Devotions – Page 5 – Stushie Art

Sunday Shorts – For the World

John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

The main Olympics have come to an end, but soon the Paralympics will begin. Both of these major worldwide events invite athletes from all over the globe to compete against their peers in their specialized sports. It’s a remarkable spectacle over several weeks and one that truly represents the agility, diversity, and ability of each participant. They give their all for their represented nation in the hope of winning a medal not just for themselves, but for the people they represent. The athletes are focused on their chosen events and take a great deal of pride in performing at their fastest, strongest, and best. When they succeed and climb on the podium to receive their well-deserved medals, they are elated and the crowd of watching spectators cheer and applaud them. They have given their lives to their sport, so they bask in their triumphs and celebrate their victories which have made them famous.

Jesus also gave His life, not for fame or a nation, but for the entire world. The only podium that He was given was nailed beneath His crucified feet to prolong His painful death. The only medal He received was a crown of thorns that caused Him to bleed profusely. The crowd of spectators around and below the Cross, jeered and attacked Him. His enemies were elated as He was humiliated. His foes were thankful because His death was disgraceful. And yet, despite the spite and however great the hate, Jesus gave His all and died for them. He came down from heaven and offered them the bread of eternal life; His broken body on the Cross which He freely gave for the life of the world.

After the Olympics are over, the athletes will return to their own nations to be lauded and applauded for a while. Eventually, their achievements will become a part of sporting history but within two or three generations, they will largely be forgotten. Christ, however, will still be praised for giving His life for the world until Time and History are no more. And then Jesus will be eternally praised and celebrated by those who choose to follow Him faithfully and serve Him daily with their lives. Remember, Christ gave all so that we might gain all. Hallelujah!

Point to ponder: How did Christ’s sacrifice succeed in earning me my salvation?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your victory over sin and death has blessed us with forgiveness and faith. We live in hope because You won the battle for us. We are thankful for Your sacrifice and grateful for Your Love. In Your Holy Name, we cheerfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sabbath Psalms – Crying Out

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Psalm devotions, Sunday devotions

Psalm 130:1-2 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. (NIV)

I once heard the pitiful cry of an elderly woman in the church sanctuary during a time of quiet prayer. She had recently lost her eldest son and found it very difficult to deal with her grief. We had just played and sung an old praise chorus which contained the words from Psalm 63 “Thy Loving Kindness is better than life.” Her heart was broken, so she couldn’t sing those words joyfully; instead, she lamented and painfully cried out, “Where was Your loving kindness when You took the life of my son?”

I didn’t know what to say to comfort her at that time, so she got up and left the sanctuary tearfully, feeling abandoned by God and disconnected to the church. It was a sad moment and one that has remained in my heart and mind for decades. I thought that I had failed her, too.

Months later, the elderly woman came back to church for the Good Friday service. I didn’t realize that she was there, but during the sermon I preached about God’s broken heart as He tearfully watched His precious Son dying on the Cross. That moment struck a chord with the elderly woman and after the worship service she told me that she at last knew God understood her loss and pain. She felt reconnected to God because they both shared the same kind of grief. It was a turning point in her life and helped her to re-dedicate herself to Christ and His church. God had heard her painful cry and she felt comforted by His empathetic love.

Perhaps you are going through a hard or a sad time. Maybe you’ve been crying out to God for help or healing. Perhaps you feel like your prayers are never answered. Please know this: God hears you and understands your pain. He is mindful of your situation and will always love you. Rest in God’s arms and be released from the burden you carry. God cares for who you are and wants you to know you are not alone, especially when you cry out in prayer.

Point to ponder: What help and healing do I need from God?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You died for our sins, identifying Yourself with human suffering, isolation, and pain. Hear us when we cry out to You for help; be mindful of us when we need Your empathy and comfort, reassurance and love. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sunday Shorts: Bread of Life

church devotions, Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (NIV)

Recently, our whole family went out for dinner at a special pizza restaurant. The menu was amazing, and we all looked forward to eating our chosen meals. Our two-year-old granddaughter, Ellie, was there, too, but as she couldn’t read the menu, we just ordered her a plain cheese pizza.

When the server came round with some garlic bread as an appetizer, Ellie enjoyed a piece and declared it to be ‘yummy.’ She ate several more pieces, copying her older cousin Andrew, but when the server arrived with the pizzas, she didn’t want any. All that she desired to eat was more bread. She loved the taste and the texture, so she didn’t want to replace it with something else. While we all ate our chosen meals, Ellie was content to eat what was left of the bread. She knew what she liked and didn’t want to change it for anything.

