Devotion.al

  • Humble Knowledge

    1 Samuel 2:1–10, Job 36:1–4, 2 Peter 1:3–8 (read online)

    is , so it is said. One of the great gifts of the Enlightenment was indeed the removal of knowledge from the monopoly of the church. Knowledge, when freed from the shackles of human power and control, can grow.

    Knowledge, by the way, does not mean . Wisdom is something completely different (though it often looks similar). Societally, we value knowledge. We lift those up with lots of education. We often put them on a pedestal as if they are of greater value than we are. The problem truly comes when one views the knowledge they have as giving some authority, insight, and/or power that is not theirs.

    Hannah’s covers that to some degree as she talks about not boasting, or speaking arrogantly. She notes that God has all the knowledge. As God has all the knowledge, God is able to weigh everyone’s actions. No matter how much knowledge we have, or anyone has, we will never have all the knowledge of God even with all the technology we have now, and will have. Only God has the knowledge of all people and all situations.

    As Elihu speaks, we should all be cringing. How could anyone be so arrogant they have complete knowledge? Sadly, this is exactly how many people speak and . In fact, such speakers are given accolades. Lest you forget, that is exactly what we are getting in our politics these days, and it will probably be worse next year. That is unless we take a stand. This is not the stand of my way is THE right way, but the stand of I may not be right and should be open to . This doesn’t mean we will all agree, all of a sudden. Often if we are willing to listen, the of our approach may hearts. However, even if opinions aren’t changed, bridges can still be built instead of walls.

    For Christians, it should be a deepening knowledge of God through and the Spirit that we should seek, both in ourselves and in others. Peter reminds us that this is how we deepen our faith. If we keep increasing our knowledge of God…we won’t be useless. That means if we do keep increasing in our knowledge we are useful to God. Sounds pretty good.

    1) Do you find yourself overly respecting those with knowledge?

    2) How are you deepening your knowledge of God? Is it with purpose, or is it aimless?

    3) How can we gently correct those full of knowledge, who are full of themselves?

  • 11 November 2019 — Armistice Day / Veterans’ Day

    Isaiah 11:1–10, Isaiah 2:2–4, Jeremiah 8:14–15 (click to read online)

    Humanity has been killing humanity since Cain and Abel. It is nothing new. There was some idealistic optimism, not shared by all, that World War I would be the war to war. Instead, it saw the first widespread use of machine guns and then planes, tanks, chemical warfare. It wasn’t the end of all wars. In fact, as many wars do, it was the root cause of the next one, with Germany’s rise of the Nazis and World War II. The Treaty of Versailles (to end World War I) was meant to formally end the war (not just stop the fighting). People trying to teach a lesson, and out of their own , imposed severe penalties on the German . The consequences of that created the kind of space where Adolf Hitler could rise and send the world to war again.

    Someone once wrote, “veterans are those who signed a blank check to the US Government, promising everything up to .” Many have paid that “full” price, along with their families. Others continue to pay a different price of broken bodies, minds, and spirits. Truthfully, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that any person can do to repay their . Many are quick to jump up and attack these people because of a perceived representation of the so-called military/industrial complex or the lunatic saber-rattling of deranged/mistaken leaders. They, the veterans, are no such thing. First and foremost they are people who surrendered themselves in support of something they saw greater than themselves. That is not something to dismiss or disparage. Ever. Second, just like everyone else, they have hopes, dreams. Third, they need our .

    The optimism of Isaiah’s is possible. Yes, they are. However, it is only when we take Jeremiah’s cautions that we can understand how this can happen. No, it isn’t going to happen anytime soon. God comes first. We aren’t all there yet. In fact, most of us are further than we’d like to admit.

    1) What is one thing you can do to take a step toward the visions of Isaiah?

    2) What do you think of the phrase, starts at home? Is your home peaceful?

    3) What is peace? Do you think your definition of peaces matches others’?

  • Seen In Heaven

    Job 19:23–27, 2 Corinthians 12:1–6, Revelation 4:1–11 (read online)

    John Wesley and George Whitfield were once total brothers in the and theology. Eventually, however, there were divisions, and the amicably went their separate ways on positive terms. Yet, people still assumed that there was something more serious.

