St. Nicholas

NICHOLAS OF MYRA
Matthew 22:37-40
V. 39: “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Real people behind legends can inspire ordinary people to live extraordinary lives. God inspires His children with wild stories about legends. Then He shrinks the impossible into man-sized bites. Sometimes we swallow the nuggets, other times we set the person on a pedestal. I can never be that good! But, is God showing us what’s possible?

We learned about one guy, Naomh Padraig (See St. Patrick devotion), who was ordinary. But after surviving capture and slavery, he chose to serve an awesome God. He lived an extraordinary life, and is revered as the patron Saint of an entire country! Now, let’s explore the life of another ordinary boy named Nicholas, who lived in Turkey around 1000-1090.

Turkey is a Middle Eastern country wedged between two Seas, the Mediterranean on the South, and the Black Sea on the North. Turkey is West of Iran, and North of Iraq, and Syria. See the country in purple, below:

Nicholas was only son of wealthy parents, Epiphanus and Johanna. As committed Christians, their lives proved faithful not only by words, but also through works. They supported missionaries, and gave generously to the poor. They enrolled Nicholas in theology and history classes—where he learned The Didache, similar to the Catechism—both guides to righteous living.

As a teenager, Nicholas’ parents died in an epidemic. His Uncle Nicholas—for whom he was named—was bishop of Patara, and tutored his nephew in the monastery he founded. Nicholas always gave away money to the poor for food. When one man discovered that it was Nicholas who saved his family from disaster three times, he asked him, “Why didn’t you let me know it was you who helped us?”

Nicholas responded, “Because it’s good to give when only God knows about it.”

Nicholas was ordained as bishop, then cardinal of the Catholic Church. Barely five feet tall, he had a long white beard, and bald head. He refused a lavish life style, preferring to give food and gifts to the needy. His generosity laid the foundation for the model of unrewarded gifting that’s celebrated each Christmas in another legend called Santa Claus.

Take Home Nugget



St. Nicholas. Catholic cardinals’ color is red.

From his youth, Nicholas loved others as himself. Traditions around the world celebrate his generous giving. He’s claimed as Nicholas of Myra, of Bari, patron Saint of Sailors and the entire country of Greece. St. Nicholas’ Eve is a gift-giving holiday celebrated from November 29th – December 7th in many countries.

Do these ordinary guys inspire you to follow Jesus, growing into an extraordinary person?

Two commandments are equal. The first is to love God; the second is to love others.

Dedicated to Daughter, Shawnda Griffith, for a happy 35th Birthday.

J.D. Griffith

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St. Patrick

NAOMH PADRAIG
387-493
340-440

“Christ be with me. Christ be before me. Christ be after me. Christ within me. Christ beneath me. Christ above me. Christ at my right hand. Christ at my left.”

Patron Saint of Ireland

Many stories pave the way for us to celebrate the legacy of Saints, and one such story is the life of Naomh Padrig. We celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th each year in the United States, Ireland, and many countries around the world. His story is somewhat of a blur; history conflicts when he was born, and when he died. Despite which years are true, his legacy remains alive. While shamrocks, lepricons, and buckets of gold at the end of a rainbow decorate the holiday, they have nothing to do with the man.

Fantasy comes alive in the real person named Naomh Padraig. He lived in Great Britain in the fifth century. One day he was seized by Irish raiders who forced his enslavement in Ireland. After six years, the slave escaped his Irish captors. Padraig returned home to Britain and entered into the church’s service. Following in the footsteps of his male ancestry, he became a deacon. After becoming ordained as a Bishop, his ambition was fulfilled through missionary work.

Where did he go? He ended up ministering his previous captors in the North and West part of Ireland. Padraig, (or Patrick) and his fellow righteous clergy successfully established an Irish monastery system. Their aspirations fell short of the diocesan model they hoped for, (meaning never having reached priestly status). Padraig’s work in Northern Ireland from 428 onwards rewarded him celebrity status. By the 700’s he was posthumously (post-HU-mous-ly, meaning after his death) revered as Ireland’s patron Saint.

