Daily Devotional – May 22, 2020

Faith Baptist Church

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May 23, 2020

A dose of encouragement through the “virus crisis”

00:04: Well, good afternoon. How is day 62 going for you thus far?
00:10: 62 days, so that means we are now officially into the the third month of the
00:17: COVID lockdown well, didn't the the Sun this morning do a good bit of wonderful stuff for you and look good we'll look out the window see the blue sky and the sun shining after a very wet weekend that last weekend and then
00:34: Day after day of clouds and clouds and wonder is the Sun ever gonna come out again.
00:41: Well, I Just want you to know we're making some progress on starting outdoor services.
00:48: They said the other night maybe I don't know if I mentioned it yesterday or not, but That we're looking to start outdoor services weather permitting on June 7th
00:58: We may be able to do that a week earlier if we get everything together Trying to do that and we'll let you know as soon as possible
01:07: Otherwise, I hope you can catch the Sunday morning worship service this Sunday 1030
01:13: Central Time, of course I'm gonna be learning a new hymn. I found one that an old hymn
01:19: I hadn't I've never seen it before but fits very well with our focus and going to be focusing on the
01:26: Ascension in Acts chapter 1 So again, hope you can tune in for that Monday, of course is a holiday.
01:33: Do you remember that? it's kind of gotten kind of got buried and overshadowed by all of the restrictions and the other news and so on and so forth, but it is it's a holiday and so I'm not gonna be doing the
01:49: Daily devotional on Monday gonna take some family time reserve the day for for family
01:55: So be picking that up again on Tuesday Well today is the last day of school for my kindergartner grandson congratulations to him on graduation from kindergarten and last week was graduation for Allison graduated from Sterling High School So schools winding down but she graduated
02:21: Graduated without any pomp and circumstances some someone some expert
02:27: I guess determined that celebrating milestones is not essential in the middle of a of a lockdown well
02:36: Speaking of school. Have you seen the new? Guidelines from the CDC the recommended guidelines for opening school in the fall
02:44: Here are a few juicy tidbits. I thought you might enjoy these first of all
02:49: No sharing of electronic devices toys games or learning aids so all those times when your kids playing with another kid and They get into a tussle over the same thing and you say you got to share you got to share
03:05: But now they can be selfish and nobody's gonna tell them otherwise Okay Here's another one one -way routes in hallways
03:15: One -way routes in hallways. I mean, hey, it's it's working great at Walmart, right? and then another one put tape on the sidewalks and walls to ensure that kids stay six feet apart
03:28: I Think they're probably gonna need some of those bumper things. I saw on the news the other night this restaurant somewhere
03:36: Had had created like these huge inner tube Table things and you get in the middle of this and everybody and it's like a three feet
03:48: Circumference so that or a diameter so that you you'll never be more than six feet within six feet of somebody
03:56: See the kids doing that No field trips assemblies or external organizations in schools.
04:04: No field trips I mean, that's what we lived for when we were in school, right? and then this one was good one one child per seat on school buses and skip rows between riders
04:18: So we're gonna need to at least double the fleet of school buses more drivers
04:25: I Wonder how much more it's gonna cost per pupil next year for school.
04:32: I Wonder how much my property taxes are gonna go up next year. Oh boy.
04:39: Do you need any more bad news? well what we need these days is
04:44: Light and some good news, isn't it? I just read this in the book of Proverbs today
04:50: Proverbs 15 30 Says the light of the eyes rejoices the heart and good news refreshes the bones
04:59: Let me read that again the light of the eyes rejoices the heart and good news refreshes the bones
05:07: Well as I've mentioned even earlier We experienced a taste of this proverb today already, right?
05:15: We got up this morning and maybe you know you opened the window the curtains and looked out the window and there's the sun shining and it just It just rejoiced the heart to see that shuns that that sun shining
05:29: And didn't that perk up your spirits? I'm sure it did now a proverb this is one of them
05:36: Proverbs 15 30 a proverb is a maxim that is it's a statement that's
05:42: Generally true. It's generally observable in life and and we can see this generally observable truth in Many areas of life can't we you think about think about how physical light?
05:55: Rejoices the heart. Can you imagine living in Barrow, Alaska? From let's see.
06:03: When is it? Sometime in in late December early
06:08: December something like that through End of January, I forget exactly what the beginning and ending dates are but for 67 days straight
06:17: There's no Sun. It's just dark the whole time It's no wonder that 10 % of the the residents of Alaska suffer from seasonal affective disorder
06:28: That's a that's a kind of a debilitating form of depression. That's simply due to a lack of light and Then on the other hand, it's no wonder that they have a great celebration in April to to mark the return of the
06:43: Sun and then they do get the The the pleasure of the Sun not setting from mid -may until the end of July so they're very happy in the summer and pretty depressed in the winter because physical light rejoices the heart
07:02: Well, so does the light of truth doesn't it the light of truth rejoicing the heart? We're having a pretty difficult time with that these days, aren't we?
07:11: I mean wouldn't it wouldn't it just rejoice your heart to hear one of these experts get on nationwide television and say you know
07:19: What I was wrong Here's the truth about and then you know fill in the blank or to hear a politician say look
07:28: I know I said I was doing thus and so for this reason But the truth of the matter is it was this
07:36: I was I was being I was not being truthful I wasn't being honest. The truth of the matter is this wouldn't you would you just love to hear a politician do that?
