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Devotion.al

Tag: end

  • An Expert Problem

    Ecclesiastes 1:12–18, Ecclesiastes 12:12–14, John 7:37–49

    One of the biggest indicators of future success is a good education. Especially in this day and age, education is not a luxury, nor is it just the trappings of the well-to-do. Education is a necessity.

    The “Teacher” of Ecclesiastes is often assumed to be Solomon, however, based on content within Ecclesiastes the “son of David” and “King of Israel” are more symbolic, rather than actual. Within wisdom teaching, this is not abnormal. It is quite possible that based on the experiences shared that the person was part of the upper echelon of society. It could also merely be a collection of others’ observations and quips gathered into one work.

    Regardless, Ecclesiastes is a symbol of the human desire to learn and understand. The burn in many people’s hearts to not just gain knowledge, but to also gain deep understanding continues to drive people to sciences, philosophy, and religion. However, what often also occurs with such a drive is a perception that human knowledge is the end. This is where the concluding words of the Teacher become so important.

    One can easily understand human arrogance in the realms of science and philosophy, but arrogance in knowledge of religion seems peculiar. The supposed subject of religion would generally be an entity beyond human comprehension. Even the later era Greek and Roman gods, while having human characteristics, had that beyond human nature. Yet, humanity still births and gestates this arrogance.

    This arrogance is on display as the Pharisees justify their unbelief with their “fact” that the rulers (depends on how one defines rulers) or Pharisees (at least publicly) didn’t believe or follow Jesus. They relied on the behaviors of others and their learning. There wasn’t a hint of, “maybe we’re wrong.” At that is the other piece of arrogance. It becomes a trap. Because of their arrogance, many people must follow their original line of thinking (for they were right), even when they learn something to the contrary. Of course, the greatest danger is when God brings the teaching, and the arrogant do not learn.

    1) Our world revolves around experts, from weather to politics to religion. Why do you think people always turn to experts? How is that good? How is that bad?

    2) Arrogance is often a tactic of self-defense. How so? How does it play into your life?

    3) Humility is the opposite of arrogance. How does that play into your life?

  • Everyday Morality

    2 Peter 3:8–15, 2 Corinthians 5:16–21

    Being human is not particularly easy. Our ability to think abstractly is a great gift. It is also a curse. With the ability to think abstractly, we also have gained a “higher” form of thinking…morality. From the Old Testament to Greek and Roman philosophers to the New Testament to today, morality is a reality. Many times political rhetoric is framed within a moral argument. Some times business and legal arguments are framed in moral terms. There appears to be an unconscious acknowledgment (for those who don’t consciously acknowledge it) that morals are a sure underpinning of existence.

    Peter is not addressing the philosophical end of things, but the day-to-day practical. Morality underlies your very existence. When Peter uses the imagery of the Day of God as a thief in the night, it isn’t that of a criminal, but that of one who will not be announced. If your morality is aligned with God, all is well. Granted, Peter didn’t assume we all lived Godly morality at all times, for if that were the case, he wouldn’t have provided such a warning. In the warning, there is still hope for all those who do not live out the Christian life perfectly (i.e., everyone), “…make every effort…” How is that hopeful? Simple. The effort is the evidence of a heart turned toward God.

    This would be in contrast to those who live one way on Sunday, and another way the other 6 days of the week (especially, the “work” week). A number of years ago, there was a huge energy company. The board of this energy company would vote to suspend its bylaws and/or code of ethics, vote for something that violated it, then vote to resume the code of ethics. They called themselves ethical. They never “violated” their code of ethics, because they were “suspended” during the unethical votes. That is a small (disgusting and sad) example of not making every effort.

    The underlying reality of morality also directly affects the calling on our lives to be ambassadors for Christ. “Be reconciled to God.” If our morality is suspect, then how could our reconciliation be trusted. One of the first things a negotiator (especially true with police negotiators) is to build rapport with the other person. Then, and only then, do they begin to build trust. If one’s morality is in question, trust is hard (if not impossible) to build. If we, as Ambassadors, are seen as immoral (or amoral), then why would they trust us when we speak the grace of the Gospel?

    Make every effort to be reconciled to God, for then you are able to help others be reconciled to God.

    1) Morality and integrity are often used interchangeably. What is the difference? Why does it matter?

    2) Why is understanding the difference between human morality and God’s morality important? Why is understanding the difference between church morality and God’s morality important?

    3) When do you not make every effort to live life for God?

