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Devotion.al

Tag: answers

Devotionals tagged with accountability.

  • Prayer Fighting

    Exodus 3:1–10, Psalm 4, Isaiah 56:7, 1 Timothy 2:1–4 (read online ⧉)

    Phrases such as“fight your battles on your knees” and “win your battles on your knees”, along with terms such as prayer warrior, along with movies such as “War Room” all have an underlying assumption…prayer is a battle.

    There is far too much truth in it. First, the battle is against the powers of darkness. Now, to be blunt, we often give those same powers too much credence. Yet, from our limited and weak perspective, the darkness seems powerful.

    Battle is also applicable when it comes to ourselves. Sometimes it is weariness. Sometimes it is despair. We fight our desire to do something more. We get distracted (even before phones that was a problem). We fight ourselves when we pray.

    This leads to the next part of this battle…never go it alone. The greatest strength we have is when we pray together. We can lift one another up when we fall. Together (as we are called to be, anyway) we can bring each other rest when we’re tired, encouragement when we tend toward despair. We can even hold each other accountable regarding transactions.

    The biggest struggle when it comes to prayer is the length of time to receive answers and the answers themselves. Think of the Israelites. Their prayer wasn’t answered for generations, and by a guy who was (effectively) cast out of his Egyptian and Israelite relations. Their prayer was answered…eventually. How many prayed for liberation, and died not seeing it.
    Whether we are praying for physical healing, spiritual healing, or relational healing, it can be demoralizing to receive an answer we didn’t actually want. There are so many reasons why prayer may or may not be answered, but remaining faithful in our prayers is what we are called to be.

    1) What is the biggest prayer you remember making and being fulfilled?

    2) What is the biggest prayer you remember making and not being fulfilled?

    3) What is currently the biggest item on your prayer list?

  • Different Not Defeated

    Obadiah 11–17, Joel 2:12–19, Luke 21:12–19 (read online ⧉)

    The problem with being a follower of Jesus is, well, being a follower of Jesus. First, it makes you different. There’s step one. Being different. We all want to fit in, but as a follower of Jesus Christ, we aren’t supposed to just “fit in” to the world. Sometimes that may mean we don’t fit into the church or even our family. We don’t like that. It is uncomfortable.

    The next problem, or at least something that should be a problem, is that we aren’t liked for being followers of Christ. This doesn’t mean that we are to be unpleasant or cruel. We are to display holiness, which we ourselves struggle with and against. There will be trials and tribulations, or there should be. That has been one of the biggest pitfalls of being in the United States. We have lost most of the tension that our faith has with the world. We have become comfortable with the world, especially as expressed in the United States. This is why we should embrace our growing discomfort in the current culture. We are beginning to rediscover the cost of being a Christian. We certainly are not at the place where Christians are being targeted programmatically. While many of our beliefs are being challenged in the culture and government, we are still free to practice our faith without fear.

    What gets interesting is how much of the non- and anti-religious people are beginning to gloat with their apparent victories against the faith. History doesn’t support their victory laps. The faith was practiced behind closed doors for years and flourished. We are seeing it now in other countries. The greater the oppression, it seems, the greater the growth. Obadiah’s warning to the gloaters is that they ought to be careful in their gloating. They confused discipline and training for destruction and defeat. Sadly, so do many Christians.

    We are called to be in a healthy state of continuing repentance. It’s not as if God doesn’t already know that we messed something up. God is God. A state of ongoing repentance means that we do not think too much of ourselves and too little of others. This is how we keep ourselves from surrendering to defeat and allowing ourselves to embrace God’s discipline.

    The part that often confuses Christians and non-Christians alike is that if Jesus Christ is King, then why does all this bad stuff happen to anyone, let alone Christians? That is a great question, and if asked honestly, it is worth working through. That doesn’t mean we will have all the answers, nor does it mean we will have the right answers for everyone. We need to have the right answer to that question for ourselves. When we are confident in the power and strength and wisdom of the King of Kings the power of our answers is not the facts they convey but the Truth that is God.

    1) What do you think of the current culture compared to so-called church culture?

    2) Where do you see yourself not fitting into wider culture? Where do you see yourself not fitting into church culture? How does following Jesus affect either?

    3) What is your emotional response to apparent cultural victories over Christianity and even faith in general? What does that response tell you about yourself?

