Devotional 4-4-09

What kind of a Friend are you? Are you a Forever Friend?

The scene: Six days before Passover John 12:1-11
A dinner party at Simon the leper’s house with Jesus as the main guest. Including such dignitaries as Lazarus, Mary, Martha, and the disciples. The place is Bethany were Jesus just a few days earlier had raised Lazarus from the dead after he had been gone for four days. The talk is mainly concerned with how good Lazarus looks after being in the tomb for four days, and the great crowds of people that had been coming from all around to see him that was dead for four days. Let’s look at this dinner at the people who are here and consider who they really are.

Who are the Forever Friends?

Prov 18:24 - Some friends play at friendship but a true friend sticks closer than one’s nearest kin.

An Inviting Friend… (Simon the leper and Lazarus) One who will open the door and ask you to come in. You are welcome to come in and sit down at the table to have a fellowship a sharing of you with him. Makes himself friendly by giving himself to you. Is not afraid to sit next to you at the table. A joy to be around and always grateful for all that they receive. Jesus is an inviting friend who wants to invite you to invite him into your life. Would you be an inviting friend? Would be willing to continuously invite others to our table in the church?

A serving Friend…. (Martha)…Invites you to sit down at their table and cooks, serves, and cleans up after you. Washes your dishes. Brings your meal to you and allows you to eat and pays the bill for you. Serves you first. Jesus was willing to clean up your mess and pay for your bill. He came as a servant although he is the King of Kings. He is our servant.

A sacrificing Friend….(Mary) …Is broken and spilled out for you. They humble themselves before you to make the sacrifice for your benefit without the thought of return. Mary gave the equivalent of a year’s wages to Jesus when she poured out the perfume for Jesus. Then she proceeded to wipe his feet with her hair. Mary’s gift to the Savior made an odor that filled the house, so that there was no doubt that she had given much to the Savior. Jesus is the sacrificing friend that has given his life for you.

Oceanside, Calif.: Mr. Alter's fifth-grade class at Lake Elementary School made headlines when the boys in the class decided by themselves to shave their heads. They did so, without embarrassment, because one of their own, Ian O’Gorman, developed cancer and had undergone chemotherapy. His hair began to fall out. To make their friend feel at home, to feel one with the crowd, all his classmates agreed to shave their heads, with their parent's permission, so that upon his return, Ian would not stand out from the class. No one would know who the "cancer kid" was. The teacher, Mr. Alter, was so moved by the spirit of his class that he too shaved his head.

A Pretending (WANNA BE) Friend… (Judas) …This is a person who is close to you but never considers your needs over his or hers. This person is always putting their wants first. Judas was just such a friend. He was always there with the moneybag but he was not there for Jesus. Soon after the dinner he began to consort with the Pharisees on Jesus’ betrayal. He was always looking for ways to help himself to the goods.

A Forever Friend…(Jesus) … Jesus will be your forever friend and never leave you. Will you be a forever friend? How have you been a friend to others?

These are the Forever Friends. What makes the difference in these Friends? Their relationship to Jesus was the key. Are you a forever friend?

How close were they to the Savior?
Lazarus was close enough to eat with Him and recline with him at the table.
Martha was close enough to cook him dinner and serve him.
Mary was close enough to smell his feet and anoint them with the costly perfume.
Judas was close enough to kiss Him but didn’t know him. Do you know him?

He is Salvation. Lazarus, Martha, and Mary chose to give themselves to him, but Judas chose himself over Jesus. How close are you to the Savior? Would you come to get close to him today?

Amy Inghram

Mission Reponse and Prayer Focus
April 4: Are you a good correspondent? Donate a penny for every stamp you have.

Devotional 3-11-09

God of One and God of Many

“Which commandment is the first of all?...”You shall love the Lord your god with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Mark 12:28, 30-31

Conversion to God means simultaneous conversion to the other persons who live with you on this earth. The farmer, the worker, the student, the prisoner, the sick, the wealthy, the poor, the black man, the white man, the weak, the strong, the oppressed, and the oppressor, the patient, the healer, the tortured, the torturer, the boss, the flunky, not only are they people like you, but they are also called to make themselves heard and to give God a chance to be the God of all. Thus compassion removes pretensions, just as it removes false modesty. It invites you to understand everything, to see yourself in the light of God and to joyfully tell everyone you meet that there is no reason to fear; the land is free to be cultivated.

Your greatest commandments, dear God, are loving you and loving our neighbor. Make them a part of our everyday lives. Fill us with compassion, understanding and the trust that you are with us no matter where we are and what we are doing and that we are blessed by your grace. Amen.

Amy Inghram

Mission Prayer and Response:

March 11: Education is a blessing. Give $1.00 for each High School Senior in your home.
March 8-14: We celebrate Ebenezer Community Outreach Center in Huntington, Celes Sheffield, Executive Director.
They minister through their pre-school program, Youth Energized for Success; Family enrichment Center, Baby Bassinette, clothing closet, School supply programs, Christmas Angel program the Idus Jones Scholarship Program (awarded to a high school senior) $-H and Girls Scouts

Devotional 3-14-08

Adding Something For Lent
Lent is not all about giving things up. It's also about adding good things to our lives or to others' lives -- the kind of good things that follow on what Jesus asks of us.

• Reconcile yourself to someone you don't like, or even hate or did something bad to, or just intentionally stayed away from.
• Do acts of kindness for people, just because they're there; give them little tastes of God's love.
• If you haven't taken the time lately to be in a refreshing, natural spot, do so. I live in South Point, which has wonderful hills and the Ohio River to enjoy some peace and rest. You have places where you live, too. Even if it's a brief stay, even a half-hour or so, try it.
• Study, meditate, and pray over one or two Scripture passages for each day, through a daily lectionary (assigned Bible readings for each day), the Upper Room (Scripture-based devotions), or devotional booklets or email lists.
• Think upon something ordinary that you do every day, and think about God while doing it, in a way that ties into what you're doing. Or think of a place you come to regularly, and each time think where Christ might be in this place, what Christ might do there, or what you might be led to do for Christ.
• Attend special worship services. Perhaps it's a liturgical church's daily morning or evening prayer service (Matins and Vespers). Perhaps it's a Wednesday Lenten service. Or maybe it's time you started going to the Sunday morning services every Sunday or Thursday.
• Try to find a new way every day to bring to mind Jesus' death on the cross, and why it happened.

This year, my add-in will be to spend an average of a half-hour a day more each week in face-to-face activities with other people than I have been doing. but it is what I need to do if I am to grow toward Jesus.

Amy Inghram

Devotional 3-5-08

Who Do You Say I Am?

It’s easy to think you have someone figured out because you send several hours in a class or work with them on a regular basis. But as you get to know them outside that class or work, you see a different person.

So many people thought that they had Jesus figured out. Some thought Jesus to be a radical preacher, like John the Baptist. Others considered him to be a sincere religious leader like Elijah. Still others considered him to be a great prophet like Jeremiah.

All those answers contained a little truth but did not come close to Jesus’ true identity. When Peter said the he was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, he gave the right answer even though he did not completely understand what he was saying. He still had preconceived ideas about the Messiah.

Be watchful about your own perceptions of Jesus. Be careful not to confine Jesus to a certain role in your life because of your limited understanding.

Seek Jesus more and more, until you truly know him.

Matthew 16: 13 – 20

Amy Inghram