Devotion.al

Tag: faith

  • Kick or Lift

    Kick or Lift

    Psalm 23; Jeremiah 12:1–13; Luke 18:35–43

    Understanding that we don’t know the whys and wherefores of life is one step. Accepting it is another. Then the biggest step is not blaming God. Often blaming God is the easiest as it means we have no responsibility. It also means we have no control, so we are “spared”.Yet, deep down inside we feel the disconnect. That’s why we, even in our modern enlightened era are constantly trying to find the next “right” (and leaders). We strive against our hopes and fears that the next one will be the “right” one.

    Jeremiah summarizes all of these emotions with his anguished words to God. Jeremiah acknowledges that he (just like us) has no place to judge God. That doesn’t mean that Jeremiah doesn’t want to understand (just like us).

    Although it is not stated, God seems to starting with verse 5, asking Jeremiah how long he will strive against all that is coming. Then the verses continue about an inheritance that has been abandoned because of the it had committed. There is no in God’s words. There is heartbreak.

    A decision was made to turn against God; to go their own way.If they had been the blind man, calling for the of God and meaning it. All things would have changed. The blind man was persistent in the face of contrary opinion. He asked for mercy. He received mercy. said it was his .

    If the inheritors had begged in faith for such mercy, they, too, could have been healed.

    ※Reflection※

    • Where in your life do you identify with Jeremiah?
    • Have you had any experience in your life similar to God’s in Jeremiah?
    • Have you experienced or witnessed a similar movement of faith, grace, and healing as the blind man?

    ※Prayer※

    God, we don’t see all the pieces. We know by faith that you are moving in the world. Help us to see your moving and the ability to it with . Amen.

  • Tabled Enemies

    Tabled Enemies

    Psalm 23; Jeremiah 10:17–25; Acts 17:16–31

    One of the things that will make many Christians fall away from the is a weak foundation when it comes to trials. We say many platitudes, and try not to think about what happens where we actually tested. If you’ve ever read anything on the many martyrs of the (from of old to the present day), you will often come away with, “Thank you, Lord, for that not being me.”

    Psalm 23:5 reads, “You set a table for me right in front of my enemies…” While it is often read and interpreted as a “thumb your nose at your enemies” that is probably not the intent. As this Psalm is one of shepherding, the intent is likely more along the lines of being so confident in God, so reliant on God’s , that even a resting meal (versus standing up or eating hurriedly) is possible in while among one’s enemies.

    Though, many of us are probably not so assured of God’s protection were we to be placed in a so-called relaxing position among our enemies. How bold would we really be? How ready would we be to deal with the emotional anxiety that it would involve?

    The concept in Jeremiah 10:19 is that there is and a consequence to deal with in these situations. It’s not just deal with it, but not even seeking to escape it. In Jeremiah, the consequences and pains of exile are coming and the God-honoring is to accept it and not try to escape it. The reality of soon having a table in the of one’s enemies really comes into focus for Jeremiah.

    ※Reflection※

    • What does it mean to you to be seated in the presence of your enemies? Who have been your enemies? Who are your enemies?
    • What does it mean to have enemies, and yet be told to them and pray for them? If this is the case, do Christians really have enemies?
    • What battle or pain are you trying to escape right now that God may actually be calling you to lean into?

    ※Prayer※

    , thank you for your presence wherever we are. Guide us through the times we are to embrace our trouble and pain and lead us out of the times when they are not for your benefit or ours. Amen.

  • And Now We Worship

    And Now We Worship

    Psalm 142; Amos 9:11–15; Luke 7:31–35

    As mentioned previously, Amos’ was to the Israelites, the nation of the 10 tribes that separated from Judah and Benjamin. As part of the “rebellion” the of the Israelites, Jeroboam, made 2 golden calves for local worship to protect his “kingship” from reverting to Judah and Jerusalem should the people of Israel choose to faithfully worship at the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:26–33). He was quite successful.

    As the Temple had remained in Jerusalem, and the false worship at Bethel (gold calf), it seems strange to mentions the “tent of David”. The original Tent of Meeting was replaced by the Temple. The Temple in Jerusalem wasn’t destroyed. The temple of false worship in Bethel would fall in a few years due to an earthquake. The people of Israel no longer claimed David as one of their own (1 Kings 12:16–17).

