Daily Devotions March 13-22

Sierra Leone Schedule for Devotions

                                                                       

March 13:  Nashville airport before we board - Jane Etheridge

March 14:  Brussels airport - Jane Etheridge

March 15:  Freetown - Robert Hill

March 16:  Church in Taiama - Debi Selby  

March 17:  Njala - Carol Doster

March 18:  Njala - Rebecca Selby

March 19:  Njala - Tonya Nash

March 20:  Njala - Jane Etheridge     

March 21:  Freetown - Laura Nash

March 22:  Airport in Brussels - Robert Hill

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First Devotion

Nashville airport

March 13, 2014

Let’s begin our devotion with a familiar hymn, taken from Psalm 118:24

         “This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made. 

         I will rejoice, I will rejoice and be glad in it, and be glad in it.  …”

On this day… just a short time before we board the plane for our first leg of the trip, I want us to focus, not on what we are leaving behind, but what we take with us—the gifts God has given us.   We share some gifts: our courage, our calling to help others, our sense of adventure, and ? (Have them offer their thoughts.) Yet, we also bring different gifts to this journey and experience.

Think for a moment about a bicycle.  Picture it in your mind.  Think about all its parts and what each individual part is responsible for doing—it’s primary function.  Think about how all the parts working together result in a rider being able to get where s/he wants to go. 

Now, I want you to think about YOU and if you were a part of the bicycle, which part would you be?  As your mind flips through the various parts, which one seems to be “you”?  Don’t try to make a particular part “fit” but just go with the part that you realize in “your heart of hearts” you would just HAVE to be.

         Have someone volunteer to share her/his part and why s/he chose that particular one. 

         Have everyone share her/his “part”.

Now think about the bicycle we would have if we combined all the parts. What parts are missing?

Are there crucial parts that our constructed bicycle would be missing?

The Bible tells us that each of us have different gifts.

        Hand out separate slips of paper to each team member and have each person read one of             the following scriptures aloud:

            Romans 12: 4-8                   I Cor. 7: 7b

            I Cor. 12:4-15                     1 Cor. 12:16-30

            Matt. 7:7-12                        Luke 11: 9-13                         2 Cor. 9:6-15

I think we have an amazing team both “in country” and in this space here.  We are all God’s children and all feel called to share God’s love, grace, mercy, and compassion with other people.  However, God has also blessed us with different gifts that we bring to this journey.  To some extent, we are aware of our gifts.  However, I am certain that during this experience, God is going to reveal to us some additional gifts.  We will also see the gifts that our team members in Sierra Leone bring and perhaps, we will help them discover new gifts.  In addition, just as we discovered we have some missing parts that would make a bicycle work at its optimal, we will discover that our team is lacking some “gifts” that would make our work in Sierra Leone easier and smoother.  Acknowledgment is so important because it reminds us that “what is impossible with us is possible with God. “ We must remember to praise Him and thank him when all goes well and depend on him when our human shortcomings are revealed.    

In closing, I ask everyone to prayfully sing,

        “Make me a servant Lord, make me like you
             For you are a servant, make me one, too.
             Make me a servant, do what you must do
            To make me a servant, make me like you.

            To love my brother, to serve like you do.
            I humble my spirit, I bow before you.
            And through my service, I'll be just like you.
            So make me a servant, make me like you.

            Open my hands Lord and teach me to share
            Open my heart Lord and teach me to care,
            For service to others is service to you.
            Make me a servant, make me like you.

            Make me a servant, humble and meek

            Lord, let me lift up those who are weak

            And may the prayer of my heart always be

            Make me a servant, make me a servant

            Make me a servant today.”

I end as I began . . . in Psalm 118

Please pray with me:

     O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success.

     Blessed is he who comes to in the name of the Lord,

     The Lord is God and he has made his light to shine upon us.

     You are our God, and we give you thanks for making this trip possible

     We thank you for the support of our family, friends, and church

     You are our God, and we exalt you

     We praise you today for your mercy, grace, and love that endures forever.

