“THANKSGIVING IS PRECIOUS” Devotion by Pastor Fred Snider

The commercialization of everything in our consumeristic and materialistic society is totally out of control. Christmas stuff is up in September and the headlong rush into the “season” straight out of summer is only slowed down by the turning of Halloween into a National Holiday. What? Since when did Halloween become such a big deal? What happened to a simple neighborhood trick or treat tradition? “All Saint Day” or “Day of the Dead” has become an adult event with kids tagging along for candy. It is all about money and buying stuff and yet another excuse for an over-stimulated culture to “PARTY”.

This is why Thanksgiving is under attack these days. There is a strong movement to end it and replace it with a day to celebrate “Immigrants and Refuges”. What? Certainly we should be concerned about the plight of these being victimized by other’s agendas, but let’s address the need, don’t celebrate it! I know it is hard to turn thankfulness into a moneymaker, but if I am already under scrutiny for saying, “Merry Christmas”, instead of “Happy Holidays“, where will the madness stop?

"One Accord" Devotion by Pastor Fred Snider

"These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers." Acts 1:14

So the Eleven are joined by many others in the Upper Room. It should be noted that men and women were united in prayer, including His family; His mother Mary and His half-brothers. Can you imagine? Still grieving and going through a host of emotions; some anticipating, some wondering, some doubting and some not sure what to think. But, together, in one accord (not talking about a Honda here) talking about spiritual unity. They were just praying, seeking the Lord and being obedient to wait, as they were instructed.

We have much to learn about unity, obedience and togetherness. It was not an open forum or a two hall meeting. It was a prayer gathering asking for God's provision, will and guidance, His power and presence.

“THEY WHO?” Devotion by Pastor Fred Snider

"Then they return to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day walk from the city. When they arrived they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James." Acts 1:12-13

When I read and study the Bible I like to try and figure out who people are. So when it says they, I ask, "They who?" Easy in this passage because their names are listed. A familiar list, all the Apostles except Judas Iscariot who had hung himself.
They, the eleven now, had not walked far, a Sabbath's day journey was a common measurement used by Jews equal to about 3,000 feet. A little more than half a mile. They started out from the Mount of Olives where the Ascension had taken place and now we're gathering in an upper room to pray and wait. Like other passages of Scripture, no details about the conversation between them is given. But, you know there was talk. They had just seen Christ ascend and had been visited by angels. Maybe they were silent. I know at times when I have been greatly impacted I tend to clam up for a while. What would you have done? What would you be feeling and thinking? Picture yourself there. Amazing.

"The Ascension" Devotion by Pastor Fred Snider

"After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight." Acts 1:9

Not much is said about the ascension of Jesus. Simply put, He had to go to finish His work and if He didn't go, He couldn't come back. Everything He did He promised and foretold He would do. All He has yet to do. He will do just as He promised.
How strange it must have been to see Him go. Are you ready to see Him again? Could you have let Him go easily? He is in us who believe. He never leaves or forsakes us. Hope this gives you a pause to think about how you would have felt to be there and how you feel right now being reminded that He is in you.

“Joy Indestructible” Devotion by Madison Pinto, ASU Campus Ministry

"There are many who say, 'Who will show us some good?' Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!' You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound." Psalm 4:6-7

Human beings exist in the present, but they often live in the past or in the future. I can't even begin to tell you how many of my thoughts live in other places other than today. I dream about the places I'll go, the people I'll meet, the person I might someday marry, the children I might someday have. Particularly in harder seasons, my mind is drawn into these fantasies. Sometimes, I believe that if I was there, then I would finally feel joyful all the time.

“A Good Question” Devotion by Pastor Fred Snider

"After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee, they said, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:9-11

I don't know how long they stared. Long enough for God to send angels to help them move forward. The shock and awe of the ascension was replaced by the overwhelming phenomena of angels in their presence, plus speaking to them. The question the angels ask is a great one. One we all need to answer more often than we do. "Why do you stand here looking into the sky?" My mom used to ask me a similar question as I stood staring into the refrigerator. She would ask... "What are you waiting for.... Wagon Train?" (A soon to be forgotten line from a black and white TV show that inferred that I had been waiting too long for something that wasn't going to happen soon.) That meant for me to make up my mind.

“Whaddya Mean?” Devotion by Pastor Fred Snider

"He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:7-8

I know when we are not sure we like or need time to think about what we just heard we might ask, "whaddya mean?" I am not particularly fond of that question. As a parent, my stock response was... "I mean what I say and say what I mean." Eventually such conversations often ended with my question, "What part of NO don't you understand?"

Love is a Verb! Devotion by Church Council Member, Gabrielle Botts

“9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” " Romans 12:9-21

I know this is a somewhat long passage of Scripture, but I couldn’t pick just a few of these verses, they’re all so good! So, instead, I’ll let the verses speak for themselves and keep my commentary brief (how much more often should we listen, and contemplate, rather than speak?! Speaking to myself here!)

