Month: January 2017

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PWTE Daily Devotion

But I Don’t Want to Die!

Falling into Life.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

I’ve got a feeling that this tree has been dying a slow death. Year after year, storm after storm the ground slowly gives way and exposes the roots which give this tree life. Yet as it is dying, it continues to grow. It doesn’t give up simply because it’s literally losing ground. Every year, every month, every day the tree continues to do what it’s suppose to do: live.

Sunset Bay, Oregon

The day is coming when it will fall into the ocean and join the driftwood that lines the beach, but until that day it will continue to live.

“We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.” 
2 Corinthians 4:14 New Living Translation

I wonder who Paul had in mind when he used the pronoun, “we.” Was he thinking about the leaders of the church, the people of Corinth, or both? I believe he was writing about everyone who have been captivated by the life-giving Spirit. The reason Paul didn’t give up, the Corinthians didn’t give up, and we don’t give up is because of the power of Jesus’ resurrection. We keep on keeping on because we know that even though our bodies grow tired and will one day fall into death, the power of the Spirit is at work in us; the power that raises the dead.

We don’t wait until the day of Christ’s return to experience this resurrection power. It is ours now. Our bodies are falling to decay but the new person, who has been redeemed in Christ, is always in the process of renewal.

And so, like this tree, we keep living until the day that we experience our new life with Christ.

Text and Picture Copyright Douglas P Brauner

Categories
PWTE Daily Devotion

Eyes on Jesus

The world behind me, the cross before me…

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:2

This picture was taken in Sandpoint, Idaho, by my niece, Ellie, on the occasion of a very tough funeral.  The picture draws me back to Hebrews 12:2, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…”

It has been a tough winter of grieving for me.  In this past year I have lost my dad, my aunt, and many pillars of our church in Oregon.  My cousin said it well, “Now, we are all orphans.”

In the midst of the loss, I fix my eyes on Jesus.  When all earthly hope is gone, He is our hope.  When all desert us, He will not.  He has gone before us, enduring the cross and its shame.  Because of Him and His cross we can endure.  Because of His suffering and His grace, we will stand before Him in heaven.

At the end of the graveside service of my grandmother, we all stood for a few moments, reflecting on the Scripture and our grief.  Then my mother raised her face heaven ward and sang,

  • “Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes,
  • Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
  • Heaven’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee,
  • In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.”

My mom is now in glory with Jesus.  And I trust that, because of Jesus and His cross, I shall one day be with her and all the saints.

Lord Jesus, fix my eyes on your cross and your glory.  Grant me faith to follow you, through all loss and trials, until you take me home.  Amen.

Categories
PWTE Daily Devotion

Leaders Give Life

Colorado Springs, Colorado

God calls leaders to give life.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul.”
Psalm 23:1-3a King James Version

On occasion I’m asked to read the King James Version of the twenty-third psalm at funerals. Sometimes you’ve just gotta read it in King’s English.

King David was reflecting on how God was leading him when he composed this psalm. In writing these words, King David considered how the Lord had been his shepherd, and how he was to be a shepherd king of God’s people. David was called and anointed by God to be a leader.

Faithful leadership is critical to the health of our Christian communities. God has not called leaders to be dictators, but to be shepherd leaders. The goal of Christian communities is the health of the flock.

In my daily devotions I read a quote from Henri Nouwen concerning Christian leadership. “Christian leadership is called ministry precisely to express that in the service of others new life can be brought about.” (The Wounded Healer)

Colorado Springs, Colorado

I had to find a picture in my library of photographs that depicted what I heard Nouwen saying. These bees, busily collecting pollen, are leaders. They are giving life to other flowers and to their colony. Their focus is on their work not on praise. They are doing what they are suppose to do.

Christian leaders are called to give life, God’s life that has captivated these leaders like pollen on honey bee legs. This love for God’s flock propels leaders to guide the sheep to places of green pastures and quiet waters. It’s what leaders do even though they might not receive praise and gratitude from those they lead. (I don’t think these bees received a slap on the back when they returned to the hive.)

The next time you read the twenty-third psalm, think about how your leadership reflects how the Shepherd leads you.

Text and Picture Copyright Douglas P Brauner