When I read today’s verse where Jesus declares Himself to be the Bread of Life, I wonder how many of us are satisfied with what He has to offer us spiritually? Are we ready to accept all that Jesus brings to the table of our lives, and is it sufficient for our spirits and souls? Once we taste the bread He offers, are we content to keep feeding from Christ’s life and teaching, or do we set His pieces aside each time we come across something spiritually novel or new?

When Jesus spoke to His people about being the Bread of Life, He lived in an age where Roman emperors placated the unruly mobs in Rome with bread and circuses. The temple at Jerusalem was also a place where the best bread in the nation was religiously displayed and replaced every week, so when Jesus said He was the Bread of Life, He was radically declaring Himself to be better than the emperor and greater than the temple. It was a bold statement and one that would cost His life. Christ sought to inform His followers that as far as spiritual nourishment was concerned, He was more than enough for all of them.

Today, Jesus speaks to us through the Gospels with the same declaration, telling us in this 21^st century that He is still all we need to nourish our spirits. He has invited us all to taste and see that the Lord is good; all we must do is consume what Christ has to offer.

Point to ponder: How has Jesus become my Bread of Life?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You offer to sustain us by becoming our Bread of Life. Encourage us to feed on Your words and ways that will sustain our souls and replenish our spirits. In Your Holy Name, we thankfully receive and pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sabbath Psalms – Begin Again

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Psalm devotions

Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me”

I struggle with my faith versus my thoughts. There are things I believe in my heart about God, but I also have doubts in my mind. For instance, I believe that God is infinitely powerful and just, but doubts arise when I see so much violence and injustice in the world. I believe that I am saved by Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, but then I doubt His influence over the Church when I see Christians aggressively hating people who oppose them. I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, but then I doubt its transformative power into making us better human beings when I hear preachers ranting and raving about crushing or killing their political enemies.

I am also aware that I am, like David who originally wrote Psalm 51, a sinful man who has made bad choices at times that have hurt other people, especially those whom I say that I love. My selfish thoughts and devious desires damage my faith. I am what John Newton once called himself – a wretch. In other words, I am a great sinner in need of an even greater savior.

If we honestly read Psalm 51, we will be afflicted by the Holy Spirit and made self-aware of our foolish choices and sinful deeds. David doesn’t hold back anything from God because he understands that God knows everything about him – every false choice, every greedy decision, every little secret. He comes before God as a broken man who knows he has done something gravely wrong, but even with all that staggering burden of guilt, shame, and worthlessness, David still holds on to the fact that God can clean him of every sin, renew his unclean heart, and restore him to God’s love forever.

David’s story is our story, too. And we have even more besides: we have Jesus as our Savior who cast Himself on the Cross at Calvary in order to remove our blemished burdens and despicable deeds. Christ gave us His life so that we may live with God as forgiven, redeemed, and restored children of God’s grace forevermore. In other words, with Christ, we can begin again.

Point to ponder: What have I done that has offended God and damaged others? How can Christ cleanse and restore me?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know everything about us, so we cannot hide any sin from You. Help us to humbly approach Your throne of mercy and grace, so we may ask You for forgiveness and restoration. We know that we do not deserve this, but we hold on to the fact that You have the power to do this. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sunday Shorts – Enough to Eat

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

John 6:12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” (NIV)

I like what Jesus does here – He provides food for hungry people and doesn’t let anything left over get wasted. He is declaring with this miracle that food is a human right, so hunger is something that should not happen to anyone in our world.

In recent years, the need for Food Banks has increased all over the world. In Appalachia, parents and grandparents are struggling to provide enough food for the children in their families. Across the world in war zones like the Ukraine and Gaza, food deprivation is being used as a weapon by inhumane leaders. And wherever natural disasters occur, as well as famine, millions of people try to survive on meager food resources. If Jesus were around today, how may loaves and fish would He have to break and share to provide more than enough for everybody on this planet?

Sadly, there are also ‘Christian’ political leaders who want to halt hungry schoolchildren getting free meals or punish those kids whose parents haven’t paid their expected food bills. I wonder what those leaders would do if their own free political breakfasts, lunches, and dinners were taken away from them? I wonder how they would react if they realized that Jesus gave the example of providing enough food, and more besides, for those who were hungry? To deprive children of their basic nutritional needs is to harm them, something which Jesus said would be severely punished by God to those who caused harm to any little ones.

