April 20, 2012
“He leads me beside the still waters.” (Psalm 23:2)
Most people associate the still waters of David’s Shepherd Psalm with peace. However, if you do some research you will find that when a sheep drinks from a stream of water that stream must be as flat and still as a mirror or the water will go up the snout of the sheep. The authentic application of this metaphor is therefore that the still waters mean our great Shepherd leads us to the places just suited for us.
In 1979 I resigned from a large church and accepted a call to a small church that had just begun. After being in the small church for a year I went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota because of weird symptoms I was experiencing. After nearly a month of studies, the doctor who directed my program misread my file. Thinking I was still in the large church, when he gave me the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis he told me I needed to go to a small church in a small town. I told him that I had already been in a small church for a year. I was to learn to be fulfilled with doing less and doing it better.
As my symptoms persisted and I was confined to a wheelchair a group of men helped me build a house that accommodated my physical challenges. One of them made a stained glass window with two words on it. Near the entrance for 26 years those two words have been “Still Waters.” Those two words are not just a label for my home but also my ministry – in this location I have accomplished the most fruitful work of my life.
Can you write those two words across what God is doing in your life right now?
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Uncategorized | Tagged: church, Divine Providence, Faith in God, prayer, Psalm 23, spirituality, Still Waters, Trusting God | 
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Posted by Dick Woodward
April 5, 2012
“Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” (John 13:1)
Jesus was celebrating the Passover with His apostles. Luke writes that on the way to the upper room where they were to celebrate the Passover with Jesus the apostles argued about which of them would be the greatest in the kingdom Jesus promised. What a shock it must have been when Jesus assumed the attire of a slave and washed their feet!
Having washed their feet He asked the question “Do you know what I have done to you?” His question is answered in the words quoted above. The most dynamic characteristic of the personality of Jesus was love. He had loved these men for three years in ways they had never been loved before in their entire lives.
He also answered His question by telling them that He had given them an example. If He as their Lord and Teacher had washed their feet they should wash each other’s feet. Then He made the connection between feet washing and love by giving them the New Commandment. They were to love one another in the same ways He had loved them. This would be the absolute credential that they were His disciples.
A New Commandment directed them to a New Commitment. Each of them had made a commitment to Jesus but now they were to make a commitment to each other. This new commitment established a New Community. We call it the church. The secular people said of the early church, “Behold how they love one another!” If they made that charge today about your church or mine would there be enough evidence to convict us?
Oh Lord make it so!
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: apostles, Christian devotional, church, Disciples of Jesus, Easter, evangelical, Faith in God, Jesus Christ, John 13:1, Last Supper, Love of Jesus, Maundy Thursday, new commandment, theology, upper room, Washing feet | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
March 30, 2012
“… the just shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4)
The prophet Habakkuk lived in one of the most difficult times in Hebrew history. God gave him a prophetic message to preach when the Babylonians were about to conquer God’s people. The watchtowers were manned with soldiers who were listening for the dreadful sounds of the Babylonian army. This little prophet had witnessed the terrible ways the great Prophet Jeremiah was treated when he preached his message. Being a simple choir director he could only imagine how he would be treated if he assumed the role of a prophet.
He therefore came up with a very clever literary form. He proclaimed that he was going to build a spiritual watchtower and ask God all the difficult questions that were on their hearts at that time. Questions like, “Why will you use a people more sinful than we are to chasten us?” He told them that when he heard from God he would tell them what God said in answer to these and other questions. His literary form was like a talk show in which he was the host and God was the Guest being interviewed.
God’s answer was that the wickedness of the Babylonian would be their undoing, but the just would live by their faith. Originally this meant faith in the prophecy of Jeremiah that they would return from the Babylonian captivity. By application these seven words, which are quoted three times in the New Testament, were used to inspire the great protestant reformation.
People say God does not speak today as He did then. The truth is we do not listen for God as this prophet did. Do you have a spiritual watchtower? Do you listen for God and expect to hear from Him?
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: Christian devotional, faith, Faith in God, God's faithfulness, Habakkuk, hebrew history, justice, listening to God, prayer, prophetic message, protestant reformation, Spiritual Discernment, spirituality | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
March 27, 2012
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.” (Luke 5: 37)
Here Jesus uses a metaphor that had probably been the experience of some of those who heard this teaching. Undoubtedly they had made the mistake of putting new wine, or unfermented wine, in an old brittle wineskin. They would hang that wineskin on the wall of their home to let the wine ferment. But one afternoon while they were taking a siesta there would be a loud popping sound and they would see wine running down the wall. They would immediately know they made the mistake Jesus was describing. The expanding fermenting wine burst the wineskin.
