Devotion.al

Tag: action

Devotionals tagged with action.

  • What Say You?

    Numbers 21:4–9; Ephesians 2:1–10; John 3:14–21 (read online ⧉)

    You may recognize the description of the snake on a stick. This is almost identical to the Rod of Asclepius, which is often used (along with, erroneously, the caduceus) to symbolize medical organizations or people. Asclepius was the Greek god of , so it makes sense. It is quite interesting that the making of this staff, though instructed by God, would seem to be a violation of the commandment against idols (Exodus 20:4). Yet, as it was intended, it was to be a and symbolic reminder that it was their (speaking against God) that brought the of the snakes upon them and the of God by which they were healed.

    We can readily tie the passage of Ephesians to this story. We (like the Israelites) lived life according to the flesh. We often allowed our desires and the world’s influence guides our decisions. We may even have spoken against God. Yet, as points out, God still held out the hand and of grace through Christ. Through the life of Jesus, and his on the cross, we have the opportunity to accept a gift we could never make or work for on our own. By accepting the gift, we accept Christ as our way of life, and the Spirit of the Living God dwells in us.

    Jesus was explaining this to Nicodemus and brought into his explanation the story of the bronze snake, relating the lifting of the snake on a stick, to his own crucifixion. The crucifixion, just like the bronze snake was God’s grace in action. The difference between the two was that one preserved life here on earth, and one gave life here on earth and life .

    1) Are you too focus on the here and now to look for the eternal?

    2) Have you ever done something where God brought you back into focus on him in a way that was unpleasant or painful?

    In many respects, we can see COVID as a plague. While it is not a same situation, there is a single similarity. We can look around and be consumed, or we can look to and and trust in God to be free. Which will you choose?

  • Trust and Temptation

    Genesis 3:1–20, James 1:12–16, Hebrews 2:13–18 (read online ⧉)

    The reality is that humanity has a hard time trusting God. The story of Adam and Eve is a great allegory of humanity and . Adam, especially, should have trusted God wholeheartedly. Eve, too, should have trusted God and should have trusted Adam. However, Eve listened to the serpent. Adam, in turn, listened to Eve. They who had access to God as they did still trusted someone else over God. Part of this, it seems, is immediacy. The serpent was in their immediate surroundings. This is why the world can be dangerous to our spiritual well-being. We are in it. It has immediacy in our lives. It can pull us away from God. Even when we fully believe that we trust God, the world can still pull us away. Sometimes it will be little things. Sometimes it will be big things.

    This awareness becomes important as we go through life. One of our big temptations, as we saw in the story of Adam and Eve is to blame other people. However, if we do that too much, people begin to avoid us. We, needing affection, will often turn to something else to blame. Sometimes we’ll blame political parties or government (yes, it involves people, but generally people who are disconnected from our daily lives). Sometimes we’ll blame chance. As James points out, however, we also blame God. People have blamed God for the of Adam and Eve. “God should have known and prevented it,” they’ll say. “And, since God didn’t prevent it, God cannot be good, and must be evil…” Yes, it goes downhill quickly. James is making that exact point. For once it is God’s fault that we are tempted, the slippery slope down to God is evil comes into play. It’s not that you couldn’t stop there, but that many can’t. There are certain Christian traditions that say (in effect) that while God perfectly controls all things, and while God is not evil, there is still evil, so it’s a .

    That doesn’t, let’s be honest, work very well. It also put into doubt as shown by the passage in Hebrews. None of us want to be tempted. So, if Jesus (the Son of God, and part of the Triune God) is tempted, that would mean that God wants God to be tempted. If we, who are fallen and sinful, don’t want to be tempted, why would God want to be tempted? It is here that we have to make a turn. God’s holiness isn’t diminished by temptation, it would be diminished if temptation was succumbed to. As Jesus didn’t succumb to temptation, Jesus’ holiness wasn’t diminished. So, what does this have to do with trust? Jesus, as a man, trusted God’s plan, and leaned on that and his of God and his that God him. Jesus was tempted in alignment with God’s plan, not because God wanted the temptation to occur, but to show that Jesus was both God and man, showing people that God loved the and was willing to die for it.

