Tag: devotional

Meanderings

James HoganLeave a comment

Happy Monday, all!! I have a couple minutes to write and thought I’d just share a few thoughts. Right now, enjoying my peppermint mocha – and realizing how blessed I truly am. Sometimes it’s easy to feel alone(a la Elijah in 1 Kings 19)…and then God reminds us how false that presumption is!! “I have reserved yet 7000 that have not bowed the knee to Baal”…and I’m comforted by that. Even today, as I’m waking up and preparing for another day and another week of work and not feeling entirely joyful about the prospect, I had a good chat with barista Katie at Starbucks…spent a few minutes talking about our respective churches and fellowships and struggles and joys…and how good it is to have close friends that worship the same God, even if we don’t get as much time with those friends as we would like! So even a chance encounter with a fellow sister in Christ at Starbucks encourages me so – as God knew it would and as God knew I needed!! I have been continually reminded of how many reasons I have to praise God and thank Him for His abundant lovingkindnesses!

Now…just a few thoughts on a few various verses I read this morning…

But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;
yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkidness
in the morning, for You have been my stronghold
and a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my strength, I will sing praises to You;
for God is my stronghold, the God who shows me
lovingkindness.
-Psalm 59:16-17
I do love these verses – how easy is it in the “day of our distress” to sink into ourselves and moan and complain and feel that “woe is me”. But no, our response – even in the morning when we are sleepy and not entirely coherent – should be to sing of our Lord’s lovingkindness. For He truly is our stronghold and our refuge and the only One in whom we can put our trust. He showers love upon us and so even when we feel that is not the case, remember that the Lord’s lovingkindness is everlasting nonetheless and sing.

He who gives attention to the word will find good,
and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
-Proverbs 16:20
A reminder to trust the Lord…which is oft so needed(at least by me!) – when all else fails and withers on the vine, we are told to heed the word which has been given to us…and trust in God. In God and in God only is our trust, our hope, our song.

When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong,
he and all Israel with him forsook the law of the Lord.
-2 Chronicles 12:1
A chilling verse. This is how the chapter begins – it comes after a chapter in which the kingdom was prosperous and Rehoboam was building fortified cities and all was well. And then we see something that should give us pause. We think that in times of peace and prosperity – surely that means God is blessing us and we can relax! And yes, we can and must thank God for all He has given us, but we must be vigilant and not lean on a staff of our own uprightness. How scary is this – a king and his whole kingdom were happy and prosperous and safe. And what did they do? They…forsook the law of the Lord. May it never be. Long to obey God in all things as His beloved children. May we beware of complacency and laxness in the things of the Lord. Keep yourselves from idols.

And there will no longer be any night; and they will not
have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun,
because the Lord God will illumine them;
and they will reign forever and ever.
-Revelation 22:5
Not much commentary on this verse, other than I really like it a lot. “And there will no longer be any night…” Oh what a glorious thought – no darkness or foulness or bleakness or night. Never again will the curse of sin blight the land and darken our souls on that glorious day when returns the King of kings and Lord of lords. Indeed come quickly, Lord Jesus. (Note the last part of that verse…*we* will reign forever and ever under the authority of our God!! Most thrilling and most humbling indeed)

Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand
and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
-Mark 1:41
Lastly but not leastly…how does Jesus feel toward those who are desperate for Him? He here is moved with compassion. Oh to know that Jesus is not just all-seeing and all-knowing and all-powerful…he is all-loving. Who would ever even want to be in the same room with a disgusting leprous person? And what does Jesus do? He reaches out. He touches him. He heals him. Because he wants to. So is it with us…Jesus has compassion upon us – we who are foul and unclean and impure and utterly hostile to Him – and He reaches out to us and heals our hearts and purifies our souls and makes us His. Oh what compassion – oh what love!! The worst that we have done…He has forgiven us. Think on that, this morning – if you will. And if you do not know Jesus and wonder if this is truly for you…well, I just ask you this. Do you know that you are a sinner? Do you understand your filth and the darkness in your heart has sunk you utterly and separated you from the God of the universe? Do you realize there is nothing in you that is any good? Oh how that should horrify you. Oh how that should frighten you. Oh how that should make you tremble. But fear not – because despite the yawning gap between you and God – there is a Way to Him. Jesus reaches out to you – He longs for you to be with Him forever. Indeed He does more than reach out – He died a horrific death over two thousand years ago…so that He might bring people into communion with Him – so He might save their souls. He died yes. And then three days later He rose again – proving that He is indeed the Son of God and the One who has power over death! So this Jesus is full of compassion…for you. Yes, you may be lost and drowning in a pit of despair. But fear not – there is hope. Repent of all the evil deeds you have done and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And you shall be saved to life eternal with God on High. There will be no more night, ever again.