By this metaphor Jesus was teaching that His truth was like unfermented wine. When they took that truth into their mind, if they did not yield to the pressure of that truth and apply the teaching it would literally blow their mind!
We place such a high value today upon knowledge that many people think knowledge is virtue. However, it is the application of knowledge that leads to virtue and wisdom. Jesus taught in another place that it is when we do what He teaches that we will know His teaching is the Word of God (John and 7:17).
This is also a warning from Jesus. If we build up a reservoir of the truth Jesus taught that we never apply, that unapplied teaching can give us so much conflict it can make us sick. The greatest truth this world has ever heard came through Jesus. Resolve to do it before you know it. The application of the truth Jesus taught can convert you into a new wineskin.
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: Applying Faith, Faith & Wine, Faith in God, Jesus Christ, Luke 5:37, metaphors of Jesus, New wineskins, religion, spirituality, Teachings of Jesus | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
March 25, 2012
“But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” (Matthew 14:30)
The Apostle Peter is the only man besides Jesus Christ who ever walked on water. Yet millions of us only remember that he took his eyes off the Lord and would have drowned if the Lord had not saved him.
We read that his magnificent faith was flawed. He saw the wind. Since we cannot see wind this actually means when he saw what the wind was doing, he lost sight of what Jesus was doing and he was afraid. The remarkable thing here is that when he kept his eyes on Jesus he walked on water!
It was not until he was beginning to sink that he prayed this prayer that is a model prayer for us all. Jesus taught that our prayers should not be long and we should never think we will generate grace with God by our much speaking. If Peter had prayed a longer prayer, the words beyond the third would have been glub, glub glub! When Jesus caught Peter by the hand He gave him the nickname “Little faith” and I believe our Lord was smiling when He did. He literally asked Peter “Why did you think twice?”
Rick Warren took his entire congregation of twenty thousand people through the eight steps of what is called “Celebrate Recovery.” When asked why, his response was: “Because we are all in recovery. What do you think the word ‘salvation’ means?” When we truly understand the meaning of this word “salvation” we will frequently pray this model prayer.
Pray this three word prayer of Peter often and don’t think twice. Don’t be a “Little Faith.”
Lord, save me!
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Posted by Dick Woodward
March 18, 2012
“Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, ‘There is no help for him in God.’” (Psalm 3: 1, 2)
As David writes the Third Psalm he is facing the greatest crisis of his life. His son has turned the entire nation against him and has driven him out of Jerusalem into the wilderness where he hid from King Saul when he was a young fugitive. His situation is so desperate that many people said that even God could not help him. But in this psalm David explains how he knows God will be there for him; he is not having a panic attack so he gives us a prescription for one.
Observe the way David uses three tenses as he lays out his prescription that kept him from panicking. He recalls that in the past there were many times when he cried out to God and the Lord heard him. When he lay down to sleep not knowing if the enemy would slit his throat while he was sleeping, he awoke alive because the Lord sustained him. He then declared that he will not be afraid of the thousands of people who wanted to see him dead. He then declares in the present tense that God is with him and His present blessing is upon him.
When you are in crisis think back to times in the past when God met you and brought you through a crisis. Then let those past answered prayers inspire you to trust God for the present and the future crises in your life.
Look back. With faith, look forward. Then look around at your present circumstances, not with panic but with faith and peace.
3 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: be not afraid, faith, Faith in Crisis, Faith in God, keeping the faith, King David, panic attacks, Peace of Jesus Christ, Psalm 3, religion, spirituality, trust god, Trust in God | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
March 10, 2012
“… who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4)
The Apostle Paul has just experienced life threatening persecution when he was stoned in Lystra. As he describes that experience for the Church in Corinth he gives them (and us) a perspective on suffering. He writes that there is a kind of suffering that drives us to God and there is a quality of comfort that can only be found in God when the level of our suffering drives us to Him.
According to Paul, an evangelist is “one beggar telling another beggar where the bread is.” A hurting heart that has discovered the comfort that can only be found in God is “one hurting heart telling another hurting heart where the Comfort is.”