    1) How do your own temptations inhibit your trust of other people? How about your trust of God?

    2) How does temptation and blame go ? Why do you think that is?

    3) Other than the basic, “God is not evil,” why is it a dangerous practice spiritually to blame God?

    : Decide on one (and only one) temptation to place before God. it. Pray about it and surrender it every day.

  • Bricks of Trust

    Psalm 13, Isaiah 26:1–6, Luke 22:39–46, Matthew 27:38–44 (read online ⧉)

    Fear is a result of many experiences. Generally, we are not born with a spirit of distrust. Fear, in many respects, is yet another symbol or symptom of being part of the fallen world. We fear. We learn the distrust that precedes it. If perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18), then where does that leave us? We have to build up a spirit and habit of .
    While it isn’t ideal, nor the goal, such people should be given a lot of regarding trust (and they need to it to themselves). While it will be a long and hard road for them (long for some, shorter for ), it is it.

    When we trust, we rebuild our spiritual and emotional foundation. By doing so, we remove fear and keep fear from getting deeper roots in us, and even not getting rooted in the first place. Imagine not having a place in your emotional and spiritual domain that has no fear! It sounds pretty amazing. If we’re honest with ourselves, it can also sound impossible.

    One of the most profound (and disturbing) examples of trust is ‘ trust in God the . Many view this as a cheat, as Jesus is God. Yet, this is why keeping in mind and heart that Jesus was a man, too, is so important. Jesus trusted God. Jesus the man may have even fully understood the plan. That didn’t spare Jesus the . Perhaps some of the hardest words during the crucifixion were the words of the religious leaders, who scorned Jesus’ trust in God. The implication of these words is that these leaders no longer did trust God. Perhaps they had been so broken by the world that they only trust power and riches, leaving God outside their banquets.

    1) What prevents you from trusting? How does this tie into fear, do you think?

    2) If someone violates your trust, how do you rebuild your trust in them (or have them rebuild your trust of them)? How might that apply to increasing your trust in God?

    3) Do you think there are differences between spiritual and emotional trust and distrust? Why or why not?

    Action: Find small (emphasis on small) concrete things you will trust God with.

  • Another Test?

    Nehemiah 8:1–6; Luke 24:18–27; Acts 17:10–15 (read online ⧉)

    The Israelite Exiles have returned home, sort of. As Ezra reads the , the remnant of Israel learns what it means to be God’s people. Generations had already wandered away emotionally and spiritually. Then they went into exile in a foreign land with various gods and practices and unlearned even more. The confrontation with God’s was probably startling to many, and -wrenching for .

    Even when theoretically well-established with the Scriptures, and even being (outer) disciples of , disciples such as Cleopas still needed to have things explained further to him. Perhaps, like many of us, it needed that “one more time” to get. Perhaps Jesus said it the “right” way this time so that Cleopas understood. Maybe for Cleopas, it took the report of the and Jesus’ explanation and the breaking of the bread to “get it”. We just don’t know why it took so much for Cleopas (and we really can’t forget Cleopas’ companion) to get it, but each of us has had a similar experience, where we just need to go over it and over it and over it (whatever “it” is).

    This is what makes the Bereans a good example. They eagerly dug into the Scriptures to validate what they were told.

    1) When was the last time you eagerly dug into the Scriptures?

    2) The Israelites needed to test things against the Scriptures but didn’t. How is your habit of things against the Scriptures?

    3) Do you recall that we are to test the Scriptures through the lens of God’s for us as displayed by Jesus Christ? In what ways is this displayed by Jesus’ explanations to Cleopas and his companion?

    : take one opinion or commentary regarding or from the world and test it against the Scriptures.

  • What Promise?

