Cpt. Bud's Devotionals, 8-23-15: "My Lunch With the Nerds: Thoughts on Pride"

Nerds have certainly come a long way. Back in my day (the 80s and 90s), they were ostracized and shunned from the community. And now, they rule the world. People even strive to be like nerds, and call themselves nerds even if they're not. It's a huge shot in the arm for a people who were once held up by the cool guys like me, as examples of what not to be. The schism was deep:
"Detached and subdivided in the mass production zone,
nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone
Subdivisions in the high school halls,
in the shopping malls -
Conform or be cast out
Subdivisions in the basement bars,
in the backs of cars -
Be cool or be cast out..."

"What are we having?"

Only now, it's cool to be a nerd. I have several friends who are nerds, and I don't have to hang my head when I say it - even if I can't really identify with the struggle (says the man who wears clothes from the 1870s, and just quoted Rush, the nerdiest band of all time). Recently, I had lunch with a few of my nerd friends (who are also my brothers in Christ). They began debating some nerd topic; probably Star Wars related. Years ago, I'd have beaten them all up and made their girlfriends hold my jacket and hat (though years ago, they wouldn't have had girlfriends). But, times have progressed, and more importantly, so has the Holy Spirit's work on my hard, hard heart.
Anyway, the longer I listened to the nerds debate their topic, I saw that it was becoming more and more heated and impassioned. Their talk turned a bit ugly. Points on which movie will ultimately have left fans more disappointed, The Phantom Menace or The Force Awakens, became thinly veiled personal attacks.

The strife in their conversation led me to realize something: the reason we get upset when someone insults us, or something we love, is, deep down, due to idolatry and pride.
If our all is truly focused in Christ, we know that it's a very meaningless thing if Boba Fett's death in the Sarlacc Pit in Return of the Jedi was as humiliating and hilarious as some depict it (it was), or if it was a noble end to the galaxy's most feared bounty hunter. Our identity is not in our entertainment preferences, our intellectual stimulation or lack thereof, and not even in our own dignity. If, as disciples of Christ, we find ourselves in a rage when insulted personally, our minds have strayed a bit off-center. Jesus tells us to expect ridicule for our beliefs, and to turn the other cheek - how can we allow ourselves to be enraged by attacks on things far less important than the belief in Jesus as Lord?
Or, what about when we're called out for our own sins? Is it not pride and self-righteousness that make us angry when a brother or sister, hopefully in a "spirit of gentleness," admonishes us?

This identity in Christ not only applies to our relationships with others, but to our walks in this imperfect world. Anyone who desires to follow Christ must seek their identity only in Him. If I claim Christ is my all, it's nothing short of idolatry to claim my "identity" as a Greek, Jew, Creek, Sioux, nationalist, pacifist, patriot, environmentalist, feminist, conservative, progressive, liberal, criminal, radical, fanatical: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).
Oswald Chambers once said, "Discouragement is disillusioned self-love." I wouldn't have known that if a friend hadn't sent me a message asking what I thought of that quote. I suppose it's true: if we fully embraced that our identity is in Christ, that our strength, purpose, and hope is in Him, and that He will never leave a good work incomplete, we wouldn't be so quick to be bitterly discouraged. We're discouraged because we want to do better for our sakes, not for the sake of the Gospel and the glory of God. We're frustrated because it's not going the way we want it, on our terms.

This is certainly not to say, however, that any outpouring of emotion that stems from negative things is somehow bad. Good gosh, I'm not Martin Luther, you know. A Christian, or anyone with a heart, can't help but feel agony and pins of despair in their guts when they hear that Islamic State militants have beheaded an 82-year-old archaeologist in Palmyra, that abortion is legal, praised, and encouraged, or that many witnesses in countries around the world are tortured, imprisoned, and killed for teaching the Gospel. But there is a difference between godly sorrow and godly anger, and petty, prideful, selfish rage - fury that amounts to nothing.

Not only must our identity be found in Jesus, but our value. At our church community group, a sister in Christ recently shared something she heard; to paraphrase, "a car, for example, is often valued by how much was paid for it, and who owns it. God paid the ultimate price for us, and we belong to Him. That should tell us our value." If we stay deeply rooted in this truth of identity and value, it can only follow that disagreements, insults, disappointments, struggles, and all other buffetings of this fallen world will only be met with forgiveness, love, perseverance, longsuffering, patience, and the reassurance of peace in our all, the Lord Jesus Christ.
OHMS,
Cpt. Bud Sturguess
"For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there." -James 3:16

Cpt. Bud's Devotionals, 8-16-15: "You're a Wonderful Piece of Work, You Smelly Moron!"

