Devotion.al

Tag: father

  • Faithfulness Remembered and Expressed

    Psalm 119:9–16; Haggai 2:1–9; John 12:34–50 (read online ⧉)

    Haggai’s message was to encourage people who were feeling worn regarding the and its rebuilding. While the people of Israel were rebuilding their lives, the of the temple was not moving as well. There is the political climate regarding the difficulties that would arise with the surrounding powers with the temple rebuilding. For those who were old enough to , Haggai reminded them of the glory of the old temple, trying to stir them up so that they could invigorate . Through Haggai, God reminded them that he was and that things could be great again, should they do their part to honor God through rebuilding his temple. God would then fill his temple with his glory.

    This God’s glory in the temple paradigm was to be cataclysmically changed with Jesus. God could no longer be viewed as distant, but now very much present. Like all huge changes in thinking, it was going to be painful and jarring. The pain of transition would begin with Jesus betrayed and hung on a cross. Jesus foreshadowed what was to occur, but the people seemed to have a sense themselves as they proclaimed that the Messiah would remain forever; a not-so-subtle dig that if Jesus ever died he was not the Messiah.

    Jesus did not allow the nay-sayers to his story. With his declaration equating denial of him and his words was denying God the Father and his words, Jesus made it clear that their understanding of the Messiah was not complete.

    He ultimately answered their challenge with:”…I know that his commandment [Jesus’ obedience to ] is life.” John 12:50

    In other words, only by will Jesus actually become the Messiah who remained forever.

    1. What is your reaction to Jesus’ obedience being death?

    2. When you think of martyrs who also were obedient, what is your to their choice? Why?

  • Loving Intercession

    Psalm 51:1-12; Exodus 30:1-10; Hebrews 4:14-5:10 (read online ⧉)

    Incense was used as part of the priests’ daily of God. It was a prescribed practice. Priests had a number of prescribed practices that they were regularly responsible for. They were constantly doing their tasks before God, both to him and be the representative of the Israelites before God.

    Before a priest could do their duties, they had cleansing rituals that had to be completed. By virtue of their post, they didn’t get to be cleansed. They are imperfect beings, too, just like us. This remains the case today, whether they are in the other traditions where the priestly role retains much of the intercessory nature of the Israelite priests, or in ours.

    This is where the author of Hebrews gives us pause and hope. The author informs us that Jesus Christ [perfect, of God, Son of Man, , begotten of the ] has now taken the role of the ritual priest, and by his very nature and is the eternal offeror of the sacrifice he was.

    The author of Hebrews goes so far as to elevate Jesus to the High Priest (highest person of religious authority in both culture and law), and then tie Jesus to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17-14), who was the first person scripture calls “priest”. The author, then, is tying Jesus into the priestly realm before ever the person called Israel (let alone the tribes) even existed. By doing so, it is being established that how and what Jesus does in regards to priestly things overcomes, is superior to, and is the ultimate expression of the priestly sacrificial system.

    While the author of Hebrews is showing Jesus’ rightful place as (ultimate) priest and intercessor, the author also speaks to Jesus’ humanity. Jesus was fully . Jesus was and is fully divine. The two natures of Jesus laid bare for all to see. God as fully human. God who knows and lived with all our weaknesses and temptations, stands with us and for us.

    1) How do you understand Jesus as God and human?

    2) If you could avoid punishment, would you?

    3) What does it mean to you that Jesus—who could have not to die—chose to die to take your punishment, ?

  • Temple by Proxy

    2 Chronicles 29:1–11, 16–19; Psalm 84; Hebrews 9:23–28 (read online ⧉)

    King Ahaz, King Hezekiah’s , destroyed utensils used in the of God, and shut the doors of the (prevention of worship), and put altars all around Jerusalem to worship other gods. King Hezekiah sought the of the temple and the right worship of God. Hezekiah knew that the priests—those charged with the care and work of the temple—had not been fulfilling their duties.

