Author: Rev. Mark Davis

Today’s Word Is APPEARANCES

Thu-Jan-23-2020

Have you ever been told, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts?” Well, from God’s perspective, that is true, as you will see in a moment. But people in our world don’t always operate that way.

There is a lot of judgment going on around us that is based on appearances. God looks at your heart, your motives, your faithfulness, and your obedience to his guidance in both small practices and large adventures.

God sent the prophet Samuel to the town of Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse, to select the next king of Israel. There were seven sons in attendance at the screening session, but there was an eighth son, David, who was not invited by his father to be part of the ceremony. Apparently, the others seemed like more obvious choices for the job. The oldest son was presented first, as the customary and obvious candidate.

“When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1st Samuel 16:6-7)

One at a time. each son was examined by Samuel and rejected by the Lord. On Samuel’s insistence, the most unlikely candidate was fetched from his job of keeping the sheep. And God whispered to Samuel that this was the one, the next king.

Do you remember choosing up sides for an activity in school, be it sports on the playground or a project team in the classroom? The captain would often select based on popularity or friendships. Had the teacher been the captain of the team, the choices would likely have gone differently. The teacher would have used different criteria. Likewise, God does the same in the kingdom, and the condition of the heart is primary.

Did you ever wonder why David’s father, Jesse, didn’t send for him in the beginning? Either he did not recognize his son’s gifts, or maybe he thought he would look foolish to bypass all the older boys in David’s favor. The gossip would have been cruel … “Did you hear Mr. Jesse proposed that his puny little shepherd boy should be the new king?! How embarrassing for his older brothers! It makes you wonder if the old man has his head on straight!“

Or maybe, just maybe, God had hidden in David a kingly character too unlikely for anyone to detect. After all, this was going to be only the second king ever for Israel. The first king (Saul) was still in office and making a mess of it, although he was chosen by popular vote of the people, as by far the best candidate. God had tried to talk them out of the whole king idea in the first place, hoping they would let God be the king!

What does all this tell us? First, we need to let God take the lead in our decision-making. As we listen to his Spirit, he reveals factors we never thought of. And in the process, we gradually learn more about how God thinks.

Second, if we want to go on God adventures, we should remember that he is going to look at the inner character (the heart) of those he calls to kingdom assignments. That means guarding our hearts and constantly working on our own integrity and faithfulness.

Finally, just as God sent the prophet Samuel to find a king, so may we be honored when God uses us to call forth the gifts of someone, even though others may wonder what we see in that person. How exciting it would be to tell someone what God sees in them and that God may be calling them to serve in the kingdom. In so doing, we could become known as someone who brings out the best in those around us … and who does not judge them by the world’s biased standards.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is … TRANSMIT

Hurt or Healed?
Wed-Jan-22-2020

Besides physical sickness, there are many things in life that get transmitted, some very good things and some very harmful things. Love, hope, and joy are contagious, but so are anger, discontent, and bitterness.

There is a Bible passage that talks about the transmission of spiritual and emotional healing.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” (2nd Corinthians 1:3-4)

In other words, as God comforts us, we are inspired to comfort others. This word “comfort” has a deeper meaning than just getting a pat on the back or a hug to make you feel better. The “comfort” spoken of here is deep, more like a profound, life-changing healing.

Simply put, “Healed people heal people.” As we find and receive healing from God, we become agents of healing in the lives of others.

But there is a reverse principle implied in this verse that is also true. “Hurt people hurt people.” The past hurts that some people have endured get passed on or transmitted to others. The person who feels hurt, often reacts and compensates by hurting others.

Here are two ways to apply these principles.

First, get yourself healed up. Address your hurts and find peace. Dig deeper into the Word. And there are many churches, ministries, grace-filled Christians, and inspiring books to help you. God’s healing comfort is deep and effective. Most of the time, the “just forget about it” approach doesn’t work. In the medical world, wounds that are not painfully cleaned out and treated with inconvenient shots, stitches, and bandages, will not heal, they will get “infected.” Emotional wounds can also get “infected” if not painstakingly treated.

