Devotion.al

  • Grudge Walker

    Grudge Walker

    Genesis 33:1–9; Numbers 20:14–21; Psalm 137; Lamentations 5:1–22

    How much of your extended do you know? Second cousins, third cousins, and so on. Imagine knowing the descendants of your ancestors (approximately 20 generations gap).

    The brothers Jacob and Esau seemed to have been reconciled (though it was a strange one). They certainly didn’t go after each other after this. Yet, something carried over.

    The Israelites came out of Egypt after around 500 years after this . So, what happens after that? Esau’s descendants want nothing to do with Jacob’s descendants. In fact, they seem to want to make difficult for their relatives.

    As the history of the Israelites continues, the animosity also continues. The Edomites were joyful and mocking at the demise and exile of the Jews. The fall of Jerusalem was a celebration.

    It apparently made such an impression that we read in Lamentations about the mocking. The descendants of Esau will soon switch places with the Jews as the disgraced ones.

    It can be amazing what a family can do to each other. A place that is supposed to be built on that destroys spirits and hearts. It seems that on the surface Esau and Jacob were reconciled, but that the discord was passed down to generations.

    When we look at the world around us, we ought to be asking, what kind of relations are we passing down? In the US, we often look at tribal conflicts that are generations old. We even mock (mostly) the historic rivalry between the Hatfields and the McCoy.

    We don’t define ourselves that way and certainly not violently. Is that changing? Black- and Blue-Lives Matters, Antifa, Neo-Nazis are all creating their own brand of chaos, and there are a number of . In fact, at this point, there are so many that it’s almost impossible to keep track of except by the experts.

    It wasn’t that long ago that most people would snicker at someone’s assertion that the US was headed toward a new violent internal conflict. Yet, now both people on the left and the right are openly brandishing weapons (as provocation), and the more peaceful pundits of the left and right are starting to show concern.

    And, while this is starting to sound like something on constant repeat, the is experiencing this as well. Fellowship is being broken. The body of Christ is being broken.

    The first of the church is to heal itself, and there is a lot of work there. It is family after all. Once the church begins the real journey, then—and only then—will the church be able to help heal the world.

    ※Prayer※

    God, Father of our church family, guide us to be your loving family. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) Have you ever experienced a family grudge that strained family occasions? Was it a significant issue, or was it something small that was made big?

    2) Why do you think family squabbles are often the worst and longest lasting?

  • I Hate You

    I Hate You

    Luke 14:25–35; 1 John 3:14–18

    So, who do YOU hate? Your mom, dad, husband, wife, significant other, son, daughter, brother, sister, cousin, aunt, uncle…Really, who do you hate?

    Trump, Clinton, Bin Laden, and many others have been (or are) hated. It could be because of politics. It could be because they murdered people. It might be something that you think they may have done.

    This passage in Luke is a hard passage for many. Except in cases of abuse or other mistreatment, hating one’s family is out of the question. A that has long considered itself (especially in the West) a “family-centered” religion will struggle that which it says it is based upon. “Family values”, a decades-old purportedly Christian value, are questionable if we are to hate our family.

    Then John, a of writes that we are to love our brothers and sisters, and that anyone who hates their brother or system is a murderer (even if said brother or sister still lives), and because of that they don’t have life. Confused, yet?

    So, how does this work, exactly? Well, we’re back to the -old problem of English versus Greek. Just like there are more words for love in Greek than in English, there’s the same problem with hate. Hate isn’t quite hate, sort of.

    When Jesus talks about hate, it refers more to loyalty that like, dislike, love, or hate. Jesus sought to shock people into an understanding that they may have to choose where their loyalty lay. Was their loyalty with family, or was their loyalty with Jesus?

    Hate may seem overly dramatic, however, in the cultural context, hate was the understanding. Only a hateful child, parent, spouse, and so forth would choose Jesus over family. In that time, the time shortly thereafter, and it appears now, family loyalty is against Jesus.

    Which brings us to John’s words. His hate is more along the lines of what we think of when we hear the hate. The kind of hate that blindly rages and cares more about hurting another than the enemy. This is the context of John’s hate.

