Teacher devotions: A Real Challenge

The podcast for today’s devotion can be heard at the following link:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/stushie/A_Real_Challenge.mp3

Philippians 2:14 Do everything without complaining or arguing

Wow! Now there’s a verse of scripture that takes a lot of doing! I grew up in a large family -4 boys and 2 girls- so there was a lot of competition for our parents’ attention in my household. Without complaining or arguing, none of us were ever heard or seen, and unfortunately it became a character flaw that I have carried with me to this very day.

But let’s stop and think about what Paul was trying to inspire in the young Philippian church. Those new Christians lived in a very busy town that had established itself as a powerful place. Old ways and old money kept the merchants happy; new groups and new faiths were frowned upon and even harassed. The first Christians in that town had to deal with a lot of public hostility and suspicion, so if Christ’s church was going to succeed, then His followers would have to be patient, compassionate, and passive in order to let the gospel take root in the hearts of the Philippian people. If the Christians complained about the harassment or persecution, they would have appeared to have been churlish and thin-skinned. However, if they put up with the discomfort and prejudices, and still acted justly and kindly to those who offended or hurt them, then Christ’s message would eventually win over the hearts and minds of the people in the town. Paul’s words must have been effective because a strong church was established at Philippi.

Sadly, there are a lot of churlish Christians in our society who seek to get their own way and bring the message of Christ into disrepute. Instead of being united in Christ’s love, Christians can be very divisive, argumentative and totally inadequate as witnesses to God’s Kingdom. This is why Paul’s words strike at the very heart of our lives and faith. If we were to sincerely apply them in our homes and churches, then the world would be totally conquered by Christ’s compassion and God’s love.

So here’s the challenge for all of us this weekend: let’s try to do everything without complaining or arguing. Instead, let’s do everything agreeably and with compassion. It will be interesting and perhaps life-changing to see how this all turns out.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we must disappoint You with our disagreements and sadden You with our complaints. Challenge us with Paul’s words this weekend and encourage us to apply them with our families, friends, neighbors and church people. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

Today’s drawing is one of John’s wild bird drawings of an American Barred Owl. If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click here: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5046/5325073573_ce80eaec50_b.jpg


All of John’s drawings can be found on the Web at his art site at http://www.stushieart.wordpress.com/

Signed, numbered and matted prints are available for only $20 each (plus shipping if necessary). They make unique gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and new homes. Just contact john by email and he’ll be delighted to help you.

Teacher Devotions: Love and Hate - Philippians 2:8

The podcast for today’s devotional can be found at the following link:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/stushie/Love_and_Hate.mp3

Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!

I love the snow; I just hate driving in it. Even though I was born in Scotland and drove through many blizzards on the West Coast at night, when I could barely see a thing, I find that driving in the snow covered streets of the South is much more hazardous. There seems to be more black ice and bad drivers here than I ever experienced back in Scotland, so even when an inch of snow hits our roads in and around Knoxville, it’s deathly dangerous.

I guess it’s because people are just not used to the white stuff falling on the streets each winter. The local authorities don’t seem to be wholly prepared either and yet, we all know that winter comes around every year at this time.

I love being a Christian; I just hate the struggles that I have each day in trying to maintain my faith. Even though I grew up in the Church and have spent much of my life as a pastor, it’s still hard to be the perfect saint that everyone expects. I’m only human after all, so I’m going to make mistakes and at the end of each day, I’ve usually got a whole list of sins to ask God for forgiveness. As each day starts, I begin with the best of intentions; as each day closes, I seek pardon for the offenses I’ve caused and the temptations to which I have yielded.

I love Jesus Christ too; I just hate the fact that He died on the Cross for me. Even though I know He did it to obey God and obtain my salvation, I feel guilty about driving the nails through His hands with my personal sins. I know that I’ll never be perfect and that I’ll need His Cross each day to pin my sins upon Him. I hate that, but at the same time I am also deeply grateful that Jesus saved and saves me from my sins by His humility and obedience which led to the Cross.

Perhaps you are feeling guilty about something you once did or said. Maybe you feel distant from God or separated from Him because of sinful acts and shameful secrets. I hate those things too, but this I love: there is nothing that we have ever done or said that can ever separate us from the love God through our Lord Jesus Christ. If we let Him into our lives and open our hearts to Him, if we accept Him and believe that He has the power to pardon us, then He will grant us forgiveness instantly and immediately, totally and completely.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we love You dearly, but we hate the fact that we caused You to die on the Cross for our past mistakes and present sins. We are humbled by Your humility and are in awe of Your obedience to God. Without Your death, we would have no Life; without Your sacrifice, we would have no salvation. In Your Name, we live and pray. Amen.


John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

Today’s drawing is a nighttime scene of the Henley Street bridge in Knoxville. The picture is called “Moon over Henley.” If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click here: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5249/5322272559_cdb65afa3d_b.jpg

All of John’s drawings can be found on the Web at his art site at http://www.stushieart.wordpress.com/

Signed, numbered and matted prints are available for only $20 each (plus shipping if necessary). They make unique gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and new homes. Just contact John by email and he’ll be delighted to help you.

Teacher devotions: A Congregational Prayer - Philippians 1:9

Philippians 1: 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.

If ever a prayer was written for a local congregation, it must certainly be this one of Paul’s. I love these words because of the encouragement and faith that is expressed in them. Our wee church at Erin has just completed some major renovation and expansion work on the building. Now it’s time to apply this verse and work on the people who congregate there.

Just recently someone was telling me about the welcoming love that they have experienced at Erin. I was proud to hear that the people I serve are embracing visitors and welcoming them as friends in Christ. To me, that is the main part of what a church should be doing. Whenever someone new walks through the doors of any church, they should be met with a sincere joy and delight that will make a good and lasting impression.

I also want that love to be spread into our local community. There are hundreds of people in our parish who do not know the love of God in Jesus Christ. If we can discern who these people are and make the right effort in reaching out to them, we can keep a light on and an open door for them to walk through when they need God most.

Paul’s prayer to the Philippian church was highly effective because it became a major base for the spreading of the Gospel all across the Mediterranean. My hope and my prayer is that with the right encouragement, vision, and faith, all of our local churches can begin to do the same throughout this New Year.

Prayer: Lord Jesus , we thank You for our churches and the congregations to which we are attached. In this New Year, we pray that You will equip and encourage us to undertake local outreach projects and missions that will enable us to embrace and welcome new visitors and new friends into our midst. Thank You for the power of the Gospel in our lives and for the potential that it has to spread across our community. In Your Sacred Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s drawing is one of John’s latest lighthouse prints. It’s called “Light Snow” and depicts the Portland Head Light in Maine during a snowstorm. You can view a larger version of the print here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/traqair57/5286516317/sizes/l/


All of John’s drawings can be found on the Web at his artsite at http://www.stushieart.wordpress.com/

Signed, numbered and matted prints are available for only $20 each (plus shipping if necessary).