    “One day, after Whitefield’s decease, John Wesley was timidly approached by one of the godly band of sisters who had been brought under his influences and who both Whitefield and himself:

    “‘ Dear Mr. Wesley, may I you a question?’
    “‘ Yes, of course, madam, by all means

    “‘ But, dear Mr. Wesley, I am very much afraid what the answer will be.’

    “‘ Well, madam, let me your question, and then you will know my reply.’

    “At last, after not a little hesitation, the inquirer tremblingly asked, ‘ Dear Mr. Wesley, do you expect to see dear Mr. Whitefield in heaven?’

    “A lengthy pause followed, after which John Wesley replied with great seriousness, ‘No, madam.’ “His inquirer at once exclaimed, ‘Ah, I was afraid you would say so.’

    “To which John Wesley added, with intense earnestness, ‘ Do not misunderstand me, madam; George Whitefield was so bright a star in the firmament of God’s , and will stand so near the throne, that one like me, who am less than the least, will never catch a glimpse of him.’”

    What will Heaven be like? There have been many books and dreams shared. The corporeal reality is that dreams and visions are still a attempt to understand the divine reality. How can we embodied and finite (corporeal) creatures attempt to understand the infinite and divine. Old cartoons had the dead with wings, halos, and harps. Those that are musically inclined may indeed be playing harps in eternity, but if you know any drummers, you could see that as unlikely. Those that love to , preach, and teach will probably be out of a job. Maybe. Perhaps they will be the ones declaring, “Holy, holy, holy.”

    Then there is the question of, “Will I see [someone] in Heaven?” Often we asked this question if we don’t know the status of a person. Sometimes we wonder about ourselves. Take John Wesley. While he and Whitefield parted, he had such esteem for Whitefield (and so little for himself) that he believed that Whitefield would be so much closer to the throne of Heaven that Wesley would not see him due to the brightness of God’s glory. That person we are concerned for may indeed be in Heaven, but we may not know.

    1) For those reading this in a small group setting, let us agree that the answer to the following is spoken and shared in a safe space. What do you think Heaven will be like?

    2) Why do we concern ourselves for what comes after this life? How do you respond to those who don’t “known” what will be in the afterlife? How do you respond to those who believe there is nothing after this life?

  • Fields of God

    Matthew 9:35–38, John 4:34–38, 1 Corinthians 3:5–11

    For a culture that is generally separated from the people and land that provide its food, the imagery of harvest can be hard to grasp. Many of us drive by hay, alfalfa, and cornfields. We have no idea when the crop is , but the farmers do. One thing that could be a similar situation would be investments.

    Through our retirement plans or other investments (such as homes), we “” our . However, in reality, the growth of those investments largely relies on the work of . Homes can be the only exception, yet the value of the home is often deeply affected by the surrounding area (location, location, location). So, even with all the remodels, you are reliant on others.

    All the money managers are outweighed by the number of their customers. In other words, there are few working to grow the investments that many of our retirement and dreams for our children (and grandchildren) are based. The laborers are few. The interesting part of this is that many (with reason) perceive that these money managers are not actually “earning” value, yet we all yet still look to them to grow what we have entrusted them with.

    The underlying reality is that God is constantly seeding the world with the . God uses people to do so. Relatively, there are very few that know and the Word. In other words, not much has changed. Even in the “great” American- Era, those that truly know Jesus were outnumbered. The harvest (the world) is huge, and there are relatively few workers.

    We are all called to labor in the harvest. We may gather little, for where we have gathered few have sown. Or we may gather much because where we are was well-tended by those before us. We truly do not know who was before us, or what they did to labor for God. We are to do our best. The harvest was happening before we were born, is happening now, and will continue to happen after we are gone (depending on when Jesus returns, of course).

    We are both workers and the harvest. This is the symmetry of the reproduction of .

    1) Who are you working within their faith journey? Who is working with you?

    2) Why is the discussion regarding Apollos and important? What are your takeaways?

    3) Jesus says we know when to harvest. Have you ever harvested too early? What happened?

  • Broken Family; Broken Community

    Genesis 38:1–30, Deuteronomy 25:5–10, Ruth 4:1–10, Mark 12:18–27

    Migration has long been the story of humankind. People would move from place to place. The United States mythos includes a strong migratory component, from the theorized migration of First Nations peoples over the Bearing Land Bridge to the European migration to the Western Expansion, along with 2 Gold Rushes and the huge population shifts with the Great Depression and World War II. This creates a strong cultural influence on dynamics and in the wider society. The Census Bureau estimates that from 2013-2017, 41.5% of the US population did not live in the same state (or country for foreign-born) as they were born in. How can this not impact our with people, family, and place?

