Devotionals for the Heart: Keys that renew the reciprocity of righteousness

The Reciprocity of Righteousness
A devotional by Chaplain Paul Anderson

“He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” –Psalm 24:4-5 (ESV)

When I was young, I was fascinated by keys. They opened doors. I admired men who had large key rings. I equated the ability to open doors with responsibility and authority. When I was 10 years old, my father gave me a house key. Later, I got a car key. Now I had freedom, I thought.

As I matured and became religious, I discovered some spiritual keys. These keys opened doors of interior authenticity and eternal realities. I became aware of my responsibilities to God, taking good care of my body as the Temple of the Holy Spirit, my family and to my community.

Spiritual disciplines and authority over evil inside myself and outside were illuminated to me. I began to comprehend that spirituality was a portal to expansive freedom rather than restrictive rules. I became aware that spirituality was a symbiotic cycle rather than a parasitic relationship. As I received and shared, I received more to share.

The writer of Psalm 24 distills this process to the simplest essence. The clean hands and pure heart are metaphors for renewal and clear, forward focus. Innocence and piety flows into doing good things for people, and enhancing your quality of life, righteousness and blessings.

Life experiences can rob us of naivete. Moral injuries, disappointments and failures can jade us. But life requires that we keep living. It is easy to move through life dragging the baggage of pain and frustration fueled cynicism. Soon, rectitude and a lifestyle of soaring compassion can degenerate into a cycle of simply getting more and doing more.

However, the keys in Psalm 24 are ways to refocus on the presence of God. Psalm 24:1-3 suggests that awe, worship and proximity to divinity are the keys that renew the reciprocity of righteousness. The cycle begins with God awareness and appreciation. Sunrises, sunsets, breath- taking vistas of earth or sea can create awe. The unrivaled beauty of a flower, or a spring of fresh water flowing from a tree, a vast canyon or majestic waterfall can be catalyst for songs of praise.

Reveling in the presence of God can lead to confession and a change of heart that is reflected in open spirits as opposed to clenched fists, open minds rather than myopic bigotries. Tender heartedness feeds optimism and looks for the best in everything, everywhere, all at once.

I encourage you to ask God for godly naivete, the willingness and ability to do good things for Him and His people and for His presence and blessings in the conduct of our lives.

Let’s Pray: Dear God, thank You for being with us wherever we go and in all that we do. Let us radiate Your grace and mercy as we live to bless others because You have blessed us. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Chaplain Paul Anderson served for 20 years as a U.S. Navy Chaplain. Over 26 years of active duty, he was promoted through the ranks from Seaman Apprentice (E2) to his final rank as Commander (O5) in the Chaplain’s Corps. 

Prior to his Naval career, Chaplain Anderson pastored in the Allegheny East and Potomac Conferences of Seventh-day Adventists. His undergraduate preparation for ministry was completed at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Md.

He has subsequently earned four graduate degrees: a Master of Divinity from Andrews University in Michigan, a Master of Education in Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland and a Masters of Sacred Theology in Religion and Culture from Boston University. His Doctor of Ministry degree was conferred by Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Chaplain Anderson also completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also holds certifications in Suicide Awareness and Prevention, Civil Mediation, Alternative Workplace Dispute Resolution, Temperament Analysis, Marriage Enrichment, Workforce Diversity, and is a certified Life Coach.

You may connect with Chaplain Anderson via email at this address, psanderson75@gmail.com.

Devotionals for the Heart: Still Waters

Psalm 23: Still Waters Run Deep
A devotional by Chaplain Paul Anderson

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters." –Psalm 23:1-2 (KJV)

Recently, I drove past the Triadelphia Dam in suburban Maryland. I could see that the dam was not completely full of water, but it was full enough that water was running through the  floodgates and cascading into the river below. I could see from striated markings how deep the water could get and I was amazed that yet, it was still flowing.

Internally, I was driven back to a powerful quote that I had read about spiritual influence and leadership. In the quote, Bernard of Clairvaux, a Benedictine monk from the 12th century, contrasted wise and unwise spiritual leadership. He portrayed one as a reservoir and the other as a canal. For your edification, I inserted the quote below:

“The one who is wise, therefore will see [their] life as more like a reservoir than a canal. The canal simultaneously pours out what it receives; the reservoir retains the water till it is filled, then [offers] the overflow without loss to itself. … Today there are many in the church who act like canals; the reservoirs are far too rare. … They want to pour [this stream] forth before they have been filled; they are more ready to speak than to listen, impatient to teach what they have not grasped, full of presumption, to govern others while they know not how to govern themselves.”

At the Triadelphia Dam, I was reminded that leadership flows from abundance and pours into others. It is the byproduct of sufficiency and the antithesis of insufficiency. I was forced to consider the pace of my life. I realized that I was running hither and yon, with purpose and good effect. I was rightfully serving as a conduit of service and support (ministry) but simultaneously becoming depleted.

One day soon after that observation, while reposing in a rare moment of devotional solitude in my comfortable chair on the back porch of our home, I felt the familiar, filling presence of God. I heard His voice as He restored my soul with inspiration and instructions. It was memorable, remarkable and rare, only because I had not carved the time to cultivate those moments. I will get out there more often because meeting Him there is much more poignant than when I hear Him, more usually, in the car.

My time with the Lord that day flew by! As I reflected before retiring for the night, I was able to count tangible blessings. I could enumerate the experiences with others into whom I was able to direct the overflow of God’s filling of my being and their purpose. It was a good and productive day. As I reflected, the attributions for success could only go to God and the time we spent together on the porch. That is where we made a fresh connection.

Where are your green pastures, still waters and zones for refreshing and restoration? Do you know when you need to visit them? Do you know when your rhythm of life is out of balance?

When you are manifesting patience, peacefulness, kindness, generosity and gentility, these traits are likely the fruit of God’s indwelling presence in your life. You have been filled and are radiating the spirit of sufficiency. If, on the other hand you are leaking from the cracks of your wounded-ness and you are vexed, churlish, stingy, mean and spiteful, your culverts of grace are dry because you have spent too little time in the presence of God.

Triadelphia drove me to reflect, which led me to the porch, where God renewed the right spirit within me. Before I close this devotional, I’d like for you to join me in reading and reflecting on this Bible verse (Psalm 51:10-12). The King James Version (KJV) of that verse says: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”

Please accept my story as an appeal to you to find your refreshing stream, your still waters and green pastures. Life is too short to live in the corrals of insufficiency. Our souls were meant to soar in the stratosphere of God’s all sufficient goodness, grace and mercy. It can only happen when we allow Him to transform us from the ruts and culverts of our lives into reservoirs of His presence, the overflow of which become life giving streams to others.

~*~

Author Bio:

Chaplain Anderson served for 20 years as a U.S. Navy Chaplain. Over 26 years of active duty, he was promoted through the ranks from Seaman Apprentice (E2) to his final rank as Commander (O5) in the Chaplain’s Corps.

Prior to his Naval career, Chaplain Anderson pastored in the Allegheny East and Potomac Conferences of Seventh-day Adventists. His undergraduate preparation for ministry was completed at Columbia Union College (WAU) in Takoma Park, Maryland. 

He has subsequently earned four graduate degrees–a Master of Divinity from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, a Master of Education in Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland and a Masters of Sacred Theology in Religion and Culture from Boston University. His Doctor of Ministry degree was conferred by Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Chaplain Anderson also completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also holds certifications in Suicide Awareness and Prevention, Civil Mediation, Alternative Workplace Dispute Resolution, Temperament Analysis, Marriage Enrichment, Workforce Diversity, and is a certified Life Coach.