Daily Devotional September 29, 2020

Yesterday morning, Buzz and I were talking.  He was very complimentary about Sunday’s sermon – which was to be expected – because I am the one who preached it.  It really was awesome.  Then Buzz said, “It was much shorter than usual.” 

On a regular basis, Jerry reminds me that the best sermons have a good opening, a good closing, and very little in between.  I wonder what Buzz and Jerry are trying to tell me?

These two men, a physician and an attorney, are both very accomplished in their fields.  They are pretty bright cookies.  I know that they are trying to tell me something that is obvious to them, that I haven’t quite figured it out yet.  This can be a problem for all of us at one time or another.

There are times when we don’t see what it right in front of us.  It’s as if we miss the most obvious.

Take God’s love as an example.  The fact that we wake up in the morning, breathe, see the sun rise in the east and set in the west, watch the seasons come and go, and enjoy the beautiful sound of children laughing, are all clear signs of God’s love and continual blessings.  Yet, so often we miss it.

It’s as if none of those remarkable signs count unless there is writing in the sky.

So, if you are wondering whether God truly loves you, here’s the obvious.

God loves you more than life itself.  God would rather die than live without you.  God sent his Son to make sure that would happen.

To help us see the obvious, Jesus said:  “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life.  God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”  (John 3:16-17)

So know that no matter what others think of you or what you think of yourself, when God looks at you, he sees someone he loves.  It’s obvious.

Prayer:  Dear Gracious Heavenly God, when the world looks at me, I am nothing more than a consumer, voter, or social security number.   But when you look at me, you see something you created to love.  Please keep reminding me of the obvious.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that God loves you.  All you have to do is look around, read the Bible, and open your heart. 

God loves you.  Nothing else needs to be said.

Now that I’ve had a few minutes to mull over Buzz and Jerry’s hurtful words, I think they are trying to use reverse psychology.   They really don’t want me to preach shorter sermons.  They want them to be longer.  It’s obvious.

I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter.
Tom Robbins