Stinkin’ Cute

By  Susanne Scheppmann

Key Verse:

“Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil.”

Proverbs 16:6 (NIV)

         

Devotion:

My first mistake was that I named him. Every night Stinkin’ Cute appeared by my door. His sleek black and white fur shone underneath the porch light. The small critter’s eyes looked up expectantly for a nibble of food. I couldn’t resist. I tossed a piece of bread which he held daintily between his paws as he gobbled it. Stinkin’ Cute, a baby skunk, was adorable—until he became a stinking nuisance.

It wasn’t long before the animal began to dig holes in the lawn looking for grub worms. He sat brazenly underneath the lawn chair and pawed around our yard as if he owned it. My dogs sensed the animal’s presence and barked endlessly. A nervous fear crept in my mind, “What if he sprays? How will I ever get rid of the smell from my patio?” I hadn’t realized that Stinkin’ Cute might become trouble. I assumed that when I tired of him, he would tire of me and up and leave. Wrong! It took a month of keeping my dogs inside and sprinkling cayenne pepper flakes across my backyard before Stinkin’ Cute gave up and went looking for a new place to picnic.

Isn’t sin the same way? It starts out as a harmless enticement, and before we know it, we are entangled and can’t seem to escape. One fib develops into a tangle of lies that cannot be sorted. A small fudging on our travel allowance turns into full-fledged office embezzlement; a little office flirtation grows into a sin-filled relationship. Suddenly, we wonder how we got ourselves into this situation—it seemed so harmless in the beginning.

We need to eradicate those sins in our life that disguise themselves as “innocent.” Our key verse tells us that through reverent fear of the Lord we can avoid sin. His holiness should put our souls in awe. 

Thankfully, Proverbs 16:6 also tells us that if we are involved in sinful behaviors that our sins are atoned for by the love and faithfulness of God. Today let’s ask for His help in ridding our lives of any type of stinking sin. Let’s take a moment and pray for wisdom, fear and forgiveness.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, forgive me for tolerating the small sins in my life. Grant me the strength to end them today. Teach me to have a reverent fear for You, my Lord and my Savior. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application steps: 

Read Proverbs 5:21-24. Rewrite these verses in your own words.  

Reflections: 

Do I fear the Lord God?

What “small” sins do I allow into my life?

How do my stinkin’ cute sins affect others?

Power verses:

1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (NIV)

1 John 2:1, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” (NIV)

Psalm 51:3-4, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. (NIV) 

© 2008 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.

  

“When Faith Struggles”

By Susanne Scheppmann

Key Verse:

“Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:3-4 (NIV)

Devotion:

 My faith struggles. It occurs most often when something happens in life that is beyond my understanding. My faith plunges to below sea level depth when I witness a natural disaster, a family tragedy, or another Christian’s failure. In my humanness, I cannot comprehend the “Why?”

Regardless of my stinkin’ thinkin,’ God is faithful. Scripture states the following three truths explicitly throughout the Bible.

God is faithful. 

 “He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!” (Deuteronomy 32:4 NLT)

God always works in our best interests.

For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP)

God’s ways are beyond our understanding. 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV)

So what do I do when my faith plummets? I need to look to the truth that is deeper than my human reality. I need to acknowledge this fact--my faith can only grow when I have to trust God without the benefit of understanding every aspect of His divine will. I also need to realize that faith fluctuates and I am not the only one that struggles with the issue of doubt.

A biblical example of a person who struggled with his faith is the disciple Thomas. Thomas spent three years with Jesus. He watched the Lord perform miracles. But still his faith floundered. Jesus never gave up on Thomas but kept encouraging him to believe and to trust.

So when my faith struggles to stay afloat in a sea of doubt, I will look to Jesus for support. I will readily admit that I do not understand the why of the situation. And I will accept that it is part of the process of growing my faith. I will hold onto our Key Verse as a faith preserver. “Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:3-4 (NIV)

If your faith is struggling today, join me in the journey of faith. We can walk in encouragement together knowing we are persevering and maturing and that one day our faith will be complete, not lacking in any area.   

