Day 2 - Forty Days in the Word!

This morning as I sit on my recliner with the gas fire warming the room I turn to the scriptures for Day 2 of our church-wide emphasis. The sky is getting lighter as the dawn develops, and I desire to experience the light of God through the Word this morning.

Philippians 1, especially 27a: “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”  

Verses 9-11 provide great preparation for actually doing the above. “…that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless  until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)

Whatever happens – anything can happen. I must anticipate the best, the worst, and everything in between as possible things that could happen.

Conduct yourselves – I have the choice of how I will conduct myself. There are many options – my conduct is important.

In a manner – so many different “manners” possible for conduct – in school conduct is evaluated separately from academic performance. I am aware that conduct matters!

Worthy – there are various unworthy ways to conduct oneself. Christ died for me at the hand of sinners who falsely accused him and thought they were getting rid of him. My conduct must be worthy of Christ’s death.

Of the Gospel of Christ – as a Christian and as a pastor, I represent the Gospel of Christ in what I do. This is my standard, this is the measurement of worthiness.

Lord, whatever happens today, may I conduct myself in a manner worthy of Your good news, of the life you have made possibly through your obedience. As others observe my life, may they see You in all I do, say, imply, suggest and affirm. This is the day that you have made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!

Day 1 - Forty Days in the Word

At Wesley United Methodist Church we have just begun "40 Days in the Word" as an all church emphasis. We are using the material developed by Rick Warren including the life group Workbook. I will be using the suggested readings for my daily devotions. For days 1-7 the recommendation is to read the book of Philippians, and focus on the scripture for the day. Philippians is one of my favorite New Testament books. I have also found great comfort in the Psalms, so each day I will add the Psalm recommended for the day from the One Year Bible.

Philippians 1:6

NASB:” For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  I find great hope and comfort in this verse. God has begun a good work in me. God is not finished with me yet. My walk with God is not stagnant or idle. It is God who began the good work in me, and it is God who will perfect, or complete it – the good work – until the return of Christ or until I am called home, whichever occurs first.

Last night I read the Feb 23 selection from a compendium of Bonhoeffer’s writings in which he described faith and obedience. It was a complex thought; y take was essentially that you cannot choose to have faith as a construct, while at the same time refusing to obey by following Christ in every detail of your life. He wrote from the context of the Nazi buildup in the 1930’s as he led an underground seminary and wrote The Cost of Discipleship. His life is a great example of one in whom God began a good work and perfected it, as Bonhoeffer obeyed, right up to the end of a hangman’s noose. I have great opportunity to obey God today, this week, this month, this year.

Guide me Holy Lord and perfect Your good work in me today as I live for the day of Christ Jesus.

Psalm 40:11-17 (February 24 from the One Year Bible)

“…may all who search for You be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, ‘The Lord is great!’ As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in his thoughts. You are my helper and my savior. O my God, do not delay.”

February 21, 2014

We are beginning 40 Days in the Word as a church. We kicked it off this past Sunday and our Life Groups are having their get-acquainted meetings this week. The workbook we are using is a tremendous tool, written by Rick Warren.  As I mentioned on Sunday, I spend time in the Word each morning before breakfast, and this year I am using the One Year Bible as a guide.

This morning my life is lifted by Psalm 37: “Trust in the Lord and do good… Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (Verses 1-7)

I take these verses as promises to Bruce Baxter today. My life is a daily surrender to God’s will, an ongoing commitment of my way to the Lord, trusting in Him, being still before Him. As we journey together through these 40 days in the Word, I look forward to the ways that God will speak to you, and the light that God will shed on your path as you seek Him daily by reading the scriptures and through prayer.

January 24, 2014

This is a really cold winter! It is 2 degrees outside this morning. I am looking forward to spring. I recently saw a bluebird on our street, and I imagined that he was looking for a nesting site. I have removed the nesting box from the pole under my deck, and I will put it back out soon, so that a bluebird couple can claim it as their own. I have a “polar garden” sprouting in an egg carton, which was a Christmas gift and is now ready to be transplanted into  larger pots. The tiny little plants remind me that there is life to come, invisible as it might be today.

Genesis 48:1-49:33  Jacob’s final days – he blesses Joseph’s eldest sons Manasseh and Ephraim, but intentionally crosses his arms and blesses the younger first. They will be henceforth referred to as Ephraim and Manasseh. He calls all twelve of his sons and blessed them that day. Then he pulled his feet into his bed and breathed his last. It is good for older men to bless their children and grandchildren.

Proverbs 4:20-27  “My son pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.”  Yes Lord! As I prepare to preach a series of messages about the Bible, this proverb is so appropriate and resonates in my soul. I keep God’s words within my heart, and I have experienced that they are life and health.
 