  • Right Words Right Choice

    2 Chronicles 18:12-22, Mark 15:1–15 (read online ⧉)

    Ahab was an interesting king. He set himself up against God and the prophets multiple times. His greatest prophetic adversary was Elijah. However, Elijah was by no means his only one. Micaiah was apparently well known to Ahab. As Ahab told Jehoshaphat that Micaiah never says anything good to him (Ahab), we can infer the Micaiah was known to visit Ahab, probably often to chastise him for continue to worship Baal (and encouraging the people too).

    Knowing that Ahab could behave in a weak fashion (see the story about Naboth’s vineyard), it is interesting to reflect on him bringing a known adversary to his court for consultation, especially in the presence of another king. This is not the behavior of a weak king. On top of it, Ahab is apparently smart enough to recognize that all his other “seers” are blowing hot air, for when Micaiah echoes their words, Ahab challenges that. He’s pretty certain that Micaiah is following the crowd and not his calling.

    Why Micaiah succumbed to echoing the others is never answered, but there could be a number of answers. The likeliest answer of all was that Ahab wouldn’t respond to the truth, so why bother with it. People in power might ask people of influence or morals for advice (such as in this case). However, that can be merely a checkbox to show open-mindedness and wisdom, when in fact it is just a show. While Ahab took a risk calling in Micaiah, because he sought Jehoshaphat’s military aid, he probably felt that he needed to put on an appropriate show for the God-following Jehoshaphat.

    In Jesus’ time, Pilate was the theoretical ruler of Jerusalem. He was under and sent with the authority of the Roman Empire. Only by his command could death be imposed. As the Jewish religious leaders needed his approval, they set him up. In many respects, Pilate knew it. He knew that the real issue was that Jesus challenged the influence of the Sanhedrin. Pilate, though, needed the Sanhedrin to control the people without always having to resort to arms. He and the Sanhedrin played a political game of chess, and Pilate gave up. He actually had a winning hand but succumbed to the pressure of the crowd. The Sanhedrin knew the political pitfalls that Pilate had to walk and took advantage of them.

    Ahab and Pilate faced hard choices. For us, we don’t see them as too hard, but both were “political animals”. We see much the same today; people who cannot not be in politics. Every person has decisions to make. What matters is which direction each one of those steps leads.

    1) Have you ever had to make a political choice that did not feel like it was the correct (e.g., righteous, moral) choice? Why did you make the choice you did? What were the results politically and spiritually?

    2) For “political animals” (no disrespect intended), often the political game blinds them to good or wise decisions. Where do you see that occurring? Is it only that person or people?

    3) People’s wiring for decisions is often different than our own. We may even come to the same decision via a completely different route. How do we work with others whose thought processes (again, not the conclusions) are so different from our own?

  • Not All Good

    Lamentations 3:16–33, Job 2:11–13 James 1:9–18

    Wikipedia summarizes Nathan Robinson’s take on platitudes as:
    “A platitude is even worse than a cliché. It’s a sanctimonious cliché, a statement that is not only old and overused but often moralistic and imperious. … [they] have an aphoristic quality, they seem like timeless moral lessons. They therefore shape our view of the world, and can lull us into accepting things that are actually false and foolish.”

    By definition, a platitude is a “flat” saying that sounds significant but isn’t. However, Robinson’s take on the actual use of platitude is significant, especially as we look at Lamentations, or hear the mourning, grief, and pain of others.

    There is also another piece that Robinson may be unconsciously reacting to is that often platitudes hurt. The receiver of the platitude will often perceive the speaker as unsympathetic or unempathetic, at best, and dismissive or belittling at worst.

    The flip-side of a platitude is actually the heart of the speaker. Sometimes the platitude is to anesthetize the speaker! When they speak a platitude they don’t have to acknowledge the pain of the other or their own pain. Platitudes are often used because people just don’t know what to say, so it’s easier to say something seems helpful or profound (Especially if it sounds like it came from the Scriptures!) and just move on.

    The writer of Lamentations is miserable! Everything has fallen apart. However, in the midst of their woes, they hold on to God! The really important part to comprehend is not that the lamenter knows why, but that God loves them! The lamenter knows that God is present in the midst of it all.

    Job was in much the same state. What he needed was people to be present. These few verses of Job are the perfect symbol of what it means to be friends when one of the circle is grieving. Then these “friends” show why being present is the key…they open their mouths. While much of their speech would not seem to be platitudes, they actually were! Pointless, useless speech that was delivered as if it was profound, but it was heartfully and hurtfully false.

