95 Revolutionary Opinions

And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me. (Luke 14:27, NLT)

Today is the last day of October 2007. Many Americans relate this day to costume wearing and parties; however, did you know that something incredibly important occurred 490 years ago?

One individual, Martin Luther, changed history. He nailed a paper issuing 95 revolutionary opinions (Theses) on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Copies were made and translated.

One individual chose to do something rather than to complain and do nothing.

One individual had the courage to condemn the corruption of the Church.

One individual’s actions changed history, known as the Reformation.

One individual makes a difference by responsibly living with purpose and following Christ.

Christ Jesus explained one individual lives purposefully by carrying a cross and following Him. What does it mean to carry a cross?

One individual, Simon of Cyrene, carried the cross to the place of crucifixion, where Christ died in order to restore humanity’s relationship with God.

One individual, Simon, became a part of the revolutionary movement to change the way humanity relates to God.

Start a personal revolution.
Ask God how to live purposefully by carrying your cross every day.
Carry your cross with joy, peace, and satisfaction.
Follow Christ.
History will change because of you.
Learning with you to carry a personal cross and follow Christ,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2007 All Rights Reserved)

Warning: DO NOT ENTER

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life,
to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
to be made new in the attitude of your minds . . . (Ephesians 4:22-23, NIV)

I watched people while waiting for a flight to come in yesterday. I sat across from where the passengers were exiting. Guards were posted at the area with signs marked plainly, “DO NOT ENTER.” In fact, a warning sign had been posted at the edge of the exit. Turns out . . . guards and signs mean nothing to several people.

Apparently, the actual entrance is not as appealing as the exit. Some people actually stopped, examined the “DO NOT ENTER” sign, looked at the guards, and proceeded to enter. There were other individuals who physically looked away as if they could not see the guards or signs. Without fail, the guards told each individual not to enter. Believe it or not, each person responded with their special reasons to enter the exit.

Please . . . are you kidding me? Can you believe those people? Umm . . . hold on . . . this is an issue for all of humanity to face. The issue of entering into negative, unhealthy, and even destructive thoughts, discussions, attitudes, and actions must be addressed and assessed . . . all the time . . . in the process of becoming more like Christ.

The Apostle Paul described our new behavior as putting off the old self to be made new . . . in the attitude of our minds. The mind receives and processes the way we will define life. When we are tempted to go back to the way we live without Christ . . . Paul says we must put off the old self. In other words, to be made new requires action.

Put off the old self.
Acknowledge and assess your thoughts, attitude, words, and actions.
Refuse to enter into Christ-less way of thinking, speaking, and acting.
Enter into the thoughts, words, and actions of Christ.

Learning with you to refuse to enter into Christ-less thoughts, words, and actions,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2007 All Rights Reserved)

Tipped Over

" May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:26, NLT)

I received twenty-four calls this weekend that centered on one kind of crisis or another. Though unrelated, each person described situations that left them . . . well . . . tipped over. A variety of emotions were described; however, helplessness threaded through each of their stories.

Along the course of a lifetime, crisis occurs and individuals lose their balance. And . . . by the way . . . have you noticed? When we are tipped over . . . we become a magnet for crisis. What is up with that? If it is not one thing . . . then it is another. Yikes!

Difficult circumstances often block our awareness of the presence of God. When we can’t see God, we tip over. Whenever we tip over, life becomes a series of challenges; the simplest task seems too difficult to do.

The one thing I know is that to get up when we are tipped over is a process. How life proceeds is not dependent on being crises-free but to be set free through the peace of Christ. Peace, the kind of peace that comes from Christ, breaks down the power of circumstances. The Apostle Paul said of Christ:

For he himself is our peace . . . (Ephesians 2:14, NIV)

The Hebrew blessing found in Numbers 6 proclaims the desire for peace to be given to another individual. Peace, the active work of God, will move us into an upright position.
Life changes when we receive peace.
Stop.
Breathe.
Be still.
Become aware of the peace of Christ.
Receive the peace of Christ.
Take time and allow the peace of Christ to occupy you.
Learning with you to manage the tipping point through the peace of Christ,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2007 All Rights Reserved)

Sorry, Wrong Number

The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you.
(Numbers 6:25, NKJV)

In an attempt to call a young woman named Brandi, I dialed the wrong number. I talked with a man and woman, sounding advanced in age, apparently using two phones. After introducing myself as Pastor Kerrie, I asked to speak to Brandi.

Man: “We don’t have brandy.”
Me: “Oh . . . actually . . . does Brandi reside at this number?”
Man: “We don’t serve brandy.”
Me, trying not to laugh: “I must have the wrong number. I am trying to reach Brandi.”
Woman: “You can’t reach brandy here because we don’t have brandy.”
Me: “I apologize for taking your time. I obviously have the wrong number.”
Man: “Right, because we don’t have or serve brandy.”

We had different perspectives. The two individuals must have wondered why a pastor would be calling for brandy. They may have some concern for me. On the other hand, I thought the discussion to be quite funny.

Our personal perspective is developed from our personal reality. At times our personal reality disconnects us from the bigger picture. You might say, living with our limited perspective is like being connected to the wrong number. [Yes, I wanted to connect the story with the concept . . . but come on . . . it works.] Christ-followers have the opportunity to enlarge their perspective by seeking true Reality, Christ Jesus.

