John. 8:31-32 To those who had previously believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold. to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the. truth, and the truth will set you free. ” (NIV). Jesus. faced a lot of opposition throughout His ...
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  1. Midweek Message: Know the Truth
  2. Sabbath Psalms: Image of God
  3. Midweek Message: Winging It
  4. For Such a Time as This
  5. Midweek Message - Divine Conclusion
  6. More Recent Articles

Midweek Message: Know the Truth

John 8:31-32 To those who had previously believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (NIV)

Jesus faced a lot of opposition throughout His ministry, especially from some of His earliest followers who eventually decided to walk away from Him. In doing so, they rejected His teaching which was based on truth and love, and then they fiercely confronted Him with their doubts about His character, as well as their own retrenched beliefs.

Christ’s truth challenged His people, just as it still does for all who call themselves Christians today. He never said that believing in Him or following His way was going to be easy, but He did insist that what He was preaching and teaching was the God-given truth. People back then relied on many of their traditions and sacred texts to formulate their own ideas about what was important and true. When Jesus brought a new understanding of what those traditions and texts really meant, His ideas were initially treated as being novel and inventive, but eventually they were seen as being too radical and dangerous for regular religious people.

We are still faced with the same challenges, especially in our truth-forsaken society which relies more on what we feel rather than what is factual. A culture which insists that what people feel to be true as more important than what is actually true, can be easily manipulated by charlatans and liars, conmen and fanatics. Such a society enslaves itself to the whims and wiles of totalitarian leaders, as well as their henchmen and women, whose only purpose is to increase their power by spreading lies, causing chaos, creating division, and fomenting fear. This is why Jesus taught both His supporters and opponents that knowing the truth was essential to their freedom – lies took away their liberty whereas the truth kept them free.

Point to ponder: How does Christ’s truth constantly challenge me?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life which we all should seek and emulate. Forgive us for being duped by leaders who lie. Help us to follow and practice Your teaching which counters fear with faith and lies with love. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

   

Sabbath Psalms: Image of God

Psalm 67:4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.

There is a lot of fabricated controversy surrounding the term DEI which stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Some folks get really incensed when they see those letters or feel that their white privileged position is threatened simply because others who are different are getting more opportunities to better their lives. Rather than allow others the chance to raise themselves up from poverty, depravity, and ignorance, those who are angry about DEI are trying to eradicate it entirely to secure their own entitled position.

‘Equity’ is a Biblical word and reveals to us that our Creator – who loves the diversity of people and included the whole world in the plan of salvation – treats us not just equally, but with equity which means that when it comes to judging human beings, God takes their backgrounds and circumstances into account. If God was to purely treat us on an equal basis, then those with privilege, power, and prestige would have an advantage. Equity is why Christ sees the poor widow’s two pennies as being infinitely of more worth in the Temple offering than the pre-calculated, restricted, and designated portions which the rich and powerful gave.

So, for those of you who are furious about DEI and seek to destroy it, let me seriously caution you: God created and still sustains a diverse world which the Lord rules with equity and includes everyone in everlasting love. Are you going to foolishly try to take that away from God as well? By the way, if you need an easy reminder, the old Latin phrase for ‘the image of God’ which we all have been graciously given, is ‘Imago DEI.’

Point to ponder: Why did God make such a diverse world? How inclusive is God’s love?

Prayer: Lord God, You created a wonderful world full of diverse beings, made in Your image and sustained by Your love. Help us to let go of greed and resentment, jealousy and bigotry which have no place under Your domain, Your sovereignty, Your rule. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen

 

John Stuart is a retired Scottish pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

   

Midweek Message: Winging It

Midweek Message – Winging It

Psalm 57:1      Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.

I can remember my old pastor preaching part of this psalm to me when I was about twelve years old. It left me confused, not because of what he said, which was all about security and refuge in God, but because of the mistaken image that I had concocted from what the psalmist wrote. You see I tried to picture God having wings, but I couldn’t decide whether they were the soft, white wings like a dove, or the mighty, golden wings of an eagle.

My problem arose because I was trying to interpret the Bible verse literally. I got so hung up on picturing g the image that I missed what was really important in the psalm – that of knowing God as my refuge in times of trouble.

I also fell for the same mistake when I was at seminary. This time it wasn’t the wings that caused my confusion, it was the shadow of the wings. I reasoned that in order for a shadow to be produced, light has to be behind and above the object in order to cast it on the ground. “How could anything be above and behind God?” I argued. Again, I was taking the text too literally and just using it for the sake of debating with my professors and peers.

