A Balance of Power

Devotional: A Balance of Power

^YLT Isaiah 33:22 For Jehovah our judge, Jehovah our lawgiver, Jehovah our king -- He doth save us.

     Why is America so great?

Many people ask the question, “Why do we think America is so great above other nations?  Is it because of the size of our country? Or the way we claim to be the best in national loyalty?  Maybe it is great because we create the greatest rock stars? I’m not sure that other countries can claim to have an Elvis, Billy Joel or Michael Jackson.  But these are not the reasons why America is so great. 

       One reason that our citizens have claimed our country to be so great is because from the very inception of our country, the founders looked to God in order to guide them and the people in creating a government that protects, governs and frees people to be who they believe God created them to be. 

         The founding fathers of the country did not take this idea lightly so they turned to scripture to help them, as many of them were men who believed in the scripture to lead people to a better understanding of the world.   

   The scripture reference above was one of the leading aspects of how the founders understood that governing a nation was bigger than one person like a king or unchecked group like parliament.  So, this scripture was key to serving the citizen to know that people are always understood as flawed and must have some way to balance the power of governing a nation of free people. 

        Israel understood that not only did Kings have power from God but Judges also guided people to follow the laws of God and that there was a social law given not only for the people but also for those who were given the task to serve in leading.   The number 3 comes up in the founding and history of our country due to the idea that 3 is a special number in the Bible.  Concepts and lessons in scripture helped the founders to know that 3 is a responsible number, Three in the Godhead, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,  the three virtues of faith, hope and charity.  Three days of Jesus in the grave before the resurrection.  The scriptures divided into 3 parts the prophets the law and psalms. 

       So why not the president rather than King because only God can be called the King of any people?  The Judicial branch was only to judge on the lawfulness of the people, and the Legislative branch, which would make the laws by the guidance and allowance of the people who elected them.  The framers of this country knew that people are not good enough to trust with unbridled power. 

       So, one reason that America is great is because we understand that only God is good enough to rule, judge and lead a nation of free people. 

   
^KJV Isaiah 33:22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

So, as you think our our country and celebrate the independence of it many years ago.  Remember, that the Christian faith was directly intertwined with the developing of the nation that we cannot untangle our faith from the founding of America.  That is why America is so great and we can look to our faith to thank the Lord above for the scriptures that inspired the men who determined to live out: Liberty, E pluribus unum and In God We Trust.  
   Have a happy and grateful Fourth of July

You Are the World

You Are the World

"To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world."   Dr. Seuss
Sometimes we see ourselves as one small insignificant person in the whole world of people.  It is easy to think this way especially when you go into crowds of people and see so many.   But the work that you do every time you do it, affirms the importance of every single person in the world.   

Matt. 9:21, "She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."
People who seek peace and healing, desire to be close to or just touched by someone who knows that they are there.   

This past weekend I went to visit the Hope House Staff and kids with disabilities.  I went over to Alex and I noticed that she was awake.  I saw that little hand there and i believe that she is blind but I touched her hand.  Immediately she took my hand and began to turn it over and under, up and down and play with my hand seemingly to say thanks for knowing that I'm here.  I see that you are here too, let's be here together.  So, I let her play with my hand for a while.  I may have been the only person in the world for at the moment.  It was a special moment for me.  I hope her too.

  It's ok to make one person in the world feel special because you may be the world to them.

May God bless you to know His presence, peace and safety as you seek to extend the healing of the Lord to our World.  May there be a fusillade of grace, by way of direction, connecting, compassion that grant you success in your efforts to offer support and hope to patients and their families.  Amen!

Remember to sign up for the Annual Care Giver Retreat today. Care Giver Retreat will be held on May 19th from 9am to 1:30pm at Dunaway Gardens in Newnan, GA

The Incredible You

 

   Today you are you.  That is truer than true. There is no one alive. More youer than You!  Dr. Seuss

     The Celebration of You!