  • Separating Works

    Deuteronomy 18:9–14, 1 Samuel 28:3–25, Galatians 5:16–26

    The list of people not to listen to is interesting. As part of the Israelites’ preparation to enter the Promised Land, these people were to not be sought out. From a cultural standpoint, this is not a small thing. These people were the ones that were sought for wisdom and guidance. For many leaders, they were (so-to-speak) the power behind the throne. In our modern-day, we tie these practices to Satan, yet there is much more than that in this. If one gets rid of the diviners, fortune tellers, omen interpreters, sorcerers, magicians, mediums, spiritualists, and dead relatives, who do you listen to? God.

    The evil of these practices is more about human selfishness, pride, sin, and disobedience than it is about the Adversary. This is not to say that the Enemy does not use these to deceive, it’s just that it is human behavior and choices that make it these things effective in separating humanity from God.

    Saul’s own pride (and disobedience) resulted in God pulling favor from him. Saul mostly appeared to follow the visible laws, but it seems that his heart wasn’t there. When Saul finally seeks God (in desperation, not adoration), God does not respond. Saul decides to invoke the practices that God said were detestable. Saul, who had gotten rid of mediums and spiritualists (exile or death), goes to one to talk to…Samuel? That Saul would knowingly break the Law, go against his own actions, and want to talk to Samuel (a God-fearing prophet, leader, and deliverer of the news regarding the loss of God’s favor) all shows that Saul was not thinking well.

    Saul could have probably avoided the resulting disaster by abdicating to his sons or to David (God’s chosen one). Saul’s pride resulted in a disastrous defeat of Israel, and the beginning of the end of his family line. Saul had a number of paths he could have taken after being told of the loss of God’s favor. He probably chose the worst.

    When we get to Paul’s list of “works of the flesh”, idolatry and sorcery appear to be the only things in common with the Old Testament prohibitions. That isn’t so. The Old Testament prohibitions are, again, expressions of humanity’s desire to wrest control and authority from God. While the signs of what that is had changed, the underlying truth was still there. Today with New Age (which isn’t new anymore), (neo-)paganism, and occult practices on the rise in both practice and acceptance we now have both Old Testament and New Testament.

    1) Instead of wringing our hands and saying empty words, what can we do?

    2) Thinking of why people turn to such things, how can we show the better way (in love, without lectures)?

  • Blaming God

    2 Chronicles 12:1–8, James 1:12–15
    When we read the Old Testament, the phrasing is often such that we could say God caused most suffering. In fact, there are many who truly believe that despite the balance of scriptures.

    Let’s take the story of Rehoboam and Shishak. Rehoboam was the son of Solomon, son of David. David was the man that God promised would have a descendant on the throne of Israel, as long as they were faithful. For 3 years, Rehoboam was faithful. Rehoboam used the Law to establish his power and authority. Once that was done, he was done with the Law. Rehoboam’s reign didn’t exactly start well, but he could have done alright had he (and Israel alongside him) stayed faithful to God.

    This is the same with each and every one of us. We may ask about the innocents (like children) who, through no fault of their own, are pulled into the brokenness of the rest of humanity, and end up suffering because of it. We may not even be aware of it.

    God does call Rehoboam to account. Rehoboam—and Judah with him—will be abandoned to the ravages of the latest military dominator, Shishak. Abandoned. There is a lot that can be pulled from this. The primary one is that Judah has been under God’s protection, guarding them against Shishak. God wasn’t going to make Shishak attack Judah. Shishak would have naturally gone against Judah. It would have been God’s protection that kept Shishak from attacking.
    Rehoboam’s and Judah’s humbled themselves (kind of surprising for Rehoboam), God relented…somewhat. The gist of it was that God would still let Shishak attack, but that the result would not be desolation, but becoming a subordinated people. Was it great? No. It was intended to be a learning lesson, but the hearts of Rehoboam and Judah were to set in their own ways (already!) to fully return to God.
    The sad reality is that in situations like this, we ourselves can often become this type of hardhearted person. In certain instances, God may have kept the worst consequences of our behavior from affecting us, while still allowing some so that we would be disciplined. Instead, we can often see the lesser consequence of God not doing something and complain.
    James was obviously dealing with something similar but in the realm of temptation. The lack of personal responsibility drew strong rebuke from James. He did not want people to blame God for their choices (and the consequences of those choices). Rehoboam succumbed to temptation (of not following God). He had a choice. God did not make him choose to succumb, nor did God try to tempt Rehoboam.
    1) Have you ever blamed God for temptation (or more specifically falling for it), or making you too weak?
    2) Have you ever heard someone else blame God for their succumbing to temptation? How did you respond?

  • Resurrection Avoidance

    Acts 24:14–21, 1 Corinthians 15:29–38, 1 Peter 1:13–25

    Resurrection. It’s kind of important to what it means to be a Christian. However, in our scientific age, it’s often hard to convince non-believers of it, and even a lot of church-goers (who do call themselves Christian) struggle with believing it. Why is it? Really, it’s kind of unbelievable from a scientific point of view.