    Until the last 70 years, or so, when people moved from a different country to the US or even state-to-state, the family ties were broken or became perfunctory rather than profound. If you are one of those that have remained in the same state you were born in, it is still likely that your parents, or grandparents came from. Advances in transportation have allowed for some of these familial ties, but this is more likely for middle- and upper-class people. With the of more and more connective technologies, there is greater potential to maintain these connections. It is too soon to tell if that will actually happen, though based on current evidence it doesn’t look likely.

    What does all of this have to do with our passages? They show a huge difference between ancient cultures and our own. That is part of the problem. In the first 3 passages from the Old Testament, the significance of the “kinsman ” (an epithet we get from the book of Ruth) is lost in today’s culture. Put your siblings or your children into these stories as either kinsman redeemer or needing such, and gauge your responses. Most people have a negative to it. We generally don’t get it. Many centuries later, this is still a question, as we can see with Sadducees’ question of .

    Connections. . Obligation. Sense of place. This should help us understand why we have such a problem with ekklēsia (ἐκκλησία). This Greek is often translated as “church”. It originally meant a public gathering. Through the resilience of God’s Word, church as a gathered community became the dominant definition. Community.

    In many respects, the church became more of the ekklēsia during the Westward Expansion, as it was the only common gathering place. However, as transportation “improved” and the suburbs became a reality, community began to fade. Now, in the Pacific Northwest, even the ekklēsia isn’t really a community. In many churches, and some say ours, many people do not feel that they are part of the community. For some, the ekklēsia is a fancy word for an hour-long meeting on Sunday, that doesn’t really feed into the other 6 days of the week.

    1. What do you do to build community? To build community, do you think you should look to yourself, first? Or do you need to look to ?
    2. If you were to describe your ideal church community, what words would you use? If you were to describe your ideal community where you live, what words would you use? How are the words and intent both the same and different?

  • Pride Versus Repentance

    1 Kings 8:44–53, Zechariah 1:1–17, Acts 3:13–26

    That Solomon included this request for the Israelites who would be in exile while inaugurating the newly built should not be overlooked. It is significant. With so much foreshadowing of the Israelites going into exile, one would think that the Israelites would have figured it out. The great , Moses, foreshadowed it. Yet, rebellion (of a number of sorts), confusion, and hardened hearts meant that they were headed to exile eventually.

    When the exile did come, at least, God made it clear that exile wasn’t the . All they had to do was say, “sorry.” Yes, it’s a little more complicated than that. On the other hand, it is still that simple. God remains true to God’s and . There isn’t a free pass for the Israelites out of exile. The way to get back isn’t too onerous, for those who are not too full of pride.

    Even after all of that, pride was still an issue. Peter challenged the pride of the Jews, who built so much of their on their bloodline. Peter used that pride against them, really to make a point. They were so sure of themselves and their leaders that they killed the person they were waiting for.

    Peter makes it clear though…repent. Yes, it’s that easy.

    1) What do you take pride in? Has it ever interfered with your ?

    2) Do you take pride in certain parts of your (denomination, stance on an issue, etc.)? How could that interfere with your and your following Jesus?

  • From the Heart

    Colossians 3:12–17

    οἰκτιρμοῦ (oiktirmou) :: mercy and concern with sensitivity and compassion

    χρηστότητα (chrēstotēta) :: to or for a person as an act of

    ταπεινοφροσύνην (tapeinophrosynē) :: humble attitude and without arrogance

    πραΰτητα (prautēta) :: gentleness of attitude and behavior / not harsh with others

    μακροθυμίαν (makrothymian) :: emotional despite provocation or misfortune, and without complaint or irritation.

    So, why the Greek lesson? English misses so much. The one that triggered this particular Greek lesson is οἰκτιρμοῦ (oiktirmou). In the most used translations, this is only translated as compassion. A few translations (e.g., HCSB, ESV, and NASB) add in some form. This is an important qualifier.

