Remember

 

An Emoji Devotions for Tue, July 13 2021

Topic: Remember

Highlight: Remember your Creator in the days of your youth ... Ecclesiastes 12:1

In the days when you have the chance to yield easily. When the tempter has not come to tell you to eat the forbidden fruit. Remember God Before you reach the point of making rash decisions while your mind is still in good shape to follow His will. Before you start with things that gets you carried away. Remember God before you reach the point of confusion when you are still ripe before you get burnt up and do not know what exactly the will of God is. When you are still a virgin and your thoughts are not covered with wrong options.  

In the beginning, God comes first to create the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1, Remember Him first in the beginning of every thing you do.  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1. Which of God's words do you know that should come in the beginning of every thing you do? 

Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. Psalms 34:1 

It is God that gives wisdom, it's same God that gives direction. Wisdom and Power comes from God. He is the controller of the universe. Only God can deliver, only His words can heal. It is the best option to put God first. Remember Him in the days of your youth. Reverence him when everything is still young, when there is still time, when there is still power. Before you get used up by life's experience before you begin to wonder if anything can move you anymore. Remember now thy creator before time runs out! 

Prayer: Lord you have done so much for me in the name of your dear Son. I will not forget talking about your goodness in the land of the living. Give me the grace and power to put you first at all times in Jesus name. Amen

Who is the Number One?

 

An Emoji Devotions for Mon 12th July, 2021

Topic: Who is the number one?

By H.U. Wenger

Wherever human beings are in groups together, the very question arises without anyone uttering it. It belongs to the group dynamic to somehow figure out who is top and who is bottom. The bible tells us a story of two competing groups, the shepherds of Abram and the shepherds of Lot, who tried to settle the matter in a fight, so that it developed very quickly to a matter of the chiefs. 

Highlights:  So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. (Genesis 13:8)

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:9 – 10)

The quarrel between the shepherds had a reason. There was just not enough water and food for the livestock when the large herds of the two men stayed together. 

Abram quickly realized that the only solution to the problem was to create more space and that meant the two men could not dwell any longer in the same location. 

If you have a quarrel in the family or marriage, look if there is enough space for everybody. Often time it gets easier to be together, when each part has the freedom to be enough with him or her. 

A German Psychotherapist coined the sentence: “I can better live with you, when I am more with me.” The way the bible tells us the story, it is quite clear that Abram is the senior chief. He most likely would have had any right, to say where he wants to live and where Lot should go. He, however, invites Lot to separate from him and to choose where he wants to dwell. Lot made his choice with astute human calculation. Abram remains on the lesser land, but has made the better deal anyway. 

He makes peace by taking himself back and giving Lot the honor of choice. Abram displays here the attitude of Christ according to Philippians 2:5 – 11:  “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God, something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Humility and a mindset of servitude is generally a sign of true greatness in the kingdom of God. 

The only way to be the number one leads over being the servant for everyone. Jesus displayed this through his whole life on earth, but especially when he was washing his disciple’s feet. (John 13:1 – 17) In this event he made clear that he expects them to follow his example.  ‘When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.’ (John 13:12 – 15)

“For it is the one who is least among you all, who is the greatest.”  (Luke 9:48b)

Prayer: Lord God, please help me to be a faithful servant. I long to be great as everybody does. Let me be your servant and show me how to use my gifts to serve my fellow human beings. Keep me from false pride. Amen. 

You are mine

 

An Emoji Devotions for Sun, 11th July 2021

Topic: You are mine!

By H. U. Wenger

Highlights: But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)

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)

God’s history with the people of Israel is very special, because it does not follow the rules of genealogy but the rules of promise and belief. In Romans 9 – 11 the Apostle Paul makes clear that in Jesus everybody who comes to him and believes in him will be counted as a child of Abraham and therefore be an Israelite in the spirit. On the other hand a Jew who does not seek the Lord will not be counted to the children of Abraham. Paul writes: What if he (God) did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? As he says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,” [Hosea 2: 23] and, “In the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ ” [Hosea 1:10] (Romans 9:23 – 26).  

Only a remnant of the original people of Israel will eventually get saved and with them many people out of the nations. It is crucial to acknowledge that the promise and the warning of the Isaiah prophecy apply to the Jews and to the followers of Christ out of the nations.  “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 

As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[Isaiah 28: 16]For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[Joel 2:32] (Romans 10:10 – 13)

 Now, as we have established that the Isaiah text applies to all believers in Christ, we can state for sure, that you are created, formed and treasured by the creator of the universe and that he redeemed you and calls you by your name. You will not always be safe and secure. Water and fire may trouble you, but nothing can overcome you according to the following verses in Isaiah 43 and according to Romans 8:38 – 39. You do not need to be afraid. You are under the watch of the good shepherd. What do you think the Lord may call you for by your name?

