Devotion.al

Tag: faithful

  • Devoted?

    Devoted?

    🔎 Focus

    ‌“The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches? And if you haven’t been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you your own? No can two masters, for either he will hate the one and the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and .”

    Luke 16:10–13 NET

    ‌You cannot serve God and money. Money is the translation for the Aramaic mammon. Mammon can be defined as an abundance of material possessions and resources. Mammon can also be defined as wealth and riches.

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌When we read this passage (or its parallel in Matthew 6:24), we tend to get hung up on money. A lot of that has to do with the hard decisions translation teams have to go through balancing equivalency, adequacy, and length. When we expand our understanding to that which is beyond money, we can see a bigger picture.

    ‌For decades, the US (and other so-called first world nations) have sent their cast-offs to other nations.

    You Can Have It

    ‌An example is the standard tongue depressors in a doctor’s office (i.e., those big flat pieces of wood that look like large popsicle sticks). In the US, per government regulations, they have an expiration date, as do beds and other equipment. Depending on the item, and shipping costs, the expired items (perfectly functional) are sent to other nations, where they receive a second life.

    ‌This is wasteful. Yet, we often demand the latest and best, so such waste is a result of our demands. If such waste is reused, it can be considered okay in our culture, but such waste is also a love of stuff…the latest and greatest.

    We Want More

    ‌We are deluged with advertisements for the latest smartphone that the mobile operator will give us for free (but we’re really paying for it in 24 monthly installments). Such ads and promos work because we love our stuff.

    ‌However, what if it really isn’t about stuff or even our love of it? What if we tweaked it a bit to recognize that while is talking about material goods and worldly wealth, it is all about our hearts?

    Not Yours?

    ‌“…if you haven’t been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you your own?”

    ‌The often used parallel is that it is all God’s, and as God gave it to us, we are using God’s property. It’s not just about an employer or shareholder or spouse or , it’s about God.

    Your True Mammon

    Tomorrow (Ash Wednesday) is the beginning of . It is a time set aside to deliberatively think about where our lives are not in line with God’s and to self-reflect on it. What, you may ask, does this have to do with mammon? The first resource that God gave you is…you. Your life on this earth is not only what you make of it, but what you give of it to God, and how you serve God with it.

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌Have you ever given something to someone and watched them mistreat it or destroy it? How did that make you feel? How did you respond?

    ‌If indeed God gifted you yourself and your stuff, how do you think God feels about the mistreatment and destruction that God’s witnesses?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌It has been said by many that your checkbook (or bank transactions) shows where your is. Yet, if you give all your worldly wealth to evangelism, compassionate care, building funds, to a local church, but you don’t give yourself, then are you where God has called you? Where do you shortcut giving yourself to God, and what small step will you take to fix it?

    ‌As Lent begins, you may or may not be giving up something. Regardless, think through what God gave up and how that applies to your life.

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌‌Gracious God, you have given us so much, and we live in such a blessed state that we are now condemned to only see what we want to keep and what others have that we don’t. Help us to see your gifts as you want us to see them. Help us use your gifts as want us to use them. Guide us to see that these gifts are the extension of ourselves and the state of heart and the state of our with you. Amen.

  • People Past

    People Past

    ‌Read: Psalm 25; Isaiah 25:6-9; Philippians 3:20-21; John 6:37-40

    ‌‌🔎 Focus

    ‌“This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal , and I will raise them up on the last day.”

    John 6:40 (NRSVue)

    Those who have died, that have been a direct part of our lives, they still live. Our hearts and memories hold them close (or far). Their good and bad helped us, for good and bad.

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    Today is All Souls Day. The day that is also termed as the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. However, even those who do not believe that is Lord and Savior have had an impact on those of us who do so believe. It might be a stretch to want to take a church and expand it, but the truth is that many of us have that person who is gone, who we miss.

    ‌They may have not been a believer. They may have been baptized as infants or children, but were either not raised in the faith, or lapsed. Depending, of course, on one’s tradition/theology, that baptism may or may not seal them to Christ. Ultimately, it isn’t up to us.

    ‌This is a little personal, I suppose. My stepfather died a number of years ago (my mom has since remarried to a good man). I realized all the conversations we didn’t have, and they are a source of regret. I learning that my stepfather had been baptized as a child. That was news to me. I learned it as he was being lowered into his grave.

    ‌Then I looked at his library. He was an avid reader. He read far more broadly than I ever have. What shocked me was the books about the Bible and religion. As an English teacher, they shouldn’t have surprised me. They were read. They had not been ignored or put on a shelf and forgotten (like many of my books), though they may have not been read in quite some time. Who knows where is really was with Christ? I could assume. I do hope.

