Dear Friends,

In Ecclesiastes 3, we read, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” After much prayer and reflection, Bonnie and I have decided that the season for us to send out this weekly devotional has ended. Our goal over the past two years has been to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in a way that is respectful and caring. Our hope is that you have been blessed as much by reading it, as we have been by preparing each message.

Our thanks to those who encouraged us with their kind words, emails, and letters. We close, wishing each of you a glorious Easter.

Christ is Risen!
Christ is Risen Indeed.

“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”  Titus 3:4-7

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ – Don & Bonnie Sennott

Dear Friends,

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Psalm 23:1-2 (KJV)

 “He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.”
Isaiah 40:11 (NLT)

The Scriptures include myriad of verses that compare the Lord to a Shepherd. As we approach Easter, let us turn our attention to the Tenth Chapter of John, where Jesus explains his role as the good shepherd.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:14-15 (NIV)

In the Reformation Bible, R.C Sproul points out that “know” here, as so often in Scripture, means more than a mental grasp; it includes personal understanding and a commitment of will. To say that God “knows” a person in this way refers to His gracious redemptive commitment to that individual.

I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
John 10:16

Up to this point, Jesus ministry had been focused on the Jews. Here he announces that he is the shepherd for all who will listen to his voice.

 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” John 10:17-18

Note the significance of these verses. Jesus is declaring that he will not only voluntarily lay down his life for his sheep, but that he will live again. When Jesus raises Lazarus in John 11, he reveals God’s power over death.

 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30

Jesus uses the analogy of the shepherd to explain his role as our Savior. If we listen to his voice and follow him, he offers us eternal life.

Verse for the Week:
“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

The word “grace” appears in the New Testament over 100 times; the apostle Paul used it 80 times.  Surprisingly, Jesus never spoke of grace … He lived it.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NIV)

Stories in the Scriptures can help us recognize the nature of grace.

1. When Jesus chose Matthew, a hated tax collector as his disciple, he showed us that grace doesn’t take applications, it offers invitations. Grace meets people where they are, not where they ought to be.

 “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.” Matthew 9:9

2. At the wedding in Cana, Jesus demonstrated that grace comes to us even in the midst of life’s little dilemmas. There is an expression, “Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff.” Grace comes in when the small stuff becomes really big to us.
   “The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”” John 2:1-3 (NLT) 
3. Jesus touched the leper before he healed him. We don’t have to get cleaned up before we can come to Christ.
   “Jesus reached out and touched him.“I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the  leprosy disappeared.”   Matthew 8:3 
4. Jesus’ encounter with the woman caught in adultery shows that God knows all our secrets and accepts us where we are.
   “They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said,“All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.” John 8:7-8 
5. Jesus words on the cross show that grace is available to each of us.
   “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
   Luke 23:24aTHERE ARE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS THAT KEEP US FROM REALIZING THE POWER OF GRACE.

“NOT AFTER WHAT I’VE DONE”
Once we start to realize that grace accepts us as we are, we can start to build our own grace story.

“NOT AFTER WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO ME”
We want justice when what is needed is grace. We need to release our hurt and resentments to God.
“And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”                                        Ephesians 4:26-27

 

“NOT AFTER WHAT MY LIFE HAS BECOME”
Guilt and pain that we feel because we made a difficult decision can only be released when we believe that God’s grace is greater than anything we have done or has been done to us.

How would you answer the question, “What is grace?” Some might be tempted to rely on a Sunday school definition such as “Grace is unmerited favor,” or “Grace is a gift we need, but cannot earn.” But the best answer is a story: your story of how you have experienced grace. God can help you write a new story, and the title is, “Grace is greater.”

ACTION PLAN: We may see grace without recognizing it; we may offer grace without realizing it. This week, make a note of times when you have experienced grace, and share your “grace stories” with others.

ACTION PLAN: If you have been limited by any of the “Not after” thoughts that keep us from realizing the power of grace, pray that God will show you his grace by freeing you from that kind of thinking.

ACTION PLAN: Help others find grace by volunteering to serve at your church at Easter.

Verse for the Week:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ

 

 

This week’s devotional was inspired by a message titled “Grace is Greater”
Kyle Idleman
Saddleback Church, March 25-26, 2017

 

Dear Friends,

A few days ago, Bonnie and I viewed the Lionsgate film The Shack. If you have seen the film, we’d love to hear what you thought of it. If you haven’t, be warned:
This movie is not for everyone; it deals with a horrific tragedy, and forces the viewer to grapple with the question, “How do you forgive the unforgiveable?”