    James presents a more mature understanding of trials and grieving (don’t say it’s God’s fault), but he doesn’t diminish feelings. James, too, is fighting platitudes (people placing the blame on God, not themselves, for their failures). You can be mad at God. You can be sad. You can be upset. You can be confused (in our day and age, this one might be the most freeing). Perhaps in the midst of our pain our greatest temptation is to try to understand because when we seek to understand (and often feel that we do), we bury or hide the pain we feel. Burying and hiding pain might allow us to survive our pain, but it usually doesn’t allow us to thrive beyond it.

    1) Listening is often the alternative to platitudes. When has someone listened to your pain rather than give you platitudes? What about giving platitudes rather than listening? Which helped you more?

    2) An interesting struggle in our society is that those in pain look for answers prior to and often instead of grieving. Have you found yourself or others doing that? How can we help each restore a real and healing grieving process?

    3) Why is it so hard for us to merely sit with those who are in pain?

  • Lamb Expectations

    Numbers 27:15–17, John 10:1–16, Luke 10:1–12

    Shepherds have long held a presence in the story of Israel. Sheep were part of Abraham’s, Isaac’s, and Jacob’s, and the 12 patriarchs’ lives. Moses, too, was a shepherd. Therefore, it is not a surprise that he talks about the people of Israel needing a shepherd. And, after being “bitten” by them numerous times, he probably thought they acted like sheep. Moses even goes and uses shepherding language (go and come back) to describe his successor.

    Goes and comes back terminology is used by Jesus, too, as he calls himself the shepherd. Jesus goes further and says that his sheep will know his voice, and run from the voice of a stranger. What’s really interesting is that John then makes an aside and calls it a figure of speech. As John was writing much later, one can safely assume that John saw many “running” away from Jesus, who had once proclaimed to follow Jesus. Thus he saw Jesus’ words more figural because the sheep sure didn’t seem to be listening.

    When taking all the sheep and shepherding imagery together, it becomes a little more obvious that when Jesus sends out the 72, his expectations are not high. He calls them lambs. This means that they are innocent. In many respects, lambs are innocent even of what it means to be a sheep. The innocent lamb being sent out has no protection in the herd, meaning that the threat of wolves is even more significant. This lamb has no protection (money, food, clothing, weapon).

    The other part of being called lambs, especially in the light of the shepherd, is that they are his little lambs of his little flock. Someday, they grow up to be big sheep. As big sheep, they will lead, guide, and teach the new lambs what it means to be sheep, and who the shepherd is, who the shepherd isn’t, all while the shepherd isn’t present.

    1) Who are the lambs in the church (don’t jump to just the easy answers!)?

    2) Who are the “big sheep” in the church (again, don’t jump to just the easy answers!)?

    3) How do you, we, the church teach who the shepherd is? Can you think of new ways? What about old ways no longer used?

  • Questions, Questions

    We have all heard an instructor, teacher, professor, or lecturer say, “there is no such thing as a dumb question.” The intent is to make the students or hearers more comfortable to ask questions. While that statement is often made, on the other hand, when students are graded on participation, their questions are evaluated on how they contributed to the understanding (i.e., the education) of the topic. In other words, yes, there really are dumb questions. That being said, what are usually considered dumb questions are really ignorant, foolish, or purposefully disruptive (to the purpose of the venue).
    Solomon asked for wisdom. Was that really a question in the context of the verse? Yes and no. In English, no, it isn’t a question. In context, however, it is. “Is it possible, God, that you would give me the wisdom and discernment to lead your people?” That really is the question. God answers in the affirmative. As we follow Solomon’s life, we do see that he stopped asking wise questions when it came to his wives and worship practices. In fact, it seems in that area he stopped asking questions at all.
    Nebuchadnezzar asks some questions out of anger, pride, and offense (people in his immediate circle did not obey his law). We look at his questions and think they’re dumb. Think about it from his perspective. He made a gold statue to worship (no in-depth theology on this new god). Everyone will now suddenly worship it. In many respects, this sounds more like a civil religion than true religion. Nebuchadnezzar didn’t seem to really believe in the god he’d made nor the God of the Jews. In the midst of his anger, he was probably pretty confused.
    Then we have the Sadducees. Really, the question they asked Jesus could have easily been asked of the Pharisees. In fact, this exact question was indeed probably asked of the Pharisees during theological discussions. Jesus gave a brilliant answer to their question, but their question wasn’t dumb. For people concerned with fulfilling the law correctly, this would be a matter that needed an answer. The consistency of their logic was sound.
    Questions need answers, and we often judge our answers by what we perceive is the brilliance of others. Sometimes though, people just need their questions to be heard. They may not need an answer, but they may need a sounding board.
    1) What can you do to show others that you are open to their questions, especially regarding faith?
    2) What will you do to train yourself to not always see questions in black or white, right or wrong? What causes you to think answers must be formed in that way?
    3) What do you think the better question that Nebuchadnezzar and the Sadducees could have asked, in the context of these Scriptures?