    We are called to pray for the of our adversaries. Even more so are we to seek the benefit of our brothers and sisters in Christ. John’s primary concern is not the family ties of blood and culture that Jesus brought to light. John’s concern was what we at Generations call framily (friends who are like family).

    This framily is found within the body of Christ. Because of its place within the body of Christ, it should not have divided loyalties. Of course, when it comes to human frailty, we all know that isn’t the case.

    As we work through our hopes and fears of COVID and elections, we will often be tempted to hate our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must strive against that, for a house divided against itself will not stand, and then what would we say to Jesus?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, you prayed to the that we would be one. Help us to be in you, while we yet still remain individuals with different thoughts and experiences. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) Is there someone in the body of Christ with whom you are angry? Pray for them. for the peace of the Holy Spirit to fall upon and fill both them and you.

    2) How can you work to be one with your brothers and sisters in Christ while you have differing opinions?

    3) How does the concept of Jesus before family still cause you and others trials?

  • Even to…

    Even to…

    Acts 11:1–18; Galatians 3:27–29

    Depending on the translation, Acts 11:18 is phrased something akin to, “even the Gentiles got the gift.” It’s not exactly the most positive . It shows us that at the beginning of the church the new reality of a that transcended Gentile and Jew still had to be learned.

    We are still confronting this today. As of right now, the current cultural memes of concern are women and minorities (specifically, African-Americans). While there are understandable scriptural interpretations in other denominations and traditions not allowing women as leaders in the church, it often has gone hand-in-hand with demeaning women.

    Even in the Church of the Nazarene (the denominational perspective from which I attempt to write), there has been the theological acceptance of women as leaders, but the cultural acceptance of such has been a significant issue.

    While the Church of the Nazarene has been effective in other nations and cultures, within the confines of the US, the denomination has been predominately white. Both situations leave the Church of the Nazarene in conflict with itself.

    The of the cultural memes that have been disrupting our society is that the Church of the Nazarene just might be confronting the incongruities with a plan to fix it. Just as in society-at-large, the fix will be slow and hard.

    The denomination is trying to fully live out what it does believe but has been mired in the culture from which it came.

    What does this have to do with, “even them”? One of the founding churches of the Church of the Nazarene (it was a number of churches that decided to band together) was in the “skid row” area of Los Angeles. Alcoholism, drunkenness, prostitution all had a prominent and visible place there.

    “The least, the last, the lost” were those served by that church, and who the church sought to bring into a saving with Christ.

    This comes from the older “Wesleyan” tradition, where John Wesley preached outdoors to the miners who were often banned from church as the coal dust would follow them. They were a new kind of “unclean.”

    Even they were called into relationship with Jesus Christ. Even to them was the Gospel message sent.

    “Even” sounds so belittling, yet we use similar language and constructs when we talk about “Democrats” or “Republicans” or “Trump-ers” or “Never Trump-ers” or immigrants (documented or not) or Muslims or Hindus or…you them.

    Why do we try to limit the Gospel? What is it we to achieve?

    We often think we don’t limit the gospel, but what about that different person who walks through the door at church (if you’re worshiping there)? How about that person walking down the street talking to themselves?

    To even them…

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, thank you for your Gospel. , guide to those you have for us to the message of Jesus with. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) Can you think of a people group that you are inclined to think of as “even them”? Why do think that is?

    2) Why do we often think in terms of us and them?

  • Lamenting Forward

    Lamenting Forward

    Ezekiel 2:1–3:3; Lamentations 3:17–33; Ecclesiastes 3:1–8

    There are two prevailing feelings currently: and anger. Neither one is productive over time. In the , they can destroy a person emotionally and spiritually.

    Ezekiel ate words of lament, mourning, and woe. In the vision, the edible scroll tastes a sweet as honey. At the same time, there was no in the words themselves.

    One of the biggest lessons that the current atmosphere can teach us is that we need to mourn what we have lost. We are even still in the midst of losing our perception of culture(s), country, and even . We fight the loss.