    The best way to explain this is to understand the underlying message of Amos: false worship was separating the people of Israel permanently (by their actions, not God’s) from God. True/pure/heartfelt worship would reunite the people of Israel with God. In other words, the false temple won’t help you (and the implication that even the Temple in Jerusalem wouldn’t). Only being someone “after” God’s own heart would restore things as they ought to be. The message to the Israelites was, be David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).

    However, no matter how we slice it or define it, we will often worship that which isn’t God, thinking that it will bring us closer to God. Quite often it is behavior. And, while certain behaviors (repentance, love of God, worship of God) will, we all too often confuse which behaviors.

    Take ‘ words as shared by Luke. John the Baptist and Jesus the Prophet (yes, the Messiah, but for this point, we’ll leave it as prophet) didn’t fit into idealized behaviors that were expected. John wore uncomfortable clothing (a type worn by ascetics as a form of penance or self-denial), and ate “cakes” of dried honey and locusts (yum?). They said he had a demon. John the Baptist, for the record, was unique in his ministry, not his “taste” in clothing and food.

    The same people that questioned John the Baptist’s sanity, purity, and holiness, used a completely different measurement tool for Jesus. Jesus dared to drink a lot (whether it was high or not was never the argument of his contemporaries), eat a lot (he was probably a popular guest), and spend time with the less socially advantaged.

    Bluntly, these almost word-for-word statements have been used by far too many Evangelicals (even the demon-one) against Christians of other traditions (and sometimes even within). Far too many worship (yes, worship) forms of worship and obedience far more than they worship God.

    There is, of course, a slippery slope. That, too, is an issue pointing out. If everything is allowed, then the holiness and of God are impinged upon. The to do “whatever” is also often worshiped and causes its own troubles (Romans 5:20–6:14).

    Who, what, how we worship are all critical considerations for our lives of faith. We just need to be careful that which we unrighteous (or otherwise inappropriate) worship is not because of the way we see it, rather than how God sees it.

    ※Reflection※

    • What does worshiping as a person after God’s own heart look like? How might it be different than your current practices? How might it be the same?
    • Why do we often overcomplicate the worship of God? What kind of actions have you experienced that have hampered your worship of God? Have those same actions been a vital part of another’s worship experience?
    • How does the worship in our hearts work with or against the worship of our actions (i.e., body)?

    ※Prayer※

    to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us; glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and always. Amen. [Ephesians 3:20–21]

  • Rubble and Ruin

    Rubble and Ruin

    Psalm 142; Amos 9:1–4; Acts 23:12–35

    I don’t know about you, but I’m a little jaundiced about earthquakes. I grew up in Northern California. Earthquakes were…normal isn’t the word…to be expected. So much so, that the first earthquake my wife experiences was in the middle of the night. She woke me up in a panic, “Was that an earthquake!?” “Yes,” I responded sleepily and went back to sleep. The biggest earthquake I experienced was the Loma Prieta one. It was big. Things fell off shelves, but it was just an earthquake. Finally, my mom convinced me to turn on the radio. Then I figured it out. It was big.

    The coming earthquake in Amos was big. Unlike us who have a larger grasp of earthquakes and their reasons, ancient peoples had no such framework. Earthquakes were generational memories (and they didn’t live on the Rim of Fire, either). An earthquake was a momentous, God-sized event. According to scholars, the earthquake predicted in Amos happened around 2 years later and is mentioned in literature elsewhere in the region. The earthquake leveled a temple dedicated to gods other than God.

    The Israelites by this point were the 10 tribes of Israel that had separated from Judah and Benjamin. They had developed their own worship. While maintaining some concept of their original identity, during this particular era, they were a power of their own. The lowly southern tribes were nothing to them.

    Many years before near Bethel, a man had a dream. He dreamed of a “ladder of angels.” He had received a vision from God and a promise of descendants. He called the place Bethel. God called the man Israel (granted, that happened later). Where Jacob had the vision and received a promise to become a of nations, now his descendants turned away from God. The dream was broken.

    The vision (that came true) of the destruction of the temple at Bethel sounds pretty severe. It was. That Amos’ call was to this nation showed that God was not truly done with Israel. God still wanted these descendants of Israel and Abraham. Abandoning of the dream, the covenant, and the hope.

    Paul was no Amos. For the Jews, he was something far worse. He destined change within the confines of their . Paul had no plan to be part of some new , but to be part of the ultimate fulfillment of the faith in which he was raised and trained. Planning an assassination is the move of people who do not wish to be seen, or the strength of someone stronger (the Roman empire). The sad is that, yet again, the religious leaders were knowingly allowing, abetting, and therefore approving the murder of another. They could claim that they did not murder (and be truthful), but they could have stopped it. They chose not to.

