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Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: Compass: Direction begins with Connection! (LISTEN HERE)

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There are aspects of the Christian life that you cannot experience or grow in apart from connection with other people.

From time to time, I encounter people who say they “worship God by themselves” or state that “I don’t need to be part of a church to be a Christian.”

Perhaps we could argue the merits of these statements, but my internal reaction is usually, “That’s weird.”

As we noted on Monday, God created us for community and also designed his Church to be a community of many different people interacting around a common focus (worshiping the true God) and common purpose (serving the true God).

Perhaps an overlooked blessing of being connected with other people is the opportunity to experience and show the love of God in ways you wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity.  Again, this isn’t always easy and at times there is friction and sparks that fly.  

What do I mean?

Again we look to the inspired words of the Apostle Paul: Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 

These emotions and reactions come very easily to us.  They are products of our sinful nature and love to exhibit themselves when we interact with people.  Relationships are challenging because we often react and interact according to our sinful, self-centered heart.  Some does something we don’t like…we get angry.  It happens a few times and we form bitterness.  We don’t like what they are doing and make sure everyone else hates them too.  If we can ruin their lives and make them miserable too, all the better.  It is true, connection with people gives opportunity for our sinful nature to rear its ugly head.

So we avoid connection with people, right?  Wrong.

Instead we see people that God has put in our lives as individuals he has placed there to give us opportunity to express AND receive the same grace and love we have received from him.  The very next verse from the Apostle Paul is this:

32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

God gives us people to put into practice the same kindness, compassion and forgiveness we ourselves have received from him.

It’s easy to receive the forgiveness of God in Christ.  It’s hard to express it.  It’s hard when we’ve been wronged to let the friction and sparks fly to hone off the rage and anger and let the sharpness and strength of forgiveness to appear.  It’s hard when a relationship has hurt us to let the Spirit grind off the malice and slander and let the sharpness and strength of kindness and compassion come out.

But that’s the blessing and value of connection with people.

We get to see not only the reality of God’s love in our own lives, but the impact when we share it with others.

Admittedly, it’s not always easy.  But again, if iron is going to sharpen iron, sparks and friction fly…but the result is a heart and soul sharpened on the love and grace of God.

Apply: What relationship is challenging your sinful nature to react with anger and slander?  What might God be grinding off and honing through this relationship?

Prayer: Spirit of God, strengthen me to receive the grinding and honing necessary to sharpen my heart and soul for you! AMEN.

Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: Compass: Direction begins with Connection! (LISTEN HERE)

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Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

I have heard this passage for many years, but something jumped out in studying it this week.  Sharpening takes friction and creates sparks.

Have you ever sharpened a knife? Perhaps the fine honing doesn’t create sparkes, but the moment you touch a piece of metal to a grinding wheel, sparks fly.  Sharpening happens when friction removes material from the iron that is causing the implement to be dull.  Only when friction and sparks fly, does the extra material disappear and the knife becomes sharp.

Have you ever thought about this in relationships?

Perhaps we run too quickly from conflict and friction in relationships instead of leaning into it and seeing what GOd is doing in our heart and life through another person.  In fact, some of the molding of our hearts perhaps can ONLY be done when there are sparks and friction with another person.

What do I mean?

One key reason why people are challenged to connect to a church and the people in the church is that there can be a spirit of judgment.  While God clearly gives us direction for life, often times it is easy to see and point out someone else’s moral failures and make sure they are aware of their imperfection.  We can see this as noble and adhering to to the standards of the Word of God.

While I won’t disagree to some degree, the opportunity for growth may be more with my heart than theirs.  

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 14:13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.  

When we portray or show a spirit of judgment, it can be a turn off to one seeking to understand and grow with the Lord.  As Paul said, it can put a stumbling block or obstacle in their way.  

But here’s where sparks fly in our own heart.  A spirit of judgment comes from a heart of pride.  Pride builds us up in our own minds to be better than others, more faithful than others, have it all together more than others.

So when we interact with someone who is struggling morally or spiritually, it forces us to confront our own heart of pride and have God’s Spirit remove the sinful pride and sharpen our hearts to one of compassion and acceptance.  The Apostle Paul teaches:

Romans 15:1-2,7 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. … 7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 

We wouldn’t have this “sharpening” opportunity unless we had this connection with people.  It’s not easy, but it is a blessing we often overlook when we connect with people.  It’s much easier to dismiss the person and continue in our own pride.  However, God reminds us that for iron to be sharpened, friction and sparks often fly…in our own hearts!

Apply: What relationships recently have had friction and sparks?  What might God be honing in your heart through them?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the connections that create friction as through friction your Spirit is honing and sharpening our heart.  AMEN.

Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: Compass: Direction begins with Connection! (LISTEN HERE)

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I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou

We have all experienced a setting that has great content, but poor “vibe.”  Every space from theater to restaurant from gas station to hotel elicits an “emotion.”  Whether that emotion is valid or not, it is how you feel.

A hotel that had a stick in the window to keep the window from being opened from the outside…didn’t feel safe.

A restaurant that had good food, but a waitstaff that was not friendly…not coming back.

A hotel that has a staff at breakfast welcome you, say “Good morning,” and offer to dish you up a plate of breakfast…amazing start to the day!

A downtown decorated in Christmas lights with festive music and people walking by wishing you a “Merry Christmas”…tremendous feeling.

How about church?

Your church…our church has a “vibe” to it.  Visitors will “feel” your church before they “hear” your content.  Even if your content is solid, if the “vibe” is off or not friendly, they may never come back again.

