Devotion.al

Tag: compassion

  • A Time of Distress

    A Time of Distress

    Deuteronomy 4:25–31; Jonah 2:1–10; Matthew 9:35–38 (read online ⧉)

    Moses is not all that optimistic about the future spiritual health of the people of Israel. He’s downright pessimistic about what paths they will follow away from God. There is something in today’s opening verse that is important, “When you…have been in the land a long time….” We often focus on the acting corruptly piece. It is the underlying piece that we should be aware of. Being in a place for a long time breeds comfort. Comfort often produces contempt (which is seems to be the thrust of Moses’ concern). Moses continues with how their descendants would, instead of worshiping the God that rescued them from Egypt, worship lifeless idols of wood and metal. What a mess!

    And then…DISTRESS! Honestly, as we understand reading the story of the fall of Israel, we understand just how much distress they experienced. Reading the prophets we understand just how much contempt they had, as well. Yet, the distress was a refiners for the Israelites, and that was a good thing.

    Jonah’s distress was also self-inflicted. He ran away from his call from God. When he finally acknowledged his responsibility to the call, he was tossed into the sea and swallowed by a fish. Not quite a refiner’s fire, but perhaps the gastric juices of the fish served the same effect. Jonah, in his distress, approached the throne of God. DISTRESS! It was a good thing.

    After all the Israelites and then the Jews (the last known identifiable remnants of Israel) had been through, they were still in distress at the time of . The crowds that followed Jesus were adrift on a spiritual storm-tossed sea. They were abandoned (without a shepherd). When Jesus had on them, it was (in many respects) no different than God’s compassion on the lost Israelites. These people were in distress. The ? That drew them to Jesus.

    Distress is not an uncommon thing. Sadly, it’s not uncommon at all. It is part of the condition. It is what we do in and with the distress that is important. Distress can refine us. The refiner’s fire can often be an uncomfortable thing. We are now at a time when we all need to embrace the distress and the fire. For some, it the endless activities that have ceased. For others, it could be the of the church that was, is, and is to come. Then there are the economic and stability questions that desperately need .

    For all of these things, and more, there are assumptions that need to be questioned. Some will be retained (and that’s okay). Others we may change. There is a snarky comment directed at politicians…a good politician will never let a crisis go to waste. We shouldn’t either. In the case of a politician, it will usually be for power. For us, it needs to be so that we are made, re-made, and continually re-made into the image of Jesus Christ.

    Almighty God, we our desire to control this crisis. We surrender our fears and anxieties. Help us to, most of all, surrender ourselves to your will and way. We know that you will to take our bad and turn it into good for us. Help, Lord, to embrace, accept and pursue your loving hammer and chisel that shapes our hearts of stone. us new life that takes any part of us that is stone and unyielding to you, and turn it into living flesh that brings you glory and honor. Amen.

    1) What is the biggest “obstacle” for you right now in the current situation? Is it an obstacle that is between you and God?

    2) How do you see the current COVID-19 situation being a “refiner’s fire”? How is it not a “refiner’s fire”?

    3) What other distress points are on your heart right now? What might God be using those to draw you to him?

  • Roads and Gates

    Psalm 113; Matthew 7:13–23; John 14:1–7 (read online ⧉)

    “I am the way, the truth, and the …” is often presented in the same vein as “…the narrow gate.” Yet, “the way” isn’t the same. The Greek ὁδός (hodos) is a relatively generic term that is used to mean a wide road to a narrow road. The real gist is that it is well-used and that it connects places (often other “ways”).

    When speaks of being “…the way, the truth, and the life…” we really need to use its larger context to explain it. This is more of a “pastoral” comfort statement than a rigid “follow me or else” statement. The surrounding verses seek to soothe the anxieties of the disciples regarding their choice to follow Jesus. They needed to know they had made the right choice. In the same passage regarding being the way, Jesus tells them not to be troubled, and that the ‘s house has many rooms. Jesus reassures them that they know the way.

    It’s sad, yet understandable, how this passage became interpreted the way of exclusivity instead of , , and . Often used to show that any way other than Jesus is destined for Hell, this passage is intended to show that God has for everyone as they do their best to accompany and follow Jesus through life.

    Rupertus Meldenius once wrote, “In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity.” This would seem to be the heart of Jesus’ words to his disciples when he talked about being the way, the truth, and the life. Oddly, enough, this leads us to Jesus’ words from Matthew 7:13–14.

    The narrowness of the gate and the difficulty of the road comes into play here. It is this passage that likely transformed a passage of grace into a passage of exclusion. However, that doesn’t mean we get to ignore this passage.It is this passage, however, that provides the boundaries of grace. Too much openness blinds us to the truth of God. This is the narrow gate. The difficult road is the urgings of the world pushing and pulling us toward “easier”, “more loving”, “more accepting” ways of living. This kind of thinking is along the lines of “if it doesn’t hurt others, then it’s fine.” The narrow gate and difficult road do not allow that.