  • Grace for the Askers

    Luke 24:36–49, Matthew 28:16–20, James 1:2–18, Jude 20–25

    So, this guy you’ve been hanging out with for three years dies a brutal death. A few days later, he’s alive. He was dead and buried, and now alive. Must be a ghost…except they could touch the wounds and he ate. They doubted. After some more time, they meet Jesus on a mountain. They worshipped Jesus, yet they still doubted.

    We all have doubts. Sadly, however, when verses such as James 1:6 are badly used, we can question our faith. Some even go so far as to lose their faith. People take such passages and twist them so that a person cannot question or be perceived to doubt. James’ warning is sound in so far as being about requesting things (such as wisdom) from God, but false expectations of God. In other words, don’t be surprised when God doesn’t answer your prayer and walk away from the faith.

    The grave danger is that if we take James’ words without a large measure of grace and love, people will truly walk away. Jude’s words are to be gentle with doubters. Imagine a person who suffers with depression, and in the depths of depression doubts. Would you cast them out? What about a person in the midst of grief who is crying out to God? Will you shame them for doubt in the midst of their pain?

    What about the person who was raised as a non-believer and/or strict secular scientist? If they struggle with believing as it conflicts with their growing up, will you shun them and tell them they are unbelievers and should disappear?

    In our world, we should actually be encouraging doubt, or perhaps a better phrasing would be questioning. The world as it is needs a lot more questions asked. There may not be answers, but often when we ask questions aloud, the doubt and despair that can go with them loses much of its power.

    Last, but not least, often those that seek to silence the doubt and questions of others are those who have the deepest fears. When those fears remain buried, faith, love, and hope can easily be lost in a flash.

    1) Do you ever doubt or question your faith? Do you feel ashamed? Why?

    2) What can other Christians do to support you when you question? What can you do when Christians voice their own doubts?

    3) Jesus asked his followers about the why of their doubts but did not seem to diminish them because of it. Why does it appear that James does? How do you balance that with Jude?

  • Good At The End

    Proverbs 19:16-25, Jeremiah 24:1-10

    Wisdom is all around us. It’s on our phones. Just ask Google. True wisdom starts with God. That is the premise of Proverbs. How is such wisdom gained? There are a number of ways.

    The best (and easiest) is to learn from others (Proverbs 19:20). Proverbs is one of the wisdom storehouses in Scripture. One of the thing that puzzles and frustrates people when trying to read Proverbs straight through is that it seems to contradict itself. Often as we read Proverbs, we can find answers to riddles we didn’t know we had. Yet, too often we ignore this valuable book.

    However, sadly, wisdom is often learned another way…the hard way. You could never apply that to anyone you know, right? Certainly not yourself? Let’s be honest with ourselves, often we learn through pain (Proverbs 19:25).

    The Israelites were in pain. They were in trouble. Jeremiah’s vision is very interesting. There were a lot of good figs! Those good figs got stuck in a mess with the bad figs, that the bad figs started! Or did the bad figs really start it alone? Often, all it takes is a good person to allow the bad person to have their way, and all is lost. At least that is the human perspective. It is not God’s.

    There is good at the end. God uses the trouble to clean up some of the bad fruit so that the people who return will be less inclined to turn their hearts away.

    1) When has God used your mistakes to teach you? How have you tried to share those lessons with others?

    2) Often wisdom comes from unusual or even uncomfortable sources. Can you think of a time recently when you dismissed the wisdom of others because they weren’t like you?

    3) God’s redemptive plan is always at work. There is no time too late to turn to God on this side of the veil of death. Whose salvation are you praying for? If no one, then it’s time to add at least one to the list.