Devotion.al

  • Sorté

    Sorté

    “And you continue, so bullheaded! Calluses on your hearts, flaps on your ears! Deliberately ignoring the Spirit, you’re just like your ancestors. Was there ever a prophet who didn’t get the same treatment? Your ancestors killed anyone who dared talk about the coming of the Just One. And you’ve kept up the —traitors and murderers, all of you. You had God’s Law handed to you by angels—gift-wrapped!—and you squandered it!”

    At that point they went wild, a rioting mob of catcalls and whistles and invective. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed—he only had eyes for God, whom he saw in all his glory with Jesus standing at his side. He said, “Oh! I see heaven wide open and the Son of Man standing at God’s side!”

    Yelling and hissing, the mob drowned him out. Now in full stampede, they dragged him out of town and pelted him with rocks. The ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to watch them.

    As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, “Master Jesus, take my .” Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to , “Master, don’t blame them for this sin”—his last words. Then he died.

    Saul was right there, congratulating the killers.

    That set off a terrific persecution of the church in Jerusalem. The believers were all scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. All, that is, but the apostles. Good and brave men buried Stephen, giving him a solemn funeral—not many dry eyes that day!

    And Saul just went wild, devastating the church, entering house after house after house, dragging men and women off to jail. Forced to leave home base, the followers of Jesus all became missionaries. Wherever they were scattered, they preached the Message about Jesus. Going down to a Samaritan city, Philip proclaimed the Message of the Messiah. When the people heard what he had to say and saw the miracles, the clear signs of God’s , they hung on his every word. Many who could neither stand nor walk were healed that day. The evil spirits protested loudly as they were sent on their way. And what in the city!” —Acts 7:54–8:8 (The Message)

    Normally, I would quote a longer piece of the Scriptures, but the way The Message conveys this is too important to leave it to our preferred translations, for it speaks in our everyday language. Two sentences in particular:

    “Forced to leave home base, the followers of Jesus all became missionaries. Wherever they were scattered, they preached the Message about Jesus.”

    This whole COVID/Corona season we’ve had “home base” completely disrupted. Whether it’s working from home, not working, or other “homes”, such as the church building, and the friends’ living rooms being prohibited, it has been quite a time.

    As things have progressed, working from home for many became a prison rather than an escape. Not being able to go places became its own struggle. Even those who consider themselves homebodies want to get out.

    The reality is that we all seek a “base”. We want a place to feel safe. We want a place to be “home”. We want a place to be “”.

    In this case, however, perhaps “base” is actually what we don’t want. A better way to say it might be that for us to in gifts and graces we need to step off (or out of) the “base”.

    Notice that it was after being cast out from Jerusalem (home base), Jesus was being preached. After leaving the safe confines of “home” they began to preach. Something about being out of their comfort zone caused them to share about Jesus.

    ※Questions※

    1) What might the lesson be for us regarding “home base” and the world in this time we find ourselves in?

    2) Why did losing “home” seem to loosen tongues and hearts for Jesus?

    3) How does comfort or normal inhibit sharing the ?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord Jesus, we offer our comfort to you that we might use it, or lose it, to fulfill your will. Amen.

  • The End of the Matter

    The End of the Matter

    The of the Matter

    9 September 2020

    Jonah 4:1–11

    How could you them? Really? Look at them! If you’d left me alone they would have died, just like they should have!

    Why Jonah is so upset? There is a lot of conjecture, but Jonah’s anger really does seem out of place. Perhaps he had something against the city of Nineveh. That, at least, would help to make a little more sense of the story.

    Jonah could have been a hero! In fact, for bringing the message to Nineveh, he really was a hero. He was a very bitter one.

    Our media is filled with stories of heroes. We like heroes. There’s a reason why Marvel movies have made such an impact. DC and Marvel comics dominate the comic book scene with their hero lines.

    Jonah didn’t want to be a hero. He didn’t want to save the Ninevites. He did anyway, kicking and screaming.

    We are called to the world, not just our favored people. Whether we’re talking about a particular nationality, ethnic group, gender group, sexuality group, or any other group, they all have the in them. The Imago Dei (or “image of God”) means that they are valued by God regardless of anything else.

    If we are followers of God…if we God…should we not value those that God values?

    As followers of , we do not have the luxury to hate, despise, belittle, downplay, or dismiss . God them so much that he died for them. We only have to talk to them and be kind to them.