It is important to be part of a community of people but you must remember to be yourself.  There are countless stories of individuals who changed the lives of many simply because they answered the voice within to a task that no one else even saw. 

Harriet Tubman, Florence Nightingale, Albert Einstein, Wolfgang Mozart, Vincent Van Gogh, George Washington Carver.  

     All of these and more are counted as individuals who saw something and sought to see it become real.  You are a person made in the image of God.  The power to love, to grow, to learn, to help and to Be is all inside of you.

The Psalmist calls out in praise to God, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” 

       Walk in the light!

      So thou shalt know

      That fellowship of love

      His Spirit only can bestow,

      Who reigns in light above,

   Walk in the light!

       And thine shall be

       A path, though thorny, bright;

      For God, by grace, shall dwell in thee

      And God Himself is light.

                                                     Moravian Daily prayer text 

How do you affirm you own person-hood in the world?  Remember to get a healthy dose of those things you like to do and you will be well on your way to being the Incredible You!!  
      

UNLESS

Unless

someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It’s not.

                                                                          The Lorax

      The words of the Lorax make good sense when it comes to you making changes for the better.  In the story, the Lorax called for the businessman to be responsible with nature but my challenge is to be responsible with life.  Your life!!   It is quite frequent that most people facing a life challenge will not make the necessary changes UNLESS things become critical.   It really doesn’t have to get critical for you to make changes in the world, it takes passion.   Turning passion into performance can make a real difference in the  world around you.  This reminds me of a great quote I read,

     “The richer, the wiser, the more powerful a man is the greater is the

       obligation upon him to employ his gifts in the lessening of the

       sum of Human misery.”    John Randolph

Just like the Lorax warned the businessman in the story, John Randolph informs us that our control over some type of resources or power obligates us to use that gift to better the world around us. 

As a care giver, you are entrusted with the well-being of another human being, which is a monumental task in our day.  The gift you have been given is a powerful testimony of the grace in our world.  Making good use of that gift calls for your diligence, love and persistence to offer it well to those who need it most. 

May God bless you in caring for another person in support of their life to find worth in our world today.   

         

Envisioning Telos

 Envisioning Telos

       You may already know something about this Greek word that we will discuss this week because it's meaning taps into the big picture issues of life.    I'm sure that your pastor has used this word in his/ her sermons due to the impact it has on theological understandings.                        

 With telos, many great things have been accomplished in this world but Without telos, some of the smallest things that we experience in life are chocked out of our reality.  Sometimes people who have lost their telos will fall into deep dark depression, some have died.   So, let's talk about telos this week.

    Telos is Purpose

      Defined: The end of a goal-directed process, especially the Aristotelian final cause..

  As humans, our minds are driven to understand the world around us in a way that looks for purpose.  Not just what else does this can opener do besides open cans but what is the end goal and purpose for the making of this thing.   telos has more to do with what will a certain process bring about and how will it effect the world around it?

       We all have thought about what is our purpose in a job or task, maybe a group has a certain purpose looking to accomplish an outcome and this is important in life.   

  The Psalmist said....

   Psalm 73:28 says, "But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works."

    Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 1 What is the chief end of man?  And the answer is, “Man's chief end is to glorify God, an enjoy Him forever. 

       You see, in the Biblical sense, we were created to glorify God, or to use our abilities and skills to impact the world in a certain way.... A way in which God has determined.   You may think that you think strangely but in the biblical sense you were brought into this world with a purpose for your life and to make a change in the lives of those that you encounter.   So. When people encounter you, they will be a little different than when you first met them.   

       The second part of the answer is very important too, because it speaks of fulfillment in life.   As we seek to glorify God in our lives with the skills, gifts and talents we have, we find that we have the experience of the benefit of feeling useful in the world around us.  This usefulness is not the telos of the big picture but it points to the reality of our ultimate telos, enjoying God forever.  The fulfillment we feel is that we are actually doing what God purposed us to do.  This whole teaching opposes the idea of Charles Darwin the author of 'Origin of the Species'.   When we know our purpose, we find what we are to be doing while in this world and get a sense of our actions being bigger than ourselves.   

