Devotion.al

  • Fatalism Antivenom

    Job 5:8-27, 1 Peter 3:8–18a, Psalm 77 (read online ⧉)

    When we talk about the underlying of (see yesterday’s devotion), we must have an understanding that this underlying joy fully rests on God, and who God is. This foundation of joy is not shaken or disturbed by the world and all its troubles, because (and only because) it is built on God.

    In our passage from Job, Eliphaz is still lecturing Job. Job 5:8 is a legal appeal. Eliphaz is telling Job that all Job has to do is make an appeal to God. If Job is as innocent as he claims, then God will spare Job. Eliphaz continues to speak, and it seems that his words are accurate, that is until we get to verse 19 (and on through 27). Eliphaz sums up his legal argument from verse 8. God will keep Job from everything bad, if Job is indeed innocent, and continues to appease God. This is essential to understand. Eliphaz had fallen victim to the culture around him regarding God. Eliphaz’s understanding was that God was transactional in nature. You God what he wants, you’ll get good (not necessarily what you want, but still good). The conclusion that Eliphaz made was that Job didn’t fulfill his of the transaction.

    This the perspective that many people have of God, including many Christians. This view, however, does not have the joyful foundation that is essential to a . This view is fatalistic. In other words, the world is full of bad, and there is nothing we can do about it.

    Peter has a significantly different view. Peter, having spent time with , and life being transformed by Jesus through the , know we can do something about it.

    Peter gives us direction on how to be life giving to fellow believers, and even to those who do not believe. Peter knows that bad will happen. Yet, he encourages his readers (and us) to rely on Jesus Christ. This reliance is the of the joyful life that does not laugh in the face of danger, or dance in the midst of trial, but understands that God is there beside us in and through it all.

    1) How have you been fatalistic (i.e., “there’s nothing I can do”) in your lift?

    2) How are Peter’s words an antidote to fatalism?

  • The Tension of Pain and Joy

    Job 4:1-21, Psalm 77, Ephesians 2:1-10 (read online ⧉)

    Job’s friend, Eliphaz, was one of 4 friends that came to visit Job in his time of trouble. While, ultimately, they misspoke of God, at other times they spoke of God and Job. Eliphaz told Job that he was a teacher of God and a believer. Wouldn’t we all want people to say these things of us? Yet, then he lectures Job about Job lamenting his situation. This exact pattern is something we have all experienced, and probably even followed.

    There has been a tendency to lecture people who are in emotional, spiritual, and/or physical pain that they need to be more joyful, more trusting, more faithful. When we look at all the woeful, lamenting words of Job, including even his questioning of God (and where God was in all of his troubles), Job did not . It is not to say that Job never sinned, but in the words that we have from him, he did not sin. There is something important here. It is okay to mourn, grieve, lament.
    Part of Lent is the aura of mourning, grieving, and lamenting. The overarching theme of Lent is that we know what is coming, Good Friday. The reason for Good Friday is mourning, grieving, and lamenting. The reason is sin. Sin was so deep and so pervasive only God breaking in could fix it. On the cross, the of God died.

    Under it all, it wasn’t that Job stopped trusting God, it was that he was hurting. Despite the anguish of Lent, underlying it there still remains truth and .

    “…God, who is rich in , out of the great with which he us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive with Christ…”

    We must disregard the mourning, grieving, and lamenting of Lent, for when we do, we undermine the truth of Good Friday.

    1) Do you find it difficult to be joyful while grieving, mourning, or while in pain?

    2) At what point, do you think, our lamenting (grieving, mourning or pain) turns into something that dishonors God?

  • Long Trust

    Psalm 25:1-10, Genesis 9:8–17, 1 Peter 3:18–22, Mark 1:9–15 (read online ⧉)

    God, and placing your in God, is a major theme of Scripture. Trusting of God is not always obvious in what we read. Scripture doesn’t tell us much about the time between God’s on Noah (build the ark), and the moment Noah stepped foot on the ark with the rain falling. Noah may not have been the only believer in God, but God had singled him out beyond all . What does Noah get for being singled out? A 100-year building project.

