Devotionals for the Heart: Survivors

Never Forget
A devotional by Glynis Becker

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” 

–Colossians 1:13-14 (NASB)

January 27, 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the worst of the six German extermination camps from World War II. One of the most brutal chapters of human history was, if not closed, then certainly dealt a stunning blow on the day the Allied forces took over and released the seven thousand Jews and others still alive there. 

Unfortunately, more than a million people had been killed in that place before it was shut down. Those lives can never be replaced. I cried watching news stories of survivors walking back through the gates of a place that will no doubt always haunt them.

I watched as a woman stood in a gas chamber, reciting the names of people she’d known, and singing a prayer over the dead. She pleaded at the camera that they not be forgotten. Then a man in his nineties told how he had only recently shared with his family that he was a Holocaust survivor. I can’t even imagine how it feels to keep such a secret for so long.

By the grace of God, none of us will ever have to decide how to deal with a tragedy like this in our own lives and I pray for a world in which these horrors never happen again. But as I was reading these verses in Colossians, I was struck by the fact that in the spiritual realm, we who are believers in Jesus are the rescued, released from the captivity of sin, no longer in darkness, given new life in a new kingdom.

So, as a forgiven people, how should we then live in the world? What should our response to liberation be? Do we have an obligation to tell others about our own rescue, so they can come out of the darkness as well? If we keep quiet, how will anyone know the amazing love and grace we’ve been given? We are witnesses to the greatest miracle of history, but if we don’t tell anyone, how does the good news spread?

We can not live in our sins or remain in our darkness. But we can never forget the rescue. God no longer holds our sins against us and promises in Hebrews 10:17 (NASB), “…their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” There is a delicate balance between not wallowing in the past and not forgetting where we came from. With God’s help and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can find that perfect, narrow path.

Only Jesus can save our souls. We can’t, but we must always be ready with a hand to pull someone through those gates, helping them throw off the darkness and step into the light. Never forget each of us has been on the other side of that gate as well.

Let’s Pray: Lord, allow me to use the darkness I’ve been rescued from to bring light to others. I want to be there to share and encourage as we walk this path together. May you use me to help people who suffer, in both body and mind, everywhere I go. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Glynis Becker writes devotions and inspirational fiction, hoping someday to have a published novel on her resume.

She has co-written several screenplays, including the film Sinking Sand, available on DVD and digital streaming.

Glynis, whose childhood was spent all over the country as an Air Force brat, has called South Dakota home for many years, along with her husband and two teenage children.

When she’s not writing or reading, she is watching more television than she should and crocheting. You can find her at www.glynisbecker.com.

Devotionals for the Heart: Lessons learned on love for God and animals

On ruling well and loving Fido: Honoring God through National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

If I’m sick, the rest of my family will steer clear and let me sleep, but not my cat. She’ll sit on my pillow and gently knead my head, purring loudly as though she alone can drive the illness away. Instead of me caring for her, dumping food in her dish and scratching her kitty-chin while she gives me sweet-eyes, the tables turn and she’s Mama Cat, tending to her neediest kitten.

My mom’s cat was her superhero when she battled aggressive cancer decades ago and chemotherapy knocked her flat in bed. Today a survivor, she still talks about how Rusty was right there every day, never leaving her side.

It’s not just cats. Dogs and even hamsters and bunnies have this uncanny sixth sense like they know on a wholly different level than we humans do when their loved one is ill and exactly what they need to get well. My cat even looks at me differently when I’m sick like she sees right through me and straight to the illness beneath my skin like she’s some fierce guardian angel there to battle on my behalf with The Evil Flu or The Dreaded Sinus Infection.

It’s both stinking cute and incredibly comforting.

The love we have for animals—and our animal friends have for us—is a beautiful thing and, I’d argue, a biblical call. As Christians, we know Jesus came to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21), and we are commanded to love God above all and love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-49).

But who’s to say God doesn’t want us to love our animal neighbors just as we do fellow humans? While humans are made in God’s image for His glory, the rest of creation is also made for God’s glory and pleasure, including animals of the forest, fish of the sea, and our beloved pets. In the Book of Genesis, God created animals, fish, and birds. He saw it was good, then created man and woman to care for them.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground’” (Genesis 1:26, NIV).

But “rule” doesn’t mean control with brutality. Rulers don’t get to say “my way or the highway.” Good rulers, godly rulers, are to lead with love and kindness with an end-goal of modeling our ultimate ruler, God. Just because animals are not created in God’s image doesn’t mean they are not important to God, and I believe we are obligated to nurture, respect, honor, and care for them with the same sort of loving care our Father God gives to us.

This week (the first full week in November) is National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week. It kicked off yesterday, Nov. 4. Animal shelters are places where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals are kept and, often, rehabilitated. Some also help sick or wounded pets and wildlife. While not all shelters are equal, I’ve never seen a shelter or encountered a shelter worker that doesn’t love and care passionately for animals.

In honor of our furry (or scaled, or winged) “neighbors,” I urge you to take a moment today to think about how you can love them in a way that honors God’s love for us, as well as think about how you might be able to love and honor animal shelters, who are tasked to care for these creatures. If you are able, consider adopting an animal from your local animal shelter, or donate or volunteer your time.

After all, God is love. Let’s follow suit.

~*~
Author bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. 

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism.

Learn more about her fiction and read her blog at http://jessicabrodie.com/shiningthelight.