“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.”
Some things can’t share the same space.
Our hearts don’t have room for love and hate when we allow Jesus in. Jesus commands us to love one another, even our enemies.
-Micah Darden
Pastor of Young Adults and High School
This post first appeared in July of 2013 as a devotional from Barclay Press.
Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:58
Vogelsang is beautiful. The air is crisp and there are two amazing lakes right outside camp. The meal that evening was very tasty and we ended the evening with a nice hot cup of hot cocoa. It was a great time of sitting around together, laughing and sharing about the day’s hike and that we had accomplished something pretty grand.
The next morning, Brian informed us that he banged up his ankle pretty bad and was not going to be able to continue the hike. My guys and I stayed behind while the rest of the group continued on the journey. We decided to make a day of Vogelsang and explore while Brian recouped.
We explored Fletcher Lake and Booth Lake walking around the lakes and just hiking around camp. We ate lunch, shared some more stories, laughed and took a nap. We left camp that afternoon and headed back the way we came in.
There is something amazing about arriving at your destination. There is a sense of accomplishment even when the desired outcome didn’t happen the way we planned. Few attempt what we did that summer. More than 4 million people visit the park every year, only 15,000 visit the wilderness areas (94% of the park is wilderness).
The Apostle Paul talks of fighting good fights and finishing strong. We are daily confronted with battles and competition that need to be fought and races and deadlines that need to be completed. Finishing strong doesn’t always mean winning.
Prayer Suggestion: Pray for the ability to finish each day strong, focusing on how well you completed the day.
-Pastor Rick Ellis
Pastor at Friends Community Church
This post first appeared in July of 2013 as a devotional from Barclay Press.
Bible Reading: Philippians 2:1-4
Today started the adventure. I woke up and prepared some instant coffee and a high-carbohydrate and a high-protein breakfast. I called my wife before I fell asleep and asked that she pray for me and the group because I wasn’t sure if I was going to come back alive. She said she would.
We hiked a mile to catch a bus; thankfully the hike was a lot easier than the day before. We were now headed to the trailhead at Tuolumne Meadows (alt. 8,600 feet). From here we were going to hike back to Yosemite Valley with a side trip up Half Dome, a total hike of 27.5 miles. Our first hike would be almost seven miles long to Vogelsang (alt. 10,100 feet!).
On this trip were Brian, a youth pastor friend and some of his former students and some of my former students. Brian and I had seen these young people grow up to be amazing individuals living their lives for Christ and for the communities they lived in. They are filled with expectations to live a Kingdom life today and to serve and love their neighbor.
The hike was even harder than I expected. My rented pack constantly shifted and painfully dug into my hip. The weight alone was almost unbearable. Thankfully my former students stepped up, taking turns carrying my pack as I carried their lighter packs, sometimes they even carried both packs. It was amazing to watch my guys step up and take care of me during this hike. Without their help the hike would have been unbearable. Finally, after many rests and breaks we reached our first destination.
Prayer Suggestion: Pray for compassion and humility to help someone succeed.
-Pastor Rick Ellis
Pastor at Friends Community Church
This post first appeared in July of 2013 as a devotional from Barclay Press.
Bible Reading: Matthew 17:14-21
This past summer I went on my first backpack trip. Growing up, my family went on numerous camping trips to our National Forest campgrounds. We slept in tents and brought cook stoves with provisions to make our trips enjoyable and comfortable. Later we slept in a camper, until we were too old, and then three boys were thrown back into the tent. But I had always wanted to backpack: to rough it, to carry all my camping gear on my back, and to trudge through the wilderness.
After months of hiking in the foothills I thought I was ready. We arrived in Yosemite Valley and parked the truck. It is such a beautiful place! Once there, we grabbed the packs and slung it on our backs and began the half mile walk to the backpacker camp where we would spend the first night. UGH! I thought I was going to pass out!
Carrying a 20-pound daypack around the foothills was not enough of a warm-up for this. I now found myself carrying a 45 pound pack at an altitude of 4500 feet. I wasn’t as prepared as I thought.
Ministry is filled with opportunities to put into practice what we have learned. If I would have trained and trained for this trip but never went it would have all been in vain. Jesus works with the disciples and trains and trains these young men how to be like him. Unfortunately there are times when they (we) fail. But isn’t it in our failings that we grow?
Prayer Suggestion: At the end of each day determine where you have failed. Pray for growth from that failure and any resolved past failure.
-Pastor Rick Ellis
Pastor at Friends Community Church
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
- Mark 4:35-41
This is a passage that I have been thinking about over the last few weeks. It may not seem to go with Good Friday. You might expect one of the passages that details Jesus’ suffering on the cross or his final words that he spoke to those standing and watching. But read those verses, pause, listen, and dwell on how God might be speaking to your condition on this Good Friday.
As I read those verses I can’t help but relate to the plea of those on board that sinking ship, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing!” Have you ever been there? Are you there now? What is Jesus’ response to their cry? He doesn’t explain to them that he does in fact love them more than they know. He doesn’t talk to them about all the ways that he has bailed them out before. He simply gets up and shows them just how much he cares about their current condition. He is willing to break the rules of science and nature in order to make his case of the extent of his love. When the disciples woke him from his sleep, they probably had in mind him picking up a bucket and helping to bail the water out of the ship. But is that what he does? No, instead he does something that they had no idea he could do.
Does Jesus care about you? He showed you the fullest extent of his care and compassion on the cross. An act of mercy that rescued you from the strongholds of sin and death. That brought freedom and life. Calmness to the storm.
Here’s the thing: Jesus seems to be a little annoyed with the faith (or lack thereof) of the disciples. His words are pretty cutting. “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith.” What if Jesus wasn’t annoyed that their lack of faith caused them to come running to wake him up? That’s what I used to think about this passage. Jesus is upset that they woke him up from his sleep. They should have had faith that they would be fine in the midst of the storm. What if that’s not the case. What if he was actually annoyed that they didn’t come running to wake him up sooner? How often do we get comfortable in the frantic hurriedness of trying to solve our own problems rather than rushing to the Prince of Peace? The creator of the wind and waves is in the boat and there the disciples are with their buckets, struggling.
Jesus has paid it all on the cross. Stop trying to earn what has been freely given. Stop trying to show him how worthy you are of his grace. He can’t love you any more and he won’t love you any less. You have a decision to make. The disciples did too. After this great miracle, they look at one another and ask, “Who then is this?”
How is God speaking to your condition through the story in Scripture of Jesus calming the storm? Leave a comment below.
-Pastor Tyler Lemen
Associate Pastor of Family Ministries at Friends Community Church
Click here to watch tonight’s Good Friday service, and click here to invite your friends and loved ones to join in with us as we celebrate new life this weekend.