    ‌Did my stepfather and I have issues? Of course! Yet, he still formed me. It is not unreasonable to that he is gone. He was long part of my life. There is a hole where he was. My mom, dad, stepmom have their own places in my life, so this is not exclusionary, which is also important. No person can ever take the place of another.

    ‌Another can help you heal from the damage of bad history (including abuse), but they cannot replace someone else.

    ‌Perhaps today ought to be the day we set aside in our calendar to remember, mourn, celebrate, reflect, upon the lives of and how they touched us. If you’re reading this, you are likely a believer in Jesus Christ. As such, we who believe also call Jesus the Redeemer. We can take solace, hope, and joy in that. Jesus can redeem both the joys and pains in regard to those who have touched our lives.

    ‌May it be so.

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌Which deceased person has affected your walk with Christ (for good or bad)? How did they affect your walk? How do you imagine their life through the eyes of Jesus?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌Ask another person who the most impactful deceased person has been in their life, and yours. As you talk together, where can you see the redemptive power of Jesus?

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌God, you have place people in our lives to help guide us into your ways. Some of them have been undisguised blessings, some are so through the redemptive power of your Son. , guide our hearts and thoughts to see the power and influence of others in our lives. Amen.

  • Walking With Saints

    Walking With Saints

    Read: Psalm 34:1–10, 22; 1 John 3:1-3; Revelation 7:9-17; Matthew 5:1-12

    ‌🔎 Focus

    ‌After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.

    Revelation 7:9 (NRSVue)

    ‌Saints are often viewed as legendary characters, with lives almost impossible to duplicate. Many of those same Saints looked at themselves and saw nothing but their own flaws. They pursued purity (or ) to the degree we often pursue wealth, accolades, status, and self-esteem. As Western Christianity wonders what its place is in the current context, perhaps the Saints can advise us.

    ‌‌✟Devotion

    ‌Western Christianity is in turmoil. The so-called Progressive wing seems to find new things to toss out, while the so-called Conservative (or Reactionary) wing finds new restrictions to add. So many things have been tied to what it means to be a so-called real Christian that everyday Christians can find it hard to find stability in the one place that had been stable for generations.

    ‌While certain traditions regularly hold certain Saints highly, many regular church members don’t know them, or their traditions, denomination, or local church just ignore the Saints. This, sadly, even includes many of the churches that have been named after Saints.

    ‌This is not about the veneration of Saints (which most Western Protestants struggle with), but looking to the examples of the people whose lives were recognized by (rather than self-promotion) as reflecting aspects of Christ.

    ‌Even Protestants have Saints, though they’d probably never them such. My , the Church of the Nazarene, had strong ties with Methodism, which was founded by John and Charles Wesley. The Wesleys are often spoken of in the same ways as other traditions of the Saints. The Church of the Nazarene has long held Phineas Bresee up, too, in almost the same ways as the Saints. Yet, neither the Wesleys nor Bresee were flawless. For the broader US church, Hudson Taylor is read and spoken of in similar ways.

    ‌As we look back on Bresee, the Wesleys, or Taylor we often focus on their flaws, especially in regard to where their cultural sensitivities do not match ours. Yet, these men do indeed provide valuable insight into lives as faithful followers of Jesus.

    ‌One of the advantages of the Saints is that while we are usually provided glimpses into their lives through overly optimistic lenses, their stories are still ones of encouragement. Many of them became Saints, not through some huge single event, but walking step-by-step to become more like Jesus. This is especially true when the saints our outside our personal tradition; this might be the most important thing.

    ‌You’ll note that I mentioned 4 men. Inside Protestant tradition, there is an extreme emphasis on men. Many of the Saints were women. In the Church of the Nazarene, we have Mildred Wynkoop (a huge in holiness theology), who we should have feelings for as the Wesleys, and perhaps more so than Bresee. I’m not calling her, the Wesleys, Bresee, or Taylor, Saints, and, yet, they are towering presences of Christian history which sort of makes them Saints.

    ‌While certain traditions have miracles assigned to Saints, that hasn’t always been the case. In fact, many of the Saints were so-called Doctors of the Church, meaning that their writings profoundly shaped theology and/or Christian living. Some were bishops. Some were abbots/abbesses. Some were monks/nuns. Some were teachers. There were even a couple of lawyers in there.