    Psalm 146, Mark 13:14–27, Mark 13:32–33, Hebrews 11:13–22 (read online ⧉)

    The New Year is no longer new. By now many New Year’s Resolutions are broken. People have already surrendered to their loss. Often people telegraph or expect their loss, and behave as if they have already lost. By God’s grace, many of those who went before, especially those that are revered in some aspect, didn’t behave the same way.

    The Founding Fathers (of the United States) were human beings. They were marred by sin and imperfection…just like us. The system they developed, a hybrid of multiple governmental ways of thinking, was an experiment. The Founding Fathers had many fears about this system they created. Oddly enough, on both sides of the political spectrum is a growing belief that it has failed. That it failed (or hasn’t yet, or won’t, or…) is not the question or issue, nor has it ever been. The amazing thing is that it was tried at all. That a bunch of (granted) well-educated “aristocratic” men were able to motivate not as fortunate to take on the ruling empire of the world (at that time) is amazing. It actually means, a cynical point of view, means that nothing has changed. Still to take on the British Empire was insane. These same men feared that democracy would fail, no matter what fail-safes they put into the system. They did anyway. Were they going against the flow? Would failure be catastrophic? Yes to both. Again, they did it anyway.

    When the U.S. system was designed it really had no in princes nor did it really have trust in people. It’s odd, wouldn’t you say, to put the fate of your in the hands of people you don’t really trust? Much of the angst of the current “feeling”* really boils down to putting our and trust in princes (and people) who haven’t really earned it. The ones that earned it are the ones we know, not usually someone on a website or a TV screen (though in this day and that may no longer be so).

    While it is wise to not trust humankind without some serious testing and discernment, people still do it. We have to. We cannot survive being paranoid. However, during his prophetic statements, Jesus still advises people that there will be false messiahs and false prophets. Jesus advises that the will come with God the Father decides, and that is not for anyone else to know. Despite these words, men and women for ages have declared “special” knowledge of the end. People then feel betrayed when the end doesn’t come.

    Those that know the end date, or those who will us or stuff or safety, we put a lot of trust in them. Then we become upset because they failed us. When it comes to politicians and leaders we really treat them like New Year’s Resolutions…something will go wrong. We have no real hope in them, yet we still feel disappointed. Yet, we should actually be relieved when they disappoint us. Whew! They’re human just like us. That is the point of the author of Hebrews, God is not human like us. God is far more. God is faithful. God fulfills his promises.

    1) What (s) of God do you hold onto?

    2) What promises of people do you hold onto?

    3) Why do you think we hold onto people’s promises, yet often turn away from God’s promises?

    : As you read the Scriptures this week, write down the verses that seem to be promises.

  • The Simplest Thing

    Matthew 21:28–32, John 6:28–36 (read online ⧉)

    It’s too easy. What do I have to do? There must be something that has to be done to earn my way. Perhaps I need to be wealthy. Perhaps I have to be powerful. Perhaps I to take a series of convoluted steps, and of course start from zero if I mess up.

    Nope, it doesn’t work that way. Whew! Yet, for some reason, the simplest way oddly seems to be the hardest.

    called on people to believe. He pointed to John the Baptist, first. John the Baptist came with a message of and repentance. That was always part of God’s to those he originally called…the Israelites. The Law effectively revolved around a constant cycle of repentance and to righteousness. The Israelites (now the remnant) didn’t understand and didn’t respond to God’s messenger. It was the people that were not “in” that responded. It was the ones who were “outcasts” who responded to the message.

    When confronted by Jesus, the people asked what they had to do to receive . While Jesus said, “believe,” the parable the accompanied that was about doing the will of God, even when that’s not the desire, and not telling God that it will be done, and then going one’s own way. Belief without ends up being like the who said he would do but didn’t. The son who said no, but did still missed the ‘s .

    Actions louder than words. Actions, however, should be motivated by belief.

    1) What is the hardest thing you’ve had to believe? What made it hard?

    2) What action has been the hardest to do? Why?

    3) Which requires greater commitment, belief or action? Why?