Second, understand and forgive others who display hurtful behavior toward you or others. It may be that they are not simply “mean” people, but far more likely that they have been hurt in the past in such a way that they don’t realize how they are hurting others or how to stop it. They need someone who has been healed (like you, for instance) to help them get healed.

Be well!

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is … WHEEEEEE

A story of a child’s spontaneous joy.
Tue-Jan-21-2020

My wife and I took one of our granddaughters on a train ride at Chattanooga’s Railroad Museum when she was about 3 or 4 years old. We had recently been discussing with her the concept that God is with us everywhere we go. So, we reminded her as we were on the train that God is with us, even on train rides.

Have you ever ridden this vintage train? It takes you from a station near Jersey Pike, eventually through a tunnel, and ends up in East Chattanooga. As we went through the tunnel, the light was dim but not totally dark. We were going a little downhill, and feeling the cool breeze from the open windows, we all held our hands up, and said, “Wheeeeeee!”

A little later, she must have begun to wonder … if God is with us on this train ride, what was he thinking about this “wheeeeee” experience? So, her curiosity led her to query us about it. “Does God say wheeeeee when he goes through the tunnel?” And I said, ”Yes!”

Believe it or not, this is biblical. First God is always with you. And then God delights in the fact that you are enjoying life and his creation, and even enjoys them with you!

“The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

So, I would say … yes! … God says, “Wheeeeee!” right along with us!

You should always be aware that God  loves you and is with you. But let me put a twist to it. God loves the fact that you belong to him, that you flourish under his watch care, and that you enjoy the life he gave you. Life with God is good. It can bring out the joy in you, and you need that.

I hope that sometimes, because of the experience of the moment and the reality of his presence, you just let loose and say, “Wheeeeee!”

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Another Scripture:

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Prayer for the Day:

Father God, I thank you for the blessing of your constant presence. I believe that there is nothing in this world that can separate me from your love, and that in your presence, surrounded by your love, I can be  spontaneously filled with your joy. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Today’s Word Is … EQUAL

Martin Luther King, Jr Day
Created Equal
Mon-Jan-20-2020

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the USA, declared so by President Reagan in 1983. King was born Jan. 15, 1929 and was shot and killed 52 years ago on April 4, 1968. Like many people, it is for me a day of reflecting about his legacy. Somehow there is something ominous and significant about MLK Day and today’s date … January 20, 2020.

I grew up in small towns in Tennessee and Virginia, and being the son of a pastor, somehow I escaped much exposure to various forms of prejudice. My father was as close to being purely unprejudiced as anyone I ever knew. He befriended everyone, and the churches he pastored often had people from other cultures than our own. This was probably unusual in the 1950’s and 60’s.

My first real encounter with the shunning of someone of a different skin color came in college. My black friend, and frequent meal-mate in the dining hall, described rejection he had experienced. It bothered me that skin color mattered in evaluating someone. After he told me this, I began to notice that when he and I shared a table for supper, a few people would watch us. Rarely did someone come and join us at our table for eight. It made me even more determined to retain and develop this friendship, and to expand my “other culture” circle of friends, Black, Hispanic, Asian, etc.

MLK had just the right combination of a passion for equality and an insistence on non-violence in pursuit of it, the reason being that both of those qualities were based on the Bible. I have visited the Historic Ebenezer Church in Atlanta, home church and burial site of MLK. One time I stood in the pulpit where he preached in the Dexter Avenue Church in Montgomery, AL, and raising my hands, I said, “I have a dream!” That’s all I could get out, as tears began to flow. More recently, I made friends with Dr. Albert Brinson, who as a young person was befriended and partially raised by the Rev. Martin King, Sr. family; and who eventually walked alongside Dr. King, Jr. in many freedom marches. His stories were always fascinating and sometimes tragic.

