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Devotion.al

Tag: fear

  • Denial and Grace

    Luke 23:50–24:12, John 19:38–42, Matthew 10:32–33

    Joseph of Arimathea is described differently by Luke and John. Luke describes him as good, righteous, and looking forward to the kingdom of God. John describes him as a secret disciple of Jesus. On the surface, these appear to be different. And, depending on the audience, they can be very different indeed. However, Joseph’s attitude toward Jesus was fairly clear. Joseph greatly admired Jesus. He also did (to a point) follow Jesus as “the women” from Galilee were with him, indicating that he did have a place in the larger circle of disciples.

    Joseph of Arimathea was part of the Sanhedrin. The religious and civil ruling council of the Jews is the “body” that pushed for Jesus’ crucifixion. Earlier in the Gospels, it seemed that the Sanhedrin was unanimous in its thinking. Joseph of Arimathea shows that there wasn’t unanimity in Sanhedrin. Joseph was concerned, however, with his place in the Sanhedrin. John calls it out as fear of “the Jews”. Luke doesn’t specify that, but as Luke does only note that Joseph went to Pilate, Joseph definitely did it cautiously and did try to avoid making a scene.

    John even pulls Nicodemus into the conversation. Nicodemus is first seen at night meeting Jesus (John 3:1–21). Next Nicodemus is seen defending (in a roundabout way) Jesus. Then we see him now bringing an amount of myrrh and aloe that was excessive (culturally). Nicodemus is still not declaring anything in the name of Jesus, but his actions show a heart turned toward Jesus.

    The actions of both men could seem to be contrary to Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:32–33. In fact, many of us might well be guilty of this. It all depends on how one defines “deny”. It could be like Peter, who denied Jesus 3 times. That’s pretty blatant, yet God’s grace carried Peter forward to be the first leader of the Church. Peter, like Joseph and Nicodemus, was afraid.

    In the world, fear drives many of our actions. Around the world, Christians are hated and hunted. Muslims that have converted to Jesus (and often in mysterious ways) hide their conversion in fear, as they are (justifiably in many cases) afraid of being killed for the family’s honor. In India, Hindu extremists target Christians regularly. There have been a number of bombings of churches recently. Are these Christians denying Christ by not proclaiming Jesus from the rooftops, street corners, family gatherings, their homes?

    Many preachers, who are living in and are accustomed to religious and speech freedom, have said exactly that over the years.

    1) If you are not declaring Jesus to everyone you meet, especially to every family member who is not a Christian, why not? In light of Jesus words, then, what is failing to acknowledge Jesus?

    2) What is the difference, if any, between denying Jesus, and not acknowledging Jesus?

    3) When was the last time you acted like Peter, Joseph of Arimathea, or Nicodemus out of fear?

  • 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 hear?”

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

    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 (fear).

    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 living up to its potential. In fact, burying the money was (culturally) freedom 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 faith. 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 life, however, it is not so clear-cut. In his last hours with his disciples, Jesus 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 response 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?

  • Evaluating Value

    John 8:2–12, 2 Corinthians 5:10–15

    Before we go any further, this story in John is an odd one. It does not show up in the earliest manuscripts that we currently have, however, the story does show up soon (time-wise) after the earliest manuscript. What is also unusual (in comparison to others stories) is that it doesn’t show up in exactly the same places. The very early church attested to the accuracy of the story, as do most scholars. However, because of its appearance later, there is probably a note in your bible about it. Again, this does not put the story in dispute.

    The story is interesting, as many people have put their own spin on what Jesus was writing in the dirt. Could it have been a line? Was it a list of sins the men committed? Maybe it was as simple as, “love God; love others.” Many creative sermons have been delivered over what was written in the dirt, but not written in the Scriptures. The real question is judgment. Based on the context (setting Jesus up) and the lack of a male participant (who should have been stoned, too), there was no following the Law in Truth or Spirit. Even literally the law wasn’t followed (again, the lack of the man).

    The Law, or the law (as in US jurisprudence) can be judged insofar as being evaluated and found regarding the preponderance of evidence as guilty or innocent of the charge. That is not the judgment in this instance. It is a judgment of value. This woman was judged to be less valued for she was a woman and an adulteress. The man involved was skipped over. Why was one granted mercy and grace (presumptive), while another was not?

    Paul reminds us that we all will stand before the throne. Yes, if we’ve accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we will be spared the judgment. However, what if we stood before the throne and experienced the entirety of the emotional, spiritual, and physical pain of our sins (including what we have caused others). This would not be out of a desire to inflict pain, but for us to Truly understand the grace and mercy given to us.