    We (most likely) are not Jonahs. We are simply people who have found . The kindest thing we can do is the redemption we have found.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, may we look at our fellow humans as you do…bearers of your image. Amen.

  • Heart Mission

    Heart Mission

    Mission

    8 September 2020

    2 Chronicles 7:12–18; Matthew 9:1–8; Acts 3:1–10

    times and services have often been called “aches and pains time”. The implication being that we often ask for healing for the aches and pains of our bodies. This can be from the innocuous pulled muscle to cancer.

    It’s not that we are called to pray for these things, we are. What it does mean is that we often dedicate the most powerful time we have, prayer, to physical ailments. It also means that we act as if we have no place in the healing process unless we are some kind of medical professional.

    However, we all have the ministry of reconciliation. Through his death on the cross, opened the way for us to be reconciled to God. This means that as Jesus-followers we also have a ministry of reconciliation.

    There are many kinds of reconciliation. We often keep the type of long-term prejudices and harm in the reconciliation “circle”. Yet, that limits reconciliation.

    Reconciliation is also the of healing hearts and emotions (and ultimately, souls) of pains that keep people separated from God. We are not all medical professionals. We are all children on God.

    This means that Jesus has given us the task to be healers. Often, this means being healers in the midst of our own , , and anger. When we seek to heal while still suffering ourselves, we can only rely upon the and mercy of God to be healing agents on earth.

    When we read the Scriptures with such miraculous healings, we can be overwhelmed with what we cannot do. Jesus said that we would do greater things. We are able to. Medical science can heal the body, but only a being can heal the heart.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, may we be your healing agents in the world. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) What kind of healing of heart/mind/soul have you needed, either now or previously?

    2) What are “types” of reconciliation that you can think of? Which kinds should Jesus-followers be part of?

  • Kinda Stuck

    Kinda Stuck

    Kinda Stuck

    7 September 2020

    Leviticus 4:27–31; Leviticus 5:14–16; 1 John 1:6–10

    When we talk about sin, we often operate with the presumption of commission of sin. In other words, we did something. There is also the sin of omission. In other words, what we didn’t do.

    The morning confession in the Book of Common Prayer reads
    Most merciful God,
    we confess that we have sinned against you
    in thought, word, and deed,
    by what we have done,
    and by what we have left undone.
    We have not loved you with our whole ;
    we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
    We are truly sorry and we humbly .
    For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
    have on us and forgive us;
    that we may delight in your will,
    and walk in your ways,
    to the glory of your . Amen.

    In many respects, this confession is hard, because in it we confess that we are not loving God and others as God has called us to do. On the other hand, this confession is freeing, as we aren’t required to go down all the items we messed up on (and some days that can be quite a lot).

    When we read Leviticus, we can often get bogged down in all the rules. Yet, if you read the rules in today’s verses, there is grace in them. In them, while the rules regarding are stringent, at the same time there is the recognition that someone may not recognize the act while in the middle of committing it.

    We all make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are sins. Sometimes they aren’t sins, per se, but still hurt others. We aren’t supposed to beat ourselves up about it. We are supposed to confess, repent, and move on.

    Even in Leviticus, barring a few acts, there isn’t a “no repeat” rule. This means that God will gracefully accept our confession and repentance. While we will often continue to sin (sometimes even the same thing), if we are truly repentant in our hearts and confess, God moves on, and so should we.

    Yes, we are called to be better than we were yesterday. Being better than we were yesterday also means better to ourselves than we were yesterday. People will often continually condemn themselves about their failures. When we condemn ourselves, we are often closer to the enemy than God.

    Through the , God convicts. The purpose of that conviction is to free us from the guilt and reconcile us to God. The enemy condemns. That condemnation will often tear our hearts and souls into pieces, leading us to further separate ourselves from God.

    This is not God’s intent. Yes, we are to be aware of what separates us from God. We are to confess and work on what separates us from God. It’s hard enough to improve our walk with God, let us not help the enemy take us further away from the reconciling heart of God.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us be true to you through our confessions and our to you. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) Is there a sin or struggle in your that you can’t seem to get a handle on, and are concerned that God just won’t let it go? Is it God, or is it you that won’t let it go?

    2) Why do we often let our mistakes and errors bind us?

    3) One aspect of the of the Gospel is from chains. How will you share with others the chains you have been freed from?

  • Protected

    Protected

    Protected

    6 September 2020

    Amos 7:10–17; Habakkuk 2:2–17

    Critique and criticism sound very similar. They are often confused and misused. That they have the same root certainly doesn’t help. Critique and criticism, however, have different intents.