  • Look at Me! Or Not…

    Luke 18:10–14, 1 Corinthians 1:26–31 (read online ⧉)

    This passage in Luke, rightfully, is often used in the to admonish the people about how they view other Christians. This passage speaks to the world, no matter their beliefs. Almost every person is a Pharisee. It is part of the fallen human condition. We compare ourselves to others. All too often we look to others to evaluate ourselves, whether we are looking at or failure.

    In the case of the Pharisee in the passage, he is looking at the “sinful” state of the tax collector. To the Pharisee, the tax collector was “contaminated” by being a tax collector. The Pharisee condemned the tax collector by an earthly state, not a spiritual one.

    The world will often judge us (and we judge the world) by careers, location, origin, and many other things. The list is long. The issue is, as it was for the Pharisee, is that this mentality is a barrier to our repentance and salvation. If we constantly, compare our ways to others (whether good or bad), we are focused on ourselves and others, and not God.

    Often we are blind to our ignorance. Paul reminds us that worldly is not all that wise in comparison to God’s wisdom. What we choose to look at in another person, may not be what God is looking at, and God is the judge.

    When we focus on God’s wisdom we get something to the world, God’s , sanctification, and .

    1) Do you ever compare yourself to others? If so, what areas in particular? If no, are you really sure?

    2) How does comparing ourselves to others hamper our spiritual growth?

    3) How do you boast in God? How have you heard others boast in God?

    : God to forgive you when you think too much of yourself, and when you think too little of yourself, and to you wisdom with both.

  • Sinning Fear

    Hebrews 10:26–11:1, 1 Corinthians 10:1–14 (read online ⧉)

    When we read verse 26 many people will become consumed by . There are a lot of people who were taught (and are being taught) that if you confess your sins (usually at church) then commit one immediately after, and then die, it’s as if the confession never existed. That is an incredibly hard place to live. There have been many Christians who have been worn down by this belief and it is heartbreaking, for it is not what the author of Hebrews intended.

    The concept of deliberately sinning is something that needs careful unpacking, and it is (in many respects) far beyond today’s devotional to dig into it. When we look at it with John Wesley’s understanding of (Sin is a willful transgression of a revealed and known law of God.) it not only helps, it ties in much better. The reality is that we will sin. However, it’s whether it is a lifestyle, or not. We can always try to convince ourselves that we are not making it a lifestyle. That is likely a tell that we are indeed living a lifestyle of sin. What helps us to not continue walking down the slippery slope (for it is one), is the expectation of judgment and fury.

    This is where a real balancing act has to occur. We don’t want to live in a life of fear, nor should we. Yet, we need to be aware that without Christ we are in that danger of judgment and fury. In other words, we ought to seek to not sin not because we fear, but out of and that we do not have to fear.

    On the other hand, self-justification is what the author of Hebrews wants us to avoid. The Christian understands (or should) that Jesus Christ died on the cross, and any temptations we have ought to be tempered by the thought of crucifying Jesus. While this sounds severe and even brutal, this is what keeps us from losing our way. When we stop being horrified at crucifying Jesus Christ, then are we a Christian any longer? As the writer continues, he recalls to his readers/hearers that they have already suffered and persevered through abuse and persecutions. The author is telling them that by continuing in sinful behavior they are spitting on their own sacrifices. As the writer reminds us, it is faith that leads us through temptations and even our sins. We are ever reliant upon the grace and of God!

    Of course, what constitutes sin is always asked in these situations. That’s pretty human. reminds us that the Israelites all ate the same food and drank the same water as Moses. A portion died as a result of their behavior. Special food or drink didn’t them (Communion as a means of grace is something different). They were drawn and tempted into old patterns, just as we are today.

    1) What is your initial response to 1 Corinthians 10:13? How do you think it applies to our passage in Hebrews?

    2) Are you fearful of the consequence of your sin? Why or why not? If so, how do you move beyond the fear?

    3) Do you really trust that a way out is provided (1 Corinthians 10:13)?

    : Write out a to God using 1 Corinthians 10:13 as a starting point; perhaps a prayer of thanksgiving.