Devotion.al

Tag: faith

  • Faithful Servanthood

    Psalm 127, Matthew 25:14–30, Luke 22:35–38

    The question is often asked, “when you get to Heaven, what do you want to ?”

    The common answer is, “well done, good and .”

    It is a feel-good statement. Truthfully, we would all like to hear that from God.

    In the parable, the servants were given money to build up the master’s coffers. The interesting part about the parable is that 2 servants did well, and 1 servant did (basically) nothing. The reality is that in investing, you lose money, too. That is part of the risk. A person who launches a small business is putting their money at risk to be successful, with no guarantees. In the parable, we don’t have a servant that tried and failed. There is either trying and succeeding, or there is nothing ().

    This seems significant. Though perhaps it is not. It could be argued that the 2 successful servants were blessed (Psalm 17:1) and the other servant just missed out. This is often the interpretation, as it is seen as applying to Israel for not up to its potential. In fact, burying the money was (culturally) from liability, for if buried money is stolen, there was no responsibility.

    In Matthew’s version of the parable (or a different contextual telling of the parable), Matthew used “faithful” to describe the servant, while Luke did not. For Matthew, this was a matter of . The master trusted the servant to do the right thing (with what the Master gave), and be successful with it.

    When it comes to real , however, it is not so clear-cut. In his last hours with his disciples, alludes to the disciples being taken care of when sent out by him earlier in the ministry. Yet, now they are to be self-prepared (instead of being taken care of) and even armed (though the weapon-like nature of the sword is questionable).

    1) Why do you think there is such a difference between the servants in the parable and the disciples with Jesus?

    2) What is your to faithful in this context? What do you think it means? Do you think you are being faithful?

    3) If one takes the parable too literally, one can conclude that a person is an unfaithful servant if they fail. What do you think about that?

  • Very Much Active

    Numbers 11:16–17+Numbers 11:24–30, 1 Samuel 10:1–13, Mark 9:35–41

    The —the third person of the —often does not in a way we understand or can predict. That makes us frustrated. For example, there are Christians who believe the Holy has ceased miraculous activity. For some, that means no miraculous healings. For that means no “tongues”. For others that even includes the gifts of the Spirit.

    Many tie the movement of the Holy Spirit to the 12 Apostles and . However, as we read in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was active without them. So, where does this us? Well, there can be no question, really, that the Holy Spirit is in action. Hearts are still called to . Hearts are still changed. Lives are still transformed.
    To believe that 1/3 (the Holy Spirit) of the Trinity is inactive while the other 2/3 (God the Father, Jesus the Son) are active seems to be problematic. The Holy Spirit is God. So, if the of God is active, it seems illogical for the Holy Spirit to not be.

    The struggle is, again, that the Holy Spirit does not necessarily move in the ways we want or predict. Thus the conclusion is drawn that the Holy Spirit stopped moving. However, miraculous healings do occur. Tongues still occur (and not just the charismatic type). The gifts of the Spirit, including , still occur. It is often that our hearts and minds are too dull and hard to see them for what they are.

    1) Have you ever seen or experienced a miracle that could only be performed by God?

    2) If you haven’t, or haven’t a long while, why do you think (or do you think) the Holy Spirit is still active?

    3) Why do think it is important that the Holy Spirit is or isn’t active? How does your belief impact the way you live your ?

  • 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 . 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, , or purposefully disruptive (to the purpose of the venue).
    Solomon asked for . 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 me the wisdom and discernment to lead your people?” That really is the question. God answers in the affirmative. As we follow Solomon’s , we do see that he stopped asking wise questions when it came to his wives and 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 . 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 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 . 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?

  • Burden Bearing / Burden Sharing

    Psalm 119:169–176, Psalm 121, 1 Peter 5:1–11

    No matter how strong your , there has been (or will be) a time when you desire nothing more than to be relieved from your burdens. It may be a job, finances, , health, death. Often we just want to escape.

    Psalm 119 is full of many emotions and longings. Verses 169–176 are a plea that God will hear and rescue. It isn’t quite the bargaining phrasing, but there is a strong tone of, “I’ve been good, so please help.” It’s not bargaining with God, per se, but it does show a very of reciprocation.

    Psalm 121 has more the tone of expectations and resolute in God’s deliverance of believers. It sounds great. However, it doesn’t always work out that way. The danger of Psalm 121 is its context. Is it true 100% of the time for all believers? No. It is the ideal. Many Christians and Jews have suffered and died over the years. If they were to hold onto Psalm 121 at the exclusion of all else, then their faith could well be broken in times of trial. Psalm 121 is often used to comfort people, yet its very comfort could be what finally pushes a person from the faith.