Prayer:

Dear Lord, at times my faith struggles. Help me to hold onto the truth of your Word. Allow me to remember my faith is in a state of growth in every circumstance. Grant me strength in my faith so that it may persevere and mature. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application steps: 

Copy onto note cards the following verses: Deuteronomy 32:4, Jeremiah 29:11, Isaiah 55:8-9, and James 1:3-4. The next time your faith feels shaky read the verse to strengthen you faith. Ask God to reveal the truth of His faithfulness.

Reflections: 

Are there certain areas where my faith quakes?

Do I feel guilty about my lack of faith at times?

 Power verses:

Romans 10:17, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” (NIV)
 

1 Peter 1:7, “Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.” (MSG)

© 2009 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.

“Is That Your Wild Child? “

By Susanne Scheppmann

Key Verse:

John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.” Mark 1:6 (NIV)         

Devotion:

Do you want to scream every time your daughter arrives sporting a new facial piercing?  Or does it hit a nerve when see you see the newest florescent color of your son’s hair? How do you feel about the skull and crossbones tattoo on your son’s muscular arm? Do you flinch when your child, dressed in torn, ripped jeans, saunters into a room full of conservative friends?

“Is that your wild child?” asks the wide-eyed church member. How do you respond?

Let’s relate our dilemma back to Elizabeth in the Bible. Do you remember her?

Elizabeth bore a child in her old age with her devout husband, Zacharias. (He was a Jewish priest). Surely thoughts of the future captivated Elizabeth during the nine months of pregnancy. Perhaps she mused, “The visions I have for this baby! The Lord God has plans for this one. Of course, the priesthood already claims his future. He’ll follow his daddy’s example. Tradition must be followed.  The baby will be like his daddy—conservative and reliable”  The son of Elizabeth and Zacharias grew up to be John the Baptist. 

Let’s give an imaginary interview to see how she might have responded about her own wild child. 

           

As a mom, Elizabeth, how did you cope when he began to eat locusts out in the desert? After all, his dad made a good living. Your table never lacked for kosher delights. Did you fret and plead with John?

“Yes, John was certainly a handful at times. His diet was atrocious. I never did understand his taste for locusts. He could have the finest of beef from the offerings! Of course I longed for John to conform to my expectations. I thought I knew best!  He challenged not only my parenting skills, but also my faith.”

Elizabeth, did your neighbors mention his strange garb? Did they ask, “Is that your son?"  Or did they whisper behind your back?           

Did you cringe when John would begin to speak? His outspoken words must have seemed harsh and rude when John cried to the respected men of the community, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” (Matthew 3:7 NIV)

“From his outward appearance not many would have guessed he was a PK. (That would be “priest’s kid” in Israel.)  Yet, even in my worry and distress over the odd behavior, I knew John’s heart. Although he didn’t look the part of a PK, I knew his relationship with God.”

Did the leaders look at you with raised eyebrows and scowls of scorn? Did you buy him the Jewish version of John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership? Or did you encourage him to enroll in a course similar to “How to Make Friends and Influence People?”

With a wistful sigh Elizabeth replies, “At first, I did try to defend him when others criticized his strange behaviors. Of course, I was criticized too. From their viewpoint, I had not raised him in a godly manner. Oh, those times hurt!”

Finally, Elizabeth, what would you say to parents whose child doesn’t fit the “ideal” of a parent’s expectations?

“Do not attempt to explain your child.  Your child’s life is between him and God. Be proud of your child. Whenever I was asked, ‘Is that your child?’ I would answer, ‘Yes, that is my child!’”

           

Thank you, Elizabeth.  Thank you for this valuable advice for parents of a wild child.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, despite my child’s appearance and behavior help me to be proud of him/her. Grant me the ability to put aside other people’s opinions and to know that You are watching over my wild child. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application steps: 

Read Luke 1 and Matthew 1.  Imagine the thoughts and emotions of Elizabeth.  Compare your thoughts about your child.  Write down every positive quality of your child and concentrate on the positives.

Reflections: 

Why does my child’s independence embarrass me?

How does my reaction to my wild child influence him/her?

Power verses:

1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” (KJV)

Colossians 3:14, “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” (NLT)

© 2008 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.