    Compassion can be an act of obedience (with or without being a loving response). For many people, that is exactly what it is. Almsgiving (giving money and/or aid to the poor) is common in a number of religions. It is, for example, 1 of the 5 pillars of Islam (called Zakat). In the , it is titled Compassionate Ministries (Church of the Nazarene organization). It is Blue Bucket Sundays at Generations Church. People out of obligation, too. It’s not that obedience or obligation is bad, but what about the heart.

    Think of χρηστότητα (chrēstotēta). Giving to give is fine, sort of. If we were to give a poor family the best birthday party for the youngest child or feed the family for the month (and, based on the bills of some birthday parties, that isn’t a stretch), which would we choose? Both are giving as kindness, but which has the potential for the greatest kindness.

    Why is this important? It’s about our lives with one another. Our lives with one another are to exemplify …and compassion of the heart.

    1)Taking the rest of the Greek, how do they each apply to your walk, whether for yourself or for others?

    2) In Churches, compassion is often the mission of a ministry. That is not how we are called to live. How can you deepen the compassion in your Christian walk? How can you help others to deepen theirs?

  • Service of Response

    2 Kings 6:18–24, Romans 12:3–8, Colossians 2:8–23

    Service can take many forms. The story of Elisha and the Arameans is an interesting form of service. In this roundabout case, it was the service of . Elisha prayed for the blindness of the Arameans. Instead of taking advantage of the ‘s blindness by killing them, he merely led them away. He then served them a feast and let them go. Normally, we would not consider this an of service, yet that is exactly what it is. Acts of service may occur in many ways.

    Paul lists some of the ways that serving occurs in the as each person is gifted by the . This not an exhaustive list. Nor should it be used as a limiting list. In other words, just because you (or someone else) are unable to put an act of service into Paul’s list doesn’t mean it doesn’t fit and isn’t a blessed act. One could put Paul’s list as a general classification, and be okay, as long as one recognizes that some acts don’t fit neatly into boxes.

    It might seem strange to pull this passage of Colossians into this , however, there is a tendency to elevate acts of service, in particular, to something they are not. Acts of service should be an outpouring of our to God, rather than an act which is supposed to get us something. Acts of service are not rules, but expressions. We express and connect.

    1) Have you ever had someone question what you “are doing for the ”? How did that feel?

    2) Does what you are doing as an act of service fit into Paul’s list? If not, what “big picture” category would you put it in?

    3) Why is important for us to realize that an act of service is an expression of who we are?

Devotion.al

Humble Knowledge

1 Samuel 2:1–10, Job 36:1–4, 2 Peter 1:3–8 (read online)

Knowledge is , so it is said. One of the great gifts of the Enlightenment was indeed the removal of knowledge from the monopoly of the . Knowledge, when freed from the shackles of power and control, can .

Knowledge, by the way, does not mean . Wisdom is something completely different (though it often looks similar). Societally, we value knowledge. We lift those up with lots of education. We often put them on a pedestal as if they are of greater value than we are. The problem truly comes when one views the knowledge they have as some authority, insight, and/or power that is not theirs.

Hannah’s prayer covers that to some degree as she talks about not boasting, or speaking arrogantly. She notes that God has all the knowledge. As God has all the knowledge, God is able to weigh everyone’s actions. No matter how much knowledge we have, or anyone has, we will never have all the knowledge of God even with all the technology we have now, and will have. Only God has the knowledge of all people and all situations.

As Elihu speaks, we should all be cringing. How could anyone be so arrogant they have complete knowledge? Sadly, this is exactly how many people speak and . In fact, such speakers are given accolades. Lest you forget, that is exactly what we are getting in our politics these days, and it will probably be worse next year. That is unless we take a stand. This is not the stand of my way is THE right way, but the stand of I may not be right and should be open to . This doesn’t mean we will all agree, all of a sudden. Often if we are willing to listen, the heart of our approach may change hearts. However, even if opinions aren’t changed, bridges can still be built instead of walls.

For Christians, it should be a deepening knowledge of God through and the that we should seek, both in ourselves and in others. Peter reminds us that this is how we deepen our faith. If we keep increasing our knowledge of God…we won’t be useless. That means if we do keep increasing in our knowledge we are useful to God. Sounds pretty good.

1) Do you find yourself overly respecting those with knowledge?

2) How are you deepening your knowledge of God? Is it with purpose, or is it aimless?

3) How can we gently correct those full of knowledge, who are full of themselves?