    Whether Amos or Paul, speaking the words of God to people who don’t want to them (especially those that say they believe in the word of God) can be dangerous. Our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world deal with that very issue on a daily basis. While we dispute the (un) of a political party, president, or even nation, there are people that truly suffer for Jesus. This is not to say that our woes are minor, it is just a matter of .

    ※Reflection※

    • What “earthquakes” (life shattering events) have you experienced? These can be both good and bad.
    • Why do “bad things” happen to believing people? What makes Amos’ Israelites similar to the (Christians)? What makes them different (besides Jesus)?
    • What actions (or inactions) have you committed (or omitted) that resembles the religious leaders who countenanced Paul’s assassination?

    ※Prayer※

    God, you move mountains. Often it is easier to move mountains than the hearts of humanity. Forgive our hearts of stone. us, day by day, new hearts that beat only for you. Amen.

  • Facing It

    Facing It

    Psalm 119:81–88; Jeremiah 16:1–13; James 5:7–12

    The yearning in Psalm 119:81–88 is almost palpable. The need for relief with a counterbalance of produces a huge amount of tension within a few verses. This tension is often part of our own lives as we desire immediate relief from our trials, the fulfillment of our hopes and dreams, and God. Far too often, however, we have trusting God within that, so up doing it in our own .

    This may be part of the reason why for God’s warning to the residents of Jerusalem through Jeremiah. Don’t try to make up for the exile through childbirth. That dream is more than you can bear. If you try, everything around you will fall apart in ways beyond your ability to bear.

    The reality was that Jerusalem would not be a healthy place to remain. Due to resource issues, it would have difficulties sustaining a significant population. When that happens, disease and famine will come. It’s not a God-caused thing, it is the reality of an overdrawn environment.

    When it comes to our trials and dreams, however, is often not one of our strengths. Often we also begin to bite at and attack one another. In an attempt to appease the tension and , we often turn to things and actions outside of ourselves: , drugs, food, sex, anger, fighting, hatred, insults, ridicule, complaints, discord, control, withdrawal. Various people find ways to deal with their pains.

    Strengthening our resolve in God and following God’s lead is often difficult in the of our dreams and trials, yet that is where God meets us. We just have to have the courage and to face it.

    ※Reflection※

    Where is the tension in your right now? How do you see that tension in your dreams and your pain (trials)

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, build our capability to endure the tension between our dreams and our trials as we rely upon and have faith in you. Amen.

  • Begging In Faith

    Begging In Faith

    Psalm 88; 2 Kings 20:1–11; Mark 9:14–29

    Regardless of your views on the COVID vaccine, medical science (including vaccines) has been miraculous over the years. How medical practices have been improved is amazing (My grandfather once told me of a vaccine he received as a kid. The process was highly unsanitary.). Medical science continues to improve.

    It is possible that Hezekiah’s illness could have been healed by modern medicine. Many of the illnesses in the are quite possible to be healed. This doesn’t minimize the miracle that occurred, especially the manner in which it occurred (a prompt—almost immediate—response to ).

    As our modern medicine improves, it becomes even more likely that modern folks will dismiss the stories of the Scriptures as ignorant people, who didn’t understand any science (which is true). Many contemporary people will then also attribute that same ignorance of science to Christians today. If Christians are not wise in their faith, and in their defense of it, they may contribute to the reduction of faith in those around them.

    It would be interesting to know whether considers the generation he called faithless to be more or less faithless than today’s. It would be unwise to presume that it must be today’s, as Jesus had to deal with a lot of that.

    The of the asked for faith in the face of his unbelief. The disciples still didn’t get their own disbelief. Disbelief was all around. Disbelief is all around us.

    ※Reflection※

    • In what areas of your is your faith currently be challenged? How are you getting prayer support for this challenge?
    • Do you think there is a difference between unbelief and faithlessness? Why or why not? If there are differences, how do you see them in your life or the lives of others?
    • What is more important for the right now, the faithlessness of the world or the faithlessness of those who themselves ? As a Christian, what does it mean to be faithless?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help the ongoing war in our hearts and souls against unbelief and faithlessness. Amen.