As a pastor when I met grief stricken parents who had lost a child, since I had never suffered that loss I sent a couple to comfort them who had lost a child and found the comfort of God to help them. Any time your heart is hurting because God has permitted you to suffer, realize that you are being given a credential by God. As you find the comfort that is to be found in God you are now qualified to point any person with that same problem to the comfort you discovered when you had that hurt in your heart.
Although you will not answer all of the “why” questions until you know as you are known, are you willing to let this perspective bring some meaning and purpose to your suffering?
Or would you rather choose to waste your sorrows?
3 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: 2 corinthians 1, 2 Corinthians 1:4, apostle paul, comfort in sorrow, compassion, faith, Faith in God, finding comfort in God, hurting hearts, Jesus Christ, perspective in suffering, Saint Paul, spirituality | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
March 6, 2012
“When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’” (John 5:6)
The Apostle John describes a pathetic scene that confronted those who approached the Temple as they entered the city of Jerusalem in Jesus’ day. There was by the Sheep Gate the Pool of Bethesda. A great multitude of weak and sick people lay in the porches surrounding that pool given the superstition that when the waters in that pool rippled the first one to get into the pool would be healed.
When Jesus came upon that pool He moved among these weak people until he found one man who had been there for 38 years. He was paralyzed and Jesus asked him the remarkable question quoted above. The man might have thought that question ridiculous since he had been faithfully lying beside the pool for 38 years.
We may well ask the question “Why did Jesus heal just this one man?” It may be that Jesus healed this man because he had given up on the Pool of Bethesda.
Today there are millions of people who are sitting beside “Pools of Bethesda” that cannot heal them. Like Solomon, some people try money, knowledge, painting the town red and not withholding from their eyes anything they see that they want. People try success, power, social status and everything but the spiritual for their healing.
Do you want to be made well inside your heart? Give up your “Pools of Bethesda” and ask the risen, living Christ to lead you to your healing. Get into His Word and become His disciple indeed.
Go beyond the sacred page and meet the Living Word and He will heal you.
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Posted by Dick Woodward
March 2, 2012
“Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say, ‘Who will show us any good?’” (Psalm 4:5)
David cannot sleep. He is uptight and anxious. From the context of the psalm we know he cannot sleep because he is under great stress. He decides to meditate within his own heart and be still. (He has a little “board meeting” with himself in the middle of the night). If he does the right thing, he believes he cannot survive. He is therefore thinking about doing the expedient thing. But since he is a man of great spiritual integrity he finds himself awake and uptight.
As a result of his meditation he resolves his dilemma. He makes the decision that he is going to make whatever sacrifices he has to make to do what is right and then trust the Lord for his survival. He knows there are many people who are looking for someone who will do what is right even though it costs them everything to do right.
Have you ever found yourself awake, uptight and stressed out in the middle of the night because you are in a crisis? If you do what you believe God wants you to do you don’t see how you can survive. But your spiritual integrity won’t let you sleep if you don’t do what you believe God wants you to do. David models here a prescription for resolving that kind of dilemma.
His prescription is simply to do right. Whatever it costs you, do right and trust God for the consequences. Many people will be blessed, God will be glorified, you will have great peace, and get some sleep.
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: Doing Right, faith, Faith in God, great peace, King David, peaceful sleep, Psalm 4, Righteousness, spiritual integrity, spirituality, the cost of doing right, trust god, trust in the lord, Trusting God | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
February 29, 2012
“God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.” (Hebrews 6:10)
All of us have or we will experience not being appreciated. It’s challenging to labor long and hard helping people without a word or gesture of appreciation. The author above gives us a beautiful word that we can share with unappreciated servants of the Lord. That word is simply that we can know we are always appreciated.
Our Lord instructed us that we are to work our righteous acts in secret. We are to give in such a way that one hand does not know what the other hand is giving. We are to pray and fast in a closet or in private knowing that our Father in heaven sees and knows everything we pray and do (Matthew 6).
In the same spirit through Moses God said “Walk before Me!” (Genesis 17:1) It can bring spiritually profitable perspective into our daily walk if we will hold on to the perspective that everything we do is done before and as unto our God. The author quoted above is reminding us we are always appreciated when we look up and walk before our God.
When I was in my early twenties and beginning my ministry I met a lovely elderly couple who had spent 48 years in China. As I visited them in charity housing, in so far as I could tell they had been shown no appreciation whatsoever for their wonderful work in China. When I asked them how they could bear that their answer was: “You have to know Who you’re doing it for.”
Walk before God as you do your work – and when you need some appreciation.
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Posted by Dick Woodward
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