    ‌What makes a Saint? THAT is a very good question. Some traditions use miracles as the divider for canonized saints, at least in more recent era. Yet, there have been many Saints, and many have no attributed miracles. Perhaps we can only figure out who the Saints are after they have died.

    ‌Perhaps the test is, does this person’s life (and words) draw me more deeply into following Jesus?

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌Who are people, living or dead, that have drawn you to follow Jesus better? Why do you think draw (or drawn) is used rather than pull or push? Do you think that this is a good or bad way to identify Saints? Why?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌If you know of someone living who is a Saint (to you), let them know that they have drawn you closer to Jesus. This, of course, assumes you agree with drawn. If you have another or additional factors to determine a Saint, follow that, but still let them know.

    ‌🙏⁜ Prayer ⁜

    ‌Lord Jesus, thank you for all the Saints that have come before us and have provided influence, known or unknown, in regard to a walk with you. Help me, Lord, to walk closer to you, not to become a Saint, but to live out my for you. Amen.

  • Wise in Whose Eyes

    Wise in Whose Eyes

    Psalm 119:121–128, 1 Kings 4:29–34, Ephesians 6:10–18

    ‌We are often presented with the of Solomon. The Scriptures seem convinced that Solomon was gifted wisdom beyond humans by God. Yet, Solomon retained his freedom to make choices contrary to God revealed instructions.

    ‌We cannot know the heart of Solomon. Perhaps he believed he was doing the wise thing (and he was politically) by marrying many foreign women for the protection of the nation. However, elsewhere, the Scriptures tell us that Solomon got a bit lost later in life and would worship gods other than God with his foreign wives.

    ‌If you read the passage from the psalm, you can get either the mental image of a truly and humble servant or the image of one who thinks they are.

    ‌Every time I read these verses, I ask myself if I (at the time of reading) am being the true servant or the self-deceiving one. I have learned, over time, that depending on where I am spiritually, I can be either or even both.

    ‌There is a temptation to automatically think one’s perspective of self is correct, and that even includes the question of being a true servant or a self-deceiving one.

    ‌There are many Christians who have been deceived (and self-deceive) that they are not faithful servants because they have not lived up to the archetypal perfect . Thus, they are accused of, or self-accuse, being hypocrites. While the “perfect” Christian is often thought to be only a legalistic issue with denominations (such as my own, the of the Nazarene), I have spoken to many people who have internalized this who were raised in completely different Christian traditions.

    ‌The Western World, with its history, has also internalized this to both its and the Christian ‘s detriment. I have met very few Christians (only 1, I think) who believed they had become the perfect Christian. The , well, the more they perceive that they have been shaped by Christ, the more they realize they have further to go.

    ‌At least for today, read Paul’s words to the Ephesians in the context of realizing that we have allowed the world to falsely define what it means to be a Christian, and we ourselves, have created the ideal Christian in the mold of unachievable perfectionism, which is (really) legalism that destroys the spirit.

    ‌Freedom in Christ is not truly possible when we are held in bondage to perfectionism or legalism. The external behavior may be seen as correct, but God wants the heart.

    ‌※Reflection※

    ‌What is your reaction to the psalmist’s words? Why do you think that is?

    ‌How does the wisdom the world differ from the wisdom of God? How are the two similar?

    ‌※Prayer※

    ‌Lord, as we ask for wisdom, help us to be able to tell the difference between the wisdom of the world and your wisdom. Help us not be discouraged as the world tries to define for us what it means to follow you, while we diligently and humbly seek you. Amen.

  • Laying The Bread Down

    Laying The Bread Down

    Psalm 145:10–18; 2 Kings 4:42–44; Ephesians 3:14–21; John 6:1–21

    It is tempting to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We can look at society and even many churches (in particular, their leaders), and just up. There is such a struggle against the and against , that it can be overwhelming.

    At the time of Elisha, Israel had a God-worshipping heritage, but it was set up for failure at the beginning with golden calves being placed as the place of worship. Israel had been the stronghold of Baal and Asherah. God worship had struggled to be strong in the face of royal opposition. It could have been given up. The doesn’t die.

    An unnamed man brings his offering to the prophets of God. There is no place of God to worship in Israel, so the man brought it to the prophets. While it was not “at the Temple” (a no-go place for the Israelites), it was still a matter of the . The man couldn’t bring it to the temple, so he brought it to the next best place.

    Then, there wasn’t enough to feed them. That should cause us to conclude that they were not doing particularly well. If there was such great concern that there wasn’t enough bread, bread was probably an issue, showing that faithful was an issue.