    Critique is a thoughtful analysis of something with pointers provided for improvement. The pointers are intended to perfect one’s craft and are meant for self-improvement by the recipient.

    Criticism is often less thoughtful and often a more emotional commentary of something. Unlike critique, the starting point is negative and is less about improving the other and more about lifting up the self.

    The harsh words of the prophets were often viewed as criticism. Though there was anger and in the words (for God was angry and grieving), the intent was never the destruction of the Israelites or Jews. The intent was always to have them improve by throwing away their false worship and disregard of God.

    The harshness came from the constant ignoring that occurred. The Israelites and Jews never seemed to be convinced by gentle and loving words. Before we criticize them, however, we need to critique ourselves.

    One of the traits of humanity is the automatic assumption that critique is criticism. This is more a of our own tendencies to criticize rather than critique. This is an important thing to recognize, for this also means we are often not open to improvement.

    Our walk is significantly impacted by this, as it means we are not open to even the Holy Spirit guiding us into all Truth, let alone feedback from our faith . Our progressive (becoming more holy, or more like God) hinges on the surrendering of our will, and, perhaps more importantly, our ego and super-ego (to use Freud’s terms).

    The tendency is to protect our ego and super-ego. We don’t want to change. We want others to change, but not us. Any change we experience, we want to be without pain.

    We all understand intellectually that this is unreasonable while we still seek to protect ourselves. In egotistical self-defense, we will that any critique is actually criticism and an attempt to harm us. We can look at social media, normal media, and see that exact behavior played out.

    The Israelites were no different. They wanted to grab onto a dream the Jerusalem and the Promised Land were protected spaces and that they would come to no harm. They held onto this despite the surrounding threats.

    By sending the prophets, he sought to help them see the error of their ways. Instead, they tell Amos to not prophesy against Israel. Habakkuk announced their egotistical ways and they opposed him.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord Jesus, as we read about the lives of others in the , help us to see our own failures in a brighter than theirs, and guide us into the life with you. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) Think of the cultural issues currently surrounding us. Are we really all that different than the Israelites?

    2) If the things around are being allowed by God, how should we be viewing them?

    3) Thinking of critique and criticism, how can you improve your ability to receive and deliver critique, especially concerning spiritual matters?

  • Sabbathing

    Sabbathing

    Sabbathing

    5 September 2020

    Luke 6:1–11; Romans 14:5–13

    During COVID, my employer has continued to be operational. Due to the nature of the business (manufacturing of civilian and military aerospace, along with medical), being an “essential business” meant that things continued as usual.

    Other than “essential” businesses, most people have stayed in their homes. Even one of the worst commutes in the country (here in the Puget Sound) has been almost reasonable (until recently) as people just weren’t commuting.

    Staying at home meant so little was occurring. activity was cut in half. What has been amazing is how quickly nature recognized it. For example, multiple times at my employer, we have seen a coyote wandering around in the middle of the day. This is down the hill from the Everett Boeing complex.

    Nature has taken notice and advantage of humanity’s absence. It is not just in the Puget Sound. It is many places. Humanity inside and nature was free to run.

    The land has received somewhat of a . It is resting from the frenetic pace of humanity.

    For a brief moment, humanity also took a brief break. Now, however, the frenetic pace has found a few more notches to go up. Public people are now brazenly acting as bad as the “trolls” ( term for people looking to cause trouble and ) that used to be condemned. Online bullying is now encouraged so that people think and espouse the “correct” things.

    Humanity needs a Sabbath.

    There were arguments within the about what day the Sabbath is. This denies the Lord of the Sabbath. Blue Laws (laws that closed almost all businesses on Sundays) were a legalistic attempt to enforce a Sabbath, but they could never fulfill the spiritual aspect of it.

    This was ‘s point to the Romans. Already there were arguments over which day was correct to God (besides all of them). Part of this may be attributable to the days of the week being named after Roman gods. Just a conjecture.

    Paul’s and ‘ point was that the Sabbath was an of worship, not a day of the week. Even today, that is still a discussion for many that don’t differentiate between cultural norms and spiritual needs.

    ※ Prayer ※

    Lord Jesus, help us to keep our Sabbath focus on you and to live out the Sabbath in our lives. Amen.

    ※ Questions ※

    1) What does Sabbath mean to you? How do you live out a Sabbath?

    2) How can you live out a Sabbath that will draw others to live out a Sabbath, too?