I had more than one person during my early pastorates who told me they couldn’t help being prejudiced, because they were “raised that way.” The only answer I could think of was … “in my Bible, prejudice is sin.”

I am thankful for all persons of every race and culture who have helped us to move closer to a day in which hatred and racial prejudice will have been put aside. Or as Dr. King put it …

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’” – (from his “I Have a Dream” Speech on Aug 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial)

I pray that no one will be prejudiced against you for being who you are, and that you will join others in rising above prejudice. I also pray that you will forgive people who are prejudiced against you, because forgiveness is taught in the Bible, and unforgiveness is just as wrong as prejudice.

If you think about it, the parable of the Good Samaritan is not just about helping others, it is about racial/cultural prejudice. A priest and a Levite passed by a wounded man on the road, possibly because they did not know the person and feared robbers might overtake them if they stopped to help. But also, not knowing whether the man might actually be dead already, these official leaders knew that touching a dead body would make them “unclean.” The hero of the story was a “foreigner” from Samaria, not of pure Jewish blood, and thus hated by the Jews.

This story would have been “offensive” to the audience Jesus was addressing. But clearly, he was teaching them that prejudice is “offensive” to God! To rid ourselves of prejudice, it is good to make a conscious declaration to ourselves and to God that we will not harbor prejudice. But to take that a step further, why not make an action plan! Visit a church of a different culture. Befriend someone of a different color at work, school, or wherever. Perhaps invite them to dinner at your home or a restaurant. I’m sure you can think of something. And if you do so, would you report back to me how it went?

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Prayer for the Day:

Gracious God, I know that you are the creator of every man, woman, and child on this earth. We are a variety of colors and cultures. May I never think of my culture as being superior to any other, and may my words and deeds reflect your love for every person. Forgive my past thoughts and acts of prejudice. Show me someone today who is racially different from me and who might be surprised to hear my words of affirmation of their value. If there is anyone from whom I should ask for forgiveness, give me the courage to do just that. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Today’s Word Is … WORKS

Today: A plan that works.
Fri-Jan-17-2020
Humor for the Week

Welcome to Today’s Word Is … A Daily Devotion (Mon-Fri) by Chaplain Mark Davis. Friday is humor day, so here we go!

An old man living alone in Idaho wanted to break the ground for his potato garden, but it was very hard work with just a mattock and a spade. His only son, Bubba, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament.

Dear Bubba, … I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my potato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me. … Love, Dad

A few days later he received a letter from his son.

Dear Dad, … For heaven’s sake, Dad, don’t dig up that garden, that’s where I buried the BODIES. … Love, Bubba

At 4:00 a.m. the next morning, F.B.I. agents and local police showed up and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. A couple of days later, the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Dad, … You can go ahead and plant the potatoes now. It’s the best I could do under the circumstances. … Love, Bubba

THOUGHTS:

God chose you and me to be problem solvers in our world, and to help others in need.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

This means that God decided not to do everything directly on his own. He chose instead to involve his people in doing the speaking, the work, the going, and the sharing. Sometimes that means getting creative. And as we do things for others, we are doing them for the Lord.

Jesus spoke in Matthew 25:37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

Just one caution … we don’t do these works in order to earn our way into God’s favor, or as a requirement for being saved. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

We still must do these good works, because as Martin Luther (1483-1546) pointed out, “God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does.”

Have a good weekend, including rest, family, and worship,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is … FOOLISH

The willingness to look foolish
Thu-Jan-16-2020

Welcome to Today’s Word Is … A Daily Devotion (Mon-Fri) by Chaplain Mark Davis. If this made a difference in your life today, please leave me a comment.

There’s a little fellow named Tommy who hangs out at the local grocery store. The manager doesn’t know what Tommy’s problem is, but the other boys like to tease him. They say he is two bricks shy of a load, or a couple of fries short of a happy meal.