    Jesus, you lived the life of a . Give us the not to follow the world that does not know you. Guide us through the narrow gate and along the difficult road. We thank you for the Holy Sprit, which acts as the compass, guide, and counselor. Help, Holy Spirit, to be filled with you so that we walk in the way of life. Gracious Father, we thank you for you loving kindness that shared of yourself through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. May we honor that in our lives. Amen.

    1) What do you think of Rupertus Meldenius’ words? Do you think that they are right, or wrong? Why or why not?

    2) Why is the openness of the “way” of John 14:1–7 important when we talk about the “narrow gate” of Matthew 7:13? Which do you think is more important? Why?

    3) How can people (especially the church) be united, yet provide liberty and charity?

  • Community for Others

    Psalm 118:19–29; Deuteronomy 16:1–8; Philippians 2:1–11 (read online ⧉)

    The brief summary of Passover reminds the Israelites of how, as a , they are to celebrate it. When Passover was established (Exodus 12) there was a strong community aspect to it insofar as sharing the sacrificial lamb. If a was too small, they were to share with other households. Not partaking wasn’t an option. Sharing the lamb (and wasting less) was a communal support for Passover. Passover was not a single observer, but a community that observed.

    The kind of community that shared a lamb (looking out for one another for the shared observation) is the kind of community that loves one another and is of (at least in this) one mind. The kind of community where a lamb would be shared would be the kind of community where one would not feel superior to , but treat others in and , looking out for their interests.

    This looking out for the interests of others is not the way of the world. Someone willing to share their lamb with another was sacrificial, and probably (sadly) was not done often, except in those very small communities where they shared the same poor circumstances.

    Paul encourages Christians to be like Jesus insofar as looking for the welfare of others, knowing that Jesus looked to other’s welfare while some hated him, some ignored him, some didn’t know they needed him.

    1. How does this kind of community (sacrificing self for others) work when they with each other?

    2. It is important to understand that it is the in us that empowers us. Knowing that to be the case, how can you look to the interests of others?

    3. What are a number of ways that can look when dealing with and routines, and in extreme situations such as natural disasters and pandemics?

  • From the Heart

    Colossians 3:12–17

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

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

    ταπεινοφροσύνην (tapeinophrosynē) :: humble attitude and without arrogance

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

    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 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 give 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 love…and compassion of the heart.

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

    2) In Churches, compassion is often the 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?

  • Stone to Grace

    Exodus 28:15–30, Ezekiel 36:24–30, Luke 3:7–9, Luke 19:37–40

    “I’ve done too much.”

    “God would never forgive me.”

    “I would be [struck by lightening/catch on fire/combust/die] if I walked through the doors.”

    “If you (or God) knew what I had done…”

    Have you heard any of these statements from people?

    It is so completely human to not understand God’s amazing grace. It is even more human to not accept it.

    The stones representing the tribes of Israel were only a mere representation. Yet, as the story of Exodus continues into Lamentations into Judges, the people of Israel often seem to have brains and/or hearts of stone. How sad! We all, at times, have hearts of stone. Look how we treat one another. Our hearts could easily be stone (metaphorically, of course).

    The metaphor of a of stone has a couple of facets. The first, facet is that stone does not “live”. The implication being that we aren’t as God intended. We are dead. The second facet is a heart that does not feel. One of the biggest struggles that humanity faces is and grace. As the comments at the beginning show, we often have neither compassion nor grace for ourselves, and then we treat others the same. The third facet and God’s greatest concern is that a heart of stone has no active part in God or God’s will.

    Ezekiel’s words were intended to show that God was willing (and planning) to things up. The was coming.

    John’s words to the descendents of Israel alluded to Ezekiel’s words but even touches on the place of the stone tablets upon which the 10 commandments were written. For the descendents, there would also be an attack on their pride. THEY were the chosen of God. John pokes a huge hole in their pride. God doesn’t need them (he still wants them). The stones the walk on could be as as them. They would have felt that in their bones.

    During ‘ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, stones come up again. Instead of merely being prideful due to heritage, Jesus talks about stones praises to God. Were the hearts of the leaders so dead that they could no longer give and to God? That’s the implication. Yet people wonder if God has a place for them? If God can make stones into “true” descendants of Abraham and into people who praise and glorify God, then why not?

    1) What lies have you heard people tell you (but mostly themselves) as to why God would not accept them?

    2) What can you do to change the narrative about God and the overwhelming grace of God?

    3) What do you do to keep your heart from being so concerned about “God’s work” that your heart becomes hard toward God?

  • Foundations and Firmaments

    Psalm 148, Colossians 3:12-17, Luke 2:41-52

    What are your thoughts when reading Psalm 149? Do you ever think of all of praising God, the Creator? If you haven’t seen Louie Giglio’s Stars and Whales (link below), I strongly recommend it. To think that it is not just us (human beings) that are called and made to praise God. It is important to understand that praise is a core piece of our very existence. If we are not praising, the foundation of our Christian is in question. It might even be in jeopardy.

    A firm foundation is important, especially in of our passage in Colossians. Verses 12-14 are not easy. When we live out our lives with others, our compassion, , , gentleness and patience are often put to the test. As we bear with others’ weaknesses (and as they bear with ours), letting go of offenses can seem impossible, and even unfair or unrighteous. This is why the of Christ (v 15) is essential to lay down upon the foundation of praise. With praise and peace, comes thankfulness. This is where we need to pause and remind ourselves that there are acts of thankfulness (which is a spiritual practice), and then there is a spirit of thankfulness, which is an outpouring of trusting God.