    1) Have you ever judged and/or condemned a person, then found out you were wrong? What was that like? Did you make amends? If not, why not?

    2) We may be quick to judge the sins of others. What should we learn from the lesson of Jesus?

    3) Paul speaks of the “fear of God”. How should that affect our views of judging others?

  • The Truth of Lies

    Proverbs 29:22–25, Philippians 2:5–11, Galatians 6:1–5

    Tell the truth. That is a maxim for life. However, often we succumb to the temptation to lie. We can be surprised when it pops out, or we could plan for it. There are times where lying is appropriate (as many Germans, for example, lied to the Nazis to protect Jews). Most lying, however, is not such.

    Lying can come from anger. It can come from pride. It can come from fear. An angry person may lie to inflict pain upon the person they feel is hurting them. A person of pride may make their story bigger to make themselves feel superior. They might also lie to preserve their way of life or gain. Fearing mankind, however, is probably the biggest root cause of lying. The wisdom of Proverbs is that fear men before fearing God is not a good prioritization of things.

    Paul’s train of thought regarding Jesus submitting himself to all (really, by dying he did), Jesus provides the example of selflessness. We are often taught a selflessness that is mindless and without self. Yet, that is not Jesus’ example. Did Jesus at any point forget who he was? Did Jesus stop being who he was? Of course not!

    The humble and aware obedience that Jesus displayed is the example. Jesus was angry at times (think the temple). He did not lie or seek to hurt others. He sought to correct others in a way that some (not all) would understand. Jesus could have made himself out to be the King of Kings.

    Instead, he would escape the crown of an Earthly kingdom. Jesus consistently shared the Truth in the face of people who not only didn’t want the Truth, they also wanted him dead.

    The biggest temptation when it comes to lying is catching the other person in it. We feel so much better about ourselves. “…if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing…restore…with a gentle spirit.” The gentle spirit is why Christ’s humility is so essential. We’ve all been there.

    What makes that lie we told better than theirs? Nothing. We need to submit ourselves to our fellow Christians, not just because we are called to, but because when humbly submit ourselves, we are able to correct in love.

    We don’t like this submit, humbleness, nor truth. It makes us uncomfortable when we make it a way of life. We don’t mind doing it when it costs us nothing. If it costs nothing, of what value is it?

  • Spirit Grades

    Jeremiah 23:30-40, 1 John 4:1–6
    What is a spirit?

    In the Scriptures, there is the Holy Spirit. That is certainly one. However, often the time spirit is used, it is not a good thing. There are evil spirits. There are deceptive spirits. It is the deceptive spirits that make an appearance all too often. What is even sadder is that many of these deceptive spirits deceive with wonderful sounding things like peace. In the case of Jeremiah, the deceptive spirits led people to provide false dreams, false promises, and deceptive ways. The ways, as God says, that are not good for the people. These, of course, are the most subtle, most attractive, the hardest to see, and the hardest to escape.

    This is why it is no small reason that John encourages us to test the spirits that come to us. We are to rely on the Holy Spirit, along with the fellowship of mature believers. Of course, there is also the darker side of that, where group-think is in play, and the Holy Spirit is lost in an attempt to sustain the ways of old. The spirits that say Jesus is not from God, or that Jesus really didn’t die, or that Jesus did not rise from the dead? They are all active today, just as they were in John’s time. The world, the part that wants to remain deaf to God, seeks spirits, just not the Spirit of God.

    Zeitgeist is a concept from German philosophy. It means “spirit of the age”. The basic concept is that there is a dominating understanding or a group of characteristics that accompany and define a certain time or era. This is a different spirit, but it affects the Christian life, and the world, often as much as the deceptive spirits (as if the deceptive spirits are part of it). Fear, the other, hatred, anxiety, loneliness, and so much else are the signs of illness. They are also the zeitgeist of our day.

    As much as we don’t want to fear or hate, we still turn to it. There is a form of deception that appears like living. The world is so full of negative emotions, that often without them people do not feel alive. Let that sink in. Without negative emotions, people feel as if they are dead. It’s strange. In the time of Jeremiah, it was the ways of peace that were a lie and people sought it. From Christ to now to tomorrow, the way of peace is the truth, and people cling to the negative.

    1) When you watch or read news stories, do you see positive or negative?

    2) When people call one of your tribes (religion, nation, state, political party) evil or misguided, how do you respond?

    3) The practice of and need for testing the spirits have not stopped. One could argue that practice and need are even more important now. What are you doing to strengthen and sharpen your ability to test the spirits?