    We don’t want to lose all that we hold dear. At the same time, there is another feeling that is harder to quantify… God is doing something new. We don’t know what that new is, which causes us to be even more emotionally reactive.

    God can (and does) handle our anger and fear. God is greater than that. We, though, need to lament, grieve, and mourn.

    When we lose a loved one, we miss them. We grieve. We mourn. We understand that it is not only acceptable, it is also healthy. We also must—as hard as it is—find a way to move .

    That is currently the way many things are right now. One of the great difficulties is to choose what to mourn and move past, and what to struggle for. As the situation around COVID continues, we will continue to have to work and walk to find a way forward.

    We all must be -filled as people struggle with their masked in fear and anger. Only the God of can turn the anger and fear into a drive to move forward in faithfulness. Let us all be people of hope.

    ※Prayer※

    Heavenly Father, guide us to be people of hope, not just any hope, but the hope of the crucified and risen Son. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) What is one thing you are angry about right now? How about fearful? What about grieving?

    2) If you were to rank each of these in order, what would they be, and why?

    3) Which of these has the greatest effect upon your walk? How so?

  • Whose Crown?

    Whose Crown?

    1 Samuel 8:1–22; Mark 10:35–45; 1 Corinthians 1:20–25

    One cannot say the beginning of the fall of Israel was at the point they demanded a king. God pointed this out to disappointed Samuel. Israel’s “desire” for a king showed that Israel’s heart continued to not focus on God.

    Samuel’s sons were a mess. In no way did they God or their . Just like many of us, and the world, the Israelites were looking at humanity rather than God.

    The failure of the Israelites wasn’t that they didn’t want Samuel’s sons in charge. That was actually wisdom. What they didn’t want, apparently, was a spiritual leader like Samuel. They wanted a “normal” king.

    When God tells Samuel that the Israelites were against God, God makes it clear that it isn’t Samuel’s fault. The hearts of the Israelites are at fault. What happens, though, is that while they get want, they want, it does eventually become a “be careful what you wish for.”

    The path of king never really ends for the Israelites. Eventually, the kingdom splits into 2. The Northern Kingdom (confusingly also called, Israel) eventually disappears. The Southern Kingdom (called Judah) remains, but over the years of exile and conquest never really stops having a king.

    By the time of , the “king” (Herod) really is just a governmental flunky of Rome. The and their quests for (a constant theme of the Roman Empire) are what Jesus is likely referring to when he talks to the disciples. His point being who wants to live like that. Jesus had a better way.

    The better way was the way of God’s (not just generic human love) of both and discipline. What need of worldly government and power would such a person have?

    When we focus too much on worldly power, we miss the reality that Jesus turned power upside down. If we focus on the world’s ways, we succumb to the foolishness of the world, rather than in and through the wisdom of God.

    When we rely on the world, we make the same mistake the Israelites did…we choose a king (even if it’s only for 4 years).

    ※Prayer※

    Lord Jesus, as we try to live out being faithful citizens of this world, help us to our deeper and truer citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) What are some reasons you think the Israelites wanted a king “like the other nations”?

    2) In what ways does the US political scene look at the president as King? What does that teach us about our (and our ‘s) heart?

    3) How might you live out the upside-down kingdom that Jesus brought to us?

  • Heart of Money; Heart of Mercy

    Heart of Money; Heart of Mercy

    2 Corinthians 8:1–15; 1 Timothy 6:17–19

    Generosity is a good thing. A generous is a good thing.

    Paul encouraged generosity among the churches. The churches would care for one another as they were going through trials (famines, war, etc.). The graciousness of one gave to another church.

    The churches did not do this to receive; they did it out of generous hearts.

    The US churches have been known around the world for their generosity. The US churches were so effective, that they deeply affected US culture to also be generous.

    Except, that seems to be waning. Both the US church and the US population is becoming less generous. A lot of that is likely due to . However, much of that seems to also be an of reciprocity. In other words, “what do we get out of it?”

