A. Little Devotional

“Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel answered, ‘Speak, for Your servant hears.'”  I Samuel 3:10 NKJV

I’d imagine that many reading this have no idea who Paul Marcarelli is, but many of you actually know of him. In 2002, he debuted as the Test Man in the Verizon commercials. He would travel to various locations and test the reliability of the Verizon network. His catchphrase, “Can you hear me now? Good!”, became wildly popular. He’s actually moved on to work for Sprint now, but his main goal still remains being able to rely on his cellular network.

I thought of Paul and his commercials as I was studying the passage above. This is taken from I Samuel 3, and it tells of something interesting that happened to Samuel and the priest Eli as they slept one night. God began calling Samuel’s name. Samuel got out of bed and ran to Eli’s room and asked what he wanted. Eli assured Samuel that he had not called Samuel. This happened three times, before Eli finally realized what was going on. He told Samuel to go back to bed and when it happened again to speak to the Lord. I wonder how many times this has happened to us. The Lord may indeed be calling us to do a work, but we remain so busy listening to other “voices” that we miss the Lord’s. Our lives are so fast-paced that even when we “rest” we’re still not really listening. I encourage us all to slow down, and listen for the “still small voice” (I Kings 19:11-12). God had a great work for Samuel (he was the prophet who anointed David). And He may have a great work for you. So let us not leave Him wondering about us as Paul Marcarelli does – “Can you hear Me now?”

“When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.” John‬ ‭19:26-27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A few weeks ago we celebrated the resurrection of our Savior. Each year at this time churches often have a series of sermons based on the “7 Last Words/Statements” of Christ. This scripture is one of those, and as I study it the weight of this situation really moves me. I believe that it reveals three of the greatest illustrations of love in the Bible.

First, God demonstrates His love for us by sacrificing His only Son so that we are forgiven of our sins (John 3:16). No greater love has there ever been or will there ever be. It’s the reason for our joy.

Second, Jesus endures tremendous pain and suffering during the whole ordeal of his trial and crucifixion. And at this point He was very close to death. Still, He loved his mother so much that He made sure she was taken care of before He died. His mother was at the forefront of his mind, even until the end.

Third, Mary was with her Son from the beginning to His very last moment. She knew that He was sent for a divine purpose. She knew He was God’s Son. And she witnessed everything He went thru. But I’m sure that made it no easier to watch Him be beaten and hung. Not only was He innocent, but He was her baby. Still, she stood next to Him til the very end, as painful as it was for her to bear. THAT is a mother’s love.

“And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” John 20:22-23 NKJV

For a long time my dad was the manager at a convenience store and service station. He would often ask my brother and I to help him with inventory and stocking, so we had the opportunity to see him interact with countless customers. On one particular occasion, a customer was upset that he had to follow certain procedures for paying for his gas purchase. He and my dad exchanged a few words, and the customer stormed out in frustration. As he left, my dad proclaimed to him, “I don’t make the rules!”

Looking back I realize that my dad was right. His job was not in the development of the rules and honestly it wasn’t even in the enforcement of those rules. His job was to proclaim those rules for those who came to the store. It’s very similar to our job as the Church. After His resurrection, Jesus visited the disciples a few times. In the instance above, He told the disciples that they were now being sent out to minister just as God had sent Jesus. Jesus then breathed on them and told them that the Spirit would go with them. Their message was that of forgiveness and redemption. It was also a message of warning for those who didn’t receive salvation. This charge hasn’t changed for the Church today. As we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, let us also remember that we have a job to do. Let us proclaim the “rules” to as many as we can. And just as my dad found favor with his supervisors for a job well done, one day our Father will tell us “well done.”

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

I really enjoyed the movie “The Help.” It tells the story of a young white female journalist who returns home to Mississippi in the 1960s and begins writing a memoir detailing the lives of black women in her town who have spent their entire lives serving the white people there. The main character is Aibileen, and part of her responsibility is taking care of a very young child. The child’s mother constantly belittles the girl because she doesn’t measure up to the mother’s standard of “beauty” or “class.” But Aibileen constantly tells the girl, “You is smart. You is kind. You is important.”

This reminds me so much of the battle we all fight within our own minds. The enemy’s favorite tactic in attempting to destroy the children of God is planting thoughts in our minds that are contrary to God’s word. He will have us believing we’re not good enough, or smart enough, or pretty enough. He will try to convince us that we’re no good to anyone, that we’re ill-equipped to carry out the purposes God has for us. This stinking thinking, when allowed to take root, can lead to a myriad of problems, including sin, depression, hypertension, guilt, even death. But the word tells us that we can take these thoughts captive and cast down anything that goes against the word of God (II Corinthians 10:3-6). Then we can replace these false thoughts with the truth of God’s word. So whenever you struggle with false thoughts, talk to the Father through prayer and listen to the Father through His word. For it tells you that you is smart, you is kind and you is important.

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians‬ ‭6:9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

I remember a stand-up bit by Steve Harvey where he reminisces about his life as a daily church attendee. Prayer meeting, deacon board meeting, youth meeting, Sunday service, etc. It cracked me up because he said it was so much that he told his mom he’d rather not go to Heaven because it was too much pressure.

This verse reminds me of that. I’ve often gotten weary in my well-doing. Not just in attending church, but also in serving, loving, forgiving, turning the other cheek – and all the other “WWJD” stuff. When I do get ti’ed, I reflect on this verse and the lessons contained therein.

