Devotion.al

  • Unfailing Promiser

    Unfailing Promiser

    “Not one of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed: all came to pass.”
    –Joshua 21:45 (NRSV)

    My , Jackson, is notorious for saying “you ?” And now Wylder is picking up on it. You know what. I will let you in on a little secret. I almost never say that I do promise. I almost always say… we will see, probably, most likely, etc. I don’t want him to me promise something and then not follow through on it. Because inevitably, as a parent to now 3…I will not follow through on that promise. I don’t want him to experience from me a failed promise.

    But. There has been a handful of times that I have accidentally promised and he has experienced that. And he usually yells in my face “but you promised!!!”

    Can you relate?

    Maybe it’s your own kids who have yelled in your face. Maybe you have made a promise to someone else and it not go the way you planned and so your promise fell short. Maybe someone promised you something and their promise fell short. It doesn’t feel great to
    break a promise or have someone break their promise.This is why I am so thankful I can turn my son back to God and His never failing promises. I mean if isn’t the picture perfect example of never failing promises – I don’t know what is!

    Think about it for a second.

    If you’ve read scripture you have read God’s people, Israel, over and over and over promise God that they will be good and follow Him. And then what do they do? Their own thing—breaking those promises. God could have said, “sorry” with a shrug of His shoulders. But God did not do that. In fact. God delivered on the most amazing promise ever. The birth of Jesus and ultimately the of Jesus for all humankind so that we might have and have it to the full!

    This Christmas season. I want you to God’s never failing promises in your life when everything around you seems to be failing. Phases, schooling for our kids (or for you), work life, etc. Lot’s of “promises” were made this last year and we also experienced a lot of let downs and missed milestones in our families lives. It’s been hard. So look to Jesus this Christmas and experience the that He brings in being our never failed promise.

  • Have and Need

    Have and Need

    “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and He is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, .”
    – Isaiah 9:6 (NRSV)

    Okay. Be honest. Did you have your Christmas tree up at the beginning ofNovember? Anyonehave it up before Halloween this year? I mean, come on! We need the excitement and magic that Christmas brings. Right? After the yearwe have had?! We need Christmas. Maybe you are one of those who strictly doesn’t do the Christmas thing until after Thanksgiving is over…
    Did you still this year?

    I think we have all been anticipating this season. I know I have! We have been bogged down with COVID, killer bees, racial injustice, , and more. We need Christmas. We need . We need .

    As you probably well know – God made a well before Jesus came…that Jesus would come. That Jesus would be and bring the light that we needed so desperately. That Gods people needed so desperately. Do you feel like this year you need that light? You need to be reminded of God’s promises in your ? Do you need to be reminded of the hope that Jesus brings to us in all the different seasons of life?

    It’s been a hard year. For so many reasons for so many people. Many of us have had anxiety, frustrations, cried, yelled, laughed, cried some more probably… I am thankful that God is . That God shows us His faithfulness through Jesus Christ. And that through Jesus and the promises that God keeps we can have hope. Because let’s face it. At the of this year and as we into the next year – we need hope.

    Where do you see hope in your life today? Thank God for those glimmers of hope. Thank God for His continued faithfulness.

  • Desolate

    Desolate

    Micah 2:1–13; Matthew 24:15–31

    Many people attribute motives to leaders, especially political ones, that fit a narrative, rather than the facts. Sometimes they fit both the facts and the narrative. The last few presidents have had a lot of that. Even our current governor has had a lot of that. We may not like their decisions, that doesn’t mean, however, that they are being malicious. Sometimes they are just doing their best to muddle through…just like the rest of us.

    Micah’s words are for any person who seeks the ill of . Whether it is political, financial, , or something else, those who plan to take from others may well fall under condemnation. There is the motivation that is part of Micah’s words. “Limiting” our ability to as we are accustomed can often fall under the trying to do the best for all, rather than just some.

    Micah’s focus is more along the lines of those whose inheritances were taken, and whose people (particularly the women) were “taken” as profit, rather than looking at the best for the whole. This was about the elites who truly controlled everything, and took even more, effectively robbing the Promised Land of the promises of God.

    The strong implication in Micah’s words is that the people cannot break themselves out of the mess they are in. It really is out of their control. Thus, they need God to break their chains and lead them beyond the walls into . They need God to both direct them and protect them, just as a is supposed to do for the .

    It is times of disarray and chaos, just like these, that warns us about (in Matthew). We know we need the shepherd, even when “we” don’t believe that Jesus is the shepherd we need/want.  This is the time when false messiahs and, thus, false arises.

    People in their need will begin to follow others who appear to “know” the way. Those being followed may be religious leaders. They can be political leaders. They can be military leaders. They can even be business leaders.