    The other part of the waning aspect may actually be the most concerning. This is the “washing of hands” part. I’ve given my to the cause (church, , NGO, etc.). I have done my duty, and I can go on living.

    We can be generous with money, but not with our hearts. We can be generous with our hearts, but not our money. However, being generous in one area and not in the other, really means that we are generous at all. It is an all or nothing situation.

    It sounds harsh. It is. It sounds impossible. It just might be. Or, at least impossible without God.

    How generosity actually takes place is not a fixed recipe. The people of Macedonia were generous to the best of their capability. The churches of Corinth may have had a greater capacity to be financially generous.

    The people of Macedonia were not absolved of financial generosity. It was to the best of their means and through generous hearts. They prayed. Pray generously!

    The people of Corinth may have been capable of far more than the people of Macedonia. That didn’t absolve them from praying. It is both/and.

    The church, as a whole, is struggling financially. The patterns of the past are broken. Truly, the church is in (or should be in) a hugely transformative process.

    While you may be giving as you have, just because a building (even the church building) is closed, doesn’t absolve you of the mission of loving people generously.

    What loving a person does to live generously at this time is a little strange. It could be going “old” school and calling people. It could be texting them. It could be emailing them. It could even be sending a letter.

    Giving financially is part of the Christian life, and so is living generously in others’ lives. The rhythm of life may mean different forms of generosity at different times. However, a single form of generosity is not living life generously, it is living life monotonously.

    ※Prayer※

    Spirit, give us hearts that beat with your generosity. May we live generously through your . Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) How do you give generously? How do you live generously?

    2) Why do you think both financial and life generosity are important?

    3) Which area do you need to live or give more generously? Why do you say that?

  • Clothed in Rags

    Clothed in Rags

    Psalm 94; Luke 6:27–36; 1 Corinthians 4:9–13

    Bless your enemies. Except “bless” means something more than just be nice or even help them. “Bless” means to ask for God’s divine favor to come on them.

    We all want blessings, but we are being called to ask for God’s blessings for those who make our lives difficult, miserable, or (in some extreme cases) seek to kill us. This is a high bar of expectation. It’s a hard high bar of expectation.

    In many respects, this may be the hardest teaching of Jesus. To assuage our own feelings of anger, , and trespass, we want vengeance! We want victory! We want !

    “For [the Most High] is gracious to the ungrateful and .” (Luke 5:35)

    “That is foolish,” proclaims the world. The world is right, from the world’s perspective. From God’s perspective, however, foolish is following the world.

    declared himself a disgraced spectacle that the world spat upon. Yet, Paul was determined to carry on. He chose a path to bless others and to be gracious to others.

    This world could use a lot more of this, don’t you think?

    However, the problem is that we want others to do it first. This isn’t the path that Jesus set out.

    The world has taught us that a win-win scenario is false. Or to put it another way, that is a zero-sum game. The world is correct. It is their math that this the problem.

    The world’s math does not include God. The world’s math does not include Jesus (unless he can be used to make money). The world’s math is incapable of including the .

    So, why, as believers…as children of God…do we the world’s math is correct?

    Yet, we do. We say and live as if the world’s math is correct.

    What has also become increasingly clear is that the church has long been dressed-up in the world. Now the world is handing us filthy rags to wear, and we are offended. We took the nice clothes from the world already, if the world is done with us, why would they want to give us nice things?

    So, what are we to do with the rags of the world? Realize they are the rags of a world that is passing away. We still have our “clothing of white”. Even in its “not yet” state (i.e., we don’t have it yet), it is still better than the finest clothes of the world.

    ※Prayer※

    God, help us to look at the world as you do…a place that is passing away. Help us recall where we are called to live eternally and to look at the world through your eyes. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) What is something that you need to to the world?

    2) What is something that you need to surrender to God?

    3) How are these two things the opposite side of the same coin?

  • Did You Fail?

    Did You Fail?