    This is why Peter’s words are so important. In these verses, Peter’s larger goal is . How we interact with people, especially when it comes to the of God, is important. We are to look at ourselves as caretakers and guides. Only clothed in humility can we honestly help one another. The other side of humility is being able to look at God and say, “your will be done,” and mean it.

    Peter seems to also toss in a phrase, “…he may exalt you at the proper time…” Humility and waiting on God’s timing. This is why as we suffer, suffer with those who suffer, and try to console others, we need to be careful in our words and the use of the Scriptures. We have to be humble as we and care, for we are not there and we are not those in need of love. We also need to understand timing, and that we don’t always get what we want, and if we do, not when we want it.

    1) Is there someone you know suffering that needs to hear of God’s love for them?

    2) How could pride get in the way of our perception of God’s deliverance?

    3) Help, Humility, and Timing. How do you see those working in your in regards to your faith journey, and in regards to your behavior toward others?

  • Enemies and Adversaries

    Rom 2:25–29, Revelation 3:7–13

    The struggle between Jew and has long been the case. Initially, there was a mix of those with good motives (e.g., preserving the “true” faith, protection from apostasy) and bad motives (e.g., pride, influence). Then there were those who regularly challenged the theology for various reasons.

    regularly had to oppose them to protect the fledgling churches. Oddly, we ought to be grateful, for without opposition we might not have even had the letters that we have. One could that it is because of the opposition that the grew as it did (and many do argue that to this day). Without question, opposition forced the church to figure out what it did believe, wrestling with it over generations.

    Paul struggled to the Jewish Laws and customs from the new Christian life, and due to the Jewish basis of Christianity it continued to be an issue. Yet, what was an issue of understanding became something much darker.

    In Revelation 3:9, John wrote “…synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews…” This phrasing, which was intended to illustrate the same struggle that Paul had, became a verse of hatred. It’s easy to see why. Seemingly tying the Jews to Satan is pretty inflammatory. Christians for generations vilified and demonized Jews based on verses like this and an erroneously singular focus on who was the root cause of ‘ crucifixion (the Jews, rather than all of us). Some interpreters are quick to point out that what is translated as Satan is satanas, a Greek take on the Aramaic/Hebrew word for adversary. The question for some becomes is this a proper name (the Adversary) or a descriptive name (an adversary). The reality is that there is an adversarial toward the church, trying to skew its theology.

    The reason this odd historical piece is important is that the church, still, often resorts to adversarial/ language when discussing or interacting with those whose theology is different. We cannot behave that way, for while we were sinners (enemies of God), even before we were born, Jesus died for us. Imagine if Jesus treated us as if we were his enemy.

    1) Is there someone you have treated as an enemy, that God is calling you to ?

    2) Is there language that you have been using the frames as the enemy or adversary? (This is beyond just not agreeing with them on something)

  • People Needed

    Isaiah 30:8–17, 1 Thessalonians 2:2–12

    “To make Christlike disciples in the nations.”—Church of the Nazarene Statement

    “Iron sharpens iron and one person sharpens another.”—Proverbs 27:17

    is not a program, nor is it a class. It is a lifestyle. If we are not careful, Sunday School, Life Groups, Youth Group, Children’s Church, even Sunday Service become mere flattery of our wordly wants and desires, rather than discipleship.

    If you aren’t being challenged by God’s and Spirit during or as a result of these (even as the ), then it is all empty. Will the challenge always occur? No. If it rarely or never occurs, that is the “best” indicator.

    The problem is that we often just want easy, even at Church. Church, sadly, isn’t meant to be easy. Church, as framily, is meant to be transforming. Transformation can often be painful or uncomfortable.

    In Isaiah, we read the consequences of flattery and (pointless/false) positive words, and it isn’t pretty. Paul challenged the Thessalonians to listen for the , rather than be flattered by the speakers trying to turn them away from the Gospel and probably against Paul himself.

    We are to be challenged, not because our views are true or false, but through the maturing of our as it faces the real world is how we show the world the love of Christ, and become the of the world.

    The hard part for our egos is that we often want people to be nice when we need them to be kind. What’s the difference? Think of someone standing on the railing of a tall skyscraper with a strong wind. Nice: “be careful.” Kind: pull them back, even if it hurts them. One is passive (doormat). One is life. In a true discipleship , we need kind people, and we need to be authentic. That is scary.

    1) What discipleship and patterns do you have?

    2) It’s easy to say prayer, bible reading, and attending church are your patterns. However, plenty of people do those, too, and we don’t call them Christians. What is the difference?