    Many people have a long term project sitting around. Sometimes it is a car sitting in the garage that has been worked on (or not) over the years, and perhaps even been moved when moving houses. It could be that project house that never quite finishes. Imagine Noah’s wife and this project. Her , along with Noah’s, must have been tried many times over the years with this building project. Noah’s trust in God would have had to carry him, and probably his entire , through this building project.

    Peter talks about the patience of God during the 100 years of building and the time during the flood. Yet it isn’t just God’s patience, but Noah’s trust as well. Noah’s trust lasted a long time. Peter’s point is that when we are baptized, we are trusting that through putting our in , we will be Heaven with him one day, and that he saves us not just at that point in time, but continually. Jesus himself shows his trust in God as the story in Mark shows. After his , Jesus trusts God in the desert by relying on God for sustenance.

    1) If we look at these 3 people—Noah, Peter, Jesus—in the bible, we can question our trust. Do we trust God as much as they did?

    2) When have you found yourself not trusting God? What were you putting your trust in at that time?

    3) Have you ever experienced a time that you trusted God, and were called crazy or immature for trusting God?

  • Community of Friends

    Psalm 25:1-10, Psalm 32, Matthew 9:2-13 (read online ⧉)

    The story of the healed paralytic has been many times, mostly it seems, to point the finger at the scribes for their lack of . Let us look with upon the scribes, to their understanding and traditions, sins could not be forgiven without blood . It was not that their faith was weak (or non-existent), but that their traditions and scriptural understanding did not match ‘ simple words.

    For many of the Jewish religious leaders, part of their understanding was that the paralytic was bearing the curse of his sins, his parents’ sins, and/or some ancestor’s sins. In Psalm 32, the psalmist speaks of acknowledging his sins, but what if the sins the paralytic was bearing were not his own? What could he ? What if it was some hidden of which he wasn’t aware? What could be his ? His friends.

    His friends mirror the great in God that we read in both of the Psalms. Their faith was the key. Did you catch that? The faith noted in Matthew 9:2-13 was that of the paralytic’s friends. In a shame-based culture, they could have been despised because they dared to be publicly seen with this…sinner. They were declaring their of their friend to their village and to their religious leaders. They bravely, faithfully, and lovingly brought their friend to the prophet in expectation of a miracle.

    They received two miracles, a spiritual cleansing, and the of their friend. The paralytic learned who his true friends were, and the power and love of God that changed his life!

    We can reasonably expect God’s grace and mercy, not because we deserve it, but because that is a reflection of God being love.

    We have to be humble and reflective as we approach the throne of God. When we do so we become ready to be guided and lead by the Creator.

    1) Why do you think Matthew, Mark, and Luke made it a point that it was the faith of the paralytic’s friends that Jesus praised?

    2) How does this recognition of their faith affect or challenge your perception or beliefs of what it means to be in a faith community?

    3) How does our perception of our faith community affect our interactions within it, and how we welcome new people into it?

  • Trust, Truth and Restoration

    Daniel 9:16-19, Psalm 25:1-10, 2 Timothy 4:1-5

    Daniel knows that God is and . Daniel knows that the people of Israel are in exile and hopeless because they chose to ignore God and the many prophets that He sent. They chose to follow their leaders who looking to earthly things to personal value and . Daniel understood that the current situation was a consequence of unfaithful behavior.

    Yet, Daniel had enough in God to know that God would listen and that God, ultimately, wanted Israel restored, not just as a nation or people, but as a people of God. Daniel understood that it would only by God’s that Israel would be restored. He was confessing on behalf of an entire people that they had missed the mark, yet he still asked.