    When Luke (Acts), Paul (Corinthians), Peter (Peter) wrote the Resurrection was abnormal, but it wasn’t out of the realm of all religions. In fact, a Jewish group (the Pharisees) did believe in the resurrection of the dead (Paul was one of them). It was a point of argument between Jewish groups. Roman and Greek religion had a form of afterlife (the Elysian fields or Hades, depending on your life). Again, the Resurrection wasn’t that odd.

    It is now. The Resurrection of Jesus (and, by extension, us) is a core belief of Christianity. Yet, people try not to talk about it. They avoid it. How can we avoid this? It is human to avoid uncomfortable topics, especially when we struggle believing them.

    A better question of the era is if you do believe in the Resurrection, what does that mean for you in the here and now? That, my friends, is quite the question, and it is definitely worth wrestling with. Far too many Christians, for far too many years, believed that once they “surrendered” to Jesus, they got the Resurrection in return. Which is true, to a great extent. It is also sadly mistaken from a complete Christian life sense.

    The Resurrection life is not a future life (after we’re dead), it is a life that is to empower us for the now.

    1) What do you think the Resurrection Life looks like?

    2) Why do you think people skip to the end (the Resurrection Life), rather than the now?

    3) Do you believe in the Resurrection? How would you defend it, if it came up in conversation?

  • Godly Peopling

    1 Corinthians 7:32–38

    When we read this passage, we have to understand that Paul really was expecting the world to end. The Messiah had come, why wait? Over the years, there has been an interesting development. The Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches have elevated male singleness for their priests. On the other hand, Protestant churches have elevated married pastors above unmarried (including never-marrieds).

    Then, all have elevated marriage as the be-all and end-all. This is just a reality, not fully a critique.

    The phrase in focus today is found in 1 Corinthians 7:35, “…promote what is proper and so that you may be devoted to the Lord without distraction.”

    Life is filled with things/people/activities that distract us from God. People are good: spouses, children, grandchildren. They are a blessing (or should be) from God. Yet, they can also pull us away from God.

    Having a house and food is good. But they can distract us, too, from God.

    The easy answer is media and technology. However, they just prove how distractable we really are.

    Paul’s point was—and was even the intent of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Fathers—that dedication to God was very important. It is possible that the Fathers believed that if the priests were not distracted, the eternal salvation of the people would not be in nearly as much danger. Who knows?

    1) What is Godly focus?

    2) How can an obsession with focusing on God actually lead us away from God?

    3) Too often when we pray, for example, a stray thought pops in. We might feel embarrassed or ashamed. “It’s okay, my child. I’m just glad you’ve decided to spend some time with Me.”

  • The Greatest

    “I am the greatest,” said Muhammad Ali before his match with Sonny Liston. Michael Phelps is the greatest. Usain Bolt is the greatest. They can’t all be the greatest. Yet, Muhammad Ali was the greatest boxer, for a time. Michael Phelps remains the greatest Olympic swimmer, for the time being. Usain Bolt remains the greatest Olympic sprinter, for the time being. The New England Patriots remain the greatest football team, and Tom Brady the greatest NFL quarterback. For now. Wayne Gretzky’s nickname is, “the Great One.” Sports is easy. We could go with presidents, whether those who think they were (or are) the greatest or those who disputably were. We could even argue over the greatest country.
    But, why?
    Jesus’ chiding of his friends (and disciples) wasn’t just, “be nice and humble.” It was, “knock it off. Now!”
    Part of the lording over is the lifting of self over others. Jesus turns that upside down. The greatest is the one with the heart of a servant. Jesus called on his friends (and us) to not define ourselves by the power struggles of the world, society, or even our framily. We can look around ourselves and see that we often react to the power struggles between others and even within ourselves.
    This is why Paul’s words are applicable to our lives. We often grasp for what we do not have. That, sadly, is part of the American “Dream”. Stuff, power, influence, wealth are all good things in small measures. Yet, we often strive for more to the detriment of ourselves and our family. Is it all really worth it in the end?
    Jesus and Paul certainly didn’t think so.
    1) Where do you find yourself struggling for “more”?
    2) Where do you find yourself struggling against the power of others over you?
    3) How do Jesus’ and Paul’s words apply to your situation?

  • Dreaming of Next

    Genesis 25:21–26, Luke 1:5–25, 57

    What’s next?