That was far too many words…but sometimes it is good to write. And even if my words are all too feeble – as they truly are – my heart whispers continually of longings to be with my God and I cannot help but scribble down these cries.

A Dream Near Realised

James HoganLeave a comment

A lovely morning. The air is cool(for Texas!), the peppermint mocha is hot and I slowly wake up here at my desk. I much enjoyed my reading this morning…as I read a few chapters in 2 Samuel(the ark being brought into Jerusalem – oh how David celebrated at the glory of His God! And the promise of God that the Davidic kingdom would be…forever. A achingly sweet herald of Christ who is promised). Also read some in one of my favourite books – Hebrews. Oh how wonderful…it stirred my soul. And it reminded me that too often I let myself be distracted and weighed down by things that do not matter. Too often do I seek pleasure and satisfaction in the dregs of this world instead of looking to Him that sits at the right hand of God. Oh why does my passion wax and wane so? If only I could be consistent in my honour and love for Christ. I am weak. But gloriously, wondrously – my God is strong and holds me close. And on my commute – listened to some of one of Dominic’s old sermons on 2 Peter 2(coincidentally – the sermon that was preached the evening service the week Mom and Dad were in Aberdeen with me – what sweet memories I have of that time!!). Listening to Dominic preach on the grave dangers of false teaching and the high regard in which we should hold the truth of God’s revelation to us reminded me yet again how I am most insufficient in and of myself. Do I get angry at the slights that are constantly made against my Lord and God? Do I defend the honour of my Lord in my life with my thoughts, words and deeds? Sadly I must confess I am oh too imperfect. I am most unworthy. But – glory be to Christ – that matters not. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. For me.

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you;
and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is
good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods,
through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.

We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have
no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood
is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering
for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also,
that He might sanctify the people through His old blood,
suffered outside the gate.

So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
For here we do not have a lasting city,
but we are seeking the city which is to come.
-Hebrews 13:7-14

Anxious Longing of the Creation

James HoganLeave a comment

What if God, although willing to demonstrate
His wrath and to make His power known,
endured with much patience vessels of wrath
prepared for destruction?
And He did so to make known the riches of
His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He
prepared beforehand for glory, even us,
whom He also called, not from among Jews only,
but also from among Gentiles.
As He says also in Hosea,
“I will call those who were not My people,
‘My people,’ and her who was not beloved,
‘Beloved.'”
“And it shall be that in the place where it
was said to them, “You were not My people,”
there they shall be called sons of the living God.”

What glorious words from Romans. As I sit here on my couch, enjoying some good reading as I listen to Tchaikovsky…I cannot help but be overwhelmed that I am forgiven. I am forgiven everything. I have really been enjoying reading Romans lately…I have been luxuriating in it, reading it almost absurdly slowly. So as I’ve been pondering Romans 8 for a few days(finally read Romans 9 today!), I want to write about what is in my heart, but I don’t think it will come out right. I guess I can comment on one of the verses(of many!) that struck me…

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words…

How comforting is that? We have weaknesses, even now, do we not? And God knows this. And we don’t really always know how to pray, do we? And God knows this. And so His Spirit Himself prays for us and lifts up the cry of our heart to heaven. The prayers that we can’t properly lift up because of our own frailties and failings…matter not – because the Spirit of God prays for us. And why? Because we are indeed children of God, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. We are the people of God. We are the children of God. And indeed, one day – someday soon, I pray! – we will stand glorified in the presence of Christ, revealed to all the world below and to all the angelic host above. With in-drawn breath that comes before the beautiful storm, in awe remember the staggering love with which we have been known. With trembling hands, hold tight to the glorious truth with which we have been entrusted. With shining eyes lifted up, in most broken gratitude – bow down and worship.

