Category: devotional

I am trying to write to you this evening but my dog keeps pestering me.  Last evening we took her swimming and another Black Lab named Cyrus gave her a tennis ball.  You would have thought he had given her the moon.  She was ecstatic.  We couldn’t get her to come home until he went home.  That tennis ball has become the object of much attention.  Because I will not throw it for her, I am trying to write to you, she is throwing it for herself and then running to retrieve it before it rolls under the couch.  When it does I have to get up and lift the couch so she can retrieve it.  If I don’t I am barked at until I catch on.  She wonders about my intelligence and why I can’t learn faster.

My dog and God have that same characteristic in common.  He cannot understand why I don’t learn faster.  For decades He was been trying to teach me all kinds of useful habits.  And for decades I have been resisting.  I eat things I shouldn’t.  I don’t get enough rest.  I read and watch things that rot my brain.  I don’t spend enough time in His Word.  It really isn’t that I don’t know better.  It’s that I just do the things I want to do regardless of the resulting effects.

I know I can’t be the only one in this sorry state.  I see people smoking.

Now how can anyone in this age not know what that does?  My newspaper runs stories about alcohol related fatal auto accidents.  Really now, does anyone not know drinking and driving is a recipe for disaster?

The more I think about it the more I understand God and my dog are not alike.  He knows I know.  She wonders.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 1, 2009

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I am eating an ice cream popsicle – vanilla dipped in chocolate.  It would be a perfect gastronomic treat except my dog is sitting in front of me just staring with the most soulful eyes.  Ever so carefully she watches every bite.  There is a string of drool spilling out of the left side of her mouth.  The tip of her red tongue barely protrudes from her black lab mouth.  She is beautiful and pathetic.  I am awash with guilt. How can I continue to do this?  So I eat off the chocolate shell, since that is poison for her, and yield the vanilla ice cream.  I must say she is a lady.  Ever so delicately she cleans off the stick without once biting it.  I feel good.

Whether it is my dog or a child or one of my students I have to say it feels so good to share.  Since we were made in God’s image I believe we can safely assume He loves to share.  Paul says in Ephesians 2 that God plans to shower gifts upon us throughout eternity.  We will have no end of resources that we too can shower gifts on all we meet.  One of my students once asked me why God made us.  My answer was that it made Him feel good.  When He pronounced at the end of creation week, “That is very good” it had to feel good.

One very big difference between God and us and me and my dog is my dog gets the remnants.  God never gives us leftovers.  Everything from His hand is first class, top of the line with all the bells and whistles.  We don’t even have to stare with soulful eyes.  No drool from the side of our mouths.   How grand!

Written by Roger Bothwell on October 4, 2011

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This evening I suddenly came to my senses as I realized I was in the midst of doing something really stupid.  I called a local pizza parlor to order a medium cheese pizza.  The female voice on the other end of the line said, “I’m sorry.  We don’t have medium pizzas.  We have small, large and extra large.  So I said, “Then you mean your large is your medium.”  “No,” she said, “Our large is our large.  We don’t have a medium.”  “But,” I said, “If your large is your middle size then it is your medium.” She then said, “This is a stupid conversation.  We do not have a medium!”  It was then that I realized I best shut up because you never ever want to antagonize someone who is going to prepare your food.  So I quickly said, “Oh, I see. You have no medium.”

Being stupid is something that happens to me with great regularity and I don’t think I am alone.   Surely the all time stupidest thing to do is to know about Jesus and just walk away.  The rich young man did so in Matthew 19.  The Bible says he went away sorrowfully.  At least he was smart enough to be sorrowful right away.  Most people who walk away don’t catch up to the sorrow until many years later when life falls apart and then they wonder what happened.

No one wants to be miserable.  So why don’t they believe Jesus when He said, “I have come that you might have the abundant life.”   Jesus doesn’t lie. He means what He says.  His way is the abundant way and best of all it is a gift.    Perhaps the reason is they are watching so many of us who claim to have the gift.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 24, 2008

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As you can imagine with several feet of snow beginning to melt there are streams of water running down our New England streets often hiding this year’s new crop of potholes.  Potholes are nature’s way of telling us we do not have its permission to drive cars.  It’s the most wonderful time of the year for businesses that sell tires.  Last week when I picked up our car from the shop the mechanic had it all washed and shiny.  That was a labor of futility.   By the time I got to the first traffic light the car was covered with salty, gritty, muddy water.  He really should not have bothered to clean it.

