LIVING WITHIN THE SEASON

"How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them?"

- Mark 2:19

A wedding is a time for celebration, not grievng. It is a time for great rejoicing, not disciplined self-examination. Life is filled with times and seasons. They arrive, stay for a while, and end. Each season has its perspective and its purpose. We do best when we embrace those seasons and live within them gladly instead of longing for the next to arrive. Each season has its particular outcome or fruitfulness depending upon that purpose. When we refuse to live within the character of a season. We miss much of what it has to offer.

Fourteen months ago I found myself in the midst of a vacation, a period of time longer than is generally available to me (or than I permit myself to take). I found that I had to "work" to stay within the vacation mode because of the workaholic that resides deep within me. The only thing I brought from work were some professional books I had long wanted to read and my day planner. I only opened the latter to record a note or thought, so that I could release it--and I resisted using it for any long-range purposes. By the discipline of staying "within the season" I felt free to sit on the beach with my wife drinking in the sun; experiencing the adventure of exploring new surroundings, and even testing my meager photographic skills. I simply enjoyed the detachment and abandonment of being on vacation. When I returned to a season of work--it was without weariness or dread.

What season do you find yourself in? Embrace it and see what God will do in your life throught it.

This devotional is published on behalf of the Church or God of Landisville and its friends.

(C) 2009 by Stephen L. Dunn. All rights reserved. To subscribe by regular email feed, send a email to http://www.coglandisville.org/ with the word SUBSCRIBE. You can also register as a FOLLOWER on this blog.

This particular devotional is also being posted on a second blog LIFE MATTERS which can be accessed at http://www.yourlifematterstogod.blogspot.com/.

YOU'E NOT THE BOSS OF ME !

"You're Not the Boss of Me"
Reading: Exodus 20:3

"No other gods, only me." The Message translation

Many years ago I encountered this person for the first time. He was a six-year old neighbor kid. He was making a general pest of himself in the neighborhood. Particularly troublesome was that he was bilingual--cursing was his second language. When I told him to watch his mouth, he stiffened in defiance and said pointedly, "You're not the boss of me!"

I have met this same person over and over in my 58 years of life. In a self-centered teenager at youth camp who did not want to be quiet during "quiet time.' In a husband who I confronted about his abuse of his wife. In a deacon who wanted to make the church walk his financial line. In an ordination candidate who wanted the church to approve him even though his doctrine was at variance with the Body. In a woman who wanted to keep her lover even though it meant trashing her marriage. In each case I was the spokesperson for authority--sometimes the duly appointed spokesperson for the Lord and His church. In each case it did not matter to this person. "You're not the boss of me."

Human beings have always wanted to be the boss of themselves. And they have sometimes foolishly exercised their freedom to be the boss. That was essentially the first sin in the Garden--Adam and Eve's desire to be their own boss by eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, so they could be like God.

But there is only one Lord of the Universe, and we are not Him. And when we try to claim His job, we only reap trouble. We may experience the momentary satisfaction of doing what we want when we want, but the ultimate consequence is that we lose our lives in the slavery of sin. We may want to be the boss of ourselves, but without God's leadership, sin becomes our Master.

This devotional is published on behalf of the Church of God of Landisville and its friends.
(C) 2009 by Stephen L. Dunn. All rights reserved. You can subscribe by email by sending a message to Patty at coglandisville@coglandisville.org or signing on as a follower of this blog.

PURPOSEFUL EXTRAVAGANCE

"Purposeful Extravagance"
Reading: Matthew 26 6-16

Jesus was in the final week of his life, heading with purposeful determination to the Cross. It was Tuesday night and he was in Bethany. Earlier that day he had told the disciples quite clearly that he was going to die. Despite the spiritual adrenalin of Palm Sunday, it was going to end badly (from the disciples' perspective). Now they're at the home of Simon the Leper, a Pharisee, we think--who had been healed from a dread disease. Simon lived in Bethany--the same home to Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

The disciples were not in a good mood, especially Lazarus. The disappointment they felt was magnified by having to go to dinner at Simon's. Then the air was filled with a powerful perfume. Following their noses they saw Mary--foolish, irresponsible Mary--washing Jesus feet and drying them with her hair. Their indignation rose and finally Judas said, "What a waste! We could have taken this perfume and sold and given the money for the poor."