       Your specific job here at on your team has meaning and purpose but if you think about it you could have worked anywhere doing anything, how you see your purpose defines how you end up serving the world around you.  Looking from the 'Bird's eye view' you have a broader understanding of why you have this job on this team doing what you do with excellence and intension and for a greater purpose.    So, serve your particular purpose on the team you work with.  Do it with great planning, excellence and passion and then feel the great rush of fulfillment that gives you a sense of God's purpose for your life and it's ultimate ends.  A great enjoyment with God. 

 May God bless you.    May there be a fusillade of grace, by way of direction, connecting, compassion that grant you success in your efforts to offer support and hope to patients and their families.  Amen

Thy Will Be Done: Grown Folks Version

Thy Will be Done; Grown Folks version

      ^NLT Matthew 6:10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven.

       Asking for the will of God to be done here in this world is a very difficult thing for any human being to do.  Many people use this phrase to sanction their own desire and to help everyone get on board with what they would like to do but it is much more.   Really asking for the will of The Lord to be done means that we are submitting our own will to be destroyed at the mercy of the perfect will of God.  This perfect will, usually comes at some very simple yet possibly difficult discipline to my own intentions.  God’s perfect will is rarely understood by humans yet it becomes so clear that we cannot deny the justice, dynamic or powerful impression carried out by it when completed.   Our will can make a difference in the lives of others. We do many good and noble things but when it comes to the will of God, he wills and does things that may have lasting effect on the broader society, the nation and even the world as time moves forward. 

     God’s will is tough because many times it calls for a sacrifice that someone must give.  When you pray, “Thy will done in earth as it is in heaven.” Do you mean, “I am willing to sacrifice my own priorities so that the greater, wiser, most holy and perfect thing that will be done for all ages be done in my life and for the future after me.???  That’s a big ask!!!   Jesus instructs us to pray in such a way.  The will of God is a plan for the whole of history, that is why it rubs us the wrong way.  We all would like to leave our mark on the world but most do not want to uproot their lives and the lives of everyone they know in order to be a mover and shaker of history.  Martin Luther, the great reformer, said that “this prayer is dangerous because it means we give obedience without talking back.” 

       We are comforted by the words, “The will of God will never take you to where the grace of God will not protect you.”  A great saying but it does not tell you that the will of God is not given in memos to follow but actions, responsibilities, circumstances, highs and low and many other players that enter onto the stage of life.  When we look at the great sacrifices of many in history, we are given great notice to how the will of God means that our desires are submitted to His for a better outcome.  Mother Teresa, Harriet Tubman, William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King, Jr.  We are to do the will of God even when it calls for the difficult tasks to be taken up and drives us towards an outcome that honors God and looks to the right and the left to include the goodwill of those around us.  Jesus is informing us that we must ask for help from God to be responsible to carry out God’s desire for our life along with the hard choices that come along with it. 

    There is only one human who knows the will of God and desires always to do what it takes to fulfill that perfect will, Jesus.  ^NLT John 4:34 Then Jesus explained: "My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.” 

^NLT Hebrews 10:5 That is why Christ, when he came into the world, said, "You did not want animal sacrifices and grain offerings. But you have given me a body so that I may obey you. ⁶ No, you were not pleased with animals burned on the altar or with other offerings for sin. ⁷ Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do your will, O God-- just as it is written about me in the Scriptures.' " ⁸ Christ said, "You did not want animal sacrifices or grain offerings or animals burned on the altar or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them" (though they are required by the law of Moses).

       To accomplish the will of God in your life means that some of the intentions you hold close will be sacrificed for the sake of someone God intends to touch and change forever.

This is “Thy Will Be Done: Grown Folks Version”

May God bless you to know His presence, peace and safety as you seek to experience the love of God through Jesus Christ in our world.  May there be a fusillade of faith, grace, and joy to lead you to His truth daily.  Amen