07:46: Wouldn't that just rejoice your heart? Well, you know even unpleasant truth is
07:53: Better than a pleasant lie, isn't it? Yeah, the light of truth rejoices the heart.
08:00: Oh and then Theological light rejoices the heart to at least of those who believe it in Earlier devotionals in these daily devotionals.
08:10: I talked about some of these rays of theological light that can be truly helpful in this otherwise frustrating time things like the sovereignty of God and the the triad of omnis, you know the
08:26: Omniscience the omnipotence the omnipresence of God that God knows all things
08:32: He can do all things. He is everywhere at the same time everywhere present at the same time and then there's the
08:42: Theological light of the providence of God that God is it God is at work in this
08:47: In this world and what's going on in this world? This is not taking him by surprise and there's not a thing of it
08:54: It's not happening without his superintendents And then there's the theological light of the ultimate plan of God for this world and we don't know when all it's gonna it's all gonna work out and that a plan is going to be accomplished but The theological light that he has a plan and that everything is working toward that ultimate plan that rejoices the heart well, and then
09:19: Speaking of politicians. There's that theological light of the word that says the heart of the king is in the hand of the
09:26: Lord so light The light of the eyes rejoices the heart and then the other half of the proverb says and good news refreshes the bones
09:38: Good news refreshes the bones Why is there so much unrest in the states of Illinois?
09:46: California New York and Michigan and Minnesota and so on why so much unrest
09:55: Well, isn't it a lot of it got to do with wave after wave of bad news
10:03: You can't turn on the news or open the newspaper these days without being confronted with bad news of some kind and it pretty much
10:10: Dominates whatever media that you happen to be taking in and yet There's so much that's happening and in so many different areas and it's all coming so fast
10:21: There's almost this compulsive need to keep up to stay up to speed with with whatever was happening but then we can feel so easily like the the lyrics expressed in Don McLean's old hit from the 1970s
10:40: American Pie where there's that one that one stanza where he says but February made me shiver with every paper
10:47: I'd deliver bad news on the doorstep I couldn't take one more step but We have to keep going
10:56: How? Good news It's good news that refreshes the bones and gets the gets the feet moving again
11:05: Take in some good news and it'll refresh your bones I'd encourage you to rehearse the good news the good news of the gospel of Jesus So looking at all these chunks of bad news that you are confronted with every day ask yourself this question of the news
11:25: How does this? chunk of news illustrate the need for the gospel
11:31: What sin or sins scream a need for repentance and forgiveness?
11:38: How does the gospel answer this or solve this? Problem And then don't only look at the news on a macro level
11:48: That's a easy thing to do these days looking at the news on a macro scale what's going on in the world?
11:55: What's going on in the nation? What's going on in our state? But look at the news on a micro level and And there you'll find good news
12:04: Look at the news and what's happening around us in our community in your neighborhood in your own home
12:12: What around you? Look at the news on a micro level For example this morning for the first time and I think three years we put up this little
12:23: Wooden birdhouse. It's one of these things you put it on the outside of a window and it's got a like a one -way
12:30: Piece of plastic that you put behind it and the back of the birdhouse is open
12:36: So you can see into the birdhouse But the bird sees a reflection of itself and can't see you
12:42: Well, you put that thing up about three years ago, and there's never been a bird in there well, one's finally built a nest in that little birdhouse and it's good news to hear that bird cheap chirping this morning and Slide back the little the little thing so we can look in and and see him in there and singing away
13:03: Someone stopped by the church the other day and And Stuck their head in the door and said
13:09: Who needs some compassion these days? There's a piece of good news Hey, the farmers market opened last
13:17: Saturday in Sterling the new farmers market downtown Nice new facility beautiful place and the farmers sold out of their stuff.
13:26: That's good news and The same day that the farmers market sold out a young couple got married here at the church
13:34: They're looking forward to a lifetime together, they're not looking for the end of the world to come next month
13:40: They're not looking for all of this kovat stuff to destroy life They're looking forward to a lifetime together and building that life together and then the next day
13:49: Another couple got engaged. So they are obviously looking to the future with some hope and anticipation as well
13:56: There's good news to be found and when we find it when we hear it doesn't that Doesn't that refresh the bones?
14:06: I Think indeed it does So I'll leave you with that today today as you go through the day and you go through the weekend ahead
14:14: Have your eyes open to heart rejoicing light Have your ears open to bone refreshing good news
14:25: It'll make your day a whole lot better So, let's pray and ask God to open our eyes and our ears father open our eyes to the light that we might see something that Refreshes our heart open our ears to the good news the good news of the gospel and the good news that we might see and hear around us and May that refresh our bones.
14:49: We pray this in Jesus name and for his sake. Amen All right, well,
14:55: I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend a long weekend And maybe it won't be a whole lot different from any other weekend the way these things are going these days but anyway,
15:05: I hope it'll be a good one and I hope you keep your eyes open for the light and your ears open for the truth and It can make it to the worship service and watch