    Jesus’ words imply that those that truly know Jesus will know when he comes back. There won’t be any questions as far as the believers are concerned (the world is different).

    ※Reflection※

    Why is it important to understand that Christians will know when Jesus returns? How do you see people following “leaders” (especially those who think as you do)? Why might it be important that all of Jesus’ followers will be gathered from the “four winds” (or four corners) of the world?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, we . Lord, we wait for you. Grant us to wait for your coming. Grant us endurance as we wait. Amen.v

  • Advent Set Aside

    Advent Set Aside

    Zechariah 14:1–9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–18

    So often, it takes destruction for transformation. Far too many stories, whether Alcoholics Anonymous, Celebrate Recovery, Narcotics Anonymous, or involve someone hitting rock bottom before a turn-around occurs.

    The opening words from this passage from Zechariah are brutal. The cruelty that the Israelites would receive went from financial, to property, . There was nothing positive regarding the effects of this day.

    The water, though, should be of particular interest to Christians. In some respects, the fall of Jerusalem leads to the living water going out into the world, rather than being “captured” by Jerusalem. As Christians view Jesus as the Living Water, it can be inferred that this particular fall of Jerusalem leads to God no longer only calling the Israelites. This is capped by God “becoming” King over the whole world. As Christians, we can see how God “becomes” the King of the world as the Living Water fills thirsty souls who cry out to God.

    In many respects, sadly, Christians seem to have far too much in common with the Israelites. It’s that this is particularly new. There was a reason for ‘s letter to the Thessalonians.

    There is something to be said about being admonished about and as the world twists the meaning of Christmas to be more about presents and than Jesus. This is especially true on this Friday. This Friday has almost become a spiritual event at the altar of the register.

    This particular holiday season will likely be one of the more interesting. Many governments will continue encouraging people to stay home. Much of the hype that goes along with the holiday season will be about new (or revisited) technology that gathers distant families digitally. The need to connect with family will still be there.

    With, theoretically, less chaos having to do with family visits that upset the schedules and spaces of homes, people will be more focused on those that are within their walls, or even next door. Ideally, this means that Christians will turn more to the Scriptures and (perhaps) relearn about this God who came down.

    ※Reflection※

    What are your plans to more time between yourself and God this season?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, as we begin the season that observes both your birth and your promised , may we not neglect you as we are surrounded by a world that is in a flurry with buying stuff, gatherings, lack-of-gatherings, and the desires for a restart. Amen.

  • Prepare to Prepare

    Prepare to Prepare

    Psalm 80; Zechariah 13:1–9; Revelation 14:6–13

    If you’ve ever watched a professional chef (besides the competition ones), they will often have pre-cut and -measured ingredients so that when a customer orders a dish, most of the time-consuming work is completed. If you’ve ever ordered a sandwich at Subway, the meat and cheese are already pre-portioned. Ingredients have been prepared to better prepare your meal when you want it.

    Today is Thanksgiving (in the US, at least). A holiday that is culturally identified as involving overeating and family gatherings. COVID has changed that. Many, if not most, families will not be having extended family gatherings.

    Thanksgiving has also been the “gateway” to the Christmas season. It used to be that mere hours after people recovered from overeating, all the malls would turn everything over, and the Christmas (shopping) season would begin.

    Not every Thanksgiving, but this Thanksgiving is the beginning of the season. In the church year, one prepares for the Sunday to come. As this Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent, so it is time to prepare for Advent.

    What is Advent? We often shortcut it to mean the days before Christmas. This is certainly true. It is also incomplete. For the ancient church, Advent wasn’t just about the birth of Jesus; it was about the of Christ. Depending on the era, there would even be an emphasis on the Return rather than the birth.

    There hasn’t been a year like 2020 in decades. This might be the time to look at Advent as something far more than Christmas.

    Asaph (the Psalmist) wants God to come back (not that God really left). Asaph is looking for a restoration of the between the people and God. Asaph recognizes that it really is that the people turned their backs on God, and yet he has faith in the God. As Asaph was part of David’s retinue, we can imagine what must have still been going on around David, as David chose to follow God, and not the unknown gods.

    Zechariah’s words are strong, too. In them we see that the place of prophets and seers is nothing when it does not God. In fact, the implication being that the prophets and seers might even be “living” idols, rather than faithful followers of and speakers for God.

    Zechariah’s and Asaph’s words still trust in God and expect God’s restoration of the people.

    While the Asaph’s and Zechariah’s words are full of trust in God, neither avoid a harsh reality. The people need redemption. They needed to be the people of God again. In Zechariah’s time, the was being rebuilt. However, the people whose ancestors had lost their way (with God) were just as lost and needed something greater.