To make fun of him in front of others, sometimes the boys will offer Tommy his choice between a nickel and a dime. He always takes the nickel, and they laugh. “Ha-ha-ha … he thinks because the nickel is bigger, it’s worth more!” Onlookers look sadly at Tommy and tell the boys to leave him alone.

One day after Tommy took the nickel again, the store manager got him off to one side and said, “Tommy, those boys are making fun of you. Why don’t you pick the dime? Don’t you know a dime is worth more than a nickel?”

Tommy said, “Well sir, if I took the dime, they’d quit doing it! I’ve gotten 67 nickels over the last three months!”

Although Tommy may have looked foolish, he had a plan that worked.

The willingness to look foolish in front of others is sometimes required when serving God. Like Moses waving a stick at the Red Sea … or Gideon picking 300 to face an army of 15,000 … or teenage David walking out with a slingshot to face gigantic Goliath.

Being a foolish person with one’s possessions or by the wagging of the tongue or by ignoring God is ill-advised, as many Proverbs say. Consider also Paul saying, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise …” (Ephesians 5:15)

Again, Paul says. “But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.” (2nd Timothy 2:23)

And this, “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.: (Titus 3:3)

But “seeming” foolish while following God’s plan is well worth the risk. After all, the things of God “seem” foolish to the world.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1st Corinthians 1:18)

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. (1st Corinthians 1:24)

We must learn how not to be “foolish persons,” while at the same time being bold enough to do something for God and willing to believe in God’s “mysterious ways,” all for the sake of his Kingdom.

1st Corinthians 1:25 “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. … 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty …”

I am glad he chose me and you to be “fools for Christ!” Here we go! Woohoo!

Have a blessed day!

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is … COURAGE

The courage to be both bold and humble.
Wed-Jan-15-2020

Welcome to Today’s Word Is … A Daily Devotion (Mon-Fri) by Chaplain Mark Davis. If this made a difference in your life today, please leave me a comment.

“It often takes more courage to change one’s opinion than to stick to it.” – Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742-1790) Physicist and Philosopher

Sometimes you need to change your opinion and sometimes you need to stick to it. A great feat of maturity is to learn when and how to do both. Many people are out of balance and are far better at one than the other.

At one extreme are folks who are good at making decisions and sticking to them … but pride will not let them admit they might be wrong … thus they lack the courage to admit a mistake or to change their opinion. From the perspective of others, it is hard to respect someone who will never change their mind. Why do people remain adamant and unchanging? Sometimes they are bullies. It may also be to avoid intimacy in relationships. Never changing your mind is a good way to keep people at a distance or under control.

At the other extreme are those who are humble and honest enough to admit their mistakes … but often will fold easily when challenged about an opinion they truly believe in … thus they lack the courage to stick to their opinion. From the perspective of others, it is hard to respect someone who wavers on nearly everything. Why do such folks as these give in so easily? It might be fear of conflict or failure, possibly a poor self-image, not understanding who they are in Christ. But again, it is also another way of avoiding intimacy in relationships or of having the need to protect oneself.

Jesus had a better way … a way that requires courage, honesty, and humility.

“But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” – Jesus (Matthew 5:37)

Making yes be yes, and no be no, is in one sense about removing the playing of emotional games from our conversations. It is much more enjoyable to converse with someone who does not have a hidden agenda. It works well when both have the courage to be honest … honest about their true convictions, but also courageous to admit when they need to change their mind about something.

(If you believe there is nothing you ever need to change your mind about, your name would be “God” … just sayin’ … don’t mean to sound harsh. None of us has perfect theology or doctrines or opinions or knowledge. Surprise, surprise.)

The takeaway is this … ask God for what you need.

If you need courage to stick to your opinion … ask God. (Many folks who need the courage to be bolder are painfully aware that they need it.)