  • Aiming to Change

    Aiming to Change

    Psalm 30; Lamentations 2:1–12; 2 Corinthians 8:1–7

    The implication of today’s reading in Lamentations is that this came suddenly, or that all the preparations were annihilated. The sad reality is that sometimes things that came “suddenly” were actually quite predictable. God sent multiple prophets. Before the Israelites even entered the Promised Land, Moses had warned them. It shouldn’t have been a surprise.

    We can look around us and see plenty of people who follow this same pattern. Whether they make bad decisions, money decisions, career decisions, education decisions, or something else, they continue to make the same mistake and wonder what went wrong.

    God wasn’t upset with the Israelites for making mistakes or even wandering away, except that they continued to do it until it became the lifestyle.

    God knows that we all will make mistakes. That’s part of the current condition. That wasn’t supposed to be, but we chose (and choose) to go our own way.

    We are embraced, , adopted, and reconciled as we are. We aren’t supposed to stay that way. The world understands this Truth. If you were to actually visit a bookstore (yes, they still exist) or look at the slate of newly published books, the biggest movers and often the greatest number of published titles are all “self-help”. The world knows that we are to improve and grow. We are not to stay the same.

    Despite that, when the Scriptures (or the faithful -following community) call us to account to change, we push back. We say, “no” or “God made me this way.” And before you think (too late, I’m sure) that “they” should know that too (“they” being whomever many progressive or conservative Christians oppose), it isn’t about “them” or “they”, it is about us.

    Paul calls on the Corinthians to be “the best” in regard to faith, , knowledge, commitment (there’s a really hard one these days), and love (okay, maybe this one’s harder). The best. Not okay. Not good. Not satisfactory. The best.

    We don’t start out as “the best”. As individuals, we may never be “the best” at any or all. Collectively, as the church, we have the potential to be “the best” at them all, but only if we are willing to be changed and work in partnership with the and our fellow believers.

    ※Reflection※

    • What struck you about the passage in Lamentations? Do you see yourself or your circumstances anywhere?
    • What areas of your have you had the greatest struggle surrendering to Jesus? What areas of your life do you think need the greatest amount of change to be in line with the and nature of Jesus Christ?
    • “The best” is a high mark. Why should we aim at a mark we probably will never hit? How do we keep from being discouraged when we miss?

    ※Prayer※

    As we seek to do your will, may we be transformed. As we pursue , may we not be discouraged. As we fail and err, may we recognized that it is you who picks us back up. Amen.

  • Show Stopper

    Show Stopper

    Psalm 65; Exodus 9:13–35; Acts 27:39–44

    But I’ve left you standing for this reason: in order to show you my and in order to make my known in the whole world.

    Exodus 9:16

    Depending on your context and current situation, these words could be good or they could be bad. The Scriptures have plenty of examples of where this was good for the God follower and bad for the person (or people) who doesn’t believe in God. There are, too, examples where the Scriptures point to the people who are followers of God who experience trials while succeed.

    In the case of Pharaoh, this was definitely not to his (or Egypt’s) advantage. Granted, Pharaoh had the opportunity to fix the issue but chose not to. On the other hand, and we often ignore them, there were Egyptians (including Pharaoh’s officials) who listened and obeyed. They, too, were also examples. They obeyed; their servants and livestock survived.

    Sometimes, obedience is not the most pleasant, either. Paul was obedient insofar as heading to Rome. In fact, he could have avoided the whole situation, but we can infer that he believed that taking advantage of rules would dishonor the , and so chose the path to Rome, Caesar, and .

    The centurion wasn’t a particular to Paul or God. Yet, he felt obligated or even connected to Paul for whatever reason and sought to keep him safe. In a different way, he, too, was there to display God’s power.

    Humanity has plenty to be proud of. We have gone to the moon. We have sent exploratory devices to distant planets and comets. We have delved deep into the oceans (though there is still more to see). We have generated many theorems and rules to understand the universe. We have analyzed the very makeup of our biological existence (DNA).

    All our achievements still cannot outshine God’s , will, or plans. We’re not really any closer to understanding them than the Disciples who walked with Jesus by the Sea of Galilee, but we know him. That all that really matters.

    ※Reflection※

    • Have you seen where someone in opposition to God, ended up glorifying God? What were the circumstances, and how did it glorify God?
    • Have you seen where the or trial person trusting in God glorified God, even when their pain or trial ended badly? How about where it ended well?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us be the , even when it isn’t easy to bring glory to you. Amen.