This is so much like our attempts to be righteous and have a clean heart.  We are living in a world of moral potholes filled with sinful gritty slime designed to keep us dirty.  I once had a church member who told me how good he was because he prayed three times every day and asked for God to forgive him his sins.  He felt like he could go six hours or so without sinning and thus he could stay clean by praying so often.  Really?  That would be like me washing my car three times a day while continuing to drive on our city streets.

Part of the problem was his understanding of sin.  He thought sin was an act, a deed or some kind of performance.  Sin is much more than that.  Sin is a condition.   Sin is a state of being.  Sin is selfishness that oozes from our almost every thought. This is why Paul tells us in I Corinthians 15 that corruption must put on incorruption before we go to heaven.  Until that happens we are indeed forgiven but we are forgiven sinners.

Written by Roger Bothwell on March 6, 2015

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Our dog is having a bad time tonight.  We have glass covered bookcases and she keeps seeing another dog inside the bookcase.  When I open the case that other dog goes away.  When the glass comes down the dog comes back. It is very troubling and cause for concerned growling.  It’s hard to rest with that other dog invading her space.

This is an easy analogy.  When we spend time looking at ourselves, unless we are quite taken with ourselves, life becomes troubled.  One or more of several things can happen.  Number one – we can begin to concentrate on our imperfections and become discouraged with our lack of progress in overcoming.  Or number two – we can start feeling sorry for ourselves thinking we are not getting all the good things we deserve.  Or number three – we can think others are expecting too much from us. Or number four – we can start thinking people are out to get us.   The list could go on depending on our personalities.  The point is looking at ourselves is rarely productive.  Life works best when instead we spend our productive hours looking for opportunities to do our job better or to find inventive ways to make others lives happier.

I’m reminded of the old nursery rhyme that goes like this.  “Nobody loves me.  Everybody hates me.  Guess I’ll go eat worms.  Long, thin, slimy ones; short, fat, juicy ones, itsy, bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms.”   Just in case you ever get to feeling like that allow me to remind you that “Nobody loves me” just isn’t true.  We are very loved.  And we can always count on that love.  It endures despite our sometimes unloveableness.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 10, 2010

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There is a book and movie about the life of Adolf Hitler that has generated a considerable amount of criticism because they reveal his human side.  He is not depicted as a homicidal maniac but as a person with characteristics and behaviors like us.  We are most uncomfortable with this.  We want him to be as much unlike us as possible.  We want him to be a mad man from his youth to his death.  We do not want to acknowledge his oratorical talents and mastery of human psychology.  If he is like us then logic might suggest we also could mastermind the horror of a holocaust—an ugly truth we would rather not face.

Unfortunately, psychological research reveals the unpleasant truth that most people under certain stimuli will actually do the things of their nightmares.  The battle has raged for years.  Are we evil by nature or are we basically good?  The answer seems to be “Yes.”  On any given day we are capable of incredible acts of unselfishness and self-sacrifice.  There is a bit-albeit just a bit of saintliness in us all.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”  Romans 3:23-24.

It is a blow to our dignity to think we cannot be good enough to be saved.  Nevertheless, once we get over it and face the truth, it is at that point that we receive The Gift—the justifying grace of Jesus Christ.

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 2, 2003

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If you have or have had a dog you will understand how quickly they learn the word “walk.”   You think they are asleep and you casually say “walk” and instantly they are dancing in front of you.  “Where’s the leash?  Let’s go.  Stop messing with your coat.  Why don’t you wear one all the time like I do?”   So you stop using that word and replace it with “go around.”  A week later they know those words.  Then you start spelling but that also is quickly learned.  In our house we are now working on the word, “circumvent.”  It’s only a matter of time.