So, what can we do to help? Support our local food banks and pantries, community ministries and charities that focus on providing food and water to those in need. We can also support the great work of the World Central Kitchen with a monthly gift which ensures food being provided, cooked, and distributed to people all over the globe. It’s a remarkable organization and one which Christ Himself would have supported to ensure others have enough to eat and that nothing is wasted.

Point to ponder: As a follower of Christ, which food ministries do I support?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You showed the example of how to help others in need of food. You did this several times for thousands of people, initiating food ministry events that included sharing Your Gospel. You provided for those who were hungry; help us to do the same whenever and wherever we can. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sabbath Psalms – On the Edge – Psalm 14

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Psalm devotions, Sunday devotions

Psalm 14:1 The fool says within himself, “God does not exist.” They are immoral, their deeds are disgraceful; there is nobody who does good things.

Like everyone else, I struggle with my faith at times. I’ve always believed in God as far back as I can remember, but it’s what I believe in God that keeps changing. When I first became a Christian, I wanted to convert the entire world. I actually preached on street corners in Scotland and sang hymns outside Glasgow pubs. I was fearless for Christ and wanted to show the world what unbelievers were missing. I guess I must have appeared like a religious freak to most of my drunken audience, but I was on fire for the Lord, and it didn’t bother me.

These days, I would find it tough and perhaps be too embarrassed to preach outside a city bar. I got in enough trouble preaching from the relative safety of a church pulpit. Sometimes my zeal to get the Gospel message across caused some people to get upset and leave the church. A sermon that stings is sometimes too close to the truth, even for me.

Faith is a precious gift from God, but sometimes we foolishly take it for granted or allow ourselves to cast it aside in order to indulge in sinful things. We stumble on the edge of foolishness which, for some people, can lead to affluence and unbelief, indifference and apostasy. I’m not one of those who subscribes to the belief that ‘once saved means always saved.’ I think that we can lose our salvation if we lose ourselves to the wiles of the world, which is why Jesus says in Mark’s Gospel: “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”(Mark 4 v 25). If we were saved for all time, we could give our hearts to Christ at the age of three and spend the next 97 years doing whatever we liked.

When I preached the message on Sunday mornings, I was very much aware that we’re all just living on the edge of eternity. Who knows what tomorrow may bring, so that is why we all need to get our hearts and minds, our lives and ways right with God through Christ today. To do anything else or to leave it for another time is plainly foolish and just as spiritually harmful as the person with no belief at all.

Point to ponder: What things disrupt my belief in God? How does Christ restore me?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, let this be the day when we all completely surrender our lives to You. Let this be the time when we allow You totally into our hearts, to change us forever. Enable us not to keep back anything or any part of us from You. Take away our foolishness and fill us with true faith. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

My Latest Book: Sunday by Sunday – Year C Gospels

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

My latest book is the beginning of a three-year project that I’ve been wanting to complete for years. I try to write devotionals on Sunday mornings to help church folks, teachers, and pastors focus on God’s Word for each particular Sunday. Over the years, I’ve compiled enough to cover most Sundays in each lectionary year.

My aim is to write a series of books with meditations for the lectionary Gospels, Psalms, Old Testament narratives, and the New Testament epistles.

This first book of devotionals focuses on the Gospels for Year C which begins at Advent on December 1 of this year. It contains seventy meditations including daily devotions for Holy Week, Christmas, and other Feasts. Each devotion includes a highlighted verse, short meditation, a point to ponder, as well as a short prayer. The devotions can be completed individually, with family, or a small church group.

I am already working on Year A Gospels, as well as some of the lectionary psalms. My hope is to produce twelve books which can be read year after year. The books will be available as eBooks for Kindle users (the Kindle app can be downloaded for free on any device or computer) and as paperbacks. The links to this first book are given below. I hope you may at least enjoy looking at them online.

As always, I am grateful for your encouragement and support. God bless.

John Stuart

Ebook and paperback* links

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DB3TLLYN

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DB3TLLYN

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DB3TLLYN

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DB3TLLYN

*paperback copies are only available via Amazon in the US, Canada, and the UK.

Sunday Shorts – Busy Doing Nothing

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

Mark 6:31 Jesus said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. (NRSV)

Over many years of pastoral ministry, I saw some dedicated people who were always present for Sunday worship and church programs. They were totally immersed in the life, work, and ministries of the congregation and it seemed as though every time we opened the church doors, they were among the first to arrive. Their faith community was their family and they simply devoted themselves to serving God in their local church.