The Bible helps us to understand about who God is and how He intervenes in our lives. However, if we take the scriptures too literally, as in the case of this image, then we will miss the point altogether. The Bible guides us towards God and reveals to us His plan of salvation through Christ. It is sacred and gives us a better understanding of the holiness, power, and grace of God, but the Bible is not meant to be fanatically idolized or worshiped like God.

Point to ponder: What biblical images of God mean something special to me?

Prayer: Lord God, when we take refuge in the shadow of Your wings, we know that it means we can find a haven and sanctuary in You. As we rely upon You for everything in our lives, encourage us to read more from the Bible, so that we can learn more about You in order to faithfully and thankfully worship You. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

   

For Such a Time as This

For Such a Time as This

2 Samuel 22:31   This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. (ESV) 

In such a time as this, it’s difficult to keep believing that things will get better. Our current leaders are obsessed with breaking everything within a few months that took decades to fight for and achieve. Our Civil Rights have not just been challenged, they have been intentionally diminished with the sole purpose of destroying them forever. This political subjugation and marginalization of minorities is being ruthlessly pursued by those who hate diversity, equity, and inclusion. They now brazenly oppress people who are different because of their race, gender, orientation, or origin rather than share power, prosperity, or prestige. They seek to protect their privileges rather than diminish their elitism. 

They also use the old reactionary mechanism of ‘divide and conquer’ by pitting one less powerful group against another. We see this all over Appalachia in impoverished and isolated places that are full of people who keep voting in representatives and leaders who do nothing to improve their communities, but as long as they are sticking it to the other side, then Appalachians will just put up with the hardship they endure. It’s sad to see so many rural communities who fall into this Machiavellian manipulation. Their elected officials couldn’t care less about diminishing USAID or FEMA, even though it’s their constituents – farmers, miners, and rural workers whose lives are shortened, whose children’s education is diminished, and whose economies will hardly improve. Their elected leaders can send their kids to private schools, receive gifts and bribes from lobbyists, and end up rich, famous, and financially secure. In private, these appointed representatives are both laughing at their poor misguided and misinformed voters, as well as all the way to the bank. 

Just like generations before us, the only way to improve our rights is to fight for them, to speak out for the voiceless, and stand up for the marginalized. Things will never get better if we acquiesce to the arrogance, bigotry, and hatred of those in power. It will take courage and determination to oppose those who seek to divide, diminish, and conquer. It will also require us to confront the vast amount of falsehood and lies that our leaders, representatives, and spokespeople constantly spew. If we align ourselves to the truth, then we are allying ourselves to God and the goodness He seeks for people on earth, as well as our nation. It will not be easy, but then again, fighting for freedom and living for liberty has always been difficult. 

May God bless us all as we stand for the truth in the Lord’s love, which is abundantly diverse, sacredly equitable, and graciously inclusive.

Pastor John

 

 

   

Midweek Message - Divine Conclusion

Psalm 51:10   Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (NIV)

 

Have you ever seen the old French film called ‘The Red Balloon’? It was made in Paris a year before I was born and tells the tale of a young boy who is befriended by a red balloon. The balloon and the boy become inseparable, and it follows him all over the streets of Paris. The film only lasts about 35 minutes, and it has been my favorite movie ever since I first saw it as a young lad.

 

The film depicts both happiness and sadness in simple ways and even when a tragedy occurs, there is a wonderful sequence of hope being renewed at the end of the movie. As I write this devotion, I can still see the beautiful conclusion in my mind’s eye. I won’t give it away – you’ll have to watch the movie yourself and be pleasantly captivated by it.

 

Sometimes I think that our individual lives are movies that only God can see. He knows all of the things that we have done, the moments that have impacted us deeply, the joys we have experienced and the sadnesses that we still carry. There is nothing hidden from God, so He could be justified in separating Himself from us after death, but instead He wants to give us a beautiful conclusion where we become reunited and restored to Him forever. That’s why King David, in today’s highlighted verse, prayed to God to clean his heart and renew his spirit: he wanted that beautiful conclusion which only God’s grace and forgiveness could bring.

 

Perhaps you feel as though you’ve done something which will separate you from God. Maybe you have a deep regret about a deed that has caused some distance between you and God. If so, then please know this – God can and will forgive you, just by asking Him to do so, even now as you read this. As the apostle Paul once wrote long ago: ‘For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ – Romans 8:38-39.

 

Point to ponder: Am I willing to hand over my regrets to the Lord and be cleansed with God’s Love?

 

Prayer: Lord God, create clean hearts within us and renew our spirits this day. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

 

PS: If you’ve never seen it, you can freely view the movie online at this link: The Red Balloon.

 

 

John Stuart is a Scottish Presbyterian pastor, now living in Knoxville, TN.

   

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