God had need of and used Padraig richly. Luke 19:34 shows us that Jesus had need of a colt. This was the colt which Jesus rode going towards Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Did the colt think the crowd was honoring him when they shouted, “Hosanna!”? (Luke 19:35-40). Surely the Lord rewarded Padraig’s service to God’s kingdom with this yearly holiday.

People of Irish descent proudly declare their ancestry—sporting green clothes in honor of St. Patrick on March 17th. What is your favorite green clothing?

Take Home Nugget

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated as both a liturgical and non-liturgical holiday. Liturgical (li-TUR-gi-cal) means relating to religious worship service, especially Communion celebration in a Christian service. This solemn holy day of obligation has grown into a festival commemorating Ireland.

St. Patrick taught us humility and service to others—
Even those who forced him as a slave.
Christ around me, help my brothers,
Keep us strong and keep us brave.

J.D. Griffith

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Neglect--Bad Idea

NEGLECT—BAD IDEA
Hebrews 10:22

“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

Michael stared, mouth open, at his sixth-grade little brother, Jeremy. “Time for you to go on a diet, bro.” He teasingly patted Jeremy’s pot belly.

Jeremy frowned, looking down, and hitched up his baggy pants. “Yeah, well…I’ve been lazy this winter, after football season ended.” They finished their Saturday morning breakfast together at the table.

Stacking their dishes in the dishwasher, Jeremy asked, “Want to help me lift weights at the gym?”

“Not a good idea, Bro. Begin with calisthenics to loosen up, then proceed your work out as you learned in football pre-season camp. You know the drill.”

“I guess you’re right” Jeremy admitted. “Spring’s around the corner, and I want to look good at the pool.” Jeremy went outside and stretched. He began running. After running around the block, he decided to continue further, disappearing down the street.

An hour later, Jeremy slammed the kitchen door shut, and slumped onto the living room couch. “Hi, Jeremy. Want to come grocery shopping?” his Mom asked.

“Not really.” He finished slurping his Gatorade and swallowed. “I’m getting a sore throat. I suppose getting back in shape wasn’t such a good idea.”

Let’s look at this from a different perspective. If Jeremy had also neglected his relationship with the Lord, getting back into spiritual shape would be easier. He’d be only a prayer of repentance away from returning into family harmony with God. By continuing to do his daily devotions and studying God’s word, he’d gain discernment and flex his faith muscles regularly.

While pursuing God is not cause and effect, believers want to draw closer into a deeper relationship with their Lord. Seeking God does not make believers' lives perfect, and stress-free. In fact, pursuing righteousness does not exempt us from trouble (2Timothy 3:12).

Neglecting God, like neglecting one’s health, is always a bad idea.

But, a life dedicated to loving others and pursuing God is always a good idea.

Take Home Nugget

Jeremy knew his sore throat was his fault. (He’d also neglected gargling and washing his hands frequently.) He knew how to keep both his body and spirit in good health—and changed his habits to reinforce quality care. Tending our bodies, minds, and hearts are always good ideas.

The roots of good health are grounded in sound body and spiritual care.

J.D. Griffith

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Right on Time

RIGHT ON TIME
Galatians 4:4-5
“But when the time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”

Are you one of those people, who, despite starting early, you arrive late? All seats full, you take one all the way in the back—or embarrassingly—plop into a newly unfolded chair reserved for late-comers. Something always redirects your progress towards the target. But here’s good news: God is always right on time.

While waiting--what seems like forever--to receive God's answer, direction, or blessing, we learn patience. Our wait is always worthwhile after receiving His promise. Often we don’t understand what takes so long to orchestrate perfection. Consider what roads had to be plowed before the Father presented us our long-awaited Messiah:

Jesus arrived during the Roman Empire’s Pax Romana (the peace of Rome). The known world was united in speaking one language, and commerce was vigorous. Global trade network routes provided open access throughout every country. This guaranteed rapid spread of Christ’s Gospel of Good News.

No one needed “papers.” There were no protected locked borders. The entire world was open access for unhindered travel. Christ’s crucifixion that fulfilled prophecy of a lamb sacrificed for our sins could multiply unrestricted to everyone. (Isaiah 53). Jesus became the new covenant from the Father that whoever believed in His Son would have eternal life. (John 3:16).

