Friday, April 29, 2011

If God sees the sparrow fall, paints the lily short and tall, gives the sky its azure hue, surely then He cares for you.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Christian who claims the promises of God should obey the commands of God.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Faith is like a muscle and prayer is the exercise that helps it grow.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Man says, “Seeing is believing.” God says, “Believing is seeing.”

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Monday, April 18, 2011

If you blame others for your failures, do you credit others for your successes?

Thursday, April 14, 2011



“For the person who sows to the flesh will from the flesh reap corruption...but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life!” Galatians 6:8

Near midnight 99 years ago today, on the night of April 14, 1912, the Passenger Liner R.M.S. Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Within minutes water began pouring into her lower decks. Less than 3 hours later her propellers started to rise out of the water. For the more than 1,200 people left on board there was little hope of escape. By sunrise, the biggest ship the world had ever seen had plunged more than two miles to the bottom of the ocean without a trace but for a small fleet of timber lifeboats drifting in the frigid North Atlantic. While around 800 passengers were rescued on April 15 by Titanic’s sister ship Carpathia, those left on board Titanic perished primarily for an insufficient number of lifeboats. Among those rescued were mostly first and second-class passengers. They were mostly women and children.
More than one movie has been produced about the experience of Titanic. Countless books have been written. And we’re still fascinated with this larger-than-life unsinkable ship that sank on its maiden voyage.
What is it about Titanic that captures our imagination so? Surely the circumstance of her sinking on her maiden voyage, the so-called “unsinkable” ship, contributes to her infamy. The fact that she was bigger than any ship the world had ever seen up to that point in history (as far as we know) contributes still. But moreover I believe it is because Titanic represents the human spirit itself The human spirit endeavors always and everywhere to surpass itself, to do better, build bigger, go farther, faster…
There’s an important lesson in the tale of Titanic. It reminds us that although we rightly reach for the stars, although we may endeavor always to transcend ourselves and our own achievements and technology, we are forever bound to remember that nothing but the Spirit lasts eternal. The things of earth will perish. Jesus said it this way, “What would it profit a man if he gained the whole world and ‘lost’ his own soul…?”

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

It’s better to sleep on what you plan to do than to lie awake because of what you’ve done.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011


And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes may have eternal life. John 3:14-15

I don’t like snakes. I never have and don’t anticipate that I ever will. I know that we are called to love all of God’s creatures, but poisonous or not snakes give me the creeps. I don’t go into reptile houses at zoos and frankly, can’t believe I’m writing a devotional about a snake. But I was fascinated to learn about the Egyptian cobra that escaped her enclosure two weeks ago at the Bronx Zoo. The Egyptian cobra is actually most commonly found in Africa and the venom can kill a human being in fifteen minutes. Fortunately the snake was found alive and did not harm anyone or anything.

Now, here’s what’s fascinating - it took the zoo staff an entire week to find the snake. In a news conference, when asked what took the search effort so long, Jim Breheny, director of the Bronx Zoo, explained, "The key strategy here in recovering this snake was patience."
I am ready for Easter! It comes late this year and I cannot wait for the powerful voices singing in the Levy Baptist Sanctuary, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today!” Easter lilies will adorn the Sanctuary. I like everything about Easter Sunday.

Before we can get to Easter, though, we must go through Holy Week. We must hear the cries of the crowd, “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday and go with Jesus to the last Supper on Maundy Thursday and to the Cross on Good Friday.

Like me, you may want to rush through this season, get past Good Friday as quickly as possible and get to the Easter hallelujahs. But somehow it won’t be quite as powerful if we don’t patiently make our way through the last week of Christ.

Follow Jesus to Jerusalem, feast on the Last Supper, and be introspective about what it is that needs to die within you so that you can be raised with Christ. Don’t rush – Easter will be here. It is the promise of our faith.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Some people are far sighted in seeing other’s mistakes but too shortsighted to see their own mistakes.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Don’t worry when you stumble. Remember that a worm is about the only thing that can’t fall down.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Today is “Qingming” Day, an ancient traditional Chinese festival. It is celebrated on the 104th day after the winter solstice. It is a day in which Chinese people visit the graves or burial grounds of their ancestors to honor their memories.
The festival takes place during the bright sunny days of spring when it is the ideal time for plowing and sowing.
The Apostle Paul said that our death and burial is like a seed that is planted. “It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” (I Corinthians 15:44a)
Jesus defeated and decimated death when He rose from the dead. Because Jesus came out of the grave, we will be coming out of the grave also.
“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” – John 5:28 and 29