    1) In Psalm 25:6-7 (NIV), the psalmist writes, “, LORD, your great mercy and , for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, LORD, are good.”
    Just like Daniel, the psalmist was appealing the consequences based upon God’s mercy and love, knowing that both preexisted the errors of the psalmist. Daniel, too, that God’s mercy and love existed long before he did, or the tribe and nation of Israel existed. The underlying thought here is that there was something that needed to be forgiven; there was something that needed to be repented of. Is there something that you think could be a problem, but aren’t certain that it is a problem that God is concern about? Bring it to God, anyways! That small thing could very well help you heal in other areas in your life, or God may use it to show you what is really hampering your with Him.

    2) In 2 Timothy 4:1-5, is warning Timothy that people will get to a point where they will not listen because they don’t want to. It is no different than what the people of Israel had done for generations prior to their exile. The very things Daniel was repenting of. We are often quick to say that there is false teaching all around us, even in our church!

    Have you thought there was false teaching? What did you do?

    Do we ever call something false teaching that does not conflict with scripture, but appears to conflict with our understanding or traditions?

  • Confessing in Trust

    Daniel 9:3-10, Psalm 25:1-10, 1 John 1:5-10

    The that many had on their foreheads yesterday are gone, either rubbed or washed off. As we read yesterday, ashes are a sign of repentance. Daniel sought God through , supplication, fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. Daniel uses these 5 things not to get a reward, nor in that he would get an answer because he did them. Daniel did them to put aside himself, so that he be more aware of God, and less concerned for himself.

    Prayer is a conversation. Especially during Lent, we can be deliberate in speaking less, and listening more. Supplications are not the list of things we want, think we need, health, wealth, and so on, but it is in the of saying, “God, please use me. God, please change me to fulfill your purpose.” Fasting is often food, as it is essential to live. In our of plenty, fasting can be a powerful spiritual tool, as it reminds us of our , and the blessor, God our .

    Sackcloth was what people wore to show that they were repenting or mourning. It was very uncomfortable. This cloth rubbing against one’s bare skin was another physical reminder that things were not as they ought to be. Daniel, a man of importance, wearing sackcloth would have been very unusual, and would have likely caused a stir, and would have likely been humiliating for a person whose focus was on himself, rather than God.

    1) In Psalm 25:1-10, the psalms writes, “…in You I …”. How is your trust of/in God doing?

    2) In 1 John 1:5-10, confession is cornerstone of our release from sin. Confession is hard when we have to to , because it requires trust. When you confess to God, is it easy because you trust God, or is it easy because you think God is distant or not listening?

    3) What practices of confession do you follow? Are they enough?

  • Grateful In Ashes

    Joel 2:12-17, Psalm 51:1-17, 2 Corinthians 4:21-6:10 (read online ⧉)

    Through the prophet Joel, God sought to realign the life of the Israelites to Him. God was calling them to live a life oriented to Him. God didn’t want them to miss out on the life they were meant for. As we begin the Lenten season, it is a time for each of us to reflect upon what in our life is keeping us from being oriented on Him.

    From the early days of our , Christians have observed the remembrance of Christ’s passion () and resurrection (Easter) with great reverence. It became the custom to prepare for that observance by a season of prayer and fasting, and the of those who had been separated from the community of faith. When keeping the season of , we take to God’s call to repentance and the assurance of forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel, and practice in our daily lives the work of reconciliation. You are invited to the observance of Lent through self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word.

    On Ash Wednesday, many people to receive the mark of , which is a reminder of our mortal nature and of God’s invitation to receive Christ’s redeeming work. The ashes are a sign of repentance, that one’s life is not as God-focused as it ought to be. It is a declaration that all is not well, that something needs to .

    As we walk together through Lent, through our paths of reflection, self-denial, and repentance, this is all part of our response of to God who sent Christ, the ultimate love letter, to us that we can see that God wants us as His Children.

    1) Giving up something (self-denial and/or fasting) is often practiced during Lent. The purpose is to grow closer to God. If you choose to do this, what will you give up? We challenge you to share whatever this is with someone who will hold you accountable.