Jesus is not amused or rebuked. "Mary has had more faith and vision than all of you put together. She gets it. She knows that I must die and that will be the best thing for all you.
The poor you will always have, but I will do this one time and it will be over. When the whole story is told, Mary will be remembered and honored."

The disciples were really angry at Jesus. They didn't "get it" or they didn't want to. They wanted discipleship without sacrifice (what Bonhoeffer called "cheap grace.") And that's problem with Jesus--he is too extravagant. He calls us to take risks, to take up a cross, to embrace sacrificial servanthood --- and we just think of it as wasteful. But here's the takeaway from the story. Stop identifying with Judas and the disciples. Identify with Mary.

Purposeful extravagance is never wasteful. It is a testimony.

This devotional is published on behalf of the Church of God of Landisville and its friends. (C) 2009 by Stephen L. Dunn. All rights reserved. To subscribe use the "friends" link of this blog or email coglandisville@coglandisville.org.

RESPONSE TO DEVOTIONAL

Hey Dr. Steve , how's things going? Funny...this devotional comes a day after a very strong message the Holy Spirit had me to preach in our church that somewhat parallels the crisis factor you mention in your devotional. This is a very good devotional and truly does pose a big challenge to every Pastor far and wide. Thanks for issuing the challenge, and Dr. Steve, to answer the last question of this devotional, Am I living in the power of Christ? My response would be a much emphatic yes. I absolutely would have it no other way. Thank you for checking in via this email devotional. I know I'm finished with your class, but your continued feeding will always be welcomed and embraced. Blessings to you and your ministry.

Craiger

From Steve: Craig is one of my PTI students who subscribes to this devotional via email. We reprint this with his permission.

FALLING APART

"Falling Apart"
Reading: Proverbs 24:10

"If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn't much to you
in the first place." - Proverbs 24:10 The Message

A whole lot of the art of pastoring involves learning how to triage. You remember triage. It's what BJ and Hawkeye, Charles Emerson Winchester, and Colonel Potter did on M.A.S.H. People would be choppered in from the battlefield or hauled in by an Army green school bus fitted with cots. They would be wounded and even dying, and the job of the MASH unit was to do what they could first to keep them alive, and then perform surgery to initially repair what was threatening them with death. That MASH unit always seemed a little bit like medical chaos instead of thoughtful, precise medicine.

In a fallen world, people are a lot more in crisis than they let on. They often put off getting help until the bleeding has become critical. Then they call out for help, usually in a panic. Then they call their pastor. In my experience, they also often call all at once. No orderly consultations with their pastor with the luxury of helping settle one person's problem before the next one presents themselves. When the flood starts the waiting room is filled, and you just have to do what you have to do.

This is when a pastor, or any person committed to serious people-helping learns what they are made of. In crisis, you learn whether or not you can handle crisis. And how you handle crisis determines how the person having the crisis handles it ... and whether or not they will survive.

A pastor, or any people helper, prepares for those days by choosing to build their life upon Christ. To live all their days guided by Him and empowered by Him--whether in times of crisis or just quiet ordinary times. And you learn whether Christ is really in them when you see how they work in crisis.

Crisis times WILL come. Are you living in the power of Christ?

This devotional is published on behalf of the Church of God of Landisville and its friends. (C) 2009 by Stephen Dunn. All rights reserved. Reprint rights can be secured by contacting Steve at sdunnpastor@coglandisville.org

You can subscribe by contacting coglandisville@coglandisville.org or by registering as a FOLLOWER on this blog.