The Sovereignty of the Lord

James HoganLeave a comment

Happy Tuesday, friends!! This morning I enjoyed a nice drive to work as the sky slowly lightened. And as I drove, was being mightily blessed by listening to an old Dominic message from Isaiah 36-37. It’s too long to go into depth here(although if you want to listen as well, just let me know and I’m sure I can find the link somewhere). But in brief – too often do we grow anxious over some difficult situation in our life and we just fall to pieces. Why? Because our faith is small. Because we don’t understand the sovereignty of God. Here in Isaiah 36 – the kingdom of Judah, ruled by Hezekiah, is threatened by one of the largest and most brutal empires the world had ever seen. The Assyrian empire has turned its eyes on Jerusalem and threatened to bring down divine judgment upon her. We think we have big problems? I think Hezekiah has you beat. But what does Hezekiah do? Does he just fall apart and crumple under the weight of this severe threat? No. He does what all of us should do when our spirits are in distress. He repents in sackcloth and ashes and enters the house of the Lord. He recognizes that this threat from Assyria isn’t so terrible because it threatens him. The real sin of the Assyrian king Sennacherib was that he blasphemed God. And so Hezekiah pleads for the help of the living God, for the salvation of the remnant and for the glory of His own Name. Might we all remember to pray as such! Pray for yourself, yes. Pray for mercy, pray for salvation from evil. But never forget to pray that the name of the Lord be glorified, for it is He who is truly the target of all the attacks of the forces of evil in this world. Our Lord is sovereign, seated above the heavens. Our God is oh so loving and compassionate to us His children. Our God is glorious and worthy of all praise and honour from all the heavens and all the earth. May the mountains clap their hands and may the seas sing the praises of our God. Someday indeed all flesh shall join the chorus of worship to the Lord God Almighty.

So I’m going to close by just quoting the words of the prayer of Hezekiah. I urge that you pray as such today…

Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it,
and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.
Hezekiah prayed to the Lord saying,
“O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim,
You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have
made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes,
O Lord, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to
reproach the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated
all the countries and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire, for
they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have
destroyed them. Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand that all the
kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, Lord, are God.”

Blonde and Blue

James HoganLeave a comment

Happy Monday, friends!! I don’t have long to write now…but quickly before I start work…as I sip on my peppermint mocha here(mm, so delicious!), thought I’d share just a few thoughts from my morning reading. Reading John 21 today, finally finishing the book of John. I really tried to take my time reading John, and oh how much I have enjoyed it and been supremely blessed. And so today I read the final chapter…containing one of my favourite parts – Jesus having breakfast with his disciples! – and as I read through to the end, I was convicted yet again by Jesus’ conversation with Peter. This talk that Jesus and Peter have…so encouraging to me. Peter had sinned greatly against the Lord in his betrayal and denial of Christ. Peter was weak and frail. And yet Jesus strengthened Peter and called him to do the work that he was called to do. “Feed my sheep.” Jesus knew that Peter was just a man. Jesus knew that Peter was imperfect. Yet Jesus also knew that Peter was one of God’s own children and had a purpose on this earth. And as he reminded Peter that even in his life, not all would go the way Peter might like – life would not be easy or pain free, oh no! – Jesus left Peter with some final words. “Follow me!” Of course Peter being Peter(oh how I love him!), he blusters a bit and pushes back on Jesus’ statement – “What about him!!?” pointing at John. I can imagine Peter thinking, “If I’m going to suffer and have a horrible death, I sure hope I’m not the only one!” Jesus gently rebukes him and then leaves Peter with the final words we have recorded as Jesus saying to Peter. Again – “Follow me!” And those may be strange words to us – surely, Peter had heard those words oh so long ago when he was standing by his father’s boats when Jesus first called Peter to discipleship. Peter had already chosen to follow Christ. Why was Jesus saying this again? Because Peter needed to hear it. This is such a good reminder to us – have you bowed the knee to God and repented of your sins and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and life everlasting? If so, hallelujah! (And if not…read the book of John and get back to me). But even so – we need this reminder each and every day. Jesus is saying to you, “Follow me!” Each and every day, remind yourself that every step you take needs to be in passionate obedience to Christ, eagerly delighting and rejoicing in the good will of God. Follow Jesus this day. Will it always be easy? Of course not. But it will be glorious. Many years after that walk on the beach with Jesus, Peter took his final steps on this earth and was crucified for his love for his Lord. He glorified Christ with his death. Let us glorify Christ with our life.

I Don’t mind If You Don’t Dance, but Hope you don’t mind If I Do

James HoganLeave a comment

A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.”
So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on
a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. Now when he had spent everything,
a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. So he went and hired himself out to one of the
citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have gladly filled his stomach with
the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.

But when he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying
here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and
in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”

So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for
him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your
sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly bring out the best robe
and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us
eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”

…so I’ve been pondering this story lately(sorry for not typing all of it out – but about to make my dinner of steak, mashed potatoes and asparagus soon!)…after listening to the gorgeous version that Keith Green sings this morning while driving to church. And reading this again now, oh how it enlivens my heart. Thus such a man was I – lost and without hope in this world. And sometimes it’s easy to forget how great a feat of compassion this is – that our God should smile upon me and grant me His forgiveness. Oh how arrogant was I – demanding the share of my estate from my Father – all owed me I will take and all I take I will count as owed! And squandering the gift of life upon worthless things and loose living and becoming impoverished of heart and barren in soul and having nothing in and of myself that I might count as good. And yet my Father loved me still. And yet. And so coming to my senses – for how else can it be described! – I thought I might return to my Father and work for my restitution and slave for my redemption. But no my Father had divine love for me. For me. And so my Father has embraced me and kissed me and made me His own. And it is glorious and I am loved and I am named and I am a son again. I was lost. But now I have been found.