Jesus changed everything. Jesus came to us right on time--just in time!

Just in time for Matthew, the tax collector who became a disciple. Just in time for Peter, James, and John, who followed Jesus closely enough to be famous 2,000 years later. Just in time for you and me, who cling to our belief in Him Who intercedes for us every day. (Romans 8:26-27, Hebrews 7:25, 8:1).

Take Home Nugget

Today, our Lord knows what’s best for us. He longs to meet every need, and delight us with good things. May we remember, when awaiting fulfillment of a promise, that we’re not forgotten. God will show up right on time, and we’ll be amazed at His brilliant timing.

J.D. Griffith

Not ours to know the reason why
Unanswered is our prayer;
But ours to wait for God’s own time
To lift the cross we bear.

Anonymous

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Satisfied?

SATISFIED?
Philippians 3:2-11
V. 7: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.”

Striving for excellence never reaches satisfaction. Satisfaction means being happy with the end result. Perfection. Jesus-empowered confidence brings contentment in life. (See Empowered Confidence devotion). But contentment is different from satisfaction. Satisfaction is total approval of the outcome. A fulfilled end result. As long as we’re alive, we continue striving, achieving, and reaching towards excellence.

The apostle Paul listed his history of achievements in Philippians 3:4-6. He was very confident, and impressed with his own success. Paul was proud, saying he is "a Hebrew of Hebrews from the Benjamin tribe, trained as a Pharisee, a zealot [or extreme fanatic] for the faith." Why did he consider all this a loss for Christ’s sake?

His pedigree (PED-i-gree meaning lineage, bloodline, or ancestry) was perfect—according to his standards. He felt as though he was envied by everyone around him. Paul’s making a point when he insists that it means less than nothing—in fact—a loss for the sake of Christ. He realized how worthless the things achieved in the flesh (human strength) are compared to what’s eternal.

Paul recognizes the difference—pointing out that his drive for excellence comes from God’s Spirit—and has nothing to do with earthly success (Philippians 3:2-3). His pride, after “finding” Jesus on the road to Damascus, came from the relationship that formed between them (Philippians 3:8-9).

Kids learn things from day one. It takes years to perfect walking, talking, and growing strong. (And that’s only if everything works perfectly). Believing in Jesus produces confidence. Becoming His friend yields growing contentment—more each day. A Spirit-filled life creates hunger for more of Him and less of you. Aspiring to satisfaction this way is measured by eternal success.

Realistically, Paul writes about balance. In his letter to the Philippians, he contrasts contentment with satisfaction. Even in prison, Paul was content in his circumstances—trusting God for his care (Philippians 4:11). But he refused to be satisfied with his spiritual growth. He never stopped learning, improving, and reaching upwards. His continued drive for excellence never stopped because he hadn’t yet arrived at the finish line. He continued pressing towards perfection because Christ had a hold of him, straining for what was ahead. (Philippians 3:12-14).

What was Paul’s goal, the prize at the end of his race? Heaven.

Take Home Nugget

Balancing contentment with striving towards excellence is the key to satisfaction. Building a relationship with Jesus exceeds any earthly achievement, and yields ultimate eternal satisfaction.

Striving for excellence in Jesus—more each day,
Yields contentment when we follow and obey.
Never stopping nor swerving left or right
Heaven—straight ahead—remains in our sight.

J.D. Griffith

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Empowered Confidence

EMPOWERED CONFIDENCE
Philippians 4:5-13
V. 13: “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

Have you ever been afraid to begin something new, unsure about what could go wrong? Ever been afraid of failing? Do you get bogged down from making decisions with fireworks of “what if” questions? Has anyone teased you by calling you a scardy cat? Do you want confidence, certain that you can handle whatever comes your way?

Great! You’ve come to the right place. The apostle Paul sure sounds like he’s got this confidence thing under wraps, doesn’t he? Let’s imitate the guy who learned from the Master—Jesus Christ.