    Their situation was much like the people who were following . There was not nearly enough food to feed all those people. While we might question Andrew’s , there does seem to be something behind that. Andrew apparently knew Jesus well enough to go search the crowd for food. Then, bringing what was found, he concluded that there wasn’t enough for the crowd.

    In both the stories of Elisha and Jesus, logically there wasn’t enough food. God still did something. God did so much that there were leftovers.

    ※Reflection※

    • What does the bread-making miracle of Elisha have to do with Jesus’? Does it matter about Elisha’s when it comes to Jesus’?
    • What situations can you think of that are similar to the man who doesn’t bring his offering to the “right” place, but to the “best” place for him? Do you think God honors that?

    ※Prayer※

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

  • Burning Call

    Burning Call

    Psalm 145:10–18; 1 Kings 19:19–21; Colossians 1:9–14

    One of the issues that has come up in the last year in -ish circles is the ordination of women. Saddleback took a bold step and ordained women which went against the predominant grain of their partner body (SBC). There was an unexpected explosion in certain circles against Beth Moore. Along with misogynistic proclamations and male misconduct issues in the SBC, Moore left that body that she had grown up in.

    One of the claims against women being ordained are some contextually misused verses and the traditions of the Israelites. The Church of the Nazarene has ordained women since its founding, but over the years has struggled to fulfill that promise. It’s on the right track, but there is work to be done, still.

    There is often a wringing of hands in Complementarianism (where only men can be leaders/pastors/elders) circles that there aren’t enough men to fulfill empty roles. The Roman Catholic church, on top of its complementarian issues also requires celibacy, is also experiencing this problem. Some churches in both groups are finding creative ways around their limitations, but the reality is that there aren’t the faithful men needed.

    For me, there were two transformative experiences in this regard. The first was experiencing the preaching of Dr. Nina Gunter. Any person with any spiritual sense and without theological blinders could experience her spirit-led preaching. The second was during my “Discovery” weekend of my pastoral journey, where I had to preach to my peers, senior pastor, and District Superintendent. I preached from Luke 19:38–40, where Jesus was told to rebuke his disciples. He responded, then the rocks will cry out. When I was praying over the words to preach, it came to me; God will not wait for us to proclaim God’s .

    In other words, in the tradition of the Church of the Nazarene (and our sibling Holiness denominations) already assumed there were faithful women (and, yes, there are deeper theological reasons). I came to realize that complementarianism may actually already have its answer. If the men won’t rise, perhaps the women will (see Judges 4:4–9). Not the most Nazarene answer, at the time, but it resonated with my (and its implications went far beyond the ordination of women).

    Faithfully responding to God has long been an issue. It goes beyond gender. It goes beyond status. It goes beyond wealth. It is a reflection of .

    To understand, Elisha was, at minimum, plowing in a community, where people worked fields together (theirs and each ‘). Some commentators believe that Elisha owned (or was the son of the owner of) all the oxen. That would be 24 oxen, so that would have been a lot of wealth (kind of like having 24 Jaguar cars). Elisha (and/or his family) owning 2 seems much more likely. That would still put him (in modern terms) in a very comfortable middle class.

    Then some famous guy comes and puts his mantle (Elijah’s symbol of the office) on Elisha’s shoulders. Elisha understands that Elijah is declaring him the heir of the prophetic office, which was an unusual example in the Scriptures. Elisha’s response was (basically), “let me show and love to my parents.” Done. Then Elisha burns the equipment required for a yoke of oxen, then kills same oxen for a celebration.

    Elisha opening, publically, severs himself from his old life. That is a lot of money to just be burning. It’s a great party, but there is no financial way of coming back from it easily. It’s similar to “burning the ships”. Hernán Cortés was famously said to have done this (he really just sank them) to keep his men from trying to return home or mutiny (there is a lot more to the story, and much of it not so positive). Elisha did it for himself.

    One of the challenges that the Western Church faces is trying to return. This isn’t just buildings (So, let’s not burn them or just sell them). Actually, it’s more of a way of thinking. Looking back for guidance and encouragement? Yes. Looking back for the plan to navigate this new world? No.

    You, too, have a call on your life. You, too, have oxen to burn and ships to sink.

    ※Reflection※

    • What items/events/fears of your past or present are keeping you from living an on fire life for God? (Yes, that is a question worth asking daily)
    • If there was one “thing” in your life that would indicate that your are moving on, what would it be?
    • Why are we so attracted to stories like that of Cortés or Elisaha, but don’t put it into practice? What other cultural icons (generic or specific) are similar to Cortés and Elisha?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, there is no question that we are called to live for you. Let our lives be the bonfires that bring people into your . Amen.