The Light of Christ brings clarity and understanding. The gospel writer Luke, introduced Christ as light from heaven:

“Because of God's tender mercy,
the light from heaven is about to break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace." (Luke 1: 78-79, NLT).

In other words, the light of Christ breaks through our limited perspective. Anxiety, stress, and pain are often byproducts of seeing life through our personal perspective. The light of Christ opens our mind to see beyond our personal reality of past and present experiences.

Accordingly, the Hebrew blessing in Numbers 6 becomes a prayer for healthy and whole thinking and ultimately living. When an individual accepts the light of God, the Light literally pierces through the darkness of the mind, heart, and soul.

Connect with the Light of Christ.
Ask for the Light of Christ to pierce through your mind, heart, and soul.
Take time to respond and filter life through the Light of Christ.
Experience more through the Light of Christ.

May you be blessed with the power of the Light of Christ in your mind, heart, and soul:
The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you.

Learning with you to see that my limited perspective is like dialing the wrong number,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2007 All Rights Reserved)

A True Miracle

May the LORD bless you and protect you.
(Numbers 6:24, NLT)

Two cars, side-by-side on a two-lane country highway, headed in the same direction came towards me as I came around the corner. In the dark of the night with no time to spare, I thought we would collide. [You know it doesn’t take the brightest bulb in the bunch to figure out that a collision will likely occur when there are two cars headed one way and one car coming the other way.] At the last minute, one of the cars swerved off the road to avoid smashing me and my car.

The remarkable part of the story needs to be told. I had peace in the moment that it seemed the car would hit me. Seriously . . . I am the dramatic type . . . shocker isn’t it? Peace does not come by own doing. My first response is to register my complaint out loud . . . yes . . . I know they can’t hear me from my car . . . but . . . people that put others needlessly at risk drive me crazy!

That said, the gift of peace, knowing God’s presence, was the miracle. The Hebrew blessing in Numbers 6 begins with the blessings of protection. “Keep,” another word used for protection, described the blessing of a 24/7 guard. This does not mean that we will avoid or avert trials and tragedy, but that God will guard and keep the heart, soul, and mind through challenges.

Seek to know the miracle of the presence of God 24/7.
Ask God to guard and keep your heart, soul, and mind 24/7.
Give thanks for the miracle of God’s protection 24/7.

Learning with you to be aware of the true miracle of God’s protection of the heart, mind, and soul,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2007 All Rights Reserved)

Facing Loss

"So don't let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”
(John 14:27a New Century Version).

The fires in California continue to burn. The evacuation mandate in my sister’s area lifted; however, others are unable to go home, waiting for updated reports of damage and devastation. There are some people confronted with loss such as our friend whose family’s new home burned. Of course, in the midst of the loss, they are grateful that their lives were spared.

When all is said and done . . . loss is painful . . . loss creates unwanted changes . . . loss results in the need for personal change. I mean . . . let’s be honest . . . it is easier to avoid loss than confront loss. Christ-followers often think loss should not be personally difficult; however, the reality of loss is difficult. Loss is loss for all of humanity. The difference for Christ-followers comes through the awareness of the continual abiding presence of God. The abiding presence of God does not remove the challenge or pain of loss but does change how we manage the process of loss.


Christ Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.” In other words, don’t let anxiety or stress rule the heart but let the peace of Christ into control the heart. In the ancient days, the heart was considered the life-center of self. Accordingly, what we let move into the life-center determines how we manage life.

In the process of life, we will face loss. How we manage loss will be determined if we let anxiety or the peace of Christ to be at the core of our being.

Seek Christ.
Receive the peace of Christ.
Live in the peace of Christ.
Manage life through the peace of Christ.

Learning with you to manage loss through the peace of Christ,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2007 All Rights Reserved)

Why?

"I leave you peace; my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does . . .”
(John 14:27a New Century Version).

My sister is one of the hundreds of thousands Californians who had to leave their home due to out-of-control wildfires. News reports have suggested that these fires are the worst that the area has ever experienced. A state of emergency has been declared to provide help in order to protect people and their property.

At the height of a crisis everyone does what needs to be done. Once the wind dies down, the fires are put out, and the news reporters go home, individuals will have to face the reality of tragedy and loss. There are so many questions when crisis of great magnitude occurs. At the end of the day, humanity asks the same question, “Why?”

I am not sure humanity will ever have all the answers, especially when it comes to tragedy. Of course, there are individuals who attempt to answer the “why” of tragedy by blaming God. YIKES! Why do we blame God when we are unable to understand something?

Christ Jesus gave an answer that goes beyond the “whys” . . . peace . . . His peace. Think about it, Christ Jesus did not say that life would be free of troubles and tragedy; however, He promised to leave His peace. That said, it is a choice to receive His peace . . . a peace that is different from the peace of the world . . . from our circumstances.

Why?
I don’t know.
What should we do?
Receive the peace of Christ. . . Shalom. . . the peace of knowing His presence . . . love . . . mercy . . . understanding.
Allow the peace of Christ to infiltrate every thought, attitude, word, and action today.
Meditate on the peace of Christ.
Saturate yourself in the peace of Christ.

May the peace of Christ be with you today.
Shalom.

Learning with you to go beyond the “why” and receive the peace of Christ,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2007 All Rights Reserved)