Paul wasn’t always so confident, but he made a good choice when following a voice that accused him of persecution. (Acts 9:4-5). That voice—accompanied a bright light streaming down to Earth from Heaven—was Jesus. Can you feel Paul’s terror? He WAS persecuting followers of Jesus! Yikes! Who ratted Paul out?

Paul grasped the confidence lesson fast. One second he was face down on the ground, and blind. I’m so sorry to have persecuted You, Jesus, please help me! could have been the urgent prayer rope that reeled Jesus’ peace into Paul’s inner core. That was all the proof Paul needed.

Do you think that he thought of anything else on his way to Damascus except the people he approved for stoning to death? (Stephen: Acts 7:55-58). Do you imagine the promises Paul could have made to Jesus during his time of uncertainty? Did he make a deal with Jesus that if he’d get his eyesight back, he’d tell others about Jesus for the rest of his life? When his sight was restored, (Acts 9:11-19), Paul never looked back.

We only know the history about how Paul sowed seeds, preaching the Gospel of Christ throughout the known world. So when Paul tells us that he’s content in every situation, we can believe him (Philippians 4:5-7). Paul remained joy-filled. He didn’t worry, and was always at peace—even as a prisoner. How come? Because he knew one thing for sure: “the Lord is near” in v. 5. Paul learned that even though we can’t see Him, Jesus is by our side.

Take Home Nugget

True confidence flows, not from self, but from one’s identity in Christ. In the midst of difficulty and tribulations we can live boldly because His Spirit empowers confidence. Our sovereign, almighty God—the Alpha (beginning), and Omega (the end) Revelation 1:8—lives inside every believer. He empowers confidence providing everything we need to live triumphantly.

Christ confidence leads to contentment.
It’s safe to trust the unknown to the all-knowing God.

J.D. Griffith

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Verb, Adverb, Proverb

VERB, ADVERB, PROVERB
1Corinthians 2:16
“…But we have the mind of Christ.”

Liam felt bad about starting the paper ball war when Mr. Graham returned to his 6th grade classroom. He gulped hard after watching Mr. Graham toss the stack of papers into the trashcan. He remembered the thrill of tossing his ball onto Wendy’s desk, thinking, Teacher’s gone, time to play before he returns; surely we can complete our papers by then. (See Heaven’s Account devotion.)

Liam’s desire inspired a thought, which quickly morphed into a decision—made in the time that it took him to wad up a single piece of paper into a ball. Tossing it was the sin of disobedience. All the other students caught that desire for fun out of thin air. Their restriction, Mr. Graham, was away—no problem, what’s the harm? Mr. Graham heard their boisterous play in the principal’s office at the other end of the hallway. Before shutting the classroom door, didn’t he instruct the students to quietly finish their papers?

Most times, we don’t see the entire picture so fast. But desires form thoughts, that congeal very quickly into decisions when pursuing pleasure. Before we know it, we’ve sinned—departing from what we’ve been taught.

Desire. Decision. Disobedience.

Liam knew what he had to do. His hand shot straight up.

“What is it, Liam?” Mr. Graham sighed, shaking his head.

“uh, um, I am sorry, Mr. Graham” Liam admitted. “It was my fault. I figured that we could get our papers done and have a little fun while you were out.”

Liam certainly didn’t recognize that his admission came from Christ. But he knew immediately that he’d done the right thing. Dull routine often sparks activity. But human activity can also be a form of worship. That truth can guide everything we do.

The Puritans have a saying: “God loveth; and careth (Verbs) not how good, but how well.” (Adverb). Pleasing God isn’t just worshipping in His house, but spills out into the ordinary things we do every day.

Liam admitted his fault honestly. God was well-pleased.
admitted=verb. honestly= adverb. Well-pleased illustrates the proverb.

Take Home Nugget

Mr. Graham froze, looking into Liam’s eyes. Then he looked at his students, and swallowed. His decision made, he retrieved the stack of papers from the trashcan. “Well…I appreciate your ‘fessing up', Liam. Does anyone want to go on a field trip to a museum, breaking up the winter doldrums?”

The world prizes success, but God prizes faithfulness.

J.D. Griffith

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