     We ask you to use us as instruments of your love and compassion
     Help us to see and use our gifts for your glory and reveal our hidden gifts as well the gifts of             our team members so we can build each other up in the spirit of unity and faith.
     In Jesus's name we pray, Amen. 

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DEVOTION 2 - Courage
@ Brussels Airport
March 14, 2014

There are many references to fear, anxiety, and worry in the Bible and there are many Biblical characters who were afraid at various times in their lives.  I cannot even imagine the fear that Abraham experienced when he was leading to Isaac up the mountain where he might have to sacrifice the son he loved so much.   I can only surmise the fear and anxiety that Moses felt when God told him to leave Midian where he had been hiding since he had murdered an Egyptian and go to Pharoah and tell him to free the Israelites.  Moses tried pretty hard to convince God that he should send someone else.  I also think about Queen Esther when Mordecai told her she must go to the king without being summoned by him.  She must go and plead with him to spare the Jewish people.  Then there was Jonah.  Although the Bible does not specifically tell us that he ran from God because he was afraid to go and preach in Ninevah, I want to believe that was his motivation for trying to run away.  We know for sure that he was afraid when he was thrown into the sea and he called upon God to save him.  After spending 3 days in the belly of the big fish, God had the fish spit him out and then Jonah obeyed God.   I am sure you can think of many other examples of great men and women of God who felt anxious, afraid, and who worried about what lay ahead.

I admit that I have some anxiety about the next ten days.  I fear getting sick, I fear not understanding what is said to me, I fear not having time to be alone to have time for my own renewal.  I am anxious about getting entry into Sierra Leone and wherever we travel within the country.  I fear that I will be overwhelmed by the poverty and the immense needs of the children and adults.  I worry about being able to learn quickly so I can be helpful to my team members as well as the people we are seeking to help.  I worry a little about what might happen at home to my loved ones. Maybe, I am the only one with such anxieties, fears, and worry.  While I know that worry doesn’t accomplish anything, they still creep into my mind. 

Give time for everyone to share their fears, anxieties, and worries.

In addition to the Biblical stories of fear, the Bible also offers us comforting words that help us have courage to face our fears.   Let’s read a few:

Isaiah 43:1-3

“Don’t be afraid, because I have saved you.  I have called you by my name, and you are mine. When you pass through he waters, I will be with you.  When you cross rivers, you will not drown.  When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flames hurt you.  This is because I, the Lord, am your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

Isaiah 41: 10, 13

“Don’t worry, because I am with you. Don’t’ be afraid because I am your God.  I will make you strong and will help you; I will support you with my right hand that saves you . . . I am the Lord your God, who holds your right hand, and I tell you, ‘Don’t be afraid, I will help you.’”

Psalm 3:3

“But Lord, you are my shield, my wonderful God who gives me courage.

John 14:1

Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God and trust in me.”

I Peter 5:7

“Give all your worries to God because he cares for you.”

Isaiah 26:3-4

“You, Lord, give true peace, to those who depend on you, because they trust you.  So, trust the Lord always, because he is our rock forever.”

Psalm 55:22

“Give your worries to the Lord, and he will take care of you.  He will never let good people down.”

I especially love this one: 2 Cor. 12:9-10

The Lord said to me, “My grace is enough for you.  When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you”

Pray that God doesn’t take from us the worries related to this journey but that he surfaces the worries so we can share them with Him and turn them over to Him.

We need to remember that the disciples were common men given a compelling task.  Before they were stain-glassed saints in the windows of cathedrals, they were somebody’s next-door-neighbors trying to make a living and raise a family.  They weren’t cut from theological cloth or raised on supernatural milk.  But they were an ounce more devoted than they were afraid and, as a result, did some extraordinary things.  May we be so captivated by God’s love that we will move forward in faith.

May Matthew 5:14-16 become our way of being from this moment forward.

“You are the light that gives light to the world.  A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden. And people don’t hide a light under a bowl. They put it on the lampstand so the light shines for all the people in the house.  In the same way, you should be a light for other people.  Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in Heaven.”