In an interview, the author, Paul Young, explained that “The Shack is a metaphor for the house we build out of our own pain.” The positive message we took away from The Shack is that we don’t have to be trapped in that house of pain. God is in the business of rebuilding.

Anyone who has read the 2007 novel The Shack will appreciate how faithfully the film follows the original story line. Mack Phillips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted, and evidence found in an abandoned shack indicated that she had been brutally murdered by a serial killer. Four years later, his life covered by a Great Sadness, Mack discovers in his mailbox a suspicious invitation to return to the shack. What follows is a miraculous, but painful, spiritual journey, during which Mack struggles to understand just where God is in a world filled with such unspeakable pain.

The Shack is not a theological treatise, it is a story. But it is a story that explores the struggle people who suffer great injustice must face. Will they turn their back on God and slip into an ever-deepening despair, or will they seek God and find the grace to forgive and live again?

Mack’s story gives us a fresh view of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. By using very untraditional characters to represent the Trinity, the book and the film allow us to cast aside our stereotypes to find the God of love—who cares about each and every one of his children—to find the God who is “especially fond” of each one of us.

“There are not ‘many’ ways to heaven—only one, and that’s found in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  But when all the world can see, looking through the knothole of their pain, is a disfigured caricature of God, how (the authors wondered) might we … catch a glimpse of the God who really is?”

If you decide to read the book or see the film, you may appreciate the biblical thread that runs through the story. These are a few verses of Scripture that came to mind as we discussed the film:

Mack’s wife affectionately refers to God as Papa. Abba is the equivalent of daddy or papa. ^“And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6 (NLT)

Even though Mack voices his anger with God, God repeatedly shows him how much he loves him. “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:39 (NLT)

Sarayu, the character that represents the Holy Spirit collects Mack’s tears in a bottle. “You have seen me tossing and turning through the night. You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle! You have recorded every one in your book.” Psalm 56:8 (TLB)

Mack actually questions God when God tells Mack that there was a journey he’d have to take alone. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)

Judgement is a recurring theme throughout the film. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.” Matthew 7:1-2 (NLT)

Mack’s encounter with Jesus at the lake is delightful. “About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.” Matthew 14:25 NLT

As in Proverbs, Wisdom is presented as a woman. “Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square;” Proverbs 1:20 (NIV)

Only someone who has known deep pain can offer the comfort that Mack is eventually able to offer to his family. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

God’s love for Missy shows God’s heart for children. “These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy.” Luke 18:17a MSG

The limitlessness of God’s love is seen in the way the character representing God hates the crime, but grieves over the soul of the killer. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

Mack is truly comforted in the end. “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4  (NLT)

This is the hardest verse to accept when you are blinded by your pain: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Verse for the Week: “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Revelation 21:4

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

“Life is made up of moments. Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.” – Author unknown.

This weekend, our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate the joyous holiday of Purim. You can read the story of Purim in the Book of Ester, but here is our “Cliff Notes” version.

King Ahaserus (Xerxes) ruled the Persian Empire, whose boundaries ranged from India to Ethiopia, from 486 BC until his assassination in 465 BC.  When his wife Queen Vashti refused the king’s request that she “display her beauty before the people and the officials … the king became very angry.”

When the king asked his advisors what should be done to the queen for her disobedience, the advisors warned that if she wasn’t punished, the queen’s conduct will be known to all women, causing them to look on their husbands with disrespect.

For the sake of “domestic tranquility,” Queen Vashti was dethroned and a replacement was sought. The king decreed, “Every man should be the master and rule in his own home.”  Esther 1:22 (NIV)

[Writer’s comment to married women: If your husband tries to use this verse on you, suggest he read 1 Corinthians 13.]

Back to the story … In a search for a new queen, beautiful virgins were brought to the king’s palace from all over the empire. One of those who was chosen was the niece of Mordecai, who was an attendant in the king’s court. Esther was beautiful of form and face. Like all of the other’s chosen, she went through an extensive 12-month beautification program.

Each of the candidates went before the king, but it was Esther who found favor and kindness with him more than all the other virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.

[Here the plot thickens. Following the instructions of her Uncle, Esther had not revealed her Jewish background.]