    It is from all of this, that then (the author of Colossians) gets to correction. He notes that it is through God’s word, psalms, hymns and spiritual songs that we correct the excesses of others, and others correct our excesses. It is important to look to Scripture as to what might be (emphasis on might) going on in the spiritual lives of others, rather than depending on our own understanding, which is likely missing crucial pieces of information. As we get to the story Luke provides us, it is important to see the different spiritual stories going on.

    For Mary and Joseph, who knew the prophecies about their , their from the temple was part of their spiritual practice and were comfortable in their return home. Young Jesus, on the other hand, wasn’t done yet. Here was a young boy among elders, who themselves were astonished by Jesus’ insights. It is quite easy for us to be disappointed with Mary and Joseph not understanding. Just like Jesus, we can find ourselves saying, “of course, that’s where he is!” A new Christian or even an unbeliever(!) can provide spiritual insights that cause others to be shocked with a new insight and closer to God! Who are we to set aside spiritual insights provided by God through others?

    When our foundation is firm, we trust God, and are humble toward one another, we are open to receiving spiritual insights from whomever God puts in our path.

    1) What spiritual insight did you receive from the person you were least expecting?

    2) Why do you think praise might be essential to spiritual insights?

    KD) Why do you think it was huge that Jesus asked his mom and dad that question?

  • Trusting Joy

    Trusting Joy

    Psalm 37:3-6, Joel 2:12-13, Isaiah 12:2-6, James 1:2-4

    Integrity, so it is said, is doing the right thing when nobody is watching. It can be tempting to do the wrong thing when no one is watching. It is often easy to do the right thing when everyone is cheering.

    It’s when no one is cheering, or people are even grumbling or threatening those who do right, that we come to the hard part of living out our .

    “Trust in the LORD, and do what is good…”
    Psalm 37:3

    “…I will trust [the LORD] and not be afraid…”
    Isaiah 12:2

    When it gets tough to do right, all we can do is trust God. Sounds easy, but how often do we fail to trust God, and instead trust ourselves, others, or things?

    James calls on us to be filled with joy in these situations. Joy? Yes, even in these situations. Perhaps, joy is most critical in these situations. The freedom to feel joy is fully reliant on God.

    Let us pray:

    Dear Heavenly , we know with our heads that we need to trust you. As we are frail human beings, help our hearts to trust you further than yesterday, and even more so tomorrow. Grant us the peaceful assurance of your grace, compassion, patience and . Help us to continue to seek the coming Messiah, and to be filled with joy of knowing you.

    Holy , be with us through the remainder of the season, stirring our hearts to not take Christmas for granted, but to be stirred into action of joy-filled praise of the Father, , and You. Continue to quicken our hearts and aid us in our journey of faith.

    Jesus, Son of God, thank you for becoming like us. Thank you for experiencing a like ours. We are thankful that you know temptation, yet did not sin, giving us to choose the God-lit path of faith that goes through the darkness.

    Father, Son and , we lift you up on our praise. Help us to joyfully sing your praise, for your glory.

    Amen.

  • The Hope Beyond Us

    Psalm 38, Isaiah 32:10-20, Joel 2:12-13

    In regards to their salvation, many people struggle with two particular areas. The first is pride. Realizing that one’s salvation involves the surrendering of self, a person can stop right at the . Holding onto one’s self (one’s pride) can keep a person from taking the final step of into God’s salvation.

    The other area is . Often the struggle with sin goes hand-in-hand with pride. If we look around us at the world, however, we can see that the world’s definition of a “good” person might not God’s definition of “good.” You may have heard a phrase similar to, “good enough is the enemy of great,” usually used in the business world. Let’s take that with sin. Good enough could be “better than the other person” or “everybody’s doing it” or “no one else is getting hurt by it.” Great is God. If we’re “good enough” are we the enemy of God?

    It sounds harsh. David, according to the world, was “good enough.” He committed sins, just like other leaders. He killed people in war, just like . He was, it seems, a weak parent. While he wasn’t an enemy of God, per se, at the end, his greatest project of building God’s was handed over to his son because of the blood he had shed.

    There are consequences of doing wrong. Our legal system takes care of some things. Our social circles take care of other things. At the end of our lives, God takes care of the things, as we stand before the throne.

    The passage in Isaiah takes us through the good enough, through the consequences, and to the . The passage in Joel calls on us to be honest with ourselves, and what we have done, all in the context of God’s , , and love.

    To get to the best part of the story of ourselves, we need to dig into the ugly part of ourselves, hearts conflicted with pride and sin.

    1) Why do you think it is important to know the starting point of a journey?

    2) Does the starting point of a journey determine the end of the journey?

    3) Why do you think people judge/condemn others (or themselves) for the starting point of their journey, rather than focusing on getting to the right end?

    KD) What does it mean to you to be good enough? Why would you want to be better?