap that David did and get caught up in our own pride. God had blessed David with great wealth, power, and victories in all areas of his life. But David let that success go to his head and he started to be overtaken by his own pride. As you probably already know, he committed adultery, and he even killed a man to then cover up his sin.

The good news was though that David did repent fully of his sins. Even though David had to pay for his sins through attacks on his family and country, and even the death of his son, God restored a right relationship with David and he became one of the greatest Kings of Israel.

So be encouraged to follow in God's ways and be diligent to stay in the middle of his plan for you. He will protect you, but be careful to give Him all the glory and praise for your successes!

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

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Family update: In addition to the girls adventure to Ohio this weekend, Jake was elected President of the school student council this past week! It was a tough but clean fight, but Jake prevailed. :) Remember to remain a humble leader Jake!. Also, Kay has only 4 radiation treatments left! She is a little sore now but still tolerating them pretty well. We give God all the praise!

Monday, June 3, 2013

Integrity - 1 Samuel 12:3

1 Samuel 12:3

"Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right."

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This section in my Bible is titled "Samuel's Farewell Speech". Samuel was a Prophet and the last of the judges and he had already anointed Saul as Israel's first king. But he takes this occasion to remind Israel of all that God has done for them but to also admonish them for their lack of faith in asking for a king.

But in order to admonish Israel, Samuel first reminds them of his integrity so that he has the right and the standing to call them to account. Samuel would not have been able to speak honestly and critically to Israel if he had not already earned their respect and honor.

And so it is with us. Our integrity is everything in our lives. Alan Simpson, a former US Senator said this: "If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters." I recently give a presentation to my leadership team at work and one of the key points that I made was that we all need to have the highest integrity. I told them that for me to trust them, I needed to have the utmost confidence in their integrity and honesty.

I implore all of you that no matter what happens in life, do your best to protect your integrity and your name. But of course none of us is perfect and there will be times that we fall short of our goal. If this happens, simply admit your short-coming, ask forgiveness from anyone you have wronged or deceived, and finally repent to your Lord and ask him to give you the strength to succeed next time.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

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Family Update: We went to the medical oncologist last Friday and discussed a few aspects of Kay's treatment. First, we agreed that we wouldn't put Kay on any long-term medication as a preventative measure for any returning cancer. Because of Kay's clotting disorder, the typical medications are problematic. Second, he said that Kay's hematomas are healing gradually and it will just take time for them to work out. We will check back in a few months and then make a decision about any further treatment. Third, and maybe most importantly, we decided that Kay will no longer need to take ongoing anticoagulants (Coumadin). Since she has not had a recurrence in 13 years and there are also inherent risks in taking blood thinners, we decided that this was the best course of action. This should make Kay's life even easier going forward and will be a real blessing. Thanks as always for all your prayers!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Marriage Is Forever - 1 Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

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Yesterday, Faith, Hannah, and Hannah's friend Sarah from Liberty came to meet me for lunch at work. I showed them around the office a bit and then we went to a Mexican restaurant and sat outside near a little lake. It was a beautiful day to be outside and we began talking about a wedding that Hannah and Sarah had been to the day before. As they shared some wedding details, we discussed how many Liberty students find their future spouses and get married quickly after college. But, then a comment that Sarah made gave me pause. She remarked that she had heard about a good number of divorces of former Liberty students and that people had this perception that marriages of liberty students were no longer-lasting than other US marriages.

We agreed that it is sad that the body of believers seems to set no higher standard for marriage than the world as a whole. Maybe this is because Christians feel that if you marry another Christian that there will be no conflict and it will be easy. It could be that they think that since this marriage is ordained by God, they will not need to work at it all that much. Today's verse is probably the most popular passage for wedding ceremonies. It gives many examples of what love is and is not such as: patient, kind, protecting, trusting, not envious, not boastful, not proud, and maybe the most important, not self-seeking.

If we are to have marriages that are lasting and set apart from the world, we need to mirror the love of 1 Cor 13, and of Christ himself. If we try to have a 50/50 relationship, we will end up with a "zero" marriage. I pray that we all will continually work on our marriages and strive to love our spouses as Christ loved the church and always put them first.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

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Family Update: Last Thursday we met with the surgeon again and decided to just keep trying to aspirate the hematomas and take no further action at this point. Kay had another sonogram at the hospital yesterday and there again was nothing to aspirate. However, things seem to be breaking up somewhat on their own so we will keep going down that path for the foreseeable future. Kay also had another radiation treatment yesterday after a 4 day holiday weekend and is still tolerating the treatments well. In fact, Kay said that much of the redness had faded in over the weekend. Thanks for the continued prayers for healing!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Share Your Testimonies - Luke 21:13

Luke 21:13

"But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony."

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God used difficult situations in the Bible (such as Paul's imprisonment) to create opportunities to share the truth of the gospel. Just like Paul, we too have opportunities to share our faith. God will either direct these moments to happen, or he will use circumstances to give us these chances to witness.

Over the last several months, Kay and I have had many chances to share the faith that is getting us through this season of our lives. We have had opportunities to share with unbelievers "the hope that lies within us", and we have also had the chance to encourage believers with our reliance on God to carry us through. And likewise, we have been encouraged by many others in similar situations that have given us the strength to persevere.

Just last night I talked to a friend who lost his job a few weeks ago. He worked for a company that had a contract with Home Depot to install storm doors. He has worked for them for 7 years and all of a sudden Home Depot decided to cancel their contract. Now he is out of a job with little prospects and no post high school education. He is a man of great faith though and told me that he knows God will use this occasion to grow him and provide him an opportunity to witness to others because of this trial.

God never wastes a trial. Whether what you are going through is from God or not, he will use that valley for your growth and for his glory. So be ready and on the lookout for life's surprises, and embrace them and use them for his good.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

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Family Update: Tuesday we went to the hospital to try to needle aspirate the hematomas. But alas, the sonogram still showed nothing to aspirate, so we will try again next week. Today we go back to the surgeon for a check-up and to talk next steps. On the positive side, Kay has completed 5 radiation treatments now and is tolerating them ok so far. Praise God!