Use Bible and Devotional Materials To Warm the Heart

“I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Every night, after supper, my father would read devotions to the family. As a boy I sometimes thought, “The sun is going down! My precious play time is vanishing! None of my friends’ dads read a devotion. Why do we have to do this!” I remember verbalizing these thoughts once—just once. My father made it unequivocally clear that as the head of the house this was part of his job. Even though there were times I did not appreciate our family devotional times, the great majority of the time I did. In fact, I longed for the warmth that accompanies God’s Word.
The word “cold” is often defined as “the absence of heat.” Our world can be a very cold place in that it is absent of the warmth of God’s love. As a child in school, I often remember being cold, even on the nicest of days. The teachers sometimes made school harder than it had to be. Other kids at school would often make life miserable. The subject matter was sometimes blatantly void of warmth. Those of us who were publicly educated had to listen to godless evolution taught as fact. Oh, how cold the classroom could be.
The world has only gotten colder in the area of education, especially in higher education. Many colleges and universities are some of coldest places on earth due to their open and most of the time unopposed rejection of Christianity and the Bible. We experience the cold world in other places as well: the workplace, in our commutes, at home, in our own sinful minds, and even in some churches. Coldness can be everywhere, and it is not age-discriminatory.
There is a story about an old man who got tired of practicing his Christian faith. The dutiful pastor called on him to inquire about his spiritual well-being. The old man replied, “It’s just the same thing every Sunday.  Same old hymns. Same old Bible lessons. Same old hypocrites sitting in the pews. I’m sick of it. I don’t need it anymore!” The pastor did his best to get him to see the importance of continual practice of his faith. No matter how many times the pastor tried talking to the man, he still wouldn’t come back to church or even open his Bible. On a cold winter’s day, the pastor dropped by the old man’s house unexpectedly. The man let him in, but the pastor said nothing. He simply sat on a chair and stared into the fireplace. The old man, a little perplexed, sat down by the fire as well, saying nothing. After several minutes of silence, the pastor grabbed the poker and pushed a red-hot ember onto the hearth and then sat back down not saying a word. Gradually the ember lost its glow and became black. The pastor pointed at it and left. The man was back in church the next Sunday, having realized that apart from God’s Word and Sacrament, we live in the cold.
Are you or is someone you know living in the cold? A wonderful way to warm up is to have an active devotional life. Fathers, read devotions with your family. Even if they complain, don’t be fooled — they long for the warmth that only Christ’s love can give. Mothers, if your husband is not living up to his responsibility as spiritual head, you certainly should read the devotions. Young adults, set aside ten minutes of your day to be warmed by God’s comforting Word. People in the fourth quarter of life, read your devotions and be assured that God is with you now and that you will be with Him for eternity.
If you are wondering what to use for devotions, there is a plethora of great material available. I’m sure your pastor would love to recommend appropriate materials for you.
Reverend Greg Schmidt
Our Savior Lutheran Church
Naples, FL