    2) Other practices for Lent are focused prayer, self-examination, deeper scripture reading, all of which are intended to draw us deeper and to slow us down. What will you focus on this Lent to grow your Christian walk?

    3) One of the newer trends is to give up something you know you need to give up already. Do you think that could be effective as a spiritual ? Why or why not?

  • Who Gets In?

    2 Kings 21: 1–18, Luke 13:31–35, Romans 11:1–12 (read online ⧉)

    Scripture leaves no question as to Manasseh. He was not a man after God’s own . While the image of God was in him, he in no way honored it. He led his people even further away from God. He is not alone in his . While he may have led the people away from God, they chose to follow. We could excuse their behavior by saying that they were afraid to oppose Manasseh, however, God does not excuse them. There is a lot to unpack there, but not for today.

    God does say that the people of Israel (and Judah) have done since they left Egypt. The time has come, it seems, for something to happen, and happen it did. The people of Judah were eventually sent into exile.

    By the time of , Israel was again in the clutches of a foreign authority. Just as during the exile, that did not mean that God stopped working, it just wasn’t as expected or often as desired. Jesus is quite blunt about the whole thing when he states that a true prophet of Israel (with some exceptions) will die in Jerusalem, by the hand of Jerusalem. That’s a pretty dark statement.

    A people who disregarded God and kill God’s prophets in the very city God “placed” his name. What kind of could they possibly have?

    An amazing kind.

    had the unenviable task of sharing the with Jews and and placating the long-standing cultural frictions between the groups. Add into this the addition of Gentiles to God’s redemptive plan (despite it being in the Old Testament), and the tensions to cast out the “other” group(s) from the redemptive story was probably pretty strong. Paul had to well to the Gentiles who (at least some) seemed to think that now that they had received redemption, the Jews had lost it. Some Jews probably felt that Paul was saying that, too.

    Redemption is available to all.

    1) Have you ever thought or said that someone is beyond redemption?

    2) Reread Romans 11:12. Compare that to the behavior that Jesus noted. What does that tell you about God’s and love?

    3) Have you ever had to walk between 2 competing groups like Paul had to? What was it about? How was it resolved?

Devotion.al

Fatalism Antivenom

Job 5:8-27, 1 Peter 3:8–18a, Psalm 77 (read online ⧉)

When we talk about the underlying of (see yesterday’s devotion), we must have an understanding that this underlying joy fully rests on God, and who God is. This foundation of joy is not shaken or disturbed by the world and all its troubles, because (and only because) it is built on God.

In our passage from Job, Eliphaz is still lecturing Job. Job 5:8 is a legal appeal. Eliphaz is telling Job that all Job has to do is make an appeal to God. If Job is as innocent as he claims, then God will spare Job. Eliphaz continues to speak, and it seems that his words are accurate, that is until we get to verse 19 (and on through 27). Eliphaz sums up his legal argument from verse 8. God will keep Job from everything bad, if Job is indeed innocent, and continues to appease God. This is essential to understand. Eliphaz had fallen victim to the culture around him regarding God. Eliphaz’s understanding was that God was transactional in nature. You God what he wants, you’ll get good (not necessarily what you want, but still good). The conclusion that Eliphaz made was that Job didn’t fulfill his end of the transaction.

This the that many people have of God, including many Christians. This view, however, does not have the joyful foundation that is essential to a . This view is fatalistic. In other words, the world is full of bad, and there is nothing we can do about it.

Peter has a significantly different view. Peter, having spent time with , and life being transformed by Jesus through the , know we can do something about it.

Peter gives us direction on how to be life to fellow believers, and even to those who do not believe. Peter knows that bad will happen. Yet, he encourages his readers (and us) to rely on Jesus Christ. This reliance is the of the joyful life that does not laugh in the face of danger, or dance in the midst of trial, but understands that God is there beside us in and through it all.

1) How have you been fatalistic (i.e., “there’s nothing I can do”) in your lift?

2) How are Peter’s words an antidote to fatalism?