    King Hezekiah commanded the priests to properly prepare themselves and the temple for worshipping of God. The priests did so and informed the King of the completion of their tasks. They had to be directed to do what their entire tribe had been assigned by God to do.

    The temple was supposedly the of Hebrew life and the heart of Jerusalem. However, just based on the kings, it really wasn’t the case but for a few. There was a lot of ritual that went with that worship, and a lot of effort. While the restoration was important, for it was a symbol of God, for a time, being the rightful center of Hebrew life, it wasn’t the .

    The writer of Hebrews takes a key element of Hebrew religious life—the temple with its rituals—and flips it on its head. The author interprets them as foreshadowing the tabernacle in Heaven. The author interprets as the true expression of the priestly rituals of . The shadows of the true temple of Heaven are important. It is the reality that Christ is both the offeror of sacrifice and the sacrifice itself that is essential to our understanding of our . It is foundational (see yesterday’s devotion). It is essential.

    1. Do you see Jesus as your sacrifice to God to atone for your sins?
    2. How does Jesus being the eternal sacrifice affect your appreciation of it?
    3. How do you understand Jesus’ sacrifice in regard to the sins you have committed since you were saved?

  • You, The World, God

    Exodus 20:1–17; John 2:13–22; 1 Corinthians 1:18–25; Psalm 19 (read online ⧉)

    The 10 Commandments in Exodus. The temple cleaned out with whips. The foolishness of the Cross versus signs and . All 3 passages are passionate reminders of who God is, and each tells so in different ways.

    Exodus establishes the foundations of the God-Israel relationship (and speaks to ours, as well). The Gospel of John tells of the cleansing of the temple, removing man-made obstacles and the exposing duping of the . ‘s letter to the Corinthians encourages them that they cannot base faith on mere Greek “wisdom” and the Jewish desire for signs.

    God sets some ground rules for and loving interacting relationship with God and man. Jesus summarizes it this way, “…‘You shall the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” [Matthew 22:36-40]

    Through the cleansing of the Temple, Jesus cleared his ‘s house of that which distracted from worshiping God, and that which prevent right . Jesus made a point that his Father’s house has one purpose, worshiping God. He also called the leaders and merchants out on their corruption of a sacrificial law that was intended to bring people to God, while reminding them that they needed a bridge (blood) to cover their wrongs.

    Paul let Christians know that the world would never view them the same as it used to. Their interactions with the world would be strained, as they were considered fools by their beliefs. This of Jew and Gentile was confronted by the Jew and Gentile outside faith in Jesus, and how they no longer quite fit into the world they left behind.

    Much of our journey in faith can be summarized into these three areas: our relationship with God; our relationships with in the faith; our relationships with those outside the faith. We can even look at Jesus’ life with these three facets, seeing the ebb and flow.

    At the beginning of our walk, we usually try to balance these three facets, but unlike a triangle or tripod, the three facets are not really able to be balanced. We tend to extremes in them all, bouncing from one to another. Many people have found that the best expression is the three concentric circles, starting with a small circle, which is circled by a larger one, which is circled by even a larger one.

    Of course, the question is what is the order of the circles?

    1) Going from inner to middle to outer ring, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each ?

    a. God / Others in the Faith / Others in the World

    b. Others in the World / Others in the Faith / God

    2) Which one are you?

  • Giving and Moving

    Genesis 22:1-19; Hebrews 11:13-19; Psalm 105-37-45

    The almost of Isaac is, for many, one of the hardest passages of scripture to read. Those who are parents cannot imagine being God asking Abraham to do this. Those who are parents cannot imagine being Abraham and being asked to do this. Note the ““. In English translations, we often lose a Hebrew grammar article, נָא (na’). It makes the “take” into, “please take.” Then God says, “…your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you …”.

    As the child of God’s , Isaac is Abraham’s “true” son. There is no other child of the promise. Isaac is not just a child of the promise to Abraham, but also to God. And God knows how much Abraham loves Isaac.

