Devotional 3-28-14

John 9: 1-41 Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  36 “Who is he sir?”  the man asked, “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”  37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”  38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.  39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”  40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What?  Are we blind too?”  41 Jesus said, “if you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin: but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

Spiritual blindness is a condition that afflicts many of us today!  Just like the Pharisees in the scripture lesson, we have a tendency to view our world in traditional, legalistic and sometimes a self-justifying manner.  All through Scripture blindness is used to represent the spiritual inability to see God’s word.  Jesus reminds us that we have lived in darkness but through him we can see his grace, love, joy and know his true peace!

Do you have a few spiritual “blind spots”?  I know I do.  There are many times when I fail to do God’s will.  I do not see the many gifts and blessings bestowed on me yet quickly call out to God when I am in need.  I hope you will use this Lenten season to get a “spiritual vision” check.  Once you come to understand that Jesus is the light of the world then you see your spiritual walk in a new way and will be reminded again of this saying:

No God Know God

No Peace Know Peace

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, we thank you for the light you sent for us.  Help us to correct our spirit when we stumble due to being blind to your word and your work.  Help us to see you every day as we live our lives to service in you.  Through your Son, Jesus Christ, all things are possible!  Amen

Marv Jones

Devotioanal 3-31-12

Philippians 2: 1-3

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in Spirit and purpose.  3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Humility is a trait best taken in small doses! (I experience mine in the kitchen or on a golf course). This world is full of examples of people who exult in their own achievements. Athletes, movie stars, politicians can all be seen on national media promoting their own accomplishments and accepting praise for their work,

During this Lenten Season, Paul reminds us of the true meaning of humility.  Christ came to serve not be served.  Time and again he demonstrated humility by serving others, encouraging the down trodden, healing the sick - even willing to die on the Cross!  Yet as individuals and church we continue to promote our own agendas!

How much more could we accomplish if we make a concerted effort to humble ourselves in service to the Lord?  By humility, I mean using your strengths and talents for the good of others.  Think of the talent that exits here in our own church!  Yes, we do a lot, but how much more can we accomplish?

Think of the possibilities!

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, we ask for the strength and wisdom to humble ourselves in your service.  Empower us to serve your earthly kingdom in a way that glorifies you and meets the needs of your church.  Amen 

Marv Jones

Devotional 3-16-11

John 3: 1-17 Are You Born Again?

I find this scripture reading to be quite a challenge. Over the years, I have discussed/debated/argued its meaning to Nicodemus and Christians today with family and friends. Like Nicodemus, many of us want to read the Bible with a literal interpretation. Jesus reminds us in this passage of the importance of the Spirit!

As we enter the Lenten Season many Christians follow a tradition of “giving up” something for Lent. This can include such items as coffee, candy, pop or other items the individual enjoys. The idea being that to deny yourself something you enjoy will serve as a reminder of the price Jesus paid on the cross. This can be very effective.

However, there is a movement under way where Christians “add” something to their day rather than experience denial. I challenge you to assess your spiritual health! What can you add to your daily walk that will aid your spiritual development? Daily prayer, daily Bible study, meditation, fellowship……..the list of possibilities is endless.

In my work place, safety is a big topic and emphasis is placed on it constantly! We have a program where 3 safe work habits are observed and recorded daily. If there are no violations after 6 weeks then 3 new safety actions are chosen. It seems if we do the same thing every work day successfully it becomes a “acquired” habit.

How about you? What can you add to your day to improve your spiritual health? Lent offers each of us the perfect opportunity to get our daily Spiritual food.

Prayer: Father thank you for the gift of eternal life-give me the strength and discipline to feed my Spirit so I may better serve you!   Amen

Marv Jones

Devotional 3-28-10

John 12:1-8

In this chapter of John, Jesus is in Bethany visiting Lazarus, Martha and Mary. A dinner is given in Jesus’ honor with his disciples in attendance, as it is 6 days before Passover and the betrayal! The Bible tells us that Lazarus is reclining at the table with the others while Martha serves them. But what about Mary?

I am sure Martha is stressed that Mary is not helping with the meal. However, it is here that Mary does something unusual. She brings out a pint of pure nard (an expensive perfume) and pours it on Jesus’ feet, wiping them with her hair. Even today, we can hear those in attendance complain about the lack of help for Martha, the waste of the expensive perfume that could be sold for top dollar, the lost opportunity to cash in the nard and give to the poor. All of these objections are true, but I think they miss the point.

Jesus reminds them the nard is for his burial and that we will always have the poor, but we will not always have him. Therefore, the challenge is to identify what is precious to each one of us and then be willing to use it to glorify God’s work. Ah- but that can be most difficult! It can be easy to “mouth” conviction but it can be much harder to put words into action. If you had a great amount of money or time for Christ how would you use it?

Is it reflected in your budget and your priorities?

I am ashamed to admit I still have my jar of nard.

Marvin Jones

Devotional 3-20-09

“Rich in Mercy”
Ephesians 2: 1-10

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was written while he was in prison. Yet- we do not read of his lamenting on his situation in life or his current condition. Indeed, when we read this scripture Paul is exclaiming the good news of being saved thru grace and not by good works!
In today’s world, this belief of saving grace gets pushed to the side by the secular world. Books, newspapers, TV shows and pundits all extol self-reliance and hard work to get a reward! The idea being that we must improve our productivity, our technology, our GDP, etc.

Paul reminds us that no amount of good work can help us achieve eternal life. It is because God is rich in his mercy toward us that we can be saved. This is not a type of “Rich” that the world can understand. In this time of economic hardship, financial loss and world-wide market upheaval let us be thankful to God knowing he is rich in his mercy toward us.

Verse 10 states “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” Let us go forward in the certain knowledge that by his richness of grace we can do his work wherever he needs us!.

Marv Jones

Mission Prayer and Response Focus:
March 20: If you have little ones, give a quarter for every car seat you have.