  • Bound Emotion

    Bound Emotion

    Bound Emotion

    4 September 2020

    Ezekiel 24:15–27; Jeremiah 16:5–9

    There is something unusual about marriage. For whatever reason, a man and a woman have a special kind of that transcends logic. There is a deep spiritual aspect to it that is part of the Christian marriage ritual, “what God has joined let man not separate.”

    While this is the ideal, we are all far from the ideal. As much as there are men and women who are “2-become-1”, there are a great many couples were 1 plus 1 equals neither 1 nor 2. In most such cases, barring miraculous intervention, the couple separates.

    A few decades ago, the concept of “no-fault” divorce was invented. In reality, it mostly seems to have been an “agreement” that the reason for the divorce was something other than infidelity (whether of sexual or other nature) and that it was okay. This was a “thumb the nose” at the , but it was also a recognition that the church often failed to understand this sacred institution.

    The deep deception of “no-fault” divorce was the perception that “no-fault” meant “no hurt”. Divorce hurts. Sometimes it is the path to divorce. Sometimes it is the event. Sometimes it is the result. Sometimes it’s all of it.

    There is something deep within us that understands marriage is not to be trifled with. This is why younger generations are putting it off, even while cohabitating. This is also why same-gender marriage became a cultural phenomenon.

    Despite powerful and public peoples’ often peculiar and sometimes alliance driven marriages, most people see something transcendent in marriage. Even in this day and age where divorce in the church is as high (if not higher) as the culture around. There is still something.

    Imagine then what it would be like to receive the message as Ezekiel did. While you may have received, for example, the news that a one was going to die, or even suddenly died, you had the ability to grieve. Ezekiel was commanded to not grieve. Just as he would soon bury his wife, he would bury his feelings.

    Males are, granted, more likely to tuck their feelings away. However, just as we are often tempted or even driven to disobey when commanded to do (or not do) something, imagine Ezekiel being commanded to not grieve, which probably made the loss of his wife even more pronounced on his heart.

    While the do not say that Ezekiel stands figuratively in the place of God, it does make sense. The precious bride (Israel) is about to die (conquered and exiled). This is a result of and corruption. God, therefore, cannot grieve for God’s holiness was denied. If God were to grieve, God might protect Israel once more, allowing it to fall even more deeply into depravity.

    This gets even darker in Jeremiah’s words. Jeremiah is banned from lamenting with any family who has lost a loved one. In other words, lamentation has become a luxury. The gift of lamentation has been taken away. The gifts of consolation, commiseration, and sympathy have also been taken away. Through their disobedience, the deepest loss is now only a fact. Hearts and feelings must be .

    ※ Prayer ※

    God, we are thankful for your never-ending mercy. Give us the wisdom and discernment to be bearers of your , mercy, and love for all of those who are grieving in these days. Amen.

    ※ Questions ※

    1) What does it mean to lament, to you? How is that different from being sad or grieving, if anything?

    2) Have you ever repressed really strong emotions? Why? What were the lingering effects?

    3) In Jewish/Israelite society, grief and lament were semi-public events. How did that work in the church pre-COVID? How does it work now?

  • Rusted Jalopy

    Rusted Jalopy

    Rusted Jalopy

    3 September 2020

    Judges 2:11–23; Ezekiel 24:1–14

    Prior to the discovery of titanium (and development of ways to use it), steel was the material of choice for strength, durability, and being shapable. Even now it remains the primary tool material as it is less expensive than titanium. It does have its issues, however.

    We’ve all seen photos of old rusted/rustic cars. The photos are artistically beautiful, but the cars are useless for what they were built to be.

    Rust is a sign that the iron in the steel is being “attacked”. Rust breaks down the bonds in the metal to the point that formerly strong steel turns into when touched.

    Rust can also build onto itself. So, while it is growing “down” into the metal, it can thicker. Then it can become like armor to the steel or iron, however, there is the risk that while the “armor” may be strong, the underlying metal is very weak.

    There are several techniques to remove rust. One is to blast it with a combination of sand. Another method is to grind or sand it. Another is to dip it into acid. Interestingly, acid is also used to help steel (specifically, stainless steel) become more corrosion-resistant.

    In metallurgy terms, rust is corrosion. Corrosion is not a good thing. Corrosion is built on the same root (in English) as corruption. Corruption, like rust, can start small and almost unnoticeable. However, unless it is cleansed, it will destroy the “host”.