    Isaac. We don’t know much about either’s thoughts during their trip to Moriah. Isaac trusted his . At this point, too, Abraham was quite old—his prime behind him—and Isaac was probably an older teenager—entering his prime. Scripture doesn’t say that Isaac fought his father. Isaac trusted his father and allowed (it seems) himself to be bound and placed on the pile of sticks. Culturally, this was not abnormal. Child sacrifices to harsh and unpredictable gods was .

    As Christians, looking back, we cannot help but see Abraham as a of God the Father, and Isaac as God the Son (). The loving father sacrificing his son; the loving son his father.

    As the author of Hebrews notes, Abraham was promised that his descendants of the promise would come from Isaac. Abraham probably didn’t understand, but he had walked long enough with God, that even in the time of trial, pain, and confusion, he still trusted.

    1) Have you, or someone you know, had a crisis of belief, where your choice was to follow God or up on your dreams or hopes?

    2) What did that crisis teach you about God?

    3) What did that crisis teach you about others?

    4) What did that crisis teach you about yourself?

  • Confessing in Trust

    Daniel 9:3-10, Psalm 25:1-10, 1 John 1:5-10

    The ashes that many had on their foreheads yesterday are gone, either rubbed or washed off. As we read yesterday, ashes are a sign of repentance. Daniel sought God through , supplication, fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. Daniel uses these 5 things not to get a reward, nor in expectation that he would get an answer because he did them. Daniel did them to put aside himself, so that he be more aware of God, and less concerned for himself.

    Prayer is a . Especially during , we can be deliberate in speaking less, and listening more. Supplications are not the list of things we want, think we need, health, wealth, and so on, but it is in the of saying, “God, please use me. God, please me to fulfill your purpose.” Fasting is often food, as it is essential to live. In our age of plenty, fasting can be a powerful spiritual tool, as it reminds us of our , and the blessor, God our Father.

    Sackcloth was what people wore to show that they were repenting or mourning. It was very uncomfortable. This cloth rubbing against one’s bare skin was another reminder that things were not as they ought to be. Daniel, a man of importance, wearing sackcloth would have been very unusual, and would have likely caused a stir, and would have likely been humiliating for a person whose focus was on himself, rather than God.

    1) In Psalm 25:1-10, the psalms writes, “…in You I …”. How is your trust of/in God doing?

    2) In 1 John 1:5-10, confession is cornerstone of our release from sin. Confession is hard when we have to to , because it requires trust. When you confess to God, is it easy because you trust God, or is it easy because you think God is distant or not listening?

    3) What practices of confession do you follow? Are they enough?

  • Long Road of Obedience

    James 1:2–8, 1 Peter 1:3–9 (read online ⧉)

    “No ; no .” It’s highly likely that you heard this phrase at some point in your . Often the phrase was/is used in weight-lifting/-training. The understanding is that the resistance (lifting the weight for repetition) will hurt (especially the next day). The result is muscles that are better capable the next time to repeat the effort. When a muscle is “gained” this way, it is torn. We don’t think of improving our clothing by tearing it (yes, there is a fashion “sense” that does this, but it isn’t an improvement, per se).

    Sometimes it isn’t pain that grows us. Mental pain improves us (think schooling). Emotional pain makes us resilient. Pain still isn’t any fun.

    Spiritually, often the greatest growth is due to the greatest pain. Some have called it a time of being in a spiritual desert. Some have called it the long night of the soul. Some have called it being empty. Contrary to our usual emotional and intellectual , this is when we need to lean most heavily upon God. This is also often when we don’t. We avoid God. We avoid talking to God. We avoid reading of God. We avoid all things about God. Then we where God went, failing (or choosing not) to recognize that it is not God who left us, but we who left God.

    On the other hand, if we instead develop practices that continue in prayer, reading, and , our foundation becomes firm. Often it is obedience to those practices during the dry time that produces the deepest growth as we exit the desert. The obedience learned in the desert prepare each of our steps so that we can see the Father’s love in the steps we take, follow ‘ path, and live by the .