    Regardless of your of who the Beast is, the vision in Revelation is that the people of God, the church, will go through trying times. The implication is of , being outcast, and even dying. All because they believe in Jesus.

    Whether you believe that Jesus is coming back tomorrow, or you are just waiting for 2020 to , is part of that. Advent is the anticipation of something new, whether it is the birth of a child or the return of the King.

    ※Reflection※

    How do you prepare your life and heart for Advent? If you knew Jesus would come back on Christmas Day, what would you do?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, as we prepare our hearts for this Advent season, may we look to the innocence of a baby and to the righteousness of the King. Amen.

  • Power to…

    Power to…

    Jeremiah 31:10–14; John 5:19–40

    If you had the power to anything and everything, would you? If you could eliminate war, disease, hatred, bigotry, misogyny…would you?

    If you could judge people perfectly…would you?

    The structure of the Trinity (Father, , Spirit) is a conundrum. The Father is God; the Son () is God; the is God. The Father is neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit. The Son is neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the Father nor the Son. Yet, one God, three-in-one.

    It might seem peculiar to bring up the Trinity, as the passage from John is about the Son (Jesus) and the Father. We see that Jesus says that he is not able to do anything apart from the Father, and that the Father gave all judgement to Jesus.

    What Kingdom is that? If a human had all the power to judge (perfectly), why would they give that up? At best, a human has the power to judge okay, but with far too many errors. The Father gave it to Jesus.

    The Judge (Jesus) will raise each person, whether good or bad, to answer for their life. How this works, who knows? Will a person watch a movie of their life and condemn or justify it? Is our soul weighed on some sort of scale? Many such have been asked; many answers have been given.

    The underlying is that each and every person, even those who think of Jesus as nothing more than a nice guy in history, only want to imagine being accepted by Jesus.

    According to Jeremiah, the Kingdom will redeem, refresh, and water (with the Water) people. As a result, they will be strong, joy-filled, and satisfied.

    These verses declare God’s kingdom. However, one verse later foreshadows the that happens after the Messiah, the harbinger of the Kingdom, is born. No great (or even mediocre) kingdom avoids the evil in the hearts of men, unless it is the .

    ※Prayer※

    God, may our hearts love and accept you, that we are your children, and that we have a place with you. Amen.

  • Kingdom Justice

    Kingdom Justice

    Psalm 7; Revelation 19:1–9

    “They got what they deserved.”

    We long for justice. In fact, much of the separation between political parties and people, in general, is defined by justice. When we look at emotionally charged issues such as racism, justice is often the biggest piece.

    The person negatively affected want to feel heard and, more importantly, things to get better (i.e., “more just”). The person who appears to benefit from racism often assumes that the justice of the affected will negatively affect them. Until both come to a logically, emotionally, and spiritually satisfying definition of justice and what justice looks like.

    This sounds pretty close to impossible, doesn’t it? It is. This is why those who seek justice often become frustrated, which often develops into anger, whether they are the aggrieved or the established.

    As much as we often think that the US is unique, we aren’t. There are countries with greater racism problems, and there are countries with lesser. It doesn’t change that it is there. Often the tensions are just as strong elsewhere, sometimes even stronger. The question is, how do we resolve it?

    The answer lies in Rwanda. Decades ago, there was a massive shift between the two primary (but not only) groups, the Tutsi and Hutu. Through a combination of internal politics, German and Belgium historical politics, and Roman Catholic historical misunderstandings, there was a mass killing (often called genocide) of Tutsi people.

    This is a prime example because the entire scenario is a mess. According to some historians, the “separation” of the Tutsi/Hutu is a 20th Century (political) invention. claim that they have always been distinct. Add internal animosities, colonialist history, and religious teachings, there is no singular cause. It just blew up.

    In such a scenario, there is . There is a Christian village where both victim Tutsi and aggressor Hutu. In a recent interview, a man and a woman talked about their lives in the village as neighbors. You heard the they have for each other, and how they look out for one another. Then you heard that the man killed the woman’s .

    Where’s the justice? Exactly. Whose justice? The woman who will never get her family back? Will she live and writhe in anger? The man? Who followed others, yet took responsibility, and still has nightmares of what he did? Especially, as he hurt a woman that he knows and loves.

    The justice of the of Heaven is so different than the justice we comprehend. Even justice we believe is guided by the love, , mercy, and of Christ through the Holy is still lacking.

    ※Reflection※

    What do you think of different people having different understandings of justice? How about in the context of both being followers of Jesus? How do we work through justice issues as fellow followers of Christ, when our starting points are different?