  • Not Quite Yet

    Not Quite Yet

    Psalm 100; Jeremiah 50:1–7; Hebrews 13:17–25

    Babylon was the of Jerusalem and Jews at the time of Jeremiah. It makes sense, as Babylon had destroyed much of Jerusalem, and taken a majority of the population into exile. It was the big with the biggest might. For the Jews, there was no bigger enemy.

    While God had allowed Jerusalem to fall as part of the consequence of the Jews’ turning their back on God, this didn’t spare Babylon from the consequences of its own actions. It’s not as if the Jews were the only ones that Babylon conquered. God was not going to leave them be.

    This is where Jeremiah’s oracle comes in. Babylon indeed would receive punishment for its actions. This must have provided some to the Jews, at the same time they were still dealing with their own pains. They heard that God would bring consequences upon Babylon, yet they were still dealing with the consequences of their own actions.

    The are filled with places where people were promised that there would be a deliverer. All too often, the deliverer was in the . So, people still had to deal with oppression, slavery, exile, and other issues. This can be much like our lives. As we are dealing with troubles, pains, losses, it can seem that such a is only a bittersweet wish. Yet, God is and will fulfill all the promises made.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us to have the , the , do know that you watch over us and care for us. See us through the trials. Amen.

  • God of Boxes

    God of Boxes

    Psalm 85:8–13; Amos 4:6–13; Luke 1:57–80

    God speaks shalom to his people [who follow him] and to his faithful [where he is the core] ones (a very loose paraphrase of Psalm 85:8)

    Salvation is close to those that God (Psalm 85:9).

    Then…we get Amos. When we first read Amos, we are tempted to think, “This is a loving God?” As with most speech, being too literal can be problematic. This is more of the arc of the story of Israel. In other words, it wasn’t one thing after another. It was one thing…time passed (even generations)…they didn’t …another thing, and so forth. When it’s all tied together seemingly in a short time span as we read it, it can leave us breathless and/or anxious.

    Which…it should.

    The symmetry of these issues goes along with Egypt, who would not “see” the power of God as worth listening to until the death of the firstborn (see Exodus 4:8–12:33). Then there is the addition of Sodom and Gomorrah (still used today as a prophetic whip). This also builds on Moses’ warnings which promised that the curses on Egypt would be inflicted on Israel if they did not choose God (see Deuteronomy 28:15–61).

    This is where we who focus heavily on the of God and the nature of God loving all need to pay attention ourselves. God is love. That doesn’t mean permissiveness. It often means .

    “Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the LORD your God disciplines you.” —Deuteronomy 8:5

    We don’t like this. The fact that our emotional response to discipline is, “you don’t love me,” is one of the greatest struggles for our modern sensitivities. We struggle (and that’s fine) with the concept that God would discipline through pestilence, famine, war, etcetera. We will often use the language of “God allows”, or explain things as “an ‘old world’ understanding”. While this is understandable, there is a fundamental soteriological (theology dealing with the nature and means of salvation) flaw in it. When we diminish God’s acts to solely “natural” consequences, we remove God’s movement (including that of the Holy ) in our lives, even the concept of prevenient (the grace that goes before us).

    Removing Godly discipline is removing God.

    Zechariah (the father of John the Baptist) was muted (disciplined) by God (through an angel) when he questioned how he and Elizabeth in their advanced years could have a child. Want to see a preaching/teaching pastor freak out? Mute them. Zechariah’s duties may not have been preaching as we understand it, but in an oral culture (most people couldn’t read) not being able to was a severe handicap. Instead, when Zechariah confirmed that his ‘s name was John and he was no longer mute, he praised God. After his discipline, he praised God. Being that was Zechariah’s first response (and praise not being, “thank you for healing me.”), it is quite probable that Zechariah was praising God even while mute. Praising God while being disciplined; that is hard.

    It isn’t impossible. Yet we want to put God in a box. The box of the God of love is often the one where God doesn’t punish or discipline. God doesn’t fit into our boxes.

    ※Reflection※

    • In your life, what boxes have you put God into? How do these boxes deal with punishment, discipline, and/or love?
    • Why might a God of discipline also be a God of love? How do we often confuse these?
    • What do we lose when we remove discipline form the nature and/or character of God? Is that important?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, there are things in life and in the Scriptures we just don’t understand. Grant us your grace to see you in and through it all. Amen.