"AGENDA ITEMS" Devotion by Pastor Fred Snider

"So when they met together, they asked Him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" Acts 1:6

We human types, Apostles or not, can't seem to maintain our big picture objectivity very long. After the directive from Jesus to go to Jerusalem and wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit, they just had to ask if He was gonna take over and disempower the Romans and the power structure of the Temple Priests and frankly maybe use them in the new world order.

"GOD'S PERFECT PLAN FOR US" Devotion by Church Council Member, Patrice Parker

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

Every day when I pray the first thing that I say is “Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for today.”

Every day is a gift, a chance to begin again, and just like that saying that goes back to sometime long ago, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Kinda corny but so true. Every day is a fresh start, a day to try again. Start to change a bad habit, or better yet, time to begin a new one.

"THE PROMISED GIFT" Devotion by Pastor Fred Snider

"On one occasion, while he was eating with them, He gave them this command : "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts 1:4-5

This is a wonderful example of God keeping His promises. We know the Holy Spirit came. We know He is in each of us and empowers us. But, like the early followers of Christ we must be willing to receive commands and obey. The disciples did as they were commanded. We should take heed. If we lack power in our lives, attaining it begins with surrender. We must trust the Lord's instructions. Jesus shared this directive over a meal. I am confident that they had no idea what this promise meant. But, that is faith in action, doing what the Lord says til we understand better. Not easy, but more effective than second guessing or disobeying for sure. The ingredients of faithfulness are in His directives. Hear them? LISTEN.... WAIT... OBEY. It is always as He says.

“JESUS IS CLEAR” Devotion by Pastor Fred Snider

“He said to them: It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:7-8

Jesus is so clear when He speaks. He is corrective and inspiring at the same time. The disciples are so like us. We want to know what we want to hear. And...we don't want to hear what we need to know. Basically Jesus tells them they don't get to know the details, but they will be empowered to fulfill His plan. What about my plans? My ideas? If I were God..... etc., etc. It is like when my mother told me what to do and I tried to change the subject or tell her something I already did or could do. Then she would just repeat the directive until I did what I was supposed to do. What is God expecting us to do? We probably ought to get on that first. Like the old saying goes..."what part of no don't you understand?" After I was done trying to distract my mom from her original directive, she narrowed it down to a one word directive. "Trash!!" What's one word directive do you need to obey from God? "Pray!", "Study", "Go", "Give", "Serve", "Shh".

"Faith and Deeds" Devotion by Council Member, Gerry Mouzis

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:14-17

Very strong words from James, brother of Jesus. In fact, this particular passage of Scripture has been questioned and debated by theologians and so-called religious intellectuals since the time of the Reformation, if not before. Are we saved by faith? Or are we saved by deeds or works?

“CONVINCING PROOFS” Devotion by Pastor Fred Snider

"After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God." Acts 1:3-4

Phrase by phrase is one good way to discover the deeper and richer meaning of Scripture. When we slow down the words a little, we can harvest more insight from His Word.

1. After His suffering--- on the cross 2. He showed Himself--- chose to reveal

“THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES” Devotion by Pastor Fred Snider

"In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen.” Acts 1:1-2

The former book is the gospel of Luke, where we first see the name of Theophilus, which means 'lover of God'. Theophilus may be real or a reference to all God-lovers. Regardless, Luke writes Acts as a continuation of his gospel account, focusing now on the early church and chronicling the acts of the faithful in the spread of the good news of Jesus Christ.

"Touch the Word Made Flesh” Devotion by Madison Pinto, ASU Campus Ministry

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…

Before He ever set foot on earth, Jesus was the Word. He is not like it but is it. He is the very embodiment of truth. A living, breathing testimony of God established before the foundation of the world.

The Word came to earth. He lived and walked among the masses. He approached the outcasts. He started dialogue with sinners. He asked the Pharisees questions. He loved people. The Word did not just preach from afar, but He came into close quarters with those He came to save.

“MINISTRY IS PEOPLE” Devotion by Pastor Fred Snider

"Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus. Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you." 2 Timothy 4:19-22

The last known written words of Paul the Apostle. Sad to think, but true. But it certainly illustrates that at the core of ministry is people. Look at these names. You don't make these up. These are real lives and people that Paul loves. Some of the names are familiar from other parts of the New Testament, others are only mentioned here. Most importantly is that the whole purpose of God's grand plan is to redeem people. These people and us people too.

"THE EIGHT BEATITUDES OF JESUS" Devotion by Church Council Member, Ron Hodge

Matthew 5:3-10

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

“BUT THE LORD” Devotion by Pastor Fred Snider

"But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom to Him be glory forever and ever, Amen." 2 Timothy 4:17-18

I am encouraging all of us today to have our "But the Lord" statements ready. We are far more rehearsed at our mourning than our dancing. We have memorized our rants better than our praises. We know our defeat stories better than our victory testimonies. Somebody say Amen. Life sometimes is more than tough, but the Lord says.... Sure there are troubles in life...But the Lord. I know people can drive me nuts too... But the Lord. Get it? No matter what happens, God can handle it. Read Paul's: But the Lord statement one more time. Now, what is yours? I got mine. I just need to share it more often. Especially with myself.