    ※Prayer※

    God of Mercy and Justice, help us to be your hands and feet. Guide us to reconcile our own hurting hearts and the hearts of others, that we all may better bear your light and love into the world. Amen.

  • Purple Vision

    Purple Vision

    Numbers 27:15–23; 2 Timothy 2:8–13

    Having worked for -owned and -run businesses, I know that one of the business’ concerns is, who’s next? Perhaps it might be better to say that the of a family-owned and -run business is who will successfully lead it with vision and tenacity once the current leadership steps down.

    I have seen it work well. I have seen it work not-so-well. One business had a plan, and the other business made laissez-faire assumptions.

    Moses had spent a lot of time getting the Israelites to the Promised Land. He had been frustrated, belittled, and probably cursed by the same Israelites. He still wanted them to succeed in the Promised Land. So, Moses asked God for the next leader.

    God selected Joshua. Now, it could be said that this was obvious, as other than Aaron, only Joshua is noted as Moses’ aide, and even accompanied Moses when he received the Ten Commandments. Joshua, as Moses’ aide, indeed saw the dark side of leading the Israelites.

    I think it is appropriate to presume that God had guided Moses’ selection of Joshua, thus make Joshua the “obvious” choice. On the other hand, we could also presume that Moses’ experience in Pharaoh’s house would have taught Moses how to choose a leader, and then God used that.

    Who was next to lead would set the Israelites for success or failure in the Promised Land.

    In some respects, that is the same view many people have of the incoming Presidential administration and the Congressional seating. Success or failure. In a republic, it’s a little harder to really hit that success or failure button (though pundits try).

    As we look at the days, months, and years to follow this election, we all need to ourselves about a few things. For the last few election cycles, the country has been color-coded with red and blue. The animosity between red and blue is approaching that of the Bloods and Crypts from decades ago, who differentiate themselves by red or blue.

    Wearing the wrong colors in the wrong neighborhood was a recipe for being harmed by the other gang’s members. Now people are being assaulted by the “opposing” group just for wearing t-shirts, hats, or participating in their constitutionally protected right to protest.

    There has been a centrist movement calling itself “purple”. However, there is something ironic in that. This mix of red and blue representation of republic political alignment has a completely different meaning…royalty.

    Theoretically, the War of Independence was intended to “free” the American colonies from the oppression of British royalty. Instead, we developed an elected aristocracy.

    There is one good thing, though, about the purple. Who we recognize as royalty, who we recognize as king makes all the difference. When we recognize and believe the Christ is King, we can gladly declare ourselves purple, for we seek to follow the True King.

    ※Reflection※

    What will it take, do you think, for Christian conversations on to be purple first, rather than last? What is one behavior or conversation of yours was not purple during this recent political season? How can you develop a practice of purple thoughts and speech, rather than red or blue?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, you are the King of the Universe. Through you, Creation came into being. Only you are worthy of our and . Thank you for us the to choose. Thank you for loving us enough so that through the , we can become wise. Amen.

Devotion.al

Unfailing Promiser

“Not one of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed: all came to pass.”
–Joshua 21:45 (NRSV)

My , Jackson, is notorious for saying “you ?” And now Wylder is picking up on it. You know what. I will let you in on a little secret. I almost never say that I do promise. I almost always say… we will see, probably, most likely, etc. I don’t want him to me promise something and then not follow through on it. Because inevitably, as a parent to now 3…I will not follow through on that promise. I don’t want him to experience from me a failed promise.

But. There has been a handful of times that I have accidentally promised and he has experienced that. And he usually yells in my face “but you promised!!!”

Can you relate?

Maybe it’s your own kids who have yelled in your face. Maybe you have made a promise to someone else and it not go the way you planned and so your promise fell short. Maybe someone promised you something and their promise fell short. It doesn’t feel great to
break a promise or have someone break their promise.This is why I am so thankful I can turn my son back to God and His never failing promises. I mean if isn’t the picture perfect example of never failing promises – I don’t know what is!

Think about it for a second.

If you’ve read scripture you have read God’s people, Israel, over and over and over promise God that they will be good and follow Him. And then what do they do? Their own thing—breaking those promises. God could have said, “sorry” with a shrug of His shoulders. But God did not do that. In fact. God delivered on the most amazing promise ever. The birth of Jesus and ultimately the of Jesus for all humankind so that we might have and have it to the full!

This Christmas season. I want you to God’s never failing promises in your life when everything around you seems to be failing. Phases, schooling for our kids (or for you), work life, etc. Lot’s of “promises” were made this last year and we also experienced a lot of let downs and missed milestones in our families lives. It’s been hard. So look to Jesus this Christmas and experience the that He brings in being our never failed promise.