Dr. Roger A. Milot
"From the Pastor's Desk"
"Glow in the Dark."
The following devotionals are unedited:
Saved By a Whale Read Jonah 1:17-2:10 November 23, 2009 Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” God instructs Jonah to go and preach to the Ninevites. Jonah responds to the will of God by running away, hopping on a ship, and heading to Tarshish. He suddenly becomes a liability to all who are on the ship. A great wind comes! There is a mighty tempest in the sea! He realizes that this is nothing else but the hand of God, and admits to the others on board that God is doing this because he had run away from His commandment. The solution? “Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea…” So in verse 15 we are told, “So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.” Now what about Jonah? Is this the end of the line for him? No, not even close! This is just a new beginning! God sends a great fish; Jesus called it a whale (whales were considered fish before man chose to categorize them as non-fish). This whale swallows Jonah, and three days and three nights later regurgitates him on shore. Ooh, yuck! “Hey, Jonah, thank God for that whale! If it wasn’t for that whale you’d be buzzard food!” That whale literally saved his life in more ways than one because not only did he live, but he lived to fulfill his purpose. Maybe you’re like Jonah? Maybe God has been speaking to your heart about His will for you? Are you running away? Will God have to send a “whale” to get your attention and save you from a life of being outside of His will? Will you need to become a regurgitated object in order to be in your place of purpose? Think about it. THOUGHT TO GLOW: “Hop on the ship of God’s choosing, lest you get to shore the hard way.”
Consider the Honeypot Ant
Read Proverbs 6:6-11 (May/June 2009 issue)
Proverbs 6:6 "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise..."
One of the most amazing creatures ever created by God is the honeypot ant. Honeypot ants use their own bodies as living storage areas. They store food, water, and other liquids from insect prey brought to them by the worker ants. They are gorged with food by these worker ants to the point that their abdomens swell to about the size of a grape. The other ants later extract this food from them when sustenance is needed. They are so valuable, that when food and water are in short supply, ants from other colonies will often attempt to steal them and take them to their own colony.
Your pastor, youth director, Sunday School teacher, and others, who, with the Word of God by the Spirit of God, teach and influence you, are like those worker ants. They work to prepare spiritual food for you to take and eat. When you open your heart to receive these things you become more profitable and, therefore, more valuable. This is because the Word of God is very valuable. We see in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness...” When you ingest and digest God’s Words, they become a part of you. Paul said of Mark in 2 Timothy 4:11 “...Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.”
God's Words in you will help you to have godliness and produce good works, which the Bible also specifically tells us are profitable.
Bon Appetit!
Thought to Glow:
"Feeding on God's Words will keep you from becoming devil's food."
When the Barbells are too Heavy
Read Isaiah 41:10-20 (March/April 2009 issue)
Matthew 11:29,30 "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
A muscular eighteen-year-old young man, working out with barbells, picks up a 200-lb. weight, and, when finished, places it back on the floor and exits the room. His younger brother, age ten, who has been watching from around the corner, walks over to the barbells, and attempts to do as his older brother had done. Red-faced and frustrated, he leaves the scene of his failed attempt.
Later in the day, his father, noticing that his countenance is fallen, questions him about his look of sadness. The boy tells him about his earlier failed attempt to accomplish what his older brother was able to do. His father wisely explains to him that after a period of time of working out with barbells of a lesser weight, and gradually increasing the weight, that he too could someday be able to lift the amount of weight which, at this time, he is unable to lift.
Why could not the ten-year-old boy lift the barbell? Did the barbell's weight change? What was the determining factor? The difference was in the strength of the two young men; one was stronger than the other.
There are times when we may have a burden that is too heavy for us to carry. Sometimes God removes the burden altogether; at other times He works to increase our strength so that the burden will become easier for us to carry. Let us also be reminded that God Himself will help us to carry our burdens throughout the strengthening process.
Let me encourage you to memorize Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
THOUGHT TO GLOW:
"God often lightens our load by increasing our strength."
Put Your Shoes Back On Your Feet
Read Joshua 5:13-6:2 (November/December 2008 issue)
Joshua 5:15 "And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so."
A teenage young man attending a youth conference walks down the aisle at the "invitation" time. The preacher has just preached a heart-touching, motivating message. This young man feels the Spirit of God gently, but firmly, tugging at his heart, and with tears in his eyes, he makes an important and potentially "life changing" decision. Spiritually speaking, he has taken his shoes off on "holy ground" and has allowed God to have His way in his life. But, wait a minute! Let us suppose we can see his spiritual shoes. He has removed them at this holy place of decision-making. What a wonderful moment! He gets up, goes back to his seat, and soon exits the premises and goes about his merry way. Take a good look at the altar at which he made his "decision." Why, his shoes are still there! "Young man! Young man! Hey, you forgot your shoes! You forgot to put them back on!"
Many have made, and many will make, decisions at an old-fashioned meeting, at an old-fashioned altar, after hearing an old-fashioned sermon, from an old-fashioned Spirit-filled preacher, and go home with their shoes still at the altar. We need people who will make serious, shoe-removing, decisions, but who will also consciously put their shoes back on their feet and follow through with the decisions they made in the presence of our holy God.
