No Capacity Limit

 Devotion for the Week...

When I was in high school Bon Jovi came to Halifax for a concert. The day the tickets went on sale, I spent a long time with the phone to my ear - calling the number to buy tickets, hearing a busy signal, hanging up and then pressing redial again. I want to say it was hours, though I can’t remember for sure how long it actually was. I did eventually get through to buy tickets for myself and my friends, but it was definitely stressful hearing that busy signal so many times. I thought for sure the show would sell out and there wouldn’t be room left for us!

Fortunately, salvation isn’t an offer that can sell out. The ‘seats’ in heaven aren’t limited like ticket sales. John wrote, “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God” (John 1:12-13). And Jesus Himself said, "Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am" (John 14:1-3).

This offer is available to all who believe. Anyone and everyone, so long as they believe in Jesus, becomes a child of God. I love that heaven has no capacity limit!

With His death on the cross, Jesus paid the ticket price for the entire world and there’s no risk there won’t be room left for us.

Properly Dressed

 Devotion for the Week...

Last weekend we bought Zach's suit for his graduation next month. Paul needed a new suit, too, so we bought his at the same time. Somehow in the midst of picking out everything for them, I managed to forget that Nathan needs a new dress shirt to wear, so we're still not done shopping for grad. As for me, the fabric has arrived for me to make myself a new dress so I just have to actually get that bit of sewing done before grad arrives.

As I was thinking about the clothes we all need to be properly dressed for grad, it made me think of a parable Jesus told about a man who prepared a wedding feast, but then the invited guests wouldn't come. Some were too busy and others actually assaulted the messengers the man had sent to tell them the feast was prepared. In response, the man sends his servants out to bring in anyone they can find. The parable, found in Matthew 22:1-13, shows that the kingdom of heaven is open to everyone, not only to the Jews (represented by the invited guests).

There was one guest who got himself thrown out of the banquet, though. "But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?' But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, 'Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth'" (vv. 11-13).

In this parable, the 'proper clothes for a wedding' refers to the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Jesus. As part of his prophecy, Isaiah wrote, "I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness" (Isaiah 61:10). Our faith in Jesus is what makes us properly dressed to enter the kingdom of heaven, because we are clothed in His righteousness.

The man not wearing the proper clothes at the wedding feast represents those who try to get into heaven on their own righteousness. About our own righteousness, Isaiah wrote, "We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). The words we read translated as 'filthy rags' are more accurately described as 'used feminine hygiene products'. That's rather graphic, isn't it? No matter how good we try to be, that's what our attempts at righteousness look like to God. 

Fortunately, getting properly dressed doesn't mean we have to become more righteous on our own. Good thing, because we can't anyway! All we need do is put out trust in Jesus as our Savior and then we will be like Isaiah - "overwhelmed with joy in the Lord [our] God! For he has dressed [us] with the clothing of salvation and draped [us] in a robe of righteousness" (Isaiah 61:10). 

Influencer

Devotion for the Week...

'Influencer' has become a popular buzzword these days, not to mention a possible job title. With the rise of social media celebrities, it's easy to see how someone with millions of followers would be attractive to brands looking to promote their products. It's also easy to see how a person would find selling that way to be an attractive job option. Making IG posts or TikTok videos sure beats waiting tables or working the drive-thru at the coffee shop.

Of course, we don't need a huge social media following to be an influencer. Though the word 'influencer'  may be new, the concept is old. Back in the first century, Paul took a young believer under his wing and molded him into a church leader. Timothy eventually left Paul and took his place in the church at Ephesus, but Paul continued to mentor him through letters. In the letter we know as 1 Timothy, Paul included this bit of instruction: "Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). Being an example is exactly what influencers do! 

Of course, we don't need the title of influencer to be influencing people. In fact, we are all influenced by the actions of the people around us all the time. Whether it's kids being influenced by their parents, friends being influenced by one another or people being influenced by what their favourite celebrities do, influence is just a part of life.

No matter how insignificant we may think we are, there's probably someone taking cues from us about how to live - how to react in difficult situations; how to treat difficult people; how to deal with setbacks, etc. If that's the case, we should probably be aware of the example we're setting! Paul told Timothy to be aware of the example he set in what he said, the way he lived, his love, his faith and his purity. We would do well to look at the same areas in our own lives.

What we say: There's a reason James wrote, "For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way" (James 3:2). If you've ever heard a toddler innocently repeat something they shouldn't have heard, you know how easily our words make an impression on others. So what words are we using?

How we live: We don't want to have to tell those watching us to 'Do as I say and not as I do' so how are we living?

Our love: Jesus said, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples" (John 13:35). Do we exhibit a genuine love for one another? Those closest to us will be able to tell if we're faking it.

Our faith: Do we trust God even in the hard times, when things aren't going our way? 

Our purity: This would have been intended for Timothy as a single man and still applies to those who are single today. As for those of us who are married, we are commanded equally to "remain faithful to one another in marriage" (Hebrews 13:4).

We may not have adopted the title of influencer, but that doesn't take away the influence we have over the lives of others. Are we influencing them in ways that move them closer to God?