    In many ways, the People of Israel left Egypt with the seeds of corrosion embedded in them. For 40 years, they were “sandblasted” in the desert to remove the corruption. It didn’t last.

    The “seeds” were still there. They succumbed to temptations and became corrupted. The Book of Judges talks about the ebb and flow, but the people never seem to be able or willing to give up the seed of corrosion.

    By the time of Ezekiel, the corruption was to the point that their spiritual hearts would crumble to dust at a touch. The rough presented is along the lines of the corruption of Israel became the pot that was the crucible of their destruction. They willingly jumped into the pot and became nothing at all.

    We, sadly, are not much different. The seeds of corruption remain in us, even after our salvation. Our purification (progressive then entire sanctification) is a result of our willingness to set ourselves at the feet of God, allowing and asking to be cleansed of everything the separates from the holiness of God.

    While it is easy to look at the world and see its corruption and eventual destruction, we must be aware that we will also fall to corruption and destruction if we do not daily ourselves to Christ and ask for cleansing by the .

    ※ Prayer ※

    , , and Spirit, guide us into your perfect will. Help us to follow your will and walk the path that you have laid before us. Amen.

    ※ Questions ※

    1) What’s the first thing you think of with the “corruption”? Why is that the first thing that comes to mind?

    2) Why is it important to understand the ever- of the “seeds” of corruption?

    3) Do you really think that we need “purification” after our salvation? Why or why not?

Devotion.al

Sorté

“And you continue, so bullheaded! Calluses on your hearts, flaps on your ears! Deliberately ignoring the Spirit, you’re just like your ancestors. Was there ever a prophet who didn’t get the same treatment? Your ancestors killed anyone who dared talk about the coming of the Just One. And you’ve kept up the family —traitors and murderers, all of you. You had God’s Law handed to you by angels—-wrapped!—and you squandered it!”

At that point they went wild, a rioting mob of catcalls and whistles and invective. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed—he only had eyes for God, whom he saw in all his with Jesus standing at his side. He said, “Oh! I see heaven wide open and the of Man standing at God’s side!”

Yelling and hissing, the mob drowned him out. Now in full stampede, they dragged him out of town and pelted him with rocks. The ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to watch them.

As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, “Master Jesus, take my life.” Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to , “Master, don’t blame them for this sin”—his last words. Then he died.

Saul was right there, congratulating the killers.

That set off a terrific persecution of the church in Jerusalem. The believers were all scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. All, that is, but the apostles. Good and brave men buried Stephen, him a solemn funeral—not many dry eyes that day!

And Saul just went wild, devastating the church, entering house after house after house, dragging men and women off to jail. Forced to leave home base, the followers of Jesus all became missionaries. Wherever they were scattered, they preached the Message about Jesus. Going down to a Samaritan city, Philip proclaimed the Message of the Messiah. When the people heard what he had to say and saw the miracles, the clear signs of God’s action, they hung on his every word. Many who could neither stand nor walk were healed that day. The evil spirits protested loudly as they were sent on their way. And what joy in the city!” —Acts 7:54–8:8 (The Message)

Normally, I would quote a longer piece of the Scriptures, but the way The Message conveys this is too important to leave it to our preferred translations, for it speaks in our everyday language. Two sentences in particular:

“Forced to leave home base, the followers of Jesus all became missionaries. Wherever they were scattered, they preached the Message about Jesus.”

This whole COVID/Corona season we’ve had “home base” completely disrupted. Whether it’s working from home, not working, or other “homes”, such as the church building, and the friends’ living rooms being prohibited, it has been quite a time.

As things have progressed, working from home for many became a prison rather than an escape. Not being able to go places became its own struggle. Even those who consider themselves homebodies want to get out.

The reality is that we all seek a “base”. We want a place to feel safe. We want a place to be “home”. We want a place to be “”.

In this case, however, perhaps “base” is actually what we don’t want. A better way to say it might be that for us to in gifts and graces we need to step off (or out of) the “base”.

Notice that it was after being cast out from Jerusalem (home base), Jesus was being preached. After leaving the safe confines of “home” they began to preach. Something about being out of their comfort zone caused them to share about Jesus.

※Questions※

1) What might the lesson be for us regarding “home base” and the world in this time we find ourselves in?

2) Why did losing “home” seem to loosen tongues and hearts for Jesus?

3) How does comfort or normal inhibit sharing the ?

※Prayer※

Lord Jesus, we offer our comfort to you that we might use it, or lose it, to fulfill your will. Amen.