I saw a spider in the bathroom last night, so I went to a hotel. From the dresser drawer of my hotel room, I picked up the Gideons' Bible, open at page one, and noticed it reads, "He rested from all His work which God had created and made." I know what other Christians mean when they say "I'm a work in progress." They're saying, "I still struggle, I still stumble, but Christ's grace overwhelms my sin and gives me strength." (In other words, they describe a Christian.) And while I understand what they mean when they say "I'm a work in progress," I would suggest that we are actually completed works.

The author of Hebrews touches deeper on God resting from "all His work" on the seventh day, which He sanctified, alluding that this not only refers to Creation, but to all of God's work - including a plan for salvation: the sacrifice of His own Son on the cross to atone for all of our sins, including all of our self-righteous works which we mistake for true righteousness, His resurrection from the dead, to resurrect all of us dead in sin to life in Christ, and dare I say He rested from every work He has done for you and me as individuals. The work of helping me overcome my habit of dealing three-card monte at retirement homes, and the work of giving me wonderful things to say to proclaim His name. It's the same for you and every one of the works our Lord has done for you, both great and small.
You're a completed work - you're not there yet, but God is. And He's has already seen you completed. Remember the apostle Paul's words: "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).
OHMS,
Cpt. Bud Sturguess

Cpt. Bud's Devotionals, 8-9-15: "What a Load of Behemoth Crap"

When I was a teenage girl, life was sure hard. The other girls made fun of me because of my thick facial stubble, and because I was a dude. But what made it most confusing and frustrating were promises from people claiming God, but not Scripture - people, maybe well-meaning, who promised romance for everyone. They'd post things like, "When someone lets you down, don't worry - God is saying, 'I'm saving this one for someone special.'"
When I grew up and became a man, I learned that this was a load of Behemoth crap, and that romance is not a Biblical promise. Even if you don't believe in the word of God, you must admit that the notion of "someone for everyone" is unrealistic mathematically, statistically, circumstantially, and environmentally. But for those of us who do believe, we must not only consider those things, but also, nowhere in the Bible does God promise a husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend, for all believers. Our soul mate is Jesus - I found out the hard way that a true soul mate will give His body and blood as a ransom for your sins, rather than run you over with their Dodge Durango because they've had a few too many Jack Daniels Cactus Kickers. There's nothing wrong with wanting to find someone, or even looking - but we often make it an idol and place it before Jesus.
The "someone" on this earth that Jesus is saving all of us for, single or otherwise, is the wandering friend or stranger who has not heard the Gospel, the aching belly that hungers, the lonely soul that needs an ear to listen.
OHMS,
Cpt. Bud Sturguess

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
-Psalm 18:2
"For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'"
-Isaiah 41:13

Cpt. Bud's Devotionals, 8-2-15: "A Walk-On Role in God's Big Picture"

When the power went out during an electrical storm, with no lights to see our Hungry Hungry Hippos tournament, some friends and I resorted to playing a spirited game of Which Historical Figure Would You Most Like To Punch in the Face?. The usual answers arose: Josef Stalin, Hirohito, John Wilkes Booth, Caligula, Jimmy Fallon, etc. But one friend's answer - Adam and Eve - made me think. My friend reasoned he'd backhand them both for messing up humankind by their disobedience to God. But I was hesitant about that answer.
Adam and Eve didn't need a bash in the face to remind them they'd erred; they were banished from a paradise as decay and death entered the world. But that wasn't my only reason for not punching Adam and Eve in the face. Of course, if sin had never entered the world by their actions, we'd never know death, illness, injustice, grief, loss. But - and maybe I'm just too accustomed to a world that sucks - how boring would the history of life on this planet be?
This may stem partly from the fact that the only world any of us knows is a hard world, but, what triumph would we know? What victory? How would we shed tears of joy in gripping God's hand to overcome an addiction? How would we see the beauty of any choice to do right, a choice great or small? And above all, we wouldn't know the greatest story ever told of good versus evil - the agonizing, beautiful, harrowing, joyous true story of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice upon the cross, His triumphant defeat of death and sin.
I don't like the way the world is, but I consider it more than just a silver lining that we all have walk-on parts in that epic story.
OHMS,
Cpt. Bud Sturguess

"Then Job answered the LORD and said:
"I know that You can do everything,
and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?'
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
Listen, please, and let me speak;
You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.'
I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees You.
Therefore I abhor myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.""
-Job 42:1-6

Cpt. Bud's Devotionals, 7-26-15: "Earthquakes n' Lightnin'"