When Mordecai learned that two of the king’s guards were plotting to kill the king, Mordecai informed Esther, who told the king in Mordecai’s name. Both conspirators were hanged when the plot was investigated and found to be true.

A while later, the King promoted Haman [one of his top advisors] and established his authority over all the officials who were with him. All the kings servants … bowed down and honored and paid homage to Haman; for this is what the king had commanded in regard to him. But Mordecai [a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin neither bowed down or paid homage to him.”

The others who served at the gate tried to convince Mordecai to obey the king’s command to honor Haman, but when he refused to listen, they told Haman that Mordecai’s reason for not bowing down was that he was a Jew. [Writer’s note: Mordecai believed that bowing down to Haman would violate God’s commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3

Haman was furious. But punishing Mordecai was not enough; Haman was determined to destroy all the Jews, who throughout the kingdom. Looking for an auspicious day to approach the king with his plan, Haman cast Pur, that is the lot, … day after day, month after month, until the month of Adar (Feb-Mar).

“There is a certain people scattered throughout the kingdom,” Haman explained to the king, “whose laws are different from those of all other people; and they do not observe the king’s laws. If it pleases the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry out the business …”

The king sent out a decree to kill and to annihilate all of the Jews, in one day, (March 7, 473 B.C.) and to seize their belongings as plunder. Throughout the kingdom, Jews began fasting and mourning. When Esther heard of the decree, she sent Hathach, one of her attendants, to Mordecai, to learn what had happened. Mordecai told Hathach everything that had happened and gave him a copy of the decree which had been issued for the destruction of the Jews, so he might explain it to her and order her to go to the king to seek his favor and plead with him for the lives of her people.

Esther sent Hathach to Mordecai with a message that she had not been summoned by the king for 30 days and “Any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court without being summoned, he has but one law, that he is to be put to death.”

Mordecai sent a message back to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in your palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, liberation and rescue will arise from and another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows if you attained royalty for such a time as this [and for this very purpose.]

Esther told Mordecai to declare a three-day fast, after which she would go to the king.

Fast forward … Esther approached the king and found favor in his sight. “What is your request, he asked, “It shall be given to you, up to half the kingdom.” 

Esther’s request: Invite Haman to supper! When Haman received the invite, he went around boasting of his success to all of his friends, but he told them he would not be happy as long as he saw Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate. His wife and all of his friends told him to build a gallows and ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it. So, Haman had the gallows made.

“That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. It was found recorded there that Mordecai had been the one who had exposed the plot to kill him. When he learned that nothing had been done to honor Mordecai, the king asked if there was anyone available whom he could consult. As perhaps God had planned it, Haman was waiting to see the king in order to request that the king hang Mordecai.

When the king asked Haman, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?  Thinking the king was speaking of him, Haman suggested that he be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials, who should dress him in a royal robe and lead him on horseback through the city, proclaiming, “This is what shall be done for the man the king desires to honor.”

Imagine the look on Haman’s face when the king said, “Do this for Mordecai.”

After carrying out the king’s order, Haman returned home to tell his wife and his friends what had befallen him. While they were speaking to him, the king’s carriage arrived to bring him to the banquet Esther had preferred.

[Haman just ate crow, and now he’s heading to a banquet with a sour stomach.]

At the banquet, the king repeated the offer he had made to Esther to “grant her request, to give her up to half his kingdom.

Esther replied, “Let my life be spared as my petition, and my people be spared as my request,” When she explained that it was her people that Haman had singled out for extinction, the king became enraged and went to the courtyard to decide what to do. When he returned he found Haman, who had been pleading for mercy, on the couch with the queen. “Will he even attempt to assault the queen with me in the palace?” Ironically, Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.

The king gave the House of Haman to Esther, and when he learned Mordecai’s relationship to her, the king put him in charge of the House of Haman with all its authority.

Again, Esther pleaded before the king, asking that the decree for the destruction of the Jews be rescinded. The king authorized Mordecai to send out an edict that granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children, and to plunder the property of their enemies.

On the day that had been assigned for the destruction of the Jews, it was their enemies who were destroyed — 500 in the capital city of Susa alone. But nothing was plundered.

The story of Esther’s heroism became the inspiration for the holiday of Purim.

“Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.” Esther 9:20-22

Perhaps this is the day YOU were created for. Praise God.

Verse for the Week: Genesis 12:3
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