  • Spirit Movement

    Psalm 51, Isaiah 66:1–16, Acts 16:6–15

    How the Holy Spirit moves in our lives is both a mystery and very important. The psalmist requests to be restored. Attributed to King David after being confronted in his sin regarding Bathsheba and Uriah, there is definitely some restoration that needs to happen.

    While David as an individual was often not the shining example, at the same time he led the people of Israel to worship God fully. While we recognize David’s shortcomings and sins, we also have to recognize what he brought. Does that mean that what he did was okay? Obviously not. As we see in Psalm 51, David did repent.

    On the other hand, but the time if Isaiah, the rulers, and the people were not fully worshipping God. God was just another god, one of many. Many followed the prescribed outward practices but did not have the heart that was yielded to God. Isaiah wasn’t the only prophet calling to account, either. Contrast this to David. Nathan had a very short speech, and David was contrite. David was humble, submissive in spirit, and trembled at God’s world (Isaiah 66:2).

    David and the chided (by Isaiah) Israelites had very different responses to the Holy Spirit. Both had an experience of correction. David had additional experiences of support and direction.

    Paul, by this time in Acts, had had a number of interesting experiences with the Holy Spirit, but this might be one of the most important as it applies to us. Paul wanted to go to Asia. That was the plan. God wouldn’t let them. Think about that for a moment. Many in the church (rightfully) talk about the loss of evangelism. Paul was told not to evangelize. Then he tries to go to Bithynia and is again stopped by the Holy Spirit. Stopped. Prevented. No evangelism here.

    Then Paul received a dream from a (nameless) man to come to Macedonia. He does so and makes his way to Philippi. There he meets Lydia. She converts to Christianity and becomes a strong supporter of the church. Some have called her a deacon, and yet others claim that her role was more pastor or bishop. While who knows what could have happened in Asia or Bithynia, Lydia’s conversion along with the establishment of the church at Philippi is all pretty important.

    Sometimes the Holy Spirit, as some say, knocks a person on the head with a 2×4. Other times the Holy Spirit nudges and encourages by whispers. Other times, the Holy Spirit closes the door. Being aware, being responsive, and being obedient to the Holy Spirit is what will shape and change us. Also, this is how we are transformed to be more like Jesus.

    1) When you believe the Holy Spirit is telling you to stop, how do you test whether it is the Holy Spirit or your fear?

    2) When you believe the Holy Spirit is telling you to go, how do you test whether it is the Holy Spirit or your desires?

    3) When in the last week have you felt either go or stop from the Holy Spirit? If you haven’t, are you open to asking (and listening to) the Holy Spirit about what should be stopped or started?

  • Freeing the Rules

    Psalm 119:153–168, Deuteronomy 6, Galatians 5:1–15

    Rules and regulations. We often don’t like them. At the same time, there are many who are calling for more and more rules and regulations. People want to control people’s thoughts and their expressions of their thoughts. People want to control others’ behavior, but don’t want theirs controlled.

    When Paul refers to the Law of the Jews (e.g., circumcision), there is a Jewish understanding that the Jews failed miserably to follow the Law perfectly. So, to do a better job of following the law that they couldn’t already follow, they added more laws.

    The whys of rules and regulations should often be more the focus than the actual rules and regulations. When Moses talks about the whys, it is contained within Deuteronomy 6:4–6. “Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.”

    It’s not that breaking the rules wasn’t serious. It was. What was of primary importance was a relationship with God.

    Note also what comes after that, teaching and guiding others into that same relationship.

    Then, and only then, do we get to the rules. Many Bibles have a heading before verse 10 to the effect of Remembering God Through Obedience. So, the rules aren’t about the rules, they’re about God. For Christians, the “rules” of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers are more like guidelines, good and healthy guidelines for relationships, but guidelines. They are for a time and place and context, which isn’t ours.

    So, Christians create more rules. These rules are in many ways far worse than the rules of the Law. Many people use the “new” rules to condemn people to Hell, without knowing them. The rules are often used with fear and intimidation. That certainly isn’t the freedom that Paul was talking about.

    1) When you think of rules, what are your feelings? How do you feel when someone else breaks the rule? How about when you break the rules?

    2) Why do you think the rules and remembering are tied together? How does that affect the way you feel about rules?

    3) We all set rules and expectations regarding the behavior of others. What do you do when someone violates them?

  • Embarrassing

    Exodus 33:18-23, Exodus 34:29–35, 1 Kings 19:3–18, John 1:10–18

    Have you ever hidden your face? Embarrassment. Shame. Guilt. Avoidance.

    The Israelites hid their faces from God. Originally it was out of fear. They only understood fearing gods, as gods were capricious and unpredictable. Now they were in the presence of a god that they were told of but hadn’t experienced. This god that was only a tale led them out of Egypt. This god called them to him. Now what? Of course, they hide their faces. They send someone in their stead that way they don’t have to face God.