Initially I thought of writing about why we keep pets and making an analogy as to why God keeps us.  However, that is a horrible analogy because we are not God’s pets.  We are God’s children.  There is a huge difference. No matter how much time I spend teaching my dog, she will never comprehend thoughtful issues. She knows to protect her territory (our home).  She searches the house and starts bumping me when food is on the table.  As grand as those things are they are not reading or creating art.  Nose art on the car windows doesn’t count.  In some ways she is more loyal than most people.  She is more forgiving than most of us.  She understands shame and will, until she is too old, dance when I come home.

However, despite all her ingratiating qualities, she will never bring me the deepest feelings of satisfaction that I get from my sons.  God knows this satisfaction.  If we are to be in His image He had to give us the ability to procreate.  It is the closest thing we can do to bring us into His image.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 26, 2013

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She had just finished baking five of the most luscious hot steamy cinnamon rolls.  Leaving them on the kitchen counter she went upstairs for a moment but returning quickly her mouth all ready to experience a gastronomic delight.  However, they were gone.  The only trace of their existence was the scent and a trail of icing on the kitchen counter.  In the next room an incredibly contented Labrador retriever lay sleeping with a smile on her face.  Telltale white icing was on her chin and cinnamon was on her breath.  She was nailed!!

The question remained, “What to do with her?”  It would have been so easy to get angry.  But how could that profit?  It would only add insult to injury because every time we get angry we release all kinds of chemicals and stress producers into our systems.  Each time we grow angry we harm ourselves more than the person or dog with whom we are displeased. Or we can “turn the other cheek.”

When Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek He is giving us practical counsel.  Not only does turning the other cheek defuse the situation, it also reduces our internal stress level thus enabling us to live a longer, happier life.  Everything Jesus asks us to do is for our benefit.  He is so very sensible.

Written by Roger Bothwell on Sept. 3, 2002

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I’m trying to decide which season I enjoy the most.  While I enjoy the warm days of summer when I go to the grocery store in the summer, people appear in all manner of undress.  Maybe one in fifty is attractive.  The rest should be wearing many more garments to cover up tattoos and rolls of flesh indicating they have been to the grocery store too many times.  I like winter time because it is all covered up.  Walmart isn’t the only scary place.

Genesis 2:25 says, “Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.”  That was because they were perfect and looked really good.  If people looked that good today I’m sure the super market would be even more revealing.  Genesis 3:7 says, “They sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”  Oh for a produce department that sold fig leaves.

There are a lot of things about people that need to be covered up.  Too often people expose way too much about their personal life.  I shudder inside when in church and before the morning prayer someone asks for prayer requests.  Way too much is often said while asking for prayers.  “Pray for my sister’s son who is an axe murderer.”  I really didn’t need to know that!

I realize there is a cathartic need to stop harboring pain but that is one of the functions of real prayer – private prayer.  I John 1:9 admonishes us to confess our sins, but that is to the great loving silent Father who knows how to keep secrets.   Best of all He is available during all seasons of the year.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 22, 2016

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I was shocked when I looked into our birdbath.  There must have been 10,000 mosquito larva swimming and growing and ever so anxious to soon make my life an itching, scratching horror.  They are so tiny and yet if in the right environment so lethal.  Things don’t have to be big to be dangerous.  Actually we do pretty good protecting ourselves from the big dangers.  It’s the microbes, viruses and bacteria that can take us out. It’s the little guys.

This is much like sin.  I’ve never robbed a bank nor have I murdered anyone.  Those big ones I can deal with.   It’s the tiny ones that I sometimes excuse for the very reason that they are tiny.  Those feelings of pride and being better than another, those are the truly dangerous ones.  Just this morning I referred to someone as being sub.  I will not elaborate by telling you sub what.  I cannot imagine Jesus ever thinking of someone as sub.  The lepers were worthy of His care.  The publicans (tax collectors for the hated Romans) were His dinner companions.  Ladies of the night were treated with respect.  The people He had the toughest time with were the smug.  Smug is a nasty disease.  Smug sneaks up on us and lives in us without our being aware.  Smug alienates.  Smug kills.

I used to be discouraged when I read in the Sermon on the Mount that I was to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.  Really?  Then came the joy of learning that just as salvation itself is a gift so is the victory over all those character infecting little guys a gift.  In Ephesians 2 Paul assures us that this whole process from A to Z is all Jesus.  Such Good News.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 19, 2014

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