Serving God is a shoe-wearing endeavor. We are told in Ephesians 6:15 to have our "feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace..." The word "shod" means shoed. Both Moses and Joshua were told to remove their shoes in the presence of God. I have no doubt that they put them back on and then carried out their instructions from God. What about you? Remember to put your shoes back on your feet!
THOUGHT TO GLOW:
"I don't need to walk a mile in anyone else's shoes; I just need to wear the ones that Jesus gives me."
Ignorant On Purpose Read II Peter 3:1-9 (November/December 2008 issue)
II Peter 3:5 "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water..."
Before I was saved I liked watching professional wrestling (I do not recommend that Christians watch pro wrestling, especially the kind that is available today). The truth is, I was somewhat fanatical about it (now I'm a fanatic for the Lord... a Jesus fan!). One thing about most wrestling fans....they choose to believe that the bouts are genuine matches where the opponents are trying to defeat each other. Deep down they know it is just acrobatic acting, but to believe that would "take the fun out of it." So they are "willingly ignorant" of the fact that it is all an act.
People who believe in evolution and the "Big Bang" theory are very much like these wrestling fans who choose to believe what is not true in order to enjoy the wrestling matches. These evolutionists who believe in "science falsely so called" are afraid to admit that there is a God to Whom they must answer. They are of the false notion that God takes all the enjoyment out of life. Therefore they suppress the obvious in order to enjoy what they believe to be "the pleasures of sin for a season."
It is a sad thing when people spend their lives fooling themselves. It is an even sadder thing to see how their willful ignorance affects the ones in their lives who are the dearest to them. Many families are missing out on the joys that come as a result of knowing Jesus Christ as their Saviour, the Spirit of God as their Guide, and a loving Father to keep them in the palm of His hand. The apostle Paul said in II Timothy 4:4 that "they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
Make sure that in all things you are not ignorant on purpose.
THOUGHT TO GLOW:
"Those who are ignorant on purpose are also usually ignorant of their purpose"
Greatness
Read Psalm 71 and Matthew 23:11 (July/August 2008 issue)
"Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side." - Psalm 71:21
What is greatness? In Psalm 71:21 greatness has the sense of being "above the ordinary; distinguished; of unusual importance." Certainly, God is looking for those who are willing to be above the ordinary. God's desire for us is to rise to a distinguished level of importance. When we are what God desires us to be, our level of importance is upgraded. This is not a prideful sense of self-importance, but the powerful, valuable, presence of a servant yielded to his Master, the LORD God of the universe.
From where does this greatness come? It comes from God and our dependence on Him. It comes from our gaining strength from Him. Psalm 71:16 tells us, "I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD..." Jesus told us in John 14:15-17 "If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth..." Our English word "comfort" comes from the Latin "com" meaning "with" and "fortis" meaning "strong." Therefore, the "Comforter" is the One Who comes with strength. He is the Strengthgiver!
Another factor is that greatness is found on the Road called Responsibility. King Saul lost his greatness because he became irresponsible. In pride he did some things his own way instead of God's way. The prophet Samuel told him in I Samuel 15:17, "...When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?"
Greatness is also found in triumphing over adverse circumstances. I Peter 2:20 "For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God."
Be great for God today!
THOUGHT TO GLOW:
"The only true way to be great is to yield to the greatness of God. It is then that we have His greatness in us."
Can You Bear It?
Read I Corinthians 3:1-4 (May/June 2008 issue)
I Corinthians 3:1 "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
In our text the apostle Paul is telling the carnal Christians that he had been desiring to feed them with Bible food, but was limited by their carnality in what he could verbally feed them. Let me ask you some questions: "If your pastor unloaded the entire load of bricks in his sermon, would you be able to handle it? Could you bear it? Would you get angry and/or get a bad attitude concerning the things of which he preached, or, would you be strong enough to accept the truth and have a proper attitude that would lead to your making some positive adjustments in your life?"
The Christian life is to be a life of growth. Every Christian ought to be getting stronger as the days come and pass. II Peter 3:18 tells us "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." An increase in growth is an increase in strength. As a newborn baby drinks his milk he gains strength. As he grows to the point of feeding on solid food he becomes stronger still. As time goes on and he continues to receive nourishment, he will become many, many times stronger than he was on the day of his birth.
The apostle Paul, unfortunately, had to tell them in I Corinthians 3:2 "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." What about you? Are you strong enough? Are you able to bear it?
Thought to Glow:
"Part of growth is the gaining of strength; strength enables one to bear the tough things from the Word of God."
Make them Love Teenagers
Read: Romans 12:1-21 (March/April 2008 issue)
I Timothy 4:12 "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
The first portion tells young people to be an example of (and, therefore, to) the believers. Wow! Can teenagers actually be an example of maturity to all age groups? Absolutely! The rest of the verse explains that your words, your behavior (conversation), your works of love (charity), your deep-in-the-heart cheerfulness and joyfulness (in spirit), your faith (including faithfulness), and your overall purity, all serve to create a sense of well being about you and the other young people in your group.
In conclusion, let me stress the importance of not just having a form of godliness, but to develop a relationship with God that will continually and continuously produce higher levels of maturity deep within your heart.
Thought to Glow:
"It is better to have wisdom beyond your years than to have many years and little wisdom."