    Facing God is a life-changing experience…and so many try to avoid it.
    Moses was physically changed forever. He was changed in such a way that normal interaction with people was over. How about you?
    Elijah’s experience was different still. In the midst of his being overwhelmed, in despair, and in fear, God was there. Elijah may not have hidden his face from God, but God hid his face from Elijah.
    God’s holiness and righteousness were too much for any human to handle. God made a way.

    Jesus was the face of God. Instead of being afraid, or hiding away, God was right there. Imagine instead of being afraid of God, eating with God.

    1) What was the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done? What about it was embarrassing?

    2) Have you ever been too embarrassed to talk to God? Is it more embarrassing to think that God already knows, or is it comforting?

    3) In regards to coming face-to-face with God, why is Jesus’ coming so important?

  • Relating Love

    Matthew 5:17-20, Matthew 22:34–40, John 13:31-35

    It is not a minor thing for Jesus to affirm the Law and the Prophets. It is an essential fact to understand. Jesus in no way denied being a Jew, nor did he say being a Jew is bad. Over the course of history, it was bad theology that led people to think that Jews were worse than others. They weren’t, and aren’t.

    In fact, if we do not recognize the Jewishness of Jesus, we deny him in many ways. For him to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament, he had to be Jewish. This is incredibly important to understand as the Old Testament is critically important to understand Jesus, salvation, God, and the New Testament.
    In many respects, the Law and the Prophets never pass away, they become something far greater. Through their fulfillment, we are able to go beyond their immediate and earthly meaning and find something far deeper and greater…the depths of God’s love.

    Love is supposed to be the motivator, whether it is our relationship with God, or with other people. When other emotions are a significant portion of our relationships, we should recognize that that is not God’s intent. Emotions such as fear, desire to control, hatred, animosity, sadness. These are not the emotions that are healthy for our relationships, especially if they are the primary emotion we feel.
    This is also the case in our relationship with God, yet many people (Jewish, Christian, Muslim) are taught that we are to fear God. Not the “He is God, the all-powerful, Creator-of-the-Universe” fear; the abject fear of someone who is afraid of another in such a way that loving is not possible.

    1) If a person’s primary relating emotion is not love, how would they understand Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross?

    2) Many people state and even believe that their primary motivation and behavior toward others is love. How does one validate or invalidate that?

    3) How do you move a person more toward love, and away from other emotions?

    4) What emotions (other than love) do you struggle with the most?

  • Disappointment Not Punishment

    Psalm 34, Job 1:1–10, 1 John 4:7–21

    There is something in the Old Testament that remains unresolved. The Psalmist declares that the wicked will not be remembered and the righteous will be. This is a common theme. Yet, when we look at scripture, and we look at the world around us, we rightfully question that. So, what is going on? Perhaps we ought to question who is doing the remembering. Both Old and New Testaments are testaments of God to humanity. In other words, humanity is the object of the story (the Bible), God is. Scripture tells the story of the imperfect revealing the glory, holiness, righteousness, justice, mercy, grace,…love of God. Humanity is just the target of all of that. Since we tell the stories, we confuse being the tellers of the story with being the subject of the story.

    There is another tension in both Old and New Testament: fear of God. The psalmist talks about teaching the fear of God to people. How does that match with this loving God we tell people about? First, of course, is our language. That is the start of the problem. There is also an automatic opposition to the word fear. Fear is bad. Except when it is not. When driving to work, one cannot be overcome by fear (you’ll never leave the driveway). Yet, defensive driving (a form of fear) is very wise when driving with all the other people that are obviously not as good of drivers as you are.

    The opening verses of Job tell us that fear from the perspective of Scripture may not match our own. We read that Job makes sacrifices on behalf of his children, for he fears they might have sinned. In support of Job, God (proudly) declares that Job fears him (God). What? How about the insight from Satan (how’s that for weird), that of course Job fears God, for God has protected him and blessed him with property and family. Fear? Well, fear must not mean…fear.

    Our last insight comes from 1 John, with fear and love being polar opposites. And this is that final insight. Bad fear, the fear that we should not have toward God, is the fear of punishment. Which leaves us with good fear, which is having the right perspective of God. God is almighty. God is love. Right fear is the fear that we are not in fellowship with God, but God so loves us that he pours out his grace and mercy upon us, so that we need not fear punishment, but are devastated by God’s disappointment.

    1) What about God do you fear?

    2) What about people do you fear?

    3) Why does true love cast out (bad) fear?

    FD) When you think of God, which is a stronger emotion: fear or love? Why?