Three Steps to Summer Redux

James HoganLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday friends!! During my drive over to work, I listened to a quality old CD I burned oh…five years ago? As I prepared for summer in Scotland? Wow, was it really five years ago? Anyway – great music, even though apparently my mix CDs were even more random back in the day! Andrew Belle, Lost Prophets, Needtobreathe, T-Swift…and of course – Hope Bible Church! Anyways, one of the songs there brought some good verses back to mind and thought I would share…

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord,
is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to
them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has
fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of
the earth.”

And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were
looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they
were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men
in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee,
why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken
up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have
watched Him go into heaven.”
-Acts 1:6-11

Two points. Firstly, do we oft consider that we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us? We are the witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have received the Holy Spirit. We are imbued with the very power of God. Secondly, Jesus is indeed coming again – in a physical and most real sense. Let us long for that. But – let us not be melancholy and tarry our days away in mournful anticipation. Let us be filled with joy and do the deeds of the Lord as we walk upon this earth! We are the witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is who we are, now.

And one day, we will witness the return of the Lord to this earth and we shall see Him face to face. And then we will be with Him, forever.

At that, our hearts can only be full of joy, continually. At that thought, I bow my head in worship.

Have a most lovely day, dear friends.

Violently does the ocean Foam, Alone does the herald Stand

James HoganLeave a comment

So today I have just begun reading the Gospel of John – a truly glorious book, divinely inspired and penned as it was! And while I could spend hours pondering and thinking and writing on the beauties contained in only the first chapter of John, I’d like to focus on a few words. Let me set the scene – John the Baptist has been talking about the One whose sandals he is not worthy to untie. The One upon whom the Spirit descended like a dove. The One who existed before John – although John was born first. The very Son of God. And as John proclaims in his preaching – “the Lamb of God!”

Some of John’s disciples are naturally curious and so they decide to follow Jesus. Jesus sees them following and turns to them and what does He say? “What do you seek?” These are the words I want to hone in on. Apart from them being the very first words Jesus speaks in the Gospel of John, these are the words Jesus speaks to those who would “follow Him”. So to those of you who would desire to follow Jesus(or at least curious to know more about him?), that is the question that needs to be answered. What do you seek? Notice – Jesus doesn’t say “who” – He says “what”. We desire many things on this earth, most of them unhelpful and even dangerous for us – body and soul. Jesus – as very God – understands that our minds are warped and corrupted and He knows that apart from the grace of God our desires will be foolish and our seekings ill-conceived. So – what do you seek? Do you seek fame and fortune? Do you seek pleasure and gain? Do you seek comfort and self-gratification? Do you seek companionship and emotional fulfillment? Do you seek intellectual fulfillment? Do you seek a sense of identity or belonging that you think comes with “religion”? Do you seek moral stature and a cleansing of the conscience? Do you seek love? What do you seek?

I would say that to desire to be a follower of Christ…that question must be answered. Consider in your own life what it is you truly desire and long for. And then consider who Christ is. Think – these men following after Jesus didn’t know who He was at this point. They understood John had been making grand proclamations about Him. But they did not truly know Him. They wished to know Him more. But what did they seek? This was the question Jesus asked them. And how did these men answer Him? They didn’t answer him directly – maybe because they did not know what to say – but they asked where he was staying and Christ answered – “Come, and you will see.” That is the invitation Christ gives to all people – “Come, and you will see.” These men went to the house of Jesus and spent the day with Him and…began to understand who He truly is.

And who is Jesus? The Lamb of God. Indeed, as John had earlier said – “The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” And now we finally come to the crux of the matter – because this is who Jesus is – the One who takes away the sin of the world. The One who saves. So what do you seek? Do you seek salvation? If so, this is what Christ offers. He offers freedom from sin. He offers life from death. He offers salvation from this hopeless life that without Him is empty and vain. What do you seek? The Lamb of God – the Savior – is at hand. And as you wonder if Jesus is truly all that…He says, “Come, and you will see.” Come in your darkness and in your shame. Come in all your dirt and filth. Come in your hopelessness. Come. Behold – the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.