1. Paul says “let US not be weary.” He knew exactly how it felt because he had been tired before too. And thru Paul God is relating that He knows that this life isn’t easy, so he designed it to be relational.

2. ” In DUE season” reminds me that nothing is done on my schedule. God knows the end from the beginning. And in His time He shall bring His promises to pass. Speaking of…

3. Know that we SHALL reap. God is not a man that He should lie. He intentionally used shall in this verse. Not maybe. Not possibly. And if He said it, He’ll do it.

4. Don’t skip past the IF part. We sometimes miss the condition for the promise. That’s often where our responsibility lies though. We shall reap, but only if we don’t give up.

Just as Paul wrote this to encourage the Galatians, I pray it encourages you in times when you feel weary. It gets hard, but your latter will be greater.

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬ NKJV)

One of my bucket list items was finishing a 5K. I didn’t have to win; I just wanted to finish. Last year, I set out to accomplish this goal. I’m not a runner, so it took a lot for me to set up a regimen of running 3 days a week to prepare. I was often discouraged and wanted to quit, but when it got tough I kept reminding myself about my goal. I completed the race, and the feeling was amazing.

Life can be extremely difficult. The Christian life even more so. Living in a way that’s pleasing to God can seem impossible in the face of so much temptation. I’ve joked before that all the bad stuff is the funnest! I’m sure it seems like that to many others. And while some struggle with temptation, still others find life hard because of trials and tribulations. Problems of life can push you to the point of giving up. But as Peter writes here, we’ve got to constantly prepare our minds for what we’ll face. And set our eyes on the ultimate prize – eternal life with the Father. As tempting as it may be, don’t quit the race. Keep running, keep pressing, keep fighting to the end. And the prize you’ll receive will be more than amazing.

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
John 15:13

This is one of my favorite verses. As I read it and break it down, three things are revealed to me in it.

1. “Greater love has no one than this…” No one or nothing is bigger than our God. He’s greater than any thing and all things. And so is His love.

2. “…than to lay down one’s life…” God is the only one whose love can save. I love my wife with all my heart. And if needed I would die for her. But my dying for her would only save her natural life. When God sent His Son to die for us, he saved our eternal lives. And no other love can do that.

3. “…for His friends.”  God desires to have a relationship with us. He calls us more than servants. We are His friends. He even sent a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to be with us always.

So, next time someone asks you why you love God so much, quote this verse. It truly encompasses the reason for our joy.

One of my favorite songs is “How He Loves.” It has gorgeous lyrics, my favorite line being:

“I don’t have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way
I think about the way
He loves us…”

When you’ve sinned against God, He already knows. He’s waiting on you to come to Him about it. The beautiful thing is that once you sincerely confess, He forgives you. With that forgiveness comes grace and mercy. Accept it. He doesn’t want you shameful, regretful, or wallowing in self-pity. He loves you. And just as He forgives you, He wants you to forgive you. Be blessed!

“I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord , make me dwell in safety.”  Psalms 4:8 NKJV

My daughter does not like thunderstorms. Whenever there’s thunder and lightning outside, she gets terrified. When I see it in the forecast, I already know what kind of night I can expect. When she was younger, I knew that she would run across the house to our room and knock on the door frantically in the middle of the night. She would then burst in and jump into the bed with me and her mom. Now she’s older and this doesn’t happen as often. But there are still nights when she asks if she can sleep with us. We don’t mind because we know it makes her feel safe and secure.

We have the same feeling of safety and security with our heavenly Father. In Psalm 4, David talks about evil men who mean him harm, who are slandering him and trying to ruin his reputation with lies. He declares that, because he is a godly man, God will answer his calls (verse 3). He can rest in that assurance and have peace. The same is true for us. As children of God, we can rest in the fact that God knows what we’re going through and He will hear our prayers. It may be people attacking us. It may be bills piling high. It may the sickness or death of a loved one. It may be tiresome battles with addiction. Whatever it is, call out to God. His Word says that not only will He hear you, but in Him you will have both peace and sleep. And just like my daughter, your Father will cause you to dwell in safety and security during the storms in your life.

“But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.” Psalms‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ NKJV

I love movie soundtracks. I even dreamed of one day being a music director for movies in Hollywood. I love how the songs add depth to the story being told. One of my favorite movie songs is “Don’t Look Down” by David Ryan Harris. It’s a beautiful song from the movie Biker Boyz. In this song, the writer is giving life advice to his son, telling him to keep his head up no matter what’s going on around him. I loved the message so much that I even sent the song to my own son as encouragement.

This verse from Psalms has a similar feel. David wrote this psalm when he was on the run and feeling discouraged because he was being pursued by those who wanted to harm him. He acknowledged that God was his shield, his protection. And God is that for us all. Just as the songwriter’s purpose in “Don’t Look Down,” God wants us to know that He’s a loving Father that’s there to give us whatever we need whenever we need it, including encouragement and protection in times of trouble. He knows that many feelings and circumstances will cause us to hang our heads low, including fear, shame, guilt and defeat. But He’s the lifter of our heads. In Him, we can hold our heads high in the midst of anything we’re going through. As the song says, “And if it gets hard to focus when you’re traveling almost at the speed of sound, feeling nowhere bound. Remember what I told you and don’t you dare look down.”