Sometimes, however, these lovely servants were too busy and stretched themselves beyond what they could do effectively for God. They did too much, said “yes” too many times, and often wouldn’t let others help them. They thought that if they temporarily gave up their work for the Lord or handed it over to someone else, the ministry or mission would suffer. Frequently, the ministry was suffering because they didn’t like to share or delegate the responsibility to some other person. However, when Covid came and forced us all to stay away from church, those people reflected on their chosen roles, soon realizing that God was working through the whole church membership, and not just them. After Covid, they fully reassessed their own service and, for the first time in years, they allowed others to work with them.

I like what Jesus suggests to His disciples in this Bible verse. They have all been very busy helping Him with His ministry. They are devoted to the Kingdom of God, but they are also sapped of their spiritual strength, so Jesus urges them all to take a break from the mission to go to a quiet place and replenish their spirits. This reveals to us how much Jesus cared for His closest followers and did not expect them to always be on duty wherever He went. By giving them time to be alone with Him, Jesus was encouraging them to do nothing for a while. The mission would always be there, and the Kingdom of God would continue, but they were only human with weaknesses and limitations. Like the writer of Psalm 23, Jesus was inviting them to find a quiet place to restore their souls.

Perhaps you need permission to let go of some of the ministries and missions in your own congregation. Maybe you’ve overextended yourself and instead of feeling the joy of serving God, it is a heavy burden to you. Let Christ encourage you to find a quiet place, to release you from your responsibilities, to enable you to reflect on how best to serve God, to replenish your weary spirit, and to refresh your tired soul. Go ahead and be busy – doing nothing.

Point to ponder: How do I serve God in my local church? Am I too busy?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know us more fully than we know ourselves. We love You completely and want to serve You faithfully, but sometimes we are tired and need to rest. Help us to find a peaceful quiet place where we can be refreshed by Your Spirit and restored to God’s Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sabbath Psalms -Psalm 89 -Lunar Love

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

Psalm 89:37 It shall be established eternally, just as the moon is the sky’s constant witness in the sky. Selah.

As a kid, I always enjoyed looking up at the moon. I could see it clearly from my bedroom window and sometimes I would stay up late into the wee small hours of the morning, enjoying its shape, movement, and brilliance. Occasionally, I would recite a child’s prayer about the moon: “I see the moon and the moon sees me. God bless the moon and God bless me.”

Decades later, I’m still fascinated by the radiance of the moon. I now realize that the moon has no light of its own, but it reflects the light of the Sun to Earth. I think that’s why in this psalm it’s called the sky’s constant witness.” So long as the Sun exists and the moon is still orbiting around the Earth, it will faithfully reflect sunlight to us.

As Christians, we are meant to be faithful witnesses of Christ’s Light on Earth. Some people believe that this means we’re meant to show Christ’s love to everyone. But it’s more than just that – we’re also meant to reflect the Truth of Christ, which sometimes conflicts with what the World will tolerate. Loving the World does not mean embracing its sins or condoning society’s errors. Being the light of Christ and His faithful witness calls us to wholly reflect His Teachings and Truth, as well as His Compassion. Love without Christ is just a temporary feeling; however, love with Christ’s Truth is an everlasting faith.

Point to ponder: How do I reflect Christ in my daily life?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we try to be Your faithful witnesses in the world, but sometimes we allow ourselves to be people pleasers and acceptable appeasers, rather than messengers of Your Gospel and servants of Your Kingdom. Grant us the gift of discernment and help us to truly know what You would have us speak, do, and share with the people of this world. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Some of My Books

Bible Studies, church devotions, Devotions, Holy Week devotions, Kindle Bible Studies, Kindle Bible Study Book, Kindle Lent Bible study, Lent devotions, Lent books

Over the years, I’ve written many devotional and study books to help pastors, church leaders, and teachers share their faith with others in their congregations and communities. The books can be read individually or with a small group and are full of reflections to be used as discussion starters for church meetings, classes, and fellowship groups.

I’ve listed some of those books below and if you click on the images, it will take you to the book’s page on Amazon where you can read its description. All the books can be read on any device using the free Kindle app; some of them are also published as paperbacks.

I hope you enjoy browsing the books. If you have any questions or suggestions for studies, then please leave your message in the comments section or contact me by email at stushie57@outlook.com.

God bless.

John Stuart.