    1 Kings 18:19–19:5; Malachi 4:5–6; Matthew 17:10–13

    This is a famous story. It really is very impressive how the priests of Baal were humiliated in their bloody ritual, and how God delivered magnificently and undeniable. In a quick turnaround, they went from following the Baal priests to killing them.

    This actually doesn’t say much about the Israelites that’s particularly positive. They just follow the flow and the show. Really, though, that’s often the way we are, too.

    After the show, it appears that the Israelites are all on God’s side, even Ahab…except that really isn’t the case. Ahab runs home to his wife, who promptly threatens Elijah.

    The drought is over. Things are looking up. So, let’s kill that guy!

    No thanks or . No real recognition that God was in this. From Jezebel’s response she is both an of God and is more about her power than even her husband’s (who power she really is supplanting).

    Nothing really changed. After that, nothing really changed.

    We tell this tale. We are excited for the good guy (Elijah and God). Yet, nothing really changed.

    What should give us hope and courage, however, is that even Elijah got scared. That huge public event where God shows up…and Elijah runs away.

    Yes, Elijah was threatened. Yet, God had just shown up in such a huge way…and Elijah runs away.

    Many people have had a defining experience with God and then “run away”.  Or, they may have a powerful healing or and then appear to not believe that God is capable of the next thing. It is a pretty behavior.

    Elijah was normal. He heard from God and he spoke through the . He was still normal.

    You’re normal, too. You were called by God. You were claimed by God. You just may be in a difficult place. You could be wondering if God even cares.

    Often, we question our faith when we struggle. We question our . We question the depth of our with Jesus.

    Yes, we are weak. Yes, we are normal. Yes, God loves us.

    Many people think they would want to have such a powerful experience of God as Elijah did. Through it all, Elijah still feared. Through it all, God still him…just as God loves you.

Devotion.al

Grudge Walker

Genesis 33:1–9; Numbers 20:14–21; Psalm 137; Lamentations 5:1–22

How much of your extended do you know? Second cousins, third cousins, and so on. Imagine knowing the descendants of your ancestors (approximately 20 generations gap).

The brothers Jacob and Esau seemed to have been reconciled (though it was a strange one). They certainly didn’t go after each other after this. Yet, something carried over.

The Israelites came out of Egypt after around 500 years after this . So, what happens after that? Esau’s descendants want nothing to do with Jacob’s descendants. In fact, they seem to want to make difficult for their relatives.

As the history of the Israelites continues, the animosity also continues. The Edomites were joyful and mocking at the demise and exile of the Jews. The fall of Jerusalem was a celebration.

It apparently made such an impression that we read in Lamentations about the mocking. The descendants of Esau will soon switch places with the Jews as the disgraced ones.

It can be amazing what a family can do to each other. A place that is supposed to be built on that destroys spirits and hearts. It seems that on the surface Esau and Jacob were reconciled, but that the discord was passed down to generations.

When we look at the world around us, we ought to be asking, what kind of relations are we passing down? In the US, we often look at tribal conflicts that are generations old. We even mock (mostly) the historic rivalry between the Hatfields and the McCoy.

We don’t define ourselves that way and certainly not violently. Is that changing? Black- and Blue-Lives Matters, Antifa, Neo-Nazis are all creating their own brand of chaos, and there are a number of . In fact, at this point, there are so many that it’s almost impossible to keep track of except by the experts.

It wasn’t that long ago that most people would snicker at someone’s assertion that the US was headed toward a new violent internal conflict. Yet, now both people on the left and the right are openly brandishing weapons (as provocation), and the more peaceful pundits of the left and right are starting to show concern.

And, while this is starting to sound like something on constant repeat, the is experiencing this as well. Fellowship is being broken. The body of Christ is being broken.

The first of the church is to heal itself, and there is a lot of work there. It is family after all. Once the church begins the real journey, then—and only then—will the church be able to help heal the world.

※Prayer※

God, Father of our church family, guide us to be your loving family. Amen.

※Questions※

1) Have you ever experienced a family grudge that strained family occasions? Was it a significant issue, or was it something small that was made big?

2) Why do you think family squabbles are often the worst and longest lasting?