If you need courage to admit when you are wrong … ask God. (However … Many folks who need the courage to be humble are blissfully unaware that they lack humility.)

Choose to be balanced, to be able to say equally well, “I’m right this time,” or “I’m wrong this time.” This requires courage, honesty, and humility. Making it more complicated than this involves offering excuses for our behavior, and is, as Jesus said, “from the evil one.”

It takes courage to be honest, bold, and humble all at the same time!

Chaplain Mark

(NOTE: If you are in a relationship where the other person is virtually always right and certainly never wrong, and where you feel the pressure of conformity, this is a red flag. Seek some godly advice from a trusted pastor or friend.)

Today’s Word Is … AGREE

Tue-Jan-14-2020

Welcome to Today’s Word Is … A Daily Devotion (Mon-Fri) by Chaplain Mark Davis. Today: Agreeing with God about your strengths. If this made a difference in your life today, please leave me a comment.

I once had this conversation with a co-worker …

ME:        You’re very smart.

THEM:   No. Not really.

ME:        I’m smart. I made straight A’s mostly.

THEM:   Yeah, so did I.

ME:        Then you’re pretty smart.

THEM:   Well … hmmmm … Okay.

It’s okay to say you’re smart or talented in some way, or whatever your characteristics are, in an honest and humble way. It’s part of having a good, healthy, and accurate view of yourself. Many of us were taught not to compliment ourselves because it sounds like “bragging.” Often our solution is to belittle ourselves as a way of ensuring that we don’t think too highly of ourselves. It took me 40-plus years to stop this bad habit.

The Bible talks about how you should view yourself.

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” – The Apostle Paul (Romans 12:3)

A “sober judgment” means a correct evaluation. This means you should not think “too highly” nor “too lowly” of yourself. Now who do you think has the most “sober” or accurate evaluation and opinion of you? Well … It’s God, of course.

You should agree with God and his opinion of you. He knows your value, your potential, your strengths, your weaknesses. For some of us, it is a great discovery to learn that “God thinks of me more highly than I thought He did!” God is for us, not against us. (See Romans 8 below.) So, if someone has told you that God thinks poorly of you … that’s a lie. If you think you should deny your strengths as a way of being humble, consider that this is a form of false humility, and not at all biblical. Instead, affirm who you are and the gifts you have been given, and then delight in using them for God’s purposes.

In addition, don’t bemoan your weaknesses. Everyone has them. Accept them. Improve on them when you can. This is all part of agreeing with God about who you are and who you are to become. And if you can agree with God about the total you, there will be greater peace, and probably more smiles.

Ask God for more wisdom. This was King Solomon’s one desire.

1st Kings 9:9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked…”

Agreeing with God about who you are is a good thing! Asking for more … that’s good, too!

Have a blessed day,

Chaplain Mark

Romans 8 reference

“… If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” – Romans 8:31-32

Today’s Word Is … INTIMIDATION

Mon-Jan-13-2020

Welcome to Today’s Word Is … A Daily Devotion (Mon-Fri) by Chaplain Mark Davis … Today: Rejecting Intimidation. If this made a difference in your life today, please leave me a comment.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” – The Apostle Paul (2nd Timothy 1:7)

Sometimes fear serves a useful purpose, right? For instance, … Fear could keep you away from the edge of a dangerous cliff. … or … Fear could cause you to keep your distance from a poisonous snake. … or … Fear could cause you to run out of a burning building.

Those, of course, are things God designed into our nature to protect us. What we are not supposed to have is the type of fear that debilitates us, keeps us in misery, or prevents us from being the person that God calls us to be.