Guide me holy Lord as I serve You today. Guide my planning, preparation, interactions, and unexpected interruptions. I commit this day and all that is in it to your service. Blessed be Your Name in all the earth. I bless You in Springfield Missouri on this cold winter morning.

January 18, 2014

Morning devotions from Matthew 12:

Jesus’ public ministry continues to be revealed. There are sabbath questions raised against him as his disciples pluck grain and as he heals a man’s withered hand. He quotes scriptures to those who question his actions. From Isaiah he quotes “a battered reed he will not break off, and a smoldering wick he will not put out, until he leads justice to victory, and in his name the gentiles will hope.” (Isaiah 42:3)

Some of the scribes and Pharisees wanted to see a sign, which elicited his response “an evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.”  He goes on to say that like Jonah, the son of man shall spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, and that the men of Nineveh shall rise up and condemn this generation at the judgment, because they repented at Jonah’s preaching, and one greater than Jonah has come among them. 

This chapter finishes with the account of Jesus’ mother and siblings wanting to speak to him, and he responds that his disciples are his mother and brothers. He states “for whoever does the will of my father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:50)

Guide me today, most Holy Lord as one of your disciples in Springfield who proclaims your kingdom, lifts you up in this generation, and who is doing the will of our father in heaven. Thank you for inviting me to be one of your brothers, and today I will do everything to honor and glorify you. 

Last night Audrey and I saw “Hello Dolly” at Juanita K. Hammonds – it was delightful. Sally Struthers played Dolly and she was engaging and funny. We had seen this musical at the Muny in St. Louis decades ago, and last night was one of the most enjoyable theatrical experiences I have had. We must have seen at least a dozen members of Wesley at this performance. 

Today Pastor Mi Hyeon and I lead the second membership orientation at St. Paul. We had a good first session on Wednesday afternoon. Upward is in full gear and I will stop by the gym to encourage this ministry.  I will visit two members at Elfindale and call on the hospitals to pray with our folks who are there. I will continue to work on my sermon on Frenemies and finalize the College Age Ministry Grant application due at the conference office this week.

 

January 8, 2014

Back to school and back to work for Springfield. Yesterday’s sun and high around 39 began to thaw things out. Bethany arrived safely to her apartment in Baltimore, being surprised by her boyfriend at the airport even given her flight delays which got her there after midnight. I was concerned about her getting home from the airport, and glad to hear that he was there to meet her. The Volkswagen is being repaired at a dealer in Baltimore, having been towed there yesterday. Dennis Bowling died yesterday morning in a Pensacola hospital at the age of 70. He was assistant pastor during my first year at Wesley, and a good friend.

Matthew 6:25-7:14 (from One Year Bible)
Verse after verse of great truth –
“… do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” (25)
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (34)
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (3)
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (7)
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate, and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (13-14)
 
I am on the narrow road, and experiencing life here with the hope of eternal life. I see the wide gate and broad way that others in my generation are taking, and these verses increase my desire to show a better way through my life and witness. Guide me today on the Way.

 

January 1, 2014

The first day of the year! I love new, starting things, fresh paths. I am soaking two soil pellets to prepare them for starting my “Little North Pole Garden” today, a gift from David and Danelle including snapdragons, alyssum, violas, lupine, poppies and Spruce. I will dutifully water and measure these seeds each day in the egg carton, and transplant them as described. I love to start new things!

This will be the first entry in a new journal, entitled jrnl14a. Part of this entry will be the Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan tradition. My scriptures will be from the One Year Bible, which I will use this year, not specifically to read the Bible through, but to provide chapters for my daily devotions. Yesterday I purchased the Bronze edition of Logos, and will experiment with it also. This will be a year of Bible study, reflection and teaching.

Genesis 1 - Creation, 6 days of God's work and then God rested.

Psalm 1 - Blessed is the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord, upon which he meditates day and night.

Proverbs 1 - Practical instructions for attaining wisdom, discipline, for understanding words of insight.

These “first chapters” are great for January 1! I have read and meditated upon each one. Now to search the internet for the Covenant Prayer:

 Covenant Prayer

From John Wesley's Covenant Service , 1780

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things

to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

Yes Lord, this is my prayer on January 1, 2014. The year stretches out ahead, and it belongs to You. I belong to You. My future belongs to You. You have called me to follow, and with the seriousness of a life commitment made in August of 1974 I will follow You. Guide me on this first day of the new year, and on each succeeding day as I surrender to Your will, take Your yoke upon my shoulders, and serve You with joy. Your servant, Bruce Baxter.