Selah

Martyrology of Oengus

16th c. copy of the 9th c. ms.

National Library of Ireland

Consists of 365 quatrains for daily devotion

     In the movie Shadowlands, a student tells C.S. Lewis, "We read to know we're not alone." Proverbs 15:23 tells us,

'Joy belongs to a man with answers in his mouth, and a word in its time, how good it is.'

LEB 

     
     We humans are creatures of habit. My day begins early. I stagger from the coffee maker to the shower (notice the priority) to the sofa where I read the daily passage from a devotional. Over the years there have been my favorites- Spurgeon, Chambers, Lewis, Nouwen, and for the past few years, a Messianic Jewish devotional. They all have one thing in common-

the writer speaks from a hidden place, 

having spent much time with God, and reminds us we are not alone.

     Truth transcends culture but a writer's voice is unique to a time. There is a new addition to my mornings- Selah, A 90-Day Journey of Grace and Hope by Joseph Iregbu. Joseph Iregbu speaks to our time. He says,

Our world is full of many reasons to give up and lose hope but you don’t have to. There is every reason to think the world is caving in on you, but it is not. You may have convinced yourself God is not on your side, but He is.

     Selah is a 90-Day devotional that reminds us there is hope. Here is an excerpt from Day 7-

"The presence of problem is not the problem. The problem is our failure to see beyond the problem." 

If we fail to see beyond our present situation, finding hope becomes a challenge. Troubles have a way of making the heart forget the promises of the Gospel- 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'

Today, I encourage you to consider just one promise in the Bible. ... consider the One who made that promise... Do not believe your problems are bigger than God.

If you are searching for a devotional to begin, or end, your day I suggest Selah.

Laundry Days

   

"It is tempting to say that what you do with this time you save is your own business. Briefly stated, however, the Christian position is that there's no such thing as your own business."

-Frederick Buechner

"The more you fulfill yourself the less you will seek God."

-Oswald Chambers

     Lately, I feel my life is what happens between laundry days- the moments I spend between the moments I stop to remove the world from my clothing.

Consistency

"And He is the image of the invisible God,

the first-born of all creation."

Colossians 1:15

consistent \kən-ˈsis-tənt\ -

Latin-consistens, present participle of consistere 1archaic : possessing firmness or coherence2 a: marked by harmony, regularity, or steady continuity : free from variation or contradiction b: marked by agreement

29 April 2009

As I write this morning, I stop to look across the room at my sleeping family. It is early morning. We are in a motel. Tonight our oldest son, Joshua, boards a plane for foreign soil. Again. He is a Marine. "We never know what a day may bring forth." How often have I heard those words? The certainty of the uncertain is consistent. This morning, I read these words from Oswald Chambers:

Naturally, we are inclined to be so mathematical and calculating that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We imagine that we have to reach some end, but that is not the nature of spiritual life. The nature of spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty, consequently we do not make our nests anywhere. Common sense says - "Well, supposing I were in that condition . . ." We cannot suppose ourselves in any condition we have never been in. Certainty is the mark of the common-sense life: gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, we do not know what a day may bring forth. This is generally said with a sigh of sadness, it should be rather an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. Immediately we abandon to God, and do the duty that lies nearest, He packs our life with surprises all the time. When we become advocates of a creed, something dies; we do not believe God, we only believe our belief about Him. Jesus said, "Except ye become as little children." Spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, but uncertain of what He is going to do next. If we are only certain in our beliefs, we get dignified and severe and have the ban of finality about our views; but when we are rightly related to God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy.
"Believe also in Me," said Jesus, not - "Believe certain things about Me." Leave the whole thing to Him, it is gloriously uncertain how He will come in, but He will come. Remain loyal to Him.

And so, I am expectant. As Oswald puts it, I am 'breathlessly' expectant of a God who is consistent.