    3) With the new Life Groups in the Fall, what new path will you take? Will you join (or lead) a Life Group? Or will you start a small band with the covenant to one another? Or will you stagnate?

  • Just Praying

    1 Samuel 1:1–18, Luke 18:1–8, Matthew 6:5–15

    “…The of a person is very powerful in its effect.”—James 5:16

    As a , prayer is probably second only to and . The ability to talk to the Creator of the universe. The God who calls us children.

    Prayer can take many forms. While there may not be as many forms as there are people, there are still many forms which can be done in many combinations. Prayer is also changing. Prayer doesn’t just us, but through our lives, our prayers change and how we pray changes.

    Hannah was thought to be drunk. However, her heartache was so acute that words failed her. In a culture where prayers were spoken aloud (especially in public at the Tabernacle), someone praying quietly (or silently) was abnormal, and (as Eli displayed) not particularly trusted. Hannah’s prayer was effective, however, along with even Eli’s . The boy who came of it, Samuel, was the spiritual of Israel for many years.

    Hannah shows the heart’s prayer. Jesu talked about persistent prayer. Regardless, for example, of what you think of him now, Franklin Graham (the of the famous evangelist Billy Graham) ran away from the faith of his father. He was the prodigal son. Ruth Graham (the wife of Billy Graham) was persistent in prayer for her son, Franklin. After many years, Franklin returned to the faith. She, like the widow in Jesus’ story, was persistent. However, unlike the unrighteous judge in the story, our prayers are heard by the righteous God. Ruth Graham incorporated her prayers for her son in her daily devotionals.

    Who says which form (devotionals or a poured out heart at a single annual festival) is better? There are many Christians who look to Jesus’ words and draw huge generalizations that Jesus does not make. For example, the Jesus prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” has been used for years. People condemn it as babble because it is used in repetition. However, these same people often use the Lord’s Prayer (a mere 2 verses later) as memorized prayer without meditating on the actual words and meaning. Which is right?

    1) What are your preferred methods to pray? Why do you think that is?

    2) Have you ever tried to pray a different way? Why? What was the spiritual difference?

    3) How is your prayer ?

  • Be Strange

    Joshua 7:3–15, 1 Thessalonians 4:1–12

    The pivotal character in the book Dune at one point talks about having a “stamp of strangeness” put upon him. This stamp was definitely a different context, yet “stamp of strangeness” was and is exactly what God does to us when he calls us and we accept him.

    When the Israelites are finally about to enter the Promised Land, God calls on the Israelites to consecrate themselves. In other words, they were to emotionally, spiritually, and physically separate themselves for the work (taking, , and thriving) in the Promised Land. This means that Egypt was a closed door. This means that they were to be separate even from their “relatives” (i.e., the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother). They were to be strange.

    Paul later tells the Thessalonians to be strange, too. In this passage, there is a cultural battle they are facing. In their larger culture, it wasn’t uncommon that a man had a wife (often a political or social marriage), a lover (intellectual and/or sexual), a concubine (generally an indentured servant or slave), and a prostitute. A man would be considered normal to have at least 3 of these, and potentially more (e.g., the number of concubines and prostitutes could vary). In some areas, this was encouraged. Heterosexual monogamy was strange. It doesn’t appear that there were specific issues that Paul was addressing, but an attitude and . Just like the Israelites, Christians were to be strange.

    Due to human frailty, we often don’t want to be strange. We want to be normal. We want to fit it. While it is important to have non- friends and acquaintances, it is due to the expectation of being strange that means we (as Christians) must have Christians in our most intimate (non-sexual) where we are held accountable and hold others accountable.

    When we read Paul’s words today, they are strange yet again. The world is heading toward (and arguably is) a society of relationships that are not in line with God’s (especially sexually). One can point to a huge number of issues (and it’s not one or two) that are not only opposed to created intent but are also being found to inhibit or damage real relationships with people. Paul addresses that, too, when he talks about behaviors damaging others in the , and they don’t have to be participants to be damaged.

    All believers are called to be progressively sanctified. In other words, part of our Christian journey to be continually shaped by the Spirit into the image of Christ in partnership with fellow maturing believers. The “stamp of strangeness” grows stronger, and becomes a cross to bear in the world of the transforming nature of God.

    1) What are you actively doing to place yourself in an authentic accountable ? If nothing, what is holding you back?

    2) The world speaks and trumpets individuality. However, the world only celebrates “safe” individuality. What makes “Christian” individuality dangerous? Is there really such a thing is a Christian apart from the body of Christ?

    3) Thinking to the separation aspect, what is a place in your that you need more separation from the world?