A recent survey indicated why people wouldn’t come back to your church.  Notice how many of these seven have to do with relationships:

1. Refuse to see me
2. Don’t offer me a smile
3. Neglect to offer help
4. Abstain from introducing yourself to me
5. Forget that I’m a person who wants to be known, just like you
6. Ignore my boundaries
7. Forget my name

All seven.

People matter.  Relationships matter.

The leadership guru, John Maxwell, quipped, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Theology and solid biblical content are very important (we will get to that next week), but we have chosen as a first “pillar” of our church “Connect,” realizing that we must connect relationally and emotionally with people first.  While faith can be developed and explored alone, God designed people to be in connection with others, especially in the church.

God created us for connection.  It was not good that Adam was alone, so God made Eve for him.  Not only was this the first marriage, it was the first human relationship.  God made us to be social beings.  Genesis 2:18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

He also desires us to enjoy others and express kindness to others.  In describing the top two commands, the second Jesus said was this: Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

The vers we chose for this pillar is Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.”

We were made to connect with others and through that connection be blessed by others and be a blessing to others…we’ll explore more as the week goes on!

Apply: What relationships have you enjoyed that made you “feel” very good and positive?  How about your church?  What could you do to make sure every guest/person feels welcome and cared for in your congregation?

Prayer: Lord thank you for people and the relationships we enjoy.  Enable us to be part of meaningful relationships to be blessed and be a blessing to others.  AMEN.

Tuesday night our family had spaghetti for dinner.  I noticed my older daughter was wearing a nice new white sweatshirt she had received for Christmas.  I said to her, “If I were you, I would take your sweatshirt off while you eat.”  

“Why?” she asked.

I said, “I don’t know what it is about spaghetti, but it tends to find its way to put spaghetti sauce on white, new clothes.”

She decided she didn’t want to get up and take off her sweatshirt.  About five minutes into eating, our younger daughter exclaimed, “You got sauce on your shirt!”

“Where?”

Then she saw it.  Her nice new white sweatshirt had a small, but noticeable drop of spaghetti sauce.

“I should have listened to you, dad.” She said.

I just listened (with a bit of a “dad, can be right” attitude 🙂 )

Sometimes we play this way with sin.  We are warned over and over that sin can happen, even when we think we are good or we can navigate the situation without changing our behavior or circumstance.

“Watch out when you are online…temptations come.”

“Watch out when you are with friends…some influence to no good.”

“Watch out when you pay your taxes…it’s tempting to cheat.”

“Watch out when…. (what is your temptation?)

“I’m good.”

With the same spirit we think it will happen to others, but not to us.

But then the reality hits…Look!  There’s a spot!

Not just one spot, but many.

King David thought he was good.  An evening stroll where he caught the glimpse of a beautiful woman.  “David, you should go inside.”  “I’m good…”  Adultery stained his garment.

“I’ll have her husband come home and sleep with her.  That way she will think the child is Uriah’s, not his.”  “I’m good.”  Murder stained his garment.

As my daughter looked at her sweatshirt, my wife told her, “Go put some Prespot (a stain remover) on it.”

The stain will come out and the sweatshirt will be white again.

This is a glorious picture of what the Lord does.  He is willing to apply spot remover to our sin to restore the glorious purity of our souls.

He probably does sit in heaven thinking, “One day my children will realize I am right and listen.”  But, in love, he solves the stains of sins and cleanses us with his blood and covers us with his perfection.

So our clothes are white again.  Inspired King David captured God’s work with these words in Psalm 51:7-9:

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

Apply: What danger areas should you avoid to prevent temptation to sin?  What spots of sin need Jesus’ cleansing?

Prayer: Lord, help me listen better to your warnings and praise you often for your stain-of-sin-removing grace and forgiveness.  AMEN.

“O give thanks to the Lord for he is good…his mercy endures forever.”

We are at the end of another year.

“Can you believe it?”

“Each year goes by faster than the next.”

“What will next year hold?”

“Are you going to make New Year’s resolutions?”

“I can’t wait to start the new year.  This one was horrible.”

Perhaps these are some of the thoughts you have as you end one year and begin the next. 

Your perspective of the year drawing to a close forms your enthusiasm or lack of it for the year ahead.

Let me invite us to end the year with a reflection on all the blessings that God has given.  Perhaps those blessings have come in different ways.  Here’s a few Scriptures and questions to reflect on:

• What blessings have come in the day to day routine of life?  The Lord love and mercy are new every day!

Lamentations 3: 22-24 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

• What blessings have come from the challenges and hardships of this year?

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

• What celebrations did you have this year that remind you of the Lord’s faithfulness?

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

• How has God grown and developed your faith in him this year?

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

• How has the Lord shown his presence and strengthened you this year?

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

• List what you would consider the top 10 blessings from the Lord this year.  (Remember blessings come in things we consider good or bad!)

Numbers 6:24-26  “‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’

Our family had many celebrations this year…confirmation, graduation, work anniversaries, significant birthdays.  Each was and is a reminder of the goodness of the Lord and his constant presence and blessings.  As you reflect on 2022, may the Lord bring to mind his many mercies and his many blessings.  Know with confidence, that as he has been with you in 2022, he will go with you into 2023!

Happy New Year to all!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for going with us and providing your presence and blessings in 2022.  In your mercy, go with us to strengthen, guide and bless us in the year ahead!  AMEN.