When it comes to "the end times," many in the Church fall into two unsettling camps: those who shy away from it, and those who have a fixation on it. There are those who focus on a future of hope, but pixelate any of the gut-wrenching sorrow of the Christian life, and those who, in their focus on "fire and brimstone," forget the chance to proclaim the love and invitation of Jesus before He returns.
As with many prophecies in the Bible, sometimes I let my comfort in the sureness of these things turn to apathy. For example, I know from Scripture that our efforts to bring peace to the Middle East, or to the entire world, will never work. So, I often forget my responsibility to pray for those in war-torn countries, I forget the need for humanitarian relief, and most of all, the need for people everywhere to know Jesus.
Also, I believe the environmental effects of global warming, climate change, and pollution to be part of the "beginning of sorrows" of which Jesus preached, as well as the first three "trumpets" described in Revelation (destruction and bitterness of vegetation and bodies of water). So, believing that it's an unstoppable part of prophecy, I often forget that I still have a responsibility to do what I can for my environment. Believing these troubles to be part of Jesus' prophecy doesn't relieve me of my personal responsibilities - Jesus also prophesied that "the love of many will grow cold," but that certainly doesn't give me license to abandon love.
As for the end times, I hope not to fall into the latter group who preach only "the end," and as a result,

scare many people away from the Gospel. But, I also don't want to let my belief in these prophecies, and the comfort of that faith, lead me away from reminding people that Christ is coming back soon.
We often say, "It's been two thousand years since He left - even if He came back today, it wouldn't be 'soon'" (2 Peter 3:3-4). But, the unsaved and unbelieving who see His return will feel that His coming indeed came much too soon, and bitter tears will be shed (Revelation 1:7). That breaks my heart. It should break every believer's heart - not to hopelessness, but to motivation, to the desire to see the unsaved know Him who formed them, who died for them, who loves them.
OHMS,
Cpt. Bud Sturguess
"Therefore I will wail and howl,
I will go stripped and naked;
I will make a wailing like the jackals
and a mourning like the ostriches"
-Micah 1:8

Cpt. Bud's Devotionals, 7-19-15: "High People in Low Places"

Courtesy National Geographic

During the turbulent period of the kings of Israel and Judah, there rose an idolatrous practice in which worshipers of false gods would perform their rituals almost exclusively on altars built on mountains and hills (often called "the high places" in the Bible). They did this in the belief that being at a higher place made one physically closer to their god.

In contrast to the true God, however, it is at our lowest that we can worship Him fully and embrace His promises with joy; when we are humbled, when we are defeated, when we are persecuted and downtrodden, when we cry out amidst the cries and screams of terror in this world that we need His strength to help us back to our feet, out of the deepest, darkest places of the human heart and imagination. We are grateful to have a Christ who is with us not just in any geographical height or depth, but who loves us and strengthens us in lows, valleys, ditches, and trenches that are physical, emotional, spiritual.

OHMS,

Cpt. Bud Sturguess

"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:37-39

Cpt. Bud's Devotionals, 7-12-15: "Zephyrinus Blues"

Though not Catholic, my parents considered naming me Zephyrinus, who was bishop of Rome from A.D. 199-217. My mother was moved by his suffering and persistence in battling many heresies that were growing within the Church, specifically the "adoptionism" heresy. But, my parents settled on Bud, as St. Bud of Macedonia was known for his hygiene.

This led me to read about Zephyrinus, and his devotion to keeping the Gospel from the mire and manipulation of men. His experience is a testament to the fact that anyone who proclaims the truth of Christ will not have an easy time of it. After all, if everyone likes what you're preaching, you're probably not preaching the truth. Jesus never promises us cushy lives as His disciples - He promises the opposite. I thank God that He does not shelter us from the hard facts of life.

The Bible tells us we are Christ's "ambassadors," quite an important office. Like Zephyrinus, who himself had a high office but didn't resign to complacency concerning the Gospel, so should we, in our undeserved but awesome job as heralds of Christ, always expect and embrace suffering, and trust God to mold it into a testament to the beautiful truth we proclaim.
OHMS,
Cpt. Bud Sturguess

PS Though he did not die a martyr's death, Zephyrinus was for a long time listed in the Catholic canon of martyrs (and is still acknowledged by some), for the spiritual and emotional anguish he endured in combating heresy. The word "martyr" means "witness." And though not all of us in Christ's flock will be literally put to death for our belief in Him, if we suffer with the same meekness and faith as Zephyrinus, we are witnesses indeed, and provide a stirring testimony for the God who gives us such strength.

"Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us." -Hebrews 11:36-40

"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." -Winston Churchill