    1) When was the last spiritual desert you experienced? What was the result? How did you make it through?

    2) People often view spiritual things and practices as if they ought to be different than everything else. Why do you think that is?

    3) “Going through the motions” often seems false, yet that is often when we are most deeply trained. Why is that? What spiritual practices are so ingrained that you cannot imagine not doing them?

  • Relating Relationally

    Genesis 24:1–27, Ruth 2:1–16, 1 Corinthians 7:1–9, Hebrews 11:13–22 (read online ⧉)

    Arranged marriages are nothing new. Many arranged marriages were and are political, financial, or just friends “knowing” their children should be . The story of Isaac and Rebekah doesn’t quite fall into those lines, but it is still an arranged marriage. Just like any marriage, there were ups and downs, good days and bad. From a generational and legacy standpoint, marriage was a core component. The in this story was the one who had to trust and rely on God for the journey to be a , and to be able to go to his master (Abraham) with his task fulfilled.

    The story of Ruth is considered a success as she was faithful…and landed a husband. By landing a husband, she obtained personal security. She also obtained a legacy for her husband (and by extension, her deceased -in-law) and her mother-in-law, Naomi. That he was honorable and rich didn’t hurt, of course. In a culture where women were not highly valued, this was a significant win for Ruth and Naomi. For the women, marriage was not just success, it was safety and identity. In the story, too, was trusting God. In this case, it was Ruth (the Moabite foreigner) who trusted and relied on God. Naomi (the Israelite) has lost her trust in God. God’s to Ruth, however, did seem to have restored Naomi’s trust.

    In this day and age and culture, we have been spared (generally) the arranged marriages of old, though they still happen. Marriage has long been a mainstay and cultural and societal bedrock for generations, and not just in American or even Western culture, but in most cultures and ages. Yes, there are exceptions. They are few. Whether you view the current changes regarding marriage in the States as good or bad, it has changed. There is an important reason to understand that, Americans deeply value marriage. That should give , but it should also make us cautious. When we raise marriage to such a high level (which we have), people quest and ache for it. Then they will pursue it. Then they will fail. This is not to say that we should not view marriage highly, but that our view of it should not be over that of widows, widowers, and singles. In fact, it is not unreasonable to conclude that much of the failure of marriages are not just unpreparedness, it is also suitableness.

    There often comes a judgemental tendency regarding this in Evangelical Christian circles. This is certainly not exclusive of Evangelical Christianity, as there is a that teaches (or at least use to) that a single man over the age of 25 to be a danger to society. Holding up relationships, especially romantic ones, as the panacea of all things is setting up relationships to not be able to bear the weight of expectations. Once relationships become gods, not only does God have no place, but relationships try to make up the lack of God by putting it all into the relationships.

    The other struggle is the one Paul is concerned about, and that is sexual morality. In other words, if you can’t handle your “needs”, then get married. Paul seems to put marriage as below singleness. Think about that for a moment. Paul, often elevated (rightfully) as a “doctor” of the , did not necessarily view marriage as anything more than a way to avoid sexual immorality. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for earthly marriage. On the other hand, Paul did say that Christ and the Church were Groom and Bride, so it’s not as if marriage wasn’t useful. Still, it wasn’t a ringing endorsement. Both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches developed monasteries and convents for those called to it. This was an elevation of singleness to the glory of God.

    Those who a single, widowed, or married are to love and value each other equally, not based upon marital status. All statuses have to rely on God for fulfillment, and none are completely fulfilling for anyone, at least not without God. It is trusting God, when we cannot see the path before us, and trusting God when our relational desires are not fulfilled. Relationships fill holes inside each and every one of us.

    1) How do you view people who are in a different relational status than you are? Why? How does that fit into being framily together?

    2) How do you incorporate into your everyday (i.e., not just at church) those who are in a different relational state than you?

    3) How do Paul’s words (in this passage) feel to you regarding your relational status?