Devotion.al

Feed Your Soul

  • The Grace God Gives

    2 Chronicles 30:13-27, Nehemiah 8:7-12, Jeremiah 15:16

    The passage in Nehemiah has some depth. First, the people (the Jewish people) were so ignorant of their own history and , that both had to be explained to them. As they learned what their God had instructed them on how to live, many began to weep (mourn) as they understood that because of their failures, they were separated from God. However, the Levites comforted the people, leading them to understand that this was not a time to , but a time for joy. God’s forbearing at work.

    We see same that same grace in 2 Chronicles. The people were celebrating Passover wrongly (they were ritually unclean). Yet, instead of condemnation, there was grace. In this case, the grace was after some affliction, but one can infer that the affliction was a result of not doing things as required. Yet, instead of being cast out, they celebrate with , praising God. So much joy poured out into doubling the celebration!

    The experience of this kind of joy can only come through the awareness of just how much grace God gives. No matter how much grace God may pour out, the passages makes it clear, their hearts turned toward God first before they received grace and/or were healed. God called them first, yet, God’s , grace, and healing doesn’t show up until they turn to God with repentant hearts.

    Note also that while the people’s hearts may have been turned to God, there was still a need for intercession by others. This is important to grasp. We all need others to intercede for us.

    From our , the Jewish people were just minding their own business, where they were. They were trying within their contest to fit into the world around them. In fact, much of their problem was indeed that they were successful in fitting into the world around them, so much so, that they wandered away from God.

    1) Do you struggle with fitting into the world around you? Do you struggle fitting into what you think is the or world?

    2) Why is understanding one’s starting point essential to feeling joy?

    3) What is the similarity between joy and happiness? What’s the difference?

    KD) What makes you the most joy-filled? How does that make you think about God?

  • Rubble and Ruin

    Rubble and Ruin

    Psalm 142; Amos 9:1–4; Acts 23:12–35 I don’t know about you, but I’m a little jaundiced about earthquakes. I grew up in Northern California. Earthquakes were…normal isn’t the word…to be expected. So much so, that the first earthquake my wife experiences was in the middle of the night. She woke me up in a panic,…

  • Good Fire. Bad Fire.

    Good Fire. Bad Fire.

    Sometimes only purification is needed. Sometimes a clean slate is needed. The same can be said about our lives. The same can be said about our actions. Sometimes we think we’re doing one when we’re doing the others. Sometimes we just want to watch things burn. Fires of prophecy can take many forms. Many people…

  • Who Is For You

    Amos 7:7–15; Psalm 85:8–13; Ephesians 1:3–14; Mark 6:14–29 There are many people in the world who have a person they focus on. That person could be an individual they look up to. That person could also be a person who was the source of a lot of pain or conflict. When there is such a…

  • God of Boxes

    God of Boxes

    We struggle (and that’s fine) with the concept that God would discipline through pestilence, famine, war, etcetera. We will often use the language of “God allows”, or explain things as “an ‘old world’ understanding”.