Devotions Archives - Micah Brooks

Have You Ever Heard Of A Flashdark?

Micah Brooks — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 10:43:17 +0000

To my knowledge, no one has ever invented a flashdark. No one has ever made a portable device that, when turned on, can suck the light out of a room.

The reason is because darkness always runs from light. It’s a principle of physics. Darkness is actually the absence of light. Darkness is, in essence, nothing.

We, as Christians, seem to talk about light and dark a lot. We talk about them like they are equally opposing forces. But, just like the ridiculous idea of a flashdark, we should rid our lives of the notion that as darkness increases throughout the world, the light isn’t revving its engine to extinguish it.

One of my pastors says often “Don’t rage against the darkness, let’s turn up the light.”

The best thing that Christ Followers can do to speak hope and life to those around us is to point to Jesus. Point to how the Bible is a book of heroes each leading toward Him. Demonstrate how the end of the story is one filled with triumph and great glory. Speak about how there is no distance or sin that could ever separate you from the love of Christ.

Day to day, be generous to others. Treat people well. Don’t criticize. Give your time and attention to listening to others and not always being the one to speak. Love always.

Share this with anyone who feels like the darkness is overtaking the light. Show them it’s not so. God is really good. No matter what. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Sheep and Helicopters

Micah Brooks — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 17:32:45 +0000

The Story

Imagine you are flying over South Africa in a helicopter. This is no regular helicopter either. This is Marine One. It belongs to the President of the United States of America.

While the President is not flying in this aircraft, it will undergo extreme test flights to assure its ability to maneuver in a crisis. Diving up and down, left and right.

Typically when you’d dive toward a pack of animals they’ll naturally scurry. That’s not the case with sheep. They run toward the helicopter! What in the world?! They amazingly run as a heard in the direction of the loud, giant object coming toward them!

The Idea

Sheep run toward danger. It’s not a good thing. This isn’t firemen running into a building when everyone else runs away. Sheep are downright stupid. In the scripture below God tells us to not be like sheep. They don’t know they are running toward danger. In this case, the danger is sin. Whether that sin is temporal or a systematic issue in your life. Run from it. Sinners charge toward danger without knowing it. Just like the sheep. Christ-followers acknowledge their sin, repent, and leave their life of it.

The Bible

Matthew 18:10-14

The Parable of the Wandering Sheep

10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 11 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

The Prayer

“Dear Lord Jesus, please help me to run from danger. Help me to run from sin and toward your mercy, grace, and forgiveness. I recognize that I have a sinful nature. Thank You for Your work on the cross. I take responsibility and control of my thoughts, will, and emotions. They must yield to the cross. I choose to live in the freedom that You give. Thank You! In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

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He said, “Mary.”

Micah Brooks — Sun, 30 May 2021 11:46:21 +0000

The Story

Imagine. You’ve followed Jesus for three years. Saw Him spit in the dust, put it on someone’s eyes, and that man saw the wild colors of the life around him for the first time. At times, the wind and the waves obeyed Him. Trees shrivel and die at the sound of only a few words from His voice.

Now, imagine you are Mary Magdaline. Drawn out from a lifetime of paid-for-abuse, He called you into a life of free, exhilarating, and boundless life. You know Jesus.

Even having been told over and over that He would die and rise, the hours after Jesus’ death are brutal and too much to bear. “What does it mean to rise anyway?” you think.

Then, you heard the name, sounded in the loveliest of tones, spoken as only the most intimate of friends could say:

“Mary”.

It’s like a colossal tectonic plate shift in your spiritual life. “Mary.” You can’t believe it! Jesus is alive! And He has called you by the name that, when spoken many times before, has called you from terrible darkness to great light. He is alive! He’s the only one who says it the way He does. It’s calming, secure, direct, and loving. “Mary.”

The Idea

You and I have been called by Jesus and He has used our names with that same tone that Mary knew. We should walk in that same confidence. The most omnipotent, omniscient, Almighty God knows us so well that he has counted each individual hair on our heads. He designed the chromosomal ordering of our DNA. He is both the Alpha and Omega (Beginning and the End) and our closest friend.

Being so big, God can scare us. And he should. But he is also intimately connected to us. Far more so than the closest brother, spouse, or friend. He knits us together before we even take our first breath. This intimacy can also be intimidating. But, don’t let it. Chase the fear away. Call out for the closeness. Pursuit it. God says that he is looking for us. The best way to be found is to look for him as well.

The Bible

John 20:1-2

The Empty Tomb

1 ****Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

The Prayer

“Lord Jesus, please give me a soft heart like that of Mary’s. Help me to recognize your voice. Give me ears to hear and eyes that see all that You have prepared for me to do well in Your Kingdom. Thank You for knowing and calling my name. I invite You today into my life to be both Savior and Lord. Help me to love people as You do. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

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