    Parents have hopes and dreams for their children. In the last few decades, however, a disturbing trend has occurred. For many parents, children have become the target of their worship. Yes, worship.
    The strands have been there for quite some time. You might remember the Cabbage Patch Doll craze, or Power Rangers, or Frozen, or whatever else is the rage for Christmas. Parents would spend crazy amounts of money to make sure their child got the “right” toy. Or, you could have a Dudley Dursley (a Harry Potter reference), whose parents got him an increasing amount of presents (and it was quantity, not quality) for his birthday. There was a point of spoiling them, but it became all about the child in an unhealthy way. When the child becomes worshipped, the child misses something very important…childhood.

    The problem with the stories of these legendary figures (and many others in the Bible) is that (Esau, Jacob, John) they (and their parents) had an idea of what the plan was going forward to some degree. That doesn’t mean that the plans were something to look forward to (warring nations, revolutionary), but they had an idea. The important part was that it wasn’t their idea. It was God’s.

    Having dreams for children, especially as the head off to the next stage of their lives, is great, but supporting and guiding their dreams will help them become the fulfilled and Christ-following people we want them to be, whether they are our children, grandchildren, or part of the framily.

    1) Guiding the next generations does not end or begin with children, grandchildren, nephews, or nieces. We are all called to guide the next generation regardless of our age. Who has been God been calling you to guide?

    2) We often lead the guiding of those not in our immediate family to others. However, being of the family of God means the immediate family is far larger than blood would tell. Who else has God been calling you to guide?

    3) No person should only look to one person to be their guide or mentor. Nor should a guide or mentor believe that they are only responsible for only one. Think of the many who have guided and mentored you over the years. Give thanks to God, and pray for them.

  • Three Essentials

    John 16:12–15, 1 Peter 1:1–12

    The Trinity has long been a struggle. As the church began to mature, there were many struggles, discussions, and arguments over what exactly they believed. Out of those many discussions, creeds were formed seeking to unify the church in understanding. Many have tried (and continue to try) to dismiss creeds as “The Victor’s spoils,” meaning that because the creeds were what “won”, they are invalid. The argument being that there wasn’t a consensus, and those that did not agree were tossed out of the church, argue that the creeds were then just a source of power, control, and bullying. The reality is that the creeds defining the Trinity are essential to understanding who Jesus is.

    Jesus himself makes clear that there is definite relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus conveys unified ownership (What is the Father’s is mine; what is mine is the Holy Spirit’s.). There is also the often ignored, but almost essential statement, “…you can’t bear them now.” The Greek implies an inability (i.e., immaturity) to be able to understand what Jesus means.

    Peter’s triune greeting shows us that while there is not an explicit understanding of the relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, there is an understanding that the relationship is essential to the church and the faith. Why is this important? Why does it matter? As we move in the world, an incomplete understanding can be an issue, and can often lead to doubt or attack. While the Trinity is beyond the scope of a devotional, knowing what you believe, and why you believe it, gives you the firm foundation to walk as a Christian.

    1) When we read Jesus’ words in the light of our relationships, there is a strong mutuality of ownership. How do you see mutuality in your relationships with others? Do you see it in your church relationship?

    2) When it comes to hard-to-understand things in life and faith, how do you approach things?

    3) Peter’s words end with service. How are you serving others in the faith, whether younger or older?

  • A Different Journey

    Psalm 85, Numbers 33:1-56, Galatians 5:16–25

    We are born. We die. The beginning and then end.

    In between the beginning and the end there are many steps to take.

    The Israelites were finally at the end of their wandering in the desert. They had taken many steps in the desert. With God’s blessing and care, clothes and footwear did not wear out. They were at the end of their journey was at an end.

    That journey ended, and a new one was about to begin.

    The Israelites were not always good at following the path that was laid out for them. They certainly messed up a lot, sometimes out of pride, sometimes out of strong emotion. It’s not as if we, too, have not stumbled on our journey.
    In many ways, the new journey the Israelites were about to start was far more dangerous. Moses, their great leader, would not be with them. It was not that Joshua was a bad leader, he just wasn’t Moses.

    In the desert, they were tempted but relatively isolated where their sins and failures were relatively (note the relatively) harmless to the whole. However, now they were entering a place of permanence. Isolation would no longer be a form of security. They were entering the land where other gods were worshiped. They would be sorely tempted by people who were their neighbors.

    A different journey indeed.

    We have a single long journey to walk. It has many stages, each them a journey unto themselves. Walking by the spirit is the way to walk our journey in a way that brings honor and glory to God, and to find the True path to the Good Life.

    1) What major changes in your journey do you remember?

    2) How did each of those changes affect your walk with Jesus?

    3) Both the journey in the desert, and the journey at home had dangers. How were they the same, and how where they different?