The normal Greek word for fear is “phobia,” which is used 150 times in the New Testament. Another New Testament word for fear is “deilia,” used only once by Paul in this passage, and once by Jesus (Matthew 8:26 and Mark 4:40), on the occasion where a frightening storm came up while the disciples were in a boat with Jesus. “But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

This use of the word can also be translated as “intimidation.” Why would Paul tell Timothy not to be intimidated? Interestingly, the name Timothy comes from the same root word, as if describing someone who is easily intimidated. Timothy was a young man with great potential in ministry, but how easy it is to let yourself be intimidated, being a young person teaching people older than yourself, and often much wiser. I know. I pastored my first church at age 19.

Also notice that Paul didn’t say, “we are not given fear.” He said, “We are not given a SPIRIT of fear.” This is a spiritual issue. There are evil spirits that have certain characteristics or tactics, and yes, there is a spirit of fear, whose strategy is to intimidate you out of your destiny.

In the 6th grade my first male teacher, Mr. Webb, was a combination of caring, wise, and tough. We would go to the playground and the whole class of 30 kids played softball. He divided the class in half, and we scattered all over the field to play, lots of infielders and outfielders. Mr. Webb was the pitcher.

One day I hit a ball past the outfielders, a “for sure” home run, rare for me. I rounded first, second, third and looked back over my shoulder as I was halfway to home. And, oh no, Mr. Webb was standing in a throwing position with his arm back over his shoulder, ready to throw the ball. I stopped and froze in disbelief! How could they have retrieved the ball so quickly!? As I stood there staring, waiting for him to throw me out, the ball came bounding in from the outfield and stopped at his feet. He smiled, leaned over, and with his empty hand, scooped up the ball, and threw me out. He had bluffed me … intimidated me … out of a home run. I was so focused on Mr. Webb that I didn’t see where the ball really was. I could have had a home run! I will never forget that lesson.

Think about it … this is what your “enemy” wants to do to you … bluff you into thinking you’re not good enough, smart enough, innovative enough, persistent enough, or enough of whatever you may need to succeed. He has no weapon to harm you, so he intimidates you into giving up. I thought Mr. Webb had the ball in his hand … nope. I was not robbed by the power of the enemy, but by being intimidated out of claiming what was mine.

If you have a spirit of fear, God didn’t give it to you. I repeat … If you have a spirit of fear, God didn’t give it to you! And he wants to replace it with power, love, and a sound mind. Suppose you just “spoke” to this spirit of fear you’ve been burdened with and served it an eviction notice! I will no longer be intimidated out of my blessings! Then ask God for his three replacement gifts … power, love, and discipline.

Power – that’s like the engine of a car. The Holy Spirit will give you his kind of power.

Love – that’s the proper fuel. It will help you to do things with right motives. If you are fueled by anger, for instance, things will often not turn out so well.

A Sound Mind (or Discipline) – that’s the steering wheel. It means guiding how you apply the love and use the power God has given you. Not too fast or slow, staying on track, waiting sometimes, proceeding at others.

The experience of ridding myself of the spirit of intimidation, with God’s help, created a quantum leap forward in my faith. I still get intimidated occasionally, but I am quicker to rebuke it now.

Blessed to be a blessing,

Chaplain Mark

Humor for the Week … LOOKING HEAVENWARD

Fri-Jan-10-2020

Welcome to Today’s Word Is … A Daily Devotion (Mon-Fri) by Chaplain Mark Davis. Friday is humor day, so here we go!

The temporary Sunday School teacher was struggling to open a combination lock on the supply cabinet. She had been told the combination but couldn’t quite remember it.

Deciding to seek help, she went to the pastor’s study and asked for assistance. The pastor came into the room and began to turn the dial. After the first two numbers he paused and stared blankly for a moment.

Finally, he looked serenely heavenward and his lips moved silently. Then he looked back at the lock, and quickly turned to the final number, and opened the lock.

The teacher was amazed. “I’m in awe at your faith, pastor,” she said.

“It’s really nothing,” he answered. “The combination is written on a piece of paper taped to the ceiling.”

Looking heavenward is a good way to solve lots of problems.

Have a blessed weekend, including rest, family, and worship!

Chaplain Mark