Could it possibly be that he wants you to confess and spread the good news that for your neighbor the same riches are available? Before Jesus parted from his disciples he assured them that he has been given all authority in heaven and on earth and he gave them a mission:  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18 – 20)

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for creating and gifting me to serve for your glory. Show me how I can praise you with my existence and how I can spread your wonderful Gospel to other people. Thank you for never having to stand alone as you are with me to the very end, so that I can say no to fear and boldly proclaim your name and your salvation. Amen   

On whom or what do I make myself dependent?

 

An Emoji Devotions for Sat, 10th of July 2021

Topic: On whom or what do I make myself dependent?

By H. U. Wenger

Highlights: Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalm 106:1; if you have a chance, read the psalm from your bible.)

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

Psalm 106 discusses the love and goodness of God towards the people of Israel and their ingratitude towards him. The Holy Spirit was not yet poured out to the people and only God chosen leaders were filled with the spirit and had therefore the ability to live in the spirit. Jesus Christ is the first example of a human being who consequently showed us a life in the spirit. The Israelites saw their lives shaped by circumstances, by powerful people, by luck and misfortune. They cried out to the Lord in their need, the Lord brought them out of the difficulties, but it never brought them to bough down to the Lord and to consequently follow his commandments. Time and again their way was determined by the human and spiritual forces they deemed crafty, strong and invincible. Time and again they got disappointed and cried out to the Lord only after their wisdom or folly had leaded them into disaster. Does your Christian life resemble that pattern? If so, you are suffering unjustly and there is good news for you. Christ Jesus sternly refused to make himself in any way dependent from worldly powers or from the givens of his life. He carefully looked to be only dependent on his Heavenly Father. Whenever he got into difficult situations, and that happened often, he talked to the father and accepted his will. He then acted accordingly and so proved to be invincible for the Pharisees and Scribes as well as to the political authorities. He adamantly trusted his father with his whole existence. Living in the spirit means to make one dependent only from the Almighty God. In difficult situation I look to him. I am dealing with him, not with the circumstances. I do not deal with obnoxious and obstinate people, but with their creator, whom I know to be on my side. I trust that he will not let me down and never put me to shame.  This is how Jesus lived with his Father during his life on earth. To his disciples he promised the same relationship with him through the Holy Spirit he poured out on them on Pentecost. That Spirit is now living in all who got born again. It is only a leap of faith to trust him, who has been given all authority in heaven and earth, more than we fear for our lives or for our reputation. Trusting Jesus and his Heavenly Father, makes us as steadfast and invincible as he himself has been. 

In Colossians 3 the apostle Paul gives us a blueprint for how we can make us totally dependent on Jesus alone, the same way he was dependent on his Father alone. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus please grant me enough faith to make myself dependent on you alone. Thank you that by standing with you I will never stand alone! I know that you will never put me to shame. Praise be to your holy name! Amen. 

Living among crazy people

 An Emoji Devotions For Fri 9th July, 2021

Topic: Living among crazy people

By H.U. Wenger

I have been brought up in a rural region of Switzerland. There was an unwritten set of rules how people have to behave themselves in order to belong to the respectable society. If you wanted to have a chance to once belong to the elite, you better did your best to fit in. Although I often times had a feeling that following those rules was weird and strange, it still breathed a touch of normalcy, because everybody adhered to it. I had just finished my theological studies, when I was invited by a study friend to join him on a trip to New York. I gladly accepted and we enjoyed the musical “cats” at a theater on the Broadway. Around one o’clock in the morning we came back to the street and I could not believe my eyes. The city was much more alive than every city I knew in broad daylight. The street was packed with people, strangely clothed and wearing blinking colored lights on their hats, their glasses or their shoulders. In amazement, but rather appalled by the sight, I said to my friend: Whoever isn’t crazy here must be crazy and I urged him to retreat into our hotel. In my rural and self-righteous heart I could not find love and mercy for the people of New York. They were deviant and appalling to me. 

Highlights: “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 86:15)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22 – 23a)

It took me some time to realize that God has as much grace, compassion and abounding love for crazy people as he has for ruraly normalized guys. In a second step I got aware that my perceived normalcy is in many ways as crazy as the felt craziness of the New Yorkers.

In several steps God showed to me that it is not my job to judge the life-style of any society on this planet, but to live in the spirit. The spirit teaches us the character of Jesus and with it the heart of God. It is absolutely impossible to live in the spirit and not have love and compassion for crazy people. Living in the spirit prevents us from being judgmental. Every single human being was created by God himself in his or her mother’s womb for his glory. He delights in all of his handiwork with love and compassion. As a shepherd searches for his sheep, he searches for you and me, regardless of the craziness we have developed in our upbringing. 

As I was walking the Broadway in New York, I was living in the flesh and could not have any love and compassion for the crazy people. I was bound to an unwritten law of a rural society, although I was a Christian at that time. Would it have been possible for me to lead one New Yorker to the Lord? Not with my attitude at the time. Let us hear what the Apostle Paul says: You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. (Galatians 5:13 – 15)

By living in the spirit it begins to be fun and adventurous to live among crazy people who are the handiwork of God and searched for by him to be saved. 

Prayer: Lord God free me from my being judgmental and let me live in the spirit to spread your character, your joy, your love and your compassion. Let me be instrumental to bring some of my fellow humans back to you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen   

God’s unfailing love and goodness

 An Emoji Devotions for Thu July 8th, 2021

Topic: God’s unfailing love and goodness

By H.U. Wenger

Highlights: This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1. John 4:9 – 10)

Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. (Psalm 48:9)

Among Christian it is generally accepted that God is good and that he loves mankind. Nevertheless many Christians have difficulties to agree that God is unfailingly and absolutely good and loving. Events in their own life or in the lives of people they know let them think that God can be as well quite cruel and beyond human grasp. It is true and God states it in Isaiah 55 himself that his thoughts and ways are beyond what humans can understand. But whatever God does, his intentions are always full of love and mercy. The riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience are geared to lead us to repentance according to Romans 2:4. As Jesus walked the earth he showed us the character of the father. He had to rebuke the abuse of the law of God for human gain, but he never did anything that would have damaged one single human being. In John 14:6 Jesus stated to his disciples: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In the context he had prepared the disciples for his suffering and his going to the Father and Thomas had questioned how they could know where he is going to. Philipp then said to Jesus: Just show us the Father and it will be enough for us. Jesus replied: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? If Jesus has harmed no one in his earthly life, we can know for sure that from the beginning of the world the Father has loved every human being and he has never ever damaged anyone. 

You may have gone through hardship and difficult experiences, but it has never been the retribution of God. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) There are three things that bring us into harm’s way: our own sin, the law of sowing and reaping and all the human attempts to be our own God. 

Adam and Eve decided in the temptation against God and for the perspective of being god themselves. This was treason against God and their sin. At the same time it was the planting of a bad seed that lead to strive, envy, hatred murder, oppression and ultimately to a lot of man inflicted misery. 

Through the act of treason Satan got empowered to plague mankind with all sorts of maladies and misfortunes. Since then we have lost the divine protection, but we never lost his goodness and love, that will guide us to repentance. God searches for you and me through his unfailing love and goodness. The sons of Corah praise in Psalm 48 the city of God and mention that they meditate on God’s unfailing love in the temple. 

In the New Testament the temple in Jerusalem disappeared, but through the Holy Spirit God made a temple out of the body of every single one of his followers. We are supposed to meditate on God’s goodness and love in that very temple, despite all the attacks from the enemy. Whenever we think that God has sent us punishment or harm, we are deceived. He does not do such things. All he does is to draw us towards him. “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:16 – 17) 

Prayer: Thank you Lord for loving me despite my treason against you. Thank you for your atonement and your unfailing love and goodness. Thank you for your being absolutely good. Let me cling to that truth despite my often times distorted perception. Amen. 

Clouds of Possibilities

 

An Emoji Devotions for 7th July 2021

Topic: Clouds of Possibilities

Highlight: If clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth. Ecclesiastes 11:13

The world is ruled by fixed laws, the operation of which man has no power to suspend. There is nothing too big for God to do. If we as human could differentiate some things as little and some as big. It is the bigger that bless the lesser. We all look up to God for everything not the other way round. Jeremiah 32:27 “Look, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me? Our God is able to achieve his purpose with or without us. It is the best to allow God achieve His purpose through us so that He will be happy with us. Whoever makes God happy is filling up their clouds with possibilities. When the Isrealites turned away from God their deliverer, He sent Jesus to save the gentiles. Today God is achieving His purpose of salvation through everyone who preaches the gospel of Christ be it Jew or gentiles. I Sam 2:30 ....But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me. That is why we must honor God in our lives. Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him (Psalms 115:3) He can decide to raise the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; to seats them with princes. He can also decide to make childless woman to become happy mother of children. Psalm 113:7-9

Search your life very well if you are praising God enough. Do not provoke God to look elsewhere for worshipers. You must not get tired of worshipping God everyday because that is the purpose we were all made. Luke 19:40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” Keep trusting in the Lord with all your heart. See Him as big as He is. For He is able to make a way where there is no way. He sees what we cannot see. He is the God of possibilities.

Prayer: Help me Lord to make you happy always in the name of Jesus Christ my Redeemer. Amen.